Suzuka, sitting back down, says, "These glasses are really good? I didn't know you were able to make such things, Wadim."
With the smile of a young boy who has received the first compliment in their life, Wadim says, "Ivana, Gheorghe and I happen to specialise in biomedical engineering. Finding ways to enhance and heal the human body is just all part of a day's work for the three of us."
Willow says, "If you sell these, you could make a fortune, I am sure."
"Unfortunately, these require some many expensive materials that the average person wouldn't be able to buy them, and the rich really wouldn't have that much use for them. Besides, selling cursed items is considered taboo."
"Even animals? I thought they wouldn't count?"
"The process of making cursed items out of animals is similar to that of nightmares. If people were to have more items to start breaking down their construction, it would only make more people who are capable of making items out of nightmares, which only allows more people to get a foot into the corpse trade."
Looking down at the stadium, Wadim says, "Though it is a shame that things that could be used to help people need to be locked away due to greed."
Maple gets up and puts both her hands on Wadim's face, and says, "I am sure one day it will. Magnolia warned that the outside world is evil and without hope, yet every single moment I spend with all of you guys fills me with nothing but it."
Wadim smiles and says, "I hope so as well."
Willow says, "You're a lot more composed when Elia isn't around."
A shiver moves down his spine, and then he stands up with vigour and says, "The devils' glares beat down my soul quite often, but she is nowhere to be seen, and my life is rejuvenated. What a wonderful time to be alive, what a great time to be on Balaur."
"Why is she so mean to you guys all the time?"
"I have no idea!? She is just crazy, insane, a psychopath, a demon; she is always treating us like we're children. I am almost twice her age, dammit! Can't she see what a respectable man I a-."
Wadim's head moves up, and through one of the bones of balaur, a woman on a solomonar rides by, and without missing a beat, Wadim rushes towards her and says, "PLEASE, PLEASE GO ON A DATE WITH ME! I WOULD MY COWORKERS FOR JUST A SINGLE SNIFF OF YOUR BODY!"
The woman repulsed skirts back on the solomonars back, and Wadim continues to move closer to the solomonar while begging his heart out. Suzuka says, "I think I understand why Elia is so mean to him now."
Maple says, "I guess as the chief of Aplos, I need to go break his bones."
Willow, holding his hand up, says, "No, just give it a moment."
As the woman gets more frightened, the solomonar, with an enraged expression, smashes Wadim into the ground, and then flicks him over the edge of balaur.
Suzuka reaches out her tails and quickly grabs him before he dies, and Willow says, "Solomonars are incredibly attuned to their riders' emotional states. This usually makes it so they know if a passenger is about to pass out or not."
Maple says, "You learned quite a lot about the animals of Blestemate already, haven't you Willow?"
"Of course, they're so cute, adorable and powerful, I couldn't help myself."
Under her breath, Maple says, "An encyclopedia for his birthday is definitely a good idea."
Suzuka, dropping Wadim in front of them, looks at his sobbing face, and kneeling down, she wipes them from his eyes, then says, "You feel that? That's how you made the lady feel."
Balling like a baby, he says, "I-I just w-want a woman to lo-ove me. A woman who will ru-ub my head and ca-all me a go-ood boy!"
"Orb loves you."
"I don't want to end up like those cultists."
Maple says, "Cultists?"
Willow, touching her head, says, "I will explain it to you at a later date."
Suzuka says, "I know it can be difficult and lonely at times, but if you need friends to spend time with, you can always come to me." Rubbing his head with her tail, she says, "I think you're an awesome boy."
Wadim, lifting up his fallen head, stares at Suzuka and then swipes his hand from side to side, and says, "No, thank you," with all of the emotion in his face fading and only a look of utter rejection remaining.
Standing up with an irksome look, Wadim rubs the back of his head, and says, "I want those words from a big butted lady, somewhere between 25-35, but she got to look healthy, have her life together, none of the emotional nonsense, and have that mature sexiness that only a mature woman can exude, I don't need a weird tomboy fox girl with raging muscles who has emotional outbursts at the thought of making friends."
Suzuka pulls her fists back and winds up a bunch, but Maple, activating her legacy, taps Suzuka on the head, slowing her down, as Wadim cowers on the ground in anticipation of the strike.
"I know he is stupid, but getting rid of his corpse from this position is far more annoying than it's worth."
"Hey, isn't the act of murdering me worst!"
"SHUT UP!" Maple says as she looks at him like dirt.
Wadim crawls over to Willow and says, "Women are so scary!"
"But well worth the terror."
Clicking his tongue, Wadim says, "Nothing pisses me off more than the confidence of a man with a woman. You don't understand how tough it is out here for us single men who aren't beauties like Orb, or have attractive physical characteristics."
"Orb would find you attractive?"
Smashing his fist against the ground, he says, "ORB IS A LITTLE BOY! I WANT A WOMAN! If he were just born a girl, all the problems in my world, loneliness wouldn't exist for men anymore."
