Strick walks into Bristain and takes in the air, smelling various foods while hearing the festivities. He is getting excited, knowing this is an opportunity to show himself off to more people. He’s always been a forest dweller due to his hunting, never having the opportunity to leave his hunting duties to get entertainment. He’s always wanted to go out, and finally, he got the chance to make a name for himself. He smiles before looking at his patch, where Thorne is residing, as Strick quickly threw him in there just before they entered the town. “I guess I should finally let you loose since we made it. Just hope you don’t do anything stupid.” Strick smiles as he says this before he hears Thorne’s muffled voice speaking back at him.

“Wait! Before you take me out of this prison, make sure you do it in an empty area.”

“Why?”

“Because I gotta make su-”

“Shush, I was kidding, obviously I know why I gotta ‘free’ you when no one is around. Can’t let anyone know that I’m associated with a demon sword who is most likely killing someone or something today. So yeah, I get the point, save all of your speaking to the people you’re gonna sacrifice, you freak.” These words are laced with small amounts of venom, which is surprising for Thorne and a little for even Strick, who didn’t expect himself to care about what Thorne does that much.

“Shut up, I get it, don’t you worry, after enough sacrifices, you won’t have to deal with me anymore, as we will all be living in a whole new world. Now MOVE.” Strick rolls his eyes before walking around the town searching for an empty area, but before he can find one, he locks his eyes on a girl walking into a nearby tavern. He makes sure to remember to go visit that tavern before all else, but he focuses on the task at hand. He finally finds the right area, an empty alleyway which he comments on the dangerousness of the area.

“Despite how bad this feels, it fits for a man or ‘sword’ like you, now allow me to do something that I hope I don’t regret and get you out of there. Although I don’t understand why you can’t enjoy my little hunter’s patch, you get to enjoy how it feels for a real piece of weaponry instead of living as a fake man.” All of this talk from Strick only leads to Thorne growing angrier and getting serious thoughts of just bursting through the patch.

“IF YOU DON’T GET ME OUT, I SWEAR I’ll MAKE YOU REGRET IT.”

“Hah alright, I had my fun, let me do something you’d never do and help out.” Strick opens his patch and allows Thorne to jump out and breathe in the fresh air, smelling the similar smells that Strick did. With one key difference, however, he not only smells food but he also smells the people, noting that the town is filled with many who could be sacrifices.

“Finally, even though you never learned to shut up, I’m happy you did the right thing. Now allow me to get on with what I came here for, you go enjoy whatever you choose, just don’t be stupid and get caught. I’m trusting you to keep yourself safe, and I noticed when you momentarily stopped. What was that about?” Strick is surprised at his question, not expecting him to realize that he wasn’t in constant motion.

“Heh, well, let's just say I found something worth staring at.”

“Oh, whatever, well make sure whatever that ‘something’ is doesn’t get us in trouble because if it does I PROMISE to make you regret it.”

“Alright, bye. Don’t kill too much now, or else I’ll have to show off to stop you. Haha.” Just like that, Strick leaves the alleyway with Thorne standing there, leaning on the shadowed wall, making sure he is hidden. As he is leaving, he thinks about whether it was the right thing to leave Thorne to his own devices, but he couldn't care less as he found what he wanted. A Girl. Thorne would never understand having a crush on anyone, as the only love he has is for Sanguine and his devotion to summoning him even in his sword-burdened state. As Strick is walking out of the alleyway and back into the city, he finally gets a good, long look at the place. He sees a giant sign at the top and he reads the sign. “The place where civilization comes together from all points to build a bigger and better town. Is that right? Well, this place is pretty decent, all of the stuff, especially since it's huge. I don’t know if it would have anything for someone like me, but I gotta give it a try, I gotta show off my greatness.” As Strick speaks, he gets lost in his surroundings and almost gets trampled by a horse galloping around the town. He is surprised, and his first thought is to chase it, but before he can move to run after the horse, he gets stopped by a female voice.

“Um, hey, I’ve never seen you here before, are you new to Bristain?” Strick quickly turns around to see that it’s the same girl he saw enter the tavern. He blushes slightly before answering her question quite flusteredly.

“I am, it’s my first time entering this huge place. I’m guessing you’ve been all around here and stuff.”

“Yeah, I live in this town.” Strick nods to her answer and wonders why she went to talk to him. His mind instantly goes to thinking that she is gonna kick him out of town due to his ‘crimes’.

Did I already get caught!? What should I do? I don’t wanna be like that freak and go all killer, but I can’t let myself end up in the Defense Corps' hands. I especially don’t want to die because I don’t deserve that. Pretty lady, just go away if you’re gonna scare me like this. No, what is wrong with me? I’ve never been like this before. Damn, Strick get a hold of yourself!!

The girl is confused about why Strick is just standing there looking afraid, so she decides to knock on his forehead to get his focus back.

“Are you alright, friend?”

“Oh yeah, sorry about that, my great mind was begging me to use it.” That answer makes the girl chuckle, but she gets serious as she remembers what her main purpose for going to Strick was.

“So what are your intentions in this place? You’re not here for any suspicious reasons, are you?” Strick wasn’t expecting such a question and stumbled with his answer.

“O-oh, well, I intend to just enjoy the area and have a good time. Most definitely gonna show myself off a little bit to the locals.” She looks Strick in the eyes before calming down. This causes him to feel more at ease than before, less likely to be caught for any of the acts Thorne committed in his body. She sighs.

