AXEM (LV 14; 77/77 HP; 75/75 SP; 1384/3000 EXP)
AXEM is releaved to see his stats are now comparable to the rest of the party's.
The party goes downstairs and meets Balthisar for breakfast while they await the arrival of the bandits. While they eat, they discuss what lies ahead of them inside yonder gate leading to Tanchi City.
Balthisar: "While you are vastly more powerful as a unit than you were prior to entering Oldajon, you still have a huge challenge ahead. Tanchi City is a very twisted place and you need all the help you can get. Since I've heard of Liiche's demise, I've been spending extra time in the gym just in case someone was to come along to challenge the Periande. I think it would be wise if you let me join you as a playable character."
TRITHAL: "What kind of stats do you have?"
His stats are queried.......
Balthisar (LV 30; 200/200 HP; 150/150 SP; 3000 EXP)
THRAX: "Damn! That's pretty good! Whatever the hell the 'Quartz Talon' is, it must be pretty powerful."
AXEM: "Hell yeah you can come! The more ass-kickers, the merrier!"
BALTHISAR OF THE QUARTZ TALON JOINS THE PARTY
TRITHAL (LV 14 DIVINE WIND; 79/79 HP; 67/67 SP; 1237/3000 EXP)
AXEM (LV 14 STONE PILLAR; 77/77 HP; 75/75 SP; 1384/3000 EXP)
THRAX (LV 13 HELL FIRE; 60/60 HP; 101/101 SP; 1471/3000 EXP)
CHRIS (LV 8 ...DEAD; 0/37 HP; 31/46 SP; 657/3000 EXP)
Ali (LV 12 PRINCESS; 65/65 HP; 55/55 SP; 1110 EXP)
Evan (LV 10 NANCY-BOY; 87/87(+25) HP; 67/67(+25) SP; 847 EXP) (while holding extra item, of course)
Pallerdoris (LV 25 DARKNESS FLAME; 100/100 HP; 100/100 SP; 1896 EXP)
Aelle (LV 21 DRAGON OF AIR; 84/84 HP; 100/100 SP; 1853 EXP)
Anri (LV 17 ICE DRAGON; 70/70 HP; 100/100 SP; 1772 EXP)
Alys (LV 16 HOLY DRAGON; 67/67 HP: 100/100 SP; 1862 EXP)
Danika (LV 15 FOREST DRAGON; 64/64 HP; 100/100 SP: 1496 EXP)
Rishna (LV 14 LIGHTENING DRAGON; 62/62 HP; 100/100 SP; 1472 EXP)
Balthisar (LV 30 QUARTZ TALON; 200/200 HP; 150/150 SP; 3000 EXP)
Later on, the party scatters a bit while they wait the arrival of the bandits, and whoever they've found to help fight. Actually, most of the day passes while they wait. They all agree to take turns sitting on the roof of Balthisar's place and watch the city gates for the bandits. Meanwhile, everyone else finds something to do to occupy their time... AXEM and THRAX come across Balthisar's old band equipment, and the three of them proceed to 'jam out' for a while. Ali finds a weapons shop in town and trades in her dueling sword for a higher-leveled one. Evan finds himself in Balthisar's living room re-arranging the furniture and decorations, etc. The Saibot chicks are conversing amongst themselves about topics that only they find interesting. And, finally, TRITHAL sits on Balthisar's back porch overlooking the valley they were in the day before, studying the layout of Tanchi City and the Duke's Residence on his laptop (which he keeps in storage most of the time like the rest of his... [chortles]... gadgets).
After an hour or so of nothing at all happening, Evan goes to the back door and asks TRITHAL, "Hey Trithal! Can you help me with something, pleeeeeze?"
TRITHAL: "Kid, you're beyond help."
Evan: "C'mon! Be nicer to me!"
TRITHAL: "Why?"
Evan: "Cuz I asked you nicely! Now come on! I need your help in here!"
