Finally, after cranking out a 20,000 word chapter for Manifest Destiny, I'm back. The Bosk arc is almost over, and then, we can finally reach a huge turning point in this fic with Gainos. Is it a halfway point? Maybe not, but it will certainly mark the beginning of the real conflicts this story will have to offer. But we're not there yet, so let's have a nice, laidback, development chapter.

Anyway, I've asked before who everyone's favorite character is, but I've never thought to ask who their least favorite is. I found it hard to really hate anyone in QB, since every character kinda just grew on me over time, but there have always been characters that just aren't on the same level as most of my favorites (Risty, Cattleya, Menace, etc.). So, if you feel like sharing with me, who's your least favorite QB character and why?

"Ninety-seven...ninety-eight...nine...ninety...nine..."

Alleyne watched with folded arms as Nowa struggled to complete her hundredth pull-up. With their group situated on the outskirts of some woods near a human settlement, the young half-elf had plenty of branches to use as makeshift bars.

Echidna, reclined on a particularly curved and comfortable branch, watched with amusement as Nowa kicked her legs in a futile attempt to help her finish the exercise. Unfortunately for the brunette, she just didn't have the strength to finish, and Nowa dropped to the soft grass below her, her arms burning with exhaustion.

Being the highly renowned instructor she was, Alleyne would have normally been critical of failure, but she found that lately, she didn't have the heart to criticize Nowa as openly as she used to. After all, it wasn't as if the girl wasn't trying. Nowa always tried her best when training. Her determination to get stronger drove the half-elf to constantly improve wherever she could; there was really no need for Alleyne to berate the girl for trying her best.

"Ninety-nine points Nowa. You were much closer than last time, good job."

Despite being a little disappointed in her inability to reach her goal, Nowa was pleased to receive Alleyne's praise. She knew the blonde was a kind person underneath that stoic exterior, but when it came to training, Alleyne was usually very critical.

"Thanks Captain! Next time I'll make it for sure! You know, it's been kind of quiet today... where'd Lucas go?"

Since she was the one constantly keeping tabs on the boy, Echidna tilted her head in the direction of the human village about a mile from the edge of the forest. "He went to visit the village early this morning. My guess is just that he needed to get away from us all for a little while; or at least away from me and Alleyne."

Nowa frowned, the idea of one of their number feeling so alienated not sitting well with her. But still, she knew that Lucas was the source of the problem himself. Echidna and Alleyne had nothing against him; it was the boy who was hostile to the two older women. Nowa couldn't imagine his bitterness being without reason, so there had to be some sort of story behind it...

"Miss Echidna? If you don't mind me asking... why does Lucas hate you so much? Weren't you his teacher?"

While this question would have normally irritated the Veteran Mercenary, Echidna couldn't really be mad at the girl for posing such a question. After all, Nowa was a part of this group, and she deserved to at least know the basics of Echidna's dynamic with Lucas. It wasn't like Nowa meant any harm.

"It's precisely because I was his teacher that he hates me so much. You already know that was orphaned right after birth, and that Alleyne refused to take him as a pupil, so I took some amount of pity on the kid and decided that I would teach him how to survive. But as time wore on he looked at me as more of an older sister than anything else, and that wasn't good for either of us... so I left. As soon as I knew he could take care of himself, I disappeared. I didn't want him to get involved with someone like me as deeply as he wanted to."

Having been abandoned herself as a child, Nowa could understand why Lucas was so angry, but she also understood Echidna's reasoning, though to a lesser extent. Alleyne had told Nowa once many years ago that Echidna did not think of herself as a good role model; never had the green-haired elf considered herself worthy of the admiration she widely received. In short, Echidna did not think she was a good person. She accepted that fact, and had no problem accepting herself, but nevertheless, she did not want others to be like her. According to Alleyne, this was why Echidna lived the solitary lifestyle she did; she didn't want to be the influence that would bring others down the same immoral path she was on, even if she had no desire to change herself.

Still, if someone like Echidna hated being so near to those who would look up to her, such as Nowa and Lucas, then why was she here? This was another question Nowa couldn't help but ask. "Um... I know I might be coming across as a little nosy, but... why are you traveling with us, Miss Echidna? I thought you didn't like company?"

The questioned elf sighed, though she managed a slight smile of amusement regardless. Nowa was a bit more perceptive than Echidna would have liked. "Well, someone has to keep an eye on Lucas, right? He's kind of my responsibility all things considered, so I have to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. That's all."

Nowa seemed a little suspicious of this answer, but did nothing to question it. Besides, if she were going to say anything else at all, Alleyne cut her off before she could. "Nowa, could you go and retrieve Lucas from the village? We still have a long way to go before we reach the capital, and I'd rather not dawdle here any longer than necessary."

With a lighthearted salute, Nowa jumped to her feet and called for Ru, who was hanging out in the trees above the trio of elves. Not one to drag her feet when fulfilling a request for Alleyne, the warrior-in-training was off in no time, leaving the two older elves alone.

As soon as Nowa was out of sight, Alleyne turned her deep blue gaze on Echidna's relaxing form, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "You're quite cruel Echidna, lying to such a young girl. Have you no shame?"

Echidna shrugged, not terribly affected by Alleyne's words. "Well, I wasn't being completely deceitful. I would feel somewhat guilty if Lucas did something stupid..."

