Tressa felt the impact of Mikk's next attack rough and hard. It came at her with the force of an entire ship, and she realized that she was falling too late. Her head slammed against the ground below, her hat offering as sufficient cushion to keep her from getting too hurt. Tressa didn't realize how hard it was to breathe all of a sudden until after she tried to take in a pained inhale, and every part of her body seemed to complain at the mere implication that she would try.
A warm sensation overcame Tressa a moment later, and she glanced up to see that Ophilia had raised her staff high above her head to heal Tressa's injuries. Tressa gave her a smile before she reached for her own spear and allowing it to lead her in Mikk's direction. She hit him in the stomach as hard as she could manage, and Mikk yelped in noisy agony.
Tressa jumped backwards when she heard Cyrus murmuring beneath his breath, and a moment later, lightning magic pierced the air. It slammed into Mikk with immense force, and the pirate was almost sent sprawling against the ground all over again. Tressa followed the attack up with a windy blast of her own, and that was enough to knock Mikk off his feet.
"Holy light, guide me forward!" Ophilia cried out. She raised her staff above her head, and white magic tinged with pale yellow and blue exploded away from the head of the staff before rocketing towards Mikk. The pirate was too dazed to fight back, and it was easy to see that Ophilia had managed to do significant damage even though the glow of her attack was strong enough that it nearly stole Tressa's vision for a few fleeting moments.
Tressa was the next to act, and she sent one hand forward with as much force as she could muster. The wind of the cave immediately listened to her cries, and a series of green gales beat through the air before slamming fiercely into Mikk's body. He slammed against the edge of the cave, and when he slumped down once again, he was on one knee. His cutlass had been knocked far away from him somewhere in the scuffle, though Tressa wasn't quite sure when that had happened. She figured that it was unimportant and took a step closer to Mikk to make it clear to him that he had failed in his endeavors to try and succeed.
Before Tressa was able to say a word though, Mikk threw himself to his feet and lunged towards her. His hands were outstretched, and Tressa realized too late that he was trying to get his fingers around her neck. Tressa ducked as soon as she could, though Mikk's hand still managed to clamp down against her wrist. He was much stronger than his lanky form would have suggested, and Tressa couldn't wrench her arm away from him no matter how hard she tried.
Luckily, a quick flash of yellow thunder magic cut off Tressa from Mikk. The pirate stumbled backwards, and when Tressa looked back, she could see that Cyrus had one hand outstretched in Mikk's direction. The tips of his fingers were smoking, a sign that he had been the one to cast the spell. There hadn't been any doubt in the first place, but Tressa was grateful for the confirmation regardless.
Tressa reclaimed her spear since it had fallen from her fingers when she was grabbed by Mikk a moment later. She charged towards Mikk, but this time, he was hit hard. She pierced his shoulder with the tip of her lance. Mikk screamed in pain before falling to his knees once again, held up with only one of his arms. His breathing was heavy, and his face was practically covered in sweat from the exertion that came with the difficult round of combat.
Tressa took a step back so that she could point her spear at both Mikk and Makk. The pirates were clearly defeated, and their eyes were wild and desperate, making them seem more like caged animals than humans backed into a corner. "Now hand over those goods!" Tressa proclaimed. She became aware of Ophilia and Cyrus appearing over either of her shoulders, their staves also pointed in the direction of the pair of pirates.
"Yer one tough barnacle to pick... But we're just gettin' started!" Mikk crowed with much more confidence than Tressa had anticipated. He and Makk both rose to their feet, and Tressa could tell by the smirks on their faces that there was more to this situation than she was seeing. "Mateys!"
Tressa heard the parade of footfall long before she saw the pirates closing in around them. There were five of them coming up from the staircase that had given Tressa, Cyrus, and Ophilia the chance to enter the area in the first place. All of them were holding tightly to weapons, whether they be swords, daggers, or axes. Instinctively, Tressa and her companions backed up against one another, going into a defensive position out of desperation to get out of this seemingly impossible situation alive.
"Yer all fools for challengin' us without backup!" Makk proclaimed as he shrugged and shook his head. Tressa realized with a bitter snarl that they had been ready for a potential attack the whole time. Chances were that this was a backup plan that had been put into motion when prey fell into the proper position, and Tressa just so happened to be the field mouse being slammed underneath the cat's paw.
