Finding A Needle In A Canyon

-Mysterious Canyon, early afternoon-

Wearing her Azure Armor with the Bandolier crossed over it, Victoria wore a blue t-shirt and black skirt and white tennis shoes. On her back was a backpack filled with bottled water; at least two dozen bottles were inside of it. She walked through the plains leading to the canyon until she reached the mouth of the canyon, then paused and looked at the rocky structure through a haze created by the heat.

The entrance looked roughly like a giant V made out of rock that gradually got wider the deeper it went. She had been here once before a long time ago, when she wandered through the caves and met those mages and the black dragon near the pool of water. Victoria had not been prepared for the trek through the hot region and nearly had heatstroke because she had forgotten to bring water with her. This time the brunette was well-prepared; not only did she have plenty of bottled water, but she had the ability to purify any water she could put into a container. As long as there was a water source she could put an empty bottle into and fill up, she and her job partner would have safe water to drink after only a few seconds of purification.

The job that brought her and her partner here was a job to find a person who had gone missing while exploring Mysterious Canyon. Apparently they were on a day trip and had forgotten to pack enough supplies for more than a single day. Victoria was more than a little unhappy to read that, but it was what it was. She could begin to help people for reasons other than money and maybe start to redeem herself. Maybe.

While thinking about the job Victoria remembered that this time she would be working with a partner, a fellow Sabertooth mage named Itori. Itori was the same person who had thoughtfully gifted Victoria with the Bandolier she was now wearing, the Bandolier that had pulled Victoria's fat out of the fire on more than one occasion. She did not know anything about Itori other than they were a Sabertooth member with a longer tenure than Victoria. Now the brunette would get to work with her benefactor and see what the other mage could do.

The brunette waited at the entrance to the canyon because she did not want to go anywhere without her partner. She did not know the area very well and would like to have someone who knew the area at her side for this adventure. Even if the partner did not know the canyon like the back of their hand, at least they would stand a better chance of survival together. Victoria was a city dweller who did not do as well in the wilderness, so any help that she could get would be appreciated.

Victoria fanned herself with her empty hand as she waited for Itori. This area certainly got hot in a hurry. She was almost starting to regret wearing the Azure Armor because it trapped heat under its protective layers, but she did not want to get caught unprepared for a fight.

[Word Count: 536]
[Total Word Count: 536/8,000]

Considering what had happened last time that she'd come to the Mysterious Canyon Itori couldn't say that she was happy to be back here again. It had been a fight that they won, but it had been a difficult one and even if they came out relatively unscathed it had hurt a lot. Having your skin and flesh burn away was still an unpleasant experience even if you could heal yourself afterwards.

Still, this time they wouldn't be dealing with some kind of super mecha piloted by a madman out for revenge on society for not letting the intellectuals be in charge. Which only became stranger in hindsight. While it was clear that this Markov had been a smart man when it came to technology she didn't think he knew the difference between that kind of intelligence and the one you needed to successfully govern a large area with an overwhelming population. People weren't like machines after all, they'd deviate from your orders even if there wasn't any external influence forcing the issue.

But for now she was back here to help find someone who had gone missing. In comparison a much more pleasant mission. Of course the fact that someone was lost was in itself not good but she was in the mood for a job which didn't include beams of death and destruction being shot at her and her friend.

Speaking of her friend, Nenet was coming along. The phoenix apparently found the last job pretty exciting when all was said and done, even if she agreed with Itori that the whole 'almost get vaporized along with the landscape' was a bit too much. But that didn't deter her from wanting to go to the Mysterious Canyon again now that there was a much less apocalyptic motivation for it.

"So this is the first time that you're meeting this Victoria?"

"Correct. I gave her a gift during the holidays but other than that we have not worked together or talked at length. However from what I have heard we should be able to get along without issue."

"Would be great if she was good at holding her drink."

"I would suggest not drinking until we have at least found the missing person. You might not be hindered by the heat like us but even you cannot have an easy time finding someone while drunk."

Nenet put her hands behind her head while shrugging. "Well, there's no denying that. Ok! First we'll find the missing person, then we'll celebrate!" She grinned in eager anticipation as the two of them walked towards the entrance of the Mysterious Canyon. The damage that the battle had inflicted on the area had already disappeared, either repaired by the Rune Knights or becoming a part of the land. Itori couldn't even smell any molten metal here any more.

"Oh, I think I see her! Oiiii!" Nenet waved towards Victoria as she and the kitsune approved, Itori also raising one hand in greeting before lowering it again. The two of them hastened their step until they were close enough to introduce herself, the seven-tailed fox going first. Bowing towards the bandolier-wielding woman she introduced herself.

"Greetings. I am Shirokawa Itori. This is my friend Nenet. It is a pleasure to meet you and work together with you." Straightening up she focused her vermilion eyes on the woman while Nenet gave a wide grin to affirm Itori's words. "Do you have any information on the missing person? All we heard was that someone went in there without enough provisions and that we have to find them as quickly as possible."

"Honestly they could have done a better job there. Usually at least you get some instructions on who you're supposed to look for. Are we supposed to just walk in there and pick up anyone who looks lost?" As usual Nenet pointed out the perceived flaws in the situation without hesitation or remorse.

WC: 657
TWC: 657/8,000

Victoria was staring at the canyon entrance when she heard a female voice coming from behind her. The brunette turned around to find a well-dressed fox girl wearing eastern attire followed by another blonde girl who was dressed like an exotic bird and wearing considerably less than the fox girl. The other girl was made entirely of magical power, which must have meant that she was not an ordinary person. It did not matter. Victoria was glad to see some friendly faces out in the middle of nowhere.

"You must be Itori! Hi there!" Victoria greeted the fox girl with enthusiasm. The brunette was finally getting to meet her benefactor in person. Itori's gift of a magic bandolier that boosted Victoria's rate of fire and allowed her to split her Hand Cannon projectiles had saved her life on no less than three separate occasions to date, if not more than three. Victoria then turned her attention to the exotic bird girl named Nenet, who was as friendly as her companion.

"Hi there Nenet. I'm Victoria Sheridan!" Victoria introduced herself to the blonde. Nenet reminded her just a little of Francesca Corlone with the blonde hair and the green eyes, but Nenet was infinitely more friendly than Francesca. Speaking of the wannabe mob princess, Victoria wondered where she was right now. She was probably hiding in a hole somewhere now that she could not throw Mr. Corlone's money or his hired muscle at her problems anymore. Maybe Francesca would do the world a favor and stay hidden for the rest of her life.

Victoria listened to Itori ask about what the person they were supposed to rescue looked like. Victoria set down her backpack and fished out the job notice, which was folded up and wedged in between two bottles of water and the left side of the backpack. She carefully unfolded it and a sudden gust of wind caught a picture that was included with the notice.

"HEY! COME BACK HERE!" Victoria yelled at the picture. Shouting at it was not really going to help stop the flying piece of paper, but the thought counted. The brunette ran after it as it fluttered towards the canyon entrance and hit a rocky wall just to the left of the V, making it float back to the ground. She bent down to pick it up and the wind almost carried it off, but this time Victoria slammed the toe of her right foot down on it to prevent it from going airborne. She carefully picked it up with her fingers, then clutched it tight and walked back to Itori and Nenet to show them what the person who needed rescuing looked like.

"OK, here we go. Sorry about that." Victoria apologized to Itori, showing the fox girl a color photograph of a thirtysomething with short green hair wearing a red-and-white striped shirt with a green sash around his waist and black pants. On his right hip were three swords with grips of different colors, but the weaponry was not what drew her attention to the guy. His most distinguishing feature was a lengthy diagonal scar that started on his chest and extended to his abdomen. It looked to be poorly stitched and the scar itself did not entirely heal, which suggested that it might have been inflicted by a weapon with a jagged edge.

"His name's... Zeke, I believe it is. Zeke the swordsman. According to the notice, he came out here to train with his swords. You think he would have prepared a little better for this kind of environment." Victoria commented to Itori and Nenet. Even though Victoria was a city dweller, she knew enough to come prepared with plenty of drinking water on hand. Zeke should have known better than to come out here with just weapons and no other supplies.

Zeke The Swordsman:

[Word Count: 650]
[Total Word Count: 1,186/8,000]

Receiving Victoria's response Itori's expectations immediately rose. Cheerful and upbeat people were always a lot easier to work with. Itori herself was less outspoken but that was a result of her upbringing and years of not being able to get very close to people rather than a lack of warmth and friendliness. Nenet also clearly was happy to have their partner be a friendly one as she grinned widely at the gun-mage. "So we'll be working together to find some lost guy. The weather's nice but it'd be fun if we had something to beat up in the process, wouldn't it?" She raised one hand and clenched it into a fist before putting it back behind her head, joining the other hand.

"Given what happened last time that we came here I would be grateful if this time we did not have to deal with any hostile creatures." Itori answered with a touch of exasperation to her voice. Nenet might have the kind of attitude that was never slowed down by inconveniences such as near death but Itori was very appreciative of down time whenever it was available.

