After returning safely from Wallace's Underground Labyrinth and resurrecting the fallen magician, Lucain, the Player, Sorceress, Elf and Rannie departed from the ivory tower and returned to the main town area with their new companion, Tiki. The party continued to grow and expand with members.
The day was long and rather strenuous. The sun was beginning to set, a clear sign that it was time for rest and relaxation. The Player and his team were now on their way to-
"NOOOO!"
…Never mind, sounds like we're jumping right into it. Let's just see what they're up to.
The Player fell to his knees, holding his arms up to the sky. "Noooo! No! No! No!" He continued to shout in dismay.
The Sorceress, Elf and Rannie were watching his dramatic episode from behind, almost embarrassed he was causing such a scene.
"Are you really going to be this overdramatic?" The Sorceress asked as she shook her head. "The inn is closed, so what? We'll just come back tomorrow."
The Player glares at the Sorceress by peering over his shoulder, he didn't say anything and just went back to hanging his head in defeat.
"You're such a baby." She teased with a smile. The Sorceress turned to her other two companions. "Well, it's getting late so I think I'm going to head home. All that running and fighting has put me in need of a bath."
"You better believe it." The Player mumbled under his breath as he got off of his hands and knees to slap away the dirt off his hands and pants.
The Sorceress managed to hear his comment and locked him in a headlock. "What was that?" She had a devilish grin while applying more pressure to his neck, forcing him to struggle for freedom.
"I didn't say anything!" He insisted while squirming about. His cheek was pressed against her bosom while trying to break free but to no avail.
The Elf and Rannie laughed at their exchange, seeing the two go at it actually reminded them of bickering siblings.
Seeing as how she was ready to go, and content with her rough housing, the Sorceress released the Player. After their goodbye's she waved to her friends and walks down the road.
"I suppose I'll call it a day too." Rannie said after he was done waving to the Sorceress. "We did a lot done today and I'm exhausted."
Hearing Rannie made the Player squint his eyes. "Yeah, 'we', meaning the Elf, Sorceress and myself. All you did was piss yourself and run for cover the moment danger surfaced. Hell, even the narrator did more than you and he's just a voice."
"Hey, who carried the bones, hm?" Rannie dangled his empty bag in front to the Player to justify his assistance. Before the Player could reply the young rogue turned his back to him. "Now I will be leaving, in a huff!" He threw the bag back over his shoulder and placed one hand on his hip while strutting away.
The Player groans at Rannie but moved on, now directing his attention to the Elf. "Heading home too?"
"I don't have a home." She answered.
"...You don't?" He asked, looking a bit puzzled.
"Actually, no, I shouldn't say that. Everyone has a home, right? I did have one but I left that behind to come here."
The Player looked was clearly showing concern via his gaze, he wasn't expecting to hear about the Elf's homeless condition. "Where do you sleep?" Curiosity piqued his interest as he put another question on the table.
"Out in the wilderness. I guess, in a sense, nature is my home." She smiled to him but the Player wasn't amused.
He narrowed one eye and raised a brow with the other. "Yeah, ok, well you're not doing that anymore. You can stay with me until you find your own place or we could both live under the same roof and split the rent. It doesn't matter to me."
The Elf held her hands up to the Player and shook her head. "No, no. That's really ok. I appreciate your offer but I'm perfectly at home outside. I even have little woodland friends to keep me company."
"You need a roof over your head." He was dully adamant on his choice. He even leans in toward her and gave a quick whiff before pulling back after an unpleasant scent hit his nose. "And a bath."
"But I have-"
Before she could argue the Player grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along like a rebellious child. His house was directly to the left of the inn so there wasn't much time for arguing anyway. Once they arrived the Player unlocked the door and pushed it open, holding the door open to allow the Elf to pass in before him, ladies first and all that. Once she was inside he closed and locked the behind them.
~ Town Area ~
The Player's House
His house was pretty standard, nothing big or fancy. There was a living room, kitchen and a fireplace downstairs while upstairs contained one bedroom, one bath. The Elf awkwardly stood in place as she took in everything that surrounded her. It was as if she was in a completely different world. The Player noticed this and pat her back.
"You ok?"
"…H-Huh?"
"Are you ok? You look spaced out. Is something wrong?"
The Elf frantically shook her head before putting on a forced smile that only gave off the impression that she was nervous. "No! I'm sorry I didn't mean for it to look as if something was wrong. I've never been in a human's house before. This is vastly different from life in the forest."
"You lived in a forest?" The Player asked as he took off his hoodie and placed it on the coat rack by the front door.
"Yes. Elves live away from humans. We coexist peacefully with nature, animals and fairies deep within the forest. Most of my people have never even seen a human."
"Hm. I wonder why." He pondered on the matter but didn't linger for long. "If that's the case then you're one of the rare few who have, right?"
"I would imagine so." She giggled.
"Then this experience should be quite the education for you. When you head back home you'll be able to tell your friends and family all about it."
The Player went over to the kitchen to see if there was anything for the Elf to eat in case she was hungry but the cabinets was full of chips, candy and just piles of junk food. He closed the cabinets, almost embarrassed at how much junk he had. Now it was time to check the fridge.
'Um…I'm not much of a cook, so I doubt I'll be able to make anything for us without burning the house down, yet for some reason I still buy meat and vegetables like I can.' He thought to himself. He took what he had and placed it out on the table to weigh his options.
His eyes paced between the meat and vegetables. The Elf entered the kitchen and patiently watched him to see if he was going to figure out what they were going to have for dinner. Her look of patience was mistaken for impatience in the eyes of the Player, this seemed to put him under pressure.
"….Uuuuuh. I'm going to have a bath first. Yeah, that's it. Then I'll know what to cook up. I just need to get myself good and clean first. A nice hot bath is where my creative flow kicks in."
The Elf was no fool but when it came to her new friends she was willing to believe anything and demonstrates this by falling for the Player's nonsense. She smiles at him and nods her head in understanding. "You don't have to worry about it too much. You were working hard all day. You definitely deserve a little rest."
"Yeah…that. That's totally the reason. Don't worry though, I'll figure something out."
Later that evening he sat in the tub still unable to figure anything out. It was here he realized the Elf really would have been better off living out in the great outdoors, now his big mouth and willingness to help others, even if they don't need it, had finally bitten him.
The Player soaked in the hot water for about an hour and still nothing, this whole endeavor was for naught. Eventually he took his mind off of dinner and just washed himself.
After cleaning tub and getting dry he changed into his night clothes only to realize a crucial factor; the Elf didn't have anything to wear for the night. More problems surfaced as he went about his daily routine, she needed a toothbrush, wash cloth, a towel, clean clothes and so on, it was just one thing after another.
He went back to his room and scavenged some clothes for his company, getting a shirt was no problem, he got a basic white t-shirt, but his search also lead him to discover he owned a pair of pink pajama bottoms with little ice cream design down the legs…he quickly threw them back in the drawer, even questioning himself on why and when he got them.
