Once again, I couldn't find a good point to stop writing, so it took a bit longer for me to release this chapter. Please don't forget to rate and review my story, since I'd like to how I'm doing so far, now that 10 chapters have been released.

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“NOOOO!!!” Hiro’s blood ran cold, he just saw a man hidden in the shadows pull back the bowstring. Hiro didn’t know if it was karma, for killing that woman or if the man wanted revenge, all he knew was that the target was his father.

Everything moved in slow motion, the arrow releasing itself from between the man’s fingers, the obliviousness of Albert as he looked the other way, and the rustle of leaves as the arrow zips by. Hiro stood there motionless, in that half second before the arrow struck true, Hiro’s brain was overworking itself in order to find a solution.

‘I need to tell father to get out of the way. No there’s not enough time for that.’

‘I’ll jump in front. No father’s too big to go around.’

‘I need to push father away. No I’m not fast enough.’

‘Ineedtodosldiwna;ldkkn’

Hiro’s mind was in chaos, he didn’t know what to do. No matter what idea he thought up in that short half second it’s not possible. The longer he thought about it the closer the arrow was. Just as the arrow was centimeters away from piercing his father’s back, Hiro’s mind shut down.

[Reisa]

The only word that presented itself in the darkness of Hiro’s chaotic consciousness. It seemed once more time has frozen.

Hiro opened his eyes.

He was once more in a familiar place, all around him was darkness. This was the same feeling he had when he entered Tenga’s soul. Hiro felt weightless. Free. Unrestrained. He began to wonder why of all the times to feel this, it happened to be at that very moment.

Hiro began to feel around the darkness, hoping for a way to go back and help his father. Looking in all directions, all he saw was darkness. Feeling the fear of isolation, Hiro began searching, frantically as if the light was the only salvation for him. He wanted to find something, anything, and everything; as long as he doesn’t end up being alone, he was fine with it.

Hiro began to feel as if he was sent into the night sky. The emptiness it held and the loneliness it revealed. The only redemption the night sky had was its endless myriad of stars that will ceaselessly show the way in the dark. This was what Hiro was searching for, something to guide him, something to show him that everything will be alright.

Alas, this was not so. The light of hope was not there for Hiro and so he began to feel despair. He had failed himself, what is more, he had failed his father. If he doesn’t make his way out of the darkness soon, the flames of his father’s life will soon be extinguished. The warm light that Hiro deemed as family will be no more.

Succumbing to the demons in his darkness, Hiro began to stop struggling.

‘There’s nothing here… No way out… Nobody is with me…’

It was at this very moment that Hiro stumbled upon something. In the last moments before surrendering himself to the darkness he felt something familiar. It was a strange sensation, almost as if a breeze of fresh air flowed between his fingers. The more he pushed against it, the stronger the breeze, ‘What’s this?’

He began to feel around the area, soon he came to the conclusion that something was definitely there, as if some barrier had hidden itself away in the darkness.

‘The way out must be behind this wall.’

With that single determination, Hiro began to attack the wall enshrouded in darkness. The more he pushed, the stronger the wall resisted, it was as if the wall was using the exact same amount of force Hiro himself was using.

‘Argh!’ Frustrated at the strange turn of events, Hiro began to recklessly attack the wall. Forgetting any thoughts of caution and mindlessly swing his fist in the direction he believed led to freedom. He kept punching, kicking, even tried charging at the wall, but to no avail did the wall fall.

When gently touching the wall, it felt like a gust of wind, but when forcefully trying to go past the wall, it hardens and becomes a solid plane. This strange feeling was the cause of Hiro’s frustration, it felt as if the wall was toying with him. Right now he didn’t have the time nor the patience to play games; his father’s life was at stake.

In his strongest and final attempt at breaching the wall, Hiro focused all his thoughts on one point in front of him. He put in all the memories of his father, how his father raised him, how his father provided for him, how his father taught him, and finally the last memory of the arrow about to pierce his father’s chest from behind.

‘HAHHHHHHH!!!!!’ Driving his fist into the invisible wall in front of him, Hiro concentrated, harder than he had every done before. All the minor thoughts of himself were gone, replaced with the sole idea of saving his father.

Maybe it was a fluke, he felt the wall give away. The solid wall that had prevented him from passing through shattered, the fist that held his desperation for his father’s safety pierced through the invisible plane that was blocking his path. As soon as he felt the barrier give away, a strange feeling began to flow from the hole.

