All eyes within the large establishment fell upon the new group of travellers that had entered the hall. While few spared more than a sideways glance at the unassuming man in his simple attire, many filled their gazes with the women flanking him.

Despite Theo’s attempt to cloak her body from the patrons’ prying eyes, one or two couldn’t resist whistling in her direction, leaving her mortified by the unwanted attention. The other object of attention, with her distinctive white and black hair, and green and red eye, paid little notice to their stares, innocently glancing around with her signature blank expression.

“… It’s dirty,” Vine spoke loudly enough for her small party to hear her over the ruckus of the inn.

“It’ll do,” Aksel sighed in exhaustion. The inn appeared pleasant enough to his eye, and after more than a day without food, there was no chance they were leaving without eating, regardless of how much attention they received.

Ignoring the eyes observing his group, he led his party through the crowded tavern area to a vacant table, near a wall for a bit more privacy. Taking his seat, he released a long, relieving sigh. His legs felt heavy, and his stomach churned, but a decent meal would do wonders for both.

Some eyes lingered longer than others, savouring the spectacle, but soon enough, most returned their attention to the pressing affairs of their own tables. From the corner of Aksel’s eye, he noticed a young, cheerful woman, with a menu in hand approaching their table, only to be waylaid by an older gentleman. After a brief conversation, the woman handed off the menu, and the graying man approached them in her stead.

“Good afternoon, strangers. My name’s David Simms, and I’m the owner of the Hero’s Tale inn,” the man offered his full introduction to the party. Taken aback by the sudden appearance of the inn’s proprietor only moments after taking their seats, Aksel was a tad unprepared to answer.

“Oh. Er… hi, it’s nice to meet you too. I’m Aksel.”

“I’m Theo,” she introduced herself in an exhausted, flat tone, pleasantries to zero.

“… Hungry,” Vine stated, though not rudely so, with her tone too gentle to be taken as such. Instead, it drew a short laugh from David, who paid little mind to the comment for the time being.

“I have to say, out of all the people that have passed by here today, you three are, by far, the most interesting.” He chatted while his blue eyes washed over them, lingering particularly on the girl whose stomach took priority over her name.

“Oh, thanks… Erm, we were just passing through on our way to Treda-lake and thought we’d stop here to get something to eat,” Aksel explained briefly, though he also knew when David spoke of interesting people around the table, his inclusion was a token gesture at best.

“Really? We happen to have a group of traders come down from there today, traveling all the way from Rinland, wouldn’t you know. Quite a journey, let me tell you. I’ve only been there once, when my face was smoother and my knees were a touch more solid. But it was good to see the place where it all started, you know, something I wouldn’t trade for the world.” David reminisced, taking up a seat next to the party—despite the looks he was given by Theo and Aksel as he added himself to their group.

Aksel knew of Rinland—the great islands far to the east, a shattered continent where all mankind claimed origin.

“But enough about me, what’s your business up there?” David asked

“Well, I’m actually hoping to have my purity tested,” Aksel admitted with slight hesitation. He refrained from mentioning his aspirations of becoming a knight or a hero, however, still carrying the emotional scars left by Theo’s raucous laughter the last time he’d spoken of it.

“A man of the faith. That’s always a good thing to hear—even now. If you’re going all that way to be tested though, I’d say to take your business over to Treda-ton instead. Lovely place, wish I could visit more often if I didn’t have this place to run. Saying that though, the journey would cost you a pretty Saturn by barge, let me tell you that, unless you’re willing to work your way on there, that is. Depends on the captain and the ship, of course. I remember speaking to a couple of kids, just a bit younger than yourselves, sailing up and down the Treda on a little raft just to save some money. Ha ha, haven’t seen them in a while, but hopefully that just means they wised up and started using more seaworthy vessels. Still, it can be plenty interesting down here too. I must have served every type of person you can think of, from pirates, farmers, traders, soldiers, pilgrims, even a bishop or two. Can you believe it?” the man rattled on, not once indicating an intention to let the party order their meals.

“In fact, my son is a knight who’s been assigned to the area with his partner. He’s a fine man, a finer man than me, that’s for sure,” David explained with a smile—a detail which gained Aksel’s immediate attention.

