CLASSIC [Magical Library Expansion]

[Cassette-Disk]

This isn't Simple Stuff... I guess I'll read CLASSIC, it's only my favorite.

Do it, son!

To think! Just yesterday I was reading from the beginning of this story and it updates!

It's like it was predetermined~

I like how Alice calls back to Timberpatch in this chapter! Speaking of which, I actually had questions for you! Except I forgot one of them. Whoops. (Was Timberpatch a random name you chosen?)

Whenever you remember the question, feel free to ask haha. I'm always happy to answer this kind of stuff if I can. Timberpatch's name was actually a variation of Benedict Cumberpatch's name. I couldn't think of a name and I knew it was going to be a one-off character so that's what happened lol.

Anyways, I really like this chapter because, I found it quite hilarious how much Bryer gets red in the face from a exposed Alice. (Bryer has seen Emily naked, right? I mean, before she was deceased?)

I love some of these interactions as well. It's fun to have a few silly moments like this! And at your question, yeah, and more than that too ;D Although, the same could be said for Samantha, I guess by this point. Although there's a certain part of her (Sam's) body that he hasn't seen...which might come up later in the story! And might be connected to what we learned in this last posting of the story! Teasing! Also I love that you added 'before she wad deceased' to your question lol.

At the same time, I feel bad for Alice having to endure so much as a Spirit Charmer. I wonder if she'll really be able to do it and devour the spirit before it tries to devour her. Great chapter as always, CD!

SPOILERS: mybe

also this is from way earlier but I never answered so

Does Chive's last name happen to be Cloc?

Yep! Bryer Alma, Chive Cloc, Alice Reyes, and Samantha Fleur~

 

[Cassette-Disk]

My mother took a careful step towards the mage.
“You're...bleeding,” she said calmly. Alice tilted her head, causing a small amount of blood to seep its way out from the lining of her lips. She brought her fingers to her mouth and examined the blood, but only let out a single word of acknowledgment.
“Oh,” She attempted to stand, but my mother held her back down on the bed, “I was told I had expelled all the blood from--” Alice suddenly lurched forward and gripped her stomach in pain before darkened blood spilled from her mouth, like a slow moving fountain. In that instance I realized the dark spot she had slipped on earlier was the same shade as this, forcing me to wonder just how much blood she had lost. My mother did her best to hold Alice steady as the mage began shaking uncontrollably.
“Bryer! Get--” I didn't need to hear the rest and instantly ran toward the door to my right.
“Nurse!” I yelled into the hall, “Cleric! Anyone! We need help in here!” I felt a sudden rush of wind pass me as the room behind me was filled with people in white robes, surrounding Alice.
“It's as if we had done nothing,” a woman's voice said as my mother was pushed aside and ended up standing next to me, her armor slightly splattered by Alice's blood. I could kind of peek between the robes of the half dozen people and saw a metallic bucket placed near Alice's head as she expelled into it. There was a gurgling noise she made as the dark liquid passed which made me shutter.
“What could be the cause of this?” A man asked. There was a sea of soft murmurs and suggestions but none of them were taken for fact. I heard my friend spit once into the bucket before her voice croaked out.

“Leech.” I had never heard her voice so distant before. So devoid of life and incredibly raspy, as if Death held a commanding grip on her throat and refused to let go. Once her single word escaped her lips, the room was at a standstill. The clerics looked at one another cautiously as Alice managed to stop herself from loosing any more blood.
“Are you sure?” The female from before asked.
“Only explanation. Do it.” The group nodded and I barely made out Alice lying herself down on the bed. One of the clerics rose theirs arms above Alice's body and she inhaled deeply and unnaturally. I heard the bed shake loudly against the flooring, the metal frame clanging distinctively as the cleric's arm escaped my field of view. A small shriek that did not belong to anyone in the room filled the air which caused me and my mother to clasp our hands over our ears.
“What the hell?!” I breathed.
“Get them out of here,” the male cleric said out loud, not even looking in our direction.
“What?! No, I'm Captain Bryer Alma of the Sword Guild and this is Gen--” My mother grabbed my shoulder before pulling me out the door. The closed door did little to dull the supernatural scream emitting from inside as I whipped around to face my mother. “Mylene!”
“Don't give me that voice, Bryer,” she hissed, “We need to let them do their job. Neither of us has any idea of what's happening inside that room and just being there could compromise their plans. Just being in the corner could be considered being in the way, especially if the extra room is needed. We'd just be deadweight at best.” I couldn't even look her in the eye as I responded:
“She's my friend, mom.”
“And she'll be just fine. They know what they're doing.” She placed a tender hand on my shoulder as the shrieking noise from behind the door finally died down only to be replaced by the sound of something heavy hitting dense liquid, followed by violent trashing motions.
“I need a holy barrier, now!” the woman's voice yelled out before the shrieking began once more, this time louder, as if it had been previously muffled.

“I'm sorry you had to hear all of that.” My mother and myself were sitting on a bench outside Alice's room as the woman cleric stood in front of us. Her white robes were stained by the dark dense liquid, though her short snowy hair somehow remained unscathed.
“Just tell us Alice is okay. Please,” I added.
“She'll be just fine now. When she asked for a deflaming—that is, the removal of unholy damages from the body due to demonic auras—we never expected her to also have caught something from the dark recesses of the underworld.” Her words were strangely calming to me, and they made me feel as though everything was going to be alright. Was it magic or was that just her natural tone of voice?
“'Caught something?' As in an illness?” My mother asked.
“To an extent. The leech enters the body as a micro-parasite and feeds off the host's blood. The blood is expelled as waste which the host vomits,” I shuttered again at her description, though kept quiet. “At first we believed her expelling blood was a lasting side effect of her little trip, as it is somewhat common for such occurrences, however now that we removed the leech we are absolutely certain she will be well soon.”
“You removed the leech?” I asked.
“Yes. It had grown at a surprising rate throughout the day and was big enough to nearly occupy the bucket we were using.”
“Okay! That's all I had to hear, thanks!” I shuttered again at the thought of something that big living inside of another being and considered having a doctor check me for any kind of parasite. Both my cleric and mother laughed ever so slightly, easing the tension I didn't realize I had been feeling ever since Alice started bleeding.
“At any rate, Alice will be just fine. She just needs some time to rest.” My mother nodded and the cleric took this as her sign to leave.
“I guess there's no point in us hanging around here, huh?” I asked.
“No, there isn't anything we can do besides sight-see, and I doubt they'd truly let us wander these halls as we please.”

“Right.” I was about to stand when I heard a new set of footsteps making their way towards us. I turned toward the sound and saw a young woman wearing armor from the Royal Guard making her way toward us. She froze as we noticed her and visible panic spread across her face, though she managed to steel herself and continue her march.
“Captain Alma, it's good to see you again,” she was without her helmet and though I didn't recognize her long brown hair, her face was familiar. “And you must be—ah!” The girl gasped loudly as if she had just hit a sudden realization and backed away quickly, crashing against the opposing wall. “The Scarlet Lightning Bolt! I'm sorry! I didn't realize--! I didn't mean to interrupt!”
“You're fine,” my mother said lazily, twirling her red hair with her index finger.”
“That was quite the reaction though. Are you really so used to people acting like that, mom?”
“M-mom?!” The girl yelped.
“Oh yeah, sure,” Mylene went on without reacting to the girl's outburst, “I've had people just keep walking backwards until they're out of sight, others who rush to hug me without warning, and a lot of people who bow.”
“Bow?! I could never b—ah, I mean, that seems very...uh, extreme...”
“Says the girl who nearly toppled herself over,” I told her. This caused the girl's face to turn red as she pouted at me.
“Alright, ease up there, Bry-Bry. I doubt she came all the way here for us.”
“Hey wait, how did you get in anyway? Are you a mage?”
“What?! No, I'm a swords-woman! I fought by your side just a few hours ago when the monsters attacked Azure!”
“You did?”
“Yes!” I squinted, but I still couldn't really recognize the girl. “Wait, here...” she pulled her hair up and covered the top part of her head so I could only really see her face.
“Oh hey! You were that Royal Guard who told me the Royal Family was safe! Sorry, so much has happened that I guess I forgot.”
“That's okay. I never really introduced myself. My name's Alexis.”
“Alexis, huh?”
“Yeah, I know. It's silly that, because my name is Alexis, I'm part of the Royal Guard which includes protecting the princess, Alexandria.”
“I'm really hoping they don't get you two mixed up on papers or something.”
“Nah, everyone calls me Alex, and I really doubt anyone would call the princess that.”
“You know, Alexis, you look awfully familiar,” My mother told her.
“Really?”
“Yes. I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before.”
“It's possible. An experienced fighter like you must have bumped into the Royal Guards at least a few times in the past.”
“I'm sure that's it. I must have seen you at least once and your face has stuck in my memory.”
“Speaking of which, have either of you ever met the princess?” I shook my head.
“I've met with His Majesty as well as the queen, but I've never actually seen the princess.”
“I've met with her once,” my mother told us, “she had long blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes.”
“Yes! That's Alexandria! I'm part of her specialized guard.”
“If you're part of a special guard for the princess, then why were you out in the battlefield instead of guarding her?”
“Eh?”
“Hey yeah, that's true. Are you telling us the princess was out of the castle walls during the attack?!”
“No! No, nothing like that!” My added blow to Mylene's statement sent Alexis in a frenzy as she waved her arms in front of herself wildly. “I was so restless as we were locking up the panic room that the princess herself offered me the chance to exit and aid your defense!” I looked up to my mother, who nodded once. Even if she was telling the truth, Alexis' actions hinted at something more than she let on. Either way, I didn't have the energy to pry into it.
“We understand, Alexis,” my mother went on, “the Royal Guards have their own methods, we are in no position to judge.”
“Thank you.”
“However, I am curious about your being here. I would appreciate if you could share with us why you are here, or indeed how.”
“Being part of a special squad of the Royal Guard has its perks, General Alma. It was not a difficult task to get permission for entry. Though my reasons are somewhat personal. I saw the mage who summoned the skeletons that warded off the remaining attacking force was wounded. I wanted to make sure she was doing well.”
“Alice is fine,” I said.
“That is a relief. I...err...I also brought her a small token of appreciation for her services.”
“You mean you brought her a gift?”
“Of sorts,” Alexis pulled a round bottle out of her bag, the contents of which seemed to be a mixture of liquid and a cloudy substance. As the liquid moved, the clouds within seemed to defy physics as they lazily circled themselves like a slow whirlpool of stars.
“...Is that a Celestial Spirit?”
“A what?!” I hoped that didn't mean there was another spirit locked away inside that bottle. I had had more than enough of this type of thing for one day.
“Relax, Bryer. Spirit as in drink, like wine.”
“Oh. I've never heard of 'Celestial Spirit' before though.”
“It isn't something you can buy by walking into a store, that's for certain.”
“Yes, that's true! However like I said, my line of work has certain perks.”
“Maybe I should transfer,” my mother didn't seem to appreciate the joke as she gave me an odd look. “I'm just joking, mom! I doubt I'd be able to sit still long enough for guard duty.”
“It can get dull at times, yes. This drink, however, is supposed to be very potent and very favorable among mages. I hope she enjoys it.”
“That's assuming the clerics let her drink it. She's still recovering and it might take a few days for her to get back on her feet.”
“Oh, is that right...?” Alexis' face dropped slightly at this as she wondered for a brief second. “If that's the case I'll have to come back another day... I'd like to hand it to her in person if at all possible, you see.”
“We understand. Alice acts as a Guidance for us, and regularly aides Bryer in missions. I'm sure we'll be able to work something out and organize a meeting.”
“I would very much like that. Thank you!”

