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"…you're sending us?"
Xylo Forbartz blinked for a moment, the glare in his eyes stiffening. The random Holy Knight before him seemed to waver and shrank back. Who even was this guy? If it weren't for the uniform, Xylo would've thought he was a struggling citizen desperate enough to ask for spare change.
Snow was littered around them in sporadic piles, almost like piled-up corpses instead of any orderly array — probably because of Tsav. They stood outside the barracks in the First Capital, stray winds pooling into the area. Xylo gritted his teeth. They always the short end of the stick.
"Y-yes," the Holy Knight answered, nervously scratching at his collarbone and neck. Right around where a sacred seal would be, if he was a penal hero. He acted like it was a disease he could get from talking to Xylo for too long. "There's only a few, but it's probably a scouting party of some kind, so we need someone to take care of it…"
"Why us?" Xylo muttered. But the answer supplied itself to him easily — they probably wanted to save the rest of their ranks for the spring offensive, and the penal heroes were disposable as they come. "Okay. Fine."
The Holy Knight brightened up for a moment. "Right. Because you have to." Xylo scowled at him, and his confidence was immediately shaken. "U-um, yeah." He quickly scurried away.
"Damn." Xylo sighed, running a hand through his hair. A small group of faeries was easy, they surely wouldn't lose many soldiers fighting that. But of course they'd rather stay cooped up in the warmth than fighting in the cold. Just his luck.
Well, a few things were for certain. He wouldn't take Teoritta for something as simple as this, it would be a waste of her powers. But then who else should he take with him?
Going completely alone crossed his mind, but he shook his head. If he had to go on a mission like this, he was going to drag one of the others with him.
Jayce would probably refuse. This mission was too simple. Rhyno would oblige, but an artilleryman was overkill, and Xylo didn't really want to talk to him. Venetim was worthless. Norgalle's engineering wouldn't be necessary, especially if this was a scouting party. And while Patausche was the best option of the bunch, she was supposed to be cooking today, and Xylo wanted to leave her the entire day to do it. Maybe then they'll have something edible.
Tatsuya could go with him, probably. He'd take out all the faeries in a flash. The problem was, Xylo only had a vague description of where they were. He'd need someone who could see. So then, Tsav, or…
…The decision was made before he even finished thinking, shoes turning backwards into the barracks. Tsav was talkative, loud, and his thought process was utterly incomprehensible. He'd want to bring someone a little more manageable with him. Someone sharp-sighted, someone easily scared into obeying and wouldn't be too much of a bother to bring. It's not like there would be another goddess for him to steal, right?
Someone like–
◆
Teoritta opened her eyes to see that Patausche wasn't there.
This wasn't unusual — Patausche often woke up before she did, and she took extreme care not to wake her up whenever she did. Teoritta knew this because she was pretending to sleep longer one day, when it was especially cold, and she heard Patausche grow still after every step she took. It took her an obscenely long time to leave the room, and by then Teoritta thought it was too late to reveal she was awake the whole time…
Regardless, that clearly wasn't the case today. Teoritta recalled that Patausche was on cooking today, so that was probably the reason, although it did little to stop the grimace on her face. Teoritta should help her. That would be worthy of a lot of praise if she managed to make an edible meal!
But, that would be a problem for later on today. For now, all she wanted to do was see what her Knight was up to. She turned out of the room and made her way over to his room in the barracks, eagerly rounding the corner to see–
–that he wasn't there.
She stood aghast for a moment. Then she stomped her foot and groaned. "He left without me again!" The bed he slept in was ruffled, blankets pushed to the side — probably where he got up. The room was also impersonal, with nothing more than a few poetry collections sitting on the floor that proved he had been in this room at all.
She pouted for a moment with a cross of her arms. He always did this!! But at least this time, it wasn't fighting a demon lord without her or something… it was the winter, and Teoritta heard both parties didn't fight in the winter. So he was probably just walking around. Still! How rude to do so without consulting his goddess first! She would've gladly accompanied him!
She had to find him. But how?
She could ask Venetim, but judging from what she heard, she probably wasn't going to get a straight answer out of him… Xylo probably wouldn't have told anyone else, either. Unless she asked Patausche, but… no! She would not ask her.
As she was about to start looking around without a clue, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. The penal hero unit did have a specific member, notorious for sneaking, but he also had excellent eyesight. Surely, if she needed to find someone, he would do the trick!
And better yet, she knew he couldn't have moved in the night, so she didn't even have to hunt around for him. In that cell, she would be able to find–
◆
Venetim Leopool rustled the newspaper in his hand for a moment. It wasn't an article he wrote, but it did mean that it wasn't very interesting… All the lies were the same.
