Final Fantasy IX - Chronicles of Gaia - Chapter 3
Final Fantasy IX - Chronicles of Gaia
Chapter 3 - Bandits and Dragons
The countryside surrounding Burmecia was abundant with numerous farming communities and hamlets, all stretched out nicely throughout the Daines-Horse Basin. It is said that the ground here was rich in fertile soil, with plenty of rivers flowing from the vicinity of the capital. Other than the rivers, the Daines-Horse was rather dry, since all the moisure seemed to get stuck in the mountain pocket the city resided in, where it was more likely to rain. In other words, a fine place for farming of any kind.Many farms outside of Burmecia were fairly sizable, ranging from a few dozen to several hundred acres, and each one catered to a different business; a few vineyards, a couple of dairy and livestock farms here and there, some orchards close to the city, and the rest harvested either crops and grains, or vegetables.One of the most notable - and infamous - of these farms were Fireheart Acres, a mixed grains and vegetable farm spanning roughly 400 acres, well away from the city walls, but still within it's borders. And for good reason, too - it was a farm run by a bantam dragon. And a very prickly one at that, too.
Serylis' parents were both farmers, who ran a fairly prosperous business here. It seemed rather odd for a family of bantam dragons - a warrior race known for their vicious temperament - to be running a farm, especially in a country full of rats that felt uneasy about outsiders. But that wasn't the problem; the problem lay with Serylis herself.A temperamental and volatle creature, Serylis disliked Burmecians with a passion that burned hotter than the fire she breathes. Even during her childhood, she didn't get on well with the nezumi kids that visited, and began to chase people away, putting the fear of Ifrit into them as she did. When she became an adult, she left to become a soldier, campaigning in foreign lands. And when she returned to inherit the farm, things only got worse - she began to send death threats to any would-be visitor, brandishing her axe or bow whenever anybody got too close, or if she felt really sadistic, fired a stream of dragon fire at the target as a warning shot.Soon, rumors about Fireheart Acres began to spread, that the owner would kidnap Burmecians in their sleep, hack them up to pieces and eat their entrails. It was enough to keep the nezumi and other farmers fearful of going anywhere near the farm, and mothers would use that tale to discourage bad behavior from their pups. The only interaction she got (if any) was the courier that delivered her goods to the city during harvest season.
The farm itself consisted of a two-story house built from wood and
plaster, surrounded by the number of fields that were used to grow the farm's produce. There was a chocobo stable next to the house, stacked with numerous farming implements such as a plow, but no chocobo. Either Serylis ate it when she took over, or the family never owned a chocobo to begin with, thus raising the question as to how the Firehearts managed to get any plowing done without any draft animals. Judging from Serylis' impressive physique, however, it wasn't hard to guess how.Declan and Serylis were currently in the living room, having made the trek home from the now-destroyed Vice camp. There was a simple couch, an arm chair, a coffee table, and a small chest in the room, all handcrafted by the dragoness herself. The furniture was simplistic, and crudely designed, but were ultimately designed with function in mind. And of course, they were built to last. Even the fireplace had a simplistic feel to it.Declan propped himself on the couch, while the dragoness leaned next to the chest, arms folded as she eyed the Burmecian with suspicion. She still had a few questions she'd like to ask him.
"What's your name?" she asked."M-my name?" Declan glaced at her, bewildered."Yes, your name!" she angrily spat back, a few embers flew from her mouth as she spoke. "Or did mommy and daddy forget to give you one?"He winced sightly, cowering even as Serylis continued to glare at him. She wasn't in the mood for any time wasting or useless questions, and her mood made it clear as such."...Declan," the nezumi answered."Declan, huh? Interesting..." Serylis' expression changed, a curious smirk appeared on her snout as she rubbed her chin. "Kind of a plain name for a nezumi, but it'll do."Declan groaned in annoyance. "Lemme guess - you were hoping I'd be called Freyr or something, right?""Yeah, actually, I kinda was."He sighed, and facepalmed as the dragoness cackled at him."Oh, lighten up! I was kidding about the name thing. I couldn't even care less if you're Bob McCheeseynibbleton, either. Besides, I got more important stuff to ask you; What were you doing way out there near that bandit camp, anyway?" She let go of her chin, and took a couple of steps forward, hand on hip as she never broke eye contact with Declan while she stared him down.
"I... I was..." The magic knight stammered as he spoke, Serylis' glaring continued
to make him feel nervous. "I was trying to find a way out of the city. The city guard wouldn't let me through the main gate without a babysitter, all thanks to these bandit raids around the countryside.""Hmph. Doesn't surprise me much. The guard have always been quite anal about letting foreigners in, or their own kind out of the city," the dragoness lamented. "But this is the first I've heard about them taking the Vice Squad seriously enough to take extreme measures like that.""They're that much of a threat, huh?" And I thought Biggs and his entourage were bad enough. Declan rolled his eyes at that thought, but continued with his line of questioning. "What can you tell me about the Vice Squad?"Serylis slowly sat down in the armchair adjacent to her new guest, the warrior's expression changed to a softer glance as she laid it all out for the nezumi kid."Vices around Burmecia have always been a nuisance to the city, and to the surrounding farmlands for years. But they didn't always operate as one large gang. Most either worked solo, or in pairs to pull off raids. But it was during the war when Burmecia was sacked, when they got the idea to start looting the city as one huge gang after the Black Mages left. That's when the Vice Squad was truly born."
She leaned her elbow on the arm rest as she continued, casually blowing out smoke from her nostrils before she continued. "Their numbers grew over the years, and they always managed to stay ahead of the authorities, like the slimey bastards they are. They are masters at guerilla warfare; ambushes, stealth kills, hit-and-run tactics, escaping using smoke and flash grenades, that sort of thing... That's how they managed to survive all these years in spite of being hunted for so long."Problem is... the city guard won't lift a damn finger to help anyone outside those walls. They got their own problems to deal with, and as far as they're concerned, they don't wanna waste their time with the Vice Squad terrorizing the countryside, either. And the local farmers don't have the means to fend 'em off so easily, like I do. So it's up to me to hunt the bastards down and bring 'em to justice. Preferably with all their skulls nicely cleaved.""So... why are you helping us deal with the Vice problem, then?" Declan asked. "I thought you didn't like my kind."
"I'm not doing it for you, the city, or the farmers out here," the dragoness growled. "And I'm not doing it for fame or a reward either. I'm just doing some pest control in my spare time, so I don't get too rusty. An ex-soldier like me's gotta stay in
shape, y'know. Which brings me to my next point - seeing as you like sticking your nose into other people's affairs, I have a job offer if you're interested."A job offer, huh? This could be interesting. "Alright, I'll bite," said Declan, the Burmecian knight's voice filled with enthusiasm. "What have you got in mind?""There's a few more Vice camps near the Burmecian side of North Gate, much bigger than the one you stumbled across back there. Except they're full of higher-ranking Vice Squad members, and they won't fool around as easily. I was thinking of cleaving their skulls and crashing their little raiding party. You help me hew some necks, and I'll give you a small share of whatever gold or loot we come across. Deal?"Declan's eyes grew wide as saucers as he reeled back in disgust. "Ho-Hold on a second," he protested. "I've never killed anybody before, I can't play executioner!"
