Kalia and Astra descended the stairs to the usual scene of the girls finishing their breakfast. Kalia braced for the inevitable bombardment of questions.
"Oooh, the lovebirds are here!" Eron called as they walked into the kitchen.
"You couldn't even give us five minutes..." Kalia sighed.
"Did you have fun with Astra?" Eliane chimed in.
"Yeah, tell us!" The others joined in.
"Yes, we had a good time." Kalia pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Mhmm! It was lots of fun!" Astra added enthusiastically.
"Girls, leave Lady Kalia and Lady Astra be." Lora shook a finger at the group. "They are allowed to have their secrets."
Oh, so now we can have secrets...?
"Sorry..." they all muttered, hanging their heads in disappointment.
Kalia shot a glance at Lora, grateful for preventing another interrogation.
"So, what do you girls think about taking on a few quests?"
"We were thinking about converting the smithy into Astra's new lab, but we need to be Rank B to use the construction services the guild offers."
"And we are only fifteen points away!" Astra added.
The group exchanged looks with each other for a few moments.
"Sounds good," Eron replied. "Beats being cooped up in the house all day."
"I'll go too," Eliane said. "If Eron's going, I'd like to come."
"Agreed." Milena flexed her arms. "Training is great and all, but I'm ready to put it to use."
"Me too." Fio nodded. "I've got some new summons I wanted to try out."
"What about you, Sarah?"
"I wanna stay with Lora!" Sarah raised her hand.
"Me?" Lora raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"Cuz it's fun helping you!"
"Doing chores is fun?"
"Mhmm!"
Kalia glanced at Lora. "If she is okay with it, then you can stay here."
Lora smiled. "Of course. How could I say no to having a cute little helper?"
"Yay!"
"What about you?" Kalia turned to Lucy. "Wanna come?"
"I want to..." Lucy's shoulders slumped. "...but I should probably study for my entrance exam."
"Probably the right choice." Kalia nodded.
"Yeah..."
"Don't worry, Lucy. There will be plenty of time for quests after you graduate!" Astra assured her.
"In fact, when you graduate, I'll take you to my favorite ruins for your very first expedition."
Lucy instantly perked up. "Really?"
"Mhmm." Astra nodded.
"Then I better go study!" Lucy jumped out of her chair and dashed up to her room.
Kalia smiled as the girl vanished up the stairs before glancing at Astra. "It's like I am looking in a mirror."
"Hehe." Astra puffed out her chest.
Kalia turned to the group. "Go get your packs ready, girls."
"Yes, Master Lia!" The girls immediately took off to gather their things.
————————————————————————————————————
The clerk smiled as Kalia approached the counter. "Hello, how can I help you today?"
"We'd like to take a few quests today."
"Certainly. May I see your identification card?"
"Here you go." Kalia slid her card to the clerk.
"The Founders. Rank C. Party leader Kalia Waywrenn." The clerk checked the information against her ledger.
"Everything seems to be in order." The clerk reached under the counter and handed Kalia a list of quests.
"Is it possible for us to accept more than one?"
"We do allow parties to accept more than one quest at a time, provided they do not exceed 25 total points."
"Perfect."
"Just remember that some quests have time limits, so be careful not to stretch your party too thin. There are penalties for failing to complete quests within their deadlines."
"Noted." Kalia returned to the group with the list.
"How do you want to go about this, Lia?"
"The clerk said we are allowed to take multiple quests, so let's take three or four and earn the points we need in one go."
"Makes sense." Astra nodded.
Kalia browsed the list for a few minutes and settled on three quests, each worth five points.
Monster Extermination: Slay one Baarshek and return the four fangs to the guild.
Monster Extermination: Slay four Palewings and return their claws to Forgemaster Ondo.
Capture Request: Capture ten Battus and bring them to the guild.
"These seem doable." Astra inspected the list.
"Do you know anything about these monsters?"
"Mhmm." Astra nodded. "Palewings are bird-like creatures about the size of a dinner plate. Fast with sharp claws, but not very intelligent. Battus are basically game animals prized for their meat and eggs. Harmless, but quite difficult to catch."
"And the last one?"
"Baarsheks are very dangerous creatures. Big and powerful with deadly venom and toxic breath. Fortunately, they are pretty slow."
"Should we pick something else, then?"
"Nah, we can handle these, no problem." Astra shook her head. "Besides, you have me!"
