Chapter 3

Previously in NWC-

Reno arrived at the small village of Bambadale. Reno was able to quickly find work as carpenter a carpenter in the village, setting out to fix the fences around the village. Luna gave Reno some insight on how the village functions despite being so removed from the capital city. It's revealed that Bambadale is the last place on this planet that still harbors faith for Luna as a goddess. Reno begins his first day as a member of the village of Bambadale... 

"What? You don't like me being supportive?" He holds his hands up defensively, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

Ignoring Reno, Luna carries on. "I already told you about the other gods that joined forces to subdue me."

"Yeah, I remember that part."

"Well, that was over 300 years ago."

"Damn! You're old as fu-"

"I am not! I'll have you know I'm one of the youngest goddesses!"

"So you're just an over grown baby?"

"Stop being mean!" If Luna had cheeks, she would be puffing them angrily.

"Stop being so easy to mess with."

"…" 

"Why'd you get quiet all of a sudden?"

"I'm not talking to you anymore."

"You just did?" Reno smiles with a hint of amusement.

"Hmpf!"

"I should probably be working on these fences anyways…" Reno begrudgingly begins hammering away at every fallen board he can see in town. Before he realizes it, a large group of men enter the village through the back entrance. "Looks like the working day is over…" Reno waits until the men pass to keep hammering. "I should probably go see the mayor soon… I hope I'll be able to stay in the barn at least…" Fixing a couple more fences, he decides it's time to call it a day. He makes his way back to the town hall, greeting the mayor. "Hello, Mayor, I'm back."

"Ahh! The carpenter, what was your name again?"

"I don't think I ever told you… it's Reno."

"Reno, I talked to the farmers, and they apparently have a room that's perfect for you! A couple of weeks ago they made a little room in one of the barns for the kids to stay in overnight as a 'camping' trip. They said they'd be more than happy to let you use it for as long as you need."

"Really? They don't want anything in return?"

"They said what you did to those fences was more than enough. It might not seem like what you did was very important, but small things like that can mean a lot to others."

"I mean, I'm glad I could help, but anyone could do what I did." Reno, places a finger to his chin as he responds, looking at the mayor in confusion.

"They could… but they'd much rather relax after a hard day's work." The mayor nods his head as he justifies himself.

"That's true…" Reno's thought are interrupted by a man entering the building.

"Oh! You're the young man who was fixing all the fences!" The man looks at Reno with a slight hint of excitement.

"Yes, that was me." Reno turns to face the man, slightly caught off guard by his sudden entrance.

"So then you're the one who'll be staying in the barn for the time being." The man speaks with enthusiasm, a smile spread across his face. 

"Yes sir, that's correct." Reno does his best to be as polite as possible.

"There's no need to be formal, boy! The mayor said you're a 'likeminded individual' if you catch my drift." The man raises his eyebrows slightly to emphasize his words.

"If I could kill three people, I'd kill the king three times." 

"We got ourselves a keeper! You'll find yourself at home in no time!" The man laughs, nodding his head in agreement.

"(I feel like humans get more malicious the longer they exist…)" Luna continues to think to herself as she listens in on Reno's conversations.

"I'm sure you must be tired from all the workin' so I won't talk your ear off. I'll point you towards the barn and let you at it!" The man starts walking to 

"Have a good night's sleep, young Reno!" The mayor waves Reno off. Returning to the papers on his desk. 

The farmer holds the door open for Reno. As they walk outside he points to a silo a good distance from the wall. "See that there silo? You can't see it too well until you get outside the gate, but there's a barn right next to it. We were usin' the attic for the kids to play around in occasionally, but you can use it for as long as you need."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want the kids to lose their playroom…"

"Nonsense! They prefer to antagonize the animals most of the time anyways."

"I see… well, thank you. I'll try to get out of your hair as soon as possible." Reno takes his first step, beginning the short journey to the barn.

"Alright then, I'd better get back home before the wife starts yellin' for me. You stay safe out there!" The man turns and begins walking down the street.

As the sun continues to fall below the horizon, Luna begins to appear to glow brighter. "Reno, the darker it gets, the harder it will be for me to conceal my presence."

"You mean I have to work all day and then hide you all night? When do I get a break?!" He lets out an exaggerated sigh in a jesting manner.

"As soon as we start getting my power back I'll be able to conceal myself easier."

"How's that add up? You're getting more power… so shouldn't it be HARDER to conceal yourself?" He begins thinking to himself as he continues walking. They finally make it to the edge of the town, seeing the barn next to the silo as they pass through the gate.

