The fire crackled softly as the group sat around it, their stomachs full from dinner. The night air was cool, but the warm from the flames made it comfortable.
Jason leaned back on his hands and let out a satisfied sigh. "Now this is the kind of journey I like. Good food, good company, no monsters trying to eat us."
Elaine smirked. "You say that now, but we both know it won't last."
Jason groaned. "Can't you just let me enjoy the moment?"
Marianne chuckled as she finished washing out the cooking pot. "She's not wrong, though."
Sylvia stretched out her legs and looked at Samuel. "You've been quiet. What's on your mind?"
Samuel poked at the fire with a stick. "Just thinking about Zoria. We're almost there."
The group fell silent for a moment.
Lyra glanced at the flames. "Once we get there, everything changes again."
Jason sighed. "Yeah… no more peaceful village life. Back to business."
Elaine nodded. "We'll have to report to the Tamer's Guild, find a place to stay, maybe take on a new mission."
Marianne smiled softly. "Well, at least we have each other."
Sylvia laughed. "Yeah, otherwise Jason would probably get himself thrown in jail within a week."
"Excuse me?" Jason gasped. "I am a law-abiding citizen."
Elaine rolled her eyes. "Sure you are."
Jason huffed. "I'll have you know, I only get into trouble when necessary."
Marianne raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And when is it necessary?"
Jason thought for a moment before grinning. "Whenever I'm bored."
The group laughed. Even Samuel found himself smiling. These were the moments he wanted to hold onto. Before the battles, before the hard decisions just sitting with his friends, sharing stories.
Eventually, one by one, they crawled into their tents, the night peaceful and quiet.
The next morning,
Samuel woke up to the sound of birds,
Jason was already awake, stretching his arms. "Mornin'."
Samuel nodded. "Morning."
The girls were slowly getting up, rubbing the sleep from their eyes.
Elaine yawned. "We should pack up and get moving."
Within minutes, the group packed up their belongings and put out the fire. They continued down the dirt road, the sun just starting to rise over the horizon.
Jason walked with his hands behind his head. "I wonder if we'll run into anything interesting today."
Marianne sighed. "Hopefully nothing too interesting."
Just as she said that, the sound of wheels creaking caught their attention.
Up ahead, a wooden cart was moving slowly down the road. A man with a beard sat at the front, holding the reins, while a small boy probably no older than eight sat beside him, swinging his legs.
Samuel stepped forward. "A merchant?"
Jason grinned. "Hey, maybe he's selling something good."
As they got closer, the man noticed them and pulled the cart to a stop. "Travelers, huh?" He smiled. "You headed to Zoria?"
Samuel nodded. "Yeah."
The man scratched his beard. "It's a long walk. If you don't mind keeping my son entertained, I can give you a ride."
Jason looked at the others. "What do you guys think?"
Before Samuel could answer, the little boy on the cart perked up. "Really?! You'll tell me stories?"
Sylvia, Elaine, and Marianne immediately melted.
Marianne clutched her chest. "He's so cute."
Elaine crouched down. "What's your name?"
The boy smiled wide. "Leo!"
Sylvia gave him a pat on the head. "Nice to meet you, Leo."
Jason chuckled. "Alright, alright, let's not smother the poor kid."
Leo looked up at Samuel, eyes wide with excitement. "Are you really an adventurer? Have you fought monsters?"
Samuel hesitated, but before he could answer, Elaine pulled Leo up onto the cart and sat beside him. "Of course we have! Want to hear about it?"
Leo nodded eagerly.
The girls climbed onto the cart, surrounding Leo like protective older sisters.
Jason leaned close to Samuel. "Guess we're walking."
Samuel sighed. "Yeah."
The merchant laughed. "You guys are a good bunch. Hop on. We'll be on the road all day, might as well take it easy."
Jason grinned and climbed up. Samuel followed, taking a seat near the back as the cart started moving again.
Lyra smiling the whole time.
Stories for leo,
Elaine started first.
"So, Leo, have you ever heard of Shadow Tamers?"
Leo shook his head. "No."
Elaine grinned. "Well, we just took one down."
Leo's eyes went wide. "No way!"
Sylvia smirked. "It's true. He was controlling monsters using dark magic."
Leo gasped. "Like a villain?!"
Marianne nodded. "Yep. And guess who stopped him?"
Leo's face lit up. "You guys?!"
Elaine chuckled. "That's right."
Jason leaned forward. "Samuel did most of the work, though."
Leo turned to Samuel. "You did?!"
Samuel rubbed the back of his head. "Uh… yeah, I guess."
Leo was completely fascinated. "How did you beat him?"
Elaine threw an arm around Leo. "Well, it was a tough battle. First, we had to get through a whole army of monsters"
Leo gasped. "An army?!"
Marianne nodded. "Mhm. Big, scary ones."
Sylvia added, "They were everywhere. We had to fight hard just to reach the Shadow Tamer."
Leo was completely focused, his little hands gripping his knees.
Elaine continued, "And then, when we finally reached him, Samuel stepped forward and"
Jason interrupted. "Bam! One punch, and the guy went flying."
Samuel sighed. "That's not how it happened."
Jason smirked. "It's how I remember it."
Leo burst into laughter. "That's so cool!"
Elaine ruffled his hair. "Maybe one day, you'll be an adventurer too."
Leo's eyes sparkled. "Really?!"
Marianne smiled. "Of course. You just have to be brave."
Leo puffed out his chest. "I'm super brave!"
The girls giggled, completely in love with the little boy.
The merchant, who had been quietly listening, chuckled. "I haven't seen my son this happy in a while. Thank you."
Elaine smiled. "No problem. He's adorable."
Jason crossed his arms. "I don't remember anyone calling me adorable."
Lyra smirked. "That's because you're not."
Jason placed a hand over his heart. "That hurt."
Leo laughed. "You guys are funny."
The cart continued down the road, the group talking and laughing as the journey to Zoria carried on. For now, things were peaceful, and that was more than enough.