Upon Adhara and Grisaia’s farewell, Anubis took it upon himself to fulfill his task and perch himself right next to the large window in order to properly get a better look at anyone nearing the front door. It didn’t exactly help that the Mistress’ workplace was so far off to the right of the large house, but what could you do? His dark blonde hair masked his sharp eyes, but it was clear just based on his posture that he was focused and prepared to move once he saw sight of anyone suspicious. The mechanical muzzle covering his mouth twitched in anticipation as his fingers grabbed loosely onto the pale white curtains that framed the window itself.
It was only when an unfamiliar, almost entirely inaudible jingle and a blinding amount of red caught his vision that Anubis perked up. This had to be the person right? They looked kinda small though...maybe it was just a little kid coming to steal some flowers from their garden; most wouldn’t believe how often it happened, especially when the Mistress was away. But her...their attire was the exact opposite of what someone would wear for that type of thing. Conflicting emotions swelled within Anubis, as without a logical head in the area to tell him what was going on, he was getting overwhelmed. A heavy growl escaped the Earth Spirit’s mouth as he stood up and rushed out of the Mistress’ workplace. He made his way quickly down the mint green and dark brown segmented hallways, entirely decorated with paintings, knick-knacks of varying shapes and sizes, and even a few throwing weapons mounted precariously on the walls. Most would think with so much, it would be a cluttered mess, but the Mistress’ ability to use space was impeccable. Anubis never really thought much of it as he soon reach the stairs lined with a hunter green carpet with gold trimming. Latching onto the dark brown banister, Anubis went down the steps the fun way, sliding down weightlessly to the first floor. There was another set of steps parallel to ones Anubis went down, but that lead to the bedrooms and more personal areas.
Finally sliding down the first set of steps before the staircase splits into two separate staircases, Anubis landed without a sound, his black combat boots brushing up lightly against the steel gray tiled floor. There were several doors on the first floor that Anubis could have walked through, each lined with a similar colored pillars as the floor, but he opted for the door furthest to the left, the one that led out to the courtyard. Once he made his appearance known, most of the servants that had been sitting on the ground washing clothes, looked up before bringing their attention to Grisaia who quietly stood. ”I assume we have a visitor?” He asked as he tiptoed across and over to the Earth Spirit, who nodded quickly. Motioning Adhara to follow along, the trio made their way into the main hall, stopping as they approached the front door. ”Please don’t scare them away, we need them.” ”Tell that to him, not me.” Adhara quickly countered as the blonde servant opened the door.
As the three of them stepped outside, they stopped immediately in front of the door, standing in line with two gargoyle pillars on either side of them.
The cloaked woman's eyes moved over the Vertti household. It was a decent sized house, even dwarfing other houses in the Nobles district. It had glass windows that shimmered like diamonds, and lush gardens that overtook the property. Wherever Aer looked, there was a servant maintaining some part of the estate. Maids pruning bushes, butlers trimming hedges. It was hard for someone who lived modestly to fathom the cost of maintaining everything. Aer tightened her grip on her cloak as she passed them.
As Aer got closer, more details came into view. They had a fountain with some exotic spotted fish swimming in it. It was not a species she had seen before, which was rare for someone who was raised in a fishing village. The fountain itself was made of white marble and depicted a goddess Aer was not familiar with. It was a beautiful home. She couldn’t understand why anyone would choose to be away from a home like this.
Aer looked ahead. Grisaia wasn't more than a few feet away from her now. The adventurer stopped in front of the steps and looked between the servant and his spirits.
“Well met.” She curtsied. “My name is Aer Pacifica. I am a member of the Gulendam Adventurer's guild. I was summoned to help locate Lady Vertti.”
The blonde bunny stared down the petite lady who came to their aid, and although he was concerned that Adhara might have been right, the woman's voice was more than enough to reassure him that she was capable. Placing a hand on his chest, Grisaia bowed, his rabbit ears flopping slightly in the process.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Pacifica. Welcome to the Vertti household. I'm Grisaia, and these are my Spirits, Adhara and Anubis." He motioned to the both of them as he straightened. "I hope you don't mind their presence. It'll also be for the best if we talked a little bit more in depth about Mistress Vertti so that you can be on your way. Please come in." Grisaia stepped aside and motioned to the open ornate brown door next to him.
Aer smiled. “I have been in the presence of spirits in the past. They are welcome company.” She stepped closer. “Anything you have about Lady Vertti would be useful to hear.” As the cloaked woman grew closer to the trio, Grisaia couldn't help but note the small trinkets and accessories peeking out from under the woman’s bright cloak. It was an interesting fashion choice, if it wasn't for any other purpose. Although, the noise was a little bit rough on his sensitive ears. Another thing he noticed was, well to put it nicely, how tiny and precious she was; at least compared to him. Grisaia had to resist the urge to literally, and figuratively, look down at her, and instead closed his eyes as she passed. Glancing briefly over the gardens and other servants, the Spirit Arts user followed the woman inside and shut the door behind them.
"If you'd follow me to the Mistress' workplace. I've written up some notes you can take with you, but I'll give you the gist of what they entail." The blonde hummed as he clasped his hands behind his back, taking the lead.
“It sounds like you were ready to tackle finding her yourself.” Aer nodded. “Anything you have would be useful.”
"From what I've witnessed, this is the Mistress' thirteenth disappearance." He started as he made his ways carefully up the steps. "She normally returns within two to four days with some kind of excuse along the lines of 'meeting a friend', 'attending a party', and 'a boat trip that ended up being longer than she thought'. Oh, be careful. The weapons on the wall are real." Upon reaching the second floor, Grisaia turned into the hallway lined with expensive decorations.
Aer stepped away from the wall, if only to make sure the object on her back didn't catch on one of the weapons. “Those sound like legitimate reasons to leave, but I'm more concerned why she's leaving so suddenly, and without notice.”
"Whenever I ask her why she never tells anyone where she's gone off to, she claims to have forgotten. I've taken to account the possibility of mental illness, but I can't say for sure. However I did notice that her excuses line up with her physical appearance. For example, her shoes and the hem of her dress were drenched in water when she claimed to be on a boat. I honestly don't know what to make of it. It's been well over a week and I don't know what to make of her disappearances at this point, but I have faith that you can do something about this." He concluded with a nod just as they arrive at the Mistress' workplace.
Aer rubbed her chin. “That is unusual. Do you remember how the weather was during the day of her return? I can't imagine anyone getting wet on a boat unless there was a storm.”
”If I recall correctly, it was sunny with few clouds in the sky. There were a lot of touch and go drizzles, but nothing too big. But you are correct, it doesn’t make much sense...” Letting Aer in as he did before, Grisaia walked in afterwards, pointing to the small stack of papers in on the coffee table. "Everything else you need to know is in here, from what she looks like to the disappearances I managed to jot down. You will be given full access to the estate as I'm well aware there are probably clues and other things that point to where she has gone that I'm unaware of." He concluded before giving another slight bow. Of course, if this had been any other situation, Grisaia probably would have sat Aer down and thoroughly explained the entire situation, but every second counted for him.
The cloaked woman approached the notes and started to skim through them. “I appreciate your cooperation. I have no doubt that we will find your mistress in a timely fashion.” She glanced over at Grisaia with a grave expression. “But if you wouldn't mind, I’d like you to answer a few more questions. You might not feel comfortable answering some of them because of how... personal they can be. But do know that everything I'm about to ask goes no further than this room. My contract puts me under oath to protect any sensitive information you give me.” She turned to face Grisaia, who nodded ever so slowly in understanding as to what was being asked of him. “You have two spirits, which is a sign that you must have tremendous magical power. What about your mistress? Does she have any such powers?”
”I’ve been told that in her very prime she use to utilize magic on a regular basis, but...” Grisaia let out a sigh. ”An unforeseeable accident had lead to her vowing to never do such ever again.” He explained.
Aer shuffled the notes in her hands. “Does your mistress have any favorite places to reside in her home? Maybe a place where she isn't to be bothered by her servants? I would assume her bedroom and this workspace might be such places, but it's critical I know of any such area.”
