Snow had gathered thick upon the jagged rocks, a white shroud over the unforgiving terrain. Perched there, calm yet vigilant, sat the hunters of Chi-Square. Their breaths misted in the cold air as their hands never strayed far from their weapons, ready for whatever might emerge from the silence of the peaks. After leaving Hamming, they had taken a day's rest in the town of Conoci. Now their journey carried them through the mountain pass, every step echoing against the frozen cliffs as they pressed on toward the next town.
The wind howled across the ridges, dragging flecks of snow into the air, but inside the small resting hollow the hunters of Chi-Square were huddled close, their breaths visible. The girl they had picked up in Conoci sat a short distance from them, her posture steady, not trembling from the cold like some of the others. The aqua marker on her wrist glinted faintly whenever the firelight caught it.
One of the younger men from Chi-Square finally broke the silence.
"You sure you just want to cross with us? This route isn't kind to anyone and you are alone. You can join us if you want, I think Aziz won't mind."
The girl's lips curved into the faintest smile. "If I was afraid of mountains, I wouldn't be here. Besides, I have friends out there. They will meet me soon."
A woman from the party chuckled, adjusting the edge of her coat. "You've got more spine than some of us. You… where are you from, Selene?"
"The west." Her voice was calm, but the way she said it made a few heads turn.
One of the men said, "West, none of us are from the west here. But once we had a friend from the west"
The Chi-Square girl with the gun didn't so much as flinch, though her eyes softened for just a moment. "That was a long time ago."
A hush fell over them. The snow outside pressed heavier against the rocks, the fire crackling the only sound for a long while. None dared to ask more, but in the way the Chi-Square hunters shifted uneasily, it was clear they now understood the weight of the woman walking among them.
The girl finally lowered her gun to the ground and stood, her breath curling in the freezing air. "Oi, Aziz… aren't you finished already?"
A short distance away, Aziz was crouched over the enormous carcass of the beast they had slain. His twin butcher knives gleamed wet in the firelight as he hacked with rhythmic precision. Each strike sent up a spray of steaming blood against the snow, painting his black coat in deeper shades of red.
At her voice, Aziz paused. His shoulders rose and fell, heavy with breath. Slowly, he turned his head. His face—no longer a hunter's face, but a mask drowned in crimson—caught the firelight. It wasn't just splattered; it was soaked, as if he had bathed in the monster's blood. His eyes glowed unnervingly calm beneath the gore.
"You don't get it," he said, voice low, almost tender. Then he raised one blade and drove it down with a sickening crunch, tearing deeper into the carcass. "Inside their bodies… I always find valuables. High-quality minerals, weapon grade."
The sound of ripping flesh and grinding bone filled the hollow like a grotesque rhythm. Every cut felt deliberate, as though he was savoring it. The snow around him was no longer white but stained dark, spreading like ink.
Selene's eyes followed every motion, her expression unreadable, though the firelight caught the sharp glint of suspicion in them. The way Aziz moved, his jaw clenched, his wrists twisting with too much force, it wasn't just work. He was enjoying it.
One of the Chi-Square members, noticing her gaze, leaned closer and whispered, "He's always like this. Says chopping gives him a kick. Most hunters wield something big, something clean… but not him. He won't trade those knives for anything. Calls it fun."
Aziz laughed under his breath, too quiet to be sure it wasn't the sound of the blade tearing flesh again.
The sound of blades splitting bone lingered in the cold air, each crack echoing like distant thunder in the mountains. Selene kept watching, but the others in Chi-Square had grown used to it—some even turned their backs, wrapping their coats tighter to shield from the wind.
Finally, Aziz plunged both knives deep into the beast and tore free a jagged lump of mineralized tissue. The shard shimmered faintly, crystalline veins glowing with a bluish tint. He held it up like a prize, his grin split wide across that blood-drenched face.
"See? Worth every cut," Aziz said, tossing the shard toward one of his men. The man caught it with gloved hands, nodding without surprise.
Selene finally broke her silence. "You treat them like treasure chests instead of living threats."
Aziz wiped his knives on the hide, not even bothering to clean his face. "Treasure chests bleed too. And besides… monsters die fast. It's the work after that lingers." His tone was casual, but the words dripped with something darker.
Selene's gaze narrowed. She wanted to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. That manic glint in his eyes told her the truth—Aziz wasn't just doing this for resources. He enjoyed the butchery.
One of the younger Chi-Square members, sensing her unease, spoke up quickly, as if to excuse him. "We've been with him long enough to know—it's just his way. Might look crazy, but he gets results. No one can deny that."
The wind howled louder through the pass, scattering the smoke of their fire. Selene wrapped her cloak tighter, but the cold she felt wasn't from the snow.
Aziz finally rose, slipping both knives back inside his jacket with a deliberate slowness, like a craftsman putting away his tools. "Let's move. Mountains won't wait for us."
The others stood, shouldering packs and weapons, but Selene lingered for a second longer, eyes fixed on the crimson-stained snow. She whispered to herself, barely audible beneath the storm. "These guys are insane."
The snow-crusted road curved along the mountainside, leading toward the valley below where the faint outline of Conoci began to take shape. Smoke curled lazily from chimneys in the distance, the promise of warmth after days of cold travel.
Tora was in the lead, humming something tuneless as his boots crunched over the ice. He had a bundle of supplies strapped across his back, shifting from one shoulder to the other. Behind him, Avilio walked with his hand resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, his eyes never straying too far from the horizon. Liam trailed last, bow slung across his chest, his small frame wrapped in a thick cloak that still seemed too big for him.
The air here felt different. The biting chill of Hamming had softened into a crisp breeze, carrying with it the faint scent of pine and wood smoke. Birds circled high above, their cries breaking the monotony of silence.
"Finally," Tora muttered with a grin, pointing toward the rooftops of Conoci. "I was starting to think this mountain was never going to end."
Avilio said nothing, but his gaze lingered on the town ahead. It looked sturdier than Hamming, less weathered by the cold, yet there was something about its stillness that tugged at him. Towns like this often carried secrets under their quiet exteriors.
Liam caught up to them, pulling his hood lower. "I really wanted to see you guys fight. But this road had no monsters in them. By the way, how long will we stay here?" he asked.
"Just enough to rest," Tora replied. "Or maybe longer, if luck points us that way."
The path widened, the crunch of snow giving way to firmer ground. Conoci was waiting, its gates open, the sound of faint chatter and hammering echoing from inside.
And though none of them spoke it aloud, all three felt the same thing: after Hamming's bitter cold, Conoci promised more than just shelter. It promised the warmth of welcome.