"Right..." Kalia tapped her forehead. "Astra the destroyer..."
"Hey!" Astra pouted. "...I said I was sorry."
"I was kidding, Astra."
"Anyway, the Baarshek quest is the closest. We'll start there."
"Yes, Master Lia."
————————————————————————————————————
Kalia manifested the Cartographer's Disc. "The request sheet said it has been appearing in these woods."
"Shame it can't just point out the monster for us..."
"Yeah, guess we should have a quick look around."
"I can find it, Lia!" Astra waved her hand.
"Does it involve burning down the forest?"
"Never mind..."
"I swear, Astra..."
"Hehe."
"I'll send out Uuro." Fio raised a hand. "Through the darkened halls of Ellou, I call upon the one who sees all. Uuro Magiid."
"How can this one assist you, Master?" Uuro buzzed.
"Please investigate the surrounding forest for a creature called a Baarshek."
"Right away." The creatures immediately fanned out into the trees.
"And now we wait." Kalia sat against a nearby tree.
They didn't have to wait long before Uuro returned to Fio's side.
"This one has found what you seek. The creature known as a Baarshek is currently in a clearing four hundred yards from this location."
"Thanks, Uuro!" Fio waved as the creatures vanished with a wisp of smoke.
"Let's go, Lia!" Astra shot up and started toward the woods.
"Slow down, Astra." Kalia snagged the back of Astra's collar. "You just said this thing was dangerous; we shouldn't go charging in."
"I can handle it alone, though..."
"We can't do everything for them, Astra." Kalia motioned toward the rest of the party. "They need to learn how to handle quests on their own."
"Okay..."
Kalia turned to the other girls. "So, how do you want to approach this thing?"
"Umm, I think I should be in front since I am the only one with an actual weapon," Milena replied, hefting the Spine.
"Eli and I should hang back and support Milena," Eron added.
"I've got a few new summons I've been meaning to try out, so I can fill in wherever you need me."
"That's a solid plan. Astra and I will be close in case things get bad."
"Aww, you mean I can't fight?" Astra puffed out her cheeks. "I've been reading about this ancient spell and wanted to try it out."
"My point exactly..." Kalia patted the girl on the head. "You'll have plenty of chances to show off another time, okay?"
"Fiiine..." Astra huffed.
Kalia laughed. "You'll live."
"Now that you have a plan, it's time to get to work. Just remember, we need to keep its fangs intact to complete the quest."
"Yes, Master Lia!" The group entered the tree line.
Milena stopped at the edge of the clearing. "I think I see something over there."
"Where?" Eron whispered.
"Right there." Milena pointed toward a dark patch in the grass. "Looks like a tail."
"So what should we do?"
"I don't know; I can't see its head."
"I got this." Fio began whispering an incantation.
"Winds of winter, biting and gnawing, I call upon you. Tinan Magiid."
As she finished her chant, a cold wind began to blow. With it, frost spread across the grass. Suddenly, a small fox creature with piercing blue eyes appeared among the mist; flecks of ice fell from its tail as it waved.
"Greetings, Master." Tinan bowed her head. "How may I be of assistance?"
"Sooo cute!" Eliane reached out to pet the fox. "So fluffy!"
"Oww!" Eliane snatched her hand back the instant it touched Tinan's fur. "Too cold..."
Tinan whipped around to face her. "I am not a pet; do not think you are allowed to touch me."
"Sorry..." Eliane muttered, still rubbing her hand.
"Hmph!" Tinan turned back toward Fio. "Are all your friends such uncouth brutes?"
"Be nice, Tinan; they didn't know."
"Fine." Tinan turned up her snout. "Just this once, I shall overlook the offense."
"Tinan, I need you to go into the clearing and flush out a monster. We need to find its head."
"It will be done, Master." Tinan sprang into the air, a trail of snowflakes shimmering behind her.
Tinan hovered above the clearing, scanning the area below.
"A Baarshek, hmm?" She traced the creature's tail until she could see its head. "Such an ugly and inelegant beast."
Tinan immediately blasted the creature with her icy breath. The Baarshek lazily raised both heads to find whatever had interrupted its nap.
"Astra..." Kalia crooked a finger. "When were you going to mention it had two heads?"
"Hehe, I forgot."
The creature snapped uselessly at Tinan as she darted around it, peppering it with breath attacks.
"What a dull creature." Tinan dodged its snapping jaws. "Master? You can come attack now!"
