With the story now well on its' way, my hopes are up for smooth sailing this year. I've gotten much of the plot figured out thanks to my break, and things are looking up! Of course, I do apologize for the month-long wait, it has been a little odd (but great!) getting back into writing. I don't plan on rushing anything, as much as I want to get this story done.
I sincerely hope that you enjoy your stay in Minegarde Town... or well, definitely not Minegarde City!
We have incoming story text! Everyone to your reading stations, this is not a drill!
Leaning against the wall near the stairwell was Lucy, who's morning had been one of the slowest she ever had. For her, it was the lack of work to do, since her day usually started out with a healthy dose of carrying supplies, checking the weapons over, and a short session of combat training just to start things off. From the moment she walked down the stairs from her room, Benson had been doing nothing but cleaning and organizing within his Inn, and since her job was being his bodyguard, this left Lucy with little to do while he went over all of his early morning routines.
No matter how many times they passed by her, Lucy didn't notice what Benson and his employees were doing. Everything they did just seemed unimportant and worthless compared to fighting for her life. She knew very well that she still had to play the part of a bodyguard and would follow through with that the best she could, but right now she could only wait. Resting her head on her hand, she found herself slowly sitting down while still against the wall. Not like anyone would care what she did while she just waited.
...and waited, aaand waited.
She actually managed to doze off, waking up with a start to a slightly cleaner looking Inn. Tables were scrubbed until they shined in the sunlight, the floors lacked any junk or even dust, and all the stuff behind the counter was well organized and ready for use. That wasn't what caught her attention, though, it was the lively streets she could see out the windows. People seemed to flood the plaza, blocking much of the cobblestone path from sight. While it was active at night, Minegarde was nothing short of crowded during the day.
I thought that there were a lot of people around last night. Yikes. Lucy thought to herself, sitting up from the floor and stretching out her back, which ached subtly. The bed she slept in wasn't too much better than sleeping on the floor or even this wall. For such a fancy Inn, the rooms the employees were given were shoddy. She wasn't staying here long anyway, she only needed somewhere to stay. Who was she to complain?
"Sleep well?" Benson asked, exiting the back room to find his bodyguard walking toward the window. She looked over to him after he spoke, feeling a bit embarrassed that she let herself rest on the job.
"Well, I mean, I shouldn't have-" She tried to say, before her new boss raised his hand and said empathetically, "Stop. It's not like I can't handle myself in my own Inn. As long as you do your job when I need you, I have no reason to get mad at you." She nodded in understanding, turning back to the window to continue watching the many people who passed by.
"I'm guessing you don't have to leave yet since you didn't wake me." Lucy said, sounding rather bored. He chuckled at her impatience, remembering his own youth where he was so quick about everything he did. He hardly ever slowed down to enjoy much in his life... he hoped she wasn't the same way, and it was just the war that made her so anxious to take action.
"Actually no. I'm going right now to make a delivery to a friend, then we'll be headed to the market to buy some ingredients for the Inn's cook. I'll tell you what I know about the city as we go along." Benson said, turning around and heading into the back room again. "We'll take the long way as opposed to my usual quick route through the alleyways. That way you can get a better feel for Minegarde." He shouted, the sound of boxes toppling could be heard when he went to get what he needed.
"Son of a bitch! Zachary! What did I say about stacking boxes four high?!" Benson yelled, while soon after Lucy could hear him muttering in frustration, "He had to put the important one at the bottom of them all too, huh?"
"It's not that bad, boss," Zachary could be heard replying ever so casually, "I never have any issue with stacking boxes four high. It just takes a little time to get what you want."
"That doesn't matter, because I'm the one delivering this shit half the time! Don't do it again!" Benson demanded while wooden boxes could be heard being stacked back up. He was dumbfounded that Zach could keep making the same mistake. One of these days he was going to fire the incompetent fool...
Lucy enjoyed to listen to these petty squabbles, at least, when they didn't get out of hand. They often seemed humorous, but that's because she had never been on the receiving end. She watched Benson walk out of the storage room with a crate the size of his head. He walked by Lucy, gently bumping her with his shoulder and saying, "Stay close and walk quickly Laura, this plaza won't get any less crowded until late at night. If you're afraid to lose sight of me, keep a hand on my shoulder."
She easily imagined getting caught up in these crowds and losing sight of Ben. It was undoubtedly a possibility, but that wouldn't stop her. "I'll be okay, I don't think a bunch of random people are going to be the end of me, Benson." She replied reassuringly, using his full name in an attempt to be more professional. She didn't want to act as if she knew him, because fact was, she really didn't. Watching the back of her boss' head carefully, she entered the crowd. It was like going through a sea of people, they kept bumping and pushing past one another, always moving and never stopping.
Lucy was anxious from the moment she started following Benson, feeling uncomfortable if someone so much as brushed past her. They turned to the left of Benson's Inn to exit the plaza, and headed down a slightly less cramped street that opened up a little elbow for the two of them. One thing that she had noticed quite quickly was that people seemed to be steering clear of Benson. She thought it was because he was carrying a crate, and damaging a merchant's supplies wasn't something you wanted to do in general. However, the people who lived in Minegarde knew you had to be careful around people with supplies, since many merchants had a 'you break, you buy it' policy. Even when simply transporting goods.
As she walked down the street, she noticed there was a flow of people heading in their respective directions. The other side was heading to the plaza, while the side they were on had people who were leaving the plaza, like them. The street looked wide enough for an entire cart or two, yet people were keeping to their respective sides unlike in the plaza, where each person walked every which way.
"What's different about the streets here? Why are they suddenly walking in such an orderly way?" Lucy asked, continuing to observe the flow of people. This change was so hard not to notice, it being so strange to her. Was it a law of sorts, she wondered? Rosa had told her that many people in civilizations followed strict rules known as laws, but she didn't know the details. To sate her curiosity, Benson chimed in with, "It isn't a law, but to make everyone's life easier, the community's started separating which sides of the street they walk on. The plaza is only hectic because it'd be rather complicated to separate people like we have here, and also because nobody's bothered to make any suggestions."
She witnessed somebody jogging past them in the middle of the street, heading past the orderly crowd to get to the plaza in their own way. "I'm assuming not everyone knows about this," She said, gesturing to the person who passed them, "since that just happened."
"Yeah, that's only one issue with community-enforced rules. Not everybody knows about it when they first come here, but word travels fast in such a crowded community. So fast, in fact, some people have even learned to ignore all the racket of other people's conversations and focus on their own." Benson explained, tilting his head towards some the houses they were passing by. "Take these people for example, they live right by the plaza and can hear all the chatter, all the time. I've managed to talk over the crowd with a lady who was just leaving her house, who talked with me as if the crowd wasn't even there."
