Rammed

Mako was a bit hesitant on entering the settlement at first, though he didn't really have much of a choice since he was now following Aurori. Though he would've preferred more time to get acquainted with his surroundings and the people coming and going from within the small city, he had little to no right to complain, especially when he had become nothing more then a tag along. If he had to choose betwixt the dark skinned woman and wandering off on his own, Mako wholeheartedly chose the former as he walked in silence with the wild looking woman, crimson hues flicking around.

At first glance, or at least from what he could make out at the rapid pace Aurori was going, Mako felt that the town was kinda shabby. Of course, this was only because he couldn't help but compare the inferior wooden buildings to the tall skyscrapers and enormous, sturdy structures he was used to. When put side by side, the settlement felt tiny and almost laughable in comparison.

All that being said, the small city did have some charm to it.

Unlike New York which had had trash scattered throughout numerous streets, the roads and alleys within the wooden town were neat and tidy, not a speck of plastic McDonald's wraps or grocery bags anywhere in sight. It was also relatively quiet compared to the incessant chatter of pedestrians and blairs of car horns he had to put up with on a day to day basis. Everyone just roamed around and did their own thing, either as individuals or in small groups, the loudest they ever got being when shouting out to their fellow compatriots or arguing over prices from nearby stalls. All in all, it wasn't a totally shabby place and Mako felt bad about initially labeling it as such.

Of course, that was just his opinion on the town's appearance. When he took the time to fully focus on the fine details within the town, he turned from a curious observer into a confused moron.

First off were the people. Nearly every person that Mako and Aurori passed possessed either armor or sported some kind of weapon, both large, extravagant pieces like a huge and intricate double bladed sword with a rounded yet sharp edge to smaller and lesser sets like a normal looking rapier paired with normal looking chest plates and metallic arm guards. There wasn't a single individual who didn't look as if they were prepared for some kind of battle, most of them carrying intimidating auras that bascially screamed at Mako for him to get far away from them. If one of them happened to get into a fistfight with another passerby for no apparent reason, the blue haired youth wouldn't have been surprised in the least.

That wasn't even the main thing that was tripping him up either. The sheer diversity amongst the buildings and those residents lining the streets were what threw him for a loop.

Shops lined each side of the street, wooden signs posted out front offering deals on items he had never heard of, small inns and pubs dotted the route he and Aurori were taking, and stalls were set up by the settlements occupants with the hopes of selling unidentifiable merchandise. While this wasn't something Mako should have concerned himself with as he knew it could just very well be some sort of makeshift otaku paradise, he couldn't help but feel perplexed and a tad overwhelmed given the circumstances. He felt as if he had traversed an entire world, straight into one he had only deemed pure fiction.

"Oi, I thought you wanted to ask me some questions," Aurori said, interrupting the youths derailed train of thought. "Did you just want to come along with me or are you gonna ask them?"

Mako blinked, some of his sanity returning as he quickly sought to ground himself once again, shaking off his new revelations in an attempt to keep himself from mentally collapsing. Unlike most others, the young adolescent could control his own emotions to a remarkable extent, dulling them or completely ignoring them as he saw fit. It wasn't that he could erase them but rather chose to bring up different emotions at different points in time, times that would be better for him and his own peace of mind.

"Ah, yeah. Sorry about that," Mako said as they walked passed a few more buildings. "I was just lost in thought. It happens from time to time."

"I take it this is your first time here?" Aurori questioned, her tone lacking emotion. She was all business, something Mako was most definitely okay with as he wouldn't have to bother beating around the bush and could jump straight to the point. "You're looking around quite a bit so I assume you've never been to Rivira before."

(("Rivira. So that's the name of this settlement then?")) Mako kept his facial expressions in check as he answered Aurori with a small nod. "I guess you could say it's my first time ever even seeing it."

Aurori readjusted the hammer on her shoulder as she stopped walking, turning to face a nearby stall, which was basically a person sitting behind a sheet with a bunch of stuff on top of it. "Yeah. Well, take it all in but try not to buy anything. Most of this stuff is overpriced and not worth the expense. You'd be better off just hunting for the stuff on your own or with your own Familia."

(("Then why are you buying something?")) Mako muttered internally as he watched the dark skinned woman begin a small back and forth bargain with the seller.

After what the blue haired youth could only describe as a heated back and forth debate, Aurori finished up by buying several objects, including a long silver staff about a foot shorter then Mako was. Of everything that was purchased, the staff was the only thing the youth was able to recognize, the others being pieces of meaningless scraps in comparison.

"Here, hold this," Aurori said as she tossed Mako the staff, of which he caught pretty easily despite how fast it was coming at him. "I can't hold my hammer, the staff, and the stuff at the same time."

"Why not just put it a blanket then tie the blanket to staff. Hobo style."

"Hobo style?"

"Never mind," Mako said, waving away the entirety of what he had said. "We can just carry it like this. It'll give me some time to question you about a few things."

"I've been waiting for you to ask something from the moment you began following me," Aurori snipped as she once again took the lead, this time heading back the way she came. "You still have yet to ask me a single thing."

"Very well," Mako responded. "I'll just cut to the chase then. Where are w-"

Before Mako could even finish his sentence, his body instinctively tensed up as his arms raised the staff in an attempt to block the incoming blow his brain had detected. He managed to block the attack but it still felt as if he was getting smacked by a brick wall as he was sent flying backwards, skidding along the ground, tumbling over and over again before finally coming to a stop. Despite being stopped however, he almost couldn't tell as the amount of pain shooting through him rendered his senses useless, only agony remaining. He wasn't entirely sure what had attacked him, but he was glad he had blocked it otherwise he was almost certain he would've been sleeping with the fishes.

As the darkness began washing over him, two people came into his fading vision. Aurori, who immediately began touching him all over such as his neck and mouth before immediately snapping her fingers in front of his face, and a half naked girl with long black hair and a white cloth covering her small breasts.

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//Look I'm not proud of the short chapters either. It's actually annoying me more then any of you, but I plan on fixing that in due time.

I have 2 more chaps for you as I have decided to take this novel seriously.

If you want to see this updated daily and with 3 chaps a day, VOTE.

I hope you all stay safe and healthy.

Much Love, from ShadowDrev