"Oh, there you are!"

I turned and saw Keya, walking out of the forest with a smiling on her face and a hand full of roots and vegetables.

"I…s-see you've got your m-meat," she cringed in disgust.

Her face contorted while it turned a little green from seeing the dead boar carcass.

"So, how are we going to cook these?!" she puzzled.

We didn't have any pots or pans to cook our food. Luckily, I knew another trick my grandfather taught me. Under my instructions, we brought the food together around the bonfire where, using Keya's dagger, we started cutting the vegetables and roots, piece-by-piece. Once we finished, I went into the forest and returned with a large flat stone I had found in the area.

"What are you going to do with that," Keya asked.

I turned to her and smiled. I answered contentedly, "I'm going to use to cook, of course!" she just stared at me with a skeptical frown and a raised brow.

I placed the rock beside the fire, wedging it between the burning wood and waited as it started to hat up. I should've washed it, first, but I doubt we'll get any sickness if the heat burns all the bacteria.

I proceeded to skin the boar, cutting off the unnecessary parts and removing the fur, and tusks. Then I removed the meat from its bones. It as a lot tougher than how granddad showed me, but I was able to get some of it off and onto the hot slab. Mixing in the meat juices with the vegetables, the aroma was heavenly and ambrosias.

"What do you think? Smells good, huh?" I inquired enthusiastically.

My eyes bulged in shock, seeing Keya passed out with her face turned green.

"What the hell?! You just passed out from smelling meat?!" I shouted in disbelief. I guess living off of a vegetarian diet would make the elves nauseous from tasting, or smelling, any food not made out of green.

The food was ready, and it was time to dig in. Keya recovered and regained her appetite. However, she sat about 12-feet-away from me, not wanting to go through the nausea again. I took a bite of the grilled boar and onions, and sighed in ecstasy of how amazing they tasted.

Keya was also enjoying her meal, having been sent into a trance from just nibbling on her grilled carrots and radishes, which surprisingly resembled daikons.

Again, we didn't have any plates, so we used small flat rocks with green leaves on top as a substitute. I'll worry about dysentery later.

After we finished eating, Keya and I just stared at the fire, doing what we can to pass the time. I turned to notice Keya holding a piece of dead wood, using her dagger to carve away the rough edges. Arching an eyebrow, I scooted over to get a closer look. It wasn't complete yet, but the shape of it appeared to be that of an animal. She blew away the shaving and placed it on her side, on the ground. It was a boar. Not just any boar, but the same boar I had killed.

"You can carve wood?" I pointed out inquisitively.

She brushed a strand of her hair to the side and grinned weakly. She replied, "Y-yes, I can. It's been a hobby since I was a child. Father never approved of it, thinking it was just a waste of time, but…I never could stop loving it."

I picked the wooden figurine up and admired its' precise detail. Just looking at it made me forget everything that has happened, almost like there was some magic in it. Not that there was, that is.

I said wholeheartedly, "I think it's beautiful."

She blushed and looked away.

"Tell me. Why did you carve the boar though?" I asked with a puzzled expression. I held the statue close to my face. She even got the scars and wounds I inflicted right down accurately.

Then her face fell into a frown. Making eye contact, she explained, "I wanted to immortalize the creature. It was a mother with children of its' own, but now that since the mother is dead, the piglets will probably die."

"How do you know it's a mother?"

She analyzed, "You can tell from the way her nipple were erect, indicating that it was suckling its young, and the way its' coat was distorted from childbirth. Don't worry. I'm the younglings are old enough to fend for themselves." The way she spoke was cold and sorrowful. This was not the Keya from before, which scared me a little.

Then again, the way she said all of it made me feel bad for killing the boar, even though it was a boastful jerk.

She clasped her hands and regained her smile, saying, "Now then! What shall we do for the rest of the evening?!"

Glad to see the old Keya back!

I drew my sword, noticing the blood stains on the blade. It's not because I forgot to clean it. It's just because I didn't have anything to clean it with, which I should've done back at the village.

"Hey, Keya. Do you have anything to clean a sword?" I asked.

Keya raised her eyebrows as she stared at me.

She answered, "Actually, I do." She reached into her rucksack and pulled out a rag and a bota bag. Then she gingerly handed them to me.

"This bag is filled with water. Use it with the rag to wash the blade off, but make sure you dry it well. If not, the blade will rust," she instructed conversantly.

I took the rag and bag and smiled, thanking Keya for her assistance. I said reassuringly, "Don't worry. I'll be sure to clean the rag and give it back to you."

She grinned, stating in a mild manner, "That's alright. You can return it any time you want." She waved her hand nonchalant as her cheeks turned red.

Opening the cap, I poured the water onto the blade, washing some of the blood off before I stopped. After putting the bota bag down, I grabbed the rag and began whipping it against the wet steel. The blade was clean. I could see my reflection on the surface. Just then, I noticed a 3 in crack in the middle. Oh boy. This is not good.

"Hey Keya. You've been in the area long enough. Do you know if there are any blacksmiths around?" I asked clueless.

She rubbed her chin in deep thought, raising her brows while trying to remember. She replied uncertainly, "I'm not sure. Maybe the status's map might give us a location."

I checked the map. I was relieved to find a town 13 feet north of our location. It was called "Strongfair" and, according to the map's database, it's a forgetown, meaning that it's a town of metalsmiths.

"Well, I guess that settles it then." Standing up, I stretched and put my sword back in my belt. "Starting tomorrow, we'll head to Strongfair and, along with getting my sword fix, we'll see what else we can find there."

Keya arched an eyebrow and retorted, "That long of a journey? Just to fix a minor crack in your sword?"

When she said it, it did sound a little stupid. I rubbed the back of my neck, flashing a nervous grin while letting out a soft chuckle. I commented light-heartedly, "Yeah…I know it sounds ridiculous, but I just thought we could find something to do to and maybe find some adventure there, instead of staying around this campfire and do nothing, or wander around until something comes towards us."

Shaking her head, she grinned and agreed blithely, "Alright! You convinced me! We can go to Strongfair! With the 3 silver coins we earned from our last quest, we might not only be able to afford repairs, but also might find something useful to purchase."

Once that was all settled, we waited for the fire to die down. Only a small ember was left as we lied on the moist grass, staring at the stars in the sky as we drifted into deep slumber.