Leena awoke to the smell of food being made. Odd, she thought that had never happened before?
Panic set in as she realized she slept in! She chided herself for staying up reading that book… She quickly fixed her hair and dressed. She did not want to give them a reason to mock her for this folly.
When she reached the kitchen, shocking her more was Nina already awake with Mom cooking… adding more of a sting to her pride that someone who always wanted to sleep beat her to being awake, but either by intuition or acute hearing, she could not say. Nina stopped wagging her tail, talking to Mom near the stove, and faced her, beaming a smile full of life, the opposite of how she usually was in the morning, annoying her more as she still felt restless from poor sleep.
“I wanted to surprise you with breakfast! Since you never sleep in.” Nina said much too loudly… Mom looked to see what got Nina so happy and smiled to see her other daughter looking disheveled and not happy, which amused her even more as it was rare for her daughter even to have a bad day. Her mom did not speak so as not to irritate her more...
which did indeed aggravate her more… the fact that she was trying not to…. Nina, seeing her not respond with joy, was confused. “ Is it cramps? That time already?“ she asked with warmth in her voice.
“No… “ she retorted.
“You know it not.“
“And we have medicine… Sorry, I’m just not used to waking up late.”
She knew she had been pissy and hated it. It surprised her how her gift could literally heal shattered bones in seconds, but when she had poor sleep? Sucks to be you… a petty complaint, but one she was going to dwell on in this mood. As a voice broke her thoughts.
“Why not just heal?” It was Nina, bless her heart; as annoying as it was right now, she was trying to help me. I breathed in slowly and out, “Thank you, sister, for caring.“
“I tried. My gift seems to heal the flesh and bone, not mental states like physical exhaustion,“
Mom interjected, surprising them both.“That fire, dear,“ she said passively.
“What?” I retorted a little too sharply.
“Fire gives a boost to the body’s energy, where light heals the flesh,” Mom clarified.
“It balances doing dear; I suppose they wanted each god to give something.”
“ I think water does a little of both.” Mom added the last part as an afterthought, so great, she thought to herself, if she were strong in water, she might have healed her brother and always been well rested… Well, that also explains why Teva always seems happy and full of life...
A hug broke her inner conflict. “It's ok, sis. I still love you. " It was Nina comforting her, and she could not keep her sour mood, as she felt a little better.
“Thank you. I just need some of that wake-up powder in a drink, and I’ll be better... I don’t handle change well even if it's my doing…"
Breakfast went smoother after that as they gossiped about how their day would go. She wanted to go early to the guildhall to meet Arlin, fearing a repeat of ruining Wolf's day. Nina was not happy that they would not even check on her brother, but it was part of giving him space…
The guildhall was surprisingly busy even in the early morning. It seemed the influx of people to their town for the dungeon was bringing adventurers in droves. She felt uncertain; maybe she should even try to group with them for their advice on how to fight, as some looked like they had experience. Though sadly they misunderstood her looks as interest and tried flirting with her…
She barely made it inside, trying to deny their advances while straining to keep a smile as two of the boys from before followed her and Nina inside... Nina was indifferent, listening to the chatter and not noticing her plight, as she wasn't sure how to politely tell them she wasn't interested and she was already here to see another friend, but they were not taking the subtle hints.
She could see Ziala watching in the distance and helping others, or she would try to use her to shake the boys. As it was now, she wasn't sure what to do, and it was starting to hurt her a bit. This day wasn't going how she wanted when a darkness engulfed her and a voice said, “You ok?“ The shadow shifted to a person standing in front of her, and it was Arlin…
She involuntarily released a sigh of relief even as the two boys jerked back in fear, unknowing what was going on before they got a bit angry. “We were talking to her first…”
“Yea?” Arlin said with a cold indifference,
"She came here to see me.“
"She is my friend, and I asked her to come.” The boys looked conflicted, but when they looked at her, she nodded, feeling conflicted... She was usually more self-assured, but today she felt off, and this day was a little much.
much too late... Nina finally noticed she wasn't comfortable, got mad, her ears going flat, and told the boys how she felt: “Leave my sister alone; she's not interested.“
That threw the boys off, as she was friendly and indifferent just seconds ago. Seeing they were getting stared at by random people, and they were just being friendly, they backed off. “Sorry, we’ll go.” She felt bad it ended like that; they were nice and did nothing wrong… She just wasn't interested.
