Kamiro's eyes darted back and forth while he stared at the swinging tail of the old mule trotting in front of him. Under the warm rays of the early morning sun, the mule pulled a carriage down a dirt road, carrying some cargo that was hidden within. Now hours away from Lucerna, only open fields and the occasional farmland would appear.
The party were on their first official quest, protecting a cargo transport. Blinded by the excitement, they paid little attention to the vague details of the quest. All the three knew was that they had to protect the transport from any threats and were given strict instruction on no one being allowed to see inside the carriage hold.
A lanky-old man named Marvin, was the coachman. He had a warm demeanor and rode along with his grandson, Gregory, a young man in his early twenties with a humble and eager to learn appearance.
Kamiro walked on the side just behind the mule and guarded the rear. Too bad we can't ride on the carriage, but they don't seem to mind. He glanced at Ayu and Earla. Not that it'd be any faster...
Ayu walked in front, next to the mule. She hummed and smiled, and Earla did the same on the other side.
The three wore their new adventurer attire and equipment Di Reids had gifted them. Kamiro had some black and white lightweight armor, mostly made up of crucial pieces such as a small chest plate, greaves, and red vambraces. Ayu's armor was also lightweight. It was white with a soft light blue hue and fit her figure quite well. Earla's custom armor was a bit more traditional and consisted of a metal skirt-like piece below her breastplate. The armor set was silver colored with a subtle, yellow finish, and countered nicely with her body's curves.
Kamiro's gaze drifted to the mule's hypnotizing tail once more. Oh? It stopped. The tail suddenly rose high before a gust of wind reverberated from underneath.
"Ha-ha, Kamiro, what did you eat?" Ayu said.
Kamiro covered his nose in a futile attempt to escape from the pungent odor. Earla tried to hide her chuckle while he peeked over with a slight pout.
"Sorry about all this. Old Bill here just can't help himself, but he's as trusty as ever," Old Man Marvin said. His grandson, Gregory, forced an awkward laugh.
"I think he's cute..." Earla said while petting Old Bill's head. He whinnied with a mule's distinctive sound as if understanding that he was being complimented.
Cute? Maybe. But out of all the incredible fantasy creatures, somehow, we got stuck we a regular old mule...
Mules were trusty and hardworking, but at most, Old Bill could've probably competed in the Olympic sport of Racewalking. It was going to take almost a week to reach their destination at the pace they were going.
The group continued on their quest, but at times, Kamiro would catch himself staring at the back of the covered carriage. Curious of what this precious cargo was that needed their protection.
***
What seemed like hours passed by, and everyone's enthusiasm about their first ranked quest had begun to dwindle.
"Oh! Look over there!" Kamiro pointed ahead with only grassy plains and the patchy dirt road in sight.
Ayu's eyes widened. "What, what is it?"
"More fields," Kamiro said.
"Funny." Ayu didn't seem amused. "Why does it feel like we're walking down a never-ending road?" Her voice was devoid of her cheerful expression from earlier.
"Probably because we are..." Kamiro wiped the sweat from his forehead. Looks like anime had it wrong; most adventures and quests aren't all that exciting, just a lot of walking under a hot sun.
"And is it just me, or has Old Bill dropped his pace a bit?" Ayu said.
Earla let out a nervous chuckle and seemed a bit apprehensive while she petted the mule's head. It seemed it had grown overly attached and now demanded her attention. "W-Well, we are quite far, so it is not surprising to not come across anything. But I was expecting to at least come by more monsters in these rural lands..."
"Hmm... young lady, looks like you spoke too soon," Marvin said with an old man's shaky voice.
Gregory stood up in the carriage and pointed to some dust clouds out in the distance. "We might have some company."
The ground rumbled while the dust clouds grew closer, and Old Bill stopped in his tracks.
Kamiro walked up to the front where Ayu had her hand shielding her eyes from the blinding sun.
"What is that?" she said.
Marage-like shadows began to come into view from within the dust clouds.
