Kaito wakes up in the morning yawning, he comes out of the tent with a big stretch. "What a refreshing night!" He says happily. He looks over at Dante who seems frozen by the trees.
"You ok Dante?" Kaito asked, "n-night, monster." Dante whispers, his voice barely escaping.
Kaito scratches his head. Dante ends up coming over to Kaito slowly and falling asleep next to him. "Hmm." Kaito questions as he places Dante in a barrier and rolls him around.
Kaito continues on the adventure with Dante inside of the safety of his barrier. "Wonder what has him all shook?" Kaito asks himself as Dante sleeps inside of the barrier. Kaito still enjoys looking around at the surroundings. He sees small little rabbits, seemingly made of light running around.
Seeing the ground around him shift for seemingly no reason, a group of what he believes to be deer type monsters. He watches them prance around while moving around at insane speeds, despite that, when he saw something he couldn't perceive turn one of them into a red mist he sped up.
"Seeing more monsters than usual." Kaito notes, he sees beasts in the sky, Seemed they were chasing around birds, when they couldn't simply catch them, their tactic swapped to flying around hurling blasts of fire at them, only for a larger monster to swallow the entire flock of them.
The barrier bounced lightly against a root, and Dante's muffled groan came from inside, though it never rose to full wakefulness. Kaito shook his head, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Must've really been tired."
It was while rolling Dante along that Kaito stumbled into a scene. Ahead, in a small clearing, a priestess and a paladin were cornered by a cluster of goblins. The girl's white robes were smeared with dirt, her staff raised shakily as she tried to chant a prayer. The armored man kept his shield up, but the goblins were relentless, darting in and out, testing his guard.
"Wait here Dante," Kaito smirked. He shoved Dante's barrier-ball safely aside, then sprinted forward.
The fight didn't last long. The goblins went down one after another beneath Kaito's swift strikes, until the last squealed and vanished into the woods. The priestess, wide-eyed, clasped her hands together in relief. Though he didn't kill any of them.
"Thank you!" she said, bowing low. "Truly, you saved us. I am Latin, a servant of the divine."
The paladin thumped his chest with his fist. "And I am Bruno, her sworn protector."
Kaito smiled, and scratched the back of his head. "Kaito. And, that's Dante." He gestured back at the rolling sphere.
Latin blinked. "...Is he sleeping?"
"Yep. Whole time." Kaito leaned down and started rolling the ball again as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Don't worry, he's fine."
Bruno let out a hearty laugh at the two.
"We were traveling to the next town over, when these nasty beast came to attack us." Bruno explains.
Kaito looked in the barrier at the sleeping Dante, it was then he had thought about how he didn't know how to read a map. So to find the next town traveling with them seemed the best bet.
"My melon's telling me to follow you guys, wanna travel together?" He says referring to his head.
Latin beamed at the offer, and Bruno's proud nod nearly rattled his helmet.
By the time they reached the next town, the streets buzzing with merchants and adventurers, Dante stirred awake inside his bubble. He rubbed his eyes groggily, blinking in confusion as he realized where he was.
"Whoa, a town already? Nice work, Kaito." His gaze fell on Latin and Bruno, and he froze mid-stretch. "Uh… wait, who are these two?"
"We met on the road," Kaito said, casually spinning the barrier.
"You met people while I was sleeping?" Dante pressed his hands against the barrier's edge like a child at a window. "A priestess and a paladin? That's... that's actually awesome!" His eyes sparkled, moving between them. "You're, like, real heroes, huh?"
Bruno chuckled. "We try."
Latin bowed politely. "It's an honor to travel with you, Dante."
Dante grinned sheepishly, cheeks pink. "Y-yeah, same here."
At the Adventurer's Guild, Latin and Bruno happened to suggest taking a quest together. "Since we're already together," Latin said, "perhaps we could form a temporary party?"
Kaito didn't think it was a good time to throw a party, but Dante jumped in before he could answer. "Yes. Absolutely. We'd love to."
Their first mission together seemed simple on paper, track and retrieve a beast alive. A pack beast, not especially dangerous, but valuable to the guild.
