Joey and Bree finally arrive home to find Tanner and Nathan holding their weapons out at each other. They are yelling at each other but Joey and Bree couldn't understand them. When Joey and Bree start to pick up the pace, Tanner and Nathan's conversation finally becomes audible.
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE CALLING A WEEABOO YOU PRIEST."
Nathan is yelling very loudly while exerting a deadly presence, but Tanner seems to not be affected by it. Tanner is just laughing at Nathan's anger as if he is used to it.
"It seems your little baby pressure doesn't affect me in the slightest, and I might look like a priest, but you look like a middle schooler's first original character. What do they call it? Oh, that's right, you look "Edgy"."
A vein pops out of Nathan's head after Tanner says this, the atmosphere is just full of tension, and they both look at each other with deadly intentions. Nathan goes into a stance to go for the kill. He uses his "Accelerated Step" to go for the jugular but he is soon met by a sudden chop to his head. Tanner is also met by said chop and they both look up while wincing from the pain. They look up to see not Joey who had done it but Bree.
"Stop it you two! I have had my fair share of excitement today and would like to just rest up a little bit, so can you kindly stop arguing!?"
The intense pressure in the atmosphere gets even more intense as Bree stares at the two with the intent of killing them on the spot if they disagree. They both quickly put away their weapons and calm down. The knot on the top of Tanner's head has already gone down and was healed but Nathan's is still there and he kept rubbing it to try to stop the pain. Joey just stands behind Bree and laughed.
Joey finally gets a good look at what Nathan and Tanner bought and they are both kinda right when they insulted each other. Nathan has a cloak that is pure black and has a hood to go with it. He also has what looks exactly like a ninja mask to cover his face from his nose and below.
As for armor and clothes, he has a tight-fitting black long sleeved shirt and pants to match. Nathan also has gotten a pouch which is strapped to his side which looks completely empty. He has on a leather chest piece and leather knee pads; a pair of metal boots that are a dark gray color, as well as thick metal gauntlets that look like they have sharpened claws at the end.
He definitely looks like a mix between a ninja and a death lord with the boots and gauntlets. He has a short sword on his hip and the long sword was on his back.
Tanner, on the other hand, is wearing a thick overcoat which is white and gold trimmed. His chest is protected by an iron chest piece and he has on metal gauntlets. He has on leather leggings and leather boots, so he strayed a little bit from what Livian told him to do. On his side is, of course, his sword, and he has a shield on his back that had a Griffon engraved on it which matches his sword. The shield is a kite shield, but a little bigger than the ones Joey saw in the armor stores. Tanner also has a pouch at his side which is the same as Nathan's, and it is just as empty as Nathan's too. Joey can't see what type of clothes Tanner is wearing due to his armor covering it up, but he can see the overcoat had fur on the inside. The fur is a dark black.
Tanner and Nathan completely contrasted each other like the light and the darkness. Bree, on the other hand, had gotten a simple blue robe that came with a lot of enchantments, so it is stronger than it looked. It came with a hood as well, and when put on, there is a dragon sewn in the back of the hood.
She also has a staff that is made of a dark wood that twists around a metal rod until it reaches the tip, and then the wood made a ball around a blue stone which floats in the middle of the ball. The stone lets out a radiant light when it is held by Bree. The robe Bree got also has fur on the inside which will keep her warm during the winter. Bree has also got the same pouch as Tanner and Nathan, but hers isn't empty.
Joey had gone to several stores to make sure that he found something that suited him and that he liked. The final result is a pair of enchanted gauntlets made of Exerium, which the enchantment on the right hand is wind-based, and allows Joey to punch faster, and on the left hand is an enchantment that boosted defence so he can block attacks with it. He has on plate armor which covers every inch of his body from the neck down and below that is a layerr of chainmail. It is extremely heavy but Joey is going to train every day until he can run 3 miles straight in it without feeling fatigue. The plate armor is a bright silverish color and sparkles nicely in the sunshine. It is a little flashy, but it is equally as important since it boasts insane defence. Joey had bought a pouch too, but he has no money to put in it.
When they finally all saw each other's armor and weapons, they started to explain them, first up was Bree.
"Well, the cloak absorbs most basic magic spells and helps repel stronger magic spells. It is also completely weightless. The staff helps me concentrate my magic into a smaller area, making my "Water Spear" smaller, but it packs a heavier punch. I also have a dagger concealed inside of the robe just in case I get into a tight squeeze."
Joey is surprised to hear this because he didn't even know she bought the dagger. Nathan raises his hand as to show he wanted to go next.
