To those of you still here… You make me so very happy. I would like to say that, yes. I do in fact take mental health days. This train has several stops, and does refuel regularly!

I know I've been winging it pretty hard so far, but now? Now it's going to get really off the rails!

I only hope that you stick with this story, it wouldn't be the same without you.

"My… My tavern…" The Tavern owner Borgram gasped out as he laid eyes upon the dining hall. It had taken a bit of work, but the floors had been cleaned of a decades worth of grime, the tables had been scraped, buffed, and shined… I even went so far as to clean the walls of their accumulated filth.

"What did you do to my tavern!?" He shouted as he ran his hands over the recently cleaned surfaces, "You were just supposed to sweep the floors and run a rag along the tables, not spit shine the whole building! Oh gods the building…" He rushed out of the dining hall and let loose a pained scream before walking back in, pale and defeated.

"My tavern… my reputation…" He mumbled as he rocked back and forth on a stump of a chair, "You even polished the discarded weapons…"

I could not reply verbally, and so I gave a deep bow as I have always done within the castle. Sighing, Borgram pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Why don't we get you fed while you wait for your bug to pick you up?" He asked as he made his way for what was undoubtedly this tavern's kitchen. I had moved to follow, but he quickly held a hand before me, "Oh no little lass, you're staying right here. I don't need you cleaning my kitchens too."

He didn't want me to clean? If it were half as filth ridden as the rest of the tavern, it would have been a benefit to clean it as well. The sound of fire soon roared from the kitchens, an orange light growing and fading rapidly.

I could not tell for how long I had waited. Time had seemed to have lost all meaning to myself. Was this because of my bond to Hollow? Please return, master mine…

"Here, lass. Fresh off the spit," Borgram muttered as he placed a roasted rib cage before me, smoke wafting softly from the cooked meat. As if a greedy animal, I tore into the steaming carcass with reckless abandon while Bargram attempted small talk.

"Ah… I've only seen an appetite that voracious once before… man was an animal," He sighed in happy reminiscence, "Was an adventurer then, party of five. Our leader started to get a bit too prideful for his own good unfortunately…"

He seemed to look at me as if looking for a reason to continue his tale, "Don't talk much, do you?" With saddened eyes, I opened my mouth to speak, silence his only answer, "Ah, a mute. Shame, Eyra's is the only voice I hear when ever we're empty."

"Don't think I don't hear you, you no good fossilized oaf!" The tavern keeper shouted, no doubt this was Eyra.

Laughing a hearty laugh, Borgram continued to speak, "You two remind me of my bygone days on the road… I miss it sometimes," He would have continued his thoughts had I Iet him, but… there was a familiar pull. I…

Fera… Master?

Meanwhile…

"Pleeeease~ Won't you buy something?" The persistent shopkeeper girl asked as she followed me from the clothing store, "I see that you're one of the Legendary Heroes, I can offer you a special discount for store loyalty!~"

"I have stated before that I must converse with my partner before making any purchases," I replied easily as I continued my march… even after she threw herself at my legs and held onto me as I walked.

"Aw, come on~" She whined, "I know I'm no warrior, but I know my way around a good piece of clothing! You should really trust my judgement on this!"

Fera… Master? I had not yet noticed, but I had finally reached the tavern… it looked cleaner than the day before, and each embedded weapon seemed to shine brilliantly.

Master is that you? Have you returned? Have you… forgiven me?

Forgive? Why would I forgive her? I felt as her mind gasped and shuddered, mental sobs filling my mind. Was there something wrong? She had not suffered, had she?

Entering, Fera had tackled into me as her arms took hold of me tightly.

Please, will you not forgive me? Why? Why ask for such a thing? What has been done?

"Ohhhh…" The shop keeper latched onto my leg looked up to look at Fera, eyes widening in understanding, "Wait, your partner is a slave? That makes no sense!~" Excitedly, she stands up, Pat's herself down, and quickly begins to measure Fera.

"Hn… decent build… fair bust and waist…"

Master, why is this strange woman measuring me? I believe she wishes for us to purchase new clothing.

"Alright! All done~" She cheered, "Huh… this is a really nice place…" She whispered to herself as the tavern owner, Bargram flinched in fear, "Very homy and rustic! Ooh the girls would love it here!"

"Now let's not get too crazy!" Borgram had shouted at the aloof shopkeeper, wilting as she paid him no mind.

"Now don't forget, Sir Sword Hero! You're only allowed to buy clothing from me, okay?~" She asked as she looked to me, "Only me, and just to make sure, I'm going to mark you down as a loyal customer~" With a wave of her finger, a prompt opened before me.

[Loyalty Accepted: Melromarc Royal Threads]

And with that, she left us to our own devices.

