She went out into the streets, just exploring around the city. The streets were so smooth and clean, the people dressed so fancily (to the point that Elizabeth felt she stuck out a bit, not dressed like most of the ladies there with their fancy tight dresses that buckled on a diagonal seam that ran up them), and so busy; it was all incredible.

  Elizabeth had some money, a fair bit her parents had given her just in case, and while becoming a monk meant she wouldn’t really need money, they didn’t let her refuse it, so she thought she should buy them some souvenirs to send them, maybe some fancy calligraphy kits she saw in a store window...

  Or maybe she could go and buy something cheaper. The price tags on some of this stuff, pretty much everything here, was insane! How could people make enough money to afford any of it? One dress in a shop display has a price listed as more than what her dad made in a couple of months.

  Wandering around blindly lets her see all kinds of stuff, from street performers like jugglers, musicians, and dancers to historic statues of great war heroes and famous leaders to guards, one of whom she accidentally walked straight into.

  “Oof,” she said as she bumped into him.

  “Watch where you’re going,” he angrily barked out. He was wearing a steel breastplate, greaves, a cuirass, and a helmet, with a sword strapped to his side. It was a little surprising to see someone so heavily armed, though he didn’t appear to be wearing anything special compared to the other guards, like the ones beside him or around on the other side of the gateway. Still another change from the guards at home, who might have a short sword but usually just carried clubs and padded jackets.

  She looked up and realized that she’d managed to wander over to the wall separating this section from the lower part. It was a huge thing, remarkably smooth beige stone, and almost a dozen meters thick. While being beautiful, it was also a symbol of the war and strife in the past. Built to resist sieges, too smooth to scale, tall as three men on this side (and sloped so probably more on the other), with a portcullis they can slam down. Though that mechanism didn’t look well guarded and seemed to have some spots of rust, guards were closer to the large wooden doors if they’d need to close it, but they seem well set wide open and-

  “Hey, did you hit your head or something?” The guard asked, irritation bleeding away to a bit of concern.

  “Oh yes, I mean no, I didn’t hit my head, just looking at the wall. This is incredible, and it’s even just the middle wall.”

  “The... wall? It’s just a wall, kid. Why are you interested in it?”

  “Well, I think it was really well made.”

  “Uhuh” He said, looking like he didn’t really believe that she hadn’t hit her head, but also like he didn’t care at this point. “You looking to go down?”

  “Sure, that sounds good.”

  “Alright, we keep the gates open pretty late; just try to get back by midnight.” She nodded and walked through the dark entranceway to the largest level of Gaea.

  Down there was so. Many. People. All around, going this way and that, she had barely taken a dozen steps into the most populous district of the capital, and Elizabeth was already sure she’d seen more people there than were contained in her entire town.

  The people were dressed down a bit more, so she felt a bit more at ease around that part of the city. They were also far busier, citizens going about their work or shopping quickly. It felt... lonely almost, how disconnected they could be from each other emotionally while so close physically. The streets were also a lot bumpier around there, made of cobblestone and rougher patterns, winding more often outside of straight geometric angles.

  One nice thing about the place was how much cheaper the things in stores were; Elizabeth didn’t have to go broke searching for a nice dress for Maya. The one she did find was a bit less fancy and not in the ‘high-end style’ the rich nobles above might wear, but she was sure her sister would love it (and the burgundy-red shade would be loved by her parents for being a lot easier to hide any dirt stains her sister got while wearing it).

  Exploring around, she found tons of stuff. Too much she was tempted to buy, in the end just managing to settle on a gift each for her parents and Lindsey. Adam’s tools had been getting worn down, and he mentioned it to his daughter once, so she found a stand selling some sturdy tongs he could use. She also ended up getting a fancy-looking but durable hammer to give to Lindsey for her blacksmith apprenticeship.

  For her mom, an odd massage kit caught her eye, a box the storekeeper claimed had ‘all the rejuvenative and energizing properties of a whole day at the hot springs.’. She worked a ton, keeping the house in order and helping out at the shop, so Elizabeth wanted to give her the chance to relax, and it seemed like a very new thing; she wouldn’t have access to anything like it out there.

