As Archibald, Lobo, Larc, Lutessa and Felinela approached the inner parts of the city, they could already feel the buzz of excitement in the air.
It was unexpected of a village that was under siege to be this way.
But, it could also mean they had faith in the heroes sent to aid them.
Amidst the chatter and laughter of the crowd, Archibald couldn't help but let his perverted self come out again as he glanced at Felinela's perky chest.
"Hey Archibald, where did you learn to wield a sword so well?" Larc asked, breaking Archibald's attention from Felinela's assets.
"Oh, that was from my master, Gadi," Archibald answered proudly, puffing his chest out.
Larc's eyebrows furrowed. "Gadi? I've never heard of that name before."
"Well, he's not exactly popular as a swordsman," Archibald admitted. "But he's strong, I'll give him that. He's just a little too proud for his own good, if you ask me."
Larc laughed. "Sounds like a real scumbag."
Archibald grinned. "Yeah, but he's still worthy of respect most of the time."
Meanwhile, Felinela was eyeing Lutessa's ample assets with jealousy. She couldn't help but compare her own flat chest to Lutessa's chest that bulged out like balloons.
"Lutessa, how did you get such big boobs?" Felinela asked, pouting.
Lutessa felt embarrassed. "Oh, it... it runs in my family. My mom and sister both have big busts too."
Felinela crossed her arms. "It's not fair. I'd kill for boobs like those."
Archibald overheard their conversation and interjected. "Don't worry, Felinela, you're perfect just the way you are. Besides, flat is justice!"
Felinela blushed, not really knowing how to react to Archibald's words. "Uh, thanks, I guess?"
Archibald grinned like a debased pervert.
"(Everything about her says perfect, from her small stature to the way her eyes glisten with the aspirations of getting large milkmakers someday.)" (Archibald)
He was going too far, as such, he slapped his cheeks to restrain himself.
As Archibald and the others made their way through Rivelune, he observed the strange humanoid creatures with their fins and webbed feet.
The Rivelune people were unlike anything he'd ever seen before.
Archibald couldn't help but stare, mesmerized by their unique appearance.
"Talk about being fish out of water," Larc joked, nudging Archibald's elbow.
Archibald chuckled. "I wonder what their daily lives are like. Being constantly attacked by the Byzan Army would be stressful for anyone."
Lutessa piped in, "They're a bit happier than I expected, given their circumstances."
Felinela suddenly spoke up, "I feel like making something explode!"
Archibald raised an eyebrow, 'This chick is crazy,' he thought to himself, secretly finding her craziness attractive.
Larc quickly intervened, "Why don't we focus on not blowing things up, Felinela?"
Larc then explained to them that even in dire times, maintaining happiness is always the best choice.
The Rivelune people were putting their faith in the heroes that Undine had assembled to fight the Byzan Army.
Their reason for being so happy was that they were celebrating the little joy in knowing that people would come to help them.
Archibald nodded in agreement, "He has a point."
As they walked, they saw the Rivelune people dancing and singing. "Looks like they're really enjoying themselves," Archibald remarked.
Lutessa added, "Their city might be under attack, but they won't let that get in the way of having fun."
Archibald couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration for the Rivelune people's resilience.
As they ambulated, Lobo, Archibald's white wolf companion was trailing behind them, not making a sound.
Archibald was growing worried that Lobo might have wandered off.
Suddenly, he spun around only to find Lobo standing a few feet away, wagging his tail with excitement.
Archibald crouched to pet Lobo and give him some much-needed attention.
Lobo responded by jumping on his chest, licking his cheeks repeatedly.
"Oh, hey boy!" Archibald exclaimed. "You scared me a little," he chuckled.
The rest of the group waited patiently for Archibald.
However, Felinela wrinkled her nose, "Ew, dog slobber... gross."
Well, a Vecroboan Lupus wasn't exactly a dog, but they chose to refer to it as such.
Also, the two were both within the family of Canidae.
Lutessa was surprised and asked, "Aww, why don't you like dogs, Miss Felinela?"
Felinela smirked, "I like explosions a whole lot more, Tessa."
Being the most casual of the four, Felinela used pet names to address her companions.
Larc's eyes widened. "Explosions... ugh," he repeated.
Felinela nodded proudly. "Yup. Remember I once blew up a merchant's house that we were supposed to defend during our last quest."
