In this segment... the Holy Knights talk of retaking the city, meanwhile Reynold reaches to one of the heiresses that he sought after, but will he be lucky and how did Erik's date go? Find out here :)
Chapter 55
The Holy Strikeback - Part 1
In Ur,
Church courtyard...
A group of people were standing around a map that depicts both Ur and Feoh.
"This is it! We only need a day or two... and we can reclaim Feoh!" it was an old knight, "Of course, we need to wait for Volt to deal with the headache first..."
"Assuming he can actually pull it off if he was able to, we wouldn't be here now planning to retake Feoh," Another older knight spoke up, "From what we know now, they've got the Red spears in full there, means we'll be going up against them as well..."
"We need to make sure that we can surprise them... but how..." the first knight wondered.
"We also have to take into account that a lot of us had deserted and joined the enemy...they'll know we're coming," A third Senior knight added, "However, Archbishop Stannos has something planned there...He'll be here soon to give that briefing, if it turns out we can march without depending on Volt and his boys, we won't hesitate, that city has been monster-occupied for too long!"
"We did receive weapons from Prime Minister Dong Zhuo." a young officer stated, "And they seem to be of good quality."
"Then it's time we put them to good use," the second senior knight commented. If the black dogs could use those weapons, so can we... Our only hope is that the monster army and The Red Spears aren't using anything similar."
"Still, we need to wait for more rations from our allies if we want to launch an attack." the first knight stated before turning to Beasley, "Are you sure that our friends in Rad will help?"
Beasley nodded with a prideful smirk, "Shiki has agreed to send a few samurai, he had heard about the battle of Feoh and wishes to lend any hand if possible, we'll have over a hundred and fifty men from there, but no more than that, lest Kaguya starts getting suspicious,"
"Then this attack should occur at Mid-day tomorrow, by now they should be settling pretty in that city, attacking then will bolster an advantage..." The third knight senior added, "Thing is now, we'll have to get other commanders in on this...How's it going with getting in contact with Hroka's commander...? Still no good?"
"The boy's seeking help from the nobles here." the first old knight pointed, "Someone that I know got close enough to him to get me some information on him; he's sharp... but also stupid. If we keep painting a good enough image, he'll do whatever we ask."
The second knight snorted, "I wish we had someone close to that new sword-defender and his posse...Those people are the reason we lost Feoh! Hoping they're still not lingering around there... As well as that General at the dark Queen's disposal... Heard it he who led the forefront of the monster Army's assault..."
"That's not what I heard," the young officer retorted, "I heard that he aided the General of the Dark Queen, who was the spearhead of the army. Still, maybe we can have that new commander do the heavy lifting for us... and if he screws up, we won't be affected."
"If we can get ahold of him that is, he bounces through Feoh and Ur so often, who knows when he's at his fortress..." The Third senior noted, "But if we do manage to get him aboard, once again, we'll have to make sure that city isn't containing either that General or Sword-defender, or it'll be like before,"
"We need to get our hands on something more... suitable for the job." the young officer pointed, "The First Dawn; we can use those pawns to our advantage."
The second senior knight thought on that, "We already have a branch of them here within Ur, it won't take much to get ahold of the ones in Feoh, the Silver axes also might take part in this, but the order of light has been silent... Not sure what's going on there,"
"They've been called to keep an eye on the Red Spears in Ken." the archbishop stated as he approached.
"Ah~ Lord Stannos~ We've been waiting~" The third Senior officer greeted, bowing as the others did, "Are the preparations made, sir?"
"As long as the half Pixie doesn't sing, everything will go as it should." Stannos replied, "However, it's only in case those filthy monsters overpower the troops... of course, I got the blessing ready to be used, all that we're waiting for, is the remaining resources from Geofu, Rad, Ken, and Thorn."
The Second officer smirked, "Good~ and given what Beasley here has said about Shiki lending his numbers from Rad, the rest should follow...Come tomorrow morning...We should be ready to retake the city,"
"I think that we should ask the High Inquisitor for help." the young officer stated, "Although... I feel like it won't be hard to have her to help us..."
"With preparations set, she should be more than onboard with this," The third officer remarked, grinning, "We'll send a couple of guys out, get her response there, for all we know, she might have something ready already..."
"It's just that... something doesn't feel right about her..." the young officer went into thoughts, "The way she acts, the men she employs... it feels off..."
The other officers thought about that while glancing at one another...
"You've got a point, it almost seems like she's in it for herself with the way she trains her soldiers," The second officer said, furrowing his brow.
"The more intriguing is the fact that she joined Volt's plans..." the first officer added, "Well, all that aside, we need to deal with the new heads of the Leafa and Gorgona families."
"The former's an earnest fighter, while the latter is a weak girl that depends on a strange knight to protect her." the young officer pointed, "Aera is someone who wishes to enter the dueling tournaments, but has yet to come at age. Mia is a frail and scared girl that can't hurt a fly... unlike her knight who can fry anything with red flames."
"Right, but from what I hear, outside of not caring for our goddess, they're not a threat despite that knight helping the latter..." The third officer noted, " Maybe once we reclaim Feoh, we can turn our attention on them, for now, they seem to be in our support,"
The young officer shook his head, "Their predecessors were... but not the current ones; I remember receiving letters that cut them from our network and notices that claimed some... annoying accusations..." After a sigh, he continued, "Aera killed three Holy Knights because they refused to leave the Leafa territories, as for Mia... she still refuses to allow the Holy forces to use her knight. However, they also refused to cooperate with known members of the Birds of Prey."
"Which means that those little girls are standing on a perfect neutral ground..." the first officer concluded, "And the first side who convinces them to join..."
"Will get their support, Yeah, which we'd need..." The second officer said, going into thought, "Maybe...Given what we know what that new commander's doing, what if those two were amongst the nobles he planned on seeing...? If that's the case, we wouldn't need to do the work there, especially if he's doing it for us already,"
"If he does succeed... we'll say that it was thanks to us." the young officer stated with a smirk, "However if he fails... we can ask for a part of his new fort as compensation. I know a few people who can help in its construction, and I have the gold ready to pay them. We'll repair our parts, and see what he does with the rest."
