As Selene was reaching the fruit’s core, smiling and grinning while she did, a shadow loomed over her from behind. She turned around to find Noyl, for once not reading his book, porting a confused look on his face “Sorry, but may I also have an apple?” politely asked Noyl as he carefully lay down the bags he was holding

“Well would you look at that! Turns out that mouth does work! And here I was, betting two silver coins against Amelia, saying that you’re a goddamn mute.” Wilken boorishly blabbed and spat at Noyl’s already dirtied boot. “You barely ever ask for anything or talk for that matter. Why now?”

“I just like them apples.”

“Well, sorry, bud. It looks like we just ran out of them apples you love so much.” sardonically answered Wilken as he chomped down on another apple.

“Is that so?”

Wilken shut his eyes and ignored Noyl “Yup!” He childishly replied as he flung away the once-bitten apple and gnawed on another brand-new one.

Selene cast her eyes to the boiling argument, even her couldn’t overlook Wilken’s behavior. She felt ashamed of herself for actually thinking Wilken was a decent person and anything more than a prideful adventurer. Selene tried to lift herself up, intending on giving Wilken a piece of her mind, and just as she was halfway up on her feet and preparing her first insult, a crushing force pressed upon her shoulder, causing her entire body to fall back down. She had never felt such an intense feeling before, as if the entire force of a giant was solely pressed upon her right shoulder, or at least she thought so, not that she knew how strong a giant is or whether they actually existed or not. Her entire body shivered as she panted profusely. She mustered up the courage and glanced over to her right shoulder, and on it lay the sole left hand of Noyl. His hand was far bigger than Selene’s, and seeing from up close, she noticed that as many scars as there were, they were all old or nearly healed. Damn. This guy has been through some shits. she thought to herself before quickly shrugging away his hand So, he doesn’t need my help. she glanced over to him, his face was calm and composed despite being unfairly spited by Wilken. Not a single vein or creases on his visage showed any animosity towards Wilken.

“Fine then.” Noyl abandoned this pointless bickering and reached for his bag.

He picked out a loaf of bread but was immediately interrupted by Wilken the moment he got it out “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Eating.” he bluntly replied

“And why the hell should we waste our precious rations on a damn overage servant?” Wilken burst out laughing as if it was the funniest thing ever, promptly awaking Amelia in the process. He wiped out the laughing tears from his eyelids “If you wanna eat, there’s that river we crossed this morning. I heard the fish o’er there are scrumptious!” Wilken recommended Noyl to the shallow river miles away from here “Just remember to return soon and you know, don’t die and all that stuff. We leave at dawn.” His laughter only grew louder and more vulgar, to the point even Amelia was grimacing.

Though the hood was shadowing half of his face, Selene saw glimpse of his blistered lips forcing out a wry smile “Sorry for troubling everyone. I guess I’ll go then.” Then without uttering a single word let alone a wail of disdain, Noyl calmly picked up his bag and hung his cloth-covered rod over his shoulder.

“Yeah, have fun bud!” Wilken waved at him with his mouth full of apple

As the cloaked man turned aback and tightened his rugged rucksack, Selene reached out her left arm and forcefully grabbed upon his right. “Are you just going to let him torment you like that?” Selene whispered, making sure that Wilken couldn’t hear her. She refused to stare at a man that would back down that easily, but she also refused to let such a weak-willed man wander in treacherous places all by himself. As she sat on the grass, patiently waiting for an answer, a familiar, forceful drive descended upon her busied arm, yet this time unlike the violent gust from before, it weakened itself down to a soft and gentle breeze. What the… thought Selene as her eyes lit up in curiosity

Couldn’t resist the temptation anymore, she tilted her head back and met Noyl’s eyes “Needless infighting is best avoided.” Noyl responded with a soft smile while gripping Selene’s left arm with his. With caring eyes and a velvety palm, Noyl slowly released Selene from his grasp.

Selene blankly stared with no words came in mind as Noyl steadily disembarked from the comfort of the shaded tree and departed back the pathway the group had taken since morning, all whilst marching straight with not a hint of contempt seeping out. His back draped over by a grimy cloak and over it an even filthier rucksack, was the last time Selene saw of Noyl before the blinding sun played its tricks on her eyes, and before she knew it, Noyl has once again inexplicably vanished from her sight.

