NNNNYuhh~ I'm up. It's the night. One of the most important nights. It's a shipment night. Yep, tonight the Cat's Costumery Clothing Brand will send a new shipment to Clive. Honestly, this week; the shipment is probably the lowest supply that I have ever sent. I need to work on that. We need more last minute clothes. Getting dressed, I made my way to the Throne Room and began making clothes while aiming for level 5 pieces. After finishing, I continued on my way to the Foyer.
Thankfully, it would appear as though Breakfast hath been served. I was able to quickly drop in, say good evening; grab my Fish and get out. I needed to go set the Fishing hack back up again. No time to waste! I say that, but flying to the waterfall took longer than usual on account of me needing to save MP and even after getting there, I decided to stay and wait a while due to me summoning a [Hallowed Gate] with only like 3 MP. It's weak. If even just one monster of any Tier were to attack it, it would probably break in a matter of moments. Tonight, I'll be assigning Cosmo and Wanda (Tier 1 Scarecrows) the task of guarding the gate. So, because I'm currently waiting here for my MP to recover, I asked Cosmo and Wanda to go and fetch me some buckets of Candy. I'm intending to spend 5, one of which being the bucket that is currently only three quarters full. I'm tired of looking at that one, not entirely full bucket. It must be done!
I'm hoping that the Candy Man can pull through and finish the deal to make up for it. He better. If he doesn't, I'll just go to his store and ask for as much as he has been able to procure so far. Unlike he probably thinks, I actually desperately need his Candy. I seriously want level 30 pieces of clothes so that I can earn more profits from those pesky nobles in Reygid. The more that I can take from their Coin purses and remove from their militaristic economy, the longer it will take for them to feel prepared for war. If I can charge even more for my clothes, I'm going to do it.
Particularly, the level 20 pieces that I will be giving Clive after I finish clothing the Monster Knights in level 30 pieces. I intend to charge double the price for them. Yes. Normally, 30 Silver Coins equates one clothing level for [Disguise]. That's the rate that we've been charging for. That would make 600 Silver Coins the equivalent to one level 20 piece. I want 1200, sir. Level 20 pieces are stupidly expensive for me to make. We need to adjust the pricing drastically if I'm going to sell them. It's going to take time before the economy regarding Candy related goods picks up considerably. Due to my excessive spending on Candy, it should progress faster than it was before. I'm praying that material gatherers procuring goods related to sweets pick up on the increased demand and begin working accordingly.
I would go myself and try to procure the materials for the Candy Man, but do I really have time to go venturing off in search of vast amounts of sugar? I doubt it. I feel like Honey, Sugar, and Maple Syrup are probably the most common ingredients for the my frequented Candies. Of course, most of the Candies have their own unique added ingredients; so it's not exactly well known for all types of Gatherers to procure them all. If I could increase awareness that there is a need for more of the less obvious materials, I might be able to purchase Candy more often. That sounds much more feasible to me. Yosh~
After Cosmo and Wanda returned, I humbly began consuming Candy. I ended up eating enough to recover the [Hallowed Gate] up to 100 MP before I took my leave and left them to guard the gate. They know what to do. I made sure to tell them. No one decks out orders quite like I do. I make sure to thank them all. I explain why we need to do it, and sometimes; I phrase the entire order as if I'm asking them to do it. Like they don't actually need to, but we desperately need someone to do it and so I thought maybe they might be the best choice for the uber important job, if they have spare time? It's like that. This night is special though, so they actually won't be guarding the gate for very long. I'll need to cancel it early if I hope to quickly move my companions to Reygid.
It ended up costing around almost 2 and half buckets of Candy in order to refill my MP as well as heal the Hallowed Gates up to 100 MP. After returning to the Throne Room, I began adding more clothes to the pile while aiming at level 10 pieces. I ended up consuming the remaining buckets procured for me by Cosmo and Wanda. The pile of clothes became somewhat average in size compared to my previous shipments. I suppose it's fine. I might add a bit more later.