The bunny Demi-Human furrowed his brows slightly, tilted his head to the side then up as if he was thinking. "That's correct, she normally spends her time in here or her bedroom, both of which didn't seem to hold any clues as to where she might have gone. In the mornings and afternoons, she's normally seen either out in the courtyard or helping out some of the servants in the kitchen." He answered as truthfully as possible, looking back at Aer soon after.
“Fair enough.” the cloaked woman looked up from the papers she was holding. “I'm sorry, but since she's been missing for so long I need to know if she had any enemies. Someone who might be jealous of her, or she possibly owed a large some of money?”
Grisaia furrowed his brows once again, although this time it was more out of annoyance then thinking. This woman couldn't be serious, right? His Mistress, the kindest person probably in the whole world, having enemies? Impossible. Despite this voice in his head telling him that no one would want to hurt the Mistress, Grisaia knew he couldn't disregard the possibility."From what I can recall and what she's been open to telling me, no, she doesn't have any enemies nor has she garnered any kind of attention or profit that would make people jealous of her. Well, other than what you see." He resisted the urge to mumble, his voice clear and concise despite how the questions were starting to bother him.
Aer placed the notes off to the side. She inhaled deeply before looking at Grisaia again. “Does she have any vices? A love for drink or gambling? Does she get lonely?” Aer remained unflinching with her delivery.
"She normally spends her time drinking in the courtyard, but..." Hesitation. "But she would never risk going out to drink. As for the possibility of her being lonely, uhm..." Grisaia paused, picking gently on the cuffs of his sleeves. "I-I don't know."
“Of course.” Aer placed the notes off to the side. She inhaled deeply before looking at Grisaia again.“Grisaia Vertti? It is unusual for a servant to share the surname of their mistress, but not entirely unheard of. Nobles adopt servants all the time.” She walked closer to the demi-human. “What was your relationship with your mistress?”
"Okay, alright, what hell does that have anything to do with finding her?" Adhara decided to step in, her voice harsh and her eyes sharp. Even Anubis stepped forward at this point, defensively standing in between the petite woman and the rabbit Demi-Human. "How about you stick to questions that only involve the Mistress, and leave it at that?"
Aer didn't step back, but her pupils expanded noticeably. “E-excuse me?” the cloaked woman pulled her head back.
"Guys, come on. It's fine." Grisaia sighed, patting Anubis' shoulder lightly to get him to calm down. "B-But Saia! What purpose would this chick knowi--" "It's fine. It's fine." He repeated, quickly quelling the Water Spirit's annoyance as she stood down, folding her arms and accepting defeat. "...Nubis." She grumbled, calming the Earth Spirit almost entirely as he backed off as well.
Turning back to Aer, Grisaia gave an apologetic smile, his rabbit ears drooping ever so slightly in the process. "Sorry about that. In regards to my relationship with the Mistress, I'm legally her adopted son. She took me in when I didn't have a name or anywhere else to go." He answered.
"There, you happy now, ya little bitc--"
"Anyways." The blonde quickly cut in. "Is there...is there anything else I can help you with?" Despite his desire and want to assist Aer with anymore information, his voice held a certain heaviness to it.
Aer sighed and lightly dusted off her cloak. “Thank you, that was very helpful. I know it's not easy to talk intimately about someone you care about, especially to a stranger.” She ran her hand over her face before locking eyes with everyone present. Grisaia nodded shamelessly, Adhara refused to look at her, while Anubis kept his defensive stance next to his contractor. “I just wish to find mistress Vertti as soon as possible. It's not often I'm called in to reunite family, and you must believe I want to do that more than anything.” She took one of Grisaia's hands and clasped it between her own. “If it's possible, I'll find her. You have my word.” Aer released the servant's hand. “I will look around here and at her bedroom closely, and talk with some of the other servants. But I suspect it is going to take some field work to locate your mother's whereabouts. I will report back to you every evening to let you know what I've discovered.” She closed her eyes, sighing again. “So.” She opened her eyes. “Do any of you have questions before I begin?”
Grisaia’s eyes remained focused on the hand Aer clasped in her own even after she pulled away, his blinks slow and deliberate. It felt nice to know that his suspicions wouldn't be much of a problem. Aer was capable, much like he assumed, and just seemed to know what to say to make things better. He had faith the Mistress would return back to them safely. When asked if any of them had any questions, the servant eyed his two Spirits curiously. They both looked like they wanted to say something, well at least Adhara wanted to, but were waiting on him to speak up. Knowing how his allies must be feeling, Grisaia decided not to give them the chance to possibly anger their help. ”While I would like to ask you a few questions myself, it would probably be for the best that you got started. It’s nothing too important, so it can definitely wait until a later date.” He explained before bowing once again. ”However, I would like to thank you again for taking on this request to find the Mistress. Although this is a paid job, I’ll forever be in your debt.” He concluded, standing straight with the smallest smile.
“Then I will see you in time.” The group split apart to continue their duties.
After his meeting with Aer and sending her off to start her own investigating, Grisaia called back Adhara and Anubis before immediately making his way to the bathroom. It was a normal thing for him to do when someone or something caused blemishes of emotion to appear on his face. Fortunately it was someone he didn't actually mind that made him feel this way.
Aer Pacifica...an interesting person indeed. She was definitely someone he could trust. She wouldn't back stab him, not after that whole conversation. And while the other servants were somewhat helping out with the investigation, it was reassuring to know that it wasn't all on him to figure this mess out; definitely lifted a few tons of weight off his shoulders. But now the most important question still remained.
"...Where are you?" He mumbled as he stared at the bathroom mirror. He honestly had no clue how long he'd been standing there until he heard a rather loud knocking coming from what he would assume was the front door. Fully opening the bathroom door he left slightly closed earlier for privacy reasons, the bunny Demi-Human made his way over to said front door, already calling out that he would get it.
Could it have been Aer with new information already? The crystal eyed boy wanted to believe so, but it was highly unlikely. Maybe it was the Mistress herself? If only... Hm... he didn't really have many friends, and if the company was meant for any of the other servants he would have known about it earlier, so what was going on?
Grisaia's face immediately hardened, refusing to show any signs of the prior, emotionally draining, conversation as he placed his hand on the handle. He was prepared for whatever was planning to show itself in front of him...well, he thought he was prepared for whatever was planning to show itself in front of him.
Too bad he was far from it...
"Lady Mie?" He questioned, ears perking up as he was now looking down at the equally rude small and equally satanic precious merchant in front of him. Wow, two smol people in one day, and without even having to leave the house? Not bad Grisaia, not bad at all... He wanted to ask what the ash purple fox was doing here, but thinking back to their past times together, he could make an educated guess. Still, with that knowledge, Grisaia opened the door fully so that she could let herself in, and asked anyways.
"Might I ask what business you have here? I would have thought you would be busy selling your products to the public around this time..." He said, looking up at the sky, before gazing back down at Mie with a curious look, pushing out a breath he didn't know he was holding in silently out of his nose.
Okay, so apparently the gods weren't on her side. Or anyone's
It happened so fast that she didn't have time to really react to what just happened. Eiko was frozen for a second to take in the issue at hand. Some...man with the strangest mask covering his face just attacked some innocent boy, from what she could tell, for no reason. That alone was more than enough to make the girl want to intervene, even if she would ultimately be outnumbered, and at worst, if both sides decided to go and attack her for butting in.
Luckily, another girl had also came to the defenseless humans' aid, inclining Eiko to go in an help even more. And that she did, positioning herself right next to the wolf Demi-Human, her pink staff clutched behind her in case she really really needed to use it. With her posture straight, and expression sour, Eiko nodded wholeheartedly in agreement. "She's right! You guys are taking this way too far! This all could have been settled without the need for violence." She spoke up, her sharp gaze contrasting her overall friendly exterior.
Taking a quick glance at rest of the unarmed, and probably scared, Humans, Eiko smiled politely before her attention was immediately brought back to the situation at hand. There were so many of them...could only two people handle this?
