Heroes Always Join the Party

A warm flame illuminated the shadowed edges of the boss chamber. What remained of the Aberration scattered with a cool draft that flowed through and settled down as a fine layer of black ash.

Maria watched ‌quietly as Thomas dug through rubble, his flame spell lighting the remnants of an altar.

Celeste stood in the silence, her head hung low. "...Did I prove my worth?"

"There was no need, but…” Maria smiled at her, “I thought you were very heroic today."

"...But I didn't defeat the boss."

Maria tilted her head. So did Celeste.

“I wasn't thinking about that.” Maria swayed slightly as she spoke. “That rookie adventurer. The one far too frightened to move. When you walked him back to the entrance..."

"That?"

Maria nodded. "When you offered, his face lit up! You made him feel safe.” She grinned. "I thought that was very heroic."

For a moment, Celeste remained without word.

Kaelan came from behind and gave her a nudge. “He’ll get to go back home.”

“...Is that really enough?”

Maria chuckled. “That’s what matters.”

Celeste stared at Maria, whose legs wiggled the longer she stood.

“Then,” the young knight grinned, “I’ll have no choice but to believe the words of a Saint who can barely stand.”

Kaelan and Celeste offered their shoulders, but Maria waved them away.

“Thank you…” she said while she regained her footing.

“You pushed yourself too hard,” Kaelan said.

“Sorry…” Maria gave a nervous chuckle. “I’m okay.”

A yelp came from deep within the chamber. Thomas had finally ceased his relentless search. His head hung beneath his flame, where the stone altar barely stood, crumbled. Strange vein-like lines ran out of it and morphed into the ground. They sputtered with a subtle glow before drying out.

Celeste joined his side. “What are you searching for?”

“The dungeon core…” he said, eyes glued to the foot of the crumbled altar, where a multi-colored crystal lay shattered.

“Looks like you found it…”

Thomas fell to his knees, running the colorful but faint shards through his hands. “It was worth a fortune…”

Kaelan smirked from behind. “The dragonscale isn’t enough?”

“Two different things!”

Maria wondered what would come of the dungeon without its core. What of the town? It attracted many from across the kingdom specifically because of the Great Labyrinth of Limina. Luckily, her worries were soon put to rest.

The mana-heavy core essentially served as the dungeon’s beating heart. Monsters and beasts naturally developed and resided within, but instead of the dungeon collapsing, it would go dormant.

“In another year or so, a new ‘heart’ will form,” Thomas added.

Maria sighed in relief. According to Thomas, she had been the first to conquer the oldest dungeon in the kingdom, but she was just glad it wouldn’t cause any issues.

“Maria…?” Celeste called to her with a frown.

Her companions stood and stared at her with strained expressions. Before she realized it, her legs gave out from under her. The ground was colder; harder than she expected.

“Maria!”

Three blurred, but familiar figures crowded over her. Their echoed voices faded as her vision turned dark.

***

When Maria reopened her eyes, she lay confused, sunk in warmth and softness.

The ceiling above wasn't the jagged stone of the dungeon, nor was it the familiar wooden beams of the chapel. Morning light trickled in through a crack in the window curtains, where adventurers gathered near the guild’s message boards.

“You’re awake!” Celeste’s golden ponytail swayed as she jumped up from a wooden stool right beside the bed. Simple linen covered her body instead of the usual plated armor.

Maria mumbled as she set up. “Where…?” She clutched her head as a piercing headache radiated.

“Don’t force yourself,” Celeste whispered. “The guild lent you a bed for the night… Severe mana exhaustion.”

“Maybe I overdid it a bit…” Maria let out a dry chuckle.

“A bit?” Celeste sighed. “Thomas said you’ll have to take it easy with magic use for a few days.”

“Wait…” Maria glanced around the room. “Where are Kaelan and Thomas?”

Celeste hesitated. It made Maria tense. She darted her eyes toward the wooden door of the room. Forgetting any exhaustion, she jumped out of bed, smoothing down her tunic and veil as she paced toward the door.

“Is something wrong with them? Did the Aberration—”

“No! They’re fine, it’s just…”

Maria was half-way out of the room before Celeste finished speaking.

***

A deafening cheer erupted as Maria stepped down a flight of stairs, finding herself on the main floor of the guildhall. Celeste soon joined.

“She’s awake!” a burly voice called out.

Dozens of adventurers, town guards, and even residents filled the room to capacity. Right at the frontline of the crowd, Kaelan and Thomas physically hold a line alongside a very flustered receptionist, desperately blocking the eager mass from flooding forward.

Standing near the front were the parties of rookie adventurers Maria had healed in the dungeon. They looked healthy, their cheeks flushed with color, eyes no longer sunken. They pointed at her with wide eyes and smiles.

“It’s her! The Saint!”

Apparently, even in a town three times the size of Bellmere, word traveled fast. When the guild had watched a gentle young Sister set out into the dark of night toward the dangerous dungeon, no one had expected much. But then, one missing rookie after another had stumbled out of the entrance, completely healed. Each had raved about the Saint with kind eyes; she braved the dark, tore down a sealed magical barrier with a giant golden arrow, and conquered the Great Labyrinth of Limina.

Thomas yelled over the roaring crowd. “Keep an orderly line and the Saint will shake your hand… for a small offering to the gods,” he muttered at the end.

Kaelan glanced at him with a blank expression, though Thomas remained blind. He then turned to Maria.

“Sorry if all the ruckus woke you. Feeling better?”