Fio paused for a moment, observing the creature. It had to be nearly eighty feet long, its enormous body covered in jet-black scales. Venom dripped from the fangs protruding from its jaws.
"This thing is huge..." Milena tightened her grip on the Spine.
"You can do it, Milena," Fio assured the girl. "While it's distracted."
"Uh-huh..." Milena nodded nervously before stepping out into the clearing, her body tinged with a red glow as she activated her enhancement magic.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
You can do it; you trained for this.
She lowered the Spine and charged directly at the Baarshek. As she closed the gap between them, one of the heads locked onto her and flicked its tail toward her.
Milena tucked into a roll as the tail swept through the air above her head. She immediately popped up and continued her charge, channeling mana into the point of the Spine.
"Very nice," Astra whispered.
"Mhmm." Kalia nodded.
"Gonna have to try harder than that!" Milena shouted at the beast.
As if it had heard her, the head opened its jaws wide and spewed a cloud of sickly green gas.
"Teru!" Eron summoned a barrier just as the toxic cloud was about to engulf Milena.
"Nice save!" Milena cut a wide angle around the cloud and drove her spear into the Baarshek's side.
The creature roared in pain as its other head turned toward the new threat. Both heads reared back, letting out twin blasts of poison.
Eron tried to summon another barrier, but Milena was too close to the creature; the cloud engulfed her before the barrier could appear.
Milena staggered, coughing violently as the poison coursed through her body.
"Tinan, distract it!"
"Right away!" Tinan launched a volley of icy spears at the creature, causing it to lash out toward her.
"Eli! Help Milena!" Eron shouted.
"Got it!" Eliane bolted into the clearing toward Milena.
Milena collapsed, the poison sapping her strength with every passing second.
Astra stood, ready to charge in.
Kalia grabbed her arm. "Just wait."
"But..."
"I know..." Kalia shook her head. "They can do this."
"Okay..."
"Hang on, Milena!" Eliane held her hands above her.
"Noma et Shi'i."
A pale white light washed over Milena, neutralizing the poison coursing through her veins.
"Here, drink this." Eliane handed Milena a small vial. "It'll help you recover some strength."
"Thanks..." Milena replied weakly, uncorking the bottle.
"...Ugh." Her face twisted with disgust as she rose to her feet. "That tasted terrible..."
Eliane let out a small laugh as she darted back into the tree line. "What did you expect, Lonpa juice?"
"Alright, you ugly beast." Milena dusted herself off. "That won't work a second time."
"Let's see you deal with this!"
She focused on the Spine, willing it to grow, launching herself high into the air above the creature, then, as soon as she felt she was clear of a counterattack, she shrank the Spine to its original size and plummeted toward the Baarshek with the point of the spear extended.
"Haa!" she screamed as the spear bit deep into one of the creature's heads. The force of the hit drove the spear clean through its skull.
The Baarshek flailed wildly, blood pouring from the wound. The other head frantically snapped at the Spine, trying to remove it, narrowly missing Milena with each bite.
"Milena! Let go of it!" Fio shouted.
"Okay!" She jumped from the fallen head, landing with a heavy thud on the ground.
"Tinan! Finish this thing off!"
"Yes, Master!" Tinan hovered above the thrashing creature. The beast spewed clouds of toxic gas as it desperately tried to rid itself of its attackers.
"So noisy..."
A freezing wind began to whip through the clearing. Frost covered the grass and trees as Tinan glowed a deep azure. An enormous icicle formed in front of her.
"Be quiet!" Tinan launched the spear of ice into its open mouth. The spear of ice punched through the roof of its mouth and burst from the back of its skull, shattering against the ground.
With one final roar, the Baarshek collapsed to the ground with an earth-shattering thud.
Tinan floated back to Fio's side. "The creature has been dealt with, Master."
"Good job!" Fio scratched Tinan's head.
"Mmm, I know!" Tinan stretched under her master's hand, clearly proud of herself. "Anything else?"
"Nope. You can go home."
"Then, I'm off!" Tinan vanished in a whirl of frost and snow.
"We did it!" Milena sprinted toward the other girls.
"Yeah, we did!" Eron cheered.
"Good work, girls." Kalia approached the group. "Each one of you filled your role perfectly."
"Especially you, Eliane." Kalia smiled at the girl. "You didn't hesitate to put yourself in harm's way to save someone else. I am proud of your courage."
