Arriving at a town on the outskirts of Celestia, K and Davis stared blankly at the building before them, their eyes filled with doubt. Behind them were their luggage.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Davis asked, his voice tinged with disbelief and his brows furrowed as he scratched his head.

In front of them stood a decrepit building that seemed on the verge of collapse. The paint had long since peeled away, revealing splintered wood and gaping holes in the walls. The air around it smelled of dampness and decay.

"Umm..." K too was unsure. He turned to the sign to double check and it said, "Welcome to the Mercenary Guild of Celestia." K murmured back to Davis, his eyes narrowing as he glanced at the sign, "Unfortunately, it seems we are."

Skye was sleeping peacefully on their luggage. "Well, don’t be discouraged by the building, my friend." K pointed at the old building. "Sure, it may look like a haunted house attraction, but maybe it’s different once we’re inside."

"For some reason, I highly doubt that," Davis mumbled under his breath.

As they spoke, the sound of the wooden floor creaked closer and closer until the door swung open and an old man came out to greet them. "Greetings, good sirs! Have you come to join the mercenary guild?" the old man asked.

K greeted the old man with a nod. "Yes, we are. Just one question... This place won't collapse on us, will it?"

The old man chuckled, his eyes crinkling with amusement. "Don’t worry, young friends. This old place may look a bit shabby, but she's much sturdier than she seems."

K and Davis thought to themselves while having uncomfortable smiles spread across their faces, "A bit?"

Seeing their hesitation, the old man welcomed them inside. "Don’t worry about a thing, young friends. For brave warriors such as yourselves, you’re not going to be scared away by an old building now, are you?"

"The old man has a point," K agreed turning to Davis with an encouraging smirk, while Davis remained uncertain. "I'm not so sure about it."

Sensing their doubt, the old man proudly boasted, "Young man, this building has been around for more than a hundred years, and nothing will bring it down. Don’t you worry about a thing?" He walked toward the door frame. "You see this? Despite looking weak, it can hold up." The old man tapped it three times, each tap stronger than the last.

On the last tap, everyone heard a loud cracking sound. As if the building had finally reached its limit, a massive crack appeared on the wall. Everyone turned to the source of the noise, their eyes following the crack as it spread further and further.

A rumbling noise came from above as if the building itself were speaking. This was followed by a loud shattering sound from inside—the chandelier had crashed onto the wooden floor below. The door broke off its hinges and fell inward.

K quickly grabbed the old man and pulled him away from the unstable building, bringing him closer to Davis and Skye. They heard another noise, slowly intensifying. The three looked up at the sign and watched with solemn expressions as it fell slowly to the ground, causing a loud thud that startled Skye awake.

The three stood quietly staring at the fallen sign. "So, a hundred years of history… Gone because of an old man tap"

The old man nervously laughed, turning back to the two the old man awkwardly questioned. "W-What do you think, young man?"

K turned to Davis with a smile. The two nodded, and Davis began gathering their belongings. Turning back, K calmly said, "We'll take a rain check!"

Davis had already started carrying their luggage.

Despite the old man's pleas for them to give it a shot, the two walked away. After putting some distance between themselves and the building, they heard a loud thud. Without looking back, Davis asked, "Was that...?"

K's smile remained unchanged as he replied simply, "Yep." With that, they continued walking, this time heading to their new destination: the adventurers' guild on the other side of town.

After a bit of walking the group had reached the busy part of town.

"Fresh fish, come and buy some freshly caught fish!" a merchant shouted, his hand waving at every passerby with a welcoming smile.

"Best silk in town! Silk, wool, and anything you need!" another merchant shouted even louder.

The road buzzed with life. Children darted through the crowded street, their laughter mingling with the shouts of merchants hawking their wares from colorful stalls. The air was filled with the scent of spices and fresh produce.

Children passed through the crowd, and everyone moved aside to let them through. As they happily chase each other, one of them trips on a rock and is about to hit the ground, but he is quickly caught before he hits the ground.

"Watch your step, little one," K said with a warm smile, gently setting the child back on his feet before stepping aside. Wearing a straw hat, K strolled through the bustling crowd with Skye close by his side.

