"Urgh." I opened my eyes.
The view is so blurry and a bit dark. I can feel the softness on the back of my head.
"Cory?"
That is Aura's voice, she is talking on top of me. I reached the cover, it was a bit dark.
However, when I touched it, it was a bit soft.
"Uhm, Cory? Don't." Aura moaned.
What?
My view's become clearer. I can see Aura face's blushing on top of me. My hand right hand is grabbing her chest.
B**bs!
I sit down fastly. When I turned around I can see that Aura was giving me a lap pillow.
Aura's face blushed red, looking away from me.
"Boy, you sure bold." A man said beside me, smiling.
I remember he was the one who throw the sword at me when I was fighting the Gamaconda. His stature is big and has short black hair.
"My name is Klim, the leader of the Klim's party." Klim is forwarding his right hand to me.
I reached for his hand, and he shook my hands hurt despite the wound in his bandaged arm. "Cory."
"Thanks for the help. If you guys are coming a second later. We might be buried in the soil now."
"No need for thanks. We are happy to help."
"Let me introduce you. This woman here is Reis, a priestess from our party he can do life magic and wind magic."
Reis smiled and grab both of my hands tightly.
"What is that magic you use?" Reis is asking me.
Her eyes look excited like a child's. "It is like a fire but the movement is like a wind, a very violent one."
"Reis." Klim grabs her shoulder. "I am sorry, she always got excited if it is about magic."
"But Klim, you saw it too right? The blue flame, the rotated fire, and the sword imbued strong mana."
"Yeah, I know. I have never seen that." Klim pondered. "Are you guys silver-ranked adventurers? When I saw you fighting that Gamaconda, I honestly believe that you are Palladium-ranked adventurers."
"We are not, just silver-ranked, We just joined two days ago," I said to them.
"There is no way. So you both are not lying when you said silver-ranked?" Reis looking at us in disbelief.
Reis and Klim don't know what to say about that fact. They are looking at each other and then back looking at us.
"By the way, where is Farlon?" Klim asked Reis.
"Farlon is our thief role in our party," Klim explained to us.
Reis face changed from being excited to being resentful when she heard that name.
"What happened? Reis?"
"He is safe, I think. He is running away." Reis frowned deeply. "I saw him taking a horse, Cory and Aura brought."
Now that I see it, I just realized there is only a horse present.
"At least he is safe. Don't be angry with him, I will make sure to teach him a lesson later." Klim patted Reis's shoulder to calm her.
"We both. Let me in too." Reis smiled with an evil look.
[Detected five individuals armed]
-- Who? --
[Fetching images to the brain]
Suddenly a galloping sound of horses can be heard from far away. A man with a mustache is riding a horse fastly. That is Shawn with a group of adventurers.
Klim, Reis, and Aura also looked when the galloping sound of the horse getting near. We are all standing up trying to figure out the figure on the far.
"Looks like help is coming." Klim's smiled widely, waving his hand at that figure.
***** ***** *****
Klim's and Reis trying to explain what happened in the village. Shawn treats everyone as a witness. He asks the villager, Klim and Reis, and even me and Aura.
The corpse of the mutated Gamaconda is lying in the middle of the village. Almost all of the villagers spectating.
"I think that's all. Cory and Aura defeated that mutated Gamaconda." Shawn closes his paper, folds it, and stores it in his pocket.
"I don't believe it." A bulky man with a height of two meters and a half walked towards me.
His eyes gazed at me with cold eyes. On his back is a big axe.
"All of the witness statements are the same. What do you mean?" Shawn interjected.
"There is no way a silver rank can defeat this mutated monster."
"He did," Reis said. "Using grand magic and his sword skill."
"I also doubt that." A man far away raises his hand.
A sword hanging on his waist
"He might be using forbidden dark magic to confuse you all and the villager." The bulky man said.
"Watch your mouth!" Aura shouted angrily.
"Uuuh. Scary." The swordsman giggled.
The bulky man and the swordsman laugh together. Meanwhile, the tanker man with his shield just standing far looking at the Gamaconda carcass.
The woman with a blue robe is walking toward us. Chanting a spell while yellow light came out of her steps.
Aura and me taking a step back, she holds her sword and cast a fireball on her palm. I take a stance, readying myself for the battle.
"Relax, I am not here for fighting." She cast a spell.
-- Nia --
[Spread of energy detected. It is moving, spreading around, and sucked back]
-- I see, like a sonar then --
I relaxed my body, letting go of my fist. I instructed Aura not to attack her and make her un-cast her fireball.
The woman stops using her magic. The yellow glow died down around her.
"There is no forbidden magic detected. I speak as a Palladium adventurer and fifth-grade magus, Leira. You, Boris, and Fahad, a baseless accusation is forbidden."
The bulky man, Boris spit on the ground. "Then, Those two are fake Platinum adventurers."
"What." Reis is looking at him with disbelief. She prepared to slap his head with her staff.
Klim holding her body from advancing to Boris. He shook his head right and left, silently ordering her to let him say anything he wants.
"I still do not agree with giving these two the credits." Fahad snorts.
The two, of course, refer to us. Me, and Aura.
"So I have an Idea. We adventurers always show proof with our power and skills." Fahad said again, snickering.
"Fine!" Aura accepts his challenge.
Boris and Fahad look at each other, trying to hold their laugh. "Guild master, You don't want to stop them?" Fahad laughed out loud.
Shawn just looked at them with cold eyes. "Do I need to?"
"You serious?" Boris's laugh disappeared while looking at Shawn.
"Fine let's do it. One-on-one. The responsibility lies in the guild master since he did not stop this." Boris readied his battle axe.
Leira the magus shook her head and walked away. "How stupid."
"Wait, what is the prize he will get if they defeat you guys?" Klim asks, stopping Boris from advancing.
"There is no need."
"What? you scared?" Klim incites him.
"Grr, Fine. A hundred golds."
"How about you?" Klim asked Fahad.
Fahad's smile disappeared. "Two hundred golds."
"And a recommendation for Palladium rank test." Reis increases the bet.
Fahad grunting. "Alright, I will bear witness. We swear on the name of God Suriam."
Suddenly The shield-man is walking and standing between us, who are prepared to have a go at each other.
All of us watch while the shield man slams his shield to the ground. The impact reverberates on the ground. The atmosphere suddenly becomes quiet.
"Respect the victim." The man glared at Boris and Fahad, and then direct his eyes at us.
"Guild Mater Shawn, let's continue this after we bury the dead."
"I agree, Alexander." Shawn walks away to the head villager.
Tsk.
Fahad clicking his tongue, elbowed Boris to go with him.
"Sorry for my subordinate behavior," Alexander said to us then go away to help the villager.
----- ----- -----
Name: Cory Grieves
Skill: Whirlwind slash sword, Mana sword
Mana cap: 10X Dark Turquoise
Magic: Fireball, Blue Fireball (Divine Flame), Healing, Air-suspended magic, Multicast, Whirlwind, Tornado, Fire Tornado,
----- ----- -----
Name: Nia
Skill: Auto body repair, body adaptation, auto mana regulator, extreme body battle mode.
Connection skill: Full Connection
sub-connection skill: Partial connection, non-human connection
Movement: Blood medium, Water medium