Part 13
Sun had started to set as a pirate emerged from a certain makeshift base. What he saw was a noble with her hair all messed up and a demon with bruised knuckles. Cyeen was barely keeping her eye open meanwhile Jess strutted towards him. He closed his eyes, placing a hand on his forehead.
"I told you to train her later, not in the middle of the night, Jess."
Jess looked as if she couldn't care less.
"Oopies."
Cyeen waved at Zoen for a second before getting inside the makeshift base and collapsing on a sleeping spot. Zoen went near Jess to talk and learn if she had done anything to the noble.
"How capable do you think she is? I do not want a dead weight with me as well."
Jess yawned
"Cyee? Oh totaly a lost cause. I jus beat some senses into her. Yknow, I haaate nobles. Budt other than dat she managet to expant her shiel' and learned to mannituplate 'er essence with hands."
Zoen's expression soured up.
"Cyeen was right. I just realized I hate your accent too."
The demon slapped the back of his head with full force.
"Respecc yar elders."
He let out a short laugh before a serious expression appeared on his face.
"So, what are we going to do now? Chase that player and kill her? Is that all we'll be doing?"
Jess rubbed her eyes.
"I... donno. I've been thinkin too. I jus can't imegine doing anythin' other than takin' er life."
"Which means after we're done we'll have nothing else to do." said Zoen, with a worried look.
"Let'z just avange aur family first. We can thin' about dat later."
Zoen touched Jess's shoulder as he walked by her. The demon woman rubbed her eyes again before retreating back into the makeshift base. Their conversation made her realize that they had a future full of hardships. But now, it was time to sleep. Jess slowly let herself be taken by the sheeps she counted.
***
Cyeen woke up to the rustling of leaves and someone snoring. Upon trying to get up she saw a demon next to her. Ew. She quickly pushed her away and went outside. It was night now.
Zoen looked like he had been outside for a while. The noble could tell he was waiting for her by the condition of the campfire he was sitting by. Cyeen sat across him and waited for him to start talking.
"A missing eye, a second essence that seems unfamiliar to you, great at the basics of combat but near to no knowledge in the real world." He narrowed his eyes. "Something is off about you, Cyeen flameberg."
Cyeen was quick with the response.
"Murder, plundering, arson, ransom, kidnapping." She widened her eye in response to him narrowing his. "Which one of us is more off I wonder? Don't think I can overlook the fact you were and still are pirates just because your crew members died."
"So you wanted to come with us to turn us in, am I wrong?" he replied.
"Yes you are wrong, severely in fact. To be frank, I haven't an inkling why I'm following you two as well."
Zoen didn't care about her response but rather just said something he probably prerecorded in his mind.
"After we are done, promise us a place in Enidia as guards. We'll change. I'll force us to change."
Cyeen thought about the choices. If the voice wanted her to go with them it had to have a reason, right?
"Very well Zoen, I'll grant your wish if there is in fact some morals left in both of you."
The pirate offered her a piece of rabbit meat on a stick. She gladly took it and got to eating. Seriously, what was the voice trying to do here? These people were trouble and she was sure both her and the voice knew it. Is this a test? Test me all you want, I will reach my ultimate goal in the end. She waited for the voice.
...
No response. Coward. The voice had lied to her back in the cave. She could have never met End and become a twicen if she had listened to it. She scratched her eye over the bandages. What is it that you see in these scum? Am I supposed to fill the family they lost? She was still not getting any response. Just so you know, if I hadn't entered that cave back then none of this would-
SHUT UP
Cyeen dropped the meat in her hand to hold her head. It echoed deeper and longer than anything the voice said ever. She had managed to anger a voice. The noble sensed an object fly towards her which she blocked with ten knives forming a circular shield. It's Jess isn't it? She lowered the makeshift shield and indeed, it was her.
"Goo mornin dipshit." said Jess who didn't look as energetic as when she was beating the noble.
"How childish." replied Cyeen.
Cyeen looked at the meat she had dropped. She didn't want to eat it now.
"Zoen, give me another one."
