Good evening everyone! Once again, I apologize for the long wait, beginning of every new semester had always been a trouble for me and it took me quite a while before I manage to get my schedule intact once more. Furthermore, this will be my last year so I'm planning on making full use of it to make as many good memories (and to avoid trouble) as possible with my friends before we move on to university life. To be honest, I haven't actually planned my career thoroughly so I'm a bit skeptical on which university I should go to…nevertheless, I'll continue to procrastinate because that's what I am. A Procrastinator.
Private matters aside, has anyone purchased the G-FC01? I stopped watching the Cardfight! Vanguard since the Legion arc so I have no clue about any of the new cards…anything except Genesis, of course. The only latest boxshare I did was the Genesis share in the G-FC01 in which I only managed to score 1 Demeter while the rest are just Doombless. I'm not sad with what I got but at the same time, I'm not exactly satisfied either. But since I'm more or less stopped playing Vanguard and I have other important things to spend my money for, I'll just have to deal with it.
Let's move on to the daily ritual of DragonEmperror2810's reviewers' reviews now, shall we?
To U-Know Yunho:
Oh dear, that's one hell of an error I made there. Thanks for telling by the way, will fix it once I have the time. Then again, I kind of got all the original doc files mixed up amongst one another so it might take a while before I can do so.
To Blackwing-Darkraven:
Take your time, take your time.
To Toto:
Ooooh that's nice, I don't play Aqua Force but I like your choice. Oh and by a 'Triton', do you perhaps mean a 'Trident' which is the weapon that looks like a three-way forked golden spear? If my memory on Greek studies is correct, Triton is actually the son of Poseidon and Amphitrite, not a weapon.
To Ryuuto Tiamat Raizel:
Will try my best, it might take a while since I have tuitions and other important matters to take care of but I'll make sure to update it after this.
To :
Whether if it tastes good or not, we may never know. And I like your character of choice by the way, especially the title of Phoenix Knight. But whenever I tried to imagine it, I kept on thinking about the human form of the Pokemon Ho-oh for some reason.
To redx1221 (1):
I never watched any of the episodes of Vanguard G. Well, I actually watched the first episode once but that's as far as I go. Compared to the previous seasons, I didn't like the Stride arc because it seems a bit plain somehow. Probably because the card fight scenes mainly involves the cardfighter just screaming stride at each other like Power Rangers…or maybe that's just me.
To Guest (1):
Yay, more Un-reverse fighters!
To Guest (2):
Naturally, no one likes Morikawa.
To redx1221 (2):
That's good to know.
To Jdbl00d:
Thank you very much for that, I really appreciate it! I always like shipping characters with oblivious relationship like this. Then again, my method of writing stories mainly involves around secrecy. And as for your question concerning the Liberator's and Jewel Knight's reactions on their relationship, you'll find out about it in the near future since I'm planning on including all the major units in to the story. Just sit back and wait for it.
With that said, on to the story like usual
Paranormal Activities Part 1
Long long ago in the abundant continent of the United Sanctuary, when the mighty power of technology and magic has yet to be acknowledged, there once lived a woman who was gifted by the goddesses with exceptional beauty.
She had lush silky black hair that perfectly flowed down to her back, a pair of cocoa-brown eyes that twinkled with nothing but gentle and kindness and luscious pink lips that looked soft in touch. Though she rarely wore anything extravagant and rich like any other people, her gorgeousness alone was more than enough to compensate for such fault. In fact, it reflects to other people how much of a difference she was compared to every other woman.
Hundreds of people had came to her house and tried to propose her to be their wife, some even brought priceless gifts in order to impress her. But the woman kindly refused every single one of them and said that she had no thoughts of starting a family and was more intent on helping her aging mother and younger siblings. Even so, a few stubborn ones had kept on proposing her over and over again, only to be replied with the same usual answer. Eventually, they all gave up seeing that all their efforts were futile, albeit begrudgingly.