As Victoria proceeded to have a struggle with the picture (which apparently had minored in Escape Artist) Itori looked on with mild amusement, although she was polite enough to hide her smile behind one of her wide sleeves. Given that it wasn't like their companion would have serious trouble capturing a piece of fluttering paper there wasn't any need for concern or aid. Nenet meanwhile laughed out loud, apparently finding the scene hilarious as her cheerful voice resounded throughout the area. "So not only does the guy go and get himself lost but even his picture tries to disappear!"

"I doubt the original was carried away by the wind though."

"Hey, are you trying to be smart now?"

"Not at all." Itori's gaze shifted somewhat away from Nenet, who mocked indignation before returning her focus to the papers that Victoria had on hand. Once offered both girls carefully studied the photograph, Nenet leaning over Itori's shoulder. "He looks like a bit of a musclehead all right. Doesn't look like we have to worry about him dying though." Itori raised one eyebrow at that declaration, but Nenet quickly clarified as she traced the scar on the man's torso with a scaled hand. "If he can survive something like that he's not going to die just because he's spending a couple of days in a place where it's a bit hotter."

"Nevertheless the sooner we find him and escort him out of the canyon the better it will be for everyone involved."

Nenet let out a sigh before straightening up and looking towards the blue skies. "Yes yes, let's not waste too much time. No reason to be in a rush either though. There's a disappointing lack of beasts in the area." Making some waving motions with her hands to emphasize her disappointment she then planted her hands on her hips as she smirked at the other two female mages. "So! Any objects to scouting through the air? There's no threats in the area so unless he holed up underground we should have an easy time finding the guy."

"That depends on whether miss Sheridan is capable of flight. If we have to carry her with us that would limit our mobility in the air." Itori looked towards the canyon ahead, her ears also pointing in that direction as she appeared to be focusing on something which couldn't be seen with the naked eye. After several more seconds she shook her head and sighed. "From the sound of it we would have to be flying very low and very slowly. There are a lot of rock formations which could serve to hide someone if we only scouted from above, especially in places where the surrounding cliffs lean inwards."

Nenet huffed at that but didn't say anything else, Itori in the meantime turning towards Victoria. "Unless you have another suggestion I believe our best choice for now would be to simply walk into the canyon and explore at a calm pace. I have very sensitive ears so I can keep track of movements in a large area. Locating him should not be an issue as long as we make sure to cover the canyon properly."

WC: 720
TWC: 1,377/8,000

Victoria liked how Itori was thinking. It would be best for the two Sabertooth mages to stick together and explore the canyon at a fairly slow pace because the swordsman had just been reported missing less than a day ago, so it was assumed that they would have some time to find him before his lack of preparedness did him in. Speaking of supplies, she felt it best to notify Itori and Nenet of the fact that she had enough water for all three of them and had the ability to procure more by putting some of the local water into a used water bottle and purifying it with her Combat Medic magic. Thankfully she had left the bottle of Living Water at home, so she did not need to worry about accidentally drinking it herself or handing it to her partner. That foresight could also backfire if Zeke was near death; since she did not have it with her, she would be unable to bring him back if he suddenly expired.

"I don't know if you guys brought any water of your own or even need to drink water, but I've got plenty of bottled water. Twenty-four bottles of it, to be exact. It's not gonna be cold, but it'll keep us on the right side of the dirt." Victoria notified her companions of their supply situation. If Nenet did not need to drink water, that gave Itori and Victoria twelve bottles apiece. That should be more than enough to get them through the canyon exploration. The keyword was should. Zeke might need some water once they found him, so Victoria would be sure to moderate her consumption so that he would have some to drink.

"If we get in a tight place and you have an empty container for water, just put some of the local water in it and I can purify it with my magic." Victoria added. She was glad that Florence Manderley had taught her Combat Medic magic because it was already paying off. Even if Itori and Nenet did not need water, Victoria certainly did. She could theoretically sustain herself off of local water as long as she had a container to drink it out of. The only problem was that while she could purify water, she could not purify food.

Victoria stared at the canyon and thought back to Nenet's suggestion of conducting a search from the air. That was not a bad idea, but Nenet hinted that carrying both of the Sabertooth mages would slow her down to a degree that would make flight difficult. Victoria found herself agreeing with Itori's idea to explore the canyon at a calm pace and letting Itori listen out for the man. It would be easier and safer that way because Victoria was not a telepath and could not communicate with Itori if the latter was in the air with Nenet.

"I agree with your idea, Itori. It'd be easier on both of us if we explored the canyon while you listened out for him. I don't know this area very well, so it'd be a good idea to stick together." Victoria voiced her agreement with her partner while facing the canyon entrance. Another gust of wind whipped through the area, but Victoria clung tightly to both the job notice and the picture of Zeke. She was not going to chase the picture again if she could help it. She turned to Nenet and then back to Itori to communicate a thought that she just had.

"Hey Itori, can you communicate with Nenet while she's in flight by telepathy or do you have to be able to talk to her face-to-face?" Victoria asked Itori. Having an eye in the sky would be handy, but she did not know how Itori and Nenet could communicate if they were not face-to-face. Communication would be essential for the mages and Nenet to coordinate their search if Itori opted to send her avian friend airborne.

[Word Count: 680]
[Total Word Count: 1,866/8,000]

With both Itori and Victoria choosing to explore the canyon on foot rather than by air Nenet had little choice but to side with them. Pouting a little the long-legged phoenix rolled her eyes and stayed silent for now as she let the other two discuss the boring business of supplies and all that other stuff.

When the topic of water came around the kitsune glanced at Nenet, unsure how to answer the question of whether the firebird needed water. While for the most part her friend acted like any normal person (except a lot more fiery) at the end of the day she was still a mythical creature which symbolized the sun and rebirth. Itori might be old and know a lot of things, but she didn't magically know everything and this particular piece of knowledge was outside of her field of expertise.

"I myself can last without water for quite a while but my physical form still needs sustenance just like yours. That said I can say with certainty that unless things take a turn for the worse we should be fine for the remainder of the day, and with some luck it should not take any longer than that to locate the missing person. Nenet, do you require water?"

"That's a bit of a funny question considering I usually drink like a fish. That said no I don't necessarily need water but if we've got some I'd rather make use of it." Looking up at the sun she shrugged. "You guys are going to need it more though, since you don't like the heat."

"I can ward off the heat to some extent but I would suggest that we make use of the water as needed. Although we should also be able to find water inside the canyon: the heat would have reduced the amount but these kind of landscapes are usually worn out by rivers and streams over thousands of years."

"And did you watch this one form?"

"Possibly, but things change over time." With that Itori turned back to their companion. At the question of whether she could telepathically communicate with Nenet the kitsune nodded. "It would require adapting one of my techniques but it should be possible. However it is not something I do often so it would not be the most reliable method of communication."

"Good enough for me! If the telepathy fails I can just shout when I find something." The winged woman quickly took the opportunity when it presented itself, clearly preferring to take to the skies if the option was on the table. "And as we've already noted there doesn't appear to be any danger or need to hurry, so it's not like it'd be horrible if we had to slow down every now and then to share information. Any objections? No? All right then!" Unless Victoria quickly interjected herself Nenet would quickly flap her wings and jump up, pushing herself upwards until she was hovering far up in the air. Itori watched her friend ascend and gave a little sigh. "That assertive nature of hers can be troublesome on occasion. Although she is correct in the assumption that we do not have to strain ourselves for maximum efficiency."

Looking towards the canyon she beckoned for Victoria to come along. "Now that she has made up her mind we might as well begin walking. Otherwise she will have explored the entire are before we are done discussing how we want to do this. it would be better if we talk while we walk, and while using telepathy for complex conversations might be tricky you do not have to worry about her losing track of us."

WC: 615
TWC: 1,992/8,000

Victoria watched and listened as Nenet at first sulked about having to stay on the ground, then quickly found a reason and an opening to go airborne. She was amused by the bird girl's antics and eagerness to take to the sky. Since Nenet was not Victoria's to command, the brunette just rolled with it because having an eye in the sky was seldom a bad thing. When Itori beckoned to Victoria to enter the canyon, the Sabertooth mage did not hesitate to follow her teammate. This would be only her second time entering Mysterious Canyon.

"OK. Just let me know whenever you need water., Itori." Victoria said to Itori once she finally caught up with the latter. The brunette looked around the canyon and found that once they got past the entrance the canyon opened up quite a bit. The sheer rock walls were unable to be climbed... by Victoria, at least. The canyon had very little overhead cover to protect them from the blazing sun, so the Sabertooth mages would just have to grin and bear it until they could find Zeke and bring him to safety.

