The cycle of the days continued without stop, the rise and fall of the sun continued. Light started to travel the land, marking the soon-to-be rising sun. The light hadn't reached the room where a scarlet-haired woman slept soundly, but Lyn wouldn't sleep peacefully for long.

  It was like something was watching over her. Scarlet hair shifted as she rolled to the edge of the bed.

  "Mom." A quiet voice whispered out. "Hey Mom, are you awake?"

  The voice was just loud enough for it to wake her from her slumber. Obsidian black eyes woke up to a rather familiar sight.

  "Red, what are you doing? You should be in bed. Did you have a nightmare?" A yawn escaped from her lifting both her arm and covers. "Here, get under here, you can sleep next to me for a little bit."

  Only to find that he wasn't in any sleeping attire but was ready for the day to start. Strapped to his back was the Breaker's sheath, the sword's golden handle was over his shoulder. Her eyes tracked downward, seeing that he was fully dressed, with a pair of vambraces over his forearm and a small chest piece that covered most of his upper chest. Combined with the gleam in his eye, sleep was the furthest thing from his mind.

  "Red... what are you doing?" He watched as another yawn escaped from her. "Why are you wearing that? The sun isn't even up yet."

  "I wanted to practice more with Breaker again. I already went to Grandpa but I couldn't wake him up, and Maryan told me to go back to bed and to ask her in a few years." Disappointment filled his voice as his eyes fell to his feet, and he tapped the floor.

  "What about your Father? I'm sure he'd have no issue joining you."

  The man in question was in a deep slumber, so deep he didn't even notice the conversation taking place next to him.

  "But... I wanna learn from you."

  Looking up, crimson pierced obsidian, and a hand moved out from under the blanket and ruffled his hair.

  "Ok, I'll meet you outside."Disappointment was replaced by excitement. "But first, go brush your teeth and wash your face."

  His head bounced, nodding, before he darted out of her room. Quiet giggling echoed was followed by a groaning as she sat up and stretched. "Well, at least I wouldn't have to worry about him lacking energy when he's older."

  —

  The grass was damp as the morning dew covered his brown shoes, and crimson eyes watched as Lyn stood in front of him. One hand covered a team while the other held a wooden sword.

  A grin grew, reaching back, grasping Breaker in his right hand. He pulled the blade free from its sheath. Raising it in front of him...

  ... he stumbled forward from the weight shift.

  Catching himself, his feet planted firmly in the ground. 'It still feels heavy.' "I'm ready Mom!"

  "You know, we can go get a sword that's more your size. How about that?"

  "No!" A defiant cry came from him. "You and Grandpa used Breaker, and I want to get better with it too."

  "Alright, first thing I want you to attack."

  "Right!"

  His footsteps trampled over the morning grass as Red charged his mother. Swinging Breaker, the first strike was blocked with ease by Lyn. With the slightest of pushes, Red stumbled back, regaining his footing and striked again. The sword made a horizontal slash and was once again blocked by Lyn.

  "Come on, Red, don't just swing wildly. Take your time and line up your strikes. There's no need to flail around, all that's going to do is leave you open."

  Groaning with each swing, he kept attacking. But each strike was easy to read to the point where Lyn barely had to move or even put any effort into blocking.

  Charging at her, swinging his sword down, Lyn moved to the side, watching as he moved past her. Pulling back, he tried to stop himself, the weight of the blade and his movement drove him forward, causing him to stumble. Hopping forward on one foot, he soon ended up eating grass.

  "Red!" Her hands scooped under his arms and brought him back to his feet. "Are you ok?"

  Grinning with a small amount of dirt smudged on his face. "I'm fine, let's keep going."

  "Red..." The boy could only watch as Lyn smiled, wetting her thumb, she started to rub dirt off his cheek. "You really need to watch your step."

  "Mom..."

  "So is my little Fire Gem gonna tell me why he's been up so early these past few weeks?"

  "I don't know what you're talking about." Trying to look away, only to have her hand redirect his face so he was looking back into her black eyes.

