Blood pours from every open wound of my body. I’m feeling faint, but I force my legs to keep running. I can see the house now. The door is wide open. I scrape to a stop and slam my hand on the doorframe to keep myself from falling. I stumble forward into the shoddy wooden building and immediately scan the area.

  As my eyes adjust to the sudden darkness, I begin to see vague figures before me. I take a weakened step forward, but my foot is met with liquid. I take another step, but I trip over something in the blackness. Now face-to-face, I meet their dead gaze, and a ball of dread forms thick in my throat. Laying in a pool of their own blood, chest splayed brutally open... is Lyle.

   One after another, I find the bodies of the poor children leading up to a closed door, a sense of guilt growing uncontrollably within me. The floors are damp with blood in every step. The air is rank with the smell of iron.

   “Oh shit... shit... fuck, shit... Lyle... Raymond... Lily... Even Nora...”

   Tears streak my face. Every time I try to wipe them, they only well up with more. The weight on my soul is unbearable.

  They’re all dead... because of me... And Esmeralda... What happened to her...?

   A faint ray of light can be seen coming from the crevice of the closed door. I hesitate even to open it. I know what I’ll find, but the very thought of it almost seems worse than it in itself. Quivering, shaking, trembling, I reach out for the handle. Slowly I swing open the door. I drop to my knees as soon as I see it.

   She lays silent on a rickety bed, bathed in slivers of light from the cracks in the ceiling. She’s been stripped completely naked. Her eyes are stuck half-open, glazed over and lifeless. Tears still hold shape over the corners of her eyes, though she’s been dead for hours. Her neck is tilted violently at an unnatural angle, with swollen markings in the rough shape of a large hand.

   I go outside. I feel sick. As soon as the light hits my face, I vomit out onto the front walk. I collapse onto my knees and start sobbing.

   “It’s all my fault,” I whimper into my chest. I pull myself in with my own arms. “Stupid... Idiot... It’s all my fault. They’re fucking dead... And it’s all my f—“

   Something falls. Inside, something fell. Like a broom propped up. I heard it fall.

   Al... Alive...?

   I scramble to my feet and peer in, but all I see is death. I need to get out of this place.

   I need to go... anywhere but here.

   Suddenly, I see motion. It’s slim, like a shuffle in one’s sleep. But I see it. There’s now nothing in my way. An overwhelming urge to save them fills my heart, and I rush forward with all I have left.

   It’s Nora. She’s unconscious, but alive. There’s a large gash over her left eye, deep enough that the bone of her eye socket has been sheared. With a new sense of hope, I jolt my head around to check the other children. But I don’t have to look long to confirm they didn’t make it. With tears still in my eyes, I take her in my arms. She’s weak. I don’t know if she’ll make it.

   “I don’t know how much you saw, Nora,” I whisper, “but I’m not gonna let you see something like that ever again. Hear me...? I’m...”

   What? I’m what? The words just won’t come through. Esmeralda had said to me that these kids were her entire reason for existing. But now she’s gone... and Nora’s still here. What the hell do I do...?

   I sit at her bedside on a wooden chair. The medic sits beside me as he tests her pulse. He’s an old man, portly for one of this world. He is mostly bald and wears spectacles over a large nose.

   “That should do it for the examination,” he says finally, leaning back in his chair. “She has significant trauma to the back of her head, but that she is a Nexis will, thankfully, speed up the healing process. In regards to her eye, however... The scar may fade with the help of a magician, but the eye itself has seen irreparable damage. It can be treated, but not without high-level magics— something neither this town nor this country has ever had a clean grasp of.”

   “Anything else? Why’s she still unconscious?” I ask.

   “Her body has switched into a phase promoting the recovery of damaged brain tissues. Right now, rest takes precedence. She shouldn’t awaken this night, at the least.”

   “That’s... good, I guess,” I nod reluctantly.

   “And? How are your injuries holding up?”

   “I’d be dead if you hadn’t agreed to help,” I say.

   “Of course. But it is my job,” he replies. “The stitchings will keep you from bleeding out, but too much movement could tear any one of them. So you should better find rest, as well.”

