Inside the dimly lit cottage, the atmosphere was tense. The boss stood over the wooden table, his arms folded, eyes fixed on the map spread before him. Stubby, Angelo, and Toru surrounded him, each of them focused, their expressions ranging from concern to deep contemplation.
The boss traced his finger along a section of the map. "This is where we are." His voice was steady, measured. Then, moving his hand further, he pointed to a winding road. "And this is the path leading to Balmount Kingdom."
Angelo, brow furrowed, studied the map. "Boss, something doesn't add up."
The boss glanced at him, waiting.
"The knights claim there have been robberies here." Angelo tapped the road on the map. "But why haven't they done anything about it?" His voice was sharp. "And look—this path isn't even close to where we are. If we were the ones stealing, how would we get past all these guard stations?"
Stubby, arms crossed, shot him a look. "How do you know about those?"
Angelo didn't flinch. "Because before we settled here, the king issued an order. Knights were stationed along this road, especially because of the rising beast attacks."
The boss nodded slowly. "That's true. The king wanted safe passage for merchants. It was a big deal back then."
"Exactly," Angelo continued. "So tell me—how are travelers still being attacked? If the knights are stationed where they claim to be, how are bandits getting through?"
Stubby's expression darkened. "You think the knights are lying?"
"I think they know who's really doing it," Angelo said. "And instead of handling the problem, they're looking for someone to blame."
Silence filled the room.
Toru, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke. "We haven't been near that road in a long time." He hesitated. "Except one of us."
The room shifted. All eyes turned to Toru.
Stubby narrowed his eyes. "You."
Toru raised his hands in defense. "What? I haven't done anything."
"You're the only one who's been traveling to the kingdom and back," Angelo pointed out, a knowing smirk creeping onto his face.
Stubby chuckled. "Been sneaking off to meet a woman, haven't you?"
Toru's face reddened. "I—what? No! That's not—"
The boss smirked. "Then what about those letters you've been hiding?"
Angelo barely held back a laugh. "Love letters, right?"
Toru groaned. "You told them?" He shot Angelo a glare.
Stubby leaned in, shaking his head in mock disappointment. "If only I could get a love letter from a woman."
The boss cleared his throat, cutting through the laughter. "Enough. This isn't the time for love stories." Toru muttered something under his breath, but the boss continued, serious once more. "Have you noticed anything unusual while traveling?"
Toru shrugged. "Nothing. No knights. No bandits. Just the usual travelers and merchants."
The boss frowned. "That's strange."
Stubby's expression hardened. "So what do we do now? The knights won't do their jobs, and they're trying to pin this on us."
The boss's gaze sharpened as he looked over the map again. "We catch them in the act."
Toru raised an eyebrow. "And how do we do that? You think they'll just attack in front of us?"
Angelo smirked. "Can you climb a tree, Toru?"
Toru shot him a flat look. "I'm not climbing a damn tree."
The boss ignored them, focused. "We'll take some of the men and split into teams. We set up near the path, stay hidden, and watch. The moment we see something, we move."
Stubby grunted. "And if they don't show?"
"Then we keep waiting," the boss said. "If we don't figure this out, we're dead men walking."
Angelo nodded. "Makes sense. But what about the kid?"
Stubby immediately frowned. "No. We're not dragging a kid into this."
Angelo smirked. "He's not just any kid. He's a fox beastkin. You saw what he did back at the camp. He's stronger than most of us."
Stubby wasn't convinced. "That doesn't mean we should throw him into a fight."
Toru crossed his arms. "We don't even know what he's capable of."
The boss exhaled. "We'll test him." His tone left no room for argument. "If he wants to fight, he fights. If he doesn't, we leave him out of it."
Stubby sighed in reluctant agreement.
Angelo smirked. "You just don't want to admit the kid might be stronger than you."
Stubby shot him a glare. "Shut up."
The boss leaned back, his expression unreadable. "If we don't act, we'll be hunted down like animals. We stop this before it starts."
