The more Puck interacted with Taron, the more he felt like the beast was head and shoulders above him in the department of intellect. Whether it was to do the right thing in any typical life situation or whether it was the understanding of new speeches.Even though Taron himself couldn’t or wouldn’t speak directly in words, he seemed to understand everything perfectly and was able to make others understand what he wanted near flawlessly.Whenever Puck locked into the eyes of the graceful predator, he felt like he was made to know exactly what Taron wanted from him.

Having tried to start a real conversation with Taron more than once, Puck had been rebuffed every time. For now, it seemed, Taron didn’t want to talk about himself or others. He simply traveled with them and enjoyed the company.Scarlet had guessed that, more likely than not, Taron had been enslaved by the Heart for a very long time, though likely not nearly as long as Zephyrian.

Walking along through the tunnels, Puck was happy that the Orc squad had decided it needed to keep doing whatever it had been doing before it had decided to confront the two Gremlins.Now, they simply walked along the tunnel in their small group. Feeling like it was the right thing to do, Puck had started to carry Zephyrian bodily on his back instead of having him tucked away in his soul. The sword was still very heavy for a small Gremlin like him, but by now he was able to manage it even along with his heavy backpack.

Looking left, Puck made out the graceful form of Taron gliding along. With each step, his snake heads would slightly sway from one side to the other, and the great stinger on the end of his tail would move up and down slightly. The interlocking scales Taron had instead of fur or bare skin seamlessly moved together and away from each other, never scraping or hindering their owner.Noticing through a few of the many snake heads that he was being scrutinized, Taron turned his main head over and purposefully yawned, making Puck back away from the terrifying maw.Feeling like he was being laughed at by their new companion, Puck hastily looked away again, unwillingly feeling his gaze drawn over to Scarlet.

Moving along through the tunnel, she had barely any baggage left to carry herself as nearly everything had been added to Puck’s luggage for training purposes. Walking alongside them, Scarlet had started to train with her axes again while walking.It seemed like the last few months, with more than one seriously dangerous moment, had brought Scarlet’s own urge to improve and advance back again. More often than not, it wasn’t only Puck and Zephyrian training anymore. Scarlet too would do this or that to improve herself.

Having started to open up a little bit about the darker parts of her own past to Puck, he knew that Scarlet still used most of her time fighting against the shadows that had sprouted from that time, claiming a big part of her ideal and her control over it.That fight wasn’t only for her ideal, though. As Scarlet’s fight for the liberation of her own soul and memories progressed, Puck felt like she was getting younger with each day. Gone were the ever-present distant calmness that pervaded every interaction. Whether it was a simple joke or the urge to do something silly, bit by bit, an altogether other Scarlet was coming to the surface.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Soon, Puck promised himself. Soon, he would seriously ask her out as he had claimed so boldly before their first underwater adventure.It just... it just wasn’t the right time yet.

Walking for another hour, Puck felt like his legs had become jelly. Having to carry so much, each additional step felt like a workout in itself. Then, finally, Scarlet called for a stop again.After only a quarter hour of rest, it was time. Taking up their new training sticks, Scarlet stretched one out for Puck to take.Letting himself fall into a well-known stance by now, Puck raised his sword in a loose guard. Then it was on: a small step forward, a feint, parrying Scarlet’s first strike, the second, taking a step back...

For over half a minute, Puck endured before he finally concentrated too much on his attack against Scarlet’s head, as a heavy kick hit him in his side.Being too late to compensate for the hit, Puck soon after felt Scarlet’s training sword on his throat.“You’re getting better, but with that, you also grow too confident. If you face a much stronger opponent, there is no shame in staying on the defense. First try to survive, then try to strike back.”

Getting up with a heavy sigh, Puck was determined.“Again!”

Before the fight started, though, the two of them were interrupted. Having simply taken up a spot in a corner before, Taron had decided to stand up and take up a spot next to Puck. Expectantly looking at Scarlet, he too sent out his challenge.

Holding her head at an angle, Scarlet thought for a moment before a small smile started to spread across her lips.“Puck, do you remember the protection for Zephyrian you’ve prepared? It’s time to use it!”

Understanding what she meant, Puck scurried over to where his companion stood against a wall. Taking him up, he fastened a construction of dense wood against his edges.Coming back to the center of the cave a few minutes later, Scarlet had also taken up her two axes, each of which had a much more professional protection added to their edges.

“Fighting with our real weapons brings with it an understanding and feeling for battle like nothing else. Each swing, though, has the potential to hurt or even kill a close friend. Even with the protections! Thankfully for you, though, there’s no possibility of you landing a debilitating hit on me, and as such, you don’t need to worry. But you need to look out so as to not hit your own ally!”

Only nodding slightly, Puck couldn’t help but fear what it would feel like to get hit by real weapons. Looking over at Taron, though, Puck knew this had the chance to become great.

Getting ready, Scarlet added: “This fight should be as real as possible. Use your ideal, use Zephyrian, try everything in your book.”

He, Zephyrian, and Taron... they had to at least have a little chance in this fight, right? And if not, Scarlet surely would hold back to give them a chance... right?Something in Scarlet’s gaze told him differently though. The mischievous gleam, together with real battle intent...

This would potentially hurt. Very much.