See? I told you it would be up VERY shortly!
In case you haven't noticed, the 2009 April Fools chapter is gone, and in its place is a recap of the story so far. If you're interested, click on the previous chapter and read it; it's about two pages long in a word processor. I wouldn't be surprised if many of you don't remember earlier events, it's been over a year since the first chapter.
[JenEvan]: Ghost is a very sneaky, and sly individual. You pretty much hit the nail on the head when you described him as crafty. And I've been wanting to reveal Remiel's true identity for so long; I felt giddy while writing that chapter. As for the background information on Morroc, it was added inspiration that I felt fit with the story quite nicely. I'm glad you liked the April Fools chapter as well!
Whenever I go back to reread Argos and Reinbach's antics, I can't help but chuckle as well.
[FireyFlames]: I'm actually pretty suprised and happy that you thought Ghost made the chapter interesting! And I felt he was being too much of a meanie, so I had Eurie take him down a notch by stalling him as long as she did. I'm planning to reveal more of Argos and Ghost's unique relationship later on in the story, and I hope it'll develop well! And thank YOU for reviewing!
"I got the shotgun!"
Hahaha, Ghost is so silly.
[black Fang]: Oooh! A new reader! I hope Spider's death will come to be a big surprise to us all, even if we already know what will happen.
Author's Ramblings:
I'm actually starting to regret naming this story "An Assassin's Resolution." I didn't except Kristoph Reinbach to become such a pivotal character. It got to the point that when I think of this story, I think of Kristoph Reinbach.
Fortunately, I feel that the story is going back on the right track by once again, putting more spotlight on everyone's favorite half-blooded, red-pupiled, weapon-switching assassin... All that's left is Spider. -_-
This chapter ended up taking a long time to write. I'd written bits and pieces of it here and there, and I felt like I really had to force it out. Usually, when I'm well inspired, I feel that the story writes itself. (btw. Reviews make me extra inspired. :D :D :D)
Midterms coming up, and finals soon afterwards. After that is summer classes. I really hope I can find some time to squeeze in for this story. Once again, I would like to re-iterate: I do intend to finish "An Assassin's Resolution." I'm not 100% certain about a sequel, but if time permits, I would like very much to write one. I'll see how it goes once the current story is finished.
I'm estimating that the story at the halfway point now, in terms of plot.
Comodo Beach
"We're going to need a blood transfusion," Grant muttered, shaking his head. "You've lost too much blood; that Grimtooth attack from Ghost hit deep."
"Just stop the bleeding and bind it up," Argos growled quietly. He hated feeling weak and vulnerable. In the ruthless streets of Morroc, such feelings were useless and bred weakness and pain. The desert town spared no pity for those not strong enough to survive on their own.
"Don't forget that ambush from Remiel; he threw daggers into Richard's stomach," Daphne reminded everyone.
"Don't call me by that name!" snapped Argos.
"Remiel!?" exclaimed Spider.
"He also drank that red poison," Reinbach mentioned. "And don't get mad at Daphne!"
"HE WHAT!?" Spider nearly choked.
"Shut it, you!" Argos snarled at Reinbach, but it was too late. Spider had heard.
"What happened!" Spider demanded, looking at Reinbach.
"He drank some sort of red poison," the knight explained, jerking his head towards the assassin. "From a container shaped like a skull. It increased his speed enough to stay on par with Remiel."
Spider immediately whirled around and began poking and prodding Argos, examining the younger man's pulse and checking his pupils. Argos recoiled backwards, alarmed at Spider's invasive behavior.
"Ugh! Get off me!"
"That's strange," Spider murmured. "By all rights, you should be dead the moment you drank that poison."
"That man, Ghost," Eurie said quietly. "He treated our injured before he told us who he was."
"He was probably doing it to gain your trust," explained the assassin cross. "But even so, the effects of deadly poison should be instantaneous."
