Chapter 3: Field
The tavern boomed with cheers and laughter–in an instant almost every drink was raised, only to be chugged down as quickly they were made. The front counter was empty, however; Enna cleaning out a cup behind the counter, only me to sit and drown in my own thoughts.
"Don't be getting mopey now," She exclaimed, leaning over the counter and giving a brief smile, "Wouldn't want the whole tavern to feel bad for you."
"No, it's not-"
She cut me off, "What's got you down?"
"I'm not sad. I'm glad she's awake, but I don't know if this is right. You know- for us. Here."
"If you mean the training, then I don't think you have much of a choice. It's not every day you find someone unknown to the Arts. I'm afraid even the weakest foe still sees you as prey in your current state."
"So what do I do?"
"You try."
Only a brief moment of silence appeared before Rikka stepped down the stairs, instantly turning and sitting beside me. She slouched, quickly leaning back on the stool and stretching, right before collapsing to the counter with a great yawn.
"Rikka!" Enna blurted, now wiping down the very counter we sat at, "You're not asleep yet?"
"It wouldn't be the first time I've stayed up late." Enna gently lifted Rikka's head, nudging her arms off to the side and briskly wiping the surface of the counter down before dropping her head back in place. Rikka let off a slight tick; her eyes so narrow you could barely tell they were open. "I only came to get Eren."
"Get me?" I responded.
"You need rest. Those critters sucked your energy away like a vampire."
"What about Yumi?"
"She's sleeping now. We'll likely have her start training tomorrow as well."
"About that-" I cut myself off.
"What is it?"
"I'm- I'm not sure we should have her train. I can't help but feel it's my fault we're in this situation — I can't have her take part of the burden." Rikka didn't say a word.
"Well," Enna chimed in, "Don't you feel it would be more of a burden if she wasn't helping? It would be best to let her decide — your friends, after all."
A slight sigh escaped me, but I knew she was right. "I'll head up now… but thanks."
"Don't worry about it," Enna stated, "have a good night's rest."
As I began to head to the room, all I could think about was Yumi. How she almost died; How she did die. Before I knew it, I was already standing before her bed — passed out with the silver strand of hair, as if a mark of death.
* * *
Sharply did I turn — my stamina almost at its limit as a creature jumped from the nearby brush. My knife swiftly swung into its side — so hard that I nearly fell over. But before I could blink, it's corpse exploded into bright blue shards as I collapsed to the ground.
"Well," I heard Rikka begin, "I can already see improvement from you."
"Not enough, though." I said, gasping for breath as I began to stand.
"Don't push it — they've already bitten you several times. It's best if you rest for a while."
As much as I wanted to continue, to get stronger, my body couldn't help but turn to mush as Rikka sat down beside me.
"I have a question," I asked, "why do they never attack you?"
She seemed a bit confused at the question, but nevertheless she answered it, "Because they know they can't win."
"What do you mean?"
"Sure, most monsters aren't what we would consider 'intelligent,' but they can sense runes — basically a meter for a creature's power."
"So if you have more runes than them, they won't try and attack you?"
"Most of the time. Again, these creatures aren't intelligent. They go for who they want to, but they still have common sense."
"So, might I ask how to get these 'runes?'"
"Every creature is born with runes — all taken from a fraction of their parents' power. When you kill a creature, those 'shards' are, in a sense, crystallized runes."
In an instant, my brain lit up as if I got a second wind, "I think I've gotten enough rest, we can start again."
"No, I wouldn't recommend doing that. While all creatures are born with runes, you have a shockingly low amount — probably in the single digits."
"What? Are you saying-"
"-These 'monsters' don't usually attack people. You might actually be the first to have accomplished that."
Hearing that felt as if someone had tugged on my heart, but I didn't let that get to me, "I Guess I just have to train more, then."
* * *
As I entered our room, I was greeted by Yumi sitting on the side of her bed – drinking out of a small, clear glass. Upon seeing me, she quickly placed it on the nearby counter, and giving a swift smile, "Welcome back."
