Chapter 1 - Moonlighter

Ding.

"Can I get some service over here?!"

Enteico rushed to the front of the shop. His eye twitched slightly when he saw the empty chair behind the counter.

Why am I not surprised?

The merchant bowed before the Nobelist. "I'm terribly sorry about that. What would you like this fine afternoon, sir?"

The Nobelist, clad in bright golden armor, folded his arms in annoyance. "About time someone showed up. Three health potions, and make it quick. My platoon has been waiting outside for nearly 10 minutes!"

Enteico nodded immediately. "Of course, sir, right away. You can choose from our selection here. We have a variety of Fast Heal potions, Cure Status potions and…"

The merchant paused as he realized the shelf that was supposed to be lined with potions was empty. He chuckled nervously when the Nobelist began to tap his foot, clearly in a hurry.

Damn it, Keith.

"Hold on, give me a minute. I think I still have some in the back…" Enteico said, heading to the storage room.

"Then get them! You've wasted enough of my time already!" The Nobelist yelled, making Enteico scurry away to find more potions.

The merchant pulled out a bag filled with vials and flasks. He hurriedly took three potions and ran back to the man, presenting them on the counter.

"Uhh…that'll be…8000 Bitma."

"For three potions?! I see that you're not only terrible at service, but you have terrible prices! If that other shop down the street wasn't completely packed, I wouldn't even consider purchasing this!" The man said, opening his inventory.

Collecting the Bitma, Enteico shrugged the remark off before handing the potions to the man, trying to keep his temper in check.

Typical Nobelist. Daddy isn't paying you enough to go out, buy escorts and drink yourself to death? This might be a surprise, but not all of us have that problem!

The merchant noticed that the liquid appeared slightly brown as the man took a sip out of one flask. The Nobelist smacked his lips, looking curiously at the healing potion.

"This potion tastes a bit different. Does this have a higher potency than usual?" The man asked Enteico, who shook his head.

"No idea. These are all drops from dungeon raids…sir." Enteico said.

The man kept drinking from the flask, trying to figure out what was wrong with the potion. He sipped from the other flask as well, looking at his stats.

"This doesn't…hurp…appear to be healing meee…woo..." The man said, taking an unsteady step forward.

"That can't be right. We made sure they had a valid potency level before we took them…" Enteico said.

The man collapsed onto the floor, gargling on his own saliva.

Enteico rushed to his side, shaking him desperately. "Sir, are you ok?!"

"Hey, dude! We've got a big problem! I think someone robbed the shop!" Enteico heard a voice say from behind him.

"What?!" Enteico groaned. Today was definitely going to be one of those days.

"Yeah! I've lost three whole flasks of Moon Juice! That stuff had a lot more alcohol than usual, and I lost the prototypes!" Keith said, rushing through the back door.

Enteico blinked once, before sighing in annoyance. "Keith?"

"Yeah?" Keith asked Enteico, frantically looking around for the missing three flasks.

"Did you, for some godforsaken reason, use the flasks inside the storage room?" Enteico asked Keith.

"Duh. Where else would I find them? I ran out of bottles, so I used the flasks to store the Moon Juice. Brewing is a very precise process; you can't afford to make any mistakes." Keith scoffed.

"The flasks inside the black bag labelled "Healing potions"?!" Enteico asked, his hands wrenching his own hair in frustration.

"Y…oh. I…uhh…didn't see that. To be fair, those didn't look like healing potions, so I just flushed them down the toilet." Keith gulped.

"WHY?! Why would you do that?!" Enteico yelled.

"Hey, hey. All I saw were a bunch of flasks with some green liquid inside and I thought that maybe you were having a long day at work. Y'know, where you can't have any bathroom breaks…" Keith explained.

"SO YOU THOUGHT I PEED IN THREE SEPARATE FLASKS?" Enteico snapped.

"I…I just wanted to help my buddy out. Right, buddy?" Keith asked, raising his eyebrows.

