Out in the countryside
It has been about a day's worth of traveling since the group got out of Fairmaw, on the inside of cart which was quite spacious having enough room for a small kitchen and dining table along with an area that had a few hammocks hung up for sleep.
"..." On one of which was Blake napping. "AH!" Until the cart suddenly came to a full stop and knocked him out of his hammock and flat on his face.
"Owwww..." He groaned, getting up from the floor while checking if his nose was broken then walked over to the curtain that went to the driver's seat, pulling it back he found Risabeel and Mari,
"Ugh..." With Risabeel holding onto the reins with a troubled look on her face while Mari was giving her a judgmental look.
"So does anyone want to tell me what happened?" Blake asked, switching between the two of them while tapping a finger against his now crossed arms.
"Easy, she insisted on letting herself help so I gave her the reins and she crashed the cart," Mari explained, glaring at Risabeel then went into the cart for some reason.
"Oh...I am sorry for my clumsiness." Risabeel apologized quietly, not looking Blake in the eye until he patted her on the head. "Hmm?"
"Meh, don't worry about it, as long as nothing isn't broken too badly," Blake assured her then jumped off the cart to inspect the damage and got a big surprise. "How did that happen!?" Somehow while Risabeel was driving, she broke off one of the wheels and made it roll off somewhere. "Great. That's just wonderful." He groaned, which is when Mari came out from one of the side doors of the cart with a hammer and a bucket of nails. "Well, someone seems ready to work."
"Of course! I'm showing her how useless she is!" Mari cheered proudly, talking about Risabeel but then looked around confused. "...So? Where's the wheel?" She asked with a question mark appearing above her head.
"I think it went in there for a nice stroll," Blake answered, pointing to the entrance of a forest they crashed next to, seeing a trail made by the wheel.
"Then, I shall go forth and seek it out at once!" Risabeel exclaimed, coming down from the cart and was about to start her quest for the wheel. "Sir Blake?" But Blake stopped her by getting in front of her.
"We'll go get it together, but first let me try getting the cart out of the road before someone comes by while we're gone," Blake got back to the cart, and then after a few sluggish moves with only three wheels, it was parked under some trees that hid it from sight...Well, as long as someone didn't take a closer look, that is. "That should do it? Nash do me a solid and scare off anyone that comes by," Blake asked Nash as he untied him from the cart and with a nod from the horse everything was set. "Ok, let's get this fetch quest started!"
"Wait! Hold on, Blake!" Mari cried from inside the cart, digging around in there until she came out with a large basket in hand.
"Marius, why is it that you have brought along a basket?" Risabeel curiously asked as they started to enter the forest slowly getting surrounded by tree and bushes which allowed Risabeel to pull her hood down, letting her horns out in the open.
"I want to pick berries!" Mari cheered, waving the basket around as she skipped in front of Blake and Risabeel. "I wonder if Blake is going to get worried if I ran off a little?"
"Mari, stay where I can see you because if you get lost, I'm going to cut down every damn tree in this place looking for you and probably piss off a Treant or something," Blake called out to Mari, but she just kept going off on her own. "Why isn't she listening to me?" He asked himself then turned to Risabeel and was surprised to see her looking all around of the wheel even checking in some trees. "Uh, Risabeel, you sure are enthusiastic about finding that wheel, huh?"
"Ah! Well, of course, I am! It was by my clumsiness that it went missing in the first place, so I must correct this mistake!" Risabeel answered still in full search mode, getting further away from Blake by the second.
"Like I told you before, don't worry about it. Hey, Mari! Make sure you keep an eye out for the whe-!" When Blake turned to where Mari was, but she was gone. "...Hey, Risabeel, could you h-!" He turned back to Risabeel, but she was out of sight as well. "...Great, now the question is, did I lose them, or did they forget about me?" Blake asked himself, thinking that the latter was the answer, so he chose a random path and started walking on his own.
