Well, well, well...a grand total of 1 review . :P It' okay, I did get feedback, after all, so don't be afraid. If I'm doing somehting that could be done better, let me know so I can improve the quality of what I write for you.

Feral Claw: I thought it needed some explanation and maybe even some OMG character background, so there. :P Thanks! (I won't comment about Merino and Alanis...for now.)

Now that that's settled, onward ho!


Two others met for the first time in Cornelia at that exact moment.

In the brightest corner of the inn's dining area a muscular man sat, enjoying his meager meal of two fried eggs and a motley portion of bacon. Inexpensive as this inn was, his belt pouch resembled that of one devastated by moths. He knew he would soon have to go out monster hunting again. Sighing, he ran a hand through his short, unruly maroon hair. Such was the life of a wandering warrior.

Lurking in the very same room was a young boy not older than 15. He eagerly eyed his next target. Being a thief, he too was vulnerable to an empty purse. As luck would have it, the man had his back turned on him. Quietly creeping across the floor, he made certain that he did nothing to betray his presence.

When, at last, he had reached the table, he sunk to the floor. Carefully, he unsheathed his knife and slashed the straps holding the small pouch to the belt. However, fickle Dame Fortune chose that exact moment to decide that he had danced with her one too many times. His two errors were in accidentally scratching the man and allowing his purse to fall to the floor, scattering coins everywhere.

Before he had time to sheath his weapon, the man was holding him by the front of his shirt. The boy visibly blanched as he was berated. "What in the world are you doing? That doesn't belong to you!" Where he had scratched him, there was enough blood seeping out to stain his brown leather vest and the white long-sleeved shirt under it.

"I…uh…eheheh…see…" the green-clad boy stammered out.

"Do you realize that you are making someone else poorer in your quest for money?" While not yelling, his voice came out in a gruff, barking tone.

"Uh…no…I think…" Inwardly he cursed himself for blundering.

"It's rather apparent that you don't think. What's your name?"

Quickly, he threw back, "I ain't tellin' ya nothin'!"

His counterattack to that came just as quickly. "Okay then, if you want me to bring you to the officials…"

He blanched again, this time even shuddering. "Okay, okay! I'm Coro!" He stopped to remove his green bandanna, exposing his wavy black hair.

Satisfied, he put Coro down, though still grasping him tightly to prevent his escape. "Well then, Coro, after you pick up my money and give it to me, all while I'm watching you," he said, seemingly not noticing the boy's face fall, "you get to come monster hunting with me to help me pay to get those straps fixed."

Crestfallen and slightly bemused, he risked a quick query. "You aren't turnin' me in?"

His voice softening a bit, the warrior answered, "No, I won't, unless you try to run off with any more of my stuff." As the young thief started to stoop over, the man quickly added, "Oh, yes. By the way, you will call me Vaiss, and nothing else."

After Coro finished cleaning up, Vaiss reasoned that the kid must be stealing to get food. Deciding to show a bit of compassion, he tapped the boy on the shoulder. He turned, merely looking at the warrior. Vaiss then told him, "You can have the rest of my food. I'm not hungry." It must have been obvious that it was a blatant lie, but he was sure he could probably find something out in the forest.

The thief ate ravenously, finishing the meal in a mere minute. Getting up, he once again saw the man looking at him. Still not entirely trusting him, he half-expected him to drag him off to the authorities, but instead he grasped his forearm and led him upstairs into his room.

As he shut the door, he gave yet another command. "Stay there while I get my armor on." It wasn't terribly good in terms of material, but it served him well around Cornelia. All it consisted of was a leather breastplate and a wooden shield to accompany it. He then slid his sheathed rapier into the allotted place in his belt.

Coro, never having seen armor for himself before, was amazed at the sight of it. He never considered armor necessary since it slowed him down considerably and there was no use for it around town. But shields he had seen before, and these, too, were considered unnecessary for the same reasons. The rapier, however, drew most of his attention. He had never used swords before, but he knew he could do so without sacrificing his great agility. After all, the way he saw it, swords were just extended knives.

Vaiss turned around and faced the boy. "Are you ready? We'd better get going so we have time to come back later."