A platoon came in through the door, gasping when they saw the man collapsed on the floor of the shop.

"You heathens! I'll have your head for this! What did you do to him? Poison? Drugs? Perhaps witchcraft?! Poison?!" A man from the platoon growled, pulling out his sword from its sheathe.

Enteico held up his hands in surrender. He had just given a Nobelist alcohol poisoning. Terrible memories flashed through his head before Keith stepped in.

"Ahh, we were just having a little chat and a few drinks. We didn't know he couldn't hold his liquor, honest mistake! If we did, we would've told him to pace himself." Keith smiled, scratching his head apologetically.

The platoon stared daggers at Keith, highly suspicious of him.

"Right, Enteico?" Keith nudged the merchant with his foot slightly.

"Oh. Uhh…right…?" Enteico smiled awkwardly.

The platoon members began laughing suddenly. "Ahh, that sounds like our boy Elias, all right. We'll get this drunken sod outta your hair."

They carried the Nobelist out of the shop, closing the door behind them, making both Keith and Enteico sigh in relief.

"Never ever do that again. Please." Enteico said his voice cracking.

"You don't have to tell me twice. I'm not looking forward to going back to jail with you." Keith chuckled.

Enteico pulled out a chair next to a small table and Keith sat on the table while the merchant handed him a sandwich in a wrapper. Keith tossed an old antique knife onto a pile of old, rusted weapons near the back of the room. It wouldn't be a complete waste; they could sell it off to the blacksmith nearby and get a good price for the materials.

"Still wasn't worth raiding that Spiderling nest." Keith shuddered.

"I'm telling you, man. A few more days without any customers and we won't have enough money to keep the shop open any longer," said Enteico.

The two took a bite out of their chicken and egg sandwiches as Keith hunched over reading the tabloids for jobs they could take or tips for any dungeons they could raid. At the bottom of the paper was a small watermark that read "Published by the Brimestone Foundation."

"Banshee swamp?" Enteico asked Keith.

"Do I look like I need more people yelling down my eardrums?" Keith asked, taking another bite of his sandwich.

"Demon horde?"

"Too high level and three days away from here. On horseback."

"Well then, what about a goblin loot stash?"

Keith bent over to look at the piece of paper, dimly lit by the small lamp in the corner of the room. "Don’t those details look shady as hell?" he asked.

Enteico shrugged. "If it's an ambush, chances are they'll be geared up. Gear which we can sell. We could take on a couple of bandits, even if it is a trap."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "We?"

Enteico rolled his eyes. "Okay. You. I'll be there as… emotional support."

Keith smirked and his eyes diverted to a carriage with a megaphone announcing new tips and news in the village.

"CITIZENS OF SPITI! Um…hello? Is…is this thing on? Oh, I need to…TODAY IS A SPECIAL DAY! A MYTHICAL LEVEL DUNGEON IS RUMORED TO BE SPAWNING AROUND YOUR AREA. I REPEAT, A MYTHICAL LEVEL DUNGEON!"

The townsfolk around Enteico's shop started murmuring and muttering excitedly. A mythical level dungeon was rumored to carry legendary gear and artifacts of untold powers. And, of course, money.

"Ok, so how are we looking on Bitma?

Enteico rummaged around, opening a drawer on the side of the countertop. He looked at his Pokia, the screen on the small device showing him a bunch of numbers and figures. The word Bitma was alongside the figure 50,000.

"Well, it's enough to get my next collection of light novels. Speaking of which, could you lend me about 10k Bitma? I got a special Succubus I want to invite over. If you know what I mean." Keith said with a shit-eating grin.

"Sometimes I wish I didn't know what you meant," Enteico said, letting out a loud sigh.

As they closed up shop, Enteico looked around the village with Keith briefly to search for any more leads on possible dungeon locations. However, their search was cut short when Enteico bumped into a man and fell over. The man was covered in golden armor with a golden great sword alongside five scantily dressed elf girls. The girls snickered at the sight of Enteico flat on the ground.