  "Come on, you can't fool me." There was no displeasure in her eyes. "So tell me, what's been causing you to get up so early these last few weeks?"

  "Well... you see, Dad and Grandpa started telling me about some of the things you did, and I wanted to do the same. So I figured maybe instead of asking them to teach me, I thought I could ask you."

  "Red, that means a lot to me, but you're better off learning from your Dad and Grandpa, after all, I didn't use Breaker for long. During my travels, I often let your Dad wield it. Heck, even with a knife, Maryan can give you better advice than me."

  "But I still want to learn something from you... What about magic? You already showed me once, can't you show me more?"

  A smile grew as he felt her hand run through his hair, while a small flame was formed in her other hand. Excitement took over him, only to watch the flame go out.

  "You're still a little young for that. But just because I didn't spend much time with a blade doesn't mean I can't teach you." Her hand left his hand as she stood straight, holding the practice blade in front of her. "How about we continue?"

  "Yeah!"

  Picking Breaker up, he mirrored her stance and started taking swings at Lyn. The sound of metal hitting wood echoed in the yard. Each clash shook the boy as he kept a firm grip on his blade.

  Each time he swung, Lyn spoke, blocking each hit with ease. Telling him to adjust his footing, keep his hold on Breaker firm, and to never look away from where he was facing. Time moved with the rising sun as they continued; however, that wasn't the only indicator of time passing them by.

  With each swing, his arms started to grow sore, and his swings started to become even sloppier.

  A yawn escaped from him and his stomach started to growl, but he still kept going as sunlight started to become more predominant. The light soon blinded his eyes mid swing, causing him to miss his mother, trip over his foot, and slide across the ground once again.

  Hearing his mother laugh, he turned to see her smile at his clumsiness. He got up once again, only to have his stomach growl fill the yard.

  "Let's call it here, let's go make some breakfast. I can't have my son going hungry."

  "Ok, Mom." Reaching back, trying to put Breaker back in its sheath, it fell past its sheath, piercing the ground. Turning to remove it from the ground, he tried again to put it back. Only to end up in the ground again. "Ah, come on..."

  The third time wasn't the charm as the blade became stuck in the ground once again. But this time, before Red could turn to grab Breaker, Lyn arrived behind him, grabbed Breaker, and returned it to its sheath.

  "Maybe we should change this so it's easier for you to put Breaker away."

  "No!" His sudden protest over such a small detail caught her off guard. "It's the same way Dad has his, and I wanna be the same!"

  With a shaking head, Lyn couldn't help but smile. "Ok, well that's another thing we'll work on, but for now let's go make breakfast."

  —

  The smell of eggs filled the dining room as Red consumed his omelet, Lyn ate calmly. "Red, are you even taking the time to chew, let alone taste it?"

  He didn't answer her as he just kept eating, only to turn away from his food was a set of footsteps followed by a yawn.

  "Mornin' Lyn, Red." The two looked to see faded, rusted red hair made its way into the dining room.

  "Morning, Grandpa."

  "Red, don't speak with your mouth full."

  It only made the old man laugh as he made his way into the kitchen, only to return a moment later and take a seat at the table with a cup of coffee. "So what has you up so early?"

  "Oh, I was sleeping rather well until I was woken up. But seeing who woke me was a great way to start my morning, so I didn't mind." There was a slight tease in her voice as Red just kept quiet and ate while she kept going. "However, if I should be upset at anyone, it should be you, Father. Giving him that blade, I know he's been getting up since the crack of dawn for the past two weeks."

  "I can't help it if he wants to work hard. What kind of grandfather would I be if I didn't encourage that behavior? After all, I was the same way with you." Red watched his grandfather pause, taking a drink before he gestured back to the crimson-eyed boy. "I remember when the two of us would spend nights camping, spending a few days living off the land, sleeping under the stars."

  "Wait, do you mean in the backyard?" Taking the moment to speak before he went back to eating his omelet.

  "No, in fact, I would take your mother and occultly a few of her friends out camping in the land of Ielos, far from Phera."

  His eyes went wide as he looked between them. "Really Mom?"

