When Barry was about to wake up from his nap, Thalia went ahead to inform him about Anna’s decision to have a short picnic outside for everyone to take a breather. He was irritated, which was to be expected; but Thalia and Claude were able to reason with him, telling Barry to loosen up and let it go. Especially since Puck was likely having a good time. A bit frustrated that Thalia chose to hide this from him, he promised he wouldn’t make a big deal out of it when he checked in on them.

  What he discovered outside the carriage was something he least expected to see. “What the fuck is happening right now?” Barry questioned everyone that was on the ground besides Arcades, who was still holding Sherry’s crystal butterfly. The magical aura Arcades was exuding could be felt from where he was standing. “Hey, space guy, what are you doing!?”

  “H-He’s trying t-to take Ron away!” Anna forced her words out from all the pressure being applied upon her.

  Looking back at Arcades, now taking this matter seriously, Barry glared back towards Arcades coldly. “Is that really what you want to do? You rode beside us for a couple hours, just so you can act all high and mighty and switch on us?” Stepping down from the carriage steps, Barry approached Arcades with the intent to put an end to this. “Stop this or I’ll stop it for you.”

  The same force that was being applied to everyone else was now being influenced on Barry as he tried inching closer and closer to Arcades. It was akin to how Edward’s vampiric telekinesis tried holding him down once in the past, but this was a different feeling because it stemmed from Arcades own magic. “Stop me?” Arcades said with disdain. “It’ll take you forever to make even a foot of the way to reach me. I find it hard to believe the gods find you enjoyable to watch at all.”

  Arcades was right, he was having a hard time progressing towards him as the seconds went by, but that didn’t discourage him from achieving his goal of decking him in the face. “Yeah, well I never gave a damn about what they think of me! But I am going to humiliate you in a few moments from now if you don’t quit this shit!” The burning rage inside kept fueling Barry, providing him the strength to press on.

  “That’s a bold promise coming from someone who lacks any significant abilities of their own.” Arcades mocked scornfully. “Everyone in your party has powers capable of lots of versatility, yet you don’t have any as grand as those. All you can do is swing a weapon and speak using vulgar language. You probably relied on your team more to accomplish the quest given to us. That must have been how you made it this far.”

  Everything that the space man was saying to Barry just riled him up even more; none of it made him feel worthless or indifferent, because him and his team knew it was far from the truth. Suddenly, Arcades was shocked to see Barry able to make two steps towards him seemingly without much effort. Barry snapped back in a hateful manner. “I won’t deny that my team hasn’t been helpful; I maybe a foul-mouthed bastard who talks shit but I’m not stupid to say I could do everything that I’ve done without them. But even still, if it was just me, I would give it my all every day of every moment.”

  Another three steps were made in rapid succession, making Arcades anxious of how this was possible for Barry. “You’re delusional, you’re overestimating your own capability. Surely from your confrontation with that vile dryad that you’ve seen how far you are able to make it in this game. Death may not have taken you, but your own foolish-”

  “OH SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Barry shouted back abruptly, his voice of anger was the next thing everyone was able to sense aside from the harsh force being applied on them. His movements were becoming more fluid, his approach being smoother and less rigid. “Yeah, everyone else can make sparkles of fucking magic with a wave of their hand; or maybe teleport wherever they want to while I have to use my own two damn legs to make it there. It’d be nice and all to be able to do those things, but no one hears me fucking complaining!”

  Suddenly, out of worry that Barry might actually be able to reach him, Arcades applied more force than he was willing in order to push Barry back to where he had started. It was surprisingly exhausting for Arcades to have to do that, but he was sure this time that Barry would no longer be able to try again. “You’re very stubborn, I’ll give you that. But I abide by my personal opinion of you; don’t embarrass yourself more than you already-”

  And to everyone’s disbelief, Barry rose once more; however this time, he did so like Arcades powers had no effect on him. “Damn right I’m stubborn, that’s one of the most unique traits about me if you think about it. You damn space man.” Barry paused and looked at his body closely, his eyes were able to detect the small detail if he studied deeply. A faint smile formed on his face. “Wait…you’ve gotta be shitting me!” He looked at Ron then at Arcades. “This looks similar to Ron’s new magic! He tried moving a cup before yet he couldn’t but still…”

  Upon realizing this, everyone wondered why Arcades called Ron’s new power dangerous, it didn’t make any sense why Arcades was using it himself. The space mage said nothing in response to Barry’s assumption, but he still attempted to force him to kneel. Barry stomped his way towards him, slightly affected by his magic but not by much. “Stop where you are! I’ll use lethal force if you don’t-”

  “Go ahead!” Barry taunted. “Give me more of a reason to fight you! It’s fucking hypocritical of you to tell Ron not to use this power when you’ve been using it this whole time! At least now we know you can wield it too, but is this really it? You made it sound scarier than what it is.”

