Chapter XIX: The Journey's Beginning (Pt. 1)

The backstreets were empty, in the blackest of night. Absent of life, save for the few stray cats milling about.

A hooded man slinks through the numerous alleyways, checking each and every corner for unsavory individuals. Moving slowly and silently, he tentatively made his way up to the meeting point, where three high concrete walls blocked off vision for any prying eyes.

The hooded man stood in the damp corner, intending to make himself unseen.

"Eugh, is it always so necessary to conduct business in such a dreadful atmosphere?" He muttered.

A few minutes passed, and he clutched at his cloak in frustration.

"When will these damn rat bastards show up?"

Finally, he noticed three silhouettes walking up the backroads towards the meeting grounds. Unsure of whether they were the ones he intended to meet with, the hooded man kept to the shadows, not eager to invite potential danger.

After a minute or so, they stood a dozen feet or so away from him. He emerged from the shadows of the wall to meet them a few feet away.

"Good day, gentlemen." He muttered. He intended to finish this business as soon as possible and be rid of this ugly backlot.

"G'day." The hooded figure in the middle responded. He was the tallest among the three, with the one to his right being the second tallest and the one to his left being a bit shorter than the right one.

"I assume you're here to deposit that egg? I would hope there were no complications…"

As he was speaking, he started to notice how none of them seemed to be having any sort of luggage, though he wasn't sure if they had the desired item concealed under one of their cloaks.

"...That is, you do have the egg, yes?"

The hooded figure in the middle, lifted his eyes up, and the hooded man reeled back in terror. The figure's eyes were filled with vitriol and hatred.

"We have sumn for ya, alright." He hissed.

The threatening sound of steel rasping sliced the air, and the hooded man froze in terror.

"Wh-What are you doing?!" He pleaded. "I have the money to pay for the egg, if that's what you're concerned about-"

No matter how much he tried to plead, the hooded figures advanced towards him, with the other two unveiling crude clubs.

"I-I'll have your heads if you don't stop immediately!" The hooded man shouted in desperation. "I am a noble, for Tog's sake! If you bring harm to me, I will see to it that all of you are hanged by your balls!"

"Quite a filthy mouth ya got there." The middle hooded figure rasped. "Maybe we should do sumn' about that."

As the final hours of the night came to an end, the sun began to rise, cresting on the horizon. Birds twittered and chirped, the sound of horse hooves clopping against the cobblestone rang out across the streets. The town began to come to life once more.

And the group was packing up, ready to head out on their journey.

"Rulf, you got the supplies packed?"

"Yup."

"Malyn, you got the horses outside ready?"

"Of course!"

"Wolfe, you got the food prepped?"

"Yeah."

"Natsuki, egg still intact?"

"Shut up, Wesley."

Wesley grinned. They were finally set to go. Before anything else, he turned to Sayori giving her a small coin pouch. She looked up in confusion.

"Emergency funds." He said. "Incase we run out of our main bag."

"Why is it so small?"

Wesley subtly jerked his head towards Malyn, who was talking to Natsuki about the dragon egg.

"That jackass cost us most of the journey's funds with that stunt in the bar."

He sighed, placing the coin pouch in Sayori's hands.

"Just don't expect us to be living in luxury the whole journey there."

He turned around, heading over to discuss matters with the rest of the group. Sayori looked down at the pathetic coin pouch in her hands, deciding to place it in her satchel. She then began suiting up in the chainmail and other armor, along with her equipment. As she picked up the buckler shield, she couldn't help but release a groan.

The thing was heavy, there was no doubting that. Sayori just wished she had a bit more muscle so she could carry it confidently in battle.

"Oh well," She muttered. Wolfe had said he would be hosting several training sessions for the group over various combat scenarios and endurance tests. Though that didn't sound fun, now that Sayori thought about it.

"Sayori?"

Sayori looked down to see Annis, the little girl that Natsuki and Malyn had brought to the tavern only a week or so ago. Sayori grew to respect the girl for having an eloquent vocabulary and conducting herself in a very polite manner. Of course, she didn't entirely trust her, since Malyn and Natsuki had quite literally just picked her up out of nowhere.

