"Talking"
"Thinking"
[Status Magic or other reference to a system or power]
...
He could not handle talking to Rishia right now with THAT happening so loudly.
"..." Another noise joined the first.
"No, please."
It was from the opposing wall.
"You cannot be serious!"
It was Liviccic and Sophia's room.
"You assholes, stop!"
Itsuki was about to leave the room, when Rishia entered the room. She saw his blushing face and quickly took note of the… vigorous noises.
"F-Fueeeeeeee!?" Rishia lost it.
...
The next morning had everyone in a much better mood. The hot springs were as relaxing as advertised and other night-time activities had Naofumi and Raphtalia practically glowing the following morning. The family had a quick breakfast made by Naofumi. The best start to any day. At first they ate in a welcome early morning silence, but Keel had to take her unfinished meal with her, as she went with her new party for the day. They collectively worried and hoped they'd get along.
During the early morning talks, Filo had to ask. "Why is everyone so happy? Was the warm water really that good?"
"Yes. Absolutely." Leon answered with entirely too much seriousness.
"Um, yes. It was great." Raphtalia answered, not wanting to explain her and Naofumi's good moods.
"Hmm..." Filo looked uncharacteristically unconvinced. "But Teal barely got in the water and she's really happy."
"Of course I am. Between the hot springs and the aftermath, I got what I wanted." Teal answered, playing defense for her parents for once.
"Was beating spear-guy up that much fun?" Filo asked.
"Huh? We didn't beat them up. We peeped on them, just as they peeped on us."
"W-What!?" Raphtalia was not okay with Teal doing that.
"Yeah. By body, Fitts was the front-runner, then that L'arc guy, then Motoyasu. If anyone was wondering." Teal continued her habit of giving out way too much information.
"Teal... You should focus on more kid oriented things..." Raphtalia suggested.
"Hmm, but she's aging up fast because of her leveling..." Teal responded.
Naofumi and Raphtalia picked up that she was talking about Keel now.
"I meant things that a kid should be interested in, not being interested in... Nevermind." Raphtalia attempted to give up.
What followed was a short conversation in which Teal equated her mother's words to calling her stupid. Saying that she doesn't have dumb interests. She seemed to equate less mature interests with being less intelligent. Teal tried to be sassy, but Naofumi was there to back up Raphtalia.
"Are you saying that you are all dumb for play with the ball? Maturity and intelligence aren't the same thing." Naofumi added.
Now Teal had to either admit she was dumb or that she was wrong. She reluctantly conceded the point with a huff.
The next three days went by so quickly.
The first day, Naofumi and co fought a squirrel-like monster boss. It still held the familiar moniker of 'Karma'. It also had weaker familiars that served as back-up.
These monsters almost exclusively used their tails throughout the fight. They could provide a generous cushion when needed, then become bristle-y to cause a lot of shallow cuts. The boss also had a weird ability to stick things to its body if it chose. It tried grappling the party members, climbing on walls and decorating its tail with debris for a heavier tail swing. Had this been the first boss they fought on the island, it would have been a hassle, but as they were now...
Filo took point on this enemy throughout. It could drag out fights if not addressed, it became Filo's duty to kick the beast into the air and continue to kick it until it died. Never letting it rest on the ground alive.
From those enemies, Naofumi received
.
[Karma Squirrel Familiar Shield]
+1 mdef, +2 spd, grip up (small)
[Ability: Risuka Status Adjustment I] Increase the stat growth of a "Risuka" by a moderate amount.
.
[Karma Squirrel Shield]
+3 mdef, +5 spd, grip up (medium)
[Ability: Risuka Status Adjustment II] Increase the stat growth of a "Risuka" by a moderate amount.
[Unique Ability: Special Storage] gain an additional inventory of limited space. Items stored in this inventory appreciate in quality over time and take 24 hours to remove from storage.
.
They met back up with Keel when they returned to see her a bit battered and bruised. They would have been concerned, but Keel seemed to be all smiles.
"What happened to you, Keel?" Raphtalia asked.
"Godiva hits harder than I thought." Was all she said.
Apparently, Godiva was not a good teacher, often being too rough on Keel, but that seemed to only motivate Keel more. Keel's stats were nearly equal to Godiva's, but the skill gap was enormous. As such, Keel received several strong hits.