Nina rubbed her back, and Arlin turned eyes full of concern. “Sorry if I overstepped, but…” he started saying.
“You did not look happy.“ He stared for a minute.
“Did you get enough sleep? You look like shit.” She could not help but laugh when Nina slapped his head. “Ow,” he glared at Nina.
“What's your problem, ugly?“ She was going to slap him again when he shifted to darkness, pulling back a bit.
“Don’t foulmouth my sister; she's pretty,” Nina said, still staring him down. He grimaced at that.
“Just means she looked like she was having a bad day,“ he glanced where the boys left.
"And doubt those kids were making it any better," she smiled, feeling better and thankful she had a good friend.
“ I'm fine, thank you.” Surprised them both to hear her speak. “Nina, be nice. Arlin helped me." Nina pouted.
“Sorry.”
Arlin, still not happy, accepted it. They visited where they could and even tried to include Ziala while they were there, but the traffic and work were not a good time, so they opted to try to see Terra instead.
On the trip there, she wanted Arlin to know it meant a lot that he shooed away those boys; she wasn't looking for love and had other issues she needed to work out first. “Thank you, Arlin; it means a lot that you helped me back there and even now with all this." She watched his back as she said that, as he was leading, followed by Nina beside her.
He shrugged, “ I’ll always be there for you; just ask.” She wasn’t sure how to take those words; they were a comfort but phrased in a way she wasn't sure of his intentions and did not want to ask, so she left it at that. As they made it to the blacksmith shop, it was early morning, and they worried they would have to kill time if they had to wait. They opted to go to the tavern.
Yet true to her word, the shop was open early; it even had a few customers, surprising her. Though it seemed they were just browsing the stock vs. buying, she could say nothing as she was literally begging for items as a loan, so she felt a bit ashamed. Nina saw her mood and gave her a hug, giving her a bit of warmth. Being loved, the dad was tending the shop. Terra must have been in the back; he saw them. With his fiery gaze, she could not help but smile.
He smiled back and nodded. Arlin bowed, and Nina waved excitedly before speaking, “We're going hunting today!“ It amused her how Nina always seemed to be in good spirits.
“ THUR HUR DA? “ It seems Terra heard Nina's voice as she came out to greet them. “Why U not tell me da? “
He glared at his daughter as if she were an enemy he had to crush. “They just gut heer. “
“Calm duwn,” he said as she walked up to her dad, slapping his muscular arm before facing them with a smile and a wink to Arlin before Nina rushed and hugged Terra. She was happy to see her also, and Terra asked the important question.
“so u knuw whut u wunt? “ She nodded slowly; she did give it a lot of thought.
“I would like a sword and a shield that are not too heavy but can still block.“ Terra stared for a minute and then walked over, surprising her as she felt her arm.
“Hmm,” she studied her with a careful stare, judging her frame. “u gut some muscle but u eva use a wepon?” she shook her head. She never held a blade and was planning on winging it, which got Terra to frown.
“A bled not a tuy” that made her glare back.
” I’m not a child,“ she retorted. “And I know that which I wish to hunt must be killed.”
"It's not a game to me." The firm glare she gave was met with indifference from Terra, but she did not relent. Nina was surprised that things turned so serious. As was Arlin, this was a happy moment a second ago.
Terra slowly nodded but then spoke, “Blede needs skill not desiure.”
“Hummer butter just smush smush.“ Terra said calmly and with love. The tension broke in her as she knew Terra was showing concern and trying to help.
