"So why couldn't we just use the portal in the city?", Enyo asked as she and Isaac stopped along the road for a moment.
"Because they would have been looking for me there", Isaac replied, shifting his eyes around out of paranoia.
"Who would have been looking for you?", Enyo asked, confused.
"Nobody", Isaac snapped. "Now you said you ran into him on the border?", he asked in a much more calm manner.
"Yeah", Enyo confirmed.
"Okay then…. well we aren't too far away then, but there will be Order soldiers around, and I really don't want to fight them", Isaac pondered.
"Because you're weak?", Enyo asked with a grin.
"No! I just don't like fighting", Isaac snapped defensively.
"Yeah, because you're weak", Enyo continued to tease.
Isaac growled, pulling his black hood further over his head out of frustration.
"How long did it take you to get back to Lescatie anyways?", he asked, looking up at the Minotaurus.
"I just ran", Enyo replied nonchalantly. "It only took me about a day"
"And we've been traveling for two….", Isaac grumbled. "Maybe we can ask one of the scout Harpies to look for him. There should be a post up ahead right?"
"Yeah, I passed one when I left", Enyo answered.
"Good, now if they don't listen to you, I can be quite… persuasive", Isaac said with a wry grin.
Isidore sang to himself quite merrily as he walked down the road, with no idea where he was going, and nor did he really care, as his song implied.
In the merry month of June, from my home I started, Left the girls back home, nearly broken hearted, Saluted father dear, kissed me darlin' mother, Drank a pint of beer, me grief and tears to smother, Then off to reap the corn, leave where I was born, Sharpened all me blades, to fight off trolls and goblins, A brand new pair of boots, rattlin' o'er the bogs, Frightenin' all the dogs, on the lonely road I'm walkin'.
One, two, three, four five, Hunt the hare and turn her Down this lonely road No idea where I'm goin', Down this lonely road.
In Lescatie that night, I rested limbs so weary, Started by daylight, my spirits bright and airy, Took a drop of the pure, keep me heart from sinkin', That's the loner's cure, whenever he's on for drinking. To see the lassies smile, laughing all the while, At my curious style, 'twould set your heart a-bubblin'. And asked if I was hired, wages I required, Till I was nearly tired, Of the lonely road I'm walkin'.
One, two, three, four five, Hunt the hare and turn her Down this rocky road No idea where I'm goin', Down this lonely road.
In Palove next arrived, I thought it such a pity, To be so soon deprived, a view of that fine city. Well then I took a stroll, all among the quality, Bundle it was stole, all in the neat locality; Something crossed my mind - when I looked behind, No bundle could I find, upon me stick a wobblin'. Enquirin' for the rogue, said me Human form, Wasn't much in vogue, on this lonely road I'm travelin'.
One, two, three, four five, Hunt the hare and turn her Down this lonely road No idea where I'm goin', Down this lonely road.
From there I got away, me spirits never failin' Landed on the quay, just as the ship was sailin'; The captain at me roared, said that no room had he, When I jumped aboard, a cabin found for me. Down among the pigs, played some funny rigs, Danced some hearty jigs, the water round me bubblin', When off to Goddess' Land, wished that I was dead, Or better far instead, on this lonely road I'm travelin'.
One, two, three, four five, Hunt the hare and turn her Down this lonely road No idea where I'm goin', Down this lonely road.
The boys of the Order, when we safely landed, Called myself a fool; I could no longer stand it; Blood began to boil, temper I was losin', Poor old loner's style, they began abusin', "Hurrah my soul," says I, my fury I let fly; Outcast boys were nigh, and saw I was a hobblin, With a loud hurray, they joined in the affray. We quickly cleared the way, for this lonely road I'm walkin'.
One, two, three, four five, Hunt the hare and turn her Down this lonely road No idea where I'm goin', Down this lonely road.
Isidore tilted his head up in satisfaction, the sun shining upon his face. However, the sight of a Harpy in the skies above stopped him dead in his tracks. In mere seconds, she started diving right towards him.
"Damn!", Isidore cursed, sprinting off of the road for cover.
Still sprinting, Solomon eyed the spectacle taking place not more than six hundred meters away.
"I said back off you stupid pigeon!"
"Aw come on! I just wanna see what you look like under that mask!"
"I swear I'll roast you over a fire pit like the oversized turkey you are!"
"Oh! Why do you have to be so mean about it!"
"Go away!"
A man wearing a black mask and green cloak was trying to fend off a brown winged harpy. Every time the Harpy drew near, the man would slash with his sword, though failing to land a strike on the Monster. Solomon charged onwards, drawing his own sword.
Lunging with a great battle cry, the Hero charged the fire in his hand, the flames wrapping themselves around the blade as he swung at the Harpy.
"AH! No way this is worth it outside of mating season!", the terrified bird-woman stammered, part of her clothes on fire as she ran(/flew) off.
"Yes! Flee in terror at the wrath of the Chief God, foul creature", Solomon taunted.
