Chapter 38: Dreams [Bonus]

Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Dreams [Bonus]

They walked.

No plan. No destination. Just the open road and the desert stretching out before them. The sun had set completely now, and the sky was a deep, dark blue. Stars appeared one by one, scattered across the darkness like tiny diamonds. The air was cool. Comfortable. A welcome change from the scorching heat of the day.

Daniel walked with his hands in his pockets. His posture was relaxed. Casual. He looked like a man without a care in the world. Like he was strolling through a park instead of trudging through a desert.

Lyra walked beside him. Her cane was gone now. She didn’t need it anymore. She moved with confidence, her eyes taking in everything. The stars. The sand. The way the moonlight reflected off the dunes. She had never seen any of this before. Not really. Not with her own eyes.

Fluffy walked behind them. Her steps were small. Quick. She had to hurry to keep up. But she didn’t complain. She just followed.

Daniel reached into his inventory and pulled out a piece of meat. He handed it to Fluffy without looking.

Fluffy’s eyes lit up. Her ears perked up. Her little bunny tail—a small, fluffy ball of fur—wiggled with excitement. She grabbed the meat with both hands and bit into it. Her cheeks puffed out. Her eyes glazed over.

"Thank you, Master," she mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Daniel nodded. He kept walking.

They walked in silence for a while. The only sounds were the crunch of sand under their feet and Fluffy’s happy chewing. The desert was quiet. Peaceful.

Then Daniel spoke.

"Hey, Lyra."

She looked at him. "Yes?"

"Do you have any dreams? Any goals? Something you’ve always wanted to do?"

Lyra was quiet for a moment. She looked at the stars. At the endless desert. At the road ahead.

"I..." She hesitated. "I’ve always wanted to be an adventurer."

Daniel glanced at her. "An adventurer?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I know it sounds stupid. A blind girl wanting to be an adventurer. But I used to hear stories. From travelers. From merchants. They would come to my family’s estate and talk about their adventures. The monsters they fought. The treasures they found. The places they visited."

Her voice grew softer. More wistful.

"I would sit in my room and listen. I couldn’t see anything. But I could imagine. I could picture it all in my head. The mountains. The forests. The oceans. I wanted to see them. I wanted to experience them."

She paused.

"And I wanted to join a guild. A real adventurer’s guild. I wanted to have a rank. A party. People who relied on me. People who trusted me."

Daniel listened. He didn’t interrupt.

"I know it’s just a dream," Lyra said. "A stupid, impossible dream. But... it’s what I’ve always wanted."

Daniel smiled. "It’s not stupid."

Lyra looked at him. "It’s not?"

"No. It’s not." He shrugged. "And it’s not impossible either. You have a class now. You have skills. You have guns. You’re stronger than most people in this world."

Lyra blinked. "I am?"

"Yeah. Your stats are five times higher than a normal human’s. And you have a unique class. That’s rare. Really rare."

Lyra was quiet. She looked down at her hands. At the palms that had once held nothing but a cane. Now they could hold guns. Now they could fight.

"I never thought of it that way," she said.

Daniel grinned. "That’s why you have me."

She rolled her eyes. But she was smiling.

They walked a bit further. Daniel turned to Fluffy.

"What about you? Any goals? Any dreams?"

Fluffy looked up from her meat. Her cheeks were stuffed. Her eyes were wide.

"Master’s goal is Fluffy’s goal," she said.

Daniel sighed. "That’s not what I asked."

"Fluffy wants what Master wants."

"No, that’s not—" Daniel stopped. He reached into his inventory and pulled out another piece of meat. "Okay. New rule. If you answer my question correctly, you get this meat."

Fluffy’s eyes locked onto the meat. She swallowed her current mouthful.

"Fluffy is listening."

"Good. So. What is your goal? Your dream? Something you want for yourself? Not for me. For you."

Fluffy thought about it. Her brow furrowed. Her ears twitched. She was silent for a long moment.

Then she spoke.

"Fluffy’s goal is the meat."

Daniel stared at her.

"That’s not—"

"Fluffy wants the meat. That is Fluffy’s goal."

"No, you can’t just—"

"Fluffy answered correctly. Fluffy gets the meat."

Daniel opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.

"That’s not how this works."

Fluffy held out her hands. Her eyes were wide. Pleading. Her tail was wiggling.

Daniel sighed. He handed her the meat.

"Fine. You win."

Fluffy grabbed the meat and hugged it to her chest. She was smiling. A bright, happy smile.

Daniel shook his head. He looked at Lyra. She was laughing.

"She’s impossible," Daniel said.

"She’s hungry," Lyra corrected.

"Same thing."

They walked on. The desert stretched out before them, endless and empty. The stars twinkled overhead. The moon cast a pale light on the sand.

"Well," Daniel said, "adventurers it is then."

Lyra’s face lit up. "Really?"

"Really. We’ll find a guild. Get you registered. Get you a rank. The whole thing."

Lyra’s smile was so wide it looked like it might split her face. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Daniel waved a hand. "Don’t thank me yet. We have to find a city first. And a guild. And—"

He stopped.

Something was moving in the distance. A dark shape against the starry sky. Large. Fast. Coming toward them.

Daniel squinted. His eyes adjusted. The shape grew clearer.

It was a lizard. A giant lizard. With thick, leathery skin the color of rust. With powerful legs and a long tail. With a head full of teeth and two beady, black eyes.

The same lizard from before.

Lyra saw it too. Her hand went to her gun.

Fluffy whimpered. She hid behind Daniel.

Daniel stared at the creature. It was running straight at them.

"Well," he said. "Shit."