“Sorry, I’m tired,“ she relented.“Thank you for trying to help, but I want a normal blade to infuse my skill and an earth shield if I can choose.” Terra nodded slowly before speaking.
“Um… whut wus Ur skill ? “ She felt bad; she never really told anyone, not even her brother. She was proud of her gift but hated bragging, as it felt like a mockery to the gods' gift, but people needed to know.
"Light level three …" That got a gasp from all, even the customers she forgot were there, causing her to shrink a bit.
“Thut a gud gift I'm jelus, “ Terra said while smiling, making her feel even more embarrassed. She did not like all the attention. Nina tried to comfort her, and Arlin just smiled at her, which did make her feel better despite her inner sulking. At the attention, Terra looked around, seeing everyone staring took a stand for her.
“U bi-in, or U just luuk-in? “ The onlookers grimaced, knowing they were adding to causing a scene and having no intention of buying, bowed quickly and left, causing Arlin and Nina to laugh a bit. She felt embarrassed for the people and chided them both, as they should not mock good people…
Things settled a bit, and Terra spoke, and what she said surprised her. “I allrudee huve a sheld fur U, as Uh gift. “ She looked away, brushing her hand in her hair. “ I wuld huve shure my hummer but u wunt a swurd. “
“I can't muke a gud one, but my da did.“
“Muybee… maybee it tume we use it.” She left after saying that, confusing them, wondering what she was doing. After a minute, Terra's dad entered with her, holding a wrapped weapon.
He looked a bit sad but serious “ my daugther say Ur siruos about a swurd?” She nodded slowly, not sure how to answer and not have it be a lie, as she had nothing to prove how she felt…
He handed her the sword. “U lack skill su thrust this weapun is key “ he mimicked with his big arms as if holding a shield and thrusting forward with an unseen weapon. “u cun swung too but thrust is key.“
She nodded slowly as she unwrapped the oilcloth with careful fingers, half-expecting something simple. Instead, what lay beneath stole the breath from her lungs with its quiet, deadly beauty. And she wept, “This… is too much.”
The sword was short, no longer than her forearm, but it was enough for her purpose. Its edges were clean, straight, and honed to a sharpness that could cut even the shadows from darkness. The tip narrowed into a deadly point, simple and unflinching. And the steel itself had a slight hue glow as if it was enchanted, but she knew it was the ore itself, one of the rarer metals, maybe mithril…
The hilt was a smooth grip of dark heartwood, shaped to her hand like it already knew hers. The crossguard curved subtly at the sides with that same rare metal glow, and the pommel, a rounded weight of a ball of darkness, offset the endless shine of the blade and balanced the whole weapon like a secret promise hiding the death it would bring. It was not heavy, but not light either. It wanted to be wielded, not shown off.
Terra broke her thoughts as she tried to recover, “It’s nut a swurd fur duncing. It’s fur surviving. Fur stunding ur ground.”
“Mum wuld be proud”
She stared once more at the blade… No fancy inlay, no jewels, no name etched in the blade. Just the blade and its purpose. And somehow, that made it feel even more sacred.
“I can’t; this feels like too much.“ She wanted to give it back, but the dad shook his head,
“nu “
“I mude it in memury of my wife. “He looked at the blade as he paused and slowly spoke the rest. “She wus a balance in our luves “
“She huted weapuns “
“But she knuw we neded to keel “
“So shu tuld me if U must keep muking the weapuns”
“muke one for me”
“and only guve it to thuse that must fught”
“ not just wunting to keel”
"I trust u need to fught and dun't wunt to just keel…”
16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvei9D0tXoY
She felt a hand reach around her, tying a belt around her “ur a skeeny thing Im jellus “ Terra said by her side, making her blush. She hated strangers seeing her in this state, but if they trusted her this much, they were not strangers, so she embraced the light within her to steady her nerves and started glowing, like a self-fulfilling prophecy reinforcing their idea that she was chosen and special….