Realizing the only way to get this fag boy to shut up would be to get up and go see what he wants, TRITHAL decides to get up and go see what he wants. He follows Evan down the hallway to the living room where the lights were off and the curtans over the windows were closed. When TRITHAL walked into the room, the lights came on and a loud "SUPRISE!!" eminated from the room. TRITHAL looks to see the saibot chicks, Ali and Evan wearing pointy birthday party hats standing around what smelled like a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting (which happens to be TRITHAL's favorite) with 'Happy 27th Birthday Trithal!' written in blue icing on it. The room was decorated in streamers and such. Evan immediately threw one of the pointy hats on TRITHAL. After a second or two when TRITHAL got over the shock of the moment, he yanked the hat off of himself and threw it at Evan, since he never liked to wear those stupid things anyway.
TRITHAL: "What the hell is this?"
Evan: "Well isn't it obvious? It's your birthday party!"
TRITHAL: "I can see that, but my birthday ain't for another three weeks."
Ali: "True, but this might be the last time we'll be all together in one place, so might as well celebrate now!"
Deciding that he's outnumbered 8-to-1, and the fact that a diversion from having to think about the shit they're gonna encounter the next day was quite inviting, TRITHAL joins the girls and guy in this retarded celebration. Besides, it's been a while since he's had red velvet cake.
As a birthday present, Ali presented TRITHAL with a sword wrapped up in blue cloth. TRITHAL removed the sword from the cloth and found it to be the 第二風の剣 (Wind Sword II)... which is the next-highest leveled sword from the one he has. It has the same pattern as the tattoos on his face engraved in the sides of it with blue tint in the engravings.
TRITHAL: "Wow! This is awesome!"
Ali: "It's from all of us, but especially me and Aelle."
Aelle: "This ought to make up for me destroying your pizza knife."
TRITHAL: "Gee, I don't know what to say!"
Evan (whispers to TRITHAL): "Try 'Thank you'!"
TRITHAL motions as if he's gonna back-hand Evan, but then says, "Ok, Thank you!"
Ali replies, "You're welcome!" then hugs TRITHAL. Afterward, Aelle does the same.
TRITHAL equips the sword, which causes his stats to increase slightly:
TRITHAL (LV 14; 79/79 HP; 70/70(+3) SP; 1237/3000 EXP)
And with it, TRITHAL LEARNS "DEMON STORM".
The little gathering continues for a while until it's TRITHAL's turn for lookout duty. The sun is setting to the west while TRITHAL sits on the roof with his laptop and stares at the information on the screen. A while later, Aelle joins TRITHAL on the roof carrying two cups of coffee.
Aelle: "Care for some company, Tsutaru?"
TRITHAL: "Do you have to keep calling me that?"
TRITHAL takes one of the cups of coffee as Aelle sits down next to him.
Aelle: "Why not? It is your given name, right?"
TRITHAL: "Right, but I prefer my surname. More people know me as 'Trithal' instead of 'Tsutaru'."
Aelle: "Very well... You know, it was Ali's idea to throw you a birthday party today. She told us that your girlfriend died on your birthday four years ago, and it's never a good thing when a painful memory stains an otherwise happy occasion. Besides, we all needed something to take our minds off of the current situation. So, are you feeling better today?"
TRITHAL: "'Better'?"
Aelle: "Yesterday you seemed like a stick of dynamite waiting to explode."
TRITHAL: (chuckles) "I guess I got up on the wrong side of the bed yesterday."
Aelle: "If you don't mind my saying so, you seem like one of those guys who doesn't normally let stuff bother him... but when something in particular annoys you enough, then anything can set you off."
TRITHAL: "Well, that's pretty much me in a nutshell."
Aelle sits and thinks a minute, then says, "Can I ask you a question?"
TRITHAL: "Depends on what it is."
Aelle: "Aside from the princess, you seem to be the most passionate about this business in Tanchi. Why is that?"