"Oh, I see - no killer instinct, huh? And here I was, thinking your kind was all fire and brimstone." The nezumi groaned and rolled his eyes as Serylis guffawed. "In all seriousness, though, the Vice Squad aren't going to show restraint just because you're not willing to spill their innards first. And they won't take prisoners, either - just trophies. Knowing this, are you still willing to come along? Even though you might have to kill somebody?"Declan swallowed hard, and nodded. "I'm no executioner," he reaffirmed. "But I won't stand for injustice, either. I won't stand by and watch the local farmers be terrorized by the Vice Squad, while the city guard does nothing. So I'm coming with you."Serylis nodded slowly, a smirk appeared on her face as a sign of satisfaction. "Alright, good enough for me! Wait here while I go fetch some supplies." She got up out of her seat, and trotted over into the next room as Declan watched her. The dragoness raided the weapons cabinet that was in the old study, glancing over her battle axe collection and replacing her current one, before choosing one of the bigger, sharper-looking axes.
While she was getting ready, Declan got out of his seat to take a look around the living room some more. There wasn't anything standing out that caught the nezumi knight's attention; no plants or even a book to glance through. Save for a small photo frame that nested on top of the mantle piece. Declan walked over to pick it up, taking a better look; the frame itself was significantly burnt, and the glass pane covering the photo had cracked in a few places, like it was tossed in a fire some time ago. Amazingly, the photo itself had managed to survive, and Declan could still make out
the family of dragons who had that picture taken all those years ago.It was an old photo of a younger-looking Serylis, standing next to what's presumably her parents. She was noticeably more skinnier, but still fairly toned in the picture, wearing a white shirt and some blue denim overalls. Her father, the blonde-haired crimson-red dragon in similar attire, was well-toned in muscle, whilst her mother, the gold, slender-looking dragoness with black hair, looked like she could hold her own, too.
While he was looking around, Serylis was almost done with packing; She grabbed the Magic Vice's sword she looted earlier, and an old, weathered pack that was stashed careless down the side of the cabinet. She put a pair of tonics and some bandages in it, and checked the half-quiver that took up half the pack's space. Satisfied, she slung it over her back, and stepped back into the living room in time to see Declan play around with her family photo."Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Serylis barked, her booming voice startled the Burmecian and almost made him drop the frame in a panic."Ack! S-sorry," Declan stuttered. "I was just having a look, that's all." Fuming, the dragoness stomped over, and snatched the photo frame from him, her brows furrowed as she stared daggers at the terrified nezumi."I took you back here so I could offer you a job, not to nosey around all my personal stuff," she snapped, slamming the frame back down on the mantle piece face down. "You're damn lucky I was nice enough to let you live; If I wanted, I could've just killed you and claimed you were in cahoots with the Vice Squad. The only reason I kept you alive is because right now, I need help getting rid of those bastards, not swap intimate life stories. Now if you're done fooling around - and I suggest that you are - can we go now?"
A cold sweat ran down the back of the nezumi knight's neck as Serylis made her threat. As she bellowed, Declan cringed and raised his hands over his face in a widely recognizable protective manner. "A-alright, alright, we'll go! Just... Just don't hurt me, please!""Good." Look at 'im stutter. He's greener than the grass growing outside. Let's just hope he doesn't wimp out while we're cleaning out those camps. Much to his relief, the dragoness didn't throttle him, as Declan slowly lowered his hands and regained his composure. Instead, she presented him the Magic Vice's sword, which he almost immediately recognized. "Here - since you're unarmed, you'll probably want this. And hope you know how to use it."The nezumi knight nodded and
reluctantly took the longsword from her, thanking her as he did. It was far lighter and less clunky than the Vice cutlass, which gave him no trouble as he attached it to his utility belt."Look, kid," Serylis began. "I'm not a bad guy, alright? I've got my own reasons for distrusting your kind. But if you do your part, and I do mine, we'll both come out of this the better, okay? And if I like your work, maybe I'll let some of my share go your way. That sound good to you?"
"Sounds fine to me," came Declan's response. "But listen, I'm only going as far as Gizamaluke's grotto with you, 'cause I need to past through to get to Lindblum. After that, I'm outta your hair for good."By this point, he had finished attaching his sword onto his person, adjusting the strap so that his weapon wouldn't pull him down or drag behind against the ground behind him. Satisfied, the Burmecian patted his sword-hip a couple of times and nodded in Serylis' direction. "Ready when you are!""Alright, we best get going then, before nightfall." And with that, they both left the house through the back door - unlocked. As they stepped outside, Declan took a moment to look at the sky, and through the cloudy sky, he could see that the sun was halfway set towards the west - It was already mid-afternoon."Hey, uh... aren't you gonna lock up or anything?" he asked."No need! I've found out the hard way that locks mean little out here," the dragoness explained, pointing with her thumb to the door. "See, anyone who's likely to be deterred by a lock is a thief. And with this place being so far away from civilization, I doubt they'd be foiled by any lock I can afford. Besides, what few people out here know better to come knocking on my door, else they end up dead. Or on a barbeque. Or both."
The nezumi was confused, but decided not to ask for clarification on the matter. Perhaps it was for the best, though; she almost quite literally bit his head off for poking around her home already - which would've ended quite badly for him. It was not like Serylis was waiting for a response of any kind, anyway - she was already heading east towards the mountains, where North Gate was."C'mon!" She called out. "Sooner we can rip these bastards' guts out, the better!"Realizing he was falling behind, Declan quickly picked up speed as he gave chase, trying to catch up with the dragoness."H-hey, wait for me!" he called out to her. "Can't a guy catch a break around here?!"
A couple of hours or so passed, and Declan and Serylis managed to cover more ground than they had accounted for. Hiding behind a small rocky outcrop, they oversaw another camping site that belonged to the Vices. This one was much larger than the site Declan stumbled across - it was big enough to house four, maybe five bandits at once. A pair of torches were place adjacent to one another in the middle, while a small collection of wooden crates and burlap sacks sat on the right-hand side of the camp. The site itself was patrolled by a lone bandit, armed with a crossbow - a far cry from the usual cutlasses they carried.
"Bah! One sentry, eh?" Serylis scoffed. "If I knew it was gonna be this easy, I shouldn't have bothered putting all this heavy armor on."Declan, on the other hand, wasn't so sure - the nezumi took a peek around the outcrop, indeed there was one sentry on post, but nothing was said about anyone inside those tents."Well, we can't just walk up to the guard and ask him to invite us for some tea and cakes.""Really?" The dragoness smugly asked as she raised her eyebrow. "Wasn't planning on doing that, but if you wanna try it out, be my guest.""No, I didn't mean..." Declan sighed as he paused to rub the bridge between his eyes. "What I meant was... There's no point in charging ahead, in case there's more in those tents.""Exactly! Which is why we have these!" The dragoness unslung her bow and notched up an arrow. "Right, so here's the plan - I'll put down that sentry there with an arrow, and once those bandits come out, we use the rocks as cover and pick them off one-by-one. Got it?" The nezumi knight nodded, and slowly drew his sword as he readied himself. "Gotcha, Serylis. Ready when you are."