"Well, whatever happened, Argos won't be fit for travelling much longer than ten minutes unless we find a blood transfusion for him," said Grant, shaking his head. "Do you know which kind you have?"
Argos looked away unhelpfully.
"No."
"Now what?" Reinbach asked, throwing his arms into the air. "We can't just leave him here!"
"We can use my blood," Daphne said suddenly.
"What?!" nearly everyone asked. Argos looked at Daphne as if she'd suddenly sprouted wings.
"My blood is what you would call the universal donor," the witch explained. "It shouldn't matter who receives it; it'll be safe."
Reinbach opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water. It looked like no one wanted to say it.
"But…"
"But what?" Daphne asked. "We really don't have a choice."
"Well, he's a…" he paused, fishing for words. "And you're…"
"I'm royalty?" she finished his sentence. "What does that have to do with anything? He needs a blood transfusion, and he needs it now. We can't just sit around, waiting for another donor."
"I didn't ask for this!" Argos growled.
"This has nothing to do with that." Daphne rolled up her sleeve past her elbow. "This is about what you need, not what you do or don't want."
"Somebody hold him down," Grant ordered.
He took a deep breath, steeled his nerves, and stepped closer to Eurie. She was rummaging through the contents of her bag, taking note of what rations remained.
"Hello Kristoph," she greeted. "Did you need something?" Reinbach blinked.
"There you go again," he said. "Somehow, you seem to know more than you let on."
She smiled.
"After having traveled with you for a while, I can distinguish between your footsteps and breathing. If I couldn't at least do this much, I would be a failure as a guide."
"How's Nicholas… er… I suppose I should call him Orpheus now?"
"Nick will be fine," Eurie responded. "He's still not used to talking, so I'll do most of the talking while his voice recovers."
"Ah… I see. That's good to hear." He paused and scuffled his feet, looking around uncomfortably.
"How are your feet?" she asked.
"They'll be okay. Captain Graves healed them pretty well for now. When we arrive in Comodo, we'll all get some proper rest."
Once again, a tense silence hung over them. He wracked his head for more things to say, but nothing came to mind.
Finally, Reinbach's conscience couldn't hold it in anymore.
"I'm really sorry," he said.
"…Oh? Whatever for?" the dancer asked.
"Well… for being a jerk in general…" he answered lamely. For some reason, that explanation didn't seem to do justice for all his past rudeness. It sounded a lot better in his head.
For a moment, Eurie fell silent.
"…You know, I was really ashamed when you tried to push me away when we first met," the dancer said finally. "And I can really understand why; for anyone, I was too straightforward."
"You didn't really have much of a choice," Reinbach mumbled, looking away. "Because your eyesight…"
"And I felt as though I was such a burden throughout the entirety of the trip," she continued. "Getting the locations wrong, giving incorrect estimates… I was so embarrassed, I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear."
"That's… not your fault," he said, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Again, because…"
"But what really hurt me the most was when you told me to run away during Ghost's attacks."
"I'm so sorry," he blurted out, his stomach churning guiltily. "If there's anything I can do as an apology then name it."
"It didn't help when you didn't believe in me. It was my chance to support you, instead of being supported. And once again, you told me I was lucky, or I was close to being killed, instead of having faith in my abilities."
She was really rubbing it in. Where was the usually polite, well-mannered dancer?
"But… I suppose there's one thing you can do as an apology," she said slowly.
He looked up quickly.
"Anything."
"Would you mind sitting down facing me?" she asked.
He paused, then knelt in front of her.
"Give me your hands," she said. "And close your eyes."
Reinbach hesitated.
"Wh-what are you going to do?" he couldn't help but say.
"You don't trust me?" Eurie sounded hurt.
"W-Well, it's just that–"
"Do the knights of Prontera take back their words so easily? I thought you said you would do anything."
"I-I'm sorry. Please, continue." He placed his hands in hers, and closed his eyes.
"Your eyes are closed, yes?" she asked.
