Chapter 33: Is It Wrong For A Man To Have Ambitions?!At the fight, Heymlir is getting worn out as he begins to visibly be out of breathe. Jayce sends a strike at Heymlir’s face, staggering him as saliva flies out his mouth. Heymlir realizes that he must fight back himself instead of simply relying on the black substance.The black substance covers Heymlir’s arm and he lashes out. Before Heymlir was capable of making a full swing, Jayce parries it with his arm and circles in with another strike.The black substance formed around Heymlir’s arm snags the wrist of the arm Jayce used to block. Jayce impulsively jerks his body back slightly.From Heymlir’s opposite side, Archer goes in for an attack. Heymlir swipes his arm in Archer’s direction and a black rope whips out at Archer. Archer rotates his small body mid-air, dodging it and follows up with a kick landing against Heymlir.The black rope stabs onto the ground and begins to cover the floor beneath Archer. Heymlir plans to lock Archer in place as soon as he lands.Archer’s eyes flare up, his leg lights up on fire making a pinging sound and it ricochets off the air. In what seemed like a near instantaneous motion, Archer’s leg slams against Heymlir’s side, leaving behind a trail of a bright red highlight. Immediately Archer uses the momentum to land two more quick succession of kicks; against Heymlir’s chest and then his face. In the same moment, the opposite side of Heymlir’s cheek gets fisted by Jayce.Darren, who was watching from a distance, was surprisingly intrigued by Archer's combo attack.Heymlir gets desperate for more power and he begins coughing.“Hey…What’s happening to him now…?” - Darren asks nervously.“When the body is exposed to sudden drastic changes, it will tend to have an adverse effect…His body is still not yet compatible with this influx of power that it suddenly obtained…” - San answers as he pitifully watches Heymlir struggle in agony.Heymlir winces in severe pain, and a second blast of the pressure wave vertebrates through the area; pushing back both Archer and Jayce away from him. Power swells within Heymlir and he begins to go insane.“Tch…! Not this shit again…!” - Jayce complained as he struggles to move.“Hey, you. Let’s hurry up and end this quick. Before that old man can pull anymore bullsh*t out from his body…!” - Jayce says to Archer.“...You didn’t need to tell me that.” - Archer retorts back.Not willing to go through another round of this, everyone but San goes to attack Heymlir while under the effects of the wave of pressure. Heymlir as he fends himself against the group cries out to San:“San…! You always talked about the glory days of your guild…!”“And when it disbanded, you ended it off on good terms with everyone and a party…! How nice…!”“But not everyone can have a smooth sailing end like yours….!”“Back in my guild….Lionel Duress…! We were ranked 6th at the time…! We too were a happy guild, built on each other’s bonds, friendships, trust…! Our guild made its way up the rankings, we were a rising star in the era! But then…!”“Our leader quit the guild…!”Flashback to the past about one generation after San’s, a young Heymlir hears his guild leader saying he’s done and a young boy, Heymlir, has his eyes wide open in shock from the sudden announcement. In the background, other guild members can be heard joking about the guild leader’s retirement, with a couple even wishing their best regards to him. But Heymlir paid no real attention to it.“Ever since then…! Our guild slowly fell apart…!”Flashback of another guild member taking on the role of guild leader and reassuring everyone that it’ll be okay without the previous leader. At a small distance, the young Heymlir had a face inkling with doubt.A little further in the future, it is shown on a holographic screen that Lionel Duress has fell from the rankings and is now at 8th place.“Slowly…! Members began to leave the guild one after another…!” - In rapid flashbacks, members of Lionel Duress begin to leave one after another. The guild room that Heymlir hung around with his guild mates and friends slowly became emptier until only a few remained.“We quickly fell out of the top ten...But I eventually cared none for that…!” - A holographic screen now shows Lioness Duress in 16th place.“I just wanted the guild to stay together….! Until finally…!”Flashback to a member apologizing to Heymlir and informing him that the guild is officially disbanding.“Why…?! I was young back then…! A boy within his fleeting moments….With a future...A bright future ahead of him…!” - Heymlir shouts with rage as his face flares up lividly.In his head, he reminisces about the time hanging out with everyone in Lionel Duress in the guild room, fighting monsters and winning tournaments.In a crowd-filled stadium, their guild leader throws his hands in the air and the crowd cheers. In the audience, Heymlir as a young boy looks in awe. A guild member pats Heymlir on the head, telling him that he’ll be up there, one day.“WHY?!?! Why was my time taken away from me?!?!”“In the end all the people that I've traveled with and called “friends”, they thought of only themselves…! They never stopped to think how it would affect any of the other members like me…!”“They say everyone has their time to shine, so where was mine?!!!”“Huh, San?!?!” - Heymlir howls, lifting his head up to face San.“My chance was stolen from me…! To leave a mark in this world….a legacy…! I even worked my way to save money to start a new guild!”Flashback to Heymlir now as a young man working multiple jobs, documenting paperworks, smelting, lifting and carrying large bags in the middle of the rain.“But by the time I had enough to pay for the first expenses….”Flashback of an scruffy, older Heymlir looking at himself in a bathroom mirror. His hair, now whitening. Heymlir touches his face in realization - “I’ve already grown old…!”“I submitted to reality and gave up on my dreams. I settled and decided to start my life anew as mayor of this city…!”“Since then, I’ve come to realize that with what I lost with my youth….I can replace it with technology…!”“And now look…! With this, I can finally achieve what I dreamt of ages ago!”“Tell me San! Is it wrong for a man to have ambitions?!” - Heymlir cries out with a crazed expression.San looks at Heymlir in distraught‘...I get it…’‘Now I understand your vision of Argonaut…That’s why you mentioned Rototoskre…’“Heymlir…!”“You’ve…Become a monster…!”.The group continue to struggle putting an end to Heymlir with their restricted movements. Heymlir marvels at the sight of the group putting in all their effort to take him down.’Ah...I too wanted to be like them….Going on adventures...taking on quests....taking on monsters...Just like what they are doing right now…’ - Heymlir says in his head with a tinge of jealousy.‘That’s right...I guess I’ve become the monster huh…?’ - He says solemnly in his head.‘But if by becoming a monster I can reach my goals, then so be it!’San feels helpless at the fact that he’s all out of juice since he’s grown too old for any of this.‘Dammit…! I wish I could help them…!’‘Under this intense pressure, I can’t even force myself to move my body…!’‘This is as far as I can go with my condition…So much has happened…I’m all spent…!’‘How I’ve become so pitiful…!’Tatsuo slowly wakes up, confused about what's happening.A person calls out to him. Tatsuo turns to face the person who called out his name.

