Quick Note: All the Loud characters are their in show age. Had a comment questioning it so felt it best to address it. Without further ado
Chapter 3: A Moment of Peace
Lincoln was the first to awake from a night of celebration with a smile on his face. A part of him was happy now knowing that his sisters are now together and safe so he can now focus on a way to get home. After washing up and heading to the dining area he saw Lola sitting in a bar, drinking a reddish liquid with a depressive look on her face. The sight alone was enough to sour Lincoln's mood as he sat next to Lola.
"Hey," Lincoln said in a soft tone, "whatcha drinking?" Lola didn't respond as she continued to drink. Lincoln tried to get his sister to say anything but was only met with silence. Henway walked up to the duo with a solemn look on his face before asking Lincoln if he could help out with a delivery he had gotten. Lincoln could see what the bartender was trying to do and agreed to help out while Lola continued to drink. Lincoln and Henway were moving a few boxes into the kitchen while having a bit of a conversation.
"Well, first thing," Henway began, "she's not on the hard stuff. She's been drinking hawshaw juice since the crack of dawn; it'll take 3000 glasses before she could get even a little buzz." Lincoln was thankful that his sister wasn't drunk but was still worried about her. "She briefly told me what happened yesterday. Impressive but I feel sorry for her." Lincoln's heart wrenched in pain to the point he needed to sit down. Henway rested a hand on his shoulder and got down to eye level with him. "Listen, we all like to think our country is beautiful and perfect but there's no such thing as a perfect diamond. Many of them are flawed with chips, cracks and other impurities. However, just because a diamond is flawed, that doesn't mean we can make it perfect."
Lincoln was sobbing at this point before embracing Henway in a hug which he accepted. Lincoln took a moment to regain his breathing and wipe away his tears while continuing to thank Henway. He just smiled as the two finished bringing the delivery while the remaining sisters filed down into the dining area. Luna got on stage and performed a light morning serenade as the tavern started to fill with travelers and locals. Lincoln rejoined his sisters as Lola slowly made her way back to her room.
"Hey Stink, is Lola alright," Lynn asked before shoveling a plate of meat and eggs into her mouth. Lincoln sighed before explaining what happened this morning and his talk with Henway. Lori and Leni, after hearing about their sister's mood, went upstairs to comfort Lola while some sat in silence. Lynn, however, clawed at the table; etching her nails into it in anger. "We should have killed that bastard." The sister's mumbled in agreement as Lincoln continued to eat.
Meanwhile, Lori and Leni held Lola as she cried softly into their arms. The older two joined in with tears as Lola pulled away and looked up at them.
"How could he? Why would he?" Lola was a mess of emotions as she wiped tears and snot from her face. Lori handed her a piece of cloth from her bag letting Lola properly clean her face.
"Lola," Lori began softly, "Some people just don't care. They want whatever you have for themself. Whether it's money, influence or… your body. You can try to say "no" "get away" or "stop" but they'll use everything they can to force you." Lola just stared at her sister as this new knowledge as Leni rested a hand on her shoulder. "Listen, we understand if you need time but me, Leni and the others are here if you need to talk or just cry with." Lola sighed before hugging her sisters tightly. The three soon embraced in a group hug before more tears ran down their faces.
"Thank you," Lola softly said with a smile "but I do need some time. This is a lot to take in." The two nodded as they headed back downstairs while Lola sat in her bed. True, this was a lot for her. She knew that boys liked her for her beauty but to go that far and to do those things. Her thoughts frantically ran wild before settling on Lincoln and how he is. He was always there for her whether it was prepping for a contest or just to play as her butler. In addition, he always went out of his way to help not just her but all of his siblings no matter how big or small. These thoughts warmed Lola to the point where she could lay down and rest a bit knowing that her sisters and brother would protect her from anything.
Downstairs, Luna had finished her set as Luan took the stage to tell a couple of jokes while the others began to talk about a way to go home. Lisa had suggested that she could build something with her new found arcane and technology knowledge but due to how scarce powerful material can be, the idea was rejected for now. Lori and Leni returned to the table with an update on Lola's condition which lightened their feelings a bit before continuing their discussion. As they hit the third all in choices, Henway came to their table with refills and extra food.
"So, what's your plans for the day,"he asked while taking a few empty plates. They talked about their plans on getting back home which he chipped in a suggestion "You should talk to Madame Lafayette. She pretty much knows all there is about anything. But, it's a bit of a trip to get there." The sibling, with no other plan, decided to gear up for the trip. Henway gave the group a map with Madame's hut circled on it along with a week's supply of bread and fruits. Lori went back to get Lola ready for the journey while the other set out to other shops to pick up more things.
Lynn, Lincoln and Lucy went to a local blacksmith to see if they could get a good price on weapons. As they entered the shop, they were hit with a wave of heat from the forge and heated metals. Before long, a very short man came out from the back covered in sweat and soot while addressing the trio. "Welcome to Dragon Smiths. The name's Moar Starband, what can I get ya?" They asked for weapons and some armor which Moar said he can make but he needs measurements. Lynn stated that she feels stronger without armor and just wanted a better ax and Lucy felt a bit more comfortable in her hood; so only Lincoln got measured for armor. Moar grabbed a step stool and began to measure the boy before doing the math for the price of the armors, ax and a simple shortsword for Leni. The total came out to 200 gold which Lynn paid for with one of the gemstones. Moar examines the gem for a moment before handing Lynn 100 gold back. "There ya go. It'll take six hours before they're done but if you got any gemstones, I'll happily buy them off ya." Lynn thanked the dwarf before they headed out the shop.