   “How much does this cost, again...? Twenty Jeul?”

   “By the Divines, I’ll take ten. So long as you don’t do any more of... whatever it is that got you this way, of course.”

   “Don’t worry. Something that stupid— I hope I’ll die before doing that again.”

   “And you will rest? You never agreed to it, but I would like to hear you say you will.”

   “I’m not the priority here,” I reply. “...But, I might. Later.”

   “...If that is as good as I will be getting from you, then I suppose I’ll accept that.” He slowly rises from his chair. I already have the payment, which I set in his hand. He nods. “You have a blessed day, and may you ever be watched by the Divines above.”

   “U-Uh, yeah. Y-You too.”

   The doctor takes his leave, closing a large brown medical case and walking out the old wooden door.

   I’m back in Gin’s tavern. I’d made it most of the way with her in my arms. When the medic found us, he helped us all the way back here. Now, I sit in silence, contemplating everything that has happened up to this point. I thought I might’ve found love— only to have it jarred away by the steely hand of fate. I’ve met friends— and made enemies all the same. And for just a moment there... I thought I found a purpose. Looking back, I realize now how foolish I was.

   “Is she yours?”

   I spin my head around in surprise.

   “Sorry. The doc left, so I thought I’d stop in before we leave.” Benny steps into the room. He walks towards me and takes a seat on the open chair. “Figured something went down. Thought I could... say a few words, if you need it.”

   “No offense, but I don’t think we were close enough to warrant a one on one like this,” I mutter, leaning forward in my chair. I’ve got my hands clasped in my lap.

   “Oy, don’t cut short the bond between drinkin’ buddies,” he chuckles dryly. “Somethin’ told me you were new to this whole... lost thing. I figured maybe I could—“

   “Did you ever feel you were doing something right— and you believed it with all your might? With every goddamn fiber of your entire being?”

   “Huh?” He pauses. “Oh, uh... Well, right and wrong’s not always as black and white as it may seem, kid. But... Yeah, for what it’s worth. What you seem to be gettin’ at is that you suddenly find out it was all wrong, though.”

   “I guess so.”

   He breathes a long sigh. “Look, I don’t claim to be the best person to talk to about this stuff. But have been around a damn while, through a lotta shit. So I can tell you what I think. It’s gotten me this far, so should count for somethin’.”

   “P...Please do.”

   “Set yourself your very own moral compass. It can be in any direction you want it, as long as it’s you alone that tells you. But from then on, whatever way you point, you follow it. If it’s right to you... then it’s right. Even if it goes to hell.”

   “...Sounds like a dangerous way of thinking, isn’t it...?” I mutter.

   “Well, it don’t work for everyone.” He pauses. “But there’s one fact that you’d be damned to overlook, no matter what you take to. And that’s that nobody can fault you for trying to do good.”

   “Even if it gets people killed?” I mutter.

   “Had a feeling that’s what this was about,” he sighs. “...I ain’t gonna ask what happened, but for the record... how many...?”

   “A woman... and three children. I thought I’d protected them, but instead I failed them... just about as hard as someone can...”

   Benny slouches in his chair, matching my pose. One of his eyes twitches, only slightly.

   “...And how many others woulda died if you didn’t do what you did?” he mutters.

   “It doesn’t— f-fucking matter!” I yell, sinking into my own sorrows. I bury my face in quivering hands. “I-I know I have to move on... but how the hell can I? They’re... gone, now... They’re... dead!”

   “Stop and think to yourself, dammit,” he retorts, roughly shoving my shoulder. “Whatever you did... no matter how much you gotta reach, what’s changed? How will this world change from your actions? You sure don’t look like the kinda guy who’s got any bad agenda. So tell me what the hell changed!”

   “...I... I don’t know,” I mutter. “Just about everything I think makes me feel like I’m justifying what happened.”

   “Well you are, and that ain’t bad,” he replies. “How the hell else do people move on when shit happens? So tell me what changed.”

   “I...” I mutter. “I don’t know. My head, it’s...”

