Back at the dam, a group arrived through the array. Once Savannah established a base of operations with the Caldor's approval scout groups were sent out. Leading one of them was Yu, and trailing behind them was Marc's group.
"Thanks for letting us join." Fu smiled.
"I've never met another troop before," Yu replied from the canopy.
"What are you looking for again?" Ling asked.
"My master wanted me to find these." Marc showed Ling his scroll.
"I've never seen it before," Ling replied.
"You should ask the lovebirds." Meilin scoffed.
"Jealous?" Min asked.
"We should try to get along." Chris smiled at Min.
"You take it too easy on her," Min replied.
Min approached Marc glancing over the list of herbs he wanted to acquire. Most of the herbs were familiar, but one of them was only vaguely referenced in old texts. It could only be found in a mana-rich mountain, but a task like that was still out of reach.
"We could find most of it, but you have to ask Cerebus about this one." Min pointed at them
While positioning herself on the largest tree Yu saw a band of salamanders along the riverbank. She waved at the children, and they grabbed the attention of their parents. Seeing Yu they spewed a few balls of water, but she evaded gracefully. The force behind the blasts tore holes through the branches.
"We aren't here to fight," Yu announced while landing on the ground before them.
"Why do you have weapons?" A warrior asked.
"They are worried about ogres pushing out from the desert." Min approached from the bushes.
The salamanders gathered their spears sensing the artifacts they possessed. With Ling, and Meilin appearing they lowered the spears. If they wanted to harm it wouldn't be difficult, but none of them had their essence ignited.
"What are you out here for?"
Approaching Yu was the leader of their tribe. His name is Hitoshi, and behind him were his daughters. Yu retrieved candy from her ring offering it to the children.
"We are here to offer help, or sanctuary if needed," Yu replied.
"It won't be long before the desert reaches here," Min stated.
While the others began a dialogue Marc pushed forward with his companions. He was always the quiet type and had problems opening up around new people. Looking around at his followers it was hard to believe they were all beautiful women.
Not long after Fu's arrival, the others moved into a joint house in Eden. This development made Gwen a little pouty and it caused her to overboard on Marc's training in retaliation. Things have improved since then, but the tensions between the women remain the same. Each of them has made subtle advances, and Marc was conflicted over it.
'We connected before we could even understand each other.' Marc smiled at Ling.
"Are you even looking?" Meilin scolded.
"I'm sorry I was distracted." Fu winked at Marc.
'Meilin is cute, but I think she just flirts to make the others jealous. Fu on the other hand is very d-direct, and I'm not sure how to handle that in public.'
While lost in thought Gwen was glaring at him. Connecting to Marc was easy, and hearing he was interested in multiple girls irritated her. Gwen sensed that he was conflicted over the situation. If he chooses one Marc could be losing friends in the process.
'Things get a little rowdy here, but I don't want it to end.' Marc smiled.
"Found one!" Meilin shouted.
Fu smirked springing over Meilin and plucking the shroom first. She casually strolled up to Marc, and slowly put it in his pouch. After she rubbed up against his arm and lifted his chin.
"What do I get for a reward?" Fu asked.
A bright light appeared behind Fu as Meilin approached. The fur along her forearms, shins, and tail are now ignited with powerful flames.
"How's this for a reward?" Meilin jumped kicking a ball of flames.
Fu spun her staff knocking the blast back. Meilin ducked it gracefully while pushing forward to release a barrage. After blocking the incoming blast Fu hurled the staff and charged forward. Meilin narrowly dodged the staff when a heel kick was dropping down.
With a smirk, Fu ignited her essence as her tail struck Meilin's stomach. A trickle of blood appeared on Meilin's chin as she flew back towards the river. She dug her hand into the dirt regaining her footing while wiping the blood from her chin. Meilin released a heavy barrage, and the blast gradually grew as the others watched from the side.
"Shouldn't we stop them?" Chris asked.
"When they get like this there's no stopping till a winner is declared." Min sighed.
'Won't they get hurt though?' Marc stepped forward.
Meilin was getting tired from the barrage, and Fu knocked her into the river. With the flames temporarily extinguished she raced in, but Marc intervened. Moving between two monsters with their essence ignited is a risky move. Even a skilled warrior can find reason slipping once a battle gets to this point, but kakuen's always possessed a primal nature.
As the staff came crashing down another blocked its path. Fu's tail attempted to strike Ling's face, but she grabbed it and roared as she hurled Fu into the river. The roar caused Marc's body to tremble, but when Ling turned she had a smile.
"You need some help?" Ling offered.
'She activated her essence just long enough to take advantage of the strength. Pulling it off in such a small window is impressive.' Gwen examined Ling closely.
"I didn't n-need your help!" Meilin pouted.
"Put this on." Marc averted his gaze.
"Why?" Meilin retorted.
"Cause your indecent." Ling chuckled.
Meilin looked down seeing her white qipao drenched. She quickly covered up with a coat and buried her face into it. They could her mumbling through the jacket, but it was difficult to understand.
'He de-definitely saw.'
A dip in the river was refreshing for Fu and helped clear the senses. She was walking back up when Marc approached to check on her. Meilin saw Fu trying to snuggle up against Marc again.
"He sa-saw because of y-you!" Meilin shouted firing a blast.
With her staff out of reach, and the body being sore from igniting her essence Fu was exposed. She looked over to move Marc, but he took a deep breath holding his ground. Gwen smiled seeing their training wasn't wasted.
"Don't fight the force." Gwen relayed.
The blast halted between his palms as Marc was covered in sweat. He recited the chants to help his mana flow, and the blast began to settle. During training, Gwen didn't hold back, and would often mix hybrid magic into the drills. Stopping a fire attack of this caliber wasn't out of his reach.
'Still needs some practice.' Marc glanced at the light scorching of his palm.