Chapter 59
Night had fallen when they finally reached the city, so they went straight for the dorms and settled in for the night, too tired to do anything else. Of course, that meant ravenous appetites when they woke up the next morning. Chicken's Delight was a welcome sight. After breakfast, they split up to do their own thing; Polka secluded herself in her room to read her book, which was unexpected to say the least. Aloe and Botan wanted to figure out their acquisitions from the prison. So, that left Lamy and Nene to meet up with Pekora at her workshop.
"Konpeko, Konpeko, welcome to- hello! What brings you here again?" the artificer greeted them the moment they stepped inside, "Have you found either material?"
"Yes! I! Have!" the lore bard declared excitedly as she almost slammed the sealed container on the workbench.
"Woh! You actually found some!?" exclaimed the rabbit girl, sharing in the excitement. She then held out her hand and requested, "Anya, peko?"
"Oh? What's happening? What's happening?" the sentient dagger asked as she was pulled out, "Oh, hi Pekora."
"Hi, Anya," said the artificer with an eager smile, "You and I are going to be peko good friends for the next peko of days." Then, she paused, as if trying to remember something, before saying, "Oh, yeah. Here!"
She dashed up and down the stairs, bringing with her Nene's enhanced rapier and presenting it to her. Amazed, the lore bard took it back and examined it. It looks the same as she saw it the last time she left it with the rabbit girl, but the blade seemed to shimmer with a strange multicolored sheen as if covered in oil.
"Woah, thanks! How much do I owe you?"
"Four hundred. A hundred for your rapier and three for Anya," the rabbit rattled off.
"Oh, joy. I really feel precious," snarked the dagger.
"Now, now. You're here to be upgraded," chided the artificer sweetly, "Improved. Enhanced. Built up. No need to be like that."
"Erm, how long do we need to wait for Anya?" asked Nene.
"Not long. Five days too," replied Pekora, still focused on the dagger with a grin, "Everything will be done perfectly..."
"...Eep..." murmured said dagger.
"How have things been for the last several days?" asked Lamy.
The five days Pekora had given had gone past. Everyone had gathered at the tavern across the street to eat breakfast. Botan looked indifferent but smiled at the half-snow elf. Nene was strumming her lute while muttering something. Polka looked happy and strangely excited. Aloe looked quite morose and bored as well. The half-snow elf herself was looking quite serene herself.
"I, myself, have been blessed these past few days," she continued, "Being closer to my goddess is a most wonderful feeling."
"Booooring..." the succubus was the first to reply and complain, "I had nothing to do… even flying around and exploring was boring. And everyone else did something I can't get into. Nene is still busy thinking up a new stanza for a spell, Polka is stuck in her room most of the time, and Botan went hunting a lot."
"You could have joined me, you know?" chipped in the lion girl, "Could have helped me spot my prey and stuff." She then clapped once as she declared happily, "I even got a mounted wolf's head ready for me when we leave."
"Sorry, Aloe," apologized the lore bard sheepishly as she paused from her messing around, "I just… had the urge to continue working on this. It's almost finished by the way. It should help me sow confusion when we fight anything. And this is just one of many ditties I'm working on."
"I finished the book. Strange stuff happened when I was done," said the monk animatedly, "The book started sparking for a while and then the front became blank. And when I flipped a few pages, they were empty. All the pages became blank. But, I'm fine with that. I gained a lot from that book."
"Ah, at least everyone has done something interesting… except Aloe," summed up the cleric as she tapped her chin, with groaning in the background, "Now, now. No need to despair. Anya's little upgrade should be finished by now. Once we retrieve her, we can move on to better things."
"You're right! Anya!" exclaimed Nene as she jumped out of her seat and ran out of the tavern.
The four just looked at her in shock and surprise. The succubus just burst out laughing. Their two beastfolk friends just giggled. The half-snow elf just sighed with a faint smile and went back to waiting for their food.
"Anyaaaaa!" yelled out Nene as she ran into the workshop.
"Oi! Shh!" hushed Pekora in annoyance, "Stop that!"
"Sorry, sorry," she said hurriedly, her mind going back to the explosions, "I was just excited, that's all."
As she got glared at by the artificer, the sentient dagger on the workbench said groggily, "Hiiii."
The bard blinked in surprise. Then, she asked, "Er, what happened to Anya?"
"Well… it seems black ichor makes her drunk," replied the artificer as the dagger hiccuped, "But, she should be able to recover after a day… I think."
"Umm, okay?" she said hesitantly as she went in to pick up the dagger. The blade had darkened a little and there were new engravings on the guard that seemed to gleam a very faint yellow light.
"Ah, one more thing," stated Pekora as she came over with a needle, "We need a drop of blood from you. Prick your finger and smear it on the guard."
