A/N: Hello again! Sorry I couldn't update sooner, but I had to finish up a project for college due in a few weeks, or I'd be in BIG trouble if I didn't. Before we begin, I just want to say that if you're interested in what the characters look like with their roles reversed, just go to sonoci's Photobucket page, see the category "Vesperia Switched", and they'll be there. Sadly, Raven and Judith aren't there because sonoci cancelled her story before she could get to them. I would draw them for everyone, but I can't even draw a cat for my life XD. So if anyone's interested, feel free to draw Raven and Judith in their reversed roles (though I think you might need sonoci's permission for that.).
Now let us begin with the ever-awaited chapter! Again, I hold no credit to the creation of this story. All credit goes to sonoci; I'm just picking up from where she left off. I hope you enjoy!
29- Hunting Rhybgaro
Rain. That was all there ever was on the port town of Capua Nor, punishing its citizens like a volley of arrows. And the rain wasn't the only problem on the town; most shops were forced to close down because of the ridiculously high taxes their Magistrate Ragou has forced them to pay. From an inn that was barely running in business, walked out five figures, less than eager to get themselves soaked from the rain, but determined to somehow put an end to the magistrate's sadistic ways.
"So anyone got any bright ideas?" Rita asked as they made their way to the magistrate's palace.
"We've decided to let Yuri try to have an audience with Magistrate Ragou." Estelle answered "Because since he is a noble, we may have a chance."
"Are you serious? Yeah, hate to break it to you but that sure as hell is not gonna work. Just because Yuri's a noble doesn't mean that they're going to let us in with open arms."
"Yeah, but with the harbor barricaded, we can't really get over to Torim Harbor." Yuri pointed out. "Not to mention that thief we're looking for, Dedecchi, along with that one-eyed giant, are just across the water. And I'm not too sure if our plan is gonna work, but it's worth a shot."
"If you guys are done talking, can we just get this over with already?" Karol snapped in annoyance. "We're already soaked as it is."
"Hmph! We don't need you to tell us that, runt." Rita scoffed.
"Well I just did."
Both Estelle and Yuri had to stop the two magic users before they could fight. After calming down, they arrived at the palace. Like any other palace, it gave one the sensation of power, awe, and beauty. Estelle would've thought it was an amazing place if not such a wicked person resided in there. As expected, the entrance was guarded by two men carrying swords over their shoulders.
"Here we are. Ready, Yuri?" Karol asked the nobleman.
"I guess." he half-heartedly replied. He wasn't too thrilled to act like a proper noble but if it could get them inside the palace, it'll be worth it.
"Whaddaya want?" asked the first guard gruffly when they were halted at the entrance.
"I'd like to meet the magistrate of Capua Nor, if you'd be so kind." Yuri answered, trying his best to act like polite.
While Yuri was conversing with the guards, Estelle noticed a disturbed look from Rita's face. When asked about it, Rita answered "It's just that these guys… they're mercenaries… they must be from some guild, but I can't tell which..."
Upon taking a closer look, Estelle saw that they were indeed mercenaries from their attire. 'No wonder they look like thugs…'
Yuri's negotiation with the guards didn't seem to be going too well, for the other guard snapped "Hmph! Go home! Get lost! The magistrate doesn't have time for people like you!"
Now Estelle was really mad; these guards are just as worse as Magistrate Ragou!
"So does he have enough time to terrorize the poor people in this town?" she asked bitterly.
"Hey! You watch your tongue lady!" shouted the first guard, ready to cut her down for insulting the magistrate.
Rita gave out a deep sigh, expecting something like this to happen. "Just forget it, you guys. I told you they wouldn't listen. Let's just go before they get really pissed."
Estelle was about to protest, but Karol stopped her. "Let it go, Estelle. We'd better not provoke them any further." Reluctantly, she gave in and walked away with the others.
"…well? Now what?" Rita asked when they were a good distance from the palace.
"Maybe we should just leave the frontal assault on the palace to the Imperial Knights." Yuri suggested. "I'm sure Flynn can take care of things."
"But Yuri, the fact that that's going so badly is the reason he's in such a crabby mood, remember?" Karol reminded him.
"All right then, do you have any bright ideas?"
Estelle, who was thinking of some other way to enter the palace, suddenly spoke up "I know! Maybe he would be willing to listen to us if we gave him a gift!"
"A gift? What are you talking about?" Karol asked the city girl.
"The Rhybgaro. It's worth a decent amount of money, right?"
"Oh yeah, I remember the official from earlier talking about him." Yuri mulled. "He said that anyone who had its golden horn would never have to worry about taxes again."