Hiro began to feel as if something was pouring out of the hole in the barrier. All he could see was darkness, yet he felt that some liquid was just released from the gap. In surprise, he pulled back his fist examined it. It wasn’t wet and yet he began to feel as if he was just thrown in ice cold water. His whole body woke up, he felt as if he was brimming with power.

‘This is…’ The strange sensation coursed throughout his body. It was similar to the feeling of fear, the feeling where your blood turns ice cold. Yet this particular feeling felt warm, as if he was enveloped in a blanket. He felt as if he could do anything and that was when the same word popped up again.

[Reisa]

The scenery began to change once more, he was once more in front of his father and witnessing the arrow a hairs breadth away from killing his father. He was in the same position that he was in before: reaching out to stop the arrow.

Before his consciousness disappeared into the darkness, he was lost, confused, and helpless. Now, Hiro felt powerful, confident, and relaxed. Soon time began to move once more, without thinking anything else, Hiro unleashed the pent up energy that was coursing through his body.

“REISA!!!”

Hiro wanted the arrow gone, he was sick at the thought that something so small could end a life. He wanted that small object to disappear, to get out of his sight and never to be seen again. Those were the emotions and thoughts that were behind him as he shouted out the true name.

As soon as the word escaped his mouth, Hiro felt an incredible drain of strength from his limbs. He felt the spell siphon his strength away, using it to power itself so that what he wished would happen.

As soon as the drain in strength ended, the arrow that was centimeters away from his father shot straight up into the air. So fast, that it actually cut his father’s shoulder blade on its way up into the night sky.

“I made… it…” Blacking out, Hiro slowly sank away into the confines of a dreamless slumber.

---

Somewhere in Torin Village

“Hehehe~ So Garth, you are telling me that this boy called ‘Hiro’ was in the forest when the strange light shot out from the forest?”

“Yes Mistress.” On the ground, on his hands and knees was Chief Garth. The foot placed on the back of his head, forcing him to kiss the ground, belonged to a seductive succubus. She was garbed in tight black clothing that emphasized all her curves. Her midnight black hair shined under the moonlight, paired with her blood red eyes made her look like a demon of lust.

“Heh~ So where did the boy go? You’ll tell me won’t you Garth?” She gave Garth a coy smile as he grinded his face into the dirt more.

“More! Mistress! Give me more!” Garth who was still recovering from the stress of managing Torin Village couldn’t help but be charmed by her ability.

“Answer the question, you filthy pig!” She lifted her foot and stomped down hard on his back.

“Yes Mistress! The boy left for Adetia!” The wave of pleasure that spread throughout his body as he was stepped on caused himself to shake with anticipation. He wanted more and his body wasn’t trying to hide it.

“Kuhuhu~ Good boy. Here’s your reward.” She brought her foot down right by Garth’s face, indicating for the dog to lick it.

“Thank you Mistress!” Greedily accepting his reward, the man, no, the dog began to spread its bacteria infested saliva all over the bottom of her sandal.

“Enough! Now be a good boy and scurry on home. I have a new toy that I have to go and watch over.” With a smile that revealed her lustful intentions, she left the enthralled Garth behind and walked in the direction of Adetia.

---

The next morning

[Are you alright Hiro?]

[Ugh… Where am I?]

[Right now you are at an inn, your father was worried sick when you used that spell.]

[Right… The spell…]

[You are a fool!]

[Huh?]

[I didn’t expect that you would use it so recklessly!]

[What did I do?]

[You nearly destroyed the whole area when you used that spell!]

[Huh?]

[Hah~ The spell you used caused the whole area in front of you to rupture, pulling out all the trees in a 30 meter cone.]

[I did all that?]

[And nearly caused your death too, don’t forget! If I hadn’t felt the strange influx of energy radiating from you and came to check, you would’ve died you fool! You nearly expended all your life energy, when you used that spell. I barely made it in time and saved your stupid hide, now wake up. Your father has been worried sick ever since you collapsed.]

With a sudden jerk, Tenga who had entered Hiro’s mind smacked him across the cheek, waking him up from his slumber.

