Hey, guys! Welcome to Hear a Tale, my first Octopath Traveler fic! And the first story that's netted me an official NaNoWriMo win! That's right, 50,000 words of this story already exist, so I've got plenty of chapters already prepared for the time being! As a result, I'll be posting weekly for as long as I still have chapters to post. We'll see how far we get before I fall behind that buffer, haha.

Now, a little bit about this story's structure: it's a series of one-shots that aren't in any sort of chronological order, but follows the prompts of one of the 100 Theme Challenges I found on DeviantART. Some stories have to deal with specific travelers' chapters, some involve travel banters, and some are just random happenings in between all the action. I'll be letting you guys know at the start of each chapter what the relevant events are so you don't end up lost!

Also, warning you now, uh...Therion's been my main character for both of my playthroughs of the game, so I may be a little biased towards including him in the majority of these XD Sorry, he's my boy and I love him lol.

That said, though, I hope you guys enjoy the first tale, Introduction!

Relevant Events: Every traveler except Therion's Chapter One.

1. Introduction

Therion disliked introductions.

The life of a thief was a clandestine one, after all, and the less people that knew his face and name, the better. Besides, he knew the dangers of allowing anyone to get too close firsthand. As such, he often kept his responses to those who asked who he was to a short, "Therion," and no more explanation whatsoever.

Unfortunately, as the thief was learning, traveling companions were far less inclined to accept such a bland response than the average passerby.

()()()()

"So...Therion, was it? What brings you to Clearbrook?" Alfyn asked casually as the apothecary and thief picked their way through the snake-infested Cave of Rhiyo.

Therion gave him a dull look. "Is this really the best place for small talk?" he deadpanned disinterestedly.

Alfyn glanced around, then chuckled sheepishly and shrugged. "I guess not, but still, I'm curious! Didn't get much outta you before 'sides your name...where are you from?"

"Nowhere in particular." the thief said shortly.

Alfyn blinked, somewhat taken aback by the other man's demeanor. "Er...alright. Um...what do you do for a livin'?"

"None of your concern."

"...you're not givin' me much to work with, you know." the apothecary mumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"That's kind of the point," Therion retorted.

Alfyn sighed. "Alright, well...at least tell me this," he said, stopping in his tracks and turning to face the thief. "Is there something wrong with your arm?"

Therion tensed. "My...arm?" he asked carefully.

"Yeah," the apothecary replied. "You've kept your right arm under that shawl of yours this whole time, and it doesn't look unintentional. Wasn't sure if you had it in a sling or what, but...well, an apothecary's gotta ask, you know?"

Beneath the purple fabric of his shawl, Therion's right hand curled into a fist, as he once again became painfully aware of the presence of the Fool's Bangle clamped around his wrist. "...my arm is fine," he said stiffly. "Don't concern yourself with it."

Of course, such evasiveness only seemed to make Alfyn more suspicious. "Kinda my job to concern myself with it if it's injured," he pointed out. "You sure I can't just take a look?"

"Positive," Therion insisted, gritting his teeth in irritation. "I'm not injured, and what I decide to do with my arm is none of your business, so drop it." Why had he even agreed to help out this annoying apothecary, again?

...oh right, he hadn't. While passing through Clearbrook on his way to Noblecourt, he had practically been dragged off to this snakes' nest against his will once Alfyn had caught sight of the sword at his hip and begged him to help slay a snake for its venom. The only reason Therion hadn't run off yet was because he had figured that any grown man willing to resort to using his best puppy-dog eyes on a total stranger must seriously be in need of help.

And come on, thief or not, he wasn't completely heartless, especially when a child's life was at stake.

Still, though, he would have preferred having a more...apathetic companion. One who didn't ask too many questions.

Alfyn frowned, clearly unconvinced, but to his credit, he seemed to realize that Therion would not budge on the subject. He sighed. "Alright...suit yourself. As long as you're willin' to help Nina out...you're alright in my book, no matter what you insist on hidin'." The young man grinned. "Now let's keep goin'! We've got a snake to catch, yeah?"

