"So that's Kuni?" Kaito asks.
Dante checking the map nods. "Yep, it's a lot bigger then what i expected." He says.
Kaito claps his hands. "Alright guys, since it's already night let's set up camp."
Nanami smiles, clearly out of breath. "Yes, that would be best so we can save our energy."
Rika giggles, "Yeah right, you're just tired from all the running."
They all set up camp, with the fire set and the tents all ready, Kaito decides to go hunting.
This hunting trip was not just for food, earlier they had passes a group of arcane tier monsters. They avoided them because of the danger level.
Kaito's eyes slowly locks in on the group of beasts as he walks forwards, soon he'd once again be face to face with the monster of Kuni, Renji. No doubt the most dangerous fight he'd ever be apart of, he as a man was stronger then the hunter, stronger then the graith, he had surpassed the strength of phantasmal monsters.
Kaito readied himself as he approached the horde, if he wanted to defeat Renji he needed to be stronger.
Meanwhile back at the camp the rest of the group sit around the fire, snacking on things Rika had stolen from the cafeteria. From the campfire's warmth flickering between them and the looming fight slowly approaching they all found themselves nervous.
Rika taking note of Dante's shaking hands decided to speak up. "Hey, icy it's ok to freeze up, I do it sometimes too, all that matters is you keep on swinging." She says in an attempt to make him feel better.
Toni smiles, "Yeah friend, you just gotta find your own rythm." He says.
Nanami though sits silent, she too understands where Dante is coming from.
Rika nervously looks around. "Though i guess i need some of that praise too. This is really scary."
Nanami places her hand onto Rika's. "It's ok Rika, we can watch eachothers backs." She says with a faint smile.
Kaito returns with a single beasts body, "Dinner is served!" He says with a chipper attitude. Kaito sits down with them all as he begins dicing into the beasts body.
Before long Kaito finishes their meal, A hearty steak, with potatoes on the side.
Toni smiles brightly. "Aw friend is there nothin, you can't do?!" He takes another bite, letting out an exagerated groan. "It's so good!" He shouts.
Everyone enjoys the meal, joking together and playing around, after the meal is over everyone retreats to their tents for the night. All but Dante.
"I'll take the first watch." He says. Nanami sees this and comes back from her tent. "Allow me to join you." She says.
The two of them sit by the campfire, The cold air peacefully passing between them, who were sitting across from eachother.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Nanami asks, not sure how to lead in.
He looks over to her. "Not really."
Nanami leans in, with a patient smile. "I think talking will help you feel better."
Dante sighs. "I just want to be someone Kaito can rely on, not someone he needs to protect." He says, Nanami's ears perking up. "The only thing I want right now is to be able to stand next to him proudly, not just another person in a shadow behind him." He opens up to Nanami.
Nanami nods, "I too share that feeling, hence why i've been working so hard to be better at hand to hand combat, since im not sure if my weapon will work, so i tried to help him get better with his magic, I too want to be someone Kaito can rely on." Nanami states.
Nanami slides herself a bit closer to Dante. "I think your issue however is that you're too focused on trying to be Kaito." She says confusing him.
Dante tilts his head. "How so?"
"The way Kaito fights, the way he moves i've watched your sparing matches, you try to move like him, but the way he does things is exclusive to him. You have to find a way to be yourself, and express that through your combat." She explains.
Dante begins thinking but Nanami stands up. "Take me for example, i'm a calculated person, and it reflects in how i move, but my body lacks what's necessary to keep up, you too are calculated but more athletic than myself," She says before sitting back next to him. "What was it Toni said again, oh right, you've gotta find your own rhythm.
Dante sits for a moment truly taking time to understand her words before turning to her, "Nanami, do you wanna train together, since we're gonna have a pretty eventful day tomorrow." He jokes.
Nanami agrees and the two train together, in an effort to not let Kaito down.
The sun is already high into the sky, but the group were already awake. Kaito was stretching just itching to jump into combat. The others however, were all sitting around the camp.
"Kaito come sit down, we're making a plan!" Rika yells.
Kaito groans like a bratty child. "We don't need one, we just run in there and punch stuff!" He shouts.
Nanami shakes her head. "It's fine we can just make it when we get to town."
After the others get ready and Kaito just jumped around the camp. They finally walked into Kuni, though this wouldn't be as simple as just walking into the city and finding the guild hall. When they actually walked in they noticed the city was huge!