Chapter 34: Black TrapSharon has stopped firing arrows for a while.‘Dang it…! I’m down to one arrow left…!’‘I’ll wait for a chance when he lets his guard down…’Sweat runs down Sharon’s face - “I can’t miss that opportunity…!”‘I’ll have to end that man’s life with my one shot…!’Jayce and Archer are unable to approach Heymlir with the effects of the surrounding pressure as it felt like being submerged deep in water, rendering them capable of only dodging the black substance.Then, Darren enters the fray .“What happened to you not wanting to risk your life?” - Archer asks Darren tauntingly.“I don’t really want to do this! But if it means getting all this over with, then I’ll become an added target for him to focus on…!”As the fight prolongs, the three begin to inch their way towards Heymlir. Heymlir understands that the three of them are slowly acclimating to the pressure and must end the fight soon. Heymlir begins to devise a plan to take them out at once.Heymlir’s attacks become less frequent and the three eventually make their way to Heymlir. The three of them enclose on Heymlir to attack him together.‘They reached him!’ - Exclaims Sharon in her head.For the three boys, the same line of thought ran in their heads:‘Don’t stop…!’‘...Just attack!’‘And beat the shit out of this old man…!’Heymlir clads his entire body in the black energy with cybernetic pattern. The boys’ attacks lands at once together, but Heymlir’s armor nullified their blows. This was what Heymlir wanted.Jayce quickly realizes what Heymlir is about to do, but it was too late. From where the three struck Heymlir, the black armor firmly grabs hold of them and swallows them up. The three struggle to set themselves free as Heymlir lifts their body up into the air.‘So it was a trap…!’ - San exclaims in his head.‘Oh no!’ - Sharon says in her head as she is conflicted on whether to shoot her last arrow now.Heymlir huffs - “I should’ve just done this from the start.”“Allow me to tell you this, Jayce.”“Everything I told you in the alley…I meant it.”“Good bye, Jayce.”It was for a moment, but Jayce was swayed by hearing Heymlir’s words.‘Dammit! I knew I shouldn’t have gotten myself involved!’ - Darren says regretfully in his head.Heymlir senses danger and hastily wraps one side of his body in the black substance. Heymlir gets struck by Windie’s wind blades, slicing up his clothings.‘That was close…! It’s a good thing I was fast enough to react to it…That thing’s attacks are dangerous…!’‘I must get rid of it.’‘That’s right! Sharon is still here!’ - Darren gleefully says in his head.‘But wait, why is she not firing arrows?’‘Could it be…She ran out…?!’Heymlir knows he must be careful allocating the rest of the black substance as most of it was being used to hold the three boys.From his armor, the black substance molds itself into a thin black tendril and it lashes out at Windie.Windie dashes and weaves about in the air as the black tendril pursues it. Windie was unaware that Heylir was chasing it into a trap.Sharon realizes this and screams out to Windie, but she is too far away to be heard.Windie eventually finds itself trapped as the black substance has been carefully encircling around; forming a cage around Windie.Before Windie could find a feasible opening to escape out of, the black tendril pierces through one of Windie’s wings.Everybody watches in worry. In a rush of emotions Sharon rashly takes aim at Heymlir’s head, but then she notices something.Heymlir’s attention turns towards someone approaching him. In the distance, Tatsuo comes rushing at Heymlir, seemingly unaffected by the black pressure wave.Heymlir sends a black appendage towards Tatsuo, but this time Tatsuo twirls his body, avoiding it. He lands on top of the appendage and makes a beeline for Heymlir as he runs across the black substance.Jayce attempts to warn Tatsuo - “Stop! Don’t get too close to him or the black stuff!”But Tatsuo ignores the warning as he rears his arm in for a punch.Heymlir covers his face in the substance to protect himself.Tatsuo’s punch connects and the black substance disperses upon impact, sending Heymlir’s body to rock backwards.

Chapter 35: The Monster I Want to SeeHeymlir’s body arcs backwards from Tatsuo’s blow.The wave of pressure snaps to a stop and the black substance holding onto the three vanishes.Sharon leaves her position in order to go retrieve Windie.The three bodies thud on the ground. Jayce’s bones cracks and his body judders in pain.Jayce groans as he tries to sit himself up. On the side, Darren lets out a painful yelp upon falling, whereas Archer just simply lays on the floor with most of his child-body crippled from the impact.Heymlir creates appendages that converge towards Tatsuo in an attempt to crush him, but Tatsuo jumps out of the way.Tatsuo lands a couple more blows, stunning Heymlir.‘Wha…My armor…!’ - Heymlir thinks to himself in disbelief.‘What is even happening…!?’Tatsuo closes in for another strike as Heymlir attempts to defend himself again. Alas, another blow connects with the black substance being useless against it.This forces Heymlir to change his tactics. Instead of relying on the black energy, he begins to attack using his body more instead.Thanks to the amp. Core, his physical capabilities have been augmented. Though, his body is weary from the battle. It's, however, enough to outmaneuver Tatsuo.
Reinforced by the black energy, Heymlir kicks Tatsuo against his neck. Tatsuo is completely unfazed and socks Heymlir in the face. Heymlir’s head flings backwards with saliva splattered in the air.‘What’s with this boy…!?’ - Heymlir exclaims in his head, gritting his teeth.‘My powers aren’t working against him…! And his body is extremely durable…!’‘Who–!’ - Heymlir’s thoughts gets interrupted by another punch from Tatsuo.Amidst his assault, Tatsuo begins to monologue - “I may have been down, but I’ve been listening the whole time.”“The circumstances of this town...your desires...I could honestly care less about any of it...However…”“The things you spoke of, your rambling about leaving a legacy...Have you been blind this entire time…? Look around you!”As Tatsuo speaks, San’s eyes slowly widen.“This city and the people here that you protected and cared for! This dream that you keep speaking of….It’s already right here!”“What you’re about to do to this town, is no different than what happened to your guild!”A wave of nostalgia wells up in San, Tatsuo’s words strikes a chord within him. A distant memory flashbacks inside his mind.Heymlir continues to be assaulted by Tatsuo’s punches as he is powerless against him.‘Why..?! Why are his punches canceling out my powers…?!’ - Heymlir thinks in his head as blood spurts out of his bruised nose.‘I can’t completely defend myself…!’‘His attacks are becoming heavier...He’s shredding apart my armor! And I’m already past my limit…!’Heymlir tries to slam the black energy against Tatsuo, but Tatsuo just punches it. The black energy dissipates into the air.Everyone spectates in amazement as they watch Tatsuo overwhelm the man that just took on the entire group.“Ha! Ha…! Would ya’ look at that…” - Says Jayce as he takes in the therapeutic experience of Tatsuo beating on Heymlir and feels self appreciative for fighting him to a standstill at the scrapyard.Archer simply stares. But on the inside, he is impressed.“Ah yes…There it is…This was the monster that I wanted to see…” - Says Darren satisfied.Darren tilts his head back and takes a deep breathe.‘...Now why couldn’t you have started trashing others like that before I get into a fight!’ - Darren complains in his head.