"But that is hardly your main reason, is it?"

As Alleyne questioned Echidna further, she noticed that the woman was growing slightly uncomfortable. Honestly, Alleyne already knew why Echidna was hanging around; she just wanted the crimson-eyed elf to admit it, to herself if no one else.

If Echidna knew that Alleyne was onto her, she didn't show it. She was just as quick to come up with another excuse rather than the truth, though her next words were not entirely false. "Well if you're so curious, I'm also pretty interested in watching Nowa. I'm sure you know as well as I do that she has great potential. I want to see if she'll grow into as strong a fighter as I think she will."

While Alleyne knew that Echidna's real reason for being here was something different, she could sense that the wild elf was telling the truth. They both wanted to see Nowa grow as a fighter; Alleyne herself knew that her apprentice had the potential to reach beyond even her own caliber, and in a much shorter time-frame. At her current rate, Nowa would surpass Alleyne long before she was as old as her instructor.

Still, truth aside, Alleyne still wanted Echidna to be honest with herself. "Come now Echidna, surely you don't think I'm so easy to fool? I've known you since you were a child."

Echidna glared at the blonde elf, not happy to be reminded of her childhood. As much as she hated to admit it, Echidna would always be a child compared to Alleyne; many people failed to realize that Alleyne was twice Echidna's age. By the time Echidna was born, Alleyne was already over five hundred years old. Whether or not they were both adults now, the Elven Combat Master would always see Echidna as that young troublemaker she had clashed with all those centuries ago.

This time refusing to answer Alleyne's question, Echidna hopped down from her perch. "I'm going to go and find some water for the next part of our trip. I'll be back soon."

Amused by her reaction, Alleyne couldn't help but smirk to herself as she watched Echidna disappear into the woods, escaping from Alleyne in her own subtle way of sulking.

No matter how old you get Echidna, in some ways you're still that child from those days back then... how hard can it be to admit that you're lonely?

While Ymir was the kind of person who tended to over-exaggerate about almost everything, Church was glad to say that she had been telling the truth when she praised Cattleya's baked potatoes.

Having returned from their foray into the mine, Church had been quick to relay the abridged version of what had happened there to Cattleya, before Ymir could spin some fantastical tale about the incident. Once the mother had finished scolding Ymir for putting him and Nanael in harm's way, she had made dinner for everyone, and they had all quickly seated themselves to eat, since they were hungry after a rough day.

Cattleya's modest table wasn't suited for more than four people, but by borrowing a few chairs from elsewhere in her house, and everyone squeezing together just a little, there was enough room to accommodate all six people. Besides, with Nanael on one side of him and Hachiel on the other, Church certainly didn't mind being a little squished between them.

Next to Hachiel was Ymir, who was talking animatedly about her exploits in the mine that day. The expressive dwarf wasn't even really talking to anyone in particular; she was just talking aloud, and everyone had no choice but to listen. Church didn't really mind that either though. He liked listening to Ymir; she made even the most bland events seem amazing and adventurous. Hearing her spin on the debacle in the mine was fun, and he couldn't help but think that Ymir had the makings of a great storyteller.

Next to the diminutive blonde was Rana, with his mother on the other side of him, which completed the circle, as Nanael was on the other side of her. Currently, Ymir was taking up all the room for conversation, so everyone else simply enjoyed Cattleya's homemade cooking. Besides the potatoes, she had apparently had some ham ready from a market day earlier, and this part of the meal was delicious as well.

"You should have seen it Cattleya. When I came through that ceiling to save them, Church and Nanael were surrounded by hundreds of Kobolds. They were holding their own pretty well, but if I hadn't shown up when I did, those two would have been in real trouble."

Church and Nanael exchanged amused glances with each other, neither of them willing to interrupt Ymir's story to correct her numbers. Besides, it wasn't as if Cattleya was taking anything Ymir said at face value, and Hachiel had been there herself, so she knew the truth. Only Rana was enraptured with Ymir's exaggerated tale.

"Anyway, when I showed up, even though there were thousands of them, those Kobolds scattered in fear-"

It was at this point that Cattleya cut in with a cocked eyebrow. "I thought you said there were hundreds? I didn't know Kobolds could multiply."

"Hey, I'm the one telling the story here. I think I would know how many enemies there were!"

Hachiel, despite the fact that she had befriended Ymir, couldn't resist taking the side of truth. "But Ymir, no matter how many there were, all of the Kobolds ran away before you could fight them..."

Ymir shook her fist at the pinkette. "Yeah, but they only ran away because I showed up! Isn't that obvious?"

As the other occupants of the table discussed the merit of Ymir's story, Church turned to face Nanael when she tugged on his sleeve. "Something wrong?"

Although she smiled at him, Church could detect some small amount of discomfort on Nanael's face. "I'll be back in a minute. Just wanted to let you know 'cuz I knew you would ask anyway."

Confusion etched on his face, Church watched Nanael rise from the table, careful to avoid buffeting anything or anyone with her folded wings. She left the room quietly, heading towards the front of the house as discreetly as possible; she didn't want to bother anyone at the table.

Still, it was nearly impossible to ignore an angel, so no one missed her exit, and Hachiel was quick to question Church after her friend was out of earshot. "Church, is something wrong? Is Nanael feeling alright?"

