V - Mourning Heights

Water dripped ceaselessly from the sheer cliffs, and the narrow trail winding along the mountainside seemed to grow more treacherous with every step.

Haku and Pan moved slowly through the dense fog, able to see only a few paces ahead.

When the mist beside them parted for a fleeting moment, revealing the dizzying drop below, Pan sucked in a breath and instinctively edged closer to the rock face.

“And this is supposed to be an important trade route, mm?!” she blurted out. “It’s dangerous enough even without the Mustels!”

“Minor routes like these are indispensable for merchants carrying small but valuable cargo,” Haku replied calmly as she pulled herself over a fallen boulder. “For them, even paths like this are worth maintaining.”

She turned to offer Pan a hand.

But Pan was already gliding across a narrow, damp ledge with effortless confidence, never once looking down.

“Anyway...” she said. “In this fog, finding the Mustels’ camp is going to be difficult.”

Haku watched the way Pan moved. Even on the slick stone, every step found secure footing.

“You move with remarkable confidence,” Haku observed at last.

Pan stopped and looked back over her shoulder in surprise.

“Hm?”

“Your balance.”

Pan followed her gaze to the stone beneath her feet.

She shrugged.

“Isn’t that normal?”

As if she hadn’t done anything unusual, she continued walking.

Haku lingered for a moment, a faint smile crossing her face.

“Perhaps it is... for you.”

***

After a while, the trail widened, and the fog lifted completely as they reached a jagged ridge.

They came to a halt, listening to the wind howl through the rocks.

Broken arrows and the splintered remains of wooden carts lay scattered among the stones, the path ahead stained dark in places.

Haku brushed one of the stains gently with the tip of her boot.

“Blood...” she murmured.

Pan swallowed hard as another sound reached her ears.

Animalistic cackling.

“L-looks like we won’t have to look very long for the Mustels after all, mm...”

Haku turned toward her, her expression serious.

“Tell me, Pan...”

“U-huh?”

“What exactly are Mustels?”

...

“You’re asking NOW?!”

Haku seemed genuinely puzzled by her reaction.

“After traveling through so many worlds, I’ve simply stopped paying much attention to those distinctions...”

She gestured toward the distant cackling.

“Until they become relevant to a fight.”

Then she smiled at Pan with her usual stoic composure.

“So... are they beastfolk? Like...?”

Pan folded her arms.

“Like me?”

She snorted.

“I don’t like that term. I’m no beast.”

Resting a hand against her chest, she lifted her chin proudly.

“We Panwanians are an ancient and honorable people. We have nothing in common with those half-sapient polecats.”

Haku nodded thoughtfully.

“Half-sapient?” She tilted her head slightly. “Sounds like the Gnolls from Tholv's world. Do they live in tribes as well?”

Pan shrugged.

“Fortunately, I’ve never encountered any. I usually stick to safe routes.”

She pointed ahead.

“So, what’s the plan?”

Haku scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

“Hm... Usually I’m the one asking the Great Hero that question...”

Pan instinctively took a step back.

“Y-you can’t mean me, do you, mm? I don’t know the first thing about this! A-and you even admitted you’re not sure I’m really the one!”

Haku’s smile never wavered.

“Then this seems like a good opportunity to find out, right?”

Pan froze.

She wants to find out? But I never...

The cackling stopped.

The wind shifted.

A long howl echoed between the cliffs, followed by the clatter of weapons.

“I think they’ve caught our scent!” Pan cried.

Haku lowered the visor of her helmet, took the shield from her back, and drew her sword.

“Well then, Pan.”

Her voice remained calm.

“What should we do?”

The howling drew closer.

“I... u-uh... well...”

I’m not an adventurer! How should I know?

She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to think of something.

Suddenly, an image surfaced in her mind.

A tavern in Castran.

Back then, when she’d worked there as a waitress, secretly eavesdropping on an adventuring party.

A mage had bought everyone a round to celebrate a successful job.

“I thought I was done for, but when a stray fireball incinerated their chief, the Mustels scattered like startled bees! If we’d just known this sooner...”

Pan’s eyes flew open.

“Maybe... take out their leader?”

Haku nodded.

