Kept going and going and going and yet I still didn't get as far as I'd hoped to. Then I thought I'd make it extra long, to give you all a treat for waiting patiently, but it got stuck and refused to keep going. So I cut it off, and have nearly finished the next chapter already. It'll be posted very soon!

For anyone who hasn't noticed them, the fics I've written for my Christmas Requests Special are up under FTaBV Omake. I'm still working on omakes for people's requests, and there've been good responses to the ones I've finished already. I am not taking any new requests right now, unless you come up with an idea that interests me very, very much.

Review response for Angelic: (If you even remember the review you left...*sweatdrop*)

You should all be thanking The Fool Arcana for the Jade cosplay scene. Again, I'll thank her for inspiring that scene, as it was great fun to write! There are a few more ideas for that costume thanks to her! Fanart of Letha in Jade's costume is a bit beyond my means at the moment, though I would love to see it. But Letha will never be quite as epic as him because she's too chicken to try on red contact lenses.

x x x

Chapter 26: Vesperia's Birth (or Holy Crap, It's A Guild!)

x x x

So this wasn't the first time we left town running (well, not full out running, but in a hurry. More like vigorously power walking). At the very least we'd left Halure much like this, and back when it was just Yuri, Estelle, and Repede the trio would have been interested in getting out of Zaphias quick.

It may or may not be clear that I don't like traveling quickly for long periods of time. Sure, sure, I can walk all day long and not care as long as my shoes are good, but make me sprint down the block and I'll be gasping and flipping you the finger (only did that once...). My stamina and endurance had improved a bit since Nevi dropped me in this public transportation deficient world, but that didn't make me like it any better.

If I'd been dropped into The Lord of the Rings and found myself running with Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli across Rohan for three days, I'd definitely be going, "Screw this! Guys, the hobbits aren't even going to be there once we find the pile of dead orcs! Can we just take our time going to the creepy forest to pick up Gandalf, who will miraculously be alive and waiting for us?"

Though if I'd had the chance to join the fellowship, I'd probably opt to wait out the run ins with Ringwraiths, Sauron, and the war all together and just hang out in Rivendell. Talking poetry and riddles with Bilbo.

But no, I was running through the plains directly outside Dahngrest with a group of people intent on getting us all lost in the nearest forest so the knights who may or may not be following us, or the giant bird who may or may not be trying to kill one of us, won't actually find and/or kill us.

Just what did I do that put me on this particular life path? I mean, yeah it's a bookworm's dream come true, but the reason it's a dream is because no one believes this could happen!

Finally Karol lagged behind and stopped altogether, bending over and planting his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. The rest of us came to either abrupt or gradual stops (depends who you're talking about, Yuri and Judith were in better shape than Estelle and I) and looked back at him. Furthest ahead, Repede sat down on the ground to wait for us.

If not for the half remembered advice from a friend that took track, I would have sat down for a breather myself. She told me that doing that, or bending over like Karol was, is actually more likely to give you a heart attack or stroke. So I'd forced myself into the habit of standing hand on hips and straight when I was winded.

It was weird what random trivia I could remember, as opposed to the stuff I'd been wracking my brains out over.

"I know we've got to get out of town, but I'm dyin' here," Karol got out between gasps. You know, I'm glad we have someone much younger here. Or else I'd be the one tiring out first and whining for a break. I hate to realize I'm whining, though I do it anyway.

"You're just not used to a little morning exercise," Yuri told him.

"I've always been of the opinion that people who like exercising first thing in the morning are crazy," I grumbled. Seriously, get up at the crack of dawn to run five miles? Voluntarily? Just for a warm up? Insanity!

Yuri shook his head at me, perhaps thinking I wasn't one to judge what qualifies others as crazy, and tried to urge the younger boy back into the race, "It's not much further. Come on, Karol."

"Just how far are we going?" Judith asked him. Yep, Judith was still running the marathon with us! Though I hadn't really been up to holding a conversation with her beyond a simple introduction. Felt my breath had more pressing things to be spent on. The fact that she hardly seemed any more winded than Yuri was a small blow to my pride.

Yuri cocked his head slightly while considering her question. "I guess Heliord's our closest destination. So at least until there." Heliord, where we...I blinked and a slow smile spread across my face. Heliord is where we pick someone to distract a guard with "feminine wiles." Damn, if I can get Yuri to dress like a woman for that, I can die happy. And I probably will, because he'd kill me for making him do that.

