Alice examined the area where the Seven Heroes had reportedly been hanging out before disappearing. She couldn't feel anything. There were no signs of their presence in this precise spot, and the lingering presence in the remainder of the tavern had already been erased by the numerous monsters that were investigating the place.
To describe the place as a storm of confusion was an understatement. When Alma Elma came back to the Pocket Castle with Daimyokai in her tail, Alice had prepared herself to castigate her subordinate for her questionable behavior. Then a quick interrogation revealed that Daimyokai had somehow made the heroes disappear with a strange talisman. At first, Alice thought it was just a joke until she saw the talisman used. It reeked of the worst aspects of Tamamo. The conclusion was obvious.
"That dumbass yokai hunter not only stole some precious equipment from the Monster Lord's Castle, she stole experimental spells and used them without making sure they worked!"
The following hour, a large team of scientists and magi from the Pocket Castle had invaded the Nameless Slums. Even Tamamo had joined them when she learned about it. The flimsy tavern was now filled with advanced makinas and magic circles while monsters were running around in a panic. Tamamo herself was currently discussing with Promestein and Mephisto near a large makina, holding the used talisman.
"Yes, this was a banishing spell that I used in my younger days which was supposed to send the target to another dimension altogether… I didn't use it that much because it required too much energy to use simply to move someone away… Then the Great Disaster scrambled everything, and I have no idea where they could have landed! Luckily, it also broke the counter-detection, so we may still find him."
"If only we had someone reliable who could check other dimensions…" Mephisto haughtily glanced in the direction of Daji. The kitsune was setting up several probes around the area the heroes had disappeared. "Someone who we would be sure wasn't responsible for this incident in any way."
"Hey! Daji indignantly reacted at the accusation. "I wouldn't make the whole team disappear like that! Who would I corrupt with pleasure afterward? And besides, do you really want me to jump from worlds to worlds to find them? I have no idea where they are… it could take hundreds of trips, and the only thing I'm guaranteed to bring is one of them!"
"Mmmh… Very well." Promestein started typing on the keyboard of her makina. "Maybe if I analyze the flows of energy and cross them with the ones in Tartarus and with Hild's light/dark core, I'll have an idea of where they could be. It will take time though."
"Just do it."
Alice continued strolling around as the robot girl entered the center. Witch and Mysteltainn were browsing through thick tomes in search of any spell. And Alma Elma was busy interrogating Daimyokai with Magatsu. The only one who looked undisturbed was Morrigan who was sitting on a chair, her legs crossed over the counter.
"You look quite serene given the circumstances."
"Pfff… it's Luka we're looking for. Wherever he is, he is fine! He's probably kicking asses and adding them to his harem afterward. And I'm confident we'll find him with all that stuff! Seriously, how many times did you guys get completely screwed?"
"Not often, specifically because we were careful to not take any situation lightly."
"Whatever. Just chill, grab a beer, preferably not one from here since it smells of piss, and relax! It will be solved in a minute!"
"I wish I could be as carefree as you."
"Then just stop giving a fuck!" Morrigan happily shrugged. "It worked for me."
Alice stared at the succubus, wondering how the latter was still alive in a world filled with dangers more lethal than a pair of pants. Her unnatural toughness from her lineage likely helped. Her caring sisters too. Not her intelligence.
How someone so old can still be so immature is beyond me.
Alice returned to the larger group. Promestein was heavily sweating as she was typing faster on her keyboard, visibly frustrated.
"We have no result with that method… maybe by doing a whole check of the Soul Return Network…"
"Yes, it would make sense, Luka has received the blessing of Ilias…" Tamamo remained immobile for a moment. Alice saw her ears flutter twice before she looked at Promestein in awe. "Wait… How do you even have access to that?! I spent centuries simply understanding its basis, and you managed to develop a way to casually access it in…"
"One week. I needed time to get the connection properly, but using Luka as a reference made it easy."
Tamamo remained frozen for a minute. When Alice poked her, the kitsune slowly tilted sideway before falling, still as stiff as a wooden plank. Mephisto patted Promestein on the back.