A few years later however, a groups of merchants from the other far side of the United Sanctuary had visited the town for some regular goods trading. One of them was a handsome-looking young male that picked the woman's interest. Not only that, coming alongside his good-looking feature was his honesty and gentleness in action, especially when he was doing trades. Unlike other people who quite often cheated in their respective business.
She fell in love with him, and he fell in love with her too.
Ever since their first encounter, the male had visited her faraway town despite having no trading plan or whatsoever in hopes of seeing her once more. It started with once every month but it soon escalated into once every week. Before any of the either two could realize it, he had proceeded on migrating into her town and had lived under the same roof as she does.
A few months after the two initiated their relationship, he did something she never thought would happen in her entire life.
He proposed to her
Tears rolled down her face when he does this, it was almost surreal for her somehow and she did something she would have never expected to do, even on a long time basis.
She said yes, she is willing to marry him.
Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned. When the news of their marriage spread throughout the whole town, all the men were heavily infuriated by this, especially to those who had been continuously trying to claim her as their own. Led by hatred, rage and jealousy, the men banded together and plotted a revenge for the couple.
The very night before the wedding began; the men had barged into their house. Armed with pitchforks, butcher knives and sledgehammers, they all mercilessly murdered the occupants, completely disregarding their cries and plead of utter mercy.
Their first victim was the soon-to-be-husband. Using various deadly farm tools, each and one of the men had tortured him in order to quench their thirst for revenge. Tears ran down the woman's cheeks as she was forced to watch her beloved fiancée being brutally skinned, stabbed and battered until the light finally disappeared from his tearful eyes.
Their grudge didn't end there however as they soon took her mother and siblings next who weren't excluded from the massacre despite their innocence in this matter. The woman frantically begged them to stop this madness and even told them they could do anything they want with her, she was even willing to become their slaves, but they refused to listen. Just like how she refused to accept their proposal long time ago.
Soon after that, the woman too shared the same fate as her fiancée and family and was slaughtered with equal, if not heavy cruelty. Their bloods were gruesomely splattered all over the walls and the floors.
Unhindered by the ruthless crime they just committed, the men proceeded on setting the whole cottage on fire as well to ensure their act was not discovered by the people of the town.
…
"And that is the last time people ever saw the mysterious beauty of United Sanctuary." Llew concluded, his facial expression warped into one of those creepy-looking ghoul-like faces. "Up until now, that is."
A lingering moment of pin-dropping silence passed by as the Liberators around him registered what he had said. None dare to speak. None dare to move. None even dare to blink. The silence was so deafening that the knights could actually hear their own heart beating fast.
However, the eerie atmosphere came to an end when the Little Liberator, Marron flicked the switch back on, restoring the element of holy light back onto the lounge area the Liberators were in.
"This, was the emergency you were talking about?" Marron demanded incredulously as he rested both of his hands on his hip. "You called all of us just so that we can listen to a fairy tale with a bad ending?"
"Hey!" Llew snapped back in response. "It's not a fairy tale, it's a real story, ok!?"
Marron couldn't help but shook his head in defeat. Even though he had known Llew ever since they were just minor recruits of Royal Paladin, he has yet to figure the components that grind the Future Liberator's mind gear. Then again, he doubt any Sage could figure out what is going on in that head of is. Llew was like a Pandora box without a lid to seal its content.
Marron sighed. "Then mind explaining to us why you're telling us this?"
Llew's face instantaneously contorted into a serious look. "Lately I've been hearing a lot of people saying that they heard strange female voices when they're near the area. A few others also claimed that they saw a girl silently sitting on the nearby tree swing with her blonde hair obscuring her facial looks. When they tried to cast a second glance or approach her, the girl simply vanished out of thin air; almost as if she wasn't there in the first place."
"Wait, the cottage is still standing?" Gallatin repeated with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you said it was burnt long time ago."
"It is but strangely enough, the cottage somehow survived through it." Llew then proceeded on taking out a set of photos out of nowhere and laid them on the coffee table for everyone to look. Apparently, they were pictures of the so-called haunted cottage, each taken from different angles and distances for strategic purposes. Not that they would or anything.
Dindrane squinted her eyes hard as she examined the photos one by one. "Doesn't look like these photos are rigged."
