《Untitled Isekai》


 Prologue: Just a Normal Day

    My body tensed up as I watched the cone of light shining in the hallway sweeping through the room where I hid, catching my breath as it passed by my hiding spot. As the light swept through the room, I couldn¡¯t help but to notice another hidden amongst the shadows, trying to creep silently to gain a better vantage of our hunter. I swore silently in my head as I helplessly watched the fool, sure that they would give the us away. It had felt like minutes had passed, when I felt my lungs burning, I remembered that I had forgotten to breathe. Desperate for air I released the stale air in my lungs in an audible gasp. Immediately I covered my mouth with my hands in an attempt to silence myself again. Fortunately our pursuer had already moved on and didn¡¯t hear my gasping for air, unfortunately though the shadow that was creeping around the room heard me and stood up directly into a bookcase, resulting in a perceivable thunk. Unable to control myself, probably due to the lack of oxygen to my brain, I burst into laughter before smothering it again, when suddenly our hunter quickly came around the corner again shining the light directly into my eyes.


    ¡°Aha! I found you!¡± He announced before switching on the lights and noticing the source thunk that he had heard in the other room. The sudden burst of light rendered me temporarily blind, so I stood there blinking quickly to help my eyes adapt to the sudden change of light. When my eyes adjusted, I looked up to see my two friends sitting in the middle of a pile of books. The grin fading from my lips as I went over and checked out any damage that may have been caused by the sudden collision with the bookshelf. I was unsurprised to see the fair Grace, whose name could only be described as unfortunate, was the cause of the commotion. Parting her light brown curls I searched for any signs of blood or any other obvious injuries, satisfied that she appeared fine I offered her my hand to help her up. She continued to be in a bit of a daze, so while she sat composing herself, I took the opportunity to assess the damages to the bookshelf which appeared to sustain a fair bit more damage than Grace herself. Thanking the fact that Grace is more durable than she appears, I started humming lightly while picking up the books and piling them onto the desk that I was previously hiding under.


    Dusting off my hands, satisfied with the haphazard book pile that I created, I turn to my friends declaring ¡°Well, it¡¯s time to find Mary.¡± Hunter, our less fair friend who shared his name with his temporary occupation, looked up and nodded in response as he gave his hand to Grace, who accepted it as she stood up a bit shakily. The two of them stood staring into each other¡¯s eyes when I let out a ¡°ahem,¡± and they quickly turned away from each other, faces flushed. I pretended to not notice their red cheeks, prompting to instead pick up the flashlight and exit the room, giving a cheeky wink and stupid grin before turning the light off. A few seconds later, slightly disappointed but not surprised, I noticed two sets of steps following behind me.


    10 minutes of fruitless searching later, I eventually got bored and started calling out for our last friend to reveal herself. A bright and chipper hello could be heard from Mary who had seemed to just appear behind us even if it would be hard to miss the tall muscular girl in broad daylight.


    I shook my head and stared at her as I asked ¡°Were you hiding in the rafters again? You still remember what happened last time don¡¯t you?¡±


    She laughed and shook her head ¡°Yeah I remember, but I also see that you broke that shelf in the study.¡±


    I sighed as I remembered the time she had cracked one of the wooden beams in the foyer that had luckily been only cosmetic ¡°That¡¯s not the same and you know it, besides where were you hiding all this time?¡±


    She laughed again and stated, ¡°I was right behind Hunter this entire time.¡± This didn¡¯t surprise Hunter as he shook his head and let out a chuckle and I let out a snort as well, while Grace continued to look amazed and confused at our apparent apathy to this feat. Knowing that Mary was a trained and accomplished Dancer/Gymnast/Martial Artist/Probably Trained Assassin had the two of us completely unphased by this revelation. Starving from hiding and searching, I headed into the kitchen, picked up a paper plate and a couple slices of pizza, and sat at the counter spinning lightly on one of the barstools. The two girls joined me at the counter with slices of pizza while Hunter went to the fridge to get some sort of creation that he had made earlier mostly out of chickpeas and tofu.


    I pointed at his creation with a slice of pizza and proposed ¡°You know I can¡¯t understand how you can eat that stuff when this tastes so good.¡±


    He ignored the pizza and decided to answer the question in a rehearsed manner ¡°It¡¯s a lifestyle choice and I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t understand, you would eat anything as long as someone told you that it was edible.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong¡± I started, taking note of his upraised eyebrow, ¡°they would have to tell me it tastes good too.¡± I finished my sentence and slice of pizza and dramatically turned away from him, crossed my arms and went ¡°humph.¡± Hunter followed my cue and turned away in a similarly dramatic matter, causing Grace to panic a little as she repeatedly opened and closed her mouth and waved her hands in front of her. Mary however seemed to have caught on to us and started laughing at the three of us as I went over to hug Grace and said ¡°You¡¯re so cute you know that right¡± giving her a little kiss on the head and quickly added ¡°He knows it too¡± pointing backwards at Hunter before he turned away again, this time to hide his red cheeks. I laughed it off as I went to the fridge to take a beer that Hunter¡¯s dad had stored in the fridge.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Hunter said, in an attempt to interrupt me in my quest for a bottle opener ¡°You know that¡¯s my dad¡¯s and that you¡¯re not 21 yet, right?¡±If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°Relax Hunter, it¡¯s alright. Besides I¡¯ve had a few brews with your old man before.¡± I said casually, before finally finding the drawer that had a bottle opener in it. ¡°And besides¡± I said motioning with the bottle opener, ¡°I turn 21 in a few weeks and there aren¡¯t any cops here, right? Sooo ¡­¡± I continued, popping open the bottle ¡°I think it¡¯s fine¡± and took a sip of the beer. ¡°Eugh too bad it¡¯s lite beer¡± I finished, as I looked in the fridge for a soda.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t think you should drink it¡± Hunter said quietly underneath his breath.


    ¡°Blah blah blah, I can¡¯t hear you. Now would either of you like to join me in my trip to inebriation?¡± I proposed while popping open a can of diet soda, once again disappointed that Hunter¡¯s mom had convinced his dad to take better care of himself. Seeing no takers, I shrugged and took another slice of pizza and sat down downing beer, pizza, and soda equally.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t see how you¡¯re not 1000 pounds yet¡± Hunter stated, ignoring my glare ¡°You eat more than Mary and all you do is laze around all day.¡±


    I scoffed at him and stated, ¡°Thou should never query a lady about thine weight tis rude¡± and started chomping on the fourth piece of pizza that I had gotten today. ¡°And besides, my ladylike figure is from hard work and dedication.¡±


    ¡°You mean all the dudes that you have been doing?¡± Hunter retorted, as he stood up and nearly knocked the pizza box over as he slammed his hands on the counter.


    I scoffed at him for a second time and shook my head indignantly, replying with another over the top response, ¡°Tis most rude to intrude on the going ons of a woman and I for one am not one to kiss and tell¡± pausing before continuing ¡°except if they are quite cute.¡± Thoroughly satisfied with my defense, I proceeded with my counterattack ¡°What about you Sir Rivera, I¡¯ve seen how you and Miss Thomas have been acting around each other lately.¡±


    Blushing heavily for at least the third time tonight Hunter stammered out ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡­ not like I don¡¯t like Grace like that¡± the last few words barely a whisper. ¡°Why are you bringing her into this? She doesn¡¯t deserve this Hope.¡±


    Making a sound that I had previously thought only dinosaurs could make, I went over to Hunter, shoved my beer bottle in his face, and cautioned ¡°Take that back Rivera.¡± My face glowing a similar shade of red, mostly due to alcohol and some due to rage ¡°You know I don¡¯t use that name anymore.¡±


    Our glaring contest was interrupted by Mary who had gotten up, picked up and opened two beers and sat back to enjoy our show ¡°Now stop it you two, you¡¯re scaring Grace again.¡±


    Noticing that she was right as usual I stopped, gave a ¡°Sorry mom,¡± and went over to squeeze Grace ¡°sorry Grace¡± I said and booped her nose, ¡°and I¡¯m sorry to you too Hunter.¡± I finally finished processing the information that Mary had taken two bottles I stared at her and waved at the bottles. ¡°So are you drinking two at a time? Even I don¡¯t do that unless we¡¯re looking for a good time.¡±


    She shook her head and said, ¡°No I got one for Grace, she wanted to try it and asked me to get one before you two started arguing.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± I said caught off guard, never having expected Grace to be the type of person to drink. ¡°Well why didn¡¯t you say something when I offered you some earlier?¡± as I got up close to her face and took in every detail in her soft brown eyes noticing that they had a bit of green in them, reminding me of my own bright green eyes. Resisting the urge to give her another kiss, I backed up and slapped Hunter on the back to rouse him from his stupor.


    I heard a small ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡± and I put my hands next to my ear to feign ignorance to his statement. ¡°I¡¯m Sorry¡± his face got redder than it had any time before tonight ¡°I¡¯m sorry that I called you that, I know how you feel about that name, Alex. So, you know I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just never call me that ever again¡± I said and gave him the biggest fake smile I could possibly muster while also attempting to put some killing intent behind it.