"Yes?"

"I have come to wonder if I may, perhaps, also engage in these combat training sessions I have heard a lot about?"

"Oh. Well, um...I guess you'll have to talk to Mister Wolfe about that, but I'm sure he would be glad to."

Annis tilted her head in confusion.

"'Mister'? Pardon my ignorance, but I have not heard of that term of deference before."

"Uh…"

Sayori then realized just how little she knew about this world, its practices and cultures. Then again, she swore that at the Capital, both their tour guide and the King had both said 'Mister'. Maybe it varied country by country.

"Well, it's meant to be a term of respect for men, and 'Madame' is the same thing, but for women."

Annis nodded her head, her face deep in thinking, as if she were absorbing this information with great interest.

"I see…" She muttered. "How intriguing. I must start adopting these titles for the common folk."

Sayori felt as if that last sentence was supposed to be somewhat important, but she was not in the mood to try and decipher what Annis meant by those last words.

"Alright!" Wesley spoke up, gathering the attention of everyone in the room. "It's about time to head out."

"Mister Wesley?"

Wesley was thrown off by Annis' sudden question.

"Uh, yes, Miss Annis?"

"If it is possible on this journey, and if we happen upon another town, is it possible I could acquire some combat equipment for myself?"

Wesley was unable to respond for a few seconds as he processed this request.

"Uh...Sure. I guess."

"Many thanks, Mister Wesley. As of now, I have only a small dagger to fend for myself. I desire to aid the group in combat when possible."

Wesley took a good look at this child, of whom he wasn't sure was 10 or 16, and was just barely able to meet his waist height.

"...Yeah. I'm sure you'll be able to help out."

And with that, they made their way out of the capital, with directions from their tour guide, who seemed far more unhappy than when they had last seen him.

"Uh, what's wrong, Adrian?" Sayori inquired, upon seeing his expression, which was devoid of happiness and entirely wrapped in depression.

"...It's nothing." He muttered. All of his cheery aura had been drained of him.

While some of the group was concerned for him, most of them didn't give a flying fuck and immediately took off upon getting directions out of the city.

"Alright, guys." Wesley started, unrolling a map that detailed the main roads, towns and cities between them and Neriac. "We only have a map that can help lead us to the border of Neriac for now, so when we actually get into the continent itself, we need to look for another-"

As Wesley was advising the group, Sayori noticed a general bustling of people around them, as if they were rushing to see some live event going on. She listened in on their conversations to try and gain some insight.

"Oh, Tog, did you hear what happened to Lord Reson?!"

"What?"

"Oh, I heard. Didn't one of the city patrols find him in one of the backroads?"

"Yeah, and they said he was beaten nearly to death! And something about losing…"

"A tongue! Hekk's gates, the savages cut out his tongue! I just heard word of it!"

The atmosphere was filled with tension and fear as people were given this news. Sayori herself was beginning to give in to the panic, even though she wasn't sure why. Despite her social aptitude, she was also easily vulnerable to mass hysteria and panic.

"Oh, god, oh god oh god…" Sayori hyperventilated as the fear began to seep into her mind. There was something dreadful about this environment, something that made her deeply uncomfortable and morbidly fearful.

"Hey, hey, Sayori, calm down."

Sayori felt an arm wrap around her shoulder, and she suddenly noticed Wesley standing next to her.

"Why are you so worried?"

"Wh- I just, I just...I don't know...I just feel less safe right now…" She confessed, on the brink of tears. This was terribly reminiscent of the Dawnusk terror attack. She had been practically hiding behind Wesley during that entire ordeal. When the panic struck, she had been gripped by terror and panic.

And here she was, suffering all the same. She felt weak, almost powerless to this inability to move against the grain.

"Sayori, look at me."

And so Sayori lifted her eyes up to meet Wesley's. And once more, she was unable to take her eyes off him. She had no idea what it was, whether it was her romantic interest in this man, or because of the calming aura he emitted off of him, the caring, understanding expression he held.

"It doesn't matter where we are or what we've done, I'm going to protect you."

