"There's nothing to forgive! Really! We just took separate missions yesterday. Though, I am glad that we're working together again. I was very close to killing some goblins without you keeping an eye on me. Anyway, yes. Let's go!"
On the way there, they encountered Titanica, who had also taken the same quest. Rebecca recognized the Kaiju but realized that she didn't really know very much about her at all besides that she was powerful. There was also the fire demon from earlier this morning that Eilidh had seen in the Guildhall but hadn't spoken too. The four of them together...this was quite a powerful team!
They reached the last location of the missing merchant to find some kind of 'last stand' taking place. How strange. This couldn't be a coincidence. Did this have anything to do with George's disappearance? There wasn't time to ask questions, as the four of them were called over and the shouting man intruduced himself as George. Eilidh was speechless. That was...easy. The catch followed seconds behind as he explain that people were trying to kill him, and no sooner had the words uttered his mouth than the sounds of charging were heard, and what looked like pain mercenaries arrived to kill the merchant.
Eilidh drew her sword and galloped to the space in front of George. Looking over her shoulder, she gave him a glare to sugesst he should find somewhere to hide. She turned back to the five advancing men, who'd dismounted their horses. Eilidh grinned.
"Foolish men! You should have stayed on your horses to fight me!" She roared, before lifting her sword and charging the man who had been first to disembark.
Eventually, Titanica figured that the two figures also wanted to go on the same mission she was going. In fact, even that demoness from the guild board also decided to come. Despite being somewhat hesitant in letting them come, she allowed them to join her on her quest. As long as they didn't get in her way, they shouldn't cause too much of a disturbance. Besides, she figured that some would join her anyways, for she's currently a hot subject in most local discussions. Many seem wanting to know who she is and what she can do. If only it would be so easy for them to extract this information from the titan...
Soon the group reached the area where the merchant was last seen. Titanica peered around to locate the figure, first below and then on top of the nearby hillside, only to find a barricade made of wooden debris and spare parts from wagons, crates, and other such items. There they find the merchant they were looking for, yelling for them to come in. Once inside, the merchant began to warn them about raiders who wanted him dead. And indeed, as soon as he mentioned them, here comes a small group of these mercenaries on horseback and proceeded to attack them. Five of these eastern-looking warriors strike from one side of the barricade, while suddenly another small group approached from the back portion.
In total, there's roughly ten warriors that were attacking them. Titanica simply scoffed at their lousy attempt of an offensive. Yes, the merchant is completely vulnerable if he was alone, but thankfully for him he was in the presence of four powerful monsters. As the centaur confronts the soldiers of the front, with perhaps one or two other allies supporting her, the titan turns her attention to the opponents deployed behind them. She emerges from the barricade, glaring ominously at the approaching invaders, and issues a roar that called for battle. She can easily disperse them with her atomic breath, but it would be such a waste against these poor-examples of warriors. As soon as one warrior came within striking distance, Titanica clenches her fist as she issued a powerful punch at the swordsman's face, which ought to force him straight to the ground. She then turns her attention to the rest of the approaching warriors, ready to dispose them.
After they arrived on the hillside, the first thing they saw was a small barricade made of wagon parts. From inside, a man shouted to them, vigorously calling out to them and telling them to get in the barricade with a thick foreign accent. Albeit his explanation was... extremely vague and unsatisfactory to say the least, saying that he was naught but a humble merchant, his desperation seemed to be real. Bast had his thoughts about who the man was and was rather curious about what was his... 'business' and why it led him to that situation, but before he could even say anything, the merchant, whom was called George, was interrupted by the sound of horses approaching.
Much to Bast's surprise, the 'bad guys' as George said himself, didn't look like common bandits at all. They were very well equipped, resembling more mercenaries than common road bandits and if it wasn't enough, they were being led by a rather... exotic looking warrior, wielding two swords and eastern armor. That only further made Bast curious about what exactly was happening there.
Unfortunately, the mercenaries weren't exactly keen on the idea of talking and simply charged towards them, surrounding the barricade. But maybe that would do more harm than good for the mercenaries themselves... After all, they had a fire demoness, a kaiju and a centaur on their team...
"Context, George... What exactly do you do? They don't seem like common bandits to me..." Bast said, looking to George, raising one eyebrow.
"I suppose that can wait... I doubt that we will have time to talk right now... After all... Our guests don't seem to be that keen on the idea of solving this like civilized gentlemen..." Bast said with a grin.
Eilidh was the first one to react. The very second one of the mercenaries got down his horse to charge at them, Eilidh herself charged towards him. It didn't matter how many times Bast saw that, he was always surprised on how Eilidh acted on the battlefield. Eilidh had the spirit of a true warrior, but she also had something more... A wild ferocity on her that could lead her to the path of being a raging berserker instead of a honorable knightess...
"Eilidh my dear, don't be cruel with our guests! At least give them a fighting chance!" Bast said, laughing as he watched her charging. Although it was in part just a jest, that commentary also was a way for him to delicately say her to not exaggerate. Killing should never be the first option... Besides... using exactly the necessary amount of power to deal with a situation wasn't only more honorable and graceful, but it was also efficient in a number of ways in a real battle...
Titanica, on the other hand, surprised Bast. When Bast heard her roar, he was almost sure that she would simply let out that powerful breath once again and rampage, but instead, she was holding back... well... At least as much as she could, seeing as a simple punch had sent one of the mercenaries flying.
He was also interested to see how Vară would fight, especially after her bold introduction back on the guild as the heiress of a fire demon clan. It was rather amusing to see how people acted when facing those matters. Some displayed their power, simply obliterating everything that dared to attack them, others held back, some believed that it was a sign of respect to their enemy to always give everything they got...
"Well... I suppose I need to do something as well... I don't want to leave all the hard work to these lovely ladies, am I right?" Bast said with a smirk as he walked forward, deflecting a blow from a warrior with his sword cane with a swift and agile movement while giving a sharp strike with the sheathed sword cane in the warrior's knee, making him lose his balance before regaining it shortly after. Bast's movements were graceful, calculated. He moved himself only enough to evade an attack, always in graceful and fluid motions. Counter attacking in the same time he dodged, feints, dodges, attacks, lunges... The way he fought resembled almost a dance.
Returning to Ambran made Freyr remember the city from the last request. It was just as he remembered, bustling with people, sounds and smells. Even though it was the second time, it still surprised him and it took a while for him to adapt to so many things happening at once. But he had to admit that the place had a certain... charm to it. Sure, Freyr himself preferred the forests, but still, he was curious about towns & etc.
As they walked through the streets, he saw a most unusual sight. A man and a woman wearing very formal clothes, of the type he would expect to see in a ball or being used by nobles, but surprisingly enough, these people were... rummaging through garbage...
Freyr didn't knew that much about human culture, but it didn't matter how many times he looked at that scene, he couldn't help but to think that there was something wrong with that... Especially how both of them were talking, formal and polite and even though... They seemed to be incredibly entertained by that garbage they were rummaging through... Ignoring them, just as the weird people said themselves... was not an easy task.