    ¡°Ooooh scary¡± Mary mused ¡°Why do you never join the plays? You seem to be quite the actor, if I do say so myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a more of a behind the scenes type of gal you know¡± I replied, ¡°and besides the people are much more entertaining and less fake.¡±


    Mary nodded at this fact ¡°Yeah any of the actors I talk to either don¡¯t seem to like me or they want to get in my pants or both¡± shuddered she continued ¡°and it¡¯s the latter that scares me the most.¡±


    ¡°Me too¡± I agreed ¡°but if any of them tried to make a move on you it would be game over for them¡± I smiled a little at the thought and remembered the first and incidentally last person to smack Mary¡¯s ass. Not like I hadn¡¯t thought of doing the same once or twice or basically every time I see her, but hearing his wrist crack was enough to deter anyone from ever thinking of doing it ever again. Mesmerized by the thought of Mary¡¯s butt I was brought back to reality by Grace¡¯s giggles as she swayed slightly in her chair, obviously a bit of a lightweight. Unable to resist Grace¡¯s infectious giggles, perhaps due to my own slight intoxication, I joined in with a slightly heartier laugh, only stopping to breathe and not fall over. Slightly confused about the sudden weakness in my body dismissing any odd feelings I felt, I got another slice of pizza and plopped onto the couch searching for the remote. I heard groan behind me and ignored it, as I had found the ever elusive tv remote ¡°Who wants to watch a movie???¡±


    ¡°Ooooh what are we watching?¡± Grace asked expectantly.


    I shrugged, knowing full well that they couldn¡¯t see me and replied, ¡°I don¡¯t know, let¡¯s figure it out.¡± A few minutes of intense debate later and a vehement refusal from Grace to watch any horror movies, even with my offer to hold her, we decided to watch the latest superhero movie. Mary hadn¡¯t watched a lot of the other superhero movies, so we had to explain a lot of the plot details to her. Watching the movie ended up taking almost twice as long as it should have. Hunter and Grace seemed to really like it even though Mary and I thought that it had too many characters to keep track of. After another hour or so and a few more beers, everyone was sleeping in the living room Grace and Hunter sharing a chair, Mary sprawled over the entire couch, and I occupied the last chair. Feeling the warmness of the alcohol, I started to drift to sleep and as soon as I had closed my eyes, a blinding light jolted me immediately awake.

 Chapter 1: An Exciting New World

    Grace came to at the sounds of shouting and swords clashing all around her. She couldn¡¯t remember how she had gotten on the floor or why they were fighting all she could tell is that her friends were desperately fighting to protect her. The smell of blood and sweat had filled her nose intensifying as Hunter had slashed at an attacker that had gotten to close to Grace. She fought the urge to vomit and accepted the hand that Hunter had offered her after he noticed that she had finally awoken. Worriedly she looked around for her other friends that just moments before had been standing right next to her protecting her from the unknown attack force. Panic had started to set in before she noticed a familiar heap of red hair could be seen chasing after any of the straggling attackers that had begun to retreat followed by a familiar looking Amazonian woman in a breathtaking set of robes and a holding a similarly magnificent staff. Her sense of relief had been cut short as the sky had began to darken at an unnatural rate and the bodies on the ground began to rise again.


    Shortly before, Hunter had woken up confused in an unfamiliar rom sharing a bed with a pretty girl that he had been holding only moments before. Sleep still taking hold of his brain he slowly got up taking care not to disturb the mess of hair in his lap and arm loosely hanging off his chest he sat up taking a moment to digest his surroundings. He noticed a couple extravagant paintings hanging on the walls and a very ornate vase atop of a similarly impressive dresser, he also took notice of the slight discoloration of the walls around the paintings as if a larger painting once hung there. Satisfied with his observations of his surroundings he checked the mop of hair and the cute face that hid underneath it, unsurprised but very grateful to find it to be Grace he smiled slightly. Letting out a deep sigh he laid back in the lavish bed and for the first time he noticed the clinking of chainmail over his leather jerkin. Confusion once again filled his mind as his innate curiosity had taken over when he suddenly heard yelling from down the hall. An audible ¡°What the FUCK?¡± could be heard unmistakably from his close childhood friend Alex while less audible and less familiar voices could almost be heard trying to calm her down. Grace began to fidget in her sleep after this exclamation and Hunter quickly started stroking her head in an automatic motion trained by comforting many canines through many thunderstorms. This motion seemed to calm Grace immensely as she immediately stopped her fidgeting and her breathing returned to normal.


    Unbeknownst to Hunter at the time, Grace was continuing to have an extremely bad dream as her friends were slain by an endless horde of zombies until it only Hunter and she were left completely covered in blood struggling against a never-ending wave of zombies. Just as she assumed all hope was lost Hunter pointed out in the massive piles of bodies to Alex who was fighting her way through the zombies to Mary who was surrounded by a series of massive explosions. Suddenly full of courage she woke up to a loud ¡°What the FUCK?¡± coming from right outside her door and jolted upright nearly knocking Hunter¡¯s hand and her head into his. Scared she began to take in her surroundings as she felt a soothing sensation run through her body as Hunter¡¯s reflexes kicked in once again and he began scratching her head. Temporarily calmed down Grace relaxed a bit before realizing she was in an unfamiliar room and was unsure to who was scratching her head albeit in a very relaxing manner. She whipped her head around suddenly almost smacking her head into Hunter¡¯s head for the second time in the last minute she immediately relaxed again upon realizing who it was. She opened her mouth to speak before being interrupted by the door crashing in by Alex surrounded by quite a few strange people and followed by Mary. Completely surprised by this she closed her mouth only to open it again unable to form any words as she took in the sight before her. Alex had come in wearing a pair of billowy white robes with sleeves that had been rolled up as much as humanly possible surrounded by many maids and a pair of butlers. Mary had crept in behind her wearing a very slim dress that showed off more cleavage than Mary was obviously comfortable with and was wearing a very large pointy hat that made her look like a witch.


    ¡°What are you wearing?!?¡± Hunter barely go through as he struggled not to completely go into a fit of laughter.


    ¡°Shut Up¡± Alex retorted having fought off her handlers and continued her vain attempt to fight her robes into a manageable state.


    ¡°You look like an altar boy¡± continued Hunter as he struggled more and more not to laugh at her ridiculous get up.


    Grace let out a little giggle when she heard this and for the first time Alex noticed that it wasn¡¯t only Hunter in the room ¡°And what are you two doing hmmm?¡± Hunter suddenly stopped laughing and instead started to blush instead knowing full well that they haven¡¯t done anything when Alex continued ¡°And alone too if I might add hmmm.¡± Grace only continued to giggle as Hunter struggled to turn an even deeper shade of red than Mary who was already quite embarrassed by her own outfit and looked ready to shut down at the mention of the two alone together. ¡°What is wrong with her?¡± Alex asked as Grace had completely burst out laughing relieving a large amount of the tension that had been building in the room.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know maybe she¡¯s nervous¡± suggested Hunter as his face slowly returned to his normal pallor letting out a chuckle.


    ¡°You know what I think you two did do it while we were all sleeping¡± Alex said leaning in extremely close to Hunter.


    ¡°No, we didn¡¯t¡± Grace interjected very seriously ¡°It¡¯s just that this is so ridiculous¡± she continued letting out a long sigh of relief.


    Alex couldn¡¯t help but to stare at the outright denial that Grace had blatantly put there, not like she had actually believed that the two of them had actually done anything, but still she liked teasing Hunter anytime possible. ¡°So why do you two get some cool armor while the two of us are out here cosplaying for the fanboys? Well one of us at least.¡± Alex said, saying that last part underneath her breath though still loud enough for everyone to hear.


    ¡°Um¡­¡± Grace pondered not actually knowing what she or Hunter were actually wearing yet as she had woken up last. Looking down she noticed a very sleek set of leather armor that she could barely notice any more than the clothes she normally wore though it was nearly black a color she hardly ever wore.


    Grace was still lost in thought about her leather armor and missing clothes when Hunter broke the silence again ¡°I don¡¯t know, but what are you wearing?¡±


    ¡°Hell if I know, but you¡¯re right I look like a damn altar boy¡± Alex answered, ignoring the servants around her murmuring about her use of foul language already having used it at least twice before. ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here and find some new clothes Mary looks like she¡¯s about to die of embarrassment.¡± She continued nodding her head back at Mary when she mentioned her name.


    It was then that one of the servants cleared his throat and finally spoke up ¡°Excuse me,¡± Alex answered with a glare having become completely fed up with them in the past 5 minutes, but Hunter gave a polite ¡°Go on¡± and a head nod. ¡°The Royal King his Majesty would like to speak to you first if you would allow me,¡± he started before getting interrupted by Alex who already did not like this King of theirs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what ¡®The Royal King his Majesty¡¯ wants, what I want to get out of these bedsheets that you put me in.¡± Alex made sure to put special emphasis on the Royal King to show her immense disdain for the man.


    ¡°Well I for one think we have nothing to lose¡± Hunter argued ¡°maybe this King of theirs will give you some different clothes.¡± Hunter tried to reason ¡°And I don¡¯t think they¡¯re giving us much of a choice.¡± Looking to the servant who simply shook his head in agreement.


    ¡°Fine¡± Alex submitted ¡°Well lead the way ¡®Oh humble servant¡¯.¡± She motioned exaggeratedly towards the door.


    ¡°Follow me¡± the servant said relieved that they would finally listen regretting every moment that had led up to his meeting with Alex.


