Makani and Rynda took vanguard for the return trip, seeing how they were in the best shape after the battle. It was still night after all, which meant while they bested the big Scherzando, there was the very real potential that regular Scherzando could still get the jump on them.
And no one present felt like dying after their hard-fought victory.
Despite the massive blow he took during that battle, Saul carried his own Maestro; just as he had done on the way there.
Trailing behind all of them were Shouri, Taika, and Pacifica. “Sorry, Taika,” Pacifica muttered, leaning on the fox.
Taika was quite literally supporting her friends at this point, having both of them leaning on her. “Don’t apologize,” Taika grunted as they trudged along. “I should have been there,” she said remorsefully.
“I was the one who told you to go heal Cera and Saul,” Shouri reminded her.
“Yeah, but still-!”
“No, you were doing what was asked of you,” the Maestro sternly maintained.
Pacifica wilted as well. She felt so lame recalling how she had locked up when the Scherzando attacked. Shouri shouldn’t have had to bail her out like he did. Looking across Taika at him, she noticed he had much more of a limp and strained expression. Even after Taika had healed them, he was still in pain.
How was he so cool? He just jumped into action and grabbed her. He was always like that, just jumping into danger to protect her and Taika. While she loved that he cared to that extent, it was also frustrating for her pride as a Resonator.
She didn’t want to say anything, in all reality, she wanted to cry in exasperation.
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And so the group arrived back heroes!
Or well they would have if this hadn’t been such a common occurrence. It sucked the accomplishment out of the feat when there was little to no fanfare about the herculean task they had completed.
“You successfully killed it?” the desk attendant asked.
“Yes sir! No casualties either,” Cera boasted proudly.
“Good on you all – I’ll put in the paperwork tomorrow morning and your bonuses will be paid out within the week.”
“Sweet! Can’t wait!”
And that was it. Just another day for the pencil pusher who drew the short straw. Even if this was an unusual day for the hunters who risked it all, the people back home saw none of their trials.
“That was it?” This didn’t help Pacifica’s mood at all.
“We could have died,” Taika chimed in.
“The money better be good,” Shouri grumbled.
Cera suddenly extended his hand out to Shouri. The green-horn Maestro stared at the offered hand. “You’re a real one Shouri.” The man smiled. “Thank you.”
Shouri exhaled and smiled. This man was exhausting, but at least he was genuine. Grabbing hold, he gave a firm shake of the other Maestro’s hand.
Pacifica and Taika both caught their Maestro's change in attitude, lips curling up and beaming with pride. There was a reason for all of this - Even if nobody else saw it, they accomplished something tonight and did good for the world.
Parting ways with Cera and Saul, the five-strong group made their way back to the Maestro Affairs office.
“So, Shouri,” Makani spoke up.
“Hm?” Shouri glanced over at his fellow Maestro.
“What are your plans from here?”
“Good question.” Shouri paused and yawned. “Definitely sleeping like all fucking day tomorrow,” he decided. Taika and Pacifica exchanged a glance and nodded to each other.
The quintet walked into the office and formed a small circle in the lobby. “Anyways, good job out there tonight. Was a bit sketchy there for a moment, but you all handled yourselves like real champs out there,” Makani told the newer trio.
“I mean you and Rynda carried us – let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment,” Shouri pointed out.
“Nonsense, an army is only as good as those who support them. That goes for Resonators and Maestros alike.” With a pat of Shouri’s back, Makani left the circle with Rynda and tow. “Sleep well – you all earned it!”
Shouri looked to Pacifica and Taika who only gave him a knowing smile. He yawned. “I suppose a shower and bed does sound good right now, come on you two.”
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“Holy shit.” Shouri gasped. He was sitting on the edge of the bed with both tuners in hand. A towel hung around his neck, his hair slightly damp from the shower.
“What is it Sho?” Pacifica sat next to her Maestro, peering over his shoulder at the tuners. Her eyes widened. “That’s a lot of ‘new’,” she noted.
Almost every spell had (New!) next to it; only the spells without modifiers or already maxed out were exempt.
“I mean it was a hell of a fight but I didn’t think it was worth that much,” the Maestro noted. Though if this was normal gains for fighting big Scherzando, it was no wonder that duelists went after them – it was a fast way to get their Resonators strong with relatively little effort. It took him and Taika a month of grinding to get their detection spell, Rilevare l'intenzione, to its maximum rank.
“So what cool stuff did we get?” Pacifica nudged her Maestro.
“You both got three new spells,” Shouri began, tilting Taika’s tuner to the curious otter-girl.
Chiaro cielo di mezzanotte (New!)
Cancella il Ritmo (New!)
“The first one clears any active weather and boosts Lunar spells for a short period. The second one cancels sustained effects,” he told the Resonator currently by his side.
“More support stuff, neat.” The water element nodded. “What about me?” The girl bounced excitedly.
Shouri chuckled and flashed the blue tuner to the energetic otter.
Scambiare Neve (New!)
Presto (New!)
Pioggia Acida (New!)
Legato (New!)
Her eyes sparkled. “I have no idea what those do.” Despite this, she still waited for the explanation with wonder.
The Maestro chuckled. “Well, Pioggia Acida is that acid rain spell the big Scherzando used.”
Pacifica nodded. “And about the other one?” she queried.
“Scambiare Neve lets you make a dummy out of snow. From what I read it looks more like you the higher the rank.” The Maestro returned his attention to the spell on screen which only had its initial rank.
Pacifica jumped from the bed. “What?! That’s so cool! Let me try it!” she demanded.
Shouri hesitated though her good mood was infectious – what could be the harm? It was just a Presto spell after all. Long gone were the days of those level of spells even fazing him.
“Scambiare Neve, Presto,” he called out.
The otter squeaked, not expecting him to give in to her whims. She let his rhythm take hold and control her to cast the spell. Closing her eyes, she held up two fingers, whilst a wind whipped around her. She stepped backward and, in her place, she left a small mound of roughly Pacifica-shaped snow.
“Woah!” Pacifica gasped. It was snow, and it certainly bore a superficial resemblance to her general silhouette. “Now what?” she asked the pertinent question.
“Maybe we call room service to help clean this up?” Taika was suddenly behind Pacifica.
“Wah!” Pacifica yelped, startled by the sudden appearance of her lunar counterpart.
“Nah, no need to bother them. Taika, Cancella il Ritmo,” Shouri suddenly commanded. The vixen jolted at suddenly being provided with her Maestro’s rhythm. She found herself reaching out towards the snow-ifica, per her Maestro’s will. Upon making contact with the rhythm made snow-otter it evaporated back to the rhythm that formed it.
“And that’s what that spell does,” Shouri said with a smirk.
“Ahahaha...” Pacifica chuckled back, glad that the solution was so simple.
The two Resonators sat on either side of their Maestro. “You said we both got three spells, right?” Pacifica questioned.
“I did – you both can use this one.”
Shouri hovered over the spell in question on both tuners.
Loro Formato Lunare Lago (New!)
Legato (New!)
The two Resonators stared at the spell, then looked across Shouri at one another. “We both can use it?” Taika asked.
“Sure, it is the Lunar–Water Ossia spell, it’s only natural you both got it when Rynda used it,” the Maestro clarified.
Pacifica recalled the specific instance of the lunar bird using the spell. It was that huge comet spell. It was so strong. The otter stared at her hands – she could do something like that? And what’s more, Taika could do it too?
That was a warm thought – they had something they shared despite being so different.