Cooler Trauss Pov(first person point of view)

  "Hey, Cooler!" Sarah called out as she walked beside me.

  "What?" I asked, gncing down at her.

  "Could you tell me about yourself? I just realized we don’t really know anything about each other. Plus, I want to know more! You can ask me stuff too. We can take turns-ask a few questions every day, get to know each other better!" she said with a bright smile, her emerald eyes gleaming with curiosity.

  "Um… excuse me. Aren’t you two forgetting someone?" Sylvarius said from behind, arms crossed as she walked behind us.

  Sarah looked back and giggled. "Oh, I meant you too, Aunty Sylvarius!"

  "Aunty?! I’ll have you know I’m a young woman!" Sylvarius cried out, her voice full of disbelief-which we both proceeded to ignore.

  I thought about Sarah’s words. If this journey was going to be a long one, then maybe opening up a little wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Building trust between us could make a real difference when things got tough. Normally, I don’t bother with this kind of thing-not even during high-stakes missions with seasoned teams. But Sarah’s different. She’s nine years old. Not a warrior, not a trained fighter. Just a girl. And yet, in that moment, I realized-she’s sharp, even though she doesn't know it. Maybe talking like this really would help us rely on each other when it counts. I agreed with her mindset-plus having a bond could mean the difference between life and death in unpredictable situations.

  “Sure, we can do that,” I finally said.

  “Yay!!” Sarah beamed. “Since you agreed, Cooler, you go first! Ask me something!”

  I paused to think. I didn’t want to ask something too personal or make her uncomfortable.

  “Hey, Sarah. If there’s ever a question you don’t want to answer, that’s completely okay. I won’t think less of you, alright?”

  She nodded eagerly. “Okay! Go on!”

  “What’s your favorite food?”

  She tilted her head, thinking for a second before grinning. “Cheesy food!”

  I nodded. “Nice choice.”

  “What about you? What’s your favorite food, Cooler?”

  “I-” I started, but Sylvarius cut in smoothly.

  “He likes fish. And pizza with mushrooms on top.”

  I blinked. Sarah blinked too, confused.

  “Wait… how do you know that?” I asked, caught off guard.

  “You always had a small food box whenever we went on missions,” Sylvarius said calmly, voice even and measured.

  Huh. That… made sense. But I didn’t think I’d ever eaten around others. I always waited until no one was watching—at least, I thought I did. Did I slip up once? Or did she just… pay that much attention?

  Sarah grinned. “I see, so Cooler likes that stuff. What about you, Sylvarius?”

  She hesitated-just a little-but answered anyway. “Fried chicken.”

  Sarah’s smile grew. “That sounds tasty!”

  “It is.” Sylvarius said with a small smirk.

  “Cooler.” Sarah said, turning back to me with pleading eyes. “Can we have pizza or fried chicken in the future?”

  “Only if we can get the ingredients from a nearby store, okay?”

  “YAY!!!”

  Sylvarius looked at me with a deadpan expression. “You’re spoiling her. Like an older brother or something.”

  “She’s a kid. She should enjoy herself,” I said calmly. “Besides, this journey’s going to be a long one.”

  Sylvarius exhaled sharply through her nose. “Yeah… yeah, I guess it is.”

  For some reason, I got the sense Sylvarius wanted to say more-maybe a lot more. Was it the way she spoke to me? Something in her tone? I wasn’t sure.

  But I’d figure it out eventually.

  Sylvarius pulled out her map, her eyes scanning the worn parchment. "Ah... we've traveled quite far from Zeledraeth. We should be reaching a small town soon-there’s an inn where we can rest and eat properly for a day or two before continuing."

  Sarah clenched her fists with a small, enthusiastic "Yes!" under her breath.

  Sylvarius traced a path on the map with her finger. "But first, we’ll need to get through those mountains up ahead. We have to be careful. This area is prone to ndslides-especially after recent rainfall."

  "Then we’ll have to tread carefully." I said, tightening the straps on my pack.

  The climb was slow and grueling. The path thinned as we went up, winding between loose rock and stone. With each step, the air thinned, and every breath felt like it was becoming less and less.

  Sarah’s boots slipped once or twice, and I had to reach out to steady her. Sylvarius was ahead, using her cws for grip as she navigated the rocks with practiced ease. I wasn't as lucky nor experienced as her-at one point, the slope beneath me gave way in a shallow slide, and I had to sm my sword down into the soil to stop myself from falling.

  “Cooler!” Sarah cried, reaching out from above.

  “I’m fine.” I grunted, teeth clenched as the bde dug deep into the rock face. With a sharp pull, I managed to get myself back up. “Sword's good for more than just fighting.”