Making a face, Nene did as she was instructed to do. Once she smeared her blood on the guard, it seemed to light up for a few seconds before dying down. The yellow gleam on the engravings seemed a little brighter now.
"And so, the returning feature is now tied to you," declared the rabbit girl with a grin, "Once thrown, you can will it back to your hand. You just need to think about it. Try it out."
As the artificer motioned to the front door, the bard looked down at the dagger for a moment. Nodding, she threw it at the door. It hit with a dull thud, the blade sticking in the wood. Then, she thought hard, willing it back into her hand again. With a burst of yellow light, the dagger disappeared from the door and she felt its familiar weight in her hand.
"Woah..." she sounded as she looked at the improved weapon in awe
The artificer cackled and said, "See! No problem! If you want me to add more stuff onto Anya, find me!"
"I will," Nene muttered in reply as she gratefully slid Anya back onto her belt.
Her stomach then growled. She beat a hasty amidst the laughter of a certain bunny girl.
After resolving her food troubles, Nene and the rest of the party went to see Reine about heading back to Lithos.
"Ah, just in time too," she stated with a motherly smile, "I got a message from Sir Aruran with a request for you all to return as soon as possible. He wouldn't say why but he insisted I pass on this message."
"As soon as possible..." muttered Lamy, "It does not sound that urgent. Still, perhaps we should heed his request."
"I don't mind," said Botan with a grin, "I can bring my trophy with me."
"Do you mean this?" asked the royal as she lifted a wolf's head from under the counter and placed it on the wooden surface.
"Yosh!"
"A hundred gold please?"
While the lion girl paid out of her own pockets, Aloe asked, "So, where's the nearest port town?"
"East of here is one," Reine informed them, "The town of Rimuros is the main port for all of Gekko and it would take several days to get there on foot. I recommend hiring some transport there as it will take umm, two days to get there."
"Ah, thanks for the advice, Miss Reine," replied the bard gratefully, "Is there anything we need to know about the place?"
"Well… the road there is somewhat straightforward," she explained, "Along the way, there will be a branch off in the road leading… north if not mistaken. Osakiru is a secluded town that has some very strange practices. If you feel uncomfortable around undead and such... well, perhaps don't stop by there."
"That is… very odd," stated the cleric with a frown, "Why exactly is the reason for this… warning?"
"Well, supposedly their practices revolve around the dead," she continued, "I don't know which cults had taken root there, but one is all about respecting those who had come before with ceremony and rituals, and the other is more of a business, if you could call it that. That cult brings back those who are in debt and puts them to work, only sending them back to the grave when their debt is repaid."
"Wow, when you put it that way, it sounds very interesting," quipped the lore bard.
"I rather we stay clear of that place," protested the cleric, "We might get dragged into something we should not get involved in."
Though, when Lamy said that, Nene noticed that she shuddered a little. She couldn't tell if the half-snow elf really was scared of ghosts or she didn't think that the dead should be disturbed this way. In the end, she shrugged and said, "Well, we don't really have to stop by there, but if something happens that forces us to stop by, we'd have to."
"Don't worry. We'd stop the ghosts from hurting you," teased the succubus.
"Oh, hush you," retorted the cleric amidst giggling from Polka and Botan.
Having said their goodbyes to Reine, they went to hire some transport. They eventually got a wagon heading the same way. It wasn't part of the stables but part of a trader caravan group led by a Bender Pumpernickel that was heading to the port. They already had a few guards accompanying them but they were still welcoming towards the party. So, when the caravan train of three left the capital city, the party sat on the roofs of the caravans to help keep an eye for danger while the four guards they had rode beside the train.
"This is nice. Nice and peaceful," said Nene with a smile. They had been traveling for a few hours by then.
"I'm just glad to be on the move again," mumbled Aloe with a pout, "Being cooped up in the city for so long without anything… bad to do? Not recommended."
"Ah, sorry about that," apologized the bard.
"Nah, not your fault," the succubus waved off, "That's just me. Well, right now, I won't mind getting into a fight."
And then the caravan train stopped.
"Huh, you might get your wish granted," quipped the lore bard as the both of them looked to the front of the train.
The way was blocked with two heavy carts with several rough-looking people around the blockade and even more sitting on the carts. Nene could make out ten to eleven people, all of them wearing leather armor and sporting various simple weapons. She also noticed Botan and Lamy on the caravan in front of them getting ready to defend the caravans as well.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's see what they want," stated Aloe as she suddenly hooked her hands under the bard's armpits and lifted her off the roof without proper warning.
"Eh!?" she yelped as she was carried into the air and placed on the ground, "Some warning, please?"
After some giggling from the succubus, the two ran to the front where the leader of the bandits blocking the way was speaking with the trader and the guard in charge.
