What the hell am I looking at?

  Kuro’s mind raced, struggling to categorize the impossibility standing before him. The creature—no, the man—calmly wiped the spray of beer from his face. A slight, amused smirk played on his lips, utterly at odds with the tension in the room.

  "Good thing I didn't shower today," the stranger quipped. "Hi. My name is Fenric. Fenric Howlstone. You can call me Fenric."

  Then, to Kuro’s bewilderment, the man leaned in and casually sniffed the air around Kuro’s neck. He pulled back, eyes twinkling. "You?"

  He extended a hand. Still reeling, Kuro grasped for a name, offering the first sound that tumbled through his panic.

  "Kuro. Just Kuro."

  As they shook, Kuro noted the contradictions. Fenric’s palm was surprisingly soft, yet the grip was iron-firm, and his fingers ended in sharp, hardened nails. He was human in structure, save for the obvious: the twitching ears atop his head and the tail swaying behind him. He was dressed in a peasant-style shirt the color of heavy cream, the puffy sleeves and crisscross lacing at the chest giving him a rustic, almost roguish air. Baggy brown trousers disappeared into tall, cuffed riding boots, while a broad black belt sat low on his hips, pulling the loose ensemble together.

  "Good to know!" Lovia chirped happily from behind the bar, oblivious to the tension. "Sorry, I forgot to ask your name earlier!"

  Fenric turned back to Kuro, his smile widening to reveal glinting canines. "So, what brings you to this humble town, dirty stranger? Oh, sorry—Kuro."

  Kuro felt the shift in the air. The heavy, suspicious stares of the guild hall, previously fixed on him, had swiveled toward the dog-man.

  "Before that, what the—" Kuro paused, catching himself before he insulted a local species. "Are you...?"

  "What do you mean?" Fenric tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "I just said my name is Fenric Fen—wait. Have you never seen a Half-Beast?"

  "Half-Beast! Uh..." Kuro’s eyes darted around, desperate for a distraction. They landed on a glass container set high on a shelf behind the bar, filled with a cloudy liquid and a massive, fleshy lump. "Wait, what is that? Meat? You guys sell raw meat in a display jar?"

  Fenric turned, his curiosity piqued by the clumsy deflection. "It is a display. That’s the heart of the High Beast, Ravmor, the Day King of the Tall Forest. The Dragonbloods killed the bear and brought the heart in, oh, ten days ago? Too bad I wasn't in town to see the spectacle." He nodded at the jar. "The fact that it hasn't rotted yet proves its value."

  The bear? Wait... that bear?

  Kuro’s thoughts turned grim. The Ravmor was his kill.

  Did some group take credit for my work? Bastards. He fumed internally, but the anger was quickly doused by pragmatism. No, wait. This is good. If they take the credit, I stay in the shadows. No attention means I survive.

  Noticing Fenric watching him with renewed intensity, Kuro cleared his throat. "Right. Anyway, I’ll be on my way. I have work to do."

  He turned to leave, but Lovia’s voice rang out. "No, stay longer! I want to hear about your journey! How did you get so dirty?"

  "Krmm..." Kuro grunted, pushing toward the door. "Maybe later."

  The cold wind slapped his face the moment he stepped onto the dirt road. It was a harsh, grounding sensation. Exhaustion settled over him like a lead blanket; for the past month and a half, sleep had been a series of shallow, terrified naps. The Guild Hall had rooms, but he hesitated. He couldn't risk more scrutiny, especially not after the encounter with the Half-Beast.

  I think his dog nose caught something, Kuro mused, recalling the sharp intake of breath Fenric had taken. Unless he causes trouble, I'll let him live for now.

  Resolved to find a more discreet place to crash, he turned away from the noisy tavern.

  "Oi! Kuro!"

  Kuro halted. His muscles coiled tight before he slowly turned around. Fenric had followed him. The Half-Beast moved with a predatory fluidity, a liquid grace that belonged in the wild, not on a street. The flick of his tail was the only betrayal of his excitement.

  "So, you're not from here," Fenric began, his eyes sharp, dissecting Kuro. "The clothing looks ancient. Different. Where are you from?"

  Kuro offered a glare cold enough to freeze the spilled beer on Fenric's shirt. "I'm not obligated to answer you. And if you don't mind, I have places to be."

