The air around felt neither warm nor cool, almost as if the energy states of the very molecules themselves could not decide what to be. The wind breezed, carrying forth sounds of all types and kinds.

She could hear many things. The shrubs of grass bending from the wind’s touch; the leaves of trees doing the same, some being carried away; the symphony of avians and other such creeds of life about, both near and afar; not to mention, of course, the ever-familiar sounds of those turning wheels and clopping hooves.

Hearing was all that she could really do the past day-and-a-half or so since they recontinued their stalled journey. And whenever she was in the position to be allowed to see, all she could see…was a landscape of ever-growing familiarity.

The species of trees, shrubs, grass, and other flora were becoming more similar to that which had been so thoroughly engraved into her very mind and memories…

The Huckleberry Dutchy was approaching, she could tell. They were finally close to arriving. Once again, that locality was to be her designated area of operations. She knew this, obviously, from the very beginning of this journey. Yet, oddly, she had not truly…thought about it or…contemplated it.

However, as it was becoming more and more apparent that, indeed, she would, in fact, soon be back in that exact locality…strange feelings were beginning to intrude, bleeding out from her mind’s shadow. Strange feelings that…felt even stranger…in chest and stomach. She knew these feelings, yet she could not comprehend them; to even attempt would only make everything a flattened numb.

So strange these feelings were, her hyper-plastic senses felt…distracted and almost impaired, not adapting as proficiently as they should.

Despite the fact she had been recently ambushed—shot in the head, even—by those apparent goblins, the only thing her mind could think about was that ambush… those unknowns and that carnage. After all, those unknown highlights were not designated as a classification of local, denizen, or probable-denizen contacts. They were pure grey highlights: unknown, unidentifiable, and undocumented. And they were seemingly far more equal to her and the Remnant than mere denizens.

Indeed, despite the similarities, those two events were completely and utterly incomparable, at least…to her. Ambushed and…defeated…while part of a greater operation involving many and while at her fullest capabilities…

What if they were still operating in that Huckleberry locality? She wondered… Could they detect Bee or her other Remnant technologies? They could somehow track Remnant trooper-pings apparently—a task not even the Remnant’s proper enemies could do easily. Thus, logically…if they had such a capability, then…they should be able to track…

Yet if they could, why was she not…found by them yet?

She was not…necessarily worried about herself…in a sense, for if those unknowns were still operating and could track such things, and thus ended up finding her, she would engage them and make their existence…not-so-pleasant before inevitably being killed.

That would be fine for her.

But…as her mind had been constantly reminding her…she was not alone. Could being around these denizens she was with…shield her due to those unknowns’ apparent aversions…or be a detriment to the denizens themselves?

After all, those unknowns were willing to cause quite the…scene…before… She had little reason to believe they would not be so willing to do so again.

Truly, despite it being so very clear to her by now that this continent was full of local dangers far more warranting of caution and concern, those unknowns persisted in being the target of her mind’s fixation, nevertheless.

Antica sighed as she scooted herself around, her face now facing in the opposite direction of any would-be peering eyes, towards the scenery…once behind now in front. She opened her ignited eyes, staring out from the wagon’s edge, arms almost dangling out.

Her vision needed a moment to readjust before the blob of unprocessed light turned into proper sight. Despite the many similarities, the world around was still…different enough. That ambush had befallen in a different part of the locality towards which they were approaching, such was evident.

There were three mountains of sorts afar in her sight, she noticed, the tips of which were glistening in white.

« …Nipha? » Snow… She knew what such was, but she did not know…if she had experienced it. She logically knew she must have had, yet…not at all in any of the lingering memories her eternal mind still held onto. Though, there was…still a familiarity deep down within, one that she could not describe… let alone…comprehend.

Antica sighed again and turned herself back around, closing her eyes at the same time as she faced forward and towards the rest again.

Silence. It was so silent, besides those prior aforementioned sounds. Such was the case since they had begun their journey with these adventurers of sorts. Despite initially bantering, neither she nor Novea were speaking with these ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ characters often. Novea and Antica would occasionally…quietly discuss between themselves during a travel break, with Blue and Red also whispering among themselves in kind every now and then.

