Kaya drew her boot knife as Nick squared away with a practiced stance against the bearcoon. The guards didn’t allow her to bring larger weapons into the city, so it was all she had on her at the moment. Fortunately, it was much easier to sneak out of the city at night thanks to the walls than it was to sneak in during the day.

Nick held the…blade of light in a lowered stance with one leg forward, in a way that surprised her. Kaya had trained fighting both monsters and armed opponents, but she hadn’t seen anyone fight like him. 

The creature charged, to which Nick dashed to the side and sliced along its body’s length, drawing a thin line of blood. He clicked his tongue, as he likely realized that despite the power of his strange blade, it was clearly not sharp enough to cut deep into the creature easily.

The creature was at least level four. While Nick had already killed a level four human, beasts were vastly different from them. Humans and Demi-Humans both naturally and by choice spread their essence between Body and Mind with some in Soul, but beasts would naturally have most of theirs in Body. In addition, they frequently had a significant advantage in their Body levels to start.

Because of that, it was difficult to beat beasts of a higher level without spells. It took significant amounts of skill, equipment, and usually numbers to overcome the gap of several levels.

She shouted, “Give me your biggest knife! I’ll help.”

She was a level 3 rogue. While she was weak without her beast transformation, she thought their chances would be a lot better if she helped.

He danced away from the rabid bearcoon with his sword angled toward it, a fluid movement of his steps on the uneven forest ground. His body flowed through cuts and swings, and she even saw him elbow the bearcoon in the temple, disorienting it.

She was impressed with his skill, likely much better than the bandits. Truthfully, she hadn’t seen anyone so skilled since her own mother. She supposed he was a knight of sorts, but his behavior and words made it difficult to respect his capability.

Just how had he never seen a beastfolk before? Here on the frontier, or the lost world, her people were all-too-common. Here, humans and elves owned most of the land, but beastfolk and monsterfolk were plentiful.

He tossed her a dagger from his belt still within a small scabbard, Nick dancing around the creature as he held his sword with one hand. He kept the creature at bay by keeping his sharp blade pointed at it, the creature not confident enough to skewer itself and go fully on the attack yet. 

His style of fighting was vicious, going after the creature’s stance with powerful cuts, punches, and kicks.

That would change soon, but he had bought enough time for her to become better armed.

She held her boot knife in one hand and the dagger in the other, positioning herself behind the beast. 

She said, “We need to hurry and kill this. There is a reason I said we should run, and this creature isn’t it, you know. This is the female.”

Nick frowned, then his eyes hardened. It seemed he understood her meaning; there was likely a larger male somewhere nearby. He dashed forward and swung with a powerful overhead slice, which the creature dodged backward. But it was a feint, him switching the attack to a stab as he rushed forward with fluid movements.

This caused the creature to leap back further: right in her direction. She stabbed both blades low into the creature’s back, aiming for its spine with one and what should be its kidney with the other. 

The creature’s weight combined with her own lunge allowed them to reach much deeper than they should have otherwise, but the wounds were far too shallow.

Nick dashed in while it was wailing in pain, and his blade pierced deep into the beast’s stomach, causing it to freeze and growl.

They both retreated as its claws swiped back at them, and a red aura covered the angry raccoon. 

“What the–? It’s powering up?”

“Almost all beasts beyond the second level have a special ability. It’s enraged, so it’s stronger now!”

Nick still kept the creature’s ire, as it clawed and bit its teeth in his direction. He blocked and cut with his sword as he moved out of its way, and Kaya once again moved in position. Again, he set up a perfect path for her, by causing the creature to dodge to its right, allowing her to land two cuts on its right shoulder. Kaya was impressed with Nick’s ability to work in tandem with herself.

She dashed away as it retaliated, and Nick rushed in to land a powerful cut on its left shoulder. His cut landed deep, enough that the left arm of the beast was now limp. He now kept himself to this same side, cutting and dodging the ineffectual one-armed swipes of the creature.

She leaped forward to land a deep cut into the wound near the creature’s spine, and it collapsed to the ground. He quickly stabbed into the creature’s chest, the light leaving its eyes.

Kaya said, “We still need to get out of here. I don’t want her boyfriend to find my home, and my sister in hiding.”

Nick sighed. “Too late, I’m afraid.”

She looked where he was staring, finding a much larger, and more angry version of the same creature exited the bushes. The size of a small bear, this bearcoon was likely level five.

“I hit level three off that one. Thanks, Jerome–but now I’m gonna have to let you go.”

His blade of light brightened, confusing Kaya. He said, “I had to dispel Jerome, it makes my blade stronger. I think we’re still good.”

Level three? Impossible! Even for a combat class, there was simply no way that he could level up that quickly. It would take time to accommodate the essence within his body and absorb it properly–though, she remembered a ton of essence floating around him when they met. 

Even if he was close to level two when they met, killing the level four bandit would not get him close to level three. Still, he mentioned Jerome? The undead was somehow gaining him essence?

He pointed at the dead bearcoon. “Create Soul Servant.”