Unless Zeke was a world-class rock climber, there was little chance of him training on top of the canyon. Nenet would have spotted him when she first took flight and would have either pointed him out to them by now or would have used her talons to grab him and deliver him to the pair. The thought of Nenet delivering someone to them like a dog delivering a newspaper was an amusing thought to Victoria. However, she doubted that the bird girl would actually do it unless there was no other choice in the matter. Nenet also looked like she could not lift very much weight or carry it for an extended period of time.

"I'm glad that I have a partner for this job. I don't know this area very well. n fact, it's only my second time out here. The first time I came out here I didn't do so well. I got lost in a cave and managed to find a pond to drink out of, but I was afraid that I'd be lost in that cave and never come out alive." Victoria confessed to Itori. Like the time she fought Infernal Lord Zupazu in the ruins beneath Hargeon Town, getting lost in the cave was something of a humbling experience for the brunette. Her firepower could not help her find water or find her way out of the cave that she had gotten lost in. It was only by sheer luck that she had found the pool of water with that black dragon and one or two other mages standing next to it. Victoria stood a greater chance of completing the job and getting out of her alive with Itori and Nenet at her side.

Realizing that she should probably can it and let Itori listen out for Zeke, Victoria was thinking about just keeping quiet after her last statement but had one last question to ask the fox girl.

"Have you ever been out here before, Itori?" Victoria asked her job partner.

[Word Count: 534]
[Total Word Count: 2,400/8,000]

"Understood. I will make sure to notify you." Was Itori's reply as she stepped into the territory of wind and stone. Looking around she first scanned the area with her eyes before she closed her vermilion orbs and focused on her ears instead. Like everywhere else there was a soft singing to this place: a song which nobody else could hear. As the two of them walked the kitsune could also hear the way their footsteps and voices travelled all over the place, spreading out and bouncing against the heavily textured surroundings. It was only years and years of experience that allowed her to get a mental map more accurate than just a lot of fuzzy shapes. She was pretty sure that even humans could learn to do something like this, but most of them weren't aware of it and those that considered it might not be able to endure the long period of time needed to actually master it.

Regardless, she now could detect everything around her in a large area thanks to the sounds which ranged from high pitched to heavy and low, far beyond the hearing range of most creatures. As Victoria had also concluded it was clear that these cliffs weren't going to be climbed unless one was an expert or had the right equipment for it. Since they weren't informed of such it was safe to say that the missing person didn't have the required equipment, so the question was whether they were skilled and experienced enough to do without. He did look like he was good at using his body, but that wasn't the same as being a good climber.

"It can be quite frightening to find yourself in a place where your senses are dampened and you do not know where the path to safety lies. Although for the future I would have the advice that even in caves you can usually feel a draft from the nearest path to the outside world, even if it may be faint and difficult to detect." She opened her eyes and looked at Victoria. "But since you are here you must have escaped safely so you may not need my advice."

While the other two mages explored the canyon on foot Nenet was flying through the skies, first enjoying herself with some fancy movements before she returned to the task at hand. Once she felt that she'd done enough loopings she looked at the lands below, frowning as she noticed something problematic. While the main pathway that her friend and Victoria were walking through was quite open there were plenty of small branches which didn't reveal their contents as easily. Of course she could swoop down and inspect them one by one but that kind of negated the supposed advantage of aerial recon. "Would be just our luck if he decided to sit somewhere out of the sun where I can't find him." She muttered as she slowly flew over the main path and kept her eyes on the encompassed road.

Meanwhile Itori responded to Victoria with a nod and some elaboration. "Yes. Quite recently in fact. A dark mage had gotten his hands on an advanced weapon and had been heading for Crocus to destroy it when we stopped it at the entrance of this canyon. It was a hard fought battle." The fact that the man had been using a mere prototype just made it worse. Just how dangerous would the completed version have been?

"Because of that I am grateful that I can return here for a task less catastrophic than an attempt at destroying the established government." The kitsune didn't appear to mind the conversation, although with the last part she realized that might be a bit of an awkward thing to say. "That is to say, I think that with you as our companion and the situation less dire we can enjoy ourselves and not have to stress ourselves until our fur begins to fall out."

WC: 655
TWC: 2,647/8,000

Victoria listened to Itori's words and found a lot of them to have truth. The brunette had been so busy panicking and trying to find a way out of the cave so long ago that she had not stopped to just think and slow down. Victoria had gotten in way over her head that day and was just glad to find a way out, even if she had ended up encountering a black dragon that had scared her more than a little. The brunette would have to remember Itori's advance the next time she went exploring in a cave.

"I never should have gone in that cave without a plan. One day I found myself wandering in this region and I had never been here before. It was a day a lot like this one." Victoria started telling part of the story of how her first trip to Mysterious Canyon almost ended in disaster.

"Like I said, it was a day a lot like this one. The sun was overhead and it was pretty hot. I also didn't have any drinking water with me, so I ducked into a cave to get out of the sun. Fortunately, the cave was cool and not inhabited by dangerous animals. Unfortunately, I went too far in and got lost without water... I don't even remember if I brought a flashlight to see in the darkness." Victoria continued to recount her story. She went quiet for a minute or two so that Itori could listen out for Zeke or Nenet. Once her guildmate indicated that she had not heard from either of them, the brunette continued her story.

"I wandered around for what seemed like hours. Eventually I found my way out to a pond out in the open, where a couple of other mages were hanging out. The whole situation was really weird, but I made it out. I forgot how I made it back to Rose Garden, but I got back there somehow. I must have walked back." Victoria concluded the story, making no effort to hide her confusion near the end. She had forgotten how she made it back to civilization. Had she retraced her steps through the cave and emerged on the other side before walking back to Rose Garden? Or did she hitch a ride on the back of the dragon and fly out of the canyon? She could not remember to save her life.

Victoria paused for awhile to let Itori listen out for the guy they were here to rescue. The brunette was also giving the fox girl time to make sense of the strange story she had just been told. It sounded like the product of dehydration, which it very well may have been for all Victoria knew. She waited a few minutes before speaking again.

"I was lucky to make it out of there alive, but I can't coast on luck forever. I'm glad you and Nenet are here with me." Victoria said to her partner. She looked straight ahead and towards the sheer rock walls before speaking again. She recalled Itori's tale of fighting against a prototype robot crammed with weapons decided to end the conversation on a lighter note instead of one of gloom.

"I'm also glad that we're not here to stop a giant killer robot, Itori. Fighting's more up my alley, but I want a break from fighting for once. I've fought enough in the past few jobs to last me awhile." Victoria said to Itori before pausing to let the fox girl get a few words in. It was nice to have someone to talk to for a change. Gaia was right... taking a partner on a job was not a bad idea.

[Word Count: 634]
[Total Word Count: 3,034/8,000]

"You got out though, and you do not appear to have been harmed by the experience." Itori pointed out when Victoria began to chastise herself. The kitsune had her hands clasped together and hidden inside her wide sleeves, her eyes closed as she was navigating solely by sound. "But yes, it is good to make sure you are prepared. I must admit that when Nenet and I came here to fight the dark mage we nearly got killed partially because we had not been given the time to investigate the situation and thus had been unable to prepare properly. The result was that we had no idea what kind of powers the secret weapon possessed and nearly paid the price for that."

She opened her eyes slightly while turning her head upwards, the sliver of vision between her eyelids glancing at Nenet who was visible high up in the air. The phoenix girl's feathered wings and tail appeared to be ablaze in the brilliant sun of the noon, her human body parts barely visible in comparison so one could easily mistake her for an actual bird of sunfire. "Nenet saved my life multiple times in that fight." She closed her eyes again and laughed. "Of course Nenet being Nenet she is fully aware of this and immediately used it to make me buy for her drinks when we got back to town. Not that I minded: after a day like that even I needed to unwind and distract myself with a generous application of alcohol."

Standing still suddenly she motioned for Victoria to come to a halt as well, her expression becoming more focused as her ears swivelled about. For several seconds she was lost in intense listening before she shook her head and began to walk again. "Apologies. I thought I heard footsteps in the distance but it appears I was mistaking." Coughing lightly she rolled her shoulders. "I have little interest in violence myself. I understand that quite often it is the only reasonable course of action and I do not shy away from it when needed, but a job like this where I only have to help locate and ensure the safety of someone is much more comfortable." What she didn't say was that part of her dislike of violence was less about the ethics of it and more that she found it too messy. As a kitsune she was supposed to achieve her objectives with subtle manipulation and trickery. If you had to use violence that meant you were brutish and lacking in skill. Not something she told other people, since she was sure quite a few of them would take offense and believe that Itori saw herself as superior to them.

"But I must say that I am concerned. The way you talk about it this was a rather recent experience for you, but you seem to be lacking several important memories. Are you sure that the heat did not get to you?" The concern was genuine: it could be that Victoria was simply forgetful but memory loss could be an indicator of more serious problems... or that someone other than Victoria had been doing the thinking and the doing and she wasn't aware of it. Not that Itori thought that was likely. A heat stroke was more probable.

