Ch. 12 Side Quests

{Rui's Point of View}

The three of us ventured deep into the forest, looking for the Ursaring that's causing problems for everyone. I didn't know what to expect since I have no idea what an Ursaring is. Jay tried to explain it to me as this humanoid brown fur covered thing. He gave up his explanation immediately since I wasn't able to picture anything.

My necklace glowed faintly underneath my shirt and reminded me of Silvia. I felt so bad that she was stuck alone, but there's nothing I can do for her now. Jason kept his bow in hand with a quiver attached to his left hip. His free hand hovered over the quiver protectively as his eyes scanned the environment. Once the cave was in sight, I noticed a large campfire with several humans cooking in it. Sitting next to it is a tied up Gardevoir with a blindfold over her eyes. Her legs were tied forced apart with two large boulders pressing them down. Her body and head quivered slightly from pitiful sobs. She looked dirty especially on her face and groin. Her white dress is torn with her green fabric ripped open to reveal her breasts.

I looked at Jay, "Do you think the Ursaring did this?"

Jay replied, "I don't think so. They're wild animals. Plus, this could be a trap."

Jason looked disturbed, almost angry, "We'll... we'll spy on this camp."

We climbed up a nearby tree and watched over the camp. After an hour passed, our target, the Ursaring arrived holding seven Remoraid.

He seemed to be smirking, "I'm back with your dinner, are you hungry?"

The Gardevoir hung her head but nodded, "What should we do?" Jay asked.

The Ursaring put the fish on sticks and set them leaning into the fire to cook, "You ready to suck out my essence for your food?"

Jason jumped down, "I'll handle this."

I whispered harshly, "What the hell are you doing!?"

Jason aimed his bow with three arrows ready, "I'm killing this monster." he replied.

The Ursaring was too focused on the Gardevoir to hear Jason's arrows. Two Arrows hit into the back of his right knee with the third stabbing into his right thigh.

The Ursaring howled in pain before ripping out the arrows. They didn't have much blood, meaning the arrows didn't go deep enough.

The Ursaring looked surprised, "A human? I thought your kind learned their lesson already!"

Jason pulled back three more arrows, "Then teach me a lesson wretch."

The Ursaring roared, running at Jason with his arms protecting his head and chest. Jason shot his arrows aiming at the legs and feet. One of the arrows cut clean through a toe but the other two missed. Ursaring's arms began to glow as he raised them up. Jason jumped back and dodged the attack, making the Ursaring hit the dirt. With a quick shot, Jason shot an arrow into Ursaring's right knee.

Ursaring flinched, "Ugh, you bastard!"

Ursaring pulled out the arrow and tried to move forward but flinched in pain. With the two missing as the new wounds, he lost a bit of feeling in his right leg. Suddenly, he inhaled as a small ball of light appeared in his mouth. Jay and I jumped down and slashed the Ursaring with our swords. His head turned slightly, making him shoot a Hyper Beam to the left of Jason. Even with two cuts on his back, the Ursaring still threw out his arms and hit both of us. Jason prepped three arrows as Ursaring turned his attention back to him.

"Protect." Ursaring glared.

Jason shot two of the arrows, making the Ursaring catch them. The third arrow shot shortly after the other two but the Ursaring caught it by closing his hands together. Jason reached for more arrows only to feel one arrow.

"Shit." Jason grunted.

I got up and threw my sword at Ursaring's back. It flipped in the air, causing the hilt to hit Ursaring's head. He looked at me for a second as Jason ran at the Ursaring. Jason pulled out a dagger to stab the Ursaring. Ursaring looked back at him, raising a hand to grab him. Quick as a Ninjask, Jay sliced the Ursaring's hand off with a swift upward slash.

"My hand!" Ursaring yelled, staring at his bleeding wrist.

Jason plunged the knife into Ursaring's left eye. The Ursaring didn't scream but his arms drooped to his sides. Jason pulled out the dagger and watched as the Ursaring slumped back.

I walked over to them, "Damn... we did it."

Jason looked at me, "You two watch his body just in case. I'll check on the Grdevoir."

We nodded as he walked past, "You think she's safe?" Jay asked.

I frowned, "Probably?"

{Shift to Third Person Point of View}

Jason approached the Gardevoir and gently untied the blindfold, "Are you okay?" Jason asked.

She looked scared, shivering slightly, "Um... I..."

She was having trouble talking, Jason decided to talk to her more, "Don't worry about the Ursaring. He's dead."

Her eyes teared up, "Are you going to kill me too?"

Jason frowned, feeling awful for this poor Gardevoir, "Of course not. I'm here to save you. I'll free your legs."

She sniffled, "Okay."

Jason had a hard time getting the rocks off without harming her, but he did accomplish it. Large red marks covered her white legs with severe bruising. He knew she wouldn't be able to walk and her body looked dirty from repeated abuse. His eyes slide to her area, seeing severe soreness from it.