Chapter 36: The Receiving End of a GauntletHeymlir says in his mind that all he needs to do is get rid of this brat, all the main players are tired and are crippled from the fall after he grabbed them, and the arrows have stopped firing. Most likely because they are out he surmises. From these thoughts, Heymlir decides to take a gamble.Heymlir leaves himself wide open, allowing Tatsuo to finally land a clean punch at Heymlir’s stomach without any protection. Heymlir’s body hunches over and his vision blurs.‘That was close, I almost blacked out…! What ridiculous raw strength…!’Through his willpower Heymlir remains conscious. It felt like his entire insides were about to explode out of his mouth.Heymlir winces in pain but then using all of the rest of his powers, grabs Tatsuo in a bulging cluster of black energy, lifting him up into the air. The group watches in disappointment as Heymlir snatch away their last hope left.While clenching his stomach from Tatsuo’s clean attack, Heymlir gloats how he’s won and that now no one can stop him:“You may have a strong body…”“But I wonder if you can survive a crushing blow to the ground from several feets high in the air…!“Now with this...no one will stop me…! Not even you…!”“No. I won’t be the one to stop you.” - Tatsuo responds.Suddenly, Victor comes rushing at Heymlir from his blindside, catching him off guard.‘What?! There was one more…?!’Heymlir gets a clear look at who it is.‘Wait, isn’t that the boy who got beaten up by Jayce’s posse…?’Shortly after, Sharon fires her last arrow at Heymlir and he senses it.‘An arrow..?! So they were waiting for a moment like this…!’‘I’m currently defenseless and it’ll be difficult to avoid both of them!’Heymlir is already using most of his black energy to suspend Tatsuo in the air. This forced Heymlir to make a split second decision to choose between getting hit by the arrow or Victor.‘Between the arrow and that boy...’‘The arrow could possibly cripple me! The boy can’t do much to me… I can easily eliminate him afterwards!’‘While I do that…!’ - Heymlir begins hurdling Tatsuo to the ground.“GOOOOOOO, VICTOOOOOR!!!!” - Tatsuo shouts aloud as he plummets and Victor charges forward, lunging forward at Heymlir.As Victor rears a punch, something clicks. Victor’s fist implants itself into Haymlir’s head, and is revealed that he has equipped a steam gauntlet.Bellows of steam jettisons out from the gauntlet and hisses. A final click sounds off. Sparks pop off from the gauntlet as the air pressure nearby explodes. Victor’s body recoils from the powerful force and a loud cracking sound comes from Victor’s arm.The force knocks Heymlir away several feet into the air, and lands on the ground out cold.Victor falls on his knees, body shaking. He huffs heavily, breaking in sweat while Tatsuo comes crashing into the ground after the black energy disperses.Tatsuo gets up and dusts himself off.Everybody huddles up to Victor to congratulate him. Darren drags Archer’s body along with him.“Can’t you at least carry me?” - Archer asks.“Nope.” - Darren responded.Victor looks over at Heymlir’s body - ‘Huh…? That’s strange…’‘I was expecting to see a giant robot…’ - Says Victor in his head.Victor wearily smiles and lets out a pleasant sigh.‘Finally…I did something…’‘Thank you Dr. Crogsbell…Your technology helped me and my friends…’ - His whole body trembles while he clutches onto his broken arm.

Chapter 37: Ice WitchThe group celebrates Victor’s victory. Victor looks up at Jayce.“Yo, sup.”“That was pretty ballsy what you did there.”“That thing is pretty sick…Where’d you get that junk from?”“Sorry about what I did to ya earlier.”Sharon comes rushing with Windie caressed in her arm to congratulate Victor. She asks if Victor was fine to which he responds he is. Sharon worryingly tends to his shattered arm.She gets up between Jayce and Victor.“You! Get out of here!”“Huh? Who da hell is this b*tch.” - Jayce says irritatingly.“H-hey now, he did help us out…” - Darren stammers.“I don’t care! I still won’t forgive him for what he did to Victor!”Sharon then turns to Tatsuo.“Tatsuo! Now’s our chance! This is what we’ve been waiting for right!?”“Well now,”“I’m sure that Victor here has decided to forgive him ri–”“NO I DON’T!” - Victor shouts, cutting Tatsuo off from his sentence.“This dude had his gang beat me up…For no reason at all! I don’t know if you’ve experienced it before, but it hurts a lot! I could’ve died! I’m scared of what he might do to me now…!”At a close distance, San watches over the group collaborating with each other with a content expression. He goes to see Heymlir but finds that he’s missing and has ran away. He wonders where Heymlir has gone off and worries about him.Somewhere in an empty alley, Heymlir is sitting on the ground, his back against a wall huffing heavily.“It was a good thing I was able to defend myself with what little left of power I had at the time….I could’ve been killed….”Heymlir pauses.“Well...no matter...I don’t need this city anyways...I can always restart. Yes...With this power I can finally be like them.”“Like the one who asked us to create the amp. core…The elites…” -Heymlir’s mind flashbacks to a shady white haired individual with a hood covering his face, shrouded in a black cloak.“Yes...I am finally...a blessed person…”“That won’t be happening” - A feminine voice interjects Heymlir.Heymlir looks up to see Queenie standing above him atop a house, her cloak fluttering in the wind.“W-who are you…?!”“I am the person sent to retrieve the product.”“Wha–..? You…?!” - Heymlir stammers.His mind tracks back to Tatsuo and his friends - ‘Then who were those guys then…?!’Heymlir quickly realizes that she’s the actual sender that came to pick up the amplifier core, as well as her true identity. He begins to sweat profusely.‘Damn him…! So he sent her…?!’“I didn’t want to do this.” - Shivers of anxiety ran throughout Heymlir’s body from Queenie’s words.“But I have to extract the core from you.”There were no more tricks for Heymlir. He was too exhausted to muster up any strength to do anything to retaliate. Realizing that this was his end, in an act of fury and desperation, Heymlir curses out to Queenie and her epithet.“D-Damn you…!!”The wind blows and Queenie's hood comes off, revealing her face with her hair blowing gracefully in the wind. Her crystal glistening eyes, coldly looking down at Heymlir.“ICE WIIIITCH!!!”Queenie’s eyelids shrink down. It was all over in an instant. Blood splatters all over the floor, his cry went silent. Heymlir is killed.Moments after the event, Queenie thinks to herself - ‘A blessing…huh.’Back to where the group is, Tatsuo has decided to invite everybody to their mansion to celebrate, a decision Sharon and Victor did not agree with. San passes on the offer though and mentions that Heymlir has gone missing.“What the heck…That guys still ain’t done…?” - Jayce says.“Yeah…But you chaps can go on ahead without me. I’ll deal with this. He shouldn’t be able to do much with his condition and probably couldn’t have gone far. Plus there’s the issue about informing and dealing with the public affairs of the situation.”“An old man like me should be able to deal with another old man.”San and the group separates. Jayce departs to grab Punk Riot and bring them over to the mansion. Darren has little Archer wrapped up in his clothes and holsters him over his shoulder.“Alright, come on you little sack!”“I’m going to put you out of commission when I’m done aging.”“...What the hell is that suppose to mean?”Tatsuo and Sharon lifts Victor up to carry him back home."It's okay Sharon, Tatsuo himself can carry me.""No. Let me have this moment." - Sharon retorts.The two looks at Sharon confusingly."Despite everything that has happened..."Sharon gives off a smile."I'm really happy right now."

