Since the event that shook the region, the Misfits had a surprisingly quiet year ahead of them. It seemed normalcy had finally returned, but it may have been the calmness before a storm. Instead of fighting against the Undead, the Misfits' biggest project was the establishment of trade routes between the cities in the jungle. It was going along the same idea that Samiya suggested to Lia at first; the only difference was that Lorin's family was executing it.
Only a year later, this previously fragmented and mostly isolated region was reformed and now had a central government of allied city-states, their leaders holding a monthly meeting. The Houses provided them with the means to hold it via voice-transmission crystals, and the cities under quarantine could also participate in them this way.
This had an immediate effect on the life of the Misfits as their fortress in the past year was reinforced multiple times and was now a bustling hub from where caravans were coming and going, stopping along their way between cities.
"How cold!" A leader of such a caravan exclaimed when arriving near the fortress, feeling the icy winds brush past his face.
"Oh, it must be another training session in place!" His guard, a Misfit, replied, wearing a patch with a fire emblem on his shoulderplate. "It's our leader, Lia Amarin! She is fusing her element of air into her spells! She will be the first mage in our history to combine three elements!"
"First? Three?" The middle-aged man asked, surprised, furrowing his brows. He lived his life in this region, and he was a simple, magicless human. Of course, he knew of the name Amarin, with all that history attributed to them. "Wasn't Erias Amarin doing that with four?"
"Oh, he was; he combined fire with water and light with darkness! But he did it separately! Our Boss is going to combine fire, water, and air! Never done before, hah!"
"That still doesn't explain why the cold! I can almost see my breath! This is horrible!"
"I think it's great!" The young Misfit chuckled, "The jungle is extremely humid and hot! I am from up north! I am much more used to the cold! Don't worry, it will pass! Come, we will restock, and we can escort you to Deliah!"
What many people felt at that day, swirling around the fortress, was indeed the work of Lia. She was learning spells based on the wind in these past long months, and she started slowly combining them with her two major attributes. The cold air that was blowing all around the fortress was conjured by her, based on her recollections of how the wind felt on the Windswept Fields.
"I think this will do!" She stopped meditating atop one of the battlements, standing up, taking a deep breath, and dusting off her buttocks.
"You could have made it colder," Rinzen commented, standing next to her, observing the invisible winds still swirling around the fortress.
"My goal was not to hurt people but to manage it well and expand it to a wide area!" Lia answered, stretching and moaning, letting out a big yawn. "I have a feeling the moment I manage to mix the three, I will step into the 6th Tier!"
"You could easily stand up to someone who is in that tier if they only wield a singular element."
"I don't think I would beat you. You are at the door of becoming a Ri!"
"I wouldn't know how to react to your spells either." She replied honestly, as she was one of her main sparring partners. "Your fire spells can turn way too hot and intense while my ice can't overcome yours. I can only stand toe-to-toe with you because I have more mana."
"Why don't you try learning another element?"
"No. That is not for me." She shook her head, forming a small smile. "I like it simple."
"Well, I think it is fine! You are strong, and look at Lakhmu; he also got to where he is with only one element!"
"Hajna said; he was mastering her ancient spells at an incredible rate. She couldn't stop praising Lakhmu."
"Hehe, I know! But I am more proud of Sion! He did something amazing, and now he can use it without running out of energy in a minute or so!"
"What about Keily?"
"He too~!" Lia giggled as she was delighted. Not long after Sion's achievement, Keily also combined fire and metal, creating electrified fire, and his experience was precious to Lia. His combination used two elements that were not opposite; if anything, they were natural to each other. His feelings and description were what Lia needed to hear the most. "When everyone is back, we will have a mission, so we are going to leave for a while!"
"Oh?" Rinzen hummed, tilting her head and starting to walk with Lia, who headed to her quarters, "That is why you called us all back?"
"Yeah. This is… well, it's from my Mom. It is something that we have to do covertly."
"Did something happen?"
Rinzen's voice turned serious at once when they entered Lia's room.
"We don't know yet. My Mother said she felt something was brewing under the surface. Call it intuition! My brothers are all busy at the moment, and it will fall to us to investigate… and…"
"And?" She asked, sitting down next to her on the couch, automatically starting to rub her head and play with her hair.
"She said to bring you along so your authority can avoid a major conflict if we get discovered."
"With whom?"
"With your House."
