She did stop crying, and instead began chewing her lip until it bled. Finally, she asked me, “Those monsters. Have you ever hunted them before?”

“No. But my tribe has. I know enough about them.”

“Do you know what they eat?”

“Feces and rotted wood. It’s not going to eat your precious Elian.”

“Good. Can I borrow that?” Before I could even answer, she snatched my hunting knife out of its sheath and turned to a nearby sapling, tiny compared to other trees’ sizes but still much larger than either of us. She stomped her foot three times, a common way to beg Crown Naruune’s attention before channeling. Then, with trembling hands, she carved a series of markings into the bark.

Had my younger brother been a Greshan, he might have actually succeeded in becoming a warrior. Overly reliant on their high walls to protect them, the Greshans were cocky and foolish, only using magical weapons in combat, rather than marking skin and clothes with runes, or turning fighting itself into a method of channeling. I had to admit, though, I had very little knowledge about the ways Greshans channeled outside of combat.

The markings and glyphs carved by the girl looked nothing like the Angran runes I was familiar with. Smaller and more grouped together, occasionally repeating, but in no real pattern. Not long after she began, however, she let out a frustrated cry. The girl banged her head against the trunk. Had she messed up somehow, and failed? I clicked my tongue, and drew my bowstring again-- perhaps I would get lucky, and hit my target anyways, though it annoyed me to rely on something so fickle as luck.

Then in the corner of my vision, a brilliant light shone. The ground beneath her feet turned golden with the color of channeled magic. So she had been successful after all? But I didn’t have long to gape. A putrid stench emanated from the tree and the air vibrated.

Round two of the fight was about to commence.

In a quick, fluid motion, I drew my bowstring again, calling upon the magic within. A blazing arrow sparked to life as I slowly took aim. The behemoth insect was an easy target this time as it rushed towards us. But before I fired, something dawned on me, and I glanced to the side.

That girl…! What was she doing, frozen there!? I could easily dodge out of the way even while firing, but with the monster’s speed and her incompetence, she may not get clear in time. I tossed my bow aside, the arrow flickering out, and tackled her out of the way. We went rolling together in the moss and dirt. Mere moments afterwards, the monster collided with the tree trunk. Splinters exploded everywhere. Thanks to the rune-stitches in my clothes, I avoided the worst of it. Only my arms were scratched, while my back escaped with just bruises.

Finally I rolled off of the girl, and gazed towards the behemoth beast. Its horn was now stuck in the half-rotted sapling’s trunk, pinning it in place. For now. We had some time to rest and breathe. I looked for Elian, and found him similarly collapsed on the ground. Covered in more bruises and scratches than myself and the girl, but he had thrown himself clear of the worst of the impact.

The girl sat up, dazed, and spotted Elian not long after I did. The sight of her friend finally seemed to jolt her into action as she rose to her feet. “Elian!” She stumbled to his side. Right away, she began plucking out splinters, and bandaging the scrapes with torn strips of her dress. Elian groaned. He’d be just fine.

I’m fine, too. You’re quite welcome for saving your miserable life, girl.

A subdued crack drew my and the girl’s attention. Disturbed by the girl’s shouts, the monster struggled and pulled at the trunk. The rotted bark, which so easily entrapped it, wouldn’t keep it pinned much longer. I leaped to my feet. If I was quick enough, I could retrieve my bow again and get in a few good hits, perhaps even--

With herculean effort, the monster ripped the sapling’s roots from the ground entirely. Clumps of dirt clung to it, flaking off to the ground. The girl leaped up again and hopped over Elian to stand between him and the beast.

“Hey!” she yelled, drawing the beast’s attention to herself. Now I was the one frozen, caught between taking advantage of her distraction and saving her from her own stupidity.

Feh. I saved her once already. I chose my bow. But as I turned my back, there was a loud thump. I looked back over my shoulder as Elian, now sitting fully up, screamed out the girl’s name.

Then I saw her, no longer where she had stood. Now she was crumpled at the base of a tree, like a child’s discarded doll. She did not rise again.

Elian’s retort was instant.

He snatched the monster’s leg and yanked. Its joints creaked and groaned. The monster chattered at him, and swung the rotted tree-trunk towards him. While it was distracted, I fired another flaming arrow into its carapace. It released an ear-shattering scream and turned back to me. Pieces of the rotting trunk fell around its horn.

As it turned on me, Elian pulled its leg again with all his might, and ripped it clean off. Colorful ichor drenched him, as he flipped the severed leg around and smacked its former owner with it. Again, the monster’s attention returned to him. It nearly gored him with its horn, but he blocked it with the severed leg. Supernatural strength seemed to possess him as he stopped it in its tracks.

With the monster frozen in place again, I fired again. The arrow struck true, and hit the monster right in the eye. Another scream rent the air. Elian shoved again, flipping the already unsteady monster onto its back. He staggered backwards, gasping for breath, and looked to me.

