The once lively manor now lay eerily silent, resembling a graveyard. Hudson was missing, leaving not a single hint of his current whereabouts. He was a criminal, an attempted murderer, so the residents discussed. The news spread like wildfire about the butler who attempted to kill his master. Mercenaries were present in every nook and cranny of Pyrovile, transforming the once-calm town into a stronghold of unrest. The frowns on the cooks’ faces were evident, creating deep lines on their foreheads and a heaviness in their expressions. Their usual vibrant energy seemed to be replaced by a sense of worry and concern. Mary couldn’t help but notice their distress and offered her help to Gordon.

Mary helped out in the bustling kitchen. She focused on her task of examining the onions. She examined each one, feeling their firmness and inspecting their outer layers for any signs of spoilage. Satisfied with their quality, she deftly picked up a knife and began chopping them into small, uniform pieces. Amidst the rhythmic sound of her knife hitting the cutting board, Mary couldn’t help but voice her thoughts.

“Hey, do you think he did it?” she asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and a hint of concern.

“Unthinkable,” Gordon said, biting a carrot, and tossing the remains into the pot.

“He’s alive, right?” her voice shaking as she dropped her knife. She bowed her head, covering her face.

“Don’t worry dear” he placed his hand on her shoulder, “He’s our master, right? He won’t die that easily,” he said, his voice filled with certainty with a bright smile. She replied with a smile, cleaning off her escaped tears, and picked up her knife.

“You’re right! Hudson is no weakling,” she picked up another onion. “Now Let’s finish this up before Lord Tony drinks again.” They laughed it off and continued cooking their meals.

*

Deep within the forest, the gigantic trees obstructed the view of the skies, leaving the band of novice adventurers and butler in the dark. Few rays of light escaped into the scene, ending the feeling of nervousness one would get venturing into an abandoned dungeon. The smell of dung and Pasta’s sweat was all over. The other guys didn’t show any concern, while Emilia was fixated on distracting herself from all of it. She covered her nose with her green handkerchief while she focused on the adventurer’s guidebook. She was halfway done, just two hundred more pages to go. Maybe she’ll stumble on how to handle boys smell, a shame that’s impossible.

They ventured into the forest, following Mr Swordsman’s lead. Travelling with others was exhausting and even more when you have to protect them. He took another peek of the map and then to the trees, then to the map again. The map showed they should be at some place with a river surrounded by trees. He turned it over, giving it a closer look.

“Why did we stop?” Hudson asked, adjusting his cast.

“Are there more mushkins? Hell yeah, I’m itching for some action.” Pasta unsheathed his sword.

Emilia noticed the boys had stopped. She closed her book and made her way forward. “What’s wrong guys?”

“Say, Emilia, this map leads to Pyroville, right?” the swordsman asked, tilting the map while he squinted his eyes to have a closer look.

“Not actually, the taskmaster said they led to the sun blossoms. She said nothing about a- Wait a minute!-Are we lost?”

“Calm your horses, girl. We can just go back,” Mr Swordsman said.

Emilia took a deep breath, pondering on the situation. They shouldn’t worry about this. If they can recall their way back, they can return to the guild and get a map to Pyroville.

“Let’s hurry, though. I really want to pound on some mercenaries,” Pasta said, throwing one fist after the other.

Hudson had been silent ever since they left the tent, or more accurately, since the tent collapsed. With his right arm dislocated, Mr Swordsman fashioned a makeshift cast from a cloth he had with him.

They decided to head back to the guild and grab a map to Pyrovile, turning in the direction from where they came. They all stood in silence.

“Girl, you may begin,” Mr Swordsman said, adjusting his hat.

“Huh? Why me?”

“I’ve been looking ahead all this time, leading the way. So I have no clue of the places we passed”

Emilia crossed her arms. “I don’t get it. If you were the one reading the map and observing the surroundings, you should be the one to get us back.”

Mr Swordsman gritted his teeth, wielding his blade swiftly. “Don’t ask questions, just lead us back.”

