xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Near Shirotsume Town, 3:50 p.m. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Okay, one... Two... Three!" Bernard said as he grabbed Anatoli by the arm, placing it over his shoulder to help his friend get back to his feet.
"Guah! Ofggg..." Anatoli muttered in pain as Bernard looked at him.
"Crap, sorry if that was me..." Bernard said with concern in his voice as Marlene, now conscious with bandages wrapped around her forehead and skull was tending to Camilla, who was sitting up on the ground.
"Argh!" Camilla grunted as Marlene was applying a paste to the many cuts on her body before starting to apply gauze to Camilla's right arm, covering it completely. "Ow..." She continued.
"Easy there, Camilla... You got it the worst- urgh..." Marlene said until stopping to clutch at her own head with her free hand from a painful throb she was experiencing.
"You're not so good yourself..." Camilla thought as she looked over at Bernard helping Anatoli to his ball as Pietro was sitting on the ground, trying to relieve the pressure from his body by laying on his side.
"Aireeg..." Pietro muttered as his body was in its original rotund state, his magic wrestling championship belt on the ground next to him as Bernard walked away from Anatoli, who was now using his Stellanium ball for support to help him stand as Bernard approached the large wizard.
"Alright uhhh... Let me see." Bernard said as he bent down before pulling out bandages to patch up his fellow guildmember.
"This was not... An ideal day..." Pietro said slowly as Bernard made a face full of unease as he started to apply bandages to his arms.
"Everybody is so banged up..." Bernard thought as he looked over at Corvus and Vulp, who were over by the girls.
"You look like you're concussed." Corvus commented as Marlene turned towards the crow Celestial Spirit.
"I don't have the lack of coordination, the nausea or the feeling of blacking out. So, it might just be a migraine." Marlene said, self-diagnosing her condition. "One caused by pride damage..." She thought as she glanced at Camilla before shifting her attention down to one of the head of security's busted up legs.
"He got even stronger away from the guild..." Camilla said, catching the attention of the Celestial Spirits. "He used to be just a really tough swordsman. Then he goes and uses some move I've never seen before." She said as she put a hand on the side of her face, disappointed with herself.
"Whoa, come on." Corvus said as he and Vulp looked at the troubled young woman. "If it's any consolation, I might tone down my ogling... I don't want the comparison to someone else here." He said, catching the attention of the girls as he looked away from everyone.
"Pfff..." Marlene sputtered, finding what he said humorous.
"Well thanks, that'd be lovely..." Camilla said with a wry smile and a face full of exhaustion as Bernard walked over.
"How you two doing?" Bernard said as he bent down to meet them at eye level.
"So far, they seem fine." Corvus said as Vulp nodded to the beanie sporting wizard.
"How's Pietro and- urgh... Anatoli?" Camilla said until a brief moment of pain cut her off.
"Pietro's still struggling to get up from the ground and Anatoli... I don't know, he's not saying anything." Bernard said as he looked over at his friend, leaning against his ball as the shirtless wizard stared at the ground with Bernard unable to gauge how he's feeling.
"Looks like everyone's having trouble just standing up..." Marlene commented as Bernard made a contemplative expression.
"Oh, I have an idea. We need seats." Bernard said to the confusion of everyone as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of Capture Pins, ones containing a set of Daphne's Dragonoid golems. "While I was playing a dumb board game, everyone else was getting massacred... Now I really feel awful..." He thought as he looked at everyone.
Filling them with magic to call out the creatures within, Bernard threw the pins as a pair of the lizardmen-like golems with red Lacrima in the center of their chests appeared, motionless. Pointing his fingers to direct some of his magic over towards them, the two lizard monsters came to life as they began to move.
"Both of you, act as furniture." Bernard commanded as the two Dragonoids complied, laying down on the ground to act as chairs to be sat on. "Alright, come on." He said as he stood up and extended his hands for Marlene and Camilla.
While injured, the two girls smiled at Bernard for the hospitality of his actions as they accepted his hands, helping them get to their feet. Still grumbling from the rough states they were in, Bernard slowly assisted the girls over to one of the Dragonoids, sitting on its back to relieve some pressure before Bernard walked away from them to get to Pietro.
