Hello again! Took quicker than last time, huh? But still not quick enough as I'd like.
Firstly, onto the replies…
NepPower: You see, unfortunately, I can't really shift perspective to Nepgear at this point, since I've already set some stuff in motion for these four that'll happen in the next few chapters. You can be sure that Nepgear will get her spotlight again, as will the others! I haven't forgotten about all those mysterious things I've set up.
Dragonsayianblue: Yup, they shouldn't be messing with Renna and Uzume. But then again, they don't know they're CPUs. So they might get a little bit more involved than they should… We'll see where that goes.
As for the main big bad? Hmmm… Maybe there're multiple big bads? Or something else! But for now, they're dealing with something else.
Remember those little lights? Yeah, those'll be coming back. And more!
And… yeah! I hope this one is enjoyable, and all that good stuff!
Things pick up, don't you worry about that!
You'll see closer to the end…
Enjoy!
Chapter 22:
It was raining.
Gil stood in the kitchen, looking out of the window. He was the only one awake.
The sky was covered with clouds, and no sun penetrated through.
Gil could hear the rain hit the roof, and he could see drops hitting the windows.
It was coming down rather fast, but Gil wouldn't say that it was dangerous. Maybe if you were reckless, but you should be able to walk in it without too much trouble.
Besides getting soaking wet, of course.
Gil thought that Renna would like to run around in it. She always loved nature, and its phenomena.
Gil took a sip from his coffee that he had made minutes before.
It had started raining yesterday, when Renna and Uzume had gone out to check on their secret project. It had persisted throughout the day and night, at varying intensities.
Just like Neptune had said. This would go on for days, presumably.
But, backtracking to Renna and Uzume… and Neptune.
They all knew what this project was, as Gil was the only one left in the dark.
It was going to be for Gil they had said. He just didn't know what?
Renna had said that it would be done today. And that they would go out to get it, today.
Would that still be possible, in this rain?
Gil didn't doubt it. They were all enthusiastic about it, so they would probably insist.
So it was most definitely happening.
Gil took another sip of his coffee.
Gil thought back to the day before, and how Renna and Uzume had encountered those gang members again.
The gang was bothering Renna and Uzume. That was a problem. And Renna had mentioned that they had done research into all four of them.
That was a problem. They couldn't afford that.
But Renna said that the gang didn't know much. That did make Gil feel better.
Uzume had hurt the leader of the group. What was his name… Faust? Hopefully he now knew to not interfere with them.
Hopefully.
Or… It could cause him to interfere more than what he already has.
Hopefully not.
Renna mentioned that the person in charge of the project offered them all a place to stay. Gil hadn't met this man, but Renna vouched for him.
If the rest of them wanted to stay at that man's house, Gil would obviously follow.
Renna was so… friendly, even after having spent so many years away from people. Not completely away, as they had to sometimes encounter a few people, but never anything that resulted in a proper bond.
The most they'd done before was passing people by, asking for directions or information, buying some things from a store, and other such tasks.
There might've been a few times where Renna would've struck up a conversation with a stranger, but those hadn't progressed further.
After all this time, Renna was still as friendly as always. She never lost her ability to do well in social situations.
Gil took another sip of his coffee, this time with a smile.
He looked out at the rain again. It was still reliably pouring down.
They were definitely going out today.
To wherever this secret project was.
To wherever place this man in charge was.
With, hopefully, no trouble.
And that was all he knew.
They really did do a good job at keeping this a secret.
Gil didn't pry into it a lot, though. He understood that Renna, along with Neptune and Uzume, wanted it to be a surprise.
He didn't dislike surprises, if they were meant to be good. Well, it depended. Sometimes he did, sometimes he didn't.
If it was something that his sister made or did for him, then that was always something he liked.
Speaking of Renna…
"Boo!"
Renna had snuck up behind Gil and had placed her hands on his shoulders, which did elicit some surprise.
"Did I getcha?", asked Renna, smiling away.
Gil turned to face her, with a small smile.
"Yes, a little bit.", replied Gil.
Renna gave a slightly smug expression for a second, and then went to a friendly face.
She moved next to Gil, also looking out the window.
"It's raining quite a lot.", said Renna.
"It is.", replied Gil.
"And it's supposed to go on for a few days. How many?"
"I don't know."
Renna seemed to contemplate something for a few seconds, taking a more thoughtful face.
"The project's done by today. That's what I was told.", said Renna.
"I remember you saying that.", replied Gil.
"Hmmm… I'm sure the other two wouldn't mind."
"Mind going out in the rain?"
"Yeah."
Gil smiled to himself with a small huff, which Renna observed.
"What? What's up?", asked Renna.
"I was just thinking about how you'd want to go out today, even in the rain."
"Well, yeah! Nothing like a little bit of rain is going to get in the way of your gift!"
"Of course,", said Gil, looking to his sister. "What else do you have planned for today?"
Renna thought for a while.
"I was thinking that we do something after we go get the surprise, but you'll only get to know that later.", said Renna.
"Why? Does it involve whatever we're getting?"
"Yup."
"Naturally."
Renna nodded.
"I'm going to make myself some of that coffee you have there.", said Renna.
"Alright."
Renna started moving towards where the coffee was, but stopped mid-stride.
"On second thought, why don't you get the coffee going, and I go wake the other two up?", suggested Renna.
"Why?", asked Gil.
"I feel like it would be better if I woke them up."
"I… can kind of see where you're coming from."
"So that's a yes?"
