Rodent stumbled as his leg dropped in his launch, but he didn't care as he pushed harder upon it, feeling strain and a little pain, pushing through it regardless.

He ducked and grabbed his cane, which, through the desire flowing out through his palm, extended into a pole.

Steinith grinned as he kicked his boot forward to strike the old lady out through the door—but was stopped by an intense pain in the middle of his shin. In that split-second, he glared downward at the sudden pole jabbed into his shin, pushing his foot away.

Steinith followed the motion as his foot swung from the door. His other heel was forced to turn against the ground to compensate for this—until his airborne foot stomped.

At the same time, Rodent had pulled back from the jab and turned in place, charging the motion of his pole's next swing, thrusting it against the side of Steinith's head.

Steinith chuckled as he raised a giant hand and caught the attack, grinning as he raised Rodent off the ground.

Before Rodent could think to let go, Steinith chucked it and him out the door—crashing into the old lady as they all were thrown outside.

Steinith then came to laugh as he walked toward the door, ducking greatly to fit through, though stopping in the middle of his frame. His grin revealed all his teeth and the dark vacuum inside his mouth. His eyes, which never seemed to blink, checked around the area—at the windows where figures watched.

He chuckled and pulled back a little.

"The struggling vermin provide the best thrill," Steinith spoke to the air, not even looking at Rodent, who coughed and struggled and did his best to crawl in front of the old lady. This only made Steinith laugh more. "Submissive prey only offer an easy death." Steinith then pointed to his upper lip. "But pests like yourself at least leave a scratch."

Steinith's large hand grabbed the door. "But don’t forget: all your efforts are only worth a scratch."

And then the door slammed as what happened behind it remained a mystery.

Hurt and marked, Rodent rose and shook his head, exhaling his anger before recalling who he had knocked into. He turned to see the short old lady shakingly pushing against the ground and rising onto her feet.

Rodent at once offered his hand—but the lady shook her head.

"No need, Sonny," the lady said as she stood effortlessly. "That villain isn’t watching anymore.” Rodent's face scrunched in confusion at how the old lady casually dusted herself off. He was at a loss for words as she even cracked her own neck. "I was hoping I could get him to bend down and listen to me, but…" She opened the inside of her jacket—revealing a knife slotted into a strap within the lining. "He's catching on."

Rodent was about to speak a question that would have been very unwise to say aloud, so he held back his voice and his question, the old lady getting ready to walk back to that very same door. As she did so, though, Rodent's stomach growled—and it caused her to stop.

"Heavens me… have you eaten, child? Are you thirsty?"

Rodent was still on the ground with his mouth still open, but all he could do was nod as the old lady examined him at once. A second later, she turned back around, nudging her head in a particular direction. "With me, then. My revenge can wait." She led the way with hands behind her back. "It’s shameful to let bread waste."

Rodent, forced to pick himself off from the ground and dust himself off, checked at the door one final time before heading after the old lady. He had Stick, which he transformed back into a cane, using it to support himself a little bit. He couldn't help but check in on his friend.

"Doing alright?"

Stick vibrated demurely.

"I'm alright: stronger than I look."

Stick vibrated the same way again.

"Sorry. I just didn't have another way of going about that."

Rodent breathed.

"I'm just glad he didn't try taking you."

Stick shivered.

"I don't know why he let us go."

One last buzzing.

"I have no idea what's going on either."

----------------------------------------

They came to a lovely, greatly round building, boxed in by a fence with a decent yard. It was three stories high but not in the usual way. Rather, the base building was duplicated and shrunk and placed atop the first slightly to the right, with the same thing done with the final one placed to the left and was the highest of them all.

The windows were large, horizontal, and oval in shape.

The glass was different from what Rodent was used to.

"You live here?" Rodent asked, almost in disbelief.

"Are you amazed?”

"Just… hard to get anything close to this back home."

"Want it? You can have it."

"I… think I'd rather keep travelling longer."

"Fair enough."

She pulled on a string next to the fence's gate, unlocking it as she pushed it back. The two of them entered the building, which, despite appearing as though it would be an open concept, was like a maze of narrow halls, as that composed most of the entrance.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

The old lady led the way, and Rodent followed. He came to see the older wood of the walls and the engravings upon it—some so faint they barely appeared in the wood. He blinked as his eyes glossed over them until he was led to the kitchen.

There was a table where the old lady gestured for him to sit, and Rodent did so, leaning his cane against the table.

"Your friend… I’ve seen nothing like it,” the old lady said.

"Me too."

"Where did you acquire it?"

"From an old man from another world lent it."

The old lady had been opening cabinets and fishing through them when that line of dialogue stopped her. "Another world, you say?"

"Yeah." Rodent nodded. "Hard to believe."

"Yet… I do."

"Really?"

"You care less with age." The old lady shrugged while pulling out a loaf of bread from the pantry. She placed it on a board and reached for a knife on the counter. "I lose nothing believing you. Besides, I knew you were different the moment we first met."

"Really?"