That single sentence lifted Sayori's heart. She hadn't felt this type of strong feeling in so long, that it was almost an addiction for such emotions.

"I lo-"

Sayori stopped herself in her tracks. She had only known this person for around a month. Even if he was doing all the right things, she didn't want to rush into something like this, especially in a world like this, in a group like this.

"...sorely want to get out of here." She suddenly said, changing directions from her previous comment intent.

Wesley nodded, and Sayori felt horrible for having tricked him in such a manner.

"We're going to be out of here in just a few minutes or so. Just need to find the exit and we'll be long gone after then."

Sayori found comfort in his words as he turned back, facing the group's direction once more. And yet, she couldn't shake an unsettling feeling when she glanced over to see the deathly grim expressions on Rulf and Wolfe's faces.

Half a day passed as the crew continued making their way towards the border of Uropa and Neriac. There were only a few stops, until the biggest stop came at around 6 in the evening. Wolfe decided it was about time for the first training regime.

"Alright, all of you." He started. Everyone else in the group (save for Annis, who was watching the training) was grouped together, their buckler shields strapped to their arms.

"We are going to be getting started in our defensive strategies. After all, as one wise philosopher said, "Better to do no harm and avoid injury than to bring harm and be unable to bear the consequences."

It was visibly clear that no one in the group was particularly inspired by the quote except for Malyn and Yuri, who simply stood there gazing admiringly at Wolfe.

"What amazing words…" She muttered.

"Indeed!" Malyn agreed. "I must keep this verse in mind."

Rulf inwardly groaned. If the entire journey was going to be like this, he might be moving to another country instead of finishing this mission.

"The first thing we must learn is to form a basic shield wall. I will give you five seconds to form a straight line of shields. Ready-set-GO!"

Everyone was thrown off by the sudden call to action, and it took a good bit more than five seconds to form the shield wall. Wolfe shook his head.

"Took too long. We're all expected to respond to any sudden threats within a very short timeframe."

"Why don't you join in the formation, my lord?" Rulf confronted him sarcastically. Wolfe exhaled loudly.

"Because I already know how to form a shield wall, Rulf. I am not the one who needs training on this. Now, let's start from the beginning. Ready-set-GO!"

After a few minutes, the group took a break, with most of them stumbling or falling to the ground in great fatigue.

"Fuck...me…" Rulf panted. "Do we...have...any water…?"

Wolfe pulled out a few small rations of jerky from his travel bag, grinning wickedly and tapping the several leather water flasks sitting on the bedroll next to his tree-stump chair.

"They're right over here, my friends. Why don't you come and take a sip?"

"You...you're an evil bastard…" Rulf hissed, coughing after his vitriolic accusation.

"Can't you...just bring us them?" Natsuki panted, one of the most exhausted from holding the shield.

"Please...just bring them over…" Sayori wheezed, also being one of the most exhausted from holding her shield for so long. Much to their dismay, Wolfe shook his head.

"You've all got to learn to push yourselves to survival even when you've been drained of all your energy." Wolfe advised. "You can't very well live a long and happy life if you die early on in one of the many Akrifan deserts, because you were too tired to reach the oasis only a few miles away, now can you?"

"What a stupid, fringe scenario…" Wesley huffed.

"Still a scenario that can happen." Wolfe retorted.

Of course, after this session, once dusk began to approach, Wolfe intended to have a fulfilling dinner cooked and ready.

"No, no, Rulf-" He started, walking over towards Rulf. "You're not standing correctly when you hold the shield. You want to position your legs forward. Brace your back leg while leaning slightly into your bent front leg. Otherwise, you're going to get knocked over by whatever careening basterd comes running into you."

Rulf looked down at his legs, groaning in frustration.

"You want me to face my damn feet forward, too?" Rulf complained. "This feels wrong."

"Well, of course it feels wrong, you haven't ever held a shield before, I assume?"

Rulf shot Wolfe a disgruntled expression.

"Don't glare at me." Wolfe accused him. "I'm trying to teach you this so you can save your own life when it comes to it. Besides, the shield you're holding isn't even that big."