“What is wrong with you?!” Selene wasted no time in busting Wilken’s eardrums

“What do you mean?” Wilken tilted his head and played out an innocent look

“Quit the act!” she stomped her fist down the ground, so violently that she scared the birds off the tree “I don’t like the guy either but that doesn’t mean you can just push him around like that!”

“Push him around? Did I force him to leave? Did I press my sword against his neck and shunned him away?” Wilken’s voice grew higher and his face cheekier with each passing sentence.

“Don’t try to play high morale now, Wilken. You know what you’ve done, and you enjoyed every single second of it, you smug prick. How could you even call yourself an adventurer and a man?”

“Excuse me, Selene, but how long have you been an adventurer for?” a full shift in attitude engulfed the male adventurer, as he dropped his apple and his tone turned deeper “Because I’ve been at it for five years.” He’s been an adventurer since he was twelve? Selene thought to herself “And what I’ve learned from that brief five years was that loyalty to the party always comes first.”

Upon hearing that statement, Selene was left completely dumbstruck, her mouth gaped wide open as her eye twitched up and down. “Hah! How dare you preach about loyalty when you casually kicked away Noyl like that!” Selene scorned, flipping her golden hair back as if she’d already won the argument

“That is precisely why I kicked him away.” said Wilken with a faint smile

Everything you’re saying is confusing me. Your very existence disgusts me. Selene angrily thought but her last sliver of conscience stopped her from saying it out loud

“You see, for the past three days we’ve been on this journey, the guy has never once talked to us aside from the occasion Yes or No.” Selene remained quiet at the remark as even she couldn’t argue against that “At first, I thought he was just the quiet type, there’s nothing I can do about it if that’s the case. But then aside from being a goddamn mute, he also proves to be absolutely incompetent at combat!” shouted Wilken as Amelia lightly sniggered “I mean like really! He’s an adventurer for fuck sake! He’s also fucking older than all of us! And all he could do was some third-rate party-trick magic, while wielding that glorified stick o’er his back!” Wilken gradually got louder after each passing insults, his face distorted, grim-like, his pupils has seemingly disappeared making him more beastlike as his mouth spat puddles left and right. The situation was getting so bad and disturbing that Amelia had to calm him down.

Finally came back to his senses, he fixed his vulgar demeanor and hastily brought out his signature nice-guy look, as he relaxed his eyebrows and his eyes turned droopy like rainbow arcs, all while accompanying with a soothing smile that had managed to deceive Selene back when they first met. “You see, loyalty for adventurers means that the party always come first. It doesn’t matter how hard the choices are, if it benefits the party then it’s of utmost paramount. Noyl wasn’t essential. Aside from being an overage valet and an extra meat sack, we completely have no need for him. He’s deadweight.”

“You talk a lot about the good of the party but as far as I could tell, you’re the one making all the decisions and you’re the only one benefitting off of them.”

“If that’s what you think then you have truly misunderstood me, my fair lady. I’m not only doing this for my selfish desire, I’m also doing this for poor, old Noyl.” What? Selene’s eyebrow raised, filled with confusion and disgust at his posh dialect “You see, I’m not as vile of a bastard as you made me be, Selene. I may bear no love for the man, but I also do not wish to see him die needlessly. That is why I have sent him away while we’ll journey on!”

“Are you saying to leave Noyl?!” screamed Selene.

“Well if you truly care for him, then that’s the best course of option.” slyly grinned Wilken

As annoying and frustrating Wilken’s demeanor was to Selene, she was somewhat convinced; despite not wanting to admit defeat, she decided to remain quiet.

“That’s a good girl. Well, we better leave now before he gets back.” Wilken hastily leapt up from the ground and landed on his feet. He then reached out both arms to the two lasses up, despite his condescending nature and questionable sense of moral, Selene reluctantly accepted his kind gesture and skimpy took his hand , while Amelia fully throttled his forearm, shaking and humping as a pup would to its master. Once all were back on their feet, each began to clad themselves back and prepare their satchel.