The third knight nodded, "Yes...In the case that this city falls to those monsters, we'd need somewhere to go, and if we can fix our part of it, it'll be manageable..." smirking, "Guess that depends on how well this kid plays his cards, either way, it's our benefit..."
"I already made sure that we get our share of the place." the young officer said, showing them an old paper, "As a descendant of one of the soldiers who was stationed there, and with the help of the best lawyer in this world, I got this to be our ticket to the fort."
With Reynold
Leafa Territory...
The carriage was once again traveling down the road, Rey checking out the view of lands around them, finding them to be luscious fields, heading towards the largest castle in the middle of it...
"Amazing...! So this is the Leafa territories...It's a wonder how they've managed this the entire time," The young knight commented.
"Word says that the people help in protecting the greenery," Marquel replied, "But honestly, I'm not sure... guess that you can ask the lord when you get there."
"Let's hope you're right about that," Rey commented, "Still...I can't shake this feeling of unease, it's not dangerous, but I have a feeling, this might be harder than we think..." narrowing his eyes forward...
"I only hope that the lord is well..." Marquel sighed, "The fact that I didn't get an answer is worrying..."
"Wait what...?" Rey uttered in slight shock, "You mean, you didn't get a response from this noble after sending a letter out...Marquel...For all we know, that lord could already have passed away, I pray it hasn't happened, but..." glancing at the strange guards in green garbs that they were approaching, "Something tells me we're going to find out soon..."
"You're approaching the residence of Lady Aera, state your business!" one of the guards ordered with a harsh frown.
"Lady" Aera you say?" Rey asked the guard, turning to Marquel, "The "lord's" a lady...?"
"One, it's a lord as Aera is his daughter..." Marquel replied horrified, "And two, there are supposed to be Holy Knights here..."
"Yeah...But now they've got their own guards it seems... How strange," Rey commented in a low voice, before clearing it, turning back to the guard, "Ah yes~ we're here to see the lord of the Leafa Territories, my second here sent a letter to him, is he in?"
"That old bastard's dead and buried six feet under." the guard replied, "Lady Aera did us a great service by disposing of him... and we can return her the gesture by disposing of you..."
"Let's... take it easy, alright?" Rey said with his hands up, "We're not here for trouble, my men and I were unaware this had happened this was supposed to be the first time I would've met the late lord for a deal in supplies, but if we're not welcomed here, we'll go, no reason to draw steel,"
"Allow us just a word with the lady." Marquel begged, "If she asks us to go, we won't bother her any longer,"
The lead knight nodded, "A moment of your time, is all we're asking... we're not seeking to remain here longer than,"
"You believe that you can win her over and get her to aid you?" the second guard asked before they both laughed hard.
"It will be a spectacle to see her throw you away," the first guard stated as he turned to go into the estate, "Keep an eye on them, I'll get her."
Rey shared a glance with Marquel, "This is already starting to rub off wrong, be ready for anything..." he told him in a whisper.
"Knowing Aera, she might give us an ear..." Marquel sighed, "Otherwise, we're done with the Leafa family."
"And how are you with Aera...?" the lead knight asked with an eyebrow raised, "That plays a major role in this working out or not..."
"Our parents were good friends, my father and hers served as Holy Knights in Ur and Feoh before that my father decided to settle in Feoh and her father in Ur," Marquel replied, "They did try to marry us... but she rejected the proposal while humiliating me..."
"Humiliated you?" oh by the goddess, please you tell me you've been friendly since...These guards are already hostile," Rey groaned in a low tone.
The knight shook his head, "I was hoping to meet the lord as we were friends. He would have accepted if I asked, but her... the only thing we can hope for is to get a modest amount of gold."
Rey took a deep sigh, slowly nodding, "Yeah, that'll probably be the best we get out of it from the sounds of that..."
At that moment, the guard was returning with someone else.
"Time for the moment of Truth..." Rey hummed, nodding his head towards the approaching duo...
"Well well well, look who came back." the other person, which was a young woman with short brown hair, magenta eyes, a white shirt, a green skirt, black shoes, and long white socks. Her tone and face were smug as she eyed Marquel, "Here to beg me again to marry you?"
"Like I'm that desperate." Marquel replied, "Besides, I found someone else. A girl who actually is nice."
She laughed before adding, "Knowing your parents, she must have been forced to accept by her parents. The question is: how much did your parents pay to buy her from her parents? Lands? Livestock? Crops?"
"Nothing!" Marquel snapped, "Besides, she accepted of her own accord!"
Rey rubbed his chin at that, "Huh, that's a new one, I didn't know you had a lady to be, must be nice..." he complimented with a nod.
"And what do we have here? Another empty-brain knight here asking me to 'Aid the cause'?" she took a look at Rey before adding, "Don't waste my time, I have to prepare myself to to visit someone who can provide me a Vision."
The lead knight shook his head, "No, Not at all...We're actually an outer branch from Feoh seeking aid to repair a fort, on behest of my second here, I was told you were willing to lend an ear," giving a regal bow, "Commander Reynold von Musel, at your service and it's nice to meet you~ I just wished...we would be better INFORMED of the situation here," shooting Marquel a narrowed eyed glare, before moving his eyes back to the heiress, "You run your territory well, that's impressive~"
"One, flattery won't work on me." she crossed her arms and stared at the young commander, "And second, give me a reason to accept... if I have to get in something, it should be something good."
"Trust me, there's a benefit here and one I think you'll come to appreciate," Rey began, "First of all, while it's True we are still holy knights, I have no higher officer to answer to, which is why I don't mind you being independent, not flattery...Allow me to offer a way to keep that so," clearing his throat, "If you agree to our support, not only will we keep other holy knights and the monster army from pursuing you, but we'll scratch your name from the bingo books that we use to keep tabs on certain families..." taking a breath, "As supportive as we are of your move, our other brethren aren't as nice...What they cannot gain in battle, they will take by other means, and with the recent loss of Feoh... that's becoming more and more likely... And that's not even mentioning the new sword defender in place, that's someone you DON'T want here, my second can even attest to that," nodding his head towards Marquel.
