Beargum were beasts known for their strength and durability. Its hard skin too thick, there was a saying in midland, 'no blade too sharp for a beargum'.

Only the blades reinforced with advanced divination, or a powerful blunt force could drop them.

The habitat of these monsters was the same as their non-monster counterpart but they were more vicious. Times to times they invaded settlements just to fed on humans.

The forest was just north of the village. It was not too far. It would only take four candles time on foot. But the forest was too dense, he had to entered alone.

Ethan followed the track the boy came running. The footprints, the flat grass and the broken branches were all there. He carefully stepped in as there could be other dangerous beasts inside the forest but the sudden event could not let him be.

He heard a vicious roar along with a scream of a man. He rushed toward the sound and saw a man gutted by claws. The intestines were on the ground mixed with blood. His eyes opened, looking at his own gut.

"Where did the other run off?" Ethan asked but he did not answer. The man had turned mad.

Ethan took his bow and arrows and left the hopeless man. He chased the others who could still be saved.

It was easy to follow now as those men keep screaming the entire time as they ran away from the monster.

Soon he caught up with them. They took a wrong turn and were cornered at a small cliff with the monster behind. They had no where to run so Signard told his friend to lift him up and he would pull him up. But Signard noticed the monster would not wait him reached atop so he kicked his friend toward the monster after he had stepped on his shoulder. He then grabbed a vine and climbed up while the monster fed on his friend.

Before the beargum clawed the poor man down, Ethan quickly nocked the bow and released the arrow toward the monster.

"Divination!"

It hit. But it did not stop the monster. It chose to ignore a small arrow over his prey.

Then Ethan heard another voice as a spear flew near his head toward the monster.

"Divination!" Clara shouted.

This time the pain done by the spear was way too much, the monster roared in pain. It saved the poor man.

The girl charged toward the monster while Ethan was stunned by her. He smelled a sweet fragrance as she passed him. Though she hid her face under a cloak and a mask, he noticed she gave him an eye like 'did you see that?'

Even though the monster tried to intimidate her with its sharp teeth and vicious roar, the girl did not hesitate to fight it head on.

With her two blades in each hand, she slashed while dodging the attacks skillfully. She was like a warrior-angel dancing in the wilds. It enchanted Ethan.

But the injuries inflicted by her small blades were not deep enough to take down a beargum. These swords were not made to kill a beargum. And she knew it from the start.

"You bastards are really tough," She said in frustration.

She distanced back from the monster as the man already reached far enough from it. The beargum did not follow her too. It decided to treat its wounds first.

"Thank you Clara. You saved me. I thought it was the end for me."

"You won't die here. Your fortune said you will die from drowning. Didn't it?"

"Right. Hahaha. You remember." The man said happily.

While they were having fun with their conversation, Ethan did not want them to give time to the monster so he decided to fight himself.

However he was stopped by another men sent by madam.

"Stop right there, Templer. Don't steal our bounty. Our lady already taken it so why don't you return to the village?" The two smirked. They looked the same.

Ethan did not argue and stepped back as they said. He also wanted to see her dance more. Especially with the new back-up dancers.

Signard also came back down from the cliff. With reinforcement came, his courage rose again. He hugged his friend as if he did not push his friend to feed the monster just a moment ago. His friend retiliated with a punch.

Humans were busy with fighting among themselves meanwhile the monster licked the wounds to stop the bleeding and numbed them. Before they sorted things out, it was ready for round two.

It roared a frightening battlecry, through its menacing teeth spitted the anger. It charged toward Clara who was sorting things between Signard and his friend.

With the other two blocking her path to dodge sideways, she jumped back and ran. But the beargum caught up with her easily and bit her.

Fortunately she was one step faster. She stepped on a tree and jumped a back flip, it only grazed her left foot. The poor tree was bit in half instead. A moment late and her fate would be same as that tree.

She cut down the monster as she dropped back. She would have killed it if it was a normal bear. But for a beargum, its back was the hardest part to penetrate in its skin. The fur were too rough, it seemed like the spikes of a hedgehog. The slash was not strong enough to reach the body.

As soon as her feet touched the ground, she distanced herself from the monster before it turned and stroke her with claws. It was a close call again.

The beargum spitted out the chunk of wood angrily from the mouth. Hungry and angry, it changed the target to Signard. But before it reached to him, one of the twin intercepted it with a Warhammer.

It landed a good hit to the shoulder. The monster pushed him away with its body but his brother stroke its head with the mace from other side. The monster swinged, throwing the man away.

Frightened, Signard could not move his legs anymore. He was stunned by the monstrosity of the beargum.

But Clara came for his rescue. She ran in between them, like a whirlwind, slashing its face. She cut it hard.

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She looked to Ethan and smirked as she saw him impressed by her. Or so she thought. Unnoticed that her robe was accidentally stuck to the claws while spinning, she jumped to distance again but she was pulled back by her robe and fell to the ground.

Then she saw, from the upper of her eyes, the inner of a beargum's mouth. It was as dark as a cave, the breath as hot as steam, the teeth as sharp as blades; readied to eat her.

A drop of tear fell from her as she foreseed her end.

However she saw a light shining the cavity from a metal, as it cut through the mouth and the skull.

