Andy faintly remembered being carried out of the arena, completely dazed, by the medics. He remembered being hoisted onto a stretcher, but not much else.

As he slowly came to, still foggy, Andy found himself in a beautifully furnished room with a large window overlooking the streets of Cresthaven. Mount Aurora and its forests loomed in the background.

He was on a sofa facing the window. It looked like Kermit was speaking in the back of the room to Brea, who was holding a few pouches. He kept asking about the giant boar, PL, whom the group had encountered in the arena.

Brea seemed quite confused, but followed along as best she could with a polite smile.

As Andy sat up, a message flashed across his vision:

Level 1 Achieved!

Oh yeah, that's right… we won.

Andy felt a twitch of giddiness at reaching another level. He began to consider how he would invest it… a class? Maybe fighter or monk? Or maybe it would be better spent on a skill like combat that would give him more general improvement. The range of options seemed overwhelming.

"Hi there" came Brea's voice as she approached the couch. "How are you feeling?"

"A bit groggy, but good otherwise."

Brea smiled. "I'm glad our medics took care of you. You were out for about an hour… but now you're here, with one of the nicest views in Cresthaven." She gestured toward the view that overlooked a central street that culminated in a courtyard right below them. "Welcome to the city's sky lounge. You're invited to stay here tonight while you rest and recover."

"Oh, we're not going back to Tobo's?"

"You're level one now," said Brea. "He'd have to charge you his usual fees for food and lodging."

"Ah, I see," Andy said, nodding. He stared out the window, where a crowd seemed to be gathering out on the streets. "Where's Arlene?" he asked, noticing her absence.

"She has gone to her room, she seemed quite tired. I can inform her that you're awake if you'd like."

"No, that's ok," Andy said. "No need to disturb her if she's sleeping. Do we have anything pressing?"

"Nothing official, but I would advise some rest and recovery before council tomorrow."

"The council?"

"Yes, tomorrow you will appear before the Noble Court and the Council of Guildmasters to inform them of your employment decisions."

"Oh, that's right, they're offering us jobs?"

"Yes, at least the ones that have use for the talents you displayed in the Arena. You should receive offer letters today. Based on the buzz I'm hearing, you should have quite a few."

Andy stood up and stretched out his legs. He was in his simple tunic, his sword was sheathed and leaning against the corner.

"Should I go ahead and invest my level... or?"

"Most new arrivals wait until they've made concrete plans with a guild," Brea said. "That way you can choose the best investment."

"That makes sense," Andy said. He was eager to invest his level and receive concrete benefits, but he knew that he would be better off if he waited until he knew their next steps. There were a variety of different missions he might be asked to run, and depending on his choice, different feats could be more or less valuable.

"And one more thing, Andy," Brea said. She held out a pouch. "You've also been granted a stipend, in case you'd like to visit a restaurant or do some shopping this evening. In any case, the Noble Court would like you to consider it a tip for putting on such a grand performance."

Andy took the pouch, heavy with gold coins. "Ah, well… thanks," he said, though he didn't love the idea that the danger of the arena was a form of entertainment to the Noble Court, even if it also served as a mode of evaluation. Based on the Noble Court's shady reputation, though, it wasn't surprising.

Kermit approached the window. "A parade!" he said.

"Yes, they are holding a parade in just a few minutes," Brea said. "You have a perfect view of it here, but if you wish, you can join the crowd on the road to get a closer look."

"Can we go down and see it, please?" Kermit asked. He turned around wide-eyed, grinning, and raising his eyebrows in anticipation.

"Um," Andy started. "Oh, who am I kidding, I can't say no to you, bud. Yeah, sure."

"Yes!" Kermit said as he bounced up and down a few times.

Andy didn't feel one-hundred percent, but a short walk wouldn't hurt him. He headed to the corner to grab his sword.

"Planning on slaying the marching band?" Brea asked.

"Oh," Andy said, hesitating. "Oh, no that's not what I–"

"We'll keep it safe for you, don't worry. Wouldn't want to put any citizens on edge."

***

Andy and Kermit made their way downstairs to the front doors. As the attendants let them out, the dark oak wood gave way to a magnificent blue sky over the pristine stone of the noble courtyard, the savory smell of the food being served from vendors’ carts wafting through the air and the sounds of celebratory cavorting along the streets.

The two made their way toward the bustling crowd ahead.

"I wish Millford were here," Kermit said, looking at the crowd. "He loved parades."

Damn, this kid is breaking my heart, Andy thought.

"We'll find him buddy," Andy said. "Real soon."

