"Ahhh. This feels absolutely amazing!!"

"Like it? We use all natural hot spring water located near the village and then heat it up ourselves until its the perfect temperature."

"It definitely hits the spot," Mark commented, agreeing with his redheaded compatriot. "Thanks again for allowing us to use it. The world of Greldoa made me feel rather sticky."

The inside of the bathhouse was actually much larger than the outside, perhaps due to some form of ritualistic spell or unknown magical item. Lining the far walls were a number of showerheads complete with stalls and thick curtains that could be pulled back for privacy. Located near the back corner was a sauna, a closed off area that took up around 20 percent of the buildings inside. Finally, the enormous manmade hot spring, the one that Jak and Mark had just clambered into, was positioned in the very center of the bathhouse. Taking up more than half the room, it was easily the best thing Jak had came across on that given day. A number of others probably thought the same thing since quite a few Flaming Sparrows could he seen milling about from the sauna and the giant tub.

"It's no problem at all." Vaude waved a hand at Mark's gratitude. "As I said before, we are completely indebted to the Flaming Sparrows. This small thing and even the feast to be had pales in comparison to the contributions made on this day. Feel free to enjoy the meager luxuries we can offer for as long as you see fit."

"Yeah.....there's just one thing."

Jak glanced over at Vaude, of whom was standing right next to the two but not climbing into the hot spring.

"You gonna join us in here? There's room for one more.....or a hundred more honestly."

"The little one has a point," Mark leaned back a bit. "Why don't you join us for a dip?"

"My apologies sir but I still have my duties to uphold. I've been charged with leading the team that prepares the grand feast as well as escorting the Flaming Sparrows in your Captains stead. I could never allow myself to be enticed by such frivolities on such a grand occasion such as this."

Jak let out a sigh and clambered out of the tub. Despite all of the mans excuses and deflections, there remained one simple fact. If he had only came under the guise of watching over them, then there was no need to actually come into the bathhouse personally. If they had any questions, they could've been asked after the bath. Even if Vaude didn't want to admit it verbally, his actions spoke far louder than anything he could have physically said. All he really needed was a little push.

Disregarding the older man's objections and fidgeting, the redhead lifted Vaude effortlessly into the air and walked over to the hot tub.

"There's a saying my Uncle always says," Jak said as he hurled the man into the air and into the heated bath. "Live a life you'll never regret. As far as I can see, you can still do your duties and make some time for yourself as well."

Vaude came up sputtering, water dripping down his hair and face. He didn't possess any negative emotions, but rather a look of genuine shock, as if he couldn't believe what had just happened to him. Glancing up at the redhead, he met the youths gaze, brown and crimson hues locking onto each other.

"Hehe. Direct as always I see Jakklo." Mark rubbed his neck. "Maybe a bit too direct. You okay Mister Vaude?"

The man didn't respond to anything immediately, taking the time to calmly hoist himself out of the bath. Without a word, he carefully stripped off his wet clothes and neatly folded them one by one. While he was doing that, Jak leaped once more into the hot tub.

"You know. I was once an adventurer myself."

Vaude smiled a bit as he turned to face the tub full of Flaming Sparrows.

"You were gramps?" Jak shook his head as he popped back up from underneath the waters surface. "That's pretty cool."

"Of course. In my prime, I held the title of Lightning Cutter Vaude. There wasn't anything I couldn't do, especially when working in tandem with my guild mates. We could bring the strongest beings to their knees. I wasn't the strongest in the ranks nor the most well-known but we had each other's backs. Watching the lot of you reminds me of those olden days of adventure and mischief. Apologies for before. I'd be honored to join you for a dip."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"This story is cool and all, but what about the meeting with Dante and Anjo?" Mako cut Jak off, halting the story. "What did they talk about?"

"You sure do like interrupting don't you?" Jak asked.

"Only when it comes to irrelevant information. None of what you said so far has been helpful to learning about the Bird Massacre." The blue haired Rookie crossed his arms over his chest. "The best I've learned is Dante's emotions about his friend Anjo. Also that the ones responsible for the murders that day hit you all during the big feast prepared by the residents of Deryipall."

"Details matter," Jak responded simply. "I can only tell you about events I was there for. I won't hold back on what I know. Now stop interrupting idiot or I'll cut you."

(("With all due respect Kunzite, shut up.")) Psyche chimed in once Jka had finished. (("This is probably the most I've gotten from Jak. I thought you'd WANT to hear everything from your sworn brother. Maybe I was wrong."))

Mako immediately raised his hands in surrender. "Fine. Continue. I just thought we were on a time crunch. You were saying something about Vaude."

"I'll try to summarize it better moving forward."

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

"Anjo was your pupil?" A Flaming Sparrow member opened his mouth in disbelief. "The one known as the ThunderBird Rookie? That's the Anjo we're talking about?"

