“He introduced me to his friends that very next morning, I’ll never forget it. Tommy was so mad that I slept in his hammock, he took it out on me when they taught me how to play cricket. I spent the rest of that summer playing games and learning the violin. For the first time in my life, I truly felt alive.”

“And then?” Victus asked.

“..And then Travis got sick. We didn’t know what it was, the doctors couldn’t figure it out and we couldn’t afford any proper medicine or meals,” Clyme inhaled sharply. “I stayed with him in the infirmary until..Until he..”

Clyme took out his violin, “He gave me this..Said it was magical, but not on its own..Said there was no way that it could break, because he was a clumsy kid.” He let out a laugh, though it was brittle. “Not a day goes by where I don’t miss him..The others, they got older and left the city. Some of them even joined the military, believe it or not. Who knows if they’re alive anymore..?”

“Jearicko..”

“I must apologize. To be honest, after watching you fight, I wanted only to use you. I wanted to get revenge on those Masks, and you three seemed capable enough.”

Victus was taken aback for a moment, but after mulling it over, he sighed, “I don’t blame you..But if I haven’t been clear, I’ve a rule against killing.”

“I know. And the Manglyeong have only grown stronger. An attack on them would endanger the party, but..I suppose I wouldn’t mind losing my life at this point in time.”

“..You shouldn’t say that.”

Clyme looked up at Victus, his vision hazy from all the tears he hasn’t shed. The half-elf stormed over to him and grabbed him by his jabot, glaring into his golden yellow eyes, “You really think Travis would want to hear that? To hear his best friend say that he wants to kill himself?!”

“Victus!” Alyza felt that he was being insensitive.

The Nekomata stared back into his fiery red eyes, feeling the passion within him begin to spark once more. He was inspired by such harsh words, pushed forwards by the young man’s heroics whenever they were on display. Victus let him go, turning away, “Tch..”

“You’re absolutely correct,” Clyme added. “I won’t allow myself to die. I’ll just have to take the Manglyeong down without doing so!” He gripped his violin tightly.

Victus stood in silence for a moment, then turned back around. He smirked, Wolfe and Alyza standing behind him, “You mean we will take them down without doing so.”

Clyme smiled, then laughed heartily, “That’s why you’re the leader, leader!”

“Hey!” Alyza shouted in disagreement.

The half-elf laughed, then lifted his hand up, and Clyme high-fived him. “Let’s get this plan in motion! First, we’ll need a base of operations! Preferably one that won’t kick us out after a couple of hours.” His suggestion was met with silence, and they all shrugged. Victus sighed, “Not all at once, guys.” He thought to himself for a moment, before snapping his fingers, “Okay, I’ve got an idea. Anyone know where Twilholm Pond is?”

“I believe it’s just outside the city. Why?”

“That’s perfect!”

By the time they arrived at Twilholm, the sun was already beginning to set. A modest house sat upon a hill near the grassy pond, exhaling smoke from its chimney. Victus knocked on the door, and a familiar little blonde girl opened it.

“Hey Auburn, remember me?” He asked.

She stared at him and the rest of the party, too shy to speak. Alyza turned to Victus, “I don’t think she does. Either that, or you’ve traumatized her in some way.”

“I did not!”

“Honey, who is it?” The girl’s mother opened the door wider, seeing them, “My, you’ve attracted quite the crowd..”

“Tell me about it..”

“Come on in, make yourselves at home,” she smiled politely.

Victus placed a map of Kamren onto the dining room table, spreading it out, “Alright, I’ve never taken down a gang before, but we need to come up with a plan. Any ideas?”

“Perhaps we could infiltrate the Manglyeong. Tear them apart from the inside,” Clyme suggested. “We must sabotage their sources of power: weapons and substances.”

“Substances?”

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“The Masks are known for harassing citizens into buying their pharmaceuticals. A silver powder known as Eun. The substance comes from a flower originally native to my home country, with medicinal properties that induce feelings of relaxation. We brought it over here as a gift, but..”

“It can cause memory loss over time,” Alyza chimed in.

Clyme became downcast for a moment.

“The kingdom banned the use of Dentarus Setaceum many years ago for that reason alone,” she continued. “The plant is easy to maintain, however, and needs little sunlight to grow. If these people are selling it on the streets of Kamren, the community can be irreparably damaged.”

“All the more reason for us to do something about it,” Victus turned back to Clyme, “You said weapons too?”

“Correct. Masks always carry around good equipment, whether that be armor, swords, or crossbows. There’s even rumors that they may be supplied by a rat within the kingdom’s military.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me if they were..”

