"If you don't mind, I would love to team up with you."

"Uh... yeah... sure..._s'cool," replied Hiryu, scratching the back of his head as he did so. Hiryu had been avoiding Feon specifically out of anyone else in the guild. While it was true that Hiryu was typically stoic, independant and silent, he was also very comfortable with himself. Feon was in that particular age for Hiryu which made him very self conscious while around her. With the young girls, he saw them as children, older women he saw as his elders. But young ladies his own age were a bit of a kryptonite to Hiryu. His gaze scanned across the floor with doubt. "Yeah so... I took a job already. Escort; merchant." he mumbled in incomplete sentences. "So-uh... you~ goodtogo?" he asked, somehow managing to make eye contact with Feon and not melt into a puddle where he stood.

Strangely enough, he didn't have this issue with the Guild Master Chizuru. At first, before he knew her, he felt awkward, but as he quickly understood what kind of personality she was, her overt sexuality put Hiryu at ease.

Erin took Ezekiel's hand and hopped off the motorcycle, her brother had picked her up from her house in the mountains since she had been begging him to take her to the guild. "Aaand we're here, welcome to the Golden Dragoon Guild" Ezekiel said before walking into the dragon's mouth and Erin followed him making sure to stick close. When they reached he bottom of the stairs Erin's eyes were drawn to the many people bustling around the area. "So what are we supposed to do now that we're here Eze?" She asked before brushing some ice out of her hair and off her shoulers.

The strange half human, half cat boy was indeed a rather curious specimen; curiosity being something that Charlotte was particularly bad at ignoring. Once Chizuru was done playing with him, inevitably forcing him into the guild, Charlotte kept a close eye on him and eavesdropped while he was at the board. Walking up behind him, she frowned at his choice of language and gently tapped him on the head with her staff.

Shadow had pulled his head away, and turn toward her instinctively as soon ass she poked him with her staff.

"Now now, none of that potty mouth here, 'kay?" She spoke sternly, but then let out a few small giggles before outstretching her hand to the new member. "The name's Charlotte! Since you're new, I'll treat you to something to eat and drink here. Unless you'd rather eat rats Mr Putty Tat."

Shadows looked annoyed when she had nagged him, but never the less he took her hand when she offered it. A rules he learn early in his life was keep his head down. In his default form he has strong sense of touch which to feel her purse though his leather hand. It seem calm so he touch her not to harm him. "Actually i rather just...*rumble*" Shadow was cut off but his own stomach which had not had anything to eat this morning. He thought about turning down her offer but he hadn't had a good meal in a while. "Actually yes please." He told her sounding a bit moody. As much ill-trust as he had for human he could sure use help for him, after all she would likely a better reader then him.

The woman stopped to stare at the boy, a curious expression hidden behind her mask. Whilst Shalquoir scanned the request board, she addressed the new boy that Charlotte was disturbing.
"What is your name, boy?" Shalquoir's tone was less polite than before, perhaps she was somewhat cautious of someone who posses such bestial qualities. Without waiting for a response, Shalquoir watches as Chizuru added a new request to the board. Quickly scanning it, she decided it would be a suitable first task. Find a local street rat that's been pilfering food supplies from an honest merchant. It seemed too simple, but Shalquoir wasn't the type to take tasks lightly.

Shadow seemed worried about her himself, He was just to hiss at her and extend his craws when she turn the other way, deciding that showing obvious hostility wasn't necessarily. so he decide to take a few steps back from her, pull away from Charlotte, and extend his craws like he earlier plan. His ears and tail pointed upwards showing that he was prepare for a fight with her if she were to become a threat to him, it was clear sign of fear and mistrust.

@Xan the G
Feon smiled at Hiryu she was glad that he had accepted her. "You really shouldn't be so nervous you know. You don't want that loner reputation to get thrown away and replaced with 'the boy who can't talk to girls' do you?" Feon asked him poking fun at him a bit. "Anyways of course I'm ready, just so long as you are." Feon added. "I just hope you have a better sense of direction than I do." Feon added. Feon did have some sense of direction, but it wasn't great and about half the time she would end up in the wrong place. Because of Hiryu constantly avoiding her in the guild she always felt that he didn't like her because of the other side of her personality. But seeing him nervous proved to her that he just had a hard time talking to girls his age.

@Leslie Hall@Satoshi Kyou
Cinia and Linia took a step back from the girl who had started talking strangely. They found this rather off putting and then turned over to Makoto hoping to get away from the girl. "Having a third in our group is always fun! Sure!" Cinia said with a smile as Linia continued to slowly step away from the strange girl. "I really hope she's house trained." Linia added while looking back at the girl. The paper underwear on her was remove-able but if it got wet it would just fall to pieces.

