On the other side, standing 30 meters away and looking just as bewildered, was Marc.
They both stared at each other for a moment before starting to walk forward.
As they stood face to face, they raised their right hands and—
DAP!
They dapped so loudly that a few bystanders turned to stare at them strangely.
"Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Fucking Alex, in tha flesh—well, bones…" Marc was the first to speak.
"Dude, are you planning to embody the joke of a stickman? It took me a second to see you since you were sideways, but the moment you faced me, there was no mistake—it really is you!"
Marc was overjoyed to finally reunite with Alex, though he was also worried; Alex had lost even more weight. Still, he was happy—at least now he could help fix that.
"Well, well, well… on the other hand, you're like a flashlight in the night, really hard to miss. Have you been assaulting the kitchen lately? How come you're even bigger now?" Alex shot back. He wasn't going to let Marc have the last jab.
Secretly, though, Alex was happy. Marc's weight gain meant he hadn't suffered like he did.
"Speaking of kitchens, I'm starving. How about we grab something to eat and catch up?" Marc suggested. There was a lot he wanted to say—and ask.
"Sure. There's a lot to talk about." Alex agreed, even though he wasn't hungry, having eaten lunch not long ago.
When they reached a restaurant, Alex spotted a newspaper by the entrance and grabbed one—information was always welcome.
They sat down, browsed the menu, made their choices, and ordered.
As they waited for the food, Marc began recounting his journey.
"After killing that guard, I kept running, but I guess I went the wrong way because I ended up in Verrin—the city north of Rilven."
"Classic you, to be honest," Alex interjected.
"Once I got there, I met this noble lady at an inn. Judging by her clothes, she was probably a mage or something. I told her about that douchebag noble from Rilven. I offered her 20 gold coins, and she accepted!" Marc explained, still proud of having done something about the girl's suffering.
"A mage accepted a commission for just 20 gold coins?" Alex asked skeptically.
"Mere? Twenty gold coins is an insane amount of money, dude." Marc raised an eyebrow.
"For us—and for normal people, yeah, it is. But for mages and knights, that's basically pocket change," Alex said.
"What can I say? I offered, and she said yes. That was that."
Their food arrived, and they began eating, continuing their conversation.
Marc went on to describe how he trained in Fire Fist, and how he found Alonso the day he was supposed to take a carriage here.
"The dude was all high and mighty—until I landed a fist on his chest. He's probably still wondering what hit him in hell," Marc finished proudly.
"What about you? I mean, besides losing weight?" Marc asked with a grin.
"Well…" Alex began, recounting everything that had happened during the nearly two weeks he spent trapped in the forest.
Marc was, to say the least, stunned.
He knew Alex probably hadn't had it easy, but he hadn't imagined he'd been through hell and survived.
"That's… that's insane…" Marc muttered.
"There's also something else you should know. I've been adopted," Alex said casually.
"WHAT!?" Marc slammed his hands on the table.
"Shhh!" Alex hissed, gesturing for him to calm down. He turned to the staring customers. "Sorry about my friend—he's as loud as he is big." Then he looked back at Marc.
He told him all about his new family.
When they finished catching up, they ordered dessert.
As they waited, Alex finally unfolded the newspaper and began to read.
There was the usual chatter about politics, the royal family, and random rumors—until a headline caught his eye. He read it, smiled, and handed the paper to Marc.
"Looks like the mage kept her word," Alex said.
Marc took the newspaper and read the article aloud.
— Viscount Patrick Ratsbourg of Rilven Sentenced to Death —
The viscount was sentenced to death on charges of rape, torture, murder, corruption, and tax evasion. The capital's mage squad raided his estate, where they found four underage girls chained to the walls. They also raided the guard's office, arresting eight officers on charges of corruption and dereliction of duty.
As Marc finished reading, a wide smile spread across his face. He handed the newspaper back to Alex without a word—he didn't need to. His expression said everything.
They finished their dessert, paid, and left the restaurant.
"Come on, let's go home. I'll introduce you to Susan and Eve," Alex said, excitement in his voice.
He couldn't wait to introduce his best friend to his adoptive mother and sister.
"We also need to talk about a few things. Getting adopted changed my plans," Alex added. He didn't want to impose anything on Marc; he'd rather explain his situation first and let him decide for himself.
"For sure it did, huh?" Marc replied with a knowing grin. He understood what it meant to suddenly have a family to care for.
And so, the two of them made their way back to the hill where Susan's home stood.