I stood off to the side and watched as the aging commander guided his militia in guiding the now freed women and children back to the village. One half was doing that, while he had joined the other half in corralling the restrained bandits into a single group. Whether he would decide to execute or jail them, I didn’t know and, honestly, I didn’t care. I took what I wanted from them, a chance to see how my body felt in combat after my resurrection.

Kato stood a step behind me and to the right, within my periphery. She had her wrists crossed in front of her and head bowed as if waiting for my next orders; her half-mask pulled down to reveal her stoic expression. Her thin lips pinched as she watched the proceeding before her. As the militiamen went about their business, I turned my head and spoke. “Kato. Who are you?”

“I am your shadow. The one who stands where none can see and your unseen defender.” Her dark eyes turned towards the dagger sheathed at my back. “So long as you carry my original form, I will always be at your side.”

I wracked my brain for anything in mythology that gave a name to what she was describing. Originally an item, but could create a human form with but a thought. An object with a soul…

“Tsukumogami?”

Her head jerked towards me, surprise entering her expression for the first time since I’ve seen her. “You know of my origins?”

“I’ve studied myths and stories,” I explained instead of offering a straight answer. “You and Sora are the ones escorting me throughout Verum, then?”

Kato hummed in assent to my words. “Lady Penemue felt that our abilities would aid you best.”

I frowned at that but didn’t reply to her words. Leaning against a tree, I crossed my arms and noticed the commander walking over to Kato and me. As he approached us, his gaze flickered over to Kato, a frown growing on his face. When he looked back to me, he extended a hand. “You’ve done good work today, young man. Thank you.” I took his hand and shook it decisively.

“I couldn’t have done it without Relona. She’s the one who found and rescued the people.”

The man snorted at my words, shaking his head as he lowered his hand. “I’ve always known that girl is good at what she does. I’m just shocked that someone was able to keep up with her.” He narrowed his eyes at me, his lips curling into a curious frown. “Just who are you, Lyall?”

I cocked my head at his question as I noticed Kato stiffen ever so lightly. Sliding my hands into the pockets of my jacket, I felt a faint laugh escape me. “I’m only someone trying to find his place in the world.” My lips parted into a grin as if baring my teeth to the world. “I want to enjoy this freedom for as long as I possibly can.”

The older man let out a laugh at my audaciousness, his frown turning to a grin. “That’s an adventurer’s belief, right there. Have you registered with the guild yet?”

“Not just yet. Sora and I were headed to Xadria to do just that.” I then motioned towards Kato, who remained still while she watched us silently. “Well, until I ran into Kato, here. She’s an old friend of Sora, who’s joined me for the adventure.” She inclined her head to me, agreeing with my words, but saying nothing.

The commander grunted, gaze flickering from her to me. “We’ll resolve the situation with these lowlifes quickly. There are plenty of people who need to leave and enter the settlement.” I nodded to his explanation.

“Do you want any help? An extra pair of hands can speed things along.” My question caused him to arch a brow at me.

He shook his head. “No. My boys and I can handle things on our own.” He motioned in the direction of the village. “You just head back and tell everyone else how things ended.” With that, he turned back around and began to order his men to their various tasks.

Stepping away from the tree, I motioned for Kato to follow. “Let’s head back.” The spirit gave a silent affirmative, falling into step with me. As we made to leave, a familiar voice called out to me.

“Wait.” Relona hurried over to us as I turned at her call. She came to a slow stop in front of me but didn’t say anything for a few moments. I didn’t react to her immediately, simply arching a brow at her seemingly complex expression. Her lips parted, as if to speak, but closed once more. After a few moments, she finally managed to speak. “May I walk with you?”

I shared a gaze with Kato, whose stoicism gave me nothing of her thoughts. Turning back to Relona, I offered her a shrug. “I won’t stop you. Feel free.”

Her lips twitched almost unnoticeably into a smile before her expression smoothed over. With that, we continued to make our way back to the village proper. We took our time as we made our way through the thick forestry. “Thank you.” Relona finally spoke up, catching my attention as we stepped around a large tree. I turned my head to her, causing her cheeks to darken noticeably, under the shade of her hood. “For helping me. I like this village. These people.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” I replied gently, shaking my head. “It was the right thing to do. No one deserves what could have happened to them.”

Relona frowned, not happy with my answer, but she did refute my words. She remained silent as we continued our trek. “I…heard that you wanted to join the guild.” I looked at her, but she just faced forward, not meeting my gaze. “I’m a registered scout affiliated with the guild. I can recommend you to make it easier to join.”

I frowned at that, turning my eyes to the cloudy blue sky. “You don’t have to do that. I didn’t help to gain your favor.”

