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<[ September , 732 A.B (After Balance) ]>
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A young boy awakens within the chambers of a grand hall, panic and confusion on his face as he rises to his feet. "What?! W-where am I..?!" He observes the hall around him, taking note of the smooth stone pillars, the cathedral-like windows, and the figure standing in front of a golden throne.
"Rise, young one." The platinum haired woman wearing a heavenly dress commands in a low, gentle voice as her golden halo brings a nurturing shine onto the hall. "You have been chosen."
"Who are.." He slowly stands, with the only thing he remembers before waking up in this heavenly hall is laying on his bed and stroking his-
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"What am I reading."
"It is but a tale of a mortal being reborn into a different dimension after death, do you not like it, young Alek?"
"It's not that I don't like it..." I look up from the book as I continue to walk alongside Kitsuki through the empty grasslands. "I just wasn't expecting that last part, do I dare finish that sentence?"
"I see you are hesitant to read the part where he strokes his cat's head, a shame... it is really fuzzy." Her fox ears twitch as the chilly wind travels across the fields. "I have more books if you are displeased with your current one."
"That won't be necessary..." I toss the book behind me into a bush as we continue to walk down the grasslands beside our horses.
"A shame." She hikes her blindfold back down, her hair obscuring her face as she looks up from the small brown book she's been reading for the past 2 hours, then turning to look over at me with a barely-there smile as her fox ears wiggle slightly. "You have grown quite the bit, young man. You are almost to my height, it is hard to believe you were but a dwarf when we met. Did you cast some sort of incantation?"
"Alright now you're just being unnecessary. I wasn't short, you're just freakishly tall." She's almost as tall as Lucifer, which is about 6'2, and Kitsuki looks to be around 6'0. "I didn't use magic... it's called aging..." I heard if you stretch a lot, you grow in height. But like the many things I've discovered, that was just something I read on some obscure forum about awful things.
No clue how that can be classified as awful, but then again it was an old site that has existed since around the birth of the internet.
I miss the internet.
It's been roughly a year since I ventured out into the wilderness, and this woman has been 'Training' me at every possible second she gets. I don't think I've been learning anything though, I kinda just try very hard to block all her fast attacks until she eventually gives out to go bathe in the hot spring. I really don't think I need any kind of training, I'm fine with just swinging around a large sword and blowing everything up. But Kitsuki is very persistent no matter how many times I tell her I don't need spar sessions. She always mentions how I am the only mortal that has been able to keep up with her without getting knocked down and what not, and it's because of this that makes me think that's the only reason she wants to 'Train' me. It would be a lot easier for her to just say 'I want to spar you for fun.'
We have been traveling for only day, just yesterday we were over hundreds of miles away from our current location. But thanks to these freak horses we covered those miles in an instant.
I've gotta say it's nice to see some actual color again though. I've been hanging out in that abyssal hollow place for like 9 months, and I almost forgot what color the grass is. That place can be so confusing sometimes.
There's literally no color, everything just looks like something out of a noir movie.
And for reasons Lucifer keeps forgetting to tell me, the only color visible in that place is the color of blood. Whether it's mine or the many demons that I've killed, blood will always stand out even from a mile away.
"Why do you have so many books anyways? Didn't take you as a bookworm."
"Reading is a way to keep one's mind stable and soothed. To continue utilizing one's head during moments of reprieve is an act not commonly used enough, and I pity those that have yet to discover the pleasantry."
"What are you reading anyways?"
Her tall ears atop her head tense up as she quickly puts the small brown book away. "Ahem.. Merely a romance novel, pay no mind to it."
"I didn't know you were into those kinds of things. I always thought your head was full of nothing but sword fighting techniques and weird tea recipes."
"Young man that is enough, we are near our destination, we will continue on horse." She mounts her black horse quickly. "Spare the rude comments, lest I subject you to polishing my blade."
"Please don't." I also mount my black horse after struggling to not fall of it and die again. "Seriously, there's no need for that." Polishing her katana's scabbard is like brooming a cold tile floor, there will always be a black spot that gets plastered onto the floor, a spot you can't get rid of. "Hey are you seriously mad at me? Come on I was just joshing you..." I watch her ride her black horse ahead, not even looking back at me. "Oh you're gonna give me the silent treatment now?"
"Hmf." She starts speeding ahead.
.
.
.
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Elsewhere...
"And that is how I learned wyverns aren't the same as dragons! Pretty shocking stuff huh??" Yukki nods her head as she finishes explaining. "Rin... admit it, you didn't know till now huh? Huh??"
"Do you ever shut that imp mouth, Yukki?" Rin keeps her gaze onto the passing green scenery as the carriage transports them across the grasslands. "I certainly was not looking forward to traveling with you again, but here we are." She lets out a quiet sigh.
"Ahaha...! W-well.. I didn't know...!" Akane laughs nervously to herself, attempting to keep the tense atmosphere away, of which she has had to deal with over and over due to Yukki and Rin's tense indifference. "Y-you agree, right..??" She looks over to the young elf next to her that shares the same look.
"Of course..!" ^ ^; Emilia smiles nervously. "I've always believed Wyverns and Dragons weren't so different... They both have wings...a-and breathe fire...haha.."
"I don't see much of a difference." A young boy with long dark blue hair says, sitting off alone in the corner of the carriage, looking out the passing green scenery as well. "Dragons have four limbs aside from their wings, wyverns have only two, but so what? They're still pesky overgrown lizards that will continue to annoy me, no matter how many hands or legs are on them." He mutters out loud in an unenthusiastic deep tone. "Almost as annoying as this assignment we were forced to take with no prior notice..." *TICK* "Hey, watch it..." He rubs on his head after Rin threw a small piece of wood she scraped off the carriage at him.
"Serves you right! Ohohohoho~!" A young girl with long golden drilled twin tails tied in black ribbons laughs mockingly. "It wouldn't kill you to be less of a gloomy weirdo!" She looks over at him with a smug look as she sits next to Yukki. "Why don't you just be glad Phardwin chose our platoon instead of disbanding it and expelling us from the academy!" She crosses her arms and looks away with a smirk. "Be grateful!"
"B-but... can a platoon with no notable feats really measure up to Phardwin's expectations?" A young girl with long midnight blue double braided hair speaks up in a low voice, sitting next to Rin. "I really hope we can prove ourselves and not get disbanded..."
"I'm sure we'll be fine, Crowella...! Haha..! ...W-we have two members of the King's Will with us..!" Akane looks at everyone in the carriage. "So let's try and give it our all..!"
"Tch.. You don't understand, do you?" The dark blue haired boy peeks at her over his bangs. "You're new to platoon seven, you're not even aware just how bad things can get." He rests his head on his palms. "I'm sure Phardwin chose our platoon to carry out this assignment just so we can fail it and give him the excuse to disband it already..."
"Oh don't mind him! He's always off in his lonely pitiful little world..." The girl with drilled twin tails looks over at him with a pitiful smirk. "He's practically the reason platoon seven is seen as a joke!"
"We're a joke because you don't know how to work with your squad mates, Gwynalice..." He looks back at her with an annoyed fierce expression. "But it doesn't even stop there..."
"Eek!" Crowella gives a low shriek as his glare shifts to her.
"This one can't even cast one magic arrow, let alone a pebble." He looks over to Akane and Emilia. "So it doesn't matter how many new units our platoon gets, we're the lowest of the low, we're doomed to always be that way, hmph." He looks back out towards the moving scenery.