  "Yes, really, your grandfather would take me out camping. Even your father, along with Tatsu and Maryan, would join us from time to time. In a way, it helped teach me how to live off the land when I was out traveling."

  "So camping helped prepare you for your adventure?" There was a hint of held-back excitement in Red's voice that came with that question.

  "I guess you could say that."

  His eyes lit up, pushing himself away from the table, and with a smile, he took off running.

  "Hey, Red, come back here and finish your breakfast!" Lyn's call didn't even make him stop as he disappeared from her sight. "Great, now his food is going to go cold."

  Her disappointment grew as she watched Igneel grab the plate and started to eat what remained.

  "Father..."

  "What, would you rather it go to waste?"

  As the pair ate, slowly the clock ticked. Hellia was the first to arrive and take her seat next to Igneel as he offered to get her a cup of coffee.

  Achilles was the next to arrive, bringing with him a tired Roy who was on the verge of either waking up or falling back to sleep. Sitting, Roy finally broke free from his slumber as he started to reach out for Lyn. Seeing him happily flail, Achilles handed the boy off to his mother.

  Soon, the sound of forks tapping against plates filled the dining room as the last to arrive made their presence known.

  A woman slightly older than Lyn, with long lavender hair and a pair of heterochromic eyes, her right eye was a lush green while her left was a metallic purple. A long, thin yet visible scar ran down from her forehead over her left eye to the corner of her jaw. One would be forgiven if one thought such a mark would diminish her beauty; in fact, it only seemed to enhance it. Dressed in black clothing that hugged her, covering most of her thin yet toned body, not much to the imagination. Her footsteps alerted the family to her presence.

  "Good morning, Maryan. I assume you slept well?"

  "Ah..." A morning yawn escaped as she joined them at the table, as Achilles slid her a cup of hot coffee. "I did, sometimes you forget how soft a bed is when you've been away for a while."

  "So I take it the request was successful?" Hellia chimed in this time."

  Feeling the warm liquid run past her lips and down her throat, Maryan spoke with a tired voice. "Another bandit group taken down, another job from the guild completed."

  Continuing to drink, heterochromatic eyes darted around, noticing one member's absence. "Lyn, where's Red? I know he came by my room earlier. Please tell me he isn't pouting because I ignored him."

  Lyn soon found that she became the center of attention of everyone but Igneel's. "No, he was here just a moment ago. But he ran off to–

  "I'M READY TO GO!"

  Turning to the excited cry, their attention was now held by the crimson-eyed boy. Not only was Breaker still at his back, but now he was struggling to stand with each step he took. The added weight of a backpack almost made him fall back.

  'Let's go, Grandpa!"

  Hellia looked away from him to face the boy's grandfather. "Igneel, dear, what is he talking about?"

  "You see–

  "Mom and Grandpa told me how they would go camping and how it was like an adventure. So I wanna go now too!"

  The warm gleam in his eyes struck them. But one of them grew curious, and Igneel made his way over and opened the bag only to find it was filled with books.

  Taking one out, looking over the cover, and back to the rest, only to find that they were all the same type of book.

  "Red, why is this bag filled with heroic tales?" The gruff voice was followed by a mixture of light laughter from the table.

  "What else would I need? I have my sword and these books, am I missing something?"

  The naivety in his voice only made the laughter grow.

  "I really need to show you there is more to life than those stories. If you're going to go on a trip, you need more than just a sword and a bag filled with books." The moment those words were spoken, Red looked back to his grandfather with a shine in his eyes.

  "Wai,t so you mean that–

  "Sure, but only if your mother approves."

  It was as if the weight that held him back disappeared; before anyone could blink, it was like he vanished. Leaving a cloud of smoke where he once stood, he reappeared at Lyn's side.

  "Can I Mom? Can I, can I?" It was like his skeleton was going to jump out of his skin at the speed he hopped. Grabbing and pulling on Lyn's shirt.

  The only thing to stop him was her hand coming atop his head as she looked at him. "I don't know, I don't fully like the idea of you being out in the wild. But—

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  "But Mom, Grandpa said you did the same when you were my age. So why can't I?"

