Reform: Chapter Three - Making Connections [Job/Ayero]

Job Name: On The Job Training: Equestrian
Job Rank: B-Tier
Job Location: Reim
Job Rewards: 200 xp, 15,000 huang
Job Overview: Outside of Remano to the south, there is a famous stable known for breeding and training horses. Lately, they have had issues with several monsters attacking their pastures. If you remove the threat, the owner of the property would be willing to train those in your workforce program.

Enemy Name: Ravenous Manta x2
Rank: C-Tier
Needed damage to take down: C-Tier
Abilities: Deals C-Tier damage with fangs or spiked tail.
Flies at 10 m/s.
Gust - Flaps its wings at 15 m/s to create a current of wind that deals C-Tier damage up to twenty meters away.
Gobbling - Swoops down at 15 m/s up to ten meters away to bite a target, dealing C-tier damage

Enemy Name: Ravenous Smasher
Rank: B-Tier
Needed damage to take down: A-Tier
Abilities: Moves at 10 m/s, deals b-tier damage with fists.
Smashing - Punches a target to deal B-tier damage at 20 m/s.
Plow - Charges at 15 m/s over ten meters to knock a target down.

Azix spent the morning visiting craftsman and other businesses hoping to obtain their help in training those enrolled in his workforce program. After getting turned down countless times, Azix began to lose hope. He had gotten the Council's approval and had documentation, but people were still hesitant. About to give up, he came across a man leading several finely bred horses.

"Those are some amazing horses you have there, are you a trader?" Azix asked in a friendly voice.

The man looked the magician over before shaking his head, "I breed horses at a stable to the south. I appreciate the compliment, are you interested in one? I need to sell them before they get eaten."

Azix raised a brow, "Eaten?"

The man gave a somber nod, "Yeah, there have been creatures snatching up the horses from the pasture. I can't keep them away and they are scaring the staff."

An idea rapidly formed in his head, "What kind of creatures? Big beasts?"

"Some big flying creature that swoops down and picks the horses out the fields. There's also some giant beast with giant fists that could smash a person flat. Nothing but trouble, they are."

The magician smiled, "What if I could get rid of those beasts for you?"

The man hesitated, "I would be extremely thankful...why? What do you want from me? A horse? Sure."

Azix shook his head, handed the man the documents explaining his proposal, with proof of the Council's approval. "I am starting a workforce program to help willing applicants from the slums and other employed people get training and employment. So far I have not had any luck finding anybody to train these people. If I get rid of these beasts, would you partner with this initiative as a training facility. If any of them cause problems, they will be out of the program."

After a moment to think about it the man nodded, "Deal, I like the sound of what you are trying to do. I'll give these people a chance. The name is Timiteo."

Azix clasped Timiteo's hand, "Thank you! I will handle those beasts for you. First, can I rent these horses? Also, a few large wagons to haul the beasts. Oh, and lots of chains! Meet me at the southern gates with them when you are done. I might be a few hours." Azix tosses a bag with enough coins for the wagons, extra horses if needed, and then some to Timiteo. Before Timiteo could respond Azix took off towards the government district.

---

Azix requested a meeting with Roark El Nagi and was led to a meeting room to wait. After an hour a man came into the room, "Marquis Niraj? Hi, I am Roark's assistant, Kolar. He apologizes that he can't meet with you, but he is busy with Council affairs. He asked me to speak with you, I hope that is alright with you?"

Azix nodded, "Of course, I understand he is busy. I came to ask if he would accept a donation to his efforts. He had mentioned in the Council about training beasts to handle various jobs. I have come across some beasts that may be of use to the El Nagi clan or his goals. I am not sure which beast they are yet, but from the description they might be good at hauling and mining."

Kolar seemed surprised by the offer, "I will ask him, please wait."

The man came back fifteen minutes later, "He said yes. If you can transport them to the capitol, he will have his men take them the rest of the way. He appreciates your offer and will see how useful they are."