"Congratulations. Your work broke the limits of the possible hard enough to knock out an Ancestor. Maybe the Dark Goddess herself will faint when she sees how your special Promestein extract violated her work and helped create several specimens of demonoid."
"She's already aware." Tamamo raised her finger even as she was still spread on the ground. "Or at least, Astaroth is." The kitsune got up as if nothing happened, casually fanning herself.
On her side, Promestein gulped. "This… doesn't yield any result… and it was my last solution."
"Wait… are you telling me that we actually have no idea where Luka is and can't help him? At all?" Morrigan's grin disappeared from her face.
Promestein nodded.
"Welp. Unless a miracle happens, we're fucked…" Morrigan got up from her chair and started sauntering toward the exit. "We can as well start randomly sucking people dry. Who's with me?"
"Damn it Morrigan, can you at least leave us a minute to think for an alternative first?"
The succubus was holding the door halfway opened. "Meh, think all you want. I know I'm going to have fun."
The door suddenly exploded inward, leaving Morrigan with only the handle. Vinum showed up with an irritated expression, her eyes glowing slightly as she was barely holding a small flat makina with two fingers and her arm extended as if it was a piece of trash. Without a word, she slowly walked toward Alice who was frozen in a mix of fear and stupefaction.
Is that a makina? Is it for me? She doesn't look happy… what does she want? Tamamo's here in the worst case, but I feel like she'll kick my ass anyway… what is happening?!
Vinum stopped barely a meter from Alice, her arm still extended. When Alice didn't take it, Vinum got closer. Before she could ask a question, Tamamo snatched the device and brought it to her mouth.
"Hello?"
Alice couldn't hear anything, but she saw Tamamo frown. "And you are? A friend. I know all of her friends, and she never told me about you." The kitsune looked exasperated. "Yes, she's allowed to have her private life. Okay, fine! I'll pass you!"
Tamamo fiddled a bit more with the makina before placing it on the table in front of Alice. "It's the friend from that one time."
Alice hesitantly looked at the makina. Tamamo gestured at it. Alice leaned forward.
"H-hello?"
An aggravating, yet familiar feminine voice boomed from the small box. "Alice! How is my favorite little lamia doing?! Granted, I know like two other lamias and one is a complete toddlercon while the other is halfway insane, but that's a detail…"
"Cheshire. Oh, Dark Goddess, why…What do you want?"
"Hey, that's no way to greet an old friend! I thought you'd have been happier to hear from me after all this time!"
"I… am having problems over here. Unless you know exactly where Luka and the other heroes are, please leave us alone."
"Then isn't that fortunate! I'm calling you right now to exactly tell you about that!"
A wave of audible gasps and whispers filled the room.
"Wait… you found him?"
"Yeah! He ended up in a dimension a bit further than usual with all the other heroes! They're doing fine! …Or at least, they survived the transfer. I have no idea what happened next."
Alice sighed. "And I suppose you can't bring them back."
"Nope, that world is under the jurisdiction of a bunch of a bunch of tight-ass, lazy arbiters. If I step in, I'll get my butt nuked. On the bright side, the place is temporally asymmetrical, and time flow faster there than here."
"…How does that even work?"
"I don't know either… Anyway, don't worry about it! He and all his friends should have no problem dealing with the locals! Except the dragons… And the priests… and of course the other invader, but that's another issue entirely!"
"Wait, what?"
"But all that to say, don't worry about it! We pretty much have the guarantee that they'll be sent back as soon as they dealt with miss whatshername… So reassure everyone, and try to keep that little talk of us secret. I'm not going to hear the end of it if they hear that Kazuya's been displaced in yet another world after I sent him here. Pinky swear?"
"…"
"…Your mother put us on loudspeaker, didn't she?"
"Yes."
"Wooops. Oh well, I'll leave you then. Just don't blab too much about our little adventure. Also please tell Vinum to keep that fucking book under lock. See you next time!"
Then the makina emitted a beep followed by a monotonous ringing. Alice barely had the time to breathe out that Tamamo was in her face with the unfriendliest smile she ever saw.
"You have really made a curious friend! And you seem to be quite close to her… Can you tell me more about her?"
