Ken and I followed the tracks at a quick pace, boots crunching over damp dirt and scattered leaves. The road twisted slightly as it pushed through the forest, curving left, then right, never quite straight. Whoever had taken the cart wasn’t in a hurry, but they also weren’t wandering aimlessly. The marks were... consistent.

A faint light flickered ahead between the trees.

"There," Ken whispered.

We slowed as we approached the edge of the forest. The ground sloped downward, giving us a clear view of the road below. From up here, we could see it plainly.

The cart.

And someone driving it.

The horses trudged along at a lazy pace, their hooves dull against the dirt. A lantern hung from the side of the cart, swaying slightly, casting long, uneven shadows across the road.

I held out my hand without looking at Ken.

He hesitated for half a second, then placed his dagger into my palm.

"W-we’re not killing him, right?" he asked quietly. "Right?"

"Hopefully," I said, testing the weight of the blade. "Come on."

We moved down the slope carefully, keeping low, using the trees for cover. Step by step, we closed the distance until we were just behind the cart, close enough to hear the wheels creak.

I glanced at Ken. He had already drawn his shortsword, his grip tight.

"Three seconds," I whispered. "You run in front of the horses. Stop them."

He nodded.

I tightened my grip on the dagger.

"One... two... three."

We moved.

Ken sprinted ahead, boots pounding against the dirt as he cut in front of the horses. I lunged forward, grabbed onto the side of the cart, and pulled myself up in one smooth motion.

My boots hit the wood, and I stepped forward immediately, grabbing the driver by the chin and forcing his head back as I pressed the dagger against his throat.

"Ambly’s tits!" the man yelped. "Stop, stop!"

"Wait..." I frowned, leaning in. "Bone?"

"Huh?" He blinked up at me, eyes wide. "Ace? Crap, you’re alive!"

"Yeah," I said flatly. "You could call it that."

I lowered the dagger slightly as recognition settled in. Bone quickly pulled on the reins, bringing the horses to a halt.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, stepping back.

"I finally got ten gold!" he said, hopping off the cart with way too much enthusiasm. "And then I see this beauty just sitting there. Thought I hit the jackpot. Figured I wouldn’t have to walk all the way back to the city."

"Yeah," I said, gesturing at the cart. "Small problem. This isn’t yours."

"Oh." He scratched the back of his head. "That... makes sense."

"’Makes sense,’ he says," Ken muttered, still standing in front of the horses like he had just stopped a charging army. "We’re on a quest, man. This belongs to someone very dangerous."

Bone blinked. "Dangerous how?"

"If we don’t find his cat," Ken said, ignoring Bone, "we are completely screwed, Ace."

"Cat?" Bone repeated.

Right on cue, a soft meow cut through the night.

All three of us froze.

Slowly, very slowly, our heads turned toward the cart. The sound came from the sack. The same sack. The one filled with carrots.

The fabric shifted slightly, and a small black head poked out. The cat blinked lazily, licked its paw like it had just woken up from the best nap of its life, then slipped right back inside the sack as if nothing had happened.

Ken’s knees hit the ground immediately.

I stood there for a second, staring at the sack, then dragged a hand down my face.

"It was... in the sack," I said slowly.

"From the beginning," Ken added weakly, still on his knees. "It was in the sack the whole time."

"Yep."

I closed my eyes for a moment. "I hate everything about this."

Bone looked between us, completely lost. "So... are we good?"

I pointed at the cart. "We’re taking this back. Now."

"Right, right." He nodded quickly. "Hey, uh... when you’re done, can you drop me off in the city?"

Ken pushed himself back up, dusting off his knees. "Who is this guy, Ace?"

"I’m Bone!" he said immediately, pointing at himself with a grin. "His prison friend."

"Prison?" Ken repeated, voice rising.

"Yeah," Bone said casually. "We were in the Circle yesterday."

Ken turned his head toward me. "WHAT?" he shouted. "You were in the Circle yesterday? As a prisoner?"

I exhaled, already tired of this conversation. "I was practicing magic. Guards misunderstood. Things escalated. I got thrown in. That’s the short version."

"You’re insane," Ken said, shaking his head.

I flipped the dagger in my hand once and caught it cleanly. "Come on. Let’s get back before the old man returns and notices we lost everything, including his sanity."

ꨄ︎ꨄ︎ꨄ︎

The old man finally emerged from the fog.

For a moment, he was just a shadow inside it, then the mist parted and let him through like it knew better than to hold him back. He carried two heavy sacks over his shoulders, both stuffed full of something that clinked faintly with each step. His posture was steady, unbothered, as if he had just taken a stroll instead of walking through one of the most dangerous places I had ever seen.

He made his way toward the cart and dropped the sacks into the back with a dull thud.

I was leaning against the side of the wagon, arms crossed, trying to look like nothing had gone wrong. Ken sat on the cart, holding the cat like it was a sacred artifact that could not be misplaced again under any circumstances.

"Everything calm, boys?" the old man asked.

Ken and I glanced at each other.

"Yep," Ken answered, a little too quickly. "Calm as milk."

I raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing.

At that exact moment, Bone stepped out from the trees, adjusting his belt as he walked back from the forest. He froze mid-step the second he noticed the old man standing there. After an awkward pause, he raised a hand and gave a small wave.

"Uh... hey."

Mr. Menny did not wave back. He walked past us without a word, reached up, and gently took the cat from Ken’s arms. The whole time, his eyes never left Bone.

The cat, traitor that it was, settled into his hold immediately.

"Boys," the old man said at last. "Who is he? A friend of yours?"

"This is Bone," I replied. "We’re not friends. But we know each other."

"Where did he come from?"

"The Circle," Bone answered himself. "I was a prisoner."

The old man’s gaze sharpened slightly. "And why are you here now?"

"Well..." Bone rubbed the back of his neck. "I was hoping you could drop me off at the city."

Silence hung for a second.

The old man looked at me, then back at Bone, weighing something.

"Do you trust him?" he asked.

That was a loaded question.

I exhaled slowly. "Trust is a strong word. I’ve known him for less than a day. But he did try to help me back in the Circle when things went bad. I don’t trust him, but I owe him."

Bone blinked. "You just insulted and praised me in the same sentence. This needs to be studied."

Mr. Menny gave a small nod. "That’s enough for me."

Eh, that was enough.

The old man shifted the cat slightly in his arms, then pointed at Bone. "You ride with us. But your hands are getting tied."

Bone didn’t even hesitate. "As long as I don’t have to walk, old man, you can tie whatever you want."

And with that... the quest was completed.

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> Ace | LC: 62 | EXP: 168/236 | LVL 4

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> HP ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 110/110

> MP ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ 70/70

> STA ▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱▱ 50/90

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> Class: MAGE

> Known Abilities:

• Fireball

• Heal

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> PERKS

• +10% More magic damage

• +10% CRIT chance

• Backstab DMG

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> [ BAG ] [ MAP ] [ SHOP ] [QUESTS]

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