"Well…that was certainly eventful." Runa sarcastically mentioned as she set foot in the weapon shop of the esteemed great hero, Aion Faure. The woman's expectations of the establishment were a lot higher than she imagined. When she heard Kyros mention the place, she expected high-quality and high-class atmosphere.

But instead, she felt like she wandered into the run of the mill weapon shop. Nothing exotic grabbed her eye out of the weapons displayed on the walls or cases.

"I feel sorry for those men. All they wanted were some weapons to defend themselves," Sarra spoke with a concerned tone. "How come that man from earlier didn’t give them any weapons? Even if they didn’t have any money, he’s a hero, isn’t he?"

Runa said without hesitation, “Guy seems more like a fallen hero if you ask me."

The Huntresses' poor choice of words caused Kyros to turn and glare at her, "It's not like that!" The man exclaimed.

Runa's habit of unfiltered speech was no secret. She didn't mince her words and had no consideration for the feelings of others--besides Sarra at least. One thing Kyros wouldn't allow her to do was besmirch the name of his teacher, one of the people that he respected the most in the entire country.

"No need for the glare," Runa commented, taking a mental note of his aggressive behavior. "I don't care for that man's status. If he can provide us with a place to stay, I have nothing more to say about him."

"After everything that happened out there, it'll be even harder to convince him. But, I'll give it a try." Kyros looked at the front desk and spotted a bell. He approached the bell and rang it.

Out from the back came the man of the hour. He came out from behind the counter and approached the group; his massive size became more apparent the closer he drew towards them. With each step he took, the group felt the hard, wooden floors shake.

While Kyros and Sarra kept their eyes up; Runa lowered her gaze after having noticed the irregular sounds of Aion's footsteps. Both of the man's limbs were made of Neoframe.

By the time she raised her head, Aion stood mere inches in front of them. He leaned over and brought his bearded face close to Kyros'.

"Well, look who decided to come pay me a visit." Aion sneered. "How long's it been? Three years? No calls, no letters."

"I'm sorry, Master Aion." Kyros immediately apologized. "I've just been incredibly busy and--"

It was like a blur. Aion's fist connected to Kyros' face and knocked him to the floor. Runa and Sarra instinctively moved to retrieve their weapons, but the large man's speed overwhelmed them. He reached out and grabbed the wrists of the Huntresses.

"Trying to draw your weapons in my shop? You Huntresses' have some nerve!" Aion complained. He tightened his grip on Runa's wrist. The woman cringed and continued to struggle.

Aion's absurd strength and speed astonished Runa. She never imagined an old man would force her to have to use her powers. Just when that critical thought crossed her mind; Kyros stood and settled the issue.

"Wait, stop it!" Kyros demanded. "We're not looking for a fight!"

"They tried to pull their weapons on me," Aion defended.

"That's 'cause you attacked Mr. Kyros!" Sarra cried.

"Aion! Let them go!" Kyros said.

Aion sighed and released the Huntresses. Sarra quickly hid behind Runa and inspected her wrist.

"Things got a little heated there...sorry..." Aion apologized. He turned his head and jeered at Kyros. "You! How many times must I tell you to stop calling me master?! It pisses me off!"

"Sorry. Force of habit," Kyros said.

"Everything's cool now?" Runa wondered, feeling uneasy after almost getting bested by a senior citizen.

"Yeah, you ladies can relax. I didn't mean to harm any of you." Aion assured them. "Your friend here just needed a rough reminder of how to properly address his elders."

"That’s a weird way to justify your actions." Sarra reluctantly came out from hiding behind Runa.

"Don't expect kids like you to understand," Aion folded his arms over his broad chest and looked over at Kyros. "And don't worry about not visiting lately. I know you've been busy protecting the country and all."

"Thanks. It hasn't been easy as of late," Kyros stole a quick glance over at Runa. "I'm glad to see that you're still alive and well despite everything that's happened."

Aion scoffed and stroked his beard. "Don't insult me, Kyros. These Varvara attacks are nothing compared to the Titans. The military's gone soft over the years."

"Well, we don't have as many wars or revolutions anymore."

"That's no excuse," Aion shook his head and turned his back to the group. He walked over to the front desk and took a seat on a single stool that waited for him. "Anyway, why are you three here? What do you want?"

"Before that, let me introduce you to my new companions. This is Runa das Meer and Sarra Zosime. They’re Huntresses from the Wild Hunt Guild out in the Gardens of Eden."

"Hello." Sarra nervously waved at Aion. Meanwhile, Runa just folded her arms and nodded at the man.

"Name's Aion Faure, weapons manufacturer for Soteria." Aion followed suit with the introductions. "Alright, now, go ahead and tell me what you want. Doubt any of you are here to buy any weapons."

