Tale of the Outcast Warrior: Magic, Gold, and Fugitives.

DAYS UNTIL WAVE: 88.

Tyler's eyes didn't open again until the light from the window shone directly onto his face. As he woke, more like came to, he saw that he hadn't moved an inch from his door position, the sword lay beside him untouched. He still felt tired, but that was par for the course with him as he never was much of a morning person. As he climbed back to his feet, his body creaked and cracked from the awkward sleeping position Damn, I fell like an old man, and I'm only fifteen! god knows what I'll sound like in fifty years! though his mind was blown by the sight that greeted him when he looked over to the bed. Kaori was sprawled out, flat on her back asleep, the blanket pushed against the wall, her tunic practically lifted up to her small chin, her small breasts exposed the morning air. Her delicate pale skin rising and falling as she breathed, she looked extraordinarily beautiful laid out like that, with her yellow lockes strewn around her like a golden river, her porcelain skin gave off a slight glow in the morning sunlight, giving her body a strange ephemeral look to it. She looks like a goddess of beauty like that, wish I could take a picture, I should probably cover her before she wakes up or there will be hell to pay. Tyler moved over to the bed and covered the sleeping girl with the discarded blanket in an attempt to both preserve her modesty, and spare himself an ass-reaming later. After covering her he went over to the desk and opened up the interface he had noticed back in the tower when he had first arrived in this world. He hadn't had time to properly fiddle with it as so much had happened so fast, but he now took the time to fully explore the HUD.

As he examined the HUD interface Kaori watched him from a silted eye. She had been pretending to sleep in order to catch him staring at her so she could tease him about it later. But she had been wakened by Tyler's movements when he had stood up and stretched, it was unintentional on his part, she was already on the verge of waking anyway. As he had gotten to his she had watched his reaction to her exposed body most intently, when the thunderstruck look of utter awe had taken over his face, she was a little shocked at his reaction, Does he think I'm that beautiful? or is this the first time he's seen a girl nearly topless? As he had stared for a good few seconds, she was prepping to bust him, when he shook his head and walked over to the bed. She immediately canceled her busting plan to see what he would do. She was happily surprised when he pulled the blanket back over her frame instead of trying a cop a feel of the seemingly unconscious and helpless girl. I guess he's somewhat of a gentlemen after all, hehe barely. though she was impressed with his restraint as she remembered how she had pleaded with him to share the bed when she had been delirious with stress and ale the night prior, he was unaware of how much more she respected him for that. I can't think of anyone else, guy or girl who would've turned that down, let alone in favor of sleeping on the floor. And he went and slept against the door like a damn dog of his own volition! She felt completely safe and protected in his presence, even more so now then she had ever felt back in her own home. She pondered what their life now was going to be like as she watched him scroll and flip through the interface she had as well in her vision. No doubt he already has five plans and ten backup plans locked and loaded for when I ask him. She sighed and decided to finally wake up and greet him instead of laying there like a dead fish.

Tyler had just finished examining the HUD's upgrade menu for his physical stats when Kaori stirred, so he minimized the veil of stats and numbers so as to give the waking girl his full attention. She sat up pulling her tunic down over herself like she knew it had been pulled up.

"G'morning, how you feeling Kaori?"

He asked as she swung her legs off the bed,

"still a little tired, and hungry, but otherwise fine, how bout you?"

Tyler stretched his arms over his head, "

I feel the same, maybe less hungry and more tired, but fine otherwise. Oh I was looking over that HUD thing this morning and found out that my killing of Gruven boosted my level by five and gave me fifty status points to distribute, plus all that running, hiding and sneaking raised my stealth skill considerably, my skill's are basically on par with a thief who's been plying his craft for about five or so years now. I put my status points into strength, endurance, stamina, dexterity, and vitality. Those were my weakest areas to start with so I figured it a good way to start building my strength. I bet you got the same thing, you should check."

she stood up and stretched,

"I'll do that, though I'm not all that experienced with this kind of thing, so will you help me."

"Of course I will Kaori, do you even need to ask? Oh and, one other thing are you sure your okay? You were pretty out of it last night."

He had a look of concern in his eyes as he looked at her, She smiled

"Don't worry about it, I was just a little overwhelmed by everything that happened, but thanks for worrying about me, I should be fine now."

"well just take it as easy as you can, and If you feel like that again let me know so I can help."

"Kay, geeze, If I didn't know better, Tyler I'd think you actually cared about me!"

Tyler looked over at her,

"I do care, believe it or not, but I do"

He went back to his Stats on his HUD, leaving her in a stunned silence, shocked by what she had heard, but secretly very happy internally at this revelation. He CARES about ME? Then she remembered all he had done for her thus far and laugh scornfully at herself Of COURSE he cares, why else would he go so far to protect me? She chuckled quietly as she opened her Interface, her level was a measly four, whereas Tyler's was eight, her physical stats were better across the broad, but his endurance far surpassed hers, unsurprising since endurance basically translated to who could take the bigger asskicking and still keep fighting. She had never met anyone with a pain tolerance as extreme as his, it was a testament to both his sheer willpower and mental strength. Other then that the only other skill he had her handily beaten in was intellect. She was not stupid by any means, but she also could not hold a candle to his Megamind, he'd pulled consistent A's in school, even going as far as to help tutor her on the side. She was not jealous of his mind in the slightest, knowing full well the consequences of a bad grade for him in his house. She might have the better base physical stats, but his mental stats were terrifying.

She looked over the skills and stats she could upgrade, her stealth skills, like sneak and hiding could be upgraded four times in a row, again thanks to their adventure in the Tower, as far as status points were concerned she had a mere thirty compared to his fifty, showing who had done most of the leg work. I have to do better, I can't let myself be babied by him forever. So to that end she had put points in to speed, dexterity, endurance and her mana pool, as she looked at her magic stat she realized her Affinity for magic for surpassed Tyler's by at least thirty points. Meaning she had the Affinity of an arch-mage who had been studying the arcane for decades. Excitedly she pointed this out to him,

"Hey look, my magic's insane!"

"Oh? let me see,"

He went and sat on the bed beside her and peered at her tremendous skill.

"Wow, Barbie looks like you weren't kidding, Alright, as soon as we get the coin, we are gonna load you up with spells. congrats you Hermione wannabe!"

He was teasing her, but there was no hiding the plain excitement and pride he felt for having such a wonderful traveling companion in his eyes and voice. He thumped her on the back,

"Come on barbie let's raid the kitchen downstairs and go check out the truth of Burlock's claims that we have free roam over the city."

Both their stomachs rumbled in agreement with his statement.

They remade the bed and headed to the dining hall, where the same waitress from the night before was still working. She took their orders for the tavern breakfast special: Pancakes with syrup and sausage with tea to wake the body. The meal cost one full silver coin per person, but Tyler figured they had earned the expensive meal. The food arrived shortly, the waitress looking over Kaori's face searching for the signs of a "morning after" but, having found nothing, left disappointed. Tyler chuckled, Korai blushed. As they broke their fast, They discussed the plan for the day, Tyler was all for heading to Burlock's smithy and getting the sword reworked to fit his own unique fighting style, but Kaori wanted to leave the city as soon as possible to put space between herself and that pope.