If Keel wasn't throwing in the towel then they wouldn't stop her, but perhaps a talk with Godiva about pulling her punches was in order.
That night and the ones to follow were also spent in the hot spring. Though, they used a private bath for the family… to avoid uninvited guests.
The second day was much the same. They faced the fourth and final Karma boss they'd yet to face. It was called a penguin, but it didn't much resemble one at all. The little ones had claws on their flippers, but the boss was even more odd, having a pair of wings large enough for flight and also having full arms with bird talons.
"Penguin, my ass!?" Was Naofumi's only thought.
It was shut down exclusively by Leon. He placed fireballs from his favorite spell above the enemy, trapping it from flying. As it would need to run into the attack to gain flight. Forced to stay grounded, Leon continued to press the enemy position with his spell while firing a few off and reforming them. Never expending enough of them to give them an opening.
Filo complained that with "Leon's boring ways" that he could beat them himself, without their help.
That got Naofumi to begin considering something, but it wasn't until the third day that it was decided.
.
[Karma Penguin Familiar Shield]
+1 def, +2 mdef
[Ability: Swimming II] become moderately better at swimming.
[Ability: Fishing II] becomes moderately better at fishing.
[Ability: Pekkul Status Adjustment I] Increase the stat growth of a "Pekkul" by a moderate amount.
.
[Karma Penguin Shield]
+3 def, +5 mdef, water resistance (small)
[Ability: Swimming III] become greatly better at swimming.
[Ability: Fishing III] becomes greatly better at fishing.
[Ability: Pekkul Status Adjustment II] Increase the stat growth of a "Pekkul" by a moderate amount.
[Unique Ability: Deep Dive] You can hold your breath for much longer underwater.
.
As they returned from the field, Naofumi saw Motoyasu's group and remembered what he had finished for her.
"Therese. I finished that accessory if you wanted to take a look at it." Naofumi announced his presence to her.
Motoyasu and L'arc turned to see Naofumi and his party. Her eyes brightened at the mention of the accessory, as Therese pushed past the both of them.
"Already? I can't wait to see what you can make. I had it on good authority that you were a great craftsman." She said, giving Monti a quick look.
Naofumi pulled out the finished product from his inventory. Making it look like he pulled it out of his bag.
.
Oreikul Starfire Bracelet
Magic Power Up (Max)
Quality: Very Good
.
"Oh my, this is brillant! To have brought out the jewel's beauty this much!?" Therese was overwhelmed by the quality.
Leon was just now sensing its value for the first time. As Naofumi only worked on it late at night or very early, when Leon was asleep. He didn't want such a treasure to be sold off like this.
"Oi, dad. Don't-" Leon stopped himself as Therese gave him a glare that put the fear of death into him.
He placed a hand on his stomach where she hit him before. He dropped the subject. Naofumi was unaware of the full content, but assumed Leon would protest. He placed a hand on his head, motioning for him to stop.
As quickly as Therese's death glare came, it was gone. Returning to announcing her approval. "This truly is a wonder, master craftsman."
"Master craftsman?" Naofumi questioned.
"Yes, clearly that is what you are. It's so perfect… Oh." Therese pulled out her coin pouch and handed it to Naofumi.
Before he could even receive it, Therese was motioning to L'arc. "This isn't enough. Hand over your gold, L'arc, you too, Motoyasu." She demanded.
"Seriously?" L'arc questioned her in a tired voice.
"Wait, me too?" Motoyasu questioned in a defeated tone.
"Yes! You can't expect me to not give the master craftsman any less than what he earned! Can't you hear this jewel calling out? So grateful to the hands that brought out its beauty!" Therese told them.
She shook L'arc down for money, but her sense got to her when Motoyasu tried giving her his gold. Of course, Motoyasu insisted she take it. He would be as generous as he could be. He needed them to like him. He wanted to keep traveling with them after the Cal Mira event. Things with them just seemed better. It felt more genuine than what he had with Malty and the others. They pulled their weight, not that he ever complained with the others. It just seemed more like a team working together instead of people hanging around him for their own benefit.
Leon was less upset at the loss of such a treasure after seeing Therese was willing to pay for its worth. That said, he was now more determined than ever to learn how to make such treasures from his father. With every new piece he made, Naofumi was improving. This told Leon that they can't even know how good his father will become or how good he will become if he can use his value sensing to help guide him.