"The heck was that about?" Bargram asked as he stared at us dumbfounded.

"It would seem as if I have been 'shop bound'," I replied simply as I placed a hand atop Fera's head.

Master, please don't leave me again. No, never again…

"I thank you for protecting Fera, we shall be off now," I stated as we began to turn, only for Borgram to shout.

"Wait, boy! Wait here for just a second!" He raised a hand placatingly before walking away slowly in reverse, his eyes staying on us for as long as he could as if he feared our disappearance.

Spirited shouts echoed through the empty tavern accompanied by the breaking of wood. After a good fifteen minutes, the handmaiden from the day before, Eyra, my Master, had exited with a now armored and flustered Borgram in tow.

"So, off to save the world from the Waves of Calamity are you?" Eyra asked with arms crossed and a a harsh stare, "Won't be going alone, I'm afraid. He's a bumbling oaf more trouble than he's worth… but a heart of gold beats in him."

She playfully struck Borgram's chest with the back of her fist as they shared a smile, taking the time to bask in the other's gaze.

"As the missus says," Borgram stated as he raised a spiked armored hand to his chest and gave a bow, "From this moment, I, Borgram Beaumont, do so pledge fealty to the Hero of the Sword."

[Borgram would like to join your party

Y/N]

What was this? I believe Sir Borgram would wish to accompany us upon our journey. I see…

I gave it no more thought and accepted, another prompt alerting me of my added party member. With a hearty laugh, Borgram took Eyra by the waist before spinning her round and tossing her into the air. The burly handmaiden took it in stride, laughing joyously as she allowed herself to be caught by the giant of a man.

"Alright already…" She whispered as she fought through her laughter, "Take care, you dumb ogre."

Borgram gently pushed a strand of loose hair from Eyra's face before placing his forehead on her own, "Don't go burning the house down, she witch…"

With their last goodbyes said and done, the two parted as Borgram led us out and away from his tavern.

Our first destination, Master? We have lost much time this day… but I fear we will only lose more should we not return to purchase a replacement outfit for you.

This dress does have a fair amount of holes in it now…

"You both really don't talk much, do you?" Our new companion asked curiously, "It's fine if you don't, but if you're having a conversation with each other, I'd like to know."

"Apologies, Borgram. Due to the nature of our bond, Fera and I can hold a conversation with the other so long as we are near one another," I explained calmly. The giant nodded cautiously, understanding, but off put.

"So, what's the discussion?" He asked as he crossed his arms.

"Fera needs a replacement maid dress, hers is currently close to tatters."

"Aye, that it is," He commented as he stared at the now self conscious handmaiden.

Many men have stared at me in such a way before… many men have then proceeded to do more…

"Please refrain from staring at Fera for too long," I stated, "She is rather self conscious of herself now that she is no longer held within Castle Melromarc."

"Ah, sorry lass. Not exactly used to silence is all," Bargram said with an apologetic smile.

The rest of our walk was resumed in slight silence, Bargram making a comment of the town every now and again. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to ask him his opinion of the Shield Hero…

"Aye, poor lad he is," He commented as we neared the clothing shop, "Stay clear of the Three Heroes Church, they're involved in some way."

The Three Heroes Church? A political party within Melromarc castle town, they despise the Shield Hero for the past Hero's involvement in the Melromarc-Siltvelt war. Unfortunately, you have yet to visit the Dragon Hourglass…

"Fera tells me I should visit the church if only to commune with the Dragon Hourglass," I explained as I opened the door, the shopkeeper girl from before tackling into me excitedly.

"There's my favorite beetle!~ Are you finally here to buy a suit? Oh, isn't that the seedy tavern keeper? You have quite the amazing party!" Her constant cheering had put Fera on edge, the handmaiden hiding behind me as we ventured further within.

"I am only here to replace my partner's tattered vestments," I stated firmly as I motioned to the still hiding Fera.

With a determined nod and stars in her eyes, the shopkeeper dashed away into a backroom before returning with a neatly folded set of clothing… there also happened to be a bell and collar atop the set as well. Without another word, Fera had been taken by the hand and rushed away.

"A cat's bell?" Bargram asked, "Seems a little on the nose for the lass."

"It is of no consequence," I replied calmly, only for Fera to call attention to me.

My Master… the bell is rather loud…

Loud? Yes, that does pose quite the problem… it had been a few moments more when the two returned, the offending bell ringing profusely as she walked.

"Isn't she just the most adorable thing?~ You'll be the life of the party!" The shopkeeper cheered.

"I am afraid we must do away with the bell," My words deflated the cheery girl somewhat, "Noise is not something we can risk in the wilderness."

