Kathyln paced impatiently at the entrance to the underground tunnel that led into the beast glades. The guards inside the hardened building waited in an uncomfortable silence as they tried, but failed to forget she was there. They asked her to leave, and that they would send for her as soon as anyone arrived. In response she released the pressure of her newly formed dark silver core, effectively silencing them. Normally Hester would be right by her side, but decided that Kathyln would probably like some time away from her, and instead ordered one of the guards, who was a knight of the house of Flamesworth, to watch over her while she remained there.

Kathyln stopped her pacing and looked down into the poorly lit tunnel and sighed.

"Meow."

Kathyln looked down to see Lunaris' bond Ailuros looking up at her, before walking and rubbing on her legs. The small mana beast had been exceptionally crucial over the last few months, as she and Lunaris were forced to take a page from Arthur and began writing letters back and forth, with Ailuros delivering them.

She smiled as she bent down and picked up the cat and started petting it while looking down the tunnel with a regained level of inner peace. Soon footsteps could be heard in a steady rhythm, until the sight of Lunaris and his team emerged from the shadows.

Kathyln was about to take a step towards him but hesitated. After three months apart she wanted nothing more than to run into his arms and hold him tight, but her image as a princess held her back. She instead held her ground and watched him with a loving smile.

Karen and Jason smiled as they greeted the princess before continuing on to gather supplies. Orson simply bowed slightly while remaining neutral before leaving as well. They had done this run so many times that they all knew what to do without saying a word. The three of them would first go and load the unit dimensional rings full of ordered supplies, before splitting up and gathering requested items from the other members of the unit, all while Lunaris spent time with Kathyln.

He stopped in front of her before taking her in his arms and holding her tight, then kissed her deeply. He didn't care about the guards or what they might say, they had been together for so long that it would feel weird not to display his affection for her.

"Too long," Kathyln said as they broke the kiss, then put her hand on the back of his head and pulled him in for another kiss.

"I know, I'm sorry it's been so long," Lunaris replied after the second kiss.

"I understand that it's out of your control," she replied as she held his hand and began to lead him out, Ailuros walking in front as if leading the way.

"With the war pretty much at a stalemate the council wants all of the dungeons cleared as quickly as possible. Pasta had to split up the unit so we could clear a few lower ranking dungeons at the same time. He even cleared one by himself," Lunaris said as he intertwined his fingers with hers.

"I just wish I knew why they were in such a rush," Kathyln thought out loud.

Lunaris bit his lip in frustration, as he knew the reason. Being the Captain that reports directly to a key general came with several perks, one being that he was present at most important meetings. Over the last four months the units had been finding dungeons completely empty, not a single beast remaining. If it had been a rare occurrence it wouldn't have drawn much attention, but many dungeons had been found like this. This month alone Lunaris personally found three, while Pasta Bloom went to clear an AA ranked dungeon on his own in an effort to save time, only to find it empty as well. During the last meeting several weeks ago it was finally concluded that the Alacryan forces were preparing for a major offensive.

This new information had everyone aware on edge. Aerial scouts were constantly patrolling along the northern coast of Sapin, the Lances were making regular appearances in front of the troops, and every general was sending regular updates on enemy activity in their territories. With The Wall being one of the major positions in the war, they were getting additional supplies and personnel in case the supply line were to be disrupted during an extended attack. Even construction on the new train project had been sped up in case it were to be needed.

"Who knows, but what about you? How are you holding up?" Lunaris asked, changing the subject.

"Captain Flamesworth grounded me," Kathyln replied with a bit of anger.

"What? I don't get it, he's not your parent." Lunaris questioned, completely confused.

"Not like that. He's not allowing me to fly anymore missions."

"Why?"

"During a scouting mission I found a large group of Alacryan troops, but they spotted me before I could report back. Instead of running right away Llyr and I fought back. We only cast one spell each before we ran."

