The Smell of Ashes
Chapter Two
A Strange Welcome
You know, when he thought of the girls commanding officer before coming here, he had to admit that he looked a little more... he guessed the best word was straight-laced?
To put it more bluntly, he was expecting a military uniform, not a white outfit meant for a male dominatrix.
And he didn't even know what that word meant! And it still felt right!
Said clothing basically consisted of a vest and a single separate sleeve on his right arm, with belts galore all over what he could see of his upper body; including his neck, which had a small pink heart at the front. His lower half was hidden by his desk, and frankly he wasn't sure if he wanted to see it.
Even still, he was being courteous so far. Even if he only said a few words.
"Grimgar? Is that the name of this town, by chance?" Diggory asked. He didn't much like the small stare he got from the man, and the way he licked his lips after a second sent a chill down his spine.
"Not quite, dear. Though I am glad you're quick on the uptake." He spoke calmly, giving him a smile. "No, the world in which you currently stand upon is called Grimgar. More specifically, you're currently residing within the town of Ortana. Does that help clear things up, dearie?"
"A bit, yes." He kept a neutral expression, fighting not to slip into a grimace. "Sorry, I'm afraid I didn't catch your name?"
"Oh, yes!" The man gasped. Hand covering his mouth. "I do apologize! Normally, I'm more on top of things than I am now. But I guess you can say I've gotten a little... Preoccupied."
He couldn't stop the eye twitch, nor could Husky, either. The rest of the guys, well...they let free what he was fighting. The girls likely would have laughed at them if the situation wasn't as strenuous as it was.
The commanding officer stood, revealing white shorts and a black garter-belt that matched all the other belts all over his person, and gave a small bow with a hand on his chest.
"The name is Britney. Please accept my warmest regards." The now declared Britney announced, though quietly and with clear practice. Belatedly, Diggory noticed a heart shape that was cut out from his hair. "I am the Chief and Host of the Red Moon Office of the Volunteer Soldier Squad for Ortana's Borderland Brigade. Feel free to call me Chief. Though 'Bri' works just as well if you're looking for a more affectionate form of address. The point I am trying to make, however, is that I am the one in charge here, got it?"
'Charming.' Diggory thought dryly. He was a friendly guy, if a little creepy. Seemed amicable enough that maybe he could answer a few questions without much fuss.
"Fine. I just want some answers." Husky almost ordered, walking towards his desk with an arm pointed almost accusingly at him.
Diggory looked at him with wide eyes, questioning both his sanity and intelligence. In the corner of his vision, he found Britney had become noticeably more dour, a frown growing on his face as his eyes narrowed a bit.
"What does this soldier squad have to do with me? What the hell am I even doing here, and why should I bother sticking around?"
"Oh my~, you're going to be a demanding one." Britney purred coyly. "Fortunately for both of us, I like a man who knows what he wants~."
"My name is Renji-" Husk- um, Renji stated. "-And pervy guys like you make me si-!"
He didn't have the time to finish that sentence, as Britney had lunged forward; kneeling on top of his desk and pulling out a nice-looking steel dagger from god knows where; pulling Renji close enough through his shirt to dig the weapons tip right into his throat. And all while his pinkie was pointed out, no less.
He heard Haruhiro give a startled yelp behind him, and everyone's breath hitched in their throat, waiting for the next second that could end his life. All while Hiyomu giggled quietly in the corner.
"...You're new here, so allow me to offer you a little bit of advice." The Chief of Ortana's Volunteer Army began, carrying a smile that the small amount of rage and malice underlain in his tone nullified. He pushed the tip a little deeper to make sure he was paying attention; enough that a small line of blood started to run down his neck. "Calling people names here can have a very negative effect on a person's life expectancy. Shall I demonstrate?"
"Knock yourself out." Renji gave him a mad grin, grabbing the weapon by the blade, holding tightly enough that its edge cut into his hand; blood dripping onto his shirt and the floor. "If you think you can get me, your welcome to try, Chief Pervert!"
"Oh, I will little boy." Britney grinned, releasing Renji from his grasp, and allowing him to back off while he moved back into his seat. "Believe me, I will get you Very, Very Good. It will be an unforgettable night for the both of us, Kitten."
Renji scoffed quietly, taking a few steps back while the man glared into the back of his head for causing something that could have been easily avoided. The others, meanwhile, simply sighed behind him, silently glad that one of their own, even if they didn't really know each other all that well, hadn't already gotten their throat slit.
He noticed Hiyomu after a few seconds, quietly looking directly at him. Kind of creeped him out, the way she never blinked as her eyes stared directly into his own.
Did he do something to warrant that? He'd only ever said a few words within hearing distance of her, so his confusion was palpable.
His sight returned to Britney from the sound of coins clinking onto his wooden desk. He found him holding a now empty pouch, with several silver coins scattered across his table.
"Ten silver coins. That's what you will get for signing onto the Volunteer Solder Squad. Ten silver per person should be enough to get by on until you can get your feet under you."
"I didn't even think about money..." He heard the guy who helped Shihoru mumble in the back. He also heard something about a 'Phone', or whatever that was, but he wasn't really paying attention to that.
