CHAPTER 145: ALONE TIME 1

Aegis spread the map across what used to be a dining table and was now just a flat surface covered in dust.

Her manor’s main hall still looked like a disaster zone—broken furniture stacked in corners, holes in the ceiling patched with tarps, the smell of old wood and mildew everywhere. But the table was stable, and that was good enough.

Scarlett and Kanna leaned in from opposite sides, studying the map.

"Alright," Aegis said, tapping a spot in the northern forests. "Here’s the plan. I need money, fast. So as your training and as my money-making scheme, I’m gonna have you two do some monster hunting—but not random shit. High-value targets only that you can also reasonably take down."

Scarlett tilted her head.

"What kind of targets we talking about?"

Aegis pulled out a notebook—one of many she’d filled with "research" over the past few days. Really it was just her game knowledge translated into something that looked legitimate.

"Crystalback Bears. Northern forests, should take a day to get there and then another day to get back. Their pelts sell for five hundred gold each to the right buyers. I’ve already got a merchant lined up."

Kanna’s eyes narrowed.

"That’s a lot for a bear pelt."

"Not just any bear. Crystalbacks have this weird magical property where their fur insulates against both heat and cold. Nobles love that shit for winter cloaks. Alchemists use the fat for potions. Even the claws sell well."

Scarlett leaned closer to the map.

"How do you know all this?"

"Research. Spent the last week reading every hunting manual in the library and talking to merchants about what sells." Aegis shrugged like this was totally normal and not because she’d fought these exact bears dozens of times in the game. "Plus I asked Commander Korvo about dangerous game in the region. He mentioned Crystalbacks."

Kanna studied the map.

"What’s a spawn location?" She asked.

[... Forgot to erase that.]

"Oh. Right." Aegis circled an area on the map. "That just means they stick to the northern forests, mostly around the river valleys. They’re territorial, so you’ll usually find them alone or in pairs. Males are bigger and more aggressive. Females are faster."

She flipped to another page in her notebook.

"Attack patterns: they charge head-on if they think they can overpower you. If you dodge, they’ll try to swipe with their claws—those things are sharp enough to cut through armor. Don’t let them get you in a grapple. They’re strong enough to crush ribs."

Scarlett grinned.

"You make them sound fun."

"They’re dangerous as hell. But they’re also predictable once you know their behavior."

Aegis pointed to different spots on her notes.

"Optimal tactics: hit and run if you’re solo. Flank them if you’re working together—one distracts from the front, the other attacks from behind. Aim for the legs to slow them down, then go for vital spots. And whatever you do, don’t fight them near water. They’re faster in shallow rivers."

Kanna was nodding along, her expression thoughtful.

"You really did your research."

"Told you. I optimize." Aegis closed the notebook. "I’m not sending you in blind. You’re my retainers. I’d like you to come back alive."

Scarlett punched her shoulder lightly.

"Aw, you care about us."

"I care about not having to recruit replacements. That shit’s exhausting."

"So romantic."

Aegis walked over to a corner where she’d stacked supplies—leather packs, rope, basic camping gear, wrapped rations, water skins.

"I already bought everything you’ll need. Food for a week, camping supplies, basic medical kit. The merchant I contacted will meet you in the northern town of Millbrook when you’re done. Just show him the pelts and mention my name."

She handed them each a pack.

"It should just take a handful of days if you’re efficient about it."

Scarlett adjusted the pack’s straps, testing the weight.

"Wait. You mean we’re leaving Rosevale? Just us?"

"Well, yeah." Aegis raised an eyebrow. "Think of it as a field trip. Bring back as many pelts as you can. I’ll handle the selling once you return."

Scarlett’s face went through several expressions in rapid succession—surprise, excitement, panic, more excitement.

Kanna just nodded once.

"When do we leave?"

"Now, actually. I’ve got a carriage waiting outside. Driver’s paid through to Snowcille and back."

"Now?" Scarlett’s voice cracked slightly. "Like, right now?"

"Problem?"

"No! No problem. Just, uh, wasn’t expecting to leave immediately."

Aegis studied her.

"You good? If you need time to prepare—"

"I’m good! Totally good. Ready to go. Let’s hunt some bears."

Kanna picked up her pack without comment and headed for the door.

Scarlett grabbed hers and followed, but not before Aegis caught the way her eyes kept darting toward Kanna’s back.

[Oh. Oh that’s what this is about.]

Aegis grinned.

They walked through the broken manor and out to the front gate where a sturdy-looking carriage waited. The driver—an older woman with grey hair and the kind of weathered face that said she’d seen some shit—nodded to them.