  After grabbing all her purchases with the sun beginning to set, she walked around the city looking for a post office. Eventually an older teen, in blue suspenders and a plain white shirt, came up to her. “Hey, are you lost?” He was a bit taller than her, with blonde hair and a bit of scraggly facial hair.

  “Yes, actually, I am. I was looking for the post office to send some gifts to my family.”

  “Aww, how sweet. Are you from outside the capital?” She nodded. “Yeah, this place can be pretty confusing; they tuck the post office here in such an out-of-the-way place. It’s just behind that street; take two rights, and then past the alley, and it’ll be on the left.”

  She ran the directions through her head, quickly memorizing them. “Ok, got it, thanks, uh, sorry, I never got your name.”

  “It’s Jacob, and don’t worry, helping out a nice girl like you is its own reward.”

  She followed his directions and found the route to be quite clear, far fewer people over that way compared to the major streets and marketplaces she explored before. The reason for the lack of people becomes apparent when halfway through the alleyway, two men step out from the end, blocking her path. It’s getting kind of dark, but she can make out a club in one of their hands and could clearly hear them chuckling at her. Swiveling around, she saw Jacob (if that was even his real name), blocking the other end, now holding a knife and smirking at her.

  His voice contains no traces of the care it had before as he taunts her. “Wow, never thought I’d run into a mark as gullible as you. Since you’re obviously new to this, here’s the deal, kid: you give us everything you got, and you get to leave with-” He was cut off by a crack sound, a whip flying from the side to hit his knife hand, causing him to drop it in pain.

  Stepping up behind him is a man wearing a red vest and pants with gold trim and holding the whip in one hand, kicking ‘Jacob’ aside. He has short black hair and an angular chin with high cheekbones. His eyes were brown and they seem to sparkle with mischief and excitement, though they turn concerned when he glances at her.

  “Hey now, don’t you know that’s no way to treat a lady?” He asked rhetorically, stepping forward and flipping the dropped knife up in the air and catching it with his free hand. The other thugs traded worried glances with each other, weighing out the situation before deciding to press on to Elizabeth and her mystery savior.

  Jacob picked himself off the ground and pulled out another knife from his pocket. “Alright jackass, looks like you and the ‘lady’ get to pay the hard way,” he sneered as he ran forward at the boy.

  Elizabeth put her back to the whip-carrying boy instinctually and dropped her stuff as the two thugs charged at her. Holding her hands out, she called forth as much fire as she could. It was hardly a gout of flame, but it was far more than the few sparks and flickers she had controlled before. The stream of fire singes the unarmed one, but the club wielder raises his weapon as a shield, which works until it catches on fire, being made of wood. He comically shouts in shock and waves the club around wildly, nearly hitting his own ally.

  Behind her, she heard sounds of the other fight, but she didn’t dare turn around to watch. A clash of steel on steel, then a crunch of bone and cartilage and a taunt. “I didn’t take you for the sharpest tool in the drawer, and now you look it too.” Yeah, it seemed like the whip guy was doing fine.

  The unarmed man ducked under his friend’s wild swings to close the distance with Elizabeth, and she lashed out, striking at his face, trying to call on Force to hit him hard. The fact that it stunned him for a moment seemed to imply it did, but he recovered quickly, grabbing onto her. Behind him, the club guy threw his weapon on the ground, trying to stamp out the flame.

  The man grabbing her saw Elizabeth raising her hands towards him again and pulled her hard, slamming her head into a wall. “Ahh!” She cried out, losing her concentration and with it, any chance to call upon her powers. He was yelling something at her, but she couldn’t make it out, her head still spinning around and his noxious breath in her face.

  He raised a hand to hit her, but before it could move forward, a whip wrapped around it, pulling the assailant off her. With a smooth motion he slices lightly into the man’s other arm with the knife, causing it to drop limp as he pulls that guy past him, following it up by tossing said knife into the shoulder of the last guy, now re-armed with his club (and just as quickly disarmed as he dropped the raised weapon in pain as the knife sunk in).

  While he dealt with the thug caught in his whip, Elizabeth managed to regain herself enough to throw herself at the club-less man. Her blows were wild and imprecise, and without Force behind them, they would probably be very weak. Honestly, they might still be weak even with that; she can’t measure such things too well then. But it was enough to convince them that this fight is not worth his time.

