“Ugh… What is that smell? and what’s this moist feeling”

Someone with a higher-pitched voice groaned, her voice gradually getting louder as she returned to consciousness.

“Huh? Ack!”

Her eyes opened to a pink appendage slogging over her cheek. The animal it was attached to was a normal cow, and it was licking her for some reason. Odelette awoke to the unpleasant sensation of a cow's tongue dragging across her cheek. Startled, she flailed her arms, pushing and pulling but something was wrong. Her whole body was wrapped up in something and the only thing sticking out was her head.

"Ugh... stop, you stupid cow! What is this? Where am I?"

Odelette's nose was assaulted by a mix of smells no lady her age should ever have to endure. As she rolled away from the cow licking her face, she nearly collided with a large pile of cow excrement. Her eyes widened as she frantically tried to stop herself, but she had already gained too much momentum. Just before her face could meet the disgusting pile, someone grabbed her from the other side. It was only then that she realized she wasn't alone.

"You should keep it down. Others might be listening."

"Huh? Is that... Mister Albert?"

Odelette blinked in confusion, struggling to process what was happening. Her mind was still hazy from whatever had knocked her out, and the combination of smells and sensations left her disoriented. She looked up at the figure who had stopped her unfortunate collision with the dung pile - Albert, or at least someone who looked like him, was holding her steady. His cold hands had a surprising strength as he effortlessly lifted her back onto her feet.

"W-what... what happened? Where am I? What are you doing here?"

Odelette stammered, her voice filled with confusion and panic as she glanced around. The stinky blanket she was wrapped in was slowly coming undone.

"You don’t remember?"

The voice, unmistakably Albert's, brought her a strange sense of comfort, even though she had never seen his face beneath the armor. They had gone adventuring together during the adventurer's test, but he had never removed his armor, only speaking in that same monotone voice from time to time. Now, hearing it again from inside the familiar armor, she was certain it was the same person who had saved her from the sleeping gas during the test.

"It is you, Mister Albert, and... oh, right, those bastards... Did they slip something into my drink!?"

Odelette grasped her hair in frustration, tugging at it as fragmented memories of the incident started to return.

"Argh… I should have known! They were acting too friendly! How did I not see it?"

Odelette’s frustration bubbled over as she yanked at her messy hair, her thoughts racing. Rusty gave her a moment to collect herself, watching silently as her emotions simmered. Though she didn’t fully recall the events that had transpired, the betrayal and humiliation were written all over her face. Rusty, however, didn't quite understand the emotional depth of her distress - but Alexander did.

‘She was lucky we got there in time. Maybe not remembering is a blessing, she’s still young’

Odelette was as animated as ever, just like during their adventuring days. At one point, in a sudden burst of energy, she dunked her head into a bucket of water the cows were drinking from. Rusty didn’t understand the reasoning, but Alexander explained it was probably her way of clearing her head. Surprisingly, when she pulled her face out of the water, she seemed calmer.

"Ah… that’s better. But… now that I think about it, why is it so cold? Ack! Where are my clothes?!"

Only now did she look down to see that her chest was exposed to the elements and that perhaps sticking her head into the bucket was not the best idea. She looked to Rusty who pointed in one direction before speaking.

"There."

Rusty pointed toward the discarded blanket, where her belongings lay. Odelette, who had been partially undressed by one of the thugs, suddenly realized the state she was in. Being a monster, Rusty didn’t care about seeing a woman’s body, nor did he feel any excitement over it. He had only taken her belongings because Alexander had told him to. He continued staring blankly, unaware of the awkwardness. The halfling woman, however, felt a sharp wave of embarrassment and hurriedly skittered back to the blanket.

'Hey, Rusty, look away!'

'Why should I?'

'It’s improper to stare at a lady when she’s undressed!'

'Is this a people thing?'

'Yes, it is! Now turn around so she can change!'

'Fine…'

Rusty, after being scolded by Alexander, finally turned around. While Odelette dressed, she vented her frustrations, with Rusty listening quietly and responding whenever she asked a question.

“I knew something was off with those guys… I was just too eager to get into the guild. Damn it!”

