The fire slowly crackled as Iadre roasted some meat over a metal grill. The warmth and gentle light beckoning to enjoy the heated embrace it gave off. Iadre was busy directing Plex about when and how exactly it should turn over the meat; Garrett was too focused on looking at the hand axe that he had gotten and the chest it came in.

It wasn't the most well-designed weapon. It looked to be as basic as one could get, with a metal head and a wooden handle. Still, it moved and swung around with ease, yet the blade of it was neatly sharpened. The heft behind it definitely seemed like it could do some damage, but not a lot. What Garrett was more curious about was how it was previously an orb that was in a chest that dropped from a spider's corpse.

The monsters that he had slain occasionally dropped Helioxene, which made sense since he was Otris' hero sent here. However, this was entirely new. He shifted his attention from the axe to the chest. Was this chest what Otris did with the last batch of Helioxene? Would this be a regular thing that occasionally weaponry would come from the enemies he had slain? The inside of the chest was wooden without any other markings inside. The chest itself seemed to be very poorly made and fragile. There really wasn't anything else of note, despite how many times Garrett turned it over.

"Okay, food's on!" Iadre's voice brought Garrett out of his thoughts and his attention away from the chest. He turned to see Iadre pushing a plate over to his feed. She gave him a big smile before fluttering away to a large plate with food on it, and another decent pile of food without a plate. She hovered over it and softly said a small chant. "May Bilun the World Feaster be sated with this offering until the next day." Then, she fluttered over to her plate and began to eat.

"What is this?" Garrett asked, picking up the plate. All he had seen was Iadre cutting up a bat, but given that he also saw her pull things out of her orb, she might of had more stored in there. Still, he felt a bit too hungry to complain about it.

"Oh, just some grilled lamian tail with a garnish of ent leaves," she said between mouthfuls. Despite her tiny size, she was already making solid progress through her plate.

'...I guess there are both Lamia and Ents here in this world...'

Garrett took a whiff of the meal and was instantly hit with an aroma unlike anything he had ever encountered before; which made perfect sense since he had never had Lamia or Ent. He took a bite of the meat, the juices overflowing as he bit into it. It was certainly chewy and tasted like a mix between chicken and tuna, with a dash of cedar. He took more and more bites, and before he knew it, his plate was empty and his stomach was full.

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"That was incredible," Garrett said, not quite sure where to put the plate. Iadre fluttered over and chanted something, causing the plate to be sucked into her orb.

"Thank you. It's an old Clan recipe," Iadre said, happy he enjoyed the meal. "My Ma used to make this amazing version that I just can't ever seem to get right, no matter how much I- Garrett?"

He hadn't noticed, but a single tear was slowly rolling down his face. "Huh? Oh. Sorry," he said, wiping it away. Having only now had a real moment to rest and not be on edge had it begun sinking into him that he was stuck in this world. Otris never gave him an option of going back. Even if, like last time, he managed to encounter any of the previous companions he had, Garrett couldn't ever go back to Earth. To everyone there on Earth, Garrett was completely dead and never to be seen again. Everyone that he had left behind because of an accident, maybe not even knowing about what happened to him; everything on Earth that he had yet to do and accomplish. Being in this world of Ogres and Elves and Pixies made things like having a stable job or writing a novel seem minuscule compared to saving the world, but it was the small achievements that he'd miss. He was just a high schooler, after all.

Iadre gently wiped another tear from Garrett's cheek. "I'm sorry," she said in a gentle tone. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories you might have had. I don't know what you've been through, but I hope to be here with you for what comes next." Iadre gave him a warm smile that lifted his spirits up. Garrett chuckled a little and smiled back.

"Thanks Iadre." He stood up and kicked some dirt onto the fire as Iadre returned the rest of her supplies. "Now then, we had a Birdian we were searching for." Iadre nodded and rested on Garrett's shoulder as they regrouped with Plex, who had been standing guard at the exit of the room.

Plex pointed to the ground at some footprints, none of which looked like humans or Illima made them. "Whoever this Birdian is, they aren't alone. I calculate that there were at least six others in this group. I can't quite identify any of the other species that were here."

"Iadre, are Birdians usually friendly or hostile towards others?" Garrett asked.

"Oh, big time hostile. Very territorial," she explained. "Some of them are pretty strong. Or at least I've heard. Honestly, today was my first time seeing a real one. But if there's a group of them down here, then there's a pretty good reason for it."

"If I had to guess, does it have something to do with a treasure?" Garrett asked, though already having an inkling of the answer.

"I don't know," Iadre said with a shrug. "The Felsins usually stay away from the Darge as some powerful monsters live in here, but this is also where you can get some pretty good ingredients, so I come here from time to time."

"Okay, we'll proceed with caution," Garrett said, holding onto his axe. "We don't know what to expect." As he looked at the hallway they were entering, it was too risky to use a larger weapon if the area narrowed any more. Maybe that's why this axe had appeared. Or perhaps he would need a second weapon for something. Whatever the reason, he had it ready if he needed it.