“He must have travelled everywhere in this country when he was a militant. He was even more fresh faced then, really didn’t know what he was getting himself into at the time. I’ve heard all about it though. They take you to all the best places and meet all the best people, Goblins, Beastlings, Elves, even the scorched lands in the south at one point, though he speaks little of that journey. He’d pop in every now and again to tell me all he could about those travels though, and let me tell you, he’d tell some of the craziest stories. There was this one story he told me involving some kamikaze goats, you know those dungeon-kin that snap their own legs when they launch themselves at you? Well, let’s just say I still pray that he can give me grandkids one day. Ha ha, it’s still funny to recall even now. That put him out of action longer than any scrap or arrow ever did. It’s a shame though, if the rumours are true, then those elves seem to be up to something again. I even hear of assassins targeting the royal family, and of movement near the border, so this might be the last time I get to see him for a while before he disappears. Damn spikes, am I right?” The torrent of words came to an end for a brief moment, one Aksel hoped he might be able to seize upon to ask about the knight in his family.

Unfortunately, the innkeeper had already turned his attention to his more interesting companions before he got his chance to speak. “Are you two looking to do the same as your friend here then? I’m sure I can introduce you to my son if you like?”

“No thanks, I get more than my fill of angel lovers from Aksel. Now, can we please order already? I’m REALLY hungry.” Theo explained directly, resting her head on the table in a tone that decried her exhaustion.

Why did he ask THEM that question? Aksel thought, feeling like a third wheel on his own, albeit hijacked, adventure.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Look at me just chatting away while you starve in your seats,” David apologised, swiftly noting down the group’s orders and whisking them away to be prepared. Aksel, desiring something filling yet within budget, ordered a steak and potatoes with a cup of water. Vine, after struggling with indecision, ended up copying Aksel’s order word for word, which mildly irritated him considering the time she took to decide. Theo, with an appetite larger than both her party members, opted for two large meat pies, each topped with a fried egg, which would then be stacked atop one another. She then further instructed the innkeeper that a period of no less than 20 seconds must be allowed for the yoke to sufficiently blend and seep into the baked delights before it was to be smothered in gravy. She would accept no less. To accompany this culinary spectacle, she ordered the inn’s finest ‘beer’ in their largest mug, a disappointingly vague choice after the detailed instructions for her main course.

“Hey, if we’re paying for this service, I might as well get a show,” Theo justified to Aksel.

“It’s barely the afternoon and you’re already drinking?” Aksel chided her.

“Huh? Of course I am you river drinker! Do you know what kind of week I’ve had? This’ll be the first decent drink I’ve had in forever,” she answered, insulting his choice of beverage.

“I don’t think being drunk is going to make your week any better. Also, don’t knock the classics.”

“The words of a child who’s never known the joys of a good drink.”

“They all taste like crap,” Aksel countered.

“Yet you just drink water, a drink as bland as your meal choice. Besides, you don’t usually drink for the taste but to quench a thirst that exists beyond thirst. Well, since you’re paying for it, I suppose I could spare a few sips to help enlighten you.”

“What happened to ‘we’re paying for this service’?”

“Huh? I don’t remember saying that,” her lies were obvious.

“Start spending your own damn money, you leech.”

“Tch,” Theo clicked her tongue at the notion.

“… Aksel?” Vine entered the chat as and when she felt like it.

“Vine.”

“… Do you think… my forever home is around here?” she asked, a question he anticipated would come at some point but was no less unprepared for.

“Yeah, Aksel, where is it?” Theo asked, taking a passing interest in her nail’s cleanliness. Aksel in turn, responded with body language that suggested he was about to either punch, choke, or hurl something heavy at her for helping dig the hole she had practically shoved him into. The translation wasn’t exact, but he was sure she got the general idea.

“Like I said before, I don’t actually know where it is Vine,” Aksel calmly explained, turning his head. “Did this Lyric person ever tell you what it looks like?”

“… It has a house,” Vine spoke, ending her contribution.

“I… see.”

“… Does that help?” she asked without it somehow sounding sarcastic.

“There are a lot of places with houses, Vine.”

“… Ohhhh.”

“Yeah.”

“… How are we, going to find it?” she asked a reasonable question for a change, even if Aksel didn’t have an answer that could satisfy her.

