A Porter.

Lena wandered the bazaar alone. Woken to a silent tent, she felt a sudden urge to walk. Octan had apparently left for another call by the guild, and Kouko sat silently pondering over herself, waving Lena goodbye as she left the tent.

She walked the tight paths in-between the adventurers tents, made even more cramped by the abundant wooden carts and carriages that adventurers and traders had setup shop with. She could find almost anything within the makeshift market, from ripe fruit to clean edged blades. She could even find a small collection of hairbands for sell in the corner of the market, she stopped by it, giving the various bands glances, but, unfortunately, she had no coin on her so she left without a purchase.

She moved eyeing the countless adventurers, each clothed in a story, each marked with adventure; from scars to burns each face had sparked it's own impression. Yet, Lena walked between them, a profile that had no story to tell, no emotion to convey, no excitement to portray, a face sparked with mundanity.

Eventually, A building had come to view, much louder than the bazaar and it's adventurer's, what seemed like a previously food-store had now been repurposed into the guild's pub. Lena, finding nothing else of meaning, wandered in.

Stepping in, a wave of noise washes over her . From the ambience of all kinds of tapping, placing, dropping, and carrying, to the sound of crashing wood, clashing iron, and clanging metal. The cheers of joyous adventurers, the calls of reunited companions and the amused laughs of shared tales among adventurers.

Lena stepped in, questioning her mindless decision, she was never a person of crowds, neither did she wish to be. She had no coin on her, so neither would she be able to enjoy the commodities of the pub. She turned around to leave, stopping as a figure catches her eyes.

At the corner of the pub, sitting by itself, a strangely familiar silhouette sat. A man conspicuously cloaked sat, his hood raised hiding him.

Lena had immediately recognized the figure, it was one that had returned to her empty head every now and then. The last time she had seen him was during the dragon-fiasco back a good 5 years, she had wondered if he would ever show himself before her again. There was many questions Lena had held within herself for him, the main one being whether their meetings in the village and manor were actually coincidental.

So, finding purpose in her walk, she strolled over the cloaked man.

"Hey," Lena called out to the silent man, He didn't reply. The man sat his head to the side eyeing a group of adventurers--5 from what she saw, an axe-carrying warrior, a heavily armored tank, a supported, and 2 mages-- In particular, a small built mage, one that seemed much too uninteresting. Before him was an empty plate, it seemed as if he had had a meal a moment before.

"Hey," Lena called out once more.

The man didn't reply.

Lena looked around, finding the seat opposite to the man empty, she sat down.

Lena sat, watching the man attempting to eye through his hood's opening.

A staff member had come to take the now empty plate, yet Lena kept sat.

"Hmmmm...." The man finally made a sound, "It seems you won't leave me alone."

"What are you doing?" Lena asked.

"Hmmm..." The man hummed, "Observing, that's about it. They seemed of interest."

"And you? You sure of our reunion?"

"The curse thing?" 

"The curse thing."

Lena nodded.

The man sighed.

"You do understand I'm not facing you, right?"

Lena nodded again.

The man sighed again.

The man raised his head, and, showcasing his iron-garbed hands, pushed the hood off. 

"So, kid," The man said, eyeing Lena. "Hmmm... perhaps the title fits you no longer."

Lena eyed the man, raising an eyebrow.

"You've grown quite a bit," The man said.

"It's been some time," Lena said. 

"Still..." The man eyed the girl, whom sat at eyelevel. "How old were you again?"

"You do not know that?"

"No, I do not believe you've told me for me to memorize."

"Sixteen."

"Sixteen...?" The man studied Lena, eyeing her. "Definitely not a very looking sixteen year old..."

Lena simply eyed the man back.

"Hmmm... You sure haven't changed personally, huh..." The man exasperated.

Lena nodded.

"You were the one who called out to me..." The man slumped forward exaggeratedly.

"Hmmmm..." the man raised a hand, ruffling his hair. " Well, should i ask the questions then?"

"You won't leave?" Lena asked.

"Hmmmm..." The man eyed Lena. "Leave? You terrified of my words, chi-- kid." The man nodded to himself.

Lena said nothing, allowing the man to speak some more.

"They mean nothing, now anyway. Our paths have crossed, whether we had faced or not.  We might as well make the utmost of our relation as we can, don't you think?"

Lena nodded.

The man nodded back smiling.

