Fujiko stands at the village entrance with cuts, bruises, scratches, and blood running through random parts of her body. Despite her furrowed brow and the sudden appearance of her former targets, she somehow managed to remain more composed than the trio. She sucked her teeth, remaining in her standing position for a few more moments.  

The few Kroliq who were still up bore witness to Fujiko but kept their eyes on the group. Rhea held her staff out. 

“How in the hell did you find us all the way down here?!”

Row steps forward, grinding his teeth, muscles aching, ready to strike. He sees she does not have her rapier on her. 

“I don’t care how this wench managed her way to Fiolet! We nearly bested you at the pier, but with Rhea now capable of using magic, and you with no weapon, you don’t stand a chance!” 

Clang, Clang!

Row clashes his sharp nails together. 

“How does it feel now, huh? To be the one beaten and broken, on the cusp of death’s icy grip? Will you beg for mercy, I wonder?! Like my mother begged you?!”

Fujiko stands stoically, unresponsive. Her lack of response and emotion only fuels his anger. His fever pitch is making Karta look at him cautiously. Row’s teeth grind together, revealing his sharp fangs.

“Say something, fool!” Row shouts. 

Spit

Fujiko turns her head to the side and spits out some of the blood from her busted open lip. She sneers at the Kotka. 

“Do something, then,” she goads calmly. 

A thick vein appears by Row’s temple, and in a single sentence, he bounds from his position all the way to her. He holds his arms out, aiming his tense claws at her neck. His eyes sharpened as his bloodlust took over his body. 

“DIE!”

Through Row’s point of view, he dives toward a stoic yet challenging Kroliq, and all of a sudden, his eyes are blanketed in a silver light. All the while, Fujiko did not move from her spot. Once Row came out of the gateway, he landed right on his stomach in the same place he leaped from. 

“Oomph!” 

The Kotka lands hard on his stomach, painting his cream-colored tabard with dirt and grass. Row shook his head and looked around, noticing he had returned to his original position. 

“Wh-what?!” 

Row raises his head and sees Karta, holding his right index finger to a portal that led to Fujiko, and one that led back to where Row was standing. Karta undoes the portals and delivers a cold glare at Row. 

“I told you before, there is no violence permitted on village grounds. This is your first, and only warning. If you have issues with this woman, please take them elsewhere.”

“B-but Karta,” Lucerna exclaims. “That’s the lady we were talking about earlier! The lady that-” 

“Given Row’s reaction, I became aware quickly, that this was the woman from your previous stories. Be that as it may, I would like to keep village tradition intact.”

Karta turns his attention to Fujiko. 

“I’m sure the Kroliq over there understands, yes?” 

Fujiko walks further into the village premises. 

“Tch.” 

She continues walking without paying any of the trio's attention. Rhea and Lucerna scowl and struggle to put their weapons down. Fujiko does not even bat an eye at them.

Row is still lying on the ground, gripping the dirt beneath his fingers, utterly frustrated. An opportunity to finish off his mother’s killer is right in front of him, yet somehow, his mind nearly clouded with rage, he manages to hold his hand after Karta’s warning.      

Rhea turns her body to see Fujiko walking further into the village. While Fujiko paid none of the villagers any mind, the villagers did not pay her mind either.

That’s strange… no one’s acknowledging her like they did us when we entered. Are they scared? Or maybe… Do they know Fujiko? Where is she even going…?

Rhea crouches down and lays a hand on Row’s shoulder. This action alone managed to prevent him from leaping off of the ground and attacking once more, yet he was still quaking with rage. 

“For the life of me, Rhea, I don’t know how I was able to contain myself. To not stand up and take her life at this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity… but…” Row sighs, settling down some more. “If I hadn’t thought about the company I was with, you and my close friend Lu, maybe I would’ve abandoned all reason and struck her...”

Rhea helps Row to his feet. She also dusts off the dirt and grime from his tabard. She offers him a warm smile. 

“Well, I’m glad you were able to control yourself. Thank you. It means a lot that you were able to hold back for our sake.”

“Yeah,” Lucerna nods. “Thanks a bunch, Row.” 

Rhea turns around. Fujiko is becoming a distant spec on Fiolet’s horizon. 

“Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to get your revenge, but it can’t be here. As long as the both of us stay out of each other’s way. But if Fujiko wants to break a village rule, then don’t worry,” Rhea taps Row on his shoulder with her hand again. “I’ll be right there to break it with you!” 

“I would appreciate it if none of you would proclaim this aloud,” Karta says, crossing his arms. “It makes me feel uneasy.”

“S-sorry bout that.” Rhea apologizes. 

“Aaaaaaaah…”

Lucerna lets out a massive yawn. She holds her hand in front of her mouth and her Kotka ears partially perch downward. 

“I’m glad we managed to avoid getting kicked out, but I’m reeeally tired,” she spoke softly. “I’ve been up and about since early morning, and all this fighting and traveling has made me sleepy…” 

“I didn’t feel that way, but now that you say something, I’m also very exhausted…” Row sighed. 

Rhea turns to Karta. 

“Say, Karta, you guys wouldn’t mind if we stayed the night? You did mention you and I would do a little extra training if I cooked you up somethin’ nice, right?” 

“I did say that…” Karta began. “Although after the event that just transpired, I’m a tad apprehensive…” 

“We’ll be good, we promise! No fighting here! Right, you two?” Rhea asked. 

“Yeah…” A drowsy Lu agrees. 

“Right…” Row sighs.

Karta rubs his chin. 

