hello hello! Happy President's day weekend everyone! Hope you enjoy your long weekend.

Man, this story is already so long! I've been trying to push things forward, but clearly it drags even when I don't want it to. Anyways, story time!

btw, given that this story is so long, should I be doing chapter summaries? like maybe at ch 50 I'll do a recap of the entire story up until then? does that sound like a good idea or nah. Tell me your thoughts.

Armour:

Victide (Ranger)

Weapon: Mandible Bow (Jester Arrows); Arkhalis

Acc(11/11): Band of Regeneration, Amidas Spark, Sailfish Boots, Luxor's Gift, Ocean Crest, Amidas Pendant, Crown Jewel, Tsunami in a Bottle, Frog Leg, Aero Stone, Shield of the Ocean

Health: (400/400)

"A shovel? Can you get me that, at least?"

"..."

In response to his inquiry, The Terrarian stared silently at him with that vacant, stubborn look. It was late afternoon and the two of them were standing at the far end of the compound, engaged in a bit of a spat. It wasn't a physical confrontation of course. The two of them had fought only once, and the results had been extremely painful for The Guide. Now that The Terrarian had grown leagues stronger, The Guide would truly be an idiot to engage his companion in an activity that involved receiving blows.

"Seriously? I know you're not a fan of The Sea King, but what have I ever done to you? I know you like to build. I'm offering to help you start."

"..."

No. They were having their very first actual argument. It was amazing how far The Terrarian had progressed in a single week. Not only was he disobeying orders, but had the gall to attempt defense of his inaction. Didn't he previously admit to knowing very little of the world? Did he not entrust The Guide with the planning and logistics of their misadventures in exchange for wisdom and insight?

So... He decides to break our agreement -right- when it matters. I can't take this...

He huffed and flared his nostrils as he looked his companion up and down. He felt his face flush hot as indignance swelled in his head. The Guide regarded himself as rather even-tempered. Since young, nothing could really ruffle his feathers. He wasn't particularly competitive, neither did he make a habit of holding grudges. He was compassionate, quick to forgive and generally tolerant and genteel. But somehow, when The Terrarian decided to get difficult, all of The Guide's good qualities flew out the window. He was already exhausted enough running at the Sea King's beck-and-call, but now The Terrarian wanted to throw a tantrum? What more, he was throwing a tantrum about building.

Now, The Terrarian was interesting in many ways, but amongst his strange attributes was his utter apathy towards most activities. Fishing, mining, crafting, battling off the general wildlife, he had no opinions on them one way or another. However it was very clear he enjoyed building. He'd spent many a night agonizing over right angles, measuring the distances between furniture, rotating bottles so they sat exactly straight, trimming the grass on his hands and knees… but when The Guide asked him for a castle, he flatly refused.

Dammit. I thought this would be easy...

Unfortunately, some things just needed to be done, whether one liked it or not. Right now, Amidas - the key to defeating The Crimson - was sleeping in The Guide's bathtub, and essentially barred him from entering. Not only was their progression halted until The Sea King had a castle, but The Guide was unsure how long he could go without a shower. He was already feeling pretty grimy, and was grumpy because of it.

He crossed his arms over his chest and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He knew he was about to embark on an impossible task - attempting to convince the ridiculously stubborn Terrarian to do something he didn't want to do, and needed full grasp of his mental capacity to have any shot at success. The Terrarian stood at an armslength, silently waiting for him to re-open their quarrel.

"Look."

The Guide tried to make his voice sound amicable.

"I don't quite understand why you're butting heads with Amidas, but please try and be nice. He is absolutely necessary to us. Without his information, we cannot defeat The Crimson. We just need to keep him happy, alright?"

The Terrarian narrowed his eyes. His voice was flat - as always - but The Guide could sense hostility behind his monotone.

"Why should I defeat The Crimson."

"...what?"

"The Crimson matters little to me. I did not kill your village. I have no lot with them. That burden is yours."

"..."

That… that declaration shocked him. He was stunned into silence. Was… The Terrarian being serious? After all they'd been through, was he really going to abandon the goal which was so important to The Guide? They had an agreement! A solemn covenant that held both their lives in the balance! It wasn't something broken on a whim. Moreover, were they not friends? Companions who had grown together through hardship and difficulty? They had faced death together, hadn't they? They'd traveled, and laughed, and bound each other's wounds - and now it was all coming apart… why?

For the Sea King? Is he... jealous?

The Guide sputtered. His brain spun. Had he been too secure? He had been behaving under the assumption his repertoire with The Terrarian was already set in stone, and he could focus his attentions elsewhere, but clearly this assumption was incorrect. Now that he thought carefully, His Slayer wasn't human. It was unreasonable to expect him to behave like a man and return goodwill with goodwill. Could it be that the moment The Guide turned his attention away from him, The Terrarian reverted back to the distant hostility he originally displayed when they first met?

Ugh… I need to fix this!

That was the worst case scenario. This issue had ballooned past all of The Guide's expectations. Despite all of the pleasantries he'd exchanged with The Sea King, he wasn't daft enough to believe The King actually valued him. Like himself, The King also had his eyes on The Terrarian's destructive power. The only reason the monarch was even entertaining The Guide was to access His Slayer. If he were to discover The Terrarian was no longer subject to The Guide's influence, then surely he would have nothing more to do with him… and both the King and The Terrarian turned their backs to him, then what of the village? What of the Crimson? The souls of his loved ones… it all hangs in the balance.

