Threat Levels
As much as I know, they are calculated like a triangle. On the bottom left is strength, on the bottom right is agility, on the top is essence reserve. Both strength and agility has six levels and are added together before being divided by two. Then that final number is added to the essence reserve level (which is still capped at six) and that determines one's threat level.
Part 17
The main door to the inn was kicked open by an angry demon lady.
"Where's Cyeen Flameber?!"
Most of the employees had gathered up to watch whatever was going down. The inkeeper left his room the later than everyone, hastily descending down the stairs. He didn't even have time to properly wake up as this was the biggest commotion White Poppy had for a while. The inkeeper lifted his hands slightly, signaling the demon to calm down.
"Please keep your voice down ma'am. May I learn the reason behind your actions?"
Jess pillared over the man. She got up to his face before leaning into his ear, whispering:
"I sait. Where'z. Cyeen. Flameber?"
"D-do you mean Chen Flanner?"
Jess got a little confused.
"Probally. Where'z she?"
The poor guy felt the threatening tone right down to his bones. He gulped before giving the demon the spare room key for Cyeen's room. The employees soon heard another door kicking as the demon went upstairs. That sound was accompanied by a few blasters going off with silence following it. A violet haired individual was then escorted out of the inn on top of Jess, wrapped around her neck.
Cyeen tried her best to struggle out of that position. And the result of her struggle was finding herself slammed against a wall the next second. It seemed being slammed against something had become the norm for her these days. Jess stared at her for a while before licking her sharp teeth and talking.
"Ya ar late. It's noon alreadi."
Cyeen was absolutely astounded by Jess's reasoning.
"Wait, that's it? That's why you barged into my room and kidnapped me?!"
Jess looked like she couldn't care less.
"Yeh? Pretty reasonabel isn't it?"
The noble lady was at a loss for words. She slowly seperated her body from the wall and walked towards their set meeting spot. She kept stealing glances at the demon just to be safe on the way.
Zoen was sitting at their designated table just like before. He waved at the two to get their attention and waited for them to sit down, fixing his hair right before talking.
"So, it's our last day here thanks to Cyeen's little trick back at the auction." he handed a travel bag to each of the girls. "I already bought us horses for cheap thanks to Cherry so we're ready to go whenever you are."
Jess's eye's expanded in shock.
"Cherey?! She'z here?! Where?!!!"
Both Zoen and Cyeen pointed at the herb store across the trading district, making the demon woman immediately leave them. Cyeen observed the speed at which she was running. It was actually pretty impressive. It made sense for demons to be this fast since they didn't have an inborn ability like teleportation. Better write this down later. She came eye to eye with Zoen for a second. The noble scratched the side of her face before speaking.
"How about we go on a little stroll while we wait for her?"
Zoen nodded.
"Good idea."
The two were walking all by themselves again. They visited tons of store but mainly entered one's that sold vanity items, just looking at things they would buy if they had extra money.
Half an hour had passed when they sat down on some hill facing Bami. Cyeen took a seat on the grass next to Zoen before taking the first word.
"So how'd you buy the horses? You didn't take our part of the money today."
Zoen shrugged,
"We could have bought the horses last week. I just wanted us to have extra money at hand."
"Makes sense makes sense... And one more thing, I thought I told you to keep her under control. Did you see how she treated me this morning? In front of all those people?"
Zoen sighed, it was obvious he didn't have any power over Jess.
"I'm terribly sorry Cyeen. It's just... Jess is like a wildfire, I can't contain her with a few splashes of water. She normally isn't this unpredictable, I should say. She just doesn't know how to deal with grief."
Cyeen laid down, signaling him to do the same.
"Hm? And why is that?" she asked.
His eyes focused on the clouds above.
"Jess has never been good at expressing herself and there is a good reason for that. They took our childhood Cyeen. We matured up eight years earlier. We had to." He looked away from her. "They took our freedom and with that, our hope. They carved those days into our memories, our souls, our skins."
The noble lady felt a wave of similarity hit her in the face. She felt included in their story. The words he uttered weren't that further from what she'd say to describe her own life.
"How exactly?" Asked Cyeen, this time with genuine curiosity.
"As I said before in the herb store, ask Jess for these. I have never seen someone as aware of the world around her as she is. My words would fall weak in comparison to hers."
