Note: Hello, I've got some news. This is something of a laid back chapter, something that I plan to insert once and awhile after big events and fights. Next time, they'll be making their way to Beiser, and per Owny Ross's suggestion, explaining more in detail why they're going with Duran. Also, there will be some updates on what the villains are doing, as the heroes aren't the only ones going to be heading to Laurent.

Also, there will be Final Fantasy references along with Heroes of Mana call backs. And adult jokes.

Be warned, though it's not too bad.

Night in Valsena

Also, fair warning, it gets a little adult here, though there's nothing too serious that happens. Just a few words and references to some more 'intimate' practices.

"What was up with you being all gung-ho in there, but now, you want to stay here?" Duran questioned, he and the other five young people standing in the city square, the large statue of King Richard towering above them.

"We've been walking for days now. And we've been cooped up for half of that." Angela answered. "Excuse me if I want to have at least ONE night where we can just have ourselves a good time before we have to get to the hard stuff again." she then stretched her arms out, giving out a light groan as she got all the aches out of her. "Besides, I'm not in the mood to go out on the road again."

Duran huffed, turning to look at everyone else. "So, where are you wanting to go?"

"Well, I suppose that depends on what hot spots you'd recommend." Riesz answered. "After all, this IS your hometown." She then looked to the statue of Richard. "You have quite a remarkable king."

"Indeed." Duran agreed, also turning to face the monument. "And an equally remarkable knight to fight alongside him." he murmured under his breath.

"What was that?" Hawkeye questioned.

"Nothing!" Duran answered, the thief clearly not satisfied with that answer. Of course, Riesz shook her head, urging him to drop it. Reluctantly, he did, though she had a feeling that the small wink he gave meant that he did it to once again curry favor. "Anyway," the soldier continued, not entirely sure of what to do as a 'tour guide' per say. "We've got the basic stuff, grocery stores, general stores," he then remembered something and gestured southward. "Though personally, I would check out the Old Joe's Tavern. Best drinks in all of the country. Perhaps the world." True, the young man hadn't had drinks from many other places, and while the beer from the dwarves was well brewed, it only served as a close second.

"Well, it's about time!" Hawkeye said. "I haven't had a good shot or two since I left Nevarl!" he then began making his way in the direction Duran had pointed to, yet stopped to look at everyone else. "Well? Anyone else fancy a drink?"

"Maybe later." Angela said, gesturing to the left. "They've got a library, and I've been needing some reading material." with that, she made her way in that direction.

"I...believe I'll be heading that way as well." Riesz said, not particularly liking the way heat came to her cheeks at the 'come hither' look the thief was giving her. She immediately followed Angela.

"The hellriders…" Kevin began. "Where are they?"

"You mean those birds we came on?" Duran asked, Kevin nodding. "I think that they were taken outside of the city."

"Where exactly?"

"Just outside." Duran answered. "I don't know where exactly." he noticed Kevin's expression fall. Then, Kevin began to move away from them.

"I won't go too far." the beastman said. "Just...going to take a small trip outside." with that, he went off.

"I...think I'ww go whewe Kevin's going." the small girl said, she tailed him. Soon, only Hawkeye and Duran were left.

"So, looks like it's just you and me, huh?" the thief asked.

"Actually," Duran said. "I've got some stuff I want to do before I go to Joe's."

Hawkeye was puzzled and disappointed that he wasn't going to have some sort of form of a drinking buddy, yet realized what the auburn haired soldier was getting at. "Right! Your aunt and sister. Sorry." he apologized. "Well, guess I'll meet you later then." With that, he too went off, leaving Duran alone by Richard's statue, the young soldier leaning against its stand and folding his arms.

"That's not all you're wanting to do, is it?" Faerie asked internally, still remaining in her host. Duran was silent, lowering his head. "It's not necessary, you know." she told him. "There's...no way you could've known about...my friends…"

"It doesn't matter." the young man shook his head. "I...I'm so sorry." he said. "I didn't know the sacrifice you had to make to get here." images of the night the Crimson Wizard visited Valsena came to mind. The numerous soldiers, like himself, strun all around, unmoving, many having perished at his hand. "Someone like me...I should've known better."