Jolting awake, Hiro open his eyes and looked around. He was lying on a soft down bed and covered in a thin blanket. The sun was shining in from the glass window to his left. On his right was his father, who had fallen asleep while sitting on a stool beside his bed. Hiro could still see the blood and grime in his father’s hair.

Hiro smiled in relief, he was glad to be alive. He had noticed that they were both in a small room, which housed only a table, one chair and one bed. The size of the room was small and confining, yet Hiro felt as if he was free floating in the sky. The joy and relief that he felt at that moment caused him to sigh out, waking up his father.

Hearing his sigh, his father jerked awake and looked over at him with worry filled eyes.

“Hiro!” Albert pulled his son into a tight hug, he was trying very hard to control his emotions.

“Oof!” Not expecting the hug, Hiro let out a sound of pain.

“Are you ok? Are you still hurt?” Albert was patting up and down Hiro, looking to see if Hiro was hurt anywhere else. After casting the spell and blacking out, Albert had borrowed a horse and rushed Hiro into the city. The city guard didn’t believe him when he said they were travelers, but they couldn’t just turn away Albert, when they saw the condition that Hiro was in, so they escorted him to the guard’s quarters.

“I’m fine father… Although I could be better.” Hiro’s whole body felt sore, it was as if his whole body just went through an endless workout. Pushing himself away, Hiro looked at his father, “I should be asking you the same thing.”

“What do you mean?” Albert looked down at himself, he was very worn out. The clothes that he was wearing the day before was covered in blood and cuts. His thin beard was caked with dirt and blood and worst of all was the bandage on his shoulder, it was recent but there was a ton of dried blood on it. He had a random adventurer bandage him quickly and left for Adetia, now that he thought about it, it was quite painful.

“How’s your shoulder?” Hiro was looking at the same shoulder that was cut deeply when the arrow was yanked straight up when he casted the spell.

Thinking about the wound, Albert grimaced. The more he paid attention to it, the more painful it became. “Kuh, I’ll be honest, it hurts quite a bit.”

Hearing that reply, Hiro’s face began to express worry.

“But it’s nothing time won’t heal, although I’m sure I won’t ever be able to use it the same way ever again.”

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Attracting the attention of both father and son, a voice rang out from beyond the door. “We have someone here that has come to confirm your identities.”

“Huh? What does he mean father?” Hiro was confused, why would they need to be identified?

“It’s alright Hiro. You may come in.” Signaling that it was ok to enter, Albert stood up and looked towards the door.

The door slowly creaked open revealing the tired figure of Bjorn. Although tired, Bjorn was freshly clothed and bandaged, it seemed that he had returned and gotten some treatment before coming to see the guards.

“Glad ta see yer alive kid!” His ever charismatic smile revealed itself from underneath his exhausted face. He walked into the room, followed by someone dressed in uniform, judging from the insignia’s the person was most likely captain of the watch.

“I knew ye’ll get caught haha! I came ter check and lo and behold! Hahaha!” His jolly personality was infectious, causing Albert and Hiro to slowly smile.

“*Cough* If I may have a word?” The man behind Bjorn spoke up, “Since our ever so happy Bjorn over here has confirmed that you are who you claimed to be, you’d best be on your way.” The cold attitude of the man caused the atmosphere to change, the man was tactless.

“Gahaha! Ignore Svel, that old coot just doesn’t know how ta express himself. Inside he musta been worried sick ‘bout yer kid. He has a kid of his own around yer age Hiro.”

His cheeks reddening in embarrassment, “Please ignore this fool over here, now if you may Mr. Albert, please depart from the premises immediately. The guards’ quarters isn’t for travelers, that’s what inns are for.” Turn around in a dramatic fashion, Svel left the room quickly.

“Well then, Al, we need ta get ya treated before we do anything else.”

“Wait, we need to check Hiro first!” Albert was looking at Hiro, who was shaking his head vigorously.

“No father! You need to get checked out. I’m fine now, aside from being a bit sore, I should be able to walk.” Hiro jumped up from the bed just to prove his point.

“See Al? The kid’s fine. Now off ta the healer!” Bjorn walked over to Albert and took his arm. The very same arm that had the nasty cut from the arrowhead and pulled him away towards the door.

The cry of pain coming from his father and the child-like laughter coming from Bjorn was a strange sound. It was funny, Hiro couldn’t help but giggle a little bit and followed after the two men. The three men exited the northern guard post and walked into the city.