“Great, don’t worry though, I knew you weren’t here for any bad actions. I only asked because my uncle told me to ask those questions to the people he’s never seen before.”

“I wonder who that could be? He must be important to give you a task like that for all of the newcomers.”

“Heh, I’d say so, although don’t praise him too much as he gets into long speeches about his ‘greatness’.”

“Well, why would I praise him? What makes him so good?” She rolls her eyes as she begins telling Strick about her uncle.

“Let’s just say he is a well-respected and revered beast slayer.” This title shocks Strick as he wasn’t expecting such a label.

“Woah, so like a hunter? If that’s the case, maybe he and I share some similarities, although I wouldn’t consider myself a slayer and more of a discoverer with some needs for food here and there. That reminds me, I kinda miss my hunting escapades, but since some antics happened, I’ve been bound to be safer. First time, I left that forest area, when that guy told me that he was going to Bristain, I couldn’t be happier at the opportunity to finally discover other areas. Now I’m not seeing endless grass or endless animals to run away from me for way too long. This is nice, I want to look around the place and visit the areas.” The girl is bemused at Strick’s long and endless speech. But now knowing what his intentions are, she decides to help Strick around town.

“Hm, well, you sure do talk much but I came with a decision.”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“Since you want to discover these areas, I’ll be your guide around Bristain, show you around and stuff.” Strick smiles and is happy at her decision to help him around the town, he knows it allows him to speak to her more. So he nods his head and allows her to lead the way around the many places of Bristain. As they begin walking, the girl realizes something. “Hey, I made a realization.”

“What could that be?”

“I never got your name, and I wasn’t respectful enough to give you mine. My name is Silique, and I am pleased to meet you.”

“Hey, don’t call yourself disrespectful. I mean to be fair, I didn’t say my name either, and I could be seen as disrespectful. I’ve said and done some things, but that doesn’t matter. My name is.” Before he finishes his sentence and says his name, he briefly thinks to himself about whether he should be honest or not.

What should I say? I don’t know if telling her my real name will be good for me, but I don’t want to lie to her. Maybe I can come up with a name similar to mine, and then if anything, I can say I made a mistake. But that’s dumb. It’s fine, that man at the gate didn’t seem to know my name. So I’m guessing no one here should know either. Whatever, I’ll just take this risk.

“My name is Strick, and it’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Silique. That’s a unique name.”

“Hehe, so is yours.” They are both smiling at each other and enjoying the moment as they make it to their first area of the town. Silique points up to a sign above a building.

“Look, Strick, it’s the carnival, or should I say Bristal’s fun fair. This is a well-renowned part of our town, with most visitors coming just for this place. Growing up, this was a serious attraction for the town; it’s a huge reason why we’re able to fund all of this space we have. And that space led to more areas for fun or other nice things.”

“That’s cool, but I don’t see any carnival, fair, or anything like that. All I see is a brown building in front of me. Is this one of those imagination places?”

“No, silly Strick, the fair is behind the building. Now, would you like to come in and have a little fun?” She smiles gently, pulling on Strick to make him go in with him. Strick is thinking of whether he wants to go because of his lack of funds to pay for anything.

“Hold on, how could I come in? I’m dirt broke.”

“Aren’t you a hunter?”

“Yeah, it’s more of a lifelong hobby than a job, I mean, all I get paid for it is animal food and the satisfaction of being good at what I do. So no money to my name, I don’t even have a money carrier. I don’t even know what currency is used around these lands.” This surprised Silique as she never thought someone wouldn’t know about the form of pay used around the map. She knows she’ll have to help Strick out more than she expected.

“Well, first and foremost, our form of currency is called Korpas. You’ll see me use it when we get there.”

“Oh, well, that doesn’t matter at all because I don’t have any of those Korpas, like I said, I’m dirt broke.” Silique gets annoyed but hides it with a fake smile before ignoring what he just told her.

“Well, Strick, I am offering to get you in for free, I’ll cover any of the prices for you, although I’m sure I won’t even have to pay.” This intrigues Strick as he wonders why she wouldn’t have to pay.

“You can?”

“Yeah, let’s just say, I’m well known around these parts.” Silique winks before turning and running into the building, leading to the entrance of the fair. Strick thinks of whether he even wants to go, but he realizes that he should go with her for a good time.

“Alright, girl, I’m coming!!” He runs in after her and enters the building to see the entrance of the fair, behind it. He notices the sheer scope of the fair and looks at all of the things to do. He gets so lost in the different places of the fair that he forgets about Silique, who is currently standing right next to him. He starts running into the fair while ignoring Silique’s numerous attempts at getting his attention. His attention is then fiercely grabbed back when he gets pulled before making it to the front of the fair. He turns his head to see what's pulling him before seeing Silique’s smiling face.

“Relax, Strick, I know you’ve never seen something like this before, given your life as a forest hunter. But just calm down, we’ll be in there in just a moment, first let me visit the owner of this beautiful place.”

“Oh, alright, my bad, Silique, I just got a bit excited.” Strick feels a bit embarrassed and scratches the back of his head. Silique begins walking to a locked door before knocking on it.

“Hey, Dragen, open up the door, will you?” Strick is watching her continue knocking on the door, and he gets bored. So he walks up to her and decides to help with the knocking. So he starts ruthlessly banging on the door harder and harder before it finally opens. Silique smiles as she sees Dragen at the door. Strick notices that he seems to be in his pajamas.

