Hello once again, readers! Okay, so, right off the bat, this is gonna be the chapter where things start to deviate a little bit from the game proper. What do I mean? Well… you'll see. Before we get into this chapter, however, let's respond to some feedback!

Guest: Yes, you'll find I'm quite a fan of "breather chapters", haha. I'm happy that you enjoyed how I dealt with Tressa in the last chapter! She's plucky, to be sure, but not completely immune to the horrors of reality. Thanks!

EJ17: Oh goodness... haha. Well, I really don't think H'aanit would have minded bunking with Therion that much considering the implications might have flown over her head, but Primrose... nope. Girl needs her space, haha. Thanks again!

febriandanaking: Thank you! I'll readily admit that I'm still far from amazing when it comes to writing more action-packed chapters, but it's good to try and strike a good balance between dialogue and description. This is something I'm still trying to improve upon, what with this story being character-driven and all, but I'm still glad you enjoyed!

ultrawing: Thank you! And is that so? That must have slipped my mind... a very interesting tidbit nonetheless. Perhaps something will be done with this indeed. ;) Thank you!

Theri: Thanks! I have no doubt that poor Tressa would be traumatized by what had gone on down there, and there's a very good fanfiction on here that goes into more detail about how each of the travelers copes with the disturbing discovery. Incidentally, I believe Therion is the youngest of the boys as well as the shortest, if concept art is anything to go by. As for ships... well, we'll see. Cheers!

evoboo: Thank you! I'm quite relieved to hear there were no pastry-related incidents this time, haha. I'm not too sure that I would say it takes confidence to write a less action-y chapter (since that's kinda my default ^^;), but I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter regardless!

P.T. Piranha: Hey, thanks! I'm always striving to improve as an author, and I think that even the smallest of tips or suggestions can go a long way with regards to bettering myself. Thanks again for tuning in!

NoName: Thank you! I plan to cover all of the travelers' stories to completion in this tale, Therion's included. As for my chapter schedule, I usually try to upload a new chapter every week, but this doesn't always play out due to multiple factors (school, work, other stories, writer's block, etc.). This chapter is slightly late, but I do hope to build up a consistent schedule in due time for this story in addition to others that I've regretfully left on the back burner for some time now. Hope that answers your questions!

Thank you guys so much again for tuning in! As always, I wholeheartedly embrace any questions, comments, concerns, and feedback that you guys might have. So, without further ado, let's jump right into it!

After everyone had woken up and packed up all of their belongings, it only took a couple more hours of walking until we reached the gates of Saintsbridge.

Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what I was expecting when I walked into the city. I dunno, I guess… Knight Ardantes at every corner? Annoying preachers handing out fliers? A city that was a little more… brightly-colored?

The city was bustling with people, but the buildings looked like they had seen better days. Maybe they were just really old…

I'll never forget the others' reactions when we got here, though. Ophilia, Tressa, and Alfyn all lit up at the mere sight of the city as if they had never seen anything like it in their entire lives before. Olberic and Cyrus nodded sagely as they took in their surroundings, H'aanit kept a watchful eye on a sniffing Linde, and Primrose merely chuckled as she knelt down to pet the large cat.

"... Welp," I broke the silence at last, "I've seen enough. Where's the nearest tavern?"

Ophilia gave me a dirty look. "Oh, really, Therion! Can't you see how wonderful this place is? I hear the cathedral among the largest and most pristine in all of Orsterra!"

"I'll readily admit that I too am curious to observe such a structure," Cyrus mused quietly, jotting something down in a small notepad. "Truly amazing how such a magnificent building could stay intact over many a year…"

Alfyn laughed heartily. "Never change, Professor. Never change…"

The travelers continued to walk and talk through the streets of the city until a priestly guy cleared his throat and started walking towards us, offering Ophilia a friendly smile.

"Ah, Priestess, welcome! I am Bishop Bartolo," the priest introduced himself. "I understand it you're the one hailing from Flamesgrace to perform the sacred Kindling? My, but you have a capable-looking entourage!"

"O-oh! Greetings, Your Excellency," Ophilia replied with a kind smile. "You are correct. I am Sister Ophilia of Flamesgrace."

The two continued to make small-talk as the rest of us stood off to the side quietly. Not too far away from us, some kids seemed to be arguing about something moderately less boring.

"You LOST IT?! I can't believe you, Emil!"

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…!"

This caught the attention of the others, and Ophilia and Bartolo turned their attention to three small boys standing in the town square.

"Great. Kids," I groaned. "My second least-favorite kind of person."

