Troville the Heated Scale
"But I wanna come with you!" Mari whined, clinging to Blake's right leg.
"OOO!" Os cried, copying Mari in both appearance and action but with Blake's left leg.
"They've been helping you here, right? So, it should be fine..." Blake ignored them and continued the conversation he was having with Sarah, the Lizardfolk owner of the Heated Scale tavern.
"Mari and Os are a big help, Nobel too but..." Sarah shifted her eyes to Vasha chugging a mug of ale like nothing while sharing a table with Saffire and Moco who were stuffing their faces with food. "...I'm not sure about the Goblin." She whispered with a claw over her long face.
"Says the giant lizard..." Blake muttered right back at her and for what expansions Sarah's face could make Blake found out that she pulled off annoyed well. "...I can vouch for her, as long as you give her some smoke breaks she makes for a perfect all-purpose servant if you know I mean?"
"This isn't that kind of tavern..." Sarah brought her face in close on Blake's, letting him feel the hot breath coming from her nose. "...got that?"
"And that was a joke. You need to laugh and smile more it's good for business, right!?" Blake pushed up the sides of his face making a goofy smile that Sarah wasn't affected by. "Look it's just for a week while I and the others take care of a quest and if you want me to pay you, I will, in advance..." He dropped 20 gold on the counter. "...that enough?"
"That's almost half of what I make in a month..." Sarah snatched up a few of the coins, tossing them up and down a bit. "Is guild business that good?"
"When you have hard workers like ~her~" Blake pointed over at Vasha. "Everything works." He gave Sarah an okay sign then added with a thumb pointing at the broken sign to Sarah's place. "And I'll fix that sign for free."
"Done!" Sarah quickly reached a claw out to Blake with a look in her eyes that said she was willing and able to put up with any of Blake's requests.
"Should I have opened with that?" Blake asked himself while shaking Sarah's claw but put it aside since right now, he had one last problem to deal with.
"I'm not staying!/OOOOO!" Well, two really as both Mari and Os were anchoring themselves to Blake's legs like he was the only safe spot in a storm.
"Ugh...the cart doesn't have enough space or supplies for all of us, and I need my equipment and people who can fight." Blake tried to get the two to understand why he was doing this, holding a hand to a window where Risabeel, Lu with Rena, Nathan, and Mordecai were getting the cart stocked up for the trip.
"But Os can fight!" Mari glared up at her brother a bit teary eyed. "And Clusmy, Tits Mcgee, Granny and Fishsticks can just stay outside!" She protested further, limiting only the girls of the guild from getting on the cart minus Rena.
"Who's gonna make me?" Saffire snarled with crumbs and sweat rolling down her face. "Why does that stupid name make me shiver every time!?"
"Fishstick!? Is that good! What is it!? Can I have one!? Where are they!?" Moco's mind, on the other hand, was more on exotic food, snapping her head and jaws at everything.
"Huh, guess I'm not threat anymore." Vasha kept drinking currently on her fourth mug.
"OOOOO!" While Os was leaking itself out, unable to put its feelings to words and turned into a puddle of blue at Blake's feet.
"..." And all that did was make Blake sigh and lean down to Mari. "...Look, I get it you don't want to be away from me, and neither do I, but this is something I have to do, and there might be more times like this later on. That's part of why I'm here, and you're here cause you wanted to follow and support me, like a good little sister, right? Right now I need you to stay here and wait for me, got it?"
"Yea..." Mari moaned, getting what Blake was saying as she let go of him along with Os. "...but if I'm good you'll treat me, right?"
"Heh, don't I always?" Blake ran a hand through Mari's orange and black hair then cupped her head getting her to smile. "Good girl..." After that, he got up and turned to Saffire. "...alright, Saffire, let's go."
"Don't boss me around," Saffire grumbled, trying to get as many baked goodies in her arms as possible. "Later, Green-scale." She nodded her head Sarah's way and followed behind Blake
"Hehe! Adventure!" Moco cheered, floating on behind Blake thanks to a ring of water and got the chance to go on a quest with Blake instead of doing training.