Chapter 38: RejectionFlashforward some hours later, Punk Riot is in awe of the luxurious room, commenting how they’ve never been in such a room before and that they feel out of place.Tatsuo checks up on Queenie to see if she was still inside the bathroom. Queenie emerges from the bathroom and Tatsuo asks if she was alright. Queenie pauses, but then begins puking.A party starts. The Punk Riot members glamorize at the shiny neat furniture and abuse the room service function. The thought of simply calling for someone and they arrive to serve as a feature mind-boggled them. This led to complaints from the staff members, but all of it was easily waived with Queenie bribing them.Sharon and Victor were reluctant at first, but they eventually got absorbed in the Punk Riot member’s tomfoolery and shenanigans. Sharon laughs while drinking with some of the Riot members. She then shows off a little bit of magic to them. Tiny particles of magic form within Sharon’s hands, leaving the Riot members dazzled.Victor is bandaged and has a cast wrapped around his arm. He is getting along with the other members, making jokes with them. Jayce sees this and approaches Victor.“Looks like you and my bois are getting along well.”“I still don’t like you!”- Exclaims Victor.“Hey now, don’t be like that! I’ll apologize again if that’ll make ya feel better!"“I like ya bro! Even before you rocked the socks out of that old coot, the way you got beat up by Hector and Malone without backing down, now that was tight!”“Why did you have to word it like that?” - Victor questions.“Why don’t you join me! I’ll gladly take ya under my wing!”The riot members begin hyping up the moment.“Oooo~!!! Yo! You put some mad respect on our big bro Jayce! He rarely tell anyone to join! We always gotta ask him first!” - A riot member says excitedly.“No thanks.” - Victor says, putting his hand up. The punks ‘awws’ in the background.Some time later, Tatsuo and Jayce begin chatting with each other.“So, how’d it go?” - Tatsuo asks Jayce.“No good. Ya boi rejected me.” - Jayce says dejectedly while gulping down a bottle.He lets out a hearty sigh.“The world is amazing! You know, just after today, I’ve realized just how big the world is and how I’m just living in a small part of it!”“From just these past couple days, I’ve managed to see things that I thought I’d never see! And you’re one of them!” - Jayce says with his bottle hand pointing at Tatsuo.“Then how about traveling the world? Become an adventurer or something. You could even join us.” - Tatsuo suggests.Just like Victor, Jayce puts his hand up in the air.“Nah I’m good. I don’t like the thought of being under anyone.”“Then…how about making your own guild then? That way you and all your bois can travel around the world together.”Jayce thinks about it silently.Out at the balcony, Archer who is now back in his original age, is interacting with Darren and has decided he wants to try make a guild.“Hey, I’m planning on making my own guild.”“I’ve talked with your friend Tatsuo a while ago…It turns out both of us have made a pact with monsters.”Flashback to a while earlier when Tatsuo and Archer were chatting with each other in the mansion. The two are waiting around in the living room as Sharon is tending to Victor’s broken arm.“So you formed a pact with a phoenix eh?”“...Yeah.”“That’s cool. I formed a pact with a dragon.”Archer’s body twitches from hearing Tatsuo.“Really…!? I was under the impression that dragons were creatures that no longer exists…”“I guess that explains how you were able to beat around the mayor like that.”“How did you do it? Forming a pact with a dragon, if you don’t mind me asking.”“We got into a fight. Me and Henteko formed a pact in order to survive. That was it really…”Archer ponders in his head - ‘To survive…? What kind of foe were they facing for a dragon to need to form a pact with a human…?’“I’m surprised to find another human other than myself that formed a pact with a monster. That stuff is generally considered a taboo.”Archer’s words intrigued Tatsuo.“Huh? Is it?”“What? You mean you weren’t aware? Well…Besides the topic itself, it’s not like it’s common for people to even know how to form a pact.”“Hmmm…”“So how come you did it then?” - Tatsuo asks.“It…Was for survival also…”“I see…We’re very similar, me and you.”“Well, that’s fine if you don’t want to tell me the whole truth.”Tatsuo’s words makes Archer react, as if he was suddenly caught red-handed.“You told me a phoenix always reincarnates after they die, so why would one decide to form a pact with you if it was about just simply surviving?”Archer didn’t say anything."It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me everything. You probably have the same thoughts about me.”“We can just leave it at that for our stories…A half truth…”We return back to the present time with Archer and Darren.“Hearing that and seeing him in action inspired me.” - Archer tells Darren.“I’m still looking for two more members to fill the guild making requirements. How would you like to be one of them?”Archer’s proposal surprises Darren.“Me…?”“Yeah. We were both trained by the same mentor after all. I could help you look for Sahara.”Darren pauses to think.“That doesn’t sound like a bad idea…”“Unfortunately though, someone asked me first, and he’s currently pending on my answer.”Darren glances over at where Tatsuo is.“That’s a shame…But I guess you wouldn’t stand playing second fiddle.”“Big talk coming from someone who had to have their ass dragged.”“So? What are you going to do now?” - Darren asks.“With the loss of the core, I’ll return back to the person I’m currently working with.”“I’m planning my revenge on someone…” - Archer says dubiously.