"What?!" Rulf said in outrage. Wolfe pointed at Malyn's shield, which was almost half the size of Rulf. Rulf pursed his lips and nodded.

"Alright, point made."

Wolfe walked along the line of shields, picking out various problems with each member. As he came upon Malyn, he was intimidated as he glanced way upwards, towards his eyes.

They were focused, as if he were actually in combat. His stance was perfect, and his massive shield covered the bottom part of his torso and his knees, as usual combatants would find it easier to swing for his legs than his face or upper body. Even the huge claymore in his other hand seemed somewhat small in reference to his massive height.

Wolfe almost couldn't get over it. How they came to get a beast like him in this party was a mystery, especially someone with such an odd personality as his, playing a confident, upstanding individual every second.

"Is it good, Master Wolfe?" Malyn inquired with a grin.

"Yeah...it's good." He muttered.

As the sun dipped over the horizon, the training came to its end. The group was beyond wiped out, tripping over their own supplies and the makeshift log seats they placed around their campfire, which was tucked in a small clearing surrounded by trees only a few dozen meters away from the road.

Malyn, who was one of the only people not fatigued after the training, volunteered to go and chop down a tree for the seats and the campfire, while Wolfe told them he was going to go hunting for a bit for rabbits and other small animals.

As Wolfe walked by Malyn, who was obliterating a tree with an axe in hand, Malyn called out to him.

"Hey, Wolfe…" He began with a half smile. "Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to ask: Didn't we buy supplies for food? Why are we hunting for our meals?"

Wolfe seethed, wanting to lash out at Malyn. He had been told by Wesley, before their departure, about the hefty cost of Malyn's reckless actions at the bar. All he wanted to do right now was shout at Malyn. However, he knew that such a decision would screw up relations with Malyn, and the last thing he needed before a months-long trip was an ugly feud with a 7'4" psychotic beast.

However, he had to tell Malyn about his fuck-ups. Otherwise, the giant was going to go around and act recklessly even more.

"Malyn," Wolfe began, starting off with a cautious tone, so as to try and not severely upset Malyn, for fear of him lashing out. "When we attacked that bar, you costed us a lot of the funding for the trip, because you...caused a lot of damage, and we had to pay out of pocket for the repair, or we wouldn't have gotten out of town."

Malyn's upbeat attitude dropped as his face fell in despair.

"Wait...I...what?"

Wolfe was silent in surprise. He hadn't expected such a guilty-sounding response from Malyn.

"Um…"

Malyn turned back to the tree, staring at it with a disheartening look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Wolfe."

Wolfe's eyes widened. He was genuinely confused by Malyn's patterns and behavior. One moment, he was caving in skulls without remorse, the next he was being upstanding, defending his fellow travelers and expressing dismay at his own bad actions.

This is a dangerous one, Wolfe thought to himself. He deeply hoped Malyn wasn't the type to kill someone, then be shocked by their death and mourn them a day later. He had already dealt with someone like that, in the most unpleasant circumstances.

"Wolfe."

Wolfe was jerked out of his deep thought.

"Y...es?"

Malyn placed his hand on his chest, his face solemn.

"I am very sorry I did that. I will be much more considerate of my actions in the future. I want to be a helpful member of the team.

Fuck this team, Wolfe thought in disdain. And yet, at the very least, he was thankful that Malyn showed responsibility. He himself had felt that he had misjudged Malyn somewhat.

He hoped.

Within the hour, Malyn had the seats and campfire assembled, before Wolfe came back 30 minutes later, three rabbits in hand.

As Wolfe began skinning and cleaning the rabbits, the group sat around the fire hungrily. Malyn took his place beside Natsuki once he had finished setting up and starting the center fire. He took the large egg from Natsuki's bag and placed it in his lap, allowing it to warm up by the fire. This was a tradition she and him had carried on for some days now, after Natsuki began becoming paranoid of the egg dying in the cold.

"Tog," Rulf mumbled. "I've been craving a meal since midday."

"We ate jerky, didn't we?" Natsuki reminded him.

