It took the newly formed party four days to reach the town of Bourgraunds. They were forced to avoid the main roads leading to the town as there was a small chance Finn would be detained by the various garrisons placed on the road.

During their trek towards Bourgraunds Finn spent the mornings training Keel in the basics of combat. They would then use the rest of the day walking with Owl's help to find the densest pack of monsters on the path forward, for Finn and Keel to kill so they could progress towards their next level up. The monsters that were slain were then carved up and fed to Finn's Cardinal Blade, to either unlock new forms or upgrade the ones he already had. Those that weren't fed to his blade were stored in his inventory to either be sold in town or used for dinner.

Between hunting, training, and eating Finn would regale Keel with the varied adventures he had experienced growing up. It took her mind off the troubles plaguing her, and it helped Finn to have someone to talk to besides Owl. Some she had believed, but other it seems where to outlandish for even her to take seriously.

"So, you're telling me. That there is an entire kingdom made out of candy?" Keel remarked, one eyebrow raised in disbelief as she chewed on a bone from some furred monstrosity they had killed. They had set up camp for the night and were now sitting around a campfire, enjoying themselves with food and stories. "I might be young Finn but I'm not stupid, you know."

"It's true, I swear." Finn replied, his voice earnest. "Everything in the Candy Kingdom was edible from the buildings to the grass, they even have a butterscotch lake filled with living gummy fish."

"Well, I've never heard of a Kingdom made of candy before and if one really did exist my dad would have told me about it, so there." Keel stated in dismissal.

Finn waived her dismissal away. "That's because it's not on this world."

"Not on this world?" Keel's head tilted to the side in confusion. "What's that mean?"

"I'm not from this world, I got summoned here like a week ago." Finn explained as he munched on his bit of monster meat.

"Summoned?" Keel's eyes furred, then opened wide in realization. "My dad read me stories about stuff like that. That's so cool, it's just like those tales about the Four Heroes."

Finn snorted at the double standard.

"So, Candy Kingdom's are too hard to believe. But being from another world is something you'll accept without a second thought." Finn said, chuckling as he fed the leftover bone into his sword. The bones of any animal, as long as it was cleaned of meat unlocked and leveled up a new sword. He examined the blade. A macabre looking thing with a handle made of bone and a stark white flat blade.

Bone Cleaver

Ability unlocked: Equip Bonus: Dismantle 1

Rarity: Common.

He grumbled a bit at the Rarity of the blade, as it so happened nothing he had unlocked so far had been above a Common Rarity. Expect for one atleast, which he looked at now.

Candy Sword

Ability Unlocked: Skill Unlocked: Create Candy 1

Rarity: Unique.

Unique that rank of rarity wasn't something that was on the help screen. The skill itself wasn't that great either, it just let him shoot out gum in any shape or form he liked from his sword. But it was usual when it came to trapping and slowing down monsters when he fought them.

Finn began to look through his Compendium. A list that showed every sword he had unlocked. From their stats to the things they had unlocked, their rarity and the progress until their next rank up. There was so many numbers that it gave Finn a headache, and that was just his, next Finn flipped to Party Management. Focusing on Keel's name a new info box appeared.

Keel of Lurolona

Class: Undecided Lv 10

Magic: None

Skills: Beast Transformation

Finn had no idea what it meant to have Undecided as a class, just from the word he would guess that it meant Keel hadn't picked a class yet. But neither she nor Finn knew how to go about that. Keel had said that the transformation skill was something taught to her by her big sis Sadeena but when she tried to show it off all it looked like to Finn was Keel needing a bathroom break.

Then there were her stats, she got points every level like Finn. The problem was she tended to put the points in to random stats instead of focusing them into the stats she needed for her to be an effective warrior. Finn had the option to take control of her stat points away but decided against it for now. Keel was still young, and it didn't feel right to take control of her future away from her.

