2 Shayla's Ryou and The Unicorn Lovers.

~~Last Time~~

Zingi and Shayla blinked at the woman, Shayla looked at the woman in disbelief and spoke, "I can't believe it...I'm seeing one of the Celestial Ranked members of Unicorn Lovers before my eyes..."

Ava turned her eyes to them, walking over to the swordsman and crouching down to his height, "I am here to recruit you, Zingi Liao Xue! You have been recruited to join Unicorn Lovers unless you want to be strapped to these stakes forever?" A smirking Ava questioned.

Zingi's expression became a smirk.

~~Now, Let's Continue~~

"I don't care about this Guild but I will join if it means I can live...! It's better than dying here from some middle-class ragdolls...!" Zingi's words caused Ava to giggle a bit, the tornado she created prematurely soon forged into a ring of flames that she called: "The Ring of Fire!"

This technique would keep the middle-class people away from her, Shayla, and Zingi.

{Unicorn Lovers is one of the top-tier Guilds of Heliconia and its base of operations reside in the Kingdom of Dahlia. Unicorn Lovers is one of the most destructive, craziest, quirky, and most obnoxious Guilds to join but they have a very good heart, accepting people of all classes into their ranks!}

Ava glanced at the magical rope around his now bruised wrist and smirked at her hands as they'd become engulfed in Ryou of a flaming texture, "I guess I can set you free." Ava spoke teasing, she loved the expression of fear on the middle-class people's faces from outside the spear, once her Ryou made contact with the binds they became normal rope which Zingi easily broke out of.

"YES...!! I'M FREE...!" Zingi exclaims victoriously as Shayla sighed in relief, knowing the helpless swordsman she has been taking care of is now free from his magical prison, "Now...I want all these people to have a piece of mind..." Zingi spoke menacingly from inside the sphere, he cracked his knuckles and smirked a bit to see the people jump a bit.

Ava placed her hands on her hips, she spoke, "Unicorn Lovers hold a bunch of authority in Dahlia, if you really are joining us then you'll have the chance to kick all of these people's asses~!" She confirmed as she walked over, causing Zingi to look her in the eyes before smirking.

"Great...! I'm a member of Unicorn Lovers now so take this fire down so I can start kicking some ass, don't worry, I won't kill them...hopefully..." Zingi partially promised.

Zingi had been bruised and scar, the least he can do is give the people that tried to hurt Shayla a beatdown that they would never forget "It's only right that I give them a proper ass-whopping they'll never forget..."

Ava chuckled and looked over at the commoner lass, "You sure must care about that girl, huh~? I guess I can take the Ring of Fire down, I want to see how good of a fighter you are anyway!"

Shayla asked, concerned about Zingi's injuries and scars, "Zingi? Are you sure you can f-fight them? Y-you're injured...?" She trailed off a bit when Zingi crouched down in front of her, he placed a hand on her head.

"Just watch me kick some ass, okay?" Zingi questioned casually, his facial expression is forged into a smirk before he runs a hand through her locks.

Ava dispersed her Ryou which allowed Zingi to walk away from the wooden stakes that he had been tied to for multiple days and chuckles, he watches some of the middle-class people start to take steps back as he moved forward, "Come on, you can't back down now....! Not after you've kicked and spit on me so many times...!" Zingi's eyes showed a large monster finally released from his chains, "Who wants to go down first?"

"Screw it! He's weakened! He can't be so tough, right!?" A large, bulky man roared as he runs at Zingi who merely jumps over him and kicks him in the back of the head, causing him to fall right on his face.

'What the hell?! That big fellow was about two times his size and he was able to knock him down with one kick, and he's injured!?' One of the middle-class people thought in their head, sweat trickling down their forehead.

Ava smirked and crouched down next to Shayla who looked at her, "I'm already impressed with Zingi's display in power!" Ava turned her head to Shayla and asked the commoner, "Is Zingi your lover or somethin'?"