"My name isn't 'master craftsman', it's 'Naofumi'." Naofumi tried correcting her.
"Yes, master craftsman Naofumi." Therese acknowledged.
"..." Naofumi hung his head.
The whole group even tolerated a meal together in which Motoyasu did not do anything Naofumi or Raphtalia could construe as inappropriate. Still, they nearly declined the offer, but it was oddly hard to say 'no' to L'arc.
…
The third day
…
On the third day, they were back on the first island they visited and therefore, back to the Karma Dog. As they spent time on Cal Mira, they had become much stronger. When they first fought the Karma Dog, they had only beaten it twice. Each boss after that became easier and the number of times they beat them throughout the day increased. By the end of the day, they beat the Karma Dog 19 times in just that day.
That cemented Naofumi's decision. They've grown stronger, but even more so, they were gaining fewer levels. Despite beating that boss 19 times, no one gained more than 3 levels. Naofumi at level 76 was the highest and the gains that were previously so easily earned were drying up. At this rate, even if they efficiently beat the bosses for 12 hours a day for 25 kills, they'd likely not reach 80 at this rate for a week. Meaning that EXP was less valuable than other things currently. Having already acquired the other karma shields, there was less to gain in that manner as well.
Though, Naofumi did get another pair of Karma dog claws as a drop. He'd received many drops over their time at Cal Mira. He'd received a few Kigurumi from each karma boss, quite a bit more [Oreikul Ore] and a weapon from both the squirrel and the penguin bosses.
.
[Karma Penguin Trident]
[Agility Up, Magic Reduction, Attack Up, Defense Reduction]
.
[Karma Squirrel Flail]
[Agility Up, Magic Reduction, Attack Up, Defense Reduction]
.
The trident held an edge even on the interior of the forks and was a bit longer than most polearms. The Flail was closer to the weapon lord Wagner used during the battle of the church, though the mace head was smaller.
"What about using one of these?" Naofumi suggested to Monti, holding both weapons.
"Hmm…" Monti had no real preference.
"That's kinda neat, let me try it." Filo said, taking the Flail.
"Then I'll take the trident." Monti was fine with Filo making his decision for him.
"Oi, you already got a weapon. Remember the claws?" Leon told her.
"So what? Isn't your stick like 7 sticks at once?" Filo defended.
"It's a staff, not a stick!" Leon corrected her.
"What's the difference between a staff and a straight stick?" Filo began an argument.
"...Shut up!" Leon accepted the argument.
Sometime later, it was decided that a staff was just the most boring stick and that Filo only wanted different weapons because she didn't have as many options as Leon did with his magic. It was not a productive conversation.
They met up with Melty's group, who were doing well. They were making an effort to socialize amongst their groups, otherwise this rare trip to some tropical islands would seem more like a boot camp.
"Mel-chan!" Filo yelled with the same enthusiasm she always did upon seeing her friend. Whether Filo hadn't seen her in a day or an hour, the volume and energy was always there.
The group motioned to some nearby tables and chairs. They collectively sat to discuss their days. Liviccic began learning water magic from Melty, but admitted he preferred his own magic to the elemental access granted by the vassal staff. Everyone shared their thoughts and what they were doing, but when Sophia expressed an opinion, all agreed.
"We are still defeating our enemies in a single hit… I know the EXP is still good, but it really changes this into a chore." Sophia admitted.
"Indeed. Even while keeping Princess Melty's safety as of paramount importance, it'd be nice to fight something less pathetic. Anything, really." Liviccic agreed.
"Even we must admit that gaining these great many levels without any sort of challenge to help hone one's newly acquired strength may be a detriment in the long term." Even the advisors that had made it their job to be argumentative were in agreement.
"True, even the Karma bosses have been lacking now." Raphtalia said without thinking.
"Karma bosses?" Melty questioned.
It suddenly hit them. The four heroes had been trading the four islands that housed the Karma bosses. That meant no one else had the chance to fight them, unless they came at night. While that wasn't entirely unfair, Liviccic was a hero now too. He needed materials from such creatures to unlock new weapon forms.
Again, Naofumi considered something, but said nothing until that evening. It wasn't until the whole family was settled into the hot springs that Naofumi decided to voice his thoughts.
