The knowledge he had gained from his first fight had proven itself invaluable in his second. Although he did take a hit, he learned a lot about the jackalope’s behavior. The price he had paid for his victory was great though. His left arm laid limp at his side. It felt unfair that although he could not feel his arm to move it, he could very clearly feel the pain throbbing through the limb. An image of silver hair flashed in his subconscious.

Maybe I should go see Lady Kana at the Church of Light, she could probably fix my arm… but that just adds to my growing list of favours and debts. I want to keep going, I want to get stronger.

Yori could not help but think as he looked towards the city that he needed to keep going. It seemed insane considering how injured he already was. With even more difficulty than before, he tied his latest victim to his former.

Perhaps growing up on a farm doing physical labour every day had made him tough. Maybe it was his sheer determination. Whatever it was, something was making Yori able to push passed the pain and keep fighting. Scanning his surroundings, Yori searched for another jackalope. A warm breeze blew the hair out of his eyes, which his hands were not free or currently able to do. It was a small relief, but appreciated none-the-less. Quickly inspecting his bloodied targets tied and carried on his right-hand side, he smirked a bit thinking back to the jackalope that him and Naoki had run from. The both of them got their butts kicked by one, and he had defeated two. Confidence bolstered his thoughts.

If it’s another jackalope I can fight it. I know how to defeat them now.

Yori’s search for a new foe continued. When he did happen across another jackalope grazing, he realized there was a new issue. He still had not figured out how to sneak up on them. Their hearing was too acute for his movements to go unnoticed, no matter how slowly he went. He would have to keep trying though. Surely there had to be some sort of solution. Adventurers slay these kinds of creatures effortlessly every day.

Yori positioned himself so he could approach from behind the jackalope, about fifteen feet away.

Step.

The creature flinched slightly but did not turn towards him. Yori shallowed his breathing as much as possible, being conscious of each and every breath he took. The effort was painful but he tried to ignore the ache.

Step.

The small horned creature in front of him abruptly twisted his head, and then body towards Yori. The boy’s eyes went wide. The attention of the jackalope caused a pressure in his chest, dreading what he assumed came next. Despite all his effort, the cycle seemed to be repeating itself. The jackalope’s superior hearing was too much for Yori to overcome at this point. The monster launched itself, pouncing towards Yori’s left shoulder.

Purely by reflex, Yori raised his right hand, holding his knife in front of his injured left shoulder, blade pointed away from his body. It was the only way he could think of to protect his already heavily bruised limb. Eyes squeezing shut in preparation of intense pain, Yori braced for the contact. He wondered if he was going to lose his arm due to his own stubbornness. The pain came swiftly, but in a form that briefly confused Yori. He had expected to feel the jackalope’s horns hit him, but it had not been horns that he felt. It was the hilt of the blade in his hand. Pain and confusion blended in his mind, making him dizzy. There was no further movement. His blade felt heavy.

Opening his eyes he realized that the rabbit had impaled itself face first on the dagger.

Yes! I did it, and so fast this time! This strategy could work.

Yori allowed himself to feel excited and maybe a little jubilant at his accomplishment. Not only had he not sustained any more injuries from this victory, but he also did it quickly. It seemed that intuitively predicting a creature’s path allowed him to deliver a fast, fatal blow. If he could keep up this efficiency then he would be able to gain experience and bodies to dismantle with minimal effort. This meant getting stronger faster, and hopefully money to repay his debts.

Yori continued applying his strategy and defeating the jackalopes. Rather than sneaking up, he began rushing the creatures, purposefully provoking their attacks. Since he knew where they would aim for, he easily lured them into his trap, and dispatched most of them quickly. He did have to use his left shoulder to bare the brunt of the impact. The pain in his shoulder grew worse and worse. Although his strategy was effective, occasionally his blade would not strike true and would instead deflect off of the creature’s horns. This meant the horned rabbit either fell to the ground or it would deflect and hit Yori, but with much less impact than a direct hit. Regardless, in these situations he would have to reposition and prepare himself for a second attempt.

As the hours ticked by an orange hue was cast across the field that had become Yori’s hunting ground as the day was coming to a close. The sun tucked itself behind the walls of Esaron as night crept closer. Yori knew he had to turn in now. His vision would be compromised at night and he very much needed to get some food other than the dried meat and preserves Mr. and Mrs. Rutherford had given him after his first, and only, day of work. He wondered if they and the Guild Master were upset with him for not appreciating the job that was provided to him. It was not that he did not appreciate it, it was that he felt there was something else he wanted to accomplish.

Besides the physical pain itself, the task that seemed most difficult to overcome at this very moment was tying up the slain jackalopes. With only one good hand, Yori managed to very crudely loop the creatures together. Even after he was finished with his fighting for the day Yori’s arm continued to get more and more painful as it laid limp at his side. He had managed to kill and capture ten jackalopes in total. His first step towards shedding his weakness was a success. He defeated, and subsequently, lost his fear of, a monster.

An image of a toothy grin outlined in green skin came to mind. A bead of sweat rolled down his cheek.

One step at a time.

He could feel the stares and hear the whispers as he re-entered the city. The street was not as busy as in the morning as most people had gone home to eat supper with their families. The eyes of the city guards widened, and one even gave him a smirk and nodded his head in Yori’s direction as he passed. No one asked if he needed help as he made his way back to the Guild. The passersby simply looked him over and went along their way, as if it were normal to see a person in this state r they just did not want to become involved.

