R: "Come... On!"
Roberia tugged, yanked, pulled and struggled with all her might at the pillar sword. But all her strength couldn't move the weapon fixated in space.
K: (Maybe now's a good time to dissuade her from attacking me any further.) "Why are you attacking me anyway? Won't the sentries at Rulid make for a better sparring opponent?"
The look on Katachi's eyes indicated that he was beginning to grow weary of her tireless pursuit.
R: "And let your Word of Power slip from my fingers? I don't think so. I'll take that sigil of yours and bring glory to my family."
K: (So she was after my 定 after all...) "I suggest against that. Surely there are better ways of bringing said glory to your-"
R: "Enough of your cheap excuses!!"
The roar was accompanied by the silence of the forest.
R: "Do you still not understand why I am doing this? I must best you in combat."
K: "Why?"
The lack of cultural knowledge coupled with the opponent's disfavor of combat made Roberia relax unconsciously – Something she would never do had Katachi attacked her proactively in the previous skirmishes. Roberia leaned against the pommel of the now immobile sword to recover her stamina.
R: "Seeing how you're a strange Findeli with an Ohdean descent, I suppose you don't know of our traditions."
K: "What kind of tradition requires you to kill others like that?"
R: "It's not necessary to kill your opponents. I simply have to defeat you to show that I have improved."
K: "Improved from what?"
R: "From when I lost to you."
Katachi had a brief glint of light in his eyes as he came to a simple realization.
K: (That's easy, isn't it? Just beat someone that is stronger than me, someone that has defeated me before.) "Then... Go beat someone else that has defeated me. That should suffice."
R: "It doesn't work like that! It's the experience and growth factor from defeating you that is important! The point is to overcome your tricks and defeat you, not to rely on someone else's convenient strength!"
K: (How troublesome... Isn't it sort of bad that she's out here with her life on the line like that? Won't her family worry for her safety? It would be better if she returned home and worked as a farmer instead of joining the knights in Rugnud.) "Then why don't you just give up on being a warrior?"
R: "Is that supposed to be an insult?"
K: (That doesn't sound good.) "No, I-"
R: "You want me to give up on being a warrior?"
K: "Well, uh, no, uh... Yeah."
R: (What a way to say it in my face. I thought he would have been more tactful at least, but I hate inconsiderate people like him who don't pause to consider the hardships others have been through.) "The next time we meet, you best ready yourself."
With a brief warning and a gesture of running her thumb over her neck, Roberia picked up her light bag and hurried off.
K: (Was it something I said?)
*** ***
"Halt! State your business!"
Roberia cut through the forest toward the neighboring town Fereport because it was the shortest route to a large town with much commerce. However, her emergence from the woods instead of the cobblestone road was highly suspicious so the sentries held her back.
R: (Tight security... Is there a big event or an important official present?) "I came to purchase goods."
"The search warrant issued by the Findel Magus Association requires all magi to cooperate. Men! Search her thoroughly for- !"
An intimidating stare from Roberia made the sentry reconsider his standard procedural checks.
R: (Lecherous bastard, you've seen me before when I was en route to Rulid. How dare you, to try and cop a feel!)
"... Never mind that! Let her pass."
*** ***
The daunting task for Mestiel was never-ending. The futile search eventually brought him to a small run-down shack.
K: (A hut... Maybe I can find someone that knows where I can get some Mestiel?)
The shack was of a small, rather shabby structure. The log walls with stones attached were rotten and its condition was sub-par. There was nothing that remotely resembled furniture and the windows mere holes in the wall. The roof of the hut was covered with flayed and disorganized stones and hay which reflected on the oversights of the carpenter.
As he walked in, a child younger than Katachi was tending to an adult woman lying on the gaudy slipshod bed. The two blankly exchanged glances with each other.
"Who are you?"
K: (Oh my. This was someone's house after all. I invaded their privacy...) "I am sorry for walking in like that. My name is Katachi."
"I don't really mind that you walked in. But could you do me a favor and help look for some water or herbs for me?"
K: (! He mentioned herbs? Then, maybe he's knowledgeable in herbs too. I suppose I should help him.) "What do you need?"
"My sister's suffering from a fever, so something like tea to clean her stomach would be good. Also, maybe something that can soothe her throat like Intundia would be great."
K: (! Intundia!? That's a high-grade herb! How am I supposed to find a high-grade herb around here-... Unless, they grew some? Did they grow any?) "Have you planted any Intundia of your own?"
"Uh... No, but I heard from some adults that Intundia can soothe a person's throat, stomach and intestines."
Katachi's sigh after that over-enthusiastic response was almost tragic.