Auburn tugged on his coat, and he turned down to her. She held up a small tray of four cups, each filled with freshly brewed tea. It smelled delicious, “Oh, are these for us?” He smiled, taking a cup and patting her head. “Thank you,” the rest of them took their cups and thanked her, and she smiled, running back to the kitchen.

The group discussed some more plans, then turned in for the night. They all decided to rest in the living room, near the warm fireplace. Each of them sat on the floor, except for Alyza, who took the fur covered bench that acted as a couch. Clyme stared at the fire, entranced by its beauty and warmth, yet pained by how it reminded him of the horrors of his past. He rubbed his hands together, then blew into them, holding them out towards the fireplace. Victus scooted next to him, lifting his hands as well. He nudged him.

“Hey, about earlier..Sorry for getting so upset..”

“Do not apologize. I needed to hear those words, no matter how deeply they cut into me. You are a kind friend for telling me what I needed to hear, and not what I simply desired you to say.”

“When you put it like that, it almost sounds like I know what I’m doing. Just so you know, I’m still new to all this. Never had that many friends. Any parties I joined, I was quickly kicked out after a quest or two. Don’t know why, guess I’m just annoying or something..Volatile, I suppose..”

“I admire that about you. You’re not worried about what others think of you, and in the face of danger, you’ve yet to back down if it means saving someone.”

“Haha, I’ve just read too many stories about heroes. You’re the admirable one. I hope that one day I could be nearly as talented or artistic as you. You’ve been through a lot, and I’m sure it’s taken an incredible amount of strength to keep going,” Victus patted his back, comforting him.

Clyme finally looked away from the fire, downward. Tears started to stream down his face, onto the cold wooden floor. Years of pain he locked away, pouring out of him like a waterfall, and he held his hands close to his chest, weeping.

“I miss him..I miss him so much..”

“I know..”

Victus kept patting his back, choked up. After all, he missed someone dear to him too. Perhaps they all did. Wolfe walked up behind them, and sat down with a major thump. He wrapped his large, welcoming arms around the two of them, and held them tightly, shedding only a single tear.

“Agh, your armor stinks, man!” Victus looked up at him. Clyme began to chuckle, then laugh heartily. Wolfe started laughing too, and so did Victus.

They all eventually fell asleep on the cold floor, while the fireplace crackled. Alyza, who appeared to be asleep, slowly sat up once the rest of them were out. She’d overheard everything, and a part of her felt guilty. She couldn’t exactly explain or understand why, but she knew what she had to do.

She got up, took out her herbal, and went into the kitchen. The next morning, Victus found her asleep at the kitchen counter. An herbalist kit and a rack of colorful vials were set out in front of her, all but one of them empty. He tapped her shoulder.

“Salicara holoschoenius!” She jerked awake.

“Huh? Is that a plant..?”

“Oh, apologies, you startled me,” she fixed her reading glasses, then quickly took them off. “Yes, it’s a plant that is likely native to this area. Would you..like to help me find it?”

They walked along the pond, that chilly autumn morning. The nature around them was still luscious and alive, too stubborn to change with the season just yet. Victus desired to be kind to her, but found it difficult, worried that he might come off as strange. It was much easier to flirt than it was to have a proper conversation, he thought. She felt the same, and this led both of them to be awkwardly silent around one another, “So..”

“So..How are you?” He asked.

“I’m fine,” she humored him, though it was more out of necessity than pity. “A little sluggish, I suppose, but I assume that’s going to become more commonplace now that I’m an adventurer.”

“Yep, better get used to it,” Victus yawned.

“What about you?” She knelt down, gathering the plant she needed. A frog hopped onto her hand, and she smiled, petting it.

“I’m good. Not often you get to sleep a whole night under a roof in this life,” he rubbed his eyes. She gently put the frog down and stood up, turning around.

“The way you talk about it, one would assume you’ve always been penniless, without a home,” she told him.

“Well, I used to have a home. Haven’t been there in years, though..Guess if I ever wanted, I could always go back. To me, though, that would mean I’ve given up..”

“Given up? On what?”

“On being a hero.”

“A hero? That’s your long term goal in life?”

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “Can’t stop until I’ve saved the world.”

She began to giggle, then laughed out loud. Victus crossed his arms, glaring at her. She tried to stop, “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to, it’s just that..You’re crazy, you know that? I know they say to dream big, but..”

“What? You don’t believe in me?” He asked, in all seriousness. Alyza looked at him, not wanting to lie. As mentioned before, she desired to speak to him with kindness too, yet her pride kept her from doing so. From the bottom of her heart, she told him how she really felt:

“I do.”