"I... I'm sorry to interrupt you..." Freyr said, not sure about what exactly were they doing. "But we indeed are from the guild... Is everything... ok?" Freyr asked, curious but at the same time, extremely confused by that bizarre scene.
"Lady Vanessa! I'm delighted to meet such a refined noblewoman! Albeit my time right now is limited, I thought I could at least stop to introduce myself properly. It would be rather rude of my part to not do so. I'm Bast. Bast Ragoczy." [. . .] "Since I came here to introduce myself, I could as well invite you to have a nice tea or maybe drink a good wine and talk for a while on our free time. I somehow feel that we might have somewhat similar ways of seeing the world."
Oh, my! Someone with rather respectable manners had approached her! Clearly, this man's style was very in tune with those of the Phantom herself. Perhaps to show him that very though she had, she imitated his gestures and smile, including the cane tap. "Anytime, sire Ragoczy! Merely approach me whenever you are up for wine or tea. Even a dance, if that's what you seek! Whichever of those, t'is fine by me." She took note of Eilidh's reaction expression upon their interactions and, as the man seemed to have business with the centaur, she curtsied as was expected from a lady in the presence of such an elegant gentleman, and left them to their own devices.
"You can hug Ditzy if you want, Mama often do that when Ditzy is sad."
The offer was quickly denied with a shake of her head. "Your concern is appreciated, but uneeded, sir. It is good to know that the heart that beats in your chest has enough space for even an unknown lady such as myself." As she worder the last sentence, her hands went to the left side of her chest, tangling their fingers with each other, and then imitated the beat of the mentioned organ for a couple of seconds. Her attention was then diverted to the Viera as he adressed her.
"I-I'm sorry for your family, Lady Vanessa. I do admire your strength though... It takes a lot of courage and strength to keep going forward after losing everything... I, more than anyone else, know this feeling."
Whether or not the cold and firm gaze of the hare-like man had affected her was something that Vanessa didn't let seep through. However, a hint of warmth managed to slip into her smile at Freyr's attempt of comforting her. It was a notable shift in attitude, considering how her statement of being from Varjo had tensed the atmosphere quite notably. A melodious giggle emerged from her throat at the display; this man would surely be fun to hang around with. "Ufufu~ Steely eyes that could pierce a wall, yet you are sweet and mellow like honey, sire. Yet, I ask of you to judge me not for my tragic past but for what I shall do." And, for that matter...
"Well, we're happy to have you, Miss Vanessa. Welcome to the Guild." [. . .] "... Speaking of quests, will you be doing one right now?"
The phantom walked at a leisurely pace to the quest board and looked at the different jobs. Then, after a brief minute, she raised her cane and pressed it against one of the quests: Who Are You To Judge? "I choose this one! The one recipient of this man's love has been taken away from him!. How tragic, how cruel! How can a lady such as myself allow this travesty to happen under her watchful eye?" Her speech was energic and melodramatic but, as true her words could possibly be, there was another reason she picked this quest: Sightseeing. Vanessa wanted to go sightseeing @PaulHaynek (Bart) || @13org (Bast & Freyr) || @Restalaan (Ditzy)
Magnus was a bit sad that Neil wouldn't be coming along, but figured he knew what he was doing. He was glad that Yang was coming along, though, which made Magnus happy. Talia did want people to come...even if it was only one other person, Kyle and Talia's work deserved to be shown off for how amazing it was. Magnus chuckled a bit at the notion of throwing the machine off the cliff by hand, but was glad that Kyle seemed smart enough to not need raw muscle to send his machine flying.
Having a day's worth of food for the both of them prepared, as well as the flowers and feathers ready to go, Magnus left with Yang. A large piece of parchment lay rolled up in his pack beside the necessary materials as the Minotaur and Monk set out, the former greatly hoping for news of success to help Talia recover. "Thanks for coming, Yang." he said before they left, a simple, heartfelt thanks spoken with an honest smile.
...It felt...good to have friends.
Arriving at the cliff where Kyle planned to make his daring flight, Magnus felt a bit ashamed to admit that he had NO idea where Arletta was. She just...vanished again, just like last time. It was like she was a ghost, or something...
But, Magnus did take pride in managing to find the flowers...even if they were just given to him by a kindly old woman. "Believe it or not, they were a gift from a nice nun. She grew them somewhere...I think," he said, wondering himself how the nun had grown such apparently rare flowers and seemingly given them out with ease. He'd have to remember his promise to escort her, in two days time. He and Freyr had both sworn, and he refused to let a kindly old nun who, indirectly, helped someone's dream come true meet a violent end. That was for the future though. For now, Magnus could only scratch the back of his head as the question of Talia arose. "Talia...well...she caught a fever, and is back at the guild. She wanted me to get these to you...s-so you could fly. She wanted me to tell her everything about it, b-but I had an idea." he said sheepishly, approaching Kyle. "Do you think that...you could fly over the guild? I don't know how far this machine can go, but I just..." He stopped, feeling that his request might come across as ridiculous or insulting, since he had no knowledge of the mechanical workings of Kyle's flying machine, and worried that Kyle might be offended by the questioning of the machine.
Backing away, Magnus would accept whatever Kyle said, taking his parchment out to right a fully detailed account of the flight when it would occur.
Gratefully accepting Neil's pants, Nephele was thankful to not be walking around half-naked. Even with fog, people's minds tended to wander when nudity was involved. Having made her way to the library, she almost immediately dismissed the Fiction section as a starting place. After all, whatever could drag Neil into another world entirely had to be of some sort of magical nature. While tales of princes and fairies were good entertainment, they rarely had Arcanistic backing in their magical workings. Non-Fiction served as a better starting point, but a title like 'Myths Debunked: Some Misconceptions About The World'gave her the impression it was more useful for dismissing the impossible rather than explaining it, and put it atop the copy of 'The Outsiders' she had pulled from the Fiction section.
The final potentially useful book lay in the Non-Fiction area as well, and, grabbing 'Planes Of The Gods: A Guide To The Dimensions Of Known Deities', Nephele carefully ran through the pages with her sharp fingers, searching for any sort of information that could aid in finding out what happened to Neil. Though she wasn't religious, it wasn't quite right to say that she didn't believe that Gods could exist. After all, if Demons currently exist as well as a very real Demon Lord, who's to say that Gods aren't also active in this world? Regardless, gods were not her focus. Rather, her attention was drawn to information about the Dimensions of these deities.
"No problem." She gently nudged Magnus side in return with a cheeky smile. He reminded her a lot of her other brothers at the temple, though a little big on the size.
With that, they set out on the journey and headed towards their quest.
Yang saw their employer and she remained silent for the moment while she bowed towards him respectfully. Letting Magnus do most of the talking for now.
Hearing Magnus request in asking him to fly over the guild, she wondered if that was wise. It might crash and make more holes in their building.
Hmmm.
When she noticed Kyle asking Magnus who she was, she finally introduced to herself.
"Greetings, I'm Yang Bethlehem." She said and bowed her head formally in the eastern manner respectfully to Kyle. "I was asked by Magnus to witness the flight of a machine, which had greatly interest me."