"Feeling better?" I asked, briskly sitting beside her and leaning back, "I don't want you to hurt yourself."
"You're one to talk," She exclaimed, gently rubbing her hand against the bruises on my face, "You should rest more. I don't know what I'd do if you were killed."
Her hand caressed my face, gently following the scratch and bruise marks littering my cheek, "Sorry. I'll be more careful next time."
"I know you just got back, but could I ask a question?"
"Shoot."
"Have we- have we still found no way back home? Do we have to fight here? Train?" I could hear the silent woe in her voice, sounding as if she'd held back tears.
"We haven't," I blurted, "But we're together – that's all that matters. We'll find a way back, I promise."
She let out a slight chuckle, slightly leaning on my shoulder as she spoke, "Okay. I trust you."
It was only then did I begin to feel safe. A crude form, as if a nick struck through it – an insecure, untrustworthy form. I knew danger was everywhere, and I could feel it, but for a brief moment, I was safe. I was happy. But despite that, I couldn't help but think about what to do. Do we tell people our situation? Would that make it worse?
We had been going under the alibi of memory loss from when we were in the alley, and it seems to be working. Only god knows how long we can keep it up, though. Almost to my shock, the door began to creak open again as Rikka peered in, "Are you both feeling alright?" She asked, stepping inside and quickly leaning against the wall.
"Yeah, we're fine."
"That's good," She blurted, almost cutting me off before I could finish. She didn't look at us – only towards the floor, "I'll be leaving soon."
"Leaving?" Yumi questioned, "To where?"
"I have work to do in a nearby city; I'll be heading over there in about a week's time. Before that, I'd like to train you both as much as I can."
"We- we can't go with you?" Yumi asked, her voice slightly breaking between words.
"No. It would be too dangerous for you- it would be better to go our own ways. Both of you have no idea what's out there; they'll eat you alive." Hearing those words, Yumi slightly shuffled closer towards me – whilst I was too stricken to speak. Rikka let out a sigh, all before pacing towards the bed and sitting besides us. "It's not like this was out of the blue. We can't be together forever."
"I know…" I murmured, quickly turning my head towards her, "I won't let your teachings go to waste."
"Good. Tomorrow will likely be our final day of training, and we'll get Yumi used to using a weapon. After that, we'll go into something similar to a final test. Get your sleep, it's a big day tomorrow; for both of you."
Rikka glared at us for a moment longer just before turning and gently closing the door. Yumi looked up at me with a stare that spoke a novel – She was scared. Truth be told, so was I, I'm just better at hiding my pain.
* * *
Yumi stood to my side – her leg slightly bent over, having limped out into the fields where Rikka had been training me. I insisted on helping her, but she refused. A sense of pride or urge of survival being the only reasons I can think of why. Earlier today, Rikka handed a wooden bow to Yumi; despite her lack of training, she still brought us out to the field.
The day was just like any other, with the ruthless training and constant bites from the rodents. Yumi's first few shots consisted of them either falling to the ground or launching way off into the distance. As for me, on the other hand, I found myself growing more and more in sync – as if my eyes have grown as sharp as an eagles, or my speed to that of a cheetahs.
Almost every murine that found its way towards me would be hit to the side before it could bite. That being said, with every that did get past, my energy would fall flat until I could barely stand. Rikka stayed mostly with Yumi, making sure she never got too injured whilst also providing lessons to her craft.
It didn't take a scientist to see she was scared. Her hands were almost never steady – movements rash and uncontrolled. If anything, I wanted her to stop. For me to take up her mantle, so she didn't have to fight at all. But perhaps that would be more cruel than putting her on the field.
One after the other, a rodent would die. Slowly but surely, all the way until no more made their way towards me. Until they backed away instead of recklessly jumping towards me. Until I've passed their level.
Upon seeing this, Rikka let out a smile. One so genuine I could almost gleefully collapse. I did it. Though, I didn't celebrate. I couldn't let out anymore than a slight smirk, as I knew it would only get harder from this point on. Now is when our journey really starts.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Saurx
Saurx Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
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