"So if we bring that horn along with us, the magistrate will let us see him!" Estelle finished.
"S-so you're s-saying that we have to hunt for Rhybgaro?" Karol stammered, a bit nervous about fighting a monster that's said to be dangerous.
"It's our only option we have now, Karol. And I don't want to wait for another one to come out." Estelle pointed out to the young genius mage, which made him reluctantly agree to the plan.
"So if we want to catch Rhybgaro, now's our chance!" Rita said. "After all, it's raining!"
Yuri shot the guild member a skeptical look. "So?"
"The Rhybgaro comes out of hiding when it's raining. Out of all the monsters I'm familiar with, the Rhybgaro is one of which that goes out in the rain."
Estelle grinned, seeing an opportunity for a strike. "An astute observation, Rita. Anything else?"
As she expected, the mage was taken aback. "Wh-what do you mean 'anything else?' That's all I have to say!"
"Oh? So you don't know where Rhybgaro is?"
"Uh, I-I… that's… um..."
"No? That's too bad. I thought that a monster expert like you would know."
Rita would've burned Estelle to ashes right now if not for two conditions: the rain that made it impossible to cast a fire spell, and Yuri giving her a glare to not do anything. She made a mental note to do so when both conditions were not present.
Not wanting another fight from the girls to break out, Karol quickly suggested talking to the people in town to learn the current whereabouts of Rhybgaro. Estelle however, decides to speak her worries to Yuri.
"Um, Yuri?" she began.
The dark-haired man turned to her. "Yeah?"
"I just want to be sure… are you all right with this?"
"Sure, what wouldn't I be all right with?"
It was obvious that from his answer that he didn't understand. "No Yuri. What I mean is that if we're not lucky, we'll all be branded as outlaws, since the one in charge here is Ragou, a magistrate from the empire. And with you being a noble…" Estelle began to fidget with her fingers. "Are you okay going against him with us?"
Now Yuri understood everything. He was silent for a moment before he spoke with a determined look "I don't care. Either way, I'm coming along. And I also have a bone to pick with the magistrate in here."
Estelle felt better after hearing his resolve. She knew where she stood, so all that was left was to ask the others. Turning to the young genius mage, she asked "What about you Karol? What do you think?"
"I must admit," he began with a face of interest. "I am curious about a blastia that can control the weather. I'd like to see it for myself."
"All right. Rita, what about-" Estelle paused before she could finish. "…never mind. I have an idea of what you're going to say anyway."
The female mage glared daggers at the pink-haired girl for that comment. Nevertheless, they stuck to the plan and asked around the port town about Rhybgaro. They learned that it was a big, yellow horse of some sort with a golden horn on its head and that it's last known location was on a hill that wasn't too far from Nor Harbor. As they finished making preparations, they walked into Flynn and his unit when leaving the port town.
"You just can't sit still, can you Estellise?" the blond knight asked his childhood friend.
"Flynn…" Estelle muttered. "I know that I'm not in a good spot right now, but I'll be fine. Really…"
As she turned to leave, Flynn spoke again, this time in a concerned tone "Estellise, just don't do anything reckless."
"… I know, Flynn. I'll be careful. But the same can be said for you. I don't want anything to happen to you." And with that said, Estelle walked away.
When she was out of sight, the lieutenant turned to the imperial mage. "Witcher, go and see if we can get a warrant to search blastia laboratories." The mage nodded before running off to comply with his superior's orders.
Flynn sighed in concern about Estelle. He believed that if she left the capital, she would've changed a little, but it seems to have made her even more reckless than before…
"Uh, Flynn?" Yuri spoke to the knight, the only one who stayed behind.
Turning to the noble, Flynn voiced his concerns to him. "Estellise is so single-minded when it comes to protecting others. She's even willing to give her life to do so. I really envy her for that, but I also fear that one day she might reach her limits." Yuri was surprised by Flynn's speech. This proved that Estelle was no weak person.
"Yuri!" Rita's voice called out from out of town. "Hurry up or we're leaving you behind!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming." he called back. "I gotta get going Flynn. See ya."
When Yuri was about to catch up with the others, Flynn still had one more thing to say. "By the way, Lord Yuri-"
"Yuri." the noble reminded with irritation.
"Sorry, Yuri. Tell me, how do you feel traveling outside, being free?"
Yuri thought for a moment before answering. He thought about all the new people he met, the new places he saw, and the many things he learned. It all felt so different. He now knew how to answer. "Well not everything's been perfect around, that's for sure. But… I guess that there are many things I gotta do. Many things to learn." He smiled in content. "And I guess I feel good about it."