"That makes sense. Most of Llyr's ice attacks are area of effect, so your spells would have caused enough chaos that probably made escaping safer so you didn't get hit in the back."

"That's what I told him, but he said it was an unnecessary risk. He said it was immature of me," Kathyln replied, a slight amount of anger in her voice.

"He was probably looking for an excuse. I can only imagine how much trouble he'd be in if something were to happen to you."

"That's what Hester said, but she wasn't about to argue with him since he's the head of House Flamesworth." Kathyln exhaled a bit dramatically. "And now with the units working harder in the Beast Glades I never see you or Tess anymore, and Lilia leaves within hours of arriving, I'm feeling...alone."

There was once a time where Kathyln didn't think she needed friends or anyone, that all she needed to be happy was peace, quiet, and a good book. However her brief time at Xyrus Academy changed that. There she forged friendships that she now couldn't imagine her life without, resulting in her feeling a bit empty inside as the war kept everyone away.

Lunaris looked at his love sadly. Her face now showing more pain and sadness than she had ever shown before. The root cause was clear, the war. Sadly no one, not even Arthur could end this war immediately. Lunaris came to a conclusion, if the war wouldn't end, then it needed to be forgotten about, even if only for a little while.

"Is Llyr strong enough to carry two people?" Lunaris asked as he stopped.

"I think so. Why?" Kathyln asked, her head tilted with a questioning look.

"Great," Lunaris replied, not acknowledging her question.

He quickly ran over to a crate and pulled a pen and paper from his dimensional ring, and started writing.

"Lunaris?" Kathyln said, hoping to get a response.

Once finished he gently tied the paper to Ailuros.

"Ailuros, take this to Orson," he instructed.

And in a puff of smoke the beast was gone.

"What's going on? What are you doing?"

"Sorry, but we don't have a lot of time."

"Why, what's going on?" Kathyln asked with urgency.

"I think it's time we did something a little bad."

"What?" Kathlyn asked, thinking she knew what he was planning.

"There's a small town not too far from here. We're taking a day trip to forget the war."

—————————————————————

Not even an hour later Kathyln and Lunaris were riding atop Llyr's back, flying away from the wall.
Kathyln had heard that a small mining town had sprung up practically overnight before the war, but what they were mining she never learned, meaning it had to be either important or a cover for something. After only about thirty minutes in the air the town came into view, nestled quietly at the base of one of the grand mountains. A few minutes later Lunaris was directing Kathyln to the stable for Llyr to land.

Upon landing a stable hand quickly came out but looked very uncertain as he looked at Llyr, no doubt due to being unfamiliar with ice falcons. Lunaris and Kathyln dismounted Llyr, and noticed a great deal of children had arrived.

"Looks like we drew some attention," Lunaris commented as he looked at the children.

"Get out of here, shoo," an old man with a cane said to the children as he walked over.

The children dispersed, but didn't go very far.

"We don't get very many visitors, other than the supply caravans." The old man said as he looked to be sizing them up. "My name is Glenn, and I'm the town governor."

"A pleasure to meet you sir, my name is Lunaris."

"And I am Katharina," Kathyln lied, not wanting anyone there to know who she was.

"Nice to meet you both, and from the looks of you two, I take it you came from the wall. Do we have trouble heading our way?" The governor asked, his voice sounding concerned at the end.

"Oh no, nothing like that," Lunaris replied apologetically.

"Hmm, are you two deserters then?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.

"No of course not," Lunaris replied in a slight panic.

"My boyfriend just suggested we come here to help me," Kathyln answered as she took Lunaris' hand. "The stress of the war was getting to me, so he suggested a change of scenery for a few hours."

The governor smiled warmly. "I see, a little romantic time for some young lovers. Well we might not be much to look at, but I hope you're able to find some peace of mind and enjoy yourselves."

"Thank you, I'm sure we will."

"May I ask what you mine here? As much as I ask, I've never been able to find out?" Kathyln asked.