A bit more digging and he uncovered a pair of black bottoms and no special ice cream design. He closed the drawers and took her things to the bathroom, placing them on the sink along with a towel and washcloth. He got her everything she would need and left the bathroom to go back downstairs.
"Hey, Elf, I got all your stuff up in the bathroom so all you need to do is-" Halfway down the stairs a delicious aroma hit his nose causing him to stop mid-sentence. Once he got downstairs he saw the Elf setting down a warm cooked meal for the both of them.
"Hey!" She greeted him eagerly. "All done with your bath?"
"Yeah…but what's all this?" He asked while approaching the kitchen, astonished to see the food she had threw together with what little she had.
"I thought it would be okay if I did the cooking while you were tending to your bath. I know you said you were going to make something for us but you looked so exhausted I went ahead and prepped something in your stead."
The meal she made appeared in the shimmering reflection of his hungry eyes, since he arrived in Hydeland the Player never had the chance to properly enjoy a home cooked meal so this was a blessed surprise for him. He was speechless and struck in awe, nearly drooling at the sight.
"You look disappointed. I'm sorry." The Elf looks away from him in a saddened state. "This is your home after all. I had no right to use your kitchen."
"NO!" His sudden shout made her jolt in response. "…I mean. That's okay, I had a special recipe planned but this looks pretty good too. I'd happily eat your dinner."
The Elf perked up in a instant, joyed to see he wasn't upset…but she was still a victim of his less than honest words. "I'm really happy to hear that. Next time you can make your special recipe. I bet it'll taste really good."
"I don't doubt that." He seemed high in himself, agreeing with the Elf by nodding his head. "So! What'd you make?"
"Two bowls of ham steak. I'm not sure if I got the seasoning right since I wasn't too familiar with what you had. I apologize for that."
"No need to be sorry." He seemed to be directing his words to the food, partially deluded thinking his dinner was the one talking to him.
The Elf cocked her head to the side in confusion as she saw this. "Um…Ok!" She answered with a bit of uncertainty as he made it a bit awkward. "By the way weren't you going to tell me something?"
"Hm? What?" The Player had turned to the Elf, finally remembering that she was the one talking to him and not the steak. "Oh right! I was telling you that all your stuff was ready upstairs. Whenever you're ready for the bath and what not."
"My stuff?" She asked looking puzzled. "But I don't have anything."
"I know. I got you some stuff. You can just use what I got out for you until we can buy you new clothes."
"...That's so nice. You're such a good friend, Player. Thank you, I'll go get started right away!" The Elf's spirits were bright and cheerful, the new experience thrilled her and she wanted to understand more about the human lifestyle now that she was beginning to embrace that she would be sharing it with a friend.
She happily made her way up the stairs and found her way to the bathroom...for roughly a minute and she returned to the kitchen to the Player's confusion.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"I have no idea how anything works up there." She flatly stated while standing in front of her roommate.
What was meant to be a simple task now turned to a tutorial, he went upstairs to the bathroom with the Elf to show her the ropes.
"This is where you get cleaned." He explained as he went over to the tub. "If you want to control the temperature of the water you rotate these little knobs here. The red one means hot and the blue one means cold." He turned on both faucets and water began to pour, both hot and cold, resulting in a perfect balance in temperature. He grabbed the tub's plug and placed it in the drain. "This is a drain plug. It stops the water from draining so the tub will fill up. When you're done just pull it out so the water can drain."
The Elf stood in marvel, lost in wonder as she enjoyed the lesson he provided but it was short lived since it was so basic.
"Class dismissed. Don't forget to use your washrag."
"Washrag?" She asked looking puzzled.
The Player already had his hand on the bathroom's doorknob, ready to leave, but before he could exit her question registered into his head. He turned and pointed to the rag on top of her towel.
She grabbed the rag and examined it carefully. "What do I do with it?"
He sighs heavily and rubbed the back of his head, he didn't mind answering her questions but it felt as if he was taking care of a child at this point. "You put the soap in the rag, get it soapy then you move it all around your body."
"….Um." She tried to grasp the concept but didn't seem to follow.
The Player noticed her look of uncertainty and slouched over. "This is a T-rated story so I won't be able to show you all of that. Just do your best."
Now that came out of nowhere, the Elf was rightfully confused and scratched the back of her head. "T-rated?"
The bathroom door suddenly closed and the Player was nowhere to be found thus leaving her question unsolved.
Later on the Elf did what she could on her own in the tub and managed to follow through with the basics of human hygiene, she ensured she got every inch of her petite figure cleaned. Once she was done she removed the drain plug to let the water drain, but rather than getting out she watched closely as the draining water created a miniature whirlpool, a sight which she had never seen so she was amazed.
After all the water was out the Elf dried herself off, now it was time for the clothes. She held his t-shirt up to her torso for a size comparison and, not surprisingly, the shirt was a bit too big for her but this didn't stop her from putting it on. The shirt reached her lower body, properly covering her hip area.
When she tried putting on the pajama bottoms they initially appeared to be a good fit, just baggy around the legs, until they fell right off of her hips and around her ankle. She pulled them up once more but the result was the same, they simply fell right back down.
After finishing up she makes her way back to the kitchen. The Player was sitting at the kitchen table still drooling over his food which he hadn't touched.
"I'm done." The Elf said to him after entering.
The Player faced her and was a bit surprised to see she only had on the undershirt. "Um, you know you were supposed to put the pants on, right?
"They were too big and kept falling off. Hehe…actually everything's too big. The shirt itself is kinda like a dress, see?" She grins shyly while holding up her arms to show the sleeves reaching down to her forearms.
"Ah. I should've figured the clothes would've been too big for you but you look good with that nevertheless."
"Thank you." Her cheeks brightened to a light shade of red out of embarrassment from his compliment. She noticed the Player's bowl was untouched, not a single bite was laid to the meal she prepared. "You haven't eaten yet?" She asked while taking her seat across from him. "Do you not like meat?"
The Player was already in the middle of biting into the meat like a vicious carnivore, he didn't even bother using his knife and fork to cut the thick meat into pieces he just stabbed it with his fork and ate.
"Nope. It's not…that!" His teeth shred the meat with ease as he pulled his head back from his fork, the steak was nice and thick. "I was just waiting for you to get back."
"Waiting for me?"
"Yeah." He briefly stopped to chew and swallow. "I wanted to eat with you. I've been living on my own for quite some time and I haven't had the chance to just, y'know, have somebody around. It can get pretty lonely sometimes so having dinner with a friend is a welcoming change, besides this is your first time eating with a human, right?"
The Elf didn't exactly know how to respond, or even react to his confession, but the fact that he wanted her around warmed her heart resulting in a smile taking form which quickly transitioned into a bright and delighted grin. "...Yes. It is my first time having dinner with a human friend. It's a wonderful feeling and I want to thank you sincerely for sharing this moment with me."