"In this world, the strong take while the weak quake!" Makk went on. He recovered his own sword and spun it around once before pointing it in Tressa's direction. "Time to learn yer place, ye squirmy little maggot!"
Tressa was vaguely aware of the pirates all converging on her, Cyrus, and Ophilia at once, but all she knew was the pounding of her heart as it screamed against her ears. She commanded the winds to fall under her command silently, but her panic made it hard to be in full control. The spell was liable to spiral out of control, but Tressa didn't even care. She just knew that they had to get out of there one way or another.
Before Tressa could release the haywire burst of magic, she was cut off by a powerful slash and a streak of blue in her peripheral vision. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that three of the pirates had retreated with gashes in their upper arms. One more slash resulted in the other pirates stepping back as well, eyes wide with fear and shock.
"That's quite enough."
Tressa's jaw dropped as she recognized her savior. She would recognize that blonde hair and blue clothing anywhere. It was the captain that had given her the chance to do all of this in the first place. His glare was intense, more than enough to keep all of the pirates pinned to their places scattered throughout the cave.
The captain's spear remained primed at the ready as he addressed the pirates in the vicinity. "Those who only pick on the weak and defenseless have no right to speak of the way the world works," he declared. Tressa noticed just how sharp the edge of the captain's spear was, and it seemed to shine ominously even in the low lighting of the cave. A few drops of crimson blood fell away from the edge of the lance, but the resulting noises were hardly loud enough to break through the thick veil of silence that had fallen over the area like suffocating fog.
"Well, if it ain't the lily-livered scalawag from before," Mikk crowed as he spun his sword over one hand, allowing the blade to gleam in the low lighting of the chandelier. "What difference does one more make?! Get 'em!"
The captain acted quickly. With a single slash of his spear, he was able to send two of the pirates reeling, and he turned the lance around before slamming the shaft of it down against the head of another pirate that dared to come too close. Cyrus unveiled his staff to slam it into the temple of a fourth pirate, sending him crashing unceremoniously to the ground. Ophilia released a spell of overwhelming light, and the final pirate of the group went down, leaving behind only Mikk and Makk.
The latter of the two remaining pirates was staring at the group with wide eyes, in complete disbelief that his ensemble had failed to defeat his foes. "He done swabbed our decks!" he shrieked in anger after a groan of shock and anguish left his lips. "Just who are ye?!"
"Hm?" the captain questioned as he returned to his full height. He slammed the shaft of his azure lance into the ground, maintaining a tight grasp on the weapon as Tressa watched on in silent surprise. "I'd think any pirate worth his brine would already know."
Mikk and Makk yelped in harmonized shock. "That blue spear..." Mikk said first, on the verge of dropping his sword because of how stunned he was at the revelation.
"With the strength and swiftness of a viper..." Makk continued, stumbling backwards by a step. He barely managed to keep his fingers curled around his weapon.
"Could it really be...?!" Mikk questioned next, and Tressa started to feel like she was the only person in the room who didn't understand the punchline of whatever solemn joke it felt like the captain was trying to convey. She couldn't bring herself to glance over her shoulder at Cyrus and Ophilia to see if they were just as clueless as she was or not.
"Cap'n Leon Bastralle?!" Makk cried out. Mikk was too stunned to speak, so all he did was stare on, waiting for confirmation of the truth.
Tressa let out a yelp of surprise. "What?!" she cried out. "Captain, are you really... The Leon Bastralle?!" She was familiar with the name. Any merchant worth their salt had heard the rumors of the infamous Leon Bastralle, a pirate that was capable of any vendor's worst nightmares and worse. How could the captain that had helped her so much up to that point possibly be a feared pirate? He had been so kind to her, and everything that he had done implied that he was simply a merchant wandering through the Central Sea. The revelation felt a lot like a stab of betrayal that jabbed tight and fierce at Tressa's abdomen.
"Aye," the captain, or rather, Leon, replied. "Leon Bastralle in name, though a pirate no longer. Now I'm just the captain of a humble merchant ship." He leveled his spear in the direction of Mikk and Makk, and the two pirates seemed ready to completely collapse from terror at the mere prospect of standing up to such a famous villain that had fueled their shared worldview for years up to that moment. "Here's a lesson for you lads from a true man of the sea... Dead men tell no tales." All of a sudden, the gleaming crimson at the tip of his spear from the wounds that he had opened on the arms of the pirates seemed even more noticeable. A drop of scarlet blood fell onto the cave floor, and the sound echoed for what felt like a thousand years along with the promise of Leon's threat.