"look Kaori I get it, but we still need to test what Burlock said, to see if we really can walk free without worrying about capture, so I figure going to his smithy, which is near a wallgate would be the best way to kill two birds with one stone."

"humph, you just want a new toy,"

She said with an edge in her voice. Tyler sighed,

"well, other then the "new toy", as you put it, we need supplies for a journey to the next town, like a map for starters, and maybe a way to make more money along the way, since you know we only have 12 silvers max to our names."

Kaori groaned, she had no counterargument for that one, so she agreed to his plan, Though it still sounds like a bad idea to me. with the plan settled for the day, the pair finished their meal in silence, Tyler led the way back down the alley the Inn was situated. Now that the two weren't desperately searching for food and rest, they were free to finally able to see the capital with clear eyes. the part of the capital the pair was moving through, due to in's proximity to the Dragon Tower, the buildings were both older and more weathered, with lots of cottages made from old wood and stone, pockmarked from centuries of rain, snow and warfare. As they passed a two-story cottage, a pair of tall elves appeared from within the building, Tyler figured they were both mages given that one carried a staff with a blue crystal atop one end, and her companion had a similar staff, only in his case it was bright red stone. As Tyler had only seen elves in a servantile manner back in the Tower he couldn't help but take stock of their appearance. The female elf had a slender, delicate frame, as if a strong gust of wind would be more then enough to knock the poor girl over. Her hair was long and straight, curiously though, it was a deep vivid shade of green, like the top of a forest canopy in high-summer, I wonder if she's a forest elf? That maid had different hair color and eyes, like to know where she came from, although that black-skinned one was most definitely a dark elf, I just hope the dark elves don't take after Drow, he mused as he passed the couple, the male elf had the same slender figure but with a more muscled physique. He also had the same hair color and delicate features, if not for the pair of pointed ears denoting their race Tyler would have figured them both as tall junior-high schoolers at best. They were speaking in earnest conversation, though he knew they were speaking a different language altogether, he had no problem understanding them as easily as if they spoke perfect English:

"We sure got lucky at Master Rem's shop today, eh dear brother?"

The lady elf spoke in a soft bell-like voice,

"We certainly did dear sister, that scroll you found and this staff are quite exquisite!"

The male replied in a slightly huskier tone, as if from the same bell but with a padded tongue. Tyler couldn't hear anymore of their conversation as he and Kaori turned a corner and lost sight of the elven pair,

"Well I guess that's a magic shop then,"

Kaori had heard what the siblings had said, and understood it as well.

"I guess so, though that's not the only thing I learned from that."

"Ohh please enlighten this poor unintelligent little student, professor!"

She replied with false respect in her voice, Tyler smiled, and warmed to his favorite passtime: Dissecting people from afar,

"Well for one thing my dear would-be student, did you hear the shopowner's name was Rem? Or that the staff the male was carrying was supposed to be exquisite? If that's true, then we can infer that staffs come in many varieties, and some are more sought after then others. Then there's the matter of the scroll the lady claimed to have and how surprising it was that the shop had it, meaning that the scroll in question is of a rarer occurrence, thus indicating the same properties as the staff. Oh and the owner of the shop is a "master" probably meaning it's a guy-"

"Okay okay I'm sorry I asked, Damn!"

Kaori cut him off mid-flow, she had forgotten how creepily specific he could get with his dissections of other people. Though It's rather funny how the only people he can't dissect like that are himself and me...wait COULD he dissect ME like that? I mean we spend so much time together that I'm sure he easily could and he'd have far more ammo then most other people to work with. I kinda want to ask him but now I'm scared of what he'll actually come up with! She shuddered at the thought of Tyler dissecting her mind like that, It's almost like that detective movie from...When did it come out again? Still, though she was impressed how much information he could get out of a person just from a single conversation, whether he was a part of it or not. Tyler was looking at her with a look of confusion,

"Lectis to Kaori, anyone home in there? Hellllooooo?"

She jumped a little, so lost in thought was she that she had walked right passed the corner they were supposed to take to get to Burlock's smithy.

"sorry, got lost in my mental maze again"

she hurried back to Tyler's side embarrassed. He shook his head,

"Seriously, I know I call you Barbie an all, but you don't have to actually BE an airheaded doll ya know? Anyway we need to pass through the north wallgate to get to Burlock's smithy so steel up and get ready for trouble. Oh and here, before I forget again.."

He handed her the Sgian Dao dagger he had grabbed from the storeroom back at the Tower, The dagger was a beautiful little blade, about five inches in length, with a light blue stone in the pommel, a simple leather grip and plain blade that had a vicious tip, and just the slightest hint of a curve in the steel blade. "You can hide that in your shirt, like a backup plan if all else fails, I have it's twin here,"

He produced an identical blade from behind his back, just underneath his arrow quiver, Kaori took the knife, happy to be thought of, though she had long known about both blades, she had just assumed both were for him, as he seemed the kind to duel-wield such blades.

"Why thank you, it's a beautiful knife, and I have a better place for it then my shirt,"

He looked confused, until he saw her place the knife a slit in her belt, near her outer thigh, it was an unsuspecting place for a knife to hide, but all the more perfect for it too. It was also easy to reach as well so that was a plus. though Tyler couldn't help himself,

"Hey Barbie, just be careful when sitting or you might get a strange-"

"Shut up"

"shutting up now,"

She shook her head exasperatedly, Immature bastard ruining a perfectly good moment there. ahh well comes with the territory I guess, he's still a jackass.

"Alright now what?"

She asked, They had reached the north wallgate that led into the next sector of the city. The gate was massive, easily three basketball courts wide, and pierced the mammoth wall that soared above them like a gaping mouth waiting to swallow them whole. The wall itself was gargantuan, easily surpassing every other building in the area in terms of height, except for the Dragon tower and the king's palace. It was constructed of a dark gray stone, polished a metallic shine, though as Tyler continued looking at the impressive structure, he came to believe the wall might as well of been MADE of metal for he knew not of any stone that glistened like a mat of flowing oil in the late-morn sun like that, either that or it was enchanted with some spell. As for the Wallgate itself, it was a funnel for both wagons, people, and soldiers. ON the far right of the gate, near the wall, was a guardhouse where merchants went to get cargo checked and searched, after which they were waved on through the gate. Whereas on the far left, people on foot were screened, asked for information, and generally waved on their way. Though it was the center of the highway that captured the majority of Tyler's attention, and concern: that was where the many soldiers, both knights and local militia, were passing through on their way to other parts of the city, and whenever the men had reason to cross the other lanes of traffic, both directions halted so the armoured groups could pass unhindered. Once they were clear were the lanes permitted to move ahead again. This happened with a rather infuriatingly frequent amount of times.

"It seems the soldier's get the right of way here, guess being associated with the military here gets you special treatment here."

Kaori nodded,

"Yeah, though this whole set up kinda reminds me of a multi-lane train station mixed with a toll-booth road, only far more efficient!"

"I heard that, I guess having hundreds of bored men with sharp swords nearby is more then enough reason to behave, better watch yourself Barbie,"

He poked her in the ribs as he said this, which she promptly retaliated with a smack across the back of his head,

"Asshole"

As Tyler rubbed his head, he considered what Burlock had said,

"So do you think we can get through without a hassle?"