"Well, well, if it isn't the merchant whose life is worth less than his pitiful shop."

"Well, well, if it isn't Psoli, the mightiest douchebag to walk the town of Spiti." Keith regarded the women surrounding the built, tall and blonde knight. "Oh, why thank you Psoli, I was on my way to get an elf girl in the first place, thanks for hooking me up with an extra 4. You're such a nice guy." Keith said, helping Enteico up on his feet.

"I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole even if I was paid a million Bitma." One of the girls said, spurring laughter from the others.

"Well, you wouldn't know anything about 10-foot poles considering you're hanging out with this dumbass," Keith said, a murderous glint in his eyes.

"Nice one." Enteico lightly whispered to Keith.

Psoli grunted and pushed the two of them aside, eager to continue with his evening with the rest of his company.

Enteico dusted himself off. "Well, that could have gone a lot better."

Or a whole lot worse.

Keith shrugged. "Suddenly I don't feel like I'm in the mood for any fun-time. I guess I'll just hit the sack." Keith said, waving goodbye to Enteico and headed back to his home, while Enteico did the same, walking to the worn-down inn near his shop.

Keith stretched and yawned as he entered the dingy barn that he resided in for the past 3 years since meeting Enteico. The familiar neigh and whinny of his horse, Yurgen, greeted him as he changed into more comfortable clothes.

Keith then smacked Yurgen, which prompted the horse to kick him through the wall of the barn, knocking him unconscious. This would have been a problem, if it wasn't how he usually went to sleep.

Yet for some reason, Keith knew that this wouldn't last long. Enteico was running out of Bitma, meaning that he would probably close up the shop and Keith would…

Keith opened his eyes, the bright rays of the rising sun warming him up.

No matter what happened, he wouldn't go back…

"How the hell do you not have brain damage?"

Enteico was in the barn, fastening some packs onto Yurgen. Grabbing Keith's spare clothes, he threw Keith’s black jacket, the red interior glimmering for a second as it hit the floor next to Keith. Enteico looked at Keith, waiting for him to get ready.

"We found a Serpentine breeding ground. The scouts didn't give us a whole lot of info, but if they're right, then the area should contain some decent gear for us to sell or use. Get your things and let's move, it's not that far from here." Enteico said, slinging a backpack across his shoulder.

Keith nodded, unusually quiet for once. They continued on their way to the Serpentine ground, Keith atop Yurgen while Enteico checked up on their gear and its levels so that they could be compatible with Keith in battle.

Enteico handed Keith a serrated-edged sword, the scan with his Pokia showing the weapon to be at level 32. Keith made a face as he saw the stats.

"What about that axe we got the other day?" Keith asked Enteico.

Enteico looked at him with a classic disappointed-dad look. "It's level 40."

"Oh, right," Keith said, scratching his head awkwardly.

Enteico sighed and took in the scenery around them as he shook off the dreadful memory of the last time he used a weapon that had a higher level than him. It felt like he was lifting 30 tons around using that thing, his arms felt like they were pulled from their sockets for the rest of the week following that.

A carriage passed by with an elegantly dressed couple, the distant cry of a rooster marking a fresh new day on the grassy open plain, with winter barely a few months away. Farmers, merchants and travelers passed by alongside the duo.

"What level are you at right now?" Enteico asked, tying Yurgen’s reins to a fence nearby as Keith took out his Pokia to check, squinting at the screen.

"Level 35," said Keith.

Enteico rummaged around the saddles for a while before pulling out a dagger and a small bag. Keith patted the horse, making it spit on him. Keith then retaliated by spitting back, the horse sputtering in annoyance.

As they entered the small crack which was the entrance to the breeding ground, the ground below them gave way and they fell down a steep incline, landing with a slosh in a puddle, the water murky with pieces of… something… floating around.

Keith picked a piece off his arm and frowned as the flimsy, rubber-like material stretched, moist and scaly. "I could've sworn I ran out of these last week, my trash can in the bedroom's full of them," Keith said, fighting a smile at his remark.