"I..." Mikk began as he looked down at his sword. He looked tempted to completely drop the blade, but instead, he simply shoved it into its sheath. The action was hasty and lacking in organization, and afterwards, he threw his arms up above his head in an open act of surrender. "I ain't ready to be a dead man yet!"
"Haul bottom, mateys, else it be the locker for us!" Makk exclaimed, throwing his own sword back into its sheath without a beat of hesitation. The dazed pirates that had been scattered about the cave managed to recollect themselves, and those that were unconscious were fiercely shaken by those that remained upright until they were able to run away. Tressa watched as the series of figures vanished from view, and their footsteps echoed towards the entrance of the Caves of Maiya before completely leaving her earshot.
Leon let out a chuckle as he shook his head, and his spear fell into a dormant position at his side. "Their feet are as quick as their wits are slow," he commented to himself, seemingly unbothered by how stunned Tressa, Cyrus, and Ophilia were around him. All three of them stared on at him, and Tressa could see that Ophilia's expression was twisted into horror from the previous revelation as to Leon's identity. Cyrus was much better at shelving his shock, though it was clear that he remained shaken.
Tressa swallowed dryly as she did her best to move away from her blatant surprise. It took a lot more effort than it should have for her to force her jaw shut. "Um... Captain?" she finally managed to choke out around her own panic. Her heart was still pounding, and her mind was torn between trusting Leon's word regarding his personal change or not.
"Call me Leon, lass," Leon replied, his expression softening. Somehow, this set of four words seemed to humanize him from the distant figure of an untouchable brute of the past, and both Ophilia and Cyrus began to relax. Tressa found herself losing the tension in her shoulders as well, and she allowed herself to take comfort in the fact that his change appeared to be genuine. There was something about the way his cerulean eyes sparkled that told Tressa that she was in safe hands regardless of what history might have implied.
"Mr. Leon... Thank you for saving us," Tressa said, allowing a smile to spread across her face. She gave him a gentle bow of her head, allowing herself to fully embrace the trust that she was now confident that he deserved.
"We would have been in serious trouble without your help," Ophilia chimed in. Cyrus nodded his agreement, and he finally seemed to feel comfortable with placing his staff back in his satchel, a sign that he no longer felt that it was unsafe to associate with Leon.
The captain smiled to the trio of travelers in response. "I believe one good turn deserves another," he said. Those words were the complete opposite of the slogan of his that Mikk and Makk had touted with its implications of the strong being deserving while the weak were feeble by comparison. Tressa found herself enjoying the words a lot more than she should have. "Now, have you gathered all you need?"
Tressa turned on her heel and began to pull the various goods of the caves into her arms. Cyrus and Ophilia joined her, and after a few moments, they were finished with the job that they had set out to accomplish. "Yup! All that's left is to bring back the goods!" Tressa proclaimed merrily.
"Excellent work," Leon smiled at Tressa, and she had to admit that it was still impressive how unbothered he was by his past being exposed through Mikk and Makk. His demeanor implied that he truly had moved beyond what he once was, and while Tressa didn't doubt this, it still caught her by surprise. "Now you can return home, your honor as a merchant all the greater." He paused and let out a sigh. "I must make for the docks. It's nigh time I set sail."
"You're leaving so soon?" Tressa asked, taking a step forward purely on instinct. She would have been lying if she said that she wasn't disappointed with this outcome, and her heart felt like it was being cut down the center even though she hadn't known him for long.
"The sea calls me, lass. But before I do..." Leon smiled from behind his scarf and reached out his hand towards Tressa, and everything about him was the embodiment of invitation. "Why don't you come by my ship?"
Tressa's eyes went wide, and she found herself fumbling for a response. She glanced past Leon to where Cyrus and Ophilia were standing, and she waited for them to offer her a reply. Cyrus was the one who spoke up in the end, and a smile graced his lips. "Feel free to go and see him if you would like. Ophilia and I can focus on distributing the goods amongst the townsfolk," he told her. "I'm certain that we'll be able to find a method that will resolve the matter while you're occupied with other means."