"That's not a meal." Rulf asserted. "I'm talking about a fill-your-belly-up type meal, like this one is about to be. That training session wiped me out."

"Eh," Natsuki muttered. "I've dealt with longer periods of time."

The group was silent for a few moments as everyone looked into the fire, or at their surroundings.

"So…" Rulf hesitated. "Are we...actually doing this mission?"

Everyone looked up at him, all with different expressions.

"Wha...What ever do you mean by that, Rulf?" Malyn asked. Meanwhile, Wesley and Wolfe were giving Rulf looks of curious agreement.

"I mean, what's to stop us from ditching this mission and going on some other adventure while this war is sorted out?" Rulf suggested. "After all, I'm sure the grand King Brommel probably already sent a dozen other parties of people to go and assassinate this Archdick. Why don't we just let them take on the task and go explore the country?"

Wesley rubbed his chin, while Malyn looked at him with distaste.

"What are you speaking of, Rulf?!" Malyn questioned. "I understand you may not want to do this mission, but it's still a mission from the King. If he were to find out of our treachery-"

"How's he gonna find out?" Rulf argued. "For all he would ever know, we could just be taking the long and cautious trail towards our mission. If it just so happens that the target is killed beforehand-"

"I'm sure the King didn't just send us on this mission," Wesley interjected. "Just so we could run off and do our own thing without him knowing. I'm sure he knows that he forced us into this, and I am doubly sure he has measures to keep us in line if we try and desert our task."

"Oh, come on, let's be realistic here." Rulf retorted. "You think he just has eyes in the sky, or sumn?"

"That's exactly what I am saying." Wesley said, with a grim expression. "This is the King we're talking about here. A King who controls a very large and very powerful, flourishing kingdom. He likely has hundreds, if not thousands of powerful magic users at his disposal, and many are likely equipped with stealth abilities."

"I left my farm back there." Wolfe suddenly spoke up. "And no one to tend to it. My crops could be taken, by house looted or burned down. Every day we go further from our home, the more likely I'll return to all of my work, gone."

He lifted up the skinned and cleaned rabbits, bringing them over to the fire and sticking them on the spit.

"I didn't sign up for this. I was forced into this mission. And I damn sure don't want to continue getting jerked around like some sort of expendable pawn. I didn't forge my entire life, up to this point, just to needlessly die in some forgettable war."

He looked up at everyone, his eyes filled with scornful determination.

"So we're going to finish this stupid fucking mission, and we're going to do it as quickly as possible, so we can all get back to our lives, sooner rather than later. We're going to assassinate that dumbfuck, get out, and run all the way back to Brimmen."

There were no expressions of joy. The fireside was filled with a somber atmosphere, as everyone began to understand the situation they were really in.

And, one by one, they slowly nodded. Rulf let out a subtle, angry sigh.

"Then let's fuckin' mission over with."

"By the way, Natsuki," Wesley began. "How is that egg doing?" He asked, pointing to the large, black dragon egg resting comfortably in Malyn's lap. As if on cue, the egg miraculously shook slightly, much to everyone's shock.

"What the- Did that thing just move?!" Rulf squeaked. Realizing how un-manly he sounded, he cleared his throat.

Meanwhile, Natsuki's eyes lit up in delight, laying her hands on the egg in glee.

"It's actually alive!" She squealed.

"Would've made a great omelette." Wolfe muttered, as he took a swig of his water pouch. Natsuki shot a glare at him.

"I won't let you touch him." She said defensively.

"What're you gonna name it?" Wesley asked. Natsuki adopted a thinking expression for a moment.

"...I'm not sure. I've got a few on my mind, but nothing solid yet. I want to see what it looks like before I name it."

"Do you know if it's male or female?"

"...I'm not sure."

Wesley seemed alarmed by this.

"Well, I hope you do find out before it comes out of that egg. The differences between how male dragons and female dragons interact is startling and terrifying."

"What do you mean?" Natsuki asked.