"Well, I will go up next. Even though I might look stupid to you guys, this cloak has complete resistance to slash attacks and also absorbs most light magic. The face cover can change my voice if I want it to, honestly it came with the hood so might as well wear it. This clothing is to match the cloak and has no special purpose except for mobility. These boots are made of Torium, which is a lightweight metal that can withstand a lot of damage, and the tips of them are sharpened so if I learn how to do kick attacks, I'll be able to deal damage with them and even defend with them. The gauntlets are the same way. My short sword is the one I used to kill the demon, so it's just a normal short sword, but the longsword on my back is completely different. It has an incredibly sharp edge, so it is easy to do slash attacks, and it causes an insane amount of bleeding that might kill you if not treated immediately."
Nathan pulls out the sword and it is so sharp, it easily cuts through the air, making a trail behind it when moved at fast speeds. The sword itself is a dark gray and is apparently made out of Torium as well according to Nathan. If you look closely, you can also see about 10 throwing knives attached to Nathan's cloak, but he forgot to mention them. Next up is Tanner who decided to give a short explanation.
"The overcoat protects me, the chest piece protects me, and the leg armor is leather so it slightly protects me worse than the chest piece. Oh, and I almost forgot, the shield protects me as well."
Joey just chuckles at Tanner's explanation and Nathan facepalms in disappointment. Bree rolls her eyes as Tanner just ignores all of their criticism. Next up is Joey.
"As you can see I am wearing a full set of plate armor which is made of steel, and the gauntlets are made of Exerium which have the enchantments-."
Joey explains what the gauntlets have in terms of enchantments and ends his explanation. After this, they all decide to go inside and relax in the living room with each other. Tanner sits in the love seat and talks to Nathan, who is on the couch by himself. They are talking about an anime Tanner had asked Nathan to watch, but Nathan had never gotten around to it. While they were discussing that, Joey and Bree were snuggled up on the other couch and are as close to the fire as possible. They had both changed into the casual clothes they had bought, but Tanner and Nathan were still in their armor as if they are going to war.
"Why aren't you guys in your casual wear?"
Joey just looks at them in confusion after saying this, Nathan responds first.
"I bought three pairs of this shirt and pants, so it will be the same no matter what really, and I am too lazy to take off my armor, at least I took off the face mask."
"I also had bought three pairs of the same clothes, and you know me, I wore jackets in the real world all of the time so I am actually enjoying this overcoat. As for the armor it is the same as Nathan said, I am too lazy to take it off as well."
Even though they are different, they act like the same person in Joey's mind.
"Enough about what we are wearing, I am more worried about what we are eating for dinner tonight." Nathan says while his stomach rumbles.
Nathan, who had eaten at a restaurant in town on his way home, is already starving again. Apparently, everyone else had eaten out at a restaurant too, but it was about 7:00 p.m. so everyone agrees it was time for dinner.
"Well, who bought some food for the house?" Joey asks.
Joey looks at Nathan and Tanner because he knew him and Bree definitely didn't buy any.
"I thought that was Tanner's job?"
Nathan immediately shifts the blame to Tanner.
"No, it was Joey and Bree's job."
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The blame is just as easily shifted to Joey and Bree.
"Nooo, don't try that, I'm pretty sure it was Nathan's job to begin with."
And yet again the blame is shifted onto someone else, which was Nathan who is being blamed by Joey. They all started blaming each other and sooner or later Bree gets tired of it.
"Shut up! I don't care who was SUPPOSED to do it, I just care about who is GOING to do it, and since Nathan can basically teleport, it will be his job."
Joey and Tanner laugh at Nathan as in the end the job is given to him, but Nathan just looks at the ground in disappointment because he knows he was broke. Bree notices this and throws her pouch to him.
"I have about 20 bronze coins left, use it to buy food for tonight, and then take out the carriage in the morning and go buy food for the week. This will also be good training for you to get used to using your ability."
"Yes ma'am!"
Nathan stands up and salutes Bree as if she is a drill sergeant and puts on his face cover. After doing that, he vanishes within a blink of the eye. The door opens and closes quickly, and Nathan is officially gone. Tanner sighs a breath of relief as if he has just been cured of everlasting cancer. He gets up and goes outside to take care of the horse. They got lucky and the previous owner left a months worth of hay behind for the new owners. Bree and Joey continue to cuddle on the couch near the warmth of the fireplace and it is not long before they both fall asleep.