"Alright, darlings, do you see this little beauty here?" He continued after a second, holding aloft what looked to be shiny leather tags bearing the symbol of a crescent moon that hung from a thick string. "This is what marks you as a trainee soldier. This will allow you to come and go from Ortana as you wish, so please don't lose them. You can also buy our official badge for the price of twenty silvers as well. Costly, I know, but they do come with some nice perks."
"Wait, you're making us pay for these badges?" The loner questioned.
"Of course." The Chief said in a kind but solemnly tone. "We live on the borders of our kingdom, and as such, we don't have the same luxuries those well within the core do. Out here, you either accumulate your own wealth and get stronger, or die. It's very simple really."
"Die!?" Haruhiro said to that, his voice fearful.
"...I figured it was that." Diggory sighed, getting a look from both them and the official members of the Crimson Moon. "I take it all those graves outside the town were other volunteers as well?"
"Oh my~. You really do have a keen eye, don't you?" Britney complimented, before his visage turned a bit more serious. "Yes. Things up here are incredibly dangerous. A great many monsters out there who would be happy to see us all dead without reservation. And a great many who came before you have come and gone already, as you've already no doubt noticed."
"What does he mean?" Yume asked, terror rising in her voice a bit.
"Did anything stand out to you when we passed by those graves?" He asked, "Anything out of the ordinary?"
"Uhh...it had a very rickety fence?" The loner stated his answer as more of a question.
"They looked too new." He answered instead, shaking his head. "There were tombstones all over the place, going on and on in the distance. And yet none of them looked beyond ten years or so old despite how many there were. I couldn't see one covered in grass or moss, or any that looked decrepit. I figured someone could be doing continued maintenance on them, but I wouldn't hold my breath after Britney's answer." Realization slowly dawned on them, their faces turning pale. But he continued anyway. "Keep in mind that the town isn't all that large. Certainly not enough for the number of tombstones we saw in that condition. So, if we assume most of them are volunteers, then its probably correct to assume that this hasn't started very recently. And Hiyomu's reaction to our appearance has led me to solidify the theory after passing through there." He shrugged. "Hell, if I had to take a guess, the entire town is surrounded by them. We just popped up on the side opposite of the older ones. Am I wrong?"
"You would be correct, yes." Britney nodded, grinning at his knowledge. Hiyomu herself looked to be giving him a proper, genuine smile. Seemingly happy with his answer.
The others though? Well, Shihoru looked a step off from feinting, and Yume's visage turned surprisingly serious. Haruhiro audibly gulped, leaning on the door for support. The others had varying reactions similar to that, bar the others who noticed earlier; namely the glasses wearing fellow, Renji, and the dirty blonde.
"A-are you serious?!" The gaudy woman yelled shrilly. "You want us to fight those things for you?! Are you INSANE?!"
"If you don't feel like taking up the position, feel free to walk out the door." He motioned towards the exit. "However, keep in mind, you will not find another job besides the one I offer. The people here are very wary of outsiders, and keep to their own. Not to mention, the fee for joining their own guilds far surpasses that of all of the combat guilds combined."
"And you think we should listen you?!" She shouted. "For all we know, you could be lying to us!"
"Again, by all means. There's the door." He replied simply. "I wish you all the best, my dear."
If he had to say, a couple among them looked interested in doing just that; the gaudy woman among them. However, despite that, none of them moved. It was almost as if they were rooted in place, unable to take even a single step forward. Diggory questioned if it was because of them fearing the possibility of him being correct that stalled them.
"So essentially, you'll give us those coins for a start, but after that we're on our own."
"I do love a quick learner." Britney sighed faux dreamily. "That's exactly right. Find monsters, defeat them, and sell the spoils. Those are the basics. There's more to it than that, obviously. But you'll have to learn those lessons as you go along. Unless you want to become one of my little pets." His visage quickly turned grave again. "I'll warn you; life in Grimgar is difficult. And not all of you may survive this change."
The room turned terribly silent at that, everyone realizing the unfortunate situation they were all in as a painful lull set in. Haruhiro and Yume, for the first time since he met her, had an unsure expression on her face. None of the rest fared any better. The angry guy from earlier looked ready to punch something just to relieve some stress while the other more moderate fellows looked on with varying looks of grim understanding. Some of the more docile like the little kid or Shihoru looked fear-stricken.
An understandable reaction, if any.
Curious why he wasn't.
Diggory was surprised he was able to remain composed himself. He himself had reached it mere moments before the others, and the feeling the realization had left behind had yet to dissipate, but he still managed to retain his calm. If anything, that bit of knowledge somehow filled him with more discomfort.
Yume moved to support poor Shihoru with a worried glance, who had begun visibly shaking, and looked to have started hyperventilating again at some point with how faint she looked, getting a few concerned glances from a few sympathetic to her plight. Which was almost everyone, to be frank. The sweat was more than enough of an indicator there.
"Allow me to offer you one last piece of advice." He said with open sincerity. "No matter what may come in the future, don't quit. True, if you fight, you may die. But if you give up, you will definitely die. Without question. Of that, I can guarantee. So, steel your resolve. And walk forward without hesitation."