Kaito puffs. "Great, how are we gonna find the place now?!" He shouts.
Dante adjusted the strap of his satchel and glanced toward the western edge of town.
"There's bound to be a tavern for adventurers around here," he said, shielding his eyes from the late afternoon sun. "We might find leads there."
Kaito gave a big smile. "Let's go there then."
The group moved through the narrow streets, drawing occasional glances. A mix of old-world stone and new merchant signs decorated the town, but the tavern was easy to find, too noisy not to be.
As they pushed open the wooden doors, a wave of laughter, clinking mugs, and rough voices washed over them. The air reeked of sweat, ale, and smoke. Adventurers crowded every table, trading stories of beast hunts and battlefield scars.
Rika gags. "I hate these places."
They approached the bar, and Dante began asking questions. A few patrons looked over, and then the whispering began. All zeroing in on Kaito.
"Hey, isn't that the loudmouth kid?" someone muttered not-so-quietly. "Kaito, right? The newbie who runs his mouth but can't back it up?"
Another voice snorted. "Yeah, that's him. And check out who he's running with. A black sheep, a slave, and two nobodies."
The bar's laughter swelled. Dante tensed immediately, clenching his fists. Rika's eyes flashed, stepping forward.
"What did you just say?"
The man laughed. "If it isn't the black sheep herself, what happened missy? Kicked from another guild." He mocked, causing another round of laughter to erupt.
Rika grits her teeth.
But before things could explode, Kaito stepped past her. His expression didn't change.
"I'm looking for Renji," he said flatly, his voice cutting through the din. "Where is he?"
That quieted a few of them. The smirks didn't vanish, but the jeers slowed, their curiosity piqued.
Rika frowned. "You're really just gonna let them talk like that?"
Kaito didn't look at her. "I've got more important things to worry about." And he meant it.
He didn't care if they called him a joke or wrote him off. Their opinions didn't matter. Whether they liked him or laughed at him wouldn't change what he had planned, or what he was going to do.
One of the older adventurers, more curious than cruel, leaned in and gave them what they wanted. Directions, details, the location of the guild hall where Renji had been spotted last.
"What are you brats gonna do with Renji?" One asked.
Laughing, another one chimed. "Maybe they're gonna beg him to join his guild!"
"Answer the question brat!"
Kaito looked at them all, as much as he tried to keep his cool air a big grin formed, "I'm gonna kick his ass!"
The entire tavern erupted into another round of laughter.
"Yeah right!"
"In your dreams!"
"Not in a million years!"
Without another word, Kaito turned and walked away still smiling. The others followed.
Toni whistled low. "You made the right call friend, not throwing down with those nobodies. Would've just been a waste of time."
Rika shrugged, still scowling. "Tch. We totally could've knocked them around."
Kaito didn't respond, just kept walking, eyes locked ahead.
They reached the quiet street where the town's guild hall stood, a stark stone building with the insignia of the Sony Guild carved above its heavy doors. As they gathered by the entrance, Dante looked over his shoulder.
"Well, now that we know where he is…"
Kaito's eyes narrowed. "Let's do this!"
Nanami pulled Kaito's arm, "No, we're not going in yet."
Kaito groand again. "Why not!?"
"Rika and Toni should go in first, and figure out where Nyla is, so she doesn't get endangered by this." Nanami explains.
Toni looks around and then points at himself. "Why the heck do i gotta go first?!"
"Because you're face isn't on any of the wanted posters, so only Renji and the three stooges know what you look like." Nanami answers.
"Oh fine friend."
Nanami then pulls out her magical screen, "now that's set we have to figure out who's fighting who, obviously Kaito is gonna fight Renji with him being the most capable." She says.
Nanami then smiles herself. "I myself will deal with his second in command, the large man, Jay." She says.
Dante looks scared for her. "Wait why?"
Nanami pulls out an entire spreadsheet. "I've thought alot about ways to beat him, but you and Rika can decide who's fighting the teens."
Rika raises her hand. Nanami gigles. "You don't have to raise your hand Rika."
Rika puts her hand down. "So what do we do about all their common soldiers, they gotta have them." She says.
"Just let us know how many you two see in there, but for now, just get in and find Nyla nothing else." Nanami says.
Kaito sits with his arms crossed pouting on the side. Dante shakes his head. "Good luck you two."
Toni and Rika crept through the side entrance of the guild hall, their footsteps muffled against the stone floor.