Chapter 39: EdenFast forward to the next morning. San visits Tatsuo's group as almost everyone is knocked out from the other day. Punk Riot and Archer have already left.Flashback to Archer telling Darren that he’s leaving.“Huh? You’re leaving already? The party’s barely started” - Darren asks surprised.“Yeah, I can’t stay here any longer. I have to get out of here” - Archer hastily replies.He takes a quick glimpse at Queenie. Archer leaps off of the Balcony and disappears in the night.‘What’s up with him…?” - Darren wondered.Returning to the present, somebody knocks at the door. Tatsuo opens it and it is San. San apologises for not being able to attend to the party since he had to deal with the aftermath of Heymlir’s terrorism. He sits himself down while Tatsuo sits across from him. In the background, everyone else is still sleeping.“The people wanted me to become the next mayor…But I refused”“We found the mayor’s body…he’s dead.”“Or rather, he was killed.”“We couldn’t find the core either…His torso was completely mutilated. There are currently people investigating the scenery.”“Thank you. You and your guild were a great help to us. We wouldn’t have been able to stop Heymlir if it wasn’t for you chaps.”“Not that his plan would’ve worked anyways depending on how far he planned to expand Argonaut. There’s still the guardian of Irene, the green beast…!”Tatsuo sat there listening to San intently.“You’re not interested in our state of affairs though aren’t ya. You want to know about Veloren…”“Before I start, I want to ask…”“Who are your parents?”“I don’t know. I never had real parents…” - Tatsuo replies.“I was always taken care of by a foster mother throughout most of my childhood.”This raises perplexity to San but keeps it to himself.“How come you wanted to know that?”“No…It’s just…I’d thought perhaps your father could’ve been Veloren…Or perhaps he could even be your grandfather at this point…I’d thought maybe that was the reason why you were searching for him.”“It’s pretty embarrassing to admit…But even after I’ve traveled with him, the man was still an enigma…”“Sorry, but there’s really not much I can tell you about him…”“But thanks to you, I remembered the time that I first met him…Back in Pillberry…It was around eighty years ago I think…”“Yes…I remember…It was there that Veloren had won my heart…”“What did I do to jog your memory back?” - Tatsuo asks.San smiles warmly at Tatsuo.“It was your words. Back when you were fighting Heymlir.”“Veloren was a wanted man at that time…Me and my guildmates saved him.”“If you’re looking for someplace to start, I suggest going to Odale. That was where me and my guildmates escorted him to.”“You may find some clues there as I know he spent quite a lot of time in that continent.”“I also remember he carried around a log-book or some sort of diary. I was always curious about what was in there. I have no clue where it may be, but I reckon finding that book would be valuable in your search for him.”“You mentioned that you and him went on an expedition together. Where and when was this?” - Tatsuo asks.“Ah…That was the last time I ever saw Veloren.”“Then…Wouldn’t that be the best place to begin searching at instead?” - Tatsuo questions.San pauses in hesitation.“...There was a reason I didn’t want to mention it to you.”“On Bernia, there are 9 continents that are officially recorded. But recently, geologists have included a 10th landmass to the list.”“The expedition that Veloren and I partook in involved the exploration of this newly discovered continent, formed by elite individuals who wanted to explore it. The purpose was to bring back information for documentation.”“The name of this newly discovered continent is called Eden.”“Even now, the world still barely knows anything about it.”“The reason I didn’t want to tell you this was because I knew you would make an attempt to go there…”“Let me tell you this kid. The world is still an undiscovered place filled with many mysteries and wonders…Things that exists that humans cannot comprehend. And there’s a reason why Eden has remained as one of them.”“That place…Is dangerous…! Once you set foot on there…You WILL die…!”“Then…How come you are still alive then…?”“I went on the expedition…I never said that I actually explored the land itself did I?”“I was just one of the lucky few that didn’t died first before knowing that the rest of us would be next.”“Us humans have no right being in a place like that, let alone living there.” - San’s eyes turn dead cold.“That is why…”“Please...Promise me…You will NOT go there…”“There is no chance that you will find Veloren there if he’s still alive…”“I don’t want to send you to your death…”“Sorry, but no promises. I don’t want to rule out the possibility of Veloren being there, no matter how dangerous the place is. But thanks for the warning.” - Tatsuo says deadpan.“...You foolish chap…”“Sorry I withheld information from you. When we met, you came off as suspicious to me.”San gets himself up.“I’m afraid that’s the time I can spare with you right now. There’s still business I have to attend to.”“At this rate, you might as well be the new mayor of the town.”“Don’t say that! I reckon it’s going to end up happening!”Right as San is about to go through the door, he remembers something else.“Oh yeah, try looking for a man named Newman Oliver. Many claim him to be ‘the greatest adventurer’.”“He’s one of the few individuals to have actually explored Eden and made it out alive. Without him, almost all of us would’ve perished there.”‘Well…Veloren was also one of them…But I think it’d be best if I refrain from telling him that…’ - San speaks in his head.“I’m sure he’d be an immense help in finding Veloren for you.”With that, San makes his leave.