The carriage goes silent.
"Haah.. you younglings are all the same." Draken mutters from the front of the carriage, his hands on the lead as he steers the two horses. "Every damn year, a new squad of young knights gets established after graduation and deployed on their first task only to fail it, and they think there's no one to blame but themselves, and it'll all lead to conflict between their squad mates." He sighs, everyone in the carriage turning their attention to him in silence. "And then of course that leads to the squad falling completely off sync, until the final day of their next task, the day where the squad gets killed in action because of grudges and resentment." He looks off at the distant trees losing their orange leaves. "It looks like history will repeat itself yet again, only this time it won't be a squad of knights, but a platoon of the inquisition, we really are cursed..." He sighs deeply to himself.
The carriage remains in a brief silence.
"Anyways! I've also discovered a really cute fact about slimes!" Yukki speaks up in eagerness.
"Haah.." Rin sighs in annoyance. "Please, just shut your-...Hm? Why did we stop, Draken?"
"Well, that looks interesting..." He squints his eyes as he gazes at the sight up ahead.
"What could be so interesting that requires us to stop?" Rin peeks her head out from the side of the carriage and looks at the thick purple forest up ahead as she raises her eyebrows. "What? It is just a forest?"
"Hm... That isn't just a forest." Draken crosses his arms as he thinks to himself out loud. "This might be the Mysterial Forest the headmaster mentioned, and it's what's standing between us and Fortuna."
"And?" Rin asks with an unamused tone. "I still don't see what the big deal is, just cross it?
"Hahh..." He scratches his red hair with a groan. "It's not that simple, apparently there is a barrier near the outer edge protecting Fortuna from outsiders, and we'll need to dispel it... What a pain in the ass..."
"A barrier?" Emilia places her finger under her chin in curiosity. "Is it a magic barrier?"
"I really don't know..." Draken continues scratching his hair. "The letter said something about seeking three hidden platforms and standing on them simultaneously, hm..."
"Three hidden platforms? So we have to play scavenger hunt now? What a nuisance..." The boy with dark blue hair groans.
"The locations of the platforms have been hinted, so it's not entirely a drag in the ass." Draken grips onto the lead and resumes the carriage's movement. "The Mysterial Forest might have hostile creatures, so eyes up."
"Oh please! Those creatures will be nothing but coal and ash when I'm done with them. Uwaahh~..." Gwynalice fans her mouth as she gives a fake and prideful yawn.
"Just try and remember you have people around you this time... if I have to try and be more careful around you than any other monsters again, I'll look like an idiot." The boy with dark blue hair glares at her.
"D-did the letter say anything about what kinds of creatures are in that forest?" Crowella clutches her staff nervously.
"Hm.. no, I can't say it did... Or maybe it did, and I've just forgotten, I'm not sure, heheh." Draken cracks his neck, trying to get comfortable on his seat.
"Uh... is that something you just brush off..? Shouldn't these kinds of details be something to keep note of..? Haha.." Akane gives a jittery laugh.
"Draken is always being the big lazy bones he is! You'll get used to seeing him like this~" Yukki pats Akane's thigh over and over.
"Hmph. It doesn't matter what creatures await in that forest, I expect you three to put in the necessary effort." Rin crosses her legs, looking over at the three platoon members, then onto Akane.
"Y-yes..!" Crowella replies quickly in a shacky voice.
"Whatever..." The boy in dark blue hair sighs and continues looking at the scenery progressively turning a slight violet.
"Hmf~!" Gwynalice smiles smugly, turning her face away.
"Right..." Akane looks down at her feet, butterflies in her stomach as she wonders how her first major assignment will turn out.
"Oh! It's gotten a bit darker..." Emilia looks out at the purple trees obscuring the sunlight, and then onto the only source of light that is the groups of white glowing moths hovering in packs across the dim violet forest. "It is very strange to believe a fifth kingdom has existed all this time..."
"You're tellin' me..." Draken looks up at the darkened sky, the usual bright sunlight morphed into a dim dark purple due to the faint purple smog spread across the forest.
"Huh...Almost like something out of a fairy tail..." Akane looks out at the various blue glowing ponds spread across the purple grass.
"What are you looking at..." The boy in dark blue hair glares at a purple deer with glowing gems on its antlers looking back at him from across a pond.
"This place seems very... calm!" Crowella peeks her head from the side of the carriage and sniffs the peculiar air. "Maybe this trip won't be so dangerous after a-"*THUNK* The carriage comes to a sudden stop after it bumps into something and sending a faint shockwave across it.
"Hm... well that just ain't right." Draken says in disbelief as he hops off and steps onto the purple grass. "Ahh, shit...."
"Y-yes? Is everything alright?" Emilia asks in an uneasy tone as she remains seated, her fingers interlocked on her lap.
"Sniff Sniff- What is that smell!?" Gwynalice pinches her nose as she complains with raised eyebrows, watching Akane, Emilia, Rin and Yukki hop off the carriage and joining Draken outside.
"G-goodness..." Emilia covers her mouth, a disturbed and shocked look on her face as she watches the purple steam slowly rise into the air.
"Well, that's unfortunate, huh?" Yukki kneels onto the purple grass and rests her head on her palms. "We needed them, right?"
"Yes, fool." Rin crosses her arms as she looks down at what remains of the dead horses, their front halves missing as they lay against the purple grass, a faint purple fire slowly going out against their skin.
"What happened...?" Akane adverts her gaze with a saddened and confused look.
"Hmm..." Draken picks up a stick covered in a glowing spider web, then throws it ahead. *BWSHH* The stick instantly disintegrates into many purple bright particles. "I see, so this is the barrier...."
"A pretty dangerous barrier, hmm~? Teehee..." Yukki holds out a stick and slowly pushes it forward, giggling as she watches the front half disintegrate and shorten in length.
*SMACK* "Stop that." Rin smacks the stick off her hand, then re-crosses her arms. "So? I take it we set out for these platforms of yours, Draken?"
"Ah?" Draken looks over at her with a confused look, before catching on. "Oh, right, yeah.." He walks towards the front of the carriage and reaches for an unusual musket with four barrels, leaving his broadsword behind. "Alright kids, gather round." He shouts at the rest of platoon seven still in the carriage arguing to themselves loudly.
"I just don't see how you think I'm the problem every time we set out!" Gwynalice yells as she hops off the carriage and walks towards everyone at the front. "Seriously! Do you really believe someone as perfect and flawless as me would have the trouble of grasping onto the concept of teamwor-... Ew! What is this..!?" She stops as she looks down at the dead horses sprawled across the purple grass.
"Haahg.." The boy in dark blue hair sighs and groans as he steps down from the carriage and makes his way to everyone else. "It's the way you're so full of it that you can't look past your 'pride' to see the unbearable mess of a human being you really ar-..." He stops as he takes in the sight. "Oh, what, we're having a horse barbecue now?" He crosses his arms and looks away in defiance. "Tch... I dislike horse meat..."
"What is going on this time?" Rin glares at the two before looking over at Crowella almost trip as she carefully hops off the carriage.