Enteico grimaced. "For the last time, Serpentine skin is NOT a good material for… those things."

"Hey, don't hate it until you try it," Keith said, as they both walked further into the cavernous ground, sunlight slowly spilling through the cracks.

A tiny snake-like creature slithered near the duo, poised to attack before Enteico drove his dagger through it. "Speaking of which, where the hell do you do that? I doubt anyone would do it bang you in a barn, of all places."

Keith pulled out his sword from a humanoid with a serpent body that he just killed nonchalantly. "Why do you think I ask you for your room key every Sunday?" Keith asked Enteico, preparing to take on the next Serpentine rushing to attack them.

Enteico paused, his face turning into an amalgamation of disgust and horror.

"YOU WHAT?!"

Keith nearly burst into tears looking at Enteico's face, as Enteico realized his room was the subject of Keith’s many…encounters.

Enteico shuddered, unsure if it was because of fury or terror. It was probably both. As Keith approached the first loot zone, another group entered the ground, leaving the duo to collect their loot. Keith was slightly relieved; most people would fight them to grab the loot without having to fight any enemies. After all, Psoli got geared up pretty quickly by using this under-handed technique on them many times.

Half of the loot that Psoli had was technically stolen, however as there was no rule other than a code of honor between dungeon raiders, most people chose to forgo this and get rich easily by waiting for a group to do all the dirty work, then swooping in at the last minute to pick off the tired group to get all the loot.

The difference was, Psoli pretended like he actually did all the fighting, hence his bombastic and arrogant attitude, which led to people upholding his reputation out of fear for their wellbeing, instead of respect for the knight.

Enteico opened up a bunch of chests, his looting ability giving him a chance to get more powerful items from chests and better loot. They stuffed it into their backpack, which would automatically go into their inventory, unless it was full.

"How are we doing right now?" Keith asked, throwing his sword into a Serpentine and using its body to knock down a trio about to assault Enteico, who was busy calculating on his Pokia. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and showed Keith the figure.

"Alright, we're up a 100k. If we clear off this area and get most of the loot, we should be able to manage for another three months or so." Keith said, body slamming into a Serpentine as Enteico held back two Crawlers before Keith skewered all three enemies with his sword.

An ear-shattering roar split through the area, echoing off the rocky swamp walls.

Out of the shadows, a 10 foot tall beast with fangs glistening in green poison and sharpened claws protruding from its arms emerged, blood splattered across its body.

The Fidion snarled at Keith and Enteico. Keith noticed his friend was not looking at the monster in front of them, but the critically wounded group who had entered the dungeon earlier, most likely having lost a fight with the Fidion.

Keith signalled for Enteico to help the group out while he took on the beast, murderous intent visible on its face. Lunging forwards, it narrowly missed Enteico as he ducked beneath its legs, piercing the skin and ripping off a part of its flesh.

Keith charged at the last moment, slicing through an arm with his sword. The Fidion groaned in agony as it healed itself slowly, spraying a defensive load of poison from its fangs.

Keith narrowly dodged the acidic spray, aiming to cleave the Fidions head in half as he sprung off a wall, only to be swatted aside by the beast’s claws. He recovered mid-air by slamming his sword against the wall to steady himself for his landing.

The Fidion slowly turned away, locking onto a new target.

Enteico warded off the attacks bravely, but Keith could see that they were fighting a losing battle unless he…

No, he couldn't. There had to be another way.

Keith looked at the weapon and decided on his next move. He had to time it right or else they were royally screwed. Rushing forward, he brought his sword down on the creature, only for it to grunt in annoyance at the move. Winding up a punch, it threw a devastating blow to Keith, who was sent flying with the force of the attack.

But Keith had planned it all out.

Spinning in mid-air, he launched himself off the wall barely a second before he collided with it, catching the Fidion off guard. Preparing to swing his sword at the Fidion’s head, he yelled out a command a split second before the sword struck.

