“Alright, well that’s all of us,” Victus handed each of his party members their registration cards. They examined them, unaware of how much information was present on these things. He now knew all of their exact heights, weights, and ages.

“Geez, some privacy would be nice,” Alyza quickly put her card away, making sure the others didn’t see it.

“Mythic Mastria? Is that the name of our party?” Clyme asked, looking at his card.

“Yup!” Victus replied, giving a thumbs up. “You’re a Mastria now! All three of you!” Alyza whacked him on the head, crossing her arms. She didn’t seem pleased.

“You couldn’t have chosen a more humiliating name!”

“S-Sorry,” he rubbed the back of his head.

“I like it!” Wolfe pat Clyme’s back and chuckled.

“As do I,” Clyme smiled, putting away his card.

They went over to the quest board, which was almost blank in Kamren’s Guild Hall. There were few quests to be taken, most of them dangerous kill quests. Victus sighed, “Even if there were any for us to take, I don’t feel like we should leave Kamren so soon."

“Vick, the people here will be fine. There’s a lot less masks on the streets now, thanks to us, and the royal guard will handle any Raiders that show up,” Alyza told him.

“Yeah, but..” He thought back to what Hae said about Fang being their leader, not wanting to believe it. However, that would explain why she had a group of brutes with her last time. If it was true, he felt it his responsibility to solve the matter.

“I will stay,” Wolfe butted in. “Should any Raiders or Masks show up, I will keep the people safe.”

“Wait, but-”

“I’ve seen much of this land already, boy, I know who I am. You must discover who you are, and bring your light to those who may need it, from the shadows. You are destined for greatness, son. That much has already been proven.”

“..Wow, thanks, but I’m more concerned about our manpower if you leave the group,” he looked back at Clyme and Alyza. She glared, putting her hands on her hips.

“Hey, I told you to get me a bow and a rapier, and I’ll be as deadly as you need me to be.”

“I’d prefer you weren’t deadly at all, but either way, we can only afford one of those right now.”

“I can help with manpower!” A familiar voice called out.

The three of them, plus a new party member, finally set out on a kill quest. The target: a Black Ooze. Normally, a weak gelatinous monster isn’t a problem, yet previous adventurers have abandoned the quest, increasing its reward. Alyza stretched, her new wooden bow fastened on her back, accompanied by a leather quiver full of iron-tipped arrows.

“I knew you guys were the ones responsible for getting rid of those pesky Masks!” Vackerie, the cephalonoid necromancer they previously met and saved, announced admirably.

“Yeah, just don’t tell anyone back in Kamren, okay? We’re trying to keep this whole thing a secret,” Victus told her. They were already in the forests of Virunia, walking the trail.

“Why?”

“It’s safer that way.”

“Oh, okay,” she smiled. “So if anyone finds out, I kill them?”

“Yeah, wait, no- What? Uh, Mastrias don’t kill.”

“Really? But I’m a necromancer, death is kinda..my thing.”

“Manipulating death is fine, killing people isn’t.”

“..I think I understand.”

“Good,” Victus continued on the trail. It had been relatively quiet traveling for the past few hours, until Clyme’s ear twitched. He stopped, looking around, when suddenly a giant toad burst out from the woods, knocking down the surrounding trees.

“On our right!” Clyme shouted, taking out his violin. Alyza equipped her bow, and Vackerie spun her staff into battle position. Victus, the only one without a weapon, bent his knees and raised his fists, his ring already starting to glow.

“Should we run?!” Alyza asked, knocking an arrow.

“No! If we get proof we defeated it, our reward gets a boost!”

Victus rushed at the beast, punching it. His fist felt as if it were punching a big slimy cushion, and he reeled back, waving his hand in disgust, “Agh, yuck!”

“Watch out!” Clyme shouted as Victus looked up, the toad picking him up with his mouth.

“Victus!” Alyza fired arrows at the toad, each one plunging into its body to no avail. She focused, pulling her bowstring back, aiming. Her next arrow flew straight and true into the toad’s eye, causing it to cry out in pain and release the half-elf. He fell onto the ground, covered in slime.