Yuni's Change of behavior

"why are you stepping away from me?" Yuni's tone of voice and speech pattern changed when she realized what they were talking about and walked towards the girls and stopped them "if i am perfectly honest... i'm not raised by animals its just that they have been taking care of me for a couple weeks" she started to sound more serious since they were talking about a team and she tends to be more serious when it came to hunting or "missions" in this case "i don't know what my real name is but my animal friends call me Yuni but if you wouldn't mind can i take them with me? they are kinda like the only family i have right now... Considering I lost my real memories" Yuni scratched her head and started to apologize for her strange behavior "hope we get along... Ray and Kanu would love to meet some other humans for sure" she held out her hand "just don't be surprised if you feel a little wind around my body" she said waiting for a handshake

Not really sure on what else to say, Hiryu simply walked away from the situation, beginning to leave the guild hall. He pointed to the door before doing so. Hiryu couldn't remember the last time he walked with a girl anywhere. He wasn't sure if he was expected to slow down to walk side-by-side or take the lead. He knew where he could find the merchant in question. The street the job spoke of was at the south of town. Either way, Hiryu knew it made sense to just make his way there, though along the way he started no conversation with Feon of his own accord. They moved through the market, the shopping nexus of the city to reach the merchant. It seemed particularly busy today with most vendors stocking sweets, candies, teddies, plush toys and balloons. There seemed to be some sort of fair going on today.

Lance's struggle for jewels

"Yet another street fight yet another 10 jewels" a young boy sighed "at this rate i'll never pay back the baker i mean sure i stole his bread but it doesnt feel right... i wouldnt be surprised if he put a bounty on my head for stealing his bread" Lance walked out of the dark alleyway into the bright streets "its this time of the day again... i should go get my bread again" he grabbed his makeshift smoke bombs and walked towards the usual baker

he grabbed the smoke bomb and threw on the ground and quickly grabbed couple sticks of bread and ran out of the store "nailed it once more" he took out a piece of paper and wrote down the price and took out his wallet "i'm still far off..." he looked at his pouch with a mere 100 jewels "these street fights are really not worth it are they? lately they don't pay me at all" he kept talking to himself as if there was someone to listen to him and walked to his usual hanging spot "i got the bread... just gather around and don't eat too much of it... no the street fights are not paying 2000 jewels anymore... that was years ago..." shortly after finishing his bread Lance got up and went back on the streets "well i'll go look for some chores i can do so i can pay back the old baker, be safe you guys" he waved back to the other kids that lost their home and parents

Shalquoir tilted her head slightly at the rather rash display of aggression from the young feline. Charlotte was also somewhat confused by it all, but she wasn't dumb enough to not realise that the crow adorned woman was making the new member anxious. Shalquoir took a small step forward. Whilst she didn't move in a manner that would normally be threatening, her imposing demeanor was more than enough to make even Charlotte anxious.
"Aren't we getting hot headed? If you wish not to answer my question, then so be it." Shalquoir spoke with a hint of disdain in her voice, and her harsh tone was the last straw for Charlotte. The young girl, abandoning any nerves that this new woman had given her, stepped between Shalquoir and Shadow.
"Now that's enough! Even I can see that you're just being a big bully. Mr Putty Tat is our friend now, and we stand up for our friends at this guild." Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest, staring down the crow woman without fear. Shalquoir was taken back by the courage of the girl who she had just written off as a ditz, smiling underneath her mask. To Charlotte's surprise, the woman bowed respectfully towards the young girl and then towards Shadow.
"Forgive me, it appears my travels have made me uneasy. I meant no disrespect. I hope you'll not think ill of me from this poor display." Shalquoir directly addressed the cat boy, but she decided to not stick around to see his response. Turning swiftly on her heels, Shalquoir headed away from the two to complete her task. She wouldn't admit that his presence disturbed her, but for now she would wait and see how stable the half boy, half beast truly was.

Once Shalquoir was gone, Charlotte dropped her brave face and turned to Shadow with a large grin.
"Now that was scary! Talking to that mask gives me shivers. Pardon my french, but she was acting like a big meanie to you. Are you okay?" She took a giant step towards Shadow, gently patting his ears in comfort. "See? You're safe with Charlotte! Now let's get you something to eat. You'll need to keep your strength up for our mission." She grabbed the boy by the hand and dragged him along to the bar, ordering whatever he wanted for him. As they waited for their food, she couldn't help but remember something of vital importance.
"You never did tell us your name, did you? Go on, spill. Or perhaps you like being called Mr Putty Tat? Heheh"

Meanwhile, Makoto was speechless as the sudden change in behaviour from the strange girl surfaced. She called herself Yuni. She seemed somewhat offended at the way the others were reacting.
"Um, please don't take it the wrong way... I mean, er," He fumbled with his words, trying to choose them carefully. Before he could continue, the girl decided to go on about her animal friends. "Oh, er, if you care about them then I suppose it's okay." Yuni was quite odd, but then again so were the twins at times. Perhaps everyone at this guild was odd, including Makoto.
"So it looks like we're all going to be working together. I'll do my best" He was slightly nervous, but he figured that he hadn't picked the worst people to be with.

