"Still, what does the Weltwanderer have to do with us?"

Putting his hand to his chin, Hongse asked as his black, beady eyes looked at Ren for an answer--who seemed more than happy to explain it to him.

​​

"Well, our group has people from everywhere. Macheo is from Lucrauv, Aiko comes from Akitein, you and Valerie are from Vesta, Iris and I are from Earth--oh."

Letting that slip, Ren completely froze as he once again forgot the sensitive state of such information--slowly turning his gaze towards Hongse and Valerie, who looked completely indifferent to this knowledge.

"Oh, that makes sense! I like it! Ha-ha!"

Each pat of the colossal paw against his back from Hongse as he laughed out simultaneously felt like a boulder slamming against his spine and a warm, fluffy pillow comforting him.

"I've got a question for you, both of you."

Macheo's low, serious tone instantly put a curtain over the mood, bringing the same look over the two demi-humans as they waited for whatever the golden-haired prince had for them.

"Do you have any keys?"

Asking this, the looks on Ren, Aiko, and Iris' faces definitely told that they didn't consider this possibility--drawing all of their eyes to the demi-human pair.

Hongse looked at Valerie for a moment before they both gave a nod to each other. It was clear that for now, in this testing phase of their alliance, Hongse was the chosen representative of their two-person party.

"We do."

"How many?"

"Two."

Holding up two of his stout fingers, Hongse's answer pulled a slight reaction from Macheo--causing the boy's eyebrow to twitch.

"...Two, huh? Then you both must be pretty strong yourselves. Why're you agreeing to partner up with us then?"

The look Aiko gave to Macheo as he continued to press the likely new members of their group was a concerned one; clearly not wanting to risk pushing them away. A loud, exaggerated breath left the maw of the panda as he was hunched over, plopping his furry rear down on a rock.

"Why not?"

"..."Why not"...?"

With confusion inhabiting the air in a close to palpable fashion, Ren took hold of this vacuum, "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."

"...Ren?"

With everyone now looking at the white-haired young man dressed in black, he folded his arms across his chest, standing tall as he was just barely at the same height as the sitting panda.

"It's a simple answer, really. There is strength in numbers; what direct benefit or motive do you need besides that one, simple thing?"

The tired look in Macheo's eyes as he listened to his companions' high-and-mighty explanation seemed as if he was going to doze off. It wasn't a false statement, however, as Macheo quietly sighed before falling silent.

"Completely right! Trust me, if we thought you were total scumbags--we wouldn't be sitting here right now!"

Giving a thumbs-up, Hongse held his bright, fluffy smile that shined past his dark eyes, surrounded with stygian fur.

"Plus, you gave me food, that makes you a hero in my book, Ren! So, friends of yours are friends of mine!"

Wow, I totally rolled a twenty on that decision, didn't I? Ren thought.

It was just the cog in the machine he felt they were missing; a bright, bubbly personality like Hongse lit a new fire under their group. Though, the constant, roaring laughter that erupted from the bowels of the red-furred panda's maw seemed to do more harm than good to the exhausted members, who were quick to find themselves back to slumber after the random meeting.

"...They're totally not going to remember this by morning."

Ren muttered, shaking his head softly as he let out a soft sigh to himself. A shocking sweetness ran through his body in a chill as he felt the red clouds descend on his shoulder.

"Don't sweat it! Your friends seem reliable."

Standing behind Ren, Hongse assured him with a few pats to both of his shoulders--which was the equivalent of a world-class massage to the young man, who sunk into the comfort. Taking a seat on top of a two-meter high boulder, Valerie relieved Macheo of his watch duty with just a nod, looking back at Hongse and Ren--who were getting along like two peas in a pod.

When did they get so friendly? Did I miss something? Valerie thought.

"You've got this covered?"

"Mm."

Valerie nodded her head in response to Ren's question, who accepted it without any questioning--dropping his body onto the bed of evergreen.

"Don'tcha' worry, Val's eyes are as sharp as they come. She can see beyond what we see--heat, more colors, you name it."

"I trust her, I trust her...She seems pretty strong."

The enormous panda took his spot of rest directly next to Ren, who was not unhappy at all having a living pillow next to him.

"So, you two are from Vesta, right?"

"That's right. Why?"

As he looked up towards the black, dreary sky that held no visible limit to its height, Ren paused for a moment, getting further confirmation from Hongse, before proceeding.

"You're both part of this "annual candidate" thing, aren't you?...Aiko and Macheo are too."

"Mmm. Half-right."

"...Half-right?"

Turning his head to the side to look at the relaxed panda next to him, he found himself once again bewitched by the heavenly, reddish-brown fur that he wanted to sink his body into. Somehow or another, Hongse had gotten his hands onto another chunk of the gray-scaled bird meat, swallowing it whole before finally responding.

"Valerie was the elected representative of Vesta to challenge Purgatory."

"I didn't really think about that--I guess two representatives don't make a whole lot of sense."

Following where Hongse's eyes traveled to, they both looked towards the draconic warrior who sat in the distance, watching over the scenery of darkness. It was only for a brief moment each time, but Ren began to take note of how Hongse's beady, all-black eyes sparkled over for just a second when he looked at Valerie.

"As an adventurer, clearing Purgatory is one of the greatest honors of all. You'll instantly be promoted to a Phantasm-rank adventurer--no questions asked."

"Phantasm-rank, huh? I really don't understand a single thing about adventurers, let alone this world."

"Maybe adventuring is for you then. No better way to learn about Gaia than to explore her; at least, that's my thought process."

Hongse chuckled to himself as he spoke, releasing a high-pitched sneeze that looked as if it broke the sound barrier, lifting his upper half as if doing a sit-up. Watching this, Ren couldn't help but wear a disgusted expression as he could see the tangible rain of mucus in the air above them.

"...I don't really think that's an option for me. As an otherworlder and all."

Adjusting his resting position with his arms under his head like a pillow, Ren let out his frustrations through a minuscule sigh.

"That's true. While most kingdoms could care less if you're an otherworlder--Mastorn does. And what Mastorn thinks, the rest follow."

It was the first time he started to hear a bit of frustration peek in through Hongse's bubbly tone. A yawn escaped Ren's lips, stopping the decline in the panda's tone.

"Get some rest. I'll do the same."

"Sounds like a plan."

Not even a minute after closing his eyelids, he sank deep into the plane of rest; feeling his body sink into the soft bed of natural comfort.

Come tomorrow, it's game time, Ren thought.