Ryu leaned against the city wall covered in sweat as the sun started to creep over the horizon. His conviction to become stronger had been renewed by his masters letter as he pushed his body to its limit to get back into shape as soon as possible. Five days had passed since the night he had read the message left behind to him from Jinsoku. Since then, he had managed to shed all of his bandages and start his training again. As Megami came to a stop in front of him, she turned around to check on him. She was happy to see that he was getting back to his normal self as she asked, "Do you want to take a break?" He shook his head no before running past her. She smiled as she took off after him while saying, "Try not to push yourself to hard Ryu." The sun was fully in the sky as the two of them finished their morning exercise. He was disappointed in himself that he was unable to complete the twenty laps before dawn as Megami grabbed his arm. She started pulling him down the street toward Mr. Tetsu's shop while saying, "Come on Ryu, I have something to show you." As they entered the store, he smiled as he remembered the many afternoons he spent here making his gear with the Sage. She quickly ran up to the counter and started to ring the bell.
They suddenly heard a loud bang from the back before the Kenja swiped the curtains aside. He was rubbing his head as he annoyingly said, "It is too early in the morning for a customer." He paused to yawn before saying, "What do you want?" As he finished rubbing his eyes, he instantly smiled and his entire demeanor changed upon seeing them. He quickly apologized as he said, "Ryu! I am so glad to see you are moving around again. Sorry for the gruff when you came in. Let me make it up to you with a gift." He turned and headed back into the forge while motioning for them to join him. As they maneuvered around the counter and parted the curtains, they watched the Sage swiftly run upstairs. He remerged shortly afterwards with a big box in both hands. Megami excitedly went over next to him, so she could watch Ryu's reaction to his present. As he opened it, he was shocked to see his leather armor restored. The color of the material had been changed as well to a matte honey gold color with dark black accents. He was dumbfounded as he stared at his gear. Megami clasped her hands together before nervously asking, "What do you think Ryu? Mr. Tetsu has been working on restoring it for several weeks now. I did my best to assist him with his other orders, so he could have the time to fix it." He struggled to figure out how she was so caring and kind to him even though he did not deserve it for failing his master.
A tear ran down his cheek as he bowed to them. He had a huge smile on his face as he stood straight again before gratefully saying, "I love it. Thank you for all of your help the past few months Megami. I am so lucky to have you in my life." She blushed while looking away and playing with her hair before coyly saying, "I am just happy to see you smile." He turned red as he rubbed the back of his head with his hand. Mr. Tetsu had patiently been watching their little convoy and took the pause to clear his throat before interrupting them, "I hate to disrupt this little moment you two are having, but I just want to remind you that I am the one who restored that headache." Ryu instantly felt guilty as he fell to his knees. He bowed and started to apologize to the Sage as he said, "I am so sorry for being rude Mr. Tetsu. Thank you so much for restoring my armor. I know it must have been a very draining process considering the material and techniques we used to create it." The Kenja was glowing with pride as he said, "Your welcome kid. It was nothing at all for my number one apprentice." He turned around while walking over to his workbench before taking a seat. He quickly motioned for Ryu to come over as he continued, "Come take a seat kid. I want to have a chat with you really quick before you guys head out." Ryu nodded as he got back to his feet and sat down on the ledge of the forge while Megami sat down at the enchanting table across the room.
The Sage voice turned somber as he said, "I can tell from the damage to your armor when I got it that you were involved in a pretty bad scrap with something very powerful. I do not need the details of your battle to know you put your life on the line." He paused for a moment as he tried to figure out how to say what he was feeling. He started messing with his goggles before finally saying, "You probably already understand this after all that has happened, but I want to remind you to be careful kid. Living to fight another day doesn't make you weak, it makes you smart. What you cannot accomplish today, has the possibility of being conquered tomorrow." As he finished, Ryu stood up and walked over to him. He grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet before giving him a hug. His voice was full of appreciation as he said, "Thank you for the advice sir. I promise I will be more careful in the future." As the Kenja pulled away, he grabbed the top of his arm while giving it a light squeeze. He smiled before saying, "Now, with all that said, please feel free to drop by whenever you need to kid." Ryu grinned before turning to leave while saying, "I will hold you to that sir." He paused near the doorway before continuing, "Thank you again sir. I am grateful to have you as one of my mentors."
