= 11 Daylights Ago From Now =
* LILIA POV *
Flicka, the little innocent girl, held the Rainbow necklace and smiles cheerfully. I held her hand and listened to her joyful hum while crossing over this joyful festival. She pointed at the shooting game booth in the corner, wanting to try it out but, I convinced her not to, saying there's plenty of games to try other than that.
I don't want to overuse my magic spells again. For some reason, remembering that masked guy from that Hit the Baiter games, does make me feeel like he knows what I'm doing. I thought my secret magic won't work to everyone except the Guardians and strong warriors. I wonder if that Masked guy is not a normal merchant.
Speaking of him, that blindfolded Baiter may not be interesting but for some reason, his presence feels familiar to me. As if I recognise the young boy's spiritual energy is somewhere from the past. His presence kinda resembles from an old friend, a guardian or a divine being that I remember long time ago.
Oh well, maybe it's just my imagination. At least the little girl Flicka enjoys the game and got her reward. Seeing her happy expression does makes me feel I'm enjoying this festival.
There are different games to play and some money to use but, I decided to conserve my energy and tell Flicka we're just here for sightseeing. In other festive games, the only thing I'm interested in obseving their performance is the Shooting game, where two opponents, the Adventurer girl and a mysterious foreign man with a hat fought each other with range weapons.
It took a five minute look at those two contestants, shooting the target and their score made a tie. Seeing how they focused on their fight and not missing their shot was quite a wonderful performance. It reminss me of Rayleigh's fighting monsters and their minions. In the end, I haven't found out the real winner when Flicka dragged me to the Food store, where we can have our lunch.
A couple of steps before we passed by that historical building, I noticed a small plant with a cool fragment. Getting my eyes closer to their leaves made me stare at their magical green particles floating around as if they're conserving their energy.
Upon takin a closer touch, the little girl called mr out and asked me with a bewildered questioned look on her face.
"Miss Lilia, Miss Lilia! Why are you staring at the Tree?"
"Oh sorry Flicka, I'm just wondering about your parents. Isn't it time for you to join them?" I turned to her with a small smile.
"Miss Lilia, do you think my parents abandoned me?" Flicka asked. Her voice sounds shaking and scared. I can see her hands clenched in her clothes, wondering if what she said is right. I kneeled down to face her and leaned her shoulder to turn her eyes on me.
"Of course not Flicka, you are a wonderful girl and I'm sure your parents are blessed to have such a good bloodline daughter like you. They can't be far, let's find them." The little townsfolk girl agrees with me as she let our her joyful smile again. Seriously, her sweet innocent sense forbids me from lying, which makes me want to protect her from any shady people like those goons before.
When we reached the end of the festival line, we xouldn't find her parents well and I let out a sigh. It's almost sunset and I wonder how Wings is going well with his Nadventurer event quest. If Rayleigh were here and found a lost girl, he would immediately find them so easily but me, I can't seem to recognise this mazy kingdom.
Flicka and I were planning to go back to the festival and search through the crowds again until, the little girl turned her head and heard a voice.
"I'm sure your daughter is right-" The female passerby was interrupted when she saw the little girl ran over to her and her companions.
"Flicka!"A man, who spreads his arm, hugged the little girl. The woman beside him hugs her as well. It appears those two are Flicka's parents, which gave me a relief. I observed their joyful smiles when they have a family bonding and seeing that in front of me, makes me touched. So this is how a family treats each other with their compassion.
"I'm glad we found you. We wouldn't want to enjoy this festival without you." Flicka's father said. He looked at the lady, who's been watching them and thanked her.
I'll be honest, I didn't notice she was there all along, maybe she was one of Flicka's companions who tried to help them look their daughter. The little girl walks to me with an excited smile and held my hand gently.
"Thank you Miss Lilia! Thank you for finding my parents!"
"Your Welcome Sweetheart." I replied with a smile. Though I helped her a lot to enjoy her time, I wasn't the only one who give the credit. That short haired lady with a maid costume is the person who guide her psrents too.
After that, the fsmily bid our farewell and I was left alone outside the festival. Case closed. I'm glad I found her parents and now there's nothing to worry about.
"I'm glad this case is over. I'm sure they're having fun now." The maid started her conversation as she looked at me. "So, your name is Lilia?"
I nodded, realising that she heard my name when Flicka called me out. When I observed her appearance, the short haired woman doesn't seem to be a commoner maid. Her sharp eyes makes me felt she has some combat skills to be part of the kingdom's power and her spiritual energy seems stronger than any townsfolk I've encountered. The badge on her left arm looks like an important symbol that I always found in other countries.
"That cloth on your arm, are you one of the WatchTower who request to find heir child?"
"Oh please, I used to be one but now-" She held her hand to her chest and introduced herself "I'm currently working as a Maid, tending the royal families as possible. Though I want to enjoy this lovely day, I can't afford to miss my work."