"He's a thief and a user of dark magic," Marquel added, "He's so powerful that he corrupted the Goddess Reborn."
"And?" Aera asked, eyebrow raised, "Should I be afraid to the point where I'd hide behind you?" she chuckled before adding, "The Holy Army, the Monster Army, the Black Dogs... none of them would scare me. I live by the blade and die by the blade. If that Sword-Defender causes any problem here, I'd have his title revoked with a letter and proof. If YOU, or any Holy Knight come here to get me to join them just because the former lord was a part of them, I'll impale you on top of my territory as a warning. If Volt or any Black Dog dare to step foot here, I'll execute them and use their bodies to feed the crops and crows... I'm Aera Leafa, future holder of a Vision and current head of the Leafa family, and no one will force me or manipulate me to do something I choose not to. Now, I need to continue my training." and she left.
Rey blinked twice at her departure, sighing deeply, turning to the guards and regarding them with a bow, "Thanks for at least allowing us the opportunity, we'll get out of here now, enjoy your day... let's go Marquel," heading back to the carriage.
Once in, Marquel groaned, "If I knew that she'd be the head of the family, I could have evaded us this headache... and considering that I didn't get an answer from the Gorgona family, we can assume the same. Although, I heard that the daughter of the lord is a fearful little girl... if we can't have her on our side, we can make sure that she won't be swayed to join the fake Sword Defender."
Reynold slowly nodded, "Then that's something we can write another letter on, we'll need to know more about the state of Gorgona family before going, it would be our best option..."
One of the knights cleared his throat gaining their attention.
"Pardon me commander, permission to speak freely?" The knight sitting a bit far from asked.
"Go ahead..." Said commander approved.
"Maybe we should hold off on trying to make these connections until we actually have something worth trading, because right now... We have nothing to offer them, no resources, no gold, no other connections they can refer to... We're just going to places and blowing hot air it without anything to offer, we need some bite with our bark before we go to anymore of these nobles houses..." The knight concluded.
"That's true..." Marquel sighed before that a Dove landed next to him. He inspected it and found a letter attached to it, "Who could have..." he read it before that his face beamed, "Alright! That's what I'm talking about!" he then handed the letter to Rey, "It's a letter from Lady Claudia, you'll like it."
It was Rey's turn to beam up...
"Really? Looks like she got our letter, let's see what this says..." The young commander said, taking the letter and reading it.
Rey,
After talking with my father, Inspector Shiki, and the High Inquisitor, we've decided to give you a chance. We'll talk about it in a week.
"Signed Claudia Levantine," He finished reading, feeling a smile grow on his face, "Alright master, we'll see what you've got in store..." turning to the driver, "Change of plans we're headed to the Calvinis family," Rey ordered, going back to the Marquel, "We'll get more on the Gorgona territories before heading there, we were lucky to leave this one unscathed... In the meantime, we're gonna go see a friend of mine, see if he'll be willing to help, even more so if the Red Spears have started sniffing down his back," glancing at the knight that spoke, "As for you, sir knight when we return home, we'll talk a promotion, that advice was great,"
The knight saluted, "I only aim to please, Commander..."
"We did get a positive answer from him." Marquel pointed.
"That's great to hear, makes going there all the easier, I just..." Rey paused in thought, "Hope we don't walk into something we DON'T want to see...he's got..." habits" let's just say..."
"I'm sure everything'll be fine." Marquel smiled.
"I can only hope you're right," the young commander hummed, relaxing in the carriage...
Meanwhile...Airspace from Yamakhroz...
High in the skies, a snow Gryphon was seen soaring through, the Rider, that being Erik was happily eating a slice of pizza while two more boxes were stored, holding his call stone... "Captain! *smack* *smack* *Smack* I'm heading home! thanks for the days off!"
There was a chuckle from the other line...
"No problem, Seems like you had a good time, you have fun? From the sounds of your chewing, I think that answers that," Traysek's voice cooed.
"Oh yeah! Zephyr and I went on a date, it was a great time during AND after...hahaha!" The nord laughed taking another bite of his piece.
"Ohoho~ "A little Nord" no longer eh? Attaboy Erik! I'm proud of ya! You gotta share some details when you get back here, I'm dying to know!"
Erik slightly blushed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Well, uh...thank you, sir! and I'm also bringing back something else too... Something everyone will enjoy for sure, mmhm!"
"Just try to save some before you get back here, I can already hear you eating it,"
The Nord nodded, "I will I will, the piece I'm eating on anyway is personal so there's plenty untouched there...That said, where's our new house Located...? I'm nearing Ken now,"
"Then you're close... you remember that sign that leads to Erdora when we first set out from there...?"
"Mhmm, yeah, I remember it, it had those freaky red skulls on them, what of it?" Erik frowned.
"The direction those skulls are pointing to, leads to a dark Area known as the dark forest, follow the trail, do not divert...it'll lead you to the gate," Traysek instructed.
"Oh okay then, I know exactly where that is, no further instructions needed, I'll be there soon, let the others know I'll be coming with something hot and Ready..."
"I'll be sure to, as well as inform the maids and workers of your arrival...The best piece of advice I can give you while you're going the path, apprentice...Be not Afraid...that is all I can say..."
Erik furrowed his brow at that, "Ooookay... I'll keep that in mind, I'll see you soon,"
The crystal dimmed and he pocketed it...
'Wonder what that meant...? Oh well, guess I'll find out when I get there,' he mused, shaking the thought out, grabbing the leads, "Take us down there..."
The Gryphon gave a screech and obliged, lowering itself to the ground...
On the pathway to blackfeather...
Once Erik had gotten deeper within the forest, he understood then...
"By the nine...So many beasts out here..." He whispered, "Very strong looking too, I think even I'd have an issue stacking up some in here..." spotting a colossal spider that moved and shied away after being stared at by the nord, "That...That spider was bigger than a maneater and it's moving like that...?" with a gaping jaw.
