“For the reckoning that is to come, all are tested. Thou shall be the shadow of which valiant souls shine and guide thee through harsh trials. Till oblivion comes, do not turn astray but to continue down the path thou chosen to walk. Lastly, thou must not see eye to eye with, but against the world.”

He shut the book after translating a line from it and defiantly looked up.

What he saw was the sky filled with fluttering embers. Each speck glowed as bright as the full moon hanged in the center of the clear sky and as small as snowflakes.

However, when he went to touch them, the embers passed through his form.

His eyes were trained onto one flake floating downwards. The scene before him presented a scene of a burning forest surrounding him. Fire as white as snow.

And there, a boy was trapped under a burning log. The child pleaded for help with desperate gestures. Perhaps he wanted to scream for help, but with a dry throat, no voice would come out.

“I don’t know if this is fate or whatnot.” He kneeled in front of the child who was barely breathing. “But, you’re the only one who I can trust with this.”

He poked the boy’s arm and planted a stigma.

“Remember this day for when you find yourself unable to act. It is then I will return what I borrowed.”

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

Flames, flames, dancing and hiding who was to blame, for the witching child has finally been named. Commence the hunt, flush out that runt. Trial by fire or hang from wire. Smitten by holy light or bitten by Demon’s blight. We won’t be satisfied until we the cursed child’s head rolled, and demons culled!

He questioned the choice of song the children sang. It was passed down for generations to teach children to not show sympathy against monsters, but he couldn’t shake the feeling the verse was altered through generations into something this dark.

He envied the free time they had. While children played by the lake, he was stuck doing chores.

Sweep the area, wipe down the tombstone, water the ground, offer his prayers. These were straight forward tasks, but he preferred to be laying in his bed right now.

As leaves piled up, sunlight peeked behind the far hills. The darkened sky from above brightened to a light colorful shade as the sun rose.

Dawn arrived.

The lake before him reflected the dim lights of the unborn morning. As the wave rippled, their sparkles danced up and down. A cold morning breeze ran down his spine, forcing a sneeze in response with snot dribbling from his nose. Nonetheless, the boy gratefully observed the horizon covering the mystery of the world beyond the forest.

-What a pain. I want to get out of this village but there’s a stupid barrier preventing me. If I go near the edge, the Elder will kill me.-

“Kihet? Why are you here? Can you hear me? I said hey!” A girl leaned her face a few inches from the boy’s head. “If you don’t respond, I’ll kick you in the groan.”

Kihet lethargically shifted his distracted face towards the girl. “Oh… it’s just Sorah. S-Sorah!?”

It took him seconds to identify the person approached him. The girl’s sudden appearance broke his trance and sent him tumbling into the pile of leaves. He hit the back of his head at the bottom of a tree just beside the bucket of water.

“Are you alright?”

Kihet combed back his scruffy hair and scratched the corner of his grey beady eyes. “You appeared out of thin air. Are you a ghost?”

“G-ghosts don’t exist!”

“What are you getting so worked up for?” He turned his attention to the girl with her shining red hair fluttering in the wind and angry purple eyes locked on him. Kihet stared back at her and sighed.

“So? Why the disappointed face? Did I do something to annoy you?” She brushed her short hair, arms crossed with an imposing pose glaring at him. From her expression, she wasn’t entirely angry at him. In fact, there was a small sign of relief on her face as she examined the ‘all most cleaned’ gravestone.

“Maybe.”

“Do you want me to hit you?”

“You will anyways.”

“So, why are you here?”

“I’m cleaning. Are you blind?”

His innocent answer backfired on him. Though Kihet diligently worked hard at the task at hand, he saw Sorah furrowing her brows.

Sorah took a few deep breaths trying to calm herself. Her left hand curled into a fist threw it. She quickly stopped it at his forehead and flicked a finger at him.

“Ouch! What was that for!?”

“You were supposed to do the cleaning next week. Today is Gemini, fortieth of autumn.”

