By the time Leo dragged himself back to the camp, he felt like a rag doll that had gone through a spin cycle—twice. Killing a wyvern had earned him some begrudging nods from his fellow trainees, but it had done nothing to soothe his general irritation with life.
"Wyverns are overrated," Leo muttered, collapsing near the campfire. "All teeth, claws, and attitude. No respect for personal space."
[You're alive. You should be thanking me.]
"You didn't do anything!" Leo barked, causing a few nearby trainees to glance over.
[Who do you think assigned the wyvern, genius? You needed a confidence boost, and voila! One oversized lizard served on a silver platter.]
Leo scowled. "Confidence boost? You nearly got me eaten!"
[And yet, you're not eaten. Coincidence? I think not.]
"I hate you."
[You say that, but we both know you'd be lost without me.]
Before Leo could hurl more insults at the invisible system interface, Freya plopped down beside him, her ever-present axe resting across her lap.
"Still talking to yourself?" she teased.
"I prefer to think of it as venting to an imaginary friend."
"Sounds healthy," she said with a grin. "You did good today, Leo. I'm impressed."
"That makes one of us."
Freya leaned in, her expression serious. "Don't sell yourself short. You're stronger than you think."
Leo snorted. "Says the girl who could bench-press a tree."
"I'm serious," Freya said, standing up. "Tomorrow's another day. Don't screw it up."
Leo watched her leave, feeling a strange mix of gratitude and annoyance.
[Oh, she's into you. Classic enemies-to-lovers trope incoming.]
"Not happening, Simmy."
[Sure, sure. Keep living in denial.]
---
The next morning, Ulrich gathered the apprentices at the edge of camp. His scowl was sharper than usual.
"Today, we're splitting into pairs. You'll patrol the western perimeter for any signs of rogue beasts."
Leo tensed. Rogue beasts meant anything that wasn't part of the local ecosystem. In other words, unpredictable death traps.
"Freya, you're with Leo."
Leo groaned internally. Spending more time with Freya meant more opportunities to embarrass himself.
"Try not to die," Ulrich added, clearly directing the comment at Leo.
"Noted," Leo muttered.
Freya gave him a playful shove. "Come on, partner. Let's go beast hunting."
[I predict disaster.]
"Shut up, Simmy."
---
The western perimeter was a dense maze of thorny underbrush and towering oaks. Freya led the way, her axe gleaming in the morning sunlight. Leo followed, tripping over every possible root.
"You really are hopeless in the wilderness," Freya said, watching him untangle himself from a particularly stubborn vine.
"I'm a city boy," Leo admitted. "Give me cobblestones over nature any day."
Freya laughed. "You're lucky you're cute."
Leo stumbled again, this time out of pure shock. "What?"
[Oh-ho! Did she just flirt? This is gold.]
Freya didn't elaborate, instead stopping abruptly. Her eyes narrowed, scanning the treeline.
"Something's watching us."
Leo froze. "Define 'something.'"
A low growl answered his question. From the shadows, a massive beast emerged—a dire wolf, easily twice the size of a regular wolf and sporting fangs that looked capable of biting through steel.
"Oh, fantastic," Leo muttered.
Freya hefted her axe. "Stay behind me."
"You don't have to tell me twice."
The dire wolf lunged. Freya met it head-on, her axe slicing through the air. The beast dodged with surprising agility, circling around to attack Leo.
"Why is it always me?" Leo yelled, diving behind a tree.
[Because you're the weakest link. Duh.]
Freya swung again, this time connecting with the wolf's shoulder. It howled in pain but didn't retreat.
Leo grabbed a fallen branch. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
"Over here, you mangy mutt!" he shouted.
The dire wolf turned its attention to him. Leo immediately regretted his life choices.
[Bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off.]
The wolf charged. Leo swung the branch wildly, hitting it across the nose. The beast yelped, more out of surprise than pain.
"I'm so dead," Leo muttered.
Freya seized the opportunity, delivering a powerful blow to the wolf's hind legs. The beast collapsed, unable to stand.
"Finish it," Freya said, breathing hard.
Leo hesitated. Killing wasn't something he enjoyed, but he knew leaving the wolf alive wasn't an option.
"Sorry, big guy," he said, plunging his branch-turned-spear into the wolf's chest.
The beast went still.
"You did it," Freya said, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Barely."
[Miracles do happen.]
---
Back at camp, Ulrich actually looked impressed.
"You survived," he said. "I'm shocked."
Leo resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
Freya nudged him. "See? You're getting better."
"At not dying. It's a low bar."
[But you cleared it. Progress!]
Ulrich handed Leo a small leather pouch. "Your reward."
Leo opened it to find a single silver coin.
"One coin?" he asked incredulously.
"Don't spend it all in one place," Ulrich said with a smirk.
Leo sighed. "I need a drink."
Freya laughed. "Come on, partner. First round's on me."
[Alcohol and poor decisions? This should be fun.]
"Shut up, Simmy."
For the first time in a long while, Leo actually felt like smiling.