Chapter 4

I had no idea what was more pissed me off more. The annoyingly nice contractor or the fact I was placed just beside the merchandise as the last defense and that remained unchanged throughout the last week of travel. I sat on the rock with a huff as I glanced around annoyed at what was left of Maebong-ro. We had decided to rest there for the night and I was placed on the third watch, setting aside my food bowl, I took a stroll weaving through the wildly growing trees at the neighborhood park. Glancing up, I saw the girl sitting on a branch, her food at her side as she watched me approach.

DON'T DO IT.

"H-hey." I hollered. My sight must have gotten much better because I could see her roll her eyes in the moonless night. Sighing, I flopped at the bottom of the tree fiddling with a stone in my hand. She must have realized that I wasn't leaving anytime soon because she resumed eating a moment after.

"So, what brought you all the way to this side of the world before the entire mess began?" I quietly asked only to be met with silence. I glanced up at her noting she was still eating and looked back down.

"Real cheeky of you to assume I didn't grow up here, dude." An enchanting voice rang out from the tree above me and I glanced up at her to find her staring down at me, her face covered.

"Déjà vu." I muttered, changing my focus to the nearing voices.

"Yo newbie!" A bald fodder called with stupid grin on his face, two of his associates came from behind him and cornered me by the tree with their own stupid grins. Sighing, I stood up to face them "It's only right for the junior to come greet his seniors with gifts isn't it?" The bald one said laughing with his friends.

"Could you have been anymore cliché or stupid?" I asked with a deadpan earning a chuckle from the lady above me and what I presumed were growls from the men before me.

"I really hope you guys won't be dumb enough to start a fight here? Especially since he's aware." She stated pointing at a figure by a tree some distance away from us.

"You shouldn't have told them, Rosa. I wanted to see how it would go?" Park said with a smile walking into the clearing. I was surprised at how well he could hide his mana and it made me realize that I had to be all the more cautious around him.

"And I told you not to call me that." Rosa said landing beside me.

"The bitch's name is Rosa?" The bald fodder said with a sneer still acting oblivious to Park's presence despite his friends warning. A stink caused me to turn back sharply- it was one I wasn't supposed to find here -I glanced back and noticed that both Park and Rosa had noticed their presence.

"Wendigo." I muttered, a wide twisted grin- the same one form when I bought the sword -was plastered on my face.

BOY! IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY STUPID TO CHARGE IN TO BATTLE THEM. ESPECIALLY SINCE THIS PARK WOULD GIVE THEM AS MUCH ADVANTAGE AS THE RAIN FROM THE CAMP. I sighed, Styrkur was right. Turning to Park barked out orders.

"Get everyone closer to the merchandise and make the campfire really large and if possible make several smaller ones to surround the larger one and have all the guards stay between the smaller fires on the outside and the bigger one inside! Hurry!" Park nodded and rushed back to the main camp. I turned to the others and gestured for them to return back to the camp. A long arm shot out and plunged into baldies leg, tripping him and dragging him back.

"Fodder." I muttered as Rosa struck at the wendigos arm with her dagger and planted a firm kick to its chest knocking it back. I spared a glance noting a disappointed Rosa and the half-eaten body of the bald one. Breaking into the clearing, I noted the eight of the smaller fires a good distance from a large bonfire next to the goods.

"Is this enough?" Park asked.

"It should be. But have the other hunters stay on guard." I stated, a strange calm settling on me as I assessed the situation.

"What are those things?" Park asked as someone pointed a flashlight on one, giving everyone the full view of the wendigo before it scampered away from the open flame.

"You've never come across a wendigo before?" I asked, strangely surprised at his ignorance. Park shook his head with a frown further baffling me. I turned to Rosa, feeling less strange as the look of recognition and anger flashed across her eyes.

"The strong, fast, deceptive and weak to fire, I think that sums up the wendigo, oh and they smell horribly." I stated, sitting down.

"What are you doing? The beasts are right in front of us." Parked said more anxious than I had ever seen him, not that I had seen him anxious.

"Fighting them will be dumb because this terrain is basically their home ground and we'll be safe by morning as long as none of the smaller flames go out or no one is dumb enough to fall for their…" A loud yell and a crunching sound interrupted my statement. Turning with a deadpan I noticed one of the friends of the baldy hanging halfway from a wendigo's mouth "…mimicry." I ended getting a number of stares. A shadow passed by the wendigo and a muffled groan caused me to focus on the creatures, it passed by another one and instinctively I turned to Rosa.

Is she…?

YOU'VE BEEN TOO BUSY CHECKING HER OUT SO OF COURSE YOU WOULDN'T NOTICE. I ignored Styrkur's comment and turned back to the camp.

It's like she's in the same position as me. A yawn put an end to my thoughts as I walked past the staring hunters into my tent.