Asking Wendel, the Weeping Angel to guard the door to the Throne Room; I began to do my categorizing. Getting nude and stuff in a massive room while testing different clothes. Fun. Kidding~ It takes a long time and after a certain amount of it, the scenario loses appeal. I've already tried all of these clothes before, but in different sizes or colors. None of these clothes are actually even mine. I'm giving them all away for money. Profit. After finishing, I decided to spend my remaining time before the shipment outside near the fireplace. On arrival, I decided to begin asking around for the results in our latest census gathering.
"Good evening everyone~ I would like to check up on the results of our census gathering." [Nero] greeted while taking a seat by the fire.
"Ugh~ I counted 14 Tier 1 Bears, 9 Tier 2 Bears, and 4 Tier 3 Bears." [Ben the Bear] claimed as if recalling an exhausting experience.
"There were 40 Tier 1 Wolves, 17 Tier 2 Wolves, and 5 Tier 3 Wolves." [White Beef Lady] said with a grin. To which, Wilson the Wolfenrine simply nodded.
'There were a total of 56 Tier 1 Rabbits and 13 Tier 2 Rabbits." [Rustle the Rabbit] reported confidently.
"There should be 24 Butterflies and 307 Tier 1 Caterpillars." [Vana] declared.
"We ssssaw 153 Tier 1 and 63 Tier 2 Sssssnakesss." [Boris the Lamia] claimed.
"According to Lillian, Kendra, and Rita… There should be 85 Tier 1 Foxes, 26 Tier 2 Foxes, 3 Tier 3 Foxes, 26 Tier 1 Rifa, 6 Tier 2 Rifa, 4 Tier 3 Rifa, 63 Tier 1 Deer, 36 Tier 2 Deer, and 11 Tier 3 Deer." [Cloaked Monk] said calculatingly.
"And according to our last investigation, Tier 1 Rabbit and Tier 1 Caterpillar populations are worrying while Tier 2 Rabbit, Tier 3 Rifa, and Tier 3 Fox, populations are promising. At this point in time, nothing is too drastically different to get involved. We previously had no information regarding the Deer population, so we had nothing to compare it to. The overall number of Snakes is fine, but we lacked clear information about their Tiers beforehand... So it's difficult to judge as well." [Cetilla] explained while sighing.
Eh? Oi! When did Cetilla get so damn competent?! I find it strange that it isn't the Wolves or Bears that seem promising, but I guess it's fine? They did amazing work at counting all of the races, so I should definitely praise them. Yosh!
"Well done everyone~ It would appear as though our culling was a success. Thank you all for your hard work." [Nero] thanked with a smile.
"It'ssss nothing." [Lora the Lamia] replied nonchalantly.
"It was a Bear's job." [Ben the Bear] replied gruffly.
"I could have done it, too." [Budget Dragon] chimed in without making eye contact.
"Doubt it." [Ben the Bear] immediately slammed Budget Dragon's declaration down.
"You were busy helping us in the Human Kingdom, so it's fine." [Nero] replied with a smile. To which, Budget Dragon nodded as if exasperated.
"Tsk!" [Ben the Bear]
"It was a pleasure." [Rustle the Rabbit] said happily to Nero.
"Agreed. It's always nice to go and see how the pack is doing." [Wilson the Wolfenrine] said with a smile.
"I prefer the festival dances." [Hugo the Flutterfairy] jumped in.
"Yeah, but what about the water fights?" [Goblin Funk] asked.
Enjoying myself by the fire, we began to have a group conversation. Almost everyone was involved in this one. We were heatedly debating whether festivity water fights by the Beach were more fun, or if dancing by the concert itself was more fun. The Bandsmen weren't participating in the avid debate, and were instead watching it all play out amongst themselves in a slightly separate conversation. Aside from White Beef Lady. She's wholeheartedly against festivity water fights. They're probably belittling us. Oh well~ I'm having a great time.
After a while, I remembered to go add new pieces of clothes to the piles in the Throne Room. After arriving, I added an additional 16 pieces while aiming for level 5 and began to sort them into the piles. I made sure to ask Wendel the Weeping Angel to guard the entrance. I'm starting to get used to stripping down in ridiculously large rooms. Just this room in particular, though. After finishing with the new pieces, I made my way into the Treasure Room and began to place all of my coins into two empty Candy buckets. It ended up only taking me around a minute. I have 150 Silver Coins. I'll need to leave Roy a tip tonight for his carriages. I should probably give him tips every single time, but nyah.