This state of communicative segregation was one that the man, Red, seemed to prefer.

Yet Blue…on the other hand…

“Were you…looking out there for a moment? I mean, you turned yourself around and it looked as though you were a bored girl aimlessly peering. However… Hmm… So, you can actually see with your eyes? If so, then… why must you keep them shut?” Blue, sitting in front of Antic and next to Novea, innocently inquired.

« … » Antica remained enigmatically silent.

“She has her reasons. It is better not to ask.” Novea, situated next to Blue, frankly stated.

Blue puckered somewhat, her icy-blue eyes glancing. “Hmm…” her breaths murmuringly whined; “We have spent almost more than one full night together, I was hoping that you two would open up at least a little” she stated; “Yet…we have hardly been speaking…”

“Good.” Red, at the helms of this driving wagon, bluntly interposed; “You won’t be getting those Bureau-bugs to open up, not one bit… So, don’t waste your time; the less we know, the better”.

Blue gave her partner a scowling glare; “Hrmm…” she grumbled.

“…” Red did not need to turn his eyes around to feel her piercing glare. He merely went silent.

Blue sighed, returning her eyes to Novea and Antica; “It has been far too long…since I have been in the company of fellow ladies, so… I was hoping for some…gal-moments, you know?” she…admitted, not lowly in voice…as much as…slightly disappointed.

A rather odd voice this one had, indeed; a fusion of sorts between a rather formal voice and…an informal voice; a mix between a burgeoning adventurer and person of education.

Novea…simply glanced; “It is not necessary to…have discourse. As Red just said: the less you know, the better. All that is required is our transportation.” she stated candidly.

“And you helping us. Remember our deal—we’ve got business, and you’re helping, Bureau-bug” Red standoffishly interposed.

“Rightly. That also. But remember our priorities, Dragon Slayer.” Novea replied in kind.

So odd, indeed, it was to see Novea act more like…Antica herself. Quiet, static, blunt, even the speaking was more like hers. All a persona, of course, yet Antica had not seen this ‘Raven-persona’ side of Novea… Or at least, she had not seen such continuously retained for this length of time. Over the course of their travels since departing Coastfield, Novea had seemed more like a talker sort than a quiet type; so, the difference was…perhaps interesting…

Blue’s glance at Novea shifted more to a stare; “Wait, so you are familiar with…Red?” she inquired with a gentle tilt to her head.

“We are aware of some details.” Novea admitted; such was an obvious truth, no reason to be ambiguous about it. Though, as she was no receptionist or part of the Guild’s administration, she did not know every detail—only what she had overheard.

Red sighingly grumbled; “Mhm…of course… Bet those Bureau-eggs have a whole batch of documents dedicated to me…” he sarcastically stated.

“You are not that relevant, Red.” Novea stated bluntly.

“Peh” he pehed.

Blue could not help but nearly laugh from this exchange; “Ouch, she got you good there, Reddy” she remarked with a teasing smile, glancing at him.

Red turned his head, looking at her; “Blue, they aren’t your friends and don’t want to be. Stop trying to talk to them and being all cutesy and girly with them.” he so candidly stated.

“Hmph, you still have not told me why” Blue countered with a gentle grumble; “Who are they? What is the ‘Bureau’?”

“I told you I’ll…explain later—not with them around.” he replied.

“You really do not know?” Novea…decided to inquire.

Blue returned her glance to her; “Nope!” She smiled, “I am…still kind of…naive to the Guild and its workings—I have only been at this adventuring stuff for a little over a year-and-half”.

Novea resisted the urge to tilt her head slightly; “One year-and-a-half…and you are already Bronze?”

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“Seemingly so!” Blue replied with a charm; “I mean, beforehand, I was already doing freelancer work… mainly as a freezer, but the traders I would accompany would often encounter…difficulties, so I think that might have given me…experience”.

“I see.” Novea replied; “That is still impressive…” Indeed, it was, even by the Guild’s standards.