"Those... are Luporsa," Earla said.
"Luporsa? They're considered low-level monsters, right? So, we should be able to beat them... right?" Ayu had a slight tremble in her voice.
Earla nodded. "Still, we must be careful. Even if they lack magic abilities, they can still deal decent damage if we're caught off guard, mostly when it is a pack of them."
Kamiro had zoned out a bit. He'd learned what kind of creatures Luporsa were. They were wolf-like in appearance, about the size of a large grizzly bear, with dark, rugged fur, two tails, and large claws. These were the same monsters Kamiro had faced in Di Reids' 'Simulation' during his initial Adventurer assessment.
He stood frozen while the pack of Luporsa stampede toward them. Slimes would have been nice...
***
Kamiro's chest pounded; he hadn't faced many creatures outside of Di Reids' 'Simulation.' The few being during his first encounter with Earla, in which he would have been a goner if not for her, and a couple during unranked quests the party completed. But those hardly counted; it involved getting rid of some low-level monsters damaging the crops from a nearby farm. They were so weak that the farmers called them "pests."
"Maybe they're friendly?" Kamiro said.
Once the pack of five Luporsa met the party's gaze, they seemed enraged, and rushed with a rabid appearance.
"Uh, guess not..." Ayu said.
"Guys, get ready." Earla unbuckled her shield from her back and unsheathed her sword.
A slight grin came across her face while she admired her new weapons for a moment. The shield's appearance was of a typical knight' but with blue edges and adorned with a golden jewel at the center. Her steel sword also resembled that of a knights' and had a subtle yellow theme in the trimmings and hilt.
So, we're really fighting these beasts? Come on, they're technically animals, right? Haven't they ever heard of animal rights in this world? ...I barely got a hit in during the assessment.
Kamiro and Ayu looked at each other with a nervous expression but nodded in unison and drew their corresponding weapons. Kamiro gripped his new twin-daggers; they were black with dark red trimmings and curved towards the ends.
At least we get to try out our new equipment. It's your time to shine Blaedis 2.0.
Ayu grasped her short-staff that Di Reid's had gifted her. It was made of ivory and had a matching color scheme to her armor with a soft blue tint. She made sure to show her gratitude once again before departing on the quest; the magic weapon helped focus magic attacks and improve accuracy.
"We'll leave it to you three," Gregory shouted from the carriage, now about ten yards out.
"What? When did you guys get all the way over there?" Kamiro said.
The old man and his grandson responded with a thumbs up as if saying, "Do your best!"
Kamiro and the party focused while they faced the five ferocious creatures now upon them.
"Invocabo Glacies: Ice Javelin!" A concentration of magic built up on the end of Ayu's short-staff before shards of spear-like ice blasted out. A mass of dust rose from the impact, right in front of the creatures, and their charge came to a halt.
Earla shot a glance at Kamiro. She didn't utter a word, but he knew just what she wanted to communicate and didn't hesitate to act. He activated "Liber: Accelerate," and in the blink of an eye, he rushed toward the confused creatures before all the dust around them had a chance to settle. "Invocabo Liber: Paralysis." He struck them before they had a chance to react.
The dust settled, and the beasts appeared unable to move. Earla lunged forward, hitting them with a powerful sword attack. As soon as the paralysis wore off, the Luporsa fled without looking back.
That... was a lot easier than I was expecting.
Old man Marvin and Gregory gave a small applause while Old Bill gleefully trotted to rejoin the party.
"Thank you, thank you," Ayu said while waving her hands like a princess greeting her people.
"It seems you're not just ranked Adventurers for nothing," Marvin said.
Kamiro scratched the back of his head. "Guess... we had nothing to worry about." He glanced at Earla, who had her head down while she fidgeted.
"T-Thank you, Marvin, for your kind words, but this is the least that's expected of us."
Marvin and Gregory looked at each other with a confused demeanor, while Old Bill interrupted by letting out a loud one.
Everyone burst into laughter.
"That's just his way of saying thanks," Gregory said.