"Hey, Finn?" Keel's voice broke through Finn's thoughts.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Do you think we'll find them… that they'll be safe?" Keel asked, her voice quiet and afraid of the answer.

Finn grimaced at that. As much as he might act like it, Finn wasn't stupid. There was an incredibly good chance that the people Keel was looking for might already be dead. Especially considering the contents of some of the letters pertaining to Bennet and Idol, did not paint a pretty picture. But should he admit as such to Keel?

"They probably aren't safe right now, but we will find them." Finn said.

"Right, of course." Keel muttered, swallowing nervously she looked around for something else to focus on. Her eyes fell on Finn's blade, they then narrowed in thought. "I've seen your sword change shape."

"It can."

"And you're really from another world?" Keel asked, fiddling with her fingers.

"Yep."

"Does that mean you're one of the Cardinal Heroes?!" Keel asked, rapidly. "Because that what the stories say about them, I mean that they come from another world to save this one."

"I am." Finn said, shrugging. He had no reason to hide the fact, at the same time he has no real desire to tell others about it either. So, he decided not to lie if he was ever directly asked.

"Which one?!" She asked, as she jumped to her feet and ran to him, gripping onto him with a manic look in her eyes.

Finn held up his sword, as he gave Keel a blank stare.

"Oh, right." Keel's face flushed in embarrassment, she collapsed against him resting her head against his shoulder. She muttered so softly that Finn struggled to hear what she said next. "If you're a Hero then that means you have to save them."


Just as Finn thought, the next day had them reaching Bourgraunds by late morning. The town had a stone wall built around it. As tall as the one around the capital, if not as grand looking.

"Well, it took some doing but we got here eventually." Finn said, beaming turning to Keel. Who did not look nearly as excited.

The demi-human was nervously fidgeting with her sword belt, ss she stared at the gate into town. She was also muttering something under her breath. Finn tilted his head closer to hear.

"They have to be there, they have to be there. Please be there." Keel repeated to herself like a chant or a prayer. She was biting her lip and seemed to be on the verge of a panic attack. Finn patted her head, gently ruffling the girl's hair. Keel looked up at Finn and he smiled down at her. No words were said, but soon enough Keel calmed down and they made their way to the gate.

The gate was manned by two fully armored guards wielding poleaxes. The armor was finely made and gleamed brightly in the early morning sun. Finn was slightly nervous as he approached the guards, if his appearance or that of Keel's was spread after the incident in Fort Callum then there was no way they were making it through the gate. If so, it would only be a minor inconvenience as there were other ways to enter a city, but time was of the essence here and every second counted at this point.

The guards noticed there approach but neither showed any signs of recognizing them. The guard on the left raised a hand to stop them as they got closer, his poleaxe resting on his left shoulder. There weren't any yells or call for help, so maybe the news of what happened hadn't spread as fast as Finn had feared.

"Hail friend." The guard called out, his armored helm made it impossible to discern any features. "What brings you here?"

Finn had thought up a response about what he would say if he was ever stopped and came up with a good one. Reaching into his gambeson Finn fished out his Adventurer's Badge and flashed it to the guard.

"Checking in with the local Guild to see if they had any jobs in the area." Finn lied through his teeth.

The guard stepped forward and examined the badge. He eyed it for a minute and stepped back with a nod. As he did though his eyes caught Keel's form, more specifically her black furred ears.

"Be sure to keep your pet on a leash when you enter the city." The guard said, and it sounded like he was sneering underneath his helm.

Keel growled at the man, and Finn had to grip her shoulder to stop himself from decking the guard. They tried to enter the gate again, tried being the operative word as the same guard held up a hand to stop them again!

"What now?" Finn asked, his patience was staring to wear thin.

"There is a fee for entering Bourgraunds." The guard said, holding out one hand in a beckoning gesture.

First harassment and now a shakedown. Urgh, this place was dropping lower and lower in Finn's eyes. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Finn asked. "How much?"