"Combustium," the governor replied simply.

Both Kathyln and Lunaris looked confused as neither one was familiar with the mineral. Seeing this he elaborated.

"From my understanding Artifactor Gideon used it to power the Dicatheous', and will also power this new invention. I think it's called a train?"

After speaking a bit more with the Governor, Lunaris stored his armor and all of his weapons except for his dagger in his dimensional ring. Then he and Kathyln were walking the streets.

From what they learned from the governor the town was founded nearly four years ago, around the time the steam engine project began. However the town was far more developed than one would expect from a town this age, showing the importance of the mineral they were mining.

The streets were cobblestone instead of gravel or dirt, every building was brick or stone instead of wood, and businesses of every type lined the streets. A florist was peddling an array of colorful flowers, individuals, bouquets, even flower crowns. Seeing this Lunaris grabbed a crown of alternating purple and white flowers as he tossed the shopkeeper a silver coin. The shopkeeper was shocked and scrambled to find change, but before he could they were already walking off to the next shop.

"For you my princess," Lunaris said as he placed the flower crown in her head.

Kathyln smiled, more warmly than Lunaris had ever seen, leaving him a bit surprised.

"Thank you," she replied, then kissed his lips tenderly.

Seeing as the community was actually rather small, they took notice of the newcomers. Shop owners brought their A game with the hopes of getting some new money, bringing out their best products.

"We're drawing quite a bit of attention," Kathyln commented, seeing quite a few people watching them.

"That's not all that surprising with such a small town, not to mention how we're dressed," Lunaris added.

Kathyln was wearing black pants with matching black leather riding boots, a pure white blouse and black vest with gold buttons, and a black leather belt around her waist with a gold buckle. Lunaris on the other hand was wearing all black clothes that were a bit padded for his armor.

Kathyln's clothes weren't overly ornate, but were pristinely clean. Most of the women there wore clothes that were a bit dingy and worn from not having access to proper clothes washing artifacts. Lunaris' clothes were actually pretty well worn, but it was clear that they were meant to be worn under armor.

After that comment Lunaris caught sight of a woman placing a clothed mannequin outside of a shop.

"I have an idea," Lunaris said as he pulled Kathyln by her hand.

She never liked drawing much attention to herself, but being a beautiful princess made it very difficult to go about unnoticed. Even though it wouldn't be much, Lunaris hoped just a little change could help them blend in a little better.

It didn't take Kathyln long to realize Lunaris' plan, so when they stopped in front of the shop and he looked to her, she nodded in agreement.

"Hello and welcome to my boutique, if you need any help please don't hesitate to ask," the store owner, a middle aged woman with her brown hair up in a bun greeted

With that Kathyln and Lunaris agreed to split up to look for their own clothes and show each other after. Kathyln looked through racks and mannequins of clothes, but most of it was all bright and vibrant colors with floral prints, not even close to her style. She looked back to Lunaris on the men's side, and saw he had already found some clothes and was walking to a fitting room to change. She didn't want to waste their time, but nothing seemed to appeal to her. Eventually she found a mannequin wearing a black spaghetti strap sundress with sunflowers and a straw sun hat. It still wasn't particularly her style, but she did feel it was close enough to what she was used to to feel comfortable.

"Excuse me," Kathyln said, waving down the shop owner. "I'd like to try this on, and would I be able to wear it out of your store?"

"Of course, would you like the shoes that go with it as well?" The owner asked, pointing to a pair of wedge heels under the dress beside the dress on a table.

"Yes please," she replied and walked off to find the woman's fitting room.

Seeing as it wasn't as obvious as the mens, she walked to the back of the shop where there appeared to be another room. There she found the fitting rooms, within a larger room containing quite a bit of risqué lingerie.

A particular piece on a mannequin caught her eye, and she walked in for a closer look. It was a red corset with black lace, with red lace stockings attached to garders, black lace panties so small they seemed to almost like they were made from scrap material, and a pair of black stilettos.