  His eyes grew big, staring at her. He was like a little puppy begging for scraps.

  Her hand left his head only to flick him.

  "Ah." He quickly let go and covered the spot with his hand.

  "If you'd let me finish, you would know what I was going to say." Booping his nose, she kept going. "But first, we'd have to prepare you with the proper equipment. After all, you can't go running around unprepared."

  "So, wait you mean?"

  "Yes, I'll let you go camping with Grandpa." She should see the excitement return. "But first, you need to go change into some clean clothes, because you and I are going to get you some items."

  With a gleam in his eye, Red took off running out of the dining room, he made his way to his room. Almost tripping over himself out of pure excitement.

  "How can he be so full of energy this early?" Maryan fought back a yawn, watching as he ran off. "Lyndis, are you sure about this? Sending him off with your father, are you sure that's wise?"

  "Hey!" Igneel called out, crossing his arm. "Where is this hesitation coming from Hellia? I've done the same with Lyn when she was his age, and nothing went wrong back then."

  "I don't know, sir, don't you think it might be a little early after all, he just turned six only a few weeks ago."

  "Come on, you're being a worrywart." Maryan finally spoke up, shaking the tiredness from her voice. "I don't see the issue. If he wants to push himself, why not let him do so and learn a few things about the world at the same time? After all, it's not he's being thrown to the wolves."

  As the small dissection quickly had two different views. Igneel and Maryan stood in agreement with the idea, while the boy's father and grandmother were opposed to it.

  The argument of encouragement vs precaution, and only one voice left to break the stalemate.

  "Well, neither one of you is wrong. Red wants to grow strong, and the one at fault for filling his head with those ideas is none other than myself, although you don't help much in that regard, Father." Light laughter escaped as she cradled Roy. "But if he wants to follow those ideas, I should do what I can to guide him."

  A blinding smile grew on Igneel as he side-eyed Hellia, who rolled her eyes. Marya,n however, had a more subtle smile that was covered up with another drink.

  "However, the thought of him even doing a fraction of what those tales described, let alone what I did, makes me hesitant. Both Mother and Achilles are right; he's barely six now. Yet he's already made up his mind, so while I can rein him in, it might be for the best that I let him see the world the same way many others do."

  While their gaze was on her, the return of the boy in question went unnoticed, but that wouldn't last for long.

  "So can I go now Mom?"

  Their action turned back to him, but while the arm guards and chest plate were removed, Breaker was still attached to his back. But there was something about his appearance that bothered Lyn.

  "Red, I thought I told you to go change your clothes."

  "But Mom, I just put these on this morning and they're clean. I don't see a reason to change them."

  "Red..." Her voice lowered.

  But there was light laughter that spread around the table. Red crossed his arms in protest, puffing his out cheeks as he turned away.

  —

  The mid-morning outer streets were calm as rapid footsteps slammed against the brick road. To his Goldfur Street, which led to the city center, on his right was a small river that ran to the east wall.

  "Red, would you slow down?"

  He came to a halt, almost tripping over himself from the sudden stop as he stumbled forward.

  Looking back, seeing both his mother and father following behind him. Roy tried reaching out, trying to grab a passing butterfly as Lyn kept a firm hold on him.

  "But Mom, you said once I get the right supplies, I can go camping with Grandpa."

  "Son, do you even know what supplies you need?" Achilles questioned him with a smile as they approved a bridge.

  "... Camping supplies?"

  "Such as?"

  Achilles didn't get a response, just Red slowing down as he tried to find an answer.

  'What would I bring on a camping trip?' Traveling deeper into his thoughts, with his eyes closed, he didn't notice the smiles on his parents, let alone the fact that they walked past him. Smiling at the pondering look he held.

  'What did the adventures in my stores bring with them when they traveled? I have a sword and I have some armor at home, but what else did they have?'

  A sudden splash drew his attention to the edge of the bridge; another splash followed as a cork echoed.

  "Huh?"

  Curiosity broke him away from his thoughts as he looked over, watching slow-moving water. Fish swam by, and a turtle was sunbathing on a rock in the middle of the water.

