Standing beside her, Rowan glanced up. Alicia watched the hunters leave with a long, poignant look as the forest's darkness swallowed them one after another.

The hunters were gone. As the last one ventured into the undergrowth, Alicia turned towards him with calm red eyes.

"Looks like it will be just us then. Is that okay with you?"

Lux and Andrew had refused. The enormous party of hunters, too. They'd failed to recruit any Defected at all.

Despite Alicia's reputation, she appeared to lack the urgency and subtlety to convince them. Her mere mention of a Vile had scared any potential aid away.

"Yes, I'm still coming. I don't want to sit around. You said I can be useful, right?"

The girl blinked before a faint smile overcame her pale complexion. Flipping her head to the side, she scattered her flowing red hair behind her, gesturing to him with a grin.

"Come on then, we're wasting daylight. I'll do my best to squeeze some use out of you yet."

################################

Rowan trailed behind as their surroundings grew quiet. He watched her march and pace ahead, with her feet echoing as the forest's only source of sound. Her steps were completely different from his own anxious pattern.

'She feels different today? What does she want? Is she Stupid or brave? I can't tell.'

Always expecting, always anticipating something to be around every bend of shadow. It was how he had been when he'd arrived in this world and how he still was. It had already saved him from the trap he'd found in the cold.

But alongside this arrogant woman, there was no point to it.

"Don't lag so far behind!" Her fierce command brought an even greater disruption to the tranquil woodland. Startled, he nodded with an anxious smile and sped up, following loosely in her shadow.

Despite her serious tone and her direct demeanour, he found himself comfortable speaking freely in her presence.

"Alicia, are you really sure I won't slow you down?"

Rhythmically tapping her spear on her shoulder, she spared him a long glance.

"Oh, you will slow me down. No doubt."

Rowan furrowed his brow. "Then why offer to bring me along? If you think I'm just going to be a burden, you should have just left me behind!"

He played with Alicia's old spear, spinning it in his grip. The girl scoffed at his outrage and turned away.

"Don't be so narrowminded. Even if you're useless now, you might be useful one day... I wasn't just saying it to be crude earlier, you know? There really is something different about Nero and you. Physically."

He felt his face flush at the reminder. "What does that have to do with anything? We don't have a Defect. So what else is there to say?"

Pulling her eyes from the path ahead, she glanced at the canopy above. The rustling leaves appeared to sway and wave at them. But Alicia just looked back at their gentle movements, annoyed.

"These abilities are more than what they seem, Rowan. They're gifts." With her head held high, light squeezed out through the leaves above, showering her in a golden glow.

"However, our Defects give us more than that. Our physical bodies are stronger, faster, and more durable. Certain limbs will be stronger than others. It all depends on how close the muscle is to your Defect. Understand Rowan? They are the source."

The girl tapped her spear on her left shoulder, and he found himself drawn to it while he listened. Alicia, however, remained lucid, distracted, as her gaze tilted up.

"I'm a pretty weird case. My Defect, my heart, is special. It's probably why I'm the strongest at camp despite being a girl. In my humble opinion, of course. Even a big guy like Hector loses to me in arm wrestling... the point is that's also how I recovered from this wound here."

His eyes gleamed doubtfully as he listened to her boast. Only then did Rowan realize the wound on her left shoulder was gone.

'She's not lying. Lux was bedridden and didn't look any better today than yesterday? Yet she seems completely fine?'

As if to illustrate her point, she continued to tap it with her spear, frowning.

"Well, it still hurts, but it will manage for today. You see, Rowan, our Defects are the very source of our strength. Without them, we'd have no abilities, enhanced physicality, or little bonuses like my quick healing.

Ceasing her tapping, she swung her spear to the side, thrusting it towards Rowan. Forcing him to freeze in front of the sharp, glinting metal tip. Sweat from the day's heat dripped down Rowan's brow.

"So what does that make you two?"

Rowan froze as his face twisted. "I, is that why you brought me here?-"

"GRAGHHHHHRAA"

A growl erupted and tore into their motionless bodies. Rowan was silenced by the deep, rough pitch.

Rowan gulped. The Vile's leering snout flashed into his mind. Despite how gruelling and desperate that snarl had been, he noticed the Defected's stark red eyes only radiate.

Alicia grinned. "Perfect timing. The voice is too deep, so it's not the Vile Devoured. Come on. This is our chance to conduct some tests. I'm sure I can handle it just fine."

She headed towards the noise's source without asking for his opinion or gracing him with a moment to recover. Fearing he'd be left behind, he trailed after her.