Serylis didn't need telling twice, as she crouched down on one knee and took aim; her breathing had slowed down drastically, and as she drew back her drawstring, she held her index finger and thumb against her neck, checking her pulse; if there was one crucial skill she learned during her soldiering days, it was knowing how to fire arrows inbetween heartbeats. She eyed the sentry carefully, waiting for an opportune moment to open fire.Unfortunately for the dynamic duo, they were being watched by two Vices, who hid from atop of one of the rocky crevices surrounding the area. One of them was armed with a crossbow; the other was carefully watching the two adventurers through a pair of binoculars."Well, hello there, my pretty. Long time no see," the archer whispered under his breath, his crossbow trained on the back of the dragoness' head as she crouched. The bandit gently squeezed the trigger on his crossbow and licked his chops, like a predator savoring the victory of a successful hunt. "Hey bud, go an' tell th' others t' put th' stove on - we're havin' stewed dragon and her pet rat fer dinner t'night!"
"Heheh, oh yeah, been waitin' a long time t' get back at this crazy bitch for years! Let's see how she feels bein' skewered on a kebab stick for a change, eh?"The two Vices chuckled, their voices kept low so that neither Declan nor Serylis could hear them. Unfortunately, they weren't banking on part of the crevice crumbling slightly as they got into position, a few bits of rubble crumbled off the rocky side and fell from where the vices had laid. The sound of crumbling rock was picked up by Serylis' sensitive ears, as she quickly turned around on the spot to find the source.Upon spotting the two Vices peering down - one of which had their crossbow pointed right at her - the dragoness opened fire at her would-be assassin, a loud THWACK echoed out as the arrow struck his forehead, burying the sharp tip into his brain. The archer Vice slumped over as he died instantly, but as he did, his finger pressed firmly against the trigger on his crossbow as he opened fire below.Declan was about to see what his companion was firing at, when a sharp thud very close by spooked him. He jumped in surprise as he saw a crossbow bolt jut out of the ground, the projectile had missed his foot by mere centimeters. "Woah!" He cried out in exclamation. "That was a freaking close call just now!"
"Damn right it was!" the dragoness snorted, notching up another arrow. "A second later, and either of us would've had our asses skinned by now. "She drew back the drawstring and took aim at the surviving Vice, but he wasn't prepared to suffer the same fate as his fallen companion; being adept thieves, Vices were trained to escape from tight spots, such as this. Quickly, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small, ceramic container, then removed the cork out of the top with his teeth before he threw it towards Declan and Serylis.As the container landed on the ground at their feet, a loud, deafening explosion, followed by a blinding white light, erupted from it as it shattered. Both adventurers were left disorientated by the flashbang, giving the vice enough time to disappear out of sight before they regained their senses.The flashbang's effects soon wore off, the blinding white light and loud ringing in Declan and Serylis' ears gradually tapered. Upon having their senses returned, they quickly glanced at the crevice top to see that the Vice had disappeared in the midst of the resulting confusion. They didn't need to look far, as they heard voices coming from the Vice camp.
"Hey! Go tell t'folks to get their asses in gear," the bandit shouted. "That dragon bitch is back - an' she's got a little furry friend with her!" The guard nodded and hastily rushed into each of the camp site's tents to wake the others up, alerting everyone to Declan and Serylis' presence.The bandit camp was soon in an uproar, each Vice geared up as they prepared to dispose of the two would-be intruders, who watched the whole thing unfold from behind the outcrop. Declan was seemingly cautious, but Serylis was less than happy, now that she lost the element of surprise, and she spouted a string of curses that would've made her parents blush - assuming dragons blushed, of course."Crap! There goes our chance for a quick ambush," she muttered. "Oh well, not that it matters anyway... I prefer a straight-up fight to sneaking around. Hope you're ready kid, 'cause all hell's about to break loose!""You sure you don't want to make a peace offering, first?" came the retort. "Like, oh, I dunno... tea and cakes?"Serylis glared at him for a moment, lip curled as she bit back at Declan's snarking. "Listen, bucko. I don't have the time nor patience to listen to your smart-ass comments, because right now, we're about to go head-to-head with a bunch of stupid, ugly bird-like things, and we cannot afford to lose. So unless you wanna be added to the list of casualties, I strongly suggest you keep your mouth shut and follow my instruction. Got it?"
The nezumi knight gulped and nodded nervously, his ears folded back as he heard every word. Around the same time, the Vice Squad gathered in full force as they prepared to meet their attackers. Five bandits gathered at the entrance of the campsite; the bandit spotter, the patrolman, two mages, and a Vice marauder, the heavy armor he wore signified his status as the group commander.The marauder made a simple hand gesture toward the outcrop where Declan and Serylis hid; one of the mages nodded, and aimed his staff at the outcrop as a ball of magical fire formed at the end of it. A few seconds later, and the fireball flew towards the outcrop at neckbreak speed, the magic explosive exploded upon impact as it collided into it's rocky surface and sent dust, stone and rubble flying
everywhere. The blast didn't harm either Declan nor Serylis, but the sheer force of it did startle them, at least."Ha! That ought to get their full attention now!" The Marauder turned to face his underlings, addressing his men as he rallied them for their next task. "Alright men, listen up! We've got the dragon and her companion surrounded, but don't start getting lazy for one second - if the rumors are true, then they're the ones who smashed our little operation outside the city wall. We'll show them just what it means to mess with the Vice Squad!"
He called forward the spotter and patrolman, making hand gestures as he issued them their orders. "Butch, Cassidy, You two get over to that rock and fox those fools out! Billy, Kidd," he pointed to the two mages. "You see either of them come out from that rock, and you shoot 'em down! We don't want those two coming near this camp for any reason, you got that?""Yes, boss!" The Vices shouted in unison."Good! Now get out there, and give those bastards hell!"The Vice Squad let out a loud victorious battle cry, the two footsoldiers readied their weapons as they charged headfirst to the outcrop; the scout, Butch, carried the standard Vice cutlass, while his companion Cassidy favored a lance. The two mages stayed back with their commander, more fireballs formed at the end of their staffs as they prepared to unleash another volley of explosive fire magic at the outcrop.Declan and Serylis watched from their spot as the group launched their plan of attack, the footsoldiers quickly closing the gap on them, while the mages (and their commander) held back as more fireballs formed at the tips of their staffs. "Let's see... two melees and two spellcasters. This is gonna be cakewalk," the dragoness mused, before turning her attention to her companion. "I'll keep the mages busy while you hold the others off!"
