I released a breath, that I didn't know I've been holding. The world stilled, a brief moment of order, after the turbulent chaos.

I turned towards Flaze and saw that she was staring at her sword, and the hands that gripped it, all dreched in blood. She heaved a weary sigh, looking off into the distance, and then towards me.

She loosed her shoulders, reverted to her base form, and flashed me a weak, and obviously fake smile.

Funny that, much of the blood around her had disappeared, for it was all on her gear. It'd still be there, if she changes back to her samurai form right now, but it'd be gone in time, in the same way that the costume is able to repair itself.

"I'm fine, Jackal." She said, after taking multiple deep breaths. My concern must have been painted over my horse face. "I just need time to think. About stuff."

About stuff. I nodded, and shuffled off into a corner. Those assholes were basically asking for it, so I don't really care rhat we killed them, but Flaze still carries that weight, probably, no matter that it was her idea.

Or well, I suggested that we kill them first. So she actually just finally came around to my way of seeing things!

I suggested it first! I wrote. To fucking murder them!

So it's my fault, and not yours.

Flaze furrowed her brows, actually angry. She spat, with venom in her mouth. "Fuck off, Jackal. I'm not a fucking child. Do not coddle me."

I blinked, and then shrugged, pushing down my own frustration at being shouted at for just trying to help.

It really is true that I suggested it first. So.

Whatever.

"And uh," she scratched her head, looking away, before deciding to meet my gaze after all. "Thanks. For having my back."

I smiled, and then hold my head high, looking smug.

She just shook her head weakly, before looking off into god-knows-where again.

Right. Well. Onto more fun stuff! Those incompetent imbeciles actually managed to give me a single level.

Tis a Christmas Miracle!

[Your Party has defeated a Level 55 Warrior!]

[Your Party has defeated a Level 51 Rogue!]

[Your Level Has Risen to 61!]

Jokes aside, they were strong. Just stupid. That level was well-earned. Hell, Flaze should get some kind of achievement, for her masterful espionage. Although perhaps the targets were comparable to children, in their intellect. Like taking candy from a baby. It might not have counted for much, her achievement of getting information out of Luke and Mark.

It sure as hell was entertaining to watch, however.

Especially the moments when even Flaze could not keep playing a character.

I snickered, and then basked in the stretch of quiet.

"Hey Jackal..." Flaze finally spoke after a long minute of contemplation. "You know I don't mean it, right?"

I looked at her like she had gone insane. Stupidity comparable, to either Matt or Luke. Perhaps the both of them combined.

She groaned. "I mean... When they treated you as a horse, a mere animal. I say some stupid shit in the same vein sometimes, but I don't mean it in the same way they did. You are a person and my friend."

I smiled. Of course. Becoming a horse is an inherently humorous concept, and I'd be remiss to miss the comedy in that.

I pushed her with my hoof, and Flaze couldn't help it. She giggled and punched back.

