Rare Berries
"Are we there yet?" Finral whined as he, Vanessa, and Yami walked through a thick forest. "We've been walking for hours."
"Well then why don't you use your magic and get us there faster?" Yami replied.
"I already told you, I got us the closest I could. I've never been to this place before."
"Jeez, you're useless."
"I GOT US THIS CLOSE DIDN'T I?! YOU'RE SO MEAN! This forest is dark and scary and I'm pretty sure I heard a monster growling! I wanna go home!"
"To bad. You're my ride back so you're leaving when I do. When we get there, you're staying in the town while Vanessa and I go look for the bandits camp site in the forest. I'm not asking you to fight or be around if a fight brakes out."
"Yeah, that's what you said last time."
"If I hadn't lied to you, you never would have gone. And I apologized for that, didn't I?"
"Maybe so, but that doesn't mean you've regained my trust when it comes to missions."
"Come on, Finral. Yami promised he'd never do that again," Vanessa said throwing an arm around his shoulders.
"I know... but he also promised that that mission wouldn't have any fighting so how can I trust his promises?"
"Yeah... I guess that is a fair point. Don't worry, if he brakes his promise again I'll make him regret it."
"I'd like to see you try... You can stop complaining now, we're here."
Finral walked around the town after Vanessa and Yami left to gather a bit of information from the town's mayor. He found a cozy little restaurant on the main street.
"Aww, no cute girls to complements," Finral said quietly to himself when he walked in.
Sometimes I really wish we had separate bodies. I'd smack you upside the head, Fatry replied as Finral took a seat in the far corner of the room.
So you've said.
"Hello, Young Magic Knight. May I take your order."
"No thank you," Finral replied looking up to the young man. "I'm here on official business... My captain and squad mate are out gathering information on some bandit activity that's been happening in this town before they go find the camp. I'm waiting for them to return."
"Oh, alright. At least let me get you some water while you wait."
"Okay, thank you."
The waiter left and returned with a glass of water before attending to the other customer.
"WHAT DO YOU MEEN YOU OUT OF NUMS!" Came the shriek of what sounded like a young girl, that caused Finral to nearly drop his water.
"I'm sorry miss, but you've ordered the last of our food supplies. We'll have fresh in tomorrow morning," replied a man's voice that Finral assumed was the manager.
"I DON'T WANT YOUR NUMS IN THE MORNING! I WANT THEM NOW! GIVE ME~!"
Finral stood up and went to find where the disturbance was coming from.
"Please miss, I can't give you something we don't have."
"I~!"
"Excuse me," the spacial mage said when he found a small child with black hair pulled back in a bun and the manager. "Is there a problem?"
"You're a Magic Knight. Yes, please help, this child has eaten all of our food but is still wanting more food."
"HOW RUDE! I AM NOT A CHILD!"
"O-okay, miss... If you don't mind my suggesting, perhaps you'd like to try some food from another restaurant... Wait... did you say she ate all of your food... like all the food in the restaurant?"
"Yes!"
"Y-you do realize that it's not healthy to eat too much, right?"
"Nothing is more important then a well balanced diet!"
"O-okay..."
The young girl jumped up from her seat and grabbed Finral's hand.
"W-wait. W-what are you doing?"
"Thank you for the delicious nums!" She called over her should as she began to pull Finral to the door. "I know a spot in the forests that has some really delicious nums! Would you mind helping me gather them? They're extremely rare berries! I'll even share them with you, mister!"
"Ummm... sure... I guess."
Finral, what are you doing?
Probably something I'm going to regret.
"Well what do you know, finding those bandits' camp was easier then I thought it would be," Yami said as he and Vanessa hid up in a tree and looking down at the empty camp. The was a small pile of what had been bushes before they where cutdown and stumps from where they had been growing on the far side of the campsite... more stumps then there were bushes. The last embers of what appeared to have been a large campfire burned bellow them.
"What do we do now, Captain?"
"Wait for them to return. They're probably not that strong but don't let your guard down.
They waited about an hour before the small group of bandits returned. They all wore long, dark, hooded clocks.
"Alright boys, rumor has it there is some rare and valuable Magic Items in an antique shop in town. That's where we're hitting to night," one of them said. "I'm sure the Diamond Kingdom will buy them for a pretty price."
"WHO DESTROYED MY DELICIOUS NUM BUSHES~?! Came the screech of a young girl.
"Shit, a civilian," Yami said looking in the direction of the voice to find a child with black hair pulled back in a bun.
"WAS IT YOU?!"
"Oh, it's just a child," the boss said.
"I'LL MAKE YOU PAY!" The girl said as a grimiore flew open beside her. "COTTEN CREATION MAGIC: STRIKE OF THE SLEEPING SHEEP!" A giant sheep appeared in front of the child and knocked out each of the bandits in one hit.
Yami and Vanessa jumped down from the tree and stood over the unconscious mages.
"Hey, thanks, kid. But civilians really shouldn't be taking on a group of bandits... Next time try leaving that to us Magic Knights," Yami replied.
"Wait up little girl! How can someone so small move that fast?! ...Hmmm? Yami? Vanessa?"
"Finral? You're supposed to be waiting for us in town," Yami replied.
"I was but then there was a situation at a restaurant involving this child."
"I'm not a child! I'm sixteen! The name's Charmy Pappitson! Protector and devoured of delicious nums!"
Yami burst out laughing, "well if you're really sixteen... I like you, why don't you join my squad?!"
"Say what?! Captain you can't just keep handing out robes to random people you meet! Think about how on fair that is to those who humiliated themselves at the exam but still some how managed to get in!"
"You're the only one I see complaining, Finral."
"Honestly, Finral, I thought you of all people wouldn't mind having another girl to hang out with," Vanessa added.
"Do you have delicious nums?!" Charmy said as she walked over to the bushes that the bandits had yet to use as firewood and began gathering the berries that remained.
"Well, I never heard anyone complain about the food," Yami replied.
"Can I plaint some of these rare berries to grow some new bushes?"
"I don't see why not."
"Can I eat all the food I want?"
"Sure, whatever."
"Alright, Mister Magic Knight! I'll join you!"
"That's Captain Yami to you, kid."
"I'm Vanessa. And that's Finral."
"Speaking of Finral. Portal to the Royal Capital. We have to take these guys in."
"Then can we go home?" Finral asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Stop whining."