Awakened

Aftermath

After a couple of days of traveling, the trio eventually returned to the City of Wale to cash in their loot. The trip back was a lot easier than the trip to the dungeon, especially since they now knew the distance and area a bit better. As they were walking, Koa winced and brought his hand up to his stomach, rubbing it slightly as if it was suddenly causing him some sort of discomfort. "You good?" Apollyon asked, turning his head to Koa with a frown who answered with a small nod.

"I'm fine. That Razor was just really strong... His punch was a lot harder than your average fighter." Koa murmured, bringing his hand down to his side again and letting out a small sigh, "I'll be okay, just need to rest a little bit." He added on. Apollyon nodded to the words that Koa had said. The dungeon itself had been draining and the sudden attack by Masa right afterward wasn't helping that, he knew that resting would be a wise idea, especially if Koa appeared to be hurt. "We'll rest, alright? Once we cash in all this cash then we'll go get something to eat, food will make you feel better, yeah?" Apollyon smirked.

The blindfolded samurai smiled only slightly at what Apollyon had said. Koa never seemed to ever truly smile when he had a rare moment of showing emotion, When he did smile Apollyon always got the vibe as if it wasn't genuine, like he was hiding his true emotions underneath his facial expressions. "Yes... Rest and food would help." Koa murmured quietly, bringing his hand up to his stomach once more. Violet was walking in the middle of the pair, She had been rather shaken up by the attack by Masa, she had become scared that she was going to get taken away. She brought her hands up to her chest, looking down to the floor.

"You going to be alright, Violet?" Koa asked, looking down at the little girl who was walking between him and Apollyon. Violet blinked, glancing at Koa before looking back to the floor once more. She took a moment before she responded with a small nod. Despite her answer, she didn't seem okay. "She's probably a bit shaken, Having someone like that show up all of a sudden, wanting to take her back to that prison she was trapped in would definitely scare her." Apollyon spoke up after a moment, "Let's just give her some time and support, she'll be alright." He added on, to which Koa nodded in response before the trio continued in the direction of the Adventurers guild.

Not too long after, the trio had cashed in their quest and received a hefty reward for their troubles. It wasn't hundreds of thousands of coins, but it was enough for them to get some food and better equipment, and still have a good bit left over. "Finally!" Apollyon spoke up, looking at the coin bag that they had received, carrying it under his arm, "Now we can go off and get ourselves some food!" He laughed. Koa nodded in response to what Apollyon had just said, "Yeah, food would be nice." He nodded. The pair then looked to Violet, whose stomach was beginning to rumble from hunger. "Looks like we know her answer," Apollyon smirked before he nodded to them both. "Food time!" He grinned, beginning to walk towards a nearby café.

While they were walking, Violet looked at both Apollyon and Koa, a small smile appearing on her face as she watched them both. Even though she had come out of a scary situation, something told her that being with Apollyon and Koa was going to be good for her... They both seemed to really care about her, even to the point of putting their lives on the line to keep her safe. That thought made her smile, keeping that gentle smile until they had made it to the café.

-

Masa arrived at the Razor camp, looking up at the entrance with clenched fists. The events at the dungeon had pissed him off but... Also made him incredibly confused. Who was that guy? Why did he give off such an intimidating aura? What... What was that? Those were only some of the questions that were running through the Razor's mind at that time. He had seen many different things and people during his time as a Razor, but what he saw at the dungeon was something on a completely different level from anything that he had experienced before.

After a few moments of thinking, Masa entered the camp and made his way to where Hendrick Kane's tent was. He had been told to return to this camp after capturing Violet, he was coming back to report the failure of his mission as well as what he had discovered. "Boss, it's Masa. Can I come in?" Masa asked after reaching the tent of Hendrick. "Enter!" Masa heard his boss' deep voice shout back, giving him permission to enter the tent.

Within the tent, Hendrick was standing around a map with a bunch of other Razors around him, and from the looks of things they were all talking about strategy and which villages to invade next. "Hello, Masa," Hendrick spoke up, standing upright. "I'm hoping to expect good news from you." He explained in his deep, grave voice. Masa flinched at these words, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his neck, "Well about that..." He murmured.

Hendrick frowned before looking to the other Razors who were in the room at that moment, "Leave us." He ordered, to which the Razors all nodded before they all left the tent. Hendrick then turned around and glared at Masa, an expecting look on his rough face as if he was waiting for an explanation. The black-haired Masa let out a small sigh before he spoke, "I... failed in capturing the girl." Masa murmured, looking down to the floor with clenched fists.

...

Suddenly, Hendrick slammed his fist onto the table in a fit of rage, glaring back down to the map. "Masa! This is not good enough! You know very well that the church wants that girl!" He growled, his fist clenched tightly before he turned back around and glared at Masa, "You failed?! I thought you were meant to be one of my best, Masa! How did you fail in capturing a little girl!?" He growled. Masa flinched, stepping back and gritting his teeth, "She wasn't alone, Sir! There were two guys with her, both of them were adventurers as well!" Masa responded shakily, obviously nervous about how angry Hendrick was.

