Chapter 8 – A Helping Hand

Morning came, allowing Reina to feel refreshed from yesterday's ordeal. With that refreshed state came a remainder of her current situation with the giant Vyrdrun, which she was trying to get through.

"Can you look away?" Reina asked as Vyrdrun stood behind her.

"Why?" He returned, towering above.

"So you don't see me naked!" She yelled, face red with embarrassment.

Now that the danger has passed, she could focus on the next most immediate important thing. She had spent the night sleeping on his chest, completely naked. It was needed, apparently, but she didn't want to spend a moment longer without her clothes. That was especially true with someone who looked to be maybe a few years older than her, giant or otherwise.

Vyrdrun tilted his head slightly. "But if you start to fall, I won't be able to catch you."

"Is he intentionally being dense?" Reina wondered. Admittedly, he hadn't tried to do anything to her during the night, not even check her out. A strange emotion came with that. She wondered if it was at all similar to how some of the girls in her class tried to get a boy's attention, only for it to fly over their heads. Not that she was interested in him.

"That's ridiculous. I'm not going to…" She started to complain, but felt her body start to give out under her as she tried to quickly move. Vyrdrun easily caught her under her stomach before she fell forward and righted her. Admitting defeat, Reina sighed. "Just act like you aren't watching, okay?"

"Alright." Vyrdrun gave a confused nod and turned his head.

Reina slid her feet toward where her clothes were set, having been dried over the fire the previous day. They weren't folded, but all was accounted for, armor and coin purse included. As she was getting dressed, she looked over to the giant. His head was pointed away, but she could see him looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

"Why does this feel worse!?" She regretted her request.

Once she was finished, she sat on the ground. When her motor skills were back up to par, she'd braid her hair again, which Vyrdrun had undone to let the rainwater out. Until then, Vyrdrun had a few strips of leather she used to control the massive amount of hair behind her. The giant also offered to take her back into town after he packed up his belongings. There wasn't all that much to collect, though.

The biggest things were the pots he used to cook with before. The one used to make the soup still had some left in it, so Reina got a bowl for breakfast. Like Vyrdrun mentioned, it didn't taste that good without her sickness. It really didn't taste good. But it was free and available, so Reina ate it regardless.

The other pot had something strange in it. Vyrdrun was in the process of pouring it into small clay jug he could store away. The contents looked to be some sort of syrup or sap, but not quite. It wasn't sticking to the pot as it was poured out.

"What is that?" Reina asked out of curiosity, and to break the silence.

"Boiled mystic rain." He answered. "I don't know if humans have a word for it."

"Rain? You mean from yesterday?" That felt like a really dangerous thing.

"Yes. I can use it to make various things, and in trade." He set the miraculously clean pot down and plugged the jug with a wooden cork.

Yet another thing she didn't know about this world, though that might be more of a giant thing. The way her party reacted to the violet rain, it seemed like something to avoid at all costs.

While waiting, Reina looked around from her spot on the ground. She noticed the remains of what was likely yesterday's meal near the fire pit.

"Hey, are you going to use those?" She pointed to the bones and flesh of the krindar.

"No. I've taken all I can use for now from them." He answered.

Since it wasn't a whole body, Reina didn't know if she would get a token from it. She could still use the remains for the gacha. Switching her weapon to a totem form, she reached out and absorbed the remains. A pair of popups greeted her.

Krindar Bone Amulet
(abilities locked) Equip Bonus: magic 1

Krindar Pelt Drum
(abilities locked) Equip Bonus: spirit defense 2

"I didn't know I could get other forms by absorbing parts separately. And I got more things that aren't totems. Is that because they're parts of a monster or because the krindar gave me an athame? Well, I'll figure that out as I go." Reina thought as she looked over the stats. The Krindar Athame was better overall, but the Krindar Bone Amulet had a slightly higher magic stat.

"Are you ready?" Vyrdrun asked, approaching. He had the large pelt from the door over his back like a cape or cloak. A leather bag peaked around his back.