"How much you got?" The guard eyed Finn up and down, trying to judge his wealth from his appearance.

"Not much." Finn lied again, smiling slightly as he tugged on his gambeson worsening some of the tears. He would have to get Owl to make him a new one later. "Some bronze coins and a few silver ones, it's why we're here trying to make a living, you know."

Like Jake would always say, Never tell thugs how much you got. Cause then they'll try and take it. Then you got to beat them up, and then their friends, then those guys friends, and then before you know it your taken on an entire city! Hehehe, man that was a fun trip… what was I talking about again?

"Never mind." The Guard said, his voice breaking through Finn's recollection. The guard stepped back to his post, the dismal clear in his posture.

Finn's smile twitched a bit as he felt his blood boil a bit, but instead of doing anything he pushed Keel forward and they entered the town. Step one done, now let's see if we can get 2 through 5, Finn thought. They made into to streets and began to wonder aimlessly. Finn observed the town around him. The buildings are in a decent state and were made of stone and wood, the paved street was well maintenance and wide enough for two carriages to walk side by side comfortably with enough space for people to walk next to them. The people themselves looked healthy and well dressed, not exactly happy looking but not sad either. Content, maybe. An all-around decent town Finn guessed.

As they walked though Finn noticed the stares, they, or more specifically Keel was getting. There were a few snide remarks, some half-muttered threat, and all sorts of other things. Finn ignored it with practiced ease, being formerly only human on Ooo he was used to stares. Keel fidgeted under the stares, growling under her breath and was minutes away from snapping at someone. Finn patted her hair, and that seemed to have calmed her down. After a thirty or more minutes of walking through town Keel piped up.

"I'm hungry~" She wined.

"Again, you just ate a few hours ago." Finn retorted.

"I'm a growing girl." Keel pointed out, patting her stomach as it rumbled. "I needs to eat!"

"Fine." Finn sighed. "Let's look for a place to eat, can't be that hard to find a place."

Turns out though it was, everytime they had entered ta place the owner of the restaurant, inn, or tavern would take a single look at Keel and shoo them out. To constant rejections were putting Finn in a foul mood, tensed, and shaking he marched forward. Next person to tell them to leave would be in for a huge surprise.

"If we can't find a place to eat, how are we going to find Idol?" Keel asked, her ears were dropping and tail limp.

"Find the richest looking area in town and then find the biggest house." Finn answered, scanning for a place to visit.

"If that is what you're looking for all you have to do is look up." A voice cut in interrupting the two. Turning towards the voice Finn gawked at what he saw.

It was a tan skinned man that looked to be in his early twenties with spiky red hair cut short. He was tall as Finn with a sharp angular face. He was dressed in a white chef's uniform. He was standing inside a large brown street food vending cart with several stools set up in front of it.

But none of that was what caught Finn's attention. Attached to the cart was what looked like a massive chicken crossed with an ostrich, its feathers were as red as the other man's hair. It was kneeling down eating messily from a silver bowl.

"That's a giant chicken." Finn muttered.

"Wonder what they taste like." Keel asked, wiping away a line of drool running down her mouth.

"Hehehe, first time seeing a Filolial?" The red-haired man asked. He was leaning over the counter attached to the cart he was standing in. The man waved them towards the counter and directed them to sit.

"Uh, yeah. What exactly is a Filolial?" Finn asked taking a seat, Keel doing the same.

"Filolial are trainable monsters. They like to eat, fight, and pull things. This guy here is Roganta." The red-haired chef said pointing over to the giant bird.

The Filolial, Roganta, perked up at having his name called and walked over to the chef. He stuck his head in the cart and started nudging the chief with his feathered head. Laughing the chief petted the Filolial until Roganta was satisfied enough to go back to his previous position lay down and seemly fall asleep.

Still laughing The chief turned back to Finn. "These birds are famous for the speeds they can reach and for how long they can run. Unfortunately, they consume so much food that keeping more than one could bankrupt a person."

