"Keep your guard up!" Spearman said to Shield Paladin while sparring early on the morning.
"I-I know that!" He replied while trying to counter-attack.
The rest of the party were sitting while looking at those two training. Valkyrie and Ranger were eating breakfast while Warrior and Witch focused their eyes on them with intense gazes. Seeing how those men were taking their sparring session seriously. It was somewhat dreamy for the ladies.
"They looked… pretty heated… isn't it?" Witched asked the redheaded huntress.
"They really are. I hope they aren't overdoing it." Warrior said with a worried tone. She couldn't take her eyes away from Paladin. He was giving his 100% in the parrying session.
"Don't hold your attacks! Show some backbone into it!"
"I'm trying alright!" They exchanged more bickering than blows at each other. As Paladin tried to swing his sword at the expert adventurer, he swiftly dodged the attack. He used his spear to sweep on the ground, making the blond huntsman trip. "Owww."
"You lost." Spearman said while pointing his weapon at Paladin.
"Again? Aww man." He said in disappointment.
"You need to stop going too much on the defensive. Your opponent might find an opportunity to strike you down unless you attack as well." Spearman began lecturing to his sparring opponent. He began extending his hand to help Paladin standing up. "Although, I must admit that you are not bad on the defense though, especially with your healing magic."
"Thanks, I guess." Paladin replied being lifted by the adventurer.
"By the way, which god is getting you his blessing? It must be someone powerful to grant you white magic."
"Well, I couldn't tell you who is…" Paladin said as if he was ashamed of it.
"Come on! Tell him already, or I will do it for you!"
"Valkyrie!" Paladin said to the energetic girl while still chewing his bread.
"It can't be that bad. Just tell which god is." Spearman insisted with a lot of curiosity.
"It's… The Goddess of Baths…" Paladin sighed in embarrassment. Spearman snickered briefly but tried to restrain himself from laughing at him.
"To be honest, it is still a deity, so it still counts." The adventurer tried to complement Paladin. Spearman looked at him as he wasn't in the best mood. "Cheer up a little bit, will you? You have strength but still lacks finesse. I'm sure you will get better with time."
"How oddly kind of you to say that." Spearman heard someone's voice approaching. It was the voice of someone he didn't want to hear at the moment. "Since when did you become a leader for young blood?" It was Heavy Warrior and his party passing by.
"Just yesterday, and that doesn't concern you." Spearman replied to his rival.
"It took me by surprise when I heard about your now-formed party. I guess you finally soften that little arrogance of yours after so long. I guess you can't think on your own."
"Think whatever you want, my party and I are much stronger than most rookies around." He said pridefully to Heavy Warrior.
"Are you done discussing? We must go now." Female Knight said to her leader while grabbing him from the shoulder. Heavy Warrior replied her with a nod.
"It was a nice chat, better not going rough on them." He said while walking away. His party started to catch up on his speed as he went ahead of them. That left Spearman with a bitter look on his face.
"I really hate that guy's guts." He muttered.
"Hey, don't pay attention what he says." Paladin tried to reassure to the adventurer. "Bullies like him aren't worth it."
"I wouldn't call it a bully, but this guy can get on my nerves at times." Spearman sighed. "Also, since when did we switched places!?"
"I don't know… but you can say that I already got my experience with that kind of people before."
"Heh, maybe." The adventurer gave a weak smile while giving a pat on Paladin's back. "I guess we got enough of a break. Let's keep sparring!"
"R-Right!" The blond huntsman replied while getting his guard up. Both men started to train once again. Paladin might not have a chance to win the round, but he was determined to give Spearman a tough fight on the very at least.
Inside a room, Grimm Slayer started to wake up from the comfy bed. She felt that her head was spinning around. The huntress couldn't remember much what happened except her fight with the Goblin Champion. As she rubbed her eyes, the girl noticed a plate full of biscuits next to a note.
"What is this?" She looked at the note marked FOR SIS on one side of it. She took it and began reading it.
"Hi, the girls and I will go around town gathering information about more Grimm since the Guild doesn't have it registered yet. I hope you like the biscuits since Goblin Slayer ordered them for you when you wake up. See you around. Your Big Sister, Furious Brawler."
Grimm Slayer was done reading the note. She began eating the biscuits with joy and sometimes accidentally choking herself while eating in a rush. Those tasted good enough as she started to regain her energies for the day. "Alright, time to start the day with a bang!" She shouted while jumping out of bed.
Youthful, optimistic, and ready to see everyone downstairs. She tried to get a new change of clothes for more casual attire. As always, black dress, shoes, and her signature red hood. Fencer would judge her for lack of varied styles.
She left the room with lightning speed while leaving a trace of petals behind. She started to see the Guild getting more people than usual, it looked like a vivid place, but she couldn't see any of her friends or party around. She walked downstairs while noticing various types of adventurers, and possibly huntsmen chatting or preparing for possible requests. It was the usual routine in that place.
"Good morning!" Guild Girl greeted the hooded girl with her cheerful smile. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better, thanks for asking." Grimm Slayer replied while still looking for her friends. "Excuse me, but have you seen the rest of my party or Goblin Slayer's?"