Rinzen was truly surprised this time, and her hand stopped stroking Lia's head. It took her a minute to regain her composure and look down at her, wanting to hear more.
"What happened?" She questioned, biting her lower lip.
"Mom said she can't pinpoint it yet… but for a brief moment, she felt the same presence that my House's people fought with."
"She survived? Or returned? Troublesome… especially if she hides in our territory!"
"We don't know. It could be a mistake!" Lia explained hurriedly, not wanting to hurt Rinzen's feelings, "That is why she only told me! If she contacts you directly, the other Six would notice it. If the Six start investigating each other, that could end up badly... Our mission will be simple! We will travel the same route my Mom took when flying over your home, and we will investigate! But we have to do it covertly, without alerting any higher-up powers! We won't drag in everybody until we have what we need! If she really is here... then we, and I mean Mom, Lakhmu, and Rangi, kill her for real this time!"
"That's why I come in handy. I can order anyone to keep our presence secret if we come across people from my House." Rinzen nodded her head rapidly, agreeing with the idea. "If she does hide in our territory, then it's my responsibility to investigate! Maybe I stayed for far too long away from home…"
"Everyone agrees that your priority is to raise your strength!" It was now Lia's turn to start rubbing Rinzen's head, leaning against her, "But yes, after you step into the Three Ri stage, you will probably have to leave the group… but you will always be a Misfit!"
…
….
……
The fact that Lia and all of the leaders of the Misfits left was kept under warps. Not even their subordinates knew about it, thinking they were on their own mission in the jungle. Publicly, they went to investigate a newly found ruin, but in reality, they mounted a slick-looking, fast ship bearing the Berisons' crest and left under the darkness of the moonless night.
"We are going to take this route!" Lia explained, standing over a table and a detailed map of Rinzen's home country. "It is the exact replica of my mother's, and we are going to do it on foot!"
"Not from the air?" Koa asked, feeling a bit bummed out because this would mean they will going to walk in the snow.
"Man up." Aurora elbowed her, signaling with one hand.
Although not all of the Berison territory was a glacier, it was a palace where winter was harsh and cold. Heavy snowing was given, and their ship was already flying under dark clouds, ready to snow at any given moment.
"We will act as a merchant group, going towards the Nerifits' territory!" Lia explained, nodding towards Ceiline, who had prepared fake papers. "The cargo we put on the ship is for that reason!"
"Oh!" Raufon clapped, "Now I understand why we have two wooly bison aboard! They are cute!"
"Cute?" Keily asked, looking up at him with question marks in his eyes, "They are enormous, and the one with the four horns almost stepped on me! I think he didn't even notice my presence…"
"Well, you are tiny!" Sion giggled, receiving a glare from Keily and a pinch from Aurora, landing on his buttocks. "Hey, it is true!" He grumbled, making even Keily laugh, shaking his head defeatedly.
"Khm!" Lia cleared her throat, tapping against the map, "Our route will hit four major cities in subordinate kingdoms! The first one is the capital city of Kayrinev." Looking at them, she circled it with a big smile, but nobody reacted. Except Sion, but he only raised an eyebrow before returning to normal. "Geez… nothing?"
"What?" Keily, Koa, and Raufon asked at once.
"Kayrinev!" Lia repeated but shrugged, seeing the empty looks, even in Aurora's eyes, "Heliett! She was a Kayrinev princess!"
"Who?" Koa asked, but then Lia threw a snowball at her face, letting it splatter as it hit her forehead. "Ow! Hey! It was a joke! I remember her name… not her family name, to be real with you… but don't need to throw things!" She mumbled, now looking as if she had a fun night with the entirety of her harem at once only a moment ago.
"Hmph!" Lia snorted, forming another one above her palm, "We will be careful and courteous, got it?"
"Yes!" They answered in unison.
"Whatever happened, it did so years ago; now it doesn't matter! I am just saying this now in case we do run into Heliett or somebody from her family!"
"What about you?" Koa asked, wiping her face with her shirt, "Your looks are easily recognizable! Not many people running around with your eyes!"
"Easy!" She giggled, and Ceiline presented two contact lenses that, after putting them on, turned her eyes purple. "Tada! I only need to wear my hair differently, and all is good! There are a lot of blondies up here!"
"So, are we going to cut it off?" Aurora asked, signaling with her hand, receiving Lia's next snowball straight in the face.
