A half-asleep figure was passing through the creeping shadows of the forest, robotically taking the right turns through the meadow, with his head bobbing up and down after each prance over a hole in the road, and narrowly avoiding the thick, old branches of the timely trees. The Firbolg was clad in a light armor, with metal scales sewn into the chain mail, and little plates covering the exposed pieces. His scaly, mint-colored mask went way over the face, elongated in a manner not too similar to that of a reptile, and shaggy, silver hair flew from behind the tight grip. Unlike the other members of the Union, his inspirations took this path of growing outside the limitations of the gauntlet, sporting a duel set formed from his trusted rapier and a dagger. 

The warrior known as Perren was returning from his solo mission, which took him away from his home for over a month. He scoured over seven layers in his search for a broken canister, a peculiar vase formed through unknown means, and while rare, many found no use for the items. 

On his journey, he encountered a few familiar faces from his travels, but he often shared a meal with strangers, who only saw him as a fellow traveler. Perren didn’t dislike the company of people, but he always considered that traveling should be done alone, to see things at his pace and talk with wanderers at his pace. 

The chats also helped him learn about other realms, what the Firbolgs there were like, and the stories they had. Little rumors here and there, but there was a recurring tale, spoken again and again.  Such as when he sat at the table with villagers cast out from their home, who were running from a torrent spewing from a gate unlike anything they had ever seen. 

??? - “ It was, ugh, like it had a mind! It, it, it…” screamed a barely coherent man, trying to recount the attack. “ ! The waves, they…there were eyes, and mouths in them!”, chimed in other frightened villagers. “ That putrid water, it hated us! Wanted to drown us, drag us into it!”, despaired in unison many of the voices. To Perren, they weren’t telling anything of novelty. More and more Firbolgs were leaving their homes, fleeing this threat. He tried to investigate one of the sites, but just like a case he witnessed years ago, the torrent disappeared after the attack. In its wake, barely anything remained no buildings, roads, or living beings. It was all gone, leaving only a desolate land, destined for sand and heat. 

….

As Perren approached the city of Caer Sidi, he slowly unsheathed his weapons, as if preparing for an attack. Not a surprise one, though, he knew his suitor hated that kind of approach. 

Lian -” Victor?" he yelled while munching on a mint leaf to wake himself up. “ I know you’ve gotten bored, with me being away for so long. Just come out already and let’s finish this dance.” Nothing happened for seconds, which felt like an eternity for his tired mind, who only yearned to be in his bed, eating a meal cooked by his partner. 

On the top of the wall sat another tired warrior from failing to sleep, filled with all the care in the world. He’s been sitting and waiting for hours, his mind half racing with anticipation and the other tired from failing at meditating to conserve his energy for his fated duel. The two had for years now become colloquially known as the Silver Pair, stuck in a rivalry of strength, one they’d been trying to resolve with old-fashioned duels for two decades. 

The yawned yells thrown by Perren steadily rose to the top and awoke him from his half-slumber. It took Victor only to lay his eyes upon him to get a boost of energy in his overgrown body. If ancient painters tried to portray him, they would use Achilles or Heracles for inspiration, cover him in as little armor as possible, and hide his face under a helmet made to resemble a metal dragon. Many would call his physique a natural work of art, which he casually dropped from the top of the wall, followed by trusty his poleaxe.

A tremor shook the entire sector of the city closest to the wall, but by this point, the inhabitants recognized what it meant and went on with their lives. 

Victor -” Perren!”, spewed Victor with a large smile on his face and wide open, red-shot eyes, while pointing his poleaxe at him.

Perren -” Victor!”, he smirked back at the hulking warrior, while his eyelids were working overtime to stay up. “ I don’t want to upset you, but I’m not in the best condition to fight you now. See?” Instead of admitting his condition, Perren thought of another excuse, and then lifted his mail, showing a massive bruise on his right side. “ Besides, I asked to take over training the others for me. Wasn’t that enough to entertain you?”

The figure, clenching his teeth, slammed the tip of his weapon into the ground, generating a second tremor. His eyes were bitter at first, but quickly changed to concern and disappointment. He approached Perren to have a better look at his bruise. “ Are you hurt somewhere else?” he asked through growls. 

Perren -” Nah, just here, and I was the only one to blame… I kinda forgot how tough a granite door was…Heh.”

Victor squatted, so the two could be at the same eye level. He sighed in relief, happy to see his companion safe and sound, but still a bit chagrined at him. “ Perren…are you sure you want to continue like this? Work alone on these missions?”

The warrior clenched the grip of his rapier, unsure if to admit that he also felt a bit lonely.

Perren -” It’s fine, nothing for you to be worried about. And besides, who could I take? You aren’t suited for the more subtle type of tasks; which I like about you, don’t misunderstand me; but not for my missions. And not be rude, but I don’t want to babysit…”

Victor -” Babysit?” Victor reacted with surprised annoyance at his remark. “ I sparred with everyone over the last month, they have grown Perren, they are more capable than you give them credit for. Especially your little students.”