"Yeah." Reina gave a nod. Vyrdrun extended a hand to her and she grasped it, letting herself be pulled up. He took it a step further, picking her up and cradling her in his arm again. "H-Hey!"

"Your body is still weak from the rain. A few more hours should be enough." Vyrdrun explained as he rummaged beneath his pelt kilt.

Reina couldn't argue against that. Her stats were sitting at about 90% of what they were before, but her body was still sore and tired. That was much better than when she woke up sometime last night, where they were closer to 60%. She imagined they were much worse just after getting drenched in the violet rain.

"Drink this." He pulled a clay flask and handed it to her.

She didn't need to ask why, uncorking it and downing it right away. There was a bitter taste, but familiar as well.

"Is this chocolate?" She asked. It certainly wasn't sweet, but it definitely tasted of cocoa. Something like an extra dark chocolate drink.

"Medicine made from the bark of terricot trees. It helps reduce the lingering effects of mystic rain. I use it if I have to spend a lot of time in the rain." Vyrdrun said as he carried her out of the hut.

That was another thing. She didn't think about it that much before, but Vyrdrun had to go outside in that storm to save her. He didn't seem sick then, or even now.

Before she could ask, Vyrdrun turned to face the hut. He held his hand up toward it and spoke. "Collapse Earth!"

The walls of the hut fell out, letting the roof drop to the ground. Debris was kicked up from the collapse, obscuring her view slightly. When it cleared, she saw the remains as little more than a large amount of rocks and a slightly raised area.

"You're a mage?" Reina then asked as Vyrdrun began walking in the direction of town.

"Not like the humans." He answered. He didn't give any additional explanation.

After a few moments, Reina spoke again. "That violet rain. Do you know what it really does to people?"

She really needed to more about it. If Vyrdrun not only knew how to treat it but knew people to sell it to, surely he knew more.

"It places a strain on most spirits." He said. "Since you have a spirit—your soul—inside you, it attempts to escape. That's why littlings get sick and their stats drop so much. Without regard to you, or itself in that case, it wracks the cage it's now trapped in."

It was the strangest explanation Reina had ever heard. In a world of magic, it could make sense. Part of the weirdness came from Vyrdrun talking about stats. It felt like he wouldn't know about those, despite not really having a reason not to. He was a person in this world, he had stats, and everyone had status magic to view them. She supposed it was because he was a giant and seemed…

She almost wanted to say 'barbaric', and that would be a terrible thing to say about the man who saved her life.

"Just because he doesn't know not to look at someone naked doesn't mean anything." She argued.

Giants probably had a different culture. He didn't have boots or shoes or even sandals on, but that didn't mean anything. He probably didn't need them. She didn't know that much about him, and she wanted to change that.

"What about you?" She asked next. "You went out into the rain to save me, right?"

"Gromnar are different."

"Gromnar?"

"Giants." Vyrdrun said. "I don't know a lot of human language, but the littlings I've seen in my travels call me a giant."

Reina could see that. If the two races didn't get along well, they probably wouldn't understand much about each other. She did find it amusing how Vyrdrun seemed to switch between saying 'human' and 'littling'.

"You travel pretty light. Are you a nomad?" Reina switched the topic.

"Yes." He replied, though a bit more hesitantly this time. Reina didn't want to push into that. She was curious, but she knew it wasn't her business.

"Hey, where did your pots go?" She didn't hear any clanking, so they weren't slung over his shoulder out of sight. The bag he carried was just big enough to hold them, but the shape didn't match.

Vyrdrun moved his kilt slightly, revealing the top of his thigh. A band was wrapped around it with a metal club tucked into it. It almost reminded her of the demon brother's weapon, but much smaller.

"Right here." He gave the club a tap. "It's a specially treated metal. I can use my magic to change its shape."

"Useful." Reina thought. Looking back, the two pots didn't look especially well made. They were thick enough to keep their shapes from the heat of the fire, but they were pretty lumpy. Even the two bowls were likely made from rock, since she left one of them sitting next to her before exiting the hut.