---

The daily activity of the local markets was quite staggering. When Shalquoir walked to the guild this morning, she had assumed that was as busy as it would get. She was mistaken. Just getting to the bakery in question became somewhat of a chore. When she arrived, the baker was already flustered; cursing at an empty basket of bread that he had obviously intended to sell.
"If that dirty thief keeps taking my product like this, I won't be able to afford to rent this building! When is that useless new guild going to get off their as-"
"I beg your pardon," Shalquoir interrupted, taking a step towards the man, "I am here to resolve this issue." The man seemed uncomfortable to have this stranger help him, but she was branded by the guild so he assumed she could be trusted.
"It's about time. This little thief has been running a muck around my shop! I'm not a wealthy man, I can't afford to just be losing profit like this!" Shalquoir didn't appreciate being yelled at, since it wasn't her that was stealing his wares.
"Sir, leave this to me. Return to your duties and I will locate the culprit." In truth, Shalquoir could understand why the man was so upset. The thief in question was probably a young street rat, so she'd be sure to check any alleyway that appeared abandoned. Perhaps the other beggars had valuable information.

With her goal in mind, Shalquoir concentrated before creating a green magic glyph beneath her. A menacing aura surrounded her body as she spoke quietly.
"Let the Hunter's call give me swift success." Her senses flooded with information. Ever smell, sound and movement around her she was suddenly aware of. Whilst her hunter's call was much more effective for tracking monsters, it had it's own uses. For instance, she could clearly see many openings to side streets near the bakery. If this particular bakery had been consistently robbed for a while, then no doubt the culprit had to be holding up somewhere close. Otherwise someone would have clearly noticed a beggar walking around with handfuls of fresh bread. With that, she began scouting the alleyways. It seemed almost like a real hunt, except with the relief of knowing that the odds of being killed by a wild animal were too small to matter. After checking a few alleyways and finding a few strays, yielding no results, she came across a group of young beggar children in an alleyway. She could clearly see bread crumbs on the ground, clearing her throat and gathering the children's attention.
"Please, do not fear, I come with peaceful intentions." Despite her words, the young children were clearly unsettled by the appearance of such an intimidating figure. A few even caught a glimpse of her metal hook and began shaking in fear. "I am only here for answers. There has been someone going around stealing bread from a local baker. Is it a coincidence that not an hour after his wares have gone missing, you all sit here just finishing stuffing your faces?" She could see the guilty expressions on their face, some even looking as though they were about to run. However the fear of what this stranger might do to them kept them in place. With a sigh, Shalquoir expressed her disdain for having to deal with such a delicate situation. She didn't want to see the children starve, but she couldn't just let an honest man's business plummet because of it.

"I'll make you a deal," Shalquoir pulled out the remainder of her jewels, throwing it up and down in her hand. "There's enough here to pay back what you owe to the baker, as well as get you each a few meals for the next few days. The money is yours, provided you tell me who your ring leader is." The children were shocked. Shalquoir wasn't an imbecile. These kids were far too young to be able to steal as quickly and swiftly as the bread had been going missing. Obviously someone was providing it to them, and Shalquoir wanted to speak with the young ring leader. The children talked among themselves before one stepped forward and cautiously grabbed the money from the lady.
"His name is Lance. If you wait here, he should come back to see us soon." Shalquoir nodded politely at the child, noticing a look of regret on her face. Did the child think she was ratting her friend out? Shalquoir knelt beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm not here to arrest your friend. I just wish to speak with him." Somewhat reassured, the girl shared the money out with her friends and began discussing how they would go about paying back the baker. Meanwhile, Shalquoir leaned against a wall in the alleyway, patiently waiting for this "Lance" to return to them.

"no good" lance sighed "least i gathered enough to pay back for today i better go let the kids know now that's one day down... many to go" he took out a burned picture before walking back to the usual spot with a full pouch of jewels "who knew someone would pay me for just dancing with a girl... i'm not a noble anymore well i still got my noble's coat but still" he noticed a recent newspaper on the ground with a article that stands out to him and picked it up "One of the Lance twins rumored to be still alive, after 6 years since the incident one of the twins has been sighted in town" lance chuckled at the article "was my family that well known?" he pondered and continued to go towards the usual spot

