"It's been nearly a month since I left town. Food is scarce and I'm starving. Can't you give me a little nibble?" I pleaded with the woman before me, carrying an apple in her mouth. She just tilted her head to the side before prancing through a nearby brush. "This is what I get for expecting help from a doe."

I was nearing the end of my rope. I carried none of the bags I planned on bringing with me, and I couldn't hunt to save my life. Not to mention not knowing how to forage. I was beginning to regret having uncle Noah teach me swordsmanship instead of hunting and gathering.

It felt like the next step could be my last as I wavered in and out of consciousness. This was the third forest I entered in a sea of planes. It made sense why there were no towns between them. There was no food.

As I accepted the hollow sounds from my gut as a signal of my demise, I heard a sharp rustling in the bushes. Too tired to fight any dangers, I turned and watched as a handful of apples spilled onto the ground, followed by the nose of the very doe I dismissed.

It wasn't much, but it was enough to get me back on my feet. I thanked her with a hug and head-pats. She licked my face before prancing away again.

I continued on my way out of the forest. That's when I realized I was a stone's throw from a town as I saw an arrow-shaped sign that read 'Appelstad'

Hanging my head low in embarrassment, I nearly kicked myself. If I just kept going a little longer, I'd have seen that a town named after an abundance of food was right in front of me.

I followed the arrow down the road and came upon a town gate. The sign on the wooden gate confirmed that this was the town the sign was pointing to.

The town looked similar to the one I grew up in except for the constant depictions of apples everywhere I looked. It was midday so most of the shops were open and some had free samples laid out for travelers like me.

Everything from apple tarts and chocolate-dipped apples to applesauce and apple juice. everywhere I looked was an apple. Even the weapon shop had an apple shield on display.

The only thing that wasn't apple-centric was the guildhall. There was a heavy atmosphere, and it felt like all hell could break loose at any moment.

Across from the entrance stood a bar and next to it was a cork wall plastered with jobs and bounties. Being without money, I figured I'd take on a job as an adventurer, but as I approached the board, I heard a voice call out to me.

"Hey horny girl, over here!" I looked to my left to see a woman in a red bandanna and brown leather padded clothing with a blue tattoo in a straight line over her left eye and down her face. She was sitting at a table with a mug in her hand. There were a few others sitting with her, but she was the one who called me out. "Looking for a job?"

I nodded, and the woman motioned for me to join them. Once I reached the table, she spoke again.

"The name's Vera. This here's my man Cyrus." Next to her, a tall man with short, dark hair under a steel light helmet and minimal armor gave a nod while drinking down his mug. "Over there, we have Jefford." She gestured to a man wielding a halberd in heavy blue armor. His stare was both piercing and calming but I couldn't see anything beyond that. "And Sandra." The last person at the table was dressed similarly to me but her clothes had a green trim and she held a quarterstaff.

"I'm Scarlet," I said, looking over the group. "Are you guys part of a guild?"

"We are a guild" She took a swig from her mug. "We're the Endlings, know what that means?"

"Umm... No?"

"It means We're the last of our kind." She took another swig and finished off her drink. "Not explicitly, though. People like us are just extremely rare in this world." She motioned around the table again. "I'm a half-elf, Cyrus is part Dragon borne, Sandra's an Aasimar, and Jefford is a Mer-man." She looked me up and down. "So, what are you?"

"I, um... I'm cursed, I think; but, I could... be part... tiefling?" I couldn't help but eye the angel in the room.

"Don't worry about me." Sandra pointed behind her back and the tip of a skeletal wing popped over her shoulder. "I'm a fallen Aasimar."

"So this curse. What kind we dealing with here?" Vera was interested in me for obvious reasons.

"Why do you want to know?" I took a wary step back.

"Because I want you to join us." She smiled. "You're strapped for cash, right? Join us on a mission and see if you like us enough to stay. You'll get paid and if you don't like us, you can continue on your merry way, how about it?"

I gave it a moment of consideration, what could I lose? "Sure, I'm in."

"Great!" Vera's eyes lit up. "We're about to go on a hunting mission, let's go." She stood and despite the pressure she gave off, she was only as high as my chest. The rest of the group followed her, and I followed them.

We left town and entered the forest that housed the doe that helped me out earlier. Now that I wasn't starving, I could see that the greenery was much lusher than I thought and there was wildlife in every direction.