---​

A new character! We'll see more of her later, though maybe not for a while. She shares names with Alexis in the CLASSIC RP, but they're different people! I also think Bryer might be a bit scarred from all this spirit dwelling nonsense...

 

[KingdomKey]

Absolutely loved this chapter. I'm a bit squeamish about the way it was described about the "parasite" inside of Alice though. (I'm glad I finished eating long before reading this part of the chapter.) Anyways, I really like how much Bryer was freaked out and concerned over Alice. Mylene seems to be used to seeing things like this, but at the same time, it felt like something you'd see in a television series with how much the scene felt real, when Alice was coughing up blood and clerics rushing in to aid her. Now there's the part about Alexis, I like her, but find her really suspicious. At first, I thought maybe she switched places with the princess. Or happens to be the princess. Then there's the drink, which makes me think maybe she's an assassin. And I really don't want anything worse to happen to Alice! I also find the whole bowing, toppling over, and hugging Mylene reactions pretty damn funny. Seriously though, this was a great chapter to read. <3

 

[Cassette-Disk]

I need to write more than once or twice a month.

---
​

The afternoon warmth spread over me as we exited the Magical Library. I was pretty curious about the place and wanted to explore it but mom reminded me we were only allowed to be there because of Alice. Now that she was resting and her health was at an absolute, there was no reason for us to stay and we could be asked to leave if we drew too much attention to ourselves. So instead we walked back down the impossible staircase as Chive gave us an annoyed frown. We quickly gave him an explanation of what happened and he seemed just as grossed out as I was about the leech. When we entered the portpoint back into the Sword Guild, Vin gave us a small wave and beckoned me toward him. I gave my mother and Chive a quick goodbye before I approached the Visionist.
“Hello, Captain Bryer.”
“You don't gotta call me by my rank, Vin.”
“Right, I apologize. How was Miss Alice?”
“She's...better now. She'll be making a full recovery soon.”
“That's good news. And, ah, about the...uh, favor I asked of you? What did she say?”
“Huh? Oh! Uh...It-it didn't come up!” I lied, “I'll have to ask later. Sorry, she wasn't very talkative.” Vin looked me over for a few seconds and sigh, letting out a small sad smile. It didn't look like I fooled him.
“I see. That's quite alright, I didn't expect her to be interested in someone like me.”
“Sorry, Vin. She said she wasn't interested in any kind of romance so it's not you.”
“I understand. Thank you, Bryer. This was much better than confronting her myself like a fool.”
“A fool?”
“Just imagine the shame once she rejected me in person! Oh, I can hardly stand to think of it! Even now I worry of the next time I see her!”
“Dude! Chill out. I didn't mention your name! I just said 'someone' was interested and she told me she didn't want a relationship with anyone. I didn't tell her it was you.” That wasn't quite a lie. She did deduce who her admirer was, but I didn't want this guy to be a wreck every time he saw her. She wasn't going to mention it, that was for sure.
“Oh really? Never mind then.”
“Wh-what?!”

The forest was feeling more and more like home to me. I was slowly getting a feel for the dense trees that surrounded every foot of it: recognizing subtle landmarks and noting the dulled and hard-to-see roads that were hidden in the underbrush. It was getting dark but I wanted to see Sam one more time before the day was over, just to make sure she was okay. That and...well, I guess I missed her and was worried about her. The only thing that might be a problem in my travel was the barrier. I was told it would only open for those the village—as a whole—trusted. Not only that but it was supposed to remain completely shut after sundown with no way to open it. I wasn't sure if I might have already been too late to visit the village but decided to try my luck anyway. Soon enough the wooden pillars towered in front of me, though I wasn't sure how to test if they would open for me. Sam always just walked toward them and they would make way for her, so I decided to slowly walk closer to them. To my surprise, I heard the pillars begin to rumble as they impossibly began to part themselves, granting me entry. I hadn't thought of it before that moment, but this would be the first time I enter the village completely on my own. No protective hand to guide me, no back to hide behind if someone took offense to me, just Bryer Alma, the human. I inhaled deeply and took a step forward.

To my delight, the villagers gave me faint smiles as I made my way to Eliz's house. A few even waved though there were still a few that ignored me or even gave me glares. I was about a stone's throw away from my destination when a male elf blocked my path; it was the same one I had talked to in the infirmary and he had a large smile on his face.
“Bryer! How are you?” He extended his hand out, which I shook.
“Fine, thank you.”
“You still have that bandage wrapped around your head, are you sure you're alright to be walking around on your own?”
“Yeah, I'm good. Just a headache and some sore ribs.”
“That's good to hear. Are you here to visit Samantha? Eliz said she's been asking for you when every time she woke up.”
“She has?”
“Yes, so I'm glad you managed to show up, though I'm surprised the barrier let you enter.”
“I am too, to be honest. I hope this means we can start patching things up between Eveholm and Azure.”
“Haha, one step at a time, Bryer. Sorry for holding you up, I'll leave you on your way now,” he stepped aside and was about to leave, but I called out to him.
“Wait, what's your name?”
“Oh sorry! I'm Jan! I'll see you around!” He gave me a wave as he walked backwards, which I returned by raising my hand around eye level.

I knocked on Eliz's door three times but I didn't have to wait long for the door to open. Eliz's aged face peered into my own and she gave me a genuine smile.
“Bryer, hello. I thought I heard your voice.”
“Hi, Eliz. It's good to see you again.”
“Hoho! Look at you, acting all formal!”
“I'm a bit nervous. First time I'm all alone in the village.”
“You're never alone here, Bryer,” she opened the door wider and beckoned me inside, “and eventually I'd love it if you were to feel as though this is a second home to you.”
“I'd like that as well.”
“The first step of that has already been taken: the walls have let you enter on your own. You're trusted here which is a big step.”
“I know. It's amazing to think about, really.”
“You should stop her,” Eliz said suddenly, surprising me.
“What... are you talking about?”
“Samantha. She's trying to walk down the stairs but is having some difficulties. You should stop her before she hurts herself.” I looked up the staircase and, sure enough, saw the aforementioned elf gripping the guardrail with both hands, midstep.
“Nan, I'm fine!” She protested as I raced up to her, “No, Bryer, seriously, I'm okay. I just have a headache.”
“I believe you,” I told her earnestly as I wrapped her arm around my shoulder before helping her back to her room, Eliz smiling all the while, “but if you're anything like me you're going to do too much too fast and end up sprawled on the floor.” I opened her door as we hobbled towards her bed, the covers of which were hastily thrown as if she has rushed downstairs.
“I wouldn't do that.”
“That's exactly what I told my mom a few years ago before I ended up sprawled on the floor.” The elf pouted but said nothing as I sat her back on the bed while I took pulled up a chair. “How are you feeling?”
“Fine. Like I said, I just have a headache now. And I'm kinda ache-y and sore.” I lightly rubbed her bandaged hand, careful not to cause her any pain. “I'm going to be alright, Bryer. More importantly, how's Alice? I heard she was hurt too?”
“Fine. I'll save you the details, but she's going to be okay.”
“I wanna hear the details.”
“It's kinda gross, but if you really want to hear it...”

