When deciding on the casual clothing of Nagareans who were not Clerics, I drew inspiration from Eastern medieval styles from Persia and India.

Also, it was brought to my attention that only registered users of this website could vote in the polls here. If you would like to vote for any of my polls and don't have an account, feel free to write your vote in a review here or send me a PM and I will count it towards the poll results.

Part Five

K'alak'i Patieba. A town with a population of roughly two thousand people. They were just outside of town, but Daunte could hear the bustle and excited chatter of the citizens. While many people were discussing their day, the Nagarean religion was a popular topic of conversation. Bitterness rose in him briefly, wondering how the people of the town could carry on with their lives while children suffered under a misguided Decree just sixteen kilometers away.

Ultimately though, what could these people do? Would they ever have the strength to rise up and take a stand? It probably wouldn't stop the Theocracy from sentencing them under Original Sin, would it?

"Okay," Surya said quietly. He knelt down on the ground. "Let's empty our pockets and find out how much money we made from the battles. We also have a couple things we can trade in for extra cash at trade post, if necessary."

Daunte carefully laid Arin down and pulled out all the bits he had stashed in his pockets. He was astonished to see a rather large pile form on the ground between the four of them as they tossed their coins down. Then they quickly used the waning sunlight to count the money they had.

"It looks like we have 5,000 bits," Felicity said softly, looking up. "This should be enough for a few rooms at the inn, right?"

"We should be able to buy you guys some clothing, too," Surya said. He looked up. "Why don't you guys head to the inn first and I'll go and get some outfits for you? I scouted the inn earlier, and it looks like it's run by a woman and her two daughters. They don't have any guests there, so that should draw less attention to you guys. Sound like a good plan?"

"Make sure to get me a veil, though," Felicity told him. "And it must be a thin veil, not a solid one."

"I saw several women wearing veils in town," Surya said, looking over his shoulder. "What's the difference between the two veils?"

"A solid veil means I'm married," Felicity said. "But a thinner, see-through veil means I'm not. I'm not married, so please make sure to get me a thinner veil."

"All right, all right." Surya counted out some bits and shoved them into his pockets. "Be careful, guys."

"Do you really know what style of clothes to get for our age group?" Roen asked him.

"I saw enough people in town that I can hazard a guess."

"But will you know the right styles?" Felicity asked. She had a bit of a teasing tone to it. "I can't imagine a Queen's Knight like you having much interest in fashion."

Surya shrugged. "I've grown up in a matriarchal society with girls as my primary companions, so I've picked up a few things. I'll see you guys in a bit."

Surya hurried off, and the trio collected the remainder of the money and stood. "Hopefully we beat the guards to the town," Roen said softly.

They kept to the outskirts of town as to not draw attention towards themselves. Daunte held onto Arin and he was holding his breath. He was unsettled by the unending praise the townspeople were showering upon the Theocracy. Please, please let us make it to the inn without any problems! And PLEASE let the innkeeper not report us!

They found the inn in the center of town. They'd successfully walked the perimeter of town behind houses, but they knew they would have to go to the front and into town itself in order to get inside the inn. They tried to act as nonchalantly as possible, but they felt overexposed with their prison attire and unhealthy appearances. But they reached the front door with no problems and Felicity swiftly knocked on the door.

There was no answer. Daunte looked over his shoulder but saw that they still hadn't drawn anyone's attention. But he knew that wouldn't last long and Felicity quickly knocked again. "Hello?" she called out.

The door abruptly swung open. They gaped down at the little girl standing before them. The child looked to be about six or seven years old, but her gray eyes looked somber. Her brown hair was short to her shoulders and curly. She wore a bright yellow shapeless long-sleeved dress, but the cheerful color contrasted strongly with her blank expression. She said nothing to them. She didn't invite them in or send them away. She just stood there and stared at them.

Daunte coughed awkwardly. He knew he could be polite or smart-mouth the child for not reacting to potential guests. But ultimately he knew he should be polite to the little girl. "D-Do you have rooms available?"

The child still said nothing. But after a moment she moved backwards away from the door and gestured at them to follow her inside. They complied, quickly closing the door behind them.

The lobby of the inn was warm and comforting. There was a check-in desk to their right, but nobody was attending it. A stairwell was next to the check-in desk, and there was an archway leading into a large dining room. The trio slid off their worn shoes, and Daunte felt a little self-conscious about his dirty feet touching such clean wooden floors. "What are your nightly rates?" he asked the girl.

She didn't reply to them. She just stood in the hallway, casually glancing over her shoulder. "W-W won't stay long," he added hastily. "We just need some rest, and—"

"Ciana!"

