“You don’t have any boon on you do you short stuff?” Asked the Dawn of Fate.

“What IF I don’t?” Asked Luminous. “Are you going to tell on me?”

“Well, you heard dog breath there. He was all like, I have a very particular set of skills, skills I’ve acquired throughout my career. Skills for dealing with people like you. I will look for you, and I will find you, and I will kill you.” Said the Dawn of Fate. “I mean, hasn’t your dad ever taught you that it’s wrong to lie? Or is he just that kind of cad?”

“I don’t have a dad.” Said Luminous.

“Oh…” Said the Dawn of Fate. “I uhh..”

“It doesn't bother me, can’t miss someone I never knew.”

Luminous walked behind Barrett keeping in step with him. She watched his red hood blowing in the night wind along with the red leaves that fell off their trees, only to be stepped on mercilessly by his thick boots.

Barrett also had a bedroll strapped to his side, along with a huge jagged grate sword strapped to his back along with a bow and some arrows, and a satchel with who knows what inside it. When he said he was going in prepared, he meant it.

“So…you get to go camping a lot?” Asked Luminous, looking at the bedroll. “I mean, is that what made you become a tracker?”

But Barrett didn't talk to Luminous. He just kept the blue cloth Master Mouse gave her clutched in his hand, occasionally stopping to smell it before changing directions.

“Are you picking up the wizard's scent in that cloth?” Asked Luminous. “You know, I’ve heard that some people have children with animals and that those children are a mix of both animal and human. Is that true? Can that really happen? Like, are you part hound dog or something?”

Barrett stopped dead in his tracks before turning around. His eyes twitch.

“Don’t you dare call me a dirty half breed!” Barrett snapped showing his sharp teeth. “Do I look like I’m part animal to you?!”

Luminous froze where she was, staring up at the tall hunter. She could see that there was nothing animalistic about Barrett in appearance.

“I..uh..no...it’s just…”

“Any tracker knows how to utilize their senses unless they're incompetent! Do I look incompetent to you?”

“N..No!”

“So don’t you dare call me a half bread again!” Growled Barrett before turning around and continuing forward.

Luminous stood in the middle of the pathway staring at Barrett’s red hood as it continued to sway.

“Wow, you just don’t know when to stop, do you short stuff?” Said the Dawn of Fate. “I would be angry with you if you haggled me like that, then had the gall to call me a half-breed.”

“What’s so bad about being a half bread?”

“You don’t know how dangerous half-breeds are?” Asked the Dawn of Fate. “Just how sheltered are you?”

“Be quiet.” Breathed Barrett.

“Ya, ya, I know, you’re not a half bread. I get it. I'm sorry.” Said Luminous.

“No, I mean, just be quiet,” Barrett whispered, holding his muscular arm up in front of her. “You hear that?”

“Grr!”

Luminous faintly heard growling somewhere in front of her. Then she spotted it, a bear hunched over behind a bush in front of them.

“Finkeker?” Asked Barrett looking at the bear.

“Knew him?” Asked the Dawn of Fate.

“He’s just another hunter who hangs around the Tavern Den. But, he doesn't usually work alone, he is in a group with a tall woman named Azure, and her hyperactive boyfriend Boi.” Said Barrett, not taking his gaze off of the bear. “What’s he doing alone out here?”

“Hey there, are you lost?” Asked Luminous waving at the bear. “Do you need help?”

Luminous took a step forward. The bear turned towards her; his red eyes peering into her soul.

“Grr!”

Luminous stopped walking. The looks of the bear sending chill down her spine.

“Don’t move a muscle.” Said the Dawn of Fate. “He’s been corrupted.”

Barrett looked at Finker unsure of what was wrong with him.

“Corrupt...?”

The bear barreled towards Luminous and Barrett, and in no time was right on top of them. The corrupted bear stood his full ten feet. A paw lifted up in the air to strike Luminous down. She didn't have the time to do anything but stare.

Barrett jumped in front of Luminous holding his black jagged sword up to block. The corrupted bear hit the sword sending Barrett tumbling across the dirt ground, his sword flew in the air until it stuck in a tree behind him.

“Barrett!” Yelled Luminous looking at the tall hunter on the ground.

“Short stuff look…!”

The corrupted bear lifted his paw to strike again, but this time Luminous blocked. The weight of the strike pushed her down to the dirt floor.

“I thought my legs were going to break for a second there.” Luminous heaved, being pinned underneath the sword.

“Dagnabbit! What were you thinking?!” Yelled the Dawn of Fate. “You should have dogged! If the huge tank of a hunter couldn't withstand blocking this thing, what made you think you could?!”

“I...I’m a hero?” Stuttered Luminous.

“*sigh* okay kid, I know one way to get him off, but I’m not optimistic since Soul Connect didn't work…”

The corrupt kept pushing his paw on the sword; his mouth of teeth chomping at Luminous who was pinned underneath.

“Just tell me!” Yelled Luminous.

“Okay, just breath in and focus on the core of your gut.” Said the Dawn of Fate. “Point me right at the corrupt…”

Luminous positioned the sword to point at the corrupted bear best she could while being pinned.

“Okay,” Said the Dawn of Fate. “...and if the Blade Synchronization works…”

Suddenly the blade of the Dawn of Fate expanded five times bigger than it already was, cutting a chunk of the corrupted bear's arm off. The bear stumbled backward whining.

