Wait! I'm not a Demigod, I'm a Gamer!

Chapter 25: Thief

It has been a week since Orion's Pax formed, Yuuya was bombarded by several requests to join their party ever since Gunter announced their promotion. Yuuya would sweatdrop and smile nervously at all the offers, feeling overwhelmed. Thankfully, Sam and Damian had his back by pretending to be extremely picky and unreasonable, well more on Damian while Sam politely declined, saying their group was closely bonded and needed time to adjust. Although both men would glare daggers dangerously at anyone who tried to get close to the disguised beast-man, making them pale in fear and back away from the ignorant man. The group spent the week trying to find more work, however, they kept being interrupted by other parties, specifically B and A rank kinds. Some acknowledged the group with respect, some found them to be suspicious, some felt extreme hate and jealousy over how fast it took them to climb the ranks, and there even those that thoroughly enjoyed their presence. One as such was about to make their entrance. "Hey Yuuya!" The disguised beast-man flips his head to the side at hearing his name, spotting a flashy man in even flashier armor, resembling the very sun itself. The man in question was waving his arms very enthusiastically in golden armor with a red cape on his back and a long sword on his hip, his smile blinding the entire room, making Yuuya shield his eyes. "Yuuya!" The golden man speed walks straight to the disguised beast-man and pulls him into a bone-crushing hug, making him choke in surprise while Damian and Sam gawk at the display, murder crossing their minds. "Oh Yuuya! It's so great to see you! You have no idea how much I missed you, my party has been nothing but cruel and mean to me." Yuuya chuckles nervously at the man's fake sobbing tone while trying to escape the man's grasp. "N-nice to see you-oof! Too, Callian." The man, Callian, looks at the man in his arms, his vibrant blue eyes that resemble the sky gleaming in delight as his short golden-like blonde hair sway as he swings Yuuya around happily. "Oh how I wish my party was like you! They just ignore everything I say and leave me behind." Said party was standing off to the side, their faces unimpressed and bored. A black haired woman in leather armor with a red spear with a snake imprint climbing up the top right before the blade sighs in annoyance, "Captain, you make the most ridiculous plans. Of course we wouldn't listen to you." Yuuya yelps as Callian whips around, still holding onto him as he yells out in a whiny tone, "You're so mean! My plan was perfect! Why couldn't you guys have gotten the explosives...." Yuuya pales at hearing the word explosives. A man in a gray hooded robe holding a green wooden bow speaks up, "Explosives wouldn't have worked sir. Giant lizards are immune to fire, that would've put us in danger instead." Callian stutters before answering back, "W-w-well! It would have at least brought down the mountain on them!" A man bigger than the rest wearing a tight black shirt and tight brown pants, his skin decorated in scars while a couple of battle axes are strapped to his back, says in a deep voice, "And us with it too, Captain." A cyan haired woman in a purple robe wearing a big dark blue wizard hat and holding a silver staff with a crystal ball at the top nods her head and says in a quiet voice, "Agreed. This is why we don't go with your plans, they are too reckless." Callian gasps in shock and kneels to the ground with his hands planted, finally releasing the disguised beast-man in the process. "You are all so cruel..." Yuuya smiles awkwardly while Damian crosses his arms and Sam sighs, finding the man to be...a little much. Yuuya thinks back to how they met this eccentric group.