"Breakpoint!"

The sword began to emanate dark energy as the serrated edges slowly began to move, turning the weapon into a chainsaw that would rip and tear through anything in its path.

"SHADOW CHAINSAW!"

The chainsaw ripped through half of the beast’s head as it seemed to get lodged halfway, before another sudden burst of energy caused the head and the weapon to explode, tearing the Fidion's body in half and knocking Keith back from the force of the explosion.

As the dust began to settle, the injured group looked at Keith in awe as Enteico grinned at his friend, covered in blood and bruised from the fight, standing heroically, before he collapsed.

"Okay, I'm done now," Keith groaned.

Enteico helped Keith up and assisted the group in carrying one of their injured out of the area away from danger. As they exited the area after obtaining the loot drop, the familiar face they saw outside made Enteico wish they took their chance with the Serpentine.

Clapping, Psoli stood with a bunch of people, all decked out in gear that was a stark contrast to the ragged trench coat that Enteico donned and the torn jacket Keith had taken off to stem the bleeding of an injured raider he was carrying.

Enteico felt his stomach tying itself into knots as Psoli and his nefarious Omada Platoon walked slowly towards them and surrounded them while holding their weapons in case Enteico and Keith tried anything to escape.

"So, where's our loot Enteico?" Psoli asked with an eyebrow raised sarcastically.

"I don't see any of it. It must have gotten lost up your ass and to the left." Enteico retaliated, clutching his loot bag with all his might. The unexpectedly bold response coaxed a light snicker out of one of the members of the Platoon as she cleared her throat to cover it up.

In the blink of an eye, Psoli drew his sword and held it against Enteico's throat, drawing a thin line of blood. "I don't want this to end in bloodshed. Just give me the loot and you can go home scot-free. You have my word."

Psoli leaned in closer, lowering his voice so the other members of the Platoon couldn't hear him and whispered to Enteico, wrapping his arm around his head, the friendly gesture a façade to the malicious intentions Psoli had in mind.

"Tell you what; I'll even sweeten the deal for you. Just give me the loot you got from today's raid and I'll let you go home with the rest. Plus…

…I'll even throw in a date with the hottie as an extra bonus."

Enteico's heart thumped, sending a wave of heartache and anger as he looked at the girl who had snickered at his comeback earlier.

"I can vouch for her, she's every bit worth the wait. We have a little pre-raid session sometimes."

Enteico's heart felt like it was tearing itself out, the rhythm inside his chest beating wildly with fury boiling him to his core as he understood the insinuation.

"I know you had a thing for her and after getting the goods, I can see why. Not the best, but her little whimpers certainly make her better than most paid sex I've had. Mmm, makes it all worth the wait. Hell, if you're having doubts about satisfying her, I'll make sure to tell her to add a little flair and pretend to be impressed by you for a bit."

Psoli let go of Enteico, as the girl looked on quizzically. "Come on Enteico, let's work this out. It'll be a win-win situation. Better take advantage of my generosity while it lasts." Psoli said.

“It’s a win-win for you,” Keith pointed out.

Enteico stood, his fists trembling. He had to calm down.

Stop. Stop. Don't think about it. He isn't worth it.

"It's the only way you'll get what you want." Psoli spat.

Enteico's vision went white.

He threw a punch at Psoli. Unfortunately, Psoli was prepared and grabbed Enteico's arm, twisting it. He pinned Enteico to the ground, the Platoon laughing at the scrawny figure writhing beneath Psoli.

His vision blurred through tears and the pain from Psoli's arm lock, he caught a glimpse of the girl looking at him with pity.

Before she started laughing along with the others.

As Keith reluctantly handed over the loot they obtained, Enteico saw that his friend was just as frustrated as he was.

Is my entire role in the universe to just be some stupid merchant getting picked on by a pretentious prick?

The Omada Platoon walked away with all of Enteico's loot and the remnants of their party's shared inventory.