  Another splash joined as crimson eyes looked to see a brown figure with a green head land in the water.

  "It's a frog."

  Then another hopped in from the shoreline with a chirping croak. Watching as one of them leaped onto a lily pad. It sat itself in the middle as it would move slightly.

  The more he looked, the more he fell back to these thoughts.

  'What do heroes bring with them when they go on an adventure?

  Crimson gaze kept locked on the river. The turtle finally started to move, stretching its neck out into the river, and began to drink.

  "I could use a drink..."

  Looking back at the frog as the lily pad moved, the front kept looking in the same direction.

  'Wait, that looks like a...'

  Then it hit him.

  "They had a canteen, compass, and healing potions!!" Exclaiming his hands pierced the sky as his voice scared the frog and turtle into the water.

  However, he wasn't able to linger on his mental victory for long.

  "Come on, Red, if you want to go with your grandfather, you'd better keep up!"

  Hearing his mother's call, he turned to find that his family had put some distance between them.

  "Coming Mom!" He took off running, and before long, he caught back up. "Mom, Dad, I know what I need!"

  The pair looked at each other before their gaze returned. "And what would that be?"

  "I need a compass, canteen, and potions!"

  "Well, it's a good thing we're going by a place that carries all those things."

  He couldn't fight the smile that grew. "Then let's go!"

  —

  It didn't take long for them to arrive at their first destination. A simple single-story stone building with a lantern over the front door. Achilles stood by the door as his family went inside.

  A bell over the door rang as it opened, and a short, stocky man with a thick black beard that covered much of his lower face, his mouth hidden from sight, turned to their arrival.

  "What can... Well, I'll be, talk about a pleasant surprise. How can I help you, your highness?"

  "Well, you see, we're here looking for..."

  Lyn's words went ignored by Red as he started looking between the shelves. Crimson eyes glazed over the supplies in the shop.

  'So cool.'

  His gaze moved from different stands that held up different types of armor, from plate, chain, and leather. Weapons like swords, axes, spears, and even a bow were hung up on the wall.

  'Those swords look cool, but they don't look as cool as Durendal.' But still he wandered over the room. Weapons and armor filled the area

  "Mom, you said this place sold compasses and cantens, but I only see weapons and armor."

  Confusion took him over for only a moment before a large hand smacked his back and caused him to stumble as a friendly voice spoke out.

  "So you gotta interest in compasses and canteens but not my hard-made weaponry."

  "Yes, Sir. I'm going camping with my Grandpa, and my Mom said I need supplies.."

  "Well then, follow me, I'm sure I've got what you're lookin'' for in the back."

  As the man walked off, Red looked back at Lyn. She just nodded and gestured for him to follow.

  "You're a dwarf, right?"

  "Red!"

  The man only laughed as he swatted the boys back. "Proud of it, the name's Guga and I let that pride echo in my work. From a sword to even a simple fork, everything I make gets my best."

  "That's cool! My mom and grandpa told me they made their own weapons and one day I'm gonna make a sword all my own!"

  "Well, you'd better work hard, forging isn't an easy task." The dwarven man entered the back room and returned carrying a wooden box and took out the contents. "Here we are, now go ahead and take your pick."

  Looking over them, a lot of the compasses were the same. Circle-shaped and flat, with a grayish silver color, but some had a bronze color.

  As for the canteens, there were some tall and cylinder-shaped, while others were flat and circular. But they all had a shoulder strap connected to them.

  "So which ones would ya like?"

  Looking them over, his decision became simple. "I'll take this bronze compass and the circle canteen, the one with the red stripe, please."

  The dwarf smiled as he put all but those two items back in the box.

  "Alright, so these two items are going to ring you up to about 450 runix altogether."

  "Runix?" A confused look painted his face, only to widen. "Yeah, the coins people use to pay for things."

  Red padded himself down, searching his pockets. Only to start panicking as he researched every pocket he had, even searching the same one several times, before his arms fell in defeat.

  "I don't have any money...." In a flash, he went from excited to panicked and now to disappointment. "I forgot it at home."

