I am a very good girl. Or at least I used to be.

This isn't bragging, it's an objective fact. I have been told so many times by my owner, after all, and the idea that they could be wrong is absurd. As for the idea that they could be lying, well, that's downright ridiculous.

Therefore, it's the only possible explanation. I am a very good girl. Among the best? That's harder to determine, as I don't really know how many girls there are out there, much less how good they are, respectively. But that hardly matters. It's not a competition, after all. At least I hope not.

How do I know that my owner isn't wrong? Well, that's a silly question. He isn't wrong because he's never wrong. He's the smartest, strongest and gentlest human that there is. That's not just my opinion, either, even if I am quite the credible source. Whether for diplomacy, his skill with a blade, or his talent for belly rubs, humans the world over know his name and recognize his brilliance. Okay, admittedly the last one might be a little bit more localized, but hey, a talent is a talent.

Still, he could be lying, right? Well, no, of course not. For one thing, lying is wrong, and being wrong is the very antithesis to his existence. Aside from that, he's a paladin. The most noble, brave and honorable type of human that there is, and that's not just my opinion, either. There are only nine of them in the whole entire world, and he's recognized as the greatest among them. I don't really know how many 'nine' is, but I get the impression that it isn't a whole lot.

He has saved countless lives and defeated countless foes, only killing when absolutely necessary, and even then his infinitely kind soul deeply laments those who fall, no matter how villainous they might have been. He travels far and wide, healing the sick, protecting the defenseless, and yet he still finds the time to come back to visit me every single day, always a smile on his face, no matter how burdensome his duties may be. Almost every time he brings some manner of delicious monster meat, and then, while I enjoy my dinner, he sits back and tells me all of the stories of his adventures. Admittedly, I can't entirely understand most of them, but just hearing his voice is enough. As much as I would love for those moments to continue all day long, however, I know that they cannot.

Each time, I hate to see him leave, but I know that he has no choice. There are countless people in need, and only so many hours in a day. As short as the visits might feel, I'm endlessly grateful for them. Being a good girl, I don't make him feel guilty. I bark happily and wag my tail as he goes, only to whine softly to myself as the wooden door closes behind him, and the flash of blue light vanishes fades from the crack beneath it. It's difficult, but I can calm myself at the realization that he will be back again tomorrow. For the longest time things worked out that way. At least until they didn't.

I am no longer a good girl. I wish I could say that it was because I had changed. That it was because I had barked too often and too loudly, or that I had bitten someone, or that I was simply disobedient. If only that were the case.

Unfortunately, I didn't change. It was the world that did.

There was no natural decline to his visits. One day they just stopped. While rare, it wasn't completely unheard of for him to miss a day. His work is incredibly important, after all, and sometimes he just can't get away from a particularly urgent mission. At first I had assumed it to be a situation like this, but then one day had become two, and two four, and before I knew it, more than a week had passed.

I moved little, staring endlessly at that that door. I couldn't bring myself to look away, just in case he arrived at that moment and might think, even for a second, that I hadn't missed him. Sleep grew increasingly difficult, and I was quick to awaken at the slightest hint of sound. Eating felt similarly pointless. The entire world fell away. The walls covered with fascinating trophies which provided so much entertainment in the past might as well have been black voids. The floor which served as my bed might as well have been a bottomless pit. The ceiling which had long sheltered me was just an endless chasm. All that remained was me and that door.

In time, expectation turned to hope, which turned to wishes which, in turn, became fantasies. Finally, those fantasies turned to sheer depression. I couldn't deny the possibility there was some dire event which he couldn't possibly return from. A threat to the entire world, perhaps? One which would be resolved in the very near future? But more and more I found myself faced with the simple realization: That he wasn't coming back.

The title of 'good girl' is meaningless without someone there to call you it. It might as well not even exist. I might as well not even exist, and yet here I was, as the world grew colder and emptier with each and every passing moment. I barely moved, quickly growing to ignore the many outside noises, each one of which, during those first few days, I had been convinced was the sound of the human's triumphant return. Those moments were pleasant ones, even if terribly short lived and nowhere close to worth to the pain which inevitably followed. I would watch the sunbeams appear in the morning, stretch across the floor throughout the day and vanish in the evening, until they, along with everything else simply faded away.

