CHAPTER 415: ARC 6, CHAPTER 31: YOU ALL MEET IN A TAVERN

The loud high-pitched gasp of a gleeful elf cut through the shroud of noise, "You’re elves too!?" She simply could not be seated on her chair as she leaned over the table.

"Yeah," the brother chuckled it off nonchalantly. He parted the hair covering his right ear, "Hard to tell sometimes." There was no pointy bit, because all that was left was an ear healed over time and a faded scar.

"His other ear is doing fine however," the sister replied, with all her fingers curled around a hot cup of tea. The brother then displayed his left ear, pointy as Asobi’s. The sister’s elven ears were only just visible, tucked under strands of her flaxen hair.

"Tis barely eventide’s break and yet thou hath elected to take part in ale?" Tiffany glanced at the drink in the brother’s hand.

"Sure am~" He then promptly took a swig of it. He huffed out a breath after and wiped his lips with his sleeve, "I do better with a light buzz."

"And you’re an archer...?" Hotaru raised a brow.

"Makes me shoot straighter," he justified proudly with a finger pointed at her as if he were aiming.

The sister bobbed her head around, "He doesn’t need much. Elves aren’t hardy folk after all; bones as frail as peanut brittle. Hmm, I wonder if Rosemary’s made some peanut brittle on the menu today," she looked around.

"If there is, get more of it," Fumeko stated.

The sister turned to the brunette, "Your voice is quite grating on the ears," she told with a blank look on her face.

Fumeko narrowed her gaze.

"Oh, wait till she’s louder," Asobi beamed.

She then squinted at the raven-haired elf.

"Tis a fine voice that need not be amended. Thou have yet to hark at her paramount moments, how pleasantly domineering or sensitive it may alter."

Fumeko ducked her slightly reddened face.

"Your voice is quite melodic on the other hand," the sister faced Tiffany with a brief smile.

"O-of course! Be it must to rise from the void and to trace withing the waves of the sea of stars," the blonde posed with a hand over her eyepatch.

Fumeko’s nostrils flared as she stared off into the tavern.

"Though the other, the friend of the Inferno, has a much sweeter tone that’s more mature. Does she sing by chance?"

"Not really, but she should though," Asobi nodded at the twin.

"Speak of the devils," the brother saw the approaching two.

"Just bringing the party over," Ben said with widened arms.

Both the Hotaru and Fumeko looked over at the golden blonde.

"Let’s just say that being in this world’s gotten into his head a little," said Jotou with a sigh. "He’s alright."

Ben raised his hand and saluted, "No hitting on anyone here, I got the memo. Unless they hit on me of course~"

"Don’t worry, we won’t," the redhead tightened her lips.

"Unless you mean physically, then there’s a maybe," Fumeko snarked.

"Sorry, what do you mean by being in this world?" the twin sister queried with a tilt of her head.

"Uh, he just means that this is a different world from where we come from. Our hometown’s nothing like this and it’s a far trek," Ben explained.

"He?" the sister glanced over at Jotou. She tilted her head, blinking a few times, "Oh."

"Crispy, how long’ve you been with these two?" Jotou’s brows knitted.

He gave it a moment’s thought, "Since a week or so after I woke up from that tragic accident that I alone miraculously survived."

Fumeko tipped her chin to the side, "What’s this tragic accident exactly?"

"You haven’t heard?" the twin brother placed his drink down. "The tale of the Scorching Inferno?" A wide grin appeared as he regaled, "Fire. From the flames of an obsidian serpent, rose the Scorching Inferno.

He lied littered among the other victims of the beast and rose from the ashes without even a single scar. When the flames were quelled, he walked out like a phoenix from the ashes, unknowing of himself.

So the legend goes that he now lives with no memory of his past, a sentinel of South End—a protector of the people no matter the threat," he worded.

From across the table, Jotou was staring at the red-armoured man.

"It’s all true," Ben said with a shrug.

"He’s also a very talented mage—grandmaster level even," the sister told.

"You’re kidding..." the brunette leered.

"Guild-approved," satisfied he was as he said. "I figured out the magic system pretty quickly. After that it was just some levelling up. Healing magic’s harder to level up when I’m all about damage.

But I bet healing’s underrated. Besides that, I can’t hurt myself and I’m immune to fire damage—my affinity’s pretty broken tbh."

"Those last two have nothing to do with your affinity," Hotaru corrected in exasperation.

"I know, it’s more like a cheat system I guess is the term for it?"

"No, that’s not-" Jotou side-eyed the twins. "Hi, Jotou Howllett, Thundering Blade. He hasn’t told you anything has he?"

"No, not whatever it is you’re insinuating," the sister shook her head.

"Dude, don’t blow my cover," Ben leaned onto the table.

"What cover?" she sassed. "And what’s the point of hiding it from them? You’ve been in a party with them for a while now," Jotou accentuated her point with widened eyes.