"We're looking for saber-toothed boars. Three of them," said Vera, pulling a collapsible metal crossbow from her back.

Jefford took the front with his halberd. Vera stayed right behind him while Sandra with her emerald quarterstaff and I with my swords stayed behind her and Cyrus took the rear with a black sword and shield.

We took a right off the path and continued onward until we reached a clearing a few minutes later. There was a small pond surrounded by woodland animals, none of which was a boar.

"Those boars were last seen around here," said Jefford, readying his weapon. We all followed his example, ready for trouble from every direction.

The fauna scattered as we approached, leaving only the flora and a slight breeze as company to our party. The silence was unnerving. It was as if a storm was coming.

Slowly, we began to spread out and look for signs of our large targets. I stayed with Sandra and the other three went alone in different directions.

"Found something." The incredible depth of the voice of the person that spoke made me jump clear off the ground and quickly turn around in fear. "The tracks lead this way." Cyrus was gesturing toward the ground next to him. "It looks like we just missed them." It was like the ground shook every time he spoke.

"Looks like you scared our newcomer, Cy," said Sandra, who stood only a few feet away from me.

"Sorry about that." Cyrus nodded thoughtfully.

"I-it's ok," I said, embarrassed at my own reactions.

"Alright, back in formation." Vera took charge, and we went back to the positions we took on the way there.

We followed the abnormally large hoof prints for a while before we began hearing large creatures grunting ahead. looking between the foliage, we spotted a white boar easily the size of a horse but twice as wide. Its tusks were similar to blades as if it sported two curved broadswords on its face.

"Jefford, take point, Cyrus, back him up and we'll-"

Vera was cut off by a loud high-pitch squeal as the creature before us began to charge. The ground trembled for real this time.

"Stay calm." Vera stuck her hand out to the side and looked back at me. I was just scanning our surroundings to make sure there wasn't another creature charging at us.

Once it neared us, Jefford stood his ground and twirled his halberd between him and the boar. Once the creature made contact, there was a blue light and the sound of blades clashing. The boar was now flying backward nearly ten feet in the air followed closely by the heavily armored man who seemed to be swimming through the air to meet it. Once he was in range, he slammed the blade of his weapon into its belly and carried it to the ground where it struggled.

The rest of us made our way out of the brush quickly to meet the man who kept the boar pinned. We stood nearby and listened to the cries of the lone boar and waited for the other two to respond to one of their own in danger.

The ground began rumbling twice as hard as before and the other two came from the left and right respectively.

"Scarlet, over here." Vera and Sandra went left and I followed while Cyrus went right.

Running at full speed, Vera jumped over the beast's head and shot downward, missing its eyes. It reared its head up and sent her flying as its bladed tusks made contact.

Sandra and I looked at each other and she raised her staff which began glowing white. The white boar before us began glowing as well and seemed to slow down a bit, then a white translucent bubble appeared around us. She took a stance with the staff between her outstretched hands.

I stood beside her with my swords drawn and ready. The boar's speed gradually decreased as it neared us. By the time it came close enough to hit the barrier, It was going at a trot before stopping completely and staring at me before promptly sitting.

Sandra looked confusedly between me and the boar before noticing the fresh blood on one of its tusks.

"Go to her, I got this," I said, confident in my abilities.

She nodded and put her hands down, causing the shield to disappear before sprinting around the boar to Vera on the other side.

I walked toward the large creature with a hand outstretched. It whined and retreated back the same distance as if afraid. This was a reaction I was used to. Slowly, I closed the distance and laid my hand on its snout. It huffed and lowered its head.

"I'll name you Kip," I said, petting its snout. It raised its head and continued sitting.

"Did you just tame that thing?" I heard Vera as I saw the pair of girls rounding the side of the boar. She was leaning on Sandra for support and holding a spot in her chest.

"Sure," I said, smiling.

"That makes less work for us, then." I turned around to see Jefford beside the splayed corpse of a boar. The other one had also been felled by the hands of Cyrus.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Making sure to keep it docile, I led Kip out of the forest. Everyone else followed as Jefford lifted and carried one while Cyrus carried the other. Their raw strength left me in awe as they seemed to do it effortlessly.

Vera refused to be healed by Sandra as she was determined to bleed out. She did eventually, and we had to stop as she was patched up and put atop Kip for safekeeping.