A four-armed gorilla jumped from a tree and began to follow Eric, keeping the same speed as him.
The Nord and the snow Gryphon glanced at it, sweatdrops appearing on both Mount and Rider...
'That...is a huge Gorilla...are those four arms and venom fangs? How exotic is the wildlife here?' he wondered as they continued on the path.
The beast continued to mimic his speed, eyes focused on the Nord.
'Is it me...? or is he following us...?' He thought watching it mimicking their speed, "Keep your speed cool, we'll get through this," comforting the mount by stroking her feathers...
The gorilla continued until he got attacked by a giant black scorpion with red markings.
The Nord blinked twice at that, "Okay, you can speed up just a little bit," he whispered to his mount, as said mount picked up the pace...
...
Eventually, he arrives at a massive gate, spotting the manor, 'No way...this is where we're staying...? I need to make sure,' pulling back out his call stone, "Boss, I made it to a large manor with a gate, is this where you all are?"
"Yeah, you're at the right place, look at the upper window..." Traysek's voice rang.
The Nord looked and spotted him up there waving at him, "Yeah, I see you...alright, then I'm at the right place,"
"I'll send someone for you..." the crystal dimming once more...
Erik nodded and put the crystal away, awaiting who'd show up...
The house doors opened and Rela walked to the metal gate.
"Hey..." she greeted.
The Nord waved with a smile, "Rela! hey, good to see you! been awhile,"
"How did it go?" she asked casually.
"It went pretty well, ended even better..." Erik informed, noting the large pizza boxes, "And I brought back something for everyone to try and enjoy,"
As the smell of the pizza got to her, a strong sound akin to a dragon roar was emitted from her stomach as she was drooling.
The Nord raised an eyebrow, chuckling at the realization, "I may not be a master of dragon slaying, but I know a rumbling stomach when I hear it, don't worry, I made sure they packed plenty in the boxes, there's more than enough for everyone in those,"
For a moment, she stood motionless until she snapped out of it, "I'll inform the boss." and teleported away.
Erik blinked twice, scratching the back of his head, "Ooookay...? Not gonna show me around at least...? Fine, I'll figure out," turning a smile down on his new mount, "Now, let's see where I can put you, hopefully, we've got the room,"
And with that, the Gryphon proceeded through the entrance, while the Nord searched for a docking spot... He eventually came upon a hangar, humming in thought, 'If I remember correctly, they also stored mounts in a similar hangar at the city... I wonder if that's the same here,' making his way to it...
Once he got there, his suspicions were answered, nodding in approval as he noted the empty spaces... heading further in...
"Who're you supposed to be?" he heard a young woman's voice.
He looked around and found an auburn-haired woman staring at him, "Oh apologies! I didn't think anyone was in," bowing slightly, "I'm Erik the slayer, a member of the crew and I'm just getting here late, I'm looking for a stall to store my snowy friend at," giving the mount a gentle stroke on her feathers.
"Ho, a Mountain Gryphon? And a female one, huh?" the young woman nodded, "Just make sure that she doesn't get close to the other one. Mountain Gryphons are very solitary creatures compared to the ones from the plains and forests. The name's Trix by the way."
"Nice to meet you Trix and I'll keep that noted," Erik smiled, looking around, finding a spot away from the other Gryphon, "There will do, over there," commanding the mount to head there...
In the stall, Erik dismounted the Gryphon and grabbed the pizzas, giving the mount a last pet, "Alright my friend~ thanks for getting me here, I'll see you when I see you~" before heading out of the Stall, "Alright, Trix, I'll leave the rest to you, I need to get these to...whatever dining hall they have here, I'll catch you later,"
"Sure," Trix smiled as she waved her hand.
After he left the hangar, he walked up to the front door and with his free hand, twisted the knob, opening it and going in...
Now in, Erik looked around with Awe, "Whoa...! Forget what I thought about our homestead back home, this place is impressive...!" in a whisper, marveling at the surroundings... "And huge too...Wish I knew where I was going...Feels like I can get lost in here..."
"Well well well, are you a guest... or an intruder." A dark Elf in a butler uniform appeared in front of him, "Your identity if you would."
"Oh hello there~ I'm Erik the slayer, a Member of the crew, I was late coming in, I had a few days off and I was wondering where I could put these," motioning to the boxes.
"Of course, just follow this corridor to a big door." the Elf butler replied, "Do forgive my cautiousness as I need to keep an eye on potential... intruders." with a smile.
"Oh it's no problem, it just means you're on top of it here, and that's good," The Nord said, sighing in relief, following him down the corridor.
After arriving he opened the door, "Now, if you excuse me, I have some things to do." and disappeared in black dust.
"Okay, good day to you..." Erik awkwardly waved, walking to the dining room table and dropping off the boxes, 'Now with these dropped off, I wonder where the main office is...' thinking on it.
But as he did, moments after, the door opened again with Recorder, Klein, Yuriana, and Inigo walking in, the latter grinning at the Nord...
"Erik! Hey! Good to see you back my friend!" The khajiit greeted, "We were all told to come to the hall by the boss for some- *Sniff* Sniff* picking up the smells from boxes, "What are those, Erik?" eyes going wide on the boxes.
The buxom warrior took a whiff too, "By the gods, that smells divine...getting why we were called here now," with a smile.
"Pizza!" Recorder cheered, clearing her throat with a blush, "Sorry, I mean...it's pizza right?"
Erik frowned, "Yeah, it is...how would you know that right away though...?" with an eyebrow raised.
"Not important. let's just say I'm a fan, and leave it there," She replied with, nearly drooling.
Klein took a deep sniff, "I've never had what this..."Pizza" Something tells me, it's going to be a new favorite for me,"
Soon after Lucien walked in, taking off his engineer goggles...
"I thought I could smell food, glad to see you Erik, how were your days off?" The imperial asked.
"It went very well, I know you went home early, did you get what you were looking for?" The Nord asked him.
