The campfire crackled to life as Dan struck two stones together, sparks igniting the kindling of twigs and grass beneath. Its warmth and light broke the deepening darkness, the crackles of the fire disturbing the eerie silence of the night. The sun had set long ago, its protective glow along with it. The half moon barely rose above the towering trees, the cold moonlight shining onto the group.

"It's risky, but we need the warmth. Sorry for endangering ya’." Dan muttered as the fire sparked to life, warming up the underclothed trio, light tunics and dress providing little resistance to the cold.

“It’s alright, no matter what lurks beyond, you three…two will need to be combat-ready at least.” Ren replied, glancing towards Lest—himself prepared to run at the slightest hint of a danger. Specifically, one that couldn’t be overcome.

Some could be. Like a particularly strong pack of Beasts could be still overcome with some thinking and trickery.

A Minor Monster? They would need a miracle, but it was still mortal.

As for the Hunters….nothing could stop them. They were more cunning than people, more bloodthirsty than the Minor Monsters, more plentiful in numbers than Beasts. Most importantly, they had a “strongest trample and the weak get trampled” mindset. That mindset, the cynical, endless nature of that revolting thinking was what led to so many apathetic humans, like the ones who destroyed their small community, like the ones who killed mother and father in cold blood.

All for what? A measly Artifact? One that could barely heal bruises?

Of course not. That was just an excuse they told themselves.

A small, peaceful community, slaughtered for the sake of slaughter.

For “training”?

FOR…“TRAINING”.

Ren’s eyes widened, his lips cracking. Fists clenched around the rough leather hilt of his sharp falchion—drawing a little blood—the knuckles which plated his fingers turning a shade of suffocating purple. His breath heightened, breathing growing deeper. His teeth pressed against each other, so hard he could almost feel his gums deteriorate under the pressure. His sharp canines found his lips, indulging themselves into their soft embrace, a stream of blood pouring from the small wound.

His heart beat against his ribcage like a drummer performing a blast beat, as if trying to break out of his body and exact sweet revenge on the perpetrators. His blood surged to his temples, turning them a light red, his thoughts spiralling out of control.

‘Training? DON’T FUCK WITH ME. THAT WAS NOT TRAINING. IT WAS A ONE-SIDED MASSACRE.’

He wanted to scream out, express his frustrations towards the cruel world for taking away his one true lifeline.

But he didn’t.

He couldn’t.

The night was already upon him, and any loud noises would just further alert the Beasts of their presence, confirming that food was nearby, drawn to the light in the dark night.

“Hey, are you alright?” A soft voice said from behind him. Turning around with tears welling in his eyes, Lest approached Ren—who was close to breaking down—and gave him a hug.

“It’ll be alright.” she continued, her tender arms wrapped around his back. She rambled on, her voice soothing to Ren—like a mother singing a lullaby to her child. The tears now streamed down his face like a downpour—as if he was holding everything back, only releasing it now, when he could not contain any more. “Everyone’s lost something. But look where we are now.”

“Look where YOU are now. It doesn't matter what happened in the past. What does matter is your actions now, and what the future awaits.”

Ren saw something in the young girl, much like how he saw his father in Dan. Something about them just screamed fondness and kindness, and he—out of everyone in the world—felt that he could open up about his feelings. He, always the cold and aloof swordsman, the deserter who abandoned his party at the slightest obstacle, felt… at home.

‘She’s like mom.’

The warmth of her voice, the genuine care in her actions, all gave Ren another spark of hope in this grim world.

A howl in the distance broke him out of his reverie.

“Hounds. Ready yourselves, Ren and Arch.” The command cut through the air, sharp and to the point. Ren didn’t need to be told twice. He was already moving, positioning himself to the left of the clearing, eyes scanning the perimeter.

Splashing himself with the chilly water of the nearby pool, Ren washed up, cleaning his bloody palms and quenching his thirst, the water flowing over the hardened blood to relieve his parched throat.

“Thank you, Lest. Now stay back.” Ren stated, one arm in front of her while the other drew his falchion.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Yes, sir.” she mockingly saluted. “Glad to have you back.” she said, a small smile softening across her delicate face.

“Archie! Stay with Lest!” Dan commanded, his piercing blue eyes scanning the surroundings, occasionally looking back to ensure the group's safety. “Ren, you're with me!”

