Tai's sword slashed forward and almost struck down Hal, who staggered back to avoid it. He fell to the ground with no motivation to get back up.
Tai came to him with a frown on his face "What is up with you today? I've never seen you this distracted in my life," Tai helped Hal to get back on his feet as Hal spoke in a sombre tone.
"I just have a lot on my mind today, that's all" Tai shook his head "You won't give that excuse to a monster trying to eat now, will you? Besides, you can tell me anything"
Hal wished he could ask Tai all about the things he had read about last time, but forbidden knowledge was not to be shared, for it strikes the poor swordsman with madness.
He smiled at him and shook his head, saying, "It's not that important, I'm just wondering when they will finally let me use my ability since I did finally finish my training with Joset"
He had finally mastered how to shatter a single piece of your mind, though to him, it was his soul he was shattering.
He believed that his overconsumption of knowledge the previous night must have contributed to this achievement, but it had also left his mind in a mess now that he had more to think about
Tai touched his shoulder, a smile twisting the handsome swordsman's neck "Hey, I have an idea of how we can get you actual battle experience"
Hal was not sure what Tai understood as battle experience, but he needed something to help him blow off steam, plus, this way, he could finally get to test out his ability.
He gave a quick nod to Tai, who slapped his back repeatedly, saying, "Yeah, that's the spirit, we should get going to the noble residential area then"
Hal and Tai were still in their celebrations when they heard a familiar voice call out to them, "Oh, can I come with?"
Hal and Tai resisted the urge to jump in fright as they turned to see Lyrrah, who was standing behind them with a smile on her face.
Tai held Hal back as he moved in to confront Lyrrah with a stern look, now replacing his earlier smile "I'm sorry that I don't think you will be coming with us.
Lyrrah covered her lips with her hand while showing a frightened expression before turning around and speaking in a clearly fake sad tone.
"Okay, I understand, guess I'll be informing Lady Roxanne about how my two teammates left on a mission without me"
Hal could see the rage well up in Tai's eyes as he was forced to reconsider his earlier decision. He sighed and signalled Lyrrah to follow, saying, "Okay, you can come with"
Lyrrah practically skipped to their side as the group finally made their way to the noble residential area that was presided over by the golden tower.
Hal had this question on his mind for a long time, but never really thought about asking it until today, maybe because he was now a scholar, but he felt an irresistible urge to ask.
"What is the use of these towers anyway?" Tai opened his mouth to answer, only for Lyrrah to speak in his stead as her voice overpowered his
"This city has four dukes presiding over it, and these towers act as their bases for operation, and that mansion we saw last time belongs to the arch duke of Ortario, responsible for appointing and representing the city in front of the king"
Hal's face paled. You mean to tell him that they were plotting against the kingdom in front of one of the duke's actual homes.s
Lyrrah giggled at his reaction as Tai's voice sounded from in front of them.
"While you two were preoccupied doing who knows what, a noble came requesting our company to eradicate a monster for him, but since all our best hunters were out, they had to decline him"
Tai had a smug look on his face as he spoke, as if the news he was about to deliver was worth ten thousand jade.
"I followed the guy and offered to go on the mission for him" Hal started to regret his decision as Tai led them into one of the bars. The place was classy compared to the bars in their residential area.
With better drinks, better food, fewer fights and all-around good entertainment, Tai led them to a table where a man was seated, taking a glass of whatever drink he was taking.
It had a green sparkly colour that just turned off Hal the minute he saw it. The man, on the other hand, had black hair and eyes with a serious face and wore a suit similar to those of butlers Hal had seen in fantasy movies.
The man turned his gaze to the three and spoke in a calm voice, "Tai, you made it, and you brought over two hunters to help you, excellent"
The man sounded jolly, which was the exact opposite of the impression one would get from his face. Tai nodded as he exchanged a handshake with the man.
"I would never disappoint, and these two are Lyrrah and Hal, as you guessed, they will be helping me on this hunt"
The man turned his gaze to Hal and Lyrrah before giving a bow and introducing himself, "I am Albert, a butler of the Aquilia family. It's nice to meet you"
Tai sat down next to the man and signalled his friends to do the same as they all took a seat at the table to begin exchanging details on the hunt that was about to begin.
"As I said, I'm a butler for the Aquilia family, and I am here to make a simple request of you: the Aquilia family is the family responsible for the blue tower and its residential area"
The butler touched his forehead as he let out a troubled sigh "And of a recent it seems a troublesome monster has begun terrorising the clear water lake, a place next to one of our merchant's storage areas"
Hal turned to the butler and spoke with curiosity in his voice, "And what type of monster is it?" The butler shook his head somberly, a regretful voice escaping his lips.
"For that, we do not know, but it has been destroying a lot of merchants' goods, and I would like it gone as soon as possible"
"Why not ask any of the bigger companies? Wouldn't that be more convenient for you?" Hal couldn't bring himself to understand why a butler working for one of the greatest families in Ortario would come look for them
The butler did not waste any time in answering Hal's question as he spoke in a professional tone.
"That area is under the jurisdiction of my lady, a member of the Aquilia family. She has been caught up with a lot of work lately, and I decided that I should help her out. She took me out of the slums of the common folk area and has helped my family since, so this is my time to pay her back"
Tai turned to give Hal a bitter look as if calling him out for being inconsiderate. He leaned back and left Tai to handle the rest of the discussions with the Albert the butler.
Lyrrah turned to Hal and placed her hand upon her cheek. She seemed bored as she stared at him intensely "Why are you staring at me like that?"
Lyrrah smiled as she shook her head to Hal's suggestion, "No, I feel like something has changed about you, but I can't put my finger on it"
Hal looked away from the girl, hoping to avoid her usual antics, but Lyrrah brought her hand directly in front of his eyes and spoke in an irritated tone.
"Hey, come on, pay attention to a girl when she is talking" Hal turned to retort, the girl only for the both of them to hear Tai's cheer that resounded through the whole bar.
Everyone in the bar turned to give them disgusted gazes before soon returning to their business. Hal let out a sigh as he asked.
"So, what happened?" Tai rose three fingers in the air as his hands trembled in excitement "Thirty blue Jade, that is how much he is willing to pay us"
Tai looked as if he could try tears of joy as Lyrrah's voice came from behind him, "Wow, that is a lot of money"
Tai nodded as he quickly got up from his seat, saying, "Enough wasting time, let's embark on this mission" Lyrrah got off her seat and prepared to follow Tai.
And at this point, there was no hope for Hal to turn this around, so what was the use of fighting it anymore? He got up to join his friends, only for the butler to call out to them.
"Hey, you three, wait a minute" He pulled out a dagger which had a blue scabbard decorated with lavish designs and gems before handing it over to them.
"This is to help you on your mission" Tai received the gift and passed it over to Hal without even asking or trying to refuse it. It became clear to him that his friend was also a greedy scumbag, but why hand him the dagger.
"Here, I'm sure you can make better use of that than any of us" Hal looked at the dagger before pulling it out and gazing at its beautiful blade.
He quickly sheathed his blade and took one last glance at the butler, who smiled at them as they left. He did not trust him one bit, but for now, he had no choice but to follow the others