“Fortieth? Oh, isn’t today your turn then? I’ll leave the rest to you.” Kihet immediately dropped the rake.

Before he stepped onto the rocky slope, Sorah’s hand seized his shoulder. Her arms trembled as she gave him the stink eye. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Home.” He answered with a brimming smile.

“Y-you… Why are you always like this!?”

A jolt of pain coursed through his body. He curled up on the ground holding his shin. His eyes caught a glimpse of Sorah’s footwear. They were steel toed boots.

Sorah knelt beside him and shot him a frown. “Don’t leave the job unfinished. You’re always like this I swear…”

“Isn’t it your turn today?!”

“Yup. Since you insisted on starting today’s cleaning duty you might as well help me finish it.” Her eyes sparkled with an innocent gaze hiding her demonic facade. They gave Kihet an impression ‘If you don’t help, expect trouble’.

To not incur her wrath, Kihet decided it was his best interest to abide her request.

The two neatly wiped down the gravestone for the old heroes who once saved the world from evil creatures. What those creatures were and what the Heroes fought for were unknown. All they knew was the world once plunged into darkness and saved by the eight heroes with their names engraved on the gravestone.

“Finally, we’re done!” Kihet cheered. “I’ll grab the bags.”

“Don’t worry about those. I got them.” Sorah aimed her palm at the rake and the bag of leaves.

Suddenly, objects to be carried magically floated. Looking closely, Kihet spotted two ethereal tendrils sprout from her shoulders, slithering through the air and carried the bags. The magic Sorah used were [Ribbons]. They were translucent strand of strings acting as extensions for one. Their primary use were to carry items no heavier than the user per strand, and they’re useful for reaching into tight gaps.

They weren’t often implemented in combat as they could easily be dispelled by hitting the object it held. They aren’t strong enough to swing weapons around or receive attacks, but they could throw objects given [Ribbons] are able to build enough momentum.

[Ribbons] were magic exclusive to their kind, the Enuis. Their kind resembled humans depicted from tales of the long forgotten war, but pure white feathers grew around their ears and they have tails like a lion’s.

Curious, Kihet aimed his hand at a branch, but he was given no reaction. He quickly hid any evidence of his attempt before Sorah noticed to make fun of him and followed her down the hill.

The two hiked back down the hill with the sunrise covering everything in a bright yellow glow. The clouds slowly wave through the gentle breeze and the morning mist fades revealing the breath taking view of the village. The stream of water and dew from the grass sparkle across the land. It was the perfect morning scenery Kihet imagined.

-Man, I just can’t get enough of this view.

He stretched his arms in the air and took a few deep breaths of the morning air.

“C’mon, get moving already. Weren’t you going to show me something today?” Sorah flashed a smile.

“Oh right. I thought I did forget something. So that’s why I woke up early. It’s in my hideout.”

“You’re not you planning to do something to me there, are you?” Her flirty words made Kihet faintly blush. “Just kidding, you’re not Vol and I feel more comfortable if it was you.”

“So, you want me to do something to you?”

“N-no! I-I-I only meant I trust you enough to be alone with you!”

“Huh... In other words, you were trying to tease me.” Although Kihet only meant to tease her back, he did ogle at her body. Especially around the thigh area. He prayed for the wind.

They did not answer his prayers.

Sorah was a head shorter than Kihet. She wasn’t too skinny nor fat. Medium premium, right? Her face was somewhat chubby, but Kihet thought it was cute. However, every time he teased her of it, he received a kick.

“Actually, I’ll have to take a rain check for that. I promised to spend the afternoon day with Hannah. It’s that time.” She said.

“It’s that day of the year isn’t it? That’s fine. It’s not like my things will grow legs and walk away. At least, not anytime soon.”

“Great! Thanks Kihet! Let’s hurry up a bit.” Sorah smiled eagerly and hopped down the path nimbly.

Kihet followed her but did not have the same control in his legs as her. He slipped and rolled to the bottom of the hill. Luckily, they were near the bottom.