Without waiting for a reply, she quickly rounded the corner, positioning herself on the other side of the outcrop, bow and arrow at the ready. Not that Declan had anything to say or object to - the nezumi knight had already drawn his sword, fingertips pressed into the hilt as a surge of magical lightning washed over the blade. Alright Declan, this is the real thing. Better not soil yourself or anything stupid.Around the same time, the two melee combatants, Butch and Cassidy, had just rounded the corner where Declan was hiding, their weapons pointing in his direction in a threatening manner as they approached him. "Now ya big ugly rat," Butch sneered. "Prepare to die!"The scout was the first to attack, his oncoming blow was blocked by a parry from Declan as a shower of electrical sparks erupted between the two blades. The sout was briefly stunned for a moment, but remained unfazed as he continued to match Declan's blows with his, putting the Burmecian on the defensive. Gripping the hilt of his sword tighter, more lightning arced from Declan's blade as he parried another blow from Butch as they crossed swords. Forks of lightning shot through the bandit's cutlass and into his arm, shocking him as he reeled back from the blow, stunned and smoking.
Not wanting to be left out, Cassidy circled around the two combatants, flanking the nezumi knight from behind as he held his lance out in a striking position and lunged forward. Declan's ears picked up on the sound of Vice talons charging towards him, and as he turned around, he was greeted with the site of Cassidy lurching towards him. The nezumi barely reacted and jumped to one side, narrowly dodging the trident-like tip as it brushed past his midsection. The Vice wasn't finished however; with a wide grin he quickly twirled his polearm around and struck Declan's stomach with the butt. With a pained groan, he collapsed onto the ground, clutching his stomach in agony."Oww! Dammit, why am I always outnumbered two-to-one?!"Meanwhile, a few loud explosions echoed from the other side of the outcrop, as the Mages' spellfire blasted the rock and sent debris blowing everywhere. Serylis' patience had begun to wore thin, having spent a considerable amount of time taking cover and shielding herself from the blasts. But each time the dust settled, more fireballs were flung at her way, blinding her again and destroying more rock in the process. At this rate, the whole outcrop will have been obliterated, and she'll be completely exposed to the spellcasters' attacks.
The dragoness managed to catch a lucky break - both mages had fired at her simultaneously, one fireball hitting the outcrop as the other zipped past, blasting part of the crevice behind her. A few small rocks rained down on her, serving no other purpose than to irritate Serylis as she notched up an arrow and took aim. There wasn't much dust this time, and the air cleared quickly as both mages came into view, their staffs halfway through charging as she opened fire. Her arrow struck Billy in the chest, his fireball spell imploded as he fell back and collapsed like a ragdoll, the arrow buried halfway into his chest as the last few breaths of life escaped his throat."Billy!" came Kidd's voice of anguish, but as he tried to run over to his fallen friend, the Marauder held his arm out in front of the mage to stop him in his tracks."Keep your focus, Kidd!" the Marauder lamented. "We may have lost Billy, but we cannot afford to let her slip away! C'mon, let's fox that bitch in!" The Vice Commander grabbed his fallen subordinate's staff, firing smaller fireballs in quick succession as he and Kidd began to converge on the dragoness' position, giving her no chance to return fire.
Declan on the other hand looked up as Cassidy held his lance over the fallen nezumi, the Vice grinned toothfully as the pointed tip was trained over his torso. "Ha ha! You're mine now, kid," he crowed triumphantly, and brought the spear down onto Declan.The Burmecian knight rolled over to dodge at the last minute, Cassidy's lance hitting nothing but his cape as the trident-like tip buried itself into the ground and snagging the red cloth. Putting a foot on his cape - and keeping him pinned down - the Vice pulled out his lance, tip aimed over Declan's face as he grinned wickedly and brought it back down; a loud, metallic clang rang out as Declan blocked the incoming blow with his sword, the blade connected with the trident-like head as he struggled to push upward and overpower his attacker.Both Declan and Cassidy struggled against one another, the Vice almost gaining the upper hand as he pushed down hard, the head of his trident inches away from Declan's face. The nezumi bared his teeth, and in an act of desperation, kneed Cassidy in the groin. The Vice cried out in agony, and dropped his polearm as he keeled over onto his knees and clutched himself in agony. "Augh...! S-sonova..."
In his pained state, the Vice didn't register Declan quickly getting back up on his feet, until he felt the Burmecian's knee strike his face, a quick flash of white obscured his vision as he fell down to his side and slipped into unconsciousness. At the same time, Butch had recovered from his shocked state and rushed back in, swiping his blade at Declan as it slashed across his left arm. The cutlass didn't cut deep, but the attack left him in agonizing pain as blood dripped down his arm, the nezumi clenched his teeth as he tired to ignore it and faced the scout one more. "You an' I ain't done yet, rat!" the scout declared, and both swordsmen faced off once again, more sounds of clashing steel rang out as they exchanged blows with one another.The two spellcasters were closing in on Serylis, the Vice Marauder had stopped firing and discarded his staff as it ran out of power. At that moment, she saw her chance and rounded the corner, but as she notched up her arrow, her drawstring got caught in a nearby bramble bush that grew around the crevice. "Nnngh... Dammit, not now," she cursed, struggling to disentangle her bow. But it was too late - the Vices had
already descended upon her, and she was running out of options. Without thinking, Serylis discarded her entangled bow and blew a stream of dragon fire at the Vices, using the stream of flames for cover as she quickly rounded the corner.
Both bandits kept their distance, the commander held his arm out as a few embers barely licked his plate armor. The fire quickly died down as fast as it started up, and the Vices resumed their march, the marauder drawing his longsword as they converged onto Serylis. "Dumb Vices," the dragoness growled. "Makes me wish I would've hunted fangs, instead of these ugly bastards!"Whilst she ranted, she felt a bit of debris rain down on her head - thinking it was another archer, Serylis quickly jumped back and drew her battle axe. To her amazement, nobody was watching her; part of the outcrop had fissured during the Vice's firebombing. A lightbulb went off in her head as she had an idea - discarding her axe momentarily, Serylis brought both her hands together, and slammed them into the cliffside with bone-breaking force where the crack had formed. Thanks to the already weakened state of the outcrop - or maybe by Serylis' own sheer brute strength - the rocky cliffside started to break apart, as more chunks of debris soon rained down into the cliffside pocket, followed by large chunks of rock.
"Hey kid, head's up!" she called out to her Burmecian companion. "Incoming rock slide from above!"Declan's and Butch's eyes were drawn to the cliffside with panic-stricken expressions, as the avalanche of rocks and boulders began to rain down upon them. With a final glance exchanged between one another, they ran off in opposite directions, dodging and weaving between boulders as they landed around them.Declan's nimble agility allowed him to escape the dropzone relatively unscathed; Butch on the other hand wasn't as lucky, as a large rock fell and landed on one of his legs, crushing it and keeping the Vice pinned down as he screamed in agony. His cries of anguish were soon silenced, more large boulders slid down the rocky face of the broken cliffside and buried the fallen bandit, killing him in the process.The remaining spellcaster shared a similar fate, as a large, heavy boulder smacked the back of his head and knocked him down in an instant. Even with that cheap, flimsy helmet he wore, the bandit would never recover from that fall, as blood began to pour from his mouth as he lay motionless on the grass, face-down. The Marauder had far better luck than his subordinates ever did, the plate armor he wore provided ample protection from the rock slide, save from a few large rocks that struck against him and dented his armor in a few
places, giving him minor bruising underneath.
