Tales of Xalthia
Chapter 8: Silver Steed
The following day, Tsuki and Lynette joined up with Phi and some of the knights as they pulled a cart with them that had items found at the excavation. Hitching a ride with Phi and the knights was Nagi at Tsukis' request since they were going straight for Eresseas after they part ways. He wanted her to get a proper examination and start treatment as soon as possible. They had left Georg behind to stay in charge of things at Prophet Castle and started down the mountain using the actual designated path as the sun rose. With no storm to make things difficult and not having to trek to the wilderness, they were able to get down the mountain and back down to the Plains in about an hour.
They soon emerged out from the forest pathway and stepped back out into the vast, open grassy plain. Nagi, who was riding in the cart with the stuff from the excavation, had big, wide eyes as she saw the open fields. It had been so long since she's been able to be this close to them. She had always been looking down at them from the small window slits of the castles' underground. They used to be so far away from her but now she was able to see and feel it for the first time since she was captured.
Nagi took in a deep breath and let it all out as she smelled the fresh air. It had a different, more soothing and calming scent than the mountain did. "It's been so long since I breathed this air..." she said. She knew that she was free but this helped to further confirm that.
Tsuki walked up to Phi, holding his hand out to her. "Thank you for letting her come with. I'm sorry to push her onto you like this but I wanted her to be somewhere safe" he said. Even though Georg would oversee matters at Prophet Castle for some time, he didn't want her to be in that area any longer. She needed to be relocated somewhere else where there are no bad memories.
Phi reached out and grabbed his hand and shook it, giving him a slight smile with a nod. "Well, there's no harm in having her come with. Just know that you owe me twice now" she said in a playful manner. Obviously, she wasn't serious about it. She gives him a hard time and although she would never admit to it, the two of them have a pretty close and strong bond.
Tsuki chuckled a bit with a slight nervous sweat. "I'll treat you to something when I return" he said. He then walked over to the cart and looked up at Nagi. "I'm sorry we have to go separate ways so soon. The royal family will take good care of you so I know you'll be in good hands" he said.
Nagi looked at Tsuki and nodded. She was in a much more cheery mood. She was cleaned up and wearing a knight's apprentice armor set which was basically just chainmail armor. It was a lot better than wearing the torn, ragged clothes plus it would offer her better protection if they got attacked. "Just come back safe. You still owe me an explanation about everything that's happened" she said. They spent time talking the previous night but they never got into filling her in on the events that have happened since she was captured. She was more than willing to wait a while longer.
Tsuki smiled at her, nodding. "Don't worry. You'll have it soon. You just focus on getting better" he said. He wanted her to go back to the person she used to be. She has been putting on a tough face since reuniting with him but he could see that it was all a facade.
Nagi nodded at him with a gentle smile. "I'll do my best" she said. She survived her ordeal and wasn't actually alone anymore. Now that she knows that Tsuki and, possibly, Elize are alive, she wants to live. She could also honor Meghans' final wish by grabbing her own freedom.
Phi looked back at the knights and waved. "It's time we get a move on. We got a long way to go until we reach Eresseas. Let's move out, people!" she said. She stood off to the side as the knights started to travel down the dirt road with Eresseas off to the Southwest. She gave one final look to Tsuki. "'l'll be sure to inform Her Highness that you're doing well. She's worried about you so try not to do anything reckless to cause the princess any more worry" she said. She was sure that Cheria had been kept up to date on Tsukis' travels so she would have no doubt been worried sick when she had heard that he was going up against Draxus.
Tsuki had a nervous laugh as he could feel that her look felt like daggers going through him. She did have a point so there was nothing he could really say in his own defense. "I'll be sure to play it safe" he said.
Phi sighed, looking over to Lynette. "I'm counting on you to keep this guy safe. I'm sorry for the burden" she said.
Lynette waved her hands out in front of her, shaking her head. "N-no, it's no burden at all but I'll do my best" she said.
Phi nodded at both of them then turned around and followed along the dirt road as she went to catch up with the other knights. Tsuki and Lynette stood there at the dirt road intersection and watched them as they walked off for a minute or two. Once they were far from view, they looked at each other and both had collective sighs.
Tsuki scratched the back of his head and cleared his throat. "Well, I think it's about time we continue on our way. Shouldn't be much longer now" he said.
Lynette laughed a bit nervously with a nervous sweat. "Hopefully, we won't have anymore diversions" she said. There wasn't much else between them and Briswater but with how Tsukis' mission has been going so far with him being tied to Crescentia for a few days and then the events at Prophet Castle, she wasn't all that confident on that front.
For the rest of their travels to Briswater, nothing else really exciting happened to them. They went back to fighting off common monsters and not much else. They only had about another half days' worth of walking from where they were at to reach the forests surrounding Briswater so they pushed onwards. Then, just as the afternoon was starting, they finally arrived at the forests. Compared to the forest in the mountains, this place had an entirely different feel to it. Thre wasn't a heavy, dark presence or dread in the air. In fact, the forest felt somewhat peaceful. Briswater was a river city located in the center of the forest. The forest of trees and brush encircled the city like one big donut. Much of the forest was protected land and maintained by the mages of Briswater. Tsuki and Lynette found themselves just on the outskirts of the southern side, standing on the dirt path leading into the forest.
Lynette took a few steps forward into the forest and looked around a bit before closing her eyes to feel the Aer in the area. After what happened with the forests around the mountains, she wanted to be sure that there were no surprises waiting for them. "Hmm...well, the good news is that there doesn't seem to be anything wrong around here" she said. She didn't feel as on edge as she was before. It was safe to assume that there wasn't anything particularly threatening in the area as of right now. That was calming to her but the range of how far she could feel for the surrounding Aer is rather limited. That calm feeling could change at a moments' notice.
Tsuki nodded. "Thankfully, it shouldn't take us too long to reach Briswater from here if we follow the pathway. We'll still need to keep our guards up but I think we can relax for a bit" he said. He looked down the pathway as it stretched into the forest and he couldn't help but recall Georgs' warning as to not stray from the path. He was curious about this monster that not even he could defeat but at the same time, he wasn't sure if it was something he would want to fight. He hopes that they won't run into whatever this monster was.
Lynette tilted her head, looking back at Tsuki. "This road should take us straight to Briswater, right? How much longer do you think it will be?" she asked. She was looking forward to their arrival. Not only was it going to be her first time seeing Briswater but she could finally properly bathe, get a good meal to eat and sleep in a nice, warm bed.
