The tour didn't end after the guild registration.
Charishe insisted they continue, and neither Kivas nor Samael protested. The winding lanes of Solvish Keep curved between mixed-material structures—living wood curled around soul-wrought iron, and fungus-stamped bricks bore the faint shimr of enchanted moss.
Lanterns floated higher here, drifting with intention above crosswalks and gathering points.
"This," Charishe declared, gesturing to a squat building with a crooked roof and an attached outdoor counter, "is my place."
The scent that clung to the air was unmistakably appetizing—thick, sweet, iron-rich. It radiated from multiple open grills lining the building's outer ring.
Through glass-paned openings, miniature figures flitted back and forth inside the kitchen. They had the exact shape of Charishe, though in a chibi form—shorter, with oversized simplified eyes and limbs exaggerated for cuteness.
The most striking trait, however, were their ears, comically long fox-like tufts nearly twice their height, bobbing with every motion.
Two of them were cleaning plates stacked taller than themselves. Another was carrying a bowl with a flaming broth sloshing in impossible directions.
"They're not sentient," Charishe explained preemptively. "Tall-eared Workers, I called them!"
Kivas leaned in. "You basically made little versions of yourself to run a kitchen."
"Sounds narcissistic," Samael snickered.
"Hey, they are cute, alright! I'm already cute too, so things just goes as usual~"
"Do they eat sothing or do they just work tirelessly?" Kivas asked.
"They run on my Mana Psyche," Charishe nodded with a prideful smug. "Just need to inject them with it from ti to ti and all is ok~!"
A few patrons sat at nearby tables made from repurposed shield-wood and mounted skulls.
Dishes lined with carved bone, glass-flecked at, and syruped roots sat half-eaten before them. One of the Tall-eared Workers passed by with a tray balanced on its head. Or more precisely, their tall ears, which strangely also works as an appendage.
"This is where you can find if you need anything," Charishe said, spinning a brass-colored token between her fingers. "Consider this a housewarming gift."
She handed Kivas and Samael each a thin rectangle etched with layered script—free al tokens.
"One free item on the nu. Valid any ti."
Kivas imdiately accepted. "Blood Cakes."
Samael mirrored her. "Sa."
Charishe raised a brow. "Not feeling adventurous? You can ask for all the new things you haven't tried, no?"
Kivas bit her lower lip. "We've had a lot of adventures before this. I'm in the market for sothing comforting."
Samael folded her arms. "I like what I like."
For the infamous Endless Dragon to like sothing, it must an sothing great. Unfortunately, Charishe didn't know any of that.
With a dismissive shrug, Charishe waved over one of the Tall-eared Workers. It nodded, scampered off, and returned shortly after with a tray carrying four skewers, each holding steaming red cubes.
Kivas took hers eagerly. Samael followed, chewing without hesitation.
"Did you put so kind of illegal substance here to make it addictive?" Kivas said it with no filter, while casually enjoying it in her mouth.
"Hehehe, it's a trade secret." Charishe grinned. "But don't worry, it's not sothing that will negatively affect you or sothing. The opposite actually, all of my food cos with benefits!"
"Like a food buff!" Kivas snapped her finger.
In return, Charishe did the sa. "You got it, friend!"
Kivas and Samael walked while eating, letting the last legs of the tour pass with casual conversation.
After a few more points of interest—a new forge node under construction, a spiritual garden used for harvesting herbs and blessed vegetations,and a quarry filled with floating boulders—Charishe ca to a halt and turned to them.
"So. That's Solvish Keep," she said, hands on her hips. "Anything else?"
Kivas chewed, swallowed, and shook her head. "Nope."
Samael gestured vaguely with her skewer. "This is sufficient."
Charishe chuckled. "Short and sweet. I like that."
Kivas looked up from her food. "Do you get anything from doing this?"
"Obviously, I am!," Charishe replied. "I report any vagabonds I guide and help to the inn and the guild. The inn gives a commission pay and joint collaboration. The Guild rewards in services, sotis Curios, and maybe a relic!
