Volume 01 - Epilogue: Sheathe

A soft something brushes against my nose as a strange odor fills my nostrils. Not unbearable, but not pleasant either; as though someone mixed raw meat and copper into a basket of daisies. I’m moving, bobbing in a rhythm. My arms are draped across sturdy shoulders, while my legs dangle, soft skin pressed against my thighs, half-exposed from torn clothing.

My entire body aches, waves of pain coursing through with the smallest of movements. Forcing my eyes open is all I can manage, but doing so burns. All I see is russet-red hair. Grendel? The stink of blood, the scent of a girl. I must be on her back. Being carried by a girl…is there anything more pathetic?

I try to speak, ask to be let down, but words never come. Only a soundless puff of air dribbles from my cracked lips. I can’t move, can’t speak, can barely think. Is it possible to recover from this miserable state?

“Here it is.” Grendel stops.

“Koishi, go and fetch whoever.” Mizuka’s in good spirits.

“Yes, Master.”

Koishi must enter some building, as a wood floor creaks. She soon returns, giggling. An unfamiliar someone greets Grendel, an older man, given the dryness of his voice.

She tells him the job is done and she’s come for her payment. The man agrees the job is done, saying he sent men earlier this morning to investigate all the noise. However, he says he cannot pay her. All the damage done to their mining camps is to be deducted from her payment, which, being so severe, leaves her with nothing.

“Nothing?!” She lurches forward.

Nothing, he says again, thanking her for saving their village but insisting she never take on another of their contracts. Grendel scoffs, flips around, and stomps off. The shock of her violent movements makes my world turn dark once again.

***

“Are we really sleeping out here?”

I awake, lying on my side. The soft cotton of a familiar blanket pokes through my torn clothes. A fire burns nearby, warming my freezing skin.

“Unless you have some money stashed away, we’ve no other options besides camping,” grumbles Mizuka, to my left.

“Not a single coin. I spend every bit I receive from my contracts on traveling and food.”

“And you didn’t think to save any of it? You really do have muscles for brains.”

“So what? I bet you don’t have any money either.”

“Of course not. Being trapped in a forest for three years doesn’t leave you with many chances to make any.”

“Excuses, excuses…What about you, Koishi?”

I try to determine where we are, but fail. Nothing is visible save the girls surrounding a small campfire. Mizuka stands in front of our erected tent, tapping her foot, arms folded. Grendel lies on her side, elbow propping her up, a blanket beneath her. Koishi sits on a short log, one leg draped over the other, a hand pressed into her squishy cheek.

“Me? No…my savings are all…”

“Quiet, Grendel. Don’t talk to Koishi about money.”

“…Sure. Sorry, Koishi.”

“It’s fine…” mutters Koishi, sighing, flickering flames reflected in her hollow eyes as she pokes at the ground with a stick.

“Wait, didn’t either of you think to take any gold from that cavern?” Mizuka points an accusing finger.

“I was too busy keeping you two from being buried alive.” Grendel scoffs. “We’re seriously sleeping outside? Without a single bite of decent food? In this tiny excuse for a tent?”

“That’s what I’ve been saying. If not for someone leading the dragon through the mining camp, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“Hey! You know that wasn’t on purpose. I needed a second to catch my breath.” Grendel sits up and crosses her legs, glaring at Mizuka.

“Excuses, excuses,” mocks Mizuka. “This is all we have. I’d tell you to leave if you don’t like it, but you’re staying with us from now on.”

“Something about not letting one of your fragments escape, right? You don’t have to tell me twice. I don’t feel like leaving anyway.” Grendel blushes, scratching her cheek.

“Good, because we’ll need you to guide us to our next destination.”

“Which is?”

“One I decided on before getting sidetracked in Hleigar. We’re heading to Dragonwall!” She points forward, her other hand on her hip.

Grendel bowls over in hysterics, telling Mizuka Dragonwall is in the exact opposite direction. As Mizuka’s smile fades and her cheeks turn crimson, Koishi laughs as well, her previous gloom erased.

Under the night sky, a million stars shining bright, we decide the next stop on our journey. One girl in fragments, the second bearing a curse, the third stuck between man and monster, and finally, me, the so-called hero. The specter of death hounding me, doomed to a life of failure, and with no idea of what I’ve gotten myself into, I close my eyes. Listening to their joyous banter, enjoying the cool night breeze, and looking forward to whatever may come next, I know everything is going to be alright, because…

Our legend is only beginning.

Volume 01

FIN