"Everyone?" Naofumi grabbed their attention before continuing. "I've been thinking. I know that we need to continue gaining levels while we can, but I think that's going to become less of a priority as we go. In fact, if this event lasts more than 2 weeks, we'd definitely leave before it ends." Naofumi began.
"You thought so too? I was going to say something in another day or two." Raphtalia admitted.
"So what do we do to make it worth the effort?" Monti asked, always willing to do more.
"We don't really have too many options… I was thinking that we should take a day off."
Everyone seemed happy at the suggestion, except Monti. Filo and Leon were practically cheering.
"Maybe I should go by myself? I could do some grinding and you all will all get your share of the EXP? I ca-"
Raphtalia shut him down. "Nope, you are relaxing with us… Honestly, you take after my worst habits."
"Besides, this will give Liviccic's group a chance to fight a Karma boss in our stead. We'll need to coordinate with the other heroes to schedule days off. So Liviccic's group can fight each of the Karma bosses without us taking so many days off ourselves." Naofumi added.
"Okay…"
"Stop being boring. We can play in the ocean tomorrow and try more of those neat foods!" Filo told Monti.
"I'm not boring." Monti said defensively.
"You were literally just lamenting the idea of having a day of fun…" Leon called him out.
"I was not. I-I was… Fine, fun tomorrow it is. I'll show you guys I'm not boring." Monti found himself agreeing to things to avoid.
"Good." Raphtalia punctuated the end of that debate.
The rest of the night was spent planning their next day. The renewed positivity shared by the group told Naofumi it was the right call. He'd talk to Liviccic before they went to bed to let him know. Sleep came easier knowing the next day wasn't going to be so rough. Naofumi could keep going, but he didn't want to put everyone else through this every day. They chose to follow him, so he felt he had an obligation to make the path they traveled one they wouldn't regret.
…
Their day off
…
Their day began by waking up an hour late. Naofumi still woke up earlier than them, but he still slept later than normal. By the time the kids wrestled Leon out of bed, Naofumi had a large breakfast ready. As they ate, the kids asked about their day with excitement.
"So, we are going to the ocean after breakfast, right?"
"We need clothes for that. We'll go shopping for that, then head to the beach."
"Does it really matter? Our clothes will be fine."
As Naofumi sat Filo's plate of food down at the table, he responded. "No, Filo. It'll be better to buy swimwear. Otherwise, it'll restrict your movement and carry too much water when we leave." He finished by placing an extra breakfast wrap in her mouth, knowing she'd rather eat than argue.
By the time they left to buy their swimwear, the streets of the town were quite vacant. All the adventurers had left the main island for another long day of monster slaying. Leaving the street nearly deserted, if not for the local businesses that seemed to take this lull to resupply their shops and prepare for the evening rush. This made it easier for them to find the store in question.
"Um, hello?" The shop keeper began as Naofumi and the others entered the store. They were clearly not expecting customers right now.
"Hello, we need swimwear for the beach. You have adult and child sizes, right?" Raphtalia replied.
"Yes… Are you not adventurers?" The shopkeeper saw the kids and changed her thoughts. "Why come during the event? This is the most expensive time to visit." The shopkeeper asked with concern.
"We are adventurers. We're mid 70s already and thought to take a day off." Naofumi answered while motioning Monti and Leon towards the boys section.
"Ah, already that high of a level… the children too…?"
"Yup." Teal answered.
The woman noticed their abnormalities and left it be. "I see. The Cal Mira event is a powerful boon for increasing in power, but going beyond level 80 is a rare thing indeed. The bonus EXP wains as your level increases."
That information made sense to Naofumi. Meaning they'd leave the island when their level was 80. "...Or I could lower their level with the whip method? Since we gain lower levels so quickly, we-no. We have so much to worry about. A higher level is better. We aren't trying to power level, just become strong enough to protect ourselves and others." Naofumi thought.
"Let me point out what we have." The shopkeeper came out from behind the counter to assist them.
They took their time picking out their outfits.
The boys found trunks easily enough, with Naofumi getting a pair of green trunks and a darker red open shirt, Monti getting a pair of purple trunks and Leon getting a dark blue shirt and matching trunks.
Raphtalia had a slightly harder time on her end. Filo quickly picked out a small pink two piece. Raphtalia was concerned that it didn't cover much, but it had some frills to cover more than it otherwise could. She decided to concede that when she realized that getting clothes for Teal was going to be an issue, as usual. After nearly 30 minutes, Teal settled on shorts and a shirt, both yellow.