Tsuki looked down the road that was in front of them. "Hmm...I'd say maybe another hour or so, assuming everything goes smoothly for us" he said. He then walked up to Lynette. "Standing around here won't get us there any faster. Let's head on in" he said.
They now had had to make their way through the thick, dense forest to reach their destination. The entire area of Briswater, including the forest, was full with life. Since the forest is pretty well maintained, it could be considered as an established national park. Due to the conflicts that took place centuries in the past, you could still find old relics and bits of remains from old buildings that were retaken by nature. Although the forest was maintained by Briswater, much of the forest still remains relatively unexplored.
The two of them followed the path into the forest and things were relatively peaceful. They had a few minor skirmishes with the local monsters as they walked but that was a traditional thing to expect on their travels at this point. The fact that there were still smaller monsters and animals in the area as they walked meant that nothing larger and more threatening was around. The walk through the forest actually felt almost soothing and relaxing as they were surrounded by an abundance of nature. They didn't see any of the old remains of whatever used to be in the area though. As they walked peacefully, the two of them talked amongst themselves. Tsuki would tell her what he knew about Briswater and the surrounding area to help get her acquainted with it beforehand to which only made her more excited.
After walking along the road for about 30 minutes with relative peace, they were convinced that they were going to be in the clear for the rest of the way. Such lofty thoughts though were soon about to crushed, however. The road in front of them would soon split off into two directions, each marked by a sign. One road would lead to Briswater while the other led to a nearby small lake. As they got closer to the intersection, they felt a change in the air which made them come to a stop.
Lynette smelled the air and was put on alert. "Hey, do you smell that?" she asked.
Tsuki could recognize that smell from anywhere. "Blood...and smoke" he said. He then looked around and noticed that the sounds of animals and smaller monsters that they have been hearing had gone totally silent. "Lyn, do you feel anything?" he asked.
Lynette closed her eyes and started to appraise the Aer in the surrounding area. She definitely felt a change but what she felt was strange. "I feel...something. It's almost like it's two opposing forces, each pretty powerful. Let me try to enhance it" she said. She fell silent as her body started to let off a pulsating glow with a magic circle forming under her feet. She stayed in this meditative state for another minute or two. "Two powers...one is light while the other..." she said. Moments later, the glow would disappear along with the magic circle. She then looked up at Tsuki with a concerned look on her face. "It's that vile darkness again. The same kind from Prophet Castle. Only this time, it's much stronger" she said.
Just then, they heard movement coming through the brush ahead of them. This put both of them on full alert as Tsuki held his hand over the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it. They stood still and waited for whatever was moving to come out from the brush. Then, out from the brush, a soldier carrying what appeared to be a wounded mage came out from the brush. The soldier was wearing a standard-issue grey and red military uniform that officials from Briswater wore. He appeared to be wounded himself as blood could be seen coming down his left arm and the side of his head. Tsuki and Lynette immediately rushed over to them as the soldier seemed to put the wounded mage down on the ground with their back up agaisnt a tree.
Tsuki ran up to them, full sprint. Deep down, he had expected something like this would happen. "Hey, are you two alright!?" he shouted.
The soldier heard his voice shout out from behind him and looked behind him, seeing Tsuki and Lynette approach them. Naturally, being an official from Briswater, he recognized Tsukis' armor. "The Royal Eight? Oh thank god you're here" he said.
Lynette ran up beside the two that were wounded. The mage was in worse shape so they were her priority. "Looks like he took a pretty good hit to the head and his side" she said. The wounds weren't life threatening but it would appear that the mage had already lost quite a bit of blood so she needed to act quick. She held both her hands out and held them over the wounded mage as her eyes started to glow with intensity as a magic circle appeared under her. Her body would soon start to have an outlining glow that would soon be transferred over to the wounded mage as she started to heal them.
Tsuki looked towards the soldier. While Lynette was tending to the mage, he would find out what was going on. "What happened here?" he asked.
The soldier was mesmerized by Lynette and her ability to use Healing Artes. He soon turned his head to look at Tsuki. "R-right. Well, we heard reports of a suspicious individual wielding a jet-black battle axe walking around the outskirts of Briswater. Based on reports, he didn't appear to be a local so we came out here to try and locate him. We eventually located the individual and were about to question him when he suddenly attacked us" he said.
Tsuki grew more interested in his story. "Do you know who he was?" he asked.
The soldier shook his head. "No, we didn't recognize him but there was something off about him. He was strong. Immensely strong. We couldn't even get close enough to scratch him with our weapons and magic didn't seem to work against him. Not only that, but he had this strange aura around him. Like, an almost suffocating veil of dark evil" he said. The man didn't seem to be human. No one should be able to have the kind of power that he felt from him.
Tsuki looked up at Lynette. He recalled her mentioning that she felt a stronger version of the darkness that they had felt before. They both nodded at each other. Though, based on what he described, this seemed to be completely different than with the Rhybgaro, Saya and Yuno. They felt that overwhelming darkness for themselves but not to the levels that the soldier was describing.
The soldier continued on. "We were a squad of ten. Four mages and six soldiers. We were the only survivors. We would have been killed as well if not for the arrival of the Silver Knight" he said.
Tsukis' eyes widened a bit at the mention of this knight. "Wait, did you just say the Silver Knight!?" he asked.
Lynette tilted her head, listening in on them talk while keeping her focus on healing the mage. "Who's that?" she asked, trying her best to keep up with the discussion.
Tsuki didn't know a whole lot about the Silver Knight as the topic surrounding them was one of mystery and intrigue. "The Silver Knight is a mystery. Hidden beneath all that heavy, silver-plated armor was a woman that no one but the king and queen have seen. She is often considered Eresseas' trump card. She recognizes no one elses' authority but the royal family. She supposedly wields a power that has thought to have been long lost but no one really knows as she always works alone" he said. He was always curious about the Silver Knight but everytime he tried to learn more about them, someone would tell him to stop or he wouldn't find anything out. "The Silver Knight only acts on direct orders from the king and queen. The scope of what she does is different than the Royal Eight. When there's a job that needs to be done that extends beyond the scope of the Royal Eight, which happens only during extremely rare cases and circumstances, she's put in charge of it" he said
Lynette looked up at Tsuki. If what he said was true, then there must have been a very good reason for this Silver Knight to be out here in the forest. "So, if she's out here right now, then that only means that she's currently doing one of these jobs. Could it be related to the Lord of the Woods?" she asked.