"Thank you, sir," the kid said before running off to join his friends. K, still crouching down, smiled softly. "It's nice to be young." He stood up and dusted off his leg. "So pure and happy!"

Skye came to him and gently barked. "Uncle, I'm hungry. Can we find somewhere to eat?"

"Why, of course, my little princess," K chuckled. Turning around to look back where they came from, K inspected his non-existent watch. "Just waiting for your deadbeat father to catch up."

In the distance, Davis struggled to walk through the bustling crowd, while carrying their combined luggage without bumping into someone. "Sorry, sorry!" Davis apologized each time he moved, constantly colliding with people.

Davis spotted K waiting for him with a wide smile. "K, mind helping me with the packages?" he asked, his voice full of calm frustration.

K tilted his head, his smile widening mischievously. "Sure thing," he said. With a flourish, he pulled out a small bag and placed everything inside. "There... all done!"

Davis's jaw dropped as he stared at K's carefree attitude, his brow furrowing deeper in mounting frustration. "If you have that in your possession, then why the hell did I need to carry all that stuff?" His voice grew more intense as he spoke.

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"Oh, this?" K raised the spatial bag and waved it around as if to taunt Davis. "You looked so passionate carrying everything when we got off the carriage that I didn’t have the heart to stop you." K struggled to hold back his laughter.

"So, you're telling me that I've been carrying all of that through the busy road, bumping into numerous people, for nothing?" Davis was at his boiling point, his hands waving around in frustration.

K, without a shred of hesitation, replied with an innocent smile. "Yes!" They both fell silent, Skye sat patiently, watching them from the side.

Davis couldn't take it anymore and shouted, "OH, FOR GOD'S SA—"

But K's hand clamped over his mouth, his other hand raised in a shushing gesture. "You can't say something like that. For Lucifer’s sake! There's a child present" K pointed at the innocent Skye, who had been watching intently.

They then argued for half an hour before they finally settled at a nearby restaurant. Davis, still fuming, angrily read the menu while K sat calmly opposite him, his smile unwavering as he signaled for the waiter.

Observing the confusing dynamic between them, Skye couldn't decide which of them she should support.

"Will that be all Sir?" The restaurant waiter asked Davis. "Yes, that would be all for now" After handing them the menu he stopped them for a second. "Please bring us some water as well"

"I'm still pissed at you, but I still don’t get why we had to leave the carriage and continue on foot," Davis mentioned to K as he politely waved off the staff.

Using his right hand to support his chin, K sat cross-legged with an enchanting smile. "It takes roughly two months to travel from Celestia to the Holy Empire—two and a half months if the weather is bad."

He then proceeded to list all the benefits he saw on this trip. "It gives you enough time to travel, take your mind off things, and most importantly," K leaned in, his expression that of an excited toddler, "real-world experience."

"So many places to see, mysteries to uncover, powerful foes to face." K then covered the side of his mouth with the back of his right hand and whispered with a raised brow, "And beautiful women to meet." K turned his head to the side.

Davis followed his gaze and saw three women sitting at the far table checking them out. K charmed them with a smile and a wave, causing them to giggle and hide their faces behind their menus. "Just like that" he then winked at Davis.

"So, to keep it short, you just wanted an excuse to go play around!" Davis replied with a straight face.

K, ever the straightforward one, instantly confirmed, "Obviously!"

K had been scanning the restaurant since he entered, and a few people sitting at a table to Davis's left caught his attention. Judging by the scars on their fingers and body build, they were people who worked with swords or heavy lifting.

They wore large coats that covered their bodies in the summer heat, and during their conversation, K noticed a shine of metal by one of their hips, indicating a short sword or a dagger’s handle.

There were also traces of dirt and mud on their boots, suggesting they had come down from the mountain.

"You can also use this chance to visit your family since we’re going to be passing through Avalom," K pointed out to Davis. "You’ll be able to visit your mom, sister... friends.

Hearing this, Davis sighed and leaned back against his chair. "I still can’t believe it has been nearly a year since I came to Celestia, and now I’m going back."