"Ha! Is that all you've got?" The commander gloated. "Was that little rock shower your 'ace in the hole'? To finish me and my boys off with? Yet, you couldn't finish me off, could you? No matter! I can take you both two-on-one!"With a menacing grin, the Marauder discarded his mage's staff and drew his longsword, the steel blade reflecting some light as he gave it a few twirls, before pointing it threateningly at Serylis. "So which of you wants to die first, hmm? You, or the rat?"She matched the commander's grin with a bloodthirsty smirk of her own. "I got a better offer for ya, bud! How about I roast your innards and eat 'em, and we get to go on and hue the necks of more of your friends, eh? That sound good enough for ya?"The Vice was fuming, his green face turning purple as he readied his blade and went for the dragoness. "Over my rotting dead carcass!" His voice boomed loudly, the sound of his sword colliding with Serylis' battle axe soon followed. With a mighty roar, she pushed back against her heavily-armored attacker, knocking him back a couple of feet but did nothing else to deter the Marauder.
The armored bandit continued to land blows on Serylis, putting the dragoness on the defensive for once with his lightning-quick strikes. Declan watched from the sidelines as the dragoness struggled to keep up, his hand remained gripped on his sword hilt, waiting for a chance to jump in and assist her if needed. That time quickly came, however; the Marauder was able to knock Serylis off-balance and slashed across her right thigh, forcing the dragoness onto one knee as she hissed in pain.Upon seeing her drop, Declan's eyes widened in shock before they soon scrunched into a frown, teeth bared as the Burmecian swordsman immediately rushed to her aid. "Serylis!""You stay out of this, bucko! This is between me and him!" The dragoness snapped back, still holding onto the shaft of her axe firmly. As she yelled, the Marauder moved in for the kill, grinning like a Cheshire cat as he brought his sword to Serylis' neck, pressing the sharp tip against her jugular vein. "Hah! You're mine now, lizard!""The hell I am!" Serylis barked, scowling at the Vice looming above her. With a quick twist of her arm, she slammed the pommel of her axe into the Vice's breastplate, the tip of his blade no longer pressed against her as he was knocked off-balance. For added measure, she blew more fire at the Vice, using his arms to shield his face in an effort to avoid disfigurement. The plate armor he wore may have provided ample protection from
the white-hot flames at close range, but there was nothing that stopped the steel plate coverings from rapidly heating up and burning the Vice beneath, forcing him to drop his sword in agonizing pain.
Gritting his teeth in pain as Serylis gloated, the Marauder had one last trick hidden up his sleeve; as she loomed over the fallen bandit, battle axe raised over his head executioner-style, he swiftly pulled out a dagger that he kept on his person as a backup weapon, and before the dragoness could register it, the razor-sharp blade sank deep into her left shoulder as he thrust forward. She roared loudly, the pain quickly creeping into her left arm - her good arm - as she lowered her axe and tried to remove the dagger in vain with her right. Each time she gripped the handle and pulled, her nerves cried out in protest and more pain shot through her, the dragoness muttering a string of colorful curses to the Marauder, the Vice Squad, and every deity she could think of.With Serylis left at his mercy, the bandit leader's triumphant grimace returned as he picked his sword back up, weapon leveled as he swung it in an arc towards the dragoness' neck. The blade connected, but it wasn't her neck that the Vice struck - it was Declan's sword. The Burmecian swordsman was able to rush over to Serylis' aid and block that finishing blow in time, having watched from the sideline this whole time.
"Out of my kid," the Vice growled, trying to overpower the nezumi. "This is between me and her!""Not while I'm still around!" Declan fired back. "You want her so bad, you'll have to get through me first!"The Marauder scoffed, but as he glanced over the nezumi, his eyes caught sight of his sword... and the Vice's eyes grew wide as a sudden realization hit him. "That sword...! Joker and his crew were supposed to bring that back to the boss! No matter... I'll just kill you right here and take it! Then I'm gonna skin your dragon friend with it before I turn it over!"Serylis' mouth gaped open, ready to protest and shout even more obscenities at the Marauder, but she was silenced by a loud roar that Declan had made, a bright, electrical surge enveloped his blade as it surprised both the bandit leader and Serylis. Arcs of lightling rushed around the Vice, passing from the Burmecian's blade and into his, and coursing throughout his plate armor, smoke pouring from his visor and the gaps in his armor as he was badly electrocuted.
With the Vice smoldering from burns and near-paralysis, he stumbled as fatigue quickly overcame him, the sudden loss of strength allowed Declan to overpower him with ease as he swung his electrical blade in a
quick arc. The sword's enchantment had allowed it to slice through the Marauder's armor like butter, the blade's tip slashed across his chest as it wounded the Vice, but not deep enough to kill him or damage any vital organs. Declan then finished off with an upward slash against the bandit's right arm, cutting across his bicep and disarming him as he was forced to drop his sword again. Hopefully for good, this time.The Marauder stumbled back in fear, tripping over a small rock as he did and landed on his rear with a loud clatter. His eyes were still locked onto Declan, the nezumi slowly crept forward as the tip of his sword was level with the Vice's face, still crackling with lightning. From the enraged look on his face, it didn't look like he was about to let the Vice just slip away, after that cheap shot on Serylis.
"Enough! Enough!" The Marauder pleaded, his left hand raised as he tried to distance himself from his would-be executioner. "Please, spare my life! I-I'm just a middle-man doing his job, that's all!""I'll make you a deal," Declan began, his tone carried a threatening element to it as he spoke lowly, blade still pointed at the Vice. "If you promise to stop harassing the local farmers and trade caravans around Burmecia and the surrounding hamlets, then maybe I'll let you live."The bandit leader swallowed hard and nervously nodded his head. "O-okay, okay, I'll do that! Just... don't hurt me any further!""However!" The Burmecian swordsman narrowed the tip of his sword closer to the fallen Vice, the crackling lightning making him feel even more nervous. "If either of us see you around these parts again - or if I find out you're back to your old ways - I will stain my blade with your blood! Got it?"Without another word, the Marauder quickly scrambled to his feet, arm still clutched onto his arm as blood poured out from the cut in his armor as he fled the plateau - and whatever remained of his camp - with his life. And maybe what little of his pride he had left in him. As he watched the Vice disappear off into the distance, Declan let out a deep sigh, the lightning surrounding his sword dissipated as he sheathed it. With the threat of the Vice Squad gone, he turned his attention to the dragoness sitting behind him, kneeling down to her level. "You okay, Serylis?"
"Other than having a dagger stuck in my shoulder that's a bitch to pull out? Yeah, I'm fine," Serylis spoke, quite sarcastically. "But I gotta say... That was freaking bad-ass, just now! I've spent months trying to bring that bastard down, and you owned him in one day! You sure you've never killed anyone before? Even after that
little show you put on?""I told you, I'm no executioner," came the reply. "But I've fought guys like him before, and I found that intimidation works better than killing them. Makes 'em think twice about picking a fight with me."The dragoness snorted, turning her face away from Declan. "I see... Still the goody-two-shoes hippie, huh? Fine by me." That's too bad, though... If he really did have that killer instinct as I do, he'd make a decent sidekick. Even if he is a rat. Dismissing that thought for a moment, she resumed her efforts to remove the dagger from her shoulder, teeth clenched as she grunted in pain each time she tugged on the hilt. "Grah! Stupid dagger... Oh I hate those Vices!"