“Oh gods, so it was living inside of her?!” Sam asked a half hour later.
“Only for today, but yeah. Imagine if they hadn't found it, just how big would it have gotten?” She squirmed at the thought.
“I hate myself for asking!”
“Haha, well I tried to warn you.” I hadn't really noticed myself doing it, but I had, over the course of the story, nudged my chair closer to Sam's bed. So close that she easily leaned her head against my chest while I rubbed her shoulder.
“So I was told that every time you woke up you asked for me?” This caused the elf to blush as she smothered herself against my shirt.
“Oh shut up.”
“Why would that be?” I teased.
“Don't do this, please.”
“I missed you,” I admitted. Maybe she would have been too proud to say it, but at that moment I wanted her to know.
“I...missed you too. I really hoped you were going to show up.”
“That's why you nearly tripp--”
“That's why I nearly tripped down the stairs, yeah. Shut up.”
“Okay,” I squeezed her tight against myself.
“Are you spending the night?”
“I don't really have a choice, do I?”
“Because the barrier won't let you out?”
“No, because I want to be with my girlfriend.” I briefly saw Sam smile widely before again burying her face in my chest.
“You can sleep here if you want,” I heard her muffled voice say, “no funny stuff. I just...I want you here with me.”
“I can do that.”

 

[KingdomKey]

Aw, this is so adorable. <3 Okay, I'm back to shipping Bryer with Sam. lol. Even if it took you a month or so to write, it's nice to see an update. In any case, it's nice to see how Vin took his rejection. I feel suspicious about it for some reason, except I'll wait and be patient about it, because my mind likes to jump to conclusions on such things. Then there's the matter of Jan being so welcoming. I hope this means Bryer will be accepted by more elves over time? A good chapter overall, CD.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

As the morning rays just began hinting at their appearance over the village's barrier, I snuck out of Sam's sleepy, yet tight grip. She stirred ever so slight as I stood and I worried that I might have woken her, but she exhaled loudly, granting me knowledge that slumber still had her in its grip. I did my best to walk into the hallway without making a sound, but Chive has definitely got the upper hand in these kinds of situations. I pushed the door open, which let out a small creak that made me worry, thankfully it the noise did little to nothing to disturb the sleeping elf and I tiptoed my way downstairs.
“Eliz?” I whispered, hoping to easily find the chief.
“Why good morning, Bryer. I'm surprised to see you up so early.” I followed the voice which brought me to the entrance of the house where she was watering a flower. The flower was in a pot, though its vines had crawled upwards, gripping onto a small fence Eliz has placed, probably for that exact reason.
“Yeah, I was thinking of getting Sam some breakfast in bed.”
“Is that so? How surprisingly thoughtful, I'm sure she'll appreciate it. Why don't I give you a hand with that?”
“Thanks, that'll be a big help,” I said as she escorted me to the kitchen.
“So how long until you start calling me 'nan' too, Bryer?”
“What?”
“You slept together in her room, didn't you? I heard you, you know. You two should work on keeping it down.”
“Whoa, wait a minute! We--I was...it wasn't--!” My panic filled stammering was interrupted by her laughter.
“I'm joking, of course,” she said, “though I still enjoy how easy it can be to get you flustered. Though I also hope you remember what I told you all those weeks ago: I want great-grandchildren.”

After a few minutes of preparing, I carefully walked up the stairs with a tray full of fruit and drink. Ever so carefully, I opened her bedroom door and revealed the dim, comfy atmosphere within. The ray of natural light that had fallen in through the window barely lit the room enough to let me see Sam's sleeping face. Her short hair, which was normally done in a tail aside from the the two side swept bangs that passed her ears, was now completely let loose on the pillow. Her now free flowing hair reminded me of a river, one that turned downstream. I made my way toward her, placing the tray of food on the nightstand as quietly as I could before gently nudging her shoulder.
“Bon matin, ma belle fleur,” I whispered. The dark skinned elf slowly started to stir, though she rolled in bed at first as she tried her best to stay asleep. She was a bit more of a heavy sleeper than I first thought, so it took more coaxing. “Come on, Samantha. Time to wake up,”
“Mmm,” was the response I got. I pressed my hand, cold from handling fruit only minutes ago, against her bare neck. This caused a more immediate reaction as she rolled forward more to escape me until she bumped into the wall against the bed. “'S not morning,” she mumbled.
“How do you always get up before I do when you're this hard to wake up?” Sam rolled back, her emerald eyes glittering at me.
“Cuz you'd sleep past noon if nobody stops you,” she answered quietly. Ouch.
“I got you breakfast,” I motioned to the tray and two mugs on her nightstand as I pulled up the same chair from last night. “Here, sit up.” She did as I told her and I placed the tray on her lap. She gave a shy smile the entire time which made me curious, but I didn't say anything about it.
“Thanks,” she mumbled before biting into an apple slice. Because her hair was still down, I couldn't help but notice how different she looked. It was such a small change but it was enough for me to notice and I enjoyed the slight difference. I took a sip of my coffee when she finally said “this is probably the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me. Aside from everything Nan's done for me, I mean! I can't really think of anything anyone else has done that's this...thoughtful? Caring?”
“Really?”
“I never left the forest before you showed up. This life is pretty boring most of the time and everyone here has become so routine. I love being able to leave now even though I never really thought of it before. It's almost like an escape from the mundane... Though I know I can always come back here when I get homesick. Do you know what I'm talking about, Bryer?”
“I mean, kinda. I travel a lot, even as a kid, so I never felt trapped but I do always love coming back to Azure. It's my home. After whatever happens to me during the days I'm away, it's always nice to know I have somewhere to come back to.” Samantha nodded as she took another bite. When we finished off the fruit, she gave me a quick peck and embraced me deeply.
“Thank you, Bryer.” I hugged her back and only hummed happily as a verbal response.

As we made our way downstairs, a loud repeating banging noise started disrupting the normally quiet village. It was absurdly loud, and reminded me of a battering ram bashing against Azure's reinforced gates.
“What's that?” I asked, feeling for my sword. Sam didn't answer, and instead ran the rest of the way while looking for Eliz. I followed behind and we found the chief outside, along with most of the other elves. “What's happening?” I asked over the booming thumps. I could somewhat tell they were coming from the entrance to the village, though thanks to the barrier, I couldn't tell what it was.
“Something is trying to enter the village,” Eliz answered. I instinctively pulled out the sword out of the hilt hanging from my hip which caused a few of the villagers to back away from me. I had never drawn my weapon out in the village before and, aside from tools and arrowheads, I doubted they used any weapons made of metals.
“Is that the only entrance to--”
“Calm down, Bryer,” Samantha placed a hand on my shoulder, “Nothing can penetrate the barrier. Not even fire can burn the village away. We're safe.”
“”What if they don't leave? Are any of the villagers out there? Stranded?”
“Everything will work itself out, Bryer,” Eliz said easily, her deep aging eyes full of a calm that I could not grasp. Even with their reassurance, I still felt uneasy and refused to sheath my blade. I actually made my way closer to the gate just in case something came through and even though none of the other elves said anything, a few followed behind though they kept their distance. Like Eliz and Samantha said, the barrier wasn't budging. I couldn't see any of the magic at work, but I could see the thick wooden pillars lined up so closely together that it was impossible to peer through them and even though the banging noise was definitely coming from the other side, the pillars showed no sign of being attacked.
“Is there any way we can see through to the other side?” I asked, “Like, something I can climb on to look over the pillars?”
“No, of course not. What would be the point of a barrier if you could just climb it or shoot arrows over it?” Sam responded. I sighed, finding it difficult to just sit still.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually the banging noise stopped. I looked back at the other elves and held a hand out to stop any of them from opening the barrier.
“It could be a trap to lure us into opening the gates for them,” I quietly explained. I let five minutes pass before consulting Eliz: “Is there any way to open a very small section of the barrier? Only enough to let me through?” She nodded before leading me to the large pillars. She tapped on one of them and it began to slide by itself with practically no sound, something that I hadn't seen the barrier do before. Up to this point it's always been a grand fanfare when it opened, such as with the ground shaking and multiple pillars moving at once. However this time it was as if the barrier knew it needed to be stealthy in order to protect those within. Once there was enough room for me to squeeze through, I darted out. I had to find cover as soon as possible as Eliz closed the barrier behind me and I couldn't be sure what was lying in wait for me. I decided to run toward the closest tree and jumped up as far as I could before scampering the rest of the way up. I heard no hostile noises around me, nor did I see anything as I scanned the area while making the run, but I still wanted to be careful. I looked to the floor below and saw nothing. Then, remembering the large slime Samantha had noticed before me on my first venture into the forest, I scanned the area above me but still saw nothing of interest. Just the leaves of trees, the pillars that bordered the village, and the occasional blue sky that peaked through the thick greenery. I was about to hop down when I heard a snapping noise behind me. I whipped around on the branch and prepared myself for a fight. A bow and arrow was trained on me, but the person holding it was another dark skinned elf whose eyes softened as they met my own.
“Oh it's just you, Bryer,” he said as he lowered his weapon.
“Jan?” This was the same elf I had met yesterday right before entering Eliz's house. He seemed like a nice enough fellow though I was confused as to why he was up here with me. His face was ridden with fright and his pupils looked very constricted, as if in shock
“Yeah. I was stuck out here when that thing started attacking the village. Gods this is bad, Bryer. Very bad.”
“Whoa whoa, calm down. Just...just slow down. Let's get you inside, alright?” I placed a hand on his shoulder to comfort him and only then realized he was shaking slightly. “Look is there anyone else here? Or were you the only one out?”
“No, no I wasn't the only one!”
“Jan! Keep calm, buddy. Take a deep breath, alright? Let's get you inside before we do anything else."

---​

'Awwww lookit CD making a cute lovey-dovey pair out of Bryer and Sam~' 'Don't forget to mention how much they wuv each other!' Yeah well diddly you, someone's probably going to die in the next two writings. Because of how little I actually get to write these days I keep wanting to go back and forth between character interactions and full-out action scenes, though this seems like a decent pace I'm keeping story wise...maybe. It's all a rough draft (probably a bunch of spelling and grammar errors like always too) and will need some heavy editing in the future, I'm sure. Anyway I plan on writing more frequently so this won't be left in the dark for too long.