"I could examine you to see if there are any lingering effects from dehydration and overheating, if you have not visited a doctor yet. I cannot say that I have a degree in medicine but I do have many years of doing my best to keep various types of creatures alive while they were suffering from ailments both physical and spiritual."

WC: 615
TWC: 3,262/8,000

"Yeah. I might need a medical examination at some point. Once we rescue this Zeke guy, I may need to get one." Victoria said to Itori. Come to think of it, she did not have very many clear memories of the event after going into the cave and meeting the dragon and the other two female mages who were near the pool of water. She did not remember how she even got back to Rose Garden after meeting the trio. Itori might be right when she asserted that heat stroke might have been involved.

"Rescuing someone's a lot different from fighting. I've been on a lot of fighting jobs and not too many rescue jobs." Victoria commented to her partner. There was that job where she met Abigail Windstrider and the two kind of worked together to recover the Sky Blade for a collector in Sakuramori named Octavia Ashford. Victoria technically rescued Abigail from a rope trap set by the thieves who stole the Sky Blade, but the job was not a rescue mission. It was an item recovery mission that happened to have a rescue objective pop up halfway through it.

"Like you said, it's a nice change of pace to be saving a life instead of having to take one." Victoria added after a minute's pause to let Itori listen for Zeke. Nenet was doing her thing in the sky, so Victoria left well enough alone and let the bird girl continue her job. The silence gave Victoria a bit of time to try and remember what exactly happened in the cave aside from walking in the dark and finding the pond. It was a futile effort because she could not remember anything other than those two highlights, if the term "highlight" could be used.

"Anyway, I managed to survive the big mistake I made that day, so I don't plan on doing any more cave exploring without supplies. This time I've got enough water for everyone and the ability to purify more if we need it." Victoria said to Itori, trying to be upbeat about something for a change. She had supplies, she had magic, and she had experience. She also had a good job partner with her, so if she got into trouble again, Itori and possible Nenet could come to the rescue.

"So you got some alcohol after fighting that giant robot, huh? I don't blame you. What kind of alcohol do you like to drink?" Victoria asked Itori with genuine interest. Alcohol was something the brunette could talk about at length, which was both good and more than a little sad. The brunette's life revolved around alcohol and fighting, but thankfully not both at once. Fighting with any semblance of competence would be impossible after consuming tequila or vodka in any appreciable quantities.

"Me, I like tequila or vodka. Slatheron's a good vodka brand if you don't mind paying a little more for a good drink. Albino Gander's better, but you pay more for the increase in quality. CEIL's good if all you want's a strong drink, but it'll knock you on your ass if you're not ready for a strong drink." Victoria said with authority. She realized that she was going way off track, so she stopped talking about vodka brands for a moment. They needed to focus on finding Zeke.

"I wonder where that Zeke guy is?" Victoria asked Itori. She then went quiet to let her guildmate listen for the lost man. Part of the brunette hoped that he had not chosen to go exploring any caves in the canyon. She dreaded getting lost in the cave again, but this time she had both Itori and the fox girl's advice to help if they got lost while trying to find him.

[Word Count: 646]
[Total Word Count: 3,680/8,000]

"I can remember a single job where the main goal was to rescue someone. Or rather a group of people." Itori recalled a job which felt like it was ages ago. It was mere years, but a lot had changed between then and now. For one thing Itori had significantly more tails trailing behind her and moving from side to side with every carefully measured step. "There have been quite a few jobs where rescue was a secondary objective though. Anyway, the job description was that there was a group of pirates who were stealing away women and shipping them off to other countries to sell them for... various uses. I trust that I do not have to explain why they were specifically targeting women." An ancient tradition, but a despicable one. "This was years ago. None of the current members of Sabertooth were part of the guild back then, save for me and our current guild master. Back then the guild hall was also a citadel floating high up above Ace of Spades." For several seconds she remained quiet as she thought back to those days. She then returned her mind to the present to continue her little tale.

"We were only called in after the government became aware that this was happening, so at least one ship must have managed to get away before we arrived in town and put a stop to their operations. While we did manage to save many others from the same fate I never learned whether those who were already taken away were freed. One day I should track them down and make sure of it. Not because I feel responsible, but because it is the right thing to do." She couldn't have known that such a thing was happening before she was informed unless she completely coincidentally was in the right place at the right time. Feeling guilty about that would have been unreasonable. Furthermore she was aware that it actually happened quite often in less civilized areas so it wasn't even like she'd allowed some unspeakable act to occur which had never occurred before (although of course it being done before didn't make it less awful). But all of those reasons why Itori didn't have to feel bad for not saving everyone didn't remove the fact that there must be women out there whose lives had been taken away from them, replaced with lives where they had little to no control and were forced to do things they might never have consented to otherwise.

Having told her story she nodded in agreement as Victoria pointed out that she had learned her lesson about travelling into cave systems unprepared. So far as life lessons went making sure you were always prepared for such an occasion was a pretty good one. Years of travelling had given the kitsune plenty of knowledge about how to deal with such a situation as well, although her approach was a bit different from her gun-toting friend. "I am glad that my partner is well prepared then. My soul can rest easy knowing that." She smiled as she praised Victoria's preparedness.

When Victoria entered a passionate speech about vodka and its many glorious variants the vixen had to admit to herself that she somewhat lost track of the conversation. She knew about alcohol, it was nearly impossible to observe civilization for years without learning about alcohol, but it was the kind of information which mostly remained in the back of her head and interfered little with her active mind. It was there, it was available if needed, and unless she was prodded to really think about it she completely forgot about it. "I personally am fond of sake, although I do not drink often. It helps me recall pleasant memories. Nenet on the other hand..." Itori grimaced slightly as she wasn't entirely sure whether Victoria would approve of what the kitsune would be saying next or not. Connoiseurs could be unpredictable when it came to their field of passion. "From what I understand her choice of drink comes down to which tavern she just walked into. Quite literally, as she walks up to the bar and tells the one tending the bar to give her whatever is selling well. I do not know if it is because she just wants to get drunk and does not care which drink does it or if she truly just enjoys every drink and because of that lets the barkeep decide for her."

It was at that point that the phoenix dove back down, yelling out at the two people below before hovering several meters in the air above them and pointing up ahead.

"So while you two were doing your girl talk I think I spotted something green in the distance. It's either our guy or a patch of grass. Really can't tell the difference, do you think that's his actual hair or just a very aggressive patch of moss?"

Itori looked up at Nenet, then at the area ahead. She then closed her eyes and focused before shaking her head. "I am not hearing any signs of human life, so it must still be far in the distance if it is him. But it is better than nothing, so shall we follow Nenet for now?" She indicated the phoenix while her head was turned towards Victoria, wanting to hear her fellow Saber's thoughts before they continued their search.

WC: 908
TWC: 4,170/8,000

Victoria listened to Itori recount her fight against the pirates who stole women to sell them. She also listened to Itori recount some of the earlier days of Sabertooth, days so early that the Sabertooth castle as the brunette knew it was still in the sky instead of on the ground. The sight of a floating castle must have been something to behold, but Victoria had joined too late to see it. At least she was here now to witness new wonders, hopefully with a guildmate or two at her side.

"I'll help you find the other captives... if you want. I've got my own grudge against slavers, so you don't have to worry about me being bought off at the last second. Some slavers captured almost all of the group I used to run with when I was younger. They almost caught me too, but someone saved my life at the last possible second." Victoria offered to aid Itori on her quest to find the other captives and make sure that they were either freed or at least found so that they could be buried. She was no friend of slavers; the batches she had encountered and defeated in Rose Garden were proof of that. In fact, Itori might have to get in line because Victoria wanted the first shot at them should they be encountered. The rules of Sabertooth forbade killing the slavers except in self-defense or the defense of others, so she would just have to do her best to keep them alive to be taken to trial by jury.

"I was only ten years old when they caught all my friends and almost caught me. I've been looking for them ever since, but so far I've had no luck in finding them. I'm not sure if they even still alive anymore." Victoria told her own story of an encounter with slavers that could have spelled the end for her had it not been for Lawrence Sheridan. His timely intervention was the only thing that kept her alive and free. Now she was determined to be an enemy of theirs for as long as she lived. She had been engaged in other pursuits, but soon Victoria would begin to make slavers miserable by taking jobs that were another welcome combination of satisfying a personal grudge while doing the right thing.

Jumping from talk about slavers to talk about alcohol, Victoria eagerly embraced the change of subject. She had heard that the fox girl had a fondness for sake while Nenet would chug anything with alcohol in it. She saw Itori's grimace when she brought up the fact that Nenet did not discriminate when it came to alcoholic drinks... if it gave the bird girl a buzz, she drank it.

"Don't worry about offending me, Itori. I don't care what Nenet drinks. I'm fond of the harder stuff like vodka, but I don't mind tequila once in awhile. I haven't had much sake, though." Victoria informed her guildmate. The brunette was hard to offend because she had dealt with a lot worse than being told that someone drank anything that could give a buzz. She had been called many names that could not be repeated in polite company, had her parentage questioned on more than one occasion, and had been called a "guy in drag" at the mall in Capital Crocus the time she went with Gaia. Victoria was not easily offended.