After Gunter has announced Yuuya's party's promotion, many adventurers congratulated them, patting them on their backs while laughing. Yuuya chuckles shyly while Damian boasts out his chest with a smirk on his face and Sam smiles awkwardly. "Hey!" A loud voice booms out, silencing all the commotion. Everyone parts way, revealing a group of five in matching black clothing. A man walks a head of the group until he's right in front of the disguised beast-man. The smell of rotten eggs and mold fills Yuuya's nostrils, making him grimace in slight disgust. "Oh man something stinks! Wait...Is that...my skill?" Yuuya takes a quick to sniff the area before confirming his suspicions. The smell is coming off the glaring man in front of him, making Yuuya narrow his eyes warily. The man has long, dark, gross green hair with rusty brown eyes that just scream malice. He leans down into Yuuya's face, a smirk growing on his face as if the glare never existed. "So, you're the new B-rank party huh?" He eyes the disguised beast-man up and down mockingly, missing the looks of daggers coming from Damian and Sam. The atmosphere growing uneasy the longer the men stare at each other. The man leans back and places his hand on his chest in a smug fashion, "Well, you're not that impressive. I'm Clayton, captain of the Shattered Force. You should learn from a veteran party like us. It's only right for you newbies who use such cheap tricks to get up the ranks. Don't worry-" He leans back down and hooks onto Yuuya's pendant, making Sam and Damian flinch, ready to tackle the man should he make the wrong move. Yuuya holds his stare and doesn't move. The man smiles darkly, "My party and I will take care of you." The group behind him chuckle mockingly, bringing up flashbacks to the disguised beast-man. Times when he was Sakura, bullied by that group of girls in high school, tormented nonstop. How powerless he felt. "No, not this time." He grabs the man's wrist, hard. Clayton grunts in surprise, slowly kneeling down to the ground the more Yuuya twists his arm. The man yells out in pain the more pressure the disguised beast-man applies. He looks up intending to yell but shuts his lips the moment he sees the look on Yuuya's face. His eyes glowing dangerously as he glares, no sign of the once gentle and smiling man, making him pale in fear. Clayton's party makes a move to intervene, but steps back when Yuuya flicks his eyes in their direction and twists Clayton's arm more to draw another cry of pain, making his intentions clear. Yuuya looks back at the man and tightens his hold, anger flooding the tense room that makes everyone stand on edge. "No thank you. My party and I don't need your help, we will never go to a group that intends to take advantage of us." He twists more, the man's arm almost all the way around, Clayton cries out again and shakes as his fear increases as Yuuya brings his face closer to him, his eyes still glowing as he threatens under his breath so no one but the two of them could hear, "If you or your group ever comes near me or my friends again...I'll twist your limbs all the way and leave you in a pretzel state, so that you can never go on any quests ever again. Do you understand?" Clayton nods his head vigorously, stuttering out his answer, "Y-y-yes! I-I-I under-der-stand!" Yuuya stares for a couple of seconds longer before releasing his hold on the man. Clayton slumps in defeat, wondering if his arm is still attached. His party rushes to his side, already chanting a healing spell on the man. One man with dark orange hair stands up and faces the disguised beast-man, rage overcoming his fear, "What the hell did you do!? Don't you know who we are?" Yuuya stares at him in disinterest, grabbing a nearby cup subtly and swirls the liquid inside, "Someone who doesn't seem to know who they are facing right now." The man starts to chant a fire spell, intending to burn Yuuya. Clayton shouts out, "Wa-wait! Don't-" Yuuya waits patiently for the chant to end, fire erupting under his feet. Everyone gasps in shock and takes a step back, not wanting to get caught in the blast. "Yuuya!" Sam and Damian yell out at the same time. The flames continue for a couple seconds before they sizzle down to nothing, revealing Yuuya to be encased in ice. The orange haired man steps back in shock, not believing anyone could block his spell. Damian looks at Sam, silently asking him if this was his doing. Sam flicks his eyes at him, discreetly telling him no, making the both of them nervous. "Water isn't on his list...This will not end well." Yuuya opens