Leaving the Treasure Room along with my two buckets, I flew back outside to catch a wild Cetilla. Extending my hand to her, she gracefully took it and joined me on my Broom. I told Budget Dragon, Rei, Milton, and Goblin Funk to meet in the Throne Room after around 15 minutes. I'm not intending to spend very much MP in order to fly there on account of me currently being so short of it, so I'll just need to take it slow.
While we flew, we talked about setting back off on our adventure soon. Cetilla really wants to go and see the Forsaken Isles. I feel the same way. Sadly, the Banshee, my Crows, and Bats have so far failed to find it. They gave up trying to find it last night before dawn, but I think that they went out to try again tonight. I didn't see a single Crow or Bat earlier or right now for that matter, so it's my best assumption as to why. I guess because I gave them an order to find it, the order still stands until completed? They're pretty smart Clansmen if I must say. They know that the task is important to me, but also not important enough for them to warrant pursuing it during the day. I technically placed the Banshee in charge of that task, so maybe she's the one pulling the strings for its continuation? She needs a name. Then again, she probably already had a name. I should ask her. Jeez. I'm the worst. Or, is it more worth it for me to wait and give her a name after using [Soul Merge] on her? Because Banshees and Phantasms are separated by gender races, I can easily continue their line even if I use [Soul Merge]. Then again, maybe Banshees and Phantasms can't have children? Oh. I'm a little torn up about it now.
Arriving at the Beach, I raised my lantern and cast [Hallowed Gate] after cancelling the previous one. Shortly after, four familiar creatures emerged from within the massive gate. Budget Dragon, Rei, Goblin Funk, and Milton. After asking Conrad the Crowli to protect the gate, we made our way towards the Vellisroi Ranch. I decided to bring Cetilla and Budget Dragon on ahead, while leaving the others to meet us on the way there. It was faster this way. I didn't feel like going at the rate of walking, so I decided to try and fetch the carriages to come pick them up on the way back to the Beach. We were greeted by Celine, who I'm now almost certain to be the head Maid of the Vellisroi Estate. I wonder how long Celine and Cetilla have known each other?
This time, Roy was in the Dining Room alongside several guests. I felt like I was interrupting something important, but Roy quickly greeted us and took us with him to another place to speak. Is 150 Silver Coins for three carriages really more pressing? I'm a little baffled. Those people looked like nobles. We're now outside near the garden. It's like a patio area with a table and chairs to sit at. We've been here before together. The blue roses are still beautiful.
"It's good to see you both. How goes it?" [Roy] greeted once more now that we were at the patio.
"It's nice to see you as well, Roy." [Nero] greeted.
"I'm fine, but tonight I'm going to need to spend my time helping Nero with his business." [Cetilla] replied frankly.
"Your mother will be so upset. Please do come back after to spend some time with her." [Roy] replied with a sigh.
"Of course!" [Cetilla] remarked happily.
"I take it that you are in need of carriages once more?" [Roy] asked with a smile.
"Yes. About that, last time I was a little late on returning the carriage; so I would like to make it up to you when we return. Also, I would greatly appreciate to have these two buckets back later as well." [Nero] said while placing his two buckets on the table.
"Oh? I did not notice... I'll see to it that the buckets are emptied and returned to you." [Roy] replied as if surprised before continuing on to answer Nero about the buckets.
"Even so~" [Nero] shot back.
"Very well. Celine~ Please find three carriages for Cetilla and Nero." [Roy] gracefully accepted before calling to the almost certainly head Maid.
"Yes, right this way if you will." [Celine] arrived and professionally began to show us the way back outside.
"Thank you very much." [Nero] thanked with a smile.
And like that, we were led back outside to three of the carriages. As Celine took her leave, I summoned Mr and Mrs Scarecrow to help us pull the remaining two carriages after asking Budget Dragon to handle the first. It may appear strange to see two people guiding three carriages, but it's only temporary until we meet back up with the others. I don't think anyone noticed, but I don't really know. It took us only around five or so minutes to meet back up with the others. Goblin Funk and Milton are riding together with Mr Scarecrow. I'm riding with Budget Dragon, and Cetilla is riding with Mrs Scarecrow. Rei took her leave to go and visit with her mother. She's apparently living with some Turtlekin named Richtofen. I wonder if it's the same Turtlekin that I met with Rudou that one time? I doubt it, but it's not impossible.