Chapter 40: Next Step DestinationAt an alley, the Punk Riot members notice that something has been on Jayce’s mind.“Hey bro…Everything all right…?” - Punk member.“Huh? Of course I’m fine…What, do I not look like it?” - Jayce.“Yeah, it looks like something’s been bothering ya…” - Punk Member.“Is this about forming your own guild?” - Punk Member.“...How do you guys know about that…?” - Jayce.“We overheard your talk…Sorry.” - Punk member.“B-but–! We think you should do it Jayce…!” - A punk member urges Jayce nervously.“Haaaah..! And what, would you guys even join me?!” - Jayce asks irritatingly.“No way!!!” - The punk members declare with their arms forming a cross.“If we were to go out into the world there with you, we’d definitely die!!!” - Punk Member.“Then what the hell was even the point of asking…?! Who the hell is gonna take care of you guys huh?!” - Jayce.“W-who said that we need you to take care of us…?!” - Punk Member.“Do you think this whole gang just revolves around you Jayce…?! Just because you’re the strongest in this town…?! You're not the total hot shit you think you are…! We can take care of ourselves…!” - Punk Member.“...Do you know how many times I’ve saved all your asses…?!” - Jayce.“So what??!! We’re your bros Jayce, not your kids…! You don’t gotta baby us all the time…!” - Punk Member.“Actually, why da’ hell would you even care if you left us!? When have you gave any shit about anything?! You’re Jayce, the baddest thug we ever met…!“Hey…!! That’s–…!!” - Malone says stepping forward.Jayce stretches out his arm, stopping Malone. He stands himself up.“I won’t stop y’all from talking…But I’ll beat the shit out of you bois if you continue…!” - Jayce.“Then hurry up and do it already!!!” - Punk Member.“That’s how you always dealt with things, yeah?!! If something goes against ya, you trash it!!!” - Punk Member.But for once in his life, Jayce couldn’t bring himself to follow up with his words.Then, Malone punches the punk that was speaking earlier, sending him falling on the floor.“You…!! You guys are taking it too far…!! Consider what Jayce is going through…!!” - Malone says in anger as he holds onto the riot member by his collar.“Stop it Malone!!!” - Jayce shouted.“Let him go.” - Jayce ordered.Malone reluctantly lets go of the riot member.“Pfft! How pathetic…!” - Says the beaten punk member.“I quit this gang.” - Says the punk member walking off.“Me too!” - Says another member.“Yeah! I’m I'm tired with being under a loser of a leader…!” - Says a third member.One by one, the members of Punk Riot deserts Jayce, Hector, and Malone in the Alley.Later in the day, San meets with Jayce who seems to be dejected.“I just met some of your bois on my way here. They were bawling their eyes out, what happened?” - San.“It’s nothing. Those stooges just wanted me to form my own guild with Hector and Malone.” - Jayce.“Oh. That does sound like a good idea.” - San says, which brings irritation to Jayce.“Uh-huh, yeah. And tell me, where the hell would I even get the cash for it?” - Jayce.“Don’t worry about that, I’ll fund your guild for you. You just make your guild and show the world what you’re made of.” - San.Jayce tries to find words to say, but San places his hand on Jayce’s shoulder and tells him that just like what Heymlir promised him before, he will try his best to make the Punk Riot “bois” proper members of society, and to just leave it to him; he’ll watch over them.Jayce pauses, brushes San’s hand off his shoulder, saying that was all he needed to hear.“Hector, Malone! Pack your stuff up! We’re getting out of this dumpster of a city…” - Jayce ordered.“Must be tough to be a thug…” - San says with a smirk.Meanwhile at Dr. Crogsbell’s laboratory, Dr. Crogsbell and Mearl wants to express their gratitude to their saviours.“Please! Feel free to take whatever you’ll need or want!” - Dr. Crogsbell says with open arms.Victor and Sharon end up picking up some items from his lab, Victor kept the steam gauntlet which Dr. Crogsbell has adjusted so that Victor can use it more often without crippling him instantly.For Sharon, she was gifted marbles as well as a protective case as multiple marbles breaking would be troublesome on their travels, and can endanger their lives. After teaching Sharon how to use it, Crogsbell informs Sharon that a marble can hold another marble as well and advises her to take advantage of this to hold more marbles to bring with her.“Perfect!!!” - Exclaims Sharon.“Now I can buy supplies in bulk, and I won’t have to worry about running out of arrows anymore!!!” - Sharon.“But I don’t think this will be enough~” - Sharon.“Hm? You need more…? But that’s my entire stock, it should be more than the average traveler needs…!” - Dr. Crogsbell says surprised.“Yes but you see, one of us here is an absolute glutton…” - Sharon says as she turns to glance at Tatsuo who is tinkering with the inventions in the lab with Mearl supervising him.“V-very well…! I shall produce more for you! I’ll have them ready in the next couple days!” - Dr. Crogsbell.Dr. Crogsbell continues to ramble on about his technology with Victor since Victor wanted to learn more about his gauntlet and other techs.Later in the day at the mansion, Tatsuo discusses with Sharon about his next plan.“Sharon.” - Tatsuo.“What’s up Tatsuo?” - Sharon.“I’m planning to go to Odale. I’ve talked with San and he recommended I go there as my next destination.” - Tatsuo.“I understand that we went to Argonaut to find a cure for one of your parents and clues about Veloren. But in the end, the fruit was just a ruse for you…” - Tatsuo.“I wanted to let you know since my destination may no longer align with your goals.” - Tatsuo.“So whether you want to part ways here or follow me…” - Tatsuo.“...” - Sharon.“I…Will go with you.” - Sharon.“We are Geld after all!” - Sharon.“We actually work quite well together, don’t you think?” - Sharon says, thinking back to them working together fighting Heymlir at the last moment.“So wherever you go…I…no, we’ll go together! And we’ll achieve our goals….together!” - Sharon.“You know…”“You’re not such a bad person I thought you were!” - Sharon tells Tatsuo, with a bright smile shining on her face.Tatsuo smiles back.Sharon twirls away and as she walks away, the smile on Tatsuo’s face slowly disappears.

Chapter 41: RivalsSkip to about a week later, Tatsuo confronts Darren about his plans.“I’ve spoken to Sharon about it already, but we’re planning on going to Odale, which is off-continent…That’s what you wanted, right? To leave Irene.” - Tatsuo.“Have you made your decision? Wanna join our guild and come with us?” - Tatsuo.“Wha– Hell yea I’ll join! Take me with you!” - Darren says excitedly.Meanwhile, in an alley of Argonaut, Archer is speaking with somebody via a magical communication tool shaped as a sphere.“...Yeah, I’m heading back now.” - Archer.“...”- Archer.“Uh-huh…good to hear that…No, I’m planning on forming my own guild…”