Man, is she really this hard-headed or what? Shaking his head, Declan leaned forward to grip the handle tight with his right hand, the left placed on her collarbone for stability. "Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" She bellowed, her face scrunched up in a manner similar to being offended. But she didn't get an answer in return - instead, Declan pulled on the dagger hard, the blade slid out of her shoulder in the blink of an eye as the offending object was removed. Serylis cried out in pain, gripping her shoulder tight as blood seeped out from the freshly-made cut."See? All you had to do was ask for help. That's all." The Burmecian swordsman waved the bloodied dagger around as if to demonstrate his point, before throwing it to one side."I didn't need your freakin' help, you smug bastard!" She angrily spat at him. "And I didn't need your grubby paws touching me! I could've taken care of that myself!" The pain in her shoulder betrayed her words - as she tried moving her arm, her wound opened up and more blood began to pour down her arm, the amount already lost threatened to make her head fuzzy. It was looking like she wasn't going to be doing any more fighting for the rest of the evening. "Dammit... Alright, look. There's a suture kit and some tonics in my pack somewhere. Help me clean and stitch this wound back up, otherwise I'm gonna bleed to death."
Declan didn't need telling twice, as he immediately got to work - rummaging around Serylis' pack, he pulled out her two tonics, a suture kit and a bandage roll. Serylis downed one of the tonics, the cool, refreshing liquid went down her throat as it gave her a sense of rejuvenation, while Declan used the other to clean her wound with. With the blood washed off her shoulder, he began to stitch her back up, the dragoness winced slightly as the needle went through her scaley skin."Y'know, I have to ask... what kind of swordsman are you, anyway? I don't
think I've seen any knight use black magic like that before. Not without mage assistance, that is."The Burmecian stopped what he was doing to register that question. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated before he uttered the first syllable, wondering whether or not he wanted to divulge the nature of his spellblade abilities. In the end, he decided to dismiss the question. "I thought we were supposed to be hunting bandits, not swapping life stories."Why, you smarmy little... That's MY line! Serylis clicked her tongue angrily, rolling her eyes as she did. Another pained growl escaped her lips as Declan continued to work her shoulder. "Well, can you tell me where you picked up those fighting skills from, at least?"
The nezumi had finished sewing her shoulder back up, biting off the remainder of the thread as he put away the suture kit. Grabbing the roll of bandages, he started wrapping her shoulder up around where the cut was. "I had a father who was a swordsman in Lindblum's 42nd Regiment. When I was a kid, he used to teach me some of the basics of sword-play in our back yard. Y'know, for fun."Serylis' eyes widened a bit. "Wait a minute! Did you say the 42nd?! I served in the 48th, and we had mock battles with that regiment! They were a good unit - well trained, tightly-run, and well disciplined. One of Lindblum's finest, if I recall." Her expression relaxed shortly after, as she continued to glance at the nezumi curiously. "What was your father's name and rank?"A moment's silenced passed, as Declan stopped in his tracks for a moment. "His name?" he clarified, looking up as he stared into the dragoness' eyes. "It was Jecht Tribal - and he was captain of the 42nd."The dragoness was left speechless. Her eyes became solemn as she continued to stare at Declan - this time with some respect. "Jecht was my counterpart in the 42nd, and one of my closest comrades," she said at last. "He was a good man, for a Burmecian, but a bit of an eccentric oddball, too. I remember him mentioning that he had a kid, and that he was teaching him to be a swordsman. Yeah... I remember him now. He seemed really proud of you. Didn't talk much other than about military business, but that was the impression I got." She gave a diminutive smile as she spoke, which soon vanished from her face. "So... what happened to him anyway? I heard he disappeared a while ago, or something?"
"He did," Declan responded, as he continued to bandage her shoulder up. "Ten years ago, he went to participate in a mission in Alexandria. No-one heard from him for about six months, until me and my mother got a letter in the mail, saying that
he'd officially been declared dead. No specifics or anything - the army just presumed he was KIA than AWOL."...But I don't believe he's dead. I still won't believe it, either. Not me! Not until I see proof of his death with my own eyes. And I'll travel all across Gaia to find him again if I have to."The dragoness quietly nodded at him. "Can't say that I was ever close to my parents, or anything. but I understand, I think. I'm not a fan of your kind, but if you really are Jecht's son... then you're alright in my books."The nezumi had just finished wrapping up Serylis' shoulder in bandages, cutting off the roll with his claw before he fastened it up firmly. And then, it was the moment of truth. She tried moving her arm around slowly, much to her discomfort - her shoulder still hurt like hell, but at least no more blood was pouring out of her, or even leaked through her bandages. "Hey, not bad! You did a good job patching up that knife-wound. No leakage or anything."
"Thanks. I'm no white mage or anything, but it's the best I could do." The dragoness scoffed at his response, slowly (and painfully) getting to her feet as she grabbed her axe and pack, securing the former to her back and slinging the latter over her shoulder."I really hope you know what you were doing by letting him go like that," she warned Declan. "'Cause if he snitches on us, the rest of the Vice Squad'll be after both our asses. And I can't take 'em all on with a busted arm. Come with me to North Gate. We'll sell whatever loot we find here, rest, resupply, and then we go hew more bandit necks tomorrow morning."Without another word, the spellblade knight too rose to his feet and responded with a simple "Got it". As he did, the dragoness stepped out into the clearing, with him following. "North Gate should be further east from here," Serylis continued, pointing towards the horizon. "If we hurry, we should get there before nightfall, at least.""Then we're wasting time out here," Declan said at last, already on the move towards their destination. As he passed, he patted Serylis on the shoulder - the one he just patched up - causing her to hiss in pain as he walked off. "C'mon, let's go!"
OWW! That was my shoulder, you smug prick! And I thought I was supposed to be running things here, not you! She furiously spat a few embers as she clutched her shoulder, the dragoness quickly catching up with Declan as they made a brief stop at the now-abandoned Vice camp to procure anything valuable worth selling off - retrieving her tangled bow from the bramble bush on the
way.Unbeknownst to them, there was still one more Vice that was left unaccounted for - a second spotter who watched the whole fight unfold from atop the crevice. Through his telescope, he could see Declan and Serylis relieve the camp of any weapons, armor and other trinkets they could find. After finding a few bits and bobs worth selling, they then left the camp, heading further east towards their next destination. A broad grin appeared on his face as he lowered his telescope, having heard the conversation between the two adventurers."Hmm... North Gate, eh? Oh, this is perfect! Wait 'til the big boss hears about what happened today! He'll be sendin' th' whole army after those two!" The Vice beamed with excitement, folding away his telescope and pocketing it as he made his way down the crevice, and made his way back to the main Vice camp with great urgency. Given the nature of his report, there was no way he'd want to keep the rest of his kin waiting.