Jason got behind her, "Please don't be scared."

She sniffled, "I'm trying."

Jason used his dagger to free her arms, "All set."

Jason got in front of her and sat down, "My name is Jason."

She covered her breasts and closed her legs the best she could, "I'm Coral."

Jason took a shirt out of his bag, "Here, wear this."

Coral looked at him, blushing before grabbing it, "T-Thank you."

She put it on, "You're really dirty. There's a stream nearby that I can bring you to. Would you like that?"

Silvia shivered, "You're not going to drown me, are you?"

Jason shook his head no, and smiled, "I would never do that to you. I'm here to save you."

She looked at him, feeling strangely comforted by his smile, "O-okay."

Jason carefully picked her up before yelling to Rui and Jay, "You two handle the rest."

Coral stared up at Jason, she couldn't move her legs and felt severely weak. Jason kept his eyes forward, focused on getting her to the stream. He noticed her stare and periodically smiled at her.

"I like your name." Jason told her.

Coral blushed, "Thank you."

Jason nodded, "You're welcome."

Coral blushed, "Um..."

Jason looked at her, "Hm? What is it?"

Coral looked at her legs, "How did you... find me..?"

Jason chuckled, "We were looking for that Ursaring, and I just so happened to notice you. I knew I couldn't just leave you there and ended up going in first."

Coral got a little flustered, "Why?"

Jason looked ahead, "I know what it's like being sexual abuse. My sister used to tie me up and whip me, cut me, rape me. Luckily, she and my parents died in a Frost attack."

Coral looked at Jason's face, "You couldn't let me suffer because you suffered?"

Jason smiled, "Yeah but you're also beautiful."

Coral blinked, "Huh?"

Jason blinked as well, "Uh, nothing. Forget I said anything."

Coral stayed silent as the pain in her legs distracted her from his words. When Jason got her to the stream, he gently placed her on the edge. Her legs sunk into the cold water, numbing them almost immediately.

Jason looked around, "I'll go get some firewood to make a bonfire. You'll be freezing after this bath if I don't."

Coral nodded, "Okay, thank you... Jason."

Jason smiled at her before going into the forest. Coral sat there, doing her best to try and activate her powers. They refused to work, since her skills were neutralized by the berries the Ursaring fed her. She feebly tried to clean herself but ultimately gave up. By the time she lost complete feeling in her legs, Jason was back with the firewood. He quickly started the fire before going to Coral amd picking her up. He laid her near the fire and made sure the flames wouldn't touch her.

Jason decided to speak, "You must have been so scared."

She looked at him, nodding, "I was. He hurt me."

Jason smiled at her, "I'll keep you safe."

She smiled back, "Um..."

Jason tilted his head, confused, "What is it?"

Coral blushed hard, "I... need you to wash my body."

Jason blushed blushed as red, "Uh... are you sure?"

Coral looked away before nodding, "Y-yes."

Jason wasn't too sure but he was committed to making her feel better by any means. She took off the shirt he gave her and laid it on the dirt. Jason took off some of his clothing but kept on his shorts. The entire bath was awkward for both of them as he gently brushed the dirt and grim from her skin. He hesitated near her private areas but knew he had to do it for her.

"Are you... nervous?" Coral asked, still blushing.

Jason did a mock laugh, "Well, yeah. How could I not?"

Coral smiled at that, leaning into his neck happily, "Don't be, you're the one that saved my life."

Jason gently scratched a stain off, "Ugh, what are these stains?"

Coral sighed, "What do you think they are."

Jason smacked his forehead, "Oh, right. Sorry."

Coral watched his hand move, "It's okay. I'll serve you until the day I die."

Jason flinched at that, "I don't want you to serve me. You can be my friend." he smiled gently.

Coral's eyes sparkled, 'He's so cool.' she blushed before happily yipping, "Okay!"

-20 minutes later-

{Rui's Point of View}

Jason and Coral came back to us after washing the grim from her body. Jay and I had explored the cave, finding a large amount of broken ore inside.

I called out to them, "Hey guys!"

Jason waved, "Hello."

Jay grinned, "Did you two enjoy your alone time."

Coral blushed hard, "Nothing happened!" she yelled defensively.

I laughed a bit, "Say it like that and we're bound to believe something did happen between you two."

Jason scratched the back of his head, trying to act cool, "Pfft, we're just friends."

I shrugged, "What ever you say man, what ever you say."

Jay cried out to me from inside the cave, "Rui! One of those Crystals are inside the cave!"

I nodded towards them, "My presence is needed elsewhere, see you two in a bit."

I stepped inside the cave and watched Jay move aside a rock, revealing the hidden crystal, "See!" Jay yelled.

I felt my closed eyes, "Oh god, I apparently have eyes, so I can see. Who knew?"