"Of course they are, I took them myself." He defended.
"Oh really, do enlighten us when you have the time to do so. As far as I remember, you're schedule is occupied throughout the entire mon—"
"Anyway!" Llew snapped, cutting the Liberator of Silence in midsentence. "It's obvious there is another worldly presence residing within the cottage; otherwise it would've been collapse long time ago!"
While the men merely gave a blank look at such a weak proof not to mention his failed attempt in changing the subject, some of the females started to act uncomfortably upon hearing that.
"P-Perhaps they're just imagining things?" the Sword Formation Liberator, Igraine suggested meekly. "Delusions are common issues nowadays, after all."
"Yeah, it's probably just some random prank made by kids." Viviane added while nervously twirling a strand of her hair, sounding like she was more on convincing herself rather than everyone else.
"So where's your physical proof that this so-called paranormal activity is real?" Solitary Liberator, Gancelot inquired with crossed arms, impatient evident in his tone of voice.
"I don't have any." If Llew was slow in giving comebacks, he probably would've been subjected to month's worth of pain courtesy of his ever trusting comrade. Luckily, he wasn't so his death ticket was kept on hold for now. "Which is the reason why…"
"WE SHOULD ALL GO ON A PARANORMAL EXPEDITION THERE TONIGHT!" He declared excitedly with a really wide grin and perfect thumbs up.
"No."
As the group went on with their daily quarrel amongst one another, Marron noticed something was out of place and looked at his surroundings.
"Speaking of which, has anyone seen Blaster Blade?"
…
Salome snapped out of her stupor, she didn't know how or why but somehow, she felt like someone was talking about them. But when the Leading Jewel Knight glanced to her left and right with her sharp oceanic blue eyes, she didn't see a single soul in sight.
Was she imagining things?
"Something the matter, Salome?"
She shook her head. "It's nothing; I just thought I heard something." She replied back before shrugging it off and changed the subject to something else. "In any case, are you sure you never used a conditioner before? Your hair is too smooth and soft to be too true."
A few days has passed ever since the two had their little picnic at the place Salome refer to as Blaster Blade's 'secret hideout', the two didn't have any plans today so they simply decided to relax and happily converse with one another at the castle ground area instead. Finally opening up, the not-so-obvious couple realized they actually had a few more things in common, so any conversation they had was anything but boring.
Blade couldn't resist rolling his eyes at such remark. "For the last time Salome, no, I don't. In fact, this is the first time I actually heard of such thing."
"If you say so."
Envy sprouted within the female elf as she ran her fingers through his cobalt hair for the umpteenth time for that day. No matter how many times she did, Salome couldn't get over at how soft the Liberator's hair was. It was practically gleaming under the sun rays and was as soft as silk upon her touch.
"There, that should do it." She concluded as she added a few more finishing touches to her work. "All done now."
Having said that, Blade stood up and approached the fountain nearby. Over the past few days, his blue locks had been quite a hassle for the Liberator. Some of his bangs were so long that it obscured his vision completely. When he swept it aside, it would just go back to its original spot. He had thought of making a quick visit at the barber at the town nearby but such idea was immediately shot down by Salome when she heard about it, saying that it would be a waste. What waste it would have made, Blade had no clue.
As compensation, Salome suggested that he should have his hair braided by her instead. That way his hair won't be a disturbance for him and he doesn't have to cut it short. Blade was skeptical about it at first, fearing that the Leading Jewel Knight might add unnecessary decorations to his scalp but in the end, he left it to her for making the correct choices.
Now, the Liberator wondered why he was even worried in the first place.
Using the rippling surface of the water fountain as a makeshift mirror, Blade took a spare to examine her handiwork. Just like what she promised, she did his hair in a simple manner which involves it being weaved into several braids that kept his long hair intact in the form of an even bun. It wasn't exactly manly but if it works then he wasn't complaining. Plus she didn't used any ridiculous add-ons so that was a plus.
"So what do you think?" She asked, somewhat ecstatic for his feedback.