After saying that, he daintily reached underneath his desk and pulled out enough pouches for every new person there, and leaving the deciding factor up to them; propping his chin on his hands.
A small amount of time passed before Renji, unsurprisingly, went and grabbed his bag first, followed by Crew Cut and the raven-haired boy. It disturbed him to see a little girl who looked no more than seven grabbing one, but as much as he hated to say it, he didn't rule her life. He didn't have the luxury of caring right now. And likely, she realized it, too.
It was a travesty. A tragedy of a situation they were forced to play out.
After her followed the gaudy woman and a large man with short, spiky dark brown hair, but the parade of people walking forward went no further for him when he noticed Renji turn out of nowhere and slug crew cut in the face. For what reason, he didn't know, but he really didn't bother to listen. The bastard, while having brains, seemed to have an extremely short fuse for some reason. Idly, he questioned why that was as he made his way up, finding all but a few of the bags were left.
"Ah. hello again, my darling~." Britney grinned. "You certainly are quite the intuitive one, aren't you? Asking questions and putting things together at a far faster pace than I've seen from most in your position. I don't mean to play favorites, but I believe you'll go far in Grimgar."
"The thought is certainly appreciated." He thanked him. Diggory hesitated for a moment before looking the chief in the eyes. "...If I may ask a question?"
"It would depend on what it is, of course." He said nonchalantly. "I'm understandably a very busy man, so I can't take all day, you know."
"It won't take long." He agreed to his unsaid terms. It went ignored when the sounds of fighting stopped. "I was just wondering... the memories we lost. Do they ever come back?"
"...No, I'm afraid not." Britney said sadly. "I myself am like you lot, so I've been in your shoes before. And sadly, despite all my years being here, nothing has returned. Blunt and brutal as it may be, you will just have to make a new life for yourselves here."
"I see..." Diggory sighed. "I suppose I'll have to learn what I can then, if you can't tell me anything import-"
"Dee! look out!" He heard Yume shout from behind him. His head snapped over his shoulders, just in time to find Renji a second away from giving him a sucker punch.
His eyes widened, and pupils dilated, and all at once his body moved on its own; dropping his bag while taking two steps to the left and spinning back a ways, grabbing his attackers arm as is passed by where he once stood and giving it a twist, leaving him unable to move or bend the limb. Said action was quickly followed by him kicking a leg out from under him, before grasping his head; slamming and pinning him onto the desk.
All of that occurred within a couple seconds, though to him it felt considerably longer than that.
The room went dead quiet quickly after that. Even Britney blinked in surprise for a moment, before an eerily big smile grew on his face.
"Well, well. You certainly know how to handle the rowdier people, don't you?" He commented.
The man in question absently blinked as he began returning to reality; realizing both the snarling expression that broke on his face, and the position he and Renji were in. All at once, he quickly let go of the man with no small amount of befuddlement; which seemed to be carried around the room. He looked at his hands, a question written on his face, before he focused back on Renji, who had summarily broken into laughter.
Well… he was within his rights to say the guy was a downright odd individual.
"Oh yeah! I want you on my team!" He grinned, holding a hand out.
Diggory looked on dumbly, wondering what the heck he was talking about for a moment. Turning his head towards the others, he found that their group had split off into two smaller ones, with a couple stragglers standing in between. His eyes wandered over the Yume, Haruhiro, Shihoru and a couple of others.
It wasn't hard at that point to guess which group Renji wanted him in. One group seemed just fine, giving him a small smile.
The others, Though? Haruhiro, Yume, and Shihoru? Not to mention a couple others who's names he didn't know?
A couple of them looked a little scared.
Something in him clicked at their faces, and his mind became set in stone at that point.
"...While the thought is appreciated Renji, I think I'll stick with them." Diggory pointed towards the few whose names he knew. Renji blinked in surprise at that, his hand lowering back to his side, while the others had their mouths hung open. "No offence intended mate, but I think I'd do better with them. Besides, you got a pretty decent group of your own, don't you?"
"...That I do." He nodded. "Fine, do what you like. We're moving out."
And move out they did, quickly filing out of the building in short order like a small troop. Following that, the rather relaxed fellow from earlier who had the strange had, who also hadn't or wouldn't join Renji's group, gave the rest a small bow before moving his way towards the door.
"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna go scout the area. Figure out where everything is." He gave them a cheery wave as he slipped out the door. "Toodles!"
"Yeah, I'll do the same myself. We won't learn anything staying here, so..."
"R-right, yeah." He could hear Haruhiro start before he began to mumble. "See you later, Manato."
Ah, so his name was Manato, then? Good to know.
"Wanna meet up later, dude?" Diggory called out to him. Manato turned, giving him a small, admiring grin. Which honestly surprised him. He hadn't done anything to be admired yet, far as he knew.
"Of course. Do the shops around where we came in from sound good?"
Diggory gave a nod, which was returned by him before he exited. Now, the few that remained, or at least, the few that knew him, looked at him with a small smile, which he couldn't help but return, if only slightly.
He turned around to hide his face flushing, instead grabbing the bag he had dropped and focusing on Britney, whose grin never faded.