#############################

An anxious minute later, he found her crouched and leaning against the nearest tree. Her figure was completely still, frozen as if suspended in that moment.

He followed her gaze, certain she'd noticed something. Searching for what had startled her didn't take long. He eyed a familiar shape as he peered through the forestation beside her.

Resisting the urge to gasp, he whispered, "Alicia, you. You were wrong. Completely wrong."

In a delicate open field decorated with flowers, he recognized the Devoured. How could he not? That gaping, wounded maw was a familiar image burned deep into his mind. He'd seen it right up close as it had toyed with his helpless self.

Soon, he was trembling. His mouth opened wide only to be silenced by the grabbing of his jaw. Without removing her eyes from the sight before them, Alicia's hand clasped over his panicked face. Rowan squirmed whilst doing his best to not make a noise or let his words escape him.

'Just let go! Can't she see we need to leave? What was I thinking coming here with her.'

Ignoring his struggles, he felt her cold whisper, "Rowan, tell me. What... do you think they are doing? What does it look like to you?"

Confused, Rowan blinked. 'They? What does she mean they?'

Her vibrant red hair hid her expression, and her cold, pale hand remained gripped on his face. Her clutch was firm, painful even.

She let go of his face as his eyes again found the Vile's figure.

That familiar sleek red back, bold and in stark contrast to the forest's green. Its lithe, dominating figure had melded with hardened, thick, rigid blood, making its armour seem as razor-sharp as a weapon. It appeared to writhe on the beautiful flowery ground.

'She's right, somethings wrong. What the hell is it doing?'

Alicia whispered. "Dammit Rowan. Do you see it or not?"

Beneath the huge red Vile, something shuddered. It was growling, snarling and kicking. He felt a knot in his stomach as it finally poked its head out from below. He understood. Alicia hadn't been wrong about the noise. The Devoured they'd heard. It was this thing, not the Vile.

"Alicia, are they? Are they mating?"

He turned to her, startled yet morbidly curious. Still motionless, she neglected him. He waited for her to confirm his suspicions or to make some crude joke, but she said nothing. Silent, they watched the unfortunate grey creature writhe underneath the vicious Vile.

"Awful, I guess, but I had no idea. Seriously, I've never heard of such a thing."

However, his words fell on deaf ears as the Defected girl ignored him. Wrinkling his brow, he resisted the urge to nudge her stiff figure and get her attention.

'No, it isn't that. Alicia's not that soft. She's vulgar, if anything.' As Rowan mused to himself, he turned from the silent beauty towards the distant shapes, which only grew more erratic.

The Vile was mounted on top, reaching towards the toppled Devoured with its lopsided jaw. Its lower maw was regrowing already, but the top still had all of its long, terrible teeth jutting out. Rowan had seen them right up close, and he knew how large they were, longer than even his forearm.

It used these canines to rake across the creature's grey-armoured back. Thick, matted paws joined them with similar protracted claws that ripped into the Devoured's sides, tearing into its flesh. Blood dripped over the flowery field as the animalistic clash ensued.

Rowan winced. Alicia hadn't revealed the Devoured's status to him. So he assumed she just didn't know. Regardless, that grey body was no match for the Vile's horrific glinting claws that stripped away its armour and ripped into its flank. It tried its best to wriggle and writhe to throw its pursuer off.

But it was losing strength with each drop of blood.

"Brutal. But do the Devoured really procreate? Alicia? Aren't you going to say anything?"

Rowan waited expectantly for her words and confirmation, but her explanation never came. He could only watch the gruesome display on and on. The spear in his hands felt heavy, and he quickly became aware of his awkward handling.

He could not discern the girl's expression hidden behind those red locks, and it was getting to him. Although tempted to reach out and touch her, he whispered, "Look, if you're really that frightened, then let's leave and report back to everyone."

Rowan raised an eyebrow with an anxious smile, hoping to antagonize Alicia. But he failed to prompt her at all.

The next twenty minutes were gruelling, quiet and eerie. The barbarity didn't end; Instead, it only got worse as the Vile Devoured carved more and more flesh and armour off of its unwilling partner.

Rowan couldn't tear his gaze from the tight deep red slits of the Vile's eyes. They seemed to tremble and then gape open in enjoyment. He picked up his spear again, unaware he'd dropped it at some point.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Eventually, the Vile's body and neck flicked up before its body bucked over its victim. Now that its intention to procreate was likely gone, he noticed Alicia tense a little as she crouched beside him.

Rowan observed her closely. 'She's not going to go attack it, is she? She must know she can't beat it alone.'

