Nobina found herself in deep thought as she made her way back down to the guild lobby. Activity was still high as everyone was reacting to the sighting of the dragon. It felt as if chaos was just around the corner, but luckily the guild employees were masterfully keeping things in check and facilitating calm discussions. As for the rest of Nobina’s group, they were merely chatting amongst themselves before Mimiki took notice of Nobina.
“Ah. Nobina,” she smiled. “How did the discussion go?”
“Well,” said Nobina, rubbing the back of her head. “Despite everything, we’ll still be proceeding with the plan of heading out tomorrow.”
“Tsch,” responded Mimiki.
Mimiki certainly wasn’t happy with the plan, but there wasn’t much they could do about it. Given what just happened, Nobina was merely thankful they had a moment before heading out.
“So do we stick to the original plan then?” asked Cain.
“We do,” nodded Mimiki. “We’ll spend today gathering supplies and head out tomorrow.”
“Sounds good to me,” laughed Marve. “It’s been a while since I’ve been a part of anything important. Let’s show them all how strong we adventurers are.”
As usual, Nia wasn’t saying anything. She still felt dangerous to Nobina, but Nobina was starting to get accustomed to danger at this point.
“We’ll wait for Helios and Immana to rejoin us, discuss the plan fully, then split up,” said Mimiki. “Any questions while we wait?”
“I have a few,” responded Nobina.
The group began discussing the plans for preparation. Most of the supplies they needed were already at the guild. Food, water, and transportation was already set for the group, as they’d be using two guild carriages for the journey northwards. What was left to gather were items each individual needed personally for the trip.
“That is why once everyone’s here, we’ll all split up, make sure we have everything we need for tomorrow, and then meet up at the guild in the morning,” said Mimiki.
“Sounds good to me,” said Cain.
Both Marve and Nia gave the nod, with Mimiki turning to Nobina.
“Yeah,” she responded back, a slight bit of hesitation.
“Oh, and Nobina,” said Mimiki. “I’d like to discuss more about the planning with you later, so do you mind meeting at my room at night to….”
“Absolutely,” she answered immediately, catching Mimiki a bit by surprise.
“Ok. We’ll let Helios and Immana know and go from there,” nodded Mimiki.
They didn’t need to wait long before the two showed up. Both had a rather serious expression on their faces. It went away as they got close enough, but Nobina could only wonder what was on their minds.
“Any additional information for us Lady Immana?” asked Nobina.
“Hm?” responded Immana, appearing a bit distant. “Oh. No. Everything is good on our end.”
“Indeed,” said Helios. “We just discussed with Guild Master Aunai about the plans for tomorrow. Everything should still proceed as planned, and Aunai’s own raid group will be sent a few days after we depart.”
“Good,” nodded Mimiki. “We discussed splitting up so everyone could get personally ready. Any objections from you two?”
“None whatsoever,” smiled Immana. “I’ve been meaning to take a break from watching over everything anyway, so I’ll take this chance to do so. And you Master Helios?”
Helios thought a bit before responding.
“Best chance to gather information for the hunt I suppose. With those two new potential threats, it’s best we have all the information we need or could potentially need,” he nodded.
With that, everyone began heading out except for Nobina and Immana.
Nobina could notice something was on Immana’s mind. The curiosity was too strong, so she wasn’t surprised to find the question coming out naturally.
“What’s on your mind Lady Immana,” asked Nobina.
“Hm,” she responded, leaning against the wall. She was thinking about her answer, not rushing to dispel any notion of her current state.
“Tomorrow is going to be the start of another journey. One where the danger could be quite… drastic. It’s very understandable that we all think about what could happen, right?” she smiled.
“I… suppose,” said Nobina. “Personally, I’m… probably the weakest link in the group. My own power isn’t too grand for the sake of fighting.”
Immana gave a nod. The discussion seemed to calm her as her next response felt more certain.
“The concern is valid. Sometimes, the reality of the situation takes a bit to seep in and it can eat away in you depending on what it is. However, you shouldn’t just ignore it and move on. You should really think about it and come to terms with it as soon as you can. It would forge a resolve that will allow you to move forward without worry.”
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Nobina gave a nod. Some of Immana’s words gave her some comfort, but most of it was just a reminder of her ignoring her biggest concerns that have been eating away at her.
Her Path.
She was still unsure about what her own destiny truly was, how much influence she actually had on the events to come, and what the correct decision was. The only person she felt comfortable talking about her thoughts with was Mimiki. That was why she was so excited to speak with her later today.
“Anyway,” said Immana, interrupting Nobina’s thought. “If you need to spend this time resting, I suggest you do. After all, you won’t be under my watch for the rest of the day.”
“Right,” nodded Nobina.
As Immana departed, Nobina noticed her bag glow once more. Opening it up, she noticed that there was a small bundle of glowing blue berries. With it was a note explaining the berries.
“Hm… One of these berries can revitalize a person, giving them energy and healing wounds. However, eating more than one can have severe negative effects…”
Recalling the note, Nobina could tell these would be good for emergencies. Considering the last part of the note, she had an idea these were ideal for helping multiple people in a pinch. She didn’t know how effective they were, but she could only hope they’d heal even serious wounds should the traditional healing potions fail.
