Zay looked at the man and shook his head. "No, thanks."
The man sighed, narrowed his eyes, and gave a slight nod. "Very well... after all, you have more important things to do. Fifty silver a week?" he added hesitantly, unsure if he could even keep up with the payments.
Zay's left brow lifted slightly as he began to think about it.
'Fifty silver a week just to wear clothes and promote a business? That could go a long way... but with how hesitant he sounded... it really makes you think. Still, fifty silver a week is a lot. The average income back in Ovaris was thirty-five silver a month when I left. Now, thanks to the new king—Eternal Rain, Hydro, the monthly income should've risen to seventy on average. The kingdom's growing, taking more land, offering more jobs, and expanding education... so getting paid fifty silver a week for four weeks? That's two hundred silver a month... interesting. Does he really think I'm worth that much just for wearing clothes?'
Zay pondered the offer for a moment, then glanced over at Ira and sighed slightly. "No can do. I've got more important things to do than modeling."
Ira turned to look up at him, and a slight smile appeared beneath her veil. Zay wasn't sure why she smiled, he had only said that because of what the coachman mentioned about being stationed there for eight months.
She must really be bored of staying in that mansion if she's smiling over something so simple.
The man sighed deeply, accepting defeat with regret. He didn't have the means to increase the pay, not by a single piece of silver or bronze. "Fine. Enjoy the clothes and the rest of your day."
He walked back to the counter and waited for the next customer. Zay made his way to the door and opened it. Ira walked out, and he followed behind her.
"Since you've gotten your clothes, is there anything else you wish to look at while we're here?" Ira asked as she came to a stop, glancing around at the nearby buildings: Romo's Restaurant, Fresh Bananas, Angel's Warmth, and Bar Inn.
"Well, Roland did give me money for a small list of food for the month... or a week? I'm not sure. But are you fine if we go do that? I just want to make sure I get at least some of it."
Ira smiled softly and nodded. "Did he really give you the list for the food? He usually just goes into town himself."
"He asked if I could watch the children, but I told him we were planning to go into town today, so I offered to pick it all up and save him the trip. He agreed, gave me some silver, and told me everything he needed."
Ira blinked slowly, then turned around and began walking toward a store that sold all the food they needed. It wasn't a large store by any means, but it was big enough to supply a good portion of the town. It was run by five people, though only four worked inside, the fifth hunted in the forests for boar meat, harvested herbs, fished, and handled other outdoor tasks.
...
The coachman and Naomi both dismounted their horses. The coachman quickly lifted Rei into his arms and sprinted toward the mansion—the gate was still open. Naomi followed close behind as his boots slammed against the ground with each step. When he reached the front doors, he raised his knee and slammed it into one, leaving a dent. 'Shit... I'll just give three gold coins to pay for the repairs.'
Roland opened the door, a staff in his hand, divinity surging around it. When he saw who it was, he quickly set the staff down against the wall. His eyes dropped to the body in the coachman's arms.
"Is there anyone here with medical knowledge?" the coachman asked, stepping inside as Roland gestured for him to enter.
"Follow me," Roland said, turning quickly and walking toward the stairs. He pressed his hand against a painting, and small orbs of dark green light floated into the wall, causing it to shift and reveal a lit hallway with stairs leading downward.
Roland descended first, with the coachman and Naomi following behind.
After about a minute, they arrived in a room lined with shelves stocked with various supplies—needles, fruit, medicinal leaves passed down through the Order, and several items covered with rags. Each rag bore a glowing white symbol of wings.
"Lay him on the table," Roland ordered as he walked over to one of the rag-covered items. He lifted the rag and pulled out a book completely coated in golden aura.
The coachman laid Rei's body down onto the table while Roland returned, placing his fingers over Rei's chest.
Roland whispered a divine phrase and released the book, letting it float in the air. The pages flipped on their own, stopping near the end before the book hovered directly over Rei's body. It flipped itself over, aligning the pages with Rei's form. Roland then removed the trench coat that covered Rei and took a step back.
The book glowed brighter, an almost blinding golden light that quickly faded into a pure white radiance filled with warmth. Roland, Naomi, and the coachman raised their hands to shield their eyes, squinting and closing them against the overwhelming light.
...
