"Things are good at the moment. Don't you think?"

"I suppose."

He'd wanted to remain standing, but she'd insisted otherwise. The stone seat was deeply uncomfortable as always. But he bore with it.

"So then. What you wanted to talk about... was Alicia? You want to join her squad, don't you?"

"No... well. It's complicated."

"Why? Why do you want to?"

Those deep, luminescent eyes fluttered as she reached for her chest.

Flinching, Rowan glanced up. The overbearing orange sky had long fled, leaving only the dark above them.

"Do you remember? Remember when you told me about your older brother, your sister, too."

Garuda nodded.

"Well, I have one. A sister."

She brushed her blue bangs from her eyes. "You never mentioned her."

"I don't like to remember. It's not like my problems shouldn't reign over everyone else's."

She was frowning as he turned to the camp. His eyes traced the route Andrew had left.

"You, Andrew, everyone at camp has people they miss, and that miss them. I'd have thought Nero was the exception, but even that freeloader. He had someone he cared for, too. Back home."

Garuda tilted her head. "Wasn't it obvious?"

Rowan paused. "It's different for me. She, Reina, doesn't want anything to do with me. I don't want to go back."

Rowan could hear distant camp yells, guarding them from the silence. Despite that, Garuda's dark, enchanting gaze was difficult to handle, as always.

Her dark eyes deepened. "You don't know that. Maybe-"

Rowan shuffled. "It was hostile towards the end. I rarely saw her. She told me in passing she would leave, and then she was gone."

Garuda's face scrunched. "She left you? Maybe, maybe she didn't have a choice-"

"No. I don't know where she went. But there were letters. She sent me money, too, but that was it. She was glad to be gone, I know it."

Gardua frowned. "Rowan, my sister was always harsh and bitter on the outside, too. It was my brother who I was much closer to. But she wouldn't have sent you money if she didn't care. I'm sure-"

"Money. Money was another thing. She was always angry about it. Always looking to blame me."

"She was probably just under pressure, can't you see?-"

"No, you don't get it. Just stop."

And she did stop. Her eyes widened. And he caught a full glimpse of that weakness nestled in her deep, dark eyes.

"Garuda, you're acting like this is some kind of story. You're certain your brother is coming to save you?" Rowan scowled. "Your sister?"

Even amid the dark, he could still make out all the flowers littering the ground. They'd crawled closer around the wall, swarming it.

"Do you get it now? Over and over, you cost too much. You need to grow up. You don't help me. That's what she'd tell me."

Rowan gave her a moment to respond. But her round eyes were stunned and stupified. Her pupils followed him as he jumped from the wall. He knew where he wanted to go, but before marching away, he paused.

"Look, I, I know you want me to stay by your side. But I can't keep following you around. Doing nothing. I'm capable of more than that, aren't I?"

Rowan waited for an answer. But only for so long. He cut away from the wall and followed the path to camp. He didn't stop to think or marvel at how to find it in the dark. He would just find it.

And he did. Without a pause, he approached the infirmary and swung the door open. His shoulder struck the doorframe as he entered. The injured jolted up in their beds with startled eyes. He found Alicia standing over her injured group member's bed.

Her bright red eyes were the clearest, starkest thing in the dark room.

"Alicia. I want to join your squad. I've changed my mind."

She frowned and raised a finger to her lips. "About time. Did you get your owner's permission?"

Rowan scowled. "I don't need it. I'm tired of just walking around. When can we head out?"

"Tomorrow is our day off on rotation, so we won't-"

Rowan cursed. His eyes wandered to the blonde-haired youth at the back. The wounds on his chest were still there and easy to see in the vain dark. Unlike everyone else, he remained passed out.

"I want to go now."

"Now?" Alicia blurted out, breaking the silence.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

"I know. I know, it's late but-"

"It's late." Alicia turned back to the bed. Her red eyes seemed to illuminate the room for an instant. "But I happen to be in the mood. I don't feel like a day off right now."

Alicia cracked her neck and approached Rowan as he leaned back. He must have gotten taller because her eyes now aligned perfectly with his.

"Let's go."

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

A long yellow beak lunged at Rowan from the dark. He jumped back, spear raised diagonally.

It darted for him again, and he retreated further. His eyes darted around, looking elsewhere even as it kicked the ground towards him. Its beak glistened with saliva, spitting and foaming.