With that, the apothecary turned on his heel and continued forward, leaving the thief no choice but to begrudgingly follow.

"You'll trust me no matter what I hide, huh…?" Therion mumbled to himself. "Tch...talk about naive."

()()()()

"I'm surprised you're so willing to partake in a stranger's revenge plot…" the dancer mused, her narrowed eyes scanning the two young men in front of her. "I'll tell you again; you really shouldn't get involved."

"Don't look at me," Therion deadpanned, gesturing to where Alfyn stood at his left. "He's the one that offered to help."

The apothecary rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well...I didn't mean for us to get that involved," he explained. "I more so meant somethin' along the lines of helpin' you out if you were to get hurt doin' what you're trying to do."

Primrose arched an eyebrow. "Mhm...I suppose you wouldn't be an apothecary if you weren't concerned for others' health, strangers or not…" she acknowledged softly.

Alfyn blinked in slight surprise. "Don't think I ever mentioned my job…" he said slowly. "You can tell I'm an apothecary just by lookin' at me?"

"The satchel full of herbs is a bit of a giveaway," Therion pointed out dully.

"Indeed," Primrose agreed, her gaze now shifting over to land on the thief. "And you...by your shifty eye, suspicious stance, and the faint rattling of chain links with your every step...I'd wager that I stand in the presence of a bearer of a Fool's Bangle, no?"

Therion's visible eye widened, his guarded expression momentarily wiped off his face by shock. "What the - !?" he spluttered. "How did you - !?"

"Just as your profession requires you to determine the contents of a man's pockets, thief," the dancer interrupted delicately. "Mine dictates that I determine the contents of his heart. You are not nearly as difficult to read as you may fancy yourself."

The thief gritted his teeth in frustration. So much for subtlety…

"Hold on," Alfyn cut in, blinking. "Therion...you're a thief?"

Therion glanced sideways at the apothecary, eyes slightly narrowed. Strangely enough, the other young man did not seem to house any hostility in his expression, nor did he appear to be suffering from the bitter sting of betrayal that Therion only knew too well. He merely seemed...surprised.

"...yes," the thief answered carefully after a few moments. He slowly slipped his right arm out from underneath his shawl, revealing the accursed metal cuff clamped around his wrist. "Have been for over a decade. Don't bother checking your pockets, though...a medicine man who works for free isn't exactly my idea of an ideal target."

After a few moments of tense silence, Alfyn ran a hand through his hair. "Shucks…" he breathed, looking at Therion curiously. "You know...I kinda suspected that you might be the, uh...shady type, no offense, but...huh. Guess I was right..." Then, to Therion's complete surprise, Alfyn grinned. "But you know what? Thief or not...you still helped me save Nina, right? And that, without a doubt, means there's plenty of good in you, so...I'm gonna keep on trustin' you."

The incredulous thief was just about to let the apothecary know how foolish he was for openly trusting a criminal he barely knew, when suddenly, Primrose spoke again.

"You helped save someone, did you?" she questioned, seeming intrigued.

"I…" Therion faltered for a bit, unsure of what to say, then finally sighed and settled on grumbling, "...you could say that…"

Alfyn quickly nodded, telling the dancer, "Yep! My best friend's little sister got bit by a nasty viper...I went to go take down the thing to get some of its venom for an antidote, and when I ran into Therion on the way, he agreed to help me out!"

Therion grimaced. Once again…"agreed" was a strong word.

"Interesting…" Primrose mused. "Hm...perhaps there's a bit more to you than I originally thought." She paused. "Mhm...this quest is my problem, not yours. But...I suppose you're free to do what you please. Come on, already, if you're coming."

()()()()

"Exactly how many people do we plan on picking up on the way to Noblecourt?" Therion hissed to Alfyn as they trailed a few steps behind the dancer and their latest companion, the warrior. "When I agreed to let you help me find the Dragonstones, I didn't exactly expect an entourage to be part of the deal."

"Aw, cheer up, Therion," Alfyn chuckled in return. "Olberic seems like a nice enough guy, doesn't he?"

