Chapter VIII: Act IV

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Split Jobs
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A yawn escaped (F/n)'s lips as they could be seen stretching from where they were sitting.

Their tail curled up for a quick second, before straightening up once the owner got up onto their feet.

Paimon looked around the room, confused about where her father was at. "Where's (Y/n)?" She asked in confusion.

Aether poked his head out and noticed the said male was quietly speaking with both Collei and Tighnari.

"He's outside," Aether answered.

"Then, let's hurry up!" Paimon exclaimed before floating out of the room.

Aether placed his fingers on the bridge of his nose, and shook his head in disappointment, before following the young figure.

(F/n) sweatdropped as they slipped on their combat boots, finishing their outfit off, before following the duo.

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"Alright, next let's see your right hand..." Tighnari trailed off as he took one of Collei's hands into one of his own, checking it over.

A hum of acceptance left his lips. "Hmm, yes, not bad. But please remember that you still need to be careful, understand?" Tighnari ordered.

(Y/n) didn't question why Tighnari needed to see Collei's hand since he knew that slithering into Collei's personal life could end a possible forming friendship.

Collei sent a reassuring smile toward the two men before her. "Yes, I will. By the way, Master, I still haven't received the patrol route for today," she points out.

Tighnari's brows furrowed as he and (Y/n) shared a look, before turning his attention back to the female in front of him.

"Look, Collei, today's patrol will be a long one, so you won't be coming along this time. Besides, there's a chance we may encounter... well, you understand," Tighnari explained.

Collei gave a small frown. "But I have a Vision, too! Am I useless to everyone now...?" She asked, her voice cracking a bit.

Tighnari shook his head. "Don't talk like that, Collei. This is not something you need to be worrying about right now," he reassured.

The trio heard two sets of footsteps walking toward them, and turned toward the owners of the sound.

"Ah, there you are. Feeling any better?" Tighnari asked.

Paimon nodded her head as she plopped herself onto (Y/n)'s head.

"Yeah, since we'll be staying here for now, we thought we might as well try lending a hand around here," Paimon answered.

Tighnari released a soft chuckle. "Hehe, seems you're not the type to sit back and take it easy for a while, huh? In that case, perhaps Collei could take you three for a patrol south of Gandharva Ville for the day. And if you're feeling up to it, you can be responsible for cleaning the Statue of The Seven," he retorted.

(F/n) made a sound of confusion. "Three? What about (Y/n)?" They asked.

Tighnari was about to say something, but the said (H/c)-haired male beat him to it.

"I'm heading out with them for extra power that they might need along the way," (Y/n) explained.

Paimon pouted but gave a hum of understanding as she floated over to (F/n).

(F/n) reached their arms out, before holding Paimon in their arms.

The feline's tail swayed back and forth, looking between Tighnari and (Y/n) with a worried look.

"Tighnari, we're ready to head out!" A forest watcher, Amir, shouted.

Tighnari nodded his head. "Roger, I'll be right there! Alright, we'll be heading into the forest now. I'll leave any further details to Collei," he replied.

Collei sent a quick smile to her master. "Yes, you can count on me!" She retorted.

(Y/n) gave a reassuring smile to the group before him. "We'll be back before you know it," he states before following Tighnari.

(F/n) pouted angrily, but didn't dare say anything.

Paimon placed her chin onto (F/n)'s forearms as she gazed at Collei with a look of curiosity.

"So Collei, what exactly are we going to be doing today? Tighnari mentioned cleaning the statue just now, but uh... that doesn't really sound like a job for a ranger," Paimon asked.

Collei smiled in amusement. "Well, a Forest Ranger's responsibilities can be pretty diverse. We handle a variety of tasks, like checking the condition of outlying roads, maintaining forest facilities, ensuring fire prevention standards are met, and providing assistance to travelers and locals. As for Master, he has to handle more dangerous areas of the rainforest. Today we can perform routine checks on the pathway lamps as we make our way to the Statue of the Seven," she explained.

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"Behind you!" A voice hollered, capturing one of the forest watcher's attention.

The said forest watcher perked up and quickly turned around, slicing down Hydro fungi that nearly took them down by surprise.

"Thanks!" The forest watcher shouted, waving a hand toward the male with (H/c)-haired locks who had warned them.

(Y/n) sent a quick nod of his head as he slammed his polearm straight into the ground, causing vines to shoot up.

The forest watchers and Tighnari stared in amazement as (Y/n)'s attack took out the reinforcements that some of them were having trouble taking out.

(Y/n) retrieved his polearm from the ground, and casually swiped it off to the side.

Slowly turning, the (H/c)ette froze when he saw the looks of admiration being sent toward him.

Clearing his throat, (Y/n) quickly turned away.

"Let's um... Ahem... Let's continue onward," (Y/n) mumbled.

Tighnari made a sound of agreement. "Come on, guys."

The group followed after Tighnari, wanting to continue with the patrol.

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"The Statue of The Seven is up on top of that large rock formation. You must have seen it when you guys came down this road before. It's pretty high up there, isn't it? Don't worry, if you're afraid you can't make it up there, I'm sure Master wouldn't mind if you don't clean the statue," Collei explained.

"No need to worry. I'm a terrific climber," Aether reassured.

'And I'm a horrible climber that has a fear of heights... fun.' (F/n) mentally deadpanned.

"Oh? I guess I'll leave it up to you, then. There's not much footing once you reach the statue, so be careful up there," Collei warned lightly.

Paimon turned towards Aether. "Aether, Paimon'll fly up with you and help with those hard-to-reach areas."

The white-haired companion then turned back to look at Collei.

"Um, by the way, Collei, do you know anything about the Dendro Archon? You know, what she's like?" Paimon asked.

Collei gave a nervous smile. "Uhh, that depends. Are you referring to Greater Lord Rukkhadevata or Lesser Lord Kusanali?" She asked.

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