He quickly pulled Megami back to her feet before waving goodbye as they left the Weapons and Armor Essentials. They swiftly made their way over to the inn to get some breakfast. They needed to hurry up otherwise Chinmoku was going to complain the whole time about them being late. As they entered the hotel, she turned around in her chair while frustratingly saying, "It is about time you two got here. How dare you keep me waiting?" They both apologized before taking a seat just as Kasai brought their plates to the table. Ryu held up the box with his armor in it for them to see while saying, "We got delayed visiting Mr. Tetsu. He fixed my armor for me thanks to Megami helping him around his shop. If it was not for her assisting him, he wouldn't have had the time to restore it." Chinmoku had a sparkle in her eyes as she admired the new color of his gear before excitedly saying, "The gold and black matches your tattoo. That is so freaking cool." Ryu started to flex his body art and pose like a superhero as Kasai shook her head in disappointment. As she sat down, she told them, "Less talk you two. You need to finish eating and head out. You are burning daylight." They both swiftly dove into their meals and quickly devoured everything in mere minutes. Megami was a much slower eater and enjoyed taking her time to catch up with Kasai while she drunk her coffee. As Ryu and Chinmoku finished, they shot up from the table before sprinting out of the inn while simultaneously saying, "Thank you for the food Kasai!"
They flew through the city as fast as possible as he utilized his wind magic to carry him above the crowd while she leapt from the roofs to avoid the traffic. As they exited the city walls, they united back together on the dirt path and started to sprint while using their abilities to make themselves go quicker. As they exploded through the tree line into the clearing, she managed to barely edge him for the victory in their race. As she turned to face him, she proudly said, "You keep getting closer every day, but I am still victorious. I think by the end of the week though you will pass me." He smiled while kindly saying, "Thanks for the confidence but don't discredit yourself. You are really agile." As he finished speaking, he made his way over to the wooden weapons and picked up the dagger. He turned and tossed it to her before grabbing the short sword. They quickly got into their places before starting their training. She immediately went on the offensive and utilized her speed, illusions and shadows to force him to defend. Her copies attempted to cut at him while the darkness launched at him from different angles as they rapidly moved in and out of the tree line. He suddenly used a flame spell called Fire Cloak to envelope the area around himself dispelling all the shadows and clones near him. This gave him a brief window to escape to the middle of the clearing were their was less silhouettes for her to attack him from.
A silence fell over the field as he waited for her to make a move. He managed to see out of the corner of his eye a black blur as a kunai flew toward him from his left. He swiftly created a Barrier while stepping backwards as he narrowly avoided the blade as it shattered his shield and continued past him. She started to launch more of them at him from various angles as she ran around the forest edge. She was struggling to find an opening to land a strike on him as he weaved and blocked everything she threw at him. He suddenly slammed his hand against the ground causing the earth to shake as dirt spikes shot out in every direction around him. A cloud of dust rose into the sky casting shadows all around the clearing. She could not see him through the haze, but she knew he was still in the middle of the clearing from her Detect ability. She quickly conjured multiple black rods from the shadows and aimed them at his location while covering the distance between them by traveling through the darkness. As she leaped over her silhouettes, she found him stuck in her trap. He was unable to move since he was having to hold off her assault with multiple Barriers. She swiftly threw her wooden dagger with incredible precision and strength at him. As it shattered his shield, she swung her foot downward towards his head.
Her kick smashed into him and knocked him down flat into the grass. As she jumped backwards from him, she had a smirk on her face when suddenly he disappeared without a trace from the ground. The real Ryu had been hidden in a shadow behind her waiting for her to drop her guard. As he emerged from the darkness, she instantly felt his presence and realized she had been tricked, but it was too late for her to defend herself from his attack. His short blade smacked her on the back and knocked her down to her knees. As he reached down to help her up, he started to tell her, "Never let your guard down even when victory seems certain Chinmoku." She nodded while taking his hand and getting back to her feet. She quickly insisted they go again as she got into position for round two. As they continued their sparring session for the next hour, he was extremely surgical in his approach as he continued to avoid all of her attacks before striking. As Megami arrived at the clearing, she watched as the two of them traded physical blows. The wind was wiping around them from every hit as they both used magic to enhance their bodies to allow for the rapid exchange. As they raced around the field, he suddenly vanished as he utilized his speed advantage from all of his active spells to duck under her round house kick. He quickly swept her planted leg out from under her before casting Gail Force. The wind suddenly blasted her and sent her tumbling across the grass before smacking into a tree across the glade. As he stood back up, he shook his arm as a bruise started to form on it. She had lost another round but had managed to land a blow on him this time.
