SoT: Rewrite

Because of comments and general displeased with my current product, I'm re-writing and starting on Version 0.8, aka, 2nd Draft. Hopefully it will be a big enough of an improvement.
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Prologue

By the looks of things, it seemed to be just another Friday afternoon. The end of another dreary week as the sound of door slamming shut with a sharp giving a sigh of relief, mostly likely towards that the weekend had FINALLY arrived. From the looks of the room, it seemed to be a simple dorm at a university. Plain dark blue walls which betrayed the age of the tiny housing unit in question, with some of the paint fading and cracks in the plaster. A dull grey carpet scuffed with constantly moved furniture and the basics. A single bed that looked particularly uncomfortable, a kitchen which was...serviceable at best and a bathroom which was the most modern addition.

He looked like barely twenty, if that, his facial features were basically consisted of two hazel eyes, mouse-brown hair which was cut short and was cleanly shaved, although by the looks, it'd taken some time to get the hang of, with a few minor cuts, most likely from said attempts. As for his choice in clothing, it was just simple black jacket soaked with rain, a grey shirt and matching pants. Dull, simple, either the uniform or clothes close enough to pass for it.

On that subject, ‘Mother Nature' had certainly been kind or at the very least, nice enough to keep him looking in average physical shape, although probably not enough to do anything beyond running, jumping, swimming...not much else. Either way, he looked tired as if he hadn't slept in days. The noise at night probably didn't help with this matter. Thankfully, looking at the paperwork and assignments with high marks showed it wasn't affecting his studying ability by too much.

Speaking of noise, there were letters near the door addressed from people on campus, most likely invitations to parties, celebrations and generally occasions to get drunk...along with other things. Each one was un-opened, showing he'd turned down every offer. He probably had better, more constructive matters to do with his time.

Tossing his bag next to the PC, it took only a few moments to boot up, while he stared at his reflecting in the meantime. Nowhere near attractive enough to be royalty, but probably enough to have people interested in him. In either case, it made life somewhat easier. ...It was the most up-to-date thing in the house, despite it constantly downloading data for programs so they could STAY that way. Giving a slight sigh and flipping through the books to see what was happening next week. Sports. Well...a change of pace would probably be welcome at the very least.

Realizing that it was taking an eternity to get started, the youth simply let himself drop onto the bed with a thud, that hard mattress absorbing his fall, but was unable to rest despite how much today’s physical and mental exercises had drained him. Typical. If it was any consolation, the rain falling was somewhat relaxing as he glanced out the window and then back to the monitor. Oddly enough, a digital pattern with unknown characters scrolled across with the words ‘Gateway Construction Complete’ taking up a majority of the screen. It had no relativity to the patches nor any other program that was installed on the computer.

“Life-form detected. Beginning transfer...”

Before he had a chance to re-act beyond wondering why the words had appeared on the monitor or where the voice in question came from, there was a deafening roar as a vortex of swirling energy suddenly materialized in the middle of the room in an instant. Blinded by some rapid flashes of lightning which lashed out at random, reducing all it touched into...well, they simply vanished.

Trying to fight the strain as this ‘gateway’ began to draw everything else towards it, there was nothing he could use to try and resist this powerful force. Like it mattered. A second wave of powerful bolts lashed out from the vortex, one hitting the youth squarely in the chest. Searing pain coursed through his entire being. The feeling of blood boiling...and unable to stand any longer as everything started to grow heavy as he collapsed into a heap on the floor, eyesight and consciousness dimming as the vortex continued to rage.
--
-Elsewhere-

“Great, just great! C-C'mon, we gotta hurry and take advantage of the situation! Especially since we should be somewhat thankful that it’s started raining. I mean, sure, it's almost impossible to see with my hair in my eyes and it's gonna take forever to get it right again. Damnit! Why’d this have to happen...?!” a figure yelled, his voice nearly drowned out by the storm and wind. As such, it was hard to make out any obvious features about the young man as he ran through the dead of night. The rain was pouring down heavily making it difficult to see and while a sudden flash of lightning revealed a faint outline to confirm he was indeed male without any distinguishing features, or rather, noticeable ones in the night...apart from his lower legs/feet which seemed to be talons.

His frantic run came to a stop as he turned around when he noticed no reply from his complaint, he reached down to help a second figure who’d fallen over.

“C’mon, sis! We’ve gotta keep goin'! I know it’s ain't easy, especially given the circumstances...but we don't have time to stop, otherwise...well, w-we know what'll happen if we do!” the male figure shouted, helping his sister up.

The girl said nothing, barely able to speak and simply nodded at her brother. While they both shared the taloned legs, the only other visible difference was that the other figure was more feminine and had slightly longer hair. Without another word, they continued their desperate race for escape, even though their legs weren’t meant for this sort of task, not to mention it was surprising how fast they were managing to travel through the storm and forest. Yet despite whatever was pursuing them would be at a disadvantage, there would be little doubt it...whatever it was would be close behind.

“Brother...Are we...Are we going to be okay? I’m...Aah!” the girl cried, tripping over something once again.

Obviously concerned about his sister’s well-being, if somewhat annoyed at her general clumsiness, he turned around to help her up once again only to notice WHAT she’d fallen over. A young man, likely about their age was lying there, unmoving. He was bleeding and by the looks of it, was unconscious and barely clinging on to life. Brown hair, dull clothing which seemed slightly singed...he looked rather out of place.

Great...As if we didn’t have enough problems...

“Brother...we can’t just leave him here. If the rain or cold doesn’t kill him then...then...” she trailed off, her voice pleading.

He sighed. While more intent on getting away to safety, his conscious would never let him be able to get over from leaving someone helpless in the mercy of this storm...or...what was chasing them. Giving another exhaled breath of frustration, he struggled to pick up the young man. Glancing into the distance, the faint sight of light was visible. A village. Shelter. Giving a nod to his sister, he headed in that direction, trying not to complain carrying the extra weight.

Chapter 1
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...The silence finally ended as the simple sound of birds chirping and the faint noise of bustling activity and people filled the air, causing a pair of eyes to open. The first thing they could see were the rays of a mid-day sun shining through a window to his left. As such, the obvious reaction one would make would to turn away from the blinding light and try to go back to sleep, yet they simply stared unflinching at the radiance, appreciating the warmth. When was the last time these hazel eyes had seen daylight? Or any sight of the sun, for that matter? ...It was too much of a blur. Far too long ago.

Still completely oblivious to nearly all else,muscles began to tense and a simple mental order brought about the body to sit upright and wonder where exactly this sort of place was. The memories of what happened prior to this point came flooding back for the most part, from his quiet and lonely existence at college, to remembering that it wasn’t an intelligent idea to move after being injured, that thought which made him wince from the sudden pain which finally caught up to him.

After all, the image of that lightning bolt striking him square in the chest was still vivid in his mind and the young adult's instinct told him to take a glance down at his upper body, now somewhat aware that he’d not only been found by someone, but that his injuries had been treated if the blood-stained bandages covering him weren't obvious enough of a sign. ...Injuries? What else happened? ...Trying to think resulted in a complete blank and just tried to focus on something else.

Like the fact he awoke in a bed that wasn't his own caused him to become slightly worried. NO-ONE from the college would've bothered to save him and no girl was THAT desperate.

...And even if they were, he’d be lacking a more than just his shirt in terms of clothing or that he'd be tied up in a literal sense, a pun which he shook his head at wondering why he could make such a stupid joke at this time. Oh, well. Getting back to the subject at hand and trying to run through the remaining possibilities in his head, the conclusion that was...plausible meant what'd happened was real and not some illusion conjured up from the recesses of his fatigued mind. It was simply a matter of figuring out where the hell he’d ended up. A simple glance of the room revealed nothing. It seemed to be made of wood, with a varnished floor, sturdy walls and a glass-pane window. ...Odd, that sort of building material was very out-dated.

In either case, the youth cautiously slid out from the covers and tried to stand, only to fall flat on his face. Apparently he was still weak despite resting. A few moments passed before he pushed himself off the floor and stood upright with a some effort yet was still somewhat off balance because of the previous attempt. At least things were starting to take on a more positive note until the door to the room swung open and such a sudden shock saw him crashing down to on that wooden floor a second time with a thud.

Reeling back and slowly raising his head, vision a bit blurry when his face was introduced to the ground, the youth’s body went cold as he saw two legs...or lack of them. They seemed more like a bird’s talons than anything else. Slender, yet looking somewhat muscular...and the talons looking like they were very sharp as well as shimmering in the light, trying to keep calm at this situation which had taken a dangerous turn came to a stop when a voice which was clearly male, broke his panicked thoughts.

“Ah, great...We got to all that effort of savin' this guy’s life, only to find out he’s got some sort of problem with people who don’t have proper legs...Or he’s a twisted perv with a really weird fetish. Seriously, stop starin' even though I know I'm pretty impressive.”

The youth on the floor was obviously enraged by this insult and ignoring the possibility of causing further pain to his body, stood upright, glaring angrily at the speaker while trying to keep his nerve and facade of being tough. Looking at him now, this...bird-person was about his height, if only an inch shorter than himself, was dressed in a white tank-top that showed off his toned and slender, yet muscular body which was paired with black shorts that hide most of his 'human' leg. His face looked rather youthful and somewhat soft, with emerald green eyes and hair a slightly darker shade which looked like it had been blown back by a wind tunnel.

...This guy had saved him from death? Considering how he was acting, he had little idea why. Or if this newcomer had some worse fate in mind. Barely able to find his words, he managed to compose himself enough to angrily retort back.

“Don’t compare me a pervert! It's not like I intentionally fell to the floor! A-And I was taken a little bit by surprised, that’s all! Especially since I...don't think I've seen a Hawkman before. I mean, maybe once or twice, but that's completely different..."

Giving a small smirk, the newcomer brushed a hand through his dark green hair as his eyes seemed to shine brightly at the remark. Obviously, something that was said must have made him a bit less...hostile?