The conversation fell off after that point. It didn't seem like Vyrdrun wanted to keep talking, and Reina didn't want to force him to. She did mention the bag she carried before and they were able to pick it up on the way. As thanks, she offered to give him all the money she was going to make from it, but he declined.

"You'll need that much more than me." He said.

Without that, she didn't have a means to thank him properly. This was a huge debt to him that she wanted to repay, but she just didn't have the resources to do it.

With his longer strides, it took about 20 minutes or so to reach the town. They stopped just inside the forest.

"Will you be fine walking from here?" He asked, looking down at her. "The humans may not treat you well after seeing you with me."

His plan was to barter with some of the merchants for supplies before he continued on his way west. Of course, he didn't sound confident when he told her before. Reina's only heard a few opinions about giants and none were good. This probably wouldn't end well.

Maybe this was her chance to help him.

"I'm fine going in like this." She said.

"Are you sure?" He asked, to which she nodded.

"If we go in with you carrying me like this, it'll show you as less of a threat. I want you to be able to get whatever you need." She'd get whatever he needed herself, but she wasn't used to bartering at all.

Besides, if they did treat her differently afterward, she could always go to the next town. Reina spotted a couple carts full of goods being pulled by horse-like creatures before. They were probably merchants, so all she had to do was get directions. Worst case scenario, she'd just follow the path out of town until she reached somewhere else.

With a plan in place, the pair entered the town with Reina still being carried in Vyrdrun's arm.

The calls from the people were not reassuring.

"A giant!"

"He's holding a girl hostage!"

"Call the guards!"

"Oh, so now you see me as a girl!" Reina wanted to yell about that, but there was a much more pressing issue at the moment.

"Wait!" She called out. "He's friendly!"

The people running away was not a good indicator her voice was heard.

"You!" A man in armor came into view as the pair neared the first of the buildings. He continued to shout with his sword raised. "Stop right there, Giant, and put the girl down!"

He and Vyrdrun stared at each other. It felt like a showdown was about to happen. Reina wanted to diffuse this as quickly as possible.

Before she could, Vyrdrun tapped her on her shoulder. "What's he saying? I can't understand his accent."

…Or, only one of them saw this as an impending conflict. She supposed that was better. It was also a reminder that not only was Vyrdrun speaking a different language from the humans, but she also was hearing everything in Japanese rather than both of their languages.

"He wants you to put me down." She told him.

With a grunt, Vyrdrun eased her onto the ground.

"Quickly, little girl, run away! I'll deal with this!" The man clasped his sword with both hands.

"Little—" Reina resisted every fiber of her being to retort. "He's not here to fight!"

"You won't be hurting anyone here!" The man roared, digging his feet into the ground. Reina's years spent as a wallflower really were coming back to bite her now. She saw a few more armored men and women approach, all wearing similar armor. They placed themselves between the handful of townsfolk who'd backed up but remained.

"Stop! This isn't—" Reina tried again, only for Vyrdrun to place his hand on her shoulder.

"He won't listen. Men like him don't." He said calmly. "You should stand back if you don't want to get involved. I'll deal with him quickly."

"But I…" Reina was at a crossroads of sorts. If she told that guy she was the Spirit Forger, he'd probably listen. But then…She didn't know what could come of that. She also couldn't let the man who saved her life get killed. He sounded like he could handle himself. If things looked bad, she could step in to help.

Gritting her teeth, Reina stood aside. That was all the guard needed to charge forward.

"Get him, Lieutenant!"

"Kill that giant!"

The guards that came up behind him started to yell.

"Cutting Edge!" The lieutenant said, running his hand along his sword. A white glow came over it. At this point, Reina realized that guard's armor was made of bronze unlike the others' with their iron, and what that meant. "I've been blessed with a powerful spell, Giant! With it, I can cut through anything weaker than iron! Your skin will be less than water against my blade!"

Vyrdrun barely moved. He probably didn't even understand what the guy was saying. All he did was shift his stance, slightly putting one foot forward.

