Chereads / The Sacred Frontier / Chapter 15 - Act I Chapter XV

Chapter 15 - Act I Chapter XV

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Ulvala, Huntingtague Grove, Time: 2:00 PM (4 hours ago)

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After the grooving battle of The Lucky Inquisitors, let's check what The Haunting Travlerania is currently doing right now, with two lovebirds spending their time near a tree during the afternoon.

"I'm glad I get to spend these moments together, Princess," Jhoan stated, enjoying the bread prepared by Elizabeth.

"Yeah, it feels nice to move out of hometowns and finally enjoy the outside with just the two of us," Elizabeth noticed small crumbs on Jhoan's cheek, "Such a messy eater you are!" She wiped the crumbs off Jhoan's cheek with her handkerchief.

"Messy means I am very complex, right?" Jhoan asked, not understanding what it meant.

Elizabeth just giggled, "It means you just ate without much awareness."

They were having a picnic break! Can't go on an adventure with an empty stomach now, could we? It was such a beautiful and romantic moment between the both of them.

 

"Nothing can ruin these moments for us," Elizabeth smiled, as she leaned her head on Jhoan's shoulder. He was surprised but decided not to ruin these moments.

"Yeah, nothing will ever ruin this," he said as he put his hand on her head and leaned back against the tree. A little quiet nap can't hurt anybody—a peaceful and quiet nap until...

"SIR JHOAN!!! LITTLE LADY!!! THOU HAST RETURNED WITH YOUR WEAPONRY!!!"

Ah, right. Our beloved jesters, Sunop, have returned with their weapons, a golden gauntlet, and a heart-shaped crystal staff.

Both of them were awakened in surprise to know that Sunop returned way too fast.

"Thank you, Sunop," Jhoan lied through his teeth; he wished Sunop had taken way longer so he could spend more quiet time.

"Also, both Elizabeth and I wanted to talk about something real quick, so would you kindly scout the area for us?" Jhoan asked as he tried to find a way to get rid of Sunop for a bit.

"A lone talk with the little lady and you?! Very smooth, Sir Jhoan!" Sunop jabbed Jhoan's chest with his elbows at a lightning pace, while Jhoan just sighed at his attitude.

"Yeah, yeah. Just look out for anything unusual, okay?" Jhoan said, not wanting Sunop to know that he truly loves the princess, as he might run his mouth if he found out.

"Yes, sir!" Sunop said as he saluted and ran off into the forest. Jhoan sweat-dropped at how fast he was going.

"Okay, now that he's gone, how can we get rid of him again?" Elizabeth said, exhausted from having to make Sunop go do something just so she could be alone with Jhoan. 

Ever since childhood, her father found a jester who could entertain her, but he seemed to be more of an annoyance than entertainment.

"We've tried everything, Elizy. We made him go down the ravine, but he came back once we passed it. We made him go down to an obvious monster nest, and he came back with a few scratches," Jhoan said bluntly, unaware that he had just given Elizabeth a cutesy nickname. 

She blushed upon realizing that her knight had bestowed such a nickname upon her, but she tried her best to shake it off.

"Well, maybe we could throw him into a mountain cavern," Elizabeth suggested, trying to focus on the task at hand.

"Hm, maybe," Jhoan considered the idea, "He truly is quite persistent." Jhoan isn't a smart guy, but he knows that the idea could work in some way.

"SIR JHOAN!!! LITTLE LADY!! WE HAVE AN URGENT CALLING!!!" Sunop yelled, frantically waving his arms up and down.

"Okay, okay. Calm down, Sunop. What's the issue?" Elizabeth tried to calm the jesters down, not wanting to deal with a headache.

"The ogre has kidnapped someone! They have been screaming for help!" Sunop explained, and everyone raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Well, lead the way, Sunop," Jhoan said, immediately interested in the rescue mission.

As they set off on their urgent quest, Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder how she could find some time alone with Jhoan later. But for now, their focus was on saving the kidnapped person from the ogre's clutches.

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Huntingtague Grove, Ogre Nest, Time: 2:15 PM

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It looked like a giant arena, resembling a Colosseum, but it was in complete disarray. The floor was covered with mud stains and scattered giant rock pieces. 