  He ran away, and Elizabeth saw that the other guy had been knocked out, his body dropping down beside Jacob’s. “Hey, are you alright? That looks pretty bad.” The boy (it’s easier to tell that he’s closer to her age than she thought before) asked, moving over to her.

  Focusing, she started to Fix her wounds, feeling a bit of wetness on her head where it was slammed against the wall and a far smaller bit of pain in her hands from punching them. “It’s fine, probably worse than it looks.” He gently pushes her hair around, trying to get a better look at the wound, but she’s already healed it.

  “Guess it is, still you got to be careful; don’t want some cutthroats breaking your pretty head.” Despite herself, Elizabeth blushed a bit at how close he was, seeing how cute he was now that her head wasn’t spinning anymore.

  “Yeah. Thanks for saving me.” It was a rude awakening to the fact that she had a lot to learn about how to fight. Without him, she might have been badly hurt or killed, even with her Dream Warrior abilities.

  “I couldn’t do anything while those scoundrels were trying to hurt you. I had a duty to help.”

  “A duty? Funny, I didn’t realize that was the new guard's uniform, she said, pointing to his fancy clothes.

  “Ah, no. I just meant, everyone has a duty to help out someone else when they see them in trouble, don’t you agree?”

  “Yeah, actually.” That was a large part of the reason as to why she’d decided to become a Dream Warrior. “I should be heading off there; look somewhere else for a post office,” she said, picking up her stuff.

  “Miss...?”

  “Wry. Elizabeth Wry.”

  “Please, let me accompany you to it. I actually know where it is, and I’d hate to hear if you got hurt; this part of the city can be kinda rough.”

  “Alright, if you give me your name too.”

  “My apologies, I’m Du- you know what? You can just call me Ali.” He does an overly theatrical deep bow towards her.

  “It would be a pleasure, Ali.” He flashed her a bright smile, his teeth literally sparkling, and took her arm, guiding her back down the winding streets to the more populated sections. Closer to him, she could feel that he had a lithe build but some definite muscles hidden under his clothes, and she blushed again at the thought.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  They pass by some guards, and Ali took a moment to tell them about Jacob and his friend in the alleyway and what they tried. As they walked, he pointed out some of the buildings and his favorite places around the city. “Lovely bakery, run by the sweetest couple.” “Oh, that’s a pet store. Honestly surprised they stay here, even plenty of the nobles will come down from the middle and upper rings to see if they can get prized guard dogs from them.” “A knickknack store, run by an old coot.” Despite his words, she can feel affection behind them. “He’d always try to chase me out whenever I tried to use that place as a hiding spot. Oh hey, he actually sells Tindertwig there; do you need to get any more?” At her questioning look, he added, “I saw you make a bit of flame before; that was Tindertwig, right?”

  Tindertwig was a very expensive material, something that looked like ordinary wood but could be struck to make fire instantly, and in the fray he must have thought she had used some of that and sleight of hand rather than leaping to the conclusion that she was a Dream Warrior (in training).

  “Ah yes. I mean, no, I don’t need any more; I should be fine.” She was surprised he thought her rich enough to just throw that stuff around and buy more easily, but if he didn’t believe she was a Dream Warrior, she wouldn’t correct him.

  “I’ve never seen Tindertwig used like that in a fight before, or to make quite that much fire. I’ll have to remember that.”

  “I’m just full of tricks like that.” She smiled for a moment before remembering how the rest of the fight went. “Didn’t do me as much good as your whip, though.”

  “Yeah, Father thought it was pointless at first, but eventually I convinced him to buy one for my birthday and trained myself to use it. Looks like I showed him.” His brash confidence quickly faded, and he coughed to the side. “Not that I’d ever say that to his face or anything.”

  “Tough to talk to your dad?”

  “He’s... strict. He wants the best for me and all, but he just doesn’t really get me.”

  “I’m lucky; my parents have always been really understanding.” As they talked, she saw the post office signs in bright colors. “How did I not see this before?”

  “All the post offices are a few blocks away from the main shopping areas for any ring. This one was closest, but there’s also one by the main gates too; that’s the easiest one to find.”