“Did you just wake up or something?” The owner yawns.

“Yes, I did, Silique, what do you need?”

“Oh, nothing, Dragen, just wanted to see how you were doing as my friend and I are about to enjoy your nice fair.” Dragen looks at Strick before looking back at Silique with a mischievous look on his face.

Alright, well, you two lovebirds enjoy yourselves, everything's on the house. Have a nice time.” Strick waves goodbye before walking towards the entrance once again, while Silique is about to follow as she realizes what Dragen said. This makes her blush a little before she turns down those claims.

“Hey, we aren’t lovebirds, I’m just showing him around, that’s all.” And so she follows Strick as they both enter the fair.

“Look at all of the things around here, it’s huge and so open. So many spots to play games or go on rides. I think I even see a horse riding competition, I wonder how well I’d do in that. I bet I’d crush the competition, I would do so good that they would give me the horse as a reward, plus any prizes. Woah, speaking of prizes, what could they even be? I wonder if there is a transfer system where I can put prizes into points or points into prizes. Man, the possibilities are endless.” Silique smiles at Strick’s excitement and assures him that they will do all the things he wants. Given that Strick now understands that everything is free, he will make sure to abuse that to his heart's content.

“Maybe putting you in a place like this isn’t the best decision, you’re filled with so much energy that I don’t even know if the fair could contain it.” She laughs at her statement as Strick smirks.

“Alright, well, we’ve been standing around for far too long, I think it’s time we finally got in some good action. So get ready Silique because we’re gonna have some fun!!” He begins running into the fair searching for the first thing he wishes to do there, as SIlique, caught off guard, rushes to follow him.

“Wow!! Strick wait up!!” The first area that Silique deemed fit for Strick to enjoy in his first-ever visit to someplace outside of the forest was the fair. They prepare to enjoy themselves, but elsewhere, farther in Bristain, Soulthorne plans his next moves. He never left the alleyway, waiting for the right time to move to a different area. He plans to scout out the town for worthy sacrifices, but he knows how much more difficult that plan will be because of Strick becoming wanted across the lands.

“I was a fool, I can’t believe I let my hatred of that idiot get in the way of my grander plan. Now I have to play things much more safe, which only takes up time that I’m not even sure if I have.” He keeps on the lookout for any openings to get out of the alleyway and into an area that better allows him to find targets. After more time passes, he gets tired of standing there and quickly runs out of the alleyway. He planned this accordingly, however, so he knows exactly where he plans to go. He keeps running until he reaches the Bristain garden, he uses his small size to hide in one of the bushes, and looks around to find a target. He easily finds one, a short man who is just walking along the garden, admiring the different flowers and beautiful trees. Thorne keeps his voice low to a whisper as he speaks, making sure that no one finds him under any circumstances. “Perfect, he’s by himself too, that just means I won’t have to worry about anyone looking for him while he’s getting sacrificed.” Thorne smiles before quietly exiting the bush and running to the next area as part of his plan, the horse ranch. He thought of the horse ranch due to how close it was to the garden, which made going from kill to kill easier for him. He made sure to time his approach into the ranch at the right time so no one in the town noticed him, but lucky for him, it seems like no one was even in those areas of the town at the moment. This made Thorne a little suspicious, but he threw that aside as he knew that it would do nothing but help his plans. So he just walked over to the ranch, looking out for anyone as he did so. He makes it there and jumps into a haystack, which wasn’t his original place, but it was the first thing he saw. He smells it and quietly notices the dirtier smell compared to the bush he was just in. “Perhaps I should plan more about where I hide and not just where to go. This must be a used-up haystack, whatever, I’ll be out soon as all I have to do is find who to sacrifice.” So he stops thinking about the smell and keeps looking for anyone worthy of being sacrificed, but he finds no one. This annoys him, but he keeps his cool and decides to keep moving closer to the farm itself. He runs from haystack to haystack whilst making sure he doesn’t get caught by any of the horses. He thinks they would start to scream after seeing a moving sword around the place. He finally hops into the last haystack when he finds someone worth sacrificing, the farmer who is looking after those horses. Thorne wonders if this is his place or if he’s just watching over them for a little bit for someone else. “Whatever, it doesn’t matter whose ranch this is, I don’t care what happens to anyone’s loved ones after I kill them. I’m doing this to save this world anyway, I should be getting thanked for this. They should be thanking me for allowing them to be a part of a plan to save the world.” Thorne starts to laugh before stopping himself when he sees the nearby horses looking at the haystack he’s in. He realizes he has to get out of there soon before it’s too late, and he bolts out of there, not caring if anything in the ranch sees him. He carefully makes it out while not getting caught, and he runs back to the alleyway to figure out his next move. “Alright, two found, one more should do it in a place like this, it’s far too big to be causing huge scenes with too many sacrifices. The more I make, the easier it is for me to get caught.” Thorne begins to think about where he could go to find his third sacrifice, but after a long time of thinking, he still couldn’t think of where to go. So instead of staying in the alleyway doing nothing, he decides to find a hidden area of the town to carve Sanguine’s symbol into the ground. He exits the alleyway once again and starts running all around the town looking for the best area to use his sacrifices. After a long time of running and hiding, he finds the best place for his plans, an old, rundown store. It has just enough space where he can start the ritual and fit the sacrifices into the ritual circle. The only part about that place that he has to get around to start his ritual is the owner of the store, but Thorne knows all he has to do is kill them. So once he enters the store, his first action is to catch the owner off guard. The owner is an older man who is only working so he can afford to still live in a town like Bristain. He has been longing to keep his store from shutting down, but no one goes to visit anymore. He has always looked depressed since the day his family left him in the town as he put his store over their well-being. Thorne can notice how sad he looks, but he couldn't care less; all he wishes to do is summon Sanguine. He briefly thinks on whether he could use the man as a sacrifice, but he realizes that he is too worn out and sad to be a worthy vessel. “You will die today, you should’ve given up this worthless place you put your final years of life into. The last thing you’ll ever see is an open store with no one coming into the store to buy anything. Enjoy your last breath as your death will be a help to lead this world into a better future.” Thorne begins his attack on the old man as he quickly gets behind him. The man is far too old to even hear Thorne get close to him and is shocked when he gets ruthlessly stabbed in the chest. Before he can use the last of his strength to turn around and see what killed him, his eyes are cut off his face, and his body collapses. He has died. Thorne looks down at the now-dead man and feels zero remorse. He knows he’ll have to hide his body to make sure no one walks into the store to call any first responders. “Before I hide his body, let me close this door. Let me make those people believe that this fool finally shut this place down.” Thorne goes over to the door and closes it. He then rushes to shut off all of the lights in the place, making it so the store looks as close as it can to be closed. Thorne then goes over to the dead man’s body and kicks it across the room until he gets to a back area. “This must be the back room of this store. Perfect, now let me get this started.” He kicks his body into the back room and closes the door before moving all of the useless items sold in the store out of the way. After all of that, he manages to create an open area that can fit his ritual. He then cuts into the ground as he makes the symbol come to life. It glows purple as if something is gonna explode out of it. This causes Thorne to smile and revel in his success, knowing that now all he has to do is continue with his plans. “Yes!!! Yes!!! Perfect, Sanguine, I promise you I will grant you your worthy sacrifices. All I require is just a little bit of time, and the body count will be to your liking!!” Thorne keeps laughing, but he knows what he has to do for Sanguine; he vows to complete his plan under any circumstances. He remembers Strick and how little he trusts him with not getting in trouble. But he thinks about how he hasn’t gotten caught yet. “Good job, you idiot, you managed to not do anything stupid for once. Continue to stay smart for now, as I’ll be needing you soon.” Just as he begins thinking about Strick’s role in his plans, Strick and Silique finally leave the fair. They begin commenting on the good time they had and how much more about Bristain Strick managed to learn.