At the very moment he had used his magic to strike her, she had quickly countered with a shadow spell called Dark Punch. It had managed to break through his protection and force him to shield his head with his body. As she got back to her feet and dusted herself off, she excitedly said, "I landed a hit on you!" He smiled while healing himself before encouragingly saying, "That was a clever move you pulled." Megami quickly got on the opposite side of the clearing from him ready for her turn as she excitedly said, "At this rate, we will be ready for anything we encounter at the capital. We have honed our abilities significantly together since you healed up." They all nodded as the two of them started their sparring session. Meanwhile, Chinmoku rested near the edge of the clearing near the wooden weapons and intently watched the battle unfold between them. Megami quickly utilized her spirit magic to summon a swordsman to fight alongside her while Ryu went on the offensive and swiftly covered the distance between them. As he launched toward her side with his wooden sword aimed at her abdomen, the spirit slide between them and deflected his strike. They started to rapidly cross blades as he retreated backwards. Every time he tried to disengage from the swordsman, she would quickly fire rods of light at him to keep him locked in combat with her apparition. Her conjuration was relentless as it kept the pressure on him and forced him to continue to fall back. As he neared the tree line, he finally decided on a strategy to counter her. He suddenly casted Flame Cloak as fire whipped around his body. The specter had no choice but to jump away to avoid being burned, which gave him enough time to finally go on the offensive. She could sense he was plotting something, so she quickly launched a volley of golden spears through the smoke.
He evaded her feeble assault with ease while shooting several Wind Blades back at her. As they exploded through the haze toward her, the swordsman was forced to leap in front of her to block the attack. Ryu swiftly flew across the field toward the spirit just as it deflected the last of his spell. It assumed a defensive position ready for him to strike when he unexpectedly jumped into the sky. Before it could react, he casted Ice Prison. A frozen cage suddenly appeared out of thin air and encapsulated the specter. As he continued past the apparition, he swung his sword toward her. She quickly blocked his attack with her scythe at the last second. As he pushed down on his blade, he contorted his body in the air and swung his foot into her side knocking her down to the ground. As he landed on the grass next to her, her spirit magic dispersed. He quickly crouched down next to her and offered his hand in assistance while saying, "Your pressure is overwhelming Megami. That was intense." She annoyingly knocked his arm away while getting back to her feet before frustratingly saying, "Again, and this time I won't hold back." He smiled and nodded before getting into his position across from her. For the next hour, she only grew more relentless in her pursuit to defeat him but was unsuccessful in doing more than grazing him. Every time it appeared she may have figured out a way to submit him, he found a way to counter her.
As she barreled across the ground, she came to a stop flat on her face in front of her rival. As she looked up at her, she defeatedly said, "It is your turn vampire. I need a break." Chinmoku got up and stretched before loudly saying, "Time for me to humble him!" The two of them continued to switch every hour till they both had fought Ryu three times. As their training came to end, they were both exhausted as they lay on the grass. He was pretty tired to but was glad to be back at it. He was extremely grateful they were not pulling their punches with him otherwise he would not be progressing through his rehab as fast. He was certain a few more weeks of sparring at this intensity would benefit all of them greatly. He suddenly clapped his hands together while looking down at them and saying, "Great work today you two. Let's call it for the evening and head back to the inn for dinner. How does that sound?" A light flickered in both of their eyes at the sound of food as they quickly got to their feet. The sun was starting to set in the west, and a few clouds were rolling in on the horizon as they walked back toward the city. By the time they got to the inn, the moon was slowly rising into the sky and was peeking through the overcast. Kasai was instantly giddy upon seeing them as she excitedly said, "How did training go for you guys today?" Chinmoku and Megami in unison said, "Ughhh!" while plopping down at the nearest table. Ryu awkwardly laughed before saying, "It was good. We practiced really hard, and I am starting to feel a lot closer to normal again."