The brother reached his hand out across the table, "Clyde Adair. This here’s my little sister Colwyn. Pleasure to have another legendary adventurer with us!"

"I don’t know about legendary... but thanks," Jotou shook back.

"One hath been made aware to some truths beyond this discombobulating shroud. The void wisheth to glean in tandem as to what word hath thou of this other realm from whence thou hail."

"Guess I didn’t explain that part," Fumeko muttered.

"Please Crispy? It’ll make things a lot easier, don’t you think?" Jotou squinted an eye.

Ben tightened his lips... "Fine, you’re right. Tell them all the useful info and stuff. But none of this leaves this table," he tapped his finger down.

Jotou glanced over, "Meko?"

The cross-armed brunette replied with her eyes scanning about, "No one I see. Lots of eyes; doubt anyone listening will hear it."

_

"Wait, wait, wait, so you didn’t survive. You died in that fire and came back to life?" Clyde inquired, his hands steady on the table and brows lowered.

Ben scratched the back of his neck, "Kinda, sorta... Yeah..."

"That’s still legendary though," Clyde affirmed. "But you’re really just someone from this world called Earth, and your real name is Benjamin Hurley?"

"Yup," he popped his lips—his elbow on the table and disappointed face in his palm.

"So every tale you’ve told about your homeland has been a lie?" Colwyn promptly queried.

"Noo... It was pretty much all true, don’t get that twisted."

"But you might’ve overembellished?" Jotou replied.

"Captain logic and facts’ here to pop my bubble," Ben groaned.

Jotou stuck her tongue out.

"Ye both descended into this plane of existence from the annihilation of a modernized vehicle. One into the body of a fallen adventurer and the other into the body of a dead woman.

The third of what thou knows, into the body of a princess slain in a warzone. Of those three, thou hath experienced the most alterations—that of a male into a female.

Even one such as myself finds it difficult to deem one as a man in a past life. Thou art a performer of the upmost calibre, to play thy part to a tee," Tiffany complimented with a nod.

"Jotou’s as much as a man as a cat is a dog," Hotaru stated.

The golden blonde side-eyed.

"It’s not an insult, I’m just saying you’ve adapted quite well," the redhead swished her tail. "I would prefer you either way anyway," she said and there was a moment of pause. She fluttered her lashes as her ears fell, "Sorry..." she stated to the table.

Jotou eyed the table, her blushing kept at bay by the squinting of her eyes, "I don’t even know what’s so hard to believe, I’m just being me. So what if I’ve taken up a few skills? Fumeko’s a girl and she’s way less ladylike than me."

"Watch it."

"No."

"Slight tangent; the Princess of Cravolta is a fake?" Colwyn glanced around the group.

Asobi’s chin kept tipping to the side as she hummed, "No, she’s still the princess, it’s like if she bonked her head and lost her memory. Besides, Daiyu’s been great as princess!"

"Now that’s the part that’s hard to believe. You serious about that?" Ben looked at Jotou.

"Why’d I be lying? If you were paying attention to foreign news, you’d know she’s doing great; she’s really trying. Though the psychopath is still a psychopath," Jotou had to say.

"Duuude... I can’t believe I missed it," he slapped his own forehead.

"Well," Clyde lifted his fresh mug of ale, "What better way to know of her tales than from the mouth of the Thundering Blade herself? Many a story to tell!" he slurred out.

Ben smiled, "He’s right. You gotta give me the details my guy. Everything that happened!"

"Might take over a hundred Chapters..." Jotou rolled her eyes. "Little by little. Though speaking of which, you should probs write a letter to her. Meko can send it to her instantly—closest thing we have to a text."

"You get one letter, I’m not a postal service," the brunette replied with eyes glazed over.

"I’m defo on it. Colwyn could you?" Ben requested.

The twin nodded, "Just relay it to me and I’ll write it down—Ben."

"Oi, he’s still the Inferno at the end of the day," her brother rasped out.

"Ben," she repeated, her face somewhat akin to a smug cat.

"I get it, just don’t go saying it to other randos," Ben told.

"So, about the case," Fumeko continued. "The entire reason we came to South End was to find the leads that led to the arrest of Ambrose, a new god within the Deuctus Cult."

"Wait, the cult?" Clyde’s eyes sobered up quick.

"I heard rumour around the guild about their reemergence," Colwyn added.

"Tis true. That disastrously apocalyptic faction of false deities laid waste to the Burntish Courthouse, acquiring liberation for the one thy party once apprehended."

"Does no one read the papers?" Hotaru commented.

"While most people are literate around here, literature and journalism aren’t too esteemed," Colwyn replied.

"Who needs the bloody newspaper when all of us are fine, living out our lives as adventurers? Politics only matter if you’re a noble," Clyde justified.

The wolf-girl darted her eyes away.

"Or till another fire burns down everything you once knew," Fumeko glared.

"Bit harsh," Ben responded.

"She’s not wrong," Jotou sided.