"Just… ask Daji. She'll explain it better than me."
"Yeaaah, about that, she scrambled the fuck away as soon as she heard the voice from that Cheshire." Morrigan finally dropped the door handle on the ground. "And I thought the White Rabbit was annoying…"
Alice slowly looked around her. Everyone was staring at her. Even Vinum who had shown up utterly furious looked more curious. She simply couldn't escape it this time.
"What if I tell you that I worked with her, Daji, and another version of Kazuya to eliminate a giant world-devouring locust?"
The small Monster Lord was now passably unnerved at Tamamo still staring at her an inch from her face.
"…You're telling the truth." The kitsune moved back, freeing some much-appreciated breathing room. "I need a snack… oh. Right. No hero around… Then I need a drink… Just not from here."
Everyone fell silent in distress as the discussion was fully sinking in. The hero was missing, and they had no control on it. All researches would be useless. The best they could was praying for him.
Hang in there Luka … don't worry about us. Wherever you are, whatever is happening, we're all thinking about you. We'll be fine as long as you are. Don't lose hope…
Far away, Luka was strolling through large plains under a light snowfall, smiling while enjoying the beauty and tranquility of his surroundings. Once he had reached Riverwood, the hero had been greeted as a local savior and given some jewelry as well as a map. They had even invited him to the tavern to tell more about his tales, but Luka politely declined under the cover of his mission. In reality, the hero just wanted to avoid the chance of having to take a drink. Since he had left the city, the worst he had to deal with was a couple of bandits that ended taking a bath in a river, leaving him a sword and a few more gold coins.
I could get used to this… I forgot how walking without being perpetually being jumped by horny monsters felt. It's been a while since I walked more than a kilometer out of a city before using a harpy feather.
The grassy plains turned into fenced fields, with the occasional house present on each side of the paved path. Ignoring the unpleasant initial contact, the region looked more civilized than he expected. Even as the fortified city was barely appearing from afar, Luka could also see a guard tower near the road. The soldiers of the city were assuring safety beyond the walls of their settlement. He could see some activity at the bottom of the tower. Several soldiers were examining something near the road, completely ignoring him as they were too engrossed in their discussion. They were wearing a light mail with a brown cloth, distinguishing them from the blue and red men he had dealt with so far. Luka slowly approached them, driven by his curiosity. He took the time to cautiously worm his way around them to take a peek at whatever attracted their attention. He grimaced at the sight and quickly regretted his decision.
His effort earned him a disgusting vision as a woman's body was lying face down on the ground, covered with large broken wooden planks. If the blood and small shards present all around were any indication, the attack had been quite violent. The woman's head had swollen and turned a sick purple, erasing any beauty she could have. Luka also noticed her leather armor and her quite-well toned body as well as her sword. It was of a way higher quality than the one Luka had ended saddled with. All those were so many signs that pointed at her profession as an experienced (if not professional) adventurer.
One of the guards eventually noticed Luka and scolded him. "Move along. This isn't a view for kids."
Luka answered with an assured voice. "Sorry sir. I'm actually a veteran adventurer helping those in needs. Do you know what happened here?"
The guard recoiled, caught flat-footed by the surprisingly mature child in front of him.
"We don't. We were all guarding the zone when we heard a crash. Then we found that scene." His voice shifted in an accusing tone. "It looks like one of those damn sorcerers is fooling around. We must be on our guards."
"This is weird…" Another guard was examining the scene. "That girl reminds me of a tavern wench that works in Riverwood. But I did not take her as the adventuring type."
Luka distractedly nodded as he was examining the scene. He could detect something vaguely familiar amongst the grisly remainders, but couldn't understand the cause at first.
Wait… there are several strange magic marks on that table… It comes from home! It was the one I was drinking on when we got teleported! If it's there, then it means the other heroes would have been teleported in as well! Now I have to find them!
Luka became so engrossed in his thoughts he completely obstructed the environment. Only a powerful roar echoing from above brought him back to his thoughts.
"By Ysmir, what is that?"
