The group stepped to the side, away from the looming presence of the guard, huddling together to stir up a plan. The air was tense, the ground beneath them littered with gravel and faint boot tracks. Himmel crouched low, dragging a finger over the dirt.
"Ok, that guy is heavily underestimating us," he said, his voice firm yet quiet. "So, I have an idea."
Texan and Recon leaned in, close enough to catch every word over the muffled roar of the border-town crowd. Himmel's eyes glimmered with something between pride and calculation.
"I came up with a new technique. Its goal is to break the armor of my enemy. It's a slash, stab, turn, and pull out. I call it the Brutal Slash. Normally I would need to be close enough to connect all parts of the move to deal heavy damage… but I think I'm special."
"Yes, Himmel, you're special, you're a dark orc, blah blah blah." Recon rolled his eyes, mocking Himmel's seriousness, frustration slipping into his tone as he grew tired of Himmel's cockiness.
"No, I don't think he's bragging, Recon. Just listen," Texan said, his deep voice cutting through the tension, convincing Recon to lower his guard for once.
"Thanks," Himmel muttered. His fingers traced lines in the dirt. "But I don't think he realizes how well I can use this sword."
Texan narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
"It's a level 3 sword. I'm only level 2. Instinct tells him I should be too slow to wield it properly. He'll assume I'm an idiot for even trying. So, I'll let him keep thinking that." Himmel scratched a quick diagram into the earth: crude arrows, strikes marked with crosses.
"Recon—shoot for his head. He won't dodge. He'll catch it to prove how weak he thinks we are. While he's focused on that, I'll dash in and use my Brutal Slash. Texan, find a rock. Bat it with your club at his heart—that's where I'll aim. We'll break him down piece by piece."
Himmel's plan was sharp—feints, deception, luring the enemy into overconfidence. A true hunter's stratagem.
"I'm down," Recon muttered, gripping his bow tighter.
"Yeah, Himmel, I see where you're getting at. It's… kinda really good," Texan admitted with a grin.
Together, they rose and shouted toward the guard, who had been waiting with calm patience, sword resting on his shoulder.
"So, you all are ready?" The guard's eyes gleamed as he unsheathed his blade, the steel singing in the air.
"Yes, we are—and here I come!" Himmel roared as he charged alone. Dust sprayed behind his boots, but his speed was intentionally sluggish. He dragged the tip of his sword against the stone, sparks skittering, making it appear heavy and unwieldy.
The guard smirked. "As I thought. You don't realize you're supposed to use a level 2 sword at level 2. Come on, kid. At least know the basics." He sidestepped Himmel's first swings with ease, barely bothering to move, leaving inches between himself and the blade.
The clang of steel echoed as Himmel pressed on, his movements measured. Then, from the shadows, an arrow whistled. Recon's shot tore through the air, aimed for the guard's head.
As predicted, the guard snatched it effortlessly from the air with his free hand, smirking. "Sorry, boys, you all aren't strong enough—"
But his words died as Himmel suddenly closed the distance, the Brutal Slash flashing to life. The guard had expected a miss, his stance arrogant, but Himmel unleashed his full strength and speed at the last instant. The stab pierced closer than expected, the twist and pull tearing into his armor.
Metal screeched. A tiny swirl-shaped fracture spread across the plate. At that moment, Texan's rock came flying, launched with brutal force. It struck the weak point perfectly. The armor cracked open with a sharp CRUNCH.
The battle ended before most could register it. In real time, it had lasted only thirty-three seconds.
"What?!?" The guard's face twisted in disbelief. Gasps rippled through the onlookers. Then applause thundered across the square, the spectators clapping and shouting. Their teamwork, their synergy—it had caught everyone off guard.
"Y-you… how did you know?!" The guard's pride quivered, his disbelief raw.
"You were cocky and foolish," Himmel said coldly, his breath heavy from the strike. "You shouldn't underestimate the weakest-looking insect. Especially when it crawls from a land unknown to you."