No matter how much had disappeared, however, that accursed door remained. It used to be a symbol of security, protecting me from the many, many dangers of the outside world. Instead it became a barrier, an impermeable wall between me and the only thing in this world that matters. Rationally, of course, I knew that it wasn't the door's fault. It was mine.

Maybe being a very good girl just wasn't good enough... perhaps he had found an even better girl, or, dare I say it, the best girl, one who was fluffier and smarter and even more adorable? No. Not that the idea itself was impossible (although I'd like to think it highly improbable), but he wouldn't just leave both me and his home without a word. Even were he to grow so tired of me, all of his stuff is here.

That's when the realization, one which should have been obvious right away, hit me: Clearly, something is wrong. Clearly my master is in trouble. There's no time to feel depression when there is someone out there very much worth caring about. Someone who I owe everything to. I have to find them.

The world around me was still one of black emptiness, but not due to sorrow, rather due to determination. Walls, floors and ceilings still failed to matter, as all of my senses were focused on the obstacle, the first of many, I was certain, which stood in my way.

Battle Start! Squire Versus FrontDoor!

Squire lets loose a fierce growl!

FrontDoor is unaffected.

FrontDoor stands defiant.

Squire attacks! FrontDoor suffers 8 point(s) of damage!

FrontDoor counters for 7 points(s) of damage!

Squire's HP has been reduced to 33!

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

FrontDoor defends!

Darn it! That really hurt! It's obvious why FrontDoor was chosen to protect my master's home. Still, I'm not ready to give up yet...

Squire attacks! FrontDoor suffers 9 point(s) of damage!

FrontDoor counters for 8 points(s) of damage!

Squire's HP has been reduced to 25!

FrontDoor slams! Squire is frightened by the loud noise!

Squire's attack has fallen by 50%!

Clearly this is a mightier foe than I had anticipated. I can't afford to lose this battle, though, no matter how scary loud noises are...

Squire attacks! Critical hit! FrontDoor suffers 7 point(s) of damage!

FrontDoor counters for 12 points(s) of damage!

Squire's HP has been reduced to 13!

FrontDoor defends.

Squire summons her inner strength!

Attack power has recovered and increases!

FrontDoor looks on, dismissively.

Squire attacks! FrontDoor suffers 14 point(s) of damage!

FrontDoor counters for 14 points(s) of damage!

Plot Armor activates! Squire's HP has been reduced to 1!

FrontDoor stands tall...

It's no use. I'm hurting badly, and It's barely bleeding at all. If that special ability of mine hadn't activated, the battle would already be over. I can't keep fighting like this. I need to give up, rest and recover and consider a new strategy. They're far too strong...

"What were you expecting?" I ask myself, "Did you really think that this would be easy? That the world which could potentially endanger the mighty Saros Spiritbane wouldn't pose any threats to you? This was a ridiculous idea. You were right to be scared of the outside world. You're not strong enough, and you never will be. You just need to give up and accept that."

A very tempting offer, I must admit. I always seem to know exactly what to say to appeal to my sense of reason. Deep down, however, I know that it's wrong. Being a good girl isn't just about following orders and looking pretty: it's about doing good, helping others and standing against injustice, even when, especially when it's difficult.

I rise back up to my feet, panting, glaring at my hated enemy who stands so tall, so proud, so mocking, and know full well that if I retreat now, there will never be another new attempt or another strategy. I'll give up and accept my weakness, and wait for my master to return, and who knows? Maybe he will. Maybe in just another few minutes he'll walk straight in through that now mildly damaged door, and I'll feel ridiculous for ever having worried, for ever honestly believing that someone as powerful as him could ever need to be rescued...

Or maybe he will never come back, and I'll have to live with the knowledge that maybe, just maybe, I could have helped him. That I could have returned just the tiniest hint of kindness that he's shown me, but instead I was too afraid of getting hurt.