"Come on, I got you a chair." Bernard said as he picked up Pietro's magic championship belt and also extended a hand.
"Funny looking chair... But much appreciated. Thank you." Pietro said as Bernard helped the large man to his feet, putting his arm around his shoulder with Vulp assisting by morphing his tail into a pair of hands, putting them under Pietro's arms to keep him upright as they approached the Dragonoid. "Arigh!" He exclaimed in pain as he sat down on the back of the Dragonoid, opposite of the ones the girls were on as Bernard placed Pietro's belt back on the ground.
"Okay, now Anatoli." Bernard thought as he walked over to Anatoli, still zoning out as he had a hand on his ball for support. "Hey, I got you guys some chairs if you want to-... Anatoli?" He said until noticing Anatoli was practically ignoring him until he turned to look at his beanie sporting guildmate.
Not saying a word but with a face full of dejection, Anatoli looked at Bernard for a brief moment before glancing at where everyone was. Using whatever strength he could muster; Anatoli rolled his ball in the direction of the group to use as a support to keep him upright, Bernard quickly moving over to the other side of where he was pushing to help him get over there as Corvus flapped his wings above them.
"Talk to us, monkey boy. How you feeling?" Corvus asked out of concern, but Anatoli didn't answer.
Reaching the group, Anatoli used what little he had to climb on top of his ball, sitting cross-legged on it like normal as he winced in frustration and pain. Bernard, looking at Anatoli, could feel something was wrong with the shirtless wizard as he glanced at him before shifting towards everyone and seeing their fatigued states.
"That's everyone sitting down at least... Hopefully this helps." Bernard thought as Corvus landed on the Dragonoid next to Pietro.
"What was that move he used on you? The one you said you never seen him do." Corvus questioned.
"He said "Glass Devil's Rage" before I was hit by this massive beam of broken glass." Camilla responded.
"Emphasis on "massive."' Marlene commented.
'"Glass Devil's-" ah!" Corvus thought with a face full of thought until he came to a realization what she meant, Vulp looking at him in similar disbelief. "That was Slayer Magic!" He said loudly as everyone looked at him.
"Like Dragon Slayer Magic?" Bernard questioned.
"Kinda but there are different forms of Slayer Magic. I learned that fact from Crux back from when me and Vulp were last in the Celestial Spirit World." Corvus explained. "Aside from Dragon Slayer Magic, there's also Slayer Magic that's directly used to kill other things. The one's I heard about was "God Slayer Magic" and "Devil Slayer Magic."' He continued.
"I'm not surprised that's a thing but how exactly did Warwick get his hands on being able to utilize it?" Pietro said towards Corvus as everyone looked at him.
"Don't ask me, I don't know how it's obtained... Maybe he learned it from an old grimoire or something?" Corvus replied, unsure.
"Unless it's a porn magazine or a swimsuit catalogue, I doubt Warwick reads anything..." Marlene said as everyone except for Anatoli made faces of agreeance.
"So... How is everybody right now?" Bernard asked towards everyone before looking over at Anatoli, noticing his lack of involvement in the conversation.
"I'll be better when we get out here..." Camilla said as she rubbed the back of her neck.
"Likewise." Pietro commented.
Looking on from behind her caravan was Alfana, keeping an eye on her son as she watched him chat with the others to see how they were doing following their battle with Warwick. Sighing, Alfana turned her attention to her side as the aforementioned short swordsman leaned against the caravan with his eyes closed and his hands behind his head.
"You couldn't hold back even for a minute... Could you?" Alfana said as she approached Warwick with a serious tone in her voice.
"Nope." Warwick bluntly replied. "I don't believe in "holding back."' He said as Alfana just stared at him.
"And in what way is that fair for the other members of the guild you're in?" Alfana questioned.
"My policy of not holding back was the main reason Ultimate Carnival was such a success against hecklers and rowdy attendants back in the day." Warwick said as he looked up at his handler.
