The eastern pathway out of the palace had been lit up with golden lights from overhanging lamps. The shrubbery and grass hosted the first symphony of crickets to break in the night.
The soft twilight under the fluffy clouds was only more beautiful down this path of glistening bricks and flowers going to sleep.
Past a small fountain of water and down two sets of stairs was an open field of well-kept, lush rainforest grass that stretched out till another large building in the distance cut it off—the palace’s barracks.
Scattered to the left and right were so buildings, such as the cafeteria, storages and so on. Military equipnt, training dummies, targets, weapons, armour and more were not a rare sight.
Feyan led them all to the left of the field, where sand covered a large area. Pitched into the sand stood a test dummy cladded in chainmail.
"Ting, cling, clink, Clang!" And before it a figure stood, with her grasp around a sabre with a black wooden handle and the blade that twinkled silver as she pulled it back.
She turned her head slightly to hear the incoming footsteps and turned. Her deep brown eyes were surrounded in smoky black as she glanced to the sudden visitors.
She held her blade hilt high and pushed the sabre into the leather scabbard on her hip without a noise. Her oily hair was parted down the middle till they reached a little past her shoulders.
Two feathers with brown and white patterns hung off her left ear under her hair, one long and one short. Her brown leather jacket was unzipped, with the symbol of Cravolta on the middle of her white sleeveless t-shirt.
She wore charcoal black trousers and her boots were not too dissimilar from what Jotou wore.
She first bowed seeing Daiyu approach. She then glanced to Feyan as her large eyes constantly were narrowed by her sharp brows. She brought up her hands, moving her fingers to signal.
"Uh, sorry... I may have taken a bit too long with the tour. It is hard to schedule everything within a day," Feyan replied, squinting at her hands.
She turned to the other four guests and bowed her head lightly. She then signalled sothing and looked to Feyan, hoping he would translate.
"Wait, let try," Daiyu halted Feyan, "Nice, to... uh-"
"Finally," Feyan verbalized.
"-Finally et you," Daiyu finished with a proud smirk, "See I got it."
"Are we playing shadow puppets?" Asobi tilted her head, taking out her wand.
"She can’t talk you twit," Fuko slapped Asobi’s wand back down.
"Oh...!" Asobi turned back to her, "Wait! Did soone steal your voice!?"
The woman cocked a brow, her eyes finally changing expression as she smiled and let out a breath as a laugh.
"Excuse her please, she’s very, childlike," Hotaru’s ears fell. "Feyan could you translate that?"
The woman then shook her head to the wolf-girl, signalling sothing else. Feyan then looked to Hotaru as she signalled, "I cannot, speak, I’m not, deaf. I can, hear you, crystal clear."
"Oh." Hotaru gave a small curtsy, "Nice to et you too, I’m Hotaru Kinoshita."
"Uh, sorry, I did not get to translate that last part. Nice to finally et you...?" Feyan paused.
The woman’s lips opened to sigh as she turned her head to Jotou and pointed with an open palm.
"Thundering Blade," Jotou finished. "Nice to et you too," the blonde gave a smile. The woman nodded once.
"I apologize, I need to still polish up on my Cravoltan sign language," Feyan replied.
"This is Fuko Namora and Asobi," Jotou introduced.
"What, we don’t get a hello?" Fuko crossed her arms.
The woman raised a brow and the signalled once more. Feyan, "I said, my, hellos, to all of you but, Feyan... failed to- alright, I believe we know what she ans. I apologize once more..."
"I can do the intros if ya want?" Daiyu spoke to her. The woman waved her hand in agreent.
"Everyone, this is Arabella Kaveri, Admiral of the Royal Guard. Also known by her title, the Ashen Whisper. She even taught how to fight," Daiyu smiled.
"You already know how to fight," Jotou squinted.
"Not with a greatsword," Daiyu corrected.
Jotou turned her attention back to the Ashen Whisper, "I was told you were promised to see . Why is that, Arabella? May I call you that or do you prefer admiral?"