Half of the ad-hoc group were acting calmer in this situation than expected. The Japanese kid did disregard his suspicions about the guards and law enforcement, but that was all right. The Scandinavian and the Asian were either panicking or thanking invisible gods for a second chance at life. As for he himself, things looked as if they were calming down... Which was a sign that things might - might - go to heck in a handbasket later on.
Which they did. And as the Japanese boy died in front of him, his flesh freezing due to accelerated hypothermia, Ashton knew that he had to protect the others somehow, especially as the guy in the gas mask was now accusing them of being 'cultists' and 'Enemies of the State'.
He opened his mouth to speak, just before two Demi-Humans, an Oni and an Angel (?) spoke up in their defense. Glaring at the Secret Police Member (?) Ashton tried to build on the momentum the group's defenders had given him and said, "What's going on, sir, is that we have been transported to this place, from our homes, by -"
A sudden chill, and a rush of unnatural fear. And Ashton instinctively knew that things had gotten worse. His glare turning into frightened weariness, he continued, "By magic. Magic that I assume doesn't fit the normal rules, considering that we're a mystery to you. But sir, what I'm saying is the truth; what reason would we have to lie if we're facing sudden death?"
He raised his arms in surrender. "We're just as ignorant as the rest of you as to how we suddenly appeared in the middle of a bustling city. Trust us, if we were cultists trying to subvert the state, we'd be running by now. As it is, I am surrendering, as a show of good faith."
Ashton knelt down but kept looking up. "Do with me as you will; just treat my... Companions better."
Chiyo was reserved as they walked. Hands crossed behind her back, eyes glancing about, and mouth open in an attempt to mimic what a look of awe would be. It was indeed a lot of tasty looking things scattered between the many dozens of stalls and Master Gris Ayt Forye continued his due dilligance as a providor for his young accompaniment / stray while handing out precious coin to many demi human vendors. Each one held themselves cooly but Chiyo knew they were anxious to stay in high favor with the big named spenders circulating their businesses. Their own reputation soared every time someone of Foryes standing visited, common gossip no doubt whispering favor to other vendors ans buyers alike.
Good service was all too rare it seemed.
Her musings were little more than a way to pass the time as little Chiyo kept pace with the crew bustling about on a shopping trip. Nothing of worth caught her eye or tickled her curiosity as the vendors passed one by one, so when Master Gris finally spoke to her Chiyo feigned like she had only half heard.
"Ehh?" A little gasp for effect sealed the act, her head turning left and right to view the many carts and their wares for something more.. personal.. than food. There had been a few vendors selling exotic weaponry for exotic prices but their quality wasn't worth a tenth of the coin they wanted. Memories not her own had taught her how to find an item worth having and how to care for them too.
"Y-you are too kind. Chiyo doesn't want anything. Already had so much from you, Master!"
That much was truth, Chiyo flashed a wide and rare smile reserved only for Gris. Their blind acceptance of the vagabond had been a stroke of luck and their hospitality knew no bounds. As time had marched on she had stopped taking what he offered, almost embarassed at his open charity.
"I wouldn't dream of taking anything more from you kind sir."
While she detested bodily contact of any kind, even with Gris, hugging the Oni Man was becoming something of a habit that wasn't such a bad thing. More and more thoughts along that line had become commonplace nowadays..
"Maybe we can find a nice treat for the others, they work hard!"
Aerith had been just starting to introduce herself as she drug the other girl to follow the Japanese man out of this area. Though it didn't seem like they were going to get too far. Clacking sounds of armored boots, something leaping over them with inhuman skill and strength and landing in front of them. An armored knight, who had apparently used magic if the explosions and such actions of his had been as clear as they were. Albeit, he seemed to talk to them as if they were fugitives after blocking their path. Oh no. Oh nonono. The first part of these kinds of anime, a trope that in real life was all too true.....they stood out like sore thumbs. Badly. Attire aside, they had been running as well, and regardless of their good intentions it would seem that didn't help them blend in any better.
'Shit.'
Though, a bit thankfully, the armored knight's companion seemed to approach them in a more...'polite' manner than her compatriot had. Though her words brought some clarity and worry to Aerith's mind. A "malevolent aura" apparently existed within them, and intense one that had apparently been detectable by magic (which she assumed these two had). Wait. Talus. Was it Talus' power that had done this to them? Was it....was it the one who had wanted her brought here? The one who....loved her? It was odd, very odd indeed, but keeping that mask on Aerith simply gave a polite nod to the nicer of the two knights.
Play the situation. Keep it peaceable. Please, for the love of whatever got us brought here, don't mess this up you two.
"An aura that bad? I don't think we even knew, but that's a bit...worrying," Aerith said, her tone cool and casual, genuine in sound but supported by that mask of hers to cover her other thoughts and such up, giving Chieko's hand a small subtle squeeze to hope she got the idea and hint, being careful to not make sudden actions or such that might come off negatively, "Ah, but my name is Aerith. We are not from around here, foreigners to this land you could say. So this has all been a bit...jarring so far. Such that we wanted to see if we could find a place of reference, which was the reason for our great haste. But if these auras you speak of worry you, we can cooperate peacefully. It's no problem at all."
Please let them get the idea. Please let them get the idea. Please, oh please, oh please let them work with me here. Such were the thoughts of the teenager, who as much as she wanted to keep moving didn't want to....die. Here. Because of the others. Or see them die, for that matter, since it was not exactly good for Chieko and this other guy whose name she didn't know. Though they were all strangers, and this was a thing. Ah. This was not the best start so far.
Haaaaaaaaaaa. Why. Why did it have to be this annoying? Why couldn't they just take a moment to get their bearings before some random asshole jumped into his face. To be. . . errmmmm. . . completely honest, Hiro was terrified. In fact, terrified was probably an understatement. In fact, Hiro's whole face and body froze in an indifferent mask. Outwardly it seems as though he wasn't fazed at all by the knight dropping into his face.
But oh, if one had the ability to look into his mind. What they would be met with. It is sure they would be surprised by the intense and girlish screaming that they were met with.
Anyway. Once he was once again in control of his faculties, Hiro realized that he was being spoken to by a woman. One of his. . . . companions. . . . was answering her question in a very well thought out and concise manner that seemed unlikely to get them killed or locked up. That was very impressive. In fact, Nobuhiro was entirely sure that he would not have been in the frame of mind to answer like that even if he had heard the original question.
Well said.
As such, Hiro turned his head to the side to look around the knight that was hopefully being distracted by the small girl that brought up dark memories. A completely indifferent look plastered on his face, as though he was not at all bothered by being stopped and threatened in the street, Hiro spoke to the girl.
"Indeed. As my companion said, we are just trying to find a good place to perhaps get a meal and find our bearings in the city. You can call me Hiro. And you are?"
Hopefully they could defuse this situation and maybe even come out of it on top. Please let them come out unscathed. Hiro's heart couldn't take any more excitement today.
Vasilis was at first taken back by the strange girl's antics, completely dropping his cool exterior. But then his smile returned. "Well, not everyone has the aptitude for magic like this." He placed a hand on his hip and gave the girl a sideways glance. "But if you show promise, maybe I could teach you a thing or two about magic." He winked at her and flashed a toothy grin.
As the smallest of the three became occupied with her companion, Irene had turned to the other two, who were fortunately willing to cooperate with her feared presumptions. "Miss Aerith and Sir Hiro... I see." A brief pause to register their identities. "Hiro... as in a hero? Your parents gave you a truly virtuous name." A faint smile escaped her lips, amused by the man's outlandish name. The peculiarity of their existence; from attire to mannerisms and names were indisputable. However, she could see it in their eyes. Their honest-to-goodness innocence and lack of awareness betrayed the faint darkness manifesting from them.
Good.
"My name is Irene. My partner's is Vasilis. Now, as much as I would like us to have a meaningful conversation, I'm afraid this is nary an ideal time nor place for it. This area of the city has been invaded by lawless vagabonds, tormenting the residents here day-in and day-out. Allow us escort you out for now, as part of our apologies." The young lady offered, walking past them and back to the way they came. "Please, have no fear. You can trust me and him. We'll make sure no harm occur to the three of you. Isn't that right, Vasilis?"