“And before you even bother getting stupid thoughts, it was all legitimate—she’s a talented spellcaster” Red…abruptly interposed.

“That is inferable.” Novea replied, eyeing him; “Unless you have something you must admit? Odd to say that if you were innocent.”

“Yeah, no… We ain’t playing that, you know why I said that. Start trying to play that game, and I will toss you off the wagon myself” he so standoffishly replied.

“Red…” Blue gave him rather the certain glare, unamused.

Red…grumbled as he went silent again.

Blue sighed; “It might seem hard to believe, but that man-boy is actually quite soft on the inside…” she remarked.

“Oh, certainly…” Novea’s voice was perhaps…rather unconvinced.

Antica…simply sat there, listening. She had no idea who this man was nor what he was to the Guild. It was clear Novea knew. It was clear everyone else seemed to know. Besides, of course, she herself. This was…perhaps irritating to her deep down within, especially since she was ordered not to speak; everyone seemingly had a frame of reference she did not have, and she could not even ask.

Yet abruptly, outside of Red’s control, the wagon began to drift and shift, turning off-road and onto the grass around.

Red hughed; “Great… Guess its break time, fantastic…” he grumbled.

“We already had one recently… I guess he must be…becoming extra tired due to the added weight…” Blue remarked.

“Extra lazy, more like…” Red muttered frankly in reply.

-|-

Silence and static motionlessness. Antica stood in place with the wagon near and behind, as she often seemed to do during such stops. Blue and Red were…off attending to whatever needed to be attended. Red did not allow Blue to do such alone, it seemed; rather protective, indeed, she could infer from his voice.

Since those two were…somewhere off in the distance near yet unseen, Antica was able to open her eyes and stare around… Though, there was not much to look at; nothing she had not seen dozens of times already.

Novea, not needing to attend to any such needs presently, was around, however… though not necessarily next to Antica. Rather, indeed, Novea was taking this opportunity of solitude to…evaluate the…thing which was so driving forth this primitive wooden…wheeled box of a wagon.

That so-called ‘unicorn’…

Ever since they had begun accompanying these adventurers, Antica was staying clear and away from that…thing. She has yet to even…stare at it that much, besides, perhaps, a single glance when she was able.

It was nothing more than a horned equine; yet she knew it was not an animal, rather a chimera…and thus had chimeric essence—‘magical’, as the locals would call it. And something about that unicorn…was consistently instilling her with this…strange…guarded…uneased tension, one which bled out from her always active essence into her mind.

Indeed, she did not trust that unicorn whatsoever; she did not want to be near it.

Novea, however, was not at all experiencing such senses. In fact, she has been, since the first encounter, rather interested in it. Whenever Red and Blue were absent, she would take the opportunity to just…stare at it and, as of now, bother it—something Antica’s deepest consciousness and very essence were adamantly against.

Hmm… However, it was more than one-and-a-half days or so since…Antica was so tossed in the presence of this…thing. So, she might as well…evaluate it too since she was…perhaps…admittedly curious.

With a sigh, Antica began to walk…to the wagon’s front, before standing next and near to Novea who was simply…petting it. A majestic, glimmering, almost magically radiant, horned equine. Yet her essence remained vigilant; she remained guarded. Unable to relax; unable to be at ease.

“To think Tinkleberry got razed to the ground over…something like this” Novea…suddenly remarked as she caressed the unicorn’s silky…soft coating. The unicorn itself was standing statically still, indifferent in absolute.

“Hmm?” Antica replied in mumble, “explain…”

“I haven’t heard you…speak in a while… Missed your voice…” Novea…slipped, before swiftly aheming in fluster; “Ahem—Rightly, anyway… Rightly, you don’t know… I said before…that—”

“This ‘Tinkleberry’ place was destroyed” Antica completed.

“Yeah, the Rejinards sent a whole expedition to sack and annihilate it, massacred most of the people and apparently enslaved the rest… all because Tinkleberry…tried to rob them of a unicorn—most expensive thing in…all the world, worth well more than Tinkleberry ever was…” Novea explained… “I don’t even know how good ol’ Dragon Slayer got one, not even sure if the Bureau knows this or not… I wish I could ask”.