  “It is! And you best stay there! This magic isn’t to be taken lightly!” Arcades shouted back anxiously. He continued to try and stave Barry using more force but it was useless, the mage was astonished by how Barry was able to resist him.

  “I smell fear coming from behind your silly space mask. You made fun of me for lacking any magic or voodoo bullshit that everyone else has, but I’m gonna show you right now what really makes me magical compared to the others. And I’m gonna engrave it into you like the others I fucked up!” Barry cracked his knuckles, fixing the creak in his neck, readying himself for his prime moment to shut Arcades down.

  Out of desperation to halt Barry, Arcades began channeling his talents in cryomancy into one of his empty hands, waiting for the right time. “You will regret challenging me, Barry. This is your last warning. Stop.”

  “Nah.” Barry refused. “I’m finishing this. But not before I tell you what makes me different from the other contestants. I’ve learned that magic can come in a variety of different flavors and colors, but there’s none quite like mine deep inside. One that puts yours to shame.”

  He was seconds from reaching him and once Barry had gotten close enough, Arcades enacted his threat by raising his empowered hand against Barry, fully intended on inflicting serious harm to him. However, Barry anticipated his attack and blocked it by guarding with a free arm. The attack that was supposed to be fired upon Barry, was instead sent zooming astray into a section of the woods where it exploded, freezing everything around the impact. But while that happened, Barry delivered a devastating blow of his own using his other free hand, clocking Arcades in the face. “I’M THE MAGIC! ME! THAT’S WHAT!”

  To everyone’s amazement, they witnessed Barry’s punch connect with enough force to send Arcades staggering backwards before falling, abruptly ending his concentration of holding the group down. But at the same time, they saw the crystal butterfly that was once in Arcades hand leap out of his clutches, plummeting to the ground. “Barry! Catch it!” Ron called out in distress.

  Barry didn’t realize what the figure was up until now, but his instincts took over, not questioning what the figure was exactly and dove after it. Extending an arm and shouldering his fall, Barry attempted to snatch it before it crashed. For one second he had the butterfly in between his fingers, but the next second after everyone saw it slip away and make contact against the ground. It was rather unfortunate for what happened after, Ron felt heartbroken when he saw it shatter into itty-bitty pieces.

  “Was that important!?” Barry asked Ron, hoping that really wasn’t the case. He then looked back at Arcades who was recovering from the gratifying punch he had given him. The mage stood up, his arms winding up for another attack but this time utilizing aeromancy and geomancy. This prompted Barry to take a stance as well, preparing for another engagement. “You still wanna go, space man! I’m raring to give you some more!”

  “Stop!” Fae intervened between the two, not wanting them to resume their fight. “P-Please don’t fight anymore! Please! We just left my clan only a couple hours ago, this can’t be happening so soon!” It was true what she was saying, it hadn’t even been a full day yet. Fae looked to Arcades to speak directly. “A-Arcades, I know it’s a lot to ask, but please forgive me and everyone for trying to come to an understanding after neglecting to respect your personal secrets. We didn’t this time, but from my perspective and how you don’t want Ron to pursue something such as love; I get the sense that you're not doing this out of cruelty…more so…as if you’re trying to protect him from further harm.”

  Arcades did nothing for the first few moments, processing her deduction. His appearance of hostility did not go away, the intimidating stance putting everyone on edge was still on display. He scanned around and realized that everyone else was ready to pounce on him if he did decide to do anything hasty. The space man took one look back at Ron, thinking about his own actions that made Ron defy him and turned away. Not saying anything, Arcades dropped his aggression, passing by Fae, on his way to his horse. This sudden event made everyone feel relieved, believing everything was over.