Tsuki thought a moment, shaking his head a bit. "It's a possibility but I don't think that's the case. I mean, sure, the threat that it presents is definitely warranted but to deploy someone of the Silver Knights' caliber to deal with it seems excessive" he said. His thoughts turned to the purple crystals that swirled with evil power inside them. Something of that scale and how much still remains unknown to them could definitely warrant deployment of the Silver Knight. However, he couldn't say for sure. Regardless, the fact that the Silver Knight was now an active player in the field, it couldn't be anything good. "No. I think there's something else going on here that we are still unaware of. What that is, I can't even begin to imagine" he said.
After a few minutes passed, the glow around Lynette and the mage started to fade with the magic circle underneath them. The injuries on the mage had been healed. Once she was done focusing on the mage, she turned her attention to the soldier who only had minor injuries to his forehead and arm. She did some minor Healing Artes to him and after about another minute, the soldier had been healed up as well. Lynette wiped the sweat from her brow as she was a bit out of breath. "Th-there. You two should be okay now" she said. She felt her body begin to sway a bit before falling backwards.
Tsuki got down on one knee next to her and put his hand on her back to stop her from falling back and used his other hand to offer her an Orange Gel. "There you go again, overdoing it" he said.
Lynette took the Orange Gel and sighed a bit. "I'm sorry. Old habits are hard to break" she said. She put the Gel in her mouth and ate it. Within moments, she could feel a boost in her Mana. "Thanks" she said.
They soon heard the mage groaning a bit before he opened his eyes. He didn't feel in anymore pain so he thought he was dead at first. "It doesn't hurt anymore. Am I dead?" he asked.
The solder next to him shook his head. "No. You're alive. This young girl healed your wounds" he said.
The mage looked towards Lynette. "Oh, you did? Thank you so much. I appreciate it" he said.
Lynette shook her head and held her hand up to her chest. "It's a healers' duty to ease the pain of those suffering. Don't worry about it" she said. She then looked over to the soldier. "His physical injuries may have healed but he still needs to get some rest" she said.
The soldier looked at Lynette and nodded to her. "Yes, I agree" he said. He then walked up beside the mage and helped him up, putting his arm over his shoulder. "Let's get you back outpost" he said. Before leaving, he looked over to Tsuki. "Listen, I would like to ask a favor. I know it's the Silver Knight and all but I can't help but worry about her. Would you go and check up on her? I'm sure she doesn't need any back-up but better safe than sorry" he said.
Tsuki didn't think it would be worth it to provide her with assistance although it would be a good opportunity to see her in action. "Alright. Where did you see her last?" he asked.
The soldier pointed down the other road that leads towards the small lake off to the northeast. "If you follow that road, you'll reach a small lake not too far down. Once there, follow the lake along its western bank until you find a trail leading west that will lead you to the small clearing where we last saw her" he said. All the roads and trails were pretty straightforward so there was no chance of someone getting lost unless they ventured off them.
Tsuki looked towards the road leading east and nodded. "Let's not waste any time then. Do you need stilll need to rest a bit, Lyn?" he asked, looking over to her
Lynette shook her head. She was starting to feel energized again as the Orange Gel was taking its effect on her. "No, I should be fine" she said. She had to be tough; she didn't want to slow him down.
Tsuki nodded at her and stood up. He could tell she could use more rest but chose to hide it. He understands why she was doing this but he wishes that she could be more honest. He then held his hand out for her to help her stand up. "If you say so. Just try and not push yourself for my sake, okay?" he asked.
Lynette reached up, took his hand and used it to stand up. "I'll try my best" she said.
The soldier gave one last look at Tsuki and Lynette as he positioned himself in the center of the road leading west. "Again, I thank you for helping us out and indulging in me. Be careful out there" he said.
The soldier started to walk down the road, supporting the mage as he limped alongside him. The stood there and watched until they had disappeared from view and then turned and started down the opposite road towards the lake. As they walked, they couldn't help but wonder about the Silver Knight and this mysterious person that had attacked them. Based on what the soldier had said, this person didn't seem like an ordinary guy. The monsters and animals had started to come out of hiding and, as per usual, they had minor skirmishes with the local monsters.
After about 15 minutes of walking, the road they were following had opened out to a pretty big clearing. In that clearing was a lake of decent size. It wasn't too big but wasn't too small either. Off on the eastern bank was a small cottage. The water to the lake was crystal clear and you could see fish swimming around. It was a nice little getaway spot that's not too far out of the way of things. Their focus, however, was off to the west so they followed the lake around its western bank.
As they walked along the western bank, Lynette looked over at Tsuki. "Hey, I have a question. Have you ever seen the Silver Knight?" she asked.
Tsuki glanced over at her for a moment before folding his arms in front of him. "No. I've only heard about her from the stories and what people say. One of the stories is that she joined up with the knights two years before I became an official one" he said. He's always wanted to meet the Silver Knight but one can't just simply walk up to the king and queen and request an audience with them. "Like I said, she's pretty much used as an emergency deployment of sorts" he said.
Lynette tilted her head at him. "She must be pretty strong herself if she operates on these emergency deployments by herself" she said.
Tsuki shrugged, shaking his head. "I couldn't tell you. I heard her skills with a sword are pretty average but her skills with magic are almost at the levels of Saiyakas' president. That's not to say her swordsmanship skills are a weak point. While she may not be physically strong like Georg, she can apparently hold her own quite well on both fronts" he said. He wants to see what the Silver Knight is like. Who they were, how they fight, their methods and fighting style, etc.
Lynette scratched her cheek with her finger as her eyes drifted off to the side in thought. "Hmm I wonder what she's like..." she said.
The two of them continued along the lakes' western bank until they found the trail that the soldier mentioned. They turned down the trail and started to follow it further west. After several minutes of walking, they soon reached the clearing that they were told about. They saw what appeared to be the remains of a battle taking place. Some of the grass and brush had been burned away, a faint smell of smoke still lingered in the air with a few destroyed trees. They also took note of something near the center of the clearing. There were eight things that were covered by cloth which could only mean one thing.
Tsuki walked up to the covered up objects and pulled back one of the pieces of cloth, revealing a dead body underneath. "As I thought. These must be the remaining eight that the soldier had mentioned" he said.
Lynette held her right arm across her chest, holding onto her left arm as she gazed down at the bodies. "This must be the Silver Knights' doing" she said. She was feeling a bit sad that there was nothing she could do for them.