"Doesn't look like he eats all that much." Finn said eying the single bowl infront of the sleeping bird.

"You shouldn't let appearances deceive you Pi… al, things are always more than what they appear." The chief said pointing at the bowl. "That stew has enough nutritional value to feed an army."

"Oh, that's…" Finn said trying to figure that out, when something else caught his attention. He looked back at the chief his eyes narrowed. "What did you call me?"

"I said pal." The chief shrugged, smiling at Finn. "I don't know your name, care to introduce yourself?"

That wasn't what Finn thought he heard, but the chief had a point.

"Finn, Finn Mertens." Finn introduced himself, he hocked a thumb at Keel. "This is Keel."

"Andrew." The Chief said holding a hand to his chest. He turned to look at Keel then he blinked a few times. "So, what can I get you today?"

Finn glanced at the menu scrawled on a board atop the cart. There were many things that interested him, but one thing drew his attention. "What's the special?"

"A stew made from some vegetables, spices, and monster meat I collected on the way here. Interested?" He asked. Finn nodded and Andrew got to work though he had a frown on his face as he turned to Finn. "Hm, you really shouldn't have brought a Demi-human here pal. This place isn't really kind to people like them."

"I noticed." Finn said, glaring at the people who stopped to stare at Keel. They fled after a few seconds. "Any idea why?"

"They're human." Andrew said, and really that was all the answer that was needed.

"Besides that." Finn groused.

"Well, the town was given to Idol Rabier by the King due to the Idol's achievements in the last war with Siltvelt." Andrew said, turning on his stove and placing a pot atop it.

"The war." Keel spoke up for the first time since they sat down. "What was it like? My dad never talked about it."

"I wasn't born when it happened, but I heard it was bad. So bad infact that it tanked and set back any possible positive relationship between the Humans and Demi-humans. The way the story goes is that during the last stretch of the war there was pushback from some very influential people to keep the war going until every last Demi-human was wiped out. Idol was one of those people, the King another." Andrew explained. Andrew moved through his cart as he talked preparing a bowl for both Finn and Keel.

"Then does that mean the King and Idol are friends?" Finn asked. He examined the bowl, it was some kind of stew filled with root vegetables and beef. There was also a side of bread.

"They were in the same party together that lead the final push to end the war." Andrew shrugged. "So, they were close once. No idea if they still are."

Finn pondered that as he ate. The stew was pretty good, the meat was tender, and the vegetables had a satisfying crunch. Even Keel was enjoying it as well.

"If the King wanted to keep fighting, then what stopped him?" Finn continued his questioning.

"Man, you do know I'm just a chef right. I don't know much about the politics that run this country." Andrew pointed out.

"But you know something." Finn pointed out. "Which is more than I know. Also, can I get another bowl, please."

"Me too!" Keel said.

"It was the decision of the Queen." Andrew said, filling their bowls again. "And it wasn't a popular one either. If she hadn't had the Staff Hero on her side, she might have been deposed from her throne, violently."

"The Queen stopped it, why?"

"Who knows? Maybe she thought it wasn't worth the lives it would cost, or a sudden sense of empathy. Or maybe Melromarc was closer to defeat than they let on." Andrew shrugged. "Anyway, after that she spent the rest of her reign trying to bridge the divide between the Humans and Demi-humans the war expanded. She even set up some territories for Demi-humans to be protected in and had it run by people she personally had picked for the job."

"Lord Seaetto." Keel said quietly, she was staring at her empty bowl a frown on her face. "He was the one in charge of the territory my village was in."

"I heard he died during the first wave in Melromarc." Andrew sighed. "If it is safe haven your looking for, I suggest you head southwest for a few days. There is a noble the same breed as Seaetto named, Van Reichnott. You'll be treated fairly well there."

Finn would note that for later but. "Were here looking for Keel's friends and others from her Village."