Crap, I forgot that I was supposed to tell everyone about the dragons…
"There!" Luka pointed at a large form in the sky. The guards around him reacted in a mix of awe and confusion.
"Is that a dragon? It can't be… They have been extinct for millennia!"
"This one looks pretty alive to me…" The guard notched an arrow on his bow. "Prepare to fight!"
Luka himself hesitated as to what to do. On the one hand, with only a tower in the middle of the large plain, his retreating options were extremely limited. On the other hand... that dragon wasn't quite the same one that had attacked him when he first arrived. While he still remained dangerous, its aura was barely a fireplace compared to the raging inferno of his first encounter. And indeed, as he approached, Luka could confirm that he was weaker. For starter, he was barely more than half as big as the first one. His traits were less angular, with its white scaly skin looking thinner particularly around the head. Its horns were also shorter, a far cry from the majestic sight of the other monster he saw. Still, it could prove a troublesome opponent as its flying abilities would force Luka to resort to magic once again, a domain where he wasn't at his strongest.
Should I start with an ice spell… he's probably used to cold. I don't think it can be a holy beast, so angelic spells should work. However, I'm concerned about how people would react on seeing that. Nevermind, I already used on in the past, nobody said anything. It should work fine. Now let's just wait for that monster to get closer. I'll have to time my attack right…
The guards around him desperately started shooting at the dragon as the beast approached them. Luka could already notice the malicious, ambitious intelligence behind its eye. He wondered if he wasn't making a mistake in accepting to face such a beast.
Before he could put his plan in action, a powerful lightning orb struck the dragon. The beast shrieked in pain loudly enough for the guards to cover their ear before it fell to the ground in a rumble. Its body tore a large section of the road as it slid in front of Luka. To his surprise, the beast was still living, but just barely.
That was just a Lambda Spark spell! But it was not cast in the conventional way. This reminds me of Lauratt. With a little luck, it's him.
And indeed, Luka could see the young sorcerer approaching from the field. A smile appeared on both of their faces as they joined to shake hands and pat each other on the back."
"I'm glad to see you… for a moment, I was worried I would be alone."
Lauratt silently nodded back.
"By the divines… the end times are upon us! We must inform the jarl at once!"
The guards all started sprinting away, even leaving their weapons behind in the hurry. Luka dismissed their behavior for now: they would complete his mission of warning the local leader. He would probably meet the man himself later anyway.
"You don't happen to have seen any of the others?"
"…"
Lauratt shook his head negatively and gestured toward the town, a glowing rune on his hand. He had planned to find a stronghold to launch a signature spell as a signal to regroup. He frowned. Of course, there was also the risk of attracting unwanted attention, but it was a risk that they could manage.
"You're right. The faster we regroup with the others, the better. We'll be safer together whatever the world throw at us."
Luka approached the dead body one last time. The large monster was less impressive than he looked a few minutes ago. He tried to consider what he could do with the body of the beast, as monster parts were often powerful reagents in their own rights. And besides, it could help him fund his place in this world.
He ultimately shrugged it off. He had no way to strip the carcass and transport its remainders.
The pair hadn't even stepped foot in the city before they were stopped by worried guards. While they were more than grateful for the intervention that had saved them from a painful death, they were also utterly terrified by the display of power from the two young men in front of them.
"Open up, please! We just want to meet the jarl to talk about Helgen and a place to rest for a night! Nothing more!"
The guard remained at the entrance, awkwardly shifting around while he remained silent. Even under his iron helm, Luka could see the man looking at them with fear. They had just casually slain a beast of legends, after all. Luka could hear some discussion on the other side of the door, including an authoritative feminine voice. The sun was starting to approach the horizon when the door finally opened on an ash-skinned woman with red and black eyes wearing a heavy armor. While she was harshly looking at the two men, her sword was still resting on her hip.
…She looks like a mix of an elf and a succubus. She doesn't smell or acts like one though.
"My name is Irileth. Follow me. I will bring you to Jarl Balgruuf."
"Thank you." Luka bowed.
The activity of the city itself was as familiar as it could be. A woman was working on a sword at a grindstone while children were playing amongst the stall of merchants, with customers busy gossiping amongst each other. If it wasn't for the lack of monster, the city would just look like any place back home.
