"Man, that guy didn't even put up a fight, talk about an anti-climatic finish."
I say, walking beside my friend and reliable partner. Reliable, unlike Lucy.

"Yeah, he just kind of gave up as soon as we found him."

Happy ads on, fully recapping what just happened.

We're walking down a stone path, which leads into Onibus.

"No kidding, I guess he could just tell how strong and awesome I am."
I say, smiling and stretching my arms behind my head.

"Or maybe he was scared by how loud you were."
He says as walks casually beside me.

"It's his fault, if he didn't want to get yelled at he should've just fought me."
My smile drops as I speak, as I try to sound somewhat serious.

"Still, we could have at least taken some of the fish he had, I haven't eaten since this morning…"
My stomach agrees with the blue cat, which brings forth an idea in my head.

"How about we stop and grab something to eat before we head back to the guild?"

It may be an extremely obvious idea, but Happy seems happy about it.

"Aye sir!"

With that, we both pick up the pace to find a place to eat.

Meanwhile…

Setting my foot down on the dead grass below, I breath in deeply, enjoying the crispness in the air. So these are the Western Hills, or perhaps more accurately the Western Hill. Just one giant mass of earth is sticking out from the ground, but it does feature varying ledges, cliffs, and drops, so there exists some relevance in calling this place more than one hill.

As I stand at the foot of said hill, a voice speaks from beside me.

"Do you really think this is the place? What makes you so sure you can trust that guy you fought?"
Lisanna asks, sounding decently cautious. I, however, take a step forward, saying.

"I don't trust him, but his word is all we have."

Continuing to march forward, I hear Lisanna move, apparently accepting my point as valid. From what I can see, there's only one road which leads up the hill, so that's the route I take. Drudging up the hill, I faintly hear voices, from my left. Stopping briefly, Lisanna speaks from behind me.

"Do you hear that?"

She asks, which I nod in response to. At least from here, I can't see anyone, so I rush and quickly stride closer. I stop behind a large boulder, which is conveniently much closer to the voices I heard. Hearing Lisanna stop and hide beside me, I listen closely to the voices speaking among one another.

"I'm telling ya, that's how it went down."

A familiar voice speaks.

"I don't buy it, some random guy from a guild beat up Ukel? I refuse to believe it, Ukel is much too powerful."

A new voice speaks.

"How many times do I gotta say it, that's what happened."
I think that guy's name was Moke, that fire wizard.

"Why did Ukel even summon you?"

A collected and calm voice says.

"Oh yeah, he was saying we got to pack up and leave because some wizards are hunting us down."
A sigh is heard, before a brand new voice speaks.

"Alright, so do we throw down all our chips and fight, or do we just roll the dice and run?"

The calm voice replys to the new, energetic voice.

"Seeing as our higher up could be bested in battle, I fear if we stay we are more than likely to end up on the losing end, Gamble."
The peppy voice (who I guess is Gamble) groans, before saying.

"Come on, Vel. We at least have to play the hand we've been dealt."
There's a silence now, which gives me a chance to think.

I already know Moke, and now Gamble and Vel, but there's still one voice from earlier that I don't have a name for.

"No, I am leaving. If Ukel was to tell us, than it should be carried out."

Vel breaks the silence by speaking.

"Aww, you're no fun. What about you, Moke, itching to test our luck? I know I am!"

Gamble says, going from disappointed to enthusiastic in an instant.

"I have to agree with Gamble, this is the perfect opportunity to prove our strength as a team."

The mystery person speaks, his voice is burly and robust.

"Now that's what I like to hear, Kurt. So are you on board Moke?"

Gamble asks, sounding hopeful.

So it's Moke, Kurt, Gamble and Vel. Four targets.

"I don't know…"
Moke speaks, his tone riddled with uncertainty.

"Well I suggest you decide what to do in a timely fashion. Regardless, I firmly believe we should destroy the stolen goods; we haven't the need for them."