Arriving back at the Beach, I asked Cosmo, Wanda (Tier 1 Scarecrows), Fred, and Daphne (Tier 2 Scarecrows) to help us bring all of the piles of clothes back into the carriages. We're starting with Goblin Funk and Milton's carriage. We placed level 1 pieces in the front left of the carriage, level 2 pieces in the front right, level 3 pieces in the back left, and level 4 pieces in the back right. Next was Cetilla's carriage. We placed level 5 pieces in the front of the carriage, level 6 pieces in the back left of the carriage, and level 7 pieces in the back right of the carriage. Lastly, was my carriage. We placed level 8 pieces in the front left of the carriage, level 9 pieces in the front right of the carriage, and level 10 pieces in the back of the carriage. We actually had a little bit of clothes up to level 14 that we could have sent but chose to keep as supplies for Monster Knights should they ever choose to wear them.
Loading all of the carriages with clothes cost us around 15 minutes of our time. While it was happening, I made sure to go and grab my trusted new green cloth sac. It's a pretty reliable bag if I must say. It's not very special though. I was admiring the well made fabric as we traveled to Clive's establishment. Apparently, Budget Dragon thinks that the bag reminds him of Cyclozard due to the similar color of our friendly little One Eyed Lizard's scales. Upon arrival to Clive's establishment, I headed inside while carrying the sac and was kindly greeted. After instructing the staff on how to properly receive this shipment, I was led to Clive's office.
"Good evening, Nero. I take it that you're here for the shipment?" [Clive] greeted while fidgeting his fingers.
"It's a pleasure to see you, Clive. Yes, I just instructed the staff downstairs on how to receive it." [Nero] greeted with a smile.
"I figured that you might appreciate it, so I had a word with the Candy Man on Una Street." [Clive] proclaims while averting eye contact.
"...And?" [Nero] asks while tilting his head.
"I was able to have a portion of the order shipped here early." [Clive] admit while scratching the back of his neck.
"That's fantastic news, but why do you seem so nervous?" [Nero] exclaims before asking.
"Well… We didn't sell as much this week as we did last week." [Clive] sighed while handing Nero the ledgers.
"Let me take a look..." [Nero] said while lowering his eyebrows.
Now then, looking at the ledgers… I once again feel sorry for Clive who needed to keep track of it all considering that I'm about to skip over his hard work right over to the conclusion. The level 3 pieces made an eye catching sale report of 4950 Silver Coins. Level 4 pieces made a measly sale report of 600 Silver Coins. Level 5 pieces made a total sale report of 2100 Silver Coins. Level 6 pieces made a total sale report of 900 Silver Coins. Level 7 pieces made a total sale report of 1050 Silver Coins. Level 8 pieces made a total sale report of 1440 Silver Coins. Level 9 pieces made a total sale report of 2160 Silver Coins. Level 10 pieces made a sale report of 2100 Silver Coins. Level 11 pieces made a sale report of 1980 Silver Coins. Level 12 pieces made a sale report of 1800 Silver Coins. Level 13 pieces made a sale report of 2340 Silver Coins. Level 14 pieces made a sale report of 1950 Silver Coins… Making for a total of 23010 Silver Coins, in comparison to last week's 26580 Silver Coins. If we doubled the staff pay again then deducting the costs of managing the establishment brings us down by a measly 1680 Silver Coins. That's still leaving me with a total of 10665 Silver Coins as profit. I really only lost 2 Gold Coins if I compare this week with last week, but the week before brought in 23390 Silver Coins…. In my opinion, it's just a slightly slow week is all. I don't even care. Nope. It's fine. Way to overreact, Clive.
"It's fine. I don't mind at all, I would like to continue with paying the staff double their wages. By the way, on account of the Candy Man's tardiness, this week's shipment is all level 3 to 10 pieces." [Nero] sighed after examining the documents before explaining about the next shipment.
"I apologize for failing to meet the desired quota. I will inform the staff that they are being forgiven." [Clive] apologized dejectedly.