"That's right." Vaude smiled proudly. "Unbelievable from a backwater village such as Deryipall but he's that same Anjo. I taught him a bit more than half of everything he knows. Of course, he surpassed me and my teachings after a while and made a solid name for himself in Eegalia, but his foundation's were all developed in this very town. A hyperactive knucklehead who possessed more guts than brains. It's actually a miracle he didn't kill himself off a long time ago."

"Wait, does that mean you also trained Dante during his younger years?" Jak asked. "They were childhood friends right?"

"Not quite. The two of them actually met during their youths in the Kingdom of Intok, a neighbor of our Adichoke Kingdom. That's a story for another time though." Vaude shook his head. "The one who trained him was someone much more prominent than me. No doubt you've heard of him, being adventurers and all. Heir to the Iroas Kingdom and son of the strongest Earth Mage to live since the Elemental Heroes. The one known as the Indestructible Tank, Hadok Shimura. However, even if I'm not the one who trained the boy, Anjo and them were inseparable after their first meeting. Especially when they both became adventurers."

"Inseparable?"

"Indeed. Even to this day. In fact, Im surprised that he didn't personally greet Dante when he went to fetch you in Greldoa. He's usually much more stubborn."

Mark laughed a little. "That's probably because Master Yanda and little Jak were out training in the Greldoa Flatlands."

"It might be," Vaude responded, not sounding very convinced. "However that definitely wouldn't have stopped him in the past. That fool would've sprinted to the location himself without hesitation to see his old friend. Same with earlier. It's unusual that he would send me to fetch the Captain and Vice Captain rather than going to get the two himself."

At this piece of information, Jak frowned, recalling the looks his orange haired friend had given as well as the general timing of those emotions. Given the circumstances, it was highly likely that this was the main reason Dante had felt the way he did since it wasn't what he was used to. It didn't really raise any alarms since people did change the way they acted as they got older, but it did help to answer the question of the Rift Hunters reaction towards Anjo as a whole.

"People change and mature," Mark said as he stretched his arms out, repeating the redheads inner thoughts. After letting out a slow breath, he climbed out of the hot tub, shaking water off as he did so. "He probably just changed his ways."

"Most likely. He's been acting much more refined and controlled since he arrived." The older gentleman climbed out shortly after, following Mark's lead. "Almost like a new person."

"Maybe he got a girlfriend?" Jak suggested, also following the two individuals.

"A possibility." Vaude grabbed a towel and threw it towards the redhead whilst grabbing one of his own. "Whatever the case, Let's just be glad he's here now. Without him, we wouldn't have prospered today."

From there, the three of them took the time to pat themselves dry and don a fresh pair of clothes, clothes that were provided by some Deryipall residents. It wasn't anything fancy, with a simple white shirt, black sweatpants, and two pronged geta footwear, but it was far more comfortable than the sweat and dirt covered uniforms Mark and Jak had been sporting prior. After they were fully clothed and prepared, the trio headed out and awaited for the other two, Mizuroka and Trell, of whom exited the womens bath within minutes of the men. Once the group had finished making fun of and throwing around jokes at one another, Vaude took center stage and began showing them around the village of Deryipall.

The town was actually very odd in terms of layout. At least to Jak anyways.

Rather than the town resting in a clearing without any sort trees, it was actually built around the forest itself, through various trees and shrubbery. Some of the houses were even built into the trees themselves, situated on strong Barley and Canastroves. This style of being one with nature wasn't unique to the town but it certainly fell on the more rare side of the layouts Jak had seen.

The further one moved into Deryipall, the less vegetation there was and the bigger the buildings themselves became. According to Vaude, this was because of how many important infrastructures there were around there as well as how many buildings were being built or planned to be built. Removing the obstacles made it easier to gauge and measure things like distance and such, though Jak didn't really care much for explanations. All he knew was that the main buildings including the Chiefs quarters, shopping center, dining hall, town Square, and many others were all located near the Deryipall's inner circle.

It was in this inner circle, namely the Village Square and Shopping Center, that the feast was being held. All the food for the Grand Feast was being prepared within the Dining Hall before being distributed via stalls set up within the Square and Shopping Center.

Mark and Jaks team, which consisted of a large mixture of Deryipall's residents and Flaming Sparrow members, would he responsible for setting up the attractions and stands needed for the event. It wasn't a difficult task by any means but it WOULD consume an hour or so of their time in order to complete.

"Well, then let's get to work." Jak grinned, stretching his arms out. "Let's see who can do the most work!!"

"Don't you ever learn?" Mark laughed. "Have you ever even won ANY challenge within the Flaming Sparrows? Your luck is nowhere good enough to hold on regular matches and you expect to go against us seniors? We won't go easy on you."

"Hehe. How am I supposed to break through my ceilings if I take on easy challenges?"

"Mizuroka's right," Trell jabbed the redhead in the side. "You're definitely Maso-caustic."