Vel says, sounding knowledgeable. I place my right hand by my left hip, firmly grasping the handle of my blade.

Strike Moke first, using an upwards diagonal slice, then hit Vel with a vertical slash downwards, before slicing Kurt and Gamble with horizontal cuts.

"What? Why would we do that Vel?"

Moke asks, still sounding lost.

"Think about it, since that wizard left you, then odds are they are they are after the goods we have stolen."
As Vel elaborates, I begin to slowly unsheathe my blade, which causes the wind to pick up.

"I think we have enough power to defend our stuff."

Kurt says, sounding confident.

"Yeah, odds are in our favor."

Gamble adds, sounding ecstatic.

Turning my head, I look at Lisanna, who just nods as I see her.

Having received the go-ahead, I fully pull out my steel blade, as a cyclone simultaneously appears around me and my targets. Not wasting a moment, I jump off the ground, into the air. Allowing the wind to carry me, I quickly circle around behind Moke mid air, before landing on my feet. Using the wind to propel me forward, I quickly dash through Moke, slicing my blade diagonally up through him.

"Box!"

One of the voices says, as I pivot directions. Now towards the next one, Vel. I bring my sword above my head, before lunging forwards and swinging downwards. However, I run into something that wasn't there before, a giant solid block of stone. Before I fall to the ground, I hear voices laughing.

"Don't you know the house always wins?"

Gamble says, laughing hysterically.

Hitting the ground, I shoot up immediately, jumping to my feet.

From beside me, I hear someone glide beside me. Looking over, I see Lisanna with, wings? Maybe I hit that stone block harder than I thought…

"Not gonna lie, that was pretty weak."
Kurt yells, sounding condescending.

"Though you may have taken down our leader, that attack left you vulnerable, as it telegraphed your next move."

Vel explains, while looking directly at me.

"How 'bout we show these Fairy punks some real strength?"

Kurt says, reaching into his coat pocket. I haven't noticed until now, but he is a very brawny dude, wearing a large brown overcoat that dangles inches above the ground.

"The odds aren't in your favor, pal."
Gamble speaks while casually tossing a pair of dice in his right hand. He is wearing a classy suit, as well as a top hat. Both are black, and he has a pink tie, decorated with several blue spades.

"What's the plan?"

Lisanna whispers from beside me. I focus the wind's strength, tripling its speed.

"This."

I quietly say, before sprinting ahead. Using the stone brick as a launching pad, I jump into the air, raising my sword above my head.

"Shield!"
Vel yells from below me, just like I hoped he would. As a stone shield forms in Vel's hand, I place my foot forwards, positioning it so I land on top of the shield. Vel doesn't seem phased by the extra weight, so I leap off, diving straight into Kurt, going sword first. Piercing through the large man, I use the momentum of him falling to spin forward into a standing position. As I do, I feel my sharp blade seamlessly cut through Kurt's flesh, leaving what I can only imagine is a nasty wound to his lower chest.

"I got this guy!"
Lisanna calls from behind me, staring face to face with Vel. I have faith in my guildmate, so I look back and nod, before jumping forward to strike Gamble.

He's faster than he looks, as Gamble jumps to the side, dodging my horizontal swing. Before he lands, Gamble tosses two small cubes.

"Let's see what we we get today!"

Gamble yells, sounding excited as he slides back after landing on the ground. The dice bounce three times, before slowing to a stop, they each show a yellow lightning bolt symbol. That's probably not good.

"What a shocking turn of events!"

As Gamble finishes speaking, a massive surge of electricity shoots from the dice, before seeking me. I can't help but yell out in pain as I feel a painful surge flow through my body. I can't do a thing as the painful feeling only worsens.

Gradually, the electricity neutralizes, as I fall to one knee, already out of breath.

"C'mon let's go another round, maybe your luck will be better!"
Sounding confident and revved up, Gamble throws three new dice to the ground. I don't wait for them to stop this time.