his eyes, making the ice crack suddenly before shattering completely. Many people whisper in surprise, wondering how the man accomplished such a feat. Yuuya flicks off the small pieces of ice that fell on him, still showing the man in front no interest. He looks back at him, loudly yelling out, "Thanks Sam! I'm good." Many more whispers fill the room. "Sam did that?" "I didn't hear him chant." "He didn't even move his hands." Sam sweats nervously, hoping no one will see through his friend's lie. Yuuya steps up to the orange hair man, his cup mysteriously empty. "If I were you...I would talk to your captain." He holds the cup carefully as he gets right up into the man's face, his eyes still glowing. "And ask him what I just told him." Yuuya slams the cup into the man's head, taking him by surprise and breaking the wooden cup in the process. He falls over and holds his hand to his head, feeling a small stream of blood flowing down his forehead. He jumps when Yuuya moves closer to him, his face growing pale as he tries to scramble backwards into the rest of his party. They shake in fear as Yuuya looks down at them, his eyes glowing more as he glares at them, cracking his knuckles in an intimidating fashion. "I'll say this once again: Don't ever come near my pack and I again. You do-" He swings his arm to the side, using his wind magic to make slash marks into the wall. Everyone gawks at the damage while the Shattered Force party grows more pale, imagining them to be the wall. Yuuya continues to glare at the group, "And I will not go easy on you again. Got it?" They nod their heads before scrambling away from the scene, never looking back. Yuuya glares at their retreating forms until a gentle hand grabs his. "Yuuya." Said man looks over and sees Sam holding his hand while Damian moves to face Yuuya, both wearing worried looks. "You alright?" Questions the golden-eyed man. Yuuya blinks for a second, reining in his rage, and smiles at the pair warmly. "I'm good. I just don't like bullies." Damian and Sam nod, remembering what Yuuya said to them in the past. Loud clapping is heard, gaining their attention. "I'll say! Never thought I'd see the day that rotten Clayton and his gang get put in their place. More people should be like you, not afraid to stand up for yourself and for others." Yuuya looks over and sees a man in gold armor with shiny blonde hair, his eyes squint, slightly blinded by the man's outfit. "Is he trying to become the sun? He's way too bright, I could probably see him from space!" The bright man walks up to the group, bringing along the smell of sweet, crispy apples dipped in caramel. Yuuya's eyes widen at the sweet smell, not expecting his skill to activate so quickly. "Huh, guess he's a good guy..." The man steps right to him, a smile never leaving his face. "My name is Callian! Captain of the Solarclouds, and this is my party." He raises his hand towards each person behind him as he makes introductions. "This is Diana." The woman holding a spear nods her head as Callian continues, "Brutus. Matthew." The man with the axes and a man with a bow nod before Callian reaches the last of their party, "And this is Ivory, our mage." The woman holding the staff nods. Callian claps his hands smiling brightly at the disguised beast-man. "Now that we have introduced ourselves, might we get your names?" Yuuya blinks in surprise before a kind smile graces his face, "Of course! I'm Yuuya, uh Captain of Orion's Pax. And this is Sam and Damian." The two nod their heads, Yuuya's positive attitude brightening up the atmosphere once more. "We just got promoted to B-rank sir." Callian blinks in surprise at the formality and chuckles at his innocence, "Nice to meet you! We're A-rank, if you need any advice you're welcome to come to us. I know it's a little rude to be saying such a thing after that whole...mess." Yuuya shakes his head before holding out his hand, "No it's fine. We would greatly appreciate your help." Callian's eyes widen at the sheer glow of Yuuya's smile. "I know you are our...senior, but if you need any help you can always count on us. I promise." Callian stares at Yuuya, making him uncomfortable. "Should I...have not said that?" Suddenly, Callian grabs Yuuya's hand and brings him into a hug, startling both parties. "Oh my Goddess! You are so adorable and sweet! Why can't my group be more like you? In fact! Why can't you just join our party? You would be the perfect fit for us!" Yuuya laughs awkwardly while Sam and Damian glare threateningly at the golden man, his own party sighing in annoyance.