We made it back to town shortly and Sandra led us to where the commission we just completed came from. It was a blacksmith and farmer to the north of the town. We were paid handsomely for the dead boars as their tusks were still in excellent condition and even more so for the living one.

We found ourselves halfway back to the guildhall before realizing that we forgot Vera was still on Kip's back. She was huffing and puffing near the farm gate by the time we got back to retrieve her and she wouldn't stop complaining about how much her wound hurt and that we left her on the way back.

Cyrus carried her the whole way and when he offered to let her down, she just held on tighter. In the end, she sat on his lap at the table in the guildhall.

"So, what do you think about our little guild?" asked Vera, hanging onto Cyrus for dear life.

"Um... I like you guys, but here's the truth." They all were listening closely. "I'm totally human. I'm not part anything." I removed my swords and placed them on the table. "I was born with a curse that came from these swords and that's why I have horns. I'm not an endling."

"So, what's stopping you from joining us?" Vera leaned onto her elbows on the table. "There's gotta be more than that."

I looked at her, speechless. "Uh... I... Can't sit in one place. I'm on a journey, and..." I trailed off, not knowing how to explain myself.

"You either got someone to save or someone to kill, which is it?" It was almost as if she read my mind.

"Both, actually." I looked down at the swords as they gleamed in the dim light.

"So, where are we going?"

"Wait, what?" I looked back up at her.

"I said, where are we going? I'm the leader of this merry band of misfits, so where I go, they follow and I'm interested in this journey of yours."

I gave it some thought. They seemed genuine and some part of me trusted them. There was only one thing I had to be sure of. "If I tried to leave without telling you guys, would you follow me?"

"In a heartbeat." She said it without a moment of hesitation. "But if you really don't want to join us, it's fine. You can just leave whenever."

"Ok, I'm headed to Starboard," I said, grabbing my swords and putting them away.

"Where in Starboard? I need to make sure whether or not we need a boat."

"Have you ever heard of Muriel the betrayer?"

"No."

"He was apparently an old hero. In any case, he kidnapped my cousin and I'm on my way to get her back. I heard that he had a bounty in Starboard and That's why I'm on my way there."

"So, you don't know where in Starboard?"

"No," I said, bashfully.

"Let's look at the bounty board." She attempted to relieve herself of Cyrus' lap with difficulty, and instead, Cyrus had to lift and stand her up.

"Are you ok?" I asked the small woman as she loitered over to a board standing closer to the entrance.

"I'm good." She made wild gestures with her hand and shook her head. "It's just blood loss. I'll be fine."

"She hails from a warrior clan," said Cyrus, startling me in the process. "It's in her nature to want a warrior's death. Of course, we won't let that happen so easily, but it doesn't stop her from trying."

"That being said, she wouldn't be here if she wasn't so skilled," Sandra spoke now. "Way back when we started this guild, we had a tournament of sorts to see who was fit to be the leader and she bested all of us. She didn't want the position, so we kinda forced it on her."

"Wait, so she beat all of you?" I looked between all of them. "Even you?" I looked at Jefford.

"I didn't make it easy," he said, sitting proudly.

"So, she's been the guild leader this whole time?" I still couldn't believe my ears.

"You guys are welcome to challenge me at any time if you want my position." Vera was back from the board with a withered slip of paper in her hand. "And you still have your initiation." She sat down on her own seat. "I hope you don't disappoint."

"Initiation?"

"Just what they described. Every newbie fights the current guild leader and if they win, they take the position." She sat the slip of paper on the table in front of me. "I think this is what you're looking for."

The slip of paper bore a faded image that made it impossible to tell what the person looked like and under it read: Mezurealite 'Muriel' Donstrumn, and under that read: The Betrayer. All of it was faded to the point where it was barely legible.

Scrutinizing the paper, I finally found a location. "Appellation Islands."

"Oh, we're not gonna need a boat." Sandra gave a sigh of relief. "There are a series of bridges between there and the mainland."

"Is a boat that bad?" I asked.

"The sea is rough... Also, I can't swim." She admitted.

"Ok, onward to-" Vera got up quickly and immediately slumped back into her seat.

"Be careful," said Sandra, laying her hand on her leader's shoulder. "You lost a lot of blood and you might reopen your wound." Vera began glowing white and she perked up.