"That's a yes."
"Cool, I'll go do that."
Renna then sauntered off towards the bedroom, leaving Gil to take care of the coffee.
He started making Renna's coffee, and then brought out another two mugs. Neptune and Uzume would probably want, so he'd cater for that.
In a few minutes time, he heard shuffling behind him.
He turned to see Renna, Neptune and Uzume walking towards the kitchen.
Renna was bright eyed, and energetic for the coming day.
Neptune looked sleepy, and some of her hair stuck out at places.
Uzume looked… normal. She wasn't energetic or sleepy. Just normal.
"Mornin', Gilsy.", greeted Uzume.
"Yeah, morning and stuff…", greeted Neptune.
"Morning.", said Gil, who had already brought three cups of coffee to the counter.
"You made for all of us?", asked Renna.
"Yes.", replied Gil.
"Give it to me! That thing! Your dark coffee!", said Neptune, rushing towards her cup. Or any cup of coffee, really.
"It's probably some sort of reference.", waved off Uzume, who also grabbed her cup.
Renna didn't respond, and instead retrieved her own coffee.
And they all stood in the kitchen, drinking up and waking up.
In a few minutes time, they were done.
"What else is there to do?", asked Uzume.
"Besides get ready to go, nothing much.", answered Renna.
"So then let's get going soon! The readers haven't seen any of us fight in the last… however many chapters! We gotta get some action!", exclaimed Neptune.
"What do you mean with us fighting?", asked Gil.
"I dunno. Just had a feeling that that's what would happen today."
Gil looked to Renna.
"I'm not saying anything.", replied Renna.
"So it could actually happen?", asked Uzume. "I thought Neptune was going off on one of her weird talks."
"Oh, right. I mean, I haven't told any of you what's going to happen after.", replied Renna.
"So it was Neptune being Neptune…", mumbled Uzume.
"But Neptune's right, we should all get going soon. It's not too early for us to visit, so we can go immediately!", stated Renna.
"Maybe we should wait a bit for the rain to calm down.", suggested Uzume.
"It's not too bad, though, is it?", said Renna.
"It's not. But I thought we could wait around for a bit anyway. To properly prepare."
"I suppose… Everyone else up for it?", asked Renna.
"Uh-huh.", replied Neptune.
"If that's what everyone wants, yes.", replied Gil.
"Then I guess we are waiting.", said Renna.
Uzume started walking towards the bedroom again.
"Then I'm gonna go get dressed. See ya.", said Uzume.
"That's probably a good idea.", said Renna.
"Agreed!", said Neptune, who walked towards the bedroom.
"Renna, before you go…", started Gil.
"Mmm, what's up?", asked Renna.
"For reference, what's this person we're going to meet's name? The one in charge of the project?"
"Oh, right, I never told you! His name's Dusty!"
"Dusty?"
"Yup! It means stone!"
"That's… interesting."
"He's very tall."
"Good to know."
Renna nodded, and she walked backwards, looking at Gil for a bit before turning around in her stride.
Gil watched her reach the door to the bedroom, slide it open, enter it, and slide it closed.
Gil proceeded to walk to the kotatsu. He decided that he'd play some games for a while, before getting dressed himself.
A single player game would be good, for now.
But what would he play?
Gil looked throughout the games that were in the cabinet, and pulled out a particular one.
Gil looked at the front and back of it, and read through the manual that was inside the case.
It was about a blonde haired boy that primarily wore green. He had a sword and shield, but apparently a bow was also a weapon in the game.
From the description he read, he seemed to be on a quest to help a princess.
Gil decided to give it a try.
A few hours later:
Gil was still playing the same game. It was massive. There were so many things to do in it, and so many secrets in it.
Renna sat next to him, watching him play, while Neptune and Uzume sat at the kotatsu.
"I've just saved.", said Gil, who paused the game, exited it, and turned the console off.
"Cool! So we can go now.", said Renna, who got to her feet.
"Great. It's… after twelve now, and I think the rain has died down a bit.", said Uzume, looking out a window.
"It has indeedy! Much more manageable now.", said Neptune, jumping to her feet.
"Lead the way.", said Gil.
Renna smiled, and lead the way out of the hotel.
They made sure to avoid stepping out into the rain when they could, but it wasn't always an option.
They stopped at the entrance of the hotel.
"So, where are we going?", asked Gil.
"To an older part of Lowee!", answered Renna.
"It's not too different, but you notice it when you look around. Things like how the buildings look, or how things are set up. Things like that.", said Uzume.
"Alright.", replied Gil.
"None of you have umbrellas, right?", asked Neptune.
"Nope.", said Renna.
"No.", replied Gil.
"Did we pack umbrellas, Uzume?", asked Neptune.
"I think so. Let me check…", said Uzume, running through her inventory.
After a few moments, Uzume answered with a sigh.
"We did… but there're only three of them."
"We'll have to make do.", said Neptune, who turned to Renna and Gil. "So…"
"Gil and I will be under the same umbrella.", said Renna, not giving any time for any additional consideration.
Uzume held out a plain blue umbrella for Renna to take, which she did.
Renna smiled at Gil and offered him the umbrella.
"Here, you hold it, since you're taller.", said Renna.
"Okay.", replied Gil.
He opened it up and held it above him. It would provide enough cover for them to walk through the rain without getting too wet.
Uzume then handed Neptune her umbrella, which was a plain pink one. Uzume took her own one, being red.
