Rex sat in meditation. After travelling with Tristan for a few days, having slept yesterday, he once again peered into himself, his gaze heavy and strong. He had gone through a change since leaving the village. No, to be accurate he had finally noticed something that had been there all along. Within him were pathways, veins immaterial in the same sense that mana was. He tried to get his mana to flow through them, but quickly came to realise the essence of the situation. Something was blocking them, the pathways failing to be useful in their only purpose and him, unable to utilize his mana due to it. While he wished to simply open them by force he didn’t know the consequences of such an action or if it was even possible. Of fear that it would render him unable to use magic, that it would somehow damage those pathways, he restrained himself and as patiently as possible he looked for another way to solve the problem.

Rex suddenly opened his eyes as he felt his body being shaken. The first thing he saw was Tristan’s face.

“… I did it again didn’t I?” Rex posed a rhetorical question to the old hunter. It was obvious he had and Tristan’s nod only confirmed it. He had been so invested in meditation he had been “oversleeping” for lack of a better word. The first time it had happened when they were resting at an inn Tristan had actually had to go in his room and wake him up… at midday. He had tried to be patient, but patience has a limit. Since then, whenever Rex planned to meditate they used the same room instead of separate ones. It saved money and Tristan would be saved having to knock on the Drakin’s door for half an hour.

Rex got up and stretched as Tristan went about gathering his belongings and equipping himself. Rex doing the same right afterwards. Putting their packs over their shoulders they set out once more. Rex looked up to see the sun, but all he saw were dark clouds quickly approaching from the south. Along with the moisture in the air and the strong winds…

“It’s gonna storm today huh?” Rex expressed his estimation

“Probably… I might have to spend the night in town. Traveling through a storm is never a good idea.”

“We got rained on a decent bunch on our way here though.”

“That’s the sort of season it is. And don’t compare rain and a storm! They’re completely different!”

Rex nodded. He had meant his last expression as more of a joke anyway. That being said they kept walking along the road with an increased pace, hoping that they would make it before the clouds caught up with them. Thankfully the town gates became visible only a few hours afterwards. Ignoring the wagons at the gate, trying to quickly get their examinations over with before the storm hits they walked through the gates. They headed directly for the guild building with no delay. Rex wanted to get the job done with and Tristan wanted to hurry up and get to his inn. The town looked more desolate than usual, though in truth it was simply that the people didn’t wish to be caught up in the upcoming force of nature, so they stayed indoors.

Tristan and Rex were some of the only people to walk through the streets at the time. As they arrived at the guild they went inside, only to be greeted by the same scene of it looking more desolate than usual. Still more than a few people were present. The adventurer’s guild offered some basic rooms on the second floor, but most still preferred an inn, since they usually offered meals and baths as well.

“Oh Rex! Welcome back!” Was instantly heard as Rex entered the building. Looking to the voice Rex noticed it was Eric. The one he’d always have a drink with in his spare time. He raised his hand in greeting to which Eric answered back in kind with a huge smile and a mug of booze in his hand.

Rex and Tristan walked over to the counter, now handled by the old man.

“I issued for a job two weeks and a bit ago and wanted to report its completion.” Said Tristan first. The old man looked at him for a moment before asking a question himself.

“What was the request?”

“Ah. A monster extermination near a village in the mountains.”

“Ah the vague one.” The old man mumbled to himself, only Rex truly making out his words. Of course the request was vague. In truth the monster was a B-rank difficulty. If that and the fact that they couldn’t even pay a good price for it got out… well not many other than Rex would take the job. If any at all. That job was essentially a scam. Though Rex didn’t mind as long as his card got updated for it.

The old man took out some papers from under the desk and looked through them quickly before taking out one and placing it on the counter for Rex and Tristan to see. It was the request Rex had taken. “This one right?” He asked to which Tristan simply nodded. “Proof of identity?” Tristan took out his skinning knife and placed it on the counter for the old man to pick up and examine. “Small knife, wooden handle with the initials TA carved into it. Alright. I’m assuming you’re the one who completed it?” He said the last part, turning to Rex, receiving a nod in answer and Rex leaving his card on the counter, knowing the procedure. The old man picked it up and went through the door behind the counter, coming out a minute later and giving the card back, the number of C-rank jobs complete now gone up to three.