"I like it. To be honest, I was expecting you to use one of those accessories but I guess I was wrong."
Salome chuckled. "Well, unlike my fellow sisters-in-arms, I prefer a much more simple approach." There was a pause before she continued. "But now that I think about it, it may does actually suit you."
"Huh, what do you—"Blade tried to ask only to stop midsentence when he felt her put something on his head.
He wasn't sure when or how but apparently, the Leading Jewel Knight had actually made a flower wreath while he wasn't paying attention and had laid it on top of his head. And though he couldn't see it, it was obvious that he looked ridiculous wearing such headgear if Salome's fit of laughter were of any indication.
"I take back what I said, it does actually suit you!" Salome pointed out before bursting out into another fit of genuine laughter.
"Hahaha very funny," Blade said in mock sarcasm as he tossed the decoration away.
"Ah that reminds me, I need to return some books to Sharon at the Main Library." She reminded herself upon looking at her watch-bracelet for the current time.
That prompted him to stop looking at his reflection and spare a glance at her. "You read books? I did not know that." He questioned, partially of genuine surprise. So far the only people he had seen carrying and reading actual hardback books were just the Sages and that was about it. Then again, the Liberator barely visited the Paladin Headquarters' Main Library himself so he wasn't to talk.
Now it was her turn to be offended next. "That is just mean. I may be a knight but that does not mean that I do not like literature."
Blade raised both his arms in a surrendering motion. "I have nothing against literature lovers. I think it is quite adorable." He stated before inwardly blinking to himself, why did he say such thing? The word sort of slipped off his tongue.
Being the oblivious male Blade is, he was unaware of the effect of his words to the Leading Jewel Knight. Said Jewel Knight's cheeks blushed a vibrant shade of red when she heard it and she shyly hide her flustered facade with her platinum blonde bangs.
"Y-You think so?" She muttered quietly as she unconsciously twirled a small strand of her hair.
Unfortunately for her, her voice was so quiet that he didn't quite hear it clearly. "Did you say something, Salome?"
"I-In any case, I will be taking my leave now."
He would've replied but Salome had already packed up all her stuff and left the garden before he could even utter a single word.
…
Deep inside the Paladin Headquarters, there lies a place where various meetings, be it the annual clan summit, political dispute or even simple trading agreements, was held. Such place is called the Hall of the Round Table, the centre of all major activities concerning the Paladins.
The place was made up of a very spacious hall whose marble walls were decorated with intricate designs of several of the Paladins' legendary heroes, ranging from the abominable Giants to regular infantry knights. The well-ornamented ceilings weren't excluded either as it possesses a huge mural of a huge dragon's silhouette at the centre with its massive wings spread across the rest of the ceiling.
Several people sat on the wide table that was located at the centre of the hall. One of them was woman that was somewhere within her mid thirties, has long auburn hair that flowed down until her lower back and a pair of golden calculative orbs. Her signature attire consisted of a well-detailed frilly one-piece dress that has a nature theme to it, a pair of white sleeves and stockings that covered both her slender arms and legs. The woman also had a sombrero-like green hat that was adorned with several well-flourished white lilies but she chose not to wear and had laid it earlier on the table instead.
Another woman of a younger age sat on the chair beside the first one, she has wavy forest green that was leveled to her knees and a pair of emerald orbs that spelt lack of emotions. Her attire, which consisted of black hat, a black tank top over a green cloak, a skirt and an equally-green pair of tactical boots, would've had been considered as normal if it weren't for the red-and-white Holly flower plant coiled all over her whole body, acting as if it was a protective veil for its beloved mistress.
Two more people stood behind the first female. One of them was also female like the first two with
Unlike the rest of the group, the last member of the envoy team was a male whose apparel consisted of an all-purple hat adorned with black lilies and an extremely frilly dress-like outfit. The said person possessed a silver hair that finely curled outwards and a pair of sharp golden eyes that signifies the person's might and confidence. Every so often, he would sneak a wink at Sharon who sat on the other side of the table but whether or not the Silent Sage noticed this, she didn't show it directly and proceeded on writing on her book.
