The Hunter [Job]

It didn't take long and Leila was already heading towards another job that came directly from the council. Apparently stopping a crazed murdered wasn't quite enough, as there was now a crazed treasure hunter that could probably blow up half of the world if he got his dirty hands on something powerful. As a fellow treasure hunter and proud member of the Golden Phoenix, she had a sacred duty to stop him at any cost. Which was why she accepted this job without even thinking about refusing. That, and of course, for the reward which was also listed in the info that she got from the council. This time it wasn't just for the jewels, it was for something more material as well. And Leila did like getting shiny things. And just like that, she found herself on a horseback once more, galloping through grassland and small hills, only to reach those ancient ruins. It certainly sounded like a place where treasure would be hidden... but it was also pretty obvious, and thus surprising that someone showed up only now to take all the riches that this ancient labyrinth was hiding. It was almost suspicious... or maybe it was that there was simply nothing in this place and the group of treasure hunters were simply mistaken. Still, the higher-ups were not willing to take that risk, which is why she was here now. With a loud sigh, she hopped down from the leather saddle as she finally arrived at the entrance. It looked almost as a stone tube, leading into the depths of the earth itself. As her eyes darted about, several things came into her attention. Mainly remnants of a camp, indicating that there truly was someone inside. But at least Ori liked it here, as the furball started hopping around in the tall grass.

Until now, he was simply hidden in Leila's bag. But now that they weren't going anywhere at high speed, he was free to play around and properly stretch. And so did his owner, who also yawned as it was still pretty early in the morning. The sun was only slightly above the mountains in far distance, not blocked by a single cloud. Pretty much a perfect weather one could argue. Unfortunately, she did not have enough time to just lie on the ground and sun bathe. Though she did have a little bit of time, as she was waiting for another person to show up. Someone she contacted beforehand, as she was sure this other girl would want to join her for this adventure. And it was always nice to have some company. Especially if one was to wonder lonesome labyrinth and eventually fight against a horde of angry mages who were looking for some manner of treasure but found nothing instead. For now, she seated herself against one of the stone walls, right next to the lingering darkness that the hall next to her was emitting. It sure was dark in there, they should probably try to craft some form of a torch or other light before venturing inside. But that was problem for later, as Leila often lived be the rule of 'leave tomorrow's problems to tomorrow you'. Meaning she would care about getting a light source only once Jiyu arrives and not sooner. Ori too didn't seem to have much on his mind, as his glowing fur slightly illuminated the grass around his body, the tiny frame of his nothing more than a spec in the sight of the ancient underground labyrinth she was to enter. In these situations, one just had to wonder who exactly made these structures and just for what purpose. It was quite puzzling.

---

950 word count

Jiyu was laying in her twin bed, which was odd because it was nearly noon at the moment, but eh, she could be a sleepy head if she wanted, today. After-all? She'd been working very hard, and her work had even been realized by the council, as they'd made her into a rising star, of course Marschal was one too, but he wasn't being lazy for a day yet. Honestly thought, she'd earned the rest somewhat, truly, she had been over working her recovering body and sometimes she was starting to feel the soreness that could cause. However even as she let her body lay down for the moment, her brain refused to rest, trying to summon an ideal of another job or such she could complete! After completing her first council related job? She'd sworn she'd only open her deceased mother's letter if she could become one of the wizard saints, even for a single day; Thus Jiyu knew she had tons more work to put in, before she would get the pay out she truly desired. In the end her rank wasn't even that important, even if she climbed that high, it wouldn't matter, from the time she was seven, her mother's death had been all that plagued her mind.. Well until Marschal came along and kidnapped some space in her head for himself! That man- she was distracted by a chirping in her open window, causing her eyes to open wide as she sat up, looking at the gorgeous messenger bird sitting in her window, some sort of parrot or something, pretty and ornate, clearly from somewhere important. Jiyu stood up and walked towards the window, gingerly untying the note from the birds leg, no idea at that time where it would send her to, and the adventure she was about to embark upon! Of course even without the bird notice, she'd have gone right after hearing word of this anyways.

      Right after she had read that letter? Kazehime became ticked, at the joy she felt rush thought her body, she thought of riding on the back of Leila's horse back to the council, to turn Lilith in alongside the Golden Phoenix mage, who had legit been assigned the task. Thinking of someone else so highly, instead of the way it could benefit herself, the moment she got such a letter? Even considering their praise to her (Which of course had been returned some time on the horse ride). Well it was abnormal for someone who spent so many years relying on only themselves, and she had almost bit her tongue off at it. However in the end she decided it was not worth it, as she might not even see the Eden Mage on this job, sure she knew the council sent other mages as well, it stated so in the letter, but there was no direct reason to think one of the other magicians was Leila.

       Soon enough after her receiving of the letter, Jiyu arrived near the ancient ruin maze, where the treasure and treasure hunter's had to be. As default? Leila also had to be around here somewhere. Of course, the other mage had likely put a meeting place in her letter, but Jiyu had been too excited to actually bother reading for the exact location, especially when she had a nose and sensitive ears to find her partner with instead. As she was wandering about, getting her bearing's and trying to find her companion? That sweet melon and thick nature scent entered her nose once more, and she knew already who it was, Leila smelled unique just like every other person in the world, and there was no way such a smell belonged to someone else! At first Jiyu had thought's once more of not heading in her direction, doing this alone, but eventually the thought of how well they'd worked together crept in, and it made her feel fuzzy inside. It was Leila's job, and she couldn't not seek out the Eden Mage knowing that. Once the ideal took root in the fiercely independent mages head? It broke her down soon after. Kazehime climbed to the top of one of the tree's lining the area outside the ancient ruins, opening her mouth, breathing in deeply through both her nose and mouth, twitching her ears to pin point Leila.  

        "Yo!" it would not be much longer after that, Leila would sense a weaker mage sure, but Jiyu didn't know if the B rank mage would remember her exact magical signature, even if she had sent for her. Anyway's? Not long after finding the other mages position, she would drop down in front of her, knee's buckling and hands touching the ground, to absorb the shock. Once she was on the ground again? Kazehime would stand up, her hips swaying which caused Night Hunt to bounce against her leg, and her chest to bounce in her bikini top slightly, her jacket left entirely open this time. Actually? The jacket didn't belong to her, she just hadn't given it back to Marschal yet. "Fancy seeing you in a dangerous situation again, Leila." she swayed back slightly, putting her jacket sleeved fist in front of her mouth and giggling, her other hand playing with a strand of her waist long hair. Despite having the same habits as before, and conducting them in almost the same manner? Jiyu seemed to be a more confident person this time around. "Sorry if I took a while, I had been laying down when I got the letter, so I had to actually spend time getting ready." pale pink lips spreading into a large smirk, she placed her hands behind her back, shifting from foot to foot.

Her partner's arrival actually took longer than she expected it to. And with the warm sun in the skies, Leila's mind soon grew sleepy. It wasn't long before she gave in and drifted into the land of everlasting dreams again. This time, she found herself sitting by a table that had a horde of melons on it. It truly was one of the best dreams she could possibly have, and she enjoyed it while it lasted devouring all of the red goodness inside of those green balls. But a magical energy creeping into her senses partially woke her up, as she was used to being rather sensitive. She always traveled alone and it was important to sense possible attackers right away, lest she could easily become prey for thieves or assassins. Not something she would like to experience. Half-opening her eyes, she saw a dark figure on a tree nearby along with a familiar voice. And then a loud thud as that someone landed right next to her. With her right hand, she gestured a good day to the newly arrived mage as she wiped out all the drool from her face with the other hand. The fancy top hat slid further down onto her face as she slept, and thus she had to fix that now, finally getting a clear view of Jiyu who was seemingly teasing the still half-asleep mage. "In what universe would you call maze exploration dangerous? Those lurking within it won't be harder to get rid of than weeds on your everyday garden I'm sure." They were going against treasure hunters after all. In most cases, they didn't even use magic and always rushed head first into all kinds of dangers. It shouldn't be that hard to dispatch of a bunch like that, especially since there were two for the task now.