“I know.” Relona hummed. “But there’s a waiting period between signing up and becoming officially registered. A test for newcomers.” She waved her hand to the side. “But a rec from a current member can skip that process.”

“When are you heading up there?” She gave me a confused look. “Sora, Kato and I are leaving as soon as we can. I’d rather not rush you.”

Relona frowned, turning her gaze to the ground. “How soon do you wish to join? A notice will speed it up, but a direct meeting will end the wait immediately.”

“I’m not in a rush. I’m meeting some people in Xadria before I do anything else.”

“I have a job in Nyrill, so it’ll be three more days until I can return.” She mused more to herself than answering me. After a moment of thought, Relona looked up to me. “Wait for me before you leave. I’ll give you a copy of my Adventurer’s Seal.” At my confused look, she pursed her lips. “It’s an ID for Adventurers. They can explain it better.” She didn’t seem to like something, if the downturn or her lips indicated anything, but didn’t elaborate.

It didn’t take much longer for us to reach the village finally. We stepped onto the paved, bordered path heading towards the tavern, where those who stayed behind would remain until word of victory, or defeat, came back. As we approached, Relona tugged the sleeve of my jacket. I turned to face her. “I’m heading to the stables, check on the horses and the stablemaster.” I nodded and watched as she left without another word.

When she was out of earshot, Kato finally spoke again. “If Milord would permit it, I could follow her, see if the half-elf is hiding something.” Her voice was low, but I noticed her eyes focusing on Relona’s retreating.

“No,” I said sternly. “There’s no reason to.”

Kato frowned, turning to face me with disapproval. “She witnessed your prowess. We don’t know her true objectives.” She paused, eyes narrowing. “She’s hiding something.”

“We’re all hiding something, Kato,” I answered her; my voice low to only be heard her. “Besides, peopled still think the ‘Fallen Hero’ is dead and buried. Unless I proclaim my name from the highest mountain for all on Verum to hear, then my identity should still be secret.”

Kato’s frown became more pronounced before her previous stoicism returned. “As you command Milord.”

I matched her earlier frown, facing her fully for a few seconds. We locked gazes as I searched her dark eyes, seeking something, anything, that gave me any clue of what she was thinking. I sighed when I found nothing. “We can talk at length on the road, after leaving. All three of us need to discuss this entire…” I waved a hand between us, grimacing as I tried to think of the right word. “…state of affairs of my status.”

“As you command, Milord,” Kato answered deferentially, bowing her head to me.

I bit back the groan at her response. I wanted to tell her not to call me that, but I had the feeling that it’d be a fruitless effort. With that resolved, somewhat, we resumed our walk back to the tavern. The various windows appeared covered, curtains drawn and closed, pressed against the glass by a solid wall behind them. Approaching the building, I narrowed my eyes at the very faint flicker of energy overlaying the entirety of the building. My vision shifted ever so lightly as the aura gained a dark rainbow tint of ever-shifting colors. A part of me wondered what would happen if I touched it; thankfully, the rational part of my mind pushed that aside as an idea came to mind.

“Sora. If you can hear me, then I’m here to give the all-clear. I defeated the bandits, and the commander is releasing the hostages as we speak.” Nothing happened as I continued to focus on the swirling colors, trying to find a pattern, while allowing Kato to keep an eye on my flank. No answer was given for the longest time as I stood there, …that is until the color s vanished as if they were never there from the beginning. Off to the side, the curtains parted to reveal a curious young boy with wide green eyes. His brown hair was chin length and tied in the back. He watched me for a few moments as I met his eyes. Suddenly, I allowed a playful grin to appear on my face and winked. He gasped and grinned widely, but a hand yanked him back away from the window.

The door clicked and opened to reveal Sora standing there with a knowing smirk on her face, a hand resting on her hip. Peering from around her was the woman who worked the bar. “I see things worked out well enough, then.” Her eyes took on a very faint glow before they died down as her lips widened into a playful grin. “Get inside first. Everyone’s still shaken up.” She stepped aside to allow Kato and me to walk inside. I looked around to see a large group of women of varying ages and an abundance of children all milling about. My attention, though, was pulled towards the sight of Marishka being petted and by a posse of young children.

The young Amarok looked miserable, glaring at the wall as she was held in the lap of a young girl, while the children around her tried to pet or coax her into coming to them. As I walked inside, though, she turned her head to see me. With surprising agility, she leaped out of the girl’s arms and ran over to me. Panic in her canine expression, I couldn’t hold back the snort as I crouched down to meet her. “Popular, aren’t you?” I smiled down at her as she skidded around behind my legs, peering around them to watch the petulant children that didn’t want her to leave. Running my fingers through her fur, I congratulated her with a grin. “You did well.”