"Wuh?" Vasilis ajusted his posture."Y-Yea, that's right!" He nodded, still grinning ear to ear. "We'll keep you safe!"
"Not very convincing." A pale sigh, Irene gestured to the foreigners once more. "Now then, shall we go?" She smiled.
A chill rolled down Aaron's spine as the distorted voice broke his trance. Looking forward, the already confused teen witnessed a truly horrifying sight. Before his very eyes, one of the others from earth internally froze to death, their body developing numerous dark bruises as they fell to the ground. 'HOLY SHIT!!!' he thought as he became paralyzed with fear, 'Why now??? We all just got here the fuck did we do wrong???'
”I don't think it's unfair to assume that you know you're in deep shit right now, is it?” began the man that had just casually committed murder in broad daylight,”We're going to skip the part where I casually explain to the lot of you that you're enemies of the state. The king does not appreciate cultists, less so if they insist on disturbing the peace.” Leveling a pointed finger at Aaron's group, 'Mono' leveled his accusation, ”You fucking cultists are going to tell me what the fuck is going on before I fucking end you right-fucking-now!”'Is this guy part of some sort of medieval inquisition?'
Millions of questions raced through Aaron's head as his shaking hand wiped the tears from his fearful, unblinking eyes. However, before any of the accused could reply, two female natives (thankfully) spoke out in the teenagers' defense. As Ashton; one of the other people sent to this strange world, testified before their murderous accuser, the knot in his chest slowly began to loosen... At least until the girl who had been silent up till now came to the end of her appeal, "What I do know is that you best choose your next act wisely, mortal." 'Oh Shit...'"For the gods are watching, and what they do to you if you disrespect their servants will be far worse than anythingyou can do."
Alarms went off like crazy in Aaron's head as he slowly turned toward the girl with a horrified look. 'Is she TRYING to get us killed?' With a gulp the teenager turned toward the terrifying figure before him. "Uh- I'm s-sorry if our sudden appearance was disruptive sir," Aaron nervously began, his body visibly shaking in fear, "W-w-we didn't get sent here of our own accord. I, was actually in the m-middle of a suicide attempt, before suddenly appearing in the middle of this street..."
Tipping his head back, Aaron reveals the bruising, very recent mark of what was obviously a rope around his neck.
"I know y-you probably don't care what we say, but please, all I ask is that you give us a chance to prove our innocence... I swear, to all the gods of this world, that we are not cultists... J-just please, give us a chance." the boy pleaded as he closed his eyes, prepared for the worst.
Gris could only smile at how modest Chiyo was (or rather faking her modesty), with a hand out he tried to ruffle a bit of her hair before turning to his Demi-Human servants. They too had a smile on their faces and thanked Chiyo in their way. "...alright Chiyo. But if you do want something, don't hesitate to tell me, alright?" Looking back at the many stalls. The Oni fulfilled the requests of each and everyone who joined their grocery shopping. What was once a few bags of fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat is now two shopping carts worth of food that might last a few days after the week. Perhaps he should invite the Verttis to dinner sometime? Gris was sure they can spend a few hours just talking about the political state of affairs revolving around the capital.
Then again, with the Lady of their house always going missing he finds that highly unlikely...
...of course he could always have their own grand feast for no reason...
"We could always buy some more spices, young master." Bani spoke, carrying the condiments as she stopped by a nearby spices stand. "If there is no proper reason for a fist, then maybe a few more spices should be in order..."
"Hmm... it doesn't hurt to be prepared, buy one more bag." Gris chuckled, passing through the intersection between the paved paths of the Golden Quarter. He also hoped that Elque wouldn't be getting into any trouble.
A laughter bellowed from the young, dauntless knight before the group, and haughty; prideful, yet therein seemed to exist some sort of justification for this sort of action.
She had simply allowed the other to hit her jaw point-blank without even the slightest bit of movement to evade the attack. After all, that was what
“IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?! IS YOUR HAND BROKEN?! SHATTERED!? DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH, SCUMBAG. YOU WILL NEVER STAND ON THE SAME LEVEL AS ME, BASTARD!”
Another laugh that seemed to carry in it the weight of a god itself, bellowing from the deepest reaches of her existence. As if defying the people before her. Defying their expectations. But there was something more to that. Something greater than even the pride that Fredehildr held towards her own ability and nature.
She was enjoying this.
“Here, I’ll tell you what. Want another go at it? You still got one hand. Try it again, kid. Come on, hurt me!”
Alistair, giving into her provocation, proceeded to ram his other hand into the iron-wall of a knight before him, again, shattering his other hand as he has the previous one.
“I guess you aren’t smart. You got guts though, I’ll give you that. Even if they are on the floor behind you. Pity. Your will was great, but your body was weak. I was hoping for a better challenge here.”
A flash.
Perhaps hardly understood by the eyes of anyone in the room, aside from the trained [Lugnican] knights and their heightened senses or blessed beings as detached from the vulgar, common crowd, would comprehend.
And in that exact moment of acceleration, her body stopped. The sword she had carried on her and stabbed into the dirt was formerly in her hand, but as if a bullet had gone off, she had let go of the sword and it had been propelled at flame at inhuman speeds.
In addition to this, her freehand had been brought forward to the person before here.
… With the hand not gripping the sword in her hand barreled straight into Alistair’s chest, likely killing him instantly.
“Maybe in another life, you could give me that challenge, asshole. But don’t forget the name: Fredehildr Merogasque. Take it with you to the afterlife. You made one mistake though. You pissed me off.”
But there was a sigh of regret in her voice. Something was off.
“I wish I could have gotten his name though.”
Taking a look at the last person remaining, Fredehildr began to speak again, casually, as if none of the bloodied violence had occurred previously.
“You can either surrender now or end up like these two. Your pick.”
The sword flew true, and struck flame in the chest. It was a mighty heave that pinned him to the wall. The blow to Alestair's chest was strong enough to break all of his ribs, and ruptured every organ in his chest. Only father wiskey remained, and his chances weren't looking too good.
DEATH COUNT : 3
Center Ally , Suttling's Basin, Priestella
While the group was initially in for a scare, they were able to talk Irene and Vasilis down rather easily. Things were strange, but they could at least take comfort in that they were going to be well protected by the people who had approached them. Vasilis didn't even wait to start moving again before filling the silence with his voice.
”I mean, I'm kind of surprised that something so basic has you so excited.” he explained to Chieko. ”Well, I guess it's not basic for everyone. But I mean, I'm capable of doing stuff that's a lot cooler than that.” He looked over his shoulder to see Irene glaring at him. ”Uh, maybe I'm not the best teacher. What's your affinity anyway?”
But someone was there to take advantage of the situation, and the group hadn't even taken five steps down the road. The shutters on the second floor windows flew open on either side of the street. Cloaked bandits leaned out of the windows with crossbows, ready to take aim. They all fired in unison, and none of them missed their mark. The two Bolts aimed at Vasilis struck his padded armor, directly over his heart. They knocked him backwards, but they didn't go deep enough to wound him. However, Irene was not so lucky. One of the bolts shattered her ankle, while the other pierced her forearm. Try as she might, there was nothing the young girl could do to remain standing.
”Irene!” Vasilis let out a bestial roar before lunging at one of the windows. Like before, he was propelled by explosions, and was essentially a rocket with an axe attached to it. The bandit would not be able to move out of the way before being split in two, neither would the other one on the other side of the street. Vasilis was pissed. His cool exterior melted away to reveal a ravenous berserker.
Unfortunately, the archers were just the beginning.
On the lower most floor, more bandits appeared. There were about twenty of them, spilling out on both sides of the street. Most of them wore little more than rags, some nothing at all, But all of them had something to use as a weapon. By the time the group realized what was going on, it was too late to run. Chieko wasn't able to react with everything going on, and didn't see the club coming for the back of her head. The swing was strong enough to cave in the back of her skull, which dropped her instantly. They didn't wait for her death spasms to stop before trying to pull her shoes off. Aerith was knocked to the ground and repeatedly stabbed by at least four demi-humans. She gripped onto one of their arms, but was unable to pull herself up. She opened her mouth to scream, but there was too much blood in her lungs to properly make sounds. While Nobuhiro possessed incredible reflexes and strength, he was not ready for a sudden attack from both sides. He was able to bob and weave through the first few attacks, but a knife found it's way into his ribs. His reflexes slowed, and all ensuing attacks found their mark on his torso. The boxer struggled to stand, and found himself resting on one knee. But a barbed cudgel found it's mark in the side of his pretty face, robbing him of his consciousness and dignity. This was his first match against multiple opponents, and he lost.