As soon as Ethan saw her robe stuck, he sprinted to her. Then he swung his sword with all his strength to cut its head.

"Divination!!"

It cut the head of beargum in half from its mouth. The monster dropped to the ground, its muscles spasmed. Bloods and saliva spewed on Clara.

"Oh my god!" Signard exclaimed, "you are awesome!"

He jumped with excitement. It was the first time he saw the inner of a beargum's head.

"That's why I like you from the first moment. I knew you are something."

Signard approached to Ethan with a hug as if they had been friends for a long time. The others were also surprised and cheered with him at the same time, except Clara. They won the fight but she felt defeated.

She knew it was her own fault. She was too over her head and made a mistake.

Even though Ethan gave her a hand, she rejected it and got up herself. Then without a word, she went back to the village. Signard's friend who had a crush on her also followed her while Signard and the twin were busy fist bumping with Ethan.

After that, the twin carried the dear Signard and his friends hunted before they met the monster. Signard was disappointed that they could not take the beargum head as a trophy back to home.

"It is a pity that they turned into ashes when died. If not, we could be celebrating with a trophy," told Signard.

When they reached Indran, Ethan was introduced as the hero of Indran by Signard and made a story out of it.

Signard might be an annoying coward but he was a good storyteller. That whole day, both natives and guests of Indran celebrated at the inn with the deer-meat barbecue.

There was only two people who could not celebrated, Clara and madam owner. Her head was aching from the fact that she was in debt to a Templer.

Ethan had some fun too until he heard the heroic story of him. He drank a cup and excused himself to his room early.

"A saviour?" Ethan sighed heavily as he stared to the sky.

"No. I am just a loser who failed to keep his promise."

His knees dropped and cried while carrying the letter Leila gave to his chest.

Night fell and everyone had returned to where they belonged. It was so quiet as if there were never a party there. Things returned back to normal.

That night, the same nightmare visited Ethan. Ethan found Leila in the small room without a rope around her neck. Ethan smiled happily. She was free. Then he saw a shadow behind her. It growled.

"Run! Leila." He shouted as he ran to her. Before he reached the beargum got her first and ate her in half.

"Fuckkk!!" He screamed in pain. Awoke too early, he decided to go up the roof and watched the stars.

Up there he saw a girl sitting, facing the north. Her golden hair were flapping in the wind covering her face. Even under moonless night, Ethan could tell she was a beautiful girl through her figure. He did not see her at the village before. He sat afar facing south.

The two sat quietly opposing to each other for a while then the girl started a conversation.

"I didn't know a fearsome warrior and the hero of Indran could cry by a nightmare. I heard you wailing like a baby earlier." She attacked him with words.

It confused Ethan. And annoyed too. What kind of person would attack a man she just saw?

"Why are you talking friendly? Do I know you?"

"Humph* guess yourself."

She annoyed him more.

"I am not interested in you nor in your game, girl."

"Tsk* you are no fun."

The conversation ended awkwardly. Then she started again.

"I forgot to say thanks earlier. I hope you don't mind it."

"I don't even know you, girl. I have never seen you before."

"... You are either blind or an idiot."

She was frustrated by his nonchalant answer. Then suddenly, the wind changed its direction and a sweet fragrance flew along with it to Ethan. It made his head turned.

He saw her hairs dancing in the night air. Her bluish hue eyes were a matched to her fair skin. She was the typical beauty of Midland, the opposite from exotic beauty of Leila.

"I see. You are that female warrior. Sorry that I didn't notice you earlier."

"Your observation skill is remarkable." She threw a sarcasm.

Ethan chuckled. Before, he thought she was just a rude girl and found her annoying. Now he found her funny.

"Your jealousy is atop among your peers too." He returned the punch.

"Jealous? Me?"

"It was yours, right? The hero of Indran. But I took it from you."

"Humph* I never wanted to be hero anyway. Only you Templers wanted to be called hero. Not me."

"So you are not a Templer. Yet you are able to conjure spell like divination."

"Do you really believe ability to conjure spells was bestowed only upon warriors of Temple? Why? Because you are God's men?"

"Honestly I believed everything what the Temple had taught me. Not anymore."

"What make you changed your mind?"

"... Guess yourself." He made fun of her as he returned her game. It frustrated her.

"I am just joking. How about this? I will answer you one, you answer one back."

"I am not interested in you so no thank you."

"What about the Temple?"

"Not interested." She left. She had no intention to share about her life to a Templer.

"The Temple killed the woman I love. It is the reason I stopped believing in them and the reason I cried."

"A warrior cried because of a woman. ... Lame." She replied cold-heartedly.

"I saw you cry too."

"I never cry."

"It is okay to cry. It is not weakness. It show there is still something that you care deeply. Love can make you strong," said Ethan as he reminiscent about Leila.

"Love is a weakness."

"Love is the nature of human."

"Humans are weak."

She ended the conversation abruptly and left.

As he watched her back, he wondered what kind of scary past she held secretly in her heart, to be this hateful toward love.

She was not so wrong though. Although love made Leila strong, it was the weakness that killed her. She might still be alive if she did not fall in love with him.

"Stars are so ugly tonight." Ethan mumbled.