"No One Signed Up to be a Hero"

"At the end of the day look after yourselves. That's what's important. That's what matters." Nanthanaphon told a younger Isaree and Yannika.

"Please be aware that looking after them is a huge responsibility and never bite off more than you can chew," she'd warned as the flashback ended.

The girls nodded. "We need to tell everyone that she's been taken by the Selection and that we'll do what we can to pick up slack."

They dashed off, none of the people still in the bookstore -obviously a front- trying to stop them.

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A young man carefully placed his hands near her neck.

Nanthanaphon groaned as she stirred awake. "Mmm?"

He panicked and stopped.

"Hey Isaree! Yannika!- girls! I had an interesting dream- we made it big and had enough food for a month- why are you on top of me?" She said no longer gleeful.

He faltered "I was only checking for life,"

He stood up. "You were so still you appeared dead."

"Is that so? I suppose that teleportation thing that old man..." She commented slowly. "-- Malthanne did... I guess it made me sleep. Haven't had a good sleep in a bit so I suppose I'll thank him for that.

"..Right after socking it to him for leaving me in the middle of nowhere where I can get assaulted." She said with a wolfish grin.

She glanced at him noticing his garments for the first time. She squinted at the fine looking clothing. Everything he had probably cost the equivalent of a fortune. In addition he carried a staff with a blue orb topped with a golden crown ornament. It glinted in the light every time he moved.

His hat is pointed, similar to Malthanne's, the pointed half on top being a bright yellow with a diagonal faint lattice pattern, and the bottom half being golden with a crown appearance. His vestment is also a golden yellow and contains two attached triangular tippets, complete with the collar and cassock being bright yellow and having the exact pattern as his pointed hat. The cross-like plate on his vestment contained a vibrant blue gem. Underneath the vestment is a long plain white dress with long sleeves.

She kept staring at him warily. He averted his gaze and flushed. When he looked at her again his blush was gone and his face was neutral. "I apologize for my actions, I am a priest of Terravalonia."

On his neck she could see the start of a full gold turtleneck that reached his chin.

She blinked at him. "Sure you are, what's your name?"

"Candeloro" He informed politely. She squinted. "Figures," she walked ahead of him.

"I can take you into town and you can find somewhere to stay. There is someone else I have to speak to." Candeloro responded while switching the hand holding the staff.

She stopped. "Fine!"

Candeloro did as he said, walking her to town introducing her to the nice Financier family and their daughter while in the town market. Nanthanaphon got a odd uncomfortable feeling as she looked around at the people. Feeling like she was being watched.

However Candeloro was pulled away to talk with someone Nanthanaphon assumed was in a position of power.

"Good afternoon, Nanthanaphon, Addy is currently making desserts with all kinds of fruits in the kitchen." Addy's mother told her. "If you watch her for a little while it'll balance out letting you stay here. I believe there might even be a carriage arriving in a few days to take you to Terravalonia and the capital!" The woman encouraged.

Nanthanaphon bit back a scowl. 'Some hero I am.' She wasn't sure the world of Midgard needed saving.

Addy looked about fourteen and wore a long cream and orange dress, the skirt has two layers. The underskirt can be seen at the bottom with a persimmon fruit lace edging, with green and yellow stripes. The overskirt was a little shorter, bordered with white fur and white pompoms as well as floral embroidery, and a long cord featuring persimmon sachets.

"Could you make sure Addy doesn't get into trouble while with her guests?" Her mother asked politely.

"Of course," Nanthanaphon nodded thinking that her guests would be other children. She was used to breaking up fights among kids.

The 'guests' were a group of little animals. Bringing in flowers and leaves, they placed them on the seat for the girl.

Nanthanaphon blinked but Addy looked very proud.

'Why not go on a picnic with food!' Addy proposed happily. The animals all cheered and come to the forest with her.

The animals tell her that the little civet cat is looking for a kind of delicious fruit and going to give them to her.

Addy sat with the animals, Nanthanaphon sitting on a tree stump not far away, and enjoyed the delicious food, and the cool breeze from the valley. Then Nanthanaphon noticed from afar that the little civet cat is trying to reach out to pick the red persimmon on the branch.

When she called attention to it the animals all got nervous. Due to a little sneeze of unknown origin, the civet cat gets scared and drops the fruit, falling from the tree.

In a rush Nanthanaphon caught the civet cat.

"Don't worry! It can also be made into delicious persimmon jam." Addy comforted the little civet cat.

About two days later, Addy distributed the jam in glass jars to the animals. She even now has a new hat to commemorate the occasion. An orange beret topped with a fruit stem and green leaves, like the top of a persimmon fruit. The hat has persimmon-shaped lace along the edge, along with a large white pompom. In the end they promised to meet there next week.

Nanthanaphon had her own jar, which she ate as she walked through the forest.

She blinked at the boxy indigo crystal figure approaching her. Her eyes widened as it fixed its glowing empty eye sockets on her.

"Oh - Nope" she turned and fled. Close behind she could hear the ominous thudding steps of the crystal vaguely human figure.

She ran until she came out of the forest. Not even minding that she was going up a hillside.

"Hey don't kick around the headstones they take a lot of work-" the voice of a boy about her age interrupted.

"I'm in the middle of a chase and even though I'm running nowhere anything that separates me from that is a good thing!" Nanthanaphon responded, out of breath as she pointed at the entity she wasn't sure was a Virus.

The Crystal form smashed the earth, the force sending them and several dirt covered rocks flying backwards. The boy got up quickly and grabbed his shovel swinging it with enough strength to cleave off half the golem's head.

She ducked the flying piece of crystal and yelled in alarm as the headless crystal monster staggered around.

The boy sucked his teeth in irritation. As a result, Nanthanaphon guessed he was used to easier targets.

He swung it lower this time and the crystal monster's leg slid clean off.

'How strong is he to be able to do that?' she wondered, rolling over to her back. She was tired from running.

"Okay, two additional bodies to make room for-" he commented dully.

"Hey! I'm not dead!! Don't bury me!" She protested getting up. He shrugged and walked past her and she could see his clothes. All black and covering his pale skin entirely.

"Oh geez I almost kicked your skull in be careful," the guy remarked nonchalantly. She could see his green eyes and black hair. It might have been neater but it was showered with dirt from their fall. His facial expression looked bored and tired at the same time.

"Wait hold on....." She started. "This is... None of this looks familiar. I don't live in a place that looks like this--" she started looking aghast as she spun around in a circle. From her view she could see that she was on a hillside with numerous grave headstones. 'Midgard looks like this? It's beautiful!'

"Oh the golem from before!" She grumbled.

Its torso had been smashed in and the boy was pulling something spherical out of it.

"Ugh what a pain to bury," he remarked not at all sounding inconvenienced.

Remembering the girl and noting it was suddenly quiet he glanced behind him.

She was staring at the fallen golem made of indigo crystals.

"That's not going to turn into a..." She reguarded it warily. "Another monster is it?"