Faerie was quiet for a small time, yet then spoke again. "You know," she began. "It's not as if they're...dead."

"Yeah." Lumina then spoke up. "Creatures like them...they're kinda like us, hun." he said.

"We're directly tied to Mana, so they more or less become one with it when they disappear from the world." Gnome added.

Faerie was still feeling Duran's guilt over how he refused her before. Still, she felt something else. "You're still hesitant about it, aren't you?" she asked, only to receive no answer. "It's fine. It's only natural. It IS a sword of legend after all." Duran then brought out his sword and held it, running his thumb over the blade. His father's sword. True, he hadn't been the one to wield the sword in the Peddan War, but he nonetheless accomplished great feats, both for Valsena and the world.

"And the one that he assisted wielded the sword." Faerie said. "Roget...oh, I remember him." Lumina said, remembering the green haired youth fondly. "Roget was an extraordinary guy, but he was still just a guy."

"And those other guys were practically kiddos compared to us." Gnome added. "And look how they turned out!" he then paused. "Though...Roget, he-"

"Hush!" Lumina hissed. "He doesn't need that right now." the Light Elemental answered.

"Hey, it's not like he's dead-"

"Hush!"

He was unaware of what the two spirits were talking about, but ultimately, there were more important things to worry about. "True…" Duran answered. "But…"

"If it's any consolation, and I admit, I may not be the utmost authority on it…" Faerie said. "I can't think of anyone more fitting than you to hold it."

Duran's eyes widened upon hearing that, breaking his gaze from his father's weapon. Still, it wasn't enough to keep his eyes away for too long. He had gotten this fine thing broken once already, could he handle such a thing as perhaps far more precious (though nothing could truly take away from the majesty of his father's sword)? He didn't need any reminder of what holding the sword meant, let alone what it meant when one was called to hold it. Despite how much he wished otherwise, the world was in danger. Hell, parts of it were at war with each other already, his kingdom being a perfect example of that. Something had to be done. Only question was...could he do it? He, Duran, son of Loki, the Golden Knight, do it? Could he follow where many others of legend had?

By the way things were going, there was little time to debilitate a yes or no, as things had already begun.

Library

It was nothing in comparison to the castle's library, much less even Jose's study, but nonetheless, it seemed like there was a decent enough selection here. "So," Riesz began, Angela surveying the shelves for something that caught her interest. "See anything?"

"Not yet." the sorceress answered. She walked alongside some books, surveying the titles. Chronicles of Corneria, Legend of the Crystals, Lunarian Dreams…huh. Well, it was no Exploits of Minwu or Tales of Twin Mages, Palom and Porom. "From the looks of it though, I doubt that there might be anything of interest here at all."

"Well, keep looking." the amazon urged. "There's probably something. Ooh!" she suddenly exclaimed, removing a book from the shelf. "The Wild Rose!"

"Hm?" the violet haired sorceress looked over to see the cover displaying a young man with a sword and what appeared to be a large rose taking the place of the sun. "What's that?"

"It's one of my favorites." Riesz said, composing herself. "Alma introduced it to me, it's one of her favorites too."

"Alma?"

"Oh, my handmaiden. Mine and my bro-" Riesz paused, her expression growing sullen.

Angela bit her lip, not exactly caring for the mood this was heading. "So," she quickly said. "What's it about exactly?"

While she didn't sound overly cheerful, she was at least talking, Angela thought. "It's about a group of rebels called the Wild Rose that try to overthrow the Empire of Palamecia." Riesz answered. Granted, it's a little more complicated than that, as there are matters of politics and several smaller quests. Some of which involve visiting various towns, thwarting several of the empire's schemes," she then stopped for a moment, flipping through the pages until she came to a familiar portion near the end. "Though it gets even more dire when the Emperor rises from Hell."

"From Hell?" Angela questioned.

