The sun had set and the stars had blanketed the sky. Many shops in the commercial district were closing down for the night, but the Free City of Midgard was still buzzing with life. A pair of adventurers, covered in blood and barely able to walk, laughed their hearts out as they disappeared behind the doors of the local tavern. What better way to celebrate narrowly escaping death than to drink the night away with your new found friend? Because when you narrowly escape death with someone, you've found a friend for life. At a street corner, the faun bard played her lute in front of a small crowd. The melody she played was bittersweet, her voice singing of the pains of unrequited love. Her patrons showered her with crowns, almost filling up the instrument case at her feet. A dwarf baker stood outside his bakery, talking to a human father and his son. The baker knelt down to offer the boy some cookies that went unsold, not wanting to throw them out and let them go to waste. The boy happily took them and greedily shoved as many cookies as he could fit in his mouth, earning him the admonishment of his embarrassed father. Sitting on a bench was a high elf male and a dark elf female holding hands and sharing an innocent kiss. They drew the cold gaze of a few high elves walking by. Even though they all lived in this city together, to some people, the scars of history will never fully heal. Tetsuya was completely exhausted. He had burnt his candle on both ends, trying to learn how to control mana and how to use it to cast the most basic of magic spells. "Did you have fun today?" Chelsea asked with a big smile on her face. "Of course I did," the boy replied. "Any day that I'm not being chased by wild boars, dire wolves or giant rats is a good day in my book." "Plus, I actually got to use magic!" Tetsuya grinned, the weariness leaving his face, if only momentarily. "Where I'm from, every kid dreams about waking up one day and suddenly having magical power," Tetsuya explained. "I had a friend from school who cried because he never got his acceptance letter to a boarding school for wizards." "How sad," Chelsea said. "Oh, it's pretty sad, alright," Tetsuya said, trying his best not to laugh. "Some kids never let go of that dream though," the boy continued. "And that's when they cross over to..." "...Chuuni territory." Tetsuya said, a grim and foreboding expression on his face. "What's a chuuni?" Chelsea asked, tilting her head curiously. "Ah... How do I explain this?" Tetsuya thought out loud. "Here, let me show you," he said. Tetsuya placed his right hand over his left eye and struck an overly dramatic pose. "Oh, evil eye of darkness! Grant me your power! For I am the bearer of the ancient curse! A host for the demon lord of legends! Open the gates to the forbidden realm and smite my enemies with your might!" Chelsea watched the boy closely, waiting for something to happen. "Nothing's happening," she said, scrunching up her face in a frown. "Of course nothing's happening," Tetsuya laughed. "Evil eyes and demon lords don't exist." "That's what a chuuni is," the boy explained. "Someone who makes believe that they have some hidden special power, or that they're a hero who can save the world." "Why would they do that though?" Chelsea pondered. Tetsuya thought pensively for a moment. "I guess because, for some of us, the fantasy that we dream of at night is a lot better than the reality that we wake up to in the morning." The boy dragged his feet lethargically, stumbling a few times on the walk home. Chelsea kept a watchful eye on him, making sure he didn't fall and hurt himself. Though he was probably too tired to notice. On their way home, the pair stopped by the Adventurer's Guild to pick up Tetsuya's dog tags. Adventurers weren't required to wear them, but it was strongly suggested that they do so. They were used to identify the bodies of dead adventurers so that their bodies could be returned to their loved ones. "Do you think Roland would be okay with me putting him down as my body's claimant?" Tetsuya asked, holding the pair of dog tags up in the air, examining them in the moonlight. "I think he'd be really mad if he spent all his time and energy training you only for you to end up getting killed," Chelsea joked, though her joke probably wasn't that far from the truth. "What in the fuck are you doing dying, you fucking shit?" Chelsea said in a gruff voice, doing her best Roland impression. "You think I'm going to honor your body by burning it in a funeral pyre? You got killed by a fucking boar! You don't deserve a fucking funeral pyre! I'll toss your fucking body out into the forest and leave it to fucking rot! Fuck!" Tetsuya laughed hard, probably a bit harder than someone should laugh at a joke about their own mortality. "That's pretty good," the boy said, still laughing, wiping a tear from his eye. "I can definitely hear him saying that." "Hey, Tetsuya. Try not to die, alright?" Chelsea said suddenly, not really knowing why she said it. "I don't plan on dying anytime soon," Tetsuya reassured her. "But that's not really up to me," the boy added. "You have to talk to all the wild boars and dire wolves out there trying to kill me." "There aren't any wild boars or dire wolves inside this city," Chelsea laughed. "But if there was?" Tetsuya asked. "I'd asked them nicely to leave you be," Chelsea replied. "And if they don't?" Tetsuya badgered on. "I'd cleave their skulls in with my axe." Chelsea laughed even harder. The pair reached Eicher's Workshop and noticed a large crowd had gathered in front, murmuring fervently upon themselves. "What's going on here?" Chelsea asked out loud, but the crowd was far too preoccupied to give her an answer. Fearing for the worst, Chelsea shoved her way through the crowd, Tetsuya following right behind her. Chelsea pushed the door open and rushed in, swiftly greeted by the blade of a longsword pointed at her throat. Tetsuya drew his sword without hesitation, rushing to the aid of his friend. He lunged at Chelsea's assailant, locking swords with him. The elderly man grabbed Tetsuya's sword by the hilt and seized his weapon from him, effortlessly disarming the inexperienced boy. "Stand down, you old fool!" a familiar voice shouted at the assailant. The voice belonged to Lady Kiera Flynn, Captain of the Queensguard. The elderly