Jay frowned angrily, "Shut up!"

I chuckled to myself before allowing my necklace to float out of my shirt. It absorbed the information from the crystal and added a new crystal to my map. The surrounding area was coded into the map as well revealing a large river.

I nudged my head towards the entrance, "Let's get out of here."

-4 hours later-

Having completed our First Side Quest, we immediately began to head towards our second one. Jay and I walked side by side, watching Jason walk in front of us with Coral. It amazed us, their quickly developed friendship I mean. They just met but they already act like they've known each other their whole lives.

Jay nudged my arm, "Can you believe it?"

I looked at him, "Believe what?"

Jay snickered, "How much they like each other, look at them. He's even teaching her how to make arrows as they're walking."

I rolled my eyes, "You know, that could just mean he's too lazy to make his own arrows."

Jay gave me a questioning look, "Do you really believe that?" I noticed the emphasis on really.

I shrugged, "Who knows man. If they're in love, then good for them right?"

Jay snickered, "Yeah... I'm just a bit jealous of them."

I pat his back, "Don't worry Jay. I look forward to see your child one day. After all, it won't be able to speak since you're the father." I grinned at him.

He gave me the middle finger, "Fuck off."

I chuckled a bit, "No need to be upset, it was just a joke."

Jay growled to himself, "Pfft, yeah. It's a joke now but just wait until the reviews come in. Some Mad Ass Dragon will be in that shit going, 'Oh! The first Jay's child joke has been said!'. Then I'll be the ass end of everyone's joke."

I gave him a puzzled look, "Just what the flying hell are you talking about?"

Jay sighed, "Oh, nothing important, just like the clothespins."

I raised a brow, "Clothespins? I... just... wait... did I misread the title of this story? I'm pretty sure we're in Royalty and not MUL: School Days AU."

Jason looked at us, "Guys! The Quest is nearby!"

We both shook our heads, "What were we doing?" I asked.

Jay shrugged, "I have no idea."

Jason frowned at us, "There's a Frost Blockade nearby, we need to destroy it."

I just realized this, "Uh, guys? Thought occured. These things froze the Gardevoirs and probably outnumber us, should we really be messing with these guys?"

Jason pulled out his bow, "I'm the best shot in our village, I can handle a couple of frozen idiots."

Coral smiled at him, "You're so brave and talented Jason~."

I swear, I could see mini hearts floating around her, 'She definitely likes him.'

Jason smiled, "Thank you Coral."

I looked at Jason's smile, 'Yep, he totally likes her too. The guy is trying way too hard to act cool.'

Jay elbowed me, "Gold piece for your thoughts?"

I jumped a bit, "Huh? Oh, nothing! Let's just focus at the task at hand!"

The four of us crept up to the blockade, observing the force holding it. I counted them quickly, estimating that there's about 57 soldiers in the blockade before turning to Jason.

I smirked, "So... you think you can handle all these soldiers?"

Jason swallowed, "Y-yeah! I handled the Beartic."

I raised a brow, "That was one enemy and, unless I'm wrong, I think Jason and I helped you."

Jason sighed, "You three just sit and watch, I'll handle this."

-5 minutes later-

"There's too many! Help!" Jason yelled, shooting his arrows haphazardly.

I sighed, looking at Coral, "He's a moron."

Coral held a hand to her face, "I'm well aware of it now."

I nudged Jay's arm, "Come on, we need to kill them all."

I pulled out my Stone sword and wielded both swords before going out there. Jay looked at me in a questioning fashion until I blocked an attack with the stone sword before beheading the enemy. My shield is attached to my left forearm with my left hand grasping my stone sword's hilt. The battle dragged on with a complete mess at the end of it. The three of us were sitting with our backs against each other.

We panted heavily before speaking, "Is... is that all of them?" Jay asked.

I hung my head, sweat dripping off my nose, "Ugh, why were there so many!?"

Jason looked at me, "What did you expect? The reward is 50 gold coins."

Coral ran over to us... okay, to Jason, "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

Jason nodded, "I'm built like a tank, heh heh... fuck I wanna go home."

I pulled out my crystal, "Map." The map appeared over the screen, so I pressed the blue dot in Pitch, "Teleport."

The four of us began to glow until we all broke apart into a series of blue lights. Next thing we knew, we were in Pitch and fell to the ground. Jay looked like he was about to puke but didn't. Coral shook her head before looking around in shock.

"Where are we!?" She screamed.

Jason covered her mouth, "Sh! We don't want to draw attention."

I struggled to my feet but stumbled a bit, "My legs are in so much pain."

Jason panted, "If only we had Potions from Skion."

I looked at him with a puzzled expression, "Potions?"

He nodded a bit, "Yeah, they're special drinks that can reduce fatigue or heal wounds. The only drawback is how shitty they taste."

I shrugged, "Well, I think I'd take it at this point."