"Beating up strangers throwing popcorn at show acts they didn't like is a completely different scenario than crushing the other wizards in Psycho Circus you managed to offend with your comments..." Alfana said with her arms folded under her chest. "And you even chose to bring out the Glass Devil Slayer Magic against them... Do you have any idea how much trouble you're causing!?" She thought with a judgmental attitude.
"Shows what you know, I was a great head of security for the guild." Warwick said, blowing off her comment as he continued to lean against the caravan.
"Your past aside, I do know one thing." Alfana said as she reached into the right sleeve of her robe.
Pulling out of her sleeve was the two turtle cards from "Barendkoff: Fate Makers" that she and Bernard drew from their play session earlier. Opening one of his eyes, Warwick glanced at the cards as Alfana bent over slightly and moved the card tablets close to his face.
"Care to explain these?" Alfana said with furrowed brows as Warwick stood up straight.
'"Turtle 10" and "Turtle 9?" Good picks. Who drew them?" Warwick said with a smirk as Alfana's eye twitched in response.
"...When I asked you earlier to get the game to show everyone. You said you didn't know where it was but that was a lie, wasn't it?" Alfana said towards Warwick. "You knew where it was the whole time." She said as Warwick raised an eyebrow.
"Heck of an insinuation, "milady."' Warwick said with a joking tone.
"The game me and Bernard was supposed to play was meant to be a "basic" experience. No additional cards from the first expansion or the next one. And yet here we are, two second expansion cards are in the play deck and these two high value cards just so happen to be the only turtle tablets in the entire pile." Alfana said. "And don't act like what I said isn't true. I checked the decks after Bernard and his pets left the caravan and I don't think it was just "dumb luck" we both managed to pick up turtle cards in the same draw." She continued.
"Must've been "fate."' Warwick said while making air quotes with his hands.
"Or an obnoxious half-pint swordsman tampering with the game." Alfana replied. "You're the only other person around here who knows about the cards in expansion two and could've done this." She said as Warwick rolled his eyes before grabbing the cards from Alfana's hand, examining them. "Why did you mess with our game of Barendkoff?" Alfana asked.
"Me doing something to your silly board game isn't that big of a deal. You got to play with "beanie boy" and show him the game like you wanted. You're the one who complains every now and again about never spending enough time with him." Warwick said as he looked at the cards before putting them in his right pants pocket.
"It is a big deal when my son's future is being altered and it wasn't because of the game being "fair."' Alfana said, rebuking his statement. "Now give me back those cards!" She exclaimed loudly.
"Fine." Warwick said with a bothered tone as he pulled the cards back out and then gave them back to her.
"Why did you mess around with our game?" Alfana questioned once more.
"...What does the turtle represent again?" Warwick said as he looked up at Alfana, taken aback slightly by the tone he was giving her.
"Excuse me?" Alfana said in response.
"The turtle. It represented what aspect of the future?" Warwick said while folding his arms.
"...The turtle cards are meant to be the second expansion as part of a set with pheasant cards." Alfana said. "Both those cards together represent the same aspect but different contexts." She said, recalling the aspects of the Barendkoff tablets.
"And those are?" Warwick questioned once again.
"...Trust." Alfana said with a serious tone. "The turtle card and the pheasant card represent "outer trust" and "inner trust," respectively." She said as she looked at the "Turtle 9" and the "Turtle 10" cards in her hand. "That still doesn't answer my question as to "why."' Alfana said, requesting answers for a third time.
"...What's the thing everyone tends to call me?" Warwick said to Alfana.
'"Asshole."' Alfana answered.
"No, the other thing." Warwick said, dismissing the word she had referred to him as.
'"Kinky bastard?"' Alfana questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"No! Not that!" Warwick exclaimed, rejecting the next label. "The one that starts with an "H!"' He said as Alfana made a surprised expression.
'"Hedonist?"' Alfana said with a confused tone.
"That one! That's it." Warwick said with a snap of his fingers. "You see, I've never really been a fan of being referred to as one of those. Deep down, I'm just a man who likes to keep himself happy." He said with a genuine smile forming on his face as Alfana just stared at the small swordsman.
