"Yo, A!" I screamed, pushing open the store doors, "Is it ready!?"
"Kenneth!" A man with a deep voice turned towards me, "Quiet down, please, the sun isn't even up!"
"My bad, my bad."
Almost immediately after entering, I felt some sweat drip from my forehead due to the temperature of the room. A roaring furnace built of brick, designed to melt steel, was located in a corner, and a variety of sharp cutting and bashing tools cluttered the whole room. The walls were charred black, and on them hung weapons: Swords, spears, shields, armor, you name it, it's there.
"Jeez," I spoke, "How do you work in this heat?"
"By staying hydrated," The man spoke, "Also, you tend to build a tolerance for it."
A man was clad in long pants, work boots that went up to his ankle, and a white shirt with an apron on top. He had dark skin, with an impressively muscular frame, and he was nearly a head taller than me. His face was sharp and chiseled with a clean, groomed beard, and his hair was tied back in braids.
Ajax was his name, a man hailing from the tribal continent, far from where we are now.
"Cool, cool," I continued, "Anyways… is it-"
"Yeah, yeah," He sighed, "It's ready."
"Gime gime!" I said, running up to him in excitement.
"Alright, calm down!" He snapped, "I'll get it for you." Saying so, he walked to the back and took out a small wooden box, "Kids, these days, so impatient…" He mumbled
"…"
Walking up to me, he stood in front of me, and opened the wooden box, and showed me the contents inside it.
"!!!"
"Two brass knuckles, made of carbon steel with a rose emblem on the left, and a raven emblem on the right…"
"It's…"
Slowly taking the weapons, I examined them thoroughly.
"…"
Slowly putting it on, I turned around and went into a fighting stance.
"!!!"
Throwing a strong cross, I made my first move with it.
"!!!"
Jab, cross, hook, hook, uppercut, followed by some kicks to add variety, I shadowboxed to test out the weapons.
"!!!"
Throwing a final spinning back hand, I used the momentum to bring my other arm up, pointing a finger at the ceiling and closing my eyes in accomplishment.
"Yeah!"
"Impressive…" Said Ajax.
"Thanks," I said, cooling down, "I'll treasure them."
"No problem, kid…" Said Ajax, "It's just uhh… do you have the thing we agreed on?"
"Oh yeah right, here you go!" I said, taking out a flyer.
Taking it, he gave it a read.
While he was reading it, I spoke, "I don't have exact knowledge on it since I haven't made it myself, but I'm sure you can figure it out."
"Yeah… might take a few tries though."
What I gave him was a flyer explaining the design and creation process of a katana, a weapon that doesn't exist in Radia yet. There's no way I could have afforded these weapons with my budget, so I managed to convince him to only take a small part of the payment in exchange for the design of the katana. Of course, I thank late-night Discovery Channel for giving me this knowledge.
"This will surely sell well…" Ajax spoke, "Won't benefit knights, but those monks and thieves would love such a precise and clean weapon…"
"Teehee."
"…"
Giving me a conflicted look, he spoke again, "Don't see your elf friend anywhere."
"Oh, her?" I spoke, "I left her waiting by the gate, so the other 2 won't think I bailed."
"You left a contracted elf to do message duty…" Ajax said, sounding a bit stunned, "You're a weird one, kid."
"Part of my charm."
"Right well… you got a name for those?" He asked, "Or should I pick one for you?"
"Nah, I got one…" I said…
Lifting my eyes up, I looked at the emblems.
"Night Petal…"
"Night Petal huh…" Ajax spoke, "That's a unique name if I ever heard one."
"It holds some weight..." I said, "Relates to two people I likely won't see again…"
"…"
"Well, I won't get sentimental now." I said, "Thanks again, A. I won't forget this."
"Don't worry about it, "He said, smiling a bit, "Just make sure you're ready to pay full price next time." He continued, "That is, unless you got any new designs you can get me."
"I'll hit you up if anything comes to mind." I grinned. "Well then, I'll catch ya later."
"Hmm, be seeing you, kid, and good luck with the quest."
"Right!"
***
Annabelle
…
"…"
"…"
"Where the hell is he!?" Screamed out Melanie.
"…"
"I mean seriously!" She snapped, "First, he threatens us, then he makes us get up before sunrise to go on this stupid quest, and then just doesn't show up!?"
"He's coming…" I explained, "Just had something to do first."