Ever since then, Callian and his party have always come to check up on Yuuya and his friends. Seeing how the other adventurers were treating the group. Sam got along with Ivory and Matthew, trading magic and hunting tips. Meanwhile Damian would spar with Diana and Brutus, gaining new fighting techniques in the progress. Callian would spend his entire time by Yuuya's side, talking with him about everything. His childhood, his dreams, his time as an adventurer, everything. Yuuya would smile nervously, not wanting to lie to the man, but would share some stories as well. Anything that wouldn't reveal his previous life nor his true identity. Today, the Solarclouds returned after a rather daunting quest involving the extermination of giant lizards, the cause of Callian's current predicament right now. Yuuya pats his back soothingly, "There there now. It's okay. You meant well and that's what's important. But uh maybe avoiding using explosives in the future. That might make everyone feel a bit more...comfortable." Callian looks up from his depressed state, humorous tears falling from his eyes. "Yuuya..." He wraps his arms around the disguised beast-man's waist, rubbing his face into his shirt. "Oh Yuuya! I knew you would be so understanding." Yuuya rubs his back with an awkward smile as everyone groans, finding the display quite tiresome. "Captain stand up for Goddess sake. You're suppose to be an A-rank adventurer, show some dignity!" Diana shouts out, grabbing his cape to pull him away from Yuuya, who silently thanks her by nodding his head, she winks at him in return. "Diana, how could you be so cruel!? Yuuya, tell her how mean and unreasonable she's being." Yuuya chuckles nervously while rubbing his head, "Ah well..." Matthew stands in between the two, facing the disguised beast-man, "Please ignore our captain. He's being annoying as usual." Before Callian could continue making a fuss, Gunter slams his weapon down, creating a loud sound that draws everyone's attention. "Listen up! We have a situation."
Everyone instantly quiets down, standing at attention. Even Callian ceases his antics and stand to his full height, his face distorting with absolute seriousness, showing no signs of his previous childish behavior. Sam and Damian stand on each side of Yuuya, all three wearing such grim looks, worried what could cause the usually calm Guildmaster to create such a commotion. Gunter walks around, his gaze showing signs of anger and...nervousness. Yuuya notices this and feels a shiver go down his body, "What happened that made the Guildmaster so worried? Was it a monster? Were people hurt?" Many questions kept crossing through his mind, bringing more anxiety to the disguised beast-man. His breathing starts to increase, panic starts to settle in his bones, his body starts to shake with uncontainable nervousness. Damian and Sam notice their friend's strange behavior, making them worried. "Yuuya?" Sam asks in a whisper, wondering what was wrong with the usually chipper man. Before they could ask further questions, Gunter slams his hand against the wall, the sound echoing off the room. "Listen up everyone! I am now making this quest unrestricted, all adventurers no matter what their rank is will now have access to it. I am also allowing all adventurers to take on this quest at the same time, the situation has become so dire that we need all hands on deck. I don't care how many of you take it on, this must be done as soon as possible!" He removes his hand to show a piece paper stuck on the wall, shocking everyone when they see its contents. No one says a word until one man raises his hand and asks in a confused tone, "Umm boss? Are you sure...this is the right quest?"