Irene and Vasilis's fate was unknown, but these three other worlders had faded from this world.
DEATH COUNT : 6
Center road, The Golden Quarter, Priestella
Mono stared at the three other worlders who remained. Ashton tried to reason his way out, Hilda tried to invoke fear, and Aaron decided to just tell the truth. But mono said nothing, and instead turned to the two natives that opened their mouths.
They had put themselves in quite the position, those two. Demi-humans weren't anyone's favorite right now, and they were judging someone who worked under the king. It was one thing to silently judge someone, but to have the gall to speak up about it when someone could end you...
”Really now? You would let these cultists run free? You would risk letting them kill innocents by the thousands just to avoid an unsightly execution?” Mono took a step towards Eiko, and the difference in their height became apparent. ”If you only knew what was required to stand in my position. Low brow rabble such as yourself can keep praying at the temples and hope for a good outcome. As for myself...” Mono extended his hand and took hold of Elque's neck before she could react. Then he turned around and dropped on one knee, throwing her to the ground in front of him. Even though he wore a visor, everyone could tell his eyes were boring into her. ”I am a fucking sin eater! And I will gladly stand beside all the cultists I've slain when their time of judgment comes. Because there isn't a fucking thing that will make me compromise the safety of this great nation.” He looked up to his fellow soldiers. ”Run them through!”
There was no mercy for those left standing. Without any hesitation, they drew their swords and closed in on the remaining other worlders. No words or actions could stop them. They followed their commander's order without fail. It just took a single stab from each of them, and they all hit their mark. Ashton was stabbed through the heart and chest, and sunk to the floor immediately. Aaron's throat was slashed, and in a twist of irony, the boy who failed to commit suicide also failed to survive the encounter. The gods did nothing for their “servant” either. As if to punish her for leaning on them too much, five of the soldiers simultaneously ran their swords into her torso.
It was over in a flash. Where four people once stood there were now four corpses. The guard raised a hand to his mouth, unsure if this was what he really wanted.
DEATH COUNT : 9
For many, this would have been the end of an adventure. But for them, this was just the beginning.
Restart : 1
The non-natives found themselves exactly where they were right after encountering Lord Talus. They seemed to be in good condition, any wounds they had suffered had been healed. It would be easy enough to write off as a dream, but then why were they still here?
But everyone seemed like they would have a chance to try again. They knew a danger was coming, be it Mono, a disgruntled knight, or a bandit ambush. And they didn't have a lot of time to figure out how they were going to deal with them.
Flame was disoriented, phantom pain coursing through him for a second. Was this what it was like to die?
He looked around; he was still in the meeting room in another world, if this indeed was another world. Looking at Alistair and the Priest, he would say, trying to calm himself so as not to overly offend the rich jerk, "This meeting room has multiple doors. Either we select another one or we surrender ourselves to those Knights for 'advanced interrogation'. Also, we should stick with each other from now on; safety in numbers and all that."
A flare of disgust at even saying that. Flame disliked or even hated other people, but by being chill, the priest, 'Father Whiskey', had earned his trust. So his next words were to the man of the cloth. "Father, you or the rich kid select a door and we'll find our way out. We need to stick together and make sure none of us gets killed; this is serious."
Then a thought struck him, cold as ice. If Ashton was here... Did he die too?
Anger bubbled up inside him as he said, "We're wasting time. Let's go. We can settle who should be group leader later."
It was then that Flame realized that trying to appease Alistair was the wrong move. So was openly challenging him. That meant that he had to demand respect, prove himself worthy of it, and not hurt Alistair's ego in the process. So he stared at the rich kid, before saying, "We need everyone to be on the same page here. So are we going to stand together, or are we all getting killed?"
Ashton Andrews
If Flame was disoriented, Ashton was hyperventilating on the verge of tears. I died. They killed me.
But there was a stubborn core inside him that insisted he recover. That insisted that he swim upward through the mire of pain. Do not despair. Others count on you.
He assessed the other members of the group. The Japanese boy seemed the sanest and most level-headed, but he had been first to ignore his advice regarding the guards. Next after him was the Asian-American who had confessed to being an attempted suicide. And of course, the Scandinavian, who, with all due respect, had been the least reasonable of the group when confronted with danger. Ashton had to steer the group into a steady course, and do it faster than the man in the respirator and his soldiers can arrive.
To the group, he said, "Do not run. If we run, we'll be pursued by the authorities with all they have. We walk, try and lose ourselves among the crowds, and find a safe place. We also find new clothes. Above all, do not panic; panic will get us killed faster."
Ashton moved to gently grasp Aaron and Hilda's wrists, and said as soothingly as possible, "I know my facial expressions; Flame taught me a bit." A smile. "Let's walk to the back of the road, giving no signal that we wish to frighten or excite these good people, and only run when we are directly threatened. Take deep breaths if you have to. We'll all get out of this together; as the Demi-Humans from last time proved, we have allies..."
"....Chieko? Hiro?" Aerith said, her voice perhaps the first among the three to creak out again as the situation hit her like a freight train. Her face was deadly pale, a tremble in her voice initially.
Blood filling her lungs, unable to scream, the feeling of being stabbed over and over with sharp instruments, trying to grip onto life, trying to fight back.....but for nothing. She could remember the feeling of the life leaving her limps the weight of death hanging over her like a hangman's noose, and the slumber of death having some over her in its gruesome, terrible manner.....but then this happened. She opened her eyes again. She was breathing again. She, Chieko, and Hiro were standing in the same positions as they had been when they first appeared here. They were in the same spot and place, the same ruffling of her own clothes even. It was like deja vu, but all of it was real. It felt real, seemed real, she could remember it all in all the gore and other details prior to that. She had died, they all had maybe died, and they were back here again.
She had no idea how....was this like a video game? Going back in time at death? The feeling she was getting about this was all too real for this to be anything but....the equivalent of living this same bit over again. Oh no....oh nononononono-
-wait. Irene and Vasilis. The two who had sensed them, who had tried to help them, they had been outnumbered. Were they? If this was anything like those damned Isekai anime then they might not-......and so if they kept on that current course.....oh dear heavens. Nonononono. They were going to die again if something didn't change. If they didn't try to change things. But who would listen to them? A girl who just woke up from death, and two others who she had no idea how they would react to this situation. No idea whatesoever. It had all started off so well, and now.....THIS. Even Areith herself felt thrown off her game, off her rocker a good bit at the moment, and the first instinct to hit her mind was-
"Ah...ah! Irene and Vasilis, we are all going to die if we don't do something! Hiro, take care of Chieko! I've got to go help them!" Aerith shouted at Chieko and Hiro, before her feet took to the ground at top speed.
Aerith ran, adrenaline pumping in her veins. She went down the same route she remembered seeing Hiro leave this alley out of. She ran down the same street they had met Irene and Vasilis on. By the gods, if this place had such things, she had to try something. Even if it was stupid, something to save them and keep them all alive this time. She put on a mask as well, one of her best, enough to perhaps garner attention as she would try to find and approach them. Use the emotion to her advantage to put on a face.
'Now think, Aerith, think. What can you do to get them out of there, what can you say? There's gotta be something.'
She had to improvise. She had to improvise on the spot for this kind of thing. Usually a game had dialogue options, usually the hero or heroine in a crappy isekai had to redo things a few times over with mechanics like this....before they got it right. Shit shit shit! This was not good. Think fast. New to the world? Yes. Look like and can come off as a foreigner? YES. Ok, that was one excuse down. Next maybe she could say something....the two had been seemingly looking for activities in the area, suspicious figures. Yes, that aura she and the other apparently had, maybe overhearing some chatter....shit. This was banking on something stupid, and if she died again it would only....ah. The feeling sent a terrible shiver down her spine.
