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Sylanwood, Tarrabria, Train Station, Time: 3:00 PM
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The train whistle rang through the station as the train finally arrived in Tarrabria. It took around 3 hours to reach, but it wasn't a week-long journey for them.
The train doors opened, and The Lucky Inquisitors finally stepped out onto the platform. On the opposite end of the train, Sugar's Enterprise was also present, but the two groups didn't seem to notice each other.
"Alright! Tarrabria, here we come!" James breathed in the air, which carried a salty and fresh feeling, the town being near the ocean.
The coastal town of Tarrabria bustled with activity as The Lucky Inquisitors emerged from the train station into the bright midday sun. Quaint stone buildings with terra cotta rooftops lined the cobblestone streets, which were crowded with pedestrians wandering through open-air markets.
Just a few blocks from the station, they could see the glittering blue ocean, and gentle waves lapping at sandy beaches dotted with colorful umbrellas and towels. Fishing boats bobbed gently in the harbor as seagulls circled overhead, calling out to one another as they surveyed the land below.
The salty ocean breeze mingled with scents of grilled seafood, fried dough, and fruits from street food carts. Musicians played cheerful tunes on hand drums and stringed instruments on various street corners, hoping to earn tips from appreciative passersby.
Overlooking the harbor stood an imposing medieval castle, likely constructed centuries ago to defend against seaborne attacks. Now it contained a museum celebrating the region's storied maritime history in its soaring halls and towers.
Horse-drawn carriages clattered over the cobblestones, offering rides to tourists alongside bicycles for rent.
Local children laughed and played tag, weaving through the colorful banners and decorations being put up for the upcoming Culture Festival.
An air of excitement and celebration hung over the cheerful town.
"This place looks amazing!" Mianne said, turning slowly to take it all in. She couldn't wait to dive deeper into the winding streets and explore everything Tarrabria had to offer during their stay.
"Alright, I think I need to go to that castle to meet up with Bada," James stated, confident he could find him in a castle. "You wanna come along, Mianne?" he offered, willing to let her join him.
"Sure, let's leave these musky brothers of ours to do something productive for us!" Mianne threw a smug glance at Ace and Ezra, who could only roll their eyes.
"I will just..." Ezra stared at the castle, bad memories hitting him like a truck. "Just walk somewhere..." He decided to leave, leaving them all looking confused.
"I will go talk with him..." Ace stated before following in hot pursuit of Ezra, leaving the two young adults in confusion.
"What's up with him?" Mianne asked; Ezra didn't usually act like this. He didn't lash out at people or get irritated at slight things that happened.
"I'm sure he just had a rough day..." James reassured her, determined not to let his team fall apart.
"I'm sure Ace could talk to him," Mianne stated before leading James without getting lost in the process.
Sugar's Enterprise observed the whole scene, with November ready to share gossip and plans.
"This might be strategic for us. With them falling apart, we could cause some serious mental damage," November noted on her wishlist, most of which involved...
"I wish to dunk Elizabeth into a tub of acid
I wish I could rip Elizabeth's head off
I want to eat her whole family right in front of her eyes.
How to make a bomb."
"Taking advantage of people's mental health, aren't you?" Rosco remarked, and November just laughed.
"Honey, I am soulless. I can do anything I want without feeling bad~" November grabbed her bag of allowance. "I'm gonna go buy a music disc. I hope Matsune Hiku drops a new vinyl." With that, November left.
Sugar sighed before deciding to go, "Well, I gotta go find Lucia, have fun, you guys!" Sugar dashed away to the science section.
"I wanna go play some games at the fair," Toodies stated before Dy'a picked him up, giving him a piggyback ride.
"Then, let's go!" Dy'va declared as both of them ran away, making airplane noises.
Rosco sighed, attempting to follow them, but Chris put a hand on Rosco's shoulder.
"Oi, dumbass. We ain't attacking them or what?" Chris was confused about why they were relaxing.
"It isn't time for us to strike yet. We'll follow his order when it's time," Rosco stated before giving a light punch to Chris's face. "Dumbass." Rosco followed after Dy'va and Toodies, leaving the other three.
"I will go see what human constructs in the science section," Cefie stated as they walked away to the science section in the same direction as Sugar.