Coral helped us stand before hiding behind Jason, "Will anyone hurt me?" she asked cutely.

Jason blushed before rolling his eyes, "No, they won't hurt you. I promise."

Our party walked to Jay's father for the 80 gold coins as a reward. I put them in my pouch before leaving to see Craig. With the mine open to mine, Craig was happy enough to reforge Jay's weapon for free. Steel is now embedded into the edge of Jay's blade to make it sharper. Not only that, the blade is harder to chip unless it hits something of equal or greater resistance.

Jay loved it, "This is so cool."

Jason and Coral were starting to pull us, "Can we go rest now?"

I stretched, yawning slightly, "Hell yeah."

The four of us began to head back to Jason's house for the night when I felt a sudden chill. The chill only lasted for a second but I knew it was there. I looked around frantically, only noticing a single snowflake drift in the wind. It was so out of place I couldn't believe it was there.

Jay noticed, "What's wrong?"

I shook my head, "Nothing."

-Elsewhere-

{Third Person Point of View}

Geo held Silvia's mother by the throat back in Rui's homeland, "Tell me now Gardevoir!"

Margrev struggled against his grip, "I don't know! I swear I don't know!"

Geo threw her aside, drawing out his frostbitten blade, "You will tell me what I want to know."

Margrev tried to blast him with psychic but a mere swipe of his blade deflected it, "How is that possible?"

Geo made the tip of his blade pierce the floor, creating a sheet of ice around it, "Nothing is impossible, now tell me how Rui could have been brought back to life."

Margrev shook her head in shock, "This is about that little brat who ran off with my kids!?"

Geo stabbed the wall near her head, "Precisely, now, Rui died in the Gardevoir homeland. What has the power to revive a dead body there?"

Margrev bit her lip, "Why do you want to know?"

Geo took his helmet off, "It's the first place I need to look, so, answer my question."

Margrev looked down, "I only have one story my mother's mother told me. Xerneas's pool. It's said that the Old King sealed away this pool due to it's ability to revive humans but erases their memories."

Geo crossed his arms, "Who'd know where to find it?"

Margrev hung her head, "Our leader... she'd know."

Geo grabbed her head and forced her neck to run across his blade, "Thank you for the information."

As she bled out, she squirmed on the ground crying, 'Why would you do this to me?'

Geo looked back at her with a grin, "You deserve a much needed nap, now, don't get up. I'll see myself out."

When Geo left the room, he was shocked to see Anna leaning against a wall. The wall is completely covered with ice ahd icicles hung from the ceiling. He could tell she was crying but hesitated on asking.

She sniffled, "I saw him."

Geo flinched but narrowed his eyes, "You're not going to tell me where he is, are you?"

Anna shook her head, "I can't let you kill him that easily."

Geo sighed, "I will find him eventually."

Anna nodded, "I know you will Geo... you may not like what happens when you do..."

Geo froze and glanced at her in shock, "Do you..." Anna disappeared in a flurry of snowflakes, "I... do not understand that woman..." Geo frowned as he left the area.

Regardless, his mission is clear, he must find and kill his last brother.

-6 years ago-

Silvia barged her way into the palace, trying to find Rui. Her conscious just wouldn't let her rest knowing her love interest is in danger. As she entered the main room, Silvia arrived just in time to see Rui's heart get stabbed by a sword. His blood sprayed on the Gallade that murdered him as Aura looked at her with a smile.

"Hello." Aura greeted.

Silvia stared at her in shock, "What... what have you done?"

Aura looked at Rui's body in confusion, "You mean this? I got tired of him."

Silvia started to visibly shake, "All this time I... I thought... you were helping him."

Aura giggled, "Yeah.. see... I got him to help me. Turns out he helped me create the next in line for the throne."

Silvia hung her head, "I... won't accept any of this."

Aura tilted her head, "Shouldn't this make you happy? I'm having a baby Ralts."

Silvia raised a hand towards her, "You're a traitor..."

Silvia's eyes were dulled out, "What?"

The Gallade ' head was ripped off viciously by Silvia's psychic, causing Aura to freak out, "What are you doing!?"

Silvia glared at her with hate filled eyes, "Rui was innocent... kind... I secretly hoped you would help him save us from the Frost... buy now... let's see how far your body can bend."

Aura shivered in fear before yelling, "Guards!"

The next half hour consisted of screams and torn bodies. The sun had begun to set as blood pooled on the floor, bodies and pieces hung on the ceiling and painting, with the Queen hung by her own intestines. Silvia looked at Rui's body in horror, seeing it drenched in both his own blood as well as theirs. Slowly, she walks over to him, and picks him up in her arms. She lays him against her, nuzzling his head starting to cry pitifully before realizing a way to save his life.

She picks him up, "Xerneas..." she whispered before a large explosion shook the castle, "Shit, they're attacking."