ROUGH DRAFT Coye Vol 3 Ch 12

Finding a Grunwolf was no easy task, given their small population numbers, but Coye knew what he was looking for. They made their homes in enclosed areas of the forest known as their garden, which were covered in all manner of rare vegetation. There were often quests posted by alchemists looking to score rare ingredients from these gardens, and although he'd never taken any of these jobs on himself, Miss Whittle had warned him of all the warning signs to look out for to prevent stumbling into one of these dangerous little areas. Not that it helped when he had his clandestine encounter, but it can't be said that she didn't try and keep her adventurers safe.

Coye didn't think it would take so long, but as time began to pass, he was starting to feel hopeless. Even Shayla's guidance wasn't much use, and the two of them together couldn't find a single trace of a Grunwolf. He already missed having Byng's expert tracking to rely on. Why were the strongest monsters only ever found when you weren't looking for them?

Eventually, an hour passed, and then another, and then some. The last echoes of the summer sunlight were beginning to fade and they were no closer to locating their target than they were when they started.

"If we don't start heading back now, then it'll be dark before we know it..." Coye worried aloud. "I'm also starting to get hungry again, which isn't a good sign..."

"Fuck. I guess that means you've already lost..." Shayla bit her lip.

He lowered his head and scratched behind his ear. "I can't imagine she's not already back by now, yeah... but... does it really make that big of a difference? I feel like the results are going to be the same anyway."

"Is that what you're hoping will happen?" Shayla teased.

He shrugged his shoulders, neither confirming nor denying. "Either way, let's head back. No idea how much longer we've got till sundown."

"Better safe than sorry. I'll light the way!" Shayla took the initiative and snapped her fingers, bringing a bright illumination to Coye's sword. It shined brilliantly. "Huh, that's odd. I didn't mean to make it that bright..."

"Think you can turn it down a little? It hurts my eyes, and, um, I think it'll just draw a lot of attention from other monsters..."

"Yeah, I got it," Shayla turned down the intensity and wondered what that was all about. Maybe spending all that mana was making her stronger than she thought? She smiled at the idea of being more useful to Coye as he began to trek back in earnest.

He made good time by mixing in frequent Quick Steps, not wanting to risk staying out in the woods longer than he had to. By the time they made it back to the rendezvous point, the sun was almost done setting and they'd avoided trouble on their way back. Both were in for a troubling surprise.

Byng was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh," Shayla said, peeking out from Coye's cap after stashing herself there preemptively. "Guess she was having trouble finding a garden, too?"

"Yeah, I guess so..." Coye agreed, hoping for the best. Even as he said it, doubt started to work its way through him. This is exactly what he was worried about, and now it might already be too late... no, Coye reminded himself that he needed to trust in Byng and her abilities. But for how long?

Minutes passed and Coye's impatience grew increasingly worse. He paced around the dirt road up and down, dragging his boots across the surface again and again. The sun was setting. It would be dark any minute now. This wasn't good.

"I know you're worried, baby, but Byng is really strong... remember?"

"Yes, Shayla. I know I shouldn't doubt her... but... we agreed on before sundown and she's not here."

"Well what are you going to do about it? Go in after her?"

"I've already waited as long as I could..."

"Baby..."

"If you're too scared, then you can wait here or something. I don't have any choice. I have to find Byng."

"How dare you, you stupid little boy!" Shayla bopped him on the head with righteous fury. "I'm your partner, I would never let you go in there alone! Not not, not ever!"

"...Right," Coye smiled, her passion making him feel a great deal more relieved. "Let's start with where she entered the forest, then."

Shayla lit up his sword again, this time at a decent glow to begin with, and he bent over to inspect Byng's tracks. Of course, things wouldn't be that simple. Coye learned the hard way that for a girl who'd probably never worn shoes in her entire life, Byng sure was good at not leaving any footprints. He entered the forest and found that it was nearly impossible to follow what little trail she did actually leave thanks to the nonexistent light.

The darkness brought a chill to his spine. Anything could happen as he searched for Byng, and it wasn't like he could go around screaming for her, either. His glowing sword was already attracting enough attention as it was. Only a few minutes into his search did he run into his first roadblock. A trio of wolves stalked him from afar, howling loud into the night to signal to their intent to attack. Coye was just glad they were normal wolves, as he could make quick work of them.