"About the flight machine, did you put any safety in it should it crash?" She pointed out with concern even as she looked at the cliff warily. It looked like quite a fall. "Otherwise...I could ride with you. It won't help a lot but I can probably land safely with you."
Most of the time. She shuddered when she remember one of her master training that involve throwing her down a cliff. Granted, it was still sloped but it was a long way down.
---
Ditzy Stoneclub.
Ditzy hummed cheerily as he was back at Ambran, he hoped that he could finish this quest quickly so he can go and play with his goblin friends. He brought his sandbag along for good measure as well even as he slung it across his shoulder.
Even as he followed the trio, they spotted something odd. If Freyr stopping in his tracks was an indication of that.
Seeing a couple dressed fancily and rummaging through garbage made him queasy, it looks like they're really going to clear the trash out. He never really liked the smell, and papa always gets so mad when he gets dirty.
"We're here from the guild village to help someone clear the trash and collect something?" Ditzy tried to remembered the exact detail as he looked in concentration before looking back at the couple. "You should wash your hands too afterwards."
In the book, you find out about planes and realms other than this one. Examples include 'Heaven' where the Chief God resided along with other holy entities like Angels and Valkyries and other gods. Then there is 'Pandemonium', a realm where time flowed differently. It is the home of the Fallen God, a goddess who was consumed with pleasure and switched sides, extending her depravity to her subordinated and her realm. There is also 'Wonderland', a childish and whimsical realm created by one of the Demon Lord's daughters.
Getting to Heaven practically requires a miracle. Only a select few mortals have entered the realm of the gods and even then, they do not always get to meet the gods themselves. Meanwhile, getting into the other two realms is much easier though not without conditions. Getting into Pandemonium requires contacting a subordinate of the Fallen God like a Dark Priest or a Dark Angel and simply asking them how though they will likely ask something in return. On the other hand, getting into Wonderland requires following a Wererabbit if it heads off although the usual way of getting into Wonderland was simply getting whisked there randomly.
You notice that it was highly improbable that Neil came from any of these realms. But before you could open the next book, Neil suddenly burst into the lounge. "Neph! I need your help! Talia's in trouble!"
------
You follow Neil to Talia's room. "I had a bad feeling when Bast removed the bullet from Talia's shoulder from last night. He may have removed the bullet and cauterized the wound but I had doubts that the surgery was completely effective." Neil explained as the two of you walked. "The wound probably didn't heal completely or got infected. Whatever it is, it lead to Talia getting sick. I need your help to carry Talia into the wagon so I can bring her to Mahigan to get proper medical attention." Neil requested of you. "I'd ask Rebecca or Bast for some quick healing magic but I think they've already left."
"Say, found anything about other dimensions in our library?"
You reach Boreal Port by midday, the smell of seawater and salt immediately filling your nose. The town itself was quite simple and there were no buildings that stood out from the rest except for a large church that appeared to be visible from any point in Boreal port. It was doubtful that it belonged to the Order as the coastal town was definitely accepting of monsters judging from how you have seen some monsters obviously amongst the population.
Asking around for a missing person being sought out by a Jeb Blanck, the answers you have received were all along the lines of 'I don't know.' or 'Who is Jeb Blanck?'. All except this one Holstaur woman who responded differently. "Jeb Blanck. Hmmm... Oh! I know him! He is one odd fellow. What do you need with him again? Someone missing? How do you know him?"
The Holstaur looked like any other Holstaur but you get the feeling that she really has something to do with your quest. Could she be the missing lady after all?
"About the flight machine, did you put any safety in it should it crash? Otherwise...I could ride with you. It won't help a lot but I can probably land safely with you."
"You don't have to worry about that, Miss Yang. My calculations are impeccable. Me crashing is highly unlikely!" Kyle replied confidently. "Also, I'm afraid there's only one room in this machine. But worry not, I endeavor to add more seats for my invention."
"Talia...well...she caught a fever, and is back at the guild. She wanted me to get these to you...s-so you could fly. She wanted me to tell her everything about it, b-but I had an idea. Do you think that...you could fly over the guild? I don't know how far this machine can go, but I just..."
"Oh dear, poor Talia. She has a lot invested in this, that I can guarantee you. Alas, the only thing we can do for her now is make sure her efforts did not go to waste." Kyle replied. "As for your idea, Mister Magnus, I can fly even further if you'd like!" The inventor laughed confidently.
Kyle then began the finishing touches to his machine. "A person who merely watches the flight of a bird... gathers the impression that the bird has nothing more to think of other than the flapping of its wings." He began rambling to you. "As a matter of fact, this is only a small part of its mental labor." He continued. "To even mention all the things the bird must constantly keep in mind... in order to fly securely through the air will take the better part of a day."
"The bird has learned this art of equilibrium and learned it so thoroughly... that its skill is not apparent to our sight." Kyle then stood in front of the machine. "We only learn to appreciate it... when we try to imitate it." He then crawled under the machine. "And I, Kyle Charlston, will now demonstrate... the miracle of flight." He grabbed a wooden beam in the contraption, presumably there to help him hold on to the machine during the flight.
"Mister Magnus, Miss Yang, would you like the honor of naming my invention?" Kyle asked of you. "Maybe a great yell too?"
You may have punched the first warrior away but when it came to the Eastern swordsman, he parried your formidable punch and then delivered a sharp blow to your face with the hilt of his sword that left you dazed for a few moments. "Amai!" Before you could recover, the warrior was already zipping around you in very quick bursts of speed and slashing you with his two blades. Your mighty scales protect you from the blows but for how long?
"You are fighting a Ronin, Dragon lady! He is very fast! Don't make any predictable moves!" George advised from the barricade.
While Bast handled the other warriors with relative, Eilidh fought the much more competent trident-wielding warrior.
Eilidh swung her sword but the trident-wielder strafed to her left side just as her blade fell. "Mars me adiuvat!" The warrior thrust his trident into Eilidh's equine body. Being a monster, her physiology meant she had a tough hide so the trident did not hit deep. Still, it pierced and the wound she received bled profusely.
After pulling his trident from Eilidh, the warrior waited for her next move. It appeared he was focused solely on Eilidh which meant he could be open to an attack from an outsider.
"You are fighting a Gladiator, you two! He is aggressive and quick on his feet!" George gave some advice from the barricade.
"I... I'm sorry to interrupt you... But we indeed are from the guild... Is everything... ok?"
"Oh, you're the guild, are you?" The two old people stopped their activity. "Don't worry, guv, everything's okay. Even more okay now that you've showed up. Ah, by the way I'm Mister Tornil and this is my wife."
"We love nobility, you see. And famous people." Mrs. Tornil began. "That's why we came to this tinsel town."
"Yes. Before you came, we were looking through the Elibe family's rubbish." Mr. Tornil continued. "We climbed some steep walls for this, that we did." Apparently they have trespassed property to steal the garbage you see now.
"The things these nobles throw away. They're not like you or me." The wife excitedly remarked.
"My wife here has the most unbelievable collection of noble underwear and bathroom products." Mr. Tornil sounded as if that were something to be proud of. "Things they've actually used themselves!"