They jumped as a second girl hurried from down the hall. This girl looked much older than the other, maybe about thirteen years old. Well, she would've had to have been at least thirteen, since she wore a thin pink veil on her head. Once a Nagarean girl turned thirteen it was required that she start wearing a veil at all times. Her hair was curly like the other girl's—Ciana's—but it whas honey blonde and not brown, and it was a little longer than Ciana's. She also wore a similar dress to Ciana, but hers was light pink to match her veil.

The second girl knelt beside Ciana, grabbing her shoulders. "What did we tell you about opening the front door by yourself? You can't just let anyone in! What if it's a bad person who might take you from us?!"

"We have guests, Esther," Ciana said bluntly. She'd been so quiet up to that point that hearing her voice took everyone by surprise.

"That doesn't—" Esther glanced at them while she scolded Ciana, but when she saw them she paused. She abruptly straightened, her dark brown eyes wide and her face going pale. "O-Oh. Hello."

She knows. She knows we're from the Dark Chasm.

"W-We need a room," Roen stammered. He shifted on his feet. "Do you have any rooms available?"

"I…uh…" Esther looked around the room frantically. She suddenly grabbed Ciana by her hand and took off running back down the hallway. "Mom!"

Roen quickly looked at Daunte and Felicity. "We need to go! Now!"

"B-But Surya hasn't come back!" Felicity said. "We can't leave without meeting up with him!"

"It was a stupid idea for us to come here before we got new clothes! We have to go before they notify the authorities about us!"

Daunte knew that they could either run for it or wait. Esther's reaction to them was worrisome, but he had an inkling about something. Somehow…Somehow he felt that maybe they didn't need to run yet.

So he said, "Let's wait a moment."

"But—" Roen began.

"Welcome, guests."

They jumped in surprise. A beautiful woman emerged from the hallway holding Esther and Ciana's hands, smiling so maternally that Daunte immediately felt at ease. She had the same curly honey-blonde hair as Esther, but her eyes were gray like Ciana's. She wore a solid dark purple veil on her head, indicating that she was married, but unlike the girls she didn't wear a shapeless dress. She wore a dark purple tunic that split at waist level, and baggy beige pants. "My name is Tidur, and I'm the owner of this inn. I see you all have met my daughters, Esther and Ciana. I must apologize for my daughters. We don't usually receive visitors your age without chaperones."

Daunte was embarrassed to find himself staring at her mouth. He couldn't help but notice that there was a pink, thin line starting from her bottom lip and traveling down the center of her chin. It contrasted startlingly with her olive complexion.

Is that a scar? But it would've been very inappropriate for him to ask that.

"I-Is it all right that we stay here?" Roen asked nervously.

"Of course," Tidur said. She let go of her daughters' hands and moved to stand behind the counter. "I charge 50 bits per night. Is this okay?"

"O-Of course," Felicity said. She counted out the bits and handed it to her. "We have another person joining us shortly, so there will be five of us. Is that okay?"

"Sure. My largest room has six beds, or I can give you each paired rooms. Which would you prefer?"

"W-We'll take the largest room, please," Daunte said.

"Mom—" Esther said, her tone having a hint of warning.

"Esther." Tidur addressed her daughter with a different tone. It wasn't quite sharp, but it wasn't quite friendly. She smiled again at the teenagers. "Shall I show you to your rooms?"

"I have a question," Roen asked suddenly. "Why are you accommodating us? You're not tricking us, are you?"

"Roen!" Felicity hissed, and Daunte felt his stomach do flip-flops. He was angry with Roen's lack of tact but he was also concerned about why Tidur was treating them with hospitality when they so obviously escaped from the Dark Chasm.

Tidur thankfully didn't look offended by Roen's question. "It's not a trick. You're our guests, and you'll be treated like guests. Whatever the reason you're here for is none of our business." She gestured to the stairs. "Shall we?"

They shuffled up the stairs after Tidur. "We have running water, so if you want to take a shower or bath you can do so. I must say your timing is perfect. I was just about to start preparing dinner, but now I'll be able to increase the servings so all of you will be able to eat." They rounded the bannister and walked to the room at the end of the hall. "My family and I sleep on the first floor, so if you have any questions our room is beyond the kitchen. Do you have any requests for dinner?"

They honestly couldn't think of anything because the only food they had had for the last several years was bread and porridge. Daunte knew he would be satisfied with anything she made for them. "W-Whatever you usually make," he told her.

Tidur smiled at them again. There seemed to be a hint of sadness to it. "I'll make something easy for your stomachs. I'll ring the bell when dinner is ready." She opened the door to the room for them and bowed before heading back downstairs.

As Tidur promised, there were six twin-sized beds in the room, and two dressers. There was also a porcelain basin right next to a beautifully decorated window. "Yes, a real bed!" Roen shouted, his voice echoing in the room. He ran over to a bed and threw himself onto it. "I haven't slept in a real bed in almost five years!"