With a low groan, she started clawing her way back onto her two legs, getting back the same height as Jiyu. Apology for being late just kinda flew by her head as she rubbed her eyes a little. "Eh, it's fine. At least I was able to get few more hours of sleep in. Ori?" Calling the name which was unknown to the other mage, the small white-furred being quickly ran through grass and hoped onto Leila's shoulder from where it stared at the wind user. "I suppose we are ready to head in now? Ah, actually... we might need some light." Ori's fur was glowing in the dark, but that was hardly enough for them. It mostly just served to let his owner know where he is when they were both in a dark room, but that was about it. No way he had the capabilities to illuminate the entire hall unfortunately. Looking around, she quickly found a makeshift torch on the ground, probably left behind by the party that they were after. And as a true survivalist, she always carried around a small box of matches that she now used to bring flame atop the wooden stick with wet cloth on it. It was crude and basic, yet very effective and in many cases, life saving. Swinging it about, she made sure the flames wouldn't go out too easily and then pointed the torch into the hall, extending their vision a little bit further. "I take it you know what we're doing here? If not, I can explain as we go, wouldn't want to keep our target waiting too long." With a smirk, she invited the younger mage to join her as she started walking into the impenetrable darkness with confidence and not one bit of fear showing. Black was actually quite comforting for her, so this felt more good than bad.

---

Jiyu was always so eager for these sorts of missions, heck she could never wait to get herself into trouble. After-all? Wasn't making it out of trouble alive, what being a mage was all about! However no one could get out of any problem alive if they did not allow themselves proper time to prepare before they got into it, and Kazehime needed a decent amount of prep time before she could head out onto a mission. Apart from the usual getting dressed most mages had to do? She had to secure enough arrows to fill her quiver, or else she could not use her weapon, and the arrows she used had to be very strong and durable, otherwise her wind magic would shatter them after one use, and since she'd been on numerous missions lately, her arrows had been far to raggedy to risk this task, so she'd needed to restock before she set out. However? In a world where everyone loved to use swords, axes and such! Arrows of the quality she needed happened to be hard to come by most days, she lived in Rose Garden, a bustling hub of activity, so it was possible to get the items she needed, but it took a little, even if she knew where to go.

      Jiyu brushed her orange dyed bang's away from her left green eye, so it could join the bright blue one in observing her just waking partner. Seeing Leila wipe drool from the side of her mouth? Was adorable, but she had to wonder if it was just how the other mage slept, or if she'd been having some dream related to food. Honestly she was concerned the golden phoenix mage had fallen asleep so close to the rather abandon looking camp, that Jiyu guessed belonged to their enemy, but since the other female had woken up promptly upon sensing her, the wind mage would not mention her concerns about Leila's sleeping habits. Honestly the elemental user always forgot mages could sense magical power and thus find any real threats before they arrived, since she relied on her sense's and the electromagnetic fields of the earth/everything in existence, to find her way around.

        "Hmm, yeah your probably right. Thought if we run into trouble on this now I can say I told you so, after we kick their ass." Without the creepy aura that had effected her the last mission they had? It was certainly going to take a bit longer for that cute girl in need of protection that Leila was used to, sure Jiyu would seem like that at least once during this. In an old place? Spider's existed and she wasn't thinking they'd encounter her worst fear, apart from fire, but they would. However for now, she seemed too gusty for her own good actually, one hand on her hip as she pointed a finger at Leila with a small chuckle, before tracing that finger through a lock of her own hair.

        "Ori?" she sounded confused, and when the grass rustled the female went for her chest, of course it looked weird because Leila didn't know she kept a very sharp knife contained in a sheath there. However her hand fell back to her side when a very fluffy somewhat feline looking creature jumped onto the Eden Mage's shoulder and she looked with wide eyes. Gazing upon that thing? Made Jiyu wish once more that she had her own pet of some kind "Ori is Adorable!" of course she was only guessing that Leila had been speaking her pet's name, but at least it was an educated and reasonable guess, both hands held in front of her mouth balled up to keep her excitement at something cute, contained nicely.

       The second Leila picked up the crude torch that looked more like a piece of broken wood to the wind mage? Jiyu suddenly stumbled back a good four or five feet away from her, eyes wide and glistening in fear, arms wrapping to hold her shoulders as her breathing picked up, and her body started shaking. While the Black Rose Mage knew well enough that Leila was not going to burn her? The disgust and fear of what happened to her over those two years, the burn marks scattering her body, they rattled in the back of her mind and shot forward as her companion lit the torch. Jiyu's  brain struggled to catch up with her natural reaction, her teeth clenched and her eyes averted as she panted. "I-I'm sorry, it's not you, I, it's just, it's the flames." As she spoke? A several dull throbs started across her body, finger's rubbing one of the burn marks on her stomach as if it suddenly pained her again. Between that and what she realized was now pitch blackness expect for where the flame was, Jiyu found it so hard to take the first few steps behind Leila. However she had promised to do this with the other mage, so none of this really mattered, and she did power through enough to be matching strides with the other short girl, mostly.  

       "Mostly, you can explain a bit if you want. Also, while I can use my nose and eyes here, my hearing might not be as reliable as it was in the town, there are lots of echo's in here." At the mention of her eyes? Anyone bothering to look could tell they weren't exactly normal human variety optics, as most the whole eye had turned black with the pupil enlarging to let in more light, a trait found in animals with good night vision. However she didn't trust her eyes as much as she once had, and her fear of utter blackness was something too, without Leila it was likely she'd not have come in here! Since every echo made her ears twitch, and she trusted those more than her eyes. At least she still had her nose.

Spoiler:

Ori only tilted his head slightly to the side as the girl spoke, praising the little guy. "Of course he is. He's Ori after all." Her words had little logic behind them, expect the one that your own pet is always the best one perhaps. Not that Ori would be some kind of normal dog or cat, he was far from being ordinary. Which also allowed him to be uniquely adorable and pretty. Rubbing his chin a little, Leila made a small gesture and the creature hopped back onto the ground and suddenly jumped back up, this time on Jiyu's shoulder and from there on the top of her head where he remained for now. At least the two could get to know one another before they would encounter another thing that would require their attention. But her reaction to the torch was both unusual and troubling. Staring at her for few seconds with confused eyes, Leila finally realized why was her partner reacting so badly. She didn't even realize it when she started making that light source, but those burn marks on her body had to be from flames. Unpleasant memories, that much she could guess effortlessly. But it was situation most troubling indeed. Without a proper source of light they would get lost quickly. Although... there was on more group of people that went on ahead. And if they really were proper treasure hunters, then they would leave something behind them to find their way back. Nodding to herself, she ignored most of Jiyu's words and dropped the torch, stepping on it as soon as it hit the ground to douse the flames. When they were gone, she would forcibly grab the young girl's hand regardless of her response. And just like that, she would start dragging the poor gal behind her into the darkness at full spring. It only took few seconds until they reached a corner that had eerie green light behind it. Moving towards it, it was revealed that the light was coming from green crystals that functioned as light sources in these ancient walls. Now that they had light again, she could stop running and dragging others behind her. Instead, she just turned towards Jiyu with apologetic look. "Sorry that I didn't realize... are you better now?" Even though they were standing, Leila was still firmly holing her hand, perhaps not even realizing it.

---

That was one confident and cocky little unique animal thing that Leila had gotten her hands on. Honestly? Jiyu always had this tiny dream of owning some sort of pet, but she had not obtained one before her mother died when she was seven, and well afterwards her father was a fairly useless parent, mourning mother far too much, unable to see how much his little girl needed him beyond how much she resembled her mother. Now that she was a grown woman, working very hard in one of the legal guilds dotted around earth-land, she very well could buy a pet for herself. Right? However the female had no idea what kind she would get if she had to do it, that was such a hard decision to make, especially considering she had stopped thinking about pets after she was seven, until seeing Leila's adorable little monster. Feeling him sitting on her head? Was such a sensation and it made her smile, she was definitely going to have to get a small pet of her own soon enough.

      Jiyu did not often act as if she had been seriously affected by her two year imprisonment, in fact before the scars and wounds even really started healing, the mage had been back on her feet, running around doing mission's! Considering that they had met in a dangerous situation, and she seemed to hold little fear in the presence of another back than or any second before the flame had been lit? Jiyu could not blame Leila for not predicting the reaction she'd been forced into, honestly if she could help it, that wouldn't even happen. However she was surprised the other mage dropped the torch and stomped it out promptly. Without the flame? Leila, as far as Jiyu was aware, would be putting herself entirely reliant on the wind mage's ability to see in the dark due to her sensory boost! Considering the fact kazehime never really put that much faith in someone, she was shocked someone else would put that much confidence in her.

