Chapter 2

"Ahh, the beautiful mountain village of Yalsuri. The sun is always shining, the trees are always singing. And the Yalsuri market is unmatched in the Wurik region. I can taste the delicious meats, I can smell the designer garments, and I can….do you hear something?" Terrick asked Amaris. Amaris opened his mouth to say something but was rudely interrupted by a high-pitched voice.

"Terrick! Amaris! What a coincidence that you guys are here too!" exclaimed the brunette.

"Yeah, what a coincidence," Amaris agreed in an unenthusiastic tone.

"God, why do you hate me?" Terrick quietly asked as he looked up to the sky. The girl put her hands on her hips and stared at him.

"What do you say, bastard?" the girl questioned. A bulging vein started to appear on Terrick's head.

"Excuse me? I know you didn't just call me a bastard!" Terrick angrily responded. Droplets of sweat could be seen dropping down Amaris forehead as the people around them started staring at the scene Terrick and Clementine were making.

"And what are you gonna do about it, coal boy?" Clementine rudely asked. Terrick's eyes went wide but narrow immediately after.

"Hey...that was racist! You racist motherfucking bit-mmmmm," Terrick tried to say but was rudely cut off by a hand. Amaris looked at his friend and the golden-skinned brunette.

"Please stop. You guys are making a scene," Amaris tried to explain to them as he removes his hand from Terrick's face. But it seems his attempts were in vain as they simply started arguing with each other again.

Amaris sighed at their immature antics. "It seems I'm gonna have to pull out my trump card," he thought. As he thought that, the sky darkened, the air became hostile, and the trees stopped swaying.

Amaris glared the meanest glare he can muster and uttered a simple sentence. "You guys seem like a married couple right now."

The two froze when they heard the comparison their friend made. Time itself stopped. The duo looked at each other and held their gazes for what it seems to be several lifetimes. Then, the most harmful, the most ear-shattering sound in existence was heard.

The scream of a girl.

"No! No! No! No! What possessed you to say such blasphemous things?" Clementine angrily inquired.

"Probably plot," Terrick replied before Amaris could answer. Clementine blinked a few times before responding.

"What?"

"I said pl-"

"As compelling as this conversation is, we really gotta get going," Amaris interrupted.

"Wait, where are we even going?" asked Terrick. Clementine laughed at the dark-skinned boy.

"You don't even know where you were going? You really are a fucking retard," Clementine told Terrick.

"Hey, Mar never led me wrong before. Except for that one time where we got stuck in a well. And that time where we got lost in the woods. And also the time when we got food poisoning from eating the leftover food so it wouldn't get spoiled. And that one time where we almost drown in a river trying to catch a fish. But like I always say, danger builds character," Terrick told the girl as he listed off the events with his fingers.

"You both are gonna die. Probably really painful. And I won't know whether I should cry because of that or laugh," Clementine said. Amaris cleared his throat.

"To answer your question, we are gonna do some protagonist bullshit! We shall look around for adventures and somehow get stronger from doing them!" Amaris explained to his companions as he looked up to the sky and clenched his fist.

"Why does this seem like an anime all of a sudden?" Terrick asked. Unfortunately for him, he was ignored.

"I don't think the world works like that, Mar. You can't go around and look for adventures. That's completely unrealistic and stu-" Clementine was interrupted by another scream. Amaris started running towards the direction of the scream, his dark leather armor making him stand out from the crowd in the Yalsuri market. Terrick smirked at the sight and turned his head to look at the 16-year-old girl.

"You were saying?" Terrick then dashed after his friend.

"The fuck is this bullshit?" Clementine asked no one particular, before running after them. She caught up with them at the entrance of the village, where a wounded man was screaming for help.

"Please, someone help me!" the man pleaded. He fell down to his knees and tears started streaming down his face.

"What happened," a woman from the crowd that was gathering around him asked. The man jerked his head up to look at her.

"They are demons! Undead corpses! And they killed every single one of them!" the old man cried.

"Killed who?" Clementine asked.

"My regiment! Every single one of them died! Lieutenant Jacob told us to scout a newly found cave, and they were filled with walking corpses!They are demons, I tell you! Demons! Please, someone, avenge them!"

Amaris stepped away from the crowd and towards the man. He smirked as he closed his eyes.

"I won't do this for vengeance for your fallen comrades. I shall take this task to protect the innocent from the clutches of evil. I shall defeat all the undead and let their corpses rest peacefully once again. Then, I shall find whoever did this and bring them to justice," Amaris then opens his eyes and clenches his fist right in front of his face, "because that's what a hero does!"

Everyone except the wounded man sweatdropped.

"That was so cringy," Terrick whispered to Clementine. She nodded in agreement.

"Oh, thank you! May Ordo bless you, young hero!" the wounded man praised. Amaris walked up to the man and crouched down to his level.

"So...can you tell me where this cave is?" Amaris asked.

"Of course, young hero. Let me mark it on your map," the man offered as Amaris took out his map. The man marked the location with his blood on Amaris's map.

"Wait, how didn't this guy die yet? He has been bleeding this entire time." Clementine asked Terrick. Terrick shrugged his shoulders, whispering something about "plot bullshit" or something like that.

"Now, I shall be off to destroy this evil threat of the undead. But before I go, can I count on someone bringing this man to a hospital?" Amaris inquired.

Everyone in the crowd volunteered to bring the man to the hospital. These people were truly kind and wanted to help their fallen comrade. They would do all they can to make sure he survives, heals, and adapts back into the way of living.

At least that is what this situation would be like in an ideal world. The truth was actually something along the lines of…

"I'm busy!"

"Will I get paid!?"

"You're the hero here, not us!"

"Do it yourself!"

And with that, the crowd dispersed to do their own things and jobs once again.

"Hmph. Tough crowd," Clementine remarked. Amaris looked at the vacant spots where members of the crowd once stood. He sighed.

"Welp, it is the duty of a hero to help the innocent," Amaris picked up the wounded man bridal style and started running off. Terrick and Clementine just gazed upon their righteous friend with smiles.

"What a great guy. There is no one he wouldn't help," Clementine stated.

"I know. He has such a righteous spirit and aura around him. He always wanted to help the innocents in need," Terrick added. They were truly proud of their friend. A few moments of precious silence passed before either one of them started talking again.

"How long do you think it's gonna take him to realize he went the wrong way?" Clementine asked.

"Twenty minutes, give or take."

And with that, they started their first official adventure.

But more importantly, Amaris started his own personal quest.

His dream to become the first-ever actual hero.