Kirin and Alia have seated facing each other by a long table in the guildhall. While The Salvation Fairy was relishing a pretty slice of strawberry cake, the trap lazed in silence, head in hand and his elbow resting on the table.

Seriously. What could have been in that letter? What could have made Faolan cry? Kirin had only known the party for no more than two weeks, but he'd been certain Faolan wasn't the type to break down over words. Perhaps the message was just that heavy? That sad? Was it from a lover? A breakup letter? Or was it from family? Has Faolan lost somebody? Gods forbid.

Darn it.

Kirin has been bothered by that since yesterday. Neither Onyx nor Alia has seemed to have noticed and Kirin's too shy to ask. It'd be too awkward!

If only he could figure it out in some different way.

What was it? What possibly was it?

"Hey, you two." Faolan joined and sat at the table, a bright smile hiding all signs of last night from his face.

"Oh. You're here." Alia swallowed and used a finger to wipe a smear of cream off her lips. "Onyx is over by the board. Choosing a quest."

"Onyx? Is anything wrong with Kirin?"

"Wait. What? Wrong?" Kirin jumped. "I'm not wrong. You're wrong." He blinked twice.

"I see." Faolan snickered. "It's just that you've been taking charge of choosing quests since recently."

"Oh. Umm." Kirin poked his index fingers at each other. "He was really irked yesterday, so I let him decide this time."

"I'm choosing," Onyx said so coldly that his breath nearly froze.

"Y-Yeah. That's what's up. I'm alright." Kirin faked a smile--not as good as the one Faolan was wearing.

"Alright. Good to hear." Faolan took a breath and got back to his feet. "So sorry, guys. Please tell Onyx I won't be able to join today. I'm actually gonna be away for a few days."

"Huh? Where to?" Alia looked up.

"Ah. I'm visiting my father in the Kingdom of Beasts."

"Ohh." She put down her utensils. "That's two days to get there and two days to get back. Even if you can fly, the sky monsters will just slow you down more than if you just rode a carriage."

"You can't be away for that long," Onyx said sternly, approaching the table.

Faolan gave a sorry expression. "Onyx, I--"

"You're fifty percent of our firepower. You being away will slow our progress by just as much. How do you suppose are we to pass Blaring Sentence?"

"Forgive me, Onyx. I beg that you understand my reason to be away is quite important."

"More important than Fable Eclipse staying intact?"

Faolan frowned and looked away.

"You're our leader, Dier. Please consider us your priority too."

Kirin and Alia looked at each other.

"We're coming with you."

"What?!" Faolan exclaimed. "Slowing our progress down's gonna be bad enough. If all of us went away at the same time, then we won't be making any progress at all!"

Onyx smirked. "Not necessarily. I've selected our next quests. They'll be in locations that we can pass on the way to Cernunnos. I've also spoken with Katrina. She's given us permission to visit, deposit, and take quests at Latesi."

"Ohh. That way, we can still work while traveling." Alia nodded.

"What's Latesi?" Kirin asked.

"It's a city. One with a Harpe outpost. We also have members there who report here sometimes."

"Ohh. Got it. Clear as air."

"Well? We're leaving today, right?" Onyx dragged a chair from under the table and parked himself. "You two better start packing. Faolan and I will be waiting here."

***

Kirin wasn't really expecting to be dragged on a road trip that morning. That said, after Onyx had told them what they needed to do, Kirin had to rush home and pack whatever he could find that might be useful on the way. It's also worth noting he had to spend ten amalgium to purchase a traveling bag, which left him with only fifty for the entire journey, as he figured his dusty old sack definitely wouldn't be enough to hold four days' worth of clothing.

Presently he was lugging the newly-bought bag into the back of a carriage Onyx had leased. "Hng-ugh!" he grunted.

"Was that all?" the blue knight crossed his arms and leaned against the carriage. "Come on. You've already wasted enough time packing. At least hurry up with that."

"Argh." Kirin diverted his frustration to a single punch that then sent the bag skidding up the storage compartment. "Unlike you, I wasn't aware there was gonna be an impromptu outing. How'd you even know Faolan had plans?"

"Shush." Onyx waved a hand and gave a mocking look.

"Did you just...?"

"You're so loud. There are other passengers here, you know."

"Oh, you--"

"If you're done, you'd best get on. The earlier we get to leave, the better." Onyx took a step back and then climbed up a ladder to bring himself into the coach.

"Hmph." Kirin rolled his eyes and followed.

Up inside was a small space fit for six people maximum. It had two cushioned benches facing each other and several red velvet pillows with golden tassels. Alia and Onyx had taken one side. Beside Faolan, who was gazing out a black-glassed window, was a free space that Kirin decided to occupy. Sitting down, he pulled the carriage's door to close, and the room dimmed a little, remaining lit by only one bulb embedded in the ceiling.

