Chapter 03 –

Emily ended up sitting with her butt painfully on the ground while Diana was down on all fours after colliding with each other. The two girls turned their heads up and saw each other face to face together with the other's respective party mates standing in the background. Surprised, both jumped on their feet, pointed at each other and asked in a perfectly synchronized chain of movements, "YOU AGAIN?!!"

"Ohohoho!" Diana began to laugh as she rose back to her feet. Emily and the rest of her party fell silent

"What are you laughing at, preggy?!" Emily cried aloud. Her painfully behind was still glued on the ground.

Diana looked down at Emily asserting herself in a very superior manner. "Manners my dear. I really didn't expect to see you at a place like this. So, how are you girls going along? Still kill-stealing, hmm?" She said in haughty tone, raising an eyebrow at them. She was delighted to see Emily fuming in anger while Marlene was frowning madly at her.

"You boy." She then turned at the novice with a poring sitting over his head standing beside the mage. "Why are you hanging around these two? You won't reach anything if you keep company with people like these since they know is kill-stealing."

Mai didn't say a word. He simply cast an indifferent look at the merchant and her party.

"That's rude! We're working very hard on our training you know!" Marlene said aloud.

"Oh, so that's what you're doing," said Diana. The merchant then turned her head up and down, examining Marlene form head to foot. "Well, fighting rockers seems a good practice for weaklings like yourself. I'm glad that you do know how to pick an appropriate training ground."

Emily's eyes twitched after hearing those last statements from Diana. She pulled herself back on her feet and met the merchant's stare. "So you're really underestimating us. It's only fair to warn you that we can kick your asses anytime of the day!" She said defiantly.

Diana closed her eyes and took a deep breath, suggesting annoyance at the apparent ignorance of the people in front of her, before continuing in a superior and arrogant tone. "If I were you I'd watch my mouth, pigeon-toes." She said eyeing the acolyte's feet. That remark caused steam to rise on Emily's top in fury. "Just from the first glance, experienced adventurers like us know how strong the people we're facing are and sad to say you three are far below our level. Right boys?" She mentioned, shifting her gaze to the guys behind her.

"Right Boss Diana." The thief and the swordsman answered in unison.

Mai elbowed Marlene lightly on the side to get her attention. "Marlene, who are these people?"

Marlene placed a finger on her chin thinking. "Um. I don't know their names. All I remember is that they are the guys Emily and I stole the trunk from after we kill-stealed from their elder willow." She then turned towards the acolyte and asked, "Hey Emily, you know their names?"

Caught off guard by the question, Emily started to sweat under Mai and Marlene's collective stare. "A...eh...no." That answer caused large sweat drops to appear on the foreheads of Mai, Diana and her two party mates.

"Hmph! We usually charge people for asking our names but since you guys look like you don't have any zeny to spare then I guess I'll tell you for free. I'm the smart, beautiful and seductive merchant Diana," Emily's face contorted with disgust at her shameless self-introduction, "and these guys behind me are Jake at Raul." Diana mentioned the swordsman and the thief respectively. The two guys gestured a friendly wave at them from behind.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Marlene. This is Mai and this is my best friend Emily. Finally, that pink, cute one on Mai's head is Porry." said a bouncing Marlene, pointing at the novice, acolyte and the poring wearing a green feeler as she introduce them one by one.

"And what are experienced adventurers like yourselves doing here at the training grounds for weaklings such as ourselves?" Emily asked with one of her eyebrows raised.

"Hmph! We're not obliged to explained anything to you!" Diana huffed.

"Ows? Perhaps you're also here to train, right?." teased Emily. A sly smile forms on her lips upon seeing the merchant girl's reaction.

"Shame on you! We came here to hunt a rocker doll from the vocal!" the merchant screamed in outrage.

Dammit! More competition! thought Emily.

"You're looking for a rocker doll? So you guys collect dolls too! I have a set of poring, drops and poporing life-sized plush dolls together with my chon-chon and yoyo plushies. Tell me what dolls do you have." Marlene exclaimed eagerly.