The conversation was interrupted by Nenet claiming that she had spotted either a "very aggressive patch of moss" or the guy they were looking for. Victoria laughed a little at the description of the guy's green hair. She heard the fox girl ask whether they should follow Nenet for the time being. Victoria did not have any other ideas, so she would go with that.

"Sure, let's follow Nenet." Victoria agreed with Itori.

[Word Count: 662]
[Total Word Count: 4,342/8,000]

Itori hadn't really been considering the possibility that Victoria had more personal experience with slave trade when she began to talk about the single job she'd been on before this one where the main objective was to save someone rather than just get rid of whatever problem was getting in the way of day to day life. Fortunately the other Sabertooth mage seemed to take it in stride rather than chastising her for speaking so nonchalantly about the topic but the kitsune still felt like maybe she should have been a little bit more careful in picking her topic to talk about even if it had been appropriate for the direction the conversation had been taking.

Placing her hand on Victoria's shoulder Itori opened her eyes to give her an apologetic look. "I am sorry to hear that. I appreciate you offering to help and I will not reject it since those who were carried away can use all the help offered, but I also feel like it would only be fair if I returned the favour and also helped you find your friends." Of course both she and Victoria were aware that there was a good chance that at least some of the people who were involved in those situations were no longer alive, but that didn't mean that either of them should just give up. While the odds of all the slaves still being alive were low there were most definitely some still doing their best to survive and abandoning those because of a fear of facing the less pleasant possibility would be incredibly selfsh.

The subject of alcoholic beverages was a lot safer by comparison so the seven-tailed fox was glad that despite the rather gloomy conversation regarding slavery and its possible consequences the gun-toting mage was still eager to talk more about chugging whatever tasted good. Folding her hands back together inside of her wide sleeves she nodded in response to Victoria's further comments. "Sake is relatively rare outside of Midi. It is also surprisingly strong so I suspect that it is not very popular outside of certain circles. Most likely the majority of drinkers think it is too weak, try it once to prove it, get a lot more drunk than they anticipated and then go back to whatever drink they are more familiar and more comfortable with." She wasn't intending to sound condescending but it was true that sake had a lot more alcohol in it than you'd expect. "That said it is definitely still weaker than vodka so I doubt you would have much trouble with it."

With everyone being in agreement to follow Nenet's lead the phoenix flew back up high, shouting down at the two of them to follow as she began to fly towards where she'd either spotted a green-haired swordsman or some plants. Although she was flying the fiery girl was definitely not going as fast as she could, giving the two on the ground plenty of opportunity to catch up and keep track of her position without having to break into a run. Nevertheless Itori walked with brisk step as the two of them moved through the canyone which wove and snaked as a result of a twisty river having worn down rock and clay over thousands of years. It didn't take very long before they encountered a spot where there were actually several paths forward, a fork in the road to which Nenet moved a bit closer to the ground and pointed them towards the right path.

Now that they were closer Itori could hear footsteps, motioning for her winged friend to join the two on the ground before conveying the information. "I can hear human footsteps now so I believe your guess was correct Nenet. While it could still be something or someone else I think we will be able to get out of this canyon quite soon."

Nenet was clearly happy about being proven right, flying back up and motioning for the two of them to hurry as she went ahead towards where they'd find their missing person. Itori meanwhile had closed her eyes again although a smile was playing along her lips. "She is quite old but still feels like a child or adolescent from time to time."

WC: 714
TWC: 4,884/8,000

"I might have to try sake some time after we look for the slaves and either rescue them or confirm that the worst has happened." Victoria said to Itori. Sake sounded like something worth trying at least once in her life. It was an old form of alcohol and it had an air of sophistication that vodka lacked, but image was not everything. CEIL was packed in a pretty bottle and kicked like a mule. Slatheron was packaged in a plain-looking bottle but was good to her and to thousands of other devotees to the brand.

She turned her mind away from alcohol and thought back to Itori's offer of help to find her missing friends once Victoria had helped Itori find the captured women she could not save from the pirates during her job. It did not take the brunette long to reach a decision on the subject. She would take all the help she could get from the fox girl. Itori was more levelheaded than Victoria... not that accomplishing such a feat was terribly challenging to begin with. Still, Itori was levelheaded and could help prevent Victoria from doing something stupid during the fight against the slavers, something stupid like breaking out her Rocket Launcher or using her Grenade Launcher's high explosive rounds or tear gas rounds in close quarters.

"I'll be glad to have your help on the search for my friends, but first I'll help you rescue those women. It'd be easier and safer for the both of us if we worked together." Victoria gratefully accepted Itori's offer of help as the pair walked through the canyons and towards the hovering Nenet. Victoria was glad to have taken this job with Itori because the fox girl was proving to be someone who just might become a friend of hers. Aside from the practical aspect of having a reliable teammate for jobs, the brunette also appreciated having someone to talk to. Itori did not judge her for her lifestyle or for her lack of money and social graces, which was another thing working in her favor.

The pair made their way through the twisting canyons until Itori motioned for Nenet to come down from the sky so that she could relay information. Victoria halted in place and listened as Itori told the bird girl that the former could hear footsteps and that Nenet's guess was proven to be correct. Victoria watched as Nenet celebrated being proven right and motioned for them to hurry up so that they could save Zeke and get out of this canyon. Victoria would be happy to oblige because her t-shirt was starting to get soaked from sweat.

The brunette would not take it off around Itori and Nenet nor would she have taken it off if she were alone. The thought was tempting, but Victoria would not do it because it would make herself and Sabertooth look bad. She would just have to bear the heat until the pair could leave the canyon with Zeke.

"I hope that Zeke guy doesn't get the bright idea to head deeper into the canyon just as we approach him." Victoria said Itori. The brunette could not wait to get out of this place because the heat was starting to get to her. The Azure Armor was not made for comfort; wearing a backpack of supplies with it did nothing to help the situation.

[Word Count: 578]
[Total Word Count: 4,920/8,000]

"Given that we do not know how long it will take to either free or recover the remains of the slaves I would suggest trying your first bottle after we are done here instead. If you like it you have something to look forward to once we have done what we could, and if you do not like it you can prepare yourself for something more according to your tastes instead."

The truth was that it had been a while that Itori had really thought about those slaves which might still be out there waiting to be rescued. While she'd never completely forgotten it had ended up as being something she wanted to do something about but had neither a plan nor a lead for. Not to mention the fact that she had a lot of things on her plate even without the plan of gallivanting all around the civilized world trying to find those poor women who'd been carried away by the ships that the kitsune hadn't blown in half through the liberal use of the slavers' own explosives (which had actually been pretty entertaining).

The idea of having Victoria as her ally in the quest to free those who were still trapped by the chains of slavery was one which helped the kitsune feel more confident about the future. She wasn't one to feel insecure about her own abilities, but extra help was always nice. "The order of who gets freed is of little importance I believe. As long as we rescue those who can be rescued the only factor which would matter is whether they are at risk of losing their life before we reach them."

As they were no longer following the main pathway of the canyon the landscape ahead became windier, curved and bendy and loopy until one who had no way of keeping track of their location could end up wondering whether they'd returned back to a prior point or whether they were just moving in circles. Thankfully Nenet helped put that fear to rest: the snaky movements of the canyon's depths had little influence to the winged woman as she flew above the stone cliffs and could oversee their movements with a clear eye. As they walked Victoria might notice that Itori was oddly unaffected by the heat. The fox in return picked up on the fact that her companion had been suffering from the heat all this time and had been putting up a brave front, which made her feel a little guilty for not thinking to offer the other woman some aid. Once more touching Victoria's shoulder lightly she wove a little illusion, twisting reality ever so slightly around the gunmage.

The effect was immediate as it would feel as if the air become noticeably cooler along with the sensation of a soft breeze caressing the brunette's face and all other pieces of exposed skin. "This should make it easier to endure the heat." Was all Itori said. "If he moved Nenet would inform us of it, but it would be troublesome if he did indeed begin moving away from us." So far they'd been able to track the man down just by walking through the canyon, using Nenet's flight and Itori's ears to find their way. If Zeke began to move around that'd complicate matters a lot.

Thankfully this didn't appear to be the case. The fox with the sharp ears had been listening to the sounds for a while now, but soon even Victoria could hear what was obviously someone working out hard. Heavy footsteps, hard breathing, the sound of rocks being moved around, cracked and smashed... the canyon's shape carried the sounds quite well so even if they couldn't see the guy his presence was undeniable now.

Meanwhile Nenet was already looking at the man, enjoying the fact that this Zeke had apparently decided that in this heat wearing a shirt would only be a pain. She might not be the most lustful of women but even she could enjoy a nicely shaped and muscular body. Which was also why she wasn't warning the other two women that she was already observing Zeke's movements: she thought it would be more fun if they stumbled upon him like this.

