As the group exited the guild, they saw Nirra walking slowly and out of their pace.
"Sis? What's wrong?" Ellie questioned as she walked back to her sister.
"Nothing, just deep in thought about something," she answered and waved her hand, signifying that all was right. "Although, can we go to the shopping district? I want to see the things they sell in this city," she continued.
"Sure, I'm sure Ameria knows the way to the shopping district," Ellie said as she looked upon said elf.
"Yes, I do know my way around this city." Ameria then looked around their location and saw the way they should be going.
"That small road should lead to the shopping district; just follow me." Ameria then started walking towards Aid Road.
Ellie looked at Nirra, and the latter shrugged. Nirra started following Ameria, and Ellie came along with them to follow her sister.
They walked down the windy road that had buildings overhanging the pathway. Buildings made of wood, some made of stone, are lined on the sides with people walking in and out of them. Some kids were even playing in front of them. They seemed to be playing tag, and they ran past them.
Nirra suddenly felt something bump into her leg. When she looked down, she saw a little boy on the ground looking at her with terror in his eyes.
"Hey, are you alright, little one?" Ellie came up and kneeled beside him.
The boy couldn't speak; he was terrified of the consequences of bumping into adventurers he'd never met before.
Without waiting long, Ellie helped him stand back up as well as dust his clothes.
"T-thank you, ma'am...." Ellie heard him say slowly and quietly.
"No problem," Ellie said with a big smile to calm the kid's heart.
Nirra also noticed that his friends came running back to check what had happened to their friend. They eventually connected the pieces together and ran up to face Nirra.
"We're sorry, Ma'am!" She heard one of the girls say. "He didn't mean to hit you!" She continued.
"Yeah! It was all just an accident!" She heard one of the boys yell.
"Please don't eat us!" Another one of the girls said with tears in her eyes.
"Please calm down; I'm not angry," Nirra said with a drop of sweat coming down her forehead. She saw Ameria in the background, giggling to herself at Nirra's predicament.
"You're not?" The same girl from earlier said.
"No, I'm not," Nirra replied as she kneeled down to make eye contact with the kids.
"You're not going to eat us?" The bashful girl from earlier said with a slight tear in her eye.
"No, why would I do that?" Nirra said, confused.
"Thank the holy one..." She heard one of the boys say.
Nirra then saw her sister approach her while she giggled. She knelt down beside her sister and put a hand on her back.
"Don't worry, sis; I'll handle this," Ellie said reassuringly. Nirra nodded and stood back up. She then walked towards Ameria, who was watching the whole situation.
"Not good with kids?" She said with a smirk and an eyebrow raised.
"I.... Was not really close to the kids back at home. Ellie was, though," Nirra said, recounting the times Ellie would visit the local orphanage to play with the kids when they were 17. She was busy in the forge helping her father, so she couldn't come with her sister.
"I see," Ameria said when she looked back at Ellie, who was busy talking to the kids.
After a while, Ellie waves her hand at the two of them, motioning for them to come to her. The two obliged and walked up to her position.
"See, kids? She's not scary at all," Ellie said as she emphasized Nirra with her hands.
"What do you mean?" Nirra said, puzzled by what her sister was talking about.
"Oh, I just made them calm down by telling them how much of a sweetheart you really are," She said with a smile and wink.
"She really is," One of the boys said.
"Is it true you guys face a scary monster?" Another boy said, Nirra noticed that it was the boy who she bumped into earlier. Nirra guessed he must've warmed up to Ellie already.
"Yep, we almost got hit by a lightning bolt. Nirra here had to survive two days inside the forest on her own," Ellie said, nudging her sister.
"That's so cool!" The other boy said with stars in his eyes.
"How did you kill that scary monster?..." The shy girl said.
"We didn't; Mofu here did," Nirra said as she pointed at the sleeping vulpen on her shoulder.
"How did a little fox like him kill such a scary monster?" One of the boys said skeptically.
"Well, Mofu here is a vulpen, a special magical creature that can turn into a larger version of himself and use all sorts of magic to kill that creature," Ellie said, her smile never leaving her face.
"Amazing!" One of the girls said.
"I have a question," one of the girls said while raising her hand.
"What's that tube thingy on big sister Nirra's shoulder?" She asked. Ellie nudged her sister to answer.
"It's my weapon. I use it to take out the monsters we come across," Nirra answered simply.
