The wolves lay motionless in the grass, their blood already soaking into the soil. JP's knife trembled slightly in his hand as the adrenaline wore off.
Lyra sheathed her blade with a smooth motion, then crouched down beside the nearest carcass. "Help me," she said curtly.
JP blinked. "What?"
"Meat. Hide. Claws. Nothing goes to waste."
Still shaking, JP nodded and crouched beside her. With quick, practiced hands, Lyra began skinning the wolf, her blade cutting through fur and flesh as though she'd done it a hundred times before. JP followed her lead, fumbling at first but managing to peel hide away and slice clean strips of meat.
By the time they finished, three bundles of wolf hide were stacked neatly, with meat hung on makeshift cords to drain the blood.
Instead of his Mana Lamp, Lyra gathered branches and kindling into a great pile. JP sparked the tinder with flint until the flames roared high, driving back the night.
The bonfire's warmth washed over them, stronger than his emberstone could ever manage. Shadows flickered wildly around them, but the forest stayed quiet now, as though the fire itself had claimed the clearing.
They sat opposite each other, the flames a wall between them. Neither spoke for a long time.
Finally, Lyra's voice cut through the crackle. "You shouldn't camp outside alone. The wild isn't forgiving."
JP stared into the flames. "I figured that out tonight."
"You were lucky."
He almost laughed, though it came out bitter. "Lucky? If not for you, I'd have been dinner."
Her eyes caught the firelight, glinting. "And yet you fought back. Not well—but you tried."
JP's grip tightened on his knees. He wanted to tell her about the Status Board, about the strange flicker of hope it had given him. But he bit it back. His inventions were one secret. This system was another.
Instead, he said softly, "I've survived by fixing things, not fighting them. But if I'm going to live here… I'll have to change that."
Lyra tilted her head slightly, as if weighing his words.
By morning, the meat had drained, the hides stiffening slightly in the cool dawn air. They packed everything carefully into bundles and made their way back to the village.
The guild clerk's eyes lit up when JP dropped the hides on the counter. "Three wolf pelts, fresh? That's worth a silver each. Meat as well—another two silver for the lot."
JP felt the weight of coin slide into his hand. His first true battle spoils.
Afterward, he and Lyra sat across from each other in the guild's small dining hall, steaming bowls of porridge and bread between them.
The silence stretched before Lyra finally broke it. "You've been hiding things from me, JP. Out there by the fire… I almost asked. But I didn't."
He looked up at her, surprised.
She took a slow sip of water. "We all carry secrets. But if you're going to survive as an adventurer, you'll need to decide when to share them. And with whom."
JP set down his spoon, meeting her gaze. "And you? What about your hood, your name, the way you fight like someone who's trained their whole life? You're hiding more than I am."
For once, her composure cracked—a faint smile tugged at her lips. "Maybe. But trust is a rare currency, JP. Spend it carefully."
They ate the rest of their breakfast in silence, but something had shifted. Neither trusted the other fully—but both knew they had taken one step closer to understanding.