WC: 710
TWC: 5,594/8,000

"Whoa, is it just me or did it just get a lot cooler around here?" Victoria asked Itori. The wind suddenly picked up and cooled the brunette down quite a bit, making her cool enough to bear wearing the armor for awhile longer. Its arrival was timely because the mage was starting to get more uncomfortable than she could bear because the Azure Armor was trapping heat. However, the choice between wearing armor and it saving her life or not wearing armor and catching a bullet or sword to the chest and buying the farm made the choice to wear the armor easier to bear, if only slightly easier.

"I don't know if we're too late to help the captives we're going to go after, but we've gotta try anyway. We owe them that much." Victoria said to Itori. The fox girl was smarter than the brunette and probably knew that they were most likely going to waste time and effort for no reward. However, they had to try to find the captives, if only to bring their bodies home for burial and to gain closure for themselves.

"All I know about my friends is that they were caught in Capital Crocus. After that I don't know what happened to them." Victoria added a small bit of information that pertained to their earlier discussion about Victoria herself almost ending up as a slave on that night over eight years ago. She still regretted being unable to do anything about it other than to run for her life. Running for her life was all she could do against fully grown adults who wanted to capture her for sale.

Victoria turned away from that grim topic and tried to find something to brighten the mood without turning the discussion to alcohol, but she failed to come up with something other than alcohol to talk about. Since Itori talked about it, the brunette might as well go along with it. The brunette wanted to know if there was a brand of sake that the fox girl recommended.

"I'm curious as to what sake's like. Is there a particular brand you recommend that I try?" Victoria asked Itori while they continued to navigate the canyon. She did not object when Itori suggested that they move the timetable of trying the sake up to some time after completing this job. It might sound selfish of the brunette to put alcohol over rescuing people taken by slavers, but she was not going to argue with her benefactor. She also had a feeling that their efforts might end up being in vain because time itself worked against them. Their efforts would have had the greatest chance of success just after the people they needed to rescue had been captured.

Victoria put that grim thought aside when she heard the sound of intense physical activity being conducted somewhere close by. She heard the sounds of heavy footsteps, hard breathing, the sound of rocks being moved around, and the sound of rocks being cracked and smashed. As the pair got closer the source of all the commotion gradually came into view. It was a shirtless Zeke!

"Uh... um... There. There he is." Victoria said to Itori, pointing towards the shirtless green-haired man with an intense blush on her face. Even with the scar on his abdomen, Zeke was a pretty attractive guy. She saw a clearly amused Nenet flying just overhead and saw why the bird girl was so amused. The brunette wondered how Itori would react to the shirtless Zeke.

[Word Count: 600]
[Total Word Count: 5,520/8,000]

Itori only smiled as Victoria expressed surprise at the sudden refreshing breeze. As a seven-tailed kitsune her illusions were powerful enough that even awareness of them wouldn't break the spell, but it still was more effective if people never questioned whether it was real or not anyway. The fact that her illusions were of such complexity that they actually temporarily change reality helped a lot in that aspect: a weaker illusionist could have made Victoria feel colder but her body would have been forced to pay the price later as that sensation of cold would have resulted in their body no longer resisting the heat. With Itori's illusions as long as they lasted they were as real as you could ask for, so for as long as they lasted her friendly companion truly didn't have to worry about the heat.

"It is better to try and know the fruits of your labour than to not try and never be certain of what could have been." Was all Itori could really say to voice her agreement with Victoria. The slaves that the two of them wanted to save had already been taken away for years now: the odds were against them in nearly every way, most of all that they had little way of figuring out where the women and childhood friends had been taken to. If there was any evidence or clues of where those pirates and slave traders carried off their supposed wares they either were locked up in the files of the government or had faded away with the dusts of time as former trading partners set up new deals or moved away or another option from the myriad of reasons why the information would no longer be easily available.

So for the honest soul it could be said that this undertaking that the two of them had in mind was as much for the peace of said mind as for the hope of actually succeeding at it. Which wasn't perfect since if things were perfect there weren't any slaves to be rescued to begin with, but as someone who had lived a long time and knew a lot about souls Itori was aware that sometimes someone needed to do something which they knew wasn't going to succeed and served no practical purpose so they as a person could become better for having tried.

"Unfortunately it was someone else on my team who took care of the paperwork back in the day, as I was taking care of the small details on the job itself. The hope is that they stil have information on the ship and the crew that we would be able to access." Of course the small details that Itori had been taking care of during the job had been blowing up the ship using the slavers' own gunpowder. Which in hindsight would only make it harder to track them down since she hadn't slacked on the blowing up thing so the odds were low that there was still anything left of that ship other than scorched scrap.

At the question of which brand of sake was the best Itori got to thinking. Quite frankly she rarely thought much about it: most places in Fiore didn't have much choice so she was happy as long as they had any sake at all. However she did have some preferences which she was happy to sample when they were available...

"If you have no prior experience with sake Dassai is often recommended. However given that you often drink vodka you might prefer Otokoyama. It depends on whether you want to try something soft for your first time or if you are confident enough in your liking of beverages that you would rather head straight for the more distinctive brand."

When faced with the shirtless Zeke the corners of Itori's mouth curled up, but otherwise the kitsune gave little reaction. Through her long life she had seen shirtless muscular men a bit too often to be caught off balance by sudden exposure to yet another one, no matter how attractive he might look. And while she did like it when men looked fit and strong she did have a strong preference for a bit of softness or thoughtfulness. While this Zeke didn't look like your common thug he still gave the impression that he wouldn't be the type to be happy reading or appreciating the sunrise.

Given that Nenet had apparently decided to stay out of the conversation for now and with Victoria clearly more affected by the tasty sight in front of them than herself the kitsune took it upon herself to step forward and advance towards Zeke, who once he noticed that he was no longer alone stopped working out and stared at the gathering of strange women with a combination of very mild annoyance and bemusement.

"Oi oi, what're you guys doing here? You looking for a fight?"

Hearing those words Itori came to a halt and shook her head before giving a light bow. "Not at all. We came here because your friends were worried that you had gotten lost in the canyon and were hoping that we could help you find the way back out."

Zeke raised one eyebrow looking at Itori, then Victoria, then Nenet (Nenet waving at him with a grin). "That including the woman with the fiery wings up there? That's a lot of people to rescue one guy." Scratching the back of his head he grimaced and looked around. "Well it's good that you came though. I've been wandering around for hours now. I've got a good sense of direction but this place is a maze."

Given that so far the path had been linear with exactly one crossroad in that Itori was somewhat doubtful of that particular claim. However she only nodded in agreement and succeeded in not showing any doubt in her expression. "Indeed. And I do agree that we might have more people than needed but it would have been embarrassing if only one of us went and got lost as well."

The man walked over to his shirt and put it on, glancing at Victoria. "And what's her deal? Little red in the face."

So not only was the man unaware of his own ability to easily get lost but he was oblivious to the effect he had on women as well. The millennia-old fox would have sighed if that wouldn't have given the wrong idea entirely. She could already tell that this was going to be a pain given how proudly the man moved on his own path while completely ignoring a large portion of the world around him. "The heat is getting to her, that is all." She turned back towards Victoria. "I suggest that you drink some water miss Sheridan." She then realized they hadn't introduced themselves yet and quickly bowed again. "My apologies. I am Shirokawa Itori and this is Victoria Sheridan. And my friend up there is Nenet."

"Yo. I'm Zeke." And apparently that was the introduction so far as the man was concerned.

WC: 1,184
TWC: 6,778/8,000

"I'm glad that you thought to get the records of the ship that carried the captives. Having solid proof will go a long way in helping the search. I kinda wish that I had some paperwork to help find my friends, but the slavers that took them were smart enough not to leave a paper trail." Victoria praised Itori for the foresight required to find and gather the paperwork to start with, even if someone else had handled the paperwork at the time. The brunette seldom had the ability to plan that far ahead, so she was stuck chasing after mere rumors instead of having solid evidence to go on. She would need to learn some planning skills from Itori someday. In the meantime, Itori had given some advice on which brand of sake to try for the brunette's first drink of sake.

"So you suggest Dassai if I want to start off light or Otokoyama if I want to start off with something strong?" Victoria asked her job partner. Victoria would have to remember both of those brands for when the time to try the rice liquor came. She was sure that Itori would not deliberately lead her astray for the fun of it. However, Nenet might just to troll the brunette liked the former had trolled her by guiding her and Itori to the shirtless Zeke.

"OK, I'll have to remember those for later. Thanks for the advice." Victoria thanked the fox girl for the honest advice on the vodka. With that question answered, now it was time to talk to the guy that they were sent here to rescue. He was quick to notice the blushing brunette and address her in passing when Itori spoke to him. She quickly followed Itori's advice to drink some water. She set her backpack on the ground, fished out a plastic bottle of water, and removed the plastic cap from it before drinking.