The Guide sucked air between his teeth, and forced disingenuous sympathy into his voice.

"Slayer, I don't know what the Sea King did or said to you. I'm sorry that it annoyed you so much... but his behavior and The Crimson are entirely unrelated, are they not? There's no reason to abandon our mission for him. Can we agree on that?"

The Terrarian stared at him for a moment, then loosened his tongue. There was the hint of a snarl in his voice. He sounded guttural and annoyed.

"I have nothing against the Sea King. You are the one obsessed with him."

"What?!"

As always, The Terrarian straightforwardly shared his thoughts. He didn't dance about the topic, nor mince his words. Sometimes, The Guide wished he did… if just a bit.

"You disgust me. We were partners. Equals. Yet around The Sea King, you crawl about on your belly like a worm begging scraps of favor. It's shameful. It makes me sick. I will have no part with you. Build your castle, Guide. Serve your King."

Nighttime was rapidly falling over the compound and - as they always did - the ornate lampstands mounted atop the walls simultaneously lit at exactly 7:30 pm. Normally, one found comfort in the light. Things were visible, and there was no need to stumble and grope around the dangerous nighttime horde… yet here things were different.

"Ah, hello there."

Here, in this perfectly constructed prison, those brilliant white lights which bathed every corner of the compound made him feel prone and naked. Nothing could be done in secret. He felt eyes watching him from every corner. The Monster Knight… this was his playground. The Guide's dreadful arcane laboratory. He gulped as he approached the sight figure seated amongst a great pile of perfectly shaped gray bricks.

"I'm the Arms Dealer, nice to meet you?"

The sorcerer… didn't look like a sorcerer. He wasn't imposing or threatening, neither did he wear the garb of traditional magic users. In fact, he looked like a very normal man, who was very unhappy with his current situation. A situation he was pondering so heavily he jolted at The Arms Dealer's unexpected greeting.

"Oh… hello."

The Guide quickly stood to shake The Arms Dealer's hand. Even as he introduced himself, he sounded confused and just a bit intimidated (The Arms dealer was a full head taller than him).

"Nice to meet you. I didn't expect visitors. Did you… uh, just arrive?"

The Arms Dealer blinked. This was the sugar-coated version of 'Why are you here?'. How strange. Wasn't this man the sorcerer who wished to experiment on them? He should very clearly understand why they were here, as their imprisonment was his doing! Something smells fishy…

The Arms Dealer smiled and carried on their conversation, hoping to investigate further.

"I arrived a couple of days ago. I'm a friend of The Nurse's. I just wanted to introduce myself."

"Oh." The Guide glanced briefly at The Nurse's home, then uttered a nervous chuckle. "Well, frankly you're braver than I am. She scares me silly. I'm The Guide. Have you met The Slayer?"

The Arms Dealer swallowed hard, then offered another fake smile. He had briefly met The Slayer. He had followed the creature at distance all day as it went about its routine: adjusting things, fixing things then sniping at the local wildlife with a strange looking bow. The whole time, although he was clearly out of sight, he was aware that The Monster Knight knew exactly where he was hiding. Perhaps it had caught his scent? In any case, it didn't see fit to confront him - although it did glare pointedly at his hiding place a few times to make its displeasure known. Eventually The Arms Dealer lost track of it, which was why he was here, risking conversation with The Sorcerer to try and get back on the trail and find that 'spawn' point.

He lied.

"No, I haven't met him. Where is he?"

The Guide scratched the back of his head and looked towards the front gate. He chuckled, then grimaced and shrugged.

"He's a bit mad right now, so I can imagine he went underground. He'll be back by morning." The Guide gestured vaguely at the red-bricked patio, "He'll appear somewhere around there. Just look for a guy in armour. He's not very friendly and he probably won't talk to you, but you're welcome to try."

"Thank you… Guide, I appreciate that."

"Sure."

Slayer: 'fkn bitchass simp'

Guide:... excuse me, what?

S:...

G: Did the Nurse teach you to say that?

S: yes. It conveys my feelings.

Lmao. Imagine T just gets a worse and worse pottymouth as he spends time with Nurse. jk, I won't do that. I need to do my best to keep the character voices distinct. It'd be funny tho. 1) Guide is in a tight spot again. And T isn't even asking him to do anything. He's just like - fam. ew. 2) Honestly, T is pretty shortsighted and petty, but then again, he has no real reason to help eradicate the crimson besides for his bond with The Guide. It's not like he really cares about THe Guide's village, and he's not super charitable either. He's being kinda harsh, but also it makes sense. (right?) 3) I guess Guide needs to man up, huh? he's gonna come into conflict with everyone lol. tell me, how do you think this will resolve? 4) Guide deadass just giving Arms Dealer the exact info he needs. Arms Dealer is gonna be camping on the patio all night.

As always, much thanks for the reviews and support. Drop me a note to tell me your thougts and theories. This story has a general direction, but I always love to hear your ideas to see what I can work into the plot.

Much love