Once they paid for their clothes, they changed into them in the store's dressing rooms. Nothing was unexpected until Naofumi caught sight of Raphtalia's outfit. It wasn't that it was revealing as much as it really showed off her features well. Naofumi had to fight back a smile knowing he was walking around with someone as beautiful as Raphtalai. "Oh, how things change." He thought.
Naofumi and Raphtalia had to practically hold onto filo when they were heading to the beach. She wanted to run the whole way there and get there as soon as possible, but her parents had an iron grip. One step on the sand and they let go of her. Filo shot off like a rocket towards the water, her siblings desperately trying to catch up to her. Naofumi and Raphtalia had the good sense to not try matching Filo's energy or speed, choosing to walk the rest of the way.
The kids did all sorts of things to have fun. They all built sand castles, but when Leon's kept being better than everyone else's, Filo would knock them over. They also swam, of course. Filo didn't need help, but Naofumi and Raphtalia had to teach Monti and Leon how to swim, which was a nice bonding moment. Teal had to change her body to a slightly darker color when in the salt water, taking after the seaweed she found. She didn't as much swim as float where she wanted to.
Naofumi had to ask. "Why'd you need to do that?"
"Most plants can't survive this salt water, seaweed does." Teal answered.
"When did you learn how to mimic seaweed?" Raphtalia asked.
"Just now. There's seaweed here." Teal said, before diving underwater.
Teal could ascertain the structure of a plant and mimic it as long as she came into contact with it. This gave Naofumi a profitable, but dangerous idea. He saw that the rucolu fruit was desirable and expensive. He could get Teal to make some…, but if that made Teal drunk then may a god have mercy for them.
"Maybe it'd be better to never open that Pandora's box." Naofumi reasoned.
Filo and Leon almost immediately began splashing each other in the water. Both declaring the other started it, but either of them were just as likely the culprit. Things escalated from there.
"Teal! Help me splash Leon. He's being dumb!" Filo called.
"Monti, let's put Filo down once and for all!" Leon demanded.
Neither Monti nor Teal cared all that much, but it was something fun to do, so they made their teams and fought their hearts out. Filo was not going to lose, even if that meant cheating. She took her swimsuit off and transformed into her filolial form and started using her wings. That only served to make Leon do the same, but he was nearly ¾ the size Gaelion was. His wings could splash far more water than the other three combined. He was the baby of the family in name only.
"Die! Perish beneath the fanning of my mighty wings. Drown to the majesty of my torrent!" Leon exclaimed.
"I-Impossible! To lose to a dragon!" Filo said dramatically before falling beneath the water.
"Transform back and put your swimwear back on. You're disturbing others." Raphtalia scared the pair.
The others on the beach were indeed startled by the events. Most of them seemed to be locals, trying to relax while the bulk of the adventurers were gone.
"Yes, mom." Filo and Leon answered together.
They reverted back to human form and redressed themselves.
"Hmm, what else should we do?" Teal asked.
"Well, there is always this." Monti removed the Iwatani family ball from the [Inventory].
The kids were pleased to find that the family ball could float. Their day was dominated by playing in the water and freshly grilled food on the beach. Naofumi and Raphtalia played with them a bit here and there, but they also took walks that lasted the beach's length and took in their life as it was now.
It was far from perfect, but having days like this were so necessary. Watching the kids playing and having time to simply exist beside one another. It was far from glamorous, but it was dearly wanted and a lifetime of it would be their prize if they defeat the waves.
They stayed out past nightfall. Having a fire to warm them, Raphtalia told some of the stories that her parents would tell her. Naofumi wished he could tell a few, but most required information on his old world. So they didn't translate well. About an hour after nightfall, Liviccic's party appeared. Melty and Filo greeted each other as happily as always.
"So, how was the Karma boss?"
"Fuck that stupid rabbit." Was all Liviccic said, a clearly tired face said a bit more.
"Killing it the first time took over half an hour. It kept running away and retreating underground." Melty explained further.
"But after the first time, it was laughable. The boss would spawn into a prepared web trap and never reach the ground." Sophia said proudly.
"Was it at least beneficial?" Naofumi asked.
"..." Liviccic didn't respond.
Naofumi handed him some food and moved a little closer to Raphtalia to make some room for him. "Sit, eat, and tell me about it."