“Hm, as long as we play nice and keep it that way, then I suppose you can stay. We have spare accommodations in the form of a hut at the corner of the village. It is nothing luxurious, and it will have to fit the three of you together.” 

“Better than nothing’, I guess,” Rhea agreed. “Lead the way.” 

Later on, the sky now completely consumed by darkness, Rhea, Lucerna, and Row made themselves as comfortable as they could inside the small hut. The hut Karta mentioned was actually a warren, a hole in the ground made for Kroliq habitants. This warren, on the other hand, was much more spacious due to being crafted with magical Shifting Arms. It was a cozy hole, fit with several, small luscious makeshift beds of grass, dirt floors, and a magical, light blue lamp that lights the tiny cavern. 

Upon arrival, Row immediately understood the assignment and crashed onto a bed of her own, entering dreamland within the space of seconds. Rhea isn’t entirely surprised by him knocking out.  

Poor guy… he must’ve been exhausted…

The trio’s escort, Karta, now leads himself back to the entrance of the warren. 

“Just letting you know, the Kroliq like to arise quite early; before dawn, as a matter of fact.” 

“No problem with me,” Rhea said.

“That is a bit early but… I’ll manage,” Lucerna said. 

“Excellent,” Karta says, beginning his climb out of the hole. “Good night to you three then.”

“Good night.” Rhea and Lucerna utter simultaneously. 

Rhea and Lucerna make their separate beds. Laying on top of the soft, grassy blades, Lucerna turns on her side, looking over at Rhea. 

“Say… sorry your first day here was… well… eventful.” 

Rhea puts her hands behind her head, staring at the dirt ceiling. 

“‘Ts okay. Actually, it was a big help. Helped me take my mind off of a lot of things.”

Lucerna pushes herself up slightly. 

“Things like what?” 

Rhea smirks a little. 

“Being dead, for one, haha.” 

Making light of her situation put Lucerna’s heart at ease. 

“I guess that’s a good thing,” Lucerna laughs a bit. “But after everything that’s happened in one day, I doubt that’s a good intro to Miasto or Ziemia. I promise, at least from the town that I’m from, that stuff like this normally doesn’t happen!”

“What? You sayin’ I’m a magnet for trouble?” 

Lucerna is taken aback. She holds her hands near her chest and shakes her head. 

“Th-that’s not what I meant at all!”

“I’m kidding, Lu,” Rhea giggles. “No need to act so nervous.”

“R-right…”  

Rhea punches the palm of her hand. 

“Alright, first thing’s first when I get up, gotta practice my magic training…” Rhea scratches her head. “Magic training… I never thought I’d be practicing something like that…”

“You don’t have magic where you’re from?” Lucerna asked. 

Rhea shook her head. 

“Not at all… people say it’s magic, but it’s nothing like the magic here.”

“But you do have magic,” Lucerna’s ears stand up. “You gotta show me what you know from your side of the world!”

“Er… maybe another time. Sleep is talking to me right now. We should go to sleep.” 

“Darn… alright…” 

 Before Rhea could go to sleep, she looked at the beaming magical lamp, coloring the room in a light blue hue.  

“Er… how do we turn something like that off?” Rhea asked. 

“Simple,” Lucerna replies. “Er, probably… the light switch?” 

Of course. Why did I think otherwise?

Lucerna reaches for the light switch and is about to pull. 

“Good night, Rhea!”

“Good night, Lu.” 

Ker-chink. 

Lucerna pulls the lamp switch, blanketing the warren in darkness, and welcoming the other two to a night’s rest. 

The next day, early in the morning, Rhea was the first to awake. There was a very faint light that helped put a minor dark blue hue into the room. She looks around and sees the other two still sleeping. 

Still in dreamland, huh…

Rhea gets out of bed and stretches. She takes the staff that lay beside her in bed and exits the warren. None of the Kroliq were out. Rhea aims her head to the sky. 

It’s not dawn yet but it’s getting kinda close. Do they get up exactly at dawn or what?

Rhea looks at her staff. 

Guess it doesn’t matter. I’ll just head to the Playground and keep practicing until Karta is up. 

Rhea passes by Karta’s home, and she hears mumbling from within. 

“There. All rested up? Good. You need to leave Fujiko. Now.” 

Rhea stops in her tracks and turns to his home. She furtively walks forward, making sure to get within a better earshot. She slides in between some equipment and another hut and listens. 

Rhea hears two distinct voices, Karta, and Fujiko.

“I can’t leave. After I was defeated, all of my men were killed, and I was run out of Miasto by many Kotka. My ship is still there, but I can’t go back by myself.” 

“That’s not my problem. I don’t want you bringing so much unwanted attention and problems back to our village.” 

“I’ll leave soon… I just need to rest a bit more. A-and a weapon…” 

“I would suggest the former, but cannot help you with the latter.”

There is a bit of silence. Fujiko lays her head low, and Karta sighs. 

“I can’t believe you. All the stories those newcomers have told, they’re true aren’t they? You’ve evolved from a troublemaker into a cold-blooded killer! Is that it?!” 

“Please, Karta… I have no one else to turn to…” 

“The villagers don’t want you here, you know that. When I am done training Rhea for today, I want you gone. Am I clear?” 

“...Fine. I’ll go back. To a family that actually loves me.” 

Rhea’s eyes widened, surprised by the exchange. Quickly, she ran as swiftly and silently as she could. When Karta exits his home, Rhea is gone, though by the portals that were up, he could sense a magical energy heading to the Playground.