man quickly withdrew his sword. "A thousand pardons, my dear," he humbly apologized, giving Chelsea a gentle smile. "Sometimes an old fool like me gets a bit too anxious in my ripe old age." Finally, getting a good look at him, Chelsea recognized the elderly man with balding, salt and pepper colored hair. "Lord Edward?" Chelsea asked. "The young lady has heard of me. I am quite flattered." Lord Edward said humbly. Lord Edward Prescott has been proudly serving as a member of the Queensguard for over half of his life. In his younger days, he was hailed as one of the deadliest swordsmen in the land. Now, in the autumn of his years, he's still hailed as one of the deadliest swordsmen in the land. "Of course I've heard of you! You're a member of the Queensguard! Your reputation is legendary!" Chelsea exclaimed, stars in her eyes. "Maybe in my younger days," Lord Edward confessed. "Now I'm just an old fool, brandishing my blade at innocent civilians like a dolt." Lord Edward sighed. "I fear that I am losing my edge." "You've lost you edge years ago, my lord," Lady Kiera teased. "If only my wits were as sharp and my lady's tongue," Lord Edward retorted. Behind them, Chelsea noticed Princess Deirdre sharing a cup of tea with Roland at the coffee table. Chelsea immediately fell to her knee. "I apologize for the intrusion, your grace!" Tetsuya fell to his knee as well. "A-apologies, your grace," he stammered, echoing Chelsea's sentiments. Princess Deirdre smiled kindly at them. "No apologies are needed," the princess said to them. "Come, join us. We have much to discuss." As Tetsuya rose to his feet, Lord Edward handed his sword back to him. "You have good instincts, boy," Lord Edward whispered to him. "The finest warriors that I've met in my life are the ones that have something precious that they want to protect." Lord Edward patted the boy on the shoulder and offered him a fatherly smile. "That look in your eyes when we locked blades tells me that you'll make a fine warrior someday." Tetsuya followed Lord Edward's gaze over to Chelsea. "I'm quite sure that one will make a fine warrior as well," Lord Edward said. The boy was at a loss for words, mulling over what Lord Edward had just said. "Take my words with a grain of salt," Lord Edward said with a chuckle. "After all, what do I know? I'm just an old fool." Chelsea took an empty seat at the coffee table. "What brings you here, your grace?" Chelsea asked. "I'm in the city to discuss important matters with Prime Minister Dalton, "Princess Deirdre explained. "We've received troubling news from our scouts that groups of orcs have been seen setting up encampments at the Forest of Dionysus." The atmosphere in the room quickly turned grave. Lady Kiera laid a map down on the coffee table. "This puts them within five days walk of the Free City of Midgard." she explained. "Their total numbers are currently estimated to be in the low hundreds. As of now, they don't pose much of a threat. However, if these groups are just the scouting parties for a much larger horde... " "I pray that is not the case." Princess Deirdre said grimly. "But we must always be prepared for the worst." "These groups of orcs appear to be led by Dubaku the Butcher," Lady Kiera said. "He fits the description that a faun at Galanis' Village gave us. An orc with a broken right tusk, wearing an armor bade of bones, his face and body perpetually covered in blood." "This orc is reported to be particularly cruel," Lady Kiera continued. "For as long as we've known, most orcs are satisfied with killing their enemies on the battlefield. Dubaku is different. He enjoys capturing his enemies alive so that he can take his time torturing them, mutilating their bodies, prolonging their torment for as long as he can, relishing in their suffering as he watches them die." Chelsea felt sick to her stomach. Hearing the atrocities that orcs were capable of filling her with a deep sense of disgust. "Our scouts have also told us that the orcs serving under Dubaku have taken up his habits of torture and mutilation." Lord Edward said. "We should tread with caution when dealing with these orcs." Princess Deirdre's expression was unflinching. "The Kingdom of Alfheim and the Free City of Midgard are drafting up the terms for a military alliance should the day come that the orc horde marches at our doors." the princess said. "But for now we are going to deal with the current threat at hand, which is Dubaku and the orc encampments at Forest of Dionysus." "I have sent Lady Astrid and a small contingent of our forces to eliminate them. They should be on route as we speak." the princess said. "We hope to deal them a swift and crushing blow, to dissuade the rest of the horde from advancing any further up north." "What about the fauns at Galanis' Village?" Chelsea asked, worried for their safety. "That's part of the reason why we're here," Princess Deirdre replied. "A hundred or so orcs are not much of a threat to our kingdom. But for the faun village, they could be catastrophic." "I have come here to purchase a cache of weapons, enough to arm their whole village." the princess explained. "Your grace," Chelsea spoke humbly. "Surely the weaponsmiths of your kingdom can craft far better weapons than what our humble shop has to offer." Roland scoffed indignantly. Princess Deirdre smiled at the young half-orc woman. "It was Lady Astrid's suggestion," the princess replied with a smile. "I trust her judgment." Chelsea wondered what it all meant, then she remembered Lady Astrid's kind words to her. "Hone your skills, keep pushing forward, let nothing stop you from achieving your goal." She couldn't help but wonder if this was Lady Astrid's way of helping her push forward, getting her a foot in the door. "I am also sending Lord Edward to stay at Galanis' Village," the princess continued. "He will train them in the basics of combat and protect them until we can confirm that Lady Astrid has crushed the orc forces. Lord Edward will depart for their village tonight once our business here is finished." "Would it be okay if I go with Lord Edward?" Chelsea asked, hopefully. "The people of that village have been kind to me and I'd like to help in any way that I can." "I don't see why not," the old man said with a smile. "The more warriors we have protecting the village, the better."