"Y-you're proud..." Eliane stammered. "...of me?"
"Of course I am." Kalia nodded.
Kalia cast a glance back at the fallen monster. "I guess we should go get those fangs."
"I got it, Lia!" Astra skipped across the clearing, returning moments later with a pack full of fangs, the venom dripping through the fabric.
"I got Milena's weapon too." Astra tossed the spear to her.
"Thanks."
Kalia eyed the leaking bag. "Shouldn't we clean those things...?"
"No way! They're more valuable if they still have the venom on them!"
"Is it safe to just carry around like that?"
"Mhmm." Astra shouldered the pack. "Let's get these back to the guild. If we hurry, we can still take care of those Palewings before dark."
"Sounds good." Kalia glanced down at the girls. "Besides, it looks like they could use a bit of rest."
————————————————————————————————————
"Welcome!" The clerk bowed as Kalia approached the counter. "What can I do for you today?"
"I'm here to turn in the Baarshek quest." Kalia placed four of the fangs on the counter.
"Of course. Your identification card, please." The clerk thumbed through her ledger. "The Founders. Four Baarshek fangs."
She placed a small stack of papers on the counter. "If you'll just fill these out, we can record your points and issue your reward."
Kalia hung her head. Why did I think there wouldn't be more forms...
"Sure thing..." Kalia snatched the forms off the counter and quickly filled them out.
"Everything seems to be in order." The clerk stamped the forms before filing them.
"That's a total of five points." The clerk placed a small sack on the counter. "And here are twelve gold coins for your reward."
"Thanks..."
Kalia trudged back to the party, tossing the bag to Astra.
"This is it?" Astra frowned. "At least they only wanted four..."
"Who even cares?" Kalia sighed. "We got the points."
"You guys head to the next quest." Astra patted the bag on her shoulder. "I'm gonna go sell these. Meet you at the west gate later?"
"Alright." Kalia waved.
————————————————————————————————————
"Anyone know where we can find these things?" Kalia scratched her head. "I should have asked Astra about that..."
"Oh, I know!" Eliane raised a hand. "Back in Night's Gale, we had to catch a bunch of them for a traveling circus."
"They like to hide in caves or abandoned buildings until night falls, then they come out to hunt."
Kalia manifested the Disc. "Hmm, I'm not seeing any caves, but there are a bunch of abandoned buildings on the other side of this field."
She turned to Fio. "Can you send Uuro to scout for us again?"
Fio recited the incantation, sending Uuro to investigate.
"This one has found forty-seven of the creatures currently sleeping in a collapsed mill."
Fio smiled as the creatures vanished. "Easy enough."
"I'm starting to think Uuro is my favorite summon." Kalia chuckled.
The group made their way across the field, stopping at the edge of the mill behind an outlying building.
"So, Eliane, how'd you capture these things?"
"It's pretty easy while they're sleeping. Just gotta be really quiet and snag them with a net."
"And if they wake up?"
"They'll swarm and tear us to shreds."
"Great..." Kalia sighed. "Not only do we have almost fifty of them to deal with, but we also have to kill four of them without waking the rest up."
"I don't think I can hold that many down with the Spine..." Milena frowned. "I guess that means I'll have to sit this one out."
"We don't have any spells that can deal with that many." Eron sighed, looking at Eliane.
I could use the Chime to deal with them...but that would defeat the purpose of having them learn...
"Of all the times for Astra to be away..."
"Or Lucy..." Eron added.
Kalia turned to Fio. "Would Tinan be able to handle this?"
"Probably, but there is no way she's going to come out twice in one day."
"They're allowed to refuse?"
"Of course. They aren't slaves, Master Lia."
"Right..."
Kalia once again stuck her foot in her mouth.
"We're overthinking this." Eliane finally spoke up. "All we have to do is sneak in there and capture four of them."
"We can dispatch them later and get the claws that way."
Kalia slapped her forehead. "Of course... We just had a whole discussion about this."
"Manifest." Kalia conjured a few fishing nets.
"These are casting nets." Kalia held one of them up. "Normally they're used for fishing, but they should still work here."
"Unlike a regular net, these have weights on the edges that pull together when you draw it in." Kalia demonstrated how to throw the net.
Eliane examined one of the nets. "These are way better than the ones I had to use!"