  It was shocking that there are so many post offices in one city, though she supposes it makes sense given the size. Inside, she asked to have the stuff shipped to Waken.

  “Wow, that’s quite a ways away. We don’t even- This is quite the trip you’re on. Did you move here recently, or is this just a vacation?”

  “Just passing through, a friend thought we should stop by the Capital on our way.”

  “A good choice. It’s funny; I don’t hear of many people ‘stopping by’ here, despite it being the major central nexus for trade, travel, and everything, really.”

  As they leave the post office, Elizabeth said, “You certainly know a lot about this place for some whip-wielding daredevil.”

  He pulled a hand over his mouth in mock shock. “Daredevil! Why I never-" He snorted and broke out into laughter. "Haha, can’t keep a straight face for that. I guess I do get into my fair share of scraps like the one back there, but that doesn’t mean I can’t learn a lot too. I actually find it to be the best way to learn, from the people and their experiences.”

  “Huh, I’d never thought of it like that.” Perhaps sending her out into the city was also part of Dawn’s method of trying to educate her. Before she could ponder that more, though, Ali suddenly stiffened and shifted around her.

  “This has been a lovely evening, and I thank you for your company, but I must bid you adieu.”

  “Wait-”

  “The night is young, more damsels to save; I really have to go, goodbye!” He ran off, pulling out his whip as he moved, flicking it up to a flagpole sticking out of a building as a makeshift grappling hook to swing away.

  She was befuddled by that whole display until a middle-aged, slightly out of shape,, and lightly armored man ran forward to her. “Did you see him? Where did he go?”

  Despite the short sword sheathed at his side, Elizabeth didn’t sense any malice or hostility, more just a faint hint of exasperation. She decided to help him out. “He ran down that alleyway.”

  “Argh, little brat. I don’t get paid enough for this,” he complained before starting to take off after him. Elizabeth followed him, easily keeping pace, despite his better form due to not being tired or weighed down.

  “So who are you, and why are you chasing after Ali?” She asked.

  He huffed at her question (or possibly the running in general). “I’m Gerord. My job is to look after this kid and make sure he doesn’t run off on these escapades.”

  “...” Elizabeth lets the silence speak for her.

  “I know he escaped! That’s why he’s such a blasted pain in my arse. But if he loses his head, his father will have mine.” He took a moment to look her over. “And what were you doing with him? The one and only good thing with his escapades was I could tell Duke Bellsworth that he wasn’t chasing after girls.”

  “I- I wasn’t. He didn’t- we weren’t doing anything like-” she tried stammering out, flustered by the comment. Before she can defend herself, however, Gerord locked on to Ali, the boy's path having inadvertently crossed with the false route Elizabeth had sent Gerord down.

  “Ah, there he is! Stop right there, you little brat!”

  He was down on the other end of the street, and they faintly heard, “Eat my dust, ya geezer.” That set off the older man, and he ran after Ali, trying to catch him. Elizabeth considered following, but a cart cut her off in between them, and she felt things were well enough in hand there, Ali able to handle himself and Gerord unlikely to kill him.

  That mini chase also helped her realize how hungry she was from the hours of shopping and the fight before too. Looking around, she found a small building with the signage ‘Doon’s Den of Delicious Delights.’. It had some actually great smells coming from it too, so she figured it was a good choice and walked towards it.

  The building is wooden (many buildings on this ring are of a far lesser construction than the ones above), and despite the size, the layout is good. Inside there are many tables and chairs and some stools by the bar to sit at, as well as old tapestries hanging off the walls. Despite their age, the tapestries have obviously been treated with care and display many artful patterns on them. They range from old crests to scenes of great battles to even a family tree. She got the feeling they told a story all together, though she didn’t have enough knowledge to know what of.

  In front of her, a boy sauntered about the busy but not packed restaurant, only to get yelled at from a man in the back. “Miro! Hurry up; there’s more orders to fill. And get the new customer a seat!” He groaned but approached Elizabeth.

  He had dark brown hair and bags under his eyes. “Welcome. Please, take a seat.” The tables are a bit big for just her, so she sits by the bar, the cushions on the stools surprisingly plush. “Alright, here’s your menu.” He passed the carved-in board to her before moving on to the next customer.