“Huld a momunt my gift is gud to “ while she rushed off to get her gift. Leena chose to bow and thank the dad, swearing she would give back to him tenfold. When Terra handed her the new gift, which was a small shield but also looked amazing even in the dim light of the shop, it was onyx black with a blend of what looked like wood, but upon touching it, it was more like a stone, even though the whole thing was metal. But surprising her was how light it was to hold... Terra smiled.
“I no It nut as shuny as my da but it wurks it mude of stune blessin and metul it strung.” Leena was overwhelmed; they gave too much freely with no real work for it... She studied it closer, amazed how it felt as Terra spoke.
“I shuped it with my firer blessin," She tapped the center. “Thus sheld wunt hulp U daunce. But it’ll keep you upright. It’ll huld the line whun everything else gives way.”
A gift of grounding, to balance the other gifts, light and enchanted with earth, to stand even when others might have fallen… It was near two feet and covered most of her body, but still she was able to move around. She finally had a weapon and could fight. She looked at Arlin, beaming a smile, and he was lost in thought but noticed her look and gave a smile back. Nina was amazed, her tail wagging, afraid to ruin the moment, so she did not dare speak till she was sure all was well.
Arlin broke the silence first, “I talked with my sister; she said the hunters have expanded and gotten more help where they can.”
“So there won’t be as many monsters to hunt, but that also works in our favor.”
“ Means we're less likely to get overwhelmed.“
“Sadly, I’m not a good tracker.“
“But we can still try checking near the mayor's office.“
“They made a hunter lounge,“Arlin said, informing them.
“Hunters Lounge? “ She was confused and surprised in a spoke
“ Brother told me about it, I mean Brother Nebo,“ Nina said, looking to the side in thought. “He said the tribes have one, and Mom and Dad were part of it and hunted monsters.“ nina looked a little sad before carrying on.
“Think he said the city version is harder to make, so they were slower to do it.”
“It's why Coby and his family were doing it more as volunteers than officially, well till now, it seems.“ nina said with indifference. It wasn't much info, but it did help…
“I wunt to go,“ Terra chimed in. It made sense they were supposed to hunt and needed a tracker, or they would just be moving aimlessly. “Ok,“ Leena said. Let’s go there and see if we can work something out.“
“Maybe we will get lucky and Coby will finally be back.“
As they set off to the start of their hunts with their new team.
***
Earlier the same day
Cobby was annoyed he finally got back and was stuck in this building he cared nothing about; he was a hunter, not some businessman… Yet here he sat with Wolf Dad, the mayor, and the guild mistress, and his dad… He tried to not be part of it, but his dad insisted if he was going to take his place one day, he needed to learn why this mattered…
The guild mistress was someone he never cared about. She was pretty in an odd way, he supposed. She had long white hair and red eyes. He heard it happens from fairy herb smoking. She also liked to wear fancy dresses, which he assumed she did to draw the eye. She saw him looking and smiled, but he ignored her as she blew smoke to the side. Even if she was younger, she was not his type…
His dad was next to him, firm-faced and fairly dressed, if a bit rugged like him, made for the wildness, not this… The mayor was in a good mood; it seemed his secretary was also here, and she kindly served them sweets and tea. He was impressed with what she put up with with indifference as he heard the little gnome love wandering off.
Wolf's dad seemed nonplussed as he waited for talks to start , and he was dressed nicely today, surprising him. It seemed he was the only one among them that took this meeting seriously…well, him and his dad. Everyone else saw it as a forced meeting.
Mayor spoke first while nibbling a cookie: “The walls are being built. Finally, we have plenty of seeing as we're literally in a forest, but labor is a strain. Despite all the people not enough hands to cover everything. It also seems we did not keep an eye on our trades, and we were bought out of everything cheap to be resold elsewhere. He looked at Wolf's dad while saying that, who looked ashamed.
“I assumed they were part of town and helping expand, so I gave deals in bulk, thinking it would be reinvested in town… I failed to oversee how things were handled, and for that I’m sorry. We’re fixing it now, but it means we’ve got to fight to improve for a bit…”
"Also, the majority come from overseas or far lands, and their view on wealth is different than ours. Coin is their preference, so it is causing conflict with those used to cheap things and fair trades."