Jess picked the meat up from the ground and bit into it after slapping the meat to clean it.
"Now thatz childish, Flame."
Upon receiving the second rabbit, she felt the air tense up again. It was almost like they lost another set of crewmates. She took out her white book and got to writing. She didn't have many things she could do at the moment.
Jess looked down at the noble before talking,
"When ya done writin' get up an face me."
Cyeen nodded while still writing on the book. She felt like she belonged somewhere for once although that feeling didn't last long. They are wanted criminals for god's sake. I shouldn't let myself get too comfortable around them.
The noble dismissed the book and got up with the help of her victorian violet colored scythe. She had learned the name of the exact color her hair and weapons were somewhere back in Taryio. Until then she just preferred calling it violet.
Jess was already with her sword drawn out.
"I'm lettin' you stat this dime. Com at me."
The noble lady clicked her fingers, summoning three sphere shaped blasters two over her shoulders and one over her head. Her pointing at Jess triggered a chain reaction where each of the blasters individually fired off at random times.
Seeing the barrage of the blasters, Jess felt like she had to rush towards Cyeen. The demon closed the distance quickly, kicking Cyeen's hand which caused it to point up, making her blasters fire at the clouds. The nobel lady held the leg that just kicked her and wrapped strings around it with the click of her other hand. Jess was pushed back a second later by a quick jab, almost the same one she used on Cyeen yesterday.
"Clever trigk, but not stron' enough one eye!"
Jess tore the strings right away as otherwise Cyeen might have tried pulling some tricky moves on her. Roughly fourty dark red swords began levitating around the demon.
Just then, Cyeen was met with a sight she never saw before. A cluster of circles with a pattern inside each one. She closed her eye, thinking of the same pattern and clicked her fingers. There it was, a floating white sword. So this is how it works. Jess stared at her, dumbfounded.
"How'd you..?"
Twenty more clicks were heard. The demon woman just stood there and watched Cyeen point at her. A whirring sound followed wherever the swords went. Although she was suprised, Jess easily parried all twenty of the swords. Wait there were tweny one swords. She thought as she felt something sharp pierce her stomach from the back. The sword lodged into her body disappeared a second later as Jess's shield regenerated her body and clothes. The demon checked her shield's hitpoints.
"Couldn't even do a singel damge. Seriouzly? Do ya get weaker by the day?"
Jess was satisfied with this result though. Now they most likely didn't have a weak link. An essence that can copy others was a great asset to have around.
"Thas it for today. Honesty disappointed about its low damge." Jess lost her interest quickly."When ar we leavin' Zoen?"
Zoen was nowhere to be seen. He had preferred not to interrupt the girls.
The guy came out of the makeshift tent, looking at Jess.
"You called for me?" he asked.
Jess repeated herself.
"When ar we leavin'?"
"We were supposed to leave today. But thanks to your night training we'll be leaving tomorrow as soon as we can see the sun. Thanks Jess."
The demon opened her arms in offence.
"I dint do anythin! It was er who was practiing in the forset!"
"Just go to sleep, dude." said Zoen, not really in the mood to deal with his sister.
Jess flipped him off before joining him in the tent. Cyeen followed her soon after. The siblings had no issue falling asleep together. Cyeen on the other hand, made sure they slept before relaxing her body. Her eye gave up and it was all dark after that.
***
"So guyz, we are flat broek. Any ideaz on what to do?'
They were back to walking. It looked like they would repeat this action for a while until they could afford horses.
There was silence for a while. It looked like they were all thinking. Cyeen came up with the first idea.
"How about becoming traveling merchants?"
Zoen shook his head.
"We don't have any valuable items to sell. I suggest each of us work at seperate inns in the next town we encounter."
The demon stretched her arms.
"What a bother. We can jus' beat a guy fo' sum money."
Zoen was met with the piercing gaze of Cyeen.
"No, we are not going back to that. We are not pirates anymore sister. Just let it go." said the guy.
Jess stood still. She seemed to be recalling old memories.
"Fine! Just this one time."