"Male dragons are more defensive in their habits. They're more likely to guard their treasures or home than to go out attacking and killing things. Females are the exact opposite, though they will defend their nest vehemently when it comes to offspring. They're far worse to deal with. I haven't met a soul besides you who has managed to actually raise dragons, though there are myths and legends of people who've supposedly 'tamed' dragons and rode them, even less who actually used them."

Natsuki was dismayed by his explanation.

"Are you saying...that I shouldn't take care of this dragon?"

"I mean..I'm not saying that, but I definitely would not recommend keeping it around after it's hatched. No one in this group has an inkling of how to care for a dragon, and I'd largely prefer not to get roasted or eaten on this journey, if it does hatch."

Natsuki looked as if she were about to cry, when she wiped her tears and wrapped her arms around the egg once more.

"No!" She persisted. "I'm going to raise this baby as my own!"

Wesley emitted a deep sigh.

"Yeah...I thought you'd say that. Well, on the upside, if you do manage to tame this thing without getting us all killed or burned alive, we're going to have the best ace up the sleeve."

By the next day, they were traveling once more. The clopping of the horses' hooves, the twitter of the birds, the soft wind that blew through the valleys and trees, the beautiful sight of a fantastical landscape, filled with all sorts of adventures and wondrous experiences...

Monika soaked in everything. Where once she would have been overstimulated by these senses, she instead felt pure bliss. She felt right. Like she was a jigsaw piece that was finally placed in the right spot, with her whole existence.

If there was one place she could have chosen for paradise, it was here. A place she never could have imagined, one of indescribable beauty and exciting adventures. Where she was once a narcissistic, pessimistic, desperate girl ready to do anything to live an actual life, she was now upbeat and positive every day she woke up to see the sky.

A real sky.

As the sunlight rose over the horizon, she felt the same, uplifting sensation that mirrored her first emergence into this world. She took a deep breath, taking in the crisp, fresh air, indulging in all of her worldly senses.

What an immeasurable gift it was for her to be truly alive. Whoever gave her this gift, she promised to herself, would receive an eternal debt from her, that could never really be repaid.

But she decided the best way to do it would be to enjoy as much of this life as she could.

"Monika."

She looked back down at Rulf, who was looking back at her.

"Yes, my love?"

Rulf blushed as she said the word with gusto.

"Erm...we're heading into a village, named Omanes, so make sure to prepare."

"I will."

"...You seem more upbeat than usual, something I thought impossible. What's the occasion?"

Monika smiled from ear to ear.

"I'm just happy to be alive."

Rulf inadvertently smiled at hearing the statement, though he tried hiding it.

"...I'm glad to hear that."

They trotted to the front of the village, before getting on foot and wrapping the horse reins around a pole, all except for Malyn, who had walked the entire way, not showing much fatigue. Wolfe shook his head when he glanced at the behemoth rotating his arms and stretching.

"I can't believe this beast of a man exists." He muttered to himself.

They began making their way around the village, Wesley holding a to-do list of things to deal with. Supplies were the highest priority, mainly consisting of buying a few small Yarts, which were portable shelters that were flexible and could be set up and broken down very easily. They originated from the Mognik Empire, and began growing in popularity among large groups of travelers for years now.

Originally, Wesley wanted to buy one large Yart for the whole group, but it would be too clumsy to carry around. They would need some large, bulky animals to carry the bigger Yarts, like oxen, felders or roxcra.

He marked this first goal off the list, after having sent Rulf to go buy them. He knew him better than anyone else in this group, with Wolfe being a close second. He would have sent Wolfe, but he knew that Rulf had certain...talents, that allowed him to make shopping much more efficient.

He sent Wolfe to go and sell the various pelts he got from small animals he hunted, just so he could keep extra coin on him for emergencies. They were getting down to the smallest pouch of travel funds now, and Wesley was dreading the scavenging and hunting the group would have to do in the future.

Meanwhile, during his break with Monika, Rulf spent his hours casually chilling at an outdoor table, where he had bought high-quality bread for both him and Monika at a low price, which he paid for out of his personal funds. They were spending their time enjoying the bread, after having to suffer such little nutrition the day before.

