"It's not as if I'm someone's transport service all the time… Besides, Loplins are heavier than us…" complained the tired Dragoon.
The bunny took out the cloak and tried his best to help Layla put it on.
"It's surprisingly comfy…" said Layla, trying to hide her horns in the hood.
"Made by a great weaver, it has a hidden characteristic too," said Matt, as he stood up to stretch.
"What would that be?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Layla clicked her tongue disapprovingly while Matt smirked. Without any warning, the bunny man scooped up the tired Dragoon in a bridal style and continued moving forward.
Normally, Layla would have protested but because of how tired she was, she allowed Matt to carry her. As for Matt, he was much more focused on finding a safe place to rest in the dead of the night.
Finally, they stumbled upon an inn that still had its flames burning. As Matt opened the door, the place was empty except for a lone, pale-skinned female Felidae with blue ears and a long tail standing behind the bar.
"I'd like a room to stay for the night. I've got payment right here. You can keep the change if you don't ask about the body," said Matt as he tossed a Gold piece toward the Felidae.
"It ain't my place to poke so long as you don't cause trouble and pay up. Third door. We've got some leftover pumpkin soup at the back so help yourselves to it," noted the Felidae as she tossed Matt a key and gestured to the hallways of rooms.
"Thanks, don't mind if I do," thanked the Loplin as he went to retire in the inn room.
He then laid the sleeping Dragoon on the fluffy bed, hoping that the innkeeper wouldn't alert any authorities. After all, it's quite suspicious when someone shows up carrying a body especially when that someone isn't from the kingdom.
The rabbit stopped his train of thought as Layla started to stir in her sleep. As she tried opening her eyes, Matt gently placed a hand on her forehead and brushed away some loose hairs.
"Don't force yourself, I've got ourselves a room to stay so rest as much as you can now. I'm going to get myself some pumpkin soup. Would you like some?" assured Matt as he placed another hand on her abdomen to prevent her from getting up.
"Yes, please… Are you sure that we're safe here?" asked Layla, weakly.
Her Elemental Energy levels were dangerously low and without true silence around, Layla was finding it difficult to even stay awake.
"Yes, I promise… I'll go get the soups," said Matt, leaving Layla's side.
As the door closed, Layla was finally able to consume a few Ticks worth of calmness to get back her Elemental Energy. However, something felt off with that window by the corner…
Once Layla knew, she instantly jumped out from the bed and slammed her body onto the ground. A long-bodied figure smashed into the window and towards Layla. Any Tick later and Layla would be joining her parents in the afterlife.
"Oh to hell with ya!" yelled Layla as she summoned her scythe and swung it at the intruder.
As Layla got up, she found herself face to face with an oversized blue snake with black horns. Something that she had never encountered before. The Dragoon knew she wasn't at full power yet so she was at a disadvantage.
The snake hissed and pounced onto the female but was stopped by Layla stabbing her scythe into the top of its skull.
"Cascada!" shouted the Dragoon as she pushed the blade down further into the creature with a torrent of blue water crashing down onto the rest of its body.
The creature was still writhing around as Layla tried her best to kill it.
"What? Why did that move feel so weird? My Elemental Energy output shouldn't be so… Smooth? And since when did my Cascada deal so much power?" murmured Layla, in confusion as she pressed on at the creature's head.
The Dragoon's mind was muddled, she felt so physically drained from the flight yet she could put out better Elemental Energy output than when she was in Valokia. However, seeing that the creature was going to flip her away, Layla took a different approach.
Contorting her body and changing her grip, the Dragoon poured her entire strength into the next move.
"Fluid Waves!" called Layla as her hands were engulfed with blue light.
In a quick Tick, Layla had chopped up the snake with a single slash, leaving a trail of Water Elemental Energy as if it were a flowing lake. The Dragoon then landed on the bed after the move was over, similar to how a ballet lands after leaping through the air.