"Snowcille, then?" she asked.

"That’s right," Aegis confirmed. "Take good care of them."

"Aye, milady."

Scarlett climbed into the carriage first, still looking slightly dazed.

Kanna followed, settling onto the opposite bench with her usual economy of movement.

Aegis leaned in through the window.

"Remember—hit hard, stay smart, don’t die. I need those pelts."

"We’ve got this," Scarlett said, though her voice was a bit higher than normal.

Kanna met Aegis’s eyes.

"We’ll return with results."

"I know you will."

Aegis stepped back and the driver snapped the reins. The horses started moving, pulling the carriage down the cracked stone path and through the manor’s broken gates.

Aegis watched them go, arms crossed.

[Eh, they’ll be fine. Probably. Scarlett’s strong as hell and Kanna’s basically a tactical genius. Plus those bears are only dangerous if you’re stupid about it.]

She turned back toward the manor, already thinking about her next moves. She needed to visit the Merchant’s Guild about that Runic Key. And she should probably check in with Lady Cassandra about potential loans—

Her HUD pinged.

QUEST UPDATED: Manor Lord

Sub-Quest Activated: The First Hunt

Objective: Scarlett and Kanna successfully return with Crystalback Bear pelts

Estimated Time: 3 days

[Big. Now I just wait and hope they don’t accidentally get themselves killed.]

---

{Scarlett}

Scarlett sat on the carriage bench, hands gripping her knees, staring at the floor.

Kanna sat across from her, looking out the window at the passing streets of Rosevale.

The carriage rattled over cobblestones. The driver hummed some old traveling song.

Scarlett’s brain was screaming.

[Holy fuck. Holy fuck. Holy FUCK. I’m going to be alone with Kanna for THREE DAYS!?]

Just them. No Aegis. No other students. No distractions.

Just Scarlett and the woman who’d absolutely demolished her in the Winter Trials.

The woman with grey hair and brown eyes and a body that looked like it had been carved from marble.

The woman who was currently sitting three feet away, completely calm and collected while Scarlett was internally combusting.

[Okay. Okay. This is fine. This is totally fine. We’re just hunting bears together. As colleagues. Professional retainers doing a professional job. Nothing weird about that.]

"You alright?"

Scarlett’s head snapped up.

Kanna was looking at her now, one eyebrow slightly raised.

"What? Yeah. I’m great. Super great. Why?"

"You’re sweating."

"It’s hot."

"It’s not that hot."

"I run warm."

Kanna studied her for another moment, then went back to looking out the window.

"If you say so."

Scarlett forced herself to breathe normally.

[Two days. I can handle two days. I’m a trained fighter. I’ve fought monsters. I’ve sparred with Commander Korvo. I can absolutely handle being alone with the most beautiful, skilled, intimidating woman I’ve ever met in my entire life.]

She paused.

[I’m going to die.]

The carriage rolled through Rosevale’s gates and out onto the northern road. Trees started replacing buildings. The city noise faded into the sound of wheels on dirt and birdsong.

Kanna pulled out a whetstone and started sharpening her sword with smooth, practiced movements.

Scarlett watched her hands.

[I’m definitely going to die.]

"So," Scarlett said, because silence was somehow worse than talking. "You ever hunt Crystalback Bears before?"

"No."

"Me neither. Should be fun though."

"Mm."

"Aegis really knows her stuff, huh? All that research."

"She’s thorough."

"Yeah. Thorough. That’s a good word for it."

More silence.

Kanna kept sharpening her sword. The rhythmic sound of steel on stone filled the carriage.

Scarlett’s knee bounced up and down.

[Two days. Just two days. I can do this. I’m a professional. I’m cool. I’m calm. I’m—]

"Lionheart."

"Yeah?"

Kanna looked up from her sword.

"Relax. We’re hunting bears, not going to war."

"I know that."

"Then stop looking like you’re about to face an execution."

"I’m not—I’m just—I’m focused. On the hunt. Very focused."

Kanna’s lips twitched. She smiled.

"If you say so."

She went back to her sword.

Scarlett stared out her own window, watching the trees pass by.

[Holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck. I’m going to be alone with Kanna for TWO DAYS!?]

She was either going to have the best field trip of her life or die of embarrassment.

Possibly both.

[AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!]

The carriage rolled on toward the northern forests, carrying two retainers toward their first official hunt for House Starcaller.

And Scarlett Lionheart was absolutely, definitely, one hundred percent not panicking about it.

[I’m so fucked.]