Pain lanced through my shield arm as I skidded across the ravine floor. My head spun, vision blurring from the impact. Small rocks dug into my back through the damaged leather armor, some cutting into my neck, drawing blood.

  Shit! What the hell are we even doing? That thing's going to destroy us!

  “Get up!” Roq's voice screamed loudly in my head. “It's coming! Smash it with me!”

  I rolled over my shield and stood. The Platemaw charged. What could I do? The ravine walls were too steep and devoid of handholds. I was trapped with the monster. But I'd been knocked down near a boulder. I ran behind it. If I could force the monster to play merry-go-round to try and get to me, maybe I could wear it down.

  The monster slammed straight into the large chunk of rock with devastating force, knocking the boulder back to further slam into my chest. More pain exploded through my ribs and sent me stumbling back against the ravine wall. The boulder rolled after me and I kicked my legs up, pushing with all my strength. It didn't squeeze me to death, but luckily settled just short of crushing me.

  “Ash!” Eryn's voice cracked with fear. An arrow whistled through the air, pinging harmlessly off the creature's armor. “Get out of there!”

  Blood trickled down my chin and a sense of clarity hit me.

  “What the fuck did you do to me, Roq?” I wheezed, falling forwards onto the boulder, and struggling to stay on my feet.

  “I didn't do anything!” Roq protested. “You agreed to this!”

  The Platemaw's claws scraped against stone as it circled, its breath sounding like Pa's bellows. I swiped my shield into storage and scrambled to climb onto the boulder. I was just in time as the monster's rock-eating jaws snapped out behind my feet.

  I was safe for a moment, but that would only last mere seconds.

  “Hey, you ugly bastard!” Eryn shouted from above us, “Look at me!” She loosed another arrow, trying to distract the monster but it only had eyes for me.

  “This is insane!” I stared wide-eyed as it started backing up, glaring at me, clearly preparing to charge. One that would probably split the boulder, or at least knock me off. “We shouldn't die fighting this thing! We're going to get killed, Roq!”

  “No, no! We've got this!” Roq insisted. “Just need to find its weak spot!”

  “If Eryn gets hurt because of this,” I snarled. “I'm stuffing you in my spatial storage forever and that's without a pillow!” The Platemaw pawed at the ground and huffed, steam rising from its back.

  “Ash!” Eryn yelled from overhead. “I think it's time we get the hell out of here! Freaking run!”

  “Agreed! I’ve made a huge mistake!” I shot back as my eyes darted around.

  I glanced up. The top of the ravine was way out of reach, but I still had to try and get out of there.

  Another arrow from Eryn ricocheted off the monster's face with a metallic ping. If I moved towards her, it would run me down. It was too fast in a straight line.

  “Head the other way,” Eryn shouted. “There's a way up I used when scouting!”

  I nodded, and turned, staring at the monster, when Roq said something that completely threw me off.

  “Perhaps,” Roq's voice grew small. “I may have let my excitement cloud your judgment. But that was only just a teeny tiny bit.”

  Wait. What did he just say?

  “Your excitement clouded my judgment!?”

  “Well, you see—”

  The Platemaw charged and Roq stopped talking.

  “We are not done with this topic.”

  There was only one thing I could do for now: stay alive so I could kick his ass when we returned home.

  Just before the monster smashed into the boulder, I leapt. Behind me, there was a massive crash, and the monster stopped dead in its tracks.

  I landed on the ground and continued into a roll, my ribs screaming, before getting to my feet and running down the ravine as fast as I could.

  Off to my right there was a slope rising up the side, but it was covered in small loose stones, making the ground unstable.

  Behind me, the Platemaw let out a thundering roar and pawed at the ground. It was already back in killer mode and the sound of hooves beating stone reverberated behind me as the monster sped up.

  “The wall!” Roq's voice cut through my panicked thoughts. “Get to the wall and strike it! Now!”

  “What? How is that going to help?”

  “Just do it! Trust me!”

  “Trust you? After getting us into this mess?” I reached the slope, barely keeping my footing as rocks slipped beneath me. “You just admitted that all of this is your fault, and that we should have walked away!”