"Don't you have to be a jerk somewhere else?" Tressa snarked in my direction as we walked over to the little brats in question. Leaning forward slightly, she asked, "Hey, kiddos! What's wrong?"

"Emil lost Derryl's brooch!" one of the kids complained angrily, stomping his foot on the ground and clenching his fist. Upon seeing Primrose, however, he quickly changed his tune. "Oh, uh, hey. Sup."

"Nate, now's not the time," a second kid, presumably Derryl, groaned with his face in his hand. "But he's right. I loan Emil my brooch for two seconds and now it's gone like a swan!"

"I-I said I was sorry!" the third boy, the youngest of the bunch, protested. "Honest! I didn't m-mean to…"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Sounds to me like letting him borrow it in the first place was a stupid idea."

"Hey!"

Most of the group glared at me in response.

"... Well, am I wrong?"

Ophilia sighed exasperatedly before bowing to the children in apology. "Please forgive our acquaintance. He can be a bit… moody, shall we say. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Sister, please," Bartolo insisted. "You and your friends have traveled such a long way. Please allow the Knights Ardante to deal with this while you rest up for the day at the cathedral."

"Sounds good to me," I piped up. "Got any good alehouses around here?"

Olberic's face found his hand in an instant. "Truly unbelievable…"

"I appreciate your kindness, Bishop, but I'd rather help the children look for the brooch if possible," Ophilia admitted with an earnest smile. "The rest of you can go on ahead if you'd like, though!"

"Tch," Derryl huffed, turning to walk away with clenched fists. "Whatever. You'd better find that brooch, Emil!"

"Yeah," Nate nodded, folding his arms and trying to look cool in front of our female teammates. "You'd better find it, or else… or else…!"

I rolled my eyes. "What, you're gonna threaten him? In front of all of these responsible adults?"

"..."

Without another word, Nate turned tail and fled after Derryl, leaving the darker-haired boy all alone.

"I… oh, now I've done it," Emil sighed, wringing his hands together. "Now I've really done it! What am I gonna do…?"

"Beats me," I said bluntly, walking away from the scene. "Somewhere in this city, there's a mug of ale with my name on it."

"Right," Bartolo voiced with disdain. Turning to Ophilia, he offered, "Well, Sister, I shall return to the cathedral if you truly need no assistance. Please do not hesitate to call on me, though."

"Thank you, Your Excellency," Ophilia said with sincerity in her eyes.

From there, the group began to dissipate with plans to meet later at the Saintsbridge Cathedral in the northernmost part of town. Ophilia stayed with Tressa, Cyrus, Primrose, and H'aanit to help the best look for the brooch while Alfyn and Olberic decided to keep a close eye on me.

Said close eye ended up leading them to the local bar, and pretty soon the two of them were sitting down at a table with at least two mugs each.

"Now this right 'ere," Alfyn slurred slightly as he grasped a mug and pressed his finger against it, "this is some good stuff…"

Olberic downed another mug and nodded in response with a warm smile. "Indeed, my friend. Why, I already feel ten years younger…"

The two kept chatting and laughing as I remorselessly raided all of the patrons' pockets, all of them far too drunk to notice a thing. Once my own pockets were suitably heavy, I sat at the corner and dumped a handful of leaves onto the counter. The barkeep, having apparently missed my unsavory deeds, nodded and passed me a few mugs.

"Ah," I sighed in relief after taking a nice hard sip of cold mead. "Sometimes life isn't so shitty after all."

"I wouldn't say that exactly," a soft voice replied, startling me. Turning, I could see that a pretty young woman with purple hair had sat down next to me. "So much illness and suffering in the world… it's tragic, really."

"Uh… yeah," I said as I eyed her strangely, spotting a brown satchel slung over her shoulder. "... You some sort of apothecary?"

She giggled in response, covering her mouth. "What gave it away?"

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Lucky guess."

"So, what brings such a handsome gentleman like yourself here?" she flirted shamelessly, staring at me while resting her head in one hand.

"Seven maniacs and a snow leopard."

The woman blinked briefly before speaking again. "... Well, I can't say I've heard that one before."

"What's your name, dollface?"

"Hysel. Vanessa Hysel," she replied with a smile, offering her hand. "And you are?"

I eyed her hand strangely for a moment before continuing. "... Not drunk enough to continue this conversation. Now my acquaintance, Alfyn, on the other hand," I said, gesturing back to the table where the aforementioned apothecary was pounding the table and laughing, "... I figure you both might have something in common. Guy's practically got 'apothecary' written all over him."

