After quite some time since the trio sealed their deal with Luke, the gang was now at the town hall to sign the necessary documents and take the needed procedures to depart on their journey. However, it took them quite a long time to accomplish such a task due to the hour-long rant by Elaine, who was more than pissed at the trio who lost the jobs she gave them—so soon that is.

After such, the trio was at the town hall changing their clothes to more suitable ones for their mission, while Luke and Elaine were outside at the hitching posts. The latter was holding a journal as she examined the boy's merchandise, the state of his wagon, and his two horses—occasionally taking notes every now and then.

"So, what kind of merchandise is this exactly?" Elaine asked as she examined one of the crates inside the wagon.

"Well, there's black powder, oil, books, digging tools, and some weapons," Luke answered.

"Black powder?!" Elaine exclaimed, "Wow, you must be quite rich then."

"Ehe…well…" Luke mumbled with a giddy smile, "Not really that rich. It's quite a dangerous thing to deal in, so at least the money's worth it."

"Dangerous?"

"Yeah, you know. It's flammable, explosive, and sometimes toxic." Luke explained, "But, it's the bandits and renegades that make it a pain to transport, hence why I really couldn't go without an escort."

"Mhm, I see." Elaine nodded before she hopped out of the wagon, "Well, Luke. It looks like everything is ready and set for you to go. Now we only need to wait for—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Elaine's eyes fell upon the door of the town hall swinging open, and out came the ones she was waiting for.

"…the morons." Elaine sighed deeply.

The trio was now dressed suitably and ready to embark on their mission, although they didn't change their clothes per se. They were still dressed in their old clothes, Mik in his leather jacket, Joel in his black hoodie, and Dolisia in her white robe dress. However, they now wore a brown leather chest plate, leather arm bands, and knee-high brown leather boots.

Although Dolisia was annoyed by the feeling of said armor and the fact that it was fully brown (which lacked any sense of style), Mik and Joel were rather delighted by it. A childish glee glimmered in their eyes as they scanned themselves from top to bottom.

"Bro, things are finally starting to look up for us!" Mik stated.

"I know, right?! This armor is hella cool!" Joel agreed, "God, I feel I could really kick some demon lord's ass."

"Or find a hidden treasure!"

"Or become the greatest heroes in the world!"

"Guys!" Dolisia interrupted, "Relax, we're only escorting this jackass to his destination, so simmer down, alright?"

Meanwhile, Luke and Elaine observed from afar—the former holding his head in his hands while the latter stared at the trio, annoyed and unimpressed.

Elaine then reached for her pocket, pulling out three white armbands with a golden, two-pointed star emblem plastered on each of them before she called out for the trio.

"Well, I guess you three are ready to go. Now you only need…" She said as she handed the armbands to the trio, "This!"

The trio each took an armband, examining it before they asked.

"And, these are?" Dolisia asked.

"From now on, you three are luminaries. Part-timers that is." She began, "The armband, and the two–pointed star on it will let anyone, even renegades, know that you are a part-time luminary on a mission. It will make your mission easier, and grant you some privileges that you didn't have before."

"Privileges?" Dolisia wondered.

"You'll know them along the way. Regardless, don't remove the armband at all costs." Elaine said, "Yes, it will make you a part-time luminary and such, but don't remove it at all costs. It is strictly prohibited by law for anyone to get hold of those armbands without legal permission, and it's punishable by law to lose one of these armbands since it holds far too much authority to be sold or lost just like that.

Moreover, it's a legal measure that ensures us you won't rob any civilian or merchant, kill anyone, or abuse your power without punishment, since you've been saved in the records as the holder of the said armband, and will result in you being wanted as vigilantes by the order of the luminaries, and will result in SEVERE punishment if any behavioral misconduct or crime is to be committed by any of you. Is that all clear?"

As they were midway through wearing their armbands, the trio paused before they looked at Elaine, a shiver running down their spine as their eyes locked back at the armband.

"Y-…yes, ma'am." The trio responded in a cold sweat.

"Alright, I guess you four are ready to go on your merry way! Have a safe trip, and you three!" Elaine called out to the trio, "Don't forget to report back to me once the mission is done, so you can receive your payment."

"Sure, that is if it's done." Joel pessimistically responded, "Take care now."