Tressa allowed herself to nod in response to Leon, and the smile that burst across her features seemed so contagious that not even Ophilia was able to keep her joy from being displayed out in the open. "Okay!" Tressa finally chirped, and her excitement from the morning seeing Leon from the first time came flooding back all at once. She didn't know how to describe it, but she had a great feeling about this.
A while later, Tressa stood on the docks near Leon's large merchant ship, and her eyes took in how impressive the vessel was all over again. She had known that it was amazing, but somehow, knowing that and standing in the ship's shadow were two completely different things, and Tressa was struggling to ensure that her jaw didn't drop to the point of making her look foolish in front of Leon.
"What are you waiting for, lass?"
Tressa's eyes focused on the plank of wood leading up to the ship's deck, and she could see that Leon was standing there, the sun framing his golden hair perfectly. He was watching her in endless curiosity, still yearning for her to come aboard the ship as he had asked of her back in the Caves of Maiya.
Tressa didn't know why she was letting her uncertainty get to her then of all times. Leon had invited her onto the ship, and that meant that he had to want her there. Why did she feel like she was going to fall apart from nerves? "It's just... You said you only let those you trust on your ship, so..." she said softly, praying that her fears were foolish rather than a chance for Leon to backpedal on his previous invitation.
Leon nodded and let out a chuckle. "So climb aboard already," he confirmed, and Tressa's heart seemed to skip a beat at the simple string of words. He pivoted on his heel and walked onto the deck, waiting for Tressa to join him. She nodded to herself, as if she had to steel her nerves for this upcoming encounter, before clambering up the wood.
The ship's deck was beyond elaborate, Tressa had to say. There were priceless goods scattered everywhere, and she could hardly find anything that didn't seem to take her breath away, likely the items that Leon had intended to potentially exchange in Rippletide prior to the business with the pirates. There were a few intricate paintings, chests worth of expensive gemstones, and vases of perfect construction. In other words, it felt like she was in paradise, floating on top of the world with no fears of ever being dragged down to Earth again. Was she living a dream? She had to be dreaming this up, right?
"It took a great deal of courage to stand up to those pirates, and I believe such bravery is deserving of reward," Leon told Tressa, pulling her away from her stunned but silent thoughts as he gestured to the many items of value across the deck of his ship.
"Reward?" Tressa echoed, suddenly overly aware of how loud the sound of her heart was as it slammed against her ribcage. He couldn't have meant what she thought he meant, right?
"I've collected countless treasures from the furthest corners of this world. They are my most prized possessions... And you can take whichever you fancy," Leon replied.
Tressa let out a yelp of a gasp. "R-Really?!" She managed to somewhat regain her composure, though her shock remained loud and firm across her features. "I-I could never take something so precious from you!"
Leon laughed and shook his head. "It's okay, lass. I insist. Unless you don't care much for treasure, hm?"
Tressa knew what Leon was doing, trying to subtly push her into accepting his gift, but that didn't stop her from laughing in response. "When you put it that way, I can't really refuse!"
"That's the spirit!" Leon declared with a jovial chuckle that Tressa immediately committed to memory.
"I always knew the world was full of treasures... But I never dreamt I'd see such wonders," Tressa confessed. She approached a painting of a woman with light strawberry blonde hair and a small yet serene smile across her face. "This is beautiful..."
"A fine choice. What strikes you about the painting, lass?" Leon asked, taking a step closer to come up behind her and examine the picture for himself.
"I don't really know," Tressa confessed before falling into silent contemplation. "Out of all these incredible treasures... This one, it... It speaks to me. It feels like I can see into the artist's soul. I can feel what he felt, all he experienced in his life..."
"That is Love Unforgotten, a work left behind by Bastian, a famed painter from a land to the west," Leon told Tressa. "He was quite the admirer of women and married four times. And yet he could never forget the memory of his first love who tragically passed away when the two were babes of thirteen years. It was his life's work to depict her as a woman grown-the beauty he knew she'd have one day become-working on the piece until the end of his career. Today, it is one of the world's most famous works of art."
"Wow... I never knew," Tressa admitted. She fell into a lapse of brief quiet. "Mr. Leon, would you mind if I looked around a little longer?" She didn't know what pushed her to do this, but Tressa felt as if the painting wasn't what she was looking for. It was gorgeous and precious, yes, but it didn't feel right for her.