"That's impressive," Lucy admitted, part of her expecting one of the doors to open. Nothing moved inside the homes and the doors remained shut. It made her wonder how early people got up in Minegarde... perhaps as early as she did back in the Forest? "If anything, it shows how they are used to living in such a loud place. I can barely stand it, to be honest..." She commented, putting a hand against her forehead. All the noise was really irritating and was starting to give her a headache.
"Don't worry. It should be quieter on this next street." Ben assured her, turning left at the fork in the road. Houses continued to line the streets, some of them having shops inside them as advertised by the occasional sign, but more importantly to Lucy, these streets weren't as crowded as the plaza or any of the streets near it. Having some elbow room was nice, and while people still walked by quite frequently, they didn't have to be as loud when they spoke. Another thing she noticed was that there wasn't a single specified shop, like back in Kokoto.
"What's with all the houses, Benson? Are there really just that many people in Minegarde that almost every building needs to be a home?" She asked, a pair of children running past her without a care, which sparked another thought in her head. "Are there a lot of families that live here?"
"Minegarde is a poorly organized town. As poorly organized as it is, it's numbers rival the population of the busiest place in history- Dundorma. Thousands of people live here as well as Dundorma, and while I can't tell you the exact difference, it's very close. It's all because of the way they built this place." Benson said, his cheery tone making it seem like he was admiring Minegarde for it's second-most populated status.
"So what makes it poorly organized? It seems just fine to me." She said dismissively. So far, there was only thing she could complain about- the crowds. That irritated her to no end while also managing to give her a headache, of which throbbed lightly right now.
"Do the words 'crowded community' ring a bell?" He mentioned, now sounding a bit disappointed. His change in tone had confused her, meaning to her that his positive use of crowded community earlier wasn't exactly a plus.
"Right. Go ahead." She said quickly, silencing herself and worrying about listening and walking beside him.
"As nice as having a close-knit community can be, there are way more negatives than positives if those people don't know each other that well. You already know that those crowds in the plaza are nothing but frustrating, and the noise is rather irritating to outsiders. That's what keeps new people from coming to Minegarde unless they have to come here or don't care about such noise." Benson explained, his eyes darting back and forth to all the houses around them. "Think for a moment. Kokoto, Pokke, Moga, Yukumo… these are but a few of the locations that are household names, and what do they all have in common?"
"They're all small villages. Peaceful and quiet, for the most part?" Lucy answered, going off what little she knew about the villages. She had invaded Kokoto with the rest of her allies, and that wasn't as noisy as Minegarde was. Even after conflict broke out.
"Most villages never get as loud as Minegarde does, except when a Monster attacks. And with attacks being such a rare occurrence, you can probably see why many people don't come to Minegarde." He said, speaking as if that was the end of the conversation.
"Gee! I wonder why." She replied sassily, wondering why he would make such an obvious statement. Then after a few seconds of silence, he continued with a hushed tone, not wanting anyone but Lucy to hear him.
"That being said, that's part of the reason people come here. They're tired of the quiet life. They want excitement. Many people think that Minegarde offers grand opportunities, but for most people, it really doesn't." He said, looking uneasy and cautious while trying to make sure no one could eavesdrop on them. "Merchants have it super busy, and there a lot of people who aren't really fit for a life as one. Sometimes people become criminals or poachers here in secret, because Minegarde is a busy place. Nobody notices a single person causing trouble if you're quiet about it."
"Exactly how do you know all this?" Lucy asked, quieting her own voice to keep with Ben's secrecy. She leaned in closer to him, anticipating his answer.
"Well, Lucy, to be frank with you... it's because that's what happened to me." He stated nervously, aware that if word got out about it he could be arrested. He wasn't too sure if there was any documents of his past, but word alone was almost enough to get a person convicted. He knew better than to talk quietly in Minegarde- that usually meant you were up to no good and that you had something to hide, but as long as he kept this interaction brief, there would be no issues.
"You just told me the story of your life," She said in awe, coming to the conclusion in her head before Ben finished his sentence, "why would you tell me, of all people?"
"Because, what Rosa will do might finally get this town back into shape. The Guild doesn't acknowledge Minegarde's troubles as much as they used to, and haven't been sending Hunters or Guild Knights over here that often. Think of how a takeover would make the Guild react, maybe they'd finally stop paying attention to Bherna for once and give us the help we deserve." He replied, with some confidence thrown in there to reassure Lucy.
"I hardly think that's the actual reason, Ben. As noble as that is." She said, doubting his statement. He himself had said he was a simple man, why would he have such a complicated reason for letting a rebellion take his second home over? She wasn't convinced in the slightest.
"Alright alright. Don't be so touchy about it. I have an insider, and with his help, I'm going to be the one to let your rebels in the city. There, I said it. I doubt I could trust my employees, as close as I am to them, with such information. If all of this goes well, my past can stay a secret and my business can continue to thrive. Maybe even after you take over Minegarde." He replied with a snarky attitude. She had to keep prodding for information, didn't she?
"You really had no one other than someone in the rebellion to tell your past to?" She asked, pity apparent in her voice. She didn't like to pity others, but having no one but an ally in a 'civil war' to turn to? That was nothing short of sad in her mind.
"Save your pity. I distanced myself from my family long ago, but that's an entirely different story I refuse to get into." Benson mentioned, ignoring her pity and acting as if he didn't get upset thinking about his family.
"So we won't. Let's get your friend their stuff and head to the market." Lucy assured him, looking at the box in his arms. "You wanted to get this done quickly in the first place, right?"
"Yes, yes I did. It shouldn't be too much longer until we get there, say, a little more than ten minutes?" He guessed, mischievously smiling and looking back at Lucy. "Who's counting? Not us."
Lucy and Benson continued to stroll along the outer part of Minegarde Town, not in any hurry to deliver the box. She had found an odd gentleman underneath that visage he always held up, with a bit of a warped past. It made her somewhat conflicted when she thought about it, as the past did shape how you seemed to turn out. So why did this outlaw turn to a legitimate, respectable businessman unlike the others? Something didn't add up, but perhaps Ben would tell her before they parted ways.
Outside of Minegarde in the mountains it was surrounded by, the rebels had set up their temporary base camp and were restlessly waiting to charge into town. Many of them had taken a pair of binoculars and hid throughout the mountains, waiting for the signal Rosa told them about. Each one of them watched the walls to the town warily, unsure when the signal would appear.
The main camp, hidden in a nearby cave, was a few minutes out from Minegarde. While it was quite visible to the people who were headed to Minegarde, most everyone agreed that if Lucy got things going in under a week, there would be no need for any out-of-the-way, obscure hiding spots. Left with nothing to do, rebels took up what few training weapons there were and got to sparring, including Kenneth and Rei, who were fighting each other right now. Rosa watched the way the two of them fought intently, deciding to comment, "What has you so motivated right now, son?" when Kenneth struck Rei's guard with an aggressive blow from the side.
