"War? This can't be the first time something like this has happened though," Eik wondered out loud.

"It's not. Well, not exactly. It's been a couple hundred years at least since anything of this scale happened last as far as I know. Clashes between the alliance and the cult are not uncommon, but this is our headquarters. It's different than fighting over territory on some random world."

He nodded along.

"Are you from a new world."

"It's that easy to tell, huh?"

She shrugged, the other one snorting rudely behind her. "This is pretty basic stuff for any kid living under the alliance. It's important stuff to know. The cult is a real and current threat that is not shy about using underhanded, cowardly, and difficult to detect methods to gain the upper hand."

"Then we should use underhanded, cowardly, and difficult to detect methods as well."

"Hah! Such dishonorable thoughts are exactly what I would expect from someone like you! Disgusting!"

"If cowardice and underhandedness is what you need to survive, would you not use it to the fullest?"

"Of course not!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And if the lives of your friends were on the line? Your parents'? Hers?" he asked, nodding at the one with the short hair.

She frowned but refused to budge. "Have you no pride at all?"

Expressionless, he stared into her angry eyes. "No."

Taken aback by an answer that she didn't quite seem able to comprehend, she was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Eik! Eik!" a voice called.

"Little Bin!" he said and crouched down to catch her in a big hug. He swung her around in the air as she giggled. "How are you? Are you alright, cutie?"

The giggling stopped. "I still can't find my mommy and daddy."

"I know. I can't find my friends either. It seems we're both in a bit of trouble, aren't we?"

"Yeah. I want to find them."

"Me too! How about we help each other out, huh? Two pairs of eyes are better than one, after all"

She threw her arms around his neck. "Yes!" She seemed to have become incredibly attached to him incredibly quickly. Maybe it had something to do with him being the one who came and got her when she was frightened and alone.

"We're sticking together from now on then!" He threw her up onto his shoulders to sit. "Where are her mom and dad anyway? And shouldn't there be more staff around in a place like this?"

"You don't need to know th—"

"Almost all of the staff have been sent away for now. My lord and my lady have great concern for the safety of each and every employee," the polite one interrupted. "They are out helping the community and fighting the cultists but should be back very soon. They don't like to leave the young lady alone for too long during such dangerous times."

"Understandable."

From the front entrance, a man in robes came running at great speed. He stopped and whispered something into her ear. She nodded along as he spoke, barely any reaction showing on her face. "Thank you for the report. You're dismissed." With a quick bow, he left the way he had come.

"Good news, Mr. Eik. We believe we've located your companions. My lord and lady will bring them along on the way home so that you may reunite."

A breath he hadn't realized had been stuck in his throat released and a weight on his shoulder lightened. "Oh, thank you!" he said sincerely, taking her hands in his. "That's amazing! Thank you so much! Are they all okay?"

"I can't say, but they were asking about you."

"Alright, that's enough," the daughter of the house said and slapped his hands away from the servant's.

"Where's my mom and dad?" Bin piped up.

The woman, hesitant to answer, exchanged a look with Eik and shook her head lightly. He pulled the little girl off his shoulders and held her against his chest so she could sit on his forearm. "We'll still search for them together, alright, little Bin?" he said with a grin. "I'll make sure you find them."

Bin's lower lip quivered as tears pushed their way out and down her cheeks. The rude lady clicked her tongue in annoyance and he heard her mutter under her breath. "Don't promise shit you don't know if you can keep." A lump formed in Eik's throat.

"Tell you what, Bin, how about I fix us up something to eat? Are you hungry?" She shook her head and buried her face in his shoulder. He stroked her brown hair, rocking back and forth on his feet as he eyed the elf with the short hair. "Can I borrow your kitchen?" he mouthed.

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A faint smile touched her lips as she nodded and Eik started back toward the garden entrance.

"I saw a kitchen when I explored the house earlier," he called back to the two women. "When my friends get here, could you tell them to come to the garden? I saw some comfy-looking lounge chairs there before so Bin and I will be waiting for them in those!"

***

Eik went adventuring in the pantries and magical refrigerators with Bin, digging up all kinds of interesting ingredients. Bin, who had seen at least some of these ingredients before helped him pick out her favorites. He wasn't about to start boiling, frying, or grilling anything without knowing what it was so they went with something he felt at least marginally familiar with.

In a sealed bag they found a bread-like substance that resembled Asian steamed buns. That would do alright as a sandwich adjacent dish, right? Bin pointed out all that ingredients she wanted stuffed in hers and they made it together. Eik tasted it all along the way and set aside everything he wanted in his own.

Before going back to the garden, Eik caught Bin sneaking a bite of her food. Plenty of cured meats filled both of their stuffed buns, Bin showing a clear preference for meat and animal fats.

Eik also put in lots of vegetables. A lettuce-like, blue leaf provided an amazing crunchy texture along with an acidic undertone that complemented the dressing perfectly. The dressing seemed dairy-based, but unlike anything he'd tasted on Earth. It had better not be insect milk if such a cursed thing existed anywhere in the Unified Mass.