      She didn't even realize what they were doing as Leila ran them through the darkness, gripping her hand. The only time she realized they'd just run thought almost pitch blackness? Was when they saw the faint green glow in front of them "A lot of people don't realize, I didn't even rest very long after he rescued me, and even recovering still I'm doing things like this; It's not unreasonable for people to over look the fact I might carry mental scars from the whole thing. Considering I pretty much ignore the physical aspects. It's fine." she tried to assure her partner that she was unaffected now by what had just happened, however she might have let out more than she intended to. Firstly? She let loose that she had actually been involved in something she needed rescued from, recently, secondly she revealed admitting she knew the mental scars she carried, alongside whatever else could be implied. Like? The man who rescued her might be the same one she had a crush on.

       "I smell people, getting closer." and she wasn't even thinking about how the closed environment would effect her magic, drawing an arrow, considering they might be about to fight. Soon enough, something would appear in the pale green glow.

Spoiler:

The member 'Jiyu Kazehime' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

---

'Monster Dice' :

Ori found the top of Jiyu's head quite comfortable and decided that he should probably stay there for a while. Or maybe it was just his way of befriending girls that loved cute things. After all, who wouldn't want that little furball of a creature on their head instead of a fashionable cap. And ever since Leila started wearing that top hat, he was limited only to her shoulder too, which he did not like very much. He was all about freedom and not being restricted, even if he wasn't particularly interested in whatever it was that was not allowed to him. A lot of animals were like that... and humans too. Only because they could do something, they had to do something. But of course, that was topic for another time, as it would take ages of discussing and swearing. Much too different from the topic of a cute little Ori who remained holding the position even as the two girls ran through the dark corridor. And now that the girls were having some time to breathe again in presence of a dim light, Jiyu started talking once more. Just like during the contract on Nightmare Lilith, she would reveal tiny bits of information about her past. Or maybe they weren't so tiny this time? Not really sure how to respond to her words, she would silently wink at Ori who immediately jumped down onto the cold floor. And instead of his fur was now Leila's hand, as she petted Jiyu's head. "Just don't overdo it, okay? Breaking your limits can only lead to breaking your own body... and we most certainly do not want that to happen, under any circumstances. Do you understand?" It was obvious that she would. After all, someone like her would get that a lot. Always being reminded to take it easy. But that was a good think, not a bad one. It meant that people cared for her and didn't want to see her in ruins again.

It was truly important that this young lady had someone she could rely on and look up to. And surely enough, that boy was one lucky bastard. It placed smile on Leila's face, maybe a grin even. It sure was nice being young and engaging like that, not like herself. She was too much of a loner to be capable of speaking the same way about someone. But maybe with time... "Nah, probably not..." She finished her thought out loud as she turned around, letting go of Jiyu's hand and showing her her back. It was useless to think about something like this in underground tunnels such as these. The damp and cold atmosphere was just about the opposite of what you wanted to talk about romantic stuff. And of course, the moment of their interaction didn't last too long either, as the wind mage caught another human's scent, warning the both of them of the incoming encounter. And just as she predicted, several grown men would sprint out of the shadows. "I knew I heard something! Now you believe me, right?" One of them would shout, pointing rudely at the two girls. Leila stood unimpressed, her expression completely neutral. "...4 ...and 8. Huh, what a small crowd." That expression quickly changed into a smug smile when she counted all the heads on opposing side, one of her hands resting against her hip in a teasing manner. "You part of Harper's group?" Her words were sharp and precise, going right through them and even forcing their bodies to move back few steps. It was clear that the young female was filled with confidence in her speech and abilities, not even thinking about taking the submissive side in this encounter.

"W..what if we are, huh? Why do you want to know? Are you after the artifact too?" The same man who spoke before would shout again, his words bearing the same annoying volume, letting his voice echo through the stone halls. "That's all I wanted to know." Along with the sassy response, Leila would shrug with a smile and cracked her knuckles. She already knew that Jiyu was long ready, pointing her arrows at them over her shoulder. The only questions was, would these old walls hold if an explosion occurred? Their collapse could be both advantageous and disadvantageous to them, as it would bury the treasure hunters with easy. But it would also block their path forward, something like that would be most troublesome. Whatever the case, fight was drawing near as both sides prepared for the clash. And Leila was the first one who made a move. Before even engaging the enemy, Ori jumped high into the air and in a spark of magical energy, he transformed into a small crystal ball that she caught and hit inside one of her pockets. And then, with a quick fling of her hand, a blue petals started appearing around her body, bringing her more speed than she had before. But it was clear to her that the group standing in front of her did not consist of the same quipped thugs. More than a half of them had guns, and they were all pointing straight at her. And soon, five loud bangs sounded as the bullets flew where once Leila was. But now, they only hit the ground that was slightly distorted by the wind that took the mage's place. Teleporting into the middle of the group, she sank her fist deeply into one of the hunter's stomach, placing a seal at the same time. Hopping few meters back, she turned and shouted at her partner too. "Get to the ground, would you?" Just like she said, she did too.

And shortly afterwards, a green explosion engulfed all of the treasure hunters, creating tornado of rotating branch blades. They didn't look too painful by themselves, but as they were repeatedly hitting all of the bodies in radius, the damage was quite good. Pretty good way of damaging the entire group of enemies, only, the spell had quite a long recharge period. And as they were all still standing, the fight was far from over. However, something rather unexpected happened. Entering her radar of magic sensing, something started approaching at high speed through the black tunnels. Something that was familiar to Leila very much. Jiyu surely noticed it too soon enough. And in mere seconds, a while winged shadow flew right past the two, mere millimeters away from the ground, as if it knew how to avoid those rotating branches. And just as fast as it arrived, it flew in-between most of the thugs, freezing almost all of their legs in chilling sweep. Stopping just out of the range of Leila's attack was a young looking girl, clad in freezing aura and with beautiful wings of ice growing from her back. "Y..Yuki?!" Was Leila's immediate reaction when she was the exotic girl. And she responded to those words with a look of attention, staring right back at the Eden's mage. How.. What are you doing here? It was clear that Leila was rather confused by this sudden development of their situation. "You left without me. So I followed on my own." There was little interest or emotion in the words of the new arrival. But it was also devoid of hostility, indicating that the two of them knew one another at least to some extend. Meanwhile, the enemy was still fighting with the raging storm of wood with their feet partially frozen. Truly a good time.

---

The young wind mage had no problem with the small glowing mammal finding her head a comfortable place to lay! So long as this mixed breed appearing thing did not have the bladder control problems that birds had? Well everything would be cool, and he could stay there all day long if he really wanted to. Ori’s method of befriending girls who liked cute things, at this adorable loving girl, was spot on, and also brought up the topic that Jiyu had never worn a hat in her life, weird, but entirely true, she’d never worn or needed any sort of headgear. Even hair ties or clips? Had never graced her locks! Growing up before her mother died? Their family had not really contained the cash flow to doll up their daughter past feeding and clothing her, nor had Jiyu taken any interest in such things. Than her mother died, and her father could care less, it was too painful to barely even look at his own daughter, so he never bothered getting her anything cute or girly like that. Thus? Even if she adored cute things, the female had never owned many cute objects herself, save for clothing. Having someone else’s adorable pet perched upon her head, was one of the most enjoyable sensations she’d had in awhile! a hand reached for her head, delicate fingers spreading out and coming into contact with her downy head. Instantly? The wind mage closed her eyes, not really realized what had happened, it had been so long since someone had done that to her. Considering how short she was as a child, it had been a common habit of both parents back in happier days, to do that to her, and she responded without even noticing what was going on, leaning into the hand ruffling her hair, facial features relaxing and this sound like the kind a very happy dog would make, escaping her throat.

"Just don't overdo it, okay? Breaking your limits can only lead to breaking your own body... and we most certainly do not want that to happen, under any circumstances. Do you understand?"

It was when Leila spoke up once more that Jiyu realized what had happened and what she herself had done. Swiftly? She stumbled a few steps back, blushing and averting her gaze, covering her face with her hands. How was she going to explain having that sort of reaction to being pet?! Damn she acted so much like a dog sometimes, but she was human, Jiyu swore! Only the girl was lying without knowing it, because her mother had almost been a full blooded demon, which made the wind mage at least part demon, despite being unaware of it. Lacking the knowledge of her demon blood? Did not truly make her human, even if she looked and for all purposes was human, except for her senses, since her blood was dormant. However that was not important right now, her hot and embarrassed gaze staring at Leila now, hopping the other girl would not think she was weird for having such a reaction, for so clearly enjoying being pet. “I understand.” thought it was the first time she’d actually said it back to someone so clearly, that she could remember.

