//Comment for another chappy
The Rasa realm, a lawless area where one had to be strong and quick witted in order to survive. Existing as a separate entity from Canpalla, the area commonly referred to as the Slums not only had an absence of a governing body or any sort of leader, it also lacked a magic shield. The magic shield blocked out large scale magic attacks and prevented demonic beings from entering, it was a crucial part in the defense of the capitol city. As the Slums didn't have this, demonic beings were free to come and go as they pleased, killing off the weaker outcasts who couldn't put up a fight. It was one of the main reasons that regular citizens considered this nothing but a death sentence.
Despite the constant destruction though, Rasa was in fact the second largest section of the city, spanning a few thousand kilometers in every direction. It was an enormous maze that would take a few weeks by carriage just to reach from one end to the other. Luckily for Koda and Julia, they had other methods to travelling around, mainly a large blood red fox with two tails that could move five times faster than that of the fastest demonic beast in the forbidden realm. Kuu's speed was unmatched among other demonic beings and he just loved to show it off whenever chance arose.
"Okay!! You can slow down now Kuu!!" Koda shouted over the wind in his ears as the scenery sped on by. They had been riding for roughly ten minutes but Koda already felt that he wanted to throw up. He had a terrible case of motion sickness and couldn't stand to keep riding the fox for much longer. "We're almost home so slow it down."
Kuu, who had been happily sprinting along, slowed down to a near crawl, disappointment evident in his steps. Though having just recently finished daily training, Kuu was still full of energy that hadn't worn off in the slightest. If given the chance, Kuu could have run for days without stopping a single time. Koda knew this but he wasn't willing to let Kuu go off on his own as he wasn't sure if there were any Guardian Knights lurking around. A single Knight could quite easily wipe Kuu from the face of the earth without much difficulty, making him nothing but a stain on the pavement.
Koda and Julia slipped off Kuu's back, dropping to the dirty ground. After a few seconds, the fox's body began to shift and morph into a black mist before disappearing into Koda's shadow. After making sure Kuu had fully dispersed, the two of them walked onwards, wading through the trash that had been scattered around the particular section of the Slums.
Koda couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted every time he walked by this place, both the stench from the garbage and the supidity of nobility. Whenever they felt like getting rid of their trash, nobles and royals would have Spatial magic support type Guardians, a rare type of knight, to teleport all of their trash onto this one area. It was a quick and easy fix for nobility but a huge pain in the ass for the ones who resided in the Slums. It wasn't uncommon for some people to even catch some sort of disease if they stuck around for too long. Unfortunately for Koda and Julia, they had to pass through here in order to get home.
"Man it stinks," Koda muttered as he stepped over some moldy bread and broken glass. "You'd think they had a party with how much food was dumped this month. Makes me sick to my stomach."
Julia hiked up her dress up to her thighs as she struggled through the trash. "Well it IS getting close to Aria and Vex's birthday so maybe they decided to celebrate a little early." She hopped out of the garbage heap as she reached the end of the street, waiting for Koda to catch up as she let down her dress.
Koda shook his head. In recent years, more and more uneaten food, broken furniture, and unusable objects had gotten discarded in the Slums, making the area into a veritable junkyard a few miles long. The place they were wading through now was only a small portion compared to the heaping mess that had once been a clean section of the Slums. A large scale party wasn't something to be happy about as it simply meant more waste and an increased chance of disease.
(("Nobility and royalty are, for the most part, so shortsighted,")) Koda thought as he hopped out of the pool of trash. (("They do things without regards for the common masses and seek only for self benefit. If it doesn't negatively impact them then they could care less about those beneath them. The only exception would be those in the Guardian Knights who actually care about the welfare of the downtrodden."))
"Come on, lets just go home." Koda gave Julia a small smile before taking her hand and leading the way. Gradually the smell began to fade as they moved further away from the mess of rotting food.
Koda and Julia lived about two miles away from the Junkyard section and about 15 miles away from the Demonic Forest near the outskirts of the Rasa realm. It was a quiet part in the lower districts with little to no noise. It also had a plus of being situated 600 feet away from a Gate that lead to the Lana Realm and another Gate about a mile away that lead to the Kata Realm. It was a small one story home that Koda had lived in ever since he was six years old or to be more precise, ever since he had met Julia eight years ago. It wasn't much to look at but it was home sweet home to all who lived there.
Julia opened the door to the house and walked inside, closely followed by Koda who shut the door behind them. The inside of the house was much nicer then the outside as everything was arranged in a neat and orderly fashion. A small makeshift living room complete with a sofa and cushioned chairs sat in one corner with a huge bookstand taking up most of the space. The kitchen took up a good quarter of the home and looked to be well maintained. A hallway cut between the living room and the kitchen with two doors on the left and a single door on the right. It was a simple place but it held warmth and memories for its residents that couldn't be recieved from just any random house.