Odelette tugged at her leather armor, securing the clasps with shaky fingers.

“Stupid… stupid!”

She kicked the blanket away, sending it tumbling into a pile of hay. Rusty tilted his head, listening to her frustration but not fully grasping the deeper emotions she was wrestling with. He only knew that her distress was about more than just the immediate danger she had been in. After a moment, her voice softened.

“When I get those bastards, I’ll cut off their balls! ... But wait... how did I get here? What even happened? I don’t remember.”

There was a brief silence as she tried to piece together what had transpired. Her memories were hazy, and things weren’t adding up - especially when it came to Albert. Something about the situation didn’t feel right, but she hesitated to ask Rusty directly. After a pause, she finally mustered the courage to speak.

"Do... do you know where those bastards are? What they did to me?"

"Oh? Those people? You don’t need to worry about them - they're all dead now."

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“Huh?”

Odelette was stunned by Rusty's matter-of-fact tone. She had assumed Albert had found her after the worst had already happened, but now, hearing this, she realized something was different. She scanned her body, finding no bruises or signs of harm. It dawned on her that perhaps her attackers hadn’t even had the chance to touch her before Rusty intervened.

"What do you mean, they’re all dead?"

“Um... because they are?"

“Did you kill them all?”

“Yes, I did.”

Odelette stared at Rusty, her mouth slightly agape. Though she had fought alongside Albert in the recent past, she hadn’t realized he was this strong. There were at least five enemies she could count, and the big bald man seemed especially formidable. For a moment, she wondered if Albert had been hiding his true strength all along - perhaps he was secretly a silver-ranked adventurer. But before she could dwell on that, something else struck her as suspicious.

“Wait... if you killed them, does that mean you know about the underground tunnels beneath the guild? Are you a member?”

“I just became one.See, I have the temporary token, just like you,”

He didn’t see any problem in showing Odelette his thieves’ guild coin, knowing she was also a member. It quickly dawned on her that she was quite lucky and her old acquaintance had saved her, though she wasn’t sure why. Still, she didn’t care to question it too much. He was her benefactor, and as a thief, she understood that sometimes it was better not to ask too many questions, especially when dealing with someone who might be as strong as a silver-ranked adventurer.

Her gaze shifted to Rusty, who continued to stand still, his metallic body gleaming in the dim barn light. She couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something different about him. The way he moved, the way he spoke - it was far too detached, far too mechanical. She couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to him than met the eye.

“Mister Albert... you're … You’re a swell guy, aren’t ya!”

“I am?”

Rusty was a bit surprised at her reaction and at the slap of affirmation that she gave him on his metallic posterior after getting dressed. He turned around to see a bright grin on Odelette’s face who seemed to have recovered from the encounter rather well.

‘She seems to be someone that doesn’t overthink things too much…’

Alexander commented on her rather cheerful demeanor in a rather happy tone. The girl was a bundle of joy during their adventurers and her rage seemed to have diminished after hearing that the people that tried to assault her were dead.

“Well, I have the coin and all my stuff back thanks to you Mister Albert, you’re quite the swell guy… but I don’t have much to offer in return, except maybe my everlasting gratitude!"

Odelette's grin faltered for a moment, her eyes narrowing with mischief.

"But don’t think I’ll owe you forever, Mister Albert! I’m going to repay this debt someday, so watch out!"

Rusty remained quiet, unsure how to react. Loyalty and favors weren’t tangible to him, but if Odelette said she owed him, he supposed that was good enough. Her gear and clothes wouldn’t be worth that much and the daggers she used were too small for his hands. Odelette picked up her spatial satchel and strapped it to her belt, giving the barn one last glance. The cows chewed lazily in their pens, seemingly oblivious to the strange visitors in their midst.

"Alright!"

Odelette said with renewed energy.

"Let’s get out of here. The faster we get away from this stink, the better."

She began stepping away, eager to leave this place behind, but Rusty remained where he stood, unmoving. While her instincts urged her to flee, for him, the night was far from over. He had the map to the sewers and a plan to return to the black market disguised as Albert. Gleam's auction was just around the corner, and he needed to offload all the loot he had gathered through less-than-legal means.