 

[KingdomKey]

The author's note has me cracking up in laughter. lol. You could always start a new thread if you wanted to work on a different expansion btw or one-shots, you know? Anyways, you really nailed it on the head with the lovey-dovey pair. I was greatly amused by Bryer using some french to try to wake Sam up. The cold hand on the neck will certainly get a person up. Which is way better than a handful of snow to the neck. Trust me. Of course, it was great to see Eliz teasing Bryer again and seeing them work together. I suppose some elves are still uneasy around Bryer, but it's awesome to see them follow him, when he's concerned about somebody getting into the village. And last but not least, Jan seems to be freaking out. And oh no, not a character death! lol. XD

 

[Cassette-Disk]

I wish I had this much to write all the time!

---
​

Jan sat in the middle of the village, surrounded by his peers. Someone had brought him a mug of water, which he greedily drank from.
“What happened, Jan?” Sam asked while taking the mug from him.
“There were...two of them. Big ones.”
“Big ones of what?” I was afraid to know the answer.
“Of those monsters from yesterday. The...pig guys.”
“The ones that attacked Azure?” he nodded, hugging his knees. “Eliz, when monsters attacked Azure in the past, was it common for them to try breaking into Evehom shortly after?”
“Not entirely. They would normally ignore our village, and the ones that survived wouldn't bother the village at all. They would merely escape to which they came.”
“That's not the worst part,” Jan cried out.
“What do you mean?”
“I wasn't alone out there. Maithy was with me and we watched from different tree tops as the beasts tried to barge in. We kept quiet but when I looked back, Maithy was gone!”
“Gone? How do you mean gone?”
“She just...vanished! I was watching the pig monster slam its fist against the gate but when I turned back to Maithy, she wasn't there! I panicked but managed to keep quiet and then, a few minutes later, a second one walked to the first one. It was dragging Maithy by the hair and they both left.”
“And you didn't try to stop them?!” Sam cried.
“He's only one man, Sam,” I told her, “what's he supposed to do? Try and take both of them down? When they attacked the town it took at least two of us to kill one of the bigger ones.”
“I still feel ashamed!” Jan cried out again, “I couldn't stop them from taking her away. I couldn't do anything!”
“Jan, calm down,” I said, “We're going to get her back.”
“How?”
“I'm going to go search for her. If I can catch them off guard I can use my mother's technique and slay them before they even know I'm there.”
“And if you don't catch them off guard?”
“Then I'll grab Maithy and run out of there. I'm pretty damn fast, even without any extra techniques.”
“I'm going with you,” Sam said.
“You are?”
“You didn't think I would let you go by yourself, did you? You'll need someone familiar with the forest in case you really do need to make a quick escape.”
“Sam, I--”
“I'm not taking 'no' for an answer, Bryer!”
“What? No, I was just going to give you one of my swords.” I reached into the magical bag Alice had given me and reached inside. It took some effort but I had managed to stuff the sword I was using before Mylene gave me Emily's sword inside. I handed it to Samantha and, after a small amount of trouble, she managed to hoist it around her hips.
“It feels a bit heavier than I'm used to.”
“You'll get used to it. I wish I could teach you how to use it properly but for now just have it as a back up weapon in case you lose your bow. I have that spare bow of yours, after all. I'm no archery master but it still feels good to have the extra weapon with me. I hope the sword does the same for you.” Sam nodded in response.

We walked out of the village, the barrier closing loudly behind us.
“Where was Jan when you found him?” Sam asked.
“Up this tree. He said he saw them leave but that doesn't give us much to work with. We're not even sure what direction they went and he's too shaken up to remember.” Samantha easily jumped onto the branch I had struggled to reach and looked down.
“There are only three real options they could have gone: North, East, and South. The trees are too closely packed in this area to allow any other exit.”
“We aren't splitting up, if that's what you're suggesting.”
“It's not, but I was thinking... They're pretty big and obviously aren't used to the forest. If they were blundering around this area then there should be signs of that.”
“You mean like seriously crushed bushes, trees with obvious signs of damage and large footprints?”
“Yeah. It'd be great if we could find something that definitive.”
“Good news: I just did.”
“What?” I pointed down a path with exactly what I had just described.
“Those footprints aren't as big as the ones that were attacking the town, but they're still fairly large. We'll have to be careful.” Sam nodded before jumping to the tree nearest the torn path, then hopped forward, following along. I chased after her on the ground, making sure I kept an eye on her and anything else that was out of the ordinary on our way. “Hey wait, stop!” I yelled after a few minutes.
“What is it? Out of breath?”
“No, of course not. Look at this,” I reached down near one crumbled bushes and grabbed a small brown bag with a clasp strap. “Don't you guys wear these around your waist like a pack?” Samantha jumped down and took the pack from me before peering inside and fishing out a small number of herbs tied together with string.
“It's Maithy's. She always carries around some parsley in case someone gets poisoned.”
“Parsley doesn't cure poison, does it?”
“It does for some of the bugs around here. We're on the right track, let's keep going.” Without another word she jumped back to the treetops and I ran alongside her.

The forest was quiet and devoid of life. Normally I would hear birds chirping and small animals scurry around, but today I couldn't even hear any insects buzzing. It made a heavy ball of anxiousness form in my stomach and I couldn't shake it away. I had to stay focused, both for us and for Maithy. There was a slight swooshing sound above me, followed by Samantha's surprised cry. I looked up frantically in time to see her be stalled mid-jump, as if something held her in place. A second later, she fell backwards in an arc, toward the tree she had just leaped from. I skidded myself to a stop and ran toward the tree, realizing she was on a collision path for it. I jumped on the trunk of the tree just in time to soften her blow, though gravity quickly forced me to fall back downwards. I managed to land on my knees and looked back up to Sam. She was dangling in midair, her right foot sticking out above her.
“Wha—what is this?!”
“I'm not sure.”
“It feels like my leg is caught on something, Bryer.”
“I don't...really see anything though. You're just floating.” Samantha gave me a frown at her situation. She was hanging upside down by some kind of invisible force, though to her credit she was surprisingly calm about it.
“Hang on, I think I can handle this,” she stretched forward and clasped her leg, feeling around. “Yeah! It's like an invisible rope!”
“Someone trapped the tree branches?” Samantha managed to undo her binding and fell easily to the ground, landing with more grace than I managed to.
“Yeah, I bet that's what got Maithy too.”
“These pig monsters aren't smart enough for traps though. Someone else must have been behind the trap.”
“What was the plan here? Was I supposed to just dangle there forever until they found me? I would have escaped by then.”
“No, you were going to slam against the tree. I think that was supposed to knock you out or something.”
“I guess I'll have to travel on the road with you. If the traps are invisible I won't be able to avoid them.”

We ran in silence for another three minutes when the trail ended. Just ahead of us was a cave leading downward into the Earth, but before either of us mentioned it, someone walked out of it. They were covered in head to toe in red armor which obstructed every aspect of them: aside from their height I couldn't tell anything about them. We hid behind some trees as we watched the person casually walk out of the cave and to our right. I looked at Sam, who was staring at me with confusion. We both rose from our hiding spots at the same time and made our way to the cave. The entrance was large and circular, and was very much a hole on the floor with the ground flattening itself at the mouth to grant access. A few torches were placed on the walls, signifying the presence of others. As much as I wanted to investigate the person in red armor, finding Maithy came first. I took a step forward, but the sound of loud steps forced me to stop. I peered into the cave but saw nothing, though the footsteps got louder. I drew my sword and Samantha pulled her bow off her back, notching an arrow. Though I thought the footsteps were coming from below and ahead, a sudden shock rocked my body as Sam was knocked forward violently while I was thrashed sideways. I looked up in time to see one of the large pig monsters running down into the cave after Samantha, though I had flown away from the entrance.
“Samantha!” I yelled as I scampered to my feet, rushing toward the cave. I had only taken a few steps when something large took a hold of my torso and pulled me back, tossing me into a tree. The crash forced vibrations down my back and I felt my vision begin to fade. I forced my eyes to stay open while breathing heavily, taking in as much oxygen as possible. I managed to stand and in front of me stood another pig man, staring right at me. It held on to a massive axe with both hands, obviously ready for my counter attack. I wasn't interested in fighting it though, Samantha was my first priority. I ran toward the monster and it swung the axe horizontally at me as I neared it. I leaped high above the ground, clearing the attack and rushed passed the beast, making a beeline for the cave. I heard it grunt in anger as a large brown club flew above me before it slammed against the cave entrance, locking me out. Because of the size of it, I wouldn't have been able to move it in time without getting caught by the monster. I turned to face it: it knew what was happening. It knew I wanted to go fight the other one and help Samantha. It knew we were coming and purposely disconnected and isolated us. The beast grunted again, though this one was in satisfaction. It wanted to fight and beat me, to have my strength succumb to its own. That wasn't going to happen.