"I'll direct you, don't worry.", said Renna, to Gil.
And so, Renna lead the way forward through the city, with Neptune and Uzume next to her and Gil.
The streets were significantly less busy, which made sense. Not many stalls were out, and when they were, they were set up under buildings or covers.
Since it was cloudy, everything was given a much darker, gloomier look to it. Even now, no sun was able to pierce the clouds.
There were large puddles on the paths and roads. When they were next to a road in a more commercial area, cars would slow down when approaching to not cause a big splash.
"At least we won't get sprayed on like in the movies!", said Neptune.
"That only happens when it's a bad day, Nepsy.", replied Uzume.
"What do you mean?", asked Renna, who was slowly skipping while under the umbrella. She looked to Neptune and Uzume with a curious face.
"You've never seen that trope before?", said Neptune. "It happens in soooo many movies! Like, the main character is walking through the road on a bad day, and a car comes rushing passed and splashes a huge puddle onto them!"
"O-Oh…", said Renna. "But why only on a bad day?"
"It's like a thing in movies and other stuff where, when it rains, something bad's gonna happen.", explained Uzume. "Rain is often used to tell that a day's gonna be bad in that stuff, since it makes the day all gloomy and dark."
"So, like, it's foreshadowing?", asked Renna.
"Yeah, that. When you see rain in an anime, or a movie, or somethin', just be wary. Something bad could happen."
"But it doesn't happen all the time, right?", asked Renna.
"Yeah, not all the time.", answered Uzume.
"Like how it's rained here a few times in the past, and even yesterday!", exclaimed Neptune.
"I suppose. I'd rather something good happened, since I don't mind the rain.", said Renna.
Renna proceeded to skip a bit ahead of the umbrella, letting the rain fall on her.
"Renna…", spoke Gil.
"Whaaaat, it's fiiiiine! A little rain won't hurt me!", replied Renna.
She looked up and closed her eyes, letting it fall onto her face. She looked back down and cupped her hands together, letting them fill up with water. She threw her arms up in the air, letting the water go.
She then returned to being under the umbrella.
"Yeah, being a bit playful under the rain is fine, right?", asked Neptune, who proceeded to spin around while lowering her umbrella, smiling all the while.
"As long as you don't make any of us wet.", said Uzume.
"Aww, come on, Uzume. I know your cute side really wants to go dance around in the rain.", said Neptune, with playful eyes.
"I-I don't know what you're talkin' about, Nepsy."
"Sure, sure…"
They continued walking.
The street lights were all on, as they helped with visibility. Even if it wasn't as dark as it was at night, lights still helped with seeing in the rain.
Many shops also had their lights flickering. Since they were still going through a commercial area, they could sometimes see into the shops.
They all looked light and bright, with some people still coming and going.
The people that walked mostly had umbrellas with them as they walked. Some of them had raincoats on them.
Some people were even in the same position as Renna and Gil, where they had to share an umbrella.
They all walked like this for a while.
Renna spotted a restaurant, and came up with an idea.
"How about we stop here for some food?"
"I don't mind.", said Uzume.
"We should, we should!", exclaimed Neptune.
Renna looked up to Gil expectantly.
"Yeah, we can go.", said Gil.
They all entered the restaurant, which was warm inside.
They could choose from a variety of different tables, and chose a booth that was against a wall. The seats were wide, designed for more than one person to sit on each side. They were comfortable, as well.
Renna and Gil sat together, and Neptune and Uzume sat opposite them.
"It looks reeeal nice in here.", said Neptune, looking around.
A warm light shone across the entire room, with a few chandeliers dotting the ceiling. There seemed to be a bar in a corner of the establishment, with a tender serving some people.
A few normal, circular tables were present, but there didn't seem to be many people here. It made sense, due to the obviously wet condition outside.
The floor was wooden, and was made up of long, but not too wide, polished planks which were chestnut brown in colour.
The walls and ceilings were painted with a paley-brown colour, and the booth that the group was sitting at had a large window next to them. The window was on Renna and Gil's right side, and the opposite for Neptune and Uzume.
It was cozy.
"It does. That's why I chose it.", replied Renna.
"Nice and warm…", said Uzume, rubbing her hands together.
Gil looked out of the window, and could see some people walk past. Some people were moving quickly, some of them slowly. Others stood around under cover, or in alleyways. What they were doing, Gil didn't know.
"So what are we ordering?", asked Neptune, leaning over the table with her hands under her chin.
Uzume looked around the table, and it seemed like there was a slot that held a few menus on it, which was attached to the side of the table.
"That's pretty good design.", said Uzume, as she pulled some of the menus out.
Uzume then handed them out to the other three.
They all opened the menus up, looking through the assortment of food and drinks.
"First of all, let's get drinks sorted out.", said Uzume. "I think I'll have some… tea."
"And I'll have hot chocolate.", said Neptune.
"Ooh, I think I'll have that as well.", said Renna.
"I'll have tea.", said Gil.
"You two are so boring…", said Neptune, slumping down onto the table.
Uzume pulled her back up to lean against the large seat, causing Neptune to rest her head against it.
"It's not being boring. Just because it's not some fancy-dancy drink doesn't mean that it's boring.", justified Uzume.
"That is what it means, though.", pointed Neptune.
"Whatever.", said Uzume.
"It's simple, but it's still nice.", said Renna.
"Exactly! Have a little light in your lives!", said Neptune.
"What about food?", asked Gil.