His fear rose as the creature threw the weaker Devoured onto the ground while pushing itself to its feet. Its eyes seemed to scour the forest as its beady watchful slits paused for a moment in their direction. Rowan froze as the girl exhaled. He could hear her grip squeeze so tight around her new spear that the metal creaked.

Then, with swagger and a swish of its head, the Vile turned away, skulking into the forest's depths. Rowan sighed, falling onto his rear as he glanced up with a strained smile.

"It's, it's safe now. Right?"

Apprehensive, the girl rose to her feet over him. A sense of foreboding overcame him until she swept her flowing red hair away from her face. Her tired smile was more pleasant than he'd expected, even with her face smeared with sweat.

"You did well to keep your cool today, Rowan. Well done."

He breathed a sigh of relief as he slouched further back.

"We'll talk about what just happened later, but I really was very impressed with you."

Rowan smiled weakly. A tinge of surprise coloured his hazel eyes. Yet it slowly dimmed as he watched the girl's smile dwell into a familiar grin.

"Those experiments I mentioned earlier? Well, this one is an obvious first. Stay there for a moment, and I'll call for you."

Her smile was unhindered by Rowan's own expression as she boldly stepped out from the forest's edge into the light. He hesitated, tempted to yell at her to stop. But why would that work?

With absolute confidence, she approached the Devoured. Its head was still and rested in the flowery bed facing towards them. He could have sworn there was a quiet sniffling coming from it.

As if dazed, its head eventually rose. But Alicia had already crossed half the distance between them with confident strides. Suddenly alarmed, it rose to his stumpy grey legs with a shake. Its sides and back were stripped of its armour, exposing a painful, fleshy exterior.

'Is she confident because it's injured?' Rowan mostly trusted her judgement, but it was huge. Despite being hidden beneath the long, sleek red Devoured's body, its weight must have been similar to its aggressor. If not heavier.

Its round shield-like head was littered with small, jagged antlers that pointed forward. Though it might not have leered down at Alicia from the same daunting height as the Vile, its thick, muscular stature put the slim red Devoured to shame.

With intelligent, glossy grey eyes, it raced towards Alicia with a vicious snarl. Rowan noticed the defiance, almost desperation in its rampant steps as it sought to crush Alicia. But its acceleration was slow. Its head swayed from side to side as blood trailed behind.

However, the briefest flick of its grey eyes surprised Rowan the most. 'It, it really noticed me from all the way over here?'

Alicia's callousness had gotten to him. Leaning out of the forest's outcrop to get a better look had alerted the beast to his presence. 'It's so far, though, and I'm so small. If it really did notice me, then it can't be a Docile? It's too... aware.'

In contrast, Alicia's stride was calm, collected and even. There was no emotion, no conflict in her steps. They were flawless, almost formless. That was why he wasn't surprised that when the two met, she dashed to the side, easily avoiding its giant grey head.

Shocked, it turned to track the lithe redhead, but it had already stumbled before it could even follow Alicia's movement. It slid across the ground, tearing through the flowers and grass, creating an enormous trench with its mass. It glanced down at its leg.

Its armoured hind leg hung at an awkward angle.

After passing beside the beast, Alicia must have sliced it. The armour on its thick, stubby leg had looked impenetrable, yet she had severed it without visible difficulty.

'With a spear? Aren't they meant for prodding, not slicing?' Rowan, too focused on the display, realized the creature's momentum had carried it near to him. He began to back away. There was nothing between him and the Devoured.

'Shit'. It spared him a long, vindictive stare as Rowan felt a resurgence of fear. Growling away, it watched him, then tossed its head back to the redhead.

'Even now. It's not going straight after me.' He turned his head back to Alicia as she watched them with a stiff, stoic frown. 'Is it going for her because it hates her? Because she cut its leg?'

Fascinated, his body shook, but he ignored it as he watched Alicia. She didn't rush towards the beast, desperate to protect Rowan. In fact, he couldn't notice a single nervous feature on her still figure. 'She guessed it wouldn't go for me. She recognized its intent before I did.'

Forcing its body forward, it raced back towards Alicia. It was missing one strong, sturdy pillar holding up its huge mass. The distance wasn't even great enough to accelerate in time as blood continued to flow from its leg. The result?

Alicia moved gently to the side. She swung and severed the other left leg. The blow was fast, but at the same time, it was so much more than that. It was powerful. That same speed had torn off the Vile's jaw before Rowan's eyes.

This time, the entire limb was bisected in a single sudden slash. With no limb on its left side, it slumped to the ground headfirst.

