An end

The world is crumbling. This a truth that everyone knows but few acknowledge. These people, more often than not, could be found at the bottom of a whiskey bottle or at a pleasure district, enjoying their fleeting last moments.

The ignorant ones carried on with their lives as if nothing happened, blind to the impending doom that would conclude everyone's story in an unsatisfactory manner. People who built their future with hopes for tomorrow. Younglings who worked hard to improve themselves. Greedy seekers who thrived only to reach their goals. Mature souls who carried the legacy of their traditions.

All of these people would perish along with their world… and there was no way to stop it. Only a god could be capable of preventing such a tragedy.

Thus, a 35-yeard old captain of the royal guard made his choice.

The house of the countryside was old and had suffered the price of the apocalypse: shattered earth had torn some sections clean from the structure, dust had painted the surfaces with grey tones and the vegetation had withered on the garden that used to surround it.

At least the door was still in one piece.

Knock, knock.

"Nobody home!"

Knock, knock, knock.

"Keep knocking, maybe someone will answer!" The one who wasn't home encouraged.

The visitor lifted a brow. His companion pushed her lips up with a finger, wearing her doubts on her round eyes.

"Maybe we shouldn't have come?"

"He will open." He promised.

The Royal Cavalry Music Corps' captain may have left his station without the king's approval, but he was still a soldier. Discipline and responsibility were the principles that were drilled into each recruit during their training. Few would manage to lose sight of these ideals.

Knock, knock, knock, knock.

A grumble could be heard on the other side of the door and someone dragged their feet. A man of thick, black brows and yellow helmet-like hair opened the door. His blue eyes had bags underneath and from his other hand hung a liquor bottle. From his dirty clothes and curved back, one could get a grasp of how tired the man was.

Said man pointed a finger at the tallest visitor.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be serving the king or whatever, Captain Olber?"

"The world is ending, Harold IV."

"No shit. Took you long enough to realize." He chuckled with a dry look, realizing no more nectar was left in the bottle he took to his lips. "Geh… That's the reason many of us deserted, you know?"

Olber's companion showed her head from behind him, timidly sizing up the person the captain wanted to reach out.

"Did you leave to return to your family?"

Despite the innocence of her intentions, her words cut deep into both men. Harold scratched his head and averted his eyes towards the remains of his former home.

"What's left of them anyway. When I enlisted, I thought I would be protecting my family, but only when I came back did I realize they had scattered away, struck by tragedy in one way or the other. Really… How did I even reach such a conclusion…?"

The girl attempted to add something else to make up for her mistake, but Olber rose an arm to stop her. Wounds such as Harold's could hardly be healed with pity, even if they belonged to a nurse like her.

"Did you find yourself a new purpose?" The tall captain continued after a brief pause.

Harold looked past his old compatriot's shoulder, where the broken down ranch used to house his most faithful steed. Then, as if the gesture would yield a new result, he questioned the horizon. By accident, his gaze ended up meeting Olber's.

Harold grimaced. "I'm just a roughrider. Got myself a good fame a while ago, but after the roads collapsed, it's gotten harder to receive clients."

Silence nested in the air, straining the conversation from flowing where it would eventually end up at. The roughrider scratched his sore neck, a gesture he did with more frequency with each stagnating day.

"Um…" Olber's companion raised her voice. Her brown eyes portrayed her guilt and her worries so clearly it was endearing. Harold understood what she wanted to say, but allowed her to speak anyway. "I'm sorry about bringing up that unpleasant memory, sir."

"Don't be, miss. Unpleasant memories are easily recalled in dark times such as ours." Harold sighed. He pointed a thumb at Olber. "I do recall this jerk, but I have yet to learn your name."

"It's Amimari, but I do not travel with any jerks, sir Harold."

The roughrider rose a brow, surprised by the honesty of a comment that he believed to be unconceivable.

He decided to brush it off as the innocence of youth. "Then, to what do I owe the honor of this visit? Has His Majesty found a need for this faithless fool?"

Amimari pulled Olber's sleeve to make him snap back to reality. The captain murmured his gratitude and shook his head.

"His Majesty has given up the search for a solution to this world's dilemma."

"Guessed as much. No mortal being could save us anymore."

"Which is why we're going to find the Maker."

Although Olber's calm demeanor made everything he said look more serious that it could ever be, the deserted cracked up at the top of his lungs.

"The Maker? Really? Hahaha! I didn't think you of all officers would buy into that bullshit! Hahahaha! Good one!"

Amimari exchanged looks between her companion and the drunk roughrider, uncertainty showing on her brows and the beastly ears peeking through her short blond hair. Harold started examining them further and noticed the heavy backpacks the visitors carried. The Olber's scarred face didn't budge and inch.