Flynn smiled from his lord's answer. "Good. I'm happy you think that."
"Thanks. Now I gotta go catch up with the others. If I lose them, I'm blaming you."
Flynn just chuckled as Yuri walked away. He was used to his wisecracks.
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The party, now with Yuri, who has caught up with them, began their hunt for Rhybgaro as soon as they stepped outside of the barrier of the port town. As they walked along the path, they have noticed something rather odd.
Karol was the first to ask about it. "Is it just me or is the rain letting up?"
Yuri looked up to the cloudy sky. "Yeah, but it's still kinda dark. I can't even see the sun."
"Well, it shouldn't matter!" Estelle perked up. "Rain or shine, it probably won't affect our adventure anyway."
Rita laughed at Estelle, wanting a little payback from back at the palace entrance. "Ha! Boy, are you stupid!"
Estelle narrowed her eyes at Rita. "What was that?"
"So you don't know?" the mage guild member grinned. "Depending on the weather, different types of monsters can come out. Some, like the Rhybgaro, love the rain and there are other monsters that just plain hate it. Now don't you agree that monsters have a big effect on what we do?"
"Well, it's nice to know that we have someone who knows a lot about these things." Yuri said.
Estelle huffed in annoyance. "Well either way, we're still going to have to walk in the rain."
Rita heard her comment but didn't mind it this time for in the end, she knew that she had won.
Even though they were searching for Rhybgaro, they still had to fight other monsters and thieves that picked a fight with them. The group fought their way through with Estelle's saber and physical artes, Yuri's sword skills and light artes, Repede's dagger and agility, and the two mages' magic.
Estelle noted that although Rita and Karol both used magic, they had their differences; Rita could cast fire, thunder, and dark spells whereas Karol can cast fire, water, and earth spells. Rita was also quicker on her feet and Karol could take more of a beating. Their weapons of choice were also different; Rita defended herself with scroll artes and her book if the monsters got too close, and Karol drove them away with his bag and by throwing some special potions he concocted that explode on impact.
Just as Estelle was finished with her thoughts, so was the battle as they were victorious.
"Oh yeah!" Rita cheered. "We beat these losers to next week!"
"Next week?" Yuri questioned. "… Does that mean we'll see them next week?" he then looked at the bodies. "… 'Cause it doesn't look like we can."
"No Yuri, it's just an expression." Karol tried to explain.
"… Expressing what?"
"Never mind."
After a few minutes of walking around on the hill, the group started to lose hope, thinking that Rhybgaro now went elsewhere. Just when they were about to give up the search, Repede's ears perked up and motioned for everyone to hide. Everyone hid behind a bush just big enough for them. In a few seconds, a horse-like monster trotted in, turning its head left and right as if it felt like it was being watched.
"That's Rhybgaro all right." Rita confirmed in a whisper. "Now all we need to do is-"
The female mage was interrupted however, as Rhybgaro tore away the bush that was hiding them, catching them off-guard. Luckily, before it could strike, Repede was the first to react and leaped at its back, attacking it repeatedly until he was shaken off.
Rhybgaro first charged toward Estelle who had raised her shield in defense. Even though it protected her, the monster's force was too much to bear and she was knocked to the ground. The creature then proceeded to stomp her with its mighty hooves but fortunately, Estelle managed to roll away in time. Quickly getting to her feet, she used her chance to strike the monster with strike artes such as 'Sonic Thrust' and 'Assault Strike'.
After kicking the girl aside, it then ran to Yuri, intending to impale him with its horn. Yuri side-stepped the monster's charge, barely avoiding the stab as the horn was able to scrape his side. He then retaliated by kicking Rhybgaro's face before doing a technique Estelle never knew he could do. Charging blue aura from within, he shouted "I'll blow you away!" with its strength surprising the horse monster. Now Yuri was doing a fury of swings and slices that made Rhybgaro choose another target, now that this one was too dangerous.
It has now changed its targets to the mages who were shooting spells at him from afar. Estelle saw what he was doing and tried to stop it in its tracks by shooting 'Star Strokes'. Even though some were a direct hit, it didn't stop the beast from running. Rita saw the Rhybgaro getting closer and stopped casting to run to safety. Unfortunately, Karol was too busy casting for him to notice the Rhybgaro. Before he could finish the incantation, the monster had already knocked him to the ground, and would've been crushed to death if he didn't use his bag as a shield to protect himself.