Marishka rumbled with an appreciative growl as I stood back up and faced Sora. Once I did, though, I found that I was given a scolding glare from the young woman the handled the bar. She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at me. “You hid your puppy from me. Pets aren’t normally permitted here; I’ll have you know.”

I offered a shrugged, grimacing contritely. “I apologize for the deception, but Marishka was a last-minute addition to the group. I never expected her to join us.”

The young woman sighed, her shoulders falling. “I suppose I can overlook it this time. She’s kept the children calm while everyone was gone. You also proved yourself to be a great help if your return means anything.” She then gave me a questioning look.

I turned to Sora, seeing her proud smirk, and promptly explained what happened. When I told them of everyone returning soon, and physically unharmed, I was interrupted by an echoing cheer from the group that watched us. The children leaped up from their seats and hurried over to me, peppering me with questions. I heard Marishka let out a whine and race between their feet towards Sora, who watched with playful amusement. I turned my head as I examined the children that surrounded me. I turned my head towards the mothers; some of whom appeared like they wanted to scold their children or watch how this played, while others seemed torn between joy and wariness of their kids’ proximity with me.

A smile grew on my face as I placed my hands at my hips, letting a laugh escape me from deep in my chest. “They were no challenge for the likes of me!” I grinned down at the kids; whose wide eyes told me that they drank in my words with reverence. “The moment I arrived; I saw the vile fiends who created this chaos.” I punched my right fist into my left hand. “Unable to allow such injustice to continue, I strode into their camp and challenged them then and there.”

The kids watched, enchanted by my embellished tale, and cheered as I acted out the fight as if it were a story of chivalry and honor. I couldn’t hide the smile that grew on my face as they cheered and cried out at the ‘important bits,’ leading me to add more energy to my story.

As I continued, though, Relona entered the tavern, blinking in blank surprise at my playacting. When I saw her, I pointed her to the kids. “There she is, the most important member of this adventure, Lady Relona.” As one, the kids turned towards the hooded young woman, proverbial stars in their eyes. “Were it not for her keen eye and superb skill in tracking, we could not have saved the innocent nor defeated the dastardly brigands!”

This time, it was the girls who lead the charge towards the newcomer, squealing in glee and chattering out questions about the events that just transpired. She gave me a tired glare from under her hood but appeared reluctantly amused at the children that both surrounded and congratulated her. I met her glare with a playful grin, turning to walk over to Sora.

The Witch cocked her head to the side as she studied me with a mysterious twinkle in her eye. As I opened my mouth to speak with her, she shook her head, her gaze flicking behind me. Yeah. We were still surrounded by those uninvolved with our journey. It’s best to keep what we’re going to discuss about as secret as possible. Still… "Relona told me of her willingness to recommend me for guild registration.”

That caused her gaze to sharpen, eyes flicking to Relona, before focusing on me. “That will be a help, though it would bring attention to you.” Then she nodded decisively. “It’s a necessary sacrifice. Affiliation with the guild would offer you the freedom to go anywhere on Verum.” Her smile widened, one of triumph. “Well done.”

I took in her praise with a faint frown. I did not do what I did to gain something. Honestly? While I did want to help the kidnapped people, I just wanted an excuse to test my new physical prowess. In the end, all I did was breathe out through my nose. “The only thing I want to do is move on from here.”

Sora nodded as she turned her attention to my newest shadow. Her smile widened ever so lightly. “It is nice to see out and about, Kato.”

“It is pleasing to act on my own…Soralynn.” She paused before stating Sora’s name, a moment of silence occurring with a blink. “I’m glad you saw fit to call for me.” Kato bowed her head to Sora.

Sora smiled as she inclined her head. “I felt it best to call in extra help.” Her gazed rolled over to me, lips curling in amusement. “Considering our friend likes to play the hero.”

I let out a chuckle. “I saw a chance to speed things up. We do have places to be, after all.”

Kato and Sora hummed in assent to my words. With that, we all waited in the tavern for the commander to return with his people. As we waited, I crouched down and gave Marishka some attention, pushing my fingers through her fur with a gentle attentiveness. She hummed beneath my ministrations; eyes closed as she leaned against me. Time passed slowly as several hushed conversations occurred around us, with people motioning to my group. After a while, a few kids broke away and asked if they could pet Rishka. I did say ‘yes,’ much to her apparent despair, but I made sure to tell them to be gentle.