"Not to ntion, you're a noble too~"
Kivas frowned slightly. "They can tell?"
Charishe pointed at Kivas's Void Hunter Tag. "Noble will have their tags faintly flicker in the rune core. You have a strong soul structure innately. People pay attention to that."
Kivas didn't seem bothered. She took another bite.
Samael didn't seem to care either, so Kivas didn't think much of it.
"Well," Charishe stretched, "I'll be around. Enjoy the Bastion. Try not to die~!"
Kivas smiled and waved. "Thanks for everything."
Samael offered a polite nod, and the two departed with skewers still in hand.
They walked in silence for a while, letting the rhythm of the keep settle into their senses.
The people had different forms and different auras, but their movents carried shared intent—survive, contribute, rest, repeat.
Bastion life seed cyclical, ritualized, but not chanical and stiff.
It might be a great brand new experience to uncover slowly over ti.
Kivas licked her fingers clean. "So, what now? Should we hit the inn?"
Samael gave a small glance sideways. "I recomnd going to the church first."
Kivas tilted her head. "Why?"
"You haven't advanced your class at all."
Kivas's Priest class still sat at a comfortable Lv1.
She needed to do an activity related to priest until she can see any progress.
Kivas raised her brows, thoughtful. "True, I haven't noticed anything new."
"That's because you haven't sought anything new."
Kivas gave her a sideways look. "Why don't you guide then?"
Samael's mouth curved. "As much as I dislike giving you to soone else—"
"That's adorable of you."
"—I'm curious. Human institutions intrinsically fascinate ." Samael ignored Kivas' teasing attempt. "When I was a dragon, I had no access to them. No chance to understand how they breathe from the inside..
"Church is one of the places that I often want to visit because of its constant evolution of culture, lore, and thod."
"Since it is referred to as a church, is there any kind of major religion being prosetlyzed around in Fathomi?"
"Well, all sorts of religions exist," Samael pondered. "But a church can run without the core of religion, and only as a dium to supply services to the people."
"Oooh."
They turned down a quieter street, heading toward the do-arched church they passed earlier. But before they could cross the wide stone path leading to the front stairs, a tug pulled at both their awareness.
"Hmm?"
The presence was small, tight, but dense—pressurized like gravity wrapped in cloth.
A figure stood at the base of a nearby well. A girl—or at least sothing girl-sized—watched them with an unreadable expression. Her oversized katana rested against her shoulder, disproportionately massive for her fra.
A black leathery cloak clung to her short form, and two large, rounded rat ears twitched atop her head.
She stepped forward and raised a hand.
"Azulus," she introduced, her voice clipped and confident.
Kivas extended her own hand, smiling, but Samael intercepted the gesture with her own arm, stepping forward slightly.
"What's your business?"
Azulus didn't flinch. Instead, she reached into her cloak and retrieved a Void Hunter Tag. It was the sa black hexagonal form, runes dancing in the core—but instead of a G, hers bore an F, etched more deeply, surrounded by a faint ripple of resonance.
"I snatched a very high quality request. A good one. High-tier! I noticed you two just got registered, so I'm thinking of getting you two on my expedition."
Kivas slamd the bottom of her fist to her palm. "Ah, right, you're there in the guild."
Kivas wanted to comnt about how she thought that Azulus was a stray child without the oversized katana, until she rembered that there was no such thing as a child in this world as everyone didn't age and just got transferred here in an already finalized state.
But after a certain consideration, Kivas decided to not say that.
Azulus gave a casual nod. "I offered a lot of people in the guild and also those outside of the building, but all of them miraculously were already in an expedition or in preparation for it."
The rat girl didn't seem to lie, as Kivas rembered clearly that she was indeed trying to recruit people left and right inside and outside the guild.
Samael said nothing, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Azulus held her gaze without backing down.
"So, no allegiance, no oath. You want in?"
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