"Yeah, did you see a mech-mount in the hangar...?"
"I did actually, so that's yours huh? Quite an impressive machine you've built there," Erik complimented.
"Thank you~ Before I was called here I was working on a few mods for it, they're still unfinished but, I think I can take a break," Lucien sighed, "Especially with those smells coming around,"
Inigo looked around, "Guess all we're waiting on now, is for Rela, Traysek, and Sylla to show up, assuming she's back from Erdora..."
"I'm back!" Sylla announced as she was dragging the body of a huge bear behind her.
The others had a look of shock, The khajiit cleared his throat...
"Uh...Glad to see you, but..." Inigo frowned at the corpse, "What's with the bear...? Is that lunch...?
"A rune bear who attacked me." Sylla replied, "Got me some rounds to take him down."
"So is he your trophy then? If so, I get it," Yuriana added with an approving nod, "To be honest, I've never seen a bear that size...Must've taken quite a bit to bring him down,"
"One little mistake and I wouldn't be here." Sylla laughed before looking at the dead bear, "Still... something's not normal about this..."
"Where'd you even find him...? Weren't you at Erdora?" Klein asked raising an eyebrow.
"It was on my way back, before getting in the forest." the Tarnished answered.
Erik frowned at that, "That's...a weird place for one to just come popping out, wonder why that was..."
"What's with all the blood tracks?" They heard someone ask, turning around to Find both Traysek and Rela walking in, the former spotting the source, "Nevermind, I got the answer, I see you brought back a trophy, Sylla, and an impressive one at that~"
"And hard to put down," Sylla added with a small laugh.
"I...can imagine, wow..." The Redguard whistled, "Glad you came out okay though, welcome back~" with a smile, turning to Erik, "Welcome back as well, big guy! I see you came back happy and-" takes a couple of sniffs, "-And you even brought back lunch, Godsdamn that smells good..."
The Nord chuckled, "Smells good," opening on box, showing the hot steaming meat lovers' mushroom, making everyone's eyes go wide, "Tastes even better~" with a grin.
"What kind of heavenly smell is that?" Sylla widened her eyes, "Was it made by Lord Radagon?"
"Not familiar with who that is, but if he's a pizza god, it may as well have been," Erik laughed, "We went to this place for our date, after coming back from the mount shop, stayed for awhile, had good drinks too, but they don't sell those to go,"
Traysek shrugged, "That's okay, we've got plenty to drink in here, Both alcoholic and non, and we still have the mead barrel and personal wine for Erdora, we'll manage,"
"When eating..." Rela asked, drooling.
The others laughed in response to that, the Captain waving everyone down while chuckling himself...
"Alright alright~ Don't laugh too hard now," Traysek grinned, "She's just saying out loud what we're all thinking... And to answer that question, Rela, we'll start now, we just need to get some plates..."
Rela teleported out and back in a flask, holding plates, "When eating..."
Most of them blinked at that, Save for Recorder who was equally drooling...
"I'm with her on this, "When eating...?" She recited.
Yuriana cleared her throat, "I'll uh...get the plates ready," going for the plates...
...
Moments after the plates had been set and the pizza cut into squares, everyone was ready to try it...
Traysek was the first to try his piece, frowning and nodding with an impressed hum, "By the gods, that's good~" taking another bite.
On her part, Rela was already done and was looking around to snatch a piece.
The others had tried their pieces, humming at the taste...
"I can see why you chose there to eat, wish they had this back home," Lucien hummed taking another bite.
Klein had tried his piece, eyes lit up like a firecracker, "Now...I've gone to some fancy places, but this...I don't think they have it this good,"
Inigo happily nodded, already chewing, "There's no beating this, amazing!"
"I'll stop there when I head back to the city, I'm not sure how we missed that place!" Yuriana chuckled.
"Me neither! and now it feels like I haven't seen enough, I would've gone much earlier if I knew!" Record said, between hums.
"I wish I could go there." Rela sighed.
"I feel like there's something heavy behind these words..." Sylla commented.
The Redguard raised an eyebrow, "Who says you won't ever go...? Before most of us were able to live here, we had and still have a house in one of the districts," he pointed out, "The next time we have to go back, I can't see why you can't come with," with a coy shrug, biting into another piece.
"I'm no longer a Dark Elf who has the benediction of a god... that's why." Rela replied, "If I set foot there... I'll be killed immediately by the divine authority."
Traysek stopped eating for a second, "I...I didn't know that, that's not like the alliance at all~" Words dripped with heavy sarcasm, returning to eating.
"Guess some things don't change no matter where we go, eh?" Yuri commented with a headshake, "I wouldn't worry about it, Rela, I'd say we're better off without shadows watching our every move, I can't tell you how many times I had to fight off chasing them out when I sensed them," getting some agreeing nods from the table.
"In my experience, nothing is eternal." Sylla pointed, "Maybe that one day, you can get there."
Rela shook her head, "The moment I stepped inside, the gods would smite me... there are many people inside who wish they could reunite with people they lost... but the grudge between gods and demons won't go down that easily..."
Lucien hummed, "Much like the Aedra and Daedra, they've got a similar situation going for them... The Daedra are not allowed to walk to Nirn as they see fit and the mortal kind is happy about it, the Daedra were slaughtering people by the thousands during the oblivion crisis"
"I'm sure they've got their own realm much like they do as well, Now whether we'll end up in them or not, that is the question, isn't it?" Erik stated, taking a bite of his pizza.
Traysek thought on something, "You know, even if you can't go, it doesn't mean WE can't...So, If there's something you want from there, Weapons, clothing, food, Especially what we're eating now...We can easily bring it back here, but," finishing off his piece, "In a minute we won't even have to worry about that, I'm setting a trade deal with Erdora next, and I'm feeling Lucky, I'll set one with Ulak,"
Klein frowned at that, "Why there? I know they're coming up and all, but why not the city itself?"