Shayla blinked at the question before she finally comprehended it and waved her hands rapidly, "N-no, he just saved me and I wanted to repay him, t-that's all!" She spoke frantically as a red pigmentation spread across her face.

The large man struggling on the ground caused others to try and attack Zingi, "Get him! He isn't a part of Unicorn Lovers if he doesn't have their tattoo on his body yet!" One of them informed, they threw a punch at Zingi's head but he only moved his head to the side before grabbing their wrist and tossing them over his shoulder with a blank expression.

"Come on, guys...! I know you can do better than this...!" Zingi mocked sternly, crossing his arms as he eyed his broken katanas hanging from the nearby tree, he turned to Ava and asked, "So you said I have to join this Guild now, right? Would I really have to get that dumb tattoo you have on your back...?" Zingi asked, scoffing after he sees Ava nod her head after turning away from the embarrassed Shayla.

Ava chirped, laughing at the scoffing noise the swordsman made, "Yup! Now, get back to your battle with these chumps! I'm still trying to see how good of a fighter you are!" She demanded.

Zingi rolled his eyes and turned back to the rest of the men trying to attack him, "Hmph, you still want some more, huh...?" Zingi mumbled before charging at the men, kicking one in the stomach so hard that he coughed up blood, he proceeded to attack another man with an uppercut and this sends that man flying into the air, the last one to attack him had a knife and Zingi dodged all of the man's jabs before elbowing him in the face, taking his knife and held it near his own face, "I hope the rest of you are ready for a beatdown..." Zingi threatened before he kicked the man that had the weapon across the ground.

The middle-class people ran away, some picked up the men that tried to attack Zingi as he sighs, "They posed no challenge...Man, I really want to fight that Royal Gryphon bastard again..." Zingi tossed the knife at the ropes holding his blades in the tree before catching them with one hand, "I still feel drained and I'm hungry as hell...shit, my shoulders even has a few cramps..." He rolls his shoulders, popping all the cramps.

Ava grinned and thought to herself, 'Wow...he's tired, hungry, beaten, and without any katanas but he still took on some big dudes, he didn't even use any Mantra or Ryou! This dude is one helluva guy!' Ava watched as the large man is finally able to get to his feet and tried to take advantage of Zingi while he isn't looking, 'Damn, I need to stop him!' Ava prepared one of her Ryou attacks but couldn't initiate the attack because of Shayla!!

Shayla's eyes gave off a hue and she yelled, "Oh no...! ZINGI!" Shayla placed her hands out for a violet transmutation circle to form and a bolt of purple lightning strikes the large man in the back!

Zingi turned to see the man shaking and quivering as a million volts goes through his body before he finally hit the ground unconscious, Zingi blinked in confusion, looking at the man and then looking at Shayla before repeating this action a few times, "HUH!?!?"

Zingi looked back at Ava and Shayla to see the commoner had used Ryou, the transmutation circle disappears and Zingi looked baffled, he couldn't believe the woman that he thought to be so frail and defenseless let out such a powerful attack, "What the hell...?"

Zingi looked down at the steaming man before looking towards Shayla, repeating his last sentence but louder, a comedic expression of shock on his face, "What the hell!?!"

Shayla looked down a bit, rubbing her arms as she mumbled loud enough for Zingi and Ava to hear, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that...I did not want to hurt him..." Her lips quivered a bit.

Ava couldn't help but smirk, plotting something that might benefit her Guild in the future, "Wow, you can use Ryou too?! I never saw a lightning-based Ryou of that color before! You must be really special!?"

Zingi narrowed his eyes in on the commoner as he asked her a simple question, "The rope that bounded me to the stakes were enhanced with Ryou spells capable of detaining an Owlbear with ease and the only way to rid of the horrid spell is for someone with a strong enough force of Ryou to break it...so why didn't you do it...? And don't use the excuse that your Ryou levels aren't high enough, especially after what I just seen you do..." Zingi states, becoming cautious of his "ally".