"W-well it all started when I asked if we would really be ok on this assignment..." Crowella slowly walks towards them as she recalls the events. "And Gwyn mentioned how we wouldn't have to worry with her around, and Hero called her a 'Dunderhead' for not understanding the value of teamwor-" She stops as she looks at the six of them looking back at her in silence, standing over two burnt horse corpses. "...Oh."
"Well." Draken shoulders his quad barreled musket. "Now that we're all here, listen up." he looks at all of them starting from Yukki on the far left, then making his way over to Crowella on the right. "As I'm sure you all remember...Or, well, some of you remember..." He gives Yukki a brief side glance, before regaining his focus after she looked back with a curious winky face. "We've gotta' stand on the three platforms at the same time to dispel this barrier.." He looks over his shoulder, then back at the group.
"But... where are they?" Akane scratches the back of her head with a nervously curious smile.
"A scavenger hunt is not something I feel like doing right now." Hero groans, his hands on his pockets as he looks away with unmotivated annoyance.
"Oh, I'm very sure scouting is something someone of your caliber is capable of doing, mhmm~?" Gwynalice smirks scornfully at him, covering her mouth with her hand and holding back a giggle.
"U-u-uhm.." Crowella attempts to diffuse the escalating tension.
"Hahh.. calm down.. you little scamps..." Draken scratches the top of his head, then resumes. "I've told you all the locations were hinted, so it shouldn't be too much of an ass pain." He points up to a distant tower barely visible from the purple smog. "Rin, take Yukki with you and head for that.. thing." He lowers his hand before setting down his quad musket then scratching his forearm. "There's a platform at the very top, soo.. get to it."
"What?" Rin glares at him with rebellion. "You expect me to take her with me? I am not a caretaker Draken." She re-crosses her arms.
"Aww.." Yukki pouts as she raises her hands and joins her index fingers together, pressing and poking against each other in a pleading gesture. "That's okay! I'll just have stickers take me up there~~" She winks and sticks her tongue out.
"Yeahh.. well, you can't." Draken rubs the back of his head.
"Wat." Yukki looks up at him with a blank face.
"Yeahh something about a barrier shielding all around that tower except for the entrance at the bottom or something I really don't know, hm..." He sighs to himself. "Which is why I really think you and Rin should handle that." He shoulders his musket.
"Hmph." Rin suddenly turns away and starts heading towards the tower, not waiting, and not looking back as she clenches her fists and disappears into the purple smog.
"W-wait up prezz..!!" Yukki straightens her skirt and starts running towards her.
"Will those two really be ok by themselves?" Crowella watches Yukki disappear into the distant bushes.
"Yeah yeah they'll be just fine." Draken dismisses. "They're always at each other's throats... Especially when that quiet kid with the black necklace is involved..."
"So? Where are the other platforms?" Akane looks back at Draken as she adjusts her long white cloak.
"Here." Draken starts kicking the dirt, spreading it across the purple grass before stopping as a stone plate with a glowing blue glyph gets revealed.
"Oh! How long has that been there?" Emilia places her finger on her chin as she watches the strange symbols on the platform spread its blue light across the ground.
"I noticed when I picked up that stick earlier..." Draken looks at the remaining five as they wait for further instructions. "Anyways, I'll go get the last, you five stay and guard the carriage." He then clutches his musket and turns away.
"Huh!" Akane watches as he slowly starts to walk off. "Y-you're really leaving us here?!"
"Yeah..." Draken yells from over his shoulder. "There's five of ya, you'll be finee. Just work together.." He waves his arm around as he grows distant.
"We're toast..." Akane watches him disappear with a pale stunned look on her face.
"We'll be fine!" Emilia pokes her shoulder. "We have platoon seven with us! Right?" ^ ^ Both girls turn around and watch Gwynalice stomp on Hero's boot with her heel, then laughing to herself.
"Ghh!" Hero stumbles backwards before kneeling on the ground and rubbing his foot, trying to ease the pain. "What the damn are you doing!?"
"Ohohohohoho~!" She palms her chin as she laughs loudly to herself, then looking down at him with a pitiful look. "I was merely getting rid of a small pest that found its way onto your boot!" She gives him a cruel smile as he glares up at her. "Does this not prove that I know how to assist my fellow platoon member, hmm~?" She places her finger on her chin as her cruel smile increases in intensity. "Oh! How forgetful of me! The real pest is you."
"Why, I oughta..." He stands up and starts to slowly approach her before getting stopped by Crowella.
"W-we need to fight the monsters! Not ourselves..!!" She shouts in a shaky voice as she stands between them both.
"Monsters?" The boy in dark blue hair narrows his eyes. "What monsters?" His tone turns tense and aggressive. "There are no monsters." He clenches his teeth in silent anger. "Where are the monsters? I don't see any. Do you?" He turns his glare to Emilia.
"W-well..." Her elf ears twitch slightly as she feels his aggressive gaze.
"They probably haven't found us yet... Gulp.." Akane feels his gaze shoot to her.
"The way I see it, you're the real monster here... for not showing your fellow platoon mates any shed of compassion!" Gwynalice smiles, hands on her hips as Hero glares over at her. "Oh! What's this? Oh, boo-hoo~!" She places her palm on her forehead as she begins to cry in a fake and mocking manner at him. "My poor little maiden heart can't handle that predatory look...! All the more reason to seek Phardwin and have you expel-... What? W-wait.. where do you think you're going!?"
"To hell with this, I'm out." Hero says over his shoulder as he begins walking back the path they traveled. "I'll have him expel me on my own. I can't take you or your antics for a day longer."
"H-have you gone mad!?" She clenches her teeth as anger begins to creep onto her. "You would dare seek Phardwin on your own to demand your own exile!?" She begins to kick on the dirt with her heels in frustration. "I'M THE ONE THAT WILL DELIVER YOUR EXILE. YOU COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!" She suddenly begins to follow after him with clenched fists as she walks over the purple grass, then stepping on a bright violet flower. "I DEMAND THAT YOU RETURN RIGHT THIS INSTA- HYAH?!" She shrieks as the ground below her starts to vibrate. "W-what in...!?" She watches the ground grow distant as the area around her begins to elevate itself.
"O-oh my...!" Emilia covers her mouth in shock as she sees the large rock golem emerge from below Gwynalice.
"What..the..." Akane looks up as the golem fully emerges from the ground, towering over them. "Y-you ok up there...??" She shouts as she looks at Gwynalice peeking down from atop the giant rock golem.
"GET ME DOWN FROM HERE PRONTO!" She shouts, looking down and flailing her arms around in angered panic.
"Uh oh.. right..! Golems are weak to sorcery! Now's your time Crowella! Let him have it!" She looks over to her, who is currently standing in pale shock. "Are you even alive!!"
*PSSHNG* A pink projectile gets fired at the golem, causing a small flower-like explosion and stumbling it slightly.
"HEY! ARE YOU NOT AWARE WHO IS CURRENLY BEING HELD HOSTAGE?!" Gwynalice Yells with her clenched fist flailing around the air.
"A-apologies!" Emilia covers her mouth with her grimoire in shame.
"Hey! There's no time to be nervous! Wake up!!!" Akane grabs onto Crowella's shoulders and starts to shake her over and over as she remains motionless.
"It's always me who has to bail you out every single time..."*POW!* Hero quickly delivered an explosive blow onto the golem's knee with his gauntlet, causing it to kneel. "You alive up there? Stop being so dramatic."