"We could do with some help. All this climbing over walls and rooting through bins is such a business. Nigel here has a bad knee!" Mrs. Tornil then spoke. "We just need a few souvenirs from Ambran. For my museum."
"L-L-L-Look here. I heard there is an archery competition going to be held in the western outskirts of Ambran." Nigel began explaining. "We hear that there are going to be some Zipanguese upper class that will be participating. If you could... get those arrows they use, then payment will be guaranteed."
With the next opponent in her sights, Titanica begins to wind up another powerful punch that will launch straight into his face. However this swordsman wasn't nearly as incompetent as the warrior before, as he easily parries the titan's punch, leaving her wide open. Before she can counter, the warrior strikes with the hilt of his sword towards her forehead with incredible speed and power to boot. The titan growls dazedly as she takes a step back, shaking her head to mitigate the blunt pain that throbbed like a minor headache. However, by the time she began to recover, the warrior was already zipping around her and began issuing quick strikes to her side, however no blood had been spilt yet.
The kaiju's skin may look much like that of a regular human's, however it's actually made out of extremely small yet durable scales that produce a natural form of armor around her body. This is how Titanica has her incredible durability to tank major blows that would leave most people bleeding out or even down right killing them. Of course, as durable as they are, these scales do not make her invulnerable. Enough blunt trauma or magical influence can degrade them overtime and cause them to break. While they do regenerate slowly overtime, in the heat of battle, it is practically useless. As she calculates her next plan of attack, she can hear the merchant shout at her from within the crude barricade.
"You are fighting a Ronin, Dragon lady! He is very fast! Don't make any predictable moves!"
She definitely realizes this already just by observing him. It's going to take wits once again to defeat the warrior. With that in mind, Titanica slowly crouches low to the ground, as if hiding her underbelly and relying on her spines and skin to protect her. If the ronin continues to slash at her still, or perhaps issue another special attack, the titan was ready for it. Once he got close enough, she makes another sudden outburst as she attempts to whack him with her mighty spiked tail.
Most of the warriors Bast was fighting were easy to deal with. None posed much of a threat as Bast played with them without even unsheathing his sword. It simply wasn't needed... Their movements lacked grace and elegance... They moved just like if they were acting on instinct alone... In the other hand, as Bast looked to his companions, it seemed like their opponents were in a different level than the rest...
The one Titanica was fighting, according to George, was a ronin. Bast had already heard about those... Warriors from the eastern lands. They lived by the blade... and died by it. While lacking in brute strength, their speed and technique were unparalleled... So much that myths and stories about their blades moving like lightning were common to hear from other warrior's mouths. Titanica, who apparently had a lot of brute strength was obviously having a bit of trouble in dealing with that opponent. His quick movements and reflexes could easily parry Titanica's powerful blows, while counterattacking at the same time.
The one Eilidh was fighting was a Gladiator. They were famous for being very aggressive, quick and brutal. Artists with a weapon, their fights were almost like performances. Every drop of blood, sweat, every wound inflicted, every movement was made thinking about their audience. Unfortunately for Eilidh, the gladiator was already expecting her charging at him, dodging her attack with a swift movement and piercing her equine body with his trident. The wound, albeit superficial, was bleeding profusely. Bast knew Eilidh was a proud warrior and he knew that interfering could possibly hurt her pride, but he wasn't going to stay still watching her bleed.
Calmly walking towards the gladiator, who was too busy focused solely on Eilidh, Bast gave a quick stab with his cane on the gladiator's knee, jumping to the side with a fluid, graceful movement shortly after in case he tried to counterattack. Albeit it wouldn't pierce his skin, seeing how his cane sword was sheathed, it would deliver a sharp wave of pain and make him kneel for a brief second, giving Eilidh enough time to recover herself.
"Would you accept some help, mein liebling?" Bast asked, with a smile towards Eilidh.
"Dodging an attack like that, so full of fighting spirit and not facing it head on... Don't you think it was extremely rude of your part?" Bast said to the gladiator, looking at him with a mischievous smile as he snapped his fingers.
The second he did so, small rectangles around the gladiator were made with light, flipping themselves revealing an arcane card, appearing out of thin air. These cards weren't moving, instead, they were forming a thin wall nearby his shoulders, the size and width of the gladiator made of only a few cards reinforced with magic, following him as he walked. While those cards wouldn't hurt him, whenever he tried to dodge Eilidh's attacks, they would restrict his movements, forcing him to either take her attacks head on or block them.
"My dear Eilidh, be careful. He is an experienced warrior." Bast said, nodding to Eilidh with a serious stare. Bast didn't want to hurt Eilidh's pride as a warrior so he only gave her a little help, but the second things started looking too dangerous, he would interfere. It was an delicate situation... He wanted to protect Eilidh, but she wasn't a defenseless princess. Eilidh was a warrior. She had her own pride. Stepping in and fighting for her would most definitely hurt her pride.
"Regarding you, Ronin..." Bast said, walking a few steps, standing right between where the two fights were happening.
"I am sincerely impressed with your movements... But I think they lack a certain... grace..." Bast said with a smirk, raising his cane and hitting the ground with it, lifting dust. The cloud of dust moved to where the Ronin was, solidifying themselves and turning into arcane cards. These, unlike the ones around the gladiator, they were floating in the air motionlessly, almost like they were frozen. If the Ronin tried to move himself in bursts of speed around Titanica like he was doing, he would have to dodge not only her blows, but the cards as well, lest he wanted to suffer dozens of small cuts from the cards' edges.
"Now... Can you dance to the music or your own agility will be turn itself into your worse enemy?" Bast said, tapping his cane on the ground and giving Titanica a silent nod. It wasn't like he was trying to stay there without doing anything, but he was assuming Titanica was a warrior herself, even though he didn't know her that well... The situation both Titanica and Eilidh were facing was a duel. Duels had an unspoken set of rules and honor behind them that every warrior, every gentleman knew and respected. Interfering in a duel, even if you had good intentions, was something that could be considered a serious offense to the warriors involved.
"Now... I haven't forgotten about the rest of you..." Bast said turning to the remaining warriors, unsheathing his cane sword.
"Lets hope you learned anything from your previous attempts at attacking me... This time, your mistakes will have consequences." he said, getting ready to fight them. There were only a few opponents remaining, but Bast had to be careful to keep an eye at Eilidh and Titanica. If things got too dangerous to either one of them, he would dash in.
The situation was confusing and it could be accurately described as 'bizarre'... But a request was a request, and that specific request didn't seem to be that hard. Despite the couple's... weird tastes and fixation for nobles... Especially for their trash... They simply asked for arrows from the Zipanguese archers that would take part in the competition.
Looking at Ditzy as he talked, Freyr could help but let out a discreet chuckle when he advised the couple they should wash their hands. Ditzy was very honest. Despite being a bit naïve, he was a good person.
Looking to the rest of the group, Freyr, after thinking a bit about what the couple had asked, he got an idea.
"I don't want to brag or anything... But I quite literally was raised with a bow in my hand... If you agree, and if we find a way to, I could get in this competition... Maybe I would be able to get one of those arrows...?" Freyr asked, waiting for their answer.