  When Arcades passed Barry, even though the space man did not appear to glance at him, Barry had a hunch that Arcades did in fact side-eye him from behind his mask. ‘Seriously? You’re just gonna leave like that? After causing such a fuss? What the hell is with you…’ Barry dropped his guard, but he kept staring at Arcades from behind in annoyance.

  With the situation defused, everyone quickly decided to clean up and put everything away. Ron was comforted by his tragic loss of Sherry’s butterfly, helping him pick every last piece up and storing it in a bag. Barry was given the rundown by Anna of what happened while he was still sleeping, but was sure that everyone else felt the same way she told him that she was glad Barry awoke from his nap before the unimaginable happened.

  “If it wasn’t for you, well…shit, I don’t know what we could have done to stop him.” Anna commented, re-experiencing the overwhelming pressure of Arcades power holding her down. She did wonder how Barry was able to resist his influence, finding it incredibly remarkable. However, Anna was surprised by one other thing, which was Barry’s reaction to her picnic idea. “So…you’re not upset that I went ahead and halted our trip for a short picnic?”

  Barry crossed his arms, displaying a look that basically told Anna ‘What do you think?’ before sharing his thoughts. “Yeah, I’m a bit mad that you decided to throw a fancy shmancy picnic behind my back, while I’m catching some zzz’s. You know how I am about making progress to complete this main quest.” He then remembered what Thalia and Claude told him, about going easy on his party and letting it slide. Barry sighed. “But…I might have perhaps…heard you in my dreams…asking for permission so…gah! It’s whatever, I don’t fucking care anymore.”

  This made Anna chuckle inside, pleased to see that Barry was still becoming more lenient towards those around him. In the beginning he was rough all-around, a person that seemed unapproachable and hard to understand, but now…her and everyone else could see the changes he was making in himself. She swiftly made him a chicken sandwich from the leftovers and handed it to him. “Here, eat. Sorry it’s cold, but thanks for showing up when we needed you.” Anna then walked away, assisting the others.

  Staring at his food, it was cold like she said, but he himself felt a sense of warmth coming from the unknown inside him. ‘Needed me? All I did was…’ He didn’t finish his thoughts due to the confusing warmth that he was feeling and took a frustrated bite out of his chicken sandwich to wash away his unsettling thoughts. One thing was for sure, his tastebuds were feeling quite happy. “Cold as this sandwich maybe, it’s still fucking good. I guess I can let a couple more picnics slide on our way back to base if I can eat like this…”

  Once everything was put away, everyone went back inside Abe’s carriage except for Barry, suggesting that he’d keep Abe company while on their way back from now on so he could keep an eye on Arcades. This made the team feel more at ease, people like Anna, Kat, and Luna offered to take over in case he got too tired and wanted rest. Abe was pleased himself to have Barry ride alongside him, since Arcades wasn’t much of a talker and carried a brooding atmosphere around him. It was also comforting to know Barry was capable of standing against him if the situation arised.

  From then on, their journey back to base saw no personal issues regarding Arcades and the others. They did encounter monster attacks that were sent by the moderators, posing as challenges to slow and whittle them down while on their trip, but none were too difficult to handle. But whenever they did fight, Barry and Arcades always did their best to stay out of each other's way, yet they could sense one another gauging their abilities. It was silent, no words were spoken, but they appeared to have agreed on an untold truce.

  A few days went by, they were close to returning, when suddenly as they were having another picnic, tremors and the shaking of trees were noticed from the group outside. “What is that?” Shaco was the first to question the disturbing phenomenon.

  The current group took up arms, preparing themselves for what could be another wave of monsters being summoned upon them. However, what they thought were monsters weren’t exactly what they thought. In fact, what appeared to them from within the forest were ones that they had encountered before but forgotten. “Ah! Tiny friends! You are here!” Gobbles, the troll, roared in excitement. Behind him were more fellow trolls, all gently shoving trees aside to make way. “Ghost man said you’d be here. Never would I have imagined we’d meet again, small people.”

  Not only were the trolls they saved from Ms. Epple here, but also the tamafrogs, as they were seen sitting on their shoulders. The frogs hopped off, greeting their saviors, happy to see that they were doing fine and well. Abe reappeared from the forest, stepping in between the giant trolls. “Oh good, no one’s fighting. I found them wandering the area when I was checking the area. Hope y’all don’t mind a bit more company. Hehe.”