Shayla couldn't look Zingi or Ava in the eyes, "I-I c-couldn't..." She stuttered, clenching the ragged cloth she wore, "I couldn't bring myself to do it!" She blurted out to them, "If you would have sensed my ryoucal power than you would've wanted me to break the bonds but the truth is I don't know how to control my Ryou!"

Ava blinked, finding it impossible to believe what she is hearing, "You don't know how to use your Ryou? That's strange, people around your age should at least be able to do the basics of their elemental techniques?" Ava questioned, she never met a case like Shayla. In Heliconia, when a person discovers their ryoucal prowess they instantly start training and be accustomed to that Ryou whatever it may be.

Shayla admitted as she looked down to the ground, "I-I don't like violence...ever since I was a child middle class and royals stomped on us commoners for the pleasure of it, treating us like wild animals that belonged in the shrubs of a vast plain...I didn't want to grow up angered and depressed so I hid my capability to manifest Ryou so no one in my village would force me into helping them retaliate against the higher-ups...I just want everyone to live in peace so I can aid my sick mother..." Shayla finished, tears now rolling down her face, reminiscing on her background is something she never liked doing, in fact, she hated it, the events leading to the death of her father played on constant replay, haunting her mind.

Zingi blinked, not really reacting to her words, his face remained blank the entire time before he looked down to his broken blades, "You hate fighting...? That's one boring life..." Zingi sighed, causing Shayla to cry a bit harder, feeling as if the trust she gained from Zingi completely disappeared, he is a bounty hunter after all, so why would he care about her anyway, right?

Ava pondered to herself and thought, 'The amount of Ryou this girl can release with no practice at all is off the charts, and this assassin can take out middle-class fighters by himself without having aid from any Ryou or the enhanced senses of Mantra! This is incredible! Man, if I can bring both of these chumps to Omoiyari my clout will rise in the Guild! Ha! I just need to convince the girl to come with me!' Ava thought to herself deviously before placing her goggles on again.

Zingi looked back at before saying, "I understand though...you and I have two completely different backgrounds so I have no room to judge how you want to carry yourself, even if it causes you to become a damsel in distress." Zingi's might have sounded a bit rude, but what can you expect from a man that is seen as a threat by many? The Royal Griffins themselves even seen him as a threat, especially with the murder attempt he pulled a few days ago. Ava knew Menma was going to be furious when he hears that Unicorn Lovers recruited his assaulter.

Shayla, being the kind person she is, wasn't offended by his wording and wipes a few tears away from her cheeks before stuttering out through sniffles, "T-Thank you, Zingi...I-I hope you can find it in your h-heart to forgive me for my l-lies..."

Before Zingi could even respond to the commoner Ava jumped in and placed on a false frown, "Aww, I'm so sorry for everything that has happened to you...but, I've got to tell you something extremely important, lass, that man you zapped is one of the Royal Knights of the Royal Griffins." She lied, smirking internally, "You could be in grave danger if Mena finds out one of his knights were attacked on their day off and he might try to come for your family, let's also not forget the people Zingi just beat and scared off, since you aligned yourself with him they might try to kill you if they see you." Now, this time Ava was telling the truth, if those middle-class people see her again there's a slim chance she's going without any bruises.

Zingi glared at Ava, he could see the devious behavior behind her actions, "Oh really?" Zingi questioned sarcastically before earning a mouthed 'Shut up' from Ava who pointed her finger at him, prepared to shoot him with a fireball if he stupidly interrupted her acting again.

Shayla gasped, holding her hands to her mouth in fear, "O-oh no...I didn't mean to cause any conflict...I-I just wanted to protect Zingi..." She looked to the ground, her eyes threatening to release tears again but Ava smirked a bit while Zingi shakes his head at Shayla's obliviousness and innocence.

Ava wrapped an arm around Shayla's shoulder before speaking again, "Aww, no need for all that crying and sobbing! I'm here to help you get out of this mess!"

Shayla rubbed her eyes and blinked hopefully, "You can? Please, help me, Ava! I want to return home safely and look after my mother!" Shayla begged, hugging the woman innocently, her face pressing into Ava's breast.