“That was pretty fun, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yeah, I would, you seem to understand a bit more about this place.”

“Yeah, I’d say so, although I have to ask you something.” Strick stops walking and puts his hand on Silique’s shoulder, looking under the weather. She begins getting concerned and puts her hand on his forehead to see what's wrong.

“What is it, Strick? Are you alright?”

“Can I get a brief rest? I might have overdone it a little in the fair, heh.” Silique slowly gets more annoyed as she realizes that it wasn't as serious as she had taken it.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!?” She knocks Strick on the forehead before laughing and calming down. She then thinks of where she can bring Strick for him to get some good rest and remembers the tavern that she went to earlier in the day before she met Strick. “Well, don’t you worry, Strick, I know just where we could go.” Strick is still reeling from that knock on his forehead, but he shakes it off as he asks where they could go.

“Yeah, where is that?”

“The tavern, it’s the place I was at before I met you.”

“Oh yeah, I remember when you walked in there.”

“So yeah, that’s a good place, you’ll be able to meet my uncle, and I think that would be nice.”

“Alright, I’m down. Lead the way.” So they begin walking towards the tavern, which isn’t too far from where they came. As they walk, Strick looks around the town to see it filled with people enjoying themselves. “Man, this is a nice place, everyone seems so happy here. No added nonsense, just peace.”

“You’re right about that, all my life I’ve lived here and enjoyed every bit of it. Whether it was the visitors or the locals, everyone here is just so kind. I can’t say if it's as exciting as your forest adventures, but it’s a good place.” Silique looks into the sky as she says this and looks up at a house, high up in the air. Strick notices this but decides not to ask as he doesn’t care that much. Soon enough, they make it to the tavern, and through the window, Strick sees it bustling with a bunch of people.

“I don’t know how much rest will be available in a place like this, but it seems fun. Alright, let’s go in.” They walk in and everyone in the tavern turns around to see who entered, besides an older gentleman who is still looking down. Silique is welcomed in by a man with a loud and gruff voice. This causes her to smile and run towards the voice.

“Hey Uncle!!” Strick looks to see where she is going before realizing she’s going to a huge man in reddish armor with a giant orange axe on his back. He is currently arm wrestling another man and easily winning. Strick decides that he might as well come over and introduce himself to her uncle. Silique approaches her uncle with a hug, making sure not to distract his focus on finishing his arm wrestling match.

“Hello, my beautiful niece, how is it going?” Strick makes it to the two and listens to what they’re saying.

“Great, oh, how could I forget? Hey, uncle, this is Strick, Strick, this is my uncle Axel.”

“Hello boy, nice to meet you, I’m Axel, and I see you’re Strick. You must’ve been the person Silique went to get to. You’re the one who’s not from around here.”

“Right about that axeman, I’m just a forest hunter who, because of crazy circumstances, has come to this town to enjoy its festivities. First time I’ve ever been out of there and visited another area. Especially something like this, Bristain is a heck of a town.” At this time, Axel has stopped listening to Strick and pulled out a paper from his pocket. By this time, Axel had already won his arm wrestling match and assured the loser. Strick notices himself being ignored and is a little annoyed, but doesn’t show it as Axel keeps looking from the paper and then back to him. Silique can notice Strick’s annoyance and decides to cut the air with some small talk.