Taking his glasses off, he sighed. After the morning, what would he be tasked to do? There was nothing to fight. He wouldn't be commanding or negotiating anything. The most likely scenario is that someone somewhere needs a task done, and it's going to be manual labour, and Venetim wouldn't be able to find a way to weasel out of it.
Nobody was in the hospital or in repairs, after all… and if someone else didn't get him, then surely one of his own unit would ask him to do something ridiculous.
He shut his eyes and thought for a moment. Tsav would talk his ear off and he wouldn't be able to tell him to stop. Norgalle would probably lecture about kingliness and he didn't want to hear that either. Jayce would have him help with Neely. Xylo was too violent and too blunt, and he'd end up mitigating damages one way or another. Tatsuya was out of the question. Rhyno was less than ideal to talk to. And Patausche, for all her skills, was a terrible conversationalist.
Not that Venetim even wanted to talk to them… then he'd end up lying, one way or another, and he'd get stressed all over again.
Ah, Goddess Teoritta may be fun to talk to, but she was undeniably with Xylo. Then, when he'd end up lying, it'd be even worse. It was looking a little hopeless.
But then the idea struck, and Venetim felt relief rush over him. There was one person in his unit as work-avoidant as he was, and only a little bit chatty. Someone who wouldn't make him do anything, because he wouldn't want to do anything either. And he'd definitely have some good supplies, Venetim was sure he could convince him to share… how much booze could one thief drink, anyway?
The best part of all is that his sticky fingers meant Venetim could use an excuse he'd use many times before. He was supervising. It was perfect.
Yes, he'd stroll down to that cell, and spend his day with–
◆
Tsav stretched his back when he awoke, then twisted his neck with a crack. "Ahh, doesn't that feel nice?"
He scratched at his head for a moment. There wasn't much for him to do today. Not officially, anyway. No faeries to kill, no demon lords approaching, no people that he had to assassinate… maybe he could just assassinate someone, like, as a fun challenge? He had to keep his skills sharp somehow, right?
But, no… Bro would get mad at him and then Venetim would cry. He wouldn't want to trouble his pals like that. What a bleeding heart he was.
So spend a day out on the town, then! It was always a pleasant day when he got to gamble. And then with all of his winnings, he would buy a couple drinks or two, perhaps go fist-to-fist in a bar somewhere, and come back fufilled.
While it sounded fun and all, Tsav couldn't help but think it would be even better if he brought a friend with him! Twice the people, twice the fun, yeah? But which one of his bros would work?
He figured he'd walk around and just ask whoever he found first, but he was having a bit of trouble.
Xylo, Rhyno, and Tatsuya were nowhere to be found, for starters. That knocked out those as options.
He could bring the little Goddess with him, but Bro probably wouldn't be too happy with that, so he let her be for now. Venetim was looking around all curious, but when Tsav asked, Venetim refused quickly and fled. How strange!
He also didn't get a chance to talk to Jayce. They made eye contact, and Tsav had yelled out a greeting, but Jayce turned and walked away! He had tried to chase him down, but Jayce ran away real fast. Guess he had somewhere else to be.
He did ask King Norgalle, but His Majesty said he was busy engraving. It was pretty impressive, but man, he should really loosen up on the work! All that kingly talk and he wasn't even partying it up. Nobility's usually the bunch that want to slink around the alleys, but His Majesty was a penal hero, so maybe he was fed up with it.
Tsav opened his mouth to Patausche, but she didn't even let him say a word before she shoved him away.
Guess there was only one more option left. He'd probably be the most open to it anyway — he loved slumming it up and taking whatever he wanted. Always got the best stuff when he was around! Tsav didn't even have to spend that much scrip! Not to mention, while Tatsuya and Rhyno were nice and all, Tatsuya couldn't really respond and Rhyno was always smiling. This guy, Tsav could get some funny reactions out of, especially if they went drinking.
And they were similar ages! He'd never asked him, but he had to be like, twenty something, right? Tsav was too! They were a perfect match.
Definitely. He should go spring out–
◆
Norgalle Senridge hummed to himself, sorting through his tools. Although it was technically free time, he had to spend it doing something productive. A king should never settle for lounging around if there was something to be done.
He and his soldiers were fine as they came, so he was to personally enhance some of their tools. He'd already enhanced Tsav's lightning staff. Commander-in-Chief Xylo's daggers were usually disposable, so he probably didn't need it. Would Rhyno want a tune-up on his artillery? He could certainly do that, if he could find where the man was. Besides, Rhyno was plenty compentent as-is. Perhaps he should focus on the weaker links.
That, too, knocked out the weapons of Patausche, Tatsuya, and Jayce. Who else was in need?