"Well done. Truly." He said, his tone carrying some respect. "Usually, the people I've come across here look after themselves. Moving to work with stronger people they know will help them live the good life, while leaving the rest to die without a second glance. But you took the harder road, despite the offer. I commend you."
Uh...T-thanks." He stuttered, scratching the back of his head embarrassingly. His hair felt a little long, he would note later.
"My dear Hiyomu, what do you think of the man before us?" The chief asked the girl. Diggory noticed how he never called him a child, dear or kitten.
"He's actually pretty smart, Bri." She giggled as she smiled at her commanding officer. "Even noticed my weapons tucked under my coat!"
"My my, we seem to have struck gold today." He grinned, a finger on his lip. "In that case, with everything that's happened, I do believe you deserve a little reward."
Daintily, the man started to reach under the desk. All the while Diggory's brain immediately went into panic mode. And he was going to say he didn't have to, but luckily for him it didn't get to that point. all three of their heads turned towards the door at the sound of it opening once more; revealing a man wearing what appeared to be a hide cap with a feather placed on it. His expression looking like he was ready to recruit, but...
Really, he wasn't sure. Something about how tense Britney got set warning bells off in his head.
"Heya, Chief." The man called out respectfully.
"Well." Britney smiled; hands returned to cradling his head. "Kuzuoka. Kitten. Did you need me for something?"
"Nah, I just heard there we're some new recruits." The now named Kuzuoka looked at those remaining, sizing them up. "Decided to take a peek."
"My~, news sure travels fast here." Diggory felt like Britney's smile his smile just turned a bit more brittle. And Hiyomu too, no less. The glare she gave him told Diggory just how little she liked the man. "You would be correct, but most of them have already gone on their way."
"So the rest are leftovers, then?" Kuzuoka gave a tsk in annoyance.
The loner huffed at his new label, muttering more to himself than the others around him. "Sorry for not being good enough..."
"You ought to be." The hide capped man glared at the kid. Diggory's eyes narrowed at their interaction.
'I don't like him.' He concluded as Kuzuoka wandered between each of them; eyeing the girls for a second longer, which they looked uncomfortable with, and completely passing over Loner and Haru. Eyes wandered over to him, and Diggory gave a small growl in response that kept him right on turning, instead falling on the other big guy here.
"Well, it is the frontliners we're short on anyway..." The new guy considered briefly. "Eh, the big guy'll do."
"Eh? Me?" He talked finally for the first time, blinking dumbly while pointing at himself.
"There's no other big guy here besides Mister Growls over there." He rolled his eyes at the poor insult. "Join our party. I'll show you the ropes. Even lend you some money if you need it. Pretty sweet deal, if I do say so myself. Now, if you understand, come along."
"Uh..." Said big guy was grabbed by the arm, and was being dragged by the other guy towards the door. He looked between the others, who were making known how against they were of him leaving. Loner was the most vocal however.
"Moguzo, trust me! This guy is bad news!" He grabbed him by his other arm, trying to yank him out of the other mans grip.
"I am not bad news!"
"Could we not devolve to tug-of-war with a person as the rope?" Diggory sighed, face in his hand. His voice was enough to dissuade Loner, but the other guy still tried to pull him out the door. He gave him a small glare, telling him what he thought of that, and he quickly let go of him with a scoff. His eyes wandered into Moguzo's own.
"Moguzo, right?" He asked. They gave him a small nod. "It's your call if you want to stay with us or not."
The large man looked between him and the others, silently considering with a look of deep thought. He couldn't exactly blame him. It was a rather important point in their partially defunct lives.
"I-I guess..." He started, his voice a whisper. "I think I should go with him. At least, maybe I'll learn a few things, right? I could tell you guys later if we meet up again."
"Alright, buddy!" Kuzuoka gave a lopsided grin, dragging him towards the door again. "C'mon, I'll help you get started!"
Diggory waved him off as the door slammed shut, while the others gave a sigh. Not that he could blame them. They effectively lost another set of muscle, not to mention one of their own.
He heard a more audible clink from behind him, and when he turned there was a more bloated bag of coins sitting in Britney's hand. He raised an eyebrow in question, eliciting a giggle from the man.
The chief leaned towards his ear that he almost pulled back from.
"Consider it a welcoming gift." He whispered, placing the bag daintily in his hands and pulling away; waving him off.
Diggory gave him a briefly confused look for a second, getting the general idea of what he gave him. What he was more curious about was why he was giving it to him. That's not to say he'd look a gift horse in the mouth though, but it was a little bit odd, with the general feeling he'd gotten from the town.
...And again with a saying he didn't understand.
It really was irritating him. But he let it slide for the time being, moving toward his chat buddies while sliding his loot into one of his many coat pockets.
"Man, I can't believe Moguzo just up and ditched us!" Loner whined, hands behind his head.
"He had a right to choose, um..." Diggory petered out. "Sorry, I'm afraid I didn't catch your name."
"Dude, seriously?" He scoffed, looking away from him. Rather abruptly, he pointed his thumb at his puffed out chest. "I'm The Great Ranta! Man of many skills! I was known as an ace in whatever I put my mind to back home, I'll have you know."
"Oh? So you remember your time before Grimgar, then?"