“Even my son is going to have to learn to price higher or face the same outcome as us,“ a female voice spoke, breaking the dull talk from the guild mistress.
“My son is pushing to hunt; he says your son.” She looked over at Coby. “He helped him before and wants his help once more,” his dad spoke before anyone else could.
“That was the whole point of the hunter lounge…” staring at her, annoyed
"Too many people have been seeking our help. They need to sign up at the hall… We've been recruiting where we can, but it takes time.” As the tension was mounting, with each one wanting their own thing addressed, I spoke, annoyed I was still here…
“Dad,” a moment of silence while things settled.
“I helped my brother before.“
“I want to again…”
“I know Arlin wants to help our family and friends, or he would not even ask for me.” His dad looked slightly ashamed but said nothing. The guild mistress was amused, knowing her son would be helped. coby sighed not liking the games of adaults
“Can I go… This… is not important to me”
“Maybe later this will matter for me, but I'd rather help others now.”
“And I have not even seen Wolf since he got his shop…” His dad was not happy; he wanted his son on the ground floor learning this business but knew he still had his life.
“Ok…” dad replied Nothing more was said, nor did it need to be; they knew each other from all their hunts… And Coby has long since proven he can hunt.
He bowed as he left, the different faces changing from amused to indifferent as he left the business to others. He made it to the shop near the lake and was surprised at how large it was. It was definitely a shop that made people look. It even had random people seeming to camp nearby, casually enjoying their day in the hope they might get lucky and it open, which surprised him. He wondered what his brother did that impressed them so much but smiled, already knowing his gift…
He wandered around; he heard there was a house attached to it where Wolf lived, and he could not help but be filled with pride at how much his brother grew from chasing a dream of adventure to owning his own place and shop. It was a huge change, and he was glad he could be a part of it. He found the door to the house and knocked and was surprised at the voice that shouted from beyond.
“DAMN IT, SISTER, YOU SAID YOU'D GIVE ME A DAY ALONE.“
“OR IF THAT'S YOUR ARLIN, I'M REALLY NOT IN THE MOOD…”
He wasn't sure what to say to that. Unaware of what had transpired, he felt awkward simply wanting to see his brother. He was tempted to leave, but he did not want it to end like this… So he waited to face his brother wolf’s wrath.
As the door swung open, his brother, with a scowl, immediately changed to shock. "Brother?!"
Coby could not help but laugh, “Yeah, missed you too.” He saw Wolf blush in embarrassment and shame.
“ I…I… uh,.. “
“I’m happy to see you, but um… “
He wasn't sure why Wolf was having issues. “You can tell me; I won’t get mad, promise.”
A gentle laughter followed by a voice spoke in the distance, “Just let him in; you should be happy you're so loved.”
He thought he knew that voice but wasn't sure yet. When Wolf moved and he entered, he was shocked. He knew her; it was Teva, looking pretty wearing a short skirt and low-cut top. Her hair had grown out a bit since he last saw her, and the top was showing off her chest, and the low skirt showed off her legs. She smiled and waved with her tail, confusing him, so he waved back, unsure what to say…
But he found amusement in an old talk he remembered having, “Just friends, right?“ he said, looking at Wolf, causing Wolf to blush once more, and Teva tilted her head, not knowing the inside joke.
“Um… we’re dating now.” Wolf confessed slowly.
I could not help but smile and slap his shoulder, then hug him. "Missed you, brother, and congratulations; she's definitely a catch. I would be jealous, but I think she liked you long before I even noticed her." That made Teva blush as she rushed up to Wolf's side.
“I remember you, Wolf's brother, right? What brings you to Wolf's home?”
“Just a visit?”
She wasn't being pushy, just genuinely curious about what brought him there. “I heard talk of supplies being limited and something about Arlin wanting my help." Coby conffesed
"figured it involved you and wanted to see"
"Well, and I wanted to see you,” he finished saying, smiling.