"Don't mention it. Now you should start eating up, the food is still pretty warm." He continued to eat in an uncivil manner.
The Elf nods and joins him though she was more graceful with her table manners, cutting up small pieces of meat and biting into it.
Dinner was complimented with chatter and laughter, casual exchanges between friends that enhanced the evening. After they were done eating the new roommates continued to gossip, getting to know each other in the living room until night eventually fell.
The Player and Elf both fell asleep on the couch, the former of which awakens on the opposite end of the couch and sees the Elf sleeping soundly down the other end. He got up carefully, as to not disturb her sleep, and picked her up in a bridal fashion. He carried her up to his bedroom and lowered her gently onto the mattress and pulled the covers over her body, the warmth on her body causes the Elf to smile in her sleep.
After settling the Elf in the Player leaves the room, turning out the light as he left. He went back downstairs to sleep on the couch.
~ Town Area ~
Dragon Haven Inn
The next morning the Player, Sorceress, Elf and Rannie all meet up to finally get the drinks they never managed to get the previous day after tackling two quests back to back.
"Eat bread, make sandwiches. You know what I'm sayin'?" Rannie asked the group.
"I have yet to understand a word that comes out of your mouth." The Sorceress replied with a hint of boredom in her voice.
"Yeah, groovy."
The bartender approached their table with a tray of drinks. "Here you go. Enjoy." He served them with a smile. "Looks like you two made it okay." The bartender turned his attention to the Player and Sorceress who look back at him in curiosity. "You made it into the guild with no trouble, right? I've heard great things about you from one of my top customers. She's among the top ranks in the guild."
The Player's cocky grin resurfaced… "Yeah, it was a cakewalk." He was clearly displaying pride.
The Sorceress rolled her eyes but couldn't help but laugh at his response. "Because of me. This poor fool didn't want to go alone so I chose to tag along and see him through it."
"First of all…that's not true." The Player gave her a rivaling glance. "The guild master forced you on me. I wouldn't have had to take any tests in the first place if you kept your mouth shut."
She crossed her arms underneath her large bust and mischievously smiles at the Player. "I made you a man by taking you out to those ruins."
"Oh my…" Rannie teasingly joined in on their conversation, implying the two had engaged in more intimate matters.
"Shut up, Rannie." They both retort immediately.
The bartender laughed and bid farewell to his customers, letting them get back to their drinks in peace. The Sorceress took her mug by the handle and held it up to her lips for a drink of ale.
The Player followed her lead and placed his lips down onto the rim. Just before he could start drinking Tiki jumped out from the alcohol and splashed the Player's face, taking him by surprise. "AH! ...What the hell? …Tiki?!"
Rannie sat his mug down and let out a light belch. "Tiki?"
The Player held out his mug to Rannie to show him their fairy companion soaked in mead. The group was a bit surprised by this.
"When did she get in there?" The Sorceress asked no one in particular.
"Tiki, get out!"
The Player's words fell on deaf ears as Tiki was paying him no mind as she swam around his mug.
"She's definitely drunk." The Elf observed. "I doubt she understands a word you're saying."
The Player narrowed his eyes at Tiki and shrugged, placing the mug up to his mouth anyway. It appeared he was willing to drink up anyway despite the intoxicated fairy addition.
The Sorceress stops him by gently slapping the back of his head. "Don't even think about it." She taunts him. "Here, you can have some of mine. Just don't drink it all."
The Player took the mug from the Sorceress and began to drink the ale, not even a 'thank you' was given.
As things with the group settled the Amazon entered the inn. She waved to the bartender and made her way over to the Player's table. "I figured you'd all be here." She approached them with a smile.
The Player lowered the mug and faced the bulky woman. "Um… You're the Amazon, right?"
"That's right. It's good to see you're all doing well."
"Of course." The Sorceress replied. "It's nice to see you again. How are you this morning?"
"I'm alright. Thanks for asking. I actually just got back from a job. I had to slay a few orcs while wearing ritual Amazonian armor."
The Player and Rannie eyed the Amazon from head to toe, checking out her gear, she was practically naked with what little she had on. The boys couldn't help but wonder what this armor was and how much of her body it actually covered, assuming it didn't reveal more.
"You did it all by yourself…?" The Elf asked curiously. The Amazon answered with a single nod. The Elf admired the Amazon's brawn and gazed dreamily upon her. "Wow…that must've been hard."
The Player sat the mug down after finishing the drink. "How much they pay you for it?"
The Amazon took out a thick bag from hammerspace, jiggling it in front of the group with the sound of metal coins jingling together from inside. "I'd say…about 10,000 gold."
"10,000 GOLD?!" The entire group exclaimed.
The Amazon flinched at their outburst but answered, "Yeah…that's about right. The guild pays double if you take on jobs alone."
"…You know we're looking for more party members. Why not join us?" The Player sounded a bit hopeful in his offer.
"Sorry, I'm not interested." The Amazon politely declined before tying her money sac around her waist.
"Damn it!" The Player hammered his fist on the table in defeat. "Come on. It'll be fun. It's like joining a family. Think of all the money we could make."
"I've been part of a 'family' before, didn't quite work out. Not interested." The Amazon clearly had bad experience with belonging to a team and she had no intent on explaining herself. "If you're looking to make more money you can tackle some of the easier jobs until you get strong enough for more difficult tasks. The guild has a backlog of requests that need completing so you should never be short on cash."
"A backlog of requests? How can that be?" The Player asked. "The guild has a boatload of members. You'd think all the jobs would be taken."
"You can thank the Dragon's Crown rumors for that." The Amazon answered with her arms crossed. "Even the king of this land was interested in finding it."
"Has it ever been found?" Rannie asked.
"No. It's just a rumor after all. Though the king and his retinue haven't returned yet. Most members in the guild are looking for them."
"Must be a valuable treasure if the king set out to find it..." The Sorceress comments. Whatever this relic was it seemed to have her interest piqued.
"It's said to have the power to control dragon's but even still it's just a rumor. It's foolish for anyone to chase after fairy tales." The Amazon asked the group.
"It sounds really dangerous if you ask me. I hope the king is safe." The Elf replied.
"If it was real I'd be more interested in what I could sell it for. I have no interest in controlling a dragon." Rannie added before taking another drink.
"As grand as it sounds I don't think it's worth the king risking his life." The Sorceress chipped in. "If something were to happen to him Hydeland would plunge into chaos." She then faced the Player. "What do you think?"
Unlike the others the Player was lost in the midst of a wonderful daydream; He was soaring through the skies on the head of a mighty dragon with a diamond encrusted crown made of solid gold with his name embedded on the front.
Meanwhile, in the realm of reality, the Sorceress, Elf, Rannie and Amazon stare at him as he was zoned out.
