Companion

A few moments later, Verona and Maya searched and stumbled upon a secluded spot under the shade of the Phelmane tree–an open, small nook nestled between two sturdy roots that formed a natural wall around it, giving a sense of security from a possible danger that might lurk everywhere.

Despite being known as a beginner area filled with monsters ranging from level one to eight–which should not pose a problem–they did not want to take chances.

It was not too far from their flower field they were at before. The grass provided a comfortable seating area, allowing Verona and Maya to have a moment of respite and gather their thoughts. Despite being small, it was wide enough to fit both of them as they sat with their legs stretched out, leaning against the trunk shoulder-to-shoulder.

They had decided to find another person they could contact.

Verona’s eyes fixed on the holographic interface hovering before him. He navigated through his friend list, scrolling the rest of the names, pressing them to see whether he could make a call. Maya also did the same thing with hers.

She sighed softly, her voice tinged with disappointment. "I have fifty people on my list, but some of them are already on yours, so the numbers are kind of few here."

"We still have our guild members' list. Out of the thousand members, there are three hundred and thirty-two people online. Surely, one of them can be contacted."

They scrolled through their respective lists, tapping on names in an attempt to make a call, and they continued searching. Even though they did not know all of their guildmates personally, it was still better than nothing.

However, minutes seemed turning into eternity as their expressions grew darker with each failed attempt.

The truth stared back at them, taunting their hopes.

They were unable to reach anyone.

No one.

Looking at each person's location, as displayed in their respective statuses, they all were too far away: in distant cities, across vast seas, on different islands or continents.

Most of the people they knew were scattered on the continent of Grandia, the largest in Regnalia. Meanwhile, Verona and Maya were on Vespasia, another continent whose distance to Grandia was akin to Europe and Asia in real life, separated by a large ocean.

They were alone.

A heavy silence settled between them, the weight of their isolation hanging in the air. Finally, Maya's voice broke through the stillness, barely above a whisper.

"What should we do now?" she asked.

Verona's gaze softened as he contemplated their options, his mind racing to find a solution. After a thoughtful pause, he mentioned a nearby city. "Delphiron is close by. Perhaps we can find another player there. We have to stick together and gather more information.”

She put on a wry smile and let out a resigned voice. “We don’t really have a choice, do we?”

"We'll find a way to sort out all of this."

With a steady hand, Verona extended it towards her. Maya hesitated for a moment, her gaze fixed on his outstretched hand. Slowly, she shifted her attention to her own knee-high boots, lost in thought.

“Verona,” she finally spoke. “...Do you think we can return back to our home?”

He paused up to check her expression, seeking any signs of doubt. Choosing his words carefully, he responded, "No matter what we face, we have to believe that there's a chance for us to return. We can't give up on that."

“How long will it take for us to reach Delphiron?”

“From here it's probably three hours by normal walk.”

A moment later, she looked him in the eye. A calm, determined face. She reached out his hand, and Verona helped her to her feet. Together, they emerged from the secluded nook, navigating the maze of Phelmane tree’s thick roots as they made their way back to the flower field.

“Should we walk all the way to Delphiron?” Maya asked.

“Well, as you already know, both of us can move much faster than that.”

“Can we last that long, though?”

Same with Verona, Maya also knew she had incredible speed of his own when she travelled to the Phelmane tree as well. However, for both to be able to do that, they had to use their SP.

Unlike Verona who had a lot of SP–thanks to his profession which was centred around expanding SP–Maya did not have a lot to begin with. Her profession did not have the same focus as Verona.

There was a way to mitigate the problem, but it would not help much for such distance.

Verona thought about Maya’s words for a moment. He then searched for a solution, and quickly he found something. “We can use your Companion. Your fox could get us there in no time without us having to spend all our SP.”

Maya’s eyes widened. "You're right!”

Maya began to move his finger in the air, navigating her interface. Not long after, a giant ball of fire blazed before her, momentarily blinding Verona.

However, the expected Spirit Firefox of Reikai was nowhere to be found.

Instead, in the wake of flames, a child lay sleeping on the ground, snoring softly with an innocent face.

Her furry ears and tails caught his attention. She had short and light-orange hair. Like Maya, she wore a kimono as well. Hers was orange and with a black sash. She also wore a black tabi and a geta.

Verona’s head slowly turned to face Maya, his expression like that of a broken robot.

“W-what’s with that face?!” Maya shouted, her eyes then fixed on the child. “W-who is she?!”

“I should be asking you,“ Verona said. “I never knew you had another Companion besides your fox.”

“N-no! I swear I only have one! This…”

Verona switched glance between Maya and the child. He thought she lied. He assumed she had misclicked the girl instead of the fox. “Look, there’s no use in hiding it. Everyone knows you are-”

“B-but I’m telling the truth!” Maya interjected, stepping closer. “This is… this is Momo!”

“...This girl is...?”

“Yes!”

“Uuunyuuu…”

Verona and Maya looked towards the child as she stirred and woke up, rubbing her eyes. When she saw Maya, she immediately limped forward and hugged her.

"Master, I'm sleepy."

“Eh?!” Verona and Maya exclaimed at almost the same time.

“So… comfortable.” The child nestled against Maya’s stomach.

Verona and Maya exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. Finally, Maya's voice broke the silence.

“M-Momo…?”

“Yes, master. I’m Momo, your loyal companion, hehe~” The child gazed at Maya and then rubbed her face against her stomach once again.

Just after she said that, a holographic window floated above the child.

Momo
Spirit Firefox of Reikai
Lv. 100
Maya’s companion

“...So, she is really Momo.” The words slipped from Verona’s mouth as he stared at it.

“See? I’m not lying!”

The child suddenly directed her attention toward Verona, and said, “Oh you’re Master’s husband. Hello~”

Her voice hung in the air, leaving both Verona and Maya speechless. Before long, the samurai's face turned red.

“W-wha?! H-husband?! What are you talking about?!”

"I... think she's referring to our in-game status," Verona said, almost whispering. "Also, could you calm down a bit?"

“S-shut up!”

“Why are you mad at me?”

Maya ignored him, her focus shifting back to the child. "A-are you really... Momo, though?"

"Of course, Master."

"Momo, the firefox...?"

"Yes, Master." Momo smiled.

"Aren't you a spirit fox? How could you turn into a girl?"

"Indeed, I am a spirit fox, Master, but..." Momo’s voice waning.

"...Momo?"

"I..."

Momo suddenly slumped to the ground, surprising both Verona and Maya. She closed her eyes and began snoring once again.

Verona and Maya could only look at each other, bewildered. Their confusion deepened.