I walk along with the wagon, ignoring the sting of eyes burning a hole in the back of my head. They’ve been like that for entire days now, two to be exact. The only one who I talk to on a regular basis is their leader.

Since I helped them from the goblins, they’ve been resting on the back of a few carts, doing next to nothing. They help set up the tents at night and help pack up in the morning but nothing than that. They chat with the others occasionally but have been keeping to themselves mostly.

Who can blame them? I can imagine the loss of a friend… It’s no wonder they’d hole up for a little bit. I’m sure as soon as we hit the city, a few of them might even retire. A few people might call me a bit harsh but my master would agree with me here. I lack experience in the field of adventuring, but failing on the first try against what are considered the weakest monsters and losing a few friends is bound to have an effect.

I mean, look at those guys back in Aurora City. Some looked completely dead after surviving those quests.

If you’re not ready for it, don’t do it.

A cheerful voice pierces my thoughts, “Yeah, of course!”

I turn to find Axel happily making friends with the newest additions to the traveling group. He tried talking to them a few days ago but Hilda and I advised him against it. Axel, although he may seem like it at times, is far from an idiot. When it comes to it, he’s very perceptive.

“That’s right,” he says, pointing at me, “He’s a magician at Renard Academy.”

“T-that’s amazing…”

“So he’s also a talented magic user…”

“That’s not exactly true. I won’t say his magical abilities are weak but they’re a bit weaker than you would imagine for a student there. By the way, I’m also a student at the academy. I happen to be wearing my robes today too!”

There he goes showing off two the sword girl, Kat and the magic user of that group, Sio. They haven’t introduced themselves to me yet, but their leader told me all their names. Sio was the one who was injured and Kat was the one who saved him. If she hadn’t stepped in when she did, the snow would have been covered in even more human blood.

Apparently the body I saw in the forest wasn’t the only one. They had one more friend who died in the initial ambush. Istruan insisted on going back and burying them. I couldn’t say no and went with him.

During that time, he didn’t say much, other than stating their names. He wanted a proper burial, I know he did. However, he settled with covering their bodies with snow despite not a single word from me.

I wonder if when Winter is over, he’ll come back and properly bury them.

“Hi,” Kat says, keeping her head down a bit lower than usual for a conversation. “I’m Kat. It’s short for Katherine.”

“Nice to finally meet you. I’m Rainen.”

She nods, “I know. Istruan- I mean, our leader told us. I just wanted to thank you for the other day.”

“Of course. I hope you’re recovering well. If anything’s troubling you, you can always talk to Hilda. She’s the woman always hanging around my sister, that little redhead you might see walking around here and there.”

“She’s your sister?”

I frown and she throws up her hands.

“A-ah. I’m sorry if I offended you or something. It’s just that the hair color doesn’t match. I thought you two were either really good friends or a couple of some sort.” Kat stares down at her toes.

“Apologies aren’t necessary. I’m sure there are lots of people who would never see us as brother and sister on first glance.” Not that it matters. “Anyway… Kat, there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

She responds immediately, “What is it?”

“I remember what Istruan said in the woods the other day but did you really start adventuring after learning about the monsters?” To me, it seems crazy. Of all the people I know, there’s probably not a single one among them who would do that.

“I wish we didn’t…” she kicks the ground, “We didn’t start adventuring after hearing of the monsters, rather, we were only able to start after the monsters go stronger.”

“What do you mean?”

“Fia, Marcus, and I knew each other for a long time. We grew up together. We never really intended to become adventurers, though it always seemed like something amazing to us. We lived as much of our normals lives as we could until we started really feeling the effects of the other villages around here.”

Bad harvests, rising taxes, and an uncaring Empire huh? The second one’s not so much of a problem anymore but if the ground hasn’t recovered then they’re still down, especially if other villages are suffering too.

“Marcus was an apprentice to a promising blacksmith in the village. However, after he heard Fia and I were going to try to become adventurers he quit his apprenticeship to follow after us.” Kat traces her hand over her glove. “We wanted to make it an official group but we were missing two people. Luckily for us, we ran into Istruan, Sio, and Woon.”