"I'm going to go take a shower," Felicity said, unstrapping her knives belt and laying it out on top of one of the dressers. "I want to be clean when Surya arrives with our new clothes."

"I call dibs next," Roen said, sitting up as Felicity left the room. The sheets had become slightly dirty from his body and he flushed. "Do you want to go after me, Daunte?"

"Yes," Daunte said. He laid Arin on one of the beds and walked over to the basin. "In the meantime, I'll give Arin a sponge bath. When he's well enough to walk I'll let him take a bath on his own."

Roen stood up and hurried to stand next to Daunte at the basin. "Hey, Daunte."

"What is it?"

"For what it's worth, I'm glad we made it out of the Dark Chasm. But what are we supposed to do now?"

Daunte wrung out a small towel and glanced at Roen. "Our only options right now are to take care of Arin and help Surya find his family."

"But won't that just get us even more in trouble with the Theocracy?"

Daunte stilled. Roen was right. They owed Surya considerably, but he was also a Falenean, and Nagarea wasn't on good terms with Falena. If they helped Surya find the Falenean Royal Family, the Theocracy would bring their full fury down upon them.

But do we have any other choice?

"What other options do we have, Roen?" Daunte asked him. "If we turn ourselves in, they'll either kill us or send us back to the Dark Chasm. And they'll certainly kill or maim me to get my True Rune. Either way we're damned."

"…You're right," Roen said. He nodded. "Then we really do have no choice but to stick with Surya on this."

"Exactly." Daunte shook out the wet towel and went back over to Arin.

Having a shower for the first time in three years awakened Daunte's senses in such a way that he was unfamiliar with. Feeling hot water on his skin and being able to wash himself with soap…just these little things so easily taken for granted. Being able to clean himself so easily now made Daunte feel more and more like a person again.

The shower however forced him to confront his physical appearance. The True Rune was still visible on his hand, but he was scrawny in appearance and his bones pressed up against his skin. His arms had tone to them but he had very little body fat, and very little muscle mass. He had small scars all over his body, ranging from minor injuries to poorly healed broken bones.

And his hands…they were the worst. He hated that he couldn't stand to look at his own body.

There was a knock on the door. "Daunte?"

It was Surya. He'd come back. "Yes?" Daunte called out.

"I got an outfit for you. Can I come in and leave it out for you?"

"Sure, t-thank you." The bathtub had a shower curtain that could give him privacy. He heard Surya come in. "I'll leave your clothes on the clothes bin, okay? Let me know whether or not they fit, okay?"

"I will, thank you."

Surya left the bathroom, and Daunte finished his shower not long afterwards. He quickly dried himself off and eagerly surveyed the clothes Surya had gotten for him. It was the first time in over three years that he would be dressed in something other than prison clothes, and he knew that this particular set of clothes would be one that he would be wearing for a long period of time.

He saw the pants first. They were red, a very vibrant color, and the leggings were slim. Men's fashion choices in Nagarea allowed for more freedom in that they weren't required to wear baggy clothing like women were, and Daunte was glad for it. Without baggy pants he would be able to run away faster.

The tunic Surya had picked out was partially long-sleeved—they came down to his elbows—and it was a pale smoky gray color. He slid the shirt on and immediately felt self-conscious about the fact that it felt loose on his body. It was another unpleasant reminder of everything he had suffered.

It's okay, though. I'm out of the Dark Chasm and the next time I see that place is when I liberate it. I just need to eat better food, and my clothes won't feel so large on me.

The final piece to his outfit was the waistcoat. It was the same color as the pants, and buttoning it up made it less obvious that the clothes were too large on him. Daunte looked himself over one last time. Red was an eye-catching color, and he knew it probably wasn't such a good idea to wear red while on the run. Strangely though, he felt strength and power from the color red, and it gave him confidence. When he looked at his reflection, the colors popped out in such a way that he didn't notice his physical condition or the state of his hands.

Speaking of his hands, as he finished getting dressed something else caught his eye. It was a pair of long black gloves. Daunte examined them and quickly knew what they were.

These are tekko gloves.

As helpful as Dr. Yulin's gloves were in helping him grip the tekko, having an actual pair of tekko gloves definitely made the weapon feel more like it belonged to him.

Before leaving the bathroom though, Daunte made sure to slide them on. They were long enough to reach up to his elbows and cover his lower arms, and they covered the back of his hands up to the first knuckle of his fingers. It made the physical condition of his hands less noticeable, for sure.

He opened the door to his room, and his stomach twisted at the excited shout he heard. "Wow, Daunte!"

Arin was fully awake. He was still laying down in bed, but he was dressed in an actual pair of pajamas and the color had fully returned to his cheeks. "Big brother, you look so cool!"