Vanessa's eyes seemed to widen for a moment before she got ahold of herself, eyes darting between Alfyn and me suspiciously. "... Another apothecary, you say? Well, perhaps I'll go introduce myself to him after all. In the meantime, would you be interested in purchasing - "

"No."

"But… you don't even know what I was going to say!"

"Don't care. Hate solicitors. Piss off."

"Oh! How rude," Vanessa huffed angrily before standing from her stool and leaving the establishment without another word.

I smirked to myself as I lifted my mug to continue drinking. I really wanted to, but… something was telling me that it wasn't a good idea after pissing off that girl…

"Nope," I sighed, putting the mug back down. "Not today, temptress. I'd better go check on the others, though - "

"Aiyeeh!"

SMASH!

Sure enough, some poor unfortunate soul had thought it would be a good idea to mug a still very sober Olberic with little more than a knife. Olberic had decided to simply grab the man and slam him into a nearby table in response, breaking some of the thug's bones (and the table) in the process.

"... A fine fight that was," the swordsman uttered to the unconscious man, looking around bashfully at the shocked patrons and bartender. "You have my thanks."

... Maybe I wasn't that thirsty after all.

Silently slipping out of the bar, I started to walk back in the direction of the town square before a certain blonde cleric caught my eye.

"Therion!" Ophilia cried, running towards me. "There you are."

"Here I am," I joked, cracking a smile. "How's the babysitting coming along?"

The priestess gave me an annoyed look in response. "Very funny… We've looked all over the square and yet there's still no sign of the brooch. Not even Linde and Professor Albright have been able to track it down!"

"Seriously? What's even the point of keeping around a snow leopard and a detective if they can't even sniff out an NPC's lost item?"

Ophilia folded her arms and glared at me. "What about you? I thought you were out looking to get intoxicated before noon."

"Oh, please. Having some morning alcohol is hardly the worst thing in the world."

"Therion, I'm worried about those boys," she admitted softly, wringing her hands and looking down. "It's just…"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Just…?"

"Well… they're still so young, and genuine friendship can be hard to come by in this day and age…"

"Ain't that the truth," I snorted, folding my arms. "But why do you care anyway? I thought you were here to light some dumb candle or something."

This made Ophilia more upset than I've ever seen her get, even in battle. Her eyes seemed to smoulder with anger as she barked, "It's not dumb! This journey that I'm on… it's far more important than anything I've ever done in my life! And I'm not even doing it for myself; I'm doing it for the good of Orsterra and the two people I love the most!"

"I…"

I paused, unsure of what to say. Here this girl was, literally putting her life on the line for the good of humanity while asking for nothing in return, and here I was being a jackass. But… I mean…

"Ugh," I moaned, hand over my face in shame. I knew I was just drawing more attention to the band on my right wrist, but I didn't care anymore. My words alone had made me look far worse in her eyes than this stupid band ever could. I was just thankful that no one else seemed to be present at the moment.

"Look," Ophilia said in a tone that was quiet yet firm, "I understand that Tressa and the others didn't really give you much of a choice in coming along with us. I understand that you have your own motives and goals. I even understand that there's almost no conceivable way that we would even be working together under normal circumstances! Yet even so, in spite of all of this…"

"Here it comes…"

"... I know there's more to you than just some brooding thief," Ophilia sighed, hand over her heart as she looked at me with hopeful eyes.

Suddenly I felt extremely self-conscious and tried to hide it by burrowing my face into my scarf.

"... You're wrong," I said bluntly, looking down at the ground. "I'm a thief, and thieves steal. That's what we do; that's all we do. We don't make friends, we don't help others unless there's something in it for us, and we definitely don't stop to do heroic acts of charity like the rest of you lot."

"Therion - "

"You're dead-set on helping those kids, aren't you?" I interrupted. "Fine. By all means, go on. I'll see what I can do about gathering some intel, but don't expect me to do anything more than that."

The cleric was taken aback by this, and her eyes seemed to shine as she beamed with pride. "Therion! Does that mean…?"

"Ah-ah-ah, no," I argued, holding a finger in the air. "I'm not helping out kids in need. I'm just trying to move the plot along so you can perform your little fire ceremony and we can get out of here, okay? That's it."

"I knew you couldn't be all bad," Ophilia giggled as she turned to walk up the stony path. "Um… actually, I was just about to talk to Derryl… would you care to accompany me?"

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose before responding. "... Fine. But I'm not doing this for them, and I'm especially not doing this for you, alright?"

Ophilia blinked for a moment before giggling. "If you insist… Come on, then."