"I'll handle the disguise," Rika whispered, pausing to glance around. With a flick of her wrist, her illusion magic shimmered into place.
Her appearance shifted subtly, copying the guild emblem she had seen earlier. She etched the mark onto both her and Toni's skin, temporary tattoos that glowed faintly under the torchlight.
As they passed through the main hall, some guild members glanced their way, but no one questioned them.
"Hey! You two-" at least before this.
Before the voice could escalate, Rika stepped forward, flashing the copied emblem with a grin. "New recruits. Just got assigned," she said smoothly.
Then, she raised her voice. "Hey! Who moved the all of the booze? That's breach protocol!"
Heads began to turn. People muttered. The mood shifted.
Toni grabbed her arm, pulling her out of sight. "Rika! What the heck are you doing?"
"Causing a distraction," she replied with a shrug.
"Well, stop. We don't need a riot."
Toni exhaled sharply once they were alone again in a quieter corridor. "Okay... I've never done a spy mission before. But I gotta admit, I feel kinda cool."
Rika gave him a sidelong look. "These kinds of operations require the utmost care. One wrong move and it's over."
They moved through the halls slowly, eyes and ears open. Toni took in the guild, how the members interacted, where they stored weapons, how the guards rotated. Every detail could matter.
Then Rika paused, eyes narrowing.
"What is it?" Toni asked.
"I can feel it," she whispered. "The crystia. It's close."
Her treasure sense was rarely wrong. They changed direction, ducking down a narrower hallway. But just as they turned a corner, they saw her.
She stood in a grand chamber, her hands bound with rusty chains. Beside her stood Renji, tall and composed. And near them, her father, his face worn with worry and guilt.
"Nyla," Rika breathed.
Toni's eyes beamed, "woah that's her, talk about a hottie!"
But before they could act, a voice rang out.
"You lied to me, Renji!" Nyla's father stepped forward, rage twisting his features. "You said you were helping, protecting her!"
"I am protecting her," Renji replied, calm and cold. "But not for you. You were never strong enough to keep her safe. I'll use her to reshape this world. She'll be remembered as the first casuality."
Nyla's father launched himself at Renji, fists clenched with fury. But the difference in strength was staggering.
In a matter of seconds, Renji had him on the ground, blood dripping from his mouth, ribs likely broken.
"You think this is what makes a man?" Renji growled. "Look at you. A man who can't even protect his own family isn't a man at all."
Then a sick smile streched across his face. "You were so pathetic that you went and blamed a kid, sent assassin's after him because you couldn't even defend your own daughter, how weak."
He turned and walked away, leaving Nyla's father crumpled on the floor, motionless and broken.
"Get that trash off of my floor!"
Toni and Rika watched, frozen. "Let's get back to Kaito."
The heavy wooden doors of the guild hall creaked open, and a body was thrown out like discarded trash. Nyla's father hit the dirt hard, coughing, blood smeared across his face.
Rika and Toni had just regrouped with the others, hidden among the trees just beyond the guild's perimeter. The tension was palpable, each of them waiting for the signal, for confirmation.
Seeing her father, Kaito stepped forward. The others instinctively fanned out behind him as he approached the fallen man.
Nyla's father looked up, broken. Shame soaked every word that left his mouth.
"I was wrong… I thought it was all you, I thought he would help. I thought…" His voice cracked. "I even sent assassins after you, Kaito. And yet… here I am. Powerless. Worthless. I couldn't protect my wife. I couldn't protect my daughter. I'm just a pathetic man begging now."
He dug his fingers into the dirt, as if trying to cling to his own dignity. "How could i have been such a fool..."
He reached for Kaito's jacket, voice trembling. "Kaito, I know i am in no position to ask anything of you, I know that I don't deserve it..." His voice broke out. "Please… save her. Save my little girl. She's all I have left."
For a moment, silence.
Kaito stared at him, unreadable. Then, slowly, he brushed the man's hand away. Not out of cruelty, out of compassion, he knew words would hurt the mans pride further.
No words were needed. Action was.
He turned his back and began walking toward the guild, and without a single order the others followed him.
Toni smirked as he tightend his guitar strap around him. Rika took constant deep breathes, her wind magic whirling around her. Dante takes a calming deep breath, the chill from his mouth visible, Nanami typed more things into her wrist.
The time for stealth was over.
Now came the storm. They marched towards the guild, ready to bring it all down.