"Same to you…even more that is." Elaine replied.

As the trio waved their goodbyes, they one-by-one hopped inside the wagon, now waiting for Luke to take the initiative and officially begin their journey. Meanwhile, the latter stood next to Elaine, whispering to her.

"Ma'am, please send in your finest luminaries if I disappear for good."

"Well, as far as I'm concerned, those are our best luminaries." Elaine responded, "But believe me when I say that if anything would happen to you…"

Elain then turned towards Luke, a hand on her heart as the other lay on his shoulder.

"I will pray for you."

"…Thanks." Luke disappointedly replied. "Anyway, we should be going. All the best now!"

"More so to you!"

As they finished their conversation, Luke then hopped onto his wagon, taking a deep breath as he tightly held the reins. His eyes wandered off to the trio seated at the back of the wagon before they shifted to Elaine, who was waving him goodbye. The latter replied with a friendly smile and a wave before he swung the reins, to which the horses finally began marching down the road.

…

It has been a couple of hours ever since the wagon marched away from the town hall, and out of Hilltop. It was still quite a distance away from the next town—in which the four could get some well-deserved rest, food, and beverages—Regardless, there were no complaints to be made as the horses trotted along a dirt road, surrounded by green plains and hills that stretched to the horizon.

Luke was sitting peacefully in the driver's box, lazily resting his feet on the footboard as the boredom slowly got the better of him. He gazed at the land. He contemplated to himself his current situation.

'You know…maybe this isn't so bad after all.' He thought to himself.

"Need some company?" Joel asked, suddenly popping out of the wagon.

"OH GOD!" Luke screamed in a girly tone, his heart almost stopping at Joel's sudden entrance.

As such, he instinctively jumped back, not realizing that he was sitting at the edge of the driver's box, and almost fell head-first into the ground. Luckily, Joel was there to quickly grab him by the arm and pull him back to where he was.

"Alright, I know I'm ugly, just simmer down."

"Goddamit, don't do that!" Luke ranted, "…please, I don't handle surprises too well."

"Alright, sheesh, I'm sorry. Anyway, need some company?" Joel asked.

"What's wrong with back there?"

Tired of awaiting a response, Joel comfortably pulled himself out of the wagon and into the driver's box, thus occupying the seat next to Luke without any retaliation from the latter, other than a sour look at the fact that he annexed his free space and his peaceful time.

"Sorry, it's too cramped back there, and I really need a breath of fresh air."

"Oh, alright."

A few seconds of awkward silence ensued before Luke took the initiative and began a small talk.

"So…how did you guys become outlaws?"

"Mighty fine question to begin a convo with, innit Luke?" Joel said, "I suggest you think before you speak very often from now on. I can tell you get in a lot of trouble with your words."

"Um…I-…I think?"

"Well, that's just a fact. Plus, I'm not really here to talk with you. Yeah, I said 'company', but I don't mean it literally. I just want some fresh air, so just keep driving, Luke."

"O-…Okay."

As such, the young boy fixated his eyes on the road as he tilted his head downwards, a wave of melancholy washing over him due to Joel's harsh words. Meanwhile, the latter glanced at Luke, noticing his saddened expression. As much as he hated to admit it, he felt guilty for saying such a thing, and finally gave in.

"It was a misunderstanding, we didn't really kill or rob anyone." Joel began, "It's a mix of bad timing, stupidity, and poor life choice—and heavy emphasis on the latter. And due to all of that, a misunderstanding happened between us and a luminary that led to fists, which in turn led us to be chased, which in the end made us vigilantes.

We tried to go back there and apologize, but due to poor planning, we came to fists with the luminary again, got chased once again, and in the end, became outlaws."

"Wow, quite a luck you guys have."

"I know, right?" Joel said, "Regardless, we still made it. With the right amount of dumb luck, strength, and genius insanity, you can do anything. And hey, we proved ourselves. We beat a luminary, twice."

"Eh, that isn't much of an accomplishment really." Luke argued, "If it's one of the normal luminaries in every town, it is quite a feat to beat them, but isn't that much of an accomplishment."

"Huh?" Joel uttered, turning towards Luke with a sour look plastered on his face. "Then why did you hire us if that isn't that good?"

