Previously in NWC-
Reno learned more about Luna and her past. He learned about the concept of religion in this world and how a god's strength is derived from the quantity of followers as well as the strength of said followers. Luna informed Reno that she never intended to regain the shards currently in the possession of the twin gods, Feyr and Ciryu. Reno declares that he will fight them when the time comes...
"Feyr and Ciryu, I'll have to fight them, right?" Reno's face shows that he's entirely serious.
"Reno… I am deeply grateful for all of your help, but you fighting the twins is impossible."
"Why?" He crosses his arms with a bit of annoyance to his voice.
"You are only a single human, and they are two of the most powerful gods."
"Yeah, but I've got you and you held your own for almost a year."
"That is because I am a god myself!"
"Okay? But if we just get a couple of your power shards then you can use your miracles to make me stronger."
"That's… The strength of my miracles is heavily influenced by my own personal strength."
"So let me get this straight: Your miracles get power from you, and you get power from the strength of your believers?"
"That is an accurate summary."
"Then, since I believe in you, if you use a miracle to make me stronger, then your believers are getting stronger. Thus, because I'll be stronger, the next miracle you cast to make me stronger should be stronger."
"I'm… confused. But it SOUNDS like you might be on to something…" Luna begins to ponder Reno's words.
"Then I'll ask you again: All I have to do is fight the twins?"
"Absolutely not."
"Why not?!" He throws his hands up in annoyance.
"I couldn't ask you to put your life on the line!"
"You're such a hypocrite!"
"It is my duty-no! My privilege to devote myself to my followers and sacrifice myself for them!"
"That's… a shallow mindset." His tone shifts to pity as he looks at Luna with concern.
"What?"
"Always giving, but never receiving… yeah, I can't agree with that."
"It's what I feel I must do."
"Right, and I feel like I have to beat the crap out of those twins, with or without your help."
"Reno…"
"If we're going to do this whole search for your power stones then we're gonna' do it right. I'm going for all or none, and 'none' isn't an option."
"Are… are you certain."
"I'm one-hundred and twelve percent certain."
"Then… I will do my best to make you stronger!"
"We've got a deal!" He smiles brightly, lightly pumping his fist in cheer.
"I understand you're only doing this to reunite with your brother… but I'm still grateful."
"Hmm… I'd say Arthur is about ninety-five percent of the reason."
"What is the other five percent?"
"Three percent is I actually want to help, and two percent is because it sounds fun as hell!"
"You're… reckless. But, nonetheless, I'm grateful for having met you."
"How long were you hiding before you met me anyways?"
"One hundred years."
"ONE HUNDRED?! You mean to tell me you were wandering around for ONE HUNDRED years?!"
"I did what I had to in order to survive."
"Jeez… You're dedicated if nothing else." Reno settles himself in the makeshift bed. Pulling the covers over, he glances at Luna. Despite the lack of a face, he feels like he can almost see her non-existent eyes looking every which way. "Luna…"
"Hmm? Yes, Reno?"
"Is there… something you want to say?"
"No…"
Not buying it, he narrows his eyes at her. "(If she wants something she can just ask.) Luna… would you like to sleep under the blanket again?"
"Really?! I mean- are you certain?" Luna quickly tries to recompose herself.
"I don't mind, just as long as you don't shine in my eyes."
"Then… I would be happy to oblige!" Luna does her best to hide her excitement as she flies over as quick as possible. Rather than getting under the blanket that Reno set aside specifically for her the night before, she gets comfortable under the same blanket as Reno. "Good night, Reno!"
"(I didn't mean this one… Whatever.) 'Night." The two sleep peacefully, both exhausted from their long day. The night is quiet and uneventful, quickly passing. Reno once again wakes up early. "What time is it?" he asks himself, looking out the window. "The sun isn't even up yet."
Luna emerges from under the blanket, hovering in front of the window. "I believe it is 4 in the morning."
"Are you a clock or something?!"
"No… Gods have an ability to communicate with the universe. The stronger the god, the greater the connection. Knowing the time is second nature to us."
"… I'm just gonna' ACT like that makes sense."
Before either of them could continue the conversation, they spot something outside. "Hmm?" They focus outside on a group of men. Four men on horses strut down the road towards Bambadale, each carrying a torch. Their adornment gives the immediate impression that these men come from a much wealthier community. "Reno…"
"Yeah…" Without another word, Reno quickly and quietly makes his way to the first floor. "They definitely don't look like the kind of people you should be seeing out here…" He reaches the door, cracking it. After the men get a good distance away, Reno begins following them. Luna slips into his shirt, and they trail the men.
As the group draws near to Bambadale, one of them pulls out a horn. He blows as hard as he can, sending out a loud echoing screeching noise. "Arise, peasants! Your lord demands it!" They enter the town, blaring their horn.
"Who the hell do these pricks think they are?!" Reno says, irritated.
