Garden Of The Abyss

"Good news."

The familiar voice came suddenly to his ears, forcing him to look up from the blade he had been wiping clean with the rag that inherited its blemish. Though, the sudden existence of the voice filling the quiet void nearly made him jump, letting out a sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair.

It was one of the few vain things he took special care in--his hair. A two-block hairstyle with the sides presenting the natural earthen feel of oak-brown, the top, messy part of his hair was naturally light-gray. This unorthodox hair earned him his fair share of nicknames, good and bad, throughout his childhood.

"Huh?!...Can you knock first, Manfred?"

"What? Scared I'm going to catch you with your pants around your ankles or something?"

As the tall young man teased his comrade sitting on his bed, an embarrassed blush came over the seated man's cheeks. A cheeky smile came over Manfred as he successfully flustered his friend, chuckling to himself before ruffling his own pale-blonde hair.

"...No, I'm just jumpy, alright?"

"Whatever. Do you want the news or what, Leon?"

"Hit me with it."

Going back to cleaning his blade carefully, slowly running the rag over the pristine steel of it, Leon waited as Manfred closed the door behind him, sitting down on the bed across from Leon's own.

"Our squad just got picked for a mission."

"A mission?"

"Mm. A pretty big one, at that."

Removing the jet-black leather armor that blended in seamlessly with their all-black uniforms, Manfred let out a relieved sigh, freeing his neck from the tight collar gripping onto his throat.

"Are you going to spill it or what? I'm not going to keep asking."

Leon let out a soft sigh, looking up from his blade to see the playful look on Manfred's face. Despite the dreary, black garments they wore, the bright smile plastered on Manfred's expression wasn't dulled in the slightest.

"Avdima hand-picked our squad."

The simple, quietly spoken words from Manfred completely seized Leon's functions for a moment as he sat there with his mouth agape.

"...Avdima?! That Avdima?!"

"Mhm! Mhm!"

By this point, both of the young men were standing up with sheer joy fueling their motor functions--the giddy, frivolous energy between them was unbecoming of the minimalist barracks they found themselves in.

"A mission with Avdima...This is our chance to move up! Maybe even become Argonauts!"

"Mhm! That means we've got to give it our best!"

This is it. I came to the capital so I could become successful and send money back to my family--this will definitely help me accomplish that. I've always been naturally strong, he saw that in me--"Gunther Briggs", he trained me and gave the King himself a recommendation for me to join the Argonauts. I'm still just an Executioner, but with this...It's on the horizon, Leon thought.

"When is it?--We just got back yesterday so--"

"Tonight."

"...Tonight?..."

Leon repeated the answer given to him quietly, looking at his friend blankly who still held his smile--this time packed with resolve, who gave him a few nods. It was the same, unchanging optimism and boundless energy he paired with Manfred.

That unique magic of his sure does give him a crazy amount of vigor. Though, I'm thankful for it. That beaming smile has kept me going many times where I thought I was going to keel over and give up. I guess country bumpkins like us just naturally gravitate towards one another, Leon thought.

"Oh, I forgot to mention: the real significance of this mission isn't exactly Avdima himself."

"What do you mean?"

Being questioned, Manfred held a pleased smile as he possessed all of the power in this conversation.

"Outlanders."

"Outlanders?…"

"We've finally found their base."

Leon looked blankly at his friend as if he was questioning if his ears were properly working or not. In fact, the very news seemed to take hold of his soul as he looked at Manfred with such wide, shocked eyes.

"...Really?"

"Really."

Any tiresome energy that found itself plaguing his body evaporated upon fully realizing what was told to him, his moss-green eyes illuminating with such excitement that matched his energetic comrade.

"We get to be the ones to take down the Outlanders?!"

"...Well, that's mainly going to be the Argonauts, but yeah! You know this calls for a celebration, right?"

Manfred's sly words caught his friend's ears like a delightful sweetness as the boy's eyes lit up and his stomach rumbled as if responding for him.

"Ha-ha! Sounds like your stomach is just as excited as you are!"

"Yeah, yeah…"

Muttering quietly as an embarrassed pink tinted his cheeks, Leon averted his gaze as he held his stomach.

"Anyway--your choice, my treat! I happen to have my coin burning a hole in my pocket!"