"Right, that. That normally happens after we order drinks. Like, when we're doing the whole drinking thing.", said Neptune.
"…Right.", said Gil, who looked around.
They all sat around for a while, talking about general stuff. What they thought about Lowee, the restaurant, that game Gil was playing, and other such things.
A waitress eventually came up to them, introduced herself, and set out to take and deliver their orders.
She seemed nice enough.
"I hope they're quick.", said Renna.
And sure enough, they were.
In a few minutes time, two cups of hot chocolate, and two cups of tea were served.
"Smells nice.", commented Gil.
And they all had their drinks.
"So… come here often?", asked Neptune, showing a toothy smile to Gil, who was opposite her.
"Very funny.", replied Gil.
"You never stop, do you?", commented Uzume, leaning on her elbow while raising an eyebrow.
"Nope!", smiled Neptune.
"Yeah…", muttered Renna.
When they had finished their drinks, they all spoke about what to eat.
"I think it should be something hot, to warm us all up.", suggested Renna.
"Like a curry.", added Gil.
"Yeah, I think I'll go with that.", said Renna.
"Not a bad idea. I'll have that too.", said Uzume.
"Make that three!", said Neptune.
"You mean four.", said Gil.
"Four! I meant four!"
They waited for the waitress to make her way back to them, and ordered a fairly standard curry. And a glass of water each, just in case.
They waited for over ten minutes, when the food arrived.
It looked really nice, and you could see the steam rise up into the air.
"Now this smells really nice.", said Uzume.
Neptune and Uzume started eating, but Renna looked slightly nervous.
"What's wrong?", asked Neptune, noticing Renna's hesitance.
"Oh, nothing, nothing."
"Then why the face?", asked Uzume.
"Well… Um, we haven't really eaten hot food in a long time.", answered Renna.
"Really?", asked Neptune.
"Yeah… We had some hot foods, but nothing like this, from a restaurant. Gil here did make some curry at times, but not often.", explained Renna.
"We didn't always have the resources.", added Gil.
"So it's a case like, you have had curry, but not to this intensity?", summarized Uzume.
"Yeah… that sums it up.", said Renna.
"Well at least you have water!", said Neptune. "You can have mine, if you really need it."
"I'll give you mine as well. If you need it.", added Uzume.
"Thanks.", said Renna, before looking at Gil. He was in a similar situation as her.
And they started.
Things were going well at first, with neither of them showing any signs of problems.
As things went on, though…
"You doing okay there, Renny?", asked Neptune.
Renna was looking at her food with a slightly open mouth, trying to cool off.
"Yeah… Yeah, I'm fine.", said Renna, taking a sip of her water.
"And you, Gilsy?", asked Uzume.
"I'm… fine.", said Gil, who also took a sip of water. He was looking at his food with downward eyebrows, as if he was trying to intimidate it.
Which didn't work.
He took another sip of water.
And another.
Gil grit his teeth together.
"You… sure?", continued Uzume.
He nodded his head slowly.
"Yes."
Another sip.
Renna took a different approach to Gil. She decided that she would eat quickly before drinking. But she took large gulps instead of sips.
Neither of them seemed to be better off than the other.
Neptune could not contain herself, seeing the spectacle in front of her.
"Oh. My. Goddess! You guys were being super serious about this!", said Neptune.
"Yes, we were!", exclaimed the siblings.
"Woah, that's a first."
"Let 'em be, Nepsy.", said Uzume.
"Oh, come on, Uzume! Tell me it's not funny.", said Neptune.
Uzume looked between the struggling duo, and could see that they seriously were battling with the heat.
"O-Okay… Yeah… It's kinda funny.", admitted Uzume.
"Kinda? Kinda? No, no, Uzume, it's way more than kinda funny. It's hilarious!", said Neptune.
"You're not helping…", said Renna.
"Eh? Just look at 'em, Uzume!", urged Neptune.
"Are you some sort of secret sadist?!", asked Uzume.
"Nothing like that, silly.", replied Neptune. "It's just that they have funny faces."
"Thanks.", said Gil.
This continued for a few minutes, with Renna and Gil trying to eat and Neptune constantly trying to get Uzume to laugh.
Renna and Gil had finished their glasses of water, and sometimes eyed the other glasses.
"What, you want some?", offered Neptune.
Both Renna and Gil refused the offers.
In a few minutes, they were done.
"And we're all done! Great choice of food, you guys.", said Neptune.
"Yeah…", mumbled Renna and Gil.
"I'm, uh, going to go to the bathroom. See you in a few.", said Renna, who left the table.
"Me too. Please deal with the bill while we're gone.", said Gil, who placed some credits onto the table as he left.
They were both out of sight.
"Huh, I was gonna pay, but I guess not.", commented Uzume.
"Suppose they're too chivalrous. It isn't dead!", said Neptune. "They've probably gone to go drink some water."
"You're probably right."
The waitress came back in a few minutes with the tab. The duo paid up, and left their seats, waiting at the entrance to the restaurant.
Renna and Gil came into view again, and looked around for Neptune and Uzume, who they spotted after darting their heads around for a few moments.
"You're back!", exclaimed Neptune.
"We are.", replied Renna. "And now that… that's done, we should go to the place!"
"Yeah, it's not too far from here, right?", asked Uzume.
"Uh-huh.", answered Renna.
"The place… Yes, the place! Of course, the place! Don't you know the place, Gilly?", teased Neptune.
"We've already been through this.", said Gil.
"I know."
