“Okay, are you ready? Once a drop of this lands on you, it's going to stink really bad. I'd prepare yourselves.” Iris confirmed with Sera and Bo making sure they were ready.

It was the break of dawn the following day, they were ready to get outta this mess and back to somewhere nice— namely Gladesdale. Bo was definitely ready to see more of this world, and Gladesdale sounded like a good start.

Iris uncorked the potion and immediately… no smell came out of it.

This confused Bo for a second until she poured a few drops onto her robes, the smell sprang to life drowning the entire area in a horrid smell. The stink invaded Bo’s sinuses and clung to them like it was made of glue.

Mix the smell of sewers, landfills, rotten eggs and cat litter together and you'd get somewhat close to this smell.

Bo fell to his knees gagging, his vision blurry and his other senses disoriented. For the first time he felt defeated and there was nothing he could do about it.

‘AH.’ His mind went blank, except for this one word that bounced around in his head.

‘Ah. Ah. Ah.’ He looked up with blurry vision caused by tears streaming down his face to see Sera still standing, only with a faint frown on her face.

‘What is this woman made of?’ He wondered if she wasn't human like him, but even he couldn't stand this stink. Not wanting to look any weaker, he feebly stood up, clamped his nose and held his breath.

Iris had explained to them that even placing it on their clothes the smell would stick to their body, even if they were fully covered from head to toe. Bo had many questions, mainly wondering why the stink worked like that, but didn’t question her.

This would be a horrible week if the smell continued throughout it.

“Are you okay Bo?” Iris asked nasally due to a clothes pin clamping her nostrils shut. Unfortunately she didn't have any more for him.

He nodded and then had a sudden realization— he didn't feel the need to breathe. He had been doing it since he was brought to life not questioning why, but now that he was holding his breath, it felt the same as if he were breathing.

As long as he didnt breathe, the smell wasn't too bad. He could still feel it tickle the back of his throat but it was miraculously better than before.

The three were ready to go and off they went towards Gladesdale, Sera led the way using her badge as a compass.

Gladesdale was roughly 5-6 km away from the trial fountain, not too far of a distance but it wasn't close either. They would briskly walk there, not intending to run just in case some beasts take that as a threat. Overall it should take roughly an hour or two.

During the trip, Bo asked Iris why the badge could act like a compass and she explained to him that once someone reaches a Lodestone, the portal back to Arcon, their badge will be able to pinpoint the direction towards it.

So many useful tidbits of information he needed to know. A new item appeared on his imaginary list of things to buy— a notebook. He hoped Iris would provide some more information for him when he asked, and when she did he would be ready to jot it down.

They cautiously trudged through thick red grass and over small hills, passing many beasts in the distance who couldn't be bothered to come any closer due to the smell.

The trip was a little nerve racking to be sure, but after an hour and half they were pretty much there and luckily nothing had happened along the way.

Bo hiked up a small hill trailing behind Iris and Sera who had already stopped at the top, wondering if they had made it yet. Once he reached the top he finally saw Gladesdale for the first time with his new eyes.

He had been to Gladesdale before as Botbot so he had faint memories of it, but now he could appreciate the grand sight of the city in front of him.

Gladesdale was a tight knit bustling community sitting inside a giant circular wall that wrapped around the entire city. The walls were made of stone a few feet thick and as tall as a tree since they needed to be able resist any beasts that attacked them.

It was roughly 5 km in diameter and from atop the hill they were on you could see a few buildings poking up above the walls, but the main centerpiece was a tall black monolith sitting dead center of the city— the Lodestone.

Even the outside of the walls was changed, from where they stood to the walls of the city, the grass had been trimmed to only a few inches which gave the guards better vision of the surroundings.

They approached the gates of the city where a large group of guards equipped in uniform armor and all wielding different weapons were standing. A few dead beasts lay around the gates seemingly dead after trying to attack, and were now being dragged back inside the gates.

Atop the walls were similarly equipped guards but they wielded ranged weapons like bows instead of melee weapons. They spotted Bo and company first and motioned to the guards below.

Five guards ran to them but as they got closer they slowed down, clamped their noses shut and couldn't help but take a few steps back.

Bo followed after Iris and Sera who took the lead to run over to the guards but were motioned to not come any closer.

“What is that god forsaken smell!?” One of the guards, a burly man shouted.

“Sorry, it's something we used to help us get back here safely!” Sera took the lead and responded.