Zingi couldn't help but stare at the scene, a small nosebleed happening before he notices a small fireball fly pass his face, causing him to look the opposite way and lie, "I didn't see anything..."

Ava blushed in embarrassment, bearing her teeth as she forced Shayla off of her body before saying with a false smile, "Of course, just follow me and we can get this matter resolved quickly, okay!?" Ava asked with a smile and Shayla nodded, really scared for her mother's well being.

"Come on, Zingi! We're heading to the Guild!" Ava tossed Shayla over her shoulder before she grabbed Zingi's arm, flames surrounding them before she says with one of her signatures grins, "Sun Travel!"

The three burst into flames before disappearing from their previous spot and reappearing in front of a large building made of wood, cobblestone, brick, and marble. The building was painted in vibrant rainbow colors which almost made Zingi barf at the cuteness of the Guild, the front gates read "UNICORN LOVERS" in big, rainbow coated letters, Shayla is soon placed onto the ground as she looked at the Guild in astonishment, amazed by its size, "So amazing...I'm at the Unicorn Lovers Guild..." She uttered, gently holding her ragged dress as Zingi coughed a bit at the brightness of the Guild.

"Can I get tied back up to the wooden stakes, please? This Guild is not meant for people like me, especially with colors like this..." Zingi admits before earning one of Ava's deadliest glares that yelled 'Don't ruin my clout!'

Ava walked through the gates, Shayla following behind while Zingi trailed behind them, ashamed of himself for being recruited by such a girly-looking Guild, Ava walked up to the front doors and looked back at the commoner and the bounty hunter before chiming as she opened the Guild doors, "Welcome to the Unicorn Lovers Guild!" The three of them looked inside to see complete chaos happening between the guildmates, some fighting while others were either chatting or merely drinking their lives away.

This caused Zingi to smirk as he clenched his broken blades tightly, "Nevermind, this is my type of Guild..." Zingi was about to join in on the roughhousing but remembered that his blades were broken, causing him to suck his teeth, "I forgot all about that..." Zingi started to let his mind wander to the Royal Gryphon that took him out with ease, 'I need to get stronger...I can't stay at the level I am now with people like him in my way...Man, just thinking about the possibility of beating that smug bastard gets me stoked...'

Zingi is knocked out of his thoughts because of Ava's fist smashing into his head, "Idiot! I didn't bring you here so you can zone out! Master is standing right in front of you!" Ava points out, angered by Zingi's short attention span.

Zingi rubbed his head and yelled back at Ava, "Shut up, woman! I don't need you telling me what to do!"

"You really are a stubborn one, huh? I'm so sorry about the violent nature of my darling Ava. She's known throughout the Guild to be very, very, hot-headed, but I still love her so!" A woman in her thirties chimed, pinching the cheeks of Ava.

The woman embarrassing Ava at the moment is the Guild Master of Unicorn Lovers, she has the color of the beautiful ocean for locks with eyes that resemble the night sky, she wears clothes of a Priestess with the primary color of whites. This saintly woman had a large bust and very curvaceous figure which caused Zingi to stare again.

"Ms. Omoiyari, p-please! I didn't come back here with two new recruits to be embarrassed!" Ava complained, a blush spreading across her face, especially after seeing Shayla and Zingi watch the actions of the kind master of the Guild.

Shayla blinked at Ava's words, confusion taking over her face as she mumbled to herself, "Wait? Two new recruits? But Zingi is one person...- Oh no, you mean me!?" Shayla asked in a panic, she discovers that Ava tricked her into coming to the Unicorn Lovers to join which cause Zingi to facepalm.

Omoiyari giggles and release Ava's cheeks from her fingers, allowing the battles and conflicts in action behind her continue to happen, smiling softly, "Hello, my name is Omoiyari Aymee. I'm the Guild Master of this beautiful place!" She chimed as chaos happened behind her.

Zingi raised a brow and crossed his arms, he watched tables go flying across the Guild, "I see..."

To Be Continued...