“We're almost there, Braveheart.”

Wrapped in thick furs and armor, Theron and Iila found themselves navigating through the frozen terrain of Husui. Both of their breaths appeared as a misty haze in the frigid air.

Their destination: The Man-Killer's Nest.

Iila led Theron with a steady pace, both of their footsteps leaving imprints in the fresh snow.

Along the way, tall pine trees stood unwavering among the harsh winter breeze. They provided a good reflection to the pair's own unwavering determination.

“You know my actual name is Theron Blackborne, right?”

“Braveheart is just easier, nothing more nothing less.”

“I see… How about you Ms. Iila? I never got your full name.”

“…Harkon. Iila Harkon.”

“Wait, Harkon!? Like Chief Harkon? Don't tell me you're–!”

“The chief's daughter, yes. I'm also the village's lead warrior, not to mention, the older sister of the woman you made cry…”

“I… I’m very sorry ‘bout that… Just curious, wouldn't that make you a princess of sorts?”

Iila stopped in her tracks, with Theron doing the same, albeit confused. Before he could ask what was wrong, he sensed an overwhelming wave of bloodlust. “This bloodlust, she must have sensed it too!”

Quickly surveying the immediate area, Theron would soon come to realize the bloodlust was coming from Iila. How? The naginata embedded into the tree beside him was a clear sign.

“I suggest you quit testing my patience, Braveheart.”

“Yes ma'am…”

Ahead, as the duo climbed a hill of snow, lay Husui Mountain. Its majestic ice peak, while obscured by the heavy snowfall, was a sight to behold nonetheless.

Planting her naginata at the peak of the hill and looking over her shoulder, Iila cast a quick glance to ensure Theron kept pace. “Hurry it up, slowpoke.”

“I'm trying, k? Not used to all this snow…” Theron rebutted, struggling to keep his footing as he reached Iila.

Looking upon the mountain, he created a frame with his fingers. “Woah… Now that's a drop-dead gorgeous girl right there!” He said with a childlike wonder, slowly drifting the frame towards Iila.

Iila raised an eyebrow, her expression shifting from focus to slight irritation. “For your sake, I hope you're talking about the mountain.”

Theron chuckled in response, irritating Iila even more, “Who knows~? Either way, where do we go from here?”

Kicking the foot of her naginata, Iila spun and caught it in a position that had the metal head pointed to a cave opening. “See that cave at the base of the mountain down there? That's where the man-killer lies. Come on.”

Iila slid down the hill of snow with grace toward her destination. Theron, trying to replicate Iila, jumped down, only to tumble down the hill, creating a small snowball with him in the center.

Thankfully, a pine tree stopped the snowball from snowballing further.

“Ow ow ow… That might leave a mark…” Theron held his head in pain. Though, the pain was nothing compared to the sinking embarrassment he felt opening his eyes to a not-so-pleased Iila.

Only being able to give a nervous laugh at his own incompetence, Iila simply trudged forward, leaving Theron to straighten himself and catch up.

Now at their destination, Iila halted, her gaze fixed on the massive cave entrance. The irregular weathering and claw marks on the rocks echoed its unnatural formation.

("This is it, Braveheart,") Iila spoke, her voice hushed. ("The bear's nest lies within. Be on your guard and keep quiet… Oh yeah, fair warning, this thing can regenerate wounds.”)

“Eh!? You're telling me this n–!?” Theron began to complain, but was cut off by Iila covering his mouth.

(“Keep it down dammit! What the hell did I just say!? If we fight the bear out in the open, we're fucked!”)

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

(“Ok, ok, sorry…”) A now muffled Theron complied, only to become confused by her earlier statement. (“Wait, WE fight the be–!?”)

With a murderous glare this time, Iila cut off Theron once again. “You got a problem with me helping?”

“…No.”

“Good.” Iila practically commanded as she unhandled Theron’s mouth.

Now grasping her naginata with both hands, an enigmatic aura would soon start to spill from Iila’s entire figure. After a short moment, the head of her weapon burst into flames.

(“Woah! You can use Aracanic Fire?”)

(“Indeed, now come on, and don’t get lost.”)

With her torchlight cutting through the darkness, Iila and Theron stepped into the mouth of the cavern. The cave's icy breath clung to the air, and the sounds of dripping water echoed off its walls.

As they ventured deeper, the expansive cavern slowly shrank into a lone, but giant tunnel. The walls and ceiling were adorned with glistening icicles that sparkled like crystal daggers, yet the floor in comparison was drenched in old, frozen blood.

(“My god… Judging by how big this tunnel is, we must be heading in the right direction… Just how big is this thing?”)

(“I guarantee it'll be the biggest creature you've seen thus far.”)