Up until now, the rapier wielder tried to keep a cool and collected figure on his face, replied only with benign avoidance, and then went rest his tired body. Until the last part left his face paralyzed in a mask of shock and fright. “ You…fought my students!? Why did you… I told you to put them through the regular training regiment…” he then stopped and growled in his deepest voice yet: “Victor…are; they…fine?!”

The entire shift of atmosphere over the bulky warrior’s head, sensing only a portion of the animosity Perren was emanating:

Victor -” Oh, they’re fine, we only played around a little. Arim only got a broken arm, I chipped one of Zinc’s horns, and Brigid lost a tooth or two. But after they ate some of my exquisite borscht, filled with healing nutrients, they were good as new.”, he said, with a prideful smirk on his face. Which Perren wanted to punch now, but was more worried about the three. “ Hey, what’s the rush? I thought you were too injured to run around.”

Perren -” I’m going to check on my students, what do you think? And let Ashen know I got his thing!”, he yelled back while sprinting at his top speed.

Victor waved his left hand and shouted in reply-” Alright. I’ll also cook something nice for you to heal up as well!”

Lian -” Oh, it’s actually another human.” said Lian after snapping from her daze. She was aware that there would be an encounter with another of her kind and thought it wouldn’t be much of a surprise, but seeing the boy left a deeper impact on her than she expected.

Arim -” I know, I’m surprised to find that out about myself as well”, Arim replied jokingly. Just like the girl, he also entered a stack full of nerves, which eased considerably after she remarked on her deep observation. “ Right, ugh, introductions are next in line, right Goidel?”

The Firbolg, who was half away from the exit from his last position, got spooked by the intrusive question.

Goidel -” Why do you ask me?” he thought in desperation. “Correct. At least that’s what Krass and my brother always tell me…anyway Arim, Zinc, I trust you, you are my rock in this unsteady sea”, he replied in a normal tone, to Liandan and Ogda’s surprise. When he addressed them, though, the slowly fading voice returned. “ You were a nice riffle, but if I stay too long I might start seeing you as a tidal wave and begin to despise you… Farewell!”

Goidell's weird exit left everyone stunned for a few moments, except for Arim who shook his head with a smile as if he found him inspiring. “ Someday…” he muttered to himself, turning his attention back to the duo.

Arim -” Anyway, my name is Arim, and this here”, he pointed towards his crimson gauntlet, “ is my Pact partner, Zinc. Krass only told me about your memory problems, and that I should help you settle in.”

The amnesiacs took a look at each other, unsure of what to say. They never planned on staying in this settlement, but there also never was a plan B, they just went with the flow.

Lian -” I’m Liandan, (Lian) and that’s Ogda… Uhm, so I don’t know what Krass was thinking, but we only came here to find help for our amnesia problem. He said we could find it here, so…”

Ogda -” So what do you mean by settling in?”, asked Ogda a bit aggressively, taking a step forward, making Arim flinch for a second.

Arim -” I, well… We have medical help here, yes. But in case that’s not sufficient, you might have to go to the human world, and the rift closed a week ago, while the next window will be in two, maybe three months.” The boy huffed, trying to find the right way to convince them of what the rules are.

Zinc then pinched him and made some weird sounds, which seemed to have been a pep-talk that worked on Arim. The boy put on a smile, followed by his hands on his waist as if to keep himself straight.

Arim -” We kinda understand, you’re in a weird place, with people and creatures you don’t know, and it’s confusing. Trust us, both I and Zinc get it. I’ve been living here since I was six, and my partner has a problem similar to yours, he also can’t remember his home. But while you’re here, we’ll shelter you, help, and do anything else we can. In return, you two will have to undertake our integration program…in the community, not the Firbolg thing.”

Lian -” As in, work and do some activities with the locals?”, asked Lian. “ That’s no problem, but what if we plan on leaving after those months?”

Lian -” Not our business to intervene. I do hope you two decide to stay, though”, he said a bit coyly. “Also, it’s not going to be anything too strenuous, or dangerous…unless your friend Ogda wants to do some combat training on the side.”

The water monster’s visage perked at that idea. Until then, even though he felt like his mission was to protect the girl, he felt like he didn’t stand up to the standard. “If the trio in the desert were just bandits, I would have died right there and then. If the monster woke up while we were in the oasis, we would have died…”, thought Ogda. He then jumped to the occasion and accepted the offer, to Lian;s surprise. 

Lian -” I…right. Before any of that, though, how about you help us with that Fect Pact, and then we’ll see what to do next”, added the girl after she felt that the situation was getting a bit out of cozy control.

Arim -” That’s…possible. Just surprised you two weren’t in one already, I guess. Do you want to do that now?”

Duo -” Yes”, replied both of them at the same time.

Arim -” Alright, I guess you are…sure.” The boy then talked with the shop owners and invited the guests to follow him. “ We should find some space for this”, he added ominously.