Kaori had spoken his thoughts aloud before he could, Heh, well glad we're on the same page for once, though if I'm honest, I think we should believe what Burlock said, I mean we ARE here to fight a war for them, so they would be insane to try to imprison us,

"I think we're good, as long as we don't make a scene. If What Burlock said is true, and the king has basically disowned us and given us free range through the city, then we don't need to worry, if not we're back to running, so there's that."

The pretty blonde nodded in agreement, she still had a worried look on her face. Tyler turned his gaze back to the Wallgate, seeking a crack in the well-oiled machine he could exploit, and as he renewed his scrutiny of the Gate he noticed a large board of to one side near the guardhouse or the right.

"Hey check it out, a WANTED board, let's check it out!"

He grabbed Kaori's hand and moved toward the board, Kaori held back,

"Hey, Tyler you know that old trope, you know the one, where the WANTED fugitives get caught cause on of them went and wanted to check out their mugshots on the police wall? This is screaming the same thing, only better since, you know, THE HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF ARM SOLDIERS NOT FIFTY FEET FROM THE DAMN BOARD!"

Tyler stopped, looked at her, and flipped his hood up over his head, and put a covering over the hilt of Gruven's sword.

"Now you LOOK like a wanted criminal, oh whatever do as you please, though if we get caught I'm gonna kick you in the dick and run for being a jackass."

"hehe Deal"

Kaori pulled up her own hood and the pair approached the board. The WANTED board was a solid affair, made from solid hardwood, oak perhaps?, It was covered in dozens of posters, both large and small, some with massive rewards offered for various fugitives, both dead or alive. Some were only wanted dead, others alive. Tyler and Kaori scanned the board from the back of a small throng of would-be bounty hunters all checking various posters for that sweet spot of difficulty and reward. One large man grabbed a rather large poster of a slightly smaller man wanted for poisoning another player at a card game, and with a start Tyler recognized the same skinny man that had tried to stab Burlock with a poisoned knife the night prior. The reward for the mans' capture was fifty silver, neither a massive sum, but not a small one either. Damn, too bad i didn't know he had a price on his head last night, I could've had Burlock turn him in and collected the reward. As Tyler mused about the missed opportunity, Kaori tugged his sleeve and pointed toward a pair of large posters that were side by side. They read: WANTED BY THE ORDER OF THE POPE OF THE BROTHERHOOD OF HUMANKIND, and beneath the eye-catching letters were accurate portraits of both Tyler and Kaori! They had recreated Tyler's visage down to the usual scowl and piercing gaze, making him look like a rather dangerous individual, whereas Kaori's poster depicted her trademark blonde hair and green eyes, with emphasis on her radiant beauty. Guess the pope had a hand in designing her picture, Both were wanted for the murder of Knight Captain Gruven, and were both presumed to be on the run and extremely dangerous to approach. the bounty conditions for Tyler were for his corpse to be delivered in order to receive payment, whereas Kaori was to be apprehended and delivered to the Tower unharmed, if possible. The reward for Tyler's dead body was one hundred gold coins, whereas Kaori's safe return was three hundred. heh guess he hasn't given up on her yet, ack, I KNEW I should've killed him when I had the chance! Well I'll just have to look forward to it, as I'm sure that egocentric bastard will gives me plenty of opportunities to take his head. But as Tyler went back to examining the posters of himself and Kaori, the pair noticed something that made them breath a hefty sigh of relief; under their respected names on the posters, in bold black ink read the words BY ORDER OF THE KING, THIS BOUNTY IS HEREBY DISAVOWED, AND CAN NOT BE CLAIMED. ALL BOUNTY HUNTING ACTIVITIES REGARDING THE ABOVE MENTIONED NAME ARE TO BE DISCOUNTINUED AT ONCE!

Tyler tapped Kaori's shoulder, and gestured toward the gate,

"Come on, we got what we came for let's go see Burlock now, I want to be out on our journey before the end of the day, or at least prepared to set of in the morning."

The immensely relieved girl nodded, a smile on her lips. She followed him to the line for non-merchants exiting the sector of the city they were currently in. She glanced at him form the corner of her eye,

"You know, that was a pretty decent shot of you, they really nailed that whole angry-at-the-world look you usually have, plus the dead-fish eyes too!"

She was laughing as she said this,

"really? I was gonna same the same about your picture, too bad you can't display a person's personality like they can their face. If they could, they would've gone with a written description so as not to scar people with that mess...ouch! Hey!"

He winced as she smacked him for the umpteenth time. She then moved along the line with her nose in the air. Tyler chuckled as he followed the offended girl. I still win in the salt department, and she is soo easy to piss off too, and her reactions are kinda cute too if I'm honest with myself. The former fugitives were about ten feet from the guards doing the screening, and as they approached Tyler looked up at the imposing opening they were about to pass through. The Gate towered above them, with a gigantic metal portcullis dangling dozens of feet in the air above their heads. Tyler mentally gauged the metal construct would close off the sector in a matter of seconds after the lever is thrown, despite it's massive size. He also guessed that if any unfortunate soul was caught underneath it when it fell, they would be little more then a mere patch of slime on the ground. I sincerely hope that thing doesn't decide to jump off it's chain today while we're underneath that friggin thing. Tyler was busy looking at the death trap above their heads, a loud, gruff

"Next!"

rang out in front of him, he looked to see the guard motioning him and Kaori forward to be screened. The pair approached the guard.

The man looked the pair over, mentally pinging the duo's bows, quivers, Tyler and Kaori's outfits, and their demeanor,

"So wats' yur business in the Smithing Sector?"

He barked. Tyler responded for the pair,

"We are headed to the smithy Of Burlock Metalbreaker per his invitation, sir."

The man nodded as he jotted something down on his board,

"Aright, an yur names?"

Tyler glanced at Kaori, who nodded her permission, Tyler faced the man,

"My name is Tyler, The lady is Kaori,"

The guard froze, and went to look at Tyler's face under his hood, but Tyler beat him to it, throwing the hood back. Kaori did the same. The guard looked stunned at the brazen attitude of the former fugitives he himself had aided in the attempting capture of. The guard the gave the bold pair a smoldering glare as he spoke,

"Well, the king's grace is a great thing, so it is, the guard were ordered to leave you two bastards be, so leave you be we will."

Tyler nodded,

"Thank you sir-"

"I don't need nor do i want your thanks brat, You should know that there is a message the king gave us to give to you if we encountered you after the proclamation went out. so here take it and get."

The guard shoved a rolled parchment scroll, complete with royal seal still intact, along with a small pouch into Tyler's face. Tyler accepted the treatment wordlessly, and he and Kaori were waved through the gate into the Smithing Sector without further hassle. though they did move a little bit faster down the cobblestone street then they were before, eager to leave the glowering guardsmen behind them so they could properly inspect the scroll and pouch given to them by the guard. The reached the end of the street and took a moment to collect themselves and take stock of their surroundings; they were in a bustling sector of the city, with both sides of the long, wide streets brimming with craftsman's shops and open-air stalls. There were shops for all manner of items, from rudimentary arms and armour shops to custom clothing and tanned leather peddlers. There was also a different smell in the air then the previous sector's odor of dirt and rotting wood, this sector smell of burning wood from dozens of forges, combined with the rather foul stench of the leather tanning process. Tyler and Kaori's nostrils flared at the plethora of scents and odors, both good and foul.