…

I yawned as we were told we finally approaching our stop; well that was for the impromptu guards like me. I spared another glance at Rosa, she turned to face me, brow raised. Falling into step with her, I asked her quietly. "So you're a tamer?"

She glanced at me, turning away as she answered. "And so what if I am?"

"Nothing really, I was just really curious." Returning my gaze to the road before me, I absently mindedly muttered. "The enenra huh?"

"You must have been a monster fanatic to be able to guess from just a glance." She stated, her brown eyes fixed on the road.

"I definitely can't say I wasn't." I said with a wistful chuckle as I shoved both hands inside my pockets, glancing at the scanty line where I was to collect my payments, I paused facing her.

"I guess this is it. I would like to see you again if that's possible." I nervously uttered earning a chuckle from her.

"This isn't a date, dude and trust me you definitely do not want to see me again." She tapped my arm and walked away joining the rest of the main guards.

CRINGE.

Shut up. I cursed internally as Park approached me with a brown bag. "Here it is as I promised, two months' worth of medical supplies along with some food as a little extra."

"Thanks." I muttered taking the bag from him.

"No, you deserve it and much more. After all it was thanks to you and your quick action that we were able to survive the wendigo problem with minimal casualties."

"It's nothing really." I stated, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment.

"If you are ever in need of any favor just let me know. I'll be at the Cheonggycheon central base for some time."

"In that case, what's going on? I heard some rumors during the debriefing about some beast movement or so."

Park sighed, glancing around before approaching me. "Well yeah, whatever you heard is true. The beasts have started migrating on a large scale and it's unpredictable." He explained, his face growing sterner as he concluded.

"Is that why you weren't that surprised when the wendigo horde attacked?"

"Yeah. Where are you headed to?"

"I'm heading further east, I'll do a little snooping around and I'll try and send word if the bridge there is safe enough." I stated, crossing my arms.

Thanks a lot man, well I need to get going now so stay safe out there, bro." Park stated tapping my shoulder as he walked away.

You never told me why were going all the way there.

KNOWING HOW STUBBORN YOU ARE, I KNOW YOU'RE GOING TO HUNT DOWN THE CHIMERA, SO IT'S BEST IF YOU HAD ANOTHER ALLY.

I'd say I'm pretty confident with you by my side.

BUT YOU ARE QUITE WEAK AND IF THE BLADE IS REALLY POISONOUS, THEN FORMING A PACT WITH THIS BEAST WILL BE OF BENEFIT. I contemplated, weighing the benefits of taking such a long trip.

"Alright then, let's do this." I shouted oblivious to the tiring journey that was ahead of me.

…

I stood baffled at the sight before me, a day's journey only to meet such theatrics. The large white snake wrapped itself around an elephant sized alligator like monster. It roared as it tried to bite off the serpent, its large fangs snapping against air, water from the lake splashing about.

"The Bunyip and Xiushe." Styrkur said quietly observing the battle as he stepped out of the shadow, standing beside him. Glancing from Styrkur to the ongoing battle, I asked "Who's on our side and who do I put down?"

He gestured with his paw, the bunyip his aim. Unsheathing the blade but leaving it wrapped, I leapt off the ridge and dashed towards the two by the river bank. Jumping, I spun and slammed the flat side of my blade on the side of the snake's face, knocking it back. Still in the air, time seemed to slow down as I actively channeled my mana into the wrapped blade and swung it down fiercely, the sound of bone crunching sent a shiver of satisfaction down my spine.

GET OUT OF THERE BOY! Styrkur's voice urged my muscles as I dived off the immobile body of the bunyip, the xiushe's large fangs sinking deep into its head ceasing the bunyip's movement completely. Turning to me and eyeing me with amusement, the xiushe said. "Why did you get involved, human?"

I turned to Styrkur who landed beside me and replied "He said you would make a good ally and would help me in unlocking more of this blade's potential."

"I see you're still a troublemaker, xiushe." Styrkur stated with a small frown.

"And you…you're working alongside a human and telling them things you're not supposed to tell them. What next? You narrate the entire war and faction issue to him too?"

"What war?! And what factions?!" I asked turning from Styrkur to the Xiushe. What exactly where they talking about? Was everything that happened to the world a result of a group of beasts that chose to invade?

"Xiushe, you caused this so you're taking responsibility for it" Styrkur barked irritated, ignoring my questions.

"Am I getting answers or not?" I asked again, clenching my fists angrily.

"Boy, if you do defeat the chimera by yourself, I will tell you everything." Styrkur stated, facing the xiushe and gesturing to me. The xiushe sighed- because obviously it could -and faced me. Everything happened in a blur as sharp pain shot up my forearm, a bite mark that seemed familiar had scarred me.

An unbearable heat surged through my body, a sudden chill following right after. I dropped with what I believed was a soft thud, my numb body sending no responses whatsoever as I touched the ground. A familiar feeling of darkness and emptiness claimed me and everything went silent.