Dragon Quest XI: Partners Until the End

[Chapter 33]

"Thanks, Dave," The taller performer smiled sweetly after a few moments. The fog in his hues began to lighten up, not fully, but just enough to make Dave feel a tad bit better. Sylvando raised a hand, pulling on a little flourish, doing his best to keep up his cheerful act. "We'll be back soon so take care of the ol' girl for me, would you?"

Dave let out a laugh, knowing fully well that jester didn't have to worry about that. Still, the man nodded in agreement. With a final wave, Sylvando trudged after the rest of his friends. They all circled around the Luminary, and based on the conversations flowing in Sylvando's ears, they were all excited to reach Puerto Valor—even if someone wasn't too keen on it. Once the jester settled into the circle, Freya took out her map. Her blue hues flitted over the parchment before landing on their current location.

"Alright, we just need to head to Puerto Valor next. It looks like it's not too far from here!" She beamed brightly, dropping the map to her side as she craned her head towards the rocky structure to the group's side. She pointed towards it, eyeing the greenery beyond the beach. "All we need to do is go up that hill, and we'll be right as rain!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Rab questioned with a delighted tone, his eyes crinkling at the edges. He geared his head to the side, winking at his granddaughter. "Lead the way, lass,"

With a nod, Freya folded her map and slipped it in her pouch. She gave her friends a final smile before spinning on her heel, taking the first step towards the city. One by one, her companions followed her, falling in line behind her.

Luckily, it was rather nice that day, and the sun was bright and warm as the party walked towards the grassy fields. Naturally, there were monsters that roamed nearby, but they weren't anything that the group couldn't handle. In fact, even as the group of slime knights dissipated in a puff of smoke, Freya let her mind wander, thinking ahead about their trip to Puerto Valor.

"I've been thinking—After we meet with Don Rodrigo, we'll have to stock up on food supplies," Freya uttered, bringing a hand to her chin. She craned her head to her grandfather, who had to take a quick breather after the quick fight. "Is there somewhere we can stop by for that?"

"Aye. I have a few places in mind," Rab responded after a few moments. He raised a hand to gesture down the dirt path, silently alerting the rest of the party that they could continue their trek. "Puerto Valor has a lot of things going for it. I'm sure you'll enjoy it a lot, lass,"

"Yes. I, for one, am excited to see the caballeros," Jade piped in a couple of steps behind the two. The Luminary looked over her shoulder with a curious shine in her eyes. From beside the dark haired princess, Serena held a similar inquisitive smile as she glanced between her friends.

"What's a caballero?" The blonde asked. Ahead of her, Rab answered over his shoulder, using his cane to help prevent him from tripping over any rocks in the path.

"Those are what the citizens call their knights. They're famous for their impressive swordsmanship, ye see. Don Rodrigo is the city's leader, and he's in charge of all the caballeros," The elderly man explained, mirth flickering in his hues upon seeing the awe coloring the others' expression. "All the knights that trained under Don Rodrigo are of high class, creating names for themselves, including Hendrik,"