"Oh, you're one to talk!" She spat, "Just enabling him and agreeing with whatever he does, what are you his slave!?"
"Melanie!" Snapped Lydia, "That's too far!"
"But-"
"No buts!" She continued, "I'm angry at Kenneth, too… but that doesn't mean you have to take it out on Annabelle."
"…"
At the edge of town near the city gates, the two of them stood, while I hovered nearby, the atmosphere tense. The sun had yet to rise, and the sky was tinted a dark blue, the stars and moon still visible and beautiful.
Turning towards me, Lydia looked apologetic, "Annabelle, I'm sorry about her…"
Wearing the same cowgirl outfit from earlier, she was carrying much more weaponry. Two twin pistols holstered on her sides, and a giant rocket launcher on her back… how she was capable of carrying that, I have no clue.
"Don't worry about it…" I reassured, "I don't approve of Ken's actions either, but…" I continued, "When he makes up his mind, it's practically impossible to change it."
"So he's the unreasonable type, huh… most men tend to fall into that category," Lydia mumbled.
"Well, I wouldn't say unreasonable, just very… I mean, it's not even accurate to say he's narrow-minded... he's just very…"
"Self-serving?" Lydia asked.
"To an extent…. Yes."
"Right… I do have experience with people of that nature…" Lydia mumbled.
"Sounds unpleasant." Spoke Melanie, "Just like him."
"…"
Not really having any real basis to defend him, I remained quiet.
"Yo, I'm here!" A familiar voice came from a distance.
"Speak of the devil…" Said Lydia.
Turning to the source, I saw Ken jogging his way to us.
The clothing he was wearing, his dark hair and eyes, white skin tanned by the sun… honestly, he didn't look out of place at all for an alien… The gods were wise to pick humans from Earth, especially with how similar they look.
"Sorry I'm late," Kenneth said, coming over to us.
"Finally…" I said, as I quickly hovered over to his shoulder and dissipated my wings.
"Tired of floating around?" He asked, a bit of tender teasing in his voice.
"Nah, but I'd rather sit than fly if I can help it."
"Fair enough."
"Hey," Snapped Melanie, "What took you so long?" She asked, crossing her arms and glaring at Kenneth with anger.
Looking towards her, Kenneth spoke, "Melanie, good morning to you too! Did you sleep well?"
"Don't act curt with me!" She snapped.
"Kenneth…" Spoke Lydia, her voice quiet.
Looking at her, Kenneth spoke, hesitance in his voice, "Lydia…"
"…"
"Wait…" He continued, his eyes darting to her weapons, "Is that a bazooka?" He snapped, "You got a fucking bazooka!?"
"I…"
"How are you even carrying that?" He exclaimed, "That thing's nearly as big as you!"
"…"
"Hey!" Melanie snapped, "If you got time to admire her weapons, then can we get this over with?"
"Hey, come on now," Kenneth spoke, "What's the hurry, we still got time."
"Shut up!" She snapped, "Did you at least get the quest!?"
"Jeez, fine fine." He spoke, "And yeah, I have it here." Saying so, he took out a flyer with the Quadrilla quest. "Here it is, 3.6 million fields, east of town, half a day away. And look, I even got the price confirmed, the Quadrilla's corpse will sell for 450,000 fields, and with the quadchimps on top, it's gonna go over 4 million!"
"Over…" Melanie mumbled, quieting down a bit after hearing this.
"Well, I did my bit, what about you guys?" He asked, "Did you get the supplies?"
"Yes…" Lydia spoke, pointing at her backpack, "Enough food and water to last a day, plus more in case."
"Good…"
There was a bit of an awkward atmosphere among them, fully warranted, mind you.
"Well then…" Kenneth spoke, "Sun's gonna rise soon."
"Yeah… let's get to it."
Seeing this, I remained quiet, while Melanie still held a hostile gaze.
Sighing, Kenneth walked forward, passing the two girls.
"Come on, I'll lead." He spoke.
"…"
The two girls looked at each other, Lydia with conflict in her face, and Melanie with wide eyes.
"And just who gave you that right?" Snapped Melanie.
"Hey, if you want to take charge, be my guest." Said Kenneth.
"!!!"
Seeing Melanie's silence, Kenneth spoke, "No? Alright then, if there aren't any more objections-"
"Actually, Kenneth…" Lydia spoke, "I'm the most skilled here… so I believe it should be me taking charge."