Lance grabbed his brothers sword and looked at before entering the usual spot noticing a shady person waiting for him "yes? may i help you?" Lance said curiously looking at the mask Lance scratched his head and slowly started to lose his cool as he started to speak"are you here to take away the kids from me?, i knew it wouldn't take too long till people found the kids... i couldn't let them starve you know, Just leave them to me... i can't let you take them away from here... i'll find them a home i swear!" Lance heard what one of the kids said after he finished panicking"w-wait she's here for me? for stealing bread... and she gave you the money to pay for today...?" Lance sighed relieved at the news "i don't like violence... so i'll go with you but before you take me to him... can you do me a favor?" he took out a half burned photo and took the sword off his belt and put it on the ground "can you listen to my tale? if not... why not a friendly duel? i haven't had a clean fight since i started street fighting"

Shalquoir tilted her head slightly at the rather rash display of aggression from the young feline. Charlotte was also somewhat confused by it all, but she wasn't dumb enough to not realize that the crow adorned woman was making the new member anxious. Shalquoir took a small step forward. Whilst she didn't move in a manner that would normally be threatening, her imposing demeanor was more than enough to make even Charlotte anxious.
"Aren't we getting hot headed? If you wish not to answer my question, then so be it." Shalquoir spoke with a hint of disdain in her voice, and her harsh tone was the last straw for Charlotte. The young girl, abandoning any nerves that this new woman had given her, stepped between Shalquoir and Shadow.

Shadow instinctively step back and move his craw closer to the front of his body, as she spoke to him he begin to fear more and more that she was going to harm him. Suddenly the pink haired women step between them.

"Now that's enough! Even I can see that you're just being a big bully. Mr Putty Tat is our friend now, and we stand up for our friends at this guild." Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest, staring down the crow woman without fear. Shalquoir was taken back by the courage of the girl who she had just written off as a ditz, smiling underneath her mask. To Charlotte's surprise, the woman bowed respectfully towards the young girl and then towards Shadow.
"Forgive me, it appears my travels have made me uneasy. I meant no disrespect. I hope you'll not think ill of me from this poor display." Shalquoir directly addressed the cat boy, but she decided to not stick around to see his response. Turning swiftly on her heels, Shalquoir headed away from the two to complete her task. She wouldn't admit that his presence disturbed her, but for now she would wait and see how stable the half boy, half beast truly was.

"Friend?" He wondered while keep up his guard? This women just met him, and yet she already see him as a friend. Shadow can not say he understood her, but sill part of him like her now since she was about to successful keep him from danger. As for the cloak individual he can't say he trust her. Shadow more wary of human enough as it is, but with her hiding her body and face he couldn't exactly read her facials reaction or body language, plus the other side of him may have been aware of her faint sense of blood(Which may or may not be logically possible). Shadow then retraced his craws and lower his ear and tail.

Once Shalquoir was gone, Charlotte dropped her brave face and turned to Shadow with a large grin.
"Now that was scary! Talking to that mask gives me shivers. Pardon my french, but she was acting like a big meanie to you. Are you okay?"

Shadow then begin to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly before nobbling at her.

She took a giant step towards Shadow, gently patting his ears in comfort. "See? You're safe with Charlotte! Now let's get you something to eat. You'll need to keep your strength up for our mission." She grabbed the boy by the hand and dragged him along to the bar, ordering whatever he wanted for him. As they waited for their food, she couldn't help but remember something of vital importance.
"You never did tell us your name, did you? Go on, spill. Or perhaps you like being called Mr Putty Tat? Heheh"

Shadow requested a fish products: Since it was still breakfast time the closet he could get to it would likely be Tuna spread and toast. He also prefer meat products so he requested some eggs,ham, and sausage. He soon found himself digging into his meal, making sounding of delight as he tasted what humans had to offer. She soon asked him for his name, Since this pink haired women treated him quite nicely he felt compelled to stop eating long enough to answer. "It's Shadow, that's the name my friends give me." he told her awkwardly with a hint of guilt behind his words.

Charlotte giggled at the somewhat odd name, thinking about how fitting it was for someone who looked the way that he did. Adorned almost fully in black; Shadow and Shalquoir seemed to have that in common. She wondered how the boy would react if she expressed that opinion out loud, knowing his disdain for the crow woman. And why wouldn't he? Shalquoir's manner towards him was just weird. Perhaps she was allergic to cats. Her train of thought started to get away from her as she stared at Shadow with a distant look in her eyes.
"Maybe she just needs to get to know you Shadow." She spoke without thinking, instantly regretting as the first thought that popped into her head was now out in the open. "Oh, please ignore me. I don't know what I'm talking about some times." She slowly picked away at her own meal; a refreshing salad with extra cherry tomatoes. She prodded a tomato with her fork, popping it in her mouth as she swung around on her stool. After she finished swallowing her bite, she stood up and smiled at Shadow.
"It's a pleasure to meet ya, Shadow! Don't let Shalquoir give you a bad impression of this guild. Everyone here is very kind and I'm sure you'll feel right at home. Come on, I want to introduce you to someone." Charlotte completely missed the expression of guilt and sadness plastered across her new friends face. She was in such a good mood about meeting a new friend. She gestured for Shadow to follow and walked over to where Makoto was sitting with Cinia, Linia and Yuni and wrapped her best friend up in a large hug.