"You're staying here," Blake muttered while holding the door open for Saffire.
"Wha?" Moco blinked once with her first set of eyelids then again with the white ones. "But I wanna come with you!" Then threw herself at Blake, digging her face into his chest and slapping her tail against his legs, all of which causing Blake to get splashed in water.
"Stop that." Blake grabbed Moco by her dorsal fin, making sure not to scratch himself while doing it. "I checked the town that Ovis girl's guild is at it and doesn't have any lakes or rivers around it, maybe a well but I'm not good enough to use water I can't see."
"But you can still swing, thrust, and throw me around just fine without water! Why do I have to be the only one that gets left behind!?" Moco whined, reaching out to Blake and when that didn't work, she turned into a spear, giving Blake his gills and getting a gasp out of Sarah.
"You're not the only one staying, Gram's here too." Blake pointed her at a window where Gram shot his head up. "Is that fine too, Sarah?" He turned to Sarah, seeing if she was okay with that.
"Y-yea, sure fine...b-but when you get back; explain that..." Sarah waved a claw at Moco then rubbed her neck. "...and those?"
"That's a long story but sure thing." Blake shrugged at some point his powers were gonna get out more and more might as well start telling people about it. "Now just like Mari be a good girl and stay." He looked right at the gem on Moco only seeing his face in it as it flickering brightly.
Until Moco changed back floating in front of Blake. "Fine..." She obeyed with puffed cheeks then leaned in on him to press foreheads with him. "Be safe, Chum." After that, she pushed off of him going back to the food at the table.
"Yeah?" For a moment, all Blake could do was touch his forehead with the faint sensation of rough scales still there. "And don't worry we'll beat those guys so fast that it was like we weren't even gone, to begin with!" He declared, smashing a fist into an open palm and with that got outside. "Gram, you watch them good."
"Got it." Gram nodded over at Blake, laying just in front of the Heated Scale like the good giant guard wolf he was.
"Huh? I thought you'd be more annoyed by getting left out like the others?" Blake asked, reaching a hand to pat Gram's head as he held it up to speak.
"You're the Alpha, Alpha, I listen, and I listen well, sides I'm not worried. You've got those three with you." Gram answered, monitoring his head over to Risabeel, Saffire, and Baba, with the Ala coming down from the sky. "And them too." He looked at Lu, Rena, Nathan, and Mordecai next as they were getting inside the cart or on top of it in Lu's case. "I got things here."
"That's why I told you to stay," Blake smirked at his wolf giving him one last pat then went up to the 3 women waiting for him, looking to Baba first. "How's it looking, Baba?" He asked her to check the weather before they left.
"Hmm? Clear skies, for now, perfect weather to be out and about..." Baba whirled a bit wind around her finger. "...there should be some rainfall on our way back, but that's a maybe right now."
"Good to know, then we can get going," Blake got into the driver's seat with Risabeel to the right and Saffire on the left. "Nash!" With a crack of the reins, they got on the move with Baba following behind causally.
"Hey, Scaleless, I forgot to ask but where are we going?" Saffire asked, relaxing a bit as they went by finally getting away from the city meant she could get some time in the air without worry about getting shot at by a ballista or some random spell.
"It's a town called Pirman, should take us about 3 days to get there...in that time we should do some training if we can..." Blake answered, letting Nash go on without much guidance at the moment seemingly deep in thought about something.
"Training? What? A guild owned by a little rich girl got you sweating?" Saffire joked, smiling wide as she jabbed Blake in the side. "Huh?" But all she got was a stoic look on the smith's face. "What's up with you?"
"Well, Saffire, as you know if we fail in this challenge then Sir Blake will lose Lad Nobel and possibly the needed renovation of our home," Risabeel Informed the Dragon.
"I don't think that's it." Baba flew in to rest on the laps of 3, picking Saffire as the one holding her feet. "Is it, Hubby?" She looked at Blake, still thinking.