Daunte looked at Surya, who raised his left hand. "It's almost dinnertime, so I thought it would be best if he was well enough to eat."

Daunte hurried to Arin's bedside and sat down on his bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better," Arin told him. "I-I tried to sit up but I got really dizzy, but I feel fi—" he was interrupted by a violent coughing fit.

"Easy," Daunte told him, patting him on the back. He couldn't help feeling dread though as Arin coughed up more unpleasant fluid from his lungs. Only this time though…it wasn't the color of tar. The color had a lighter tone, and was more dark-brown than black.

He's much better than before, but still not well enough.

"Just take it easy," Daunte said, cleaning him up. "You just need plenty of rest, some actual food, and a few more healing spells."

Arin finished his coughing fit, but the child clearly looked distressed. "H-How long will I be sick for, Daunte?"

"Not much longer." Daunte honestly didn't know if this was the truth or not, but he wanted to reassure his brother and make sure nothing distressed him.

"I'm glad to be back in regular clothes," Roen said, stretching his arms over his head. He was dressed very similarly to Daunte, except he had a gold and black color palette of black pants and waistcoat with a gold shirt with sleeves down to his wrists. He laughed wryly. "I want to get use to this, but I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"We'll be fine," Surya said. Unlike the others he was still dressed in his Falenean clothes. "But speaking of shoes, you guys will need to buy a pair tomorrow. I don't know your shoe sizes, so I wasn't able to get anything for you."

"Believe me, these clothes are enough," Roen reassured him.

"Damn it all!"

Daunte looked up at this shout. Felicity was sitting on her bed, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. Surya had gotten her an outfit undoubtedly that would be easy for travel, consisting of a forest green tunic and brown shapeless pants. But the pale-green thin veil was pooled around her on the bed. "No matter what I do, I can't secure this damn veil!" She wrung a hand through her short auburn hair. "I'm using as many bobby pins as I can, but it keeps falling off! My hair is too short and thin to hold it!"

Daunte stared blankly at her. Maybe it was a girl thing, but he didn't quite understand why Felicity was so upset about not being able to set the veil properly on her head. It was just a veil, after all.

Maybe she sees it as a chance of feeling normal again? But it's not staying secure because her hair is so short, and that's reminding her of everything she suffered?

He knew he could tell her to suck it up given that there was other more serious matters they needed to worry about, or he could help her as she had helped him in the past.

So he said, "Do you want me to help you?"

Felicity looked at him, surprised. "Y-You would do that for me, Daunte?"

Daunte shrugged. "Sure. Just hold the veil in place and I'll try and secure it with the bobby pins."

Roen snorted, and slapped both hands over his mouth. Daunte gave him a dark look. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing." He waved a hand, but he was still grinning.

Daunte rolled his eyes and awkwardly set about the task of trying to secure Felicity's veil on her head. He pressed the bobby pins deep so that they would snag onto her short hair, but not so deep that they would scratch her scalp. But he would have to secure that bobby pin with two more before moving on. Luckily the bobby pins were small enough that he could maintain his grip on them.

"What was so funny?" Daunte heard Surya whisper to Roen.

Roen snickered again before whispering back. "Guys never secure a girl's veil. The only time he does is during their wedding ceremony."

Daunte jerked violently, and the bobby pins slipped from between his fingers. Oh. I forgot that.

"Roen, be quiet!" Felicity admonished him. "Daunte, it's fine. Just please finish. I can already feel they're already more secure than before."

"J-Just use three bobby pins for each part next time," Daunte stammered, scrambling to pick up the bobby pins and finishing the job.

As he finished, a bell chimed from downstairs. "Dinner must be ready," Roen said, quickly standing up. "I'm looking forward to eating something other than porridge and rock-hard bread!"

Felicity checked the veil and nodded. "Thank you, Daunte. It's weird how having a complete outfit makes me feel like a whole person."

"You're welcome," Daunte told her.

"I'm hungry," Arin said. He pushed back the covers and sat up. "I—" but he swooned and nearly toppled out of bed.

Daunte quickly caught him before he hit the floor. "I-I'll bring you up some food in a little bit. In the meantime, please rest."

Arin huffed in disappointment, but allowed Daunte to settle him back into bed. "All right. Hey Daunte?"

"What is it?"

"Does this mean you're married to Felicity now?"

Daunte flushed, but at the same time felt a headache come on. He knew he could tease his brother and say yes, but doing so meant that he would never hear the end of it. "…No," he said finally.

"Oh." Arin smiled at him. "Come back quickly, okay?"

"I will."

Daunte smelled the food the minute he left the room. His stomach cramped painfully, but he shook his head. We've been underfed for years. We'll just need to pace ourselves and not overeat.

"—real trouble!"