Somehow she thought one of Leila’s statements there did not fit, as if there was something to be discussed or a thought that leaked when it shouldn’t have. Either way? It faded from Jiyu’s brain after she had caught scent of the enemy men and pointed them out to Leila. For the next few moments? She watched the show of Leila's spunk and the discussion that ensued. The wind mage was ready to fire one of her explosive attacks at a moment's notice, not even thinking of what it would mean in such a confined space. Of course? Leila might have thought about how damaging her partners magic could be to somewhere like this, because she teleported into the middle of the group, thus if Jiyu wanted to attack she'd have to accept hurting her ally as well. In the end, it was not a risk that she was willing to take when the other girl seemed to have this, so she got down as ordered, staying there for some time.

"Well considering everything..." she was going to show case something that Leila had yet to see of her, the fact this wind mage was actually exceptional in the speed category naturally. After a few seconds of watching the branches rotate and judging the attack her partner had cast? Jiyu was ready to make her move, placing her hands on the ground right outside the attacks range to the left, and doing the same thing on the right. "I'd love to know what is going on, but if someone could force them a little closer together? The range of what I'm trying to do is a bit smaller than my other stunts." there was no need for her to waste magical power on wind slash when another smaller move would do, and she was too close for Wind Dance so that left Wind Game, which was her smallest range attack, only spanning ten meters.

Spoiler:

Leila cared little about judging others. To her, those reactions seemed cute, maybe even dangerously cute and attractive. Whatever would they do if she got addicted to seeing those very reactions? Then Jiyu would be petted by her hand on every possible occasion probably, until the act itself would become annoyance for the young girl. And then no one else would be able to enjoy those whimpers of unconscious affection. In a sense, it would mean that they were special for the Eden's mage. But of course, that would only apply if Jiyu actually refused being pet by anyone else. Something like that was just too much to ask, especially if she did have a special someone who cared for her and wanted to give her all the affection in the world. Alas, they could not focus on these things at the moment, as the enemy was still standing in front of them. But no for long. The battle was unfolding in their favor, as the treasure hunters stumbled around in confusion from all the attacks that were suddenly directed at them. Not really capable of paying attention in all of that, they did not mimic what the three girls did and remained standing tall, which ensured another painful hits by the rotating branches. They were treasure hunters who were dealing with traps of all kinds very often, but when they were actually inside of active one, they had no clue how to deal with it at all. It was actually quite amusing to watch, placing a confident grin on Leila's face. As a treasure hunter herself, she was maybe proving to be better than them right now. Well, the rules of her guild did actually specify that she should get the treasure at all costs, even if hundreds of enemies were in her path, trying to stop her if their very lives. Thinking about it, it was actually pretty ruthless rule.

But that's how it is and soon enough, bodies started falling to the ground. They were not trying to avoid the branches, rather, they were already too damaged from them and fell unconscious. Three of the more freshly looking guys were finished just like that, sleeping peacefully with their eyes spinning from Leila's storm. And five still remained, even as the branch storm started slowly fading away. Of course, they could not allow them to rest. A cold aura would start sending chills down their spines, their skin slowly turning blue from the frost. Yuki was simply walking towards them and damaging the fools with her aura. But to make it even more effective, her wings carried her tiny frame into the air where she kicked one of the hunters into the head, leaving pieces of ice on it. Landing right after, she followed with another strong kick right into his back, forcing him away from the group where she showcased her martial art skills, breaking apart his frozen body. And while she was beating him into submission in surprising silence, Leila took action too. As Jiyu requested, she tried forcing the remaining four into one big cluster where they could be easily hit all at once by her explosive magic. Creating a long, sharp-looking sword with her free-forming ability, she was able to force them back quite easily by running around them and swinging blindly. Of course, she didn't manage to hit any one of them like that, but they were now all forced into a circle where their backs touched. And just like that, they hopefully became perfect target for the wind mage. Taking several steps away from them, Leila signal a thumb up to her partner, looking to the side where Yuki also finished her opponent, who now lied on the floor unconscious with ice covering most of his body. The rest clearly did not like that, as they started pulling out guns and cannons, finally ridding themselves of the confusion they were in just mere moments ago. Hoping that Jiyu would fire quickly, Leila put her faint in that, not trying to defend against possibly incoming bullets and iron balls that would hurt a lot if they connected with her body.

---

It would be good in the coming days that Leila did not care to judge other’s! In the coming day’s? Any judgemental person might easily come to the conclusion that Jiyu had been lying to them for the duration of their friendship. Soon enough? The wind mage was going to find out something about herself, a thing that she currently did not know, but some others had suspected. When these two next met, the young wind mage would no longer be human, no matter how much she insisted now that she was not a dog nor had any relations or resemblance to one? The next time Leila saw Jiyu the young wind user would have treked to train with her deceased dog demon mother, never knowing before consuming blood for the first time, starting her transformation into a half dog demon, that her mother was a demon, thus leading to her being a half breed. Most people would never believe the fact that someone could be unaware of being born a half demon; However since Jiyu had been born with dormant blood that needed activated to prove her half demon status? Her own lineage had been kept a secret from her, the girl's mother not wanting her daughter to need to suffer for being born into the blood line she belonged to. Once the transformation was done? Leila would also have new parts of Jiyu to play with if she dared, like a hypersensitive tail. However for now everything was just simple, two human girls in the depths of ancient ruins, hunting down old artifacts and other such things. The process of thought? Had gotten far off base and point.

The dangerously adorable wind witch looked forward at her allies, one hand over her mouth for a few seconds. Most of her brain? Was still stuck within how damning her prior actions had been, she was really embarrassed by the things she had done. However there was not really time to be thinking about such things in their current situation, sadly. The only things they had time to consider? Was how they were going to get out of here alive, and complete the mission. Of course, with the two of them working together, their power was a little more than fairly strong! Also Jiyu felt like she could face anything while standing there with the Eden Mage, a feeling she’d only had when dealing with Marschal in the past. The fact it now extended to her new friend? Alarmed Jiyu sometimes, but would hopefully not cause her to start lashing out at Leila like she did with the giant marshmallow, cat boy.

“Alright.” she bit her tongue slightly, watching the girl whose name she guessed was Yuki, back the men into a circle, and she darted to the other side of the hall, a short distance behind the men, slamming her hands down, and then darting for the final touch that she needed to cast her area spell. One of the bullets from the treasure hunter’s? Niced the wind mages hair, causing her to gasp, but not stop to see if her head had been grazed, instead she slammed her hands down for the final time. “Yuki make sure you stay clear! Wind Game.” she panted, an attack with such a focused explosion, clearly taking more effort for her to cast and maintain. That? Was the whole reason she did not do things like firing single blasts of wind or such, she wasn’t quite ready to do it yet. While Jiyu was clearly strong? The rising star was still a C rank and had her limits.

“It works as a trap too.” she commented, walking forward towards Leila again, figuring any left over health could be handled by a quick punch or kick from Yuki, the men where nothing besides barely awake masses between the attacks they’d been hit with, barely threats anymore. “Soo, am i going to get an explanation?” she spoke up, gesturing towards Yuki, before putting one hand behind her head to mess with her own hair.    

Spoiler:

Leila thought that the attack Jiyu was preparing was another long-ranged strike from her bow. But it clearly needed more preparation than that, even placing her in danger as the treasure hunters decided to fight back. The loud, echoing noise of fired bulled stopped the young girl's heard for but a moment, before she saw that it didn't actually hit her partner at all. They were still all well, no injuries covering their bodies as of yet. But at least the attack was pretty fancy, impressing Leila again without issues. It was clear beyond any doubt that her partner had plenty of talent to give, all of her attacks precise and devastating. While she was still a smaller rank, it was only a question of time before she would be able to break apart mountains with those spells. And with the attack executed, the men were left with little strength left to fight, their bodies stumbling over one another. A chilling cold would cover them once more as the newly arrived girl stood behind them. She too knew that her presence alone was enough to sap the last bit of energy from their bodies. As they all slowly collapses, only one of them managed to stay conscious for a bit longer, kneeling in front of the trio. "D..damn... Harper! He'll get you for this... surely... avenge us..." Perhaps he just wanted to sound cool, as his body hit the floor. His words, similar to those one would utter when they life was about to end. But this man was only knocked out, their life still intact. Once this was all over, he was free to walk away from this place, provided that the council wouldn't send soldiers to this place in order to arrest all the defeated foes. Though they weren't exactly doing anything illegal per say, they were still looking for a dangerous item that could probably bring ruin to Fiore in one way or another. Or maybe not. Point being that the council had to hire a mage to sort this mess out, as sending a force directly under council's order would probably violate some manner of rules about freedom for mages and other nonsense.