Selene was struggling to attach her breastplate on, the armor would constantly fell over and lodged itself in the dirt every time she tried to strap it from behind. She had never had this problem before, every other time she was always the fastest one to finish preparing. Perhaps the whole idea of leaving Noyl behind has left a bad taste in her mouth. She didn’t want to betray her teammate, but by siding with Noyl means she’s also betraying other her teammates. Her head was fuming like a boiler with the concept of loyalty and righteousness, her uncontrollable fingers twitched all over and her raging heartbeat only made it worse, strapping her breastplate was now nigh impossible.

A pleasant fragrance made its way to Selene’s nostrils, it was the same perfume smell that her elder sister would use when she tried to seduce this one man that served her dad. She didn’t remember his face so she couldn’t really say whether her sister’s efforts were worth it or not. Selene was completely captured by the aroma, she stuck both her hands up to her cheeks and took the longest breath she could, its captivating sweetness reminded her of the golden apple’s nectar, in fact it was nigh identical. She only snapped out of the spell of the fragrance when she felt her hands were empty, and suddenly remembering what she was supposed to do Crap! She thought, wiping the drools off her face as she looked down to the ground, but nothing was there. She scratched her head for a second before glancing back at her chest, and to her surprise her breastplate had somehow strapped itself on her. Could this be my newfound power? My Title? Am I the Master of Breastplate? Fuck me sideways if it is. she thought to herself, not sure on whether to be happy or not

“Are you alright, girl?” a gentle voice, but far too sudden and close to her ears, all of a sudden stormed its words into Selene’s ears

“AHH!” Selene loudly shrieked as her face turned pale, ghostlike, and she leapt into the air like a wet cat. With the complexion of a ghost and drops of tears on her eyelids, Selene pushed herself to turn towards the voice, her body cranked while she did like rusty chains.

“Hi.” Amelia shakily greeted, all while covering her face with her horned hat, but Selene could still hear her faint giggles beneath that purple hat

“…”

“…”

“Sorry about that.” with her face redder and hotter than the sun, Selene lifted her chin up and cross her arms, desperately trying to play it cool “I assume you were the one who strapped my armor for me. Thank you.”

“No worries.” said Amelia while putting her pointed hat back over her long, wavy rose-colored hair “Are you still upset about leaving Noyl?” she asked with a caring tone and a softer gaze

“It’s not all that. I don’t really like the guy either, but I’m scared he’s going to wound up hurt or worse.”

“Well better than him following us and actually end up worse, right?”

“I guess…”

She reached in and gently wrapped her arms over Selene, pressing the young girl against her chest “It’s alright, girl. He may be weak, but he could at the very least handle lowly crickets by himself.” Amelia gave Selene just the right reassuring words that she needed to hear all while softy patting her back “But you have to mildly agree with Wilken.” What? thought Selene, busting her weird fantasy of Amelia off her mind “Have you not noticed how suspicious Noyl is? He is like a wandering spirit. Always slithering away like a snake at the dead of night, always sending dozens upon dozens of messenger crows in flock every occasion he got, and always locking his eyes on that forsaken book. Be careful of people, little girl. He may not who you think he is.” she leaned in near and whispered to Selene in a sensuous but also ominous fashion; her cold breath flew pass Selene’s neck, sending chill down her spine “Well, with all said, I shouldn’t judge a person from their demeanor lone. After all, we all have secrets of our own.” she entirely changed her tone and innocently winked at Selene, with her bright emerald eyes shimmering like the fair meadow; as a girl, even Selene couldn’t help being captivated by Amelia’s outer-mature charms and be wearied of her inner-cryptic demeanor.

“Come on girls! The sun is setting!” Selene turned towards the shout, and she saw Wilken, already fully cladded and prepared, standing in the middle of the rocky road and waving at them

“Coming!!” Amelia screamed back with a girlish voice, all while pressing one hand against her blushing cheek and one foot in the air as if she’s an innocent maiden despite her mature look. She then with a gleeful face, casually skipped towards Wilken, but stopped suddenly amidst her track and turned her head back to Selene “Let’s keep this girl talk to ourselves.” She once again winked at Selene and pressed one finger against her lips. Coming! Darling! with her last wish conveyed, she then rapidly rushed over to her lover and once again he greeted her with open arms and to which she jumped straight into them.

What kind of defective lots have I been group up with? Selene fell into a short pity-attack for herself, as she paced about while hugging her head. Once regained her composure, she strapped her sword around her waist, and her leather-bag over her back, and went down with her last two members to depart for the village “Lafras”.