I… don't miss them for now. Is something wrong with me?
They were eventually led in a large hall at the highest point of the city. Their guide glared at them one last time when she opened the door.
"Hold yourself in front of the jarl."
Luka and Lauratt soberly nodded. When the door opened, the hero was almost disappointed by the mundane appearance of the place. Large tables covered with silverware were present on each side while a blond, aged man with a short beard was waiting for them wallowed on a throne. Another man wearing a sober tunic was standing on his side, looking at them with suspicion. The two heroes approached them until they were at a decent distance and respectfully bowed. The man smirked in bemusement.
"Greetings, young champions. My guards reported your heroic actions. We are very impressed with your elimination of the dragon."
"Thank you sir…" Luka nodded. "I was initially supposed to inform you of their return… one of them destroyed the city of Helgen, and Riverwood might be next."
Balgruuf's grateful smirk turned into a frown. "This is concerning… we are short on manpower with the war looming on the horizon, but we simply cannot afford to leave Riverwood vulnerable. I will send reinforcement there immediately."
The bald man spoke, his voice echoing his concern. "Sir, if I may, Falkreath may see the troop movement as a sign of aggression…"
"Then send a messenger to Falkreath to inform them as well. We will not let citizens die to a dragon because of politics!"
Luka briefly frowned. He wasn't one for politics. Those had more often than not only been obstacles on his quest. The jarl's smile returned.
"Allow me to offer you hospitality then. After your actions, you deserve to be awarded the title of thane. Aventus. Give them the key to their new abodes. I want them to feel welcome in Whiterun…"
As they gave their goodbyes, Luka already started thinking their next move. His head was hurting from all the thinking.
Damnit… This is for these moments that I'm missing Alice… Let's see that house. We're also going to need to get more money for food and other necessities… I wonder if they have some quests available around?
Before he left, Luka heard the jarl's steward talk to his superior.
"Sir… besides the war, we're also worried that transferring soldiers would require taking them from the eastern garrisons. The farmers have often complained from bandits attacks. Can we really take this risk?"
Well that's convenient.
Adar looked down on the cultivated plains far below him and groaned. Those farmers were now enjoying the protection of additional guards. It would require a well-coordinated nightly attack to be able to take a decent haul.
The civil war had been a boon for him and his fellow raiders. The conflict was involving a large number of soldiers that were focused on defending against an opposing army instead of trying to take care of bandits like him, leaving him free reign to plunder Whiterun and Eastmarch. Furthermore, his hideout was hard to find, and even harder to assault. He had thoroughly fortified the place with numerous traps, starting with a barrage of rocks ready to be unleashed on the only uphill path that allowed accessing his lair's entrance. His soldiers were ready to ambush any survivor. And he had grabbed the best enchanted steel armor one could get their hands on. Only a small army would be able to dislodge him, and even then only at the cost of terrible losses. Losses that nobody wanted to suffer with the civil war. He was untouchable.
A strange tingling sensation briefly took over his body, making him grunt in surprise. His instinct told him that something was happening. Something big. And his guts always proved reliable. He returned in the cavern that made for his hideout where two of his subordinates were lazying around in piles of fur that made for beds.
"Get up you two. We might get some company."
The two men silently nodded and grabbed their weapon before going deeper in the cavern. In the worst case scenario, the man would be a goody-two-shoes that would be quickly taken care of. Adar returned to his observation point. Light snow had started to fall, obscuring his view. Still, he remained upstairs, if only because he preferred the feeling of freedom from the outside rather than the stuffiness of the caverns.
Bah… One last raid and we'll move to Falkreath afterward. The climate there is slightly better. I never understood all those idiots that want to live in Winterhold and Windhelm. It's so freaking cold there, it's simply not worth living in the region.
Time was slowly passing as heard some commotion down the mountains. It looked like some would-be hero had decided to get in and ran in the first trap… with some luck, their belongings wouldn't be crushed in the process and earn them some money.