Finally, a wisp of smoke drifted above. Red hair fluttered, and the Devoured tumbled before it could reach him.

Alicia wrapped a strong arm around its feathered figure. It squawked. As her other hand thrust its noisy head to the flowery floor.

The ostrich-like Devoured stared at Rowan, shaking in her grasp. Its eyes were shifting shape, gaping open and closed. It was small. Compared to the bird Devoured from back then. It was within reach.

Alicia growled. "Rowan, hurry up and-"

Rowan's spear pierced its small head above the beak. A nasty crack like the puncture of a tin can rang out. Then there was silence.

The razor talons that ran up its legs, the tufts of thick feathers and sharp gleaming beak. None of them had saved it. He remained standing, his spear still embedded in the creature's skull.

"So... a Volatile Imp?"

"Just Volatile."

"Sorry."

"It's far too weak to assign it a strength rating. Those feathers are deceptively tough, but that's an element of its ability. You'd have failed if you'd tried piercing anywhere else. I'll bet we can make good use of them."

Alicia watched him pull the spear out, tapping her foot. She sighed and plucked the bird by its neck. He watched her drag it away, red locks flowing in the night.

The Volatile's body was larger than they were and heavier. Enough so to shred and dig up the flowery earth behind Alicia.

"That's twice Rowan. Am I going to have to restrain every kill for you?"

He bit his lip and followed behind. It looked like she was trying to throttle the life out of the corpse in her grasp.

"I'm just trying to be cautious. It makes sense to wait until you can catch it off guard-"

"Bullshit."

This was their second kill in hours. The first corpse was not worth retrieving. He'd heard the reports in the last two weeks, but it was still hard to believe.

Alicia turned back to him amid the quiet. Watching him with stark red eyes that could see through any dark.

"No, sorry. I'm just under pressure. I'm surprised you can be so calm on only your second outing."

Rowan's eyes widened. Then he quickened to catch up with her. 'An apology? Really?'

Once he caught up, Alicia pushed her head towards him. A deadly firm expression smothered her face.

"Just because their numbers are dwindling doesn't mean you can drop your guard."

"I know."

"What about this time. Do you feel any different after killing it?"

"I don't."

Alicia nodded and turned back to the forest ahead. He kept with her, marching at a fast pace. The dragged Devoured did not seem to slow her down at all.

Rowan couldn't help but want to ask her about Nero. But maybe it wasn't time.

"I'll introduce you to the team when we're back."

"So that means I'm in?"

Alicia frowned. "Sure. You're in." She slung the Devoured over her shoulder. "In the past, we've had plenty of guys. But we ended up with just girls. The problem doesn't seem to be girls with guys but guys with girls.

Rowan tilted his head, and she snorted.

"Fortunately, you're not the type. If it's not showing off. Then, it's heroic sacrifices. Or they're just generally distracted. You get it by now, right? We have a responsibility. And with less Devoured around, food is dwindling every day."

Rowan couldn't remember a time she'd been so talkative.

Alicia glanced at her spear. "Starving is a bad way to go. I know how I'd prefer to."

He shrugged. It's not like he knew which was better. But she might.

The forest was as silent and empty as the void sky. Wandering through the trees like this, he couldn't keep the words in any longer.

"You know him best. Will he come back?"

Alicia was quiet, and her red bangs hid her expression. But he heard a grating sound. The grinding of teeth.

"Clearly, I didn't know him best. If I had, I'd have known what he'd do. What he'd been up to."

Rowan winced. "It's not your fault."

"It isn't? Then whose is it? I knew he was stronger than he acted. But he wasn't just hiding it because he was lazy. He never wanted to be one of us. He never cared about any of us."

Rowan had nothing to say. 'I mean. Is she wrong?' Nero didn't seem to have a relationship with anyone but the two of them. It had seemed a little odd. Who knew how the freeloader really saw things.

Rowan held his spear up, the tip still wet with blood. He'd never done anything violent until his time here.

"The reason I didn't notice what was wrong with him. It's because it felt good."

"Good?" Rowan spluttered.

The quiet forest should have been daunting. But with how he was and who she was. It was strangely calm for the moment.

"Fighting. In case you hadn't noticed. I love it."

Rowan snorted. "Right. Yeah, I noticed."