"Well…" Luke began, "I mean, you guys were going to kill me, do I really have a choice? I might not have any social skills, but I do have enough dumb luck to get me to convince you guys."

"Tch, bastard." Joel mumbled as he sat back, "Well, we also defeated a gang of bandits."

"Huh?! You guys did what?"

"Yeah, amazing isn't it?" Joel said, "After running away from the luminaries, we ended up losing our way, only for an old merchant to offer us a ride to the nearest town, an offer which we took him up for. We stayed the night with him outside, and out of nowhere a bandit gang sets us up and tries to rob us.

But as I said, with enough dumb luck, strength, and insanity, you can get anything done. As such, we beat them up…we didn't really beat them up that badly, mostly just drove them away, but still won the fight regardless. And all of this was in a single day.

So if you think you're unlucky, think again. We have been screwed enough in life so much so that, if life paid us like prostitutes, we would have been millionaires."

Luke couldn't help but chuckle at the latter's remark.

"Wow, you guys truly are something," Luke said before he gazed at the land, contemplating for a second. "You know…this really isn't so bad after all."

"Aw, fuck no, it is! I double dare you to get luminaries and bandits on your ass in the same da—"

"Woah, calm down! I don't mean that!" Luke said, "I mean, this."

"Oh, yeah? How come?"

"Well, it's mostly because I've never ridden with anyone before. It's actually the first time I ever talked with anyone while on a trip. I never knew how much it eases the loneliness."

"Well, have you ever thought about taking one of your family or friends with you sometime?"

"Of course, naturally. The thing is…" Luke said, "I have no one in life."

Upon hearing the latter's words, Joel froze as his eyes wandered off to Luke, a mournful expression plastered on his face.

"I didn't lie to you guys when I said that I'm a lonely merchant, because I really am. My parents died too early, both of them. And my uncle, a drunkard who never sobers, raised me on his own. He was a good man really, but he died from sickness early in my life as well.

Hence, I lived alone, solely dependent on myself for everything. I learned how to read, how to write, and everything on my own. Unfortunately, I never learned how to talk with others properly, and I paid for it. It's the reason why I have no friends in life, let alone a lover. In fact, as ironic and cruel of life as it…you guys are the closest thing that I ever had to friends."

Upon hearing the latter, Joel's eyes softened as he gazed at Luke—The latter having a faint smile escape his lips as he gazed at the ground, his mind wandering elsewhere. Upon noticing the awkward silence emerging once again, Luke snapped back to reality before apologizing to Joel.

"I'm sorry, it was a weird thing to say all of a sudden. Plus, that was all unnecessary to say—"

"I know the feeling well, Luke. And I'm sure someone else knows it even better." Joel said, glimpsing at Mik. "I also know what it's like, to not really have anyone, or lose who you already have. You're a good man, Luke. And you're doing great for a guy like yourself, so don't stop doing what you do."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Luke couldn't help but stare speechlessly at Joel. He wasn't surprised by the utter difference in how Joel spoke to him compared to before, but rather due to the words he heard from him. It wasn't particularly the person or the occasion that had him astounded…but the fact that he heard the very same words he longed to hear for a long, long time. Ever since he could remember.

Finally, someone understood him.

"Thanks…Joel." He said, a smile plastered on his face. "Hey, can I call you Jo?"

"Alright, now you're pushing your luck."

"Damn it."

Thus, silence ensued as the two sat comfortably, basking in the beauty of the land. Joel was struggling to keep his eyes open, for he was physically exhausted. Meanwhile, Luke was driving with a simple smile plastered on his face, a feeling of ease washed over him, cleansing his previously anxious mind.

However, the silence and peace were short-lived, as Luke and Joel spotted a wagon parked ahead of them, precisely at a three-road intersection. Near the wagon stood two men and a woman, all focused on a map they held between them.

Luke and Joel couldn't help but grow alarmed at the sight in front of them as they pondered the prospect of an ambush by a group of bandits, or worse. Thus, the two adjusted themselves, shifting from their carefree demeanor to sitting up straight as they scrutinized the group of potential bandits in front of them.

As the wagon closed in on the parked one ahead, the woman shot a quick glance at the carriage before she fixated her gaze on it—her eyes lighting up as she waved at Luke and Joel.