The offer for food and rest was met with very little resistance. They all placed themselves around the fire.
"The Karma Rabbit gave excellent EXP, even the familiars gave more than other things on the island. They also provided me with some weapon forms, the boss one seeming quite useful. However, the body fades within an hour of its death. I'm not sure what these Karma creatures are, but they are not monsters. They have traits of aberrations. Like natural spirits in a sense." Liviccic expressed.
"My old hero had 100s of monsters over the time I knew him. Dozens of unique and rare breeds…, but never have I witnessed such a creature." Sophia admitted.
"I've also never seen something like them in any book I've read." Melty added.
"Are you concerned?" Teal asked.
"No. Baffled is the word. They only seem to spawn during this event. It makes me all the more curious as to what exactly this event is. It almost feels like previous heroes built everything, but something like that…" Liviccic trailed off.
"Or they made use of what's already here?" Teal suggested.
"...What do you mean?" Raphtalia asked.
"I notice it each time I root myself into the ground on these islands. It's almost like… EXP is coming out of the ground?" Teal said, unsure herself.
"Wait, then why not plant yourself and get stronger passively here?" Monti asked.
"Ew, no thanks. If I regain a level advantage over Leon, his fragile ego will start annoying me instead of Filo." Teal responded.
A single "Oi!" was heard, but he never argued that she wasn't correct.
"That would explain the monster spawn rates, the EXP amount…, but the bosses?" Sophia was unconvinced.
"Maybe the reason is… The black balls make the karma bosses on the spot?" Ida offered.
Everyone turned to her. She had not been part of the conversation, but her point seemed incomplete.
"Ah, so if EXP is coming out of the very ground, that ball gathers it and converts it into an artificial monster? That would explain the delay. That would imply the previous heroes created those things though." Isidor seemed to understand what she was implying.
"That'd explain why those monsters all seemed so… Soulless." Monti added.
They discussed their theories a bit more before Naofumi asked, "We might take a few days off, you want to take our boss rotation?"
Liviccic thought about it. "Maybe, but I think we also require a day of rest. We'll discuss with the other heroes and decide when best to accept." He decided.
"Well, we're taking tomorrow off regardless. So if you're taking off too, then Keel's group can have fun fighting that damned squirrel." Naofumi said without mercy.
Somehow, over the course of the rest of the night it was decided that nearly everyone was taking a day off.
But one person refused a day off.
"Sir Ren, please. It's a single day. You've been working yourself very hard lately." One of his party members pleaded.
"You are all free to take a day… No, I'm telling you to take a day. I'll continue the boss rotation. There are some things I want to try without the risk of hurting others. This is a good chance to test some things out." Ren argued, not turning to face them.
"But Sir Ren, you have been more and more tired every day. You barely ever sleep. What use are you if this keeps up?" Another one argued.
Ren didn't respond. He turned to see Wyndia staring at him. She looked like she had something she wanted to say. That was all Ren needed to see.
"No, I'm leaving tomorrow, alone. If you don't drop it I'll leave even earlier to avoid you, netting me even less sleep." Ren told them.
And that was the end of that. Wyndia wanted to say something even more to Ren, but she found herself unable to do so. She watched him stay up past when he should have gone to bed. He was trying to read.
Having already stayed up an hour after they agreed to go to bed, Wyndia stopped and went to bed. She hoped that he'd see it as a waste of time to study on his own and sleep, he kept trying. She wanted to take that book from him, but she couldn't do it for some reason. She fell asleep before him, but when she woke up he was already gone for the day, as promised.
She needed to speak to Leon. As uncomfortable as it was, she needed advice on dealing with Ren. She could control him with guilt…, but what if she didn't want to guilt him? What if she wished he'd rest? What if she wanted him to stop hating himself?
Even though she hadn't forgiven him, Wyndia was not a hateful person and she knew that if she continued to rely on guilt as the only way to get Ren to listen to her, there were things she'd never be able to speak to him about.
.
[Author's Notes]
I'm sorry this has been such a long time coming. Elden Ring consumed my life there for a bit.
Anyone notice that each of the kids took point on each of the karma bosses?
This was more of a downtime chapter. Which the lack of direction always makes me struggle with. Next chapter should be more structured, and the chapter after that should be a very emotional time for some.
Please leave a review!