The group, sans Bait, departed to the church, hoping to find Hoc. The outside of the church still shone with the same level of polish that it had during the Festival of Blades. The wear and tear of general life had not yet worn thin the lacquers and polishing that preceded the legendary event. It didn't take long for Hoc to come into sight; the boy was much the same way they had left him. It had only been about a month since they had last laid eyes on him. His soft blonde hair seemed to have darkened a smidge, and while still as baby-faced as ever, it looked as if he had put on a little bulk in the time they had been apart. To Naya, it looked as if he had perhaps grown a bit taller as well.

  "Hoc," Alvec said loudly in greeting.

  The boy's demeanor had changed. Rather than the energetic greetings that Alvec was so fond of, he received only a scowl in response. "Are you guys back here for good now?" He asked bluntly.

  "There be no way to be knowing that for certain," Illaria responded.

  "Currently, we're planning to help the goblins find god," Naya replied.

  "Their god, to be specific. They call her Dogmother. I'd rather we stay home." Mavec replied.

  "And where's Sarbie?" He asked pointedly.

  "She went to visit her family," Alvec replied.

  "Well, then, I guess you ought to go find her then. She'll be more useful to you, I guess." He said.

  "Actually, we were hoping to speak with you for a little bit," Illaria said as she smiled and stepped forward. "We've heard some rumors from a friend you've been butting heads with the elders of the church." The corner of his mouth flinched up at the words.

  "I'm getting stronger; it shouldn't be such a big deal. I'm getting stronger for the sake of the church; they should stop complaining and just appreciate it. I've almost mastered everything I need to in order to become an honorary member of the Six Strengths. You'd think they'd be excited, but it's all lecture, lecture, lecture." Hoc said as he waved his arms around, exasperated. Other members of the church seemed to pause while listening as his voice rose.

  "I don't think it's that simple, Hoc," Mavec said. "There are rules, and as much as they may be in desperate need of a rewrite and revision, we have to abide by them while they are in effect. Believe it or not, Ageneon seems to know what he's doing." Mavec said. "I really doubted the whole citizenship for goblins being a smart idea, and you know what, they're actually pretty good once you get past the whole rat sticks."

  "Yeah, well, he missed the mark with this one," Hoc said. "If you don't mind me, I've got some training to do." The boy brushed past the group and headed for the exit.

  "So, that went about as well as we could be expecting it to," Illaria said.

  "Yeah, tell me about it," Alvec said as he brought his fingers to his chin. "I'd like to go talk to Sarbie about this. I think she deserves to be warned that Hoc is in a mood."

  "You mean being a dick," Naya shouted.

  "Hey, maybe we don't go cussing out a member of the church in their church," Mavec said, looking at Naya as if she had three heads.

  "I'm going after him if he won't listen to sense; maybe I can beat some into him," Naya said as she dashed after him.

  Naya and Hoc, the outskirts of Sha-Laial

  It wasn't hard for Naya to catch up to Hoc, but his focus was singular as he walked. She found herself hanging back far enough where she could simply observe the boy. He led her straight out of town into the woods. Even with the training he'd received from Edis, she found herself easily able to track him down. She stuck to the foliage and watched him train. The boy who used to break wooden swords seemed to have no problem swinging around the ax that Alvec had left for him.

  His swing was well practiced, but it was clear to Naya he hadn't had any real practical experience. He'd win a competition for sure but would lose a fight with how rigid his movements were. She took a deep breath and pushed her way through the tree line. "Hey, are you going to stop being a dick already?" Naya shouted at him.

  "Why the hells did you follow me?" He asked.

  "Because you're our friend, and your acting like we took a shit in your coffee and made you drink it. What the hells happened?" Naya asked.

  "It's simple; you took Sarbie and left me here to rot. My best friend, who's a defenseless little bookworm, gets to go on an adventure and have her life endangered every step of the way, and I just have to deal with it? Wait here and get strong, Hoc. That's the best advice you were able to give when you left. What a load of bullshit. I should be out there in the field, not stuck here alone. I bet I'm stronger than you." Hoc proclaimed, puffing his chest out.

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  Naya smirked. "Think so?"

  "Absolutely, I could wipe the floor with you."

  "Big words, you ready to put them to the test?" She asked.

  "Any time, any place." He said.

  "Right here, and right now. I'll have you eating crow."

  "So you're going to fight me right now with all of that magical gear as if it's not a huge advantage?" He asked.

  "Give me a few moments; I'll take the gear off if it means I get to say I beat you fair and square." She said as she quickly undid the magical belt Alvec had made for her. Hoc stammered for a moment and spun away as a blush crept up his face. Naya, not paying any mind, took both her blades and followed through with the process Alvec had taught her to de-power her blades. Content that the enchantments were nullified, she grabbed a piece of rope and used it as a makeshift belt. "There, this is fair enough," Naya said. The swords are dormant right now, and I've removed the belt that made me more agile. We're as closely matched as we can get. In terms of items."