"I'm going too," Tetsuya said, his voice full of resolve. The last time he set foot in the Wilds of Elysia, he was afraid, unarmed and completely helpless. He felt like he had something to prove to himself.

Lord Edward gave the boy a nod of approval. "I'd be more than happy to have you." Princess Deirdre smiled. "Watch over them, my lord," she said. "Protect them as you would protect me." "Of course, your grace," Lord Edward replied.

Tetsuya and Chelsea finished loading up as many weapons as the could fit on the horse-drawn wagon. Princess Deirdre had ordered far more weapons than they could carry in one trip. Roland did not even have that many completed weapons laying around in his shop, the dwarf had plenty of work to keep him preoccupied for the next few days. The remaining weapons would have to be delivered to the village at a later time.

As the trio prepared to set off for the night, Roland called out to the boy. "Where the fuck do you think you're going dressed like that, boy?" Roland asked. Tetsuya followed the direction of Roland's stare to his cluttered workbench. Resting on top of it was a brand new leather cuirass, it was the armor he was measured for a day ago. With all of the commotion, the boy didn't even notice it until this moment. Bursting with excitement, the boy rushed to put his brand new armor on. The excitement left his face, however, realizing how incredibly uncomfortable it felt to wear. "You have it on the wrong way, you fucking idiot," Roland said, shaking his head. "Gyahahaha!" Chelsea burst out in a fit of laughter. It was the kind of laugh that only comes from a sense of closeness and familiarity.

Lady Kiera and Lord Edward restrained themselves, trying their best not to laugh. But their smiles were much too big to hide.

Even the princess herself couldn't help but smile at the boy. The dwarf helped the boy with his armor, putting it on him the correct way. Then he helped the boy fasten the straps on the side, securing the armor firmly in place. For a moment, one might have seen a flicker of pride in the dwarf's eyes. But, only for a moment. "Make sure you thank Greta for it when you get the chance," Roland told him. "And for fuck's sake, try not to embarrass yourself in front of the Queensguard," the dwarf added, looking in the direction of the smiling Lord Edward.