“Anything else?” asked the man behind the counter.

“No.”

“Not really.” Answered first Tristan and then Rex, before turning around and walking towards the entrance.

“So what now?” asked Rex.

“I’ll go to find an inn and leave tomorrow. I’ve had enough travelling to last me a good while this past month.”

“Well that’s how it is when you live in the middle of nowhere.”

“Still not a bad place to settle down if you ask me.”

“I’m fully willing to agree.”

That surprised Tristan. He hadn’t expected Rex to say that. The boy didn’t seem like the type of person to think that, nor to admit it even if it was true. Or so Tristan’s impression was. He guessed he shouldn’t have assumed so easily.

“Well. See you again someday.” Rex said as they reached the exit, snapping out Tristan from his surprise.

“Yeah. Feel free to visit whenever.” He answered and getting a nod back from Rex, he left the building heading for the inn.

Rex turned back afterwards and looked first at the job board, only to find that again there were no C-rank jobs readily available. Sighing at the expected outcome he turned again and walked over to where Eric was sitting. Ordering a mug of ale. The two talked for a bit, Rex talking about his unusually long job. He had been away for almost three weeks after all. Though he didn’t give too many details. He didn’t want Tristan to get in trouble after all.

“You know. You seem a bit taller than I remember.” Eric mentioned all of a sudden during the talk. This was something Rex had been expecting to come up sooner or later.

“Probably just the booze talking isn’t it?” he avoided the question.

“Pro’ably.” Eric answered, fairly. He wasn’t that drunk. He could hold his alcohol better than any other man he knew. But it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a detail like that to slip by him while he’s drinking.

It had been almost a month since Rex had left Ann’s house. At least according to his past calendar. He now looked around two years older. Obviously that would be recognized easily enough. Not to mention he was gone for at least two weeks to exterminate the ogre. That should have been a one-year growth in and of itself. ‘It would probably be wise to move on soon’. Recognized Rex.

But as they talked, someone caught Rex’s eye. Or rather his ear. A burly man, most likely looking older than he actually was, looked at Rex while he was talking to some others with him, looking away as soon as Rex looked back. The Drakin pretended not to notice and brought it up with Eric.

“Who’s that? New people?”

“Nah. They were already registered. Just from out of town.” Right as they started talking the man and the others at his table got up and left the building. “I don’t know what he’s up to, but it’s probably no good. He’s been gathering people for something and everyone he’s talked to for it is the shady type.”

‘Interesting.’ Rex thought as he sipped his drink and watched them leave the building. He had overheard part of their conversation and it was definitely a secretive ordeal. They had decided not to talk about it here and left to have the conversation elsewhere. Probably somewhere more private. ‘Well not like it’s any business of mine’ Rex decided as he finished his drink.

“Well nice talking to you as always Eric, but I have some things to take care of before the storm comes around.”

“Sure. I’ll be staying at the guild tonight by the way.”

“Probably me too.” Even Rex didn’t want to antagonise a storm for no reason.

“Oh! Perfect! We can have a drinking night!”

‘You’d have one even without me wouldn’t you?”

Eric laughed loudly at that “Definitely.”

Rex waved a goodbye as he left the building. He headed quickly for the clothing shop, entering inside, the bell rang, but there was no one at the counter.

“Just a moment!” was heard from another part of the building. Probably the living area. There were two doors behind the counter. Rex knew one of them went to the storage space and he speculated the other lead to the actual area of the building the couple used as a house.

After a few minutes of waiting the man came out through the door, besides the storage one.

“Oh. Hello. How can I help you today?” he asked, a bit out of breath, but with a smile. Sweat slowly dripping down his brow. Rex decided not to ask.

“I’d like to have some clothes custom-tailored for me. My tail kind of gets in the way of normal ones usually.”

“That’s fine. Is there anything particular you want out of them?”

“Yeah… make them extra baggy and on the comfortable side.”

