We Hunt or We Die

Elion had tried to sleep. He really had.

The sleeping bag helped, sure. The fire was warm. The cave offered some illusion of safety. But between the rocky ground, the distant animal sounds, and the fact that literal beast-men had nearly torn them to pieces just hours ago, his brain wasn't buying the idea of "rest." He had dozed off at some point—maybe for twenty minutes, maybe for two. But when he blinked back awake, everything was still the same. Cold air clung to the cave walls. The fire had dimmed to soft embers, casting long, lazy shadows.

Elion sat up slowly, his body aching in places he didn't know could ache. His blanket slipped off his shoulders as he glanced around. And that's when he saw Ronan. The cowboy sat across the fire, his back resting against the stone wall. Eyes closed. Legs crossed. Hands resting loosely on his knees. Meditating, maybe. But not sleeping. Elion could tell. There was a stillness to him—not the peaceful kind, but the kind that screamed awareness like a coiled spring hiding behind calm. Ronan wasn't just keeping watch—he was listening. Sensing. Ready.

Elion frowned. Did he ever sleep?

He pulled himself to his feet quietly and stepped toward the cave entrance, trying not to wake Jordan—only to realize the guy wasn't there. He stopped, squinting past the rock archway and out into the forest. There, just outside the cave, was a silhouette. Leaning on a tree. Arms folded. Staring into the dark.

Jordan.

Of course, he wasn't sleeping either.

Elion stepped outside, the night air sharp against his skin, and joined him without a word. The forest stretched endlessly before them, quiet and vast. Earlier, it would've terrified him.

But now?

Now, the fear had dulled into something else.

Maybe it was seeing Ronan drop those monsters like they were training dummies. Maybe it was the adrenaline that hadn't worn off yet. Or maybe… just maybe… Elion was starting to get used to this. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

"Can't sleep?" he asked.

"Nah. Too excited," Jordan said with a chuckle.

He stretched his arms and let out a slow breath. "Man, who knew running for our lives would be this fun?"

He flashed Elion a grin. "Admit it—this beats any regular night in New Orleans."

Elion scoffed. "Oh, sure. Running from beast-men, fleeing with a cowboy, possibly never seeing my family again. Absolute blast."

Jordan chuckled. "See? You get it."

Before Elion could roll his eyes or fire back, Ronan's voice echoed from behind them—calm but firm.

"You two. Come inside. It's time."

Neither of them argued. Jordan was grinning; he was waiting for this moment, which was the reason why he could not sleep. Elion glanced at Ronan, noticing how much better he looked. His skin no longer had that pale, blood-drained look, and his movements were stronger and more stable.

"You're healing fast," Elion observed.

Ronan smirked. "Faster than you would. But still too slow for my liking."

Jordan plopped down on a rock, grinning. "Alright, cowboy. You called us in. Spill. What's the big surprise?"

Ronan sighed, rubbing his temples. "You are seriously exhausting."

Elion shrugged. "I've told him many times."

Ronan exhaled sharply. "I need your help."

Jordan smiled broadly. "Oh-ho. Looks like we're getting somewhere. What kind of help? Combat training? Infiltration? Assassination?"

Ronan gave him a flat look.

Elion, who was always careful, leaned in. "Before we agree to anything, you need to tell us everything. Especially with what we're dealing with right now."

Ronan studied them for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. That's what I was about to do before loudmouth over here started fantasizing."

Jordan raised his hands and acted innocent. "Sorry. My bad. I just wanted to get straight into the main character's role for this beast-men action movie."

"Well, whatever." Ronan preferred not to entertain Jordan because, most of the time, Ronan did not really understand what was being said to him.

Ronan then raised his left hand. There was something on his finger. A golden-black ring gleamed faintly on his finger.

Elion and Jordan both leaned in, eyes locked on the object.

"This," Ronan said, "is a Beast Ring."

Jordan frowned. "You should know that we've figured that out by now, but… what exactly is it?"

Ronan turned the ring slightly, watching the light from the fire reflect on its shiny surface. "The beast rings were made a long time ago."

He paused as if he was choosing the right words. "They are filled with the power of beasts. It was hard for humans to fully understand how it works."

He exhaled hard before adding, "I'll get to the history and the mechanism later."

Jordan's eyes widened. "So… people can actually use them?"

Ronan's expression darkened. "Yes. But not all of them are safe."

Elion narrowed his eyes. "Meaning?"

Ronan sighed. "The ones you saw tonight—the rings worn by the bear-man and the bull-man—those were corrupted."

That made both Elion and Jordan tense.

"Corrupted?" Elion repeated.

Ronan nodded. "Normally, a Beast Ring grants its user a controlled link to the creature's power. Strength, agility, heightened senses, and others. But someone…" his voice lowered, "…has been tainting them. Turning them into weapons of destruction."

Jordan frowned. "You mean… they're not supposed to turn people into monsters?"

"Yes and no," Ronan confirmed. "The transformation and the massacre you saw? That's not what the beast rings were made for."

