The border between the South and its northern neighbors is surprisingly clear. Along the edge of the bottom third of the continent is a two mile strip of land in which the mana density rises to meet the rest of the world. Even if one cannot sense the magic, they can see the plant life growing larger and more verdant as they move further north. The trees, the grass, everything grows taller. Eventually though, this border will no longer exist.

The ambient mana in the South is on the rise. More mana means more healthy plants. At that point, they’ll need to find a new way to determine the border between the regions.

Crossing the border had been… Well, not interesting. It’s been pretty boring, actually. Riding the bonecyle for as long as I have would leave most people enthused by a change in scenery, no matter how minute. Luckily, there’s a detour up ahead we’ll be able to enjoy.

I nudge backwards with my elbow and hear the snort of Jessica as her calm, periodic breathing is interrupted.

“Quasi?” she says before a yawn interupts what else she may have had to say.

“Jessica, we’re nearby.”

“At Camelot?”

“No, of course not. We still have a ways to go to get there,” I say.

A large building can just now be made out in the distance. I check the map once more, just to make sure that we are indeed where I think we are.

“Then why did you…” she pauses when she notices the familiar building. She blinks several times, and leans closer to me, her eyes wide.

“Is that…?”

I smile. “You mentioned that the temple you grew up in was just west of the town Arramont.”

“But- There- I-,” Jessica attempts to speak, but she cannot get past even the first word.

Eventually, she completes a very short sentence.

“Why?”

I chuckle, “Because I consider you a friend.”

“You would take a detour for a friend?” Jessica asks after a moment.

I slow down the Bonecycle a bit more as we get closer to the building.

“Jessica, I’ve told you before how long I’ve lived, right?”

“Over nine thousand years.”

I bob my head. “Yup. In all those years, I have seen those close to me die. Children, lovers, and friends.”

“I still don’t get it.”

I grumble a bit internally, “I don’t get attached to people easily. Loving, losing, and leaving are difficult for me, I don’t like going through it all over again. I try to make it difficult for myself to care too much about people.”

Jessica snorts behind me. “Difficult, you say? If I remember correctly, you have a harem of Kitsune, half of whom are either pregnant or have given birth. You even have a centauress daughter now and several Gejan eggs waiting to hatch. I doubt there is a [King] alive who has more children than you right now.”

I sigh. “Jess, I don’t have any feelings for the Gejan, Kitsune, or Alba. They are just women who want children. I don’t really love them, and as long as I stay away from the children, I won’t care about them either. I don’t want to be hurt again.”

Jessica goes silent at my words, her body weight rests on my back as she attempts to digest my words.

“So what does it mean that I’m your friend?” she finally asks.

“It means that I’ll cry when you die. It means that I care about your well-being. It means that I’d risk my life to help you…”

I feel her arms circle my waist as her face presses against my back. I take a small peek behind me, and see that her ears are quite red.

“I know you want to forget what happened before the dungeon, being sold by the Head [Priest] and forced into slavery. I understand that feeling, but I do not condone it.”

I turn off of the main road and drive directly toward the temple dedicated to Eir. Gaudy, rundown buildings sit in a semicircle around a medicinal garden watered by a central fountain. Several [Priestesses] work on the garden. They stop their work and point at us as we arrive.

“Regardless, I consider you a friend Jessica, and I feel for my friends. They hurt you, and nobody hurts my friends.”

I feel her arms tighten hard around my waist. Jessica is on the verge of tears. Whether it is because of what I said or because we are nearing a place she grew up, I’m not sure. Either way, this means a lot for her, so it means a lot to me too.

Entering the semicircle, I swerve left, moving towards an open sheltered building next to a stable full of a dozen horses. The building currently contains two run-down carriages and three armored wagons. I park next to the wagons and dismount alongside Jessica.

____________________________________________________________

The stablegirl, Deraisa, swallows. Two masked people arrive on a two, inline wheeled… wagon. She knows what the vehicle is, but seeing how it moves on its own, she guesses it is magical.

Her eyes widen.

Maybe it’s one of those self-moving golems from Camelot!

She runs from the stable and quickly makes her way to the couple dismounting the vehicle.

“Sir and Madam, may I be of any assistance? Do you require aid? Possibly [Healing]?” she asks, giddy.

The two masked people stare at her, unmoving, until the man nudges the woman in the side.

“Oh. Um, no thank you, Deraisa. Is Nafissa available? Is she still here?”

Deraisa’s mouth opens wide in astonishment. “You know my name! Wow!”

She quickly closes her mouth, “Nafissa is here, but she is a bit,” she blushes, “busy with clients. Would you be able to wait, please?”

“Yes.” Jessica says.

“No.” Quasi states.

The two masked individuals turn to stare at each other for a moment before turning back to face Deraisa.

The man folds his arms across his chest. “We wish to see Nafissa now. It is of the utmost importance. If these clients take issue with this, inform them that they can direct their complaints to me.”

Deraisa glances back towards the temple, and then at the man with folded arms. “The Head [Priest] will be very angry if I interfere.”

“If he is angry, then direct him to me. I will take full responsibility,” the man replies coolly.

The young [Priestess] looks around. The other [Priestesses] have stopped working to listen, but no help is forthcoming.

A hand touches Deraisa’s shoulder, and she looks at the masked woman who touched her...

The masked woman takes a knee, bringing her down to Deraisa’s height. She tilts her mask to the side so that only Deraisa can see.

“Please, get Nafissa for me. You won’t be in trouble, so don’t worry.”