A couple of minutes of searching later and we had finally arrived at the kid's house. A normal person in a normal situation might have knocked, but breaking and entering seems pretty commonplace for these types of situations, so…

"Hey!" Derryl yelled as I let myself in, Ophilia not too far behind me. "What the heck?!"

"You know, you really should have knocked, Therion…"

"Yeah, yeah," I groaned, "and he should have locked the door. Don't you have something to ask the little brat?"

"I'm standing right here, you know!"

Ophilia walked towards the boy, leaning forward slightly with her hands on her knees. "Hello… Derryl, was it?"

The boy pouted and looked away with folded arms, kinda reminding me of myself. "Hmph… what do you want? Did you find my brooch?"

"No… not yet, sadly," Ophilia sighed. "But Emil and our friends are all looking very hard for it, so - "

"Then I don't wanna hear it," Derryl rebutted. "That brooch means the world to me, and I want it back right now! It's all his fault that it's gone in the first place, and I won't forgive him until it comes back!"

"Who the hell cares about a stupid brooch?" I barked. "Why is it even so important to you in the first place?!"

"Therion…!"

"... It was my mum's brooch," Derryl answered quietly, his anger dissipating slightly.

"Yeah, so? Where is she, anyway?"

Derryl stared at the floor in silence with clenched fists as Ophilia gave me a harsh glare.

"... Oh," I mumbled sheepishly.

"Exactly," Derryl sighed. "That's why I need it back. I… it's all we have left of her…"

Ophilia rested a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, looking him square in the face with an expression that I could only describe as firm, yet fair. "I'm afraid I know your pain all too well. When I was a bit younger than you, I lost both of my parents… The pain you feel is justified, but hurting Emil won't bring her back."

I kept my mouth shut, watching the kid take in the harsh reality of her words. Seeing the hurt in his eyes made me think of myself when I was around his age; no home, no parents, no friends, not even so much as a cardboard box to live in. The last thing a kid at that age needs is to feel the pain of losing a parent…

"Nothing is more painful than losing a loved one… but don't you also love your friends?"

"He lost my mum's brooch!" Derryl exploded in response, visibly shaking. "I… how can I love someone who could be so careless?!"

Ophilia pursed her lips, her brow furrowing for a moment before she replied. "But… he's still out there, searching for the brooch in an attempt to right his wrong and mend your friendship. Doesn't that count for anything?"

"Yeah, right! I… I bet he's already given up and gone home by now!"

Derryl turned his back on us without another word, arms still folded as he seethed in silence. Ophilia turned back to me with a pitiful expression as I merely rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Well, we failed," I announced. "C'mon, let's get out of here…"

"... No," the cleric refused, standing tall with her staff in her hand.

The tip of the staff glowed brilliantly with light magic as an arm flew in front of my face to protect myself. Derryl turned towards the source of the light with shock in his eyes.

"W-wait, what are you doing…?!"

"Let the Flame guide your path," Ophilia chanted as she raised her staff into the air.

"Waaah…! No! Just leave me alone!"

When the light died down, I could see that Derryl looked decidedly more calm and willing to listen to reason. Ophilia leaned over and whispered something into his ear, and she began to lead him out of the house with me close behind.

"Well, that was creepy," I sighed as the three of us stood atop the stony stairs overlooking the square.

Sure enough, Emil was still out there practically uprooting everything in sight in a vain attempt to find the brooch. The others that had stayed with him had largely given up. Just as well; if Cyrus and Linde couldn't find it, it was hopeless.

"I… I can't believe it," Derryl sighed.

"Emil told me something, you know," Ophilia said to the boy quietly. "He said you've been lashing out at everyone since your mother passed away."

"I don't remember that," I said.

"In spite of that," Ophilia continued, ignoring me, "he still hoped that you two could be friends again…"

"He… he really said that?"

"He did, yes. I know what it's like to lose a parent," Ophilia asserted, her eyes filled with an almost indescribable bittersweetness. "I know what it's like to feel like you're the only person in the world who feels the way that you do… When I lost my parents, I was still blessed to have people in my life that loved me. I closed my heart to them in my sorrow, and yet they loved me all the same…"

I closed my eyes, taking in her words. Sure, she wasn't talking directly to me, but those words still hit home regardless…

The "closing people off" part, not the "I had people around to cheer me up and not kick me while I was down" part.

"If you close your heart," Ophilia mused with a sad smile, "you'll never realize just how much your friends care about you."

I scoffed, shaking the thoughts out of my head. Surely she couldn't believe in such… sugary thoughts, could she? But then again, what could I possibly know about friendship and love?

Exactly. Jack shit.

