[b]"One of us has to die."[/b]

The claustrophobic darkness was kept at bay the roaring fire. A familiar warmth, but this wasn't made by her. No, this was made by the bear. She was only a visitor in his domain. The bear was a predator and the damaged youth an intruder.

[b]"Nothing personal. It's nature, you know."[/b]

The bear circled the fire as he spoke. Despite the fire, his breath formed a thick vapor from the cold. His calm words were snarled from the ineffable jaws he possessed.

[b]"The strong live, the weak die."[/b]

[hr]
[i]Her eyes opened slowly, but surely. [/i]Easy, [i]she thought,[/i] don't shake. Just breath in and out. Behind the front leg, then move up. Do it perfectly. [i]Her tensed hand let go. A distinctive snap resounded through the trees. The arrow flew directly into the deer, it sinking deep in the flesh. The deer panicked. It leaped onto its hind legs, dodging much too late. It began to run. Just as quickly as it started, it collapsed. The arrow had penetrated the heart. A clean kill. She walked towards the deer, small knife in hand. Memories of the past week had been on her mind.[/i]

Ash was the first to wake up. That dream with the bear, it pervaded her mind. One of them had to die, the bear had said. But Ash couldn't dwell on it. It wasn't important. She got up from the bed the church had given her and was given the bad news. Half a silver for each day of treatment, totaling one silver. She had 10 days to pay it off, more or less. She had the money, but abstained from paying it. She didn't know if it would be important later. Seeing her two companions near her, she realized that she was the only one who was functional. She wouldn't waste her time. She would get information.

[i]She placed large rocks together in a circle. Placing dry twigs and sticks into the pit, she began to spin a twig above it. The skin on her hands had since been worn down into nothing, rebuilt, then worn down again. The pain didn't bother her. Not anymore, not ever. She ignored it. The spinning became more frantic. First came smoke, second came embers, and lastly, a flame. She kept the fire stoked. A thick heat began to emanate.[/i]

Her journey in the morning gave less than stellar results. Nobody gave her the time of day. She wasn't exactly surprised. She felt gross. She knew she was gross. Next, she went into bars. Loose lips sank ships and alcohol was a patented remedy for the tight lipped. She offered drinks. Not the most expensive, but not the cheapest. Two people had taken her offer.

The first was Beako, a lightly armored Fiend Knight with a long spear. Her hair was tied up in a complex braided ponytail and she had henna-esque tattoos stretching up her neck to her cheeks. Her tag was steel, much better than Ash's copper one. She enjoyed Ash's attempt to break the ice by describing in vivid detail how she almost lost her life while training to an angry bear. The Fiend Knight gave a great amount of information. New people should stick to the western forest. Goblins and slimes were easy to beat, save for slimes being primarily affected by magic. Money was made without bounties by primarily looting what the monsters had. Less lucrative but still money, taking proof of a recently killed monster's body made for a steady source of income.

The second was Padoze. He had got lucky and was picked up by a party of 'nice older sisters'.

Gross.

The second day had been less lucrative. Ash had, compelled by curiosity, talked to the rabbit slaying man. He talked of The Fanged God and the two had a short and awkward conversation. took a bath for 20 copper, thankfully. She needed it.

[i]It was lucky she was so close to the river. The deer had been trying to drink when she found it. It made cleaning easier. Careful, careful. She drove a knife into its midsection and sliced. No nausea overcame her. She was used to it now. This was her new normal. The knife cut through flesh with some difficulty, but it wasn't enough to ruin the cut. Blood flowed into the river - back into nature. Intestines and stomach had been removed, then the lungs. Kidneys, liver, tongue, and what remained of the heart were bisected from the body. She began to cook. Liver first. That was for her. It was meat to replace what she lost. Even though it tasted so thick and gamey, it was a blessing. But, despite how much she needed it, she didn't eat it all. She left a small portion alone. Next, the kidneys, then the tongue, then what remained of the heart. She did the same and left a portion for the wilds. It was thanks for the protection that night.[/i]

The third day, she had met with Matteo. He had awoken from his painful slumber and Ash was the first to see him. Ash shared what useful information she had with him. Matteo said they could train, but they had no money. The only experience they could get was to go back into the forest with just the two of them. They talked about getting new members of their ragtag party, but it would be difficult to find any. The two parted, each going their own way.

Ash had decided to go back to the Ranger's Reserve to practice. For six days, she didn't leave the reserve. She practiced a little bit of everything; marksmanship, endurance, shelter-building, tracking. Any skill she thought she would need, she practiced.. On the first day, she fired arrows at trees and ran through the underbrush. The second day, she practiced following tracks and worked on her endurance, hitting a tree with a stick until either the stick or her body broke. The third day, she sprinted through the underbrush. She ended up tripping and falling into a river. It chilled her to the bone and she had to spend hours warming up by a fire. The fourth day was similar to the first three. The fifth day, she practiced tracking and managed to step in a precious 'track'. It smelled gnarly. The worst part about the training, however, was the nights. Dreams of the bear pervaded. She was afraid and the dreams only escalated.

The sixth day, by a stroke of good luck, she managed to find a deer by a watering hole.

[i]River washed the carcass. Careful now, it was heavy. She carried one end over each shoulder, its open midsection on her neck. She couldn't keep this meat. She needed money. She left the forest and to the butcher. A clean deer carcass had only brought 50 copper. Not surprising. It wasn't a large deer. Still, the money was important. She graciously pocketed it and went back to the church.[/i]

Returning to the church, Ash had went to check on Muu. There was a strange man there, watching over the sick bladedancer. He was clad in black, the only color he had on him came from a red scarf that was wrapped around his head. Only his eyes were visible. He turned to Ash.

[b]"You're her comrade?"[/b]

Ash was taken aback. Who was this man and what did he have to do with Muu? No point in lying. Lying was too dangerous. Practically anyone who wore strange clothes was probably strong enough to demolish all of them combined.

[b]"For the time being,"[/b] Ash replied. Her tone was cold. After all, this man was dangerous as long as she didn't know why he was there.

[b]"She owes me one silver a week. Where's the money."[/b] His voice was unwavering. Despite being a question, it felt more like a command.

For a moment Ash paused. She looked at Muu and grit her teeth. She pulled out a silver coin from her pocket and held it out. [b]"Take it."[/b]

The strange man took the coin, gave a harumph, and left. Ash walked up to the sick blade dancer. There, she saw a strange crimson symbol on Muu's hand fade away. Ash sighed as she ran a hand through her greasy hair. [i]Later,[/i] she thought, [i]I'll talk to her.[/i]