Elion's breath hitched. "Then who's doing it? Who's corrupting them?"

Ronan's expression darkened. "The one your bull-man friend mentioned. The so-called 'Lord.'"

Silence filled the cave.

Elion felt something heavy settle in his gut.

Jordan, for once, looked uneasy. "And… what does he want?"

Ronan's jaw tightened. "Destruction."

"Of what?" Jordan asked.

"This world and many other worlds."

Both Elion and Jordan were silent. Destruction of their world and other worlds?

What kind of destruction? And how many worlds were there exactly?

"How is he planning on doing that?" Jordan asked again.

"With his army of beast-men," Ronan replied. His tone was getting more serious over time.

Elion swallowed. "How many of them?"

"For now?" Ronan met his gaze. "I believe it is already more than a thousand rings."

The words hit like a sledgehammer.

Jordan's face went pale. "Wait, wait—hold up. You're saying there are thousands of those things? And they're all like the bear-man and the bull-man?"

Ronan let out a breath, slow and steady like he was preparing them for bad news that only got worse.

"To make it easier," he said, "the bear-man you fought? He was middle-tier. The bull-man was high-tier."

Jordan blinked. "Uh-huh. That… actually doesn't help. Why does that sound worse the more I think about it?"

Ronan gave a dry chuckle. "That's because it is worse. The tiers go like this—Lowest, Low, Middle, High, and Higher."

Jordan gave a slow nod. "Huh. That sounds like something made up during a really boring committee meeting."

"Agreed, but I didn't name them." Ronan shrugged before muttering under his breath, "Be glad I didn't mention 'Top' and 'Perfect' tiers."

Jordan looked halfway between laughing and throwing up. "So that bear-dude—middle-tier—was already bad enough to make me consider early retirement from life. And now you're telling me that's basically the average?"

"Below average, actually," Ronan corrected. "Most of the new beast-men showing are lower-tier. Some barely qualify as threats."

Jordan looked hopeful. "So they're getting weaker?"

Ronan shook his head. "No. Just the early ones. The Lord's been messing with Earth for over a year now. That means the rings are getting more stable… and more dangerous."

Elion tensed. "So what you're saying is…"

"Yeah," Ronan said, voice steady. "Stronger ones are starting to show up. Don't be surprised if we run into more like the bull-man. Or worse."

Jordan blinked. "Great. That's exactly what I wanted to hear before bed."

Elion's stomach twisted. "But… even if there were just hundreds of bear-men, they could destroy a city. But thousands?" He swallowed hard. "That's not an invasion. That's extinction."

Ronan's face was unreadable. "That's why we move fast. The longer the rings are out there, the more chances they have to fall into the wrong hands."

Jordan rubbed his temples. "So just to recap: monsters are real, they come in levels like video game bosses, and they're multiplying."

Elion glanced at him. "Pretty much."

Jordan exhaled. "Cool. Love that for us."

The weight of it all settled in their chests. The bear-man alone had turned a club into a massacre. The bull-man had nearly flattened an entire alley. Now imagine thousands of them—or higher-level ones.

Jordan ran a hand through his hair. "Wow, this is much worse than I expected."

Ronan replied in a calm tone, but there was an edge to it. "And now, for the surprise that I said."

Jordan grinned. "Come. Tell me. This is the best part."

Ronan sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Those rings that scattered earlier? If normal people find them…"

Elion clenched his fists as he finished Ronan's words. "They'll end up just like the bear-man and the bull-man."

Ronan nodded. "Exactly." He leaned forward and looked serious. "That's why we need to retrieve the rings as many as we can—before they end up in the wrong hands."

Jordan exhaled. "So we really are going on a ring-hunting adventure."

Ronan smirked. "If that makes it more exciting for you."

Elion shook his head. "How do we even find them? It's not like they come with GPS tracking."

Ronan's smirk faded slightly. Luckily, he had studied the technology used on Earth. "Not normally, no. But I have my ways."

Jordan grinned. "Oho. Now we're talking. First step?"

Ronan glanced toward the cave entrance, his expression unreadable.

"First step?" He exhaled. "We survive the night."

Neither Elion nor Jordan argued with that. Because despite how safe they felt earlier… They weren't stupid. Something was coming. And by morning? Everything would change.

Elion frowned, the weight of everything settling into his mind. "Alright… Back to the surprise. So you need to retrieve these rings before they fall into the wrong hands. I get that. But what exactly do you need from us?"

Jordan leaned forward, intrigued. "Yeah, because I don't know if you've noticed, but Elion and I are severely underqualified for 'ring retrieval missions.'"

He gestured to himself dramatically. "I mean, look at me. Do I look like a beast-hunter to you?"

Jordan was intentionally luring Ronan into his trap, hoping to fulfill one of his desires—to wield the power from the beast ring. Ronan smirked but didn't answer immediately. Instead, he leaned back against the cave wall, crossing his arms. "I know what you're hinting at, Jordan."

"No worries. I'll grant that wish of yours because…" He paused before adding, "You guys have the traits of the Slayer."