"The usual," He said, thrusting his training blade under Rei's and striking her wrist. She grunted and backed off, cursing quietly to herself. Kenneth continued after taking a step back, "being able to kick dad out of his position. Lethally or not. While we were back at Kokoto, I heard rumors about vanishing merchants who haven't returned, and it's only reminded me of when I found the evidence of his lies."
Rei started their fight back up with an overhead swing, getting easily deflected by Kenneth. He didn't manage to follow-up in time since he was trying to talk, so he instead took a few steps away from her before saying, "It's not like it's just him. There are plenty of people who are in on this plot. No specific names ever showed up in the papers from what I remember. Just titles." Rei charged toward him, blade raised above her head for another strong strike. She started to swing a second or two before Kenneth counterattacked weakly.
"Seems like a pretty, how do I put this, ne-" Rosa began with concern apparent in her voice, the training blades colliding and pushing against one another cutting into her sentence, "negative way to motivate yourself?"
"If you ask me, if it ain't broke-" Rei said, her voice being strained in an effort to win the clash. She manipulated Kenneth's weapon to the side, then low to the ground, struggling to gain an advantage. "-don't fix it." She stated, taking a step closer before grabbing his sword and proceeding to rip it from his hand. As soft as the leather handle was, Kenneth's hand got slightly abrased from the sheer force she used to take it.
"Personally I'd prefer if you didn't think of him so negatively. He has done some good things in his lifetime." Rosa insisted, the memories of her children's birth coming to mind. What she didn't realize was the fact that her tone was slowly becoming more cheerful. "Oh, what I wouldn't do to relive those days..." She said subconsciously, then sighing in a wistful way.
"Oh yeah? I find it hard since he only seemed to care until after he shipped me away. Which he chose to do." He said, reaching for his blade only to get slapped on the wrist by it. When he went to grab it again, Rei struck his hand instead. "Hey!" Kenneth shouted frustratedly, before she shrugged and nonchalantly said, "You're the one who let me have it."
Not in the mood to be slapped around in some twisted version of training, he turned to his mother and, while still feeling angry, asked, "Name one good thing he's done for us all. ONE thing."
"He helped me give birth two children who are growing up to be fine young people." Rosa said proudly, smiling as she watched Kenneth open his mouth, only for him to pause and shut his mouth. Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything in the first place.
"Oh... err… touché, mom. Touché." Kenneth said sheepishly, wondering if he should be taking that as a compliment or as it was- a fact. It dawned on him for a moment that his situation with Edward would be rather embarrassing, on the field of battle, in negotiations, and in history. From her one sentence, his thoughts had went to ways he could, perhaps, spare his father. With the way the Guild liked to work, he didn't know if there was a way to stop his father from going to prison should he surrender, aside from changing how the law worked. He couldn't help but think that it could be better to end him than to subject him to a life in prison.
No one deserves to spend the rest of their lives in a cage, on the same routine day after day. He thought calmly, a bit of pity going out to some of the people who had been imprisoned. Forcing someone to stay in a confined space away from life, making them do work that the jailors and guards could be doing instead... This got him thinking, what could possibly be worse than being locked away until you die? That question lingered in his thoughts even after Rosa started talking again.
"He's done some horrible things in his lifetime, yes... but he means well, in some way or another. I couldn't think of a time Edward has ever made an irrational decision, except under duress. Aside from..." She said, sitting down and taking a moment to think. Having almost mentioned a moment in her past, she realized that now was probably one of the few times she could tell Kenneth of her past with Edward. Rosa looked up at her son and gestured for him to sit, saying, "Please, sit. I think it's about time I tell you how me and your father separated."
"Oh! Uh, I guess I'll go." Rei said awkwardly, walking off with both training swords in hand. Rosa didn't even acknowledge that she said anything or even that Rei left, only focused on her son and the past she thought he deserved to hear.
"It all started when you were only a few years old, with an argument that seemed like it never would have escalated." She began nostalgically, every word she spoke said as if she was reading it out of a book. "Your father was getting upset about the lack of action the Guild was taking. The Guildmaster was a peaceful and trusting man, something that no one expected from the Guildmaster of the Hunter's Guild. After hearing about many times the Guild had repelled Monsters recently, Edward had become irritated with their passive stance, and openly complained about it to me."
Now her voice became gruff but not all that deep, trying to imitate Edward the best she could, "'This is getting ridiculous, hon,' he said tiredly, having come home from his second job, 'at this rate, Dundorma's Hunters are going to be forced to gently remove threats. What does this man expect to achieve by pushing them away from our society? It's not like they aren't going to return, in fact, he's encouraging them to return by giving them food!'"
She switched to her own voice, easily returning to her neutral tone, "'I couldn't answer you. I'd have my reasons, but his motives are a mystery to me.' He was clearly confused. After all, hundreds of years ago, we used to kill every Monster in sight. Some people must have still had that mindset, including your father. I'd never forget what he said next," Rosa commented, before looking off into the distance and reciting Edward's next line.
"'I'm tired of spending all my time at my second job!' He raised his voice as he went on, 'The Guildmaster has me on edge with how often we're getting quote unquote visitors! He isn't doing anything about the criminals or Monsters, he's just letting the both of them live. I have no problem with him doing away with the arenas; that was barbaric and I'm glad they've fallen into disuse. But the fact that he's letting the Monsters get so close to our civilizations before he even THINKS about doing anything is dangerous! Think of the people that could get hurt!' He was so riled up, he couldn't calm himself down. I had to chime in during his rant before it got out of hand, and I had the perfect excuse. You." Rosa said with a smile, watching her son's expression as he took all of this in.
"'Edward, you're going to wake Kenneth. Breathe, Ed, breathe. We'll talk about it.' I tried to be as soothing as I could, putting my hand on his shoulder as he continued to raise his voice. The thought of waking you during nap-time was unbearable, as you were quite the cranky little one sometimes." She chuckled quietly, getting back in the zone as she continued to recite the memory. Kenneth felt as if he was a little boy again, listening to stories from his mother. He remained silent as he listened with much interest, a wide grin on his face while he learned of his parents' past.
"'I know I know I know... but I'm at the edge of my rope here! I've had to pick up a second job because hunting requests are so scarce. Hunting was my profession, Rosa, and I've been training and practicing my entire life.' It was about now that he had calmed down, but he still seemed rather anxious to me. 'He's practically put me out of a job. We need someone who will actually take action against threats, instead of wasting our resources to make them leave.'" Even now as she spoke, she saw some merit in Edward's old view. They were using an awful lot of supplies to make sure the Monster population flourished, and people back then sometimes protested for the safety of some lesser Monsters because of the Guildmaster's stance on the situation. It was close to the Age of Peace they were striving for, but it was more that Monsters were being bribed in exchange.