"Where's he going with this?" Alfana thought.
"In a sense, I feel that me and your kid are "kindred spirits" in that way." Warwick said as Alfana's eyes widened.
"...I beg your pardon?" Alfana replied in bewilderment.
"The two main things that make me happy are fighting and women. A good brawl where everyone goes all out and then a fine tussle between the sheets. Meanwhile, your son is currently over there doing the thing that makes him feel happy... I have a respect for that, even if most people won't see it when they look at me, believe it or not." Warwick said as he pointed in the general direction of where Bernard was checking on the guildmembers in their rough states, Alfana turning her head slowly. "Even back when he was as tall as me, one thing in this world makes that boy happy and I'm pretty sure you know what that is." He said as Alfana begun to realize what he meant.
"...Bernard likes helping the guildmembers..." Alfana thought as she stared in the direction of where the recuperating members of Psycho Circus were. '"Outer trust."' She said aloud as she looked at the cards.
"And in all the "brainstorming" sessions you were having to make cards for your game, the turtle represents a fate where other's look towards the person with that winning card in a special way." Warwick said. "The kid is now locked into a fate where others develop a sense of faith in him. Maybe it'll be the guildmembers, maybe it'll be the weird stuff he's looking for or maybe it'll be total strangers. Who knows?" He continued. "They'll go to him for help and knowing your kid, he'll gladly do it. Because that's just the kind of guy he is underneath all his issues and like me, he'll continue to pursue the things that make him happy." Warwick said further as Alfana stared at the half-pint swordsman.
"...Did... Did you do that just for Bernard?" Alfana questioned with a surprised tone.
"Never minded your kid, even when he was shouting like a madman or caring too much about the show the guild does... But there's the thing. Psycho Circus needs someone in charge who cares the most about its members and the place itself. That's your son." Warwick said with a smirk.
"You... You don't even want to be the guild master, do you?" Alfana said as she looked at Warwick. "Pheasants "inner trust" aspect relates to the person developing trust in the people they come in contact with. Turtle means others will develop a deep sense of trust in the person. An "outer trust."' She thought as she remembered the cards meanings.
"Nah, don't want to be the "second" boss of the guild. I lost my chance to be that guy to your hubby way back when." Warwick said, referring to his loss to Barnum for the original guild master position. "Shot for "number one" and lost. As of now though, I don't mind the current arrangement." He said with a shrug.
"...And with that... The only person to help push Psycho Circus forward is the same person who's already doing it..." Alfana said with a small smile forming on her face as she referred to her son before the pair heard approaching footsteps.
"Hey!" Bernard exclaimed as he came around the corner of the caravan, catching Alfana and Warwick's attention. "There you two are!" He said with an agitated expression.
"How's Pietro and the others?" Alfana questioned as Bernard looked at his mom.
"They'll be fine when we get home so everyone can get some rest. You, however, are a piece of shit!" Bernard said with a calm tone before shifting to an angered one as he pointed at Warwick. "What the hell is wrong with you!? I don't care if that was an S-rank battle! That was too far!" He screamed at the short swordsman.
"Nuh-nuh-nuh." Warwick muttered with a cocky expression on his face as he made a hand gesture with his right hand with his four fingers opening and closing on his thumb, simulating a mouth.
"Grrrr!" Bernard growled in annoyance before Alfana placed a hand on her sons shoulder.
"Enough, I already talked to him." Alfana said with a casual tone. "Warwick..." She said as she looked down at the swordsman.
"Yupper?" Warwick replied with the same nonchalant attitude he normally has.
"Go inside the caravan and grab the papers I left on the table... Then go to the box under my bed and pull out one stack, please." Alfana ordered as Warwick shrugged his shoulders before walking in between Bernard and Alfana, bumping into their legs.
"See you around, bucko." Warwick said with a smirk towards Bernard as the beanie sporting young man could only look at him with frustration.
"...I seriously hate that guy." Bernard commented. "And there's a lot of people I hate..." He thought until looking over at his mother, noticing her staring at him. "...What I do? I normally see that face on people when they expect something from me, and I did a poor job..." Bernard said with a troubled tone.
