Voxto fanfic - Combined Strength

► Treasure Hunt ◄

After three days, it was time for Vox and Shoto to go on their adventure. They decided to depart early in the morning, when the sun has not yet risen. This way, they hoped that no one would see them, in case they got watched. Even the residents in the baileys didn't get told anything. They were now standing at the castle wall entrance with Ike and were about to depart. The others already said their goodbyes the evening before.

'Please be careful on your way there and make sure to stay warm' Ike persisted. 'Don't worry. It's still not that cold at night and I'm a light sleeper. So I will notice immediately if something is wrong and we will be on guard the whole time.' Shoto assured. 'Alright. I trust you' Ike confided. 'If it gets cold, we can always make use of our body heat, you know?' Vox offered. 'I don't think that will be necessary. It's not that cold at night, yet' Ike replied. Then he saw how red Shoto's face has gotten all of a sudden. 'Shoto? Are you alright? Your face is red. You don't have a fever, do you?' 'N-No. I'm fine. I-It's nothing. Let's go Vox. Bye Ike' Shoto stuttered. He wanted to hide his face as fast as possible, so he went on ahead. Vox then turned to follow him while chuckling, 'Bye Ike. We will try to not take too long' He promised. 'Goodbye, you two' Ike waved.

After about ten minutes of walking and a few yawns later, they arrived at the forest where they first met. 'It's been a week, since we first met here and it already feels like an eternity. So many things happened since meeting you. And I mean good things' Vox stated. 'Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm glad I got to know you guys' Shoto replied. 'Aw, me too' Vox said emotionally. Shoto blushed slightly. They continued talking while entering the forest. Their destination led them through the part of the forest where it was still untouched. It was so overgrown that Vox had to cut the plants with his sword.

After a few hours of walking, they arrived at a clearing and decided to take a break and eat something. They didn't have time for breakfast, since they had to leave very early. The sun was now filling the forest with its warmth and the birds were singing their praises. It was a very peaceful moment which the two men appreciated. 'It feels so nice to take a breather like this after all this work. It feels like all my efforts were for this very moment' Vox smiled. 'You are right. It feels so relaxing and comforting. But Vox, it's not just this moment. There will come many more on this journey. I can feel it' Shoto claimed. 'Oh? That sounds like you planned something. Is there something I should look forward to except going on this adventure with you?' Vox smirked. 'Eh? N-No, that's not what I meant. I-I-' Shoto stuttered. 'Haha, you are too easy to tease, my boy' Vox laughed. 'Vox...' Shoto whined. 'But, I'm really looking forward to our journey together' Vox stated. 'Me too' Shoto mumbled. 'What was that?' Vox pretended that he didn't hear him and tilted his head near the purplettes face.
'N-Nothing. Let's keep going.' Shoto stood up and swirled towards their destination. Vox could see a red flush on his cheeks and got up while chuckling. Then he followed after him.

Two hours passed by as they walked further, while talking about their next plans for the castle and guild. They came to a stop in front of a river that blocked their way. 'What now?' Shoto asked. 'Well, we can't possibly swim over. We will just get sick, considering how chilly it's gotten. And we don't know the strength of the current. Maybe there is another way' Vox pondered. 'Wait, I think I can see some boulders over there' Shoto noticed. A few hundred meters (Authors Note: I decided to use the metric system, since I grew up with that. I hope you are alright with that.)  to the west lay boulders in the river. They seemed very steady and were forming a path towards the other side. The gaps between each boulder wasn't too big, but they still had to jump a good amount.

'Ok. Let's use that path, but be careful. We don't know how slippery the surface is' Vox stated. Shoto nodded and walked towards the boulders. He then jumped on the first boulder. Vox followed right after him. The next few boulders were easy to overcome. But they were now standing in front of a gap that was around 6 meters wide. So Shoto started to take a run up. When he was about to jump, he suddenly lost his footing and was about to fall. But fortunately, Vox caught him just in time. He held him by the waist in a tight hug  with Shoto's back pressed against him. 'Phew, that really scared me for a second. Are you alright, Shoto?' Vox worried. Shoto was still a little shocked as he had to gather his thoughts, 'I-I. Yeah. Thanks Vox. You can let go now' 'Ok. But be careful on that next jump' Vox let go and took a step back so that Shoto had enough space for the jump. As the warmth left Shoto's back, he felt a little sting in his heart, but decided to ignore it. Then he jumped again. This time with no complications. Vox also jumped over with ease. After two more boulders, they finally made it to the other side.