"Fellars, mind if you give us a hand?" The woman called out in a friendly voice.

However, her request was met with no response as the wagon strolled toward them. Upon getting a closer look, the woman's face cringed at the sight of the star-plastered armband before she quickly shifted into a nonchalant expression right as the wagon made a full stop in front of the woman.

"Oi, fellars." She uttered, quieter than before. "Are you luminaries?"

"Nope," Joel said as he held the armband. "Part-timers."

"Oh, I see." She said before shifting her focus toward Luke, eyeing him suspiciously as the latter did the same. "And what about you?"

"He's a merchant. Precisely, the merchant I am escorting in my mission."

The woman eyed the two boys for a moment, her eyes squinting in an antagonizing manner. Suddenly, her eyes lit up again, and a friendly smile was plastered on her face as she spoke.

"Well, boys. I'm glad you came when you did. Mind giving us a hand?" She began, "We were on our way to Cherryfield all the way from Leefside but…well, we got lost thanks to someone."

The woman added before she quickly shot a deathly glare at one of the two men—the bigger of them that is.

"What business do you chaps have in Cherryfield?" Luke asked.

"Well, we're merchants. We've come here to become merchants from a land far away. I suppose you could tell from our looks." The woman said.

And, indeed, they could tell. The woman and the smaller of the two men were unlike anyone Joel has seen so far. Their facial features were Asian—precisely, East-Asian. Meanwhile, the bigger of the two-man was not different from the inhabitants of these lands.

"I'm Sumiko." She said.

Sumiko gazed at the two boys with a pair of yellow eyes, complementing her blond hair that faded to black at the ends that extended to her chin, a few inches away from laying on her red gambeson.

The man on the other hand squinted cautiously at the boys with dark eyes, matching his equally dark hair. Although the man next to him was bigger, he himself was taller than an average person, with a muscular physique and a cold expression plastered on his face—dressed in a simple white shirt.

"I'm Tatsuo." He followed.

Meanwhile, the biggest of the three was a tall, muscular young man with a pair of light-blue eyes and dark brown medium-length hair. The young man radiated a friendly aura as a warm smile was plastered on his face while sporting a black tank top.

"I'm Killian."

"Oh, well that's lovely." Luke began, "We were on our way to Cherryfield as well. As fellow merchants, I'll gladly ride with you there."

Joel couldn't help but stare dumbfoundedly at Luke's childish naiveness, to which the latter simply shrugged his shoulders before explaining in a whisper.

"There's no harm in that."

"No harm?!" Joel angrily whispered back, "This could be a trap!"

"Oh, relax." Luke comforted, "They're just a bunch of easterners, there's no way they could risk committing a crime in these lands. Yeah, the other bloke is from here, but he looks like an honest chap, innit?"

"Wow…" Joel said a disappointed look on his face as he sat back. "Racist bastard."

"What?"

"Racist."

"I'm not racist, I just stated a fact."

"Classic racist denial."

Eventually, after a long squabble to decide whether Luke was racist or not (ultimately failing to justify himself) the two boys finally gave in and invited the other group with them to ride to the next town—as much as Joel detested the idea.

Thus, the other trio exchanged greetings once again with the two boys before they hopped back on their wagon, and followed after Luke's wagon down the dirt road. Upon doing so, Joel leaned back towards the inside of the wagon before whispering.

"They're alright, you can drop your guard for a bit."

In response, Mik decocked his revolver before holstering it once again. He then sat down comfortably, before glancing at Joel who was gesturing a thumbs up at the red-haired boy.

"Keep cautious though."

"Aye aye, sir."

Thus, the trio's wagon rode peacefully down the dirt track along with the other wagon toward their next destination.

…

It was still a long ride awaiting the merchants before arriving at Cherryfield, which was more than a couple of hours away. Alas, the sun was already descending beyond the green hills. If they were to continue their journey, they would reach their destination in the dawn of the next day, or even beyond.

Thus, they couldn't risk continuing their journey in the dark, with the threat of bandits and wild animals lingering about in every corner. Therefore, Luke decided to take a little detour toward a town that was an hour or less away, so they may spend the night at ease.