"H-hey!" the boy exclaimed. "I didn't do anything! I'm not the one making him look for it! I… Why is everyone always blaming me?"

"I'm not blaming you, Derryl," Ophilia sighed. "But maybe… maybe you're blaming yourself? Perhaps you feel guilty for making Emil feel bad?"

"Ha," I sarcastically uttered. "You sure don't pull any punches, do ya, Blondie?"

"I… I just… grr," Derryl grumbled moodily. "Stop with the mind games! It's annoying!"

Ophilia blinked confusedly. "What? But I never meant to…"

"No, I can totally see it," I deadpanned. "Look, this has all gone on for way too long now. Let's just find the stupid brooch already and call it a day."

As we made our way back to the town square, out of words and ideas, I could see Tressa and some of the others gathered around panicking. Weirdly enough, the little brat who was supposed to be with them had vanished.

"Woah, woah, what the hell is going on here?"

"Well, it appears we have some good news and bad news," Cyrus answered matter-of-factly. "On the bright side, we've successfully located Derryl's brooch!"

"Wait," I laughed, "don't tell me; the bad news is that a dog ran off with it into a nearby forest and the idiot kid ran after it and now we have to go there and save him."

Cyrus blinked in surprise for a moment before a smile made its way across his face. "Why, that's absolutely correct!"

I merely gaped at everyone in response. "... You're joking."

"Nope," Tressa sighed, adjusting her hat. "But we're not gonna save Emil just standing around here! Linde, H'aanit! Do your thing!"

"Of course!"

Within seconds, Linde had already began sniffing at the ground before growling and sprinting off towards the westernmost part of town, H'aanit motioning for the rest of us to follow. Tressa was the first to sprint after her, followed by Primrose and Cyrus.

"You've got to be kidding me," I groaned. Turning to Ophilia and Derryl, I grumbled, "Kid, you stay here. Leave the dirty work to the adults."

"I can't believe it," Derryl muttered. "Emil seriously went into the Murkwoods…?"

"Yep. And all because of you," I said. "So if he dies…"

"He won't die, Therion," Ophilia chided me fiercely. "Not if we have anything to say about it! Wait here, Derryl!"

Thankfully not wasting any more time, the priestess rushed after her fellow companions and towards the forest entrance to the west of the square.

"Hold on, Emil!" Ophilia shouted as she sprinted into the forest. "We'll save you!"

"H-hey!" I spouted, trying to catch up. "Don't get careless!"

The Murkwood, true to its name, was as murky as it was woody. The trees touched the sky in such a way that made sunlight near nonexistent, and Ophilia and I ended up having to rely on her trusty staff to help guide the way through the darkness. The woods were alive with the sound of eerie silence as the two of us continued to walk down the dirt road, looking over our shoulders carefully.

"I don't like this," I grumbled, trying to push any feelings of anxiety deeper inside of me. "Usually we'd have run into at least a few monsters by now…"

"Where could everyone be?" Ophilia shakily asked me as one of her hands reached my poncho.

"H-hey!"

"Oh! I… my apologies," she sighed, bowing her head. "I… I was only trying to…"

Before the moment could get any more awkward, a loud roar rumbled through the air. The noise seemed to come from somewhere in front of us, and people could be heard shouting afterwards.

"Emil, get behind us!" a plucky voice commanded. "Professor, rev up those tomes!"

"Oh, hell. That has to be Tressa!" I shouted, gesturing to further up ahead. "C'mon!"

"R-right!"

A short sprint later found us at a clearing in the forest where our team was fighting a hellish-looking wolf. The beast was large, shaggy, and muscular, and it had the teeth and claws to match. Its solid yellow eyes had an almost soul-piercing gaze, and the wolf panted heavily as if being presented with an entire platter of salted meat.

"Great gods above!" Cyrus yelled as Emil cowered a safe distance behind him and the others. "Unless my eyes deceive me, this beast is none other than the legendary Hrodvitnir!"

H'aanit studied the beast with great interest as she readied her bow and arrow, her eyes traveling up and down the wolf's body. "... Yes, I believen you are correct, Professor Albright. The elders of S'warkii woulde often tellen the younglings about this foul beast before bed."

"... Seriously?" Tressa asked with shock and horror written all over her face. "That's awful!"

"Sounds like a healthy dose of nightmare fuel to me," I said with a shrug as Ophilia and I walked over to them. "We figured you might need a healer."

"Ophilia!" Primrose cheered. "... Oh, and Therion. Ahaha."

"Ahaha yourself," I snarked, staring back at Hrodvitnir with my daggers already in my hands. "So what's the game plan? Cause I'm thinking we take the kid and run."