"I don't see how that's relevant."

"Well…is the fact that there was another child that needed our help relevant to you?" the apothecary asked. "Those bandits were a rough bunch…we couldn't just leave well enough alone when we knew that Philip was in danger, right?"

The thief groaned. "Ugh…I suppose not. But did Olberic really have to come along with us after the fact? Primrose joining was one thing, but we're starting to become a lot more conspicuous than I'm comfortable with."

"If you'd like to air your grievances with me," Olberic called over his shoulder, startling Therion, "then you need only speak them to my face."

Therion faltered, but only for a moment. His eyes narrowed as he retorted, "I just don't get why a prestigious warrior like yourself would want to hang around our little ragtag group."

"Ragtag?" Primrose scoffed, flicking her hair over one shoulder. "Speak for yourself, bangled Fool."

Therion's temper flared, though he bit back the icy retort he was planning when he caught sight of the dancer's mischievous smirk. His expression dulled. So she was messing with him, that was it. Well, he certainly wasn't going to rise to that bait.

Olberic cleared his throat, awkwardly glancing back and forth between the two. "I did not intend to intrude on your journey," he said carefully. "However…I am in your debt for helping me save Philip. If any of you have need of my blade, it is yours. That is the least I can do in return for your aid."

"Thank you kindly, Sir!" Alfyn piped up. "And of course, we'll do whatever we can to help you out as well, should you need it."

"Such an altruistic group I've found myself with…" Therion mumbled, mostly to himself. He didn't expect any of the others to hear, but Primrose responded by shooting him a pointed look.

"If you'd rather travel on your own, you're welcome to," she pointed out. "No one is forcing you to stay with us. Of course…I wouldn't exactly advise it. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how dangerous these lands can be for a lone traveler."

As frustrating as it was to admit, the dancer was right. Therion was confident in his ability to hold his own in a fight, but he was far from ignorant to his own limits. As much as he despised the idea of taking on any "partners" in his travels, he couldn't deny the fact that he'd have a much higher chance of success if he accepted the help of the other three.

And of course, it wasn't as though he had to get attached to any of them. They were all a means to an end, and nothing more.

"...don't think me a fool," he grumbled, refusing to meet Primrose's eyes. "I'll…tolerate this alliance for now."

"Shucks, I'm sure you'll warm up to us eventually!" Alfyn laughed. "I know, I know, you're a thief, and you like to work alone in the shadows, but that just ain't healthy to do all the time! Trust me - an apothecary knows this kind of thing."

"Whatever you say." Therion shook his head. "Let's just…keep going."

Primrose nodded. "Let's. If we continue at our current pace, we should be able to reach Rippletide by sunset."

"Just so," Olberic agreed, and the four of them traveled on.

()()()()

"So…" the merchant drawled, arms crossed in a mildly standoffish way that might have been intimidating had it not been for her somewhat lacking height. "You're a thief, huh?"

"Yes," Therion deadpanned. "I believe we've already made that quite clear, no?"

Tressa's eyes narrowed, studying Therion with a scrutiny that he wouldn't have expected from someone of her youth. "And…you know that practically makes us natural enemies, right?"

Therion managed to resist the urge to roll his eyes, but only barely. "Does it, now?"

"Of course!" Tressa insisted. "Merchants obtain goods through fair trade, then sell them at fair prices to make a profit. Thieves just…take things, with no regard to prices or consequences!"

"I fail to see how that's my problem."

"You might not think it's your problem, but if you disrupt trade, it becomes my problem! And then I'll make it your problem again when I use my spear to - !"

"Alright, alright, you two," Alfyn interjected, chuckling sheepishly. "I think that's enough of all that. We're allies now, aren't we? No need to fight!"

Therion flashed him an irritated look. "I don't recall contributing to the fighting."

"Regardless, don't we have a band of pirates to punish?" Primrose reminded them. "There's no point arguing amongst ourselves when there are actual villains on the loose."