"…Yes they are." He wanted to keep looking, but he couldn't bring himself to lie in front of her.
"Don't move."
He felt her hands leave his, and nearly flinched in surprise when a pair of soft hands pressed gently against his face.
"Wha?!"
"Hee hee," she giggled quietly. "I know what you look like now."
The knight suddenly found himself feeling very exposed to the blind dancer. An inexplicable heat rose to his cheeks.
"Y-you can do that!?" he spluttered. "I-I mean, you can't just go around grabbing people's faces!"
"Apology accepted," she said, with quite a naughty and mischievous smile on her face. "A-ah, what will I do? Daphne described you as such a handsome young man, and it turns out she wasn't lying!"
It felt extremely different to be teased by Eurie. He wouldn't be surprised if he was blushing enough to put sunrises to shame.
"Y-you… you imp!" he stammered. "I take my leave with as much of my dignity I can muster!"
He strode away quickly.
Eurie's mischievous smile faded slightly but lingered.
"Really quite handsome," she murmured, blushing a little.
Morroc Residence, after the explosion
"Why did you bring me here?" Spider asked, sitting up in the cot. Colette said nothing, choosing only to casually remove her bath towel and slowly dress right in front of the assassin cross. The dimness of the room didn't do much to hide her figure.
"I don't know what you're trying to prove, but at any rate, I don't chase after teenage girls."
"Ah? You were watching?" the stalker asked flirtatiously. She made no notion of dressing quicker. "Even if you think I'm under aged, I'm actually twenty two."
"And I want my Sucsamad dagger back."
"Oh that? I used it."
"What do you mean, used it? Just give it back to me." Typically, Spider was one to womanize and play along with mind games like this, but that mischievous smirk was beginning to grate on his nerves.
"The handle. I used it on myself. I thought it was somewhat phallic in shape so – "
"I still want it back."
"It's on the dresser," she pouted. "How about giving me your handle in replacement?"
"Is sex all you think about, ginger?" Spider asked.
"No!" Colette said, offended. "…Okay, yes, it is."
"Why did you save me?"
Colette's smile dimmed.
"…Okay. Since you want to know so much, I'll tell you. My client can't have you dying just yet. You have a mission to accomplish."
Spider blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected her to be so frank all of a sudden.
"Let me tell you this, Quint. You think you may be saving one life by protecting that girl, but you don't realize what will happen if you fail to complete your original mission."
"Oh, trust me, redhead. I have a pretty good idea what will happen."
"Do you really?" Her smile disappeared. It was the first time Spider saw her with a serious expression. It left him feeling rather unnerved. "You think you know who she really is, but have you tried looking behind the secret life she's living?"
Does she know!? Does she know that Daphne is the princess?
"The starling needs to die, Quint. As an assassin cross, you should be one of the first people to understand this concept. Cut one life to save many."
She left the room, leaving Spider alone with his doubts.
Comodo Beach, present
He felt last of his dizziness melt away, clearing up his nausea and lightheadedness. Grant's magic managed to seal away his surface wounds well enough, but it was Daphne's blood that made him feel better.
Argos heard light footsteps approach him cautiously. He whirled around on reflex. There was a short shriek and a thump as Daphne fell backwards on the sand.
He stared at his own hand clutching Remiel's moonlight dagger, an inch away from where Daphne's neck had been a second earlier.
"Are you crazy!" Daphne exclaimed angrily.
"…Don't sneak up behind me like that," Argos deadpanned.
She stood up and brushed her clothes off gingerly.
"I'll give you that," she reluctantly admitted. "You're an assassin after all. Shadows and secrets and the like…"
"So, what do you want from me?" Argos demanded. "Unless you're in the mood for idle chatter with a trained assassin, I don't see what you stand to gain from my company."
"I was going to ask you how you were feeling," she huffed angrily. "But apparently, Mr. Chip-on-his-Shoulder is feeling extra chippy on his shoulder." Daphne turned and began to walk away.
