"So, what was this about being ripped off by a monk? I never thought they had the guts to deceive anyone."

It came as no surprise that Yunho was the first to attempt a friendship with Wooyoung. As they wandered the mountains with their heads tucked between their shoulders, Yunho's optimism radiated warmth. Snowflakes danced through the air to settle in a shallow layer on the ground. Seonghwa could see his breath and the cold air stabbed at his lungs. Every step had his feet tow through the dirt and his entire weight rested on his staff, but he was glad he could still walk.

Though he suspected he wouldn't do it much longer. He wished to push through at least to Briar Glen. By the time they found the witch, he might be half-unconscious and caught in his fever dreams. He would only become a burden on his friends when there was no other way.

His fever held him warm. Though it garnered uneasy glances from left and right.

Hongjoong wasn't uneasy. He stared at Seonghwa as if waiting for him to drop dead so he could be free of his duty.

"That's their fraud. They appear as gullible men of the chantry but they are smart. Read many books. Wrote many scriptures. That one knew exactly how I was planning to swindle him out of his purse. I still can't fathom how he did that." Wooyoung shook his head in disbelief. Seonghwa chuckled weakly where he limped behind the two.

"I knew right away who Seonghwa was even before I saw the cross. He was just too damn prepared."

Yunho exaggeratedly agreed.

"He's way too smart for his own good. Look how he reeled such unusual people in. No one can resist his charms."

Wooyoung glanced over his shoulder to eye the sickly priest. His fragile smile on a pale face warranted only a frown.

"I bet he's pretty when healthy. Even I fell into his trap, and I am a master of them. How did he convince you?"

"Honey," Yunho said with a grin. Wooyoung's hum was grave.

Their amusing banter eased Seonghwa's strain as he strolled by Jongho's side. Every so often, the soft soles of his wet shoes slipped on the snow, but the crusader was swift to catch him with a gallant arm. His blinding white uniform shone extra bright in their surrounding.

"Back then, I told the monk to sit in wait while I fetched him some water. I planned to mix some herbs into it to get him to sleep and then run with his purse. He blessed me as a faithful child and all. But when I came back, he offered me to share his meal with him, deceiving me into forgetting I had spiked his water! I was the one who fell asleep and when I woke up, he had run away!" Wooyoung gesticulated with both hands. Next to Yunho, he looked tiny with his pointy features.

Yunho gasped, and Perie made a similar noise in his bag. The weather was too cold for her body and she had grown lethargic. Seonghwa envied her for being carried in Yunho's bag.

"He definitely set you up."

"He did! I felt so betrayed. Loyal servants of God, as if. A scoundrel of a god, if anything!"

Yunho nodded along and spurred the lutin into more sensational stories that all sounded similar. A grand plan went wrong because of cunning opponents. At the third story, Seonghwa wondered if Wooyoung had ever succeeded in any raid, or if the bar to be a successful robber among lutins was that low. They counted every picked berry a triumph if they didn't get pricked by the plant.

Seonghwa enjoyed listening to him. Wooyoung's stories were peculiar, oddly inhuman in their character. Yet, Seonghwa detected no evil in them. He couldn't help but wonder if Hongjoong had such stories. Not that he ever left the church roof.

Time dragged as they had to take frequent pauses. The thin air and the coldness gnawed on Seonghwa's health and he blacked out for seconds at a time thrice. By the time Wooyoung announced they didn't have to climb further up, he let go of a relieved groan. Once they had rounded this part of the mountain, they would only have to descend to get to Briar Glen. They had mastered the worst passes.

No vegetation greeted them. Dead shrubs and bare stone cast in ice created a dreary atmosphere. The clouds were thick up here, and Seonghwa encountered snow whether he looked up or down.

After another break, they picked up their walk. They wanted to be as far down the mountain as possible before night fell. No wild cats came so far up, but it was dangerous to sleep in the cold.

It took them an hour to round the ridge. The thick clouds and hilly landscape didn't give a view of Briar Glen yet, but Wooyoung described it to them. Settled into the Wool Mountains, it was an impenetrable fortress that had seen eras pass. Its seclusion fascinated and sheltered people, which led to constant travel. In exchange, Briar Glen had turned into the most prominent city of their kingdom, and it cradled the royal palace.

No place was safer than Briar Glen. Seonghwa would have been ecstatic to explore it had he been in full health. Currently, he speculated if he would ever even lay eyes upon its rooftops. No one could know when he would pass out and not wake up anymore. The cold mountains would make a lonesome grave.

The descent was almost worse than the hike up. The snow bed was treacherous and gave way under their feet all the time. No step was safe, and they dug their staffs into the ground or skidded on their hands and feet until larger rocks cradled them.

By the time it got too dark to see the depths, even with the aid of a torch, Seonghwa gave in and called it a day. They made it out of the blizzard and only a few thin snowflakes tumbled onto the grey ground.

Perie searched for a suitable spot for them while Seonghwa rested on a boulder. Jongho had wandered off a few metres to sit alone and look into the stars, and Seonghwa found it soothing to do the same. His torment eased when he remembered how irrelevant his trial was. While he impacted those who knew him, he was replaceable. If he didn't return, Cardend would have a new priest. His group would move on and find other adventures to go on.

Seonghwa would get forgotten, like the stars.

"How are you feeling?"

Seonghwa craned his neck to look at Yunho. The man knelt next to him with an expression of sympathy as he offered Seonghwa a piece of his honeycomb. When the priest shook his head, Yunho ate it himself.

