Chapter 1: A Mountainous Start

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"Hm, this seems nice...Oh, this one does too!"

It was morning

Dawn was looking at the quest board, her eyes fixated on the E-rank quests, and she found two quests she couldn't choose from and headed outside, with Constantine turning around.

"So, did you find anything?" asked Constantine eager, with Dawn being a little troubled.

"Y-You see...I can't choose between those two..." she said timidly, with Constantine looking at the two in deep thought.

"...Damn...I can't too!" he said frustrated after a minute of deep thought, with Dawn then realizing something.

"Why don't we ask the clerk? I'm sure she can help us decide." proposed Dawn.

"Yeah, let's go!" said Constantine and they went inside, heading straight for the blonde clerk that smiled at them once they approached.

"Hello, how can I help you?" she asked cheerful.

"We are rookies and want to undertake our first quest, but we can't decide which one to take." explained Constantine troubled.

"Well, let's see...Bring twenty Midori alive or Bring a Winter Toka's Pelt..." she said and then was under some thought "Midori live in grasslands, are timid but can get violent when exposed to sunlight and can cause intense hallucinations if touched directly while their bulb has great medicinal benefits if harvested from them when alive. Now, Winter Toka are solitary, can unleash small balls of fire that freeze what they hit and are quite violent. While the quest needs only one pelt, your reward money will increase the more pelts you bring." she explained, with Constantine being in thought for a while and looked at her.

"We will take the Winter Toka quest, miss." he said determined and looked at Dawn.

"Um, d-do you have any objection?" he asked a little nervous, with Dawn shaking her head smiling.

"No, you made a good choice. Since they don't form packs, taking one will be easier and if they prove easy for us to handle, we can gather more pelts and therefore, more money." she said and Constantine nodded, with the clerk stamping that quest.

Three hours passed

Constantine and Dawn were on a mountain, with them having managed to climb and reach a plateau "We...finally...climbed...the plateau..." said Constantine while trying to catch his breath.

"Indeed...Thankfully...we can reach the top by walking..." said a tired Dawn while looking the mountain trail and Constantine then turned his head around, his eyes widening from surprise.

"Hey, there is a cave behind, let's check it out!" he proposed excited and Dawn nodded, with them entering the cave that was dark and cold "Fire!" shouted Constantine as he set the tip of his staff ablaze "Great, now we can both get warm and look around." he said pleased.

"Right." replied Dawn. Some time passed since they entered, with Constantine and Dawn having found nothing "It's weird, we should have had an encounter until now." said Dawn puzzled "KYAH!" she squealed in fear as a sudden sound startled her, with her leaning on Constantine's back, with her realizing and taking a step back "S-Sorry, I-I g-got st-startled!" she mumbled embarrassed.

"I-It's ok." said Constantine blushing.

"AGH!" the sound of a girl's scream got their attention.

"Someone is in danger!" said Dawn alerted.

"Let's go help them!" replied Constantine and they ran ahead and after a while, they saw a monster that had before it an injured girl.

"Grr!" the monster turned around, with it being a maroon-eyed yellow-skinned lizard in a bluish-white pelt with navy blue markings and purple claws, with it having yellow horn protruding at the top of its head and its belly wasblue with unusual pink markings.

"There is no mistaking it, that's a Winter Toka!" said Dawn surprised and Constantine got fired up.

"Saved us the trouble of looking for it." he said while gripping his staff tighter.

"Grrr!" the Toka unleashed a ball of blue fire at the two of them.

"Let's test it, Fireball!" shouted Constantine as he unleashed his spell that countered the Toka's attack, with him then extending his hand as it was distracted "Wind Cutter!" he shouted and swiped his left hand, unleashing a wind blade that cut the Winter Toka's neck.

"Gr...ah..." the Winter Toka could not breath and fell down in a pool of blood.

"Was this too cruel?" he wondered as Dawn rushed to the injured girl. It was a youthful woman with a slim figure and sharp eyes that had black hair that hanged over her face and leaned partially to the left side of her face while having two separate strands on both sides of her face. She was donning a navy blue bandanna with lined design and a golden crescent moon-shaped hair ornament on the back of her head while she was also wearing a navy blue zebra-patterned cloak with a crescent moon design on the back that was exposing the black skin-tight full body suit she was wearing, noted to have net-shaped designs on the sides and on the forearms. There were various line borders that separated the two, coming in straight and curved patterns.

"Heal." said Dawn as a light green aura engulfed her hands and the girl, with her seeming to regain consciousness.

"Ugh..." the girl tried to move.

"Please, stay put." pleaded her Dawn and she helped her lean on a rock.

