Villain's Second Heart: Trapped in A Fantasy Novel (BL)-Chapter 96: Night on the Town 2

"You boys ready to head out? Hm? How about you, Deek?"

"I’m ready as ever, Mr. Rav!"

Ezra and Oberyn were fully packed and ready to go. Ezra had his bag slung over one shoulder, carrying all of his belongings as well as Oberyn’s. They couldn’t have been more prepared - they didn’t have much to begin with as-is.

"We’re ready," Ezra said. "Ready as we could be."

It took the remainder of the day to travel to the Ferin Village on foot. Thought Rav could have taken them all one by one using his Cloud Magic, he refused to be ’a train conductor’ and so they all walked in solidarity.

At least, three of them walked. Rav floated along on his cloud, never letting his fancy shoes touch the dusty mountain soil.

As they traipsed down the mountain, Oberyn and Rav fell into friendly banter. Something about ’catching wigworms at the Trinity.’ Ezra recognized the name as a club of sorts in the Ferin Village - a place people went to dance. He had no idea what wigworms were, however, nor why Oberyn was snickering so much at whatever story Rav was weaving.

Ezra didn’t get to visit the Ferin Village often. He tried to limit his trips, wary of attracting attention. Visiting two days in a row was novel enough.

He let Rav and Oberyn chat - for all the time the three of them spent together, the other two rarely got to bond one on one like that. Usually, Ezra would be the one to talk to Rav, but as far as training went, Rav’s focus was on Oberyn. Rav didn’t know how to help a physical fighter like Ezra as much, but the young Nephilim was a Magician waiting to be molded.

Ezra looked at the pair walking a few strides ahead. Rav floated backward, pantomiming something ridiculous and making exaggerated faces at Oberyn. Ezra couldn’t help but laugh.

Later, Rav had shifted gears. He was side-by-side with Oberyn now, showing off some new cards. Ezra recognized them. It was for a game Rav liked - Summation. A competitive deck-building game where each card had an element and a number. Depending on how they were played together, they created different effects. The winner of a match got to steal a card from the loser. Rav’s favorite strategy was to build Ice to seven - forcing the opponent to discard a card of his choosing. He called it his secret path to victory, despite flagrantly telling everyone what it was he was doing.

Ezra wasn’t much into card games, though he played a few rounds with Rav since moving in, using one of his ’extra’ decks.

Oberyn, on the other hand, loved to play, and he was only just beginning to get familiar with the game. Deek tried her hardest to play, but she didn’t understand the rules very well and was thoroughly defeated every round.

Back on the moon, he’d loved a strategy game called Planet Patrol - a conquest game about taking over planets, growing armies, and denying your opponents bonuses. He used to play every Sunday with Kieran and Tiana. Sometimes his young friend Venetio joined - but he always got mad when Ezra attacked his base.

’We’re supposed to be allies!’ Venetio would cry. But Oberyn would only ever say the same thing in response.

’There ARE NO ALLIES in this game, you dummy!’

He looked over again. Rav had changed topics. He was lighting up some Calico Herb. Ezra rolled his eyes. Apparently, floating down a mountain was stressful enough to justify it.

"I’m pre-gaming!" Rav hissed, noticing Ezra’s watchful eye.

"Whatever you say, Rav."

Before long, the Ferin Village came into view. As they reached the outskirts, Oberyn hung back and bumped Ezra on the shoulder.

"You okay, Ez? You were pretty quiet the whole way down."

Ezra smiled. "Just thinking."

Rav, meanwhile, was already in character. Swaying and barely lucid, he jumped onto a nearby food vendor’s stall and raised his arms dramatically to the sky.

"Attention, fellow Ferin! It is I, Rav! Great Sage of the Clouds! Legendary hero of the people!"

The reaction was immediate. The stall was swarmed with passerby, each holding out their hands in blessing. Rav basked in it, beckoning the crowd closer.

"Please! Shower me with praise! And if you have any donations, my disciples shall be happy to receive them!"

Twenty of the most awkward minutes of Ezra’s life later, he had received thirty-nine silver coins. Oberyn, seventeen.

Deek pulled in a whopping eighty - though she was counting the gold coin she received as fifty silver.

Rav jumped down after the excitement faded, counting their haul. "Not bad. That’ll pay for rooms and dinner tonight. Maybe even a little extra?" He winked.

"This isn’t how you normally make money... is it?" Ezra asked, bewildered.

"I’m a legendary hero, Ezra! I don’t have to pay for things."

They arranged a room at the inn. Rav chose a discount option on the first floor with three beds. ’Easy to remember where it is,’ he noted. Thanks to his ’Legendary Hero’ discount (a real, printed sign on the wall), the room only cost 10 silver.

Deek didn’t need accommodation - she was planning to return to the farm to check on Cliff. Right around then, she broke off from the group in the hour before sunset.

"Alright, y’all - I gotta bounce," she said, kicking a rock. She was upset that there would be no Magician killing.

"But you don’t have too much fun without me, you hear!" she shrieked.

"Wouldn’t dream of it, my Sage-In-Training."

"We’ll miss you, Deek."

On that note, she was off. And as for the rest of them - it was off to a local bar.

They had a light dinner, though Rav devoured an entire feast and got, according to the locals, ’wasted.’

Afterward, they went to a Calico Bar - a smoky basement lounge full of Cat Ferin. Rav unleashed his cloud magic in ungodly ways. Forty minutes later, he stumbled out.

They went to another bar. Rav drank more. Ezra and Oberyn quipped about the décor.

"You kidz gotta learna live-a little," Rav slurred. "We’rez goin’ to a dangerous place. All snowy and hazardous. And a famine - so the food’s gotta suck. It’s not overindulgence if you underindulge for a week!"

"You know, you’re right!" Ezra said, slamming his hand on the table. "I’ll take a drink. On you, of course!"