Meanwhile, Leni, Lana, Luna and Luan set off to do some window shopping before finding a magic shop that caught their attention. Once they entered, the scent of lilac and firewood filled their noses causing the three of them to smile while Lana just rolled her eyes. After browsing the shelves, a door opens as an elven man walks out. "Oh customers. Pleasure to meet you. Welcome to The Daydream, the premiere shop for all potions and elixirs. My name is Shemaus Tarkan and I'll be helping you today." The girls began to ask about all that he sells which he happily explained. He sold healing, poison, freezing and all sorts of potions. As for elixirs, they were more expensive but were more powerful versions of the others. The older three girls were hanging on every word while Lana continued to look through the supplies until she came across a charm.
It was a necklace with a pendant in the shape of a bear's head. The pendant was on a woven vine that tied in the back. For some reason, it felt like the charm was calling out to Lana as her eyes grew at the sight. As she reached out for it, Shemaus quickly rushed over and took the necklace before Lana could touch it.
"No no no. I'm sorry but this is not for sale. This is my family heirloom and I could never just give it away." Lana shook her head as she wondered what just happened. Her sisters went over to make sure she was alright as Lana rubbed her eyes and head. "Now, what else could I help you with?" The sisters replied in the negative as they had bought a few healing potions and a potion of water breathing. They bit each other a fair well before they made their way back to the tavern.
Back at the tavern, the siblings reunite and discuss what they had planned and plot out a route to head to Madame Lafayette. During the talk, Lola joined them with her new piece of clothing that was morphed into a set of robes that seemed to be thicker than the outfit she was wearing before and a face of determination. She sat next to Lori and joined in on the plan while tossing in her two cents on some decisions. Many of the others were taken back by Lola's new attitude but they silently agreed that this was better than her depressive one she had. As the day fainted into evening, Lincoln excused himself to leave to pick up his armor which Lola asked to go with. Lincoln saw no problem with this and let his sister come with him and Lola happily got up and walked out with him.
The two began to walk down the streets of the town as a few men lit the street lantern to brighten the roads a bit. Lola leaned onto Lincoln as Lincoln wrapped a comforting arm around her.
"How are you feeling, Lols?"
"I'm… alright. Lori and Leni talked to me about… that." Lincoln gently squeezed Lola a bit out of reflex as his body tensed up. A bit of rage bubbled up as the image of that chief manhandling his sister. Lincoln was deep in thought until Lola shook him out of it once they were in front of the blacksmith shop. Lincoln apologized before the two entered and, for Lincoln, was once again hit with heat but it wasn't as intense. Moar Starband greeted the white haired boy and politely greeted Lola. Lola bowed as Lincoln asked about if his armor was ready, which Moar happily announced that it was. The armor was a scale mail set with shoulder pauldrons with an "L" written on both of them. Lincoln ran his thumb over the armor and marveled at it while Lola eyed up the dagger before picking one. The dagger was a simple curved blade but the handle was smooth as black with an opal in the hilt.
"I see you're taking a liken to Frost, kid," Moar said while letting out a chuckle and placing the blade on the table. "She's a real beaut, ain't she." Lola nodded as she reached for it. "May I-" "Of course! Gotta try the blade before you commit to it." Lola picked up the dagger and took a few practice swings and stabs; enjoying the feeling in her hands. Lola smiled before turning back to Moar and asked for the price
"I can't let it go for less than 2,000 gold." Lola thought about it for a bit while calculating the gold and gems she had. Unfortunately she only had 400 in gold but didn't know this world's price for gems.
"Hmm, I can do three rubies," Lola countered while pulling out 3 rubies from her robes. Moar pulled out a set of glasses that zoomed in and out a few times before lifting them up onto his head. "Sorry, these are only worth 1,500. If ya got another-" but Moar was cut off as the sound of thud and bells interrupted him. The siblings paused as Moar ran to the back to grab some supplies before rushing out the door. Lincoln and Lola followed out and saw the town guards scrambling to the front gates and citizens running for their homes. Before they could ask what was going on, the other sisters rushed down ready for a fight.
"Lincoln, Lola, come on," Lori shouted as she grabbed their arms. "What's going on? Why is everyone panicking?" Lincoln asked as he got his footing to run alongside his sisters. Before any could reply, the sound of a low gravely groan could be heard as a figure rose over the horizon. The figure had multiple limbs and menacing eyes. It began to make its way closer to the town as bowmen fired at the beast but it was no use as the arrows bounced off its hide. Seeing this, The Loud siblings readied themselves for a fight; all except Lola. She got a good look at the face of the best and recognized it as the bandit chief which she informed her siblings about. Everyone was surprised to know this beast was once a bandit but Lynn was excited as she had a chance to kill this bastard.
Slightly shorter chapter but I had fun writing it even with writer's block. But, from now on, I'll try to get a chapter out around every two weeks. Next chapter the rematch but this time, it's a lot harder. Until next time, make sure you carry a stake with you, never know when a vampire might strike