"Noise! Of course! One second!" With practiced ease, the bell was removed and replaced with a hollowed, empty black cat head, "How's this? Pretty snazzy huh?"

"I do not see how such adornments will aid us in battle, but it shall suffice," The shopkeeper beamed at this and began to calculate the cost.

Master, is this to your liking? My liking? The dress was similar in part to her original outfit. Black dress, white and frilled apron… there had been subtle differences. Arm bands and a belt with cat shaped buckles, paw prints crawling along her apron… that and she now wore a collar as if she were…

Property, my Master. A… Pet.

"That'll be three gold!" The shopkeeper cheered joyfully.

"Now hold on a second!" Bargram shouted in shock, "The bug hasn't even gotten out of Melromarc yet, and you're charging him gold!? Are you out of your mind, lass!?"

"Alternatively, he could pay three hundred silvers~" She replied with a sweet yet somewhat vicious tone.

"It is of no consequence," I replied as I retrieved three of my fourteen gold, "I have coin enough for such an expenditure."

"We don't even know if it'll handle battle stress!" Bargram argued, the shopkeeper's smile never fading.

"Oh, that! Silly me, how could I have forgotten~" She swiftly retrieved a pair of scissors from behind herself, "Shall demonstrate?"

Curious as to where this would go, I gave a nod as she carefully poked a hole into Fera's new apron. Pulling the blades away, the hole began to quickly repair itself, "Can't help you if you dirty the dress with bloodstains, that would have cost a little extra and we're out of the material."

Should we encounter such a problem, I believe it would be wise to invest into such a garment.

"Don't exactly like how she looks like Sir Big Hero's pet, but that's not really my place to say," Bargram commented.

"It is of no consequence," I replied, "For now, we take our leave…"

"Come back soon! Remember! You can only buy clothing from me and my affiliates! Armor and accessories are A-Okay to buy though, so don't be stingy!"

As we left, the citizenry had begun giving us strange looks, most leveled at Fera. I do not like this, Master…

"Aright, we fixed up your maid's wardrobe," Bargram stated, "And judging by the dull blade she's carrying, I'm guessing the next stop is a blacksmith?"

"Earhart has something for me, so yes," His face brightened up a little the closer we came to Earhart's shop, only…

"Hollow…" Noafumi had exited the Blacksmith's shop wearing new clothing and armor… a beast-eared child by his side.

"Naofumi," I replied with a bow of my head, the child in his company hiding behind his right leg as he grit his teeth, "You have a new companion with you."

"No thanks to you, asshole," He spat out, "But I do owe you credit, you are the one who gave me the idea."

A slave then? She is young. Frail… without proper care she is likely to die within the week.

"Grow strong, Shell Bearer," I held my nail aloft not out of any malice… but with respect… hope.

With a determined nod, his Shield had taken its Shell configuration and met my Nail with it, "Damn straight I'll grow strong… strong enough to take you on… strong enough to take this whole damn world on!"

"I await the day, Shell Bearer," He parted from us with a nod, his shielded hand never once letting go of the child at his side.

"Bad blood?" Bargram asked worriedly.

"It is of no consequence… come, you need armor, and Fera requires a new Nail."

As the bell chimed to our entrance, Earhart looked up in surprise, "Hollow! Shield Boy… he didn't…"

"The Shell Bearer has gone on his way," I replied simply, the Blacksmith letting go a sigh of relief.

"New party member?" He asked as he looked to Bargram, "Hey… don't you run that really dirty lookin tavern at the edge of town?" Bargram smiled… before frowning in defeat.

"Aye, but the lass here scrubbed away most of the grime…" Earhart smiled and shook his head at Fera, the maid looking away with a blush.

I am not used to such… praise.

"I'm guessing you're here for the Nail?" Earhart asked as he produced the piece. It's body was adorned with several oddly shaded grooves and gave a pale shine that made Bargram gasp in awe of it, "It's still a mish-mash of ore… but it's a well refined and extremely sharp mish-mash of ore."

Master, I believe it would benefit you to copy the Nail first. Finding no holes in my partner's logic, I took hold of the Nail as my Legendary Sword scanned it.

[Imperfect Nail Data Found, would you like to replace the Hallowed Nail?

Y/N]

Replace the Hallowed Nail? What would happen were I to do such a thing? Would I lose my Nail? No… Fera owns my Nail now… instead, all I lose from this is the memory of my nail. Pressing Y, a new prompt appeared.

[Imperfect Nail Unlocked]

[Imperfect Nail Rank 10/50

Damage: 42

Passive: Gain 30% more Soul when striking enemies

Passive: Gain 10% more Soul upon successful kill

Active: Gain four satellite blades]