"Hey, Nene, what's going on?" asked Polka as she peered over the front caravan's roof.
"Someone's blocking the way," she informed the monk, "The trade leader is trying to hash things out but… doesn't seem like it's going well." Glancing over, she noted that the guard and the trader seemed to be getting into a shouting match. Not to mention that the bandits running the blockade were reaching for their weapons. Bold but maybe too bold as things might be getting very close to getting out of hand.
"Hmm, I'm going," the fennec fox girl suddenly quipped as she jumped off the roof and landing neatly on her feet.
"Wait, what are you doing?" asked the lore bard worriedly while the succubus became quite intrigued.
"I'm going to settle this," the monk stated as she marched over with her portable cask in her hand.
"What? Wait, don't!" she hissed loudly as she hurried after the former, who started taking a draught from her cask as she walked.
"Yo, what's taking so long!?" Polka yelled out as she staggered near.
"Hah, looks like someone got in the booze," jeered the bandit captain, prompting laughter from his nearby men.
"What is your friend doing?" the leader asked hurriedly.
"Sorry, Mister Bender, sir," apologized Nene anxiously, "But sometimes, I don't even know."
"I should carry her back-"
"Oi! I challenge you lot!" the fennec fox girl yelled out, interrupting the guard in charge, "I defeat you, you let us go through."
"Eh? And if we win?"
"Whatever you want," she said before taking another swig.
"Hah, easy!" he exclaimed before he turned to the rest and shouted, "Which one of you lot wanna fight this broad?"
Five sniggering bandits stepped up and after a few steps, surrounded her. They hadn't drawn their weapons yet, looking confident they could overpower her easily. She didn't say anything else, but gave a lazy smirk and got into her fighting stance while holding her drink.
"Let's go, boys! Get 'er!"
She smashed the nearest guy in the head with her cask, knocking him out immediately, and tossed it at another, smacking him in the face. Then, she leaned back against another, forcing him to catch her, and kicked the one to his left at the same time. The kick was blocked but that one was pushed back a little. She then turned around, struck the bandit in the stomach, and then in the throat. With that guy unconscious, she turned to face the other three with a drunken grin and staggered forward. As she did so, she twisted around, causing one bandit to punch another. The same target then shook it off and grabbed her by the waist from behind.
"Oi, no touchy," she called out as she kicked out with her legs and parried away the third remaining bandit, who tried to smash her cask on her head.
She then swung her head back, catching the bandit in the face. He let go of her waist and staggered back in surprise. She then swung at the bandit that was going to hit her. He stopped out of her reach just in time but then she went in swinging. He blocked several blows but then she grabbed his arms and forced them away, followed by a headbutt to his chest, and jumping at him, twisting in the air and headbutting him in the chest a second time.
"Oh, a corkscrew," she slurred out with a grin as she got to her feet quickly. With that last guy groaning on the ground, that left two bandits.
The both of them went in at the same time, trying to grab her and beat her down. The guy that grabbed her previously missed and got a faceful of cask as she nudged the other bandit's attack into his visage. That left one guy still standing and still awake.
"Gah, fuck this!" he roared as he dropped the cask, drew his scimitar, and started slashing wildly at her.
She swayed left and right, deftly avoiding every slash. Getting his pattern down, she then kicked his wrist with unerring accuracy, causing him to drop his weapon. She feinted a kick to his head and then kicked him in the nuts. He howled in pain and crumpled to the floor.
Sporting a now visible grin, she turned to the now pale-looking bandit leader and asked, "Can we pass?"
AN: Greetings, readers. Welcome back.
Reaching the city safely, they took some time away from adventuring while waiting for Anya to get enhanced with the Return enchantment. Aloe got bored. Botan went hunting. Lamy was in communion. Nene finished the Confusion stanza, even though mechanically she already had access to the spell. Polka finished her book. And, that book was actually the Manual of Quickness of Action, so her Dex has been upgraded.
Anyway, Nene gets Anya back from Pekora... and she's a little drunk. Apparently, daggers can get drunk too. After that, Holo5 got a message from Lord Aruran, recalling them back to Rivirapolis. We also get a little bit of lore drop about a town that is on the way to the port. Now technically, as a Life Cleric, Lamy is supposed to be in opposition to forced reanimation of bodies so this should be interesting. So, they joined a merchant caravan train and headed to Port Rimuros. Along the way, they got waylaid by some bandits. So, instead of a normal ambush, we get a blockade that forces travelers to pay a toll to pass. Not to mention these seem to be more business-minded bandits as they were willing to negotiate but with both sides being quite hard-headed, we need a tiebreaker. Enter, Polka and her drunken master glory.
Next chapter, Holo5 continue making their way to Rimuros. Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.