Chase and Vyke hurried through the dense foliage, the distant, frustrated roar of the green lizard still vibrating through the soles of their boots. Vyke, despite his complaints about the long hours, was no stranger to Chase's stubbornness—Chase was the kind of man who would try to punch a mountain if he thought there was a copper coin buried inside it.
Vyke stopped in a small clearing, crossing his arms over his oversized, star-dusted sweater. He adjusted his gold earrings, which jingled with a skeptical rhythm. His pale, green-tinted eyes narrowed, scanning Chase with the precision of a jeweler looking for a crack in a gemstone.
"Hold on, Chase," Vyke said, his voice suspiciously calm. "We've been out here for exactly forty-five minutes. Usually, I have to drag you away from monster dens by your ankles while you're still trying to loot teeth off things that are very much alive. Why are we leaving?"
Chase didn't stop moving, tossing his dull blade from his right hand to his left to hide the fact that his palm was still stinging from the 'Clang' that had nearly dislocated his shoulder. "I told you! It's your lucky day. You're always whining about your 'delicate constitution' and how the forest air messes with your hair. I'm being a pal. A great pal. The best pal you've ever had."
"You're being a 'great pal'?" Vyke repeated, his eyebrow arching so high it nearly disappeared into his silver fringe. "The last time you were a 'great pal,' you tried to convince me that the Spirit Realm was actually a giant spa so I'd help you carry your gear. You hate leaving early. You hate leaving, period, if your bag isn't bursting at the seams."
Chase spun around, plastering a grin on his face that was about 40% genuine and 60% panic. He reached into his pouch and pulled out three small, glowing mana stones—hardly a fortune, but enough to pay for a decent meal and maybe a whetstone.
"Look at these beauties!" Chase exclaimed, waving the pebbles as if they were dragon hearts. "I hit a vein of high-quality stones back there. A real haul. Since I've already collected a legendary amount—enough to satisfy even my high standards—and since I know how much you loathe the outdoors, I decided to be considerate. We're going home early because I care about your well-being, Vyke. Truly."
Vyke looked at the three measly stones, then at Chase's slightly trembling knees, and then back at the stones.
"Chase," Vyke said flatly. "That green lizard kicked your ass, didn't it?"
Chase gasped, a hand flying to his chest in a display of wounded warrior-poet energy. "Kicked my ass? Vyke, please. I was analyzing its structural integrity. I 'Clanged' off that scale on purpose to test the reverberation of my blade. It's a scientific method you wouldn't understand because you're too busy worrying about your skincare routine."
He tucked the three meager mana stones back into his pouch with the flourish of a man depositing a king's ransom. "The lizard is actually lucky I had a sudden surge of empathy for its species. I looked into its cold, reptilian eyes and thought, 'Chase, you've already won. Why humiliate the poor creature further?' So, I gave it a head start and used a smoke bomb to facilitate my humble exit."
Vyke stared at the black soot still smudged across Chase's forehead. "You used a smoke bomb to 'facilitate an exit' from a fight you were winning?"
"It's called theatrics, Vyke! A true Hunter knows that the exit is just as important as the entrance," Chase retorted, beginning to walk at a pace that was dangerously close to a jog. "And honestly, I'm offended. I'm literally giving you the gift of an early evening—time you can spend brushing your hair—and you're standing here interrogating me like I'm some kind of amateur who just got his sword bounced off a mid-tier forest mob."
He paused, glancing over his shoulder at the dark treeline where the heavy thump-thump-thump of footsteps was beginning to grow louder.
"Anyway, we should probably keep moving," Chase added, his voice jumping an octave. "Not because I'm scared, but because the mana stones are... uh... light-sensitive. Yeah. If they stay in the forest air too long, they lose their shine. Move it, Vyke! My generosity has a deadline!"
"Do I look like an idiot to you, Chase?" Vyke asked, sounding annoyed. "You may have fooled me a few times, but it won't work again. And you'd better have gotten a permit for us to be monster hunting this time; I'm not paying any more fines because of you."
"Yes, yes, I got permission this time! You don't have to be so salty about that incident all the time, you know," Chase grumbled. "Anyway, what have you been doing back home? I see you out every night. What are you up to?"
"I'm training for the Knight Exam," Vyke said.
"You? Why?" Chase asked, visibly confused.
"Because I got an invitation letter," Vyke replied smugly.
"Where did you get an invitation letter from?" Chase asked. "And how?"
"Well, I've been visiting the red-light district and talking to some of the soldiers. With a few choice words, they gave me the letter."
Chase stopped in his tracks and stared at him for several seconds. "Did you seduce them?"
"Seduce them? No," Vyke sniffed. "I only used my face to convince them that you and I are fit to become trainee knights."
"Uh-huh. Sure. Whatever you say."
Chase knew that Vyke had likely used his feminine looks to charm a knight into handing over the invitations, but he wasn't going to complain. This got him one step closer to his goal of becoming a Hunter.
"Oh, absolutely," Chase said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You 'convinced' them with your riveting personality and deep knowledge of military tactics. It definitely had nothing to do with the fact that you look like a forest spirit's daydream and have more jewelry than the Royal Treasury."
Chase turned back to the trail, trying to hide the massive grin spreading across his face. He didn't care if Vyke had batted his eyelashes until a knight's brain turned to mush; a Knight's invitation was a golden ticket. In Andromeda, the path to the Spirit Realm—and that sweet, sweet Rune of Light—was heavily guarded by the military. You couldn't just walk into a dimension of pure mana without the Kingdom opening the door.
"So," Chase said, bumping his shoulder against Vyke's. "When do we start? I assume this invitation comes with a training camp, some free rations, and—most importantly—a sword that doesn't sound like a frying pan when it hits something?"
Vyke huffed, adjusting one of his golden rings. "The 'Entry Evaluation' is in three days at the capital's eastern garrison. And it's not just 'us.' It's a group trial. If you embarrass me by getting chased by a housecat or failing a basic mana-sync test, I will tell everyone I've never met you in my life."
"Three days?" Chase's heart did a little somersault. "Three days until I'm on the path to taming a Witch. Vyke, you're a genius. A manipulative, suspiciously pretty genius."
"I'm a survivor," Vyke corrected, looking down at his pristine sweater. "And if we're going to be 'Trainee Knights,' you need to wash that lizard soot off your face. You look like you tried to eat a chimney. Besides, I don't know why you even want to go to the Spirit Realm. It's a death trap."
"Well, I can't just sit around and wait for the Kingdom to eventually send soldiers to the Great Forest to kill the monster swarms," Chase said, his voice turning serious. "By the time they get around to that, most—if not all—of the border villages and towns will be destroyed."
"Well, aren't you just a moral person," Vyke remarked. "Not me, though. I'm staying as support, seeing how dumb you are and how much you love to get us into trouble."
"That was just one time! I was younger and naive," Chase said proudly. "I made some unwise choices, but I've changed."
"Just one time?!" Vyke snapped. "That 'one time' almost got us executed for treason!"
"And you got us out of that mess with your superb acting," Chase teased.
Rolling his eyes, Vyke sighed. "Let's just go home. I want to take a bath and sleep, not spend hours in the forest."
"Alright, let's get going," Chase said happily.
The two friends, despite their different views on the hunt, had made a pact as children to support each other's goals. Despite Vyke's hatred for facing monsters head-on and Chase's knack for getting them chased by... well, everything... they stayed true to their word. In three days, they would be one step closer to their dreams.