Unconsciously thinking about the biggest animals he's seen, Theron would accidentally flash back to what he saw in the sky that night…

A colossal red dragon, one that eclipsed even mountains with its size. (“Tch… I doubt it.”)

The giant passageway eventually led into a vast chamber, a low growl reverberating through it.

The thing that caught their attention the most however, was the colossal figure, draped in shadows, in the center.

(“Iila, is that…”)

(“Yep, the man-killer bear…”)

Grabbing a hold of his crimson sword, Theron prepared for the upcoming confrontation. (“Sounds like it's sleeping… Looks like lady luck was on our side… Iila, please, stay back.”)

Now unsheathing his sword and shield, he inched slowly towards the silhouetted figure. His heart pounding in anticipation.

However, as Theron drew near and he raised his sword for a swift, preemptive killing blow, the contours of the shadow revealed a chilling truth.

The silhouette wasn't the bear, but a grotesque mound, a nightmarish pile of lifeless dismembered bodies, frozen in the cave's cold depths.

Horror gripped Theron as the realization dawned, his gag reflex automatically kicking in.

A low growl echoed throughout the chamber once more. This time though, the pair could sense the overwhelming killing intent within it.

Coming to the same realization Theron did, Iila looked up, much to her added horror. “BRAVEHEART! ABOVE YOU!!!”

Theron immediately looked above him. Yet, what met his gaze was nothing but an approaching darkness.

Thanks to his razor sharp reflexes kicking into overdrive, Theron narrowly evaded the bear's powerful landing intended to kill.

The ground shook and caved in beneath the impact, echoing the beast’s enormous stature and strength.

Even though he dodged last second, the resulting shockwave caught Theron off guard, messing up his expected landing.

As Theron turned while still on the ground, he could see the man-killer in all its grotesque glory.

It stood at an easy ten feet tall on all fours, almost twice as big as Theron himself. Its jaw of teeth and claws had elongated to unnatural lengths, easily able to skewer even solid rock. It's pristine white fur was outlined by a murky black, with old blood staining it throughout.

With its eyes gleaming a blood red with primal instinct, it let out a thunderous roar, sending even more powerful shockwaves throughout the cavern. The sound alone could burst eardrums.

Now that Theron and Iila were stunned protecting their ears, the giant bear lunged at Theron, its massive claws slashing through the air.

Theron, quick to react, raised his wooden shield in attempt to block the impending attack. A few seconds later, Theron would wake up in rubble, blood dripping from his head.

As the bear slowly approached his next meal, he realized what had happened. He had been thrown into the wall of the cavern, briefly knocking him out, his shield now lay in pieces beside him.

“Fuck, I knew that shield wasn't worth a damn.”

Coughing up some blood, Theron stood up, pain searing throughout his body, and prepared his fighting stance. However, something was missing, specifically in his left hand and hip.

“Crap! My Emberblade! And my pouch!” Theron hurriedly scanned his surroundings for his missing armaments, but only finding his sword some ways to the left.

Unfortunately, the bear would lunge once again, swinging from the left itself, forcing Theron to roll the other way. Arming himself with his silver bow and poison-tipped arrows, Theron skillfully shot two arrows in quick succession.

Smirking at the thought of an easier battle, his smirk would be wiped from existence seeing the arrows bounce off the bear's thick hide.

Theron's face dropped with a mixture of disbelief and disappointment. “…Not even the Chimera was that thick, you've got to be kidding me…”

On to the next plan, he started whistling, coaxing the bear to come after him once more. As the bear lunged again, Theron ran to the wall behind him, and at the last second, bounded off it.

Whilst midair, soaring over the bear, he could see where his sword was, and as soon as he landed, he made a mad dash for it.

At the same time though, when Theron dodged the previous attack, the bear crashed into the wall of the cavern. That caused a wave of stalactites from above to fall, with one almost hitting Theron as he reached for his sword.

Staggering back a bit from the stalactite fragmenting upon landing, he would once again be caught off guard by the bear, its left claw being brought down as if hammering a nail.

With nothing to defend himself with but his bare arms, it seemed dire for Theron. Fortunately, he wasn't alone, he had the support of Husui Village's best warrior, Iila Harkon.

When Theron was thrown into the wall from the first attack, his pouch flew in Iila's direction. When she picked it up, she remembered what was in it.

Bandages, Vials of Potions, and most importantly, Rope. Thick and sturdy rope she could make use of.

As the bear was distracted with Theron, Iila used her naginata to stab the bear from behind, using it as leverage to mount it.

With a swift, practiced motion, she looped the rope around the bear's neck. Pulling with all her might, she saved Theron in a desperate attempt to suffocate the beast.

“Braveheart, now! Get your sword!!”