(The older boy has Lance by the shirt)

Older Boy: HEY there Swordfighter! Did you miss me? Hand over your money!

Lance: His name was Blake Armstrong. My lunch money was lost to him for several years. ...He was not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Theo: But how did you begin your journey?

Lance: Oh, well...

(The panel now shows the town on fire)

Lance: One day, my hometown burned to the ground.*

Narrator: Lance is not one to mince words.

Lance: I never found out the cause behind it. I was on an errand during the fire... By the time I got back, it was too late. I couldn't find my parents. They're probably dead. I don't think anyone survived but me.

(Lance's sword is shown)

Lance: That was ten years ago. Since then, I managed to save up enough money to purchase my first sword. I decided that I would make my living by becoming a mercenary. So now I travel to look for jobs and adventure.

Theo: That is a sorrowful tale.

Lance: Well, I'm the main character. I can't have live parents or anything.

Theo: What was the name of the town?

Lance: Kindling. In hindsight, that was probably a bad name.