**********************************************************************************************************************************
It is not long before Nathan is in a part of town where food is sold in stalls on the sides of the road. It isn't the best part of town, but the hardest working people are always in the poor part of town. He still can't get used to the diversity in housing across the Citadel. According to the armorer he got his supplies from, the Citadel is a safe haven for all races that roam the planet. If you're not a demon then you are welcome, and it is the capital of a newly formed country called Eyther, which is a country formed on the idea of everyone is made equally.
While walking up and down the food stalls with the basket Catia had given him, Nathan picks out a whole chicken that was pre-cooked, freshly loafed bread, and what looks like a potato, but is called a "Dilem". In total, this dinner cost them 2 bronze coins since the chicken was pre-cooked so it costs more. Looking at the basket satisfied, and looking at the sun to see if he can tell what time it is, he decides to take his time getting back and to try out some of his abilities. The first he tries out is "Hide presence". Immediately he feels like he is completely blending into the crowd and no one is noticing him at all, also he seems to not be making any sounds while walking down the road. He realizes how helpful this could be and decides to leave it on since he needs to figure out his limits. The next ability he tries is "Heighten Sense". As soon as he tries to use it, he is overwhelmed by a stimulus that is coming from his sight, smell, and hearing. He freaks out at first due to the immediate expansion of his senses, and he soon learns to control it with a smaller area so it is not as bad as before.
He can hear conversations inside houses as he walks, and even walked past to what sounded like a piano playing inside of a bar of some sorts. He continues down the road when suddenly he stops dead in his tracks. He focuses all of his power on his hearing and hears the following conversation.
"Oi, what do we got here, looks like a little cat girl has walked into the wrong part of town." "I haven't tasted a catgirl yet, maybe she will squeal like the last one did."
Nathan, after hearing this, uses "Accelerated Step" to run on top of the buildings to find out where this conversation is coming from.
"Please don't hurt me, I have no money, I am just a simple beggar."
Nathan hears the girl's voice for the first time and he recognizes it instantly, it is Catia. He finds the group of men surrounding Catia in a back alley. It is close to where Nathan originally was when he bought the food.
"Your pretty, white robe tells us otherwise, so just hand it over and we might think about not making your life a living hell."
Nathan grits his teeth as he holds the food basket in one hand, and stands on the roof of a house near the alley. He thinks about how to stop them, and then he realizes he is in fact armed and is fairly strong according to Livian. Even though he has next to none combat experience, he decides to intervene, but only at the right moment.
"Alright, you can have it, just I'm begging you don't hurt me!"
Catia takes off the robe while her eyes fill with tears. Apparently, she thought she wouldn't have had to take the robe off in public because underneath, she was only wearing a bra and what looked like a pair of shorts.
"Oh, it seems you're already ready for us to take a ride huh, you don't have a bad chest you know, despite your size. Now hand me that robe and we will take a better look at you."
What seems to be the leader of the group of four men thrashes his hand out to grab the robe that Catia was still using to cover herself up from the front and as soon as his hand touches the fabric of the robe, red liquid sprays everywhere. The man looks down at his hand, which was now laying on the ground. He only has the knub of his wrist left and it is a perfectly clean cut. In front of him was Nathan, who had cut of the man's hand with the Torium long sword. The sword is so sharp that Nathan felt no resistance as he cut off the man's hand.
"I swear to god, if I ever see you ever again, whether it is by accident or on purpose, I will cut you down where you stand."
The man is just screaming at the extreme pain from the loss of his left hand, falls down on his on his back and starts to roll around in pain.
"That bastard! Let's kill him boys-!"
It has started raining and as soon as one of the men in the group starts to say something, Nathan appears in front of them with speed that their eyes can't keep up with. His sword is pressed against the guy's throat so hard that it makes a slight cut in it.
"You have 10 seconds to grab your friend's hand and run away screaming. one, two-."
Before he can even get to three, the men had left their one-handed friend behind and are running away screaming. The one-handed man crawls to his amputated hand, grabs it, and he too runs away screaming. Nathan looks at Catia, who is utterly speechless, in fact, she looks terrified. Nathan realizes he has "Pressure" on still and quickly releases it.
"Put on the robes and let's go back to your place, I will walk you home."
