Surrounded (1)
1418 Words
“Oh yes! Shot your goo, my dude!”
“What dude? There are five of us, you know! Now, we'll make sure you'll receive so much of it! We're coming for you!”
And then, once all's said and done...
A woman suddenly awakes from her sleep.
She should have felt a kind of bliss, a kind of ecstasy.
But what she's actually feeling... is instead a sense of dread.
“No... *huff* *heave*... not this again... *huff* *heave*... I choose the man I want to be with, an no one else is gonna stop me from doing so! *huff* *heave*... I'm not just gonna let myself get surrounded by five intimidating men, that's for sure!”
Her words are resolute.
The next day.
As Papang and Ashley Elise Rappi are sent off to their own rehabilitation facilities, Joven and Lorelei take the initiative and gain temporary custody of the two children, who are named Jervin and Mellyn Jane.
The two kids are both six years old, and thus they need some extra TLC to forge them into decent citizens while their dad and mom are away.
As for me... my job here in Orion Cepheid is done, and I'm in the mood to embark on another quest.
And so...
“It's been an honor to help you in two undertakings. Though our time together may be short, it will certainly go a long way.”
Lorelei replies to my words...
“That's alright. As long as I see the Desucatan chicken and its scientific name somewhere, I will always remember you and the help you've given me.”
Joven cuts in.
“And you've snipped a marital problem right in the bud. What's your inspiration for that, by the way, Walter?”
“I... I have a girlfriend back home. I always make it a point to always remember her no matter where I go.”
“Always faithful to his beloved... no wonder he's willing to solve a relationship problem.”
“Aw, don't flatter me. Anyway, I have to go now. I have another adventure waiting for me.”
Lorelei excitingly declares...
“Yup, that's what the likes of you always do. Break a leg, Walter! May we see each other again!”
“Walter, thank you and goodbye. Give my regards to Ashley Elise in case you bump into her at the adventurer's guild.”
“Will do. Bye!”
And thus, I bid farewell to Lorelei Verdillus the taxonomist and Joven Davadilla the part-time investigator.
Well, no more fooling around. It's off to the adventurer's guild.
Since this is the adventurer's guild in Orion Cepheid, it is quite smaller and less grand than the one in the capital.
But the signage is still there.
Once I enter the premises, I'm greeted by this town's guild mistress, Tsubasa Skyseer.
She has a fairer complexion when compared to that of the capital's guild mistress, and her eyes are fair-brown.
“Good morning. Please present your adventurer's identification badge.”
I follow her instruction, and then...
“Excellent. I have a wealth of quests you can undertake. Please take your time.”
And while I'm browsing through the available quests, I get a quick glimpse of Ashley Elise Rappi, the wife with the unusual strength and brutal moves.
She is accompanied by another adventurer, a muscle-bound man wearing a simple outfit consisting of a sleeveless undershirt, a cowhide belt, brown-green pants, and boots.
From the look on her face, it looks like she'll enjoy being trained to properly use her new-found strength as a newbie adventurer.
Now back to the available quests list.
Oh, this one's quite unique.
“Surrounded”
Quest ID: 1019-949
Quest Difficulty: 4
Party Requirement: At least one person required to start this quest. Melee or ranged fighters only. Quest starter will also join in the quest as offensive spell-caster.
Quest Brief:
Help! I'm being pursued by five black-skinned dudes who all want a piece of me... in the most obscene way possible! They will stop at nothing until they've had their fill of me, and possibly other innocent women! Obviously, being a spell-caster myself, I'm guaranteed to be a squishy wizard in the face of five huge intimidating men; so I need some personal muscle to help me get out of this rut! Look, I don't want to be spoiled on the night of my wedding day with the man I truly love, so I'm dashing this SOS to you, lucky adventurer!
“I'll take on this quest.”
“Very well. Step into the portal, and have a nice adventure!”
One teleportation later...
Vetev, Wadifil Prefecture.
Just an ordinary town.
No significant exports or industries to talk about, or to write home to.
But what is significant, though, is that a good majority of the houses here still use ancient building techniques as described in one of the books I've read not too long ago at the Grand Library.
Furthermore, there are some houses that withstood the test of time, as evidenced by the stones used as their foundations that are still in pretty good condition despite the presence of dirt and moss on their surfaces.
OK, enough architectural dabbling.
I need to find my client, and fast!
Amidst the houses and the fragrant smoke surrounding me (that is because people are preparing their lunch in advance, which mainly consists of grilled meat and fish plus rice cooked inside bamboo tubes), I see a motley crew of five tall, dark, and handsome men, all wearing white shirts and white short pants.
The leader of the five-man pack asks...
“Hey, you! Have you seen Miss Perrina Befana?”
I immediately answer...
“Nope, I didn't see her. I just arrived in this town.”
“Ah, I see. From your clothes, you look like an adventurer. Come join us!”
“No, thanks. I'm currently in a quest of my own.”
“Well then. If you see her, please tell us. We're always here around the clock. And if you care, we'll introduce ourselves. I'm Tyrone Reylaw.”
The other four also introduce themselves.
“I'm Aris Lotres.”
“And I'm Brock Ballath.”
“This is Heimdall Maveep.”
“Ragnarr Grandscream here.”
Tyrone the leader then concludes...
“If you have no more questions, then we'll let you go.”
“I don't have any.”
“Well then... farewell, adventurer.”
The five men then leave the scene, leaving me with a question...
“What was that all about?”
I don't need to answer my own question right away, since I must go to this town's adventurer's guild for a shot at finding my client.
As mandated by law, every town in this kingdom should have an adventurer's guild – and all of them indeed have one each.
Here it is. With the all-familiar signage and all.
Inside, I find several other adventurers browsing through available quests, selecting the quests they fancy, and then teleporting to their own appropriate places.
And then...
A young-looking twin-tailed blonde lady, who is perhaps a foot shorter than me, approaches me in a timid way.
She asks me in a soft and sweet voice...
“M-Mister? A-Are you the client I'm looking for?”
“Uhm... why?”
“B-Because... uh...”
Man, this girl is so shy.
If she's indeed my client, then it's all the more reason to protect her! Especially her smile!
I answer in an equally sweet way...
“Don't worry, lady. Here, my adventurer's identification.”
I bring out my adventurer's identification badge, which shows the ID and name of the quest I'm in.
“Yes! That's it! You're indeed my client! N-Nice to meet you, Mr. Walter!”
“And you're most likely Perrina Befana, right?”
“H-How'd you know my name?”
“Just met five guys earlier. They're tall...”
The tone of her voice suddenly shifts to a more cautious one.
“S-So... you've met those bad guys? I-I bet you'll turn me in to them, right?”
“Why would I? You're my client, and this quest is a contract in itself. I won't betray you.”
Her voice then shifts back to being shy and meek.
“I-I can see... in your eyes... that you're true to your word. Thank you.”
Meanwhile... in some undisclosed location...
Some shady guy is declaring with a sneering laugh...
“Hahahahaha!!! He fell for it!”
- Writer