When the restaurant waiter came with their tea, K stopped him before he walked away. "My friend, I’m new to town, and I believe you have what I need," K said, spinning a gold coin between his fingers.

He then flicks the gold coin toward the staff, the waiter catches it with a shaken hand. "S-Sir, this is too much. I’m not trying to get caught in something illegal" The waiter said in a terrified voice.

K chuckled. "Nonsense, my friend. I’m not asking you to do anything." He winked at Davis before turning back to the waiter. "You see, I’m somewhat of a salesman myself, and I’d like to inquire about some… information about this town."

K placed a bag of gold on the table, picked out another coin, and tossed it to the waiter. "I was wondering if there is something our little group should be looking out for. Traveling to many places on the continent tends to bring danger if we’re not careful," he whispered.

The waiter understood K’s meaning and quickly pocketed the coins. "Yes, yes, sir. I understand." He leaned in and spoke in a low voice that only Davis, Skye, and K could hear. "Lately, a group of unsavory people have made camp on the nearby mountain. They stop merchant groups from entering and exiting without paying a fee."

Davis chimed in. "I see. Is that all?"

The waiter paused for a moment before adding, "Oh, there have been many dead bodies floating in the river at the foot of the mountain. But everyone assumes it's their doing."

A loud yell from the back of the house called the waiter away, but before he left, he gave one last piece of advice. "Sir, if you’re planning to pass the mountain, it’s best to just pay them the money to avoid conflict."

"Well, isn’t this exciting?" K spread out his arms and accidentally knocked the bag of gold to the ground, the sound of gold coins spilling on everywhere on the floor rang across the restaurant and attracted everyone's attention.

"The hell, K?" Davis berated him, getting down to help K collect the coins. "Be careful with our money."

"Sorry, it’s just a happy accident," K replied with an awkward laugh. But his eyes stared past Davis and onto the group of people that had caught his attention earlier.

He noticed them eyeing the gold coins like everyone else before they started whispering and quickly left without finishing their meal. K grinned and thought to himself, "Now this is going to be fun!"

That night, they settled at an inn near the town's other entrance. Their destination for tomorrow was the adventurers' guild. "You go ahead and get some rest first, I'm going to get some fresh air," K said, waving Davis off.

Davis, exhausted by both the workout and K's antics, sluggishly waved back as he headed to his room. "Sure, goodnight!"

"Skye, darling, can you help me with something?" K called out. Skye was about to follow Davis to his room, but K stopped her. "Are we going for a walk?" she asked her tongue out and tail wagging enthusiastically.

K giggled at her, gently petting her head. "Not this time, sweetie. Next time, Uncle promises." He then took off his spatial ring, placed it in a small bag, and handed it to her.

"This ring has my scent on it." He handed it to Skye, who took the bag by the lace with her mouth. "You will know what to do with it tomorrow."

Skye nodded and was about to leave when K added, "One more thing. If your father doesn’t try to find me tomorrow, please remind him of this." K whispered into Skye's ear before watching her run to Davis’s room and tap on the door with her paw.

K watched from afar until Davis opened his door and let Skye in. He giggled and then walked off. After a short distance, he heard soft footsteps behind him. "And the show begins," K mumbled to himself a mischievous grin appearing on his face.

A black bag was suddenly placed over his head from behind, and K felt a metal object, likely a blade's handle, strike his head. It didn’t knock him out or deal any damage to him but he played along with his kidnapper, remaining completely limp and quiet.

He felt a pat down and heard a disappointed grunt. "Dammit, he doesn’t have the bag of gold. It must be with the other guy," came a frustrated sigh from another man.

"We can’t break into the other guy's place without a struggle," one of them continued. "I saw him carrying a sword. Plus, the inn is close to the adventurer guild. If a fight breaks out, it would be problematic."

They fell into silence, uncertain of what to do next.

"We have him, don’t we?" a man said, pointing at the presumed unconscious K on the floor. "Write a ransom note and bring him to the boss. The adventurer guild here doesn’t have much help outside the town anyway, so they wouldn’t bother helping."

They all agreed and spread out. One of them went to write the ransom letter, while the other two tied his arms and legs before placing him in a sack and carrying him back to their hideout.