"Gah!", the green cloaked man shouted. Solomon turned to see the man partially set aflame and desperately trying to put out the embers on his shoulders and chest.
"By the Gods! Forgive me, Sir", Solomon said as the man finally stopped slapping himself.
The man looked up from a hunched over position and glared at him. Solomon froze as he looked into his brown and green eyes.
"Next time you go about saving someone, try not to set them on fire too, Hero", he said gruffly, standing upright.
Solomon couldn't help but stare for a moment before regaining the ability of speech.
"Well… I apologize, good Sir. But I have something to ask of you", he said.
"What?", the man asked.
"Could you, remove your mask?
The man took a couple of steps back and raised an eyebrow. "Why?", he asked, obviously suspicious.
"Because I want to see your face. It's important", Solomon answered.
"Not going to happen", the man said turning to leave, flaring his cloak as he did so.
Solomon frowned and stepped forward, still holding onto his sword. "I saved your life, good sir", he said sternly. "The least you can do is grant me this small favor"
"I never asked for your help, plus you nearly set me on fire. I don't owe you anything, Hero", the man countered.
"Enough of your insolence!", Solomon shouted. "In the name of the Chief Goddess, remove your mask or I will remove it for you!"
"Just try it, Hero!", The man shouted back, returning his challenge as he dropped into a fighting stance, unsheathing a dagger with his left hand.
Solomon charged forward, slashing overhead with his sword, but the masked man deflected the blow with his sword and stepped to the right, bringing his own sword up towards Solomon's neck. Solomon dodged this and swung horizontally at the man's middle, but his foe jumped back and avoided it. The man then charged forward slashing at the Hero's right side with his sword and following it up with the dagger. Solomon blocked both with his sword but failed to react in time to dodge the back kick to the stomach the man had spun around with.
Solomon grunted as he absorbed the blow, his hardened stomach muscles allowing him to keep his breath. He couldn't have seen that coming because his opponent's clock masked much of his footwork as he moved. Memories of training as a child came back to him as doubt vanished from his mind. Still, he had to see the man's face to be sure.
"I'm impressed", he declared, reposting. "Few men can lay a hand on me like that. Your fighting style is also excellent as well, why I don't think I could ever hope to master it"
"Flattery will get you nowhere", the man said, keeping his guard up as well, knowing better than to rush someone with their guard up.
"No?", Solomon asked. "Well then perhaps my faith will!"
Solomon raised his left hand, his palm facing the man. "be purged by holy fire!", he shouted. In an instant, flames erupted from his palm and shot towards the man, who dove out of the way. Again, Solomon shot the flames at the man, who barely ducked out of the way this time. The Hero then gripped his longsword in both hands and charged, thrusting towards the man's middle, his foe only just recovering as he blocked the attack with both weapons. The man was unable to stop what would come next.
Solomon stepped closer, putting more force behind his weapon as he did. Before the man had the chance to disengage, Solomon grabbed the man's right wrist, the Hero's magic activating and burning the man's outfit and flesh.
The man dropped his weapons and screamed in pain, stepping back from the Hero as he looked down at the damage. The sleeve was burned away where Solomon had grabbed him, but the flesh was not horribly burned.
Seizing the opportunity, Solomon rushed forward with another piercing strike, hoping to make the man freeze rather than kill him. However, his opponent anticipated this, dashing to Solomon's right side as his blade moved past him, the masked man's arm crashing onto Solomon's wrist with bone-crushing force.
Solomon groaned in agony, dropping his sword in the process. The man pressed the attack and delivered a swift kick to the back of the Hero's leg, forcing him onto his knees.
"Give up yet, Hero?", the man taunted between heavy breaths.
"Never!", Solomon shouted, suddenly lunging at his opponent.
"Well I must say, you lovely ladies certainly don't strike me as soldiers. No, you're all too pretty for that", Isaac declared, standing before a group of Monsters who seemed to hang on his every word.
"You're terrible!", a werewolf flirted, clad in some sort of chain mail armor that didn't do much to cover her hips or arms.
Enyo rolled her eyes at the spectacle and returned to watching the skies expectantly. Put of the corner of her purple eyes, she finally saw the Harpy come into view. The slightly smoking bird-woman was panting by the time she landed, her comrades forsaking the flirtatious Isaac, much to his chagrin, in order to attend to her.
"Oh my gosh! What happened?!", a Lamia soldier asked urgently.
"Well I found the guy on the road, but I couldn't really see his face 'cause he wore a mask", The Harpy replied. "I tried to get a better look but he wasn't very friendly and he tried to cut me when I flew by".
"Ooooh! He sounds feisty!", A Salamander soldier chimed in.
"Well he wasn't so bad, but then a Hero came by and almost set me on fire. I got scared so I flew off. Sorry, Isaac", she said, apologizing to the young man as he approached.