"Yeah, she's right," Blake answered after a bit. "Don't get me wrong I'm not giving up on that kid or a chance to fix that place but what that old guy said is starting to get to me..." He thought back to the reading he got from the Old Seer. "'You will be assaulted by the rainbow itself that comes from a single whiteness, but it is they who will lead you to the darkness of your past'...that can only be one person! I am coming for you, Gwyndolin!" He thought, reaching for the pendant he took when he left Farimaw.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
----------------------------------------
Pirman
Pirman: A small town off to the north of Gorz, it is mainly used as a rest stop for merchants or young adventurers heading to Gorz, with many finding it to be a rather relaxed place to come to. However, as the case were that made it ripe pickings for a tribe of Lizardfolk who had taken over the town some days ago.
"Aughaha!! Merahg! Mer-AHH!H!" Trapped in an alleyway and howling to the sky was a yellow Lizardfolk held face down as what appeared to be a knight in a green armor made up by a chest plate, gauntlets, boots, and an iron cap helmet, where they didn't have armor was only dirty bandages.
"Shut up!" The knight's voice was that of a man gone mad as he tore and ripped chunks off the Lizardfolk's body.
"AHHUGGAA-!" They passed out once the knight churched down on their neck with a sickly snapping sound.
"GAH!" The knight threw his head back, pulling a blood-covered mass of flesh, bone, and scales out of the Lizardfolk who laid limp under him. "GAK! Disgusting!" He spat at the ground, showing bandages wrapped around his face and sunken eyes devoid of light only appearing as two orbs of black with tiny bits of white at their center. "Is that the last one here, Azul?" He picked at his pointed teeth with a sharp claw-like finger-nail.
*Ting*
Flicking a copper coin in the air was another knight in blue armor with a light blue robe under it, and instead of a helmet, they wore a blue hood. "I think so, Greenbit..." Azul turned to Greenbit showing the face of a man somewhere in his thirties with the brown scruff of a goatee and dull amber eyes. "Let's meet up with the others then." He pushed off the wall after catching his coin, then made his way out.
"Fine..." Greenbit rose up from his meal and follow after his fellow knight in an odd gait, pressing his hands to the ground every few steps.
"Aren't you taking that along?" Azul turned back to the Lizardfolk laying in a pool of their own blood.
"I got what I wanted out of it! Now come on!" Greenbit pulled Azul by his collar, marching towards the center of town. "Those rats hiding in their holes can deal with it for us!" He snapped his head at a window where a shadow ducked away. "Hmph, not like I'd waste my teeth on you scum of the earth!"
"Heh, coming from you that's a low blow, man." Azul went along with getting dragged by his fellow knight. "~Mmm~" and passed the time by flicking his coin a few times. "The others aren't there yet, huh?" He muttered after getting a ram head on his last spin.
"Justice has been brought! Ahahaha!" The gallant laugh of a man erupted down the street behind Greenbit and Azul as a pair of knights appeared. One was wearing a full suit red armor with a flame-like design around it and brandished a flaming axe over his head. "Fear not good people all is well!" He declared to the almost empty streets slashing a flaming 'R' in the air with his axe. "For the great knight, Rouge is hereeeeeee!" Rouge screamed after getting tripped by a random stone.
"Shut...it...Mr...Justice..." Bellowing out slow words in a deep aged voice and standing tall over Rouge was a giant in massive bulky yellow armor with a huge shield kept on their back. "Ah...Greenbit...Azul..." The hulking giant's gaze went to the other knights moving towards them.
"Good, we're all here, let's go!" Greenbit didn't pay much mind to either of the newcomers, dropping Azul to the ground and kept walking.
"Yo! Geel (pronounced hill) mind picking up a friend, friend?" Azul looked up at the yellow giant called Geel while laying flat on the ground.
"Aye...Aye..." Geel bent down and held Azul one-handed like a baby.
"Ah! Yes, now we march for the center!" Rouge rose up from the ground in a high salute before dashing for the front. "AHAHA! I shall make sure the way is clear!"
"That's a waste of time," Azul muttered to thin air as Rouge was already nothing but a small dot in the distance. "I don't get how that guy hasn't paid off his debt yet, working so hard." He flipped his coin into the air. "Shit!" But couldn't catch it, watching roll up to Greenbit.