"You'll know in a bit, don't worry.", said Renna. "But anyway, it's this way! Follow me."
They all exited the building, pulling their umbrellas out again. They walked through the street towards their destination.
They passed many buildings, and the architecture of them started to slowly change.
"So this is what you meant by it being in an older area.", said Gil.
"Yeah! And look, look, there's our destination!", said Renna, pointing towards a building with a large structure behind it.
Renna ran off towards it, with Neptune quickly following her, putting away her umbrella.
"You're still in the rain, you know!", shouted Uzume. "Dammit…"
Uzume then did the same, stowing away her umbrella while running towards the building.
Gil looked on at the three of them with half lidded eyes. He then turned his vision to the structure itself, looking at the main area, as well as the building behind it.
He walked towards the entrance, and joined the other three just in front of the sliding door, which was under cover.
"This it?", asked Gil.
"Yup!", answered Renna.
"Oh, this is going to be so cool!", said Neptune, who was rubbing her hands together in excitement.
"For real though, it's super cool.", added Uzume.
"Be sure to take your shoes off before entering.", instructed Renna, who, along with Neptune and Uzume, were doing just that.
Gil packed away the umbrella and handed it to Uzume, and then took off his shoes.
"You enter first!", said Neptune, to Gil.
"I was just gonna say that.", said Renna.
"Just go with it.", finished Uzume.
Gil looked between them all, and walked to the sliding door.
He felt a tug at the back of his shirt.
"It's me.", said Renna, who seemed to hold onto Gil's shirt. "It'll make sense in a few moments."
"…Okay.", said Gil.
He stepped forward, with Renna following very close behind.
Gil slid the door open, and saw the interior.
It was filled with adventuring equipment. From armour, to weaponry, to shields. They were mounted across the walls, on counters, in glass containers, and placed on racks. The white wooden walls held a lot of them.
At the opposite end and to the right of the interior was a counter, where the man in charge presumably sat.
And there he was, in his rotatable seat. Dusty, Gil assumed.
He looked to be aged, but in good shape. Black, straight, shoulder length hair. And when he looked up from his magazine, Gil could see his yellow eyes.
He eyed up Gil from afar, placing the magazine down while leaning on the counter.
"Welcome.", he said, with a gruff and deep voice.
Gil blinked a few times at this sight, seeing so many pieces of adventuring equipment around him. They all had the prices under them.
Renna nudged him from behind, urging him to move forward.
He did so, walking while looking around.
Eventually, he was at the till, in front of Dusty.
"Welcome to my shop. As you can see, I deal with the making of equipment, all hand crafted.", said Dusty.
Dusty stood up, and Gil remembered back to when Renna called him tall. Even though he seemed to have many years on him, he looked to be in great shape.
"I've never seen you before. Are you here to buy something, or request something to be made?", asked Gil.
Gil waited a bit before answering.
"You okay, boy?"
"…Yes, I'm fine. I'm here to collect something.", replied Gil.
"To… collect something? But you've never-"
Just then, Renna stepped from behind Gil, leaning over to her right side while smiling at Dusty.
"Hello Dusty!", greeted Renna.
"Oh, I see what's happening.", said Dusty.
Neptune and Uzume walked through the sliding door, closing it behind them.
"And your other friends are here as well, I see.", said Dusty, looking at the approaching duo.
"Hey.", greeted Uzume.
"Hiya!", waved Neptune.
All four of them stood in front of Dusty's till, with Renna and Gil being in the center. Uzume was next to Gil, and Neptune was next to Renna.
Dusty looked at Renna, Neptune and Uzume, before finally settling on Gil.
"So… I take it you're the brother?", asked Dusty.
Gil looked to Renna, who was smiling between the two men, and then back to Dusty.
"Yes. My name is Gil."
"Gil, huh? My name is Dusty, and I run this fine establishment."
"Good to meet you."
"Likewise."
Dusty sat back down in his chair.
"So, show me your arms.", said Dusty.
Gil looked around him, and could see the other three looking at him in anticipation.
"Well, go on! Do it!", said Renna.
"Go! Go! Fight!", exclaimed Neptune.
"Go on!", said Uzume.
Gil lowered his head, and looked at Dusty for a few seconds.
He then stepped closer to the counter, and placed both of his arms on it.
Dusty looked at them, summing them up.
"Could you pull your sleeves up?", asked Dusty.
Gil did just that after a few moments.
Dusty surveyed them some more.
"Hm. Good.", said Dusty.
Gil retracted his arms towards him, pulling his sleeves back down.
"You look like you can handle these.", said Dusty, pulling out a metal case.
"Ooooh, are they in that?", asked Neptune.
"Yes, they are. Primed and ready to use.", replied Dusty.
"I can't wait to see them in action! Man, they're gonna be so cool!", said Uzume, who was excited to see the finished product.
"They'll perform well, you can be sure.", said Dusty.
"Go on, Gilly. Open it.", said Renna, in a soft voice.
Gil looked at the metal box for a few moments. He then placed his hands by two clasps that, when flicked upwards, would allow the box to be opened.
He used his thumbs to flick them up, and the case opened slightly.
"And here they are…", said Dusty.
Gil fully opened the case, exposing a soft black material that housed its contents.
There were two gauntlets inside.
"They're yours.", said Renna.
Gil reached inside, gently pulling the gauntlets out and laying them on the table.
He widened his eyes, picking one up to inspect it.
"Fine piece of work, those are.", commented Dusty.