The man rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward with an enthusiastic sparkle in his eyes. A beaming smile flashing his perfectly white teeth.

"So, child, Would you now allow me my questions?" The man asked.

Lena nodded, anticipating the confusion to follow.

"Tell me, what do you think of the events that had taken place in the cave?" The man asked, his eyes sparking with gleaming with anticipation.

As Lena had expected, the very reason she had even approached the man, he had known something he shouldn't.

"You left. I made sure of it. I checked the party and the corpses. You weren't there." Lena stated.

"Of course I wasn't, kid," He said his smile unwavering, "I would've been dead."

"Then... How?" Lena asked.

"Your efforts, once again. I must thank you." He bowed appreciatively.

"I did nothing."

"And that is more than enough, kid." The man leaned back, stretching his arms upwards, "Now, back to the question; what did you think?"

"Nothing." Lena said.

The man's smile persisted.

"Hmmmm... You do understand, that was a slaughter of almost 50 people, and the slaying of an ethereal entity; one that if not for it's monstrous nature might've rivaled the demon lord himself."

Lena shrugged, eyes that of a docile cat.

"How unamused," The man said smiling. "Then, tell me, what did you think of the ranker? Kolidas, The Arcane Fist?"

"I did find him annoying, but seeing his corpse, or what was left of it at least, brought me nothing, neither joy nor melancholy." Lena said.

"Hmmmm... Then, the creature? Were you terrified? Scared? Did you fear your life as you faced the unstoppable force of an Arcane Dragon?"

"No." Lena shook her head. "It was stopped."

The man widened his eyes, and then smiled again.

"It was," He nodded. "That's my fault."

"I was." Lena admitted. "It had me even doubting if he could make it back before the creature."

"Yet he did," The man said, his voice all-knowingly arrogant.

"Hmmm... And," The man added. "What did you think of the noble? His actions and his motives?"

Lena thought... Yet... She remembered nothing. The noble had existed, his motives as blunt and forward as any could be, yet she remembered nothing of her own thoughts, if she had had any in the first place.

So, she shrugged to the man.

The man nodded, looking much too content with Lena's answers.

"Hmmmm... Child." He said, Facing Lena, their eyes meeting. "Would you accept a challenge?"

Lena tilted her head, finding the sudden request out-of-place.

"Not me," the man said, nodding his head to the side. "Him."

Lena turned her head, facing the person the cloaked man had nodded to. It was a member of the party he had eyeing when she arrived.

On the taller side, adventurer, a heavy axe resting on his back. Dressed in red, White messy hair,  an athletic muscular build.

"I don't fight." Lena said.

Taking a stand, the man said, "And nor will you have to."

He head towards the adventurer. He slapped his back in a friendly-manner, said a couple of words--pointing at Lena in-between--and then strolled back over to Lena.

"Don't let me down," He said smiling, taking a seat to the left opposite of Lena. "I have placed money on this."

Lena eyed as the adventurer then strolled over. A confident smirk covering his person, he sat opposite to Lena.

"Well then," He said, placing an arm in a "V" like shape over the table, "Let's finish this quick."

Lena glanced at the cloaked man, he eyed her, his smile persisting, nodding to the adventurer at his side . He seemed to smile a lot, Lena thought.

This was her first time in such a scenario, but having spent so long traveling even she could infer what this was about. An arm wrestling match. She understood the general concept of the sport, but had never participated in one beforehand.

Lena raised an arm, finding no reason to retreat from the match, and accepted the adventurer's grasp. His palms were rough, chapped and worn, fitting to the image a warrior would portray. On the other hand, Lena had an almost childlike figure, other than for her daily luggage carriage, she had not done any kind of workouts. While not pertaining the smoothy palms expected from a lady, Lena was no warrior.

"Now, at the count of 3," The adventurer said, smirking.

The adventurer counted down, Lena had not listened much, instead trying to understand the reason behind the challenge.

She glanced one last time at the cloaked man, he simply smiled back at her.

"Go!" The countdown had come to an end, Lena feeling a sudden force on her grasped palm.

She immediately countered, throwing the man's hand to the other side and to the table.

She had won.

"W-...What?" The man eyed their hands, still grasped as the back of his hand met the table's surface.

Lena wondered over the man's surprise, the outcome had been quite predictable to her. As, from the moment their grasps met, while his hand's texture had portrayed strength, the force of his grip had not. Lena had immediately guessed the winner finding the challenge a waste of time.