"Are.. you unwell in the HEAD." Gwynalice yells as she is seconds from falling off the golem's head, clutching onto the rocky ledge on its side
"We've been over this, the real one who's unwell is- Oh crap.." he suddenly hops backwards before the golem stands back up and raises its huge boulder arms up in the air then slamming down on the ground.*POOM* The area gets covered in dust as the impact sends vibrations across the ground, nearly knocking over the carriage.
"A-are you all alright?" Emilia's eyes adjust as the dust begins to clear, looking over at Akane who's covering her face as if she is bracing for death.
"H-huh..? I-I'm alive??" She removes her hands from her face, the light of Emilia's pink barrier around them shining off her turquoise eyes. "Wait where's-..." She looks over to Crowella as she is slumped over atop a tree branch. "Uhm... can someone go get her?"
"I'm kind of busy right now..." Hero dodges and dashes across the ground as the rock golem attempts to step on him with its huge and heavy rocky feet.
"I demand you get me off this brute this instant!!" Gwynalice yells as she is holding on with her last hand, looking down at the ground with teary eyes.
"You're such a nuisance..." Hero groans, stepping back and gliding his left hand over his gauntlet before slamming his palm on a small red button.*VRRRRMMMM..!* The various thin small tubes engraved along the sides of his gauntlet suddenly burst and release steam, then release flames. "I can't believe you're making me overclock this early into an assignment we haven't even started yet..."
"ZIP THAT FILTHY SOILED MOUTH AND MAKE YOURSELF USEFUL, CRETIN..!!" Gwynalice hangs on with her final three fingers.
"..Attitude." Hero clutches his right hand, the engravings on his gauntlet lighting up before the thin tubes start to release more steam, increasing the intensity of the flames. "Just don't forget to show your gratitude after..." Then, he dodges another slam from the golem, running towards it while his gauntlet continues to emit steam and flames.
"H-here!"*PWSH* Emilia fires a magic pink arrow at the golem's face, hitting one of the four glowing circles on its center, blinding it briefly.
Hero then slides between under its legs, appearing on its flank. "You owe me." He then throws a heavy violent punch at the golem's right leg, shattering it and causing it to kneel down before he charges up a second punch and throwing it at the glowing purple circle on its back, shattering it before the various rocky segments begin to slowly separate and crumble.
"KYAAA..!!" Gwynalice screams loudly as she begins to rapidly fall from its crumbled head, then landing on Hero's arms.
*THUNK*
"Tch... You're heavy..." He looks down at her as she is being held in his arms, her face slowly turning red from anger before reaching up with her right hand and SMACKING him across his face, causing him to drop both of them onto the dust covered purple grass.
"Don't you ever..." She stands up, dusting off her fancy academy uniform, looking down at him as he rubs on the red spot on his right cheek. "Ever," She reaches down her white cloak and removes the various tiny rock debris stuck to the fabric, before adjusting her skirt. "...say that again." She narrows her peach pink eyes at him, then turns away and walks back towards the carriage.
"...You're welcome for having your life salvaged..." He stands up, steam slowly releasing from the thin tubes along his gauntlet as it begins to cool down. "The things I do for a faulty platoon, hm..." He dusts his bangs from the small rock debris.
"Waow~!" Emilia's eyes sparkle with curious gratitude as she watches Hero approach the carriage, looking at his mysteriously designed gauntlet, scanning over the various small gears engraved along the bronze material shift and turn, and then onto the steam releasing from the thin tubes. "I have never seen something like that! What is it!" > o <
"It is merely a Draevak-crafted gizmo, nothing special!" Gwynalice says, her arms and legs crossed as she sits on the back end of the carriage.
"Is that really something from Draevak?" Akane joins the group, Crowella's boots getting dragged along the ground as her right arm is wrapped around Akane's shoulder, still unconscious.
"Yeah, what of it...?" Hero replies to their curiosity, unamused.
"But... how did you get that?" Akane looks at the small gears slowly spinning as the faint sound of clinking echoes from the gauntlet.
"Weelll~... You see.. Mr. transfer student Hero Beretta here is actually an exile from Draevak~!" Gwynalice grins deviously, her hand on her mouth as she holds the urge to giggle. "Do try and imagine getting kicked from a place you called home~" She stands, slowly circling around him, giggling to herself as he remains silent. "Ho~? Yes, Hero? Why the silence? Oh~! Are you ashamed your little secret has finally seen the light of day? Does the thought of your fellow platoon members developing pity and finding amusement in your little affliction ignite a sense of humiliation and indignity in you~?" She stops in front of him, leaning slightly and looking up at him with a wide grin. "Well~?"
Hero looks at her through his bangs, his face remaining blank. "No, I did myself a favor earning the right to leave that shit pile. Living a life where I had to gaze at dragons day to day was a shit hole in its own. living a life getting laughed at for being in a defective platoon is a life I'll tolerate than having to contract exhaustion from the hate I get looking at oversized lizard pests."
Gwynalice crosses her arms and looks away in irritation. "Humf! Do dragons really give you that much of an itch?" She turns away from him. "Pathetic." She walks back towards the carriage before sitting and crossing her legs. "...Grow up."
Akane and Emilia look at him in silence, but there is a touch of curiosity in the air.
"D-did someone say dragons..??" Crowella rises from the ground, her teeth chattering with anxiety.
*PEUOOOOO----* The area gets dimly lit in blue as the group look up at the bright beam emitting from atop the distant tower to the east.
"I... think that's our cue to fulfill our side of the objective..." Akane looks over at the glowing platform in front of the carriage.
"Just get it over with, if we get ambushed by another big sentient boulder I won't know how to deal with it." He glares over at Gwynalice.
"Humf!" She crosses her arms and looks away. "Why not just do what you did before? Are you that incompetent?"
"Tch... Who's fault is it for making me overclock this early?" His gauntlet continues to release small waves of steam, the gears still slowly spinning, signaling its ongoing cooldown.
"Uhm... does anyone else hear that?" Crowella's voice goes shaky, quickly glancing over her sides and behind her in paranoia.
The group goes into a brief silence, before it gets broken. "Hear what, exactly?" Gwynalice looks over to her with a raised eyebrow.
"Shh.." Hero raises his finger up, signaling everyone to go quiet.
"....."
"...."
"....." The purple leaves along the many trees surrounding the carriage continue to rustle.
"...."
"....."
*creEeEek...* ...*crEeek*...
The sound of wood-like creaking slowly rises in pitch, along with distant growls.
"Company." Hero clutches his right hand, slowly scanning the surroundings.
"O-ohh.." Crowella mumbles nervously, clutching her black staff, shaking slightly in her boots.
"T-try not to faint this time, o-okay..?" Akane smiles nervously, hesitatingly reaching into the inner pocket of her white cloak.
"Oh dear..." Emilia grips her grimoire against her chest, watching the purple leaves rustle with the wind.
"..."
"..." The scene goes quiet.
"..."
"....."
"..."
*ROAGRH*
Suddenly a purple wolf with glowing blue crystals along its spine pounces from the bushes and onto Hero, knocking him backwards and pushing him against the ground. "..What the hell..?!" He shields his face with his right hand as the wolf begins to sink its large fangs against the bronze material of his gauntlet.
"CrEeEek..* A giant tree-like being emerges from the purple fog, stomping the ground with its heavy wooden feet, then raising its right leg above him as he is pinned against the ground.
