"Neglect?"
"So you didn't notice the poison?"
She spoke with confidence in a deep unidentifiable accent. It felt strangely enchanting like a Bard's song, a feeling that made me raise my guard.
Aoife looked over my wounds again with a stern face. Even though I had drunk the red potion, pins and needles still ran through my legs.
How'd she even do it... It was a blunt training-
I remembered hitting hard under my opponent's gambeson, but it cracked with my punch. That technique and my hand remained numb, however, I was having doubts whether or not I even hit armor.
"Hey, can you tell if he was hit by like... something sharp?"
"He was"
"So is it poison?"
"Mmmhmm. I removed most of it, the wounds will be a little purple for a while"
Before I could even gather my thoughts, Ota's intuition kicked in and she adjusted her grip to take a look at my wound, leaning in to smell the area Aoife had healed.
The hair on my neck stood up as chills ran down my spine in protest.
She did the last thing I wanted to happen right now. I thought she was just teasing me again in an abstract way until she spoke up again.
"Monell sap... Do you want him to build up a resistance or something?"
"Yeah. You should know how common it is. I bet you're already immune to it"
"I mean sure, but like... listen, I-I'll tell you later"
So maybe she swapped the training dagger for a real one? Maybe those stones they held in the fight did more than change her voice... But still, how'd she know it was poison?
Satisfied with the way Ota and Aoife conversed, her attention focused back on the bar. Shouting and screaming rang hollow to the sounds of cheering and laughter.
This woman reminded me of how both Enda and Rider tested people indirectly. Whether or not it was just a thing adults did, I hated the approach nevertheless.
Although she seemed content with us, I couldn't help but question how she truly felt inside about her own situation. It's not normal for others to see a problem and interject with such accuracy of information, that was a lesson I knew far too well, making me speculate even further.
She wasn't young, not old either, almost like Rider. If she was human I would guess in her late twenties like Enda, despite their seemingly eternal youth.
The only thing separating them was her smaller stature and intense fatigue plastered all over her face. She looked beyond stressed and exhausted.
"READ THE SIGN! Take it out-SIDE!"
Rider, carrying a muscular Beast-kin under her arm like an undisciplined child, stepped through the saloon doors and threw him into the rain and mud.
"Huh... I was just thinking about her..."
I muttered to myself only to be casually flicked in the side of the head by Aoife. A warning, but for what, I didn't know.
Spending so much time with Rider taught me is if she could instantly solve a problem with force, then she would depending on how frustrated she was. It came as a surprise she was gentle to the brown haired beastkin.
"I think both of ya'll know what needs to happen "
"Yeah I know"
The Beast-kin was more than aggressive when he spoke up, drawing his daggers from their sheaths attached to his waist. He wore casual clothes that quickly became soaked in the mud and rain. A white tank top with blue jeans and average tanned leather boots.
"I don't care if yer a God, immortal Witch or triple S self proclaimed Hero. Y'all leave that shit outside"
Neither of them had a response, they both knew what they'd done and what had to happen next.
As they got ready to duel, I quietly asked if she knew the brown haired Beastkin, to which she said no. Her race was known to always be on the move, using their agility to their advantage whenever possible, so to see one so muscular was rather odd.
In all the duels I had seen, bloodlust would fill the air as emotions ran high. And yet, she stood there, slowly drawing two daggers and two strange bent swords from under her robes while her stance shifted to something of a dancer.
Daggers are the most common weapon an adventurer owns, however, they're mostly used as a tool. Yet these two seemed to prefer it. Her other weapon was something I couldn't nail down. It looked like half a crossbow's prod attached to a handle.
Her hands and feet were anything but humanoid. Hard chitin forming sharp claws akin to a cockatrice and hands that looked like sharp interlocked gauntlets, only thin.
If the strength of the human race was adaptability, hers would be to defend.
"..."
"..."
"For the love of- Faght for fucks sake!"
They leapt towards each other at incredible speed. Whether or not they waited out of respect or fear, I couldn't tell. Maybe both.
"What rank are they?"
"He's high C... Not sure about her"
"Huh..."
Adelard asked what was on my mind without realizing and Ota was all too happy to oblige. It felt like day by day she was getting better with her horns. I'd spent so much time conflicted with what I once thought was a blessing that I never tried to improve it.