"'We'll be fine,' I assured him, 'you've been bringing in plenty for us to eat and the house is clean and orderly. If the time comes, we may have to discuss this with the Guildmaster personally. But no extreme actions, we're a family now, and I don't want to throw it all away on some foolish rally.' Today was the day that everything Edward did was uncertain to me. I thought I knew him so well. The next day, he immediately went out on a quest, excited more than anything. He left the home with his usual, 'Goodbye, hon!' while waving, but he donned his Eldemail set as he left."
"Hm? Eldemail?" Kenneth cut in, remembering the nighttime encounter he had with his father. He had two armor sets, the Guild Bard one he wore as a more formal set, and what Rosa now revealed to be the Eldemail. With the way that it reflected the moon's light in the dark of the night, there was no way it was his regular set. Cloth didn't reflect light. The red and grey hues of his scaled armor stained with blood didn't exactly help when he saw it. He wondered what the name meant, sounding like nothing more than a mesh of words.
"Unbelievably, yes... In his prime, Edward struck down an Elder Dragon. He keeps it mostly to himself, and the only other place you could figure out what he slew would be in the Guild's records. They never leave anything out of those papers, as Ed always used to mention." Rosa tried her best to think of everything he used to tell her about. She struggled to remember anything about his hunting career... "I can't tell you much more than the armor itself has been upgraded with parts from that same Elder Dragon he defeated, which could pose a problem if it was one of the more durable ones."
"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Sorry for interrupting you." Kenneth said respectfully, adjusting the way he sat so he would be sitting cross-legged. As much as he wanted to listen to her past, he found it rather important that his father had an armor set made from Elder Dragon parts. Every time he got a new piece of information about Edward, it always seemed to make Kenneth more concerned about fighting him. It was more important to be ready than to be headstrong.
"Anyway, there was nothing I could do that day. I have no idea what he went and did, because he kept his mouth shut when he got home that day. He looked so exhausted, but thankfully not hurt in the slightest." Rosa said, putting her hand on her mouth while she theorized for a brief moment. Coming up with no ideas, she moved her hands to her lap and continued with, "We scarcely spoke over the entire week, and it was worrying me to no end. One morning, when he was gone, I caught some word from some Guild members that were chit-chatting. 'Did you hear that a new Guildmaster could be getting appointed? That could be a great change... lately the markets have been fairly empty because of his willingness to throw food at Monsters just so they'll leave.'"
She started staring off into space as she spoke, no longer mimicking the voices of those she spoke for, "The other one turned with mouth agape, asking, 'Really? So we won't have to eat all the things they won't? We can get the Hunters back to doing what they were supposed to do in the first place?' The first member nodded, and the two of them cackled. They were probably thinking about all the good food they'd be able to get their hands on. I was confused at the fact that they weren't passing on the title of Guildmaster like when I was a little girl, but I remembered that nothing ever stays the same."
"Just like my husband didn't stay the same man that he was when I first married him... he'd grown restless in need of work, felt the need to get wealth, as a way to protect our family. He started talking to me much more after the week ended, but a month later, he came home with news. News he regarded as wonderful, news he regarded as unbelievable. News he regarded as life-changing. It was a horrible day when I heard him speak with such excitement," Rosa's expression quickly turned from solemn to sad. Something changed inside of Edward's mind that day, but she couldn't figure out what. "'I am eligible to become the Guildmaster, Rosa. You know what this could mean for us? Great things. Great things indeed!'"
Is she misinterpreting his feelings? Or was my father's intent different from what it is now? There's no way he became the leader of the Guild to do all those horrible things I've read about him. Kenneth thought, as Rosa blocked her eyes with her hand. She talked quieter as she silently wept in the midst of her sentence.
"'If I get this position, our lives will be SO much easier... for all of us. Isn't that great? I'm... so overwhelmed, I can hardly believe it myself! This, this right here, is the chance of a lifetime, and I'm going for it! We can start having time to ourselves again, live wherever we please, have such grand lives- the possibilities are absolutely endless!'" She said, looking Kenneth straight in his eyes. "The fool actually thought that luxury and power mattered more than family. He had been absent from the home for weeks without so much as an explanation, and then he comes home and says all this. After he became the Guildmaster a few days later, he was gone. Again."
She was becoming overwhelmed by the memory, yet for the sake of Kenneth having knowledge of their past, she continued while remaining frustrated, "He'd occasionally return with zenny to supply us, talk up as if he hadn't been gone all this time, and then leave again. He acted as if what he was doing was necessary for our family to thrive... what a fool he was!"
Rosa stood up and started to walk back and forth while shaking her head, so Kenneth decided to try and get her to calm down- enough was enough. He got to his feet and walked up to his mother, placing a hand on her shoulder before she could speak up again. She turned to him, with nothing but tears and a scowl on her face. She was putting herself through much more emotion than she needed to and still didn't realize how bad it was getting.
"Look. I've had it pretty rough these past weeks," He said, being serious and quiet as he spoke, "and I can tell this is hard for you. I'm glad you're telling me how this whole mess started... but please. Don't torture yourself. I hate to see you like this."
Rosa inhaled sharply, and quivered as she exhaled. She stopped thinking about Edward and started taking deep breaths, before hugging her son and saying, "Thank you," quiet as a whisper. The two of them stopped hugging and sat back down, with Rosa feeling much better. Thinking about her past too hard always confused her, and this was but one of the occasions she overreacted.
"I've already learned so much, but if this is too hard for you to contin-" Kenneth tried to say, only to be cut off by his mother, insisting, "No. You still deserve to hear this, as hard as is for me to remember those days. It doesn't matter what it might make you think of me, or him. These are my mistakes, and I would be glad if you would learn what you can from them and not repeat them." She took another deep breath, then tried to remember where she stopped. She muttered rapidly as she went through what she had recently said before her outburst, until she remembered and exclaimed, "Ah, yes!"
"His visits became more and more routine, my interactions with him becoming increasingly aggressive. After this repeated four times, I was past reasoning with him, and I finally came up to him and said, 'Who do you think you are, abandoning our way of life? You've hardly even seen me over these past few weeks, let alone your own son! He's so confused, the only thing I can say is your father's working. Why you, of all people, did you become the Guildmaster? Didn't you have all you needed here at home?'"
This time around, Rosa remained calm, but she resumed mimicking Edward's voice with a whimsical, yet angry-sounding, "'What?!' He shouted, seeming so confused at my outburst. 'I've been doing this for all of us! Including everyone here at Dundorma! I care for this community and our family. Where did you get such a ridiculous notion?' I was trying to keep my voice down, regardless of how cross I was with him. He on the other hand, didn't seem to mind about being so noisy, even if it could have meant accidentally dragging you into this argument. Of which, you probably couldn't have understood at the time."
