DREAMS AND DESIRES - THE MIGHT LANDALE POV

THE MIGHTY LANDALE

In a dimly lit hallway, illuminated solely by eerie floating candles, Landale is being led by a man in crimson robes. The man's large hand presses firmly against Landale's back, propelling him toward his uncertain destiny. Despite his fear, excitement courses through him. For they are granting him the chance to reunite with his mother once more - a reward for his exceptional performance in the arcane arts.

Their footsteps echo through the corridor until they stand before a massive and intimidating door adorned with a coiling red dragon symbol. Behind the door, Landale hears muffled murmurs. No matter how hard he strains his ears, he can never quite make out what they are saying.

The man in the crimson robes removes his hand from Landale's back, using it to rap on the door four times.

The voices behind the door fall eerily silent. Then a soft and familiar voice beckons.

"Enter."

The door swings open, revealing a long and large room. Seven men in matching crimson robes are at the end, their heads turned towards Landale. They gaze at Landale momentarily before parting to make way for him. Landale's heart races as he spots his beloved mother seated on a plush, oversized couch. The seven robed men take positions behind her.

Landale smiles, eagerly anticipating his mother's command to join her. One of the men in crimson leans in and whispers something in her ear, prompting her to snap at him, causing him to recoil. Landale has always been curious about what that man said, but he could never be certain. He imagines it might have been something negative about him, but his mother defended him.

Finally, his mother redirects her attention to Landale, a warm smile gracing her lips as she gestures for him to approach. It takes all of Landale's self-control to keep from sprinting towards her.

Instead, he walks proudly and purposefully toward her, as he has been taught.

When he is just a few paces away from his mother, he halts and bows.

"Come closer, my darling," his mother says. "I want to see you."

Landale looks up and sees his mother grinning at him. He can see the pride in her eyes. This time, he cannot restrain himself, and he runs toward her.

His mother catches him, embracing him tightly while laughing. This is all Landale has ever wanted. Countless hours of studying and training. All to see his beloved mother.

The hug, however, does not last. His mother pulls away and maintains a grip on his shoulder. Her expression now carries a hint of sadness as she whispers, "You must do something for me."

"Anything," Landale replies earnestly. "Anything for you, Mother."

As his mother prepares to speak, Landale notices something peculiar in the group of people in crimson robes surrounding her. Something is amiss. Something has changed. He scrutinizes each of them individually, and then one of them tilts their head in his direction.

And suddenly, Landale realizes the truth. There are now nine of them. He glances back at the doorway, which now seems much farther away than he remembers. Countless onlookers fill the area, either cheering or perhaps chanting. However, he focuses on the doorway and sees that the man in crimson robes is still there.

"There is one more!" Landale realizes.

He turns to his mother, wide-eyed and he tries to scream, attempting to warn her of the unsettling difference.

But as he does so, the man who had inclined his head toward him raises his hand, and everything plunges into darkness.

Landale awakens, sitting up abruptly, his breath coming in heavy gasps. He instinctively checks himself, ensuring that everything is still intact. He lets out a sigh of relief as he confirms that all is well.

It's a dream he's had countless times before. Whenever his determination wavers, this dream resurfaces, pushing him forward. But for the very first time, something is different in the dream. The extra man in crimson robes seems oddly familiar to him. However, as is often the case with dreams, the more he tries to remember, the less he does.

"You're awake!" Yumi exclaims. Landale looks around to see Yumi rushing toward him. As always, she looks beautiful with her blond hair flowing behind her as she runs, her concerned face gazing at him. She's not wearing any armor, but she clutches her shield.

"Yeah, I am..." Landale responds, still a bit disoriented. The sun is already up, and he realizes that it must be morning. "How long have I been asleep?" he inquires.

"You slept through the night," Yumi informs him. She kneels beside him, her hand gently touching his head. She breathes a sigh of relief. "You're fine now, and your fever is gone."

"Oh..." Landale murmurs. Yumi withdraws her hand from his forehead, and he finds himself oddly missing her touch. He looks around, a thought crossing his mind. "Where is the goblin?"

"He's alright. You saved him! He woke up in the morning," Yumi answers. "He's with... Aki, trying to hunt for breakfast. We didn't have time to hunt for food last night." She adds slowly, as if carefully choosing her words.

"That's good," Landale says, though he isn't entirely sure he means it. He recalls the internal struggle he faced when deciding whether to help the goblin live, but seeing the sadness in Yumi's eyes convinced him otherwise. His body acted on its own, and...

"Did Aki... ask about anything?" Landale asks quickly, turning his gaze toward Yumi. He silently curses himself, as his tone clearly reveals his anxiety about Aki discovering his proficiency in higher-level magic.