Cyeen nodded. Then I hope I actually receive an answer from her this time. The two watched the clouds pass by for a second before helping each other get up. There was a thick silence as they slowly made their way to the herb store.
There were five people around a table as Zoen and Cyeen entered the store. Four of them had two cards laid in front of them with a few silver coins next to them. It was obvious they were playing poker.
What? But poker shouldn't have been...
Cyeen tiredly rubbed her eyes. This shouldn't have been invented, that shouldn't have been invented, you realise you're only running your mouth right? But the voice was right about this, it was way too early for people in this age to be playing poker. Cyeen looked at the people around the table. There were two shady men, an even shadier looking woman and a demon on the table. There was also Cherry, who Cyeen couldn't make out for a second as the ex-pirate had been made into the dealer. Jess jumped up as the final card was turned, revealing her winning hand. The demon flipped all the people at the table off before sweeping the coins into her bag. She was only now realising the figures looking at her from the door frame. Jess leaned back look at them and when she leaned forward again to ask for another game she realised the people had left.
Cyeen sat across Jess and glared at her.
"How much did you win?"
"Quadruplet a weeks worth!" She exclaimed proudly.
Cyeen was taken aback. She knows how to multiply, a pirate like her? Her thoughts got interrupted by Zoen sitting next her.
"I assume you knew the scolding you'd receive if you lost all your money, sister?"
Cherry budged into the conversation,
"She couldin't lose though. Obviously wi cheated! Right captain?"
Jess nodded, further disappointing her brother. Zoen spoke up once again.
"I assume you're done catching up then? We don't have all day you know? So say your goodbyes and let's get a move on."
Jess and Cherry looked like little kids as they each said their goodbyes. It was clear they used to be close friends back in the day.
After double checking everything, they went towards the place Zoen bought horses from. Upon arriving at the location they each jumped onto their designated horses, controlled their supplies one last time and started their journey once again.
Zoen was warning Cyeen about certain things on the way. Now that they had horses and actual valuable items they needed to sleep with a shift system, watch out for bandits and care for their horses regularly. While listening with one ear, she was noting all of these into her small book.
Cyeen felt herself be freed of the shackles holding her in place now that they had finally moved on from Bami. She hoped to come back for it someday though. It really was a beautiful town.
On the other hand, the demon woman was uncharacteristically quite and calm on the way, only interrupting Cyeen and Zoen's conversations when she wanted to ask something. Her actions were mentally noted by Cyeen.
Their first rest stop was inside a forest next to the path they were taking. Jess had returned to her normal self by now as she started actively messing with Cyeen. But it felt different than when they first met. It was obvious the demon didn't mean half of the comments she made and their training session felt more professional now that Jess wasn't trying to actively kill her.
When it was close to sleeping time, Cyeen went up to Jess and sat across her, putting the camfire they lit in between them.
"So, how did you turn your hands into claws that one time? Could you perhaps teach it to me?"
Jess laughed.
"Well I cauld of cuorse, if ya are willing to change yar race that is. Whad I mean to say iz us demons have pritty good constrol over our bones. In fact I thinkg a demon's bones are partailly made out of muscle fibers?"
"I see, I see." said the noble, writing into her book. Now Jess had a question for the noble.
"Thad book, how do ya even wriet in it? Aren't ya using a pure white feather?"
"Oh actually the feather is a bit grayer than the book so it allows me to barely see it."
It was now the demon's turn to say; "I see, I see." She looked at her sleeping brother before meeting the gaze of Cyeen.
"Cyee Flayberg, yar not one of those scummy noblees right? Right?"
This statement of Jess suprised Cyeen.
"If by scummy you mean those that do black market stuff in the background then no; as much as I know it my family does not dip into those."
"Then perihaps I've misjuged you, sorry fo that. Still hate yar guts tho."
Cyeen couldn't wait anymore, she was going to ask the question she was holding ever since they left Bami.
"If we're going into deeper topics, I had a question to ask of you. How did you came to be a pirate if you didn't want to be one in the first place?"
Jess averted her gaze.
"Can't my broter kiep his mouth shut for a sec." She sighed and looked back at the noble. "Ya raelly wanna learn? The story of me, and me crew?"
Cyeen nodded once. She came to like listening to people's backstories. Jess started talking as soon as the noble took a comfortable position.