The ethereal light left his hand, and entered into the bearcoon. Wounds were healed as bones creaked, the creature becoming… something else. Its eyes glowed blue like Nick’s in the dim light, as it growled and charged at its former mate.

She said, “That’s fucked up.”

He shrugged. “I’m pragmatic. He should have kept his girl from starting fights she couldn’t finish.”

He charged in too, the male bearcoon roaring at its mate’s death or its betrayal, she didn’t know which. Kaya ran along with him on the other side of the servant bearcoon, moving to try to take advantage of exposed flanks.

The servant bearcoon leaped at the larger living one, but was met with a large swipe of the almost-bear’s claws. It sent the other flying, and Nick sliced deep into the bearcoon’s right leg. The wound looked thin, to Kaya.

She leaped into its side as it spun after him with a swing, stabbing into its other leg. She could feel how much harder the creature’s skin and fur was, her blades only reaching fractions of an inch deep. 

Nick easily ducked under the bearcoon’s swipe, cutting into the beast’s wrist as he danced away.

She trailed the bearcoon as it followed after him, its body now covered with a red aura. It moved with speed which belied its mass, and Nick was quickly cornered against a large tree. Just as the bearcoon was about to swipe its large claws at him, the servant bearcoon barreled into it, a storm of angry claws and teeth.

Nick’s sword glowed brightly, and he swung powerfully at the creature’s leg. An ethereal flame leaped from where the bearcoon was cut, and Kaya could tell some essence leaked from the creature as she pierced into its neck from the other side. 

The male bearcoon slammed the smaller one onto the ground, and its tail lashed out and grabbed Kaya’s foot. “Shit!”

Nick was already in motion as she was flung at a tree, her body slamming into his and knocking them both over as they spun and twisted over the ground. Slamming into a tree, they both groaned in pain.

He said, “I don’t mind you on top, but I imagined a lot less blood and broken bones when this happened.”

She scowled at him as she got up from on top of him, him getting up as well. “Could you just be serious for once?!”

The flying servant bearcoon caused them to scatter, as its body slammed into the tree. They had each dashed or dove in opposite directions, Nick approaching the enraged bearcoon from the front. 

The bearcoon had dozens of bleeding wounds, but Kaya could see them closing up. The creature was expending essence to heal them, the level five beast capable of using it in different ways.

Nick feinted an overhead slash with a shout, the creature attempting to block with its claws. He stopped short and dashed forward, swinging his sword into the already wounded leg. She dashed in from behind, cutting into the backside of the same leg. 

The tail grasped out at her again, but she countered with her smaller knife, ready for it as she dodged out of the way. She could see its leg was weaker now, the beast switching to a four-legged stance to relieve some weight off it.

That made the creature’s charge a lot more predictable. They both dashed around it, leaving scores of cuts on the beast’s flank. It eventually scored a cut on Nick’s chest, but he traded the blow with a powerful, glowing stab of his own into the creature’s chest.

Once again, the essence within the creature leaked out, seemingly aging years in mere moments–its fur whitening. The servant bearcoon then slammed into the larger one, once again biting and clawing into it. It was at that moment, the larger creature released an ear-piercing roar.

Her mind was disoriented, her ears ringing. Her heart stopped beating, and she found she couldn’t move. She tried to stir her essence, but found she could do little more than whimper as her body shook. The servant bearcoon fell to the ground, having the same thing happen to it. 

The bearcoon stalked over to her, and it raised its claw. Her life flashed before her eyes, as the claw went for her throat. She had suffered so hard, fought through many injustices just to provide for her sister. And yet, it was all coming crashing down at this moment. 

A blue light entered her peripheral, as Nick shoved her aside with a hip check, her body tumbling to the ground as he blocked the claw with blade–his strength and leverage somehow mostly managing it. 

“Whatchu just standin’ around for?”

Kaya wanted to growl at his taunt, but still found she still couldn’t move. Just how could he?

“You asked if I could just be serious for once,” he said, as he ducked and weaved around the bear while swinging his blade and dodging its swipes. He fought like a beast himself, giving it vicious elbows and kicks, aiming for its wounds as he parried and countered the bear’s attacks.

He backed away from the bearcoon, drawing it away as she finally recovered her faculties.

“I’m always serious, when it matters.” He once again lured the bear to the tree, his back slamming into it. His body and blade glowed with a blinding blue light as the bear lunged, and he ducked under its scissoring claws as the bearcoon struck the tree instead of him.

He thrust forward, his blade digging deep into its chest, a thrust that included the beast’s weight and his own strength. A blue-green-flame shot through and engulfed the creature, its essence draining into the blade. 

Kaya charged and stabbed repeatedly into the creature’s back as it roared in pain, seemingly too weak to fight back. It slumped over as the two of them kept digging their blades into it, until eventually, it breathed its last.

She breathed heavily as she cycled her essence, drawing in the dead beast’s energy. It improved and somewhat healed her body, as she made the creature’s massive amount of essence her own. 

Kaya noticed Nick was doing the same thing, perhaps instinctually–what he was doing was a little sloppy, from what she could feel. Actually, it appeared he was only absorbing the Soul Essence, for some reason. Kaya was drawing in the body, mind, and soul essences as she was supposed to.