“I know you’re not as coordinated on your feet as I am, but you don’t have to copy something you can’t do.” Her winged like ears waved up and down happily with a smug on her face.

“Instead of laughing at me, you could pull me up, you know?”

“Sorry, take my hand.” Sorah offered.

Kihet hesitated to grab her hand. Something at the back of his mind held him back until Sorah made small movements. She pulled his arm over her shoulders. When a gust of wind brushed over the two, Kihet caught a whiff of the sweet aroma from Sorah’s hair. He slowly turned his face to Sorah then couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

Sorah’s eyes quickly gave a glance then darted elsewhere. Kihet noticed an unusual behaviour and tapped her on the shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“N-nothing, I noticed you’re a lot taller.”

“Really? Maybe you shrunk-.”

“Ha!” She interrupted with a punch to Kihet’s stomach.

His legs gave out temporarily. His weight nearly pulled them down on their knees. “You’re so harsh... I can’t tease you, but you can…”

“That reminds me. I planning to bake some treats with Hannah today. I think she would enjoy them more than you.”

When Kihet heard the two words ‘baked sweets’, he immediately put his hands together and kowtowed. “I’m sorry for being so insensitive! Please share some with me!”

Deep inside, he thought this was the only way to repent and earn those sugar delights.

“You really like sweets, don’t you?” Sorah giggled. “You did help me. I suppose you’re obligated to have some.”

“Really?!”

“I’ll think about it really hard and pray Hannah won’t eat them all.”

“Geh!”

-I thought she forgave me, but I was too naïve!-

Not much later, they were out of the forest and found themselves standing in front of the Village gate.

Two watchmen rose to attention when they saw the two walking down the main road. They were disgusted by his presence and handled their spears at the ready when Kihet walked up to the gate.

“Why is she always hanging around that sinner? Wasn’t he the one who killed her parents?”

“Shush it. She’ll hear you.”

Ignoring them, Kihet rummaged through his bag and brought out shackles to cuff himself. After the guards gave the chains a rattle to determine it was shut tight, they opened the gate and let them through.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Kihet felt a firm tug on his tail and turned around.

“Sorry…”

“For what? If you’re talking about the taboo I broke, it’s my fault.”

“Aren’t those heavy?”

“I think of them as weights.” He shrugged, waving his shackled arms. “You should get going, I need to buy some things. I’m a scrap collector, a junk rat after all.”

“Kihet, I mean it. Thanks.” A small bittersweet smile formed on Sorah’s face as she dashed off.

“Yeah, say hi to your sister and don’t forget about those tarts you promised me.”

“I never promised you anything!”

Watching her run off with a smile eased his mind, but he quickly missed her when he was suddenly left alone. When He looked around, the villagers quickly turned and walked in the other direction. They gossiped as they avoided him, going as far to take shelter in buildings when Kihet walked past them like he was the plague.

In this village, the law was absolute. If someone sinned, they must be punished. No matter how light a sin was, the guilty must atone for their actions. That was what the Enuis strictly follow to be granted the honor being the Creator’s favored ones.

And his sin was being responsible for setting the forest in silver flames.

As there were no other villages, it was deemed too cruel to exile a child at the time. Instead, Kihet was prohibited to visit the village unless he wore his shackles.

He built a base hidden in the forest where only a couple of trusted people knew of his residence. He often made rounds to the village’s scrap collector and purchase materials on projects inspired from books he read.

Kihet mulled over the thought to order from blacksmiths, haggling with them was a hassle. His reputation wasn’t the best. The scrap collector on the other hand didn’t care as long as he made profits.

“Achoo!”

His thoughts changed as he wondered if he had enough firewood to last the rest of fall and through winter. He may have to spend the rest of his day preparing them.

While strolling through the plaza, memories of when he was prosecuted flashed before him. He remembered stepping into the silver lined coffin standing at the stage. The coffin was said to punish evil doers by the will of the Creator and did not find him guilty.

Instead, his ‘truth’ was enraged by the villagers.

