Ailina

Biodata

Appearance

• Ailina is described as a red-haired girl 46.

Personality

Ailina is blunt, sardonic, and careful about the boundaries of cooperation. She jokes that Helian Yuan’s missing spear had worse luck than its owner, guarantees her replacement for only seven days, and insists that he disclose any trouble that might follow him. She accepts the dangers of his route without treating their bargain as a promise of safety 46.

Her insistence on clear terms does not prevent generosity or compassion. After the Windclaw Lynx hunt, she gives Helian Yuan extra meat while framing it as payment for materials rather than a life-saving debt. She also disables a controlled Scent Beast’s muzzle ring instead of killing it, recognizing that the animal is being used as a tool 47 48.

She respects others’ choices even under pressure. Having noticed Helian Yuan’s unusual shadow, she does not immediately interrogate him; when its strength becomes necessary, she asks for one specific blow and accepts his explanation of the physical cost. During the cliff escape, she supports the cub without deciding where it should place its feet 48 49 50.

Abilities & Skills

Wind-Style Battle Qi and Saber Combat

• Uses Wind-Style Battle Qi and fights with a narrow-bladed long saber 46 47.
• During the Windclaw Lynx hunt, attacks from the right to force the beast onto its injured hind leg 47.
• Blocks the lynx’s claws when it threatens Leien’s neck, helping hold it in place for Helian Yuan’s thrust 47.

Weapon Repair and Improvised Construction

• Maintains the hunting party’s weapons and attempts to repurpose a black iron shaft as a replacement bridge-winch axle 46.
• Builds Helian Yuan a woodland spear from two black wooden sections joined by an iron sleeve. Its three-edged point is secured with two rivets, while cloth around the butt reduces shock to his injured hand 46 47.
• Places the spear’s balance toward the rear, reducing its reliance on Helian Yuan’s forearm strength 47.
• Explicitly warns that the sleeve will loosen when wet and crack under force against hard objects; the weapon is guaranteed for only seven days 47.
• Uses the spear’s detachable construction again when the group must crawl through a narrow escape tunnel 50.

Locks and Control Equipment

• Examines cyan flakes from a beast-control neck ring and identifies that its material is not ordinary iron 46.
• Cuts and loosens a Scent Beast’s green-iron muzzle ring, overwhelming it with surrounding smells and interrupting its specialized tracking 48.
• Uses wedge pliers to separate the cub’s nested green-iron and copper lock rings. Her tools open a gap, but Helian Yuan’s shadow-enhanced hammer blow is needed to crack the lock 49.
• Takes responsibility for weapon repairs and lock work when the group renegotiates its roles 50.

Tactical Misdirection

• Supplies a copper sheet whose sound makes a Rock-Armored Rhinoceros look toward the cliffs, allowing the group to cross its path 46.
• Strikes a hollow log with her saber’s back to make the Windclaw Lynx misjudge footsteps 47.
• Rigs spikes and copper wires to tear bark from beneath the lynx’s feet as it jumps, disrupting its landing 47.
• Packages a stolen whistle component in a copper tube wrapped with medicinal leaves, creating a scent lure without letting the component make noise 48.
• Washes horseradish powder into the stream to mask the escaping group’s blood and medicinal scents 49.

Beast Observation and Handling

• Reads fresh blood, hemp-herb residue, and gnawed plants to assess the cub’s condition and attempts to treat itself 48.
• Advises covering the frightened cub’s eyes rather than pressing on its injured neck 49.
• Recognizes that its wounded leg cannot safely bear suspension from a rope. On the concealed rock ridge, she instead loops cloth around its chest so the group can support it while it walks 50.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Narrow-bladed long saber — Her weapon during the Windclaw Lynx hunt; also used to create misleading sounds 47.
• Toolbox/tool case — Holds repair and lock-working equipment, including a hammer, pliers, a short chisel, wedge pliers, and a small knife. Most of her tools are lost during the cub’s rescue; only a small hammer and pliers remain by the hot-spring refuge 46 48 49 50.
• Improvisation materials — Carries copper sheet, copper wire, spikes, thread, tubing, and hide used for distractions, traps, scent lures, and animal handling 46 47 48 49.
• Windclaw Lynx wind sac — Awarded to her to compensate for materials spent attempting to repair the bridge 47.

Relationships

• Helian Yuan — Initially a trading partner who exchanges a route across the ravine for a replacement spear. Their cooperation develops into shared combat and rescue work, but Ailina continues to require advance disclosure of risks rather than unconditional loyalty 46 47 49 50.
• Leien — Fellow hunter and frontline defender. She fights alongside his shield during the lynx hunt and helps him up during the retreat from the retrieval team 46 47 49.
• Kelin — Fellow hunter responsible for maps, accounts, medicine, and later evidence. They coordinate scent diversions and work together on the cub’s leg lock 46 48 49.
• Little Mo — The injured cub she helps free and escort out of Mist Valley. She protects its leg in the tunnel, supports its cliff crossing, and turns the blank wooden tag face down when it reacts fearfully to it 49 50.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Ravine Crossing and Windclaw Lynx Hunt

Ailina first appears stranded beside a damaged rope bridge with Leien and Kelin. Their temporary party is pursuing a wounded third-level Windclaw Lynx. She bargains with Helian Yuan: he will guide them across by an old beast trail, and she will make him a usable short spear. Her copper-sheet distraction helps them pass a fourth-level Rock-Armored Rhinoceros 46.

When chained cub tracks appear, Ailina insists that the party finish its original hunt before committing to a different objective. After the lynx is killed and its remains reveal black fur, she negotiates a limited extension: they will accompany Helian Yuan until they see the cub, then decide whether to rescue it 47.

Mist Valley Rescue

Ailina helps divert the retrieval team’s Scent Beasts and enters Mist Valley with the others. On finding the cub, she assesses how far it can walk and readies her smallest pliers before the party has formally committed to saving it 48.

During the confrontation, she cuts open the upstream medicine pouches supplying numbing powder, then returns to work on the cub’s lock. She asks Helian Yuan to use his shadow for the final hammer blow after confirming that he understands the cost to his injured arm. The group escapes with the cub and broken restraint fragments, but loses the ledger and most of Ailina’s tools 49.

Escape and Renewed Terms

As the cub guides the group through a hidden tunnel and concealed cliff route, Ailina protects its injured leg and rigs a cloth support for its crossing. When Helian Yuan is knocked backward by the collapsing bridge rope, she catches his belt while Leien holds her shoulder 50.

At the hot-spring cave, the group establishes new terms. Ailina will handle weapon repairs and locks, and the costs of high-risk plans must be disclosed beforehand. Every member retains the right to leave at the next safe place 50.

Notable Quotes

“Roads where no one charges money usually charge in risk.” 46

“It walks, we hold on. Don't decide where it puts its feet.” 50