One jumped out from the bushes to his left, and Coye ended it with one strike. Another flanked him and he knocked it out with a shield slam to its head, and when the third looked toward Coye, he made a vicious face and somehow managed to scare it off with his battle aura. He wasn't great at that particular skill, but his desperation to find Byng heightened his desperation.

He kept moving on his way, but after a certain point he just couldn't find a single track to follow. It was far too dark, and Coye began to grow frustrated. Panic overwhelmed him and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Damn it...! I don't know how to find her like this!"

"Hey, it's not the end of the world, right? Maybe you could go back to the Guild and set up some kind of search party, right?" Shayla suggested, having seen adventurers trek the woods at night for lost comrades many times before.

"I can't just abandon her like that... not without trying harder...!" He clenched his fist and thought of the day he and Byng spent together. It wasn't much, but it meant the world to him and he couldn't move on.

Coye closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to calm down just a bit more so he could think clearer about his next course of action. In this brief moment of contemplation, his senses focused on the world around him. The sounds of the dark forest at its most dangerous were ever present, but there was something else. He could smell something distinct that wasn't usually present.

He started sniffing, causing Shayla to question him. "Please tell me you can't smell her stank-ass pits from miles away, baby, there's a limit to everything."

"No," Coye shook his head, finding it no time for jokes. He was serious. This was a side of Coye she'd never seen before. "I smell fire... a fruity, flowery fire. It's really far away, but if my guess is right, then I think we might find her there!"

"Ok, I guess. If you're sure then lead the- AGH!" Coye didn't waste time and took off using his fastest Quick Step. By channelling energy into one foot to take off, and then in his opposite while he flew, Coye was able to traverse at immense speeds. He wasn't great at it. Doing so was a drain on his stamina, and the uncertain forest floor was not the best terrain to do this on, putting him at risk of tripping, yet he still pushed on.

The burning smell started to get closer and closer. Soon, he could see a fire burning in the distance.

"I knew it," Coye said as soon as he saw it.

"W-What...?" Shayla asked amid stomach pain.

"Byng lured one out. She must've snuck into a Grunwolf garden and stole a bunch of its flowers and gotten away with it, then hid them so she could use them today."

"Well, go and find out if that's the case or not!" Shayla tugged on his hair spurring him on.

Coye picked up the pace and closed the distance fast, emerging into a relatively clear part of the Gnarled Woods, there was a lot to take in. He was correct in his assumption. There was a large hole dug in the center where a fire pit sat. There were flowers strewn about the place, not yet burned, but the biggest thing he saw was a dying Grunwulf trapped in the hole with a bunch of rocks keeping it in place. The rocks were covered in oil, as was the monster. Somehow, Byng incapacitated it and was roasting it to death.

However she pulled it off was of no concern to him at the moment, because there was a much bigger threat present. A massive, earth-shaking squeal shot out as this monster took a slow, heavy step forward. It was the target of the urgent quest he saw on the quest board yesterday- the Ravenous Boarman in all its power and disgusting glory. It was huge, eight feet at least, and must have weighed well over a thousand pounds with its gigantic extended belly. Its focus was not on Coye, but on a certain girl hiding out in the trees above.

Coye had a clear view of Byng from here, thanks to a small lantern she attached to her bandolier. She was exhausted, covered in a thick layer of sweat, but was otherwise unharmed. Before he could even think of a plan to try and help her, the monster tackled the tree she was in and toppled it like it was nothing. Byng ran along the branches and hopped to another tree just in time, but the Boarman stared at her with unrelenting hunger, its drool dribbling down its myriad chins.

She took a potshot at the beast with what looked like an itching powder arrow right at its face, but all that happened is a tremendous sneeze from its snout before it was already charging at her current cover. Coye didn't imagine Byng had anything in her arsenal that could do any real damage to it. Its skin was much, much thicker than an Owlbear's and he doubted any of her tricks would have much effect on their own. He didn't know if she had any powerful Arts she could break out as a last resort, but going off of the worried expression on Byng's face he didn't imagine that to be the case.

In a way, this situation scared him more than the Aberration had. He didn't know what the Aberration was capable of, but this? This was a gigantic threat and neither of them were escaping the woods until it stopped breathing. This wasn't an ordinary Pigman, it was one grown fat after cannibalizing hundreds of its own kind and it wouldn't let anything stop it from a meal. Demonic energies coursed through its veins, amplifying its hunger beyond imagining.