    The servant led the group of four down several corridors and hallways eventually leading them to a pair of extra-large doors that opened to the Throne Room. All along the way Hunter took great notice to every detail that he could, having spent many an afternoon in escape rooms his eyes had become very keen to odd patterns and things that were seemingly out of place. While Grace marveled at the detailed artworks and intricate artistry, Hunter noticed the places where the artworks were missing, and the simple flowers placed in ornate vases. And while Mary looked nervously side to side for anyone who might notice her in her revealing outfit Hunter noticed the lack of servants or guests that would be in these halls. Alex simply complained the entire way making the servant leading the way increasingly annoyed, and Hunter couldn¡¯t help but grin as he thought of the many years that he¡¯s had to deal with her. ¡®Poor Guy¡¯ thought Hunter ¡®Well if makes you feel any better it doesn¡¯t get any better you just learn to deal with it better¡¯. The servant went through the doors before them leaving them almost alone except for the two bored looking guards standing outside the set of doors that lead outdoors. Hunter couldn¡¯t help but be absorbed in his own thoughts easily ignoring Alex¡¯s usual complaints of being hungry only coming to when he felt Grace holding tightly onto his arm. Utilizing a proven method, he stroked her head continuing to be lost in thought until the servant finally came back out and announced, ¡°The Royal King his Majesty will see you now.¡± The last part joined in by Alex who had succeeded in annoying the servant while correctly assuming the words that he would use.

 Chapter 2: Meeting With a King

    A collection of dust swirled down as a pair of massive doors swung open revealing the peculiar group of heroes that had been summoned this afternoon. The King¡¯s servant a rather thin man with an equally thin mustache and head of hair meticulously groomed so not even a hair was out of place lead the group of four future adventurers into the throne room. Following behind was a warrior with tan skin and ruffled dark brown hair and a mousy looking rogue with fair skin and long curls of light brown hair clinging on to the warrior next to her. Walking in behind the two was the healer who looked like they had killed their bedsheets and decided to wear them as their trophy. She also wore a decidedly bored expression on her face which couldn¡¯t hide the excitement in her bright green eyes. Trailing behind them was a statuesque woman with raven hair framing her bright red face in a dress that left nothing to the imagination as the King took each of their appearances in.


    The King sat up straighter composing himself as he watched the motley group enter the throne room. He watched the warrior¡¯s eyes as they darted around the room taking everything in and looked away when they met his. Upon his evaluation of the four heroes the King couldn¡¯t help but to grin as most of the past heroes that had been sent to his kingdom had been underwhelmingly green and had experienced an early end. He could tell that these heroes were similarly inexperienced, but he could sense a great deal of potential in all of them particularly in the young rogue that had not dislodged herself from the warrior. He could also sense that they had developed a strong bond of trust between them and if it weren¡¯t for the naivety of them all, he could¡¯ve made the mistake that they had adventured before.


    The butler announced, ¡°I present to you His Royal Majesty King Rudolf III¡± and bent into a deep bow, interrupting the King¡¯s thoughts. The others followed suit and bowed except the healer who stood defiantly upright and refused even at the urgings of the warrior beside her. The butler and the three heroes rose from their bent positions as the irked servant began to recite ¡°Behold the Great Heroes: Hope Graham, Hunter Rivera, Grace Thomas, and Mirabelle Lafaille. May they bring peace to our realm¡± and ended with another bow. The mentioning of their names seemed to annoy the healer immensely and giving the butler a great amount of joy as he returned to his usual post attending to the king.


    The King let out a small cough and started in a low even voice just loud enough to be heard clearly ¡°My request may seem strange, but could you introduce yourselves?¡±


    The healer stepped forward immediately ¡°My name is Alex and if you ever call me that name again, I will slit your throats¡± and bowed very insincerely.


    Alex stepped back as the warrior took her place announcing clearly ¡°My name is Hunter; this is Grace and I deeply apologize for my friend your grace¡± resulting in a snort from Alex which prompted a glare from Hunter.


    The mage decided not to move and introduced herself in a small shaky voice ¡°My name is Mary¡± and gave a small bow.


    ¡°Excellent. My name is King Rudolf and now that the pleasantries have been dealt with, we can proceed.¡± The King replied already dedicated their names and faces holding onto a small hope that he wouldn¡¯t have to see them committed to another stone tablet commemorating their loss in battle.


    ¡°Now hold up,¡± Alex cutting off King Rudolf with her hand ¡°first off why am I dressed like this and secondly why did you need us to introduce ourselves you obviously know our names.¡±


    King Rudolf chuckled at the interruption bringing another layer of annoyance to his butler and the healer ¡°To answer your questions, it was not I who had given you your position of Healer nor was it I to assign the roles of your comrades. Instead they were given to you by the Mages who had summoned you here. Upon summoning they have given us naught apart from your names.¡±


    ¡°Well¡± Alex continued ¡°why am I wearing this ridiculous get up?¡±


    Rudolf looked confused at this question not being familiar with the term ¡®get up¡¯ and had never had to answer this question before. Though his face quickly changed from confusion to amusement as he answered, ¡°It is the traditional clothing of a healer and has been made to assist you in your endeavors.¡±


    Not quite satisfied with the King¡¯s answer or the robes that she had been given Alex asked, ¡°How did you put this on me??¡±


    Rudolf was once again stumped as no one had thought to question this in his time as king luckily, he was saved by his loyal subject ¡°When you arrived, you were already wearing that¡±


    the last part said with a level of contempt.


    ¡°Now does this solve everything?¡± Rudolf inquired only to receive a nod from Alex and the rest of the group. ¡°Good¡± he continued ¡°Now as I was saying before you were each brought here from another world to save this one from an almost certain destruction.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ¡°Oh god we¡¯re in one of those¡± Alex groaned.


    ¡°In desperate times of need a group of heroes is summoned to discover and eliminate that which threatens to destroy our kingdom¡± Rudolf continued ignoring the incessant groaning from Alex. ¡°We believe that the cause of our impending destruction would be the resurrection of the Great Necromancer Josh.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡± exclaimed Alex who had stopped her groaning and had instead started to laugh at the mention of Josh that was accompanied by a few suppressed giggles and snorts from the rest of her party.


    Rudolf was not as surprised by their reactions as many other adventurers had found his name humorous and continued once again ¡°Josh was one of the great heroes from long ago that became obsessed with necromancy after his beloved had fallen ill and died tragically. It was then reported that he had gone mad as any of his efforts to bring her back resulted in failure and he had to be taken out by his own party.¡±


    ¡°Whew¡± whistled Alex who had sat down after her fit of laughing had ended ¡°Now that¡¯s a deep backstory.¡±


    Rudolf nodded ¡°It was said that he had done a great amount of good in his time and his loss was detrimental to the kingdom at the time.¡± The King appeared to be lost in thought until his servant gave a small ¡°ahem¡± interrupting his musings. ¡°Sorry¡± he stated shaking his head slightly ¡°Where was I hmmm? Oh yes there have been sightings of undead to the far north of the kingdom and many merchants who have traveled those roads have been lost. These sightings have been confirmed by reputable sources and your first task would be to eliminate these undead and their source.¡± The King pondered again stopping his attendant¡¯s hand as it raised to interrupt him again ¡°But it would be unwise for you to go as you are now. So you shall be given no longer than a month and adequate preparations will be made for your journey and training.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me your majesty¡± Hunter interrupted this time ¡°what if we don¡¯t want to accept this adventure? It doesn¡¯t seem like you have much faith in us. Not to mention it looks like your kingdom appears to be in a financial deficit as there have been many spots where objects have been replaced or removed entirely. Furthermore you brought us here against our will and expect us to do your bidding just because there¡¯s some threat to your kingdom? Humans have overcome adversity before they can rebuild, they can ¡­¡± Hunter was interrupted by a resounding smack that left a glowing red mark on his face. ¡°Ow¡± he said quietly as he looked up at Alex who had previously slapped him in the face ¡°why did you do that?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re being a little bitch Hunter that¡¯s why.¡± Alex responded arms crossed across her chest and sleeves freed from their bindings hanging loosely around her wrists. ¡°Hunter how can you out of all of us here have no compassion for Christ¡¯s sake you absolute buffoon. Just because someone can live through the rough times doesn¡¯t mean they should, if we can help them in any way possible, I suggest we do it ¡­ Though I¡¯m not suggesting we risk our lives for it.¡± Hunter stood in a daze at this outburst forgetting how emotional Alex could be as she usually hid her emotions behind a fa?ade of general apathy. ¡°Well are you going to say anything?!?¡± Alex cried with her face red and tears teasing the corner of her eyes and threatening to flood her face and wash away any composure she had left.


    In an instant Mary¡¯s motherly instincts took over and she was already wiping Alex¡¯s tears before Hunter even had a chance to respond. She even took a handkerchief seemingly out of nowhere and had Alex blow her nose before reiterating Alex¡¯s last statement in a much sterner voice ¡°well are you going to say anything?¡±


    ¡°Umm ¡­¡± Hunter stammered unable to find the right words for the situation ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean to uhm ¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s ok, but you¡¯re still a little bitch¡± Alex stated sniffing in the last bit of snot that hung from her nose as Mary made the handkerchief disappear into her dress with no pockets. ¡°Just never suggest anything like that again and we¡¯re good¡± Alex finished with her snot covered hand outstretched to Hunter. ¡°Come on, do you want me to slap you again?¡± Alex proposed as Hunter stood there processing his emotions, finally deciding that a little bit of snot on his hands was better than it being applied liberally to his face via another slap.


    ¡°Ahem¡± King Rudolf interrupted ¡°May I make a suggestion?¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck I forgot about that guy¡± Alex stated shaking her head ¡°Alright if you tell anyone about this or about my name, I¡¯ll make sure they never find the bodies. Ok?¡±


    ¡°Noted¡± replied Rudolf ¡°If I may?¡± receiving a nod in response from Alex ¡°If you so desired, I could arrange for you to be sent back to your home world right now. However if you do not choose to accept this offer, then we would not send you back until after you have dealt with whichever evil that threatens this kingdom have been eliminated.¡±


    ¡°Well, guys I say we stay¡± Alex declared turning to face her comrades ¡°what do you guys think?¡± Alex finished this phrase looking directly at Hunter who had kept his head down for the past few minutes.


