MERCY KILLING

Sponge should have known Vvh would give her another stupid test!

Now that the snow had calmed a little, Sponge found herself outside, staring at the mess Cecil had made. She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Oh man, Cecil. Why can't horses learn how to use a toilet? And why hasn't anyone invented a toilet for horses yet?" she grumbled, whining as her gaze fell to the ground.

Behind her, Vvh sat on a wooden stool, one leg crossed over the other, staring up at the sky. Thick clouds still blanketed it, but it wasn't as dark as it had been on their first day here.

"Time is ticking," Vvh drawled, her voice calm and indifferent.

Sponge let out a loud groan. "How is picking up and cleaning Cecil's shit supposed to help me become your student? Aren't you supposed to be teaching me how to fight?" she complained, crouching down, her lips curling in disgust as her eyes flicked toward Cecil. The horse stood there, munching contentedly on the apple Vvh had given her, completely unfazed by the mess she'd made.

"A student of mine must learn how to be clean," Vvh said simply.

Sponge rolled her eyes before she could stop herself. "Clean my ass, you're a whole damn mess," she muttered under her breath, low enough to think she wouldn't be heard.

But when she glanced at Vvh, she found the woman already looking at her.

"Uh! Fine!" Sponge blurted, sweating nervously, hoping Vvh hadn't heard her muttered insult.

Vvh's sharp gaze stayed fixed on Sponge, unflinching—even with her mask, Sponge could feel her eyes boring onto her forehead.

Sponge groaned, giving up. She readied herself and began the disgusting work, scooping up the mess and tossing it into a black bag, all while fighting the urge to gag.

"Blood does not deter you, but fecal matter does?" Vvh mused, looming over Sponge, her shadow falling across the miserable girl.

Sponge gagged again, looking away with a pitiful expression. "This is so much worse," she muttered, glaring up at Vvh, who watched her with an infuriatingly calm demeanor.

"Shit is disgusting, and it smells bad," Sponge argued, her voice sharp with frustration.

"Blood works the same," Vvh replied with a shrug. "It comes from the bodies of men and animals alike. What's the difference?"

Sponge groaned miserably, lowering her head in defeat. "I'll do it. I didn't say I wouldn't," she muttered, though she shot a weak glare at the other woman. Vvh simply stared back, unmoved.

Sponge sniffed, then gagged again, quickly looking away. She couldn't bear to look at her bare hands. Knowing herself, she'd be too disgusted to even touch her face until they were scrubbed clean.

"Time is ticking," Vvh said, her voice tinged with amusement as she turned and marched back to the woodpile, taking a seat. Sponge could almost feel the shit-eating grin Vvh wore beneath her damned mask.

Sponge gritted her teeth.

By the time she finished, Vvh was already back inside the shed. Sponge, meanwhile, spent a full half-hour scrubbing her hands and arms raw at the water trough. Cecil stood behind her, snorting softly, as if mocking her.

God, she loved that horse, but sometimes she swore Cecil laughed at her every chance she got.

"That traitor," Sponge muttered under her breath, shooting a small glare at Cecil before trudging back to the shed.

"Already finished?" Vvh asked, her tone light. In her hand, she held a rusty pipe, casually spinning it between her fingers.

Sponge groaned as she walked over, sleeves still rolled up to her elbows, her hair plastered to her forehead. A mix of sweat and melted ice clung to her face as she resisted the urge to groan again.

"Yes, I cleaned all of it—everything! Did I pass?" Sponge whined as she walked over to Vvh, who was crouched beneath the kitchen sink, focused on the pipes.

"What are you doing? Are you even listening to me? We don't even own the shed—you don't need to fix the busted pipes," Sponge complained, crouching beside Vvh.

Vvh didn't respond immediately. She pulled out another rusty pipe, inspecting it briefly before tossing it to the side with a loud clang.

Sponge gaped, following the pipe with her eyes as it rolled away. "We still need it working. Unless you want to haul a bucket around the shed and do everything manually?" Vvh said, finally turning to look at Sponge.

Visibly deflated, Sponge let out a groan. "Right, right… Okay, fine. Let me help," she grumbled, motioning for Vvh to move back slightly.

Vvh tutted softly but obliged, scooting back to give Sponge room. Ducking her head, Sponge peered into the mess of pipes under the sink.