She signalled with her fingers, a light smile upon her thin lips and her eyes half-closed in seemingly, content? ’It’s easier to read her facial expressions. I think she prefers to be called by her na?’ Jotou tilted her head slightly.
Feyan translated watching the movents, "I prefer, the forr, though I will, respond to, admiral, all the sa. As to, why I wished, to et with you."
Arabella glanced to Jotou with furrowed brows, her lips neither smiling nor frowning, "One, I was, hoping to get, a full account of what, occurred in, Har-tamat, directly from all of you.
Docunts and, reports can, easily, misrepresent, the situation at large; I’d prefer sothing, more precise, without all the, formalities of letters."
Feyan barely blinked, completely engulfed on his current duty with razor sharp focus. Arabella then smiled; her eyes relaxed as she rolled up her jacket sleeves—her forearms toned and smooth.
She signalled once more, tilting her head downwards, "Second, I was hoping to see the, Thundering Blade, in combat. You’re, quite an inspiration, from what I’ve read—a worthy, adversary."
"Hey what am I, chopped liver?" Daiyu half-closed her right eye.
Arabella glanced back at the princess as her jacket sleeves rolled back down, "I an no, disrespect princess. But you’ve asked, to, ’be real’, with you.
You are a strong, combatant. I just, wish for a, change of, scenery. She is after all, known as, the Thundering Blade."
"Well, that title ca before my prowess, but if I’m more of a challenge than Daiyu, then how could I refuse?" Jotou’s eyes sparked a little. She turned to Arabella, "And thank you."
Arabella nodded once before cracking her knuckles with a smirk. She signalled again, "And third, to thank you personally. To protect Cravolta, is one of my, vows."
Arabella’s eyes softened as she gazed at the blonde, a look of slight admiration, "Your work, in Hartamat and in, Kria have saved, countless lives. You have, made a heroic, na for yourself.
The princess, tells , you’re much like her, in that, you’re not of this world. I’m sorry, the both of you have, experienced, such a thing..."
Her hands stopped for a second, her pupils stared to the sand before her hands absentmindedly moved, "To have your life, be interfered, by magic can, be... correction, IS, a very dire circumstance."
Arabella closed her eyes and shook her head, looking back to all of them, "My, condolences." She then looked to Feyan, a sigh leaving her lips as she gave him a thumbs up.
"Jotou’s the only one who rembers everything, so she would be the best to tell what happened," Hotaru shifted her gaze to the blonde.
Jotou pondered for a mont, "Well, I can tell Daiyu briefly what happened to too—when I woke up. If that’s alright or would you just prefer a report from ?" she looked to Arabella.
Arabella shook her head before she put out her palm to signal Jotou to proceed. "Alright then. After the crash, I woke up in a coffin in so funeral house in East Kria.
After being saved by this person’s," Jotou pointed to herself, "-father I was arrested because of the Velatos Case out of suspicion. Though, it was all a conspiracy to keep under wraps. Cause this person, Ana, was killed by a velatos."
"I’m sorry, killed by a what again?" Daiyu interrupted.
"My lady, the dark creatures with ruby red eyes and shadowy forms," Feyan uttered. He then whispered into her ear, "We had an entire day of discussing this; it is the reason why the Trailon Regi is even being trialled?"
"Oh, right, got it. Go on," Daiyu waved her hand.
"Right, anyway. I t Fuko who ca there looking to be a detective, spoiler, she didn’t get it. We had to fight a velatos, and it couldn’t touch , just my clothes.
We ’killed’ it, but it was more so a self-destruct function they had. Then, they tricked Hotaru into coming and helping us out of being arrested for questioning and she beca an adventurer with us.
After fighting another velatos, we took a little rest before taking the next, which, turned out to be a scam from a circus owner to promote traffic to his last performance.