Tsuki placed the piece of cloth down and looked around the area. "Well, we found where the initial attack was but I don't see the Silver Knight or this suspicious person they encountered" he said.
Lynette closed her eyes and started another appraisal of the surrounding area. After a few moments, she shook her head. "That's strange. I don't feel anything. Even if they had gone off to fight somewhere else nearby, I should still be able to pick up some trace of them but I'm not finding anything" she said.
Tsuki folded his arms in front of him, holding his hand up to his chin. "Based on the surrounding area, it'll be hard trying to track them down as well" he said. Tracking isn't a skill set that he had. If Cheria were with them, they could possibly be able to do it since the prospect of tracking and archery come together. He scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit disappointed that he couldn't see the Silver Knight in action. Chances are, she's long gone from the area. "Well, there's nothing else we can do here" he said.
Lynette sighed softly and offered a silent prayer to the eight fallen people. After a few moments, she walked up to Tsuki. "What about the remains? We can't just leave them here" she said.
Tsuki shook his head a bit. "We'll have to leave them and notify the guards when we get to Briswater. We can't just bury them without doing the proper procedures and we obviously can't bring them with us" he said. He didn't want to leave the bodies just laying there in the open but there was nothing they could do. "All the more reason we need to-" he said.
Just then, they heard a loud crashing sound accompanied by several screams coming in the direction of the lake. Moments after that, a loud roar could be heard echoing through the trees.
Tsuki was put on full alert as he turned and faced in the direction of where they came from. "W-what was that!?" he asked.
Since Lynette was still in the appraisal process, she immediately picked up on the sudden shift of Aer. It was the same feeling of when they were face-to-face with Yuno. "Tsuki, it's that feeling from Prophet Castle again! The same feeling that Yuno was giving off!" she said.
If she was picking up on the same feeling as when they encountered Yuno, then he was able to deduce that it was the same feeling he felt with his encounter with the Rhybgaro. If that's true, then that could potentially mean only one thing. "Come on! Let's go see what's happening!" he shouted.
They both started to run back down the trail they came from and went back in the direction of the lake. Within minutes, they were back at the western bank and could see what was happening from across the lake. The cottage appeared to have been plowed through as the right side of it was completely destroyed with debris all over. They were too far away to see any people but they did see what Georg had described: a large, tough-looking monster of the Rhino family with a light blue mane and two long, point fangs sticking out from each side of its head.
Lynette pointed across the lake towards the destroyed cottage. "Tsuki, over there! Is that what I think it is!?" she asked.
Tsuki gritted his teeth a bit. "Damn. That must be the Lord of the Woods! Was it attracted by what happened over at the clearing?" he asked. It was a possibility. With the darkness that Lynette felt earlier and the disturbance back at the clearing, it would make the most sense.
Lynette looked back at Tsuki. "People could be in trouble over there! Come on!" she said. She felt her healers' urge pull her as she took off running along the bank of the lake to reach the other side.
Tsuki his his arm out as she suddenly took off without him. "H-hey! Lyn, wait!" he shouted. He immediately took off after her in full sprint.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the lake, the monster pulled its hind legs back and charged at the cottage, plowing right through it. The cottage itself would soon collapse in on itself due to the heavy damage. The Rhino stood on its hind legs and let out a loud cry that echoed across the lake as it continued to thrash around for several minutes. Under some of the wood piles not far from where the cottage used to stand was an older man laying on top of a young girl, using his body as a shield to protect her. The girl appeared to be around nine years old.
The old man, who looked to be in their sixties, was wearing a tuxedo though it was torn up because of what was happening. It was bleeding out from his forehead and could feel blood running down his back. "A-are you okay, My Lady?" he asked.
The young girl opened her eyes and took a moment for her vision to become clear. She saw how injured he was, seeing as how he used his body to protect her. Thanks to him, she only had a few cuts and scrapes. "I-I'm fine but you're hurt!" she said.
The old man gave the young girl a soft smile and kept up a brave face. He was in severe pain but he didn't want to trouble her. "I'll be fine. My Lady, you need to get...yourself to safety" he said. The pain was a little hard to bear but he needed to be strong.
The young girl shooked up at her and grabbed onto his sleeve. She was scared but she refused to leave him behind. "No, I'm not leaving you here! You're coming with me!" she said.
The old man felt the weight of the wood on top of him get heavier as he was slowly losing his strength to support himself. He could feel the strength in his right arm leaving him as he almost ended collpasing but managed to catch himself. This caused a piece of wood to slide off the pile and hit the ground which ended up catching the attention of the monster. The footsteps of the monster could be heard as it approached them for a bit before sounds of electricity crackling could be heard.
The old man glanced over in the direction of the footsteps and could see the monster out of the corner of his eye. The monster appeared to be standing still as a ball of electricity started to form between its fangs as free flowing electricity sparked. "My Lady...please, it's too dangerous...!" he said.
The young girl continued to shake her head, refusing to budge. Despite the very real and life-threatening danger that stood just several feet away from them, she didn't want to leave the old mans' side. "No...! You've protected me for all these years and now it's my turn to protect you!" she said.
She then looked towards the monster and held her arm out towards it as her eyes glowed yellow. A small magic circle formed in front of her hand and moments later, a wall of energy formed between them and the monster. Just as she did that, the monster shot out the ball of lightning towards them. The ball of lightning soon collided with the energy wall and electricity sparked violently from the collision. The girl continued to put all her might and magic in the energy wall, keeping it at bay. After about a minute, the ball of electricity exploded and the area was soon covered in smoke as the ground sparked from the lingering effects.
The glow in the girls' eyes had faded as she was coughing from the smoke. She was feeling weakened from using up most of her Mana to reinforce her energy wall. Unfortunately for her, as the smoke cleared, she could see yet another ball of electricity forming between the monsters' fangs. She tried to form her energy wall once more but didn't have enough Mana left to do so.
The old man knew that she wasn't going to be able to hold off a second barrage. "Please, My Lady! You must flee while you can!" he said.
The girl tried to move out from under him but quickly discovered that she couldn't. She quickly discovered that her right arm was trapped under the fallen pieces of wood that had piled on top of them. "I-I can't! My right arm...!" she said.