But at least it was all done now. Or rather, the first encounter was finished. Surely there would be at least one more before they find the actual artifact within the walls of this cursed maze, buried deep under the ground. And since it was all done, Jiyu demanded an explanation about Yuki's sudden arrival. With a nervous laugh and one of her hands scratching the back of her head, Leila took a stance right next to the young white girl. "This is Yuki, my... uh... companion and friend. I thought she would find this place boring, and thus I left her in my room... but as you can see, she tailed me and now she's here. No worries, she is on our side all the way, no questioning that! Her name is Yuki and she's something between a human, dragon and a fox..." Trying to reassure the wind mage, Leila did her best to defend Yuki, since it actually seemed as if Jiyu was somewhat agitated by her sudden arrival. But that was probably a normal reaction, as she did not know who's side she was one. For a completely stranger could easily think that she was helping those thugs for a promised reward or something. Though she clearly looked like a child still, someone who should not be occupying the front lines of a battlefield. With that, the introductions and such were out of the way with Yuki just blankly staring at Jiyu the whole time, her crimson eyes almost shining in the darkness, penetrating it rather easily. The could aura around her was slowly fading, as were the ice wings that floated behind her back just few moments ago. Now they were melting with easy, as the combat ended and there was no need to keep them around. All that remained was her eye-catching outfit, showing signs of oriental style and freedom to move around, perhaps at the cost of the dangerously short skirt at times. But the same could be said about Leila's outfit as well, or any other combat attire that boasted skirt.

---

Jiyu did have one long range shot hidden within her bow and arrow skills, however the wolf shot was actually one of her few attacks that did not explode. In fact? It was more of an assassins shot than anything else, and unlike her other attacks, it only hit one enemy at a time, and had a longer cooldown, considering how hard it could be for Jiyu to focus her attacks that intensely! However she did not have the chance to showcase that attack yet, and Kazehime always saved those arrows for the last possible second, as it had a very long cool down. So she was going to end up showcasing her less powerful attacks like hurricane paw, wind game and such, that were only knock outs if she used them right. Considering, she had not seen reason to waste the amount of power it took to cast something like Wind Slash, yet. For the moment? They wouldn’t have to worry about sending the hallway crashing down on themselves, but it would be a risk in the future, for sure.

Also it was clear that Jiyu was not entirely sure she hadn’t been struck by the shot from earlier, the one that had stopped Leila’s heart, because she was feeling her head, and bringing her fingers around to her face, as if look for blood. Luckily? She found none. Upon discovering she was indeed fully alright, save for some strands or her long hair taken away, she smiled over at Leila, swaying her hips slightly, her hand curled to a semi fist next to her face as she smiled. “Yeah I doubt this harper dude can beat us, we might have to be careful with him, but.” she hummed it would, swaying from side to side, causing her hair to move as if it was a wagging tail, large fanged smile on her mouth. Honestly she seemed so much like a little puppy sometimes, her steps quick as she made a motion with her whole body, one that seemed to suggest from her few steps forward, that they should keep going. Along with her motion? Was an adorable little laugh and point down the hallway, but no word of other’s coming towards them.

“Alright, let's go than, I can smell more scents up ahead.” they weren’t as close as the other men had been thought, the female running down the crystal lit hallway, little jumps in her steps here and there, as she hummed slightly. A while later? She skidded to a small stop, upon deciding that they were close enough to prepare their next attack. Kazehime turned to look at Leila again, smiling softly as she played with her hands, pointing to the left of them, down another hallway. "Our next opponents are down there." she whispered, trying to prevent the enemies from hearing them first this time, considering she disliked when they got jumped by numerous men.

Spoiler:

The member 'Jiyu Kazehime' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

---

'Monster Dice' :

Sighing with relief, Leila watched Jiyu's body language diligently. The girls sure was a lively one, moving constantly, showcasing that she was filled with plenty of energy. Which was good, since they still had a long way ahead of them. Though for some reason, she decided to mainly ignore Yuki's presence, even during the introduction that she provided. Perhaps it was only because she had no interested in the half-dragon? Ori was a fluffy creature that people had urge to stroke and play with, the same could not be said about a young girl wearing an exotic yukata. Not that it really mattered as long as she was fine with her presence. And given her playful walk, she was just fine. As Jiyu rushed slightly ahead, Leila just gave a reassuring look to her icy companion, who returned a look of calm and collective person. Which was also followed by them exchanging a small smile. But it was time to move, and so they did. Ori stayed inside one of his master's pockets for now, as there clearly were still enemies and he would only get in the way. It was surprisingly pleasant to have someone with powerful senses on her side, it saved her a lot of sneaking around that she usually had to do to spot enemy first and gain the upper hand. But all she had to do now was stay close to her partner who always managed to locate the enemy from safe distance. So unless the enemy was already rushing towards the two, they would always have the element of surprise at their side, just like now. "Good work, let's take them down quick~" Leila's words were playful as she hopped around Jiyu as well, offering her head a quick pet again before taking place in the front line, walking through the occasional shadows until another group of treasure hunters came into their vision, still far enough for them no to notice the girls.

Though it wouldn't probably stay like that for long. There was absolutely no cover in these halls, only bare walls with chiseled patterns. And from the looks of it, this party consisted of the exactly same members as the last one. Trying to resist the urge of calling out this deja vu, she came to much better explanation. The main group of treasure hunters that was lead by Harper probably split into several smaller groups so they would cover more ground. After all, this was a labyrinth. Even if Harper said that he knew to correct way, there was probably a little lie hidden in there. No way a normal human would be capable of memorizing a specific route through this place. As the girls covered in shadows stood still, Leila started whispering in voice low enough for the enemy to not hear. "I don't see Harper... as you said, he should not yield enough power to take down all three of us. But he is a known treasure hunter and mage as well. Dangerous is a good word to describe him... so if I mention that he's in the area, do be careful. For now, I'll let you take the fist strike, then I and Yuki rush in." After all, it was Jiyu was had most of the ranged attacks. And even the female ice half-dragon nodded, her eyes gazing straight at the black haired girl. Leila and Yuki were truly good close and mid range fighters, but when it came to attacks from longer range, they were completely clueless. Having party this big truly was something great, as they were capable of covering nearly all situations and types of attack with ease and little teamwork. Not to mention that all members were understanding and wanted to protect one another, something you would not find in groups of treasure hunters like the one they were facing. Those guys usually rolled each person for themself, moving in a group only to intimidate others with sheer numbers.

---

It was weird after so long of dealing with her father not being able to look at, than dealing with being a run away, having no one watching her, and then being captured and held, watched to ensure she didn’t escape, after all that? It was hard for Jiyu to grow used to someone watching her because they honestly cared about her, wanted to see and remember her every move! Marschal and Leila both did it, and some others in Black Rose had started picking up the habit sometimes, it was difficult for Jiyu to grow adjusted to the positive attention. Even on her way here? She’d had people looking at her, because citizens who kept up on the mage world, knew the rising star’s, and would clearly look at them when they passed by. Several times on the way here? Jiyu had been made uncomfortable by people pointing at her and staring, thinking they were watching her bruises, until she remembered who she was now, and that they could very well be looking at her in awe, instead of pity. That fact? Would take so long for her to grow adjusted to! However one of these days she would have to get used to being loved and cared for openly once more, it was part of life, even though it had been absent from her own life for many years.

Jiyu spared one more glance at Yuki again, judging the girl but not in a bad way. When Jiyu was judging someone? She was actually evaluating them, trying to guess what she could get away with around them, how to assimilate herself to them. As a run away? She’d needed to make people like her to survive, and the habit had not faded after becoming a mage. However with the dragon hybrid so passive and unemotional in every sense, it was hard to peg what she’d need to do in order to gain the fondness of Leila’s other companion, and she was often choosing to leave it alone until the end of this mission, and try to earn Yuki’s affection next time.