“Close, but not quite! I’m I supposin' people don’t see a MALE harpy every day so I suppose they’d get mixed up or make up somethin' similar that doesn't exist. But I’m not just your run of the mill harpy!” he smirked, arms suddenly flashing with green light and changing into similar colored wings as one covered his chest. “You’re looking at the fastest guy in the sky! Falken!”

The youth could only eyebrow at Falken’s over-confident boast, wondering how the subject had suddenly changed into this, but the human simply shrugged his shoulders that his worries of being harmed were unfounded and gave a small smile which he kept hidden. ...He had to admit, it'd been a long time since he'd smiled.

“Well, since someone who’s overconfident as you saved my skin, I guess there’s no harm in introducing myself. I’m Wren. Don't really have much to say about myself or a fancy title, but I'm smart at least” Wren said calmly.

“Still, if you’re a Harpy, then how can you change your ‘wings’ into human arms? Come to think of it...wasn't aware there were any male harpies.”

Both wings flashed brightly for a second before they changed back into normal, human arms and was rubbing his nose with a finger, his smile only growing wider. Clicking his fingers to make sure Wren knew that HE was the center of attention now, the harpy decided to speak once again.

“Heh. Like I said, I’m not your ‘run-of-the-mill’ harpy. One in a million! King of the Hill! And all those other titles which mean I’m ‘Number One’! Of course, I guess my sis is no pushover either...what with her bein' able to cast magic and me not even managin' to do that. Guess that's just how things are.” Falken started, his cheerful expression becoming a more serious to the point he began staring out the window and into the distance.

Obviously, something had managed to cause his cheerful attitude to fade somewhat.

Wren knew better to interrupt a person's sudden musing as they probably needed the time to think, despite wanting the answer to a few more questions he had in mind. The most important was probably where he’d ended up to begin with. The further away it was from ‘home’, the better. Hell, anywhere could be far more hospitable and kinder than ‘College for High-Achievers.’ Wincing that the students there probably DID achieve some sort of ‘high’, he gave himself a mental slap at making stupid puns. A quick glance down the hallway revealed several other doors and two flights of stairs which led up and down.

Coming to the natural assumption this was an inn, hotel or some other form of accommodation for multiple people, Wren stepped out into the corridor...only to be nearly bowled over by Falken as he pushed past him, back to his usual self.

“Considerin' you took so long to get up, I guess it’s a bit late for breakfast. At least it’s time for lunch! And especially since you’ve been out for several days, I bet you’d wanna to eat something by now.” Falken chuckled, helping Wren stay balanced. He seemed to be...a lot friendlier now than ten minutes ago. The human wasn't quite sure why, but wasn't really in the mood to complain or point this face out.

And he wasn't at all shaken by the fact at how he’d been asleep, considering the amount of rest he’d been deprived of back at the college. Surprisingly at the mention of food, however, Wren’s stomach growled which made his entire face flash a bright red...changing to an even deeper shade when Falken began chuckling and giving a cheerful smile.

“You’ve got quite a selection to choose from!” Falken started as they headed down the stairs, or in his case, jumped over the railing and slowly floated down like a feather, much to the human's startled surprise. “Although it’ll probably be nothing but fruit today. Ah, well. Hope you like salad. 'Cause I sure do!”

Giving a simple shrug of his shoulders and following Falken to what Wren assumed was a sort of cafeteria or the like, he pushed open the doors and came to an abrupt halt at what he saw. Apart from the vast spread of various fruits, from apples, oranges and even some he’d never seen before, there were more...people than he’d been expecting. About fifty of them, if not more. Granted, there were a few humans scattered throughout the entire room which carried the scent of fresh fruit, but the vast amount of...people that seemed to be partially human and creature was fairly large. A lot of them were dressed in vastly varied clothes, some simply a skirt and tube-top for one with a snake-like body, while another was clothed in a simple t-shirt and shorts.

...What was that term? ‘Demi-Humans’. That seemed...at least fairly humane. And while they seemed hospitable and friendly, he still felt somewhat nervous that someone would pull out a blade or try and strangle him to death, trying not to panic when he’d noticed Falken had vanished from sight.

Simply shrugging and guessing the green-haired one had gone off to get some food, he was cut off as he finally noticed Falken had engaged in a heated conversation...or it was more like one-sided flirting with a Lamia. Not quite sure whether to watch and see how it turned out or just get something to, he looked at the vast display of fruit. Oranges, Bananas, Mangoes, Apples...he decided to pick up one of the green ones, help himself to a banana and some simple salad before looking for somewhere to sit down.

Chapter 2
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“Um...Excuse me...You’re the one my brother and I...um..found, right? I’m Hylesa...” a quiet voice asked, making the turn around and nod, looking at the figure standing before him. This speaker was clearly a harpy, given away by her wings which were a bright purple that matched her long lavender hair. Dressed in a pink one-piece dress, decorated with a few frills and pockets in the front, she seemed to fidget somewhat before noticing Wren was giving her a small smile to try and make her feel at ease. She couldn't help but smile back.

“Nice to meet you, Hylesa. I’m Wren. And you're right. Your brother brought me down here for lunch but...well; he’s busy...talking with someone. I think. Thanks for saving my life, though. I didn't know I was in danger or what was going on...so I'm glad you guys found me.” Wren replied.

At the mention of Falken 'talking' with someone, Hylesa seemed to get somewhat annoyed at her sibling’s behavior but quickly calmed down. Wren’s words of gratitude probably helped with her attitude as she nodded with a faint blush, suggesting that they sit down and wait for Falken. The unmistakable sound of a hand slapping against someone’s face echoed throughout the room and both Hylesa and Wren couldn’t help but give a small sigh. Looked like they wouldn't have to wait long.

Watching Falken walk over to where Wren and Hylesa were sitting who were both trying not to to say anything about the subject or the red mark on his cheek, the harpy only gave a sheepish grin and sat down beside his sister but not before heaving a disappointed sigh. Clearly, he was expecting things to turn out better than they did. In either case, Wren tossed the crest-fallen harpy an apple, Falken looked up at his new friend and gave a sheepish sort of grin.

“A-Aheh....Thanks. I guess I went and made a fool of myself, huh? C'mon, be honest, I bet that's what you're thinkin'.”

The female harpy frowned; nudging her brother in the ribs with that timid nature replaced with a sense of irritation as she scolded him. “You do this every time...Especially when you see a cute girl and it always ends up the same. You’re not exactly as good as you brag and you probably c-could use lessons on actually how to talk to girls considering you ju-” Hylesa started before being cut off by Falken nervously hushing her.

Wren took a small bite into his apple and looked over at the two siblings. Now that they were together, he could see they indeed looked somewhat similar...almost like twins. They were almost about the same height, long hair, slender and in Falken's case, a bit feminine. Of course, it didn't exactly help tell him which was the eldest of them but simply assumed that the brother would be the older of these two siblings. For a moment, he hesitated before deciding to ask why there were so many 'Demi-Humans' present. Obviously, he chose his words with care since he didn't want to offend either of his two new 'friends' or people with a keen sense of hearing.

Distracted at by polishing the apple by rubbing it against his tank-top for a few moments, watching this green fruit sparkle brightly before turning his gaze back at Wren with a serious expression instead of that carefree and boastful nature he was half-expecting, Falken decided to answer.

“Eh? I thought it was kinda obvious. We’re in Slynn Village. Well, it’s more of a town considerin' how big this place is. It’s one of the few locations where we can walk freely instead of being attacked,

enslaved, insulted or even killed by humans...or vice-versa.” Falken started, getting a startled expression of concern from Wren. “H-Hey! I’m not blaming you! And I doubt anyone here would commit murder! It’s just that there are people that make things difficult for both sides from getting along. I mean, I certainly find you guys kinda interestin'. Even if you can't fly.”

Wren folded his arms and tried to keep calm, a bit re-assured. This wasn't exactly the sort of democracy he’d been expecting...although, considering nearly every world in either fiction or reality was similar with the usual ‘divided people’ aspect. ...Although it's relatively easy to feel mostly unfazed ending up on another world when home...wasn't the most pleasant of places.

“Most of the humans here treat us with kindness...even though there’s others of our ‘kind’ who would rather see this place...um, be destroyed. They occasionally try and wipe everyone here out. They’re like...animals.” Hylesa said slowly, looking down at the floor.

Trying to change the subject, Falken turned towards Wren.

“What about you? Considering we might be attacked at any moment, do you have any sort of abilities? Trained with any weapons so you can defend yourself? Kinda dangerous to ” Falken inquired, giving a mental slap that he’d failed to change the topic.

For some reason, Wren cautiously gazed over his shoulder to catch a young woman who’d quickly turned away; he made a mental note to keep his voice down. She looked tough, with a green leotard, a lizard-like tail and fins covering her ears, matching the green ribbon in her brown hair. Why would she care? Shrugging, the human remarked that he was no magician and there was nothing special, despite saying he'd ended up practicing with a katana. Or at least, in VR simulations to teach him the general styles.

“Hold on a sec. You mind EXPLAININ' what you’re going on about? That's just a name for a fancy sword, right? I mean, I don't really know that much 'bout weapons, but people that really bother with those flashy techniques are few, y'know. Mainly they just pick up a sword and start swinging. So don’t bother with anything stylish and just fight back if you need to.” Falken explained, trying to be blunt, yet simple to get his point across.

Embarrassed that his attempt to impress ended up failing dismally, Wren gave a sigh and nodded, simply finishing off his previous statement by adding he was also fairly adept with short-swords in general but also was training to become a doctor...which he simply re-worded to ‘Healer’. Looking over at Hylesa whose eyes seemed to sparkle, Falken gave a grin. That seemed to have at least gotten some interest from him.

“Wow...So you’re like a heroic swordsman?” Hylesa asked somewhat, eyes shining. Her smile quickly changed to shock when her gaze was fixated on the shadow standing behind Wren, something he was oblivious to. "...U-Um..."