A pile of wooden clubs gathered in one corner indicated the ogres' training area. Amidst this chaotic scene, the most intriguing sight was a crashed giant steampunk aircraft, suggesting that someone had met with an accident.

"HELP! IF ANYONE CAN HEAR ME FROM HERE! HELP!" 

A desperate voice with a southern accent cried out, the man desperately seeking aid.

An ogre walked up to the wooden cage where the man was trapped and struck it with a mighty wooden club, "Shut up! My boys and I are training our bodies! Your noise is disrupting us!" the ogre bellowed, trying to silence the man.

The man had a mix of brown and white hair, wore a brown cap with golden goggles and green lenses, and a stained white button-up shirt paired with simple brown pants. He sported a 3-day stubble beard and appeared to be missing his left hand.

Angered by the ogre's response, he threatened, "GOD! IF I EVER GET MY HANDS ON YOU, I WILL SHOVE IT UP YOUR ARSE!" The ogre simply laughed at his threat.

"Me like you, little human! You will make an awesome pet!" he mocked, seemingly content with having a new 'pet.'

Meanwhile, Sunop, Jhoan, and Elizabeth were hiding behind a giant boulder, observing the situation. 

Sunop stated, "See? That guy needs our help right now!" in a hushed tone, trying not to alert the ogres.

Jhoan responded quietly, "Well, at least you know how to lower your voice. Any plans?" Jhoan could feel like he was getting a hang of his wording.

Sunop eagerly pitched an idea with starry eyes, "How about we disguise ourselves as one of the ogres? I can make the costumes!"

However, Jhoan was skeptical, stating, "That will take too long, and I don't want to wear a sweaty disguise." He has some bad memories from wearing a sweaty costume, which still haunts him to this day, and how many kids ripped him to shreds during Halloween night.

Elizabeth interjected with her idea, "I have a great idea! Let me tell you both." While Sunop and Jhoan had conflicting opinions, they eventually decided to listen to Elizabeth's idea and go along with it.

While the ogres were training their muscles by lifting a giant boulder, a giant bush was slightly moved a little bit as it went toward the cage with a comically goofy clown step. 

"What in the bloody hell?" The steampunk man noticed this but decided to keep quiet.

"Okay, just a little bit and he will be there," Elizabeth said as she watched over from the giant boulder.

Sunop was tip-toeing across the arena with a bush disguise. He made it in front of the cage and popped his head out to face the steampunk man, "Hey, sir! We're going to rescue you!" Sunop said quietly as the man was surprised by his appearance. 

"Don't care what it will take, get me out of here before my geniuses are going to die out." He'd beg to be let out; it felt like an eternity that he had been locked up in this cage.

"Don't worry, just tell me where the key is!" Sunop said as he tried to lighten up the mood and looked left and right to see if he was spotted or not.

"You see that guy sleeping over there?" He pointed at the brown-colored ogre who was in deep slumber, "He's got the key, alright. So, just carefully tiptoe your way over there." He whispered as he made sure that he got all of that.

"Alright, I won't disappoint you!" Sunop said as he started to crawl over the sleeping ogre.

Sunop arrived at the ogre and saw the keys just right there; this was it.

'Oh, I pray to clown god. Don't let me be seen by these old green.' Sunop prayed in his thoughts as he reached for the keys. But something decided to happen at the worst moment—the ogre woke up.

The massive ogre decided to rub his eye and saw a giant bush; his stomach was rumbling. "Ooh! Healthy salad! Me love!" The ogre said as he picked up the giant bush in front of him.

"Hmm, a little heavier but oh, well." The ogre said, but he didn't mind that much; Sunop was panicking at this point. He's gonna be eaten if he doesn't escape. The ogre opened his mouth and threw the giant bush into his mouth. Sunop decided to jump out and landed perfectly.

Taking this opportunity, he decided to grab the key and book it. "Hey! You're no ogre!" The ogre said as he pointed at Sunop, "Prize bomb!"

Sunop created a carnival ball and threw it at the ogre's face! The ball exploded right in the ogre's face as it screamed; the other ogres stopped their training and looked at the source of the noise.

They saw the ogre somehow combust into flame; they were angry and saw Sunop running toward the gates.

"Get that little human! Crush him!" Sunop popped out of his disguise as he screamed; chaos now started.

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