“I’m fine, but…” She glanced around at the chaos, “are you two?”

A man flailed as Kaelan held him back with a palm against the man’s face.

“...Never better.”

Eventually, the crowd settled, but the celebrations continued. The rowdy adventurers sat around the guildhall in chatter and laughter. In unison, they raised their mugs and roared a title.

“Saint Maria! The Dungeon Conqueror!”

Maria jumped from table to table, waving her hands in mild panic. “I-I’m just Sister Maria!” she insisted, but her attempts were futile.

Celeste gave a subtle chuckle as she watched from the side. A slightly saddened smile crept up her face.

“Um… Lady Knight?”

A meek voice called out. It was the young rookie adventurer from before, Felix. The one she had escorted safely back to the entrance of the dungeon.

Celeste smiled at him. “I’m glad to see you well.”

The boy held out a polished silver badge. It was beautifully engraved with the emblem of the Adventurer’s Guild.

“I wanted to give this to you… as a show of my gratitude.”

Celeste’s eyes widened. “For me?” She glanced toward Maria. “But I’m not the one who…” Maria waved at her with a smile.

“You saved me.” Felix's voice sounded stern. He placed the silver badge in Celeste’s hands and gently closed them. “It's a Grand Token of Favor. Any adventurer who sees it knows the bearer has the eternal gratitude of the Guild. I want you to have it.”

Celeste turned back a final time to Maria, who nodded with a grin.

“Then I’ll graciously accept it.” Celeste clutched it to her chest. “Thank you.”

Poor Felix was left speechless and with a flushed face under Celeste’s radiant smile.

Kaelan and Thomas sneaked up behind the boy and gave him a hearty pat on the back.

“Good luck with this one,” Kaelan told him.

Celeste pouted. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Thomas chimed in. “Only good things, of course.”

The two men chuckled as they dragged Felix away, muttering unknowns into his ears.

***

The celebration lingered, but the party's stay in Limina had officially ended. Celeste watched in silence as the three readied their belongings.

“There’s one more stop we need to make before leaving, but will you come see us off?” Maria asked.

Celeste nodded. “I’ll be waiting at the gates.”

Upon leaving the guildhall, Maria overheard some passing words from a group of veteran adventurers talking near the message boards. Kaelan’s narrowed eyes made it clear he heard them too.

"...with strength to conquer a dungeon, surely word of Saint Maria has already reached the Holy Capital," one adventurer muttered.

"The High Inquisitor’s factions are probably losing their minds trying to figure out a way to appease her."

The two chuckled, oblivious to the fact that the subject they spoke of had just walked past.

“I don't know what Vane may have in mind…” Kaelan turned to Maria, “but it’s safe to say that he’s expecting you now.”

Kaelan’s words came to her as a warning, but Maria didn’t know what to expect. All she could do was ‌continue on her journey, face Vane, and keep faith that things would work out for the best.

***

Maria smiled brightly as she saw Celeste waiting by the town gates. It should’ve now been clear to her they weren’t the Hero’s Party she spoke of; Maria assumed she had no interest in tagging along anymore. But she was happy that she’d see them off.

Thomas walked in silence with a long face and a hefty pack on his back.

“What do you have in there?” Celeste asked.

“My retirement.” Thomas adjusted the pack over his shoulders, making the contents jingle within.

“...Looks heavy,” Celeste said.

He sighed. “It is.”

As Maria had promised, before leaving town, the group ‌made a final stop. The result of which now had Thomas brooding more than Kaelan ever could.

Even the town’s most renowned merchant house had taken one look at the pristine dragonscale and almost wept—admitting they didn't have enough in their vault to buy even a single one.

Maria gave a mischievous grin. “Maybe you should just give some scales away since it’s so heavy.”

Thomas paused. “Maria, please don't joke about that.” His eyes welled up. “And they call her a Saint…” he muttered.

Kaelan hid his face.

For someone who took pride in lurking in the shadows, he sure was terrible at hiding his laughter. Maria chuckled.

As the three crossed the town gates, Celeste took a half-step forward. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

Thomas glanced back over his shoulder. “The knight isn’t following us?”

“That’s a first,” Kaelan muttered.

“Oh.” Maria stopped and turned around. Seeing Celeste standing alone in the distance, she raised a hand and cheerfully waved. “Goodbye!”

It’s never easy to say goodbye, but she seems far too sad…

Celeste gave a weak smile. She raised a hand and mouthed a silent, “...Goodbye…”

Thomas chuckled dryly. “That’s a bit cold, don't you think, Maria?”

Maria just tilted her head.

The group took a step forward, but Kaelan remained with a sigh. He called out, still in earshot of Celeste.

"...Well?"

Celeste stood blinking before finally walking toward the group.

"...Well... what?"

"Are you coming?" Kaelan asked.

Silence stretched across the gate. Her eyes watered as they shot from Kaelan to Thomas to Maria. They all gave ‌warm smiles. Some, more forced or awkward than others, but Maria knew they were genuine.

“I can… join you all?” The words finally escaped Celeste’s lips.

Kaelan shrugged, turning his eyes back to the road ahead. "You're not half bad with a sword. Might be useful to have another fighter along... for a little while."

Celeste grinned and ran forward, joining the group.

“I’m glad you came,” Maria said.

Having such a dazzling smile join them filled her with warmth. It gave another much-needed push to head toward the Holy Capital. Toward High Inquisitor Vane.

And just as Celeste fearlessly faced whatever came her way, Maria wanted to do the same.