Zero to Hero

Chapter 7: Unforeseen Encounter

"FINALLY!!!! I AM FINALLY OUT OF THIS FREAKING FOREST!" The beastman girl shouted from the top of her lungs.

After twelve days of trekking through the biting cold and endless forest, our journey finally reached a turning point. Before us, a massive river split the landscape. On the other side lay mostly flat lands, a distant mountain range barely visible in the horizon.

"Maybe we'll find a village or two now that we're in flatter terrain. Getting horses might cut our journey to Ostrium to a more reasonable length," I suggested, consulting the map for some direction after reaching this notable landmark.

"I'm eager to see a big city! Candace is probably exaggerating about everything she saw in Darrumburgh," Tina remarked.

"Hmph. A country bumpkin like you won't understand even if I tried to explain," Candace retorted.

Their continuous bickering, surprisingly, transformed from being draining to oddly comforting. Their banter, amidst the unchanging scenery and the numbing cold, added a much-needed sense of levity to our long journey. Amidst it all, I found solace in training my winged wolf companion, Yami. Her growing mastery of her elemental abilities was more impressive than many humans I'd encountered.

"All three of us are country bumpkins, but Candace is right about the major cities. They're eye-opening, especially on your first visit, coming from small villages like ours," I explained, trying to mediate their argument.

"Teleport us across the river already!" Tina demanded, her impatience disregarding my seniority.

In her usual flirtatious manner, Candace hugged me tightly as I teleported us instantly across the raging river.

"Let him go!" Tina snapped, obviously irritated by Candace's actions.

"Ugh... So annoying. He's already a handful, always giving me the cold shoulder, I don't need your constant annoyance!" Candace retaliated.

"As he should! Go find your own man instead of trying to seduce my sister's!" Tina snapped back.

"You know he's had like 50 girls, right? If he was monogamous, I might consider backing out. But since your sister is fine with him having 49 other girls, I'm not giving up on our destined reunion!" Candace fired back.

"Let's not spread rumors, that's a serious exaggeration. I admit I was weak around beautiful girls, but it wasn't anywhere near 50 or even 15. Besides, I'm not that person anymore," I clarified.

"I bet you just don't find Candace attractive. Someone as beautiful as my sister would have you losing your mind by now," Tina taunted.

"Ken! Does this girl resemble her sister?" Candace asked aggressively.

"Personality-wise, not at all. Appearance-wise, quite similar," I responded.

"Ah! See! He's not interested in you, so your theory is debunked! I'm definitely stunning!" Candace boasted.

"Who calls themselves stunning? Have some humility! And he's not showing interest because I'm not throwing myself at him like you are!" Tina retorted.

"Candace is undoubtedly stunning. It's good she's confident. And you're like a sister to me, so please don't throw yourself at me," I clarified.

SMACK!

"Like I ever would!" Tina retorted as she smacked me, completely misinterpreting my attempt at humor.

As our journey continued, the landscape changed dramatically after leaving the frozen forest. The flat lands were equally frigid, the absence of trees making the trek even more grueling on windy days.