  "That was so cool!" Sarah beamed, completely ignoring the fact I'd nearly fallen off a cliff.

  We kept moving.

  About halfway up, we heard a distant voice. “Help! Please-someone!”

  We turned our heads toward a narrow ledge just off the main trail. A young man and woman-travelers, by the looks of them-were trapped beneath a crumbling overhang(a dangerous spot where rocks are beginning to colpse or fall from above, posing a risk to anyone beneath it). Rocks tumbled around them like nature’s warning shot.

  “Hold on!” Sylvarius shouted, already shifting direction toward them.

  I motioned to Sarah to stay back and followed. Together, Sylvarius and I carefully approached. I used my bde again, driving it into the slope to anchor myself while I reached out. She used her cws to scale sideways like some kind of mountain cat. Sylvarius's experience could be seen with what she's doing.

  “Grab my arm,” I told the woman as she hesitated, her face pale with fear.

  When they both finally got across safely, Sylvarius and I helped them down to a ftter area.

  “You saved our lives,” the man said breathlessly. “Thank you.”

  “Stay low and stick to the wall if you want to make it down alive.” Sylvarius advised, brushing dust from her cloak with abit of annoyance. “And be quick.”

  The couple nodded and started their descent, moving fast but careful.

  Sarah whispered in my ear. "Sylvarius is rally caring isn't she?"

  "I heard that!" Sylvarius shouted without turning around.

  Sarah snickered, clearly not sorry in the slightest.

  By the time we reached the summit pass, the sun had gone down behind the mountains, and night time was closing in fast. We were scratched, tired, and dirty, but alive thankfully.

  Sarah flopped onto a rock and groaned. “This better be the comfiest inn in existence.”

  I chuckled. “You made it. That’s what matters.”

  Sylvarius crossed her arms, gncing back over the route we’d climbed. “Not bad for a bunch of amateurs.”

  I shot her a look. “You slipped twice.”

  She scowled. “I slid. Strategically.”

  Sarah ughed. “Aunty Sylvi, you fell on your butt and we all saw it.”

  “I WILL END YOU BRAT.”

  “Love you too.” Sarah chirped.

  I just sighed, shaking my head as we all looked toward the next stretch of road.

  We finally reached the edge of town after a long hour of walking along the road. It was long and tiring, but it felt worth it.

  “Town.” I announced like it was a holy word or some kind of utopia. “Civilization. A bath.”

  “And food.” Sarah added eagerly.

  Sylvarius nodded. “And a bed. One that isn’t a boulder or tree root. Nor bugs on the ground.”

  The moment we stepped into the town, the warm glow of nterns and the low hum of sleepy life welcomed us. It wasn’t fancy, but after a day like that, it might as well have been a castle to us.

  We found an inn not far from the entrance-small, cozy, and definitely worn around the edges, but it had a warm fire and, most importantly, rooms avaible. Thank you, Godess Vaasith!

  The innkeeper, a middle-aged woman with sleepy eyes and a calming voice, greeted us. “One room left, but it’s got three beds and a washbasin(a bowl attached to the wall of a bathroom, in which you wash your face and hands).”

  “That’ll do,” I said quickly before Sylvarius could start negotiating or threatening someone.

  As soon as we entered the room, Sarah sprinted to the bed closest to the window and flopped down, burying her face in the pillow. “I LIVE HERE NOW.”

  Sylvarius opened the wardrobe, sniffed, and immediately closed it again. “We will not be using that.”

  I sat on the edge of my bed and began unstrapping my gear. “We’ve had worse.”

  Sarah popped up. “Cooler, is it okay if I take the bath first?”

  “I would’ve said yes, but you’re already halfway there,” I replied, watching her grab a towel and dash toward the washroom like a goblin possessed.

  Sylvarius stared after her. “If she floods the floor, I’m bming you.”

  “I already bme me.”

  A few minutes ter, Sarah’s voice echoed from the washroom.

  “WHY IS THE WATER COLD?!”

  Sylvarius leaned back onto her bed. “Because the world is cruel and the gods find you hirious.”

  “I HEARD THAT!”

  “You were meant to, Brat.”

  Eventually, we all washed up, somewhat dried off, and colpsed onto our beds. The lights were out, the beds creaked faintly, and Sarah was already snoring softly like some kind of sleepy forest creature.

  Sylvarius broke the silence in a dry whisper. “If she kicks me in her sleep again, I’m throwing her out the window.”

  “I’m pretty sure she’s not even next to you.”

  “She’ll find a way.”

  I unknowingly stared at the ceiling in the dark.

  Tired. Bruised. But not alone.

  And somehow… that made all the difference.