And like every other time he walked past it, an ominous feeling was luring him in. His mind and body agreed to quickly flee the area and find the Scrap Collector.

He rummaged through the scrap collector’s goods. The results were decent. One of the few parts he waited for two years finally showed itself in these piles of trashes. A perfectly kept guard from a broken sword. He was overjoyed to be able to replace it on his sword.

“Kihet, I knew I’d find you here.”

Behind him, another one of his friends walked into the shop holding his majestic aura. No one could act as self important as he could because he was the Elder’s grandson, the successor to be the village’s leader, the chief.

His golden hair shined as if polished and wore a scholar’s robe made of enchanted fabric of a magic sheep’s wool. His most important trait would be his ‘glasses’, an artifact that partially cured his blindness so long he wore them would have people whisper his name, Elius. An invisible force plucked the part away from Kihet’s hand.

“Seriously, you don’t have to force yourself to this place. I could’ve ordered the materials you needed.” Elius sighed.

“You know I can’t do that. If people knew you’re always helping me, that might damage your reputation.”

“Like I care.” He snorted, dropping the part Kihet examined back into the basket. “I don’t get why Gramps passed judgement on you even though the Creator explicitly declared you are innocent.”

“Knowing the Elder, he did it to protect me. Anyway, you were looking for me?”

“Yeah, we got a job. He wanted the eight of us to slay some Oriks because lately a pack of them moved too close to the village.”

“I could use some of their pelts.” Kihet opened his purse after purchasing the good. “And maybe some extra coin, but Sorah can’t make it today. She’s going to visit her parent’s grave with her sister.”

“Neither could Vol, Draigh and Lemi. It’ll be you, Megith, Malth and me thinning their numbers. We’ll scout ahead and do what we can.” Knowing Elius, he already prepared. “I’ve passed word to the twins. You should get going and gear up.”

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

There was a small shack in the middle of the forest. Out of the four walls, one side was boarded up with planks. On the field next to the building Kihet called home laid unexplainable fragments of trash sorted in their own junkpiles.

Kihet stepped out with a scaffold clamped under his arm while tightening a battered buckler around on his wrist.

“AH! He’s finally done!”

Kihet instantly noticed her brightly lime colored hair.

There were two of her. Rather, the girl was the one who stood in front of the door.

Megith, an eccentric hyperactive girl who used to, and continued to play nasty pranks on him. She would do it as a daily routine. Her brother, Malth, who looked as feminine as her, crouched beside boxes near the apiary.

The boxes were what Kihet wanted to show Sorah.

Each of those boxes were tiny. Every one of them had a wooden panel sticking in the middle and a lever attached to the side. He placed a bucket underneath, pulled the lever and a bamboo funnel slid out from the bottom. It was more efficient than manually breaking apart the frames to harvest the honey, but it took a while until honey began flowing into the bucket.

“Kihet, the honey in these containers you made were full so I’m emptying it for you. W-where should I store it?” His voice was much shallower than Megith. Malth was the absolute opposite of his sister except for his face.

“Oh right, I was supposed to give those to Sorah. Dump it in one of the barrels beside the shack. Make sure the lid is properly sealed.” Kihet replied as he gave his sword two quick swings on a standing stump.

The sharpness wasn’t terrible, but not the best.

“Isn’t your blade a bit dull?” Elius asked.

“The whetstone I have almost lost all its grit. It’s hard to sharpen anything with it.”

“Knowing how stubborn you are, I’ll get a replacement for you.”

“That’d be helpful.”

“Poor Kihet! It must be hard living alone like this. If you want, I’d move in with you. I’d do so in a heartbeat!”

“S-sis, your wording! Kihet’s going to get the wrong idea!”

Malth was correct. For a second, Kihet had the wrong idea. In terms of appearance, Megith was among the popular girls rated highly by many guys of the same age in the village. Anyone wedded to her would live a fortunate life. She could cook, clean, fight and her mega size- well developed chest… do contain many man’s hopes and dreams.

-If only, right? No matter how much I dream of it, it’s still a dream.