"Come on out, Rowan."

Hesitant, he waited a moment before following her command. Stepping back out into the open-plain felt alienating. Knowing that the trees and their shadows could be hiding anything was unnerving. More so now that he knew what could be out there.

"We don't linger in open fields like this. Anything that traverses around the edges can see us yet remain hidden... so you need to make this quick."

Puzzlement twisted onto his face as he raised an eyebrow. He stopped beside Alicia as the two turned to face the wounded creature together.

"Don't be an idiot, you know what I mean. If you want to be useful, then start now. I want to see what happens." Alicia murmured.

Rowan nodded and approached the defeated Devoured. With a tinge of scorn, he tossed some passing words over his shoulder. "I don't know what you expect. I already killed Devoured on my way here. Two Docile ones."

'She's right though. I should at least try. The last time I killed one of those rabbit Devoured, nothing happened. But... with something as big as this.'

Rowan's gaze grew heavy as he examined the enormous beast. As if kindly accepting its fate, the Devoured had grown still. He paced around the beast's body, observing. It was so much larger than himself. It must have weighed a few hundred times what he did. He couldn't see any of its head, even from the side.

But when he did, he asked, "Alicia... what's it doing?

Lingering near its head, Alicia soon joined him with a frown. They were close to its sharp armoured skull, perhaps too close. But the Devoured's actions made it seem rather harmless, if not deeply unsettling.

'Creepy.' It had buried its face in the flowers. Rowan raised his eyebrow. Only its head was still moving. Rather than rush to safety or seek to gouge one final wound into its foes with the last of its strength. It chose to sniff the ground.

Rowan's face grew grim. In a frenzy, it snorted and sneezed away at the field floor, much to their confusion.

"I've... never seen anything like it. Just another thing that's changed as of late. We don't have time to investigate. Climb on top and pierce its back. That should do it."

Nodding his head, Rowan was careful to avoid getting closer to its armoured antlered head. He paused at the creature's flank, spear in hand, as he turned to Alicia.

She shook her head. "No, Rowan. The spears are sharp. Crafted from a Defected, by a Defected for a Defected. But they won't pierce this armoured body. Climb on top where the armour is stripped clean."

Rowan opened his mouth in annoyance. After all, she'd sliced through its armoured legs, but Alicia's impatient frown convinced him. 'No focus. It's dangerous here, like she said. I need to do as I'm told.'

Muttering, he climbed onto the creature's back with moderate difficulty. It would have been easy without a spear in hand. After hoisting himself up, his winter shoes trekked across the fleshy Devoured's back with an awkward squelch.

He watched the horrific sight beneath his feet with a shudder. The thought of the Vile Devoured and its devastating, cruel teeth was as clear as day to him. He raised his spear with shaky footing.

Then he plunged it into the creature's back.

It slid in easily enough, but nothing happened. The Devoured's head had slumped gently to the ground, but that was all. He only felt a little queasy.

Alicia called out to him, "Well? Do you feel any different?" Rowan shook his head from atop the beast as he glanced away and back down at the ground.

'I didn't think it would work. Not really. Still, I did think it was possible. Possible there was something different about me. Something useful.'

Alicia yelled. "Get off then!"

Without a word, he dropped from the Devoured, his spear still slick with blood. Alicia's gaze was scrutinizing and sharp as he approached. "Are you certain, Rowan? For a big fish like that. The jump should be very noticeable."

He'd done nothing wrong, so why was he avoiding them.

Alicia watched him with those daring crimson eyes. Then turned to the beast, resting a hand on its corpse.

"That was an Imp, and a volatile one at that, making it one rank higher than the weakest of both categories. Even these days, killing it would be quite a boon for anyone who hadn't already maximized their Defect. At least now, we know giving it to you is a waste."

Rowan watched as she found a firm grip on the beast.

"A waste?" He murmured.

Either she didn't hear him or didn't care to respond. Tensing, she bent down and began to drag the Devoured's thick body. Its mighty silhouette did budge, even if only a little. Her teeth gritted tightly, and her breath began to rasp. In awe, he watched as she seemed to lift more and more of the Devoured from the ground. He half expected her to fling its enormous corpse over her shoulder at any moment.

After hauling it some way, however, she let go with a huff.

"No use. If I sheered off its armour, maybe I could carry it. But that would take too long. I'll have to bring my squad back for it."

Noticing his silence, she turned to him and approached. Rather than pause before him, she passed, returning towards the hole in the forest's edge. "Fantastic. The day's been a complete waste. Come on, Rowan, we're leaving."