"Let's continue. We still have a long way to go," Earla said.
Everyone settled back to their lookout positions, except Kamiro.
"What's wrong?"
"...I mean, we can rest here for another minute, right?"
Ayu grinned. "Go on, Kamiro, we can't waste any more time. The sun will be down before we know it, and we need our rear lookout."
"Come on... Old Bill just passed gas. You don't know how bad it is back there," Kamiro muttered.
"Ha-ha, don't worry... they say the loud ones don't smell," Ayu said.
"Oh, is that so? If that's the case, then there's no problem if we switch places for a while."
"Uh, well..."
Ayu and Kamiro bickered awhile, and the party continued their quest of guarding the transport carrying an unknown cargo.
***
I can never get used to this sight.
Kamiro stared at the starry sky in amazement while everyone sat around the campfire they'd set up to pass the night after a long day of travel. He had always enjoyed the wonders of the universe, and with no light pollution, he was able to get a glimpse of it in this world.
The group exchanged campfire stories near the comfort of the crackling wood and warmth of the flames. But the chatter was mostly background noise to Kamiro, who was lost staring at the grand sky.
"Even without him, his domain still expands." Ayu said.
"It truly comes to show how much influence he has," Earla said while she wiped down her steel shield with a cloth.
"I heard he contracted a serious illness, and that's why he hasn't been seen for so long," Old Man Marvin said. "Perhaps... they are awaiting an heir?"
The Demon Lord, huh? Although still mostly focused on the sky, Kamiro's mind wandered while he overheard the group's conversation.
"I heard he is just doing a test of sorts to see how loyal his followers really are," Gregory said.
Apparently, he's been inactive for years... or something like that. At least, that's what I heard...
"I know... some brave Adventurers faced him not long before his sudden disappearance." Ayu stared at the flames with droopy eyes.
Kamiro stopped focusing on the sky and looked at Ayu. Still, why does this sound... so familiar?
"Perhaps they managed to defeat him?" Earla said.
"Hmm, well, if so, they never returned to tell the tale," Marvin said.
The group fell silent.
"I got it! This sounds almost exactly like a bunch of anime, books, and video games."
Kamiro's sudden interjection made the group tense up. They looked at him with a confused appearance.
"Anime what now? I think you were staring at that sky too long, son," Marvin said.
Ayu sighed. "Kamiro, are you talking to yourself again?"
He scratched his head and chuckled the matter away.
The night dragged on, and only Kamiro, Ayu, and Earla remained around the campfire. Marvin and Gregory had gone to sleep, along with the mule. The three chatted, reminiscing on how far they'd gotten and how they decided to become Adventurers. With the comfort of the dying flames enveloping them, they opened up about things they usually wouldn't talk about.
"Earla, you're from the Solstess family, right?" We really are lucky to have her in our party.
Earla nodded. "My goal is to live up to the legacy of my family name, but being unranked... is not a good start. And I still have so much trouble communicating with others..."
"You have more than enough talent, and you train harder than anyone," Ayu said with a cheerful expression, "No doubt, you'll be able to achieve a great ranking the next chance you get."
"And you're getting better every day with talking to people," Kamiro said, "Have you... always had trouble with social interactions?"
Earla stared into the fluttering fire as if peering into a reflection of her past. "More or less, but... looking back, my childhood might've had a lot to do with it. When I was a child, I was often ill. If I went out to play for a day, I would be inside for three, recovering from illness. My parents... are very kind, it's honestly a blessing to have such kind parents, but because of my condition, they were overprotective of me. I was often secluded and did not have much contact with people outside of my home."
Well... that might explain things.
"Now, whenever I talk to strangers or meet someone new, I cannot express myself as I would like. My heart races, my muscles tense, and my mind is filled with thoughts of... not being good enough... That's why I cannot blame others for not wanting me in their party..."
I'm assuming there are no psychologists in this world? She's straight-up struggling with social phobia.
