“Braveheart, now! Get your sword!!” Iila desperately shouted as she strained against the bear's thrashing-filled attempts to buck her off.

While she was strong, Iila couldn't hold out for long. In one last attempt, the beast crashed into the wall again, crushing Iila with its immense weight.

Falling to the ground limp, Iila could only look through blurred vision at a silhouetted figure with glowing red eyes.

Instantly, a burning red line sliced not only through the air, but also straight through the bear's torso. Launching the beast into the wall.

“Wow… Most things would be cleaved in two from one strike. Its skin is way too durable for a normal animal!” Theron exclaimed with an impressed tone. Grasping the hilt of his prized sword with both hands, he vowed to slay the beast once and for all, a blaze stirring within his eyes. “GET READY YOU ABNORMAL CREATURE!”

The bear, after recalibrating itself, would growl in a mindless anger. Wounded but not defeated, it set its sights on Theron for revenge.

Undeterred, Theron rushed forward to capitalize on the bear's vulnerability.

Driven by instinctive survival, it retaliated with a desperate swipe of its left paw.

With a lightning-fast motion, Theron expertly maneuvered beyond the deadly blow. In a swift counterattack, his crimson sword gleamed through the air once again, severing the bear's left arm completely.

The cavern resonated with a guttural roar as the beast, now truly maimed, recoiled in agony. Still not defeated however, it went for a right claw swipe, same result.

As Theron looked down upon the bear as it writhed in agony, he looked in disbelief as it started to regenerate both arms right before his eyes. The stumps becoming crowded with bubbling flesh. “It's actually regenerating!?”

Iila shouted as she struggled to get back up. “Braveheart… Its head…! Cut off its head!”

With the process finished, the gigantic bear rose back onto all fours. Its overgrown fangs started to grow even longer,

Seeing Theron grip his sword in preparation for the final blow, it started to transform into something vicious, standing on its hind legs.

Now revealing its full monstrous height, it slammed down with not only both claws but even with its gaping mouth, eager to rip and tear.

Theron in response simply took a deep breath in and switched to a reverse grip on his sword.

Before the bear's jaws had the opportunity to snap shut, with a blinding strike to its neck, it crashed onto the ground, lifeless.

As Iila looked at the face of the monstrosity that had terrorized her village for months, it would slowly detach from its own shoulders. The glint of life in the beast's eyes faded to nothingness.

“Your hide may have been thick, but the neck will always be the weakest vital area.” Now victorious, Theron made his way to Iila, helping her lay against the wall. “Don’t worry Iila, you're gonna be fine.”

“I sure hope so… I don't want the last face I see… to be yours…”

Pouting as he looked through his pouch, which was filled with broken potions and wet bandages, Theron regretfully responded. “Hey, I already said I'm sorry for earlier…”

“You… You should have known full damn well not to mention P-Poula's pregnancy, dumbass!”

“I know I know… That was kind of stupid of me. I'm sor–”

“Save it… I'm not the one you should be apologizing to anyway. Though… Knowing her, she already forgave you…”

“Hm… Oh,” Theron's eyes lit up as he found an unharmed potion vial. “There we are! Here, drink this. It's an herbal concoction with concentrated Iponberry juice and fairy nectar. It should heal any injuries and broken bones you have.”

While reluctant at first, Iila would down the indigo-colored potion. The taste was very bitter and thick, causing her to pull back a bit before drinking the rest.

Swallowing it all, a warm feeling would soon start spreading throughout her body, directly overpowering the aching pain all over.

After a short while, bones she knew for a fact were broken felt good as new. Organs she could feel pulsing in agony felt better. Even her previous soreness went away in an instant.

Bending and flexing everything to test her recovery, Iila was genuinely amazed. “What the… I actually feel…”

“Better?” Theron interjected whilst pulling out her naginata from the bear's abdomen. “It's a super potion of sorts. The herbs, berries, and nectar needed to craft it is very rare. Not to mention how hard it is to mix them together. One small slip-up, and you get a potion that'll just leave you with the runs instead. Luckily, I know a pretty handy guy.”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Raising an eyebrow and putting her hand on her hips, Iila sarcastically asked. “So, you just lost a bag full of these ultra-rare potions?”

“No, that was the only one I had. The others were common ones, like strength buffing, defense maxing, and general stamina potions. I'm glad that one was unharmed, and now, so are yo–!” Theron, while at first joyful, suddenly fell to one knee, dropping Iila's naginata.

Holding his right side, he soon coughed up blood, evident of the damage he had taken. “Oh man… Guess I'm not any better for wear, haha…”

“Braveheart!”

“It's nothing serious… I hope,” Theron said with a weak smile, standing up and turning to the center of the chamber. “I can still stand and walk at least. Either way, our main concern should be what we need to do… With…” Theron words trailed off, unable to muster the courage to mention the grotesque feeding pile of frozen bodies.

An awkward silence filled the cold atmosphere. A silence Iila would solemnly break.

“…Help me lay them out.”

“Of course, Ms. Iila…”

“Drop the miss already… Come on.”