"Touch it, and I shave you bald!" She flared up, her now purple eyes hurling fire at her, "It took me all my life growing it out so long and shiny! Rinzen will simply make a braid out of it! Duh!"
"I will?" Came here surprised question. "I can't really do it."
"Eh? You can't?" Lia yelped, feeling troubled and crestfallen.
"No. I don't really do much with my hair… I just wash it, and… it stands as is." She mumbled, now feeling a bit conscious about it.
"Geez!" Sion chuckled, clearing his fiance's face of snow, "Did you all forget to grow up? I'll do it for you."
"You can?" Asked almost everyone, turning towards Sion this time.
"Stop… you guys are acting like kids! Yes, I can; it's not a big deal!"
"Why didn't you say before?" Aurora asked, also surprised and curious.
"Nobody asked." He shrugged, and Simbad's voice echoed from their bracelet before more questions could erupt from the group's mouth.
"We are nearing our landing zone. We will touch down in fifteen minutes."
"Okay, gang!" Lia clapped, returning to her serious voice and looking, "We will touch down at a place that is far from inhabited regions and is a relatively flat land! After we are prepared and ready, we will start marching! We should reach the first city in two days!"
"Ugh…" Koa moaned but kept her complaints back this time.
"It's necessary!" Her cousin explained, directly looking at her, "We need to show the marks of traveling the land! Nobody would believe us that we are a small, upstart caravan heading out to make our fortune if we arrive on a ship or with immaculate clothes and boots!"
"And we are mages!" Rinzen exclaimed, feeling fired up as this was her home, and if it did have danger lurking somewhere, it was her duty to find and eliminate it. "A little cold is nothing!"
"Huh." Koa looked at her, surprised to see so much energy in her, "Don't mind me! I'm just complaining because, from the hot bowl that was the jungle, we are being thrown into a snow globe all of a sudden! Oh well, I know a way to keep myself warm!" She giggled, hugging Keily, who turned bright red while the others acted as if nothing had happened.
"Don't forget!" Lia warned them while they felt the ship slowly starting its descent. "We are here to investigate! Everything we find goes to my Mother! She will be the one making decisions and dealing with it! We are just looking!"
"Yes!" They answered simultaneously, ready to journey into the snow-covered lands of the Berisons.
Since the event that shook the region, the Misfits had a surprisingly quiet year ahead of them. It seemed normalcy had finally returned, but it may have been the calmness before a storm. Instead of fighting against the Undead, the Misfits' biggest project was the establishment of trade routes between the cities in the jungle. It was going along the same idea that Samiya suggested to Lia at first; the only difference was that Lorin's family was executing it.
Only a year later, this previously fragmented and mostly isolated region was reformed and now had a central government of allied city-states, their leaders holding a monthly meeting. The Houses provided them with the means to hold it via voice-transmission crystals, and the cities under quarantine could also participate in them this way.
This had an immediate effect on the life of the Misfits as their fortress in the past year was reinforced multiple times and was now a bustling hub from where caravans were coming and going, stopping along their way between cities.
"How cold!" A leader of such a caravan exclaimed when arriving near the fortress, feeling the icy winds brush past his face.
"Oh, it must be another training session in place!" His guard, a Misfit, replied, wearing a patch with a fire emblem on his shoulderplate. "It's our leader, Lia Amarin! She is fusing her element of air into her spells! She will be the first mage in our history to combine three elements!"
"First? Three?" The middle-aged man asked, surprised, furrowing his brows. He lived his life in this region, and he was a simple, magicless human. Of course, he knew of the name Amarin, with all that history attributed to them. "Wasn't Erias Amarin doing that with four?"
"Oh, he was; he combined fire with water and light with darkness! But he did it separately! Our Boss is going to combine fire, water, and air! Never done before, hah!"
"That still doesn't explain why the cold! I can almost see my breath! This is horrible!"
"I think it's great!" The young Misfit chuckled, "The jungle is extremely humid and hot! I am from up north! I am much more used to the cold! Don't worry, it will pass! Come, we will restock, and we can escort you to Deliah!"
What many people felt at that day, swirling around the fortress, was indeed the work of Lia. She was learning spells based on the wind in these past long months, and she started slowly combining them with her two major attributes. The cold air that was blowing all around the fortress was conjured by her, based on her recollections of how the wind felt on the Windswept Fields.
"I think this will do!" She stopped meditating atop one of the battlements, standing up, taking a deep breath, and dusting off her buttocks.
