The road stretched quiet for several days, Dante and Kaito's routine didn't change much. They would spar, hunt, camp, and travel. Only negative thing they were facing was hunger, that was until a patch of farmland appeared beyond their sightline. Rows of wheat swayed in the breeze, and a grizzled farmer waved at them like they were long-lost family.
"Travelers!" he called, waddling over with a grin that nearly split his face. "Ain't seen many folk passin' by lately. You hungry? Got stew on the fire."
Kaito's eyes lit up. "Free food? You're officially my favorite person today."
The farmer chuckled and, true to his word, ladled out steaming bowls while giving them the proudest rundown of his farm, the cattle, the crops, the cellar where he stored his finest goods.
Dante slurped loudly, then pounded his fist on the table. "Hey, if there's anything we can do to help, just say the word! We're adventurers, after all."
"Well," the farmer said, lowering his voice like he was sharing a dark secret, "there is one thing… my cellar's got a bit of a spider problem."
"Pfft, spiders?" Dante waved a hand. "We'll wrap that up faster than you can say..." He hesitated, then pointed at Kaito. "Well, he will, at least."
Kaito gave him a look but stood anyway. He was still eating.
The farmer led them to the barn and pried open a heavy wooden door that creaked ominously. The smell of dust and old hay wafted out, along with… something else. Something damp.
They stepped inside.
And froze.
Every single corner of the cellar was filled with webs. Massive, glistening webs. On them crouched spiders the size of wolves, their hairy legs tapping against the beams like drums. Hundreds of glinting eyes turned toward the intruders in unison.
Dante's jaw dropped. "...Oh no."
One particularly huge spider tilted its head, mandibles clicking, as if curious about the fresh meat that had just walked in.
Kaito slowly reached past Dante, closed the door with a firm click, and turned around.
Neither of them said a word.
They just walked. Out of the barn, across the field, right back to the road. The farmer blinked at their retreating figures, still holding his ladle.
Not a word was spoken until the farm was a distant speck behind them.
Kaito finally cleared his throat. "So… town's supposed to be nearby, right?"
"Yep."
And that was that. They never spoke of the spider farm again.
The town they had arrived to was one without a barrier, just a standard old stone wall, and people stationed at said wall, when they saw the approaching kids, they promptly opened the gates allowing them entry.
Usually the smaller towns aren't homes to adventure guilds but this one, Emea, was one stationed close by a city with a barrier, something Kaito also noticed was how theirs much more, Demi-humans here than humans. He let Dante lead the way to the adventure guild however.
The Adventurer's Guild bustled with the usual chaos, mercenaries arguing over contracts, rookies bragging about their first kills, barkeepers hollering for tabs to be paid.
Kaito and Dante stood in the corner, staring at the quest board.
Most of the requests were the usual mix of monster hunts, supply escorts, and guard jobs. Then Dante's eyes landed on something odd.
"Spend an evening with a young man?" He squinted at the parchment. "That's the quest?"
Kaito tilted his head. "Doesn't sound dangerous."
"Doesn't sound like it even counts," Dante shot back. Then his grin widened. "But hey, look, Kaito. There's no way I can screw this one up!"
Kaito plucked the parchment off the board. "Guess we'll find out."
News of Kaito's blacklist hasn't yet spread, for now at least.
They met the boy at a busy restaurant, where he was already seated with a spread of food far too big for his skinny frame. He looked about ten, with sharp eyes and an impatient tap of his fork against the table.
"You're late," he said.
Dante blinked. "We're on time?!"
"Well, late by my standards," the boy sniffed, then waved at the chairs. "Sit down. Eat. Then we're going on a hunt."
Dante nearly choked on his water. "Hunt? Wait, that's not in the request!"
The boy smirked. "What's the point of hanging out with adventurers if you don't get to see them fight?"
Kaito leaped into the seat, devouring the meal before him. "That's fine. We'll take you."
Dante's jaw dropped. "Kaito, he's a kid!"
"I'm fifteen," the boy corrected, puffing out his chest. "And I know more about monsters than you think."
Their trip into the woods was… less than smooth.
The boy whined about the pace, about the mud, about how Dante's hair looked ridiculous when it got sweaty. He demanded breaks every half hour, wanted Kaito to show him every sword form he knew, and threw twigs at Dante whenever he lagged behind.
By the third hour, Dante's eye was twitching. "This guy is going to be the end of me."
"Not before the monster is," Kaito muttered.
They found it at last, a tusked beast the size of a wagon, grazing in the underbrush, its hide bristling with dirt, moss, and old scars.
Kaito crouched behind a tree, eyes sparkling.
"There it is. Jackpot!" he whispered, practically vibrating. "Okay, strategy time. I go in first. I hit it with a mid-air triple-slam combo, drop a bounce-shield on its back, and boom!"
Dante raised a brow, clutching his sword. "Triple slam bounce combo? Bounce shield, when did you have time to pratice this?!"
"I didn't! That's the magic!"
Before Dante could argue, Kaito vaulted forward off a barrier pad that appeared under his feet, "I didn't think that would work!" Flipping over a branch like he was in a circus act. His magic flared to life mid-air, crimson barriers snapping into shape around him like armor made of light.
"HEY, UGLY!" Kaito shouted gleefully. "Wanna play tag?! I'm it!"
The beast bellowed, muscles coiling as it charged with terrifying speed. But Kaito was faster. He dropped a wall in its path, it smashed through it, but by then he was already airborne again.
He planted his feet against a floating hex-barrier and launched himself straight down like a missile, slamming another angled shield into the creature's shoulder. The impact rocked it sideways with a grunt of pain.
"Boom! First hit's mine!"
Behind him, Dante sprinted in with a muttered curse. "You're insane, move!"
But before Kaito could reply...
"YEAH!!" shouted the boy from behind a rock. "That was awesome!! You're like a lightning ninja! With shields!!"
Both Kaito and Dante turned their heads for one split second, just long enough for the beast to lurch back up with a roar and charge straight at the kid.
"NOPE!" Kaito barked. With a deep breath he launched himself toward the boy, a barrier slammed into the ground between the beast and the boy, catching the tusks head-on.
The beast's momentum rattled the shield. Kaito skidded across the grass to hold it in place, feet sliding. "Okay, okay, whoa, he's heavier than he looks!"
Dante skid to a stop, grabbed the boy by the collar, and yanked him out of the way just as the beast bucked sideways, sending the barrier shattering into glittering shards.
"You gotta move!" Dante growled at the kid.
Kaito grinned tightly. "He did move. Because you launched him."
Dante shot him a look. "Not helping!"
The beast wheeled toward them again, eyes burning with fury, tusks ready for another charge.
Kaito hopped backward, bouncing on his heels. "Alright, let's make this snappy."
He threw a disc-shaped barrier under the beast's front legs, then angled another one just behind its hind legs. The moment it stepped, it hit the second one and slipped, stumbling forward.
"Now, Dante!"
Dante nodded, focused. Frost crept up his blade as he ran in, swung hard, and iced the creature's front legs, freezing it mid-step. However, his inexperience with fighting using his magic, he had miscalculated and Froze himself too.
"Dang it!" Dante yelled.
Kaito took over, while laughing at Dante's mess up, and knocked the beast in the head, knocking it out cold. "You're getting pretty good!" He said prying Dante free from his ice.
Then...
"WOOOOOO!!" the boy whooped, jumping out again. "You guys are amazing! That was like, barrier-fu! And ice-blades! And teamwork! Do it again!"
Kaito spun, arms wide. "You liked that? Wait 'til you see my triple aerial bounce combo! I call it, The uhhh, Kaboom!'"
Dante dragged a hand down his face. "He's going to get us killed. The kid, I mean. You're just going to be annoying while it happens."
Kaito laughed, already skipping over to the boy. "Alright, Glad you're hyped, but listen, that was really dangerous, don't you value your life?"
The boy's smile faltered. He looked down at his hands, then back up, quieter this time. "Value my life? …I don't have much left to value."
Kaito frowned. "What do you mean?"
The boy's voice dropped, stripped of bravado. "I've got a sickness. Everyone who gets it… they make it eleven years, at most. This is my last one." He gave a hollow laugh. "Guess adventuring just wasn't the life the gods chose for me."
The forest fell still.
The disease is one, that can be caught by any person that lives outside of the barriers, the wylds are a harsh place afterall. It's just another of the many MANY dangers of living lifr as an adventurer.
Dante straightened, guilt knotting his stomach. "I... I didn't know. I'm sorry. I wouldn't have complained so much if..."
"Don't apologize," the boy interrupted, forcing a grin. "I asked for this. It's been fun. That's all I wanted."
Kaito's jaw tightened. "That's nonsense."
Both Dante and the boy blinked at him.
Kaito leaned forward, eyes blazing with conviction. "Don't talk like your life doesn't matter. I don't care what sickness you have, I'll find a way to cure it."
The boy blinked, "how?"
Kaito smiled while showing him his book. "I'm looking for this treasure, i'm sure it'll take me all over the place, and the worlds a big place i'm bound to find the cure eventually!" He said bright eyed.
The boy stared at him, stunned. "…Why? Why would you waste energy worrying about me?"
"Because everyone deserves to live a long life," Kaito said without hesitation.
For the first time, the boy truly laughed, not the bratty cackle he'd shown before, but something softer. "You're crazy. Hope doesn't stick around long. It's like smoke, it just disappears."
"Then I'll chase it," Kaito replied firmly. "I'm a good runner."
That earned a louder laugh, almost a wheeze. "You're ridiculous."
Dante smiled faintly, shaking his head. He had no idea where Kaito pulled words like that from, but even he felt lighter hearing them.
Back in town, the boy stood at the edge of the square, ready to part ways.
"Well," Dante said, hands on his hips, "quest complete. So… where's the money?"
The boy doubled over laughing. "Money? You think I have money?"
Dante's face fell. "You've got to be kidding me."
"I'll pay you back someday," the boy promised, still chuckling. "For now… thanks. Really." He said before shaking Kaito's hand. "Shai, by the way."
Kaito and Dante smiled introducing themselevs also.
"Alright, I grabbed some more rations from the adventure guild." Dante said.
Kaito frowned. "Hope we find something to eat out there."
And with that, they returned to the road once again.