On the paper, there lies information about said quest. A thief has been going around the capital stealing magical items with various properties. A thief. One thief. The letter D in bold ink sits at the very heading, as if a radiant glow is highlighting the letter itself. Everyone minus the receptionists and Gunter all stare in disbelief, the atmosphere growing awkward as time pass by. Then everyone yells out "What!?" And many profanities. "Are you fuckin insane!? That's a D-rank quest!" "It's a thief, how fuckin hard can that be!?" "Even the reward is shit, do you expect us to take on such a low paying job?" Many people voice out their complaints, Gunter allows them to speak out. Only a few parties, including Solarclouds and Orion's Pax, remain quiet, finding the situation complicated. "How could such a low rank quest cause such a fuss?" Sam wonders out loud. Damian answers without looking away from the paper, "A thief stealing magical items can't be good. Must've gotten something powerful..." Yuuya feels tremendous relief, knowing that the situation was not too dire before stiffens again. "Someone is stealing magical items? Uh oh..." He mindlessly caresses the pendant around his neck, the action not going unnoticed by his friends. Damian places his hand on Yuuya's shoulder, gaining his attention to give him a comforting and confident look. "Don't worry, we'll be right by your side. That bastard won't lay a hand on you." Yuuya smiles brightly and nods, "Thanks Damian. You too Sam." He looks at Sam seeing a warm smile on the human's face. Gunter loudly clears his throat, silencing the room once more. "I understand this is a little unorthodox, but we just received word that a magical item belonging to the royal family was also stolen by the same man. We have eye witnesses saying a man that matches the description was the culprit, that means this is a crucial task. The Adventurer's Guild, Royal Guard, and Magic Tower are all working together on this, but I'll be damned if we let those conniving mages and knights beat us first! This is our mission and we're gonna finish it, got it!?" Everyone comply with the Guildmaster, officially onboard at the thought of competition. Gunter nods and continues, "This thief stole the Grimoire of Luminosity, a very old relic that has been passed down in the royal family. It's very sacred and must be returned, I want no excuses!" Hearing the name, Yuuya thinks to himself, "Grimoire of Luminosity? That sounds familiar, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't in the game...Hmm must be my imagination." Yuuya goes back to looking at the poster, the picture shows a man in his early twenties. His face bare to the world to see, a cocky grin that indicates the man is overconfident in his abilities. The man had a long ponytail with a x-mark on his cheek, sadly the picture was in black and white so Yuuya couldn't tell anything else besides those observations.
Before anyone could move, Gunter yells out, "Of course since the quest has become more difficult, the reward shall be bigger as well." He grabs the brown bag around his hip and reaches inside to pull out a golden gem, drawing several gasps. Gunter smirks as he showcases the rare gem while walking, "This is a golden monster core, one that I had acquired back in my adventuring days right from the BrightMoon dungeon. I will award this to whoever catches this fucker and rub it into those snobby bastards!" Everyone cheers and rushes to the door, starting the hunt. Only three parties remain, serious and curious faces littering among the mass. Callian speaks first, "That's a rather exquisite reward sir. Is there something else you're not telling us?" The rest of Solarclouds stare expectingly at the Guildmaster, the man not saying a word. A woman from the third party, the Mystic Valkyries, steps forward while speaking loudly, "Sir! It would be best if we had all the information. What exactly are we walking into?" Yuuya eyes the poster more, trying to take in all the details. Yuuya scans it until he notices something hanging on the man's waist, mostly hidden behind the man's back. Strange designs littered the bag, lines that show no mark of belonging to an owner, lines that remind the disguised beast-man's encounter with a certain bandit leader. Yuuya voices out before anyone could ask anymore questions, "He has a magical item doesn't he?" Everyone look over at him, surprise filling everyone's faces including the Guildmaster. Yuuya walks over to the poster and points to the bag, speaking in curious tone, "Must be able to hold a lot of stuff if he has taken other magical items. Maybe it can only hold magical items or it needs magical items in order to activate and allow him to