He hadn’t been following the map all along, he believed, relying on his wits and direction would get them to Pyroville. Unfortunately, he was mistaken.

Emilia sighed, “I wasn’t paying attention, I was busy with the guidebook”

“Why are you always reading that stuff, anyway?” Pasta asked.

“I don’t know, because it’s a guidebook for novice adventurers,” she said, rolling her eyes.

The swordsman sighed and pointed at both Pasta and Hudson. “Pas-. No, Hudson, you can make yourself useful by guiding us to Pyrovile. We don’t need a map with you around”.

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Hudson let out a nervous laugh, scratching his head. “I must apologize, but this is my first time in the woods, and I’m afraid I have absolutely no sense of direction.”

“We’re doomed if we don’t find a way back,” Emilia said, flipping through her book, looking for any solution. Her eyes glinted when she found an answer to their current situation. She explained to the crew how they should keep on heading south since most towns here are positioned in cardinal directions to each other. According to the guide, we need to go south for the next town and that’s Pyroville.

“I knew I could count on you, Emilia,” Mr. Swordsman said with relief. The last thing he wanted was for the kids to realize he was terrible at reading maps. They made their way south, the forest thickening around them with each step. After a few hours, they found themselves deeper in the woods. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until...

*growling*

“Excuse me, everyone, I am quite famished. We all should consider taking a break for the time being,” Hudson said before collapsing to the floor.

Mr Swordsman stopped and also sat on the dirt. “I agree, we need energy if we want to make it to Pyroville”

Pasta fell on his back, panting, “Yeah, some rest sounds good. Something nice to eat right about now would hone it.” He began reminiscing about the rice he had before they left. He turned to Emilia, “Hey sis, I’m starving. What’s for lunch?”

“I didn’t pack much. Who would have thought we’d spend more time here than expected?” she brought out the last loaf of bread, “And this is mine, so don’t bother asking”. The three men stood transfixed, their eyes fixed on the freshly baked loaf. Its tender texture and vibrant colour seemed to emanate from the scarce rays of sunlight that touched it, while its delightful aroma wafted through the air. The temptation to snatch the loaf was overpowering, fueled further by the growling of their empty stomachs. But one thing held them back, a powerful statement she made that brought them to ruin.

“You’re all grown men, aren’t you? Find your own food,” Emilia said, biting down on her bread. They were angry, yes, but they couldn’t bear the thought of leaving a girl to starve, knowing it would bruise their sense of masculinity. Mr Swordsman smirked. I’ve been providing my meals for years now. This will be a piece of cake, and an opportunity to assert my dominance, he thought.

“Ok, then it’s a challenge,” Pasta stood. “Let’s go hunting boys,”

Hudson was shaking in his boots. Can’t they see I’m injured? he thought. Pasta smiled and dashed into the forest. Mr. Swordsman utterly disappeared. Hudson stood there, his cast itching uncontrollably, but that was the least of his problems. He hoped they would share what they caught. But before then he’ll have to stay hungry.

“Oh? I’m finally done eating and oh boy, I’m full. But what do we have here? Bread? Oh, no,” she said, aloud “I have more bread, and the others are already long gone. What should I do?” her terrible acting skills slipping off a little.

He turned to Emilia, who flashed him a grin. They both enjoyed their meal while the others went for their most daring hunt yet.

*

The forest is cool, or I think it is, so there should be some more animals here. I don’t know what animal but I do know, that if they’re here, it means they love cool places hehe. This is easy. Pasta stood on a tree to have a better view and soon noticed some rustling in a bush far ahead.

“Got you!”

He jumped off the branch and sprinted towards it. From bush to bush, this little critter jumped. Pasta wasn’t able to recognize it, but as long as it’s a living creature, it can also be food. He gripped his sword tightly and thrust it into the bush, revealing a small, green-scaled creature whose ball-like body shimmered in the light.

“I’ve never seen a creature like this before. How are you, little fella?” He attempted to tickle it gently. Suddenly, it exploded, releasing a toxic green fume.

