Chapter 18

Sitting on the wagon as the plains past them by, Yuna and Inoue relaxed.

"Do you think we really stand a chance? If he is one of the Demon King's chosen Generals. Dosen't that mean that he's incredibly strong?"

Glancing at her, he sat up.

"Well, yeah. But Morigan said that he's phisicaly pretty weak. What we need to worry about is his pets."

Nodding, she pulled her knees closer.

"I can't believe that we're going to be fighting one of the Chosen so soon. We only have two quests under our belt."

"We have each other. You, me, Yozora and Philomena. And now we have Morigan to help us as well. We just have to trust each other. That's what you always say, right?"

Looking at him with a smile, Yuna chuckled.

"You've changed so much since we came here. You were always so scared and introverted but here you take initiative. Always the first to speak up for us and  you're so confident. It's amazing to see. I always knew this version of you existed."

Blushing, he scratched the back of his head and chuckled, breaking eye contact.

"I just feel more at home here. Here, no one knows the pathetic me but you and Yozora. The concept of being this hero with you guys. It gives me a rush, you know? Like I have a purpose and I'm worth something. Here, I'm Inoue the adventurer, not Inoue the depressed introvert otaku that tried to kill himself."

Frowning at the mention of his past, she shook her head and took his hand.

"You were always more then that. Anyone who really cared and loved you knew that. I'm just glad to see this you. The happy you. And I'll always be by your side. Just like Miss. Tanaka and Philomena. We meant it when we told you that you were stuck with us. Your three adventurer wives. Lucky you, too. You get an Elf, a Dragonkin and a Kitsune. Most guys would kill for this and you got us by being your normal dorky self."

Chuckling and playfully pushing her back as she pinched his cheek, he squeezed her hand.

"Thanks. Having you three around means more then you'll ever know."

They continued their talk about their new reality, relationship and the fight to come as a bridge that spanned a large gulch came into view in the distance.

Reaching it, Yuna leaned over the side of the wagon as Inoue leapt out to stand at the edge.

"Well this is Paharamon gulch. Where are the monks?"

Hopping out next to him, she hummed as she looked around.

"Over there. But how do we get down there? How did they get down there?"

She asked, pointing into the distance at a small black dot within the gulch.

Hearing Ken growl, they looked at him and saw a small path leading down into the gulch.

"Alright then. Looks like we found the way down."

Following Ken down, the watched as the dot they assumed to be the monks began slowly moving in their direction.

"At least they seem to be coming to us. Makes this easier for us."

Smiling, Yuna used her tail to knock some dust from Inoue as they descended.

Holding a small blue crystal in her hand, Morigan smiled as Philomena and Yozora held two boxes of identical ones.

"These barrier crystals will create a barrier around the town that will nullify any and all subjugation or mind warping spells. It won't work on the crystals already attatched to Nazim's creatures but it will ensure that he can't try and break into anyone else's minds. We just have to place them around the town perimeter. If we split up and each take a gate and then move to the right. We can ensure full coverage for the town."

Following her out, they each took a box, heading to the different gates while Philomena looked up into the sky, wondering how Inoue and Yuna were doing.

Handing the last box of supplies to the monks who bowed in response, remaining silent as they began to walk away.

"So, that's done. Guess we should head back."

Nodding, Inoue checked the quest card to see the mark of completion appearing.

"Yeah. Let's get back to town and see what the others are up to."

Following Ken back toward the slope, Yuna put her hands behind her head, leaning backward as she walked.

"So. Morigan told you about the soul engine right? So if we kill this Nazim guy who she said was coming. Won't he just be reborn thanks to the soul engine? Makes it seem kinda pointless. Not that I'm saying that we should give up."

Walking beside her, he took Morigan's insignia from his armor.

"Remember what Morigan said this morning? As long as the insignia of the chosen remains intact, they can't be revived by the soul engine. So as long as we take his insignia before we kill him, we'll be fine. We'll get some powers from it and stop him from coming back. Then we'll only have two more Chosen to worry about."

Nodding, she glanced at the insignia before he put it back in his pocket.

"What about Morigan? Do you really think that we can trust her? She is one of the Chosen after all. I mean she is nice and she agreed to help us but... She's still a Demon."

Reaching the top of the slop, they got into the wagon before Ken started the journey home.

"I've been thinking the same thing but. Why go to this amount of trouble to lie and manipulate us? She even gave me her insignia. Besides. Since I let her feed on my blood. I have this feeling that I can't explain. Like I know that we can trust her. Almost like a bond between us."

"Is that a thing? Vampires forming bonds with those they feed from?"

Shrugging his shoulders, he looked up at the sky.

"No idea. But I just feel it. That she means what she says. I know we can trust her
I just can't explain why."

Chuckling, Yuna nudged him.

"Well, I speak for the others when I say that we trust you completely. Just try not to be swayed by every pretty, big boobed woman you meet, huh?"

Laughing and blushing at her joke, he shoved her playfully. Joking and talking as the sun began to set, basking the plains in a warm orange glow.