General instincts kicked in as that familiar sensation of his hairs on his neck standing on end made themselves apparent, the human knew he’d have to turn around eventually. Breathing a nervous sigh, he turned to find same woman with the brown hair and green ribbon standing there, staring at him. Keeping his nerve, he looked up directly at the female’s face; the two amber eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire. As for the rest of her appearance, she had a fairly light frame, gauntlets with clawed hands and the obvious tail.

Quickly asking what she wanted and that she'd likely gotten him confused for someone else, her gaze remained focused on the young man as his attempts to get the lizard-woman to leave him alone was cut off as a katana forcefully plunged into the wooden table and caused the trio to break into a cold sweat. ...Clearly, she wanted a fight.

“I’m a master with all sorts of weapons, human. If you've got the nerve to at least stand up rather than hide behind excuses, someone of your talent should put up a decent fight, at best or possible amusement at the very least. Considering you’re a ‘heroic swordsman’.” she calmly remarked, taunting and a faint smirk on her face as both her arms folded.

Looking over at Hylesa who seemed apologetic for her outburst, Falken broke into a sweat and pulled the katana out of the table and handed it to Wren. Not quite sure what to say about the situation, he gave the human a pat on the back with his wing and tried to joke about the situation, only to find they'd left already.

...Oh, boy. This can only end well...

Chapter 3
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Following the warrior who hadn't said a word since they’d both stepped outside into the village itself and leaving the siblings behind, Wren couldn't help but shield his eyes from the bright afternoon sun, nor unable to stare in awe at the world around him. The village was more advanced than he’d expected, possibly only twenty, maybe ten years behind the one he'd left behind. Somewhat odd...considering they were content with living in a way which would've been compared to life several eras ago, what with the absence of cars or lunatics coming out of nowhere and pointing a gun in his face. Although both were welcome changes nonetheless.

And it was still surprising for him to see the sun, as apart from his recent awakening, the last time he’d seen the celestial entity was...when he was little. His time spent either indoors or in terrible weather was irrelevant. Although trying to avoid staring at his opponent’s tail that seemed to twitch every few moments was almost impossible...at least he noticed that the ‘lime skin’ he'd mistaken earlier was in reality a rather tight outfit that clung tightly to her lithe, yet slightly toned figure. ...Made sense for a warrior.

Turning around at the familiar sound of Falken’s voice shouting from behind them, Wren stood there with his arms folded and looking rather un-nerved, doing a poor job of masking his panic.

“Y-You can’t honestly be planning to go through with this! Do you know what’ll happen if you lose?! Remember those wounds on your upper body and stuck in a bed unconscious for a few days? Any of this ringing a bell of how WORSE it’s going to be, win or lose?!” he quickly shut up when Hylesa looked up at her brother, upset. “...Sorry. Just...not exactly a good idea for you to do this sorta thing. I mean, we’ll cheer you on, so don’t get yourself killed, got it?”

Wren nodded, feeling somewhat at ease that he had some moral support. Keeping calm and trying to figure out how he’d deal with this problem, he found it to be a pointless endeavor as a few steps forward caused him to crash into the lizard-woman from behind, which sent them both crashing to the ground. Thankfully, his ‘loaned’ katana fell in an opposite direction. The blade...why did it feel lighter than he was expecting? He'd used one once and it was heavier than this...or at least, that's what he could remember.

“You are clumsier than you look. You’re probably more of an accident-prone jester than a warrior.” the lizard-woman harshly commented.

Ignoring the insult and getting to his feet, Wren simply dusted himself and looked around. From what he assumed by the surroundings consisting of a fountain and signs pointing in multiple directions, it wouldn't be a bad guess that this was the center of the village...and they soon found themselves encircled by countless people, curious as to what was going on.

“...So, I suppose we can’t try and talk about this? I already said that I’m not a heroic swordsman. If anything, I’m...a bit rusty.” Wren muttered, hoping to talk his way out of this.

The lizard-woman simply shook her head, standing her ground as she brushed a strand of brown hair off her face before making sure her gauntlets and leggings were fastened before she thrust both arms forward. Watching in shock as something began to appear out of thin air; she simply grasped one end of the materializing object as it gave off a powerful gleam to reveal a powerful and quite deadly Zweihänder. A two-handed blade that was two meters long, made of durable steel which should've weighted an incredible amount, yet she held the weapon as if it was nothing.

“Alright.” she shouted, which caused Wren to flinch at how emotionless her voice seemed. “Since it’s common courtesy to introduce one another before a duel and being the gentleman I’m supposing you are, ‘swordsman’, I suggest you tell me your name.”

Wren held the katana’s handle tightly, adrenaline already pumping through his veins for the unavoidable duel. He couldn't tell if it was fear or general instinct that was stopping him from shaking in terror and managing to remain focused. “I’m Wren. And you are...?” He inquired, pointing the blade at the lizard-woman for emphasis.

The lizard-woman (although Wren was seriously considering that she wasn't even close to being an adult considering the tone of her voice and appearance) hefted the massive blade with considerable ease and rested it on her shoulders, and pointed to herself with a free hand as an a slight confident smirk spread formed.

“I am Sara. Legendary Blade-Master. Slayer Of A 1000 Monsters.” she proclaimed calmly, getting a cheer from the crowd before turning to Wren. “Now, let’s begin!” And lunged forward faster than the human had expected, gripping her sword with both hands, ready to deliver a blow from above which was obviously in an attempt to fracture his skull.

Quickly leaping to the side to avoid the massive blade that came crashing down, the weapon collided with the ground, missing Wren as a cloud of dust erupted to obscure the lizard-woman’s sight. Taking advantage of this, the human swiftly spun around to deliver a counter-attack which was hopefully going to land somewhere on Sara’s upper body. Of course, it wasn't that simple as her other senses were considerably honed by battle and a temporary loss of sight wasn't enough to stop her from parrying the blow with her own blade as she was soon ready for another attack.

Simply pulling away from the impact and slashing once more with a swift and rising diagonal slash, Wren cursed his luck when the attack was intercepted by the lizard-woman’s own and was suddenly felt his entire body shudder from the powerful vibration as their blades collided with significant force, enough to leave him temporarily stunned. ...And somewhat surprised his katana hadn't been damaged from that last attack, let alone flying out of his grip. Trying to focus and wait for an opening, he stood in a defensive stance.

Giving a shout that this was her chance, Sara gave a shout of victory and delivered a powerful double-handed horizontal slash, only to find her grip faltered slightly and caught Wren in his torso with the flat of the blade rather than the edge. Skidding back a few inches, Wren gave a cry of pain as it hit a rib, bruising it and his upper body. The damage was relatively minor, or at least that's what it appeared to be on his skin being barely harmed.

Of course, he’d recovered from this impact rather swiftly, blocking out the pain as he closed the gap to deliver a powerful rising vertical double-handed slash of his own which cut through Sara’s outfit and at her skin...causing the familiar scent of blood to fill the air. Taking a few steps back to avoid Wren who was preparing a follow-up attack, Sara glanced down at the shallow cut that left a mark on her stomach and lower chest.

Giving a shout of disbelief at her damaged outfit and skin was now stained with crimson, she immediately turned to Wren with a glare of anger only for her expression to change into one of surprise as he’d lowered his guard, staring at the wound he’d inflicted.

“What’s the matter?! Why don’t you just try and do that again?!” she yelled before swinging her blade with both hands in a full circle and smashing it down against the ground.

While the human had managed to avoid the actual blade, he hadn't anticipated the impact it had created as he felt a powerful tremor as the impact caused small debris and rocks to fly past his arms and body, causing small cuts to form on his skin which soon began to bleed. Refusing to give a cry of pain at his current condition, he was clearly shaken by these wounds and had little choice but to be on the defensive once again as another powerful horizontal slash nearly made contact with him. Launching an attack while Sara was in this enraged state would prove fatal if he left himself open.

Doing his best to avoid Sara’s enraged onslaught of furious slashes that came from all angles, Wren either parried the blow or avoided them completely as the blade flew past him by a tiny margin. Giving a swift counter-slash every time the warrior swung too wide, Wren managed to wear his opponent down and force her back. Realizing he had a small chance to win, he blinked in surprise as one of his attacks fell short, yet a small shockwave seemed to follow after the swing, causing the lizard-woman to bring up her blade to block the faint blade of energy.

Moving forward to attack again...disaster struck. One of the wounds on his left arm suddenly worsened, the light cut became a serious gash as pain shot through his entire limb and blood poured from the injury, which in turn caused him to lose his grip on the blade mid-slash and to outright miss by an incredible margin. Sara, obviously somewhat worn out but alert enough to realize this opportunity, ended the duel with a simple swing of her Zweihänder as it crashed into the katana in Wren’s right hand which caused it to fly out of his grasp.

Watching in horror as his weapon spiraled through the air and clattered several meters away on the ground, he staggered backwards and fell on the ground, nursing his heavily bleeding arm before glancing up at Sara as she held the edge of her Zweihänder at his throat. Her face showed no sign of emotion. There wasn't any sign or rage for the pain he’d caused, nor any glee that she’d emerged victorious, yet hearing the sound of rushing footsteps, she tilted her body to the side to avoid a powerful kick which was aimed at her head as she turned somewhat to see who was attacking now.

Falken was standing there, his entire body tensed and his legs poised for another kick.

“If you’re going to kill him, you’ll have to go through me! I ain’t going to let him die just yet!” he yelled angrily.

Sara looked back at Wren who was surprised by the turn events. Weakly shaking his head that this wasn't his idea, the lizard-woman gave a sigh and pulled the Zweihänder away from his neck and plunged it into the ground as the blade simply vanished as suddenly as it had appeared before turning to the siblings.

“You’re... not going to kill him, Miss?” Hylesa asked, her voice almost a whisper.

To both of the siblings’ surprise, the lizard-woman turned around and pulled Wren to his feet, letting him lean against her for support which surprised the three of them.

“I never said this was a fight to the death.” Sara sighed, turning her attention to her own wounds which were still fresh on her skin, wincing at the damage that they'd had inflicted on each other. “It’s been a while since I've seen someone who possesses that much talent with a blade. Most warriors are too busy with weapons with bows or knives and resorting to 'cheap', unfair methods. ...Wre...His style seems to at least deal with some the usual shortcomings of that blade. Although...it's only the basics which still need improvement.”