"Like I said before check in Reichnott's territory, some of your people might have made their way there." Andrew advised.

Keel perked up at that.

"That maybe so, but we know for a fact that some of them are with Idol Rabier." Finn said.

"Oh." Was all Andrew said, he tapped his fingers on the counter nervously. "That's not good."

Finn could understand the Chief's trepidation, everything Finn had learned of the noble didn't paint a pretty picture at all.

"How dangerous is Idol Rabier?" Finn asked.

"He was one of the forefront figures in the war and was on the same party as the King, so his level must be pretty high. But he hasn't been nearly as active the past decade. Which means he is either very weak or very strong, depending on what he does in his free time." Andrew said.

"How much?" Finn asked, he didn't specify if he meant the food or the information.

"2 silver pieces." The Chief answered, not specifying what it was for either.

"Thanks for the food and the information." Finn said, pushing away from the counter and he placing two gold coins as payment. Waving goodbye to the Chief and ignoring his cries to get his attention, Finn headed deeper into the town Keel at his side. They were both silent as they walk pondering what Andrew had said, until Finn recalled the first thing the man had told him, he looked up.

Doing so Finn saw right there in the middle of town was a large plateau, who's peak seemed to touch the sky. The incline of the plateau was filled with trees, a veritable forest. And there on the edged next to the cliff was a mansion. They made their way towards the plateau. Keel looked too.

"How did we miss that?" She pointed out.

"No idea."

I really want to explore the city more, maybe sell off some of the monster parts I've collected. Finn thought, then caught the look Keel was giving the manor. It was one of equal parts scared and determined. I also don't want to keep Keel from her friends any longer than necessary, if they are even here. If they weren't then I'd have to figure out a way to make this Idol talk.

Finn let out a sigh, it was times like these that he missed being a child. Everything was so much simpler then, when all he thought about was having fun adventures and not having to deal with the moral complexities of the world.

"Let's go meet this, Idol." Finn said, reaching out and ruffling Keel's hair. Keel leaned into his touch, and they drew a small measure of comfort from each other then headed out.

Reaching the mansion was easy enough as there was a paved road that led directly towards it. As they got close enough to the mansion Finn took his time to examine it, three-stories tall built in the shape of a square without the bottom line. In the center of the mansion was a courtyard, a plinth sat in the middle of it. a half circular wall protected the mansion, stretching from the edge of the plateau to the other. The trees nearest the outer wall were cut down leaving a twenty-yard space of empty field between the trees and wall.

Finn headed off the main road as he neared it, Keel following him. They were both quiet not even talking for fear of alerting the nearby guards, who were followed by giant dogs with some kind of device on their backs. Those were called Guardia Finn recalled one of the few trainable monsters, mostly used as their name suggest guard dogs.

"What are we doing?" Keel asked, as their view of the road disappeared. She was much more comfortable surrounded by trees than she was buildings.

"Looking for something." Finn muttered, his eyes scanning the woods till he found what he wanted. After a few minutes of looking around he spotted what he was hoping for and headed towards it. The tree looked to be the oldest, tallest, and most sturdy one in the area. Finn had no hesitation as he started to climb the thing.

Feeling the bark beneath his hand and feet brought back memories of a forest dwelling wizard and a smile on his face. Huntress Wizard, not her real name and getting that from her was like pulling teeth, had taught him a lot about surviving and living out in the wilds. Memories of her brought back the last time they talked, and the smile slipped from his face. She had wanted to see him after he got the new arm, but he ended up here. Well hopefully she'll understand the extenuating circumstances have caused him to miss their meeting. Right?... Fuck, he was dead the moment he stepped back in Ooo. A muttered curse broke Finn from his thoughts as he saw Keel trying to scramble up the tree.

"Come on." Finn called down to Keel. "You can do it."

"I'm… trying." Keel panted, trying to find purchase in the old bark and failing.