He should have felt more comfortable the moment she turned around, but some indescribable feeling rose inside him; he couldn't find words or emotions to explain it. He always preferred being alone, yet a burning curiosity welled up much like an itch he couldn't scratch. Argos was forcibly reminded of his first encounter with the young witch when she was looking for Rachel.
"I don't get you," the young assassin said.
"Well I don't get you either!" Daphne retorted, turning and facing him again. "You could at least be a little grateful for what I did!"
"Grateful? What were you expecting?" he asked. "A pat on the back? Some pretty flowers? You want me to kill someone?"
"How about a thank you?" she asked.
"What do you want from me?" he pressed. "I'm an assassin – by all means, I'm a criminal! And you! You're royalty! Why would you inconvenience yourself to help me unless you have some motive!?"
"Has it ever occurred to you… that maybe… just maybe I gave you some of my blood as a simple gesture of kindness?"
He stared at her blankly. Is she serious?
"…That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
"Well it's true!" she stomped.
"You think that kind of behavior is going to do anything for you? People in Morroc would laugh at altruists like you and milk everything they can while doing it."
"I'd rather be laughed at, than stand by doing nothing while people need help."
"You're a lost cause," he muttered, shaking his head from side to side.
Daphne's nostrils flared angrily.
"That's funny," she said while staring back at him incredulously. "I was thinking the same thing about you." She stormed off.
Once again, that strange feeling welled up inside of him.
"Hey," Argos called after her, completely unsure of why he was saying this. "You… you're not bad."
Daphne paused.
"You should feel flattered, princess," Spider's voice said. The witch jumped in surprise. "Knowing this fellow here, that's about as close to a 'thank you' you're going to get." He shimmered into sight.
"You assassins!" she huffed. "Do you always have to follow people invisibly like that? Can't act normal for a change."
"Bad habit," Spider shrugged. "Now excuse me, princess, but I'd like a word with the kid here, if you please."
She nodded and walked away.
"Your sister's quite a handful, isn't she?" Spider asked, looking at her diminishing figure.
"Half-sister," Argos muttered. "More importantly, I thought you died when Raal lit that match."
"Hey, hey, don't insult me," the assassin cross smirked. "I can't call myself an assassin cross if I couldn't deal with a minor explosion like that!"
The two of them stared at each other, then chuckled, as if sharing a little secret only the two of them knew.
"How did you do it?" asked the younger man. Spider shook his head.
"That's a secret I'll tell you when you're older. But on the other hand, you'll need to tell me what happened during these encounters with the other rankers."
Argos' smile disappeared. He wanted to clam up immediately, especially since Spider wouldn't tell him how he survived the explosion. This isn't fair…
Regardless, he forced himself to relay the past day to his senior partner with as much accuracy he could manage. When he finished, Spider rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pondering the turn of events.
"… I see… It's nothing short of a miracle that everyone managed to survive as long as they did."
"Spider… what Ghost said – that Remiel had been holding back against us – is it true?"
"Ghost wasn't lying when he said that. Had Remiel been fighting at full force, it wouldn't even be a question. It'd be more of a matter of whether there would be any corpses. He isn't the first ranked assassin without reason."
"And… is he really the clone of Eremes Guile?"
"…So you've found out, huh?"
Argos nodded.
"As far as I know, yes, he was the prototype for the biolabs experiment. The guild leader wanted us to keep it under wraps for some reason. To be honest, I have no clue what business a man like him has, killing people for a living. If he keeps this up, he really will go mad unless he finds some sort of outlet for the stress of killing. Raal's outlet was her appearance and love for attention. Ghost's outlet was his tendency to play with his targets, that twisted freak. My outlet was women… And Remiel doesn't have an outlet. Frankly, I'm amazed that he's lasted as long as he has."
Argos cast his eyes down at the mention of Ghost's name.
"Speaking of which," Spider continued. "You need to think about finding an outlet yourself as well; an anchor to separate your assassin work from your personal life. It's not as urgent because you've just become an assassin recently, but it's definitely something you should think about."