Leila thought of her friends senses as a very good thing, and when she was young, Jiyu had thought they were pretty amazing too. However? Her mother had scolded her every single time she mentioned them, so she actually did trust someone or see no other option when she allowed her senses to be known. Soon enough? She’d see no use in hiding them from the public. However for now, the fact she could do these useful things, was secret from basically everyone beside Leila and Marschal . while she might have mentioned it to other job partners to avoid them being attacking? She had never explained the extent of it to anyone but those two, her friend and crush were the only ones who knew how far her sense’s truly went. When leila got up the nerve to pet her head again? The wind mage squealed and blushed, a gruff canine sound coming from her again, leaning into it for the single second it lasted. Damn it all! She’d acted like a dog again! Well soon enough she’d know that she was indeed a canine.

“Alright.” she grinned at being given the go ahead to attack first. Considering the distance they had between themselves and their enemy? Jiyu peeked around the corner, remembering how easy a party like this had went down before . “Wind Dance!” however none of them were thinking, all of them knew their teamwork advantage, how beautiful it was to have a team like theirs, especially one that worked this well together. However? They were not considering the fact that while Jiyu was a long range fighter, she was also an explosive fighter, and could easily cause a “SHIT!- CAVE IN!” Jiyu heard the comment after their screams from the wind dance, and wished she could drop her spell, to give them more time to get out of the way, watching them flee down one end of the hallway, fighting to get out of her tornado's, away from both Jiyu’s attack and the two mages, damaged from her attack and maybe effectively defeated, due to the fact the direction they were in was now blocked by rocks.

“I promise I can find another way around. Damn it, looks like I’ll have to use Wolf Shot, Wind Beast, Wind Game, Hurricane Paw and Tornado Dome only while we’re here, if I cause another cave in-” they could kill someone in the next one, they were sent here to stop the raiding of the tomb so to speak, not to kill people with her explosive magic. “Sorry I wasn’t thinking about how old this place was, or the fact we’re indoors. Tornado’s inside. Yeah that was brilliant!” she grumbled it, rubbing her head and sighing slightly. How could she have been that dim witted? Jiyu could not figure it out, but for now, she looked at leila and Yuki to see what to do next, and if they were mad at her for almost killing the treasure hunter’s, and causing a cave in. “I can find a way around the cave in, easy I promise.” hopefully that would lessen how mad they might become that she had caused it to begin with.

Spoiler:

It was always fun to get reactions like that from someone. In all honesty, it never really even crossed Leila's mind to try and act like this towards other people. Partners that helped her fulfill few of the contracts, they never really showed their more sensitive side. Because they were mages who only wanted to have the job done. Sure, they were always friendly, but not in the same way like right now. Jiyu showed more intimate side of hers and that pretty much awoke these feelings inside of Leila. Of course, if she didn't mention a boyfriend, there would be a chance of those feelings being even stronger than just some urges to pet and tease the young girl. Though she did have similar urges when she first met Fleta. Though, that time, the little girl was much scarier. This wind mage looked fragile inside, probably only adding to the pile. And perhaps those scars added more than sympathy. Every single person saw beauty in something different, and Leila saw it in many places. Even in cases like this, she thought that Jiyu looked beautiful with those marking on her body. Some people would definitely judge her harshly for thinking like that, but it was just the truth which one simply cannot change, no matter how hard they try. And with that very fear, Leila would not mention it at all. She feared that the girl would be weirded out by it, or she would start thinking that her partner was some kind of sadist that would eventually hurt her, only hiding behind a sweet expression right now. These thoughts filled her mind quickly, adding naught but trouble. Of course, Yuki, creature that was closer to human emotions that anyone, noticed almost straight away. And with with a sudden warmth, Leila noticed Yuki's hand right on top of her own, holding in firmly just like Leila held Jiyu's hand not too long ago. It was another thing that made that smile of hers grow.

And with newly found focus, it was time to face the enemy at hand. To limit friendly damage as much as possible, Jiyu was to take a first shot. And she did. Her wind was as precise as ever, causing quite the spectacle to watch indeed. Only, the old stone walls did not agree with that statement inside of Leila's head. Mainly the ceiling, as it cracked and started collapsing along with the dirt and more stones that were above it. It didn't seem that any of the treasure hunters got hurt too badly, but it certainly ended the encounter with fascinating speed. The hard, solid ground was now creating an unstable wall, making this corridor a dead end without fail. Of course, with the nature of their magic, the three girls could probably get through if they worked hard together. But something like that would be probably just a waste of time and energy, making them face the thugs on the other side as well. Surely not the best course of action they could take. But it wasn't too worrying, as they were inside of an underground labyrinth. They already went through several splitting paths, all they had to do was to go back and go elsewhere. The action as a whole of making the ceiling collapse was met with surprised expression on both girls. Even Yuki wasn't expecting something like that to happen. But there was no anger, nor annoyance in their expressions, none at all. "Let's hope that we find Harper in bigger room... it seems that this place restricts you quite a bit." Was the only remark that Leila made. Nothing about how she almost killed those men at all. Yuki got up and simply nodded to those words, confirming that her thoughts were same or similar to her master's. "No need to apologize." Sensing some amount of guilt in Jiyu's words, she actually spoke too after few seconds worth of time.

"Yup. No need to worry about it at all. So let's find another way together, not just you. Okay?" Offering a warm smile to her partner, Leila felt like mother or older sister again. That weird, unfamiliar feeling that swelled up inside her, almost like nervosity, but good instead of bad. Something so hard to describe that she would not even dare to try and speak about it. Not that there was any need to speak about it, her feelings were written all over her face, easy to read as an open book to anyone who was capable of at least basic communications. Maybe some could even find this funny, how she always tried to make sure that Jiyu didn't blame herself. She was much too old to be reassured on every corner, but there was no helping it. Those words were just coming out of nowhere, escaping Leila's mouth without her truly wanting them to. Honestly, she was barely thinking about what she was saying when she talked like this. Did that made her stupid. In eyes of certain people, it probably did. Maybe even Jiyu herself would find this behaviour of hers annoying or stupid. But so far, she was clearly enjoying it, so there was no harm in continuing it until she starts being defensive about it all. Yuki who witnessed a bit of it all began to understand as well. The reason why her master seemed to be so excited to go on this mission. Perhaps it would have been better if she actually stayed behind, did not interfere. It was too late for that now, and just leaving for the sake of it would not be smart either. They were pretty deep in the labyrinth which was filled with unknowns. Sticking together was the best thing they could do in this situation, and it was working good so far, so why stop? In any case, they would soon find another seemingly infinite path and started walking down it, hoping for positive results.

---

The member 'VindStot' has done the following action : Dice Rolls

---

'Monster Dice' :

Jiyu had long ago lost the ability to recognize her own ideals of fun, sure she knew the activities she tended to call fun, but the things that truly brought her enjoyment had long ago been drown out by the need to become a mage and to survive. Thus? She went through everyday pushing down the things she truly enjoyed, because once upon a time, they’d been dangerous or in her way! Now that she had the time, means and safety to enjoy her lifetime, she had forgotten how to truly do that. Each day she spent around certain people however, slowly started bringing back the things she enjoyed, pushing them to the forefront of her mind and forcing her to remember what she wanted from the world, her desires from before her mother died, the things she’d wanted while trying to become stronger and survive. At the current mental state of Jiyu? If her friend fell in love with her, she’d likely break, unable to process anything beyond the incredibly simple, at this point in her life at least. Currently she could barely focus beyond the fact that, even though she’d never say it out loud, she wanted Leila to pet her again, she enjoyed it and it was something she’d never grow tired of. The intimacy they felt while also just trying to get a job done together? Was a feeling of friendship and belonging the wind mage had not felt since she was a child. Reviving sensations so long dead or dormant within someone? Was truly a feat, and one that she’d come to adore Leila for in time, even if it unsettled the wind user at times right now. Each time they went out together like this? The Eden Mage was leaving the wind user changed to a small degree, without even trying hard to heal wounds she knew nothing of. Also in the end, maybe Leila was not the only one who found Jiyu’s marred body beautiful, the frail appearance of a small person so clearly needing protected, it made whoever stood beside them stronger, it attracted people to them without even trying. Everyone? Had this desire to be needed, maybe even to full blown protect someone, and in that way Jiyu became beautiful by simply existing to need someone else, no matter how much she denied needing another living being to make every day worth continuing to exist in this confusing world.  