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Ten minutes later
"Huh, a lake?" After walking around aimlessly, Blake came to a lake in the middle of the forest with some bushes and boulders around it. "Sweet, all that walking made me a little thirsty," Blake muttered, going up to the lake to have a drink. "Hmm?" But some bubbles from the water's surface got his attention. "Oh shit!" He ducked into the bushes in the next second. "I really hope that's not a giant Pond Trapper."
After a few tense moments, some soft humming came from behind Blake as he was hiding, followed by the sound of water splashing around.
"Wait? Is someone there?" Blake thought, choosing to take a peek out from his cover and was rewarded with the sight of someone bathing. They had short blonde hair with long pointy ears sticking out from the sides of their head, and by the way, their body curved it was likely a girl. "Whoa! It's a girl and an Elf at that, maybe I should enjoy the show, hehe!" Blake quietly chuckled to himself, letting his perverted side come out.
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Forest dweller, Elf: They are known as the keen eyes and ears of the forest. Elves are masters of nature thanks to spending most of their long lives usually ten times that of a human in ancient forests where all kinds of animal and plant life can be found in abundance, which every Elf comes to know just as good as they know the back their hands.
Elves are also trained very early in their lives to use a bow and arrow to attack their enemies from afar with unmatched accuracy, and they also have exceptional magical abilities furthering their effectiveness in battle.
Items made from the ore of an Elf are swords, daggers, and bows.
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"It would be in your best interest not to stay hidden much longer stranger, and Elves have long ears for a reason." The Elfin girl hummed in a soft angelic voice which would usually be a delight to hear but right now it scared the shit out of Blake.
"Ahahaha..." Blake awkwardly laughed as he came out of the bushes and found the Elf looking back at him with a pair of lime green eyes that belonged to pretty face which also had a light blush across her face. The rest of her body was hidden under the water, leaving Blake disappointed, but he understood why she did it. "Sorry for taking a peek at you there." He apologized, trying his best to make sure he didn't sound too creepy.
"You really shouldn't since this is an open lake anyone could walk by and see me, then again? It is in the middle of a forest, so what are you doing you here?" The Elfin girl asked while keeping an eye on Blake before he tried anything on her.
"Uh, I came here looking for a wheel for my cart along with my sister and a friend, but I lost them too, haha!" Blake answered, rubbing the back of his head as he laughed. "...Oh! My name's Blake!" He introduced himself with a smile.
The Elf's eyes widened at hearing Blake's name. "Oh! Well, it's good to meet you, Blake, I'm-
"LU! LU! LU! LU!" An upbeat female voice came from a flying ball of green light that zoomed around the lake then went to the Elf's side. "There you are! Oh, my Goddess! I can't believe you're still taking that bath of your's, geezzzz!" The light yelled at the Elf's as it darted around her like a fly.
"What is that thing?" Blake had to focus hard to keep track of it.
"Annnnnnnnd? Who the heck is this guy?!" The light asked after shooting right into Blake's face allowing him to see that it was a female Fairy who had bright green hair that was tied in two long pigtails and sky blue eyes, on her back were a pair of beautiful yellow butterfly wings, and she wore a green dress made of leaves.
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Forest dweller, Fairy: The gentle voices of the trees, Fairies are usually small but some are the same size as humans but either way, they are graceful beings who have a great connection with the world as a whole. Some are born from flowers, other out of the very mana of the world, and then there are those who find the ones they love and start a family.
They control many of the elements, but most are linked to nature, allowing them to grow plants almost anywhere as long as there is some soil around. Fairies and Elves share a great relationship, often working together to protect their homes from all kinds of attackers.
Items made from the Ore of Fairies are usually wands and rings.
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"Uhm? I'm Blake..." Blake answered, backing away from the Fairy because she was a little too close for his liking.