"Ugh, let's find Burlock's shop so we can take a proper look at this things kay?"

Kaori nodded earnestly. So the pair set off down the main thoroughfare, looking for the Metalbreaker smithy. They didn't have to look very far.

Burlock's smithy was as blatant as the man was large, with a gaudy sign suspended over the main entryway, METALBREAKER'S ARMS AND ARMOUR, it read. The shop itself was a rather straightforward affair, a single entry point in the front with large pane glass windows flanking the doorway advertising various pieces of weapons and armour, from swords and axes to helms and breastplates. They all seemed to be of very fine make as well. As far as construction went the building was rather unimpressive, being made entirely of red brick and mortar, which was seemed to be the standard building material for this sector of the Capital, which wasn't surprising given what most of the shops dealt in. Tyler and Kaori walked through the front door of the shop, ringing a little bell hanging over the door. There was no one behind the counter, but they could hear the unmistakable hammer sounds of a smith hard at work. So they both elected to explore the shop a little while they waited to for the man to come out. Kaori moved over to the rack which held light swords such as rapiers, cutlasses, and short swords. Tyler made a beeline for the medium sword rack, upon it were one-handed claymores, bastard swords, other longswords, and a curved single-edged weapon he identified as a Falchion, which he thought was kind of awesome. the many weapons were finely made from steel, iron and other metals Tyler didn't recognize, like one sword he picked up to inspect, a large two-handed battleblade, only to find it weighed about the same as Gruven's longsword, which was only a quarter the massive battle blade's size. The massive weapon was made from a jet black metal that seem to writher and roil like a torrent of water as the light played across the blades length. To Tyler the sword almost seemed alive and as he peered into the inky blackness of the weapon's color, he could see himself falling into the depths of blackness, never to see the light of day again.

"Hehhehe, I see you found Gweld's cursed greatsword, perilous ain't it, eh laddee?"

Tyler tore his gaze from the black blade to see Burlock standing behind the counter wiping off his brow with a rag.

"That there blade is an evil thing, it has a nasty habit of dragging it's wielder down into the pits of darkness, then once it has you, you end up being the one who is wielded, instead of the wielder! I mainly keep it as a challenge to young adventurers who want to test their mental mettle, the stronger ones end up putting the sword back down and never touching it again, the weaker ones try to buy it, and I refuse, cause of the sign above it."

The sign read NOT FOR SALE, CURSED,

"The strong are able to dive into the darkness and climb back out. so tis a good test to see ones mettle." The burly man was explaining as he finished wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Now, what can I do fer ya today?"

Tyler approached the counter, Kaori coming up behind him as he placed Gruven's sword on the countertop,

"I would like this sword to be remade into a weapon for a guy my size. If possible."

Burlock's eyes narrowed at the request.

"I recall offering to rework Gru's blade, and I will, that said, the two of you should leave town immediately after I finish, the king may of called of the official chase, but there are plenty of people in this city will come after you regardless of what the king says. So you best be prepared. Now the sword; There's enough material here for two decent blades, would the lady like to have one as well?"

Kaori thought for a moment,

"Sure, why not? I'm sure having my own blade couldn't hurt, right Tyler?"

She replied in her high voice. Tyler smiled at the thought of Kaori as swordswoman.

"Okay, though I think you should go for something like a katana, Kaori,"

"Why?"

"Cause, didn't you take Kendo once back in middle school? I heard you were pretty good?"

She blinked, surprised he remembered that far back. She had taken kendo growing up, and still practiced the forms from time to time, but she hadn't kept up with it in any sort of regular capacity. Still it was a good idea and she agreed. Tyler opted for a single-handed leaf-bladed sword, with a slightly longer handle so if need be he could grab it with both hands. Burlock nodded his approval of the young'uns choice of arms, he would've chosen the same for them if he had to pick. So he bid them wait in his dining room while he reworked the weapon. After Burlock left the room, Tyler pulled the scroll and pouch the guard had given him from the Wallgate. Laying the large scroll of the table in the room, Tyler took out Spike and broke the seal on the roll of parchment, Kaori sat beside him, looking on curiously, Tyler unrolled the scroll and used is knife to hold it open. The page was covered in a flowing script that the pair were able to read surprisingly easily. It stated:

To the murderers of my dear friend Gruven, allow me to properly introduce myself, I am his Royal majesty king Ishtar von Vernillion, king of Vernilla. you are probably wonder why my guards have not killed or captured you yet, or why the hunt for you was called off so abruptly, well allow me to explain. You see it's quite simple, as much as I would like your heads on a pike, we, unfortunately, need you to fight a war we ourselves cannot, that is the only reason you continue to draw breath. Now that said, I feel that in the interest of fairness, there may be details of the incident that I'm unaware of. If that is the case, or you just want your side of the story to be heard I will leave my court open to you. Do not misunderstand, I merely want to hear it from the mouths of the ones who killed him the reasons why you resorted to such violence. Something else the pair of you should know, since I'm certain the pair of you are together, is that the other Warriors all received financial aid from the kingdom to aid in the upcoming battles, as I am a fair and just ruler, I have seen fit to bestow upon you the predetermined amount of ten gold coins. Be warned though, as this is a one time endowment, while the other warriors will receive the same amount every week for their own expenses, you will not, but you WILL be entitled to fair compensation for any and all efforts provided in the coming battles for our world. That said do not expect any further assistance from the crown. I do not want a reply, instead I have instructed my guards to aid you in vacating the capital as soon as possible. I urge you to leave sooner rather than later lest you try my already thin patience.

His Royal Majesty

King Ishtar Von Vernillion

ruler of Vernillia

After reading the king's letter to himself and Kaori, Tyler took the pouch of gold and poured it out, and sure enough ten gold coins lay upon the table. Tyler and Kaori's eyes lit up at the sight of the golden disks before them. Eventually, Tyler, ever pragmatic, cleared his throat,

"ahem, alright well we have our funds for our trip to the next town over, now all we need is a decent map of the area, and some traveler's provisions and we can head on out."

Kaori looked up from ogling the money, she seemed a little sheepish to have been doing so,

"Well that's good thing, and we can get a proper meal at the Inn tonight too! As for the map, maybe that magic shop we passed had one? that seems like something they would have. But what about the kings' offer to explain our side of Gruven's death? Are we gonna take it?"

Tyler looked at his beautiful companion,

"I don't think that's a good idea at the moment."

"Why not? He offered to hear us out didn't he?"

Kaori was confused at her reluctant friend, although she trusted his judgement in these matters, for he was far more skilled at ferreting out hidden meanings from even the most genuine of people,

"Well we have nothing to prove our case with, in the end it's our word against the pope', and in that circumstance I can't help but think we'd lose the argument with the current odds as they are. I think we should let it be for the time being, and focus on the first wave we'll face, after which, if we distinguish ourselves in a favorable manner, we'll have to meet with the king anyway, we'll have the advantage of reputation and deeds backing our rebuttal of the pope's accusations. Plus I feel like this could also be a trap to lure as into a perfect cage. Cause what better place to set up an ambush then the king's throne room? If we went in there half-cocked, we won't walk back out under our own power if at all. Maybe his offer is genuine, if it is then the machinations behind it are not."

She looked shocked,

"Your telling me you can think things out that far? Just like that? And without any time to think it over? How do you do that and can you teach me how?"