I launched forward with blade in hand at the large monster, the same kind that forced our troop to focus solely on it in order to defeat it. It again swung its axe, and again I easily avoided it before stabbing at its side, taking advantage of the time it needed to wind down from the attack. My strike connected, but it didn't seem to deal a whole lot of damage as I pulled away before it could counter. In fact, the amount of blood I drew was hardly noticeable and the monster didn't even react to it. I dashed in front of it in order to try another attack, but it already held its weapon above its head, ready to attack. The huge sharp blade pierced the ground behind me as I hopped away, and I leaped heavily on the axe, forcing it into the ground. Keeping my balance, I ran along the weapon's handle and slashed at the beast's neck. My mother managed to kill one of these in a single strike in a similar manner, but she was stronger and faster than myself. My own attack wasn't as fruitful, as the thick blubber shielded the vital veins from my sword. I felt the monster's large fist connect with my body, knocking me aside before I managed to escape. I hit the ground hard, rolling a few times as pain thundered through my right side, most notably my arm. I quickly gathered myself and rounded back to face it. My attack might not have killed it, but it was definitely causing an effect. The blood loss from the neck would, in theory, mean that the monster would go into shock sooner or later, and be filled with panic before that. I would have to take more care from here on, as panic would lead to more wild and unpredictable attacks. I could either wait for the shock to set in, which would force it into a spasm on the ground, or think of another way to attack it. Because Samantha was still trapped with the other monster, I didn't have the time to just wait around, so I decided on a new strategy. No matter how powerful a monster was, the eyes were always a weakness. It was rare for anything to have a defense against a sword to the eye, and without vision, it had virtually no chance to hit me. I quickly made a plan and ran to the club blocking the cave, feigning an attempt to move it. The monster roared and rushed toward me, its club ready for another sideways swing. I quickly pushed the club so the handle was facing upwards, then climbed onto it as the axe was swung, striking against the thick piece of wood. The weapon was caught, at least for the moment, and I took the opportunity to jump toward the pig man, one hand clutching my blade and another with an arrow I pulled from the quiver on my back. It was unable to stop my two simultaneous stabs to the pupils, and though I pulled my sword out from the right eye, the arrow shaft remained in left eye as I jumped away. The monster howled in pain as it bounded backwards, its hands raising themselves to its bloody face. In a desperate finally attempt at my life, it charged forward in a blind rage. I was no longer in front of it and it instead collided with the pair of weapons sticking out of the ground. The beast tumbled and fell, making growls of anger. I quickly ran toward it and stabbed at the back of its head with all my strength, plunging the steel into its grey matter.

I wasted no time in returning to the cave entrance.
“Samantha!” I cried while pushing the weapons aside. Though they were a bit taller than myself, I managed to roll the club away and opened the path. I ran inside and noted small red drips on the floor, as if someone who was wounded made their way through here. “Sam!” I yelled again, fearing the worse. It didn't take long for the torched cave to reach its end, which was a large circular room. The body of the second pigman, arrows sticking out of its eyes and body, lay in the center of the room in front of a floating sphere that shone in different colors. That wasn't important to me and instead I focused on find Samantha. “Sam?” I yelled again. Movement caught my eye, just behind one pillars a torch was placed on. I ran toward it and found the dark skinned elf sitting there with her eyes closed, and a second elf—Maithy—was next to her, unconscious. “Sam! No no no, Sam stay with me, please!” She slouched her head forward but made no verbal response. I felt myself fill with a panic I wish I didn't recognize as I gripped her shoulders. “Sam, no please!” I heard her voice mutter something as I placed my fingers on her neck.
“Got 'em,” she mumbled as I felt for her pulse. It was actually slightly elevated, which surprised me.
“You're gonna be okay,” I told her earnestly, realizing she was just resting from her fight.
“Yesterday one of those knocked me out. Today I killed one. On my own, too.” I pulled out my bag and reached inside, producing a small jar filled with red liquid. I uncorked the top and pressed it to Sam's lips.
“Drink, it'll make you feel better.” She slowly did so and, once the bottle was empty, let out a disgusted noise.
“That tastes awful,” she announced weakly. I stared for a second before a smile spread across my face. I embraced Samantha as we both laughed softly.

---
​

The author's note has me cracking up in laughter. lol. You could always start a new thread if you wanted to work on a different expansion btw or one-shots, you know? Anyways, you really nailed it on the head with the lovey-dovey pair. I was greatly amused by Bryer using some french to try to wake Sam up. The cold hand on the neck will certainly get a person up. Which is way better than a handful of snow to the neck. Trust me. Of course, it was great to see Eliz teasing Bryer again and seeing them work together. I suppose some elves are still uneasy around Bryer, but it's awesome to see them follow him, when he's concerned about somebody getting into the village. And last but not least, Jan seems to be freaking out. And oh no, not a character death! lol. XD

I guess I could, but I really want to focus on CLASSIC more than anything tbh. As much as I'd like to jump from Expansion to Expansion (which was actually the whole reason I had separated stories into Expansions in the first place!) I worry that I'll end up abandoning an Expansion or that things would get too confusing because of chronological events. Also I kinda lied: no one was going to die lol.
So hey, this part was dope to write out. Sorry again for any errors that are hanging around.

 

[Max]

Making some CLASSIC rounds. Flitting through chapters. I think I'm going to start printing it off if you don't mind, I realize it's so much easier for me to read a hard copy of literally ANYTHING rather than electronic.

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Making some CLASSIC rounds. Flitting through chapters. I think I'm going to start printing it off if you don't mind, I realize it's so much easier for me to read a hard copy of literally ANYTHING rather than electronic.

idc fam. If you want we can set up a Dropbox so you can have DIRECT ACCESS to the word document if it makes it easier for you.

 

[Max]

idc fam. If you want we can set up a Dropbox so you can have DIRECT ACCESS to the word document if it makes it easier for you.

That would be perfect dude, it would actually make this a lot easier for me.

 

[KingdomKey]

I'm happy no one died. Especially Sam, because it would've been to cruel to do that to Bryer. Atop of that, the battle was really intense to say the least. Nice to see Sam and Bryer held their own against the pigmen. On the other hand, I'm equally as curious as to who has the brains to set up traps and take Maithy. I hope she wasn't bait to get someone like Bryer or Sam. I might be reading into it a little, but I can't wait to see what's happened next. It'd be surprising if Jan ended up deceiving them too, but again, my mind is just whirling with possibilities of what could happen next. Great chapter as always!

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Samantha felt a rough shove behind her as she and Bryer neared the cave. They were just following the trail of the pig monsters that had kidnapped an elf, but the person who had just walked out of the cave—whom was covered head to toe in red armor—had them both thinking someone else was pulling the strings. Either way, at the moment Sam had just been shoved into the cave entrance by something while Bryer had be thrown aside. She rolled along the ground and pressed her back against the rock wall. The lights of a few torches dimly lit the rest of the hollowed burrow, and the wall layout was rigid, giving Sam the impression that a giant worm had tunneled through to create the cave. At the mouth of the cave, she saw her attacker race down to face her: a large pig faced humanoid wielding a spear. She had already been ready to fire an attack before she was tossed into the cavern so it was easy for her to shoot an arrow into the monster. Even though the arrow hit its mark and stuck out of the pigman's chest, it did little to slow it down. Unfazed, the monster ran toward her and she wasted no time in dashing away, deeper into the cave.
“Samantha!” Bryer called out from above.
“I'm okay,” she yelled back as she ran, though she doubted her voice reached him. The natural light streaming in from the entrance halted suddenly, though this barely registered in her mind as the torches quickly became her main light source. Samantha blindly fired arrow after arrow behind her as she ran, noting the majority of them striking soundly against the monster's flesh. The cave snaked as the chase continued and more than once she heard the spear slam against the rocky walls. She wouldn't last long in this run, though the narrow walls could play to her advantage: while the pigman was limited mostly to stabs, her arrows could fly easily in the dusky cavern. Unfortunately, her initial impressions on the tactical advantages were proven to be false as the tunnel opened up more and more as they ran, and more than once the monster had manged to just barely scratch her heels and back. A sharp pain raced through her side as she was finally struck with force, which caused her to fumble and fall. She rolled onto her back just in time to see the pigman roar on top of her as it brought its spear up for a final strike. Samantha loaded an arrow as quickly as she could and fired into the creature's mouth, catching it completely off guard. It stumbled backwards, and during that time Sam got to her feet and continued her escape.

She held to her bloody side and realized running was no longer and option. Her injury was too much of an impairment and it was sapping her energy. The tunnel turned towards the right in a sharp angle, and she decided this would be where she would take her last stand. To her surprise, this was also the end of the tunnel and a circular room greeted her. In the center was a strange blue floating sphere. It seemed to be made of some sort of glowing energy, but she ignored it for now. Instead she concentrated on the currently notched arrow. Her bow was magically infused with elements and she used this to her advantage as an icy blue frost enveloped the arrowhead that her shaky hands aimed. As soon as the monster turned the corner, she fired. The ice arrow flew passed its head, but caught its hand and pinned it to the wall. It growled in frustration as the block of fractured ice held it captive, but Sam wasted no time in firing another frosty projectile at the pigman's other hand. This one not only had the same affect, but also forced the spear to fall from its grasp. The monster struggled against the frost and Samantha knew it would shortly break free from the entrapment. She quickly thought about her options and decided her course of action. Loading two arrows, they burst into flame as she aimed for the monster's head. Though two or three arrows had already penetrated the beast's cranium, none of them had done any permanent damage. These two arrows were going to change that. She let the bowstring loose as the flaming staffs slammed directly into the creature's eye sockets, blinding it in a furious pain. It roared in anger as the ice holding it back shattered. Without any other alternative, the monster ran forward hoping to strike Samantha down, but she had managed to jump away behind one of the few pillars that were in the circular room. Instead, the creature ran through the transparent circular orb and it cried out in anguish as the orb thundered through its insides, forcing small discharges of electricity to become visible against its skin. The pigman slammed against the opposing wall and fell face up, dead before it even struck the ground. Samantha slouched against the pillar, feeling the wound she had suffered on her left side. She lifted her shirt and felt the strike. “That's... that's not too bad, right?” She reassured herself. At the very least she knew she was going to survive, though withdrawing her hand revealed her bloody fingers. Still, the slice wound wasn't deep and if it wasn't for her inexperience with pain, she wouldn't have fallen over after the attack. Sam lowered herself against the pillar, though quickly shot back up as she saw a body propped against the wall next to her. “Maithy!” The elf's eyes were closed but she was breathing. “Fancy meeting you here,” Samantha chuckled to herself as she slid down next to her kin.
“Samantha!” Bryer's voice echoed through the tunnel like a lighting bolt racing to the Earth.
“Right on time,” she groaned as she closed her eyes in weariness.