While Church shared her look of concern, he tried to sound as though nothing were amiss. "She seemed alright. Just said she would be back in a minute."

"Church, I hate to say it but you know how good she is at acting..."

"I know, I know... I'll check on her if she's gone for too long. I can at least give her a few minutes; I don't want Nanael to think I don't trust her to take care of herself. The last thing she needs to think is that I see her as some sort of pitiable little girl."

Hachiel looked like she wanted to go and check on her friend immediately, but she did understand Church's point. True, Nanael needed support from her friends, but she didn't need them hovering over her shoulder like hawks. She could take care of herself, and she didn't need babysitters to make sure she didn't hurt herself.

Still, when Nanael's absence stretched on for longer than she had promised, and Hachiel's glances at Church grew ever more nervous, he finally decided to check on the wayward angel. He doubted anything had befallen Nanael, by coincidence or her own hand, but it couldn't hurt to be sure. Rising from the table, Church excused himself, promising that he would return briefly.

Fortunately for him, Cattleya's house was of rather simple design, and even though he was unfamiliar with it, Church had no problem finding his way outside, where he assumed Nanael was. He tried to be as quiet as possible; after all, if he found that Nanael simply needed time to herself, he would leave her alone without ever letting the girl know he was even there.

As expected, Church did indeed find Nanael outside of Cattleya's house, but she didn't appear to be bothered by anything. She was simply standing, back to the house, and looking out over the town. Her wings were folded, but even so, Church noticed that her defective one seemed a little crooked. Something about the angle of its usual gentle curve was off.

Regardless, it looked like Nanael was fine, and Church decided to leave her be. But before he could quietly return inside, Church saw Nanael begin to spread her wings, and he couldn't help but be enraptured by the sight of her beautiful feathers as they splayed out over Nanael's back.

However, as her wings were about to reach their maximum span, Church saw Nanael's smaller wing flinch spasmodically. Putting her hand to her mouth to muffle a cry of pain, Nanael was on her knees in an instant, her free hand clutching at the base of the affected wing.

Despite the fact that Church was supposed to be trusting Nanael to her own devices, the sight of her in obvious agony trumped any wish for him to do so. He wasted no time in rushing to her side. "Nanael! What's wrong?!"

Hearing his unexpected voice, as well as his hands on her shoulders, Nanael turned her grimacing countenance on Church. Her expression was more because of the pain she was feeling than Church's presence, but either way Nanael wasn't happy that Church had come to check on her. She didn't want anyone to know about this. "Church... why did you come out here?"

"Forget that, what happened?! And don't tell me that it's nothing, I can see how much you're hurting."

Nanael sighed. It wasn't that she didn't trust Church; she had decided to trust him after all, but she was afraid he would overreact to her problem. Still, she knew that Church would never be satisfied unless she gave him a straight answer.

"My wing is broken."

"What?! Since when?!"

Nanael frowned at him. "Church, please stop yelling. I don't want the others to know about this... and I think I broke it when we fell in the mine earlier today."

Realizing that he was probably freaking out a little too much, Church followed Nanael's wishes and lowered his voice. "But you didn't seem to be bothered by it at all then. Didn't you feel it before?"

"I kept my wings folded while we were in the mine, so it didn't hurt too much. I didn't really notice that it was this bad until we got outside earlier today."

"Why didn't you say anything? Nanael, if it hurts so bad that it causes you to collapse like you just did, we have to do something!"

Trying to portray an image of health, Nanael got back to her feet. "It's fine. I just won't fly on it until it heals."

Church scowled as he followed Nanael's movements and got to his feet as well. Why were women always so difficult? "That's not the way healing a broken bone works, Nanael. Er... actually, does your wing have any bones in it?"

Nanael nodded, pointing to the top part of her left wing, where all of her feathers originated and grew from. "There's one bone in each wing that supports the weight of the feathers and provides the structure needed for flight. That's what I broke."

"But...how? Nothing seemed to hurt you today. The way you were talking, angels are nearly invincible. How could a fall do something like this to you?"

"Well, my right wing is smaller because the bone is smaller. It's thinner than the left, so it's already easier to break. As for how I managed to get hurt at all through the divine protection all angels are supposed to have... there are several reasons why that shield could have been weakened."

Church couldn't help but notice the hesitation in Nanael's voice. "What do you mean? What kind of reasons?"

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing we can change anyway. And I don't want you telling anyone about this, alright?"

"Why not? What's the point in pretending that you aren't injured?"

Nanael sighed again, wondering if this was what it meant to have more friends. It was almost tiresome to have people this worried about her, though it was a nice feeling. "Look, the only person who could heal this injury is Hachiel. But I've been a huge burden to her lately, and right now she's enjoying herself. I'd rather not bother her with something like this right now."

Church resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the angel before him. Whatever her intentions were, her reasoning here was seriously flawed. "Nanael, Hachiel is your friend; I guarantee you she would rather help you than enjoy herself. Besides, this is something serious. Your wings are a vital part of your body..."

At the mention of it, Church could see Nanael's expression turn sour, a condescending smirk on her face. "What does it matter really? This wing is totally useless anyway..."

Before Church could make some sort of reply, the loud voice of Ymir shouted at the duo from Cattleya's doorway. Even at night, her tone of voice remained on its usual level. "Hey! What are you two doing out here? It's been over five minutes!"

