Maladrain decided not to ask for any Exp, saying that if I ever managed to beat him, he would gladly give me the 33 Exp. “I’m not scummy enough to take Exp from a child. Who do you think I am, a bandit?” He left shortly after to continue sorting through the loot.

I sat on the bridge, and Cobaltio trotted up to me, so I decided to lend it my cushion again, making it extra large so it could double as an anklerest. My mind wandered for a moment, thinking about what the [soul cushion] could do. Could it break my fall like a mattress if I fell down a cliff? I wanted to reflect a little on my match with Maladrain, but I still had some basic maintenance to do with my menu. I had unlocked quite a few new intermediate classes for defying Seraph. I picked up my slate again and wrote, {menu, what new classes can I take?}

You may take the [dark apostle] [dark rider] [dark slayer] [avenger] classes

[dark rider] was earned because I took ownership of Cobaltio, [dark slayer] was because I’ve got a lot of [swordsman] experience, and [avenger]...

[avenger]: A rebel against the heavens who follows nothing but their ideals. A versatile class built on traveling and dueling.

[avenger] is definitely a cool class. Though, I was getting really close to level 10...

I looked to Cobaltio. He was sleeping solemnly. In the instant he changed classes, he became so much more dignified. His once dopey ‘posture’ was now one of refinement. He still needed to work on it, though. He moved a lot, and his tail wagged around erratically.

It wasn’t my own menu, but perhaps I could take my mind off the important stuff for a while and have fun with the little guy. I searched through my backpack and took out some gear for writing. Although I disliked the way my life was before all this, I came out of it with some good habits-namely, note-taking.

I made note of all classes Cobaltio had, his stat block, described how he had physically changed, and his difference in apparent personality.

I also noted what had happened in the past two days with great detail. Though I wouldn’t be a particularly trusted source, I had gained invaluable information, including...that...

I asked menu {show location of peacekeeper seal}

Hidden on the final floor of hell’s fortress, the peacekeeper seal can be found behind a seemingly random wall. Even if one were to know its location, acquiring it would be a great feat indeed.

Ah, the deepest, most dangerous place in the world, hell’s fortress. In the second most dangerous place in the world, Hell. One day or another, I’ll get there.

‘Hell’ is located on the map, actually. It’s a land far, far from civilization. I know just about nothing about it, but I do know to even get to the place(alive) is a feat. Hell’s Fortress is the most dangerous place in the world, I would guess. I’ve heard of a few ancient heroes who went in and came out, usually to save a loved one or talk with the king of the underworld...difficult to believe I just met the guy.

I sighed. I had hoped it wouldn’t put me on a fool’s errand but trying to acquire that seal is exactly that.

I looked back down at Cobaltio. How could I possibly communicate with my pet? He was deaf. I was mute. It sounded like we were a match made in heaven, but we all know I’m not going there anymore. One way or another, having a way to communicate with Cobaltio is necessary.

I retracted my cushion, causing him to flail a little in annoyance. I then had the ribbon-thing place itself onto the ground ten feet away. He chased it down and landed atop it. After catching up with him, I had it retract back onto my hands, like an unfurled ribbon. Cobaltio looked at me with a cutesy/aggravated stare, taking a hard look at the ribbon in my hands...

A genius Idea! I kneeled and began tying the ribbon around his neck, much to his comfort. After tying it up, I found that it worked well as a collar. With it on Cobaltio’s neck, I could ask the cushion to move wherever I wanted it to, making it try to drag Cobaltio in the direction I chose. It couldn’t output much force, but with some training, I could get Cobaltio to do as the magical cushion wanted it to. I modified it a bit, having it work as a neck cushion for him while maintaining its practicality. Then, for the next hour, I trained him.

I used edible chunks of cobalt to incentivize him to follow its commands, burying them in different locations, then guiding him to the locations with the cushion, so he could dig them up with his claws and eat them. He began getting really responsive, so I decided to call it a day.

You gained 1 Exp for training your pet(reproducible).

Sometimes you get Exp for doing new tasks, but it doesn’t always need to be a ‘new’ task. If the task falls under your class, you can gain Exp for doing it as many times as you can do it. I’m an [apprentice], so doing a lot of simple things can get me exp. Training, mainly. But if I became a [knight], cleaning my sword and armor, training with the sword, learning new techniques, saving others, and many other things could get me an unlimited amount of Exp.

As I walked up the path, I heard an “EEK!” behind me. I began to turn my head, only to see a tree falling right on top of me. I leaped backward in surprise, narrowly avoiding the trap. The tree made a thundering roar on impact, making Cobaltio go yelping again through the vibrations alone. Yeesh, not a fan of death traps.