Wren coughed weakly, the damage of Sara’s first attack had begun to become more apparent as a small amount of blood trickled from his mouth which made him shudder from the taste. Although the praise made things easier to bear, he tried his best not to complain. Glancing around at the crowd which had begun to scatter, there wasn't any reason to hang around.

“...A-Are you okay...? You’re covered in so many cuts...” Hylesa managed to stutter, doing her best not to shy away from the horrible wound on his arm. “And...You’re looking a little pale...”

On that comment, the human couldn't help but look down at the more wound, feeling somewhat light-headed at the sight of his crimson life-force leaking from that deep gash. Simply applying pressure to reduce blood-flow to the wound, he turned to Sara who was trying to ignore her wounds altogether. He didn't know why he spoke up next...it was probably a slight lapse in judgement or just showing kindness.

“H...Hey. I know you probably don’t want any help, but if you’d like some of those wounds treated, I can help...provided it’s not anywhere...awkward...for obvious reasons...” Wren trailed off, blushing somewhat.

For the first time since they'd met, Sara’s face displayed some sort of emotion, which was her going bright red at the offer. She’d rarely treated any injuries inflicted from past battles, mainly because she was usually focused on not getting hit in the first place or that she usually had defeated her foe long before they had a chance to pose a serious threat and gave a slow nod in response.

“It’s better than waiting for them to heal naturally, I suppos-.”

“Great. Nice to see you’re all getting along fine now. So can we PLEASE get back to the inn before one of you bleeds to death?! It’ll take ages to get the smell of blood off me as it is!” Falken complained, cleaning some of the crimson fluid with a tissue. “And my clothes! Rrrgh! Blood NEVER comes out, y'know! Well, okay, it takes a lot of work, but the point still stands!”

Deciding to heed Falken’s annoyed outburst, they decided it was best to recover after that recent duel and head back to the inn. Hours passed without incident as Afternoon soon began approaching Night...

Wren was applying the final bandage on Sara’s torso, averting his gaze from anything that would label him as a pervert. Apart from that, both warriors were slightly nervous...or embarrassed as Hylesa was observing them intently, taking down notes of what Wren was doing since she’d wanted to learn how to help other people.

“Alright. Now we make sure the bandage is putting enough pressure on the wound...and then depending on the situation, you simply secure the end of the cloth to the main bandage to keep it from coming undone. Like so.” Wren instructed, simply stitching the bandage together. The task had proved somewhat difficult as his left arm was still healing, not to mention Sara’s tail occasionally getting in the way in an attempt to repel his hands from getting too close despite his honest intentions. Nonetheless, he managed to treat most of the wounds.

“...And we’re done. Okay, Sara, I’d say you’ll be ready to fight again in the morning considering how fast you’re healing.” he said with a small smile, raising an eyebrow as he caught Hylesa holding Sara’s torn outfit. With the damage it had sustained the article of clothing would be useless now. Sewing wasn't one of his talents, unfortunately.

The lizard-girl (as Sara had admitted she was still a youth like them and not considered an 'adult' by her kind) gave a short sigh. It was great that it wouldn't take long before she’d recover but wasn't too happy her leotard had been ruined. She still had another set but it was the fact they were expensive because of their qualities to work in any weather along with being durable against wear & tear. Glancing over at Hylesa who was double-checking her notes and waiting for Falken to come back, Sara decided to stay dressed in a sleeping robe, irritated that there was no room for her tail to move freely.

Everyone turned around as the door to the room opened to find Falken carrying several trays of food and struggling to keep them from crashing into a mess over the wooden floor. Hylesa quickly dashed over and took two of the trays out of her brother’s hands and did her best not to fall over. Wren went back to staring out the window, catching a glimpse of the two siblings arguing who was going to bring him his dinner while he looked up at the night sky, giving a weary sigh. It’d been a long time since he’d seen stars or the moon for that matter as well.

...I really am in another world. Wren thought, giving a small smile. And that’s fine with me. There was nothing back on Earth for me anyway. ...Was there? He couldn't remember. Things were still hazy...

He turned around to find Hylesa holding out the tray of food in front of him, giving a shy smile. Smiling back and saying ‘Thank You’, everyone sat down around the table in the room. It was far larger than the one Wren had awoken in and had four beds. The wooden surfaces (in other words, floor, ceiling and walls) were considerably new as they seemed to have been varnished...or something to give them a reflective-like glimmer.

Looking over at everyone else’s meal, Sara’s tray consisted of mostly meat which was mainly a well-cooked steak with a few leaves of lettuce and a carrot which the lizard-girl looked at with disdain while Hylesa’s and Falken’s consisted mostly of various fruits and small slices of ham. Almost afraid to ask what he had on his plate, Wren stared down and blinked.

...Pasta. Spaghetti, to be more specific. One of the foods he wasn't particular fond of. Of course, there hadn't been much of a chance to tell Falken about this since HE was busy elsewhere and simply brought dinner back without warning. Giving a shrug of his shoulders, he reluctantly began eating the meal. For a few moments, his stomach began to rebel but was swiftly hushed by the brain. A small cough from Sara made him turn to face her, swallowing a strand of spaghetti with difficulty.

“Wren. Do you have any idea what you’re going to now? You’re not just going to sit around in this Inn for the rest of your life, are you? You’d make a decent ‘Slayer’...at leas-” Sara stated, the rest of her offer cut off.

“B-But he promised he’d stay here to teach me more on how to help other people with those tec-teknikes he has! Besides...he doesn't have to leave to go fight monsters...this village is attacked every now and again...” Hylesa retorted, somewhat upset.

Falken was smart enough not to get involved in the argument and decided to keep eating, while Wren hoped his spaghetti wouldn't be cold by the time Sara and Hylesa had finished their ‘ argument.'

“Alright, alright. It’s just I think he has potential. Today was the closest I've come to losing a duel for a long time and I’m hoping both of us can train each other to become stronger. If you two want to come along, I don’t mind but you’ll have to pull your weight!” was Sara's calm response. looking a bit annoyed.

Everyone stared at Sara’s blunt response, along with her showing a bit more emotion, something that left everyone slightly stunned. Two of them had very little knowledge on the surrounding area while Wren was oblivious to what this world was like. He didn't exactly want to drag Hylesa and Falken into something that could cost them their lives, but there was a sense of adventure he couldn't shake off.

“You’re going to teach me how to be a better swordsman? I’ll admit, that sounds awfully tempting but is it a good idea to go out into the unknown this ill-equipped?” Wren asked.

As if on cue, Falken boastfully pointed out that he was quite capable of defending himself. Even if he was only capable of fighting with his feet, his eager grin and sharp talons did get his point across to a degree. As for his sister, he vouched that she was a decent spell-caster that'd help as well as the female harpy nodded timidly in response.'

“Well that’s that! We’ll buy some supplies tomorrow and set out to train. To adventure!” Wren shouted, taking everyone by surprise.

Realizing how eager he was, the human blushed slightly before his new friends gave a small cheer. ...He couldn't help but give a small smile.

Chapter 4
---
Dawn seemed to arrive quicker than expected as the sun rose over the horizon and the rays of daylight shone through the window. With a small sigh as they danced over his face and eyes, Wren sat up, took a small glance outside before yawning and stretching as his eyes focused. There'd been little change in his surroundings...this was still the reality and not a dream, as if the yesterday wasn't enough proof. He’d slept fairly well, as the mattress felt considerably soft and kept comfortably warm by a single blanket. He wasted no time in getting up. No point sitting around, after all.

It was surprising that he was healing quicker than expected as well. Most of those minor cuts were almost gone, while that worrying wound on his left arm...well, it had only gotten better to a degree. It wouldn't be bleeding anytime soon at the very least. Carefully applying a new bandage and covering his lower arm with one of his sleeves, he followed suit with his other arm. Looking up from checking his injuries, no-one else was awake yet. ...Seemed like he was the only one so far.

Falken was flailing around occasionally as if in a slight panic, his arms sometimes changing back into wings which caused a few feathers to drift in the air...and those talons wouldn’t have made things easier. Hylesa probably hadn’t fared all that much better either as she seemed to be shivering slightly, despite the bed looking warm and fluffy. Taking the blanket of his own bed, he placed it over the sleeping harpy which stopped her shaking. Unsure what else he could do, a small sneeze brought the human spinning around in a panic.

Although it seemed he was worrying too much as his gaze turned to Sara, she seemed to have slept better than any of them. Lying on her side had caused no real problem apart from her tail; which, amusingly was remaining limp and dangling over the bedside. Simple curiosity took over as he gave it a simple poke and watched it twitch slightly before it lashed out, almost coiling around his arm which made him fall back, half afraid he was in trouble only to barely slip away. Deciding not to hang around to try it again, there was probably something more important things to spend time on.

“...Like breakfast, for example.” Wren sighed, rubbing his empty stomach, not wishing to recall the events around mid-night which had deprived him of his dinner and headed downstairs without delay.

The ‘restaurant’/cafeteria was fairly empty. Taking a glance up at the clock which hung overhead, there was at least an hour of time before it was 7 am, or at least, that's what he guessed...which was the time they ‘officially’ began serving breakfast in either case. Hard to believe they had this sort of thing here. And, well, there were pieces of bread to toast (and toasters, even if they were old-fashioned) with various sorts of jams but nothing else save a pitcher of water and some glasses. Simply helping himself to some pieces of bread and sitting down in a chair, Wren just sat silently and ate his ‘meal’ without trying to draw any attention to himself. A plan which was thwarted when he was thrown out of his chair as something ran into him and landed on the floor with a heavy thud.

...It was of some minor comfort that he thankfully on his right arm rather than his injured left. Wincing and getting up after a few moments of pain, the human realized he couldn't give a cry of pain this early in the morning. He didn't need an entire group of people trying to murder him for disturbing their sleep. Regardless, his mind focused on finding the figure that had sent him to the floor. It wasn't long as he found that she was lying on her face.