Night soon fell, as the rest of the evening passed quickly and uneventfully. Declan and Serylis had managed to clear enough ground without further trouble before they finally reached North Gate's Burmecian Arch. Upon seeing the two adventurers arive, the gate guards gave a brief salute and, seeing as they pose no credible threat, opened the gate to let them pass through.Originally built as a military checkpoint between Alexandria and Burmecia, North Gate now serves as a means to regulate trade between both countries. Like it's counterpart South Gate, it was expanded with a dock and a checkpoint gate with the advent of airship travel.Unfortunately, Burmecia never invested in airship technology like Alexandria and Lindblum did, and the airship gate was soon sealed off indefinitely. Rising tensions with Alexandria resulted in Burmecia closing down the Burmecian side of North Gate, effectively cutting off all trade routes between both countries. Melda Arch on the Alexandrian side followed suit, and North Gate soon became the site of many a bloody skirmish, as both sides sought to control the whole of North Gate, resulting in a total closure of the dock and other means of direct transportation between Burmecia and Alexandria.
After the Alexandrian black mage invasion and the subsequent Eidolon War, North Gate was reopened to the public, the garrisons on both sides torn down and trade routes picking up once more. In addition, the Burmecian and Melda arches were converted into small settlements, primarily for dock workers and other Gate personnel, but also for weary adventurers, or passengers waiting for a cable-car ride over the mountains. The Burmecian Arch in particular had a few basic amenities, namely an inn, and a general goods store. The cramped-looking store typically stocked useless trinkets and cheap, knock-off souvenirs for bumbling tourists and passers-by - all certified by the North Gate Regional Tourism Board, no less - but it also stocked a few pieces of weapons and equipment for adventurers and the local militia. Naturally, it happened to be Declan and Serylis' first stop; selling the various loot they found at the Vice camp, they made 1500 gil in total, which they agreed to split between themselves evenly... even if it took almost a half-hour of haggling on Declan's part. With the money they made, both adventurers bought a couple of regular-strength health potions, a couple of antidotes, and a single dose of eye-drops each. And of course, more arrows for Serylis.
Shopping done, the next destination on their list was the Inn, for a nice, warm bed to sleep in, and a hot meal to go with it. It was a fairly quiet night, and the inn had plenty of rooms available, at 50 gil per head - a reasonable price, when one looks at it, and far cheaper than what they usually charge at the inns in Treno, as the proprietor pointed out. The food they served wasn't too bad either, according to Serylis, but pricey as a result of the Vice Squad attacks on the local farms. That, and meals weren't covered by accommodation charges.Both Declan and Serylis were sat at the far corner of the inn, where it provided a much quieter atmosphere than the rest of the inn did as they wordlessly ate their meals. Serylis ordered herself a T-bone steak with eggs and hash browns, while the nezumi settled for grilled chicken breast, some roast potatoes and a couple of grilled celery sticks. And of course, a glass of cider each to wash it all down with. While the dragoness was content with devouring her food like a hungry predator with it's prey, Declan took a few small bites now and again, thoughts and theories swimming through his head as he ate his food at a slow pace.
"Mmmph! Good stuff, this! Can't remember the last time I ate here, but the chefs do an amazing job," she mused with her mouth full, only just now noticing that Declan was nowhere near as she was to clearing her plate. "So what's with you tonight, huh? You barely touched your food. If you're not hungry, I'll have it! No sense in seeing it go to waste - this stuff's good!"The Burmecian shot a glance at her, but didn't answer right away - instead, he took another bite out of his grilled chicken, washing it down with a mouth full of cider. As he set the glass back down on the table, he clicked his toe claws against the floorboards as he began to put his thoughts into words - there was
something that needed to be cleared up with Serylis before they carried on bandit hunting."Y'know, I've been thinking," Declan began with an even tone. "You're an ex-soldier living in recluse on a farm in the middle of nowhere, on land that's occupied by a race you're clearly not fond of. Why help out the local populace of you don't like my kind that much?"
"You mean other than doing the Burmecian army's job for them?" came the reply, as she continued to feast on the half-eaten T-bone. "Boredom, I guess. Farming's not so bad - keeps me in shape and all. But sometimes I feel like I wanna go back to my days in the military. Y'know, when I was at my best. Ahh, good times... Anyway, I hope that answers your question. What else did you want to know? That I could drink hot, molten lava, or crap cannon balls?"Ignoring the sarcastic-sounding tone of her last statement, the Burmecian rolled his eyes in dissatisfaction and sighed. "Sorry Serylis, but I'm finding that hard to swallow. I mean, what the hell? You've made it abundantly clear you don't like my kind all afternoon, and yet you say you're protecting the farmers out here from bandit attacks? Most of whom are also Burmecian? Why should I believe all that, huh?"Taking another sip from his cider glass, he leaned forward a bit, eyes narrowed as he stared the dragoness down. "What are you really doing here, anyway?"Serylis' mouth curled up for a moment, visibly offended by Declan's intrusiveness. It didn't hold up for long, though, and she sighed in defeat. The kid's smart, I'll give 'im that. But he is Jecht's kid, after all - I suppose it's fair if I did tell him the truth.
"Okay, you win. But only because you won't stop being so damn nosy." Before she began, Serylis took a few gulps of cider, setting the glass back down on the table as she lowered her face. "I was out campaigning in foreign lands when I heard some terrible news - that someone killed my parents and burned the family farm down. I know we never got on well, but I just couldn't shake off what I heard. So I quit the campaign and rushed back home, hoping they were alright and someone was playing a sick prank on me."I'll never forget the horrible fire I saw when I got there. The house had already collapsed, and it spread out over every grain field we owned. I almost burnt myself to death braving the fire, hoping that, by some miracle, my mom and dad would still be alive, just waiting to be rescued. Didn't find their ashes until I put out the fires myself." Stopping for a brief moment, the dragoness sniffed a bit... then snorted as if to pass it off as throat
irritation, downing more cider as she did."I spent the night in the rubble of my parents' original house. I never wanted to leave their side, after having their lives taken away like that. The next morning, I scooped up their ashes and buried them in one of the old grain fields around the back. Afterward, I quit the army, came back here and rebuilt the farm."
Serylis sat there in silence for a few moments, her face turned away from Declan. "I'm sorry," was all the nezumi could say. The dragoness looked up and gave him a brief, weak smile of gratitude, before she returned to her usual demeanor. "When I was rebuilding, I found one of those fancy cutlasses those Vices tend to carry among the rubble. At that moment, I knew who the suspects were, and began to tear my way through every nook and cranny between my home and North Gate. Years of laborious mapping and scouting, finding all these damn hidey-hole and figuring out when they were occupied and when they weren't so I could catch the bastards."She sighed and shook her head as she spoke. "But I still haven't found the ones responsible for their demise. I'll find them someday, and I'll hew their necks and put 'em on display outside my farm as a warning for any other Vice who crosses me. Then I can finally put my parents' souls to rest, at last."Having heard the whole story, Declan nodded softly, his expression softened as he looked Serylis in the face. "I'll help you find your parents' killers and bring them to justice," he said. "I know it isn't much, but... it's the least I can do."