Judith noted that I wasn't paying attention to the conversation (about the likelihood of a break anytime soon). "You seem happy about something."

I grinned innocently at the krytian. "Mmm, just looking forward to a good run and a break."

x x x

The Monster Spoke?

Karol: ...Hey, you mind if I ask a question? I need to be sure of something.

Estelle: What is it?

Karol: That big monster we saw... It was talking, right? Like, our language.

Estelle: Yes, I heard it with my own ears.

Yuri: You all heard it, too? I guess it wasn't my imagination, after all.

Karol: Who's ever heard of a monster that speaks a human language...?

Estelle: ...Just what is that monster...?

Starting A Guild

Estelle: Yuri, I was a little surprised to hear that you're starting a guild.

Yuri: Well, it's not like I'll be doing it all on my own.

Judith: Did Karol give you the idea?

Yuri: Yeah, but I'd been thinking about it myself for a while now, too. I quit the Knights to find my own way of doing things, but I hadn't done anything.

Estelle: What Flynn said to you back in the port town... That got to you, didn't it?

Yuri: Nothing that guy says could get to me.

*Yuri leaves*

Judith: He doesn't like to admit his feelings, does he?

Estelle: No.

Letha: Trying to act cool all the time... Maybe he thinks if he doesn't then it's another victory for Flynn.

Estelle: What do you mean?

Letha: They're friends, and they're rivals. Flynn's doing well as a knight and always seems very sure of himself. Yuri wasn't getting anywhere, so if he'd lost his cool on top of it all, that would make it worse. But now with the guild, they're nearly even again.

Judith: So you're saying he's just competitive.

Letha: Maybe.

x x x

To my relief we returned to our usual pace for traveling once we reached the trees. Though forcing our way through the dense foliage on paths that may not have actually been used by people, ever, was just as tiring. We took the occasional time out from walking only to fight monsters that ambushed us out of nowhere.

Same stuff we'd been seeing for awhile, weird lizard things and so on. They were familiar enough that I didn't even need to spam my artes to kill anything. I took it as an opportunity to observe Yuri and Estelle's fighting styles some more, though they were also finishing their fights up quicker than usual.

Watching Judith fight was interesting. I've read in a number of fantasy books that a spear is one of the great weapons, in the hand of a master it can hold the advantage in almost any situation. Not that I knew enough about using them to really have an opinion. But seeing Judith leaping high into the air and freakin' impaling monsters made me willing to believe it.

I held my peace while Yuri, Estelle, and Karol discussed how unbelievable it was to hear a monster speak. Personally I didn't think the idea was so hard to accept, even back on Earth there are some pretty amazing animals. The Lyre bird is actually capable of reproducing the sound of nearby construction (a bird that sounds like a chainsaw?), and even the sound of tourists' camera shutters or a car alarm for its mating call. Thinking that only humans could learn to communicate with our language is pretty narrow minded.

Judith and I did eventually have a proper chat with each other, between fights.

"When I met everyone in Ghasfarost, they were worried about a friend who'd gone missing. I take it that friend was you." She carelessly tucked the single blue hair that had come out of place back behind a long pointed ear (which I'd been trying not to stare at). That was seriously the only sign that she'd just taken on two lizard monsters and a giant turtle (...I named it Bowser) by herself.

"Yeah, bit of a long story that even I don't totally understand," I told her a bit sheepishly. I wondered if Judith might have remembered me from our run ins when she was posing as the Dragon Rider. Though at the time she would probably have been more focused on rogue blastia, endangered Entelexeia, and Rita flipping out.

"What's the short version then?"

"Umm, short version?" I considered how to fit those days into a nutshell. "I was kidnapped by assassins, tied up and dumped in a shack in the middle of nowhere, and managed to piss off all the assassins and give one some much needed relationship advice during my escape three days later."

"Sounds like fun," she responded without a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh, it's real funny in hind sight," I said airily, "though at the time I was bored out of my skull."

"Do you know why they targeted you?"

"Now that's the part I don't get. Apparently somebody hired them, but I don't know who or why."

"Hmm, maybe it was a secret admirer who was too shy to meet you." My mouth worked uselessly for a moment while I searched for something to say to that.