"What the fuck is this?" Sponge exclaimed, staring at the tangled mess of pipes. It looked like someone had tied them together just for fun. She could see the discarded, rusted pieces Vvh had already removed lying nearby.

"Clearly, the person we rented this place from has no idea what pipes are actually for," Vvh mused, resting her elbow on her knee as she watched Sponge start pulling out more unnecessary pieces.

Water dripped onto Sponge's hands as she worked, muttering curses under her breath. She carefully rearranged the pipes, reusing some of the less-damaged ones to replace the rusted sections. The process was tedious, but she managed to snap them into place, almost like assembling Legos.

"Perhaps being a fighter is not your calling, but a plumber might suffice," Vvh remarked, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Sponge shot her a tired glare. "I knew this was a test," she said flatly, connecting the last pipe with a firm snap. She sat back and held up one of the rusted pipes she had removed, staring at it with disdain before letting it drop to the floor with a loud thud.

"A plumber would suit you nicely, Sponge," Vvh said, rising to her feet as Sponge tested the faucet.

Sponge let out a relieved sigh when the water poured out stronger than before. Turns out, the reason the water had been so weak and shitty was because of the pipes—twisted around each other like some damned shoelaces.

"Please stop," Sponge murmured, her voice flat with exhaustion.

Vvh didn't reply, but Sponge could feel her silent amusement. Somehow, she just knew Vvh was cackling on the inside, thoroughly enjoying her suffering.

With a groan, Sponge gathered the rusty pipes into a bag and hauled them outside, tossing them far away from the shed. When she returned, she found Vvh crouched by the fireplace, stroking the flames with a metal poker.

Sponge slumped in relief, letting the warmth from the fire chase away the chill in her bones. She trudged over to the sofa, dropping to her knees on the floor in front of it.

"Did I pass? I did good, didn't I?" Sponge asked, tilting her head toward Vvh.

Vvh, still crouched by the fire, didn't look at her immediately. She poked the wood, the fire cracking and spitting in response, before finally speaking. "Perhaps. If your calling is to be a stable girl and a plumber, then yes, you did a good job."

Sponge groaned loudly, dropping her head and shaking it in defeat. "I—ugh, fine…" she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest like a petulant child as she plopped onto the floor.

Vvh only hums, amused.

"I still have a test for you—," Sponge perks up. "Really?"

Vvh turns to her, and Sponge bites her tongue, smiling nervously.

"Perhaps what you need is a test of patience," Vvh says, rubbing her chin as Sponge groans, running a hand over her face. Vvh tuts, wagging a finger. "Patience is crucial. If you must wait, then you must wait," Vvh says, as Sponge nods in defeat. "Fine—Fine, okay, you got me... What should I do then?" Sponge murmurs.

Vvh stands up, "Follow me. The snow is calm today, so we can leave the shed for a few hours," she says. Sponge follows as they walk out of the shed.

Sponge gazes up, watching snowflakes fall onto her hand. "How is it so calm today?" Sponge murmurs, turning to Vvh, who takes out her axes. Sponge perks up. "My axe!" She claps her hands excitedly as Vvh hands it to her.

"I will assign you a task. I've noticed that all we consume is—liquid, so I want you to hunt," she says, tilting her head down as Sponge blinks.

"Hunt? Like, kill an animal?" Sponge asks, surprise evident in her tone.

Vvh tilts her head, "Don't tell me you are unable to do such a thing?" she drawls as Sponge flushes a deep shade of red. "I-I can! But—there is a town, we could simply buy—,".

Vvh unsheathes her sword, placing it dangerously close to Sponge's neck, leaning in. Sponge freezes, the words dying on her lips.

"Do not tell me you are weak-willed," Vvh whispers.

Sponge swallows hard, lowering her gaze to her axes. They were already bloodied by the many people she had killed.

"N-No… Animals are sacred. I cannot just kill them…" she stammers, weakly looking up at Vvh. Her heart pounds as the sword presses so close to her neck. One wrong move, and she would be bleeding out on the white snow, staining it a deep, dark red.

"If this is another one of your excuses, then go. I cannot take you as my student," Vvh says, lowering her sword and sliding it back into its sheath. She takes a step back as Sponge lets out a shaky breath, trying to ignore the trembling in her legs.