Azix nodded, "I can do that. Thank you for your time!"

---

On the way to the southern gate, Azix enlisted the help of several applicants of the workforce program. He found people who knew how to drive a wagon or looked strong enough to help move the beasts. By the time Azix got to the southern gate, the afternoon sun had begun falling in the sky. Timiteo was waiting for him with three wagons, the horses already tacked up and ready to go. There were long swaths of chain in the back of the wagons. Azix smiled at Timiteo and gave him an appreciative look.

Azix wondered if he could find anyone to help in taking out the beasts. While he was sure of his talents, his experience with creatures like the Dormunga Creeper made him wary. He looked around the crowds for anyone that looked like they could handle themselves.

[766/1500 words]

In the passing days after Ayero had reached Reim, the young woman didn’t know what to think of her newly conquered homeland. She’d never had a big sense of patriotism having lived so far removed from any of Reim’s great cities or even larger towns, but she was vaguely familiar with its layout after having lived several years with a merchant caravan. She’d seen the great military parades through Remano and had even been to a coliseum match or two, but even at that time she didn’t consider herself a Reim national.

While looking for work, the fanalis woman also took it upon herself to soak up the local culture and try to understand the daily life of her people. Kou’s takeover had been so swift that many of Reim’s citizens didn’t know what to make of the foreign invaders, though the distaste and skepticism was apparent from some. In an attempt to escape Kou’s presence in Remano even if only for a few days, Ayero made the decision to trek a bit southward to the more rural towns.

~

”Miss, how’d you get that scar?”

”Hm?” Ayero lowers a bowl of soup from her lips only to meet with the eyes of a curious child.

”Ahh, you mustn’t ask thins like that to strangers, Maria! I apologize for my daughter. My wife tells her that she asks too many questions.” The man standing behind the counter of the soup stall grabs his young daughter by the arm, chiding the girl for asking an invasive question.

”It’s actually a good story, you know.” Leaning against the counter, the red headed woman absently swirls the viscous soup within the bowl in thought before glancing over at the child, pleased to see her face slowly light up at the mention of a story. ”It happened in Heliohapt.”

Maria gasped. ”You came from Heliohapt?!”

”I did. I’m a traveler. They were having problems, you see. Something had been eating their crops by the field-ful…and it didn’t stop there, soon caravans were being attacked by beasts on their way to and from the city. Do you know what it was?” Amused, Ayero posed a question to the girl who seemed utterly absorbed with the traveler’s words. Her father too, cast a mildly curious glance at the woman while tending to his work.

”A monster! With big sharp teeth and giant claws…” Maria curled her lips back and gnashed her teeth with a growling sound, bringing her hands up and curling her fingers into makeshift claws.

”Well, I suppose you could call them monsters. I certainly did at one point.” Ayero agreed with a chuckle before continuing, pausing to swallow another mouthful of soup. ”They were desert jackals, great beasts who roamed the desert and made their homes deep within the sands. Strangely enough, they began to attack people. Why, Kabu and I spent the entire night in a farmer’s field, fending off the beasts.” She pats the body of the black snake who was currently curled around her body, head resting on her shoulder as he snoozed. ”They were massive.” She states, playing into the child’s imagination as she stretched her arms wide, proclaiming that they were this tall which may have been a slight exaggeration on her part.

She goes on to detail the battle, taking a few creative liberties for her own amusement as she enjoyed how Maria’s eyes sparkled when she spoke of her exploits. ”And with my sword I was able to take out every last one of the hulking brutes.” She finishes her tale, the girl looking at her expectantly.

”Is that how you got that scar, then?” The girl squints at Ayero’s right shoulder and the burn mark covering it nearly down to her elbow.

”It’s not.” Ayero confesses, scratching at the back of her head. Watching the girl deflate slightly, she feels a bit bad and figures that one more story couldn’t hurt. ”This mark  came from fighting an even more dangerous beast!” Maria picks her head up, staring at the fanalis woman with eyes that urged the next story from her. With the child’s attention once more, Ayero spun another tale of desert jackals.

