"You sure you don't want to wait a little longer? I'm sure the traffic will clear up shortly."
Koraki shook his head as Ursilo and Okamin hopped out from the back of the cart, Zorra joining shortly after from the carriages roof. "You've already done more than you ever needed. We can't thank you enough. Please, allow us to pay all of it forward."
The black-haired individual raised his hands, gold coins held in his palms, the same coins that the driver had handed to them after staving off the bandits. However, Yuuka waved the hand away without a single hint of hesitation. Reaching into a small compartment located to the side of the driver seat, Yuuka pulled out a luminous see-through whistle, a whistle held by a thin rope. Without any sort of explanation, the driver chucked the item towards Okamin, of whom who caught it in surprise.
"Keep that on you. If you're ever in danger, blow into it." Yuuka smiled at the children warmly. "Go forth and make your dreams come true. We'll meet again."
"I'm sure we will. Again, we thank you for your service." - Koraki
"It was an amazing ride for sure!" - Zorra
"Definitely eventful. Thank you." - Ursilo
"It was an honor to ride with you sir." - Okamin
Okamin put the rope part of the whistle around his neck, tucking it away into the collar of his thick hoodie. He wasn't entirely familiar with the item but it didn't seem to be anything dangerous, though it also didn't seem too useful. In essence, there was no harm in holding onto it.
Then, when it was all said and done, the youths left the area, giving Yuuka one final bow of respect before their departure.
It had been around twenty minutes or so since Okamin and his compatriots had reached the vicinity of the gates leading into Froana Kingdom. Within that given time frame, the carriage they had been hitching a ride on hadn't budged from its position, mostly due to the heavy amount of traffic. So, after a bit of discussion with the others, it was decided that they would ditch the cart entirely and proceed the rest of the way on foot. Staying within the cart would only burn the daylight they could have used elsewhere.
Though reluctant to say goodbye to the one that had helped them get as far as they did, they had to keep moving.
So, off they went.
And it was immediately clear to see why everything had almost halted altogether. In fact, it only took a dozen or so steps to the right to get the full picture.
Froana Kingdoms Capitol were surrounded by walls, walls that spanned its entire perimeter, rising and falling in multiple places with guard towers situated along the walls high points. According to what Okamin knew about the city walls, they were all extremely thick and made from pure Athrafstos, the strongest and easily most expensive metal in existence. Additionally, the wall rose over 120 meters and was highly resistant to both physical and magical attacks. The only way to get through the walls were through the gates that were built into it, gates that were positioned along various points around the Capitol. As if the walls werent enough of a deterrent for invaders or bandits, there were numerous checkpoints put into place by the gates as well as in front of the gates.
It was these very checkpoints that had caused the current traffic jam. Due to the influx of carts caused by the Beast Parade, the Knights monitoring the checkpoints had to be extra careful during their inspections. What normally took a minute or so was now a good four minutes per cart. Of course, it was to be expected.
Especially considering the magnitude of the events going on within the Capitol.
"Wow. Looks like everyone's quite busy." Koraki gave a low whistle as he took everything in, from the passing carriages to the bustling Knights. "The Beast Parade must be something special if it's this serious."
"Yuuka said that they held it to celebrate the new line of students entering Arewenol Academy." Ursilo readjusted his coat, rolling up its sleeves. "It doesn't sound like anything special."
"A whole event for a mere enrollment? This Academy must be important or top of the line. Would be much too extravagant otherwise." - Koraki
"Or it's just nobility and royalty using it as an excuse to party it up," Zorra added.
Koraki shrugged as the group of four temporarily broke apart in order to skirt around a rather large cart.
This carriage in particular was much different compared to the rest of the vehicles going in and out of the city. Twice as big and carrying a mixture of suitcases and unidentifiable boxes, it was one that easily caught Okamin's eye as they walked on by. Vibrant colors of green and white, thick wheels, elegant horses. It was leagues above the carriage that had transported the group, both in style and in comfort. Even the driver was a tier higher, an pristine looking individual wearing flowing robes that covered most of their body.
Glancing inside as he walked passed, the world seemed to slow down as Okamin took everything in.
Cushioned seats, a crimson interior complete with carpeted flooring, and a rather intricate design that surrounded the emblem of a fully grown stag.
If Okamin had to sum it up in one word? Posh.
That aside, it wasn't the carriage that made the world slow down, but rather it was the person within it.
Long, flowing green hair. The hair was stylized in a way that Okamin had never seen before, straight hair that slowly morphed into bouncy curls. Eyes the color of a bright emerald, a beautiful shade that seemed to reflect the light of the sun. Fair and unblemished skin, long pointed ears mostly covered by her illustrious hair, and flowing garments that matched the outer color of the carriage.
In summary, she was gorgeous.
As someone who grew up in a rather isolated town with perpetual snowfall, surrounded by mountains and woodlands, Okamin had never seen an elf before. He had certainly read about them before in various scrolls and history books within his village, and he even had the pleasure of hearing stories about them from the dwarves that would sometimes stroll through the town. However, he had never had the opportunity to lay eyes upon one. It was said that most elves kept to themselves, never straying too far from their own Kingdoms unless necessary.
To actually see one up close and personal, especially one as breathtaking as the girl in the carriage, it was enough for Okamin to almost do a full double take.
For the briefest of moments, their eyes met, emerald green and neon blue locking together.
Then, it was over as the white-haired youth continued forward.
