It was already 10 p.m., and Lucian, the green-haired half-elf, and Cristofer, a fifteen-year-old human, were walking through the streets looking for their companion who had not returned to the inn.
As the minutes passed, they eventually reached the town's first plaza, where Ebony was slumped back on a wooden bench, her head tilted backward, snoring loudly.
On her lap was still the paper bag containing fifteen stew bombs. The sight was uncomfortable, but Lucian lifted the girl into his arms and carried her away while Cristofer took the chance to eat a couple of snacks.
On the way, while Cristofer continued chewing, he decided to ask about the girl.
"Hey, ears, why do you care so much about her? I know you signed a blood contract and technically you're married, but what value does that have if she's so careless?"
"Strange coming from you. I thought someone from the Cult of Promises would understand that no matter what happens, you must keep your word—even if the other party is trash," Lucian replied, then glanced down at the sleeping girl resting against his chest.
"Being part of the cult doesn't mean being an idiot who can't recognize a lost cause when he sees one. It's obvious this girl has a loose screw," the young human said while wiping a food stain off his chin.
"Tell me something, Cristofer. Do you have a family?" The elf glanced sideways at the boy. A life of being rejected by every country he visited had made him distrustful.
"That's none of your business, elf," the human replied, turning his gaze toward the nearly empty streets.
Silence settled over the conversation until they reached the inn a few minutes later, and after laying the girl down in her room, both of them exchanged awkward looks.
Lucian took a few snacks from the paper bag and went to his room. In silence, he sat on the edge of his bed, chewing while his worries swirled in his mind.
"(That human is suspicious… His presence feels different from the cultists we fought. But I can't kill him yet, even if he's a threat or if they hunted us like animals… Though taking his arms wouldn't technically kill him…)"
At that moment, Lucian pulled out twelve knives along with a whetstone he had purchased. They were small, about the size of a laurel leaf.
He carefully sharpened each one, and when the work was finished—already well into the early morning—he cut his finger and began drawing an elven symbol in the center of every gleaming iron blade.
He spent the entire night preparing his weapons, embedding spells and storing them within each blade, even cleaning his boots thoroughly when he finished.
When the first rays of sunlight began to reach the city, a red egg stored in a nest near the bell tower of the old plaza began to crack.
From it emerged an adult rooster the size of a dog, with autumn-red plumage. Its feathers were so long that with a single push it took flight over the city, crowing loudly to announce the arrival of a new day.
The bird's cry woke Ebony, who tried to hide beneath her sheets to avoid getting up.
"It's morning already… What time is it… I don't want to… Wait, the dwarf!" The blonde jumped up in a panic, her hair even worse than the day before.
She rushed out of her room. At that same moment, Lucian stepped out as well after hearing her shout. The green-haired elf tried to greet her, but the blonde completely ignored him, running past without waiting.
Lucian stood there with an annoyed expression, then sighed and knocked on the door of their other companion.
"Cristofer, it's morning. Get up."
The human stepped out wearing pristine gray clothes he had bought. He rolled his neck until his vertebrae cracked, looked at the elf, and after an awkward silence, closed the door again.
"Hey! At least say good morning! Didn't anyone teach you manners?" An irritated Lucian headed to Ebony's room to prepare everything she would definitely forget at the inn.
A few hours later, the two uncomfortable boys stood at the inn's entrance. Each had a backpack, and another one lay on the ground meant for the girl.
"Hey, why the long faces?" said the blonde cheerfully, smiling as she approached.
Strapped to her back was a rectangular object completely wrapped in bandages. It was almost as tall as she was and wider than her body.
"What the hell are you carrying?" Lucian asked with concern, then checked his backpack for the leftover money, realizing it was no longer where he had left it.
"I used MY money to do some shopping," Ebony said proudly, placing her fists on her hips.
"Idiot! If you wanted that, you should've waited for me! How much did that thing cost? And what the hell is it?" the elf snapped.
"Nah, don't worry. It was a bargain—only four and a half gold."
"WHAT?!" The elf looked like he was about to lunge at her, but he restrained himself.
"Heh, your woman sure knows how to save money, huh?" Cristofer commented while chewing on a piece of jerky.
"Screw you, it's my money anyway. Besides, you both have new clothes and full backpacks—everything probably came from the bears I killed," Ebony said, accusing them while pointing a finger.
The two boys looked away, and after an uncomfortable cough, Lucian gestured for them to follow him. The blonde didn't stop complaining, saying they owed her money now.
.
.
.
After walking several blocks through the city, they reached the border crossing, where guards in full armor stood watch over a stone gate carved with magical runes on every block.
The city seemed to end abruptly near the invisible border, forming a straight line of houses set several meters back to avoid the territorial division.
Except for the gate, which stood alone in the middle of nowhere, right along the imaginary line, marking the entrance and exit of the kingdom—something that made Ebony think about how it even functioned.
"(Interesting. You can feel the magic in the air, and it gets stronger the closer we get to that gate… I don't remember magical borders in the game, but I do remember the barrier system around some cursed castles…)"
The girl scratched her chin as passing adventurers stared at how such a small damsel could carry a full backpack along with that massive bandage-wrapped artifact.
Suddenly, Lucian led his companions into a nearby alley. Waiting there was a savage woman with brown eyes, black hair, and cat ears. Her skin was cinnamon-dark, and she was smoking an improvised cigarette.
"So this is your new girlfriend, Lucian?" the girl asked, blowing smoke directly into the blonde's face.
"She… Actually…" Lucian didn't know what to say before being interrupted by Cristofer.
"Actually, she's his wife," the boy smiled upon seeing the savage's beauty. "Nice to meet you, I'm Cris—" He stopped cold when he saw the murderous look in the catwoman's eyes.