Those words struck deeper than any blade. The guard's honorable facade cracked. Fury twisted his expression as he raised his sword high, looming over Himmel like a guillotine. The steel whistled down. Himmel froze, body unresponsive, death looming again.
But the blade stopped. Inches away, a glowing, scaled hand had caught it with ease.
The crowd gasped, murmurs rising: "The Captain…""He never comes out…"
"Well, well, Dom. Your anger prevails again."
The newcomer stepped forward—horns curling from his head like those of an elk, his skin shimmering with scaled patterns that caught the light like fish scales. His presence was suffocating, majestic. His eyes burned with ancient weight. He wasn't just a captain. He was a dragon in human form.
"Give them their reward and let them walk. When they finally return to join our ranks, you'll be their platoon leader."
Dom, the guard, shivered where he stood. The draconic aura pressed against him like an ocean tide, threatening to drown him. He almost wet himself as he sheathed his blade. The Captain turned, his cloak trailing like shadowed wings, but before he left, his gaze lingered on Himmel.
"Well, well, looks like the Lotus has found you."
Himmel's pupils dilated, rage rising like fire in his chest. "You know about the Lotus? Tell me." His voice shook with command, his pride swelling too far.
The dragon chuckled, the sound like rolling thunder. "Ha. Amusing. I'll tell you every detail… but only if you reach level 5. Come back then."
And with a flicker, he was gone. He vanished like a mirage, too fast for the mind to process.
The group stood stunned. Minutes later, Dom returned with their prize. His voice was bitter. "Ughhh. Here is the reward. It is the map of the whole Snow Mountains. No one else is allowed to open this—but the Captain said it was fitting for you lot." He shoved the map into Himmel's hand.
"Thanks. We'll meet again," Himmel said, his eyes still shadowed by the Captain's words.
They examined the map as they left. Two points were marked that weren't on any continental charts. "These spots here must be special," Himmel muttered, guiding them around a wide, shimmering lake.
"Woah, an actual body of water! Keep riding, I wanna swim!" Texan laughed as he leapt from the saddle, diving into the lake's cool depths, splashing in bliss.
Normally, Himmel would have barked caution. But the border guard had long colonized this area—it was safe. Fishermen cast nets from small boats, and the water glistened with synergy. For once, peace. The group found calmness in rare form.
Night crept in. Recon snored softly holding on to Himmel. Himmel rode slow like a leader on patrol. Texan flipped through the water, his laughter echoing. All was smooth.
Until the moon rose fully. Its light washed silver over the land—and Recon's body twisted. His muscles bulged, his skin darkened. Bones cracked as his form stretched. Himmel turned sharply. "Everything alright, Recon?"
His answer came as a guttural growl: "Ruuuun."
Himmel's blood ran cold. He kicked Recon from the horse, drawing his blade in a flash. Texan stopped mid-backflip, eyes wide as he watched his friend swell larger, taller, monstrous. In seconds, Recon had become a grotesque beast twenty feet tall, horn jutting, eyes lost to frenzy.
"Himmmeeeelll… What did you dooo?" Texan swam closer to Himmel.
"Fuck—nothing! He just changed!" Himmel yelled as Recon charged, each step shaking the ground like a rhino gone feral. "Ok, Recon was the weakest of us by a good bit, but this—this is insane!"
"Texan, shut the hell up, I'm trying to think!" Himmel racked his memory. Old lessons, whispered teachings from his father. "Beastmen transform under the full moon. Once a month, they lose themselves to the beast. If we stall till morning, he'll return."
"Then let's ride him." Texan's grin gleamed wicked in the moonlight.
"Wha—oh… wait. That… would work." A sinister grin split Himmel's face too.
They moved fast. Texan scooped up the weapons Recon had dropped, Himmel grabbed the horse. When Recon charged again, wild and raging, they leapt—landing on his back. Himmel gripped a jagged horn, wrestling the beast's head toward the mountain path.