"Better than a gambler who can't get a win, kukuku..." Greenbit chuckled at the blue knight, eyeing the coin in front of him. "...hmm?" After picking it up, he flicked it back to Azul. "Keep your toys to yourself."
"For the biggest debtor of us all, you don't seem all that interested in being free, huh?" Azul asked, earning a side glance from Greenbit, and for whatever reason, it seemed like his teeth grew out. "Geez, Geel, remind me not to joke around with the queen's favorite."
"I...do...but...you do-"
"Oh! Look, we're here!" Azul cut Geel short as they had come to town square, but a grim sight was waiting for them. "Oh?"
Slacked on top of eachother were the corpses of Lizardfolk right in the center of town with a murder of crows picking at the bodies. Arms, legs, tails, and heads were all thrown about as if a child was playing some morbid game of slaughter with its winner sitting in the middle of their 'trophies.'
Decked out in a suit of badly damaged and seemingly unuseable pitch black armor was another knight. Their armor was cracked all over, where the holes were one could see either bare skin or chainmail, their right gauntlet was missing replaced with bandages wrapped around their forearm, their helmet looked as if it was split open one time then patched back together by a random bit of iron, finally draped over their shoulders was a dark cape.
"And the black knight strikes again." Azul mused, getting down from Geel's arm and walked up to the corpse pile. "As terrifying as ever, my dear, Du. (pronounced Dee)" He continued with his fluttery, addressing the knight by name but his eyes weren't on Du resting in the mess of death, but the thing used to make it.
Behind Du was a flamberge, a large two-handed sword with wave-like curves running down its 5-foot long black as night blade. Black leather was wrapped around the ricasso taking about 6-inches out of the blade to act as extra grip if needed. Above the ricasso were 2 parrying hooks to keep its user's hand safe or catch an opponent's weapon. The sword's guard was a long and thick bar of iron that went 6-inches to the right after that was foot-long handle ending with a round ball pommel. In size, the sword was a full 6 feet and weighed in at an unusual 100 pounds.
"..." Despite the words of their comrade, Du stayed silent as they sat there, arms resting on their legs and their head hanging slightly forward always as if they were..."*Snort* Huh? What? Oh, it's you, jackasses?" A tired woman's voice escaped the helmet as she looked at her fellow knights. "Where's Weiss?" She asked, getting up from her death pile, causing the crows to fly off and came up to the same hight as her sword. "Come here you." With a simple tug, the flamberge was pulled out then swung over a shoulder.
"Probably off letting the town chief know that everything's fine," Azul answered, giving way for the giant lady knight with a playful bow. "Hmm?" Then once he came back up a shining silver gauntlet was there on his shoulder. "And the captain has arrived."
Looking down at Azul was a knight in a set of ornate silver armor that shined like the sun itself with not a speck of dirt anywhere on it, a dazzlingly white cape was thrown over their shoulders with 'R.K' sew into it.
"Late as ever, guild leader of the Rainbow Knights, Weiss, The Flash." Azul greeted the knight who appeared out of nowhere as if he was always there.
"Formal now aren't we? What did you do?" Weiss spoke in a calm man's voice bringing his mirrorlike faceplate to Azul's face. "Had a few more bets and lost?" He held up a pearly white spear with a banner of Ovis near its head also attached to its end was a length of red chain that wrapped around his right arm the only off-color on him.
"What's else would I be doing, sir?" Azul shrugged, watching his face in the helmet of Weiss and inched away fom him slowly.
"Your job," Wiess ordered, leaning on Azul then took off his helmet to show the face a dark-skinned man with piercing black eyes and curly black hair that went down his back. "I hope all is done?"
"I got mine." Du pointed a thumb at the pile behind her. "I'm getting some sleep at that inn over there." She started walking off, leaving the others to themselves.
"We took out any runners." Greenbit hissed, waving a hand at himself and Azul while poking at the bodies as if looking for something as drool dripped out of his mouth. "Nothing good here but you lot." He bit his fingers while turning back to his fellow knights.