Clyme played a tune on his violin, and a swirl of cyan energy surrounded Victus, lifting him to his feet. Vackerie held her staff up, shouting, “Un Feugira!” A fireball quickly formed before her, and she swung at it with her staff, hitting it into the toad. A small blast was created on impact, knocking the beast back.

The toad, wounded, turned around. “You’re not gettin’ away!” Victus shouted. He jumped onto the toad’s back, slipping off once it leapt high into the air. With loud thuds, the toad hopped away into the forest. Alyza hurried over to Victus, making sure that he was okay.

“In what world does punching a giant frog work, you dolt?!” She immediately scolded him, only unable to hit him because he was covered in slime. He sat up, smacking his slimy arms onto the ground, causing Alyza to flinch back.

“That big ugly thing is probably the reason this quest keeps getting abandoned.”

“Yeah, and now you stink,” she covered her nose. Distantly, Clyme heard a buzzing sound quickly approaching.

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“Over there!” He pointed at a swarm of giant wasps flying towards them. Alyza helped Victus up to his feet, and the four of them made a run for it.

“Let’s try to lose them through the bushes!” They ran through the thick foliage, pushing branches and leaves aside until they fell out of the other side. With a large splash, they all fell into a pond, the wasps flying past them. Victus popped his head out of the clear water, followed by Alyza, and then Clyme.

“I hate water,” Jearicko shook his head, trying to dry his ears. Victus looked around, noticing that Vackerie hadn’t swam back up yet. He then felt something grab his leg, pulling him down. Alyza looked at Clyme, then held her breath and swam down, tearing her off of him with his help.

“What do you mean you can’t swim?!” Victus sat at the edge of the pond, shocked and soaked. Vackerie looked apologetic.

“I-I’m sorry,” she covered her mouth with her hand, then knelt over the water, expelling ink into the pond.

“Victus, did you make her throw up?!” Alyza was quick to scold him again.

“I-I didn’t mean to!”

“It’s okay, it just happens when I’m nervous,” Vackerie added, wiping her mouth. The sun was already starting to set, so they set up a campfire nearby, drying themselves in its warmth. Victus held out a stick over the fire, a fish skewered onto it.

“Man, I hate the taste of fish,” he sat in reluctance, resting his head on his hand. Wolfe’s words came to mind as he stared into the fire, both uplifted and confused. How could he find out who he is? He knew he was heroic, he knew that he could save people, and he knew not to listen to Lolth should she ever speak to him. What else was there to know?

“Vick, you’re burning it,” Alyza pushed his fish away with her stick, and he quickly pulled it back, frowning at its blackened skin. She sighed, “Building castles in the air again, dear?”

“The opposite, more like it,” he poked the fish, peeling a piece of it off and sniffing it. His face scrunched up, and he handed it to Vackerie, who had already eaten several fish they’d caught. Clyme slowly reached for one of her skewers, and she smacked his hand, hissing at him. He hissed back.

Alyza stood up, gesturing for Victus to follow. She led him to a small cliff that perched over the water, sitting at the edge. Turning her head to look at him, she patted the space next to her, “Sit.”

He obliged, sitting beside her. The moon was only half full tonight, but the stars looked as bright as ever, and the water only reflected their beauty. She leaned onto his shoulder, “The sky is pretty tonight, isn’t it?”

“It’s always pretty. You’d think after so many years of seeing the moon and stars, I’d grow tired of it. I never do, though.”

“Me neither..What’s wrong, Victus?”

“Nothing. I’m just confused. After this, what am I supposed to do? Keep going on more kill quests, risking my life at every turn just for a quick buck? I used to know what I wanted so easily, but now I want more. I want to save everyone, but I can’t do it on my own. I want to inspire hope, but I want to inflict fear. I want to be with you, and I want to meet your family, but I’m afraid that if I leave, I’ll lose sight of who I am.”

“Victus, the world doesn’t rest on your shoulders. If you leave Virunia, the people will still be there when you return.”

“Will they? I’ve seen it, Alyza, I’ve seen what the kingdom is capable of. Their weapons are only becoming more complex, their soldiers will only become stronger. Anyone who’s capable, like us, they send out on quests like this. They relocate us, turn us against each other, have us form gangs and parties. All so we can die, that way no one will be there to stop them.”