”But then one more showed up, the feared Giant Desert Jackal. And he was angry. We dueled back and forth for a bit before he got me with his acid spit, nearly burning the flesh from my arm!” She gestures to the wound which has long since scabbed and shed, healing over with scar tissue. ”It could have been much, much worse though. It’s all thanks to Kabu here that this healed so well. He has healing saliva, you know? Took me by surprise the first time he used it. I’m lucky that he learned to do that, or else my arm would have been eaten clean off by that acid!” She wasn’t entirely sure what would have happened to her arm had Kabu not healed her in time, but the look on Maria’s face was worth it. Patting the snake’s body in thanks once more, Ayero grins at the child below. She was all too familiar with becoming enthralled in stories, especially when they’re over-the-top exciting. Of course, she had omitted the hours of waiting around for her opponents and skipped straight to the juicy battles which were more colorful than she had remembered.

[891/1500]

After not finding anyone in the immediate area of the Southern Gate, Azix asked Timiteo to lead the wagons to his stables. The three wagons traveled in a row southward, at first taking main roads that were well maintained, before taking smaller dirt roads. It was off one of these dirt roads when they came to a small, rural town.

Timiteo waved them off over to stop and helped the men park the horses for a moment. "We are about another half-hour from my stables. I usually stop in this town on my way to-and-from Remano. They have the most delicious soup and I'm sure your men would like a bite to eat first."

A rumble erupted from Azix's stomach at the mention of food and he rubbed the back of his head, "I think I would enjoy some soup too."

Timiteo led them to a soup stall, while Azix passed some gold coins to the men for food. When they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of a Fanalis woman in the middle of telling a story of her adventures to a young girl. Azix overheard the Fanalis woman mention fighting a giant Desert Jackal, which made him turn his head in her direction. Catching sight of the snake that rested on her shoulder, Azix's eyes widened in surprise. Here was someone skilled at hunting beasts and a beast tamer as well, he couldn't let fate's opportunity slip through his fingers.

He waited until the story was done before approaching her with a friendly smile. With a small bow, he introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Azix. I couldn't help but overhear your story. These men and I," Azix pointed to Timiteo and the men from the workforce program ordering soup behind him, "are actually on the way to take capture some wild beasts. I was wondering, would you mind joining us? I could use the extra help from a skilled warrior such as yourself."

[1093/1500]

After a while Ayero had moved to rest against the side of the stall while she relayed her tale, moving from the front of the booth as she realized she was blocking the counter. As her story ended, she was approached by a young man who introduced himself in a friendly manner. Ayero turned her head toward Azix to face him with a critical eye, wary of this man and his sudden inquiry. ”Wild beasts, you say?” She hands the bowl back to the girl and crosses her arms over her chest, turning her body towards Azix to look him over. ”Hm…I’m not skilled with capture. Rather, the beasts from my story met their end.” She raises a hand to stroke the black scales of Kabu’s head. The snake stirs and opens his eyes, casting a curious gaze at the newcomer. Taking note of Ayero’s body posture, the snake simply flicks his tongue out at Azix and continues to watch him.

Her eyes wander briefly to the men behind Azix at the soup stall before focusing back on the man in front of her. ”Is there compensation involved?” The woman pierces into him with deep brown eyes that said while she was wary, she was still interested in the work he had to offer.

[1106/1500]

Azix noticed that the Fanalis woman seemed wary of the situation, while she expressed that she had no experience in capturing beast. He smiled, hoping to put her at ease, "Even so, your help would be appreciated." When she asked if you would be paid for her time, Azix tilted his head in affirmation. He reached into his pocket to pull out the last bit of gold that he had brought with him, which was still more than one would typically get paid for a beast removal job off the job board. "Of course," he said, dropping the bag of gold on the counter, sliding it towards her.