The city was quite an amazing sight, the houses by the side of the street were built from lumber and quarried stone. The houses were quite large, some even had stairs leading up to a second floor, but those buildings were mainly shops though. Even though it was early in the morning, with the sun barely over the horizon, the streets were already busy. Hiro could hear shouts of shop owners as they advertise their merchandise, the sounds of children playing, the sizzling of booths preparing food. This truly was the big city.

The most amazing sight of all was the huge castle in the center. It was the tallest structure in the city and had high walls surrounding its perimeter. These walls were intentionally built higher so that it can survey the surrounding cityscape. During times of war, archers could be mounted on top of these walls and rain down arrows onto its invaders below.

Although they were still near the northern edge of the city, Hiro could already see the castle walls from that distance, showing just how tall the walls are.

As the strange trio made their way through the slowly crowding streets, they began to draw a crowd of onlookers. They stood out a lot, one was a jolly large man who was laughing like a child, one was a handsome middle aged man who was covered in wounds, and finally the last person was a black haired young man, who showed great promise in his looks in a few years’ time.

“Aww quit cryin’ like a kid, Al. We’re almost there.”

“Ah! I’ll stop it if you let go! You don’t know how much this hurts!”

This unique scene continued for another few minutes until they reached their destination. They came to the front of a cozy little store. Outside of the store was a sign that read: “Beth’s Boutique”. In front of the store was a dainty old lady who was sweeping the front steps of her store.

“Beth! I brought a customer!”

Looking up from her activity, she saw Bjorn and broke into a cheerful smile, “Hello there Bjorn. Ah, long time no see Albert dear.” She carefully studied Albert and examined all his injuries, “Alright hun, please come inside.” She opened the door and walked in, after gesturing for the trio to follow her.

“Yer gonna love Beth, she’s quite good with her sowing work. Gahahaha!”

“*Gulp* It’s Beth!...” Albert could still remember Beth, she was a peculiar lady. Although she wasn’t the best in sowing a wound close, she was a very good herbalist. In the past, Albert used to frequent her shop quite often.

Following behind her, Albert whispered to Bjorn, “She’s still alive?”

After hearing Albert’s question, Bjorn began to laugh, “Haha… Yep, and her hearing is still as sharp as ever.”

“*Gulp*” Albert suddenly felt an urge to leave the building immediately.

“Now dear, please have a seat in that chair over there.” Beth’s voice was dripping with malice, she had a smile of a loving grandmother on her face, but her words gave off the feeling of an executioner.

Sweat began to form on Albert’s brow, “Uh… That’s fine Beth, I don’t need any help. I was just on my way out!” Albert quickly turned around to leave.

“Now now dear.” In front of Albert was Beth, in the brief moment it took for Albert to turn around, Beth had moved across the room and dissuade Albert from leaving. “Ufufu, I insist, you look quite beat up this time. I’d like to hear what happened.”

“Hey kid, looks like yer father ain’t gonna go anywhere for a while. Why don’t we err… Go and explore the city kay?”

Sensing that something dangerous was going to happen, Hiro readily agreed, “Un! Let’s go.”

They both quickly exited Beth’s Boutique and made their way into the bustling streets of the Adetia. From behind them, in the shop, they could hear Albert yelling, “YOU TRAITORS!!!”

“Gehehe, Al is not goin’ ta have a fun time in there.” Laughing to himself, Bjorn looked back at the shop. “Now Hiro, welcome ta Adetia. Home ta Arcadia’s richest!” Bjorn waved his arm all around him, showing off the huge city.

“It’s so big… How do you get around this place without getting lost?” Hiro was looking at all the confusing paths that seem to go in random directions.

“It’s simple, the city was designed around the Agnorr River, which flows in and out of the city. The city is divided inta several districts with the warehouse district locatin’ near the river. There are the main roads that separates the districts from one another and then smaller roads that separate the buildings within the district. Ya still keepin’ up kid?”

“Kind of…” Hiro was struggling to listen to Bjorn at the same time as taking in the sights of the city.

“Ah~ ye’ll get used ta it. Now let’s go ta the Adventurer’s Association (AA), ya wanna register right?” Beaming a smile at Hiro whose eyes began sparkling at the mention of the AA, Bjorn walked south.