Seeing her friend in danger, Estelle shoved the Rhybgaro off the boy with her shield, and then started an attack she had been practicing…
"Blade Storm!"
Estelle sliced the beast in rapid strokes, finishing with an uppercut. It tried run away but Repede stopped it by tripping all four hooves, making it collapse to the ground. Before it had a chance to recover, Yuri, still in Overlimit, brings his sword down into a stab at its back, ending the battle.
"Hey Doc!" Rita shouted, running over to Karol "You okay?"
"Ugh…" the boy groaned. "I'll live."
"Are you stupid? Why didn't you get out of the way? Do you want to be crushed like a pancake?"
"S-sorry… I guess I got careless."
Rita crossed her arms in irritation. "Hmph! Whatever. Just watch it next time. You're not always going to get lucky, you know."
Karol could only smile and nod. Even if she didn't show it at times, Rita does care about her companions.
Estelle on the other hand, was amazed at how Yuri displayed his abilities on the battle. "Yuri… you never told me that you knew how to use Overlimit."
Yuri smirked at her surprise. "Well everyone back at the castle thought that it would be a good idea if I trained with the knights in case I had to 'defend myself' if in trouble. Not that I didn't mind." He then chuckled. "But no matter how much I tried, I just can't seem to beat Flynn. Then again, I doubt anyone could beat him."
Estelle giggled. "Yes, I know how you feel."
Yuri raised an eyebrow after hearing her remark. "…what do you mean by that?"
Estelle put her hands over her mouth, realizing she slipped. "Um… maybe we can talk about it later."
Yuri was a bit curious, but later shook it off as everyone stood over the defeated Rhybgaro. Rita suggested for everyone to take it back to town, but when Estelle got a better look at the horse creature, she spotted scars and bruises all over its body; the ones not from them. It must have been attacked from the townspeople many times from desperation. She pitied the poor thing. She knew what had to be done. She walked over to the monster, used her saber to cut off the golden horn from its body, and walked away without doing any more harm to it.
"Estelle? What are you doing?" asked a confused Karol.
Holding up the bloodied horn, she replied "This is what that money-hungry magistrate wants, right? I'm sure this'll be enough."
The boy grinned. "I should've known that you'd show mercy at some point."
Meanwhile, Rhybgaro was slowly stirring back to consciousness, and Rita was the first to notice and warn everyone. The group expected another fight but instead, Rhybgaro just took one last look at them before trotting away.
"Huh? Why did it just take off?" Rita asked in puzzlement.
Estelle smiled at this. "It understood what we were thinking!"
"Do you really believe that?"
"Hey, as long as we got the horn, who cares?" Yuri shrugged.
"Yeah, I guess." Karol agreed. "So anyway, let's head back."
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The party had really hoped that the rain would've stopped by time they returned, and were disappointed to see that it hasn't. But with Rhybgaro's horn in hand, it had put their minds at ease over the rain. All of a sudden however, they heard a shout just from across "Teagle, don't! Please don't go out there again! Not after that man went through the trouble of healing your wounds!"
It was the couple from earlier; the one Estelle had accidentally bumped into. The woman's husband, Teagle, could only look back at her with an apologetic face before walking away with a sword in hand, leaving her to cry. Estelle nearly cried herself. Teagle had to fight for the sake of their son who is held by the debt collectors, but he's not trained how to use a sword and is most likely to get himself killed fighting. She HAD to do something.
Ignoring her friends calling her, she walked over to Teagle, stopping him in his tracks. "Sir, I know how you feel, but please think this over. Your wife is worried sick about you."
The man scoffed at her plea. "You mind your own business. It's nice to know you care, but just don't understand. It's not like I have a choice. I have to do this…"
Estelle frowned a bit. It seems like talking him out of it is not going to work. But then she had another idea. It comes with a price, but she'd do anything to help Teagle and his wife. In his hands, she placed a gift. Everyone watching was in shock; Estelle's friends for her giving up the thing they worked so hard to get, and Teagle and his wife for having what they need in their hands: the golden horn of Rhybgaro.
The man was at a loss for words. "Is-is this…? Are you really…?"
Estelle smiled in reassurance. "Of course I am. Just think of it as an apology for what happened back at the inn." And with that she left, Teagle and his wife thanking her, tears flowing out of their eyes.
Looking back at the couple, Teagle and his wife were hugging one another in relief. Estelle felt really happy for them. They would see their son again. And the fact that she helped made her even happier.
However, Rita objected to this. "Hold it! You're just gonna give it away like that?"
Estelle glared at her. "And just let their son die? I don't think so!"