"Yes." Riesz answered. "See, the heroes kill him, and then it's revealed that he sold his soul to darkness and gained the powers of the underworld. Then, he brings Pandemonium, the Palace of Hell, to the surface." she scanned that particular passage. "And yet, the supposed King of Hell is brought down by mortal men and a woman."

"I think I heard that story once." Angela confessed. "Jose once said that, while not true, the white wizard in that book was based and named off the wizard Minwu himself."

"Interesting…" Riesz trailed off, becoming caught in the old tale from her youth. Angela left her to it, continuing to scan the shelves for something of interest.

So far, she saw nothing. Perhaps it was the smaller selection, or just the overall lack of 'higher reading' that the Altenan library held, but there had to be something here she could at least borrow for the night. Just then, she noticed in the back of the building, a small curtain, dark but thick. What could be behind there? Going over and lifting the curtain up, she saw more rows of books in a small contained room, several lanterns lighting the room and giving it something of an alluring, yet forbidden look. As if it were tempting her to go further. And further in she went, stopping when she saw a title she did recognize.

"They have it?" She took the book, surveying the title, which held the cover of two people embracing each other, and bore the title of 'The Squall of Love'. The same book Vincent had caught her reading in the Goddess' Chapel in the castle. She held the book close as his face and voice came to her, scolding her for reading such a steamy thing in a holy place. A small giggle came to her, yet what followed wasn't exactly pleasant feelings. "No." she shook her head. "I'm not going there. Not now." she asserted aloud. Sure, it would come back, she knew it, but now, she was going to continue where she left off. Particularly at the part where the fair Rinoa's body was overtaken by the Sorceress.

Outside

He didn't even get to speak before the door opened, revealing a blonde woman standing before him. "Hello, stranger." Stella greeted, immediately taking the young man in her arms.

Duran looked over the woman's shoulder, seeing no one. "Where's Wendy?"

"Up in her room, asleep." Stella answered. "As she should be. Poor thing's been through enough." she then sighed. "Though, you've been too."

"I...I'm sorry." Duran answered her. "I...I should've been here."

"And you could take on every single one of those women?" Stella asked rhetorically. "I don't mean this to bring you down, but your were far outmatched. It's a miracle that you're still standing here at all." she then released him, allowing her nephew to face her. "So...it is true, right? You being chosen to wield the Mana Sword?" Duran stood still for a small while before nodding in reply. "I...even now, I still don't know what to say."

"Honestly, I don't know either." her nephew admitted. "It...it still doesn't seem real."

"I know." Stella answered. "I do. Neither Richard or your father could believe it when the Dragon Lord first laid siege to this place. Let alone could they have known that they would be summoned again to deal with him." she didn't let him see it, yet she couldn't help but grimly think 'The world in danger again after only nineteen years...it seems that the times in between disasters are becoming shorter and shorter.' She then directed her attention back to her nephew. "Anyway, come on inside. We can-"

"N-No." Duran shook his head, stepping back. "Don't you remember? I swore not to enter my home again until…" he paused. "Until-"

"Until that Crimson Wizard is dealt with." Stella finished for him. She wasn't exactly pleased to hear this, yet appeared to be expecting it nevertheless. "Just like your father." she sighed. "And just like your father, you intend to go through with it, don't you?"

"He...he can't get away with all that he's done." her nephew answered. "For all the lives he's taken...and it's not just me." Duran continued. "Angela, she said that he's been causing trouble in her home too."

Stella nodded. "He seems like someone with a lot of influence." she noted. "And while I still have reservations about your decision to go through with this...ultimately, given what I know now, perhaps it can't be helped." she tightened her grip on her nephew's shoulders. "...damn it." she hissed. He was back, and now she had to let him go again? And it wasn't as if she could MAKE him stay either. He'd probably go off on his own anyway. And even, if by some small chance he wouldn't, powers far higher than her authority now called him. Her control and ability to care for him had been stripped away from her, and there was no way for her to fight it. "Well...even if you can't return home," Stella finally said again. "Could you at least tell Wendy goodbye?"

Duran nodded. "First thing in the morning." he promised. "Sorry, but I've got to go meet someone at Joe's."