"But it doesn't look like a bow, nor does it look like a sword. How does it work?" The girl said, which placed Nirra in an awkward situation.
"It works just like a bow; it shoots a projectile like an arrow," Nirra answered briefly.
"But what does it shoot?" The girl asked again.
Nirra then looked at Ellie to ask for her help, but Ellie just shrugged. Sighing, she took out a .44 Henry cartridge for her Model 1873 lever-action rifle.
"It shoots these at super speeds just like a bow, which deals damage," Nirra answered as the kids looked at the cartridge with awe.
"That little thing can take out a big, scary monster? That's so cool!" One of the boys said.
A girl then asked another question: "Why do you and big sister Ellie look so much alike?"
"Oh, it's because we're twins," she answered.
"Ouuuu, I see," the girl said, her curiosity satisfied.
The kids kept asking questions; Ameria, Ellie, and Nirra were obliged to answer, and they had already lost track of time. By the time they finished, it was already late afternoon.
"We'd love to sit and chat more, but we have somewhere we would like to be," Ameria said with a soft smile.
"Awwww," all the kids said collectively.
"See you guys later then!" One of the boys said as they slowly walked away.
Each one of the kids took turns saying goodbye to Nirra, Ellie, and Ameria until the only one left was the kid who bumped into Nirra's leg earlier. Nirra kneeled down to look the kid in the eyes.
"I'm sorry for earlier, big sister Nirra. I wasn't looking where I was going," He said as he looked down in shame.
"It's okay; we all make mistakes. That's what makes us alive," Nirra said with a reassuring smile. The kid looked up and hugged Nirra, his head resting on her chest.
"Thank you, big sister Nirra!" He said out loud.
Nirra didn't say anything in return and hugged the kid. After they separated, the boy ran back to his crowd of friends, and before he could reach them, he turned around just as Nirra started walking in the other direction with Ellie and Ameria.
"Thanks for the cool stories, big sister Nirra!" The boy shouted, which Nirra heard.
She turned her head back and waved back at the kid with a smile on her face.
"It looks like someone likes kids now," Ellie said with a smug smile. Nirra rolled her eyes away from Ellie, and Ameria giggled at her actions as they walked down the road.
As the group exited the guild, they saw Nirra walking slowly and out of their pace.
"Sis? What's wrong?" Ellie questioned as she walked back to her sister.
"Nothing, just deep in thought about something," she answered and waved her hand, signifying that all was right. "Although, can we go to the shopping district? I want to see the things they sell in this city," she continued.
"Sure, I'm sure Ameria knows the way to the shopping district," Ellie said as she looked upon said elf.
"Yes, I do know my way around this city." Ameria then looked around their location and saw the way they should be going.
"That small road should lead to the shopping district; just follow me." Ameria then started walking towards Aid Road.
Ellie looked at Nirra, and the latter shrugged. Nirra started following Ameria, and Ellie came along with them to follow her sister.
They walked down the windy road that had buildings overhanging the pathway. Buildings made of wood, some made of stone, are lined on the sides with people walking in and out of them. Some kids were even playing in front of them. They seemed to be playing tag, and they ran past them.
Nirra suddenly felt something bump into her leg. When she looked down, she saw a little boy on the ground looking at her with terror in his eyes.
"Hey, are you alright, little one?" Ellie came up and kneeled beside him.
The boy couldn't speak; he was terrified of the consequences of bumping into adventurers he'd never met before.
Without waiting long, Ellie helped him stand back up as well as dust his clothes.
"T-thank you, ma'am...." Ellie heard him say slowly and quietly.
"No problem," Ellie said with a big smile to calm the kid's heart.
Nirra also noticed that his friends came running back to check what had happened to their friend. They eventually connected the pieces together and ran up to face Nirra.
"We're sorry, Ma'am!" She heard one of the girls say. "He didn't mean to hit you!" She continued.
"Yeah! It was all just an accident!" She heard one of the boys yell.
"Please don't eat us!" Another one of the girls said with tears in her eyes.
"Please calm down; I'm not angry," Nirra said with a drop of sweat coming down her forehead. She saw Ameria in the background, giggling to herself at Nirra's predicament.
"You're not?" The same girl from earlier said.
"No, I'm not," Nirra replied as she kneeled down to make eye contact with the kids.
"You're not going to eat us?" The bashful girl from earlier said with a slight tear in her eye.