However, upon reaching the town and booking a couple of rooms at an inn, the merchants had a change of plans as they went down to fetch some drinks from the tavern underneath. Which resulted in quite an unnecessary fuss…

The tavern was crowded with locals—drinking, playing games, chatting, shouting, and stirring up a feud every now and then. Amongst the locals, there sat Joel at the counter, a tankard of orange juice in front of him. Although he didn't particularly dislike social settings of such intensity, he was rather annoyed at the behavior of his two friends.

To his right, there sat Dolisia and Mik next to each other. Mik was drinking from a large glass of beer, sloshed from the alcohol he consumed. Meanwhile, Dolisia was gulping down her fifth wine bottle and, in her words, destroyed on alcohol.

The two were stirring up a louder fuss than anyone else. With each sip they took together, they burst into laughter while smacking the counter repeatedly—In fact, Joel can already see a few dents and cracks in the counter as he silently hoped that his two idiotic friends wouldn't end up demolishing the table due to their illogical fits of laughter that happened for no particular reason.

Meanwhile, Luke was sitting on the other side next to Joel. Although he denounced the idea of drinking at first, the boy was already tipsy from all the beer he drank. And, surprisingly so, he held his alcohol well, for he was still conscious. Regardless, he was still affected. His face was red and his eyes a little blurry as a smile fixated itself on his face. Moreover, he now spoke more confidently than before as he explained to Joel why he was not racist.

"And that's why I'm not racist, Joel. Easterners won't dare commit a crime in these lands, because we offer them a greater opportunity than they had in their country!"

Luckily for Luke, Sumiko, Tatsuo, and Killian were nowhere to be seen in the tavern—they had already informed Luke and the trio that they would wander around town and purchase some stuff. Else, Luke would have been in quite an ugly dispute with the two Easterners.

And unfortunately for Joel, he had to endure the drunken tomfoolery of both sides all on his own as he desperately tried to enjoy his juice in peace, only to be interrupted by one of the two sides.

"Hey, Jo." Mik called out, "What do you call a pair of tits with googly eyes on them?"

"Miki, please. I'm gonna lose my goddamn min—"

"BOOBLY EYES!"

Mik and Dolisia burst out laughing at the punchline, wheezing uncontrollably as if it were the funniest thing in the world—which it was for them. Joel sank into his seat and breathed out a deep sigh, while Luke was confused.

"What are googly eyes?" He asked.

Alas, he was met with no response as Joel reached for his tankard. He pulled it closer towards him, with the full intent of gulping the remainder of the beverage down before he climbs back up to his room and sleep off his fatigue.

Unfortunately for him, his plan was already soiled.

As soon as his lips pressed against the rough, wooden exterior of the tankard, the tavern fell into a deathly silence as if he were the spectacle to behold. In response, Joel laid his drink on the counter once again before turning around to see what this was all about. His eyes fell upon a group of a dozen men entering the tavern, dressed in white surcoats with a big, apparent red 'X' sewn on the torso of said coats. They wore white cloaks, with the hood over their steel helmets.

Joel couldn't care less for the weird custom. But he couldn't help but grow wary of the armbands that the men wore—The same star-plastered armbands as the ones the trio wore.

The moment Luke caught a glimpse of the men, his previous state of drunken carelessness was reduced to anxiousness as he turned around towards the counter and cowered in fear, turning Joel around as well.

"Woah, what's that fo—"

"Lower your voice," Luke whispered in a cold sweat. "Those are templars."

"Templars?"

"Unfortunately…" Luke said, "If you think I'm racist, you better reconsider it. These blokes are undefeated."

"Elaborate?"

"The templars are a bunch of very, VERY racist cunts. And by that, I mean violent, vulgar, malicious, and utterly ruthless."

"The hell?" Joel said, "And what are the luminaries doing about them?"

"They're relatively new, there never has been proof of their vicious acts. So far, they're innocent." Luke began, "But the luminaries hate them, they don't affiliate themselves with them as much as the Templars fantasize about."

"And what about the armbands?"

"The what?!" Luke said, quickly glancing at the Templars. Much to his dismay, they did indeed wear luminary armbands. "Oh God, what the fuck! That shouldn't be possible, how did they get them?!"

"Shush! Mind your tone!" Joel said, calming the anxious merchant. "So, what? They're not going to target us, are they?"

"If we keep our heads down and not make a sound, then they might go away with no troub—"

"Attention!"