    ¡°I say we do it as well¡± Grace announced sending a bit of shock to the King as he hadn¡¯t heard her voice yet and didn¡¯t expect it to be as refined and light as it was.


    ¡°You know what? I agree as well¡± Mary chimed in evidently having lost any of the shame she had felt previously.


    "So what do you think little bitch?" Alex asked, "The vote has to be unanimous, but either way we''re not leaving here until you have said yes.¡±


    ¡°Fine¡± Hunter resigned. ¡°Once you guys set your mind on something, you¡¯re never going to let it go anyways.¡± Hunter finished finally raising himself from his slouched position.


    ¡°Excellent news!¡± Boomed the King ¡°Then we shall begin your training at once.¡±

 Chapter 3: The Church of Healers

    Hunter, Mary, Alex and Grace stood outside of the Throne Room a bit disheveled and confused, as they had been rushed out only moments prior without much more than a word. Mary had lost the fervor she had gained from before, and went back to her previous state of embarrassment, feeling the guards penetrating her with their gaze. The guards weren¡¯t actually paying attention to Mary as they had seen her before and were more interested in Alex trying to listen in the conversation happening inside. Alex pressed herself to the door harder and shushed at Hunter, who was in the middle of trying to convince Alex that the doors were too thick to listen through and her attempting to do so was pointless. Hunter eventually gave up on his endeavor, realizing his task to be more pointless than Alex¡¯s as her skull was probably thicker than the door. Having resigned himself to this fact Hunter sat down on the floor, while Grace decided that it might be fun to go try to listen to the conversation inside. Hunter sighed as he watched Grace scamper over to the door and slide herself next to Alex and pressed herself against the door as well. Mary watched giggling, as she felt the knot loosening in her chest and began to relax for the first time this afternoon.


    Alex was whispering nonsense into Grace¡¯s ear when the doors swung open nearly knocking them off their feet. The Butler appeared shortly thereafter nearly knocking into them as well, he didn¡¯t seem to notice or care about this fact, as he cleared his throat and declared ¡°I have been tasked with ¡®leading you into greatness¡¯, so my first task is to escort you all to learn the skills of your respective trades.¡± Barely leaving a pause he then proceeded with ¡°Follow me¡± and set off at an alarming pace towards the other set of doors in the Great Hall.


    Mary was still processing the events that had just occurred when she saw Hunter and Alex rush past her and Grace tail behind them. The three of them stopped at the entrance to the Great Hall and waved at her to follow them as the Butler had already left them in his proverbial dust. Mary¡¯s muscles tensed as her year of high school track experience took over and she sprinted off to meet her friends and begin their adventure in the strange world that they have found themselves in.


    The sun had already begun its decent in the sky, as the group of future adventurers finally exited the Keep of the Castle and ran through the Castle Garden, letting out various sounds of excitement. The group had started to find their stride when they noticed the Butler ahead of them steadily making his way through the narrow streets. Alex put on an extra burst of speed nearly catching up to the Butler, before getting distracted by an extravagant bookstore in front of her.


    ¡°Whew¡± Alex whistled when she had finally caught her breath, ¡°this place is real nice¡±


    ¡°Must be the rich side of town¡± Hunter mused, breath still a little haggard from the run they had just finished.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, maybe the whole town is like this?¡± Grace countered breathily.


    ¡°Oh hey guys, I don¡¯t think now is the right time to discuss this, our tour guide is missing again¡± Alex announced unexpectedly.


    The four of them set off at a sprint until Alex got distracted again, this time by a restaurant that reminded her of a caf¨¦ where they used to hang out after school.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we stop here and eat something?¡± Alex piped up.


    ¡°Because,¡± Hunter started, ignoring his stomach that had also sensed the caf¨¦ nearby, ¡°once again we¡¯ve lost that darn butler.¡±


    ¡°What? How does he even?¡± Alex sputtered flabbergasted, before setting off to once again catch the butler.


    Determined not to lose the Butler again Alex sprinted a whole block ahead of their elusive target, before getting distracted by what appeared to be a pet store. Practicing extremely poor etiquette Alex stuck her face to the glass to gain a better look at the animals inside and was quickly joined by Grace who mimicked Alex¡¯s actions immediately. Though Hunter seemed to disapprove of their actions, he too quickly glanced at the cages, seeming to take note of each individual animal and their conditions.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    This time Mary piped up ¡°Hey guys we¡¯re losing him again.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Alex started ¡°You know what, I don¡¯t even care. These things are cute as heck.¡±


    Setting off once again they eventually caught up to the butler who had stopped at a decrepit church in the middle of a dirty town square.


    ¡°This is where you depart Healer, come back to the castle before sundown if you wish to be fed.¡± The Butler stated insincerely in a bored manner.


    ¡°Well guys, this seems like goodbye for now. You better run before you lose that bastard again.¡± Alex said, waving her friends farewell one last time. Alex turned herself to face the rundown church, as her friends ran off into the distance, and she mentally prepared herself to open the door. Expecting to find the church full of nuns and tetanus, Alex swung the door open and found a diverse gathering of healers treating a room full of an equally diverse set of townspeople and a distinct lack of rust related injuries. Adding to her surprise and growing annoyance, none of them we¡¯re wearing the same stupid robes that she was, instead they seemed to be wearing their everyday clothing. Having resolved that she would punch that smug butler in the face until she felt considerably better, Alex entered the Church and was greeted by a soothing wind permeating throughout the Church. She felt the number of times she would have to hit the butler in the face lowering, as she wandered through the Church aimlessly. Stopping when she reached a dirty pulpit, curious to see if she would find a bible within, Alex began to rummage through it.


    Alex was still rummaging through the pulpit when a woman in her mid-forties finished their work and noticed that Alex appeared to be lost ¡°Excuse me,¡± the woman asked her, ¡°there are still some in this world that would find what you are doing quite rude.¡±


    ¡°Sorry¡± Alex apologized, face red from the embarrassment of being treated like the nosy child she was.


    ¡°No worries child¡± the woman continued ¡°You must be one of the Great Heroes that was summoned to the castle earlier today. Though we did not expect you until tomorrow.¡± She mused, clearly interested with the child who had decided to wear their bedsheets to church.


    ¡°Um, yeah, that¡¯s me¡± Alex replied a bit nervously, ¡°yeah, they sent us to train immediately.¡±


    ¡°Well you must be starving, child¡± the woman chided ¡°Follow me, child. You simply cannot learn on an empty stomach.¡± The woman motioned to a passage to the side that held the faint smell of food aided by the soothing air flowing throughout the building.


    ¡°I could eat something¡± Alex said, an understatement to say the least as her stomach rumbled loudly from a lack of food and the large amount of running that she had done today.


    The woman made her way to the passage that she had motioned to before, lightly touching each of the other Healers on the way. They all seemed to relax at her touch their shoulders lowering and their brows unfurling slightly as they worked. Alex followed the woman in awe as she made her way very gracefully through the slightly crowded church.


    Before Alex knew it, she was sitting at a pew with an empty bowl, a full stomach, and no memory of ever eating ¡°Now what should I call you, child?¡± her mother inquired.


    Alex shook her head knowing full well that the woman sitting next to her wasn¡¯t her mom and it was foolish that she had even thought that in the first place. ¡°My name is Alex, Ma¡¯am.¡± Alex said and started shaking her head even harder, surprising herself by using the word Ma¡¯am in a non-sarcastic manner.


    ¡°Do not worry child, you shall get used to it with time¡± the woman next to Alex told her. Noticing Alex¡¯s confused face she continued ¡°It¡¯s a little bit of magic to soothe the pain of the wounded, though it can often lead to confusion and disorientation. Concentrate a little and your mind will clear up, my dear.¡±


    Alex focused with all her might on the woman in front of her and ended up covering her mouth as the woman¡¯s face transformed to that of an old hag.


    ¡°Shhh¡± the hag put her finger to her lips ¡°a lady must keep her secrets.¡± The hag cackled as her face blurred and the beautiful woman that was sat next to her returned letting out an equally beautiful laugh.


    ¡°Wait. What. How did you,¡± Alex stuttered, mouth hanging open as she tried to concentrate on the old hag¡¯s face only able to perceive a slight shimmer on the beautiful woman¡¯s face.


    ¡°Like I said a lady must keep her secrets,¡± the hag told her. ¡°Though most people would consider it rude to be stared at so intently, my dear.¡±


    ¡°Oh sorry,¡± Alex replied blushing once again embarrassed at her continual treatment as a child.


    ¡°You are a lovely child, darling, do cheer up,¡± the matron told her, ¡°now I believe you are here to learn the intricacies of healing another.¡±

 Chapter 4: A Mysterious Schoolhouse

    Mary was having a similarly disorienting experience as she had been deposited at a quaint schoolhouse covered in a myriad of scorch marks and various other discolorations of indeterminate origin. The Butler had boredly uttered a similar statement to the one he had at the church before heading off towards his next destination with surprising speed. Eager to not lose the Butler again, Hunter and Grace chased after him, leaving Mary to shout after them, ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys soon!¡± while she vigorously waved her friends farewell. She tried not to think about the alarming amount of explosions reverberating from within the schoolhouse, as she made her way to the odd building. She hesitantly raised her hand to knock on the quivering door, wondering what eldritch horrors she would find inside. She was shocked when it had swung open suddenly revealing a disheveled old man in a grubby pair of pajamas.