Nanael refused to say anything, but Church likewise refused to stay quiet. He wasn't going to let something like this slide. Still, he didn't want to outright anger someone that could paste him against a wall, so Church discreetly pointed a finger at Nanael's broken wing. Half outstretched as they were, anyone could tell there was something wrong with the right wing, besides being smaller than usual.

Ymir's eyes widened as she saw what Church was pointing at; apparently it looked worse than even he had thought. The only way the shattered bone would be hidden would be if Nanael kept her wings folded... like she had been all day.

Deciding with certainty that this was going to be fixed tonight, Church tried to make some gestures towards Ymir that would get her to call Hachiel outside. He made sure to hide these motions from Nanael behind his torso.

With a knowing smile, Ymir raised her voice even higher than usual. "Oh wow, that looks painful! I had no idea your wing was broken! How are you going to-!"

Before the diminutive blonde could even finish, she was shoved out of the doorway by Hachiel. It was by far the most impolite thing Church had ever seen the pinkette do. "Nanael, your wing is broken?!"

Knowing at this point that it was futile to resist further, Nanael turned to face her closest friend. "Yes Hachi, it is..."

"Oh my God, why didn't you tell me?! How long were you planning on hiding this!? Are you insane?!"

It briefly occurred to Church that Hachiel had just used God's name in vain, something that couldn't have possibly been more out of character for her, but the thought was quickly lost as he paid attention to Nanael's retort. "Because, I knew you would have a panic attack, like you are right now!"

"Of course I'm having a panic attack! You know what could happen if you don't care for a broken wing immediately! Have you forgotten what happened to Pasariel!?"

"Pasariel lost her wing fighting a powerful demon hundreds of years ago! You can't compare this to that!"

Hachiel put her hands on her hips. "The point still stands! If an angel's wing gets crushed and it isn't tended to within twenty-four hours, the damage is almost guaranteed to be permanent! Come with me right now so we can fix this!"

Even though she knew it was pointless, Nanael tried to resist Hachiel at least a little. "Hachi, it's not such a big deal-"

Hachiel's pink-hued wings flared irritably. It looked as if her golden eyes were about to burn a hole through Nanael's head. "Nanael, if you don't come with me right...now..."

Feeling a level of killer intent no one would have ever expected from a girl as sweet as Hachiel, Nanael immediately decided that she had nothing more to say, instead hanging her head as she grudgingly followed Hachiel back into Cattleya's house. Church followed behind a few moments later, giving Ymir a high-five as he passed her.

After asking Cattleya if she could borrow a room for the situation at hand, Hachiel led Nanael upstairs, ignoring the blue-haired angel's complaints as they went. This left Church and Ymir downstairs with their hostess and her son, though at this point they were both done with their dinner. Since they had both left early to go check on others, albeit at different times, Church and Ymir still had some food left.

Cattleya invited the two of them to return to what was left of their meal, gathering the dishes that had already been used. "Rana, would you mind helping me with the dishes? Let's leave Ymir and Church alone."

"OK Mom! I'm coming!"

Indeed left alone now, Church awkwardly returned to his food, not sure what to say now that he was alone with Ymir. He had talked to her at decent length already, but he didn't really know her beyond the level of an acquaintance...

But apparently Ymir did not have the same misgivings about him. As she worked on finishing the last of her meal, she had no issue trying to start a conversation. "Hey, are you just going to sit there or are you going to talk to me?"

"W-well... I just don't know what to talk about..."

"Hmm... tell me what kind of weapon you want."

"W-what?"

Ymir cocked an eyebrow at him. "You know, the weapon I promised you. What kind do you want?"

For some reason, Church felt uncomfortable talking about this. He still felt like he hadn't managed to uphold his end of the deal. "Look Ymir, I really don't think you need to keep that deal. I mean, I didn't really do much..."

The girl across from him smiled knowingly, apparently amused. "You're one of those guys, huh?"

Church gave Ymir a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, one of those guys who never gives themselves enough credit. Never thinks they deserve anything? You're definitely one of those guys, I can tell."

Church frowned at the dwarf. Surely he wasn't really like that. "I'm not one of "those guys" Ymir. I just don't think I held up my end of the bargain. I mean, in the end, you had to come rescue me. That already means I was more of a burden than a help."

Seeing that she was only going to be refuted, Ymir decided to take a different approach. "Well, what if I just want to do this because I like you?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"You're a nice guy. You're sweet and helpful and obviously a good person. Maybe I just want to do you a favor?"

Ymir tried to make the cutest face she could while saying this, hoping to convince Church that accepting something as simple as a reward wasn't wrong.

It was apparently effective, because Church blushed as he tried to think of a reason to refute Ymir's suggestion, though he could find none. She was cute, and she was trying to be nice to him; why on earth was he still resisting?

"Alright, I get it... it's stupid to resist at this point."

"It was stupid to resist in the first place."

Church was about to make a retort, but Ymir pressed on before he could, rising to her feet with gusto and slamming her palms down on Cattleya's table. Thankfully, she wasn't still wearing Steam Tyranny. "Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go!"

Church watched the rambunctious girl essentially storm out of the dining room. "What, right now? It's like, ten o'clock!"