She gave Nick another deep look, the two of them breathing heavily. He was covered in wounds, a fair amount of them from coming to her aid. 

She hadn’t wanted to fight the two bearcoons, but their mere presence in the area meant that she’d have had to move her sister, if she was able to sneak inside once they moved on. The bearcoons being dead saved her from the struggle and difficulty of spending weeks moving Eirwen and preparing a new place.

Nick’s skill and strength were worthy of respect. Her bestial instincts were at war with her mind, her body able to tell he was a capable mate. Whatever race he was, along with his strange class, demonstrated limitless power and talent. 

Her mind was infuriated with the strange man’s needling, and his rudeness. She was not a damned raccoon, and nor would she mate with one! 

But she could tell he did have a good heart. He hadn’t needed to catch her body with his own, his action saving her from many broken bones and pain. While she helped him wound the beast, her attacks hardly were worth protecting her.

A few of her ribs were bruised, but she had some high-essence poultices they could wrap around her chest to handle that quickly. Likely, he could use some healing himself, though his strange body may not benefit in the same way as hers.

He had a handsome smile, and his feigned foolish confidence was strangely attractive. He had saved her life against the bandits, and then sort-of again with the bearcoons. She could tell he was attracted to her, as he tried to decipher her body underneath her cloak. Still, she could use such a dependable–  

He chuckled. “Damn, your ex was out of control! I can see why you broke up with ‘em.”

She growled. “Damn it, Nick! Just when–”

“Kaya? Are you okay? I was worried when you didn’t come home.”

She froze, as she looked up at their treehouse. Her sister, Eirwen looked down at them. A sheep beastfolk, her curled black horns were prominent atop her head of curly white hair.

Nick looked tired, like he was gonna collapse on his feet, holding his strange sword pointing at the ground with one hand. “I was so close!” 

She looked at him confused. “What?”

He gave a tired smile. “The pet dog.”

She groaned. “I… don’t have the energy to be mad at you anymore. I’ve only known you an hour or two at most, and it’s been the most exhausting time of my life.”

He looked indignant. “You’re exhausted? I’m the one who had to fight through a crypt filled to the brim with rats, climb a disgusting well, kill two bandits and save an ornery raccoon when they should be the best creatures of all, pay for some medicine when I don’t even have a place to sleep, then fight an angry ex-boyfriend!”

She growled, then she shouted, “I’m not a damn raccoon! And, the rest is hardly worth a response. This whole time I’ve known you, you’ve been infuriating. Just what the hell is wrong with you, anyway?!”

He looked hurt, and almost like he aged years in just a few seconds. His face went slack, and his eyes stared a thousand yards into the distance; deep into the forest. Eventually, he met her eyes, a remorseful look in them. 

“I… I’m sorry. I think I just died? My world had been filled with safety and comfort. I’ve been trying to come to terms with coming here, and while I thought I was ready to die, actually facing it is a lot scarier than I thought. I can’t believe I almost died to rats. Deflecting with humor was all I could think of, rather than stressing out. You’re cute when you’re angry–and that growl is sexy as hell, for some reason. So, I kinda just went with it. I never intended to make you actually mad. I’ll…try not to annoy you so much.”

He dropped his strange blade of light, and it lost its strange ethereal light, then Nick collapsed to the ground. She hardly understood what he was talking about. His world? Did that mean he was from another? It sounded absurd, but his behavior and race was unlike anything she had ever seen.

She frowned as she walked toward him, her bones creaking in protest as she approached. She lifted his shirt, and found dozens of small claw and bite wounds all over his back and the rest of his body. Some even looked infected, clearly more powerful rats having bit and clawed into him. 

She realized that the entire time they talked and traveled, she had never once seen his back, his long hair covering it. Just how many low-level rats did he fight?

Eirwen had climbed down their rope ladder, the sheep beastfolk girl a lot more energetic than she expected. Kaya had rushed to get her medicine, after all, because Eirwen had been coughing and throwing up.

She walked close with her hoofed feet, Kaya too tired to even move. Eirwen put her hands on her hips, and she had a stormy expression that Kaya had never seen. 

“Why’d you have to be so mean to the nice, handsome hero! Whatever you said to him made him so sad!”

Kaya grimaced at the mention of the word: hero. For all he did for her, perhaps she should have seen him as such. Yet, she had yelled at him, like she wasn’t grateful for what he had done for her at all.

“I’ll tell you later. I got your medicine. Are you feeling up to help? Let’s get us all inside and get our wounds treated. We got a lot to talk about.” 

“I’m okay now. I was so worried sick when you took so long, I got all worked up! When you came back and fought those bearcoons with the hero, I wanted to help something fierce. But you better apologize to the man, momma didn’t raise you like that, and I know it!”

The two girls pulled on the man’s hands, lifting him up off the ground. They each got under his shoulder, the man was a lot heavier than he looked. 

She groaned as she brought him to the rope ladder. Even knocked out with his mouth closed, he managed to be difficult.