The Journey Begins

Sky unwraps the item, casting the wrapping onto the floor. A glistening sword was contained within. The blade was quite long, being more than half of Sky’s height, and had twice the width of a normal broadsword’s blade. Sharpened on both sides of the blade, it had smooth black markings that ran along the edges. The handle was wrapped in red cloth, some of which hung ornamentally. The sheath was solid and made from the hide of a red beast, with fur along the throat.

“This is… Rosso’s weapon?” Arte looked on in shock and awe.

“Yup. He entrusted me to give it to someone worthy. And now, I’m entrusting you with it.” She handed the sword over to Arte.

“Thank you. We’ll do our best to live up to his legacy.” She thanked.

“I know you both will,” Sky says.

Leo wraps his arms around Sky and Arte.

“Thanks for everything!” Leo exclaimed warmly.

Sky chuckles and Arte grins.

“I think she gets it, you oaf.” She says jokingly.

After receiving their travel gifts from Sky, Leo went to bed. As Arte was about to head to bed, Sky stopped her. The two had a conversation for a few minutes before heading to bed. Afterward, Arte was gently nestled under her plaid blanket, and her head softly resting against the pillow. Leo was quietly staring at the ceiling.

“Do you really think we can survive in this world?” She asks.

“Don’t think about it like that. Surviving is just something we have to do.” He replied.

“Right.”

“Arte, I wanna get a lot stronger than we are now. With what happens in Act two, we’ll need the extra strength and then some.” He states.

“Me too. I don’t want anyone to die.”

“Act two is when all the major plot points kick off at around the same time. Honestly, there’s far too much to worry about. I’ve been trying not to think about it, but if we do nothing, the world will fall to ruin. Every character we’ve been influenced by since our childhood will meet a bitter end. It falls to us to save them. To do that, we’ll need a team and unparalleled strength.” She thought.

“Let’s crush all the death flags!” He cheered.

“You bet.” She agreed.

The next day rolled around, and with it, Leo and Arte were dressed in new outfits. Leo wore a black sleeveless cloth bodysuit with silver accents running down the sides from the torso to the legs. He had on a pair of fingerless gloves and two belts that hung around his waist, interlocking and forming an X-shape. On the back of the belts, it held a variety of pouches and a sheath for both his daggers. The bodysuit was looser toward the bottom, and had wide openings near his ankles, which were split four ways. The opening made it easy to access the brown leather boots he had on. The bodysuit also had a zipper down the chest, and a hooded cloak that could be unfastened to become a small cape; the underside of the material meant that it would look red when hanging off the shoulder.

Arte was dressed in a thick white shirt with a leather material lining the neck and shoulders; it had belts fashioned around the neck and upper chest. On top of that, she wore a silver breastplate that extended down her left arm into a gauntlet, and a pair of black pants with cargo pockets down the sides. It also included a pair of silver knee guards and leather boots that came up to her calves, which had silver plates built into them.

“It took longer than expected, but I managed to get you guys some custom gear crafted. But I’m glad I did, it fits you both perfectly.” Sky says.

“This stuff is awesome,” Leo said while looking down at his gear.

“The pockets are super practical,” Arte added.

“That’s what amazes you…?” Leo’s eyes shoot over to Arte.

“So, what do you both plan on doing first?” Sky asks.

“Probably some dungeons on the way to Valmanhyn.” Leo blurts out.

Arte covers his mouth.

“What he meant to say was visit one of the nearby villages near the dungeon.” She says.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to challenge the dungeons near here.” Sky leaned against the outer wall of the cabin. ”You’re both more than enough of a challenge for it.”

“Really? I thought you’d be more against it.” Arte says.

“I’m not. Just remember, I won’t be there to help you if things go south.” Sky states. “Well, you guys pretty much did the entire dungeon without me anyway.”

“Right. Thanks again for everything!” Leo waves from the open front door.

“We’ll come and visit to see how you’re doing,” Arte added.

“Be safe, you two.” She waved.

The duo head toward the coachman who was waiting for them. The booth sat high atop the shell of a giant tortoise-like creature. It was almost larger than the cabin in size and had reins connected through a piece in its mouth. While watching them board the tortoise, a hawk flew over to Sky and landed on her shoulder.

“Why didn’t you inform them of the mission you were supposed to do there?” The hawk spoke.

“I figured they should be able to handle it.” She responded.

“You can’t just go volunteering people for things.” It slapped her with its wing.

“Things would get too annoying if I were there. I’d have no end of people wanting to make me their mentor. But I’m confident my students can resolve the issue. Honestly, I didn’t have to do much except train their fundamentals. The two of them seem to have deep knowledge of monsters from what I could tell, like they’ve been fighting them over several lifetimes.” She admitted.

“Something like that shouldn’t be possible,” Hawkly commented.

“If they improve their combat experience, they may just be some of the strongest monster hunters out there.” She stated.

“Well, if you praise them that much… What about the battle against humans?” He asks.

“Ah.” She covers her mouth with her hand.

“That’s not a good reaction.” He replied.

“I forgot to teach them about that…” She rubs

“You suck at teaching others.” He remarked.

“Honestly, I can’t teach them that with no bandits or anything willing to volunteer their lives. That’s something they have to learn to get over themselves.” She stated while crossing her arms.

After boarding and leaving the heart of the Siladhi forests, the two were well on their way to beginning their journey. The booth was designed to remain stable, but every once and a while, there’d be a slight tremor. Covered in a dark red soft material, the booth seats were surprisingly comfortable, enough for Leo to lie down and relax. Arte sat across from him and stared at a map.

“Who knew chalcedrons were such a comfy ride?” Leo grinned.

Much like their namesake, chalcedon's shells carried the properties of chalcedony, and often would vary in color and pattern depending on where they originated from.

“They’re way faster than tortoises back home, too. At this rate, we might be ahead of schedule.” Arte notices.

“Good. More opportunities to get more gear and skills.” He states.

“It's only loot and skills with you.” She says. “But I get it. I wanna get stronger too.”

While Leo and Arte were making their way through the Siladhi forest, in the westernmost village of Siladhi, the town was in ruins. Homes and buildings were rubble along the forest floor, bodies littered the village, limbs hung from rubble, and monsters prowled the streets. The stench of iron clung to the air like a beggar clinging to their last coin. A lone survivor, a boy with messy, long black hair and tattered clothes, watched in sorrow, but also joy. He hid from behind a tree, his arms covered in many scars, his feet covered in healed lashmarks. The mix of emotions brought him to tears, yet he knew not whether he should laugh or cry. A nagging feeling tugged at his heart to endure his callous emotions.

The sound of the bell chimed, and the monsters in the village vanished like ink from a canvas. A large man climbed over the rubble, stepping past the scores of bodies lying around. His back was crooked like a dead tree, arms long as vines and covered by a giant cloak capable of hiding his distorted figure, albeit barely. His nose was long and thick; all other features were shrouded by a veil of unnatural darkness.

“All this and we still can’t find one boy.” He mutters.

He rang the bell once more. Once again, creatures appeared before him from the ground as though they were remade. They resembled hounds in appearance only. Their open mouths reveal a void within, and their pale bodies begin spreading out to search the forest.

“Search the forests, find the boy.” He states.

The boy, upon hearing this, quickly backed away and ran in the direction of the nearby river while the hounds began entering the forest surrounding the village.