Chapter 28 A Fight

Suzuka finished carving a wooden scale and takes it into one hand then starts to use her mana to engrave a rune letter in it. Bill got bored with the girl's chattering and went deep into the forest leaving her behind sitting on a rock.

"Bill going to hunt meat... little girl! Don't steal anything while Bill is gone... just keep doing your useless thing."

Suzuka just nodded to him without breaking her concentration and Bill disappeared into the depths of the forest. After a few hours of non-stop engraving, she could finally see the rune letter on the wooden scale but that wasn't enough, she still got a long way until it was usable. A few more hour has passed and no sign of Bill returning.

The weather had a turn for the worse, the clear sky got clouded by dark clouds. A very light wind was blowing making cool weather. Suzuka was halfway done, this process isn't draining her mana much it just takes a long time. The day was at its end and finally, by using her mana, Suzuka finished engraving a rune on the wooden scale.

"Oh god! it took me all day time just to carve one scale... I'm starting to think the metal scale is impossible."

Happy with her results she was ready to test it. The time was a bit late but she still had some sunlight left in the sky. The test was simple all she did was slap her face while the wood scale was touching her skin and absorbed her mana. But the rune didn't activate and she just slapped her face.

"Oh dam! I forgot... it won't activate if it's me who tries to inflict damage."

After a failed attempt, she picked a pebble off the ground and throw it in the air. A few seconds later pebble fell on her head and this time rune activated. Her body got covered in a thin layer of a second-skin-like aura and all the force of pebbles hitting her head was transferred to a wooden scale.

"YES! YES! It works, it actually works!"

But her joy got interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps coming closer from the thickness of the forest. Her once-forgotten fear surfaced again as she remembered that it was not safe in these forests. Suzuka didn't wait to see who is coming she pulled her short swords out and stood in her battle stance. But her effort was in vain because it was Bill making that noise.

"Oh for the love of Melwyn all mighty, it's just Bill. Scaring me like that."

Bill had one ax on his back and another one in his hand. He was carrying a dead Bloody wolf. He came close to the girl and dropped the corpse of Bloody Wolf on the ground.

"Bill got us some meat... how does the girl doing?"

"I'm doing great, Bill. I just finished my wooden scale and it works. I tested it! Look. It's beautiful."

Suzuka extended her arm towards Bill and showed a wooden scale. Bill looked at the scale and asked, "So? It works, eh?"

 "Yes! It works Bill, I tried it. It really works and I did it on my first try."

Minotaur put down his ax on the ground and punched Suzuka right in the face, knocking her down from the rock she was sitting on, straight down to the ground. From a powerful blow wooden scale turn to dust right away and Suzuka took a full-force punch to her face. The hit was so strong that one of her teeth broke and her nose start to bleed. She spits her broken tooth on the ground crawling on all four and while blood was dripping from her mouth and broken nose she asked Bill, "Why...! Why did you do that...! Do you like to see me in pain so much?!"

"Bill doesn't like how the little girl raises her voice talking to Bill! The girl said it works! Bill tried and now sees that girl LIED TO BILL! Bill HATES LIERS! ROARAAhh!"

"I tested it with a pebble... just... a... pebble, Bill. It's just a wooden scale... You hit too hard."

"Bill DON'T CARE!"

In fear of Bill going into a rage mode, Suzuka didn't say anything back to Bill. She just curls up, presses her back against a rock, hugs her legs, and rests her head on her knees. As she was sitting there. Pearl-shaped tears rolled down her cheeks while she waited for the pain to go away. Bill picked up his ax with one hand then with another grabbed Bloody Wolf by the leg and went to his cave leaving a sobbing girl behind a rock to cry. He dropped the body by the entrance and went inside to get dry wood to start a fire. After being done setting up a fireplace he chopped up Bloody Wolf's body in pieces and started to cook it. Almost an hour passed, and the sun went hiding behind a horizon. Bill finished cooking all the meat and went to check on the girl.

"Hey! Little girl, Bill sorry for hitting, okay? Want some food?"

"Yeah... I'm okay... and yes... I would like some."

They both eat in silence, Bill wasn't a better cook than Suzuka, the meat he cooked was a bit burned too much. Done eating they went to sleep right after they put out the fire. It didn't take long for the morning to come and they both woke up. 

Bill walks up to a girl and says, "Hey! Little girl, sorry for punching you in the face that other day. How's the girl feeling today?"

"Thanks for asking, Bill... I feel good now."

Hearing that Suzuka is fine after yesterday Bill overjoys and says to her, "That is a great little girl! Let's go outside to have a little fight! Bill feels great too, needs to train."

"Wait! What? A fight!? But... You'll kill me! Look at you, you are a massive, mighty beast. And I am a tiny little girl in comparison to you."

But Bill doesn't take a no for an answer and grabs Suzuka in one arm then runs outside carrying her while she screams and struggles to get free.

"No! No! No! Stop Bill! Let me go! This is a bad idea..."

But Bill had other plans for the girl, he went outside and put Suzuka on the ground.

"So! Little girl, you know how to fight, right? When Bill met the girl, she proved to be difficult to kill. The girl is strong!"

Suzuka's fear overwhelmed her body, her legs started to shake and while trying to step back she fell on her butt.

"No! I'm not strong! Please! Don't start the fight."

"Not strong!? Then who hit Bill strong enough to make Bill bend the knee!? huh!?"

"I was really mad at you then, I didn't mean to fight you."

"Oh! it's simple then... Get mad again! Bill needs to train! And you will do just fine."

Right after Minotaur finished talking, he landed his huge fist on the ground with a big swing, right between the girl's legs, and started the fight. Suzuka, once again, remembered the feeling of fighting for her life. She completely forgot that she could use her box power to overpower Bill. However, Minotaur didn't give her a moment to relax and think up a plan to beat him.

Suzuka rolled backward and then, with a backflip, quickly got up from the ground, successfully dodging Bill's punch that was coming from the right. However, that punch turned out to be a fake, and the strike actually came from the left side, exactly where Suzuka had dodged to. Suzuka swiftly ducked as low as she could and managed to evade that punch, but Bill anticipated her move and swiftly kicked her with his right leg. Suzuka jumped backward, creating some distance between them, and Bill missed his target.

Without any hesitation, Bill charged at Suzuka, pointing his large horns at her. In response, Suzuka charged back at him, but at the last second, she skillfully fell to the ground and slid between Bill's feet, successfully positioning herself behind him.

As soon as she got back up, Suzuka aimed a kick at the back of Bill's knee, hoping to trip him, but Bill was ready for that move. Minotaur swiftly moved his leg, causing Suzuka to miss her target. Sensing an opening, Bill launched an attack on the girl. Minotaur followed with a powerful backhand swing, narrowly missing Suzuka. The force behind the swing was so great that even the missed attack pushed Suzuka back a few feet.

"Hahaha! Bill sees Little Girl can keep up with a warm-up! Now! Let's get a bit serious!"

"Warm-up!? That was a warm-up?! Please stop Bill, I barely keep up! If any of your attacks connect, I die!"

"Bill fails to see how it's Bill's problem!"

Without wasting any time, Bill started running toward the girl. Suzuka stood still, looking for a chance to flee the fight. When Bill came close, he tried to grab her but failed to do so because Suzuka was agile and dodged all his attempts. Bill grew angrier with each failed attempt, and his attacks became fiercer and fiercer. Suddenly, their fight was interrupted by a sound emanating from the forest.