That’s only six members so far that I’m counting.

“Are you wondering about our seventh member? Emile joined not long after. He and I are training buddies… So, after we formed our group, we tried to get a quest outside of the little town we were in at that time. The clerk denied us, saying that things with monsters were being looked into and that newcomers like us aren’t allowed to take on any dangerous requests.”

“So you first formed the group five or so weeks ago?”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot that you’re also an adventurer. Of course you know about the time when they weren’t allowing quests. I got caught up in your friend’s stories about you at the Academy.”

“Stories about me at the academy? What kind of stories?” There are a few pretty big ones I can think of but I was hoping Axel wasn’t that kind of a loudmouth.

“Nothing much. He was just telling us about how you seemed more like a fighter than a magician. We were wondering how strong you really were since you were able to get into the academy and also fight like that. There aren’t too many magicians in the world like you.”

“If you were talking to him then you should know I’m hardly a magician. My magic is best as a tool at most. Nothing to laugh at but nothing compared to some of those monsters in the academy.” Like Abelard.

“Really…” Kat plays with her glove.

“Isn’t that a little bit large?”

“Huh? This? It’s not really mine. I’d like to think I’m holding on to it for a friend.”

“I get it.” I nod, not asking anything more. That’s the same glove Istruan was holding when he came up to me.

“S-so…” she stammers, glancing at me, “C-could I take a look at one of your knives?”

W-what’s this? A kindred spirit? Is how my master would tease me if he saw this situation. Though, I can’t say I’m not a little happy she’s showing an interest. “I don’t really mind but is there a reason why?”

“It’s an odd habit of mine but I like collecting things, usually odd stuff. Small weapons like knives and such, is kinda a new hobby. I picked it up very recently. T-though I won’t take any of yours. I’m just curious is all.”

I show her my knife and her eyes brighten. She looks at me for permission and I nod. “It’s not anything special.”

“Still, it’s well made.”

“Are you sure you weren’t the one working under that blacksmith?”

“I would have liked to. But he refused to take female apprentices,” she says while weighing my knife. “It’s balance is good too. Marcus would have liked this as well...”

After looking at it for a little longer, she returns it.

“Thanks for humoring me. I’m glad you’re a nice guy. Most people who are strong aren’t like you.”

“Maybe you’ve just been meeting the wrong people. And, I’m not strong.”

“Maybe,” she glances back, “Just so you know, Sio and Emile want to talk to you too. They probably won’t approach you for a while, though.”

That’s nice I guess. Being crowded by people isn’t always the most fun. Hopefully, there’ll be enough time for me to speak to the rest of them.

----------------------------------------------------------

An adventurer leapt over an overgrown root. His fair hair wet and covered in dirt. He peeked over the roots, scanning for any enemies. In the clear, he threw down his quiver and restrung his bow. If only he restrung it as soon as he woke up, then he wouldn’t be in this mess.

He checked his inventory. Six arrows, a short sword, and a scroll. Great. With only six arrows left he was a dead man. Weary but desperate, he grabbed his ocarina and played a few notes. The grass and trees shimmered, leaves suddenly rustling despite the absence of wind.

He placed the ocarina down, picked up his bow and notched an arrow. He waited. His ears strained, trying to catch onto even the slightest of sound, whether it be what he wished to hear or an enemy sneaking up on him.

A minute passed. Nothing.

He grit his teeth and placed the arrow back into his quiver. If things continued the way they were going, then he’d need to find another place to set up for the night and craft some arrows as well. Sliding his short sword out if its sheathe, he carved a feather into a tree.

He heard another rustle and spun around. He eyed the bush, gripping the sword until his knuckles turned white. He inched his feet out into a better, more versatile stance. Whatever came out of the brush, he’d be ready.

A bunny crawled out. He sighed and sheathed his sword. The sun shone brightly today. Perhaps he would enjoy it in peace. “Hah. What a joke.”

Without any warning, he fell to his back as a vicious, three-eyed, deformed beast attacked him. He held the beast back as it tried to tear out his throat. It snapped back and forth, testing his strength. His arm shook as he used all his strength to keep it at bay.