"No, I understand." Stella answered. "Just, one last thing." she then breathed. "Faerie?" the winged woman manifested beside her host. "I won't lie, this young man is a handful."

Faerie nodded. "I can agree with that." she said. "Bullheaded,"

"Stubborn," Stella added.

"Lacking foresight," Faerie said.

"And you can't forget easily riled up," Stella said, noticing her nephew's growing anger with amusement.

"Are you done?" Duran huffed, arms folded across his chest.

"Scratch that." Stella then said. "Make that EXTRA stubborn." then, she took Duran in her arms. "But I want ALL of that intact and ready to come home and drive me nuts." she then turned to Faerie. "Be sure that he keeps himself in one piece for that to happen."

"Oh, uh, yes ma'am!" Faerie answered. "He shall come back to you, just the same as before!"

"I'll hold you to it." the blonde woman told her. "Now, go spend time with those other kids. You all have a long ways ahead of you."

Duran rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. Guess so." He turned to Faerie, then back to Stella. "I guess...I'll see you tomorrow."

With one last hug that seemed to last for quite a while, Stella released her nephew, silently giving him permission to finally leave her. He slowly began to make his way away from her, pausing to look back before heading off to the tavern, unaware of the tears that came to his aunt's eyes.

Outside the City

It took some searching, yet finally, at long last, he had found them. Not buried, but dumped near the edge of the field lay the two hellriders, clearly dead, the blasts and magical blows from the Altenan mages having done them in. "Kevin?" the beastman heard a voice from behind call out. "Kevin!"

He turned to see a blonde girl rushing towards him. "Charlotte?"

"Swow down! I can't wun that fast…" the half elf stopped upon seeing what exactly her far tanner and taller companion was near. "Eww." she grimaced. "What awe you doing out hewe?" she asked, turning her head away from looking at the dead birds. "Awen't you wowwid about getting a disease?" Suddenly, she heard ground being moved, looking to see that Kevin, to her surprise, was digging at the ground. "What awe you doing?" he didn't answer, continuing to dig, she in turn surprised at just how fast he was doing it. In what appeared to be little more than a minute, a hole in the ground was created, and Kevin then folded the outstretched wings of the hellrider inward, making so that it would fit. Realizing what he was doing, Charlotte went off, leaving the beastman alone.

Pushing the hellrider into the hole, Kevin went to begin digging another hole for the other bird, and once he was done, he moved the avian specimen inside. Then, he began moving the dirt over the two pits, covering the birds. Stepping back, he surveyed his handiwork, then felt a tap on his side. Turning, he saw Charlotte again, this time with a bundle of sticks in her hands. "Hewe." she handed them to him, he in turn surprised that she had stuck around after expressing disgust at the sight of the two birds. Nevertheless, he took them and proceeded to make markers for the two recently dug graves.

"So…" Charlotte began, not entirely sure how to start. "Are all those birds mean like those other ones?" Perhaps it wasn't the best thing to say, as Kevin had clearly dug graves for them, yet still, she pondered what prompted such a thing from him.

"They don't start out that way." Kevin said softly. "They're separated from their mothers at birth and hand fed by their handlers. And what they eat is picked out to make sure they grow up and big as fast as possible."

"They'we taken from theiw moms?" the girl asked, clearly mortified. "That...that's tewwible."

"It's how our society functions." Kevin explained. "We beastmen pride strength above all else. Connections like that are believed to weaken their general spirit. So, unless it's to build strength and make them better soldiers, there's really no parental interaction outside of that."

"Why?" Charlotte asked.

"I...I don't really know." Kevin confessed. "It's just the way things are." it was the way he once believed things were as well, considering such a way normal.

"But...but you'we not wike that." the girl said. "You'we nice." even though it was clear that Kevin was far from being like his peers, she found herself with the burning question on her mind. "Why?"

Why indeed, Kevin thought. Truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure how the events leading to his falling away from the 'traditional' way of his people played out exactly. It just seemed to happen. Not right away, no, as it took some time, yet ever since that wolf pup entered his life...or seemed to be brought into his life by powers unknown, again, he didn't know how, yet it couldn't be denied that Karl was the catalyst for it.