Once only a few yards away, the lieutenant jumped high through the air. His glowing sword was held above his head, gripped fiercely in both hands. Then, he swung down.

"Die!"

Vyrdrun didn't try to dodge. He didn't have out that metal thing from his hip or anything else to block the attack. All he had was his hand up, as if he was going to catch the blade.

"Vyrdrun!" Reina cried out.

The sword came down.

Vyrdrun's hand was up.

Then…the bladed stopped. It was gripped in Vyrdrun's hand. The glow disappeared in an instant.

"Eh?" The lieutenant seemed frozen in the air, just before Vyrdrun's other hand came forward and slammed into his face. Reina could swear she heard something crack. The man was thrown away and rolled backwards on the dirt roadway.

"Lieutenant!" The other guards called out, rushing up to him.

Reina watched it all in astonishment. The guards were trying to help the lieutenant to his feet. When she turned to Vyrdrun, he grabbed the sword with his other hand. He first inspected the wound on his palm before looking over the sword.

"Nice blade." He commented, adjusting his kilt. With a wave of his hand, the metal against his hip expanded slightly. He then put the tip of the blade into it, letting him slip the blade in like a sheath.

"How dare you attack the lieutenant!" One of the other guards yelled.

"That guy attacked first!" Reina had had enough. She stepped in front of Vyrdrun before anyone else thought to charge. "Why are you attacking him?"

"Kid, get away from that thing!" Another guard yelled. "It's dangerous!"

"Would you listen to me!?" Reina yelled back. "Vyrdrun isn't dangerous! He saved my life, pulled me from the violent rain and treated me!"

Murmurs broke out in the small crowd.

"It's tricking you!" The same guard said. "Why would a giant help anyone?"

Was that really so hard to believe? A giant willingly trying to help a human? What was the history between the two races that made such a thing impossible? Whatever happened, it was just another thing Reina needed to learn about in this world.

Reina looked back and up to Vyrdrun. "I don't think they're going to listen."

"Doubtful." He nodded. "I should leave. I'll give you your plants back." He began untying Reina's bag from his own.

This wasn't at all how she thought things would turn out. It wasn't right. He helped her, and yet the guards couldn't accept it. They wouldn't even consider the possibility Vyrdrun was here peacefully.

The guards slowly made their way over, weapons drawn. They probably wouldn't make him leaving be an easy thing. They probably wouldn't be too friendly with her either, just like Vyrdrun warned. She'd probably need to cut town sooner rather than later.

"Wait!"

From the crowd of onlookers behind the guards, Reina heard a voice. A woman stepped forward. She looked somewhere in her mid-thirties.

"You were in that storm?" The woman asked. The people began to quiet down as she started walking slowly forward, her hands clasped together. "My nephew got touched by the rain and has been sick. My brother and his wife are with him now, but the doctor doesn't think he'll survive. Please, Giant, save my nephew!"

"You believe this?" The same guard who'd disbelieved Reina voiced. "That girl was tricked by that giant and now you want it to invite it in?"

"I don't care!" The woman yelled. "If there's a chance he can save someone in my family, I'll take it!"

The crowd began to murmur once more while the guard and woman argued. Vyrdrun looked down to Reina.

"She…wants you to help her nephew with the violet rain like you did for me. Can you?" Reina asked him.

"Hm." Vyrdrun held the bags at his side.

"If you do…they might be willing to trade with you." Reina offered.

Vyrdrun looked at her for a moment, then turned his attention to the crowd. She couldn't quite hear what any of them were saying above the two who were arguing.

"Fine." Vyrdrun said, returning the bags behind him.

Reina gave him a smile before turning to the townsfolk. "He'll help you!" She called out. "Please show us to him!"

The guard looked like he was about to yell, but the woman stepped forward. "Thank you! Please come this way."

Vyrdrun started walking forward with Reina quickly coming up. She wanted to be in front, just to show there was nothing to be afraid of having a giant walk behind her. That wasn't the best idea, since she was quickly becoming winded. Her legs didn't like the idea either. With an asking look from her, Vyrdrun picked her up once more.