  "Oh, really? I can help you," Fenric countered easily, ignoring the hostility. "I'm pretty sure you don't know a thing about this place. As it turns out, I know everything about this town—right down from Bear Path to the first city, Loz-Edna. So, where do you want to go? I can direct you."

  Kuro felt his anger rising, his hand instinctively twitching toward the hidden blade under his coat. Maybe I should just kill him now. He fought the impulse. Wait. Information first. Then murder.

  With a harsh sigh, Kuro surrendered to the annoyance. "What do you want? Name's Stone, right? You can stop acting friendly and get to the point. I can see your nose twitching. It's the bear blood, isn't it? Does it smell that bad?"

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  "Smart man," Fenric said, licking his lips. His grin was feral. "Yes, it does smell bad. And it’s not Stone, it’s Fenric. Call me Fenric."

  Kuro just stared at him.

  "Right... why don't we take our conversation outside the town? It's nice and quiet there." Fenric looked pointedly at Kuro, a silent challenge in his amber eyes. "Unless you want the whole town to hear us speaking."

  Kuro, irritated by the threat but cornered by the logic, gritted his teeth. "Walk."

  "No, no, no. We’re not walking. We're going by my girl, Beretta." Fenric gestured dramatically to a machine parked nearby.

  Kuro stared. It was a motorcycle with a sidecar attached to the left—a mechanical anomaly as out of place here as Kuro himself.

  Tentatively, Kuro moved toward the back seat behind the driver.

  "Nope!" Fenric yelled, throwing his arms up. "Nope, no-no-no-no. Only the love of my life gets on the back seat."

  Kuro gave the Half-Beast a look of pure disdain. "I'm not sitting in the sidecar."

  "Then we're not going anywhere," Fenric retorted, crossing his arms stubbornly.

  "Fine. I will just go wherever I want, then," Kuro snapped, turning to walk away. He took a deep breath and raised his voice, shouting to the street at large: "So, people of the Bear Path! I'd like to tell you something about your heroes—"

  "FINE!" Fenric shrieked, spinning around. "I will get on the damn car!"

  With a smirk of victory, Fenric vaulted onto the seat and kicked the engine. The peculiar contraption rumbled to life, a mechanical growl that silenced the nearby crickets. Soon, they were speeding out of the settlement, Kuro uncomfortably crammed into the sidecar, his rifle and sword digging into his ribs with every bump.

  As they reached the treeline, Fenric began to speak over the roar of the engine. "Kuro, right? Never heard that name before. So... how did a nobody like you kill one of the High Beasts, the Ravmor himself? I mean, don't get me wrong, it's one of the weakest High Beasts, but it's still a High Beast. So?"

  "I never said I killed the damn bear," Kuro shouted back through gritted teeth.

  With a final sputter, Fenric pulled the motorcycle to a halt in a small, secluded clearing well outside the town limits. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. Kuro could hear the faint rustling of unseen animals in the underbrush. His muscles were taut, coiled like a spring, but he forced himself to project an image of calm.

  Fenric, however, did not bother hiding his excitement. He stepped off the machine with feline grace, his tail twitching as he began to circle Kuro like a predator sizing up a meal.

  "So, you didn't kill it," Fenric mused. "Then who did? Because if you don't know, that means someone else is claiming a kill that wasn't theirs." His eyes gleamed with a mix of amusement and intrigue.

  Kuro stepped out of the cumbersome sidecar, relieved to be on solid ground. He kept his expression neutral. "Why are you so sure that the Dragon-whatever didn't kill the bear?"

  "Oh, come on. Don't be mistaken, the Dragonbloods are perfectly capable of killing Ravmor. Why, Ella alone could do it," Fenric dismissed with a wave of his hand. "It's just... you smell close. Very close to the Ravmor. Even though you washed most of the blood off, that beast's blood is potent. Magical. The smell doesn't disappear just because you scrubbed."

  Fenric paused, pointing a clawed finger at the hem of Kuro’s overcoat. "And your coat has the bear's mark right there. It may look like a tear, but that was done by a claw."

  Kuro clenched his jaw. The internal rage at Fenric's scrutiny was boiling over, but he forced a humiliating lie past his lips.