"Of course right now! There's no such thing as a bad time to talk about weapons!"

The only remaining person in the dining room sighed, though a smile still came to his face. That girl really was a piece of work.

"Hmm... I wonder where Lucas could've gone?"

Nowa stood in the middle of the street in the human settlement that Lucas had disappeared to. She completely ignored the confused stares of the people around her, as well as the blatant ogling of some of the more lecherous men and women; as she grew taller, Nowa's skirt was getting just a little too short to completely cover her cute butt. But if she noticed anyone directing their stares down there, she chose to ignore it.

Moving down the humble streets of the town, the young half-elf had no luck in finding her wayward friend. Having no success on the main streets, she decided to scour the alleys as well; while she would never say it to his face, Nowa thought Lucas was the type of person who resided in dark corners. Something about his bitter and aloof persona made such places fit Lucas better than they should have.

But that ultimately yielded no fruit either, and by now Nowa was growing impatient. Alleyne would have scolded her for that, but seeing as how Alleyne wasn't around, the young Half-elf really didn't care. Of course, she knew Alleyne would not approve of what she was about to do either.

Clambering up the side of the building she was next to, Nowa made it to its roof in mere seconds. She had concluded that the best way to find her wayward companion was to have a better vantage point, so why not gain one? Unfortunately her immediate better view didn't yield any sign of Lucas, so Nowa quickly decided to move to the next rooftop, which was all the way across the street.

With a running start, the brunette easily launched herself twenty feet through the air, stunning the people beneath her that actually managed to catch her passing. Luckily she had been sailing through the air a little too fast for anyone to take advantage of their position and her exposure.

Waving back at the stunned passerby, Nowa casually darted across the next roof she had claimed as her own. It amazed her how the things that were easy and normal to her still managed to completely stun humans. From what Alleyne had told her, Nowa knew that elves were usually physically superior to humans; some part of their biological development had just made them faster and stronger than their round-eared counterparts.

So to humans, and average ones at that, a leap of over a dozen feet must have seemed impressive. Nowa herself had conquered distances well over that while in the forest; the furthest jump she had ever made during training was an astounding forty-two feet, so something as measly as twenty or so did not seem like much of an accomplishment. Then again, Nowa had already gathered a lot of momentum before taking that jump, and even then she crashed into the branch she was aiming for chest first, but she had still made it, and that was what mattered. Even Alleyne had been visibly impressed with the feat, considering the fact that the blonde could not achieve the same herself.

Nowa briefly wondered if Echidna could jump as far as she could, but didn't have time to dwell on it. Halfway through another jump, she felt something soft land on her shoulder, and she turned to see that Ru had finally returned from his own search. The two of them had split up when first entering the town.

"Oh, Ru! Did you find Lucas?"

The little pink monkey nodded vigorously, leaping off of Nowa's shoulder to lead her to the place he had spotted their wayward companion. Because they were taking such a "crowd-free" route, the duo reached their destination in no time; but Nowa immediately frowned in disappointment as she looked up at the building Ru had taken her to.

"A bar...? Really Lucas, is this what you've been doing this whole time?"

She glanced at Ru to see if this really was the place, but could only sigh when the monkey nodded once again, and returned to her shoulder. Instead of barging right in, the young half-elf pushed the door to the establishment open just enough to peek inside; she wasn't completely sure of what kind of cultural norms existed in human towns, but she did know that by human standards, she was quite under-dressed. And if there was one place an under-dressed young girl was going to be harassed, it was a bar.

She wasn't scared of being bothered in itself, as she knew she could defeat a drunkard if she had to, but Nowa was eager to avoid making a scene altogether. Unfortunately, she was unable to spot Lucas anywhere from her position at the doorway, and it seemed like she would have no choice but to go inside the crowded establishment.

Entering the building as inconspicuously as possible, Nowa used the hand that wasn't holding her staff to tug down the back of her skirt; she had been fine out in the streets, but in these close quarters, and surrounded by people who were probably under the influence of alcohol, she felt a lot more conscious of her body. Just a few months ago, this situation would never have bothered her, but now, Nowa thought of herself in a more feminine light than she used to. This probably had something to do with the fact that she was mildly infatuated by someone absent from her life right now that had made it clear that she had feminine charm in the first place.

Fortunately for her, drunken men and women weren't the most aware of individuals, so Nowa managed to investigate the bar without incident. Even her glaring orange outfit, scant as it was, did not attract anyone's attention, as far as she could tell. This meant that she managed to find Lucas without trouble; though trouble certainly seemed to have found him.

Lucas, with the red blush of alcohol prominent on his cheeks, had one foot planted on a table as he argued with a spiky-haired redhead who looked equally drunk. It was more difficult to see the drunken blush of her cheeks on her tan skin, but it was obvious that the violet-eyed woman was under the influence as well, and pretty mad too. "You little twerp! You made me spill my drink!"

Lucas shook a fist back at the redhead. "Yeah, so what?! What're you gonna do about it?!"

"Beat your face in, how about that!?"

"Go ahead and try it, I'll crush you!"

Nowa was about to try and call out to Lucas in an effort to get his attention and calm him down, but someone else with the same idea spoke up before she could.

"Risty, please calm down! We really shouldn't make a scene here!"