"Oh! Really?! My choice?!"

"Yup!"

When possessing an empty stomach and presented with such unlimited options inherit to being in the capital of Mastorn itself, a juggernaut of delicious food and prestigious restaurants--Leon could hardly whittle down his options.

"Hey...before making any decisions--change into some casual clothes! We're not dimming the mood around town with these edgy getups."

"Aye, aye!"

By the time all was said and done, between changing clothes and picking an outlet which to get their grub, the sun had already begun to set--shifting the sea of blue above into an array of warming, soft orange.

"Milgy's, huh?"

It was in the bustling, ever-talking streets of the roaring capital that it became hard to listen to Manfred's words as he stood right next to the blonde-haired friend of his.

"Never been here?"

Leon asked as Manfred scratched his cheek upon reading the rather eccentric sign that was decorated with the face of a cobalt tiger.

"No, have you?"

"Nope! I've heard rumors about it, though."

Without any further hesitation, Leon guided the way by his stomach's call, pushing past the light-brown, batwing doors. The moment the two young men stepped foot into the restaurant, their noses were introduced to a fragrance that would only be described as the utopia to one's stomach; a sweet, tangy scent accompanied by the fresh, straight out of the fire chicken smell that was iconic to the nasal senses.

"How may I help you two today?"

They were so distracted by the heavenly smell that they were shocked by the sudden presence of the waitress standing before them, wearing a sky-blue uniform, buttoned-up straight up the middle with a silver apron that matched her curly, silver locks.

"Um...ur…"

"A table for two please!"

Manfred answered for his clearly stunned, pink-cheeked friend, holding up two fingers to the waitress.

"Right this way!"

With a smile, she guided them through the crowded restaurant--passing by many men who were clearly adventurers, either wearing second-rate armor, having scars, or simply just exhibiting the clear build of an adventurer.

Compared to the average customer of Milgy's, the two young men definitely stuck out like sore thumbs; Leon wore a simply, sable tunic with gray accents around the collar with soft, cotton sweatpants of a beige feel--these definitely weren't clothes from his hometown, such fashionable garments could only be found in the capital.

Manfred, being the over-the-top person he is, wore a vest made of black flax linen with a ruffled, snow-white blouse underneath. The sable, tight pants he wore definitely seemed at least a bit uncomfortable by the awkward strides he took following behind Leon.

Seriously, what do farm boys know about fashion?! Leon thought.

"Right here."

The freckled waitress came to a stop at one of the booths seated near one of the walls formed of wooden, refurbished planks, allowing the two young men to get seated comfortably.

"Here you are; I'll be back in just a bit!"

With a dimpled smile that compromised Leon's heart, the woman nodded her head before disappearing into the bustling restaurant.

"She's cute, isn't she?"

"Huh? What? I mean…"

Flustered by Manfred's sudden question, he bashfully scratched his cheek with his index finger as he averted his eyes.

"Anyway...how's your sister?"

Slithering his way out of the pressing subject, Leon's question earned an inquisitive look from his friend sitting across from him before he gave in, taking a sip from the mugs of ice-cold water left behind by the waitress.

"Couldn't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Haven't got to talk to her. She's a big shot Argonaut, you know how it goes. Knights can't handle crises outside of their cities, so that's the jobs given to the Argonauts."

As bountiful of vigor Manfred usually was, his gray irises regressed to a somber state as he spoke of his sister, fiddling with the fluffy cuff of his shirt.

"Enough about that. The capital is amazing, isn't it? You'd never find a place like this in Heydren. A whole population of eighty."

Manfred chuckled as he took a swig of water, his voice having to be concentrated on amongst the constant chatter filling the dining establishment.

"You can say that again…honestly, I don't know how you're so calm. Being around this many people—it makes me sweat."

Keeping his eyes on the table as he spoke bashfully, Leon fiddled with the utensils placed on a neatly wrapped napkin. Meanwhile, Manfred's eyes rapidly scoured the words plastered on the menu.

"That's just you overthinking things as always! Ha-ha!"

Manfred's voice definitely didn't adhere to the "inside volume" rule much to Leon's dismay as he felt many eyes drawn to their table by his friend's cackling laughter.

"Yeah, yeah--"

As Leon ruffled his own locks to deal with the sudden attention, he nearly jumped as the bright, bubbly waitress showed back up.