The white tail, hoofed feet and obvious fact that the poor newcomer was actually held up by her large breasts made him wince at how that much weight would be considerably uncomfortable. ...Or for one unfortunate enough to get a hug. Shaking his head, he stood in front of the ‘demi-human’ which he recalled was a Holstaurus and helped her back to her feet. Blinking for a few moments and trying not to focus on her ‘prominent features’, averting his eyes and trying not to blush, the Holstaurus feebly rubbed the back of her head as she realized she was standing up again and finally noticing Wren was standing in front of her, arms folded trying to look serious.

Quickly bowing politely and giving a weak smile, she apologized swiftly, unintentionally relaying her dilemma as well.

“Oh! I’m so sorry! I’m kind of in a hurry to get breakfast ready for the guests here you see...! And I've got a bit of a problem~! The other chefs have called in sick so I’ll be stuck on my own. So if it wasn't too much trouble, could you give me a hand? There’s nothing really complex to cook, it’s just I’d rather have some help or people will go hungry!”

Wren blinked in surprise and examined her more closely. Her long bluish hair was tied back, which matched her deep blue eyes that Wren struggled not to look at for too long. Her ‘overalls’ were a bright blue which were considerably baggy and probably difficult to run around in, while her breasts were hidden behind a white tube-top which managed to keep them contained and tried his best not to stare. A pink chef's apron only made her body more noticeable.

“Y...You’re a cook? Well, I know a few things about cooking and I have nothing else to do until my friends wake up...so I'd be happy to help you out. I-I guess. I mean, what are we making?” Wren inquired as he grabbed an apron from behind the counter, putting it on while trying not to trip over his words.

The Holstaurus had already gotten out several bowls, frying pans and all sorts of cooking tools such as a whisk, spatula...everything except an electric beater and the kitchen sink, much faster than the human had expected. Turning to Wren and giving a cheerful smile, she turned away while pointing to a fridge which the human hadn't noticed until now.

It was still hard for him to not be surprised at how advanced this world was. There was electricity and proper lighting, stoves and ovens that were almost like exact copies of the ones he'd looked at in books. Several moments passed before he realized he was being spoken to and bringing him out of his thoughts.

“Since it’s only the two of us, we’ll be making things relatively simple, okay~? Just some pancakes and omelettes for breakfast today~! You’ll find everything you need in there, like just the usual stuff, eggs, pancake mixture, some...um, meat...and vegetables that you can cut up everything to put them in the omelettes. Just try to some for various tastes, okay?” she smiled, placing a cutting board and knife in front of him.

The youth didn't miss a beat and swiftly retrieved the ingredients from the fridge, handing his Holstaurus partner the flour, eggs and pancake mix and quickly focused on slicing up the vegetables in front of him with the rather sharp knife. A small twitch in his lower left arm was becoming irritating and he’d nearly cut himself rather than a tomato, causing him to slow down with his chopping. Flinching at the sound of the blade crashing down against the wooden cutting board, he swapped hands and worked at an even slower pace.

He couldn't afford to let his mind wander as a single mistake could result in severe injury...well, one that'd result in him losing fingers, yet it was nigh-impossible to take his thoughts off his new friends. They’d saved his life and actually worried about his well-being when he was defeated by Sara. ...It was re-assuring to know she wasn't as cold as he first assumed, feeling somewhat happy that he’d been praised for his swordsmanship.

Falken, despite having a one-track mind around ‘proper women’, a remark last night which had nearly seen him getting severely beaten by an enraged Sara about her lack of feminine charm was at least honest and trust-worthy...while Hylesa’s shyness and admiration made him feel he was actually needed by someone for once unlike his pointless existence back home. ...Wait...no, was that right? ...He couldn't remember.

Humming a cheerful tune as Wren began to pick up speed in his work to the point the Holstaurus was getting worried there wouldn't be enough omelettes to keep up with the amount of toppings her companion was supplying, a small ‘ding’ sound brought him out of what he was doing. Glancing up at the clock, he saw that the hour had passed quicker than he’d expected, yet there were at least fifty plates of omelettes and pancakes placed on the counter. Wouldn't exactly be enough for everyone, but it'd do.

“Oh, thank you so much! I don’t know what I’d do if you weren't here!” the Holstaurus smiled before hugging Wren tightly, causing his entire face to flush a bright red as he felt her ample chest press against him and reluctantly hugged her back.

Pulling away, she gave a cheerful smile.

“Hey...! I didn't realize that you’re that guy who fought against that Lizard-woman yesterday! I didn't notice until now~! I’m not exactly interested in fighting but you did pretty well even though you lost...Maybe if you drank some more milk...” she said, cheerfully. "I mean, if you'd like, I've got some that you can take with you~! It's fresh and everything!"

Wren’s entire face went redder than he’d fought possible. He wondered if the Holstaurus was serious with what she’d said and teasing or being a clueless and innocent to a degree. Simply giving a silent sigh and telling her he’d keep the suggestion in mind. Watching people take their plates and sit down at a table, Wren made sure he got some food for his friends.

It’s was going to be long day...

---

“W...Wait!"

Hylesa’s eyes shot open as she sat upright in her bed, shivering and weakly curling up in fear. It...that same nightmare as before. Looking down at her arms which had changed back into their bright purple wings, the harpy remained silent, not sure what to do before finally noticing she was covered in an extra blanket. Glancing over at Falken and Sara who was still asleep and blinked in surprise when she noticed when Wren was nowhere to be found, to clench when she found no sign of Wren anywhere and that it was his blanket covering her.

...Had he seen her trembling from her nightmares? Feeling somewhat happy that Wren was worried about her, she gave a small smile before yet worried that he’d ask why she was shivering, feeling uneasy. But at the moment, he seemed to have left already. There was a small sense of admiration at what he was capable of...and the fact he accepted them for who they were which made her feel a bit more at ease.

But then, there was Sara. Hylesa looked over at the sleeping lizard-woman and knew all too well what they were like. Even though Wren had lost the duel, Sara had still showed interest in his abilities. And that could mean trouble. In either case, realizing they'd probably slept in long enough, she walked over to Falken and shook him as he gave a groan and woke up.

“...ugh. What’s the matter, sis? Something up?”

Hylesa nodded and looked at her older brother with a sad look. Falken smiled weakly and hugged her.

“I know...But we’ve got to keep goin', Hy. 'Cause if we stay here...we're gonna be found. So all we gotta do is travel to make it harder to be tracked. I mean, we might be caught up to eventually. At least we’ll be able to fight our way out with Sara and Wren, 'specially if they're stronger if we're lucky. We’d never be able to stand up against...y'know.”

“Can we talk about t-this and something else later? I think Wren might have gone to get breakfast and we should too...” Hylesa said timidly, changing the subject.

Giving a nod and returning to his cheerful self, he agreed that getting something to eat would be a great idea. Quickly ushering Hylesa out of the room and taking aim at Sara, he scored a direct hit as his pillow soared through the air and to his horror, was knocked away as the lizard-girl woke up mere moments before it collided with her face and pushed aside by her hand. Her expression seemed to remain blank for a few moments before taking on a small frown.

“OH CRAP!”

Leaping down the stairs before Sara could catch up, let alone get out of bed; Hylesa could only shake her head at her brother’s behavior and gave a weak smile as her brother zoomed pass as a blur. While it was stupid, she knew he’d do anything he could to make her happy and smile. Looking over at the lizard-girl who was walking beside her now, the harpy felt a little uneasy at the blank and near-emotionless expression. About to try and risk striking up a conversation, she looked up to find the two of them had walked into the ‘restaurant’ already and saw Wren and Falken who were sitting at a table, waving them over. Sitting down, to find a plate of pancakes which were garnished with a few strawberries and jam, her entire face lit up.

“I thought I’d try and do something nice for you guys since I haven’t exactly paid you back properly for saving me. It’s not much, but it’s a start.” Wren smiled at Hylesa’s surprise. “Yes, I’m not exactly much of a cook without the proper ingredients, but I hope you like it.”

Hylesa was struggling not to give a cry of joy and hug Wren in front of everyone. Even if it had only been a few days, she felt happy that someone other than her brother cared about her and gave a cheerful thank you,happily and swiftly devouring the meal.

“Okay, so here’s how I see it. We’re going to get the basic supplies for as cheap as we can, right? When I mean the basics, I mean food, water, bandages, stuff we’ll need. I don’t exactly have all that much of value, though since I think my wallet isn't wi-” Wren sighed, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. “...Well what do you know...? Guess I might have some money after all. Although I feel pretty stupid not noticing this until now.” he coughed, glancing to the side.

Waiting for everyone to finish their meal, they returned to their room and collected their belongings (or lack of, in the case of the siblings) and set out to the stores. Things started off well as a polite lamia showed them around and pointed out sleeping gear and back-packs, but came to a dismal crash as the price was much more than any of them had expected.

“Are you sure my money’s no good here? Back at home, this is a lot of value.” Wren started, holding out a hundred dollar bill before the store-keeper glared down with contempt and tore the money into shreds, making the youth wince.

“Your fancy pieces of paper are no good here, boy. Unless you've got some more of those golden coins, you’ll be leaving here very little.” was the snide and cold reply from this man who looked like a cross between a golem and human, causing Wren to give a sigh and tossed all of his coins onto the bar, about only twenty dollars back home. The man greedily snatched them away and handed them several back-packs and probably two weeks worth of provisions, simple food and water but no sleeping equipment.

Falken wasn't doing a good job of masking his annoyance and anger, barely restraining himself from threatening to kicking the shop-keeper to the moon, while Hylesa watched Wren step out of the shop and sit down outside on a bench. Sara was doing her best to negotiate a discount, with her cool and emotionless hoping to un-nerve the man...who simply refused to budge on his decision and ordered them to leave.

“The lamia managed to convince her husband into giving us a set of sleeping equipment. I’m surprised she stays with that weakling...he’s got no real muscle to back up his threats...” Sara calmly remarked as Falken gave a smug grin and placed most of the supplies in Wren’s backpack and handed it over to the human who gratefully put on his back, Giving a weak smile to the group, he rolled out the map and turned to Sara.