The first woman kept a serious demeanor throughout the meeting but that all changed when she accidentally yawned. She tried to keep it hidden by putting a hand over her mouth as she does so but unfortunately, she was caught red-handed nonetheless by the important official sitting on the opposite of the table.
"Tough day at work, I presume." Alfred guessed in an amused tone.
The Musketeer of White Lily, Cecilia was flustered by that. "Forgive me for my insolence, Lord Alfred; me and my team have not got a good night rest for quite a while."
The Liberator of the Round Table nodded in understanding. "It is fine; I myself have lost count the number of times I have to pull an all-nighter." He agreed with an almost unnoticeable smile. "Nevertheless, it is the duty we must bear with for the sake of our respective nations."
She nodded in a silent agreement. "Speaking about our nations, I believed we have ourselves an agreement in our trading, is it not?"
"Indeed." Alfred agreed as he intertwined his gloved fingers together in a professional manner. "I would like to once again express my gratitude for your help in this matter. It is highly appreciated, especially with all the current circumstances we are in. I am sure you have plenty more of other important things to settle with."
Cecilia smiled. "It is no problem, Milord. You and your Paladins have been a great help to us for the past few years," She spoke as she picked up her signature Musketeer hat, put it back on her head and stood up from her seat. "It is only natural for us to return the favor and lend a helping hand to your clans when in need."
…
"So what do we do now, milady?" Elvira inquired as the Musketeers stepped out of the Hall of the Round Table. The grand double door closed behind them with an audible boom in which they chose to ignore it. "The meeting was supposed to finish by tomorrow but we're one day ahead by schedule."
Cecilia thought about that. Her colleague actually had a point there. When she and her team were first assigned to attend the meeting on behalf of her lord, Sephirot the Arboros Dragon, she predicted that it might take at least an entire day before they'll come to a final agreement with the Paladins. Apparently, things went smoother than she anticipated it would have been and now they're left with nothing to do for today and the day after.
"Hey hey hey, how about if we all visit the town nearby?" Sylvia suggested giddily, not bothering to hide her excitement altogether. "I heard they have several well-known clothing stores over there."
This was obviously a daily routine for the team as they all simultaneously groaned in unison at that whereas Cecilia merely sighed. "No, we won't, Sylvia"
"What, why?" She whined in disappointment.
"Because the last time we did, you nearly spent your entire allowance on ridiculous clothes you do not intend on wearing anytime soon."
"Hey, I do plan on wearing them!"
"Name one." Elvira asked. Said Pansy Musketeer opened her mouth to say something but slowly closed it back when no words came out from it. "Exactly my point."
"Just leave her be, Elvira." Hermann butted in with his usual laid back demeanor. "It's not like she'll be doing anything wrong simply from buying clothes."
Such statement earned the Black Lily Musketeer a glare from Elvira. "Speak for yourself, if you had the chance to do the same thing, you're just gonna flirt with every United Sanctuary females you see when you get there." She accused with a sneer.
Rather than being flustered, the Musketeer of Black Lilies casually shrugged with an easy-going smirk. "It's not a crime, is it not?" He replied smoothly.
"No, it is not," She replied. "But it is embarrassing and just plain rude."
"Alright, that's enough, people." The White Lily Musketeer intervened before they could go into quarrel. They were in a work trip in another country after all and it wouldn't do them any good if they were caught fighting like this. "And no Sylvia, we're not going shopping. Just because we're ahead of schedule, doesn't mean we have the right to spend our remaining time doing some unnecessary shopping. Besides, your tendency for spending all your money nearly got us into trouble in Dark Nation last time."
The purple-clad Musketeer puffed her cheeks in disappointment at her lady's words but said nothing otherwise, prompting the Holly Musketeer to smirk in victory.
"So what are we going to do then, sister?"Hermann asked.
Cecilia thought about that until she saw something familiar at the peripheral side of her vision. "Well, this certainly brought back some memories."
Her team simultaneously followed her line of sight at that. In the midst of their conversation, the Musketeers have unconsciously arrived at the one and only garden in the castle of the Paladin. The main reason why the head of Musketeer knew about it was because she was there when the garden was first formed.