They…
They were just like Renna's boots. The same patterns, the same material, colours, shapes, inlays, details, feeling. Everything.
"What do you think?", asked Renna, eager for an answer.
Gil was speechless. He took the right gauntlet with his left hand, and slipped it on. He did the same with the left gauntlet.
They felt like they belonged.
He moved his arms about, bending his elbow to experience how they felt.
He clasped his fists into a ball, and then one finger at a time.
They moved perfectly.
"Gilly?", came Renna.
Gil stopped looking at his hands, and faced Renna.
"Thank you, Renna.", spoke Gil, slowly, with a proper smile on his face.
He continued.
"They're more than I could've ever asked for."
Renna beamed up at him, her smile widening at his response.
She jumped forward, giving Gil a full blown hug. Gil returned this, but made sure to not hurt Renna.
"Be… careful, Renna. These have sharp bits by the fingers.", said Gil.
"I don't care.", replied Renna.
Gil smiled softly at this.
"Aww, how wholesome.", said Neptune.
"T-That's… c…", mumbled Uzume, trying to keep her voice down.
"What? What is it, Uzume? Something that begins with a C? Is it followed by three other letters?"
"N-No!"
"Oh, then you wouldn't mind saying it?"
"I don't have to say it!"
"Why? Isn't Uzume so confident and brave to say whatever she wants?"
"Uzume is those things! …I-I mean, shut up, Nepsy!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know what you wanted to say.", said Neptune, who continued.
"It's cute."
Renna pulled away from the hug, moving away.
Gil faced Dusty, and spoke.
"And, thanks. For making this…", thanked Gil.
"It feels amazing, don't it?", asked Dusty.
"It… does. It feels… good."
"Means I've done the job right. It wouldn't fit me even if I tried, so I couldn't tell you what they felt like."
"…Yeah."
"They were a joy to forge, those things. Wish I got the opportunity to do something like this more often."
"You were… very quick with making these.", said Gil, who returned to looking at his arms.
"Well, I am one of the best blacksmiths in the world, after all. Probably the best in this nation."
"That is… good to know."
"A shame that I don't get to see them being used, though."
"About that…", said Renna, joining in the conversation.
Gil lifted an eyebrow at her, and Dusty did too.
"I was thinking about testing them out right now! You know, to see how well they perform!", smiled Renna.
"I knew it!", spoke Neptune. "This is why I felt like there'd be a fight!"
"I could kinda see this coming, it makes sense.", added Uzume.
"How? Where?", asked Gil.
"In a dungeon. Somewhere. Or any place for a fight, really.", said Renna. "And you're invited too, Dusty!"
Dusty blinked a few times at this.
"But it's raining, girl. And I have a shop to run.", spoke Dusty.
"I know! Get a raincoat and close the shop for an hour or two! You're the boss.", suggested Renna.
Dusty seemed to contemplate this for a few moments.
"Those aren't bad ideas, actually… Let me go get my coat.", said Dusty, who walked through the door leading to the back of the building.
"We're gonna see them in action?! That's so cool!", said Uzume, clasping her fists together.
"In the rain? You're okay with that? I don't mind.", said Neptune.
"The rain makes it cooler! Like, all dramatic and stuff!", said Renna. "If you're okay with it, Gil."
"I don't mind at all.", replied Gil.
"Cool!", exclaimed Renna.
"But why did you say that it'd be more dramatic?", asked Gil.
"Hmmm… You'll see!", said Renna.
They waited around for a few minutes, with everyone inspecting the new armaments.
"Hah! Armaments! Get it, because they're ARM-aments! Hah!", laughed Neptune.
"You're so lame.", said Uzume.
"But those are some pretty good lookin' things, right there.", continued Neptune. "Can I feel 'em?"
Gil looked at Neptune and Uzume, and then at his arms.
He opened his palms, and unsummoned his gauntlets from being on his arms, to being held in his hands.
He reached his arms out, offering one to each of them.
"Sure."
Neptune half-lidded her eyes and pouted, while Uzume sighed.
They both took a gauntlet, though.
"It feels so cool. So clean and… so well made.", said Uzume. She gently bopped the top of the gauntlet. "It feels sturdy."
"Hmm…", hummed Neptune, holding the gauntlet out with one hand while putting the other to her chin.
She opened the palm of the gauntlet, and felt around.
"They're good.", summed up Neptune.
After a few moments of inspection, Dusty returned.
He had a long, dark blue raincoat on that had its hood down. It reached down to his knees, so it must've been very long.
"Come, I'll close up. I know an area that we can go to, as well.", said Dusty.
"Cool!", said Renna."Let's get to it!"
And so, the party of five left Dusty's shop, heading out for a dungeon.
Dusty made sure to lock everything he could, and made sure to make it know that the shop was closed.
There was a small sign outside that showed that it wasn't open at the time.
Once Dusty finished with the sign, he turned to the group.
"Alright, follow me. It's not a very long way away from here, but it's still a bit of a walk. You can all handle that, right?", asked Dusty.
"Shouldn't we be asking you that, old man?", teased Neptune.
"Easy there, girl. This body still has plenty of time left."
Renna, Gil, Neptune, and Uzume all took out there umbrellas, with Renna and Gil still standing under one.
"You forgot an umbrella or what?", asked Dusty, raising an eyebrow.
"Nope, we didn't have enough. But we don't mind!", said Renna.
Dusty huffed at this, and then started walking to the East of Lowee.
"Follow me."
They did.
