Who Needs Magic in a Fantasy World Anyway?

Chapter 12: Carriage Ride

"Oh wow!" Koko had stars in her eyes as she stuck her head outside of the carriage, looking at all of the new sights as she left Wence for the first time in her new life. While the coastal town had been similar to those on Earth, she now truly felt as if she were in another world as they entered a dark forest filled with trees that were covered in purple bark and crimson leafs. They almost evil in some way, though thanks to the light-blue and pink vine bushes growing underneath them, they simply looked otherworldly rather than scary.

"Come back inside before a monster gets you." Shell scolded Koko before pulling her back inside of the carriage, though that didn't damper the young girl's adventurous spirit even in the slightest as she still stared out the window while kicking her feet in the air as they weren't quite long enough to reach the floor yet. However, even Koko's mood was dampened when she was suddenly enveloped in another bear-hug by Teya, who despite being a priestess could still easily make Koko's bones creak from the pressure. However, this had happened many times already as the girl was feeling guilt from not being the one to have to face the trial herself, not that Koko could blame her. She would hate it to if it was Teya the one being forces to participate in the trial.

"I can't believe this is really happening..." Teya whispered, bloodshot and tired looking eyes seeming to be pits of depression as the smothered Koko.

"it's okay, Teya!" Koko tapped her sister's every-tightening arms as a sign of surrender. "Worrying about me wont do any good if you kill me before the trail!"

"Nothing's 'okay' about this at all!" David was surprisingly the one to reply. "It should be me out there... but that coward-"

"There's nothing you can do about it, right?!" Koko suddenly yelled at him, making David's gloomy face that he'd had for the past week suddenly turn towards her as she yelled at him. "I told you I'm going to win, didn't I?! It wouldn't hurt to believe in me a little!"

"Koko, as much as we would all love to believe in your success, the difference in levels is staggering." Shell told her. "He's five times your level, Koko... Logically speaking-"

"My intelligence is only at eight! Logic doesn't apply to me!" Koko said in a determined tone, causing everyone to stare at her blankly before James started roaring in laughter at the side of the carriage.

"Well, I guess we can't argue with that." James said happily.

"Why are you even here?" Koko asked begrudgingly towards the person that had laughed at her.

"Because I was headed to the capital anyway and this seems interesting." James replied.

"You always follow whatever you find interesting, don't you?" David sighed. "But I do wish you could quiet down. Can you read the mood?"

"It was a funny joke, how could I not laugh at it?" James countered.

"My sister's- all of our lives are in jeopardy here!" David replied angrily.

"Maybe not as much as you would think." James replied, and suddenly everyone seemed to grow curious as to just what he ment. "After all, I believe a good portion of Ernie's levels are from Leeching."

"What's leeching?" Koko asked curiously.

"It's where you go out to kill monsters, but you let other people fight for you while you just sit back and get free experience." David replied. "It increases a person's level, but their stats become terrible. However, even if he did get to level thirty by Leeching, he's still five time's her level... I can't see any way for Koko to win..."

"Well, I, for one, believe in you." James looked towards Koko and gave her what felt like a genuine smile, and Koko couldn't help but feel awkward to have those words spoken to her while everyone else seemed to only be expecting her to lose.

"T-thanks..." Koko said nervously, hoping that her blush wasn't appearing on her face before James suddenly yelped in pain as David kicked him.

"Hey, what was that for?!" James asked accusingly.

"Stop setting flags for my sister. You're way to old for her." David replied, and all Koko could do was barely not to laugh before the entire carriage jerked suddenly, ending Jame's unspoken retort before someone yelled from outside.

"The capital is within sight! We should be arriving within an hour!" The coachman reported from the front, and despite earlier instructions, Koko ran to the window and leaned her head out once more, eager to see Harven's capital city for the first time. However, instead of pulling her back, Shell merely held onto Koko this time before Benson leaned forward and untied some sort of strap at the front of the carriage. And just like that, the top of the carriage suddenly snapped from above their heads, opening like a convertible before they were all out in the open. And now that the top was gone, Koko's eyes widened as she could already see the tall white towers and the gigantic castle in the distance.

"The city of Goldgate, a true marvel every time I see it." Benson sighed as he sat down next to Shell before grabbing Koko and setting her down in his lap. "Though, even with how grand the city is, it doesn't compare to seeing you."

"Huh?" Koko asked, wondering just where those words had come from.

"You trained and trained, all for our sake while I know that you wanted to run away yourself. You injured yourself for your family, you have a major battle coming up and yet you still smile as innocently as the day that you were born." Benson continued before leaning down and hugging her. "I know that you're strong, so strong in personality alone that it's almost frightening. But just know that, even if you lose, we all love and accept you. In fact, I don't think that another more perfect person exists in the world."

"Geez, you're so embarrassing!" Koko complained, though she let her father hold her anyway as she still enjoyed the sensation of having someone actually care about her. She never had such a thing on Earth, and in having it now... Koko almost felt like the main character is some anime that had gone out and found a family themselves. And just like the main character from an anime, she needed to make sure that she made it through the trial. She didn't care about what happened to her, but she needed to win for this new family of hers that held her so dear. And she loved them as well, which was why she would give it her all.