As she packed away her berries, Nobina saw Hammy and Speck fly out.
“Oh. Right. You two wanted to get Pausers here, right? Is that still the plan?” asked Nobina.
“Squeak,” responded Speck.
Hammy handed her a note reading one word.
Yes.
“Well… If you two feel like he should be here, then go ahead,” she smiled.
With that, both Hammy and Speck flew out of the guild. Nobina wondered how long it would take for Pausers to get here.
“Hm… Nah. I’m sure everything will be fine,” said Nobina to herself.
What’s the worst thing that could happen having an innocent bunny coming to their town? For all she knew, she’d just have her fluffy companion back.
Once she was done taking a breath, she headed out herself. Walking out of the guild, she found the midday sun shining on her, offering her a bit of warmth. She didn’t have anything she personally needed for the trip, so she was merely spending this time thinking more about what to do.
Making her way through the streets, she could see that the dragon sighting wasn’t having too much of an effect on the average person. Most people were going on their day as usual. Of course, the occasional talk of the dragon did appear, but most of it was people being dismissive of it actually being a dragon.
“That thing was way too small to be a dragon,” said one person.
“Yeah,” responded another. “Must be some other flying monster.”
Part of Nobina was relieved that the sighting wasn’t causing a mass panic, but it made her wonder if there should have been more concern amongst the people there.
Eventually, Nobina found herself in front of some random, unassuming general store. The sign said the following.
“Hiring. Path suited for general store employee required.”
The mention of Paths caused her to feel slightly annoyed for a second, but she recalled seeing something like this back in Agora.
“Even all the way in the big city, Paths are such a big deal, huh?”
Nobina began thinking about her own Path and what was happening because of it. So far, she had gained abilities that suited her style of being a writer. Both of those abilities were useful in their own way, making Nobina happy with what she could do with them in general. However, what she was not happy about was what was attached to the path.
She was meant for something more, and so far, that’s merely meant dealing with major problem after problem. The goblin incident she was convinced was her fault, but she had been telling herself it was mere coincidence that it happened. Wrong place, wrong time.
This dragon incident couldn’t be the same.
“Damn it,” said someone behind her, walking by. “No one sales today again. The economy is getting really bad.”
Those words froze Nobina immediately. With everything happening, she had swept the whole economic issue to the side.
“This is my fault,” Nobina said softly.
She found herself continuing to walk. Her mind was all over the place, thinking about what she should be doing. It felt as if she was wasting her time now, just walking without any real purpose. It wasn’t clearing her mind at all, and it was letting all the negativity eat up at her. She wanted to scream, but she held it in. On the outside, she looked like someone deep in thought. On the inside, she was a whirlwind of emotions, ready to let loss.
Eventually, she found herself outside the city. Once she was a decent bit away from the gate, she found herself looking in the direction of Agora. Not only that, but she noticed the sun was finally setting, letting the darkness slowly creep in. The air itself became cold as Nobina stared toward the mountains they had previously traveled to.
“What do I do?” she found herself saying out loud.
The minutes slowly passed by as the emptiness of the lands in front of her became more apparent. There was no one there to interrupt her thoughts as she stood there in silence. It was the perfect place to think and battle her inner demons. At least, that was the ideal case. Instead, the turmoil in her finally broke out.
“Ah!” she screamed, her voice echoing in the night.
As she felt the instant relief of the yell, she found herself light-headed. She was tempted to grab a berry and eat it to provide some form of relief, but she stopped herself. A rash decision like that was really a reflection of how bad things were getting.
“I’m in no state to lead this group,” said Nobina to herself.
A leader should be someone who is calm and collected. She was a mess and was letting doubts of her own ability get to her. Someone like Mimiki was far more suited to lead the raid. Nobina was better off remaining in the back as support if necessary.
Nobina finally sighed, turning back to the city. Looking at it, she began admiring how beautiful it looked from the outside. Past the large stone walls of the city, Nobina could see the beautiful glow of the lights that allowed the city’s night life to function. It felt a bit calming, but Nobina knew it was merely temporary. She had bottled up her concerns once again. The plan now was to speak with Mimiki then call it a day.
As she took one step forward, she found a figure appearing in front of her. All the danger signs in her went off as it became clear who it was.
“Nia,” said Nobina, staring at their S-rank party member.
Nia didn’t say a word as she removed her hood. Getting a better look at her, Nobina was surprised at how beautiful her long, purple hair was. It was tied up at the back to keep in control. It was too dark to get a good look at her face, but Nobina felt its coldness.
Silence filled the area as neither said a word. The fact Nia removed her hood offered a tiny bit of hope. This wasn’t something bad, but Nobina knew Nia could end her life if she truly wished it. After all, Nobina didn’t have anything to actively defend herself from an attack from someone like her.
Minutes passed by, and nothing was said. At this point, Nobina thought she should be explaining herself, but Nia finally spoke up.
“Be careful Nobina. The shadows have ears,” she said.
Moments later, Nia disappeared, leaving Nobina alone once again.
“Does that mean you’re always watching, or… someone else is watching me,” said Nobina to herself.
Feeling now scared of being alone, Nobina rushed back towards the city, hoping her chat with Mimiki would give clarity. That was the only thing left to do in the day.