She entirely missed the exchange between Leila and Yuki, past how much focus it took in order to use her sense’s, prepare an attack and cast it all in pretty much one swoop, one go. Even if she had seen what was going on? It might have went over her head, while she could sense emotions slightly in a very small and insignificant level, due to her ability to sense electromagnetic fields all around her? The way someone signature changed with their emotions was just too small for Jiyu to pick up these days, thought she could tell very exactly when someone would grow ill. In the end however, Jiyu would just not understand what had taken place between them, that Leila had been insecure or such for a moment. The Eden Mages secret? Was entirely safe. However While Leila was admiring the wind mage, she was shivering in slight fear that she had killed someone or that her new friend and the dragon were upset at her for causing the hall to cave in for not thinking ahead enough to realize her magic was too large and explosive for such tight quarters.

“Alright.” and this time Jiyu reached for Leila, she had been so ready to be scolded for what had happened, to not be supported and consuled or anything of the like, she had after all screwed up. Any defense she might have had to the words spoken and actions taken by her friend, crashed down in response to them. Kazehime moved forward for the other girl’s hand without even knowing what she was doing, it happened before she could even control herself, grabbing Leila’s hand, aiming to tug her so she had to look at the mage around her own age again, thought considering the inch difference in their height, Leila could also end up with a decent view down Jiyu’s bikini top if she looked too far down at the tug on her hand. However as anyone could tell from the look painted in her eyes, Jiyu was not thinking, large doe eyes looking up at Leila, an unreadable expression across her face. At the moment? Kazehime didn’t even know what she was feeling, only one thing rolled forward “Thank You.”

Without either of them knowing, Leila had said something Jiyu needed to hear, the wind mage had heard it from Marschal before in the past, likely. However? His words were laced with possession, an attempt at protection she secretly craved, that Jiyu did need desperately, it was not the same as what Leila had said, she didn’t have such a hard time admitting she liked the sound of what Leila had said. Together. Even while she’d not been physically alone for some time now? Kazehime had been emotionally alone, without even knowing she was blocking herself off like that, she smiled momentarily, and turning away, let go. What in the world was she playing at here? Kazehime cursed herself for being so vulnerable, Leila had only seen this side of her too, so when whatever was going on wore off, her friend would be shocked with the aggressive and independent woman that would be left over. “Would you believe I normally yell at people who try to help me?” she scoffed it out, tucking some of her own hair behind one ear, tracing the shell with one of her finger’s for a second. With the shadows cast by the crystal’s? It almost looked like the wind mage was blushing.

“I smell more of them, getting closer, you take point this time and than I can finish them off with wind game.” she pretty much put an end to the conversation that barely started, but she gave a dangerous smirk again and promised that next time she’d let Leila see who she really was, but she wouldn’t try to stop the way things were right now. The mutual comfort? Was nice sometimes. However relying on someone was not who she was.

Spoiler:

A strange sensation, yet one that she felt not that long ago. Words of thank you that sounded somewhat alien, yet close to her heart. Without even properly realizing, Jiyu was holding her hand and starting her right into those blue eyes. It felt as if the time itself had stopped right there, their emotions melting together into something not recognisable. But did that even matter? Who knew at that point. Those words of hers were so sincere, it almost threw Leila off. But something like that... wasn't quite in the plan. As soon as Jiyu let go and turned her back towards that beloved friend of hers, Leila's eyes turned crimson red, shining bright in the shade of this damp place. And words slowly etched themselves inside of her mind, creating loud echo that only her own ears could hear. A moment of insanely sharp pain would strike her as understood that painful sentence. You must not! After that, few more seconds of pain that felt like eternity. It was almost as if years if pain just occurred, but in reality, it was less than one single second. And just like that, her eyes returned to the usual blue of the deep ocean again, as if nothing at all happened. Only, Leila remembered that pain, along with the message she absolutely had to obey, even if she didn't want to. Cold sweat would momentarily pour from her body before Jiyu's words pulled her back into the reality again. Words about yelling at others, something that should normally make her chuckle. But right now, it had little effect on her slightly pained expression. Doing her best to mask it before the girl turned to face her again, Leila had put another warm smile onto her face, pretending as if nothing was wrong. Was that selfish? Perhaps... but there was still much more to the story, things that she wished she would not know. And yet, the full and absolute truth was still hidden in shadows of the great tree, positioned in the center of Eden's garden.

There was no use thinking about it now, she had to obey the order anyway. Coughing away a little, she shook her hand and forced out a loud laugh. "Maybe you shouldn't be so tsun-tsun~" a tease that should get her back into the proper mood. Only, all those intimate thoughts from before were completely erased. Of course they were, that's how it was supposed to be from the beginning. These two girls were simply acquaintances, friends at best. As far as the the Eden's mage knew, she should not push it any further than necessary, lest the worst case scenario would occur. And that was something she did not want. She wasn't prepared to go through it, not in the slightest. And so, she had to watch that blush of hers, only to get up and prepare to face those enemies that Jiyu mentioned. That was right... battle was something that would surely distract her plenty. Will do. But sheesh, how many treasure hunters did Harper bring? Clearly enough to cover all of these tunnels. And soon, the devil whom she spoke of arrived too. Harper Goldenshine walked tall towards the three girls, along with a small army behind him. That was a bit troublesome. There was no hiding or element of surprise for either of the parties involved this time. The man stopped several meters away from the trio with a smile on that face, his eyes scanning all of their bodies. "Oho? I see the mark of Golden Phoenix... did you people hear about my expedition and decided to steal the artifact when I find it? Well... you've succeeded so far, I guess." With those words he pointed at a bag that was clearly filled with something, laying lifelessly on the ground behind the large group. "Got the artifact already. Just gotta figure out how to use it. But first, how about we have a little fun, eh gals? I hear that your type can fetch a hefty price on the market." Words that could be expected from someone who intended on using an ancient tool of wizard saints for evil purposes.

It was disgusting and clearly marked him as a proper creep. That was a true treasure hunter for you. Those who were completely overcome with greed usually ended up like this and it was maybe just a question of little time before Leila herself would be like this. But ho knows, perhaps she could avoid falling into that same stereotype. "Alright goldy... I'll be taking that toy now. So you better brace yourself!" Her words sharp and precise as always, she produce a wooden key that was probably familiar to Jiyu. "Gate of mad lunatic! I open thee!" With those very words, a briliant light created a magical circle, illuminating the entire hall for a brief moment. And as soon as the light faded, a figure of a young boy with pitch black skin landed on the ground. "Have you called me, my queen? His voice as annoying as before, the entire labyrinth started folding in on itself, recreating the battlefield to Leila's wish. Instead of a small hallway, they were now in vast, flowery field. Though the only flower that was actually in the view was a red spider lily. The sea of crimson flowers was reaching up their knees as hills suddenly started forming as well, one of them lifting Jiyu into a higher and further away position. "Make sure none of them get to you, I would hate to fight in that small space." With few words of warning, the boy chuckled out loud and suddenly disappeared in the sea of flowers. It was time to give it her all. Remembering the sight of a broken rose, she imbued her magic with poison. And knowing that not all of those hunters had ranged weapons, she also placed a trap in front of the large group. And to make her own damage greater, she imagined that accelerator inside of her mind, stepping on it with all of her force, unleashing the rewriter's force and creating green aura around her body.

"What are you guys waiting for? Run free and bring them to me." The leader spoke again as the three poor souls with swords started running towards Leila, only to end up in her trap. Roots shot out from the grass, restricting their movements completely. As the other saw it they prepared their guns and cannons and started firing. But the mage was already running towards them, her ability ready. And as soon as she heard the loud noises from their weapons, her body transformed into a wind and leaves, leaving nothing of her behind. And just like that, her teleporatation managed to avoid the incoming bullets and iron balls as she got close enough to attack. And while she took the front, a small shadow appeared right in the center of the group. From the skies, Yuki landed down, her chilling aura damaging all of the more experienced hunters along with their leader. Of course they quickly tried to beat her down. But her speed was greater than theirs, as she focused on close-ranged combat while they had guns. Striking their limbs one by one, she started making them all more vulnerable to other attacks. Much like those Leila was producing. "Out of the way Yuki!" Nodding to those words, the wings quickly raised her back into the sky. Unfortunately, one of the hunters managed to take a shot, hitting one of the wings and partially shattering it which sent the dragon girl into a landing spiral few meters away. To avenge her, more roots came from the ground, this time below all of the stronger enemies. And they weren't only to trap them, they were to crush them into pieces. And just as that attack came from below, another came from above in a form of blue fruit that exploded the moment it hit the group of men. They truly were in a unpleasant situation right now. While moving back to create some distance again, Harper managed to free himself from those crushing roots and cracked his knuckles. "Alright princess... you and me, let's go!" To those words, she responded with an arrow from a conjured bow, placing a seal on him that would raise the damage even further. "Yeah... let's!"