   “Don’t think with your head, dammit. Your head’s too full of fuzz, so don’t use it. That ain’t the only way to think.”

   “Don’t think with my... head? You mean—“

   “What else’d I mean? Your heart, kid. Your gut. Whatever you wanna call it.”

   “My heart...”

   I close my eyes and take a deep breath in, letting the air slowly out through my nose.

   “My heart... It tells me I failed. But also that I succeeded. What the hell does that m—“

   “And that’s where the phrase, ‘you can’t save ‘em all,’ comes into play,” he replies. “Life’s a bitch, believe me. It’s all about weighing cost and reward; Sometimes you can’t even tell which one’s which. Any of this sticking with you?”

   “I was too late,” I say. “This place... it’s full of that, isn’t it? Someone’s always gonna die, no matter how much hindsight you have.”

   “...Yeah. Really is,” he nods slowly.

   “Thanks... Uh... for the... words. Really didn’t think you’d have such deep thoughts for me.”

   “I didn’t think I had any left either. But a long time ago, I’d have preached that horse shit.”

   “Do you believe what you’re saying?” I ask.

   “Dunno. But you ain’t gonna find out for yourself by sitting there all depressed,” he huffs.

   “Right... Then I guess I’ll get going,” I say, taking a stand.

   “Oy, my services ain’t free, kid,” he smirks.

   “Oh— I, uh... left my money bag at a clothing shop. Take whatever you want once I get back,” I reply. “Vivian? Just behind the door?”

   There is commotion behind me. Slowly, Vivian sheepishly peeks her head out from the other side of the open door.

   “How did you know?” she mutters.

   “This girl’s name is Nora. Mind keeping an eye on her till I get back?”

   “Where in the world do you think you are going, roadblock?”

   “It’s Cyr, thanks— and I’m just leaving for some air. Need to think things over,” I reply.

   A set of footsteps can be heard from behind Vivian.

   “Ohmygod she’s so c-u-u-te—!” squeals a voice. In a flash, Elise is at Nora’s bedside dressed in her bar-maiden’s outfit of loose-fitting cloth and a white apron. She lovingly begins caressing her ears and rubbing her cheek on Nora’s.

   “Take it easy. She’s injured,” I say.

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   “Nora, h-u-u-u-h? Such an adorable little dumpling, she is!” Elise chirps. She suddenly turns to me with a strange look. “Hard to imagine an adorable little girl like her came from such an ugly beast like yourself.”

   “Shut it, she’s not mine,” I mutter. “It’s a long... Personal story.”

   “Just going to ignore the fact that I called you an ugly beast?”

  'Actually, it's taking all my focus to not hit you over the head right now,' I think, but for obvious reasons keep to myself. 

   “I’m, uh—“ Benny abruptly stands up. “I’m gonna get out of here before things get out of hand. Do me a favor and take my words with a grain of salt, kid.” He hobbles off, and as he does Vivian hesitantly inches closer.

   “She seems so peaceful,” Vivian mutters. “...Nora, yes...?”

   “She’s been through hell,” I say. “I won’t be long, but if she wakes up... Try to comfort her. Or... something.”

   “Roadblock...” mutters Vivian. “What I said about my father... was a lie.”

  “Yeah... I figured,” I say.

   “Such words... were meant to draw out the person I thought you were.”

   “And who’d you think I was?” I ask. She turns away suddenly, and I get the feeling I overstepped. “U-Um, sorry, I—“

   “You look like... the one who killed my mother,” she says, a cold look in her eye. But that look quickly disappears and she turns back to face me again. “Though it is impossible. My father tracked down and slew that man several years ago.”

   “Then why’d you think I was him?” I ask.

   “...His name was Greed, and his cunning was unparalleled by most. He evaded the law for decades. When I first saw you, it dawned on me the possibility that he had somehow tricked my father, and that he was still alive.”

   “And what made you change your mind?”

   She looks calmly to Nora. “Greed had no pity, and is not even capable of feigning it. He would have left that girl to die, or worse yet... He would have killed her himself.”

