3.1 Mylne Town: Gentle snores

After beating six enormous red-eyed sleuth bears, she tripped me down to the ground.

“It’s quite the honour,” I said, “to be eye to eye with the wielder of one of the strongest swords in history.”

She was still pointing it no more than a fingertip away from my face.

“We really should hurry and get some rest now. Tomorrow we will have plenty more walking to do.” She made her sword vanish into nothingness before stretching her hand out to help me get back on my feet.

“I’m sorry, uh, Princess. I guess I was all talk when I said you should run.”

“Please do not call me that. Just Hikari will do.” She looked at the corpses of the massive bears. “And please do not apologize for your bravery. You tried to protect me even though you were not equipped with the experience needed to tackle a battle of this level. I respect you for that.”

“Thank you. I guess I haven’t really introduced myself either, I am Leith.” I reached out my hand.

She seemed a little confused maybe they don’t shake hands in East-Twynne?

“I am pleased to meet you.” She shook my hand. At the touch of its coldness, I remembered shaking her hand earlier. Quite weird of me not to say my name…

We walked a little further away from the place we had turned into a battlefield. As she was getting the bonfire started, I asked her, “Uh, earlier my blades got slashed into shards… How do I get them back?”

I could only tell she was confused by the way she tilted her head sideways a little. “They should reappear once your magic stamina is replenished. Honestly, I am surprised that you are able to keep them out at all times.”

Magic stamina, huh… ‘How?’ I wondered. I hadn’t even thought of it like that, but could these blades also be mythical weapons…? Though they have to be rather weak if I could keep them out for two days…

We sat down next to the fire.

“Hmm, it is a little bothersome that the both of us are now without weapons. After I summon mine, it takes about a week or two before I can summon it again. We should tread carefully.”

“Right,” I nodded in agreement. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but this morning I thought you were a water-based mage, but you’re also a fire one?”

She hesitantly shook her head. “Not exactly. Other than my weapon and some minor spells, I am solely blessed with water magic. Which extends to healing and also a high form of ice magic. That is the reason why I can stand my ground in a fight.” She raised her eyes to the sky, “I was told that my fighting style is like a sharp sword made out of glass; very strong, yet easy to break, but my skill in healing makes me quite the competent fighter.”

I guess I was half right then. “Well, I’ll be in your care.”

“Likewise. Anyway,” she laid down on the ground, “let us get some rest.”

“Yeah. Good night.”

Not much later, the sudden sound of growling emerged from the shadows again. I couldn’t tell where from, but it sounded exactly like the sleuth bears earlier.

This is bad… really, really bad…

“H-Hikari…? What should we do?” I whispered.

She slowly raised her eyelids, her lips parted but no words came out of her mouth. How did she even fall asleep so quickly?

“There’s another bear, I think. What should I do?”

She pushed herself up. “There rests a single option… making a run for it.” Despite sleeping for barely a second she still seemed only half awake standing on both her feet. Or is she that tired… Either way, I felt it was my turn to return the favour.

Think, Leith… think…

They, like nearly all other monsters, fear fire. I shot at the bonfire, still burning, but too small to pose a threat to the colossal bear. I turned my eyes back to the forest and saw its red eyes gleaming through the shadows, low on the ground.

Quick… I felt my heart beating in my throat.

I had no magic and no weapon—

—Hang on a second… My blades shattered because my stamina needs to be replenished… but I’m not supposed to have any in the first place… And I’ve been able to hold them out for two days, which means that if stamina is used, it’s practically nothing… maybe, just maybe I could try summoning one of the two blades…

I closed my eyes. I drew a deep breath in, concentrated on the sensation of the blades on my back, then blew the air out of my lungs again. As I took another breath in, Hikari said, “The bear is here…”

Concentrate… a single blade… concentrate…

“Leith!”

I opened my eyes to a bear in full sprint, headed straight at me.

“Leave this one to me, I figured something out.”

All right, step one; I ran away from its path. It slid to halt, as I turned over my shoulder, I saw its nose glide over the grass and it began chasing me down once more… just as planned.

These bears are called sleuth bears for a reason. I don’t even think it can see any more than Hikari and I can, but it smells us from far away. All I need is one blade… One blade I deeply concentrated—and then I felt my back get that tad bit heavier. The blade, step two.

My plan wouldn’t have worked if this blade didn’t appear, nor if the bear went after Hikari instead, but again, just as I had planned, the bear followed the scent of my sweat. It’s not something to be proud of I suppose, but I tend to sweat a little more when I’m scared.

I ran with as many feints and zigzags as I could, since this bear is all speed, no acceleration. When I had finally won some ground over the titan of a monster, it was time to put the final step of my plan into action.

“Say goodbye to your nose, my friend,” I tried my own cool sounding line as I turned around facing the bear.

Its loud growls scared me to death, but I had to stick to my plan. As it neared, I ran head-on towards it as well. I raised my right hand in the air and saw the blade soaring next to me.

If I chicken out now, I’m done for…

Right when my stride was about to collide with the bear, I focused my eyes on its nose and slid underneath it’s paws. Once under the fur of the bear’s belly, I heard that sound from before—

—the sound of my blade shattering to pieces.

Just as planned. Well, not exactly, just as I had hoped for one might say. It howled in pain right before its bloody snout fell to the ground. “Hah! Take that!”

I ran off again. I know that even if it can’t smell me, it could still hear me. So I had to get back before it got up again. Well, that is if it gets up.

Once I saw the bonfire again, and no bears in sight, I felt a heavy weight dropped off my shoulders and a sense of relief wash over my body.

“You are even more clever than I was told.” Hikari’s voice suddenly said next to me.

I got a little flustered. “Not really, I just made use of the little power I possess.”

We were back at the bonfire.

“Well, anyway, it is time for us to really get some rest this time. Good night.”

“Yeah, good night.”

I took a last, quite long lasting glance at the open, starry night sky before closing my eyes. Though as soon as I closed them, I heard another sound of growling and instantly rocked my body up again. But this growling wasn’t a monster at all… I turned my head sideways and saw Hikari gently snoring.

This time we could actually get some decent rest.