“Okay. We’re better off heading along the coast while going north. The monsters aren’t too tough and there are no real bandits to worry about...Although, there is a problem. Including my own sleeping gear, each tent has room for only two people so we’ll have to share. I’m not sure on how we’ll decide on who sleeps where, but I’m guess it’ll be Falken and Wren in one, while I share the other with Hy.”

Falken looked over at Wren who simply shrugged. There wouldn't be any problems with that.

"Considerin' I ain't really keen on a lizard murderin' me in my sleep, leavin' my sister alone with another guy or bein' kept up all night by a lizard pinning a guy down and doin' the 'obvious'...well, the smart idea to get some sleep is to avoid things that'll cause noise. I mean, ain't too keen on sharin' limited space with a guy, bu-" Falken started before he was cut off.

"W-Wait, what?!"
"What did you just say...?"

Two different reactions and the only thing in common was both of them had gone a shade of red. One going into a flustered panic the other glaring at the green-haired harpy with a glare that'd make anyone feel like they'd been targeted and feeling Death's icy fingers gripping on their shoulder. Of course, the air-head simply grinned and gave a small chuckle while Hylesa could only give a weak giggle of her own. She couldn't help but admit it was somewhat amusing as she blushed herself to a degree. It was hard to tell why.

Silence soon followed and realizing how quiet everyone was, the male harpy coughed. It worked, getting the warrior to stop staring into the distance with the blush on her face, the human still somewhat flustered. Giving a small smile that they should get moving while they still had daylight which was more than enough to bring the them around to give a nod of confirmation as they set off with the sun shining in the midday sky.

Chapter 5

For the first few miles, things were surprisingly quiet. With no sign of rouge monsters amidst the peaceful landscape, it looked like it'd be a dull journey. And while they were on the well-worn path which would take them north, nothing seemed to leap out from the occasional shrub. With the sun still shining and probably giving them at least several hours before nightfall, travelling would be rather easy. Wren was observing the scenery with keen interest that it seemed to be a rather noticeable contrast outlook to his friends which all had different reactions to being out in the open.

Falken seemed to be somewhat anxious as if they could be attacked at any moment despite putting on a smile and trying to be cheerful while Hylesa stayed close to her brother and Wren, feeling somewhat safer while Sara...her blank expression made it impossible to see what was on her mind.

Time seemed to move by quickly as they traversed the emerald green grassy plains which seemed to stretch out for miles, occasionally interrupted by the odd tree. There were some shrubs which seemed to be blossoming with vibrant colored flowers and in the horizon...a small, faint scent of salt which filled the air, he got the feeling the ocean was closer than he’d expected. It was better than seeing dull grey buildings for an eternity at the very least which made the human give a weak smile.

Moving on and another quick glance at in all directions showed that there seemed to be a forest to the south-west and more roads stretching out in multiple directions. Shielding his eyes for a moment as the sun seemed to get in the way; Wren couldn't help but continue to smile and feel confident.

“Don’t get too eager. While some monsters aren't exactly smart, the mindless ones or those without an ability to think clearly will do whatever it takes to kill you.” Sara warned, walking beside Wren with her arms folded. “Keep focused on being prepared for any signs of danger rather than enjoying the view.” She added sternly.

His good mood suddenly being replaced by a sense of caution, Wren nodded. Ironically, looking over at Falken, it seemed he had abandoned his anxiety and changed back into his and cheerful usual self, giving a shout of joy before performing an impressive back-flip before taking flight, rocketing into the sky with a flourish of green feathers, while Hylesa was simply content to continue hovering next to Wren with minimum effort, her bright purple wings easily keeping her above the ground, keeping silent while Sara was pointing out the basics of combat to Wren.

The harpy seemed somewhat distressed at the possibility of battle but listened intently regardless, just in case they were flung into a conflict. She'd need to support as best as she could and leave the fighting to the warriors and...her brother.

“Now, it’s obvious you’re quick with drawing your blade and getting into your battle stance quicker than most. Since you're the sort who seems to be on the defensive, you’d want to lure your opponent into attacking first, evade the blow and deliver a counter-attack to get and keep the advantage. But there’s times when you’ll have to fight against monsters who cast magic and they don't give you much of an opening. Take Hylesa for example. Since she can fly, it’s obvious anytime she’s able to cast a spell, she’ll keep out of reach by retreating to the air. You’ll have to close the gap quickly; otherwise, you might find yourself face-down in the dirt and an extra burden the rest of us have to carry.” Sara explained.

Obviously, Hylesa was rather upset and simply asked why she was being used as an example when there were plenty of other spell-casting monsters. Sara simply gave a shrug of her shoulders as an half-hearted apology, not bothering to give an explanation as to why she chose the harpy as the subject in question and continued her explanation of strategy to Wren with the typical calm, serious manner.

“Of course, should there be a situation where you’d have to enter combat against one of our kind, such as a Lamia or Goblin...you have to realize their advantages and shortcomings so you can get the upper hand. Lamias tend to fight with long-range weapons, such as spears or bows and stronger than you think...not to mention their tails are capable of strangling you to death if you get ensnared but they’re a bit slow. Goblins usually use clubs and focus on powerful blows to disable your limbs or knock you out, so try to counter with quick strikes.”

Wren gave a nod of approval. Everything Sara was saying made sense and while he already possessed some of the knowledge which he considered was obvious as the sky being blue, it wasn't a bad thing to be reminded. Before she had a chance to continue however, Hylesa interrupted.

“You know a lot for a warrior. A-And here I thought that it was just extended to battle, not travelling or shopping or general tactics... I know your kind tends to have a lot of knowledge on battle, but how come you know so much?”

Sara’s face went a slight shade of red, her tail suddenly straightening out as looked in the distance somewhat embarrassed, if looking proud by the pseudo compliment/question.

“Isn't it obvious? My mother is a powerful warrior, so my strength and ability comes from her. While my father...he’s a scholar who researched various arts of combat, tactics and other things. It took a while for her to accept him and let him teach her his wealth of knowledge...but she fell in love with him because she’d never lost a battle after everything he’d taught her. A...pretty ideal match, if you look at it from a certain angle.” Sara remarked slowly, looking down at her feet.

“It was obvious both my parents wanted me to be strong and taught me as much as they could. It’s been a few years since I've seen them. Setting out to make a name for myself, and all that..."

The harpy simply gave a smile before her mind soon drifted off to something else...until a yell from Falken brought her out of those thoughts and back into the reality of this large and vast world. Despite how high he was in the sky, his voice seemed to be rather loud and piercing.

“Uh, not to burst the bubble, guys, but we've got a bunch of those freaks comin' our way! Looks like they're some of those mindless bone-heads! Again the mindless type, mind you! Not the ones with forms of intelligence!”

Wren swiftly unsheathed his katana and stood ready to engage the incoming enemy which Falken had warned them about. The loud clattering sounds made him assume they were skeletons which was confirmed when Falken landed beside him, stretching his legs and talons before giving more details. Normal skeletons were exactly what one would expect, only that their owner's souls were trapped in that form and possessed intelligence and rational thought, despite being shunned and feared by humans.

These on the other hand...they'd been on the rise for the last two years, mindless and merely corpses driven by some unknown force. Some still had decaying flesh on their bones while others had bones that looked like they had aged poorly.

Telling his sister to take the rear and support them with magic if necessary, Falken stepped up beside Wren and Sara, idly stretching his legs while the female warrior casually took an offensive stance, holding her zweihander and getting ready to attack. ...Of course as the seven 'Dead' lurched towards them, four with rusty blades, one with a club and another an axe, the human couldn't help but wonder why they were out in the middle of the day. Wouldn't it make more sense for undead to come out during the night when it was more ‘natural’ for them?

...Can't think about this now. I know it isn't some book or a world of fiction. Those wounds from yesterday are proof this is no game and certainly not a dream...So I've got to stay alive and to do that, I have to fight.

Opening his eyes and advancing towards his opposition, or rather, one that was not in formation, the dead came to an abrupt halt as they saw the human charge towards them before suddenly leap forwards and bring his katana down in a powerful double-handed slash that pierced through the skull and consequently, the rest of it's brittle body before quickly using the momentum from his attack and landing to spring away a short distance away from the remaining undead which slowly focused their attention on him.

Sara blinked in surprise at Wren’s sudden movement, about to comment before Falken rocketed forward towards the remaining foes, hovering a few inches above the ground before he suddenly stopped his flight and touched down on solid soil. Yet he carried his incredible speed into a dash to delivered a powerful round-house kick that sent a skeleton hurtling through the air at least several meters before crashing down in a heap of splintered bones.

“Been a while since I've actually needed to fight.” Falken smiled, almost laughing as he took flight to avoid an axe which intended to bisect him, making him simply stuck out his tongue and jeering at the skeleton. “Too slow, chump~! C'mon, try that again, why don't ya?”

While Wren was busy fighting off another skeleton and Falken enjoyed taunting one by flying out of the way each time it attacked, Sara finally entered the conflict by swinging her massive blade at a skeleton. While it managed to parry the weapon with it’s own, the monster gave a rattle of dismay as it’s arms were separated by the impact, the head following a few moments after before it simply collapsed into a heap.

Hylesa was hovering nearby, keeping out of harm’s way and ready to cast a spell if necessary but had yet to find an opportunity. Wren who was once on the attack found himself forced to defend as two skeletons had come at him at once. Already feeling some of the pressure against his opposition, he continued to block and evade every blow...but considering they seemed to be in a sort of frenzy, there was no chance to attack as they kept up their assault.

Half-heartedly dealt with the club-wielding 'skeleton', somewhat bored and waiting to deal a single fatal blow as it vainly tried to break through Sara's defenses, she got tired of the enemy and neatly cleaved the foe in two. Falken was still laughing down at the remaining one which STILL continued to pursue him, occasionally giving it a light kick to send it toppling forward in a taunting manner. Both were aware of Wren’s predicament and while the harpy was almost about to zoom over and help, yet the dead narrowingly avoided with a slash of it's blade causing him to stay where he was.