"Player. Hey, Player? Player!" The Sorceress gave him a shake to snap him out of his daydream.
"Huh? What?"
"I said I had a job for you from the guild master." The Amazon said with the request in hand. "He wanted me to give this to you."
She hands the request form over to the Player and he opened the scroll. "What request?" He began to read over the details.
"It's a request from the Prime Minister." The Amazon answered just as he began to read over the form. "The guild master seems to trust you with this specific task. You should be proud, your group has left quite an impression on him."
The Elf faced the Player awaiting his answer. "Well, Player, what do you want to do?"
"It says to meet the Prime Minister and the Princess of Hydeland at the castle for further details if we accept. If we're getting a request from royalty there's no doubt they'll pay big for a job well done."
Rannie quickly stood up from his chair with an enthusiastic grin. "Let's take it!" It was obviously his thirst for wealth that got him so excited.
The Elf casually smiles and nods. If that's your choice then I'm with you guys."
"Hold your horses." The Sorceress looked out to the group in concern. "We're still new recruits to the guild, don't you think we're a bit…underqualified for such a big task? We should stick with smaller quests until we gain more experience."
The Player, Elf and Rannie look at her and then to one another.
"Last one to the castle pays for drinks." The Player quickly stated as he stood up from his chair, now making a sprint for the door.
The Elf grabbed her bow and chased after him with Rannie right behind them, leaving the Sorceress to sit and realize what just happened.
"Wait, what? Gah! You idiots! I- UGH!" She groans and leaves money on the table. She grabbed her Light Staff and ran ahead to catch up with the group.
The Amazon watched them off with a blank gaze. She was lost in thought in what the Player said to her before.
"…You know we're looking for more party members. Why not join us? Come on. It'll be fun. It's like joining a family."
The Amazon walks over to the counter and sat down on one of the free stools with an emotionless expression. "…Don't make me laugh, as if I'd ever join anybody's crew."
"You're still on that?" The bartender asks as he sat down a goblet of grape wine in front of the young warrior. Based on his words the bartender was already familiar with the Amazon and bringing her a specific drink that she didn't even order further supports this, grape wine was the Amazon's favorite alcoholic beverage. "Don't you think it's time to come out of the past to see what the present holds?"
The Amazon was staring down to her reflection within the wine, her expression remained unchanged. "I'm not letting anything go. The whole idea of it is just stupid. Besides I work better alone."
"Or so you've made yourself believe. I won't stop you from thinking the way you do but you have to realize that living in the past will not progress your future."
The Amazon sat the goblet down, her state of mind remained unfazed. The bartender knew his words wouldn't have got through, he made no progress all the other times he's told her so why would now be any different? Still, he hated seeing her in such an emotional state and wants nothing more than to help.
He said what he had to and continued with his work, serving the next customer.
~ Town Area ~
Castle Outskirts
The Player, Sorceress, Elf and Rannie continued making their way for the castle, the Player lead the group thanks to his possession of the town map the Amazon gave him the other day.
"Alright, just a little farther and we'll be at the castle." The Player informed the others with an enthusiastic smile.
"Just think of all the gold we'll get if we get this job done." Rannie's eyes were gleaming with joy. The very idea of working for royalty was a dream come true. He became lost in thought at the idea of swimming in riches.
"You two are so greedy." The Sorceress responds with a half-lidded gaze and a slight frown, she was still worried about their choice. "This is the royal family we're talking about. They could ask us for anything."
The Player looks back at the Sorceress from his shoulder. "We've been up against giant spiders, angry bats, a crazy bird lady, possessed tree stumps and a killer bug. What could they possibly throw at us that we're not prepared for?"
"They could send us to another country for one. How about Espionage? Having us fight in a war would surely be devastating." She quickly answered.
"Sounds to me like you're scared." The Player teased with a sly grin.
The Sorceress rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "You're such a fool." She was mildly annoyed he was acting so childish in a serious situation.
Seeing their squabble the Elf intervened. "Hey, whatever happens we'll see it through as a team. It doesn't matter what job we take, we're in this together."
"She's right." Rannie joined in. "I may just be in it for profit but I'm still a part of the team. Making this choice will help us all out."
The Player smiled at the two and then back to the Sorceress. "See? We're all confident enough in our skill as a unit to at least give it a shot. Have a little faith in us, Sorceress. Jeez."
The Sorceress looked out to her team and gave a small sigh, now smiling back at them. "There's no winning this, is there? Fine, you all win. And…you're right. As a team I just know that no matter what hardships we encounter, no matter the obstacle, we'll always-"
"Sssssh! Shut up, shut up! We're here!" The Player abruptly cuts her off as they approached the castle.
The Sorceress was displaying a humorously annoyed expression as the Player ran up to the giant wooden doors.
"Man, the castle's even bigger than I thought. It's almost intimidating but that's enough gawking. Guy's from here on out it's nothing but the high life for us."
The moment the Player made contact with the impressively large double doors a masculine "HALT!" comes from the side, getting the party's attention.
Without warning they were all surrounded by heavily armed guards. Countless swords were aimed at their throats…obviously overkill if they decided to end their lives.
"W-What the heck's going on?" The Elf asked in worry.
"I take it back. This is a bad idea!" Rannie cried out in fear, instantly changing his mind on the whole thing.
Unlike the others the Sorceress wasn't alarmed or surprised, instead she looks onward with a blank gaze and sighs.
"Stand aside." The masculine voice that shouted at them prior spoke once more. The armored guards began to make way for another man clad in armor, he was a bit bulkier and taller than the rest. The Player, who was about average height, stood up to the man's chest. "State your business."
"Eh?" The Player furrowed a brow in confusion. "Are you the prime minister?"
"He's clad in armor with a sword and shield. Does he look like the prime minister?" The Sorceress asked sarcastically.
"Maybe the prime minister likes to pack heat." The Player responds.
The Sorceress was a bit confused by the Player's choice of words which were, admittedly, pretty modern for this time period. "Pack…heat? That doesn't even make sense."
"Your bra size doesn't make sense."
"Pftch!" Rannie snickered uncontrollably at the Player's retort.
The Sorceress heard Rannie and turned to him in a fit. "Shut the hell up, Rannie!"
The guards watched the group's antics, looking lost and geninuely confused...did they forget the seriousness of their situation? The Elf was silently observing as well, not wanting to provoke any further outbursts.
The man stepped closer to the group, this time holding his sword up to the Player's face. "State your business now or face execution."
The Player eased his head back away from the tip of the blade. "Easy. We've been summoned by the Prime Minister and Princess of Hydeland." He reached for his pocket and pulled out the request form given to them by the Amazon.
The man took the form and read over it for clarification. "You're kidding me. They sent you?"
"You bet. They sent the best in the guild."
"We volunteered." The Sorceress dully corrected.
