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Vol 3 Ch 40: Hamil, Saang, and Kote

  Hamil introduced the two other members of the so-called Tempest Winds. Apparently party names are a given, though according to Alissa, these are the same Tempest Winds that were actually undercover agents, something that worked with Cronus’ orders to ensure no other adventurers get the suspicious quests that might doom a certain part of the country.

  One of them was a rather short woman, around two inches shorter than Mikella. Despite her stature, she stood proudly wearing a mixture of steel and leather armor like Hamil. However, unlike the armor covering his limbs, the woman had armor across the chest and bottom waist, around the vital areas. Her weapon of choice is s large two handed axe with a design of the blades shaped like an S on both sides with a bulbous sphere at the center.

  The second was another man, this time cowled with a dark hood that covered over his head. His face showed, revealing long dark hair that framed his face with a face mask covering his nose and mouth, only revealing his nearly droopy brown eyes. There wasn’t any particular weapon he was holding, but his armor that was all leather had some metal linings across his arms, particularly at his gloves that seemed heavily customized. They were perhaps gauntlets or a special type of tool that was hard to notice at a glance.

  With Hamil by their side, this completed the trio team. One of them, the female warrior, stepped up with a shark-like grin.

  “Heya, kiddies. Name’s Saang. I’m what you would call the front-liner of this party. Pleasure to meet with you two.”

  The other man, the one cowled with a hood, raised a hand. “Kote. Pleasure.”

  “Yeah, don’t worry–this is actually him being excited to see new people.”

  Kote sent a glare at Saang to which she winked at in return. At the very least, the two didn’t seem to share any weird hostility. If anything, they looked like close friends.

  “Nice to meet you all,” Zeke started. “My name’s Zeke.”

  “Mikella,” she raised her head at them.

  “Huh, now that I got a closer look at you two, you definitely look young,” Saang said, peering at them more closely. “Exactly how old are you, if you don’t mind?”

  “Saang, that’s really inappropriate,” Hamil pointed out. “You literally just met them.”

  “Hey, it’s still good to know. I’ll let them know that I’m in my young thirties. But nothing more specific.”

  Hamil only rolled his eyes, and Kote looked like he wanted nothing to do with this. Saang had the look of betrayal in her eyes, glaring at both the men.

  “Hello?! Tell them your ages! I don’t wanna be the single one out!”

  “You’re the one who asked. You pay the consequences,” Kote said simply, getting Saang to raise her hands in defeat.

  “Well, if it helps,” Mikella smirked. “We’re in our young twenties, though nothing more specific than that.”

  While Mikella tried to play the same card as Saang, the surprised looks on both Saang and Kote’s faces were enough to shift the topic.

  “Well damn, no wonder why that guy called us out for this,” Saang said, getting a sly glare from Hamil. It looked like them saying anything about Cronus was a no go, at least in public. “What’s your specialty?”

  “I-I’m sorry, what does that mean?” Zeke asked. “We’re still not really used to this.”

  This was a way to say that they weren’t used to ‘adventurer terms’, not that they were unaware of their own abilities. Plus, it’s good to know what exactly they mean as Zeke didn’t want to show himself like a fool to these supposed professionals.

  “Your builds, how you fight, that sort of thing,” Saang said simply, waving her hand like it’s obvious. “If we’re gonna be working together, knowing this is important. Though, it might be easier if we can use Identify on you without sounding rude.”

  “Oh, go right ahead,” Mikella answered instead. “We don’t mind at all.”

  Once she gave the go ahead, Zeke felt three obvious senses peering over his body. It wasn’t so direct, more like a passing hand across his entire upper head, lower back, and at his chest. This was probably their Identify hitting him at the spots where they focused their ability on. Now he understood why using Identify on someone, particularly on a Journeyman, was considered rude. With the higher power they have, they can easily feel their glances. It was enough to put someone off if they weren’t prepared for it.