Event staff circulated around the crowd in bright purple cloaks. Several were using short poles to pick up trash.

"Please refrain from throwing trash on the ground," one staff member called. "Make use of the receptacles."

The crowd applauded politely as a group of younger nobles, probably some important family, steered their lavish float out onto the main drag, lining up for the start of the start of the parade.

The parade-goers erupted into raucous applause as a second float, this one more modest, constructed of bare wood and simple railing, pulled behind the first. Several apparent commoners stepped atop the float, carrying what looked like handmade folk instruments: fiddles, a guitar-like thing, an accordion, and an upright bass. They began to warm up.

"Play a tune!" called someone from the crowd.

One of the musicians strummed a few chords and smiled, tossing his pick toward the enthusiastic fan.

"When do you think we can look for him?" Kermit asked again. His eyes were still wide with enjoyment at the parade, but his mind was evidently still with his long-lost brother.

"I don't know, exactly," Andy said. "If it's true that this reality is infinite, then it will take a little research to find him. Maybe a lot of research. Maybe more research than we can do on our own."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Kermit's face fell.

"But hey, don't worry. We already have great connections. Several guilds want to work with us, and the duke wants to work with us. If we get on his good side, maybe he'll be able to help us find Millford. Think about it, he's a well-traveled merchant with diplomatic connections, he's got the power of the noble court…"

"You think he'll know?"

"If he doesn't know, he'll know who to ask. That's a big start."

A smile returned to Kermit's face.

"And do you think we can find PL again? I was asking Brea about it but she didn't know where he's at."

"We can definitely try," said Andy. "At least we know what city he's in."

"Good," Kermit said. "PL is my friend."

Andy and Kermit arrived at a relatively uncrowded spot, about twenty feet from the street. Andy didn't want to get closer, he didn't feel like dealing with a crowd.

"I can't see," Kermit said. "Can I jump on you?"

"Oh," Andy said. Well if he wasn't willing to go closer, then he'd have to compromise with a piggy back for the boy. "Yeah, sure," he said, crouching a bit.

"Yay!" said Kermit, jumping onto his shoulders.

Andy stood up.

"That's perfect!" said Kermit.

"Good show," came an unfamiliar voice from behind.

Andy turned around slowly, careful to keep balance for Kermit.

A common looking man with a stained tunic and intense stubble stood there. "I watched your challenges in there," he said. "You fight well."

"Thanks," said Andy. "I appreciate that."

"It's a shame those damned nobles can't accept a fair fight. Afraid of any competition rising up, I think."

"Yeah?" said Andy.

"Hey, can we turn around, I can't see," said Kermit.

The commoner stepped beside Andy as they shifted Kermit’s view back around to the street, to the child’s delight.

"Thank you!" said Kermit.

"And you, young boy," the stranger said. "You did very, very well. You act quickly in tough situations. That's an important skill."

He's ahead of me on that one, Andy thought.

"So anyways, you got to see a little bit of the tension between the fighting folk and the nobility," said the commoner. "The berserkers and the fighters… those guilds are unpredictable. They love and defend the people of Cresthaven, but they don't always see eye to eye with the nobility. Especially the duke."

"I can see that," Andy said. "They seem to value honor, and a fair fight."

"They do indeed," the commoner said. "And if it ever comes down to it, they will always side with the people against any oligarch."

Andy hesitated, not knowing whether to press further.

"Yeah, the common folk here, they like to raise a ruckus every once in a while, especially when they're good and pissed off. And I think the display of cowardice at the arena, that likely pissed a lot of them off. Don't be surprised if you see some… action around here at some point."

"Oh," Andy said. "Like… what kind of action?"

"Oh you know, demonstrations, riots, protests… maybe an overturned chariot or two. But you won't see a fighter or a barbarian take up arms against the commoners here. Their loyalty runs too deep. Some might say it runs deep to a fault."

Andy nodded, unsure of what else to say. He knew he preferred the fighters and he didn't like the nobility, but he wasn't sure how publicly he should advertise that, given the obvious socio-political tensions.

"Thanks for letting me know," Andy finally said.

The commoner stepped in front of Andy. "I'm going to go get a seat further down," he said. He extended his hand, which Andy met with a shake. "Name's Vern."

"Nice to meet you, Vern," said Andy.

Vern hadn't yet released the handshake. It was starting to get a bit awkward.

"One more thing. When it comes to who to trust around here, well, you just have to listen to your gut. You'll know," he said, finally releasing the handshake. "For now, though, enjoy the festivities. You earned it."