  Shaco and Fae dropped their guard, believing that they were friends just as everyone told them and introduced themselves. Barry noticed that Arcades was still hesitant about easing up on himself, finding it bizarre how the trolls weren’t ravaging them. “Hey, relax.” Barry urged, getting his attention. “We’re cool. I promise.”

  Arcades gave one judgemental look at the trolls then at Barry, before lowering his hostility and walking back to his own personal space. Sighing, Barry went off to his own section and continued eating his meal while the rest socialized with their past friends.

  The trolls and tamafrogs explained that after they had left, they decided to band together and find a place to call home. But the random attacks from invasive monsters pushed them out from the swamp, leading them to where they are now. There came an idea from Abe, offering them to join their settlement and help build the base. The group liked the idea and didn’t mind the trolls and tamafrogs tagging along. And so, when the picnic was over, they all resumed their trip, adding a band of trolls and tamafrogs to the mix. Puck was the most thrilled amongst the group, happy that his circle of friends was becoming even bigger.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Following the day after, the entire travel group had arrived in the familiar landscape that they knew. However, Abe and Barry noticed there were strange objects placed in the forest around them. Objects such as strange totem poles and spotted contraptions designed to give trespassers an ugly welcome. They assumed this must be new the Nightwalkers doing, or an upgrade given to them from the moderators since they established their new home.

  But that wouldn’t be the only interesting spectacle they’d see; because when they ventured further, their mind was blown by the improvements made since they had last left. “Wow, the Nightwalkers have really been fixing up the place quite nicely.” Abe admired.

  Once there were half-finished concrete walls, which were now constructed to be towering walls made of both concrete and luminous metal that gave off a mystical aura. Patrolling residents of the fortress could be seen walking on these walls that were equipped with defense sentries and garrison towers. Barry was surprised to see that some of the guards on shift appeared to be in fact a kobold, a sign that Ned must have indeed arrived and brought along Puck’s family. ‘The old man really did make the trip. We’ll have lots to discuss once we meet.’ Barry couldn’t wait to catch up with him.

  “Wha- Trespassers!” One of the kobolds alerted the others on watch. “Giant green monsters! Weird froggies and…and…huh!?” The kobold recognized Barry sitting beside Abe, as did the other guards, no longer seeing them as a threat to the base. “I-It’s Barry! He came back! Open gate!” The guards concurred, lifting the sealed gates, allowing them passage through.

  The travelling band went in, sighting more defenses on the other side until stopping at a checkpoint wall that led into the more civilized section of the base. Barry hopped off the carriage and knocked on its door to let the rest know they had arrived. Everyone stepped out, gathering at the entrance leading further in, they were all awestruck by their surroundings before even seeing what was further in.

  Barry walked up to the entrance, greeting the guards stationed there which were some Nightwalkers. He explained about not using the teleporter because their new guests wanted to integrate and assist with the base’s construction, so that was why they chose to take the long trip back. They were happy to accept more hands on improving the base and allowed them deeper inside, word of Barry and his party’s return would be passed on to Calista and the others while they mingled to see what was new in the expanded base. The residents inside welcomed the party for their return, offering them a tour to kill time. But Barry preferred to go off on his own to explore and find Ned, his patience for the long awaited meeting could not hold still.

  Taking off in a haste, Barry parkoured through the streets and roof-top buildings, respecting the hard labor that was poured into the construction all around him. He saw more kobolds roaming about, as well as some of Ned’s folks from the village that was ruined, wondering how much stronger they had gotten under Ned’s leadership. Travelling straight ahead, Barry figured that the pavilion by the lake had to be the correct place to hold important meetings, so it must be where Ned was staying near.

  His assumption would be right, because when he arrived a couple minutes later, he found a familiar geezer chatting with the locals by the lake before sending them away. Entering the scene, Barry approached casually when Ned wasn’t looking and greeted. “Good job on your end, Ned.” The white mage was surprised to notice Barry. “Do you still share the same excitement as you once did as an adventurer in your younger years?”

  “Barry!” Ned ran up to him, the two exchanging a handshake and Ned patting him on the back. It had been so long since they had last met, Ned could never have imagined from back then when he quit being an adventurer to pick the mantle back up again. “It’s mighty good to see you again! I saw that you managed to claim one of the prisms, another step closer to completing this twisted game we’re in. But how come you didn’t take the teleporter back home?”