"I don't know…" Tressa mused, giving Therion a side-eyed look of suspicion. "I mean, when you think about it, is a thief really all that far off from a pirate?"

"You know, if you're really that against accepting my help, then I'm perfectly content with sitting this one out," the thief said flatly. "It's not like I have any stake in this whole affair."

Olberic shook his head grimly. "If those who have the means to fight refuse to do so, then who will protect those who cannot protect themselves? All of us are weapon-trained in some capacity. It is our duty to aid the townspeople who are not."

Therion arched an eyebrow. "...how sweet."

"Olberic's right," Alfyn agreed. "There's strength in numbers, isn't there? With the five of us combined, we'll be able to beat back those pirates in no time!"

"And I'm sure Therion will be on his best behavior," Primrose added, glancing in the thief's direction. "Isn't that right?"

He scowled, but, as usual, refused to take the dancer's bait. "Of course," he replied instead. "It's not like I've robbed any of you yet, have I?"

"Mhm…" Primrose nodded. "Indeed. You must have wisened up a bit since that Fool's Bangle was clamped around your wrist."

"Tch…something like that."

"Well…" Tressa frowned, looking Therion up and down once more. "I guess…if everyone else seems to trust you, and if you really are willing to help the townspeople, then I can probably look past your profession…for now. But I'm watching you, you hear!?"

This time, Therion didn't bother to hide his eyeroll. "Sure. Loud and clear."

()()()()

The scholar shook his head incredulously, his brow deeply furrowed. "I just can't understand it," he remarked to his five new companions. "True, my temporary leave grants me the ability to perform the field research I've been longing for, so I won't necessarily complain about the circumstances, but…I simply cannot comprehend what would have possessed Therese to spread such rumors about myself and Her Highness!"

"Er…didn't she just get done tellin' you why?" Alfyn asked, tilting his head slightly. "She was jealous of the princess, wasn't she?"

Cyrus shook his head again, waving the apothecary off, though not unkindly. "Well yes, yes, I do concede that perhaps my lectures did occasionally favor Her Highness a bit, but that was merely because she was more likely to speak up about the subject matter! Of course, much of the blame falls upon me, as their professor - I should have taken far more care to include both of my students equally. I bear no ill will towards Therese for feeling excluded - but to come up with such an openly scandalous allegation! I admit, I am at a loss for words."

Therion snorted. "Could've fooled me there."

"Hush," Primrose chided before turning her attention to Cyrus. "Perhaps…your student may have been feeling a different sort of jealousy? It may serve to explain why she chose such a…sordid tale to tell."

Cyrus glanced at the dancer, thoroughly bewildered. "Whatever do you mean? What other sort of jealousy would be applicable in this situation?"

Then, it was Primrose's turn to look bemused. "Ah…if you don't already know, then I'm not so sure I should say…"

"What's she talking about?" Tressa whispered to Therion.

"I'll tell you when you're older," the thief whispered back, chuckling at the merchant's instant pout.

"Perhaps we should travel on," Olberic suggested before Cyrus or Tressa could start pressing further for answers. "Therion has been set on journeying to Noblecourt for quite some time now, and we have finally found ourselves within its vicinity. Perhaps our next stop should be there."

"...indeed," Primrose conceded, though her tone had gone stiff. "Then afterwards, we can make for the Frostlands…I have business in Stillsnow, after all."

Tressa nodded enthusiastically. "Sounds like a plan! And once we're done in Stillsnow, it's not too far a journey from there to Victor's Hollow for Olberic and Quarrycrest for Cyrus and me!"

"And I'm content with goin' just about anywhere, so long as there are sick and injured people I can help out," Alfyn said with a grin.

Cyrus smiled. "It sounds like a wonderful plan indeed! Now, let us make for Noblecourt at once!"

"Finally," Therion mumbled under his breath as the six of them left Atlasdam behind.

()()()()

"It's very nice to meet you all," the young cleric, Ophilia, told the other five travelers with a polite smile. She then turned to Therion, who had been the only one to continue to remain silent thus far. "And you are…?"