"It's because of him. That mouth to feed. That's why. Knowing that he felt so differently."

Alicia slowed. Rowan didn't hear anything, and the veil of her hair was working, so he chose not to peek.

"He's not coming back. And even if he did." Alicia choked. "I'd kill him."

Rowan faced away. It seemed she still cared for him. He'd probably come back to them, eventually. It felt like the kind of willful thing he'd do. But whether they'd let him...

The two of them stopped abruptly. Ahead was a tree with an unevenly shaped stump like a vine curled around it. But it was moving, slowly wrapping further around it.

"Rowan."

"Yeah I see it... An Imp? Maybe a Docile one?"

"Yes. I think so, too. But watch out. It could be Volatile. Will you handle it?"

Rowan walked forward. It didn't make sense to deny Alicia if she wanted something.

He raised his bloody spear again. He hadn't bothered to wipe it yet. He planned to get a lot of use out of it in the coming days.

As he approached, the dark revealed a centipede-like figure circling the tree stump. It craned its face at him with legs fluttering out of its oval maw. Like whiskers.

Rowan's heart was throbbing. It was warm, lively and beating hard in his chest.

Alicia whispered from behind. "It hasn't jumped at you yet. So it's a Docile. You can beat it."

"Docile... meaning it doesn't attack people. Shouldn't we leave it then?"

"Sometimes. But just a Docile imp is too weak. It will just be food for something stronger. Even Volatiles with no strength like the bird would have the upper hand."

Rowan nodded and approached. As he got closer, he looked up.

There was more, more of its winding body furling around the tree, up to the canopy. Its body was scuttling slowly above. Maybe as long and heavy as the tree itself.

'Definitely an imp.' He turned to check over his shoulder, but Alicia stopped following. Rather than protest, he smiled.

'Thanks.' If he made any sudden movements, it might mark him as a threat. The Docile seemed to act more like animals rather than Devoured. He scanned its body layered with chitin-like purple armour.

Its maw leaned forward as if confused by Rowan's ensuing presence. The short, wriggling legs of its face reached for him.

With one steady motion, he stepped. Then, he thrust his spear into its mouth. It punched straight through the fluttering whiskers and stabbed the pink insides.

The Docile centipede came to life, writhing and then dropping. Rowan jumped back as it slammed into the ground. The tree and ground trembled as one. The fall had done the centipede no noticeable damage as it thrashed and squirmed, shaking the world further.

Rowan waited and watched, but its head moved too much to strike. If he got closer, he'd be crushed. So he did nothing.

He examined its thrashing form with a careful eye. More long thin libs stemmed from the chinks in its armour. Perhaps a sword could slip in, but not a spear.

It was getting its bearings. Inteligence returning to its spasaming body.

Rowan could find no other vulnerability on the armoured body besides its mouth. But it's not like he could stop, leave, or ask Alicia for help. Or even wait for it to regain its sense. He couldn't, not this time.

Rowan paced around the creature slowly. Stepping over its long, slithering body. If he was a moment slow, it would be alerted. His heart pounded, threatening to give him away as he checked his footing. The Docile reared its head, and it chittered.

Its body was rising, its head lifting and staring. It had found Alicia watching from a distance, her arms folded. It was rising. He was going to miss his chance.

He ran and leapt. Both arms wrapped around its head. Rowan was skinny, scrawny, and weak, but it didn't matter. A centipede didn't have the leverage or structure to lift something.

Rowan and the centipede, thicker than him, crashed to the ground. He was stunned. His body jolted far worse than the Devoured. He should have died. But his bones held. The spear in his mouth dropped. But then it was back in his hand.

His Devoured seat shook as he pinned it down. He stabbed its mouth again. But it only trembled harder. He got his balance again and stabbed.

He was thrown off. But he pulled himself up and pushed it down again. This tiny segment of its body. If isolated, it was incredibly weak. It was Docile, so it didn't possess the intelligence to use its body. It didn't possess the intent that he did, either.

Breathing erratic. He pierced it again. Then again. The thrashing slowed, and the Devoured died. When exactly, he wasn't sure. But he kept going.

With a gasp, Rowan flung his head back. Sweat poured down him. The enormous body beneath, he'd killed it. He'd killed a Devoured on his own for the first time.

"You did it.

Rowan tilted his head and grinned at her.

"Congrats Rowan."