Isaac smiled gently and knelt down to meet her face to face. "It's quite alright", he said softly, grabbing her by the chin and pulling her into a kiss.
"Hey no fair!", a Goblin soldier shouted, tackling the man and trying to force him into a kiss.
"I want some too!"
"And me!"
Most of the Monsters at the outpost were now fighting for a piece of Isaac. Enyo snorted and stamped her mighty hoof onto the ground, the shockwave sending everyone in her immediate vicinity off balance. She towered over the Harpy, her shadow encompassing the whole group as well.
"Is the man still there?", she asked, barely able to keep her temper in check.
"Y-yes", the Harpy stammered. "But…. but the man who nearly set me on fire looked like he was attacking the guy too"
Enyo's eyes grew wide. She immediately started running off towards the border, but not before she grabbed Isaac by his hood, dragging him behind her.
"Just give up already", Solomon growled.
"How about you go back to your church and cry to the God's", the man countered.
Both men were on their knees, throwing punches at each other, each one still having enough force to stagger the man they connected to. Bloodied and bruised, the both kept at it, determined to not let the other win. They were both drained of energy, but how they kept going was really anyone's guess.
Personally if I had to guess, it's just because they were stubborn. Pretty typical of men, you know?
"I don't think it's a very good idea for you to go down there", Isaac said, looking down on the scene from the hill he and Enyo were standing on.
"Why?", Enyo asked, taking a few steps forward.
"Because that's a Hero down there. If he saw you, he'd kill you and him… and me as well", Isaac replied, walking after her.
"Don't care", Enyo said, brandishing her axe.
Isaac was growing more and more nervous as he followed Enyo down the hill. He could see the two men going at it, the masked man undoubtedly Isidore, but the sight of the white-cloaked man sent chills down his spine.
"Solomon", he breathed. "Enyo! Wait!"
"What?", Enyo asked, obviously annoyed.
"Those are both of my brothers!", he said. "You can't just run off with Isidore and be done with it!"
"Why not?", Enyo asked, still walking.
"Because after all these years I finally get to see them again and you just want to take one of them away! That's not fair at all!"
"I thought you were just trying to get away from that harem of yours", Enyo countered.
"Yeah well….. you wouldn't have found him if it weren't for me!", Isaac declared. "I doubt those soldiers would even talk to you after you disgraced yourself like that!"
Isaac stopped dead in his tracks and covered his mouth, but it was too late, Enyo had already heard him say it.
The Minotaurus immediately turned around, eyes narrowed with hate. She screamed in fury as she charged at him, axe raised above her head. Isaac dove out of the way, only for Enyo to turn back around and be on him again. Isaac was fast, but he lacked endurance, at least in that regard. Enyo, however, had nearly infinite stamina, in that regard. It wouldn't be long until she had him, ad he would be reduced to a bloody pulp.
Though he was loath to partake in combat, Isaac did on occasion had to defend himself. Obviously, this was one of those occasions.
Enyo brought her mighty axe down again, embedding it in the soil. Before she could pull it out, Isaac's hands caressed her face. Enyo was too shocked to move as Isaac planted a kiss on her cheek, progressively moving his hands downwards. However, instead of a rush of spirit energy and pleasure, Enyo began to extremely fatigued and stiff.
Isaac had been hitting her pressure points with his hands while he sapped away her demonic energy. Not the most pleasurable form of attacks, but most Mamono never saw it coming.
Enyo was like a statue, frozen in place and unable to move, even her mouth. Her eyes followed Isaac angrily as he grinned at her and walked off towards his brothers.
Isidore collapsed to the ground along with his white-cloaked adversary. Absolutely exhausted, he stared up at the sky, too sore to move and breathing heavily.
"You still conscious, Hero?", he asked. he heard no reply and smiled, having won, at least in his mind. He removed his mask and sighed happily, enjoying his victory. His mood soon changed when a new shadow loomed over him.
"Isidore?", the shadow asked, its voice young and riddled with inexperience.
"How… do you know my name?", the mercenary asked, staining to look upon the shadow.
"Brother!", the shadow exclaimed, a pale hand grasping his and pulling him up.
Isidore was pulled into an embrace by a black-cloaked man nearly half-a head shorter than him, though Isidore's fatigue forced him to lean against the younger man who had called him brother.
"Who… are you?", Isidore asked, the feeling of the man's touch a tad familiar. The younger man looked up from within his black hood with vibrant green eyes, slightly moist with tears of what appeared to be joy.
"Your little bother, Isaac!", he exclaimed, embracing him tightly.
Isidore stiffened in sock as he looked upon the face of his little brother. He opened his mouth to speak, but found himself speechless. Isaac grinned even wider in understanding.
"I know… it's been a long time. But at least we're all back together again. You, me, and Solomon", he said.
Isidore's strained his neck to look upon the unconscious white-cloaked Hero that laid unconscious before them. The shock and fatigue proved to be too much for Isidore, and he soon found himself passing out as well.