The thief sighed and began to answer dully, "I'm - "

"Oh, that's just Therion," Tressa interrupted, pretending to wave her off casually (though Therion didn't miss the merchant's small smirk). "He's the problematic member of the group."

Therion snapped his head to the side to glare at her, offended. "How am I the problematic one?" he growled.

Tressa gave him a deadpan look, one eyebrow raised. "Uh, you're a thief? Duh? Making a living off of breaking the law is pretty much the definition of problematic!"

"What, and being an annoying brat isn't?"

"Annoying!? I'm not the annoying one here!"

"Could've fooled me."

"Listen here, you - "

"Children," Primrose interjected suddenly, crossing her arms and giving the two of them a sharp look. "That's enough."

Therion scowled. "Last I checked, I was only a year younger than you, Primrose," he grumbled.

"Then act like it," the dancer replied flatly while Tressa snickered.

The thief rolled his eyes, mumbling under his breath, "Tch...I'm still not the child here." He shoved his hand into a hidden pocket on the inside of his shawl, closing his fingers around the Ruby Dragonstone that rested there. He had half a mind to take it out and lob it at the merchant's head, but the last thing he wanted was another scolding from Primrose.

Perhaps a snowball would be a bit more well received.

Just as Tressa was about to offer a retort to the thief's last comment, Cyrus stepped between them with a slight chuckle, holding his hands out to keep the two separated. "Now, now, you two," he said calmly. "Let us not bicker in front of this young lady, alright?" He nodded to Ophilia, an apologetic smile on his face, and the cleric laughed nervously in response.

Therion snorted slightly. "Or what?" he asked dully. "You going to put us in detention, Professor?"

Cyrus arched an eyebrow. "Therion - "

"You'll end up in a different kind of detention if you don't stop robbing everyone blind," Tressa interrupted matter-of-factly.

He shot her a sharp glare. "Shut it, you little - "

"Come on, you two, can't we just all get along for once?" Alfyn sighed exasperatedly.

"No!" the thief and merchant exclaimed simultaneously, then glared at each other. Moments later, the two resumed their bickering, while the scholar, dancer, and apothecary continued fruitlessly attempting to silence them, and the cleric and warrior merely watched.

"Um...I...assume they do this quite often…?" Ophilia asked timidly, looking up at Olberic.

The man sighed and nodded. "Just so," he answered. "Granted, there are certainly worse traveling companions, but after this display, I...would not fault you for rethinking your decision to join us at this point."

After a moment of thought, the girl shook her head. "This has not been the...best first impression, admittedly, but...you were all kind enough to agree to help me with the Kindling, so I think I'll come along."

Olberic nodded once more. "Very well," he said. "In that case...please accept my apologies in advance."

()()()()

Therion usually liked to consider himself relatively unshakeable. He had practically perfected the art of staying stone-faced when any sort of problem presented itself, and was typically proficient at adapting to most situations he found himself in.

A situation involving an angry snow leopard, however...that was new.

"Hey, H'aanit…" he said stiffly, careful not to take his eyes off of the growling beast as he addressed the newest addition to their group. "Any reason your cat here looks like it wants to maul me?"

"Linde liketh not criminals," the huntress said simply, sounding far too unconcerned for his liking. "Perhaps she hath witnessed an example of thy thievery?"

...he knew he shouldn't have lifted those leaves off of that drunkard in the tavern. Curse him for being too tempted by easy targets…

"Wonderful," he deadpanned, edging a few inches away from the snow leopard in question. "A big cat with a conscience. Now, uh…would you mind telling her to stand down? I wasn't exactly planning on being mauled today."

As the thief stepped back, however, Linde snarled louder, taking a step of her own towards him to close the distance. Therion gritted his teeth, pointedly ignoring the fact that his heart had just skipped a beat.

"Down, kitty…" he hissed, slowly leaning back.

H'aanit laughed, reaching out to stroke the leopard's head. "Calmen thyself, Linde," she commanded, though not without mirth. "The man hast had enough."