"Well, no, but-" He stopped at the shit eating grin Diggory had. "...Screw you."
He rolled his eyes in response, eliciting a giggle from Yume and Shihoru. Speaking of the former, he looked towards her. "So... Dee, huh?"
"Yeah!" She smiled, hands behind her back. "Diggory's a bit of a weird name, so I figured Dee might be better!"
"Ouch. Didn't know I was the strange one here!" He said, faux hurt in his tone. Diggory gave a small bow of his own. "I apologize for my names impertinence."
"You are forgiven." She replied with a formal air. A couple of seconds went by before she began to giggle again.
Any of them who hadn't yet retrieved a bag yet quickly did so, and they all quickly filed out of the building at both Britney and Hiyomu's continued insistence; making their way back onto the street.
The sun had risen a fair bit in the time they were in there. Torches were being put out, and what little life that was in the town had sprung to life fairly quickly. Not surprising, considering everything he heard. They probably had to get started as early as possible in order to make a living, what with the conditions that were thrown on them by choosing to reside here.
Or being forced to, if some of them were criminals.
Aaand now his mind was giving him mental images he really didn't need right now. Thanks brain.
"Right, so." He started, grabbing his little groups attention. "Our first course of action should really be getting a lay of the land. By which I mean exploring the town."
"Yeah, we can't exactly start fighting monsters right now until we get a better understanding of the locals here." Haru – he was gonna call him Haru from now on, since Yume started it with him – nodded his head in agreement. "Maybe we can get some information from other volunteer soldiers, if were lucky."
"Maybe." He shrugged. "When they saw us as we came in, they seem a bit reserved. So, I don't know if that'll work or not."
"Really?" Yume put a finger to her chin. "But wouldn't it be good for everyone if we knew how to deal with these things?"
"True, it'd probably mean lowered casualties and a decrease in monsters." He nodded. "But to them, their either too scared to say anything, or simply don't want to help us. Possibly for a silly reason, too."
"What, you mean like "Hey, we got no help, so you don't get any either"?"
"Pretty much. Though it might be more like 'information has value.'." He shrugged. "For now, a good start would be to see what things are like here. What's currently sold around here. What things are like. That sort of thing."
"Britney did mention something about Guilds, too." Yume added. "Think that's worth checking?"
"Without a doubt, yeah." Diggory nodded as they started to walk along the path back into the town proper, their surroundings now properly waking in part from the suns rising. He ran a hand through his hair, unable to hide a wince. "I'm hoping those Combat Guilds Britney mentioned are a thing here. Otherwise, we'll so be flying into battle by the seat of our pants."
He got a few nervous nods at that.
They all split up, agreeing to meet up with Manato where he suggested in an hour or two. Yume and Shihoru had stayed together, making their way back down to the marketplace to see what they could find there before moving on elsewhere. Better plan than his, he'd admit; which just consisted of picking a random direction and walking off. Ranta and Haruhiro went west themselves, with him making his way east to see what he could find.
One of the first things he spotted shortly afterwards was a bar packed full of folks armored in plate-mail, leather armor, and some wearing robes or outfits with baggy pants. Likely other volunteers like himself, though he could still be wrong. He could hear the loud chatter and laughter as he walked on by, taking note of it, but walking on nonetheless.
He was already garnering a few looks from folks. Something he noticed after about half an hour. He didn't think much of it at first, until his mind kicked back into play and he started mentally smacking himself.
If other people had come through here when they arrived, then keeping his clothing as is was basically labelling himself as a newbie with no training. Meaning easy pickings for thieves or bandits; more so because of his added bounty, which he had wisely decided to hide in his jacket. Neither of which were particularly appealing. He had the barest inklings of his basic fighting capabilities as it stood. Sure, he could defend himself against another Newbie who tried to cold-cock him, but actual Warriors and Rangers? Best not to take that chance until after.
If he could afford to get into one of said guilds, that is.
He walked on, mostly focused on his thinking, but keeping an eye out around the general area. Weaving through the various streets as he went, not finding anything else of particular importance, but noting it in his mind anyway in case he needed to lead some folks on a merry chase if it came down to it.
That was another thing Diggory realized about himself. He was, in his own opinion, fairly practical, if somewhat pragmatic about his choices. Not enough to question his morals or integrity, but reasonably so.
'I hope that theory holds...' He thought to himself, passing by what appeared to be a bank as he had begun to make his way to the southern end of the city once more. Though still in unknown territory. Last thing any of them needed right now was a wild card like that. Or... another like that, anyway. Ranta seemed the type, to be completely honest.
Asking around revealed the more numerous groups of monsters would often appear in the south. And so, they had wisely decided to place the Warrior's Guild somewhat close by the southern gate. Was a nice place, from what he could see from the outside of the building. Stone walls surrounded it, so he couldn't get a better look at the interior beyond the front gate, but it appeared to be well maintained. There were no cracks or overgrowth from the area he could see.
When the Warriors are your front-line defenders though, he couldn't say he was surprised.
There was also hearsay about a Paladin's Guild, though from where the locals said it was, it'd take to long to get there and back before the meetup, let alone having night fall. Of which, if he was right, it was just about time to meet up with the others. Though not without double-checking with one of the guards and or warriors standing next to the front gate.