Daunte saw Roen, Felicity, and Surya standing on the stairs and he hurried down to them. "What's wrong?" he hissed.

"Listen," Roen said. They all listened carefully.

"Mom, we must be careful!" they could hear Esther arguing from the kitchen. "Those strangers ran away from the Dark Chasm! I just know they did!"

"Esther, there has only been one recorded case of a child successfully escaping the Dark Chasm." Tidur spoke in a soft, reassuring voice. "And that was just one child. These are five children. They're probably just homeless drifters who saved up enough money after fighting monsters in the Rocky Plains to come here and rest."

"Mom, we've heard the rumors about the Dark Chasm!" Esther insisted. "A-And the prison uniforms posted in the town square for everyone to keep an eye out for? They were wearing those uniforms!"

"Sweetheart, those poor children were so dirty that there's no way of knowing where they got their clothes."

"Mom." Esther's tone was growing darker and more serious. "Mom, if they did escape from the Chasm, do you know what the High Clerics would do to us if they found out we gave them food and board?! Ciana and I might end up in the Dark Chasm ourselves! And you—"

"That won't happen to us, Esther. You mustn't be so worried. What is going on in our guests' lives is none of our business."

"But what if Dad—"

"Esther." Tidur spoke sharply for the first time. "Enough."

"Hey."

The four of them jumped as they found Ciana in front of them. They hadn't heard her approach. "You're dressed differently. Except for you." She pointed to Surya.

"How do we look?" Felicity asked, hurrying down the stairs to show off her new clothes.

"Better," Ciana answered. "Dinner's ready."

"Good," Surya said. He hurried down the stairs as well.

Daunte watched Ciana carefully. He honestly couldn't blame Esther for being apprehensive about them. He certainly wouldn't want to be responsible for condemning the sisters to the Dark Chasm.

Hopefully our arrival in town didn't draw suspicion.

Food was already set out on the long table in the center of the dining room. There was baskets of breads, pots of soup, and various bowls of salad laid out. Tidur had promised them food that would be easy for their stomachs, and Daunte knew that these types of food wouldn't cause them problems.

But seeing the food made him dizzy. He glanced at Felicity and Roen and saw that they were equally overwhelmed at seeing the food.

"Oh, you changed outfits?" Tidur came out of the kitchen, followed by Esther. "These clothes suit you all much better. Here, help yourself. Eat as much as you want."

"W-Would I be able to take a tray up to my brother?" Daunte asked her as he sat down.

"Certainly. I'll get a bowl of soup and some bread ready for him." Tidur was still smiling as she disappeared back into the kitchen.

Daunte hesitantly helped himself to the food. Esther was making Ciana's plate in silence and wasn't speaking to them. Shaking his head, he took a slice of bread and bit into it. He was startled to feel his teeth sink into the slice easily, and not face any resistance.

That's because it's a fresh slice of bread. I'm eating actual food.

He tried to pace himself to not make himself sick, but Daunte couldn't help but inhale all the food on his plate very quickly. It was fresh, delicious food. It made his stomach cramp again, but his heart was pounding. The little reminders of everything he had missed out on for the last three years made tears sting his eyes.

It was also bittersweet, though. Because he was enjoying a good meal for the first time in a long time, but over three hundred children in the Dark Chasm continued to suffer.

"So, where are you all from?" Esther asked suddenly, settling over her own dinner plate.

Daunte glanced at her, and then glanced at Roen and Felicity. They both looked uneasy by her question. Daunte turned back to her, wondering if he should be quiet or give her an answer.

But Esther was technically their hosts, and Daunte didn't want to offend her. "Mlkwt Alsmwat," he told her.

"Kõrkus," Roen also answered her honestly.

"Farna," Felicity also added. Daunte felt a jolt of shock rip through his body at this revelation.

"The Plague Town?" Ciana asked suddenly.

"Ciana!" Esther scolded her. But the girl's features relaxed softly as she looked at Felicity. "I'm sorry."

Felicity waved a hand. "It's fine."

"Did you lose anyone to the Plague?" Ciana continued asking.

"Ciana—"

"My mom," Felicity told her. "It was very hard for my dad and me."

Daunte stared at her. Farna was in the southern part of Nagarea, and the last settlement before the Red Tundra region, named such because the entire landscape was red as blood and vegetation was extremely scarce. It had been a popular town for extreme travelers, but twelve years ago the town was struck by an unknown deadly Plague that had killed hundreds of people. Today the Plague was long gone, but the town never recovered from the tragedy, either population-wise or emotionally.

Daunte honestly hadn't known that Felicity came from Farna, and that she'd survived the Plague. The only family she had ever talked about was her father, but her father had committed some crime that had gotten her sentenced to the Dark Chasm.

But there's many things about me that I haven't told Roen and Felicity about. I guess we all have our secrets.

