We spent the next day on the road, of course. Maladrain, me, and Reco walked for a large portion of the day, then Maladrain hunted since Reco could make sure I was safe at camp, and then I trained my swordplay with Maladrain.

While on the road to Hannem, we only passed a couple of people, but on this road, it wasn’t anything too uncommon to pass by somebody. We even briefly walked through a village, though we didn’t linger.

The biggest difference was actually how loud it was. Reco was a social creature, for sure. She talked a lot, she talked loud, and she talked mostly about things I didn’t understand at all.

“Hey, Mally, did you hear about how the Surfkin got a new empress?” Reco asked Maladrain a few days into our trip, breaking a long silence.

“Obviously. Will you ever stop thinking I’m not inf-”

“Apparently, they’re getting pretty militant, too.”

“Yes, I know, Reco. Why do you bring it up?”

“What if we get into war with them?” she asked, seeming vaguely excited.

“War? We had a war with them just a few years ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted to fight us again, but once our general infantry failed, Sir Xoulviel embarrassed them with his elite army. Their fighting force took a serious blow, so resurfacing in spite has no chance of succeeding. Besides, they have only one legendary seal, while we have three.”

I didn’t know what war my brother fought and died in, but thinking about a nation so casually engaging in war angered me.

I wrote on my slate, {do legendary classes matter all that much?} but since I was walking behind them, neither adventurer noticed. It only fueled my bottled annoyance.

“I guess so. That’s disappointing,” Reco said with a shrug.

Disappointing!?

“Reco, I understand we make quite a lot of cash off wars, but perhaps you should consider the greater economic and ethical consequences of wanting them to happen.”

Reco clicked her tongue. “I don’t care about money, I just want to see the people who come out of the fray stronger.”

Maladrain sighed. “You’re a beast, you know that, right, Reco?”

“HA! There’s a reason I’m one of the Bull Eight and not the skull eight.” She knocked on her head. “Cause my brain ain’t big.”

“But your skull is...”

Reco just wanted to fight strong people? That seemed a little counterproductive if you wanted to...to...

Wait, I was just like her, wasn’t I?!

The next day, Maladrain and I fought in a clearing, going sword to sword for training. Our fight went about the same way it usually did. Maladrain took the first move, pushing the offensive until I finally worked up the guts to reciprocate his aggression, eventually resulting in a drawn-out fight that ended in Maladrain showing more skill in basically every category, and ending the duel with a measured tag to my thigh.

Maladrain looked to Reco, who was sitting next to a tree, and asked her, “What’s Saya’s biggest issue, you think, Reco?”

I plopped to the ground, exhausted after three intense fights.

“The biggest issue I see?” Reco asked. “How about we start with the positives of Saya’s skills, huh?”

“If you want to.”

Reco walked to my side and helped me up. “First, I think Mally’s giving you a hard time, you know what you’re doing a lot more than it looks.”

I was? Fighting Maladrain had made me feel incompetent due to losing dozens of times, so it felt good hearing those words.

“Go on, you have me curious,” Maladrain said.

“I recognize her style as the Outskirt Style, one that relies on using defensive tactics to bait out enemy abilities, then abuses the knowledge gained on those abilities to defeat them in one aggressive rush.”

“Never heard of it.,” Maladrain said skeptically.

“Really now, Mr.Knowitall? I thought you knew it all, guess not.” Reco clicked her tongue in sarcasm but didn’t manage to get under Maladrain’s skin. “It is mainly used by the people in the, you know, outskirts of the Preclaimed Lands, where the biggest variety of classes tend to be seen, with the mixing of cultures and stuff. You keeping this in your head, Mally? This knowledge might come in use later.”

“Yes, I am. Thank you for asking,” Maladrain deadpanned, trying not to encourage Reco.

“You’ve been coaching her to use a style she’s not used to. Like, Saya, you fought off quite a few [cobold]s. I’m guessing the first thing you thought about was ‘what are they capable of’ am I right?”

I nodded. Even before I fight the [cobold]s I guessed that they had a [master trapper], and while I was hunted by them, I was cautious of their abilities, trying to understand what the creatures were ‘capable of’ individually once I was in close-quarters combat, or even before I saw them. {‘A good warrior understands their foe’s heart’} I quoted from the late village [chief].

“Something like that. Anyhow, you barely know a thing about me, so how about the two of us fight?”

“WOAH!” Maladrain said, putting himself between the two of us just as I got excited to fight Reco. “I trust you to be as gentle as a crocodile, Reco. If you two fight I’m expecting Saya to have five fractures and a broken bone!”

“Relaaax, I’ll keep my speed at her level-”

“Were you planning not to?”

“Uhh, no. Why would I go all out against a runt like-”

“Regardless, you’ve never been one for self-control, Reco. If you’re not careful Saya’s head could be rolling like a-”

“Ok, Mally, you’re being lame.”

“You-Saya, don’t trust this lady to-”

Maladrain was cut off by a palm on his mouth. “So...wanna fight?”

{Sure do!}

Maladrain rolled his eyes, threw up his arms, and leaned against some nearby tree. “Your funeral, kid.”

I was tempted to get angry at Maladrain for being so protective, but once more, I wondered: why?

Why did Maladrain care anyway? Did he get something out of helping me? Did he think I would grow up to be a strong fighter? Was he just attached to me? I tried to imagine his feelings, to...what was the word? Empathize with him.

Then, I saw his smirk. Just a tiny curve at the edge of his mouth, paired with relaxed, warm eyes.

“Ok, kid, I’m ready!” I turned to see Reco, who was pulling a steel rod attached to a steel ball by a chain from her backpack. She held a flail and was sending me an overly menacing smile. “My favorite weapon.”

Ahh, yeah. I did know what that weapon was...and I regretted not trusting Maladrain to distrust the right people. One could stop their sword’s otherwise deadly swipe or jab with a jerk of their arm or wrist, assisted by [burst of speed] or high dexterity...but a ball and chain...

I sent Maladrain a wide-eyed plea for help, realizing I was in over my head, but he just shook his head with a chuckle. You made your choice.

Giving in to my self-imposed predicament, I took my stance.

Maladrain hadn’t quite given up on saving me, as it seemed, because he coached me from afar: “I’ll say when you two start, but before that...Saya, if you want to play more defensive, then ignore what I said about keeping a foot forward, just plant your feet and be ready to pressure Reco when you can. Also, now that I think about it, you’re pretty small, so keep your sword a little further down to give yourself more control. If you’re in control of your movement, then you’ll have more adaptability during the fight, which you’ll need, especially in any defensive fight. Also, Reco is level 24, so she’s got seventeen skills available. And...” He winked at me, then glanced to the sunset. “You’re free to use that secret weapon of yours.

I nodded and steeled myself to fight the towering, battlemongering woman in front of me.

“Battle...begin!”