I coughed a bit uncomfortably, "Well, seeing as the one who hired them was apparently a woman, I hope that isn't it."

"Oh? Maybe your admirer is so shy he asked someone else to arrange it for him."

"Jeez, just how likely do you think that is?"

Judith just shrugged slightly, "Well, you never know." I could tell this was going to be an interesting relationship.

x x x

"What happened to taking a break?" Karol's words of course. Though I'd been able to keep my mouth shut and not start whining only because I knew he'd speak up sooner or later.

"It's probably a good time." Judith looked back over her shoulder, "Looks like no one is following us anymore." Yes, several times we'd heard the sounds of what may have been armor through the trees, and I think at one point I heard a familiar loud voice in the distance yelling "Lowell!" The knights are persistent to say the least.

"...How can you tell?" Estelle asked.

Judith tapped a finger on her chin thoughtfully, then said, "Hmm, intuition I suppose," with a smile. Intuition probably has a name, and it is probably either Ba'ul or Phaeroh. Eyes in the sky must be useful...

"Intuition...?" Karol said with disbelief, but Yuri took this explanation in stride.

"Anyway, we should be fine here," the swordsman directed the conversation away from the newest member's quirks of personality. "Let's rest for now."

Though it wasn't audible, it was almost like there was a collective sigh of relief. Everyone found a relatively comfortable root or rock to sit on and dropped their bags nearby. I eyed my options, a moss covered rock and a non-moss covered rock, and finally opted for the bare stone. I don't trust plants I can't identify when I'm about to sit on them...

After we'd had a few minutes off our feet, Karol spoke up again. "When we have time to take a longer rest, we've got to decide a few things about our guild."

"What is it with you and taking breaks?" Despite his words, there was a friendly twist to Yuri's mouth as he looked over at the younger boy.

"What do you hope to accomplish by starting a guild?" Judith asked, her question directed to the group as a whole.

Yuri blinked at her question, apparently not having thought beyond the general idea of "We make guild, we fix the crap the Empire does." Well, maybe not like that but...

"Accomplish...? Hmm..."

"I want our guild to become really big," Karol said with enthusiasm. "And then someday we'll follow in the Don't footsteps and protect Dahngrest ourselves. That way, I can show him my gratitude for all the years he's defended the city." I frowned slightly. I never liked Karol's reasoning here...while there wasn't anything wrong with it, per say, it was superficial and naïve. It was apparent that Karol hadn't thought of anything but the great shining pedestal of respect he wanted to be standing on at the end.

Give him a break, he's twelve years old and caught up in hero worship.

But he was also about to become the boss of a guild, a position that required more maturity and a sense of responsibility.

And that will come, you already know it will, so shut up and don't rain on their parade. Let events run their course.

"That's a wonderful dream, Karol," Estelle told him, a slightly dreamy look in her eyes.

"I'll just stick with the boss, here," Yuri waved his hand in Karol's direction. I grinned again. I always got a kick out of imagining what the guild might be like, say, ten years later. Karol as a competent boss and Yuri as his right hand man and advisor. Thinking of it that way, I was sure that even if the guild didn't reach the Don's level, it would still be big.

Karol was stuttering, "Huh? B-boss? Me?"

"You were the first one to bring up this crazy idea."

"H-heh, I guess you're right," he is so obviously liking the idea of being the boss. "So, what's the first order of business?" Bright eyes shone with excitement as the boy practically leaped off the stump he'd been sitting on.

"To calm down." Karol sat back down with a sheepish laugh at Yuri's words. Yeees, right hand man knows how to handle his boss.

Judith giggled, "You make guilds sound like fun." They make it sound like a club in their new tree house...

"Why don't you join the guild as well, Judith?" the princess suggested to the krytian.

Her head tilted as she raised a white gloved hand to the air between her chest and chin in her "thoughtful pose." "Hmm, I wonder. Do you think they'd let me?"

"The most important thing," Karol informed us, trying to be serious but still coming off as an excited child explaining the rules to a game, "is obeying the guild's laws. Those who break the laws will be severely punished. Even friends or family." Another moment where his enthusiasm bothers me...he practically relishes the idea of no exceptions, but clearly hasn't really thought about having to punish his closest friends... He wouldn't speak so lightly of it if he had.