“I can't have you enter the city smelling like— oh is that you Miss Might?” The burly man recognized Sera.

“It's Sera, but yes that's me. Sorry for the smell, it was the best plan.” She explained. “I can take us back to my place to get cleaned up, it should also help isolate the smell.”

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

“That would be great.” The man walked over to them still clamping his nose tight. “Is everybody here alright? No injuries?”

Sera looked back at Bo and Iris who both shook their heads, she then gave a thumbs up to the man, “We're good here.”

“That's good.” The man motioned for them to follow him. “Come on now let's get you inside the walls. I trust you to head to your home immediately so as to not stink up the entire city?”

“No worries there, I need a bath immediately after today.” Sera laughed and turned to the two. “Are you guys okay with that?”

“Sounds good to me.” Bo responded.

Iris nodded as well but her expression seemed slightly uncomfortable. Bo didn't think much of it, it was probably the smell getting to her, he thought.

They were led down the hill towards the front gates of Gladesdale which were a simple large stone archway with a metallic portcullis raised. There were a few groups of guards dragging dead beast corpses through the gates into the city atop wooden carts.

Some of those carts were being dragged by other beasts which freaked Bo out at first sight but no one else seemed to react that way so he calmed down. He then remembered about one of the other rewards one could acquire from completing a trial, a creature companion.

The person would be able to summon and unsummon their own creature companion, this summoned creature could be any creature you could think of from small incests to large goliaths.

The first creature that drew Bo’s attention was a giant armored beast similar to an elephant but its limbs and body were thicker while its face was a flat reptile-like face. It was gray and had a few red stripes running down its limbs and up its face. This creature was dragging a cart three times larger than the other creatures and seemed to do it with ease.

One of the advantages creature companions had over the other two rewards from trials was that they would be as strong as they were right from the get go. Compared to embers which could slowly become stronger as they were trained and used, creature companions were strong right away.

In the early sections of the bridge, they were usually the best reward since most creatures summoned were strong or had very useful abilities. But the further you got, the less useful they would be, especially because they couldn't get any stronger like embers.

Back to the group, they were now only meters away from entering the city. Bo curiously tried to look around a large group of guards blocking the way and peek into the city's streets but could only catch glimpses of it.

“Okay we just have to scan you, then you're free to enter the city.” The burly man said.

He then waited for an older gentleman who walked up to them holding a stone statue of an androgynous human in his hand.

The older man first stood in front of Sera, the statue glowed white for a second then stopped. It was then Iris’s turn and the same result occurred.

Bo started to get nervous. He didn't know what this thing was scanning for but he prayed that his results would be the same as the other two. The man stood in front of him and raised his brow as he looked Bo up and down but ultimately just shrugged. The statue glowed… then stopped glowing.

“They're good.” The old man said in a raspy voice and walked away.

‘Whew’ Bo sighed.

“Alright great.” The burly man then walked over to them and said in a deep voice. “Okay you all quickly make your way to the Might residence and stay there until the smell fades enough that it's not a constant nuisance. If I get any reports about the smell later I won't be happy, understood?”

“Yes sir.”

“Okay.”

“Mm.”

The man smiled at them and walked back out to join the other guards outside the gates leaving them free to enter the city.

“Alright let's go, my place isn't too far away.” Sera said before cheerfully exclaiming, “Let's get there so we can eat something!”

Bo walked past the last line of guards into the streets of Gladesdale and was immediately amazed at the sights. Unique buildings made of stone and wood covered the sides of the streets, some tall and lengthy while others were wide and thick.

As he walked through the city— being avoided at all costs by the citizens walking along the streets— he was amazed at the sheer number of people going about their lives. Some were out shopping in the various stores which each had displays for the passing customer to see, while others bought food at the stalls lining the streets to fill their bellies.

People were out and about, chatting, laughing and yelling. It was a lively environment that surrounded everywhere you looked.

The streets were paved stone on a scale from white to dark gray and were wide enough to allow owners to summon their creature companions to walk alongside them, and many did exactly that. There were colorful creatures, furry creatures, small and large creatures, there were so many and each one was unique from one another.

Let's not forget about the artifacts that were being displayed and showcased in shops as well as the many people who carried their own unique items. Bo would probably never know what most of the artifacts could do or what they were being used for but it still fascinated him to no end.

Embers on the other hand were not as widespread but it wasn't like they weren't used at all, a few people were busking in a larger area with a high volume of people, flaunting their unique embers in entertaining ways.