"They left hours ago, and Goblin Slayer hasn't returned yet. He is probably busy with something else before presenting here."
"I see… Do you have an idea where they could be, just in case?"
"The most I can recall, I heard they would be at the Blacksmith shop."
"Thanks for the hint!"
"No problem." Guild Girl smiled while the girl in red walked through the main door. Once outside, Grimm Slayer looked at the bright sky while seeing the town full of life.
While walking around, she started to notice some of the townsfolks decorating the streets with ribbons and carts. Hearing people talking, the hooded girl noticed that the town would have a special event called the Harvest Festival.
Much to her surprise, she and her party never were able to enjoy the rest of the Vytal Festival back at home. The event got cut short due to Grimm started appearing on The Frontier, sending huntsmen without taking a break. It was a shame, but at least she and her friends could enjoy another festival on a different continent at the very at least.
"Mhhh… where the Blacksmith was again?" She said to herself. The hooded girl got easily distracted as she saw the town's decorations. "Aha! Now I remember it. It was this way!" She said as she started running to the shop.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you sonny, but we don't sell 'pellets' here if that's what you're asking." The Blacksmith talked with a young man in the store.
"Is that so? I guess I will keep looking for it somewhere else." The young man said disappointingly.
"I bet folks like you aren't used to fight with other types of weapons such as yours, am I right?" The Blacksmith said while looking at the possible huntsman's weapon. He showed it on the table a multi-barrel flintlock pistol.
"Yeah, we are sort of dependent on this stuff. While useful, I rather stick with something more versatile." The young man said while showing his worn-out hatchet to Blacksmith.
"Smart thinking, you can't always rely on those 'guns' people been talking about lately." The old man commented as he was feeling some sympathy for the young man. "Tell you what, I can give you a better hatchet half the price since I don't provide pellets for you. What do you think?"
"Sounds good for me." The huntsman said without any complaints. He looked around the store for a better replacement. He saw a tribal one with feathers attached to it. "How about this one?" The young huntsman asked as he was swinging it with the left arm.
"Not a bad choice, kid. Not only sturdy for close combat but also light weighted enough to throw it at any distance." The Blacksmith complemented for his customer's choice.
"I'll take it, and probably you should add some potions too my shopping list." The young huntsman said while taking his weapons back. He paid to the old man while heading to the main door. As he was about to open it, Grimm Slayer entered the store.
As they exchanged looks at each other, the young huntsman didn't pay much attention to the hooded girl as he went on his way out. Grimm Slayer noticed something unusual about that person, as he not only had a nice black hat and long coat, but he was missing the right arm as well.
"What can I do for you, missy?" The Blacksmith asked the hooded girl.
"Uh…? Oh right, good morning. Have you seen either my party or the Goblin Slayer?"
"I can't say much about the girls, but the Goblin Slayer didn't come to my store today just yet."
"I see. Thank you anyway." The Grimm Slayer said while trying to leave the store.
"Hold on for a moment, young lady." The Blacksmith stopped the hooded girl before she could open the door.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked with a confused look.
"You and your party are huntresses, right."
"Yeah, is there a problem?"
"Not really, but don't you happen to own a 'gun' or something similar?"
"Oh, I do actually, my scythe works like a musket. Why asking about it, though?" Grimm Slayer started wondering about the old man's questions.
"Well, I been getting a lot of more customers that are huntsmen as well. All of them started asking me the same thing about 'guns' or 'ammo' lately."
"Really?"
"Aye, unfortunately for me that I don't provide any of it. Don't you have a pellet or something within yourself?" On the Blacksmith's behalf, the hooded girl started to look on her pockets for any reaming ammo. She was carrying only three pellets.
"You mean those?" She said while putting the pellets on the counter.
"Hooo…so this what everyone been asking for? Those don't look that complicated."
"What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"Knowing that something so small could be as essential for them." The old man examined meticulously by comparing weight, shape, and the mineral those are made of. "Yes, I can see it now."
"Ummm, I'm kind of lost of what are you referring to." The girl scratched her head while trying to understand what Blacksmith was interested in.
"With the right time and tools, I might be able to produce some of this for you."
"T-That sounds fantastic! I have been running low anyway. How long do you think is going to take?"
"I can't say for sure, maybe a week or so. I need to explain my apprentice about this." He handed the two pellets back to Grimm Slayer. "Even if I'm not really into guns like you, I shouldn't forfeit you the resources to fight, am I?"
"Of course not. It's always nice having my local store loaded with everything to hunt Grimm." The hooded girl said gratefully.
Moments later, another person came to the store. "There's you are, Grimm Slayer." It was the Priestess with an agitated attitude.
"Hey, what's up?" The young huntress asked.
"I have been looking for you. We need you back to the Guild, now!" Priestess' behavior made Grimm Slayer worry as if something unusual was happening.
"What is the problem?"
"We have a Raid Quest!" The adventurer said with a commotion, troubled enough that Grimm Slayer was convinced enough to head to the Guild immediately. Raid Quests were always a dangerous thing because it always meant trouble on a larger scale. Both young girls ran to see everyone, hoping to get the details about their next mission.