Surya was pointedly not mentioning where he was from, and Daunte desperately wanted to change the subject. He then noticed the twin set of windows on the wall before him, and how beautifully decorated they were. "Those widows looked great," he said lamely.

"Really?" Esther brightened, and she smiled a little. "Thank you. It's not much, but I enjoy doing it."

"Oh, you decorated the windows Esther?" Felicity chimed in. She also seemed pleased by the change in subject. "You're very talented!"

"It's just a hobby right now. But I think windows are the best feature of a house, so I like dressing them up." Esther was relaxing more and more in their presence and that was reassuring to Daunte. He could understand the girl's apprehension with them being there, but he didn't want them to experience any more problems.

"I'm glad to see you all getting along so well." Tidur resurfaced from the kitchen with a tray ready. There was already a cup of milk on it and she took servings from the soup, salad, and bread on the table to arrange them on the tray.

"They like my windows, Mom!" Esther was positively smiling now. "None of the other guests have ever noticed them before!"

"Well, these guest must have better eyes than the others." Tidur smiled at them as she finished preparing the tray, and Daunte couldn't help but reflexively smile back. He knew he shouldn't let his guard down around strangers, but Tidur was so kind and just…genuine in her demeanor that he could naturally relax around her.

She's the perfect innkeeper, for sure.

"Will this be enough for your brother?" she asked Daunte.

Daunte looked over the food and nodded. "Yes, thank you. Let me take it up now—"

"Nonsense, finish your dinner first. While it's admirable you're so watchful of your brother, you need to take care of yourself too. Otherwise you're not helping anyone."

Daunte sighed, and sat back down. Roen and Felicity were smiling at him but he shook his head. Maybe he was trying too hard. After all, he'd almost died shielding Arin from a fire spell.

But if I hadn't reacted, then Arin would've died. It's very difficult balancing taking care of both Arin and myself when I can barely do either.

"Arin, make sure to eat slowly." Daunte had propped Arin up in a sitting position and settled the tray in the boy's lap. "But also eat as much as you can, okay?"

"I-I'll try. The food smells so good, but the smell makes my stomach hurt."

"That's because it's real food, and we haven't had real food in a long time. Try eating some bread first."

Arin shook his head. "I-I don't like bread."

"This bread is better—"

"But all we had to eat for so long was rock-hard stale bread. I'm sick of bread. I'll try the soup." Arin tried to pick up the spoon, but it slipped out of his fingers and clattered back onto the tray.

"Here, let me help you." Daunte picked up the spoon and scooped up plenty of vegetables and broth. "We're the only ones in here, so you don't have to worry about being embarrassed."

Arin shook his head. "You could never embarrass me, Brother." He accepted the spoonful of soup.

It was heartwarming to hear Arin say that and Daunte managed a smile as he carefully fed his younger brother. "You're doing well. Just a couple days ago you didn't have the energy to wake up. Now you're awake and talking. It's a good sign, Arin."

"I hate being sick, Daunte. I want to be well again."

"You will be."

Daunte finished feeding him the soup, but he turned back to the bread. "Please eat at least one slice. You'll insult the nice lady who made all this food for us."

Arin sighed heavily, but picked up a slice. "All right. But only because you told me so." But despite his apprehension, Arin ate the single slice of bread in just three bites.

"It's almost time for bed," Daunte said. "Are you full?"

"Yes. Thank you, Daunte."

"Sure, no problem." He lifted the tray from his lap. Arin hadn't touched the salad, but he'd eaten most everything else on the tray and drank the whole cup of milk. That was very reassuring to him. As he drew it away though, Daunte felt his fingers tremble violently under the tray. Panicking, he ran to the dresser and unceremoniously dropped it on the surface. The dishes turned over, but thankfully nothing broke.

Why? Why did I lose my grip? I was able to carry it upstairs just fine! He braced his hands on the surface of the dresser and sighed sharply.

"Are you okay, Brother?" Arin asked behind him.

Daunte nodded jerkily. "I-I'm fine."

"Okay." There was a long moment of silence before Arin spoke. "Daunte?"

"What is it?"

"Where's Kass?"

It felt like a knife to his gut. Daunte looked up and his stomach squirmed even more as he caught his reflection in the mirror on the wall. His face was full of pain. He ducked his head back down because he couldn't stand looking at it, and he also didn't want Arin to see it. "…Arin," he said quietly. He had to keep his voice low because it suddenly hurt to talk.

"He's dead, isn't he?"

Daunte spun around. Arin had a somber expression on his young face. He looked down at his hands. "I…I thought so. Otherwise Kass would be here with us."

Daunte left the dresser and came back to Arin's side. He slid an arm around his small shoulders and pulled him close. "I'm sorry."

