https://youtu.be/a0dbnCcC_kw

The hours passed, with Ashbel and Sly spending most of the day trying to bond. Neither of the two tried to bring Viera into the discussion - Ashbel simply wanted to respect her earlier wish to not share anything, while Sly didn't particularly want her involved; if she felt left out, she'd made that bed herself, and simply had to lie in it.

On Viera's part, she hadn't really tried to get involved, either, but a part of her wished she had. Hearing Ashbel and Sly exchange information about themselves was the easy part, and she'd been privy to such discussion the whole time. Certainly, just by sitting still, she'd managed to learn about Sly's mystery teacher, who'd taught him everything he knew, and the time Ashbel killed fifty Tigers and twice as many actual tigers in a day. Still, she couldn't simply say that she wanted to get involved, could she?

Eventually, though, as the sun rose and fell, a sign that noon had left and the evening was coming, things became a little quieter between them. Looking at their surroundings, one could see that the path the horses rode on bordered a dry, rocky ground that, as they neared their destination, grew grassier and more damp. Animals could be seen in the distance, ruminating on the scraps of food nearby - be they leftovers from travellers that came before them, the grass and weeds on the ground, or other creatures - a show of nature at its most base. It was even growing cooler with time, too, a sign that they were moving away from the south - and the grass was greener on this side, the increased vegetation assuring the trio that they were due east.

"Alright, guys." Ashbel began, grabbing both Viera and Sly's attention as they looked at him, Viera almost desperate to be included. "We're gonna be banding together for a while, I assume."

"That's the plan, aye." Sly nodded, and at that, Ashbel raised his thumb.

"So if that's the case, then any 'recurring antagonists' of ours are going to affect us all, aren't they?" he pointed out. "Therefore, I've got a new ice-melting exercise for us!"

"Isn't the usual phrase 'ice-breaking'?" Viera raised an eyebrow, sitting up straight in a bid to look composed. "Why do you keep saying it like that?"

"Because my way is better." Ashbel said simply, crossing his arms. "Now, in the name of getting to know one another while helping the war effort, I propose we share any villains we might encounter during our alliance!"

"That's...not a bad idea, actually." Viera murmured, looking at a few sheep in the distance as she played with her hair. Those sheep, they were different from what you or I would expect. With shaggy grey fleeces, flat faces and front-facing eyes, with a gnarly set of horns, it was clear that these beasts were predators. That in mind, when she saw them gathering around a human carcass, it was clear what their intentions were.

"Yep. I'd certainly appreciate the help, if nothing else." Sly shrugged. "Plus, I am curious about the enemies you've made along the way."

"Well, as you've probably guessed by now," Ashbel began. "For me, it's the White Tigers. Been fighting them for as long as I can remember."

"Hmm." Sly mused. "So you woke up one day with no memories and decided 'I'm gonna stab some racists'?"

"Hey, they started it." Ashbel frowned. "I was just chilling one day in the middle of a valley, when I saw a bunch of knights riding on the backs of tigers. I thought it looked cool, so I wanted in, but then they tried to kill me. Long story short, neither of us got what we wanted."

"And from there, a fierce rivalry began." Sly hummed.

"After that, I did my research. Really got to learn who those guys were, and what their deal was." Ashbel continued. "And before I knew it, I had a goal - to make the world better for everyone by getting rid of those bastards."

"Not that I mind being a part of this fight," Viera spoke up, raising an eyebrow. "But how do you plan to get rid of all of them?"

"Storm the castle, kill the King." Ashbel said simply, before looking down at his shoes, suddenly becoming pensive. "Of course, it's not quite that simple. First, I'll need to find the 'castle'. I speculate it's somewhere in the west. And then, I'll need to gather strength."

"If the King is anything like the Rook, then you, sir, have a ways to go." Sly smiled, pointing at Ashbel briefly.

"Yep. And they're not the only bigwigs there, either." Ashbel sighed, looking up to the carriage ceiling as he reminisced fondly on his brief clash with the Knight. "But it'll feel great beating them all, that's for sure."

As he took a deep breath, he turned to the other two, a slight smile on his face. "But I've been going on and on this whole time. Your turn!" he exclaimed. "Who are your enemies?"

"Well, I've only got one enemy, really." Sly admitted, speaking up before Viera could get the chance. "About as tall as me, long hair, has a scar over his eye. You'll know who he is by the smirk."

"What, is this a rival of sorts?" Ashbel raised an eyebrow, earning a nod from Sly.

"Something like that. I'd say he's more of an 'arch-nemesis', though." Sly explained. "He tries to kill me every week. Dunno how he keeps finding me, but he does."

"Wow. What a friendship."

"Not a friendship. He's a jackass who nobody likes." Sly sighed, shaking his head. "Best thing I can say about him is that he's almost as good as I am in the whole fighting thing."

"Is...that why he's trying to kill you?" Ashbel raised an eyebrow. Sly chuckled at that and flipped his hair, smirking proudly.

"Not everyone can handle not being this Sly." he said, causing Viera to roll her eyes.

"Maybe he wants you dead because you make puns like that." the priestess suggested snidely.