Time seemed to run to a standstill as Coye sussed out the best plan of action. He could call out to Byng, alerting both she and the monster of his presence, or he could also step back for a moment and think of something with Shayla and hope that the beast's sensitive nose didn't already pick up on him. There was also the option to distract it so Byng could escape alone, but Coye was tired of self-sacrificial thoughts for one day.

Byng was in danger, and that one, simple fact led him to act.

He advanced towards the monster, using Quick Step as he drew his sword and shield in the blink of an eye. Energy burst from his still-glowing weapon as he funneled his power into it. Its back was turned, and Coye brought down the attack with impressive force.

His Double Strike was completely useless- the only thing it did was bounce off of the monster's copious reserves of fat. His eyes widened in horror, finding its defenses were somehow even greater than he anticipated.

"Coye?!" Byng said, finally taking note of her attempted savior. "You need to get the fuck outta here! I'll manage somehow, I'll-"

The monster turned to face Coye faster than its size would've seemed possible. Its eyes were bloodshot as it licked its lips, seeing a closer target for its next meal. Staring it down made him question himself and his power. What was he doing here? There was no way he could win this fight, but... even so...

'COYE! MOVE IT!' Shayla shouted at him, tugging his hair, sensing danger, placing a quick charm on his hat to prevent it from falling off

The Boarman raised its fist in that brief moment Coye was stunned, and it performed a massive punch straight to his skull. If he hadn't snapped out of it a second earlier and activated the highest level of Steel Soul he could perform, his skull would have exploded like an egg hitting a brick.

Coye soared over the fire pit, his head ringing and his vision blurry. He hit the dirt without a shred of grace, his body feeling heavier than lead.

'What the fuck were you thinking, charging in there like that?!' Shayla screeched in his mind, hoping to inspire him to act faster.

"Byng... d-danger..." he mumbled, trying to pull himself up.

'Yeah, well, you're in danger, too! If you don't act smart about this then neither of you are going to make it out alive! How many times do you need to learn that you can't do things alone, damn it?!'

"I... can't...?" Only some of her words were registering.

'No! You're stronger with a partner, baby, so pick yourself up and work together with me and Byng!'

A flash of understanding cleared up some of Coye's cloudiness, all while the Boarman took a gigantic step forward. It was true. What was he trying to prove by rushing in? That he could be the big, strong hero who saves the day and gets the girl? No, he was acting on impulse. He needed to be smarter than that.

The Boarman started charging toward him at greater speed, but Coye momentarily distracts it using his Feint Art, projecting a false after-image of himself running in the opposite direction he intended to go. This worked, buying him enough time to run away toward Byng's tree.

"Byng," he called out to her. "I'm gonna need your help with this..."

"Uh, yeah. No shit! This fargarhk just showed up cause of the smell... gah, I knew it was risky..." She said, kicking herself over it her desperation to win. "I don't think we're gonna get out of this unless we kill it... thanks a lot, Kuhrkakk..." Byng grumbled.

Already the monster was starting up another charge, but this time, Byng readied an arrow. "I don't have anything that will hurt it bad enough, so I'm gonna have to go on support-duty!" She unleashed the attack, revealing another of her bola arrows that exploded at the boar's ankles. It didn't fully trip the beast, it was far too large to fully wrap around, but it caused the thing to stumble which was more than enough time to get out of the path again.

"Works for me," Coye nodded and put some distance between himself and Byng, only for the Boarman to tear off the restraint and look at him with an even angrier expression.

'That's not good,' Shayla remarked as they watched it blow thick steam out its nostrils. It was getting angrier thanks to his fancy footwork, and Coye could tell the next charge was going to be a doozy.

It rushed him, squealing nonstop as it swung its fists in every direction. Coye dodged each attack now that he was back in the game, apart from his splitting head pain. The swings were heavy, and he could feel massive power behind each one. He knew what would happen to him if he let them connect, so he focused all his power on keeping that from happening.

In an attempt to support, Byng loaded up one normal arrow after another and put in a little bit of energy into each, making use of her Power Shot Art. They had no trouble finding their overly large target, but they couldn't even pierce the monster's thick skin. It didn't even distract it, either.

Shayla took the initiative to do what Byng couldn't and gritted her teeth, using her telekinesis to lift a large branch of a fallen tree that and slam it into the monster's face. 'Get in on this, now!' She demanded.

It wasn't much, but it was a chance. The first thing Coye decided was to find out if he was even capable of hurting this thing or not. He poured a huge amount of energy into his arm and slashed downward, using Triple Strike. The boarman raised its arm in defense at the last second, absorbing the blow at the cost of a huge bloody gash. It snarled in pain and backed away, meanwhile Coye had to deal with the after effects of his own attack.

