New Allies

As the team discussed their upcoming mission and the revelation that they would be facing a Wyvern, Shiiyo couldn't help but contemplate the situation. "A Wyvern, huh... In our world, it's nothing more than a myth," he said, his tone filled with awe and a hint of disbelief.

Creed, wearing his tactical gear and exuding a determined aura, chimed in. "True, Shiiyo. But remember, we're not in our world anymore. We'll need to adapt to the challenges we face here."

Kyru, who had been silently pondering, suddenly burst into excitement. "Yeah! A Wyvern!" he exclaimed with unbridled enthusiasm. His sudden outburst surprised his friends, and they exchanged confused glances. Shiiyo was about to tap Kyru's shoulder to check on him, but before he could, Kyru elaborated on his excitement.

"Don't you guys get it? All those hours I spent hunting monsters in those games finally led up to this! Well, minus the clutch claw and huge weapons, but still, I'm so pumped up!" he explained with a wide grin. His friends shared a collective chuckle, feeling relieved by Kyru's infectious enthusiasm.

Creed then took the lead, his voice filled with determination. "All right, squad, grab some whetstones and sharpen those swords. We're going, Monster Hunting!"

As they discussed their upcoming mission, a cute beast folk suddenly approached them, catching their attention. the beastfolk exclaimed, "Woah, you guys have weird armor, nya!" The squad was puzzled, and Creed even looked around in confusion. The beast folk playfully pointed out, "Look down here, nya!" When Creed looked down, he met a cat girl from the Velvetclaw clan, dressed in light leather armor. She looked up at him with a playful smile and introduced herself as Mew Velvetclaw. "Erm... hello?" Creed said, still somewhat bewildered by her presence.

Shiiyo, ever the tactician, asked, "Excuse me, who might you be? And what rumors?" Mew examined Creed's tactical gear and casually said, "The rumors are right, nya!"

Creed's confusion deepened, and he was about to ask her to clarify when Mew introduced herself with a playful salute. "The name is Mew Velvetclaw, nya, from the clan of feline Velvetclaw."

As the group conversed with Mew, a white-haired elf approached them and playfully smacked Mew on the head with his staff. "Cut it out, Mew-chan, stop bothering this fellow," he scolded the beastfolk. Mew, rubbing its head, replied, "Geez, Meowri-nya, don't hit people in the head, it hurts, you know." The elf, who introduced himself as Mori Silverwood, bowed to the squad and apologized. "I'm very sorry about my partner here. I'm Mori Silverwood, a high elf from my hometown of Silverwood."

Kyru was genuinely excited to meet an elf. "Woah, an Elf, nice to meet you," he said with a friendly grin.

Mori chuckled and accepted the handshake. "Really sorry about that, Mew is sometimes kinda hard to handle." Shiiyo nodded with an amused smile and playfully added, "Couldn't agree more." He glanced at Kyru, who responded, "What's that supposed to mean?" Shiiyo winked and continued the introductions. "Anyway, since we're all working together, my name is Shiiyo Hoshizaki, the team's mage and tactician. This fellow right here is Kyru Yamato, our Ranger. This big guy is our leader, Captain Creed Katsuragi, and the man next to him is our new member, Risky Spade." Risky responded with a friendly smile. "Nice to meet you, fellow A-rankers."

Mori heeded Creed's suggestion and politely asked Mew to play elsewhere. Mew, with a playful tone, agreed, "Okay-da, nya!" and skipped off to explore on its own. Creed, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, looked at Mori and commented, "You really have a handful there."

Mori chuckled and nodded, "Yep, but Mew is the backbone of our party, the one who put us together." The squad couldn't help but be amused by the playful cat-like behavior of Mew.

Risky, noticing Mew's attire, couldn't help but compliment Mori. "I gotta say, you've got a cute cat girl in the party, you're lucky." However, Mori corrected him with a smile, "Mew is a he."

Risky was taken aback and exclaimed, "What?!" He couldn't believe his mistake. Kyru found the situation quite entertaining and teased Risky with a laugh. "Oh man, you just stepped on a landmine! Hahaha!" Risky, still trying to process the revelation, muttered, "Wait, but that attire..."

Mori explained the situation, "Well, we also don't know Mew's choice of attire, but he mentioned that he feels comfortable fighting in that outfit." Risky facepalmed, exclaiming, "I can't believe I got trapped..." Meanwhile, Kyru couldn't stop laughing at Risky's expense.

Shiiyo chimed in with amusement, "Well, I guess your party has more eccentric members than ours." Mori agreed with a smile, "Well, by the looks of it, I guess we do."

As the conversation came to a close, Aizeah regained everyone's attention with her authoritative voice. She instructed the assembled adventurers to prepare for the upcoming mission, gathering all necessary equipment and supplies. "Meet me tomorrow morning at the entrance gate," she declared. The group of adventurers nodded in unison and responded with a respectful "Yes, Ma'am!" Then, the trio bid farewell to the newfound acquaintances they had met and left the guild, their minds filled with thoughts of the upcoming Wyvern hunt.

The squad continued their discussion about the upcoming Wyvern mission while strolling through the city. Kyru couldn't contain his excitement, grinning from ear to ear. "I still can't believe we're going to fight a Wyvern," he said with enthusiasm.

Shiiyo nodded in agreement, his smile reflecting the excitement. "Yeah, we've been through plenty of joint operations, but this one feels different, doesn't it?"

Risky chimed in with his thoughts. "You're right, this one's special. Fighting a Wyvern... it's like something out of a fantasy."

As they discussed the mission, a tap on Creed's helmet startled him. He turned around to find Princess Seraphina standing there. "Hello there, sir Knight," she said with a chuckle. Creed was taken by surprise at the unexpected encounter. "Uhm... Princess, what a surprise. What are you doing in this part of the city?" he inquired, puzzled.

The princess twirled around playfully and explained, "Oh, I was just doing some shopping and sightseeing. Don't worry; I have my guards with me." She then fidgeted a bit and tentatively asked, "Would you like to... take a walk with me?"

"I apologize, Your Highness, but I have pressing matters to atten—" However, before Creed could respond, Risky, with a sly grin, delivered a well-timed kick to his back, signaling the others to intervene. Each of his comrades found an excuse to leave the scene, leaving Creed alone with the princess.

Kyru announced, "Oof, would you look at the time? hey, Capt, I'm heading out. We're going to buy some stuff." He flashed a playful smile and made a swift exit.

Shiiyo promptly followed suit, stating, "I think I'll prepare our equipment as well. See you around, Captain." With a nod, he joined Kyru and disappeared from sight.

Risky was the last to chime in. He gave Creed a knowing grin, delivered a thumbs up, and wished him luck, "Hey, Capt, good luck." With a smirk, he followed the others.

Alone with Princess Seraphina, Creed extended his hand in an attempt to delay his impending "date" with Seraphina. "Hey, wait... damn it," he called after his team, but his comrades were already gone. Sighing in resignation, he turned back to the princess and reluctantly agreed, "Alright."

Seraphina's eyes lit up with excitement, and she eagerly led Creed to a nearby spot for sweets. "Thank you! I know a place with sweets, and you're going to love it," she said with a cheerful smile. The two began their walk, engaged in a lighthearted conversation and seemingly putting Creed's mission concerns on the back burner for the time being.