Kyros stepped forward and nervously laughed. Requesting favors from Aion was always a difficult task for him; especially when the man wasn't in a good mood. His chances of convincing the group to stay decreased as the seconds of silence passed.

"We were wondering if you would be kind enough to let us stay here for a few days." Kyros steeled himself and prepared for the worst.

"Oh? You've some serious balls to waltz in here after three years just to seek a favor. What kind of establishment do you think I’m running here, Kyros? Does it say anywhere out there in the front that this is some bed and breakfast?" Aion slammed his fist on the desk.

Having received their answer, Runa clicked her tongue and turned around, preparing to leave. She didn't know what she thought when she allowed Kyros to lead them around. She looked out the window. The sun had set, and the moon took dominance over the sky. With no light to protect them, the group had to rely on themselves for cover and safety from the Varvara.

Runa sighed and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Aion called out to her.

Runa stopped.

"Somewhere else. We're not welcomed to stay here, right? Gotta take our chances out there with the Varvara."

"Now, hold on, I don't remember saying that you couldn't stay here."

Runa rolled her eye and sharply turned around. The man's behavior throughout their short meeting irritated her more so than Kyros. "Oh really? 'Cause judging from your previous response; I thought you wouldn’t have wanted us to stay here.”

"Trust me; I don't want you guys here. I already told the War Dogs out there I wouldn't let anyone stay in here unless they were going to pay up," Aion scratched his bed and smiled as he thought back to the angered faces of the War Dogs. "But, I've heard all places are booked. I don't you want you to stay outside where you'll likely get yourselves killed."

"So, you'll be giving us a place to stay then?” Sarra asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. The Huntresses can sleep upstairs while the men sleep downstairs." Aion nodded. "However, I'll only do this if you do something for me first."

Aion's stoic face shifted into a mischievous smile that unsettled Kyros and the Huntresses. Kyros knew all too well that whenever that expression crossed his teacher's face, almost nothing good followed afterward. It boggled his mind trying to figure out what his teacher could ever want from any of them.

"What is it that you want?" Kyros hesitantly asked.

Aion's intense gaze settled on the weapon hoisted on Runa's back. "That weapon your friend carries looks quite intriguing. If I could perhaps have a little time to inspect it..." The man's face turned red, and his breaths became heavy. "You wouldn't mind letting me hold it for a second, right?"

The shuddersome look in Aion's eyes and appalling hand motions freaked out Kyros and the Huntresses. There it was right before their eyes; Aion's fascination, borderline fetish with weapons. Despite all the eyes Kyros spent under the man's tutelage, he never quite understood where it came from.

Runa took a step back and placed her hand on the said spear.

"Fuck, no!" Runa immediately refused, ignoring Sarra's warning of her using another swear word. "There's no way I'm letting you hold this! I'd rather take my chances outside!"

"Runa!" Sarra said.

"What's the harm in letting him hold your weapon?" Kyros asked.

"It's my weapon, and I'm allowed to choose who can hold it!" Runa's gravelly tone and harsh response resonated in the weapon shop.

A heavy silence hung in the air as Aion and Runa engaged in a fierce staredown. Both stood firm with their demands. It appeared that at any moment, the two of them would break out into a fight. Kyros wanted to avoid that outcome at all costs.

Shockingly, though, the first that gave in was Aion. He let out a long, drawn-out groan of defeat and hung his head. "I got it. You must have a deep connection with your weapon to refuse to part with it. I can respect that."

"Is there anything else that you want from us instead?" Kyros requested.

"No, none of you have anything else that I want. You're free to stay here for a few days. Don't break or steal my shit," Aion demanded. With that, the man wandered to the back of his shop.

"This was a hassle." Runa blatantly said.

"You two seem to have a confusing relationship, Mr. Kyros," Sarra added.

"I'll admit that Aion can be difficult to handle most of the time. But, he's a nice person once you get to know him." Kyros defended the senior man.

"How well do you know him?" Runa asked.

"He's been my teacher for over eight years. He's taught me a lot of things about weapons manufacturing--" Kyros stopped when the Huntress pointed her spear at him.

"You’re not answering my question."

"…Okay, I don't know him that well. He doesn't like to talk about himself much. But we have a…stable relationship."

Runa narrowed her eye, clearly not amused by Kyros' response. She grabbed Kyros' sash and pulled him closer to her. "Just so you know if this idea of yours hadn’t worked, I would’ve personally beat you down and left you lying in a ditch somewhere for the Varvara to get you.”

"Runa, you don’t mean that do you?" Sarra asked.

"I guess we’ll never find out now that we have a place to stay for the night.” She released her hold on Kyros. “So, you gonna show us to our rooms or what?"

"…Follow me, ladies. Right, this way." Kyros reluctantly led the Huntresses upstairs to the second floor where they would be sleeping for the night.