"The laws are the source of a guild's pride. No one can be admitted without making a solemn pledge to uphold them." Treehouse cluuub. But seriously, despite this first impression it had given me, I thought the Brave Vesperia guild was a very good one. But even if they'll let me, do I want to join...?

"And what are the laws of your guild, Karol?" The princess's question got the enthused young ace to start thinking about the here and now again.

"Umm..."

Yuri crossed his arms and thoughtfully stared at the ground for a moment before saying, "Everybody supporting each other and always acting with the guild in mind. Striving to always do the right thing, while punishing those who don't." I blinked at the last part, and thought of Ragou. But Yuri wouldn't expect the others to turn vigilante like he did...

While I was caught up in my own thoughts, trying to figure out what he'd been thinking with that last bit, the others kept talking. Estelle summed up the laws as "all for the guild and the guild for all. Do justice and punish the unjust." New club motto.

"Everyone's opinions will be valued, so long as it doesn't go against these laws," Yuri elaborated further.

Karol looked touched, "Yuri... That's just what I..."

"Right, boss?" Yuri smoothly handed Karol the credit and spotlight.

While Karol confirmed those lines as law, and Judith was accepted into the fold as another member of the guild, I thought hard to myself.

If I were to join the guild, I wouldn't have the ever present fear that I might have to leave the group once I ran out of excuses for traveling with them. When separated I wouldn't have doubts of being left behind. These fears and doubts might have little to no foundation, but they were there nonetheless. It's not like I'm afraid of being forced into doing anything I wouldn't agree with. They're all good people with a sense of right and wrong. If I did have a reason for disagreeing with something, they would hear out my reasons and discuss them.

So why do I feel like I shouldn't? Maybe it was because I didn't belong in Terca Lumireis. Maybe because I felt that I couldn't expect them to trust me as a companion and guild mate when I willfully hid what I knew. Hell, I even knew the name of their guild before they did!

Or maybe I'm afraid I'll be forced to break their laws. After all, I couldn't hope to even begin guessing at what the fairies were up to behind the scenes, and they had a lot of say about what I did.

"Okay, so from today on we'll be your new partners, Judith." The conclusive tone in Karol's voice brought me back out of my own musings. I was just in time to be paying proper attention when the boy swiveled on his stump to face me on my rock. "What about you, Letha? Did you think some more about joining?" Yuri raised an eyebrow.

"That's right, you said you'd think about it this morning," Estelle recalled. And I found myself to be the center of attention without a clue what I should say.

"Uhh..." A small voice in my mind, myself momentarily trying to gain new perspective by pretending to be someone else, told me, "You're just gonna keep going in circles gettin' nowhere this way. Say 'yes' already and shut up!"

I was hesitant a moment longer, but impulsively made my decision. "Alright then. If no one has any objections I would also like to join." If things became complicated because of this later on, then I'd deal with it later on.

No one clamored to list reasons why I couldn't join, so Karol cheered, "Yeah! Now it's your turn to swear a pledge to the guild's laws!"

"Well..." I paused briefly. "I swear...I swear to uphold the guilds laws, and always do what I believe is right." In my own way, I thought, even if no one understands why. I would have to rethink my plans for my tour through Terca Lumireis, and consider whether being a (mostly) passive observer really was the best action to take.

"Okay, let's call it a day for now," Yuri decided while noting the sunset orange quality the light had taken on. Apparently we'd been dodging knights and fighting monsters longer than I'd thought.

x x x

Unfortunately the others hadn't been prepared for our abrupt departure from Dahngrest, so we had no tents. Only a few mats, and we'd have to take turns keeping watch for monsters. I missed the funny smell that kept the tents safe all night...

Having always been a night person, I volunteered for the first watch. Much better than taking forever to get to sleep, only to be woken up halfway through the night. Karol cooked dinner, beef bowl, while Judith looked on in interest. Hopefully she would turn out to be a decent cook.

Once full everyone parted to find what comfortable pieces of ground they could to sleep on. Yuri apparently wasn't ready to sleep, so instead restlessly walked around camp to talk to everyone. Let's see...he has one of his encouraging chats with Estelle, because she's wondering (again) if she should really be wandering around outside of Zaphias. Talks to Karol about guild stuff... And has a chat with Judith in which she's one hundred percent honest and one hundred percent mysterious.