“Yeah, see ya’, thanks for the help.” -The communication device disconnects.‘I’ll drag that man off his throne one day…!’ - Archer says spitefully in his head.Skip to Argonaut’s guild hub, Tatsuo welcomes Darren to officially be part of the guild.Darren’s documents gets stamped for approval and Tatsuo shakes hands with Darren.“Welcome to Geld, Darren!” - Tatsuo.Sharon wipes tears of joy and sniffles.“Woah…You okay there Sharon?” - Victor.“Mm-hmm! It’s just…I never would’ve thought we’d actually get more than three members…!” - Sharon says, choking on her tears.“So uhm…Is there anything we could do about our guild’s name…?” - Darren.“We’d have to pay in order to change our guild name, and it’s pretty expensive to do that. But that’s alright, the name is here to stay anyways.” - Tatsuo.“...” - Darren.In the background, Tatsuo and co. can hear the receptionist congratulating someone on making a new guild. They turn to see that it’s Jayce, Hector and Malone. Tatsuo and Jayce notice each other.“Hooo...? You guys are still here?” - Jayce.“What’s up with you? You’re making your own guild?” - Tatsuo.“Damn right!” - Jayce.“It’s the new and improved Punk Riot, Savage Punk!” - Jayce says while showing their guild logo.“That means we’ll be competing against each other!” - Jayce points at Tatsuo.“We’re going to make a mark for ourselves and take the world by storm!” - Jayce.“See ya guys later, the next time we meet, it’ll be as rivals!” - Jayce.“Until then, don’t you dare lose to anybody weak! We’ll be the ones to beat you!” - Jayce.As Jayce and his guildmates leave, Queenie also bids her farewell with Tatsuo and the gang.“Thank you for everything, but I must also take my leave.” - Queenie says in her soft-spoken voice.“Hm? You’re coming along with us. You’re part of the guild too.” - Tatsuo.“Ah…I wasn’t actually going to be a part of your guild–” - Queenie.“No, here–” - Tatsuo says, interrupting Queenie as he hands over a paper.“Look see, I’ve registered you as part of the guild. You’re one of us now.” - Tatsuo says as Queenie stares at her official Geld registration documentation.“...Huh…??! I’m sorry…??!?” - Queenie says panicked and confused.“H-how…??!!” - Queenie.‘Nice job Tatsuo!’ - Sharon says in her head as she gives a thumbs up in the background.“You’d need to have a bio-sample to register a person into the system…! Where’d you get mines…?!” - Queenie.“I used your vomit.” - Tatsuo.Tatsuo’s response left Queenie responseless…And mentally shattered.“Wait a minute…If that’s true…” - Sharon.“How’d you register me and Victor back at Pillberry?” - Sharon.“Oh, I just used your hair. It wasn’t exactly hard to just pick off a strand from the ground. And for Victor I used the saliva from the straw he drank with.” - Tatsuo.Sharon and Victor looks at Tatsuo with their jaws dropped open.“I-is that why you offered to get us drinks??!!” - Victor says while
shaking Tatsuo.“No way, it was just a spur of the moment thing.” - Tatsuo.In the background, Sharon ponders about something in her head.‘Hold on…I feel like there’s something pretty important with all these details that I’m missing here…’ - Sharon.Back at the Pillberry guild hub, Elena is talking with Becca who returned from her trip a while ago before the events at Argonaut transpired. Becca is disappointed that the trip was all for naught since she couldn’t even find what was written on the letter. She hopes that if Tatsuo and the others have made it to Argonaut, they find the second copy of the letter there.“Well! At least that letter was able to shed some light about the Veloren person’s weird name…!” - Elena says to Becca in an attempt to cheer her up.“*sighs…Perhaps this was for the best…” - Becca.‘All of these happenings…These coincidences…There’s something bigger happening…!’ - Becca.‘The letters and that Veloren person…It was meant to be given to that person 86 years ago…! Why was that letter in our guild hub…? And why did we hold onto it for that long…?’‘It’s strange how there’s someone affiliated with the top brass of both the guild alliance and the ARs army…’‘Yet how is it that seemingly nobody knows anything about this person…? There aren’t even any records…!’‘And then there was that boy who visited us about a week ago…The one that started all this mystery…!’‘When he tried to register himself into the guild system–’ - Becca looks over to one of the service desks where magic technicians are huddled, fixing the holographic screen display that appears glitched.‘…It broke the system.’ - Becca.Back at Argonaut, San is with Tatsuo and co. at a gate, sending them off. Tatsuo and the gang bids farewell, waving at San, Dr.Crogsbell and Mearl who in turn is waving back, wishing them good luck on their trip. And with that, Geld bids farewell to Argonaut.Fin~

Chapter 42: The Beginning of a New Journey Begins With a BlackmailTatsuo and the group are currently enroute towards Odale and are walking on a trail through a lush plain.“So…”“Does anybody want to tell me why we didn't just take a transportation directly to Port Veronica?” - Darren.“Hey now, where would be the fun in that?” - Victor says his head turned backwards at Darren.“That’s right! Where’s your sense of adventure Darren? We gotta explore as much as we can along the way while we still can!” - Sharon says excitedly.“Explore what?! Besides the towns and cities, everything is basically the same! it’s all grass, trees and hills!!” - Darren retorts. He then turns to face Tatsuo.“You! You’re the guild leader right?! Please! Please I beg of you for whatever shred of common sense is left in your head, do something about those two!” - Darren exclaims desperately at Tatsuo.“Hm? Just let them do whatever they want. I see no problem as long as we reach Odale.” - Tatsuo.Darren falls to the ground.“No…! It’s no use…! There’s something wrong with all of you…!” - Darren says defeated.“By the way, I’m not the guild leader. That title belongs to Henteko.” - Tatsuo.“Who the hell is that??!!” - Darren.“Isn’t your thing that you’re really fast or something?” - Victor.“Yeah, that doesn’t mean I enjoy walking!” - Darren.“Well, I’m hoping that we run into monsters along the way!” - Victor says, flexing his arm with the steam gauntlet.“You just want to use your steam gauntlet!” - Darren.“You can just return to Argonaut and get yourself a carriage to the port then. It hasn’t been that long since we’ve left. You’d make it by today.” - Sharon.“Then what was the point of me joining your guild??!!”“We literally have transportation on us anyways! In your little ball thingies! Isn’t that why we got those vehicles from the scientist that calls himself a doctor?! Let’s use them!” - Darren.“NO!” - Sharon pouted.‘Maybe I should’ve joined Archer after all…’ Darren says in his mind as he sighs.As Darren continues to bicker with Victor and Sharon, Queenie is keeping pace at a distance.‘I…can’t be here…!’ - Queenie says in her mind, trying to figure a way to separate from the group.‘If…I just left right now…They won’t notice…right…?’‘And if they do…What do I do then…? Run away without telling them anything…? Maybe I can come up with an excuse…Something like: I’m still not feeling well, I need to leave very fast…’‘They seem like nice people. I don’t want to hurt them…’‘But if it comes to it…’ - Queenie“Let’s ask Queenie what she thinks.” - Tatsuo.“Huh?!” - Queenie peeps, losing her train of thought.Sharon rushes over to Queenie, embracing her.“QUEEEENIEEE_{!” - Sharon says affectionately.}“Obviously you don’t mind right? You’re not like Darren!”Queenie is flustered and stutters between her words.“Are you okay though??? You’ve been really quiet…”Sharon looks at Queenie with a sad expression.“Is it because we forced you to join our guild…? - Sharon.‘No...Don’t do this to me…’ - Queenie whimpers in her head.“It’s okay, Tatsuo forced all of us to join without consent too!” - Victor says reassuring Queenie while giving a thumbs up.‘Uhm...No…That doesn’t help at all…!’ - Queenie.“Oh! You must be tired from all the walking!”“Since Darren is being a little grouch, let’s all take a break!”