“Well, Uncle Axe, can you tell us about why you’re arm wrestling all these people in the tavern?” Axel finally stops focusing on the paper and puts it back in his pocket with a solemn smile before giving Silique a more genuine smile.

“Oh well, it is for my charity, I put my earnings from slaying beasts into each contest. Each win lets me make more, and then boom, more money for the charity. It’s a pretty selfless act, but I love to do it for them. Not enough people put effort into supporting those in need.” This comment makes Strick ponder why people don’t put more effort into charity, but it makes him remember that he doesn’t either. But knowing why Axel does it makes him want to challenge Axel because, whether he wins or loses, he doesn’t have anything to lose.

“Alright, strong guy, I’ll take you on.” Strick sits in the now-empty seat since the previous loser had left it, but instead of being met with Axel’s hand, he is met with a loud, boisterous laugh. “What’s funny? Too scared to take on the challenge.” This comment only seems to make Axel laugh more as he gets up from his seat.

“Hah, ‘scared’. Not in the slightest, boy, but I have better matters to attend to as I will have to leave soon for a mission. Silique, your father tasked me with an important job, so I’ll have to leave for a few. I can trust you to manage Bristain in my absence, right?”

“Of course, Uncle Axel, but may I ask what the job is? It’s okay if you’re not allowed to, but if you are, I’d be welcome to know.”

“Sure, but you boy, can you leave us be for a little bit. This is pretty secretive information, no hard feelings.”

“Oh well, not taken, in the meantime I’ll just walk around this place and see what goes on.” Strick gets up from his seat and allows Silique to sit there. He gives them a goodbye for now before walking around the tavern, taking in the audacious energy. He notices the behaviors of the people in the tavern and their almost intoxicated natures. “Looks like everyone in here is drunk, I mean that makes sense since everyone is in here to have a good time with no consequence. Man, maybe I should get myself a drink.” As Strick begins to walk to the bar area, he notices the same old man as before directing younger gentlemen around the tavern and telling them they are too young to be drinking. Strick seems to believe the man is old and wise, so he thinks to ask him something. He walks up to the man who is sitting atop the highest stool in the tavern, so he has to look up to speak to him. “Hey, Gramps, you seem wise.” The man looks down, noticing Strick speaking to him, and smiles.

“Oh, hello, stranger, what is your name?”

“Oh well, it’s Strick and yours?”

“Tobias, or you may call me Tobie.” This surprises Strick as the name sounds significantly younger than he expected. “You look surprised, what did you expect something different?”

“Yeah, I’ll be honest with you, Gramps, I expected a way different name like Benedict or Arthur. Just something really old.” This causes Tobias to laugh as he has never met with such blunt answers as those ever in his long life.

“Well, I respect your honesty; most people would’ve come up with an obvious excuse. Now, what did you desire from me? Do you need something? If so, I don’t know how much my wise ways could help that.”

“Oh yeah, well since you’re old and stuff, I kind of assumed that you’d be able to help me with something.”

“Well, I can offer you assistance in what you need, what is it, young Strick?” Strick looks down at his hands before looking back up at Tobias, ready to ask him for his assistance with what he needs.

“Okay, well, I just had to ask if you heard anything about the monster named Sanguine? Someone I know is a huge fan of his, and I wanted to learn more about the monster and its history. I never quite believed in the hype and think it’s a bad guy. But the person I know believes that they can ‘cleanse the world’ or whatever. So I just needed to know if that’s the case and what Sanguine is really about.” Hearing the name Sanguine makes Tobias’s eyes perk up in amazement, believing that no one else remembered anything about the monster.

“What do you know about Sanguine? I must know before giving you any information that I’ve learned over the years.”

“Oh well, the only things I know about this Sanguine thing is that it can ‘cleanse the world’, which must mean he has some sort of power. But given the way he had you shook, that power must be something serious. That’s all I need to know from you, Gramps, how serious should I take this monster?” This question makes Tobias take their conversation even more seriously. Although that question also made him more inquisitive about why Strick should want to take the monster seriously anyway.

“Wait, young Strick, why must you worry so much about this vicious beast? I fear that this is much more than just learning what he is about. Especially with a question such as that, you’re asking me because you want to be ready to take it down?” Strick smiles as he knows he got caught in his lie, so he owns up to it and gets properly serious.

“Well, looks like the cat is out of the bag, you’re right, Gramps, although I can’t tell you why I have to be. Just know that learning more from you will only help me in being able to stop that dang fool and his stupid plans.” Strick is getting angrier as he starts to think about Thorne and his plans to summon Sanguine. But he realizes this and calms down as Tobias looks sad. He feels bad for making Tobias feel this way, but before he can apologize, Tobias has already begun his speech.