Tyler gave a dark chuckle,

"Most of my theories are just details, as I'm always thinking of the worst case scenario and what can I do to either avoid it, or if I can't avoid it, get out of it with the least amount of injury to myself. That kind of thinking is the direct product of my upbringing. I could try to teach you how if you want, but I fear you'll lose your ability to trust the overwhelming majority of people. Do you want that?"

Kaori looked at him sadly, fully understanding both the pain he had suffered at his family's hands, and the price he had had to pay for the ability to dissect people the way he did, it was all a defense mechanism, meant to protect what little of his shattered heart remained. She felt both an immense wave of pity for what he'd suffered, but also felt great admiration for his sheer resilience to continue to smile and laugh the way he did. He's a far stronger person then I am, The lovely blonde looked at the emotionally hardened boy next to her, and without thinking, wrapped him a lung-crushing embrace, trying to get closer to the kind of strength she wished she possessed.

"OOf, Hey, what's this are you okay Kaori? Hey, I can't....breathe!"

She released him, and he stood there gasping, Kaori, was distinctly red around the gills after pouncing on him like that,

"....Sorry,... I really needed that, thanks."

She speaking in a small, quiet voice, as if embarrassed by her actions. Tyler rubbed his protesting ribs, trying to quell his racing heartbeat, it wasn't the hug that had thrown him off, in fact he had rather enjoy the moment of contact with the alluring blonde, but the suddenness of her attack had completely caught him by surprise.

"Well, as long as your okay, Then it's fine, just don't scare me like that okay? You had me thinking someone was trying to jump me or something."

He spoke in a level tone, belying the fact his heart was on fire with a warmth he had never felt before, and further compounding the conundrum, was the fact the warmth had a certain blonde-haired green-eyed girl he knew. Kaori nodded, still blushing heavily Damn what am i a grade schooler? Pouncing on a boy like a cat with a new toy! I am better then that, though, I DIDN'T know his skin smell like pinecones, how'd he manage that? We haven't showered in like three days! Plus it's been hot and we were running for our lives for two of them, so what gives? Smelled good though. Wait DAMN GIRL calm down, he's looking at you act natural! Tyler was indeed looking at her trying to figure out why she had picked that moment to go as red in the face as a stereotypical Tsundere in an anime rom-com, he half-expected her to exclaim BAKA! at him, The hell is the matter with this chick? Totally normal one moment, then spazing out the next, followed by more spaz, then she friggin pulls a Tsundere? Her moods give me whiplash, and what was up with her suddenly hugging me like that? I mean it was completely outta left field for Christ's sake! Though it DID kinda feel good, and she was warm too, her skin smelled like,...peaches or something, even after all the running and walking, I wonder if it's part of this world for the Warriors to smell good regardless of their activities. Still smelled good, i like to hold her again, properly this tim-GODFRIGGINDAMNIT jesus friggin christ, ya hopeless bastard, she give you one hug and you think its an open door to first base? My god yur pathetic, are you that desperate to rub skin with chicks? Tyler shook his head to clear it and turned away from his blonde problem to add up all their coin together.

"Well Kaori, we should take a quick cash check to see where we stand as far as funds go."

Kaori nodded, grateful to have something to break the awkwardness of the moment, she handed the few coins she had held onto to Tyler who placed them on the table with his own coins, and added them to the gold from the king.

"Well, all in all we have , ten gold coins, twelve silver coins, and fifty copper coins, so if a single gold coin is worth one hundred silvers, and a single silver coin is worth one hundred copper, and we got a full dinner, breakfast, and a room and didn't spend more then two full silvers, then I think we can safely assume we got a fair bit of money to throw at the moment."

Kaori nodded as he spoke, she was just as good at basic math as Tyler was, but she was terrible with money. Tyler went on saying

"Now if we figure tonight's expenses, food, a room, and maybe a map, I'd say our budget is about five silver coins, we can use the gold for other gear, like maybe a trip by carriage to Dragul, the next city over, and we can use the gold to pay for the membership fee for the Adventurers' guild over there."

At this point Kaori interjected,

"Hey couldn't we stay at maybe a better Inn this time? That last one was kinda sketchy, just saying."

Tyler thought for a moment,

"I'd rather not, cause we already know how much the rates are there, plus we know no one will look for us in such a sketchy place. Although I would like to upgrade down the road, when we have a steadier income, but for now lets stay frugal."

She gave a dejected sigh,

"You're right of course, I just wish we could sleep on a proper mattress. oh!"

She suddenly perked up,

"what about a bath? I'm sure you could spare a coin or two for something like that right?"

Tyler Smiled, and handed her two silver coins,

"Okay you win on that one, here that should cover a bath at the Inn, I could do with one myself, after this let's try to find a bath house and clean up before hitting up that magic shop, sound good?"

She beamed happily,

"Sure!"

Just then Tyler started chuckling, Kaori looked at him sourly, irritated he had ruined the mood again, "What's so funny this time?"

He looked at her with a devilish light in his eyes,

"Well Barbie, I just thought of the true reason you don't want to return to that Inn,"

She looked at him confused. He continued"

It's because your afraid of that waitress I was "flirting" with, right? Afraid you have a little competition for my attention? I wonder what she'd think if we returned for a second night...OUCH!!"

Her confusion had cleared up with a resounding SMACK across Tyler's head, leaving him with a slight ringing in his ears, and a welt on his cheek. She got up and walked across the room to sit against the wall in a distinct huff. Tyler was grinning like an idiot who just heard the word "penis".

Several hours passed since then, Burlock had still not returned with their weapons, and Kaori was starting to yawn, though she was still on the other side of the room from Tyler, not ready to let his comment slide just yet, and Tyler had dived back into the HUD interface unique to the Warriors. He had learned how various skills and stats complimented each other, for example, if one's Agility stat was high, they could learn Agility-based skills, like Sneak; a stealth skill, that much easier. whereas someone with a low agility score would struggle to get such a skill without purchasing the equivalent skill or ability at a shop. The same was said for skills that required a high strength stat like pulverize, a skill unique to two-handed weapons like Warhammers and great maces. Tyler had decided to focus on a strength, agility, and endurance build for himself, as agility also dealt in one-handed weapons and bows, strength for the potential to wield larger weapons, while at the same time have access to strength-based survival skills, like woodcutting, and endurance, because at the end of the day Tyler's greatest advantage over most enemies was his ability to take a bigger asskicking. He also thought to throw some skillpoints into magic now and again, just so he'd have a hidden ace up his sleeve. As he was planning out his own character, he realized he didn't know what Kaori was herself running. He looked over to see her head bobbing up and down in the classic war between staying awake and falling asleep, which was clearly winning this particular fight. Tyler smiled at how carefree she looked, nodding off to sleep in some guy's house they had just met the day before in a sketchy tavern. wow, she must feel pretty safe to nod off like that in some dudes home. Tyler got up from the table he had been sitting at and went and sat down by her,

" Hey don't fall asleep just yet, Barbie, we have other stuff to do after this."

He nudged her and she jumped, startled,

"OH ! what!! Tyler? Tyler? I guess I nearly fell asleep there, thanks for waking me up, still no sign of Burlock huh?"