  “I made a couple more allies across the way, so we guided them here. Also…I was knocked out for about a week from doing something rash. But I’ll explain everything that’s happened soon.” Barry wanted to know more about what Ned had been through since their separation, hoping to learn anything extra about those deranged adventurers they fought to get their prism. “The rest of my group are having a looksie at the new touches done to this place. Which reminds me…where’s Oswald? He came along with you right?”

  Ned nodded, thinking of where his old buddy might be at the moment. “He did, though I reckon he’s probably adding on more to the home’s defenses, as there are always dangerous monsters being sent out to invade us. The moderators have been keeping this place occupied since there are a lot of us who aren’t actively seeking out these prisms. But then again, this place is acting as our HQ for those like us that are out searching for the prisms.”

  “Well now that I’m here, I guess the next thing for us is to drink that last future sight potion Sherry’s been keeping. But first, tell me more about your travels so far.” Barry urged, the two took a seat and shared their events leading up to now.

  Barry had a clearer understanding of what Ned was telling him from the messages he had sent. The volcanic zone Ned and Oswald had gone to was home to many wyverns, drakes, and other inhabitants of its kind, all of those opposed anyone that tried to breach their sanctum containing the red prism. The mad adventurers that Ned’s party had faced arrived some time after and crashed into the fray, almost foiling their plan entirely. These adventurers did not hold any sensible logic or reason to why they were fighting against them, but one thing was for sure, they too desired the prism. Grim as it seemed as Ned’s battle raged on between both the volcanic creatures and the irrational adventurers; they were aided by a scouting force sent out by a kingdom that was in connection with an empire known as the ‘Galigex Empire’. It was a rough fight, but in the end, the creatures and the wicked adventurers were defeated. The leading force of the kingdom suggested that they hold onto the prism, promising that their empire would secure it for the time being.

  Ned also mentioned that upon closer inspection of these turned adventurers, that there was a lingering speck of odd magic that gave him an eerie feeling. So whatever caused them to act the way they did, must have been done because of someone else, a powerful being capable of making the best of heroes turn rogue. Abe also mentioned to him while on their way back about spotting animals that had a malicious aura around them during Barry’s time inside Shaco’s domain. It was assumed that these types of fauna were communicating to each other with a mysterious intent most likely in relation to them; this made Barry think that whatever happened to the adventurers must also have been turning these animals as well. In theory, someone powerful was working behind the scenes and they had to be careful who to trust in the outside world.

  More information was said by Ned, which wasn’t as important as what he had already told. Barry then shared his adventures, impressing Ned of the challenges he and his team had to overcome, and surprising him when he heard about Barry courting death against Lady Iris in order to get revenge for Puck. Their moment of telling tales paused when they received a message from the others, informing them to meet up at the pavilion for a group meeting. And seeing as they were already there, they wrapped up their conversation and awaited for everyone to arrive.

  Barry’s group showed up first, and all of them seemed to be carrying bags of snacks, food, and different types of clothes; all handed out from the new shops that opened up. The quality of life for the Nightwalkers was definitely raised here compared to what it was like for them living underground beneath Haglethorn. Puck and Kat preserved a few steaming meat buns and a blue sweet tea of some kind for Barry to eat, thanking them both for satisfying the hunger he was keeping till now.

  Joining them later were Calista, Edward, Sylvia, and Bufford. Calista, representative for the coven of witches; Edward and Sylvia, the only two known vampires; and Bufford the ringleader of his pack of werewolves. The Nightwalkers welcomed their allies, pleased to see their successful return. “I see you’ve brought company from afar here. We’re happy to accept any help we can get in fortifying our new home.” Calista said, nodding to Fae and Shaco, though she was unsure when looking at Arcades since he didn’t appear to be here for that reason.