"Why are you backing away? Huh? HUH!?!" The Fairy asked, floating closer to him then looked back at the Elf she called Lu then back at Blake, and her face turned red. "KYAH! LU! THIS GUY WAS PEEPING ON YOU! I SAW HIM! I SAW HIM! I SAW HIM!" She screamed, dashing towards Blake's feet and let out some glowing green dust from her hands which instantly made vines sprouted out from the ground and wrap around Blake's legs.
"Whoa! Hey! Put me down! You crazy Fairy!" Blake yelled at the Fairy as he was held upside down by the vines.
"Like hell! I'd ever do that you perverted peeping tom!" The Fairy yelled back at Blake then made one of the vines cover his mouth to shut him up.
"Rena, would you please let him go?" Lu asked politely while also giving out the Fairy's name.
"Why should I!? He peeped on you?" Rena asked with a confused face as she flew into Lu's face.
"Because it's my fault of bathing out in the open like this," Lu answered, defending Blake and hoped that Rena would understand.
"Hmm?" Rena turned upside down in the air to think it over then sighed when Lu kept looking at her. "...Fine, but you're too nice, sometimes." With a flick of her finger, Rena caused the vines to quickly unwrap Blake leaving him floating in the air of a bit until gravity caught up with him and he fell.
"Ow! That's the second time for today." Blake groaned, rubbing his back then stared at Rena. "I thought Fairies were supposed to be all nice and helpful?"
"Yeah? Well, that's only in your baby fairy tales, pervert!" Rena answered bashfully then flew to Blake and stuck out her tongue.
"I'm sorry about her, Blake, Rena's my Fairy Partner, and she tends to get a little...overprotective..." Lu apologized for Rena sinking into the water out of embarrassment.
"Hey! Don't get like that, Lu." Both Blake and Rena said at the same time. "Huh?" Which caused the two to look at each other. "Ahah!" Then shared a laugh.
"Hehe! Sorry about calling you a pervert and for the vines." Rena apologized, floating around him to get a good look at him.
"Hah! No worries, you were just keeping your friend safe. I can understand that." Blake accepted Rena's apology then a small cough from Lu got his attention. "Huh? What's up, Lu?"
"Well...I want to get out and put something on...so could you...?" Lu started then trailed off, sinking into the water only letting her eyes show.
"Wha...?" It took Blake a moment to realize what Lu was asking him. "Sorry!" Then he turned quickly around the next moment. "..." While looking away, he could hear Lu coming out of the water and moving around some bushes. "Hmm?" Then he noticed something moving towards the lake. "There they are." He smiled when it turned out to be Risabeel and Mari. "Hey, guys!"
"Ah! Sir Blake, I have been searching all over for you, but I am glad to have found you!" Risabeel waved with a joyous smile on her face from not only finding Blake but also because she was rolling the lost wheel. "And with this, I can correct my mistake!"
"Still means you're useless for breaking it off in the first place," Mari muttered, causing Risabeel to hide under her hood as she walked up to Blake with her basket filled with berries of all different colors. "Here! Try some, Blake!" She cheered, lifting the basket over her head for Blake.
"Weird, I thought you'd reacted more uh differently because of Lu?" Blake asked, taking a few berries from the basket and popped one in his mouth. "Hey, these are pretty good thanks!"
"Lu? Is that the name of the boy behind you, Sir Blake?" Risabeel asked since Mari was trying to get Blake to have more berries.
"Huh?" Blake was confused now, looking at Risabeel like she grew another head. "Did you just say, boy, Risabeel?" He asked to be sure, and she nodded, making him turn around quickly to Lu.
The Elf was dressed in tight black pants, brown knee-high boots and a currently had a half-buttoned vest which was black in the front and green in the back, showing showed off a flat yet slightly muscular chest and his shocked face quickly turned red from Blake's staring and made him hide in some of the bushes.
"..." Blake let one of the sweet berries he had in his mouth fall out as he just stared off at nothing until the words came to him. "You're a guy!?! B-b-but why were you hiding from me earlier?"