*PWSHH* A pink magic arrow gets fired at the wolf, stumbling it off Hero before he quickly rolls to his side, dodging the tree creature's heavy STOMP. "Are you alright..??" Emilia shouts from across, then her eyes widen. "L-look out..!!"
"..Huh..?" He looks up as another pack of wolves emerge from the bushes and surround him, the blue crystals along their spines glowing as they growl. "...I knew I shouldn't have joined this stupid faction."
"W-w-w-w-what do we d-do..??" Crowella's voice comes out shaky as she clutches her black staff tighter, nearly dropping it from her excessive shaking.
"Hang on Hero..! We're coming!" Akane shouts as she attempts to run towards him, but gets stopped as her movement suddenly gets impaired. "H-huh..?" She looks down at her feet, and onto a small bright glowing pink slime engulfed into her boot.
"O-oh no..." Emilia covers her mouth in horror as she watches the small pink slime ever so slowly grow in size, slowly inching up her foot.
"I-I got it...!" Crowella Quickly walks over to her, then reaches her hands out.
"No don't...!" Emilia yells out, but it is too late.
"H-huh..?" Crowella looks back at her in confusion as her hands have already made contact with the slime's moist surface. "W-what..?" She attempts to pull her hands back out, but the slime's body has already started to expand, slowly engulfing her fingers.
Emilia watches in terror as Hero struggles to fight a pack of wolves and the tree monster, and then onto the slime that will soon engulf Akane and Crowella into its body until their innards have been melted from the inside.
"O~hoho..." Gwynalice rises from her seat, giggling to herself as she inspects the mess. "My oh my... Do my fellow platoon members require my assistance~?" She places her finger on her lip, which is morphed into a devious smirk. "Well well.. look at you! You seem to be handling yourself juust fine, hmm?" She smirks as she watches Hero punch a wolf and sending it crashing onto the pack, then dodging the large tree creature's stomps.
"Damn it..! Quit messing around and do something Gwyn..!" A wolf pounces on him, cornering him against a tree.
"Oh, I could certainly do just that.." She then turns away from him. "But then again I could just not.." She looks down onto the purple slime that is now three times the size it was before.
"U-uhm... Please..?" Emilia gives a crooked and pleading smile.
"Hrngrngrng..! You meanie.. slime JERK..!!" Akane attempts to pull her foot out of its gooey insides. "HYUUN..!?" She knocks herself over on the purple grass in the process.
"Uhm... my nose is itchy.. can you scratch it for me..?" Crowella looks over at Akane just inches away from her.
"Tsk Tsk.. What will I ever do with all of you?" The ring on Gwynalice's index finger glows orange, before she gives the purple slime a single Poke, then walking over to Hero still getting swarmed in wolves.
"Huh?' Akane looks at the spot Gwyn poked on the purple slime, and then onto the small red dot glowing and slowly increasing in brightness. "Um.. what's tha-"
*PFOOOMF!* A small fiery explosion gets set off, spreading the slime's secretions all over the ground.
"Ow ow ow!" Crowella puts out a small fire on her foot.
"Oh my!" Emilia's eye's shine with excitement as she looks over to Gwyn approaching Hero who is currently getting his gauntlet chewed on. "So you must be a..."
"O~hoho~!" The ring on Gwyn's finger glows a brighter orange, before releasing an orange flame along her hand and morphing in a bright flaming whip. "Pyromancy is the greatest way of disposing unwanted pests!" She then dashes at Hero, raising the burning whip. "Starting with.. YOU!"
"W-wha..? Oh shi-!.." He swiftly ducks, avoiding the whip's long slash across the area, then looking over his shoulder as he watches the tree monster fall apart, then back at Gwyn with an irritated look. "You could have given me a heads up... are you that crazy...?"
"Hmm? 'Crazy'? Hmm, no~" She looks at the wolves around them and onto their top halves getting separated from their lower bodies. "Perfect? Why, yes, I am~" Their corpses then vanish in a bright blue light. "Now then, I believe you owe me a little something, don't you agree?" She looks down at him with a coy smile.
"The hell? Owe you? For what?" He narrows his dark brown eyes at her.
"Well, for saving your ineffective life of course~" She tugs on her flaming whip. "Oh my~? You didn't believe my assistance comes within the kindness of my heart, did you?" She covers her mouth with her hand, holding back a giggle. "My oh my~ You did, didn't you? How foolish of you... O~hohoho~!" She suddenly breaks into a loud giggle, her mouth gaped open and her finger on her chin as the tiny fang in her mouth becomes visible, her giggle echoing throughout the dim purple forest as Akane, Emilia and Crowella join them.
"..Why are you two covered in slime?" Hero's eyebrow raises as he looks at Akane and Crowella's slightly moist uniforms and the slime secretions spread throughout their skirts.
"Don't ask!" Akane places her hands on her hips and looks away in angered embarrassment.
"Ah, yes, you two owe me a little something as well~" Gwyn gives them a mischievous wink, holding out her hand.
"Oh! Here you go..." Emilia reaches into her white cloak pocket and places a platinum coin on her hand, then notices the irritated look on Gwyn's face. "Uhm! Did you want more?"
"What is this! Do you believe me to be a peasant?!" She drops the coin onto the purple grass and repeatedly stomps on it with her heel. "The audacity! I am a noble of the Silvergate family..! What good will pocket change serve..!?"
*PEUOOOOO----* A second blue laser fires into the sky from the west.
"Hmm... Crowella, you step onto the platform thing, hurry along now!" Gwyn begins to push Crowella towards the bright platform, her boots getting dragged towards the front of the carriage as her shoulders are grabbed from behind. "And no complaining!"
"H-h-huuuuuu-?" Crowella lets out a hesitant and nervous yelp as she is getting dragged forward. "B-b-b-b-..."
"I said no complaining! Be a good substitute and fulfill your duties!" Gwyn begins to push harder.
"Uh... I can step on it if you really don't want to.." Akane raises her hand, watching Crowella get forcefully shoved forward.
"Oh no! Please, allow me." Emilia also raises her hand with a polite smile.
Hero palms his face in annoyed and depleted patience. "Haagh.. someone.. anyone.. Just pick who's going to step-..." The sound of the bushes rustling cause him to shift his attention behind him. "...Wait." He yells out loud, motioning everyone to go silent as they all turn to look at him. "Tch...the second platform activating just alerted more monsters to our position..."
"Well then!" Gwyn lets Crowella go before she flips her hair behind her in a sassy motion. "Looks like I'll just have to work together with my dear platoon members once again, no~?" She smirks over to Hero.
"That would be quite lovely!" Emilia claps her hands together, smiling sweetly.
"Don't trust a thing she says." Hero adjusts his clockwork gauntlet on his right hand, then clutches his fist as the temperature along its surface drops. "Try not to be anywhere near her..."
"Uh, what..?" Akane gives a confused smile.
"Gasp! Get behind me!" Emilia quickly gets in front of Hero before putting up a thin pink barrier.
*PWSHH* A blue laser fired from the bushes, hitting her barrier before vanishing upon impact.
"Hm.." Hero looks up ahead from where the laser fired, then onto the huge wolf slowly emerging from it, the larger blue crystals along its spine going faint as blue steam exists from its large jaw. "So, they can fire magic too, huh."