Just then, the monster let out another cry and shot off another ball of electricity at them with more strength and intensity to it. All they could do was watch as it quickly closed in on them. They both closed their eyes tightly and waited for their inevitable fates. In the nick of time, Tsuki and Lynette arrived to provide help. Lynette had taken her staff off her back, her eyes already glowing yellow with a magic circle under her feet as a dome of energy formed around the pile of wood the two were buried under. Tsuki placed himself between the dome and the incoming ball of electricity as he put up his own defensive barriers, eyes also glowing yellow as a shield of energy formed in front of him. The ball of electricity collided into the shield as sparks shot out. Tsuki felt himself being pushed back a bit from the impact. Tsuki stood his ground though as he gained some solid footing before bringing his sword up over his head as the blade glowed red.
Tsuki gathered Aer through the blade of his sword as it charged up. After several moments of maintaining his solid footing and gathering enough power, his eyes soon focused on the ball of lightning. "Crescent Divider!" he shouted.
He quickly swung his sword down with a vertical slash, releasing a crescent-shaped blast that shot out from the swing. The crescent-shaped blast soon collided with the ball of electricity and after a brief clash, it sliced through it, splitting the ball in half and making it explode which blew Tsuki back a bit as his feet skidded against the ground. The crescent-shaped blast continued on towards the Rhino and collided into it, causing it to let out a cry of pain.
Tsuki took a moment to catch his breath. He saw that he had hurt the monster but he knew that the fight wasn't even close to being done. "Tough bastard, isn't he?" he asked.
Lynette approached the dome that she had formed over the wood pile as it soon faded. She looked towards Tsuki for a moment. "You okay over there!?" she shouted.
Tsuki glanced back over to Lynette and nodded. "I'm fine! Get those two to safety! I'll keep its focus on me!" he said. He then turned his focus back on the Rhino was was stomping at the ground, getting ready for its next attack.
He moved out of the way of the cottage with his back towards the trees as the Rhino had its full attention on him. Moments later, the Rhino swept its hind legs back and charged at him with its fangs sticking outwards. Tsuki was not going to be able to block the charge so he quickly lept to his right to avoid it. The Rhino rammed through the trees behind them, easily toppling them. While the Rhino was facing away from him, Tsuki charged up power in his blade once more and shot off another crescent-shaped blast at it. He watched it collide into the monster as it thrashed around for a bit. The blast appeared to be hurting it but it still wasn't fazing it all that much.
The monster turned around and faced Tsuki once more. This time, instead of charging at him again, it started to generate electricity sparking between its fangs. After a few moments, the monster shot off several bolts of lightning at him. Tsuki dodged the bolts coming at him and used his defensive abilities to block one of them when he realized he wouldn't be able to dodge it. Again, he shot another crescent-shaped blast at it but this time, the Rhino avoided it by jumping off to the side. After that, the Rhino charged at him once more, toppling several more trees in its path. Tsuki was preparing to dodge the charge once more but then he noticed that as it was charging at him, it was also generating lightning again between its horns.
Tsuki had been analyzing the monster and he was surprised by its intelligence. It wasn't just an ordinary monster. "This monster...I've never seen a Rhino this intelligent let alone being able to generate lightning the way it does. What is this thing!?" he asked
As the Rhino closed in on him with its charge, it shot off a couple bolts of lightning at him. Tsuki dodged the bolts while making sure to keep his focus on the charging Rhino. As it drew closer with its charge, he narrowly managed to dodge it but ended up getting winged by its horn on his left arm as he lept to his right. The Rhino quickly turned itself around after the charge, still generating lightning between its fangs as it shot off another bolt of lightning at him. Not having enough time to dodge the bolt, he put up us defensive abilities once more, forming a wall in front of him as it collided with it. Sparks shot out in all directions from the collision for a few moments before the bolt faded away.
Meanwhile, as Tsuki fought the Rhino and kept its attention, Lynette was focused on removing the piles of wood and other debris off the old man and young girl that were buried. It took her a few minutes for her to remove them by herself but she managed to remove enough of them for the old man and young girl pull themselves out.
The old man climbed out from within the pile and pulled himself up to one knee. "Th-thank you so much, young Miss" he said. He could still feel the intense pain throughout his body. Being of old age didn't help him either
Lynette held her hands out as her eyes started to glow. Both of their bodies were shrouded with light as she started to perform some mid-tier Healing Artes on the old man due to the extent of his injuries. "Don't worry about it. We're here to help. Can you tell me what happened here?" she asked.
The old man looked towards the Rhino. "It happened so suddenly. We were gathering supplies from the shack when we heard a loud cry coming from the forest. Moments later, there were sounds of trees being toppled over and before we knew it, the shack was clipped by one of its horns, causing it to collapse on top of us" he said. The attack was so sudden and came out of nowhere. It didn't make sense why it would attack for no reason.
Lynette listened to his story as she couldn't help but recall was Georg told them. He had mentioned that the monster would attack anything and everything unprovoked. They've fought a lot of monsters, some of them of the Rhino family, and none of them have been this aggressive. "I would understand if its territory was threatened but that doesn't seem to be the case. Looks like what we heard about the Lord of the Woods was true, after all" she said.
The young girls' eyes widened a bit when she called the monster by its name. "Wait, that's the Lord of the Woods?" she asked, looking in the direction of the Rhino.
The old man and young girl looked on, watching the Rhino fight against Tsuki. The fight from their eyes seemed completely one-sided. The Rhino didn't even look like it was going to get tired anytime soon and they could see that Tsuki was starting to struggle against it. It was a monster of renown strength that even Georg couldn't bring down so it was, by far, the toughest fight Tsuki has had.
The old man took notice of Tsukis' struggles and growing fatigue. "That boys' armor...is he of the Royal Eight, by any chance?" he asked.
Lynette nodded at him. "Yes. He's here on a mission and heard that there was trouble in the area so he decided to investigate it" she said. After another minute, she had finished up healing the old man and moved her focus to the young girl and performed minor Healing Arts on her since she wasn't all that hurt. It didn't take her very long to heal her injuries. Soon, they were both fully healed and Lynette was feeling a little drained by all the healing. She was still feeling the effects from before with the wounded mage as the effects of Orange Gels are simply small boosts to ones' depleted Mana reserves. "There. How are you both feeling?" she said. Needing to be in better shape herself to help Tsuki, she reached into her bag and pulled out an Orange Gel and consumed it.
The old man felt that his pain was pretty much gone though it still hurt a bit to make any quick movements as he slowly stood up. "Tha pain is manageable but I feel much better. Thank you so much for your help" he said. He soon gave her a slight bow.
The young girl followed suit, bowing to Lynette. "Yes, thank you! We owe you one" she said.