Jake shook his head, chuckling lightly. "We're not doll collectors actually. It's one of the requirements the attendant from the Izlude Drill Field is asking before he will teach me a new skill. I don't get the nerve of that guy, asking for such an expensive item," said the swordsman with a light frown on his face.

"Expensive?" asked Emily.

"Don't you know? Rocker dolls are quite expensive. Right now its price plays at around 400,000z to 600,000z apiece but sometimes you'll find knights who would buy one for about a million zeny," explained Jake.

"A million zeny..." a money-eyed Emily muttered dreamily.

"If you want, you could also trade it for rare cards and items. Don't say that I didn't teach you anything." Diana continued.

"How's that? It looks like we'll be the first ones to catch that vocal." the acolyte said with full confidence.

"Really?" Diana said, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Of course. That's certain. If you want to, we can have a contest of who can kill the most number of rockers in the process. What do you say?" Emily dared. She suddenly felt her side sting after Marlene moved close and pinched her.

"Emily! What are you doing?! These people are strong! They'll easily beat for sure!" Marlene said, sounding extremely worried.

"Don't worry. This'll be a piece of cake." Emily told the mage. She shifted her gaze back to the merchant in front. "I'll bet you this poring that we'll win!"

"Hey!" Mai snapped in protest while his pet began to shake in fear.

"But Emily, you know that you really suck at gambling. Remember the last time we visited Prontera before we got our fist jobs? You played poker with a couple of archers at the pub. What happened? You returned to the Academy buck naked because you bet your uniform! And now you want to bet Porry!"

"Marlene. Past is past. Don't worry, we won't lose."

"Poor Porry. We might not see each other again." Marlene caught the poring who had jumped down from his master's head into her arms and hugged it tightly.

"Don't I get a say at this! It's my pet you're talking about here!" Mai said aloud. Unfortunately, his protests fell on deaf ears as Emily and Diana, the main perpetrators of this bet, simply choose to ignore him.

"Hmm. The price of one poring egg plays at around 40,000z. You got yourself a deal, pigeon-toes." Diana nodded after a few moments of contemplation. "Better say goodbye to that poring because we're going to win this bet for sure," she said with the same haughty tone of voice.

"We'll see about that, preggy!" Emily retorted with flames of determination burning in her eyes.

"You sure about this, Boss?" Raul asked. He was taking on three rockers all at the same time. With his quickness, not even one of the large grasshopper-like monsters could hit him and coupled with his mastery in using a dagger, he delivers death with striking efficiency.

One strong slash from the heavy-looking bastard sword and another dead rocker falls on the ground. Jake readies his sword again and charges another rocker. "Yeah Boss. This is just one big waste of time and effort if you ask me."

"Stop being negative and just kill those stupid rockers. There's a chance that these things might drop the rocker doll. Just think about this as practice prior to the vocal." Diana called aloud while taking on a rocker herself. Each time the rocker attacks; she would counter with her axe that results with the rocker losing it arms. She then finished up with a nice strike on the head to put the rocker into an eternal sleep.

"Now that you put it that way, this doesn't look like a useless waste of effort anymore." Jake remarked.

"Also, we get a poring egg for a prize for exterminating these weak rockers. Doesn't that sound great?" asked Diana.

"Yup. It's like killing three birds with one stone." Raul seconded, finally slashing down all three rockers.

"But still, I don't think getting into a bet with those three is a good idea. We might get accused of scamming newbies. That would ruin our reputation." Jake said, blocking a swipe from the long insect's arm with his sword.

"This is not a scam." Diana corrected him. "They were the ones who proposed this bet in the first place so sorry for them."

An angry rocker howls and attacks with its slender arms. Mai courageously steps forward, narrowly dodging the insect's powerful swipes and, using both arms, extends his knife down at the rocker's heart. Colorless body fluids gushed like a fountain from the rocker's stab wound as life was slowly drained out of him. Finally, Mai pulls his knife off the rocker's body shoving the carcass aside.

"Napalm Beat!!"

Mai turns at Marlene after she puts down a rocker with her spell. He then proceeds to wiping his face that was completely drenched with rocker fluids with the sleeves of his uniform.