As Chinmoku lifted her head up off of her arms, she puffed her cheeks while frustratingly saying, "It is not fair. He is supposed to be recovering and yet we can't even beat him once in our sparring sessions." Kasai giggled as she patted her on the head while saying, "You shouldn't compare yourself to him. He was gifted by god with incredible abilities. Plus Jinsoku, a former hero by the way, trained him to the brink of exhaustion every day for almost a year." Megami affirmatively nodded as she finished before confidently saying, "If we keep practicing with him Chinmoku, we will only get stronger, and he won't stay ahead of us for long." Ryu shook his head as he proudly said, "I will never stop improving my skills, so good luck trying to catch me. I promise you guys I will become the strongest person ever in the Empire." Kasai laughed for a second before encouraging him on as she said, "That is a great goal Ryu, and I hope you can make it come true for the sake of everyone. Now, let me go get you guys your dinner." As she turned around to go back to the kitchen, the three of them started bickering back and forth. Chinmoku and Megami refused to let him believe he would become the most powerful person in the land because it was going to be them instead.
As Kasai put their plates down on the table, the arguing suddenly stopped as they all became enthralled by the delicious smelling food. Today's menu item was beef stew served with a loaded baked potato and a basket of rolls. She also set down a bowl of glistening purple grapes on the side for dessert afterwards. Just as her butt hit her chair, Chinmoku and Ryu thrusted their bowls toward her while eagerly saying, "Can we please have seconds?" Megami stared in disbelief at the two of them as she disgustingly asked, "Did you guys even taste it? How did you eat it that fast?" Kasai smiled while getting back to her feet before saying, "I can see you guys are really hungry today. I will be right back with a fresh bowl for both of you." They had both already dived into their rolls and baked potato as they tried to reply. It sounded like they were trying to say thank you, but it was hard to tell as Megami smacked Ryu on the arm and said, "Have some manners. You don't talk with your mouth full." Chinmoku smirked as she watched him get scolded before continuing to devour her sides. In the few minutes it took Kasai to refill their bowls and get back to the table, they had already finished the rest of their meals. They gratefully bowed to her before taking them and digging in. As everyone put their plates down, Kasai quickly grabbed the grapes before the two black holes next to her could get ahold of them.
As she distributed the dessert, she decided to start the post dinner discussion as she asked, "How much longer do you guys plan on training before you travel to the capital?" Ryu swallowed his grape and cleared his throat as he said, "I think another two weeks of sparring should be good enough. I believe it is also important for us to complete two or three quests as well, so we can build some chemistry as a team." Megami sighed in relief as she said, "Thank goodness we will be making the long journey in the nice autumn weather." He just realized he had no idea where the capital was in the Kingdom of Ryze as she finished speaking, so he quickly asked, "Where is our destination from here and how far is it?" Chinmoku swiftly interjected before anyone else could answer as she said, "The capital city of Shinjitsu is a four-to-five-day travel from Unemi. It is near our western border that we share with the Kingdom of Yohei and our northern border we share with the Kingdom of Okane. It is where I used to live before coming here." Megami started choking as Kasai excitedly said, "No Way!" Ryu was confused on why they both were acting weird as he asked, "What is so crazy about that?" As Megami finished coughing, she stared at Chinmoku. She was clearly spooked about something as she shakily said, "Are you being serious right now?" Chinmoku nodded while saying, "My dad is the current number four ranked hero Noburu Fujiwara leader of the vampires for the Blood Moon Clan."
Megami turned white as a sheet as she muttered to herself, "Its over for me." Ryu was shocked upon hearing her say that she came from a prestigious family because he was unable to recall one time she had acted snooty or arrogant toward anyone outside of Megami. The kids that came from wealth in his old world were generally unbearable to be around. Kasai was very intrigued from the news as she eagerly asked, "Have you met the royal family?" Chinmoku instantly shrunk in her chair as she shook her head no before quietly saying, "My family never took me anywhere with them." Ryu could tell something was wrong with her as he tapped Kasai on the arm while mouthing stop as he waved his head toward Chinmoku. As she turned back to her, she realized she was making her uncomfortable. Ryu quickly tried to cheer her up as he flicked a grape at her. It smacked her right on the nose causing her to instantly stand up annoyed as she said, "What the heck Ryu!?" He laughed before kindly saying, "You being so famous doesn't bother me one bit. You are still my kind and caring friend that is dear to me. You were getting upset, so I wanted to remind you of that."