"Concealing magical power is a power in its own."

"That doesn't make sense to me, so you're wrong."

"What part are you not understanding?"

"All of it. I refuse to discuss this; you're wrong, end of discussion." Reno crosses his arms, turning his head to the side. 

"How is that fair?!" Luna raises her voice in protest. 

"I'm the one doing all the heavy lifting, that's how."

"I will admit that, as of right now, our agreement may be slightly one-sided…"

"I'm glad you're beginning to see it my way." He smiles stubbornly. 

"…"

"Are we ready to go to the barn and go to bed? I'm trying to wake up back home tomorrow."

"(He still hasn't figured it out…) Yes, let us be off."

It takes Reno nearly ten minutes to finally reach the barn after leaving through the gate. "It seems so much closer until you realize you have to walk the whole damn thing…" Looking around, he notes a small shack not too far that has a sign identifying it as a toilet. "Thank god I don't have to do my business outside." He enters the barn through the door on the side. To his pleasant surprise, there were no animals. "Ahh, thank God! There's no freaking animals!"

"It appears as if they use this to store the food for the animals."

"Looks like it… now, how do we get to the attic?" While closing the door, Reno spots a spigot. "Oh! Does this thing work?" He rushes over and twists the valve. Water begins flowing out shortly after. "Finally, something to drink! I haven't had anything since I woke up!" He quickly downs a large quantity of water and shuts the valve off. "I wonder if they'll give me the money for what I did yesterday so I can buy a new pair of clothes?" 

"I'd imagine if you told them what the money was for, they'd be more than willing. After all, they wouldn't want you walking around the town smelling putrid."

"That's true, I guess… Until then I suppose I'm stuck sleeping in dirty clothes…" Reno continues searching for the attic entrance until he finally finds it. "I guess this ladder is what I'm looking for…" Reno spots a ladder in the far corner of the building. He slowly ascends to the attic where he is relieved to find a pile of straw that resembles a bed and not one or two, but five blankets. "They did say the kids would camp here sometimes… As bad as things are right now, this is a massive score! At least the one night I have to spend in this dream shouldn't be TOO terrible. I hope I remember this dream when I wake up. Knowing how to fix fences would be cool!" Reno quickly turns a blanket into a pillow, uses a blanket to cover the straw and then takes two more blankets to cover himself up.

"I see you're all ready for bed." Luna says, observing Reno as he gets comfortable.

"I'm exhausted… speaking of being ready for bed, could you maybe not glow so bright? The whole village might be able to see you when it gets completely dark."

"As I told you! I can't repress my magical energy until I've regained some of my power."

"Fine, but can you at least hide under something?"

Luna floats over to a nearby haybale and pushes her way in. "I suppose I can sleep here…"

Even though he can't see her, he still feels her gaze. "H-how about you just sleep over here with me? There IS one more blanket after all… We'll unfold it so it's not so heavy, that way you won't be crushed AND the blanket covers your light."

"Are you certain?!" Luna's speech is quick and her voice is riddled with excitement.

"I mean, making a goddess sleep in a haybale would be a pretty lame way to end this dream."

Luna quickly darts over before Reno even has time to grab the last blanket. "Thank you, Reno!"

"You can thank me by not shining in my face tonight. The faster I get to sleep, the faster I get to go back to reality."

"G…goodnight, Reno. (I'm not looking forward to tomorrow morning… He'll have a very rude awakening.)" Luna pushes her way under the newly unfolded blanket and gets comfortable.

"Goodnight, Luna." Reno lays his head down and covers himself, closing his eyes.

Night comes and goes while Reno sleeps peacefully. For Luna, however, things are a little different. Halfway through the night, she begins having nightmares, reliving her losing battle with the other gods. "No!" She's rudely awoken by her dream, almost flying out of her covers. She realizes she's returned to reality before making it all the way out of the blanket. With labored breathing, she "sits" silently in the quiet and dark room. "I've been having that dream more and more… perhaps my time to face them draws near…" 

As Luna sulks in her sorrows, the sleeping Reno turns over to face her. His hand flies from above, threatening to crush her. Before contacting the clueless and defenseless ball of light, his hand comes to a stop right above her. "Don't… worry… Arthur" he says between breaths. 

"Huh?!" Luna is surprised to feel Reno's hand gently press down on her, sending a wave of warmth through her. Rather than questioning it, she happily complies. Even though the sentiment wasn't meant for her, she takes what she can get. Soon after, she quickly finds herself falling back asleep, staying asleep until morning.

TO BE CONTINUED...