I watched from the corner of my eye as he talked to each person. At one point Karol went, "Oh!" and then "The Super Ultra Courageous Braves!" and I facepalmed. Please, oh please, do not let something have changed so that name sticks to our guild! That was a weird thought, "our guild." My guild now, and as cool as that was it felt very sobering. I really was in Tales of Vesperia, and it wasn't just a game anymore.

Holy crap, I'm a member of the Super Ultra Courageous Braves...

While Yuri was talking with Judith out of hearing, Karol started tossing around on his mat. Finally, I asked, "Too excited to sleep?"

He took that as an excuse to stop trying and sat up. "Yeah, it's like I still can't believe this isn't a dream."

Smiling, I carefully added some wood to the fire and used a handy stick to rearrange it better. Years of camping experience and watching my dad tend the fire right there. Then I stood up and walked over to sit near Karol, positioning myself so I wasn't looking directly at the fire. Preserving my night vision so I could be more effective as a watch man.

"Would it help if I told you a bed time story?" I asked teasingly.

"The last time you told us a story, you left a dead monster in the hallway," he retorted suspiciously.

I raised my right hand, "I solemnly swear I will not turn it into a prank."

"If you really mean it..."

"Would I swear by it if I didn't mean it?"

"Letha's telling another story?" Woah, Estelle's book senses alerted her! The pink haired girl adjusted her bedding so she was closer to us. "Do you mind if I listen too?"

"Uh, not at all," I was a bit bewildered. Don't I usually write my stories better than I tell them? But they were coming back for more. Wait, what story am I going to tell this time? After mentally dithering for a bit the first words that found their way out of my mouth was, "In a hole in the ground, there lived a hobbit."

x x x

Of course I needed to explain what a hobbit was, and established that the story was not meant to take place in Terca Lumireis (I substituted the name Middle Earth with Midgard, the Norse name for the human populated level of the world. I'd noted many variations of the name used in fantasy literature and games). Estelle and Karol accepted this readily enough, and were pretty interested in the story. But it had been a long and tiring day so they dropped off to sleep not long after Bilbo and the Dwarves set off on their own adventure.

Looking around (still avoiding looking directly at the fire) I saw Judith had settled down where she'd probably been near enough to hear without really being a part of the story telling circle. She was also asleep... Yuri was half lying down, half leaning against a tree, with Repede curled nearby and sword within reach. Even with his eyes closed I wasn't positive he'd gone to sleep yet.

I tugged the fingerless glove off of my left hand, and spent the rest of my watch staring at the tattoo while brooding to myself. About what? Same stuff as usual, and no new solutions presented themselves to me in an epiphany accompanied by a choir of angels. A choir led by Kratos from Symphonia. Okay, weird train of thought is a sign that I should wake someone up for watch and go to sleep now.

Waking up Judith felt weird since we hadn't personally been acquainted long, Estelle and Karol had seemed so tired that I didn't have the heart to wake them, so guess who the process of elimination left as my choice. It wasn't hard to wake Yuri up, the threat of a monster attack probably made him sleep lighter or something, and with a grunt he sat up against his tree a bit straighter.

Yawning, I turned away to return to my own bed, but was stopped by him softly calling my name. I looked back over my shoulder to see what he wanted.

"I didn't think you were interested in joining a guild."

"You never asked," I shrugged a bit. "Well, I didn't really start thinking about it until Karol told Estelle he wanted to make a guild earlier. They asked me if I'd join, and the idea kinda followed me since then."

"What about your own plans?" He looked pointedly at my left hand, still bare in the night.

"Well, I don't have to abandon my search, but it's not exactly like I have much to go on. This feels more productive than just wandering aimlessly and hoping I'll get lucky." I studied the few stars I could see through the branches. "Do you have an objection to me joining? You could have said so earlier, I wouldn't mind."

"Why should I object? Because you're hiding stuff from the others? Nothing wrong if you don't want to share, just as long as you don't hide anything that we need to hear about." Yuri was definitely pushing less than he used to. By chance I glanced in Judith's direction when I looked back down from the stars. Ah, that's right. He didn't push to hear Judith's reasons either, because by now he has his own secrets he doesn't want to share. Especially one big secret that starts with "R" and ends with murder...