"Hold on. You serious? Are you two really trying to find the Maker?"

"We are."

"Hah! What for? Saving what's left of the world?"

Olber clenched his gloved fists. "Saving what can still be saved, yes."

"My, my… Such seriousness is unbecoming of you, Captain Olber! If I didn't know you, I'd say this is something more than just a prank!"

"I-It's not a prank, though…" Amimari meekly asserted.

Harold noticed her annoyed face and glared back at Olber. He threw the empty bottle aside and crossed his bulky arms, leaning onto the door's frame. "Alright, let's say the Maker actually exists… Do you even know if you can make any request? And if so, do you have any certainty that it will actually listen?!"

The soldiers exchanged stern looks. Harold was ready to witness the jerk's newest antic once again, but that man never resurfaced on the captain before him. Instead, Olber pushed his chest out and declared his resolve.

"I don't. I hoped His Majesty would support my request, but hopelessness seems to have clouded his thoughts. Even if it is but a mere possibility, it is my duty to test it."

Injured in an unexpected manner, Harold grit his teeth and stepped back, ready to shut the door.

"Well, last time I checked, the all-mighty Maker of legend wasn't hiding under my bed! So, bye!"

Olber put his lance between the door and the frame, resisting the rejecting door's movement.

"Would you like to join us?"

The roughrider gave him a skeptical look. The man in front of him had done what he couldn't: he stayed loyal to their liege until the end. The only reason why he left His Majesty's side was to find an improbable solution to the end of the world! Despite his many faults, he still bears virtue. Why, then, is such a person asking a loser like him for help?

No, no, no. Something was amiss. What could a loyal retainer want from a deserter? Harold didn't need to express his questions with words. The roughrider had a talent to speak with mere looks. That was one of the reasons why he was so talented at taming horses.

"As you probably know, I am far from perfect. I will never stop paying the price for my past, but the future is urging me to do something. I am not doing this just out of my loyalty to the kingdom, Harold. I seek some kind of… redemption… in this journey. Not to the people I wronged -I know it better than to expect their forgiveness-, but to myself."

Although that filled in some gaps in Harold's understanding of the situation, his main concern remained unanswered. Why were they there?

Olber obliged. "His Majesty denied my requests, so I searched the entire capital looking for someone who would join my cause. This young healer was the only one to listen, so we set off."

"I may be young, but I always try to make myself useful! If you ever feel any pain, leave it to me!" She declared with youthful vitality, her voice being the loudest thing the withered lands had heard in a while.

Olber touched her shoulder. "She's more capable than she looks. I have some proficiency at healing, myself, but she certainly outclasses me."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, captain! You are really dexterous with your lance and you also know how to use your hands!"

"…with the healing runes, she means."

"You rarely need my help when we fight monsters on the way, so I'll be carrying more bags than you until I prove myself!"

"I've told you many times already, Ami. Just having another healer around is greater than you could ever imagine. Also, try being a little bit more careful with your choice of words, or you might have me imprisoned one of these days." Olber sighed before looking at the shocked roughrider. "When we pondered who might be willing to help us, I thought of you, Harold. I'd really appreciate it if you joined us, but I can take a 'no' for an answer. I… don't know where this quest will lead us… We might die to some wretched beast in a dungeon… or suffer a fate worse than death."

"Not as long as I'm around!" Amimari promised with a wide grin. "So how about you come with us? Olber told me you're quite skilled with your hands too!"

"…with your bow." He sighed.

"And you know what they say! The more, the merrier! We'll have fun!"

"…I'd appreciate to have a reliable archer around, truth be told."

The Lancer Infantry Corps' Captain begged Harold to join them, but it was nothing alike his last request. Whoever he believed Olber to be, the man before him was another. Harold contemplated the murky sky again and addressed the nasty feeling eating away at his heart.

After what felt like an hour, the roughrider shrugged and stepped back.

"Heck, why not? Count me in. I'll sign an oath or whatever. Anything beats rotting away in the middle of nowhere. An adventure might be a nice change of pace."

"Great! Welcome aboard!"

"Thank you, Captain. We'll be counting on you from now on."

Olber offered a handshake, gesture that surprised the roughrider once more. Some hesitation later, he shook his hand.

"Don't call me captain. That's a title I do not deserve anymore. Just Harold will do."

Amimari caught his hand as soon as it became free. "Sure! I hope we can get along, Harold!"

"Heh, likewise. Come in. Feel free to plunder this place to replenish your provisions. Nobody else will need them anymore… I'll go get ready."