K: (So he learned it from hearsay... It makes sense, I can't possibly find something as valuable as wild Intundia about this region anyway. It may be worth helping him though, he knows this area more than I do. Maybe I can find Mestiel around here and his advice, however tiny, will definitely hasten the search.)
That optimism was bound to delude him time and again.
K: "Well, we can't use Intundia, that's for sure. But I'll see what I can do."
"Please do."
K: (Okay, soothing a person's throat and a cleansing effect... Molwed nectar and Pixle tea should do nicely.) "Wait here. I'll be back soon."
*** ***
Roberia had a deadly, frightening look on her face as she withdrew the pouch of regal coins from her satchel. The atmosphere of the armory turned ominous when she punted the door open.
R: (Looks like I've been approaching it from the wrong angle all the long. The point of consistency in these three skirmishes are that all my attacks are physical in nature.)
She had a horrifying expression that was a mix between an epiphany and teeming rage.
R: (But the pillar weapon was technically a weapon that uses magnetism, which can be associated with earth. It's possible the child reinforced the pillar fragment with a spell of sorts when he pressed against it to rush at me. Maybe his sigil prevents blunt force, but not magic.)
An imposing walk toward the blacksmith, hinting at her intolerance for those who obstructed her, made the two other customers give way to her stride. She pinched a coin between her fingers and emptied the contents of the coarse pouch onto the table.
R: (It's a disgrace for a Knight to use a weapon that is not reliant on the wielder's skill... But if this is what it takes to turn the odds, then so be it.) "Magical or not, pricey or otherwise, I don't care how crazy, obscure or weird it is. Get me your most powerful weapon."
The shopkeeper could only nod timidly and oblige to her demands.
*** ***
Katachi nipped a bit of salt and sprinkled it gently over the roots and stem of the Molwed. It seemed to screech just a little, perceiving Katachi's presence as a threat, but the plant quickly gave way to its dehydration.
K: (That should be enough salt... I think?)
Katachi placed an empty vial beneath the spongy portion and gently squeezed the Molwed flower. The lucrative juices seeped from its pores and filled up the vial at the bottom to its brim easily.
K: (Still no Mestiel around... There are clumps of Curamel and Tinjengel growing about the riverbed, though.)
He capped the glass vial and secured the cork well.
K: (I hope the nectar isn't too salty. I should dilute it a bit before serving it to her.)
Katachi grabbed whatever else he needed and headed back to the hut.
First, he opened a vial containing a crushed pink herb and left it out on the windowsill- Or rather, the rim of the hole in the wall. A mild bitter odor gradually filled the room. Next, he took out another vial of Pixle leaves and placed a few in a ceramic pot with water simmering over a small fire. While the tea was being heated, Katachi opened the vial of Molwed nectar, sniffed at it to ensure he retrieved the correct vial and poured a bit of water within.
Then, Katachi slowly shifted the lady's posture to an upright position before having her down the vial of Molwed nectar. With a cleared throat the irritation from within could finally be relieved. The lady coughed violently and laid back on the uncomfortable hay pillow. After that he poured the tea into a cup carefully, preventing the Pixle leaves from leaving the pot. The lady sat upright by herself and slowly drank the tea.
A soothing, lukewarm burst of heat dispersed from her gullet throughout her body and she finally relaxed. The itch on her throat was removed, her body loosened considerably, and her face lifted with a peaceful smile. The lady gave a brief bow and some hand gestures Katachi didn't understand before returning to sleep.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
K: (The lady seems to be deaf… It's sad that I can't ask her about it.) "If you want to thank me, I'd like to ask you a question."
"Sure! Anything!"
K: (Let's hope he knows what Mestiel is.) "Have you seen any Mestiel about? I'm in need of some."
"Mestiel? I... I don't know what Mestiel is."
K: "It's fine. Thank you for your honesty."
It could not be helped that he knew little of the plants when the child did not find the herbs himself despite their residence near the abode. Katachi exited the hut with down feelings.
K: (What a big shame. I thought I'd have a shot at that herb- Herb?! Wait, my Jaanthro! I forgot to take it back!)
Katachi hurried to the windowsill and corked the vial of crushed pink herbs before placing it into his bag.
*** ***
R: (I've placed everything on this gamble. I won't hold back this time. With this... I will have my victory, or I will go back an ashamed princess who can't even beat an Ohdean miser. There is nothing but my pride to lose now.)
K: (I feel so insecure without the ingredients for the salve. I'm low on Mestiel so I have to find some fast. I don't have a mortar and pestle, though I can always use the one at home if nothing else.)
The two gradually approached an encounter neither could afford to back away from.