In the next day...

"This is it, Stella! Just another push."

Hōkō was elated by the girl's progress, so he devised a peculiar change in the regimen. Now, at the final hour of her morning sessions, she would condense all her energy into a few parts of her body. Since her objective was to complete the boulder test, what better option than her arms.

She had to admit this was not a walk in the park. Allowing energy that was already there to flow through her being was one thing. Now, interrupting that flow and commanding all this Saniya to a specific place? It was like redirecting a raging river, a force of nature. As the elder taught her, she had to find a balance in her mind to wield it without brute forcing it.

Her power barely budged for almost the entirety of the hour until a burning sensation on her biceps suddenly grew hotter.

Her arms, and only her arms, started to radiate a faint golden light. Stella felt exhilarated by this slight step on the road of progression.

Her mentor felt the same. "I had the feeling you'd do it! You're showing spectacular improvement, Human!" Two branches of the pego tree slammed into each other, his way of clapping.

As the aura faded and her muscles relaxed, Stella lay down to catch her breath. A proud smirk graced her lips.

The elder chuckled. "If you keep at it, we'll start magic training much sooner than I thought!"

Her eyes sparkled. "Really?! You'll teach me actual magic?! Like, levitating rocks, shooting fire and stuff?!"

His hearty laughter intensified. "One thing at a time, girl! But yes, all you mentioned can be part of the course."

Finally, she would learn how to do the REALLY cool stuff! By the end of her training, those Lads would suffer by her hand if she ever saw them again.

"Let's keep those violent thoughts inside your head, shall we?"

"Why do you decide to be a stick in the mud just now?!"

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After gorging herself on boar ribs, Stella went to the Knight's training grounds. Back to her loathed, insurmountable opponent...

Dwayne... That son of a rocky whore wouldn't keep his ass on the ground for much longer. Not with her newly acquired technique.

Waiting for her was, of course, The Silver Knight and... Lien!

Before the girl could say anything, the pup ran a few feet in seconds, then caught her in a powerful hug!

"What took you so long?!" Her tail swished faster than a desperate fish's.

Stella allowed herself to bask in the Wolf's embrace a few seconds longer than necessary. It felt like hugging a plushie her size.

Mmm... Now, she remembered those reversible octopi she was enamored with. A year ago, she even stole one from a store. Why had those bastards made its eyes so damn sad!

Unfortunately, the flood that came months later was relentless enough to wash away most of her belongings. She felt that that octopus wasn't fabricated to live underwater.

The girl was pulled away from the painful memory by the Knight. "The elder told me he's putting you through more advanced Saniya training!" False tears fell from the circles on his visor. "I'm so proud of you!"

Stella rubbed the back of her head, a little uncomfortable with the praise. "Heh. Is it that impressive, though?"

"Your growth is up there with a few talented people I've met!" He explained. "By the time we catch those assassins, you'll be powerful enough to defend yourself AND others!" Of course, he started making his dance rehearsal. "A perfect sidekick! A defender of the oppressed!" He stopped posing, with two interrogation marks for an emote. "Hey! We need a hero name for you!"

Oh no...

"What about me?!" Lien pouted. "I want one too!"

The hero cupped his "chin." "Indeed. What about..." After a few seconds, he slammed his fist onto his palm. "The Shining Huntress!"

The pup scrunched her snout in deep contemplation. "I don't know... It sounds a little too... sparkly for my taste."

"I see..." He crossed his arms. "We can keep brainstorming, then. What do you think, Stella?"

The Human pinched the bridge of her nose. "I think we're missing the point of why we're here!" She cocked an eyebrow. "You know... Running around in heavy suits?"

He laughed sheepishly. "O-Of course! How could I forget?" He straightened his posture. "Alright! Since Hōkō is shaking things up with you, I realized it was only fitting for me to do the same!"

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Stella's eyes widened. "So, no suits?"

"Oh no! You still need the armor!" He pointed at Dwayne with his thumb. Her equipment lay next to it. "Go get it!"

After an audible sigh, Stella complied. "Fine."

While the suit felt lighter than on her first day wearing it, it was still a heavy task to move around with it. How would she enjoy her gains if she couldn't take full advantage of them?! This feeling of constraint was hell!

Whatever. Stella was now fully suited and ready- Wait, Lien was wearing the same armor?!

"I commissioned another one!" The Knight spoke with the pride of a mother after her child won a gold medal. "Now, before you protest, Lien's suit is much heavier to compensate for the strength gap!"

The Wolf nodded. "I can barely jump in this thing!" She made a human-level hop with a visible effort to prove her point. "This is fun!"

Sometimes, her definition of fun was a point of contention in Stella's mind.

The hero clapped twice to attract the girls' attention. "Listen! Today's lesson goes beyond only raw strength training!" He raised a fist in the air. "Remember, I'm not just training you two as warriors but as my sidekicks! That means you require a more hands-on approach!"

Stella questioned. "What do you mean?"

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They stood in Buth's shop, owned by a Crow Monoke who christened the establishment with his name. The store's interior was mostly wood, except for the cash register and the products.