"Hmmmm...! Now," The cloaked man nudged the adventurer with his elbow, "pay up!" He said chuckling.

"D-damn you..." He pulled out some coins, slamming them on the table and strolling back over to his party.

The cloaked man cackled to himself, changing his seating to opposite of Lena.

Lena eyed the man, as unimpressed as ever.

"Do you not find it odd?" The man questioned.

"Odd?"

"You beat him. A 16-year-old who had never fought before against a warrior, and you beat him." The man said pocketing his newfound coins.

"...Is he weak?"

"To the relative 16-year-old? He is about at least a thousand of 'em strong." The man said. "Child, That man, he is a gold carving adventurer."

Lena eyed the man, waiting for further elaboration.

The man lost his smile sighing.

"Hmmmm... It's hard talking to you sometimes..." The man said. "Child, YOU are strong, he is not weak."

"I don't fight."

"And you would've lost in a fight. But, your body, nonetheless, it's much more powerful than it should be."

"...Why?" Lena questioned. She attempted to recall a reason, but as far as she was concerned she had done nothing special other than her carriage all day.

"Child, it's because of him, your guide. He thought you of the current flow, didn't he?" The man said, a firm eye at Lena.

Lena immediately understood leaving the man's mouth. The flow. Something Octan had thought her, something which he had told her would help her find her center of gravity to carry more efficiently. And, to her surprise, she would be able to carry all the comically large Luggage they would carry around in no more than a week of practicing it. She had not stopped since then.

"Hmmmm... You don't get what you are doing, do you?"

Lena shook her head. She had instinctually learned the thing the man called "the flow" and practiced it without much concern. Octan had simply given her steps, and she followed them. They had proved helpful, so she continued to use them.

"Child, that flow. You are forcing mana into your underdeveloped figure. Creating a much denser mana to muscle ratio than even most martial-artists. Your body attempted to adapt, giving you the physique you hold at the moment, but even then it's too inhuman. Simply, your strength is unnatural, too unnatural."

Lena tilted her head, confused.

"Child. You should be dead."

"But, I'm not."

"Yes, and that too, is because of him. As if pushing you off a cliff, only to catch you. He had been maintaining your body without your knowledge. Every time you bordered death, he maintained your body, making sure the mana hadn't erupted your muscles and tendons."

Lena listened to the man, unamused.

"Kid, This is the reason why he had not left you behind. For some reason I cannot perceive, The walking hypocrisy of a man that Octan is, had taught you a technique that costed him his solidarity. 

 "Anyway, back to our topic, your strength. Your body has completely adapted to the flow, I believe you are no longer in need of his support, which has given you an unfair advantage in strength. Strength that is completely disproportional to human standards, though, you are still a kid. What I'm saying is, you are strong for a kid, but had that man not been intoxicated and taken by surprise he would've gotten you. You are no hardened adventurer, nor trained guard. Just a kid who can carry stuff.," The man smiled. "I would still beat you in an arm wrestling match." 

Lena listened to the man, she found his words meaningless. Unnecessary information to her. She had lived, that's the outcome, thus that's all that mattered.

"Hmmm..." The man eyed her. "It seems you do not care for that, kid."

"No." She shook her head.

"Indeed, that is who you are after all," The cloaked man said smiling as he leaned back.

"Well then, I believe we have talked enough." He stood up.

"Are you leaving? Again?"

"No, not this time" He said, Facing her as he stood. "A long time friend might show up. Wouldn't want to miss him." 

Leaving the table, he left her with some final words.

"I will watch it play out myself." The cloaked man's voice disappeared into the crowds.

Octan sat, the tent silent under the tranquility of night. He awaited what would follow the letter from the night before, as he believed it wouldn't simply end there.

And, to not his surprise, a familiar footing approached. Following the same actions as the day before, as if routine, he slid in another letter and left.

Octan found the walk a hassle, thus he had made it float over to him instead, a simple feat to himself.

Octan went through the letter's contents quickly.

This time... It was a request. Octan wondered how shorthanded were the guild to send out requests to the only supposed ranked available against the demon lord's approaching army.

"Huh." Octan sounded, finding a certain absurdity within it's commands. "A quest at the other side of the dominance..." He threw the letter aside allowing it to burn.

He was no ranked, he had no reason to oblige. Once these weeks were over, he would go back to his wandering. An aimless soul to the day he died.

A selfish desire, though one he believed worth his life and more.