"Twould not do," H'aanit disagreed. "If we flee, the beast may chasen us back to Saintsbridge!"

Cyrus opened a tome and began mouthing words from it under his breath as a ball of fire began to form above his head.

"Then we gotta take it down here and now!" Tressa yelled assertively as she readied her bow like the huntress before her. Unlike H'aanit, however, she began muttering some words quietly until her arrow became coated in a green aura. "Let's go, Travelers!"

Hrodvitnir let out a guttural roar as it charged towards our party, Emil shrieking and covering his head from behind us. Tressa and H'aanit let their arrows fly at the same time as Cyrus's fireball careened into the beast's body. Though the arrows stuck and the flames persisted, the beast merely shook off the pain and continued its assault, swiping at us with a nasty claw.

"Argh!" H'aanit grunted as she lunged forward to take the brunt of the attack, using her axe to help her fight at close-range.

Apparently the beast could only focus on one opponent at a time, as it continued to bite and slash at an expertly-blocking H'aanit while Linde and Primrose stood off to the side, waiting for the perfect opening.

"Rawr!"

Right on cue, the snow leopard pounced at Hrodvitnir's left side and bit into it, causing the beast to let out a horrid howl of agony. As Linde leapt back to H'aanit's side, Tressa and Cyrus started blasting the wolf with wind and ice magic as Ophilia and Primrose began patching up a wounded H'aanit.

"'Tis but a scratch!" the huntress protested as her bloody wounds began to close.

"You're no use to us dead, H'aanit," Primrose warned, twirling around as she boosted the huntress's physical defenses. "Without Olberic and Alfyn, you're the hardiest person on the team!"

"Just where the hell are those two anyway?" I mumbled to myself as I crept behind Hrodvitnir, sword ready to pierce its hide.

Cyrus had let loose a powerful tempest of ice that had pierced and frozen some of the beast's flesh. Now that its front paws had been frozen by Cyrus's Blizzard spell, it was time to act.

I lunged forward with a yell as I thrusted my sword deep into the beast's back. Hrodvitnir let out another hideous shriek of pain and I felt momentarily proud of myself before it kicked me in the chest with its hind legs. The impact sent my flying back-first into a nearby tree, making me drop my sword.

"Therion!" Ophilia cried as she rushed over to my side, staff at the ready.

"D-damn… I hate dogs," I joked, coughing up a little bit of blood. "Ugh…"

"Just hold on," she whispered as she moved her staff over my chest gently, letting the healing magic pour into my ribcage.

Looking ahead, I could see that Hrodvitnir had unfrozen its paws and was now glaring right at Ophilia and me, slowly prowling over to us. H'aanit and the others tried getting its attention with projectile attacks, but the beast stayed unfettered.

"O-Ophilia," I croaked, pointing a shaky arm towards the beast. "Behind you…!"

"Huh?!"

Ophilia turned towards the hellhound with pure fear in her eyes, lifting her staff in front of us as if it would do us any good. "B-begone, you… you…!"

"Oh, come on," I groaned, clutching my heart with my hand. "It's okay to swear at a time like this, you know. Really."

"N-no!" Ophilia shook her head violently as the beast drew near, her staff now shining beautifully. "You won't take him from me!"

"Run, Ophilia," I insisted, trying to rise to my feet. The damn wolf sure had some lower leg strength to be sure. "I… I can make it…"

"No! I can't just leave a friend behind!" the priestess declared as she fired rays of holy light down onto the beast. It writhed and shook in pain, but stayed on its feet and continued to ignore the others in favor of us.

Finally, Hrodvitnir let out a final soul-shattering scream as it pounced towards us with teeth and claws bared. Time seemed to slow down in that brief moment, and I could see everyone's faces pretty clearly. Tressa and Cyrus had given up on their magic altogether and were rushing towards us with spear and staff in hand, horror sprawled on their faces. Primrose had just finished a double Mole Dance on them with the hopes of saving her friends, Linde and H'aanit were sprinting alongside them, and Ophilia shut her eyes tightly with her staff still shining as she waited for the inevitable.

"Hey, you! Chew on this!"

Nobody could believe their eyes as we saw a hatchet sail through the air and collide right with Hrodvitnir's jaw, embedding itself into the wolf's mouth with a terrible bone-cracking sound. Even H'aanit winced as the poor bastard tried to howl in pain only to bleed onto the forest ground as a result.

"A-Alfyn?!" Tressa cried with huge eyes as the apothecary came forward from behind us.

"In the flesh," he said with a grin. "Man, do I got a killer left arm or what?"

