Bliss ブリッス

Chapter 3: Arrival

She took slow steps down the wooden steps to the ground. She looks back and waves the old woman goodbye. She then makes her way north-west down the crooked mountain path into the place that many refer to now as the "City of Hope."

After going through a journey of quicksand, thorny bushes and overgrown trees, she stumbles upon the great silvery gate of Graham. As she walks through the gates, all the towering guards greeted her.

Anaya's eyes widened with amazement. It was a thrilling sight to see the bustling city. The city painted in a rainbow of colors, the laughter of human and elven children merging together into a lovely chorus. Suddenly she caught the scent of her favorite food. Hot steaming pancake with melted butter dressed with flowing cherry syrup. Anaya walks towards the stall, the seller told her that all of the firewood for cooking had all been burnt up.

She could not get a hold of herself and burst.

"Noooo!! "cried Anaya as she fires her arrows in a foolish rampage.

Everyone around her ran to safety. Suddenly out of the dust-covered chaos, a flintlock pistol came spinning like a boomerang. It hit Artemis (Anaya's bow) and sent it flying towards a wall. Then a wild-looking girl leaped towards the sky and shot all of the arrows down. She landed infront of Anaya with a crash that shooked the brick paved road.

"Hey stop acting like a brat elf!' shouted the wild girl as she points at Anaya with a pair of flintlock pistols.

"Ya know you're taking my place? I'm supposed to be the wild one around here." joked the girl.

Anaya realizing what she had done let out a huge cry of humiliation. She apologized to everyone.

"I'm sor-"

"Nah sokay!" as she made a huge back aching PAT.

Anaya dropped to the ground and rubbed her back like it was on fire. Both the girls and volunteers helped clean up the mess. Unusually to Anaya, seeing people help each other is quite a surprise. Back in Ishtar everyone was independent and kept to themselves.

As Anaya was sweeping up the mess, she felt a nerve-racking PAT on her back.

"By the way d'name's Misaki Haruda of Trean." exclaimed the wild girl.

"Ana....ya Moo...n...light"

''What's going on with ya! Woman up you lame ass!" Misaki was even primitive Anaya though she would be.

"This girl is younger than me!" Anaya's eyes widened with realization.

Anaya told Misaki to help her get up. She then asked her on what business she had in Graham. Misaki said that she was bored fighting hordes of thugs back in the arena at Trean. So when the call of the resistance was heard, she came down the mountains just today and headed for the city to pledge herself to the cause. Both of the girls smiled at each other and made their way to the Royal Barracks.

As both of the girls were walking, a scenery captured the violet eyes of the elven girl. It was a splendorous building painted in pearly white and with majestic domes that were elaborated with precious stones.

"That's d'palace," whispered Misaki. "Come let's get moving. We don't want the guards to keep staring at us." she insisted her.

Anaya didn't listen to her. Her eyes were glued to the shining gems and her face filled with awe for she had never seen such beauty upon becoming a ranger.

Misaki was tired of persuading her, so she grabbed Anaya's hand and dragged her across the road.

Finally, the girls reached the Royal Barracks. The barracks was a five-story building. There the sounds of new bloods doing a battlecry and the clanging of steel weapons echo through the twilight colored fields.

Hanging and swaying in the air are the golden flags of salvation. The symbol of the resistance's might.

The doors of the barracks were opened to to them by the keepers. Their eyes glimmered in the sight of the mosaic just right above them, It tells them the strife between the resistance and the crusade.

Suddenly a bald bearded man wearing a knight's armor and a blue cape greeted them.

"Welcome. I see you have come to present your aid."

"Yes we have." replied Anaya

"Great them let's see what both of you can do. Follow me please." smiled the man.

The girls are taken to the dusk painted fields. Both were greeted with the sight of mighty soldiers. Out of the blue, the man unsheathed his rapier pointing it at Misaki.

"Shoot!" he commanded the rangers with a stern tone.

Arrows came flying towards Misaki. She jumped up and took out her two flintlock pistols and began shooting.

"Huh, only six shots versus a hundred arrows? This girl won't ever make it." murmered a soldier.

Suddenly she discarded the two pistols instead of reloading them and opens a case which she carries everywhere. It contained countless of pistols. The soldiers were astonished.. She throws some of the pistols up and began kicking them. It produced a rain of counter bullets. Finally when they were all out of ammunition, Misaki kicked them and they all went flying like projectiles splitting all the remaining arrows in two.

The soldiers howled with amazement.

"Flick Chick! Flick Chick! Flick Chick!" their cheers echo through the training fields.

"Hmph! Anymore?" as she twirls her pistol and straps it back to a pouch on her thigh.

Everyone smiled bashfully and kept their weapons perfectly sheathed.