He then ordered a beef and vegetable soup, waiting to see if she agreed. Azix accepted the bowl of soup with both hands, his stomach was grateful for the meal. Bringing the bowl to his lips, Azix drank some of the warm broth. He couldn't resist a moan of pleasure at the combination of flavors that mingled on his palate.

If the red-haired woman accepted, then they would go back to the wagons after everyone was done eating. Timiteo would lead them to the stables he owned, the sun slowly settled closer to the horizon. As they arrived, they would notice he owned a rather large chunk of land with sprawling pastures that held various horses. The horses were separated into different pastures by some method that Azix did not know of. He guessed breed and gender went into it, but he was not knowledgeable on horse breeding.

The pulled up to a large farmhouse that sat behind an expansive stable. Azix hopped off the wagon and asked Timiteo where the beasts seemed to be located. "They always come from the south-east, just below that slope over yonder." The man pointed in the general direction.

Azix looked to the Fanalis woman, "Ready for a walk?"

[1406/1500]

”Hm…” The woman reached toward the bag of gold, hefting it into her hand as to weight the contents. She raises a brow as it weight more than she had expected and emits a pleased grunt before tying the pouch to the armor on her waist. ”You’ve got yourself a deal. Name’s Ayero, this is Kabu.” She keeps her introduction short, not bothering to gesture to the snake when she mentions his name. She leans against the stall while Azix and his men finish eating, arms crossed over her chest as she watches them in vague curiosity.

She follows Azix to the wagons without complaint, nodding politely to Timiteo as she does so. As they make it to the breeding property, Ayero’s eyes scan the horizon, taking in her surroundings and the topography of the land. Nodding wordlessly to Azix, the pair begins to trek in the appointed direction.

”Where are you from, Azix?” The question would come after a few minutes of silence, sounding more like a demand than a simple inquiry. Though he was friendly and had given her no reason to dislike him thus far, Ayero still felt wary around him. Unsheathing her blade, she holds it at her side as they walk. ”For protection.”'

[1314/1500]

Azix roused from his thoughts when Ayero broke the silence by asking where he was from. He mulled over the idea of lying about his heritage, after the morning he had spent receiving disgusted looks from the craftsman when he explained his initiative, it seemed the easier choice. When Ayero unsheathed her blade, Azix considered it even more. He decided honesty would probably be the better choice to answer the Fanalis' question. "From a not too popular place around here. I am from Kou."

Without looking at her face, Azix imagined she had an expression of distaste on her face. "I doubt you would believe me, but I like my home country even less than you do." He pulled out his staff and held it in his left hand, "For protection." Azix gave her a small smile, before looking back at the land before them.

They had reached the edge of the pasture closest to the valley Timiteo had pointed out. Azix climbed over the wooden fence and stood at the precipice of the slope. A cave delved into the earth about half a kilometer away along the other side of the valley. While he wondered how to track the beast, Azix asked Ayero an offhanded question. "So, besides monsters, what else have you fought?"

[1500+/1500]

Ayero bristled at Azix’s response. Gritting her teeth, she fought back a snide comment while deciding if she should say something. It was very likely that Azix was already aware of Reim’s distaste for his people, and by proxy her own. She grunts in response to his comment about his homeland, figuring that she knew next to nothing about this man and couldn’t say a word to his past, whatever it had been. Though friendly, the Fanalis woman remained on edge. For now she would be cautious and pass judgment on Azix through his actions the best she could.

Following the magician’s footsteps fluidly, Ayero settles next to him and looks out into valley. After a slow deep inhale followed by a release of the sweet air from her lungs, she answers him. ”Thieves, bandits, pirates. Anyone who has a bounty on their head.” She doesn’t look at him as she speaks, instead keeping her eyes trained on what’s in front of them, scanning over the land. ”What sort of magic can you perform?” She’s curious for her own knowledge but has a nagging desire to find out what her hunting companion is capable of, for both her protection should he turn on her and for strategy when fighting their opponents.