"I… had one," Argos mumbled, looking at his feet. For the third time that day, a strange feeling rose inside him, a tightening around his chest. Why was he feeling this way – this sudden urge to spill his guts, clashing with the shackles around his heart? "I had a man I wanted to kill…"
Spider's expression turned stern and his brows knitted tightly together.
"Revenge isn't a healthy outlet, sport," he said quietly.
"I know!" Argos burst out, sounding pained. "When I found out I had Daphne as a half-sister, it was almost enough to make me forget about him! I wanted to learn, to find out for myself what having a family again would feel like!" He clenched his fists tightly, struggling to express his inner demons in tangible words. "But Ghost won't let me forget – he comes back to haunt me and it feels like waking up from a dream into a nightmare in hell!"
He fell on his knees to the sand, shaking slightly. Tears blurred his vision. He saw Spider step backwards in alarm at the mention of the second ranker's name.
"Ghost!?" Spider whispered, shocked. "The man you've wanted to kill?"
"Even now, I know he'll be back again for me, toying with me, torturing me," his voice trembled. He hugged himself tightly. "But I d-don't know how much more of this I can take. It feels like he's watching my every move; following me everywhere I go!"
"Hey," Spider knelt in front of the young man and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's going to be okay."
"Quint, please…" Argos sobbed, hot tears streaming down his face. "Please help me…"
Outskirts of Comodo
It took the group just over an hour to hike from the beach where Ghost attacked them, to the outer reaches of the Beach City Comodo. The sight of the sun peeking over the ocean horizon, casting the gentle light of daybreak was a welcome image to the sleep deprived travelers. Soft sand glittered under their feet as the waves lapped against the shore in a soothing rhythm.
"HEEEEEYYYY YA GUYS!" a familiar voice shouted to them from behind.
Grant turned around and saw a lanky young man in the distance, running towards them and waving.
"Who is that?" Spider mumbled, squinting his eyes towards the distant figure. "Looks like a rogue – am I supposed to know him?"
"Didn't think he'd follow us all the way here," Grant grumbled. "As for who he is… I suppose I wouldn't exactly call him a friend."
"IT'S GOOD T' SEE SOME FRIENDS AGAIN!" the young man yelled to them.
"Well… at the very least, he's not an enemy," Grant sighed.
"Let's pretend we didn't hear him," Reinbach muttered. "Maybe he'll stop chasing us."
There was a general murmuring of consent and the group continued walking into the town.
"HEEYYYYYYYYY I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME!" the rogue yelled. His approaching voice was gradually getting louder.
"Let's walk faster," Daphne suggested. Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Good idea," Grant said. They quickened their pace.
"Does it seem like if we ignore him long enough, he'll go away?" Spider asked.
"No, it doesn't seem so," Eurie mused.
The group stopped walking and exchanged wordless glances with each other. Nicholas hoisted Eurie into his arms.
"Run!" said Argos.
"WHY'RE YA RUNNIN' AWAY!?" the rogue howled. "YA JERKS!"
With so many injured amongst them, it was clear that the rogue would catch up to the weary travelers. They stopped their ragged sprinting, relenting to the inevitable.
"How ya folks doin'?" the young man greeted, running towards them. He saw Spider and his eyes widened. "ASSASSIN CROSS!" he shrieked, and jump kicked the man squarely in the back.
Spider's eyes turned into saucers before he fell and tumbled to the ground. Nearly everyone's mouths fell open in surprise.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" the assassin cross shouted. "AND WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"
Grant planted his face into his palm.
"I think I've got a pretty good understanding of what's going on here. Spider, this is Zimba. Zimba, this man is Spider. He's a friend of ours."
"Eh?" Zimba's complacent smirk dropped from his face as he faced Grant. "Ya mean he ain't the assassin cross that's been following you folks from way back when?"