It was while a large group of curious children surrounded me that the commander and a few men finally returned to the tavern, letting everyone know that everyone had returned safely. He rolled his gaze over the crowd of happy villagers, celebrating the inevitable safe return of their fellow villagers. As a smile stretched across his bearded face, he caught sight of me and approached us. “My men are currently escorting them back here. It’ll take a few hours for everyone to return, but you did your part.” At my confused look, the old man snorted. “I’ll open the gates for you and your group to leave. Just be ready soon. There’s still some work that needs we need to finish, but I gave my word.”

I couldn’t fight the smile that flickered along my lips. “Thank you.” He nodded and turned around as I faced Sora. “Have everything?”

“We’ll need to pick up provision for the rest of our trip, but yes.” Sora nodded to my question as she leaned down to pick up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. She drew my attention to the bag I had left with her. Grabbing mine, I followed her as she began to leave the inn. “Let’s stop by the market and make our purchases.” We bade our farewells to the kids, who seemed heartbroken as Marishka left with me.

We left the tavern, Sora walking at my immediate right, Kato behind me to my left and Marishka trotting ahead of me with restrained excitement. We strode outside and followed the path heading towards the market for nonperishable foods. “How do we know if there’ll be people? We did just resolve this bandit situation.”

Sora offered me a playful smile. “You’d be surprised what people will do out of gratitude.” Her smile turned flinty. “Humanity is a hardy species, especially when it comes to potential profit.” Behind me, I could see Kato expression pinch in my periphery, before she masked it. “We won’t get anything for free, but there will be available resources for us to purchase.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt, both at her casual cynicism and the fact that I didn’t feel surprised. Then again, I am ignorant of how this world is, so things like this could be a norm for most people. We reached a single-story building with a pair of open windows, curtains flowing in the gentle breeze of the late morning. As we stopped at the door, Sora turned towards me. “I’ll pick up the provisions. You, Kato and Rishka can handle the horses. Meet me there.” She pointed down the road to the far end of the village, where I could see a lone gate in the distance. “I won’t be long.” Sora inclined her head to me and walked inside the building.

“I can lead us to the stables, Milord. I remember the route Soralynn took.” Kato explained softly, her voice barely above a whisper.

I hummed in assent to her, nodding in answer. “I’m in your hands, Kato.”

She inclined her head and began to lead me. It didn’t take long for us to reach the stables, where a plethora of horses stayed for the night. A man was filling their troughs, a bucket of water resting at his side. As we reached the stable, though, Kato allowed me to step past her. I furrowed my brow at her, but she stared ahead, deferring to me.

Frustration tingled at the pit of my stomach as I regarded her, though I kept my expression masked. Closing my eyes, I released a breath and continued towards the stablemaster. “Excuse me. I’m here to pick up my and my partner’s horses.” In my periphery, though, Kato vanished from sight and sense. Confusion flickered through me until I reached back and slid a fingertip along the hilt of Kato’s knife.

The stablemaster was a younger man, slender and wiry. He wore a set of brown coveralls and a sheathed dagger at his hip. His bright eyes studied me carefully before realization dawned on him. He grinned as I approached. “Ah! It’s you. I have yours and her horses ready. Just give me a bit.” He raced into the stables and approached our horses. After a few moments, he managed to walk them towards me. “I want to thank you for what you did. You and Little Lona saved my sister and nephew.” He handed the reins to me.

“I only held their attention,” I explained to him. “It was Relona who did the heavy lifting. Saving them.”

He shook his head. “She couldn’t have done it alone. Lona’s good, but even she can’t fight off all those people on her own.” He let out a laugh, grinning widely. “It’s like a Hero happened to appear in Del at the right time.”

I felt a smile grow in response to his words but shook my head. “Thank you.” He waved me off as I walked back towards the meeting point I promised to meet Soralynn. As I made my way to the exit gate, I couldn’t help but notice the villagers that stayed were now milling about, continuing their days as usual. They greeted me kindly, and I answered them with a wave, smiling reassuringly. It felt overwhelming, dealing with everyone’s gratitude. I honestly wanted them to stop, but how can you brush all of that aside? After doing what you can to help, how can you willingly disregard their appreciation?

Truthfully, as much as I enjoy the occasional philosophical, mental tirade, I just wanted them to fucking stop.

I reached Soralynn just as my temper was fraying at the edges. As I approached, her eyes twinkled with knowing mischief. “How does it feel, Mr. Hero? To bask in the villagers’ thankfulness?”

I glared at her, expression pinched and lips curled downward. “Let’s go. I want to get the hell out of here before I do something we both regret.”

Sora let out a joyous laugh, hopping up onto her horse, to which I followed suit. We went up to the gate, and the militiamen standing guard waved us through, allowing us to go without paying the tax.

Once again, we were back into the wide-open plains, galloping forward with our horses.

Onwards to Xadria.