“Then, simply ask?” Antica stated.

“I cannot” Novea simply replied.

“Why?” Antica simply asked.

“Same reason for why Red doesn’t want to speak with me or you, get to know us, or be cordial” Novea answered with…not necessarily an answer.

“…who is that adventurer, anyway?” Antica finally asked.

“…a certain man with a certain history; like I said, it’s…complicated…and I don’t think…I have the time explain, they could be back any time now…” Novea replied.

Antica sighed… Another time, then. “Well, what makes this ‘unicorn’ or whatever so…valuable?” she asked instead.

“Well, besides them being…so… I mean, just…look at him… I can’t even…ahem—besides that, uhm… they are a magical creature native to the New World and are exceptionally rare… Apparently the elven realms of the New World say these are among the most purest of magical beasts in the entire world… practically half-spirit” Novea explained; “Most want to try to breed them or keep them as…friends ‘nd pets, not…use them as a hauler like this one… They aren’t meant for hauling at all…”

“I see…” Antica replied, staring at the unicorn.

Hmm… Indeed, this unicorn compared to that prior equine was by far more…inefficient. Not only was the thing slower and lazier, it was also more needy… This unicorn required more breaks—breaks which the unicorn itself just…did. It would, on its own volition, drag the wagon off the road itself and halt in place, graze and uriniate around, and then go off back on its way—or get distracted by something so…

She did not even know; she had only heard the sounds of its obsessive chewing and the shouts of the adventurers telling it to stop. Oh…the sounds that thing would make… Truly, abhorrent and abominable—a purple or violet highlight in all but designation… Alright, perhaps she was being…hyperbolic…

Regardless, however, one…acknowledgeable benefit of this unicorn was that, unlike the prior equine, it did not require nearly as much sleep, seemingly. It had no problem whatsoever with traveling throughout the night, which they certainly had done. Thus, despite its…quirks slowing things down, they were nevertheless set to arrive at Huckleberry as expected.

Hmm… Antica continued to peer analytically. The unicorn made some sort of equine puff sound, shaking its head… Indeed, it did not seem any different from a typical horse, besides the horn and…

Those eyes…

They seemed more…human-esque? Not exactly, they were still equine sort of eyes, but…also…

Yet suddenly, Antica snapped out of this as she began to detect…approachment. Her ignited eyes quickly snapped shut, as…

“Heya ladies!” Blue popped out from behind, having returned, “Fancying the unicorn, huh?”

“Huh?” Novea blurted, her persona nearly slipping… So caught up with the unicorn, she had completely tuned out…Blue’s approachment. And consequently, she had now been caught…petting it.

Novea remained silent, now standing static in place, no longer caressing or doing anything.

Blue, however, smiled with a soft charm; she approached the unicorn and…began to caress it gently. “So, you are still a normal girl behind that crow-looking mask, huh?” she remarked; “I mean, it is hard not to…fall for such a handsome guy…”

“I guess…” Novea replied, her voice shifting to one more…closed. “Where is Red?” she inquired.

“Taking his sweetest time…” Blue replied; “He does not need me to watch his back, so I was free to return, thus…I freely returned”—her eyes glanced at Novea—“Are you a spellcaster?” she…abruptly asked.

Novea, caught by surprise, tilted her head somewhat; “…ehuh?”

Blue giggled lightly; “A random question, I apologize… No, it is just… unicorns are one of those…magia-beasts that are awfully attractive to those who practice spellcraft and the magical arts… Our affinities with magic gives us…sensitivities, and it seemed you were having the same…” she clarified.

“Oh, rightly, of course…” Novea…acknowledged; right…she knew that. “Forgive me, I cannot answer that.” she…attempted to drop the subject.

Blue puckered somewhat, eyes peering closer as she continued to caress the unicorn which…stood there, menacingly, now chewing on…the grass below. “…playing the hard game, aye?” Blue sighed, “I noticed this before but…did not know when to bring this up since we have hardly been speaking, but…I can tell… you seem to be rather…potent…”

“…you can tell?” Novea…slipped.