"No, why would I do that?" Nirra said, confused.
"Thank the holy one..." She heard one of the boys say.
Nirra then saw her sister approach her while she giggled. She knelt down beside her sister and put a hand on her back.
"Don't worry, sis; I'll handle this," Ellie said reassuringly. Nirra nodded and stood back up. She then walked towards Ameria, who was watching the whole situation.
"Not good with kids?" She said with a smirk and an eyebrow raised.
"I.... Was not really close to the kids back at home. Ellie was, though," Nirra said, recounting the times Ellie would visit the local orphanage to play with the kids when they were 17. She was busy in the forge helping her father, so she couldn't come with her sister.
"I see," Ameria said when she looked back at Ellie, who was busy talking to the kids.
After a while, Ellie waves her hand at the two of them, motioning for them to come to her. The two obliged and walked up to her position.
"See, kids? She's not scary at all," Ellie said as she emphasized Nirra with her hands.
"What do you mean?" Nirra said, puzzled by what her sister was talking about.
"Oh, I just made them calm down by telling them how much of a sweetheart you really are," She said with a smile and wink.
"She really is," One of the boys said.
"Is it true you guys face a scary monster?" Another boy said, Nirra noticed that it was the boy who she bumped into earlier. Nirra guessed he must've warmed up to Ellie already.
"Yep, we almost got hit by a lightning bolt. Nirra here had to survive two days inside the forest on her own," Ellie said, nudging her sister.
"That's so cool!" The other boy said with stars in his eyes.
"How did you kill that scary monster?..." The shy girl said.
"We didn't; Mofu here did," Nirra said as she pointed at the sleeping vulpen on her shoulder.
"How did a little fox like him kill such a scary monster?" One of the boys said skeptically.
"Well, Mofu here is a vulpen, a special magical creature that can turn into a larger version of himself and use all sorts of magic to kill that creature," Ellie said, her smile never leaving her face.
"Amazing!" One of the girls said.
"I have a question," one of the girls said while raising her hand.
"What's that tube thingy on big sister Nirra's shoulder?" She asked. Ellie nudged her sister to answer.
"It's my weapon. I use it to take out the monsters we come across," Nirra answered simply.
"But it doesn't look like a bow, nor does it look like a sword. How does it work?" The girl said, which placed Nirra in an awkward situation.
"It works just like a bow; it shoots a projectile like an arrow," Nirra answered briefly.
"But what does it shoot?" The girl asked again.
Nirra then looked at Ellie to ask for her help, but Ellie just shrugged. Sighing, she took out a .44 Henry cartridge for her Model 1873 lever-action rifle.
"It shoots these at super speeds just like a bow, which deals damage," Nirra answered as the kids looked at the cartridge with awe.
"That little thing can take out a big, scary monster? That's so cool!" One of the boys said.
A girl then asked another question: "Why do you and big sister Ellie look so much alike?"
"Oh, it's because we're twins," she answered.
"Ouuuu, I see," the girl said, her curiosity satisfied.
The kids kept asking questions; Ameria, Ellie, and Nirra were obliged to answer, and they had already lost track of time. By the time they finished, it was already late afternoon.
"We'd love to sit and chat more, but we have somewhere we would like to be," Ameria said with a soft smile.
"Awwww," all the kids said collectively.
"See you guys later then!" One of the boys said as they slowly walked away.
Each one of the kids took turns saying goodbye to Nirra, Ellie, and Ameria until the only one left was the kid who bumped into Nirra's leg earlier. Nirra kneeled down to look the kid in the eyes.
"I'm sorry for earlier, big sister Nirra. I wasn't looking where I was going," He said as he looked down in shame.
"It's okay; we all make mistakes. That's what makes us alive," Nirra said with a reassuring smile. The kid looked up and hugged Nirra, his head resting on her chest.
"Thank you, big sister Nirra!" He said out loud.
Nirra didn't say anything in return and hugged the kid. After they separated, the boy ran back to his crowd of friends, and before he could reach them, he turned around just as Nirra started walking in the other direction with Ellie and Ameria.
"Thanks for the cool stories, big sister Nirra!" The boy shouted, which Nirra heard.
She turned her head back and waved back at the kid with a smile on her face.
"It looks like someone likes kids now," Ellie said with a smug smile. Nirra rolled her eyes away from Ellie, and Ameria giggled at her actions as they walked down the road.