They started walking through the streets, and were heading for a nearby area.
Unbeknownst to them, as they started walking East, a figure that was viewing them from across the streets walked out from under some cover.
"Here we go. Last chance to do this the clean way."
The figure had a green hoodie over them that was protecting them from the rain.
"…Or else this might get a little… dirty."
The person smiled.
Under an hour later, to the East of Lowee City:
It was still raining.
Dusty had taken up the back of the group, telling the others to continue down a path. He wanted to make sure none of them got lost on the way, so he kept them in his view.
Renna and Gil were both under one umbrella, taking up the front.
Neptune and Uzume were behind them, under their own umbrellas.
They all slowly strolled through the forest that they were navigating through.
Although the clouds and rain put a damper on things, the orange leaved trees still stood out. They were like this the whole year round, but it was still a spectacle at times.
And even with the rain, the other four didn't seem to mind. They were quite a lively bunch.
Dusty remembered back to when he was younger. He'd been at the forge his whole life, but he had been on his fair share of adventures. Sometimes he'd have to get materials himself.
Hell, he still did that to this day, although it was much easier to get materials from suppliers nowadays.
He had used a variety of weapons in his experience. It helped to know how a weapon worked when you made it. Gave you more insight.
And Dusty had a lot of that.
Dusty looked forward to Renna and Gil.
They were quite close, weren't they? He hoped so, that kinda stuff was important.
He'd like to know more about them, and how they got the weapons. Renna seemed adamant to keep those details secret, though.
Dusty gazed forward.
He really didn't want anything bad to happen.
He really hoped that they'd take his offer to stay at his house for a while, for safety. If they were under his vision, they'd be much safer.
He looked at the two in front of him. The red head and the purple one.
Dusty didn't know much about these two, save their names and how they acted.
The purple one, Neptune, seemed to be quite lively. A jokester. Probably a tease, as well.
When Dusty was still in the front of the pack, he'd sometimes gazed backwards to make sure they were all still following him. He'd see this Neptune girl look around a lot, which was natural. But she could decide to veer off into the forest because she saw something interesting.
Dusty didn't know why, but he got that impression of her.
He'd also seen her gaze towards Renna and Gil with very unique eyes. If Dusty had to describe them, they'd be… hopeful. For some reason. Why was that?
And the redhead, Uzume. She seemed to come off as the rough and tumble type of girl. A tomboy. If that was the case, that'd mean she could get stuff done. Which was always good. Dusty had seen her pull that Neptune girl back on track sometimes, so he figured she was the responsible type.
Dusty returned to looking forward onto the path.
This was just a group of adventurers. Nothing more, nothing less. And yet, for some reason, Dusty had actually gotten to know more than just their names. That wasn't something that happened often with him, except with the regulars.
But even then, this was a very quick case.
A standard group of adventurers. Possibly.
A standard group of people, though?
"I can see a clearing!", said Renna.
"That's the place.", said Dusty. "There should be a few monsters in there to take care of, first."
"What do you mean, first?", asked Uzume.
Dusty huffed amusingly.
"You'll see. Renna's got something planned."
"And how do you know?", asked Neptune.
"What, do you think we only spoke about the gauntlets when she came to check up on them? She's visited my shop more than three times, not including today, and she's spoken about different things many times.", said Dusty.
"I-I can't tell if that's you being self-aware of the story, and the amount of chapters you've been in, or simply you justifying how you know something we don't…", said Neptune, surprised.
"Take it as you will.", stated Dusty.
"W-What's that supposed to mean?!", exclaimed Neptune.
The five of them kept walking, and eventually reached the clearing.
It was a circular expanse of short grass, with orange leaves littering parts of the ground in patches. It was a flat piece of land.
And there were three enemies in the way.
"A challenger is approaching!", spoke Neptune.
"First test, Gilly.", spoke Renna.
"Have at 'em!", encouraged Uzume.
Gil looked at Renna, and then stepped forward, into the rain.
"Let's see how they perfom.", said Dusty, crossing his arms.
"He'll use them well, I know he will.", said Renna.
"Yup!", added Neptune.
"I'm sure he'll show them off well this time. Without using anything else.", said Uzume.
Gil continued to walk forward, looking at the enemies in front of him.
There were three of them. Three Coyotes. Nothing special.
They looked at Gil, and growled. They started advancing slowly as a unit of three.
Gil then summoned his gauntlets onto his arms.
They felt natural there.
Two of the creatures jumped at Gil, and Gil held his arms out to them. They bit at his arms, trying to latch on.
They found that they couldn't latch onto Gil's arms, since their teeth could not puncture his gauntlets. Instead, Gil shook them off, throwing them to the side.
The third Coyote, who was going to lunge at Gil's leg while the other two dealt with his arms, was instead met by Gil's hands.
It still lunged forward, but Gil grabbed its jaw mid-lunge, clasping it shut with his right hand.
He then raised his arm above him, and thrust the Coyote to the floor, smashing its head against the earth.
This caused it to dissipate into crystals.
"As durable as they should be.", commented Dusty.
The second creature lunged at Gil, and was met by a backhand to the face. The creature tumbled backwards, rolling across the ground.
The third Coyote jumped at Gil, but Gil sidestepped it and elbowed its back with his left arm, stopping it midair and sending it directly downwards.
Gil then dropped to one knee, holding his fingers out straight, and pierced into the Coyote's body. The creature let out a small howl, and then shattered.
