“Bahahaha! This story’s even better the fifth time!” Jörm guffawed, slapping Ryu on the back. The adventurer’s beard shook as he laughed with his stomach. He was built like a Viking, and he drank like one too. “Waitress! Keep the rounds coming!”

Ryu chuckled, a blissful grin on his face. His cheeks were ruddy and he swayed in his seat. The adventurers’ arrival had set into motion an unexpected change of plans. He had been coaxed into joining them for a drink. Well coaxed wasn’t really the right descriptor—more like he had been forcibly carried down to the main floor by the mob of ruffians.

A stream of bottomless ale followed, resulting in Ryu’s current state. Sylfie sat next to him a collection of shot glasses in front of her. A congregation had formed across the table, carrying out the next slumped adventurer in a long line of challengers.

It was a peculiar feeling, being surrounded by strangers, yet feeling so comfortable with them at the same time. When was the last time Ryu had enjoyed himself like this? The atmosphere in the café was warm and welcoming. Jörm and his band of merry men pulled out instruments from their packs, belting out tunes aplenty.

Sylfie continued to down drink after drink, the Cacao Nibs piling high beside her as she maintained her winning streak. She’s a monster! Ryu shuddered.

Some of the patrons set off modified combustion spells, lighting the room with small fireworks, until they were scolded by Hazel. Aurora’s eyes grew large, mesmerized by the lights. She leapt into the air trying to catch the sparks, only to find herself stationary above the table.

“Wha! Ryu! I’m flying! Look, nya!”

Ryu laughed, nothing Aurora did surprised him anymore. Or perhaps it was the ale, making anything he saw more believable. “Looking good up there!” he cheered. “Let us know when you feel like coming down!”

Aurora started to float upward. She paddled her little legs to no avail approaching the ceiling. “R-Ryu? I think I might need a little help, nya!”

Ryu’s smile faded. Uh oh. He quickly turned to his newly made acquaintance. “Jörm! Can you send me up there?” he asked, pointing to Aurora.

“Oh? The little one seems to have floated away!”

“I can see that! Can you launch me up there?”

“Do you even need to ask?” Jörm said slyly dropping his shield heavily onto the table. His mug tipped over, spilling everywhere. “Oh, sh*t, I didn’t mean to do that.”

Ryu shook his head trying to snap back to sobriety. He climbed on top of Jörm’s shield, wobbling slightly as the Warrior Class Adventurer lifted him above his head. Okay, let’s take this nice and easy. Ryu coached himself.

“Ready?” Jörm asked.

“Read—”

“[Shield Break]!” The shield pulsed, creating a shockwave that sent Ryu rocketing towards Aurora.

He screamed as he caught her. Ryu had figured his weight would gently pull them back down to the floor, but in his drunken state, he didn’t think to consider what would happen if Aurora’s flight negated gravity completely. He kicked his feet in the air, clutching onto her for dear life as the crowd watched from below.

“Gah! Ryu! You’re squeezing me, nya!”

“The alternative is that I turn into paste!”

Jörm slapped his knee, and keeled over to one side, while others shuffled underneath Ryu and Aurora apprehensively, trying to catch them if they fell.

“Move outta the way! They’re my party, I’ll *hic* get them down,” Sylfie announced, slurring her words as she pushed past the crowd. She swayed precariously to one side, leaning against a table for support. The Dark Elf pulled out her bow aiming an arrow at the two.

Ryu sighed with relief. Oh, thank God. She probably has a rope arrow or a binding spell that she can use to bring us down.

“Burn to Ash and Cinder—”

“Ahh! No! Abort! Abort! Sylfie! That won’t help us get down! In fact, it’ll send us even higher! Straight to God!” he clamored.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Oh, quit yer whining! It’ll only hurt *hic* a little,” she grumbled as her arrow started to smolder.

Aurora and Ryu writhed in the air, begging for their lives.

“Hold shtill, I can’t ged a good shod of you two if you move around so much!”

“I don’t want to become an Aurora crisp, nya!” Aurora yelped, suddenly shooting upward. She dragged Ryu along with her as they burst through the ceiling of the café, into the night sky.

The air was chilly and the streets were quiet, save for Sylfie who had followed them outside.

“Get back here and lemme help you!” she called from below.

“No way you crazy b***h! We aren’t coming down until you sober up!” Ryu exclaimed.