   “It was my pity that made you realize it...?”

   “Do not be fooled. You are still the lowest of human scum. You simply... are not him.”

   “Will you watch her or not?” I grumble.

   “I will. But I would like to know her story when you return... As well as yours, roadblock.”

   “Eww, life stories are so gross!” Elise protests, falling forward on her knees towards the knelt Vivian.

   “You are welcome to return to the duties of which you are contractually obligated to fulfill,” Vivian replies, turning to her. “In words an airhead such as yourself would understand... Stop slacking off while at work, you hopeless lesbian.”

   “Woah, this really is getting heated,” I mutter, backing away from the bedside. “Like I said— I’ll be back in a bit. Keep it down so the kid can sleep, got it?”

   The evening sun lays low in the sky, casting a hazy orange mirage over the western horizon. I’m standing again in front of Esmeralda’s home. It’s the least I can do now to give them a proper burial. Only... after finally gathering the resolve to enter, I realize the bodies are no longer here. Even the blood has been cleaned from the wood.

   “I saw ye earlier this mornin’,” comes a voice behind me.

   Turning around, I see this minuscule old bald man in a red robe with a long white beard that nearly touches the ground. He’s standing there with two hands on an old cane, a fair distance from the front door.

   “Have they... already been buried?” I ask.

   “First— allow me ask ye whether the girl is well,” he says.

   I’m a little surprised by this. It takes me a second to reply.

   “Y-Yeah... She’s been treated by a doctor. She’s safe,” I nod.

  “Saw that man too. Without a head in the city plaza,” he says. “Yer doing?”

   “Sorry... but I need to to tell me what happened to them,” I say.

   The little old man’s nose twitches. He puts up his bottom lip and nods.

   “...Very well. This way, lad.” He motions for me to follow.

   I reluctantly step out of the home and walk towards him. As I approach, I notice that even though he’s hunched over, the top of his head would only be at belt height. I subconsciously stare him down as we begin to walk.

   “Yer lookin like ye’ve never seen a dwarf before, lad,” he mutters, though he doesn’t quite meet my gaze. “I know my kin aren’t often seen down from the mountains, but I hoped ye’d have a little self decency.”

   “Sorry. Didn’t mean anything by it,” I say, glancing back forward. “Did you bury them?”

   “Aye. My folk have an affinity for the ground, y’see. Can break rocks in our bare hands, so digging holes is almost second nature.” He pauses. “Though... this one was personal.”

   “You knew Esmeralda?” I ask.

   “Knew her since she was a wee lass, I did,” he sighs. “This place... has a knack fer takin away the good and righteous. Suggest ye run as soon as ye can.”

   “I plan to. Guess I owe it to Nora to get her outta here, too.”

   “Good. No place fer her here anymore. That hope died with her friends— no, her family, that.”

   “How much further are they?” I ask.

   “Cemetery isn’t far now,” he replies.

   I continue to follow him at a hobbling pace until finally coming across an opening in the tight walls.

The cemetery, more akin to a back alley, is hugged tightly by buildings on three sides. The graves are clustered closely together, only some with initials carved on simple flat rocks that act as headstones. They’re all the way against the walls of the buildings and are spread out in neat columns. Towards the front, though, is one individual mound thats dirt is still loose. It’s a bit askew from the rest, and slightly larger.

   “I dug all these graves,” says the old dwarf. “All dead, be they in some ditch or dead in their homes. I brought them here. I buried them all. But let me tell ye, lad... This one here struck me a blow I’m not soon to heal.”

I bow my head and put my hands together in prayer.

   “They were buried together. Couldn’t bear to separate ‘em,” he mutters, sniffling once.

   “I’m... sure that’s what they’d want,” I reply. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll be here a while.”

   The old dwarf kneels beside me.

   “And if it’s all the same, I suggest ye don’t, lad.”

   “What do you mean by that?”

   “Bad luck, lingerin’ in a graveyard,” he says. “It’s a place for the dead, not the living.”

   “I don’t put much faith in luck,” I reply.