  "Ahh... I didn't want to say this, but if I have to clarify the accusation, I'll come clean." Kuro slumped his shoulders, feigning defeat. "I was lost in the Tall Forest. As you can see—dirty, starved. I was hiding, hoping for rescue. Then I saw the bear. It was massive." He gestured vaguely to the tear. "It attacked me. Just when it was about to eat me, the Dragonbloods came to my rescue and defeated it. That's all. I didn't want to tell anyone because I was ashamed of needing to be saved."

  Kuro felt a spike of self-loathing for the lie, but he held Fenric’s gaze.

  Fenric’s laughter was sharp and humorless. "Ashamed, huh? Well, that's one way to put it." His grin widened as he circled closer. "But here's the thing, Kuro—you didn't smell scared when you entered the town. You smell like a predator who's been running for a reason."

  For a damn dog, he's more curious than a cat, Kuro thought bitterly.

  "You see," Fenric continued, tapping his chin, "I know someone from the Dragonbloods. I can call her right now with my Rune Voice." He pulled a small, black device from his pocket. It had a hole the size of a marble in the center.

  Kuro stared at the object. Rune Voice? Call? Is that... a phone? No, it’s tiny. No wires. Is he pulling my leg? The device was another jarring reminder that this world was a volatile cocktail of ancient savagery and baffling modernity.

  "Earth to Kuro?" Fenric waved a hand. "Soooo, shall I call?"

  It's never going to end, is it?

  "I told you I was saved by them, but that doesn't mean I was visible to them," Kuro challenged. "I ran fast to save my life. It was a blur. I can't even tell you what the Dragonbloods looked like. It proves nothing. But if you want to call, then call. I'm not stopping you."

  "Hmm, still avoiding it," Fenric countered, his focus unwavering. "So what about the blood on you? And what about the unique smell coming from under the coat, hm?"

  Kuro, grasping for the next quick lie, thought of the horn resting inside his jacket. "I was stranded. I got hungry. I didn't have a weapon, so I broke a deer horn to cut meat from the bear carcass left by dragonbloods".

  Fenric's amber eyes narrowed. his gaze sharpening into a slit of golden suspicion. The annoyance was beginning to prick at him; the math just didn’t add up. Why was this stranger fighting so vehemently to bury the truth? To fell a High Beast was to hold the world in your palm—it meant wealth, women, and the kind of fame men died chasing. To deny it wasn't just humble; it was suspicious. Hmm, fenric thought, watching Kuro squirm. Who in their right mind turns down a winning hand? "I see," he mused, the words dripping with disbelief. "But you called the owner of the horn a deer. Meaning you don't know what beast it is. Why? Even a toddler knows what beast that horn belongs to." He stepped closer, driving his advantage. "You didn't know the Dragonbloods. You act like you've never seen a Half-Beast. Now, tell me: Where are you really from? Give me a name, and I’ll drop it."

  Kuro's composure finally fractured. Annoyance hardened into rage. Beneath his boots, the snow began to hiss and melt, steam rising faintly around his ankles.

  "You seem to have forgotten something," Kuro said, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. "I told you I was lost. Stranded. Do you wonder why? Because I lost my freaking memory! I only remember my name and some minute, broken details, okay?"

  "Ooooh, cool it, dude," Fenric said, instantly holding up his hands in surrender. "I believe you, geez. Sorry. I was being forward. I was just curious, and you see..." He trailed off, letting the silence hang.

  "Fucking finally," Kuro exhaled, the tension leaving his shoulders. The steam around his boots dissipated.

  "So, as an apology, let me treat you to food and shelter. Assuming you don't have a place to stay, you could really use a bath, you know. What do you say?" Fenric offered, his tone suddenly conciliatory.

  He didn't believe me at all, did he? Kuro thought. And now he wants to keep me close. Ugh.

  "Fine," Kuro said. At least he could use the opportunity to gather intel on this strange new world.

  "Great!" Fenric smiled widely, though his voice held the distinct undertone of a plot in motion.

  Kuro, already defeated, tried one last time. "So, now that we are cool, can I sit on the back seat?"

  "NO!" Fenric shouted, already kicking the engine over.

  "Fine..." Kuro grumbled, settling back into the cramped, humiliating sidecar.