Animal skulls, portraits of the owner's family, dreamcatchers, and similar artifacts made with black feathers littered the walls. One of which had a stitched pattern of a deer's skull.

"Are you sure these two can keep up with the errands for the whole afternoon? I don't know the Human, but Lien doesn't have a great track record..." Buth squinted his eyes at the Knight.

He was an anthropomorphic crow, with the only caveat, other than height, were the hand-like appendages at the tip of his wings. Stella had seen a similar thing in a Pokemon before. An owl archer or something like that?

He wore a bland white shirt, green-striped pants, and a strap adorned with different animals' teeth that passed over his shoulder and under the opposite wing.

The guard clapped his hands together, begging. "Please, Mr. Buth! If the girls make a mistake, I'll take full responsibility and pay for the damages!"

Stella wasn't too sure about this. His idea of "shaking things up" was her becoming a delivery girl?! Was child labor allowed in Sayama? What a pain in her ass.

After considering for a full minute, the Crow relented. "It's not like I'm drowning in options." Then he jumped and turned around the balcony to approach them. He was barely taller than Stella, and his noticeable limp silently expressed much about his age.

The shopkeeper hissed and poked his finger at the guard's chest. "I'm holding you to your promise if anything goes wrong. I've built a great reputation before the pup's mother could walk!"

The Knight bowed. "Thank you, Mr. Buth! I trust my students' capable hands!"

"We'll see about that." He turned to the girls. "Alright, lassies! Do a good job, and you'll receive 30 coins! Sound good?!"

Stella took a few seconds to register what he just said.

"You're paying us?!" Her astonishment made her question a bit louder than necessary.

The shopkeeper tilted his head. "Why wouldn't I?"

Her attitude went 180° in a split second.

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And so, the two girls began their unsurprisingly arduous afternoon shift. By the Knight's orders, they had to use the weighted suits and carry the groceries in their own hands, no matter how inconvenient, especially with the larger orders.

No matter. For that money, Stella would be the best delivery girl! Like no one ever was! To deliver them was her real test! To do it perfectly was her cause!

I think I've broken the rhythm there at the end. Oh well!

The plaques sprinkled throughout the village had arrows pointing to the numerous huts and their numbering, so being lost wasn't a problem. However, it didn't take long before the Human realized the real obstacle was the very own people of Pantsti. Holy shit, these Wolves were restless! From her very first step out of the shop, five Monoke almost trampled her!

She couldn't just wait until the storm was over. With only a week of experience, she knew the situation would only calm down when the Moon was out. No, the girl had to use all she'd learned from her training, how to move quickly and gracefully with the extra weight.

Lien had long since braved the furry sea. Stella couldn't stay behind, even if it wasn't a competition. N° 666 was her target, as shown by the paper glued to each package.

A deep breath. A step. And...

She psyched herself up. "Do it for the money!"

Attempting to emulate the fluidity of water, the Human weaved through the stampede. The bright red tomatoes were still intact, much to her pride.

Suddenly, a Wolf ran with his cohort on a wheelbarrow!

"Out of my way!"

For a fraction of a second, recollections of Stella's life flashed before her eyes. Was this how her short career would end...?

"NO!"

Gritting her teeth and clutching the package, the girl jumped to the side, narrowly dodging the wheelbarrow! After getting up with added difficulty brought by the armor, she checked the tomatoes and the other vegetables.

Yeah, I know tomatoes aren't veggies, but Stella doesn't. So don't bother correcting me! It's not like I'll hear you, nonetheless...

The point is, they're unscathed.

The rest of the path was more of the same. Every time Stella accidentally almost damaged the groceries, her brain subconsciously analyzed each mistake and worked on making sure this wouldn't happen again. Her movements became less rigid, and her reflexes sharpened.

After long and difficult twenty minutes, she arrived at her destination: Hut n° 666.

After Stella knocked on the door a few times, a female Wolf greeted her. "Oh, my! The Human!"

Before she could ask, the girl went straight to business. "Ma'am, I've brought what you asked from Buth's shop. Tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, and a few grams of salt."

The Monoke shifted her feet anxiously for a few seconds before responding. "I'm sorry, but I haven't ordered anything today."

Stella gasped. "I'm pretty sure you did, ma'am! This is n° 666, right?!"

She nodded. "But are you sure you heard it right? I think there was a misunderstanding."

The girl's impatience grew. "No, there wasn't! Here..." She frantically searched for the piece of paper on one of the packages.

Finally encountering it, she proudly exhibited the Wolf the paper, with half a mind to shove it down her throat. "See? That's your number!"

The Monoke took a second to analyze it. "It's upside down."

Stella's world shattered. "E-excuse me?"

"See? He drew a straight line on the number's base. The hut you're searching for is n° 999."

The Human couldn't believe it at first, but... The Wolf was right...

It was just like Uno cards... How could she have been this BLIND?!

"H-How far is it?" Stella's voice was reduced to a measly whimper.

"Five streets to the left."

F-Five...? She suffered to go through four...

She wanted to squeeze the package so damn hard. Something to ease her anger...

"Do it for the money, Stella..." She took countless deep breaths. "For the money..."