-

"O the flames of Vahla that cleanse and purify, witness these departed souls, untangled from the grasp of the man-killer bear's wrath… As their spirits ascend to your realm, let the fire within each burn brightly in the eternal beyond and grant them everlasting peace… Let their stories be etched in the silent echoes of Husui, honored between life and the eternal flame… And may the warmth of your divine flame be a beacon for not only these departed souls, but ours as well, for generations to come… Látom.”

“…Látom. That was truly beautiful, Iila.”

“…Thanks, Braveheart.”

“No problem!”

“No… Thank you for all you've done. Slaying that monster, helping me lay out the bodies, even kneeling down to pray with me… I appreciate it. I also apologize for being… a bit too harsh on you.”

“Oh, well, I'm glad I could be of use. Gotta thank you too! Without your help, I honestly might have bit the dust myself!” Standing up, Theron let his curiosity get the best of him. “By the way, who is this Vahla you pray to?”

“Vahla? He's the Sun Deity. I'll explain more once I have the time.” Iila replied as she unhooked the necklace on one of the bodies. A snowflake necklace.

“Is that…”

“Yeah,” Iila solemnly confirmed, clenching onto the necklace. “I'm so sorry, Mongro. I promise I'll protect Poula and your child with my life…”

Stepping back to let Iila grieve, Theron would notice a subtle breeze within the cavern.

Turning to the source, he spotted another entrance. A faint blue glow could be seen pulsating from around the corner. Intrigued, he went to investigate.

Looking into the opening, he came face to face with a treasure trove of gold, jewelry, and the most curious of all:

A solid stone tablet, riddled with mysterious carvings. Every symbol seemed to glow a clear blue.

Grabbing a hold of the tablet, Theron could feel a faint, yet intense source of Arcania with each pulse. Now mystified, he became lost in thought, trying to figure out what it was, until…

“Who's there!?” Iila suddenly called out, alerting Theron to rush by her side.

“Someone's here Iila?”

“I don't know… But I could have sworn I saw a hooded figure move out the corner of my eye… From where we came from…”

“Should we pursue?”

“…Nah, they're far gone by now.”

“Do you… Do you think they possibly had a hand with the bear's appearance?”

Iila fiercely gripped her naginata at the thought. “If they did, I'll have their head… By any means necessary. Anyways, where did you trot off to?”

“There's another section of the cavern over there. It seems like the bear was hoarding some treasure… This tablet was in the middle of it…”

“What the… I've never seen this before around here… Maybe Kuina knows something. Let's take it back to the village along with the bear's head. We can move the rest later with more manpower.”

Theron saluted at Iila's suggestion. “Sounds like a plan!”

-Back in Present Time, a Day After the First Chapter~

Walking down a set of stairs, a fully rested Theron, donning a specially tailored browm kimono, yawned while setting foot in the lobby of an inn.

“Oh! Mr. Braveheart,” A young woman clerk perked up from her station, a slight blush forming as Theron made his way to the counter. “How was you stay?”

“Incredible! I'll have to thank the chief tenfold. Is he awake?”

“Yes, he should be. He always gets up at 6 AM for morning prayer. Just exit, take a right, then go straight, and you'll find his residence.”

“Thank you ma'am!” Theron held out a fist for a fistbump in gratitude. When the clerk went for it however, Theron grabbed her hand like a handshake instead.

“Thank you very much for your hospitality!” Theron shouted as he rushed out the inn.

Uncurling her hand, the woman would find some extra gold coins, just for her. “Thank you, hero!”

Those words were something Theron would hear constantly as he walked the roads of Husui Village.

Passerby, shop owners, children, all of them were wearing their traditional village kimonos and showing their gratitude to their new hero in a week straight celebration.

Finally making it to a familiar hut, Theron knocked on the door. It was Chief Harkon's Hut, with the very same man answering the door.

“Hm? Ah, Braveheart, I hope our Husuian Inn was to your liking?”

“It was fantastic! Five stars from me, especially the Hot Springs!”

“Fufu, glad to hear it! What brings you to the hut so early in the morning?”

“I just wanted to thank you for housing me for the night, free of charge.”

“Leaving so soon I assume?”

“Indeed, I'm on another quest… The biggest and dangerous I've been on yet!”

Harkon rubbed his chin in response. “I see… Then please, will you accept a gift for your travels?”

“I promise Chief Harkon, I appreciate all the rewards you've wanted to give me, but you can keep it all.” Gratitude exuded from Theron's voice as he offered a thumbs up to the chief. “The gold, weapons, potions, all of it. The free inn reservation was plenty enough!”

“Who said the gift had monetary value?” A voice interjected from behind Theron. One Theron knew all too well at that point.

Turning around, he was met with Iila and Poula, fresh out the hot springs themselves. They were sporting their own flower patterned kimonos.

Poula was adorned with a light blue, Alpine Lotus Flower pattern. Her elder sister wore a dark blue, Arctic Poppy style kimono.

“Oh? Good morning, Poula and Iila! Then what's the gift?”

Iila glided her fingers on her face in disappointment. “Gawds, you're super slow, aren’t 'cha.”

“Hey, sister! Don't be like that!” Poula pestered Iila about her manners. Running up to Theron, she grabbed his hands in an earnest plea for one more request. “Please Mr. Braveheart, take care of my elder sister!”

“…Huh!?”