“Hmm? Maybe you’re the one getting the wrong idea of my idea.” She said with a smug grin on her face. She probably was too much of an airhead to know what Malth meant.

“Enough chitter chatter. In short, we’re all worried about you, Kihet. You ought to open up if you have any problems. Got it?”

“You’re the boss, Eli.”

“It’s Elius!” He roared. “I thought I told you stop calling me that!”

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

There was a sound. Where noises are made, there’s always someone or something causing it.

The most accustomed to unpaved road in their group was Kihet. Forced to live out of the village, his daily routine of hunting and foraging helped improved his familiarity with the land. He learned of various edible plants and habitats of many monsters living in the forest.

“That berry’s not edible. You’ll get a terrible stomachache.” Kihet slapped Megith’s hand before she plopped one in her mouth.

He sighed and watched the playful twins like a guardian keeping a pair of trouble making toddlers in line. Megith playfully twirled her spear and poked at random objects while Malth held his battleaxes close to avoid damaging his surroundings, clumsily bumping into things.

The only competent person Kihet trusted to stay in character was Elius. He took the task of navigating the team towards possibly sightings of Oriks while having Kihet narrow the location of their den. However, Kihet’s impression of him changed when he spotted Elius had the map flipped upside down.

“Elius… don’t tell me you don’t know how to read maps?”

“How long have you known me? You should know I could read maps better than you do. It was orientated wrong when I opened it. Now go west.”

After traversing through the forest and climbing over some hills, they came across several gashes on trees which marked the Oriks’ territory. The further they travelled, more gashes were spotted on trees. Eventually, the trail led them to a few dozens Oriks inhabiting the rocky cliffs a little beyond the tower.

“We won’t be able to take them all in a direct confrontation.” Elius said. “There’s a group that’s separated on the left. We could take them out, but if they call the others, we’ll need to withdraw immediately. Kihet, you’re up.”

“Why are you volunteering me to go scout?”

“You think any of us could do better?”

Kihet really didn’t want to go alone, but could others do as well as he could? “Watch my stuff.”

Oriks possessed a sensitive sense of smell as well as keen hearing thanks to their large bat like ears. To counter their heightened senses of detection, Kihet masked his scent by rubbing soil over his body, face included. As for their hearing, his leather attire won’t make as much noise as the others wearing armor.

After he climbed the cliff, he crawled over to the edge and looked down.

There were a few anomalies among a few individuals. They moved about, not minding the black patch of seaweed wriggling on their fur. Was it a parasite or a spreading disease? Kihet thought he should let a healer of the village know.

For now, a job’s a job. He’ll bottle up a sample after completing the task.

He pulled a flask out of his ragged satchel.

“Here goes.”

Tilting it at the edge of the cliff, a revolting red liquid smelling like iron and mold poured downstream. It immediately caught the creature’s attention as the pack leader brushed aside some chewed bones and grunted to its nearby kin.

Kihet braced himself, wiping sweat off his palm then drew his sword. When he heard the cliffs were being scaled, he gritted his teeth, rolled on his belly then flipped himself off the ledge.

There were two Oriks obstructing his descent. Before they noticed him, Kihet kicked both down, using them to cushion his landing. He could feel something snap underneath his foot and shuddered at the feeling of stepping over broken ribs.

Black seaweed wriggling from their bodies disappeared. They turned ethereal, slowly increasing in transparency until they vanished.

-Am I hallucinating? For a second, they looked like the [Ribbons] we use.

“Buhigiiiiiii!”

An Orik leapt off the cliff and dove down at him with its forearms spread out. Kihet didn’t have time to think.

He stepped in and bashed his shield into the flying Orik’s chest. The impact made resounding smack as the creature’s eye rolled back and collapsed on its back. Before Kihet could kill it, two more rushed him from behind.

It was then an axe cleaved down, cleanly splitting the creatures in half.

“Thanks, Malth.”

“T-there’s more!”

