The Big Bad

Note: This is where everything changes, so thanks for sticking around, and I hope you continue to do so!

  It had been two hours since the team’s previous defeat. Shame, anger, acceptance, and finally resolution. Everyone went through some variation of these emotions, and they were finally ready to amend their mistakes. The four members walked back towards the site of the Bog Walker, this time with a plan in mind, and victory their only focus. Artyom had spent the several hours since their defeat coaching the others in basic battle strategy. Now would be the time to see if it all paid off.

   The group gathered behind a bush before the beast, and this time, Sae attempted to sneak towards it. The clinking of his chainmail made the attempt unsuccessful, but as soon as he was spotted, he screamed his battlecry and charged at the monster. Through some miracle, it was startled a second time, and let Sae close the distance and get a hit in.

  “[Sharpened Edge]!” he shouted before his sword made contact with the Bog Walker’s matted fur, remembering to actually use his skill this time. His slash hit a previously untouched spot, but made a much deeper cut. The Bog Walker reeled back in surprise at the stronger attack, before being hit with an arrow on its flank.

  “[Piercing Shot]! I hope you didn’t forget about me!” shouted Pireni, as she let her arrow loose. She nocked another and took aim. Pireni and Skeya followed Sae out when he was sneaking towards the Bog Walker, but at a different angle, so Pireni wouldn’t have to worry about hitting around Sae when aiming. Skeya stood behind her, keeping a keen eye on Sae in case he got hit, while both of the girls stayed fully aware of their surroundings.

  “That’s what I’m talking about!” shouted Artyom, encouraging the rest of the party. “Hit hard and fast, use your skills when you have the energy and opportunity to make the most of them!” The battle reminded him of field training missions he would accompany TOAL’s new recruits on. The rest of the team’s accepting attitude towards his lecturing motivated him to stick around and play the role of mentor here as well. Artyom was glad that he did, since he was growing fond of the party, and they were definitely taking his words to heart.

  The Bog Walker snarled in anger at the team’s sudden competence and tried to counter it with a show of force. It lunged at Sae, trying to knock him down, but he dodged out of the way and countered with a two-handed slash delivered like a lumberjack would chop a log with their axe at full force. For the first time, the sword cleaved right through the fur and drew bright red blood.

  The Bog Walker was overtaken by surprise at its injury, something that it couldn’t remember ever feeling in recent memory, causing it to revert back to its basest instincts and take a jump back. While its attention was entirely focused on the very dangerous Sae, another arrow thunked against its side. This one landed right on one of Sae’s earlier cuts, making use of the parted fur to pierce skin and flesh alike. The Bog Walker knew it was in trouble, and was ready to run. But Artyom didn’t feel like going on a wild goose chase today.

  “Primal Aggression,” whispered Artyom, channeling his magic into the Bog Walker. The monster was immediately overcome by a different, stronger instinct, one that told it to kill anything that dared threaten it. It changed its skittish stance to one of confidence that showcased the threat it was. It opened its jaw and lept in an all-or-nothing attempt at taking down Sae, aiming for his face and neck.

  Sae’s eyes widened and he quickly stepped to the side, avoiding the leap, and riposted by holding his sword partway in the monster’s path. Unable to control its velocity mid-air, the Bog Walker collided with the magically sharp sword, and its fur and flesh were driven through the blade. It screamed as the wicked edge passed through it, blood gushing out of the massive wound and being absorbed by its thick, matted fur. Judging by how red it was turning, and how much blood still fell to the ground, the beast didn’t have long left. It staggered, trying to keep on its feet by its artificial rage alone. It didn’t last long, and as it opened its mouth for one last roar and attack, Pireni let loose one last arrow, piercing its forehead. Having no more blood or brain, the monster collapsed to the ground, dead.

  The party stood still in shock for several seconds, scared that they were only dreaming or that the Bog Walker would suddenly get up. Slowly, their apprehension faded and everyone lowered their weapons.

  “You stole my kill!” shouted Sae, indignant. “After I hit it so hard, how come you’re the one who gets to finish it off?”

  “Calm down, Sae,” replied Pireni. “I was only able to land that shot because you hit it so much. It was barely moving by the time I had a chance to line that shot up!”