There was only one problem, I didn't know anyone I could ask about it.
What we saw was nothing like the duels we saw and partook in today. Each had incredibly distinct fighting styles as they clashed blades. The monster-like woman moved her arms in a circular motion together, both parrying and striking back with each attack.
"Even now, you refuse to fight seriously"
"If my opponent wishes to fight like a child, than I shall match them in tow. Tell me, why do you have those muscles?"
"*Tsk* Did you know what she told me?"
"I do"
"Then why didn't you-"
"-I couldn't control her heart, nor can I control your jealousy"
"Really!? At a time like this! And you call me a child!"
Ota looked on with remorse, it reminded her how her party ended a year ago. At first I didn't understand what was happening, it was odd, but I could tell how she felt, more than intent, running through her arm.
Her emotions seeped into my heart.
"Hey, you alright? Wanna go inside?"
"No... I- I'm fine"
I whispered to her as the fighting continued.
Both of them were getting increasingly frustrated at each other, bringing up personal insults and immature remarks until they reached a breaking point.
"You cannot deny the truth, as painful as it might be"
"Deny it? Are you FUCKING KIDDING ME! If you just took the hit..."
"I miss her as well, but I can't change what happened"
"If you'd just turned her down then at least she wouldn't have wasted her time on some useless driftwood whore!"
Piecing together what was going on made us all feel uncomfortable. To have a party member fall in love, only to be rejected, but still chase her. The love that couldn't be returned, one after the other, leading to death and destruction.
Their fight had reached a point where even Rider didn't want to watch. She headed back inside, signaling us to follow her inside.
"I warned all of you, I'm-"
"-'A ring of fire?' Nobody understands your stupid riddles! All we knew you didn't have a heart-"
From what I could tell from her constant shifting of intent, the different things she wanted to do, all had a theme. All of them came from love, empathy, it was the one she had in droves, and they both knew it.
"-But we tried! She tried! AND YOU COULDN'T EVEN SHED A SINGLE FUCKING TEAR!"
"At least try act like an adult"
"YOU BITCH!"
He was now out for blood, screaming as he attacked relentlessly.
This time she didn't try to retaliate or go on the offense.
His string of irrational attacks made him hard to read. Faster and faster, he swung just trying to hit her a single time to no avail.
...
Ota and I were enthralled by her agility and control, matching each of his attacks with a different arm and never the same blade twice in a row.
He struck continuously for what felt like several minutes without fault until he finally ran out of breath.
He fell to his knees, exhausted and crying.
"I'm sorry"
To our surprise, she put away her strange weapons and daggers, then cradled his head while apologizing.
"You're right, there's no one to blame but me. I did try to turn her down, and I failed. I will never forget Shade, nor forgive myself"
I understood now, she saw him, and the member that passed away, as children. She could never return the love in the way they wanted.
All she could do now was pat him as they stood in the rain.
She treated him like the Sisters treated us when I was younger, like family.
Two other people, a young human man and woman wearing slightly weathered Adventures gear, rushed out of the bar to comfort their friend.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way. Please, take care. This is goodbye"
This was her plan, her way of easing his pain. Even if it painted a target on her back and she would forever be known as a horrible person, they'd accept it, one way or another.
With that, she walked back inside. She kept up her act and left her party behind.
...
After a brief moment of silence and sobbing, Adelard spoke up, breaking the mellow mood in an instant.
"Wait! That's her!"
"What are you talking about?"
He tore out a piece of paper from a small notebook inside his coat pocket and handed it to Aoife as he ran off to the bar.
As she evened out the piece of paper, her eyebrows almost did a dance in frustration and disappointment.
She showed us the page, revealing a very Arisa like doodle alongside a few notes 'Marge Riper AKA "Heart-ripper"', 'Relic wielder and Candidate' and finally 'Moth Mommy'.
If I had to guess, she didn't have a choice on either of those nicknames.
"Is a Moth some sort of monster?"
"I don't think so. Probably just one of her jokes"
"Her?"
"Arisa marks anything she writes with that little drawing at the bottom"
"Why though? I mean, is he going to try to recruit her?"
"Yeah... I mean we have- oh"
I had overlooked a critical piece of information when it came to forming a party C rank or higher.
