The fallen Jursen struggled against the churned earth, its forelegs scrambling for purchase. It would be back on its feet in another heartbeat.
Eren reached it first. She raised her sword with both hands and drove the point downward, aiming for the gap beneath the jaw. Years spent helping her parents butcher livestock guided the strike by instinct alone. A clean thrust there would be quick.
Her hands shook. The blade entered deeper than she intended, slipping through the creature's throat and punching into the base of the skull before the crossguard struck flesh. The Jursen convulsed. A sharp cry burst from its lungs, ending quickly. The body shuddered once, then fell still.
Eren froze, both hands wrapped around the hilt. She tried to wrench the weapon free, but the cheap Reka steel was wedged fast in the bone. Her wrists, already vibrating from the earlier parry, lacked the leverage to clear it. She was stuck, anchored to the carcass.
The silence lasted only an instant. The remaining Jursens heard the cry, and three heads swung toward their companion. Their low growls became harsher. One beast stamped at the road, lowered its head, and charged straight for the unarmed Eren.
"Careful!"
She looked up too late, her fingers still straining against her trapped grip.
Shion moved. Her legs protested the moment she forced them forward. The hurried earthworking still burned through her shoulders, and as she threw herself across the road, her left arm buckled slightly under the weight of her greatsword. The point drifted lower than she intended, missing the jaw entirely. Instead, she had to force her weight behind the blade, driving it into the narrow opening where the shoulder plates separated. Steel punched through hide.
The Jursen screamed. Its charge collapsed into a stumble that carried it past Eren before it crashed into the roadside ditch.
Shion nearly followed it. The impact jarred her arms so violently that her left shoulder went entirely numb. She stumbled two steps, her boots skidding in the dirt, before planting the tip of her greatsword deep into the ground. She leaned into the hilt, using the massive weapon like a crutched post to keep her knees from giving way, forcing herself into a rigid, deceptive readiness while she fought to drag air back into her lungs.
The wounded beast scrambled upright, blood pouring from its shoulder. It looked once toward the dead member of the pack, then turned and fled into the trees, leaving a trail across the road.
The last two Jursens remained where they stood. Their tusks clicked together and their muscles tensed, but neither mercenary moved. Shion pulled her greatsword free from the earth and brought it back into guard despite the weight in her arms. Beside her, Eren lowered into a defensive stance.
For several heartbeats, neither side advanced. The animals' confidence had broken. One snorted sharply, while the other glanced toward the forest where its companion had vanished. Together, they turned and disappeared into the undergrowth, branches snapping in their wake until the sound of their retreat faded.
Silence settled over the road. Only then did Eren release her breath.
The merchants were already climbing down from the battered wagon.
"Thank the gods..."
"I thought we were finished."
"You saved us!"
One of them seized Eren's hand with both of his. "I've never seen anything like that!"
Another started walking toward Shion, only to stop when he noticed the blood dripping from her greatsword. "You have our deepest thanks."
Shion gave a small nod, saying nothing as she cleaned the blade against the grass.
The merchants scarcely noticed, their attention quickly drifting back to Eren.
"If the two of you hadn't come along..."
"We owe you our lives."
Another merchant stepped forward. "It's fortunate you keep such muscle on a tight leash."
The words hung awkwardly in the air. Eren blinked, staring at the man.
It took her a heartbeat to realize it had been meant as a compliment.
She looked toward Shion, who appeared not to have reacted at all. Whether she truly hadn't, or merely chose not to show it, Eren couldn't tell. Her first instinct was anger. Confusion settled right after. If Shion had been human, no one would have said such a thing. Yet arguing with them felt equally strange, as though she would be trying to convince them the sky wasn't blue.
She settled on the only answer that felt honest. "She's a higher-ranked mercenary than I am. I'm the one learning from her."
The merchants exchanged puzzled glances. One looked at another, then at Shion, then back to Eren. The silence stretched just long enough to make their disbelief obvious.
Finally, one of them laughed. "A good one."
Another chuckled. "I nearly believed you."
Eren's expression didn't change. She wasn't joking. The merchants, however, began talking among themselves again, convinced she had been teasing them.
Shion slid her sword back into its scabbard. "Let's help them recover what we can."
Eren glanced at her. There wasn't a trace of annoyance in Shion's voice, only practical purpose.
"...Right."
Without another word, the two mercenaries walked toward the shattered remains of the wagon.