They had nothing.

"DAMN IT!" Enteico yelled punching the ground as a flurry of emotions overtook him until he was finally mentally exhausted from his outburst. Psoli was long gone with their loot and everything else they had brought along.

Keith helped Enteico up and walked with the group of raiders outside the raid area and into the safe zone. As usual, Keith offered a bottle of Moon Juice, which Enteico silently declined.

Thus, the awkward silence grew.

As they approached the town area with Yurgen helping them along, Keith and Enteico said their goodbyes to the raiders, but not before they offered some of their loot as thanks for their aid in the earlier fight. It wasn't much, but the gesture managed to lift the duo's spirits up a little.

Keith took Enteico to a bar near Enteico's shop where Keith ordered some ale and a mango milkshake for his friend, as Enteico had a knack for choosing anything except alcohol at a bar.

"They said they would tell everyone what they saw about Psoli. Hopefully, that dickhead gets coming to him now." Keith said, false hope driving his words.

"Yeah. Like the last ones who said that. Or the ones before that…" Enteico mumbled while taking a sip from his drink.

Keith jingled the few Bitma they had been gifted from the raiders.

"You know, if you want to let off some steam, I could hook you up with some of my…accomplices," Keith smiled, trying to alleviate some of the tension in the atmosphere.

Enteico grabbed the coins from Keith's hand. "My mattress is all too familiar with your accomplices and their…activities. Which is why I'm taking these to get a new one."

"Hey man, what can I say? The white sauce goes where the white sauce goes." Keith said, leaning back in his chair.

"Literally anything else. You could have said literally anything else yet somehow you chose to say that." Enteico groaned, a light smile passing over his face.

Noticing that his friend was in a better mood now, Keith cleared his throat. "Listen, I'm sorry…for…y'know…there was nothing I could really…you know?"

"I know," Enteico said, smiling.

"Things really aren't going our way, huh?" Keith said, taking a long drink out of his cup.

"We do have an option," Enteico said, his own voice not sure in his suggestion.

Keith was waiting for Enteico to go on but then realized his friend was staring at the bulletin board in the bar, where the latest news on high-level raids was posted. Today, it was empty, save for one piece of paper with very few details.

"No way. It's crazy." Keith said immediately.

"Listen, Keith…" Enteico started but never continued.

"I am listening. I know our situation's desperate, but going to a mythical dungeon is suicide. Even Psoli and his Omada Platoon would need to prep for weeks in advance to raid that place." Keith said firmly.

"Yeah, but even if we manage to get more customers than Psoli's deadbeat brother and his shop, whilst somehow selling EVERYTHING we have in the shop at the moment, we're going to end up with enough Bitma for three months and no gear whatsoever to go on any raids."

Keith knew that Psoli's brother ran a rival merchant and trading business that was more successful than Enteico's shop. "Just drop it, Enteico. I'm not going to a dungeon where I'm most certainly going to die and you are absolutely going to die."

Enteico knew it was a crazy and desperate attempt, so he didn't push it anymore. "Ok, ok. Then what about the shady-looking dungeon listed on the tabloids earlier today? The goblin loot stash?" he asked, gulping the last of his milkshake down.

Keith nodded and wiped his mouth, burping with a stench that actually caused a nearby waiter to trip and fall over a chair, knocking over a table and drenched the group at the table in alcohol, however, Keith had no idea why on earth the waiter shot him dirty looks for the rest of the evening.

"You seem to be forgetting that Psoli took all of our loot though," Keith said, glancing with a wince at the waiter as he slipped on the spilled drinks and crashed into a jukebox nearby.

"I haven't," Enteico said, a small smug grin taking over his face.

Keith turned his attention to his friend, who had no trace of his earlier despair written anywhere on his face, his smirk contagious. "So he didn't take all of our gear then?"

Enteico paid the tab with a small portion of the Bitma they had left. They waved goodbye to the bartender, keeping their heads down as Psoli and his Platoon walked into the bar, welcomed by most of the customers and greeted with an on-the-house round of drinks for the Platoon.