"Because they're already getting their goods FROM the city, in fact, Erdora is a ripe hotspot for their merchants now..." The Redguard pointed out, "Why wouldn't I set a deal there? It's the closest village to here and I've got a friendship going with the mayor there,"
Recorder nodded in agreement, "I forgot you had something going there with him, explains the wine we got,"
"I wonder..." Sylla went into deep thought, not noticing Rela taking her part of the pizza, "Couldn't we get a vineyard in the back? Not only that but also some beehives too."
"Vineyard and beehives huh?" Erik asked with an eyebrow raised, "You thinking about brewing?"
"Something homemade would be cheap to have as people tend to price things with a margin that'll be somehow high... more so if there's a great distance between the buyer and the seller," Sylla explained before looking for her part of the pizza.
The others shook their heads and pointed to the culprit, while Traysek sighed...
"There's still more in the box, Rela, you don't have to rob plates," He chuckled, going back into the box and giving both her and Sylla another piece, "But that tells me you've got a new favorite meal, to be fair, I wouldn't mind getting another box,"
"I wouldn't mind twenty boxes," Rela added, hiding behind Traysek as Sylla was glaring at her.
The Redguard chuckled, "If that's possible, sure," shaking his head, glancing at the tarnished, "And Sylla, I can do you one better, The vineyard I can pay for, but I'm can build the Apiary, a bee hut alone, but," glancing at his plate, "After we eat of course," taking a bite out of his next piece...
Meanwhile, at the Bernadus Estate...
Regis looked at the fields and said, "I take that you're enjoying your current trades."
Jalen nodded, taking a sip of wine, "And we have you to thank for that opportunity, Lord Regis~"
"Seriously, If only Father could see how far we got, he'd left sooner, a shame that," Talen added in, "The new guards have been more than accommodating too, they don't make us feel like idiots either,"
"You'd better be prepared... humans proved that they can be sore losers." Regis sighed, "I'd prepare my men for the coming battle as I'm sure that it'll be bloody..."
The brother in gold armor nodded with a deep sigh, "We've already been hearing about it from the grapevine, our teacher keeps us updated on the news, We know just HOW MUCH they hate us,"
"With three Kletzkriegs at the command, you should be safe for a good amount of time." Regis pointed out, "However, you should be vigilant. Don't underestimate the enemy."
"Of course," The silver armored brother concurred, "We've stepped our training up, one of the commanders here is teaching us different moves we've never heard of, I can't wait for the next lesson, but we'll keep our eyes peeled, you never know..."
"One last thing... what answer did you give him..." Regis asked, looking up at the sky, "You did get the reports about him..."
Both brothers took a deep breath there, Jalen glancing at his older brother...
"Uh, bro? Maybe you should take this one...? I don't have anything nice to say there and rather not add words I shouldn't say,"
Talen slowly nodded, "Yes, we read that report... The answer was an automatic no after all that... we had considered it at first but... that was until we read the report... He'd be a danger for our people here, especially if one of them gets into some trouble they'll need help out of... He's...not dependable, to say the least, and his knights are an even bigger headache, No way could we profit with that on our names..."
"I wish he was different... but he's the same as the others, only in denial." Regis stated, "We should be careful of him from now on... some of my familiars spotted him at the Leafa estate."
The younger brother whistled, "He went there...? But those territories have been independent for years, our father used to deal with them until that day happened, after that, they wished not to be bothered, and I can't say I blame them, this war is messy as is..."
"If I guess his reasoning, it was to repair that dunghill of a fort...? Good luck with that...we saw how much it costs to fully repair it, we'd be broke or nearing there if we even tried," The older bro shivered.
"They wished to remain neutral as both the Leafa house and the Gorgona house rejected both Holy forces and the monster army..." Regis said, "Maybe that one day, Swain will ask for your help to sway them to our side..." he sighed before adding, "As for that fort... it's a lost cause. I've seen ruins that were in better states and even well-kept by the people as historic relics that depict history. I think that you get where I'm getting..."
Both brothers winced at that...
"So in other words," Talen sweatdropped with a smile, "He's got the shittiest fort of the alliance...oof, no wonder he's been looking, it'd serve him right too, we heard how he was at the Remonnet household too..." narrowing his eyes.
Jalen scoffed, "He ought to take his advice with that one...the nerve..." shaking his head, "And that's someone who's drowning in grief, I don't know how he didn't get that with his visit...Maybe our new guys might be able to get that to calm down... I heard of them, one a former church knight and another a freelancer, heard the latter was a bit of a wild thug in the beginning though..."
"Whatever the kind of rumors that are heard, what matters is how he is," Regis stated.
The older brother nodded in agreement, "True, we have yet to meet him after all, he might've cooled down now..."
"As for the other guy, read his reports, he's a star in comparison, I do hope he goes looking for business soon, we'd oblige him, as well as the other man..." Jalen concurred, "But as for those holy knights, they're right where they belong..."
Regis nodded, "I felt that he'd turn out to be like that... especially from what Camillia told me."
"Glad we learned sooner than later, if it were the other way, we'd be in trouble, that's for sure," Talen sighed deeply, until one of the maids ran up, "Yes?"
"Apologies sirs, but they're having an issue at the brewery, one of the barrels is leaking and going non-stop," The aide explained.
"Not again, okay, I'll get the tools, make sure they do what they can to stop more from coming out," Jalen assured, turning to Regis, "Apologies, but I'll have to take care of that, it was nice seeing you again Lord Regis,"
Regis thought for a moment and said, "You can ask your current company to see if one of them can deal with it."
The younger brother thought about it, "I could...guess I'm used to patching those up myself," he chuckled.
The Servant nodded in agreement to Regis, "Well... we haven't contacted them yet ourselves... Go ahead sir, I'll get them to handle this, you have your meeting to attend to," she smiled, bowing and returning to the brewery.
The Elder brother sighed with a grin, "Sometimes it's okay to let them handle it brother, they already think we're working too hard..." waving him down, "That said..." turning his attention to his guest, "Would you like another drink, Lord Regis?"
"One of the few perks of being what I am is the fact that I can become drunk after drinking any alcohol." Regis chuckled.
In Luckwarden...
The local pharmacy...