"Tsk! C'mon, try and aim, bone-bag!"

Well aware that he was the weakest link here, but with Hylesa nearby and ready to help, it gave him enough courage to suddenly deliver a counter-attack which forced the two undead back before he pushed his advantage forward, a sudden sphere of wind rushed past him and collided with one of them, blowing their skeletal body apart, courtesy of Hylesa. Giving a shout, somehow feeling somewhat stronger as he swung once more which his blade, he sliced the skull cleanly in half. Turning around and giving a smile at the harpy, they watched as Falken, deciding to wrap things up, stopped his flight and taunts, dropping from the sky to land directly on the skeleton in a powerful stomp, crushing it into dust.

Scanning the immediate area and finding no further enemies, Sara caused her weapon to vanish in a flash of light and turned to everyone. Falken was chuckling and stretching legs once more, shuddering at several coin-purses made of rotten leather as he shook them to get a few gold coins, while Hylesa was standing next to Wren looking over at him with concern. He still wasn't sure why he felt that sudden surge of energy towards the end of the conflict...must have been just adrenaline. Either way, he just sighed with relief that the battle had finished.

“We better keep moving. I don't often see these Dead appear during the day, but I have a feeling there’s more of them. We best hurry on and set up camp early when we reach the shore, or we’ll be outnumbered.” Sara pointed out. "And while I'm certain some of us could manage..."

Hylesa was about to speak up, suggesting they let Wren rest but was cut off by the human who shook his head, pointing out Sara was right and they had to leave quickly. Simply asking the harpies to fly on ahead and search for somewhere to camp, the human calmly added that he and Sara would be close behind on foot and finally sheathed his katana.

The harpies didn't like the fact they'd be leaving Wren, but reluctantly decided to listen to the suggestion as he handed over the sleeping gear which Hylesa and her brother held in their talons. Falken gave a mock salute before blasting off into the sky to the north east, they vanished into the distance only after a few minutes while the warriors slowly followed.

Neither of them said anything, simply staring into the distance before the lizard-girl broke the silence.

“That was certainly different from how you fought yesterday. While your charge forward was a rather foolish and reckless attack that could've gotten you injured, or even worse...you managed to take advantage of the enemy’s naturally slow reactions and deliver a killing blow. Either you're talented, lucky or have a slight idea on what you're doing.” Sara trailed off, giving Wren a small smile.

Feeling somewhat better from the praise, although somewhat surprised, he managed to give a weak, nervous smile in return. It was just general instinct that told him to go for the first blow and try to destroy the Dead’s head. An explanation which made Sara give an understanding nod. It was likely the sense of battle which had enhanced Wren’s movements in combat and explained that most warriors tend to enjoy themselves. Although after making that remark, she went silent, looking down at her clawed feet.

“...Just saying that you don't need to feel insulted for me being serious. It’s a matter of learning about combat and fighting isn't something to take lightly. If you don’t take it seriously...you’ll lose...and likely die. Don’t go throwing your life away over a careless mistake. Otherwise...” Sara managed to utter, having difficulty putting her words together.

Wren simply smiled and told the lizard-girl that it was nothing to worry about, considering he would try and avoid doing anything too dangerous in the future. He had three friends by his side who'd be there to save him if he ever got into a situation that was too much for him before finally commenting they just had to watch out for one another. Asking if Sara had anything else to add as they continued to follow their companions, she just shook her head and brushed a few strands of hair that were getting in the way, trying to focus on the road ahead...but was lost in thought.

...He just might be a decent challenge yet.

She knew that yesterday could ended differently if one of Wren’s wounds hadn't caused his defeat, there was the possibility he may become a better warrior than herself. Of course, if that were to happen, she’d challenge him again when he’d recovered and see if he’d improved. The thought of a PROPER fight made the lizard-girl smile...she'd never lost a fight before. And there was no way that'd change if she kept a level head. Either way, she suddenly flinched and prepared herself for a fight at the sound of Wren unsheathing her katana, her entire body tensed for battle.

“Where’s the enemy?! How many are there?”

Wren blinked, looking at Sara confused as he just looked at the blade he'd been lent yesterday. It still had it's keen edge despite hacking through bone and the impacts from those rusty swords seemed to have done no damage at all. Both of them stared at each other in silence, one looking slightly annoyed while the other just seemed confused at why his companion was so worked up.

Just explaining that he was worried about the state of his weapon, she wasn't sure whether to punch the human in the arm or give him a lecture for making her get into a small panic. She decided to simply put his concerns at ease as she grabbed Wren's hands with her clawed gauntlets.

Tracing a finger down the flat side of the blade and began to explain. It was forged very recently. At least several different metals had been combined to increase it's durability, a sturdy core to keep the weapon from out-right shattering, with even stronger steel covering it. Doing this over and over removed the weaknesses the weapon may have had while making it have enough mass to swing. As for it's almost mirror-sheen and keen edge, several high quality stones to grind and sharpen the stone. Giving a small smile before blinking and letting go of Wren's hands, she turned away, arms folded.

“You should get the general gist by now, I should hope...that'll put your mind at ease. Now, we better catch up to those two, but first...because I was considerate to tell you such information, you owe me a steak at the next town we arrive at." Sara smiled, still looking quite serious.

Both of them stared at each other for a moment before the human gave a weak laugh and nodded, causing the lizard-girl to chuckle before making them resume their walk onward. A few hours passed as the sun slowly began to set in the horizon before they’d finally caught up to Falken and Hylesa. The former was sitting down on a stump in front of a fire, munching on an apple while the latter was looking down at her feet anxiously before brightening up when she saw Wren.

“About time you two showed up! Didn't run into any monsters...or ‘trouble', did ya?” Falken teased, getting a swift punch in his arm, courtesy of Sara who masked her blush rather well.

Simply sitting down around the fire, Wren looked at the sun finally vanish over the horizon and the sky becoming dark...soon illuminated by the silver stars in the sky and pale moon. Accepting the responsibility of being the group ‘cook’ by a major vote of 3 to 1, he got out a few rashers of bacon and some sausages and placed them in a frying pan over the fire, whipped up a toasted lettuce and tomato sandwich for the siblings while keeping an eye on Sara’s meal, too distracted to focus on eating.

The scent of bacon soon gave way to a faint, yet salty scent of the ocean. Being stuck in a city for most of his life, Wren raised an eyebrow. It wasn't unpleasant but had caught him by surprise that they were closer to the ocean than he’d thought. Taking a sip of water from his flask, he turned to Falken.

“The ocean’s safe to swim in during the day, right?” Wren asked. “Or are there monsters that would want to kill me too?”

Falken shrugged with a ‘Do I look like I can swim?’ look, idly waving a wing to illustrate his point and bit into his sandwich. Wren turned to Sara who gave a firm nod.

“The ocean’s considerably dangerous. There’s occasional feral Scylla which steals from ships and people foolish enough to enter their territory, while a tribe of merfolk might notice you as a possible threat and use you for fish-food.” Sara calmly replied, trying not to tear through her meal with her teeth and kept awkwardly trying to use a fork and knife.

Wincing for a moment at Sara's comment before simply dismissing the idea altogether, considering he reminded himself this was an adventure to train and become stronger. Not to have fun...although he did his best to hide his disappointment as he handed Sara’s meal over and stared at the fire as the night began to set in properly.

A loud yawn several minutes later caused everyone to suddenly turn to Falken who was rubbing his eyes, looking fairly tired. Joking that he’d be better off getting to sleep before the chance for people chatting had a chance to keep him up, he walked into the somewhat awkwardly set up tent and flung himself down on the mattress with a slight thud, almost asleep in an instant.

It was truly an amazing piece of technology by Wren’s reckoning. The fact it looked and probably acted like a normal bed mattress but was so easy to move around and seemed incredibly durable made him wish he felt tired, yet his mind was racing with too many ideas and possibilities. A sudden realization that Falken had fallen asleep, evident by a faint whistling noise made Wren uncomfortably aware he that both Sara and Hylesa were looking in his direction.

“Hey Wren. Did you...um...have...well...” Hylesa shyly asked before getting cut off by Sara who simply finished the sentence. “She means, did you have any friends back home?"

Wren blinked. ...Friends? ...For a second, he thought that something became a bit clearer and could remember...but it seemed like it was just a trick of his mind as he just shook his head and gave a sigh. He didn't say anything, considering there wasn't anything to say. But why did it matter? It wasn't likely he'd return to that place anytime soon and even if he did, would he want to go back?

Could he even go back? This world without a name...it seemed much more appealing, despite that obvious threat of death as he simply gave a weary smile. It was nice to know that he had talents he didn't realize and even get praised for them. Feeling a bit less worried, he answered a few more questions on what ‘Earth’ was like.

“I haven’t seen this entire world, so I can’t really make a solid comparison. But Earth...it’s not exactly the sort of place demi-humans would be accepted so easily. Sure, there’d be a lot of people who’d be happy to know mermaids, lamias and the like actually exist, but it's obvious scientists would want to dissect you and the people would label you as monsters."

Both of them looked rather un-nerved by this statement. Simply shaking his head that he’d rather stay in this world than go back to his own caused them to calm down again. Deciding to get some rest, Wren waved them both good-night and entered his own tent, glancing over at the harpy who seemed to have fallen asleep without a care in the world while he stared up at the ceiling, wondering what could possibly happen next before finally falling asleep.
-
...Silence. The midnight-black sky continued to hang overhead as the world below was simply a grassy hill, with the ocean visible just over the horizon. Upon closer inspection, a figure who's face was shrouded by the shadows of the night gave a small, if content sigh as whoever this enigma was simply laid down on the soft ground, glancing up at the slowly star-lit canvas above. Of course, it wasn't completely peaceful.

...Interesting friends you've made. The question remains is whether they'll be enough.