"Impeccable timing, my friend," Cyrus sighed with a smile as she rest of us regrouped towards the entrance of the clearing. "I had no idea just how potent axes could be even as projectile weapons!"

"Grrr… grooohhh!"

The seven of us turned to see that Hrodvitnir, despite having been impaled in the jaw by a throwing axe, was still standing with pure hatred in its eyes.

"Tch… the hell is it gonna take to kill this thing?!" I shouted before coughing suddenly.

"I think you're gonna need to let me take a look at that later," Alfyn sighed as he glared the wolf down with his axe at the ready. "Do we really have to kill this thing though…? I only threw the hatchet out of desperation…"

H'aanit stared down at the ground for a moment before speaking up. "... My friends. Please do not killen the beast. I wishe to haven a word with it."

"Pfft," I snorted. "What, you mean, like, ask it how its day is going?"

"Therion…"

"Indeede," H'aanit solemnly stated. "Perhaps, in doing so, we can reachen a common ground."

"This is crazy," I sighed, "but alright. Might as well, since we've already got the high ground."

"Boooo," Tressa jeered with two thumbs-down as everyone else merely shook their heads in disappointment.

Hrodvitnir crept forward as we got back into a defensive position, ready to weaken the bleeding monster. The beast only crawled about ten feet away from us before it crumpled to the ground, devoid of fighting spirit. H'aanit took the moment to walk over to it and kneel by its side, stroking its head gently.

"Shh… it will all be over soon… but I must know; what ails you, Hrodvitnir?"

"Grrr… ouuuu…"

"Oh… oh dear…"

Cyrus stepped forward cautiously, eyeing the beauty and the beast nervously. "... What seems to be the issue, H'aanit? Is it territorial? Did we perhaps stumble upon its abode at a rather poor time?"

"... No," H'aanit answered quietly, closing her eyes. "Hrodvitnir… hath been poisoned."

Everyone stood in stunned silence at the revelation. A monstrous-looking demon wolf… had been poisoned?

"I… don't get it," I said. "Who'd want to poison a wolf? And why?"

"Poor Hrodvitnir," Tressa sighed with watery eyes. "Who could have done such a thing…?"

"Oh, geez... now I feel really bad," Alfyn muttered.

"... Perhaps it was a poacher?" Primrose suggested softly as she gazed at the beast with pity.

"I do not know," H'aanit sighed, "but whoever hath committed this crime must pay for this."

"Sorry about your jaw, buddy," Alfyn apologized guiltily, kneeling to stroke the dying wolf. "You… you're not a bad dog, are ya? No… you were the victim here all along…"

"Grr…"

Linde growled sadly, nuzzling the poor creature's face and licking it. As Hrodvitnir drew its final breath, it almost seemed to smile at us - its lips curling slightly at the corners - before it finally let go.

"Is… is it over?" Emil asked, peeking his head out from behind the group. Ophilia took the initiative and covered his eyes with her hand as the rest of us stood around the corpse.

"Yes, Emil… it's over."

"Poisoned wildlife," Olberic said quietly, rubbing his temples as we sat at a table in the dining area of the cathedral. The day had turned to night just like that, and the staff of the cathedral had offered to let us stay the night free with a complimentary breakfast as thanks for Ophilia's deeds. "Does humanity's cruelty know no bounds? I only regret not having caught the criminal in the act myself."

"Cheer up, Sir Olberic," Cyrus pleaded softly. "With any luck, we'll find a lead yet! Whoever poisoned Hrodvitnir surely must remain in Saintsbridge as of yet! Especially considering the poison must have been fast-acting... perhaps it was only administered yesterday before we had encountered the poor creature..."

"Tch," I scoffed before taking a sip of my sadly nonalcoholic drink. "Poison, huh…"

"I'm just glad that Emil is back safe and sound," Tressa sighed in relief. "If we hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened! Good job, everyone."

Glaring at Olberic, she added, "Well, everyone who actually bothered to show up, that is!"

"Ah… my apologies, Tressa. I'm afraid I got caught up in having to repay the local bartender for a damaged table."

"What?!" Tressa exclaimed. "What could you have possibly been doing in there to break a table?"

Primrose locked eyes with me from across the table and smirked, causing me to roll my eyes with a small smile.

"Everyone," Bishop Bartolo announced as he entered the room, "Sister Ophilia is about to light the Sacred Flame of Saintsbridge! Please, come, if you will."

Our group of seven was escorted to the main hall of the church and directed to sit in the front row as Ophilia walked up the middle of the walkway. She smiled at each of us before finally making her way to the altar where the Flame resided.