Eventually Aerith picked out the two figures she was looking for. Yes. They looked distinct enough from the crowd, this might make sense.
"Hey!" Aerith called out to Irene and Vasilis, slowing down her pace and waving them down as if she was a slightly spooked visitor to the city, taking care to approach as carefully as she could in the subtle sense to avoid potentially getting...er....killed on the spot maybe by these two, "May i talk to you both a minute?"
'Please let the aura get their attention, but not get me killed. Please let them want to talk to me since i am approaching them peacefully, and not kill me. Please let this work. It has to work. Or i have to keep trying.' Aerith thought to herself in the back of her head.
Though it could always be worse than dying as she had, even though the feeling still sent shivers down her spine. Ugh.
Oh, so he could teach her! Wonderful. Chieko was confident that she had both the aptitude and talent for it. She had to after all, right? She couldn't possibly succeed as a hero otherwise. Ha. Flawless logic. Well, Chieko saw no problems with this arrangement. Fortuitous even. They could keep them safe, or at least show them the ropes of how this place worked and she could well be on her way to being a certified hero in the next month, hah!
Yes, this was wonderful.
Affinity though? Was that like their elemental affinity or something? Defining what sort they could do? Huh, well she hoped she had-
”Irene!”
Vasilis' shout shocked her out of her musings. What was-
She saw the bandits. She saw the arrows. She saw Irene's ankle and arm pierced by an arrow. She saw Vasili's rage as he attacked the bandits. Just what - could she do? Her mind froze, unable to react to what was happening. A sharp crack echoed in her ears, pain filling her skull as her vision faded, her body hitting the ground.
...
...
...
The next instant, she was standing in the alley again like nothing had ever happened. She hit the ground again, legs giving out from under her as the weight of the situation tried to make sense in her brain. Irene and Vasilis...had...died? She had...died? Chieko's shoulders visibly slumped, the bag she was holding falling carelessly to the ground, the box the figurine was in getting mud all over it. She had died. She was certain of that, then how could she be here again? She felt the impact on her skull. She saw Irene and Vasilis likely head to their deaths. Had...the other two also died? But yet, here she was, where she had been just minutes ago completely fine. Physically at least This wasn't some dream or weird last-dying moments vision? Her mind tried to rationalize the situation, but it just couldn't.
Try as she might, Chieko couldn't stop some tears flowing.
Hero? Please, she was weak. She wasn't some legendary hero. She knew that. She was just using it because she had nothing else. That's what she was doing, and she knew it. She wasn't anything special. Just a pathetic, talent less girl who was sort of smart. She rubbed her face with her coat sleeve, sniffling as Aerith said something, rushing off to try and meet the other two. She was scared, wasn't she? That's what this was. She was in an unfamiliar place, without anyone she knew and without a shred of money or anything else to her name...realistically speaking, she should be utterly terrified, right? They all should be.
...
Grinding her teeth together, Chieko slapped the sides of her face with her hands. This was no good. No good at all. She was tougher than this, wasn't she?! Of course she was. She made it through high school. That shit was terrifying. Not as terrifying as death even, she'd say. She could handle this, right? She had to be tough for her little sister all the time.
...haha...
Sniffling again, she stood, pulling her scarf over her face again and dusting off her pants.
"A-aerith wait-!" But the girl was already gone. Damn it! Going that way was a bad idea. It'd be best if they walked in the opposite direction and tried to avoid that problem altogether for now. Maybe meet up with them elsewhere. Silently, she glanced at Hiro, seemingly unsure what they should do. Her confidence seemingly having wilted a bit, at least for the moment.
The experience of death is not one many people get to recall in such vivid detail as Alistair did. He remembered every last detail, from the pain of breaking his hand on the woman's extraordinarily-durable face to the realization his life was going to end to the smell of what was likely his own blood, moments before he entirely blacked out. The pain, the misery, the feelings he had felt were not false. It was impossible for him to rationalize it as a dream when none had ever felt so real before.
Alistair Archibald had been killed.
And what effect did it have on the young man? Naturally, the ability to look back on one's own death was unnatural. In many religions, physical death was always an important stage of life. When one died, they were believed to ascend to heaven, descend to hell, to become an entirely new being, such as an animal or a tree, or perhaps they became one with something else. But the fact remained that death always resulted in a changed human being. Memories were broken with the truth of their lives going unspoken. Such that they would forget the basic details, even down to their name. While the soul lived on, the individual did not. For the average person, this is how things were.
But Alistair Archibald was not average. He was so much more!
Alistair was not frightened nor impeded by his death. He did not panic when he saw the familiar surroundings of the meeting room, nor when he saw that his hands were in perfect shape and that he was well. For in his mind, there was only one thing he even cared about. The memory of his death, or rather, the memory of who inflicted such a status upon him.
“Maybe in another life, you could give me that challenge, asshole. But don’t forget the name: Fredehildr Merogasque. Take it with you to the afterlife. You made one mistake though. You pissed me off.”
The arrogant words of his executioner ruled over all other potential worries. He cared not about the circumstances behind his revival. He did not cave under the pressure this new world had applied to him at the very start. He did not feel anything but this: an unfathomable humiliation-turned-rage-turned-determination. He hated to admit that this woman had struck every potential nerve in his body. He loathed the fact that her name was branded in his memories, despite his passing.
This... BITCH! SHE DARE MOCK ME?! DARE ASSUME THAT SHE IS MY BETTER? I WILL MAKE HER PAY. SHE WILL REGRET OPPOSING ME!
But he would pay her back tenfold. This humiliation, this rage... she would experience all of it and more.
...at a later time.
The truth of the matter was that Alistair was incapable of even laying a scratch on her, as of this moment. He was no world-renowned boxer, but he did not hold back his punch. Anybody would have felt that blow, especially a woman of her size. But she did not. There was a conclusion to be made here: that she was not human, or at least not one as he knew it. The fact she outright killed him with a single punch to his chest was merely supporting evidence to this point. And so... Alistair understood that claiming his revenge was going to require patience. A lot of it. So that did mean he was going to need to escape this place without dying.
Now, how to go about this?
Had anybody been playing close attention to him up until this point, they'd have noticed him grinding his teeth. But suddenly, his face relaxed. Or, well, at least resembled his grumpy face from before that betrayed only a minor irritation rather than rage. It was... somewhat of an improvement? Anyways, he looked to the young man from before, Flame, who had seemed determined not to repeat the events from last time. That was smart, but simply leaving through one of the other doors was a bit too obvious a solution, wasn't it?
How did that woman know we were here? Lord Talus certainly did not just send us here to die. That'd make no sense, not that this whole situation does... but why not just kill us in the abyss if that was his goal? Was there someone else?
Honestly, he was too pressed for time and too pissed off to really think too much harder on the subject. When he could cool down and wasn't in immediate danger, he could theorize more. For now, however, he made a simple assumption: that these people were most likely aware of the fact there were multiple doors to this building.
Alistair wasn't sure if everybody from this place had the same strength and durability as his new sworn enemy, but it might be better to assume they did. And who knew if they had the speed to match it. There was far too many things to consider for him to make a perfect plan. He also wasn't keen on relying on that strange ability to revive, either. It could've been a one-time thing. He figured that it may be ideal to stand together with the priest and the young man, but what could they do against such overwhelming power? Fleeing was perhaps their best chance, but it'd be a blow to his pride.
Though then again, dying to that bitch again would be a much bigger blow.
"I am confident that we're going to be in trouble no matter what we do," Alistair resolutely stated. "But listen well, my fellow victims! I, Alistair Archibald, am usually a benevolent and tolerant man, but there a three things I simply cannot stand: People who stand in my way, people who insult me, and people who order me around! And so, I'll shatter every bone in my body on that thick skull of hers long before I acknowledge that she is my better!"