"Ooh, Makoto you ladies man. Flirting with these three beautiful ladies and you didn't invite me?" Makoto struggled under her crushing embrace, going red in the face at the idea of him trying to court anyone. "You just want them all to yourself, don't you?"
"It's not like that!" Makoto became truly flustered, pulling himself away from Charlotte and burying his face in his hands. He'd probably start crying if he wasn't in front of all these people. Charlotte, noticing that she'd upset him, stepped over and wrapped her arms gently around him once more.
"There there, I was only teasing. Besides, I can't just let you be with anyone. I've gotta make sure that when you find a girl, she's absolutely perfect for you."
You're perfect for me. Was what he wanted to say, but the words wouldn't leave his mouth. Charlotte stepped away from his friend, grabbing hold of Shadow's hand again.
"Don't be shy! Everyone, this is Shadow! I've kidnapped him as my teammate." She introduced the new cat bow to Cinia, Linia and Makoto. She didn't know who the other girl was, but she was with them so she was most likely a friend.

---

The young man that entered with his sword was slightly older than Shalquoir had expected to be. Not to mention he was armed with a very impressive weapon. The hunter wasn't one to judge, so she dismissed any thoughts of the sword being stolen. It was none of her business and not relevant to her mission. When the boy realised what Shalquoir might be there for, he began to panic and spout what sounded like nonsense. Shalquoir aimed her hook arm towards the children, displaying their poor state of life.
"Open your eyes, boy. Even if I was here to take your little gang, would I be wrong to do so? I know your type. You've taken the world head on for a few years and gotten very lucky. Do you think that entitles you to take responsibility over these children? They're reliant on you. You, of all people. You, who is barely old enough to look after themselves, is taking the responsibility of looking after a group of kids?" Shalquoir lowered her arms and took a step forward towards Lance, staring him down through her mask. "Don't they deserve better? You probably felt that you had no choice, but that is a selfish thought. There are orphanages in this town, I am sure. They might not be the best place to live, but it's surely better than the street. If you had any decency, they would be there right now. Instead you decided that you'd be a hero and look after them yourself? I'd laugh at the thought if it wasn't so incredibly sad." Her words were harsh, but Shalquoir wasn't about to sit here and let a delusional child lead a group of kids to an early grave. His intentions were kind, but that wasn't an acceptable excuse for Shalquoir.

Before the boy could respond, a child spoke to him about what Shalquoir was here for. The hunter wasn't sure how he would respond, especially after she'd been so harsh to him. Would he put that sword of his to use? Shalquoir was surprised to see that he put his weapon down and took out an old photo, content to go with her. Shalquoir stood silently as he asked for her to listen to his story or fight him. After a long pause, she folded her arms across her chest and spoke sternly.
"You and the children are coming with me. You will apologise to the baker, and then I'll see what I feel like doing with you afterwards. Regardless of your fate, the children are coming back to the guild with me where they can be properly taken care of. You're not in a position to be asking for duels. Besides, I fight monsters, not children." She gestured for the children to follow her, but they looked to their leader for confirmation. "I don't care about your story. Your past only defines your future if you allow it to. So make a decision; seeing as they now look up to you. You can keep trying to play hero, or you can think about what's really best for these children. You want to give them a home? Then let me take them to the guild. Not that I particularly care to see your face around the hall, but there's room for you to. Maybe the next time we meet, I'll take you up on your little duel." Shalquoir walked away from the alleyway, intending to head back to the baker. Whether or not Lance followed was up to him.

Cinia and Linia gave a sigh when the girl started to talk normally again. "Sorry about that, we have had some bad experiences with people who acted like that, especially back on the island." Linia said taking the lead like she always did, even though Linia was the younger of the two she always seemed to take the lead when needed. "Anyway's I'm Cinia." Cinia introduced herself, and Linia joined shortly aftwards. "I'm Linia." She said with a smile. The two of them really were twins from how much they relied on each other.

Feon meanwhile smiled at Hiryu before turning to see the other areas in the marketplace. She really liked some of the teddy bears, specifically one with a bow just above it's tail and just under the neck on it's front. "It's soo cute!" Feon said walking towards it with a huge smile on her face. "Once this job is done I am so buying this!" Feon said turning towards Hiryu with a smile on her face. Feon then turned towards the caravan that she was meant to be protecting. "Right, so I think it may be a good idea if one of us scouts out the route we will be taking. We may be able to find them before they find us." Feon said now turning her attention to the job at hand. "I know your fast, but I could certainly make you faster if you wanna start scouting now." Feon said to Hiryu as she knelt down to enchant her legs with a speed enhancement spell.