Ow.

~~~

[Blessed Heal]

[Blessed Heal]

A heal for both me and for Flaze, to make sure we are always healthy.

No, we did not just beat each for literally no reason. That did not happen.

We were both laughing at the end of our not-fight.

"So. To Orlean?"

Sure. I nodded.

We were back in the familiar streets, monsters roaming around. Some saw us and attacked, others didn't give a fuck. A lizard-like bird screeched from above and dove down. I immediately jumped away, just in time to dodge its fire breath.

That was about as hot as my own flames, if only a thin stream. Damn.

Stolen story; please report.

[Handler - Lvl 48]

Eh, low level. Not worth it.

Flaze's Samurai Clone had gotten a head start ahead, riding a bike. I followed right behind, a new strategy, to have her clone trail ahead and take on most of the danger, even when we travel. It also means I am unable to display my true speed, so I do not know how practical this is. But, Flaze seems to be enjoying it, so why not.

I followed behind, finding her top speed to just be a little bit below my own.

The wind buffeted our faces as we traveled at the speeds of race cars with just our sheer raw stats.

It felt good, to be outside again. I maneuvered against a fallen truck, and the spells that came from a group of pursuing goblins.

They were promptly left behind.

My thoughts wandered back, to those that we fought. Both Matt and Luke, especially the former. From their stories, Matt was their frontline, someone who takes on most of the danger, suffering and bleeding, by their own words. If so then he must either have a high natural regeneration, if not a full Skill specifically for it. Our fight happened to fast for m to see properly, but I think his flesh writhes in a way as if to close his wounds.

But that's what leads me to a question. Would his arms have been able to regrow?

I myself have a healing Skill, and Flaze has ways to heighten her own natural regeneration. But would we be able to regrow an entire limb?

I don't know why I've been acting, as if that were a given.

I must bring this subject back to Flaze, and perhaps make some adjustments, to our tactics.

Later.

I turned my attention back, towards our ongoing journey. A horse and a bike, running together.

I felt a sudden rumbling, from a nearby building. A pilgrimage of goblins going the same direction as us were attacked by a gigantic snake that shot out of the office's doors, the structure broken in the process.

[Longstrider].

I made the decision, to get as far away from the scene as possible. Flaze reacted to her clone that was left behind, but she understood the necessity.

"Those goblins had Level 50s among them. Already a rare sight, but for them to have fallen so easily, in an instant..."

Flaze's right. We did not risk an identify that time, but I'm pretty sure the monster was over one hundred.

It's a gap that can't be explained by mere stats.

I cannot wait for myself to reach the same level.

My attention shifted without warning, everything else disappeared, it no longer mattered. All I saw was a large goblin, pieces of wood and metal making an armor around his body.

Rage bubbled from within my core, I released it all towards my mortal enemy. I reared up and then charged, neighing hatefully and spraying my spittle everywhere, until a learned instinct gave me a brief presence of mind, and I allowed healing to flow through myself.

Clarity returned, to my thoughts.

Taunt.

I felt Flaze gripping on my neck hard, her breaths coming out ragged, and I tossed a heal over to her too.

Shit. That's nasty. Had I not had so many experiences with the phenomenon, then that could have been really bad.

I saw them then, another group of goblins just coming out of an intersection, along with the one that taunted myself. Half of them were on mounts of boars and wolves, and the animals quickly lunged, clearly aiming for us as I kept on running towards them, unwilling yet to cancel my Longstrider.

Charge? I neighed.

"Charge." She confirmed.

Flaze shifted to her knight form, and then dropped a clone of the same stature. The approaching goblin riders quickly turned towards the copy, and I weaved through them, sending fireballs out to clear a path from the slower ones the back.

I passed them all, and then looked back, confirming that we had left them far behind. But there were even more of the green monsters, walking in the same direction at us, trying to give chase when we startle them with our passing.

I left them all in the dust.

But still, it's weird. What's up with these number of goblins? It's almost like...

"Those Provatuars." Flaze said, "It's the same phenomenon. They're all gathering in one place."

Exactly, I neighed. I was just abut to say that.

She patted me on the head even though she shouldn't have understood me. "I wonder why? What's happening. Those Provatuars at least clearly had some more intelligent ones leading them, but the goblins have not shown any capacity to speak our language."

"Although as for why the werewolves even knew English to begin with..."

Retained human sentience? I neighed. Like me?

"Just like you. They might have retained their sentience." She echoed my theory. "But it's weird. If nothing else, they're not fully, if even remotely themselves. The things they said, to immediately attack another person... It didn't seem like they were of the right mind."

Their words definitely seemed inhuman. I neighed. But to attack a person is hardly something restricted to mindless monsters.

Flaze too, realized this.

A while later, I felt an added weight by my rear, for Flaze had summoned another knight clone. It's a tight fit, but I understood the need. She'd lost her bike, so I had to be uncomfortable carrying our insurance, just in case.

Monsters have been coming for us all the while, mostly the goblins and their mounts. Another arrow came for me just then, I dodged yet another fireball right after. More of the same monsters chased after me, and one of them was riding a horse, a particularly fast one. Just like me!

I kicked her all the same, when she approached.

[Horsekick Gambit].

The horse immediately lurched and stumbled, burning. The goblin riding it was tossed away, and Flaze slammed her shield into the monster when its body came sailing right for us.

The next group of goblins, inexplicably, didn't come to bother us. I saw that they were all rushing for the same opponent up ahead.

It was a tall red ogre bled from many small cuts, swarmed by the goblins from all sides. Mounds of the green corpses were already piled high, as the goblins kept on tossing themselves to this creature that was able to fell even the strongest of them so easily, spikes of earth erupting with the ogre's every attack.

[Warrior - Lvl 100+]

My eyes met the ogre's and I immediately realized my mistake. He easily crushed a hog-rider hobgoblin with his big fat club and started running right for me, the earth cracking with his every step, pointy protrusions exploding out.

Flaze clicked her tongue, realizing what had happened and immediately sent her clone to taunt him away. The ogre barely showed a reaction, easily flattening the copy with his club once he got close.

"Fuck." Flaze muttered and summoned a samurai clone. The copy of Flaze jumped forward with momentum and stabbed into the monster's face. A shallow cut appeared on his nose, traveling up to his eye. The ogre shrieked, enraged, and slammed his club into the pestering gnat that had dared draw blood.

"Grah!"

Why are you hitting yourself? Why are you hitting yourself?

Flaze Clone jumped away, the monster's club hit his own face and the creature stunned himself. The ogre shook its head, dizzy, the swarm of goblins catching up to their foe.

I ran ahead as the monster took his anger out on the green-skins. The ogre had completely forgotten about us, attacking only what is close and in sight. Flaze Clone stayed, acting still as a prime saboteur.

We escaped from the scene of carnage.

"Jackal." Flaze spoke once we were out of immediate danger.

I flinched, and mustered my most nonchalant neigh. Yes? Whatever may you mean, oh Flaze?

"You identified that ogre didn't you."

I retain the right to remain silent. I looked away and gave no answer.

Flaze sighed. "It's fine. Everyone makes mistakes. But let's make sure to learn from it, okay?"

Yes teacher. I mocked, neighing.

She laughed and smacked me lightly on the head. "You've got more to lose than me right now. You who still wishes to live and thrive even in a broken world. So, be more serious, okay?"

Sure... I neighed, more seriously.

I wondered how true that really was.