  The ground shook violently and I glanced behind. The Platemaw had almost caught up, and in a split-second decision, I yanked my shield from storage and spun, hurling it like a discus toward the charging monster's legs. The beast's right foot came down on the flat surface and the leg slipped out from under it. The monster crashed to the ground and rolled over on its side.

  I glanced at the slope. Maybe twenty yards to the top now. But the loose ground wouldn’t do anything to help. If I had a few minutes, I'd scramble up easily, but my injuries were slowing me down. I'd never make it before the Platemaw recovered.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  I turned and took a deep breath, then charged the monster.

  “Die, you oversized cow!”

  My war cry echoed off the ravine walls, and I felt an anticipation from Roq, though he wisely kept silent. I struck for the Platemaw's head with all my strength, but it shifted left and all I got in was a glancing strike. I pulled the hammer back up and struck its cheek, sending it stumbling to the side.

  “Run! Get the hell out, Ash!” Eryn yelled.

  I pulled away from the creature and ran for the path, panting. I glanced behind, seeing the monster struggle to regain its footing.

  How hurt is it? Will it stay away?

  “The eyes!” Roq said. “Hit the eyes and then finish it off!”

  “Yeah, right. How about you stop spewing riftrot and let me focus on getting the hell out, you lying ass!”

  “I know I did bad!” For the first time since I'd met him, Roq's voice held genuine desperation. “I was wrong! But please, please trust me now! You NEED to kill that monster! I promise!”

  The Platemaw shook its head and turned toward me. Blueish blood ran down the side of its head, the face plate partially broken. I could see the side of its teeth, causing its growl to sound higher pitched.

  I started scrambling up the loose rocks again, not wanting to be anywhere close when it came knocking.

  “I swear I'll behave from now on! Just listen to me this one last time,” Roq pleaded. “Grab a rock and hit it with me! Trust in my power!”

  A rock?

  The Platemaw charged. I had to buy time. I grabbed a stone the size of my fist, tossed it up and swung. Roq connected with devastating force, and the stone exploded, spraying shards towards the monster's face. Some fragment must have found its mark, because the monster screeched to a halt and reared up with a roar, thrashing its head from side to side.

  I turned to face it. I’d bought a moment, but I couldn’t outrun it. The only thing I could do was kill the damned thing or die trying.

  The Platemaw thrashed, its eyes closed, and blood running down its face.

  I circled the beast. Despite its blindness, it could still crush me if any of the hooves got a hit in. Its head whipped back and forth, jaws snapping at empty air and legs kicking, doing its best to keep me away.

  There.

  An opening appeared as it reared back up again. I darted in, swinging Roq with all my strength at its left front leg and hit it perfectly on the knee. The blow landed with devastating power, and the leg gave way.

  “Ash, that's enough!” Eryn's voice cut through the monster's cries. “It can't chase you now. Go!”

  I pretended not to hear her. The monster was wounded and unable to fight at full power, so why would I run? Just one more hit.

  I circled to its back and moved in to strike, but it must have heard or felt me, or maybe I just got unlucky, because it kicked, hitting me on the thigh and sending me flying, slamming onto the stony ground.

  “That's it!” Eryn shouted. “We agreed! Ash!”

  I pushed myself to my feet but I still ignored her. Partially because my ears were ringing, and partially because I was pretty sure something had snapped within my thigh. There was no way I could escape. Even if the Platemaw limped after me, I would be limping far worse.

  Sorry, Eryn. I either kill that thing or you bury me here.

  I stepped back in. The Platemaw's head snapped toward the sound of my footsteps, but I was ready, stopping just outside its range, and waited for the kick. It spun and kicked out with its back leg, missing me by a few inches. I threw myself at it, striking its knee.

  The hammer connected, and a sense of victory surged through me with the satisfying crack, as the monster fell to the ground on its side.

  The Platemaw rolled and swung its legs about, but I wasn't stupid enough to just stand there and get hit. My chest heaved as I watched the Platemaw thrash against the stony ground, its massive armored bulk practically stuck like an overturned turtle. Two legs kicked at empty air while the broken ones twitched uselessly. Blood from its ruined eyes mixed with spittle as it snapped its jaws, desperately trying to right itself.

  Loose rocks clattered behind me and I could hear hurried footsteps approaching.