She sat back down and giggled for a second before throwing the fruit back at him. He swiftly caught in his mouth just as Kasai bowed and remorsefully said, "I am sorry for upsetting you Chinmoku. I was being rude." She got embarrassed from the sudden apology as she waved at her that it was no big deal while saying, "You are fine Kasai. You did nothing wrong." Megami snapped out of her despair just in time to hear Kasai asking for forgiveness and thought she should do the same before Chinmoku had her family make her disappear. She quickly bowed while repeatedly saying, "I'm sorry" to her. Ryu started laughing as he watched Chinmoku try to figure out why Megami was now trying to make amends with her to. Kasai suddenly clapped her hands and stood up as she realized how late it had gotten. She smiled as she said, "I think on that note, we should all get to bed. You guys need to get some rest. It is important y'all are getting enough sleep every night." They all nodded as they got up from the table. Ryu waved goodbye them as they went to go bathe really quick before turning in. As soon as his head hit his pillow, he passed. The next two weeks were a blur for him as his health continued to improve day after day as he got into a routine with Megami and Chinmoku. The day had finally come that they were going to accept their first mission as an official team. He was excited for them to go on quest together as he thought about how cool they were going to look as he effortlessly slide, ducked, and glided around the clearing.
Since he had reclaimed his former strength, Chinmoku and Megami had been teaming up against him the past few days to improve their chemistry together as a duo. They both relentlessly chased after him to no avail. Their frustration only continued to grow as the daylight slowly filled the clearing, and they still could not beat him even with their combined efforts. The sun was almost high in the sky as Megami and Chinmoku looked at each other. They knew they only had one more chance to win before they were done, so they decided to give everything they had. They suddenly charged at him with Megami starting their attack. She fired several light rods at him that rapidly followed him around the clearing. As he deflected the beams into the ground, they exploded one after another into a brilliant white light as she tried to blind him. The illumination also served the purpose of forming shadows along the ground that allowed Chinmoku to disappear. Megami quickly summoned three swordsmen spirits by her side before continuing toward him. The apparitions swiftly launched their blades at him forcing him to retreat and evade. Every time he tried to exchange blows with the warriors, black spikes would randomly launch at him from the darkness preventing him from going on the offensive. His elusiveness was still proving difficult for them as he watched their movements. He was pleasantly surprised at how fast they had banded together as a team. It was impressive that they had figured out how to best utilize their skills to maximize each other's strengths in such a short time. He decided he should show them how hard he had been working on getting stronger as well. It was the perfect moment for him to test out a new technique he had been developing in secret.
He suddenly stopped just as multiple swords and shadows were about to strike him. Chinmoku and Megami started to grin as they watched because they thought that they had finally beaten him when he vanished. They both quickly looked around the clearing when Megami's spirits exploded into a cloud of magical dust. He reappeared a few feet away from them unfazed with his back to them. As he started to turn around, Megami took a defensive stance while Chinmoku got ready in the darkness to protect her from his attack. In the blink of an eye, he circled behind Megami and pulled Chinmoku out of hiding. He threw her into the air while using his wind magic to launch Megami off the ground into her. The two of them collided hard into each other before landing in a heap on the grass. They were completely lost on what had just happened as he smiled at them and said, "That is it for today's training. Good job you two. I am very proud of your teamwork and progress. You guys are getting very creative with your attacks now. Let's get over to the guild and see if they have any quest available for us. Hopefully, we will be on the road before it gets to late." As Megami sat up, she loudly exhaled while frustratingly blowing her hair out of her eyes before saying, "What the heck was that Ryu!?" Chinmoku punched the dirt in anger and wanted an answer as well as she said, "Explain!"
He was caught off guard from their sudden combined fury as he put his hands up in the air while awkwardly saying, "I was just testing out a new move I have been practicing on. Since you two had been working so hard to become stronger, I wanted to show y'all I had been doing the same." They both got up and dusted themselves before walking over to him. Megami softly punched him in the arm as she said, "We know you have been training just as hard as us, that is beside the point. We want to know how the heck you pulled that attack off just now. I literally went from seeing you turning around to flying thru the air into this flat board." Chinmoku stomped her foot as she turned her rage toward Megami and exclaimed, "At least I am not flabby like you. You crushed me on the ground you big chested bimbo." They started arguing and speaking over each other as Ryu uncomfortably tried to figure out what to do. He tried to get them to listen to him to calm down, but he could not get a word in as they yelled at each other. He decided to use his wind magic to take control of the situation. His spell knocked them both on their butts allowing him enough time to quickly say, "You two need to stop this bickering because we have more important things to handle today before it gets dark so let's go." He swiftly turned around and started to head into the forest hoping they would follow. As they both got back up off of the ground, they were reunited in their frustration with him as they chased after him. As they caught up, Megami again asked, "How did you disappear back there Ryu? We didn't forget, and we want to know."