No one argued. Because they all knew the boss was right.
Elara and Raphael returned, walking through the familiar grounds of their hideout. As usual, it was Elara doing most of the talking, her cheerful voice filling the air while Raphael listened in silence. But the moment they stepped closer, the air shifted as loud shouts, laughter, and the unmistakable sound of wood crashing against wood filled the space.
Elara frowned. "What's going on now?"
Raphael, his ears twitching, was already looking ahead. A large group of men had gathered in a circle, all shouting and cheering as two figures clashed in the center. The moment they got close enough to see, Elara's eyes widened.
It was the boss and Stubby.
Both were shirtless, drenched in sweat, muscles tense as they clashed with wooden swords. The boss moved with sharp precision, his every step calculated, while Stubby countered with raw, brute strength, his attacks relentless. The force of their strikes sent echoes through the air as wood cracked against wood.
Angelo stood at the edge, arms crossed, a smirk on his face as he watched. Elara tapped his shoulder, forcing him to turn. "What's all this?" she asked.
Angelo leaned in, barely audible over the noise. "Stubby challenged the boss again. Said last time didn't count."
Elara groaned, rubbing her temple. "Of course he did."
Raphael, meanwhile, had his eyes locked on the fight, watching every movement.
Stubby lunged forward, swinging his wooden sword in a powerful arc, aiming to break through the boss's guard. But the boss sidestepped at the last second, tilting his head just enough for the wooden blade to skim past his ear. A few strands of his hair fluttered to the ground.
The men erupted into laughter.
"Close one, boss!" someone shouted.
The boss, unfazed, grinned. "That all you got?"
Stubby didn't answer. He didn't need to. Instead, he charged, bringing his sword down with enough force to crack the ground if it were real steel. But again, the boss was quicker—he pivoted on his heel and slammed his wooden blade into Stubby's wrist, nearly making him drop the weapon.
But Stubby was nothing if not stubborn. Ignoring the pain, he twisted his grip and swung from below, forcing the boss to leap back. Before his feet could fully touch the ground, Stubby was already moving again, throwing a heavy kick straight for his ribs.
The boss barely managed to block with his arm, skidding back a few inches. He let out a small grunt, shaking his arm. Stubby grinned. "That one hurt, didn't it?"
The boss rolled his shoulder. "Maybe a little." Then, without warning, he darted forward, closing the distance faster than anyone expected.
Stubby raised his sword to defend, but he was half a second too slow. The boss slammed his foot into Stubby's shin, making him stumble, and in the same motion, he brought his sword up, striking Stubby's weapon with such force that a loud crack filled the air.
Stubby's wooden sword snapped in half.
The entire crowd went silent.
Stubby stared at the broken handle in his hand, breathing heavily. He still had a piece of it, but it wouldn't last another hit.
The boss twirled his sword, resting it on his shoulder. "You wanna keep going?"
Stubby let out a breath, adjusting his grip on what was left of his sword. He was beaten, but damn if he was going down without trying. With a small grin, he lunged forward, aiming for the boss's head one last time.
The boss sidestepped effortlessly and, before Stubby could react, he brought his sword down, stopping just an inch from Stubby's neck.
The fight was over.
For a second, no one moved. Then the camp exploded with cheers.
Angelo chuckled, shaking his head. "That's a loss, Stubby."
Stubby, still panting, let out a deep sigh. Then, with a tired grin, he held out his hand. The boss smirked, gripping it firmly before raising Stubby's arm in the air. The men cheered even louder, some laughing, some groaning as they exchanged lost bets.
Elara sighed in relief, though she still wore a small frown. Raphael, meanwhile, remained wide-eyed, completely absorbed in the fight he had just witnessed.
As the dust settled from the intense spar, the boss and Stubby sat beneath the shade of a nearby tree, catching their breath. The heat of the fight still lingered in their aching muscles, their bodies slick with sweat and dust. Stubby winced as he pressed a cloth to his chest, where the boss had landed a solid hit. The boss, equally battered, tied a strip of fabric around a cut on his arm, his expression unreadable as he focused on securing the knot.
