85: Reunion

Are these idiots really willing to fight right here in the middle of the town square? You prefer to avoid bringing any more attention to yourself than you already did and solve this rationally. To that end, you slowly raise your right arm, palm up, and cast [Hellfruit]. A small, plump, red, peach-sized round fruit materializes in the palm of your hand.

Elza’s eyes open wide when she sees the familiar object.

“Now, do you believe me?” you ask your opposition.                                   

“A fruit?” Lyanna seems confused but doesn’t lower her bow.

Alpha’s barely surprised face slowly reverts back to her usual dead-expression.

“What is that?” Gorrazsh asks.

“It’s the fruit he used to save my life,” Elza explains. “But that does not mean that no one else can create such items.”

You are slightly irked that your brilliant solution did not work perfectly, but at the same time, you’re almost relieved that your subordinate is not utterly gullible and questions what is presented to her. However, she is not supposed to question you.

“If what you say is true, then what is more believable?” Gorrazsh asks. “That someone who looks a lot like William can also summon a red fruit or that William came back from the dead?”

Oi, oi, aren’t you supposed to be a big dumb brute? Luckily, you figure out a response quickly.

“The proof of my identity is not the fruit. The proof is that only I would even know to show you this fruit as proof.”

After several long seconds, Elza loosens her stance. The ice particles around her hands dissipate.

“How did you survive?” Elza asks.

“I don’t feel like revealing all my trump cards.”

“… Fair enough. But what about her?” Elza tilts her head in the vague direction of Epsilon.

“Well, luckily for me, you ended up taking most of the attack of that dangerous monster,” Epsilon explains with a smile. “And while your blood and guts thoroughly covered this body, I ended up better off than I could have possibly hoped for. But I can understand why the others would presume me dead. The wolves attacked, they fought back. Everything happened so fast.”

Gorrazsh and Lyanna also lower and put away their weapons.

“I am sorry, my good friend William!” Gorrazsh comes closer with his arms spread and nearly crushes your chest with a simple hug. “I am glad to see you unharmed and well! You too, loyal bunny friend!”

“T-thanks,” Epsilon says with little gratitude in her voice. She then looks around and sees that the small area of the market around you has fallen dead-silent, with everyone’s eyes glued to either you or your allies.

“Alright, nothing to see here!” Epsilon waves off the few gawkers that were probably secretly hoping for a fight to break out. “Just a couple of weary friends reuniting after a grueling adventure!”

Clearly the situation is dissolved, no fight is going to happen. Not even some nasty insults are thrown around to talk about later. One by one, the few disappointed passersby go back to their business.

“How long have you been in the city?” you ask Elza.

“We just arrived about an hour ago,” Elza answers and walks closer, along with the others. “And You?”

“Yesterday. A few things happened,” Some of which I will never tell, you think as you glance to the side. “But now, we have to hurry to the adventurer’s guild!”

“What a coincidence! We’re going there too!” Gorrazsh says.

“Good, then let’s not waste any more time,” you say, remembering that every second count. “We can talk on the way there.”

With your party finally reunited you hurry across the market. You walk in front, side by side with Gorrazsh, and use this opportunity to ask him, “What are you going to this guild for?”

“We are delivering the claws of that giant shadow wolf.”

“What!?” both you and Epsilon ask in unison. Perhaps a little louder than is required as you once again earn glances from strangers.

“As fate would have it, we later found out that Cassandor had only half of the claws in his possession,” Gorrazsh explains. “Lyanna stole a few as her share of the bounty shortly before the wolves attacked for the second time.”

You look back at Lyanna who simply shrugs dismissively, “I never liked that brat.”

“Now, now, Lyanna! Do not speak ill of the fallen. May their souls find their way to the Better Lands.”

“He was willing to let us all get killed for these things! He’s lucky to be dead before Rafael got to him.”

“More importantly,” you interrupt the flowery conversation, “Do you know a woman named Rosetta or Rosy?”

“You really are not from these parts, are you William?” Gorrazsh asks. “There isn’t a single person in this town who doesn’t know her.”

“And what is she like?”

“She’s”—Gorrazsh pauses and scratches his chin while looking to the sky—"Inter— Wait, she’s right there!”

“Ugh, not that woman,” Lyanna groans.

You look to where Gorrazsh points. Past the last remaining market stands you see several people entering and leaving a two-story blue building, that has a giant sign ‘Adventurer’s Guild’ hanging above the door. However, out of all five people, only one is a woman—with short straight blue hair that barely reaches the top of the raised collar of her raincoat, and with rough bangs that cover her forehead.

As Rosetta goes down the stairs of the guild’s building, her long, open trenchcoat flows behind her, revealing her nearly completely naked upped body, save for a single belt going across her D-cups. The belt servers two functions: covering her nipples and preventing her titties from flopping up and down as she skips down the stairs.

Her pants seem two sizes too big as another belt prevents them from sliding down her hips completely, while at the same time revealing the strings for her skimpy underwear. At her ankles, the pants are tied down with bands, that go all the way across her feet, like some kind of a kunoichi, strapped across with sandal belts.

Strapped to her back Rosetta has a giant sword that seems too large for a girl of her stature. And in the shadows of the trenchcoat, you see two blades peeking from behind Rosetta’s naked torso, strapped to her back.

You see a couple of the reasons why Rosetta would end up the most popular girl in town. You watch Rosetta go into the market, to the next shop line from you.

Lyanna checks her possessions and limps forward on her own. “If none of you mind, I’ll go inside and cash in these babies, while you deal with her.”

“Lyanna might have said some things aloud once or twice while her mind was unclear with drink,” Gorrazsh says.

Is there anyone besides ‘Rafael’ that you like? You wonder about Lyanna. Either way, while getting some finances is not a bad idea, considering that you might need to leave the moment you are able to, you’re less than keen on letting Lyanna go alone, unsupervised.

“I’ll go with Lyanna and keep an eye on her,” Epsilon whispers in your ear from behind.

Might as well. You have more important things to worry about, like how to get recruit Rosetta to help you save your sister, somebody she has never heard of, or cares about. Do you just bring her back to Ariadne's older sister and take it from there?