The guards kept their weapons raised and Vyrdrun passed them. Reina could see the look in their eyes. Maybe it was just from people who were prepared for combat. The small crowd quickly parted for them before they even got close.

"Hey, Vyrdrun." Reina whispered to him. "You don't have to do the same thing you did with me, right?"

"I doubt it." He replied in kind. "If this child was in the mystic rain for as long as you, he'd already be dead."

That was good, in a sense. Maybe the kid wouldn't be that hard to treat. As a bonus, Reina wouldn't have to try explaining why a giant needed to hold their naked son.

Soon enough, they reached the home of the sick boy. Vyrdrun set Reina down as he looked at the open door. There was enough room if he ducked down and turned sideways. Reina carefully followed him in.

"You're…" There was a man standing next to the aunt, presumably her brother. He stared at Vyrdrun, who continued to crouch in their home.

"Bring the boy out here and set him somewhere he can remain for a while." Vyrdrun said with Reina translating for him.

The man quickly looked at his sister, earning a short nod. He then went into the next room over, where a quick, hushed conversation took place. Less than a minute later, he came back out with another woman who was holding a small child.

While her memory of the sickness wasn't perfect, Reina could see some similarities. The child's face was flush, his body shivering in his mother's arms, wrapped up in a thick blanket. The poor thing looked no older than five years old.

"You mother?" Vyrdrun asked in what Reina believed was the people's language. The woman holding the boy nodded. Her eyes looked bloodshot, as if she hadn't slept all night. Vyrdrun glanced at Reina for a moment before turning back. "Sit somewhere comfortable. You will be here for a while."

Reina translated and the mother complied, slowly walking over and sitting with her back against the wall. Vyrdrun hobbled over and knelt next to her. He began moving the blanket around to reveal more of the boy, making him shiver more. Tugging up at the shirt, the mother understood and called over her husband to remove it. The shaking only got worse.

That was, until Vyrdrun put his large hand on the boy's chest. The shaking quickly slowed to a slight tremble. After less than a minute, the boy's face lost much of its excessive redness.

"Take off your shirt. Since he is so young, your skin will need to touch his for the best result."

Reina hesitated to translate that. She leaned in the Vyrdrun. "I thought you said that wouldn't be necessary."

"I would not need to." He clarified. "His mother will be more than enough. The closer the blood, the better."

Reina scrunched up her face a bit but translated it all the same. The mother looked worried, but only for a moment. The idea of losing her son pushed aside any embarrassment she felt about the situation. The husband looked like he had something to say but bit it back.

The boy stopped shaking entirely by the time the mother was ready. His head and chest was pressed into his mother's stomach. One hand held his head with the other wrapped around under Vyrdrun's hand on the boy's side. With his free hand, Vyrdrun moved the mother's hand from the boy's side to over his chest, resting atop Vyrdrun's hand.

Nothing seemed to happen. Vyrdrun kept his eyes on the boy, remaining completely unmoving. Reina had to wonder if that's what he did for her before.

"Mm!" The boy made a noise, squinting with his eyes closed before relaxing again. He turned his head to the side and let his mouth hang open. "Mama…"

"Danny!" The mother shouted, fresh tears streaming down her face as she beamed at her son.

"He spoke…" The aunt held her hand to her mouth.

"Mother." Vyrdrun spoke again, regaining the mother's attention. "I will pull my hand back. Keep yours on your son's chest for another hour or so. He will shake for a short while before relaxing. Once he can stand on his own, he'll be fine."

Reina relayed Vyrdrun's words to her. The giant slid his hand off slowly, letting the mother's hand replace it. Reina watched as the boy shivered, but his complexion remained good.

"Hungry when wake." Vyrdrun told the husband. "Meat." The man looked at him in astonishment.

"Unbelievable." The husband murmured, looking back to his son. "I heard a story once that a father held his daughter close all night long after she got doused in violet rain. He'd already lost his wife before and refused to lose his daughter too, praying to the gods she'd make it. He stayed up all night and by morning, his daughter opened her eyes."