"To your heart's content, lass," Leon replied. He watched as Tressa continued to wander the deck as he murmured beneath his breath. "A born merchant, that one. I can see it in her eyes. She knew not a thing of Bastian but identified that painting as a masterpiece in an instant. I thought this was just a sleepy seaside town, but this girl... She just might be a shining gem among the rocks."
"Did you say something?" Tressa questioned, not looking up from her search that had her on her knees examining the deck. Leon shook his head with a hum of false denial. A moment later, Tressa gasped and launched herself to her feet. "This is the one!"
Tressa held out a small leather bound journal. There were a few strands of hardened material sticking out from the center acting as a bookmark. The entire book was worn down, clearly a well-loved victim of the hands of time. "Can I take this one, Mr. Leon?"
"Let's have a look now..." Leon murmured as he approached her. As soon as he caught sight of the book, he began to laugh. "I'm afraid this old thing won't sell for much. It was left behind by a man I once let aboard in my younger days. It seems I neglected to throw it out, and it got mixed in here. It would be best if you chose something else, lass."
Despite his words, Tressa would not be deterred. "No, I want this one," she assured him with a shake of her head. "I can't really explain it, but... It feels like it's calling to me."
"Is it now?" Leon questioned. "Consider it yours then." His expression remained quizzical at her peculiar choice, but he didn't question Tressa as she thanked him with a firm nod and started to leave the boat.
When she was standing on the docks, Tressa looked up to Leon. He had pulled the board up and was preparing to set sail. "Fare thee well, lass. Perhaps a day will come when you and I will meet as rivals, but I won't be beat. I swear it on my honor as a merchant," he called down to her. When he received a smile and a nod from Tressa, he turned to look at the others on the deck of his ship. "Weigh anchor, men! The ocean calls!"
Tressa moved farther down the docks so that she could watch as Leon's ship disappeared across the horizon, and her gaze was locked on the vessel until it was gone from view. "I saw it with my own two eyes... Within those dusty pages... I felt like there was something that would change my life forever." Her eyes fell down to the journal in her hands.
She lost track of time as she wandered through the town on her way back home. Her eyes scanned the pages, and the rest of Rippletide felt secondary to the adventures of the traveler who had detailed part of his life's quest between the worn covers. It wasn't until after she arrived back at the entrance of the store that she pulled herself out of her trance. Cyrus and Ophilia were standing there waiting for her, but Tressa scarcely noticed. Her deep fascination and unprecedented affection towards the book had captured all of her attention, leaving little room for anything else.
"'This world is brimming with treasures,'" Tressa read softly to herself. "'And I know what I'm searching for is out there somewhere. So I'll set sail for the horizon... And the great, big world beyond.'"
Tressa looked up from the book to see Cyrus and Ophilia watching. She didn't bother wondering about how they had found her home (they had asked around town), instead grinning to herself and giving them a gesture to wait where they were. Cyrus raised an eyebrow, and Ophilia seemed ready to ask what Tressa was thinking, but the girl had already dashed into her family's store before either one of them could do anything to question her.
"It's time I see the world!" Tressa proclaimed to Marina and Olneo, placing her hands proud and firm on her hips. Both of her parents turned away from their previous tasks to stare at her in shock, and Olneo sputtered in his surprise. Tressa simply nodded. "I'm going to leave Rippletide and become a traveling merchant! I'll see the world and have customers from every corner of the realm!"
"Oh my!" Marina cried out. "Just think about what you're saying, dear!" She approached her daughter quickly, concern glowing bright and nervous in her irises.
"Traveling merchant?! I won't have it! You're not even a stationary merchant yet!" Olneo proclaimed. "You need at least two years of stocking the store and three years of working the shop front. That's five years before you're ready to go anywhere!"
Tressa shook her head. "Sorry, Pa. My mind's made up. I'll get all kinds of training on the road anyways! Besides, I won't be alone. A few really nice people helped me out with fighting off the pirates, and they're traveling the world too. I'm going to travel with them and see what the world has to offer!" she declared. Technically, she hadn't asked Cyrus and Ophilia if that was alright yet, but she figured that she could explain it after she left. Their shadows were cast beneath the door to the store, so they were waiting for her outside still.
"I had a feeling you'd have a plan," Olneo muttered despairingly. "There's no point in trying to stop you now, is there?" Tressa shook her head, and Olneo looked to the crack beneath the door. "Alright... You have my blessing."