“Well, erm…” he scratched his head while Vine tilted hers at his lack of answers. He hadn’t gotten to that point yet, and if anything, he was actively avoiding the idea.

“… How are we, going to find it?” Vine repeated, staring him down in her pursuit of answers.

“Well, I’m sure that we can…” Aksel glanced over to Theo—the mastermind behind this quest—for some much-needed assistance. Instead, she treated his plight as little more than entertainment, only offering a smirk at his expense.

Why are you even here if you’re not going to help?!

“I think we can, you know, just erm… er… Hey! Waitress! Do you have our drinks yet?” Aksel called to the nearby waitress, who was clearly occupied with another table. His blood turned cold the moment he finished speaking, the awkwardness reaching unbearable levels as the waitress looked over in confusion and provided a courteous, “Sorry, I’m just with someone at the moment.”

The nearby patrons cast their disapproving stares on Aksel for his presumed impatience. Feeling the weight of their judgement, he buried his head on the table, attempting to disappear under his arms.

Why did I think that was a good idea?

“Heh,” Theo gave a light snicker at his expense, happy to watch the wannabe hero squirm his way out of his problems. Aksel had only tried it once before, but for Theo, he tried it again. Focusing all his raw, burning hatred into his eyes, he attempted to summon his innate hidden abilities to blast her—and likely a sizable part of the establishment—away. Unfortunately, much like when he tried it on his older brother and sister, it failed.

Fortunately, the drinks arrived shortly after. The waitress even offered a sincere apology to Aksel for the delay, which only served to make him feel worse about his outburst. With their beverages now taking centre stage in everyone’s minds, the topic of Vine’s forever home was dropped, much to Aksel’s relief. Instead, they began outlining the plans for the days ahead.

Their next stop would be the nearby general store to pick up supplies for the remaining journey, with Aksel keenly interested in the store’s club, hood and belt collections. Once they departed Carnifex, it should only take them a few days to reach Treda-Lake. It is here Aksel was hoping to have booked passage east towards the holy capital, Treda-Ton, to receive his purity test within the sacred walls of the grand cathedral. However, given the circumstances, he was willing to settle for receiving his test in Treda-Lake, where Vine would draw less suspicion with her hidden magical item.

As for Theo, she announced her plans to launch a shopping spree worthy of high nobility in the vast city market, aiming to find the perfect new outfit that would turn the unwanted lecherous stares into ones of envy and awe. Meanwhile Vine…

“… I’ll go with Aksel,” she proposed, grasping her cup with both hands and bringing it up to her lips for a sip, snubbing the mug’s handle.

“Oh, come on, Vine. I’m plenty more interesting to hang around with than this faithful phoney of a hero. Just come around with me and splash some coins!” Theo took a long swig from her mug of beer, releasing a satisfied sigh.

“You’re just after her money,” Aksel commented, taking a more measured drink from his beverage.

“Ignore him. Just think about it, you’ve got a nice slender figure, I bet we could find you a ton of outfits you’d look great in. Although, we should probably fill you out a bit since you look a little scrawny for that shirt of yours.

“… Lyric says, I’m cute like this,” Vine stated, as though Lyric’s words were law. “… And I want to help Aksel, with his test,” she earnestly offered.

“Fine, go with the wannabe hero and let some old perverts examine you up and down or whatever. I’ll just shop by myself,” Theo grumbled, drowning her disappointment with another gulp of liquor.

“That’s not… It wouldn’t be a test you can help me with Vine.” Aksel pointed out.

“… I can’t come?” Vine tilted her head at the answer.

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

“Of course you can come, provided you don’t show off that bag to anyone,” he told her, stealing a glance at the magical item that would attract all the wrong attention inside the city. Aksel felt an urge to rub his temples. Thinking about it, taking Vine with him really was a terrible idea, but he was already set on getting his purity tested. He had planned and psyched himself up for this moment for months, if not years. As long as Vine (or Theo) didn’t cause a scene by doing something stupid—such as revealing the space bending properties of a physics-defying magical item—they should be in the clear… Probably.

“In any case, the purity test is one I’d have to endure alone. From what I’ve heard and researched, after I’ve been approved for the test, a priest would take me into a sealed chamber, a special room designed to capture any stray divine energy that might leak out to prevent it from returning to the heavenly realm. Once the door is shut, they’d begin the ritual by laying their hands on my chest.”