"Heartwarming." Reina thought, fully serious. She's heard her share of stories where a mother or father would stay with their sick child, never leaving their side until they miraculously recovered. Even if there was no magic in her world, after seeing this she'd like to think it helped.

With that, Vyrdrun stood. Reina smiled next to him as he led her out of the home.

"Now they're sure to trust him!" She thought as they exited.

"Halt!"

Instead of the expectant small crowd from before, many more guards had shown up.

"Giant, you will leave this town now, or we will force you out!" The guard yelled. His armor was iron like most of the others, but there was a bit more decoration on him than the lieutenant, presumably making him a captain.

Reina looked around, seeing all the angry faces of the armored men and women with weapons pointed at Vyrdrun. The Gromnar looked out as well, but his expression…it was as if he expected this all along.

"This is your last warning!" The speaker took a single step forward, his sword at the ready.

Reina clenched her fists. This idiot…she had no doubt in her mind they'd let a child die just to keep Vyrdrun out. And for what? Because he was a giant? What could possibly have happened in the past to make them hate giants so much?

Whatever it was, Reina wouldn't stand for it. "You—"

A hand on her shoulder stopped her. She snapped her head toward Vyrdrun and saw him shake his head.

"He really did know this would happen." She lamented. "He knew, but he saved that boy's life anyway."

"I leave." Vyrdrun said to the assembled guards.

One of them stepped forward. It was the lieutenant from before. "My sword."

Vyrdrun grunted. "You lost. Weapon mine. Be thankful."

The guards looked ready to move in at a moment's notice. Reina wasn't having it. She ducked under Vyrdrun's hand and stood in front of him.

"It's your fault you lost your sword." She told the man without a hint of fear. "Despite you attacking him, Vyrdrun saved a child's life. Consider it a trade." Her eyes narrowed at the man before he could retort. "Or are you saying your pride is worth more than a child's life?"

No one spoke. Reina wondered if that really was the case, that they wouldn't even consider the fact that Vyrdrun just saved a kid's life. If so…she was prepared to fight back. She didn't want to. It would reveal she was the Spirit Forger to everyone here, and that would surely reach the Demon Lord. She didn't want to make this town a target, but she'd protect the person who saved her.

If the lieutenant was planning on saying something about that, he held it back. The murmuring from the crowd seemed like a good deterrent.

"You and your giant friend, leave." He commanded with a wave of his arm.

"That's that then." Reina sighed. She looked up to Vyrdrun, who seemed to understand her intent.

She was once more scooped up and carried by him. The guards parted, letting the pair pass by in peace.

This whole thing was a mistake. Reina understood that well enough. She needed to learn more about this world so she wouldn't do something like that again. Only, she still had the same problem. Going around and telling people she was the Spirit Forger would probably lead to pretty bad things, at least this close to where the Demon Lord attacked.

"Oh, right. I never warned them." She looked behind them, but they'd already left the town. Vyrdrun was walking them down the road west. "I'm sure they'll hear about the attack soon enough."

There was only one thing left to say. Something she should have asked before.

"Hey, Vyrdrun?" She looked up at his face. "If it's alright with you, can we travel together for a while?" She really hoped he'd say yes.

"That's fine." He kept his gaze forward.

Reina smiled. "Thanks."

This was good. Not only did she have a companion for now, but she had time to find a way to thank him. If nothing else, she could learn how to barter and do that for him the next town they reached.

~Forging Legends~

Molly was bored. It happened from time to time, though more frequently recently. That was to be expected. When the Dragon Hourglass started counting down to the Wave, there was a surge of business. People of all sorts came to their little cottage for potions and charms. It wasn't like the medicine peddlers and alchemists in the nearby town couldn't do the same thing. The three of them just did it much better.

That was before the Wave. The day of and a few days after saw a drastic decline in business. Translated properly, there was no one. Apparently, the Wave happened a couple hours away from them. When she went into town, all she heard about were how many monsters were now roaming the area. People weren't going to hire adventurers just to visit their cottage and the three of them certainly weren't going to sell inside the town. A distant relationship was what everyone preferred.