[1500+/1500]

Azix raised a brow at the mention of pirates, "Did you happen to run into Madam Trixie?" He still felt guilty for not trying to find the Pirate Queen after he had seen a report that her fleet had been devastated between a freak blizzard and a rebellion of the Black Crows. He had secured a loose alliance with her, which made him feel obligated to help her, yet he had been extremely busy with everything that had happened. It was a shot in the dark that Ayero had some information, but he had to try.

To answer her question about his magic, Azix decided to give her a little show. Under his breath, Azix muttered a few commands to the Rukh to form his Flicker spell. A ball of light formed before Ayero, swirling with a dizzying array of colors as it spun on an axis. With a teasing grin aimed at Ayero, Azix replied, "Mostly parlor tricks, but this is my best spell. It comes in handy at parties." His intention was to get the Fanalis woman to finally crack a smile or show some reaction other than discomfort. Maybe casting a spell around an edgy Fanalis wasn't the best idea...

[280/300 magoi]

Spoiler:

”Madam Trixie?” The familiar name catches her off guard and her eyes narrow in confusion. What did Diego’s pet tiger have to do with pirates? Turning her face toward Azix she waves the question off. ”I…haven’t seen her in some time.” The sudden thought that this man could have crossed paths with and harmed Diego and his pets enters her mind, fire building rapidly in her eyes at the thought of her friends hurt. Preoccupied with her thoughts, she doesn’t notice the building light near Azix’s staff.

Pointing her blade in the direction of the magician, she begins speak in a low, steady tone. ”And how do you know of Madam Trixie and—“ The sudden appearance of the multicolored ball of light startles her to the point of stumbling back with a flash of fear on her face at the strange luminance before her. Kabu is taken aback by Azix’s sudden spell as well, reflexively opening his mouth and letting out a sharp warning hiss at the magician. After several moments have passed and Ayero realizes that Azix was not attacking her, she exhales slowly and strokes the scales of Kabu’s head in order to help calm the snake and herself down.

”Save that for the beasts.” She spits out, stomping ahead of the dark haired young man while mumbling something about “strange magicians”. Kabu swivels his head from his perch on Ayero’s shoulders so that he could keep watch on Azix with his slitted red eyes.

Ayero's reaction to his flicker spell was amusing, but Azix was too stunned that she knew Madam Trixe. A million questions spun through his mind and during the time it took him to pick the most important one, Ayero had already stomped ahead with Kabu glaring at him from over his master's shoulder. He stood there for a few moments before he recovered from his shock before chasing after Ayero.

"How do you know Madam Trixie? Where is she? Is she alive?" Azix took a deep breath, remembering she had asked him a question. "It was a few months ago. Her crew took me hostage when I was raiding a bandit camp. It's a long story, but I haven't seen her since. I heard she lost most of her fleet."

As they descended lower into the valley, a child's scream pierced the evening air. Across the valley, a young girl ran out of the cave, screaming. An inhuman roar erupted out of the cave behind her. Azix ran as fast as his feet would take him towards the girl, his focus on saving her from whatever was in the cave. A few seconds later a four meter tall beast charged out from within the cave, after the little girl as well. The Ravenous Smasher had four arms with thick muscles around its body.


Before either could reach the young girl, a black creature swooped down from the sky. The Ravenous Manta snatched the little girl by her pig tails in its giant mouth and ascended into the sky. Azix's heart leaped in his chest and in an instant, he pulled his Magic Carpet from around his waist and took off towards the Manta. "Take care of the big guy, will ya!"



Speeding through the air atop his magic carpet, Azix caught up to the manta flying under the creature. The little girl dangled from its mouth, crying at the top of her lungs. Azix angled himself under the creature's mouth and shouted at her. "Don't worry, I have got you!"