No, you can't give up just because something is hopeless. Hopeless is a meaningless term to one who has faith. Someone who believes, not necessarily in themselves, but in what they think is right, and will give anything in order to achieve it!

FrontDoor is getting board.

Oops, sorry! I was so busy monologuing that I hadn't even noticed that the battle music was still going on. Heh, board, like a play on 'bored'? That's pretty good! No, this is no time to be appreciating the clever wordplay of my opponent! Maybe this few moments of idleness isn't much compared to the week I had spent watching and waiting, but every second standing still is one spent not moving forward. I've spent far too long, an entire lifetime, in fact, being too afraid to stand on my own four feet. I won't let that happen again.

Squire uses Divine Strike!

Critical Hit! FrontDoor suffers 194 point(s) of damage!

I find myself flooded with light from two sources: one, the small wooden carving dangling from my leather collar, and the other, the sunlight beaming down from above. Both are blinding. There is pain as well, as while FrontDoor may not have had a chance to land a proper counter, even as I smashed through its broad torso, I could still feel the intense impact against my body. I could also feel something else, however, a strange, calming energy. I could hear a voice, not in my ears, but rather in my heart. A soothing feminine one, one which I had never heard before, and yet it still felt intimately familiar. It spoke a universal truth which I have long since known, yet strangely never grow tired of hearing. It told me that I was a very good girl. As nice as hearing it might be, I finally, truly understand that the words alone are not good enough. It's time that I started acting like one.

FrontDoor has been defeated!

Squire has won the battle and has gained 255 Experience Point(s) and 50 Gold(s)!

Squire has become a level 2 Paladin (rank 1)!

Strength is now 18! (+3 point(s)!)

Endurance is now 24! (+4 point(s)!)

Agility is now 24! (+4 point(s)!)

Intelligence is now 11! (+1 point(s)!)

Faith is now 48! (+8 point(s)!)

Charisma is now 42! (+7 point(s)!)

Squire has gained 8 maximum HP!

Squire has completed the path of determination and Attained Paladin Rank 1!

Squire has learned the Divine Strike ability!

Wow! That's a lot of numbers! I'll bet they'd be even more impressive if I knew how to count! It's difficult to focus on such things, however, after the sign from above that I have been given. I might not know a lot about, well, pretty much anything, but even I know the touch of a God when I feel one. Somehow, I have been deemed worthy to follow in my masters footsteps! I can only imagine how proud he'll be! No, no, that's getting ahead of myself. I'm sure that I have a long journey ahead of me, and titles are not what matters: Deeds are.

As I look about, keeping my eyes from the sky, I see many humans. I recognize some of them from my past brief trips outside, always escorted of course, but this is the first time in as long as I could remember that I've been outside alone. I can already pick up the faint yet familiar scent of my owner. I can tell that he is very, very far away, much further away than I could hope to be able to detect a less important smell. I can't tell exactly how far, but I do know the general direction. If I follow that path for long enough, There is no doubt that I will find him.

There is something strange about the village, however, namely the citizens within it. Some are walking, some working, some conversing, but so many of them have large, glowing exclamation points over the heads... what does that mean again? Hmm, I know this. Explanation points represent some manner of urgency, right? That means that these people must all need help! But my master might need it as well... no, no, a good girl, correction, a good paladin doesn't pick and choose who to help based on who she happens to like more. It is our job to help those in need, and if I were to pass all of these people by just because it was inconvenient, how could I even hope to face my master with my head held high?

I look back over my shoulder to my home, the only one I have ever really known, well aware that it might be quite some time until I see it again. I'll miss it. I'll miss my bed, the abundance of food, the cool breeze through the open window... huh, I guess I could have gone out that way, couldn't I? Oh well, live and learn.

-This isn't over...

I freeze in place, growling over my shoulder at the ruined door frame. No time to dwell on that, however. I have a journey to embark upon and people to save!

---

"Da, da, da, da, da, da... or, sorry, don't mind me! That battle music is really catchy! I can see why adventuring is such a popular profession!"