There are three boxes behind her and she looks like she can't carry them all. I gave her a lift and pick two boxes. She thanked me as I followed her way to deliver them. While going on our way, we chat about this festival and how much its fun and enjoyable. Speaking of that, I asked her name and she tilted her head but gave me a small smile.
"Maysha. Masha is my name. Nice to meet you, Lilia." She said.
On our way to deliver those boxes, we crossed the road and Maysha suddenly stopped and stared at the front gate. I also checked and heard something outside. "Do you hear that? That sounds like it came from the entrance."
"It hasn't been five days yet and they're returned?" Maysha commented.
"What do you mean?" I asked in bewilderment, wondering what she's talking about. When that marching sound went closer, the silhuettes of a group of knights went inside the kingdom. They were far away that I couldn't see their face closer but, Maysha looks quite pleased when knowing who they are.
"The Hero Silver Knight and their Expedition companions! They're coming back! I'm going to inform the Queen."
"Wait! Can I go with you?. I mean, I may be a stranger but I want to repay your kindness for helping those parents bonding with the lost girl" I said while watching how The Maid Watchtower kept her serious eyes on me.
"Just don't get too close to the Queen and the other Vera Royals, or do not go to their Throne." Maysha reaponsed, staying cautious at me. "I know you have strong powers by your presence and I believe we could use some extra hands for this one night celebration." Masha turned to the opposite side and she directed me to the castle.
"Follow me and make sure to heed my orders. You can only volunteer for now and I have a feeling you enjoy working with someone, are you?" I nodded and followed her with a small chuckled.
"Hehehe, as someone who I met a minute ago, you sure have the eyes of a hawk as a WatchTower, do you?"
"That's because it's my job to observe everyone inside the Vera Kingdom. As long as there's no trouble, I can welcome anyone at anytime. The same goes for your Green traveler and that Purple Nadventurer companion."
The last line made me stop my steps and thought up of what she said, it seems her WatchTower title is not a joke. Apparently, she knew I was travelling with Rayleigh and Wings while coming here for five minutes. Did she observe us all from the very beginning? Is that why I have this feeling of being watched? Maybe going with her was a bad idea and I don't want to expose my true identity and power to her.
"Don't worry about it." Maysha said as she disrupted my mind. She gave me normal smile and tried to cheer me up, "I saw what they're doing and memorize their location. They're doing alright. I was just making sure you don't cause any trouble. Otherwise-"
The Maid knight glares at me with her sharp and mysterious eyes that gives off an intense spiritual energy that would suffocated your mind.
"Otherwise, I''ll call the Knights and arrest your companions."
~~~~~
= Mavericks=
* NO POV *
Wings liked observing humans and learning their actions. In the battle event, he witnessed how those High level Adventurers were able to take down strong Hallow monsters and loot their materials and quest rewards. He can also tell they're not aiming for defending the kingdom since he saw their high priority is killing monsters and their drops. Honestly, he was quite disappointed to see those people existed. He finally understands why his Master despised them, they were so carefree and didn't think about the people of this world.
On the other hand, Nadventurers are trying to defend the Vera Kingdom as if their battle depends on the fate of their people. Some parties are low level rank and others can only support them. They're not even capable of fighting those Monsters in higher waves but luckily, Wings was there to back them up. To follow his master's request, Wings has to assist and defend the Nadventurers at all costs, which is something he wanted to do as well.
Not only him but recently, he was allied by a young man with a great sword named Joxley. Whenever Wings runs out of physical energy, Joxley wil use his magical spells to restore his energy and speed to fight back. It's like giving a buff spell to support your team.
There was a time Wings tried to defend a helpless adventurer and got hit by a Hallow Monster with a Morning star weapon. Not only that monster was alone, there were more of them coming. Wings wanted to fight them with all his gotta but he remembered his master's advice not to use his poison element abilities when there's people around.
A gust of golden wind surrounded him and Wings felt his powers increased. The moment those Hallow monsters put a scratch on him, Wings felt those attacks weren't hurt, not even his clothes got damaged. Joxley's buff magic support really helped him a lot. It's quite different from Lilia but it sure costs a lot of mana energy.
Speaking of mana, Joxley casts another spell that spreads its fire around him, merging his body to boost his speed, stamina and physical energy.
Now that Wings has increased his status, he can kill those Halow monsters faster than before. The more he kills them, the stronger he'll get. With Joxley's magical support, they can save more Nadventurers and finish Hallow monsters together.
Minutes later, the two found out those strongest Hallow monsters were killed by high rank Adventurers while the others got teamed up and eliminated them. Although one of them happens to be The Kill Stealer who finished the final blow and claimed their rewards on their own, Wings doesn't mind their actions as long as they don't interfere with saving Nadventurer's lives.