The Manta made a grumbling noise and tilted its head to look down. When it saw Azix it flapped its wings to create a Gust. The strong current of wind cut towards the magician, but his Borg redirected the damage. Aiming his staff at the Manta's underbelly, Azix conjured a Large Force Wall, forming a wall of force five meters in length and width. The wall of force impacted against the Manta's soft underbelly, knocking the wind out of the creature which sent the young girl spinning through the air.

Ignoring the Manta as it crashed to the ground, Azix chased after the girl and caught her flailing body. He smiled down at her, "I told you I had you." The young girl looked wide-eyed up at Azix and then down at the ground. She wrapped her arms around Azix and began sobbing in terror. Tears streamed down the girls face and with a racking cry, a snot bubble formed in a nostril. It expanded with each cry before popping all over the front of Azix's body.

His first reaction was to push the young girl off of him, over the side of the magic carpet with a cry. Instead, he steeled himself and resorted to crying out in disgust. "EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"

[260/300 magoi]
[1 Ravenous Manta Remaining, 1 Ravenous Smasher Remaining]
[Borg: C-Tier damage]

Spoiler:

”What the hell are you talking about?” The irritated Fanalis spat in response to his inquiries. His explanation only served to confuse her further and she shook her head at the idea of the great white tiger taking someone hostage and having a fleet of ships. This guy is nuts.

The high pitched scream of a child startles her into action, eyes frantically scanning their surroundings she moves forward quickly, trying to asses from where the child’s cry had come. She’s mildly surprised when Azix passes her as he heads for the source of the noise which soon revealed itself to be a distressed little girl. She raises a brow at the magician but says nothing, instead concentrating on the hulking beast that had chased her from the cave. She grimaces at the sight of the Ravenous Smasher, it’s size and heavily muscled frame reminiscent of the chimera creatures she had fought in the sewers not too long ago.

The sudden appearance of the Ravenous Manta as it swoops down and seizes the girl by her hair causes her to stop in her tracks, head tilted skyward as she gripped her blade tightly in frustration. It would be difficult to take down the beast in the air but before she can come up with a plan, Azix comes into view supported by his flying magic carpet. Nearly forgetting that she wasn’t going at this alone, she simply nods in response to his words despite not liking the idea of taking orders from a Kou dog.

Having no choice but to leave the rescue of the little girl to Azix, Ayero raises her head toward the Ravenous Smasher. ”Aren’t you an ugly thing. Why can’t I fight some decent looking beasts for once?” It’s almost as if the creature had understood that he was being insulted, if the guttural roar followed by the raising of his large arm was any indication. As the beast charges her, Ayero plantes her feet firmly on the ground and bends her knees slightly, prepared to leap out of the way. The great beast brings down two of his fists in a Smashing motion, prompting the young woman to dodge lest she be crushed under its massive fists.

As the smasher moves to drops the remaining two fists onto its attacker, Ayero moves quickly to the side and delivers two slashes with her talwar to the descending arm, using her advantageous position deliver a solid kick to the monster’ shoulder. Roaring in pain and agitation, the Smasher turns around with slow, thunderous steps. Reeling it’s trunk-like arms back, the beast aims a fist for the woman who had caused him pain. Raising her blade in an attempt to block the oncoming fist, Ayero’s had stops mid-way and her head jerks to the sky as Azix's scream rings through the air. Thinking that something had happened to him or the girl, she’s unfortunately distracted from the incoming attack for a few moments too long. The Smashing attack plows into her body with great force, sending the woman back a great deal of meters. Her body lands on the ground several times, bouncing from the power of the attack. ”Uunnn….”

Unaware of Ayero's situation, Azix removed his shirt and flipped it inside out to wipe the snot off himself. He moved the girl so she sat behind him, though she still clung to him, afraid of the how high up they were. Once he was clean, Azix discarded the shirt, no longer wanting it.

Suddenly, a second Ravenous Manta, flew up from under them, knocking the magic carpet on its side. Azix quickly corrected himself, but in doing so, put them on a direct course towards the Manta's barbed tail. The Ravenous Manta flicked its tail, sending it towards Azix's head. Thankfully, his Borg flared up to block the damage.

