Two days ago, in the kingdom of Sylvaris.

Sedrick sat at the table, finishing his meal.

At least these creatures knew how to cook.

Hunting? That, he was good at.

Cooking? Not so much.

For a brief moment, he wondered—

How would they taste?

He shoved the thought away.

They had been kind enough.

Aside from…

Having to kill someone to stay here.

He hadn't liked that.

But he could numb himself to it.

He had pictured the man as a wounded animal.

Something that needed to be put down.

It didn’t help much.

But it was better than thinking about what he had done.

He shook his head.

Pushed the thought back.

It was easier that way.

Not thinking.

The others would be arriving soon.

One of the creatures had explained something about a dungeon.

Whatever that was.

He just hoped he'd see something familiar.

Maybe even something tasty.

He finished his meal in silence.

Looking around, he saw several plant people eating.

He had thought plants only needed sunlight and water.

But he wasn’t an expert.

He shrugged it off.

He sighed and pulled up his golden screen.

The interface reminded him of the games his son used to play.

The thought came unbidden.

He shoved it down.

Hard.

---

CLASS: BEAST TAMER

HP: 20

Mana: 30

Strength: 7

Agility: 5

Durability: 3

Luck: 1

ACTIVE SKILLS [1/5]

Tame (1/100) – Attempt to tame target creature.

Chance to tame = Skill Level (1%)

Max tamable creatures = Skill Level ÷ 10 (0/1)

Cost: 10 Mana (For every additional 10 Mana spent, chance increases by 2%)

PASSIVE SKILLS [1/5]

Heightened Senses (1/100) – Focus to enhance all five senses by 5% (Skill Level × 5%).

BLESSINGS [1]

Blessing of the Crow – Understand and speak any language you've heard.

---

Sedrick scratched the back of his head.

The words mostly made sense.

Some of them felt complicated.

But…

He liked animals.

The thought of being surrounded by loyal dogs…

That was a good one.

He chuckled.

For the first time in a while.

"Ahh... glad to see someone's already here."

Jason slid into the seat across from Sedrick.

His eyes flicked to the empty bowl.

"Food any good?"

He gestured toward it.

"Yeah. Decent."

Sedrick tensed slightly.

Something about Jason’s gaze…

It reminded him of a predator.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Like a cougar he had seen once—

Waiting. Calculating.

He pushed that thought down.

Like all the others.

"I could go for another bowl, actually."

He tried to smile.

It felt forced.

Jason nodded, watching him.

Like he had noticed something.

"Do they have waitresses—err, waitplants?"

Jason paused, rethinking his words.

"Do they come to the table, or do we order at the bar?"

"They'll come to the table eventually."

As if on cue, a slender mass of vines slithered over.

"Ahh, another customer."

Its voice came out in a hiss.

"I'll have what he had. And he'll take another as well."

Jason spoke easily, like he was used to dealing with them.

"Oh, and we’ll have three more joining us soon. Bring food for them too."

He set a small bag on the table.

The plant creature bowed and took it.

"It'll be out soon."

Then it turned and slithered away.

Sedrick watched the bag disappear.

The plant people had given them all a pouch of coins.

Sedrick had spent his already.

A chestplate, boots, helmet, and a wooden club.

Barely enough left for a meal.

Jason, though—

Still wore the same suit.

Except now, a purple flower stuck out of the breast pocket.

"Thanks for paying for the food."

Sedrick tried to laugh.

It felt forced, again.

"Oh, it's no big deal."

Jason waved it off.

His smile looked practiced.

"Just buy me a meal when we get back."

Then—

He leaned forward.

Elbows on the table.

Eyes sharp.

"They tell you anything about the dungeon?"

Sedrick shrugged.

"Not much."

Jason opened his mouth to speak—

But a battleaxe slammed onto the table with a heavy thud.

"Would you take a look at this beauty!"

Alex grinned widely as he dropped into the seat beside Sedrick.

"Spent that whole bag of coins on it."

"Quiet down, Alex."

Jamie sighed, sitting across from him.

"This is a restaurant. People are trying to eat."

He glanced over his shoulder.

Several plant people were eyeing them warily.

Sedrick relaxed slightly as the boys settled in.

They were good kids.

Despite everything that had happened.

"Jay bought us food."

Sedrick smiled.

This time, it felt natural.

"Oh. Just call me Jay."

Jason chuckled.

"What kind?"

Alex leaned back, grinning.

"Hope it's meat."

"Thank you, Jay. From both of us."

Jamie kicked Alex under the table.

"Ow! I was gonna say it!"

Alex shot him a glare.

Sedrick let out a laugh.

He had missed eating with others.

For just a moment, he thought of his family.

Then—

He shoved the memory back down.

Jason glanced at him.

A strange look—like he had noticed something.

But he didn't press.

Instead, Sedrick turned to Jamie.

"So, what did you get?"

Sedrick asked, genuinely curious.

Or at least, trying to be.

Jamie blinked at the empty bowl.

For a second, he looked confused—

Then he realized what Sedrick meant.

"Oh!"

He leaned to the side, pulling a well-made leather bag onto the table.

"I bought a few books. And this bag to carry them in."

"My class lets me learn magic by studying."