A terrifying grin emerged from Sylfie’s face. “We’ll see about that.”

She leapt onto the roof of the café in a single bound, crossing the rooftops as Ryu screamed at Aurora to fly away faster from their crazed companion.

“I’ve got you now!” she cackled.

Ryu’s life flashed before his eyes. This woman was capable of defeating a Legendary monster with ease, who knew what she would do to them in her current condition? He had to think fast.

“[C-combust]!” he invoked shakily. A ball of flame emerged from his palm, shooting towards Sylfie.

The Dark Elf simply chomped down on the fire, licking her lips. “Thanks for the snack! Now I’m really fired up to help you guys! Get ready to—”

A block of cinder jetted out of a nearby building, conking Sylfie in the head. Her eyes rolled back and she teetered on the edge of a building before falling over it.

“Aurora! She’s going to land on her head!” Ryu alerted her.

“On it, nya!” Aurora turned around, leaning into a nose dive.

They accelerated towards the ground, trying to catch up with Sylfie. Ryu shut his eyes tightly, hoping they wouldn’t end up as pancakes on the pavement. Just as they were about to crash into the street, Aurora pulled up sharply.

“Got her!” she exclaimed through clenched teeth. Ryu opened his eyes; the cat had Sylfie by the collar. “Hey! Look, Ryu! I’ve got the hang of this flying thing now!” She dipped up and down at will, enjoying her newfound abilities. “I remember something, nya!”

“Really?” Ryu answered curiously.

“Yeah! There used to be a giant tortoise here!”

“A tortoise?”

“A HUGE one!” Aurora’s ears drooped slightly. “I wonder where he ran off to.”

Aurora brought them back to the café where an amused Hazel waited by the front door.

“Even at this age, my mark is still as good as ever.”

“That was you?” Ryu stared at her in awe.

Hazel grinned, her eyes crinkling. “I saw that my granddaughter was giving you a bit of trouble, so I decided to help out. Although, you two seemed to be handling it pretty well.”

Aurora puffed out her chest. “I even got a new title from it, nya!”

“You got a title?” Ryu was in disbelief.

“Hehe, yep! And it’s very cool,” she said smugly.

“The Nutcracker’s tale only grows by the hour!” Jörm announced as they reentered. “To survive a battle with a Dark Elf, and the Huntress of the Night, no less! We must celebrate his second feat; a toast to Sir Nutcracker’s legacy!”

The guild members raised their mugs in good spirits, cheering.

Jörm narrowed his eyes at Aurora. “By the gods, what do we have here?! I should be remiss to ignore this; a toast to an unlikely hero! Aurora the Skybreaker! Who earned her title when she valiantly saved Sir Nutcracker and the Huntress from certain doom!”

Another round of cheer echoed throughout the café.

“This isn’t fair!” Ryu wailed. “Why does Aurora get a cool title and I’m stuck with this piece of crap! That’s it! We’re going adventuring tomorrow and earning me a new title!”

Hazel cleared her throat in an obvious manner.

“R-right after work of course,” Ryu corrected himself.

“Smart boy,” Hazel nodded. “And you’ll have to repay me for the damage to the roof.”

“Ah, you can take that out of Sylfie’s winnings.”

“That works,” Hazel chuckled.

“Oof, all this flying’s pooped me out, Ryu,” Aurora moaned, floating down. She deflated on his shoulder, falling asleep almost instantly.

“Urgh, my head,” Sylfie groaned, coming to. She steadied herself on Ryu’s shoulder, pointing up to the second floor. “Take me to my room,” she commanded.

Ryu breathed a sigh of relief. She seemed like her normal self again. He bid his new friends farewell and goodnight and led Sylfie upstairs. Friends. That’s new. He smiled to himself. When they reached Sylfie’s room, Ryu paused. A slight tremble in his hands.

“U-um, Sylfie?”

“Mmm?” she mumbled.

“Why is your room the same as mine?”

“There’s not enough space. The other rooms have been permanently purchased by the other guys. They like it here too much to leave and they give Grandmother a lot of good business.”

“S-so, there are separate beds in there then?”

Sylfie turned her head to Ryu, leaning in closer than he expected.

“No. Is that going to be a problem?” she whispered.

Ryu shook his head, his face full of determination. “Not at all.”