“See, what did I tell you? Don’t let some pervy old priest start groping your chest in a dark room, Vine, no matter how much they say it’s in God’s name,” Theo interrupted with her own twisted take on the process.

“It’s not like that! They’re not passing the energy through my nipples; they’ll start at my heart! The organ is basically a terminal for the divine essence in the body, so that’s why they start there. Now, provided my heart withstands The First’s great blessing without it being rejected or inducing a heart attack of some kind, the priest—”

“Wait, did you say heart attack? Are you saying you can die in this test?” Theo stopped drinking her beer, her eyebrows raised in a disbelieving glare.

“… Don’t die, Aksel,” Vine cheered him on, raising her fists to shoulder level in a gesture of support.

“I’m not going to die! That only happens to the heretics, the elderly, the injured, the sick, or the really unlucky, and I’m at least not four of those things,” Aksel nodded to himself, deciding to continue. “Now, the priest will then spread the essence throughout my body using the veins as their highway, going to the brain, the arms, the lungs, the kidneys and the legs at the same time. Again, provided the essence doesn’t cause any strokes, clots, spasms, burns, or failures of any kind, the priest will then set up—”

“What do you mean strokes, clots and whatever?! Are you serious?! Why did The First make such a convolutedly horrible way to give out his power? He can create everyone in existence, but he can’t stop his subjects from becoming a damn vegetable when they try using his power?”

“… Don’t become a vegetable Aksel, they’re not tasty,” Vine’s input was as insightful as it was helpful.

“I’m not going to become a vegetable! Those are extremely rare side effects of a well-established process. Now, can I finish?” Aksel laid down the facts, before picking up where he left off. “Anyway, the priest will then set up the cycling pathway, moving the energy out of my veins and into the cells themselves. At that point, any danger of permanent damage is basically non-existent. Blonding is known to happen to a person’s hair, which is probably the reason you see a ton of blondes within the faith’s ranks, even if it’s only in streaks. The priest will move the essence through the outer edge of my body, not only the skin, but the eyes, nose, tongue and ears. This is another reason they have to perform the test in a sealed chamber, sensory overload could easily cause the person to pass out and/or break the connection.”

“Let me guess, that’s fatal too, isn’t it?” Theo stared at Aksel, not breaking eye contact.

“Moving on! Once the path is established, it will be maintained for a period no less than twelve hours, both to ingrain the experience and to show how well not just the body, but the mind copes with the future burden of circle building. Should I pass all my tests, I’d be offered a place in the faith. That offer should remain open for about a year, give or take, provided I don’t lose any organs or limbs in that time which could compromise the previously established cycling routes,” Aksel finished, confident he’d covered everything about the process he could recall.

Vine nodded away, outwardly indicating her understanding, though only The First knew if any of it had gotten through. Theo, however, was still giving him increasingly funny looks, and not the ha-ha kind.

“You’re going to have a man groping your chest while pouring his essence into you for Twelve hours straight?”

“Or a woman—hey, I told you, it’s not groping! Why did you have to make it sound weird?”

“Because it is weird!”

“It’s a thousand-year-old practice! Besides, it used to go on for twenty-four hours until too many people started failing the test from dehydration.”

That, and the fact that the faith is still desperate for new members after the dwarven purge, Aksel noted in his mind, though he didn’t mention that to those around the table.

“Twenty-four hours!? They’d leave you in the hands of an over-zealous priest, who takes you into a sealed room with no witnesses, so they can play around with your body all day without rest?”

“Stop making it sound so shady! It’s a perfectly normal, spiritually fulfilling ritual.”

“Yeah, except your spirit’s not the only thing getting filled,” Theo muttered, staring into her drink.

“… What else gets filled?” Vine asked innocently.

Nothing! We’re done with this topic,” Aksel forced an end to the conversation just as their meals arrived. Theo’s order was executed to the letter; her meat pies were carefully stacked atop one another to avoid any accidents during delivery. With the table manners Aksel expected of the hungry bandit, she tore into the tower of pies with abandon, her knife and fork slicing through layers of gravy, egg yolk and well baked crust to reveal the delectable meaty reward within. Even as the stacks collapsed onto the plate, she continued to relish her meal with a satisfied smile.