He opened one of the books, flipping through pages of strange symbols and diagrams.

Sedrick’s eyes glazed over.

The writing might as well have been gibberish.

Jamie kept going, oblivious.

"Some of them are in strange languages, but with the blessing we all got, I’ll learn them with ease."

Sedrick nodded, leaning back in his chair.

"That's... very interesting."

Jamie beamed, flipping another page.

"I know, right?"

"Here you go."

The vine creature slithered up to the table, setting down five bowls of mushroom soup.

Sedrick hadn't even noticed it approach.

As it pulled back, its movement knocked one of the bowls toward the table’s edge.

Jason snatched it midair with ease, setting it back down before a single drop could spill.

Almost as if he had known it would happen.

"Oh! I'm very sorry, please forgive me!"

The creature bowed deeply.

"No harm done."

Jason raised both hands in a calming gesture, a slight smile on his face.

"Thank you, Hero."

The creature smiled, setting a half-full bag of coins on the table.

"If there’s anything else, feel free to ask."

It bowed again before slithering away.

Jason grabbed the bag as the others pulled their bowls closer.

"Great catch," Alex said through a mouthful of soup.

"You’ve got amazing reflexes."

Jason nodded, brushing off the compliment.

"Did you two hear anything about the dungeon?"

Alex opened his mouth to speak—

Jamie’s foot hit his shin under the table.

"Swallow first."

Jamie glared, then schooled his expression before turning to Jason.

"We haven’t heard anything yet."

Jamie stirred his soup thoughtfully.

"I assume neither of you have either?"

Jason and Sedrick shook their heads in unison.

"What about Laura?"

Jason leaned forward.

"She should be joining us too, right?"

Jamie shook his head.

"We haven’t even met her yet."

He poked at his soup with his spoon, hesitant.

"If you don’t want that—"

Alex started to reach for Jamie’s bowl—

Another kick.

"Come on!"

Alex rubbed his shin, wincing.

"At least kick the other leg!"

Sedrick chuckled and slid his own bowl toward Alex.

"I already ate," he said.

"Growing boys need to eat, right?"

Alex grinned but hesitated.

His eyes darted to Jamie, as if expecting another kick.

"Uhh… thanks!"

He grabbed the bowl quickly before Jamie could change his mind.

Jamie grinned like a wolf—

And kicked him again.

Alex choked on his soup.

"Dammit, Jamie!"

"You shouldn’t speak like that, child…"

The voice was soft, gentle—

Yet Sedrick felt his heart seize.

He turned.

And for a moment—

Everything stopped.

A woman stood behind him.

Her eyes were warm and kind, yet filled with something heavier.

A sadness that settled deep.

Sedrick forced himself to look away.

And shoved those emotions down.

"...Sorry," Alex muttered, his face turning red.

He rubbed his shin again.

Jamie chuckled.

Alex glared at him—

But the embarrassment was impossible to hide.

"This bowl is for you."

Jason slid a bowl of soup to the empty seat beside Sedrick.

Sedrick tensed.

Did Jason do that on purpose?

His gaze flickered toward Jason, searching for a sign—

But Jason was winking at Alex instead.

Shifting the focus.

Helping Alex save face.

Sedrick shook his head, pushing the thought away.

He was being stupid.

Laura settled into the seat beside him.

"Thank you… umm…"

She hesitated, realizing she didn’t know their names.

"I'm Jay."

Jason inclined his head politely.

"This is Jamie, Alex, and Sedrick."

He gestured around the table.

"A pleasure to meet each of you."

Laura’s voice was gentle, but there was something heavy in it.

She folded her hands—

A silent prayer—

Then stopped.

Her eyes swept across the table.

The others had mostly finished their meals.

Her fingers hesitated, tightening slightly—

Then she smiled softly to herself and picked up her spoon.

Sedrick glanced away.

The thought nagged at him.

Should he ask about their pasts?

His thumb tapped against his palm.

But he shoved the thought back down.

He didn’t want to talk about his past.

Not now.

Silence settled over the table.

They ate.

Sedrick fidgeted.

His gaze drifted to anything but Laura.

Laura finished and dabbed her face with a napkin.

"So… what exactly is this dungeon they mentioned?"

As if rehearsed,

The group shrugged in perfect unison.

"Ahh… I see,"

Laura laughed softly, an amused smile curling at her lips.

"Ah, I see you've all become acquainted."

A deep, creaking voice rolled over the group as Gnarros approached the table.

Sedrick felt a chill crawl up his spine.

"I hope you're all prepared," the ancient being continued.

"You'll be leaving tonight."

Beside him, Laura stiffened.

Sedrick felt it instantly.

A flicker of panic flashed across her face—

Brief.

Gone in an instant.

She caught his gaze.

Smiled. Reassuring. Practiced.

But he’d seen it.

Something twisted inside him.

A familiar weight.

Rage.

He shoved it down.

Along with the rest of the things he couldn’t afford to deal with right now.

Across the table, Jason smiled.

Smooth. Controlled.

A mask.

Just like hers.

"Good evening, Master Gnarros," Jason said easily.

"We should all be ready to go."

Gnarros grinned.

His bark-like face creaked as it twisted into a smile.

"Good..."