The camp around them remained lively—men training, voices shouting, the familiar rhythm of wooden swords clashing filling the air. It was business as usual, but the two fighters were momentarily still, lost in the quiet that followed their brutal match.
Then came the voice that neither of them could ignore.
"Why must everything with you men always involve violence?"
Elara's sharp tone sliced through the noise, drawing immediate attention. She stood before them, arms crossed, her glare shifting between the boss and Stubby.
The boss, ever unfazed, merely smirked. "It's not about violence, Elara. We just needed to settle things. It was part of the plan."
Her eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What plan?"
Before the boss could respond, Stubby—grinning through his pain—cut in with his usual playful charm. "Come on, Elara," he said, pushing himself up with effort. "You know how it is."
He took a step toward her, flashing the teasing smile that usually got under her skin. And just as expected, her expression hardened instantly.
Without a moment's hesitation, she lifted her foot and drove it straight into his stomach.
The impact sent Stubby stumbling back with a dramatic groan, doubling over as he clutched his gut. "That hurt, you know," he wheezed, though the grin never fully left his face.
The boss chuckled but didn't bother helping him up. He knew better.
Elara, however, was unamused. She sighed heavily, kneeling beside Stubby and snatching the bandage from his hand. "You always push yourself too much," she muttered, shaking her head as she began wrapping it around his arm.
Stubby stopped moving.
The usual teasing remark that would've come so naturally to him… never came. Instead, he just sat there, watching her.
Her hands worked with practiced ease, firm but careful. There was no hesitation in her touch, no annoyance in her movements—just quiet, focused care.
"You need to be more careful," she said, softer this time.
Stubby swallowed. Something in his chest tightened, an unfamiliar weight pressing against his ribs. He wasn't used to this. He had spent years being yelled at, teased, shoved around by her, but this? This was different.
And the boss noticed.
He leaned back, arms crossed, watching the scene unfold with mild amusement. Elara, too focused on her task, didn't immediately notice the way both men were staring at her.
"What?" she snapped, finally looking up.
Stubby blinked. His mouth opened slightly, but no words came out. He just stared at her, like he was trying to figure something out—something that had been right in front of him all along but had only just now made itself clear.
The boss smirked, unable to resist. "I didn't realize you cared so much about Stubby."
Elara's face turned red instantly. "I was just helping because he was hurt. That's all," she said quickly, her voice firm. Too firm.
Stubby exhaled sharply, finally regaining himself. He forced a grin, though it wasn't quite as cocky as before. "Didn't think you cared so much," he said, echoing the boss's words with a teasing edge, though his voice betrayed something deeper.
Elara rolled her eyes. "I don't. You're just too reckless for your own good. Someone has to look after you."
Stubby froze.
That did something to him.
The boss saw it the second it happened—that split-second change in Stubby's expression, the flicker of something raw passing through his usually relaxed features.
Stubby quickly covered it up, but it was too late. He had already felt it, and he knew it wasn't going away anytime soon.
The boss, ever the troublemaker, leaned in slightly. "Is that so?"
Elara's embarrassment doubled. "Don't start," she snapped, standing up a little too fast.
Stubby let out a short laugh, but it wasn't quite right. It wasn't the usual, easygoing sound. It was quieter. Almost… unsure.
He flexed his fingers, testing the bandage, then looked up at her. His usual smirk faltered for just a second. "Thanks, Elara."
She hesitated. Just for a moment. But before she could say anything, a sudden uproar of cheering erupted from the other side of the camp.
All three of them turned their heads toward the noise, curiosity flashing in their eyes.
"Who are they cheering for now?" Elara asked, quick to latch onto the distraction.
Stubby exhaled, rolling his shoulders as if shaking something off. "Guess we're about to find out." But even as he stood up, his fingers brushed over the bandage on his arm, his mind lingering on her words far longer than he wanted to admit.