"So... Psycho Circus is in debt to the government? That certainly would explain the delivery of money I received from Barnum." Alfana said as Bernard's jaw dropped. "Or that's the story in your head." She thought.
"Uh!" Bernard muttered. "Shit, she found out when she gave me the palm read!" He thought with a rivers worth of sweat beginning to drip off his face. "Well... It's... Ummm..." Bernard said, struggling to find the words.
"...Maybe we should leave the guild to Warwick. Camilla and Pietro don't want it and I am not so sure I can leave it in the hands of a person who saddled it with so much debt." Alfana said with a casual tone as she turned her head away from Bernard.
"What?! No!" Bernard exclaimed in protest. "The last thing anyone in the guild wants is him in a position of authority!" He shouted angrily.
"The only other options are you and him and he hasn't spontaneously spent copious amounts of money on changing the guildhall." Alfana said with a smile forming on her face. "Couldn't help teasing him..." She thought as she was joking around with Bernard not picking up on it.
"That was dad's fault!" Bernard said as he moved in front of his mother, locking eyes with her. "All he had to do was swap some tables and replaced some support beams but noooooo, he just had to give us a full-scale renovation of the guildhall and a bunch of damned amenities I have to keep track of!" He ranted.
"Hot springs for leisure, a med bay, a training room, more storage facilities... Among others." Alfana said, listing off the guildhalls newest features from when she was last there.
"His letters were detailed, weren't they?" Bernard said with annoyance as his mother nodded.
"He also said that other members in the guild are supposed to be helping you, but you've been falling into your old habit of cutting them out and doing it yourself... Sounds like bad micromanagement to me." Alfana commented as Bernard winced at the analysis of his workstyle. "You enjoy helping others, but you need to learn to accept other's help when it's given to you." She thought whilst looking at her son.
"Damn it... Do you really have to cut me that deep on how I work?!" Bernard thought while slumping his shoulders and tilting his head down in depression as Warwick walked back over, holding a pair of rolled-up brown parchments and a rather noticeably thick cylinder of Jewel banknotes held together with a rubber band.
"Yo." Warwick said as Alfana took the items from Warwick's hands.
"What're those?" Bernard questioned.
"First off, take these." Alfana said as she gave Bernard the rolled-up parchments. "Those contain what you were looking for when you came here and what I found when I checked your hands." She continued as Bernard's eyes widened.
"Then, that means these are-" Bernard said until Alfana spoke up.
"Specifically, they're a pair of maps. Marked on them are "encounters" I saw in your future for creatures and monsters you'll be finding and potentially capturing for your animal show project." Alfana said with a smile towards her son.
"Aw-awesome! This is exactly what I needed! Thank-" Bernard said with a smile forming until getting cut off once again.
"Hold on! I'd like to reiterate something." Alfana said. "These are "encounters," not "guaranteed captures." For all you know, and in terms of how much I am willing to tell you because I still personally refuse to divulge too much information about your future specifically, all these "new experiences" you're going to be having won't always be exactly like you imagine they'll be." She elaborated.
"Ri-right..." Bernard said, noting the seriousness of her tone. "What's that for?" He said as he looked at the money in her hand.
"This is for you to spend tonight." Alfana said.
"Huh?" Bernard muttered in confusion.
"Everyone over there is too beat up to head straight home and Shirotsume Town is known for some decent Eastern style inns. This should cover an overnight stay plus a free dinner and bathhouse facilities." Alfana explained.
"Uh... O-okay... Wait. How much is in here?" Bernard said as he looked at the cylinder of money.
"Last I counted, it's probably close to fifty thousand Jewels." Warwick said as he picked at his ear with his pinkie once more as Bernard's eyes widened.
"Is this just from fortune telling?!" Bernard exclaimed in shock. "Just from tarot reads alone, she already has an eighth of what my dad gave her. How lucrative is this business?!" He thought in bewilderment.
"...Sure, let's go with that." Alfana said with a wide smile as she looked at her son.