"Not really," Yumi replies as she stands up, looking away. "You know, he's very grateful to you."

Landale merely nods and Yumi gives him a warm smile before walking away. Landale watches her go, his eyes lingering on her graceful form. She sits on a fallen tree trunk, facing him.

Sighing with relief, Landale mumbles, "He should be."

AKI

Aki sprints desperately, pushing his limits. He's pieced it all together. Landale must be stopped, but that's only the second most important task. The utmost priority is preventing Landale from discovering his actions.

Gritting his teeth, he redoubles his efforts, desperately hoping and praying that he arrives in time.

THE MIGHTY LANDALE

Landale rises and stretches his body before quickly glancing at Yumi. She's focused on cleaning her shield, but when she catches his eye, she graces him with a warm smile.

"Just one more day until we part ways, Yumi," Landale remarks.

"Yeah, it's been enjoyable, Landale," Yumi replies, continuing to wipe her already pristine shield with a rag.

Landale's attention shifts to his satchel, and he takes a moment to check its contents, though he's not entirely sure what he's looking for. Even if they did look inside, there's nothing inside that could pose a threat to him. His gaze then falls upon the dark ritual sword.

Picking up the sword, he senses an intense, piercing gaze on the back of his neck. Turning around quickly, he finds Yumi staring wide-eyed at him, a momentary flicker of fear in her eyes before she quickly conceals it with a smile. "Why are you picking that up?" she inquires.

"I'm inspecting it," Landale responds with a casual shrug. "I haven't really examined it since I acquired it."

"Oh, alright," Yumi mutters. She presses her lips together and resumes cleaning her shield.

Landale shrugs again and proceeds to examine the sword. It's a formidable weapon, capable of siphoning and transferring souls. If he can avoid suspicion in the capital, he might decide to keep it, though he has doubts about whether the capital would permit such an artifact.

He takes a few practice swings with the sword, all the while sensing Yumi's eyes on him out of the corner of his vision. Her constant scrutiny, while not inherently suspicious, is accompanied by an attempt to hide it, which is certainly strange.

Frowning, Landale attempts to use Detect Thoughts on her, but the shield blocks his attempt. He shakes his head in frustration.

"How long do you plan to keep cleaning that?" Landale inquires, annoyed. "It looks spotless from where I'm standing."

"It's the first time I've cleaned it since leaving the academy," Yumi explains, shrugging.

Landale's frown deepens, and he tilts his head toward Yumi, who shifts her gaze and focuses once more on cleaning her shield.

"You're behaving rather strangely, Yumi," he remarks.

"W-why is that?" Yumi smiles, frowning. She looks extremely guilty from what Landale sees, but...

"Nothing," Landale replies simply, realizing he can't ask Yumi to put the shield away, as they already suspect him of using Detect Thoughts.

Shaking it off his mind, he scans the area and spots the goblin walking toward them. He's still quite a bit farther away and is moving agonizingly slowly. Landale can't blame the goblin; its head is down as it is carrying an overly large boar.

"That goblin must have acquired a taste for boar," Landale thinks.

"Well, the goblin's back!" Landale announces, pointing at the goblin while grinning at Yumi. He smiles at Yumi, who looks up, wide-eyed and concerned. A brief moment later, she grins back at him.

"That's great!" she exclaims.

Yumi stands up and walks toward Landale to get a better look at the goblin.

Landale scans the goblin's surroundings. As far as he can tell, the goblin is alone. "But where is Aki?"

Yumi shrugs, "I don't know. Maybe he is hunting for more?"

Landale turns to Yumi, frowning, "Do you see the size of the boar the goblin has? Why on Eight Hells do we need more?"

Yumi merely shrugs. As she does so, Landale sees that she still has her shield with her. "Cursed shield!" Landale thinks silently. He scoffs and looks at Azzle. "No matter. Maybe the goblin knows what's up," he contemplates.

"He's going to take a while, isn't he?" Yumi says, her tone somewhat shaking.

"That he is," Landale replies. Already very curious at what happened when he was asleep, he makes quick decision, "I'm going to go and help the poor old goblin."

Landale starts to walk toward the goblin, who had halted on it's tracks, panting heavily, and is animatedly cursing at the dead boar. ("You gluttonous gods damn heavy hog!")

But Yumi's arm reaches out, clutching him by the arm. She smiles mischievously at him. "Why don't we wait here for a bit instead?"

"Why?" Landale asks.

In response, Yumi flutters her stunning blue eyes, and seductively licks her lips. Landale can't help but feel a surge of excitement. The goblin can wait. Landale is far too eager to do what Yumi seemingly desires.