---
​

The red armored fighter left the cave. In their peripheral vision, they saw two figures hide behind a pair of trees. Right on time, they mused. They walked away, satisfied in how things were playing out. It didn't take long for Bryer's voice to ring out from behind them.
“Samantha!” The fighter passed through a few trees, ignoring the fight they had left behind. They had just entered a clearing when sometime heavy struck at their head, knocking off their helmet. Red hair blinded them, though a quick head flip unobstructed her smokey grey eyes, of which matched Bryer's exactly. Though she was going to face the direction the attack came from, she noted her helmet never hit the ground. Instead, it was in the mouth of a small fox-like creature. Dull orange matted fur covered the creature and though three of its legs were a snow-white, its right front leg was black and appeared shriveled, as if it had been badly burned.
“What the hell are you?” Lili asked. The animal spat out the helmet and growled, revealing its fangs. “Fine, I'll make a pelt out of you,” the sister said as she drew her sword. It was then a bright light shined out, forcing Lili to cover her eyes. When she looked back, a human figure replaced the creature, and a black transparent sword was in its right hand.
Leave these woods, Lili, the voice rang through her mind like a forgotten memory.
“But you're dead,”
Leave these woods, Lili, the voice repeated as the figure rushed at her at in impossible speed. She only just managed to block the sword strike, her eyes flaming with a yellow fire that signified the usage of her mother's technique.
“What the hell?!”
Leave these woods, Lili,
“Go to hell!” The swords trembled together as the redhead struggled to match the figure's strength.
Leave these woods, Lili, in a sudden show of strength, the figure flicked its sword hand, knocking Lili back into a skid. The figure instantly followed it up with another strike that rang loudly against her armor. In her mind, Lili realized this was a mere warning. At the speed they were moving, the figure could have easily decapitated her defenseless head. Despite this, she decided to fight on and stabbed at the figure. The sword went through the figure and it easily walked through the blade, stepping to its side as it phased through the weapon.
“I never did like you very much,” she admitted in agitation.
Leave these woods, Lili, the voice chilled her deeply and a cold sweat had begun to force her undershirt to stick sickly to her back.
“Would you just fu—” the figure punched her across the face with its left hand before grabbing the back of her armor. Even with her mother's technique, Lili barely registered the fact that she was being dragged through the forest at a blinding speed. As she saw was a blur of green while leaves and branches slapped the back of her exposed head, her red hair trailing in front of her. She realized she was above the ground but couldn't work out how high and, in less than five seconds, she was ejected from the Bluefield Forest and she flew through the air before landing heavily against the dirt, her sword clanging noisily against the ground behind her as she helplessly rolled toward it. She stood with a groan before looking back at the dense tree-line. “Maybe I really am nuts,”

---
​

woah wait what whats happening. who the diddly was that and why was little paw there what?? And what was Lili doing there??? We'll find out eventually! :^)

 

[KingdomKey]

Whoa, we got some action going on in this chapter! Sam held her own pretty well, considering her opponent would no freaking go down. If it were me or any other rational person, they probably would've panicked and died where they stood. Damn, Sam is really impressive. Sucks she got a flesh wound. Of course, I'm curious what the ghostly figure is, because it's obviously someone Lili knew when they were alive. I'm going to guess this person isn't really dead or if they are, then they're some sort of lingering spirit to protect others. And Lili is turning into a bad guy it seems. Awesome chapter as usual. =D

 

[Cassette-Disk]

I heard a soft buzz from behind me. I had been so concerned over Sam I didn't even take in the surroundings properly. I had noticed the blue floating orb in the center, which was somewhat transparent, but aside from that I didn't notice anything else about it. Now that I had calmed down I could make out the light noise it let out, along with the slight glow it gave off. I could almost see small symbols on it and I took a step toward it to get a better look.
“Don't,” Samantha said softly.
“What?”
“Don't touch it. That monster ran through it and died. Just leave it alone.”
“Alright but we can't just leave it. I'll contact the Magical Library to examine it while we take Maithy back to the village,” I pulled out the small, purple gem-like stone Alice had given me to communicate with her and it instantly began to glow brightly. “Hey Alice? I'm in the forest just a bit north of Eveholm and--”
“Bryer?”
“Eh?” The voice coming from the stone wasn't Alice's. It was... “Mom?!”
“Hi honey!”
“Wha—why do you have this stone?”
“Alice gave it to me when I rushed her to the Library yesterday. She's still out so I'm holding on to it.”
“Oh right,” I had been so used to Alice always being on the other end of the tunnel that it seemed bizarre to have her missing. I couldn't believe I thought she would be the one answering at first.
“So what's up, Bry-Bry?”
“Oh, well monsters attacked Eveholm--”
“What?”
“And Sam and I were separated--”
“What?!”
“But she's okay! We found a cave north of the village with some weird...floating ball.”
“Ball?”
“It looks like a magical sphere,” Samantha spoke up, “it's rotating and when a monster ran through it, it was charged with energy—like electricity or something—then died.”
“That doesn't sound good,” my mother concluded. Though I could only hear her voice I was easily able to imagine her biting her thumb, like she always did when she wasn't sure about something. “I'll have a few mages examine it. Was there anyone else around? A clue or anything?”
“No,” I answered simply before doubling back, “wait! Yeah, right before we were separated there was someone who walked out of the cave. It was just one person but he was wrapped head to toe in red armor. I couldn't tell anything about him, I'm not even sure if 'he' is even a he.”
“Alright. Secure the area until we arrive. I'll accompany the mages; we should be there within the hour.” With that, the gemstone's light dulled out, ending the communication.

“Bryer,” Sam called. I squatted down next to her, gently gripping her hand. Maithy was still slumped next to her though it was obvious she was well, just knocked out.
“What's up?”
“I need to get Maithy back to the village.”
“You won't be able to carry her.”
“I'm not even that badly hurt!” Maybe, but you don't have the strength to carry her all the way back.”
“We can't just have her stay here. Even if she isn't hurt she needs to get into a bed and rest, not propped up against a rock wall.”
“I know. Listen, one of us needs to stay here and make sure no one messes with this ball thing--”
“Sphere. Ball sounds dumb.”
“--Sphere thing until Mylene and the mages get here.”
“Then I'll stay while you take Maithy back.”
“Yeah that's the only course for us, but are you sure? We don't know how strong that red armored person is.”
“I'll be fine. If he shows up I'll have the element of surprise and can at least freeze him with an ice arrow.” I turned to look at the carcass of the fallen pig monster as well as the large circular room.
“You're fine with being in here by yourself?“
“Yeah, of course.”
“Even with that thing?” I nudged toward the beast.
“Why wouldn't I be? It's dead.”
“But you're okay with sharing a room with it for an hour? Not creeped out or anything?”
“Again, why would I be? I was the one who killed it.”
“Just making sure,” I gave Sam a quick kiss before picking up the knocked out elf besides her and I carefully placed her on my back. “Be back soon. I'll try and get back before my mom shows up.” She gave me a nod and I jogged out the cave.

As much as I wanted to run at my full speed, it didn't seem like a good idea. The last thing I wanted was for Maithy to wake up while we ran at blinding speeds, have her panic, and fall. At those speeds she'll really hurt herself. So instead I jogged through the forest, retracing my steps back to the village. The pillars separated themselves as soon as I approached and the villagers were waiting for me as I entered. I could feel their intense stares as I made my way to the center, where I carefully placed her on a mat Jan had been sitting on just moments ago.
“Bryer, how is she? And where's Sam?!” Jan had apparently still not calmed down and was still shaking. Obviously he wasn't one for any kind of action.
“Maithy should be fine. She was knocked out but is fine. Samantha's okay too, she was hurt a little by one of the monsters but nothing serious.”
“Where is she, then?!” Jan demanded.
“Calm down, Jan, please. Are any of you aware of a cave north of here? It's in a small clearing,” I paused, but no one spoke up so I kept going, “well that's where they took Maithy. Someone wearing all red came out of the cave but we were attacked by the monsters before we could confront him. We think he's responsible for Maithy's kidnapping so if you see that person, be on your guard. I don't know how strong he is but if he was able to get the pig monsters to cooperate with him, I'm sure he's not someone to mess with.”
“So why is Sam still out there, then?”
“In the cave we found something that needs to be investigating. I have to inform you that a small number of humans will be investigating it because there's some kind of object there. B-But that's the only reason they'll be coming!” I added quickly, as more than one of the elves' faces grew worried. “It's some kind of energy ba—err—sphere that seems to be made of magic. I'm worried it's dangerous so they're going to check it out. I promise they aren't going to interfere with you in any way, shape, or form.” Eliz stepped forward, her usual carefree smile on her face.
“No need to be so defensive, Bryer,” she told me, “If they are with you, then we have nothing to fear. You're trusted here, remember?” She nodded toward the entrance, reminding me that it only opened for those the villagers as a whole trusted. I returned her smile.