"Fine, whatever you say." The small woman stood and made for the door followed by the healer. "We need to pack for the journey."

Their guild house was a short, wooden shack next to an apple tree near a shallow river to the south. It looked run-down and desolate until we entered. The outside didn't look like much, but the entrance housed a staircase that led down to an underground residence that went down three floors.

It was decorated with different artifacts from around the five allied countries. There were weapons from Azuma to the east, armor from Settentrion to the north, jewelry from Starboard to the west, furniture from Meridiona to the south, and clothes from Centrialis, the no-man's land in between.

I couldn't hold in my curiosity and asked Sandra, "What country did you get your outfit from?"

She responded, "Miridiona. Specifically Hawe town. There's a doctor there that makes the best enchanted gear. Especially for a mage like myself."

"Was it Dr. Flaherty?"

"Yeah, did you go to her as well?"

"She took care of me for a while and made me this when... Never mind."

"It's ok, we all have our secrets and backstories," She said, understandingly, "Oh yeah, I heard that that doctor was related to King Flaherty of Settentrione." She looked upwards with a look of wonder. "That would be something."

"No way." I shook my head aggressively. "I grew up in Hawe town, there's no way she's from a place like that." Had I not met Murcury before hearing this, I would have believed it. She always had a way with magic and she always carried herself with an air of dignity that no one else could.

"Is it that hard to believe?" She looked shocked by my reaction.

"Yes," I said, sternly.

Instead of leaving immediately, we decided to go the next day instead to give Vera time to rest and heal a bit more.

I was given a spare room to stay the night and the next day, I awoke to daylight coming through a nearby window despite being underground. Why were there even windows in an underground house? Going outside, I found everything still the same. There weren't even any holes for sunlight to travel through. Everyone else was outside already with bags of essentials.

"Last to rise, huh?" Vera was stretching by the tree. "I'm ready when you are." she took a power stance with her hands on her hips.

"Are you... Ok?" I asked, looking her up and down.

"Oh, I'm fine. I'm completely healed." She stretched her arms a bit more and settled against the tree.

"Hey, Scarlet." I turned around to see Jefford holding the door of the shack that housed the guild.

"What..?" I was visibly confused as to why he'd be holding it.

"Watch this," he said, before promptly folding it to the size of a chessboard and placing it in his backpack. "That was the entire hideout."

"Eh?" There was no way. I sprinted back to the shack and looked down. There was no sign of the stairway that led down. The only thing there was a pile of rotted and broken wood. "Wha?" I looked back at him and he gave a hearty laugh.

"Your reaction is priceless. Our hideout is mobile, but we can only move it when there's nobody inside. We can also just put it on the floor, but it's nice to have something to walk into."

"Alright, we're done making bets." I was finally starting to get used to Cyrus' voice. He and Sandra were talking among themselves up until then.

"I'm still ready whenever you are." Vera was still leaning against the tree. "We gotta do this before we go." She stood away from the tree and took a stance with twin daggers shaped like a flame and a lightning bolt respectively.

"Wait, wait, wait, rules, rules, rules," I said, waving my arms defensively, "What are the rules? Win conditions? I don't wanna just attack you."

"Oh, yeah. Rules..." She paused for a moment. "First to get knocked down three times loses; that means your back hits the ground. Also if you bleed twice, it's over and it can't be the same wound twice." She seemed proud of the rules she seemed to make up on the spot. "Of course, giving up is an automatic loss."

I nodded. "Ok." I drew my swords. "Here we go." Slowly, I made my way to her. After hearing everything the others said about her, there was no way I was going to take it easy no matter how small she was.

As I came within striking range, she made the first move. She tapped my nearest sword with one of her daggers and hopped into the air. I found myself reeling back from a kick that landed on my jaw that I didn't see coming. I staggered backward in surprise.

"Fight like you mean it. I don't want this to be easy."

I shook my head, exhaled, and struck at her with Baroness. She jumped, avoiding my attack, and came straight for my head with both her daggers. Letting go of my sword, I was able to retread and meet her blades with a downward slash with Reaver.

Once the blades made contact, she used her momentum to springboard off of my sword and land behind me before attempting to stab at me with both blades. Turning as quickly as I could, I summoned Baroness back to my hand and guarded against the attack.