   “Well call it advice, if need be,” he sighs. “Then again, it isn’t smart to take advice from just any old stranger either.”

   “...I guess I haven’t asked you your name,” I say.

   “Wouldn’t give it to ye if ye had,” he replies. “And I won’t ask for yers.”

   “Fair enough,” I nod.

   “Stay as long as ye please. But these old bones grow weary.” He slowly gets up and turns around. “Take care of the girl, and for Divines sake, leave this city.”

   “Yeah,” I nod. “Yeah, that’d be best.”

   Sometime later, I again find myself at the door of the clothier. Incidentally, I’ve left my coin bag on the desk there. I hope he was kind enough as to keep it safe for me. I’m sure he saw the shit-show that went down here only hours ago.

   “Coming in,” I say as I open the heavy wooden door. “I’m tired and I hurt all over, but here I am. Just grabbing my—“

   “O-Oh, it’s you—!” The old clothier scuttles forward from behind a layer of empty mannequins. “You sure took your time in getting here. I was worried you were bled out in an alley somewhere.”

   “Were you expecting me to come back?”

   “Only a dead man would leave behind that much Jeul. Of course I would have kept it for you at least another few days— and then I may have pocketed it... but all is assuaged now that you have returned.”

   “Alright. Where is it?”

  “Now— before I hand it back over to you, I would like to show you something.” He motions towards the back of the store with an open hand.

   “I’m fine, thanks,” I mutter, “I don’t want to buy anything right now.”

   “Then my offer just might be something you will want to look into,” he smiles kindly. He leads me back, and suddenly stops me at a particularly-dressed mannequin. “I apologize, but I happened to catch a glimpse of it from here— your quarrel, I mean.”

   “You mean the tooth-and-bone fight to the death? I almost died.”

   “You have spirit. Any normal person would have locked themselves away until that rampaging bastard moved on. But you took the initiative. That isn’t just an adventurist way of thinking, but a top-tier officer, or even higher. In any regards, it speaks the promise of a true Hero in the making.”

   “I’m... no hero,” I mutter, shaking my head. “I don’t know what you’re about to offer me, but you can be sure I’m not worth the trouble.”

   “Boy— humor me for a few more minutes and try this on.” He motions towards the particular outfit.

   It’s the leather armor from the front of the store. I hadn’t noticed its absence when I first walked in. But somehow... it seems different. The hems have been adjusted and capped with a yellowish metal lining. The chest plate has been covered with another layer of leather, a reddish brown color. It’s no tone of leather I’ve ever seen before, that’s for sure. All-in-all, it seems so much more refined since I last saw it. And dare I say... I like it.

   “How does it look?” asks Albert.

   “You sure didn’t waste any time,” I reply. “How much are you asking?“

   “Do you think I would go through the trouble of taking my own time to hem this to your very body type, and expect compensation?”

   “Yeah, that’s... basically the definition of the word ‘business,’” I mutter. “I’ll take it, but I’d rather pay for it.”

   “Well— I am not asking for money. How could I? I simply felt inspired by such an act of selfless heroism. Like the good old days, before the war.”

   I can’t in good conscience get behind this, mostly because of the crippling guilt that still pulls at my chest. How could I accept a reward after I let so many die? Not only Esmeralda, but the kids, those two poor civilians... And I can’t help but think to the others that just happened to get in his way. But then...

   It’s unfair, I know. But whether I was here or not didn’t matter. Esmeralda would have died anyways. I didn’t spare her from her fate, I only delayed it. And the kids... They would have been sold as slaves. My teeth grit at the very thought of whatever child-molesting no-toothed bastard would have been the one to buy them. Is it better that they...? But I can’t sugar coat this any more. It happened, and I witnessed it. And judging by the sheer number of graves I saw earlier, this isn’t a rare occurrence. Just a taste of this life is...

   “Pardon, son... Could you use a handkerchief?” asks the man.

   I jolt up in surprise, a tear leaping from my cheek as I do. I spin around and wipe my face with my hands. “S-Sorry. I just... I made a mistake today. Call me anything. Just not a hero.”