He gritted his teeth as red hot pain coursed through him, feeling like his arm would shatter.

'Are you ok?!' Shayla asked.

"It doesn't hurt," he reiterated to himself. "It doesn't hurt... the only way to get better at it is to keep using it..."

"Heads up!" Byng called out, warning Coye of the imminent danger.

The monster decided it had had enough of charging around like a bull and squatted, power building in its legs. Coye's eyes opened wide out of shock as the boarman leaped into the air for a devastating tactic. It came crashing down only seconds later, sending a huge shockwave through the earth that shook the ground, toppled another nearby tree and left Coye momentarily stunned.

That short window was all it took for the Boarman to charge in and open its towering maw wide. The way it came for him made it clear that it was coming for his head, and it intended on biting it right off of his neck. He ducked out of the way, but didn't see a way out of the follow up attack. It was already reaching for him with its gigantic mitts.

Shayla was on the verge of trying something out, but Byng jumped down from her safety zone to run at the monster. Her bow was slung over her shoulder, and she slid her hunting knife out of her leg sleeve.

"Don't even think about touching him!" She hissed like a tiger, pouncing on the porcine horror from behind. She landed on its shoulder and started knifing the damn thing multiple times in its back, only for it to shake her off in a dramatic fashion and send Byng tumbling to the floor several feet away. It stomped toward her and raised its massive hoof, aiming to bring an end to her with one fell attack.

Coye wasn't going to let that happen. He ran in, but knew he couldn't absorb the force of the entire hoof with his shield. Thus, he decided to use the power of its own attack against it. He lifted his sword arm upward and watched as the Boarman impaled itself on his weapon, digging straight through the hoof out through the other side of the foot. Unfortunately, his arm hadn't recovered from using Triple Strike just yet. His strategy was successful, but it came at the cost of tremendous pain to his overtaxed muscles.

He cried out in pain, signaling for Shayla to step up and provide support. She started to use her healing magic on him to alleviate the pain, but every second put further drain on her mana. This helped him ease the suffering long enough to rip his sword out of the Boarman's hoof, sending it topping to the ground with a massive thud as it cradled its aching foot.

"Thanks," Byng says as she stood up and grumbled. "Bastard threw me pretty hard..."

"No, thank you for keeping it off me. Go back up in the trees, I'm gonna need to go on the offensive here."

"Can you even take much more?" Byng asked, looking at his sword arm with concern.

"I've got a few triple strikes left in me, yeah. Just need to make them count." Coye flexed his arm a couple of times to show that he was still capable of utilizing it and turned his attention back to the monster just as it was getting up.

Seemingly satisfied, Byng accepted his statement and she scampered back up the nearest tree where she could provide support from safety.

'Don't push your luck,' Shayla sighed. 'I'm on the verge of passing out here! I can't keep healing you like this!'

"Got it," he mumbled and took a step toward the massive boarman. It was staring him down with evil eyes, and all of a sudden, the air changed around them.

The monster began drooling like a waterfall. An orange aura radiated out of the monster's body as it let out a squeal louder than any before. It was hungry, and it couldn't wait even a second longer. It needed something- anything, and it found it in itself. The monster raised its injured arm to its lips and bit a huge chunk of flesh off from the wound Coye inflicted earlier.

By all acounts this should've injured it further, but it seemed to actually get pumped up after downing a big, hefty bite of itself. This aura was affecting Coye too, and even as he watched this happen, he felt his lips smack and his mouth salivate like crazy. His stomach growled, and the hunger fully set in.

"Crap..." he exclaimed as it set its eyes on him.

It picked up a huge stone and was about to lob it at Coye, but Byng nocked one of her concussive arrows and broke it apart just like she did to the Woodtreader. This time, there was no escape. A few choice pieces of stony shrapnel lodged themselves into its hand and its extended gut, giving Coye a chance to get in and cause some damage. He stepped forward and unleashed a flurry of piercing thrusts, the sharp tip of his blade popping open holes like a giant meat balloon. These holes were shallower than they looked and did little other than smell foul and release odorous bile, which told Coye he wouldn't get very far with this method. He needed to attack a more vital area, which only left its head as an option considering everywhere else was protected by pounds and pounds of fat.

The monster let out another huge blast of aura once Coye's attack was done, momentarily stunning him as he fought off the hunger.