Time sure travelled fast when you were busy!
Same could be said for his trip back, too. Felt as if it had only been a few minutes. More looks his way from his clothes, and more than a few he could guess were eyeing him for valuables. Acting obvious enough for him to pick up the pace and get back with his group.
Making his way back onto the southern main street, Diggory looked about the area. Trying to find his little band of misfits. It took some time, but he did eventually discover them huddling about, discussing something animatedly. A couple of which had a grimace for one reason or another. An eyebrow rose unbidden as he made his way towards them.
"I feel like I missed something important." He dryly cut in when he got close enough.
Haru jumped at his voice, head snapping towards him with a slight expression of caution before he registered who it was and slumped in relief.
"Sheesh. You alright, dude? Look kind of high strung."
"Y-yeah, sorry..." Haruhiro sighed, hand rubbing through his hair. "A lot happened while we were separated, so... I'm just adjusting to that."
Diggory raised an eyebrow in silent question.
"If I may?" Manato asked. "We'd come across a couple of drunk, unruly volunteers like us somewhere along the way. They tried to rob him of his coins as an apology for accidentally bumping into them."
"...Seriously?" Diggory rolled his eyes in exasperation. He hadn't even been here for more than a couple of hours, and already one of their own had almost gotten mugged. Whatever the hell that word meant. "Sounds more and more like a lovely place to live, eh?"
"No kidding! Yume's glad she has friends to stick with!" Yume giggled, giving a small joking glare at the boys. "As long as you guys can control yourselves, anyway!"
"You wound me, madam." He rolled his eyes, his tone overly exaggerated and with a hand over his heart. Getting a few smiles back. "So, we filling each other in here?"
"Actually, I was hoping to find a place to live first before then." Manato softly suggested otherwise. "Getting the information is all well and good, but it won't do any of us any favors if we don't have a roof over our heads for the night."
"Fair enough." Diggory, and most everyone else nodded in assent. "Hope we can find one in our price range..."
Wasn't that hard to guess where to go, really. Just watching the general flow of most of the armored or eccentrically garbed individuals told them where to look. What was hard was finding somewhere cheap enough. None of them were sure how much a house or room cost here. Britney certainly didn't mention it, and Diggory hadn't really thought about it at the time. Now that there wasn't a particular goal in mind though...
It was actually Yume who solved that problem. And with relative ease, no less! Spoke to her ability to easily connect with a few of the locals in the area with her friendly, childlike attitude helped to give them a general area to look at, with a specific person to look for somewhere within the district.
The area itself was meant for Volunteer Soldiers like them, but most refused to use them for one reason or another. Admittedly wasn't too hard to guess why. The neighborhood was mostly dilapidated, looking just a step off from being akin to a ghost town were it not for some stragglers here and there. Some of the houses looked ready to just fall over!
After that, everything just kind of bled into one another. He could remember the landlord of the houses in the area. A slightly gangly, balding blonde man who was in his late thirties that wore some brownish-white cloth shirt along with baggy brown pants of the same material. The shoes he wore were a bit odd. Looking more like bits of cloth covering his feet than proper footwear. Wasn't he uncomfortable wearing that on the rocky cobblestone pathways?
The guy showed them around to a few choice houses. The ones that didn't look fit to turn to crumble, thank god. Good to know only the homeless would live in places like that. Though they could still turn into one if they weren't careful with what little they had in the coming days.
The place they had chosen was alright. In a nice location. On the edge on a cliff, with a bridge in the front overlooking the seas edge of Ortana, and a side exit on the side of the cliff face. Some of the housing he noticed was actually laid out along the side of it, though most of them remained unsurprisingly vacant. Part of him found the setup for housing strange for some reason.
Had a natural hot spring as a bath in there, much to his interest and the great joy of the girls, and it was very well open. Despite its partial state of disrepair, it wasn't bad. They'd need to either work on the building itself while they lived there, or word towards finding another place altogether once they got properly settled. All things considered though; it would be alright for the time being.
The going price for trainees was ten copper pieces per person per day. So sixty copper a day in total. Not too bad. It'd last them long enough to get set up and hopefully start generating their own income. And once they managed to get those official badges, then they could stay rent free.
Though that did bring up a valid question. How many coppers made up a silver, anyway? He had never bothered to ask.
They all had hunkered down around a fire pit in the back after the man had left. Not like there was much else for them to do now. It was getting dark, and they didn't really have any valuables beyond what they were carrying on them right now.
Took a little while to get a fire going, embarrassed as he was to say. None of them looked to know how to properly set one up themselves, so it was a bit of trial and error between the lot of them.
Most spectacularly by Ranta, but that seemed to be part and parcel with the boy.
"You just can't let me live it down, can you?" Said boy moped, hunched forward in his seat while Yume and Shihoru giggled at the sight of his ash covered body. Manato gave a small smile of amusement, and even Haru had cracked a grin; the first he had seen since they had gotten here.
"But Ranta! Oh great lord of men!" Diggory started, making sure to lay it on thick as he put an arm over his shoulder. "You said you were such a skilled individual; we couldn't help but find some form of hilarity at what would no doubt be one of your very few mistakes!"
