It had been a couple of days since the Grand Magic Games. Already, Akihiko had missed the sound of the Grand Cathedral’s chimes and the sight of Crocus’ gardens. They were both truly magnificent and beautiful, so much so that he bought a bouquet as a souvenir. His bouquet consisted of an arrangement of lovely, colorful flowers unlike any other he has ever seen, although they paled in comparison to his homeland’s. If there were one thing to ruin this imagery, it would have to be the nasty wound he received on his stomach from his fight in the tournament. The sight of it left a bad taste in Akihiko’s mouth, a constant reminder of his defeat. Not only that, but he was already moving around despite not being fully recovered. Talk about pushing your limits.

Sterling’s destination was the Sentinel Syndicate’s headquarters, located high above Sieghart Mountains. The boss had undoubtedly made his way back to HQ by now, but this only meant trouble for Akihiko. He thought he could do something kind as a way to apologize for his mishap in the tournament, and if possible, wanted to avoid a confrontation at any cost. However, he knew that he would be scolded once he reaches back. The thought sent a chill down his spine, almost as if the boss had been watching from a distance.

It wouldn’t be long now, Akihiko was slowly but surely approaching the mountain’s summit. Truthfully, he was in no position to continue, after all, he had made it this far on willpower alone. His body felt heavy and weak due to the trip; frankly, he didn’t know how much longer he could hold out. Perhaps it would be a smart idea to take a short rest so that way he could at least change his bandage. Akihiko laid his belongings against some rocks and reached inside his satchel for a bottle of water. As he tended to his wound, he heard a desperate cry for help up the steep path.

“Help! Can anyone out there hear me?! Help!” a man shouted.

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“Tch. Seriously, out of all times? Lord, why now.” Akihiko said with a hint of frustration as he finished wrapping a bandage around his wound. He hurriedly grabbed his things and made his way to the source of the voice. The man who he stumbled upon appeared to be in his mid-twenties, brown, spiky hair, and he had beady eyes. Blood spewed from the man’s mouth like a water fountain and his body was adorned with scratch marks. “Hmm...maybe a mountain lion. Nah, they tend to avoid people. These scratches are wide and deep, most likely the work of a far more wild animal.” Akihiko thought to himself. While he wasted time debating what the assailant was, the man lost consciousness due to blood loss. “Shit.”

About twenty minutes passed by before the man came to. Laid out in front of him was a pan filled with a bloody rag and large nail clippings from the animal that had attacked him. Slowly, the man sat up and observed his surroundings. “W-What happened?” he said shakily. Akihiko took one final bite out of the creature he had been eating and threw the remains in the fire before them. “You lost consciousness up the steep path just outside this cave. I carried you inside, gave you first aid, and patched you up to the best of my ability, however, I wouldn’t recommend moving around too much or you’d undo the stitches.” Akihiko replied staring deeply into the flames. “Those clippings are far too big to be a mountain lion. I can only assume that they belong to a werewolf, right?” he said sternly. A wave of silence passed by – leaving only the flickering sound of the fire. “Y-yes. This particular werewolf has been tormenting and terrorizing people in the area for days, including my village. Countless men and women have died at the hands of that wretched beast. We had an agreement! Please, traveler, help me slay this beast.” he said. Sterling scratched his head as he listened to the man’s plea. “Yea, I’ll give you a helping hand but it’ll cost you. The name is Akihiko, and I hope you like lizard,” he said handing the food to the man.

“M-my name is C-Cameron. I’m the chief of a village not too far from here. Allow me to take you there, you can freshen up if you’d like. It's the least that I can do.” Cameron said.

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Sterling made sure to put out the fire before replying to Cameron. “Sure, I could use a bath and a new set of clothes. Maybe some food too, lizard alone isn’t cutting it,” he said as he gathered his belongings once more. It had felt as if he was getting farther and farther away from his actual destination. Surely the boss wouldn’t mind his absence for a bit longer he had hoped. “Here, let me help you.” Akihiko took hold of Cameron and placed his arm over his neck to support his walk. “We’ll continue like this until we get to the village,” he said. Together, they left the cave and made their way around the mountain; supposedly, the village was built near the top of the mountain to avoid bandits and the like. Cameron struck Akihiko as the type of person willing to do whatever necessary to protect his people, someone befitting of the title chief. In a way he envied Cameron for being able to take action even though he was aware of his weakness. That was something he wasn’t capable of doing in his childhood; the very reason that he left his homeland.

At the gates of the village, they were greeted by guards with spears. “State your business this instant,” they demanded. Cameron eased his arm off of Akihiko’s neck and waved at the guards with a nervous smile on his face. Quickly, the gates opened and the villagers came rushing to see what all the commotion was about. “Easy now, easy. I got sidetracked hunting for food. Ended up throwing hands with a hungry mountain lion.” Cameron said laughingly. You should’ve seen the look on the kids' faces, they were awestruck. Telling a lie about what really happened wasn’t Akihiko’s idea, but perhaps it was for the best to avoid panic. Surprisingly, the villagers bought the story – a gullible bunch. “This guy here came across me and helped me back. He’s our guest, so I expect you to treat him with respect.” Cameron continued. All of the village’s children ran up to Sterling, practically fangirling over him. He wasn’t the type to avoid the attention either.

The day had gone by so fast. As promised, Akihiko bathed and received a new pair of clothes. The chefs cooked up a feast large enough for seconds to go all around. Once he had his fill, he headed out back to take a leak. “I can sense your murderous intent from all the way over here,” he said finishing up. The werewolf crept through the darkness and emerged from the bushes. The beast was everything history books depicted him as to say the least. Akihiko drew his sword and faced the werewolf, readying himself for his opponent’s next move. The werewolf pounced at him, but Akihiko anticipated his movements and held out his sword so that the wolf would impale himself. “I should thank you lone wolf for saving me the trouble of finding you myself,” he said.

Akihiko returned back to the village dragging the wolf’s upper half in his open hand. The wolf’s intestines spewed out causing a scene among the people. He threw the upper half at the feet of Cameron and collected his coin. “Problem solved. May we meet again.” Sterling said as he made his exit.

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