"I think Fio and I should be the ones to sneak in." Eliane pointed to a collapsed wall. "I'm small, and with Fio being Assam, she is naturally light on her feet."
"The rest of you should wait here in case something goes wrong."
"Right!" The group replied in unison.
Kalia smiled. Look at her go.
Fio and Eliane made their way into the mill, carefully stepping over the loose boards and rubble.
Eliane pointed at one of the sleeping Palewings. Its sleek, light-grey wings were folded against its sides, its razor-sharp talons wrapped around a cracked beam.
Fio nodded, readying her net.
Eliane gave her a signal with one hand. Fio let the net fly, snagging the creature.
As soon as the net closed, the creature let out a piercing screech. The pair froze, holding their breath.
The flock stirred, but did not wake.
Fio drew the net in as quickly as possible, wrapped a cloth around the creature's beak, and retreated outside the mill to grab another net.
As Fio returned, Eliane spotted two more sleeping near one another and motioned for her to throw the next net. This time, neither of the Palewings made a sound. Eliane quickly grabbed one and wrapped its beak while Fio did the other.
Eliane scanned the room for another target, but none were within reach.
Eliane followed Fio outside and whispered, "I didn't see any more I could reach, did you?"
"No..."
"What should we do?"
"I'm not sure; maybe we should ask the others."
"Already done?" Kalia asked.
"We only have three. We couldn't reach any of the other ones."
"Hmm..." Kalia turned to the other girls. "Milena, do you think you could use the Spine to catch one?"
"How?"
"What if we put a net on the end and snag one that way?"
"I could probably do that." Milena nodded.
Kalia attempted to fix the net onto the Spine, but with no way to draw the string, it would be useless.
"Figured..." Kalia manifested a basket net and attached it to the end of the Spine. "You're gonna have to withdraw this one as fast as possible in case it tries to escape."
"Okay." Eliane and Milena crept into the mill.
As they entered, Eliane scanned the area for a lone Palewing with nothing that could catch the net. After a few moments, she pointed out one resting atop a pole.
Milena nodded and slowly extended the Spine. As it stretched toward the creature, Milena struggled to keep it steady. Every slight movement caused the net to sway in a wide arc.
She took a deep breath, bracing the butt of the spear in some rubble behind her to regain control. When the net was directly above the Palewing, she brought it down as fast as she could. The instant the net hit the creature, she retracted the Spine.
The Palewing screeched; the flock rippled with movement.
The two girls looked at each other with panic.
"Run!" Eliane whispered.
As soon as the words left her mouth, the flock rose from its sleep and swarmed together among the mill's rafters. The deafening screeches echoed through the building.
"Uh-oh..." Kalia leaned toward the sudden noise and the two girls sprinting toward her.
"Everyone! Run!" Eliane screamed as she sprinted past the group.
"Girls, get out of here!" Kalia shouted, taking a defensive posture. "I'll deal with this; get back to town!"
"No need." Fio calmly stood next to Kalia. "We only need four of them, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then there shouldn't be a problem if I burn the rest of them to a crisp." Fio summoned Koga.
"Koga. You know what to do."
"Birds...? C'mon, I wanted a fight..."
Fio sighed. "Just do it, you battle junkie... or do I need to call Sasha out?"
"Wait, wait, wait... not that, please. I got it!" Koga swung his blade in a wide arc, sending a wall of flames roaring through the air and into the flock. As it hit, charred carcasses dropped from the sky one by one; the smell of charred flesh filled the air.
Koga frowned. "They didn't even try to get out of the way..."
"Great job, Koga." Fio's eye twitched. "Just a quick note, though."
"Amazing, right? Only took one attack!"
"No..." Fio pointed at the mill, now engulfed in flames.
"Hehe..." Koga rubbed the back of his head. "I-I can take care of that..."
"You better..." Fio tapped the blue gemstone in the Lights of Tal. Koga fully understood the threat.
Koga took off toward the mill, his sword consuming the flames as he passed through them until all that remained of the mill was a smoldering pile of rubble.
"See? All good." Koga smiled weakly.
"Don't tell my sister..." His voice faded as he vanished back into the Lights.
Kalia stood by and watched the entire exchange, trying to suppress her laughter.
"Wanna head back, Fio?"
"Yeah, this place reeks of burnt flesh."
As the group approached the western gates, they could see Astra standing with her arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently.
"What took you guys so long? I've been waiting here forever..."