  "Ahh... Red, I asked you multiple times if you had everything before we left, and here we are." Lyn let loose a joking groan as she spoke. Reaching behind her, a small leather pouch was placed on her son's head. "Well, it's a good thing I brought this just in case."

  Grabbing the bag, it shook with the jingle of coins, and when it was opened, a shine came to his crimson eyes, they reflected coins that varied in size and color; some were made of copper and nickel, while the larger ones were made of gold.

  "Thanks, Mo—

  "This is the money I was going to give you when you left with your grandfather. There's about 2200 runix in that bag, now be wise with what you have left."

  "Right!"

  Reaching into the bag, Red pulled out the coins with a smile as he placed the amount needed to cover the cost before handing the amount off to the dwarf, who counted to make sure it was correct.

  Nodding, he pushed the items towards Red, who happily grabbed them and threw the canteen's sash around his shoulder and opened the compass with a smile.

  "Thanks, Mister, come on, Mom, I still need potions."

  He wasted no him in rushing out of the door. Lyn could hear him showing off his new equipment. Bowing her head, she took her lead.

  —-

  With his newfound compass, Red led the way to their next destination. His eyes were only on the compass as he walked.

  "Red, you do know how to read a compass, right?" Achilles questioned as he got closer to Red.

  "Yeah!" There was excitement in his voice. "This red thing here–

  "The needle."

  Lyn smiled at the sight.

  "Yeah, the needle, it always points north. So even if I turn this way, it still points north even when it changes."

  They both smiled as Red talked about how the item worked, doing what they could to help guide him to their next destination that slowly came into view.

  A simple two-story building made of quality wood and stone stood out among the rest as a small group of people would enter and exit, carrying a small paper bag.

  At the sight, Red picked up speed, and he approached the door. A low thud echoed as he was knocked to the stone floor and the door was pulled open.

  "Ow, ow, ow!"

  "Red? What are you doing here?" A voice joined his that drew him in to find that it emerged from a blue-scaled draconian as he extended his hand. "Need a hand?"

  Hector!" He wasted no time in grabbing his scaled hand as he was pulled up. He didn't hesitate to show off his new items. "Hey check this out, I'm gonna go camping with Grandpa."

  "That's cool. Wish I could go camping, so where ya going?"

  "I don't know yet, but I can't wait! So what are you doing here?"

  Hector gave a bored groan. "I'm here because–

  "Because when Victor and Shauna asked me for some help, I brought Hector with me. After all, another pair of hands is always helpful."

  Looking past Hector, only to find Tastu's soft gaze. "Good afternoon, Miss Tastu."

  "It's nice to see you, Red." He watched as Tastu's attention moved away from him. "Lyn, Hector out for a stroll?"

  While Lyn smiled, Hector was the one who spoke up. " Yeah, as you can see we're out with the boy. He wants to go camping with Igneel and when it came to supplies, the only thing to fill his bag where books."

  "You don't say." She tried to cover her laughter, but the sway of her tail and the pause in her voice made it hard. "He sounds excited."

  "Red, go ahead. I think your father and I will stay out here. Make sure you use your money wisely."

  With a nod, he made his way past Tastu and into the store, with Hector right behind him.

  The shined wooden floors squeaked underneath him as he stepped in, they were cleaned to such a degree that his crimson eyes and the light from the sun and lamps were reflected at him. And there was an odd scent of lemon. Looking inwards, four long shelves ran the length of the shop, facing each other, creating the aisles in between them with a final one at the end running horizontally to the rest.

  The counter had a granite top with a backroom door behind it, and above a large photo was hung on the wall. In the background was the same building with Arthur and Ash standing between two others. Standing next to Ash was a woman with dark blond hair that fell just above her shoulders and charcoal black eyes, while the man next to Arthur had clean, combed ashen colored hair and emerald green eyes.

  Looking to find another door on one side of the wall that leads to the second level.

  "So what kinda work are ya doing here, Hector?"

  "I'm mostly helping Arthur and Ash keep the shelves stocked while Mom has been with Mis. Shauna is at the register, so Mr. Victor can focus on making potions."