escape. Could absorb their powers and summon some sort of portal in the process." Gunter blinks in admiration, never imaging how spot on the man's deductions were, he coughs once before answering, "Good guess. We're not sure yet, we understand he has a magical bag that can fit an infinity amount of items and you're right, it can only hold magical items. An adventurer saw the man try to put his sword in the bag, but couldn't. The sword didn't possess any mana in it, it was just a regular sword. Other than that, we don't know if it possesses any other abilities. However, we know he has dark magic and has been able to capture his targets for a short period of time with it, but how he's able to escape so easily is still a mystery." Yuuya nods putting his hand on his chin as he thinks deeper. "He could be using another magic item to escape or he knows a spell that could teleport him..." Yuuya jumps when a hand slaps his back, making him trip forward into Sam's and Damian's arms, having stepped closer to the disguised beast-man while he was observing the poster. They right him up while Gunter laughs, "You sure are curious son! You never cease to surprise me." He leans over to the trio, whispering just out of earshot from the other parties, "I'd be careful with your valuables boys. You wouldn't want anything...important, to be stolen now." He leans back and laughs once more, speaking loudly again, "Alright! Get going, I want that fuckin thief taken out now!" The Mystic Valkyries and Solarclouds parties leave the guild while members of Orion's Pax stare dumbfounded at the Guildmaster, two of them feeling anxious over his words. "There's no way he knows right? Oh Goddess, what if he does!?" Sam internally panics while Damian glares at the departing man's back, "There he goes again, hinting at something. Maybe he wants us to tell him...Either way, I'm not letting him get his hands on Yuuya!" Yuuya is the only with question marks floating above his head as the two humans continue to grip onto him, making him wonder, "What's up with these two? Maybe they're worried over losing the magic items I gave them." With that in mind, he raises his hands and pats on his friends' heads, snapping them from their thoughts. He smiles sweetly at them and says encouragingly, "Don't worry guys, I'll make sure that thief doesn't steal your stuff. You can count on me!" The two stare at the disguised beast-man's glowing, unworried expression. They give him blank looks, thinking at the same time, "This guy...really has no clue." Yuuya and his friends join in on the hunt, asking several people where they last saw the thief. Many adventurers track through the alleys and less populated areas, leading them straight to the culprit.
Damian meets up with Sam and Yuuya after talking to some crying merchants, having lost most of their products to the thief. He sighs and asks, "You guys find anything?" Sam and Yuuya shake their heads, "No, nothing." "This guy is good, no wonder it's taking so long to catch him." The trio sigh and rub their heads and hold their chins, thinking. Sam leans over to Yuuya and asks quietly, "Hey Yuuya, can you track him by smell or something? Maybe through one of the stolen goods?" Yuuya gives him a confused look while thinking, "What am I, a dog?" Not wanting to be rude, Yuuya answers instead, "No, it doesn't work like that. I need to meet him first in order to get his scent. Even then, it's a little...unreliable." Suddenly, shouting could be heard a good distance away, "Thief! He's getting away!" The three look at each other before rushing towards the source of the sound. The group meet up with a couple of other parties along the way, one as such is Solarclouds. "Yuuya! Fancy seeing you here!" Callian yells out, trying to keep up with Yuuya, his speed nothing compared to the disguised beast-man. Yuuya says nothing, his focus solely on the commotion. Just as they turn a corner, Sam collides with a man, both of them falling on their bottoms. Damian and Yuuya rush to their friend's side, "Sam! You okay?" The human groans, "That hurts." Yuuya picks up on the sound of weapons drawn, he looks over and sees everyone pointing their weapons at them, or rather behind them. "Orion, get back." Yuuya looks forward and sees the man slowly get up, his hair hiding his eyes but his lips are still visible, revealing a menacing smile. "Huh, never expected to find such easy prey." The smell of rotten tomatoes and rust fills Yuuya's nostrils, making his eyes widen. "Is he..." The man looks up, revealing a x-mark scar on his cheek, his eyes boasting with confidence with no signs of fear at being surrounded. Yuuya pulls Sam and Damian behind him, slowly getting them up while they pull out their