The cavern was alive with the echoing noises of slashing, shooting and the burst of fire, not to mention the wailing of falling goblins. The mage was awfully experienced, and the task was made much easier with their assistance compared to when Komaeda and Hinata had entered.

it wasn't very long when all the goblins had been cleared. Komaeda knelt by the fallen creatures, and seemed to be gathering loot.

"Whatcha finding?"

"Goblin bones!"

Hinata frowned. "Goblin bones? You're just ripping them out? Eww…"

"Goblin bones are extremely sturdy and difficult to break. A merchant pays well for these, Hinata-kun."

Gross as it was, he couldn't argue. They needed funds. They had to find food, an inn, and a new sword, and whatever change they had left wouldn't likely supply any of those.

When Komaeda was satisfied with the haul, the group exited the cave, proud of their accomplishment.

"I can actually see now!" Hinata laughed, turning to Komaeda, who smiled. "Hinata-kun! You're covered in bruises!" He gasped, genuinely concerned. "Ahh… I bumped into the cave walls a lot on the way in, I guess." he shrugged in response. Now that he could finally see the rest of the group, Hinata turned to them. The ferry driver also had his fair share of bruises too. He did charge into the cave alone. Hinata turned to the mage.

"Wait… you're a girl?" He blurted out by accident. Komaeda stared at him and giggled until he realized what he'd said. The mage glared with puffy cheeks. He supposed she sounded feminine enough. It was hard to tell in the pitch-black cave, okay?

"It's fine, it was dark in there… I think." She mumbled, as if she wasn't fully paying attention to the conversation, or anything really, and yet also knew exactly what was happening at the same time. If that's even possible, it was definitely occurring here.

He was honestly just glad she wasn't offended. She was actually kinda pretty, with a long, blue robe with fire patterns and dull, pinkish hair that ended in curls. She seemed pretty forgiving, as well. Maybe she'd forget that.

Oh well. The job was done. Hinata and Komaeda even received partial payment for rescue as well, even if it wasn't as much. The main reward was the fact that they could now make it to town.

/

The city glowed a brilliant orange, as the waning sunlight painted the white stone walls of every building tangerine. The sun was setting. "Were we really in there all day..." Hinata muttered, mostly to himself. Komaeda hummed in response absentmindedly while they wandered through the bustling town. It was a large place, larger than the village both of them had lived in, but Hinata had been here before.

Holy flying shit was he starving. He was hungry before he burnt all his remaining energy slaying goblins, and now he was pushing his limits just walking. He wanted food and he wanted food now.

A bakery caught him like a steel cage. He yanked Komaeda's arm, and pulled him into the shop, which overflowed with a fresh aroma of well-prepared, just out of the oven bread. He sniffed a loaf and drooled blissfully. "Hinata-kun, we need to get money first." The white-haired boy objected slowly. The food hypnotized him too, but he knew they couldn't have it yet.

Komaeda tugged the brunette's arm gently, easing him out the door. "We'll come back, okay?" Hinata frowned, and looked almost heartbroken. "I'm so hungry…"

"Right back, I swear!" He pulled Hinata forward. "C'mon, you can walk!" Hinata sort of stood there, without any effort at all. "Fill stomach with food to operate." He grumbled, "I don't have the energy to move." Komaeda sighed, and ended up virtually dragging him.

Dull grey-white bones of all shapes clattered on the counter. "How much can we get for these goblin bones?" Komaeda inquired, looking hopefully to the general store owner, who collected the bones and looked at them closely. "They are in fair shape…" he turned, "Is...something wrong with your friend there?" Komaeda spun and blinked. Hinata had collapsed on the floor.

"He'll be fine." he reassured him. The store owner blinked and turned back to the bones. "I can offer a fair amount of gold, I suppose." A bag of coins clanked down. Komaeda happily scooped up the bag and counted the glittering bits. "Perfect… thank you!" He grinned before leaving the store.

Hinata woke up to the smell of fresh fruit and sweet bread. Oh, more scents to tempt him. Wonderful. He planned to open his eyes. He planned to see beautiful, delicious treats behind a counter, barring him from ever hoping to reach them.

What he actually saw was him propped up on a bench, with a plate of food greeting him. Komaeda was behind it, munching away on his own platter, grinning his usual grin between bites when he noticed that he was awake. "Eat up, Hinata-kun!" Hinata-kun ate up like he'd never see food again. It was incredibly tasty, but then again he hadn't touched food in days. Slowly he felt his strength return to him.

"Thnmk yrrm, Krmrndrm…" He grumbled. Komaeda blinked. "What…?"

He probably shouldn't talk with food in his mouth. "I said thank you!"

"Oh! No need to thank me! It's both of our money, after all." Komaeda responded, picking up a small fruit.

"We wouldn't have this if you didn't loot the goblins. Plus, I passed out back there too." Hinata pointed out. The other boy leaned his head backwards. "I suppose that's true… haha. But it really wasn't much. Anyone could have thought of that."

Hinata hummed boredly in response. It didn't matter to him. "How much have we got left?"

Komaeda tossed the pouch at him. "See for yourself." He opened it slowly, and his eyes widened.

"Whoa... we have all this?" Komaeda grinned. "Yes... I was think that we could head to the local smith and find you a better blade, if you're okay with it."