Aksel, happy to see his more modest, fiscally responsible meal, wasted no time in cutting into the medium rare steak laid out before him.

Vine, however, made slow but steady progress on her own food. She had ordered the same meal as Aksel but started with her potatoes, taking her time to cut them up into smaller, irregular chunks, every slice differing from the last in both angle and volume. Even after this preparation, she still didn’t make a start on her meal. Instead, she inflicted the same methodical dissection on her steak as she did on its vegetative counterpart, seemingly unconcerned that her meal only grew colder with each passing moment.

“… Is this okay?” Vine asked Aksel, as the final piece of meat was cut into another oddly shaped clump, tipping the plate towards him to provide him a better view. As with most things his soft-spoken companion did, he found himself at a loss.

“Erm… it’s certainly cut up,” Aksel responded, unsure of what to say.

Vine nodded. “… Safe to eat?”

“I suppose? The meat looks cooked, though you should probably make a start before it gets any colder.”

With another nod, she returned her plate to the table and made her first attempt to skewer a chunk of potato… then a second, and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth. Though not through lack of trying, the potato continuously eluded her fork, sliding across the plate with every attempt. As always, Vine didn’t express any sign of struggle, annoyance, or even good humour about the situation. Even in a task as petty as this, her expression remained blank, neutral. To the untrained eye, her attitude could be mistaken as patience, but Aksel saw it for what it was, what it truly was: nothing. Like a poorly constructed, poorly coded golem that only a rookie mage starved of success would be proud of, Vine was simply repeating the same task over and over until it was complete.

On the eve of the ninth attempt, Aksel found himself too aggrieved by the pathetic display that he had little other choice but to intervene.

“Vine, what are you doing? Just stab it already.”

“… It’s slippery,” she explained, trying and failing to catch the tricksy potato yet again. Just before she went for ten, a fork stabbed straight into the morsel with enough force to rattle the other crockery on the table. Vine tilted her head at Aksel, who had risen from his chair to put an end to the farse personally.

“… There,” Aksel stated, though Vine showed no sign of moving her utensils to lance the pinned potato for herself, as Aksel intended. Instead, she stared blankly at the chunk. Then, when nothing happened, she stared at Aksel, tilting her head while pointing to her mouth.

You can’t be serious, Aksel guessed her meaning, his face visibly twisting to match the thoughts in his mind. Well, in for a Saturn, I guess. Bringing the captured portion up to her face, she quietly wrapped her lips around his fork and slowly retracted, finally chewing on her first piece of potato. Meanwhile, Theo smugly grinned beside them, well into her second meat pie. After a few moments, Vine swallowed.

“… More,” Vine lightly pointed to the next piece of potato she presumably desired to eat, her eyes indicating for Aksel to feed it to her.

“Oh no, you can do the rest yourself,” Aksel informed her, already resuming his seat and ready to continue his own meal.

“Don’t stop now Aksel, I think you two were really connecting just then,” Theo couldn’t help but butt in with a chuckle. “It was like watching something out of a fairy tale.” Aksel felt a mixture of irritation and embarrassment at her comments. Meanwhile, Vine returned her attention to her meal, as if contemplating.

“… Okay.” Vine spoke, resuming her struggle against the potatoes. Aksel felt a small sense of pride when she successfully stabbed the next piece of potato on the first try, even if the other attempts didn’t go so smoothly. He mentally filed away another note about Vine’s odd habits, though at the rate those were piling up, he contemplated organising it all into a mental book instead. By the time Vine was finishing with her potatoes, both Aksel and Theo had finished their meals.

Between bites, Vine’s gaze kept wandering over Aksel’s shoulder. However, when Aksel finally turned around to investigate what was drawing her attention, there was nothing there.

“What are you staring at?” Aksel inquired.

“… I don’t know… But it’s persistent,” Vine stated.

“What does that—where do I even start with that?”

“… It’s okay… I’ll protect you… I promise.”

“Thanks?”

With Aksel distracted, Theo saw a golden opportunity to sneak in another drink in before they depart and ordered another mug of ‘beer’ to enjoy.

“Are you getting another one? I’m not carrying you out of this place if you get drunk.”

