The morning sun rose across the horizon, illuminating the land of Spheroidal with its beautiful rays of light; birds were chirping, singing to their tune as the leaves rustled within the trees; all seemed well as Guan Yu awoke from a long rest, refreshed and ready to start his day.
But as he stood up from his bed, faint remembrance of what he was here for: "The dark lord..." The elderly warrior hasn't forgotten about their task. "We can't stay here forever," he tiredly says to himself while looking at the door of his room.
They have a purpose in this world, and the longer they idle, the faster this doom will fall on them. He has no clue what that evil magician is planning, right as he speaks, and it bothers him to do nothing but spend blissfully in this life while they are aware of the destruction that will come.
He has to speak with Morgan and Billy about this; they need to finally resume their reason for being here, which is to slay that madman. "Saving the world is our top priority," the green-robed man proclaimed, approaching the door where his beloved guando is placed at the wall, near its door.
Reaching the said exit, he took his weapon and used the other hand to twist the door knob, opening the entrance and revealing the long and peaceful hallway. "I wonder if the young one is awake," referring to no one other than Seth, the kind child they have befriended.
Closing his door from behind, he calmly walked through the hall before reaching the stairs, heading down to the first floor of this cottage, where Guan Yu finally reached the bottom level as the sunlight shone brightly from the windows around.
Turning his eyes to the couch, noticing the boy is still asleep on the couch, out cold and unaware of the current situation at hand, he says, "The young one is recovering," frowning as he shakes his head in disapproval, "I hope my fears aren't true. "Coma would be the worst possible scenario if Seth remains unconscious for any longer.
Sighing in disappointment at how things have gone, he is confused about how this has happened, let alone Seth being lost in the woods. It is strange since he never found the boy to leave his comfort zone for some reason, "strange indeed," caressing his beard in thoughts.
Regardless, they have a mission to do, and it is finishing what they started: "breakfast might help my mind," going with this idea of getting his body some nourishment after last night. They all needed some food after being repeatedly injured by that bunny creature.
Walking to the kitchen, he headed inside and was bewildered by the sight of Morgan and Billy casually chatting with each other at the table, sitting on opposite seats facing each other; their expressions showed they were having a pleasant conversation.
It surprised Guan Yu to see them actually enjoying the time with one another, considering they're having difficulty speaking to each other without becoming hostile. Has his insight truly helped them find common ground?
What had happened? His intrigued to know as he saw three wooden bowls comprised of oatmeal in them, where the two are currently eating with their spoons, "good morning," breaking away his observation, the duo's eyes quickly met his.
"Mornin' to you, old timer," Billy waved a hand while munching a piece of spoon full of food in his mouth. "Hows it hangin'? Wanna join us for a bite to eat?" He kindly invited him, indicating the third bowl on their table that was waiting for him to take.
Morgan smiled at seeing him in their presence. "How are you?" Her tone was soft and gentle when addressing the man: "Please come, join us!" Indicating the empty chair where the third bowl is, "Eat while it's hot," she then used her free hand to scoop up some food with her spoon before putting it into her own mouth, "It's delicious; you shouldn't miss out."
Chuckling at their eagerness to invite him, he complied without second thought as he sat in the seat mentioned. "What have you prepared this time, lady Morgan?" Guan Yu asked politely, wanting to know the ingredients or type of food she had prepared.
Clapping her hands together, her smile grew wider from the question, "Billy helped me with my cooking, so we made oatmeal." Her eyes turned to the young boy, who flinched in embarrassment before shifting back to the warrior, "It turns out he was able to prepare oatmeal perfectly without burning anything, right, Billy?" Praising his accomplishment of cooking for the first time in his life.
Clearing his throat, the young cowboy coughed loudly in being called out at his talent of being able to cook, "Well, it ain't nothin' special or anything; I just followed what she told me," not seeing the point in praising himself for doing the bare minimum of following orders.
Guan Yu heartily laughed at this development: "You two are getting along well," seeing their interaction to be wholesome, "I am happy to see it," proudly proclaiming with a grin, "very good, very good." His words expressed their mutual efforts in cooperating with each other, "make me proud to see you two like this," and his eyes glimmered at such friendship.
"Um, thanks...?" Billy awkwardly scratched his cheek while blushing lightly. "It ain't much, but we managed to solve our differences last night," he said, telling the truth about how they reconciled with each other in good faith and their bond with each other.
Then Morgan intervened, desiring to talk about something else more meaningful in their situation: "What is it that you wanted to talk about last night?" Questioning the confused old man, who then looked at her strangely, unable to understand what she was referring to.
But the memory quickly returned in his head: "I remember," he said in surprise at the question, "I wished to speak to both of you about what we should have been doing ever since we came here," vaguely elaborating on what their issue is.
This made them attentive to his answer: "I can tell it is important." Billy raised his brow in interest. "What is it then?" Demanding impatiently, curious about what the old man had to say to them for it to be more important than their breakfast in satisfying the hunger they have now.