"Give her something to drink and take." suggested Constantine and Dawn nodded, giving her some water and bread.

```
"Are you better?" she asked concerned.

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"Yes...thank you..." said the girl visibly still dizzy "Who...are you?" she asked weakened.

"I'm Dawn and this is Constantine. We are on an E-rank quest about getting Winter Toka pelts." she explained and the girl's eyes widened.

"You have to help her!" she said panicked while grabbing Dawn's collar.

"Her? Who?" asked Constantine while coming closer.

"My friend. We too are E-rank adventurers and because we are rookies, we wanted to become stronger and came to this mountain to train." she explained serious.

"What happened?" asked Dawn concerned and the girl's face became pained.

"We were attacked by a pack of Winter Toka that got us off guard and got defeated." she explained bitter.

"What?! But we were told that Winter Toka are solitary creatures!" exclaimed Dawn surprised, with Constantine becoming troubled.

"Is it possible that a monster managed to unite them?" wondered Constantine.

"No...they seemed more...berserk." said the woman in thought.

"Anyway, where did the attack happen?" asked Constantine.

"The mountain's peak." she replied serious.

Meanwhile

On the snowy mountain top, a black hooded man was smirking while a handful of Winter Toka had red glowing eyes and were standing before him like statues, with him watching his female captive that was cuffed. She was a beautiful and well endowed cat girl with blue eyes, long white hair that was reaching her back in ponytail with blue ribbon and white cat ears that was wearing a tigh white dress that was showing a lot of her large breasts and had fur trims around her long sleeves. Her dress had three diamond like cutouts while its length was leaving her thighs exposed while she had a detached white collar while she had a ribbon around her chest and waist respectively and was wearing armored boots and had blue pantyhose. The cat girl was trying desperately to catch her axe that was a few inches away, only for the man to stomp her hand and kick it away.

"Hehehe, did you think that I would allow a weakened Lycanthrope to escape? You are quite the specimen for my master!" he said in satisfation, with the cat girl looking at him frustrated and angry, only for the Winter Toka to turn around and the hooded man looked behind him "Who are you?" he asked in a demanding and annoyed tone.

Ten minutes passed

Constantine and Dawn were walking towards the top while passing from a cleft, with the girl they saved following them in silence and they exchanged concerned looks.

"S-So, are you better now?" asked a nervous Dawn in her attempt to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Yes, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the food and water." said the girl serious.

"It's ok." replied Dawn and silence returned for a while.

"You said that you came along with a friend to train?" asked Constantine curious.

"Yes...me and my friend, Naomi Felinecia, came to train here so we can grow stronger, but a mage took control of all the Winter Toka and we got ambushed." she explained and her face was that of frustration "Damn it, it's my fault!" she said while hitting a rock.

"It's ok, it was an ambush. Your friend must be fine, we will save her." reassured her Constantine serious, with the girl gritting her teeth.

"IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!" she screamed angry and sad, with Constantine and Dawn looking at her with sad eyes "I'm training t become an excellent tracker and assassin, *I* should be up there, not her!" she said and broke into tears.

"Listen, I-!" tried Dawn to say, but small falling rocks got their attention.

"Grr!" ten Winter Toka with glowing red eyes were on some boulders, glaring at the three of them bloodlusted.

"They are so many!" exclaimed Dawn troubled but Constantine took two steps in front excited.

"Then, we will get that much more money!" he said fired up and looked at her with his smile, with Dawn then having a face of determination.

"Right!" she replied.

"What's your plan?" asked the girl curious while having taken a stance with her katana which she manifested and before Constantine could answer her, the Winter Toka released blue balls of fire.

"Wind Protect!" shouted Costantine as he was now enveloped in a shield of wind, with the monsters keeping up their attacks "I will destroy their footing and once I do, they will be in the air for some seconds which gives as an opening for attack. Can I leave this to you?" he asked the girl without looking at her, with her nodding.

"Yes!" she shouted and began running on the right side of the cleft, getting the attention of the Winter Toka.

"You wish! Liquidize!" shouted Constantine while extending his hands, with the rocks the Winter Toka were standing becoming a slippery mud that made them fall "Now!" he shouted at the girl that brought her katana near her in a position to stab.

"Activate, Thunderbolt!" shouted the girl as her sword was struck by lightning and Constantine's eyes glowed a light blue color for a second, with the girl then bringing down her katana "Thunder Cutter!" she shouted as she swung her katana horizontally and unleashed a crescent wave of lightning that slashed and electrocuted the Winter Toka, with them falling on the ground with charred bodies and she landed on her right knee while making her katana disappear in glowing particles.

"Wow, you have an enchanted sword and know how to use Spatial Magic? Amazing!" exclaimed an excited Constantine, with the girl then turning around and walking ahead.