"Volunteered?" The man questioned before bursting out into laughter. "I take it you're the leader?" He directed his question toward the Player.
"Basically." He answered.
The Sorceress cocked her head to the side the moment the Player answered. "I don't remember agreeing to that." She whispered to the Elf and Rannie.
"Well…what's a crew without a leader?" The Elf whispered back. "I don't mind if the Player leads us. I think he has all the right qualities to make a good leader. Don't you think?"
The Sorceress didn't reply and Rannie shrugged the question off.
The man in armor lowered his sword from the Player and removed his protective helmet to reveal his long dirty blonde hair. "Hm… Well, if this is what they want then I guess we have no choice but to allow you to pass. Your word must hold true, you're one of the elite in the guild. Apologies for such a rude greeting. Men! Lower your weapons!" The knight handed the form back to the Player. The surrounding soldiers did as commanded and lowered their weapons.
"All is forgiven. Just make sure you don't let it happen again. We didn't HAVE to grace your presence with our greatness." The Player rolled the paper up and placed it in his pocket.
The commanding knight stood in silence for a second, not understanding why the Player was acting so entitled but ultimately he decided not to pay it much mind. He opened the large doors for the party and granted them access. "Please, come in."
The Player, Sorceress and Elf walk forward, entering the castle. Rannie, who felt as if he had some form of immunity, looked out to the knights who had him and his team at sword-point and smugly brushed off his shoulders at them and strolled his way inside the castle.
The knights were left confused by Rannie's actions but he wasn't important so they went back to their posts.
~ Royal Castle ~
As they were escorted through the halls of the large castle the party was struck in awe from how marvelous their surroundings were. None of them were ever surrounded by such a high society environment, it was especially overwhelming for the Elf and Rannie. Everything from the checkered marbled floor, to the large canvas paintings of the royal family, to the expensive glass chandeliers above was all breathtaking.
The knight lead the party to the throne room, where the Princess and Prime Minister were waiting for them.
The knight respectfully stands upright to the duo and presents to them the party of whom they summoned. "Princess Vivian, Prime Minister Gustaf. I humbly bring you warriors from the Adventurers Guild. They have been handpicked by the guild master, Samuel, to take your request. Rumored to be some of the guild's finest."
Gustaf nods at the knight. "Thank you. That will be all for now."
The knight bows respectfully to the duo and promptly takes his leave, closing the door behind himself to allow the Princess and the Prime Minster to have their meeting with the party.
The Player watched the knight leaves and faces the two, pointing his thumb back to the front door. "That's all you had to say to get rid of him? " He asked while laughing a bit. "I'll have to keep that in mind."
What the Player hadn't realized before was the Sorceress, Elf and Rannie all kneeling to show respect to the royal pair.
"Princess Vivian, Prime Minister Gustaf! It's an honor!" The Sorceress spoke out for the party.
The Player was not familiar with this particular social gesture, so rather than following his companions lead he casually raised his hand and waves. "Hey." The Sorceress took action by punching the back of his leg, making him collapse onto one knee. "Ack!" He gently shrieked, now looking over to the Sorceress. "What was that for?!" He whispered…rather loudly.
"Would you show some respect?!" The Sorceress whispered back. "You're making us look bad!" Her whispering tone wasn't any better.
"What are you talkin' abo-" The sound of another physical hit could be heard as Princess Vivian continued to observe the party, "-oooow!"
Gustaf cleared his throat, pretending he didn't notice the Player and Sorceress' bickering. "Yes, well, we're glad you could all come on such short notice."
"Oh no. The pleasure is all ours." The Sorceress spoke out once again, to her left the Player was rubbing the back of his sore leg. "A chance to work for someone as hgh as thee was an opportunity we just couldn't refuse."
"And Samuel has recommended you. I expect good things from your party."
"Of course." She replies.
"Very good. Now, to the matter at hand…but first, nothing we discuss shall be made public. You must keep our inquiries secret. Everything we talk about must be taken with you to the grave. Is that understood?"
This was obviously a serious matter. Understanding the weight of the mission the Elf, Player, Sorceress and Rannie all nod in understanding.
"Mmm." Gustaf was pleased with their answer and stepped forward. "The royal scepter has been stolen. A very skilled thief has managed to penetrate our defenses and steal it right from under us."
The Sorceress and Rannie show a bit of shock from the news, the Elf and Player didn't have much of a reaction due to their lack of knowledge of the royal scepter or it's significance.
"Is that why the guards were being so tight assed outside?" The Player asked, now laughing at the guards incompetence.
"Player, shut up!" The Sorceress turned to him, unable to believe his language in front of Vivian and Gustaf.
Rannie had a peculiar interest in knowing more about this thief. 'Skilled' was an understatement if they were able to break into the castle and make way with something of value such as the scepter. "If I may…" He began to speak, "can I ask the name of this thief? If you have any information on them at all."
"Ah, yes. A witness who saw the thief claims to be none other than Tommit." Gustaf explained.
"Tommit? He's the one who stole the scepter?"
Rannie knowing something came as a surprise to his allies. "You know the guy?" All three asked while looking over to him.
"You don't?" Rannie questioned in return. "Tommit is a well-known bandit. Very skilled in what he does and, impressively, has never been caught. Still, I'm very surprised he was able to steal something from the castle. He must have steel nerves because if he was captured he'd be facing life in prison or execution."
"I want you all to track down Tommit and retrieve the scepter."
The Player waited to see if there were any further instructions but from the sounds of it that was all they needed. A simple fetch quest. "Sounds easy enough." He shrugged.
"I should hope so. We don't know the whereabouts of Tommit, he could be anywhere and Hydeland is a vast kingdom. We'll give you a week to search for the thief."
"Wait, what?" The Player's look of confidence quickly diminished. "You want us to wander throughout Hydeland until we eventually find him? With no leads? What if we walk into some dangerous forbidden territory that belongs to some vicious mythical beast?"
"It shouldn't be a problem for one of the guild's finest, right?" Gustaf was beginning ti wonder why he would question this method as he assumed a handpicked party would be ready for such tasks. "I expected you to be prepared for this."
The Player was prepared to argue but realizing he had already hyped them up to be the best he backed down, remaining silent. He looks over to the Sorceress, hoping she would have a solution for this.
Her response? She was already looking over to him with a half-lidded glance serving as the dullest 'I told you so' face she had ever conceived.
"…Uh, right. The guild's finest. No problem." The Player chuckled bashfully while rubbing the back of his neck. "What if we don't find him? Do we still get paid for trying?"
Gustaf and Vivian face one another and then back to the Player. "No." Gustaf replied while, at the same time, Vivian shook her head.
This response was something the Player wasn't interested in hearing, made evident by how he aggressively eyed the two. "No? You're not going to pay us for breaking our backs and doing your dirty work? Ok, this is typical government bullshit. You can kiss our-"
Before he could say anymore Rannie covered the Player's mouth with his hand. "-Payment goodbye if we don't get the assignment completed within a weeks' time!" Rannie finished the Player's sentence for him, now dragging the muffling male out by force. "We'll get right on it! Thank you so much for the opportunity!"
