Season One • Chapter 22
Gerd arrives on the carriage. Haruki and Hayate yell out his name in excitement. The rest of the party --- a mix of depressed, tired, and confused. Haruki and Hayate explain to the rest of the party how they know Gerd. They then ask him what he's transporting to Kibou. Gerd explains that he's had enough of the high taxes in Akebono, and the protection fees he is constantly forced to pay. He is making no money in the town, and is looking to move closer to the front lines to get more business.
Before the conversation can continue, Rask interrupts and asks if they can continue the conversation while they are on the road as he is eager to get to Kibou as quickly as possible. The smile on Haruki and Hayate's face disappears, and they agree. Haruki asks Gerd if he's ready to go, Gerd says yes. They all mount on the carriage, Haruki, Hayate, Freyja, and Izel in the carriage, while Lyra and Rask sit outside, atop it. They then set off.
On the way, Hayate whispers to Gerd --- "Do you still have the short sword?" Gerd whispers back "Sorry, I sold it to another adventurer just before I packed up shop." Haruki interrupts --- "What are you two whispering about over there?" "Nothing!" replies Hayate.
Some time passes, and Haruki asks Freyja and Izel their reason for travelling. Izel responds saying it's a custom for orcs. Once they hit a certain age, they are to venture out into the world with other children in their age group. They set out as a party, and are not allowed to come back to their clan until they have hunted a worthy foe. This is to harden them, and weed out the weak. Haruki asks if the crown of the skeleton king is not enough. Izel responds, maybe for a solo hunt, but as he ventured out as a group, he would need to return with a larger trophy. Haruki was going to make a comment that he was now no longer part of a group, but held his tongue.
They then look towards Freyja as if waiting for her reason for wandering. Freyja tells them that she is the youngest in a large family. She tells them that in Cecaelian culture, women fill the role of medic/housewife, but she'd always wanted to be a warrior. She looked up to her eldest brother, idolised him, and wanted to join him in being a warrior. Her eldest brother would train her in how to fight, despite their protest. A few years ago, the Cecaelian found a gap in the demon defences by the shoreline, so they capitalised on their aquatic supremacy to launch an offensive. Fifty elite Cecaelian warriors were chosen to swim around their defensive line, infiltrate, then disrupt their backline. While that was happening, the main army was ready to charge the front. They were going to pincer them then use the confusion to push forward. The main army never got the signal to attack, none of the 50 ever returned. Till this day, she believes her brother is alive, held captive by the demons. So she stole their family heirloom --- the magic trident that returns to whoever is wearing the bangle --- then set out to find and rescue her brother. She ran into Rask and Kira not long after leaving her village, but Rask never says much. He's never explained why he joined, and Kira doesn't know much, he just follows Rask. They've been travelling together for about 6 months now.
Haruki responds --- once we rescue Kira, we'd be happy to help you find your brother. I'm sure the others would agree. Hayate nods his head then says --- "Anything to get back at those demons."
As Freyja begins to ask Haruki their reason for wandering, Lyra knocks at the roof of the carriage, as if to get everyone's attention. With her sharp elf eyes, she sees trouble up ahead --- "Three packs of dire wolves approaching from the right side." Gerd stops the carriage, and everyone disembarks, preparing for combat.
The party dispatches the wolves quite easily, taking minimal damage. They make a great party. Freyja at the front line, tanking and blocking hits. Haruki and Hayate also on the front, screening and taking out enemies. Lyra from the back providing ranged support with her arrows. Izel also from the back, but providing magic support. Rask from above, taking out high value targets and disrupting enemy back lines. Their teamwork only continues to improve as they fight more as a team.
A week passes. They have fought several enemies now, from dire wolves, to trolls, to goblins. With each fight, their skills with their weapons sharpen. Their speed at which they cast spells increases. They continue to get stronger because while they don't know what lies in Kibou, they know it's at the frontlines, which means they will likely face more demons.
Scene jumps to them settling in for the night. Everyone is crowded around a campfire with full bellies, ready to turn in. Lyra and Freyja have guard duty tonight, so they set up above the carriage for a better vantage point.
Lyra, overhearing their conversation about Freyja's motives, makes a comment. Lyra says that she too would be happy to help her find her brother once they've rescued Kira. Freyja heard Haruki and Hayate saying it before, but somehow, hearing it from Lyra felt different. It felt more real. Maybe it was because it was coming from another female, or maybe because it came from someone she has grown close with. Either way, it felt it had more weight. Freyja smiled, thanked Lyra, then started crying. Lyra wraps one arm around Freyja and whispers "We'll find him, don't you worry" then pulls her in closer.
A few moments pass, and Freyja recollects herself, then asks Lyra how long she's been travelling with the brothers, and what her reason for wandering is. Lyra explains that she joined their party about a week before meeting her and Rask. They joined up for a goblin extermination quest and have been partied since. Lyra pauses, as if attempting to dodge the reasoning for her wandering. Freyja again asks "And your reason for wandering?" Lyra hesitates for a brief moment, considering if she should tell Freyja or not. Before Lyra could answer, Freyja says "You have my promise that I won't tell another soul unless you say so."
Lyra smiles, then tells her that she grew up in the Elven capital, Dawnholt. She comes from a fairly large family, but a single parent. Her dad was never home as he was always out completing jobs to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. Although not the eldest, she was forced to take care of her brothers and sisters. She made many friends, or at least she thought were friends at the time. Almost all betrayed her. She also had a few lovers, similarly, almost all betrayed her. Sick of the large city and the people within the city, she left as soon as the youngest sibling was old enough to take care of themselves. She left because she wanted to be free, wanted to forget about the betrayals she faced, but after hearing and seeing first hand about what the demons are doing, she wants to put a stop to it to ensure that their evil never reaches her family back home.
Freyja pauses for a moment to absorb all the information, then gives Lyra a hug and says --- "I'm so sorry you've been through all that. I would have liked to be friends with you in that big city." Lyra wraps her arms around Freyja, and hugs her back. Freyja then tells Lyra --- "Want to hear something strange? Haruki reminds me so much of my big brother. Everything from his kindness, to how strong he is, and how he is quick to analyse and react. Part of me is relieved as it feels like I've already found my big brother." Lyra responds --- "He is quite capable, isn't he? Can you believe that he has very little combat experience?" She then continues to explain how before that, they were just simple farmers. Lyra explains that their village was attacked and Haruki and Hayate lost their whole family. How they were forced to fight off the demons, before running away from their home town. And that they only have about a month of combat experience, but they're shaping out to be strong warriors, with Haruki also being an exceptional leader. Freyja, even more impressed with Haruki now, sees him in a new light.
Scene fades, sun rises, and they prepare to set out again.