"Two guys? Who were they? What did they look like?" Hendrick spoke angrily, his eyes right on Masa, digging a hole right through him. Masa looked around quietly before he spoke once more, "I don't know who they were... One of them was a swordsman, he wore a long white coat, had grey hair, a katana, and wore a blindfold over his eyes." Masa explained, looking at his boss. Hendrick raised an eyebrow, "A blindfold? What was his fighting style like?" The leader of the Razor's responded. "Was it like lighting?"

Masa frowned in response before taking a minute to think and nodding, "Y-Yes, Sir! Why?" He asked quietly. Hendrick grumbled quietly before turning around again to look at the map, "Who would think that girl is now with him... Koa Aiken, the hunter. He has been a pain in our ass for as long as I can remember, even when he was a kid." He grumbled. Hendrick then turned his attention back to Masa, "What about the other man? You said there were two guys, right?" He added on.

"That other man... He was like nothing I had ever seen, he had purple hair and blaze-orange eyes, both eyes having weird symbols in them. His magical aura... It was like nothing I have ever seen before, I have come into contact with a lot of different creatures but he wasn't like any of them." Masa explained, looking down almost in nervousness from the memories from when he attacked the trio. "His aura was almost... Monstrous." He added on. Hendrick Kane frowned before looking up and down his map again.

"From the looks of things, this girl is now under the protection of two formidable opponents. This could be a problem to our plans." Hendrick grumbled, scratching his beard as he looked at his map. "Masa, if what you say is true, then we have to report this to her." He added on, a shiver being heard in his voice at those words, almost as if... He was afraid.

"Her? Who are you talking about?" Masa asked, frowning quietly. Hendrick stood upright and turned to Masa, "Get your horse ready, we travel to the capital this instant." He explained, beginning to head out of the tent. Masa had a look of confusion on his face, "W-Why?" He murmured in confusion.

"We're going to need to report this... To the woman who is at the head of The Eternal Church." Hendrick Kane explained before he walked out of the tent.

-

"So, what quest do you think we should do next?" Apollyon asked Koa, sitting at an outside table of the café that the trio had found, slurping on a tall glass of apple juice. He genuinely wanted something with a bit more alcohol in it, but Koa had suggested they not risk getting themselves drunk or hungover if they were going to go on another quest soon. Sitting in between Koa and Apollyon, Violet was enjoying a strawberry milkshake that Apollyon had bought for her. She was really enjoying it. The two adults in the trio had discovered she was rather fond of sweet foods.

"Well, we'll need to look for another quest that we'll be able to get a hefty reward for, especially if we plan to upgrade our gear and such." Koa Aiken explained, slurping on a coffee he had purchased for himself. "There was one that I picked off the quest board that I think will do us nicely," Koa explained as he slowly pulled out a quest page from his satchel, setting it down on the table in front of Apollyon. The purple-haired man tilted his head, "Well let me see." He murmured.

When Koa unfolded the quest board, both he and Apollyon read the description of the quest:

A demon was spotted within the City of Mosvil, kill it and return with its essence to receive a well-deserved reward.

"Mosvil? Isn't that a good way away?" Apollyon asked Koa curiously, tilting his head curiously to the swordsman. Koa nodded in response to Apollyon, looking down at the quest sheet once more, "Yes, if we wish to partake in this quest, it's going to mean we will need to require a horse and carriage. We will need it to bring food and equipment for the journey." Koa explained to Apollyon, rolling up the quest sheet, "Any idea of where we can get one?"

Apollyon tilted his head in thought, looking to the sky as he continued to slurp at his apple juice, pulling away from his beverage and wiping his mouth once he was finished. "Perhaps... We could purchase one from Mr Wakefield?" He suggested. The blindfolded samurai raised an eyebrow before nodding, "That could be wise. He seems to be a trustworthy ally to you, yes? Perhaps he could lend us his horse and carriage, especially since he has his shop and everything all setup." Koa spoke up, to which Apollyon nodded in response.

"Let's go talk to him, the sooner we can get this sorted, the sooner we can go out on this quest," Apollyon explained, standing up and nodding to Koa. While the two men were discussing this topic, Violet had just been sitting quietly with her milkshake. Eventually, she finished up her dessert drink and ended up letting out a little burp, causing her to go completely red in the face and cover her mouth. Apollyon smirked, gently setting a hand on her head before he looked to Koa once more, "Let's go." He smiled.

Not before long, the trio were now standing outside the front gates of the City of Wale, standing near their new carriage. Mr. Wakefield was standing there with a big grin on his face as normal, rolling his finger through his mustache as Apollyon handed him some of the money that the trio had earned from their first quest together. "Thank you, Mr Wakefield. This carriage will help us to be able to on a lot more quests now, especially ones that require us to travel a long distance." Apollyon explained with a smile, crossing his arms.