The noble lady was satisfied with this conversation but pretty offended at her idea getting rejected. She spoke up once again.
"If so, I'll pick the cleanest inn in town. But I don't think they will accept us considering hoe dirty we are. Let's take a shower first."
Zoen turned towards her.
"Sure, we could take a dip in a lake soon. I think there should be one around here."
Cyeen looked at the guy like he was an alien.
"I said shower, not go for a swim."
Jess spoke up in a mocking tone.
"Wha yu expectin' noblee? Ya thin we just have soap layin' around?"
Cyeen's face dropped. Another shower without any hygiene products. At one point I'll become impossible to clean. She unwillingly agreed to it as she followed after the siblings.
***
There really was a nice secluded lake among the trees like Zoen said. Even Jess was surprised at how he knew that. He shrugged and made a pretty suspicious face when asked about it. Each of them went behind a tree to undress.
Cyeen was the first to come out —wearing a white chemise supported by hamstrings along with braies she borrowed from Súko. Jess came out next — wearing a brown worn out strophium and braies. But what piqued the interest of the noble was the thing Jess had on her hair.
Elastic hair tie? That's not supposed to be invented yet.
Cyeen stood there. Really? How is she wearing one then? But couldn't get a response back. Usual unreliable voice. She thought.
Jess covered her chest.
"Why the starin'? Pervert much?"
"I've seen rats more eye taking than you, witch." was what Cyeen said.
Jess shrugged and jumped into the lake.
Zoen was the last one to emerge from behind the tree. Braies were the only thing he was wearing. He was trying to cover himself up as much as possible with his arms. Jess yelled at him from inside the lake.
"Come ere you embarrasset puss!"
It was clear he didn't like being seen in his underwear. She, on the other hand, was fine with being seen by the opposite sex. To her, modesty had no bearing when it came to being in her undergarments. It was Jess she was worried about. She was far too chaotic to even attempt guessing her next move. This was further confirmed by her throwing the rock she found at the bottom at the lake at Cyeen. She stared down the demon as the rock bounced off her shield which flashed violet for a second. The thought of drowning her didn't seem that outrageous for a moment.
Zoen was washing himself away from the girls. He was fine being seen by Jess but Cyeen coming into the equation had messed things up. He felt a tap on his shoulder. Upon turning back he was met with the sight of a horrible looking wound where an eye was supposed to be.
The wound's general shape was a diamond but it was torn everywhere, making it horrifying to look at. And thus, he got scared out of his mind, not because of the wound but because of the noble. Cyeen kept looking at him with a flat expression.
"You bandaged me up back at the ship right?" She handed him a clean piece of cloth. "Do it again."
The guy carefully took the cloth and began bandaging Cyeen up in the supervision of Jess. He attributed his medical skills to patching up any injury that happened aboard. They were a great reason he got this good at patching people up.
He fled the are after Cyeen's eye was covered again, leaving Cyeen to deal with Jess. There was one last thing he heard from the distance:
"Fix my clothes up too will you?"
***
A small town in the shape of half a circle was in sight. The layout of its houses and shops looked planned beforehand meaning it was not that old of a place. There was a bronze statue at the town square which was located at the center of the half circle.
The statue was overlooking nine straight paths extending into the town and the middle road was wider than the rest, allowing horses and carriages to pass. And that was the road the trio was entering the town from.
Jess looked at the statue in the distance.
"Who iz that. Ya know him, Zoen?"
Cyeen was looking around for any inns.
"That's not important right now. Just look for a place to work."
Jess wanted to insult her until she realized Cyeen was right. They were still flat broke. She shut her mouth and started looking around.
They found themselves at the center as they were looking around. After a quick talk, they agreed to split into one of the eight paths they haven't took and look for a job there.
Jess and Zoen were pretty quick to find an inn but Cyeen kept looking around because of her high standards. A sign took her attention: "In need of a person capable of attending to people of higher ranks."
Cyeen smirked.
"Alright."
She had little experience doing chores but was pretty good at sweet talking high ranked people. This was probably the only place she'd work willingly. The noble entered the inn after cracking her knuckles.