"It seems pretty popular," added Hiryu, glancing around at the crowds walking through the town. Quite a few girls were walking around with that particular model teddy bear, although Hiryu didn't mention that specifically. He didn't know how to respond to the part about it looking cute and so chose to ignore it. He also didn't want to have any more conversations about how cute and pretty things were and decided to push the envelope. "Right there; there's our merchant." he mentioned, pointing to a shop front. Outside of it was a cart, being loaded with goods by an adult, middle-aged man. Hiryu walked up to the man to introduce himself. "You ask for escorts?"

"Oh, you responded to my job request? You read the whole thing right? I'll pay you up front and a bonus when we arrive." replied the merchant in a matter of fact way. "If you make it." Hiryu narrowed his eyes at the comments. It was strange to him that the marchant be so foreboding. The merchant seemed convinced that he would run into trouble, trouble that would require the help of mages to escape successfully. It was suspicious for the merchant to be so convinced such a level of danger would be coming for him. Enough for Hiryu to potentially break the cardinal rule of transporting, the rule with got him expelled from his clan in the first place.

"You never said what we would be transporting," Hiryu teased to the merchant, now with an interest to fish for clues.

"Oh, it's nothing. Just some trade goods from the festival over to the next town," replied the merchant as he was putting the finishing touches on. Hiryu glance at one of the crates the merchant was dropping on, and also at his shop front. Everything was so nondescript, blank. Hiryu genuinely couldn't get a read on what kind of merchant this man was or any clue of what was inside those boxes.

"I know you're fast, but I could certainly make you faster if you wanna start scouting now."

"W-w-well now, I'm sure that you guys could manage whatever comes, you don't want to stray too far away from me, I'm paying you to protect me after all, haha..." quickly rebutted the merchant. Hiryu paused on the merchant for a second, potentially a second too long as the merchant's disposition changed to a nervous and self conscious bemusement.

"It's a good call," replied Hiryu to Feon. "I know the trail you're trying to take. I'm familiar enough with it. It passes by the train bridge over the Acacia river. Should be routine enough," Hiryu scanned the earnestness on the merchant's face, who seemed to be trying to grab Hiryu with a glare to hold him from going. It lasted less than an instant - a freudian slip of sorts, too quick for Hiryu to sus out what his deal is. Hiryu moved to stand in front of Feon. "So... do I need to do anything or..." he asked with a shrug in regards to her enchantment.

"hero? HERO? you think i want to be a bloody hero? heroes are just as bad as the bandits that burned down my home and killed my brother!" Lance snapped at the idea of being called a hero, after learning about the world he and the group he lived with for the past 6 years started to despise heroes "only kids believe in heroes... every one of us stopped believing in heroes and now some stranger tells me to stop trying to be a hero, pathetic way to make me look like a foolish child as you claim" Lance picked up his sword and the photo "you hunt monsters do you!? why don't you look at yourself before you start claiming things!"

He and the kids stopped listening to the stranger that intruded their home as they all said in sync "I won't follow you unless you understand the pain we all went through" Lance was surprised to hear the others think the same way "come on Lance you are from the Lance family line you can't let some stranger take us away..." Lance reacted surprised "N-Nick that's supposed to be a secret! in case my family is famous or something!" Lance looked at the stranger "listen i know what your asked to do and everything but can you let the baker know that he is in for a surprise for when he finds out who the thief is... i used to be his neighbor and when i lost my home i started to buy his bread the first few week but i told him if i vanish the bandits would have found me and killed me" He grabbed his old noble's coat unique to only him as it had his name on it.

it reminded him of who he was in the past "i told him such lies when i really just started to steal his food" He looked at his small pouch of jewels "i wish there was a place i could take jobs rather than just asking people if i could do something, and later today i have to dance with someone for 5000 jewels... i don't think i'll get paid that much but hey if i can make a girl happy sure, i think i talked enough lets go... you guys stay behind in case someone comes... you remember the tactics i taught you... you don't want to end up like Kazaku last week..." he grabbed a old photo on display "damn these street rats killing my kin because i defeated them" again letting him get distracted by the little details letting the stranger wait even longer "r-right to be baker right? sorry for the wait" he walked towards the stranger wearing his old (undamaged) coat

A rather sinister smirk look came onto Feon's face as Hiryu stood near her ready for the enchantment. Without another word she slapped his butt with the enchantment, it didn't really matter where it was placed, but she always liked to trick others into thinking it mattered where it was placed she could it somewhere odd, sometimes she was slap someones face with an enchantment just to see their reaction. "Let's go then." Feon said as she started to run ahead of him, almost like she was playing tag with him. Feon certainly liked to have fun with whoever she was working with, and it never seemed to be a dull moment when she was doing so.