"No," Grant sighed. "He's the assassin cross who helped chase off the assassin cross that followed us from way back then."
Spider's gloved hand gripped tightly onto Zimba's head from behind.
"How would you like to die?" sneered Spider ominously.
"Ahaha… hahahaha," Zimba laughed nervously. "Sorry? I've got info fer ya."
Spider released his hold Zimba's slate gray hair.
"What is it?" he asked.
"So it seemed to us rogues that y'all were runnin' away from somethin'. Ain't my business what, but there's a squad of crusaders led by a paladin searchin' the desert. Some of our scouts saw 'em ridin' from Morroc."
"Uriel…" Grant said quietly, his brows drawn thoughtfully. Spider shot the paladin a glance.
"What are you talking about?"
"Uriel Margaret, a paladin and the Royal Justice of Crusaders. He's been elected by the Pope to act as the interim general while the King is bedridden."
"Margaret?" Reinbach asked. "By any chance, is he related to Caitlin Margaret, the second-in-command on our mission to Morroc?"
"Yes, they are siblings," Grant nodded. "You know what this means, don't you?"
"…We will probably meet again on opposite sides of the battlefield."
"That includes your friends Olin Ozworth and Juniper Weiss," the paladin said grimly.
Reinbach hung his head.
"I don't get this," Spider shook his head. "What's this Royal Justice business?"
"You weren't here when Cadence dropped by to tell us – the Royal Justices are the strongest of each class, chosen by the Pope to hunt down and capture those suspected of treachery against the throne. They are a newly formed handful of elites."
"That explains the name," Spider muttered. "In other words, they're going to be hunting us, I take it. That's just fantastic. We still don't know who requested the hit on the princess!"
"What princess?" Zimba blurted out, looking around.
"Any chance that group will find us here?" Grant asked the rogue. Zimba shrugged.
"Dunno." Zimba began playing with his dagger, apparently having lost interest in any princesses. He knelt to a squat and drew in the sand with the blade. "I'd say you folks have 'bout a month before they give up searchin' the desert fer hideout places."
"Then they would begin searching nearby cities," Grant mused. "Standard procedure."
"How did you find this out?" asked Spider.
"They attacked us rogues on our way to Morroc. We had to scatter in all different directions to throw 'em off."
"And you're by yourself?"
"Yup. Got nothin' else to do. You folks headed to Comodo, ain't ya?"
Spider sighed.
"Well, I suppose it is okay for you to come with us for now."
Galapago Inn, Beach City Comodo
"So that's the situation in a nutshell," Spider explained. "The few days of hell we endured in Morroc and on our trip here have bought us roughly a month. We will spend that one month hiding and training, in preparation for our eventual return to Prontera. As you know, we absolutely cannot return to Morroc at this point."
"Training?" Daphne asked. "Richard has Spider to train him, and Kristoph has Captain Graves, but who will be training me?"
"Gee thanks," Zimba muttered under his breath. "Let's all pretend poor little Zimba ain't here."
"Hello, Miss Trenton," a woman's voice greeted. "That would be me."
"Tabby!" Grant exclaimed. "Right on time!"
"Although I may not be the foremost expert when it comes to wizardry and witchcraft, I will do my best to help you improve." The red-haired professor smiled from the doorway. Behind her, stood Tolby Neptunia and Caroline Cook.
"H-hello," Caroline murmured, hugging her Vanilmirth homunculus tightly.
"Ah!" Neptunia sighed. "A vision of loveliness is present before me!" If it were possible for someone to waltz and swoon at the same time, the young sage certainly pulled it off as he approached Daphne's seat and knelt before her, grasping her hand. "Might you grace me with the knowledge of your name?"
"Erm… Daphne Trenton," the young witch blinked. Reinbach scowled irately.
"Oh! What a sweet, beautiful name!" He lightly brushed his lips against her knuckles.
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Tabby shrieked. Reinbach and to nearly everyone's surprise, Argos, immediately clamped their hands on the sage's shoulders and pulled him back.
