Chapter 1: Let's get out of here and find our home

"Stop that endless munching, Sting. If you don't want your fat belly to be a burden to our next mission." Lucerna scolds, maybe the fifth time this morning and this starts getting on my nerves.

"Even so, I can still fight better than you, you know." I bite back at her.

"Feel free to do as you like. But I won't save you this time." She shrugs.

"Uh huh. I can take care of myself. So stop being my mother and let me finish the chicken peacefully." I hope so, because since the first mission she has always been the one saving me. Not that I can't deal with those deadly moments, just because SHE ALWAYS JUMPS OUT AND TAKE ALL THE MOST FATAL HIT AND SO THAT SHE CLAIMS THE MOST IN THE TEAM.

"Duh. Let's see if you could deal with those monsters 'alone'." Lucerna say, browns knitted. "Last time I checked, you slipped when you were running towards that giant snake, ready to give it a hit…"

"I told you that was because of that stupid rock!"

"…and sprained your freaking ankle and I had to GIVE YOU A PIGGYBACK HOME."

"Hphm…" I huff.

"The mission this time is an A class mission since Master had put more of his trust in us now. If there's one of our stupid mistakes that makes we fail, I'm not sure whether he kicks us out or kills us right in the front of the guild." She sounds so serious that I stop munching to think for a second.

"You know, this might sound crazy but I'm having this creeping thinking that I will drop out of this guild…" I whisper that only us can hear since we were in 'Old Nanny', the inn that our Master holds.

"WHAT?" As I expected, Lucerna nearly jumps out of her skin.

"For good." I grin.

"You serious?" I nod. Her mouth formed an O as I said. "I've been thinking about this for a while. And I want you to come with me."

"But why, Sting? Why all of a sudden…" Lucerna might be a tough dragon slayer in battle but right now she's totally confused, I understood because our Master had recruited her 3 years ago when she was at the edge of death in front of his house. She always looking up to him and trying to pay for the debt she owned him for giving her a home. But I know he didn't think about her the same way, I once heard that he has been using her strength to gain him some illegal income that he often makes with dark guilds, and lately I overheard that there will be a war with some rival guilds and he will have Lucerna in the frontline. I know most of his schemes, because I'm a ten years old kid who likes digging my way around the guild and sometime into Master's room.

I joined Redwood a year after Lucerna's and I really appreciate her since the first time I teamed up with her. So that I really really don't want her to be used anymore. Being friends with her for 2 years, I know deep down she's feeling frustrated as I am, just that she hardly shows. But I know anyways, we're friends and all, even though she's 4 years older I always see her as a friend. Moreover, our Master is a total dick because he only sees us lower ranking mages as scums who work for him to earn our living. Some of us had escaped but most were killed by Him.

So that I've been preparing our escape for a month and now it just needs one more condition: 'Lucerna's corporation'.

And to make her agree to join me, I also prepared a whole speech.

"There's no sudden. I've been thinking about this for a month because I hate seeing you lower your head to him. I want you, no I want us to be free."

"Sting, why me? Haven't you ever thought that I would report this to him? I'm his right hand. Why do you trust me?"

"Because we're friends and no, you're not his right hand anymore. He will replace you as soon as he gets a new one."

"And when is that exactly?"

"Soon. About a week or less. The reason he sent us to this mission is that he knows that you won't be able to protect me from ten thousand knights of the Cathedral. When there's only you come back, he'll throw you to another deadly war immediately. That way, he'll end us without laying a hand."

"This is unbelievable. Why would he do that, he could just kill me and let you be. I don't think that he could ever thinking of you as another hazard."

Because if he kills you, I will hunt him down.

I think but don't dare to say it out loud. "Because we are strong when we stand together." I shrug. Lucerna just look at me. Her look tells me she is finding something within. When she's done searching, she sighs loudly.

"You know that this day will come, don't you?" I ask when she keeps looking at the table.

"Deep down, yeah. I know he wants nothing about my debt, he just uses it to control me. I know that debt just worths half of the shit I've done till now. It's just me."

"You what?"

"I don't want to own anyone anything. I hate that I own him my life because when I laid before his house with hunger and despair, I only wanted Death to come. But He didn't come and sent that sucker instead, and made me own him. I could kill myself if I want but the guilt of owning somebody makes me stop. You know…I'm scared that I can't do what I want because of that guilt."

"Hey, Lucerna." I lean closer. Her eyes are brimming with tears. This is the first time I've seen her crying about something.

"If there's something I'm thankful for, that is Master's attempt to save you, because if he didn't, I wouldn't have met a best friend in the world. But the past is the past, you did your best serving him and you need to stop now. Now those memory of him needs to be replaced by the better. And I'll bring you the new ones. I promise. I know this life is not for me nor you. I need you to believe that I can save us. I need you to trust me." I lay my hand on hers and squeeze it. She let me do that for a while and later she returns the squeezing to mine.

"Show me your plan, partner."