***

The parade began with an explosion of confetti. The noble children sat and waved politely on their lavish float, while the folk band on the float behind them began to play a celebratory tune. One of the noble children began to cry to another one, perhaps because the crowd wasn't paying any attention to them. They were too busy clapping along with the band.

The floats started down the street, gradually disappearing around a bend, new floats emerging from the backstreets to take their place at the start of the parade.

Several more floats passed: many were local businesses, passing out small treats to onlookers. Dreamcraft LLC sported a clockwork float with goblinoids–these ones were friendly–dancing around the perimeter. Ultimate Pete's Zah even made an appearance, with a dashing stud of a baker tossing pizza dough and firing it on their on-board oven. Even though the arrangement was wildly dangerous, the crowd seemed to love it. Several of Ultimate Pete's employees ran back and forth between the crowd and the float, passing out samples, some of which eventually reached Andy and Kermit.

"Zah ball?" an employee asked, running up to Andy.

"Oh, yeah, two please," he said, gesturing toward Kermit on his shoulders.

"Of course!" the employee said, reaching into his basket to produce two small paper cups, each with a small ball of golden-baked crust. "Have a wonderful day, and enjoy the parade!"

Andy and Kermit took their zah balls. Andy popped it into his mouth and began to chew.

It was divine. The fragrant, buttery garlic coating the outer crust, the gooey, cheesy center, the sweet, robust marinara sauce, the spicy pepperoni, the aromatic herbs. It was everything he could have asked for.

"These are amazing!" said Kermit.

"I agree," Andy said. "Let me take your trash."

Kermit passed down his empty sample cup, which Andy placed inside his own. He turned around to look for a trash can, but didn't see anything promising.

"Look!" Kermit said. "Animals!"

Andy turned around. Another float was surrounded with riders on horseback. The float itself contained a huge wooden cage, where several tigers sat nervously eyeing the crowd, clearly in distress.

"They don't look happy," Andy said. "That's too bad they treat them that way."

"Yeah," Kermit said, his voice falling as he realized the level of exploitation occurring.

Then Andy saw it: the next float that was pulling up to the starting line was another animal cage, this time with a giant boar, shaking and afraid.

It was PL. It had to be. And he looked broken.

Andy quickly took Kermit off his shoulders, he didn't want the kid to see this.

"Hey! I can't see!" he said. "I wanted to see what came next!"

Kermit jumped up and down to see over the crowd, then his face sank.

"That's PL! Hey! That's PL! Hey, PL! PL!" Kermit began screaming for the pig. "They've got him all sad! We gotta go help him!"

"Wait here," Andy said as he began to approach the crowd, seeing how close he could get to the float. He didn't know what he was going to do, exactly, but Kermit's love for the animal meant he had to do something.

Of course Kermit did not listen. He followed right behind Andy.

As he pushed his way through the crowd, Andy approached the float, but he was met with the butt of a spear.

"No further," said a mounted guard, steering his horse out to prevent Andy from crossing into the street.

Andy stepped back immediately. "Hey, uh, that pig is…"

The guard pulled away. He probably didn't even hear Andy's protests. PL's float was already headed down around the bend.

A purple-cloaked staff member stepped toward Andy. "You can't be in the street, sir. It's for your own safety." The staff member moved on as quickly as he had appeared.

"What do we do?" Kermit said, a hint of desperation in his voice.

The pig's float was long gone, and Andy wasn't sure what they intended to do with him. His captors had clearly not been treating him well. Hogs don't just sit and shiver like that. Not usually.

But breaking him out would be foolish. There were dozens of mounted guards around the boar's float. Andy couldn't imagine that there would be light security wherever they were taking him.

At the same time, Kermit's face was growing increasingly desperate. He was missing his brother, and now he was missing his new friend, even if it was a giant boar.

Andy stood for a moment, unsure of what to say. Vern had just told him to listen to his gut, but his mind was telling him that no good would come of an attempt at kidnapping a heavily guarded, giant boar.

"You really like that pig, huh?" Andy said.

"Yeah!"

"He's your friend?"

"Yeah! He's my friend!"

And what kind of example would I be if I showed Kermit that you can't count on your friends to help you when you're in trouble?

"Well… I'm listening to my gut," Andy said. "And despite my mind telling me that this is extremely foolish… my gut says… we gotta take care of our friends."

Kermit's jaw dropped. "So can we go help him?" Kermit asked expectantly.

"Yeah," said Andy. "Yeah let's go find PL and break him out of his cage."

"Yay!"