“Yep!” Blue smiled; “Or…kind of… I do not have the sight, so I cannot see your manafield and infer the details, but I do I have this…extra sensitivity, to say, and always have; I can get a…feel, I guess to say, for a person’s or creature’s manafield, maybe not their affinities, but generally…” she explained.

“…I see” Novea replied, her head finding itself shifting to Antica…

Antica herself could only be glad that she was not the one being analyzed by this…denizen with apparent hyper-sensitive essence—especially so considering that it was not even in an activated state.

Blue ahemed; “Sorry, I…perhaps became too into this…” she…apologized, embarrassed somewhat.

“No… you are fine” Novea reassured; “But if I may, what…level did you make it to before the Collegium—” she was inquiring, yet…

Blue smiled with a tease; “Oh, so…now you want me to answer your questions? Sorry, I cannot say… Though, I admit, I am exceptionally talented” she smirked with a tiny snicker.

“…” Novea was perhaps starting to…understand the type of personality this one seemingly had.

The unicorn abruptly sneezed, which immediately snatched the attention of both Novea and Blue.

“Awww! He shneezed!” Blue spoke with a cutesier voice.

Novea had to muster the will to resist doing the same…

“Though,” Blue began to remark, “do not let this…confuse, I have come to learn through my…experience that…unicorns are…not as I expected…”

Novea tilted her head yet did not ask.

Blue caressed the unicorn’s hair, the chimera tolerating her presence and only barely. “Granted, he is reliable and trustworthy, and he can actually handle himself; so, we can leave him alone and he will always be there when we return… but…” she began to explain…

“But…?” Novea repeated, perhaps becoming intrigued.

“But… he is slightly a liability, not only because he is so valuable and thus so many would love to thief him, but also because…many have tried to and… Well, despite us not being there to protect, he is still right here, nonetheless…” Blue explained.

“I…see” Novea acknowledged, not necessarily sure what to…think.

Blue glanced with a bit of an…odder…perhaps slightly more mischievous sort of smile; “Ultimately, we only ever found him chewing on ripped clothing, though; never with any bodies… So, I do not think he did any grave harm…or death-inflicting… But yeah, he is rather weird…and always best to be kept outside and away from others” she stated.

“…I…see…” Novea acknowledged, now even double unsure…what to think…

The unicorn shook its head, puffing as it tapped its hooves. “Aww, looks like someone is ready to leave” Blue remarked, before caressing it gently yet in more…specific way.

The unicorn neighed in a typical equine fashion, puffing. Magical and majestic, perhaps, but it truly seemed no different than that of any other equine, indeed.

Yet…

“Neigh.”

So abruptly…was such a deep…deep…almost abhorrently human-esque…noise so uttered…by not a man, but by that…very unicorn.

« … » Antica was frozen still by this essence-shuddering suddenty, silent.

Novea…began to step back…somewhat, now rather disconcerted, almost repulsed, from that unexpected…noise. “Huh…? W-what…was…that?”

Blue…herself…stopped caressing the unicorn. “Yeah…he kind of just…does that at times—at random… completely randomly, especially at night…when we’re sleeping…” she thus said, evidently creeped out too, seemingly.

The unicorn puffed equinely, shaking its head. “Neigh.” Again… It…did it…again… making that abhorrent…most atrocious of sounds as if a low-pitched perpetually indifferent equine man and not a true horse…

Novea backed away; “I…see what you…mean now…” she…simply acknowledged, backing away more and more…and more…

Antica had already silently withdrawn, her decision having been made well before she had even consciously made it.

Yet Blue began to quietly snicker; “Gods’ scared, too good, too good…” her silent breaths slipped, humored greatly.

She was already quite accustomed to this unicorn and its…quirks; though, it was certainly priceless to see the reactions of those who were obviously not, especially ones whom she had…perhaps…intentionally creeped out. Quite the mischievous type, indeed, Blue was.