“Dr. Crogsbell was kind to offer us our own little shelter unit! It comes with windows, beds, and storage!”“I dub it as our first guild house!” - Sharon.Sharon tosses a marble at the ground which shatters. But nothing happens.The group looks at the spot where Sharon threw the marble in silence.“...Woops.”“I think I forgot to store the unit…” - Sharon.“That’s okay. We all make mistakes. But just to make sure, I think we should inspect the rest of the marbles to make sure we have things stored in them. Here, let me have a look.” - Darren says as he goes up to Sharon with his arms reached out.“No! I know what you’re trying at! No marbles for you!” - Sharon hisses at Darren.“Alright! Fine! How bout you just put me inside one of those things so that way you can just carry me throughout your little adventure!.” - Darren.“Can’t do that. The marbles can’t store anything that has something called electricity running. It can cause it to malfunction. It’s the reason why we can’t store humans or living things inside since we have that electric thing inside of us. We’d risk something bad happening to you. If not, it’ll just kill you if we tried putting you inside of it.” - Victor.“...”“Well oddly enough, now I just want to try it on a random animal or something just to see what would happen.” - Darren.“We can always resort to building a home instead.” - Tatsuo.“With what!?? There’s nothing within vicinity to build anything! It’s just all grass and a couple trees!” - Darren.“At the very least, we should try to cover as much ground as possible towards the next town.” - Sharon suggests.With that, the group begins to move again.“Shouldn’t we at least use the steam wheels to get there…?” - Darren whines, trudging along.Fast-forward till night time, the group has set up camp in the middle of a forest. The group is all seemingly fast asleep.Queenie slowly gets up. She churns her head in order to see that everyone is asleep. After confirming nobody is awake, she cautiously makes her escape from the group.She slowly walks away from the others until she is finally all by herself in the woods. She looks back behind to confirm that no one has followed.No one in sight.She suddenly hears Tatsuo behind her.“Are you lost?” - Tatsuo.Tatsuo’s voice catches Queenie off-guard; her body jolts in surprise as he yelps out an “eep!” She slowly turns around, like a child getting caught by their parents.“Don’t tell me you were trying to leave us.”“You’ll make everybody feel sad. Especially Sharon. I even went through the effort of putting you in our guild.” - Tatsuo.“I didn’t volunteered to be a part of your guild. I cannot be with you folks.” - Queenie says to Tatsuo as he blankly gazes at her.“You were the one that killed the mayor, weren’t you?” - Tatsuo.Tatsuo’s reveal took Queenie off-guard.“And you…”“Have the amplifier core.” - Tatsuo.“H-how…Did you know that…?” - Queenie asks as she sweats nervously.“My smell. I smelled your scent nearby when we were fighting the mayor, as well as his blood on you when we returned.” - Tatsuo.As Tatsuo was talking, Queenie could only stare at Tatsuo with a look of disbelief and utter confusion.“I can even smell the core on you right now. Inside the pocket of your left. It’s very faint, but I can still smell the mayor’s scent on it too.” - Tatsuo says pointing at Queenie’s left hip.‘I don’t know what kind of nose this crazy boy has, but it’s scarily accurate. He shouldn’t know what I have or what I’m wearing underneath this cloak.’‘Should I try bluffing? But that may provoke a fight between us, which may also wake the others up.’‘And I don’t want to engage in any conflict with them, or else I’ll…These people…!’ - Queenie.“If you knew this whole time…”“Why didn’t you expose me earlier back then?” - Queenie.“Because I wanted to talk to you.”“Now I’m not too sure about the core since I reckon that’s supposed to go to you, but I’m sure the city would be upset if they found out that you were the one that killed their mayor.” - Tatsuo.Queenie’s mind tries to figure out what Tatsuo is trying to get at.“Join our group for a bit.”“I understand you have your reasons for not wanting to be with us…”“It’ll be temporary. At least until we reach Odale.” - Tatsuo.Queenie deduces that Tatsuo most likely wants her to come along since she can provide enormous wealth for them as she’s been doing. She wonders however, if there is another reason instead. She’s tempted to ask, but she opts to simply ignore it. Why should she care?“...”“Fine.” - Queenie says disgruntled.“But don’t let anyone know about what I did, or about the core. Please keep this a secret.” - Queenie.“I won’t, I won’t. Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me. I might just end up forgetting about it since I have a bad memory after all.” - Tatsuo says to reassure her.Meanwhile in the background, Darren is hidden behind a nearby tree and some bushes.‘...’‘...SH*T…!’‘Just what the hell did I get myself into…?! And that last part is a straight up lie! He’s got perfect memory!’‘Why do these things happen to me??!’ - Darren exclaims in his head as he nervously sweats profusely.‘Wait a minute! Does he know I’m here…?!’‘With that abnormal nose of his, he should’ve–’ - Darren’s train of thoughts gets sidetracked as Tatsuo begins to speak again.“And if anybody does find out.”“I’ll make sure they take it to the grave with them.” - Tatsuo.“O-oh…Okay…” - Queenie.‘This guy…He totally knows I’m here!!! That was supposed to be aimed towards me, wasn't it??! - Darren screams in his head.“We should head back before anyone else wakes up.” - Tatsuo.Darren continues to stay still behind the tree, his body still frozen in fear.‘...’‘I just wanted to take a piss…’ - Darren.Later on in the morning, Sharon wakes up to find a short haired girl wearing a white hoodie along with light blue jeans, with a staff strapped behind her back standing before her. The girl’s clothes left a foreign impression on Sharon, but her attention was mainly focused on the stranger’s cute face.“Uhm…I’m sorry…But who…?” - Sharon awkwardly asks the girl.“It’s me. Queenie.” - Queenie.Sharon gasps.“Oh my gosh_{!” - Sharon squeals in delight. Her excited voice wakes the others up abruptly.}“You’re so cute!” - Sharon says as she coddles Queenie.“H-huh…?? …Queenie..??” - Victor stammers in confusion, his eyes still feeling groggy.“So this is what you look like underneath that dreary cloak! It’s good that you ditched it!”“Although the clothes you’re wearing are peculiar themselves…” - Sharon.“Yeah…It kind of looks like the same stuff that Darren wears.” - Victor.“Other than that, you look pretty Queenie! Especially your eyes! They glisten like shiny crystals! My Queenie, what made you come around?” - Sharon asks curiously.“Well…Since I’m going to be traveling with you folks for a while…I figured I might as well open myself up a bit…I feel it’d be a bit too brooding if I kept wearing my cloak the entire way…” - Queenie says softly.“Aaww…~!” - Sharon.Sharon turns to face Tatsuo.“Tatsuo! Guess who this is–!” - Sharon.“It’s Queenie.” - Tatsuo.“So fast!” - Sharon says in surprise.“You do realize that I was awake before the rest of you, right? And I recognize her smell” - Tatsuo.Meanwhile, Darren lies still in his sleeping bag feeling restless. Because of the event earlier at night, he was unable to get any sleep.‘Just pretend that you're sleeping…!’‘Just pretend that you’re sleeping…!’ - Darren desperately repeats in his mind.