  “That boy, no respect for what we do,” the chef said, stepping out from the back. He was an older, slightly portly man, and though he shook his head in disappointment, Elizabeth could make out smile lines on his face. That smile came back quickly as he moved around the kitchen and diner, enjoying his work and making some mouthwatering smelling meals.

  Licking her lips, she asked for a grilled ganderfish and a bean paste bun, which she’d never heard of before but sounded interesting. Miro took her order and said, “So, I think that’s time for my shift. I guess I can stick around a bit if you need the hands,” he added a bit guiltily, but the chef waved him off.

  “Go, go. I have things handled here.” Miro beamed and moved faster than she thought possible, racing out the door.

  “Is he always like that?” She asked the chef, before realizing that might have been a bit rude.

  “It’s fine. He’s a gifted lad, but eager in other subjects, I’m afraid. He’s apprenticed to my sister-in-law as well, and doing both this and that eats up a lot of his time, while his focus seems to go mostly for that work. A shame; appreciating a good dish is important too.”

  “Enough of that though, how are you, young miss?” When she pointed at herself, he smoothly flipped over the fish he was grilling with a spatula and then used it to point at her head. She thought she had fully healed it, and when she reached up to feel it, she realized that she did, but she neglected to do anything about the blood that got in her hair.

  “Yeah, I, uh, bonked my head into a wall.” Mostly true, she reasoned, though despite his body language not changing or him turning around to face her, she got the feeling he didn’t believe her. “Anyways, what’s it like running a restaurant, mister?”

  “Please, call me Avaskar, all my friends do. If you really must stand on formalities, call me Mr. Doon,” he said as he handed her the food.

  “Thanks, Avaskar. Oh wow, this looks delicious.” She dug in, and the food was delicious. Incredible, making every other food seem terrible in comparison. “Hwo dyou get sho’good?” She asked with her mouth full.

  “Ha ha. Practice. Been that way for most skills in my life, just a lot of practice. Loving what you do helps, and I find cooking to be quite fun and peaceful. What about you, young miss? Do you love what you do?”

  She slowed down, remembering to breathe as she tried to come up with an answer. “That... is a tough question.” After a few more bitefuls, she said, “I don’t know. Haven’t really started yet, so I can’t tell whether or not I’ll like it. But it’s necessary, so I’m going to do my best.”

  “I know it can seem like everything when you’re young, but you have plenty of time to make your own choices.” His words seemed reasonable. Was she rushing into this? Yeah. Did she have any clue what it would be like to be a Dream Warrior? No. Was she going to miss her family and her old life? A ton.

  Sensing her hesitation, he continued “I know this restaurant might not seem like much, but it’s a good life, and Miro’s a good kid, but I could always use another hand to cover the busy times. What do you think?” She had always liked cooking. Next to architecture, it had been one of her favorite things to do, making meals with her mom.

  But something still rang out in her head: the sight of Dawn saving Fredrick, performing a miracle, and saving everyone. That was something Elizabeth wanted too. Not anyone being in danger, but just being able to save them, should anything bad happen. She wasn’t sure she could live with herself if she saw someone hurting and knew she could have helped them but didn’t.

  “I may not be sure of it, but it’s definitely my choice. And I may not be certain of the future, but I’m ready for whatever comes my way. Still, if I’m ever by the Capital again, I’ll be sure to stop by here; your food is delicious.”

  A flicker of... something passed by his face, but then it was gone, and he was all smiles again. “That’s a good outlook to have. Now if you’ll excuse me,” and Avaskar went back to deal with the other customers and the food while Elizabeth finished her meal. He lent her a wet towel as well to help clean herself up a bit before leaving, which helped when she reached the gate back to the middle ring.

  “Are you some kind of ruffian? Looking to prey on innocent nobles here?” One of the guards asked, eyeing her up and down.

  “What? No!”

  “Then why are you coming up here so late, hmm?”

  “Because I have a room for the night, and I’m done exploring town and just want to sleep,” she complained. The guard looked at her for almost a minute before letting her in.

  “Fine, but just so you know, we’ll be keeping an eye on you.”