Lynette was a bit flustered when both of them bowed at her. Now that they were able to stand up, she was able to get a better look at them. The old man was wearing an expensive-looking tuxedo that was torn up beyond repair and the girl was wearing a dress that looked just as expensive, if not more. By appearances, the old man had all the definitions of a butler which meant that he was in the service of the girl. She looked to be the daughter of some rich family. That only made her feel more flustered and awkward. "P-please, it's no big deal, really! It's all part of a healers' job, after all" she said.
Just then, she heard a loud crashing sound coming in the direction of the Rhino and Tsuki. It caused the ground to shake a bit, making them feel slightly off-balance. She looked over in the direction of them and saw that the fight was growing pretty intense and could easily notice that Tsuki was really struggling. He had been on the defensive for most of the fight and was only able to attack from a distance with his ranged Artes. Physical hits wouldn't do anything against the Rhino due to its adamantite shell, according to Georg.
Lynette looked back towards the old man and young girl. "Listen, it's not safe here. You guys should quickly return to Briswater as fast as you can!" she said. She grabbed her staff and prepared to go out and assist Tsuki.
Before she could walk away, the young girl reached out and grabbed onto her skirt, pulling back on it gently. "But what about you guys?" she asked. She was worried for their safety after seeing the raw power and strength of the Rhino.
Lynette got down on one knee and placed her hand on top of the girls' head. She gave her a slight pat on the head with a soft smile to help reassure her. "We'll be fine. We've been in tougher situations than this before" she said. That was an obvious lie. The only other situation that was on this level of danger was back at Prophet Castle when they confronted Draxus but that was quickly relieved when reinforcements came. They had no reinforcements coming for them this time. However, she didn't want the girl to be concerned over them. Their safety was top priority.
The girl looked up at Lynette, releasing her skirt and holding her arm up towards her with her pinky out. "Promise me you'll make it out safely" she said. She didn't know them but that didn't matter to her. They both saved them so to her, they weren't strangers but their saviors.
Lynette continued to smile at the girl and wrapped her pinky around hers and shook it. "I promise. We'll be back in Briswater before you know it" she said. She stared at the girl for a few more moments before pulling her hand away and standing back up. "Now, get going and don't look back" she said.
She then took off running towards Tsuki. The young girl was hesitant to leave but the old man soon got her to move. They soon took off running down the road leading away from the lake towards the intersection Tsuki and Lynette were at earlier. Lynette rejoined Tsuki in his fight as she ran up beside him. Tsuki was breathing heavily and getting tired.
Lynette quickly started to apply some minor Healing Artes on him. "Are you okay?" she asked. He had several minor cuts along his arms and face. Some of his armor plating along his left side and had been torn off as well. It was the first time she saw Tsuki struggle so much.
Tsuki felt himself starting to falter. He had been on the defensive for most of the fight and it seems that the monster was growing more aware as he was having trouble landing hits now with his ranged attacks. "This thing...I can see why Georg couldn't bring it down. It's smart...almost too smart. It adapts to its situation and environment and uses them to its advantage. It may look like one but this is no Rhino" he said. With as many times as he has managed to get close to it, he couldn't find any sign or glimpse of a crystal attached to it like the Rhybgaro. "How were those two?" he asked.
Lynette finished healing Tsuki as she nodded, putting her attention on the monster. "They're fine. I healed them and sent them back to Briswater" she said. She started a quick appraisal of the monster and noticed unstable balance shifts of Aer within it. Unfortunately, she couldn't find where the cause was. "Well, whatever this thing is, I can definitely feel corruption with its Aer. If we can eliminate the source, we should be able to calm it down" she said.
Tsuki had long since came to that same conclusion. The Rhino, or whatever this monster was, had the same characteristics that the Rhybgaro had displayed. "The only problem is finding the source" he said.
Lynettes' eyes started to glow once more as two magic circles appeared side-by-side behind her, holding her staff out with it pointing towards the monster. "I'll try to restrain it as best as I can while you search for the source. It's got to be somewhere on its body" she said.
Tsuki started to charge up power in the blade of his sword once more as he prepared himself. "Sounds like a plan. Let's do it!" he said.
Tsuki swung his sword forward in a vertical motion and released another crescent-shaped blast at the monster. The monster effortlessly dodged the attack and prepared to charge at them. However, before it had the chance, multiple chains of light shot out from the magic circles behind Lynette and shot towards it. The chains quickly wrapped around the Rhinos' legs and body tightly, plunging into the ground and served as anchors to bind it in place. The Rhino thrashed around wildly to try and break free from its bindings. Lynette could feel the strain of it almost immediately.
Lynette put all of her energy and effort into reinforcing the chains to keep the Rhino bound. She was able to maintain the binding chains but she wasn't going to be able to keep it held down forever. "Tsuki...make it quick...!" she shouted with a srained voice.
Tsuki carefully approached the Rhino. He looked over its shell and through its mane but couldn't find anything that resembled a crystal or any smiliar-looking object like they've encountered thus far. "There's nothing...? No, there has to be something. Where is...?" he asked.
The Rhino thrasted around more violently and wildly as the chains of light were put under intense strain. Lynette was starting to struggle to maintain them as she was starting to lost her grip on them. "I can't...hold it much longer...! Hurry up!" she shouted.
Tsukis' gaze shifted towards the monsters' left fang where he saw something strange. There was a faint dark glow coming from near its tip. He went over beside the fang and ran his hand across it. There wasn't any type of visible crystal or object but he could feel the same type of darkness coming from within it. "Wait, it's fang! That must be it...!" he shouted.
Tsuki lifted his sword up over his head. Since the fangs aren't made of adamantite, with enough power applied, he should be able to cut through it and cut the portion of the fang off where the corruption was coming from. The blade of his sword started to glow red and soon brought it down with force from over his head when suddenly, the chains that were binding the Rhino started to break. Moments later, the Rhino made a single violent thrash and shattered the chains completely. Tsuki was caught off-guard as he was already in mid-swing and didn't have time to react when the fangs started to generate lightning once more as it suddenly turned around. The blade of his sword ended up clashing against the Rhinos' adamantite outer shell and due to the amount of force he brought it down, the blade of his sword snapped like a twig. The Rhino brought its hind legs up once it had turned around and after being knocked off-balance from having his sword broken, Tsuki had no time to react and ended up being kicked with force that propelled him back and crashing up against a nearby tree.