    ¡°Well, are you going to stand there all day? I have been expecting you for the past minute. Come inside, quickly come inside.¡± The old man rabbled on, motioning to Mary to follow him inside the improbably long hallway.


    ¡°Woah, it¡¯s bigger on the inside¡± Mary breathed. Her mouth slightly agape with the statement that she had thought she never would have been able to say seriously.


    ¡°Yes, yes, though it¡¯s not actually bigger on the inside,¡± the old man offered unhelpfully ¡°Come inside already, you¡¯re letting all this dirty air in.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Mary apologized sullenly, still a little dumbfounded at the incredible sight before her. She lowered her arm a bit hesitantly and took a step into the strange schoolhouse, jumping slightly, when the door swung shut behind her. Shortly after the door had slammed shut a chill ran down her spine, followed by a violent shaking sensation racking her body and the strong urge to vomit. Her vision started spinning wildly, and she collapsed to her knees in a vague attempt to keep her insides on the inside


    ¡°Tsk, tsk¡± the old man said, shaking his head ¡°I had hoped you would have had more magical aptitude. Good job keeping your lunch in though.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    At that moment Mary was glad that she didn¡¯t actually have any lunch to keep in and continued to try her best not to vomit on the tile floor.


    The elderly man didn¡¯t seem to care, as he changed out his pajamas for a set of robes that sported a prominent stain on the front. ¡°Fizzling Juniper Berries!¡± he announced, ¡°They didn¡¯t remove the gravy stain, those good for nothing apprentices of mine.¡±


    Mary attempted to sit up, immediately regretting her decision as her vision had begun to spin again and the tile flooring in front of her had turned to wood paneling.


    ¡°Class, if you would please welcome our newest student; Mirabelle Lafaille¡± the old man proclaimed, wearing a different set of robes, to two slightly uncomfortable looking students. ¡°I know she looks like a vomiting mess but trust me so did you and she hasn¡¯t even vomited yet. Now miss Lafaille, if you can find that you are able to stand up, would you sit yourself in the seat provided.¡± The old man stated, as a chair and desk appeared next to the two that currently contained students.


    Mary decided to try to stand up, as her head was no longer spinning, and her stomach was only slightly threatening to revolt. She found herself to be mistaken, as her legs buckled, and she found herself once again hands and knees on the floor.


    ¡°Tsk, tsk¡± the old man said for a second time ¡°you were so very close as well. No matter, I may as well introduce myself assuming you are still conscious. My name is Arthur Tetrazene, and these are your fellow classmates, William and Theodore.¡±


    ¡°Heh, heh¡± Mary struggled to think as her brain seemed to wobble inside her head ¡°I¡¯ll be sorely disappointed if my classmate isn¡¯t Keanu Reeves.¡±


    ¡°I believe you can stop, Theodore, she has had enough¡± Tetrazene stated and the pressure inside Mary¡¯s head was relieved almost immediately.


    Her legs still weak and no longer feeling the need to vomit Mary stood up a bit shakily.


    ¡°Impressive, young Mirabelle, being able to stand so soon. You must have an impressive constitution.¡± Tetrazene said unconvincingly ¡°It is rather unfortunate that we shall be testing your mental fortitude and not your physical prowess.¡±


    Mary ignored his backhanded remarks and settled herself into her newly appointed desk.


    ¡°Now Students, we are here to learn about the Arcane Arts. So let us begin.¡±

 Chapter 5: A Warriors Training Grounds

    Hunter¡¯s knuckles were white from his intense grip on his sword as he reared back, charging at his opponent with the intention to strike as swiftly as possible. Hunter was instead greeted with a foot to the chest, the ground to his rear, and another round of aww¡¯s from the onlookers. Hunter stood up quickly, wobbling a bit as he had not yet recovered fully from the blow he had received. Rearing back again to strike at his opponent, Hunter sprinted at full towards his target once more.


    ¡°Stop!¡± the Guard Captain commanded, causing Hunter to trip over his feet during his sprint. ¡°I can¡¯t watch this anymore. Kid, you¡¯re trying too hard. You need to relax a bit. Alright? Stop charging in like a Chalra in heat and keep your sword in front of you for goodness sake.¡±


    Hunter nodded to the Captain, as he was still trying to catch his breath from his previous charges, and wondered what a Chalra was. Noticing his opponent starting to move from his spot, Hunter readied his sword in front of him keeping it between him and his adversary. Staring into his opponent¡¯s eyes, Hunter tightened his grip on his sword again and leaped at his opponent again hands flailing wildly as he attempted to keep his hands in front of him and to strike his opponent. Another foot greeted Hunter¡¯s chest, causing him to land unceremoniously on the ground once more.


    The Captain laughed heartily at Hunter¡¯s display ¡°Kid, you followed some of my advice, I suppose, but you still need to loosen up, your hands are whiter than a Rhaleon on a winter¡¯s day. Relax your shoulders and listen to your instincts.¡±


    Hunter nodded again, deep in thought about what a Chalra and a Rhaleon could be, when his opponent went on the move again. Hunter took a deep breath, to clear his mind of any distracting thoughts and let his body take over this time. Instead of the usual kick to the chest, his opponent¡¯s wooden sword met his side, causing a brief moment of blinding pain and another meeting with the ground.


    ¡°Kid,¡± the familiar phrase of the Captain, ¡°I think you relaxed a little too much.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Hunter grumbled as he laid on the ground, basking in his pain.


    ¡°C¡¯mon,¡± the Captain continued ¡°get up and we¡¯ll go get some lunch. Afterwards we¡¯ll continue your training.¡±


    Hunter grunted again in response, as he still hadn¡¯t found the strength to stand up yet. A few minutes later the pain subsided enough for him to sit up and catch his breath a little better. Shortly after, he found he had the ability to stand up and shuffled his way over to the tavern, where most guards ate their three meals for the day.


    ¡°Kid, I was wondering when you would show up,¡± the Captain said, ¡°we¡¯re almost finished eating already.¡±


    Hunter grunted indifferently, afraid that speaking would further aggravate his side and sat down in his usual spot with the Captain. One of the barmaids brought Hunter a plate with a dish that had been specially made for him, as the owner was a kind woman and had heard that Hunter preferred not to eat meat. Hunter took the food gratefully, turning a blind eye to the eggs and portions of meat that had been introduced into his dish. While he would have preferred it without the additions, he and the owner both knew that he needed the protein.


    ¡°Hmph¡± the Captain said, while staring intently at Hunter¡¯s dish.


    ¡°Problem?¡± Hunter asked, with an attitude that he seemed to have picked up over the past few days.


    ¡°It¡¯s just ¡­¡± the Captain started, ¡°that looks really good, and she¡¯s never made anything special for me.¡±


    Hunter laughed, relieved that the Captain had just been jealous of his food, as he had gotten tired of explaining why he prefers not to eat meat, a notion shared between both worlds. ¡°Maybe you could ask for it next time you¡¯re in,¡± Hunter told the jealous Captain.


    The Captain grunted in response, seemingly a bit lost in thought.


    Hunter stood up, interrupting the Captain and his thoughts, as he had finished his food moments before and walked to the door, wincing slightly as his side still stung a bit. When he arrived back at the training area, he felt the Captain rest his rough calloused hand gently on his shoulder.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to go over a few training exercises, then you¡¯re going to spar with me one on one,¡± the Captain instructed.


    Hunter nodded and replied with a ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Hunter went to retrieve his training sword that was still lying on the ground where he had been knocked down last. He then headed to his usual spot and practiced his basic strikes in front of a training dummy, receiving occasional advice on posture and technique from the Guard Captain. Alternating between his right and left hands and using both hands, Hunter practiced until the sun had begun to set. The Captain had been so invested in watching Hunter¡¯s progress, that he had nearly forgotten their sparring session.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    The Captain stopped Hunter ¡°Alright kid, it¡¯s time for our one on one. Come at me when you¡¯re ready,¡± he said, shifting into a comfortable fighting stance.


    ¡°Alright I¡¯m ready,¡± Hunter said before lunging at the Captain in an all too familiar manner.


    ¡°Hmph,¡± the Captain grunted, ¡°I thought you would have ¡­¡± and was interrupted by Hunter¡¯s sidestep and clumsy swing at his head. The Captain blocked it without too much difficulty, as Hunter had been unbalanced during his strike. ¡°So it appears you head isn¡¯t as thick as it may seem,¡± he retorted, striking at Hunter who had been further unbalanced by the Captain¡¯s block.


    Hunter jumped back using his unbalanced momentum to his advantage ¡°I had a lot of time to think,¡± Hunter said before lunging once again at the Captain. Though this time, the Captain was prepared for any sneak attacks that Hunter may attempt and didn¡¯t have any witty remarks to throw at him. Preparing to once again step to the side at the last moment, Hunter ran at the Captain and baseball slid past him on the other side while slashing at his knees as he passed. The Captain seemed to realize what he was doing just as he was doing it and just barely blocked the strike that would have crippled him, if were they sparring with real swords. ¡°Wow,¡± Hunter huffed, the last bit taking the wind completely out of him.


    ¡°That was surprising,¡± the Captain commented, ¡°in a good way. Where did you learn to do that?¡±


    ¡°I played baseball in high school,¡± Hunter responded.