A brown-haired young woman with green eyes and wearing a white coat over a black shirt, green pants, and black shoes was looking through some of the stocked materials.
"Where's that damned snake hue!" she stated before turning, "Girlie! Do you know where the snake hue is? I need it for something."
"I'm bringing it to you!" a voice called out...
A familiar Heiress with dark hair in a braided ponytail in a dark shirt and brown pants wearing an alchemist vest showed up, the only difference is that the dark bags in her eyes were gone, handing her the bottle of snake hue.
"It was far in the back, apologies for taking so long," Stella apologized with a smile.
"No worries, kiddo," the young woman patted her head, "The chief's gonna need his medicine, so you're going to help me for it this time."
"Gladly~ I'm just happy he's starting to come around," The young girl stated, "What else do we need?"
"Let's see... Rocbird talons, Porcacan's tusks, Sand Eals' livers, Fire-ring Dragon scales, and Winged Toad saliva." the young woman listed, "I'll go fetch the water."
Stella nodded happily, heading to the back to grab the ingredients...
In the Remonnet estate...
The Maid was standing in front of the gate of the estate, a fierce narrow glare and her arms crossed.
"I'll say it again... we don't need your damned shit here! Now scram!" she yelled, the cross-dressing boy hiding behind her.
The people she was talking to were pig-like orcs, one in pink noble clothing while the other in green, the latter smirking at the maid's remark.
"Come now, we've been through this before and until your master says otherwise, she's still in business with us, my brother Conti got a request for us to be here today," The twin Ponti spoke.
Conti nodded in agreement, "It is nothing we don't usually sell, and your master has been our best customer, why would we ignore that call?"
"What call?! The one that drowns others!" the maid snapped, "You're only opportunists who don't care about the wellbeing of others! Now SCRAM!"
They both flinched at her tone, the guards with him placing their hands on their swords, until the pig brother in green raised a hand, getting them to calm down...
"Whatever do you mean...?" Ponti said with innocence, "We do care for Aria, her parents and us had been partners for years...it was tragic hearing about the loss of her family, those were partners we'll never get back... So of course we'll provide her what she asks of us, just as we did for them...and so far she hasn't complained..."
"W-Why you..." the maid gritted her teeth as a shining light blinded everyone, when it was dissipated, the made had a massive sword that was twice her size.
"B-Big sis! Calm down, y-you can't hurt them!" the femboy maid pleaded, "I-If you hurt them, i-it may cause troubles to Lady Aria!"
Ponti nodded with a greasy smile, "You should listen to your pretty elf brother, she can't keep losing friends, now can she?"
"Indeed, but..." Conti stepped up, "We'll go for now, perhaps we made a mistake, but we'll be back and I'm sure we'll have something she can't refuse~" he assured, "Brother, let's leave for now,"
"Agreed, until next time~" His brother smiled, as they both were the first to turn and leave...
The guards leered and glared at the elf duo, one of them shaking their heads and chuckling, following the brothers out...
"And don't you dare come back!" the maid yelled as the weapon disappeared in a faint glow of light, "I hate those pigs..."
"Big sis..."
A clacking of heels was slowly approaching them from behind, the heiress in a different gown this time, more modest than her last, yawning...
"Oh~? What's this? What were they doing here?" rubbing her eyes.
After taking a deep breath, the maid turned toward the heiress and bowed, "Nothing to concern yourself, my lady, merely people that tried to scam you."
"I see, thank you for warding them off then," Aria thanked with a tired smile, "Hard enough to pick up the pieces on what's been left behind already.." she sighed shaking her head, "For a second thought, I thought those were the Mortadella brothers, they've been kind to me...I sent them a letter a week ago, but they've yet to respond... a pity," stretching her arms.
The maid stayed silent for a moment before replying, "Still, you need to be ready for your coming meeting with Princess Prim. According to what she sent, 'once the Ur troubles are done with' she'll visit you."
The heiress blinked twice, "She finally wants a word huh? Last we met, my parents were still here...It's interesting she wants a word with me now..." slowly nodding, "Very well, I'll make sure to prepare for that meeting, as for...what was planned today, I'll let them rest, last night was intense..." with a slight chuckle, before heading back in.
"I guess that's my turn, huh..." the femboy sighed, "I'll have to perform my duties as Stud Stallion..."
"She does prefer you over the others." the maid pointed with a small smile.
"Still... all that... we need to do something."
The maid sighed, "We managed to cure her addiction to all of those shitty substances. Now, we need to make sure that she doesn't fall in that trap again."
The cross-dressing boy nodded at it.
At the Calvinis household...
The carriage arrived at the manor gate, stopping at the open gate with two holy knights guarding it...
Rey and Marquel exited the ride, walking towards the gate...
"Greetings~ I'm Commander Reynold, Your master wished to speak to me, is he in?" The young commander asked.
"The kid ain't my master, get it?" one of the knights guarding the gate narrowed his eyes, "Choose your words carefully, boy"
Rey took a deep sigh, slowly nodding, "Right... Apologies, fine... is Albert in?" in a casual tone.
"He's in." the second guard replied, "A little busy with fines due to a noble."
"I see...We'll await him in the lobby then, excuse us," The young commander bowed, as he and Marquel entered the grounds.
Most of the women couldn't look up at the two, as for those who could, they had a miserable look.
Rey noticed his second's expression, "Try not to stare...It's hard I know, but...this...is one of the reasons I did NOT want to return here..." in a low tone.
"Damn..." he commented before sighing, "This guy is a real piece of work..."
"I'm going to be honest with you... If we don't find a way to lessen this, it's gonna look really bad on our names linking up with him, we've got enough already... that's why I said what I said back there about having to get violent...if I have to, will you back me up?" He asked him with a serious expression.
Marquel sighed, "Look, the guy's well connected. If you want to have a chance, you should overlook this until you get better contacts. Bear with it for the moment, and expand your network of people. When it's done, throw him away."
