A Dangerous World

"…Karmaw."

The name slipped from Val's lips as she spotted the large wolf-like creature. It had silver fur, two tails, a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth, and vicious obsidian claws that dug into the earth beneath it.

"Cael, we need to go." Val motioned for him to follow, stepping backward in the direction of home. If they could just make it back to the range of the cottage's protective wards, they would be safe.

She eyed the beast as Cael slowly followed her lead.

Normally, she wouldn't have been too concerned about it—most of the monsters this close to home were relatively docile. However, this karmaw was alone, and that was a bad sign.

Unlike their social, pack-bound brethren, lone ones were dangerous, unpredictable, and capable of attacking without warning or reason.

Glancing at Cael, Val noticed he was trembling. He looked afraid, but not as terrified as he should have been given the situation. No weapons. No armor. No magic. Just oversized clothes and a language he barely understood.

She cursed herself for putting him in danger.

The karmaw's mouth pulled back in a snarl as it watched them, saliva dripping from its teeth. Despite their slow retreat, it was still eyeing them intently and closing the distance. It didn't seem like it was going to let them go.

That could only mean one thing.

Her heart pounded as she braced for what was surely going to be combat.

She had fought monsters before, but those were in the city, where the ruins and buildings gave her cover to duck and weave amongst. Here, in an open clearing, she had no such advantage, and she couldn’t use her usual evasive tactics without risking Cael’s safety.

"Val?" Cael’s voice reached her. He looked at her as if asking what he should do.

"Follow. Don't get hurt."

Then, as if it had been waiting for her to look away, the karmaw darted across the clearing with a ferocious roar.

"Dessoas!" Val reacted quickly, throwing up a quick barrier of wind to block its attack. The creature slammed into it, and the force of the impact sent her flying backwards into Cael.

Despite the setback, the beast growled and leapt again at them with outstretched claws.

"Vas!" She shouted, having only barely recovered, and hurled a gust of sharpened wind at the creature. The attack cut a deep gash in its side, but it wasn’t enough; the karmaw's claws continued through the air and right toward her.

Cael yanked her by the waist at the last moment, pulling her out of harm’s way. They tumbled aside together, narrowly dodging the karmaw’s deadly swipe.

Val pushed herself up to face the monster and gulped. If Cael hadn’t intervened, that would've hurt. But there was no time to thank him. The monster was already coming at them again.

"Vas!" The wind blade sliced across its muzzle, drawing blood. It howled in pain and reared back, giving them a brief period to breathe.

"Vas! Vas! Vas!" She yelled the incantation repeatedly, summoning more and more blades of wind to slice through the monster's flesh. Blood splattered everywhere as muscle and bone were carved from its body, and it let out a pained cry as it was pushed back several meters.

However, once the barrage ended, it quickly recovered and stubbornly stalked forward once again.

Val swore under her breath as she felt her mana drain. She was running out of energy fast, and she was still tired from the long run earlier. She couldn't keep this up much longer.

"Val, move!" Cael called, aiding her backstep just in time to avoid another vicious swipe from the monster. She stumbled, nearly falling to her knees, but remained standing.

Her eyes scanned the monster's bleeding form, trying to take stock of the situation. Any normal karmaw would've likely run at this point, but not this one. Even as it bled out and stained its own fur crimson, its only determination was to kill.

Her typical attacks weren’t enough at this rate. She needed a single, decisive blow. But she couldn’t strike and defend at the same time.

"Val!" Cael shouted.

She met his gaze as he scooped up a sizable rock in one hand and braced a small, nearby log against his other.

"Val! Run!"

She blinked, stunned. Was he telling her to leave? To let him fight alone?

"Are you crazy? You'll die!" she shouted. He had no magic right now and no real weapon. He couldn’t possibly expect to win.

"Run!" Cael either didn’t understand or ignored her. Instead, he shoved her behind him and charged at the karmaw with his makeshift weapons raised high.

"Cael!" Val tried to grab him, but he was too fast. He was already out of reach.