"Sorry, we had a minor hiccup..." Kalia smiled.
"Let me guess, that fire I saw in the distance was you?"
"No..." Kalia protested. "It was Koga!"
"Uh-huh, now who's the one that destroys everything?" Astra grinned.
"I swear it wasn't me!" Kalia turned to Fio. "Tell her."
"I have no idea what you are talking about, Master Lia." Fio smirked.
"That's what I thought..." Astra wagged a finger at Kalia.
"Traitor..."
Fio only replied with a fit of laughter.
"Did you at least get the claws?"
"Yeah... well, kinda..." Kalia pointed at the Palewings.
"We didn't need them alive..." Astra's nose wrinkled. "I'll let you get the claws; those things stink."
"Here you go, Master Lia." Eron suddenly unloaded the squirming bundles onto her. "Have fun."
"We'll meet you at Forgemaster Ondo's smithy." Astra waved as the girls took off down a side street.
"Hey..." Kalia called after them.
What the hell just happened? Is this tease your master day or what?
"Fine..." Kalia manifested an axe and began to dismember the monsters.
"Oh god..." Kalia gagged. "She wasn't kidding."
She finished the work as quickly as she could, with a few breaks to get some fresh air, and stuffed the filthy claws into a sack.
Kalia trudged toward the smithy holding the sack of claws at arm's length. As she approached, Astra stopped her at the bottom of the stairs and pointed to a bucket of water on the ground.
"Ondo said to throw them in there. We already got his stamp on the request sheet. We can turn the quest in tomorrow and get our points."
"I wanna go home now..."
"Not in our carriage." Astra pinched her nose.
"Oh, c'mon..."
"Fine, but you're riding on the luggage rack."
"Anything, just get me in a bath as soon as possible."
Before long, the carriage rolled through the gates of their home. Kalia stripped all of her clothes off outside and sprinted through the house into the bath.
"Welcome ho—" Lora gasped as her master ran through the parlor naked.
Kalia desperately scrubbed the foul-smelling blood off her body before sinking into the warm bath water.
Astra poked her head through the doorway. "May I join you?"
"Oh, now you want to be by me?" Kalia smirked.
"You smelled terrible."
"And whose fault was that?" Astra smiled, settling beside Kalia.
"At least the last quest is the easy one." Kalia leaned her head against Astra's shoulder.
"Mhmm."
The pair enjoyed the warmth of the bath for a while before finally deciding to turn in for the night.
————————————————————————————————————
Lora finished collecting the bowls from the table. "Are you going back out today, Lady Kalia?"
"Yup. One more quest to go." Kalia nodded.
"Should I expect you home for lunch then?"
"Yeah, this shouldn't take too long."
"Understood. I'll have it waiting for you when you return."
"Thanks, Lora."
Kalia shouldered her pack and headed toward the door. "Let's go, girls. Astra is already outside waiting for us."
"Coming!" The girls made their way to the waiting carriage and climbed in.
————————————————————————————————————
Kalia stuck her head out of the carriage window and called, "So where can we even find these things? I'm not seeing any information on the request sheet."
"Mmm." Astra paused. "I've heard they are pretty common around Orton."
"Orton?"
"It's a tiny farming village to the south, not too far from here."
"Let's head that way, then."
"Okies!" Astra snapped the reins.
"Wait..." Kalia's brow furrowed. "By not far... you mean?"
"Couple hours." Astra smiled. "We'll be there in no time."
She's lying...
"Alright..." Kalia settled back into her seat.
Several hours passed; the midday sun hung high above the carriage.
Kalia shifted her weight, attempting to find a comfortable position. "Astra... how much longer...?"
"It's just over the next hill." Astra pointed toward a rough-hewn wooden sign. "See."
Lora is going to kill me...
"We really need to work on your perception of time..." Kalia muttered under her breath.
The carriage rolled down the central road of Orton, coming to a stop in front of what appeared to be an inn.
"Finally!" Kalia sprang out of the back of the carriage and rubbed her lower back.
"You weren't kidding."
Kalia glanced around the village. Aside from the inn, there were only a handful of small homes clustered around a large central gathering area at the end of the main road. Beyond that, rolling fields stretched as far as she could see, dotted with an occasional barn or granary.
Eron hopped down from the carriage. "So what now?"
"Let's ask the innkeeper." Kalia made her way into the inn.
"Um, hello?" The inn was deserted.