“Damm” he leaped out of the area, “There are a lot of poisonous creatures here in the forest, aren’t they”.

He sighed, looking down to see his clothes melting off. The trees slowly turned into huge hunks of meat and the bushes became hot pots of rice. The vines twisted into noodles, and vibrant colours painted the sky like a masterpiece of a renowned artist.

“Am I in heaven?” He asked, spotting a unicorn, its pristine white body and long pink hair drawing him in. She noticed him and ran into the woods, “Wait my love,” he said, chasing after her.

*

Aura had multiple uses, the ability to make oneself more durable was its common purpose. But that right now is unnecessary. By performing a miniature aura burst, I could locate nearby prey. Mr Swordsman took in a deep breath and focused on the gentle movement of the trees and grass. “Aura burst,” he said. The air shifted and nothing in particular changed.

“Damm it,” he continued strolling into the forest, there was no animal in sight. Even the frequent chirping was nowhere to be heard.

“This is tiring. What is a forest without its occupants?” he went silent. Mr Swordsman frowned, clenching his fist. “A forest with no animals, huh?”

He composed himself and continued his walk. He could hear the footsteps and giggles of little children around him.

“A time meant to be forgotten,” he said in a low voice and shook his head. “I should stop thinking about that and get something to eat.”

After scouting for hours, and not finding anything, he lay on the grass, enjoying the fresh air and ignoring the rumbling of his tummy. “This forest is dry. There’s not a single animal in sight,” he said, shutting his eyes.

“As long as the little ones are not here to annoy me, I may stay here longer than planned.” He heard the bushes rustling, hands on his blade as he prepared himself.

“There you are, where’ve you been” Emilia said, accompanied by Hudson and an old man.

Mr Swordsman sighed, unsheathing his sword and laying back down, “Who’s the old man?”

“Oh him? He offered to give us a ride to Pyroville.” she surveyed the area. “Isn’t Pasta here?”

“You know him, he’s probably goofing off somewhere in the forest,” he turned to the old man, “Hey you, why are you offering us a ride? I should let you know I’m dead broke right now”

“I’m aware of your situation. For that reason, Lady Emilia and I have come to an agreement.” His voice was awfully hard to hear.

Lady Emilia? And why did they agree without my permission? Mr Swordsman turned to Hudson, who suddenly found some butterflies quite captivating in the corner. He sighed, getting on his feet, “What sort of agreement are we talking about here”.

“His granddaughter is currently missing. He promises to give us a ride if we help him search for her”

“I see, but we are in a hurry. We have taken so many diversions already”

“He also said he’ll give us food-”

“Deal,” Mr Swordsman said, shaking the oldie’s hand, “It’s a pleasure doing business with you”

“Same, call me Andy,” he said. “Nice grip, young man. You must be a very dedicated swordsman”

“Thanks-”

“HELP ME!!!” the voice came from the forest.

“That’s Tori’s voice,” Andy held his collar. Emilia gestured to Hudson, signalling for him to join them as they prepared to venture into the woods. Suddenly, a girl leapt out, her long pink hair flowing in the wind and her purple eyes shimmering like midnight comets. She was clearly a foreigner, that much was evident.

“Grandpappy!” she said, hugging Andy. “Please, help me. There’s a strange creature chasing me”.

Mr Swordsman drew his sword, Emilia stayed behind to protect the two, and Hudson picked up a rock. Better to have something than nothing. The beast drew closer, screaming in an unfamiliar language. Mr Swordsman and Emilia immediately recognized the aura of the monster. A naked, mud-covered Pasta jumped from the bushes.

“My love!” Pasta yelled.

“Arrgh, die you monster” Hudson screamed, throwing his stone.

“No Wait!” Emilia and Mr Swordsman said, but it was too late. The stone made contact with Pasta baby makers, knocking him unconscious.

“Wait a minute, that’s Pasta, right?” Hudson said, “What have I done?!”

“I’ll tell you what you’ve done,” Mr Swordsman said, picking up Pasta. “You’ve just killed a man”