That’s where we t Asobi and let her join us too. Then it started to snow in Kria-"
"Just, tell your parts, I think I already read about the velitinios stuff," Daiyu rushed.
"Oh please, for all your long-ass storytelling," Jotou rolled her eyes.
"Just because I tell it more engagingly."
"Till you run out of breath-"
"Snap!" Arabella snapped her fingers with both hands. She widened her eyes and slanted her head. "I’ll continue, if I don’t get interrupted again," Jotou side-eyed Daiyu as the princess stuck her tongue out.
"I fought a giant velatos and used a master level spell, Thundering Strike, that nearly killed , but Hotaru healed . We were invited by the mayor of Kria who gave the title as part of his political campaign.
Blah, blah, blah, we got a nice cottage-esque house, t with the acting chief of Kria’s Maleficos Ordinate and figured out a little of the sham about the case.
We trained in magic, then..." Jotou stopped her rushing for a second, "A, priest, helped figure out what to do. Jack Tenner was a spy working as the mayor’s secretary and I trusted him at the ti.
Apparently, he was keeping track of all of us in secret. Fuko found the Lexokodac while Hotaru was injured, so Asobi was taking care of her.
One of them was also involved in the case, but we didn’t know, but eventually led to find the Swivelling Blade."
"After Jotou almost got her butt kicked," Fuko added with a sly smirk.
"Shut up!" Jotou glared. "I learned to fight with a sword with him and then a spirit-assassin ca and I dealt with him, Fuko went off to the Ordinate and she searched the place with the acting chief.
They found out everything, but the leader of Kria’s Adventurers Guild was in on it and cornered Fuko while we were separated.
I went with Asobi and she broadcasted a huge announcent across Kria with my voice and revealed the conspiracy. We all ca back together, our house burned down and then we t with the remaining Lexokodac.
We had a huge fight in the Adventurers Guild, where I also t the Frosting Wind and fought her, though I guess she was holding back?
After which, I killed Moren atop the roof. I assu you know all the case details because after that, nobody was controlling what information ca into and left Kria.
After that, we decided to go an adventurer... Little did I know it was going to be hell..." Jotou continued with all that happened with her escapade in Hartamat, avoiding the truly intimate parts and not revealing much.
Though, her story was thorough and seed enough for the Ashen Whisper. "-Then, I destroyed the device. The scientist got arrested so, that’s still up in the air and the minister’s arrested too."
Jotou took a deep breath, "There, as quickly as I could put it. We wanted to go to Galuvit Town and were stopped by the Royal Guard."
Asobi sat down in the sand, drawing pictures of cat and dog faces with her wand, occasionally speaking lightly to the air next to her.
Arabella bowed her head, seeming content with her tale. "You’re welco," Jotou replied.
"Hmm," Daiyu pondered whilst Feyan listened to everything intently, making ntal notes. "So you can’t be hurt by the velatos thingies?"
"That’s your takeaway?" Fuko leered. Daiyu hid her face with a stretch, not allowing Fuko to get a look at her expression.
The princess forced a smile, though it appeared completely natural, "Huh, funny. Hey Ara, wanna show them my special trick?" Daiyu turned to Arabella.
"Ooo! Did I hear you have trick!?" Asobi hopped up, "Co, co, don’t be shy! Share with us so all our eyes can spy!" her legs shook.
"Well, when you put it that way, how could anyone say no?" Daiyu pouted her lips to Arabella.
"Princess, I would still say no..." Feyan uttered before Daiyu turned to him with a soft glare.
Arabella sighed, walking back to the assortnt of practice equipnt kept to a side. "What kind of trick is it?" Hotaru queried.
"Oh no..." Feyan muttered under his breath.
"You’ll see," as Daiyu replied, Fuko tried to get a look at the princess’s face, subtly keeping an eye on her; a sudden shift in tone? Changing the subject after Jotou said all that?
"This trick better be worth all the ’secrecy’," Jotou’s eyes glazed over...
Reviews
All reviews (0)