"I'm glad I could make it in time... if I didn't sense the bloodlust in its mana, you would have been pierced in the heart..!" Emilia sighs in relief, clutching her grimoire against her flat chest.
"T-that's a pretty big wolf..." Akane watches as it stands still, silently looking back at them with glowing blue eyes, waiting.
"Yees~? So what?" Gwyn places her hand on her hip, then reaching up with her other to place her finger on her chin, smirking wide. "Looks like an average wild mutt to me, what's stopping me from deep frying it?"
*AwwOOOoo..* It looks up at the sky and emits a loud and ethereal howl.
A whole pack emerge from the bushes around them, quickly surrounding the immediate area.
"Ooo... more things to create ashes with..." The ring on Gwyn's finger glows a bright orange, before summoning the burning whip once more. "In fact... I'm feeling all burnt up." A second burning whip appears on her left hand. "Or should I say fired up? Would that make me sound boneheaded? Hm..."
"Yes." The steam stops emitting from Hero's gauntlet, the gears stop shifting and clanking against each other. "...Finally."
"Humf! I expect a heartfelt apology later for that rude comment!" Gwyn turns her head away in defiance.
The big crystals along the large wolf begin to glow, and its jaw opens, charging up another beam.
At the same time, the wolf pack begins to rapidly advance to their position.
"C'mere!" Gwyn begins her fiery rampage, swinging her burning whips around her entire area, disregarding friendly fire, all while laughing loudly to herself. "O~hohohohoho~!"
"W-whoa whoa..!?" Akane hops backwards, ducking under a boulder from the remains of the rock golem for cover as the area gets lit up in orange from the burning whips getting slapped across every possible direction."Huh?" She looks over to Crowella already kneeling down next to her. "Crowella! Support her!"
"R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-right..!" She raises her black staff, the blue jewel on its tip begins to shine very brightly. "T-take this..!" She peeks up from the boulder, then aims her black staff.
*Bz* All that releases is a small blue spark.
"Dang it Crowella! Are you sure you're tying..!!" Akane grabs her shoulders and begins to shake her repeatedly.
"..Damn it!" Hero carefully dodges Gwyn's flaming strikes more than the mob of wolfs attempting to pounce on him.
"Look out!" Emilia attempts to cast a barrier around Hero as the large wolf prepares to fire off its projectile at him."Eiep..!" However, she casts it on herself immediately as she noticed one of Gwyn's long burning whip seconds from striking her.
"S-shit..!" Hero dodges another one of Gwyn's reckless whip strikes, then swiftly slams the button on his gauntlet.*VRRRRRMMM* Flames emit from the thin tubes before he punches the ground beneath him with his gauntlet, the large force causing a rock pillar to emerge and shield him from the oncoming magic projectile. *PWSHH* The rock pillar gets destroyed after the projectile impact. "Damn it Gwyn! Watch where you swing, idiot..!" He dodges a wolf's pounce before delivering a charged punch, hurling it towards the larger wolf and knocking it against a tree.
"How about you keep out of my way! I am far from done with my perfect and flawless performance~!" Wolf blood spreads across the ground as the wolf mob rapidly reduces in number, their fur burning to ash the instant her flame whips scrape against their skin. "Oh~hohohoho~!"
"You're a perfect idiot...!" Hero suddenly looks at the large wolf in front of him charge up another beam, then briefly looks down at his gauntlet still emitting flames. "Gotta use it.." He dodges another wolf pounce, then shields his face with his burning gauntlet before another wolf could jab its fangs onto him. "Damn..!" He punches the wolf with a violent punch, vaporizing it then quickly dodging and sliding across the ground before Gwyn's whip could slice at his torso. "Gotta use it gotta use it.." He dashes out of Gwyn's rampage range and rushes towards the large wolf as it readies its projectile. *PWSSH* A larger blue beam erupts from its jaw, rapidly approaching him at a rapid pace before coming to contact with his burning gauntlet. *vvvrrrRRRMMM* The projectile then gets absorbed along the gears on his gauntlet, powering it into a fiery blue as blue flames begins to emit from the thin tubes. "Thanks." He leaps forward, the blue flames releasing from the tubes empowering him forward before giving a FIERCE blow onto the large wolf in a blue and orange explosion.
*PFWOOOM* The area in front of him gets lit up in a bright blue, the impact sending him sliding backwards and hitting against Gwyn's back."Ouchie!" She looks over her shoulder, then turns to face him with an irked expression. "The nerve!" Her whips disappear, then she crosses her arms. "Humf!"
"...Whatever." He looks away with a fed-up sigh, unclutching his right hand as steam begins to release from the tubes along his gauntlet.
"Is... is it safe to come out..?" Akane peeks up from the boulder that has shielded her from utter devastation.
"But of course!" Gwyn watches Akane, Crowella and Emilia emerge from the boulder. "Careful not to step on another slime~! Any further assistance from me would only triple your debts you already owe... Ho~Hoho!" She presses her palm against her cheek and laughs to herself.
"Hm!" Emilia pulls out a wrapped peppermint from her white cloak pocket, holding it out to Gwyn with a sweet smile. "Will this do?"
Gwyn glares over to her, a disgusted and angry face slowly ruining her angelic features. "The... audacity!"*SMACK* She swats at Emilia's hand, causing the small item to fall onto the ground with a plop. "Where did you even get this!?"
"Oh... it was actually a gift from a dear friend.." Emilia places her finger under her chin, looking down at the wrapped peppermint now covered in dirt with a somber smile.
"A friend... I see." Gwyn raises her leg over it, preparing to step on it. "How utterly foolish!
"P-please wait!" Emilia kneels onto the ground, shielding the wrapped peppermint with her hands. "I apologize... but I cannot hand it over after all, I do hope you'll forgive me..."
"Humf. Your selfish yearnings cripple your mentality." Gwyn narrows her eyes, looking down at her with a mix of disbelief and amusement. "Hm, 'friends'? Why do you need friends? You are a member of the Goldkin house! The longing for these 'friends' you speak of will only let you down once you lose them, when they use your weaknesses against you in an attempt to ransack you of your dear belongings... the belongings that far outweigh that of a mere piece of candy..." She kneels to her level and places her palms under her own chin. "Emilia Goldkin... are you that blinded for meaningless companionship? Those of us with a higher family status have no need for 'friendship', why the devil would something so... trivial.. be something we seek? Humans are selfish by nature, it does not matter how long you have known someone or what atrocities your 'bond' has withstood. Humans have a constant thirst for knowledge, change... and power. We are all ugly by soul, and that includes you~" She pokes at Emilia's nose, before smirking and slowly standing on her feet. "Only when you discard your meaningless urges and worthless thirst for compassion... can you become someone unbothered and flawless as me~" She adjusts the black ribbons on her drilled twin tails, then places her hands on her hips with a wide, uncrooked smirk.
Emilia looks up at her in silence with a tilted head, her elf ears twitching in wonder, before picking up the wrapped peppermint and standing on her feet. "FuFu~ Then, I do hope you discover the beauty that yearning for companionship brings. However long that may take you." She offers her a smile, for better or worse.
"Humf!" Gwyn places her hands on her hips and looks away with a huff.
"Don't bother with her." Hero looks over to Emilia. "She will always rant about how 'pointless' allies are." He places his hands in his pocket with a defiant blank face. "And yet, I don't even think she knows what having a single friend feels like."