Lynette stumbled back from having the chains shatter and heard iron clashing against a hard surface. She looked towards Tsuki and saw the blade of his sword break off and launch into the forest before watching Tsuki being kicked back against a tree. "Tsuki!" she shouted.
Before she could help him out, the Rhino looked towards her as it generated lightning between its fangs and quickly shot off a ball of lightning at her. Her eyes started to glow yellow as a dome of energy formed around her. The ball of lightning soon collided against the dome but unfortunately, she was feeling pretty drained already. The dome absorbed most of its power but wasn't able to hold it all back. The ball of lightning exploded along with the dome as smoke and sparks of lightning filled the air around her.
After about a minute, the smoke cleared up. The ground sparked from the electricity with Lynette laying on her side on the ground as her body sparked with her surroundings. She was in slight pain and tried to move but every time she did, she would feel the sparks of electricity throughout her entire body. "I...I can't move..." she said. She then recalled Georg telling them to avoid its lightning attacks at all costs. If they got hit by them, they would wind up possibly being paralyzed by them.
All she could do was look up towards the Rhino as it continued to generate sparks of lightning from its fangs. Its attention shifted over from Lynette to Tsuki, who managed to regain his ground. He managed to stand back up for a moment as he held onto his broken sword. They both knew that they were in a very dangerous situation and if nothing was done, they were both going to be killed. They were up against something that far outclassed them.
Tsuki tried to stand his ground as he stared down the Rhino. Unfortunately, he was out of options. With a broken sword, not only was he unable to defend himself, he was also unable to attack. He glanced over at Lynette, who had gotten hit by its lightning attack and appeared to be feeling the effects of its paralysis, making her unable to provide him with any healing or assistance. He took a few steps forward before falling down to one knee, dropping his broken sword on the ground. He felt electricity spark in his left leg. Apparently, before he had gotten kicked, the lightning generated from its fangs had clipped his leg and ended up paralyzing it. "D-Damn it. This isn't looking too good..." he said.
All he could do was watch as the Rhino stared down at him with electricity sparking between its fangs. There was silence that filled the air for a moment before the Rhino let out a loud cry. Moments later, another ball of lightning formed between its fangs and grew in strength and intensity. Not being able to defend himself or dodge, he was a sitting duck.
Tsuki tried to force himself to move but his left leg wasn't responding because the paralysis had taken its full effect. "Shit...!" he said.
The Rhino took aim at Tsuki and was just about to launch the ball of lightning at him when suddenly, someone came jumping down from a nearby tree, wielding a broadsword. In a single, effortless swing, they managed managed to slice through the tip of the left fang. The person quickly grabbed the fang and jumped back towards Tsuki. The person put up a wall of energy that circled around them and moments later, the ball of lightning exploded right in front of the Rhino as it let out a loud cry of pain from having its fang sliced off and being hit by its own attack, filling the area in a large cloud of smoke.
After the smoke disappeared a few minutes later, they could see that the Rhino was lying on the ground, paralyzed by its own attack. Moreover than that, it appeared to have significantly calmed down as you could almost see it sigh with major relief. It appeared to be completely worn out and drained of its energy. It was just like with the Rhybgaro; upon eliminating the source of what was corrupting its Aer and manipulating it, it almost immediately calmed down and collapsed.
Tsuki watched at the person that came out of nowhere subdued the Rhino with extreme ease. It didn't take him long to realize why as the person that was standing before him as dressed in shiny, silver armor from head to toe. "You're...the Silver Knight!" he said.
The person standing before him looked back at him. They examined the armor that Tsuki was wearing and recognized it immediately. Then, a young womans' voice started to speak through the helmet. Due to the helmet they were wearing, no facial features could be identified. "The Royal Eight? What brings you all the way out here?" she asked.
Tsuki was almost awe-struck at the sight of the Silver Knight. He almost forgot to respond to her. "I'm on a mission to Basilwell to investigate some unknown cargo that may be linked to the deaths of high-ranking officials. Because of Briswater taking over the investigation due to the death of Saiyakas' president, I'm forced to meet up with General Maxwell in Briswater. Upon arrival here, we heard that there was trouble in the area and came to investigate" he said.
The knight appeared to be in thought as she put her greatsword on her back. "And so you picked a fight with a monster that was out of your league. I can't tell if you're brave or reckless" she said. She then walked over to the Rhino that was laying on the ground, peacefully.
Tsuki could feel the effects of the paralysis start to wear off after about another minute or two. Afterwards, he was able to stand back up and walk towards the Silver Knight and the Rhino, leaving his broken sword behind as it was useless to him now. As he approached them, he could see the Silver Knight running her hand across its head gently.
The knight gently ran her hand through the Rhinos' mane in a soothing, calming way as she kneeled down next to it. "I'm sorry I had to be rough with you but you were causing too much trouble. Don't worry, your fang will grow back in time" she said. She then took the broken piece of fang she sliced off and examined it. She could feel a pulsating darkness from within it "I'm not sure how you managed to absorb this but this will give me a chance to properly examine these things" she said. The monster would soon look at the Silver Knight with soft eyes as it rubbed against her hand.
Tsuki overheard what she said to the Rhino. It was like when someone talks to their household pet. "You know what this...thing is, don't you? I take it you're also familiar with the strange crystals that I've been encountering recently" he said.
The knight nodded. "You can call this my loyal steed or sorts. Her name is Fenrir" she said. She took the fang and stuffed it away in her bag.
Tsuki scratched the back of his head. It was clear to him that there was some sort of bond between the Silver Knight and the Rhino. "Loyal steed? If this mon-I mean, Fenrir is your loyal steed, couldn't you keep it under control? he asked.
The knight shook her head. "Regrettably, no. You mentioned something about crystals. The ones that seem to have an evil dark energy inside them that almost feels alive? Somehow, she managed to absorb one which caused her to go berserk and ran off on her own. I have been trying to track her down and pinpoint where the absorbed energy was" she said. She continued to give gentle strokes to the Rhino as it became completely calm and almost harmless now.
Tsuki couldn't believe the sight he was seeing. The frenzied Rhino that he had been fighting with that almost killed them became something completely different. It was clear that it was freed from whatever was manipulating it. As Tsuki watched the knight and Rhino, he heard several pairs of footsteps come up behind him. He looked back and saw Lynette running over to him along with a medium sized squad of 15 soldiers. Seeing the Rhino put the soldiers on alert as some drew their weapons when they got close.