"Hey rest time's over! Go search for more rockers!" Emily shouted through a megaphone. She was standing a few feet away, ordering the two to work.

"Why don't you make yourself useful by giving us a hand instead of lazing in there doing nothing." Mai commented. He rushed towards the unwary rocker that had just emerged from the rice field, killing it with a rain of knife stabs.

"Yeah Emily. We could really use some help. Soul Strike!!" Marlene seconded before sending three spirit balls to attack a nearby rocker.

"Stop complaining! I'm the team leader around here so what I say goes and I order you to kill every single rocker that you see if you don't want that preggy merchant bitch to get your beloved poring! Now WORK!!!" Emily shouted like a slave master ordering her slaves to work. The megaphone amplified her already loud voice that it echoed throughout the vast rice fields.

Suddenly, Mai, Marlene and Porry, who was sitting over Mai's head, all narrowed and turned their eyes towards Emily. Seeing Mai tightened the grip on his knife while Marlene started casting under her breath unnerved her. I guess I went a step too far, she though to herself, taking a small step backward. To her surprise, Mai started charging towards her while from behind him Marlene released Soul Strike. Backing away in panic, Emily suddenly tripped and fell on her behind while fear at the sight of her comrades attacking her eats her from inside. There was nothing she could do now but to close her eyes as the spirit balls rushed closer.

PAK!!! PAK!!! PAK!!!

Emily heard three loud striking sound. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Mai jumped past her and buried his knife between the eyes of a tall rocker standing behind her. The rocker howled in pain before toppling down the ground. Emily heaved a sigh of relief.

"Mai, is the rocker dead?" Marlene asked.

"Yeah, I guess. This one's not moving anymore," replied Mai. He forcefully pulled the sellable grasshopper's legs from the rocker's body.

"Whew. That's good," said Marlene feeling extremely relieved. "I'm glad nothing bad happened to you Emily. The rocker suddenly appeared behind you. If we haven't seen it you could have–"

"I still think that we should have just left that rocker alone that way it could have taken care of loud-mouth and pompous Ms. Team Leader. for us" Mai joked aloud, placing the grasshopper's leg inside the large sack along with other loots they have collected for the day.

"GRR!" Emily stood up and quickly planted her fist on Marlene and Mai's skulls. Even Porry was not spared from the acolyte's anger as large bumps appeared over the trio's head. "You three are going to kill me from heart-attack you idiots!"

That night Emily and the rest of her party were having dinner in silence around the small fire they've set up at a forest clearing near the rice fields. Emily was eating her food in a normal pace contrary to her usual way of devouring food as quickly as possibly taking in large morsels at a time to prove that she was still in a bad mood about the incident earlier. Mai, Marlene and Porry were making as less noise as possible so as to not agitate the still fuming acolyte.

"Well, well, won't you take a look at that. You haven't even found a rare item yet and you people are already fighting amongst yourselves." Diana teased after suddenly appearing from behind Emily.

Emily didn't like Diana's way of greeting. She narrowed her eyes at her food not caring to give the merchant a second's glance and replied with a murderous tone, "You better leave me alone, preggy, if you know what's good for you."

"OK. Fine." Diana said sounding a bit hurt. She took a seat beside the acolyte and took a piece of roasted meat still sitting by the flame.

"Those are cute head gears. How much did you pay for those?" joked Jake. He was laughing lightly while pointing at the large bumps on Mai, Marlene, and the little poring's heads.

"We wandered deep within the forest earlier and found lots of fruit-bearing trees. Here," said Raul throwing the three an apple each. Porry, since he doesn't have hands, simply allowed the apple to hit him and then absorbed the fruit whole into its body like an amoeba. Seeing that feat, Raul raised an eyebrow. "Nice catch."

"Thanks a lot big brother!" Marlene said, bowing her head in gratitude.

"Why don't you guys join us for dinner?" asked Mai. "There's enough meat here for everyone."

"No thanks. We just ate." Raul waved a hand turning down the offer.