And then he was taken away.

But now...now things could be made right again. He could gain his friend back. And if it weren't for everyone else, he would've set right out to do just that.

Joe's Tavern

"So, are your aunt and sister ok?"

Duran nodded. "Well enough, I guess." he answered. "Though everything will only be fine once that crimson bastard is made to pay."

"Hey, c'mon now," the thief said, though really, a part of him knew he shouldn't be talking. Indeed, he knew the power and allure of vengeance, and yes, he had sworn that he would also have his due with a certain witch. "None of that." he continued still, regardless. "It might be awhile before we get to do this, so enjoy yourself!" he then took a sip of his beer. "Whoa, you're right! This stuff IS good!"

Duran, despite himself, smiled. "The best." he attested, taking a swing of it as well. Suddenly, the bar's entrance opened, Riesz, to Hawkeye and Duran's surprise, entering and taking a seat to the left of Duran, though this didn't stop the thief from sending her a wink. She only huffed. "I thought you were going to the library with Angela." the soldier told her, then noticing her flinching. "What?"

"Books can't be that bad."

"It's not that." the princess responded.

"Then what?" Hawkeye asked.

"...I'm not talking about it." he noticed her face turning red.

The violet haired young man then smirked. "Oh, I get it." he said. "You read some-"

"I'm not talking about it!" Riesz snapped, turning away from both young men, her face little more than a ripened tomato. 'Damn!' she mentally hissed. 'How'd he know?!' she thought, all the while mentally cursing the thief.

Indeed, she had viewed some more...adult material, yet it wasn't as if that was her intention! Angela had been seen in a back room very engrossed in the book she was reading, and all the amazon did was ask what was so fascinating about it. She should've known that she had gotten herself in trouble the moment she saw the other princess' smile. 'Oh, it's nothing.' she said. 'But this area's full of them.' Riesz should've known better. 'Take one and read for yourself.' She should've known that the wink she was given meant she was in for something else. And something else it was. The title looked so innocent, 'Love by the Moon', and at first, it told a sweet tale of a Paladin named Cecil Harvey who had just become king, and it detailed his reign. It was an interesting look into a novel telling such a thing, Riesz knowing well what sort of discipline it took to maintain such a thing, but then came Cecil and his bride's, a healer named Rosa, first night. THAT first night. And it spared no detail. Riesz was flabbergasted at what she read. True, it wasn't as if she was naive to such things, yet for a book in public (back room or not, it was still accessible to the public!) to describe such things...needless to say, not one book she knew of ever detailed such things in Laurent! At least, she thought so. Though there was a time that Alma scolded her for going into a certain part of the library...oh Goddess. The book she picked up was so graphic in its descriptions, so, as Angela said, 'steamy', and Riesz was mortified. And yet...she couldn't stop reading. She went on and on, the book then describing several more nights with Cecil and Rosa, and she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from it! And even more, she grew to find herself becoming interested in it! She couldn't stop!

'So…' she then heard Angela say, the other princess peering over her shoulder. 'Which part are you at?' she then looked. "Oooh! Just wait until you get to chapter four. That's when things get REALLY spicy."

That did it. She put the book back on the shelf and left the library, covering her face as she did so. And yes, coming here wasn't perhaps the best idea, yet she needed to get out and away from there as soon as possible. Though she wasn't going to indulge in anything that'd skew her perception-

"What can I get you, miss?" the bartender asked, Riesz immediately answering.

"Strongest you have." she was ashamed of herself, yet she needed to cleanse those thoughts from her mind.

Library

'...taking her in his arms as she straddled him in the chair, the brown haired, scarred man embraced the dark haired beauty, her chest heaving as he poured his long time buried affection into her.' Angela inwardly squealed. Finally, it was about time they got together! It had been, what fifteen plus chapters since the two even met! She pondered whether or not she could convince the library to allow her to buy this, seeing as she'd probably need reading material for the road.