"'You've been so out of control, I can't even tell if you're the same man I married. Or was all this some kind of sick joke I wasn't in on?' I sassily replied. This really set him off, and I'm afraid that it was most likely the cause of all this- 'Sick joke? SICK JOKE? Unlike you, I am working SO hard to provide for Kenneth and you. Can you not see how UNGRATEFUL you're acting? Our life is about to be simple, luxurious, hell! Even fun! All I had to do was take that washed-up Guildmaster's place!'"
"By the White and Black gods..." Kenneth commented to himself, shocked at the degree that things had escalated. He had tried to remain neutral and attentive throughout this whole thing, but he felt as if Edward was acting the same way he did today. He stopped thinking about it too much and continued to listen instead.
"'THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM!' I cried out, beginning to sob." Rosa said, dramatizing the emotions that she and her husband were feeling at the time. It was an odd way she started to cope with the frustration and confusion that she felt. "'You don't care about the damage you cause to get to your way! Your Hunting style reflects that perfectly! I don't know what I ever saw in such a selfish, unruly, destructive bastard such as yourself!'"
"Damn mom. No bars held." He said, nervously chuckling. If there was one thing he just learned about his mother, it was that she knew how to hurt someone emotionally. He was glad she was a rather nice person, compared to what he was hearing... he'd keep that thought to himself, though, as to not provoke her wrath.
"Thank you," She replied, a strange sense of pride came to her when she realized how unhinged she could get. "Now, he went on and replied, 'So that's the way you see it? HUH? I suggest you leave. You're not going to do anything but ruin Kenneth's life with your all of your nonsense.' I did not take that well either. 'You should know- you're full of it!'"
Rosa's voice quieted down from shouting to a more appropriate level, also stopping all the theatrics she was doing. She then continued with, "'Leave,' He said, 'now. I don't know what changed inside you, but I'm done tolerating your warped ideals. This isn't what we married for... what happened to the love and support I had from you?' I have no idea, to this day, why he chose these words to me at that moment. Did he snap back to reality for a moment during a moment of my weakness? Who knows." She said, contemplating what Edward could have been thinking while continuing, "'You're done tolerating this?! Fine! Maybe I'll just vanish off the face of the world! See how you like it!' I didn't even bother to try and take you with me at the time, and I stormed out of the house with what little belongings I had."
"So... how did Lucy come to be if you left while I was so little?" Kenneth asked, noticing a missing link in her story. With how similar he and his sister were, he highly doubted she was adopted. Still felt the need to ask, though. "Did you adopt her? Or were you..."
She shook her head, holding her hand up and saying, "Now now, slow down. I'm getting to that. As I stormed out of our house, I went to my friends' houses. I convinced them to abandon the Guild in spite of my husband. Some of the names you might recognize, Lucas, Amelia, Quincy, and Brendan. They all heard me out, gathered their belongings, and left under the cover of the night. Over the course of a few days, we all slowly traveled to Kokoto, an old meeting place of ours. We weren't in a hurry, and because of that, that's when I found out..."
Rosa paused for effect, figuring that Kenneth had anticipated her next line, "I was pregnant with Lucinda. The name was decided on between my friends and me, as I had never talked to Edward about very many girl names. He always babbled on about names for a son, and it took him say, six or so names before he finally landed on Kenneth?" She said cheerfully, laughing briefly afterward. "That's why I am so confused about Edward's actions. He is usually not a very decisive man, until he took action and... well, decided to change."
"Ah..." He nodded, still listening curiously. He didn't even think about where this could end, even though Rosa had been talking for a rather long time. Kenneth's mind raced with the possibilities of his mother's past. Being so intrigued, he never even thought that she might have needed a break.
"It was a slow life. Me and my friends traveled deep into the Forest and Hills and built ourselves a home. The Assembly, which used to be used to be a house, provided us with a place to live outside of the Guild's jurisdiction." She said, getting nostalgic talking about the easier times with her old friends. "A few years later, I started gathering people to fight against the Guild and Edward. His actions were actually quite justified and, I guess you could say, he was doing the right thing. To me, something felt rather... off, but I did want him out of his position. People with conspiracies, those who were highly suspicious of the new way Guildmasters were chosen, and even criminals who had changed their ways joined up with us. That marked the start of our rebellion, and to celebrate that, me and my friends converted the Assembly into a base. We then had to learn how to make tents... which was easy enough in comparison to what we're dealing with today."
She started to stand quickly, her limbs popping as she got up. Her voice was somewhat strained when she said, "The rest is history. We developed quite the group over the years, slowly expanding until we could take over Kokoto. We eventually got so sidetracked in gathering materials that they started to change how things worked there before we could do much of anything. Soon after, they learned from mmm- ah, an attempt to capture Kokoto, and switched up how emergencies would be handled."
"I think I've taken up a bit much of your time, mom. I'll get back to training." Kenneth said, noting her sudden hesitation in his head. There was something she wasn't willing to say, and he almost wanted to find out. He thought it would be nice to give her some time alone after she told him that whole story, so he turned to her and smiled while saying, "Thank you. I hope you didn't feel it was necessary to tell me all that."
"No no, you ought to know more." She replied, coughing afterward with a slight frown on her face. "I would tell you more, it's just that my mouth is really dry right now. I'm going to get some water."
Kenneth couldn't stop smiling. Rosa walked off to get a drink, leaving him alone to his thoughts for a little while. A care-free time such as this made him happy, even if it was all while waiting for a signal. Once they received it, they'd be ready to fight and die for their cause at the drop of a hat.. a cause worth fighting for, peace for all. If peace was what they were aiming for, why was violence the way to achieve that? He always tended to wonder about that when it came to the concept of peacekeeping.
This just feels... right. Why would anyone want to choose chaos over a life of peace?
These might be breaks in-between battles, but it's the only time I can even enjoy myself like this.
Whatever separated the world from peace must have been... monumentally horrible.
Because who would abandon such a great life? Who would get bored of a world without war?
But... peace won't stop dad. Not while he's set on some kind of plot.
It doesn't matter what he is once we meet on the battlefield...
A father, a husband, and a friend to many. None of it matters when your life is on the line.
Or... does it?
"Have a nice day, man." Benson said happily, while his friend behind the door walked away with the box he was carrying before. "With the delivery done, let's head over to the market. Maybe you can... find some good spots to shop around there, huh?"
"I don't like how crowded it is there. I'd rather not take too long about going through." Lucy replied, acting as if she had never complained about the crowds before. Acting as another person wasn't too hard for her, since no one knew what she was actually like. Her personality was actually quite close to her actual self, with some slight alterations. She didn't try to act too sassy, as much as she loved to, and kept a serious tone, since she was supposed to be a rookie Hunter.
"I have a good route, trust me, there's nothing to worry about. I've been through the marketplace so many times I don't even think about it!" He insisted, doing a bunch of idle chatter was his way to get people disinterested in what he was doing. It always seemed to work, because some people who liked to be nosy and listen in seemed to lose interest when chit-chat started.