Diana swallowed a large chuck of meat loudly before explaining. "We're making rounds around the rice fields just in case the vocal decides to show itself. This is the best time to move since tonight's a full moon. The moonlight should make it easier to spot monsters hiding in the dark."

"Yeah. The sooner we find a rocker doll the better." Jake commented, taking a piece of roast meat.

"So guys, we'll be going on our way." Diana stood up putting what was left of the meat back into the flame and started towards the direction of the rice fields together with her party mates. A few steps later and she turned head back towards Emily. "Hey pigeon-toes, better save that sour face later when you lose to us big time! Ohohohohoho!"

Mai watched the three walk away, with Diana laughing aloud, until they disappeared into the darkness of the forest. He then turned his attention towards Emily. "Should we also make rounds through the fields tonight?"

"There's no need for that." Emily replied shaking her head. "We better rest and get enough sleep. We'll resume hunting the first thing tomorrow morning."

It was something Mai had not expected to hear from Emily given her competitive attitude. He fixed his at her as she continues to take small bites slowly off her piece of roast meat. Confused, all he could do was to nod in assent.

"Hey Raul, you found something yet?" Diana asked flashing her flashlight at the thief several paces away.

"Not a thing!"

The rockers' colors makes them blend easier with the rice during the night so they're still hard to spot from far away even with the full moon, thought Diana. She resumed scanning the fields with her flashlight just like the others were doing. "Keep your eyes and ears peeled everyone!" Shge reminded the party.

"Two hours already we still haven't found a single rocker. This trip is starting to become a waste." Raul complained. "We should have just taken the night off and get some rest."

"Patience, Raul. We'll find something." Jake reassured him. "And to think that you're a thief." He followed with a chuckle. Raul snorted at him.

"Hey look! I found one!" exclaimed Diana. She pointed the light at the silhouette of a rocker hiding behind the tall rice. Probably because of the glare from the flashlights, the monster was agitated by their presence and started to attack. He caught Diana off guard leaving her no time to react.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

"That's Miss Diana's voice." Mai turned to the direction where the voice came from, alarmed by the loud scream.

"Maybe something happened to them." Marlene worried.

"Com'on." Emily got to her feet and together with Mai and Marlene, they rushed towards the rice fields to help. When they arrived at the scene, they saw Diana tending a heavily injured and unconscious Raul while Jake was giving it his best effort trying to fend the vocal off.

"What happened here preggy?" Emily asked, rushing next to Diana's side.

"The vocal came from out of nowhere and attacked us. It was supposed to attack me but Raul knocked me away and took the blow instead." Diana said, pouring some red potions over Raul's wounds.

"Heal! Quick!" shouted Jake. Several carcasses of rockers lay on his feet after disposing all of the vocal's rocker minions. However, that had worn the swordsman greatly leaving him wide open for one of the vocal's slender arms impaled him on the side creating an awfully large wound. The swordsman knelt down due to the intense pain.

When he looked up he saw the vocal raise the violin it was carrying into the air and was about to finish him by throwing a good whack down his face. Fortunately, before the insect could connect its instrument at him five spirit balls simultaneously attacked the monster, stunning it for a while. Jake suddenly felt warm light envelop his body and the next thing he noticed is that his wounds were magically healed. With his body back in tiptop shape, Jake made a quick back jump away just in time to avoid another wide swing thrown by the angry vocal.

"My attacks don't seem to be making as much as a scratch to that dumb monster!" Jake complained, placing his sword back to ready position.

"Although I don't want to admit this, it looks like we can't take this monster down with our powers alone." Diana hesitated as though something was blocking her throat. She made a loud cough and then continued, "Even though you're just newbies we need your help if we want to survive this battle."

A smile appeared on Emily's lips. "Even though I hate your gut, we'll call a truce and cooperate with you this time, preggy."

"Same goes here, pigeon-toes." Diana said back taking her axe out.

"You guys need my help?" Mai offered.