"You could have made it colder," Rinzen commented, standing next to her, observing the invisible winds still swirling around the fortress.
"My goal was not to hurt people but to manage it well and expand it to a wide area!" Lia answered, stretching and moaning, letting out a big yawn. "I have a feeling the moment I manage to mix the three, I will step into the 6th Tier!"
"You could easily stand up to someone who is in that tier if they only wield a singular element."
"I don't think I would beat you. You are at the door of becoming a Ri!"
"I wouldn't know how to react to your spells either." She replied honestly, as she was one of her main sparring partners. "Your fire spells can turn way too hot and intense while my ice can't overcome yours. I can only stand toe-to-toe with you because I have more mana."
"Why don't you try learning another element?"
"No. That is not for me." She shook her head, forming a small smile. "I like it simple."
"Well, I think it is fine! You are strong, and look at Lakhmu; he also got to where he is with only one element!"
"Hajna said; he was mastering her ancient spells at an incredible rate. She couldn't stop praising Lakhmu."
"Hehe, I know! But I am more proud of Sion! He did something amazing, and now he can use it without running out of energy in a minute or so!"
"What about Keily?"
"He too~!" Lia giggled as she was delighted. Not long after Sion's achievement, Keily also combined fire and metal, creating electrified fire, and his experience was precious to Lia. His combination used two elements that were not opposite; if anything, they were natural to each other. His feelings and description were what Lia needed to hear the most. "When everyone is back, we will have a mission, so we are going to leave for a while!"
"Oh?" Rinzen hummed, tilting her head and starting to walk with Lia, who headed to her quarters, "That is why you called us all back?"
"Yeah. This is… well, it's from my Mom. It is something that we have to do covertly."
"Did something happen?"
Rinzen's voice turned serious at once when they entered Lia's room.
"We don't know yet. My Mother said she felt something was brewing under the surface. Call it intuition! My brothers are all busy at the moment, and it will fall to us to investigate… and…"
"And?" She asked, sitting down next to her on the couch, automatically starting to rub her head and play with her hair.
"She said to bring you along so your authority can avoid a major conflict if we get discovered."
"With whom?"
"With your House."
Rinzen was truly surprised this time, and her hand stopped stroking Lia's head. It took her a minute to regain her composure and look down at her, wanting to hear more.
"What happened?" She questioned, biting her lower lip.
"Mom said she can't pinpoint it yet… but for a brief moment, she felt the same presence that my House's people fought with."
"She survived? Or returned? Troublesome… especially if she hides in our territory!"
"We don't know. It could be a mistake!" Lia explained hurriedly, not wanting to hurt Rinzen's feelings, "That is why she only told me! If she contacts you directly, the other Six would notice it. If the Six start investigating each other, that could end up badly... Our mission will be simple! We will travel the same route my Mom took when flying over your home, and we will investigate! But we have to do it covertly, without alerting any higher-up powers! We won't drag in everybody until we have what we need! If she really is here... then we, and I mean Mom, Lakhmu, and Rangi, kill her for real this time!"
"That's why I come in handy. I can order anyone to keep our presence secret if we come across people from my House." Rinzen nodded her head rapidly, agreeing with the idea. "If she does hide in our territory, then it's my responsibility to investigate! Maybe I stayed for far too long away from home…"
"Everyone agrees that your priority is to raise your strength!" It was now Lia's turn to start rubbing Rinzen's head, leaning against her, "But yes, after you step into the Three Ri stage, you will probably have to leave the group… but you will always be a Misfit!"
…
….
……
The fact that Lia and all of the leaders of the Misfits left was kept under warps. Not even their subordinates knew about it, thinking they were on their own mission in the jungle. Publicly, they went to investigate a newly found ruin, but in reality, they mounted a slick-looking, fast ship bearing the Berisons' crest and left under the darkness of the moonless night.
"We are going to take this route!" Lia explained, standing over a table and a detailed map of Rinzen's home country. "It is the exact replica of my mother's, and we are going to do it on foot!"
"Not from the air?" Koa asked, feeling a bit bummed out because this would mean they will going to walk in the snow.
"Man up." Aurora elbowed her, signaling with one hand.
Although not all of the Berison territory was a glacier, it was a palace where winter was harsh and cold. Heavy snowing was given, and their ship was already flying under dark clouds, ready to snow at any given moment.