"What's back hewe?" she heard a girl say, turning to see a, had she not known her, small 'child' with full, blonde hair enter.

"Charlotte?" Angela said, surprised. "When you'd get back?"

"Just a wittwe bit ago."

Angela rose a brow. "You mean 'a LITTLE' bit ago."

"That's what I said. A wittwe bit ago."

"Little."

"Wittle."

"Li-TTLE."

"Wi-TTWE" Charlotte said, folding her arms. "I speak pewfect Engwish, you know!"

Angela rolled her eyes. Whatever, the kid's speech impediment wasn't her problem. "Charlotte? Where are you?" she heard someone else say, Kevin up and entering the library's back room too. "There you are!" he then paused, noticing several of the titles of the books around them. "Um...what sort of place is this?"

"It's just another part of the library." Angela said nonchalantly. "Do beastmen have stuff like this anyway?"

"Um...I don't know." Kevin admitted. "I mean, I haven't read anything like this before." he then picked up a book and surveyed it as if it were some strange specimen.

"Hey, I'm cuwious." the blonde girl said. "I wanna wead one."

The beastman took a look at the title of the book he had, and his golden eyes widened, a flush of red coming to his face. "Um...I don't know if you should…"

"This is for a certain kind of audience only." Angela agreed. "You're way too young for this stuff."

"Too young?!" the small girl stomped her foot. "I'ww have you know I'm fifteen yeaws owd!" She then snatched a book off the shelf. "So anything you guys can do, so can I!"

"Charlotte…" Kevin said nervously, yet Angela only shrugged. "Wait, you're ok with this?"

"Never said that." the sorceress answered. "But she IS technically older than she looks, so who am I to say she can't read it?" with that, she went back to her own book.

Well...he supposed that was true. And, truth be told, he was kind of curious as to what these books held. So, opening one, Kevin went in, and it only took the first sentence to tell him all he needed.

"Kevin?" Charlotte then asked. "What's a libedo?"

Much to his dismay.

Bar

"So, how many can you get down?"

Duran turned to Hawkeye. "What's that mean?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Just curious." the thief answered back. "I mean, given how well you know this place, I assume you ARE a regular here."

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm a regular…"

"And I wouldn't say you're good at lying."

Duran was taken aback, but then steeled himself. "None of your business, man."

Hawkeye smirked. "Well, not that it's anything to you," he took a swing of his beer. "I can pack around...fifteen."

The auburn haired soldier then turned to him. "I don't mean to brag,"

"Yes you do."

Duran was silent for a moment. "I can pack around sixteen."

"Oooh, impressive." the violet haired, tanned young man said. "Though I think...last time, I got myself seventeen."

Duran sat, stone faced. "Eighteen."

"Scratch that. Nineteen."

"Twenty."

The bartender just happened to be right there at that right moment, immediately sensing what was about to go down.

And go down it did.

The two had started the counter at where they left off, both of them having drunk three beers. Then three became four. Then five. Then six, seven, eight, nine, and by the time it reached ten, everyone in the bar gathered around and saw what was going on. And with that, any hope of Riesz's that this would be stopped went down the drain as a crowd gathered around and began to encourage them to go on.

"Drink, drink, drink, drink," they cheered, Duran and Hawkeye continuing to guzzle down the foamy alcohol, all the while Riesz only sat there, trying to tune them all out. And here she thought that the bartender had given her some of their 'strongest' stuff, and she couldn't even get a buzz. And the images of what she read in that book still remained fresh in her mind.

Suddenly, she heard the door opening, turning to see Angela entering the bar, Kevin and Charlotte following suit, the beastman's face just as red as hers once was. It didn't take much to deduce what he had just seen. "What's going on here?" the Altenan princess questioned, looking at the two young men guzzling down drinks.

"It's useless." Riesz said, voice monotone. "It's beyond my power to do anything now."

Then, Duran and Hawkeye noticed the three others that had come in, specifically Kevin. "Hey, there you are!" Duran shouted joyfully, clearly not entirely there. "Come on over! You're about to witness me claim victory!"

