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Sylanwood, Diremaw: The Frozen Slopes: The Grass Field, Time: 11:50 AM
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Mianne and James found themselves sprawled on a warm, grassy field surrounded by vibrant flowers.
They couldn't help but marvel at the unexpected beauty of this place.
"How on earth did we end up here?" Mianne pondered aloud, baffled by the sudden change in their surroundings.
The question, however, soon faded into insignificance as the soothing spring breeze kissed their faces, instantly melting away the tension they had carried from the mountain climb.
"This feels incredible," James sighed, his expression relaxing as he strolled through the fragrant field, reminiscent of their days in Ulvala.
Mianne shared his sentiment, a serene smile gracing her face. It was a much-needed respite from the harsh climb they had endured.
As they meandered through the field, their eyes fell upon an unusual sight—a golden wagon with a man sitting on a log nearby.
Before Mianne could approach, James burst into a full sprint, shouting, "SHOP KEEPER GUY!!!"
His enthusiasm carried him into a collision with the man, who turned out to be Sugar.
Stunned by the sudden impact, Sugar rubbed his head, but he couldn't help but chuckle at James's boundless excitement.
"It's great to see you again," James gushed, lending a hand to help Sugar out of the flower bed.
Sugar grinned, partly flattered and partly exasperated. "Yeah, yeah, I know," he replied, then added with a sigh, "God, I think I broke something."
"James!" Mianne, catching up to the scene, swiftly intervened with a gentle reprimand. She lightly slapped the back of James's head and apologized on his behalf. "I'm sorry for his enthusiasm. He couldn't contain himself."
Sugar waved off the apology, understanding the excitement his presence could provoke. "No need to apologize. I'm used to it," he laughed. Sugar missed those times 5 years ago.
As James realized he hadn't introduced Mianne, he stammered, "Oh, this is Mianne! Mianne, this is uhh..." His voice trailed off as he realized he didn't know Sugar's name.
Sugar seized the moment to protect his true identity. "Just call me Goda!" he proclaimed, offering a friendly handshake to Mianne.
Mianne accepted Goda's handshake with a warm smile. "Nice to meet you, Goda. I'm Mianne, and as you've already seen, this is James." She couldn't help but chuckle at James's earlier antics.
Goda nodded in acknowledgment. "Pleasure to meet you both, Mianne and James." Sugar's plan going in the direction he wanted.
James, still brimming with excitement, fired off questions. "What are you doing here, Goda? And how did we end up in this beautiful place?"
Goda reclined on the log, resting his arms behind him. "Well, as for why you're here, let's just say this place has a way of bringing people to it when they need it most." Sugar hides the fact that he asks November to create a domain in this place.
Mianne raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Goda's cryptic response. "And what about you? What brings you to this place?"
Goda's eyes twinkled mysteriously. "Oh, I'm just a wanderer, enjoying the serenity of this hidden paradise. I've always been drawn to places like this."
James, as curious as ever, couldn't resist. "So, what do you have in that wagon of yours today, Goda?"
Goda grinned and opened the golden wagon's curtain with a theatrical flourish. Inside, an array of colorful and exotic trinkets, artifacts, and curiosities were neatly displayed.
"Today, I have a selection of rare gemstones, intricate jewelry, and some fascinating relics from distant lands. Take your time and have a look!"
As James and Mianne approached the golden captain, they peered curiously inside.
James's gaze drifted to the left, and suddenly, he was met with a large, yellow, circular eye.
Startled, he yelped and tumbled to the ground in surprise. "Eek!"
"What's going on?" Mianne asked, concerned as she bent down to help James up.
James finally managed to gather himself and pointed at the creature inside. "Look at that thing! It's got a gazillion eyes!"
Mianne joined him in staring at the creature. It appeared to be rotund, larger than them, and covered in a luxurious coat of black fur. The numerous yellow eyes were fixed on them, and the creature had a sharp black beak.
Goda, sitting nearby, chuckled at their reaction. "Oh, it seems you've caught The Watcher's gaze!" he exclaimed, introducing the creature with a grand gesture.
"Don't worry, it won't harm you. Just give it a good rub," he continued, demonstrating by stroking the creature's fur. This prompted a series of happy chirps from The Watcher.
James and Mianne exchanged unsure glances before cautiously reaching out to give The Watcher a good rub. To their surprise, it responded with even more joyful chirps, clearly relishing the attention.
James grinned as he rubbed the creature's fur. "Well, this is unexpected. Who would've thought we'd find a multi-eyed, chirping furball in here?"
As they finished petting The Watcher, James and Mianne decided to explore the inside of the golden captain. The wagon was a treasure trove of strange and intriguing items.
"Whoa, there are so many things in here," James exclaimed, his eyes darting around the packed space.
