Lost Fantasy-The Flowers of Stelis (Arc 2) [Hiatus]

Chapter 49

The next morning, the sun shined down on the foreign city of Rostindel. Outside of the inn windows, the city was bustling as commoners walked about, conducting their everyday business. Farmers rode on small wagons, transporting their produce to the city markets to sell; kids ran about, playing with their friends; guards patrolled the city, ensuring the peace; and Adventurers sped along, gathering information and supplies as they prepared for their next hunt or quest. However, although the outside world was lively and awake, Loganel was still asleep. The journey to Rostindel from Astalan had taken quite a toll on him, rendering him extremely fatigued the night before. Therefore, when he was finally given the opportunity to rest in a warm and comfortable bed, it made the sleep extremely relaxing and appealing for him. Combine that with the fact that the curtains blocked out the sunlight almost completely and that're the reasons why him, Kaz, and Tetsuya were still asleep despite the sun hanging high in the sky.

The trio finally woke when they heard a knock on their door that was also followed with a familiar female voice, calling their names.

"Tetsuya, Loganel, Kaz," Sheriel's voice called as Marilin knocked on the door. "Are you guys awake?"

Loganel was the first to stir followed by Tetsuya. Loganel slowly forced himself to sit up on the bed, making sure to clutch the upper bed sheet that was stuffed with warm wool close to his body in order to ensure that he's protected from the cold weather. He yawned and looked over at Tetsuya, whose bed was the nearest to the door and past the still asleep Kaz. Loganel realized the door moving somewhat, and that was when he realized that the girls had probably called for the inn owners to come and unlock the door for them. That was exactly what had happened.

The two girls entered their room, completely dressed and with somewhat annoyed expressions on their faces. Sheriel, upon entering, glanced around in search for Tetsuya, and when she did, the elf blushed as she took in Tetsuya's still somewhat drowsy countenance.

"Wake up!" Marilin said in a raised voice as she pulled Kaz's bed sheet.

It took a half second for Kaz's body to react to the sudden change in temperature, and when it did, his body started shivering severely.

"What the f*ck?" he cried out as he curled his body up into a ball with his knees close to his chest as he tried to conserve body heat. "Who the hell did this?" he shouted as he opened his eyes. When he saw an angry Marilin, his attitude immediately softened.

"What did you say?" Marilin asked with a scary smile on her face.

"I didn't say anything," he immediately responded. "God this is cold!" he shouted as he jumped out of his bed and hopped over to Loganel's bed before slipping underneath Loganel's bed sheet.

"What're you doing?" Loganel asked as he merely sat there and watched the demihuman boy slowly relax his body as he was warmed once again.

"You guys need to get up," Marilin then said with a sigh. "It's almost noon."

"We've slept for that long?" Tetsuya asked.

"Marilin and I were waiting downstairs for you guys," Sheriel said. "But after waiting for an hour without seeing you we asked the inn owner to come and unlock the door for us just in case."

"Sorry," Tetsuya smiled apologetically. "We'll get dressed now."

"Sure," Sheriel responded.

Then, Tetsuya stared at Sheriel, which caused her to blush.

"W-what is it?" she asked shyly. "Do I have something on my face?"

"We need to change," Tetsuya said, smiling.

"...?" Sheriel stared at Tetsuya blankly, but she soon understood what Tetsuya meant and her face turned even more red. "O-o-oh," she stuttered out of embarrassment. "We'll leave the room. Let's go, Marilin."

The two girls quickly exited the room, leaving the boys alone. Knowing that they're late, the trio quickly dressed for the weather. Loganel made sure to put on his long battle coat as well as carry his two swords with him. Next to him, Kaz put on his leather coat and cloak which bestowed him with maximum mobility and protection. Finally, Tetsuya's clothing consisted of a light gambeson with some metal plating for optimal protection. Then, the three made their way out of their inn room after locking the door and down the stairs.

There, the two girls were waiting for them already at a round, wooden table. There was food on the table that consisted of warm bread and some cheese that the girls had ordered from the inn owner. The three boys gathered around the table and took a seat before they started to eat breakfast and discuss the day's plans.

"So today," Tetsuya announced to his party. "Our goal is to gather information on the Vampires that were reported to be spotted in the city. There's been two victims so far, so Marilin and I will go to the morgue and investigate the bodies. In the meantime, Kaz can go investigate the sites of the attacks, and Sheriel, Loganel, can the two of you gather information from possible witnesses?"

"Fine," Sheriel answered. Her voice lacked its usual optimism and her eyes seemed to contain a hint of jealousy as she glanced over at Marilin.

"The reason for this arrangement," Tetsuya decided to explain to his party, "is that since Marilin is a priest, she's more acquainted with Vampires. Kaz's acute senses will be valuable at the scene of the attacks. I mean no offense, but Sheriel and Loganel, the two of you aren't the best at investigations..."

"I understand," Loganel responded.

"Any questions or concerns?" Tetsuya then asked as he looked around the table and at the face of every single party member. "No? Then after we finish eating, let's get right to work. We'll meet back at the inn when it's dusk."

Breakfast wasn't long, lasting only about fifteen minutes. Everybody ate at a faster pace than usual for they were already late and needed every single minute. Therefore, after everybody finished eating, the party made their way out the door of the inn and stepped foot on the foreign city streets of Rostindel. It was nighttime when they had first witnessed the city streets, so the daytime view appeared extremely alien to them. However, even then, the party was determined to complete their job.

"Alright everyone," Tetsuya announced to everyone else. "May you all have the best of luck."

The party then separated with each group going their separate ways. Tetsuya and Marilin walked off to the right since, according to the inn owner, the morgue was located in that direction. Kaz went off on his own towards the left to the approximate area of the attacks. His plan was to gather information on the exact locations from the locals that resided near the area. This thus left Loganel alone with Sheriel as the two stood in front of the inn.

Loganel glanced to his side at the elf girl. He had never truly spent time alone with her, and oddly enough, although Sheriel was a member of the party that Loganel had knew the longest, he knew the least about her out of everyone else. Therefore, Loganel wasn't sure how to approach her. Loganel was surprised to see an annoyed expression on her face. It was an expression that he had never thought was possible on Sheriel's face. It was... dark and almost filled with disdain. However, when Sheriel noticed Loganel staring, that face sudden disappeared and was replaced with a cheerful smile.

"Let's split up," she suggested. "That way we'll be able to cover the most area in a day."

"S-sure," Loganel responded, still recovering from the shock of discovering that twisted expression on her face.

"Then I'll head this way," she said and started walking down the street in the direction right of the inn, which is where Tetsuya and Marilin and walked off in.

"I'll head straight then," Loganel nervously and weakly pointed in the direction straight in front of him.

Author' Note:

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