Silva: (nods) Great job Salv!

Salv nods back and gently lets the ramp down to create a pathway for Oro.

Silva: Thanks a ton for helping Oro out, you're not such a selfish jerk after all!

Salv: You're not bad yourself lad!

Silva and Salv head toward Raynn who is lying flat on the ground.

Salv: You alive Raynn?

Raynn: (coughs) There's no way that would tarnish my strong reputation. (he attempts to stand but immediately falls down)

Silva takes out a small first aid kit from his bag and sets it down near Raynn.

Raynn: You better not pity me by patching me up.

Silva: Nah man, I was just leaving it as an apology for eating your food earlier.

Raynn grunts and Silva and Salv start to walk away towards Oro and the ramp.

Raynn: Hold up fellas, are you certain you haven't heard of a girl with the name Alisah?

Silva: Beats me. I wish ya luck in your search though.

Silva and Salv leave Raynn to head over to see Oro near the ramp.

Silva: Dude I can't believe how sick that move was!

Salv: Eh it was nothing. Took most of my energy anyways. I cannot wait to sleep in the comfort of the woods again.

Silva: I feel that.

Oro starts to run up the ramp, while Silva and Salv start to lightly jog to follow him.

Silva: Hey wait up Oro!

Oro runs so fast that he atop the cliff before Silva and Salv step on the ramp.

Salv: Your dog is a speed demon.

Silva: He is.

Silva and Salv carefully step onto the ramp. It starts to collapse, Silva and Salv hurry to the edge. Silva makes it to the top of the cliff but Salv falls as the remaining parts of the ramp collapses. Silva heats up and plants his feet deep in the ground. He offers his hand for Salv to grip for a split second. This momentum nearly pushes Silva off the cliff but Oro catches his jacket with his mouth. Salv quickly grips his other hand onto the cliff to give him support.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Silva: (half jokingly) Care for a climb?

Salv: (sort of laughs) Another close call.

Salv pulls himself over the edge of the cliff. They have made it to the edge of Rattlesnake Canyon.

Salv: The woods are just up ahead.

Salv, Oro, and Silva set up camp in the outskirts of Howling Woods. They are rewarded with much needed rest.

March 3, 3009

Silva and Salv are awake and taking down their tents.

Silva: Hey Salv?

Salv: What's up?

Silva: We make a pretty damn good team.

Salv: Can't argue with that.

Silva: How's about you joining me on my adventures across Instivale?

Salv: Depends. Are you willing to help me search across the nation for the materials I need?

Silva: No need to ask. We can both support each other's efforts.

Salv: What do we call ourselves then.

Silva: We need a name?

Salv: Why of course we do! Can't be an expedition team without a catchy name!

Silva: How bout Silva's squad.

Salv: No way are you taking all the credit!

Silva: True… Hmm… I've never been the most creative person out there.

Salv: (looks at his arm and Silva's hair) How about the Silver Expeditioners?

Silva: That's got a nice ring to it. I love it!

Silva and Salv have finished packing their things.

Salv: Great. Now that we are comrades, I feel comfortable explaining to you exactly what my dream entails.

Silva: Sure, let's hear it.

Salv: In Instivale, there are five rumored materials that are the rarest of their kind at least in this nation. These were discovered by a famous archeologist with his pen name: Irwin. No one knows Irwin's true identity or validity but there has to be a reason that some Instivalens entertain the validity of the journal entries of his five discoveries. The materials are rumored to be: an eternal flame, sacred wood, an unseen earth stone, the sharpest titanium, and mystical water. According to his research, these materials are one of a kind but combined, they possess strange powers that can obtain a plethora of things. The one that stood out to me was that Irwin noted that it can cure any condition.

Silva: If true, that is an amazing power to possess.

Salv: The catch is that they can only be used once. After usage, the materials disintegrate and disperse in seemingly random locations across Instivale, which could explain the difficulty of finding them. According to his hypothesis, Irwin believes that he was not the first to have discovered these materials alone but he was the first to discover the connection between all five of them and what their capabilities are. Most people write Irwin off as a quack who was trying to inspire more archeologists to rise in the declining field with a fantastic story. Despite public opinion, I believe that Irwin was on to something.

Silva: Why do you want to gather all of these materials anyways?

Salv: As you can see, the answer lies in front of you.

Silva: (looks puzzled) Your inherited power?

Salv: Yes, I suffer from a seemingly permanent condition that prevents me from reverting from my inherited powers. My physique, although strong, is completely unnatural.

Silva: And you're banking on these materials curing you, let alone being real?

Salv: I've tried many different surgeries and absurd methods to no avail. My body rejects anything that tries to tamper with it.

Silva: I'm sorry to hear that Salv-

Salv: My real goal in life is to settle down as an artist and start a family. I cannot do that with my current unstable condition.

Silva: I'll make sure that by the time I climb the highest peak of the world, you will be cured and can start that family of yours.

Salv: You'd really do that for me?

Silva: No question.