Rushing to Dan’s side, Ren noticed the fear in his quivering eyes.

‘He’s…scared.’

“What’re you staring at, moron? Stay on guard!”

‘He really is like dad.’

Concentrating on the left side of the clearing, Ren waited patiently, his sharp senses surveying the area. No blur, rustle or faint hint of iron would escape him. In his peripheral vision, he saw glimpses of Dan covering him. The trusty wood shield proved surprisingly sturdy as a Hound leapt at Dan, achieving nothing but a slam to its skull—cracking it clean open—blood spilling out from its cranium.

Ren waited in a one-handed stance—falchion in his left hand, which didn’t really matter, he was ambidextrous after all—gambling on the cover that Dan and Archie would provide to protect his openings, favouring its agility and adaptability compared to the solid and grounded fighting style the two-handed grip offered. Two Hounds lunged at him, one from the left and one from the right. He delivered a clean horizontal slash to the one on his left, inertia of his falchion pulling him along, dragging him down onto the ground, supported by his free hand.

But this was calculated. He sent his heel rocketing upwards, crashing into the flight path of the air-bound creature, colliding with it with a loud thud. Both Hounds died instantly. An arrow whizzed past Ren’s head, flying just a metre above him where he would have been if he was standing. The arrow came into contact with another Hound, running straight for him, before going limp and collapsing onto the ground.

“That’s my third! I’m still better than you!” Archie shouted from the back.

Forcing out a smile, Ren replied, out of sheer agitation. “Well, I bet 3 night watches that I’ll kill more than you!”

“Deal!” Archie shot back, nocking another arrow on his bow.

‘Weird, so many in pack… Dan one, me two, Archie three. Six in pack? Too many. Something’s off.’

As if responding to his mental thoughts, a larger, louder howl came from deeper within the forest. One that shook all of them to their very core.

A Minor Monster.

A Star Hound.

Ren’s thoughts twisted violently in his head. The howl of the Star Hound echoed in his skull, growing louder with every passing second. The pack had already marked them, and now the true danger was here. His heart pounded against his chest, that old familiar sense of fear creeping in—this time, it wasn’t just fear for his life. It was something else. A fear of losing them, like he lost his father. His heart ached as his thoughts clashed, pulling him in every direction.

‘Abandon them?’ The very idea made him sick. His fists tightened around the hilt of his falchion as if willing himself against his instincts.

‘Stay.’ That small voice—the ever present one that had been buried under years of silence and survival—urged him to stay. He had to protect them. He wasn’t going to run again. Not this time.

But then… the fear returned. ‘Run. Escape. Survive.’ It was his instinct. But what was survival without purpose? What was it worth if he was always running? Even if it was, where would he run to?

His thoughts clashed, and Ren—for the first time—did not run immediately in spite of the dire straits. He was at a standstill, unable to make a decision.

The decision was made for him.

“Ren, Archie, Lest, run! I’ll hold it off,” Dan’s voice broke through the chaos, urgent and firm, his fear still not showing.

‘Again… I’m running again. Losing someone again.’ His heart screamed in protest, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t powerless. He wouldn’t be. He couldn’t be. Not again.

He forced the words out before he could second-guess himself.

“I object!”

“I agree with the boy! Who’s going to enforce the terms of the bet if you’re not around?” screamed Archie from the backline.

“It’s a Minor Monster! We don't stand a chance.”

Those words again.

That curse.

The curse of survival.

“At least you must survive!” Dan protested.

Ren’s mind whirled, his breath shallow, his eyes darting from Dan to Archie, to Lest—the fear already evident on her face. He could feel the weight of their gazes on him.

“What’s the point of surviving if there’s nothing to live for?” he muttered under his breath. His voice cracked slightly as the question burned in his mind. His past—the loss of his family, the solitude that followed—had taught him one thing: survival alone was meaningless.

His grip on the hilt tightened, blood rushing to his fingertips as the fire in his soul burned brighter. He wasn’t going to leave them. Not again.

Standing his ground, Ren took a step forward, steeling himself and showing his resolve to Dan.

“We are all that’s left. Is there anything else worth living for?” Ren shouted back, questioning the party.

“I have my bet to live for! You still owe me 3 night watches!”