He just grumbled louder in response, sliding out of his hold while the laughter from the girls grew a bit louder.
"Okay okay, enough teasing Ranta, Dee." Manato chuckled. "Why don't we go over what we found now that we're comfortable?"
A chorus of sures and okays answered back.
Yume started first. "Me and Shihoru found some guys selling plate and leather armor, and some weapons from some stores. There were a few smithies too, where you can have some armor specially forged for you if the standard ones don't fit. You'd need to pay them lots, though! And get them the materials." She listed off. Her eyes lit up as she remembered something. "Oh oh! There's also a Hunter's Guild a little ways off, too! I haven't seen it, but they told me it's in the forested area of Ortana!"
"All good info to know." Diggory nodded, crossing his arms as he leaned back on a stone chair he had found at the fire pit. "Anything you might of missed?"
"Not really." She shrugged. "There were some clothes sellers, but beyond that, I don't really think so."
"U-um..." Shihoru blushed as everyone looked towards her, curling in on herself a bit more. "There was a potion seller there, too."
"Oh? That's quite a find." Manato gave her a gentle smile, making her face that much redder while Yume's perking up remained unnoticed. "Did they say what kind of potions they were selling?"
"T-they said something about health potions and antidotes." She stuttered. "I didn't really stay around that long to listen. She kind of creeped me out... Didn't want to be alone..."
"That's fine. Don't worry about it." Manato placated. "We'll go there together another time, okay?"
She gave him a shy nod, but as she was about to speak, someone else beat her to it.
"Health potions and antidotes? Yume can't believe she missed that!" Said person smacked herself on the forehead, all the while giving the purple haired girl a look of thanks. "Great job finding that, Shihoru-chan!"
"That was a good catch." Diggory complimented politely, nodding towards her. "Well done. It'll come in handy later on when were properly geared up."
Their kind words only worked to make her face light up almost as bright as one of those braziers. She looked down at the ground, those around her chuckling while she was giving a few barely heard mumbles.
Manato was kind enough to get the attention off her and them back on track. "So, does anyone else have something to share? Anything is useful."
Diggory decided to just spill what he had now to save time. "I found a bar filled with what appeared to be other Volunteer Soldiers. Didn't go in there, but I think it'd be useful for both relaxing and gathering information."
"That's good!" The kindly boy nodded, pushing him to continue.
"Along with that, I also encountered a bank of some sort. It looks to be meant to deal with coins, though it might do more than that. I couldn't say, I didn't actually enter the building." He shrugged before he kept on going. "Lastly, I asked around, and personally located the Warrior's Guild. It's close by the southern entrance that we came in from."
"Oh! Oh! I'll be the Warrior!" Ranta had, big surprise, vetoed to become the front-liner before they even had the chance to discuss it. "I am the king of combat! Enemies cower when I walk on the field!"
"That's nice, Ranta. Good for you." Diggory gently ruffled his hair, laughing as he grunted and moved out of his grip. "Though I'd hold off on choosing our roles until we finish giving our information, okay?"
The red-headed boy gave only a grunt in response, much to his, and likely the others amusement.
"Beyond some hearsay about a Paladin Guild,I'm afraid that's pretty much all I got. I'll admit, I became a little twitchy at the number of stares I was getting when I was looking around." Diggory stated with slight embarrassment. "We'll need to get some of the clothing around here to better blend in when we can."
"That's a great idea, Dee." Manato nodded in agreement.
"I... Couldn't find anything." Haruhiro sighed. "Sorry."
"Really, man?" Ranta scoffed, earning a glare or two from those present. "Some help you are."
"To be honest, I can't say I blame him." Diggory defended him offhandedly. "My own mind's been all over the place, too; what with everything that's happened."
"True. Between waking up without our memories and becoming soldiers with little choice in the matter over the last few hours, it will take some time for us to get our legs under us." Their mediator affirmed his point. "You can't expect everyone to be on top of things in only a few hours." Manato looked towards his sleepy-eyed companion. "Just take your time, Haru. No need to rush headlong into things right now."
He gave an appreciative nod in response, but still look a bit dejected despite. Wasn't much any of them could do about that. Though it was good that he wanted to be helpful.
Surprisingly enough, it was Manato who offered the most info than any of them. Having deduced the locations for the Priest's Guild, Mage's Guild, Thief's Guild, and another guild filled with what was known as Dread Knights. Whatever the heck they were.
Almost immediately after hearing that last one, Ranta went from bored to interested in less than a second. Quickly changing his mind and saying he'd be a Dread Knight instead; talking about how he inflicts terrors in all his foes an- yada yada yada.
The guy could go on, couldn't he?
"Alright, so how about the rest of you?" Diggory asked after offloading all that info. He rolled his eyes, gesturing with his head toward the rowdy redhead. "Ranta clearly has his priorities in order-"
"Damn right!"
"-So what about you? What jobs do you guys and gals want to go for?"
"Oh! Oh!" Yume raised her hand like an energetic child. "Yume wants to be a Hunter!"
Diggory snorted in amusement, cracking a small smile. "Dare I ask the reason why?"