TRITHAL looks away for a moment, then responds, "You remember me telling you about what happened to Minako, right? The guy who killed her was one of Liiche's henchmen."
Aelle: "Oh that's awful! But, what would Liiche want with some young, innocent girl from Kureganu?"
TRITHAL: "That's kinda complicated... You see, when Minako was three, her village was massacred by Liiche's army and her parents were killed. At that time a recently-disembodied macha found her and used her to escape from Liiche. That's how she ended up in Morgura. The macha was Macha-Rei, one of the few of Liiche's followers whom Liiche would never allow to leave his sight onacounta what she knew about him and his operations. After her disappearance, Liiche began to search for her to make sure she doesn't compromise his quest. Somehow he found out that she was hiding out in Morgura, so he sent Visaggo of the Shadows there to kill her."
Aelle: "And, how is it that you know all this? I've heard quite a bit about Macha-Rei... She was one of Liiche's top enforcers who was guilty of many attrocities. No offense, but I can't imagine anyone who knew the truth about this girl would want to spend the rest of his life with her."
TRITHAL: "That, also, is complicated. I didn't know about any of this until the instant she died..."
Aelle: "... you mean, she assimilated you?"
TRITHAL looks away and nods.
Aelle (surprised): "So then, that means you're Mac---"
TRITHAL stopps her before she completes her sentence, and says, "Sorta. According to 壮大マハ, Macha-Rei no longer exists. I carry her memories and some of her powers, but that's it. When Minako died, Macha-Rei partially assimilated me, so that means she'll die when I die."
Aelle: "Well, ain't this a horse of a different color! Now everything's falling into place!"
TRITHAL (quietly): "Aelle, whatever you do, you must keep this to yourself. I don't want the whole fucking prefecture knowing I'm Macha-Rei. Before you knew it, there'd be a lynch mob after me."
Aelle agrees to keep quiet as Evan climbs up to the roof.
Evan: "Okie dokie... wanna pokie? Ha ha, just kidding... I've come to relieve you, Trithal. There might still be some cake left if Axem and Thrax haven't eaten it all yet... those pigs! I've never seen someone as thin as Axem eat so much!"
TRITHAL and Aelle climb down from the roof and make their way inside the house while leaving Evan on the roof unsupervised.... Wait, where'd he go?
Evan: "I'm right behind you!"
AAAHHH!!!! What the fuck...?!
Evan: "Hey! You're that guy 'Smilin' Bob' from the Enzyte commercials! Is it true you're hung like a horse? Lemme see!!!"
HEY! Get your hands off me, you freak!
Evan: "Cummon! I just wanna take a little peek!"
GO AWAY!! Get the hell outtaaaaaAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa.........
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(thud)
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TRITHAL: "Woah, Smilin' Bob! Are you ok?"
I'm ok! OW!
Evan (narrating): "Whoopsie! That was a nasty fall Smilin' Bob just took, but Trithal and Aelle are helping him inside. He looks OK."
TRITHAL: "Evan!!! Quit fucking around and get to watchin!"
Evan: "Don't worry, cutie! I can see every damn thing around up here! Woah.... that guy way over there has a cute ass!"
TRITHAL: "If you can't watch the gate from up there without being distracted by every other male ass that walks by, then get your ass back down here!"
Evan: "But, who will do the narrating?"
TRITHAL: "Don't worry about it. The episode's over."
Evan: "Oh yeah, right." (narrating): "I guess this concludes Wind Earth Fire Water's Episode #50: Idle Time. I hope you liked all the fine decorating I did to Balthisar's living room. If any of you fine people would like your homes to look as gorgeous as this one, contact Evan, son of Curtas, 69 Bum-hug Circle, Village of Muika, Mount Sabretooth Prefecture......"
.....
(PING!)
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(thud)
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.....
(CLANG!)
.....
TRITHAL: "Finally he shuts up!"
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(footsteps walking away)
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