  "Sounds like fun." A sarcastic tone, joking, caused crimson eyes to roll.

  Only to wince as an elbow jabbed his side. "We all can't just sit on our butts and rule over everyone; some of us have to work for a living."

  "Hey, I'd never be like that..."

  "I'm only messing with ya."

  "Look at what we have here. We were just about to close down for a lunch break, but, looks like we have one last customer." The voice followed the tapping of footsteps, drawing their attention to the stairwell as the same woman from the photo arrived from the stairwell door.

  "Hello, Miss. Shauna."

  She gave a nod before turning back to the stairs. "Hey Arthur, Ash, your friend is here!"

  Rushing footsteps echoed from above and from the stairwell, the pair shot out from the door.

  "Hey, Red, what brings you here?" Ash was the first to speak up.

  Arthur didn't give him a moment to answer. "Red, how about a match? I was able to convince Mom to start teaching me. She even got me my own sword."

  A grin grew on the emerald-eyed blond as he threw out the challenge.

  "Sorry, Arthur, not today." With a shaking head that caused disappointment to grow on Arthur as he started to pout.

  "So then why are you here, Mr. Fancypants?"

  "Fancypants? Well, now I'm not gonna tell you."

  Hector could only chuckle as Ash just sighed. "He's going camping with Mr. Igneel, so he came here to get a few potions."

  "Hector!"

  Arthur and Ash quickly looked back at him, curiosity filled their voices as they spoke. "You're going camping? Where are you going?"

  "Can I come along?"

  But before either one could respond, another voice joined in. "So this is why our lunch was put on hold." Turning to see that now the man from the photo had made his way down to the first floor.

  "Hello, Mr. Victor."

  "So, you're interested in potions for a camping trip? You came to the right place. Follow me."

  The dark ashen ashen-haired man motioned for the group to follow, and Red wasted no time in following Victor down the aisle.

  "Alright, so you're looking for potions. As you can see we have a lot of what you are looking for." He came to a stop in the center. Red watched Victor gesture to a variety of bottles and vials filled with different colored liquids, but the ones his hands hovered in front of were of differing shades of green and white. "First up are these. The green ones can help remove fatigue and restore lost stamina, while the white ones are good for helping combat and cure potions."

  However, as he spoke, going over the other potions, Red's gaze changed to the ones that matched the color of his eyes and even became darker shades of red, and the blue ones that followed a similar trend.

  "Hm, Sir, what about those ones?"

  "Those? Ah, yes, now these are healing potions and elixirs, but rather than tell you myself, Ash, would you like to do me the honor and tell your friend what role they serve?"

  Ash lit up, while Arthur huffed and puffed in protest. "The bottles filled with red liquid are potions used to heal injuries, and the darker the shade, the greater the healing effect."

  "So then what's the difference between potions and elixirs?"

  "Elixirs are—

  "Elixirs are used to restore the magical power in the one who drinks it." Arthur wasted no time in cutting off his brother as he was met with an ashen glare.

  Red looked them over, his gaze traveled over the red-filled bottles.

  'Now what kind of potions should I get? Honestly, I didn't think there would be this many and how many do I get?'

  "So whatcha thinking Red?" Hector pulled him out of his head.

  "I'm just thinking about which ones I should get."

  "How about I give you a suggestion?" Looking up to find Shauna leaning over the shelf as she started down on them.

  A nod was given.

  "If you're going out into the wilderness, you might want to take a few healing potions, stamina, and at least one white just in case."

  "What about an Elixir?"

  The couple looked at each other with a chuckle. "I don't think you've gotten any magic yet, but once you do I'm sure my husband will be more than happy to sell you a few."

  A small frown appeared for a moment before Red turned back to the shelf as he reached out. Grabbing four total thin vials, two of them were on the lighter shade of red, one green and one white. "I'll take these."

  "Alright, boys, think you can ring your friend up?"

  The pair nodded as Arthur rushed with Ash right behind him, Red and Hector followed them to the granite counter.