Following his instructions, the lancer and the nurse entered the house in the countryside next to the capital. The place reflected how bad the world's situation was. A rift divided the dining room in half, eating some of the former furniture. The kitchen's piping didn't work anymore. The dishes accumulated in the sink, drenched with a foul water that was anything but healthy.

The travelers refilled their flasks with Harold's last bottled water and gathered the last remains of food inside the drawers. Once the basics were covered, Amimari started picking things up and questioned how useful they could be in their quest.

"I don't think an electric lamp will help us much, Ami."

"Boo! But look how cute it is!"

The lamp was indeed cute. It had a little Hiiso with a cavalier hat attached to it. Whenever it turned on, its cheeks glowed pink. Cuteness wouldn't help them against adversity, however, so Olber insisted that she put it down and focused on things with more practical uses.

"On another thing… I've tried not to comment on it this far, but…"

"What is it?"

Did Amimari really intend to seek the Maker with that outfit? While her white hooded robe with golden fur was adequate, were she to remove it, she would give any old man a heart-attack! She wore a black striped cloth over her abdomen, but her golden lingerie was practically visible! While her black stocking and sleeves gave her a greater degree of modesty, the rest of her outfit was ill-suited for combat. He wondered how her white heeled boots hadn't broken so far.

"Well?" The beastfolk girl questioned again, tilting forward and granting Olber a good vision of her brown skin. The captain dodged her green eyes.

"I've known some royal healers during my time serving His Majesty, but none dressed quite like you."

"Ah! You mean this?" She pointed out, leaving her short staff aside and releasing her coat to show off. "This is the uniform I was capable of buying with my first month's wages. Although it no longer fits, I don't really mind! My retirement fund is a bigger concern. I was planning things out when you called out to me. Then I realized… 'what good is a retirement fund is there is no world to retire to?'… so I decided then and there that I wanted to save the world for the sake of my savings!"

Olber was troubled by the young girl. As a married man, he didn't know where he was supposed to look, so he settled to look her in her brown eyes or the green beastfolk gem between her collar bones. He imagined she'd have some greater sense of purpose when she decided to join him, but that revelation was not what he was expecting.

"Sa… Savings, you say?"

"Money is really important! Without it, you can die!"

"Well… you're not wrong, but…"

"Ready to rumble!"

"Eeek! Who are you?!" Amimari shrieked.

The man who looked like Harold was way too gallant and clean-looking to be the shoddy man that joined them moments ago. That impersonator wore a white shirt under his green sleeveless jacket and some rowdy black trousers with golden dragon-themed lines. His shirt failed to hide his well-developed muscles or the bracelet-like tattoo on his left bicep. On his hips, a belt supported a red quill that carried many arrows. On his hand, a bone-made bow with a maw-looking grip was ready to shoot them. His wrists were guarded by red worn bracelets. Rather than going to an adventure, he looked like he was about to attend a really luxurious roughrider's meeting.

"Who?" Amimari asked again.

"I know, I know. I look so good in this you just can't recognize me. I get it."

Olber didn't know what to make of Harold's grin.

"You look different alright." The girl admitted with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"I've always loved clothes! Dressing up always raises my spirits, so I wanted to raise my spirits the highest!"

"You certainly succeeded! It suits you really well!"

"Hahahaha! That's right! You don't look half bad, missy! It's been a while since I saw one of the beastfolk medic uniform, but I always thought your culture knew fashion the best!"

"Heehee. I'm quite attached to this piece."

"Hm? What's up, Captain? Anything troubling you?"

Harold took noticed of the man that intertwined fingers and stared at the rift on the floor.

Was he in the wrong? Should he had thrown his white captain coat and lancer uniform out of the window? His red gloves improved his grip on his detachable lance, and his red plain trousers were proof of his devotion to the Lancer Corps he commanded. Back when he was more brazen, he liked the huge collar of his coat, but now it embarrassed him a little. The only thing he wouldn't leave behind was his blue checkered sash. Still… should he have dressed up a bit more before leaving on his journey to save the world? Maybe leave behind the shield that hung from his side? Cut off his long strand of hair that he tied with blue decorations? Fixed his messy blond hair? His x-shaped scars were there to stay, that was for sure, but…

A hand rested on his shoulder.

"What's the long face about, Olber? Your classy military uniform suits you the best, so you shouldn't worry about fashion like us."

"That's right! You're pretty cool, Captain!"

The arrogant man he once was felt some joy from those words, but Olber shook his head. It was unlike himself to lose heart over such trifling matters. The others could attempt to save the world butt-naked for all he cared. As long as they triumphed over their inevitable doom, he wouldn't murmur nor the tiniest grumble. He raised a closed fist.

"Let's go, partners. To save the world!"

"To find the Maker!" Harold added.

"To protect my retirement funds!"

"…"

"…"

"What?"