Ryu nodded as he started to explain his new move, "When I was working with Mr. Tetsu at the forge, he taught me Time magic. It is traditionally utilized for speeding up the process of weapon creation, but you guys know I am always thinking of ways to use less conventional fighting tactics like how I tried to use that Spatial spell against the demon general." He paused for a moment as he glanced back at them. He was surprised to see how fixated they were on what he was saying as he continued, "Soooo, I decided to practice on creating a large area of effect for a spell that does the opposite of Accelerate. It is called Delay, and it slows everything down that is caught in it. The downside of a giant radius is that there is not a significant lapse or stoppage in time unless I pour an exponential amount of my mana into the spell, but that would leave me debilitated."
Megami suddenly jumped on his back while saying, "It still doesn't make sense how you beat us though. If it slows everything in it down, how were you moving even faster in it?" He blushed as her chest pressed into him before quickly shrugging her off. As he ran his hand through his hair, he tried to calm down. He finally cleared his throat and said, "I multi casted a combination of other spells with it. When I use Delay, I also put an Accelerate field around myself. I then use my normal tricks for increasing my speed to move extremely fast while you guys are slowed." Chinmoku shook her head in disbelief as she asked, "How have you gotten so advanced in so many different skills so quickly? I have been working years, and I am nowhere close to being at your level." He hesitated before saying, "Well, it is complicated, but I trust both of you, so I am going to tell you my secret. You two have to promise me though to not let anyone else know what I am about to tell you." They both acted like they were zipping their mouths closed and throwing the key away as they eagerly waited for him to tell them. He came to a stop while turning around and pulling them together. As he leaned in, he quietly said, "I was blessed with an affinity in all skills. I was sent to the Empire by the God of all worlds, and it was his gift to me. Only Jinsoku, Kasai, Souatari, and Mr. Tetsu know this info." As they pulled back, they were clearly blown away by the news and were unsure of how to respond.
Megami weirdly started blushing as she realized Ryu had trusted her enough to tell her his secrets while Chinmoku broke the silence and said, "It all makes sense now. That is why that jerk was so interested in you. I knew when I saw you there was a good reason to stick by your side." The two of them started taking turns the rest of the way back to ask him all kinds of questions. They were excited to truly learn how strong he was as they continued to bombard him with their inquiries. He was relieved as they entered the guild hall because it gave him a reprieve from their interrogation. As they walked up to the front desk, Souatari was discussing pending quests with Chisai and Yasei. He did not hear them approaching when he suddenly swung his arm backwards gesturing toward the bulletin boards. Ryu managed to duck it at the last second to avoid getting knocked out by the guild leaders giant forearm. Souatari quickly yanked his limb back while gruffly saying, "Sorry kid, but you shouldn't be sneaking up on people like that." As Ryu stood back up straight, he confusingly rubbed the back of his head because he was not trying to be stealthy. Chisai quickly seized the opportunity to tattletale on him to the guild leader as she said, "He did the same thing to me a few months ago and almost gave me a heartache." She stuck her tongue out at him with her cheeks all puffy as she hide behind Yasei. Souatari decided to use the opportunity to guilt him into doing a quest for him as he said, "I think we can forgive him for his pranks Chisai if he helps us out with this urgent mission."