The crushing sound of rock was exceptionally loud. Then against every form of reason, it got louder. When he peeked, he saw several tons of rocks pushed upward by a transparent barrier.
"What in oblivion…"
Suddenly, several tons of rocks were scattered in every direction like so many pebbles. Adar ran away for his life when one large boulder flew toward his promontory. The large stone hit the flank of the mountain, making the place rumble before tumbling down again in a deafening crushing noise.
"Is this one of those damn magi? Since when did they learn how to make rocks fly?!"
Luckily, the narrow corridors would play against those weaklings. They would get ambushed at close range by his subordinates and quickly dealt with. He could already hear the sound of battle echoing from the cavern…
However, instead of his subordinates reporting in, two boys showed up. One was wearing a strange armor and a red cape, while the other was carrying a large rod, confirming that he was indeed a mage. Adar drew out a large battleaxe.
"Should've never come here."
"Wait!" The warrior raised his hand. "Why do you plunder the region instead of helping them? There's more to be done that way!"
Adar only stopped a second to sneer before charging the idiot. He was midway when he realized his weapon was no longer in his hands.
"…This looks better than what I got so far." He turned around to see the purple-haired boy examining his weapon. Uncomfortable, Adar made a few steps back when his blue eyes rose up to meet his.
"Can you answer me please?"
"Are you serious?" Adar examined the candid boy. There was no way someone would ask a question so idiotic. "I just want people's stuff, that's it. What do you expect? A sob story?"
The boy looked down. "…sorry, force of habit. I guess not everyone has reasons beyond wanting to be a pest."
"Heh." Adar started sprinting down his lair in a last ditch effort to escape them. You couldn't be a good bandit if you weren't good at running, and he was agile enough to cross the whole cavern without slowing down. Two kids would certainly never catch him. He couldn't ever hear them running. Another day of freedom was waiting for him. Then the moment he crossed the exit of the cavern he receive the weight of a boulder in his face. He instantly crumpled to the ground, his ears ringing. He could barely distinguish the two kids bent above him, busy attaching him with rope that had appeared out of nowhere. Then the warrior took him on his shoulder, carrying him as if he was a potato sack.
Those kids… they're daedra in disguise… there's no way anyone is that fast… what in the world is going on…
The next few days were a routine of taking care of a number of bandits, giants and other annoyances while trying to find a better weapon for Luka. Eventually, Hakunen and Kazuya had rejoined them, further increasing their power to the point that every bandit and dragon had apparently decided to give Whiterun a wide berth. The quartet was all leaning over a table covered by a map, getting a better understanding of the stakes of the region of Skyrim.
The region was divided in nine provinces which, while either sided with the Stormcloaks or the Imperials, were each governed by a jarl that had much leeway in managing his own region. On that matter, the war between the Stormcloaks and Imperials didn't concern them. Save for Luka's bad experience with an imperial group, deciding whether Skyrim should be re-united with the rest of the imperial faction or left independent to the Stormcloaks was a decision that would have to wait.
That war had completely frozen with the return of dragons. Those beasts had been relegated to legends as time had passed and they hadn't appeared for millennia, and the two Luka had faced were only the few of an impressive horde. There wasn't one day passing without a dragon showing up. Luka and Lauratt themselves had ended involved in a dungeon exploration to support the local court mage. After a quest that had led to a lot of the local undead called draugr -and a dumb thief who failed to notice an obvious trap- being slain, they had gathered a large stone with critical information about the dragon's return, which led to the next issue…
…nobody knew anything about multiple worlds and dimensional travelling. So far, it looked like the teleportation of the heroes and the return of the dragons were completely unrelated events. Some prophecies did talk about the Dovahkiin, a man able to devour the souls of dragons and master their tongue to use powerful shouts, but if he existed… he wasn't one of them. While Lars, Novissa and Lest were still missing, Luka had a doubt it would be one of them.
Fortunately, there were still several possible paths to explore. Skyrim was apparently rife with ancient ruins, both from the ancient nords and from another mysterious civilization. From the little information they had, said civilization had entirely disappeared one day without apparent reason. Every hero had agreed that an investigation was in order. However, there was still one last issue they were not sure how to handle.
