"We're finally back!" The group cried out in unison as they stood before the city gates.

"Oh, what are you young ones doing here at such a time? Don't you know it's already night? Why do you all look so battered up? Just what happened to you all?" A gatekeeper asked them.

"Tons of things... Can we go in now? I want to take a shower and go to sleep so badly. We are so exhausted right now." Maria said immediately as she looked at the gatekeeper.

"Uh... Sure? Go on, make sure you all get enough rest. You all look like a mess and that you could fall unconscious in just a few seconds." The gatekeeper said as he opened the gates for them to pass through.

"Thank you..." They all said as they walked inside the city as if they were zombies.

"What do you think happened to those kids?" A man running a stall asked a nearby vendor.

"Who knows? They were out for quite a while. Maybe they saw something horrifying? Maybe they saw an orc or something along the lines of that." The nearby vendor said as he went back to preparing his items.

"Maybe so. They look bruised up but they don't seem to be missing anybody from their group. Well aside from that little girl. However, I didn't see her go out with them in the morning anyway. Oh well, as long as they're safe and there isn't anything catastrophic lying outside our castle." The man running the stall muttered to himself as he started to place his products in front for everyone to see.

"Selling silk from the capitol! 20 gold coins a yard! Come get them now before they run out!" He started to advertise as well as all the other stalls and vendors in the city.

...

"Looks like you're all finally back." Sylvie said as she was sitting at a table while enjoying her parfait.

"We almost died you know! And you're just here enjoying a meal. Isn't that a tad bit unfair?" Sam asked her.

"Not at all, I have a lot of power unlike you all. Therefore, you're the ones that need training, not I." Sylvie said as she shook her head before indulging herself with another spoonful from the parfait.

"So what are we going to be doing after this?" Chad asked her as the group made their way to her table before sitting down.

"We're going to escort people through the Lurking Waters of Death. Did ya forget? We will be heading out in two days, so prepare yourself. And naturally, it's going to be dangerous. Maybe you'll find a water dragon, Lance. This could probably be used for the katana you want to be crafted by that blacksmith." Sylvie replied as she smiled at them.

"Ugh... Why is it called Lurking Waters of Death again?" Chad asked her.

"Because anyone that gets near or falls into the water is never seen ever again. It is highly suspected that there are multiple A-ranked monsters in there. Maybe even an S-ranked monster that lurks deep within its depths." Sylvie replied as she chuckled a bit looking at how pale Chad had become.

"Please let's not go. Can we decline the mission?" Chad pleadingly asked.

"Nope!"

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Author : okeh dokeh bokeh pokeh what am I writing pls let me finish so I can make an outline. I don't even remember how long or what was supposed to happen.

*poof*