"I'm sorry..." Ayu said with a pained look on her face. She embraced Earla with a hug and wailed with exaggerated tears flowing uncontrollably.
Earla chuckled while she petted Ayu's head.
How did it end up with Earla consoling Ayu?
"But, I'm grateful for you guys. You two accepted me for who I was and looked beyond my awkwardness, regardless if I was from the Solstess family or not... Thank you."
Ayu's broken faucet of tears stopped. She blushed with a smile, still clung to Earla.
Kamiro struggled to hide his bashfulness, he did not expect so much honesty. "You'll keep getting better in no time. You've already come a long way since we first met."
Earla nodded.
Ayu recomposed herself and spoke with a soft, saddened smile. "And there's no way I could've judged you because of that, or solely on your family name. Considering mine is..."
Ayu Persocia... The ruined noble. Apparently, her family name was tarnished years ago, and to this day, that still follows her.
"Ayu..." Earla said, "I don't know how much help I can provide, but... I'm more than open to listen... if you would like to share."
Ayu seemed unsure but continued after looking at Earla's reassuring smile. "Even if what they say about my mother were true... it wouldn't change anything."
Kamiro and Earla focused intently on her.
"I... was born from a loveless, arranged marriage. My birth father abandoned mom and me without hesitation when he learned that his firstborn was not a male. It wasn't until I was about five years old that I met the man I consider my real dad. With a son at his side barely older than me, my dad and mom fell in love, and their two broken families became one." Ayu refused to raise her gaze while she spoke. "Although dad was an amazing, high-ranked Adventurer, he was not of noble descent, and it didn't take long for rumors to spread that the heiress to the Persocia family had been in an affair with him. The nobles decided that that was what drove my birth father to abandon us."
"I... I never knew..." Earla said.
I guess everyone has their history... But you'd never think that under her usual cheerful expression... is so much pain.
"Because of that, the Persocia family name was ruined and we were outcast. Even so, those few years that the four of us humbly lived as a family was one of the happiest times of my life." Ayu finally looked up and smiled with tears in her eyes.
An unexplained dull pain crept up Kamiro's chest when he se that face, but he remained silent.
"I'm so sorry, Ayu..." Earla said while placing a hand on her shoulder. "What of your mom and dad?"
"They're... no longer with us, but... that's a story for another day."
Earla hugged her. "Thank you... for sharing."
Ayu's eyes widened upon seeing tears rolling out of Kamiro's eyes.
He put a finger underneath and was surprised when he saw it wet. I'm... crying? Sure, it's a sad upbringing, but why am I crying? He rose with his back turned and quickly wiped the tears away. "It's getting late. We should probably call it a night."
Ayu released her breath. "It feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest." She looked at Kamiro before returning her gaze to the ground. "We've gotten this far... is there something you want to talk about?"
"I... Sorry to disappoint y'all, but I don't have some tragic backstory."
Ayu pouted a bit, but it seemed somewhat saddened.
Kamiro took notice. "There's really not much to me..."
The girls' ears perked up.
"My early childhood is kind of a blur. I was mostly by myself, and was raised by my grandfather; I was told my parents died in an accident when I was a baby. When I turned 15, I moved from my small town to the big city and lived by myself. Then, before I knew it, my grandfather had passed away." He remained standing with his back turned. "Nothing changed, though. I was used to being alone, so I continued my life alone. Until..." Kamiro turned around and glanced at Ayu. "Until I found myself in Lucerna... wanting to become an Adventurer."
The two stared at each other in silence, with sullen expressions.
"Um..." Earla's voice broke their strained gaze.
"Anyways, we should get some rest. We have more of this endless road to look forward to tomorrow," Kamiro said.
The two girls nodded.
"We will need to take turns keeping watch," Earla said.
"Right. I'll go ahead and take first watch," Kamiro said, "I'll wake you when it's time to switch."
***
Guess they were worn out. Kamiro looked at Earla and Ayu from afar. Their sleeping faces were illuminated softly from the dim glow of the burning logs.