God—she had almost forgotten how terrifying Vvh could be at times!

"I'll do it," Sponge murmurs, nervously scratching her head. "I've seen deers running around in the forest when I walk toward town."

Vvh gives her a curt nod. "Then a deer it is."

Sponge tightens her grip on her axes. "Is this one of your tests? If I fail to come home with my own hunt, will you consider it a failure?" she asks.

Vvh doesn't respond immediately. She turns away, humming softly, as though pondering the question. "Perhaps. Time is ticking. In the North, the sun never rises. When it darkens, you won't be able to see a thing," she says finally. With that, she walks back to the shed, disappearing inside without another word.

Sponge exhales shakily, giving a small nod to herself. She turns toward the forest, eyes scanning the towering trees in the distance. Before stepping forward, she glances at the sky—it was already dark. The faint light barely penetrated the thick forest ahead, and her vision was beginning to blur in the growing shadows.

If it gets any darker, she might not be able to come home.

"God—what a terrifying woman," Sponge mumbles to herself, swatting bushes away from her path, her leg nearly buried deep under the snow beneath her, making walking an even more exhausting task than it already is. She can feel her sweat cooling at the back of her neck and beneath her clothes.

At least she didn't wear her armor. It should make her nervous, but the inability to move fills her with even more fear. Traveling through the snow is already challenging; now, imagine doing so with her armor. Sponge is strong, but she is not accustomed to these conditions.

She never truly learned how to fight in her homeland—she was a miner, for God's sake. Even then, she rarely ventured outside her home, except perhaps to socialize with others.

Sponge sighs, shaking her head, just before she hears a groan and a huff. Sponge bends her knees, grasping her axes as she follows the sounds of distress. She halts when she spots a deer on the snowy ground, lying down and groaning.

Sponge freezes, slowly rising to her feet as she observes the bloodstains around the deer—before noticing the iron trap clamped on its leg, still bleeding, with chains entangled around it. Evidently, in its attempt to flee, the deer had managed to ensnare itself in the chains wrapped around its leg.

"Oh..." Sponge murmurs, approaching the injured deer. It was a straightforward catch; the deer had essentially presented itself right in front of her. With daylight still lingering, Sponge could return to the shed before dusk.

The deer groans, its eyes fixed on Sponge, its injured leg kicking feebly as it attempts to rise before collapsing. Sponge winces, her grip on her axe slackening.

Uncertain of what to do, Sponge contemplates. Should she swiftly end its suffering by beheading it and bringing it back home?

Rejecting that notion, Sponge shakes her head. "These animals are innocent—I can't," she mutters, placing her axes back into their sheath and crouching beside the deer.

The deer groans, emitting a plaintive whine as Sponge gently pets its muzzle. "I'm sorry; you're just trying to survive, like us," she sighs, running a hand over her face before meeting the deer's gaze, seeming to plead for release.

"Maybe if I bring you back alive to Vvh, she could assist you..." Sponge suggests to the deer, who responds with another groan. "Am I going to fail this test once more?" she questions herself, fighting the urge to bury her face in her hands, feeling disappointed in herself.

Turning back to the deer, now silent and seemingly attentive to her words, Sponge continues, "Yes, if I spare you, I may fail my test, you know? But—well... being a prisoner is fine, I suppose," Sponge shrugs.

The deer snorts and bends its neck to lick at its wound, reminding Sponge of her initial plan.

Startled, Sponge rises to her feet. "I'll find help for you—there was a large leaf nearby; I think I can use it to transport you back home. Don't move..." Sponge pauses, noticing the deer's gaze. "Well, you can't move, so just stay put. I'll be back quickly," she reassures before sprinting back to where she had come from, searching for the large leaf she had spotted earlier.

Before letting out a small whoop when she finds it half buried under a blanket of fallen snow.

She crouches down and tugs it out, "It's sturdy," Sponge murmurs, folding the leaf in her hands. It resembles a makeshift tarp, likely sufficient to transport the deer home. Sponge turns back in the direction she came from, almost stumbling a few times when she accidentally steps on the leaf.

Finally, she spots the familiar tree where she had seen the deer, until—BANG. Sponge flinches, her body trembling in surprise as she drops the leaf from her hands.