"Ah...uhm...well...I just hadn't had that much experience dealing with humans before, so I freaked out a little," Lu answered nervously only coming out after he finished buttoning his vest then put on a dark green cape that went down to his lower back. "And my full name is Lutwig, Lutwig of Naworth, I am the fifth son of my father Luthais and the second son of my mother, Ara." He introduced himself properly with a light bow.
"And I'm Rena a Forest Fairy! Annnd, more importantly, Nature's Princess! Nice to meet you!" Rena introduced herself with some made up title by the look Lu was giving her then flew around Risabeel and Mari.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
"Oh, it is a pleasure to meet you both. I am Risabeel." Risabeel greeted, doing her usual curtsy.
Mari, on the other hand, was utterly mystified by Rena staring at her all googly eyed. "...A Fairy..."
"Hehe, looks like I've got a fan, hehe!" Rena giggled, flying over to Mari and waved her hands around Mari's head, making a crown of flowers for her.
"Wait? Naworth? This that some giant forest to the east? That's pretty far from here? What are you doing out here, Lutwig?" Blake asked, remembering that Naworth was at least two months of traveling from here if you were going the fast way.
"We are on a quest for the capital city of Gorz," Lutwig answered then thought to himself for a bit. "...And if you want, you can call me Lu, since Rena does it so much."
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Gorz, the capital city of the Laudonia Kingdom, ruled over by King Loth Penfenics, who rose to power after taking over the land with the help of a powerful witch, a wealthy Nobleman and many others who followed him after he departed from his home kingdom, located on the western edge of Laudonia. After claiming Laudonia as his, he turned the land into a great and famed empire known around the world quickly becoming the envy of other kings and rulers.
Within the kingdom, there are many other territories where the king's rule is not absolute. One of these is Naworth, a vast forest that acts as the home of nearly all Elves, Fairies, and other kinds of Forest dwellers who live in Laudonia and is ruled over by an ancient Elfin king named Dewran, who not only shares talks with King Loth but once fought alongside and against him a number of times.
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"Oh? Cool! Sure thing, Lu..." Blake went along with it, then got an idea. "...we're actually on our way to Gorz too, maybe we should get there together? What do you say, Lu?" He offered, turning back to Risabeel and Mari to make sure it was ok with them.
Lu was a little shocked by Blake's offer for some reason, well, mostly due to his shyness around humans. "Blake, do you mind if I ask you a question?" He asked finally after thinking it over.
"You just did Lu but go right ahead man," Blake answered, joking with the Elf a little and was smiling as Rena and Mari were playing around with each other.
"Are you by chance what they call a Smith-Knight?" Lu asked with a serious look on his feminine face, but his question did get a surprising look out of Blake. "By your reaction, I can see that is a 'yes' then that means Risabeel is a Demon which you have turned into an item and she has lost her memory correct?" He asked another question looking over to Risabeel.
"Wait...what?!" Blake was shocked now not only was Lutwig able to tell that he was a Smith-knight, but he knew what happened to Risabeel too. "Ok, Elf boy just got a lot more interesting..." Blake thought, keeping his guard up as he backed away from Lu. "So, are you going to tell me how you know all of that, Lutwig?"
"Of course, I will, but first I need to make sure of something," Lu answered, walking over to a bush near the lake and pulled out a bow and a quiver filled with arrows. "I would like to have a duel with you first, Smith-knight, Blake." He demanded, putting the quiver around his back and readied his bow.
"A dual, huh? Well? If that's the only way to get you to talk, then I'll bring it! Risabeel! Come over here, would you?" Blake declared, calling over to Risabeel.
"Yes, Sir Blake, what is that you want?" Risabeel asked then noticed Lu looking ready for a fight. "Is something the matter with Sir Lutwig?" She asked, getting behind Blake.