  Zeke didn’t feel all that creeped out about it since he already knew, and Mikella didn’t show anything either. Once the Identify was over, the trio looked at them with gaping faces. Particularly at Zeke.

  “A Runist? Seriously?” Saang said in clear disbelief. “How? And at Journeyman too?”

  “Zeke, we were told that you were from outside Arcelot. Does this mean you don’t belong with the Runist Guild that is located here?”

  “There’s a Runist guild?” Zeke asked, his head hung back in shock.

  “Well, that answers your question,” Hamil laughed, almost bending over from it as Kote looked at Zeke in a different light.

  Zeke felt his cheeks flushed at the sudden attention, so thankfully Mikella took over.

  “Is there a problem with him being a Runist?”

  “Please, if anything, we’re the lucky ones,” Saang said, raising a hand towards the two. “No offense. We just didn’t think you’d be a Runist of all things. Our experiences with Runists from the Runist guild isn’t exactly great. But just to clarify–how much do you usually charge for your services?”

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  “Charge?” Zeke asked dumbfoundedly.

  “...Holy shit, we got ourselves a pure-hearted Runist here.”

  “A rarity, for sure,” Kote nodded. “I can tell that he doesn’t see us like we’re dirt stains under a boot.”

  “And he’s a freaking Journeyman on top of that. Dude’s a saint,” Hamil kept laughing, shaking his head.

  The otherworlders looked at each other in confusion. From the looks of it, Runists aren’t that well-liked here despite how useful they are. And supposedly a Journeyman Runist is quite rare.

  Zeke cleared his throat, getting their attention. “I got a lot of questions about that, but let’s keep going. You were asking how we handle things. As you can see, I’m a Runist–But I can fight in close-combat and use rune magic to fight at a distance. Though my real specialty is support. I can heal single targets by touch and clear any afflictions.”

  Zeke was close enough to say that he can also protect them with his barrier, but forgot that he had lost that skill. With a heavy heart, he only offered up his healing services.

  “I’m a warrior, obviously,” Mikella pointed out, probably due to her Identify making her out as a Warrior. “But I’m also pretty good at lightning magic. I also specialize in using different types of weapons to boot, and I can handle myself in the front line too.”

  Saang whistled at the two. “You’re young and you can do all of that, eh? I feel like you two might be barking more than you can bite. Are you sure you can keep up with us?”

  “Trust me,” Mikella said, her tone turning solemn. “We can.”

  “W-We’ll make sure not to get in the way at least,” Zeke said quickly before things get messy enough to turn into a fight.

  “A full on fighter and a mage that can heal. Least we can save on potions for a while, eh?” Hamil said with an easy grin, getting the two to nod appreciatively.

  “So, what are you guys specialized in?” Mikella asked. Zeke easily agreed with a nod.

  “Well, I’m an earth mage,” Hamil explained, showing off the wand at his hip. “I take on the vanguard and rearguard role. I specialize in controlling minerals in my surroundings. Don’t worry, though–I got my own methods to fight on the field should the environment prove lacking.”

  “Minerals…?” Zeke tilted his head. “You mean like the natural rocks and metals? That sort of thing?”

  “About so,” Hamil nodded. “Crystals and the like can be pretty damn strong if you know where to find them. Pretty useful for mining precious ores too for certain quests.”

  “I specialize in the front line with my axe here,” Saang intervened, patting her axe on her side as though it was a well-cared animal. “I have a pretty unique build–I use blood magic to not only regenerate myself, but to also defend and attack using the blood of any monsters or people that get in my way.”

  “I fight from a distance, and I use poisons and acid to deliver damage. But don’t worry–I can also fight in close combat, but my defense is pretty fragile.”

  Mikella nodded. “If you want, you can use me in the front line too. I can handle a lot of heavy blows since my class is specializing in defense instead of offense.”

  “I see,” Kote nodded. “I would appreciate that.”

  “Now that we got the introductions down pat, let’s blow this place and get somewhere to get better acquainted.”