The man noted down the order on a scroll with a piece of charcoal.

“Mmm… I’ll need to take some measurements. Is that fine?” he asked again, still wearing his professional smile. Of course Rex had nothing against it. He let the man take his measurements. Including those of his tail.

“Alright. That will be three gold coins. The clothes will be ready… hmm… probably the day after tomorrow?”

“Alright I’ll check then.”

The man nodded and added “Anything else?”

“Actually yes. I’m planning on buying some throwing knives from the blacksmith down the road. I was wondering if you have anything to hold those kinds of things in?”

“Oh! We do. The old man usually sends people that need those our way in fact. We even have a few ready. Give me a minute.” He said, leaving the counter through the door to the storage, only coming back out in at most a minute. He was holding a pouch which he put on the counter, showing it to Rex. Rex took it and examined it. Opening it up and then closing it. The pouch was well-made. With ease of access as its first priority, it opened quickly and closed easily. Inside were eight slots for the knives. It was obviously big for him, but this one he felt was unavoidable. At least he wouldn’t have to constantly change them. Unlike if he bought a specialised belt or something.

Rex nodded “Do you have another one?”

“We do.” Replied the man

“I’ll take the two then.” After taking out another of the pouches Rex payed him five gold in total. Three for the outfit and one each for the pouches. He attached the pouches to his belt, one on his left and one on his right side, and exited the building, heading for the blacksmith next.

He opened the door going inside the mostly wooden building. Though there existed a department out back, made completely out of stone. Immediately he noticed no one was at the counter. Again. Though he could hear the pounding of metal from the back. There would usually be a girl working the counter. Though in this case Rex realised she was only working here to make some money. Not out of relation to the blacksmith himself. Finding himself not knowing exactly what to do, Rex looked around the shop. First he looked through the swords, deciding on one that would fit him. Next looking around and finding the throwing daggers. He knew how much the swords cost, but not these.

As he was wondering what to do he heard the banging stop. A minute later the blacksmith walked from out the back wiping the sweat off his brow. He was a large man with bulging muscles as any blacksmith would be. You couldn’t do what they do on noodle arms. The blacksmith noticed Rex and frowned.

“Ahhh, the girl forgot to close the door again…” he sighed. “Well… seeing as you’re here and you had the courtesy not to take whatever you wanted and be off with it. Wadd’ya need?”

“I’m looking for a new sword. As well as looking to buy some throwing knives.”

“Any sword you fancy in particular?” most of the swords in the shop looked completely the same. They followed the same procedure and sold for about the same price. But the blacksmith knew that some were better than others. There were some he made on a bad day. Others where his hand simply slipped slightly. Every sword was different in his eyes. Of course Rex lacked a deeper understanding of crafting a sword. He just picked up one that felt good in his hand. It wasn’t the blacksmith’s best work, but he managed to pick out one of the better ones on instinct alone.

“That’ll be ten gold coins. Together with the scabbard.”

“How much for the knives?”

“They usually go for a gold and five silvers, but tell you what. If you buy ten I’ll take you ten gold instead of fifteen.”

Rex pondered for a moment. His current savings were twenty gold and some coppers. He wasn’t sure how much a room at the adventurer’s guild would cost, but he doubted it would be expensive. Still he didn’t have enough money to buy both the sword and that many throwing knives. ‘Ugh… My indifference to money is really shining through in a light I don’t want to see it in.’ Rex thought. He could have had more money on him if he was more focused on obtaining it, but that was never his goal to begin with.

“I’ll take ten knives. But forget about the sword.”

“Well. Just pick ten up from over there.” He pointed “I’ll restock them by tomorrow… or whenever the storm’s over.”

Rex left ten gold coins on the counter and picked up ten knives, putting five in each of his pouches. He wanted two so he could access them easily with both his hands after all. After that he left. Looking up at the sky, the storm was already close. It was most likely around three in the afternoon and it would hit in a few more hours. Who knew how long it would take to clear up afterwards.

Now that he was finished with his errands, Rex headed for the guild building. As he went inside he instantly noticed Eric, still drinking.