The voice of one of the Templars ordered in a menacing tone. In response, all actions have halted and all chatting has ceased. The only sound resonating was that of a lonesome pair of boots slowly stepping toward the middle of the tavern.

As the Templar stood in the middle, he slowly pulled back his hood before removing the helmet and placing it forcefully on one of the tables—unveiling the figure of an adult man with a frown plastered on his face.

"My dear people, we have heard the news that a bunch of foreigners has entered the town, disguised as merchants." He began, "We were lead to believe that they were here, drinking our fine wine, meant for OUR people."

Much to his dismay, the man was met with utter silence. No one dared to speak, nor act as they eyed the men closely.

"My dear people, have you happened to see a pair of slopes roaming about? Or three alien freaks?"

In response, the locals of the tavern turned their heads in unison toward the trio sitting at the counter. Mik and Dolisia were drinking carefree, Joel was sipping calmly from his tankard, while Luke was shaking in fright, praying in silence.

The leader of the Templars cracked a wicked smirk before he plodded towards the counter. He stood tall behind Mik as the latter drank without much of a care.

"You, bloke." He said, "Turn around, or I'll bash your face into the counter."

In response, Mik turned around, and so did Joel and Dolisia.

"You…you three are the freaks that came into town, aren't ya?" He said, his eyes wandering off to the armband the trio wore. "Oh, so you're luminaries…hah…where did you steal those from?"

"We're honest merchants, we didn't steal anything, si—" Luke said, before being interrupted.

"I don't remember asking you a goddamn a thing!" The Templar shouted as Luke lowered his head in shame. "You call yourself an honest merchant. You're a disappointment! Betraying your own kind for these…freaks. Disgusting little bastards who are lesser than the shit under my shoes."

After scolding Luke, the Templar's eyes shifted to the trio in front of him—Precisely, Mik. He glared at them, hatred oozing from his eyes.

"Now tell me, where the hell did you steal these from?" He antagonized, referring to the armbands.

"From your mom. She gave them to us in honor of our bravery to do what no man could ever since you were born and fuck her…no wonder, you look uglier than the inside of a diseased anus." Joel interrupted.

The Templar turned towards Joel, his eyes flaming with rage upon hearing the vulgar insult he directed toward them. But before he could reply, he was interrupted once again.

"Listen, you ugly motherfucker." Dolisia said, "We've been struggling through hell and beyond for days to no end, and there's no way in hell you're gonna ruin MY night. So it's better off you leave us alone, and go play circle jerk with your lackeys while fantasizing about your mid-life crisis."

It was outrageous, utterly unacceptable. Not only did these low-life aliens dare to speak to the Templar without asking, but they insulted him ruthlessly—an act that not even the closest to the Templar would do.

As such, the Templar clenched his fist before breathing out a deep sigh as a malicious smile crept up his face. He then locked eyes with the trio, before speaking.

"Alright…maybe I'm wrong, maybe you are luminaries, maybe you are from these parts. Because only my people are allowed to say anything like that to me." He pitifully added, "How about this, IF you pass this test, then I will leave you alone and never bother you again. If you don't…I will behead you, and pin your head on pikes before I piss on your dead body and set it on fire…so that no filthy bastard like you would ever dare say that to me again."

"Alright, bring it," Mik said.

"Alright then…" The Templar said before turning around. His eyes darted around the tavern before they halted at a table where six men were seated. "If you are from these parts, then tell me the names of those men?"

"Jake, Jamie, Brittle, Elliot, Alex, and Tom." Mik said as he pointed at the men respectively.

"Hah! You're wrong!"

"Actually, he isn't." One of the men at the table spoke, "He's actually right."

The Templar and Mik stared dumbfoundedly at the six men before they locked eyes with each other again, still confused and taken aback by what just happened. Meanwhile, Joel stared amusingly, knowing fully well what was happening.

Afterward, the Templar bombarded Mik with the most random and useless of questions, but the red-haired boy answered each one correctly with ridiculous accuracy. So much so that with each answer, the Templar grew more hopeless and utterly dismayed, while Mik was, in his own words:

"I'm gobsmacked."

As the hail of questions kept raining down on Mik, Dolisia leaned towards Joel, requesting clarification on the incomprehensibly absurd scene that was taking place.