“A good plan. Creatures like these often lose their nerve when their leader falls.”

She lifted her chin slightly.

“Stay close to me. I’ll make sure nothing happens to you.”

Moments later, the Mustels burst from the mist.

Armed with spears, axes, and crudely forged knives, they charged down the ridge amid shrill screeches and savage howls.

Dark brown fur covered their muscular bodies, while yellow eyes gleamed amid black facial markings. 

Their long arms, ending in heavy claws, nearly reached their knees. Bones, teeth, and other trophies taken from previous victims dangled from their patchwork leather-and-fur armor.

Haku settled into a fighting stance.

“Here they come!”

The first attacks slammed harmlessly against her shield.

With practiced elegance, her sword danced through the air. She slipped past clumsy blows, parried, and struck back in one fluid motion after another.

Within seconds, the Mustels realized they were facing no ordinary adventurer.

Soon arrows whistled through the air, but every one aimed at Pan met Haku’s shield.

Pan watched her in fascination, keeping a few paces behind her.

She’s the ultimate frontliner, isn’t she?

Finally, the Mustels retreated, reforming into a loose semicircle around Haku and Pan.

Something stepped onto a high boulder beyond them.

It was larger than the rest, broader across the shoulders, and adorned with more trophies than any of its kin.

“Is that...?”

“Their leader.”

It gripped a crooked staff in both hands and pointed it toward Haku and Pan while growling in a primitive tongue.

The next assault began.

Arrows hissed in from every direction.

Haku caught the first on her shield, twisted aside as another glanced off her shoulder plate with a metallic screech, then lunged across Pan’s path to intercept a third.

She was forced to shift her shield from one angle to the next to keep Pan covered.

Pan clenched her teeth.

Having a bodyguard sounded pretty nice at first. But when I’m just holding her back, this doesn’t feel... right.

She spotted a hollowed-out rock and darted into cover.

That’s better. At least now she can fight properly without having to worry about me.

Haku was already carving her way through the enemy ranks, trying to close the distance to the leader.

Suddenly, Pan heard a growl above her.

When she looked up, she found herself staring into the yellow eyes of a Mustel leering down at her from the rock above, running its tongue over its sharp fangs.

“Oh bamboocrap...”

The Mustel leapt down, cackling as it drew its jagged knife and advanced on her.

Only then did Haku realize what was happening.

“PAN!”

Her shout echoed across the ridge.

She sprinted toward her, only for a fireball to explode directly in her path, forcing her to stop short.

It had come from the Mustel chief’s staff.

Another volley of arrows forced her to raise her shield again as she looked toward Pan, helpless to intervene.

“S-stay away from me!” Pan cried as the Mustel raised its blade.

Before panic could overwhelm her, her body reacted on its own.

Her feet slid apart as her breathing steadied, her weight settling naturally into perfect balance.

Pan drifted one short step to the side, the blade slicing harmlessly past her.

The Mustel snarled and immediately slashed back the other way, but she flowed with the motion, bending effortlessly out of the blades path.

Her hands rose.

Thud. Thud.

Two precise strikes landed on the creature’s arm, the knife clattering to the ground.

Pan reached out on pure instinct.

One hand caught its wrist, the other planted against its shoulder. She pivoted, and the Mustel sailed over her before crashing onto its back, unconscious.

Only then did her hands drop back to her sides.

“I-I told you to stay away from me, mm!”

A howl suddenly rang out across the ridge.

One after another, the other Mustels joined in.

Pan craned her neck upward.

“What happened?”

High atop the boulder, the Mustel chief staggered backward.

A heartbeat later, it toppled onto the ground, a sword protruding from its chest.

Haku still stood frozen, her throwing arm outstretched.

The instant the Mustels saw their fallen chief, they broke, fleeing headlong across the ridge without another glance at Haku or Pan.

Silence settled over the ridge as the last of their cries faded into the distance.

Haku lowered her arm and hurried toward Pan, stopping in front of her.

“It worked!” Pan breathed in relief. “They actually fled.”

But Haku said nothing.

She simply looked at the unconscious Mustel.

A small smile spread across her face.

“What you did just now...”

Pan blinked.

“Hm?”

“...Was that normal too for you?”