"Be right there!" A voice came from somewhere out of sight, followed by a tremendous crash. "Not again!"
"Is everything okay?" Kalia shouted back.
A young Folven woman appeared through a door behind the counter.
"I'm fine." She dusted off her apron. "It's those damned Battus...always getting into the stores."
"Name's Teera." She smiled with a modest bow. "You must be new around here. Welcome to Orton!"
"Kalia Waywrenn." Kalia returned the greeting.
"Need a room or just stopping by for something to eat?"
"Actually, we are here on a quest to capture Battus for the guild in Tuugo."
"Who would want those little vermin?"
"I heard they were prized for their meat."
"People eat them?!" Teera wrinkled her nose. "City-folk are strange... eating pests."
"So what did you want to know?"
"We were just wondering where we could find them and if you know someone who can help us catch some."
"Finding them won't be a problem. They are everywhere around here. As for someone to help you catch them..."
Teera paused for a moment. "Good luck with that. Usually we try to blast them with fire magic before they can get away."
"Are they really that fast?"
"Fastest thing you'll ever see." A thud echoed from behind Teera. She sighed, grabbing a broom. "Ugh... if that's all you need."
"I'll leave you to it." Kalia bowed her head slightly. "Thanks."
Kalia returned to the carriage. "Seems like finding them won't be an issue."
"We know..." Eron snorted. "We've seen a dozen of them run by already."
"One even got into my pack and stole my snacks." Astra pouted.
"I tried to grab it, but the second I moved toward the bag, it just vanished..."
A ball of brown fur sat on a nearby fence, munching on a piece of bread.
"That's the one!" Astra lunged at the Battu. The instant Astra moved, the creature was already sitting atop their carriage, the last of the bread disappearing into its mouth.
"That was mine!" Astra folded her arms, glaring at the creature.
"How...?" Kalia scratched her head. "It was right there."
Something is off here.
Kalia moved toward the Battu. The creature seemed to vanish into thin air and reappear a few feet away.
"How is it moving that fast?" Eliane squinted at the ball of fuzz. "I can't even see its legs."
"I don't..." Kalia suddenly spun and lunged for it. "...know."
The Battu stared down the group as if to taunt them into trying again.
"Eron, try trapping it with a barrier."
"Okay." Eron cast a barrier around the Battu. "I got it!"
"You sure about that?" Milena chuckled, pointing toward the fence post. "It's right there."
Kalia turned to Astra. "Are these things magical creatures?"
"I don't think so. I'm not detecting any mana coming from them, at least."
Milena concentrated on the Spine. "Maybe I can stop it." The point of her spear glowed as the Spine's gravity ability activated. The air around the Battu distorted. For the briefest instant, the little ball of fur seemed to flatten—then it was several feet away.
So that's it! Kalia's eyes widened.
"Think about it. Astra isn't detecting any magic, we can't see any legs, and it never moves more than a few feet at a time." Kalia glanced toward the Battu. "It's not running away from us. It's launching itself."
"How do you know?" Milena glanced over her shoulder at the Battu.
"Your gravity field slowed it down just enough for me to see what happened. It compressed its whole body, then launched itself away."
"Okay, so it bounces," Eron said. "That still doesn't explain how it dodges everything we throw at it."
"Maybe we're looking at this wrong." Kalia studied the Battu. "What if all that fur lets it sense everything around it?"
"Milena, try the Spine again, but widen the field. Give it a five-foot radius."
"Right." Milena activated the Spine. The Battu's fur rippled as the air distorted around it. It compressed, launched itself several feet away, and landed just outside the field.
"So close." Milena snapped her fingers.
"Thought so." Kalia nodded. "It can only launch itself about five feet at a time. Milena, double the field."
Milena repeated the attempt. This time the Battu landed well within the field.
"Increase the pressure a little. Just enough that it can't spring back up."
Milena focused on the Spine; the ball of fuzz flattened itself but was stuck fast against the ground.
"Okay...now what?" Milena grunted. "I can't hold this forever."
"Astra, you're strong enough to push through the field. Grab it while it's pinned."
"Okies!" Astra pounced on the ball of fluff.
"I got it!" Astra beamed, holding the ball of fluff triumphantly above her head.
"Here!" Eliane dashed over to her with a sack.
The Battu compressed itself between Astra's hands.
"Oh no you don't." Astra tightened her grip.
Astra stuffed the squirming ball of fur into the sack, and Eliane quickly tied it shut.