Monika was digging into her bread with delight, while Rulf casually eavesdropped on nearby conversations during the lunch period.

"...Tell you what, I'm not fuckin' goin' 'ta Itrala anytime soon."

Rulf tuned in on one particular conversation that sparked his interest.

"Whaddya mean, man?" The other recipient of the conversation asked.

"Didn't ya 'ear 'bout that 'Mountain Mother' they keep prattlin' on abou'? HUGE fuckin' beast, said to dwarf any city in this world with its sheer size. Fuck, man, and I was just gonna go see the Parytian Mountains, right where they said the fucker was gonna be 'angin' around."

"Never 'eard o' this 'Mountain Mother. Mind enlightenin' me dumb arse?"

"Ye, sure. It used 'ta be a legend, till we started discoverin' bastards like this. Big fuckin' monsters that just moved about as they pleased, causin' mounds of unpleasantry for the smaller chodes like us. It's basically one, big, giant mountain, with holes in both sides of its peak that emit smoke, for whatever reason, and a hole in the front bottom of its whatever-the-fuck, where it sucks in energy to keep moving."

By this point, Rulf was almost completely engulfed in the conversation, curious as to what this beast was precisely.

"That's all I know about it."

WHAT?! Rulf thought in outrage. The story was just gettin' good!

"What're you focused on, Rulf?" Monika asked.

"Ah, nothin' much, just some bullshit-"

As he turned to look back at Monika, he was suddenly paralyzed with affection. Bread crumbs hung off Monika's cheeks, even as she smiled.

"Monika."

Monika swallowed a piece of bread, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Yes, my love?"

Rulf couldn't resist it any longer. He leaned forward, grabbing Monika by the shoulders, and pulling her into a deep-seated kiss. She was surprised at first, then melted into his hold, absorbed in the kiss.

Rulf felt a deep, rhythmic pounding in his heart. Every single day that he spent with her, the more he wanted to propose to her, move somewhere, and settle down with her. He would often break into tears every night, thinking about all the different places he could move to with her, only to be stifled by this worthless, stupid, pathetic FUCKING mission.

If he could just ditch this mission, or finish it, or whatever other fucking options he had. He felt- no, he knew he was beyond lucky to come upon such a sensible, beautiful, charming, smart, funny and wonderful woman such as Monika. All he wanted was to put a ring on her finger and spend the rest of his life with her, in a house, in a place where war was scarce and prosperity was growing.

Even in this moment of romance, he couldn't contain the tears from falling from his eyes. He had spent only a month or two with this woman, and he was already falling head over heels for her. It was pathetic, but he didn't give a single fuck.

He just wanted to marry her. He released his lips from hers.

"I promise you, Monika," Rulf began. "Either we die together or we live to start a life of our own. I swear on it."

Monika gazed at him with those shifting, emerald eyes, filled with infatuation and wonder.

"Yes, my love." She answered. "I'll do anything you want. Anything. Wherever you go, I go."

Rulf nodded, his entire body shaking uncontrollably. Was this love, or infatuation? Was this a trap, or what he should be experiencing at this moment?

It didn't matter to him one bit. He was caught up in the romance. If he perished to it, then so be it. But otherwise…

He would, without a doubt and after this mission, start a life with Monika.

And so, night came once more, as the group set up their Yarts a few dozen feet away from their campfire. Wolfe had once more gone hunting, this time with Malyn and Rulf, while the four girls went scavenging for various berries and fruits laden around the area.

By the time the darkest point of night was upon them, the boys had caught four rabbits and a deer, while the girls had gotten several dozen berries and a few variety of fruits, most of which none of them knew about.

Wolfe sifted through the berries, separating the poisonous and keeping the edible. Sayori felt a shiver run through her body as she watched Wolfe sift through the poisonous berries. She was terrified of the reality where Wolf wasn't here to differentiate the poisonous from the edible.

By the time the darkest point of the night came about, they had prepared a meal for the entire group. Substantial meat servings paired with a few berries as appetizers.

The entire party wolfed down their meal, enjoying their nutritious servings sparingly. They weren't entirely sure that their meals would be just as consistent the next night.