"…"
She continued, "And if we get ambushed, I'd be better suited to minimize damage."
Raising an eyebrow, Kenneth spoke, "A ranger in the vanguard?"
"Yes…"
"She's way more capable than you." Said Melanie, "Even I am, but I'll be using you as a meat shield."
"…"
"Well…" Kenneth spoke, "I have no objections, if you wanna, go for it."
"Right…"
Saying so, Lydia walked forward.
"…"
Looking at Melanie for a bit, she raised her eyebrow at us, before Kenneth shrugged his shoulders and began following Lydia, only for Melanie to follow behind.
Sighing to myself, I looked onwards, seeing Lydia's back, I mumbled in a voice only Kenneth could hear, "You better make things right quick, or it won't be the Quadrilla that gets us."
"…"
***
Kenneth
Mid-afternoon, when the sun had reached its peak, Annabelle, Lydia, Melanie, and I strolled the hilly forest, making our way towards the Quadrilla's territory.
"We should be close now…" Said Lydia, walking ahead.
We kept moving throughout the day, only really making a few pit stops to rehydrate and make sure we're going the right way. A bit after we left, we had a simple breakfast from stewing the dried meats we had, yet we didn't have lunch yet.
"…"
Turning to see Melanie getting by slowly, I slowed down and walked on her side, "Need any healing?" I asked.
"No." She said bluntly, "And get back to your spot. I don't want to speak with you."
"Alright, jeez…" Saying so, I began walking forward a bit, but spoke again, "So what's your deal?"
"Excuse me?"
"Your deal, like what you do." I clarified, "I still have no clue what your class is."
"I told you already, it's none of your business." She spoke,
"It is when we're about to fight together." I said, "How are we supposed to strategize if you don't lay your cards out?"
"Look, just," she said, "Leave me alone. I'll do my part. You don't have to worry about that."
"…"
"Leave it, Ken, it's no use." Said Annabelle.
Sighing to myself, I walked forward again and spoke, this time to Lydia, "Hey."
"…"
…
"Hey!"
"I hear you!" She snapped, "What do you want?"
"Just making conversation."
"…"
…
Realizing the fruitless effort, I shifted to my position and quietly walked.
"I mean… what did you expect?" Annabelle whispered.
"A bit of compliance?" I explained, "Thought she'd be more mature."
"Well, you did threaten the poor girl."
"Only out of desperation."
"Still though…"
"Halt!" Said Lydia, coming to a spot and putting her arms up. "We're here…"
"…"
Turning around to see Melanie, the two of us picked up the pace and got next to Lydia.
We were on a small hilltop, and there was a steep hill going down about 12 or so feet, and past that was a clearing.
"!!!"
Hiding behind the bushes, I quietly observed the targets we were after. Chimps, the same size as the ones on Earth, but with four arms. They had blood red fur and exposed skin, only having fur on the forearms, legs, chest, and a few parts of the face… a very human distribution.
"Where's the big guy?" I asked, observing.
The quadchimps were playing amongst each other, some even fighting, while others were messing around like chimps.
"Probably in there…" Said Annabelle, pointing at a large cave in the clearing.
"And how many more of the little guys are in there, do you reckon?" I asked.
I counted a whopping 13 of them just outside, with the possibility of more being inside… This will be a tough fight.
"Can't say… the weaker ones typically tend to stay out, while the higher ranking stronger ones stay in the caves with the Quadrilla." Said Melanie.
"Hmm…"
If the stronger guys are inside, they'd probably be less right? Let's say… 7 as an estimate… 20 and the big boss Quadrilla…
"Alright, game plan!" I spoke.
Hearing me, the two girls looked at me.
"So first off, we get Annabelle to buff all of us." I said, "I'll become an intermediate, and you two will become overlords."
"…"
"Then… I'll be at the front, hacking and slashing through the quadchimps, while Lydia supports me from the rear…. And when the Quadrilla shows up, we can rely on your giant bazooka to take it down." I said, "It's just… where does Melanie fit into this?" I said, looking at her.
"Don't worry, I'll step in when the time's right." She said,
"I'd feel a lot more comfortable if you'd tell me what you can and cannot do."
"… You'll see."
"…"
Well, can't force her, I guess.
"It's not a bad plan, Kenneth." Spoke Lydia, "Safe and strategic…"
"You're welcome, then-"
"But you'll be mistaken if you think I'll stay in the rear." She spoke, "I'm going in."