"Oh? He's got something to tell us, but first, we need to beat it out of him," Blake explained simply to Risabeel.
"But Sir Blake if we do that then Sir Lutwig will learn of my being a Demon," Risabeel warned, but Blake didn't obey her, flipping her hood off so that her horns would show. "Kyaaah! Sir Blake, why?!" She screamed, frantically trying to fix her hood back on.
"Huh?" Rena looked over when Risabeel screamed, and her eyes widen at seeing Risabeel's horns. "LU! LU! LU! SHE'S A DEMON! SHE'S A DEMON! DEMON!" She yelled, zooming over to Lu's side in a flash then she stared at Blake who waved at her. "BLAKE'S A SMITH-KNIGHT! A SMITH-KNIGHT! LU?! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME!?"
"Yes, I am listening, Rena, now get ready for a fight please," Lu answered, causing Rena to fly into his arrow quiver followed by a puff green dust.
"Sir Blake?" Risabeel questioned, confused by what was happening.
"See, Risabeel? They know about us somehow, and the only way to know is to kick their butts," Blake explained to Risabeel then held out his hand for her.
"I suppose so, Sir Blake, then let us do battle." Risabeel agreed with Blake taking his hand, but after a few moments, nothing happened. "Uhm, Sir Blake? How do I transform?"
Blake just stared back at her blankly. "...How the hell would I know Risabeel? You're the one who can turn into a sword. I don't know? Think sword?" Blake answered, scratching the back of his head.
"Hmm? That may work? I will try..." Risabeel nodded before closing her eyes to think deeply about turning into a sword and then came the feeling of power welling up inside of her and in that instant, she was turned into a cyclone of purple mana that then turned into a sword and floated in the air long enough for Blake to catch her. "Sir Blake, did it work?"
"Alright, it did it!" Blake cheered with purple mana going to his head that turned into a pair of black horns. "Alright, Lu! Let's g-! What?!" When he turned to face Lu, the Elf was gone. "When and where did he go?" Blake asked, looking around for Lu while keeping Risabeel at the ready.
"Blake! Up there!" Mari called out, pointing to a far-off tree where Lu was aiming at Blake and fired an arrow.
"Oh shit!" Blake reacted quickly, deflecting the arrow as it hit the ground next to him. "Great, he got into a sniping spot...while Risabeel and I were talking." Blake thought ready to block another arrow while also thinking of a way to get closer to Lu without getting used as target practice.
"Sir Blake! Behind us!" Risabeel warned from the gem of the sword as a large vine sprouted out from the arrow getting around one of Blake's legs.
"Nope! Not again!" Blake slashed at the vine freeing his leg and caused the rest of the vine to wiggle around like a snake without a head. "Huh?" Blake noticed that the arrow was giving off some of Rena's green dust. "Ok, so they use plant growing arrows, tricky." He muttered, kicking off some of the vine left on his leg then turned back to Lu but... "Dammit!" ...he was already gone from the tree. "Ok, Risabeel, keep a look out for them."
"I will, Sir Blake," Risabeel assured him and as soon as she did a volley of arrows rained down on them from the trees around them. "Sir Blake!"
"I see them!" Blake yelled, choosing to either dodge or deflect the arrows only allowing them to hit the ground and sprouted up more vines that chased after Blake. "Well, this isn't helping," Blake muttered, getting surrounded by vines and more arrows were coming down on him. "Time for some gardening!" Blake cheered, pulling back while charging Risabeel with purple mana. "Demon Slash!" He sent out a powerful wave of mana that cleaved through the vines and kept going chopping down the trees in its path.
"Sir Blake, there!" Risabeel cried as Lu jumped out from one of the fallen trees.
"Huh? I really just wanted to get rid of those vines, but that's good too!" Blake smirked, making a bee-line for Lu before he could do anything else.
"That was unexpected, Rena, I need a smokescreen," Lu pulled out an arrow that was covered in green dust then aimed at Blake with it. "Pollen Shot!" He shouted, letting the arrow fly.