"We need to end this now before things get too much worse..." Coye muttered to Shayla, dodging out of the way of another massive punch. "I'm gonna put everything I've got into one big attack once I have the opportunity. Can you add some wind to it when it's time?"

'Yeah, but... I'm so close to running on empty, baby... if I do that, I might pass out...'

"Trust me,"

'...Alright, you got it.'

"What're you doing talking to yourself down there for, huh?" Byng asked. "You got a plan?"

"Yep. Anything you could do to set up a chance for me?"

Byng thought about it, observing the situation closely as Coye kept his guard up and danced around the hulking threat with his superior speed. Because of the massive ground pound, the Boarman was standing on unstable ground. It would be easy to disrupt that and bring it to its knees, but it would take her last Force Arrow and some stamina.

"You know it," she smirked, wiping some sweat from her brow. "Make sure you keep away, I'm gonna use the biggest thing I got!"

Coye backed off with a reverse quick step, taking off in the opposite direction as Byng drew her arrow and aimed it at the earth beneath the Boarman's feet. A massive glow surrounded its tip as she prepared Power Shot, adding an additional layer to her attack. Her shot created an even larger blast than the ones that came before, softening the ground enough for the beast to topple with a loud squeal.

"Get in there!" Byng barked, her knees growing wobbly as the energy left her body. She was close to falling out of her tree.

Coye took this as his cue and decided to put everything he had in one last attack. It wouldn't matter if he ran out of stamina here, because if this didn't kill it, nothing would. He ditched his shield again, taking a two handed stance with his blade as his energy circulated throughout both arms. This was going to be devastate his body, but there wasn't any other option.

This would be a four phase attack, the likes of which he'd never had to resort to.

He lunged forward with Quick Step as fast as he could and at the apex of his speed, Coye hopped so he was rushing towards the Boarman's head. Next, he activated Triple Strike to make his next attack even more powerful, and then he performed his trademark Spinning Slice. The fourth phase was up to his partner, who, despite fighting off weariness and an upset stomach, expelled all the rest of her mana to summon a tremendous gust that amplified Coye's spinning to insane levels. Luckily for Shayla, she passed out before the spinning reached its worst.

The forest around them was torn apart by the wind. Chunks of earth flew, leaves scattered and branches were blown away, all while Byng watched Coye's attack with stunned eyes.

"Holy shit...!" She exclaimed, her jaw dropping. She knew Coye was strong, but this was incredible. Despite the tense situation, her cheeks grew red hot with blush as she appreciated just how cool Coye could be when he tried.

Coye hurtled towards the monster and his weapon made contact, tearing into its face like a grinder. Even here in its most vulnerable spot it had layers of fat to work through and the skin was a struggle to slice through, but it had no chance of standing up to the sheer power and sharpness of Coye's momentum. It created a bloody mess as tore its skull and brain to ribbons.

The wind started to recede as his spinning petered out, and Coye stood atop the defeated monster as it fell onto its back. He huffed and gasped for air, doing anything he could to get things under control even as the pain threatened to tear apart his arms. He stumbled off of the monster and threw his sword to the ground, retching. He'd never gone that fast before and it took a heavy toll on him.

"You did it...!" Byng jumped out of the tree and ran to be with him, a huge smile on her face. "I can't believe that worked!"

"M-Me either..." he fumbled for his health potion but before he could get it out his strength gave out and he toppled forward.

"C'mere, you..." desperate to help, Byng hoisted Coye up and dragged him to a nearby tree and propped him up against it. She got out his last health potion as well as a stamina potion. Before helping him out she pressed it to her lips and drank less than a quarter, enough to help her with the huge hit she took. After, she helped him drink the entire bottle all at once.

His pain all but receded, leaving only lingering aches, but he was still out of stamina. They both split the bottle evenly so they'd have enough to make it out of the forest.

"Better?" Byng smiled.

"Y-Yeah, but... I'd be happier if you could forget the part where I threw up everywhere and just focused on the me being cool part..."

The huntress cackled. "Didn't see a thing."

He smiled up at her weakly. Coye was concerned about Shayla but he couldn't check on her immediately, and needed to wrap things up here before he could conveniently duck away to 'take a leak.'

"You were so... so fucking cool! I knew you were the right one, I knew it since I first saw you but this just proved it a hundred times over...!" Byng stared at him so intensely that it almost unnerved him, if not for how cute she looked when fawning over him.

"If you say so," he blushed but tried to remain humble. "You're the one who found a Grunwolf, not me."