Although it was normal fashion for a woman to wear a corset under her dress, she very rarely ever did, and the last time was years ago before her body had matured and developed to become more womanly. This corset was also clearly not meant to be used in the practical sense, but instead to seduce men.

Kathyln didn't feel she needed help to seduce Lunaris, she could do that on her own. She did however see one benefit, how it would give her the appearance of a larger bust. Her chest was in no way considered small, but definitely wasn't as large as Lilia or Tess. This had sometimes left her feeling a bit insecure about her body, despite her alluring figure.

"Seeing anything else you would like?"

Kathyln jumped slightly after being caught off guard by the owner. She quickly took the dress the owner brought for her and started to quickly walk to the fitting room, but stopped after a few paces.

"I would also like to purchase the item I was looking at, as well as all the accessories that go with it," she replied without looking at her, her cheeks a bright pink as she felt a little embarrassed. Then continued to the fitting room.

Lunaris stood by the open door wearing a tan v neck short sleeve tunic with black pants and brown boots, his dagger secured to a brown leather belt on top of the tunic at his hips. Kathyln saw him first, and was amazed by how much his previous clothes hid. The last time she got a good look at his body was when her mother interrupted them before they could have their first time. He was definitely muscular then, but now even more so. She had always thought it was that the padded clothes he wore under his armor were just that well padded that it added extra bulk, but in fact it was his muscles. Even though she couldn't see his biceps she could see the defined muscles in just his forearm, while the opening in his shirt gave her an excellent view of his pecks. She had always thought the term "the clothes make the man", referred to a man dressed in an expensive properly fitting suit, but as he stood there in loose fitting clothes of a commoner, she could honestly say she never found him more attractive.

Finally Lunaris' eyes landed on Kathyln, and his jaw practically dropped as his eyes widened. The dress hugged her body perfectly, as if made specifically for her, yet looked more comfortable and suited for her than anything else he had ever seen her wearing. In that moment Lunaris knew with absolute certainty that he wanted forever with her, with or without her parents' blessing.

The two left the shop, Kathyln's other purchase safely tucked away in her dimensional ring, with her intending to put it to use soon. They resumed walking the streets, stopping for lunch at one of only two restaurants in the town, then proceeded with visiting the other shops, just like a normal tourist would. Most didn't have much of interest, the bakery and candy shops being the only places they actually made any purchases.

Both Lunaris and Kathyln purchased an assortment of cookies for Hester, a sort of apology for leaving like they did. Lunaris did ask Orson to tell Hester of their little trip in the note he sent him, but they both knew she still wouldn't be happy. As for Karen and Jason, Lunaris purchased them some candied fruit he knew they liked. With Orson being the most practical, never showing much interest in sweets, he got him hearty rolls of bread from the bakery.

Now as the sun was setting, the young couple were riding upon Llyr again, this time returning to the wall. While coming in for a landing they noticed a small crowd had formed and were looking up at them. Lunaris became nervous, even though Kathyln didn't have any duties to perform that day, they were still not supposed to leave without prior approval from the Captain.

Although as they descended they noticed the crowd had dispersed a bit, and once they landed they saw the only people other than the stable hands with Lunaris' team and Hester. Assuming the worst, as soon as they dismounted Kathyln pulled the bag of cookies from her dimensional ring.

"Hester, we...." Kathyln started before Hester grabbed her by the wrist and started pulling her away.

"We're heading to the castle now, we have no time to waste," Hester stated.

"Hey! If you're going to be mad, be mad at me! Leave Kathyln alone!" Lunaris shouted as he tried to peruse.

"Lunaris stop," Orson said as he blocked his way.

"Get out of my way!" Lunaris shouted angrily as he tried to push past him.

"She's not in trouble," Karen told him.

"What?" Lunaris asked, confused as he stopped fighting.

"Mana beasts, hundreds, maybe thousands will be here in five days."