Who knew there was so much wonder to find, Bo’s eyes darted everywhere trying to ingrain every interesting thing he saw into his mind.

This place was amazing! Bo grinned wider than he had ever before, the smell no longer bothered him and only the sights in front of him were important.

What also surprised him was the way people acted around them. Besides clamping their noses and taking a few paces back, most people continued on with their life, some had even smiled and waved at them.

He didn't know why but when he saw Sera waving back to them, he realized that Sera might be a little more well known then he thought. The guard at the gate recognised her and now random citizens are waving at her like a celebrity.

They turned off the main streets down a smaller street where the buildings were now more residential, the shapes of such buildings were less unique but even then each person's house had a distinct vibe to it.

Whether they decorated the walls and windows or had modified their house, every house was something new to look at. The people of Gladesdale seemed to be very individualistic, it was like every person wanted to display themselves in their things and not just in themselves.

Then the street began to widen once again and the houses here got bigger and actually had properties beside the house like patches of grass. Most of these properties were fenced off or the view was blocked with hedges,

The houses only got more impressive the further they traveled along the street whereas the amount of people lessened. They had entered the richer section of Gladesdale.

It wasn't until they stopped that Bo’s mind focused and he looked in front of him at a mansion four stories tall, bigger than any other of the houses he had seen. It was mainly made of alabaster stone and had a gorgeous dark wood that complimented it.

A large walkway made of similar stone weaved through the front yard which itself was large enough to fit another three or four mansions inside it.

“Wow…” Bo couldn't help but mutter.

“Ya it's pretty big.” Sera shyly chuckled. “Welcome to my home.”

“This is your home!?” Bo exclaimed.

“Yep!”

“Why is it so much bigger than everyone else's?” Bo asked with child-like curiosity.

“You don't know?“ She looked at him “I don't mean to brag by saying this but my parents are very famous Crossers. You don't recognize the Might family name?”

“Not at all, I'm very unknowledgeable about most things on the bridge. I did think that maybe you were a little famous since lots of people recognize you.”

“It's my parents that are famous really, I'm just their daughter.” Sera corrected him. “What do you know about the Bridge then?”

“Mm… I know about the three trial rewards and maybe the names of the sections but that's about it.”

“Really? Have you ever read the basic survival guides?” Sera questioned.

“Nope but it seems like I really should be reading those.” Bo looked back at a nervous Iris, “Iris said the same thing… What's wrong Iris? Your face is pale.”

Iris looked up and opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She fidgeted for a bit as Bo and Sera looked at her confused.

“I-it's… it's because s-shes, you know… Sera Might!” Iris awkwardly shouted and her face went red.

“I didn't recognise her at first since I've never been one to know famous people, I like to keep to myself b-but once the guard said her name it clicked. She has red hair, is muscular and straightforward, just like her mother.” She rambled on eventually muttering to herself.

A powerful hand lept towards Iris making her flinch back and shut her eyes in anticipation to be hit due to her rudeness but only felt a gentle pat on the head.

“Haha, don't worry about all that! My parents are the famous ones, I just ended up their daughter!” Sera heartily laughed, “You're my savior! I want to repay your kindness so come on let's go. You too Bo! ”

Sera reached her arm around Iris and began to push her through the gates of her home which opened up upon her arrival.

“W-wait wait wait.” Iris began to panic but Sera simply laughed and nudged her along. Bo on the other hand gladly followed behind them taking in the beautiful sight of the Might family’s residence.

The front yard wasn't too luxurious or extravagant as one would think, it was actually kind of plain and simple for a front yard of such a large place. The main thing that drew his eye was the training ground off to the side and a little pond area with a garden of vibrant flowers.

Besides that it was just grass, and he'd already seen enough grass.

‘I can't wait to see the inside.’ Bo reveled in anticipation. The exterior of the house was stunning, he wanted to know what the inside was like.

He looked at Iris who was struggling but eventually accepted that she'd be dragged into the house of a famous family. He thought he maybe should feel more like Iris but only excitement and joy was on his mind.

He chuckled watching Sera’s straightforward personality at work, it also made it easy for him to understand what she was thinking and feeling. Iris was a little harder to read, but nonetheless Bo enjoyed her company, especially her abundance of knowledge which helped for someone in his situation.

This was a fun little trio, he thought when they entered through the grand entrance of the Might Family’s mansion.