Malth performed a wide sweep, decapitating nine of the Oriks. He released the current axe he held, trading it for another floating behind him. Their entrails slathered across the field. The remaining Oriks squealed in a bloodied pig tone and chased after him in an unfit rage.

“You guys gone and alerted the whole pack!” Elius shouted. “Kihet, I thought you were scouting!”

“Sorry, Elius, but I agree with them!” Megith pole jumped into the air and impaled an Orik’s skull. “Being sneaky sneaky isn’t my forte!”

“I guess I have no choice. Hold them off for a second.” Elius sighed. “Sep, Ulos, Dupil, Holk, Dejent, Bast, Jeltz!”

Elius held up five talismans he crafted as catalyst to draw power for his spell. As he recited the words of Alchemia, the words of magic, it began to take shape.

Dozens of water droplets in the air merged to form [Aquatic Lances]. His spell glimmered like polished blades as they calibrate their sharp ends towards the Oriks. There was a hint of twitching before the aquatic spears rained down on his targets. The sound of flesh being penetrated was crystal clear behind the monsters’ squeal.

“Chain magic! Doram, Pik, Brac, Holk, Jeltz!”

Elius added a small electric shock at the end of his first spell. Lightning trailed from his finger to the closest drenched Orik, jumping to the next and immobilize his foes by using the leftover magic left by his water spell.

“I immobilized them. Finish them!”

On Elius’ signal, Malth, Megith and Kihet put their weapons to work, fulfilling the quota for the day.

“We’re done!”

Kihet fell backwards and stared into the sky while soaked in bloodstains. His breathing went ragged. His nose was somewhat clogged with mucus, not enough to be dribbling.

“Are you alright?” Malth asked.

“I haven’t moved this much in a while. I’m going to need to lie down and catch my breath.”

Just when they could relax, the ground trembled. Pebbles quivered as the sound of tremors rose behind the cliff.

Oriks poured in, about another pack of twenty or fifty.

“There’s no way for us to take them all on… is there?” Megith asked with a dry voice.

“Kihet, get up! We’re running!” Malth shrieked.

“Run, and this is because it’s all your fault, Kihet!” Elius shouted. “You should really think of the consequences sometimes!”

“Less blaming, more running for our lives!” Kihet yelled back.

They decided to retreat into the forest without a second thought. The Oriks quickly caught up, but Malth chopped down a few trees, slowing the creatures’ pursuit. Some logs managed to topple over some Oriks.

Kihet looked around and analysed their location. Through the curtains of leaves and vines, he discovered a large herd grazing in an opened field.

He stole a glance back to judge the distance of the Oriks. Kihet dug a slingshot out of his bag and began slinging berries to the back while running.

“What the heck are you doing!?” Elius yelled. “That’s only going to make them angrier!”

“Says you! Help me shoot these at them! We’ll be fine once we hit the grasslands!”

Kihet knew Fugel berries, the berries he had on hand, were bait for a creature to rescue them.

Once they exited the forest, some local wildlife looked an interest towards them, but the Oriks pursuing Kihet and his friends shooed them away.

The tempting fragrance of the berries lured a stampede of deer like creatures into the pack of Oriks. Normally herbivores like the Felks would’ve fled from predators and scavangers like the Oriks, but the overwhelming scent of berries they normally could never eat sent them in a feeding frenzy, licking and biting the Oriks.

It was like watching a wing of cavalrymen dismantling a group of infantry.

“Hey… Kihet?” Megith asked.

“What… is it?”

“Why is there a herd running toward us?”

-Oh no…

A small group chasing Oriks broke apart from the main herd and rushed towards them with no intention of stopping. The Fugel berry stains on Elius and Kihet’s hands attracted them.

“This way! Start running!” Kihet shouted.

“Again!?” Megith whined.

“Hey… Sis? I think the Felks are only chasing Kihet and Elius.” Malth pointed out.

“That’s true. Well then, good luck you two!”

“H-hey!” Elius and Kihet shouted. “Damn it you two, I thought we were friends!”