  Their meeting went underway, Edward and Sylvia explaining to Barry’s group about the events that unfolded when reaching the ice palace above the snowy peaked mountains. An abandoned village was located nearby, nobody was present there at the moment but it seemed to lodge orcs once in the past, Barry’s thoughts fixed on Wreav, the battle-lusted orc he once fought but ended up losing to. Back to the vampires story, the ice palace was guarded by beasts conditioned to endure the harsh blizzards and crackling thunderstorms dancing in the sky; the vampires were able to collectively gather a force of other contestants from their journey to launch an assault, which improved their odds of capturing the cyan prism locked inside the palace. However, there came the arrival of fiendish dimensional creatures in bluish-purple scaled armor and flesh, they knew no such thing as mercy, only pure savagery. These were the Eviscerators.

  It was a three-way fight between the dimensional Eviscerators, Edward’s group of contestants, and the snow beasts guarding the ice palace. Ugly and brutal was the fight, the only party that didn’t seem to be wearing down were the Eviscerators. Edward noticed that these creatures would always try to drain or consume those that fell to their primal nature; he once saw a contestant getting siphoned to the point of their body becoming rung-dry. There was a commanding overseer for these fiends, but they didn’t appear to be the Eviscerator’s true leader; like how Lady Iris and McGuinness were leaders of their factions.

  All seemed lost when suddenly the orc known as Wreav and his band showed up on the scene, harnessing the storm’s wraith and charging into the fray to deliver mayhem to the Eviscerators, just as fearless and relentless as they were. When the battle was done, the ones left standing were remnants of Edward’s group and Wreav’s satisfied band, finding the Eviscerators thrilling to fight against. Wreav simply allowed Edward to claim the prism. His reason was the same as he once told Barry; he sought worthy foes to challenge, not caring about the rewards for who participated the most in this game.

  Edward and Sylvia weren’t going to deny Wreav and took the prism, but not before Wreav made Edward promise to fight against him when they had time to spare for the future. The vampire agreed, stating he’d be in peak condition for when they decided to go all out.

  Concluding the vampires story, Barry commented about his own encounter against Wreav and how he and Puck were clobbered yet spared due to earning Wreav’s respect and intent to fight again. Ned vouched, as he was there himself when it happened, resulting in the total destruction of his village. Puck recalled the events, it scared him thinking about how Barry almost died but calmed himself. An explanation of Barry’s own travel with his team was given, sharing more thrilling and heart-pounding tales of all that happened. Shaco gave himself a proper introduction to the Nightwalkers, since he was the one behind the cursed forest but turned for the better.

  The arm of Lady Iris was brought up, even showing it for all to see. Calista was intrigued by the lifeless dryad’s arm, and when Kat mentioned if Sherry could make it into anything useful; Calista proposed that she probably can because she dabbled in enchantments and curses herself, witchcraft stuff. Curious as to what she was going to exactly make of the creepy arm, Barry happily accepted her help and handed it off to her. Kat wanted to learn more about witchcraft since her Class was associated with witchery, so she decided to ask Calista if she could shadow her talents.

  “Where’s Sherry and Oswald?” Anna asked the Nightwalkers, Ron was wondering the same thing. “I thought they’d be with you guys. Or are they working on a big project at the moment?”

  Bufford spoke up, sharing what he knew. “You can say that. Sherry and Oswald are busy trying to upgrade and improve our home's defenses since we’re not keen on expanding anymore; given how the moderators have been sending waves of monsters at us. But I’m sure they’ll set aside time to see you all soon; besides, your return calls for a celebration that must go down tonight!”

  The sudden suggestion riled up everyone, they didn’t expect to come back to be in a festive mood. Sylvia expressed her joyful nature, siding with Bufford by standing up gleefully. “Yes! Good call, Bufford! Everyone's here to commemorate the effort we put into stealing every chance these villains have at obtaining victory in this damnable game of the gods, and it shall be done so with lots and lots of excitement!” Edward scoffed at his sister, imagining her gorging herself in wine just for the kick of things.

  Most of the people in the circle were up for the last minute spontaneous event, but Barry was not one of those people. If anything, he would have preferred to use the last potion of future sight to gain knowledge of any shortcomings they were to have before even throwing a party. He took an opportunity to express his opinion. “W-Wait! We can’t just celebrate, it’s too early for any of this. The logical thing to do is-”

  “Restless nerves won’t do anyone good if we are to use the future sight potion. Wouldn’t you agree, Barry?” Calista’s words stopped Barry, causing him to rethink. Everyone knew how Barry was, a stoic and go-getter guy that wanted to settle the main quest in a hasteful manner without any breaks. Barry also knew that although the potion could grant the user future sight, whatever they want to see can be changed and wasted if they are unsettled themselves.