There was a bark in the distance and the sound of chuffing breaths and scurried feet. Damm the sounds they had made must have alerted some of the nearby Guardias. Acting quickly Finn pulled out a bundle of rope from his inventory and tossed one end to Keel. She grabbed the rope and quickly scurried up beside Finn. They settled in the branches as the Guardias rushed past with their handlers running after them. None of them looked up either.

"Phew." Finn let out a breath as he relaxed in the tree branch. Keel clutched on the branch not nearly as relaxed, her eyes kept glancing at the wandering guards and Guardias. Tensing whenever one got to close to the tree, they were in.

"What are we doing?" Keel asked tugging on Finn's pants leg.

"Reconnaissance. Most important thing in any hunt." Finn held up a hand, forming the drone out of Digi-resin and sending out towards the mansion. It buzzed towards the mansion and Finn pulled up his sleeve and the screen appeared on his forearm.

Keel scuttled forward and peered into the screen with Finn, observing as the drone made its way towards the mansion.

The drone made a few circuits around the mansion. Scanning the structure head to toe. The stone of the building got in the way, so the drone switched to thermal vison. The screen became hues of blues, greens, reds, and yellows. It became apparent that including the patrolling guards there over fifty guards moving through the mansion and a full serving staff. There were probably more guards in the town, which meant that if they started anything, they would only have so much time before they were swarmed with guards. but none of the people in the manor were the right shape or size for what Finn wanted.

"Where could they be?" Finn muttered.

"Wait! What about there." Keel pointed at the screen near the bottom of the manor and Finn saw what she did.

The drone was directed towards the cliff face of the plateau and there beneath the manor where several small figures sat slumped over. Of course, they'd be in the dungeons. A grimace crossed his face as Finn counted the slumped over figures. That could pose a problem.

Finn called the drone back and watched the screen as something caught his attention. On the top floor of the manor sat a single solitary figure. It was interesting so he sent the drone closer to investigate. The figure was in an office and luckily there was an opened window for the drone to hover next to. Finn had the drone drop its thermal vision so he could get a look at the room.

It was a fully furnished office space. A large desk set in the center while on the left wall was filled with bookcases and the right had a large painting of a battlefield depicting humans killing demi-humans. There were a few potted plants to liven up the space and sitting down leaning over the desk was what Finn could only assume was Idol Rabier.

Idol Rabier was a fat, rotund, balding old man. He was dressed in a finely made doublet, which was white with blue insets and a gold filigree, black slacks, and leather boots.

He was sitting at his desk, writing something.

Finn paused considering what to do, after a few minutes he decided to stop his search, it was enough, he thought, to put a face to Idol Rabier. He had the drone come back, five minutes later It hovered above him and Keel.

Keel tugged on Finn's arm to get his attention, she whispered in a harsh voice. "They're in there, Finn. I can just feel it. We have to go."

He took a peak at the sky, from the position if the sun it was late in the afternoon, not much longer till night. But while sneaking in during the day would normally be difficult with Owl's eye in the sky it may be possible. Still, it would be best to wait for a few days and keep scoping out the place. Learn everything he reasonably could before making a move.

Even if he could have made it through and get to whoever was in the dungeon, there were too many people for him to be able to carry by himself. Finn would need a way to transport them, he remembered seeing something that might help. Finn glancing back at the screen Finn hoped he was mistaken looking for something to… there! But there in the stables next to the mansion was a carriage large enough to ferry everyone away. He could use that to make their escape.

He then flicked through the various devices Owl had programed with in her that she could create for him. Flipping through the options Finn found just the thing to get him inside. It was also something he had been dying to use since he saw it too.

But pausing and pondering over the options available it would still be best to wait for few days, but a glance at Keel's fidgeting form made Finn's decision for him. Nodding to himself one last time, Finn settled the plan in his head.

Afterall why would he did he ever do the smart thing, when it was always best to do the right thing.