While he was trying to make sense of it by associating the ingredients with an Earth equivalent, what he was eating could really be almost anything and he wouldn't have a clue. It made it a little exciting but also a rather dreadful adventure.

"Is there anywhere I can take you until we find your mom and dad, little Bin?" Eik asked as they walked back out into the sun, heading for the row of lounge chairs. "Like family or friends?"

She shook her head. "I ran away from my house with my mommy and daddy."

"Why did you run away?"

"There were bad things and we had to run away."

"Only the three of you ran away?"

"I don't know. But my daddy was crying. He said we have to come here and that it's safe here."

Damn. Talk about bad luck. "Do you remember how long it has been since you ran away?"

She squinted as she thought back. "I don't remember."

So probably not recently then. "That's okay, little Bin." He put down his plate on one the small tables that were placed next to each of the lounge chairs. Picking her up under her arms, he sat her in one of the oversized chairs. "Let's dig in, yeah? I can't wait to eat this food you picked out for me!"

"You have to tell me if you like it, Eik."

"Oh course I will! I'm the most honest man in the world and I am physically incapable of telling a lie. However bad this food ends up tasting, I promise I won't—" he said, biting into his stuffed bun and interrupting himself mid sentence. "Oh! Oh, wow! Bin, this is absolutely amazing! This is exactly what I was hoping for!"

The little girl beamed brightly and Eik's heart melted.

By the time Heath slowly walked around the corner, Eik and Bin were leaning comfortably back in the lounge chairs while he listened to her talk about her favorite foods, the garden she used to play in, and the many toys her father had made for her by hand.

"Guys! Welcome! I'm so glad you could make it!"

Heath stopped in his tracks as an expression of undisguised astonishment spread itself across his features. The others all bumped into him one by one as they too came around the corner. For seconds they all just stared at the scene in silence, the contrast between the battlefield and this vacation picture too ridiculous to comprehend.

"How…" Michael began, throwing his hands into the air. "How do you manage to come out on the other side of everything like this? You could walk naked through a sewer and still climb out dressed in a ten thousand dollar custom tailored tuxedo!"

Bin had crawled over to sit on Eik's lap where she buried her face in his shirt, frightened by all the new people suddenly showing up. He stroked her hair soothingly while he thought of how to answer that particular greeting. "Well, anyway, there's food in the kitchen if you're hungry."

"We were looking for you!" Olivia scolded and zoomed over at B-rank speed to give him a rib-cracking hug.

"I was unconscious!" he gasped.

She pulled back as Bin began to whimper. "And who's this little cutie?"

Eik peeled the little girl off his shirt. "This is my big sister. Her name is Olivia. Why don't you tell her your name?"

Too shy to meet Olivia's eyes, her little tusks quivered as she spoke. "Bin."

Eik saw clearly the moment his sister melted inside. "Do you live here, Bin?"

"No, I can't find my mom and dad."

"Oh…"

"Yeah, I found her close to one of the raid sites and didn't know what else to do, so I took her with me. When I woke up, I heard they'd found you guys so we were waiting until you arrived, but we have to go look for them. I promised her." Michael, Sonja, and Heath stood around them, making Bin even more uncomfortable.

Presumably not all had survived their trials. None of the F-rankers or E-ranker were present. The swords woman who must have been in the forest with Eik somewhere was also not there. Travis Lockwood and Carl Haness were also gone. "Did we lose this many?"

"Travis went back to Earth the moment he got out," Heath said.

"What about Carl Haness and the others?"

Michael bit the inside of his cheek. "All dead…"

"Aah, crap," Eik sighed and fell back into the lounge chair again. "Elaine is going to be devastated."

"Travis probably already told her."

"Yeah…"

"Seriously, I can't believe you managed to save some damn noble lady twice in ten minutes," Heath said, changing the topic. "We met her dad. He's ridiculously powerful and he absolutely loves you. I think he's going to try to get you to marry his daughter, dude."

"I do not want to marry that woman," he said. "And I highly doubt she would want to marry me either."

"Why?" Sonja asked.

"She's… uuh, crazy?"

"Dude… Wow," Heath said with disapproval.

"Just hold your judgment until after you've met her. Did her parents come here with you?"

"No, but they should be right behind us, basical—"

"Eik, our honored friend! How lovely to see you up and about!" a masculine voice echoed through the garden.

By the time they looked back, he was already standing right at the foot of Eik's lounge chair, making the lot of them jump in surprise. "Ah, yes, thank you for the hospitality, uuh… I'm sorry I wasn't able to hear your name when we last met." Eik hurried to sit up, the air about the man compelling him. He was powerful. Extremely so.

He bowed deeply. "My apologies for the late introduction. Andihar, patriarch of house Dayarunar at your service."

"Thank you so much for healing me," Eik said sincerely. "I'm usually out for a few days after something like that."

"Oh, don't worry. That's all thanks to my wife. An A-rank healer like her can easily fix a D-ranker like you."

"She's an A-rank healer?" Michael gasped before he could stop himself.

"She most certainly is."

"Are you an A-ranker as well?" Heath asked bluntly.

"No, I'm afraid not," Andihar said. "No, I'm an S-ranker."

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