Sayori looked at her plate with dismay. She had never, once in her life, been afraid of seeing an empty plate. Now, she dreaded the idea of going hungry for days on end. She hoped it would not be a nightmare that came to fruition.

After the meal, the group split off into two sub-groups, with Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri spending time together a few dozen feet away, recollecting memories, and the rest of the group gathering around the campfire. It wasn't a particularly cold night, though the fire provided a comforting warmth to it.

Monika simply listened as Rulf and the others talked about various things they encountered in the village they had recently passed, from unpleasant/pleasant experiences, to their own thoughts. Her jealousy began to skyrocket as they began moving onto a very particular subject.

"I don't know about you guys," Wesley started. "But there were some lookers in that hamlet. Like damn, some of those women had some luggage on them."

Wolfe snickered.

"Yeah, I gotta agree." He muttered drunkenly. The boys had consumed a serious amount of alcohol. "There was one girl who-"

They continued talking about the various women in the village, and their various assets, as Monika listened. She could care less what the others had to say, but she felt her own jealousy and anger spike every time Rulf pitched in.

"Yeah," Rulf started drunkenly, ale pitcher in hand. "There was this one woman-"

He felt something softly tap him in the arm, and he looked over to see Monika's face, ever so smiling. She leaned in, whispering in his ear.

"Hey, Rulf." She whispered. "I'm not really...feeling this conversation."

Rulf's face depressed considerably.

"Oh, Tog, Monika, I'm sorry, I didn't even think about-"

"No, it's fine, Rulf!" She reassured him. "I know what you mean. I was just wondering...If you could just maybe move this topic onto something else…"

She scooted towards him, moving her hand around his torso.

"...I'd be glad to give you my gratitude, in return."

Rulf felt his libido spike as Monika slowly inched her hand toward his crotch. The first thing he wanted to do to her-

Oh fuck.

He looked up to see the three other drunken lads staring at him with both envy and confusion. He tried to quickly move conversations as he slowly moved Monika's hand, attempting to divert the topic.

"Uh, Monika," He started. "You wouldn't mind going over 'ta chat with those girls, would ya?"

"I would mind." She whispered in his ear. He clenched up. The last thing he wanted was to look like an idiot in front of these three.

"You...sure?" He inquired.

"I'm sure."

"Wait, Monika," Malyn asked. "Could you invite the others over here? I'm not sure why they're spending all their time over there, in the dark, but we should come together, as a group."

"Erm…"

Monika was still largely hesitant to speak to the other girls at all. She knew they all held a deep grudge against her, at some level. After all, she had been a horrible antagonist towards them in the past world, something she was clearly aware of since she had emerged in this world.

Nonetheless, she wanted to make sure that she didn't outcast herself to this group, even if Rulf supported her all the way. She wanted to actually go on an adventure, or multiple.

"...Sure." She eventually said. "I'll...go tell them."

She went over and exchanged a few precarious words with the three, who spoke with her for a few moments. Eventually, they nodded, then moved over to the main campfire, rubbing their arms in assurance as the heat warmed them up.

"This...is much better." Yuri confirmed, sighing at the source of warmth.

"I agree." Natsuki pitched in.

From there, conversation naturally progressed, and Monika took her seat by Rulf once more more. He looked up at her, his face full of pride.

"I know that was probably tough as fuck," He started. "But, I just want you to know that I am impressed." He said, with a smile. Monika smiled back.

"Well, I'd rather this not happen too much," She began. "But...thank you, Rulf. No matter what happens, I want to stick by you."

"Aaaahhh," Rulf moaned. "To be honest, I can't really understand what yer sayin'. But...just know that I'm glad yer with me, Monika."

He grabbed her cheeks, something she found delightful.

"I'm glad yer here with me, Monika. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather have by my side than you."

Monika's grin grew from ear to ear.

"I'm glad to hear that, my love. I won't let you down."

Rulf released her face, staring into his mug drunkenly.

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered. "Just don't say any weird shit like that in the future."

And yet, he laughed. And Monika was glad to be here. To experience this.

To experience life.