  "Alright, what are the rules to this?" he asked.

  "First one to go down loses. You and I can both heal, so if we knock the other down, we vow to bring them back up. Understood?"

  "I swear it," Hoc said. A smile twisted over his face. "Let's make it interesting; if I win, you stay in Sha-Laial, and I take your place."

  "No deal," Naya said, a steal in her voice harsh enough that Hoc took a step back and studied her for a moment.

  "If you win, I'll talk to the group about bringing you along as well. If I win, you have to apologize for acting like a dick."

  "Fair enough," Hoc said.

  Naya took a stance, both blades out and ready. Hoc raised the ax and a shield. The two of them nodded to each other and began their fight. Hoc found himself immediately on his back heel, reeling back under the lightning-fast twin assault of Naya's whirlwind of steal. She had crossed the gap of 20 feet between them in the blink of an eye. Neither blade bit into him as his shield managed to catch each blade. This fight would be easy enough, though. Without her familiar Echo, Naya likely wasn't all that big of a threat, and he had the power of Kushang on his side. He reached out with divine power and tried to bring her might onto her. She was part of the problem. She had stolen away Sarbie. Clearly, she was evil. Despite his conviction, the holy light flickered and faded out on his ax before it could even swing down onto her.

  Naya twisted out of the way; her eyes had changed from their usual brown to an amber color, and the pupils, usually small black pools, were elongated ovals not dissimilar to cats. She came in swinging again, her blades finding purchase on him. To Naya, the boy might as well be standing still; the heavy armor he wore may be protecting him from her strikes, but it was also slowing him down considerably. None of her hits seemed to do much, even as she spun the blades into his joints as he faltered and overextended. A slash to the knee knocked him to the ground, where she quickly followed up with a blade raking across his face and neck. Blood oozed up and welled where her blade had drawn across his face.

  Were it not for her own healing magic, she was certain that she would have left him with a nasty scar or perhaps even killed him had the blades been fully powered as they normally were.

  The pair continued their blade dance. Hoc failed to land any solid hits, and Naya slowly whittled him down, punishing him for the few mistakes he made. Eventually, he fell to the ground, panting hard. Barely conscious, he slammed his fist into the ground and cursed it all.

  "Do you yield?" Naya asked as she circled around him cautiously. She could see him still attacking; if Alvec were brought so low, he would no doubt throw dirt or mud at her to blind her and then cast a spell while she recovered. Illaria would resplendently rise and launch into some perfectly executed sword strikes. Hoc, however, she couldn't say she knew the boy well enough to understand the way he'd deal with his defeat. Maybe he'd be more gracious in accepting it than most of her party would. After all, he hardly lost anything for losing, and he'd fought well enough that she'd recommend bringing him along as well to the party.

  He pounded the ground again before resting his hands on his chest. A golden and silver light flushed over him, and he stood back up, looking ready to go another round. He swung at her quickly, trying to take advantage of the indecision about the state of their duel. Naya caught the ax with both of her blades and placed it into a bind, from which she forced the ax low and counter-attacked, slashing him twice before he could respond. Once more, he took a knee, and Naya held her ground, sword poised and ready to strike. She felt a lot like a viper as she wielded these blades.

  "I yield. It's clear we're just going to have the same result, even if I do heal myself again and again." He said.

  "Alright, are you ready to apologize for being a dick?" She asked.

  "No, but a deal, is a deal. I'm sorry." He said to her.

  "Look, I'll talk to the group about it; maybe we can bring you along too. There is enough space for you, that's for sure. I can't see why Alvec or the others would say no." Naya mused.

  "Oh, you can't think of any reason?" Hoc asked.

  "Are you implying something?" Naya asked.

  "There are a lot of rumors about him, and Sarbie is all I'm saying."

  "Look, we're fighting to save the damned world; I don't think either one of them is properly thinking about a romance... and even if they were. Why do you care? She's not your lover." Naya said.

  "Yeah, but she should be?"

  "But she isn't, and you don't get to decide that. Sure, you've been friends forever, but that's it, Hoc. Friends. And honestly, you're a pretty shitty one if you've just been silently projecting your feelings onto her without asking if she feels the same. So either man up or shut up, and stop sulking already."

  "You make that sound easy." Hoc shot back at her.

  "It isn't, but if you really are a good friend, you'll suck it up and do it anyway. Come on, I thought you were a pretty great guy, but you're kinda shattering that illusion." Naya said. The boy's face hardened for a moment as her words hit home. He remained quiet for several moments as the air between them was thick with tension.

  "I have been kinda shitty, haven't I?" He said.

  "Had you never considered that?" She asked.

  "No, I was so upset I haven't really thought about anything else." He admitted.

  "Well, start thinking and start talking honestly and openly. That's the only way you'll undo any damage you've done." Naya said as she gathered up and re-equipped her enchanted equipment. "If you don't mind, I'll be heading back now. You go make peace with everyone else when you're ready, friend." She deftly moved through the trees back towards the city of Sha-laial.