“Listen up, young man, I’ve learned much about Sanguine over my long years of life. Stories have been told about that vicious monster; he can destroy the entire world if he sees fit. He has only been summoned once in the history of our new world, and it took so much just to seal him that it seems his devotees wish to tear it down. That is what the pathetic thing is, as long as he has existed, he has always had followers who devoted themselves to summoning him. They never cared about how they did it, ruthlessly killing innocents to use as sacrifices to bring him out. I always wondered why they believed he would cleanse the world unless their idea of cleansing is ridding it of all life. You see, Strick, I am sometimes baffled at how they don’t care about their well-being when it comes to that creature. But let me tell you about the important information you should know if you ever do encounter such a force. When he was summoned, he wasn’t as fierce as he seemed like he didn’t understand where he was. So he wandered around until his summoners tried to take command of him. This drove him mad, and he went on a rampage. He hurled fire at everything in a brutal storm. His giant frame allowed just one eruption of flames that burned all of the summoners, including the surrounding area. He continued in an eruption of rage until all of the great warriors of the past banded together to take it down. They continued to fight the beast until they realized the only way to stop it was by sealing the monster. They had to hold Sanguine down for hours as the mage was tasked to collect all of the strongest sorcerers around the world, and they all managed to conjure a spell to contain it. So for a long period, Sanguine has been sealed up to stay in hell for eternity. But it seems like your friend wishes to bring him back to life to use his demonstrative power.” Strick is just standing there with his eyes wide in shock and amazement, as he never believed that there would be that much history for Sanguine. He then smiles, he truly is grateful for the help Tobias gifted him. He knows that the addition of this new knowledge should help him when it comes to dealing with Sanguine, although he doesn’t know how much he could do to stop it.

“Well, thank you, sir, I appreciate your knowledge. I’ll be honest, I don’t know how much I would be able to do to compete against Sanguine. But I believe, well, I’ll be headed now, Gramps, gotta go back to my friend.” Strick begins to walk away before Tobias jumps down from his seat and stops him.

“Wait, dear boy, if you fear the threat of Sanguine so much, how come you don’t call the defense corps to go stop your friend from summoning him?”

“Nah, I’m good.” This answer leaves Tobias amazed and left wondering why Strick wouldn’t let them know.

“But why Strick?” Strick laughs and looks down before looking back at Tobais, he smirks.

“Because it’s my responsibility to deal with him, If he even gets summoned, i made a promise that i will defeat that damned force of stupidity. Whether it’s the last thing I’m able to do.”

“But I do not understand, why not leave it in the hands of the much more prepared Defense Corps?”

“Sorry, Gramps, but I can’t tell you that, no hard feelings.” Strick smiles before walking away from Tobias and back to Silique, who is still speaking with Axel. As he reaches, Axel is about to stand up from his seat.

“There you are, boy, this girl Silique here has been waiting for you. What were you doing speaking to that old man anyway? It seemed pretty serious, is it worth my using my great power to slay a beast?” Axel laughs his usual boisterous laugh, but Strick doesn’t intend on telling him his true reason.

“Oh, nothing, just talking about some things of the past. He’s an older fellow, so I thought to myself, might as well learn something new. Especially since I’m not from around this area and don’t know my history well.”

“Alright then, well, that sounds like it was eventful. It’s a good thing that you're back now, I can leave this place without this little girl here getting bored. Ain’t that right, Silique?”

“Whatever, Uncle Axel, where are you headed anyway?”

“Oh well, your father just asked me if I could complete a certain task for him since he’s busy and all. So I said yes, but before I go out for the task, I just wish to visit my friend Jean.”

“Oh well, alright, Uncle, you go enjoy yourself and make sure you get back home safe.”

“Keep Bristain in good health while I’m gone, and if anyone asks where I am, tell them Northgrass. Now, goodbye you two, don’t do anything dumb, boy, it’s not worth getting in trouble in this town.” Axel smiles as he begins walking out of the tavern and turning his back towards Strick and Silique. His prior comment bothers Strick, but he decides to let it go to spend time with Silique, having no negative emotions to ruin the mood.

“See ya, Axe.”

“Tell Jean I said hello.” Axel nods his head before leaving clumsily, making sure his giant axe on his back doesn’t cut anything. So Axel finally leaves the tavern, leaving Silique and Strick to their own devices. Silique decides to break the silence by adding some nice small talk.

“Hey Strick.”

“Yeah?”

“How come you decided to go talk to Mr. Tobias over there?” She gestures towards Tobias, who had already sat back down in his high stool after Strick walked off. “What did he tell you?”

“Sorry, but I can’t tell you much about what we discussed, but just know he helped me out. A lot, with his knowledge, I believe only good could come from it, at least for me, which is all that matters, right?”

“Yeah, I guess so, well, if that is the case, then it seems like he didn’t tell you about his past.”

“His past!? What could it be? Probably working in this tavern, ushering all of the ‘younglings’ where to go and NOT to visit the bar.” Strick begins to chuckle at his own words before Silique brings his attention back to her.

“I guess not, then. Well, let me tell you just a little bit. Back in the day, he used to be a highly vaunted swordsman who used to be sent on many missions. He was the Defense Corps' number one soldier, but as he grew older, he became less effective. The only reason why he is in Bristain is because when he started settling down, the Defense Corps decided to give him the choice of where he wanted to live for the rest of his retired life. He chose Bristain due to his relationship with my father and uncle since they reside in Bristain.” Strick is lost in the story as he is impressed with the old man’s ability back when he was in his youth. He never would’ve thought that he was high up in the Defense Corps, which makes him briefly think about how bad it would be if Tobias knew he was wanted. He doesn’t hide his amazement.

“Wow, that’s pretty cool, I’ll be sure to ask him about that some day whenever I come back to this place.” Silique realizes what Strick says and grows a little bit sad as she doesn’t want him to leave. She begins to think as she comes up with a bold question, hoping for Strick to give her the right answer.