  “Ash,” Eryn's voice was filled with disappointment and it cut deeper than any monster's claws. I couldn't meet her eyes. Instead, I focused on the Platemaw's less armored throat.

  Steam rose from between the plates on its side as it writhed. Up close, its hide looked like sheets of metal hammered out and fitted together better than any blacksmith could have ever done.

  I lifted Roq high and brought him down hard on that exposed throat. The Platemaw's bellow cut off in a wet gurgle. I struck again, and again in rapid succession. Blood sprayed across my arms with each impact until the monster's struggle ceased, its legs going limp.

  My hands shook, partly from exhaustion, partly from the adrenaline crash. Mostly from anger at both myself and my idiotic and bloodthirsty weapon.

  “Yes! YES!” Roq's voice thundered through my skull. “LEVEL FIVE! Do you feel that POWER? The strength flowing through us? We are UNSTOP—”

  “Shut. Up,” I growled through clenched teeth.

  “But we—”

  “I said shut up!” The words came out as a roar. “You nearly got us killed! Both of us! And Eryn!”

  Roq fell silent, but I felt a smug satisfaction pulsing through our connection, completely at odds with the gravity of what just happened.

  I turned to Eryn. She stood a few feet away, bow in hand, watching me with an expression I couldn't read. No, that wasn't true. I could read it. I just didn't want to.

  “I think this is enough hunting for today,” she said, her face tight.

  “I'll store this one,” I said, gesturing at the massive corpse.

  I swiped out three shardfangs that didn't have gems in them, and touched a hand to the Platemaw. It was warm to the touch, like a forge's chimney at night.

  The familiar tingle of spatial storage crawled across my wrist as the monster's body disappeared.

  “I don't see why you're so—”

  “I'm going to put you in storage and—”

  “Wait.” Eryn interrupted me, and I turned to face her. “Tell me his words exactly.”

  I looked at her for a moment and then nodded.

  “Did you convince Ash to attack the platemaw?”

  “I wouldn't say I convinced you, it was more of a suggestion?” Roq said.

  I relayed his words.

  “If you ever expect us to trust you again, you better drop the monster muck, Roq,” Eryn said.

  “Maybe I let my unquenchable enthusiasm for battle somewhat seep into you, Ash. But look at what it gave us!”

  “No buts,” I said. “Speak plainly.”

  “I might have discovered a way to subtly manipulate your emotions.”

  “You did what?” I snapped, staring at the hammer in disgust.

  “What did he say?” Eryn asked.

  “By chance, Ash! I didn't look for it on purpose! It just happened. When you were thinking of leaving the delicious Platemaw behind, I panicked. The Shardfangs tasted so good, their power surging through me, and the thought of going back to starving, I just... I needed the fight, and suddenly I felt your emotions, too, and I just let myself leak out a little bit?”

  It stunned me. I thought I'd been the one in charge of him, the one deciding what to do and what to fight. But now?

  Goosebumps ran down my back as I told Eryn, and she stared aghast at my hammer. Then she raised her chin and looked me in the eyes, holding out her hand. I breathed deep and grasped it, grateful that she wasn’t storming off.

  “Roq. I can't walk like this,” I said. “Mend my hip as best as you can. And believe me, we are going to have a long talk when we get home,” I said. “About trust. About partnership. About what you did to me back there and how in the blasted rift you did it. You pushed me into a fight where we could have all died. A fight we didn't have to take.”

  “But we won! And look how much stronger I've become! I can feel a new ability forming! And I heard a sound!”

  “That's exactly the problem.” I stared down at the last of the monster blood being absorbed into Roq. “You don't care about anything except getting stronger. Not about my safety. Not about Eryn's. Not about the promises we made. This here,” I said, motioning at him, myself, and Eryn, “Isn't going to work like that. No way.”

  The hammer fell silent again, but this time I felt something different through our bond. Could it be shame?

  Good. Maybe some of this is finally getting through that thick metal head of his.

  I stored him away and turned to Eryn. The mending process started right away, and I could feel the pain lessen within mere seconds.

  “Eryn…”

  “I know. You don't need to say it, but this is exactly the kind of thing I was worried about.”

  “You're right. We will have to do things differently, but before that, would you mind helping me back to the base?”