"Yeah, because I'm better at it than him. My name just lends itself better to puns than his..." Sly continued, clearly unfazed by the sarcasm. "...but I wouldn't want to sully his good name too badly."

As the other two looked at each other and then him, trying to work out the joke, Sly shook his head. "Because his name's Sully, guys. Get it?"

"Were we supposed to?" Ashbel questioned, smiling slightly. "Cool joke, but I definitely wouldn't have gotten it before you told me."

"Yeah, it's not like you told us about him before this." Viera frowned. "It's not exactly what you'd call a 'fair riddle'."

"It's not like it was impossible to figure out." Sly shrugged, mildly amused. "Point is, if you guys encounter a brown-haired guy matching the description I gave, he's evil and may try to kill you."

"But I've never done anything to him." Viera scowled a little more, crossing her arms. "Is he really that unhinged?"

"You don't know the half of it." Sly chuckled. "But if you're anywhere near as good as Ashbel says you are, I'm sure you can hold him off."

"...I'm really nothing special..." Viera murmured, averting her eyes as Sly raised an eyebrow. "Plus, we've only had one fight together. What does he know?"

Ashbel gave a proud little smile, scratching his neck scales as he looked back on the hobgoblin battle. "You'd be surprised by how much you can learn about someone by watching them fight." he said. "And you've got moves, kid."

"I'm not a kid, I'm twenty." Viera narrowed her eyes. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Same as you, I guess." Ashbel replied. "But that's besides the point. I was complimenting you!"

"You called me a kid."

"Not literally!"

"So I'm figuratively a kid to you? Is that how you view me?" Viera pressed on, much to Ashbel's visible exasperation. "Am I some kind of...scrappy womanchild to you?"

"No, no! Look, it was just a figure of speech, okay? I really meant nothing by it..."

"I'm twenty-one, by the way." Sly cut in, smirking. "So don't wear yourselves out, kids."

As Viera furrowed her brow in annoyance, Sly continued. "And by the way, Viera, I don't think you've said anything about your nemeses." he said. "Got any?"

"I've had a few run-ins in the past, I'll admit..." she murmured. "But I'm pretty sure in the near future, they'll be all of our problem."

"Why's that? Have they vowed to kill everyone you love?" Ashbel speculated.

"Ooh, maybe you stole their sacred treasure, and they're out for blood; any blood, as long as it'd inconvenience you." Sly added, jumping at the chance to theorise. Viera sighed and shook her head.

"I don't love you guys, and I'm not a thief." Viera said flatly. "No, these guys are dangerous. They call themselves the Dawn Deliverance, and they worship the Beginning."

"And now that they know the Torchbearer is here...they'll be active, won't they?" Ashbel sighed, and Viera nodded. "And I thought my plate was full with the Tigers..."

"Why would anyone worship the Beginning?" Sly asked. "Ain't that the guy trying to destroy the world? Last I checked, they're in the world, right?"

"Probably because it's the most evil thing to do." Viera crossed her arms. "Does the reason really matter, though? Destroying the world is the kind of thing you oppose regardless of the motive."

"Maybe, but I'd still like to know." Sly shrugged.

"Maybe I can ask politely for you before I commence with the stabbing." Ashbel suggested. "Anything to look out for, Vi?"

"Or anyone in particular?" Sly added, and as she thought of what to say, Viera furrowed her brow in annoyance, imagining a certain face smiling at her. How utterly grating.

"I don't know how to identify them at a glance. They don't seem to have any kind of dress code or identifying features, and unlike the Tigers, they're not picky about who joins their ranks." she explained. "Anyone you meet wherever you go could be a Deliverer."

"Ooh, spooky." Sly chuckled, once again irking Viera with his insouciance. "Sounds like we've got a little cult on our hands."

"More exercise for me, then, I guess." Ashbel sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Knights, cultists, whatever. I'll mow them down for you."

"Glad to see you're ready." Viera nodded. "If you meet a green-haired elf with a violin, don't trust him. His name's Van, and he's the most annoying Deliverer."

"What's so bad about him?" Sly raised an eyebrow. "Because it sounds like you've got personal history with him. He an ex?"

"Ugh, no." Viera rolled her eyes. "He's one of their highest-ranking members. I've had a few run-ins with him, and I barely escaped with my sanity."

"Does he use mind-based magic?" Ashbel questioned. "There are items that can help with that..."

"No, he's just a massive prick." Viera said, her eyes twitching in annoyance. "And that's all that will be said about that damned fairy-man."

She crossed her arms, looking out the window to see the grassy field they had entered moving past. No animals in this part, anymore. It was just silence and peace - an opportune place to relax, or even nap. But someone with her responsibilities couldn't possibly relax. So she purged those thoughts from her mind.

Unbeknownst to her, Ashbel's thoughts were somewhere along the same lines. It was dawning on him just how heavy the responsibility of the Torchbearer was. Who knew what kind of threat this Deliverance posed? And who else would he have to do battle with in the name of peace? Just yesterday, he never would have guessed that this would be his torch to bear.

.........

https://youtu.be/PDxpej1nU4c

"Ah, Calypso, you've arrived."