"Pollen?" Blake asked, dodging the arrow, but when he did, Lu pulled his bow's string and caused the arrow to explode into a light green cloud of pollen. "Tsk, Dammit! I can't see!" The cloud blinded Blake's eyes. "Ngh!" But before he could make a move to get out, an arrow hit him in the right arm. "Shit! That hurt!" He groaned, pulling the arrow out... "Fuck!" ...only to get another one to his left leg. "Not good." He thought as another one came in. "Shit!" This time he was able to deflect it. "Any ideas, Risabeel?"
"Why not go up, Sir Blake?" Risabeel offered, causing Blake to look up seeing an opening in the pollen cloud. "To the right!" She warned, allowing Blake to deflect an arrow from that direction.
"Thanks, and good call!" Blake went along with Risabeel's plan, jumping into the air. "Oh?" When he got out of the pollen cloud, an arrow was right in his face.
"Done." Lu declared, seeing Blake fall back into the pollen cloud, causing it to disappear and showed Blake with an arrow sticking out of his head. "Let's hope that didn't kill him." He hoped slowly walking over to Blake with an arrow ready just in case.
"Good idea, Lu, if what that old man said was true then he's got Demon powers right? So an arrow to the head wouldn't kill him." Rena popped out of the quiver as Lu got closer to Blake.
"Yea, you're right, but he said that Blake would only be a part Demon, so I'm not sure on how that works," Lu responded to Rena looking at her for a split second. "AH!" Which was all it took for something to hit his legs and down he went. "What!" Then Risabeel was stabbed next to his face with Blake sitting on top of him.
"Hehe, I got ~you~" Blake playfully sang out with the arrow shot at him in his mouth. "So do I win?" He asked, edging Risabeel closer to Lu's face trying to scare him.
"Heh! Fine, I give," Lu admitted, letting go of an arrow he was holding next to Blake's side ready to stab into him.
"Aren't Elves suppose to be a bit more classy in the way they fight?" Blake asked, getting off Lu and held out a hand to help him up.
"That's only because you humans don't know anything about Elves!" Rena protested, coming out of Lu's quiver and flew into Blake's face. "They're ruthless killers that strike fear into their enemies from afar while raining down countless arrows or taking them from behind with a daggeearAAAHHH!" She screamed when Blake blew her away; thankfully, she was caught by Mari.
"Ok, Risabeel, change back by thinking, uh, you?" Blake said, letting go of Risabeel as she changed back to normal. "Great! It worked; now it's time to talk, Lu." He turned to Lu soon after. "How the hell do you know about us?"
"Well, I'm not sure if you'll believe me, but a Seer told us about you..." Lu answered, putting his bow through one of his arms. "...He said that one day, I would find a man with red hair who is traveling with two girls his sister and a Demon who can turn into a sword thanks to the man being a Smith-knight."
"You're right. I don't believe you, Lu. Most Seers are usually either fakes or really crazy people," Blake muttered, thinking to himself for a bit then sighed. "But from what you just said I need to change my view of that." He had to admit it since Lu and Rena knew that much. "Meh, whatever let's just get the wheel fixed and then we're off to Gorz, right, Lu?" Blake asked, picking up the wheel Risabeel found and started walking back to the cart followed by Risabeel and Mari who had Rena sitting on her shoulder.
"Huh? Blake! Wait!? There's more I need to tell you!" Lu cried, running after them.
"Hmm? What else is there to say?" Blake asked, looking at Lu a little confused then started walking off without a second thought.
"He said when I find this person that I should become friends with him because he will be the one to help shape my fate!" Lu yelled, stomping his feet on the ground, causing everyone else to look at him.
"Huh? I really don't know anything about fate or that kind of stuff..." Blake started as he walked over to Lu and smiled at the Elf. "...but? If it's a friend, you want the more I have, the better!" He declared cheerfully and then held out his arm for Lu.