Whipping the carpet around the Manta, Azix reformed his Large Force Wall and sent it into the Ravenous Manta's back. With a howl, the Manta slowly descended into the countryside, landing with a loud crash that resonated. Marking the locations of both Mantas, Azix turned the Magic Carpet back towards Ayero to drop off the young girl and help the Fanalis.

[250/300 magoi]

Spoiler:

”Nnngggkkktt…..” Grunting through clenched teeth, Ayero clenches her hand into a fist and slowly lifts herself to her knees. Her face was smeared with dirt and mud and her ribs had probably cracked (again), but the Fanalis woman wasn’t out of fighting energy just yet. It takes her a little bit longer to rise to her feet and assume a solid stance, making use of the distance she had been thrown back by the monster. Raising her blade up to so that it parallel with her cheek, Ayero mutters to the snake coiled around her body as the Ravenous Smasher lets out another roar and barrels toward them. ”Hit ‘em, Kabu.”

Rearing his head back, the black snake hurls a jet of liquid venom from his Poison Shot in the direction of the Smasher. The poison strikes the beast in the chest, but the creature’s hand only comes up to brush against its chest where the toxin had made contact, the force of Kabu’s attack not enough to cause even the slightest pause. Waiting until her opponent drew closer, Ayero suddenly launches herself from her stationary position and administers a total of 10 quick jabs to the neck, chest and arm area of the beast using Osoishi. The cuts were shallow, just enough to cause decent openings of large blood vessels in an attempt to cause bleeding and fatigue.

Most of the stab wounds were placed to the front and the side of the monster, but Ayero finished her attack by dealing three of the blow to the back of the neck. Landing directly behind the Smasher in a crouched position, Ayero exhales quickly. With the double whammy of blood loss and poison, she doubted the creature would last much longer or be difficult to take down. As she straightens, the poison begins to affect the monster, causing it to roar in pain and confusion from the strange sensation. Just as she turns her head, Ayero’s vision is met with a massive Smashing fist.

She doesn’t even hear the impact and the sickening crack of her skull as the fist makes contact with the side of her face. Her world flickers to darkness shortly thereafter, her body sailing through the air and landing on the ground in a tangle of limbs. Blood seeps from the side of her face that had been practically crushed. She makes no noise or movement which worries Kabu who had seen his master get thrown around like a ragdoll plenty of times and pull herself up afterwards. The snake shakes off the force of the impact and nudges the side of Ayero’s intact face with his head, hissing obnoxiously in her hear in an attempt to rouse her into telling him to knock it off. Seeing Azix approach, the snake hisses loudly at him in desperation for help.

[Stamina: 120/160]

Spoiler:

As Azix approached closer to Ayero's position, he witnessed her take a giant fist to the face. He spurred his carpet faster and found her limp body in a tangle. The young girl squeezed onto Azix tighter at being so close to the monster, but his focus was on Ayero. He had assumed the Ravenous Smasher would be no match for Ayero's Fanalis strength, but the blow had been a strong one.

Leaping off the carpet, Azix ran to her side, mistaking Kabu's hisses as threatening, but ignoring them all the same. He clutched the golden cross-shaped pendant in his hand and poured magoi into it, guiding the magic of the God's Necklace into Ayero's lifeless body. A brilliant light surrounded her body as the holy magic healed her wounds and revived her from the brink of death. When the light faded and he heard her breath, Azix turned to the Smasher with a glare. He pulled the girl off of him and gave her a gentle push towards the Fanalis woman.

Dropping his staff on the ground, Azix raised his hands towards the Smasher and they stretched five meters forward, growing extra joints along both arms. He pulled both hands back to his side and then sent them forward at an arc on either side of the beast. "SWIGGITY SWOOTY!" Azix shouted as his arms twisted forward in an inhuman manner delivering a smack to the Smasher's left-knee and another to the side of its face. The Smasher dropped to the ground with a thud, knocked unconscious from the blow to its head.