The Sorceress let out a sigh of relief as Rannie was able to shut the Player up in time. She bows respectfully to the two before thinking of taking her leave. "Um, thank you!" She squealed before grabbing her staff and making a run for the exit behind the boys.
"We'll get it done as soon as we can." The Elf smiled nervously, taking her leave behind the Sorceress.
Gustaf and Vivian weren't sure what to make out of the group, their actions proved to be rather unprofessional to say the least, or maybe this was only in case of the Player, but regardless of professionalism they agreed to the mission and all that mattered was retrieving the royal scepter.
"Well, they certainly are an unlikely bunch of adventurers. Wouldn't you agree?" Gustaf asked Vivian. "I wasn't expecting them to be so young either. Oh well. Whatever the case may be, let's just hope they're skilled enough to make the deadline." He walks off to the western half of the throne room.
Princess Vivian remained silent and watched as Gustaf departed and then back to the door where the party took their leave, her gaze being unreadable.
~ Town Area ~
Outside the Castle
The Player was dragged back to the main road and the crew regrouped by the tree to the right of the road that leads to the castle.
"That was close…" Rannie sighed.
The Player laid up against the tree with his arms crossed, clearly annoyed. "Can you believe the nerve of those two? Just up and saying they're not going to pay us if we don't find this thief in a week? People these days."
The Sorceress marched over to him and placed her hands on her hips, not interested in hearing his rant. "You really need to watch your mouth. You can't just say whatever you want to the Prime Minister and the Princess like that. Do you have any idea what would happen if you disrespected them?"
"They're disrespecting US by saying they won't pay for helping them out. Let me remind you that this is THEIR problem."
"A problem YOU agreed to!" She countered.
"Well now I'm regretting it. In fact, I think we should just abandon the job."
"We can't abandon it after we just accepted." The Sorceress argued.
"Pfft! Watch me." The Player turned his back and walks toward the path leading back to the castle.
The Sorceress tackled him before he could get far, pinning him on the ground. "Oh no you don't! You got us into this mess! Now you're going to sit through your own stupidity!"
"My stupidity?! You're the stupid one for agreeing to come along for such a ridiculous job!"
The two continued to go at it, wrestling around in the dirt as passing pedestrians eyed them cautiously, careful to keep their distance away from them. Rannie and the Elf stood on the sidelines watching the two put the other in various holding moves.
The Elf took a breath and looks over to Rannie. "Well, we've got a week. I guess we should start asking around for any clues on Tommit. If we're lucky maybe some folks around town have seen him."
"I know exactly where Tommit is." Rannie replied. The Elf wasn't expecting this and gasped softly.
The Sorceress, who was now bear hugging the Player's face deep into her cleavage,looks over to Rannie. "You do?" She asked sounding surprised while also completely ignoring the Player's desperate struggle for air.
"Yes. I know Tommit, he taught me a great deal of what I know and he's based out in the old capital. He's been able to operate there for years because no one ever dares to venture out into the old ruins."
Now that they had a solution the Elf threw her fist into her palm. "So, all we have to do is go out to the old capital, find Tommit and get the royal scepter back! We'll have this quest done in a day! Nice, Rannie!"
"Rannie, you're brilliant!" The Sorceress complimented with a bright smile.
The young rogue blushed lightly at the girls praise. "The problem is finding him since the old capital is pretty expansive. I've also heard rumors of dragons and wyverns have made it their homes. How Tommit is able to live there is beyond me."
"Well, you leave the fighting stuff to us." The Elf said while pointing to herself, also referring to the Player and Sorceress. "We'll handle it just like how we did in the labyrinth."
The Elf, Sorceress and Player surely did make for an impressive team when handling combat, the synergy they displayed in the past was enough to put Rannie's worrisome heart at ease.
"Well, since you'll be handling the dangerous stuff I guess we have a shot at this." He smiles confidently.
"Excellent!" The Sorceress joyfully fist bumped the air with one hand, she was still holding the Player's motionless body in her bosom.
The Elf noticed the Player's condition and pointed toward him. "Um…Sorceress, is the Player going to be ok?"
"Huh?" She wasn't sure what the Elf was talking about at first but after tracing her finger down to her chest she noticed the Player. "Oops…!" She gasped after accidentally releasing him from her grip, having his lifeless body fall onto the ground, she had no idea she was applying as much pressure as she was.
The group tried multiple attempts to wake him up but nothing worked. It was now a matter of carrying him to their next destination, the Player was mounted on Rannie's back while the Elf carried the rogue's iconic bag.
The party made their way through town and arrived at the mystical gate that would teleport them to their destination.
~ Old Capital ~
Entrance
In the distance a falcon's cry echoed throughout the area as a large portal opened among the ancient ruins of the once thriving empire.
The first to fly out of the portal was the Elf, who performed a front flip and landed in a kneeling position.
The Sorceress glides out on her staff and lands gracefully ahead of the Elf.
Rannie falls out and lands on his backside and the Player, while still unconscious, was tossed out on top of Rannie, making the young rogue shriek in pain.
Now that the party had arrived the portal closed behind them. The Elf went to check on the boys, meanwhile the Sorceress was too busy admiring the ruins.
"Rannie, are you feeling ok?" The Elf asked as she helped get the Player off of the rogue, cradling her unconcious ally in her arms as she sat on her knees.
The young rogue managed to pick himself up, placing his hands on his back to push his torso outward thus making his back crack. "Whew… That feels so much better." Rannie let out a quick sigh of relief, rotating his neck to get a good crack out of it as well. "I'm fine, Elf. Thank you."
"I'm glad." She smiles happily. The Player was beginning to come around, moving his head a bit within the Elf's arms much to her joy. "Oh! Guys, he's waking up!"
Rannie and Sorceress heard the Elf and huddled around the Player just in time to see him open his eyes, his blurry vision became clearer with each blink he took.
His friends came to light and it was pleasant seeing his friends: to his left was the Elf, to his right was Rannie but staring him dead in the face was the Sorceress's bust as she was leaning forward with her hands on her knees. Realizing what he was looking at the Player quickly got up and backed away in a fright.
"Aaaah!" His back hit a rock wall, preventing him from moving any farther. The group was confused as to why he had awakened in such a horrified fashion.
"What's wrong with you?" Rannie asked.
"T-T-T-Those….things….!"
"Things?"
The Player directed a timid finger behind them to which the Elf and Rannie followed and realized he was referring to the Sorceress, who was just standing there with a sincere look of confusion.
"Me?" She pointed to herself.
"I tried fighting…calling for help but nothing I did was strong enough to prevent the darkness from consuming me." The Player wrapped his arms around his legs and brought them to his chest for comfort, he never felt more close to death than against her wrath.