Located in a village in close proximity to Seiryu was a lone inn, where travelers could stay for as long as they needed. In one such room was a wooden floor made from black boards, and a wallpaper with white walls - no fancy patterns or wallpaper. It was just white. Lined against the wall were four beds, with correspondent duvets and pillowcases. On the bed on the left, they were green, like a forest. In the middle, they were red, like blood, and pink, like no particularly common part of nature. And on the right, they were blue, like the sky.

Standing in a doorframe before an opened, cedar-wood door, was a young woman, stepping in nervously and looking around with brown, doe-like eyes. She was quite a unique figure, with her skin coloured in an unnaturally ruddy tan, while her hair was dark red, tied into a short ponytail. Her muscular physique was covered with a dark red cloth tunic with a large brown belt in the middle, and an equally dark brown pair of breeches, with red boots to top it off, and on her back was a stringless green bow, not too different from Ashbel's.

"O-Oh, uh..." Calypso stammered a little, ashamed of her tardiness. "I'm sorry..."

"Tch, you should be. What took you so long?" a second woman, sitting on the pink bed, asked. Compared to Calypso, this woman was more slender, with a pair of sharp green eyes and long, black hair cascading down her back. She wore a slinky, magenta-coloured dress, revealing much of her pale skin, and to her side was a large witch-like hat of the same colour. She looked up at Calypso with a frustrated expression, her voice exuding irked superiority. The redhead, visibly embarrassed, bowed her head in shame.

"I was...busy!" she exclaimed, as if making it up on the spot. "There was a monster on the way, so I...killed it? Y-Yeah, I killed it! There was so much blood..."

The witch raised an eyebrow in disbelief, and Calypso stared at her, gauging for her reaction, which didn't seem to be in the realm of 'believing her story'. At once, she raised her hands, shaking her head desperately. "I-I'm telling the truth, honest!"

"Right! Of course, you speak the truth! How could I be so foolish as to think otherwise?" the other woman said, a distinctly sarcastic 'oh, woe is me' undertone to her words. "And tell me, dear Calypso, what kind of monster would dare lay hands on one such as you?"

"Uh..." Calypso seemed to shrink, eyes darting around the room to avoid gazing at her judgemental teammate. "It was...big."

"Have you no further descriptors?" the witch questioned, smirking slightly, and Calypso, without thinking, nodded quickly. "Then I suppose you must think me a fool - a very ripe accusation from one who couldn't even spin a good line despite arriving late."

"Have mercy on the poor girl, Raina!" a light voice speaking with received pronunciation spoke out, and all eyes turned to the man lounging on the green bed. With long, pointed ears and curly green hair extending to his shoulders, topped with a forest-coloured beret, he smiled gently, not facing either of the two. Instead, his grey eyes stared at the violin in his hands. "There's no need to beat her over the head with her lies, even if a fool like me can see through them."

Calypso pouted and Raina sighed, taking this as her cue to back off for now. She'd certainly be revisiting this, though. The elf, however, did not seem to care about the inner machinations of her mind. "While I am curious about what strange aspect of nature she found herself distracted by this time-"

"H-Hey!"

"-I find such queries can wait." he continued, looking at the other two with a cheerful smile. "We did gather here for a reason, after all."

"Right...the 'world's heartbeat', right?" Calypso asked, to which the elven man nodded. "I was asleep at the time, but even I felt it..."

"That'd mean that Torch loser is here." Raina noted. "Which means it's our turn."

"Congratulations! I can tell you've both done your homework!" the elf exclaimed. "By the time master rejoins us, that Empty Light should be ready to fall into our nefarious little hands."

"Um...nefarious?" Calypso raised an eyebrow. "You make it sound like we're the bad guys, you know..."

"Of course, silly me." the elf chuckled. "We are but noble knights, on our wholesome and merry crusade to destroy the world!"

"Your jests are almost as insufferable as her lies, Van." Raina groaned, shaking her head. "Who cares about all that crap, anyway? Just destroy it and be over with it."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, my dear Raina." Van shook his head at that, wagging his finger to go along with it. "We need to know our enemy - though, if it's who I think it is, things will be a lot easier for us."

"Who would that be?" Calypso questioned. "Oh, do you think it's that Viera girl you keep talking about?"

"Bingo! You're just catching all the answers today!" Van grinned, and Calypso smiled shyly in response. Raina narrowed her eyes as she listened closely.

"Uh, Viera? Like the Torch would answer to an egotist like her." she scoffed.

"Oh, I never said I thought she'd be the Torchbearer. I doubt it very strongly, in fact." Van clarified, shaking his head slowly as he picked up a rapier on his other side and held it like a violin bow. "But there's a good chance that she'll oppose us regardless, now that the world's heartbeat has been felt - and if she arrives in Seiryu with any travel companions, it'll be clear as day who we really need to look out for."

"Then should we track her down?" Calypso asked curiously. "It'll be good to keep tabs on her, right? And we can learn early on if she's really with the Torchbearer."

"Precisely." Van commented calmly. "So we shall begin our hunt tomorrow - at the crack of dawn!"