Rey thought about it, "Hmm, I suppose that's a way to look at that, we DO need something to start with, even from someone like this..." with a sigh, "You have a point, playing nice will work out better...it'll be hard, but I can tolerate it...Until then..."
"All we need to do is to be patient." Maquel pointed out, "Once we're done with the families of Ur, we can test our chances with Geofu."
"Should things go smooth from then on...As long as we get no issues from the bird of prey, we should have no problem reaching them..." Rey nodded, as they arrived at the main house, knocking on the door.
The door opened and they were greeted by a maid, "Y-yes?"
"Uh, Greetings...We're here for our appointment with the young lord, is he ready for us?" Rey asked with an eyebrow raised.
She simply nodded and opened the door. He simply bowed back and they followed her in... when they arrived at a door, she hesitated before knocking.
"Yes?" A voice from behind it asked.
"S-S-Sir, people said that they ha-have an appointment w-w-with you." the maid stammered.
There was silence for a moment, until...
"Ahh~ good! I've been waiting for him, send them in!" the voice laughed.
The maid shakenly opened the door letting them in.
Once they made it in, they were treated to an office and relaxing area, Albert sitting in the main chair waiting for them...
"Well well~ Look who's back~" The noble grinned, "And I hear you've got a promotion, Reynold, what they rank you up to?"
"Commander~ of Fort Hroka," Rey smiled, getting the noble to laugh.
"Ohoho~ Commander huh? Looks like someone moving up in the world!" Albert laughed, "Congratulations~ I hope you command your forces well~" turning to Marquel, "And if I had to guess, you must be his second, right?"
"Indeed," Marquel nodded, "My name is Marquel of the Fevius family."
The noble nodded, "Fevius eh? I know a bit of your family, we owe our thanks to them on our goods," smiling at both, "So, from what I read of that letter you sent, you require noble support, correct?"
"That's correct, we've been trying to gather as many connections as we could...Some have been hits, others misses,"
"Naturally..." Albert concurred, "And what fort are you stationed at again...?"
"Hroka," Rey simply answered, making the noble wince.
"Ooh...Why would you choose that place to command forces?"
The young knight sighed, "I didn't...It was offered to me by Lady Prim, in exchange for the reward money,"
"Ah~ No wonder, you always have been a sucker for her cutesy act Rey," Albert smirked, "So you're now you're stuck with a dung-hill of a fort that you have to command your men in..." The noble shook his head with a sigh, "I've kept the money in your position, but it's good that you've got a place to put you and your men in...even if it is that one,"
Rey slowly nodded, "Yeah, so you understand why we've been in desperate need, we know the battle of Ur's coming up and we hope to be...somewhat ready by then,"
"Of course, I did hear of Feoh falling to those filthy monsters and their general...you'd be hailed a hero if you could pull that off," Albert pointed, grinning wide now, "Well~ I think we can help each other here, the alliance have been breathing down my neck lately over my lack of supporting a commander, the thing is...I don't really know many...Until now that is~" giving Rey a knowing smirk.
The young commander raised an eyebrow, "So does this mean...?"
"Indeed~ Consider me one of your supporters, Rey, Oh I'm sorry...! Commander Reynold~" The noble purred, offering a handshake.
Rey stared at the hand for a second, his thoughts clicking on... 'I know, that I'm shaking hands with an absolute demon...But...those who are supposed to be helping me...' thinking of Swain and the birds of prey and how they treated him, 'Are leading me in a damned circle... If this is how it's going to be...then so be it...I'll make my own way...Better the devil I know, than...!'
"And I accept~" The young commander smiled, completing the handshake.
A loud knock was heard as a man's voice said, "Commander Reynold, there's a letter for you from Ur's military heads."
Rey sighed, "Alright! Keep hold of that until I'm done here!" He ordered.
Albert laughed sitting back down, "So, I take it, you guys need supplies, repairs, Armor and weapons, food, clothing, horses, and the like? am I correct to assume this?"
"You are correct on that, yes," The young commander nodded.
"Alrighty then~ Looks like I can help on a few things, I may not be able to pay for the full repairs, but as for other things," The noble began with, pulling out a form, "I think I've got you covered there...For starters, I can already see how your old is looking...how's your weapon?"
The young commander sighed, "It's still holding up decent, it still cuts and stabs like it's supposed to..."
Albert gave him a knowing smirk, "Let me see the sword, Commander~" beckoning him his hand.
Rey nodded and drew the blade, handing it to him... The noble checked the blade over, frowning at the damage on it...
"Hmm...I'd say, you've got several more hard impacts until it finally breaks...I commend you for using it to this point," Albert commented.
"Well, I had met another noble...a man called Lorel who directed me to a smith he knows, but..."
The noble nodded, "It's going to cost, I know the smith that Lord Lorel speaks of.. nice to know you're taking advice from him too, his sure came in handy when it came to running this place," with a bitter chuckle, "What if I told you, I have an armor and sword fit for a commander...? My father's old gear, made by that very blacksmith and it's still in mint condition..."
"You'd be willing to part with your father's heirlooms...? Are you sure?" Reynold asked with a frown.
"I'm more than sure, I've got no use for it, so it's just collecting dust in the armory, but if you're gonna be the part, why not let you have it?" Albert asked with a smirk.
Rey nodded and grinned, "Very well, I'd like to see what you're offering..."
At that the noble stood up, "Alright, looks like we're hitting the armory then, as for the rest of your supplies, we're sending back digging and mining tools as well as food with your carriage, I'll have the workers do it before we go..." glancing at Marquel, "As for you, Marquel, your free to choose any of what you see in the armory to replace your weapon and armor...we've got sets to choose from, they should serve you well~"
"Don't mind if I do." Marquel laughed.
"Okay~ let's head to the armory," Albert smiled, leading them there...
To be continued...
Well Now... I can't say I wasn't expecting that, looks like Rey has made a deal with a devil...however it also seems he's gotten leg up since his attempts with heiresses failed...But with the recent letters he's received, will he respond to correlation seeking him out...? And if so, what is to happen to Feoh? Will the monster army have a response in time? Find out next time on Red Dragon's Roar!