"My clan had an affinity for Spatial Magic while this sword was the first thing I bought as an adventurer." she explained and then turned her head "Now, let's go." she said serious.

Almost two hours passed

The three of them managed to reach the peak, with them wearing the pelts they gathered from the Winter Toka "Phew, that was...quite exhausting..." said Constantine who fell down on the snow along with Dawn, with the girl simply rotating her right arm and cracking and then, Dawn looked at something in their frontal direction.

"Hey, I think I see someone over there!" she said and the girl rushed immediately.

"Naomi...Naomi! Are you alright?" asked the girl panicked, with the cat girl giving a weak smile.

"Of course, stupid. Especially since that jerk died some minutes ago." she said while looking at her left, with her and the approaching Constantine and Dawn seeing a hooded man with a slashed torso lying on the snow "This was the one that controlled some of the Winter Tohka of this mountain." she explained with contempt.

"I guess we finished this quest, right, Constantine?" asked a realized Dawn in happiness.

"Yes, let's all go back to the guild." he said smiling and he along with the unknown girl carried Naomi.

"AHHH!"

A scream full of hate was heard and everyone turned around, seeing the man being enveloped in a pitch black aura and his body levitating and planting its feet on the snow and the skin began to be erased, with everyone seeing a living skeleton "DAMN THAT BASTARD! WHERE IS HE?!" asked the skeleton furious.

"A Wight? What's such an undead doing here?" asked Naomi shocked and the Wight looked at them.

"Adventurers? Good, I will relieve my anger by torturing you before harvesting your souls!" claimed the Wight "Fire Cutter!" he shouted as he unleashed a crescent slash of fire which they avoided by jumping in oppossing directions.

"Does anyone know about Wights?" asked Constantine and the girls were silent, with Dawn then standing up serious.

"He's a level above beings like Skeletons. My Holy Magic is its weakness, but we must make sure to restrain him."

"Alright, let's send him to the grave!" shouted Constantine fired up.

"Yes!" shouted the girls.

"You weaklings will send me to the grave? Don't make laugh!" he shouted and extended his hands, creating an explosion at their location.

"Ahh!" the group was sent flying back, a few feet close to the peak's edge "Agh, can you guys continue?" asked Constantine while standing up with some effort.

"Yes..." replied Dawn while managing to stand up with a little more diffuculty.

"To think he knows Explosion Magic..." commented Naomi impressed but annoyed.

"You two, run ahead and I will cover you." said Constantine serious and they nodded, with them running ahead.

"Time to suffer! Acid Shell!" shouted the Wight as he unleashed a ball of acid at the two that avoided it, with them continuing to run at him.

"How foolish!" he said while preparing to cast a spell.

"Mud Hand!" shouted Constantine, with the enveloping mud grabbing his attention.

"Don't make me laugh." said the Wight calm and levitated some feet above the ground.

"Boosted Vine Grip!" shouted Constantine while pointing his glowing staff at the Wight's location, with him being enveloped by vines.

"I can easily burn such a pathetic spell!" he shouted annoyed.

"No, you won't!" shouted the girls as they severed his arms.

"Dawn, now!" said Constantine hasty.

"May God forgive you! Holy Canon!" shouted Dawn as she unleashed a beam of white light from her hands.

"AGH!" the Wight was struck along with his severed arms "NO, I CAN'T DISAPPEAR LIKE THIS, NOOO!" he screamed as his body began to break into glowing particles and when the beam stopped, only the hood remained and Dawn fell down a little exhausted and looked at everyone, with everyone smiling.

It was afternoon

"Wow! I can't believe we got so much!" said an excited Constantine while sitting with Dawn one of the tables of the lobby, with them eating something while having a small pouch on the table.

"Well, we did bring ten Winter Toka pelts." said Dawn and then, she saw Naomi and the other girl approaching them.

"Hello there. We came to thank you for saving us." she said with a smile.

"It's ok, we are glad we helped." said Constantine smiling and the other girl then became a little nervous.

"W-Well, a-are you two the only...the only."

"My friend Skia here was wondering, me too by the way, if we could join your party!" said Naomi carefree, to the dismay of Skia and the surprise of Constantine and Dawn.

"Well, we would need other people eventually, right?" asked Dawn who wanted them to join their party and Constantine smiled.

"Of course! We had great chemistry in that last battle and you seem like good people, so, welcome aboard!" he said excited to Dawn's and Naomi's joy and then, Skia bowed before him to his surprise.

"I'm Skia Dunscaith. Per my honor and origins, I will forever be your shadow and make sure that no harm comes to you. From
this day forward, you are my Master!" she said serious and with passion, making Constantine uncomfortable and nervous.

"P-Please, relax, you are making me nervous." he said and she stood up immediately.

"Anyway, this demands a celebration!" said Naomi while putting her left hand around Skia's neck and raising her right fist excited.

After a while

The four of them were sitting on the table that was full with food plates "And now, a toast for our party, to numerous and exciting adventures!" he said raising his cup.

"To numerous and exciting adventures!" said the girls raising their caps, with all being happy.