The cool breeze of the night was calming, and only the rustle of leaves filled the silence.
What was all that about... Kamiro stared out into the sky's Christmas lights while he pondered. Who knew a campfire could be so dangerous? The three had only grown even closer since the party was formed. I shouldn't get used to this... At the end of the day, everyone is gonna end up alone. Getting close to people only makes it more painful.
The crack of a branch interrupted the peaceful atmosphere.
Did someone wake up? Kamiro stood and looked around the area. Though the sky was full of diamonds, it was hard to see clearly while stray clouds blocked both moons' natural nightlight.
What is that? Figures moved within the shadows and headed toward the campsite. Suddenly, Old Bill became startled and awakened everyone.
"H-Huh, w-what?" Old Man Marvin was in a daze.
"Wooow. Easy there." Gregory tried to calm the mule down.
The two had yet to notice the situation the group was already in. Once the clouds passed, the moons shined down and revealed the party standing with their weapons drawn and surrounded by six bandits.
"Talk about a rude awakening. Don't they know ladies need their beauty sleep?" Kamiro said.
***
For looking like your stock RPG bandits, these guys aren't half-bad.
The party held their own against the six men. Though the bandits were more skilled than expected, it was their number advantage that proved the issue.
"Come on, guys, three on six is not very fair. Any chance one of you join our side? We have cute girls."
"Kamiro, I swear, you better have enough energy after this to dodge some ice," Ayu said while she faced off against two of the bandits.
"Ya' better stop resistin if ya' don't wanna get hurt!" One of the bandits said.
"Just give us what's in that cargo, and we promise not to be too rough after."
"Ha-Ha, yeah. We feeling generous tonight. We'll even let the boys and the old man watch."
Kamiro clashed with his blades against one of the bandits' sword, making sparks fly on impact. "You guys probably shouldn't have said that."
Upon hearing the bandits' words, the girls began overwhelming them.
"Unfortunately, I'm not feeling very generous tonight..." Earla pushed them back. Every swing of her sword and bash of her shield had grown more intense.
Before long, the party had gotten the upper hand in battle. Marvin and Gregory observed from a safe distance back while hugging the old mule.
"Is that... another one? There's another one!" Gregory said while another bandit came into view and ran to the carriage hold.
"You dirty... Seven of y'all, really?" Kamiro said.
"Go after him. Ayu and will hold off the others." Earla said while locked in combat.
"Right!" Kamiro rushed after the bandit.
A couple minutes hand passed since the man forced himself into the carriage hold. Kamiro approached it, but a sense of uneasiness made him hesitate.
"Invocabo Tennebris: Nightmare." A girl's soft voice came from within.
Was that a spell?
Just as Kamiro reached toward the back of the carriage, the bandit ran out of the cargo hold in full sprint. He screamed in hysteria while he ran off. At the same time, Ayu and Earla were triumphant against the other bandits, and they joined in retreat.
"—And don't come back, unless you want more frostbite," Ayu said.
Kamiro eased his way into the dark cargo hold. Each step made his heart beat louder. It can't be...
It took a moment for his eyes to readjust to the new darkness, but his face clearly showed his surprise as soon as they did. A large metal crate sat inside, with a strange talisman-like paper affixed to the lock that appeared tampered with. And within was a girl, no older than Kamiro.
"You're not a pervert, are you? That last guy had a deranged, rapey look while trying to open this cage." She yawned and stretched out her arms. "I guess I really am a wanted woman."
It wasn't hard to see the beauty beneath the girl's rough appearance. She had crimson eyes and silver hair with a black strand running down her face's left side. It certainly made an impression, and her slightly pointed ears only strengthened the notion.
Kamiro stood speechless.
"Hey, Kamiro, everything alri—?"
Ayu and Earla arrived at the carriage's uncovered cargo hold and joined Kamiro with a slack-jawed expression; the party stood like statues. They seemed shocked and confused with the realization that the cargo they were transporting was a living, breathing, person.