“If you keep going at it we won’t be able to do anything tonight, you know.” He called out to the man in a light tone.

“Hah! You’re joking right? I could keep going ‘til next morning!” Rex shook his head slightly and walked over to the counter

“Are there any free rooms?”

“There’s a few left. One silver per night, by the way.” The old man answered.

Rex rummaged through his pouch, taking out ten coppers and placing them on the counter. The old man took them and gave him a key instead. At least you could lock your door here. Some inns didn’t even have that much

“Fifth room on the right.”

Rex nodded, taking the key. He climbed up the stairs, down the hallway until he reached the room designated as his. Putting the key in the lock he spun it until it clicked and opened the door. The only light inside of the room was coming through the one window which was kept open. An open window it was, but not one with glass. It had naught, but a wooden panel to open or close. The bed looked comfortable enough and had a large chest at its foot, to leave your stuff in, Rex assumed. A desk with a chair was present as well. The room was lightly furnished, but had the necessities. To Rex who would rarely even sleep in a bed, it was practically heaven. He figured that any actual adventurer would be satisfied with the conditions.

He took his equipment off, storing it all in the chest except for his dagger which he kept on his back just in case. The chest had a lock, trying out the key for the door of the room Rex found it worked so he took the liberty of locking the chest before leaving, locking the door behind him as well. Stashing the key away in his pouch with his coins, he climbed down the stairs and enjoyed the rest of his time until night were spent enjoying the company of Eric and some other merry adventurers. Even as the storm arrived and the sound of rain invaded the scene the inside of the adventurer’s guild were completely unaffected.

After taking Eric to his room upstairs after drinking was finished, he went to his own and went to sleep, deciding to make full use of the rare chance to sleep in a comfortable bed rather than meditating. He hadn’t figured out how to make progress anyway. And ignoring the problem for a while might have been a good way to get an idea. Sometimes, distracting yourself from one thing could lead to seeing more about the problem than you could before.

He woke up in the morning, the sound of rain having stopped and the sun yet to have risen. It seemed like the storm hadn’t lasted too long after all. The boy opened the chest and took out his things, equipping his things one by one. He put on his cloak and then took his bag before leaving the room, climbing down the stairs. The counter had the young girl behind it. Rex figured that her and the old man alternated day and night duty since the guild was supposed to be open during the night as well. He walked up to the request board, but there was nothing new. No surprise with the storm keeping people inside. He left the building into the dark street, riddled with gathered rainwater in the form of puddles.

He wondered for a bit what to do, but eventually decided he would just go out of town. He would get a bit muddy, but he didn’t mind. A pair of shoes at least didn’t need to be custom made for him. As he headed to the gate he noticed another group leaving just ahead of him. Most of them wore hoods and looked to be quite shady, but Rex recognized one, his eyes granting him the ability to do so. As the group of eighteen looked around, no doubt attempting to be careful, Rex was allowed only a peek at the face under the hood of one of the individuals. There Rex recognized the face of one of the men being recruited by the newcomer just yesterday.

He didn’t have anything to do. He was already bored enough a it was and he wasn’t sure how long it would take him to reach a breakthrough in his current problem. To such a Rex this was a chance, as if sent down from the heavens above. The boy grinned as he decided. Why not check out what they would be doing. And so the trailing began.

The group left the town using the gate Rex would usually come in and out of every day when he would wait for a job, but unlike him they didn’t take the path to the forest, instead taking the road. They walked down it for half an hour and after leaving the town far behind them they abandoned the road, heading into the grassy plains below. Thankfully the grass was tall enough to hide someone of Rex’s stature if he was careful.

After a few more hours and with the sun finally risen the group arrived at a forest, one unfamiliar to Rex. That didn’t keep him from following though. The way things had progressed in this new world forests were almost like a home to him, no matter where they were. He leapt from tree to tree carefully sticking to the shadows as he traced the group through the forest until they arrived at a steep cliff. And what he saw there as the men stopped was a door, no a gate. Large and with a tree styled into it , covered in moss and vines. That door, which left even Rex staring at shock was… ‘A labyrinth entrance…’.