A few miles into the trail Feon started to notice that there were alot of broken branches. She stopped and started to look around at the branches. "I think this may be where the last attack took place." Feon said as she started to look around at the ground for any signs of traps or pitfalls. If she needed to Feon could slap a few enchantments on her self at a moment's notice. She had her daggers on the back of her belt ready to be grabbed if she noticed something was off.

Hiryu's eyes stretched wide at the feel of Feon on his rear. It was more than just uncool, it was a sudden and direct violation of his personal space. His back went rigid and upright, frozen in place on contact. He swallowed the lump in his throat and attempted to move passed it.

"Okay..." he muttered with a blink. He shuffled his legs, testing their reaction. He felt turbocharged. Feon moved on ahead of him and Hiryu took a couple steps to chase her, but stopped, remembering the merchant. He looked back. The man was nervous. He couldn't hide it. Hiryu wondered if he was even trying to at this point. "We have everything under control. You have my word." replied Hiryu, before jetting off to the scene of the last robbery. along the way, Hiryu remarked on how fast Feon's magic made him. Running was a naturally forte, but Feon's magic seemed to make it truly effortless. When he arrived, he immediately knew the scene didn't make sense. The attack was situated out in the wilderness. For any gang of roving bandits and thugs they couldn't afford to scour the entire area between cities like this looking for travelling stock or traders. They would need to set up camp, somewhere they can work around. The vast openness between towns of Fiore created too many opportunites to miss someone by chance of being in the wrong place or at the wrong time. The struggle looked precise, not necessarily organised, but precise. They left nothing of whatever was being transported, meaning they had they own means of transporting it after the attacked the wagon. What's more, there was wreckage of the wagon still left lying around, meaning they didn't steal that to make their exit either.

"We need to head back to that merchant." explained Hiryu, before high-tailing it back the way they came. The prior encounters with bandits on this trade route were not random. There were prepared for when and where they were attacking the traders and what they were highjacking them for. More to the point, Hiryu was convinced that the merchant already knew all this.

---

The Merchant didn't wait for Feon and Hiryu to return, feeling to anxious as a sitting duck. The merchant boarded his wagon and commanded the horses to mush in the direct of his destination. The horses moved into a trot and the merchant glanced left and right as he moved further and further from town. Unfortunately, while out on the meadows near the train tracks, he heard a whistle. It startled him. Upon glancing around, he saw a man on horseback, beset by mountain bandits on steeds resembling wild boars or pigs. He tried to out pace them by forcing the horses into a gallop, but the bandits closed in on him from all directions.

Feon followed Hiryu as closely as she could, though even with her enchantment keeping up with him wasn't easy due to his already superior stamina. Feon noticed the merchant already coming towards them, she also noticed the arrival of the bandits. She grabbed her daggers as her eyes seemed to go from happy to down right sadistic, she would get a chance to kill. Her sadistic nature made many others fear her, others in the guild normally kept their distance from her during missions that required battle.

Once Feon got close enough to one of the bandits she jumped into the air and sent a kick right to their face kicking them right off their mount. Once they were on the ground Feon's eyes grew even more sadistic as she was about to stab the bandit in the chest with both her daggers. "Show me some blood!!" Feon yelled out in glee.

Being first on the scene, Hiryu used his Vajra teleportation skill while performing a baseball slide. He skidded into the legs of one of the wild boar mounts and phased to the other side of it to avoid it falling on top of him. As Feon went to work on another bandit, Hiryu made a jump kick at one who leapt from his baor towards the wagon, which was now stationary after one of the pulleying horses had been injured and crippled in the assault. Hiryu pinpointed his next target and made a dash for the bandit.

"Hold it right there part'ner!" called a voice from the wagon. Hiryu slide to a stop. Similarly, a figure jumped down against Feon during her rampage with an axe to block her attack on another of the hoodlems. This particular assailant had a broader, taller figure than the other bandits. Even his attire was a little more prestigious than his brethren.

"Feisty little girl with a sharp little dagger, eh?" teased the prestigious looking bandit as his axe clashed with her daggers. Hiryu turned round the other voice from the wagon. It was a man, dressed like a cowboy, gripping the merchant in a hostage hold about the neck with one arm. The merchant had red, blue and yellow cards sticking out of his flesh and clothes with blood lining the cuts. The cowboy's other hand had a card to the merchant's neck. The cowboy dug his card in a little to cut the merchant, just to show he wasn't bluffing. The card glowed as it pierced the skin, the tell-tale sign of magic.