"All...citizens...are...safe," Geel reported, leaning over the others acting like the shade of a tree.
"Good, then our work here is alway most done." Weiss nodded, hearing the good news from his men.
"Huh? Almost done? Didn't we come here to kill off a few talking lizards?" Du stopped in her tracks and turned back to Wiess.
"Well...it appears Lady Angelica has gotten into a bit of a fight with one of her siblings and we are to do battle with another guild to resolve it," Weiss informed his knights holding up a small hand mirror to them.
"And there's no saying 'no' Du," Angelica's voice came from the mirror as an image of herself appeared. "And Greenbit!" She quickly turned to the green knight, trying to hide behind Geel once he heard her voice.
"Sir?" He poked his head out from behind Geel's right leg as gloomy as his face was it looked even worse now.
"Make sure you win! Even if the others lose, I'd be happy if you win!" Angelica cheered for the sickly looking knight flashing him a silver smile then she turned to Du. "Oh, and I have some rather fruitful news for you, black knight." She said in a more ladylike tone.
"Hmm? For me? Did I pay my debt already?" Du asked all too confused by the little Ovis.
"Pfft! You're barely halfway there!" Angelica giggled at the dark knight's question. "Oh no, that's not it! It's just that the leader of my brother's guild happens to be from that town you grew up in Fairmaw, yes?"
"..." For a moment Du seemed to freeze in place then turned on her heel towards an exit out of the town. "Took that asshole long enough! Kept me waiting!" She began walking off without another word.
"Where are you off to a black knight? Weren't you going to sleep a moment ago?" Azul playfully skipped over to her side. "Ahh!" But didn't get too close as a one-handed swing cut the air between them. "Point that at a Dragon please?"
"I'm gonna hunt some monsters around town! And it looks like one of 'em is getting in my way!" Du snapped at Azul with an icy blue glow coming from the visor of her helmet.
"Monster? Where? I don't see anything but me...oh?" Azul whimpered with a face nearly as blue as his armor and backed away from Du until he was hiding behind Geel like Greenbit was with Angelica.
"Hmm? So, that must be this 'Blake' she talks about so much..." Weiss muttered, watching Du go off on her own not even thinking about stopping her. "...my lady, you met with them before calling me, yes? What do you think?"
"Weiss, I am not one who knows about fighting, and I only met with a few of them but..." Angelica started, pausing to stare at Du as well. "...I should warn you to be on your guard. If he's anything like her, then you might have your hands full."
"I see, I shall try my best not bring failure to you, my lady," Weiss promised with a bow, taking Angelica's words to heart.
"I will leave it in your hands, my knight, fare thee well," Angelica waved Weiss away then turned to Greenbit. "Okay, Greenbit! I love you! Bye bye!" She blew a kiss his way before her image cut off.
"I will never understand what the young lady see in you, friend?" Azul asked while being carried by Geel again.
"I'm cuuuuute!" Greenbit let a pair of snake-like tongues stick out of his mouth, trying to get one of them to lick Azul while Geel kept pushing him away. "Kukuku!"
"Enough of your playing my knights. We are not with the lady Angelica!" Weiss ordered, causing his knights to stop what they were doing and stand at attention or at least Geel did Azul kept flipping his coin and Greenbit laid on the ground looking at ants, but that's when Weiss realized something. "By the by, where is Rouge?"
----------------------------------------
Pirman west gate
"AHAHA! Where did the rest of my fellow knights get to now!?" The ruby red knight was proudly standing atop the west gate of Pirman, looking out into town for the rest of the Rainbow Knights. "Hmm? DU! Late for once now are we? That is a surprise!" He spotted Du accompanied by a murder of crows overhead. "Did you happen to see the oth-"
"You're in the wrong damn place, tomato head." Du walked right under the gate the knight was on with her eyes dead set on the forests and hills around the town. "There should be some stuff worth a warm up around here..." She reached into her chest plate and pulled out a necklace with a black gemstone inside one half of a gold pendant. "...come at me! Blake!
Chapter End