The rain is worsening, but they are in no hurry, Nathan went and got the food he had hidden before he attacked the group of thugs and put his cloak over it to hopefully keep it dry. Catia, who is covered in blood from head to toe, just walks beside Nathan in silence while staring at the ground. They get into the West District and they soon arrive at Catia's house. Well, Nathan wouldn't call it a house, more like a condo. Catia invites Nathan inside, and he accepts. The inside is very warm and it has a very down to earth feel to it. According to Catia, there is two bedrooms and one bathroom and bath. She asks him to stand in the living room while she changes out of the blood-soaked white robe. He stood there and looks around at the decor. There is a cat porcelain in the corner, which actually kinda surprises Nathan. He was tempted to sit down on the couch, but he quickly remembered he is dripping wet. He checks the food and it was surprisingly dry. Nathan sighs a breath of relief since he knew Bree would have his head if he wasted money.
"I just want to thank you... For saving me."
Nathan is startled as Catia came out of her room, with a towel on her head, and with some silk pajamas on.
"It was no problem, those guys deserved what they got so don't think anything of it. Why were you in that part of town anyway?."
"Someone had offered me a mission to do while on my day off and I accepted, the mission involved me being in that part of town, and soon I was surrounded by those men. I mean it when I say it, thank you, Nathan."
Catia gets really close to Nathan and looks up at him with her golden eyes, all Nathan can do is look away and blush, Catia is blushing too.
"Well with that being said, I would like to say you're welcome, and anytime you need something just ask. No matter what it is, you will have our help. Now if you excuse me, I have to bring dinner to my hungry friends."
Nathan hurriedly leaves the condo and uses "Accelerated Step" to return home as quickly as possible. As soon as Nathan leaves, Catia begins to break down crying. "Why them?" "Why do I have to do it?" "What is she planning?", these are all thoughts racing through her head as she curls up into her bed. She doesn't want to do this anymore, but she has to if she wants to save him, the one person that makes her happy.
*************************************************************************************************************************************
Back at the house, Tanner, who has gone back inside since it was raining, is expecting the immediate arrival of Nathan with the food soon.
"What could be holding him u-."
As Tanner starts to mumble to himself, he hears Nathan enter the house and close the door behind him. Tanner decides to greet Nathan but is met with an unruly sight. Nathan's eyes are bloodshot and his nose is bleeding profusely. When he takes off his mask, a stream of blood comes out of his mouth.
"Nathan! What happened!!"
"What do you mean?"
"You're bleeding!"
Nathan, who hadn't noticed, put his hands all over his body to check for wounds but didn't find any, and finally, he puts his hand up to his nose and notices the nosebleed.
"Huh isn't that something-."
THHUuDd~
Nathan falls face first into the floor as Tanner just stares at him with a shocked expression. Tanner runs towards Nathan to see if he is alright. Joey and Bree, who are also in the living room, are awoken by this sudden thud and wonder what it was. They notice what has happened, and they run over to Nathan.
"Nathan, are you alright?"
Tanner is shaking Nathan as to try to wake him up, but nothing is happening. He tries to think about what to do, but this happened too unexpectedly and he is not prepared. What exactly had Nathan done that caused these injuries?! "Wait, maybe I can try this", Tanner thought.
"Divine Heal."
As those words were said, an immense light warped around Nathan's body, and once it completely covered his body, it seems as if he absorbed the light. There is no movement for about 30 seconds, then suddenly Nathan gets up and looks at everyone with a bewildered expression.
"What just happened."
"Well I healed you, you dumbass. What did you do to cause these injuries?"
"Well, my guess is since I was using all of my abilities for such a long time, that I ran out of mana or whatever they call the power inside you in this world."
Tanner looks at Nathan for a second, and then Tanner feels really dizzy for a moment. Maybe this is just an after-effect of using his abilities for the first time. What Nathan said was probably true though, if that's the case, then Bree will have to be very careful when she uses her magic. Nathan goes to take a step, but stumbles. Before he could fall, Joey catches him and helps him over to the couches. He is soaking wet so he puts him as close to the fire as possible.
"You should take off everything except for your shirt and your pants, you'll dry easier."
"Yeah yeah, alright."
Nathan does as Joey had told him to and takes off his equipment and sits beside the fire. Bree picks up the basket and takes Nathan's cloak off of it. It is pretty dry compared to the soaked cloak on it. She takes it into the kitchen and starts to make Chicken and mashed potatoes, with a side of homemade bread. Instead of calling everyone into the dining room, she takes two plates into the living room for Nathan and Joey and then takes another two out for her and Tanner. No one really talks while eating, they just kinda stare into the fire. Nathan's injury was a quick realization to everyone that they know nothing about this world, and they could all die by unknown causes at any second now. Once they finish their food, they all go to bed and the rain continues to pour down even after everyone is asleep.