The two of them continued along the outer side of Minegarde's main area, the entire thing being, basically, a rectangle surrounded by walls with houses filling most of the gaps. The only circular walkway in this place was the plaza, aside from alleyways which most people didn't bother to use. The two of them walked in silence for most of the way, until out of the blue, Lucy decided to comment, "You know, these streets are surprisingly clean. You'd think with all the people in town, the place would be much messier."
"Have you not seen the alleyways we've passed? None of the people who clean the streets dare go down them, simply because they're dark, cramped, and sometimes have suspicious people hanging around. So more than often enough, they don't get taken care of. Not to mention, a lot of people have the decency to properly clean up after themselves." He replied, Lucy remembering that he was one of those suspicious figures himself. Of course he'd know about that.
The unsheathing of steel echoed in the air, followed by someone very close by shouting. The two of them looked all around the streets, unable to spot anybody, until Ben looked to the rooftops to find a Guild Knight falling down to the hard cobblestone street. They hit the stone with a nasty crack, groaning and writhing in pain as they fell unconscious.
"I retract my compliment," She exclaimed, rather startled from the change in pace. She inspected the person only to find a stab wound that bled rapidly on their uniform, "unless this isn't a regular occurrence." Lucy said solemnly, trying to see a way to get up to where this person fell from. Right on cue, a bunch of Guild Knights ran past them and entered a building with mostly stairs, running up them while orders were being shouted. They had ignored the poor person who had just fallen to the roof just to pursue their attacker. Her gaze snapped to the door the Knights ran through, and her boss was very aware of her temptation.
"Don't you dare. If you even think about leaving, so help me!" Benson warned, only for Lucy to bolt away from him. He groaned and sprinted into the alleyway to hide, not wanting to get blamed for the bleeding out, soon dead person sitting in the streets. Surely the Knights had brought a medic along, or one was on the way?
Chasing after all the Knights, she could hear the sound of combat above. Steel clashing against steel, the insults that seem to be getting thrown around, and a brief scream of pain. That was not very promising. She dashed up the stairs as quickly as she could, tripping against them once when she ran too quickly. Another yell from someone who was surely being killed. Having gotten two stories up, she figured she had to be almost there. She could only hear the rhythmic thumps of the wooden stairs as she pursued them, so something had happened.
Please just be one more. Somebody who's fighting the Guild could be an ally. Lucy thought as she sprinted up the last set of stairs, to find an open door leading to the rooftop. She was greeted by the sight of a mysterious attacker in a long, dark brown coat, slapping the blade of a shortsword to the side with what looked like a bulky, armored gauntlet. The back of the gauntlet was unscathed, while the sword simply flew off to the side, leaving the poor Knight, who Lucy could not see because of the strangely dressed person, unarmed.
Part of her was glad that she couldn't see the Knight, because she saw the aggressor whip out a large falchion, slightly larger than a Hunter's sword, and stab the Knight right in the gut. The attacker clutched their fist tight, and punched the Knight off of their blade. From behind, she struggled to tell if the person was a boy or a girl, but with the broad shoulders and the big arms, it was pretty obvious. Still silent, they turned to see Lucy staring. She could confirm this was a guy, with his stubble and his scarily muscular build.
He didn't waste a second, as before Lucy could say a word, he sheathed his bloodstained falchion and dashed to the right, out of her sight. Where was he going? Was this person crazy enough to hop to another rooftop? She was going to find out, running out onto the roof herself, she shouted, "You! Stop!"
He was certainly crazy enough to leap to another nearby rooftop, and without hesitation too. He jumped off of the first roof with great speed, somersaulting upon landing on the next one, and fluidly continued to run away from her. Having seen the six plus bodies of Guild Knights up here, she was sure this person was a solid fighter. She lined herself in the exact spot he jumped, and ran as fast as she could. Right before the wooden railing, she leapt in the air, soaring three feet or so over a thin alleyway, and managed to land safely on the same rooftop the man was on.
Only her shins didn't appreciate the impact, aching weakly upon landing, but she felt accomplished regardless. By the time she had landed, the mystery man had already proceeded to another higher up building, which he had climbed within seconds. She didn't bother to admire the way he did things, but instead chased after him like she should have been, running across the entire roof she was on rapidly before leaping before the edge once again. The railing looked so close, barely within arm's reach... desperately, she reached out, her hand barely catching the wood railing.
Come on! I can do better than this... I... can... She thought, legs dangling while she struggled to pull herself up with one hand. Lucy quickly realized that it wasn't working, and grabbed on to the railing with her other hand, using all the strength she could manage to get up to the rooftop. She soon found herself atop the roof, tumbling while out of breath. As she arrived, she saw the shape of the man leaping down to a lower rooftop. On reflex, she demanded, "Get back here!" only seeming to further motivate her target.
She got to her feet and charged after him, leaping out on to the next roof without a second thought. Hitting the top of the building with high velocity, her shins and her knees ached horribly, as if someone had struck her with a hammer. She didn't know how far she fell, but it hurt... only to find, after such a reflex decision, that the man had vanished! Looking around, she peeked off to the side in the alleyway, to find him quietly sneaking off. He must have climbed off the side instead of jumping to this rooftop.
"Why you..." Lucy said quietly, climbing down onto a window to chase after him. Her foot wasn't fully on the thin window ceil, and to her surprise, she slipped. She began to plummet down to the hard stone ground below. She drew her sword and thrusted it in a random direction, unable to orient herself while falling, only to come to a screeching halt. She panted heavily, her heart beating out of her chest, Lucy looked down only to find she was but a few feet from the ground, her weapon bending a good thirty degrees and still holding up. Thankfully it was a new weapon, anything else that had been worse for wear might've snapped under the pressure.
She couldn't express how relieved she was that she didn't hit the ground. Having heard the impact from the sword sticking into the wooden house, the man turned around to find her right behind him. She dropped to the ground, taking her rapier out from the wall and pointing it at him. "Stop. All I want is to-" She tried to say, only for the man to start sprinting away again.
"Would you just stop for one damn second!" She shouted, so frustrated that she drew her dagger in the blink of an eye and threw it straight at him. It spun through the air with great speed, and the man looked over his shoulder just in time to see it. He dove to the ground, the dagger flying way over his head. He growled and hopped to his feet while drawing his falchion, and charged at Lucy. Seemingly without any plan, he let a heavy-handed overhand swing loose right at her face. She deflected it with some difficulty, her rapier bending quite a lot under the force.
She thrusted her sword towards his guard, looking to disarm him, only for the man to shift his falchion to parry the thrust and bend her rapier's blade even more. It was bending to a dangerous degree, stopping her fall damaged it pretty badly... but that didn't matter. She had to get him to surrender for just a moment, maybe even get him to talk. Even at the cost of her sword.
"Ye as crazy as I am if ye thought that would work." The man said, his voice sounding quite young. His old-timey term threw her off, but she remained focused and backed off to reply, "Crazy enough to try and get you to stop for just a second?"