"Hah, I remember quite clearly.." (Larc)
Archibald's eyes went wide with disbelief. "That's insane, so you're in the same party as Larc?" he asked indignantly.
Larc nodded, "Yes, we are. Some of the people that Undine gathered were already in parties before."
Archibald remembered that he and Rumia had been in a temporary party before Undine had asked for their help.
Meanwhile, Lobo continued to lick Archibald's face. "Oh Lobo, not again!" he exclaimed, wiping his face with his sleeve.
Felinela just shook her head, "I don't understand how you can tolerate that much dog slobber, Archie." she commented.
"Ah well, that's Lobo for you," he laughed and began walking again, his loyal companion keeping pace with him, happily wagging his tail.
They were finally approaching the meeting center which appeared to be a large, slightly rustic building.
"This place looks cool, but a bit unclean," Archibald observed, as Lobo barked in agreement.
Larc chuckled and pointed out, "Heroes aren't always the cleanest bunch, nor are we especially hardworking when it comes to chores."
As they got closer to the building, they noticed that some of the exterior was made of iron.
"It looks a bit scary," Lutessa commented nervously.
Felinela, on the other hand, was more confident. "Don't worry, Tessa. I'll protect you with mighty explosions! And if anyone tries to mess with us, they'll get exploded too!"
"T-Typical..." (Larc)
"(Yeah, this chick's crazy...)" (Archibald)
As they approached the entrance, Archibald spotted Rumia and Lamperogue waiting for them.
"Hey guys," he greeted them warmly.
Larc grinned and commented, "Looks like Rolo beat us here. You two must've come here with him after the patrol."
"Yes, we did," Lamperogue confirmed. "So, Archibald, how are you doing? You fainted out of exhaustion during our last battle."
Archibald smirked. "I'm doing a whole lot better now, thanks for asking."
Rumia turned to Lutessa and teased, "I hope Archibald didn't do any lewd things to you while he was out cold."
Lutessa laughed nervously. "Oh, no, nothing like that happened."
Archibald bristled a bit at Rumia's implication. "Hey, I'm not a pervert," he protested. "I'm a man of culture."
Rumia shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, whatever you say, perv," she replied, causing Archibald to ruffle his hair in frustration.
Soon after, a figure clad in armor and sporting an eyepatch, with a colossal sword placed on his back emerged.
It was Rolo Gromtite.
He emerged from one of the many doors in the building.
Archibald gazed at him with admiration, awed by his massive size and bulging muscles. 'Wow, this guy is an absolute monster,' he thought to himself, 'I want muscles like that.'
Larc confirmed that Rolo was an absolute beast in battle, but Rolo cut in, saying that it wasn't the time to praise him.
He seemed a bit more serious than usual, maybe trying to look like a more imposing figure to the newbies.
Felinela whispered to herself how she'd like to shove an explosion up his proud ass, but then Rolo turned to her and said, "I heard that."
Felinela was shocked and awkwardly apologized, "I'm sorry sir."
But Larc patted her head and told her: "There... There."
Lamperogue, as indifferent as always, asked Rolo if there was anything more he needed from them.
Since he and Rumia had already gotten to know a bit about Rolo when they did a patrol with him yesterday, talking to him wasn't as difficult.
"I need to know more about the other two newbies, Archibald and Lutessa." He turned to them, and Archibald felt his heart skip a beat.
'Oh man, this guy is intense,' Archibald thought to himself.
Meanwhile, Lutessa looked at Rolo with a mix of fear and curiosity.
Rolo took a closer look at Archibald and asked, "So, what's your deal, kid?"
Archibald straightened up and replied confidently, "I'm Archibald! Here to protect the weak and fight for justice! You can also call me Archie, sir!"
"(Holy crap that line sounds so corny! A shut-in like me isn't built for situations like these dammit! The guys just so... Huge, it's scary.)" (Archibald)
Lutessa piped up nervously, "I-I just want to help out as best I can..."
Rolo nodded, seeming to appraise them both. "Alright then, let's get this meeting started."
He led the way into the meeting center, and the group followed behind.
"But not you... Archibald." (Rolo)
"What?" (Archibald)
"I said, you won't be joining us... because you're out." (Rolo)
Everyone was shocked, most notably Rumia.
Lamperogue and Larc were able to maintain a calm head. The former was because nothing easily surprised him and the latter, expected this.