"I…I saw something," Arin confessed softly, ducking his head down a little more. "When the mining cart accident happened, I w-woke up a little bit. I thought it was a bad dream, but now I know it wasn't."

"What did you see?"

Arin curled into himself, not looking at Daunte. "I saw them carry Kass in."

Daunte felt bile in his throat and he hugged Arin tighter. But the child continued. "He looked so bad, Daunte. His h-h-h-head looked like a cracked eggshell, and his right arm was bent the wrong way. I thought I was dreaming—I screamed, or I thought I screamed, but everything was so fuzzy! I thought it was a dream—why couldn't it have been a dream? Why, Daunte?!"

Arin began to cry. Daunte turned the boy in his arms and stretched out on the bed. Arin clung to him, but the hold was so weak. Even his sobbing sounded weak, and after a while Arin suffered another coughing fit. Daunte patted his back, and held a towel to his face so he could cough into it.

Despite his distress, Daunte couldn't find his own tears. He didn't know if he was trying to be strong for his brother, or if he was so emotionally raw that he didn't have the energy for it.

I will make them pay. I don't care how long it takes me, but I swear I won't let them get away with what they've done to us!

At that point though, he didn't know if it was an actual promise, or just him venting his anger.

Daunte shared a bed with Arin that night. After the terrible story the boy had told him, Daunte didn't want to leave his side. The others didn't seem to mind seeing them share a bed. Daunte didn't tell Roen or Felicity what Arin told him. He knew it wouldn't help their mentality with their current situation.

The next morning they set out into the town proper after breakfast so that they could each get a new pair of shoes. Daunte estimated the measurements of Arin's feet and made a mental note to get shoes that would be large for him.

Tidur was still kind to them, and she agreed to watch Arin while the four of them went out. Esther even asked if she could go shopping with them, but Tidur told her not to interfere.

They first went to a trade stall and sold all of the items they could trade. They allowed Surya to handle the transactions for it. Then they went and bought shoes. It felt weird wearing a brand-new pair of shoes after being without such for so long, but Daunte wanted to get use to the feeling.

We're out of there and we're not going back. He made sure to buy Arin his own pair of shoes too.

They didn't want to draw attention to themselves, but the trio was just so happy to be out in public like normal that it was hard to not be joyful. They were chatting and laughing as they got fitted into light armor, and they were just as joyous when they went into the item shop and stocked up on potions and antidotes. Luckily nobody looked twice at them, though a few people paused when they saw Surya's Falenean clothing.

"I saw a blacksmith down the road," Surya mentioned at one point. "How about we go and sharpen our weapons?"

"How much does that usually cost?" Roen asked.

"I have no idea the rates here in Nagarea, but it can be pretty expensive in Falena. But I think we can get them sharpened by at least a level."

"A level?" Felicity wondered.

"It sounds weird, but blacksmiths rate the conditions of weapons numerically. Level one is the weapon at its "weakest" state, and level sixteen is a weapon that's virtually perfect. From what I understand though, most blacksmiths aren't capable of sharpening a weapon to level sixteen. Not unless they have the right hammer to do the trick."

"So our weapons are probably at level one, right?" Daunte asked him, looking at his tekko.

"My tri-nunchaku is level "three"," Surya said. "So we don't need to waste money on it. But I bet your weapons could use a good sharpening."

They reached the blacksmith, and the man greeted them kindly. "Welcome, welcome! Come, bring your weapons forward and I will see what I can do!"

"How high can you raise the weapons to?" Surya asked him as the others presented their weapons to them.

"Level five. I'm afraid the arthritis in my hands has taken its toll on me and so I can't go any higher. Let's see…" the blacksmith looked over the weapons.

Daunte's hands and lower arms felt sticky with sweat under the gloves, so he carefully peeled them off so he could air them out. He angled his right hand away from the blacksmith's gaze though, so he couldn't see his True Rune.

"Daunte."

He looked up. Surya had come over to him and was looking down at his hands. Daunte followed his gaze and immediately saw the state of his fingers. It occurred to him that Surya had never really seen the state of his hands before. He looked back up at Surya. "T-They—I broke them. Several times. They just never healed properly."

"All of them?" Surya hissed at him.

Daunte nodded grimly. "All of them. I've broken all my fingers more than once. This one, I…" he gestured to the pinky finger on his left hand. "I broke this one at least six times."

"Is this why you chose a tekko for your weapon?"

Daunte's throat hurt. He didn't like talking about it, but he also wanted to be honest with Surya. "My grip is completely shot." He clenched and unclenched his hands. Because of the condition of his fingers, they bent at odd angles against his palm. "It's damn near impossible for me to hold certain objects without dropping them. But I've had no problem so far with the tekko."