Snap! Snap!
"Oi. Sleepy head."
Okamin was ripped back into reality as a pair of fingers snapped in front of his face, demanding his immediate attention. Blinking a few times, the youth glanced at Zorra with a look of confusion, calmly removing her hand from his face with the back of his wrist.
"Geez. Did you leave your awareness back on the cart?" Zorra let out a breath, clearly a bit frustrated. "We've been trying to get your attention for the last minute."
The white-haired individual let out a small laugh, more than a tad embarrassed. "Sorry about that. I was just lost in thought. That's all."
Ursilo nodded, as if in full understanding. "There's a lot going on. It's easy to get overwhelmed."
"We can't have our knowledge guy spacing out though." Zorra look less than pleased, shaking her head in protest. "The main reason we're even here is because of his ideas. It makes no sense for him to be drifting through dreamland."
"There's no need to worry about it Zoe," Koraki interjected. "Besides. Let's not act like it was ALL his idea. We did agree as a group and even planned it out as we went. Throwing it all on Oka seems more than a bit unfair."
"If you say so." Zorra immediately backed down, though she didn't look too happy about it. "It just seems weird to not be at attention in unknown territory. No survival skills or combat instincts. Damn bookworm."
Okamin didn't bother offering a rebuttal, merely looking straight ahead.
In truth, he couldn't refute a single word of what was being said. He was well aware of his own faults. Aware of his own weaknesses as well as his own strengths. Ergo, he kept his mouth shut as the group pushed forward, no backtalk and no protests.
Just as he always had.
"Hold it. I'll need you kids to take a step back." A Knight raised his hand as the youths finally reached the first checkpoint, prompting them to take a quick step back. "I'm gonna need you to answer some questions before you enter. Individual and joint inquiries. Shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
Okamin was still a little downtrodden about the previous interaction, but he quickly recovered. At least enough to give the Knight a solid once over.
The Froana Kingdom Knights. Vastly different from Beast Tamers, they worked directly under the command of the king, Dewtruno Froana the Fifth. Distinguishable by the color of their armor, the Knights were divided into six separate Factions. The Fire Knights had red armor, the Water Knights had blue, Thunder Knights had yellow, and so on. Many people, according to the books anyways, regarded these collective individuals as the Colored Knights.
This Colored Knights armor was the brightest shade of brown. So, an Earth Knight.
The Knight gave the small group his own once over, thick helmet turning from side to side as he gazed at the children. After a minute the Knight gave a small nod before motioning them forward.
"Where are you guys coming from?" The Earth Knights voice was actually much kinder than Okamin had expected, having expected someone a lot gruffer and strict. "You seem a little.....overdressed for the weather."
Koraki gave a sheepish grin. "Just a small village near the outskirts of the continent. Have you ever heard of Tremaria?"
"Cant say I have." The Earth Knight shook his head. "But if it's from the countryside, that would explain why. Not many people have been out that far. Too many magical beasts."
The energy of the group immediately darkened, even Zorra dropping her head slightly as the past came flooding to the forefront. Yet again, it was to be expected. Everything had only happened less than a month ago. The screams of pain and agony. The constant roars and snarls. The sound of flesh ripping and bones crunching. It wasn't something could simply be forgotten within the short span of time, no matter how much each of the children wished to forget the ordeal.
Koraki was the first to speak, offering a small smile. "So I've heard. Luckily we were able to avoid any beasts on our way here."
"Well. Once you're inside, you'll be even safer." The Knight didn't even bother to point out the kids reaction, ignoring it completely. "However, we got to knock off some questions."
"No problem at all," Koraki replied readily. "Fire away."
"Name, age, and place of birth. I'll also need your reason for coming to Froana."
"My name is Koraki Numen. 13 years old. Coming from Tremaria, the Country of Ice." The black-haired individual didn't even hesitate. "My sole reason is to gain strength and use it to find the True Dragon Rhaegal. With the wish from him, I'll restore my homeland and the people in it."
"Ahh. A noble goal indeed." The Earth Knight nodded. "Then I suppose you plan on entering Arewenol Academy. Best of luck to you."
The next one to step up was Ursilo, Koraki moving aside to let his shorter compatriot speak.
"Ursilo Vagant. 13 years old. Coming from Tremaria. My goal is the same as my friend. I want to restore my homeland."
The Earth Knight nodded once again as Ursilo took a step back. The next one to speak up was Zorra, entering in with her usual bright demeanor and fiery attitude.
"My name is Zorra Kamoan. I'm 13 years old." The redhead tapped her chest, standing up straight. "Hailing from Tremaria. I'll enroll in Arewenol Academy and obtain a Beast. I'll find Rhaegal and bring back my homeland."
The Earth Knight paused slightly, looking over the four of them. "So. You all hail from the same place. Childhood friends?"
"Just the three of us," Koraki replied, gesturing to him, Ursilo, and Zorra. "Our friend here shares in our fate so he's with us. But we didn't know really get to know him since the town was rather large."
"Gotcha." The Earth Knight turned his focus unto the white-haired youth. "And you. What's your name?"
"Okamin Mire. 13 years old. Same hometown."
"And what's your reason for being here in Froana's Capitol? Same as your friends?"
"No." Okamin didn't spare the thought a single second, a serious look on his face. Hands clenched and a determined look in his eyes, he took a single step forward.
"I want to be the Shogun."