To create a party and register it at our rank, we're required to have a few more skills essential to the job.
Tracking would be fine with Ota's horns and Adelard if it was undead, but we didn't have anyone who was good at hunting, butchering and other unorthodox skills like disarming traps and getting through locks.
It was an annoying by necessary requirement thanks to types of Quests that get posted for C rank and above. Exploring ruins and collecting from them or fighting intelligent monsters would be some of the jobs available to us.
"What?"
"Uh, well, do you know how to find and disarm traps?"
"Does it really matter? Like, can't we just brute force it?"
"I don't know... Maybe?"
Aoife remained silent during our back and forth as we hobbled towards the Saloon.
I realized I was just us who forgot or didn't know. Luckily Adelard had already thought about it beforehand.
Whether or not he would be successful in recruiting her is another question altogether.
As we climbed the three concrete steps up into the building, Rider walked through the swinging doors rubbing her dragon-like hands together. An ominous green glow started to appear around her claws as she walked behind us.
"Raght, hold still"
"Uhh..."
She slapped me in the back with enough force to launch me a few feet forward, right out of Ota's supportive hold.
Surprisingly, I landed on my feet as all my senses returned in a flash. I half expected to feel pain where she hit only to realize it had the opposite effect. Whatever technique she used, it did more than ease my wounds. I felt like I'd just woken up after having the perfect amount of sleep.
"What was that?"
"Feel good?"
"Yeah..."
"Good. Now, there's someone I need you to talk to. Both of y'all head inside"
Aoife walked inside, eager to catch up with Adelard as Ota stood in protest of Rider.
"Why?"
Rider kneeled down and lowered her voice.
"Has to be private, not my choice"
"Who is it?"
"The contract is in blood"
"V, she's strong. Who's down there?"
She leaned in and whispered into her ear. All I could understand was the intent behind the words I couldn't hear, that of reassurance, honesty and precaution.
As she stood up once again, towering over both of us, she gave Ota a few words of wisdom that put her mind at ease.
"Did you ever figure out why Enda did it? Change the way you sensed her?"
"She was messing with me"
"Nah, it was her way of lettin' you know; those horns ain't gonna paint you the whole picture. Pay attention now"
At the speed of a heartbeat, a wave of aura rushed over both of us before disappearing just as quickly. Ota raised a hand to her head and groaned in pain.
All I could tell is that whatever happened was limited to a small circle around Rider.
"Get it?"
"Yeah... I need a drink..."
"Oi Leaf! Get er' some Sake. Oh, if Ripper asks, tell er I'm grabbin a barrel of it raght now!"
Ota slowly wandered into the bar, still gripping her forehead in pain as Rider escorted me around the side of the Saloon.
"What did you do?"
"Just gave er' a bit of perspective. Now-"
We walked around the veranda, avoiding the heavy rain.
I had no doubt the shelter that wrapped around the entire building was either requested or built by Rider, especially with how often she commands Irmin to manipulate the weather.
"I'm sure you wondered where I was durin' that whole fight with the undead"
"No, I... kinda forgot about it"
It felt like I had unintentionally struck a nerve as we turned another corner and headed towards two large horizontal doors leading to a basement.
"Well... I ran into someone I thought you should meet-"
"Who?"
She left the doors wide open to the rain as we descended into a well lit underground storage area. The walls and floor were built with the same mixture of black stone and concrete as the foundation, along a very subtle sparkle revealed by the antique lit oil lamps lined up along the walls.
"*Sigh* Touji-"
"Oh, uh, sorry"
After all this time she still gets disappointed when I interrupt her. The fact that I did it twice before realizing didn't help. I often wondered if she saw me like how Enda saw Arisa, and that thought alone worried only made me disappointed in myself.
"It's fine. I can always use another excuse to put you through hell soon enough"
"...What?"
Rider walked up to one of the many large barrels that lined the walls as tall as her and cracked it open, revealing a secret passageway into another room. A larger underground area filled with all manners of strange weaponry and various other instruments of both warfare and what I assumed to be torture.
On one of two side tables a hooded woman clad in black leather sat eating steaming and slightly burnt meat.
"Anyway. So that dragon gal ya'll ran into wasn't alone, so we're havin' a bit of an information exchange. Well, that and I feel like it's bout' time you learned about yer family, the real one"