"Heh! Then you have a friend, Blake," Lu nodded, taking Blake's arms in his.
"And ME too!" Rena cheered from Mari's shoulder then flew to their arms as they shook on it.
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Back at the forest entrance
"Hey, Nash, I hope you've been keeping an eye on the cart for me?" Blake called out to Nash as he and the gang were coming out of the forest and as they did, they came to the sight of a hooded figure feeding Nash an apple. "And who the hell are you?" Blake asked the stranger while going back and forth on whether or not he should smack them with the wheel.
"Oh, dear me! I am sorry, is this fine animal, yours?" The stranger asked in a very faint and wispy voice and turned around, revealing a horribly aged man. He had sickly pale and wrinkled skin with a bony face and hands that had long fingernails looking more like claws than hands; finally, all he had for hair were a few small strings of grey around his head. "Hmm?" The old man stared at Blake with dead black eyes devoid of any light.
"How the hell is this guy alive?" Blake thought, seeing that the old man was a day or two from death's door taking a step back. "Uh, yea it is, again...who are you?"
"This is the Seer I was talking about, Blake," Lu answered for the old man, but oddly enough he was surprised as well. "But we have been apart for a week."
"Hmm? Is that little Lutwig, I hear?" The Seer asked with his voice going up, but it sounded like it was hurting him to do it. "Then that means? This one is Blake!" He cheered, pointing one of his fingers at Blake then he turned to Risabeel. "And you are Risabeel a pleasure, my dear, Wekikikiki!" He giggled, showing ragged and/or missing teeth as he smiled.
"Oooookay, stay right there, old dude," Blake warned, putting an arm in front of Risabeel.
"This is the guy who told you about Blake?" Mari whispered to Rena while they watched from the sidelines.
"Yep! I don't get him, either." Rena answered and shook her head.
"Oh, and there's the young Marius, Wekikikikiki!" The Seer giggled out creepily while rubbing his hands together.
"THAT'S IT! BACK OFF OR I'LL PUT YOUR OLD ASS DOWN!" Blake yelled, grabbing the old man by his collar and tried lifting him off the ground, dropping the wheel in the process. "What the?" That was the plan, but Blake wasn't able to move the old guy an inch.
"Wekikiki! Getting a little touchy are we? Blake, my boy?" The Seer wheezed at Blake's struggling then he poked Blake in the arm drawing blood thanks to his long sharp nails that hurt like a bee sting.
"Ngh!" Blake flicked a little from the sting, letting go. "Grrr! Crazy old man what was that for!?!" He yelled, about to throw a punch when the Seer licked the blood off his finger. "That's disgusting!" Blake instantly drew back from the Seer while making an 'x' with his arms.
"Wekikikiki! These nails are how I use my power to see into one's fate, Blake, my boy!" The Seer cheered, beginning to crack his fingers then arms then pretty much every other part of his body that could make a 'pop' ending it off by snapping his neck to one side. "Now then are you ready for your fortune to be told, my boy?" He asked, smiling at Blake with some new found life to his voice.
"I have the feeling that no matter what I say you're going to anyway...so go ahead," Blake answered, having lost the will to argue with the Seer.
"Good, good, goooood...then I will begin, but I'm only able to see as far as your arrival at the City of Gorz at the moment." The Seer explained, closing his eyes as he started to sway from left to right. "Hmm? Very grim, very grim indeed, I can see. You! Blake, the Smith-Knight, will face many ordeals on your journey from this day forward, first you shall be engulfed in the flames of a winged beast, I see you facing against a user of magic in a contest to claim a dungeon, then you will be carried into the skies away from your comrades, Wekikikiki! I see a wild beast that will hunt you down through a forest along with its pack..." The Seer stopped suddenly, allowing his head to hang and stayed like that for a full minute.