I heard the sound of metal-on-metal contact, but the next thing I knew, it was like she was climbing up my body and somehow flipped me onto my back.

Standing in less than a second, I found her in the air above me. Jumping back, I nearly panicked until I saw an opening. My foot raced outward as I took the chance and made contact with her chest, sending her backward through the air.

She landed on her feet and sprinted for me. I planned on holding my ground until I got an idea. Winding up, I threw Baroness at her. Instead of blocking it, she dodged to the side, but as she dodged, I summoned the sword back to my hand and threw it again. She wasn't able to dodge it this time and the back edge slammed directly into her forehead, sending her to the ground.

I waited for a second for her to stand, but suddenly, she had closed half the distance between us before I knew it. My panicked reaction was to throw my foot out hoping I would hit her again. Instead, she hopped atop my leg and launched herself at me. Instinctively I rammed my head forward and made contact with bone.

I opened my eyes to Vera on the ground, writhing in pain while shouting swears at the top of her lungs in at least two different languages. She was kicking her feet wildly into the air while holding her head. This went on for over a minute until she calmed down, exhausted.

"What the hell are those horns made of anyway?" She said, still gasping for air

"I don't know, but they're harder than metal," I said, tapping one of my horns with a sword. "Are we still going, or...?"

"Nah." She sat up. "Check your cheeks.

I felt around my face and my cheek stung as my fingertips brushed a cut I didn't know was there. It burned slightly more than a normal cut and I saw blood from it on my fingertips. My other cheek had something similar, except My fingertips received a static shock on contact.

"How-?" I started

"I got you with my fire dagger when I flipped you on the ground and I got you with the lightning one just now."

"Oh... ok." I put my swords away and approached her with my hand out. "Need help?"

"No, just let me die here..." She laid back down. "You should bandage those cuts."

"Uh, sure..." I checked my pockets and remembered that I still had no supplies. "I'll be back. I forgot that I didn't have anything with me. Not even a bag to carry stuff in."

"I'll come with you." Sandra handed Cyrus a small handful of coins and skipped my way.

"Ok." I took her invitation to join, and we went into town to shop.

First things first, we went to the local supply store to pick up a couple of first-aid kits, a bag, and some rations. I put some ointment and bandages on my cuts. Next, we went to a weapon shop. Sandra suggested it and I just went with it. I ended up with a short bow, fifteen wooden practice arrows, and ten normal arrows. Next was the armorer next door where I got a pair of chain gauntlets to protect my fingers better in combat. Then we went to a seamstress where I got two new outfits, one for casual wear and another for colder weather. Finally, we sat down at a restaurant and had an apple-themed meal.

All in all, it was a good time. I began to like Sandra more and more as I got to know her. She was high-born in a country outside of the five allied nations of Cardinal. She was a rebel to the point where she incurred the ire of her people and was forced into exile. According to her, her featherless wings were once golden and pretty until she was stripped of them by the gods her people worshiped. All of this before she was fifteen.

A few years later, she was found by the Endlings. They weren't a guild at the time and their group numbered more than ten. Most were children, but all had one thing in common; nowhere else to go. She wouldn't tell me how there came to be only the four of them, but the way she talked about it made it clear that not all partings were happy.

When we returned, Vera was sporting wrapped bandages around her head, and everyone was either standing by the tree or sitting by the river waiting for us.

"Ready to go?" Vera hopped away from the tree.

"You two have a nice date?" Cyrus had a smug look on his face as he spoke.

"Shut up." Sandra gave him a stiff finger.

"I mean, you two took a long time, you must have enjoyed each other's company."

"Are you drunk or stupid?" Sandra was more defensive than I thought she'd be.

"Drunk." Cyrus, Jefford, and Vera all gave the same response.

"I had some liquor while you were gone." He produced an empty glass bottle the size of his hand from his pocket and dropped it on the ground. "Whoops." He tried to pick it up and stumbled forward instead, stepping on and breaking the bottle.

Despite Cyrus' drunkenness, we headed out immediately. Eventually, he sobered up and admitted that the reason he was drunk was that Vera dared him to drink a whole bottle of liquor, but he apologized to both of us for his outburst. I assured him that I didn't mind, but Sandra simply continued onward without a word. She wasn't particularly angry, but she wanted him to think she was and I think it worked. He couldn't look her in the eye for a day.