  “Guys, we did it!” said Skeya, attempting to bring the others’ attention to what was important. They’d killed the Bog Walker.

  “Yeah, I guess we did,” said Sae, coming to his senses. “We did it! We finished the mission!”

  “Heck yeah, we did!” shouted Pireni in reply. “We finished our first big mission!”

  The other three cheered at their accomplishment before falling to the ground out of exhaustion. Sae may have been the only one to physically exert himself, but the tension and adrenaline that flowed through everyone’s veins during the fight took its toll.

  “If that’s everything, let’s get Sae washed up and head back to town,” said Artyom. “We still need to collect the reward.”

  “And the sooner they do that, the sooner we’ll head to a bigger town and I can really start my search,” thought Artyom to himself.

   The team did just that, having Sae wash his chainmail and clothes in one of the nearby rivers, before everyone began walking back to the village of Freeacres. Due to the massive delay in killing the Bog Walker, the team was still a few hours out by the time the sun was starting to set, and they decided to make camp for the night.

  Surprisingly, the team had brought along four camping tents rather than just three, each large enough to fit several people inside. Artyom thought it was strange they had a spare tent for him, but not rations. Maybe they just happened to get a really good deal on tents that they didn’t want to pass up on?

  The tents were set up in a circle around a campfire where everyone sat to warm themselves, chat, and eat dinner before going to bed. Everyone shared their food with each other. Artyom’s pemmican went really well with the Sae’s dry bread and Skeya’s trail mix, consisting of various nuts and dried cherries. Pireni, instead of rations, brought along a small bottle of Sparkle.

  “What? I didn’t think we’d take that long to kill it,” whined Pireni in response to everyone’s glares. “Besides, I knew we were going to celebrate, so that’s why I brought this along!”

  “You know what?” started Sae. “I’m not even mad. This is the perfect time for that bottle, we deserve it after everything today! I’d offer a toast to the team, but we don’t have any cups.”

  “Oh, sorry…” began Pireni. “I forgot to bring those. We can still waterfall it, though.”

   “I think we should toast Artyom. He saved the day today,” said Skeya. “He saved me, too.”

   “It was nothing, anyone would’ve done that,” replied Artyom, content with how everything had turned out in the end.

   “Nonsense, you’re the reason why we were able to win today!” exclaimed Sae. “Three cheers for Artyom!”

   The others all cheered for him as he awkwardly sat there with a big, goofy grin on his face. Appreciation was always nice, and Artyom felt like he deserved it with what he was able to do for his team. As the fire died down and the bottle began to empty, everyone put away their rations and went to their tents, ready to wrap up for the night. There would be a few more hours of walking left before they arrived back at Freeacres, and everyone wanted to look like the triumphant heroes they were when they would walk into town.

   Artyom silently stretched in his tent half an hour later, relieving the knots in his muscles from his exertion today, when he heard a light rap on the entrance to his tent.

   “Are you awake, Artyom?” asked Skeya, her voice a bare whisper.

   “Yeah, is everything alright?” he responded.

  “... yeah. Can I please come in?”

  Who was he to deny her request to talk? “Sure, come on in,” said Artyom.

  As the flaps parted, Artyom cast a quick, floating light spell to illuminate the tent. Skeya sat down before him in her usual robes but loosened up, probably to act as improvised pajamas.

  “Hi Artyom,” she said softly, in barely a whisper. “I wanted to thank you again for saving me today.”

   “Don’t worry about it, we’re teammates,” replied Artyom. “We’re supposed to look out for each other.”

  Skeya squirmed slightly, and Artyom’s eyes couldn’t help but be pulled towards her figure underlined beneath her robes. “I know, but you’ve looked out for me more than anyone else has like that. Not to say that Sae and Pireni haven’t looked after me,” she said, looking slightly embarrassed. She leaned her head forward towards Artyom, the robes around her neckline beginning to sag and reveal a touch more than before.

  The realization of what was going on hit Artyom as the words poured out of Skeya’s lips, in a soft whisper. “Artyom, I think I’m in love with you.” She leaned forward more, her robes beginning to slide off her shoulders. Artyom was sure she wasn’t wearing anything underneath.