I shook the thought from my head, lest I give some subconscious signal that I knew about that. Again I made for my own bedding, this time without him calling me back.

x x x

The next morning my wake up call was Repede's cold, wet nose in my face. I woke up rather disoriented, thinking my dog Cane had somehow gotten into my bedroom despite the closed door. Took me a few minutes to remember that one, Cane had passed away, and two, I wasn't in my room to begin with.

Breakfast was some rice balls somebody had thrown together, and everyone packed our gear away again while we ate. Karol was already hyped up for a new day and chattering on about the guild (still can't believe I actually joined).

"I hope we can find some work to do now that we've made our guild."

"Easy, tiger," Yuri chuckled as he folded up his mat. I watched his motions silently and copied them with my own mat, though a bit less efficiently. "...So, Estelle? What are you gonna do?"

"I want to go looking for that talking monster," her blue-green eyes glinted with determination as the princess announced her decision. "If it was me he was after, I want to find out why."

I bit my lip and continued to listen without a word. Judith also folded her arms and set her mouth in a line that seemed determined not to give anything away. It wasn't noticeable, I saw only because I knew to look for it. But when Karol and Yuri went back and forth about not having any idea where to look for the talking monster she relented a bit.

"That was no monster. His name is Phaeroh." Now the center of attention, the krytian provided a vague story about her friend (*cough* Ba'ul! *cough*) telling her about Phaeroh while passing through the sands of Kogorh. I had to bite back a groan when I realized we were eventually going to be traipsing through a desert...

Right, the others established that even though a few rumors weren't a lot to put faith in, it was the best lead for Estelle to find Phaeroh. Meaning what came next was, "Yeah but...are you thinking of going all the way to a place like that alone, Estelle?" from my new boss (woah, weeeird).

"Huh? Well, I ..."

"If we don't keep up this little bodyguard operation, she'll really march off on her own," Yuri cut in wryly. "What do you think? Let's take this as our first guild assignment."

"Hey, you're right! We'd be breaking our own laws if we let her go alone," and this realization just made Karol's day.

So we quickly decided that Estelle, being our first client, would have to pay up. But because it was Estelle (and we all knew she wouldn't try to skip out on the bill) she could pay whenever worked for her. Yeah, gotta love our laissez faire way of running things... "This way we can all continue the journey..." she breathed while looking up at the bright blue sky.

"All right, Super Ultra Courageous Braves, fall out!" Must. Not. Hit. Boss! Please Estelle, fix our messed up name?

"Wh-what is that?" Her tone was equal parts shock and bewilderment, with a dash of horror thrown in.

"Huh? That's our guild's name!" Looking to Yuri and Judith, I could tell by their barely concealed grins and stifled laughter that they weren't going to be much help with this. Come on, guys! Do you really want to have that name hanging over us from now on?

"We can't go with that! We need something easy to say that has a real snap to it!" I love how it was the only person who wasn't an actual member that was having the biggest say in this.

Karol was scowling to himself, trying to think of another name. Yuri shrugged a bit at Judith, then looked to me. "Do not look at me." I flapped my hands in a 'no way' gesture. "Naming turtles is one thing, this is another." Okay, in all honesty? Sometimes I'm good with naming things, sometimes very baaad. The turtles had been awesome because they were spur of the moment inspiration.

Estelle finally got her wonderful idea. "How about something like...Brave Vesperia? It's the star that gives off the brightest light in the night sky..."

Everyone gave their appreciative consent, mine a bit more enthusiastic (Oh thank God that didn't change). And finally we set our sights on the road ahead. "Let's get to Torim Harbor and charter a boat! We're off on an ocean voyage to the continent of Desier!"

"Didn't you want to take a break at Heliord?" Yuri worked into Karol's excited spiel.

"Aw, who needs it?" the new boss dismissed.

"Either way, we can't get to Torim without passing through Heliord."

"So it would be in our best interests to stop over while we're there, and stock up on things we didn't have time to bring with us when we left Dahngrest," I said, feeling I'd been too quiet despite the important nature of our planning.

"I'd also like to see how they've been doing since the blastia went out of control," Estelle told us.