She tried to change the subject from how Tyler had literally caught her napping in Burlock's house. He smiled, then et it go,

"Yeah, nothing yet, I wonder why? I mean I know making quality weapons takes time an all, plus the guy's got a business to run on top of that, I wish i asked him how long it was likely to take, just so I'd know whether or not to come back tomorrow."

Tyler sat against the wall, next to Kaori,

" I wonder if i should go check or not."

Kaori, went and sat back down next to him against the wall,

"I don't think that's a good idea, cause you might disturb him well he's working."

"Yeah your right, I guess"

Tyler looked like he was In deep thought for a moment, Then turned to Kaori again,

"Hey by the way could you bring up your HUD for a sec I wanna show you something."

She agreed, now curious, and opened her HUD,

"okay, now what?"

"Head to your stats Please,"

"okay"

She opened her stats tab and Tyler instructed her in what each of the stats affected, and the best way for her to implement her own talents to maximize her traits. She readily soaked up his instructions, knowing his experience with video games gave him a distinct advantage. In the end Kaori settled on a Agility/Dexterity/Mage build for herself. Which was the best match for Tyler's more aggressive assault-style character. Her magic Affinity was high to begin with anyway, so it seemed like a waste to not incorporate it in her arsenal. They were wrapping up their stat lesson when a weary Burlock returned with two long cloth wrapped bundles in his arms.

"och ye younguns' yer weppins' are reddy,"

he hand the long slender on to Kaori, and the shorter, thicker one to Tyler. The pair accepted them graciously, before unwrapping the newly reforge weapons with the eagerness of children opening presents in winter. When they saw them they both gasped at the beautiful instruments of destruction before them, Kaori held a long slender katana in her hands, the handle wrapped in a white cord with a red ribbon tied to the end. standing, she drew the blade with reverence several inches from the blades' red scabbard, the blade had the same silvery sheen that Gruven's sword had shone with, but with a far more noticeable shine to it. There were ripples in the blade, like waves in a pond, flowing down the hardened metal, adding a beauty to the weapon that was simply breath taking, the natural curve of a katana finished the picture adding a simple elegance to it's overall profile.

Tyler's blade was no less beautiful, his blade had a black handle, with a red pommel stone, wrapping the handle in his fist, Tyler drew the blade from it's black metal sheath, revealing the same wave-pattern in the metal, he recognized it as layer steel forging, a method that took multiple layers of metal and, basically, melt them together in the forge to both strengthen the blade and add that beautiful wavy pattern to the blade. The sword was just over three feet long, not as long as Kaori's Four foot katana, nor as long as Gruven's sword, but the perfect length for Tyler to wield the way he wanted. It had a leaf-shaped blade, starting narrow at the base, widening near the middle, then narrowing again at the point of the sword. Both pieces were exquisitely beautiful to look upon, Tyler and Kaori both thanked the big man profusely for the precious items. But the big man would hear none of it,

"och, now don't go thankin me, was all part o' the deal, now there's just one thing left to do for your new blades,"

he looked at Tyler,

"An I'm thinkin you know what I mean"

Kaori was confused until Tyler explained laughing,

"Kaori we got to name our swords, Is what he means."

"Ahhh, Okay, well lets see what's a good name for a katana?"

Tyler had already come up with a name for his sword,

"Burlock my swords name is Oblivion, for anyone who forces me to draw steel, or puts her in danger shall be sent to oblivion."

With an approving chuckle, Burlock waved his hand over the blade and scabbard and the Lectis script for Oblivion appeared on both the blade itself and was engraved in the metal of the scabbard. Kaori also found a name for her sword as well,

"Mine's called Dawn, for it shall be the last Dawn for our enemies"

"good choice Barbie,"

"hehe, indeed young lass, a fine name."

He repeated the motion, and the script for Dawn appeared on the blade and scabbard. Burlock looked tired, but he still asked if there was anything else the young pair needed, Tyler smiled as he stood, replacing Oblivion to the place on his back,

"actually, could you point us to the nearest bathhouse? we need to clean up."

Burlock smiled and gave the pair directions to one not far from the Inn they would be staying in that night. the pair thanked him again and again he refused, they left the man's shop as the shadows started to lengthen, Tyler figured they had about three hours of daylight left, so the duo headed for that magic shop they had passed before entering the Smithing sector. They had to go back through the gatehouse screening again, but as the pair had been through earlier, it went by faster. Although the guards all gave the former fugitives glares and sidelong glances. Tyler was used to such things and ignored the stares, Kaori was less experienced in being a pariah, so just stuck close to Tyler's side with a hand on Dawn, which she had hung on her left hip, just like a real samurai. The guards did nothing more then give them dirty looks, and wave them through the Wallgate. Now back in the Tower sector, the friends made their way to the magic shop that they had passed earlier in the day.

They reached the shop after about half an hour's walk from the wallgate, It was a rather nondescript looking enough building, for a magic shop that was. It was constructed of wood and stone, it had a similar doorway to Burlock's; with a door flanked by large pane windows with the shops merchandise on display. The shop was called Rem's magicks, and was around two stories tall, with a black slate roof. Tyler opened the door for Kaori, only to let another woman exit before she could enter. The older lady winked at Tyler for his attempt at gallantry and moved on her way, Kaori was quietly laughing to herself as she walked inside the shop, followed by the crestfallen man behind her. Though once inside Tyler perked up again at the excitement of being inside a bona fide magic shop. The shelves were lined with books containing many different spells, skills and charms for sale. On another wall hung staves of every shape and variety. Yet another wall held ingredients for aspiring alchemists to use in their pursuits. Tyler and Kaori were amazed at the items on display, having come from a world where magic did not exist. The pair approached the counter situated in the very back of the store. There didn't appear to be anyone behind it so they browsed for maps of the area. Tyler went to a bucket of scrolls in a corner and start examining one, finding it wasn't a map, he put it back and continued his search, Kaori went in the opposite direction, looking on the adjacent wall's scrolls, all the while trying to keep Dawn from knocking something over. They didn't have to search for long before Tyler found what he was looking for.

"Bingo, found one, Kaori, over here"

She returned to his side to fond Tyler pouring over a large map of both the capital city of Term and about a thousand miles in all directions, with the capital in the center. As the duo were looking at the large parchment and debating to either get it or find a more specific one for their needs, a woman's voice was heard calling out to them,

"Oh hello there, I didn't hear you come in."

Tyler and Kaori turned in unison to see a scarily familiar figure standing behind the counter, It was none other then Lyrica, the Devil girl maid from the Dragon Tower dining hall! Tyler instantly let go of the map and grabbed Oblivion's handle, Kaori stood behind him. Lyrica held her hands up,

"whoa hold up, now relax, i'm not gonna attack you. Alright? Look I'm sorry for disappearing on you like that. I was ordered to by the pope."

Tyler relaxed his grip on his sword,

"Well, as you can see we escaped, and Gruven is dead, so if you had tried to attack us, you would be dead too."

Lyrica shuddered at the coldness in his voice, she had no doubt that had she tried anything they would bury her in two pieces, at the least. She had had the same reaction to his darkness that Burlock had. The devil girl, turn the subject to the map,

"So am I to assume your in the market for a map?"

Kaori answered this time from her position behind Tyler,

"We are, but we think this one's parameters are to large-scale for what we need,"

Lyrica nodded sagely,

"ahh yes that map is rather large and broad, if you don't know the enchantment that goes along with it."