She giggled. "Well, Hunters usually have animal companions, right?"
Ah. Animal lover. He could understand.
"I kind of want to be a Mage." Shihoru somehow managed to both ask and state, before adding quickly in a quiet voice "If that's alright."
She sagged in relief at everyone smiling and nodding or shrugging.
Haru, after a fair bit of consideration on his part, decided to try his hand at being a Thief. Thinking he could actually be a bit more useful there. Believing he was a bit too wiry to be a Warrior.
Manato looked to Diggory. "I'm sorry for asking, but could you-?"
"You want me to be a Warrior?" He took a guess, grinning when he nodded. "Do I really look that imposing? I can't exactly see myself that well, so..."
"A little, I'll admit." The man chuckled. "I'll be trying for Priest."
"Hopefully we won't be too limited in these jobs, though." Diggory got a few raised eyebrows. "I'm mostly referring to us not being from around here. Considering the looks we've been treated to since we got here, I'm just hoping we don't get held back because of it."
"That shouldn't be a problem, I think. By the looks of it, they need everyone they can get. Especially if we consider..."
Their would-be priest petered out, not wanting to say it.
"You mean the graves?" Diggory stated. His bluntness making Manato and a couple others wince. "Sorry. I don't mean to unsettle you all. It's just... As much as I'd like to keep quiet on that, we're going to have to acknowledge and face the reality of the situation. It's that, or one of us gets hurt. Or god forbid, killed."
The group went deathly quiet at his statement, and Diggory watched as each and every one of them came out from their daydreams and back to the real world. They all looked away, clearly unsettled. Even Ranta, with his apparent stubborn, bullheaded personality, started at the ground silently. His expression grim, and mouth set in a thin line.
He certainly didn't want to say it to them. Likely, considering their reactions, none of them, including himself had ever killed or seen someone be killed wherever they once lived. And really, he didn't truly wish to upset their little group by forcing them to see the reality of the situation. But... the consequences of not doing so were a very real likelihood. And he didn't want to see any of them die.
He'd only known them for a few hours at most. They were virtual strangers to him in every respect, as he was to them. But even still, they had managed to grow on him a little despite that. Maybe it was the terrifying thought of being alone here, or the fear of death that bound the six of them together. He couldn't say. But enough time had gone by that he wanted to at least try and protect them if he could.
Maybe that's who he once was back then? His ability to restrain a hostile without injuring them, followed almost immediately by him deciding to work with the weaker group instead of the group that had a higher chance of survival? It was caused, if his feelings at the time were accurate, by their reactions of worry and dread, or more worryingly; him subconsciously recognizing that they could have been left to die if he didn't. More and more time passed, and it became more prominent to him how much he cared for life.
He couldn't say he disliked it.
The sound of Manato clapping his hands brought them out of their mood, instead focusing their attention on him instead.
"You make a fair point, Dee. As much as we're trying to ignore it, we do need to face facts." Manato agreed, though his expression was mixed at best. "But don't let the thought consume you. Embrace that it's there, but reject its control. We are all still here. We are alive! If we are careful, and take some steps, it will be nothing but an afterthought."
His words worked to spur them from their negativity. Slowly, over the course of several seconds, the two of them watched as their visage shifted from their depressed states, and into ones of determination.
"Yeah, come on, man! You're such a downer!" Ranta suddenly shouted, poking him in the shoulder. Diggory put a hand to his now shocked ear as he went straight back to boasting. "I'll carve away at anything that gets in our way!"
"Yes, yes. You're a master of fighting. I think we get the point." He chuckled wryly. "Apologies for bringing down the mood. I still felt like I needed to say it, considering where we are."
"It's alright! Yume totally understands!" The perky girl responded, wrapping her arms around the currently flustered, lavender-haired girl.
"We'd kind of need to face that eventually, anyway." Haruhiro shrugged. "Best to get it out of the way now."
"Thank you." He bowed his head for a moment. He froze midway back up when a thought crossed his mind. "...Huh. Totally forgot about that."
"Mm? Forgot about what?"
Without a word, he reached into his jacket, pulling out the large bag Brittany had given him earlier. All the while looking at it with curiosity.
"That looks bigger than the ones we were given." Manato stated as he walked closer, giving the bag a similar face.
"You'd be right." Diggory confirmed. "This happened after you left, but Brittany gave me a second bag. Said to 'consider it a welcoming gift'. Haven't had the chance to open it. And with everything that's been happening, its kind of slipped my mind."
"Oh!" Ranta lunged for it, comically reaching out to grab it. Landing on his legs stomach first when Diggory held his arm away from the boy. "C'mon and open it! Let's see what you got!"
"I would be, but I can't help but find my lap currently occupied by a precocious child right now!" He snarked, gently prying him off his body. Grinning when the boy proved his point as he crossed his arms and started pouting as he began opening opening the bag.
And started gawking.
For what felt like a few minutes.
So were the others, for that matter.
How couldn't they? Including what he was given for joining, he had gotten forty silvers! Enough to get two of their number the real tags right off the bat! The bag was fit to burst with what it contained!
"Holy shit!" He voiced everyone's opinions.