“Well, what if you don’t have to come back? What if you just don’t leave and stay here, Strick? This has been fun showing you around and spending time with you. I wouldn’t want you to go back to the forest life as you have an opportunity to much more in Bristain.” This suggestion surprises Strick, and he thinks about it. He starts to believe he wants to, until he remembers that it is a risk being in an open area like this. Strick knows why he can’t tell her the true answer, so he has to come up with one on the fly.

“Sorry, Silique, but I can’t. I just can’t give up my forest lifestyle, although this has been amazing, I plan to leave once the time is right.” Strick can tell this answer saddens Silique, and before he can come up with a way to make her feel better, a loud siren quickly dissipates all of the noise in the entire town. All of the lights go out and turn into flashes of red and black while a voice booms out through all of Bristain.

“ATTENTION, ATTENTION, ATTENTION. THERE HAS BEEN A REPORT OF JEAN’S DEATH. STAY CALM AND STAY SAFE, AS WE WILL BE REACHING OUT TO THE DEFENSE CORPS TO HANDLE THIS MATTER. EVERY STORE AND BUILDING, LOCK YOUR DOORS UNLESS YOU HEAR EXPLICIT INSTRUCTIONS ON WHAT TO DO. DO NOT WORRY, AS WE WILL FIGURE THIS OUT. NO ONE GOES ANYWAY UNLESS DIRECT INSTRUCTIONS, REMAIN CALM, HELP IS ON THE WAY.” After this stern warning, everyone in the tavern quickly sobered up and hid behind the seats and tables. Strick looks at the lights before looking at Silique’s worried face. He doesn’t know who Jean is, so he decides the first thing he should do is ask before making any other decisions.

“Hey Silique, who even is Jean anyway? I’m guessing pretty important.” Silique looks at Strick with a surprised expression. She had expected that he already knew, even if he was not from here.

“Jean is the man who guards the gate to Bristain. You should’ve seen him on your way here as you had to get through him to enter.” This shocks Strick as he realizes who Jean was. He knows that he will have to find Thorne, as it seems like their time in Bristain is coming to an end. He will not allow himself or Thorne to get caught by the Defense Corps, so he thinks of a justifiable way out. Meanwhile, Thorne is still in the worn-out store as he was patiently waiting for the right time to start his plan. He was starting to imagine in his mind what if Strick got in trouble, but he smiled. He realizes that nothing has happened yet, and just as he is going to leave the store to find Strick, the booming alarm rings out over Jean’s death and warns against going out into town.

“Who’s Jean? No matter, I don’t have time to waste, that idiot, you better not have done something stupid.” Thorne cuts through the door and rushes through the city looking for any wanted pictures. Each one he finds, he tears it down in quick succession. “I will not let them realize who you are yet. I have to make sure my plan goes without a hitch.” He keeps going as his destination is the alleyway where he and Strick first appeared in the town. He thinks about where Strick could be and hopes that he is smart enough to come to him. In the tavern, Strick knows that he has to go now, so he has to come up with a justifiable reason to leave.

“Listen, Silique, I have to go now, I left my little brother in the town and just remembered that he’s not at the place. He might be wandering around right now, I must keep him safe.” Strick gets up from hiding and begins to make his way out of the tavern before Silique stops him.

“Strick, you can’t leave, it’s not safe for you.”

“I know, but my little brother, I have to go get him, and you can’t stop me. I am deeply sorry, but after I get him, I’m leaving this place and never returning.” Strick feels bad for lying to her, but he knows he has to keep himself and her safe from whatever troubles involve him. He notices her start to get teary-eyed, and he almost does too, but he manages to keep his composure. He gives her a nice, gentle hug, giving thanks for her unique kindness and hospitality. But before he can leave again, he is stopped by Silique once again.

“Well, if you’re so sure about this, I’m coming with you.”

“No, you can’t, you just told me it’s not safe for me, so it’s not safe for you. I want to make sure that at least you’re okay. This town needs someone like you right now. Stay here and help lead these folks in the aftermath. I have to go now, Silique.”

“B-b-but you don’t know your way around Bristain, I do. I can help you find your brother faster, please, Strick, allow me to help you.” Strick thinks about whether he should say yes, and he is very close too, but he sees reason. He knows that if he brings her, then it would only endanger her safety, and he will not allow that. So with a saddened smile, he tells Silique his answer.

“No, now please lay low and stay safe. It truly has been a great time with you, and who knows, maybe I will come back someday. Goodbye, my friend.” Strick waves goodbye before determinedly rushing out of the tavern and back into the streets of Bristain. He thinks the best place to go to find Thorne is at the alleyway where it all started. He makes it there to see a slightly worn-out Thorne leaning on the wall. It’s a weird feeling for Strick as it seems like for the first time he is happy to see him. “Great, you’re here, we would’ve been fine if it wasn’t for Jean dying.”

“Who even is that? I have no idea a small little death like that would cause that great of a warning and reaction.”

“Oh yeah, so we didn’t know him by name, but that was the man at the gate you killed. I guess someone reported his death, so now the Defense Corps are on their way to find who they need. Aka me and by proxy you too.” This angers Thorne as he knows that it is his fault for getting them into this mess, but he calms down. He knows now that he has no other choice or opportunity to use his plan. So he gets ready as Strick begins speaking again. “I won’t lie to you, I got a little scared myself, thinking that it was my fault, but then I realized I didn’t do anything this whole time.”

