It was a tiny village located near the sea. All the small food markets sold almost only fish but on occasion I would see one that was displaying other animals.
"You mentioned you were a monster hunter?" I asked, walking beside Nizhoni.
She nodded, "mhm. There's monsters that reside on each of the islands and it's my duty to kill any monster before they can reach the town. It's fairly simple but it gets tough when there's hordes of monsters."
"I know that feeling." I said, thinking back on the hordes of goblins I'd have to take down on random quests John accepted at the guild halls.
"I'm surprised you don't seem so cold despite what you're wearing." Nizhoni said, staring at my outfit.
"I excel in ice magic so I'm used to the cold." I said with a proud expression.
"Doesn't mean you're immune to frostbite. Follow me, I'll take you both to my place where I can give you some coats."
Akari and I both nodded at each other before following Nizhoni. She led us to a small cabin on the outskirts of the village where she opened the door and allowed us to enter before her. It was small yet cozy, she had a small coat hanger which held onto all sorts of thick coats.
"Take your pick. I've got a bunch of other ones so no need to feel bad for taking one." Nizhoni said, giving us a reassuring smile as she waved her hand up and down.
Without any hesitation, Akari walked over and put on the coat that had a pattern that resembled waves. I suppose that made sense considering the type of aura she had. As for me, I found a nice coat with a snowflake pattern on it. What can I say? I really like winter.
"Well then, I should probably show you to our village chief if you're planning on staying here." Nizhoni stated.
I shook my head, "oh, me and Akari aren't planning on staying here. We've gotta regroup with the rest of our friends."
Nizhoni shook her head, "that's a bad idea."
Akari gave her a strange look, "how so?"
"The monsters appear at night and don't take kindly to humans roaming about. It's my job as a hunter to deal with any monster that gets too close to the village as I've told you before."
"Then we'll help you deal with this monster problem. That's what John would do if he were here." I shrugged.
Nizhoni stared at me blankly, "John?"
I nodded, "a good friend of ours."
Nizhoni gave me a puzzled look before shrugging, "he sounds like a naive person if he's willing to help someone he just met."
"True… but that's why we follow him. He allowed each of us a chance on his team and as his friends."
"He seems like quite the person. You'll have to introduce me to him sometime. For now though, let's take care of some monsters." Nizhoni tightened the belt that kept her crossbow on her back.