"...Eh? Clive... It's okay. They didn't fail at anything. 20000 Silver Coins is the quota. They met it fine. Anyways, where is this Candy that you earlier spoke of?" [Nero] denied the apology and continued on to ask about the treats. To which, Clive looked considerably relieved.
"The Candy has been stored in the upstairs storage room, allow me to have the staff deliver them for you to your carriage." [Clive] explained before offering.
"Okay~ I'll be going to check on the mystery pile. Please have my Coins for this week filled into this bag. I'll be fine to take the Gold ones by hand though." [Nero] accepted the offer before leaving the room.
Alright. Making my way to the basement, I noticed that several of the staff were socializing with the Cat Crew(o)men. Cool. There ended up only being four pieces of misplaced clothes this time. Sadly, I felt too uncomfortable to test out the mystery pile… On account of my stockings, so I needed to do math. It worked out because none of the pieces required me to remove my pants. Exiting the basement after a job well done, I made my way back up the stairs into Clive's office. He had prepared the Coins, and informed me that the Candy would likely be finished moving after around 10 minutes. Thanking him for his hard work as I placed the Gold Coins in my white collar shirt pocket, I took my leave and chose to spend my time out by the carriages.
The Candy all appeared to have been sent in glass jars that they would normally be picked from within the store itself. Expensive. There are 24 jars separated across all three carriages. If I had to say, a jar is probably about 1 and a half times bigger than a bucket. I might end up having paid for these jars as well. Yikes. I suppose that I really might not be attaining 70 total buckets of Candy from the Candy Man. Maybe I can just return the jars so that he can buy more Candy to fill them with? They're honestly really inconvenient to use for Candy in my case. I cant just lug around a ton of delicate glass jars filled with Candy. Moving along, we made our way back to the Beach with delicacy. I made sure to tell Budget Dragon, Mr and Mrs Scarecrow to ride slowly in order to not cause the glass to break. It ended up taking us around 40 minutes to travel to the Beach. It was a record breakingly long trip. I almost died of thirst on the way there. Just kidding~ I drink Lake or magical tap water, not Ocean water. Thanks.
Finally reaching the Beach, Conrad the Crowli seemed bored. I guess we did ask him to wait here for a decent amount of time. Sorry! I'm kind of low on MP right now, I have 376 MP due to my resting in the carriages. Well, I guess I have a ton of MP now that I have more Candy… But still! It's best to be frugal. Thinking such things, I once again called on Fred and Daphne (Tier 2 Scarecrows) to help us bring all of the jars back into the Treasure Room. I decided to let Cosmo and Wanda (Tier 1 Scarecrows) sit this one out just in case one of them were to accidentally drop a jar due to lack of STR. I used this time to put some of the Coins back into the Treasure Room as well. I kept my Gold Coins on hand, but also filled one empty Candy bucket with an additional 75 Silver Coins. This is my tip for Roy. It's not a lot, but it's kind of good considering that it's half of what I usually pay him? He definitely doesn't care about 75 Silver Coins, but it's a show of good faith.
After they had finished, I thanked them all for their work and closed the Hallowed Gate. We still need to go drop off the carriages at the Vellisroi Ranch, and I'm pretty sure that they're going to try and convince us to stay longer for a visit. I have enough MP from riding around in the carriages to allow us a chance to summon a new gate now anyways. I really don't want to ask Conrad to stand out here all night protecting the gate, so it's for the best.
After getting to the Vellisroi Ranch, we were greeted by a maid I had never met before. Fun. I knew there were other staff around here, but I just don't seem to meet them very often. Celine has very short blond hair, and pink eyes. It's a cute combination. Sadly, I think she's a Human slave. She's not treated horribly or anything, in fact she might be the best treated slave that I have met in Reygid; but she's definitely still a slave. She has leg cuffs. I wonder how Cetilla feels about slaves nowadays? I would feel strange trying to lead a crusade against her father who is kindly allowing me to rent his carriages every week. It's like all of a sudden, I'm in on it too! I hate this. I have a sick feeling in my stomach. We were led to the Dining Room and found that Veronica, Roy, and Rei were all playing a game of sorts. Huh.