“Is something wrong, Mister Albert? Let’s get out of here! How about we get something to eat, it’s on me!”

“No, nothing’s wrong but I still have something else to do.”

“Oh…”

Rusty’s acquaintance seemed disappointed by his response, though he couldn't understand why. This would have been the perfect opportunity to strengthen his bond with a new friend, but as a living armor, he failed to pick up on the social cues.

"Oh, alright then..."

She muttered, casting him a glance. Despite the brief moment of awkwardness, she quickly put on a cheerful front once more.

“Well, I guess I’ll head back then! But hey, you better be careful out there, Mister Albert. You know how this city is - full of people looking to take advantage of you.”

“I’ll be careful.”

He replied nonchalantly, looking down at the smaller halfling’s face. Her expression shifted slightly, and for the first time, he was able to recognize the emotion Odelette was feeling - disappointment. She quickly masked it with a smile, then started moving toward the barn’s exit. When she reached the door, she turned back and waved.

"Mister Albert, I won’t forget this! I’ll be sure to pay you back one day!"

"Sure?"

He responded, awkwardly raising his hand to mirror her waving motion. Finally, she was gone, and he was left alone. Alexander waited a moment before the ball of light representing his being floated out of the armor, illuminating the barn. They stood in silence for a while, but Rusty could sense that his guide had something to say.

“What?”

“Nothing, you still need to work on your people skills…”

Alexander sighed. His bright form dimmed slightly as if expressing disappointment. Rusty tilted his head, not quite understanding.

“But I completed the task. Odelette is safe, her belongings are returned, and we parted ways. What’s left to do?”

Alexander let out a small chuckle.

“It’s not always about completing tasks, Rusty. Sometimes people - humans, halflings, whatever, need more than just the basics but perhaps I’m just being a busybody, we need to focus on saving your other friend first.”

His guide refrained from explaining social dynamics, knowing that Rusty wasn’t quite ready to absorb it all. As a living armor recently exposed to the diverse races of the world, it would likely take many months - or perhaps years before he truly understood what life was about. First, they needed to ensure that Rusty would live long enough to grasp such complexities, and saving Gleam was part of that mission.

“Well then, could you show me that map again? I think there’s another entrance to the guild nearby…”

“...Aburdon really is better at reading maps than you.”

“Hey, I’m trying!”

Alexander wasn’t great at instantly recalling points of interest on maps, and perhaps it would be better to switch him out for his second guide. Rusty hesitated, though, because the two of them always ended up bickering when together. However, he needed to barter and also remember the thieves’ guild password for the coming week, and for that, Aburdon was the better choice.

“Hah, Leave it to the hero to get my precious Rusty in more trouble!”

“What trouble? He did the right thing by saving that girl!”

“Did he now? What if they had powerful friends? What if they catch his scent and slay us when we return to the sewers, have you thought about that?”

Just as he expected, the moment he allowed Aburdon to show up, his dark orb form instantly began berating Alexander. The two were like an old married couple, bound by a shared history that they constantly brought up. Sometimes their interactions were amusing, but most of the time, they just created problems when he had to choose a side.

“I’ll see you later, Alexander. For now, I need Aburdon to help me navigate the black market.”

“Hah! Rusty needs me more than you! You’re a useless hero now just like in the past…”

“Says the demon lord who was defeated by this useless hero.”

Aburdon seized this opportunity to gloat, but Alexander quickly rebutted his claim. Even though both of them had died in the end, Alexander was the one who won the duel between the two and Aburdon didn’t know how to retort. Rusty quickly made Alexander go back to the Soul Forge before any more insults were thrown between the two. Quickly after he brought out the map and had Aburdon go through with it and with his help he was led to a third secret entrance.

The first one was at a pub, the second one at a barn but this third one was a disused well hidden behind a crumbling wall at the edge of a decrepit alleyway. The entrance was partially obscured by overgrown vines and crumbling bricks, making it easy to overlook. He wasn’t sure how the thieves made it look so believable but it looked like it had not been used in forever. Soon his form disappeared into it as he delved back into the sewers, his aim to sell all his stolen loot.