Now I needed to convince Maya and Zara to help me exorcise the mansion. However, I realized that in all the rush of forming the party, we hadn't agreed on how to contact each other.
I sighed.
Well, at least with Zara, I had an idea of where to look.
I visited several pastry shops in central Lumis, discreetly asking about a red-haired girl. At the fifth shop, I spotted her through the window: Zara, sitting at a table, devouring a chocolate cake.
Upon entering, the sweet aroma enveloped me. It was curious how someone as serious as Zara loved these kinds of places so much.
I approached her table. She was so focused on her dessert that she didn't notice me until I stood right in front of her.
—"Zara?" I asked.
—"Ghk! R-Ren!" she choked on her cake.
She coughed violently until she swallowed the bite. Her cheeks turned crimson.
—"Are you okay? I didn't mean to startle you."
—"I'm fine. What are you doing here?" she asked, smoothing her hair.
—"Can I sit? I need your help with something."
—"Of course."
I ordered tea and explained the situation while Zara listened, taking small bites of her cake between sentences.
—"I bought a house... well, a mansion, actually. But there's a small problem: it's inhabited by specters."
—"You bought a haunted mansion?" she asked, freezing with her fork in midair.
—"Well, when you say it like that, it sounds... yeah, it sounds absurd. But it was dirt cheap! And it has a huge garden."
Zara let out a soft giggle.
—"Only you would do something like that, Ren. But... why didn't you hire an exorcist?"
—"Can you actually do that? Well, it's an option, but I'd rather ask trusted allies for help."
Zara blushed slightly at being called a "trusted ally."
—"I see. I'll help... but only if you treat me to more cakes afterward."
—"Deal."
We talked for a while about the details.
—"Now we just need to find Maya. Any idea where she might be?"
Zara looked up thoughtfully.
—"That brute only thinks about fighting. She's probably at the public training grounds."
Hearing that, I remembered the place: a large courtyard near the guild where adventurers could train for free.
—"You're right! Let's go."
We headed there.
The training grounds buzzed with swordsmen and mages, but in one corner, a crowd had gathered around something... or someone.
As we got closer, we saw Maya without her usual armor, wearing only a fitted top and training pants. Her body, glistening with sweat, shone under the sun as she unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks against a reinforced straw dummy.
The crowd's whispers were unmistakable:
—"That's the Amber Flame! They say she can set her sword on fire!"
—"Look at her movements... I wouldn't doubt she could split a boulder with one strike!"
I was dumbfounded. Maya, free from her usual rough demeanor, moved with a grace and power that were hypnotic.
In a final spin, she struck the dummy, which exploded into pieces. The audience erupted in applause. Maya, panting, wiped her forehead with her arm... and then she saw us.
—"R-Ren?! Z-Zara?! What are you doing here?!" she stammered, tripping over her own feet.
Her face turned red as she alternated glances between us and the remains of the dummy.
—"I wanted to talk to you. I need your help with something," I replied.
—"M-My help? Fine, I'll listen... but let me change and wipe off this sweat first."