A faint smile formed on the figure's face as they simply continue to gaze at the stars up high. Usually, the voice would speak out, asking if this mystery had any idea on how things would turn out in the end to which the enigma merely smiled, saying not to worry too much. Of course, the moment that sentence was finished, a sudden gust blew by, causing the grin to become somewhat a serious expression.

"...I know, I know. But you have to admit, having them around is better than nothing at all. Come on, cheer a little We make a pretty good team, even if I am the one doing all the work." the stranger remarked with another smile. "So keep supporting me, will you?"

The voice hesitated for a moment before a ghost-like figure, clearly female smiled, the gentle breeze still blowing.

Of course. We are connected by our souls, after all.

Chapter 6
--
The image of figure lying on the ground, eyes blankly staring into the distance as he simply lay on the concrete, bleeding heavily from various cuts to their lower torso was clear as day, despite the midnight sky and fog obscuring those laughing voices echoing around...that mocking tone of these would-be murderers who simply grinned, kicked the wounded youth in the chest before leaving him to bleed out. ...Things got even hazier after that, with the light of moon being replaced by a hospital ward.

...He simply laid there, staring up at the ceiling, feeling pathetic, powerless. Those long weeks in hospital, unable to do a thing was bad enough...the ward being completely empty just made matters worse. That savage beating and surgery which was necessary as something had stopped working, not once did anyone bother to pass through those doors. At all.

He didn’t cry. He wanted to, with tears forming in his eyes, but he knew if he started, he wouldn't be able to stop. And then those voices started.

“You should consider a criminal like yourself lucky we let you at least try to finish your studies here, but I can safely assure you that no sane person would want to employ you. Especially since any application for a job will be tainted by what you’ve done.”

...

He didn’t bother to try and say that he was innocent. ...No-one would’ve believed him anyway.

“Let’s teach that loser a lesson! He's a freak, after all!”

More beatings. More warnings for incidents he didn’t start as over and over that figure crawled back up to his feet, all of those incidents repeating continuously before the sound of a gunshot rung out, someone falling to the ground and static making it hard to make out the sound or images before a simple, insane laugh broke through, the outline of a completely different figure barely being able to be made out before everything went back.

...Yawning and returning to the waking world after stirring in his sleep and sitting up to rub his eyes, Wren was surprised to see dawn had arrived faster than expected. He’d been unable to fall asleep for most of the night; half-afraid of suddenly being ambushed by some horrible monstrosity that'd tear them apart, all because of they were outdoors, exposed and vulnerable...which was a major shift from the safety an inn and like for most of his life. It would take some time to adjust to these conditions, he knew that, but if there was anything humans could do, it was adapt to whatever circumstances.

Taking a glance around the tent, he found he was alone. Falken was nowhere in sight, much to his surprise. Odd, considering he'd slept in before and seemed like the sort to take his time getting up. In either case, the human decided to get up and searching, collecting his things and walked outside...immediately shielding his eyes from the morning sun as it revealed the peaceful world around him.

It hadn't changed much since yesterday, with that salty scent from the east was clearly a sure sign the ocean was likely only several minutes away...yet there he felt a bit uneasy at the eerie silence and readied to draw his katana at any moment.

The sound of footsteps from behind the human caught his attention as he span around, hands ready to grab his weapon before he was face to face with Hylesa, who stumbled backwards and fell over, surprised, if not more so than Wren. Quietly apologizing and helping the harpy to her feet, both of them nervously glanced away before their stomachs growled.

"W...Well, I'll get started on breakfast and we'll get moving after that, alright?" Wren managed to smile.

Giving an intent nod and leaving to go wake Sara, Hylesa returned to her tent. It was still rather quiet as he got out the frying pan to roast the bacon, eggs and bread for toast, something which allowed the human to relax. He was still curious as to where Falken had vanished off to, but tried not to look too worried. He seemed...well, capable of looking after himself to say the least. That was re-assuring to say the least.

...Although the faint shout from up the hill and in the tree cause him to glance up, a bit confused before Falken fell and stopped his fall, a swarm of angry bees heading straight towards them. On the verge of giving a shout of surprise and terror, Falken, simply tried to shake the beehive that gotten stuck to his wing desperately. And clearly loud enough to cause Sara and Hylesa to emerge from their tent, with one girl trying not to smile and find the scene amusing while the other was looking like she was about to panic.

Not quite sure what to do or even if he wanted to get close, Wren shook his head and tried to help. Before he had the chance, however, Falken simply shook the beehive off his wing and booted it over the hill. Realizing their hive was in jeopardy, the bees retreated. Of course, before any of them could ask what exactly had happened, the harpy, flustered and embarrassed simply said he didn't want to talk about it, headed back to his tent, tripped, hit his head on a support beam and the whole thing came tumbling down on him.

After calming Falken down, they all have a nervous laugh before deciding to get started with breakfast. It was quite amazing the amount of supplies they’d managed to purchase, several bottles of Holstaurus milk, several boxes of cereal full of fruits, grains and nuts, meat and an interesting device that kept it all from spoiling.

Magic was a wonderful thing. Granted, Wren wasn’t all that amused in technology back home as all he needed was the basics to keep him alive and comfortable...and probably a fair amount of money had been ruined in...whatever happened. On the bright side, his insurance would cover it quite well...if it was ever accepted. Besides, a lot of it was out of date anyway as he simply unfolded the map.

“Right. We’ve got about a few hours of walking ahead of us. It'll be more along the coast and closer to the ocean, so we may end up coming across before we reach the next town...and it is...” Wren

paused, searching for the name. “Uriala. It’s a town on the water, meaning aquatic demi-humans are quite common and the people there have no grudge against each other either. Looks like we’ll be okay.” He gave a sigh of relief, looking over at Sara.

She was quite content to continue devouring a few scrambled eggs and ham with a glass of water, almost certain to start talking until Wren gave her a stern look to finish eating first. Manners to him were quite important. Looking back, somewhat annoyed and surprised to see the human seem so intent on such a thing, she reluctantly compromised.

“It doesn’t need saying that I’ve been around this part of the continent a few times during my travels as a warrior and Uriala is hospitable for the most part. Or at least, it is if you can stand being surrounded by the ocean. They tend to have an abundance of healing supplies for sale, various types of exotic seafood and underwater themed rooms at the inn. Granted, it’s a bit expensive but we’ll have made more than enough money if we come across another bunch of monsters.” Sara explained.

Taking a quick glance over at Hylesa who’d just woken up and was a bit unsteady in her steps, the lizard-girl came over to help which surprised both harpies. Handing a bowl of fruit-filled cereal to Hylesa who awkwardly took it after changing her wings into arms, she sat down besides Sara who began talking.

Deciding to leave them be, Wren walked over and began dismantling the tent, placing all of the components into it’s bag before pressing a button which caused it to shrink to a tiny fraction of it’s former size. Falken had already gotten a head start for obvious reasons and had packed up already, walking over to Wren with a serious expression.

“Hey, somethin' the matter? It’s like you haven’t any sleep at all! C'mon, I didn't snore, did I? I mean, I know I don't.” Falken chuckled after seeing Wren’s tired eyes before giving him a pat on the back with a smile. “Guess we’ll have our work cut out for us today, so you just leave 'em all to me, alright?"

Wren nervously laughed with him as they finished packing everything away and turned to their other two companions who’d finished talking. Once more explaining the intended destination and that they could expect an attack or two on the way, they set off...well, not before they’d put the fire out at least.Like the day before, Falken was somewhat on the edge, glancing around for the first hour of walking before giving a cheer of glee and taking flight into the sky and soaring among the clouds. Wren watched with a slight hint of jealously on his face that he’d never been in the sky before as he’d either gotten around by train or ship.

Looking over at Hylesa who was humming a cheerful tune as she hovered by Wren’s side, Sara was in...he guessed she was in high-spirits herself as she seemed to have a bit more bounce in her steps. Regardless, all three of them began whistling (or in Wren’s case, humming) the same song with a smile on their face. Almost about to ask a question, yet unsure on what to even say, Wren shook his head and gave a cheerful smile that he was perfectly fine and the three of them continued walking and talking about their plans when they’d arrived at Uriala.

Sara was remaining silent, obviously cautious as she’d drawn her Zweihänder. Wren quickly unsheathed his own blade and asked Hylesa if she could stay behind them for a few minutes, explaining that she’d be a possible target while she was visible. Falken was out of sight above the clouds, so for the moment, he wouldn’t be in any danger. Motioning for them to stop, Sara turned to her companions.

“Slimes. ...And not the ones that take human form. Just basic monsters that just try to absorb a living person and dissolve them into nothing. I think we’ll be alright, especially since magic’s considerably effective so Hylesa can even cast a weak spell to defeat one, while us warriors, we have to stab them. The eyes are usually a good weak spot."

Wren nodded. So they were going to be fighting against a few beings made from some odd liquid that simply melted people down? The prospect seemed dangerous, but was curious as to what exactly the slime would be made of. Hearing a yawn of boredom, they turned to find Falken was simply floating there, not happy.

“Well, I’m out of this one. Two reasons. Firstly, kicking these things is a stupid idea...and secondly, I’d get slime on my rather tidy clothes, so have fun, guys.”

Sara sighed, now reminded that Falken was right and was basically a dead-weight in this fight. Nodding to Hylesa, she hovered forwards a small distance as the slimes, five in number began to slide into view.

The harpy closed her eyes, focusing on the magical energies of the wind around her and gave a mighty flap of her wings before a powerful tornado formed in the midst of their enemies, drawing all five slimes into it’s powerful vortex as they were ripped apart by talons of wind. Sara stared in disbelief that she’d missed out on all the action while Wren and Falken gave a shout of encouragement which caused Hylesa to blush and return to Wren’s side.

It was a possibility the lizard-girl would’ve made a proper complaint that Hylesa should’ve at least one standing but decided to comment on the spell which had, not literally, blown her away considering it was anything but a weak Wind-Element spell. Deciding to move on and collect the gold the vaporized slimes left behind, Wren knew his head was going to be sore as he’d try to figure out how those slimes could’ve had any gold on them...or why it wasn’t blown away with them.

Ugh. I wish I’d never taken Physics lessons.