He scoffed, swinging his falchion in an underhand fashion while saying, "Yer the one who be tryin' to kill me, wench!" She quickly retreated and pulled her sword away from his swing, countering his complaint with, "You ran in the first place, and you were going to run again!"
He clutched his armored hand into a fist and rushed her, throwing a haymaker as soon as he was in range. Lucy ducked it and kicked him in the arm, causing him to exclaim and stagger backward. "We can work this out. I believe we have a common goal." She insisted, slightly lowering her rapier and her defenses.
"Depends on which common goal yer talking about..." The man said warily, pointing his weapon at her cautiously. Noticing Lucy's hood, his eyes narrowed. There was no way she was any average hunter in his eyes, the hood and her skills had shown him clearly, this woman was most likely a bounty hunter.
"None other than opposing the Guild itself?" She said inquisitively, pulling out all the stops to get a reaction from him. The man remained unfazed, but he also seemed to stop moving when she mentioned the Guild. He was surprised that she would openly say anything against the Guild in a place such as Minegarde.
"Who are ye, really?" The man asked, slowly lowering his falchion, but he remained wary as to not fall for any kind of trap Lucy might be setting. The very presence she had was quite intimidating to him, which was surprising to him. She didn't fear him at all, much unlike the Knights he battled.
"A rebel. Much like yourself, I imagine." She said boldly, this being the most bold assumption she had made in her life. If she recruited this man and he turned out to be a criminal, all could be lost if things turned for the worst... but it seemed he knew the place well, and knew his way around a weapon better than most. It was risky, but starting a whole new rebellion, even if it was supposed to be a mini one, seemed much tougher in her mind.
"A rebel, ye say? Aye, I be a rebel of me own makin'. I believe introductions be in order." He said, twirling his falchion with a simple twist of his wrist before sliding it in the sheathe on his back. "Ye may know me as the man who acts like he already be dead... Dead-man Dan, if ye will."
Lucy smiled and sheathed her rapier. She had found her insider help. "My name's Lucinda Kazamure. I'm here to... borrow Minegarde for the time being, and let me just say this now. I haven't come alone. Nowhere close." She said, a devious tone in her voice. That immediately got the point across to Dan.
"Aye... I see, ye've already got me interest, Lucia. I like that. No nonsense be the way I do things, aye?" He mentioned, sounding more like a promise than a threat, but for Lucy it was rather hard to tell. So she figured she'd just go with it all the way through, since she was already playing along. The nickname he came up with so quickly was going to get on her nerves, but she'd ignore it for the sake of the mission.
"Let's not stay in the open. Have you got somewhere... private to go?" She asked casually, earning a naughty grin from Dan, who was already messing with her.
"Gods, girl. I said I liked ye, but not that much." He said, still grinning like a madman. Clearly being subtle was not one of his strong points.
"Didn't you just say 'no nonsense' was your way of doing things?" She said, bluntly using his own statement against him. He laughed, but didn't reply. "That's what I thought. Let me rephrase that- do you have a hideout, a base, anything?" Lucy asked, walking past him and picking her dagger up from the ground.
"Aye. It's not far from here. Ye better shut yer mouth until we get there." He said commandingly, checking his clothes over. He wore a black leather glove on his right hand as to give himself more flexibility than his gauntlet (which was on his left hand), and brown leather boots that used straps to keep them tight on his feet. If the leather stuff didn't give away that this guy was a fan of, basically pirates, the way he talked certainly did. Under his long brown coat, he wore, guess what, a black cloth shirt and a pair of shockingly, beige cloth pants. His brown hair was a bit dirty, but his clothes seemed quite tidy.
"So that means..." She said, guessing that he meant now. Part of her had hoped to get to know more about him. Then again, the two of them were trying to kill one another a few minutes ago. "Aye. Stay close and walk slow, we be needin' to go out in the open." Dan advised, sounding calmer as he strolled out from the alleyway, confidently and casually.
Quietly, she followed behind him, observing her surroundings as they walked along. She noticed the height of buildings tended to be mostly the same, with a few buildings occasionally going higher or lower than the many identical two-story ones. The walls that surrounded all of Minegarde, she noted, had Knights patrolling along them in pairs. They passed by a large street that went to the plaza, lined with just homes. She'd been here with Ben earlier today, when she was complaining about how crowded the place was- the first time.
I could not complain enough about being in crowds. It's bad enough to be in a city full of so many people. Lucy thought nervously, a large group of people passing by her and Dan. The two of them walked by basically unnoticed, heading the same way she and Ben had gone earlier today to get to his friend's house. Only, Dan stopped much earlier than she thought he would, turning down an alley and mentioned, "Watch yer sides. Pickpockets love these tight spaces." His tone wasn't cautious, it was menacing, like he knew that somebody would try to steal from her. It was only until they walked into the alley that Lucy placed a hand on her pouches protectively, taking what Dan said as a legitimate warning.
The shadows of the many buildings made the alley look rather dark, even in broad daylight. They passed multiple miniature houses built behind the two-story homes, many of them seeming unoccupied. She doubted that a simple little corridor would keep people from going about their lives normally, and that those homes were just uncommonly bought in this sort of place.
Their footsteps seemed to echo as they walked through the alley, while the occasional person watched them pass by with an unfaltering, wary gaze. Dan was completely unfazed, but this was starting to make Lucy nervous. Surely they were just as spooked as she was? She inhaled sharply when Dan stopped walking and said, "Oi, Lucia,"
"Aaah, what?" She asked, feeling a bit jumpy after not talking for so long. Something about banter just kept her... less on edge. Maybe it was because she never had anything to hide? Dan knocked on the door he now stood in front of, then looked back at Lucy. "We be here." He said happily, seeming rather pleased that he had returned home. Then he looked back at the door and waited silently.
"Glad to know." She replied, still staying as quiet as she could until they got inside. Amused at her nervous behavior, he laughed for a brief moment, but made no reply. She was going to smack him if he kept doing that. The door opened slightly, a woman's voice saying, "Welcome home, Dan. I see you've brought a friend." She didn't sound worried at all that Lucy was with him, and that only made her wonder... why did he have a reputation for being called 'the Dead-man?' It almost made her not want to find out. His home's door opened the rest of the way to reveal a small, humble little place.
"More than a friend, Dawn. She be our ticket to a better life!" Dan exclaimed as he walked inside with Lucy at his side. This place was built much like the other homes in Minegarde, minus the meticulous design for a safe home. They lacked windows except in a select few spots, doors seemed nonexistent here, and the floor was solid stone. Not a very inviting astectic, but their front room had a table and seven cushioned chairs, which made the room much more inviting. After chasing Dan across a small portion of Minegarde and having to fight him to get his attention, she felt rather tired. Nothing a short break wouldn't help.
