I turned toward the beast, mana swirling around me, and froze.
A minotaur, towering above the trees, easily above ten feet tall. It was covered in black fur, with crimson eyes that burned like coals, and cracked stone horns that curved from its skull.
…Welp. I'm screwed.
It's over. Adios. It was fun.
A minotaur is a menace class monster. It could level an entire town without the aid of multiple common level heroes. Usually, they aren't such a big deal, as most towns have a few common heroes, but on a one on one it usually takes a gifted level hero to win.
Common attribute heroes may seem weak, but in reality they are still in the top fifteen percent of the population. They can easily crush towns, if they go berserk.
Unfortunately, I'm not a gifted hero, let alone a common hero. I am a child. One who hadn't even awakened yet.
Oh.
Don't forget the crippled beastkin behind me who is barely conscious. So yeah. Three cheers for the dead kids in the forest. Yay.
The beast lunged forward, erupting from the ground with terrifying speed, its hooves tearing through dirt and mud as it charged.
I braced myself, reinforcing my body, preparing myself to take a hit that could level a building.
But the hit never came?
Wait. Why is it moving so slowly? It was faster than me a second ago.
Was she really that heavy? I look over my shoulder. Damn.
I turn back, and see the minotaurs fist getting closer.
Shit!
The minotaur swung his massive arm down in a brutal arc—
I threw up every ounce of mana I had, reinforcing every muscle, every bone.
The blow connected. I braced myself, waiting for the worst.
But there was no pain.
"What?"
I stared down at my hands as the minotaur rained hits across my face.
Nothing. I didn't feel a thing. The minotaur was like a fly. Insignificant. Small.
Had I really gotten this strong just from circulating mana? I hadn't even awakened yet.
"The fuck…"
Welp, no point wasting the opportunity.
I shot mana into my legs and burst off the ground. The world blurred, and in a second I was behind it, flying above its head.
I called forth my ice sword, the blade forming in my hand. Its cold edge gleamed in the moonlight, as I swung the blade, sending a crescent of ice energy at the beast.
I looked like an idiot, but it's hard to swing a sword midair, okay? Don't judge me.
The minotaur turned, crossing its arms to block, but the arc cut through both limbs, and a second later straight through its neck.
His head fell to the ground with a damp thud.
I stumbled as I landed, barely catching myself before collapsing.
"Well," I muttered, brushing dirt off my arms, "that was way easier than I expected."
I turned toward Sylvie. She was sitting exactly where I'd left her, but instead of looking afraid, she looked in complete shock. Her eyes were wide, mouth agape staring at me.
I stepped closer. "Hey, you okay?"
She blinked once. "Y‑yes… I'm okay."
Then after a moment said, "Who… who are you?"
"Just a kid with a dream," I replied
"That was a horrible answer." the girl replied, deadpan.
"Yeah," I said scratching the back of my head, "I have a way with words like that."
She laughed, and a pause hung between us. Then after a few seconds she looked back up at me.
"You… you actually saved me," she murmured "I thought you were dead for sure."
"Uh… yeah" I said, not sure what to say "It's what anyone would do. I mean you passed out literally in front of me."
"No. It's not." she said, looking down.
I had literally no idea what to say. Like what was I supposed to say? I never had any friends.
"Well, I think I'm going to pass out now," she said "thank you, though. For saving me."
Oh shit. I forgot about her injuries.
I carried her still body back to my room and laid her on the bed.
I stared at the sleeping girl, trying to figure out what I should do. I can't really call Sadie right now, but I'm going to her help eventually.
But she's not here right now, so I guess it's up to me.
"Unless I can get some help here?" I call up toward the ceiling.
Silence. Figures.
I mean I've never done healing magic before, but if I don't try she will die. So I hope this works.
Because if it doesn't, I'm not sure I could live with myself. I feel her pain. In bed, knowing you will probably die.
It took a couple minutes of experimenting with my own body, cutting myself and trying to heal it, but I eventually got the hang of it.
I pressed my hand to her stomach, closing my eyes and focusing on the flow of mana.
A faint warmth spread from my palm into her body, as I tried to guide the healing magic into her wounds.
Slowly, the smaller cuts began to knit shut; deeper wounds darkened, then scabbed over.
I kept going, steadily pushing the healing magic into her body for what felt like forever. Sweat clung to my brow, my arms were shaky and sore from the constant mana pressure.
Finally, I pulled my hands back and admired my work.
She looked nearly as good as new. Only the deep scar across her chest remained. It was a permanent mark, a memory she'd carry for her entire life.
I exhaled, a shaky laugh slipping free. "Not bad," I said, right before I fell backwards.
A second later, the floor hit me and everything went black.
*Some time later*
I woke up with my head pounding.
I mean what do you expect? I was unconscious on the stone floor for like a couple of hours.
For a second, I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to remember how I ended up unconscious again.
After a moment, I finally sat up, and saw her. The beast girl was sitting on the bed, staring out the window, bathed in the morning light.
If I wasn't internally like 25, I would think she was beautiful. Her long grey hair spilled down her sides, accentuating her purple eyes and ears.
The girl looks completely healed.
Once again, if Ryn had this kinda power, why wasn't he mentioned in the story?
Around her, I notice a faint aura of shadow flicker around her, mysterious, but powerful.
"Hey," her voice softly cut through my thoughts. When I glanced back, the strange aura from before was gone.
I exhaled and nodded toward her. "You're awake."
"Yeah." She hesitated, eyes flicking away, blushing, barely enough for me to notice. "I… I thought I was dead. But you saved me."
I rubbed the back of my neck, and said again, "I just did what anyone else would do"
Her ears flattened a little, eyes casting downward, as she repeated the same answer from earlier, "No. Not everyone would do this."
We fell back into the same silence. It was an awkward silence of two people brought together by circumstance. We really didn't know anything about each other.
Then she looked up at me again, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm Sylvie, by the way."
"Ryn," I replied, giving her a small, tired smile. "Glad you're still with us, Sylvie."
She smiled back, blushing slightly.
"Ryn," she repeated. "Weird name. Kinda sounds like someone tried to name a bird."
I blinked. "Okay. First words after almost dying are an insult?"
A quick grin broke across her face. "Just keeping my priorities straight."