Recognizing the gentle voice of someone she had encountered once before, Nowa scanned the rambunctious crowd for the Vance heiress she knew was here. It did not take long to spot her; Leina's stark blonde hair was difficult to miss, and she had quite a noticeable presence besides, even if one did not take her appearance into account.

Ecstatic to meet the woman she had befriended all those months ago once again, Nowa pushed through the people around her to reach the aspiring warrior. "Leina!"

Hearing her name called by someone who was initially unfamiliar scared Leina a little bit, since she was always paranoid about being dragged back home, but as she turned to face the source, a bright smile lit up her face. "Nowa? What are you doing here?"

Nowa planted both hands on the table Leina was sitting at, a huge smile plastered on her face. "Y'know, this and that. Right now I'm looking for a friend of mine, who's uh... right there arguing with your friend..."

Leina cocked an eyebrow at Lucas, who was about to come to blows with Risty. "That's your friend? He... doesn't seem like the kind of person you would get along with..."

This unfortunately true statement garnered a sigh from the half-elf. "Yeah... but I think he needs some more friends these days, so here I am. He's not the one who started this, is he?"

Now it was Leina's turn to sigh. "As much as I'd like to defend Risty, this is kind of her fault. Your friend bumped into her and spilled her drink, and he did try to apologize at first, but Risty was already past the point of rationality. At this point it looks like there's going to be a fight."

Looking to the two people in disagreement, Nowa was about to try and intervene, when a sudden and very unwelcome touch from behind interrupted her efforts. Apparently, some stranger behind her thought he could cop, thinking that he could disappear into the crowd soon enough to escape retribution. Unfortunately for him, Nowa's reflexes were far quicker than he had expected, and his lecherous grin rapidly shifted to a grimace as the half-elf girl he had groped spun on her heel, a mix of embarrassment and indignation on her face.

"D-don't touch me there!"

Before he had any time to react, the man with the poor decision making skills was smacked across the face with Nowa's staff, sending him stumbling into another group of men, and unfortunately spilling more beer.

"Hey! Do you know how much I paid for this!?"

"Yeah, this stuff ain't cheap you know!"

Leina resisted the urge to correct the men, since the beer here was really cheap, mostly because it looked like Nowa may have just started a bar fight. "C'mon you guys, she didn't mean to do that. If you want to be angry at anyone, it should be the guy who-"

"Let's get her!"

"Yeah!"

For some reason, men and women who hadn't even been affected by the event were now closing in on Nowa and the blonde next to her. Apparently, spilling beer was just such a travesty that every drunk person in here had to avenge the poor beverage.

At this point the situation had developed quite badly, and even Risty and Lucas managed to put their minor dispute aside, stepping off of the table they had been arguing on. Risty threw an arm around Leina's neck. "Hey! Are you guys... y'know, picking on the Princess here? You mess with her, and ya mess with me, a'right?"

Lucas stumbled down next to Nowa, pointing a wavering finger at the crows before him. "Yeah, who do you think you are, pickin' on my girlfriend? I mean, not my girlfriend girlfriend, but you know, my friend. Who's a girl... yeah, that's right. You gotta fight me first!"

Nowa tried to placate both sides of the bar turned battlefield, but no one was able to hear her light voice over the uproar of the crowd. It wasn't until the owner of the establishment yelled out over the crowd that it fell silent. "Hey! If you're all going to fight, could you please take it outside of my bar? It is quite literally the only thing I own."

Surprisingly, everyone was alright with taking the fight outside. It was more reasonable than Nowa had expected the crowd to be. Soon enough the entire establishment was emptied of patrons as they all moved into the street. Once they were there, Nowa, Leina, Risty, and Lucas were left facing off against everyone else, a good three dozen brawlers.

Risty cracked her knuckles, seemingly eager to fight, which earned a sigh from her blond companion, who knew she would have to fight with her fists as well if she wanted to avoid killing anyone. Lucas was a little too wasted to even consider using his daggers, so that left only Nowa as an armed combatant. True, her weapon was non-lethal, but she still had the biggest advantage.

Soon enough, a battle cry from the crowd of drinkers erupted into the night air.

"For the beer that has been...slayed... uh... slewn... the beer that has been spilled this day!"

Apparently the drunk crowd found this short speech to be more heroic than the sober half of the battlefield. As for Nowa, all she could do was give silent thanks that Alleyne was not here. After all, this situation was technically her fault.

"I've been meaning to ask, Ymir; did you make all of these weapons yourself?"

Church and Ymir stood in the smithy extension of Cattleya's house, which served as the storefront during the day. While there were no doors to close the area from the outside, there were several weapons lockers in the smithy, and Cattleya had allowed Ymir to keep her weapons in a few of them during the night, lest they be stolen. Ymir had opened all of them, to allow Church to see all of the options he had to choose from.

"Yep. I only sell my own works. I'm not the only talented smith in the Iron Mountain, and definitely not the best of the best, but I take pride in selling my own creations. It's just more gratifying to showcase your own hard work and effort."

Church eyed the multitude of weapons before him. Each had the same color scheme as Ymir's own battleaxe, for which he assumed was because of the ore that was used to make them. Each weapon was unique in its own way; even if there were three swords, each one had a peculiar curve to it, or a different type of cross guard, or even just a different pattern of decoration. This led Church to ask an unusual question.