While she was drinking from the bottle she looked at Zeke, who had began to address Itori. The fox girl was adept at diplomacy because the green-haired swordsman shifted from a belligerent stance towards the newcomers into a stance that was slightly more friendly but still a bit gruff. Victoria kept quiet and let Itori do the talking because the latter was simply better at it than the brunette was. Nenet was overhead and waving at the man with a wide grin on her face. If the bird girl had not been so helpful in locating the man, Victoria would have been tempted to get her back for causing such embarrassment to the Sabertooth mages.

Once she had drained the bottle to the halfway point Victoria put it into her skirt pocket with the white bottle cap pointing out of it. She then finally got around to addressing Zeke once the blush had receded from her face. She took a breath and began to speak to him.

"Yeah, we were sent by your friends to make sure that you were OK. They told us that you have plenty of weapons but not much in the way of supplies. Next time you come out here you might wanna bring some water with you. I'd suggest at least two dozen bottles, if not more than that." Victoria said to Zeke. The man momentarily glared at her when she mentioned the weapons on his side. Like in the picture they were given, he had three swords with varying colors of scabbard and grip. Why did he need three swords if he only had two hands?

"What are you, some kinda doctor? Or are you some kinda survival expert?" Zeke asked the brunette indignantly.

"I'm someone who knows better than to go out in the middle of an arid region without any water to drink. I've been out here before without any water. You don't wanna end up in that situation because it's a miserable feeling." Victoria tried to warn the swordsman.

"If I need water, I can just find an underground water source and drink from it." He answered smugly. Victoria frowned at the man's smugness. That kind of attitude would get him killed one day when a rescue party arrived too late to save him from himself.

"OK, you have something resembling a plan, but there's two problems with that. First, even if you find water in an underground water source in a cave, there's no guarantee that it'll be safe enough to drink. Second, once you get in the cave, you might have a hard time finding your way out again." Victoria said to him in an effort to get him to prepare a little more before trotting off into the wilderness without supplies. He raised an eyebrow at the second point.

"OK lady, you might have a point on the first one, but you underestimate my sense of direction. I was able to find my way here and I could find my way home again. I'm just not ready to go home yet." Zeke answered with indignation. Aware that she might be jeopardizing the hard work Itori had put in just to get Zeke to treat them with a modicum of friendliness, the brunette decided to quit while she was ahead. She would let the green-haired swordsman continue to think of himself as some kind of perfect navigator even though he acted like he could not find his way out of a wet paper bag.

"OK, if you say so, Zeke." Victoria conceded to him. She would not argue with him any further. The swordsman looked at her with a smug grin until he realized that he was getting thirsty. He seemed to recall her words about bringing plenty of water and looked to her for help.

" Hey Victoria, I don't feel like looking for an underground water source to drink from. Could you spare me a bottle of water? Zeke asked her in a tone that was almost polite. Victoria took pity on the proud swordsman and set her backpack down, opening it and pulling out a bottle of water just for him. She felt obligated to warn him that it would not be cold.

"Sure thing, Zeke. Just a warning, though. It won't be cold like Iceberg." Victoria said to him. Zeke nodded and held a hand up, motioning for her to throw it to him. The brunette obliged and threw it underhand so that she would not nail him in the face with it. Zeke caught it with ease and twisted the cap off, pocketing it so that he would not be littering.

" Thanks Victoria. I think the heat... might be getting to me. I've been out here for at least five hours without a break." Zeke admitted to the Sabertooth mages in between lengthy chugs of the water. Victoria watched him drink the bottle with ease, then screw on the lid and throw the empty bottle back to her. Victoria caught it and stuffed it in a generic plastic grocery bag she had brought to put empty bottles of water in for storage.

"No problem. Are you ready to get out of here or do you want to train some more?" Victoria asked the swordsman. He motioned for another bottle of water and Victoria obliged, fishing it out of her backpack and throwing it to him underhand just like she did last time. Zeke caught it with one hand and twisted the cap off before draining it.

" I... I could stay out... here longer, but I think I've done enough... enough for one day." Zeke said to them before screwing on the lid and tossing the empty bottle back to Victoria. She caught it and obligingly placed it in the plastic bag so that they would not be littering. Hopefully Zeke would be ready to leave soon. The sun was starting to rise higher in the sky and the brunette was not sure how much longer she could last. Victoria brought out the half-full bottle of water that had been stuffed into her pocket and began to drink from it.

[Word Count: 1,386]
[Total Word Count: 6,906/8,000]

"Actually that is part of the problem that I am facing. Since someone else took care of the paperwork I never got to see it for myself, and the event is now several years old and I have not seen that person for years either. The only hope I have is that the police of that city remember the incident and my involvement and are willing to let me look into the records." There were some unintended side effects to dividing the tasks. Of course that wouldn't have been an issue if the guild had kept copies of the paperwork but so far as Itori was aware any and all existing copies were in the hands of the government. If there were even any records. All things considered the event had been rather quick: slavers steal women, mages show up and blow up the ship, free the women and hand the slavers over to the police.

Truth be told the thought of suggesting a different brand had gone through Itori's mind. While she wouldn't have recommended any truly bad brands it could have been briefly entertaining to set Victoria up to expect something different from what she was actually getting. She had dismissed that thought mostly because she felt more confident pulling little pranks like that on people who she'd known for a while. So far she and Victoria had been getting along fine but they'd still only met today.

"Dassai is known for being mild and a little bit sweet, so even someone who has no experience with alcoholic beverages can enjoy it. Otokoyama on the other hand has what many consider the strong signature flavour of sake while also being quite hot, and is often drunk alongside a meal. So yes, I would say that one of those two would be one of your best options." Itori affirmed as she explained a little bit more of the qualities of both the brands.

Once she had gotten them past the introductions and the initial explanation Victoria took over the conversation with Zeke, and quickly got to lecturing the man on how he was supposed to take care of himself out here in the canyon. While the kitsune could understand the concern and the desire to make sure the man wouldn't make this kind of mistake again the conversation quickly became tense as the swordsman clearly didn't appreciate the lecture. She felt relief when Victoria clearly decided to back down and leave things be before the man refused to let himself be escorted out of the canyon. Despite his claims of being good at navigating it was clear that the man had been lost before they found him, although she wasn't sure if he was putting on a brave front or if he really wasn't aware of his own obliviousness. The irony would have been delicious if it were the latter.

While her companion helped the swordsman hydrate himself before he died of a heat stroke or something Itori expanded the warped reality in which they were cooled down by a mild breeze. Instead of only affecting herself and Victoria it now filled the area so the three of them could make their way back without the other two having to stay within one meter of the fox.

She would have included Nenet in the effect but she highly doubted that the phoenix would have cared. What kind of sunbird would be bothered by the heat?

Speaking of Nenet, once Zeke was done drinking she landed on the ground and stood in front of Zeke, leaning forward and smirking at him. "So you're the big strong swordsman who's training out here all alone huh? Don't feel like beating up other swordsmen?"

Zeke gave the phoenix another somewhat bemused glance before he answered neutrally. "It's difficult finding good opponents in these parts. And only fighting others won't help build up good muscle."

Nenet nodded affirmatively, rather blatantly eyeing the man's musculature. He had put his shirt back on so his torso was no longer on full view, but even with that it was clear as day that this was a specimen of good health and intense training. "Mhm, mhm, I can see that it definitely works well for you. I'd suggest sparring with our foxy friend here but she isn't always happy about fighting even when it's for fun. So instead how about this? You've been working hard so you definitely deserve a drink, right?" She first pointed at Itori with her thumb (the kitsune just watching with a certain amount of wariness), then placed an arm around Zeke's shoulders.

The green-haired man was still somewhat confused by Nenet's active personality, but when she suggested a drink he appeared to become more enthusiastic as he grinned back. "A drink definitely sounds nice right now."

"Exactly! Water's nice and all but it can't compete with the real stuff! So here's the deal. You and my two friends here get out of the canyon, and I'll make sure to have a lot of alcohol waiting for you. That way you can end your training with a proper feast and we can be rewarded for our hard work finding you."

Zeke didn't look like he had any objections to the idea, so Nenet stepped away and turned towards Itori and Victoria. "There you go then! You guys do the escorting and I do the preparing. Don't worry, I'll make sure there's plenty of sake for all of us." Apparently she had been listening in on the conversation even from above. Jumping up into the skies she gave the grounded three a grin and a quick wave. "Have fun with that~" And with that she was gone.

Itori watched Nenet depart (again) and shook her head before looking at Victoria and Zeke. "Shall we get going then? Knowing Nenet if we do not hurry we will be finding more barrels empty than not if we do not make some haste to catch up to her."

WC: 1,000
TWC: 7,778/8,000

"Eh, depends on what city you're talking about. If it's one of the smaller ones, then you might be able to work something out. If it's one of the big ones, you might need to find someone with a lot of pull to help you out." Victoria said to Itori. She had dealt with the police before but did not feel that cleaning out the crooked cops in Hargeon Town did her very many favors with the remaining officers. It would take awhile for the hard feelings to heal over before she would be welcomed by the police there, if she was ever able to go back in her lifetime.