  Arthur had beaten Ash to the counter as he hopped onto a stool and watched as Red placed the portions on the counter. "So what do we have here, three healing potions along with one stamina and cure. All that together, plus the fee for interrupting our lunch."

  "Hey!"

  "That brings your total to about 1000 runix." Even Ash and Hector started to glare at him. "However, thanks to Cromed's special discount, you get for being friends with not myself but my younger brother, that brings your final total to 450 runix."

  Glares from crimson, brown, and black faded as Red reached into the bag, gathering the payment as the Cromed parents slightly laughed.

  Just as Red was about to grab them, Ash stepped in. "Wait a moment, I think we have a spare potion pouch in the back." Grabbing the potions, he took off.

  "You know, Arthur, I thought you were being serious. That seemed like a lot for a few potions."

  "What do you mean?" Arthur threw a confused look. "That extra charge was legitimate. Mom made chicken teriyaki kabobs and steamed rice with honey. Consider yourself lucky that we're such good friends that you can get this discount."

  A frown returned on Red.

  "You know, he's gotta point." He sharply turned to Hector. "The food just finished before you got here, so maybe Arthur should have changed you a little more."

  "Hey!"

  But before the taunting could continue, Ash appeared from the backroom door with a leather pouch that looked like a small closed book. "Here ya go Red."

  Opening the cloth to find that each potion was held in a small pocket. "Thanks, Ash, well, I'd better get going. I'll see you guys later, I don't wanna keep you guys from your lunch."

  Waving them off, he ran to the exit, greeting his family and Tastu as he kept gunning down the street.

  "Red, where do you think you're going?" Lyn called out over a laughing draconian.

  They didn't get a response, only watching as the crimson-eyed boy blissfully ran.

  "Looks like you two better get going before he gets too far."

  Lyn just groaned as Roy had gone from lively giggling to peaceful sleep. "Yeah, he's been a handful today."

  "He gets it from you."

  "Achilles!"

  "He's right, and Red seems to have the same one-track mind as you."

  "Tastu!"

  "Well, at least Red isn't going to start a forest fire any time soon. It will give me some time to fireproof the yard."

  "Thank heavens for that. I remember that day. The flames were so hot I swore my scales were turning black from the heat."

  "Those poor critters, I swear I saw a rabbit and chipmunk run out of that mess with their tails on fire."

  "Achilles Tastu..." Lyn pouted as they continued.

  "Now get going, you tw,o before your son leaves you behind." Tastu pointed down the street to Red as he was flailing his arms, waving for them to follow.

  —

  Footsteps raced past the gate and up the steps before barging through the front door.

  "I'M BACK, GRANDPA! LET'S GO!" His voice echoed throughout the home as he looked around. "Grandpa?"

  A new set of steps echoed, causing him to turn, finding that their cause wasn't either of his grandparents.

  "Maryan!" Darting towards her, his lavender-haired guardian. Kneeling down, she caught him in a hug. "Look at these, I got a compass, a canteen, and even potions. So where's Grandpa? I wanna go now."

  "That's very nice, Red, but sorry. The guild sent a messenger to come get your grandfather. There was something they wanted to talk about with him, and Hellia went with him."

  "..."

  "But Igneel told me that he picked out the spot where he'll be taking you camping, you're just going to have to wait for tomorrow morning." That perked him back up. "Now go to your room and pack some clothes."

  She barely had time to see him nod before he took off running to his room.

  "Don't forget your toothbrush

  Rolling her eyes, they landed on the front door just as the rest of the boy's family came through.

  "Maryan, Red came through here, right?"

  "He just went to his room, take a seat. I'll get some tea ready."

  A sigh of relief came from them both as Roy started to stir from his slumber and he started to cry. "Guess it's about time for him to eat."

  While they made their way to the main room, rummaging came from a closed door, clothes flew from the closet.

  "I can't wait for Grandpa to get back." Excitement flowed out with each word as clothes were crammed into a bag. Crimson eyes looked past the window and into the noon sky. "I wonder where Grandpa is taking me?"

  While his mind ran wild, only the following day would calm his mind, for the rest of the day, time seemed to crawl.