The Sorceress then remembered she rendered him unconscious by using a vicious bear hug into her chest. The Player, who was once her rival, was now a shell of his former cocky self. While this was a problem for their 'leader' the Sorceress, interestingly enough, seemed to get a joy out of it. Her state of bewilderment slowly turned into light amusement.
"Heh…heheh….hahaha. Hahahaha! AHAHAHAHAHA!" She let out a hysterical laugh, holding her sides while doing so.
The fact that he was being so scaredy for something that was an accident seemed a tad ridiculous but his reaction was priceless nevertheless. He could fight a Harpy and Doom Beetle no problem but losing his nerve to a hug? Even Rannie let out a few chuckles.
The Elf giggled but she was still on his side, patting his back reassuringly. "No need to be afraid. She didn't mean to knock you out like that."
The Player's gaze was now on the Elf, looking down to her chest he felt a sense of protection and warmth. Feeling overcome with humorous grief he dramatically falls forward onto the Elf and nuzzles his head into her chest with his arms wrapped around her in a loving embrace.
The Elf's eyes widened and her cheeks became a bright shade of red from his sudden actions. "W-What are you doing?" She asked, not even sure how to handle the situation at this point.
"Oh, Elf…my savior. You and your normal sized ladies are truly worthy of praise. You can never bring me harm with such perfect mammaries." The Player pulled back and meet eye-to-eye with the Elf, though a bit teary on his end.
The Elf didn't know how to respond but her cheeks were a bright shade of red, revealing her embarrassment. The Player was then grabbed by the hood of his hoodie and dragged along by the Sorceress who overheard his exaggerated praise.
"Oh, would you stop being so dramatic and come on." The older woman said. She wasn't fond of being made the badguy as he was depicting.
Following her lead Rannie grabbed his bag and helped the Elf up, who then went on to brush her knees clean of the dirt and followed after the Sorceress and Player alongside Rannie.
The party ventured deeper into the old capital - the more they walk the more curious the Player got as he walked along with the group. Rannie lead the party thanks to his knowledge of the layout.
"So, where are we? Last thing I remembered was being back in town." The Player asked the crew who were awake when they arrived.
"This is the old capital." Rannie answered.
The Player took a quick gander and smacked his palm with a hammering fist. "Oh. Right, I knew that."
"A thriving civilization once flourished throughout this land." The Sorceress joined in upon further analysis. "Every fallen building has a story, every road is embedded with footprints of the lost souls that once habited these ruins. A city truly rich with history that is just waiting to be unearthed by those willing to learn…"
The Player donned a tired and uninterested gaze throughout the Sorceress's explanation and rolled his eyes out of boredom. "Narrator, give me the nutshell version. Nobody has time for going to a library to learn about what happened here."
'These are the ruins of the ancient capital city. It was destroyed following an invasion from the northern empire. Now it is a dangerous place full of dragons and wyverns.'
The Sorceress shook her head and sighs, giving him a look of disappoint. "Every time I think you're not so bad you just prove me wrong by doing stuff like that."
"And you guys love me for it." He remarks with a smile, nudging her side with his elbow.
Though she initially maintained the same glance she found herself falling for his playful response which earned a chuckle from the young witch, she couldn't find anything to counter his response regardless, it was all in good fun among the friends.
The party traveled the many ruined pathways leading deeper into the ancient city, they had to climb over debris, maneuver cautiously through decaying buildings and walk across crumbling stone bridges just to make progress.
The sun was already setting as they traveled for what felt like a whole day when, in actuality, it was only an hour or two. Eventually they made their way into one of the fallen temples that lead farther into the ruins. The dark corridors would've proved troublesome if not for the Sorceress lighting the way with her magic.
The Player was beginning to feel the adventure catch up to him as his legs grew tired. "Awww man. We've been walking for hours, are you sure this is the right way, Rannie?"
"Yes. I recognize these ruins. We're almost there."
The Elf jogged her way up to the rogue, now walking beside him with a curious smile. "So, how long have you and Tommit been associated?"
"A few years. He actually took me in when no one else would. To tell you the truth...I never thought I'd cross paths with him again, nor did I believe I'd step foot in this place, not after we disbanded."
"Disbanded?"
"After he taught me all that I needed we became partners. We took scores and made lots of profit back when we were first starting out, I still remember when we made off with our first chest heist - I got my cape stuck in a door and we were almost caught, but by some miracle we were able to get away."
"So why'd you two stop your partnership?" The Sorceress asked, now curious to know more about Rannie's history with his old mentor.
There was a brief moment of silence.
"Life has a funny way of showing how ugly it can be, especially when you feel you understand your connection with other people after so long. Tommit felt he didn't need me anymore, saw me as a liability. He felt I didn't have what it took for bigger scores, he even stole the treasure I made for myself during our partnership. I was naive."
The rest of the party wasn't sure what to say, they didn't know, or even would've thought, that Rannie had a past that seemed to bother him. Being abandoned by his mentor from lack of faith sounded rough, especially since he was still just a young man.
"...I'm sorry." The Elf said in a soft tone, feeling she shouldn't have asked.
"I don't want your pity. It's why I only work for money, there's no point in bonds."
The Player tucked his hands into his hoodie pockets, still taking a backseat while Rannie lead the way. "Is that how you feel about us?"
"I told you when we first met I'm only interested in the profit from your adventures. I saw an opportunity when you and Sorceress displayed your survival skills so I took it. I help you with locks and you help me make a living with treasures. That's all it ever was."
The Elf felt her heart sink a bit, after all this time she was under the impression she was friends with Rannie, but she wasn't alive when the pair met so the knowledge was solely based on assumption which she was just now discovering was wrong. The Sorceress and Player faced one another, the latter of which shrugged it off.
After a long search the party discover a mural depicting ancient times of the old capital with a large boulder in front of it. Observing it didn't serve any real purpose unless one was interested in studying its history, but in reality this was actually the mark of Tommit's hideout. Rannie and the Player used all their strength to move the boulder aside, revealing a tunnel that lead to a hidden room.
Within the room the group discover a hooded bandit who was shocked on this sudden intrusion and broke out into a mild panic, Rannie was able to quickly identify the man as Tommit but he didn't say a word.
"...W-Who are you people? How did you find this place!?" The man stood up from the various treasures spread throughout the area, all stolen goods from various locations throughout Hydeland.
The Player stepped forward, looking among the expensive spoils with a greedy eye. "And what do we have here?"
"Rannie, is that Tommit?" The Sorceress asked.
The young rogue nods. "That's him, the great bandit himself. They say whatever he desires, by thievery he can acquire. Obviously proven true since he was able to steal the scepter."
Tommit was surprised to hear such a familiar name and upon closer inspection he realized the green hooded figure was his old disciple. "….Rannie? Aaah! So it's you. Come to steal my prize?"