You roll an 8 sided and a 4 sided dice at the same time. If both of your dice land on an even number, then you add that number to your point total. If both of them land on an odd number, then you subtract that number from your point total. If the 8 sided dice lands on even while the 4 sided dice lands on odd, then you gain the 4 sided dice's points and subtract the odd sided dice's points from the person to your right. If the 8 sided dice lands on odd while the 4 sided dice lands on even, then you lose the 8 sided dice's points while the person to your left gains the 4 sided dice's points. The turns go clockwise around the table. The first person to reach the pre-specified point total wins. There's one catch. The loser drinks.
Apparently, this game is usually played with Silver Coins. Each player should be putting down an even number of Silver Coins each in order to participate. The winner takes all. If the winner reaches the certain point total, then the losers are allowed to try another round... This time, with the buy-in price being the total that the previous winner had won. It can get exponentially more expensive to try and earn your Coin back depending on how many players are playing and how much Coin the original buy-in price was. Winners can't decline an additional match to walk away with their winnings and simply must accept. It's a matter of honor, or something. Due to that rule being involved in the game, this particular type of gambling is usually overseen by several high rate adventurers on Enforcement type quests. Apparently, people willing to host events holding this game are common among Reygid nobles; so it's a real job market. Rei knows all about this game. She's the one who avidly explained it to me while I watched them play. She was whispering in my ear the entire time as if it were something to be in on. I think she believes that I'm actually intending to become a gambler with my profits from the Cat's Costumery Clothing Brand. Hard pass.
We did end up playing it while drinking, though. It's a purely luck based game, and apparently mine is still subpar. I suppose that I only have 42. It's genuinely my worst stat. Veronica and Budget Dragon seemed to be winning pretty often. Rei was even worse than me though. By the end of the night, Rei and I were completely hammered. I had a good time. I was able to procure my buckets back from Roy, as well. Rei was all over Milton. I think that they're actually getting together! I'm so excited. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Cetilla's holding her own, and Goblin Funk isn't doing too bad either. Budget Dragon is by far, the most sober among us though. Rather than walk or fly, I had Mr Scarecrow carry me back to the Beach. He's a peach. I'm sitting on his right shoulder. We walked really slowly. I felt like it had already been an hour and we weren't even there yet.
While we walked, I was looking up at the stars. Goblin Funk, Budget Dragon, and Cetilla were all amped up about the Beach. Goblin Funk had never been swimming in the Ocean before, and apparently had been previously given the low down by Budget Dragon about the really fun parts regarding our weekly trip to Reygid. That's right! Bonus splash fights unrelated to festivals. It's the best perk to being a Cat Crew(o)men. Budget Dragon just so happens to be our least suspicious potentially mountable companion, so he's always included in these trips. He's not actually a Cat Crewman, but I'm not totally against the idea. There's one problem though. He's totally supposed to be representing the Drakes of the Lost Kingdom. I guess Goblin Funk is supposed to be representing the Goblins of the Lost Kingdom, so is it even any different? We should have a Tier 3 Goblina for him to marry if he truly wants to become the next Goblin Chief. I know that there are Tier 2 Goblina, Cloaked Monk's partner is one of them. There's still plenty of time for that, though. Goblin Funk's like in his prime or something... Or slightly younger, I think. He's got time.
I was thinking such things, when all of a sudden; a rogue party appeared out of nowhere. Standing in front of us, blocking our drunkenly designated path... Is a group of iron armored Knights wearing yellow capes currently being led by the one and only; TempCat. I'd recognize that precocious brown furred Cat with green eyes anywhere. I met him the very same night that I met Cetilla and Rudou. He's a Templar class, worshiped by the Kingdom Knights. He wears heavy looking armor, and it's not iron like his fellow companions. I think it might be made of steel, but I'm not entirely sure. He wields a very large sword, of which looks to be made from some kind of red metal. It's a beautifully made sword, I'll give it that much. It's shape is unique, as it bends backwards further towards the tip. It's a curved sword. Wait- Don't tell me. Don't do this to me! Don't tell me that thing was crafted out of Pyrope Garnet by Vigi?! I haven't even been given my own weapon yet, why would another one come out first? On second thought, I didn't pay Vigi for just materials... I paid him for his craftsmanship put in to making the Lantern better. I suppose it's fine if someone else gets a better weapon sooner than I do, but I hope that mine turns out more beautiful than theirs. That would be nice.