On their way to the AA, they had veered off the small road that led to Beth’s Boutique and entered a much wider and more crowded path. Hiro assumed this must be the main road that separated each district. Curious about what the district across the road might be, he examined the detail it exhibited.

Stacked in neat rows and quite high, the buildings were full of activity. Hiro could see children running in its streets, housewives gossiping as they washed their clothes around a pump, and husbands kissing their wives as they leave for work in the morning.

“Bjorn! What district is that?” He indicated at what he just saw, “I’m sure it’s a residential one, but why are the houses stacked so high up? Won’t it fall?”

“Ah, that! That’s a work of great skill! The artisans, recently made up a new way of buildin’ houses. That district was built ‘bout a decade ago. They used steel beams ter strengthen’ the buildin’s so it won’t fall. Amazin’ ain’t it?”

Agreeing with Bjorn Hiro nodded his head and looked to their right. “So on our right must be the artisan’s district right, and also where Beth lives?”

“Right ya are kid. Although it may look old compared ta this new one across the road, it’s home ta one a the best craftsmens.”

They continued heading south towards the market district. Soon Hiro could see many people presenting their wares. Some were selling spices, others were selling trinkets, and some were even trying to sell paintings. He saw a plethora of strange and exotic goods, probably from far off places. Hiro began to lose himself within all the new sights before his eyes.

Hiro was still following Bjorn, albeit unhurriedly. He made sure that he could always see Bjorn’s unique and large frame whenever he looked for Bjorn. Other than that, he didn’t feel like he was in any hurry to get to the AA that Bjorn was leading him towards. It also seemed like Bjorn understood what Hiro felt and took his time leading Hiro.

Hiro was still leisurely strolling around the market district when Bjorn led him into an open area. All around him were half-naked men and women of all shapes and sizes.

“Eh~? Is something happening?” Hiro ran up to Bjorn and asked, “Bjorn, what’s going on?” Hiro looked worried, the men, women, and children were dressed scantily, in little more than rags. They were all chained and collared, some of the chained people were bruised and looked lifeless.

“This is the slave market kid. Adetia has one a the biggest slave market in Arcadia. Look at them kid, ain’t it a beauty?” Bjorn looked proud at the disgusting display of nearly naked bodies.

“What do you mean slaves?!” Hiro was disgusted at the sight, “Are they not people just like us? What makes us so superior that it would allow us enslave others like that?!” Hiro spat out those words out to Bjorn, ignoring the strange stares from buyers in the vicinity.

Bjorn looked around awkwardly as he tries to signal for Hiro to quiet down, “Shh! Kid, keep yer voice down. This ain’t the time ta speak up like that.”

“I will stand for such injustice, don’t we live in an age of peace and prosperity within Adetia?! Why must we taint our hands with such vile actions?! Slavery? Just the thought of forcing my will upon others sickens me to no end!” Hiro had gone off on a tangent, he was overcome with anger and at that moment ignored all the warning signs around him. Soon the area became quiet, all eyes were watching him. The auctioneers stopped their bidding and paid attention.

“WHO DARES SPREAD SUCH FALSE INFORMATION OUR FAIR CITY OF ADETIA?!” The voice boomed from somewhere within the crowd. Soon the crowd of people parted to reveal a proud nobleman. He was embroidered in jewelry, wore clothes of the finest make and had quite a round stature. The man looked furious, and was escorted by large group of strong looking men. The man walked right up to Hiro who was looking straight into the man’s eyes.

“I do. Who are you?!” Hiro sneered at the man.

Unperturbed by Hiro’s action, the man snapped his fingers once. Right after, too quick for Hiro to react, one of the man’s guards threw a punch into Hiro’s guts, knocking the wind out of him and forcing him to his knees. In a very threatening tone, “I would watch my mouth if I were you, knave.”

“Kuh.” Hiro was trying to get back up onto his feet, and retort back at the man’s threat. Before he could do that though, a hand from behind grabbed the back of his head and forced him back into the ground. With his forehead in the ground and the hand still there, there was nothing Hiro could do to look at the person holding him.

“We’re very sorry ma lord! We didn’ mean no harm ta Adetia. The kid’s a bit daft in the head, please forgive us. I will give the kid the lecture of his lifetime, if the lord would so kindly pardon his rude behavior.” After hearing the familiar voice, Hiro struggled a bit before he could turn his head a bit to the side.