Wolf was happy but conflicted. It seemed like every day something came between his alone time with Teva; even when he wanted to visit his brother, he just knew he was opening his shop soon, and this free time would go away with Nina being there. Coby saw his face and wanted to assure him he understood.
“It’s fine, I just wanted to check on you. There's always another time for us; enjoy your romance." That got a giggle from Teva, and Wolf, looking bashful,
“The help was for me, so I have no right to shoo you away.” Wolf tried to compromise and explain.
“I lack supplies,” and as an afterthought added, “Well, and Len wants to fight the monsters.”
“Really?” Coby asked, surprised, Leena always seems nice. Why would she want to hunt? In fact, the last time they hunted dungeons, she was just kind of there? Maybe that's why she wanted to do more; it made sense…
“Is she home? I’ll go there and leave you be; we can visit another time.” Coby said happy to compromise.
Wolf shook his head. “She was visiting Arlin, and I think a new blacksmith last time we talked."
"I don’t know the details; I was, um, distracted.“ I could not help but smile seeing Teva nuzzle his neck on one side while playing with his ear with her tail on the other; it seemed they wanted alone time more than they admitted…
“I will help Leena," Coby said."Better than Dad having me sitting in boring talks, I need to move, not sit and stare at walls.“
Wolf, realizing he was rude to his brother, blurted out,“ I did not even show you around or anything in the shop!”
I held up my hand. "It's fine; I’m not going anywhere, and neither is the shop. We will catch up later. I'm glad you're safe.”
“And happy.“
“Teva,“ he said, slowly staring at her till he got her attention, “ be gentle with him.” She giggled while Wolf got embarrassed.
“No promises,“ she replied. He laughed at that, closing the door behind him. That was a surprise twist, but now was the time to hunt…
He used the wind to feel he had been doing it enough; he could pick out things more easily. He could not go off of the energy itself; too many people blended this close. It was all blobs, but if he focused, even though he could not shift like Arlin into a shadow, he could send his sight into the wind, a sea of faces, random people.
It was causing a minor headache trying to focus on the people, but he could handle it for at least another minute or two before he had to give up. As he was searching it more of a chance than really looking, a shadow among people walking near a light caught his eye. It was the absurdness of it that made him focus and really see it…
On closer look, it was indeed Len carrying weapons, which was odd, and Arlin followed by Nina and… a very tall girl wearing armor?! He wanted to focus more, but it seemed he was reaching his limit. He tried to focus on where it seemed they were, and to his surprise, they were going to the same place he rushed from. He broke the sight and laughed. If he kept to that stupid meeting, they probably would run into each other easily, and he would given his brother his space…
Well either way, he wanted to see Wolf, so it probably would happen regardless, and he made his way back to the hunt lounge to see the rest of his family and whoever this new girl was…
***
Leena was impressed, but the size of it reminded her of the guildhall. But this place was supposed to differ from theirs by asking for help with the wild monster? She was wondering how it worked. The inside was very spacious and quiet, despite what she thought would be busy; she guessed, since people came here to ask for help vs. hunt, there was less traffic. A tall, well-dressed male catkin wearing glasses was standing patiently at the counter.
There were other random humans and beastkin doing things in the background, but it seemed one seemed to stay in attendance to assist any random passersby as they walked up to him. He focused on them and bowed, “Greetings.”
“Do you wish to join a hunt or seek our service? We do not charge as we are paid for by the taxes.”
She thought he was very nice but was wondering, “Um... We need a tracker but want to do our own hunts.” The man seemed saddened at that.
“ I fear you misunderstand our intent.“
“This hunter guild is not for personal gain. We protect those who have no options. Or allow those seeking to help a way to do so.”
Arlin spoke up from the side, surprising her, “Get off your high horse; we're doing this to help too.”
“ARLIN,“ she said, shocked at his attitude. Terra laughed, and Nina was nothing but amused.