"enchantment?"

"yes that particular map is enchanted to show whichever area you happen to be in with exacting detail, if you purchase it, the means to activate the spell come included."

TYler spoke up this time,

"How much?"

Lyrica was no fool, she knew that in order to get off the man's future hit list she had to sweeten the pot all little, and since her succubae charms no longer had any affect on the man she resorted to bribery, "How's ten silver sound? I'll even throw in a spell tome on top, as an apology for the tower, what do you say?"

Tyler smiled,

" a spell tome for each of us and you got a deal!"

Lyrica's red eyes narrowed, one spell tome she could let go, but two? That was pushing it. As she was about to state so, she could sight of the glint in Tyler's gaze, oh so that's how it is? Little prick, extorting a descendant of the archdemons themselves, that takes some balls! The Devil girl wanted to refuse buy knew to do so would incur this young brats wrath, and she didn't think that even the tall, pretty blonde behind him would intercede on her behalf. So with a defeated sigh, Lyrica accepted the deal.

"sure fine, a tome apiece, the enchanted map, along with its activation phrase, all for ten silver. Anything else?"

Tyler smiled, "Can you tell which types of magic we are best suited for? Like if Kaori's better suited for healing or fireballs?"

Lyrica thought for moment,

"Well, yes, but that service usually costs around twenty silver a pop, sooo"

Tyler nodded, he had figured as much, and went to hand the succubus a gold coin. Lyrica's eyes lit up at the sight of the coin, "Wow, so I guess you received the king's payment without any trouble? Well that would cover everything."

Kaori looked from Tyler to Lyrica and back,

"hey you sure you want to use a full gold for this?"

She whispered into Tyler's ear, her breath hot on his neck. He replied as he watched Lyrica set up for their magic affinity exam,

"it's okay, I know exactly how much we should get back, she won't dare try to cheat us, cause she and I both know she wouldn't live through the experience. Plus breaking a gold here will give up about sixty-two silver for our room, food, and bath tonight, so i figured it's well worth the risk."

He spoke without looking at Kaori, his eyes fixed on the Devil before them, fully aware of her breath on the back of his neck, which set his heart racing at her closeness. To combat this he watched Lyrica set up a small fortunetelling table with a crystal ball set in the center,

"Hey Lyrica your not gonna read our fortunes with that thing are you?"

The Hellspawn girl replied without looking up from her work,

"Not exactly fortunetelling, but reading someone's magical affinity DOES share some similarities with telling fortunes, as both types of magic belong to the divination school. The crystal ball will turn a color, and that color represents the school of magic best suited for your soultype, since I'm sure you realize that in order to cast spell, you need a chant, a license, and the required amount of mana. But you probably don't know what mana is exactly do you?"

Both Kaori and Tyler did not. So Lyrica, now finished with her preparations, took a seat at the newly placed table and bade the companions to follow suit. Once the duo were seated Lyrica continued with her explanation,

"How let's see how best to explain? Mana in this world is the currency of your soul, I suppose is the best way to put it. Since in order to cast a spell you need to pay mana equivalent to how straining the spell is to your spirit. For example, a gentle, pacifistic monk would have to pay more mana to cast a spell like Bloodbath, which causes excruciating pain to the afflicted target, before causing the target's blood to explode out of their body, thus killing them in a most grotesque manner, then say a sadistic murderer, who enjoys the pain the pain they bring to other people. If a spell directly contradicts a person's soul, not their personality, the strain to cast it increases drastically. The reasons for this are thought to revolve around the fact that magic is a physical manifestation of the soul's direct strength, so in other words the stronger your soul is the more spells one can cast in a row without resting. Though as the pair of you are both novices, I feel obligated to give you a warning in overusing and using magic not suited for you: If you use too much at one time you WILL blackout as your soul need to recover it's strength, during this blackout, also known as Mindshatter, you are completely helpless, and it's not the same as a normal blackout as you will be fully aware of anything and everything going on around you, but be powerless to do anything about it. This can last for several hour or several days, based on just how drained your soul is. The second part of my warning is about contradictory spells, if you use too many of them, you run of shattering your very soul itself. Hell even one contradictory spell is dangerous, as it damages your spirit by forcing it to pretend to be something it's not, and the more powerful the spell the greater the trauma. Let's use the monk example again for this, if that monk were to cast BloodBath, his soul would shatter immediately upon release of the magic, as that spell is a particularly evil one, and once a soul shatters it cannot be repaired and that poor soul loses their mind completely. They don't die, but become mindless husk that wander the land feeding on unfortunate travelers unlucky to come across them. I believe they were referred to as Zombies in your world, at least that's what some of your fellow interworld travelers said when I explained this to them. There is no cure for a Soul Shatter, and the afflicted can wander for centuries, as their decompositions rates all stop. The only way for theme to rest, as I'm sure you were about to ask me, is to destroy their skull completely by any means at your disposal. otherwise they keep coming. They were referred to as Zombies in your world, but here we simply name them as The Broken Ones, for they serve as an example to be truly Broken. And they are most insidious, as they are drawn to high magic levels, when the two of you leave the city be sure to be aware of your surroundings, for they are many and can sneak up on you with you realizing. If you DO end up casting a contradiction, then the best thing to repair the damage to your soul is to do things that put the soul at ease, for some that's as simple as sleeping, or going to a hot spring, for others it includes being with the person they love most, and yet still some people go visit the sea and listen to waves. Though this method works on small-scale damage it is not a be all and end all solution, for such an act will still leave the soul weakened, making future damage both easier and more severe. The best solution is to simply NOT cast such magic, but we all know the world is a cruel place. But that's enough doom and gloom, lets find out what types of magic suits the pair of you!"

Lyrica finished her lecture with an overly cheerful tone. Tyler snapped out of his trance paying rapt attention to everything the red-haired devil girl had said, since he figured it was sure to be vital information down the road. He waved Kaori to go first as he digested the staggering amount of knowledge that had just been imparted to him.

Kaori took the seat directly across from Lyrica with a nervous look on her face,

"Okay what now?"

"Just take your hands and place on either side of the crystal ball"

Kaori did as she was asked,

"Like this?"

"Yes just like that"

Lyrica placed her own hands above the ball and recited:

Great Spirit of knowledge here me now, this child of man wishes to know of the power within her, please grant her your mercy and reveal that which cannot be seen; SOULVIEW!

The crystal ball flared to life, displaying a vibrant shade of red, similar in color to the coals of a blazing fire. Kaori's eyes widened at the sight, and Lyrica gave an audible gasp at the overwhelming color, which coated the entire room with a kaleidoscope of red shades and hues. The scene was both breathtakingly beautiful, and jarringly surreal, the red light matching Lyrica's flowing mane of hair perfectly and giving Kaori's golden lockes a distinct flame-tinted look. The entire scene lasted for either hours or second, Tyler knew not, but all too soon the color blast died down, leaving only the crystal ball between the two beauties glowing with the red that had just coated the room. Lyrica was honestly surprised by the raw power Kaori held in her slender frame,

"WOW, that was spectacular! I've never even seen a fire spirit with that kind of red color before, or a mere human with that kind of pure power either! Your going to be a terrifying force of nature once you get some spells and practice in!"