He was more than okay with it. The idea thrilled him! Finally, a decent weapon! Once both of them finished their meal, the pair began searching for the building immediately.

It wasn't too hard. Smiths stand out more or less. A bearded man tended a huge pit of flames and ash, and Hinata approached him eagerly.

There wasn't much in the store, to be honest. In fact, there seemed to be very little. Too little.

"Your shop is kinda... empty." Hinata commented, slightly bothered. He kinda hoped there would be a bit of a broader selection. Only a few cheap wooden sword or dull iron sat on the displays.

"Mmm, yes. I've been selling out a lot recently. Swords are high in demand, it appears."

"But why?" That was... strange. Was there some sort of fight going on around here?

"Someone marched into town and set up posters offering a large pay to anyone willing to join them on some quest. Mercenaries, if you will. I tell you, they must be new to the whole sword for hire thing, they set such a high payment that half the town bought a blade and headed out there."

Hinata blinked with shock. "Really? That many people?"

The smith nodded with interest. "If I were younger I'd head out there myself. Maybe you two'll consider it?"

"I'm not sure…"Hinata frowned, thinking it over. For a price so high that that many people chased after it, there was sure to be a catch, right?

The smith lugged a blade from a bucket of water where it was cooling from the forge. Unlike the other dilapidated weapons scattered amongst the store, which although were probably an upgrade from Hinata's current pointy stick of a sword were not really what he had in mind, this iron blade gleamed in the fire's warm glow, giving a presence of might and protection. In short, this blade was what he had in mind.

The weapon luckily seemed to have very recently completed in it's process of being constructed. The shopkeep caught Hinata's line of sight, and so did Komaeda.

"Ah, this blade's a real beauty, huh? Fresh from the forge, of course. If you want it, it's for sale, startin' now. Heheh." It clattered down onto the table, and Hinata approached it. The cleanest steel he'd seen, honestly. He could even see his reflection in it. And it appeared sharp too, if a little heavy. Therefore, he decided on it, and felt confident in his choice.

Until prices came up.

"Wait… you want how much?!" The brunette's eyes widened in shock. Komaeda looked a little startled too.

"It's not an uncommon price for a freshly picked blade, m'boy." The smith reasoned, undoubtedly in less of a pleased mood, mostly because it was clear that he wasn't getting a sale this time around. Any other customer he could bargain with until they reluctantly coughed up the coin, but it was clear these kids were lacking aforementioned coin.

Hinata sighed in frustration. They didn't even come close to the cost. How would he know weapons cost so much? Komaeda's bow came a lot cheaper since the town prior was significantly smaller and there was a lot less demand for a quick weapon. There was never much to fight or fight for in his hometown, which is why a huge chunk of the citizens there were farmers.

"Hinata-kun, we can always come back, right?" Komaeda offered support. "Well, how much for one of those?" He gestured to the low-quality blades. They had a fair bit of dents here and there, and didn't sparkle with esteemed sharpness quite like the first sword. In fact, they almost looked like they were stone. Hinata huffed. It would have to do.

Now this was a lot more close to their price range. Hinata picked up one that seemed a little sharper than the others, despite having a smoothish side on the left, and purchased it. It felt cold. Komaeda thanked the shopkeep and the two exited the building, with Hinata looking back at the newly crafted blade that called to him.

Komaeda had more important things on his mind. "Which inn do you think is the cheapest around here?"

Hinata perked up. "Uhh… I came here once before with my dad, and we had to stay at this place overnight… it cost a bare handful of coins. I think I can find it again, if you're looking to stay there. It's a real musty place though."

"Well I can put up with it, but what does Hinata-kun want?"

Hinata sighed tiredly. "Hinata-kun just wants a place to crash in general."

Komaeda shrugged. "I suppose that'll be our place, then. We can rest in better conditions later on. Just lead the way, Hinata-kun."

"It's gotta be better than sleeping in a tree…"

The building was so shady it looked intentional. The boards making up the walls of the second floor had holes in them where dark faces looked out here and there, which scattered away like spiders when looked at.

Komaeda didn't even comment, and just strolled right in. Hinata could've sworn it wasn't this bad, though…

Hinata paid for a room as fast as he could, without making eye contact with anyone seated in the main part of the building, and quickly scrambled up the stairs, pulling Komaeda along with him as he went.

/

The room was…

well, it was a room, Hinata supposed. It was closed off, and two cots sat in opposite corners, simply enough, with one lit candle.

Komaeda picked a cot and happily climbed onto it, so easily and simply as if he had lived his whole life in a place like this.

As Hinata climbed into his own (Which was so itchy it was impressive), he realized he didn't really know anything about Komaeda's origin. Although he was working for extra coins at the tavern in Hinata's hometown, he had never seen the boy before. In fact, Komaeda seemed surprisingly eager to come with him on his adventure. That probably meant he was an adventurer or wanderer himself.

But all he had was a spear, and also had no fighting experience. So where did the guy come from, anyways?

Hinata peeked to the other side of the room, and Komaeda looked like he was already asleep. Was he really that tired? He didn't show his tiredness very much while awake. But there was no point in asking anything while he was asleep.

It wasn't as if he minded the guy at all. In fact, he was pretty cool to have around. A lot less lonely. What was it again? A lonely trip is a shitty trip. Right.

But he was still so confusing, Hinata thought, as he himself began drifting into sleep. And Hinata only found himself wanting to learn more.