"I don't know how much time I have left. I don't want to disappoint you now that we are so near. Have you thought about what to do once you reached Briar Glen? It was your goal, wasn't it?"

Yunho hummed as he looked into the depths. Somewhere in the shadows, the dazzling city hid.

"I will sleep for at least two days. And then eat all the good food."

Seonghwa grinned.

"And then pick up some girls."

With a wink, Yunho stretched his arms over his head.

"You know me too well, Father."

For a moment, they shared the silence. Somewhere to their left, Hongjoong scratched his claws over the rock to file them and produced harrowing noises. Jongho picked up his wood carving. The sword he had made to give Seonghwa strength was still in his bag, carefully tucked into a safe corner.

"It would be best if you got a cart or some other sumpter in town. The less energy you waste, the longer you can sustain it. I almost feel as if I have to accompany you. Things get nasty if I don't. And as much as I don't want to see that enchantress, I want to see you live."

Seonghwa was touched. They had travelled together for a while, so Yunho felt like the first real friend Seonghwa had ever made. Seonghwa would never push him to reconsider his verdict. Yet, his change of opinion was sweet.

"I would be happy if you do. I don't know if I can mediate between Hongjoong, Wooyoung and Jongho."

It sounded downright impossible with just those three.

As if to approve of Seonghwa's sentiment, a sharp cry echoed in the mountains. It came undeniably from Wooyoung and was followed by more distant yells.

Yunho helped Seonghwa to his feet before he could stagger. With a fleeting smile, he ducked into the camp to check for intruders. Jongho ran ahead while Seonghwa followed behind at the pace of a turtle.

When he made it to the location of unrest, he was surprised to find a cave. It was a hole dug into the mountain, barely enough to fit them all, but Perie throned on top of it with proudly stretched wings. The cry hadn't been hers to inform them, however.

In the cavern was a discarded camp. Furs lay ripped apart and sprinkled with dried blood across the stone floor. Some burst wood reminded of a cooking space and loose papers strewed around. Amid it all stood a heavy cast iron chest. And on top of the chest, or rather slung around it like a snake protecting its eggs, was a man.

His hair was dark and hung into his face clumsily cut. Wide eyes conveyed shock as Wooyoung's screech had surprised him, but he didn't look to attack. Though the assortment of knives on his belt kept Seonghwa watchful.

Jongho stood with his blade drawn at the entrance of the cave. Hidden halfway behind him and flickering in visibility, stood Wooyoung. His hands clutched the knight's cape.

"What are you?!" Wooyoung called, his brittle voice not nearly as authoritative as he wanted.

Behind Seonghwa, Yunho arrived and plucked Perie to his side. In shared curiosity, they stared at the man.

"I'm an adventurer. What are you?" The man asked back. He flicked his head to throw his hair out of his face before his eyes narrowed.

"You better aren't after my treasure."

Seonghwa looked at the trunk, then back at him.

"We're not, we're just passing through," he guaranteed. Wooyoung stepped out behind Jongho.

"Treasure?" He asked with glinting eyes. Like a moth drawn to light, he floated closer to sit in front of the man. Expectantly, he glanced between him and the chest.

"It's mine," the stranger said. His arms tightened their hold. Wooyoung pouted.

"I just want to see. Can you show me?"

Not convinced, the stranger looked at their odd group. Jongho put his sword away when no threat came from him and Yunho leaned against the wall in interest, too.

"Please excuse his greed. We set up camp outside on the way down and found you by coincidence."

The stranger nodded, not convinced. Then, his hands retreated to fiddle with the chest's lock.

"I don't mind you, then. I found this myself, so I do not know what's in there, but you can look, if you want. As long as you keep your paws off." He sent a warning gaze at Wooyoung, and the lutin nodded faster than he had finished. He swayed back and forth with his feet in his hands as he waited.

The suspense was killing them as the lock clicked and clacked but never opened. Seonghwa wanted it to be done with so he could get Wooyoung and leave, but the chest posed a challenge. The stranger cursed under his breath as his lock pick kept bending.

"...my apologies, I rarely have an audience. Usually, I'm good at this. Ah, hell."

A few more moments of conflict cast them in embarrassed silence. The stranger blushed by now in the light of the torch he had brought. His fumbling fingers started shaking.

"I'm fantastic at picking open locks. Closed ones are... intense."

Seonghwa felt Hongjoong's presence behind him when even the patient gargoyle wondered what kept them. The smile on Wooyoung's face had died out as he sat in strain.

The stranger cleared his throat.

Seonghwa smiled at him politely.

"Perhaps we should leave you alone? Come on, Wooyoung."

Even the lutin had lost interest. When he stood, the man cursed repeatedly as the lock pick dug into his fingers.

"No, stay! Now I have to prove it! What kind of adventurer would I be if I can't pick a lock?" Frustrated, he jabbed at the latch harder.

Without a word, Yunho positioned Perie on Hongjoong's shoulder and ducked into the cave. The stranger flinched when Yunho's shadow fell over him, then he smiled ashamedly. Yunho beamed at him when he crouched by his side.

Large palms settled over the jerky hands of the stranger.

"Here, hold it between two fingers. This part keeps still. Then, click."

The lock clicked open.

Yunho's hands lingered for a moment before he retreated. When he looked at the stranger, the other man stared back, full of awe. Then he averted his blushing face.

"Thank you," he muttered in a rush. "I'm San."

Yunho smiled his biggest smile.

"I'm Yunho."