weapons. "Surrender now! There's no where to run." One of the adventurers from the other parties yell, holding out his mace threateningly. The man chuckles and holds out his hands saying, "Really now? That's new to me." He notices some new faces and grins in a cocky fashion, "For you newcomers, my name is Jack. And I'll be taking those." Black smoke rises from the man's feet as he chants, "By air and earth by water and fire, so be you bound, as I desire." As he chants, the black smoke stretches towards everyone, solidifying as it grabs everyone's limbs, drawing shouts of surprise. "By three and nine, your power I bind. By moon and sun, my will be done." More smoke entangle with everyone, their struggles useless as they try to escape. "Sky and sea keep harm from me. Cord go round, power be bound. Light revealed, now be sealed." Everyone is stuck in place, their limbs tied by the smoke, restricting their every move. Callian and Yuuya are the only ones who are not ensnared, both trying to free their comrades. "Hold on you guys, I'll get you out!" Callian chants a light spell on the bounds while Yuuya uses his own light magic to burn away the dark magic. "Hang in there guys, it'll just take a second." Damian and Sam struggle more as they feel the bounds slowly disappearing. Jack sighs in annoyance, his spell having no effect on the two. "You guys must wield strong light magic. How annoying." He reaches into a dark blue bag decorated with white lines, pulling out a long sword that seemed to be glowing, the light pulsating that resembles a heartbeat. "Guess I'll have to take you guys out first." He rushes to Yuuya, intending to impale the man. Yuuya moves to the side away from his friends, grunting in slight annoyance at being interrupted. Yuuya continues to dodge, not able to find an opening to pull out his own weapon and couldn't summon his magic lest he gets one of the trapped adventurers hurt. Callian sees Yuuya's dilemma and rushes with his light magic. "C'mon c'mon! Yuuya needs help!" Said disguised beast-man ducked just in time as a wave of white light flies above his head, crashing into the wall behind him. Yuuya's eyes widen and his jaw drops slightly in surprise. "My head would've ended up like that wall, damn! Guess that's what that sword does..." Yuuya back flips and summons his wind magic, blasting Jack into a wall. He groans as gets back on his feet, laughing shakily, "Ha you're good. Shame I can't keep those." He points to Yuuya's sword and amulet, making him subconsciously grab hold of both. "Why these two? I've got like four other items on me. Course I don't particularly want him to take those either..." Jack laughs in triumphs and jumps up on a roof, waving his hand that releases his magic before giving a bow, "Until we meet again. Good day!"
Before Yuuya could give chase, several yells and screams caught his attention. He looks behind and see several people searching themselves wildly, their eyes full of panic. "My wristband! It's gone!" "Fuck! He took my boots!" "Where the hell is my crossbow!?" Yuuya looks around in shock, seeing several people missing multiple clothing and equipment. Sadly, even members of the Solarclouds had their stuff stolen as well. "That bastard! He took my hair tie, I'm gonna kill him!" "Your hair tie? That motherfucker took my cloak! The snake!" The disguised beast-man suddenly remembers his own friends and rushes to their sides, seeing them also searching their bodies. "Sam! Damian! Are you guys okay?" Both humans look up and have a mix of anger and sadness on their faces. "Yuuya, he-he took the pendant-I'm sorry!" Sam looks down, guilt eating at him for losing such a precious gift. Damian punches the wall, leaving scorch marks, "Fuck! He took the damn talisman you gave me. That little shit! I'm gonna burn him!" Everyone looks at Callian and Yuuya, seeing they had all their stuff still on. "Hey! How come you two still have all your stuff!?" "Why the hell didn't he grab your shit!?" "Yeah!" Yuuya and Callian raise their hands, slowly backing away from the angry mob. "Take it easy everyone. Yuuya fought the culprit the whole time, how could he steal from him while swinging a sword?" One adventurer, who is missing his pants so his polka dots underwear is exposed to the world, steps forward, "A lot of good that did! The fucker still got away!" Yuuya looks down in shame, regret filling his core at accidentally letting the man go. His eyes water the more people yell out at him angrily, praying that the ground would swallow him whole. Before Yuuya could feel anymore depressed, several people stand in front of him, shielding him from all the verbal assaults. Yuuya looks up when the sun is blocked from his face, seeing Sam, Damian, and