Every so often he'd turned around giving me a wave and smile but something felt different, I felt like the more and more time I spent with him the more and more different he's become.
"You know.... this week you've been here I've never seen him so happy..." Scarlet said noticing his wave.
"The more and more time I spend with him the more and more different he feels....." I told her.
"Of course he's a different person...." Scarlet answered me.
A part of me wishes that he was still the same person back on earth... wondering what he has become.
"What happened to him?..." I asked.
"Life here is difficult... One days you're alive and well and the next day something can just come along and end you…" Daisy replied.
"...…" I remained silent trying to imagine what happened to him all these years, fighting monsters and other people.
"You complete him.... you know what right?" She said, those words echoed through my body causing nostalgic feelings to well up inside my mind and body instantly remembering back when we was together, causing me to smile a little, reminiscing on the old days.
"But for some reason.... he refuses to do anything....." She said, causing the nice nostalgic feeling to disappearing into a deep void making me feel completely empty.
"Why?...." I asked quietly...
"No idea.... He loves dearly..... Yet here you stand and he does nothing...." she said starring at him.
"....." I remained speechless.
"Ohhh S*it..." Scarlet said standing up.
"What?!" I said looking up at her.
"That doesn't look good...." She said pointing into the distance Jay and Daisy is running down the dune towards Ashley and Paul.
"What's happening?!" I said standing up with her.
"No idea... but let's move!" She said running to Paul and Ashley.
As we got closer I could see Jay and Daisy pointing back at the dunes shouting something to Paul. He looked at them finally noticing them and instantly turned back to me with his face looking extremely worried. "Whatever happens stay calm!" Scarlet said to me, in an instant a portal opened in front of us pulling us through. Instantaneously we were all sudden together, Scarlet walked towards Paul.
"What's happening?.." Grace asked looking around totally confused.
"Yeah what's happening?.." I asked Jay.
"Everyone whatever happens just stay calm.... and if anything happens your invisibility coins Ashley gave you." Scarlet and Paul said to us, as four white yellow light pillars fell from the sky surrounded us, with a big blinding flash we were encased in a yellowish barrier.
"What the hell?.." Grace said looking at what we were encased in.
"I've seen this before... I think this is Paul's Barrier..." I explained to them.
"I don't know what's happening but we saw a group of people heading straight to us..." Jay said.
"Yeah..... So we came to notify Paul as quickly as we could." Daisy explained looking worried.
Looking back at Paul, Scarlet went to retrieve her Sword from the worm and Paul held out his hand opening a small portal plunging his hand into it drawing out a long big scythe slowly from the portal and placing it on his back.
The three of them waited as a group of eight people came over the dune quickly heading towards us somehow skiing on the sand as if the sand was carrying them. As they got closer it was obvious that they were dressed for the dessert, their clothes similar to the colour to the sand to camouflage them...
"Stop!!" The one at the front shouted to us pull up her goggles and pulling down the bandanna around her mouth revealing a quite beautiful looking Caucasian woman with long brunette hair… but she has a large scar running through one eye and pass her cheek. .
All but the lead one drew their weapons ready for action. "Please tell us why you're here Black Dragon Slayer..." A feminine voice shouted to Paul their group maintaining a very good distance from us.
"I'm here for a Bounty..." He shouted back at her.
"Do you have adequate Documentation?..." She shouted back.
"Yes I have a Bounty contract" He shouted, his demeanour and speech very serious and stern.
"I need to inspect it." She ordered him.
"Stay here... make sure the others are safe no matter what…." He said to Ashley and Scarlet, putting away his wand he walked to them holding his hands up showing no intention to fight, causing the other seven to lower their weapons.
An intense silence ensued as we watched Paul pull out the contract for her to inspect passing it to her to read. Silently she read the contract checking its authenticity before passing it back to him giving him a nod, Paul nodded in return taking the contract and began walking back to us. The woman said something to him sneering causing the rest of the seven to laugh as well, Paul stopped and began reaching for his weapon. Scarlet began clenching her sword tightly and Ashley reached into his robe. He looked at me his eyebrows pulled together gritting his teeth in anger, instantly it dropped to a slight smile his hand moved back to his side and he carried on walking back to us again.
"They said everything was fine." He explained to us dropping the barrier as soon as the eight made a good distance away from us.
"Are you sure?.." Scarlet asked noticing the tense moment when he was reaching for his weapon.
"Yeah.... everything is fine" he smiled.... "Thanks for notifying us Jay and Daisy." He said with a smile.
"Let's just finish up and get out of here." Ashley suggested.
"Sure..." he said walking back to the worm corpse... half of it still remaining, holding out a finger and whispering something his eyes flashed with a small green tint as a green ray blasted out from his finger disintegrating the corpse entirely into dust. Ashley pulling out some vials collected several vials full of the ash pocking them into his bag.
"Here is your share." He smiled pulling out a large jar filled with tiny bright vibrant orange and red eggs and handing it to me along with the contract. "You guys did well today he smiled, this should be a generous share for your hard work." He smiled.
"What are you gonna do with the other stuff??" I asked looking curiously at the other bags.
"Hmmmm we got tons of Meat that we sell and give out.... Scales we sell to Merchants..... Ash and some other internal organs we sell to Alchemists.... Ohhh I almost forgot, reaching into his pocket he pulled out several sharp looking teeth. Taking my hand and placing the teeth on it "A Trophy for you all to remember your first kill together." he smiled.
"Thanks..." I smiled also nodding to Scarlet and Ashley pocketing the Teeth and Contract.
"I'll send you guys to the Hunters Guild back in Tripola just hand in the contract and Jar and they will pay you for your hard work.... and if you don't mind seeing us tomorrow so we can take back our gear...." He smiled opening a portal.
We all got together to say thank you and waving goodbye as we passed through the portal sending us to Tripola.
"WOW that was AMAZING!!!" Grace burst out loudly the moment the portal closed as if she was holding it all in.
"See Jay... I told you it was all gonna." Helen smiled to Jay.
"Hmmm..." He whispered something causing his eye to faintly flash blue and looked at all of us, ".... He has an arsenal of magical items....We are decked out head to toe in magical items..." He replied looking at us.
"That explains why that huge stinger didn't mess me up as bad as I thought it would..." Grace added.
"Too bad we need to return it tomorrow...." Helen said.
".... But.... we still have the rest of today.... and tomorrow to make good use of it..." Daisy smiled her eyebrows raised implying something.
"You know... if Grace took an adult Death Worm Sting and survived... I feel extremely safe in this equipment." Jay smiled.
"So let's hand in this contract.... get some food at my Aunts inn and proceeded from there?..." Daisy suggested.
"Sounds like a plan." We all replied.