The knight stood up and approached the soldiers. "Please, sheath your swords. My steed is no longer a threat to you. I have eliminated the source of its corruption" she said. She took out the fang and held it out to the soldier wearing a captains' uniform. "Take this with you back to Saiyaka and have it examined but tell them to be careful with it" she said.
The captain of the soldiers looked at the Silver Knight and then over to the Rhino. He could sense no ill intent or violent behavior coming from the Rhino but he definitely felt something when he took the fang from her. He could tell immediately that this was the cause of all that's been happening. The Rhino was just an unfortunte victim. He held the fang close to him and saluted the knight. "At once, ma'am. I'll see to it that this reaches the hands of our top mage technicians" he said.
Meanwhile, Lynette ran up to Tsuki and immediately started to perform mid-tier Healing Artes on him. She had consumed another Orange Gel earlier once the effects of the paralysis started to fade so she had some Mana to work with. "Tsuki, are you okay!?" she asked. Watching all that happen to Tsuki as she laid their helplessly made her worried and frustrated. There was nothing she could have done for him.
Tsuki gave her a reassuring smile and patted her on the head gently. "A little banged up but I'll be fine. Wish I could say the same about my sword though" he said with a nervous laugh.
The knight had a strong reaction to when Lynette called out Tsukis' name through her helmet. She turned to face them as she stared at Tsuki in silence for a moment. "Tsu...ki?" she asked.
Tsuki looked over to the Silver Knight, tilting his head at her. "Yes? What is it?" he asked.
The knight was silent for a moment as she stared off towards the ground though it was hard to tell through the helment. "By any chance, your name wouldn't happen to be...Tsuki Himura, would it?" she asked. There was a slight change in the tone of her voice. The tone of her voice so far had been rather cold and serious but for a brief moment, it shifted to a much softer tone though it wasn't very noticeable for the people around them.
Tsuki nodded at her. "Yes. My name's Tsuki Himura, one of the Royal Eight" he said. It would appear that she knew about him which would make sense with him being of the Royal Eight. He would have been pretty shocked if she didn't know about him since they both answer directly to the royal family.
The knight remained silent once again as he confirmed his identity. "So...you are alive, after all" she whispered to herself in the same soft tone of voice.
Tsuki tilted his head. Because she spoke so quietly, he didn't hear what she said. "Huh? What did you say?" he asked.
The knight cleared her throat. "It's nothing. I was just curious" she said with her tone of voice going back to being cold and serious. She then turned and walked back over to the Rhino. "Anyway, seeing as how the threat has been dealt with, I'll relocate my steed to somewhere safe where she can rest and recover. Things should go back to normal around here in the meantime" she said.
The captain of the soldiers nodded at the Silver Knight and then faced Tsuki and Lynette. "Correct me if I'm wrong but were you the ones who saved one of our soldiers and a mage along with an old man and young girl?" he asked.
Tsuki looked at the captain and nodded. That we are. I take it they managed to return safely to the city?" he asked.
The captain nodded. "Yes they did. We ran into the old man and young girl on our way here and sent some of our soldiers back with them. They told us what was happening and we came as fast as we could" he said. He then held his hand out towards Tsuki. "As Captain, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for providing aid to one of our solders and mages. If there's anything you need of us, please feel free to ask" he said.
Tsuki looked down at his hand for a moment before reaching out to grab and shake it. "It was no trouble at all but if you're offering, would it be alright if you escorted us back to Briswater? I'm on a mission to meet up with General Maxwell and unfortunately, me and my companion here are a little banged up to take on whatever dangers that may lurk in the forest" he said. Not having a sword anymore to fight and defend himself and with their supplies running very low, Lynette wouldn't be able to hold her own in fights. She was already almost tapped out on Mana.
The captain nodded. "That's not a problem at all. We'd be honored to help you reach Briswater" he said. He then turned to face the soldiers that were with him. "Alright men. We're going to split into three group. I want five of you stationed here to watch over the area while another five head off to the nearby clearing to retrieve the bodies of our fallen comrades. The rest will come with us back to Briswater. I don't care who goes where so I'll leave it up to you. Understood?" he asked. While there was no more threat to the nearby area, someone would need to stay back and try and clean up the disaster around them.
The soldiers all saluted the captain and shouted out in unison. "Yes sir!" they shouted.
With that, five soldiers quickly dispersed from the group and headed towards the clearing while another five went off to patrol and work on cleaning up the area. The remaining stood where they were and awaited for further orders for departure.
The captain looked back at Tsuki and Lynette. "If you're ready to go, we can return immediately" he said.
Tsuki nodded and looked over to Lynette. "Think you got enough energy to walk?" he asked.
Lynette laughed a bit nervously as she scratched her cheek with her finger. "I think I'll be fine..." she said. She took a few steps forward but lost her balance and almost fell forward.
Tsuki reached out and grabbed onto her to stop her from falling forward. "No you're not. You can barely walk" he said. He wasn't sure if it was still lingering effects from the paralysis considering she took a pretty hard hit despite her defensive dome taking the brunt of the damage, the lack of overall energy she has from all of the spellcasting she has been doing in a short amount of time or both. He walked in front of her and got down low, motioning her to climb onto his back. "Here, I'll carry you the rest of the way" he said.
When Tsuki offered to give her a ride on his back, her face turned a deep red from embarrassment. "N-no, that's okay! Y-you don't have to do that for me!" she said.
Tsuki continued to motion to her. They both knew that she wasn't going to get anywhere fast with her in that state. He felt embarrassed about this too but he would endure it. "Come on, hop on. We can't keep the good soldiers waiting after agreeing to escort us to the city" he said.
Lynette could feel her face turning more red by the minute as she thought about riding on his back through the forest in front of other people. Eventually, she caved in, realizing that they really had no other choice. She would soon climb onto his back, placing her hands on his shoulders as Tsuki supported her legs with his arms. To his surprise, she was much lighter than he thought she was but he kept that thought to himself. Once she was securely on his back, they followed the soldiers as they headed down the road leading back into the forest. The captain and five soldiers dealt with any monsters that got in their way, seeing as how Tsuki and Lynette were unable to fight. Aside from the run-of-the-mill monster encounters, the rest of their trip through the forest was relatively easy. It was nice that they didn't have to do any fighting for a change. The embarrassment that Tsuki and Lynette had to endure stuck around for pretty much the rest of the trip through the forest though it deep make it feel like it went by a lot quicker. They would soon reach the outpost that led into Briswater in no time at all.
To be continued...