Two hours passed before the carriage pulled back into the mansion. Zay and Kade climbed down from the coach box. Zay walked around and opened the door for Ira as she stepped out. The three of them looked toward the mansion's front doors, Kade's and Ira's widened slightly.
Kade glanced back at them as he lifted his great steel axe. His crimson aura erupted around it. He didn't see any guards anywhere on the property, and the children were nowhere in sight.
"Looks like we were attacked by those damn Nine Cursed Wheeled bastards."
Zay raised his hand, and a blade formed from violet aura within his grasp. Ira removed her veil, lowered the hood of her robe, and whispered a divinity. A golden orb appeared on the shoulders of both Zay and Kade. Instantly, they felt a surge of strength, their bodies growing slightly lighter.
'A support divinity... that's the priestess of the Order!' Kade thought as he rushed down the stone pathway and barged into the mansion. Zay stayed near Ira, activating [Predator's Hunting Grounds]. His violet aura flared around him, forming a small shield that wrapped around both him and Ira.
"Can you tell me what the Nine Cursed Wheeled even is?" Zay asked, raising his aura-forged blade, ready to intercept any attack, though he saw no danger lines at all.
"The Nine Cursed Wheeled is an Order similar to ours," Ira replied. "But they believe in silencing other beliefs, or so the rumors say. I've never seen any of them myself, but according to what Roland always told me, they only operate at night... never in daylight. So why now?"
Zay's grip tightened around his blade as he scanned the surroundings. "Maybe they've been watching this place for a while... and noticed that three people left at once, when usually there's only one or two at most?"
Ira's eyes widened. "The children!" she exclaimed before turning toward the mansion. She began to run off, leaving the shield of aura behind to check on the children and ensure their safety just as a line of appeared in front of Zay.
Zay's eyes widened. In a split-second reaction, he lunged forward and tackled the priestess, wrapping an arm tightly around her waist and dived to the ground. An arrow struck the spot where she had been standing.
It slammed into the earth with such force that a shockwave rippled out from the impact, quaking the ground before triggering a violent explosion. The sheer pressure hurled the carriage backward into the horses, killing them instantly in a brutal blast of splintered wood and blood.
Zay turned to stare at the arrow now embedded in the earth. It was nearly four feet long, thick, jagged, and still humming with an energy resembling black and red.
"You're going inside!" he snapped, his voice sharp and commanding. Without waiting for protest, he hoisted the priestess over his shoulder, careful to shield her gaze from the scene behind them—where the horses now lay in mangled pieces. He rushed to the mansion's entrance, dropped her inside, and slammed the door shut behind her.
Then he turned and stepped back into the open courtyard.
Lines of aura flickered across his vision.
A second arrow whistled toward him—so fast he couldn't react in time to block. He dove to the right, the arrow missing him by inches as it tore into the ground. The impact sent a ripple across the stone, the force knocking pebbles loose from the path.
Zay barely kept his footing, but as he looked up, his breath caught.
Three arrows spun together midair, fusing into one colossal bolt engulfed in emerald flames. It shrieked through the air toward him. Zay raised his violet aura blade to intercept it, pouring aura into his stance.
SSSSKREEEEEEEEE
Zay planted his feet and raised his violet aura blade. His aura surged around him, whirling violently as he braced for impact.
The arrow met his blade, and a violent CRACK echoed out as fractures spread through the blade like shattering glass. Zay gritted his teeth, "ARGH!" his voice came out as a shout, he felt his muscles scream in resistance, but the bolt didn't stop. The blade exploded in a brilliant burst of violet light. Shaking the entire the courtyard.
The remnants of his shattered aura scattered like dying stars. The emerald arrow ripped through his shield next, unleashing a shockwave that blasted outward. Zay was thrown, crashing to the ground with a bone-jarring THUD.
He rolled violently across the stone path, skidding to a stop in a trail of dust and torn grass. "F-fuck!"
His breath caught. He coughed, staggering to his feet as sweat slid down his neck, his aura flickering wildly.
He looked down at the place where the arrow had landed; grass withered in an instant, blackening and curling like burnt paper. The ground pulsed with sickly green light as a venomous fluid seeped outward, bubbling and spreading like living rot. The air around it shimmered with heat and toxicity, and the scent of decay coiled into Zay's nose.