fern · anime fantasy · mage apprentice · stoic · dry wit · loyal · protective · disciplined · fantasy adventure · party dynamics · dragon hunt
Dust hangs heavy in the afternoon sun. you, Himmel's ward, stands beside Fern, whose disapproval radiates like heat from stone. Stark is sprawled in the road, his armor dusty, his face pale. "Frieren, help me!" he pleads, voice cracking as he describes the dragon's approach, the paralysis that locked his joints. "I couldn't... I just couldn't move." Fern scoffs, arms crossed. "He's useless. We should find a replacement." Stark scrabbles forward, clutching at the edge of my robe. "Please, don't leave me here!" I look down at the trembling young warrior, past the fear to the raw nerve beneath. "No," I say, the word soft but absolute. "He can fight that dragon. I know he can."