Hawkey took another swing before promptly setting his empty drink down. "Yeah right! I've just gotten another on you!"

"Another!" Duran then cried out, another drink coming his way.

The bartender rolled his eyes, yet ultimately obliged. "Aren't you going to do anything to stop this?" Riesz asked.

"Miss, it's a miracle that this place was untouched by those mages. And this beer's about to go bad, so the sooner I get rid of it, the better." Riesz was flabbergasted. How could he be so blase about this?! The man behind the counter then turned to Angela. "Anything for you, miss?"

"None for me, thank you." Angela said, taking a seat beside Riesz.

"Good for you." the other princess said, but the sorceress shook her head.

"Don't get me wrong." she replied. "I just don't think this place has any champagne." Riesz sighed in disappointment. And here she thought she had an ally.

"I want some!" a voice called out from further below.

"Forget it!" Riesz told Charlotte. "You're not getting one drop!"

"Aww, why not?" the blonde argued, yet the amazon's will was unwavering.

"No means no, young lady!" she sternly told her. "And if I see you trying to sneak just ONE sip, I'll-" Riesz stopped herself. Just what was she doing? True, she had no intention of letting Charlotte have even a taste of the liquid poison (poison that she too had drunk, so she was being somewhat of a hypocrite), yet here she was, lecturing her as if she were her mother. Charlotte even huffed and pouted as if she were her child. Or maybe...a younger sibling. A younger brother...

"Hey, Kevin!" Duran greeted, rather jovial. "Come on over!"

"Me?" the beastman asked, gesturing to himself. "Um, yeah? What is it?"

"You're just in time." Hawkeye said, narrowing his eyes at the Valsenan soldier. "I'm just about to show this amatur how to pack his liquor."

Duran growled. "Technically speaking, you're only sixteen, so I've been at this longer than you."

"Age has nothing to do with it." the thief answered back, reveling in Duran's frustration. "See? I can tell that it's all going to your head already. Any minute now, you're gonna drop."

"Why you…"

"Hey, hey." Kevin stepped in. "Um, could we not do this? Please?"

Duran seemed to not give a care to what Kevin had to say, yet Hawkeye glanced at the beastman. "Say," he began. "Perhaps Duran here has a chance after all." he then turned to the bartender. "Hey, mind sparing another?" the man behind the counter went to go get yet another mug, Kevin clearly confused. "You familiar with this stuff?" Hawkeye asked, noticing Kevin's wide, confused eyes.

"Um, well...yes?" true, he knew what it was, yet truthfully, he hadn't exactly consumed any of it any time during his life. That wasn't to say it wasn't common in the beastmen society, far from it. If there was anything more common than brawling, it was drunken brawling. He wouldn't have been surprised if more than a few were filled with booze when they went out at night in Jadd. "But, what are you-" before he could finish, Kevin found a fresh mug shoved in his hands.

"C'mon, join us." Hawkeye said, Duran being confused by this.

"Why? He's never going to catch up at this rate."

"Well...no. But at least you'll have second place." Hawkeye answered, Duran only taking another swing of his beer.

Second place? What? THAT was the reason they invited him? Granted, Kevin sensed that wasn't entirely true, Hawkeye seeming very genuine. He was probably just goading Duran on, the two still in hot competition with each other, yet still, the comment resonated with the beastman, his hand reaching to his throat. The marks from his last training session with Ludger still remained, his training partner having made sure to leave some sort of reminder on his person. Second place...well, technically third. Ludger's smirk of victory, his father's scathing words...he immediately took a swing, gulping the whole thing down. Then, he firmly set the mug down on the counter, Duran, Hawkeye, and the bartender rather taken aback by Kevin's sudden vigor. "Another."

The three young women, along with the rest of the onlookers of the match watched on with amazement and perhaps a little bit of horror as the beastman chugged down twenty whole beers in mere moments, immediately catching up to his two opponents. Then, the three all began in a match against one another (or rather, two re-initiated theirs while a third party interjected themselves), chugging down beer after beer. On and on this went, it became clear to everyone that slowly and steadily, the were succumbing to the effects of the alcohol.