Byng looked over to the fire pit and frowned. "Nah, what I did was stupid. I tried being sneaky again but this time around it bit me in the ass and ended up attracting that big ugly bastard."

"Is it dead?" Coye asked.

"Uh," Byng went over to the pit and looked at the still roasting Grunwolf. It was still twitching and trying to escape, but the paralysis she inflicted was keeping it sedated and unable to move. "Nope. I don't have anything that can pierce its wood and get into its vitals, so I was going for this indirect method."

Coye stood, ambled toward his sword and ran into the fire pit.

Byng was incredulous. "W-What?! Short-stuff, what are you doing?!"

"Winning," he said, adrenaline still clouding his mind as he drove his sword into the Grunwolf's exposed skull a couple of times to ensure it stopped breathing. A pink, syrupy juice erupted from its skull each time as he pulled out. When he was done, he turned to look back at the girl.

Her eyes were wide, her mouth was slack, and she looked on in horror.

A few moments passed before the horror turned to relief, and Byng started to laugh. It got so bad that she fell down and started to slam her fist into the ground. "Fucking damn you!" She laughed, barely able to breathe. "Gods, I deserve this...!"

Coye gave her another weak smile and stashed away his sword. "Maybe, but all I care about is getting my prize."

"You're really confident once your blood gets flowing, huh?" She remarked.

"Kinda," he shrugged.

"Well, you won fair and square so you're getting your prize, don't worry about that..." Byng laughed but noticeably started playing with her curly hair and looked away. "Before that can happen, we need to get outta here and head for my camp, though."

"Yeah. Can you give me a sec? I need to go and... um..."

"You too, huh?" Byng clicked her tongue. "Maybe there was something wrong with those sandwiches..."

"N-No, I just need to-"

"Go do your thing, short-stuff. Just this once I'll take care of getting the trophies!" Byng pulled out her hunting knife, prompting Coye to question it.

"Will that really work?"

"Oh yeah, this baby is solid ordoghite!"

Coye had never heard of that material before, but he trusted Byng's assessment and excused himself a good distance from the clearing.

Once alone, he removed his cap and found one Pixie in rough shape. Her glow was dim, her wings less radiant, and it hurt to see. Coye took her into his hands and grabbed her hand, gently shaking it until she stirred.

"Shayla...?"

"Nnngh... did we win...?"

"Yeah, in more ways than one." Coye couldn't help but smile.

"Are... are you shitting me? How'd that happen?"

"I just got a little lucky."

"Heh..."

"How are you holding up?"

"Mn, more rhetorical questions, baby. Those are helping a ton right about now..."

"So you're saying you're fine." Coye sighed as he rolled his eyes.

"I will be after some rest. Think you can seal the deal without me?"

Coye gulped and looked back over his shoulder to see Byng in the distance, sawing through the dead boarman's ankle to cut off its hoof. "I... I think so."

"Good..." Shayla sighed. "This sucks. I've been waiting all day to see how this turns out... but hey, at least you pulled it off in the end."

"I'll tell you all about it later. I promise."

"When I wake up, I expect to see you cuddled up to a naked Gengaggi. You got that?"

Coye blushed but nodded his head, which served as enough for the Pixie to be satisfied with.

"Good... now, put me in a nice, comfy pouch please..." She yawned and Coye ceded to her wishes, then returned to Byng.

Byng had harvested the trophies like promised and was waiting for him to return. Both were tucked tight in satchels, one of which she tossed to Coye for him to carry. "Good to go?"

"Yeah, we better hurry up... it's dangerous, and that boar's aura made me really hungry... I can barely stand it," he sighed. "If we don't get out of here I'm worried that you'll start to look pretty tasty before too long..."

"Woah there, save that for later, short-stuff!"

"N-Not what I meant, I-" Coye saw her smiling at him and he sighed then returned the gesture. "Whatever..."

"Heh, don't worry. I'll make sure you get fed. I hope you know you're gonna have to have a soak before we get to talking about prizes, though."

Coye gave her a condemning look, and she threw her hands up out of hypocrisy. "I know, I know. In my defense, I'm not the one covered in evil, diseased pig bile. If it makes you feel better I'll, uh, rinse off too or something... so... gah, whatever, let's just get out of here!"

Coye couldn't help but laugh. Seeing Byng flustered after all the intense action made him feel quite relieved. With another burst of confidence, he extended his hand toward the girl. "Sounds good to me," he said as she took his hand with a laugh and a blush.