"Of course, Mr Zalvedir. Anything for my favorite customer and his companions." Mr Wakefield laughed, looking to Apollyon and then to Violet and Koa, who were both working together to pack the carriage with the supplies that they had on them at that time, as well as some supplies they had purchased for their journey. Apollyon nodded in understanding before he looked over to Violet once more, letting out a small sigh. "A Razor tried to take her away a couple of days ago, Koa and I were able to fend him off though." He murmured suddenly.

The short, stumpy Mr. Wakefield frowned, looking over to Violet before looking back to Apollyon, "Is that so? That must have been a scary experience." He murmured quietly. Apollyon nodded in response, "Yeah, it was. The Razor was strong... I was worried she was actually going to get captured." He explained, watching Violet quietly. "Don't think like that, Mr Zalvedir. Young Violet is in capable hands, nothing is going to happen to her while the two of you are watching over her." Mr Wakefield explained, "She's going to be fine."

Apollyon nodded and frowned, "Yeah, sorry I just can't help but think about what happened to her in that Razor camp. I don't want anything bad to happen to her, I just want her to be safe and healthy until I can get her back to her family... Wherever they are." He explained. Mr. Wakefield shook his head, "No need to apologize. Now, you three should get going if you want to complete this quest before some other adventurers complete it first." He chuckled, to which Apollyon nodded in response.

And with that, the trio got the carriage ready and began to ride out of the city, waving to Mr. Wakefield as they began their new adventure. Apollyon was sitting at the front, handling the horses and Violet was sitting beside him. After a moment, he brought his hand up to Violet's head and gently set it there. "Hey," Apollyon began, "I know that experience with the Razor's scared you. But I promise you that while my heart is still beating, I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever. I vow my life on it." He explained in a serious tone, a tone that Apollyon never usually used.

Violet looked up at Apollyon, her eyes sparkling before she looked down, a small smile on her face. She was happy, she was happy that Apollyon found her and saved her... Something just told her that being saved by Apollyon of all people was the best thing that could have ever happened to her.

-

After spending a few days traveling, Masa and Hendrick were now in the middle of the City of Akranes, the capital city within the realm of Akranes. This was the biggest city within the realm, it was also the city where the monarchy and government resided, making decisions that affected the entire realm. As well as this, the City of Akranes was also home to the main chapel that The Eternal Church resided in, the religion apparently beginning within the city and branching out across the entire realm in a short period.

"Masa, don't fuck this up. The head of The Eternal Church, she is a very dangerous woman. I can't describe it, but she is powerful- No, beyond powerful." Hendrick explained, looking over his shoulder at Masa who was standing right behind him. "You don't speak unless spoken to, don't make a fool of yourself, and don't fuck anything up. Understand?" He asked Masa, glaring at him. The black-haired Masa blinked before nodding and looking down. "Yes, Sir." He murmured.

Suddenly, the doors to the chapel opened, allowing both Razor's inside. The inside of the chapel could only be seen as divine, there were beautiful pieces of art of different gods from different religions and mythology lining the halls. The floor was made of white tiles, and some torches lit up the halls with flames that glowed with a golden aura. Eventually, the two Razors made their way through the chapel and made it to the main room which was even more elegant.

The tiles were a mix of white and gold, and a golden pattern of The Eternal Church's symbol could be seen on the floor. There were white, marble pillars extending to the roof in a circular shape. Standing by each pillar was a member of the Eternal church, each one of them wearing a white robe that covered their entire body, with an owl-like eye mask that covered the top half of their face, concealing their identity. Hanging from the roof was a massive, beautiful, golden chandelier that lit up the room.

Then right in front of the two Razors, was a set of stairs that led to an elevated bit of ground. In the middle of that bit of ground was what looked like a throne, and standing beside it was a figure wearing a dark set of armor, that contrasted the outfits of the other people in the room. Their armor covered them head to two to the point that neither their gender nor sex could be seen. What was odd though was that they didn't appear to have any weapon on them at that moment.

However, that wasn't what Hendrick nor Masa was focused on... What they were focused on was the woman sitting on the throne next to the armored figure. She wore a suit-like outfit, with a black shirt, white blazer, trousers and shoes. She had a beautiful figure, one that most women would die for, with perfect curves and such. She had long, white hair that was like snow. She wore a mask on her face that covered the entirety of her face, golden dots appearing in the eyeholes of the mask which showed where she was looking.

"Kneel," Hendrick spoke suddenly, looking to Masa who did as he commanded. Something told Masa that this woman, this person who led the entirety of The Eternal Church, was not someone who he should be messing with. Hendrick then took in a deep breath before bowing in respect to the woman, "Hello, High Priestess. I am here to make a report to you." Hendrick explained shakily... Was he scared?

Silence...

There was no response until the woman let out an amused noise, crossing one leg over the other and leaning her head on her hand. "Hello, Hendrick." The High Priestess spoke in a gentle, elegant voice. "What is it you'd like to report to me?" She asked in a soft tone.