“Help me up,” I commanded. He narrowed his eyes, but did as asked, boosting me up into the air. I fired my bow one final time, drawing on more magic than usual for this last blow. The arrow soared through the air, then exploded into a rain of fire, dozens of bolts piercing the monster’s exposed belly. With one last shudder, it finally died. The scent of the cooking meats within its carapace filled my nose.

Despite his exhaustion, Elian-- the Greshan boy, wasted no time in returning to the girl’s side, the fierceness I had seen dropping in an instant. Exhaustion and pained winces replaced it. “Nia!? Nia, are you okay?” Within a few minutes, she groaned, blinking her eyes in the dim light.

“Ugh… you smell like shit… what’s all over your face…?”

He broke out into a relieved grin. “You smell even worse!” Both began to laugh. Well, neither of them sounded seriously injured if they could joke like that, but both would still need to have their injuries attended to. I rolled my eyes, and attended to my own tasks. I unstrung my bow, located and donned my hooded cloak again, then turned to the now-dead monster.

Unlike Gresha, the Angra tribes were not farming people, as the wastelands were entirely unsuited for it. As a result, we weren’t especially picky about where we got our food. This insectile monster could feed my village for over a week, the hard shell turned into tools and armor. Gresha was honestly foolish to only allow entry into this forest during very specific times. But the only question on my mind now was, how to bring the corpse back on my own.

As I considered the logistics and time it would take, I heard a throat clear behind me. Withholding a sigh, I turned to find the two Greshans looking at me expectantly.

The boy inclined his head, and nudged the girl so she was doing the same. It wasn’t hard to miss how they seemed to be holding each other up.

“So lucky we ran into each other again! Thanks for helping us out! We really owe ya one!” he chirped. The girl made a sour expression.

“Shouldn’t he be the one thanking us? He was losing, and we helped kill it.”

“If you call the two of you nearly dying ‘helping’, then yes, I’m forever in your debt,” I replied. She had the gall to look affronted at my words.

“Wait… that bow…” she said, “...you’re the one who stole Ellie’s phoenix, aren’t you!”

“Er, Nia--”

“I stole nothing!” I snapped. “I won it from the fool in a duel, fairly! Though I doubt you Greshans have any understanding of the word.”

“Then since we saved your life, you should give him the monster! Call it fair repayment!”

“Have you already forgotten I was the one who helped you save his life? Any debt I owe either of you is already repaid. In fact, you should owe me--”

“You didn’t do anything! You were going to kill him faster! I was the one who brought him safely to the ground!”

“And whose fault was it that he had to be saved at all?”

“He wouldn’t be in danger if he hadn’t wanted to help you, you ungrateful, heartless An--”

“Guys!” Elian gently thumped the back of the girl’s head. She winced. “It’s okay, He can keep the monster. It’s kinda big to carry, anyways, and I’m tired. We’ll just sleep the night and find something else. Later,” he said.

“Elian…” The girl’s expression changed, to one of fierce concern. She nibbled on her lower lip. “You can’t do that. If you really want a weapon before you become a warrior, you can’t keep giving away everything you catch! They’ll never let you become a warrior at this rate!”

My mouth fell open. “You… You still haven’t crafted a weapon? It’s been two weeks since we met!”

“Eh… heheh…” He grinned awkwardly. He stumbled, leaning himself and the girl against a tree to stay upright. “No worries, no worries. I’ll figure somethin’ out, I always do!”

“You can’t ‘figure this out’ if you’re the one making things difficult!” the girl rebuked him.

“Quiet.” I stepped forwards. “The solution is simple. We split the monster’s remains again. This time, you two will take the carapace. You’ll be able to make something decent out of that… but in return, I want something.”

“What is it?” he asked. His big, dumb eyes met my cool gaze. I searched them for any trace of the person I had glimpsed during our fight with the monster; the one vicious enough to rip a leg off the insectile beast and transform it into an impromptu weapon. Did a true warrior lurk beneath his sweet facade? And if so…

Why, I wanted to ask, were you willing to fight so violently against a mere monster, but not me? Why did you spare me? At first, I had wondered if he was incapable of violence and killing. Clearly, that wasn’t true. Could it be that he saw the monster as a threat, but not me?

How could I make him look at me with that expression?

I wanted to destroy him. I wanted to rip open his chest and strangle him with my bloodstained hands. I wanted to see him grin in that vicious manner as he did his best to kill me in return, until one of us was left panting above the other’s broken body.

“I want to finish what we started. When your weapon is complete and you’re at last a warrior like me, meet me at the place we fought over the phoenix. And then we’ll settle who deserves both weapons, once and for all.” I shut my eyes. “...But first. Dinner, and you two should clean and treat those injuries. I can’t have my duel if you keep over and die.”

“Can I have your name, if I win?” Elian smiled sweetly, in contrast to the brutal visions in my mind. “It’s kinda weird to just keep calling you Angra hunter guy.”

“Only if you defeat me.”

“Oh, let’s just give him a name if he won’t tell us,” the girl hummed. “Let’s call him Fifi!”

“Absolutely not,” I said.