"Darling, this is our little girl you're talking about!" Marina cried out, scandalized that her husband would even imply such a thing.
"I know. But I had a feeling this day would come. She is her father's daughter, after all," Olneo replied. "In the end, being a good merchant boils down to experience, and that's just what she'll find out there. Go and see the world, Tressa, until your heart's content."
Tressa surged forward and pulled her parents into an embrace. Both of them returned the gesture, but Marina hummed with worry. "I can't help but worry, Tressa..." Marina confessed, her voice wavering slightly. "Do take care of yourself out there, won't you? Be strong, and may the Sacred Flame light your path."
"Thanks, Ma. Thanks, Pa," Tressa said as she pulled away from them. "I'm sorry for leaving... But I'll come back one day, and you'll see just how much I've learned!"
"We wouldn't know what to do if you didn't," Olneo teased. "After all, you're our number one employee. He looked over to Marina, who nodded her agreement.
Tressa snickered before reaching for the door, the bell above her jingling. "Bye, Ma! Bye, Pa!" She gave them a wave, and her parents returned the gesture before she left the building behind, the sweet ocean breeze hitting her square in the face.
As expected, Ophilia and Cyrus were still waiting for her, though they were just as confused as before. Tressa cut them off by holding up one hand before they could ask any questions. "I've decided that I'm going to see the world! Can I travel with you two from now on?" she asked.
Ophilia and Cyrus glanced over to one another without a beat of hesitation before Ophilia nodded. "Of course," she replied. "We would be happy to have you, Tressa... Are you sure that you want to leave? This is a big decision to make."
"I'm sure of it," Tressa assured her. "Now, let's go! Cobbleston awaits!" She started dashing off in the direction of the bridge that led out of Rippletide, and Cyrus and Ophilia shared a brief smile before trailing after her.
Tressa was back to examining the journal when she stopped halfway across the bridge. "This journal... The author only filled in half the pages. The other half is still blank," she murmured when she was disappointed to see the back half was unoccupied by words. "I guess I'll just have to pick up where he left off! I'll write down everything! I won't leave any stone unturned!" Tressa glanced over to where Cyrus and Ophilia were as they approached her slowly. She already knew exactly where she was going to start. After all, what better place was there to begin than with the people who had helped her through her first real adventure? She clapped the book shut with one hand. "From the next chapter on, this will be my story. I'll travel far and wide and journey on until every last page is filled!"
Tressa looked to the sea waiting for her on one side of the bridge, and she pressed her hands against the stone with a smile. "I don't know what lies beyond the horizon... But there's only one way to find out! See ya, Rippletide!" With that said, Tressa pivoted on her heel and began to dash across the rest of the bridge with Ophilia and Cyrus hot on her trail.
This was only the start of Tressa's journey as a merchant, and she knew it. She would start by following in the footsteps of this nameless traveler, and after that, who knew what would come next? Only time would be able to say what would be her final destination, but Tressa didn't mind the lack of answers. For the time being, she was content with simply a journal in her hands, her skills as a merchant in her mind, and a new pair of friends by her side. Nothing else mattered, and that was fine with her.
I'm getting better about my late night updates! It's only three in the morning this time! That's something, right?
With that said though, we're finished with this segment of the story! I'm going to be updating this story much more often starting in a few weeks since I'll have an extra free spot in my typing schedule. Alternative is going to be leaving the forefront of my priorities since it's going to be entering hiatus after the final chapter of Azure Moon releases, so I'm going to be focusing on buckling down on this story until chapter thirty-three or so when H'aanit's chapter one is complete. After that, the weekly updates will probably come back, so we'll just have to see what comes of that. Until then, here we are, done with Tressa!
As is to be expected, Olberic will be next up. Since we're going in the order of the acronym, it's him next and then Primrose. With Tressa, somebody who's finally a bit more outspoken, we'll have more interruptions to the canon dialogue. I'm looking forward to it, honestly. Cyrus and Ophilia have mostly kept out of the stories that aren't their own up to this point since there was little reason for them to get involved in dialogue. That's going to be thrown out the window when Olberic joins the party since Tressa is so talkative. That'll be fun for sure.
Anyways, that's it for this week. Time for me to hit the hay since it's still late, and to be quite frank, today was exhausting. I'll see you next time for Olberic's chapter! Feedback is always appreciated. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital