The two of them stood there for a while after shaking hands, the lake reflecting the sky like it hadn't just witnessed something important.
Lyla broke the silence first.
"So," she said, glancing at Laxyie sideways, "what exactly are you?"
He looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Your class," she said. "Warrior, rogue, assassin, something else. Everyone has one."
Laxyie shook his head. "I don't know."
She stopped walking. "You don't know?"
"I've never been taught," he replied calmly. "I fight how I learned to survive. If there's a name for it, no one ever told me."
Lyla studied him more carefully now—not just his movements, but the way he spoke, the way he carried himself. "That explains a lot," she muttered.
Tyke kicked a small stone into the lake, watching the ripples.
"And the kid," Lyla added quietly, nodding toward him. "There's something strange about him."
Laxyie's eyes shifted briefly to Tyke. "I know."
"He noticed my movements back in Nursa," he continued. "Most grown men wouldn't. That's not normal."
"He sees fast things," Laxyie said simply. "I don't know how. But he does."
Lyla hummed softly. "Then keep him close. Abilities like that don't stay hidden forever."
They resumed walking.
After a few steps, Lyla spoke again. "So what now, friend?"
Laxyie didn't answer immediately. He looked out across Selam—the bridges, the markets, the laughter drifting through the air. Peaceful. Deceptively so.
"We get stronger," he said at last. "We take missions. Small ones. Learn. Prepare."
"For him?" Lyla asked.
"For what's coming," Laxyie replied. "Aîiurh isn't someone you hunt unprepared."
She smiled faintly. "Good. I was worried you'd say something reckless."
"I'm not done living yet," he said.
Tyke looked between them. "Does that mean… we're staying?"
"For now," Laxyie answered.
Lyla stretched her shoulders, rolling her neck like someone readying for work. "Then Selam it is. Let's see what kind of trouble pays well."
They walked on together, three paths now aligned—not by fate, but by choice.
And somewhere ahead, strength waited to be earned.
They headed back to the tavern just before noon.
Selam was louder during the day—music spilling from open windows, merchants shouting prices across bridges, the smell of grilled fish and sweet wine drifting through the streets. The tavern sat near one of the inner lakes, its doors already open, workers hauling crates in and out.
Inside, it was busy but orderly. A board hung near the counter, thick with parchment notices. Requests. Jobs. Small things mostly—lost goods, escorts, guards for caravans.
Lyla scanned it first.
"There," she said, pulling one notice free. "Goblins."
Laxyie read it once, then again. "Mount Eron."
"East of Selam," Lyla added. "One day's trip. Caves near the base."
Tyke peered up at the parchment. "Goblins aren't that strong, right?"
"Strong enough in numbers," Lyla said. "And annoying in caves."
Laxyie nodded. "Good place to start."
They took the job without ceremony. The tavern keeper marked it off, paid a small advance, and waved them away like he'd seen dozens just like them before. Maybe he had.
By mid-afternoon, they were on the road.
The eastern path out of Selam wound through gentle hills and open plains. Grass bent with the wind, and the road was clean—stone-lined, well-traveled. Far ahead, Mount Eron rose from the land like a jagged scar, its rocky slopes catching the sunlight.
They walked at an easy pace.
Tyke skipped ahead at first, then fell back, then surged forward again, restless energy pouring out of him. Lyla watched him with amusement.
"He's lively," she said.
"He burns it off fast I guess, he's always like that since we first met," Laxyie replied.
"That explains it i guess, kids huh?," she said with a grin.
Tyke shot her a look. "I heard that."
She laughed. "Good."
They talked as they walked. Nothing heavy. Lyla spoke about Pyoin—about its markets, its strict rules, the way warriors were raised to obey before they were taught to think. She didn't dwell on her exile and her past, but it hung beneath her words like a shadow.
Laxyie listened more than he spoke.
When she asked him about himself, he answered carefully. Where he'd been recently. What kind of work he took. What weapons he preferred. He never mentioned Nursa unless pressed, and never said anything about before.
Lyla noticed. She didn't push.
Tyke, on the other hand, talked freely. About odd jobs he'd done, places he'd slept, the way Selam felt bigger than anywhere he'd ever been. He bragged a little too—about noticing things other people didn't.
Lyla slowed her steps to walk beside him. "You know," she said, "you're kind of a cutie."
Tyke stopped dead. "What?"
She leaned down slightly, ruffling his hair. "Cute. Like a kid."
"I'm not a baby anymore!" he snapped, swatting her hand away.
Laxyie glanced back. "She's not calling you helpless."
"She is," Tyke muttered.
Lyla laughed openly. "Relax. If I thought you were helpless, I wouldn't bring you into a goblin cave."
That made him pause.
"…Oh," he said.
They all laughed then—even Laxyie, just a short breath through his nose.
They made camp before sunset, choosing a spot with good visibility and a small stream nearby. Lyla handled the fire , stacking wood efficiently. Laxyie scouted the area while Tyke gathered what he could carry.
They ate simply. Bread, dried meat, water.
Night settled in quietly.
Laxyie took first watch.
He stood at the edge of the firelight, eyes fixed on the dark stretch of land between them and the mountain. Thoughts drifted, unwanted. Names. Faces. He pushed them aside. Tomorrow mattered more.
By morning, Mount Eron loomed closer.
The land grew rougher as they approached—rocky ground, scattered trees, the road narrowing into little more than a worn trail. The cave entrance sat halfway up the slope, dark and uneven, faint tracks marking goblin movement.
They stopped a short distance away.
"Smell that?" Lyla asked.
Laxyie nodded. "They're inside."
Tyke squinted. "I see movement."
Laxyie glanced at him. "Where?"
"Deep," Tyke said. "Fast. Small."
Lyla's smile faded. "You really can see that."
"We don't rush," Laxyie said. "We pull them out if we can."
They prepared quietly. Lyla checked her blade. Laxyie adjusted the weapon at his wrist. Tyke loaded his slingshot, face serious now.
Whatever they were becoming, it started here.
They moved toward the cave together.