He could feel the pit in his stomach twist. He examined the Devoured's body with a final gaze before turning and following behind Alicia.

##################

The quiet in the forest had returned. But it wasn't the kind he enjoyed. The forest light had grown faint, and the day crawled to a close as shadows chased each other across the forest floor.

He needed something to distract him. They were only some distance apart, so he raised his voice amidst the silence.

"So, Alicia. You said you have a squad? We spent all that time looking for Defected, but you never mentioned you had your own team or something?"

She glanced back, forcing her way through some branches cluttered around her face. "I do have a team. My hunters have their own quota to fill, though."

Her pacing never fluctuated or accommodated his own as she marched ahead. He didn't mind. It was relieving to have some direction, less for him to think about.

Spear in hand, he inched closer towards her. "Like a quota for food? Did the other hunters you asked not have their own quotas? Couldn't we have just gone out alongside them? You wanted my help, didn't you? So why not ask for your squad's? We'd be safer in a group." Rowan murmured.

"It's because it's dangerous. And because they wouldn't say no to me."

Alicia paused. "They wouldn't refute their leader even if it meant dealing with a Vile. There's a careful balance between hunting and how much food we need to survive. We have as much water as we need, but food? Combat Defected die and are injured more than others. There aren't enough left, and I won't put my hunters at risk."

Rowan shook his head as an idea entered his mind. Distracted, he felt himself begin to lag behind her.

"But, you spent all that time trying to recruit others from camp? What about their lives? Is it just your hunters that are special?"

He watched her stride ahead. There was a slight deviation from her strict walking pattern. He saw less and less of her back as she crossed in between a tight cluster of trees.

"What are you trying to say, Rowan. Just get to the point."

She was brash. She was stern, honest and direct. That's why he knew. He could just feel the clumsiness in her tone now. Its sharp, direct delivery felt off, and the churning sensation of his stomach returned.

"You weren't trying to recruit them. Were you? I thought you were just doing a bad job. But you did it on purpose."

Rowan felt himself lag behind as the gap between them grew. There was a short silence as the girl trudged ahead.

"I... You're right. It wasn't my intention at first, but I did go out of my way to put them off. A bit. This job was wreckless, after all."

Noticing he'd fallen behind, she paused and stopped. Her expression was stiff and stoic, as usual. Yet she remained patient as she awaited him up ahead.

Rowan sighed before meeting her gaze. "But you brought me here? Do you think I'm disposable, or something?"

Alicia's face wrinkled as she furrowed her brow. Her figure was rigid, stiff, and her gaze unrelenting with those strong eyes of hers.

"Yes. You are."

Rowan froze.

"You can't hunt, or build or even lead. But there's nothing wrong with that? You said so yourself? It might be hard to find a role for you. But we will eventually, I'm sure. Remember, I still have some ideas." Alicia said.

She seemed to suffer under his gaze as she blinked. Rowan stood still as he tried to find the right words. But Alicia spoke up and filled that silence.

"I said I wouldn't tell you what to do, Rowan, and I meant it. You can do whatever you want. I treat Nero the same way. At least you tried, though. You put more effort in today than he does in a month."

"I wasn't helpful, though. I didn't get anything done. Tell me the truth this time. Why did you really bring me with you?"

Alicia said nothing. Her gaze seemed strained, but it was getting harder to tell. The light was thinning, and shadows licked their faces and feet.

Rowan smirked. "It's about Nero, right? You're using me to get to the bottom of him because we're both Defectedless. You already admitted I'm expendable. You didn't care if I made it back or not."

He didn't give her a chance to respond. Instead, he walked past her, leaving his back to face her.

He'd guessed their position correctly. As he stepped out of the trees, he saw the camp. All its enormous birch-brown buildings were dotted with Defected. He continued towards them as Alicia lingered behind him.

She caught up with Rowan. "Look, we didn't progress much today, but it was a good first step, right? We can go again tomorrow. Don't you want to get to the bottom of what you are, too? I know I can be selfish sometimes, but..."

Alicia patted his shoulder. "Why don't you come to the hall with me? I'll introduce you to my squad. I promise you they're all lookers. Maybe I'll even introduce you if..."

Her weak grin faltered as Rowan interrupted her with a shake of his head. "No. I have somewhere I'm supposed to go. Sorry."

Her mouth opened and lingered for a moment. But she soon shut it closed. "Well, alright. If you want me. It's obvious where you'll find me."

He chose not to hear her as he veered away. She didn't follow this time as he descended the slope towards camp. Slouching, he entered the bustle without a glance back.