Ryu shook his head in disbelief because none of this was his fault. It only got worse for him as he watched Megami bow to Souatari and Chisai while apologetically saying, "I am sorry our party leader scared you guys. We will gladly assist him in atoning for his actions." He could not believe what was going on as he looked over at Chinmoku who was giggling to herself as she watched the whole scene unfold. Souatari's curiosity instantly peaked at the mention of them being a squad as he asked, "Party? Are you guys forming an adventuring group with Ryu as your leader?" Ryu had no choice but to accept the situation he was in now as he listened to Megami say, "We are. We will be embarking together to the capital city of Shinjitsu soon to join the heroes army." Souatari let out a booming joyous laugh while putting his arm around Ryu before saying, "I am glad to see your recovery went smashingly, and that you were able to make some new friends kid. I think it is a good idea for you to follow Jinsoku's advice and start your career as a hero. The battle experience you guys have gotten here doesn't compare to what you would get working in the capital." Chinmoku suddenly became serious as she remembered the guild leader had said something about a mission as she asked, "What are the details of this urgent request? We stopped by today specifically to find an opportunity to test out our skills and teamwork in the field, so we can definitely assist with it." Souatari stepped back from Ryu before handing her the paperwork for the assignment. As he turned toward Yasei, he asked her for a letter that had recently come in. She froze for a second before shakily retrieving a black envelope with a red seal on it.
As she handed it to him, he quickly passed it over to Ryu. His voice was full of concern as he said, "This came for you a few days ago kid. We have been unable to reveal its contents. It appears it was bound with powerful contract magic that prevents it from being opened unless certain conditions are met. We believe that is you, and that you are the only person who can break the seal." As he looked down at the letter, Chinmoku suddenly exclaimed, "A hundred cursed beast!" Souatari somberly nodded as he said, "That is correct. A horde of cursed animals consisting of lions, wolves, tigers, bears, and king cobras have assembled in the forest outside of the town of Matsubayashi far to the West. The heroes have turned their back on sending assistance to them since the vast forest is shared with the neighboring kingdom. The creatures are technically still in the land of Yohei, but there is no town remotely close to the forest in their domain." Ryu had a sinking feeling in his stomach as he continued to stare at the envelope before finally opening it. The message was very short as he read it out loud to everyone,
"Dear Ryu,
As a sign of my respect to you from our battle, I have assembled a welcoming party for you near the border. Please do not leave your guest unattended for to long because I have commanded them to not attack, but that order will only hold them for so long. I just know we will see each other again someday, and it excites me to have more opportunities to cross blades with you. It is not every day an intriguing prospect like yourself comes along that is worth my attention. Please keep yourself safe in the meantime because I would hate for someone else to steal all of the fun we could have together. As a gesture to prove my sincerity, I will provide you with this warning: the other generals do not play as kindly as I do, so be careful if you cross their paths.
Thinking of you,
Kurayami"
A silence fell over the group as he finished reading the letter. Souatari suddenly deeply bowed to him as he sincerely asked, "Ryu, will you please accept this urgent quest to assist the city of Matsubayashi? I am sorry to ask you to take on such a demanding mission when you just got back to full health, but my options are slim after the cave incident." Ryu quickly pulled him back up as he frustratingly waved at him to stop bowing as he said, "You are the guild leader, and you have every right to ask us to complete any assignment that you have available, so you don't have to be so formal. We will head out immediately since it sounds like we do not have long before the beasts will attack the city. Does that sound good to you guys?" As he finished, he turned around to see his teammates nod in agreement. They quickly took off toward the exit as Souatari watched them leave with a proud smile on his face. Chisai quickly chased after them and leaned out the front door while loudly asking, "Who do I tell them is on their way to assist them? What is your party name?" Ryu stopped halfway down the street as he thought about it before turning around and yelling, "Tell them the A Rank party Shadowflare is on its way!"
He quickly took off as he finished to catch up with Megami and Chinmoku who were headed toward the inn. Megami continued past them to her house down the street while the two of them burst through the entrance. They both swiftly ran upstairs to pack their stuff as Kasai struggled to figure out if something was wrong as she concernedly asked, "What is the rush y'all? Is everything okay?" Ryu was working on preparing his travel bag in his room as he yelled back, "We got an urgent request from the city of Matsubayashi from the guild leader. We have to depart as soon as possible to get there before they are attacked." As the two of them finished packing, they ran back down to the first floor and out the door with Kasai following them. Megami ran up as they came out, and they all took off down the street with Kasai yelling, "Be careful and have a safe journey!" The three of them stopped for a moment and waved goodbye to her before disappearing into the crowd. They quickly acquired a carriage heading to their destination while paying the driver extra to depart immediately. The three of them tried to figure out ways to distract themselves in the wagon since it would be almost two days before they would get to the city. As Ryu stared out the window watching the trees go by, he prayed they would get there in time to save the people of Matsubayashi.