The Winds of the Past [Rune Factory 4]

Chapter 8

I looked over the supplies Avani had packed and decided that while she was well outfitted for camping, she had nothing to spare. With the addition of Dylas and myself to the expedition, I'd need to obtain more of nearly everything. After I'd finished my evaluation, I went to my room to pack my things and to check in on Sano and Uno. Next, I headed over to the clinic and spoke with Nancy regarding the medical supplies needed for our mission. She assembled a first aid kit for us to take along, complete with medicinal herbs, tinctures, bandages—everything we might need. Finally I went to Blossom's store to purchase the additional camping supplies. On a whim, I also purchased a small block of chocolate, justifying it to myself that it would be a useful source of quick energy, although I knew deep down that I had only bought it because I wanted to surprise Avani with it later, just to see her radiant smile. I tucked it into my rucksack, grabbed the rest of my purchases, and headed over to the castle just as the shadows were lengthening.

Dylas was already there, taking a look at some new heavy gauntlets that Avani had reinforced and modified with sturdy spikes along the knuckles. He had slipped them on and was curling his hand into a fist, admiring her handiwork. Before, he'd had only plated gauntlets, which had been effective enough on smaller targets, but less so against larger foes, and had been more awkward to use, too. They looked up as I walked in, dropped my purchases in a pile near the door, and strolled over to have a look at Dylas's new toys.

"Oh, great timing, Leon," Avani said, turning to grab a spear from behind her. "Here, take a look at this." She tossed me a long corseque made of a length of strong, hard, straight wood and reinforced with metal bands along the length to the tri-tip blade at the end. A guard set with small blood-red stones surrounded the grip. It was a trifle coarse in design, but it looked sufficient for combat, especially considering the short time frame. I gave it an experimental swing and found it was well-balanced and lighter than it looked.

"It's been imbued with elemental fire magic," she explained as I gave the gemstones a closer look. "Dylas's gloves have been imbued with water magic, my long sword with earth magic, and my dual swords with wind magic. So we're pretty well set no matter what we go up against. I wish I was more skillful, but these are the best I could do on such short notice." I nodded approval and thanked her. She had also improved our shields and procured some better-quality mail and boots. It seemed our preparations were all but complete.

"All right," Avani said, after approving of my purchases—barring the chocolate, which I kept hidden in my personal belongings, "Leon, Dylas, why don't you go say your farewells and meet me at Porcoline's in about an hour? I need to finalize arrangements with Vishnal and Clorica to tend to my beasts and my farm while I'm away, and then I'll find Arthur and meet you there. We'll go over our plans with him one last time over supper, then we'll get to sleep in preparation for an early start. See you soon, then?" We agreed and headed out.

Dylas walked in silence alongside me as we headed over to the part of town where the inn and restaurant were located. When we reached the inn, he turned to me and said, "Hey, thanks for coming. I know it's not really your fight... but I'm glad to have you with us. I can tell you're going to make a great fighter just from how rapidly you're improving. And, well, I'm just glad Avani will have you there fighting with her, too, and not only me. I don't know what we'll be facing, and I don't know if I'll be strong enough...."

"Hey," I interrupted, "don't be so glum. I'm looking forward to this—it should be interesting. I think the three of us make a good team, and it'll be a great opportunity to face some bigger challenges and hone our skills. See you in a while—and cheer up. Just look at it as a chance to take a camping trip with your lover, even if you do have me tagging along." With that, I headed into the inn. I bathed in the excellent bathhouse there, then I filled Lin and Xiao in on my plans, promising to return safely. They wished us luck in our quest, and I headed over to the restaurant, arriving just a few minutes past the hour.