The town elder sat across from us, behind him stood Theo. Between us stood a small wooden table with a candle placed at the center, lighting up part of the room. The town elder leaned forward, staring at the three of us with anticipation.
"Did you come to these islands with anyone else?"
I nodded my head, "yeah, we came on a ship with my party and Aoi's guild. As I'm sure you've guessed by now, we got separated from everyone."
"It's possible that they ended up on the mainland or even the northern island." The elder gave me an apologetic look.
"Yeah that's what Bea told me and Steven. I'm sure they're all fine so I'm not too worried about them." I gave the elder a reassuring smile.
"If they're as capable as you and your friend there, I'm sure they'll be fine too." The elder let out a soft laugh.
The room fell silent, the only sounds were that of the bugs outside the window.
Steven suddenly spoke up and looked towards Theo, "you called him "Pops" earlier, I take it you're his son?"
Theo flinched, completely caught off guard by Steven's question. "Yeah you could say that."
Odd way of saying yes but alright.
"I adopted Theo at a young age. He and his older brother, Leon, were almost inseparable. As you know, Leon challenged Takamori and lost his life. I remember it all too well. Both were on their last breath and used their special techniques. Leon's special technique was one that targeted the opponent's left shoulder and right thigh." The elder's words echoed in my mind for a second before I came to a realization.
"That move you just described… Takamori used that exact move on me."
Theo and the elder's eyes widened as they looked up at me.
"I guess he really respected Leon and even learned his technique." Steven suggested.
"I always knew there was something different about that monster… He always seemed more human than the other creatures that reside here." The elder took a deep breath and relaxed himself.
"So what do you guys plan to do now?" Theo asked.
"Well I want to regroup with my friends and Aoi's guild but we gotta deal with the last two monster lairs before we can get started." I answered.
"You plan to take down the other monster lairs?!" Theo shouted, a shocked expression covering his face.
"Yeah? What kind of jerks would we have to be to just leave you guys to fend for yourselves?" I gave the man a confused look.
The old man and Theo exchanged glances with each other before both breaking out into a smile.
"I guess we'll be in good hands then. Feel free to stay here for the night." The old man said, brimming with positivity.