  Saang said, pointing with her thumb over to the entrance. They only just got here, but apparently it was time to reveal the secrets. It was probably better for them to know about it beforehand, so the otherworlders agreed and left the guild. They could come back to it soon after, once everything was settled.

  Hamil led them, which was good for the otherworlders as they still hadn’t got a hold of the layout of the city. Zeke would’ve loved to go up into the air with his rune magic, but he feared that might be illegal without some form of license to use that sort of skill in public.

  They walked around the bend, mostly entering towards the area where more restaurants were around. There were plenty of different eateries that specialized in one cuisine after another, mostly for the dozens of adventurers that wanted to eat something after a hard day’s work. They eventually went to what looked like a diner, as apparently they only just returned and Saang was complaining that she was too hungry to even think properly.

  Once they got in, the diner looked eerily similar to that of a 1920’s diner, filled with jazz like music from the bards that played all the way at the back, their volume the perfect combination of relaxing and unintrusive. It was enough for hushed conversations, and Zeke could tell that some sort of spell was playing from those songs that helped make the patrons relax. Though he was sure if anyone wants to, they can pay extra to receive a specific buff from the songs played.

  At first, he thought that might just be impossible, but if he can gain buffs from his runes, surely they can gain one from hearing songs as well. Otherwise, there wouldn’t really be a Bard class that was so famous even in their old world.

  “Alrighty…” Saang said, sitting at the faraway table away from prying eyes and ears. It was also one of the very few tables with five to six plushed-filled seats that have an active ward for a private conversation. Of course, one has to pay for that ward, but for these adventurers, money was of no issue.

  For the table itself, it was a long oval with the seats spread across, leaving enough room for everyone there. Still, the three adventurers sat together while the otherworlders sat across from them. Zeke was glad that he wasn’t sitting next to them as he still felt a bit hesitant, only just meeting them a few minutes ago.

  “Anything you guys want?” Hamil asked, using what looks like another System plate at the center of the table. “I’m gonna start ordering.”

  After several minutes of discussing what they wanted and waiting for the chefs to cook, a waitress came around and greeted them with a charming smile.

  A large array of meals were placed towards the adventurers and otherworlders. They only just had breakfast, but the two were still curious to find out what it was.

  It looked like lasagna, the pasta being more beige-colored and the sauce yellow and vibrant. The meat used for the center was gray-colored, but the juices that seeped from them was tantalizing to put aside the gray coloring.

  Once everyone was settled in, taking in the small talk and the meal, Zeke realized what the adventurers wanted to do.

  They wanted the two to relax and trust them. At first, he figured this was some sort of scam to get them to spill all sorts of truths with their guard down. But after another careful look, Zeke imagined himself in their shoes. If they were told that some pretty young adventurers were going to start joining them in missions regarding dangerous towers that only they can enter, surely he would want to know what their deal is.

  However, he didn’t want to press them, or force them to reveal anything against their will. If they were already told that they were practically forced to head to this country to deal with a certain matter, surely they want some time to get adjusted and get used to the surroundings. Visiting a diner and having a pleasant chat was one of the things he might consider doing.

  He tried to convey that sort of feeling to Mikella, showing a smile that said a lot about what he felt about them, and she responded with a smile of her own. He hoped that meant that she was okay with this development.

  “Alright,” Zeke said, stopping the mood around the table. It didn’t drop, but he could feel a little tension in the air now that everyone was staring at him. “Everything’s warded off so that nobody can hear us, right?”

  “That’s right,” Hamil nodded. “So you can say anything, including what Cronus told you about us and what Alissa is tasked with doing.”

  “Would be nice if Cronus told us about you guys beforehand,” Saang said, flicking a fork left and right much to Kote's annoyance.

  “Besides that,” Hamil said, sounding more tired than before. “You can say anything.”

  “Understood,” Zeke nodded. After another glance at Mikella, Zeke faced them. “I’ll just give it to you straight–We’re not from this world.”

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