Willow, with a disgusted look, says, "That's an utterly horrific idea that no one would ever want."
Maple grabs him by the arm and says, "That response sounds like you have thought about this? Why would you think about Orb being a girl Willow?"
As she pulls on his head, Willow says, "Maple, think for a moment. If Orb were a girl, he would intentionally keep getting himself pregnant just so he could mess with the unborn children."
Maple quickly looks around as a pondering look appears on her mind, and soon chills move through her body, making Willow says, "Right, right!"
Suzuka, moving over to Wadim, says, "You can't force love, you just need to wait for it, you big baby."
"Easy for you to sa-!"
Suzuka stomps her foot, and Wadim quickly falls in line as she says, "No more whining, no one wants to hear it! If you're a man, stop complaining and just move forward. Screaming and shouting doesn't do anything, you got that!!! If you need help with solution, call me, but stop this pity party, you baby!"
Wadim nods his head, and then, as Suzuka walks away, he says, "Is being mean just intrinsic to people with pink hair?"
She smashes her tail into him, and the three children return to staring at the match in front of them.
Location: Saint Ludovic Stadium
ΦJumping up into the air, Mõõk throws the ball as fast as he completely smashing through the goal keeper in the machine's mouth and bases the king piece, knocking it over, and as he lands, the crowd throughout the stadium goes wild as the announcer screams, "AND THE VICTORY GOES TO THE KNIGHTMARES!"
Ivana, Orb, Dumnorix and Iancu jump up with joy as the victory sends shockwaves through the area.
Turning to Ivana with shining green hair, Orb says, "That was so cool!"
"I know, right? It's a combination of skill, tactics, and physicality pushed to the utmost limit. During the final few minutes of the match, the Knightmares had to choose between trying to knock down more pieces so they could dominate in chess or go all out and try to get the king to fall, and those brave sons of bitches chose to take the king down instead. This is why I am their biggest fan, they're always denying the odds in front of them and coming out on top no matter what anyone tries to do to bring them down!"
"We really need this sport in Nialathrú, what do you think, my king?" Dumnorix asks.
Abbán says, "Even if we could play this sport, we don't have the knowledge needed to make those large machines needed for the game."
Orb says, "I am no king, but don't we have the beastkin's extensive knowledge of wonderbeast along with beast blood battle arts?"
Gheorghe says, "Those machines known as monster trucks are made using cursed items, which allows them to essentially defy the laws of the world. Even if wonderbeasts have special powers, all of them biologically make sense and follow the rules of nature. A Vanir mammoth's abilities to shoot air from its trunk cannot be compared to the cursed slab bull's ability to make soft things hard."
Iancu says, "Not true exactly. While it cannot essentially warp reality by itself, the individual parts can be used as high-quality materials, like the arms of a norka, which contain immense muscle mass for their size."
Elia says, "So a skilled engineer who understands the laws of the world could make something that could probably mimic them using the high-quality materials wonderbeasts give."
A smug look appears on both Iancu's and Elia's faces, and in unison they say, "It of course means only I could ma-."
Interrupting them, Avram says, "I could probably throw something together."
They both stumble over their words, and turning to him, Iancu says, "Don't you think you're a bit too arrogant, old man. How about you step back and allow the young to take over?"
Elia ever composed says, "We don't want your back hurting from all the standing, so just sit down, and allow your most talented student and your son to handle this. We can get you some blood to sip on as you rest."
"Sorry, but it would be irresponsible for me to allow babies with over-inflated egos to handle what only I can do."
All three of them glare at each other, and soon they both try to attack Avram, but he quickly grabs their face, holding their advance back. Gheorghe and Cyrus stand worried about the violence, with Gheorghe begging, "Everyone, please stop, don't start hurting each other."
But Dumnorix and Orb stand with approving smiles beside them. Orb says, "The passion and love of one's work that causes them to explode in a violent tussle is inspiring."
Dumnorix says, "The growth and evolution that comes from competing with one another will surely make the beastkin shine brighter."
Abbán slaps Dumnorix on the forehead and says, "SHHH!"
Behind Cyrus's voice says, "The queen still isn't in her seat up high, huh?"
"It's just the minister again."
"Maybe those rumours are true then?"
"Hold your tongue, and don't allow the demons from below to use your words against her."
"But why hasn't. See, come out yet?"
"Doesn't she see the chaos being caused by her absence?"
"There could be millions of reasons, for now let's trust in the woman who has loved us so much throughout history to pull through."
Ivana lowers her head, and Cyrus, turning to her, asks, "Is the qu-ueen that important for everyone?"
Ivana says, "She is the oldest nightmare in the country, having been here since the start, to many she is as intrinsic to the identity of Blestemate as the very land itself."
"Wouldn't that m-mean she is a o-old as Setanta?"
"Yes, her curse is special, and it has extended her life by centuries. It's the curse that has kept us all safe throughout all our trials and tribulations, and as people, and with her not sitting on her throne at the top of the stadium, everyone is on edge. Almost like it is an omen of the end for us."