Karol rose up to his new responsibility as the guild's final decision maker, "All right, we'll just stop in for a quick look around the city." He punched a fist up into the air, "Okay, I'll try again. Brave Vesperia, fall out!" Repede barked excitedly, and I strangled the random urge to yell "Ooh-rah" or "Semper Fi" or something else that might get questions. (Curse you NCIS instilled urges!)

x x x

The Guild's Purpose

Karol: We picked a name, made laws, got our first job... We're a pretty respectable guild, now!

Yuri: But are four members really respectable?

Letha: *to herself* Oh dear Lord, I'm really a member...

Karol: Why not? The Dark Wings—the famous thieves' guild—they only have three members!

Judith: Quality over quantity.

Yuri: Too many people get to be a headache. I prefer a small group. But you can't follow in the Don's footsteps and defend Dahngrest without a few more bodies.

Karol: Yeah, I guess... But if we just put one foot in front of the other, I know we'll be big some day!

Judith: So then, you're saying we can take it easy.

Karol: No way! We've gotta give this guild 110 percent!

Yuri: Hah hah. Aye aye, Captain.

Letha: Baby steps going full speed ahead.

x x x

But after that, nothing interesting happened all day. Just a lot of walking and more walking and occasional fighting. Estelle and Karol eventually asked me to tell them more of The Hobbit. Judith and Yuri listened in with some mild interest. (I think Yuri liked Gandalf's occasionally sneaky maneuvers. He smirked a lot when I got to the part where the wizard imitated the trolls voices to distract them long enough for the sun to rise.)

Oh, there was one other notable event while traveling. I suppose to others it would be funny...

During a fight the strap of my bag snapped, and a lizard monster tried to run off with it. I ran after the little bastard screaming something about turning it into a replacement bag and matching shoes if it didn't drop my stuff immediately. Happily for me it was Repede who intercepted the monster and killed it with a sharp blow that broke it's neck.

"Thanks Repede!" I gave the canine warrior a pat on the shoulder as I bent down to pick up my bag. He leaned into the contact a bit before trotting off again as we moved on. As I knotted the ends of the strap together I noticed Estelle giving me a wide eyed look. "What?"

"You-Repede-How did you...?"

Slinging the temporarily repaired bag back over my shoulder, I grinned at her. "Aww, you just have to give him space and let him get used to you. I've had a knack for getting animals to like me, or at least not outright hate me, for ages." I didn't tell her that I'd also noted some animals just never got used to certain people, like how our cats always avoided just one of my brother's friends. I was pretty sure Repede was just doing it to mess with her. Pretty sure...

We arrived in Heliord late in the afternoon. Looking around the streets gave a feeling of emptiness, with very few other people besides our group.

Estelle looked around with concern. "Oh my... Doesn't the city seem less busy than before?"

"Yeah. This place has gotten a lot more...ghost-towny," the swordsman confirmed as he watched a nearby shop clerk close and lock up early. Business seemed to be far from booming.

The others huddled a little closer together while discussing a rumor about people going missing (where and when did they hear that?). I strained my ears and...yes, I might have been imagining it but I thought I could hear the pounding of hammers and other construction related noises.

Everyone paused to note the way Estelle was staring at nothing in particular, deep in thought. "She has to do something about it," Yuri announced.

Realizing she was the "she" the swordsman meant, the girl looked at us all with wide eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You can see it on her face," Judith remarked.

Karol took charge again, "If that's the case, we should go to the inn and have a strategy meeting first. After all, we need to go check on the blastia too." Let's see...nope, didn't personally cause any trouble this inn keeper will hold against me. Onward! We all followed Karol's plan of action, Estelle trying to defend her compulsive need to help others while we just smiled and nodded... Heck, like we were ones to judge.

And the other girls teased Yuri for being such a nice guy and making Karol happy by starting a guild with him. I refrained from joining in, since I was secretly plotting to get him to put on a dress and seduce the guard.

Probably wouldn't work out that way, but who could blame me for wanting to try?

x x x

Kind of...just stopped here. And when I tried to think of how to make it keep going, it wouldn't. So I started the next chapter, and that really took off! Should be up within a few hours at the earliest, or by tomorrow night at the latest.

And seriously, I had no idea whether I'd have Letha join the guild or not. Right up to where she said "yes" I thought I'd have her say no. There was seriously a voice from the mass of unformed ideas in my head that yelled at me to cut it out and have her join. But no, that voice will not be returning in any way, shape, or form in the rest of the fiction.