"I don't know who you people are or how much this idiot is paying you to stop us but you have my word; you give in now and make this simple, I'll let him live," the prestigious bandit glanced to the cowboy after hearing him issue an order of mercy for the merchant in barter for Feon and Hiryu's obedience. Hiryu stared at the cowboy intently in silence, before running his eyes through the bandits, understanding what the wager meant for him and Feon. He sighed with a furrowed brow and closed eyes as he raised his hands. A bandit kick him in the back of the leg, while another that he had attacked punched him in the stomach. They both grabbed his arms to lift him back to a kneel. Hiryu looked to the merchant with a glare of venom and animosity. The merchant still struggling under the cowboy's reign looked back with only guilt.

Feon personally didn't care if the merchant died, though he was the source of her jewels. When one of the bandits tried to grab her though her eyes went wide and her pupils went large. She hated it when people grabbed her, it brought back too much trauma of her past. This often caused her to go berserk under the threat of being captured.

"NO! YOU AREN'T GRABBING ME!" Feon yelled in panic tears could be seen on her face as her trauma was coming back to her, she was able to slap a hardening spell on herself before she turned to lunge another the bandit behind her. She couldn't be taken hostage not again, she would never be that helpless again.

Feon was in a panic now, the first move she made was to plunge her daggers into the bandit behind her, she started to stab him over and over blood covering them both. Feon had lost all control at this point and she wasn't willing to give up. Feon soon turned to yet another bandit about to take them down when the man with the axe as able to hit her on the head with the blunt of his axe knocking her out. She fell to the ground tears still on her face, and even twitching a bit. Not many of the guild members knew about her past, but those who did knew that her getting captured was her worst nightmare.

"Heh, they get stranger every day," remarked the cowboy to Feon's outburst. Hiryu watched Feon struggle, with some heaviness in his chest. It wasn't pleasant to see her rattled. There was genuine emotion and panic being displayed for someone that otherwise seemed so self assured and well put together. There was a silence after the Axe man hit Feon in the back of the head to render her unconscious. Hiryu knew things were going from bad to worse. In the distance the blow of locomotive horn bellowed, signalling the coming of a freight train. The Axe man picked up Feon and put her over his shoulder. "You'll be paid in the usual way," the cowboy spoke to the man with the Axe. The Axe man shook his head.

"No, I want the girl too." added the Axe man. The cowboy dropped the merchant at this point and tipped his hat.

"...alive?" he inquired. The Axe man grinned. The cowboy hopped off the wagon to walk closer to the axe man. "This does not come back on us. No matter what. You and your people take the rap."

"Just make sure we get our money and we'll forget all about you guys, like we always do." replied the Axe wielding man. The cowboy smirked at the comment and then glanced at the kneeling Hiryu. At that time, Hiryu noted that Feon, while unconscious was going to be taken alive, and the merchant, for whatever reason, was too important to the bandits and the cowboy mage to kill even after hiring Golden Dragoon to protect him. It meant Hiryu had some play, and just had to figure out how to get himself out of the situation and regroup afterwards. Similarly, the freighter train was pulling in close enough for everyone to hear the spurs and wheels clanging against the tracks in the background ambience.

"What about him?" the cowboy asked. The axe man shook his head, his smile completely gone. "You don't swing that way? I figured you'd be too desperate out in the wilderness to care," he jibbed crudely. The cowboy plucked a card from his pocket and it glowed with an ethereal shimmer. "Any last words pilgrim?"

"_vujureh..." mumbled Hiryu. The cowboy leaned in with a bemused look about his face.

"...what?" he asked. Hiryu rolled into a handstand and mule-kick the bandits holding him.

"Vajra!" he called, teleporting behind the cowboy, still upside down, but facing the back of the cowboy's neck. He grabbed him at the neck while he was still surprised and in a somersault threw him towards the tracks. He immediately charged at the cowboy as soon as his feet kissed the dirt and tackled him at the stomach. The train was passing by at that very moment with speed, and both Hiryu and the cowboy were going to crash into it. "Vajra-" Hiryu murmured, phasing out of view with the cowboy. The Axe man and the other bandits looked around puzzled, at first concerned that they just turned into a bloody smear on the side of the train. When it passed by completely, they saw no trace of anything, no blood, no flesh, no bones.

"W-w-what the hell did that guy do?" mouthed one of the bandits. The Axe man blinked.

"He just kill Heath." remarked the Axe man.

"What do we do about the goods now? And the merchant?" asked another. "Shall we just kill him and leave?" he added.

"No!" insisted the axe man. "They know where to find us. If we kill the merchant too, then we lose the only one who could prove he didn't double cross Heath. We take the haul and the merchant along with the girl. We'll wait for them to send another mage to us and we'll explain everything from there." ordered the Axe man. He looked one more time at the tracks and then to the train, hurtling on towards the bridge over the river. "...crazy bastard," he remarked, reflecting on Hiryu.