The trio and their new acquaintance, the former rank 1, Kiki Tabitha, drank and conversed into the afternoon. Wardi found himself with a newfound confidence. Hearing some of the tales that Kiki spoke of, he found it particularly thrilling hearing of her exploration feats.

"You were such a pioneer. Do people know you're here? know of your triumphs these days?" Wardi tried to ask her. Kiki shrugged in response.

"I keep to myself mostly; it's just easier this way. Despite that, I'm not antisocial, but the quiet life is something special these days. Maybe you can relate?"

"What do you mean?" Wardi perked up and wondered, leaning in closer. Rhua sat in her chair with her arms folded, listening intently.

"The winds carry news of your deeds, and so does maintaining contact with certain individuals scattered throughout the area. I hear of victories in Et-Navn. Standing up to territorial-seeking maniacs. Interactions with rising dawn."

Wardi retracted back into his seat and put his hands over his head. "Honestly... I can't say they were our wins." He sighed, staring off into space.

Kiki was curious. "What makes you say they were not your wins? your triumphs? You're still here, no?"

Lucy was half awake, hearing voices but not understanding what she was hearing. She stood up to apologise and spoke with everyone. "Gosh, was I asleep for long? What have I missed?"

Rhua replied to her, "Five or so minutes; you haven't missed much. Wardi was just trying to tell Kiki about some of the 'victories' that didn't feel like ours."

It drew her over to the table, and she took a seat with everyone else. "I see. Well... When I think back on it, things did seem suspicious. The monster in the manor? MC of all people defeated it... The weakest in our group. And that man only lost at the castle because Bompeeyo was involved."

Kiki raised her hand; the trio took notice. "It's a shame that this 'MC' is not around. I have a few questions I'd like to throw at him." She closed her eyes, placed her hands on the table, and leaned on them.

"This rising dawn is something the world needs to be wary of. I would not dismiss your savings via Bompeeyo lightly either. The colossi are misunderstood, especially him. They are guardians, not beasts."

Wardi and Rhua were dismissive of the statement. Lucy's interest in the world, however, sparked some questions of her own. "Are they here to protect us?" she asked Kiki, who waved her finger at her.

"Not in a guards-defend-a-princess way. No, the best way to think of it would be a guardian that appears at the most critical of times."

Rhua scoffed at her words, thinking to herself, 'Yeah, right, give me a break with that naturist bullshit.'

Trying not to get herself killed, she remembered who they were in the company of. "How come they didn't appear at Et-Navn or at Coch Manor? A chasm appeared there."

Good questions there, Rhua. Wardi thought, proud of her.

"They were ready and waiting in the background, don't you worry. Vivyoly never just left you at the edge of the forest. She long since sensed the events occurring. As for Chasm? Well... that's something of a mystery. Someone beyond all of us and the colossi was involved in that one." Her words trailed off as she seemed lost in thought.

"We don't remember anything of that day. Our newest companion hadn't joined us at that point, but the five of us are totally blank on the events. We entered from the manor and woke up in some random hut in the western cliffs."

"It would seem you six have gotten yourselves in something quite... fascinatingly dangerous." She began to look towards the window on her left side, staring out of it.

"You should get going. Those four will be in view of the cabin shortly. Go now, I shall lead them elsewhere for you."

Clapping her hands, the trio bolted up and began heading for the door.

Wardi, before leaving, thought he'd take his chance. "Kiki? Can we add you to the Shellnet?"

Kiki pointed at Lucy, who slowly wandered over to her, and the hulking Felidhan began to kneel down to whisper in her ear, "You can have it. But only because you're now my second unofficial granddaughter," pulling away and giving Lucy a wink.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

She was made up with excitement. "Gosh! Thank you, Kiki; that's so kind of you!" Swiping her windows and seeing that she now had someone mighty in her contacts list, Lucy had become the envy of the trio.

"Unlucky, Wardi, heh."

"Shut up, Rhua, you didn't get it either."

***

Kiki pointed northwest, back in the direction of Eccles Ville, as they exited the house together. "Try not to fight, my boy Munching Mikey. He's excellent at keeping the local riffraff under control. Well, the lower-level ones anyway~"

Wardi noted Kiki was wandering in the direction of the window. "Let's make a break for it and go straight to the city. no more dossing about wasting time."

"Alright, grumpy, keep your hair on." Rhua was getting more daring with her jabs lately, but she was still a long way off from being on the same level of annoyance as MC.

"Stop it, you two; I'll bonk both of you on the head otherwise!" Lucy ordered, and the pair laughed as they jogged away.