I heard Maladrain yell loudly, farther up the mountain, “Saya?! are you alright?”

Uhh, what was he expecting me to say, ‘Yeah, I’m fine’? I wish I could. After attempting to grab Cobaltio for a minute, foiled by my hands shaking with adrenaline, I carried his writhing body in my arms, using my cushion to calm him down and stop his ceaseless movement. I began back up the hill.

Maladrain, of course, was very protective and made sure I wasn’t injured in any way when I got back, “That was my bad. I shouldn’t have let you go running around these woods. I figured the lack of monsters would be fine, but...”

I sat on my cushion with Cobaltio, back on the dragon pedestal. The [cobolt]s had wooden trays, so he just pilfered that for us to use. Of the frequently hunted animals in this area, I always preferred well-prepared elikrabbit, but venison usually worked better at filling my tummy.

I had to admit, had I been hit straight on with the tree, there was a significant chance of serious injury, but I could have gotten out with minor injuries more than likely. I didn’t have any plans to leave the lair again, so I nodded and ate, silent as usual. It was my fault, no doubt, that I forgot about the danger of walking in these woods. I guess anyone can be caught with their guard down.

“So, did you have fun with Cobaltio?”

What is it, my pet...? Now that I think about it, I already called it that multiple times. I just gave him a nod.

“Good. So, what do you want to do?”

I tilted my head, not wanting to put down my meal to write.

“I mean, once we get on our way. Do you want to become an adventurer, or something else?”

I put my finger up, asking for more time to think.

The adventurer’s guild is just apart of numerous other guilds, called the ‘combat guilds’...

I put down my food, then wrote, {What does an adventurer do?}

“We usually take on requests that aren’t necessary to complete. Nobody asked us to kill The Mudmule, but we decided it would be profitable. Usually, when we are asked to take on tasks, they are the ones nobody else wants to do, fearing it won’t be worth the effort. You could say that we are a little ‘adventurous.’” He chuckled like that was a joke. I wouldn’t really call it one, but whatever floats your boat, Juaviv.

{Other guilds I could join?}

He was a little reluctant to mention them, clearly interested in recruiting me, “Well, in the capital there’s a ton of them: The championship guild, they pass off the legendary class, [champion] to the winners of their tourneys each year...there’s the defender’s guild, they work as a backup and private investigators for city guards. There are some others that only nobles can join, such as the duelist guild, then there is the mercenary guild, of course, and the escort guild, who usually work as bodyguards.”

The sun was setting, and I was tired, {Ok, I’ll think about what I want to do tomorrow}. I put down my slate and reformed [soul cushion] to become a bedroll for Cobaltio and me. Nestled in the dark, humid, chilly cave, it took no more than a few minutes for me to drift asleep...

...can...can you hear me? Sayanica! It’s me, don’t you remember me?

I couldn’t properly understand what was happening, but I thought I was somewhere I remembered from long ago.

Sayanica...can’t we play again?

My name isn’t Sayanica. I felt the breeze pass by my face, and vague colors start to appear in my vision, mostly the color blue and green. I felt my bare feet planted on the dry dirt.

Come on! Why won’t you sign to me?

Yes, I think I could see him, slowly blurring into view. The feelings grew sharper and sharper. I was on a hill, with well-trimmed grass and a beautiful view of the sky. As the image sharpened, I saw it was no more than a [human] boy.

Don’t...don’t you want to play house? O-or we can...we can just play tag. N-no! We don’t even need to play. We can just sit down and talk!

How childish. He sat, then patted beside himself. I could finally feel my body-I was crying. I was no older than my real self. I felt like I would crack under sadness.

...T-then it’s really over...?

He quivered out of sadness. He knew the answer.

Will I ever see you again?

-I don’t know.

I spoke in some sort of sign language.

What’s that supposed to mean...

He grew angry.

Do you not...do you not want to see me...?

-...I do

Then you’ve accepted it. You would rather die and be reborn anew than to continue this life, knowing that fate disallowed our reality?

I nodded.

If that’s true, don’t let this memory fade...

He began crying...

a-and even if you die, I won’t forgive you! If for no one else’s sake than our own, let this memory live on...in anyone.

I shook my head.

Then I will go with you too! We can...we can be friends, even if both of us are the gods of heaven and hell, earth and sky, fire and water, or white and black, if I die with you, I won’t let you forget me, who we are...maybe one day, we can sit on a hill just like this...again...

He stood up, the tears streaming down his face in solemn streaks. He placed a hand on my heart.

I promise on my soul. Even if our every life is taken away from us, even if my will is broken and battered, even if the world tries to destroy who I am...I, Zachel, will always be your friend.

I placed a hand on his heart in turn and smiled. Then...

I placed my two hands together and formed a heart with them.