Onyx knocked by his head. "We're all set."

"Yiee! This is exciting." Alia squealed, clapping. "It's been such a long time since I've last taken a ride to another city."

"All ready! Gee up!" the coachman yelled, and the carriage started rolling.

Outside, another coach also started, drawn by a dark, chocolate-colored horse creature, with a body that looked as if it was wooden, glazed with thick, dark green moss. It had vines and bushes for its mane. Tiny pebbles stuck inside its legs' root-like muscles. If Kirin ever found himself in that thing's path, the beast's hooves would probably flatten him in seconds.

Eyes sparkling, the trap asked, "What is that?"

Alia leaned forwards and extended her neck so she could see through the door. "Those are mosslings. Part of the equine family. Though their bodies really are more similar to plants."

"Whoa."

"People often consider them the best carriage steeds. Mossling-drawn carriages are decorated with foliage and rocks and sometimes are even actually carved out of huge chunks of stone. Purely for elegance and that enchanted ambiance. Only mosslings are hardy enough to pull them along. Usually, only rich people keep them as pets."

Darn. If they really are that sturdy, Kirin definitely wouldn't mind standing in the way of one.

The mossling sped up and overtook their carriage.

After a thud, inertia pushed Kirin off of his spot.

"Whoops. Sorry about that!" the coachman yelled again.

Grabbing onto Onyx's thighs to pull himself up, Kirin blinked several times as he looked up from where he had fallen near the blue knight's crotch.

Onyx's face burned red. "Get off of me!"

***

Four hours in, and yet none of them seemed to be getting tired. In fact, Faolan and Alia have been keeping their eyes out, even more than they were before leaving Bladewood territory. Faolan was still looking out the window, avoiding, it seemed, contact with Onyx's eyes. Only looking to check through the door every time there was a strange noise from outside. Alia, too, appeared to be a little agitated, looking left and right at least once every minute. While Onyx, just ever so slightly shivering, had his eyes away from everyone inside the coach. He'd been like that since after what happened earlier.

"Umm." Kirin tilted his head to a side. "If I may ask, why is everyone so tense?"

"Oh." Alia flinched.

Faolan turned his head to see Kirin and caught a quick peek at Onyx. "Sorry about that."

"It's because we're approaching Swords' borders."

Kirin tapped his face and looked up at the ceiling. "Haven't we only passed four cities? There should be another one--Yeah. Weren't we going to stop by Latesi?"

Alia bobbed her head. "We still are. We're getting there soon. The thing is... Have you ever wondered where all those stray monsters all over Bladewood come from?"

"They come from somewhere? I thought they were all just wild beasts."

"In a sense. You see, Swords and Cernunnos, being immediate neighbors, have kept up an agreement for nearly half a century. King Eudon permits Cernunnon to let their experiments roam freely into Swords' territory. While King Rizario, The God of Beasts, allows Swords' adventurers to hunt the monsters that do manage to slip into our lands."

"The Kingdom of Swords gets entertainment. The Kingdom of Cernunnon gets to try out their test subjects," Faolan added.

Kirin's forehead crumpled lightly. "I see. That's what that man meant when he said it's the king's fault they live like...! Ohh! Now it's clear as air."

Alia raised a knowledgeable index finger. "That's also why endemic beasts like arisares are so treasured."

"Ohh!!!" Kirin's eyes glittered. "I'm learning so much. But wait. What does that have to do with you guys being all nervous?"

Faolan slid sideways to let Kirin move closer to the window.

Outside, herds of reptilian creatures swarmed and trampled all over the jungle's greenery. Fist-sized insects obliterated the top of trees. Enormous amphibians chased after tinier creatures, toppling down trunks and leaving slime where their webbed limbs flopped. On trees too large to destroy, gigantic birds nested, hissing at long-bodied predators that slithered on branches to poach their eggs.

How Fable Eclipse's carriage hasn't been ambushed yet... Kirin wanted to know.

To stop it.

There's all that excitement out there, and they're all just in the coach, sitting on stiffening bums?! What have they been waiting for?!

"The closer we get to the Kingdom of Cernunnos, the more beasts there will be that may appear."

The carriage stopped.

Onyx's shivering paused as he twisted to call for the coachman. "Are we there?"

"This is where you asked me to stop," answered the coachman's muffled voice. "Also, we might need to help out the other passengers."

"What do you mean?" Hints of a frown streaked across Onyx's forehead as he rushed to open the door and jumped off.

Kirin poked his head out.

Ahead, a carriage had tumbled over, and a giant, long-nosed beast was using its equally long tongue to lick the inside of the vehicle.