"Ah, how wondrous! The unmistakeable smell of adventure! Adventure with a side of shrimp, maybe, but adventure nevertheless! And what a pleasant town this was; a small settlement that's complete and absolutely unremarkable in almost every possible way! I'm fairly sure that this could be the birthplace of at least three or four hero-like characters with how blatantly average this place was. Except, of course, for the monsters roaming around. Oh, hold on. Was this perhaps a way to set a fundamental rule of "Monsters and humans can live together" in the young hero's mind? How brilliant!"
Those were the thoughts that clouded Vanessa's head as she made her way into Boreal Port. The phantom was fairly pleased with the place she was in, and spent some time wandering around it just for the sake of it. She didn't forget about the quest that brought her here, however; whenever her mind stopped thinking about the intrinsic importance in the hero's plot of that one shop down the alley or how this could be the alleyway where his righteous spirit ignites, she approached whatever passerby was at hand and asked if they knew Jeb Blanck.
The lack of answers didn't deter her in the slightest. It simply meant she could spend more time in this place! However, apparently someone did know about Jeb. And, almost immediately, Vanessa jumped to the conclusion that this Holstaur was, in fact, the missing woman. The phantom began to chuckle in what would surely be an extremely suspicious way. A hand went to cover her masked eyes, her head slumping down as her shoulders shook slightly with the laughter.
Finally, after a few seconds, the phantom's gloved hand darted to her forehead, resting its back on it. The whole pose was that of a very dramatic gasp. "Oh, Fate has smiled upon my humble personage once more! Who could've believed that the answer of this mere courier's issue was so plainly in sight this whole time!?" Vanessa's movements as she spoke were very reminiscent of those of a person reciting a poem in front of a captivated audience, a situation that is being met in reality if one were to replace "Person" with "Easily excitable undead woman" and "Captivated" with "Weirded out"
"This is no mistake, beautiful maiden! It was destiny itself that brought me to you! And now I, Lady Vanessa Blackbourne..." She hoisted the cane up on the air, and grasped it by the top, then pointed it towards the bovine in front of her, so that the length of the cane was alongside her arm and not passing through the other monster's head. "...shall bring sire Blanck back together with his missing Lenore!"
"Highly Unlikely" in Magnus' mind sounded like pretty good odds. After all, Kyle sure was smart. He was excited to hear that Kyle could fly all the way to the guild, and figured that he'd leave that up to him after the test flight was finished. Yang's statement of going with him had him a tad more worried however, and Magnus cleared his throat. "I-I can fly with you, if you need something safe. I wouldn't want Yang to do anything dangerous. I-I mean...this was my job, anyways." he said, wanting to make sure Yang wouldn't get hurt over something he invited her to do. He already owed her...basically his life, so, he felt indebted to her. She was so nice to him too, that he couldn't
As Kyle spoke of how birds internalize how to fly their entire lives, Magnus thought back on his own training. It was funny, that to stop and think about it, he had no idea exactly how to explain many things that he did without thinking about it. From the curling of a finger, to the bending of his knees to hop, he took for granted just how much harder it had to be to fly. There wasn't any ground to hold you steady, there wasn't any surface to push off of to go forward; It was all the wind, and a whole lot of math. Or something. He had no idea, really. Science was hard, and it most certainly wasn't in Magnus' interests to learn about just HOW the plane flew. All he needed to know was that Talia and Kyle's dream could be a reality, and that their efforts all meant something.
Pumping his arms excitedly, a tiny bit of steam billowed out of Magnus' nose as he excitedly looked to Yang. "Hey Hey, what should we call it? I-I can yell loud! Um...it flies right? S-So...what's a kind of bird. Uh...Robin? Sparrow? Alba...tross...?" Magnus trailed off, unable to contain his excitement. He was finally going to witness flight by a wingless being...but man, names were hard. A lot of the birds he knew of the Northerner's mythology had really hard to pronounce names. Like Hræsvelgr. Scratching his head as he thought, he wondered if Yang had a good idea. She was likely from somewhere where birds had more...sensible names than Hræsvelgr. At least that was his hope.
Nephele had lost herself in the reading, hurriedly scouring through the contents of the book for any signs of a potential world that Neil could have come from. But...well, none fit the bill. Neil most certainly wasn't from Pandemonium, Wonderland, or Heaven, and, just as she reached for the next book in hope of more information being revealed, she was stopped by Neil's urgent request. Hurrying after him, she didn't hesitate, offering a quick nod to his request before gently taking Talia into her arms, careful to not move her head too quickly, and to be especially delicate with her shoulder. She made sure to grab a pillow for Talia to rest her head upon, figuring that she'd need to keep her head, and shoulder slightly elevated in transit.
"I haven't found anything yet. But, I've pulled out a few books that may shed some light. For now, Talia needs aid, and quickly." she said, carrying her out of the building and into a wagon, swiftly getting two horses to pull it. "Hang in there, Talia. You're going to be alright." the dragoness said, offering the Cyclops in the wagon a reassuring smile, and a wet cloth for her forehead.She hoped that Talia would be alright...she had been injured worse than Nephele had that night. Seeing as now she wouldn't be able to focus worrying about Talia, Nephele would wait for Neil in the wagon, wanting to take the journey to Mahigan with him. "Let me go with you," she'd say once Neil would arrive and be ready to drive. "I can't concentrate on studies when a fellow guild-mate is suffering. Come, let's hurry to Mahigan. Do you have anything for her pain?" she added, as if to answer a question before it was even asked. Nephele didn't want to just sit idly by while someone who bled for them suffers. If Talia were to die, then...she wouldn't be sure how to tell Magnus. Or Bast. She'd imagine that he'd be wracked with guilt if she died from an infection while he wasn't there to treat it.
Eilidh yelled out in pain as her side was pierced, but all this really did was make her angrier. She turned round with surprising agility for a horse yet still far more awkward and cumbersome than the gladiator. She grimaced and nodded at George's redundant advice but didn't have the energy or time to retort.
Bast chose to assist at this moment, which she actually appreciated, especially as he did so without interfering too much. All he did was buy her a few seconds, and cut down the gladiator's manoeuvring distance. "Thank you for the assistance!" She called back, as she charged again, but this time, just before she reached him, she stopped dead, hoping that in his mind he had already made his move, and would begin to make it, allowing her to see where he was going to attempt to position himself. Then, with a sudden and surprising burst of speed, she seemed to shoot forward without moving her hooves, and sliced up with a swing more powerful than all but the strongest humans were capable of. She was hoping to catch his weapon, which if he was taken off guard, he would likely use to defend himself, and if she caught his weapon and lifted it, she would then slice down at his unguarded body.
"Hey now, I paid some attention." Yang felt a little miffed when master Kyle pointed how little they know about a bird. She had learned various martial arts and forms all based around animals. To mimic them, learn their movement and imitate them into a fighting form, all of it too was a tremendous effort and a lifetime work as well.
She may not know the exact thing but she had learned enough from it. Yang then raised her finger, wagged it up and down for her next point. "For example, did you know if you moved your fingers upwards just before the bird jumped, they can't fly?"