The ride was violent, every stride a quake. But their speed devoured distance. What should have been a two-day journey was reduced to a single night's blur. By sunrise, the beast stumbled, shrank, and collapsed. Recon lay in the snow, panting, his eyes slowly clearing.
"Fuck you guys," he croaked, coughing.
Texan doubled over laughing. "Wait—you know what happened?!" His laughter echoed so loud it nearly triggered an avalanche.
"Nice balls," Himmel muttered dryly.
"Bro… just get me some clothes," Recon groaned. Himmel chuckled and began stitching rough garments from scraps of hide.
When all was settled, they pressed deeper into the mountains. The air grew colder, the snow deeper, and their first foe soon appeared—a penguin-shaped beast with the body of an ostrich. A level 2 monster, dangerous alone but nothing the three couldn't handle together.
Recon's arrow crippled its leg, Texan followed up with a crushing strike, and Himmel's blade ended it. Smooth, clean teamwork. They skinned the creature, its feathers and hide repurposed into extra protection for Recon's patched clothing.
Further up the winding paths, they faced a greater obstacle. A level 3 rhino. Massive, ordinary in shape but unnervingly aggressive. The snow around it was trampled hard as stone, brush destroyed in wide circles, and blood splattered across ice and rock told the story—anything in its territory had been annihilated.
The beast blocked the path entirely. Sheer cliffs walled the sides. No choice fight or walk an extra 3 day journey.
Arrows flew first, slamming into its hide. The beast roared, charging with earth-shaking force. Himmel met it head-on, his Brutal Slash carving a shallow indent. Texan hammered into its side, staggering it. The rhino spun, its horn smashing both away like ragdolls.
Recon's bow thrummed again, loosing double-shot. Then triple-shot, five arrows flew but 4 missed. Still it charged. Himmel struck again, this time with his new weapon. The combination of the scissors clicked—then erupted with fire and lightning. The blast tore into the beast's flank. Texan added a staggering blow.
The rhino slammed its horn into Texan, the beast carried him into the walls of the jagged valley. A thunderous crack and Texan's scream of pain, "DO SOMETHING!!" Recon fired arrows again aiming for the eyes of the beast but he was off target, two of his arrows stuck into the beast barely passing the skin while the rest flopped off.
Himmel dashed in again and the combination run, fire and lightning blasted organs began to show. The Rhino kept pushing cracking more and more of Texan's body, In a desperate act he pulled out the arrow from the beast. In a primal fury he stabbed into the eye, again and again. Recons hand's shook in fear.
He was stunned, faulting in times of desperation. "Recon tsch he can't do shit right now." Himmel blasted one last fire ball destroying the innards of the beast. The rhino faltered, then collapsed. Dead before it hit the snow.
But Recon, still panting, fired again, and again—arrows piercing its body long after it stilled.
"Jeez, Recon, overkill much?" Texan muttered, guilt and frustration tugging at his voice. "It's cruel, in a sense…" Texan was frustrated at the hesitation from Recon, the Rhino could've had a cleaner death.
"Whatever. Let's skin it, store the meat, and move on. We're lucky Himmel has such a useful key." Recon bent to the task, his hands steady despite the kinship of species. Slowly the butchery began, the hide clean extracted, the meat separated.
Himmel said little, but in his heart he wondered. Why had the beast attacked so blindly? What drove it?
Texan, though, lingered. A shadow crossed his face as despair gripped him. "Fuck, man… I don't know about this one." He drifted toward the center of the scarred valley, boots crunching the snow. Something pulled at him. He knelt, kicked aside a patch of ice—revealing a hard, rounded surface.
A shell.
His heart sank. He scraped more snow aside, breath hitching.
"Ah, goddamnit… you were a mother." His voice broke. The egg beneath gleamed faintly in the snow, pulsing with life. Then, with a crack, it shuddered.
"HIMMEL!!" Texan shouted, panic flooding his voice. The egg split, shards falling away. And from the ruin, wet and trembling, a baby rhino emerged—newborn, pure, and crying into the frozen air.