    ¡°Hmmm,¡± the Captain mused. ¡°Well it is my turn to attack,¡± the Captain said, before pushing off with his back foot and striking at Hunter in one swift movement. A brief sense of awe flashed in Hunter¡¯s mind, which was quickly replaced with the need to block the onslaught of strikes that accompanied the first. Hunter managed to block almost half of the strikes that had been dealt to him, a definite improvement from his first sparring session where he failed to block a single strike and his last where he only managed to block the first. ¡°Good, you¡¯re improving.¡±


    ¡°Really, it doesn¡¯t feel like it,¡± Hunter responded, wincing at the fresh welts that he had received.


    ¡°Alright, now come at me again,¡± the Captain encouraged. Hunter slowly circled around the Captain, searching for any openings or insights that may pop up, when he had to block an incoming strike. ¡°I said come at me, not stalk me like a Rhaleon.¡± Thinking about the reference to a Rhaleon again, Hunter paced a few more steps before stopping and attempting to lunge in a similar manner to when the Captain had struck at him. The Captain blocked all of his strikes with ease, chuckling when Hunter had finished his attempt. ¡°That was good, but a bit too slow. Your movements are too wide and give away what you¡¯re going to do before you do it, and the surprise is lost if you stop before you strike. Alright, now come at me one last time.¡± Hunter nodded and backed up slightly, preparing his final attempt, incorporating all of the things he had learned during this bout. Maintaining steady breathing Hunter paced slightly out of sword distance, until the Captain struck at him. Seeing his opening, Hunter lunged to the side letting out a single strike that the Captain easily blocked, though Hunter wasn¡¯t finished yet. Hunter then spun around attempting another strike and when that had been blocked, he rolled to the side letting out another strike when he stood up. Hunter stood in awe, frozen, his arm extended, his sword contacting the Captain¡¯s backside, not even noticing the fair amount of blood trickling down his face.


    ¡°Well, you finally got a hit in,¡± The Captain chuckled, ¡°Though I think you received more damage than I did. Nice work, kid. Go wash up and we¡¯ll celebrate in the usual spot,¡± the Captain said, giving Hunter a wink, before turning and heading to the tavern.


    ¡°Whew¡± Hunter let out a sigh of relief, ¡°Ah¡± he winced, the adrenaline having finally worn off and his injuries started to catch up with him. Hunter used the steady sound of his own dripping blood to help steady his own thoughts for a couple of moments before he realized exactly what he was doing. Slightly concerned, he called over the guardsman, who had experience in healing and had helped him with any muscle fatigue over the last few days. Thte guard rushed over checking his injuries and reassured Hunter that it was only a superficial nosebleed and it had already begun to stop and that he should be more worried about his cracked ribs.


    Hunter winced again, feeling the guard¡¯s energy circulating throughout his body and guiding his ribs back together. ¡°Now I won¡¯t be able to fuse them together,¡± the guard told him, ¡°but this should at least speed up the healing process.¡± Hunter thanked the man for his continued assistance, a bit disappointed that he had never been able to catch the man¡¯s name as he usually disappeared as quickly as he arrived. Noticing that the guard had once again disappeared, Hunter decided to make his way over to the nearby well, a trek that had become familiar to him, as he had to make it every morning to clean the barracks and every night if he wanted to clean himself. As he made his way to the well, he noticed that the sun had nearly gone down by now, meaning that his training session took even longer than the previous ones. Trying to hasten his progress, as taking longer would mean getting less sleep, Hunter nearly ran to and from the well, sloshing a fair amount of water on the ground on his trip back. With only half of bucket left to work with, Hunter started to wash off the dirt and blood that he had accrued over the past hour.


    About half an hour later Hunter had expended all his available water and was as clean as he was going to get for the night. He had noticed that his usual set of armor seemed to wick off any dirt or grime, it also provided a far greater ease of movement and cushioning against blows than the stiff set of armor that he was provided for the last few days. The Guard Captain seemed to think it would be better to practice in that armor instead and Hunter wasn¡¯t inclined to disagree with the man, though he would¡¯ve preferred to have been able to wear his usual armor today. Feeling his still tender side, Hunter set off to the Tavern, still reveling in what he had managed to accomplish. As Hunter approached the Tavern, he thought that it sounded a bit more lively than usual. Dismissing it as just another higher dopamine response, Hunter swung open the door.

 Chapter 6: New Companions

    Grace followed the Butler, after waving farewell to Hunter, wondering where he was going to take her. A few dogs were curious to the fact as well and came over to sniff the strange duo; the Butler ignored them, while Grace went to pat their heads. The dogs were a bit apprehensive at first, but found that Grace seemed to cause them no harm and they haven¡¯t had their heads scratched in a while. The strange group gathered even more attention than before, with the Butchers throwing scraps of meat to the dogs and the Bakers¡¯ wives giving spare bits of food to Grace. Grace thanked them all profusely and even tried to not accept the gifts as she had no money to pay them, which just made them give her even more food. Grace tried her best to wave to them with her arms full of food still trying to thank them as best as she could.


    Following the Butler, who seemed nonplussed about what had happened behind him, Grace nibbled on the bits of food that she received occasionally feeding any other stray dogs or children that came up to her. While most dogs would disappear after being fed, one followed her from the street where she had originally gotten all of the food. She would see one dog attempt to get an extra serving with the other dogs that come out from the alleys, and would happily give them all some of her nibbles.


    Grace was nearly finished with all of her food when the Butler stopped just outside of the Castle Walls. Grace nearly bumped into him, as she wasn¡¯t prepared for him to stop and she was also lost in her thoughts. Grace took a couple steps back to give the Butler some space, when he suddenly turned and yelled at her.


    ¡°Eep,¡± she exclaimed, and curled into a ball in a vain attempt to hide herself, having a brief flashback to her childhood.


    ¡°What are you still doing here?¡± the Butler snarled.


    ¡°Umm, you never left me anywhere,¡± she responded, still cowering on the ground.


    ¡°Now, where should I leave you, little girl,¡± he mused, stroking him mustache, ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and mingle with all the other vagrants, hmmm?¡± he told her waving her away.


    ¡°Do you maybe ¡­ have another idea?¡± Grace asked shakily.


    ¡°No, now do not bother me,¡± he said turning away ¡°I am a very busy man.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Grace said weakly, ¡°I don¡¯t have anywhere to go,¡± and curled herself even more tightly into a ball. Grace almost started crying, when she felt a rough tongue licking her hand and looked up to see a familiar little dog. Grace smiled at the small dog and went to pat its head as it licked her dirt smudged face. She felt better now that she had a furry companion to accompany her and picked the friendly dog up, surprised that it didn¡¯t resist. Carrying her new surprisingly docile companion like a doll, Grace started wandering her way over to where she thought the Castle¡¯s entrance may be.


    Grace had been wandering for a few minutes when the little dog started wiggling in her arms and suddenly leapt out of them and headed for a side street, stopping near the entrance seemingly waiting for Grace to catch up. She followed her furry friend, curious to see where he would lead her and semi desperate not to be left alone again. She followed her interesting new pet for a few blocks, before it stopped and started scratching on a nearby door. She had barely reached the door, when it opened revealing a woman in her thirties, with a long mane of hair and a pair of furry ears sticking out the top.


    ¡°Eep!¡± Grace exclaimed, covering her mouth to hide her rudeness.


    ¡°Hello, little one,¡± the woman said, reaching down to scratch her visitor behind the ears, ¡°I see you brought a guest with you,¡± she continued, talking to the small dog. ¡°Hello, you appear to be lost, little one,¡± the woman asked Grace sympathetically, as a tail swished to one side, revealing itself to Grace.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Grace gulped, still astounded by the sight in front of her.


    ¡°No need to be so formal, little one,¡± she said, smiling warmly. ¡°I see that you two have already bonded or he would not have brought you here,¡± she told Grace, motioning to the dog as it trotted into her house, wiping its paws before entering. ¡°He¡¯s a very good judge in character you know,¡± she finished, giving Grace a wink before turning into her house, leaving the door open.


    Grace stood in the street for a few moments debating on whether or not she should accept the open door as an invitation or if she should and turn and run for the Castle. Once again, her curiosity and the rapidly increasing darkness got the best of her and she decided to at least look inside her would be captor¡¯s home. A warm glow filled the interior and the smell of warm bread and spices enticed Grace even more. Her rumbling stomach finally pushed her to enter the stranger¡¯s house and accept their hospitality. Reluctantly Grace stepped foot into threshold, shutting the door behind her, and was immediately mobbed by several small children with similar characteristics of the woman who had greeted her.


    ¡°She¡¯s pretty,¡± one of the children said. ¡°She smells good too,¡± another one of the children replied. ¡°As if she would like either of you. You¡¯re both smelly and gross,¡± a third child replied.


    ¡°Uhhh, thank you,¡± Grace told them, smiling awkwardly, while the final child tugged at her shirt while staring at her with wide eyes and a hand halfway inside their mouth. ¡°What is it little one,¡± she asked, leaning down head slightly cocked to the side.


    He responded with another tug to her shirt and one of the other children told her, ¡°He wants you to follow him. He probably has something to show you.¡±


    ¡°Ok then, where are we going?¡± Grace asked, watched as the small child waddled forward, hand still in their mouth and their bushy tail dragging on the ground. The two boys ran ahead, heading upstairs, while the girl took the youngest¡¯s hand out of their mouth and picked up their tail lightly scolding them for both. Grace followed the two in front of her admiring the girl¡¯s sleek tail and neatly braided hair as she followed them up the stairs. She had to hold in a laugh as she watched the girl help the youngest boy pull himself up the stairs. When they reached the top of the stairs the two boys were alternating between playing a game that looked similar to rock paper scissors and chasing each other around the top floor. This time Grace couldn¡¯t help but to giggle, as she watched the two of them running around and the girl attempting to tell them off. The youngest however continued on in his quest and was reaching for the handle of a door that was just out of his reach. Grace noticed this and went to assist the little fellow, opening the door, and followed him into the room, where the woman Grace had met earlier sat reading a book in a simple chair.