Yang however completely missed the fact that only accomplished masters and exceptional students could do that. She herself however had managed this at a young age and didn't find it odd, the most difficult part she found was finding a bird that would not peck her.
When Magnus eagerly asked her to name the contraption, she tilted her head at that.
"Hmm, you want me to decide on a name?" Yang hummed at that as she closed her eyes and tried to thought of some good names. Though a problem would be she knew most of them in her native tongue and not the current language, she looked at her surroundings for any good reference.
Nothing. She thought harder, and fell back to her one bird she certainly knew.
"Hmm, how about the red-crowned crane?" She listed one of the more famous bird in her nation, it was auspicious and fitted the occasion.
Most of all, they're long-lived. So that'll probably save Kyle. She hoped that the name will give some luck at least. With that, she still got herself readied for anything to happen. Seeing a kite fly it one thing, but seeing something that large and heavy was another.
Ditzy listened to the couple prattle on, and the most he got was that the two was supremely dedicated to taking trash out.
Then again, Papa did say its a job. He thought off-handed and tried to focus on what they wanted him to do.
They wanted to get some arrows? Weird, didn't they wanted help clearing trash instead? Or maybe the arrows are the trash? It made sense, sometimes not all arrows are good.
When the woman said she had a musuem, curiosity peaked in him. "Oh, can I see your collection?"
Though he didn't understood what's a Zipang is though. He tilted his head at it. "What's a Zipang?"
"Oh, I can help with holding the arrows!" He beamed when he heard Freyr saying he'll join a competition. Thoughts on collecting the trash was nearly gone since he liked seeing games.
The old fart didn’t tell us that we’d be fighting warriors in this mission…
The fire demoness thought quietly to herself as her fellow guildsmen began fighting the armored fighters. She saw that Titanica and Eldith took a few hits in their respective skirmishes. She also saw how Bast used his arcane card magic to provide backup to the other party members.
Hmph! She thought. What a showoff! While nervous that her opponents weren’t run-of-the-mill bandits, this was her chance to prove herself! It was time for the future family head to shine.
Deciding to attack some of the men Titanica faced, Vară began using firefly to try to inflict some painful burns on the attackers. Hopefully her attack would do some damage while also providing nice backup for Titanica.
“Feel the scorching wrath of the Riemsianne heiress!!” Proclaimed the fire demoness, as she began to fling small bolts of flame toward her foes.
Nagare
Nagare looked on with perplexed eyes at the old couple. She was strangely curious, wanting to know as to why they were digging in the garbage. After hearing their explanation, however, she grew even more confused.
“Umm, is this how human logic works? I believe there was an old saying amongst man that says one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. But, I guess these two chose to take it to heart…?”
After hearing Freyr agree to enter the competition as a means of obtaining the arrows, she decided to follow suit with a nod. Though, not being an archer in any sense, she wondered what she could do to help. Eventually, the unpleasant odor emanating from the couple was starting to get to her. It didn’t help that she already had a stronger sense of smell that most…
“I agree with Ditzy. Perhaps it would be best to wash your hands...along with the rest of your persons…”
"I haven't found anything yet. But, I've pulled out a few books that may shed some light. For now, Talia needs aid, and quickly."
Neil's face lit up at the first words. "Yeah, you're right. Talia comes first."
"I can't concentrate on studies when a fellow guild-mate is suffering. Come, let's hurry to Mahigan. Do you have anything for her pain?"
"No, so we need to get her to Mahigan as soon as possible." Neil replied. "It's a good thing you can drive 'cause I sure can't. There aren't-- We don't use horses much anymore in my home world." He said with a laugh.
------
Mahigan was a simple, monster-friendly village. One could say it was already a Bright Green Demon Realm considering there were lots of monsters mingling with the populace. The streets were pretty crowded so the wagon had to park on a corner. "Alright. Neph, you stay here with Talia while I go look for a doctor." Neil said to you before disembarking and heading off.
Neil's plan was questionable considering he was practically an alien in this place and you would be a more reasonable choice to search for medical professional. But he was already away, leaving you no choice but to look after the Cyclops. "It's a good thing Neil found me, isn't it?" Talia spoke from the back. "What a coincidence that he was looking for me at that time."
You were out and about on your daily life on Mahigan. Life was peaceful and quiet but you had a goal, to look for that kaiju near Boreal Port. You were going to travel there one day, perhaps this was that day, but then you found a boy in adventurer clothing looking rather lost on the village streets.
When he and you made eye contact, he shyly and hesitantly approached you. "H-hey uh, can you-- can you help me out here?" The boy stuttered as he spoke. "We've got... we've got an injured friend and we're not... we don't know this place. Do you-- Do you know any doctors or apothecaries or anyone like that around here?"
While you know the medical professionals in Mahigan, you yourself know how to heal. Perhaps you could help directly instead?
"This is no mistake, beautiful maiden! It was destiny itself that brought me to you! And now I, Lady Vanessa Blackbourne... shall bring sire Blanck back together with his missing Lenore!"
You could see that the Holstaur absolutely loved your rather flowery response judging from her awed smile. "Oh my, I've never met a Phantom before. You guys really are... what's the word again? Cool, I think?"
"Anyway, I'm not in a relationship with Jeb Blanck. I'm married to someone else." The Holstaur corrected you. "I wonder why he would-- Oh. Oh. I-I think I know who he's looking for." The cow monster realized something. "Follow me, Miss Blackbourne. Let me show you Jeb's missing Lenore."
You and the Holstaur walk to an isolated farm just outside of Boreal Port, passing by an area that appeared to be an abandoned part of the town. The Holstaur lead you to the farm's stables where there was a healthy horse of brown hide and white mane. "Miss Blackbourne, meet Sally." The cow monster motioned to the horse. "Yes, it's the horse. No doubt about it."
"This is Jeb's missing love. Me and my husband bought her from a traveling merchant when we recognized her. She was probably stolen from Jeb since you're here." The Holstaur continued. "Nice to know Jeb's still looking for her... I think. What are you going to do now, Miss Blackbourne?"
"Hey Hey, what should we call it? I-I can yell loud! Um...it flies right? S-So...what's a kind of bird. Uh...Robin? Sparrow? Alba...tross...?"
"Hmm, how about the red-crowned crane?"
"The 'Red-Crowned Robin'! A splendid name! Rolls of the tongue just right." Kyle combined some of the suggestions. "There isn't any red in the flying machine but it's a fine name regardless."
With one big inhale, Kyle prepared. "Into the wild blue yonder, Magnus and Yang!" With that yell, Kyle ran forward with the machine in tow and leapt to the air. "Ahahahahaha!" The flying machine indeed flew, or at least glided, with its inventor on it. Kyle was, without a doubt, flying through the air like a proud eagle. "Ahahahahaha!" Kyle continued laughing, likely happy that his invention was working.
Then there was a sound of wood creaking and breaking. "Huh? Oh dear!" The flying machine stopped in the air and with that, it began to fall freely to the ground. "Ooooooohhhhhhhh!" Kyle screamed as he fell. Yang and Magnus were too far away to be able to do something about the falling contraption. All they could do was watch Kyle and his invention fall and crash.