The last Coyote started slowly circling Gil. Gil decided to run towards it, aiming to punch the creature into the ground with his right hand.
The creature backstepped away from the attack, and was looking for a lunging counterattack.
Gil used his right hand to swipe at the creature, cutting across its body as it went past him. He then grabbed its tail and slammed it to the floor, causing it to disappear.
And that was that.
"Way to go.", said Uzume. "Those things seem pretty effective."
"They do.", replied Gil, looking at Uzume, who smiled.
"You seem to know how to handle yourself, boy.", said Dusty. "Even if they weren't boss monsters."
"I'm not sure how tough they're considered to be.", added Gil.
"No matter.", said Dusty.
"Gilly's strong! He knows how to kick butt!", said Neptune, kicking out her leg for extra emphasis. "We all do!"
"He knows how to fight.", stated Renna, simply.
"Yeah, I sure hope so, with what you have in stall.", said Dusty. "Boy, you didn't have to finish them off so quickly, I would've liked to have seen them in battle for longer."
"I'm… sorry.", said Gil.
"But it isn't a problem. Your sister has other plans for today.", said Dusty, who even took a small smile.
Gil looked between Renna and Dusty with questioning eyes. Gil looked to Neptune and Uzume, who shrugged their shoulders.
"We know somethin's gonna happen, but we don't know what.", said Uzume.
"I'm sure it'll be fine. It'll be super cool and stuff!", said Neptune.
"Come back under the umbrella, Gilly.", said Renna.
"Right.", said Gil, who took a hold of the umbrella, holding it above himself and Renna.
"Let's move further in.", said Dusty, who lead the way.
They all walked in, listening to the pitter pattering of the rain on the umbrellas.
They were at the center of the open area.
Renna looked at Neptune, Uzume and Dusty, and Dusty knew what was going to happen.
He started backing off a small distance.
"You two, get back. Next to me.", instructed Dusty.
Neptune and Uzume looked quizzical, as they didn't know what was going to happen.
"What do you mean? What's gonna happen?", asked Neptune, looking between Dusty and both Renna and Gil.
"Let's just say that you should give them some space.", said Dusty, who was smiling again.
Gil had turned with Renna, and was curious as to what was happening.
"Renna? What's going on?", asked Gil.
Renna looked at the three in front of her, and then up at Gil.
"We're going to test out your gauntlets some more!", replied Renna, with a smile.
"How?", asked Gil.
Uzume was looking at the pair in front of her, a small distance away. She then looked at Dusty.
"What do you mean, "some space?" What does…", started Uzume.
Dusty slowly looked at her, his face angled somewhat downwards. It was expectant, eager, and knowing.
Uzume figured it out, and her eyes widened, with her mouth opening slightly.
"…Oh.", said Uzume, looking back at the pair.
"You know, Gilly, I was really happy when you liked these. They're my gifts to you, so don't think that you owe me anything.", said Renna.
"Of course I'd like these. How could I not?"
Renna smiled calmly at Gil.
"I knew you'd say something like that. Even if I know you'll appreciate them, hearing that is always good."
Renna took a hold of the umbrella, and Gil let it go. She retracted it back into its smaller form, letting the rain fall down onto her and Gil.
"What?! Uzume, you've figured it out?! You've cracked the code?! You've solved the puzzle?! You've-", said Neptune.
"Yes, Nepsy, I know what's going on. It's kinda obvious, thinking on it now.", replied Uzume.
"So this Nep is the only one out of the know?! Out of the loop?!"
"Well, no. It's you and Gilsy over there."
"Hey, Uzume! Catch!", shouted Renna, who threw the umbrella towards Uzume.
Uzume caught it with her free hand, and stowed it away.
"And they've thrown the umbrella away, great. What…", started Neptune.
"Come on, Nepsy. What're we here to do?", asked Uzume.
Neptune took some time to think about what was going on.
"…Oh.", said Neptune, upon figuring it out. She had a similar reaction to Uzume.
Dusty was looking forward, his arms crossed, eager to see what would unfold before him.
"Renna?", asked Gil.
"Yes, Gilly?"
"What now?"
Renna looked down at the floor for a few moments, and then up to the sky. She held her arms up, similar to before, and closed her eyes.
She was still close to Gil, and when she looked back down, she was smiling.
She looked to her right, seeing that Neptune, Uzume and Dusty were all a safe distance away.
And looked back to Gil, blinking slowly.
"What happens now, Renna?", asked Gil.
"What do you think, Gilly?", replied Renna.
Renna summoned her boots.
Gil didn't respond. He looked to the floor, closing his eyes for some time, before looking back to Renna.
"So this is what you meant when you said you wanted to test how well these performed…", said Gil.
He summoned his gauntlets.
"Yup."
Renna walked backwards a bit, making a fair distance between the two.
"It's time for a bit of sparring practice, Gilly."
Did some of you guess that this was going to happen? I know it wasn't super hard to figure out, but it's still cool! Right?
I really hope you all enjoyed that!
I originally planned for this chapter to be much longer, but I felt like that was a good place to stop.
So yeah, let me know what you think! Reviews and other such super nice stuff like that is always a great pleasure to see! Fire away!
A friend of mine is also working on some stuff that relates to this story, and I'll let you guys know about when I can. I don't really want to say what, to keep it a surprise, but yeah. It's very cool!
Again, I really, really hope you enjoyed the read! I enjoy making these, so I hope you enjoy reading them!
So yeah, I think that's about it, this time.
Goodbye for now!