"It's not that. It's just… how are we supposed to get inside the palace now?"
"I'm sure there's another way."
As if already thought of it before, Karol suggested "Then why don't we go see how Flynn's doing? Maybe he already went inside Ragou's palace to settle the score."
"I sure hope so." Estelle nodded.
Yuri and Estelle remained behind as the other walked off, the former smirking at the latter. "You planned to do that right from the start, didn't you?"
"Not really." Estelle blushed. "It never really came to me until now."
"If you say so." The noble shrugged.
With things the way right now, the party had to come up with a plan B to enter inside the palace. Flynn might know something, so everyone thought it best to visit him.
A/N: Done! Now at the end of every chapter, it's Skit Time! YAY!
Yuri is Normal
Estelle is Italics
Rita is Bold
Karol is Bold and Italics
"Repede is Bold with Quotation Marks"
Search and Seizure Rights
Hey Karol, what was Flynn talking about when he said something about search and seizure rights to blastia laboratories?
That? Simply put, if you're on an official imperial blastia investigation, you can pretty much go where you want.
-Surprised- Really? Anywhere?
-Frowns- Wait. Why should we bother busting our heads off if the knights can do that?
I don't think they can. There are many "limitations" that can block their authority.
-Glum- Shoot. Just when I had my hopes up…
-To Yuri- Was she really planning on joining the knights just to look at blastia just now?
I wouldn't be surprised.
Not your average Dog
Estelle, don't you think Repede is… strange?
What do you mean?
For starters, he fights with a dagger in his mouth, and he can use items like we can.
Well Repede takes his pride seriously. The reason he can fight with daggers and use items is because he doesn't think of himself as a dog. But that doesn't mean he thinks of himself as a human either.
Wow. Looks like Repede's not your average dog.
Still, I'm not eating any gel covered in dog slobber.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
Repede said "Come on, don't be like that! At least it's better than crying like a kid in pain."
-Angry- Oh yeah? Well you tell him… -realization- Wait a minute, did he really say that? All he did was bark!
Estelle, you can understand Repede?
-Blushes- Um, well… it takes a bit of time… stay around him for a while and you'll get the hang of it.
Yeah right. More like you have nothing better to do and then you pretend to understand the dog.
You're just jealous.
A Dog and his Pipe
Hey Estelle, about Repede…
Yes? What about him?
What's with the pipe he keeps in his mouth? Does he really need to be with it anywhere he goes?
"Woof woof!"
As a puppy, Repede always had the habit of carrying many things in his mouth, such as sticks and bones.
… Any other reasons?
"Woof!"
That pipe and Bohdi Blastia used to belong to his last owner. He keeps them as a memento of him.
I see. … Just out of curiosity, but…
But what?
Did Repede ever smoke with that pipe?
What? No! Of course not! Why would I let a dog smoke a pipe?
Sheesh, don't get so angry. Just asking is all.
Still, what made you think that?
I don't know. I just thought it'd be something Repede would do.
"*whine*"
Yuri, even Repede knows better than to smoke.
Really? But with him carrying that pipe around, wouldn't anyone think he at least tried once?
No. No they wouldn't.
R-right. Well, thanks for the chat. I'll get going now. See ya. –Leaves-
*sigh* I feel sorry for him, Repede. He spent too much time at the castle.
"*whimper*"
A/N: And that's it for skits for this chapter! If you didn't understand the characters' personalities in here, it's because although they keep the same personalities from the game, I tweaked them a little to better fit in their current roles. Example: Estelle is still kind and polite, but as someone from the Lower Quarter, she's also portrayed as a little tough. Yuri's still sarcastic and casual here (hence he doesn't like being called 'lord'), but oblivious to some things too (nobles…). Rita keeps her feisty attitude (which probably could the reason she got kicked out of so many guilds. She beat their asses hard. Lol), and I might give her a bit of a cowardly side; I'm not too sure how to put it in though (suggestions welcome). And Karol has a split personality; his one from the game, where he's a scaredy-cat and is startled easily (although more mature in here), and the other one is when he's studying; if he's interrupted when studying, he gets really mad and kicks the poor guy's ass (so he can go 'blastia mode'. Lol).
And also, while I will put up artes and spells from the game, I'll also add some I just made up. Estelle's 'Blade Storm' here is basically another version of 'Sword Rain', except that instead of quick stabs, it is quick slices that finish off with an uppercut. I'll also put up different spells from the game in here.
If you're still confused, read sonoci's story first. You'll understand better there. Until next time! :)