The four set out at dawn, following hoofprints and snapped branches through the countryside. Hours passed, the tracks winding them across muddy fields, up rocky hills, even through a shallow stream that soaked everyone's boots.
"There it is!" Dante shouted when a bulky, gray-skinned beast came into view grazing on moss. Its horns curled back like rams', and its thick hide looked like stone.
"Alive, remember," Latin warned, raising her staff as if to cast a binding spell.
"I'll pin it down," Bruno said, tightening his grip on his shield.
Kaito dashed ahead, quick and precise, while Dante tried circling from the side. For a while it looked like they'd succeed, the creature bucked and bellowed, but they managed to drive it toward a narrow gulley.
"Almost got it!" Dante panted, swinging his arms wildly as if that would help.
And then the ground trembled. From the brush crashed something twice the size of their quarry. With a single snap of its jaws, the beast they'd been chasing vanished down its throat.
The four froze in stunned silence.
"…So does that count?" Kaito asked weakly.
"No," Dante said flatly, eyes on the monster as it lumbered away, apparently satisfied with its meal.
The chase was over before it had even begun.
So they just returned back to the adventure guild.
"One day," Bruno declared, raising his goblet, "you'll hear my name echo across kingdoms."
"And I," Latin added, smiling dreamily, "will shine as brightly as the Maiden herself."
"Who's the Maiden?" Kaito asked around a mouthful of bread.
The group fell silent. Latin's jaw dropped. "You don't know? The Spring Maiden! The guiding light of the world, blessed by the gods themselves!"
Kaito just shrugged. "Never heard of her."
Latin recoiled as if struck. "Unbelievable…"
The laughter around the table died down when a group of rough-looking adventurers swaggered past. One of them sneered at Dante's messy hair and half-empty plate.
"Fresh meat," he scoffed. "Guild's letting in anyone these days."
Kaito's chair scraped against the floor as he stood. His hand twitched toward his weapon, a grin spreading across his face. "Oh yeah? Want me to show you how 'fresh' I am?"
Dante's stomach sank. He slid his plate back nervously, eyes darting between the strangers and his friend. "Kaito… maybe we don't-"
Bruno immediately moved in front of Latin, shield half-raised, his voice low but firm. "If you intend to insult anyone here, it won't reach her ears."
The tension was a live wire ready to snap, Kaito almost eager for it, Dante visibly shrinking, Bruno prepared to stand like a wall.
And then Latin rose quietly from her seat. She didn't shout, didn't glare. She only placed a hand gently on Bruno's arm and stepped forward.
"Peace," she said softly.
The word cut through the clamor of the guild like a bell toll. Her eyes, bright and unwavering, settled on the hostile adventurers. "We're all travelers on the same road. Anger will only weigh your steps, and mine as well. Why not walk lighter, with laughter instead of bitterness?"
Her tone wasn't scolding, just… warm, like a sunbeam breaking through storm clouds. For a moment, even the rough adventurers hesitated under that gaze.
One of them muttered, "Tch, whatever," and with a shove to his companion's shoulder, they left.
Kaito sat back down reluctantly, still buzzing with the itch of a fight. "Could've taken them…"
Dante exhaled hard, slumping in his chair. "Could've gotten us all killed, more like."
Bruno lowered his shield but kept his hand near his sword. "You should not need to step forward, Latin. It's my duty to shield you."
She only smiled at him, lighthearted and calm. "And what shield is stronger than kindness, Bruno? Yours may protect my body… but words can guard a spirit."
As they settled again, her expression softened, almost wistful. "The world has grown harsher, more violent. I want to help bring people back to the gods, to something gentler."
Bruno placed his hand on the hilt of his shining blade. "And I'll carve that path for her."
Dante's eyes gleamed with admiration. "You two are amazing."
But the next morning, choices split their ways. Bruno and Latin would remain in town, their roots tied to its people and their mission. Kaito and Dante, meanwhile, prepared to continue toward the Coalition headquarters.
At the gates, they clasped hands in farewell.
"May the gods guide you," Latin said earnestly.
"And may you find your Maiden's light," Dante replied with a grin.
With that, Kaito and Dante turned down the road.