Right beside him was Bjorn, who was also kneeling on the ground and bowing with his forehead to the ground. Gone was his jolly and carefree attitude, the charismatic smile was wiped from the man’s face and replaced with a look of fear.

“Harrumph! Today’s your lucky day boy. You have the drunkard Bjorn to thank, if not for all the work he’s done for me, I would’ve chained you and drag you up there with the slaves right now! Now leave, before I change my mind.” With that last threat, the man signaled for his guards and once again disappeared into the crowd.

It took a bit of time, before the crowd began to ignore the petrified Bjorn and the defiant Hiro. Only after they were ignored, did Bjorn let go of Hiro’s head.

‘Finally!’

“Hey Bjorn why did you apologize to that guy?! We did noth-Oof!” Before Hiro could finish saying anything, Bjorn had gotten up and grabbed onto Hiro and dragged him off into an alleyway.

“Ya stupid kid! Ya almost got killed out there idiot!” Bjorn looked furious and anxious at the same time.

“Huh?! I’m pretty sure we could’ve taken those guys on!” Hiro began to get defensive, he knew he messed up, but was too embarrassed to admit it.

“Right ya are kid! You will do yer ‘throw-them-up-into-the-air’ magic again right? Just ta let ya know kid, each of those guards have the ability ta kill me an’ ya before we can even get out our weapons!”

“No way! I don’t believe it!”

“Yes way! They are one a the best warriors Adetia has ta offer kid! They are not something a B-Rank like me can go up agains’, much less a kid from the sticks like ya!”

“Tch!” Hiro clicked his tongue in frustration. He knows that he had spoken the correct thing, there was nothing wrong in saying slavery is bad.

‘I’m pretty sure Tenga could’ve taken them all on and killed them before they could even think about hurting me.’

[You called?]

[Ah it’s nothing Tenga, I just ran into some issues at the slave market.]

[Slavery? Hah~ I guess times really have changed.]

[What do you mean?] Hiro became curious, this was a chance for him to learn more about Tenga’s past.

[During my time, there was no such thing as slavery. All the races lived innocently, of course there were wars, but no one has ever been enslaved. There was a kind of respect that all the races have for life.]

[So what caused this to change so drastically?]

[Alas, I’ve been trapped in this stone for who knows how long. I do not know how much time has passed, since then, nor do I know what has happened in that time.]

[Tch! I’ll put a stop to this cruelty, no matter how long it takes me.]

[I commend you for your noble goal, but do not forget: Change starts with acceptance, if you force change you would be no more different than those that you are trying to fight.]

[Alright, thanks for your advice Tenga.]

[No need, just remember Hiro, if you need anything just call for me.]

“Hiro?! Listen ta me when I’m talkin’ ta ya!” Bjorn was becoming frustrated at Hiro who seemed to space out in the middle of their conversation.

Shaken back to reality, “Huh? What?”

“Where ya listenin’ ta me? I said that the man we just met is Lord Renart, you just insulted the man that was responsible for the slave trade industry in Adetia!”

“So that scumbag was Renart huh?” Hiro’s words were full of malic, he had just found out the name of his enemy.

“I wouldn’t say that around other people if I were ya kid. Good thing I knew yer father, if I had heard that from someone else, I probably woulda knock ya into tomorrow.”

Furious at Bjorn’s reply, Hiro shouted out, “Why would you support a man that enslaves other people like that Bjorn?! Aren’t they just like us? They live, they breathe, and they suffer just like us!”

Bjorn’s eyes became dark, his friendly expression was gone, “They’re beastmen.” He growled, “They’re little more than dogs who should be bred and used until the day they die.”

Hiro began to open his mouth to retort back, until he noticed the gleam within Bjorn’s eyes. They were full of hate and malice, this Bjorn did not resemble the earlier and jolly man. Knowing that it wasn’t a good idea to continue their conversation, Hiro just looked down and silently waited.

They both stood there, not knowing what to say to the other. Time seemed to move at an incredibly slow pace, as the awkward atmosphere continues to draw out. Two bodies stood there, neither are budging in their determination that they are correct, yet both wanting to reconcile. It was a lonesome and pitiful sight as the two continued to wait in silence.

“Come.” Was the only word to break the silence, as the large man walked away in the direction of the Adventurers Association.