Alistair strode over to a different door than the one he tried last time. He did not want to break his hands on her face, after all. It was just that he understood such was an inevitable outcome were they to meet face-to-face again. "Lets hurry up!" he instructed, particular to the priest who was lagging behind. He was much too pissed off to be paying attention to the others closely, but perhaps the priest was having a normal response to reviving?
With a gasp of fresh air, the surroundings changed. His vision was no longer tainted red and fading to black. Instead, Hiro found himself standing where had he been probably only a couple of minutes prior. He was back somehow. That was good. That meant he wasn't dead. Had he just imagined it all? Was it all some sort of extension of this seemingly long acid trip?
No.
That wasn't possible. He knew that that wasn't the case as soon as the girl, 'Aerith' she said her name was, called out his name. They had stood here before. She even brought up those two people that they had met before it happened. Fuck.
FUCK!
It still hurt. Hiro could feel the blades piercing his skin and the bludgeon ending his life. He was no stranger to getting hit in the face, but a lethal swing was something different. It had imprinted itself on his psyche. That one moment was something that he wasn't going to forget for as long as he lived.
However long or short that might be.
But he had to think. There had to be a way out of this situation. What happened? An ambush. He could still feel the rush of bodies flooding out onto the streets. Was there any warning? Any signs? Hiro dug through his mind, hoping to remember if anything had happened to signal they were about to get jumped.
. . .
. . .
. . YES!
A flash of inspiration passed. When they were walking down the streets, those windows had been open, but just before the ambush they were pulled shut. But why were they chosen? Details. He needed to think of the details. The rags of his attackers stuck out in his mind. They were poor. Very poor. It was obvious by his clothing, and partially by his companions and the other two that they had met that they were well off. Fine materials and fabrics. Obviously they would be targeted in a slum like this. Now. What to do?
Every instinct in his body told him to turn tail and run. But to where? They were already heading in the direction that seemed toward the wealthier districts before then. The other direction would probably just lead them even further into the slums, and that would only spell disaster.
Hiro took a deep breath to straighten out his mind and still his pounding heart. He couldn't panic. Calm. Think it through calmly. Those bandits weren't trained, and he was sure he could handle a couple of them in a fight. He just had to worry about another large ambush like before.
If that was the case, he had to move fast. Aerith probably had the right idea. They needed contacts in the area. And someone that could handle themselves on the mean streets like this. It was only now that Hiro took a moment to glance over at his remaining companion. The little chuuni girl who reminded him of darker times. She seemed worried and unsure. It only then crossed his mind that she must have been in an even worse state than he was. She didn't even have the power to fight back. It must have felt terrible.
The tension drained a little from his frame and his eyes softened from their usually short glare.
"We have to go help. Those two people are our best ticket to a safer situation right now."
His voice was soft, but firm. With one swift movement, he grabbed Chieko's hand and took off running down the road. In the same direction they had gone prior. It didn't take them long before they made it to the area they had just been ambushed and passed it. The window was still open and he didn't see any sign of attack yet.
He kept running. He made sure to keep a pace that the younger girl could maintain, but they had to meet in an safer spot. He had to move faster. He wasn't far behind Aerith when she made contact.
He ran past. He made sure that when he passed, his voice could be heard, but he was not so close as to trigger any protective response out of Vasilis.
"I saw signs of an ambush up ahead. Care."
He did what he could. The most important thing to do now was get to safety with Chieko.
And so he ran. If Chieko was too tired, he would pick her up and carry her, but they had to get to a safer area.
"I know you're itching for a fight, but please do take caution. We are dealing with shrewd characters, after all." Irene gestured at the taller knight, their footsteps unrelenting.
"Me? Itching?" Vasilis smirked. He was holding the handle of his axe across his shoulders. "I only raise this axe to protect the innocent, and you." He started to run his hand through his hair, but then stopped and looked back at Irene. "Not that I'm implying that you aren't innocent. If anything, I need to make doubly sure no harm comes to you." He trailed off into mock laughter. "B-but anyway, The reason why I might be giving off the vibe of someone who is itching for a fight is because those are the types of people bandits stay away from." He nodded to himself. "If I looked all cautious and stuff, they'd think I was weak. This way they know I'm not afraid to fight." He lowered his voice. "Even if this place actually gives me the creeps." He cleared his throat before regaining his composure. "But a knight's gotta protect the weak. I-I mean the innocent! Yup! That's pretty much what I live for."
A sly smirk that served to hide the laughter she contained.
”Sure… Let’s go wi--”
Her remark was cut short when the duo took notice of an individual approaching them, and in a panic portrayed by her facial expression. Letting the girl catch her breath, Irene and Vasilis looked at each other. Her attire had already given them the assumption that she wasn't from here, or the kingdom at large. Adventurers, perhaps? But they didn't look like they had any equipment, or anything at all. "Can we help you?" Irene inquired.
Another two, a young man holding a girl's hand, frantic as if they were running away from something, brushed past them. It was at that moment when dread had enveloped her, like a natural reaction. "...!" It was faint, but discernible. Her aunt had warned her about such a phenomenon before, but it had been naught but a hazy memory to her. Though even that wasn't needed, as her body's sudden, quivering response was a dead ringer to the fact that something was off about her, and the other two. A quick glance towards them, the two strangers were looking evasive and surveying the area around them. They could make out what the man articulated. An ambush.
"Vasilis, be on guard." Irene ordered her companion before approaching the short-haired female, her vigilance intensified. She was most certain that a foul aura pervaded her being, but looking at her closely, she was defenseless. What's more, her eyes, facial expression, body movement; they belonged to one who was genuinely confused and afraid, like a lost child crying for help. "..." Putting two-and-two together, Irene offered her hand to the panting female without hesitation, a serious expression painted on her face.
"Not another word. Vasilis, we're withdrawing. Let us flee, post-haste!"
While the bloodshed was happening, Jameson was quite surprised, at first. He almost fell out of his seat at the surprisingly realistic display of violence he had just witnessed. He didn't know what he was getting himself into, but he was still ready to break out his secret weapon. His hand hovered over his jacket pocket, ready to pull it out at a moment's notice should that monster of a woman get any closer to him. Placing his hand on that, he began to-
...
"... Woah, what?"
Jameson found himself in the very same room, just like how it was before. Same doors, same chairs, heck, even the kids are everywhere! Well, they were 'everywhere' in a different sense of the word, but still. Standing up from his chair and laughing, the priest started clapping at the obvious performance these two have displayed. He was overjoyed, which was odd based on the scene that had been played before him from his very eyes. His reaction was... quite unrealistic, to be fair. Then again, he is the most characteristic of the three, being a priest who smokes indoors, in front of children and all.
"So this is what you kids call 'Call of Duty,' then? Or wait, there aren't any guns, are they? Is this that 'Sky Rum' game, then? Heh... sure, sure, I'll play along. Looks fun!" Jameson rung, joyfully, making his way to one of the doors in the far corners of the hall, opposite of the 'entrance.' While he made his way inside whatever that room entailed, he started making remarks asking why his dad ever banned that 'Dragons With Dungeons' game from the house when he was younger.
“Haa,” Mie let out a tired sigh, shoulders slumping as she tilted her head to the side. “You’d think, but with all the bandits and general trouble recently, it’s difficult for even an honest merchant to sell anything.” She continued, ear twitching irritably. “Hard for a little innocent fox merchant like myself, for example. Not even my vast amounts of womanly charm could get them to come. Humph. People have no taste these days.” She mused as the rabbit servant could only nod a bit dumbfound at her words, letting the thought trail off for a few seconds before she started speaking again. “So you just gonna let this little fox stand out here in the hot sun all day or are ya gonna be a gentleman and lemme in? I may or may not have some exotic vases Lady Vertti would be interested in!”
And thus the reason she was here came out finally. Not that she was trying to hide it in the first place, really. She was bored and looking both for someone to pester and someone to swindlerelieve of their money do honest business with. That said...it looked like Grisaia was troubled by something...well, it was probably nothing.