  She nodded and walked through, imagining how much worse that would have gone with blood in her hair. Walking through the middle area, she saw how much brighter it was in the night, with many torches lit all throughout the streets.

  Inside her room, she met up with Dawn, the Dream Master sitting out on the balcony, tapping her fingers on the ledge. “Hey Dawn, I had a crazy day today. It was... a lot. Scary, in some ways, but really good too. I got to meet a lot of nice people and dealt with the bad ones.”

  “Mhmm.” The Master Dream Warrior hadn’t turned around, so Elizabeth crossed the room and went out on the balcony with her.

  “What’s up? Did your stuff not go well?”

  “Ah, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to burden you with my troubles. No, they went fine. A few minor issues, but nothing unexpected or things I can’t deal with, just... thinking about what I put together before.”

  “Can I help?”

  “It’s not your problem... though perhaps you could; you are insightful. What’s more important, feelings or duty? Should they mix? Can feelings changing over time affect your duty?”

  “Huh, kinda the second time I’ve been asked that question today.”

  “Oh?”

  “Well, Avaskar, I mean, Mr. Doon didn’t quite mean it like that, I don’t think, but it basically boiled down to the same problem.”

  “Ah. Having second thoughts about becoming a Dream Warrior?”

  “No, I mean, I did, but my mind hasn’t changed.” Elizabeth felt a sensation of averted danger, like a blade passing by her neck, but nothing happened; no one was around them. “Wha-?”

  “Ah, Mr. Doon. Does that guy still run a little food place down in the Lowest Ring?”

  “Yeah, do you know him?”

  “Yup. He’s a Forest Witch, one of their leaders, I believe.”

  “What.”

  “Yeah, the stereotype of them all living in the forest is just that. They get some special herbs from the forest of Wendesh to help ‘unlock their minds,’ and in a way, it can boost their ability to utilize Life Energy, but it’s generally just a crutch and one that’s not as good as a mind cleared by meditation or other methods.”

  “Wait, what? Forest Witches use the same energy as we do? And there’s one of them right in the city? We need to alert someone!”

  Dawn smirked a bit. “Who do you think you’d be alerting? I already know; I keep tabs on them - though I should have warned you about that, sorry; I was a bit distracted.”

  “Don’t Dream Warriors stop them?”

  “We do, but they don’t tend to be nearly as bloodthirsty or directly violent as some, like the Blade Bonded. Trying to fight Avaskar would just cause trouble in the city, and then we’d lose a source of intel on what they’re getting up to, if they’re trying to start any rebellions.”

  “Oh. I- I guess you’ve got it handled then.” Elizabeth tried to take all that in for a moment, how the sweet restaurant owner could actually be a Forest Witch (was Miro an apprentice in that too? He could be). “Do Blade Bonded use Life Energy as well?”

  “No, they feed off of death. The more they kill, the stronger the cursed blades they wield get. But I’m realizing I asked you the wrong question. Of course I’m going to stick to my goals; nothing was ever going to change that, no matter what I felt. No, what I wanted to know was, if everything you thought a relationship was founded on actually made the other person hate you, would your feelings still be worth anything? If, say, Lindsey actually hated you, would it matter that you had felt you were friends?”

  “What? I’m sorry, this is all a lot to take in.”

  Dawn grimaced. “My bad, I’ve dumped a lot on you when you should be getting ready to sleep for another big day when we reach Central. Don’t worry about it; I know there’s a lot going on, but you can trust this Master to handle it. I’ll let you know more when you’re ready.”

  “I... thank you. Sorry if I’m not adapting quick enough-” she waved the girl off.

  “Nonsense. It’s my fault for pushing things so fast. Not that I have a choice; time has always been my enemy, but...” The last part was muttered, and it trailed off before she put a big smile on her face. “You’ll learn tons and grow even more, so just enjoy this time while it lasts. If there’s any lesson you should take from today, it’s that.”

  They gaze out over the city, letting the different lights and noises wash over them. It had been quite an exciting night. Maybe that was the point? To enjoy the moment but not get stuck in it or something? It was hard to fully understand all of Dawn’s teachings at times.

  “Alright, better head to bed; we’ve got an early day tomorrow.” She agreed, heading back inside and crashing on her luxurious bed, falling asleep almost instantly.