(---)
The tavern door opened, following a boy in a black cloak. His appearance could not be determined. But this action did not stop the bustling tavern from being loud.
The cloaked figure walked over to the front desk, the sound of his footsteps could not be heard, blocked out by yells and music.
"You... don't look like you're old enough to be in this tavern, kid."
Ignoring the receptionist's statement, he spoke. "Excuse me. How many people are currently in this tavern?"
"Well, including me... about 38...?"
"Thank you."
He pulled his sleeve down. Scales started to form on his skin.
[Cast: Scale Explosion]
Every single scale on his body went flying in all directions.
A bloodshed. 38 corpses in a single room.
"Damn it... Now my clothes are ruined."
After a bit of looting, he finally put on something he could wear. A simple grey tunic with black shorts, and a shoulder pad.
"A weapon would be quite nice. That would make it much easier to kill people."
. . . .
. . .
. .
.
"I told you already, stop running, Julian!" Rosette said, desperately swiping her training sword at Julian. He weaved with all his effort.
Dr. Vaen sat at his desk, scribbling. It looked like he was writing something important, but he really wasn't.
"Stop it!" Julian yelled, doing his best to scurry away from Rosette.
"Ah, right. Julian, how'd you find your way back to Fershingan?" Rosette suddenly stopped.
"I got on by boat. I nearly died, trying to get here."
"It seems a skilled doctor fixed up your stitches?" Dr. Vaen asked, noticing the difference in appearance of Julian.
"That too."
. . .
. .
.
The streets of Granal in Gonteno were fairly peaceful. Shops were placed, selling various fruits of different origins. Blacksmiths shined their swords, slicing faulty objects to prove their strength.
"Right, who are we meeting again?" Veind asked as she skipped. She looked pretty happy, despite not knowing where they were going.
"We're gonna meet Elyse. To get some mail from Oscar."
Ailen looked forward, his glasses thick as ever. Though, his hair was a bit longer, and his expression seemed to be less... well, emotional.
"How did you even know where she would be?" she asked, again. She sounded like a child, asking thousands of questions. That's exactly what she was, though.
"That's because she sent me mail, you idiot."
"Who do you think you're calling an idiot?!" her childish and calm demeanor disappeared, becoming more aggressive.
Ignoring her childish behavior, Ailen picked up a newspaper that had been hanging up on the wall.
"What does this say, Veind?" he asked.
"Tensions... in Gonteno? With the barbaric tribes."
"Ah. I see.
"That damn saint. They need a new leader, such as myself. She can't govern for-"
Ailen was quick to cover her mouth, muffling her remarks. "Shh. You can't badmouth a saint. People will harass you for that. You might even get executed."
She quieted down.
Ailen looked down at the map given to him. According to the map, they were exactly at the place Elyse had marked.
"An abandoned building?" asked Veind.
The door creaked open, the lights off. Ailen lit his lamp.
"Boo!" Elyse screamed, her hands sticking out.
Veind jumped. Ailen was unbothered.
"It's been a while, Elyse." Ailen smiled, placing the lamp down.
"Right! It's been what, a year?" Veind wondered out loud.
"Something like that. I'm not sure. I haven't been keeping track of time ever since I started exploring the continent." Elyse replied as she searched through her bag. Shuffling through, she finally found the letter.
"You haven't opened it yet?" Ailen sat cross-legged on the floor. Veind did the same.
"I wanted to open it when all of you guys came here. So our reactions could be authentic!"
Slowly, she opened it.
Dear, Elyse.
All has been well at Anore. The military base in which I was stationed has been treating me exceptionally well. Even my seniors respect me. Soon, I will be taking in a bounty with my members. It requires multiple people, due to how dangerous the bounty is. But, I hope all is well with you. And, Julian's alive.
"Huhhh!?"
They all yelled out, in confusion.
"I-I saw his hand! W-wasn't that an obvious sign of him dying!?" Elyse stuttered, in shock.
"Well, you did cut to conclusions. A hand is just a hand." Ailen reminded, his surprise fading away fairly quickly. But Veind was still shocked.
"W-What a pleasant surprise!" Veind started to smile, her shock also fading away.
"It's pleasant, but-but how am I gonna tell him that I don't like him anymore?! That's gonna be... too awkward!" she covered her face, embarrassed.
"It's not like you're gonna see him anytime soon, right? He's all the way up north," said Ailen.
"Good point!" she calmed down.
"Since you're gonna be staying here for a lot longer, Elyse, don't you think we should all do stuff together?" Veind suggested.
"Good idea."