If Yang and Magnus go to the crash site, they would find the mangled and broken remains of the flying machine along with the equally mangled and broken corpse of Kyle Charlston.
The quest was done. Yang and Magnus could now go back to the guild or go somewhere else if they wish.
The Ronin began slashing away the cards that had been placed by Bast, knowing little that the more he did so the more he edged closer to you. Since he paid you little mind, he did not notice you swing your powerful tail until it was too late. He was sent flying several feet away, probably with a lot of broken bones but definitely out of the fight.
Eilidh had also finished off her opponent while Bast and Vară routed off the other mercenaries. George had come out of the barricade and approached the latter two, probably to thank them and by extension you.
Before you could leave, you heard a voice call out to you. "How... much... did he... pay you?" The Ronin asked you from the ground, barely holding onto life.
With his evasion route blocked, the Gladiator prepared to receive your attack whether to block it or parry it. He did not anticipate the strength of your swing and his trident was sent flying, allowing you to strike him down with extreme prejudice.
"How could you... proud Centaur... defend a... drug dealer..." The Gladiator muttered to you in his dying breaths before expiring truly.
You see George already conversing with Bast and Vară, already thanking them, and by extension you, for saving him. Will you reveal your enemy's dying words? And get your wounds fixed in the meantime?
Bast's skills and Vară's flame magic manage to rout the attackers while Eilidh and Titanica won their duels. The small battle was essentially over.
George came out of the barricade and approached Bast and Vară. "Good! Very good! You are all very good fighters! I am lucky you came by when I needed you most." The merchant congratulated in his thick accent. "You are very weird group though. A Centaur, a Dragon, a Succubus and a gentleman? Who are you people?"
"Ah I know! You guys are harem with gentleman as the center." George jumped to a conclusion. "Oh, lucky you! I'd have harem too but wife will kill me."
The group went with Freyr's idea for him to join the competition to obtain the arrows. Going to the western outskirts of Ambran, the group found a gathering of people for an event on a clear green pasture. No doubt the aforementioned competition.
There were several people dressed in Eastern garb. Some were even wearing Eastern armor. There were several haystacks painted with targets on them but none of them had arrows. Not yet anyway. Freyr was allowed to participate, despite the weird looks the people there gave him. However, he and the rest of the guild run into the problem.
"The arrows you will be using are finely-crafted to prevent arrow quality from affecting the competition. These are commissioned by Sir Saburo Fujikiyo and you are not allowed to take any without expressed consent from Sir Fujikiyo-- What's that? Right. Ignore the last sentence. You are strictly prohibited from taking the arrows."
This rule would prevent the guild from just taking the arrows. The guild needed another plan.
As Bast distracted the mighty ronin, he had little time to react to the massive tail that was racing towards him. The tail struck true to it's mark, hitting the sword-wielding warrior straight in the chest and he was sent flying several feet away before falling limply onto the ground. Titanica snorts as she gets up from crouching, glaring menacingly at the fallen foe. Yet as the titan began to turn and leave the dying warrior, he managed to croak weakly:
"How... much... did he... pay you?".
The reptilian beast simply stares him down for a few seconds before eventually turning back towards the others. It looks like the others had already finished their fights as well and the little scampering merchant came out of the barricade to congratulate them on beating these foul men. This missions was all too easy for Titanica and she could've easily taken them all on if she were to be alone. Of course, having more on your trip does also mean that you can finish this job way faster. But still, she was rather disappointed at the battle she had.
So the group began to surround the merchant as he continues praising their work and skills on the battlefield and was most certainly grateful for their assistance. Still he seemed confused to who they actually were, all until he had the bright idea to say his own conclusion.
"Ah I know! You guys are harem with gentleman as the center. Oh, lucky you! I'd have harem too but wife will kill me."
The beast's eye twitches violently at such a lewd and childish response. With little to stop her, she seizes the man's scruff with her clawed hand and lifts him off the ground in a single swoop. She begins uttering an angry growl while scowling at him with her vengeful wrath in tow.
"Now is not the time for your little jokes, gremlin." Titanica mutters in a low, yet aggressive tone, "What do we get for saving your perverted petty ass?"
A cool breeze sweeps through the peaceful village of Mahigan. It's one of the best places for displaced monsters of almost any species to spend their time in peace, not having to worry about the brutal forces outside, and to ultimately start their lives anew. It's a gorgeous place after all, known for it's vibrant meadows and calm atmosphere, all while being a short trip away from the nearby Valoras Woods. And if one continues to follow the path to the east, they'll eventually come across the Shrine of Eros. Mahigan itself also happens to be a major place where religious followers gather as the last major settlement in the northern hemisphere, where they gather up supplies and rations, and set off on their great annual pilgrimage towards the shrine. Yet other than this yearly event, little really goes on in this village as most of the citizens are often relaxing away or working in the nearby farms, providing food both to the village and it's neighboring towns. Most people ought to simply stay the rest of their lives here until they eventually grow old and die in what many call a sanctuary.
Yet for someone named Morgan, her time here in Mahigan is beginning to run short. Just yesterday her senses had picked up something far to the west, precisely towards Boreal Port. There she senses something, or rather someone, familiar. Someone she hasn't sensed for countless centuries. And if her hunch about who this figure is is correct, she must travel their immediately to meet up with it. But the longer she keeps herself planted here, like a caterpillar still in it's cocoon, the more restless she becomes and who knows when or if the figure is still there.
"H-hey uh, can you-- can you help me out here?"
Yet as Morgan continues to ponder in her thoughts alone, she suddenly hears someone ask for her assistance. She flutters her bright blue eyes rapidly before looking down to see a young boy shyly asking her for help.
"Oh?" she wonders intriguingly at him as she issues a friendly smile, "What seems to be the matter?"
The boy seemed a little hesitant to respond at first, but alas he continues.
"We've got... we've got an injured friend and we're not... we don't know this place. Do you-- Do you know any doctors or apothecaries or anyone like that around here?"
Luckily for him, he's standing in the presence of one now.
"Well lucky for you," she responds cheerfully, "You've just so happened to bump into one! I can heal your friend, just show me where he is and I'll get him patched up in no time."
At first, today was going to be good. A day to beat the odds, for man to triumph over nature, for dreams to come true. But now...now it was more like as if today was entirely set up to give false hope, and a whole lot of heartache. Magnus felt his heart soar when he saw Kyle, and, just as Kyle plummeted, he felt as if his heart was burning in his stomach, eyes looking on in horror as he fell. "KYLE!" he bellowed, before running, undoubtedly a bit slower than Yang would, given her size. Arriving just after she would, he stared in horror as Kyle's body was made visible. Shakily approaching, it would become very clear to Yang that Magnus was unaccustomed to death of any kind. His pained expression held the eyes of someone innocent to the world, clear tears streaming down his face and onto his chest and the tufts of silvery hair that spilled down past his shoulders. "K-Kyle..."