"Finally..." Milena released the gravity field and lowered the Spine. "Keeping it at such a precise size is tough... Please tell me we don't have to do that nine more times."
"Don't worry, it's only nine more times." Eron laughed.
"...Great." Milena sighed. "That's going to take all day..."
"No. We're done chasing them." Kalia smiled. "If they want food badly enough to dig through Astra's pack, we'll make them come to us."
"I don't think I can hold the field long enough for Astra to get nine more of them."
"Hmm... I think you've learned enough from this one." Kalia sighed. "I'll handle the rest. I'd like to get home sometime today."
"Ooh!" Astra squealed. "New item!"
"Yes, Astra, you get to see a new item."
"Yay!"
"Now let me see what other snacks you've got."
Astra's smile vanished.
"Aww..."
She reluctantly handed Kalia her pack.
Kalia rummaged through the pack before pulling out several pieces of food.
"These should work."
Kalia found a space behind the inn and made a small pile of bait. She barely made it around the corner before a dozen balls of brown fur descended on the food.
The instant Kalia stepped into view, every Battu's fur rippled at once.
"Manifest."
Lines of light flashed around the Battus before solidifying into a translucent cube, trapping the entire group inside. The Battus scattered in every direction, bouncing uselessly off the glowing walls as they tried to escape.
"Lia..." Astra frowned. "That's just a box."
"Not quite. Watch." The cube began to shrink around the Battus, contracting until the entire group was packed inside a small, portable enclosure.
"A box that shrinks..."
"But it worked, didn't it? Trapper's Friend has one function: catch animals. I can make it any size I want, and once something is inside, it can't get out."
"Lia, I could have done that." Astra shrugged.
"And still kept my snacks."
"I miss the impressed Astra..." Kalia muttered as she returned to the carriage.
"Wait..." Milena inspected the trapped Battus. "You could have used this for all three quests..."
"Mhmm!" Kalia nodded.
"So this whole thing was a test?" Eron snorted.
"Training," Kalia corrected them with a smile.
"The Baarshek, the Palewings, these little pests..." Kalia gestured toward the cage. "None of them needed the same solution. That was the point."
Eron folded her arms. "Because we'd learn nothing if you just threw one of your ridiculous artifacts at every problem."
"Exactly. Now let's get on the road. If we hurry, we can turn this in before the guild closes and finally be done with these quests."
The group loaded up the carriage and set off toward Tuugo.
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By the time Tuugo's walls finally came into view, the sun was already sinking toward the horizon. Kalia tapped her foot nervously as the carriage came to a stop in front of the guild.
"Wait here. I'll finish this up." Kalia snatched the Battus off the luggage rack and sprinted through the doors.
"Here... Battus..." She panted, setting them on the counter.
"I'm sorry...?" The clerk raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry. I'm here to turn in the Battu quest for The Founders."
"Oh, right. Identification card, please."
Kalia slid her card across the counter.
"Alright. Thirteen Battus, and I see Forgemaster Ondo verified your Palewing request." The clerk pulled out her ledger.
"That's ten points toward The Founders. Sixteen gold for the Palewing request and forty-seven for the Battu request. You also brought three Battus beyond the requested ten. If you'd like to turn those in as well, the guild can offer seven gold each."
"I'll turn them in as well." Kalia picked up the quill, already bracing herself for another stack of forms.
"Alright." The clerk placed the usual pile of papers on the counter. "If you'll just sign these, please."
"Mhmm." Kalia sped through the forms and passed them back to the clerk.
"Congratulations! The Founders have earned enough points to accept a Rank B request for your qualification."
"Perfect." Kalia smiled. "I'll take a look at the Rank B requests another time."
"Of course." The clerk counted out Kalia's reward and slid it across the counter.
"Thanks."
Kalia pocketed the reward and hurried back outside.
"Done!" she announced as she approached the carriage. "We're officially eligible for promotion."
"Yay!" Astra threw her hands into the air.
Kalia watched the sun dip below the horizon. "We should get home."
"Okies!"
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"And just where have you all been?!" Lora tapped her foot in the doorway.
"Orton...hunting Battus."
"So, what happened to 'I'll be home for lunch'?"
"Astra said it wasn't that far away."
Lora folded her arms. "Mhmm."
"Well, you're here now. Come on in. I'll warm up dinner."
"Thanks..."