He reached for his sword which had been knocked away by the sudden attack. He batted at the ground, inching for the weapon. His finger could just touch it. Only a little more. A little more was all he needed.

But his arm was giving out. Forgoing all defense, he rolled over just as the beast snapped its jaws again. He grabbed onto the handle and elbowed the monster off him. He scrambled to his feet just as it jumped.

“Argh.”

The monster kept reaching for him with its long mouth but the sword held the monster back. It bled from its stomach but didn’t wane in power. It growled and howled as loudly as before, perhaps even more.

The strength it had seemed to be endless. And In another gamble as the beast drew nearer, he pushed the monster away. The room was enough. He swung the sword, cutting the monster’s eye. It screeched and he recoiled.

It was high and almost humanlike. He had never heard it before.

He regained his senses and brought the sword down on the monster’s neck. The sword stopped halfway. He raised it up and tried again. With its head lobbed off, the monster fell.

He waited to catch his breath. What started out perfectly fine, turned into a nightmare. He was sure of his skills in the wild but this was something entirely new. Digging into the deepest parts of his imagination wouldn’t be enough to see a future where he lived a comfortable life in these forests.

As he went to pick up his bow and quiver, a song pierced the silence. He retrieved his ocarina and played the tune back. He waited for a moment and it responded. In no time, he was surrounded by friends.

“Thank god,” he said, dropping to the ground, “I thought I’d die alone out here.”

“There’s no time for that,” a man in full armor responded, “If we’re going to die then it’ll have to be together. We’ll wait here for a little bit until we treat your wounds.” he motioned to his companion.

The healer of the group, Halie, went up to the fair-haired archer and started treating him. Finding a few gashes on his shoulder, she pulled out a small purple bottle and rubbed some of it on the wound. He winced at the stinging pain.

“Don’t move,” she said quietly as she focused on spreading it, “If you move too much it might get worse.” She sealed the bottle and began wrapping his shoulder.

“How’s everyone else doing,” he asked. The medicine stung and he hoped talking would keep his thoughts off the pain.

Ignaas, the fully armored warrior leaned against a tree, seemingly relaxed. “They’re fine. Only three deaths so far. Since you’ve been missing, the Empire sent a few knights over and they’re fairly skilled. It’ll take only a few more days at the most before we reach it.”

“If that’s the case,” he stood up, “Then I’m good to go.”

“Yves, I told you not to move.” Halie shook her head and went to pull him back down.

“Let him be. If he’s fine then all the better. As long as I’m here there won’t be too many problems. We’ll head back immediately and inform the others.” the armored man began moving.

Despite his protests, Halie supported Yves as they walked back. She claimed that no patient of her’s would be let off before she’s deemed them ready to be let off.

As they marched into the camp, a woman who Yves didn’t recognize came up to them. She walked over with grace. Her steps were light and she carried herself confidently. She wore a steel breastplate, a shoulder guard, and leather arm guards, to name the least. Her long hair was held in a bun and strapped on her hip was an embroidered sword.

Ignaas stopped.

“So you’ve recovered him,” she says. “Glad to meet you, I’m Aethel, an S-ranked adventurer. We’ve been scouting up north of this region. Once the guild found out your group had gotten trace of it, we were told to come down here to assist. A few more groups will be coming in the next few hours as well.”

Ignaas introduced himself and asked, “So we move when everyone arrives?”

“Yes,” she said, “The knights the Empire sent are to also come along.”

“I see… How unfortunate. I hoped this kind of matter would stay within the Guild and that the Empire would only fortify the defenses stop the spread.” Ignaas walked past her and headed for the largest tent.

Aethel looked at Halie and Yves, “Rest up. From what your friends told me, you’ve been out there for three days by yourself. It must have been difficult.”

“Oh, it was,” Yves said.

“Well, I hope your energy lasts because we’ll head into every adventurer’s dream soon enough,” she looked into the thick forest, “Things that we thought were only in stories. We’ll be the first ones to see it… A floating city.”