"Knock it off!" Argos growled.
"Please excuse him," Tabby said immediately, as if apologizing for a misbehaving pet. "He's like that with every female he sees; he doesn't realize what he's just done."
"We can trust these two?" Spider asked Tabby, jerking his head towards Neptunia and Caroline. The professor nodded.
"They're just students of mine," she said. "I had no choice but to bring them here for their safety. This is Caroline Cook and Tolby Neptunia."
Grant surveyed the two former students with a critical eye.
"I won't ask why you're here," he said. "I'm assuming that you two have gotten wrapped up and involved with this situation, and have your own reasons for being here at this moment."
He crossed his arms and tightened his mouth sternly.
"Eurie and Nicholas. Although I had my initial doubts about you, you've proven me wrong and proven your worth many times over. You have my thanks."
The dancer smiled bashfully and Nicholas hmm'ed a hoarse response of acknowledgement.
"Zimba. Your warning for us couldn't have come at a better time. Your group has brought to us information that most likely helped in more ways than one."
He paced back and forth, his once flawless silver armor – now decked with dents, scratches and chips from the journey – clinking softly.
"The five of you can say goodbye here."
Everyone looked at the paladin in alarm.
"We're about to be involved with something much bigger than any of our heads. The success rate of our mission is probably close to zero. But the rest of us will continue on regardless, clawing a path for ourselves with our bare hands if need be. I won't ask you to come us. I won't blame you if you don't. You all have no reason to risk your lives further."
"We have something that needs to be done," Spider continued. "The five of you should think about what to do next. You're welcome to join us, but we won't stop and wait. If you fall, we'll leave you behind."
There was a hushed silence in the room. A heavy air hung over them.
"So that's it?" Eurie's voice trembled. "Just a goodbye, after all that has happened?"
"Unfortunately, we're not here to sightsee," Grant said. "We won't have time for touring Comodo and enjoying the festivities."
"I… I thought once we would reach Comodo, we would have time to relax and have fun," the dancer said. "Part of me realized that was a distant dream when we were attacked by the first and second rankers. But still!"
"We won't be able to let our guards down even for a second," said Spider. "Grant is right. From here on out, we won't have time for relaxation."
Eurie looked crestfallen.
Nicholas coughed.
"Heh," he whispered. "You need to be more honest with yourself, Eurie. If you want to go with them, then just say it. I'll follow wherever you go."
"Nick!" The dancer threw her arms around her brother in an affectionate hug.
Zimba stood up from his chair.
"You folks seem like an interestin' bunch," he said in his slurring drawl. "I told ya before that my group went and scattered. Hey, I got nothin' better to do. Why not? I'll join ya."
Tabby looked at Neptunia and Caroline.
"It's now or never, you two. Tolby – never mind I already know your answer."
"What can I say? I am compelled to follow beauty – "
"Caroline?" Tabby interrupted.
"I-I want to help!"
"Then it's settled," Grant nodded. "We have one month to prepare for the upcoming maelstrom of events."
"One month?" Argos asked. "Do we even have the time for that? War can break out any day now."
"It's certainly true that is the case," Grant noted. "But what's important is that the Pope can't officially seize power unless he confirms the princess' death."
"That's… not entirely true," Daphne said. "Even if I'm not confirmed dead, the Pope is allowed to temporarily seize power if the current ruling King dies and no heirs are present."
"Daphne?" Eurie laughed nervously. "What might you be talking about? You speak as if you are implying something serious." Nicholas, Zimba, Caroline and Neptunia were watching her carefully.
Daphne set her mouth in firm line. Her eyes shone resolutely as she looked around the room, meeting Grant's nod and Tabby's smile. It should be okay. Everyone in this room is trustworthy.
"That's right Eurie," the witch said. "Daphne Trenton is a cover name. I am Daphne Tristan, daughter of King Tristan III and heir to the Prontera throne!"