    The woman seemed surprised but not unhappy when the child started tugging at her dress. ¡°Oh, hello there,¡± she said, picking him up and setting him in her lap, where he immediately curled up into a ball and continued sucking his fingers again. ¡°Hello again child, I see that you have met my children,¡± she said casually, while stroking the child in her lap¡¯s head.


    ¡°Your children are lovely ma¡¯am,¡± Grace replied.


    ¡°Again with the unnecessary formalities, please call me Katherine, little one,¡± she told her, now lightly humming a lullaby.


    ¡°Ok, Katherine,¡± Grace said, swaying slightly, ¡°I¡¯m just going to ¡­ lie down for a moment,¡± Grace told her before crumpling onto to the floor in a similar fashion to the child in Katherine¡¯s lap.

 Chapter 7: A Thiefs Downfall

    Grace woke up in a strange unfamiliar bed for the second time in a row, though this time her stomach felt like she hadn¡¯t eaten in a week.


    ¡°Oh you¡¯re awake dear,¡± a somewhat familiar voice said, from to her side. Grace bolted upright in a slight panic, before her gnawing stomach could stop her. ¡°Calm down child,¡± Katherine purred, from her chair beside the bed. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for quite some time child,¡± she told Grace, before picking up a bowl of soup from the nightstand, while humming lightly. The soup was softly bubbling when she handed the bowl to Grace ¡°Careful dear, the soup is a little hot.¡± Grace nodded, her mouth dry, after her countless hours of sleep and accepted the soup gratefully. She sipped the broth, scalding her tongue slightly, but felt the warmth of the soup seeping throughout her body and settling in her bones. Grace drained the whole bowl in seconds, before she finally came up gasping for air and something to cool her burning mouth. ¡°Here¡¯s some water hon,¡± Katherine said, handing Grace a cup that she accepted immediately, her mouth buzzing after inhaling the hot soup. ¡°Don¡¯t forget your vegetables dear,¡± Katherine gently reminded Grace, handing her the spoon that had lain on the table forgotten.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Grace told her, suddenly remembering her manners and feeling very self-conscious.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry dear. The children were dreadfully worried for you. They had worried that you wouldn¡¯t wake up, as you had collapsed two days ago.¡± Katherine told her, and as if on cue the 3 eldest children poked their head through the door and rushed over to the bed, delighted to see that Grace had finally awoken.


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m so sorry for worrying all of you,¡± Grace exclaimed, grabbing the children and nearly knocking over her bowl of rapidly cooling leftovers in the process.


    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake,¡± the young girl murmured into Grace¡¯s chest, ¡°we were worried about you,¡± she sniffed, still trapped in Grace¡¯s embrace.


    ¡°Aw, I won¡¯t do it again,¡± Grace told the small fox girl, patting her head, trying her best to avoid squishing her ears.


    ¡°Promise?¡± the girl asked, giving Grace the best puppy dog eyes she had ever seen, a feat made easier and even cuter by her other canine features.


    ¡°I promise,¡± Grace started, hesitating as she realized that she had never caught any of their names. Slightly embarrassed at this realization, Grace gave a big smile that was reflected back to her, before the small fox managed to wiggle out of her embrace and plop herself onto the bed next to her.


    ¡°My name is Cynthia. What¡¯s yours?¡± the tiny fox told Grace, while burrowing herself in the bed covers and resting her head on Grace¡¯s lap.


    ¡°My name is Grace. Nice to meet you, Cynthia,¡± Grace replied, absentmindedly smoothing Cynthia¡¯s messy hair.


    Cynthia lay, purring contently on Grace¡¯s lap, when one of the two boys, who had been awkwardly standing next to the bed during the whole interaction, finally spoke up, ¡°We¡¯re really glad that you¡¯re awake Miss Grace ¡­ My name is Nicholas, by the way. Everyone calls me Nick, though.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m Thomas, Miss,¡± the other boy told her in a scratchy voice, and giving her an awkward bow.


    ¡°Hello Nick and hi Thomas, it¡¯s nice to meet you both,¡± Grace told them, giving them both another awkward but radiant smile.


    ¡°Now dear, you still have yet to finish your food,¡± Katherine spoke up, handing her a bowl of suspiciously still warm food. ¡°Shoo boys,¡± she continued, ¡°She has to rest up and eat, and don¡¯t bother her too much young lady.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t mom,¡± Cynthia said, taking her head out of Grace¡¯s lap and sitting up on the bed, pouting slightly at the suggestion. Katherine simply gave her a knowing motherly look, while Grace struggled not to burn her tongue on the food.


    ¡°Ooh It¡¯s still hot,¡± Grace exclaimed quietly, fanning her tongue in an attempt to cool her tongue off again.


    ¡°Have some more water honey,¡± Katherine said, filling her cup of water from a ceramic jug on the table, humming as she went. Grace took a big gulp of water from the freshly filled cup and let out a deep exhale. Filled with determination not to burn her tongue again she fiercely blew on her next bit of food, before it was stolen by the fox sat next to her.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Grace said, watching the little girl giggle, her face slowly turning pink, suddenly took the cup of water and downed the rest of it, gasping for air as the bit she had stolen was still hot.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.¡°Tsk, tsk,¡± Katherine said, ¡°though I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ll go fetch you two another bowl soup, please try your best to share until I return.¡±


    ¡°Okay mom,¡± Cynthia called out, watching her leave the room, before turning to Grace expectedly. ¡°You have pretty eyes.¡±


    ¡°Uh, thank you,¡± Grace replied, slightly taken aback at the sudden compliment, ¡°I like your hair,¡± responding quickly after recovering.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± She replied chipperly, ¡°I like to take good care of it along with my tail,¡± she finished, holding her fluffy tail like a pillow in her arms.


    ¡°I like your tail too,¡± Grace said, ¡°It looks very soft and fluffy.¡± The door suddenly opened interrupting their conversation, and a small familiar looking dog ran in front of Katherine jumping onto the bed and curling up on the pillow.


    Katherine chuckled, ¡°He¡¯s been sitting outside of the door the past couple days and now he finally decides to come in.¡± The dog briefly raised one ear in response and started snoring contently on the pillow. ¡°Never mind him, I¡¯ve brought some more soup for you two, along with some bread and I made cookies for after you two have finished your meal.¡±


    ¡°You only make cookies for special occasions,¡± Cynthia said excitedly, her tail escaping her grasp and wagging wildly behind her.


    ¡°I think this qualifies for a special occasion. Don¡¯t you?¡± Katherine asked, setting two bowls of soup in front of them, ¡°The cookies will be done in a little while, try to finish your meal before then.¡± Katherine set down another cup and filled them both with water and headed downstairs once again to keep an eye on her sons, who had become much livelier in the past hour. The two remained in bed slurping down their soup, regularly gulping down water as the soup seemed to stay hot no matter how hard they attempted to cool it down. Grace finished her soup first, setting her bowl down, she pushed herself off the bed and stood up very shakily using the table and wall for support.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Cynthia asked breathily, as she had been eating her very hot soup.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to head downstairs,¡± Grace replied shakily, ¡°I can¡¯t stay cooped up in bed all day.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to be able to get down the stairs,¡± Cynthia responded concernedly, ¡°At least wait for my mom to come back and help you.¡±


    ¡°I can do this,¡± Grace said defiantly, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not fine,¡± Cynthia said clearly not convinced, ¡°at least let me help you.¡±


    ¡°Ok,¡± Grace conceded, after seeing the concern welling in Cynthia¡¯s eyes. Cynthia quickly hopped out of bed and shouldered Grace¡¯s weight on her small frame as best as she could. Tear drops streamed down Grace¡¯s face and dripped to the ground, as the tiny girl did her best to keep her upright as best as possible. Together, with additional help from the wall, they slowly made their way to the door. Tears still uncontrollably streaming from Grace¡¯s face, they reached the door, before it was swung open by a surprised Katherine with a plate of cookies.


    ¡°Oh dear, you two,¡± Katherine said sympathetically, ¡°let me help you. Here Cynthia take the cookies, I¡¯ll take Grace.¡± Katherine made the exchange in one motion, swiftly placing the cookies in Cynthia¡¯s hands and placing herself underneath Grace. ¡°We should get you back to bed honey,¡± Katherine told Grace, while attempting to steer her back towards the bed.


    ¡°No,¡± Grace replied feebly, ¡°I want to go downstairs.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in no shape to do such a thing,¡± Katherine responded, ¡°Are you sure you want to about this?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Grace nodded.


    ¡°Fine, but afterwards it¡¯s straight back to bed with you,¡± Katherine reluctantly agreed, ¡°C¡¯mon Cynthia it¡¯s past your bedtime as well.¡± Cynthia nodded and scurried downstairs, leaving her mother to take care of Grace by herself. Grace leaned against the slightly taller woman, feeling less uncomfortable than when she had Cynthia helping prop her up, but still feeling a heavy unease in her stomach. As they made their way down the stairs, Grace couldn¡¯t help but to notice how much more muscular Katherine was than she originally thought. The revelation made Grace think of Mary and wonder if she was faring any better than she currently was.

 Chapter 8: Magic Training

    A sneeze suddenly broke Mary¡¯s concentration and her vision filled with flames as they rapidly climbed up her arm and began wicking the away the oxygen. Water washed over Mary, putting out the fire and leaving her and her clothes curiously dry.