“What are you, my mother? Get off my ass and pay your debts already. I can hold my liquor,” she proclaimed, taking an exaggerated swig just to annoy her overbearing companion. With no clear chance of victory, Aksel chose to reluctantly accept his defeat and enjoy the extra moments of rest, hoping the sun would still be visible when they reached the next settlement.

Aksel’s interest returned to Vine, who, having tamed the wily potatoes, had progressed onto the decidedly easier steak. Eager to have something to occupy himself, lest he turn to daydreaming of angels and heroes again, his eyes wandered over to the book by Vine’s side. The cover was damaged when Vine dropped it outside, but it would still be far more enjoyable than watching her chew on her steak. So, he decided to take an interest.

“Mind if I take a look?” he asked, pointing at the deteriorated book.

“… Hm,” she affirmed as briefly as ever, but it was enough of a yes for him to take a look. As a child, he’d learned never to judge a book by its cover, though he doubted that phrase accounted for the rotting carcass of Vine’s newly acquired book. Beyond the barely legible cover—a state made worse by its recent connection with the ground—the pages were discoloured and worn to the point where it was easier to discern the kind of stain smearing the paper than the words themselves. Even on a good page, a legible paragraph was the most he could hope for before needing to decipher the rest. In short, the book was worthless.

The sound of wooden legs scrapping along the floorboards assaulted his ears, as Vine loudly pushed herself and her chair around the table to reach his side. Once she had finished relocating the furniture, she moved her plate over and continued eating.

“Erm, do you need something?” Aksel asked, the machinations of her mind remaining an enigma. Vine, however, just rested her shoulder against his, looking over at the ruined pages of the book while slowly chewing on her next chunk of steak.

Did personal space stop being a thing when I wasn’t looking, Aksel began recalling some of Theo’s overly intrusive actions.

“Well, well, first sleeping together, then feeding her, and now you’re snuggling up to each other,” Theo mocked. “Should I rent you a room? Will it be for the night, or do you only need a few minutes?”

“Will you give it a rest already,” Aksel chided, not willing to engage.

“… Trouble?” Vine asked, thankfully too innocent to understand Theo’s meaning.

“Just… don’t worry about it. Anyway, can I help you?”

“… What does it say?”

“Oh this? I wish I knew; I can barely read a thing in it.”

“… Aksel can’t read?”

“I can read just fine; it’s the book you bought that’s the problem. It looks like it’s been left in a steam room for years, had ten different drinks spilled on it, and then was dropped on the ground,” Aksel explained. But Vine, as usual, didn’t show a hint of caring. “I really hope you weren’t planning to read this.”

“… I can’t,” she stated, never looking away from the book.

“Can’t? Can’t what?”

“… I can’t read… though, I can do letters… and numbers… a bit,” Vine confirmed, much to Aksel’s disbelief.

Obviously, questions began running through his mind, such as, why would she buy a book she couldn’t read? That would be like buying a meal you found disgusting, or wearing clothes that didn’t fit you. Come to think of it, Vine was wearing clothes that seemed too big for her… and didn’t she mention she didn’t like vegetables?

Really hope she wasn’t just ordering her food because I did. Aksel thought, as something just dawned on him. Hold on… is that why it took her forever to decide what to order, because she couldn’t even read the menu?

“Did you order the same food as me because you couldn’t read the other options?” Aksel just asked her straight out.

“… The steak is cold… and the potatoes weren’t tasty,” Vine informed him as emotionless as ever.

Oh First, now I feel horrible for getting annoyed at her! How was I supposed to know that someone who bought a book couldn’t read? Why didn’t she say anything?!

“If you can’t even read, why did you spend money on a book?”

“… Lyric said, to preserve all knowledge… and she used to read them to me, before we slept.”

“Right, you mentioned that preservation thing before. Why do you care about keeping some crusty old book safe?”

“… To preserve the light of civilization.”

“…”

“…”

“What?” Aksel asked after staring at her in silence for a moment.

“… To preserve the light—”

“I heard that part,” Aksel interrupted, the small movement from his body enough to dislodge Vine from his shoulder, bringing them both face to face. “I just don’t understand what you mean by it. I mean, please don’t take offence when I say this, but you didn’t even know what angels were until this morning, so I’m more than a little sceptical about this… ‘preserving knowledge’ thing you’re talking about.” If any offence was taken, Vine certainly never showed it.