I didn't stay in the village for long. I knew Sam could handle herself, but I didn't want to leave her alone for longer than necessary when we still didn't know anything about the red warrior. I explained this to the villagers and jetted back to the cave. I entered without incident but as I grew nearer to the the center room at the end, I heard voices.
“...At least one girl! I don't care how many you have, but you need to have a healthy little girl!” My mother's voice echoed through the tunnel and I smiled to myself.
“Um. Well, I can't really decide that, but I guess? I'll try? W-when and if it comes to that, I mean!”
“What do you mean 'if?' You need to be more confident.”
“Mom, knock it off!” I yelled ahead as I walked the last few feet until I reached the right turn, “quit teasing my girlfriend, it's not like we--” I turned the corner and immediately shut my mouth. There were five people dressed in green robes surrounding the blue sphere, examining it closely, They each wore their hoods up, and one of them had both palms outstretched towards the object as small particles gently flew into his hands. None of that mattered. What did matter was the fact my mother was holding onto a necklace I had given Samantha, which had the female gender sign dangling off of it.
“Why, hello Bryer!” My mother taunted with a smug grin.
“Bryer, I'm sorry!” Sam called out. She was standing, pressed up against the wall, obviously uncomfortable, “She came out of no where and found that on me!”
“Ah, it's okay. So uh, Mylene--”
“Mommy,” she corrected. I hated calling her that.
“Mommy,” I repeated lowly, “that isn't what it looks like. I...gave it to Sam just in case is all!”
“Uh-huh,” Based on her smile, I could tell she wasn't buying my story. It didn't help that she was swinging it back and forth like a pendulum. “I didn't know you two had already gotten so...close with one another.”
“Come on, mom, like I--”
“Mommy,” she corrected again.
“Mommy,” I repeated for the second time, “like I said earlier, I just had her hold on to it just in case.”
“Just in case, hmm?” I couldn't deal with it anymore. I internally flipped the switch as my eyes flashed yellow before darting towards my mom, hand outstretched to the necklace. She easily raised it out of my grasp and I nearly fell face first in front of her. I rose and was about to try again when she beat me to the punch and squeezed me into a deep hug. “I can't believe it, I'm so happy for you two!” As I tried to find an air pocket, I heard a chuckle from behind her which caused my mom to snap around, facing the mages. “Who's laughing?!” She barked angrily, her voice reverberating throughout the room. No one answered. “None of this leaves this cave, understand? None of you heard any of this conversation.” Still no answer. “Am I clear?” Each one of the mages gave a small acknowledgment, which was enough for Mylene.
“Please calm down,” I told her once I finally got free, “there's no need to make everyone crap their pants about this.”
“Sorry, I missed pulling rank. I'm happy for you two though, even if you won't admit it,” she tossed the necklace back at Samantha who easily caught it. “Here you should use this,” she reached into her pocket and pulled two smooth, small, identical black bags. She reached into one and, once she was satisfied that it was empty, also threw it at Sam.
“Is this one of those magical bags? Like the one Bryer has?” She asked shakily. I had forgotten she had never seen my mom act up before. Poor girl.
“Yes!” Mylene clasped her hands together happily, reverting back to her peppy self, “I'm glad he's showing you important things as well! So...how romantic was it?”
“Stop!” I cried, covering my mom's mouth, “We are not about to have this conversation!”
“Mm, mhy mot?”
“Why would you even think we'd want to talk about this with you anyway?”

“Mylene,” one of the mages called, finally ending our hushed conversation. I removed my hand, as it was obvious the games were over, before standing next to Sam. She playfully elbowed me with a smirk and though I wanted to ignore her, a small smile betrayed me.
“What is it?” My mother asked, turning to face them.
“We can't get a proper analysis done here. We'll have to transport this to one of the labs in the Library.”
“Understood. That would be for the best regardless, I doubt leaving this here in the middle of the forest would be a good idea.”
“We'll just be leaving, then,” I said while grabbing Sam by the arm, “I'll see you back at the Sword Guild.” My mom nodded once and returned her focus on the mages, all business.
“Okay Bryer, I have to say it, you're mom is weird!” Samantha told me as we exited the caves.
“Aren't you glad I take after my dad in terms of personality?”
“She can be scary, too.”
“Sorry. She never really means anything she says. All bark and no bite, really.”
“They said they were going to transport the sphere? How are they going to do that?”
“Magic. I'm guessing one of them can teleport it to a secure lab or something.”
“Lab. I heard them mention that before, but what's a 'lab?'” It was easy to forget that she had lived in the forest her entire life.
“I'll explain it on the way back. Do you want to come with me or are you going to stay in the village?”
“I'll go with you, yeah. But I should let everyone know I'm okay first. And change clothes. The back of my shirt's a bit bloody. Were you hurt at all?”
“Just some bruises,” I lifted my shirt and showed her the side the monster had struck me with all its force. My skin was a soft purple hue and Sam flinched at the sight. “It's not that bad,” I explained as I lowered my shirt back down, “it's a bit sore but it looks worse than it is. I wasn't even wearing armor so I had to take the brunt of it. When we get into town I'll put some ointment on it. The alchemists we have make great stuff for wounds and I'll give you something for your flesh wound too.” Sam nodded and we continued back to Eveholm.

---
​

mum pls. y u do this??? So way back when I had written a 'preview' for this Expansion and I gotta say, I love how it's evolved from that premise! I'm trying to get Sam more screen time since she still feels a bit underdeveloped to me, along with Chive. Chive'll get some love soon though, more specifically, later in this Expansion.

 

[KingdomKey]

Mylene, why can't all mom's be like you? I love when she pulled rank and insisted Bryer call her 'Mommy'. Oh this was a fantastic chapter. I feel so bad for Bryer being caught with you know what, but hey, at least Mylene knows there's some intimacy going on to result eventually in kids. I think Bryer would've prefer Chive finding it than her though. Anyways, can't wait for more Chive and Sam lovin' in the next expansion. When I say lovin, I mean they're in more chapters and not something else, cause that'd be cray-cray. XD

 

[Cassette-Disk]

As soon as Sam walked into the village, she was rushed by the other elves and brought into a large group hug. I stepped aside as the villagers embraced her and laughter and chatter filled the air.
“Happy ending 'ere, eh?” Chive's voice rang through my mind as Samantha laughed along with the other elves, “Always did like joyful endings. Folks gigglin' like school kids and big dumb smiles plastered on their faces. Does the soul good, yeah?” I nodded to myself, as if my friend was actually there. “So when's yer happy ending, mate?”
“What?” I whispered. What did that mean?
“You look perplexed, Bryer,” Eliz had made her way towards me as the small celebration continued around her granddaughter.
“My mind is just wandering.”
“I'm very happy to see how well everything worked out. Although I'm a bit worried about a red stain I see on the back of Sam's shirt.”
“She was hurt,” I explained, “it's nothing serious but I'm going to get her some high quality medicine for it. Did Maithy wake up yet?”
“Yes. She was only awake for a couple of minutes before falling back to sleep. She seems to be well, although complained of a headache.”
“Seems like everyone who runs into those pig guys gets headaches. That's all they're good for, I guess,” I scanned through the small crowd before my eyes landed on Jan, “Looks like he's calmed down a lot.”
“Once you left Maithy with us and went to get Sam, his mood has gotten a lot better. He blamed himself for all of this, you know.”
“But it's not like he could have done anything about it,” I waved back at Sam, whom I nearly lost in the crowd.
“It still ate away at him. The powerlessness of it was too much for him. Have you ever felt that way, Bryer? Unable to do anything for someone no matter how hard you tried?” I could still remember how heavy Emily felt on my back as I carried to back into town for the last time.
“I have.”
“Then you know how he must have felt.” Before I could answer, Samantha appeared at the edge of the crowd and grabbed my hands. She pulled me into the celebration and we were surrounded by the villagers.
“I don't think this is a good idea,” I cried to her in English.
“Shut up and enjoy yourself,” was her reply. The crowd didn't seem to mind my involvement and though I wasn't as animated as Sam was, I still smiled and tried to have a good time. I was made very aware that she had yet to let go of my hand, which was a first inside the village. In fact aside from Eliz, the villagers were left in the dark about our relationship. As far as they were aware, we were nothing more than friends. Sam squeezed my hand tightly before placing both hands against my head. He drew me near her and planted her lips against mine in a defiant kiss. No hiding anything now. The crowd silenced itself as Sam pulled away. Panic and paranoia pulled at my gut. Though it was only three seconds long, the silence might as well have lasted the rest of my life as the elves internally digested what they had just seen. Finally, I heard a male—Jan— bellow happily somewhere behind us. The rest of the village followed suit and once again they cheered and celebrated around us. Samantha laughed as she fell on me, leaning heavily against my chest.
“That was the scariest moment in my life,” I admitted.
“Aren't you glad we got it over with?” She asked. I only joined in her laughter. Can I consider this my 'happy ending?'