Moving instantly, I let the wind carry me to the right, so I am beside Gamble. Going for a decapitating slice, I jump forward, using the wind to boost my movement. As I am gliding through the air, I freeze somehow, coming to a complete stop mid-air. Try as I might, I can't move. Looking over, the three dice each show a clock's face.

"Oh yeah, time stop! Lady luck is smiling today!"

Gamble speaks way over the top this time, sounding like he just won a million jewels.

He turns to me, taking out a single dice now, and walks over to my motionless body.

"Let's go all or nothing, and really test my luck."

He says this rather calmly, like he knows he's already won. Little does he know, luck is actually on my side, because I got frozen while air-borne. Focusing the wind, I channel it into one area. It doesn't take much more than a hefty breeze, so in no time, one of the clock dies tips over, freeing me from my stillness. I resume my swing, and instantly slice through Gamble's chest. Since he originally was further away, I collide bodies with him, sending Gamble collapsing to the ground with no resistance. The collision disorients me, and I land face first on the ground.

"Hammer!"

I hear Vel yell out followed by a smash.

"Penguin!"

This time, it's Lisanna's voice that cries out, followed by a much louder thud. Looking up, I see an oversized penguin sitting on a stugulling Vel. Yep, definitely hit my head too hard.

As Vel ceases movement, Lisanna shrinks back to normal, before standing up and dusting herself off. Seeing the four targets down, return my steel blade to it's black holster. As it completely sheathes, the cyclone surrounding us vanishes.

Slowly, I get up, still feeling pain. Gamble's electricity really did a number on me. Pushing through that pain, I manage to fully stand up, breathing in the fresh air surrounding us.

"That went well."

Lisanna speaks as I hear her walking towards me. Taking the four people lying on the ground into account, it's hard to disagree with that statement.

"So was that tornado thing your magic? I noticed you moved really fast when it came about."

Lisanna asks this, but from her tone it sounds like she already knows that I indeed was the cause of the cyclone. Since she is correct, I give a nod in her general direction. Fully anticipating her to do so, Lisanna asks a question about said magic.

"How exactly do you use the tornado thingy?"

At least she sounds genuinely curious about my magical technique, which in turn motivates me to answer.

"It's all in my blade, whenever I ready it a cyclone appears around me and my enemies. I didn't always have the technique down, but it has gotten to the point where the summoning is natrual. Once it's in place, I can use the flowing air inside the cyclone, which I can use to boost my speed, power my attacks, and even form a wall. It's hard to explain, but I can control the wind when my sword is unsheathed; when I take out my blade, my mind can communicate with the wind."

I may be fairly quiet about most things, but I've never had an issue with talking about my magic. Lisanna listens intently while I'm speaking, obviously interested in her guildmates abilities.

"Wow, that's awesome!"

The way Lisanna says that makes me feel warm on the inside It's weird, it's been about three years since anyone has asked about my magic, so having the opportunity to explain and have that explanation be met by praise is a foreign concept. Not once in my days of self-imposed exile did I happen across anyone like this. Someone who automatically liked me and took an interest in the one thing about me that isn't tainted by my past.

Thinking about all of this, I can't help but crack a small grin.

"There it is!"

Lisanna yells out, startling me. I look at her, confused.

"You haven't smiled at all since I first met you, now you have!"
She sounds so cheery, and her face matches her voice.

"Yeah, well, don't get used to it."
I say, allowing my expression to neutralize. As my face returns to normal, I feel a strange sense of guilt as disappointment washes over Lisanna's face.

"Why not? You look better better with a smile…"
Lisanna's voice takes on a genuine tone. I just look down and breath out.

"I haven't really smiled for three years."

I whisper to myself. I'm not sure why I said that out loud, but I can only hope Lisanna didn't hear that.

The last thing I need is someone digging into my past.

After that….