Elion raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Ronan ignored the question. "Look. I can't be everywhere at once."

He took a deep breath as if this was a very hard decision for him to make. "And since I doubt you want to sit around waiting for the next beast-man to tear through your front door, I figured you might want to learn how to actually handle yourselves out there."

"Now we're really talking, Ronan," Jordan's eyes gleamed with excitement. "So you're saying we're getting training?"

Ronan sighed. "I wish not to say yes, but it is something like that."

Elion, however, still had more questions. "Before that… I've another question for you."

Ronan looked at Elion before nodding.

"Why are you the only one here?" Elion pressed, his curiosity growing. "I mean for this mission."

That question made Ronan's expression darken. His jaw tightened slightly, and he let out a slow breath before answering. "Because the idiots back in my world messed up. And instead of fixing it, they decided to pretend it's not their problem."

Silence.

Jordan and Elion exchanged glances. That was never a good sign.

Ronan continued, his tone sharp, edged with something deeper—frustration, maybe even guilt. "The higher-ups back home? They were supposed to regulate who gets to travel between worlds. Monitor it. Keep things balanced."

He scoffed, shaking his head. "But someone got lazy, or someone got greedy. Either way, they let people slip through. And not just the good ones."

He tapped his ring, the golden-black metal glinting in the firelight. "Back home, these rings were tools for war, not toys for lunatics. They weren't meant to end up here. But now?"

He flicked a speck of dirt off his sleeve. "They're scattered. And they're turning people into monsters."

Elion narrowed his eyes. "So… your world basically caused this mess?"

Ronan exhaled, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah. And the best part? They're not lifting a damn finger to stop it."

Jordan scoffed. "Wow. Sounds like real responsible folks."

Ronan smirked, but it wasn't amused. It was the smirk of a guy who had long stopped expecting people to do the right thing. "They don't care about right or wrong. They care about power. Control. And as long as the destruction stays far away from them? They'll let it happen."

Elion felt something cold coil in his stomach. "And the Lord?" he asked.

Ronan's eyes darkened, and for a second, he didn't answer. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and heavy, with something that felt too close to regret.

"That psycho?" he said. "He doesn't just want control. He wants ascension."

Jordan frowned. "Ascension?"

Ronan nodded slowly. "The moment the barriers between worlds started to weaken, he saw a loophole—something the rest of us missed. A way to grow stronger without limit."

Elion's brow furrowed. "How?"

"By turning death into fuel," Ronan said flatly. "Every person killed by the beast-men—every life snuffed out—it doesn't just end. Their soul gets pulled into the ring they carry. Like it's being harvested."

Jordan looked sick. "Harvested?"

"Stored. And later, sacrificed. Every ring becomes a vessel—collecting power from the souls inside. And once they're full…" Ronan let the sentence hang in the air like a guillotine.

Elion felt his mouth go dry. "He uses them."

Ronan nodded grimly. "Burns them. Drains every drop of energy and absorbs it into himself."

Jordan's voice came out as a whisper. "That's why he lets the beast-men loose."

"He doesn't care how many worlds burn," Ronan said. "Every death is just another battery. Another stepping stone. He's not building an empire—he's building a god."

Silence fell. The fire crackled. And in that moment, the idea of being hunted suddenly felt like the least terrifying part of it all.

Elion clenched his fists. "And no one back home is stopping him?"

Ronan exhaled sharply. "No one's willing to. Except me."

Jordan studied him for a long moment. "You volunteered for this, didn't you?"

Ronan didn't answer immediately. He just glanced at the fire, his smirk fading. Then, finally, he said, "Yeah. Someone had to. I can't let this world bleed."

Elion felt something was off about that answer. It didn't quite sit right. Someone from another world choosing to throw himself into this chaos… alone? It didn't add up. But Elion didn't press further. Instead, he asked the more immediate concern. "What if the rings have already been found? What if people have already awakened them?"

Jordan nodded. "Yeah, because if that happens, there's zero chance Elion and I are going to win against them."

Ronan shrugged. "That would actually be less of a problem."

Elion stared at him, incredulous. "Less of a problem?"

Ronan held up his ring. "My ring absorbed half the power from the ones that scattered. Any beast-men that emerge from those rings will be weaker than the ones you saw tonight. Half as powerful."

Elion wanted to let out a breath of relief—but then he imagined it. Half of what they had fought tonight. Half of that bull-man's strength. Half of that bear-man's rampage. Even at half, they could still kill people. Elion trembled slightly.

Jordan groaned, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, that still sounds like death for us, man."

Ronan chuckled. "That's why I'm not sending you in blind."

Jordan smirked, his excitement kicking back in. "So you do have a plan…"

Ronan's smirk mirrored his. "Of course. You two need preparation. And that means…"

He held up his ring, twisting it slightly between his fingers. "I'm going to teach you how to use a beast ring."

Jordan practically vibrated with excitement.

Elion?

He swallowed hard.

This was really happening.