Kaori blushed a shade of red nearly the same tint as the ball before her,

"Well thank you, I think"

You would think since both girls and boys of all ages had fawned over her, and showered her with complements on the daily back in their old world, she would be desensitized to such gushing praise, but you'd be mistaken. yes, Kaori was jaded to most complements, as they were mostly fake or attempts to get in her good graces, the genuine complements and praise, the ones to truly meant what they said, were the ones she valued. Which is one reason she held Tyler in such high regard, as he had never minced his words with her, or tried to butter her up with pretty words, preferring to speak the harsh truth without regard for what people thought of what he had to say. He often had to pay the price for his words, but he still continued the live the way he saw fit, If I change who I am just to make the majority of people happy, then I would truly have no worth as a person. She often thought about his response that time she'd asked him about it. She admired the way he went his own way through life, completely his own way never influenced by what other people expected or demanded him to be. She wished she could live like that. Now here was this devil girl gushing over her magic power, clearly infatuated with the beautiful blonde mage-in-training. The best part, was the sincerity dripping from every word the devil girl spoke, thoroughly embarrassing the poor girl, causing her to turn nearly as red as the crystal ball both girls hands were resting on.

"Umm, hey, could you tell me what my Affinity is now please?"

She said in a small voice. Lyrica smiled, and warmed to the now shy blonde,

"Well your affinity color is red, so the type of magic you'd be best suited for is fire magic, obviously, but your also suited for magicks like, healing, which while belonging to both light, and green magic paths, share's spells with the red path as well. You could also use spells from the yellow path, like lightning since they both have to do with warmth and raw power. Overall your affinity is both narrow and varied. But since your affinity is red, you direct contradiction is blue, as in fire and ice, so try to avoid casting spells from the blue path of magic."

Kaori looked a little concerned at the news of her contradiction,

"do I have to avoid people with a blue magic affinity?"

Lyrica laughed,

"No, pretty one, as a matter of fact, if possible you should team up with a blue person, as they will complement both your personality and magical holes perfectly. You yourself can't cast their spells, but the people of Blue and red usually wind up as either lovers, lifelong friends, or both, since they bring a balance to each other."

Kaori had stopped listening after hearing a single word, LOVERS? and subconsciously shot a sidelong glance at Tyler, who was sitting against a nearby shelf, apparently deep in thought. Lyrica went on, as though missing the look the flustered blonde had sent in the silent man's direction.

"You should feel happy your color is red, Kaori, it signifies a fiery temper, a passionate lover and friend, and an overall warmth associated your being, people flock to be around you and feel generally warm in you presence. even if your temper keeps them on edge at times."

Kaori's head was spinning from the implications of what Lyrica had said, A passionate lover and friend? Does that mean I'm a secret pervert and I just don't know it yet? I HOPE not, oooh Tyler's not gonna let me hear the end of this!! The boy in question tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to practically jump out of her skin, as she looked at him a panic, he gestured to move as it was his turn. Kaori moved shamefully out of his way and sat where he had been moments before, The spot warmed from his body heat.

Tyler had watched the entire process and listened attentively to everything Lyrica had said, even the part about Red pathers being passionate lovers, and he had also noticed Kaori's not-as-subtle-as-she-thought glance at him during that explanation, As if WE'D ever be lovers, heh all we'll be are friends and comrades in arms at best. Still it WOULD be nice to imagine that such a future was possible...even if it isn't. Purging such thoughts from his mind, Tyler took his place opposite Lyrica and placed his hands either side of the crystal ball as he'd seen Kaori do before him. Lyrica began the chant again, placing her own hands over the ball.

Upon finishing the chant this time, the ball once again flared to life, But his time the light was different, instead of one solid color, as had been the case with Kaori, there were two distinct hues coming from the ball. A deep beautiful shade of roiling blue, similar to the color of the ocean at night, mixed with a peculiar sheen of pure white light shining from deep withing the depths of blue, giving off a strange cold feeling. almost as if one was standing next a grand glacier, such was the feeling coming from the colors of white and blue mixing in such a manner. The near overwhelming hue of blue flooded the room to such an extent, it seemed as if the trio were suddenly transported deep beneath the ocean's surface, and since there was a white color mixed in with it, it nearly seemed like they were seeing the sun from beneath the waves of a clear sea. The colors were prevalent enough to transform even Lyrica's bloodred lockes into a bluish silver sheen, while Kaori's blonde hair was given a gorgeous coating of blue highlights with shots of white sprinkled here and there. Both girls were breathless at the sight of such splendor. Eventually it had to end, as all good things must, with Lyrica removing her hands from the ball, causing the light to collapse back into the confines of the crystal. Only then did Tyler notice she had large tears streaming down her face, Kaori too was letting massive tears unashamedly fall from her green eyes, so moved were the pair by the spectacle they had just witnessed. The only one whose eyes were dry in the room was of course Tyler, who merely wanted the colors explained, along with his specialized magic types, but was content to wait for the two women to regain their composure.

Lyrica was the first to recover herself, wiping her face with a kerchief she held with her tail. She then tossed a fresh one to the still weeping Kaori, who promptly buried her face into the cloth, cleaned her tearstained face and gazed at Tyler with a strangely intense stare. It seemed as if she was daring him to make fun of her for crying, which he would never do,

"Are you okay Kaori? That seemed intense."

She searched his words for a teasing tone, but there was nothing to be find, just the concern of a friend for a friend,

"I'm alright now, thanks. That was just so beautiful I couldn't help myself. Lyrica, what was that? what does it mean?"

Kaori asked with an awestruck voice. Lyrica replied promptly,

"That, Dear Kaori, is the result of two colors merging into one, in this case, the colors of Blue and White. This particular merging is exceedingly rare as it takes the best parts of the Blue path of magic, which include a calm, calculated personality, an unbreakable will, near unshakable faith, whether in a person or belief, the magicks of healing, water, and support type magicks, and fuses them with the best parts of the White magic path, such as a straightforward personality with a sound judgement, a strong sense of justice, being absolutely trustworthy. It is said that people of the White magic path take the things told to them in confidence would happily rather die then expose the secrets of those close to them, even under the most horrific methods of torture. The White path also comes complete with plenty of magic spells for a wide variety of uses, like healing arts, illumination, remedy magic, and holy magicks used to fight undead. This particular path also grants immunity to enemy white magic spells as well, which is why when two priests have to fight, they never use spells from the white path as they cancel out when targeting other white paths. Since it's combined with the Blue path in this instance, it's safe to assume that your also immune to other Blue path mages, Tyler, quite the lucky break as the blue path is one of the five staple paths of magical practice, and is therefore extremely powerful. The Red path is also among their number too, Kaori. but unfortunately your still vulnerable to other red paths, so keep that in mind. Now Tyler, as you a mix of Blue and White, your contradictions' are twofold, both the Red path, and the Black path directly oppose you. So that means, pure black spells like necromancy and poison based spells are beyond you, along with the pure red spells like fire-types and explosion-type spells. Although spells that are impure, such as Liquid Fire, which is a jet of water that sets the target on fire upon impact, is fine to use since it is neither fire nor water. While this workaround is sufficient enough to counter most Path restrictions, it will NOT work with any and all forms of Black path magic, since your path of white abhors the path of black above all else. so any questions?"