"S-shut that arrogant mouth...!" Gwyn's face starts to go red with anger and embarrassment. "A loner like you should be the last to theorize on someone's personal life! Why not go find a quiet corner to keep your insecurities distracted? I'm sure you'll at least make 'friends' with common ground vermin, seeing as not a single girl has been interested in you since transferring~" She places her palm on her chin, holding back a giggle as her anger seems to instantly vanish.
"What is the meaning of this?" A cold sharp voice calls out from beyond the bushes.
The group tense up from the sudden loud harsh tone. "O-oh no...W-was that a banshee!?" Crowella breaks the silence as she aims her black staff at the direction of the voice before attempting to cast another magic arrow. "Hyaaa stay away..!" *Bz* Bright blue sparks emit from her black staff, dropping onto the purple grass.
"Haahh..." Rin sighs as she emerges from the bushes, walking towards the group. "Hmph." She stands before Crowella, looking at her with a pitiful and unamused look, her crimson eyes looking into Crowella's diamond blue eyes. "Your mana is severely lacking. Work on it." She walks past her and towards the carriage.
"Y-yes..." Crowella clutches her staff in embarrassed shame, looking down at the ground.
"Rin? I thought you were supposed to be at that tower..." Akane looks over at Rin inspecting the various blood splatters, ashes, and rocks spread across the ground.
"Correct." Rin turns back around to face them, then crosses her arms. "However only one person is required to activate the platform, I simply chose not to overstay my welcome. And... one more second with Yukki is the equivalent of being in a room full of deranged gazelles denied of their grass."
"So... Yukki is still..." Emilia looks over to the distant tower as the blue laser suddenly vanishes.
"Hmph." Rin instantly glares over to the tower, causing the laser to re-appear and shoot up into the sky. "That aside, why has none of you gone to activate the last platform? Is platoon seven indeed just a group of hooliga-"
"Done~!" Gwyn yells out as she is standing on top of the blue glowing platform before a bright blue beam shoots up into the sky.
"W-when did she.." Crowella has a dumbfounded look on her face as she looks over to Gwyn standing on the platform in front of the carriage, her hands on her hips, and a smirk of victory.
*PEUOOOOORRMMMM* The three bright beams suddenly focus and combine up in the sky, then release a brighter beam downwards.
The purple barrier gets revealed, then a large square opening appears, allowing them passage.
"We did it!" Emilia claps her hands together in excitement, smiling at everyone.
"At what cost." Hero takes off his gauntlet before the various gears and cogs shift as the gauntlet begins to morph itself and shrink into the shape of a small metallic ring. "We didn't exactly get off easy." He places the ring in his white cloak pocket, then dusts off the various ash particles trapped along the fabric.
"Oh hush! You lived didn't you!?" Gwyn huffs in annoyance, glaring over at him.
"I wouldn't have if I didn't have the experience of putting up with a loose canon..." He glares back at her, ash slowly leaking from his hair.
"All you know how to do is complain after the many times I've bailed you out every predicament you get yourself into!" She places her hands on her hips and looks away with a smirk. "You should be thanking me~"
"Bail me out? You don't even seem to care who's around you when you go out of control. And I'm not thanking someone that 'assists' out of unwanted obligation." He gives her a blank but irritated expression.
"Silence." Rin raises her voice coldly. "You are both a part of the inquisition, not a pair of feral dogs. Act like it." Rin crosses her arms, narrowing her eyes at them both as they look away from each other before going silent. "And where is Draken?"
"Uhh he's probably still busy..." Akane looks over at the direction of the other beam to the west.
"I see... Crowella, you go find him!" Gwyn grabs onto Crowella's shoulders and begins pushing her towards the direction of the beam to the west.
"B-b-b-b-b-but..." Crowella starts shaking nervously, eyes widened in anxiety.
"Not buts! You'll be fiine... even with... ahem.. Sorcery such as yours.. yes.. Now go!" She then gives her a sudden THRUST forward, knocking her down against the bushes.
"Oww..!." She rubs her head, before standing up and looking over at the group looking back at her. "..B-but I don't feel like being the one that needs to go find him..!!" *CreEeek* The sound of wooden creaking alarms her, causing her to turn around and look at the tree in front of her.
The tree begins to vibrate, then slowly emerge from the ground, revealing the rest of its large body and the many root-like appendages.
"EEEEEEEEP...!!!' Crowella shrieks loudly as three blue glowing eyeballs appear on the tree, looking down at her as the section on its center vertically splits, revealing a wide gaping mouth hole reaching for her with its long roots.
*PFFWBANG!*
Four large hole clusters get punctured onto the tree creature from behind, its blue eyeballs rolling back as it tumbles onto the ground, dead.
"Hm, does everything in this damn forest have sentience...?" Draken walks over its body, standing on top of the large corpse, his quad barreled musket emitting smoke from the barrels. "Heya."
"You're late." Rin watches him hop down its corpse, slowly approaching the group as he shoulders his musket, eyes narrowed at him.
"..Yeah well I ran into a bit of trouble, cut me a break, ah?" He looks down at Crowella laying against the ground face down. "Is she alive?"
"Not right now, I'd wager." Hero looks over at Gwyn poking Crowella's shoulder.
"Wakey wakey now..." Gwyn starts poking faster, holding back a pitiful laugh.
"In any case, we have done what needs to be done, let us proceed onwards immediately." Rin uncrosses her arms and turns around towards the carriage.
"...Boo." Yukki is standing right in front of her, poking her chest.
*CLANG* Rin suddenly manifested her rapier and thrusted it towards her before coming in contact with Yukki's ice hammer, her red eyes glaring down at Yukki's slightly shorter frame with a deadpan look. "Oh ,I do apologize Yukki, you startled me is all."
"Teeheehee~ Silly Rin-Rin, getting all scared like that..." Yukki giggles, smugly looking up at her.
"You did that like five seconds after you saw her." Hero looks at Rin's bloodlust gaze, then goes silent.
"Where did you even come from..? The dirt!?" Gwyn raises her eyebrows, a suspicious look on her face as she watches the two put away their armaments.
"T-that's...a really big summon..." Akane's eyes widen, looking up at a giant blue dragon fly away before disappearing into bright blue particles.
"Alright enough twaddling around, everyone back on the carriage, my back is killin' me..." Draken begins walking towards the carriage, rubbing his lower back.
"All with what horses?" Hero asks sternly, looking over at the groups of flies hovering above the dead horses in front of the carriage.
"Doh! God damn it you're right..." Draken stops in his tracks and rubs on his head in frustration.
"..."
"...." There is a brief silence.
"....."
"Anyways! You guys remember about the cute slime facts right??" Yukki breaks the silence eagerly as something crosses her mind. "They actually come in waay many more forms than we know! Such as from the very earth itself.. how cool is that!!"
"I just don't see what is so 'cute' about that." Hero places his hands in his pockets, unamused.
"Because..." Yukki slowly turns to look at him. "They come in all kinds of colors... And there's nothing cuter than a pink slime made of candy~!!"
"Oh! Can slimes really be birthed from candy?" Emilia wonders in intrigue, her eyes sparkling in curiosity.
"Well.. no! Buuut, with alchemy, anything is possible..." She winks at Emilia.
"Alchemy?! Disgusting!" Gwyn interrupts. "Slimes aren't meant to be eaten! Are you two right in the head? Blegh! Shame on you! Both of you!"