"Lady Cetilla Vellisroi! You are hereby summoned to the Royal Castle of Reygid by order of the King!" [TempCat] proclaimed.
"Under what reasoning?" [Cetilla] replied.
"His majesty wishes to question you regarding the disappearance of the Scarecrows." [TempCat] explained.
Yikes. It's totally me. I'm the one they're after, but for whatever reason… They think Cetilla might be behind it. I guess that she disappeared from Reygid a while ago, and hasn't been taking on any quests lately. Were those other nobles at the Vellisroi Estate because they were looking for her? They noticed her there, but why didn't they say anything? Maybe they just simply needed to confirm if she were there in order to have reasoning to send TempCat to come and find her?
"And why might that be?" [Cetilla] asked with a visibly irritated face.
But if they realized that she were indeed at home, then why would they even suspect Cetilla in the first place…? Moreover, why would they wait around here and not go directly to the Vellisroi Estate?
"I can't hope to comprehend his majesty's thoughts." [TempCat] declared. To which, Cetilla seemed to go deep into thought as well.
I would understand if it were due to the fact that Cetilla were seen near a Scarecrow like right now for example, but Cetilla hasn't even really been taking part in leading the carriages aside from this very night. The King can't possibly know that she's currently right here beside a Scarecrow from all the way in his castle. She's been hidden away from the public eye, but if she were recognized around here earlier tonight when we were pulling the carriages; then it would make sense.
"...If you are resisting, under the name of the Kingdom Knights of Reygid, under direct authorization from the King himself… I, Yuhkdi, the Templar will seize you by force!" [TempCat] proclaimed courageously while raising his sword.
But at that point, why wouldn't they just summon me, Milton, or Rei instead, considering we're the usual people leading the rare Scarecrows? If they really cared about the Scarecrows that much, why would they wait until they had noticed a noble leading the Scarecrows instead of just provoking the situation sooner? Something's not right here. I don't think we should go with them.
"Why would we let you take her~?!" [Rei] sloppily barked.
"You'll never beat Yuhkdi!" [Knight #1 (Mousekin)] chimed in.
"Yuhkdi's the strongest in all the land!" [Knight #2 (Foxman)] yelled.
"Aye!" [Knight Group] roared.
"Do you really think that you can stop me?" [Cetilla] asked TempCat in a provoking tone of voice.
"You're just some weak noble that ditched her fortune to go and play at being an Adventurer!" [Knight #3 (Boarman)] shot back.
"I'll help you." [Milton] said as he carefully let Rei down to sit.
"Wait! If you simply want to know what happened to the Scarecrows, then tell your King that I stole them." [Nero] publicly announced.
"Then you should be coming to the castle as well!" [TempCat] proclaimed.
"I'm going to need to decline that request, Cro-" [Nero] beckons while drunkenly holding up his Lantern as Mr Scarecrow begins to put him down.
"[Holy Rush]!" [TempCat] shouted before I had a chance to finish my sentence.
Moments later, the TempCat suddenly appeared right in front of us; but was blocked by Milton's Harpoon. A loud sound came from their two weapons clashing, but Milton's Harpoon immediately broke and suddenly a whole lot of blood gushed out from his back. He had been impaled right before my eyes. Standing directly below me, in front of me. The large sword sliced directly through his astronaut costume, and a second later, he turned his neck up and smiled at us before beginning to cough up blood. He smiled at Mr Scarecrow and I. He then continued to fall to the ground, with that man's sword slowly leaving his body. In the heat of the moment, numerous Knights began to charge forward toward us, as did Goblin Funk towards them, but they were blown away by the force of Cetilla's Tornado. I didn't hear her cast it. Mr Scarecrow tried to hold me, Milton, and Goblin Funk to keep us still, while a vast majority of the Knights suddenly flew away; being thrown by the Tornado. Rei was grabbed by one of the Knights, and also began to fly away. Noticing her, I continued my sentence.
"Crowli! Save Rei! Crowli! Save her! Please! Weeping Angel! Come help hold us down!" [Nero] screamed, trying desperately to be heard from within the Tornado.