“Great, then we ought to all live together happily ever after or die trying!”

They could vaguely see a large silhouette, one that was only slightly shorter than the tallest of trees.

“Prepare yourselves!” instructed Dan, his measly wooden shield lucky if it could shave off even one attack from the gargantuan wolf.

Appearing out of the trees, the huge Star Hound, its fur grey and claws razor sharp, let out yet another deafening howl. It must’ve been about 6 metres tall, its striking yellow eyes the size of a man's arm. Its tail was the length of a long bus, commonly seen laid about in Ruins of The Advanced Ones.

Letting loose an arrow with frightening accuracy, the arrow sailed through the sky, penetrating one of the wolf’s yellow eyes while it was mid howl. Staggering back, it wildly flung about, its tail haphazardly swinging from side to side behind it, its front paws slicing the empty space before it.

Ren took a deep breath, his heart raced as he used the moment of the Monster’s confusion to move in. The Star Hound’s roar was deafening, but Ren’s mind was clear. He was ready. He sprinted forward, sword raised. The devil now howling in pain, its eye filling with dark blood. Its body twisted in an unnatural way, but it was still a deadly force.

It turned back toward Dan, its jaw snapping viciously as it tried to reorient itself. Daniel, grunting, was already positioning himself. His massive form moved with surprising grace as he grabbed the beast’s thick fur and pulled his large body to its side, poised at its vulnerable throat. The wolf tried to snap at him—but its maw couldn’t reach its neck—and with a grunt, Dan drove his weapon deep into its neck.

Ren’s chance came. He saw the opening. With a burst of speed, he closed the distance between them, his sword in hand. He vaulted over the beast's paw, and in one swift motion, Ren slashed the blade into the exposed tendons of the creature’s legs. The wolf yelped, its body writhing as its massive frame twisted in agony, but it still had fight left in it.

The wolf swung its head back, trying to knock Daniel off its thick neck, but the heavy human just refused to budge. With a savage snarl, it redirected its fury toward Ren, its fangs bared as it lunged. Ren barely had time to react as he rolled to the side, the beast’s jaws snapping mere centimetres from his leg. He could feel the heat of its breath, the stench of blood filling his nostrils. He hurriedly straightened to his feet and looked around, seeing many openings in its desperate attacks.

Archie saw them too—despite the darkness of the night—and with another perfectly aimed shot, let loose another arrow, muscles growing taut under the tension of the compound bow. The nocked arrow aimed for the Monster’s other eye. The arrow struck deep, and it was enough.

It was then that the creature made its final mistake. In a last-ditch attempt to flee, it spun around, only to lose its footing on the uneven terrain, unable to see where the proper footholds were. Ren was already there, his sword ready. He moved quickly, slashing at the back of the beast’s legs. The Star Wolf let out a final scream, its body growing limp, unable to support its massive weight, and it fell directly on its stomach, Ren barely able to sidestep out of its area of effect.

The wolf’s eyes went dull. Then, breathing its last, it collapsed onto the forest floor with a thunderous boom, its massive body still and lifeless. The ground trembled beneath them in anticipation as the fight ended—as if rooting for the underdogs. Ren stood beside the fallen beast, breathing heavily, his body covered in sweat, blood and dirt.

Dan hopped off the neck of the Monster, nearly a three metre drop from the top to the ground.

Furrowing his brows, Ren thought to himself, ‘Wait…how did he even get up there?’

“We…we actually did it! Ren you lovely bastard we actually killed that thing! Archie get here right now, this calls for celebration!”

The corpse of a dead Minor Monster was like a natural repellant for weaker Beasts, scared of going near anything even remotely strong enough to take down a giant of that calibre. Beasts were stupid, not idiotic.

With all the chaos that unfolded, Ren found himself subconsciously looking for Lest, concerned about her more than anything else. His eyes locked onto her, standing just outside the circle of their triumphant group, her face softened with relief.

Ren’s chest heaved, still rising and falling from the adrenaline of the fight, he calmed down before giving her a small, reassuring smile. “Did the future await a dead Minor Monster?”

The faintest blush tinted her cheeks. “Well… the future could have anything in store.”

“Maybe even some future generations.” she muttered under her breath, too soft for Ren to make out.