  Dozens of thoughts raced through Artyom’s head at that moment, the most primal of which rushed to the forefront of his mind. Skeya wanted to have sex! With him! Artyom wasn’t a teenager anymore, and he dedicated his mental faculties to the other thoughts. “We’ve known each other for literally two days. Why does she want to have sex with me so soon? Is she a seductress and is this a trap? This is a Fairytale World, I seriously doubt it. I know her, she’s innocent!” Artyom forced his eyes away from her now plunging neckline towards her eyes. She had a heavy gaze.

  Artyom’s mind was made up well before Skeya began leaning in for a kiss. “I barely know her, and I’m just not interested. She’s like a student or daughter-figure to me! But it’s just so weird going for something like this when we barely know each other. I’m not going to judge her though. It’s none of my business how people live their lives if it doesn’t hurt anyone else. Besides, it’s probably the cultural norm in this World to jump this far into a relationship so quickly. It’s easier to do that when everyone is guaranteed to be a relatively good person. I mean, this isn’t Earth.” And in Artyom’s head, that’s what his internal argument boiled down to. This wasn’t Earth.

   “Skeya,” said Artyom softly.

   “...yes?” asked Skeya, raising her head to meet Artyom’s eyes. All that she saw was cold brown.

  “Skeya,” he repeated, his voice beginning to harden. “We’ve known each other for two days. I’m not comfortable having sex with you.”

  Skeya’s breath paused sharply. Her eyes started to glisten, tears beginning to form. “But I love you, you saved my life,” she began. “I want to be with you.”

  To Artyom, Skeya was a child in a World of innocence. She did and deserves no wrong and yet, she would face it today. Artyom knew in his heart that he should let her down gently.

   “Please,” she said, pulling the robes around her shoulder lower.

  Artyom put a gentle hand on her’s. She looked back up at him.

   “Skeya, go back to your tent.” His eyes were ice cold, there was no emotion in his voice.

   “Okay,” she nodded, trying to keep her tears from rolling down her bright cheeks. She pulled her robes up and got up to leave the tent. She looked back as she was exiting, hoping and silently praying to her goddess. Instead, she was met by the same frozen gaze. She quickly turned back around and ran.

  That night, Skeya was thankful for the sound of the nearby rivers. The white noise helped her fall asleep, and kept the sound of her sobs from waking the others. In the tent across her’s, Artyom slept soundly. It wasn’t his first time inflicting such pain, and he’d slept through doing much worse.

  The next morning, everyone awoke late in the morning to begin the trip back to town. Perhaps it was the relatively tame celebrations of the day before, but everyone decided to sleep in. The other party members looked especially calm that morning. Pireni was still content from yesterday’s victory, Skeya’s usual shyness was replaced with a laser focus on the road ahead, and Artyom’s aloofness was replaced with a cold, calculating look.

  “Alright everyone, remember to look heroic when we walk into town!” said Sae, excited.

  As the hours passed, there was much less smalltalk than the day before. Sae and Pireni talked like normal, but Skeya didn’t add to the conversations like she normally did. Same with Artyom, as usual, but he felt oddly more focused today. Sae thought that maybe the tension of being lauded as heroes was getting to them.

  As they got closer, Pireni noticed something was off. Large clouds of smoke billowed from the direction of the village. Sae dismissed it as a bonfire in their honor, but everyone else voiced their suspicions. They decided to speed up their pace just in case.

  Upon approaching the village, their concerns were regrettably validated. Pillars of smoke rose from several spots across the village, namely from where the buildings and farmland used to be. In their places were smashed stones and ashes. The party rushed into the village center where they saw everyone gathered.

  “By the Goddess, what happened?” asked Sae, panting for breath.

  “It’s horrible!” shouted Ruba from the group, tears freely flowing from her face. “The Dark Lord’s army marched through town and destroyed everything!”

  Everyone was frozen, limbs petrified and tongues held by the reality of the situation sinking in. Artyom knew deep down that the great innocence of fairytale Worlds were known for was at the end of the day, entirely relative. The multiverse was a cold, merciless place. He knew that. It was only inevitable that he’d be forced to remember that.