"Oh, thank goodness, I really appreciate the hell out of this, mo-" Bernard said as he reached for the money until Alfana shifted her arm away from him to keep him from grabbing it. "Huh?" He muttered in confusion.
"Before I give this to you, I want something in return." Alfana said with a serious tone in her voice.
"Please, give me the money?" Bernard said, hoping what she wanted was for him to ask for it politely.
"...Guess again..." Alfana said with a stern tone as Warwick looked at Bernard with a face full of jovial mockery.
Sighing with frustration, Bernard looked at his mother and realized what she wanted from him as she lifted her arms forward towards him. Stepping forward, Bernard reached his arms out as he hugged his mother as she patted him on the back.
"Just what a mother wants from her son." Alfana said with a content expression forming as Bernard made an embarrassed face in response to what was happening.
"Ye-yeah... Love you too, mom..." Bernard said with a troubled tone as he separated from his mother.
"Now, go grab your things and your friends and head into town." Alfana said, recommending Bernard and his fellow guildmembers and pets get going.
"Su-sure... Oh, almost forgot. The turtle card, what did it represent and what was in your hand?" Bernard said until he realized he still needed to ask about the last drawing in Barendkoff.
"...It was another turtle card, and they relate to a fate about persistent bowel movements. So don't forget to wipe." Alfana said with a plain tone as Bernard made a bothered expression.
"Oh, that's just lovely... Stupid game that rewrites fate..." Bernard said as he walked away from his mom and Warwick, quietly grumbling as Alfana casually waved him off.
"...Didn't bother to tell him about the turtle?" Warwick said with a mischievous expression on his face.
"Nope... I feel like it doesn't matter if I mentioned that fate to him. That's not going to change anything about who he is or how he'll act." Alfana said as she looked at Warwick. "Didn't mention Barendkoff's sales numbers either to him." She continued.
"Pfff!" Warwick sputtered in laughter. "That's just cruel, lady." He said with a grin on his face.
"Selling in Bosco, Seven, Iceberg and Minstrel. On top of Fiore, that's five countries on Ishgar selling Barendkoff in magic shops and game stores. Over sixty thousand copies in circulation in each country... And all in only a month." Alfana thought as a mental image of the continent of Ishgar appeared in her head.
"Who knew a lot of people would kill for a board game where your future could be altered, and four hundred thousand Jewels were all you needed for production and distribution costs. Hehehe." Warwick said as Alfana shook her head left and right.
"Still had to take out the mongoose cards in a rule change for the first expansion after what I heard about what happened in Iceberg..." Alfana thought while looking away.
"Since I technically played a role with putting your son on the right path, might I request a bit of "me-time" tonight?" Warwick asked as Alfana just made a bothered face at him.
"I know what you're going to do... Just... Keep the trouble to a minimum... And make sure to apologize for any wrongdoing." Alfana said with a stern tone towards Warwick.
"That a "yes?"' Warwick said with a smug attitude as Alfana sighed.
"...Just leave me alone." Alfana said as Warwick grinned wildly as he walked away with a strut. "I could use some red beets... Today was a long one for us all... And probably a long night for my son before he heads home too... Good luck, Bernard. You're going to need it after what I saw in your future." She thought as she looked towards the sky.
Should I put a music zing here, or no? Oh, what am I kidding, there's no sound effects to be heard... Right after a brutal beatdown, Bernard and the Celestial Spirits came to the aid of the group after their savage loss to Warwick. Helping his friends back up, Alfana had a private discussion with the short swordsman to get some answers for his actions in regard to his tampering with Alfana and Bernard's game of Barendkoff. His answer was rather surprising, however, revealing that, much like the other members, he held a level of respect for Bernard and didn't wish to become guild master in the first place. With Alfana giving Bernard his first step towards accomplishing his goal of building a magical monster show at Psycho Circus in the form of a pair of maps, Bernard takes his friends to a nearby inn to rest and heal from their injuries. But Alfana saw something happening to Bernard later tonight... Should we all be worried... Find out next time?
Author's Note: (TWO CHAPTERS IN A SINGLE DAY. UNPRECEDENTED FOR ME...)