"No. A brat like you won't be able to handle this. Let us take care of the vocal. Since Raul was knocked out and won't be able to defend himself, you will have to guard him and make sure that he stays safe. That's your job kid." Jake told him while keeping his focus on the vocal. Mai need not another telling. He simply nodded and took a seat beside Raul's unconscious form to watch the battle from behind. He doesn't even feel bad about it as he is already used to people always putting him at the back in every major fights because of him being a novice.

"Heal!! Increase AGI!! Blessing!!" Emily cried aloud, casting all the supportive spells that she has managed to learn on Marlene, Diana and Jake. "There! My stamina's almost drained in those spells!"

"That's good enough. You ready, Jake? Marlene? Pigeon-toes, you know what to do?" Diana asked, earning nods of affirmation from everyone. "Alright everyone, attack!" Jake and Diana, enjoying the effects of the Increase AGI spell, both rushed towards the vocal with improved speeds while Marlene and Emily were left behind casting their spells.

"Decrease AGI!!" shouted Emily releasing her spell when Jake, who was significantly faster than Diana, was about to reach the monster first. With its mobility greatly reduced, the vocal was left with no alternative but to try and block Jake's attack using one of his strong arms. However, due to Blessing amplifying his attack power, Jake managed to cut to vocal's arm with ease despite being protect by its tough skin.

The vocal howled in pain after losing one of its arms. Unfortunately for the monster, it was not allowed to have a second's rest as Diana had reached him shortly after and threw a strike of her own using her axe. Again the vocal tried to block it using one of his still functional arms and again the monster lost another arm when Diana managed to land a critical hit. And as if it wasn't enough, another barrage of spirit balls from the Soul Strike spell came the monster's way with each one having a successful hit. Taking too much damage, the monster finally fell to the ground.

"YEESSSS!!!" The party rejoiced at their apparent victory.

"Yey! We beat the vocal! We're the best!" Marlene shouted bouncing up and down in glee.

"Jake. See if the vocal dropped some rare treat." Diana ordered.

"Yes Boss." Jake threaded through the tall rice towards the area where the vocal had fallen. When he was only mere footsteps away from the vocal's body he heard Mai called out to him.

"Be careful, Jake!"

"Don't worry! The vocal is dead." Jake looked back to the novice and replied confidently.

However, that happy feeling of triumph didn't seem to last long. When he turned his head back to the direction of the vocal's body, a long insect's arm suddenly locked the swordsman's neck in a tight grip. Slowly, the vocal got back on its feet, revealing itself to everyone's surprise. The monster raised Jake high into the air, carrying the whole weight of the swordsman with its powerful arm.

Jake tried to free himself off the vocal's choking grasp by hacking its arm with his sword. However, with the effects of Blessing now gone, the attack didn't do much of a damage to the monster's though armored skin. The wind was suddenly knocked out of him after the vocal slammed him hard on the ground with all its might.

"Dammit." Diana cursed, rushing towards the monster. When she got close enough, Diana jumped and slashed her axe down the vocal's head with all her might and... missed.

Regaining its normal speed after the acolyte's spell had worn off, the vocal easily sidestepped through Diana's attack. Using its violin as though it was a baseball bat, the monster hacked the merchant sending her flying towards the acolyte. Emily was instantly knocked out after the collision while Diana was severely hurt but had enough strength to remain conscious. Marlene was left to fend the vocal with a barrage of Soul Strikes. Some of the spirit balls may have hit the monster however most of the time the vocal would simply dodge or parry those attacks.

There's no way in hell that I'll allow myself to lose to this oversized insect! Diana thought in sheer determination. She used her remaining strength to get herself back on her feet.

"Should I help?" Mai asked again.

"You'll just get in the way!" Diana uncorked three bottles of red potions and drank them all in large gulps. "Listen carefully. While Marlene and I try to fend the vocal off, you drag Raul, Jake and Emily to a safe place. Once you're done, run to the nearby village and ask for help. We will try to keep this thing busy until backup arrives. Is that clear?"

After receiving Mai's nod, Diana raised her axe once more and courageously charged towards the vocal. Giving it all that she's got, the merchant swung her weapon at the vocal aiming at the insect's midsection. Unfortunately, that attack was in vain. The vocal caught her arm before she could land her axe at the monster's body.