“Stop them from what, Victus? You need to get a grip. If King Genos marched down the road right now, what would you do? You wouldn’t kill him, you wouldn’t kill any of his soldiers! But they would kill you, without any hesitation. Forget what that old loon told you, this is not your fight.”

“Still! I have to try! I can’t just stand on the sidelines, hoping that everything will work out!”

“Well, I am not about to stand aside and let you die a martyr for your beliefs!” She held his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her, “Your death would only make matters worse! Yes, problems in the world exist, and ignoring them would be irresponsible, but you don’t need to put all of this on your shoulders.”

“Still..”

“Your purpose is still yours to decide. You’ve already helped so many people, why not let them help you, for once?”

“..You’re right,” he stood up. “We need more people. We need more heroes, like you and me and the others. We’ll scour the land, searching for them, recruiting them to our cause.”

“That’s not really what I meant..”

“And when the time comes, we’ll keep the people safe. We’ll spread truth, and wisdom, and we’ll become a bright beacon of hope for all that would do good, and a symbol of fear in the hearts of evildoers. This whole time I thought I was meant to save the world, but now I know my purpose.”

“Your purpose?”

“I’m to sow the seeds of a greater future. A legacy of peace, community, and prosperity.”

“Have you gone mad?”

“The Mythic Mastria shall be known across the world.”

“Yep, you’ve officially lost it.”

“And when my purpose is fulfilled, we’ll get married.”

“Huh?!” Alyza got up, as he got down on one knee.

“This’ll be a placeholder for now. I’d rather get you one made of gold, and I still need to find some diamond ore..” Victus took off his emerald ring, holding it out to her. Alyza became so flustered she nearly fell, blushing all the way to her ears.

“Y-You’re really serious about all this..”

“Alyza Nox Sylvain, will you marry me?””

“You read my membership card, didn’t you..?”

She hesitated. Not because she wanted to tell him no, but because she was so madly in love with him that she knew it would kill her if she ever lost him. Still, as he mentioned before, she had to try, despite all opposition, despite all fear.

“Will you?”

“..Yes..A million times, yes..”

Victus put the ring on her finger as he stood up, staggering back when she suddenly hugged him as tightly as she could. Alyza felt afraid that this was really all some wonderful dream she would soon wake up from, and that she’d be at home, in a large mansion devoid of all life and color.

When she opened her eyes, she was relieved to see that the green gemstone was still sparkling magnificently in the moonlight. Her eyes became watery as he gently began to pull away, quickly grabbing his arm, “Please..Just a little longer..Just hold me a while longer, Victus..”

“Sure,” he nodded, putting his arms back around her. A small gust of wind flew around them, carrying the bright Autumn leaves. He chuckled, “As long as you don’t blow me away, heh.”

“You mean I haven’t already?” She smirked at him, and the two shared a laugh. “Using this magic doesn’t seem particularly difficult,” Alyza finally pulled away.

“It isn’t. What’s difficult about wind magic is controlling it. If you’re not careful, you can end up using all your mana at once,” he held her hand. “Everyone’s a little different, though.”

The next day, Alyza waved her hand, shouting, “Ven!”

A small vortex of wind flew outward at the Black Ooze, tearing it apart into small bits of dark purple gunk. Vackerie held her staff up, flames burning the leftover pieces so that they couldn’t reform. Buzzing could be heard in the distance.

“Here they come!” Clyme shouted. “As we predicted, the scent attracted those wasps.”

“Well that’s just perfect!” Victus glared at the incoming pests. Their stingers appeared sharp, covered in a liquid that could easily paralyze someone. He was unarmed now, “Would you be able to calm them with a song?”

Jearicko whipped out his violin, confidently strumming it with his bow, “Would I?” He began to play a somber tune. A streak of yellow energy targeted the group of wasps, swirling around them into a golden mist. They hovered in place. “The spell won’t hold for long. Let us take our leave-”

The giant toad landed in front of them with a major rumble, creating cracks that traveled along the ground. It swallowed the pacified wasps in one large bite, growling when it saw the rest of the party, an arrow still plunged in one of its eyes.

“Everyone, stay focused!” Victus shouted, glaring at the giant toad, “This fight’s not over yet!”