"We will act as a merchant group, going towards the Nerifits' territory!" Lia explained, nodding towards Ceiline, who had prepared fake papers. "The cargo we put on the ship is for that reason!"
"Oh!" Raufon clapped, "Now I understand why we have two wooly bison aboard! They are cute!"
"Cute?" Keily asked, looking up at him with question marks in his eyes, "They are enormous, and the one with the four horns almost stepped on me! I think he didn't even notice my presence…"
"Well, you are tiny!" Sion giggled, receiving a glare from Keily and a pinch from Aurora, landing on his buttocks. "Hey, it is true!" He grumbled, making even Keily laugh, shaking his head defeatedly.
"Khm!" Lia cleared her throat, tapping against the map, "Our route will hit four major cities in subordinate kingdoms! The first one is the capital city of Kayrinev." Looking at them, she circled it with a big smile, but nobody reacted. Except Sion, but he only raised an eyebrow before returning to normal. "Geez… nothing?"
"What?" Keily, Koa, and Raufon asked at once.
"Kayrinev!" Lia repeated but shrugged, seeing the empty looks, even in Aurora's eyes, "Heliett! She was a Kayrinev princess!"
"Who?" Koa asked, but then Lia threw a snowball at her face, letting it splatter as it hit her forehead. "Ow! Hey! It was a joke! I remember her name… not her family name, to be real with you… but don't need to throw things!" She mumbled, now looking as if she had a fun night with the entirety of her harem at once only a moment ago.
"Hmph!" Lia snorted, forming another one above her palm, "We will be careful and courteous, got it?"
"Yes!" They answered in unison.
"Whatever happened, it did so years ago; now it doesn't matter! I am just saying this now in case we do run into Heliett or somebody from her family!"
"What about you?" Koa asked, wiping her face with her shirt, "Your looks are easily recognizable! Not many people running around with your eyes!"
"Easy!" She giggled, and Ceiline presented two contact lenses that, after putting them on, turned her eyes purple. "Tada! I only need to wear my hair differently, and all is good! There are a lot of blondies up here!"
"So, are we going to cut it off?" Aurora asked, signaling with her hand, receiving Lia's next snowball straight in the face.
"Touch it, and I shave you bald!" She flared up, her now purple eyes hurling fire at her, "It took me all my life growing it out so long and shiny! Rinzen will simply make a braid out of it! Duh!"
"I will?" Came here surprised question. "I can't really do it."
"Eh? You can't?" Lia yelped, feeling troubled and crestfallen.
"No. I don't really do much with my hair… I just wash it, and… it stands as is." She mumbled, now feeling a bit conscious about it.
"Geez!" Sion chuckled, clearing his fiance's face of snow, "Did you all forget to grow up? I'll do it for you."
"You can?" Asked almost everyone, turning towards Sion this time.
"Stop… you guys are acting like kids! Yes, I can; it's not a big deal!"
"Why didn't you say before?" Aurora asked, also surprised and curious.
"Nobody asked." He shrugged, and Simbad's voice echoed from their bracelet before more questions could erupt from the group's mouth.
"We are nearing our landing zone. We will touch down in fifteen minutes."
"Okay, gang!" Lia clapped, returning to her serious voice and looking, "We will touch down at a place that is far from inhabited regions and is a relatively flat land! After we are prepared and ready, we will start marching! We should reach the first city in two days!"
"Ugh…" Koa moaned but kept her complaints back this time.
"It's necessary!" Her cousin explained, directly looking at her, "We need to show the marks of traveling the land! Nobody would believe us that we are a small, upstart caravan heading out to make our fortune if we arrive on a ship or with immaculate clothes and boots!"
"And we are mages!" Rinzen exclaimed, feeling fired up as this was her home, and if it did have danger lurking somewhere, it was her duty to find and eliminate it. "A little cold is nothing!"
"Huh." Koa looked at her, surprised to see so much energy in her, "Don't mind me! I'm just complaining because, from the hot bowl that was the jungle, we are being thrown into a snow globe all of a sudden! Oh well, I know a way to keep myself warm!" She giggled, hugging Keily, who turned bright red while the others acted as if nothing had happened.
"Don't forget!" Lia warned them while they felt the ship slowly starting its descent. "We are here to investigate! Everything we find goes to my Mother! She will be the one making decisions and dealing with it! We are just looking!"
"Yes!" They answered simultaneously, ready to journey into the snow-covered lands of the Berisons.