   “Fair enough. A sprout, then— destined to become a mighty tree... given time.”

   “I hope that wasn’t supposed to make me feel any better.”

   “Perhaps not. Just call this... an investment into the future. Now don’t be shy, please. Try it on.”

   I hesitate. But I eventually nod, and the clothier hands me the first piece of armor.

   Looking into the mirror, I’m surprised by how different I look. Not my face, nor my true appearance. More, it’s something that I can’t exactly see, and instead something I feel. For the first time, I find myself standing tall. And maybe it’s nothing but the armor, fitted perfectly to my physique. But whether it is or not, the look I give myself in the mirror leads me to confirm to myself the heraldry of my actions thus forth.

   “Sir?” I mutter.

   “Is something the matter?”

   “Do I have what it takes to become a hero?”

   “That... isn’t for me to say, I suppose,” he replies. “Though from here... There is good promise your labors will bear the sweet fruits of success in the near future.”

   “Then... I know where to start.”

   “Of course you do,” he nods. “Seek my brother in the Capital City, Abraham Leufgarde-Rosencrantz. Show him the sigil on your left breast, and I am quite confident he will not turn you away. Probably.”

   “You’re confident he ‘probably’ won’t turn me away?”

   “Fret not the details. I will send message to the guild. I may not have power myself, but mention of his name should be enough. Are you set?”

   “My mistake left me with a new responsibility,” I mutter. “Will I ever be ready? Probably not. But then again, are we ever?”

   “I... meant in the literal tense. I must close shop soon.”

   “Huh—? O-Oh, I see. Sorry. Yeah, I’ll be going,” I say. “And here—“ I hand him a hundred-Jeul coin.

   “But I must protest—“

   “Just take it. Had I not been here to hear all your talk of heroes, I might’ve just drowned myself in my own sorrows,” I mutter. “I mean it. I’m literally sleeping in the rented rooms of a tavern right now. It couldn’t be easier.”

   “I’ll take that as thanks. And safe ventures, sir.”

   “Cyr, actually,” I say. “I don’t think I’d introduced myself earlier.” I begin walking towards the door.

   “Do me a favor and turn people my way when you become a famous hero, yes?” he chuckles.

   “I’ll see what I can do,” I say back. I find a thin smile running across my lips as I push open the heavy door, out into the twilight and the world beyond.

   That’s it. Might as well try, right?

   I’ve felt this kind of sorrow before, when one of my only childhood friends died on a family vacation. For some reason, it’s taken me this long to remember it. I thought the world had ended around me. But that I’m here now— maybe fifteen years later, means that it hasn’t, and I’m still here. All I’ll do from now on... is try. So rest in peace, Lyle, Raymond, Lily... Esmeralda. And watch me as my journey unravels. Even if I never existed, the world would still be here, in the exact same way. So as long as I am here, it’s my job to make the most change I can. It’s my job to try.

   When I first step into my own room, those there stop to look at me. Elise immediately tries her hardest to laugh at me, but nothing comes from her. It looks like she is impressed.

   “Where did the roadblock receive such attire?” asks Vivian, turning to me. She’s on her knees beside the bed.

   “C-Cyr...?”

   I turn to look. To my absolute surprise, there Nora is, sitting up fully awake in her bed.

   “Nora—!” I say. I hurry to her side. “Why are you up so soon? You need to rest!”

   “Cyr...” she mutters. “...Where... is my Sister...?”

   Dammit, she went right for it. I’m not prepared for this.

   “I’m... sorry,” I say. “I... tried to save her, but...”

   No more tears. Please... no more tears. If she starts crying, then I’m going to start crying, and I’d only be going against everything I’d promised myself today. So please...

   Nora is visibly saddened. Perhaps even devastated. But no tears fall. Her cheeks remain dry. I can only act in admiration of her tremendous constitution.

   “I don’t know what you saw, what you experienced, but—” I begin.

   “Her screams...” she mutters. “I still... can’t make them go away. She... kept calling your name, over and over until...”