“… It’s okay… I don’t…” Vine paused, suddenly lost in thought. “… Lyric was the one… she always knew what to do, no matter what. I just remember… Lyric said it was very important, for when we found our forever home.” There it was again, the same name, the same person, Lyric.

“Vine, who exactly is Lyric?” Aksel pressed. “You keep bringing her up. Should we be looking for her instead of your home? Please, just give me something to go off of here.”

Lyric had supplied Vine with a magical item—a rare and powerful one at that, a bag that twisted the laws of nature to expand its capacity to an extend he doubted even Vine knew—and a person had been watching over, or rather, caring for Vine until recently.

“… She—”

“MEGABEAR!” Vine started, but before she could say more, the doors to the inn slammed open. A man burst in shouting at the top of his lungs, “THERE’S A MEGABEAR COMING DOWN FROM THE FOREST!”

The spit take Theo performed would have been comical under different circumstances, as Aksel felt his stomach drop, a cold chill chasing up his spine. Vine, however, with Aksel’s sudden preoccupation, decided to finish off the last parts of her steak. Chairs and glasses across the inn crashed to the ground and the tables scraped against the wooden floor as the inn’s inhabitants clambered for safety. The once jovial atmosphere had vanished in an instant. Out of this, two groups formed, those running out of the premises and those heading to the back of the building.

“… What’s a megabear?” Vine asked as she would anything else, though not even Aksel was in the mood for questions.

“Not now, Vine! Let’s get moving, quickly,” he told her, already on his feet, observing both sets of crowds as he weighed his options.

“… We’re not paying?” she asked, tilting her head.

“While I appreciate the offer, dear, I think I’ll be collecting the tab another time,” David interjected, striding over to the indecisive table of non-residents as he overheard their conversation. “I’d recommend you all hunker down here until it passes. The Dungeon-kin are getting bolder as of late, but I doubt that monster will stick around with no sport or food to be found. With any luck, the damage won’t be too severe.”

Theo’s excitement at receiving the “mega-discount” on her meal was hard to conceal, even if it was the only silver lining in this horrible situation. She rose from her seat, manoeuvring around the table to grab a hold of Vine’s arm. “Trust me, you don’t want to be here if that thing finds you.”

“… Why?”

“Vine, a megabear is a creature the size of a house. I hate to tell you this, but I doubt any villages in this region are equipped to deal with a Dungeon-Kin of that power, much less one that appears out of the ether,” Aksel remarked. “In cases like these, you either hide or you run.”

“Fear not, citizens!” A masculine voice boomed through the inn like a vast explosion of unrivalled confidence, causing the chaos of the room to cease in an instant. “We can handle this.” The voice came from two individuals seated at a table in the far corner of the building. Both wore simple leather armour, equipped with longswords.

One was a man, in his late twenties if Aksel had to guess, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a muscular build that Aksel could only envy. He was the source of the voice and appeared every bit as confident as he sounded. The other individual was a woman, around her early twenties. Her hair was brown interlaced with streaks of blonde, tied back into a ponytail not unlike Aksel’s, though longer in length, matched with hazel eyes. Even under all the layers of armour and clothes, she clearly held an athletic build that also put Aksel to shame.

“August!” David called to the man, “You can’t be serious. There’s only the two of you. At your level, you need at least twice that many to—”

“Don’t worry, Dad, Miya and I can handle this. We’ll prove it!” August announced with a smile a bright as the sun and a positive thumbs-up, with Miya happily grinning behind him. The voices in the inn spoke amongst themselves, and swiftly reached a consensus. Soon, the patrons of the inn who had been ready to flee only moments prior, were cheering on the duo as they proudly exited the building.

“That’s your son I take it, the knight you mentioned earlier?” Aksel turned to David, who nodded. “Is it really a good idea for only two knights to take on a megabear?”

“He can be a reckless idiot sometimes, but he didn’t become a knight through any family connections, that’s for sure, nor any of the dashing good looks he inherited from his father,” David joked. “I just hope he knows what he’s doing.”

“… Does that mean, we still have to pay?” Vine asked the group, as Theo turned to her with a look that screamed of betrayal.