“Yeah, I’m happy you didn’t. I had no faith in you, and I still don’t, but good job for once. Now we have done enough time wasting, it’s now on to why I came here in the first place.” After Strick left, Silique cried to herself, making sure that they were quiet enough so no one tried to console her. She knew that was not what she needed right now, as right now all she needed was to make sure Strick and his ‘little brother’ were okay. So unsuspecting of Strick, Silique snuck out of the tavern after him. She doesn’t know where he went, so her first thought is to go back to where she first found Strick. She makes it there and is shocked when her first sight is of Strick speaking with an enchanted-looking sword. Silique is parting ways, afraid and cautious, so she hides away behind a nearby bench, hoping that neither of them notices her. And they didn’t, she realizes the smartest thing she can hope to do now is listen in on their conversation and figure out what’s going on.

“Yeah, and what’s th-!!!” Thorne enacts the first part of his plan by catching Strick off guard and taking over his body once again. He laughs crazily, knowing his plan worked, and now he can enact his second part.

“YES!!!! I’ve done it, now let me commence the sacrifices, Sanguine, do not fret as I will summon you.” Silique is watching all of this go down and is shaking in pure fear and confusion. She sees ‘Strick’ give a maniacal smile before rushing towards the Bristain garden. She wonders why he would want to go to the garden at a time like this, but then she is horrified when she sees him walk out of the garden while pulling a bloodied man. He brings the man into the broken-down store and throws his body in there. He enters before it all goes quiet. Silique is afraid and unaware of what is going on in that store. She doesn’t realize that her friend ‘Strick’ is now possessed by Soulthorne, who is using his body to enable his ritual.

“What is going on with you, Strick? What was with that sword, and why were you speaking to it?” Silique asks these questions for herself, not expecting an answer from the man himself, as he is not in the right state. She stops in her tracks as she notices the place glowing a bright purple light from the inside. After the light stops, ‘Strick’ leaves the store again and rushes towards the ranch. “Why Strick? Just why?” She is terrified and is thinking of just going back to the tavern, but before she can, she freezes up again at seeing the farmer’s body all slashed up. “Is that farmer Josephine?” ‘Strick’ hears her voice from afar and looks into the distance. He looks around to where he heard the voice and finds only a bench, so he goes back to his plan. ‘Strick’ makes sure to remember that as he kicks Josephine’s body into the store and runs back in. That same purple light flashes brightly again before silence. Silique feels utterly useless as the people of her town are dying in mysterious ways. She wishes she could help, and when she sees ‘Strick’ step out of the store again, it angers her. “I can’t just sit here and watch this go on. Uncle told me that I’m in charge of taking care of these people. I don’t know what I could do to Strick, but I have to try to stop him!! No matter what!!” She hops out of her hiding spot behind the bench and steps out into the street. ‘Strick’ watches her come out and looks at her face. Silique runs up to him and stands in his way from getting to the rest of the people in the town. She hears a voice assuring her to run away from ‘Strick’, and she looks back to see Tobias at the entrance of the tavern. ‘Strick’ stares at Silique and is angry, not knowing that someone was watching him the entire time. Because of that, now he is going to have to deal with a new pest. He can’t allow her to live.

“Get away now, young Silique!! That man is not himself right now; he is committing acts that I know the real Strick would never commit. If you don’t get out of there, you’ll be killed.”

“No!! Strick, please, I don’t know why you’re doing any of this, but I will not let you kill any more people in this town. It’s my job to protect them, and I’ve failed, so now I have to do what’s right. I have to stop you.” Silique plans to defend Bristain against ‘Strick’, but instead of being met with any opposition or words, she is met with a brutal stab through her chest by his sword. She was killed by surprise and didn’t have enough time to prepare for his vicious attack. ‘Strick’ watches her body fall to the ground and smiles, knowing that his plan in Bristain went well.

“Foolish girl, you could not stand a chance against me. If only I hadn’t killed you, maybe you could’ve been a worthy sacrifice. But now it is far too late for that.” He stares at her dead body and notices that Strick’s body has frozen. He can’t move at all to escape the city and is stuck, staring at the girl’s dead body. He doesn’t understand why until a different voice comes out of his mouth, Strick’s real voice.

“No, don’t tell me. That can’t be you.” Thorne feels his control over Strick’s body go away as he gets closer to the girl’s body. He doesn’t even know who she is, so he can’t understand why he is losing control. “Please no.” He feels tears swell up in his eyes until finally, his sword body falls out of Stricks. Thorne lands harshly as he looks up to see a terrified Strick continue his gaze on the girl. Strick’s hand reaches out to check on her dead body to see what happened to her. He doesn’t want to believe what happened, he doesn’t want to believe that he is the reason she’s dead, and he doesn’t want to believe that Thorne could be so cruel.

“I’m so sorry, Silique, I shouldn’t have left the tavern. I should’ve stayed with you. I’m sorry for what happened. Why did you follow me? I told you that it wasn’t safe, I told you Silique, I loved you Silique, and I failed you Silique.” He kneels next to Silique’s dead body and cries, knowing that it is his fault for her death. But he remembers who did the deed and grows angry. Strick turns towards Thorne, who is shaken by his newfound anger. Strick shows the most emotion he has ever shown in his entire life. For the first time in his life, Strick feels regret for his actions. For the first time in his life, Strick feels remorse for Silique’s death. And for the first time in his life, Strick is filled with rage for losing his first-ever true friend.