"You weren't scared of Steinith," the old lady said while chopping the loaf. "I heard everything through the door. You don’t act that way unless you have experience or a death wish." She glanced over her shoulder at him. "You have neither."

Rodent tapped his chest. "I have a heart. That’s my reason."

"That'll get you killed."

"So be it."

"Corny."

Rodent couldn't help but ask. "Why are you helping me?"

"Why did you help me?” the lady asked.

"Because it felt right."

"There's your answer."

"I didn’t expect anything out of it."

"People help you for the same reason you help them." The old lady finished slicing the bread and brushed the slices aside. She turned around and went into another drawer to acquire cups. "You aren’t exempt from that cycle."

That hit Rodent in a way he wasn't expecting, causing him to look aside and truly process what the woman had said. However, he did not want to be disrespectful, so he turned back and nodded. "T-Thanks."

"So… you're from another world?"

"Yes."

"And just why did you come to this one?"

"Didn't come here on purpose." Rodent stopped and thought about it some more. He then shook his head as his opinion changed. "Or… in a way, I did." He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling—finding a maze-like engraving. "I just wanted a better time than the one I had back home. I was hoping that I would find that here, but…"

The old lady cackled as glasses clinked in her hands, and the cups looked like they belonged to a church. She set them on the counter, grabbed a vase, and unsealed its lid. "Ha! Many look elsewhere to quell their internal troubles."

Rodent slunk as he weakly smiled. "More like I have none to begin with."

"That too!" the short woman said, as the counter she worked with was lower for someone her height. Dim, grey light shone in through the distant, curved window in the room. "All my young ones thought they could overcome their woes by going out there and becoming something great."

Her head shook as her tone became that of disgust. "A hero! A great soldier! A powerful warrior! Lies, lies, lies told to our youth to hook them on duty." She filled the cups with water and placed the vase against the wall. "And then they can't get it out of their head no matter how hard you try with them. No. They have to go out there and make something out of themselves."

Rodent listened and did not speak.

"They must be special and great to be worthy of anything." The lady brought the cups to the table after going up a few steps before it. She was lost inside her own speech. "They can't just be workers. Or hunters. Those who tend to the village—to their friends and family."

The old lady returned to the loaves of bread while breaking out the cheese and a few other things. "You probably should not have come to this world." Her head shook as she sorted everything onto their proper plates. "Not because this world is destined to fall… but for those you left behind to be here."

Rodent softly shook his head. "I didn't leave anyone."

The old lady glanced back to see Rodent's face.

After a second, she returned to work. "Mhm. So you're like me."

"You've lost people?"

"I've lost everyone, Sonny." Grabbing all the plates, the old lady came over, setting them on the table and taking a seat. "You'd need only to see my backyard for that."

Rodent felt it was wise not to speak.

"Family of Warriors, we were called," the lady began, raising a cup to her lips and looking aside. "Every single one of them answered the call of war. Sending their funds here when they could—their medals and ribbons. Able to put their grandmother up somewhere nice." She started to tilt the cup. "A big ol' empty home she can be miserable in."

Rodent looked around the odd living space and wondered how it must have looked throughout the years.

"They all thought they were making me proud. That I would marvel at their achievements. Satisfied that they were doing so well so far away." Spite entered her voice, and spit nearly left the old lady's lips while she spoke. "And now I'm just here. In this village. With the damn Fal’qu Guard thinking they can do as they like here."

Rodent still didn't speak.

And the old lady seemed to pick up on this.

"Apologies, sir." Her head shook as her breath escaped. "Forgive me. I'm a mess. I haven't even gathered your name before vomiting my trauma." She laid a hand on her chest. "My name is Beatrice Fila. And you are?"

"Just Rodent." Rodent leaned over the table and offered his hand. "No last name."

"Rodent." Beatrice shook his hand as the two returned to proper seating. "Is that a normal name in your world?"

Rodent smiled. "No."

Beatrice smiled, too. "I had a feeling."

"Why did you try to kill Steinith?"

Beatrice looked Rodent dead in his eyes. "Because he is a bad man. A man who does as he likes regardless of its effect upon others. None are allowed to leave this village—I do not wish to speak of those who have been brought back."

Rodent blinked, reaching for his water and raising it. "The guards seem harmless enough."

"The guards are there because they're clueless," Beatrice returned. "They had more, once upon a time. I've no interest in finding out what became of them."

Rodent drank his water and set down his cup. "And so, you're going to…"

"It is the only way someone like me can stop a man like that," Beatrice picked up her slice of bread… coming to put it back down as her hunger did not wish to leave. "And I suspect he already knew what I was there to do. He plays with us. All this is entertainment to tide him over the boredom of being out in the country."

"Mhm." Rodent picked up his bread and ate it, moaning as he did so despite it being dry and foul on his tongue. He wolfed it down and then went for another—feeling just how empty his stomach was. "Sounds like a bully."

Beatrice was content to chuckle at that.

"Mhm… hmm… b-but… when you came in… you said something about a sword."

Despite a flash of anger, Beatrice smiled at that mention.

"Oh, it wasn't just a sword." Beatrice snickered. "It was about The Sword."