   It’s then that the tears began to flow. I’m not sure if she started first or if I did, but Nora ends up leaping towards me, grabbing my shirt and weeping into my chest. I lean into her and carefully wrap my arms around her. I try to hide my tears in words of reassurance, that I’m here, and that I won’t let anything else happen to her. But I know those words are as much for me as they are for her. If this life is what being an adventurer is, then I’m not sure I’ll last long. I care too much.

   “Cyr... Now is not the time for sorrow. Neither for Nora.” Vivian stands behind me. “...‘Save your tears for the times when life brings you joy, not despair.’ My mother told me that once.”

   Her words seem to instill something in me. It’s not enough to banish the tears, but it’s enough to help me regain my senses. Unfortunately, Nora isn’t listening. The thick leather of my light armor is still being drenched.

I stay with her until she finally grows quiet, maybe an hour. Before falling asleep, she quietly tells me something.

   “...Don’t... forget me...” she whispers. She’s asleep before I can even reply. I lay her back in bed and take a slow stand. Surprisingly, Vivian is still standing there behind me.

   “I wish to commune elsewhere,” she tells me, looking off to the side.

  I nod. She leads me to the outer hall. I close the door behind us.

   “I ain’t gonna stay out here too long,” I say. “If she wakes up again, I’d better be there.”

   “What do you intend to do now, roadblock?” she asks. Her arms are crossed, and her expression is stagnant as usual. “With the girl, I mean.”

   “Y’know... I have a sister, back where I’m from,” I reply. “She always got into trouble. Like she was in over her head just by existing.”

   “I do not see what point you are trying to make,” she says.

   “I looked out for her, that’s the gist. Long story short, I think I can do Nora the same.”

   “And you think you can raise her all by yourself?”

   “Like I said earlier, she’s been through hell and back. She’s lost both of the only families she’s ever had. Whether I can or can’t isn’t a viable question. I will because she can’t stand to lose another.”

   A huff escapes Vivian’s mouth, almost a laugh.

   “Regardless,” she continues. “Without a solid plan, your struggles will all be in vain. So what do you intend to do, truly?”

   “Well... I’ll... Join the Adventurers Guild,” I reply. “I’ll get enough money for us, and... I’ll...”

   “This afternoon you came back here with blood trailing for miles behind you. How can I believe that you will ever survive?”

   “I don’t ever remember you being worried for my survival before,” I say. “I have... ‘friends in high places’ as the saying goes. Or maybe they’re my enemies. But I’ll survive because I have to. Up till now I’ve been stuck spinning my goddamn wheels— er, I mean, twiddling my thumbs, y’know? But now I’ve got something to work towards. Call me naive, but I want to save lives.”

   “Naive indeed. Your notions of justice falter at the most pivotal of standpoints.” She takes a moment to let out a long sigh. “But... It is not stupid. You will learn soon enough that there is no short supply of people in need of being saved. And if becoming an adventurer is what you believe will aid you in that, then I suppose I can lend assistance to a mere bug on the road.”

   “Really? How so?”

   “My father delayed our return until early tomorrow morning. If you join us, our carriage will bring us to our home. It is within an hour’s walk to the Capital City from there, where you will find the sanctuary of the adventurers.”

   “R-Really? Well— That’d be great. But... I’m no doctor, so I couldn’t really tell if it’s safe to move Nora yet.”

   “When I spoke to her, after she first awoke, I noted a strong vitality through her quiet words,” she replies. “I cannot be certain whether it is safe or not, but that she is awake and conscious this early bodes well towards her recovery.”

   “She was bludgeoned on the back of the head.” I pause. “She’s strong, but... she’s just a kid.”

   “The journey is a half-day’s ride. And you can carry her the rest of the way.” Vivian leans against the peeling side wall. “If you are as determined as you think you are, then this will not stand in your way. Unlike you when we first m—“

   “—When we first met. Yeah yeah, I get it, I blocked the road,” I grumble. “But this isn’t my say. Hell, I don’t even know if she wants to come with me. We... see how she feels in the morning.”

   “We will depart when the morning sun first hits the eastern peak of the rising district wall tower. We will not wait any longer.”