His arms retracted and he looked down in amazement at his arms. How had he managed to pull that off? He raised a disbelieving eye towards Ayero, "Are you ok?"

[190/300 magoi]

Spoiler:

The first thing Ayero hears is Kabu’s distant hissing. The worried noises immediately stoked some part of Ayero’s mind indicating that something was wrong, as Kabu rarely showed concern for her unless the situation was dire. Her eyes slowly fluttered open, her vision fuzzy as she rolls her eyes from side to side while trying to remember what happened. Trilling with great relief, Kabu nuzzles his face under Ayero’s chin before sliding behind her head, supporting it with his body. The blurry world slowly begins to become clearer in time for Ayero to hear Azix deliver the final blow to the beast. Sighing lightly, she turns her head slightly to the little girl near her, surprised to see her unharmed, if a bit shaken from the ordeal.

Grandually finding the strength to move, she’s able to push herself into a sitting position by the time Azix approaches her. ”I should be dead.” She looks up at him, focusing into his eyes. ”But you…you did something to save me, didn’t you?” Her voice is soft as she pants lightly, her lungs not yet working at full capacity. ”And her, you saved her too…” She moves her head in the direction of the young girl. Closing her eyes for a moment, the Fanalis concentrates on steadying her breathing, replaying the events of scuffle in her head. ”Thank you.” She says, softly but with clarity in her voice before opening her eyes once more to look at him. ”I do not like what your country is doing, but I do not dislike you. You are a good man, Azix.”

Glad to see she was ok, he nodded in response. His eyes unfocused for a moment, a distant memory floating to the surface. A time when he had let himself go during a mission, the assassination of Manius Maximus. Something inside had been twisted, something connected to the feelings he used to get when he used his shadow magic. "No, I am still paying off sins."

He shook the memories from his mind and his face relaxed into a smile. "Anyway, I am sure you would do the same for me. So, now we need to load these bad boys up and take them back to the Capital. Can you walk or do you want to use the Magic Carpet to get back?"

Azix squatted down by the young girl and looked in her eyes, "Don't go in anymore caves, alright?" Her head bobbed up and down before she took off towards home. With a sigh, Azix turned back to Ayero and offered her a hand up.

Vaguely noting Azix’s far off look for a moment she sighs, grunting as she slowly stands on shaky feet. ”It still doesn’t detract from the fact that you’ve done a good deed.” She wipes some of the mud from her face with the back of her hand, choosing not to press Azix for details. Whatever he had been thinking about had a profound effect on the man and she respected his privacy.

”I’ll be fine. I’m already feeling much better, just a bit achy.” She grunts with an approving nod toward Azix. Grabbing the arm of the felled Ravenous Smasher, she drags it’s body along the grassy ground back toward from whence they came.

[Exit]

When they returned to Timiteo's stable with Ayero carrying the Smasher, the man's jaw dropped. Azix smiled, "We need to go back to get the other two, but job is done." The workers went to quick work, helping Ayero load the beast onto one of the wagons, using a third of the chains to tie it down. Afterwards, they took off to reclaim both of the Mantas, loading them up in the other wagons with the rest of the chains. Once everyone was secured, the group headed to Remano to drop them off with the El Nagi clan representatives who would take them the rest of the way.

Azix hoped the donations were enough to earn the magician some favor with Roark, but that would have to be seen. From the look of the Smasher, the beast would have so much utility if it could be dominated. The Mantas would be especially useful for travel and hauling goods. Once the transfer was complete, Azix and Timiteo shook hands, the deal complete. Timiteo would now train the workers to work around the stables, learning every position. He promised to give his recommendation for the most talented and to drive them to and from the capital, starting in two days time.

Splitting ways from Timiteo and from Ayero, Azix wished them both a good night and walked the workers home. They stopped along the way for Azix to get them their pay and informed them to do their best. After they were safely home, Azix left for his own abode to sleep off the long day.

-exit-