As if by magic, Linde instantly stopped growling, straightening up and fixing Therion with a gaze that almost looked haughty. Then, the snow leopard turned and padded off towards Ophilia and Tressa, both of whom weren't doing the best job of hiding their laughter. As the two of them leaned down to pet the suddenly docile beast, Therion turned his deadpan expression towards H'aanit.

"You told her to do that, didn't you?" he asked flatly, arms crossed.

The huntress merely smiled. "Canst thou showen me proof?"

Therion opened his mouth, then, upon finding no suitable words, closed it again with a scowl. He shook his head, grumbling obscenities under his breath as he turned on his heel and left H'aanit's side, heading instead in the direction of Alfyn and Cyrus, where the apothecary was tending to a cut on the scholar's arm from their last fight.

"I'm going to go ahead and make an executive decision here," Therion said as he neared the duo. "From here on out, we are not joining up with anyone else."

Alfyn chuckled as he applied an herbal poultice to Cyrus' wound. "What, you don't like H'aanit? I thought she was pretty nice!"

The thief rolled his eyes. "You've said that about every single one of the others so far. And, need I remind you, just about all of these 'pretty nice' people have had some kind of issue with me."

"I do not have an issue with you," Cyrus spoke up brightly. "Of course, I would hardly condone your profession, but we all take different paths in life, yes? In fact, you have already proven yourself a valuable ally and a true, if standoffish, friend!"

"...uh huh. Sure, Professor." Therion shook his head. "Whatever. The point is, most of this group seems to have a problem with thieves. Not that I'm particularly surprised, but…to be honest, if I didn't need the manpower, I wouldn't have stuck around this long."

"Aw, I wouldn't worry about it too much, Therion!" Alfyn said, tying off a bandage around Cyrus' arm. "I know thieves ain't exactly the most well-liked bunch, but I'm sure everyone'll get used to you in time. And the professor here is right! You've done some real good things on our travels so far. I trust you, and I know everyone else will too!"

Therion averted his eyes and tried not to let himself squirm in discomfort at the apothecary's praise. "Hmph. Tell that to H'aanit's cat."

"Perhaps the leopard simply…does not like men?" Cyrus suggested.

Therion fixed him with a flat, half-lidded stare before turning to glance back at Linde, where Olberic had joined Tressa and Ophilia in stroking the leopard's thick fur coat. The big cat chuffed softly, nuzzling her head into the warrior's large hand.

A little ways away, Primrose, evidently having been listening in, laughed. "Or perhaps the leopard has seen it fit to mock you."

"Just like everyone else in this damned group," Therion grumbled.

The dancer smirked and sidled over to the thief, placing a hand delicately on his shoulder. "Perhaps," she whispered conspiratorily, "we wouldn't mock you if you didn't make it so easy for us." With that, she sauntered off to H'aanit's side, engaging the huntress in a conversation that Therion, Alfyn, and Cyrus were too far away to overhear.

"...so where's our next stop?" Therion said through gritted teeth, changing the subject before the scholar or the apothecary could make another comment. "Victor's Hollow, right?"

"Indeed," Cyrus replied, standing up and brushing off his cloak. "Much thanks for your help, Alfyn!"

Alfyn nodded, closing up his satchel. "No problem, Professor! Happy to help." He slung the satchel over his shoulder and grinned at the scholar and the thief. "So, ready to grab the others and go hit the road?"

Therion sighed. "Ready as I'll ever be."

()()()()

And so Therion found himself trekking all over Orsterra with seven other travelers, despite his original intentions of journeying alone. All seven of his new companions knew not only his face and name, but also that he currently bore the Fool's Bangle on his wrist. They knew he was a caught thief…

...and yet, they somehow did not seem to mind too terribly much? If nothing else, it did not stop them from traveling alongside him and treating him as their companion.

They were a strange group, these travelers; of this much, Therion was certain. And a few of them were already starting to get on his nerves. Still, with every step that brought him closer to the rest of the Dragonstones, he couldn't help thinking…

...perhaps all of this was merely the introduction to an adventure he would never forget.

See you guys next week for Tale 2: Love!