    ¡°Concentrate,¡± her instructor snapped.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Mary replied insincerely, mesmerized by the sight of her skin regrowing at an astonishing rate. When the feeling returned to her newly reformed hand, Mary closed her eyes and visualized her energy circulating throughout her body, imagining it gathering in the palm of her hand and igniting into fire. Her palm became warm as the energy gathered in her hand, making it tingle, and energy began radiating from her palm as hot mana. As the heat started to become unbearable, Mary focused on containing her energy and releasing it in a controlled manner. The air around her hand cooled as the mana ignited and turned into a continuous stream of fire. When the flame had become a stable size, Mary started manipulating her mana output, watching the fire increase in size and die down as she added and decreased mana. Satisfied, she began moving the mana flow around her hand, fascinated by the fire following the moving source of mana. By focusing intensely she managed to split the output of mana and produce two separate smaller streams of flame, until her concentration faltered and they both went out.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough for now,¡± her instructor commanded, after watching Mary spend the past hour playing around with her newfound command of fire.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Mary replied, in an imitation of Alex while also giving her a mock salute.


    ¡°Whatever. You know what to do,¡± her instructor told her, clearly fed up with Mary.


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± she said once again, plopping down unceremoniously on the ground and pulling a study sheet of runes from her dress. Taking out her quill, she started scratching down the runes as precisely as she could onto another piece of parchment. After filling the parchment over a dozen times she set her quill down and watched the runes fade away and prepared to implement her learnings. Letting her energy exit from the tip of her index finger, she traced the first rune on the ground, leaving a faintly glowing imprint on the ground. When she had finished drawing the rune on the ground, it turned a faint warm orange color and a small fire sprung to life, quickly dying down. Mary repeated this process several more times with each of the runes until she was satisfied with her rune work having a ninety percent success rate. She decided to increase her mana output when creating her next rune, deciding that the rune for water would be probably be the least destructive, she focused her energy in the same way she did to create fire and drew the rune with a slightly increased mana output. When she finished her rune, it glowed a strong blue color and emitted a small torrent of water upon Mary, who had not retreated a far enough distance from her creation.


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.Mary was still in shock when her instructor started laughing at her uncontrollably, not amused and no longer wet as the water had already faded back into mana, Mary created another rune this time pointed directly at her instructor. Making sure to back away this time, she watched as the rune sprung to life and doused her instructor thoroughly. Water dripped from her instructor¡¯s wide brim hat and vanishing before it could hit the ground, as she angrily pulled her wand out of her belt, various runes shining from underneath her hand.


    ¡°Stop that, Dorothy,¡± Arthur exclaimed, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.


    ¡°But, Arthur,¡± Dorothy pleaded, ¡°she is undisciplined and has been getting on my nerves since the day she first arrived.¡±


    ¡°It is not your job to discipline her,¡± Arthur replied, ¡°she has only been given a month by the king and needs to learn as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°That boorish oaf,¡± Dorothy cursed, ¡°I should have just let her burn, it would have saved her friends from the trouble.¡±


    ¡°Now, now,¡± Arthur scolded, ¡°she still has three weeks¡¯ time to make herself useful.¡±


    ¡°Three weeks?¡± Dorothy blurted out, cheeks glowing a nonmagical red. ¡°I suppose an apology is in order,¡± Dorothy said, suddenly turning back to Mary who had been watching in shock the entire time.


    ¡°Um, what?¡± Mary replied, quite unsure on what had just happened.


    ¡°It would appear that I have been a touch too hard on you,¡± Dorothy explained, ¡°Most students would have already learned the theory by now and they would have ¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry too,¡± Mary interrupted, ¡°I haven¡¯t been the best student either.¡±


    ¡°Well now that that¡¯s settled,¡± Dorothy continued awkwardly, ¡°We should continue training.¡±

 Chapter 9: The Healers Blunder

    Sweat beaded profusely on Alex¡¯s forehead as she fought her ADD, trying to study anatomy diagrams in a stuffy room at the back of the church.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been in here for days, dear,¡± the head healer announced, entering the room. ¡°At least let some fresh air in, dear,¡± she continued, opening one of the windows, letting in a cool breeze.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Alex replied, her grip on her pen loosening and eyes drooping.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look fine,¡± the healer chided, ¡°when was the last time you even slept?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Alex replied defiantly and very sleepily as the healer opened another window. ¡°I¡¯m fine ¡­¡± Alex¡¯s words trailing off as the last window opened and the last of the sweet-smelling mana left the air.


    Alex woke up, face down on the cold hard ground, head pounding, with her hair matted together. ¡°Ow, where am I?¡± Alex asked herself, sitting upright in a forest artificially lit by fire and alive with the sounds of conflict. ¡°How did I get here?¡± once again asking herself in the vain hope that she would answer herself. ¡°Oof, that¡¯s a bad headache,¡± Alex continued commentating to herself, touching her wet matted hair. ¡°Well that can¡¯t be good,¡± she mused, her hand covered in blood, though she hadn¡¯t found any wounds on her person. ¡°No use sitting here and burning alive,¡± Alex decided, standing up shakily. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± she called out to the rustling bush, moments before a dark figure on horseback rode through and she lost conscious once again.


    Alex woke up screaming, quickly cut off by the realization that it had been a dream. ¡°Well at least it wasn¡¯t about my parents again,¡± Alex mused aloud. ¡°Why am I talking out loud still? It¡¯s not like anyone cares. That was a good nap though,¡± Alex continued, ignoring her previous statement, moving her legs to the edge of the bed. Alex stepped out of bed and immediately crumpled onto the floor, ¡°Fuck,¡± she exclaimed, moments before one of the healers entered the room.


    ¡°We heard screaming and yelling, are you ok?¡± the healer announced to the room, before discovering Alex on the floor, still struggling to stand up. ¡°Let me help you,¡± the healer said, rushing over to Alex¡¯s aid. Alex reluctantly accepted the healer¡¯s help, leaning on the healer¡¯s shoulder, feeling their warm energy flowing into her body. The healer helped Alex back into her bed and continued feeding her some energy, searching for any injuries.


    ¡°It feels a bit hot in here,¡± Alex stated suddenly as a cool wind blew through the open window, causing her to shiver slightly. Sitting up quickly, Alex took her shirt off directly in front of the healer¡¯s face, causing it to become flushed, much to Alex¡¯s pleasure, and the energy transfer gained a slightly erratic quality.


    ¡°I think you should be good,¡± the healer announced, their face still a vivid red in the moonlight, ¡°all you need is some more rest and food and you should be good.¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.¡°Then let¡¯s go get some food,¡± Alex proposed casually, gingerly stepping on the ground, managing to stand this time.


    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t be out of bed so soon,¡± the healer replied nervously.


    ¡°I would be fine if I was escorted by a healer,¡± Alex prodded, taking a couple of careful steps forward.


    ¡°Yes, that would be true, but you should think of your health,¡± the healer continued pleading.


    ¡°I would be in better health if I ate some f¡­¡± Alex started, her leg giving out in a calculated manner, falling forward in a dramatic fashion.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the healer exclaimed, rushing to catch Alex.


    ¡°My hero,¡± Alex said attempting to sound as genuine as possible, her head nestled in the bosom of the healer. ¡°Maybe, I should go back to bed,¡± Alex said, feeling the racing heart of the healer beat even harder at her suggestion.


    ¡°No,¡± the healer replied suddenly, ¡°I mean you should really get some food; you probably haven¡¯t eaten in a while.¡± Receiving a head shake for a response, she continued, ¡°the cooks are asleep, and I don¡¯t know how to cook, but I do know a tavern that¡¯s just a short walk away from here. If we maintain contact, I can supply you a stream of energy so that you should be able to walk mostly by yourself.¡±


    ¡°How about like this?¡± Alex asked, clasping her hand around the healer¡¯s.


    ¡°That would work,¡± the healer nodded, pace quickening again.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name by the way?¡± Alex asked, hands still intertwined.


    ¡°My name?¡± she responded surprised, ¡°It¡¯s Seraphim, but everyone calls me Sera.¡±


    ¡°Like an Angel ¡­¡± Alex thought aloud, startling Sera again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry a what?¡± Sera asked, receiving a dismissive wave from Alex as a response, ¡°and your name is Hope, but you prefer Alex correct?


    ¡°Yes,¡± Alex replied, unintentionally squeezing Sera¡¯s hand upon hearing her given name.


    ¡°Seems like you don¡¯t like that name,¡± Sera noted, her hand still being squeezed by Alex.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Alex said sullenly, letting go of Sera¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Hey, I thought we were going to go eat,¡± Sera said, grasping Alex¡¯s escaping hand, ¡°Put on a shirt and let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Alex blurted, the realization and the breeze sending a shiver up her spine. ¡°Do you have anything I could wear? All I have are these stupid robes and this undershirt,¡± Alex asked hopefully.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Sera responded thoughtfully, ¡°it might be a little big for you though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make it work,¡± Alex replied, gazing at Sera¡¯s superior height and proportions.


    ¡°Wait here,¡± Sera told Alex, letting go of her hand, ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a moment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be here,¡± Alex called out as Sera left the room. ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting ¡­ totally not going to fall back asleep,¡± Alex yawned, feeling sleepy now that the adrenaline and supplemental energy had left her body.


    ¡°I¡¯m back,¡± Sera announced, entering the room to see a sleeping Alex on her bed. ¡°Oops looks like she fell back asleep,¡± Sera whispered.