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Everything intimate? Was basically hostile and alien, if someone had not lived a life somewhere close to perfect. When things were left as loose ends or an unknown entity, those who had to live with such things, had trouble letting other’s close to them! Jiyu proved that well enough, when someone was damaged, it was mostly other people who were just as damaged who could reach out to them, start the healing process, see and get past the walls those with wounds threw up, to protect themselves, not knowing it would prevent others from helping them too. In that way? Everyone in the world was screaming, in agony, but no one else could hear the cries of they who stood beside them. It was a sad state in the world, that no one could see the suffering of their peers, because the people suffering, they always thought to protect themselves first, instead of reaching out for the help they desperately needed. Even though it was not too active right now, standing here with leila, the wind mage herself knew that that was her largest vice, hiding herself from others, thus enabling they never could help her heal the scars on her emotional state. Standing there with her back towards leila, playing with her own waist long hair, wondering how it was one girl managed to sneak in so easily, when her barriers had kept out people for so long, maybe it was just because they needed each other equally, Leila was not pitying her in the way others had, she saw more than the injuries, and did so quickly. Than again? It could just be the aura they met under, supernatural things affect electromagnetic fields, maybe she was still being affected by being near that evil teddy bear! Jiyu did not know any of this, she just, Kazehime didn’t know, and after so long of being sure as to what she was doing, it was one of the worst feelings ever for her, but addicting as well.

The young tsundere squeaked when Leila called out her dere type, not that she really called herself that, but she’d heard and knew what it meant. Hearing it from the other girl? She realized someone could legit call her a tsundere, and they’d be mostly right, that irked Jiyu, but it caused a bright blush to legit cover the girl’s face, red flushing in and bringing highlight to her pale complexion alongside her green eye and the blue one, complimenting her ebony hair, adding dimension to the orange highlights. When in this crazy world had she become a tsundere?! “I-I’m not a tsundere!” but it was small when spoken, unconvincing and honestly cute when paired with her balled fists, closed eyes and reddened face, the motion she took when speaking causing her hair to shake from side to side and her chest to bounce. It was hard to convince someone that you were not something, when  you happened to be acting like the exact same thing you claimed not to be! “Probably lots, they really only have numbers on their side.”

Both of them would look forward to the battle, honestly, because they both needed the distraction! For different reasons, but they both needed. Jiyu? Wanted to drown out this uncomfortable bubbling and warmth spreading feeling within her body, the beginnings of a very powerful friendship forming within her. While Leila was just trying to keep her head straight, not fall in love with the wind mage, or something like that! Kazehime boasted being strong in her magic and in self, but in truth she was rather fragile and sensitive, reliant, even though she claimed to be self reliant. Such a tsundere!

“”HELL YES! The queen called you, yes she did!” the wind mage shouted it with eagerness as one of Leila’s spirits appeared. Later? She’d take time to learn their names and such, but Jiyu clearly remembered what this one did, dancing several steps back and grinning like the devil! She let herself get carried up without any shock this time, enjoying the feeling for a few seconds, before remembering they indeed were in combat when a bullet whizzed past her ear, nearly taking a piece of it, causing her to glare downwards. “You're really shooting at someone, this far away from you?!” She chuckled, waiting to see Leila’s first move, because if she was going to use that boost move again, Jiyu had to be sure to aim at Harper to start with, and hit his men in the crossfire.

Pretty soon she was proven correct for waiting, as most of the men were taken care of, though she did feel bad that Yuki had been shot down, she’d have to be careful not to hit the dragoness. Jiyu finally removed night hunt from her “We’ll do this just like Lilith! Wolf Shot.” the female shouted out, letting the arrow fall, and due to the seal placed on Harper and Jiyu’s practiced talent with a bow and arrow, her arrow struck its mark! Clearly after the explosion, harper was not pleased with the distance mage! However before he could really react, Kazehime trusted Leila to get out of the way and keep yuki out of the way, so she went on with her spells. “You’ll fetch a pretty penny when your sold rose! Chains will look just right on you.” he shouted it, and threatening to put Jiyu is chains, was the wrong thing to do. “LIKE HELL THEY WILL! Wind Slash, Wind Dance, go to hell you bastard! Storm Howl, wreck this bastard Leila!” she was on cool down for everything she could use at this range, and while she was pissed, she knew that Leila could finish this before things got much worse. “Oh yes they will.” before she knew what was happening? He’d summoned a large sword, but instead of slamming to cut her in half, he aimed across her front, cutting her bikini top and causing her to start bleeding in a clean line, snapping night hunts string. While it could be replaced easily, with the decorative looking ones hanging from the bow? Jiyu couldn’t catch her breath, hand soaked in blood as she grabbed her top to keep it from flying open. “B-bastard!” however his move had a second motive, preventing the mage who clearly used only her hands, from casting any spells. Once he’d stopped Jiyu from casting, he summoned crystal around her legs to hold her in place, and did the same to her arms.

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Even with the strong barrage of spells Jiyu used, Harper was still standing and even casting magic that affected areas far, far away. He truly deserved the popularity he had, even if it was negative. And his casting was fast too, leaving Leila a bit confused as to what he actually did to her partner. Who was strangely aggressive all of a sudden, even talking to Unknown in a weird way. But whatever it was, they should focus on that later, as the enemy was standing right in front of them. Yuki was in the meantime taking care of the remaining fodders. Intending on ending it fast, Leila started running towards the ice-make mage, who summoned a great wall of crystals with a grin in order to stop her advance. And from sides of that barrier, crystal spears stated flying everywhere. He clearly forgot about her ability to teleport, as she appeared right behind him. Or perhaps not, as his body was clad in sharp crystals. But that was nothing in comparison of their victory. "Get crushed!" With those words, a wooden column flew from the ground hitting Harper right in his back and pinning him against his own wall that started slowly crumbling. And to take advantage of that moment of his immobilization, two great trees appeared around him, their trunks suddenly coiling around his body and crushing him with great force. With his body still partially frozen from Yuki and marked by the moon's arrows, as well as powered Leila, he was taking truly heavy damage in only those few strikes. And to finish it off, she created a wooden greatsword in her hands, jumping up and slashing down at him. Of course, it wouldn't really be Harper if he didn't fight back at all. Crystals on his body destroyed the bind of her previous spells and were now digging into Leila's flesh. But the same was going on for the sword too, as it managed to land a clear and heavy hit on him, dealing just as much damage as that bind he just destroyed.

To finish it all off, Yuki jumped in between them, pushing Leila off the crystals and giving the treasure hunter a last heavy punch right in the nose, as well as a dose of her freezing aura that managed to finish him off. The rest was taken care of too by the look of it, though Yuki herself took at least two hits there, while she was actually fighting them. But she was still standing as well and this horde of enemies was now on their knees. And with the boss down, their contract was a success. With a sigh of relief, Leila cancelled the summoning of Unknown, leaving the entire dungeon return to it's original form as if nothing at all happened. Only the unconscious bodies of all those treasure hunters were laying all around the place now. Quickly running off to the bag Harper mentioned before, she made sure the artifact was indeed still there and secured. All she had to do now was to return it to the council, making sure that it would not fall into the wrong hands again. Though, it was actually a real surprise that Harper did manage to find the thing. After all, this labyrinth was giant and ancient, not something you would want to explore just like that. If he got information about it from somewhere, it was possible that there could be more treasures that just this one. But she had just about enough of exploring for today and wanted to end this as soon as possible. Showing thumbs up to Jiyu, the job was finished. "I guess we should probably drag these guys outside. Or at least Harper... our target was the artifact and these guys technically did nothing wrong just yet. So we can't have them put behind bars." That one fact was a little disappointing, but what could they do. In fact, if they were to use more drastic methods than just knocking them out, they would be the criminals in this situation. But the council needed that artifact more than anything and would forgive their crimes anyway. Thankfully. they managed to not kill a single one of these guys, which was always good. And so, the two girls were free to leave and take their reward for the hard work once more.

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