"Did you two decide on what to order?"

Asking with a smile that could cure the direst of illnesses, her words fell onto Leon's cheeks in a cherry-red manner as he tried to find his words.

"He'll have the bilornie apple-spice steak, right?"

"...Right."

Though he didn't so much as mention what it was he mentioned, his friend covered for him--something he had done on occasion.

"I'll have...hmm, I'll try the caltroo thighs in sweet sauce!"

"Comin' right up!"

Retreating with her heart-churning smile, the verdant waitress once more left the view of Leon, who let out an exhale as his heart rate settled down.

"You've got to man up, dude."

"Shut up, would you?"

I know I'm a mess. It's just too big of a difference, coming from a village where I knew everybody's faces, names--we're all practically family. Now it's just a sea of strangers; a lot of that warmth of the small village is lost here, he thought.

Resting his head against his arms that sat on the golden-brown wooden table, he looked up at his friend--who was busy gawking at the other waitresses, flipping his smooth, blonde locks that Leon knew for a fact he spent an hour each morning preparing.

At least I have him though, Leon smiled.

"Here you are! Hot n' ready!"

Returning to their tableside once more, the silver-haired waitress with a field of endearing freckles set their individual dishes down in front of them--both of the young men drooling with their eyes at the sight of the grub.

"Enjoy!"

"T-thanks!"

Leon called out to her, earning a hearty smile from the girl as she nodded her head, leaving the two customers to their meal.

"Nice one."

"Shut it!"

With a face as red as the sauce-slathered steak on his plate, Leon mumbled as he began to cut up the prepared slab of meat with a gluttonous intensity.

"Is it really alright…?"

Looking down at the fresh, steaming dish placed in front of him, Leon's melancholic words earned the inquisitive look of his friend, who already had his cheeks stuffed with grub without any hesitation.

"..Whuhft?"

Manfred's response came out slurred by his mouth full of food--disgusting the gray-brown-haired young man as particles of chicken fled from his companion's moving lips.

"I just mean...in just a few hours, we're going to be going on a mission--our biggest yet. I just think maybe we should be training, planning, or something…"

As Leon's concerned words cemented themselves in his wavering eyes, the blonde-haired man sitting across from him slapped his own chest as he forced his mouthful of chicken down his avaricious pipes.

"Phew...You're a real worrywart, aren't you?"

"Manfred…"

"I get it, I get it; I'm nervous too--look."

Placing his hands flat on the table, Manfred gave his friend a smile. As Leon drew his eyes onto those hands, he noticed them shaking as if experiencing a biting cold, yet sweating as if resting near a warming fire.

"You see now? I'm scared, nervous, frightened--you name it. But...I'm also more excited than I've ever been! When I just think back about what young me would think--that rowdy kid with dreams way too damn big--and how he'd look at me, where I am now...it gets my heart beating with the courage to fight."

Those bright eyes he's been on the receiving end of countless times, filled with pure, unbridled motivation--Manfred's words struck him with a stride of vigor, but he still couldn't completely erase the doubt boiling up in his stomach.

"...But, still...this is the Outlanders we're talking about; death is…"

"That's a risk we signed up for the moment we stepped foot down this path, Leon. That's what it means to be a hero--an Argonaut; putting your life on the line for the kingdom. Am I right?"

"...Yeah."

"Then let's eat!"

The mood shifted in an instant; Manfred took those heartfelt words pouring from his heart then began replacing them with chicken slathered in sweet, bountiful sauce.

I wish I could be like him--so accepting of death as if it were just a potential side-effect of our ambitions. Then again, is that right? Do I really want to be like that? I want to be an Argonaut, just as much as him--but...I have my own reasons. If I die, I can't support my family back home...so many mouths to feet, such little money.

I took a big risk leaving the village for this, if I died---I can't think about that, Leon thought.

"You made the right choice! This place's grub is magical! The sauce is so silky smooth, sweet but not too sweet!"

"Ha-ha, yeah, it's good…"

Still, I came to this city knowing a path of hardship was waiting. If it means becoming an Argonaut, I'll sacrifice whatever blood, sweat, and tears I have to. That's my resolve--the one I'll hold onto with all of my heart, he resolved.