"I was wonderin' when you bastards would show your face again!" A familiar voice yells at the group from inside the town. "Did the king spend all of his money already? Does he need a loan from people who ACTUALLY work?!" The mayor comes into Reno's view, hobbling straight up to them.
"Silence, peasant! Speak not to me, lest you have my lord's money!" The man sneers at the mayor. By now the whole village had woken up and was outside their houses yelling profanities at the men. "Enough! Produce his majesty's taxes or I will burn this cesspool to the ground!"
The mayor throws a sizeable bag that chatters as the man catches it. "Go on, get!" He says, shooing the men. "Get outta' our damn village before I beat ya' to death!"
"Did he… did he just threaten to kill a government official?!" Reno whispers loudly.
"The mayor… he is, how do I say this?" Luna ponders, trying to find the right words.
"Awesome?"
"Reckless."
The men violently turn their horses around, sneering one more time at the mayor. "We will be back in three months, as per usual. Pray the king doesn't raise your rates for your lack of allegiance."
Reno ducks behind a bush as the men pass by. A dark purple sphere appears in front of them. Upon walking into it, the men disappear. Reno quickly jogs inside the village and approaches the mayor. "Are you okay, Old man?"
"Oh, young Reno… yes, yes. No need to worry about me, young man! This old man still has some fight in him!" the mayor says, unfazed by his altercation.
"Old man…"
"Hmm?" The mayor cocks his head as he raises an eyebrow.
"What you just did was…
"(Reckless?)" Luna thinks to herself.
"Amazing!" Reno looks at the mayor, starry eyed.
"(Mother universe please help this boy…)"
The mayor laughs loudly "Don't you forget it!" The rest of the village, having calmed down, approaches the mayor, applauding him for his performance. "Well, everybody. Looks like we get a head start on today!" The villagers slowly return home, getting ready for the day. "Young Reno!" The mayor calls to Reno, beckoning him to the town hall.
"Coming!" Reno jogs over, following the mayor inside.
"Reno, now that this seasons taxes are paid, I'd like to order some wood. If I did that, would you be willing to fix up the old storage house?"
"I don't see why not… how bad is it?"
"It's missing a couple boards here and there, but it shouldn't be too hard."
"I'll see what I can do then… which building is it? I'd like to see what I'm getting myself in to."
"It's actually right across the street!"
"That would explain why I never see anyone coming out of there…"
"We'll have to wait for CeCe, but she's a real miracle worker! You ask her for something, and she can get it for you in just a couple of days!"
"She sounds amazing… who is she again?"
"That's right! You've haven't met her yet! She's a merchant who helps our city by taking things produced here and selling them in the larger cities that we'd normally have no access to. She usually comes around the first of every month, so she should be here in a couple of days… When she does arrive, I'll put that order in."
"Sounds good… did anything else need to be done while I'm waiting for that wood?"
"Hmm, let me think… That's right! Every year on the 3rd day of the 5th month, we have a town bonfire to celebrate life. We haven't yet collected the wood, but if you'd be willing to do that then the whole town would be grateful."
"Sounds good to me." Reno retrieves an axe from the tool room and heads for the door. As he does, the mayor calls out.
"Reno, I almost forgot! This is for you." The mayor hands Reno a small sack that jingles as it moves.
"What is this?" Reno looks inside the bag and finds a handful of coins, golden in color. "Is this money?"
"That's right! I told you we'd pay you, didn't I?"
"I just… feel like this is a lot. How much is this?"
"Haven't you ever had money before?"
Reno stares at the man blankly. "(It probably wouldn't be a good idea to go around telling people I'm from another universe…)" He clears his throat, looking into the man's eyes. "I have… terrible spending habits."
"Oh to be young… only about half of that is for the fences, and even that would be a good amount. The others were so happy with your work that they wanted to give you a lil' extra for your hard work."
"(All of a sudden I feel guilty for lying…)"
"One of those coins should be enough to feed you for a day. Since we don't get much business out here and our spending is pretty minimal, we're actually one of the 'richest' villages of our size."
"That's what's up. I'll make sure to use it wisely. How much is in here anyways?" Reno begins counting the coins. "FOURTY COINS?! I only worked for a couple days and you're giving me enough money to feed myself for 40 days?!"
"Young Reno, you'd be mighty surprised at how much those idiot nobles are willing to pay for 'rural goods'. That, and CeCe is one of the best merchants around!"
"You mean this village manipulates the rich in pursuit of financial gain?"
"Hit 'er right on the head."
"That's… Amazing." Reno stuffs the pouch in his pocket, noting that he should purchase a bag. "Anyways, I should probably go chop some wood now… How much should I cut?"
"Two or three of the smaller trees should be good. If you cut them, the farmers will bring some horses to help haul 'em over."
"Got it." Reno bids the mayor farewell and leaves the village, heading for the edge of the forest.
TO BE CONTINUED...