"You…" Duran began, voice becoming slurred. "You reach your limit...yet?"

Hawkeye took another swing, his cheeks flushed. "No way…" he answered with a giggle. "Though...you're looking a little green." In response, the other young man took another drink.

"Green?" Kevin asked, voice completely normal. "What's that mean?" how he wasn't affected, no one knew, yet all the same, the three kept going. On, and on, and on, and on.

"Bring it on." Duran said. "I can go...all night…" that was all he got out before all went black, he slumping down on the counter, face down, and loud snoring began to emit from him.

"Well...one down." Hawkeye giggled. "Guess that just leaves you and me-" he began to say to Kevin, yet he too found the world around him slipping away, soon joining Duran in darkness.

Angela smirked at the scene, Kevin only looking at the two slumbering young men, confused. "Oh, did I win?" he asked, face now as red as a ripened tomato.

The bartender was left speechless, along with the once cheering crowd. "All of it…" he stammered. "They drank...all of it."

Kevin curiously poked both Duran and Hawkeye and placed a finger on both of their throats. "They're still alive." he confirmed. Then, he found himself breaking out into mad giggles for some reason.

Riesz only sighed, getting up from the counter. She then went over to the three, clearly disappointed in all of them. Then, she turned to Angela. "Help me with these two, would you?" she then heard something being picked up, she looked to see Charlotte had snatched a near empty mug. "Don't even think about it."

Inn

"And you didn't think to stop him?"

"What was I supposed to do?!" Faerie protested, having taken a break from being by her host's side and went into the other room housing the three young women (well, two and one pseudo child). "I've never seen alcohol before, I didn't know what it'd do to him! And by the time I did, it was beyond my power to stop either of them!"

"Course, even if you did, it probably wouldn't have been too unusual." Angela added. "Everyone there was probably drunk enough to start seeing faeries flying around."

Faerie tilted her head. "That can actually happen?"

Riesz only sighed, massaging her temples. This night hadn't exactly been a night she would consider 'enjoyable', yet nonetheless, there was at least no present threat to deal with currently. Perhaps it was just her, as, after all, this WAS supposed to be a night where such things could be forgotten. And, to a degree, she DID forget about some of it, though not for the reasons she expected. And now, she and the rest of them were going to have to deal with three individuals with splitting headaches the next morning. At least none of them had vomited yet, though the amazon wasn't getting her hopes up.

"Oh, lighten up!" Angela told her. "We're probably not going to be able to do this often, so loosen up a little!" Riesz said nothing, the other princess rolling her eyes in response. 'She's got a broom shoved up even higher up her ass than Jose.' she thought, getting into bed and opening the book from the library. It was a shame she had to return it in the morning, yet she had made it a good way through since she last read, so at least there was that.

Charlotte had already fallen asleep, light snores coming from her, she sprawled out, her covers already all over the place. Riesz settled into bed, taking a book she had borrowed from the library. Of course, unlike Angela, her reading was more on the 'clean' side. Seeing as there was nothing more for her to do here, Faerie returned to her host's room and retreated back into him.

Hawkeye and Kevin were out, and from the looks of it, Duran was not much better. While the bond didn't limit her ability to sleep, she did however have the ability to now read and delve into Duran's subconscious. And while he hadn't slipped into dreaming yet, she began to see images of a peculiar sword manifest, as well as the tree that it resided in. It was hazy and not well defined, but it was there nevertheless. The young man simply stared at it in both fascination and trepidation, not moving from the spot he was in. Both out of hesitation, yet perhaps because it was not time yet. He removed his father's sword from its sheath and surveyed it, then looked to the sword stuck in the massive root. He had no idea why he was doing such a thing, it had been decided for him already. And he had already accepted the task. Still, regardless, the question remained.

Could he?

Note: Next time, things will get going again, the guys going on the road and the set up for when they go to Laurent. Also, while I can't speak for certain, I'll eventually show how things are going in Laurent, whether when the party arrives or giving small previews before they arrive.

Hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time!