"What—," Sponge mutters, rushing toward the sound, then freezing in her tracks. A man, clad in a large winter coat with his hood pulled over his head, aims a rifle at the deer.

Sponge's gaze shifts to the deer, its head drooping, a bloody hole between its eyes. She exhales shakily, blinking.

"Oh, this was the deer that triggered my trap. It took me a while to get here. Thank goodness you didn't take it from me, huh?" The man remarks, chuckling as he takes a drag from his cigarette dangling from his lips.

Sponge only swallows, her eyes flicking between the man's gun and his face. Her hands twitch, aching to reach for her axe at her waist. The man notices her gaze on the axe. "Oh, my goodness! You must have wanted the deer! Well, you can have it if you wish. I came here to put the poor thing out of its misery; its leg isn't healing, and even if it did, it wouldn't be able to walk," he explains, chuckling before coughing slightly from the smoke, waving a hand.

"I—," Sponge stammers, nodding shakily.

"I'm Deok-Su," the man introduces himself, grinning at Sponge, who remains fixated on the deer. "You can have the deer if you'd like. I have plenty already. I was just teaching my son how to set a trap—and lo and behold, he actually caught one!" Deok-Su laughs heartily, slapping his stomach before bending down to hoist the deer over his shoulder. "Need a hand in carrying this?" Deok-Su offers, while Sponge numbly shakes her head, turning to retrieve the leaf from the ground and laying it out.

"I can drag it home. Thank you," Sponge mutters, tightly gripping the leaf, her nails piercing through it as she watches Deok-Su place the deer on it.

"Good, good. My house is quite far from here, and it'll save me the trek back. See you!" Deok-Su gives Sponge a salute before trudging off.

Sponge can only watch him go before she looks down at the deer, its eyes still fixed on her. She swallows, squeezes her eyes shut briefly, then turns around to begin dragging the deer back in the direction of their shed.

By the time she arrives home, the sky has darkened, her legs exhausted to the point of burning as she hauls the deer inside. Its body is already frozen from the cold, and the bleeding has ceased.

"Interesting, you managed to kill a deer," Vvh muses, her head propped up by her hand as she observes Sponge drop the leaf on the floor, breathing heavily. Sponge gazes at Vvh before looking down at the deer, its eyes still locked on her.

Shaking her head, Sponge murmurs, "Someone shot it," crouching beside the deer as Vvh approaches. "So, this wasn't your kill nor your hunt," Vvh remarks, to which Sponge nods, gently closing the deer's eyes. "Its leg was mangled by a bear trap, and the trapper returned to end its suffering," Sponge explains, her voice devoid of emotion.

Vvh nods, crossing her arms. "Good—the deer would never have survived. It is a mercy to end its suffering," she remarks. Sponge swallows, her chest feeling heavy. "You must understand, not all can be saved," Vvh continues, looking down at Sponge, who is staring at the floorboards.

"If this deer had survived, it would have been unable to walk. Setting it free would have led to a swift death. It's better for it to pass on in this way," Vvh explains. "Now, go to town and fetch me this," she hands Sponge a paper, waving it in front of her. Sponge sighs silently, nods, takes the paper, and stands up.

"Do not delay; I expect you back promptly," Vvh calls out as Sponge lets out a weary hum, exiting the shed and pulling her hood over her head as she heads towards the town.

Sponge had anticipated seeing Ji-Ho on her porch, as she usually is when Sponge visits, but this time, she finds no sign of her, even after finishing her errand for Vvh.

Entering Seo-Jun's store, Sponge is greeted with a nod from Seo-Jun. "Where is Ji-Ho?" Sponge inquires, approaching the front desk. Seo-Jun only shrugs, shaking his head. "I have no idea. Perhaps you could try tomorrow. It's quite cold today; it's best not to make Ji-Ho leave her home," Seo-Jun advises, wiping a ceramic plate in his hand.

"Of course, she must still be unwell," Sponge murmurs. Seo-Jun gives her a glance before returning to his task. "Return tomorrow, Sponge," he says in a near-whisper as Sponge nods. "Alright—thank you, Seo-Jun. Have a good day," she bids before leaving the store, passing Ji-Ho's house once more on her way back to the shed.