To which, I noticed that Cetilla was standing behind me with a stone cold face, eyes seemingly vacant of any hint to her humanity being left. She seemed completely unaffected by the raging tornado. As if she's not even here. I sat there, being held in Mr Scarecrow's arms as I watched her and placed my hands over Milton's wound. I didn't know what to do, so I decided to let her finish. TempCat was able to stop himself from being fully pushed away by sticking his sword into the ground, but he doesn't appear capable of walking against the force of the wind. After a few moments, I noticed Crowli appear and immediately get swept away by the growing Tornado as well. Weeping Angel appeared and was able to help keep us still, though. I think Mrs Scarecrow returned to Halloween. I guess I'm actually helpless in this situation. Rei's going to be captured, Milton's dying in my arms, and Cetilla's gone mad. He's still choking on the blood but I don't know how to stop it. I'm now sobbing over him, but he wont stop smiling, and I have no Clansmen capable of healing others. Goblin Funk is with me, trying his best to hold Mr Scarecrow and the Weeping Angel together. This is my fault. I took the Scarecrows, and I even admit it. I should have thought harder. I should have just tried to escape. Some moments later, his eyes stopped moving and he stopped choking. Milton died... I'm sorry. I should have been faster. I could have been faster. I should have stopped them, but I didn't. 360 AGI, but I'm still powerless. I'm sorry. I'm taking you with me and I'm getting Cetilla out of here, now. I'll come back for Rei when I have Candy. Steeling my resolve, I shakily kept hold of Milton and screamed at the top of my lungs.
"[Hallowed Gate]! Clansmen! Get Cetilla and I to the Wailing Keep!" [Nero]
I didn't hear a word that I yelled, but my Clansmen seemed to be trying their best. First, Weeping Angel and Mr Scarecrow grabbed arms, hugging each other and slowly began to walk towards the towering gate that had appeared only a few metres ahead of us. Milton, Goblin Funk and I were being straddled in between the two of them. After they had returned Milton and I, they left once more to gain Cetilla. Taking the time, I began to carry Milton back to the Throne Room, where I placed him directly beside the Hallowed Gate. I need to bury him, I think. According to the Banshee, if you aren't buried, eaten, or burned; you will linger in this world. Maybe that's what I want? Do I want to keep Milton around as a Phantasm? How would Rei feel? I don't know how I feel. I'm not ready to say goodbye to Milton, but I need to respect Rei's wishes. They're the closest, after all. They were about to be together.
I was thinking such things as I continued to weep for the loss of Milton. I was on my knees beside his now dead corpse. I'm covered in his blood. Goblin Funk is beside me, patting my back. My Broom, Lantern, Coins, and Candy buckets are all scattered around here. A few minutes later, Weeping Angel and Mr Scarecrow returned alongside a now sleeping Cetilla. I think they may have needed to knock her out in order to stop her. Slowly getting to my feet, I grabbed the Lantern and cancelled my Hallowed Gate. It's nearly dawn. I'd have better luck at finding Rei tomorrow. I began to stumble my way into the Foyeur. I'm heading to the fireplace. After walking for around a minute and a half, Mr Scarecrow picked me up and took me where I was trying to go.
When I arrived, there were few people still awake near the fire; but they all quickly realized that the shipment was a failure. They had varying expressions but for the most part, seemed too afraid to even ask. Still covered in Milton's blood, I continued on towards the Lake and ignored them. Goblin Funk joined me. After arriving at the beach, I stepped into the water. I didn't bother getting undressed. These clothes aren't clean. I'm not clean. Sitting there in the water for a long while, I drowned out my thoughts. After around an hour, Goblin Funk warned me to get out of the water before I froze; so I did. Dawn had come, and so I decided to try and go to sleep. Getting out of the water, we went back to the Wailing Keep together; and he helped me carry Cetilla back down to the basement where she could properly rest.
After doing so, I made my way back up the long set of stairs and went on to my own bed, before trying to get some sleep myself. On arrival, I realized that I had forgotten to use [Daily Candy]; but decided to just let it be until tomorrow when I could claim it at the right time. Removing my sopping wet clothes, I started to lay down. I ended up lying there staring up at the ceiling as tears continued to fall from my face for a few hours before I actually fell asleep. All that I could think about was Rei and Milton.