Huh?
I look at Annabelle, then at Melanie in confusion.
Melanie spoke, "What? We agreed to team up with you, didn't say we'd listen to you."
"I-"
"Sorry, Kenneth, but we have our own ways." Said Lydia.
"Okay, hold up!" I snapped. "I get that you got some issues with me, but right now's not the time to-"
"Have you led an extermination quest?" Asked Lydia.
"Huh?"
"Have you?"
"I uhh… no."
"Well, I have." She spoke, "So between the two of us, I'd say I have a better understanding of what to do."
"…"
"Sorry, Kenneth, but I'm not going to take orders from an amateur." She said bluntly, "Either follow my lead, or back off and let us handle it."
"…"
"You heard her." Spoke Melanie, "Well, Lydia, I got your back."
"Right," Lydia spoke, "Miss Annabelle, if you'd be so kind as to use your buffs on us?"
"Oh, right… Sure." Said Annabelle, hesitantly, before morphing her wings and taking a distance from us.
"…"
Pointing her palms at us, she glowed a bright green, before said green enveloped us and raged into a fire-like aura.
"!!!"
Like before, the green aura set to a golden orange, before dissipating, completing the spell.
"Done." Said Annabelle.
"This is…" Mumbled Lydia, examining her body.
"If you aren't sure, you can try jumping." Said Annabelle.
"No…" Lydia continued, "I feel the difference, this is amazing, Miss Annabelle."
You feel it, huh…
"…"
Looking at Melanie, she remained quiet, looking at her card.
"What?" Asked Annabelle.
"It didn't work." She spoke.
"Huh!?" 2x
"That can't be!" Annabelle spoke, "Show me your card, my spells never fail!"
"No!" Snapping, she distanced her card from Annabelle.
"!!!"
Seeing this, Lydia spoke, "Melanie… is it because…"
"Probably." Said Melanie, before looking at Annabelle, "Look, nothing wrong with your spells, but divine magic isn't really something that works on me."
"But… how?" Annabelle said, "Even if you're a Seraphin, it'll only not be effective if you're-" Eyes widening, Annabelle stared at Melanie, and Melanie stared back. "No…"
"Figured it out, huh?" Said Melanie, a nervous smirk on her face.
"You…"
"Wait," I spoke, "I'm a bit blind here."
"She's-"
"Look!" Snapped Lydia, "I know you both have questions, but…" She looked towards the quadchimps, "How about we save it till we finish the quest?"
To this, Annabelle simply glared at them both before looking at me, anger in her eyes.
…
"I don't really get it…" I spoke, "But well, you two seem to know what you're doing, and if you aren't gonna listen to me, I can't force you to." I continued, "So sure, go right ahead, I'll back you up."
"Thank you." Saying so, Lydia smiled at me, the first time in a bit. Shifting her attention to the chimps, Lydia spoke again, "Back me up when you get the chance, Melanie."
"Right…"
"…"
"Now then…" Lydia spoke, "Blast on!" Saying so, she took out the twin pistols from her holsters and jumped down into the clearing.
She's got a catchphrase?
"!!!"
The chimps instantly noticed Lydia's presence, but before they could do anything, Lydia pointed her guns at them and began shooting.
"!!!"
"One, two, three… oh wow four…" I said, watching her go off.
One by one, she was quickly clearing up the quadchimps, not leaving any for me.
"Well, I'll have the ones inside, I guess…." Saying so, I stood up.
"Ken." Spoke Annabelle, "We gotta speak after this."
Hearing this, I looked between the angry-looking Annabelle and the tense Melanie, then shrugged my shoulders. "Sure."
Jumping into the clearing, I let myself slide down the cliff, as I put my arms into my pockets and put on Night Petal
"!!!"
Immediately after I got down, I saw that Lydia had cleared up all the chimps, except for one.
"!!!"
The single chimp charged at her while she stood firm, reloading her gun.
"!!!"
Not letting her have all the glory, I quickly ran past her to her shock, then as the chimp jumped at me in confusion, I swung my arms like a hammer, hitting the chimp in the head, slamming it into the ground with such force that it bounced back.
"!!!"
As it bounced, I kicked it with full force, sending it flying over to the edge of the cave where the other quadchimps and Quadrilla are likely in.
"My turn now!"
To be continued.