"Ymir, do your weapons have names?"

The short blonde nodded, glad to see that her companion was taking such interest in her work. "Well, not all of them. I've made hundreds of weapons over the past couple of years, and even thousands throughout my entire life. I'd never be able to name all of them something meaningful. I only name the ones I'm really proud of."

"Like an artist."

Ymir cast a sideways glance at the man beside her. "Huh?

"You're like an artist. You pour your heart and soul into making these weapons, and name the creations that embody your effort the most. Each weapon you make is the product of your creativity, imagination, and skill. That sounds exactly like an artist to me."

Honestly, Ymir had never thought about it like that. She had always considered herself to be a skilled blacksmith, but an artist? That was a title she had never applied to herself, though she was pleased to accept it. "Yeah...yeah, I guess I am an artist. I create beautiful things, right?"

Church nodded. "Of course. And you know, a piece of art is only as beautiful as the artist makes it."

While she knew Church did not mean it in such a way, Ymir was still a little flustered at his words. "Y-yeah... I guess so..."

Church was a little too busy examining Ymir's works to notice the blush on her cheeks, and so continued to talk about the topic at hand. "So Ymir, does your axe have a name?"

With her attention drawn away from her embarrassment, Ymir was back to her usual outspoken self in no time at all. "Actually, yes. Its name is Hauteclaire; the same as the legendary axe used to fight dragons by my dwarven ancestors millenia ago. It's not the same weapon of course, but I want to find a way for my Hauteclaire to gain as much fame as the original. Though there aren't many dragons left to slay, so that may be difficult. But hey, you're supposed to be looking for a weapon for you, not asking about mine. Stop getting distracted!"

Put back on task by his petite companion, Church returned his attention to the open weapon lockers that contained Ymir's many creations. The array of weaponry was impressive, but this led Church to question their value. Were some of them more expensive than others? Bigger weapons took more metal, so did they cost more? He didn't know if Ymir only wanted him to choose from a certain range of value.

"Do you only want me to choose from certain ones? I mean, I'm sure you aren't selling all of these at the same price..."

Ymir crossed her arms. "What kind of cheapskate do you take me for? You can pick whatever you want. It's a gift, so I don't mind."

Church refrained from mentioning that this was technically supposed to be payment for services rendered, but only because he preferred the idea of receiving a gift from Ymir. He hadn't known her for more than a day, and technically speaking, he had only interacted with her for a few hours; but he was fond of Ymir already, and he would definitely consider her a friend. Receiving a gift from her had more meaning than payment for work.

The thought of meaning brought an idea to of what he wanted to Church's mind. "Ymir, is it alright if I have the sword you had me test earlier today?"

The questioned dwarf cocked an eyebrow at the man, surprised that he wanted that weapon over all the others, but nonetheless pleased that he was picking something associated with a memory she had shared with him. Of course, Ymir didn't know if that was the real reason Church wanted that blade, but she preferred to think so.

Carefully digging around the sharp and dangerous edges of her stored arms, Ymir quickly withdrew the item Church had asked for: she never forgot where she placed one of her weapons.

"Here it is... believe it or not, this is another one of the weapons I actually named. This sword is called Grendel, named after a deadly beast from an old myth. As you can see, it's a short-sword, at least for a human like you... but it makes up for length with speed and flexibility. It's double-edged, and fit for stabbing attacks as well. Also, you probably didn't notice this when you swung it around earlier, but there's notches on one side of the blade to catch enemy weapons with."

Church eyed the red steel of the blade in Ymir's hand, fascinated by the thought of such a beautiful gold-trimmed blade also being so deadly. "So it's also a sword-breaker, huh? Amazing... but you said it was double-edged; won't that side of the blade have a harder time cutting through things?"

With a satisfied air about herself, Ymir explained why this wasn't true. "Well you're right in thinking that most sword-breakers have trouble performing on the catching side. Most sword-breakers are usually single-edged, because the catching side is made like the edge of a saw and can't cut through things easily. But Grendel's catching side is curved downward like a hook; so even though your blocking stance might need to be a little unorthodox to catch a blade, you can swing Grendel both ways and still be effective. And of course, since using a sword-breaker is dangerous work, the guard is wide enough to protect your whole hand."

"Incredible. I never would have thought of any of this while I was holding it earlier. Is it even stronger than your normal weapons, since it has to break the steel of other arms?"

"That's right. The ore we dwarves use is already many times stronger than steel, but any time we make a weapon that needs to be extra-tough, we work in a cross-netting of high-strength tensile metal to its structure. Don't tell anyone about that though, it's supposed to be a secret."

Church found himself getting much more excited about this than he thought he would, but before he accepted the blade he had requested, he was struck with doubt once more. "Ymir, Grendel really does sound amazing, but are you sure you want me to take it? You did say that you only name the weapons you're really proud of..."

Ymir smiled at him. She was a businesswoman, and didn't particularly like the idea of parting with goods for free, but in this case she felt good about being generous. Besides, she had placed Church's life in serious danger, she at least owed him some sort of compensation. "The fact that this is one of the weapons I poured my heart into just makes me feel even better about giving it to you. You don't have to ask about that again; I want you to have it."