Victoria had mixed feelings towards the police, feelings she tried to keep hidden because she was part of a Legal Guild and therefore expected to work with authority figures. She had a jaundiced attitude because the Capital Crocus police did very little to protect the homeless but spent every effort to catch them if a poor person stole from the rich or was just caught on the "rich" side of town. Still, most of the Hargeon police appeared to be straight arrows who were forced into silence by the crooked ones bought by the Anlecottis. She had not heard anything else negative about them since cleaning the department out. However, old attitudes were hard to shake, especially when they were formed during the most vulnerable time in the brunette's life.

Many people who were supposed to step up to help and protect the vulnerable instead chose to turn a blind eye to what was going on or simply chose not to help. Victoria never forgot that. She had never forgiven it either. She did not want revenge on the offenders... she just wanted to keep it from happening to someone else by fighting for the "little guy" against slavers, bandits, and others the authorities could not or would not deal with.

The brunette put those thoughts aside and turned to the less upsetting subject of alcohol. Dassai was mild and a little bit sweet. Otokoyama was the heavy hitter of the pair with sake's signature strong taste and was best consumed with food. Itori had more experience with the drink than Victoria, so the latter would defer to the fox girl. Victoria would follow Itori's advice... unless Nenet threw the brown-haired mage a curve ball just to be a flying troll.

"All right then. I'll have to try one of those. Or both of them. But not both at once. If I tried at once, I bet the taste would be awful." Victoria said to her companion. Zeke was busy talking with Nenet and otherwise being actually somewhat sociable now that he had had some water to drink. The brunette found out that he liked alcohol after hearing him tell the bird girl that he did not mind a drink. She was curious as to what type of alcohol he liked. He looked like he favored the strong drinks, but that could be a false assumption brought on by his demeanor and musculature.

"What kind of alcohol do you like?" Victoria asked the swordsman. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a look of indignation. He almost looked affronted that she would dare ask him such a question. Then he smiled widely at her.

"Whatcha got?" Zeke asked her. That was not exactly the answer she was looking for, but it could be indicative that his tastes were wide and varied. He could go for anything with alcohol in it just like Itori claimed that Nenet did not discriminate as long as she could get a buzz from it.

"We don't have anything yet. Me, I like vodka. Slatheron, Albino Gander, and the very occasional drink of CEIL even thought that brand knocks me flat on my ass." Victoria said to him, trying to keep the good feelings going. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow as if he could not believe that she could not only handle vodka, but actually have it as a drink of choice. He then laughed.

"Me, I don't really care what brand it is. If it gives me a buzz, I'll drink it. The stronger it is, the more I like it!" he said to her, finally explaining his tastes in a clearer manner. Victoria was more than a little amused to find that he was just like Nenet was claimed to be. He looked like the type of guy who could drink someone under the table. He could probably down a bottle of CEIL and still swing his sword straight.

"All right then. No offense, but I thought that was the case with you." Victoria said to him before Nenet promised to go get some alcohol for the quartet. Zeke merely grinned from ear to ear at the prospect of getting booze and a feast. Victoria's amusement was short-lived when she thought about where the alcohol would be coming from. She really hoped that Nenet would not use a five-finger discount to get some because that approach would lead to nothing but trouble for the Sabertooth mages. The brunette had better ask Itori on how exactly Nenet intended to procure the drinks for the celebration.

"Um, Itori... I hate to ask this kinda question, but I need to know. How exactly is Nenet gonna get the drinks?" Victoria asked her guildmate with some reluctance. She did not want to accuse the bird girl of theft without justification, but Victoria really needed to know before she possibly drank from purloined alcohol and got into trouble with the law. Zeke did not look terribly concerned about that, but the brunette was. She had taken a liking to Sabertooth and wanted to have as long a tenure with them as she could possibly have.

"I'm ready to go when you are, Itori." Victoria said to her guildmate. Zeke had put his shirt back on and was prepared to go back into civilization thanks to the inducement Nenet had offered him. Zeke seemed to have a thing for attractive girls like Itori and Nenet, which made the lives of the Sabertooth mages a lot easier.

[Word Count: 1,052]
[Total Word Count: 7,958/8,000]

"The event occurred in Hargeon Town, years before it was nearly levelled by the rulers of the depths. While there may still be a method to retrieve the information I am afraid that it will be anything but easy." It was very unfortunate that it had been Hargeon Town of all places. Not only was Victoria correct that in larger cities it was easier for such reports to end up out of reach of someone who might need them, but it was also the city which had almost been destroyed and for the most part had been rebuilt entirely. While the paperwork might have been saved to some extent the fact that it had been a report on a slavetrade which had officially been taken off the grid years ago meant it probably had been classified as low priority.

When her friendly companion mentioned the possibility of trying both at once Itori shook her head. "I could imagine first trying the Dassai, then after removing the aftertaste with some food trying the Otokoyama. However both at once most certainly would end up tasting worse than either one alone." One of them was mild and sweet while the other was hot and strong. Mixing those two tastes would probably just give you a mix of odd tastes which didn't combine at all.

As Victoria and Zeke discussed alcohol Itori had closed her eyes again, listening to the rest of the world. Nenet was already far gone, showing off a flight speed which would probably make a lot of mages jealous. While the phoenix wouldn't win a contest against the true speed kings she still was in her element in the sky, and a lot faster than one might think.

It was only when she was suddenly approached on the subject of where Nenet would get the alcohol from that she opened her vermillion eyes and looked at Victoria with mild surprise. It didn't take a lot of thinking to realize what Victoria was being anxious about, given that she wasn't putting a lot of effort into hiding her feelings on the subject. The surprise was that Victoria was worried about such a thing. The kitsune couldn't exactly claim that Nenet didn't give off the impression of just doing what she felt like and rarely paying attention to what other people thought about it (at least not unless they were her friends or something). However to already have the gun-girl worry about theft... Looks like Victoria was a cautious soul.

Fortunately Itori didn't think she needed to disappoint her friend, so she smiled reassuringly as she answered the question. "Do not worry. I would not lie and say that Nenet would never break the laws of society, but in situations like these you can trust her to obtain the drinks without relying on methods that would result in people wanting them drink. Most likely she will either already have paid or will take care of payment afterward." The truth was that Nenet was fond of bars and those who looked after them so barkeepers were more likely to be treated fairly by the phoenix than most. Unless of course they were jerks who shortchanged everyone and made people pay premium for third-rate drinks. But the phoenix wouldn't grab shitty drinks for an occasion like this.

With both Zeke and Victoria ready to depart Itori began to lead the way back out of the canyon and towards the nearest human settlement. She expected Nenet to meet them about halfway, because even if her fiery friend was a lot faster in the air she had to travel farther and once she had obtained the drinks she would be slowed down by them.

WC: 618
TWC: 8,396/8,000

"Oh, OK. I don't need to worry then. I'll let Nenet handle it then... not that I can do a whole lot about it since I can't fly." Victoria said to Itori. She was glad that Itori had explained everything to the brunette so that the latter did not need to worry about a reception of police or angry shop owners at the party. Now that that particular detail had been ironed out, it was a simple matter of getting out of here with Zeke in tow. Victoria heard Itori mention that the information she needed was in Hargeon Town. It looked like that the brunette would be heading back there sooner than she liked.

"Hargeon Town, huh? OK. Whenever you're ready to go there, let me know and I'll help you get the information you need to find those people." Victoria assured the fox girl. Maybe enough time had passed between the cleaning out of the crooked cops and now where the police would regard her with neutrality. She would have to hope that was the case, but next time she went she might have Itori and Nenet with her. The presence of another mage and their companion would be sure to dissuade most attempts at retribution.

In the meantime the conversation turned back to sake, namely how drinking one right behind the other would produce a vile taste. The brunette was interested in that information because it was relevant to the party to be held after rescuing Zeke and taking him to safety. Zeke appeared interested as well because he was leaning in to hear what Itori had to say.

"Don't worry, Itori. I won't mix Dassai and Otokoyama. I learned not to mix different tastes of alcohol after mixing CIEL and Slatheron one night. I drank the combination and instantly regretted it. Somehow I think that drinking used motor oil or antifreeze would have been better for me than the awful taste of CEIL and Slatheron mixed together... I tasted it for two days straight." Victoria assured Itori that Dassai and Otokoyama would not be mixed at the party or ever. She would have to keep that tip in mind during the party. Thankfully Victoria had an easy time of knowing when to stop drinking because she was an experienced drinker.

Victoria followed Itori and Zeke to the nearest human settlement while Nenet led the group for a short distance before gaining speed and all but disappearing. At least Itori knew where to go. Now it was a simple matter of putting one foot in front of the other until the quartet was back in civilization. Victoria could hardly wait to get out of this place.

[Word Count: 456]
[Total Word Count: 8,414/8,000]