Steam rose gently from the cup that sat before Kuro. Within it was an unfamiliar liquid as dark as the small pup that cuddled on Kuro’s foot. It smelled as burnt as it tasted and left bitterness on his lips. Across from Kuro sat the mysterious young woman who looked not too far from his own age. Her messy hair was tied back into a pair of buns that bobbed with each move she made. On her nose was a pair of glasses that she adjusted with her knuckle which framed her narrow inquisitive eyes. Her soft and delicate features contrasted with her attempts at intimidation in her voice. In an instant, Kuro was captivated by her.

“You should try it on its own first, but if you don’t like it you can add some of this to the drink,” the stranger remarked. “It’s more of an acquired taste for most people. I like bitter stuff.”

She placed a small jar with a dull white liquid in the hopes that he would follow her advice. A quick stir of it in his cup made the bitterness fade away as the warmth of the drink spread to every corner of his body. The stranger grinned at the bliss Kuro wore, plain across his face with each sip.

“What was that? It made it so much better.” Kuro asked between sips.

“A type of ‘milk’ that I made from some local nuts, berries, and salt. But don’t get me distracted! Now that I have you at the mercy of my ferocious guard dog, what brings you to my neck of the woods?” the stranger pried.

“Ferocious?”

Kuro peeked at the short-legged puppy at his feet, almost forgetting that it was indeed a formidable opponent. He was going to reach down to pet the dog when a chill ran down Kuro’s spine despite the cup heating his hands. The whole point of his quest slipped his mind and he was looking at the probable culprits of the investigation. The cup rattled in Kuro’s hand before he took one last sip and placed it down.

“Well… I was on a quest to check out the area,” Kuro sheepishly answered.

“I knew it, you’re an adventurer!” She proclaimed. “So what were you supposed to check out?”

“There was an explosion around here and I was sent to check out the cause.”

The stranger’s face went ghost-like. She turned so that Kuro couldn’t see her, and refused to meet his gaze. Her eyes darting away each time he tried.

“I may have been the cause of that,” she admitted. “I was hoping I was far enough from town that people wouldn’t have noticed.”

“What? There’s no magic so powerful that you can hear it from town…” Kuro gasped. “Unless… demons are involved!”

She clasped her mouth, shocked at Kuro’s words, before she burst out in laughter at his suggestion. A wave of confidence hit the stranger making her stand taller than before with her hands on her hips.

“Magic, that’s for losers! Yeah! Science is for the cool kids."

"So… what did you do exactly to cause an explosion so big?"

She turned away for a second time and sat down drained of energy, "I was… baking."

"Baking? How!?"

"I was testing my new invention, the electric oven, and might have overcharged the batteries…" with meekness in her voice. "They got so unstable I had to throw them out of the window… and then… boom! I had just gotten some cheese from town too to make a pizza!"

“Electric oven? What’s that?”

Kuro sat puzzled. He, like most adventurers, had some basic understanding of magic, but he knew it was beyond the budget of most low-rankers like him. All magic took an elemental gemstone to use and they were usually utilized through some sort of medium, like weapons, tools, or armor. There was no way in his mind that someone would use one of those precious gems to make a simple pizza.

“You look confused. It’s something that I created that harnesses electrical energy to heat up several coils of metal to make heat, it doesn’t use magical stones to power it or fire to make it hot,” she proclaimed.”

"So not magic, it was science? I don’t think I get it." Kuro answered with a tilted head.

“You betcha! I think a practical demonstration would help you understand. Come try this out.”

The stranger grabbed Kuro by the arm and tugged at his sleeve toward a strange device that he’d never seen before. It had two wheels in a line and a strange combination of spiked metal plates and chains. Between the two wheels was a seat that she hopped on. Her hands grabbed a metal bar that was connected to the front wheel while her legs pushed two pegs that her feet rested on in a circle. Interlocking parts began to move with each rotation she made until sparks appeared in the dim room. The soft light spread from every corner began to grow like the dawn rising on the horizon until it matched the daylight outside the window. Kuro stood there with his mouth wide open, but no words came out.

“This prototype vehicle has you spin several sheets of copper between some magnets to generate electricity. It uses depleted magic stones that you can get anywhere to store the power you make and power the lights! Now you try it!” She insisted.

Eager, Kuro hopped onto the seat and whirled his legs like he watched her do. The faster he moved the brighter the room got. He almost wanted to call it an act of magic, but he could see all the parts moving to make it happen.

“I have an even more efficient version of this generator connected to the windmill above creating more power using nature to do it for us. I’m only just getting started in finding other ways to make power!” the girl cheered.

“This… is science. This needed to be shared with the world! The cost of magic separated common folk from the nobility and the upper class. This could change the entire world. No, it could save it,” Kuro thought as he hopped off.

“So… what do you think?” she asked meekly.

“AMAZING!” Kuro cheered.

“Eh, really? It’s not weird?”

“Not at all! You were right, this is way better than magic because everyone can do it. I can already imagine all the possibilities! You could literally light up people’s lives and get rid of oil lamps and candles. Come to think of it, we burn a lot of things for light don’t we?”

The girl wore a smile from ear to ear. Her arms were crossed as she brimmed with confidence from Kuro’s affirmations. She began to snicker as she placed her hands on Kuro’s shoulders much to his shock.

“Would you like to be my assistant? Honestly, it’s a lot of work by myself and I could use a helping hand,” she proposed.

Kuro’s face felt hot while a chill ran down his spine. It was an odd feeling that he couldn’t quite place. All he knew was that he had not felt this excited in a long time. Not since first leaving his village to start his journey.

“But I’m an adventurer,” Kuro interjected. “I don’t know how to do anything else.”

“Ah, don’t worry. I’ll teach you well.”

“What about the guild?”

“Don’t worry, just quit it and listen to me!”

“I don’t even know your name. This is all moving so fast…”

“My name is Milly,” she said sticking her hand out to shake his.

“Nice to meet you,” Kuro responded, taking her hand in his.

Milly’s grip was firmer than Kuro expected. She grinned as she said a stoic “hello” while she shook his hand up and down. Kuro couldn’t help but return the smile.

“So does this mean you accept?” Milly pressed.

“I’ll have to thi—”

A black shadow darted between the two as a rush of paws and fur headed to the chamber below. The pair shared a moment of confusion before they heard yelling and the clashing of metal from down below.

“Stay here!” Kuro yelled as he darted down the stairs.

“Hey! Wait!” Milly cried with her hand stretched out.

Each step downward Kuro could hear the sound of scraping with two voices echoing in the darkness. Deep snarls accompanied each clash until a woman’s voice groaned with a loud crash. Raw magical energy flashed on the walls lighting the way down the spiraling staircase. Every sound from below pierced Kuro's ears and made his stomach turn.

A sound of twisting metal rang followed by a familiar voice of a canine made Kuro’s heart drop. He picked up the pace and flew down the stairway to find the room that was previously shrouded in dark was now bright from a singular source. A bead of sweat rolled down Kuro’s cheek. It was the holy blade wielded by the one true Hero.