This brought a smile to Church's face as he finally conceded and reached out for Grendel's proffered handle. Once he had it in his own hands, Ymir dug around in the locker that contained her goods once more, soon emerging with a light brown sheath attached to a few leather straps. "This is the sheath for that blade; instead of being on the hip, you can adjust the position of the sheath itself to be on your back, or horizontal on your waist. Both of these positions allow you to draw the catching side of the blade very quickly, just in case you get caught off guard. The straps are adjustable too, so don't worry about size."

Church readily accepted this from Ymir as well, glad that she was so eager to provide for him. "Thank you, Ymir. It means a lot to me that you're willing to part with these for my sake."

"Well, you deserve something for all the trouble I put you through... speaking of which, I wonder what I'm gong to make out of that ore you found..."

"You mean you don't know?"

Ymir shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I try to make something new and unique every time I create a weapon, but I've been running low on ideas for awhile, so I don't know what I'll make out of the ore from that mine."

A few fantastical weapons flashed through Church's mind, mostly from games he had played before NOVA ruined the world as he knew it, but one stood out in particular. "You know Ymir, where I'm from, there's this one really amazing weapon that can change into another type when you want it to."

This mention of a transforming weapon really caught Ymir's attention. "What do you mean? An actual metal weapon that can transform into another?"

"Well, it's mechanical, you see. It's like... at first it's a bow, but if you pull on a certain trigger it will collapse and fold in on itself to make a sword, or vice-versa."

"Really!? That's amazing! I know you aren't a blacksmith yourself, but... c-can you show me what it looks like?"

Church looked around the open smithy. "Um... how? I don't have anything to draw on..."

Ymir rushed past him to head back into the house. "Wait here, I'll go get something for you to use! I'll be back in just a second!"

For someone so short, Ymir was surprisingly fast when she wanted to be, and Church was left alone in a matter of seconds, somewhat cursing his casual remark about a weapon that was purely fictional. He had no doubt that if anyone could make a weapon like he had described, it was Ymir, but what Church didn't have confidence in was his ability to draw the thing; the last time he had taken an art class was sixth grade.

Nowa watched with mild interest as Risty repeatedly punched a drunken man in the head, the poor sod unable to escape the woman's headlock. The brawl that had started but a few minutes ago was already over, considering the fact that the drunken crowd had been facing four trained fighters. True, Risty and Lucas were drunk as well, but even so they were tougher than a wasted civilian. In fact, Leina had commented that Risty was almost a better fighter than usual when drunk.

Lucas on the other hand, was not, and he had been punched in the face a few times, but he had passed out after the fight from the alcohol, not the hits.

Nowa and Leina now stood off to the side of the scene, eyeing the unconscious crowd of drinkers around them, with the exception of the one still being attacked by Risty. Both individuals had been careful to avoid hurting their opponents too badly, being the gentle souls they were, but still, neither girl could say they didn't have any fun at all. They were fighters, after all, and fighting was something they enjoyed.

Now that it was all over, Leina turned to Nowa once again. "So, you never did tell me what you were doing way out here, Nowa. Who's guarding the forest if you aren't?"

Nowa nervously scratched the back of her head. "Well... I'm uh... not exactly welcome there anymore..."

"What?! They kicked you out!? H-how could they do something that terrible?!"

Nowa waved her arms in front of her, trying to mitigate the seriousness of the affair. "It's OK Leina, it's not like it's just me; the Captain was exiled too."

"What?! Her too!?"

In hindsight, Nowa should have known that wouldn't comfort the blonde. She had no idea why she had said it. "D-don't worry! We're alright with it! We were exiled fighting for something... someone... we really cared about. So it's fine! One day we'll go back and fix what's wrong with our home, but for now... for now I have to grow as a person, with Alleyne helping me reach new heights. When I'm strong enough, I'll definitely go back to the forest. Just wait and see."

Leina couldn't help but smile, even though she didn't fully understand what Nowa was talking about. She also noticed that Nowa had used Alleyne's name, which was a rarity for the girl. Leina could tell already that the half-elf had grown considerably since she had last seen her. "So... this is just a guess, but I'm assuming that you're going to participate in the Queen's Blade?"

Nowa nodded. "That's right. I don't want to be Queen or anything, but I want the experience I'll get from fighting strong opponents, including you!"

"I'm looking forward to it as well, Nowa. I know we'll face each other in the tournament-"

"Yeah, take that! You can't beat me, I'm the greatest fighter ever!"

Nowa and Leina looked over at Risty, who was now swinging her fists wildly at thin air, which earned a deep sigh from the Vance heiress. "Why don't we rescue our friends before we continue this conversation?"

With a sigh of her own, Nowa nodded as she moved towards Lucas' unconscious form. "That sounds like a pretty good idea."

There we go. That's all said and done, and I have only a few comments to make here.

First off, I never liked how often Ymir's weapons were defeated in the anime itself. I feel like her weapons should be more sturdy compared to humans, though not invincible. So that's happening.

Second, I realized that Airi would be the sexiest lover ever. Because you know, she can change her outfit to anything she can imagine in an instant; just imagine the possibilities.

Second to last, I was wondering how you guys would feel about a spin-off fic from this that's just a collection of humorous short stories? I've had some funny ideas, and although they would be short, I think they'd be fun for those of you who follow CoF.

And finally, whoever can spot the reference I made to a certain popular web-series gets a basket of internet cookies.