"Now, the case. Everything that led up to it, everything that happened during and after till the culprit left your sights. I need every detail you can remember, the clearer the better," Fumeko asserted.

Clyde let out some slight moans as he scratched the side of his head.

"My brother will sit this one out," Colwyn rested the staff across Clyde’s form, quite literally barring him from the conversation. "It started like any other quest from the guild really," she glanced to Ben to corroborate.

"Ugh, I barely remember what I ate for breakfast, this was last November..."

"Come on, you can’t entertain us with a tale?" Jotou cooed.

The confused Ben then looked down and grinned, "We first heard about the sheep and by the time we got there, apparently people were starting to go missing too.

Seemed like an easy plot to follow, the big ass Castle Ravenloft-looking thing on the hill was a good start."

"So many stairs, just hundreds plugh-!" as Clyde drunkenly contributed, Colwyn flicked her wrist and whooshed a gulp of water from the nearby jug into his open mouth.

"We weren’t successful for the first few days. There were a lot of mechanisms and odd pathways to search," Colwyn continued.

"Sick loot though. Anyway, we found a few labs and junk. All the equipment looked worse than our old high school. We eventually realized he just wasn’t there."

"Where was he then?" Asobi queried.

"Outside. A few yards out when we were about to leave," Colwyn nodded. "My brother spotted him from the second-story window. He was dragging the corpse of a sheep on a small wagon."

"That’s when we struck," Ben relayed with a gleeful smirk. "We set up an ambush by the door; laid out a net trap just in case.

When the bastard walked through the door, he didn’t know what hit him. An arrow through the arm and a gallon of water against him knocked him out the door.

I came in charging like a train, flames licking the sides of my arms as I brought my blades down and seared into him. He was too weak to even stand up. So we quickly put the net on him and dragged him off," Ben told the tale.

"And then?" Fumeko furrowed her brows.

"We gave him up to the local authorities and we were told sometime last December that he was in custody in North End. We were paid handsomely for it," the twin sister replied.

"You know, this more and more sounds like..." sceptical was the expression of the golden blonde.

"He wanted to get caught..." Fumeko finished the thought. "That adds up I guess. But you didn’t investigate anything in the castle? You didn’t question him at all?"

Ben shrugged, "Quest complete, that wasn’t my job."

"He didn’t put up a fight in the slightest?" Hotaru’s ears bristled. "Makes sense why he was fine being in that prison cell for so long."

"Yeah, he is a new god. I wonder what his powers are? What kind of magic does he use?" Asobi asked the three.

The three gave glances to each other—Clyde more so dazedly. Ben turned, "Don’t know. He didn’t use any magic, we didn’t even know he could."

"Where did you sear him exactly?" Fumeko held a hand to her chin.

"Uh..." Ben glanced at the ceiling lanterns for help. "Probably his shoulders—somewhere around there."

"Why...?" Hotaru glanced at the brunette.

"Hard to say if Ambrose had any sort of injury when we saw him; he was wearing a suit. Burn marks don’t easily go away. Other than that, I don’t suppose you three chuckleheads found where the kidnapped sheep and people were?"

"Needlessly rude, but no," Colwyn answered.

"We did try looking for them though—no luck," Ben stated.

"Might be that then. Kidnapping sheep and people, presumably killing them... Based on everything there, Ambrose was some kind of experimentalist.

Pair that with the way he talks like this one," Fumeko nudged her shoulder towards Tiffany. "I wouldn’t put it past him to have a necromantic affinity. What other type of magic deals with life forces. We’ve seen what they can do with dead animals back in Kria."

"Nice work Meko! Now what though?" Asobi poked her wand under her chin.

"Well if I had more to go off of, maybe I’d have more solid of a theory," Fumeko leered. "All we have for now are those books."

"Which I told you, is gonna take me some time to get through," Hotaru repeated.

"I wanna also look into spirit-mages if possible. Ceridwen might be more of a problem than we think," Jotou pondered aloud.

"Another quandary," Tiffany took one of the coins she got from the labyrinth out of her blazer pocket. "Would this be identifiable?"

"Hm, interesting," Hotaru remarked. "They’ve been out of circulation for at least two hundred years by now. It’s armite, but it’s old money and was less pure.

Old armite had a lot of silver mixed in, meaning the coin got easily tarnished. If I recall correctly, Hefaloss eventually made the new armite that’s in circulation, providing all the platinum needed. It’s worth less, but the short answer is it’s still good money."

"Oh those coins are all over the place around here. It’s premier dungeon loot," Ben affirmed. "Speaking of which, if you’ve got time to kill, dude, let’s go on a quest!" he faced the golden blonde.

"A quest?"

"Yeah! Just us, except now it’s all physical instead of through a screen. It’s gonna be epic," he doubled down.

"Mm... I do wanna spend some time with you."

"I’ll look into the spirit stuff, you can go be buddy-buddy."

Jotou looked to the brunette, "Thanks detective."