Clearing her throat, she began, "Friends and residents of Saintsbridge! I thank you all for joining me on this, a most sacred day. Today marks the official beginning of the Kindling, and it is with Aelfric's Lanthorn in my hand that I hereby light the Flame of Saintsbridge!"

The audience waited until Ophilia had finished lighting the Flame to applaud, and the rest of us were amazed at how radiant the blue flame was. Cyrus in particular seemed to be furiously scribbling down some notes in his notepad, probably trying to figure out how lighting fire with more fire made any logical sense.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Phili!" Tressa cheered as she hugged the priestess tightly, beaming.

"You are doing the world at large a great service, lass," Olberic complimented with a gentle smile. "I could think of no greater honor than to accompany you on your quest.

"You're going to make me blush," Ophilia giggled, her golden locks swaying as she laughed melodically. "Still… I cannot thank all of you enough. Were it not for your strength, I would not be standing here today…"

"Hmph," I mumbled as we exited the cathedral through the front door. "Yeah, yeah, great. Power of friendship, hooray…"

Everyone else shared a laugh and began to walk forward until three kids ran past us, laughing and smiling.

Ophilia squinted for a moment before calling out to them. "Wait a moment… Derryl! Emil! Nate! Is that really you?"

"Oh, hi," Derryl greeted quietly with a tiny smile.

"Hello, Sister!" Emil chirped.

"I'm so glad to see that the lot of you are friends again regardless of our failure," Ophilia said with a warm smile. "I'm just sorry we couldn't find your mother's brooch, Derryl…"

"What are you guys talking about?" Derryl asked, holding a very brooch-like object in his hand.

"Oh!" Tressa uttered excitedly. "Does that mean… is that…?"

"Sure is!" Derryl cheered with a smile. "I don't know what happened, but... just last night, when you guys brought Emil back from the forest, it appeared under my pillow!"

"Really?!" Ophilia perked up as the others smiled. "That's amazing! Truly!"

"You sure you didn't just misplace it this whole time?" I asked him skeptically.

"I'm positive!"

"Yeah! And I believe him too," Nate affirmed. "I'm just glad all three of us can be friends again…"

"M-me too!" Emil said with a grin. "Thanks, you guys… for everything."

With that, the three ran off to continue playing together in the town square.

"Pfft… stupid kids," I grumbled under my breath. "I need a drink after all of this."

H'aanit chuckled. "Life truly does work in mysterious ways sometimes."

"I'm so happy for those three," Ophilia chimed in. "But… where did the missing brooch come from?"

"Beats me," I said with a shrug.

As I continued walking forward, I could feel everyone staring holes into my back. Turning, I demanded, "What?"

"Therion," Tressa cooed teasingly with a smirk.

"That's my name, yes. What of it?"

Alfyn laughed boisterously. "Ahahaha! Who knew Fluffy had a soft spot for kids after all?"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" I barked, clenching my fists. "And quit calling me that!"

"Therion, you didn't… did you?" Ophilia inquired with a friendly smile and shining brown eyes.

"... You know what? Believe what you want," I sighed as I turned to walk back to the tavern.

Despite myself, I felt a small smile growing on my face as I did so.

"Yeah… I earned that drink."

I sat at the counter and ordered another round from the moderately-richer bartender as I contemplated the events of the day and what tomorrow would bring. We had taken care of Ophilia's business, but I had reason to believe that we might be staying in Saintsbridge just a while longer. No doubt H'aanit and Olberic would want to do some questioning around town to find the cad who poisoned Hrodvitnir, and I had the suspicion that everyone else would be too much of a goody-goody to refuse them.

"Therion, my boy!" Alfyn shouted as he took a seat next to me, taking one of my drinks for himself. "You ain't gonna believe this!"

I sighed, smiling. "What is it this time, Alfyn?"

Leaning in, he replied in a whisper, "I hear there's this talented apothecary in town! And get this! Apparently, she's gorgeous! We gotta go see her in action sometime!"

"Yeah, nothing says 'hot date' like 'bandages and healing tonics'."

"That's what I'm sayin'!"

"..."

"So… Er… wanna come?"

"When is this so-called apothecary doing her thing?" I asked half-heartedly.

"In about an hour in the square!" Alfyn exclaimed, raising his mug. "With any chance, maybe some of her talent will rub off onto me!"

"Heh… sure, Alf."

I had an inkling of who this mystery doctor might be, but I decided not to worry about it for the time being. I mean, we just got done dealing with a giant berserker wolf while also repairing a broken friendship between two kids.

How bad could one apothecary be?