The forest trail sloped gently uphill, the earth damp beneath their boots, as morning light filtered through the tall trees. And the crunch of leaves and twigs underfoot set the rhythm of their march.
They had been walking for about half an hour in companionable silence when Tessa finally spoke.
"…Can I ask something kinda weird?"
Liora glanced over. "Go ahead."
Tessa kicked a stone off the path. "Why'd you decide to become an adventurer?"
Liora gave a quiet chuckle. "You first. You're the one who jumped into this life young."
Tessa hesitated, shoulders tensing. "Yeah… well, I didn't really choose it."
Liora slowed a little, letting Tessa match her stride.
"When I turned thirteen," Tessa began, voice quieter now, "my parents sat me down and told me they couldn't afford to keep me around anymore. Too many mouths. They said I was old enough to make my own way."
Liora frowned but said nothing.
"I didn't even get to go to school," Tessa continued, eyes fixed on the path ahead. "The day after my birthday, I signed up at the local guild. Took the exam. Failed the first time. Passed the second. Now here I am."
"You just turned fourteen?"
"Yeah. Two months ago."
Liora gave a slow nod, letting the words settle between them like mist. Then she spoke, her voice soft:
"I started at fifteen. I did choose it. I wanted to travel, to see things outside my home. Thought the guild was a ticket to adventure. Glory. All that."
"Was it?"
"No," Liora said simply. "But it gave me something else."
She looked ahead, eyes scanning the tree line automatically, part instinct, part habit. Then she continued.
"When I turned eighteen, I ended up in this village. Took a quest to check for wild herbs in a forest clearing. Thought it would be routine. Instead, I found a little girl alone, hungry, and cold."
"Aria," Tessa murmured.
Liora nodded.
"She followed me back. Wouldn't let go of my cloak. At first, I thought she was just scared, but… she stayed scared. Even in the village. Like something bad was always just behind her."
She paused a moment, remembering the sound of soft crying and a trembling grip around her waist.
"One day, I took her on a simple herb run. Nothing dangerous, or so I thought. A forest-stalker got the drop on me. Got a scratch in. Aria saw it… and started crying. She clung to me, calling me Mommy."
Tessa's steps faltered just slightly.
Liora looked up at the sky through the trees. "I didn't know what to do with that. I wasn't planning to be anyone's mother. But when I looked at her, really looked at her, I realized no one else was going to give her a home. So I did."
"…That's kind of amazing," Tessa whispered.
"It's a lot of things," Liora said. "But yeah… it feels like the right thing."
They walked in silence again for a time, boots squelching in soft soil, until Tessa turned with new light in her eyes.
"Hey… what if we became a real team?"
Liora raised an eyebrow. "A party?"
"Yeah! Like… officially. At the guild. I could learn so much from you. We'd split the rewards. I'd help out. And maybe…" She paused, then smiled sheepishly. "Maybe we would not be alone so much."
Liora looked at her, quiet for a moment.
Then she smiled faintly.
"Let's see how you do on this quest first."
Tessa laughed, clearly relieved that Liora hadn't shut her down entirely.
"Deal."
The forest began to thin ahead, and a shimmer of light off distant stone told Liora they were nearing the edge of the Crystal Ridge.
A long climb still waited.