“We are, but we don’t want to run forever… see ya!”

Malth and Megith climbed on top of the branches, watching Elius and Kihet being chased by a small herd of hungry Felks.

There was a cliff ahead that only led them to the lake.

“Guess we don’t have much of a choice.” Kihet muttered, hurling his bag somewhere off the Felk’s path. “We gotta jump!”

“Jump?!” Elius grew pale. “My coat’s going to take a long time to dry!”

“I know you can’t swim! Do you want to get trampled instead? If we don’t wash off these stains, they’ll chase us to the ends of the world!”

“Tch. Fine! You better not let me drown!”

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

“That’s why you’re soaked.” Sorah asked as her hands free, [Ribbons] from her back, hanged their clothes near a flame. “You had me worried. I ran here as soon as I heard from Megith.”

It was afternoon by the time they returned from their quest. Kihet and Elius sat around a separate bonfire, drying themselves while a rowdy group occupied another.

The others, Vol, Driagh, and Lemi showed up at Kihet’s place with food in their hands and basically took over the area when the hunting party returned.

-Why were they busy to begin with that was important enough to start cooking at someone’s home? Hey, food is food. They brought good stuff, so I’ll forgive them.

“What’s the occasion?” Kihet asked. “There’s so much food.”

“You don’t know? The Spirits Festival’s coming up.” Sorah answered. “And… he’s not listening.”

Sorah’s voice faded out from his head as Kihet drooled over the searing meat and sizzling fat slathered with the honey produced from his apiary.

“Hey, Megith! That was mine!” Vol protested. “Malth, control your sister!”

“Don’t be greedy. You can just cook another one.”

“S-sis…”

“Now now, no need to fight.” Draigh slapped four large steaks on the heated slate. “There’s more to come!”

“Anyone thirsty? I brought some refreshments.” Lemi brought out a bottle of chilled juice.

As soon as a plate reached Kihet, he devoured it like his life depended on it. He quickly pushed his plate for seconds.

While everyone was eating, the village’s elder, Elius’ grandfather made a sudden appearance.

His grayish hair was braided down to his waist and his beard’s length was down to his chest. The old man wore a thick robe draped over his short stature. The wooden cane accompanied him for centuries creaked each time the tip dug into the ground. Eight magic staves followed him, each towed in the air by his [Ribbons].

“G-gramps! Why are you here?” Elius asked.

“Hmm? Are you saying you’re not welcome to see me here? Do you hate seeing your grandpa that much?”

“I’m just surprise to see you here.”

“Wassup Elder! Are you here to join us?” Vol waved.

“W-we got lots of meat!” Malth spoke with a mouthful of food. “I-it’s good!”

“I wish that’s the case. However, a quest has been passed onto your party.” I knew it was trouble when the Elder stopped smiling. “There are creatures wandering the forest and I, the village chief, am passing on an emergency quest to you hunters to find and exterminate urgently. I would’ve contacted Irvan’s group to join, but they’ve already embarked on another quest.”

The mood of the crowd turned sour as soon as Irvan’s name was mentioned.

“Well good. I rather not see him.” Megith pouted.

“After all the things he accused of Kihet, it would be best if the two never met.” Draigh agreed.

“Now children, I am aware of bad blood between young Kihet and Irvan. I cannot lift young Kihet’s ban from the village so easily. However, these monsters may be stronger than we expect, so I will have to call reliable reinforcements as a precaution. The other party that rivals yours is without a doubt, only young Irvan’s.”

“We understand Elder.” Kihet nodded. “Can’t be helped right? I’ll try to not cause trouble when I see him.”

“Kihet, are you sure?” Sorah looked at him concernedly.

“Getting rid of that monster is top priority. If it threatens the village, we might need his help.” Kihet said, thinking it might have something to do with the patches of seaweed growing on Oriks.

“If Kihet says so.” Elius sighed. “Guess this barbecue’s going to have to continue later. Geez, it’s hard to get everyone together these days, you know?”

“Wait, you planned this?!”