"Explain, what's so special about her that has you celebrating already?" Dawn asked, grabbing a mug full of juice that was on the table and taking a sip. With blonde hair and teal eyes, she was quite the change from the strong, fit rebels Lucy had seen. Both Dawn and Dan were quite slim, for reasons unsaid, but one major difference was that she looked almost... fragile. Looks were deceiving, however, as her commoner's clothing also denoted, she was a prime example of someone easy to underestimate. She looked at Lucy curiously, taking another sip from her drink before taking a seat.
"She be a rebel like us, and there be more like her." Dan replied, walking over to Dawn and taking a seat right next to her. "She says she wants to take over Minegarde." He said doubtfully, as if he no longer believed that Lucy brought anyone with her.
"Ha! How do you expect to do that, little lady?" Dawn asked Lucy defiantly, sipping her drink some more while putting her feet up on the table in front of her. She had been acting very composed, formal. It was quite the change after talking to Dan.
"I came here under orders. I don't lead the rebellion I'm in, I'm simply the firestarter for this assignment." Lucy replied, very pleased with the way she worded her sentence. It made her sound humble, low in command, yet trustworthy enough to send in on a mission like this one.
"I see... and how many men does this rebellion have? At least a decent attack force, surely?" Dawn asked suspiciously, suddenly seeming distrustful of Lucy. Dan sat in silence, letting the two of them talk things out while he watched in amusement.
"About forty or fifty," Lucy said, pausing for a short while before enthusiastically exclaiming, "unless you want to count the women we have too! We came prepared with a hundred battle-ready soldiers."
Dawn was genuinely shocked, and stared slack-jawed at Lucy. That is, until she snapped back to reality and countered with, "Y-you still have no proof. Why haven't you attacked Minegarde yet, then? Huh!?" She was surprised, but refrained to hide it. Lucy's confident manner on the situation had almost convinced Dawn that what she had been saying was true. It was extremely risky to trust a single person who claimed they had one hundred people backing them up.
"We're trying to justify a reason for capturing the place. We want the people of Minegarde to help us, just us as the people of Kokoto were willing to." Lucy said with a serious tone, using that to hide the fact that she was lying. She couldn't very well say 'we attacked them and then we negotiated peace,' now could she? That wouldn't help either.
"Dan," Dawn began, while still looking at Lucy, "go get Grant. If we're going to trust her, it should be unanimous." Dan sat up without a word, walking to a set of stairs to a basement before shouting, "Ay! Grant! Git up here. We be makin' a decision."
The floor creaked below, prompting Dan to move out of the stairwell and back to his seat. The wooden steps that led into the basement thumped quietly, Grant quietly making his way up them. When he reached the main room, he popped open a canteen and chugged some water from it. Putting it into the pocket of his coat, (which looked much like Dan's) he smiled contently, feeling refreshed from his drink. While he seemed distracted, his attention was on Dawn when he asked calmly, "What seems to be the issue?"
"This girl claims to be rebelling against the Guild-" She tried to start, before Grant waved his hand and exclaimed stoutly, "No no no. I heard all that already. Let me ask this question myself..."
He walked over to Lucy, scratching his beard which had grown barely past his chin, dangling in mid-air. He adjusted his cloth shirt and messed with one of his small, round, and bronze earrings, of which he had a pair of. He had some hairs turning grey, but even as he walked about the room, it was with confidence and strength. Age didn't seem to slow him down. "Who are you? That is all I ask." Grant asked, walking around Lucy as if he was going to try and do something to her. She kept her calm and ignored the fact that he was even moving, replying, "Lucinda Kazamure, sir."
Her last name clicked in Grant's head, as his expression changed from an observing, cautious one, to a conflicted, yet focused one. "You have our aid. All our information, our underground friends, you need it, you got it." He said proudly, confusing Dawn and Dan. Neither of them could figure out what had caused Grant to switch gears so quickly, because Lucy's name didn't ring a bell for either of them.
"What! How can you make a decision so quickly, pa- aallll, Grant?" Dawn asked in a hesitant manner. Trying not to speak out of turn, she tried to find some kind of reason for his sudden decision. Grant seemed set in his ways, his once surprised expression fading and returning to his idle, commanding look.
"The past has given me reasons to trust this child, and not much could change my mind at this point." He declared, leaving Dawn immensely conflicted, confused, and a little annoyed. She let out an exasperated sigh and took another sip of her drink, before Grant stopped walking around Lucy and offered a handshake to her. "All I need to know is where and when we will discuss, improve, and start our plan. Anywhere will do." He said eagerly, before Lucy shook his hand as firmly as she could.
"We'll meet behind the fancy Inn in the plaza. I've been staying there undercover as a bodyguard. If it's possible, we'll get this started tonight. The cover of the dark could be quite beneficial. We've got a takeover to figure out." She replied, looking sure of herself as she spoke. While these people and their accomplices most likely weren't the average citizens they were looking for, it seemed unorthodox tactics had worked quite well the first time.
Now it was her turn to do something out-of-line, as bad as that sounded. Lucy broke away from the handshake, and as she was about to turn and leave, Grant decided to say, "Nothing puts you on edge more than a high-risk situation, huh kid?"
She nodded and headed for the door, opening and shutting the door in a rushed way. What had she gotten herself into? A mess she would be responsible for, it seemed. Her orders were to create a mini-rebellion made up of Minegarde's commoners... did this count? Oh, where had the confidence gone!? She hadn't thought about the consequences. Then she remembered that she had left Benson alone, when her job was being his bodyguard. Lucy groaned as she started to make her way back to his Inn. The thought of both Ben's and Rosa's disappointment and worry lingered in her mind.
Was this just a stupid move to make! Ugh!
Will Mom be okay with this? Better yet, will the people of Minegarde be okay with this?
Why didn't I think this through?! I had a plan in my head, orders from my Mom...
I'm not even done scouting the place with Benson! I put my trust in strangers!
STOP! By Gog, Lucy... get it together. Make the most of what you've got.
I can NOT doubt myself here. I've got so much to work with.
I've got a rich, knowledgeable man, and a bunch of also knowledgeable, hidden rebels.
Who, from what I can tell, have some dang good fighting skills.
Maybe this isn't as bad as I think it is. This could actually work!
You know I totally didn't introduce Dawn and Dead-man Dan at the same time to confuse you. NAAAAAAW.
This one was a tough one to think over. I had to go off what little footage, images, and information we have about Minegarde, since it's shown up in so few games and was the Online Hub that could only be accessed through the online servers in the original Monster Hunter. So I had to take some creative liberties in more than a few places. Making it a town that revolves around merchants and independent markets did turn it into a bit of a mess, but how else would you fit two or three thousand people in such a small place?
Tell me what you think about my interpretation of a larger, slightly more modern Minegarde! But don't worry, there's still more to see... we're still yet to head to the other two sections.
Parkouring to the next chapter!
-SabreKnightNA