Jessica re-attaches her mask. Deraisa, dumbstruck, opens and closes her mouth several times, mouthing the name “Jessica.”

“Go, please.”

Deraisa immediately nods and runs towards the building. She sprints up the steps and disappears inside.

__________________________________________________

“So, you know her?” Quasi asks.

Jessica nods. “Yes. She was an [Initiate] when I left. She was, well, I guess still is, a hardworking but easily distracted child. She really should not have walked away from the stables like that.”

“Well, if there are problems, we’ll deal with it. Speaking of which, she looks barely thirteen years old, but she is almost a level twenty [Priestess]. That is either some fast leveling or she got her class very young.”

Jessica nods, “Deraisa was the daughter of two divers. They were able to take her to a dungeon and unlock a class at age seven.”

“Really? So why is she a [Priestess]? Did something happen to her parents?”

Jessica walks over to one of the carriages and leans on it. “It’s a sad story, but her mother was killed by her father because Deraisa was not actually his child. He abandoned her here at the temple and never returned.”

“Wow. That’s… harsh. She seems to be doing well though.”

Jessica shakes her head. “Deraisa hides it well, but she is deeply hurt. I- I don’t want her to be hurt again.”

____________________________________

The door at the temple bursts open. An aged, panting [Priestess] covered in sweat runs down the stairs. Her clothes are wrinkled and looks to have been donned in haste. She jogs towards Quasi and Jessica, almost tripping three times over her poorly fastened shoes.

“What is the emergency!? What- What is going on!?” Nafissa shouts breathlessly.

Jessica walk towards the [Priestess], which turns into a full sprint as she practically tackle-hugs the exhausted woman.

“Nafissa, I missed you so much!” she cries. The befuddled [Priestess] awkwardly pats the distraught, masked, woman.

Quasi chuckles. “I have this weird feeling that I may have wasted my time making your mask.”

“What? Who are you? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Nafissa asks.

Quasi watches Jessica grab her mask and throw it to the side. Tears run down her face as she stares at her old friend and mentor, one of the few people who truly cared about Jessica.

Quasi watches the enchanted mask, one that probably cost as much as a city, get tossed to the ground. The [Hero] sighs, then smiles as he watches a truly heartfelt reunion take place.

“Jessica… Is that you?” Nafissa exclaims in surprise.

Jessica just cries harder as she hugs the older woman.

“Jessica.” Nafissa slowly says as her own eyes fill with tears.

For the next several minutes, Quasi watches the two women hug and bawl their eyes out. They don’t say anything, just hold each other and wail. The other [Priestesses], those already outside and those drawn by the commotion, also begin to weep.

For the first time, Quasi realizes just how popular and loved Jessica truly was.

“Huh. At least they don’t act like they’re in a cult.” Quasi comments.

Eventually, tears run out and the two women finally move away from each other, though their hands are still locked together.

_________________________________________

“Jessica,” Nafissa sniffs, “you look beautiful. It’s been over three years! How, how have you been?”

Jessica rubs her eye with her shoulder. “I’m… good. Very good. Everything worked out in the end.”

Nafissa frowns at the collar around Jessica’s neck.

“I hope your master is treating you well.”

Jessica quickly shakes her head, “No, this- this isn’t a [Slave] collar. I’m not a [Slave]. I’m completely free.”

Nafissa glances over at the masked man who is sitting on one of the armored wagons.

“That’s Q-Bone. My, uh, [Gentleman]. He’s a good man and he’s harmless.”

“I- I see. This, this is amazing news. We should inform everyone. Everyone will want to see you.”

Jessica opens her mouth to respond but is interrupted by a loud bang. The temple doors slam open and Deraisa runs out. She trips and falls down the stairs.

“Nooo, please! I don’t want to! No! HELP!”

Deraisa gets up and half crawls away from the stairs. Her clothes are ripped and tears stream down her face.

“Where you going?” a man walks out behind her, holding a piece of Deraisa’s ripped clothing.

“Noooo!” Deraisa falls onto the pavement. She starts crawling. Her leg is injured from the fall.

“Your [Priest] said I can take what women I want.

The man wears no clothes except for undershorts that barely hide his rampant erection.

He jumps, skipping all the stairs, and lands on the ground.

“Stay away! Stay away! Someone, please! Help me!” Deraisa screams as she tries to create distance.

The man licks his lips as he strolls towards the girl. “I always like it when they fight.”

Deraisa tries to stand and screams as pain wracks her injured leg. She collapses again and looks up at her pursuer.

He smiles wide, showing his teeth. His hand extends forward…

“Stop! What are you doing?”

He abruptly stops as the words laced with aura wash over him. Everyone in the courtyard feels a shiver from the willpower pressing down on them. He and everyone else turns towards the source of the sound.

Jessica stands there, her fury made visible in the air by a shimmer of mana. A hazy sheathe of golden energy envelops her, following her will.

“What?” the man says, dumbfounded as he notices her. More specifically, how attractive she is.

He smiles.

Jessica raises her hand in his direction.

The man's eyes widen as his [Danger Sense] goes off.

“[Quickened Step]!” he exclaims.

His body blurs, barely in time to dodge the armored carriage which passes through his previous location and slams into the wall of one of the buildings. The wall cracks and the carriage shatters on impact.

A moment passes as every head shifts towards where the vehicle was formerly parked.

A masked man stands at the location.

He scratches the side of his neck.

“I was just, uh, checking on the strength of your wagon. Just making sure the construction was up to snuff.”

They continue staring.

“Good wagons, they don’t break that easily. Really, it failed the simplest test. You should get a refund.”