Dropping to his knees, Magnus carefully pushed the rubble of the plane away from Kyle's broken body, taking great care not to have any of it fall and crush him. Staring in absolute disbelief, Magnus slammed his fist into a tree that wasn't supporting the wreckage of the flying machine, leaving a massive dent in it, and a noticeable tilt to its stance as it pitched a bit away from Magnus' blow. "T-This can't...he promised...you promised, Kyle." he muttered quietly, his nose leaking a bit as he held Kyle's torso up a bit with one arm, wiping his own tears and snot with the other to keep it from falling on him.
Shakily rising to his feet, Magnus gulped, trying to swallow his own sadness as he gingerly picked Kyle up. Covering him as best he could with a length of cloth, Magnus looked to Yang. "I...C-Could you...get someone in town? H-He wouldn't want to be seen publicly like this..." he said, trying his best to remain composed and failing, his eyes puffy and red. Magnus stopped talking or moving suddenly, before he started weeping. "T-T-Talia-a-a..." he groaned through his sobs, sinking to his knees.
Nephele was thankful that she'd spent time reading "Horses for Dummies" in anticipation of her future life on the road, but actually driving a wagon was a little nerve wracking. Every bump felt like certain death, and every time the horses looked away, she was afraid they'd just run in different directions. Her worries were unfounded it seemed, as the horsed obeyed her directions. It wouldn't be long until Mahigan was in sight, and she could rest easily knowing that Talia could be saved...hopefully.
Nephele agreed that someone had to stay with Talia, but felt that she could certainly find someone faster than Neil could. Before she could object however, Neil was already off, her protests left unheard as she sat at the head of the wagon. Left alone with Talia, Nephele was glad to hear the Cyclops speak, turning towards her and smiling as she spoke. "It certainly was good that he found you. And erm...this is a set of spare clothes Neil had on hand. I hung my dress out to dry at the guild, and had no other clothes available." she explained, turning around to give Talia her full attention. Smiling at the cyclops, she said: "We'll find someone. I'm certain," as she felt that, even if he was weak, Neil was most certainly dependable. He'd pull through for Talia. And, Nephele would pull through for him on her research. Now, she had to keep Talia occupied with some small talk. "Might I ask what you did for a living before joining the guild?"
Eilidh was frozen to the spot as the Gladiator died before her. Of course, she had no sympathy for the attackers. No matter the reason, there was no honor in several highly trained mercenaries ganging up and killing a lone merchant with no combat abilities. As a proud Centaur, she would gladly defend any lone non-fighter from these circumstances. Yet, his words still bothered her. First, she wanted to find out if they were true. Approaching George, she is both enraged and deeply embarrassed by his insinuation that they were Bast's harem! It was only her moment of stunned shock that allowed Titanica to reach him first. George was very lucky this was the case.
"George, the assailant I fought implied that you are a drug dealer. I think we are all owed an explanation after we fought and killed on your behalf, as well as an apology for calling us a....a harem!" Eilidh was bright red by the time she finished her outburst. Sex wasn't an easy to discuss topic for a race who had a more 'actions-over-words' relationship with it amongst themselves.
Although the gladiator and the ronin were skilled opponents, both Titanica and Eilidh managed to defeat them. Regarding the other bandits, they weren't much of a threat as Bast and Vară easily dealt with them. After everything ended, George happily started to thank them and congratulate them by their victory. Despite his jokes and good mood, Bast's still didn't trust him. Something was happening and he would discover exactly what.
Bast himself would say something about his statement about a harem but he simply watched with a smile on his face as Titanica grabbed the man with her claws. Eilidh, even though she was adorable while blushing like that, was obviously upset about his statement as well. Not only that, but Eilidh had said something interesting... Something that Bast was already suspecting before...
"You have some explaining to do, mr. George..." Bast said, with a serious tone.
"And watch your tongue, Mr. George. Those aren't words one should say to a lady... Especially when said lady could easily kill him..." he continued.
"Now, leaving your rudeness aside... What exactly are you transporting? Surely you didn't expect me to believe that they are common trading goods when attacked by mercenaries this well equipped... It would be better for you to start speaking, George... It seems the girls are rather upset about what you said..." Bast said, carefully analyzing George's reactions.
Just like the weird couple said, when Freyr and the group arrived on the place where the competition would be held, a clear and wide open green pasture, they could see a some people wearing eastern garbs, which were certainly not common around those parts. Freyr himself was allowed to join. He did receive quite a fair share of weird stares though, but in the end he was permitted to join the competition.
Freyr didn't want to sound arrogant or anything, but he was very confident in his skills. But the real problem wasn't the competition itself... The problem was getting hold of some of those arrows. The previous plan was simple, they would simply grab some and take them, but that plan was quickly scrapped when the announcer said that they weren't allowed to take arrows with them at all. Words of Sir Saburo Fujikiyo himself, the master craftsman responsible for making the arrows.
"Umm... It seems that it will be a bit harder than we previously thought..." Freyr said, looking to the group.
"I don't know how the competition will work but if we are allowed to take more than one shot, I can purposely miss one, sending the arrow flying far away so one of you could fetch... What do you think?" Freyr asked, looking to them.
Somehow, the pit of her stomach was still very uncomfortable as she watched the man take off. It looked like it flew for a moment, and it did, majestically soaring through the skies like a bird.
That's when things went wrong, and with Kyle being too far, she could do little aside from dashing forward in vain hopes that she can catch him. Far faster than Magnus, she scaled the cliff downwards easily as one would go down a hill.
Yet, for all her might, she can do little save to see the contraption crash and with its occupant.
When arrived at the site, her face soured as there was little to be done. All mood and exhaustion gripped her heart, she felt like bursting into tears.
That's when Magnus, her other companion swept in and cried. She immediately felt her heart hardened at that, she brushed her eyes and forming tears away before she gently place a hand on Magnus shoulder.
"Don't cry, not just yet. There's still things to be done." Yang assured as she looked at the body. "There'll be time to mourn for him."
"Take care of the body, I'll make sure he gets the proper burial." Yang quietly said, there was little she can do aside from that. If she started to bawl and break down, who'll help Magnus or bury Kyle?
Heavy mind, but she forced it aside to focus as she headed for the town and hoped that they'll handle the burial. Her legs enhanced, and she sprinted off like the wind itself.
God, this is such a bad day. She thought offhandedly and bitterly remarked.
---
Ditzy Stoneclub
Ditzy followed the group as he saw the archery range where the competition will be taking place. Seeing the different assortments and clothing, he cooed like a kid as he observed the clothes design. He never seen those before, and looked a bit complex to him.
It looks like the blonde hair lady. He noted, just a bit more elaborate compared to hers. That line of thought was soon pushed aside as Freyr addressed them and how to get an arrow.
"Hmm, but wouldn't it be too obvious?" Ditzy posed that question as he thought about it.
Still, it wasn't like he had any other better ideas aside from asking nicely. Hmm, maybe they should do that?
"How about we ask him to make us an arrow? Or give us one after winning the competition? I'm sure he'll allow tha if you win!" Ditzy suggested, though he didn't mind following Freyr plan.
Then again, he could always beat them up and take it later when no one's looking but papa would be so mad if he did that from the start.
Which is why, is all else fails, he'll do that last! Just like how Mama taught him!