Ah. Perhaps someone who wasn't utilizing his full potential could.
Yes, Norgalle had yet to tune his lightning staff. He was a poor shot, so he probably shouldn't focus on power. What sacred seals would make it easier to handle? He could think of a few already. Would he want any more materials? He could also make some better armour. There were sacred seals in those gloves of his, but were they completely optimised?
He was a fine citizen when it came to it, Norgalle remembered. He had some heart and it was said he could work miracles on occassion. He ought to help optimize his chances, so that heart could shine through as much as possible. It was the duty of a King to bring out the best of his citizens!
Today, he would go and help–
◆
Tatsuya hit a wall. He walked into a wall again. Thrice.
Rhyno watched him with mild curiousity, a placid smile on his face. The dedication of Comrade Tatsuya was truly astounding. He would keep walking into this wall over and over, although it showed no clear benefit. Wasn't that nice?
Although Rhyno didn't mind watching him much, he wondered what else he could do today. Tatsuya would likely want his free time to soak up the sun. If not now, then later. What would Rhyno do later?
He could talk with another member of the Penal Hero Unit that he didn't get to talk to much. Perhaps Comrade Patausche, who was new?
She glared at him and shooed him away when he asked, so maybe not. Perhaps Comrade Tsav would be interested…
But, oh! An even better option presented itself to him. He didn't prioritize any heros from any other, but he had to admit, some were just easier to find than others. He was very stealthy, it was impressive. It did mean he was seldom seen though. Perhaps he ought to take lessons, in case he needed to sneak around anywhere? He did seem to have a philosophy when it came to stealth.
"Come on, Tatsuya," Rhyno smiled, tapping the man on the shoulder so he'd follow.
He should definitely swing by. When was the last time he had spent time with–
◆
"Hello, Neely," Jayce Partiract greeted, petting Neely's snout affectionately. He leaned his face agained hers as she purred contentedly. "I'm taking care of the others again today."
Suddenly, she lifted her head out of his hands and huffed.
"What? It's not like that," he interjected. "I swear. But who else will, if not me? Those other dragon knights, they're…" His hands balled into fists. "They're not worthy of dragons."
Neely huffed once more.
"Well… yes, someone else could do it…" But the idea made Jayce upset. Who else could take care of them? Their stables were terrible, why would any other dragon knight do it well? He couldn't just let them all suffer because Neely was a little worried. Perhaps someone from his unit could help out…
Xylo was terrible at this. He could find Venetim, but Venetim would complain and try to weasel his way out of it with that annoying voice of his. Tatsuya wouldn't be careful enough. And he didn't really want to talk to Rhyno right now.
The Rookie? No, she was cooking. She'd probably need the whole day to make something edible.
Then perhaps he should ask him. That guy was worthy of his respect, after all. He would certainly know how to handle a dragon properly. Such a kind-hearted person…
And he knew exactly where he'd be, too.
"Well, I'll be back, Neely," Jayce said. "I know who else can do it. I'll go get–"
◆
The concoction bubbled in from of Patausche Kivia. She gritted her teeth, almost snarling at it, as if it would jump into line. But it didn't.
"Gah… it's no use," she hissed, face flushing lightly. She was a terrible cook, it was undeniable. But she didn't want the same degrading comments from the other heroes, so she had to make this better.
Clearly, though, she couldn't do it alone.
Who could she ask? Not many, she was certain. She couldn't ask Xylo again, she thought, blushing at the thought. And being taught by Goddess Teoritta was shameful… She was so earnest, but it felt like she was doing it more for the praise, which meant even she thought her cooking was a lost cause.
Tsav and Rhyno both walked by, but Patausche wasn't interested in their input. It'd be nothing of substance.
Venetim, then? No, he'd be all lies and smiles, and Patausche couldn't bear that. It'd just be worse.
"Ah!" she gasped, suddenly. No, there was a person she could turn to. He was a coward so she could scare him into silence, but she could also ask for his input as long as she did it gently enough. And he could taste, so he'd have some good opinion. Surely, he wasn't that poor at cooking either?
Yes, he'd do it. She could force him into it easily. It's not like he could go anywhere otherwise, he was currently shackled up again.
She'd have to go find–
◆
"–DOTTA!"
"Ah!" Dotta leapt within his shackles, the bottle of booze from his stash slipping from his fingers. It nearly fell to the ground until Dotta lunged for it, juggling it in his hands until it finally lied safely within his gloves. A bead of sweat rolled down his face as he looked around, nervous.