"Soul Strike!!"

Seeing five spirit balls rapidly approaching, the vocal quickly raised the merchant in front of it shielding itself from the magic attack. Diana felt all five spirits struck her painfully on the back that she lost consciousness. The vocal fixed its eyes at Diana's unconscious form as though examining it. Just then, the vocal felt something invisible hit it. It shook the monster but nevertheless remained on its feet.

"Let Miss Diana go!" Marlene shouted angrily, pointing her rod straight towards the vocal. "Napalm Beat!!"

Another psychic wave suddenly hit the arm the vocal used to carry Diana's limp body. Although the arm remained intact, the attack caused the vocal to drop the girl on the ground. The great pain enraged the vocal and it started running towards Marlene, angrily flexing its remaining arms.

I will protect everyone! "Soul Strike!!" Five fierce spirit balls erupted from the end of Marlene's rod. Marlene focused her mind on taking the vocal down as the spirits raced towards the charging vocal. The memory of how the monster took her friends out playing clearly on her mind. Her concentration was rewarded when all five spirits made powerful hits all over vocals body. In a loud painful howl, the vocal toppled on the ground hidden from view by the tall curtain of swaying rice.

"Whew." Marlene fell on her knees, feeling a mixture of great relief and exhaustion from the battle. Suddenly, a loud rustling was heard snaking through the rice fields. Marlene gripped her rod tightly and readied herself but nothing could have prepared her for what came next. The vocal, angered and all, sprung out in front of her with its violin raised into the air by its two remaining arms. Her eyes grew wide in fright as the violin came closer and closer until...

Marlene was surprised when she saw something tackled the vocal, knocking it paces back. She blinked twice to make sure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. The whole place was then filled with the vocal's loud cries of pain.

"Mai?" The next thing she noticed was the novice standing in front of her. He had his knife out and held it with one hand while on the other hand held one of the vocal's arms. She looked down and saw the other one of the vocal's last two functional arms lying on the ground together with the violin the monster was always carrying around.

After a minute of howling, the monster finally got back on its feet and despite losing all of its arms still made a mad rush towards the novice. Mai remained in his place, waiting until the vocal got closer. Dropping the vocal's arm down, he raised his knife and struck the monster on the neck so hard that the monster's head was ripped off from the rest of its body.

"You okay?" Mai asked, offering Marlene a hand. Marlene nodded in reply. She took the hand and Mai pulled her up helping her back on her feet.

Looking around, the mage saw the headless body of the vocal lying on the ground. Now there was no doubt that the monster was definitely dead and won't be pulling any more surprise like what it did with Jake. "Wow! Mai, how come you never told you were that strong." She said sounding full of admiration as the novice went to tend the knocked out bodies of their other partymates.

"Not really. You guys have damaged the vocal pretty badly that my attack was able to finish it off otherwise it wouldn't have worked much either." Mai replied. He was tending to Emily first as she was nearer, wrapping clean bandage on her forehead.

"Ouch. That hurts..." Diana groaned as she slowly returned to consciousness. She opened her eyes and saw an elegant looking hat lying near her. Romantic gent? A weak smile formed on her lips. Looks like I still got pretty lucky eh. Mustering her remaining strength, she tried to stand up.

"Hey! Miss Diana! Don't go walking just yet! That'll make your injuries worse!" Mai called aloud while tending Jake who had also awakened after being knocked out cold by the vocal.

Diana ignored both Mai and the stinging pain from her sore body and continued to walk gingerly, each step taking her closer towards the rare and, not to mention, expensive hat. You're mine...

A soft rustling and Porry came out from behind the rice and jumped over the romantic gent, gobbling the hat into its body. "I'm a good poring! I got master's loot!" The poring exclaimed happily, having a wide smile stretched over its face. "Master will be so happy when he sees this!"

"Oh no..." Diana cried brokenheartedly. Regret coupled with a sore, badly beaten body drove her back to unconsciousness where she fell down face first on the soft ground.