-
​

“Roll your shirt up and lemme see the wound.” It had gotten dark by the time we reached my apartment. I wasted no time in bringing Sam into the bathroom and I quickly pulled the first aide kit from the cabinet under the sink. “Sit on the edge of the bathtub with one foot inside and the other out.” She did as she was told and sat with her legs between the tub's rim before lifting her top up just enough to reveal the wound. The dry blood stuck to her shirt and caused her to flinch as she had to force the fabric away from her skin.
“It stings against the air,” she told me.
“I'm not surprised,” I sat behind her and opened the kit on the floor, “This is going to make it sting more, just so you know.”
“I figured,” she said. I pulled a plastic black bottle out of the kit as well as a few cotton balls. The cap fell against the ground and I idly looked at her wound while I dabbed the cotton ball with the clear liquid.
“How's it look?” She peered around her shoulder, analyzing my face.
“Could have been a lot worse,” the stab wound just barley connected against her side and grazed her. Still, it was enough to draw a decent amount of blood and it probably shook her up a lot when she was hit. “How bad does it hurt?”
“Not too much. I panicked at first though.”
“Right,” I said before warning her, “this'll sting a bit.” I gently placed the cotton ball against Sam's injury. She recoiled lightly and let out a small hiss.
“A bit? This hurts more than the stab!”
“I know, I know. Just bear with me,” I let up a little to let her steel herself before dabbing at her wound.
“Is this really necessary? It's not like it's gonna kill me.”
“This will make it heal faster and prevent infection. Who knows where those spears have been.”
“Is it like, a magic potion or—yow!”
“Sorry. No, it's just some alchemical medicine. I have access to some of the best available thanks to the guild.”
“Are there any side effects I should know about?”
“Nah. These are the real deal so you don't have to worry. Sometimes people try and sell knock-offs or watered down medicine on the streets for cheap. Those can have some real draw backs.”
“Like what?” I tossed the reddened cotton ball into the nearby trash and replaced it with a towel.
“They don't work as well, or at all. Or they make things worse. Cheap stuff like that is always a gamble but sometimes people don't have the funds to buy the actual medication,” I carefully wiped away at the wound, cleaning around it.
“Why doesn't the Guild give them out, then?”
“We give some basic medicine out to those in need, but sometimes people need more and there's only so much we can give for free. We're done, you can lower your shirt.”
“Does it bother you?” She pulled her shirt back down and faced me, “Does it bother you that there are people you can't help?”
“Kinda. I try not to think about it since there isn't a lot I can do about it.”

I was about to put the kit away when Sam stopped me.
“You're all bruised up. Where's that ointment you were telling me about?”
“I was gonna put it on in a min--”
“Let me do it,” without warning she pulled the kit away from me and inspected the contents before grabbing a thin orange bottle. “Is this it?” she asked.
“No, that's...wait, that's shampoo. What's that doing in there?” I grabbed the bottle and placed it next to the other ones on the tub. The flat blue jar inside the kit was what Sam was looking for, and my hand reached for it.
“That's the one?” She grabbed it and spun the top open. Immediately, the room began to smell of a frosty mint. “This stinks,” Sam concluded.
“It sure does,” I stood up and removed my shirt, letting it fall to the ground. As the clothing fell, Sam's face burned a dark red and she covered her eyes with her free hand. “What?”
“I didn't expect you to do that! Give me some warning next time, jeez!” Her eyes peaked through her fingertips despite her words, forcing a chuckle out of me. The mirror above the sink reflected the dark bruise all over my side. Sam realized it too and her face turned serious and full of concern. “Does it hurt?”
“A bit. Not as much as it could, thankfully.” Samantha scooped up some of the balm in her hand and ran it over my skin. The cool texture was expected but her hands seemed afraid to press too deeply. “You can push harder,” I told her, “otherwise this will take all night.”
“Sorry. Hey, you seemed to know what you were doing when you looked after my wound. Like you've done it before.”
“I've had plenty of practice, that's for sure.” Sam didn't answer and instead focused on applying the sea-blue ointment against my skin. The medication rubbed itself against me so well that the pigment vanished and only an echo of the smell remained.
“That's not so bad once you actually use it,” Sam said. I threw my shirt back on and repacked the kit while Sam watched on. Her fingers tapped at her wound. There was a knock at the door before I got the chance to tell her to stop.
“You mind getting that?” She nodded and stepped outside. The front door opened.
“Oh. Hey, Sammy! How's it--” The front door slammed closed.
“It's the bandit!” Samantha cried.
“I'm not a bandit!” Chive's muffled voice yelled back. I poked my head out of the bathroom and saw Sam with her back pressed against the door. My hand reached for the knob and the door easily swung open, despite her protests.
“Hey, bud,” I said.
“I can't believe she still don't trust me none. Even after I made 'er laugh.”
“It could have all been a trick,” Sam hid behind me and peered over my shoulder.
“She'll come around, Chive. What's up?”
“I came to give you these,” he produced a pair of paper slips and handed them to me, “They're free entry to the Magical Library. Mylene's got one one too. Says she got 'em just so you lot can see the witch wit'out 'assle. I managed to score one as well if you can believe it.”
“I'll have to thank mom next time I see her. Thanks for delivering them to me. You wanna come in for a bit?” I felt Sam shrink further behind me as I offered Chive entrance. He seemed to notice as well as his response was uncharacteristically stalled.
“I'll...I'll pass, mate. Got a hot date I'm already late for. Just had to pass those off to ya while I was in your part of town. See ya later.”
“Fair enough, thanks again. Bye, Chive.”

 

[KingdomKey]

Who's the hot date? Did Chive make it up? Man oh man, I feel bad for Chive. C'mon Sam, lighten up a bit! This was an awesome chapter to read. I laughed at how quickly Sam got all red in the face over Bryer being shirtless. Surprised you didn't add this: it's nothing she hadn't seen before already. lol. Besides that, it's nice to see everyone celebrate and accept Sam and Bryer's relationship. I eagerly look forward to more chapters soon. <3

 

[Cassette-Disk]

Suuuuuuuuuuper short update. Boo. I gotta write more often!

---
​

The smell of coffee was the first thing to reach me in the darkness. My eyes opened slowly and were greeted with slight streams of light coming from the window. The second thing to reach me was a slight ache on the right side of my body. My injury from the last fight had healed amazingly well thanks to the ointment, and I doubted it would bother me for much longer. I sat upright and sipped on my mug before walking into the living room. Samantha was absorbed in a book I had left behind regarding history.
“Hey, good morning,” I sat next to her on the couch as she looked up to me.
“Oh good, you're up. I have questions.”
“Questions? Sure, what about?” Sam held the book out to me, showing the page she was on. I didn't get the chance to read any of the print, but the image provided on the page showed a black an white drawing of a woman tied to a pole. She was surrounded by a large crowd of people, and under her was a roaring fire.
“What the hell was this?” The large text above the image read 'Witch Trails' as I took the book from her.
“Oh. How much of this have you read?”
“Just enough to know that people who used magic used to be publicly executed.”
“Right, uh. So way back then, like, a few hundred years ago or so, mages were widely feared. Anyone who could use magic was labeled as a witch and killed as soon as possible.”
“But why?! It's not like magic users today are bad people!”
“Not most of them, anyway. But during that time, magic was still a new concept to human. Elves in Tetus already had a strong grasp on magic but they kept to themselves. When humans started discovering magic, it was seen as a dark art. Of course, now we know that there are forms of dark magic but back then, magic as a whole was considered evil.”
“In other words, people were afraid?”
“Yeah. Think of how the elves in Eveholm felt about humans. It was like that, but much worse,” I flipped the page and showed her another drawing. This one was of a noose hanging from wooden gallows. “Witches were always burned. Humans thought the magic could only be cleansed from the soul with fire. From death, the fire would free the witch's soul from evil. But even those who hid or lied for witches were punished by death. That's how strong their fear of magic was. Unlike witches, those people were always hung. In the eyes of the humans, evil had a loose grasp on the witch sympathizer, and only death would free them.”
“That's so awful. How could people do such things?”
“Because they were afraid. I'm not condoning them but I can at least see where they were coming from. They had no idea what they were doing and a lot of people lost their lives because of it.”
“What made them stop? How come humans aren't afraid of magic anymore?” I closed the book with both hands.
“Because we learned more about it. Holy magic was discovered and it was like a gift from the angels. Clerics and priests could heal wounds, ward off evil spirits, some even say the earliest users could even revive the dead. How could magic be imbued with evil if it could produce something as graceful and pure as white magic? Keep in mind this was when humans believed there was only a single Great God that governed the universe as opposed to our current understanding of multiple gods.”
“So to them, holy magic was proof of their god.”
“Right. It was as if god had spoken directly to them. Humans started investigating magic in a more scientific manner which eventually led to the creation of the Magical Libraries. Of course, in time they found that aside from holy and elemental magic, there was also dark magic. By that time, humans had become more open to different ideals and didn't do a repeat of the witch trials.”
“What about elves? They didn't do anything like that, right?” I opened the book back up and scanned the table of contents, but came up empty.
“I'll have to ask my mom about that since she knows more about Tetus than I do. From what I remember though, she once told me that elves were always keenly aware of magical elements and saw them as nothing more than a part of nature.”
“That would explain why I'm so interested in it.”
“And why Chive, a human, hates it.”
“Speaking of which, when he calls Alice 'witch,' is that like, an insult?”
“Kinda. Don't take it to seriously though. And try to cut him some slack next time you see him? Please?”
“No promises.”

---
​

Who's the hot date? Did Chive make it up? Man oh man, I feel bad for Chive. C'mon Sam, lighten up a bit! This was an awesome chapter to read. I laughed at how quickly Sam got all red in the face over Bryer being shirtless. Surprised you didn't add this: it's nothing she hadn't seen before already. lol. Besides that, it's nice to see everyone celebrate and accept Sam and Bryer's relationship. I eagerly look forward to more chapters soon. <3

He made it up, yeah. Sam needs to be more trusting! And she's just shy still is all, plus it caught her off guard.

 

[KingdomKey]

Aw, I kind of feel bad for Chive. At the same time, I do get it. Not wanting to interrupt something between two people is really nice of him.

As for the chapter itself, I'm surprised that would actually come up between Bryer and Sam. Furthermore, it gives me a better grasp of what the Magical Libraries are really like. So that tidbit of history really adds onto it and opens up my eyes about it. I like how Sam inquires more about their world, because it shows she really wants to expand her horizons and see what else is out there. :3 Cool chapter, bro.