"Not much? Look, I know I don't get on well with others, but you're Jecht's kid, and you've done more for me today than what most are willing. And that's saying a lot. So... thanks." They both resumed their meals as normal - Declan eating much more quickly now that he got what he wanted - and they soon cleared their plates in a matter of minutes, with less than a quarter glass full of cider to spare.As they downed the last of their drinks, the inn door swung open and in stepped a young stag dressed in a manner that would suggest he was a knight bachelor. His clothing consisted of a black pair of leather boots that stretched up to his knees; a pair of deep blue trousers with large pockets tucked into his boots; a green, buttoned-up tunic with blue-steel buttons, synched at the waist by a broad white double-wrap sword belt; and finally, a dark cinnabar hooded cape, secured with a silver fibulae on the left breast.The stag didn't waste any time chatting to any of the regulars as he walked in - instead, he immediately made his way to the counter where he struck up a
conversation with the bored-looking innkeeper. "Excuse me, my good sir," the deer began. "But I was perhaps wondering if you would loan this weary traveler a room for the night?"
"A room huh?" The innkeeper replied, stopping whatever he was doing for a moment to fully address the knight. "Sure, we still have a few left, but, uh... can't guarantee if they're still clean and tidy. Never know what lodgers are up to these days. But in any case, you get your money's worth. And that money is 50gil per head. Not one less. No worming out. You beat up somebody I don't like, and maybe we can haggle.""Uh... I'd rather not, thank you." The innkeeper frowned in disappointment, barely noticing the hart pull out a few gil coins from his back pocket and place them firmly on the counter. "I suppose 50 gil does sound like a good deal. Thank you.""Damn straight it's a good deal! You know how much they charge at the inns in Treno? You don't want to know!" Quickly pocketing the 50 gil, the innkeeper kept his glance on the buck. "So what exactly brings you to these parts, eh?""Ah, yes, where are my manners?" The buck cleared his throat as he formally introduced himself. "I am Sir Tristan Halvor, Knight Bachelor of Alexandria. I merely seek to prove my worth to my queen and country."
The whole inn went silent at that very moment, all eyes on Tristan as he spoke - even Declan and Serylis were drawn to the buck as he stood at the counter, the buck blushing in embarrassment as he not realized the mistake he just made."Hey Bambi, let me clue you in on something," the innkeeper cautioned. "Burmecia isn't exactly on good terms with Alexandria, and it isn't an ideal place for a vacation these days. The former, I'm sure you're aware of; the latter, that's understandable. If you're here on a goodwill mission, that's fine, but if I were you, I wouldn't go around introducing myself to every Bob and Jane you meet. In fact, you're better off staying away from the city altogether, unless you feel like getting lynched. You wanna prove yourself? There's plenty of bandit caves around you can clean out and collect the bounty for. Start with that, and maybe the locals'll warm up to you a bit."Startled by the owner's words, Tristan held up his hand in a reassuring manner. "I give you my word, good sir, I am not here to cause any ill intent or strife to this land, or it's people."
"Good! Then I'm glad you and I have an understanding. So... that's one room, one night. Meal times are placed on the door. Shower and wash basin are in your room. Nothing special or noteworthy - just your usual morning
routine, I'm sure." The innkeeper collected the bill, and handed the stag knight a key, with the tag #3 attached to it. "Number 3, one bed. Don't lose it, or you don't leave until the locks are changed, and you paid the locksmith. Enjoy your stay."The appreciative deer nodded, and quickly pocketing his room key, made his way upstairs to his room. A short while later, the inn soon resumed it's lively atmosphere, and only Declan remained fixated on the new guest as he walked away. Serylis had to give the spellblade knight a hard tap on the shoulder to snap him back to reality. "Hey! Gaia to Declan! Are you done fantasizing over Mr. Stag Knight, or what?""Ack! Sorry!" The nezumi jumped as his gaze was broken, turning back in his seat to face Serylis again. "So that was an Alexandrian knight, huh? I thought they were all female..."
"Not all," Serylis explained. "See, there's a certain knightly order back in Alexandria that accepts men in it's ranks called the Knights of Pluto. I wouldn't exactly say they're Alexandria's finest, though - the general consensus is that they're nowhere as good as their real army. Maybe once or twice they might've achieved something good. But the rest of the time they were active, they really do suck big time."But wherever he's from and what he does for a living are the least of my worries. What bothers me is that we've now a potential bandit-hunting rival to contend with. And I don't want to give him the satisfaction of hewing the necks of my parents' murderers before I do."A brief paused filled the air around them, and, realizing that her glass was already empty, the dragoness slowly got up out of her seat (and of course, wincing a bit at her shoulder wound from doing so), and made her way to their room for the night. "Well, I'm gonna go bed - the sooner I rest this arm up, the better. You coming?"Having nothing better to do himself, Declan quickly followed her upstairs. The upstairs corridor of the inn had five doors running along it, numbered one to five in order. Declan and Serylis' room - number 1 - was to their immediate right. Opening the door to their suite, Serylis let her nezumi companion in first, then closed and locked it behind her. "Habit," she explained as Declan looked at her blankly.
The room was furnished with two single beds and a bedside table next to each one. Next to the door was a rack for guests to hang their coats and packs, and a large shelf below for weapons and armor. Being a low-budget inn, the room lacked a separate shower area; instead, there was a section of the room on a tiled area upon which a large bathtub, complete with a fitted shower
head had sat. The small washing area was curtained off, making it at least private. In addition to the window on the opposite side to the door, light was provided by two small lanterns above each bed, and over the wash area. As exhausted as he was, Declan saw no need with taking in every detail the inn room had to offer - he already stripped off his cape, jacket and utility belt, hanging them on one of the hooks provided, unceremoniously flopping down onto the nearest bed with a satisfied groan once he was done.Serylis on the other hand wasn't so ready to rest just as easily. Before settling down, she wandered around the room, looking for anything suspicious or out of place. Shifting his head, Declan looked at her in confusion as she searched. "Erf... Now what are you doing?"
She didn't respond, or even acknowledge the Burmecian, as she continued to rummage around. She found nothing, and peeled back her covers as she got into bed - with her clothing and armor still on. "Checking for any 'surprises' left in store. Who knows, maybe the innkeeper here wants to kill me in my sleep, or something."If he wanted to kill us, wouldn't he have done that by, y'know... poisoning our drinks? With an annoyed groan, Declan rolled his eyes and flopped his head back on the pillow, turning his back to the paranoid dragoness as he did. Paying no heed, the dragoness grabbed her battle axe, holding it protectively over her covers. "Night, then."She fell asleep silently, always with one eye partly open; one of the advantages of being a dragon, as demonstrated by a certain infamous one from a popular children's book, it also meant that it didn't take much to wake her up.Declan took longer to fall asleep, eyes still wide open as he laid on his side, still trying to take in today's events. The Spellblade knight has only left home for a day - the first day of his adventure - and already he fought two tough battles with the Vice Squad and met a new companion. Yet as he laid there, questions still continued to form in his mind.
Who was Serylis, really? What was the extent of her relationship with his father, if any? What was the real value of his sword, and why did the Vice Squad have quite a keen interest in it?Whatever answers he was hoping to seek would have to wait another day, as tiredness soon overcame the nezumi; his breathing evened, his body relaxed, and he was soon sleeping peacefully... Or at least, as peacefully as he'd allow it.