"…I see," Surya said after a long moment of silence. Daunte didn't look him in the eye because he was afraid he would see pity in the other boy's gaze. He didn't want to see pity.

"I see!" the blacksmith said behind them. Daunte hid his hands behind his back as they turned around. "These are all level one weapons! I can sharp them to level two for 500 bits apiece!"

"So 1,500 bits total?" Surya asked, moving back over to them. "Sounds good."

Daunte felt his hands tremble behind his back and he let out his breath slowly. Then he turned around to shove his gloves back on. He could still see the tips of his fingers, but it wasn't as bad as looking at his bare hands.

I may have escaped that horrible place, but I don't think I'll be able to escape what happened to me there. My fingers will certainly remind me.

"Welcome back." Arin was smiling at them from his bed as they re-entered their inn room. He was out of his pajamas and dressed in clothes had ironically mirrored Daunte's style. Except he was wearing a red tunic and smoky gray waistcoat and pants. The distress from last night was gone and he looked more cheerful, though Daunte had a feeling that Arin's grief over Kass's death wouldn't simply go away.

We're dealing with it because there's so much going on right now that we haven't had time to really absorb his loss. So Arin's probably doing the same.

"All right, we need to talk," Surya announced. He dumped the satchel full of their supplies on his bed. "We've stocked up on items, and have better weapons and actual armor. I think we should stay one more night and then head straight to Baltas. Are you okay with traveling, Arin?"

"Sure, I am! I've never been to Baltas, so I'm excited about going!"

"This isn't a simple trip though, Arin," Roen said, sitting down on his own bed. "We're going to help Surya find his family."

"Hopefully at least one of your cousins is in Baltas," Daunte said, sitting down. "That will save us some time."

"Well we're bound to find clues," Felicity said, cracking her neck a bit. "But I've been wondering. What do we do after that?"

"I have to look for my other cousins," Surya said.

"No, I mean after the Falenean royals are rescued. What do we do?" she gestured to Daunte, Roen, and Arin. "We're technically heretics on the run. What do we do after helping you?"

"We'll gladly give all of you residence inside Sol-Falena," Surya offered.

"But that won't help the other children of the Dark Chasm," Daunte said. "Leaving the country only helps us. But what about them?"

"How will you save them, though? Doing so requires a large battalion, possibly even an army."

"Which we don't have," Roen said miserably.

Daunte sighed, and looked down at his lap. It was hard thinking about the future when there were so few prospects they could realistically go for.

But we can't abandon the other children. We have to do something for them!

Daunte heard a creak in the floorboards in the hallway and quickly stood up from the bed. Someone was eavesdropping!

He rushed to the door and swung it open. Ciana was standing there, her face unmoving. It was impossible to know whether or not she had heard anything. Daunte debated whether or not he should question her or let her go, but ultimately he decided that there was great concern for their personal safety and reached out and grabbed her hand. He pulled her into the room and closed the door behind her, surprised that she didn't put up any resistance.

"Ciana?!" Roen balked, standing up. "W-What are you doing?!"

"What are you doing?" Ciana asked him, though her tone didn't sound accusatory.

"Ciana, were you standing outside listening in on us?" Surya asked her. He knelt down and put his hands on her shoulders. "You know that's rude, right?"

"This is my home," Ciana said. "You are guests. I don't see the point in privacy. Besides, that didn't stop any of you from listening to my mom and sister talking last night."

"How long were you standing outside the door?" Felicity asked her.

"Since you guys came back from your shopping trip," Ciana answered bluntly.

Daunte looked at Surya, and the other boy's expression was grim. She heard everything we said.

"O-Oh my gosh," Felicity said, pressing a hand over her heart. "What should we do about this?"

Before Daunte could think of a reply, there was a thunderous pounding downstairs. Surya grabbed his tri-nunchaku off the bed and everyone stood to attention. Felicity reached for Ciana, and Arin looked at everyone around the room worriedly.

"—are you doing?!" Esther shouted from downstairs. "You broke our front door! Why did you do that?!"

"Quiet, girl!" an unfamiliar male voice snapped at her. "Fetch your mother now!"

"I'm here." Tidur's voice surfaced downstairs. "Don't raise your voice to my daughter."

"La—"

"Do I make myself clear?" Tidur's usually calm voice was now very sharp and angry. "Who is your commanding officer? I will be submitting both a written and verbal complaint regarding this destruction to my property."

"You—"

"Lady Tidur Faakhir." A new voice spoke respectfully. "Please forgive our intrusion here. We will compensate you for your damaged front door."

Daunte's eyes went wide. Faakhir?! He looked at Roen and Felicity, and their faces were full of fright.

"My Lady, we need your fullest cooperation regarding a serious matter," the second voice continued. "As the wife of Sheikh Sloan Faakhir, I know we can rely on you for support."