"A-actually... my grandma was said to study voodoo.." Crowella rises from the ground, twigs and leafs digging out from her hair. "And my mother would tell me how she would experiment with slimes and use their inner body fluids to mend scars.. And.. slimes are indeed edible.." She goes quiet as Hero and Gwyn look at her in silence.
"That is vile!" Gwyn suddenly yells, breaking the brief silence. "Are you certain your grandmother wasn't some kind of witch? I knew there was something off about you..." She backs up, covering her mouth as if she has met someone deranged out on the streets.
"This is getting stupid..." Hero mumbles out loud, tapping his boots on the ground impatiently.
"Hm..." Draken thinks out loud. "I don't suppose we can just fly on Yukki's drag-"
"I refuse." Rin says in a cruel, murderous tone.
"Hrngrgrg!" Yukki gives an audible pout as she clenches her fists.
"Hm, Akane, aren't you a summoner too?" Draken suddenly turns his gaze to Akane. "I'm aware your summon is large enough to at least pull the carriage forward, right?"
"M-me?!" Akane points to herself in surprise. "Well yes.. but-"
"That's so cool!! What kind of summon is it??" Yukki stands in front of her with sparkles in her eyes. "Why wasn't I aware you were a summoner too Akane?? Bring it here! Go on~!!"
"B-but.." Akane hesitates with a nervous smile.
"Haagh.. Just do it already, I don't want to be out here by night fall..." Hero groans out loud, before realizing something. "And you were a summoner all along? Why didn't you do a thing to help?" He narrows his eyes.
"Hmm? Oh heavens! Could it be your summon is faulty~?" Gwyn gives a mocking smile.
"I-..I.." Akane clenches the hem of her white skirt with embarrassment.
"Yet another flawed platoon member, can't say I'm surprised, we're done for." Hero sighs to himself.
"URGHH FINE..!!" Akane yells loudly as she reaches for the pocket on her white robe and pulls out a small staff with a bell in its center. "Get out here now Icky!!" She shakes the small staff up and down, the sound of its ringing echoing across the purple grass as a large reptile-like creature manifests under her in yellow sparks. "Now say hello to my accompli- W-wha..? Hey..!! What are you doing!? The large reptile reaches behind and pinches her white robe, lifting her off its back. "L-let me go!!" It drops her onto the ground with a plop. "HYAN!?" She shrieks, then slowly stands up with an angry red face. "...Seriously!" She looks at the large creature as it looks back at her with an empty gaze. "Why are you like this! You don't have to be so mean!" She places her hand on her hip, then raises her other hand to point at it. "You're in so much trouble, mister! This is why I don't take you out for walks anymo-" She gets interrupted as the creature suddenly blows a small torrent of air on her. "HYA...! DON'T." She managed to place her hands on her skirt, preventing it from hiking up, then slowly turns her head to look at everyone looking at her in silence.
"....."
The silence is loud.
"Whaaaa??" Yukki breaks the silence as she quickly walks up to the creature to look at it. "Is that really a drake?! I've never seen one before!!" The creature looks over at her, then lowers itself and plops onto the dirt. "Ooo!" She leans down in front of its head and looks at its yellow reptile-like irises looking back at her in annoyance. "And it's a lightning drake too! I didn't know lightning drakes even existed..."
*Rrrg...* It lets out a low and unmotivated growl.
"Tch...dragons..." Hero groans to himself. "I can't stop running into one no matter what I do..." Suddenly his eyebrow raises. "...You named your summon 'Icky'..?"
"W-well his name's actually Hyckron... but my older sister called him Icky once by accident, so it became a running gag in the family, haha..." Akane giggles awkwardly, adjusting the red hairpin on her blonde bangs in embarrassment.
"It doesn't matter what it is just have it pull the carriage forward." Rin speaks up, patience wearing thin.
"Y-you're going to have to give me a couple minutes... Icky can be pretty.. Ahem.. 'unproductive' sometimes.. haha.." Akane rubs the back of her head, fingers digging into her blonde hair nervously. "And I'm really bad at convincing him to do anything...Haha..Ha.."
"Then we will just have to use more traditional methods~!" Gwyn walks up to the unmotivated summon plopped against the ground. "Get up now." It looks at her in silence, its reptile irises staring, its gaze unwavering. "Then you will just have to be punished like the bad boy you are!" Gwyn's flame whip appears on her hand. "Last chance..."
*Rrrg...* It growls silently at her, turning its gaze away.
"Humf! You asked for it, naughty boy!" Gwyn raises her flame whip before dropping it on its scales with a THWACK.
*BzZz* A small lightning shockwave unleashes from its scale, making Gwyn stumble backwards. "How.. dare you!" She narrows her eyes cruelly, looking down as it remains on the ground, looking back up at her, unbothered. "My word! You have got to be the most stubborn piece of living tra-" Her scolding gets interrupted as it suddenly blows a torrent of air at her. "GYAHH?! ...How utterly deplorable..!" She glares at it with a red face, hands holding down her skirt.
"My turn!" Yukki beams up with exhilaration, standing up and pointing down at it. "Listen up, you! Be a good boy a-" She suddenly backs up, hands covering her skirt before it could blow air at her. "...Maybe not."
"Please, allow me." Emilia approaches it, then kneels down with a sweet smile. "..Hello."
*Rrrrggggr* It rises on its legs, then begins walking towards the front of the carriage.
"Wha-?" Gwyn watches it with an angry shocked look.
"Well! That's one way to do it~" Yukki nods to herself.
"Well now that we've got that settled, everyone take your seats while I... tie a rope around a large drake, hm..." Draken follows after it towards the front of the carriage, scratching the back of his head.
"..I have never seen him obey someone else so quickly..." Akane follows behind Emilia as they board the carriage.
"You know the drill Yukki. Sit as far away from me as humanly possible." Rin follows behind Akane.
"How is that even.. wat..!?" Yukki follows, pouting to herself.
"The same can be said to you, loner boy. O~hohoho~!" Gwyn laughs to herself, boarding the carriage and almost tripping on the wooden steps. "Humf!?"
Hero boards quietly, not saying a word.
.
.
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"Waooow~! This tower is sooo tall! I can't even tell where it stops!"
"Just grant me the gift of silence."
"You're so lame prezz!! Towers are so cool!!"
"Yukki."
"I mean.. How old do you think it is? Gasp Look at these walls... so rough and.. dusty! Teeheehee~"
"Yukki."
"Careful on these stairs prez... it is very dark in here, it's a pretty significant tripping hazard just being in here if you ask me~!"
"Yukki."
"Waow soo many stairs! How high do you reckon we are right now?? We must have climbed at least.....many..!"
"Yukki."
"Huff.. Huff.. W-what's the matter, prez? You getting tired~? Such an unathletic president you are. Teeheeheehee~..... Huff..."
"Shut."
"H-hold on.. gimme a couple to... Huff.. catch my breath.. Tee..Huff.. Hee.. Huff..... Hee..."
"Up."
"..Wow you're right! We are so high up! Look I can see the carriage from here! ..Is that.. is that tree moving..?"
"I'm going back."
"..Wait no..!! I'll get bored!! You wouldn't just leave me, right Rin-Rin..? ..Oh, you're not stopping... Well~ At least this view isn't bad~.... Did.. that wolf just shoot a death ray from its mouth..."
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