"Joel, how the hell is Mik doing this?"

"Well, you see…we are ridiculously unlucky. But Mik has something special. All that misfortune and injustice from life was converted into something that we call…" Joel said, before majestically motioning with his hands. "Misplaced luck."

"Misplaced luck?"

"Mhm. And trust me, there's no need to think deeper about it, we literally don't know why something like that even happens, we just roll with it ."

"AH! TO HELL WITH THIS!" The Templar screamed.

The Templar raised his hand above his head before he slammed it down on the table next to him, smashing it and rendering it into a pile of shattered planks of wood. The trio, upon witnessing such a formidable feat of strength, were on high alert. Their situation had taken a sour turn.

The Templar stood silently and menacingly as he breathed heavily like a wild beast. He then reached for his waist, before unsheathing and drawing his sword in one fell swoop. The look in his eyes…there was no mistaking it, it reeked of bloodlust—an immeasurable and uncontrollable level of anger and hatred.

"You…filthy bastards! You dare cheat right in front of my eyes as well?! I will show you, I WILL SHOW YOU WHO I TRULY AM!"

As the Templar was caught up in his enraged rant, he was oblivious to the commotion behind him. Right as he was ready to attack the trio, a third party chimed in. A pair of heavy footsteps barged into the tavern and walked past the Templars with ease as they helplessly retaliated with grunts and groans while being pushed effortlessly out of the way.

The Templar raised his sword high above his head, aiming for Mik. His eyes were bloodshot, he was keen on swinging at the red-haired boy and splitting his skull open—and that he was about to do. As he was ready to swing his sword downwards at Mik, the Templar's hand was paralyzed.

Or so he had thought before he realized that what held him back was a hand other than his. He was silent, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead as he witnessed the shadow of the person behind him completely engulf him.

"You lot are the asshole that were following us…aren't you?" The person said.

In response, the Templar slowly turned around, a chill running down his spine. As he looked up to see who it was, his eyes fell upon Killian—his blue eyes glaring back at the Templar. He was helpless, the man could do nothing but powerlessly watch the brown-haired young man as he raised his free hand, clenching it into a tight fist—veins bulging all over it.

"Wait, WAI—"

Ignoring his pleas for mercy, Killian swung his fist at the Templar's face—launching him toward the counter before he smashed through it, and through the wooden wall beyond it. Everyone stood silently in shock, even the trio, as they stared at Killian.

The latter glared at the Templar for a few more seconds before he snapped back to consciousness, gazing at the trio with a friendly smile plastered on his face.

"Yikes, I didn't mean to do him that badly." He mumbled, "Well, let's move along, guys! The Templars are gonna chase after us!" He said before turning toward the entrance.

Luke hurried behind the brown-haired boy while fighting back the urge to lie down on the ground and cry his heart out. Meanwhile, the trio stood up and gulped down the remains of each of their drinks before following Killian. After all, no matter what it was, it wasn't worth wasting their precious beverages from their hard-earned money.

However, the Templars were steadfast as they stood facing Killian. They shouted threats and slurs at the gang as they were unsheathing their swords and drawing their weapons. Killian was unfazed as he cracked a smug smile.

He then sprinted toward the Templars at full speed before smashing through them with his shoulder like a bowling ball, sending most of them flying out of the tavern or towards one of the many tables inside.

He didn't stop sprinting as he hurried out of the tavern, Luke following after him, and the trio hurrying after them last. Killian was smiling pridefully as he ran away, Luke barely contained his tears as one trickled down his eye, Dolisia was annoyed, Mik was staring in awe at the unconscious Templars, and Joel was really not taking kindly to all the fuss that had unfolded in front of him and ultimately ruined his evening.

However, as everyone made their way out of the tavern, he stood behind. Glancing at the Templars before focusing his attention on the locals. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"And that's why you shouldn't be racist, you goddamn assholes!"

He then followed the gang after letting that off his chest.

Unfortunately for the trio, their mission was far from being as peaceful or easy as they had hoped so. In fact, it's already turning out to be worse than anything they had imagined. But thankfully, dumb luck and insanity had saved their lives once again.

Thus, the trio was back in full swing, as they embarked on—once again—a journey that couldn't have turned out worse than it already has.