Arlin rubbed his face. “Sorry, long day. But we do need a tracker…” Leena faced the person at the counter once more, the gentleman looked sympathetic, but his hands were tied.
“Anything we gain is used to help offset the cost to run this place, so we can't share supplies even if in the end they go to the same place.“
“We have to keep to protocol, I’m sorry.” She noticed a few of the workers were staring since they caused a scene.
“It's our fault; we just assumed. Thank you for your time“. She wanted to ask about Coby, but the way things were going today, she felt it wasn't worth adding to it when a voice broke the sour mood into joy.
“You're still glowing like a mage light, you know that, Len?” It was Coby from behind, making her smile and truly glow a little brighter.
“Who ur friend? He cute to “ terra asked full of smiles
leena saw Coby look over at Terra impassively, which impressed leena, as everyone else reacted much more strangely.
“He is a friend of the family; we love and welcome him as a brother named Coby.“ leena said and Coby bowed at that.
“Nice to meet you, miss.“ Coby adressed terra with respect
Nina ran up, giving Coby a hug, and Arlin nodded in acknowledgment. Coby looked around and felt this wasn't the right place for a reunion. “Did you guys eat? Let's go to the inn and talk there. They agreed with Coby and waved goodbye to the employee, and they said sorry for the trouble. The catkin was mostly unsure who they were but still wondered what brought such an odd cast of characters together before going back to the mundane, waiting for assistance.
The inn was mildly busy, but they were able to get a table easily enough. Nina was tickled pink being served by a bearkin. Even Coby was happy to see more beastkin able to spread and work out here; it was a nice change. The boy bearkin was friendly enough but was scowling more than not, and they were not sure why. She thought it was just that kind of day for everyone and worried it might be an omen of things to come. After they settled and ate a bit, they focused on the details of how and what they would hunt.
“It's true there are more monsters, but it's not like a sea of random beasts just waiting to be hunted,“Coby started explaining.
"From the city, we hunted a few of the types of beasts that have changed."
"They're not simple beasts; some have a bit of understanding of how to fight and still choose to come here, drawn to the magic."
“And others are smart enough to avoid humans and don’t cause harm; those tend to leave if given a chance.“
“Truthfully, dungeons would be our best bet, but since more people are hunting them, I think the number of monsters will go down."
"So unless we go deeper, we won't have much to hunt."
"And we know how that went last time,“ Coby said it calmly, but everyone got somber, except Terra.
“um nu? I dun’t knuw whut huppen?” Coby looked up, seeming to forget she wasn't there. Leena felt bad that they dismissed her part in this party.
“Sorry, that was rude,“ Leena said. “We went to depth five for my brother. A powerful beast would have killed us, but…” She trailed off, unsure how to explain when Arlin just said it bluntly.
”We got cocky thinking we could handle anything. That beast showed us there’s always something bigger, so we ran with our tail between our legs,“Arlin said, annoyed.
“HEY,“ Nina shouted, “I’m the only one with a tail, and it was not tucked. I fought it…”
“And lost…” Arlin shot right back as they both glared. Terra just laughed, then said
“It's o-k.”
“U gut me nuw And I dun't run.” She did not like to hear that she wasn't their… Coby spoke up first.
“ We agreed before we went that anything we do has to be as a team, or we will die, or at the very least, one of us will.”
“And their blood will be on those that did not listen.” He did not point fingers, but it soured Terra's good mood, and even Nina knew she was included in that statement. Before it could sour more, she tried to change the topic.
“Terra helped get me new gear. She’s smart; she won’t endanger us. She sells gear and knows what happens to those that the gear wasn't enough.“
Coby seemed indifferent, and the mood stayed a bit strained, but he finally relented. “We can try a few hunts, see how we do, and then some dungeons afterwards.“
The new party was off to a rough start with strained views, but this was what they all wanted, and they were willing to try to make it work as they set off to start their first new adventure and new beast hunt…
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