"To slay the dark lord," bluntly reminding them of their quest, "we cannot stay here for any longer; the longer we delay, the more of his evil machination is slowly crushing this land into oblivion." Being honest with the pair, "is there an excuse for idling anymore when people's lives are at stake?" Showing his displeasure with what may befall the world if they fail their duty.
Both exchanged looks in shock at almost forgetting something this important: "What about Seth?" Morgan furrowed her brows in worry. "We cannot leave the poor child here all alone." She pointed at their still unconscious companion, who is unaware of their predicament. "I would feel guilty for not helping him first."
Billy agreed in this decision: "Shes right, his unconsciousness," pausing momentarily before sighing tiredly of thinking in their circumstances, "Wouldn't it be better if we wait for him to wake up?" picking a logical alternative when starting their journey.
However, Guan Yu didn't agree with this: "his condition will not get better if he stays here for a long time," reminding them of this problem, "I recommend we should seek a healer or doctor in the village," reasoning in getting their friend the proper treatment he requires to wake up.
They hesitated at first, not knowing if this was the best option to take, but after thinking further into it, it was the right choice to make in order to ensure Seth's safety and health. Without further ado, they agreed to this plan to awaken him and heal his injuries.
"We'll do it," the blond cowboy nodded in agreement. "That sounds reasonable enough for me," he shrugged as he continued to eat his oatmeal in a relaxed manner. "So where can we find a village nearby? Surely there must be one somewhere around here."
The woman quickly answered, "There is one place that comes to mind, but I have stopped going there ever since they persecuted me for their problems," clenching her fists in anger at the betrayal she had to endure. "However, it's better if we go somewhere else to—"
"What?!" The shocked teen was dumbfounded by such a response. "Then we should go to the place your referring to," believing that is the best destination for checking up their injured friend. "Avoiding it won't be any good for us, especially for him," he said on Seth's behalf.
The old warrior saw logic in that boy's words, "He is correct," agreeing with Billy's sentiment, "Wouldn't you agree with that assumption, lady Morgan?" Expression showed hope and concern in the woman's opinion of this: "Sometimes the unknown can be a little frightening for some people, and most of the time, misunderstanding is what drives people to be against each other without regard to the consequences," concluded his statement to the magician.
Grumbling in frustration, she scowled in dismay at seeing those judgmental, selfish folks who rejected her kind actions, which resulted in chasing her away. "I don't want to go back there, but..." Then memory of Seth's smile in their interactions had caused her to change her choice: "I seem to have no choice if it is for the child's sake," smiling sincerely of the time they had spent together.
Billy smirked in victory, proud of the woman's compliance in doing the right thing. "That's what I'm talking about; no more running, no more hiding from the problem," he excitedly declared in this notion. "Let's do it to it, all of us together like family!" Proudly speaking with confidence in his heart.
Guan Yu nodded, pleased with what he had witnessed from the two. "Then we shall start preparing now," he said, much to the surprise of the two. Noticing their shocked looks, he then asked in a calm voice, "Is there a problem?" Confusedly blinking in mild curiosity
Shaking his own head in disagreement, "right now? Shouldn't we have to start tomorrow?" Astonished by the man's suggestion of doing it right away, "we have a lot of things to bring, don't we?" Telling him the reality of their situation, "especially since we got a big trip ahead of ourselves."
Morgan surprisingly disagreed in this take: "The village isn't too far from here; it's only an hour away," informing them while finishing the rest of her meal, "Besides, the sooner we go there, the faster Seth will get the care he needs to recover," looking back and forth between her two companions.
Guan Yu happily sighed in relief, "then it is settled," gracefully standing up from his seat, "we'll start our journey in an hour," resolute in this endeavor, "I shall carry Seth on my back while Lady Morgan leads the way," planning the route of what to do next.
Then Billy interjected, "Can't we pack some food for the road?" Suggesting to the elderly man, "You know, since traveling takes a lot out of us, especially carrying Seth on your back would be too tiresome," he leans on his back with arms crossed.
"It is only an hour from here," says the witch. "It is not going to take long for us to arrive, and besides, the more time we spend here, the less likely that Seth will get better if we stay any longer," she reminded him once more, in which the boy nodded in defeat.
"Fine, whatever you say," he said, knowing that what she had said spoke the truth, "but could I at least bring some stuff that might be useful?" Asked the blonde, wanting to add something to this expedition they are about to embark on, "like fruits of some kind?" Billy grinned at thinking of something that could benefit them all in this task.
"Since its not going to take long," seeing the potential use of some additional fruit in this journey, she accepted in his proposal, "You can bring whatever you want; just don't take anything unnecessary or expensive," warning him with a slight frown on her face.
Without hesitation, he replied back in confirmation, "I ain't going to steal anything too valuable from you," smiling smugly before he proceeded to stand up from his seat as well. "I'll be back in a jiffy, I swear to my mother's grave."