"I can see that the Paladins are taking care of the garden really well." Elvira stated as she carefully examined one of the flower bushes within the garden. "The leaves are in healthy shades of green, the fruits are plump and fresh and the flowers have no signs of wilting or whatsoever."
While her team were lavishing at the good condition of the garden, Cecilia decided to explore the deeper part of the garden, where much more exotic flowers and fruit trees were usually kept. Being one of the many people who were there when it was first made, the White Lily Musketeer could still remember and name all the flora and fauna grew there. In fact, she could still remember the memory like it had just happened yesterday.
As she walked along the pavement, Cecilia's sensitive ears caught the distinctive sound of a person running towards her direction. Being in an ally's territory, she figured she and her team would be safe from enemy attacks (not that there were any more) but her instincts kept on warning her to hide for some odd reason. In the end, she obliged it anyway seeing that her it had saved her life in a few occasions and she didn't want to break the cycle. Looking around, she managed to locate a bush of decent size that could be used as a make-shift blind spot and swiftly took cover behind it.
Her decision proved to be a good one when she saw the runner. At first sight, she couldn't recognize her at all since she wasn't clad in Paladin-like attire but that quickly changed when she saw the familiar-looking platinum blonde locks that were waving behind her as she ran along.
"Salome?" Cecilia wondered out loud as she stepped out of cover. She probably would've called out for the Leading Jewel Knight but by then the elf knight was already out of sight, leaving her in puzzlement. "Strange…"
In the end, she shrugged nonchalantly and went back to inspecting the flower bushes once more. She was probably busy with something so she shouldn't disturb her. Not too long after she spoke that, another person came stepped into the scene in.
"Lady Cecilia?"
The White Lily Musketeer automatically faced towards the direction of the familiar voice. For a brief second, she couldn't recognize the person since he was wearing regular civilian clothing. But that all changed when she saw the charismatic brown orbs he has. "…Blaster Blade?"
"You do not recognize me?" He inquired.
Cecilia shook her head, more or less still surprised. "I apologize. I didn't know it was you since you're not wearing your usual armor."
The Liberator inwardly groaned at that. Why was it that people didn't recognize his identity when he wasn't in his signature armor?
Not wanting to divulge about that matter anymore, Blade switched to another topic. "So what are you doing here, Lady Cecilia?"
"Just the usual trading agreement, nothing worth mentioning about." She waved it off and Blade nodded, completely understanding her answer. Politics was never a good topic to discuss about among soldiers like them.
"I have not seen you since the war ended, how have you been?"
Cecilia smiled. "Quite good, thank you very much." She replied back before sporting a worried look. "Though I'm more concerned about you since I heard that you had injured your arm during the war, how is it now?"
Blaster Blade instinctively glimpsed at his still-bandaged arm. At some point, he had completely forgotten that it was still like that, something he has the Leading Jewel Knight's enjoyable company to thank for. "It is recovering, but Elaine said it will take a long while before I could swing my sword once more so it was equally torturing on my opinion."
Cecilia sighed in relief at that. "That's good to hear, a few people back at the Zoo region were worried sick when they heard about your condition."
The Liberator raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "Really? I never knew I was that famous."
"You'd be surprised." She replied with a smirk. "In any case, I should be getting back to my team now. I think I've been gone for long enough."
He nodded. "Allow me to escort you." He suggested but the Musketeer simply raised a hand in a stopping motion.
"That won't be necessary; I've been visiting your headquarters for quite a few times now so I already know my way around."
Blade furrowed his eyebrows at that; obviously uncomfortable at the prospect of leaving their guest unattended just like that but he didn't push it further. "If you say so." He agreed. "But if you need help on anything, do not hesitate to call me."
Cecilia beamed. "You're still the same as usual, I see." Ever since the beginning, Blade had always been a true gentleman who kept on tending to other people's needs over his own. It wasn't exactly healthy but Cecilia supposed that's what makes him a dependable companion. "Very well, I shall graciously accept your offer. Now if you excuse me."