The blonde in question squinted in minor confusion, his mind unable to comprehend the events unfolding before him until a moment or so later, leading to him releasing a faint gasp and motioning a pearly gloved hand into the estate. M-My apologies please do come in." He spoke up after quickly clearing his throat. Had he been so lost in thought that he didn't even ask her to come in? Too surprised to think back on it, Grisaia closed the door behind the fox girl who was grinning impishly as she was let inside the house, said girl not taking much notice of Grisaia's confusion or lack of politeness and preventing anymore heat to make its way into the main hall.
"I might not understand the struggles that come with being a merchant, especially one as esteemed as yourself, and I'm sure the Mistress would love to accommodate any of your products to her always growing collection, but...she isn't here right now." He explained as he casually placed his hands behind his back, one clasped inside of the other. He wasn't in the mood to make someone else disappointed in the span of an hour or so, so he continued before the girl could go into some weird monologue about her lack of womanly charm or something. "However, if it's alright with you, I could look at what you've brought with you and buy what I think would suit the Mistress' fancy? We could do it in the dining hall for more space if needed?" He questioned with the slight tilt of his head.
The bunny didn't exactly enjoy buying things for Mistress Vertti, especially since he always either buys too little or misses the mark in terms of what she's looking for, but he could at least try, right? Plus, it was Mie. She was a girl, and so was the Mistress, so she'd know what the former would be into. She always did after all.
Once indoors, the fox made herself relatively comfortable as she listened in on what the rabbit had to say, glad to be inside. Swishing her tail back and forth in a pleased manner, she stretched. Traveling all the time had its perks, but nothing ever beat being inside of or lodging in a great place like this.
"Hm…Not here?" Mie mused, one of her ears twitching playfully. Well that certainly put a damper on things. Oh well, Grisaia likely wasn't going to be buying much. Stingy rabbit. "Aha, I've already closed up shop though, so no expensive Kararagi pottery on me right now. Officially done for the day."
Hearing that his attempts at being nice were in vain, the younger boy’s normally parallel ears drooped ever so slightly, creating an obtuse angle at the top of his head. ”Uh...huh…” He mumbled as he furrowed his brows, now trying to think of something to break the bit of awkwardness Mie left him submerged in.
Without waiting for Grisaia to give her the go ahead or show her around the place, Mie walked casually away from the door and walked further into the mansion. It didn't seem like she was there for business. If anything, it seemed like she thought she owned the place judging from her casual demeanor.
"So what have you been doing all day, rabbit? You look stressed."
Great...just great. The one question he didn’t want the woman to ask about. Grisaia seemed to almost freeze at that moment, unblinking and unmoving for a few painful seconds before he finally leaned back on the front entrance, a quiet, much more audible sigh escaping his lips this time. Upon hearing said palpable pause and sigh from the rabbit, Mie turned as he replied.
”...When I said earlier that the Mistress wasn’t here at the moment, it was less of that, and more of she’s been missing for the past few days.” He explained as he began picking at the hem of his shirt. ”I spent quite a while talking to someone from the Adventurers’ Guild about helping me out, which would explain why I’m so...stressed.” The last word came out a bit awkward, foreign even, but it wasn’t like he could rewind time and take it back. Instead, Grisaia tried to move the subject along. ”Aer Pacifica was her name. Maybe you’ve sold her something or catered to her in the past?”
Looking at Grisaia now, he seemed utterly worn out and stressed. Mie exhaled, making a clicking noise with her tongue. Hmph, well that wouldn't do at all, now would it! Not that she really cared at all for the rabbit's mental health. No quite the opposite. He was emotionally vulnerable and made an oh-so exciting target for playing with.
"Ara? That's no good, dutiful little rabbit. Stressing over your mistress like that, heh!" She mused in a smug tone, turning on a heel and fixing him with a pointed gaze, one that had him flinch. She walked back over, poking him right on the forehead, practically forcing his eyes to stare cross eyed at said finger before looking back down at the fox in question. "You shouldn't worry so much. Stress is gonna give you wrinkles. You really don't need those." Lady Vertti going missing was a problem for her too, though. She was one of her best customers! If she died…well, she'd be in a lot of trouble. Oh well, thoughts for later. For now funsies and messing with the rabbit.
”B-But--”
"I have to wonder if you have certain other feelings for your mistress, with how worried you are heh. Not that I mind, I'll keep your relationship a secret, fufu!" Leaving the question in the air, Mie turned around and whacked him in the face with her tail as she walked off again, heading for the dining hall. "Can't say I know of this Aer Pacifista though. Her name seems familiar."
”...” Grisaia didn’t want to admit that her question had him blushing like a schoolgirl awaiting her senpai to reciprocate their love for her, but with his face turning two shades pinker, he had no choice but to. His lips remain pressed together in a thin line, deciding not answer her question or how she might have met Aer before in fear of making a bigger fool of himself in front of the merchant; well, it couldn’t get much worse than her smacking him with her tail...who knows where that’s been... Instead, he quickly followed after his fellow ‘companion’, with questions like where she was going and what she was trying to do escaping his mouth once he deemed himself proper enough not to stutter.
She seemed intent on making this place her playground for the next few hours.
Did Grisaia have the heart to stop her silly antics?
...Nope.
location: The Golden Quarter (Alleyway) tag(s): Hilda @catchamber mention(s): Aaron, Ashton
Eiko held the precious coins close to her chest as her mind wander of the countless things she could possibly get for herself. It wasn't every day she got to indulge in the better things in life and she definitely had a few designs in her head she was willing to try and make from scratch; but of course, if worse came to worse she'd find some scraps of clothing and make things work from there.
Head in the clouds as her paced walking turning into happy skips, Eiko only really stopped herself when she noted a small commotion taking place further down the street. Emerald eyes squinted in attempts to get a better look at what was going on, only to see what looked like a bag swishing wildly in the air, a person cutting through a crowd of pedestrians with little to no sneakiness in the way they moved. Had they...stolen something? It was the first thought that crossed her mind as her eyes pulled back to gauge the original source that prompted the person to run off, only to spot two boys, one of which was trying to pull the other in the opposite direction.
Just by the way the two boys were moving, they were also in a hurry, just like the other person, but why were they going in opposite directions? Eiko wanted to think it was planned, but with such little coordination...maybe she was just getting ahead of herself. Slowly pulling herself out of her little stupor, the short brunette stashed her coins as she picked up her pace and hurried after the one causing more of a public scene, pink staff clutched tightly in her hands in case this person wanted to get physical.
Her emerald gaze remained trained on the gray blur as it bobbed and weaved down the street. There was no screaming or anything like that, which lead Eiko to believe this person was running to protect themselves...but from what? Curiosity peaking, the girl spread the dove wings on her back a little bit wider before flapping slowly, causing her to hover a bit and increase her speed as she moved. As she was doing so, the gray blur fled into an alley, which only concerned Eiko further. What was going on?
Eiko decided to stop at this point, only being a few yards away from her 'target'. She waited a minute to see if they would come out, knowing said alley most likely lead to a dead end, and they did, but only for a few seconds before going back in. "Huh..." Maybe it wasn't her place to see what was going on. It kinda looked like they, she, was doing some pretty shady stuff in that alleyway. Was she really up for this?
Despite how conflicted her mind was, Eiko continued towards said alley, slow and steadily until she was then standing at the entrance. Quickly, she pinched her nose to avoid ruining the strange ambiance the alley had compared to the bustling street across from it. Tears pricked her eyes as she could even smell the rotting fruit when she breathed in her mouth. How could someone even stand staying in here for longer than five seconds?!
"B-Blech..." Eiko gagged, furrowing her brows as she slowly approached the woman sitting upon one of the main crates surrounded by other crates that were mostly stacked up upon each other. From where she was standing, Eiko could make out fair skin, straight brown hair, similar eyes... What really caught her attention was what she was wearing. It wasn't something she was quite use to seeing everyday, and to be honest, it made her want to talk to this woman even more, even if she might be crazy or try to rob her or something..
"Um, excuse me, Miss? Are you okay?" Eiko finally spoke up, her voice nasally since her free hand was pinching her nose like her life depended on it. Seeing as the woman didn't look to be armed, Eiko held her staff behind her back, as a means to show that she meant no harm.
1x Thank