Enteico seemed to take no notice, marching out of the bar with an air of purpose and determination.

"You still got that extra key to my inn room?"

Keith nodded and pulled out a rusty and worn down silver key. The duo both walked into the inn and up the stairs to Enteico's room. Just before they entered the room, an old blonde man approached them and tapped Enteico's shoulder.

"Rent?" he asked, with a heavy accent.

"I'll pay you by the end of the month; I hope it's no problem…" Enteico said awkwardly.

"Oh no, it's no problem at all. But just remember; don't try to sneak past me. I have ears like a cat and eyes like a rodent." the man said, baring his teeth menacingly.

Enteico and Keith slowly walked into Enteico's room, keeping their eyes on the man walking to a dimly lit room adjacent to the staircase.

"You have some truly lovely neighbors," Keith said, slightly disturbed by the encounter.

Enteico said nothing and ran his hands along the length of the wall behind his bed until a small click gave way to a compartment with a stock of gear inside it.

"You crazy son of a bitch…" Keith said as he quickly scanned the gear. They were all level 36 and below.

"That Fidion should have boosted you to level 37. Can you use these weapons?" Enteico asked, rummaging around the compartment looking for something.

Keith took a sword that looked similar to the serrated-edged sword he had earlier, but for some reason it felt lighter, the blade shining with a deadly gleam.

"What's up with this sword?" Keith said, something in his instincts telling him there was more to this weapon than it seemed.

Enteico put down an axe he was testing out and ran his hands across the handle until he pressed a button. The blade fell apart into pieces, but they were held together by a versatile and durable string, connecting all the pieces into a deadly whip, each piece of the blade now a mark of death in its own right.

Pressing the button again, the thread withdrew back into the handlebar, pulling the pieces together and forming a jagged-edged sword once again.

"What the hell is that weapon perk?" asked Keith, whistling at the weapon in his hands.

"Composition. It makes it so that the weapon can switch between two or more modes, each one a completely different weapon. I hope you'll get the hang of it by tomorrow." Enteico said, packing up his axe and a bunch of other items.

Keith appeared offended by the remark. "You dare insult my skills? Bruh."

Enteico shook his head and looked outside his window. "It's getting late. You should get some rest. Feel free to make yourself at home, or you can head back to the barn, whichever one you feel like."

A wave of shock and realization hit Keith as he remembered Yurgen. "Shit. I left that alcoholic horse near the bar. I guess I'll head back home then." Keith said walking by the kitchen and appearing to reminisce about something.

"Ahh, so many good memories," Keith said, breathing deeply.

"Yeah, we had some good times here, even if there's mold," Enteico said.

"Oh, I wasn't talking about our memories, I was talking about mine."

Enteico's puzzled look turned to disgust as he groaned in annoyance.

"Dude, the kitchen?! Seriously?! Pick somewhere I don't eat stuff, you idiot." Enteico said, shuddering.

"Well, even I ate stuff there, if you know what I mean," Keith said.

Enteico stood up, a dark look crossing his face. Then, he grabbed an axe and glared at Keith, his intentions all too obvious.

Keith chuckled nervously. "As I said, it's pretty late so I need to get Yurgen and head back to the barn. Big day tomorrow, am I right?" he said, warily regarding the axe in Enteico's hand and opening the room door.

Enteico appeared to relax for a bit. "Yeah, I'll just go ahead and eat that leftover lasagna before hitting the sack."

"Uhh…well, I wouldn't eat that lasagna if I were you. You see…it got…contaminated…sort of. Y'know…caught in the crossfire. Heh. Anyways I gotta go, byeeee." Keith said, sprinting out of the room as Enteico hurled the axe at him, screaming in fury, like a villain who just had his master plan ruined.

As the duo went to sleep, unaware of tomorrow's fate, they both steeled themselves and tried to shake off their nerves

They were going to get back in business, no matter the cost.