…
Later that night, a strong gust of wind blew across place, causing bushes and trees to rustle in an unsettling manner. Further aiding the spookiness of the alleged haunted cottage was the wooden window shutters would slam repetitively against its frame of the whole and the anemometer-like device installed on the roof that screeched as it continued to spin in accordance to the wind direction and velocity.
A fraction of the group members present shivered as another chilly breeze blew by. While the males certainly have no qualms with their thick armors and whatnot, the ladies definitely weren't enjoying the weather and had to snuggle with one another for additional warmth. Llew wasn't kidding when he said the place was haunted. What he didn't inform them was that the whole place to be extremely CHILLY as well.
"I don't think this is a good idea, guys." Viviane said, finally having second thoughts after witnessing how creepy the place actually was, not to mention the unwelcoming cold weather.
Although none said anything, the rest too agreed with the Player of the Holy Bow upon seeing the remains of what was supposed to be a haunted house.
"Come on guys, don't tell me you're bailing out now!?" Llew cried indignantly from behind. "We're supposed to be knights! Look at me; do I look like I'm scared?"
The clansmen of the Gold Paladin automatically averted their attention to the Future Liberator. Just like what he said, Llew didn't looked like he was afraid…but at the same time he wasn't actually made the whole situation reassuring either. Clad in an explorer's vest with glow sticks strapped all over the outfit and a baggy knapsack containing a month worth of supply, he looked like he was going on a long-term expedition instead of searching through a so-called haunted house.
His fellow Liberators could only give him deadpanned looks.
"What?"
"It's already passed the rendezvous time. Who is this surprise guests you kept on talking about, Llew?" The Solitary Liberator asked suspiciously.
"What, you guys don't trust me? I'm hurt." Llew sobbed in mock sadness, earning him a dozen of glares from the group that told him to drop the act and answer the question. "Relax; they're coming for sure. We just need to give them some time. They're probably stuck in traffic or something."
"Alright, but if this is some sort of a trick just to drag us all out to this goddamn place then you better prepare your prayers." Gallatin stated warningly as he perched a palm on the hilt of his blade, producing a metal clicking to prove his point.
"And what trick would that be, if I may ask?"
The whole group jumped in surprise when they heard the voice and immediately spun around. Just as what Llew promised, the guests certainly did appear with the minor exception that it wasn't what they expected it to be.
"L-Lady Cecilia!"
"Yes, that is me." She confirmed with a simple nod. "I apologize for the long wait, my team had a little…ah, complications before our departure."
"Not at all, milady. We just got here recently as well." The male sharply denied, any trace of threat they had a few seconds ago now went absent, much to the ladies' annoyance. Typical boys.
"Now that we're all here, shall we head in?"
Everyone nodded in agreement at that but the White Lily Musketeer stopped them before they could take another step. "Ah yes, before that, there is something I would like to say…" Cecilia announced, halting everyone's approach. "I'm not sure if it's allowed but I brought one more people along for the occasion."
"More Musketeers?" Llew suggested a little too hopefully.
"Sorry to disappoint you but no, he's not." She denied. The White Lily Musketeer almost felt sorry when she saw the Future Liberator's sad expression upon hearing that. Almost. "But he's someone all of you are quite familiar with."
The second person took the cue to reveal himself, and when he did, everyone was once again engulfed by deep shock.
"Blaster Blade!?"
Sure enough, it was indeed Blaster Blade. This time however, he was back in his usual armor which was a bit of a disappointment to Cecilia since he looked quite good.
Among the group of Liberators, Marron was the first one to voice out the main question. "What are you doing here!?" Marron exclaimed. "You're supposed to be resting back home!"
Blade resisted the urge to roll his eyes at that. The only thing he got was an injured forearm but Marron made it sound like he was horribly crippled during the war.
"I am accompanying the Musketeers." He answered simply as if it would answer his question. "Is that not enough of a reason?"
Marron was just about to retort to that when Gallatin rested a hand on his shoulder. "Just let him be, Marron. He's already here so he might as well join in."