“Son of a sly fox, you did it! You actually did it!” Cheered the Dawn of Fate. “I mean terrible aim, but...we can work on that!”

“Ya, look at that…” Luminous painted, her tiny arms shaking under the weight of the enormous blade. “...I…GrAhh!”

Luminous lost her grip on the heavy sword. The Dawn of Fate’s vermillion blade stuck into the dirt ground.

“Dagnabbit what now!?” Yelled the Dawn of Fate.

Grabbing the navy blue handle with both hands, Luminous tried to heave the sword off the ground.

“It’s not my fault, It’s just you put on so much weight that I can’t GAHHH!…”

But no matter how hard Luminous pulled the sword wouldn’t budge.

“Grr!”

The corrupt bear appeared right by Luminous, his claws were inches from her face. She shut her blue eyes tight thinking this was the end.

“GrrrHaa Haa!”

Luminous opened up her eyes again to see the bear staggering away from her with an arrow stuck in his paw. Luminous looked behind her to see Barrett standing there with a bow in his hand.

“That’s right Finker you big tank! I’ve never liked you anyway!” Yelled Barret waving his bow in the air. “I was always sick of your sickly sweet jolly giant act, so if you want to mess with me and my clients then eat this!”

Barrett knocked another arrow in his bow pointing it at the corrupted bear. But the corrupted bear went back to mindlessly staggering over towards Luminous.

“Hey! Don’t you ignore me when I’m shooting you!” Screamed Barrett.

Luminous saw the bear staggering towards her and took off running. Dragging the enormous, heavy Dawn of Fate along the dirt ground with her.

“Oww! Oww! Rocks!” Yelled the sword.

“Well then, change back!” Yelled Luminous. “I can’t lift you!”

“Can’t change back! You have to do that!”

“What?! How?! I’m not doing it, to begin with!”

“But you are! You have to... Duck!”

The corrupt bear slashed at Luminous again, Luminous ducked behind the humongous sword. The corrupt huge claws hit the sword so hard that he knocked it out of the girls’ hands sending the girl and the sword flying. Luminous tiny back hit the trunk of the tree with a thud.

“Oww..” Luminous writhed in pain as she slid down to the base of the breach tree.

“Come on short stuff get up!” Screamed the Dawn of Fate from the dirt ground.

Shaking Luminous looked up at the corrupted bear towering above her. The bear lifted his paw to strike. When another arrow stuck into the bear's snout.

“GrrAhh!”

The corrupt growled in pain. Barrett quickly notched his bow again. Taking a deep breath he spoke.

“The world is a field so beautiful and wide, but I can’t run with this thorn stuck in my side!”

The arrow's feathers flatted at the spoken enchantment. Barrett let go of the string. The arrow flew past the corrupted bear, missing him completely. Barrett held the bow like remote control, as if being controlled by a string the arrow turned back around striking the bear’s tough skin.

Barrett continued firing his enchanted arrows off one by one rapidly until the bear fell backward onto the ground.

Barrett then pulled his great sword from his side. Running up to the corrupted bear he swung the large jagged sword at his head. The bear didn't even flinch as the sword collided with his huge face.

The bear grabbed Barrett's giant weapon with one paw. Barrett’s eyes widened staring back into the corrupted bear's eyes.

“You’re not Finker...what are…”

But before Barrett knew it the bear used the sword he grabbed onto to flip him over. Barrett's red hood filtered in the air as he smashed into the ground.

“Aghh..”

Barrett arched his back trying to get air back into his lunges, his wide eyes staring up at the starry sky as they watered. The bear went to strike the braided brown-haired teen again.

“Don’t you touch him!” Luminous heaved, lifting the Dawn of Fate an inch off the ground. “He’s my friend!”

The small girl wobbled with the huge sword in her grip. The blade fell forward, slashing the bear across his body.

The corrupted creature stood there for a moment like it was trying to process what had happened, before turning into black dust that scattered to the forest floor.

Luminous and Barrett were left panting, staring at the pile of ash. The Dawn of Fate turned back from his humongous form to his regularly big form.

“Oh, so now you shrink so I can handle you?” Painted Luminous.

“It’s not my fault you can’t handle big swords.”Said the Dawn of Fate. “Plus I’m not controlling it. There is something you did wrong when you connect with me. You have worse control over your sword than a teenage boy does.”

“Well, what do I do to fix that?” Asked Luminous.

“I don’t know dagnabit, this is the first time I’ve had this problem with anyone before.” Snapped the Dawn of Fate. “And to be honest, it was slightly embracing.”

“What was that?” Painted Barrett continuing to look at the big pile of ash. “That wasn't Finker, I mean it kind of looked like him but…”

“As I said, corrupt.” answered the Dawn of Fate. “It’s what happens when a being gives into the darkness of their hearts desires. They submit to the crow king's will and become a part of his army.”

“You knew him?” Asked Luminous. “You kept saying his name was...Finker?”

Barrett shook his head, his long braid hair swaying with the movement.

“Not as much as Azure did…”

“Who?” Asked Luminous.

“She is, she’s just...nevermind, she's not important.”

Barrett looked over towards Luminous, she had cuts across her skin that started to bleed. Her shorts and button top were war-torn, and her hair was cut lopsided and in a mess. There was also the fact that she looked exhausted, and to be honest so was he.

“You know what, Vainglorious doesn't smell too far away from, wherever he is.” Said Barrett dropping the sleeping bag to the ground. “Let’s take a long rest.”