"I could care less about any of that. I came for clarification on something. Is it true you stole the royal scepter?"
"Scepter?"
"Don't play dumb." The Player crossed his arms, not interested in waiting any longer than he had to. "Someone has stolen the royal scepter from the castle and witnesses believe it was the bandit, Tommit, who made way with it. You being Tommit, of course."
"That was indeed I!" Tommit proudly claimed. "It was some of my best work yet. I'm still surprised I was able to pull off such a daring heist. Sure, it was difficult, but there was a way. It took careful planning and months of research but I was able t-"
The Player groaned out loudly in a very bored fashion. "Wow! That…that is not interesting. We just want to see the scepter."
"You do? You came all the way out here just to see if I have it?"
The Player, Sorceress and Elf all looked at one another, quiet stares between them as it was best they took a careful approach and play along with pretending they weren't sent by Vivian and Gustaf.
"Uh, yeeeeeah." The Player replied, obviously in a very suspicious way. "That's it. We've come just to see the scepter. Just to make sure you aren't full of BS."
"…BS?" The Elf whispered to the Sorceress who shrugged in confusion, not sure what it meant either.
Tommit began to snicker, he was no fool and could see through their ruse. "I'm not to be taken lightly. Do you really think I'd believe you'd come all the way here to see if my words hold true? You come out to this abandoned city filled with vicious beasts, find my hideout and claim you're only interested in seeing if I was able to steal from the castle. Do you take me for a fool?"
"Would you be surprised if I said 'yes'?" The Player asked with genuine curiousity.
Tommit grabbed his bag, similar to the one Rannie carried, and knocked over multiple shelves containing various antique's, pottery and glass. The party was forced to back away as everything came down, shattering multiple pieces of each item at their feet.
While they were distracted the bandit made his getaway out of a secret escape route at the back of the room.
"Hey!" Rannie shouted while extending his hand out to the exit. "Damn, he got away… We've got to get the scepter back!"
The Player was already way ahead of Rannie, pushing aside the shelves and watching his feet, careful not to step on any of the sharp shards on the ground. "Nnngh! Don't worry he won't."
The Sorceress used her magic to carefully sweep away the fragments and the Elf rushed to the Player's side to help him move the fallen shelves. Now that the path was clear the team made their way to the secret passage and gave chase. The first corridor lead them through an area submerged in water. They had to make their way through waist deep water which only delayed their pursuit.
The Player's teeth chattered from the chilling water temperature and he could hardly stand it. "This water is colder than a mother fuc-"
Suddenly, from out of the depths ahead, a giant predator emerged, jumping at the Player with open jaws and razor sharp teeth, very reminiscent of the piranha fish, this was a vicious carnivore that could instantly turn a human body skeletal within minutes.
The Player was instantly cut off his original sentence at the sight of this deadly fish. "OH CRAP!"
Just before the beast could take a bite out of him an arrow pierced through the mouth of the killer fish and sent it flying back into a wall where it was hung and instantly killed from having its head and brain pierced through. The Elf saved her friend just in time.
"Are you ok?" She asked.
"I may have pissed myself but I think I'm good. Thanks." He looked back to the Elf with a grateful smile.
The Sorceress looks back the way they came and noticed a school of incoming predator's similar to the one the Elf just killed.
"Guys, we need to go." She warned.
The other's turn back and realized they weren't clear of danger yet. Without needing to think about it they quickly faced forward and prepared to rush the next room but to their horror another group of killer fish were on the way, trapping them from both sides. This was an attack strategy the fish had and is often how prey were picked to the bone.
The group wouldn't be able to fight this threat due to their disadvantage from being in the water so all hope seemed lost. The killer fish swam quicker and once they were within range they all jumped out of the water, leaping toward the adventurers who all huddled together in a protective ball, all but the Sorceress who used her quick thinking to teleport her friends and herself away into the next corridor that lead to Tommit's escape route.
The fish missed their targets and collided with one another mid jump, they fell back into the water shortly afterward.
"We're dead." The Player said amongst the group, still huddled together with the Elf and Rannie. "We're dead, we're dead, we're dead, we're dead."
The Sorceress snickered as she stood over the group, now taping the back of the Player's head with her staff. "We're all alive."
The Player opened his eyes and noticed they were no longer in the water, he raised his head and looks around, seeing they managed to escape death once again...they were pretty good at that. From a watery grave to solid ground the Player knew this was the work of the Sorceress.
"We're alive!" He jumped for joy, his eyes glimmering at the Sorceress once he faced her. "And it's thanks to your teleporting, right? I may never get used to that but my god is it awesome. You rock!"
The Sorceress blushed at his praise and held her chest out proudly, displaying a hints of a boosted ego, something she always scolded the Player for displaying. "Well, I don't want to toot my own horn but-"
"Actually, I changed my mind." The Player interrupted once he realized she was starting to get full of herself. "We don't have enough room on this team for two egomaniacs. I have that role down because I'm awesome. You can stay as our support."
The moment he disregarded her the Sorceress's high was sent crashing down in an instant. She snarled at him with sharp teeth and red eyes that were heavily shadowed by darkness that covered the top portion of her face before making an attempt to lunge at him but the Elf quickly intervened and held her back. She ultimately calmed down and but the Sorceress was still sulking.
Rannie kicked the water out of his trousers and shoes with a heavy sigh of relief, he could still feel his heart racing. The Player pat his back to get his attention though it was bit hard, enough to make the bandit jerk forward.
"Oof!" Rannie flinched.
"You holding up ok?" The Player asked.
"O-Oh, yeah. Just wasn't expecting that. I'm glad we were able to make it out alive..."
"Right? But it's not over yet. Let's go find Tommit before he gets away. It'd be a shame if we came all this way for nothing. I actually can't wait to see his face once we get that scepter back."
The Sorceress and Elf joined the boys shortly afterward. "Our goal is just ahead." The Elf said with her bow at the ready for probable danger that awaited them.
"Let's focus on the mission and retrieve the scepter." The Sorceress added with a look of confidence supported by a beautiful smile.
Seeing his partners so determined and ready was a sigh of relief for the rogue but facing his old mentor wouldn't be a simple task, the old wounds haven't healed yet but it had to be done for the sake of the mission.
The Player looks out to his teammates and nods. "Remember, we're a team. We stick together no matter what. So, no crying over bugs, Sorceress."
The Sorceress nearly broke character but maintained her composure, instead she cracked a forced grin. "Right." She muttered from behind her teeth.
"Good. Now, team, let's make sure we all get home safely."
Leading them on the Player ran ahead with the Sorceress and Elf following after him, Rannie watched them off, remaining silent and distant from the discussed plan. He looked down to the ground as if he was lost in thought but after giving it a second he shook his head and sighed heavily.
The rogue hurries to catch up with the others for the showdown with Tommit.