members of the Solarclouds, determined and furious looks on their faces that are all pointed at the large mass. "Shut the fuck up! If it wasn't for Yuuya, a lot more shit would've been taken." Damian shouts out, ready to start throwing fists. "Yeah! He protected us and tried to take him down." Diana reasoned, crossing her arms in a stern fashion "He even made sure not to use his magic so that we wouldn't be caught up in the crossfire." Brutus bellows out his hands on his hips, daring anyone to argue. "Yuuya did his best to keep everyone safe and to stop the thief. He prioritized our safety over stopping the criminal. Now tell me this, which is more important: Our wellbeing or your shit." Callian states, feeling protective over the sweet man he has grown fond of. Memories of Callian's childhood filling his mind, bringing along emotions he hasn't felt for a long time. No one says a word, finding the question difficault the longer they dwell on it. Sam looks back at Yuuya, his eyes glowing with so much care and determination, "Yuuya did his best and no one got hurt, that's what's important! Thank you, Yuuya." Yuuya looks over at everyone, seeing nothing but smiles and support in their eyes. His face goes flush, feeling slightly overwhelmed, but in a positive way. "You guys..." Sam and Damian grab onto his shoulders, "C'mon Yuuya, let's go catch a thief!" Damian shouts with a wink, signaling the disguised beast-man. Thankfully, Yuuya understood the message and takes a deep breath, acting as if to calm his nerves, but in reality smelling the air for that rotten scent. His nose picks up on scent, the trail thinning out as each second goes by. Yuuya opens his eyes and raises his fists to his chest, gaining his confidence once more, and smiles brightly at everyone. "Let's go! I think I know where he's going. C'mon!"
Just like that, everyone follows the disguised beast-man, relying on his nose to track down the thief. The groups would spot Jack and try to catch him, failing each time. Many people would fall on their faces as they chase the slippery man down the streets, some would crash into carts and walls as he jumps and slides just out of reach. Yuuya was the only that could keep up without tripping, his agility giving him the upper hand, much to Jack's dismay. "Fuck off already, would ya! How the hell do you keep finding me!?" Yuuya tightens his lips thinking, "You're the only one that smells so rotten!" Yuuya and Jack practically looked like they were dancing around each other, both avoiding each other's magic attacks. Sam, Damian, and Solarclouds finally catch up to the pair in a dead end, waiting for an opening. "C'mon Yuuya, you got this." Sam cheers quietly. Damian raises his fist, "Get him Yuuya!" Finally, Yuuya grabs onto Jack's ankle and throws him to the ground, allowing everyone to surround the man. Jack pants, sweat build up on his forehead. Yuuya steps forward as everyone points their weapons on the man. "It's over, you're done." Jack yells out in rage, refusing to accept defeat. "Fuck you! I'm not finished." He quickly goes through his bag and holds up a yellow crystal ball, smiling crazily. "Eat this!" Suddenly a blinding light flashes everyone, forcing them to shield their eyes. A couple of minutes go by before the light dies down. Everyone rubs their eyes, trying to get rid of the vertigo. "Fuck! What just happened?" Everyone looks around, seeing the crystal ball from before, gray and dull, in place where Jack once stood. Matthew and Ivory gasp in shock and point to Callian, "Sir! Your cape and armor!" Callian looks down and notices half his armor is gone including his cape, leaving him only his breastplate, a gauntlet, and a cuisse. "Shit! That bastard!" He searches his body trying to see if he was missing anything else when a shy voice speaks up, "Yuuya?" Callian stops his movements and looks over at the disguised beast-man, his back facing everyone. Despite his calm form, the atmosphere became dark and suffocating, mana leaking out of the man as pure anger envelops him. Sam tries again, "Yuuya? You okay?" Damian starts to grow worried, his anger long gone, "Yuuya, what happened? Did he take something?" Both humans continue to observe their friend, seeing him still in human form, informing them that the beast-man still had his amulet. Callian calls out now, "Yuuya?" Finally, a soft voice breaks the silence. His voice was so soft that no one could hear him. "What?" Damian asks warily. Suddenly, Yuuya yells out, "That fuckin bastard!" At the top of his lungs and a whirlwind of fire burst up high into the air, surrounding the man. Everyone gasps and scrambles backwards, Yuuya's anger scaring them, never seeing this side of the man before. "Uh oh..."