In order to make money off the monsters he had slain Yori would have to sell the creature’s body parts. Even if he wanted to, there was no way he could break down the corpses with his injuries. Not to mention he had no idea which parts were valuable. He decided to bring them to the Adventurers’ Guild, where they offered rendering services. Yori hoped that this would be worth enough money so he could afford the entrance fee for joining the Guild as an Adventurer. That way he could form or join a party and start accepting quests.

Through the thick wooden doors of the Guild he could hear Adventurers laughing and cheering, telling stories of their victories. Another mention of a dangerous beast loose near the city. The place seemed quite loud as everyone ate their meals and drank their ale in celebration of that day’s adventures. Yori rested his shoulder on the door, unable to use his free hand to grip the handle. He traced the metalwork that outlined the door with his eyes that acted as both decoration and reinforcement while he gathered the strength to push the heavy object. Opening the door slowly, he placed his foot on the stone floor of the Guild, dragging his own victories behind him towards the reception desk. Elina stood behind the counter with a bewildered look on her face that morphed into sadness.

A hush overcame the rowdy crowd. A gruff looking Adventurer with a large, coarse beard briefly made eye contact with him before looking away. The man gingerly lowered the mug of pale-yellow ale in his hand to the wood table in front of him, attempting not to make any noise.

A somber, pitying air enveloped the air of the high-ceilinged room.

Only Yori’s footsteps and the dragging of the jackalopes echoed from the rafters above. Any amount of pity brought him pain, but this level also brought him shame. He could tell they all saw his weakness. Looking around, Yori knew that every one of them was leagues stronger than him, including the rookies. They could beat a jackalope without an ounce of effort. Yori had been so proud of himself for what he had accomplished today, but this realization made all this newfound confidence come crashing down. He was a lizard playing at being a dragon.

From behind the counter it was easy to see the sadness on Elina’s face. Her unusually long ears seemed to droop down, something Yori did not even realize was possible. As Yori approached she unclenched her hands from in front of her and gripped the side of the counter that separated them. Her normally stoic visage broke in a wash of concern for the boy.

“Are you ok, Yori!? What happened? Did the farm get attacked by jackalopes!? How-“

For an instant Yori kind of chuckled to himself at the thought of Elina thinking he just had terrible luck. He cleared his throat and lifted the belt that tied the jackalopes.

“I would like to sell these corpses, but I’m not sure where to get them processed. Could you point me towards the rendering facility please?”

“Haaa- You went seeking them out didn’t you. And so many. Very well, follow me.”

Elina let out a sigh as she briefly looked over the dead rabbit-like creatures. She figured him out in an instant. She was used to Adventurers returning from a day of conflicts with battle scars in her line of work. Elina closed her eyes and sighed once again, furrowing her brow before coming around to Yori’s side of the counter. Exiting the Guild building, she led Yori to a neighboring shop just next door. A sign hung above the entrance emblazoned with a cleaver and a chunk of meat.

The air in the shop was stale and smelled of blood. The mounted head of a large, black feline stared back at Yori, sending a chill down his spine. It’s yellow slitted eyes reflected the the boy’s rough visage. It looked almost familiar to him. Other creature’s mounted heads covered the walls to either side of the front counter. There was an open doorway behind the counter on the right. A very cold air poured from that room, leaving the storefront quite chilly. Goosebumps rose on Yori’s arm and he shivered slightly from the cool air.

“Garl, I brought you a new customer, so get up here!”

“Aye! I’m comin’, I’m comin’! Just gotta’ wash up a bit ‘ere. Be wit’ ya’ in a moment.”

Elina yelled in the direction of the open door. Yori was taken aback by her gruff way of speaking to the proprietor. She was always so kind to him, after all. He heard some shuffling coming from the backroom and a small bang. The sound of splashing followed, as well as fast-paced footsteps. The shop owner emerged soon after. The stout man walked passed the counter to look Yori up and down. Once he had a good look, the gruff man walked behind the counter and seemed to elevate himself with a stool or step ladder.

“What can I do for ya’, lad? And lady, o’ course.”

He nodded politely towards Elina as he addressed her. Garl was a short man, seemingly middle aged like the Guild Master, and similarly covered in scars. The man was also quite stalky, his arms being as big around as Yori’s head. Garl’s massive gray beard was neatly woven into a braid. An off-white apron adorned his torso and waist. Blood splattered across it and the beard that dangled in front. He looked like he could easily best any of the monsters he rendered. He splayed his massive hand on the faded wood counter in front of him. The wood looked extremely worn in the middle, tinted red from the blood of the many creatures that had passed through this facility.

“Excuse me sir, I uh… I have some jackalopes I was hoping to sell…”

Yori’s confidence was shot. He stumbled over his words as he struggled to make even the simplest sentences. The heads of the mounted monsters that surrounded him all seemed to be mocking him. Yori almost turned tail and left out of embarrassment.

Why would anyone that is used to working with such incredible monsters care about a few pests that I killed?

“O’ course, my boy. Let me have a look at what you have there…”

Pulling the belted creatures onto the counter, Yori placed them in the stained section in the middle.

“Ah, some jackalopes. Right, well, I can give ya’ 1 copper piece each for these.”