"I'm boooored." Molly complained aloud. Perhaps vocalizing it would help.

"We're low on marigold mushrooms. Why not go forage a few."

That was her older sister, Crescent. Molly was the middle child of the three, with Crescent acting as more of a mother since theirs passed away. She was old enough to be one, though Molly would never say that out loud to her. Twenty years old was the age most women would have already found a husband, though that sort of thing wasn't really for them. Not yet, at least.

"But there are scary monsters outside." Molly protested, though in jest. The local monsters were smart enough to keep away from the three of them, and their faithful protector was for those dumb enough to try anyway. Whatever came from the Wave couldn't be that much worse, though the townsfolk would say otherwise.

"I give you something to do and you complain? How mean~." Crescent gave Molly her warm and easygoing smile.

"I don't want to pick mushrooms. I want customers!" Molly continued to complain. Mushrooms were boring. They didn't speak softly coming here for the first time, afraid one of the scary witches would put a curse on them. As if they ever did.

BANG BANG BANG BANG!

Heavy knocks on the door to their cottage answered her desire.

"Coming!" Molly called out. She donned her wide-brimmed, pointed hat, smoothed out any wrinkles on her robes, and skipped over to the door. Her own smile was ready to greet their first customer in days.

When she pulled it open, a towering figure stood before her. The slight gust from the door let the bottom of the man's long, open coat flap. A pair of large, black wings peered around his back. He looked down at Molly as she stared back up, the horns on his forehead drawing in her eyes.

"Uncle Derdir! It's good to see you again!" Molly enthused, quickly closing the distance and wrapping him in a hug.

"Molly." Derdir placed a clawed hand on her back. "Crescent."

"Uncle." Crescent gave him a wave as Molly stepped back. "It's been a while."

"I've had a lot of plans to go over and information to check." He said, stepping into the cottage. "Your golem wasn't outside. You should keep it close, especially in times like these."

Molly grimaced slightly, but her uncle was still looking at Crescent, unaware of the face she made. Her sister just waved her hand again. "You worry too much."

"Hrrm. I worry as much as I need to." Derdir walked over to the table and took a seat across from Crescent. Molly joined them in a middle seat. "A Wave occurred not too far from here."

Crescent leaned on the table with her elbows, her hands folded under her chin. "You heard about that, huh?"

"I'm keeping watch on all three Dragon Hourglasses, as well as the three heroes."

"Oh, the Spirit Forger was summoned?" Crescent asked with a smile. "What are they like?"

"Adaptable so far, which is expected. She isn't a problem for the moment." Derdir let out a sigh. "The Golem Master sits in his tower, tinkering away. He's yet to register to any hourglass, though his golems are out at various locations. The Juggernaut, however, is headed in the direction of one. I'll see if I can't redirect her to the other. Truly, for the Waves to happen now of all times…"

Uncle Derdir had big plans, of that Molly was certain. She didn't know the details or just how much they encompassed, but she was sure they'd be for the best. He'd known the three of them since they were kids and has been good to them even before their mother passed five years ago. If he had to worry about the heroes, then it must be really important.

"Anything we can help with?" Molly asked.

"There is, actually." He turned to her and gave that world-famous non-smile of his. Uncle Derdir never smiled, but that didn't mean he wasn't happy to see them.

"What'll it be?" Molly asked. "Need us to go find something, or help you cast a big spell? Maybe visit another country? We're up for anything!"

"Ara~. Such wanderlust in this one~." Her sister teased. "But yes, we'd be happy to help. If it's traveling, we'd prefer time to prepare."

"That won't be an issue." Derdir said. "While important, this matter isn't urgent."

Author's Notes:

I've grown rather fond of having a section at the end of chapters in someone else's perspective. Helps flesh things out happening elsewhere and keeps me from constantly hovering over only one character. I still prefer 3rd person limited over omniscient for my writing, so these dips into 3rd multiple help. I think I'll keep it up, though maybe not for every chapter.