The karmaw lunged, jaws wide. Luckily. Cael anticipated it. He hurled the rock midair, striking the monster in the face. As it reeled back, he swung the log like a club, slamming it into its side and splintering bark from the impact. The creature staggered, momentarily dazed. But it recovered fast, swiping at him with its claws.

Cael barely blocked as the log cracked and splintered under the force of the blow. Still, it held, and Cael grit his teeth as he forced the monster back.

Val could scarcely believe it. He was actually holding it off.

But that didn't matter. He couldn't win on his own.

Shaking herself from her stupor, she raised her hands to help him.

Val had some breathing room now, which meant that she had one last option: the final spell her father had taught her.

Unlike her wind blades, it was far more complex to cast, but also far more powerful.

It took several seconds of intense concentration to cast as she gathered her power and focused on her target. The air around them grew deathly still as she wove a dense vortex of air in her hands, resembling a miniature hurricane. It crackled and spun with tremendous force, growing stronger as her mana poured into it.

"Ventosvas!"

She launched it through the air and watched as it slammed directly into the karmaw's torso, knocking it away from Cael and slicing its body apart from the inside out. The beast was shredded in seconds. Blood flew through the air as it was thrown several meters back, landing against the boulder and letting out a final, agonized howl.

Val sank to her knees, exhausted from using so much magic at once. Her vision swam, and her limbs felt numb.

But they had won; Cael was safe. That was all that mattered.

"Val?! Val, are you okay?"

Cael dropped his makeshift weapons and rushed over to her. He was panting heavily and had a wild, worried look on his face.

"I'm fine," she murmured. "Just tired. Used too much magic." She tried to stand to prove it, but nearly collapsed. Thankfully, Cael caught her. He helped her to sit down again, keeping one arm wrapped around under hers for support.

Val noticed that Cael had a number of scratches on his body from where the karmaw's claws had just barely grazed him. She frowned.

He had been extremely reckless. What would she have done if he had gotten seriously hurt or worse? She didn't know any healing magic herself, let alone how to care for wounds larger than a papercut.

Yet… the fact that he had fought so hard to save them filled her chest with a heat that she couldn't quite describe. It made her feel very fluffy inside.

"Are you okay, Cael?"

He nodded and forced a smile, though she could see pain behind his eyes. "I am okay."

There he was again, lying to her. He was not okay. The scratches might not have been very deep, but there were dozens of them, and they had to sting.

She sighed.

"Cael is not okay," she said. "But Val is glad Cael is safe."

She hugged him from the side, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Thank you for saving me." Val pressed her forehead to his shoulder.

"…" He didn't say anything, but he did fumblingly try to return the hug.

For a while, they just sat, catching their breaths and letting the tension fade.

Then suddenly, Cael began to stand, and she felt herself lifted into his arms.

Val squeaked in surprise. "Hey, what the—?! Put me down!"

Cael didn't respond. Instead, he began to walk, carrying her bridal-style as he headed in the direction they had come from. Her face burned bright red as her feet dangled off the ground.

"Cael!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing?! Put me down!"

He still didn't listen. Instead, he just adjusted his grip and kept walking. "Cael carry Val."

She struggled slightly and pouted. She was unsure of how to feel about being held like this. It was nice. His arms were strong, and his hands were warm. But she didn't want to be a burden, and the way he was holding her was embarrassing. She could barely meet his eyes.

"Val can walk," she insisted, trying to wriggle free. "Val is not a child!"

Cael didn't budge, but she did catch him with an awkward smirk before it quickly faded. He understood her well enough.

He just wasn't putting her down.

She huffed. "Fine. Be that way."

Giving up, she let herself relax in his arms.

"…"

Honestly though, she was enjoying this more than she wanted to admit. Aside from his warmth, his heartbeat was soothing, and his scent was comforting. Well, it was a little sweaty, but she didn't mind that much.

Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to stay like this for a while, at least until she recovered enough energy to move on her own.

Valeria let out a sigh.

She just hoped Cael didn't make this a habit.