The path was no different from what they had experienced where the fighting had occurred. They all had a brief moment of nostalgia as they reached a crossroads partway through the Widdlewans. They continued on, though Wardi began to test the patience of Rhua.

"Ah, the good old 1-star dungeon. Shall we do a speed run?" Wardi joked, earning the ire of Rhua.

"Do you want a smack? Why would we go there?"

"A trip down memory lane sounds like a great idea!"

"You just told us you wanted to go straight to the city." Rhua was beginning to feel her blood boil and a mighty punch heading Wardi's direction.

"Just teasing you. One day, though, we should run a gauntlet. Do them all one after the other."

"I'll wait another 60 or so levels before trying that. But sure~" Lucy was feeling the energy Wardi gave off, and he smiled at her.

"So~ do we have any idea what the plan is when we DO finally reach the bloody place?" Rhua took this as her opportunity to try and get some revenge on the wind-up and sighed. "Because I sure don't."

Wardi had already thought about this on and off, so he put forward his idea. "I think at least until further notice, we should just stay in the city."

Lucy nodded; she felt it was easier to stay quiet on the matter.

"Because you think they'll eventually end up there?" Rhua didn't quite agree. "I think we're better off trying to look where they were heading."

"Nah. That's a terrible idea. We are better off sticking to one place now. We can try to find out around the city if they have been sighted."

"Alright. But let's put a timer on it. I don't want to be staying there for weeks." It drives me frigging nuts being there longer than a day!

"Thy maiden! "Thou should stay an eternity in my arms!" echoed across the Widdlewans, prompting a shiver of cringe across the hairs on Rhua's neck.

God, fucking dammit...

"How the hell did he hear us talking!?" Rhua whispered angrily.

Wardi huffed out, "That creep's using some sort of enhanced senses ability or art."

"That's gross!" huff. Lucy responded, barely able to speak.

Wide Scan. Wardi tried to counter with his own scanning; the pulse spread out, passing through the trees in a wave-like motion, but Willieth, the wandering weirdo, was out of range of his scanning range. Hmph. I'd rather know he was nearby than not.

"Wherefore art thou, red-haired maiden? "Thy sweet princeling is here for you!" The weirdo continued to shout.

"MILADY. THE LORD CALLS FOR YOU," Willieth's peasant actors yelled out.

The trio were bombarded with shouts as they sprinted through the forest. Voices slowly drowned out more as the distance between them grew.

Rhua noticed it first as she glanced around, avoiding low branches and roots sticking above the ground. Something didn't seem right. There's been no sign of life for a while. It's quiet... Too quiet.

"Everyone stop," she said. Wardi began to pick up on something himself. Lucy hadn't, but she still spoke, "Why did we stop? Do you need a break?"

"You sense that, Rhu? Something's off..."

Rhua looked around and braced herself with her sword and shield. Wardi readied his rapier, and Lucy readied her wand.

"I'm so confused; this is fast becoming an afternoon I'm not so keen on." Lucy had become braver in recent times, but Wardi noticed a shaking in her hands. Poor sod, she has seen some shit recently.

BANG

Gunshots echoed across the north of the Widdlewans; the trio looked in the direction, flinching as another shot went off.

BANG

"That sounds like a gun from Terra going off, Wardi?"

"Yes, it does. I don't really want to, but I'm going on ahead. Keep together; I'll be back."

Shadow step

Wardi bolted into the shadows and quickly rushed through the other realm. The gunshots were much further away than he anticipated. He ran for a long time before reaching a drop down a hill. Numerous Mandems were gathered below. Willieth was a quivering mess, and his troupe seemed to be unconscious on the floor.

You idiots... Why did you go near this lot?

A Mandem stood with his flashy sneakers on top of Willieth's head; he cried out in pain as the Mandem pressed his foot in harder. "Yo, ere me now. Dis man's not hot. Will the butters is gonna get wet. We iz gonna write mad drill tracks about dis ye?"

"No, please! I'll stop my cosplay, I promise. You'll never hear another sonnet upon your bonnet again."

"Fam. I dunno what ya mean. Shut up, you rasclart." The mandem took a gun stock to Willieth's head, and he fell to the floor from the blow.

"We good ye bredrin!?" He rallied

"YEAH!" His followers cried

Wardi began to kneel down, ready to lunge in to try and save the man.

Kiki, however, made a surprise appearance.

"You must be stupid to pull a stunt like this so close to my home."

"Yo, who's dis!? Mandems, mash her up, yeah!"

Bullets began to riddle the area, straying past Wardi. He was able to dodge them from keen senses.

But he worried for Kiki, who was alone and surrounded by what looked to be about 101 pissed-off Mandems.

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