  Sighing and acknowledging what Calista said, Barry complied. “I…I guess you’re right.” He looked defeated in everyone’s eyes, it was almost funny but no one laughed. Arcades was interested to know more about this future sight potion they spoke of. His own feelings about rushing to finish the main quest matched Barry’s, but he said nothing, allowing things to flow through. “Sure. Throw a party, raise the noise, and blow off some steam. Everyone deserves it.” Barry added.

  His approval was responded with oorahs and cheers, discussion of games, delicious food, and performances flew about. This was probably what everyone needed to wind down after all the chaos and hardships they went through. But although Barry verbally agreed to their honorable party, he didn’t intend to participate and instead preferred to sleep so he could train in his dreams some more. He planned to walk away from the group and head to his room, when he paused upon hearing Bufford call him out from behind. “Hey! Barry! You weren’t gonna ditch us, were you?”

  Wincing in disbelief that he was caught sneaking away, Barry looked back at his audience, holding a firm and calm demeanor. “No, I was actually going to check my room for any homely decors. Why would I-”

  “Stop him! He’s denying fun!” Sylvia claimed, seeing through Barry’s bold face lie. And like a pack of eager lions hunting down a single prey, almost half of everyone sprinted after Barry in an attempt to keep him from being anti-social.

  Dashing away with everything he had, Barry did all he could to outmaneuver his allies. “What the hell guys!? Just let me do what I want, I don’t feel the need to participate at all! Why do you want me too!?”

  “Because we wish for you too!” Sylvia demanded, she sought to have him experience at least some fun in festivities to lighten up his brooding nature. “Submit your soul for a night of thrills and cheers! We will have you join in on the fun! And you will have a marvelous time of unforgettable memories!” Her astonishing physical prowess alone seemed enough for her to catch up to Barry and snatch him away from his night of rest.

  Barry had forgotten how strong and fast vampires could be, thinking it was almost impossible for him to outrun her at all. Suddenly, he sensed Thalia’s presence appear in his mind. ‘You should do as she says, Barry. Because even if you rest in order to train, me and Claude have promised to kill you over and over again until morning comes.’

  Thalia was not kidding, Barry had gotten used to knowing whether Thalia was telling the truth or not. ‘Are you fucking serious!? Not you too!’ Barry projected at Thalia, bewildered that his mentors would even do such a thing. ‘I don’t get it! What about me makes them want to chase me down to the ends of the world just to partake in their celebration?’

  Laughter echoed in his head, Thalia found it hilarious how he was reacting to everything. ‘You try so hard to distance yourself from others but have still yet to realize that is what causes them to find you more interesting; rather than cold and unapproachable like your appearance seems. They understand how serious you are about completing the main quest; they respect your resolve, but they also don’t want you to be consumed by your own eagerness. Let this happen for you, Barry; you may see this as a hindrance to your personal growth, but it’s actually quite the opposite. Getting stronger doesn’t come from just mindlessly training, it can also come from experiences you never thought were possible.’

  Glancing behind himself, Barry noticed that Sylvia was shockingly close to reaching him. He was doomed to accept his fate no matter what he did; so considering his only option, Barry caved in and ultimately accepted what was coming to him.

  “Gotcha!” Sylvia cheered, lunging and embracing him into her arms as they tumbled on a building rooftop. She pinned him to the ground, noticing that he wasn’t putting up any resistance against her and smiled at the defenseless human lying beneath her. “That was a fun game of tag, Barry. But tonight will be more enticing than what we just did now. So will you engage in the celebration or will I have to drag you in?”

  Taking a long draw of breath, Barry exhaled a deep sigh and replied in a defeated tone. “Yeah…I’ll…I’ll join…”

  Sylvia was ecstatic to hear him admit the words she wanted to hear, her fanged grin showing her excitement. Immediately, she picked him up and lifted him over her head, proclaiming him for all to see. “I’ve got him to admit defeat! We party hard throughout the dead of night!”

  The others that were chasing witnessed her announcement, glad to see that Barry was willing to participate. And while he was being carried away back to the others like a princess, Barry couldn’t help but experience the regret forming inside him. ‘This so damn….ugh! Please don’t let this be a long night…’