That was definitely his name just now, wasn't it? Spoken by a whole hoard of people? That sounded like ten distinct voices! Why would ten different people call his name at once? He wasn't in that much trouble, was he? He had been shackled up yesterday, but he didn't even sneak out last night — he passed out! After sneaking out in the evening, that was…
But there was no way they found out about that. If there was one thing Dotta was good at, it was definitely stealing, so the only proof would be the bottle in his hands and in his stash. Speaking of which…
Quickly, he lifted the bottle to the air and downed the contents, hissing as the burn went down. He'd have to drink this quickly. Who knows what would happen next?
Rubbing at his neck, around his sacred seal, Dotta pondered. If they were all calling his name and he hadn't even done anything, that means they needed him to do something. Which was a lot worse. He really hated when they asked him to do things, since they were always difficult... and apparently no one else could do it! Why did they only have one person in the unit like him? Why were the rest of them all soldiers or knights or something? Surely they could all be a little stealthy… hell, Tsav was a trained assassin! Why did they never take Tsav??
Well, he knew why, but still…
A stampede of footsteps grew louder, a clattering of voices all pooling into the room. He gulped down the rest of his booze and wiped at his mouth. Well, here goes nothing… He glanced up towards the metal bars, seeing Xylo, Patausche, Teoritta, Venetim… Tsav…
…Was that the entire penal hero unit?!
…And Trishil?!
Dotta felt his face grow very, very pale despite the alcohol he had just drank.
They stormed in, staggered, looking at eachother like it was the first time they ever had. Some of them looked almost guilty, like Patausche, or worried, like Venetim. Xylo seemed relaxed, which was bad. It meant he had something violent that needed to be done. All of that was so, so bad…
"Huh? What are you guys doing here? Dotta needs to come with me," said Xylo.
"My Knight! You left me alone! I was going to have Dotta find you!" pouted Teoritta.
"Don't you all have other tasks to do…? I'm supervising Dotta today…" tried Venetim.
"Dotta, Bro! Let's go down to the town!" grinned Tsav.
"Dotta, you will be rewarded today! I shall fine tune your staff!" declared Norgalle.
"I was planning on spending time with Comrade Dotta today… isn't that right, Tatsuya?" interjected Rhyno.
"Guhhh," Tatsuya groaned.
"But Dotta needs to help me with Neely. I trust him more than the rest of you," snided Jayce.
"…surely, you do not all need Dotta," mumbled Patausche.
"Nonsense. Dotta is training today," decided Trishil.
"Wait!" cried Dotta, already feeling faint. Tears were beginning to collect at the corners of his eyes. This was a lot of info at once. "Wait! Why are you all here?"
"Woah. This is crazy. We're all here at the same time, what a coincedence!" Tsav clapped his hands together, enthusiastically. "But me and Dotta are busy today!"
"Dotta needs to come with me. I'll debrief you on the way." Xylo crossed his hands. "No, Teoritta, you shouldn't come with. It's not important."
"I will judge whether or not it is important!" she huffed. "Tell him, Dotta!"
"What–? Go out– go where? Scouting?" Dotta repeated. He was lost. This was too much. "Do you all need me to do something?"
"You are going to train," Trishill interjected. "You're not strong enough yet to relax. Up on your feet, Hanged Fox."
"Don't you all have much more important things to do?" Venetim placed his hand on his chest, and made eye contact with Dotta. The look in his eyes seemed to match Dotta's, in that moment… There came that familiar feeling of empathy. Honestly, whatever Venetim wanted was probably going to be the easiest, they'd made deals to relax before. "I'll watch Dotta today. You mustn't worry about him and his sticky fingers." But before Dotta could agree…
"Dotta, where is your lightning staff?" Norgalle stepped forward, pushing the crowd out of his way. He swept his cape dramatically. "I'll tune it up for you! As a reward for all of your hard work these past few months!"
"I simply wanted to talk to you, Comrade Dotta. How should someone like me tackle stealth?" Rhyno smiled.
"Yeah, but Dotta is going to help me with the dragons. You'll do it, won't you? Everyone else here is such a nutjob, but I know you'll be just fine." Jayce glared at the others sternly, harshening his voice when he was talking about the others.
Patausche simply stood there silently, her face pink. Dotta didn't want to even ask what she wanted him to do.
"Let's go, Dotta. Come on."
"Xylo, surely, you didn't get a mission…? Usually those go through the commander first…"
"Neely is waiting. We have to go."
"Seems you are popular today, Comrade Dotta."
Eventually, everyone started talking all over each other, and Dotta couldn't decipher any of it. But looking at each one, it seemed they weren't going to give up that easily. Dotta really wished Venetim would win, but even if he did, he'd just have to do it all later…
Dotta slipped another bottle into his hands, and finished it in one swig.
He was in for a long, long day…