The Sage paused for a bit to consider the suggestion. "…fine, but we'll be talking about this soon." The Little Liberator pointed out.
"Acknowledged," Blade nodded, casting an appreciative glance to Gallatin when the Little Liberator wasn't looking.
"Alright, shall we me move on now?"
The group began their journey once more, only to be stopped again. "Wait!" Now it was Llew's turn to stop them all.
"Oh by the name of Soul Saver Dragon, what now!?" Gallatin asked.
Llew simply grinned. "Now that we're all here, how about we make things much more exciting?"
"And how would that be, if I may ask?" Surprisingly it was the Pansy Musketeer, Sylvia who asked the question, much to everyone's surprise.
If anything, the question made the Future Liberator's grin wider. "By splitting ourselves into teams of three, of course." He simply replied, as if it was a common sense.
A moment of silence passed by as they all waited for Llew to crack the joke. He didn't.
"S-Split up, are you crazy!?" Dindrane asked incredulously, her amber eyes wide in surprise.
"What, I thought you said you weren't afraid of ghosts this morning?" He pointed out, making the Listener of Truth's cheeks flushed out of embarrassment.
"Llew has a very good point actually," Cecilia joined in agreement, surprising everyone including the Future Liberator himself. "It'd be more efficient if we were to venture the place in small groups instead of going in a single file."
A silent debate was unceremoniously issued as the members of Gold Paladin simultaneously casted worried looks at each other. While separating may not seem to be the best idea for situations like this, if Lady Cecilia of the Musketeer said it is alright then so be it.
"Understood, so how will we divide ourselves into group then?" Marron inquired, tilting his glasses up his nose.
"Don't worry guys, I got it covered!"
Dropping his baggy knapsack onto the ground, Llew began rummaging into it like a maniac. The rest of the group had to duck for safety when random objects like shovels, rune crystals and even a piggy bank suddenly flew over their head. Why does he even have a pink piggy bank loaded inside, they have no idea. In the end they chose not to think much about it since it was Llew of all people.
Finally, the Future Liberator then produced something that none of the members there truly expected.
"A…lottery box?"
Sure enough, Llew had a box clutched within his grasp. It was just a skin-colored box with a circular hole on top, but there was no doubt that it was a lottery box.
'…why does he carry a lottery box?' was the main question that rang through everyone's mind.
"Hold on a sec...You said there are four teams of three but there are 11 of us here."
"Hehehehe that where the fun part comes in."
The Future Llew then slowly spun so that he can face everyone, an abnormally unsettling smile morphed on his face.
"Whoever pulls out the one and only red lottery from this box, will have to explore the place all alone."
Alright, so I haven't done the question segment for a long time…*reads through my previous chapters* Ok, that's an understatement. I haven't done it for a very long time so I'm gonna do it for this chapter. Here goes:
If you were given the opportunity to create your own clan, what name would you call it and how would the fellow clansmen would look like. Would they consist of Knights, Fairies, Giants, Witches or would they consist of a newer kind of life form that is unfamiliar to the planet of Cray?
Truth to be told that was actually a tough question, even for me. But then again, we've been going on and on with the easy ones for quite a while now so I might as well increase the difficulty for a bit. Just to be fair, I'll join in answering the question as well. Let's see…
For my clan, it would be called...uh, Silver…Fantasy…from the…Star Gate nation. Just like its name, its units consists of people with silver hair (Yes, I have a fetish for silver-hairs) with majority of them being cat girls (Yes, I also have a fetish for cat girls) and is armed with futuristic weapons such as exosuits and nanotechnologies (Yes yes, I also have a fetish for mecha)
Ok that's not exactly the most legitimate-sounding clan you'd ever hear but hey, it does look good…at least on my own opinion. Do tell me what your clan would be on the review section. Who knows maybe Bushiroad might come across this fanfic in the near future and saw your answer reviews and be like "Huh, that's not a bad idea, let's do it." It's a very long shot but it's a small world so it might come true.
In any case, don't forget to review! More reviews means more updates and more updates means more reviews and the cycle goes on!