"You know, fuck it! Let's just go watch the waves," Chris stated, with Sinnodal following him after.
"Wonder if they are different like the sea of red back home..."
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Sylanwood, West Tarrabria, Time: 3:00 PM
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"At the north of Tarrabria, a large man was panting as he reached the town. It was Jhoan, with Elizabeth, Sunop, and Caramels clinging onto him, almost exhausted.
"We're here..." Jhoan stated before slumping onto the ground for a bit.
"God, why did the last train take off? We could've been faster..." Caramels stated. They were in Sylanwood nearby, but the last train to Tarrabria had already set sail, so they decided to walk there.
"Five hours... It took us... five hours to get here..." Elizabeth didn't mind walking there back then, but now she was filled with regret. You could hear a certain familiar laugh of a woman, but it quickly faded out.
"That wasn't fun at all..." Sunop was sobbing on the ground. They were chased by every single creature of the wood, trying to cross to Tarrabria.
"Well, I hope we can find an onsen in this place. I want to relax for a bit." Elizabeth stated, with Caramels nodding. But she looked over to see Jhoan was cleaning his face with seawater.
"Ah~ That feels much better..." Jhoan stated, with everyone looking at him with shocked expressions. "Um, what's wrong with you guys?"
"Jhoan, dear. That was seawater..." Elizabeth stated, causing Jhoan's cog to turn in his head.
"Ooooh..." Jhoan realized before he collapsed onto the sand.
"OH MY GOD, JHOAN!"
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Sylanwood, East Tarrabria, Time: 3:00 PM
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An azure wyvern landed on the east of Tarrabria, causing everyone to look on in surprise.
The wyvern laid its tail down as the first person slid down it.
"Weeee!" Cauli slid down on his butt and perfectly landed on the ground, showing off to Don and Layla.
"Impressive, but how about this?" Don decided to slide on his feet before front-flipping and back-flipping on the ground, gaining applause from the crowd.
Cauli pouted at the attention Don received. "Hmph! Showoff!" Don could only laugh at him, causing Cauli to start lightly hitting Don's chest.
"Okay, shortstack! It's your turn." Don was ready to see her fail, watching from the wyvern.
Layla was looking down. "Alright, you got this, Layla." She calmed herself down before sliding down on the tail with her boot. The wyvern adopted the personality of Yin as it suddenly flung Layla into the sky.
"Huh, she might die from this," Don stated, looking up at the sky with Cauli just looking at him in shock.
'FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! I'M GONNA SPLATTER TO THE GROUND IF I DON'T DO SOMETHING.' Layla was screaming in her head, trying to find a method to land safely and not become the cobble-painted floor.
Layla suddenly started dropping down, screaming. She began strumming her guitar frantically. "LAST CHORDS: WIND SONG!" she screamed out as Layla landed with a wind shockwave appearing below her feet, causing her to bounce and front flip twice.
Layla stood there, breathing heavily with her legs shaking in fear, but the crowd was going wild, clapping at the performance.
"Haha! Triple showoff, are we?!" Don ran toward her, putting his arm around Layla's neck.
Their first landing in Tarrabria was crazy, with the azure wyvern flying off, leaving the trio behind.
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Sylanwood, Tarrabria, The Sapphire Shores, Time: 3:00 PM
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Underneath Tarrabria, in the ocean of The Sapphire Shores, a large steampunk submarine was parked beside the city. It seemed to have been there for a while, waiting for something.
Inside, a group of people wearing white caps and form-fitting, high-collared button-up tunics were scanning the area for something, or rather...
"Sir, we have found them! The Lucky Inquisitors are here!" One of them stated, saluting someone in the chair.
Quartz, with his white cape around his body, asked, "What does it read about them?" wanting to know the situation.
"We couldn't get any read on James Woodheart, but Mianne Softblight seems to have a birth eldritch resting inside her mind," the soldier reported, with Quartz slowly getting up from his chair.
"Prepare to land," a feminine voice stated by Quartz's side.
Her figure seemed to wear the same outfit as the rest of them but with golden ornaments all around her outfit, with golden pins and a black tie. Her green spiky hair radiated inside the submarine.
"Ready to land, Kala?" Quartz asked, looking over to his beloved.
"Always ready, dear~" Kala smiled at Quartz, ready to purge some time.
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