As they made their way toward the outer gate, Maria turned to Rion. "Nice cloak!" she said, eyeing him up and down. "Can I have it?"
Rion gave her a flat look. "It wouldn't even match your outfit."
Maria glanced down at herself. "Ah, you're right… but I still want it. Maybe I'll knock you out with Marie and take it."
"Marie?" Ezra asked.
"My harp," Maria replied matter-of-factly.
"You named your harp!? And why's it so similar to your name?"
Maria paused. "Oh… it is."
"You didn't realize!?" Rion shouted.
Ezra laughed at the exchange. "Hahaha! You guys are too funny."
Rion and Maria turned to him and smiled.
"Anyway, I wanted to run something by you," Ezra said.
"Yeah?" they asked in unison.
"Well, technically, we're a party now, so I thought it'd be nice to have a name."
Rion and Maria stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.
"I was brainstorming while shopping… and I was wondering if 'Lost Keep' sounds fine to you guys." Ezra's cheeks were faintly red.
Rion smiled. "I like it."
Maria nodded. "Yeah, it's nice." She lifted her harp from her back and began to strum. "I'll make a ballad for us!"
"Lost Keep, the monsters we shall… sweep! And the treasures we shall reap—!" Maria's continued her ballad all the way to the outer gate. Lost Keep was officially born.
Upon reaching the outer gate Rion found the process of leaving the capital a lot easier than entering. People were still flowing in, but Lost Keep slipped out through the other passage, the exit. After the gatekeeper wished them a good day, the party officially entered the Kingdom of Rior.
Rion immediately noticed the change in scenery. Gone were Torren's grassy hills; now all that was ahead was a maze of thick, tall, twisted trees with dark green leaves. It was certainly eerie, yet at the same time oddly ambient in a way Rion could not describe.
Ezra, likely eager to return to his village, dashed ahead into the forest. Rion and Maria exchanged a look then a nod before hurrying after the red head. There was no turning back now.
As they walked, Rion looked up at the slivers of light peeking through the canopy above. "We should be out of the forest by evening, so no need to worry about spending the night here." Ezra said.
"Thank God," muttered Maria, jumping as a squirrel landed nearby.
"Are there monsters here?" Rion asked, peering deeper into the woods, he swore he saw a pair of yellow eyes watching him.
Ezra started fidgeting with his hammer flipping it in his hands. "I'm sure there are, but if we stick to the path, we'll be fine. This road leads straight to the capital so it's well maintained."
Rion nodded and jogged up to Maria, who still looked nervous, he offered his hand. She hesitated before eventually going to take it but then she seemed to come to a realization.
"H-how could I forget?"
"Forget what?" Ezra asked as he turned and kept walking backward.
Maria grinned. "In situations like this, you don't hold hands that's for children, instead you play the harp!"
Rion raised an eyebrow. "Pretty specific to you, but uh… yeah! play away." He gave her a thumbs up.
And play she did. "This song is what I'll use to knock out the Wyvern!"
Her melody was harsh and vicious. If anything, it made the forest even scarier, but she didn't seem to mind. Eventually Rion grew intimidated and to take his mind off it he formed a large ball of water between his hands, practicing, keeping in mind what Specter had taught him.
As Ezra looked back at the two, they looked insane, but regardless they had offered to help, and because of that he couldn't help but smile. Other travelers they passed on the road avoided the strange party in a scramble but Lost Keep didn't seem to noticed.
After a few hours and a couple of breaks, the day waned. And as the horizon shifted to a pink and orange hue, Lost Keep emerged from the forest.
(And thus, Lost Keep's adventure continues…)