In his excitement, he stumbled and accidentally knocked an item from a nearby shelf. It landed with a soft thud on his head.
"James!" Mianne exclaimed, rushing to his side to check for any injuries. She glanced at the fallen item, which had landed near them. It immediately caught her attention.
The object was a mechanical contraption, a mix of yellow, white, and blue components. On the right side, there was a bulb-shaped compartment with a hidden puller mechanism.
The left side featured a horizontal rectangle with a yellow wing protruding from the front. Intricate ancient symbols were engraved on the surface of the rectangle.
In the middle of it all, there was a yellow button, encased in a transparent cover to prevent accidental activation.
Goda, who had noticed the fallen item, bent down to pick it up and examined it closely. "Ah, that reminds me! I need to throw this away," he declared casually, seemingly uninterested in the object's significance.
However, Mianne quickly stopped him, her curiosity piqued. "Wait a minute! What is this thing? It doesn't look like something you'd just toss away."
James also chimed in, his interest growing as well. "Yeah, it seems pretty important. Do you mind telling us about it?"
Goda hesitated for a moment, then sighed dramatically. "Well, since you asked so nicely... This is a rather unique artifact. It's known as 'Angel Custodiae.' They were custom-made for clerics and summoners, and are quite rare since they have the power to imbue individuals with eldritch or reborn runes, depending on their needs."
Mianne's eyes widened in astonishment. "Transformation? Are you serious?"
Goda nodded, his expression serious. "Deadly serious. But, I noticed that most of you guys aren't one of the class archetypes. So I don't have any use for this."
"Wait!" Mianne quickly said before Goda could throw it into the bin. "I am a cleric, actually," Mianne said, her eyes now gleaming with interest.
"Really?!" Goda's face lit up with a sly smile. "Then how about I sell this to ya?" he said, clearly eager to make a deal. Mianne nodded, willing to purchase the intriguing artifact.
As Goda prepared to negotiate a price, James couldn't help but feel a bit left out of the conversation. He decided to browse through the rest of the items in the wagon, curious to see if anything else caught his eye.
"Hmmm, how about 900?" Goda said, presenting his final price. Mianne felt a bit skeptical but ultimately agreed to pay for it.
"Pleasure doing business with you!" Goda happily accepted the money bag. He then proceeded to explain how the Angel Custodiae worked.
"Once you find a rune of yourself, just put it on your waist, and the belt will wrap around you. After that, just pull the puller, insert the rune into the bulb, and press the yellow button," Goda demonstrated the mechanism with enthusiasm.
"I see, thank you, Goda!" Mianne said, genuinely grateful for the purchase. She carefully stowed the Angel Custodiae in her backpack.
However, she noticed that James seemed reluctant to leave the treasure trove of unique items.
"So, where's the exit from here?" Mianne asked, turning her attention back to Goda. He pointed toward an out-of-place giant wooden door, and Mianne couldn't help but be surprised.
"Alright, let's go, James!" she said, trying to drag him away from the tempting items.
"Have a safe journey, you two!" Goda waved as Mianne waved back, and they entered the mysterious door.
As Goda watched James and Mianne leave, his facade dropped back to that of regular ol' Sugar.
He sighed in relief and addressed November, who had been hiding behind The Watcher.
"Alright, you can come out now, November," Sugar said as The Watcher turned around, and November cautiously dismounted, brushing the dust off her skirt.
She voiced her concern, "Are you sure they wouldn't come back for something, professor?"
"Eh, if anything, Cefie and Sinnodal have probably already gone up to their base with their vessels. So, those two would have to face them," Sugar replied casually as November wiped the sweat from her brow.
She had narrowly avoided being caught by Mianne when she buried her face into The Watcher's fur.
"At least they didn't hurt you like the others," November commented, giving The Watcher some affectionate rubs, causing it to chirp happily.
She remembered when some newbies had punched The Watcher in the eye, resulting in most of them being mauled to death by the creature.
Their conversation was interrupted when they heard a voice shouting, "Hurry! They ran this way!" An army of Glacial Vigorous members was running toward the field.
"Hey, there are even more intruders here!" one of them yelled, pointing at Sugar and November. The Glacial Vigorous members began to draw their weapons, preparing for a confrontation.
One of the knights attempted to swing at November, but she caught the blade and swiftly disarmed him, causing him to scream in agony as she brutally tore his left arm off.
The fallen knight looked up in horror at The Watcher, which fixed its sharp beak upon him, ready to devour him alive.
The entire Glacial Vigorous army watched in dread as Sugar smirked at them.
"Don't worry," Sugar taunted them, "pain will be temporary, death will follow."
Sugar then realized his nail was painted with blood, the cool nail paint that Lucia had given him was now gone, "Okay, now all of you will die."
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