Koda pulled off his shirt and tossed it over his shoulder. "Okay. So do you want to use the bathroom first love? Or should I? I'll power up the magic crystal for you so you can have hot water."
"I haven't refilled the water supply yet silly," Julia said as she walked past the white haired youth. "Just give me about a minute and you can start up the magic crystal."
In the Rasa realm there was no electricity or water to utilize so Koda and Julia had to get creative. After stealing a large magic crystal, a crystal that could turn magic energy into electricity, Koda set it up in their home so they could have running water and indoor plumbing. All Julia had to do was use her magic to conjure up water every now and then to refill the large tank located at the back of the house. With electricity, living in the Slums became more than manageable and relatively easier.
As Julia left to begin filling up the water supply, Koda plopped down onto the sofa, making himself comfy. With the nonstop training and studying he had been doing as of late, it was as if he was always tired these days. For the next week he planned to just kick back and take it easy so he'd be ready for anything unforseen circumstances that happened to come his way. Thinking back, his whole life had been nothing but constant work and diligent reading with rarely anytime for fun. A change of pace after a few years worth of struggles would do him some good.
"Ah, there really is nothing better then relaxation after a good training session," Koda sighed as he shifted his body to lie flat out on the sofa.
"I bet there isnt. Except maybe a shower after a hot and sweaty workout." A familiar cut through the silent room. Shifting his head upwards, Koda stared at the upside down figure of a young man around the same age as himself.
The young man was the same height as Koda, about 180cm tall with shaggy brown hair and bright neon green eyes. Though the hair color was different, the youths looked almost identical in both stature and the way they carried themselves, as if nothing could effect them. With a goofy vibe and carefree expressions, it was like they twins who were lost at birth. This was Vex Tomura, a member of the royal Tomura House, one of four prominent branches of royalty in the kingdom of Argio.
"Well, that would be the case except I have to wait a few minutes for Julia to refill the water supply." Koda pushed himself off the couch and onto his feet. A bright smile spread across his face as he stepped forward and pulled the guy into a hug. "I missed you Vex. Where have you been?!"
Vex gave mischievous grin as he playfully smacked Koda's shoulder before returning the hug. "I've been busy of course. As me and my sisters birthday are happening later this week, we've been up to our necks in work. I snuck out with the excuse of hunting Demonic beasts to keep myself sharp. No one was home so I let myself in."
Koda laughed a little. "So where's Aria then? Still attending to her duties as a princess?"
Vex gave a small nod as Julia walked back in, giving Koda a thumbs up to let him know she had finished. "She's currently meeting with some nobles who have some complaints about the current Trade Regulations we have with the Elven and Dwarven Kingdoms. If we cant come to a peaceful agreement then we may have to silence them. As the Trade Regulations have been situated for quite a while, its much better to just kill them off then to let them bicker and complain."
"Will you be requiring my services then?" Koda asked, gripping the black hilt of his dagger. "Killing off a few nobles too big for their britches is no big deal to me. It benefits the kingdom and helps the ones who are enlaves."
Vex patted Koda on the shoulder as he walked by, shaking his head. "I hope it wont habe to come to that but if it does then I'll send word to you. You'll get paid the same amount as your last job."
"Thanks a bunch for the job opportunity brother Vex," Julia said as she jumped ont Koda's bare back. "If it wasn't for you and Aria, we wouldn't have any money to enroll in Costa."
Vex laughed as he opened the front door, his head turned slightly away but his eyes still focused on the two of them. "Please. As if Koda would let that happen to him or to his wife. In all my life, I've never seen someone so dead set on a goal as Koda. Even if I never gave you jobs, brother Koda would've found a way. Am I wrong cousin?"
Vex had known the white haired youth for years so Koda couldn't even deny it as he nodded. "I'll always protect whats dear to me no matter the cost, even killing if need be. This kingdom and its people are included in that, with the exception if nobility and maybe some of the royal family."
"As spoken like a true Guardian," Vex said. "In three days for now, I plan on going shopping with Aria in Wisteria. I would love it if you and Julia came with us."
The Wisteria Market. Koda had been there a few times with Vex in the past. It was a sizeable market with insane prices that caused internal damage for Koda to even glance at. In accordance with Trade Article #73, all items from other Kingdoms would be traded in the Lana Realm market also known as Wisteria Market. The commoner Market couldn't even compare to the items found in the Lana Realm.
"Three days time? Sure, we can make it." Koda nodded as he swung Julia around into a princess carry. "Will you be waiting for us at the Gate or in the Lana Realm? Its possible to slip into there undetected but its rather tricky. Itd be better for you to be waiting at the Gate."
"Don't worry, I'll be there," Vex said with a wave. He didn't say anything else as he closed the door behind him, leaving the two alone in silence.
After about a minute of silence, Julia spoke up. "So...the showers ready."