Their appearance had stirred an extreme activity. Rumors about them had quickly spread through the whole region and even further. People were getting silent when they entered each tavern, eyeing them suspiciously. From Kazuya's ranged weapon ability to cripple anyone from a kilometer to Lauratt's perpetual silence, every rumor about them was going strong and making interacting with the local that much harder. The companions, a local fighter guild counting a high number of werewolves were looking down on them for their appearance. Even worse, several of those elves that Luka had seen on his arrival were trying to spy on them from afar. Trying to question them only got them evasive answers at best. Even helping the locals secure the region to the point that the daily bandit attacks had simply stopped had the opposite of the desired effect. While people were initially grateful, quite a lot of them were unsettled by the way the heroes so casually dispatched giants and elite bandit leaders alike. Luka even had the opportunity to get a glass sword, a weapon that while still not as powerful as what he was used to, was still miles above what he saw people around use. Ultimately, it mattered little for their current goals.
I guess it is time to move… The city of Markarth in the far west was apparently built on those ancient ruins. Let's start there.
"Let's not forget preparing supplies for the trip." Luka sighed. "We may not even come back here. I'm already starting to miss harpy feathers."
"I understand that." Kazuya grimaced. "I've been in your world for barely a few months, and I came to enjoy them a bit too much as well."
Hakunen and Lauratt nodded in agreement.
I'm already starting to miss all those little things that made life back home so easy… although I think I could do without dealing with the likes of Spider Princess or Myusca ever again.
Tiring of reminiscing on the past, the four heroes checked their equipment one last time before leaving the house granted to them by the jarl of Whiterun. For the shortest of moment, Luka felt envious of his partners who got to keep every last bit of their equipment. He quickly decided to move on. The now familiar streets of Whiterun were unusually calm. Luka could sense more of those elves watching from afar, but decided to ignore them for now. The ambiance was heavier than usual, with every merchant showing nervous a nervous smile.
"Dried meat and fruits, clean water… We are good to go." Luka pointed at the tavern. "Should we go to the tavern to gather any rumor?"
His three other companions blankly stared at him. For a short moment, he remembered how Alice sometimes looked at him during his adventures when he did or say something that was extremely stupid in hindsight. However, it made sense. She was the Monster Lord. She sometimes needed to make her presence weigh to remind her subordinates who was leading them. However, he never imagined his fellow heroes had the same ability. Even his own mind casted this contempt-filled look in his direction.
"…Let's just give our farewells to the jarl and move on."
After an awkward stair climb, the heroes entered the hall where the jarl was once again waiting for them, as if he had never moved. His face illuminated with a surprisingly sad smile when he arrived.
"My friends… I suppose you came here to announce your departure?"
"Yes…" Luka nodded. "Once again, thank you for hosting us for the time, but we need to find our remaining friends and find a way to take care of those dragons plaguing us."
Luka's voice cracked slightly in the end. Even after getting close enough to the jarl for the latter to talk about his familial issues, none of the hero had told them the truth about their origin and their true goals. He had discussed the matter a few times with his partners, and all had agreed that saying they came from another world was out of the question. He hated lying, and even if the man noticed his shifting tone, he didn't take notes of it.
"It is a shame… and it is I who shall thank you for granting us your strength and secured the province. You have done a commendable job getting rid of the numerous threats besieging the region, and I am sure that in due time, you would have eliminated that werewolf threat as well. Even if you will be missed, know that you will always be welcome back in Solitude. I pray that we never suffer an attack during your absence. For as much as the Companions are powerful, I am afraid they only have a fraction of your power."
"Thank you sir." Luka awkwardly scratched his neck. "But… I'm sure that with the power from their transformations they will be able to hold against any danger. I've read enough about werewolves."
The jarl nearly fell of his chair and repositioned himself. To Luka's surprise, Irileth broke protocol and spoke first.
"Wait… are you telling us that the companions are the werewolves that have been plaguing the region for years?"
"Yeah… I mean…"
They didn't know about the companions? I thought it was obvious! Even Kazuya who has a worse magic sense could tell that!
Well… crap.