Joxley has been pretty reliable lately, supporting strange Adventurers and increasing their status to fight back. Wings also owes him for learning a new special ability that can summon flames inside his Blue Tues weapon.
As the battle wave stops and everyone takes a break, Wings overheard a conversation closer to the field where they slay the Hallow monsters.
"Have you heard about them? They've been getting aggressive lately." An Adventurer whispered to their friend.
"Oh, you mean the Mavericks? Those nasty looking beasts disguising as Mortals! They're really dangerous!" Their friend replied.
"Yeah, I bet they started another mess and cancelled our travel routes because of them! Man, they're annoying!"
Hearing the rumours about Mavericks makes him sick and uncomfortable. Luckily, his negative thoughts got interrupted when Joxley called him in his usual cheerful tone. The time when he packed their things and decided to claim the rewards from the guild, Wings asked a question that bothers him.
"You know about Mavericks?" Joxley turned to me and his usual cheerfulness got replaced by a frown.
"My uncle got killed by them." Joxley nods back as he turns his head down. "They were taking an expedition until one of those magma looking monsters ambushed them. The Magma Maverick was one of them and attacked their troops. The report claimed they never found that monster but-"
"The victim's bodies returned but were burning to crisps. The royals made a memorial event to label them as heroes but ever since then, I decided to get stronger if maybe-" Joxley paused a bit, unsure if he's going to say it.
"One day you'll find that Maverick monster and end them." Wings continued in his stead as he clenched his fist and encouraged his friend. He saw how melancholy Joxley looked and this mood suddenly turns awkward. "Sorry to hear this, I shouldn't have asked you."
"Don't worry about it, it's nice that I recalled why I want to fight." Joxley gave a small smile to ease his friend. He rubbed his head and chuckled, "Those histories may be sad but I bet if I remember them, I will be able to prevent and stop repeating the same thing in the future."
"Joxley you-" Wings started to worry more but Joxley waved his hand and pointed at the Vera Kingdom.
"Come on, let's get our rewards and meet up with the Expedition team! I bet the Prince's birthday party will be held tonight! It's going to be fantastic, I say!"
"I'm looking forward to that," Wings agreed and followed his friend.
As they left the celebration party team, Wings followed Joxley who guided him back to the Vera Kingdom. When they reached across the festive booths, Wings tried to look around the guild and avoided those noisy people who tried to 'Advertise' them. Once he saw the guild closeby, he turned to Joxley and informed the location but, the moment he looked behind, his ally was not there.
Wings thought Joxley wandered around the food stalls and festivity booths but to his surprise, he was nowhere to be found. It has already been two minutes and he hasn't come back, Wings is starting to get worried that he couldn't focus on the rewards but having concern about his friend. If only he wasn't distracted by his goal or the joyful townspeople they crossed, Joxley would've been by his side.
The assassin thought that finding Joxley would be better since he owes him a lot. If his mortal friend was truly in danger, Wings would do whatever it takes to try and save him. So he used his strong sense of hearing, listening to the crowds muttering about and finding Joxley's voice.
Wings jumped to the rooftop, placing his hands near the ears, closing his eyes as he concentrated to find his mortal companion. He keeps listening to some people from the festival, the townsfolk noises, the music from the tavern, the Adventurer's celebrating in the guild and then...
He found Joxley's voice. Without hesitation, he ran to the roofs, jumping each building and saw a shadowy presence under the quiet place. Joxley was being cornered by those mysterious group of people and Wings observed this situation shows those people might try a kidnapped attempt on the Adventurer.
"Joxley!" Wings jumped down and picked his Blue Tues to threaten those strangers to stay back. Those mysterious strangers or Bandits, however, dared not to fall back and fight back as they picked their cutlass sword up.
Wings doesn't sit by as he tries to defend his friend as possible. He observes the first enemy to charge and attack him but the purple haired assassin blocks his sword and kicks him hard, sending that person through that wall. After seeing the first guy down, the next shadowy stranger moves next by trying to aim Joxley but Wings block the blade, finding the opening weakness point and knocking them out.
This didn't end this fight as more bandits came and cornered them. Despite using all his strength from that Hallow slaying event, Wings has enough energy left to fight and he bet Joxley can give him magic buff support again.
On the other hand, Joxley leaned his ears into the wall, touching the bricks until he found a trigger to unlock a secret door. He interrupted the fight and grabbed Wings's hand, leading him to the other side while the door closed, the bandits couldn't chase them after that.
The moment they escaped from the Back Alley, Wings' left ear moved as he heard a terrifying scream somewhere closeby. Not only that but Joxley points out a strange dark presence moving to the sky. It was then, the night began to change their colour from calm moonlight with stars into a crimson sky with black clouds. The looks on the sky became a sudden world's end that will change the Vera Kingdom.
Wings couldn't help but hear more explosions and people's screams that didn't sound good news to him. Only one thing they believe is that...
The Vera Kingdom is in danger.