"I-is, he dead?" Blake asked, walking up to the Seer and was going to poke him when the old man grabbed Blake's hand suddenly in an iron vice. "AHH! LET GO! LET GO!" Blake screamed, trying hard to get his hand free in doing so he knocked the old man's head back, showing that he was sleeping thanks to the large stream of drool running down from his mouth. "He's asleep?!"
"Uh, yeah, he did the same thing with us, heh..." Lu pointed out with a drop of sweat running down his head as he laughed awkwardly. "But your fortune was a bit darker than I thought it would be."
"Yea, it was, granted not all fortunes are good ones...hahaha!" Blake said, looking at Lu then only to start uncontrollably laughing because something was tickling his hand that was grabbed. "Wait? The old dude is holding my hand?" Blake thought, turning back to the Seer and found him making circles on Blake's hand with one of his fingers.
"You have such soft skin for someone in your line of work, Blake, my boy." The old man stated, giving Blake a crooked smile. "There is something I forgot to add to your fortune...well? Two somethings really...the first, is that you will meet a creature who does not have a consistent form while faced with another magic users, and the other thing is the darkest one you are being watched by someone who wishes to take something from you so be careful, Blake, my boy." He warned, letting go of Blake's hand.
"Thanks for that, I guess?" Blake said reluctantly and pulled his hand away from the Seer and pretty much his whole body.
"It is my duty and my pleasure to look into one's fate." The Seer said, rubbing his hands together as if waiting for something.
At hearing that Blake got an idea. "Then, could you look into Risabeel's past and see who she is?" He asked, pointing over to Risabeel.
"Ah yes, that would shed some light on myself," Risabeel agreed, walking up to the old man to have him read her, but he raised a hand to stop her. "Hmm? Is there a problem, wise Seer?"
"I'm sorry, my lady, but I am only able to look into one person's fate a day." The Seer answered, then he held out a hand for Blake. "Also, a fortune reading is ten gold coins, my boy, wekikikiki!"
"WHAT!? TEN GOLD COINS FOR ONE READING!" Blake yelled, grabbing the Seer again, but the same result came like before. "OW!" With the Seer stabbing Blake with one of his long nails. "Dammit! Cut those things, will you!"
"Wekikikiki! Never, these are my only way of defending myself and using my powers, now pay up or else!" The seer warned.
"Crazy old dude, freaking long ass nails..." Blake grumbled that and some other things as he went into the cart and came back with a bag of coins and gave ten gold to the Seer. "There and I bet you want a ride to Gorz too?" He asked, thinking that the Seer would jump at the chance but to Blake's shock, the Seer shook his head.
"That is kind of you, Blake, my boy, but I shall get to Gorz under my own accord." The Seer answered and held his fingernails together.
"...Well, then I've got something else to deal with right now, old man" Blake muttered, picking up the wheel off the ground. "Hey, Lu! Mind giving me a hand with this thing for a bit?"
"Sure thing," Lu answered, going over to help Blake with repairing the cart.
10 minutes later
"Well, that looks good," Blake muttered after he and Lu were done fixing the cart's wheel and gave it a few good kicks to make sure it didn't fall off again. "Alright! Everyone time to pack up and head out!" He called the girls over while Lu was retying Nash to the cart. "Hmm?" He turned to the Seer who was sitting crossed legs on a rock. "Are you sure you're going to be ok, old dude?"
"Oh, such a soft heart you have, Blake, my boy, and keep it so, for a heart like that is the kind that brings many allies to you..." The Seer advised then hanged his head like before and droplets of drool hitting the ground.
"Uh huh? I will." Blake nodded, backing away from the sleeping man and got up into the cart to grab Nash's reins. "Ok, Nash! Get a move on!" He declared, giving the reins a crack causing Nash to move out.
Once they were gone, the old Seer looked up at the sky. "...I am sure you will, Smith-knight, Blake Wekikikiki!"
Chapter End