A party renewed

THE OPPOSITE END OF THE HALLWAY:

Kyuala and Terra are back-to-back, fighting off against another group of the Darkcross however this group seem to be more powerful, faces half covered in red marks, almost tattoo in appearance.

As they're fighting them off, Kyuala asks, "Why was she so happy to have John if she already has these demon-kissed?!".

"These aren't demon-kissed! They are a poor attempt of a copy without the summoning, it takes a large amount of blood magic which is why she was probably so happy to have a true one, to try and use his blood to power her legion!" Terra responds as she wraps a magic rope around one of the men's legs and throwing him into another before heading back into monk mode and using her staff, making the transition between the two styles seem effortless.

Kyuala using her strength practically cleaves a goblin in half before burying her axe into the skull of a smaller dark-orc, following it up by pulling said axe out and moving onto her next target.

The duo seem to be holding their own, fighting as a pretty cohesive unit, even managing to clear out the room.

They stop for a breath, preparing to continue their search for Lani and Amilia but then, that's when they bear more pounding footsteps coming from behind.

Frustration and fear sets in, readying themselves for another fight but they're then confused as they begin to hear metal clashing against each other but that's when Kyuala says, "John!"

The two run forth, heading toward the source of the clashing metal but as they get close, the clashing gets quiet but a few seconds later, some footsteps continue toward them.

They ready themselves, unsure of what's about to come around the corner.

Kyuala raises her axe, about to strike the incoming potential foes but just as she's about to swing, Terra shouts, "Stop!".

Kyuala halts her axe's trajectory, stopping it just in time to avoid chopping off the head of the arriving John who barely managed to duck his head down in time.

"Holy shit!" John exclaimed, grabbing at his head, swearing that a few hairs were chopped off as he does.

Kyuala then drops her axe, walking over to John and picking him up in a bear hug as she says, "I'm so, so, so, sorry! I didn't know it was you! Please forgive me!".

John is stunned, the quickness of Kyuala surprising him as he is now trapped in this hugging vice but after a few chuckles, he says, "Kyuala! I, can't, breathe!".

Kyuala hears his words and so she eases her grip, just a little, but keeps the hold locked in, subsequently, keeping John trapped within her large, muscular arms.

John then just laughs, even hugging back before whispering to her, "You can make it up to me later, wife".

Kyuala pulls back, looking deep into his eyes with a surprised yet loving look as she responds, "Oh, I will, don't worry".

The two chuckle as they embrace once more but that's when Amilia interrupts by saying, "Uhh, okay, can we get the mushy crap out of the way? I really wanna get out of here".

"I agree with the catfolk" Terra adds before continuing, "Oh, I am Terra by the way".

She extends her hand and Amilia slowly takes it before shaking her hand while slyly and carefully examining her as she says, "I'm Amilia".

"Nice to meet you, despite current circumstances and all" Terra says with a smile however Amilia's scanning doesn't stop as she merely responds, "Yeah, definitely better places to meet someone".

Terra looks at John and Kyuala with a concerned expression and Kyuala just shrugs her shoulders back to her, not giving Terra the response she wanted at that current moment.

Eventually Terra hears another voice saying, "Hello Terra, I am Lannielli but you may call me Lani!".

Terra looks around with a different yet still confused expression on her face but as she whips her gaze back forward, that's when she sees the source of the voice.

A fairy.

"Wait, a fairy?! You have a fairy!" Terra says excitedly which confuses the trio.

"Uhh, yeah?" John responds.

"I am John's guide, it is nice to meet you" Lani says while extending her small hand which Terra gently takes before both shake as Terra responds, "It is a pleasure to meet you Lani, I had no idea John had a guide with him!".

The four look at Terra, all with the same confused expression on their faces and Terra sees said looks before explaining herself, "Ahh, you see, elves used to worship fairies in the Old Age, many have switched from that belief over the millennia but my father taught us that fairies are a race to be respected plus, this is actually my first time seeing a fairy in person, so, please excuse my excitement".

"It's fine, I don't mind it" Lani says, giving Terra some relief.

"Of course you don't mind it, it's your pussy she wants to eat" Amilia says under her breath but loud enough for Kyuala and John to hear.

Kyuala then adds in her own point by saying, "Alright, we will have plenty of time for conversation later, but for now, I think we should focus on clearing out the rest of these scum, there can't be many left".

"I shall see" Lani then clicks her fingers and her bag appears from thin air before the fairy digs her hand in, searching for something.

A few seconds later, Lani pulls her hand out and in said hand is a copper and onyx rod-like apparatus.

Amilia is the first to speak as she says, "I prefer a real dick but hey, to each their own".

"That is not a dildo" Terra responds before continuing, "It is a presence rod, used to detect life forms, however magic users in the vicinity can easily track you down due to the mana-feedback".

"That's why I didn't use it earlier" Lani adds.

Lani then takes the ends of the rod in her hands and closes her eyes, focusing her energy into the presence rod.

A few moments later, the copper begins to glow ever-so slightly but it doesn't get any brighter than that, after a few more seconds of waiting, Lani says, "Well, it looks like it's only us, which means-".

"We won?" John asks apprehensively, expecting his guess to be immediately shot down.

"We did it, we stayed the Darkcross!" Kyuala says in a victorious roar as she picks up John in a mighty hug causing them all to laugh, including John who is also struggling to breathe due to the excited orc.

Eventually, Kyuala puts him down, giving John a chance to catch his breath again, as he does, Amilia then asks, "Cool, so, what do we now?".

"We head to Wyverns Port to meet up with Daffodil and rest for the night, then we come back tomorrow, gather up all this gear and sell it all" Kyuala says with her signature leader-role tone.

"Sounds like a plan" John says, happily agreeing with Kyuala as do Amilia and Lani.

"Uhh, you all wouldn't mind if I tagged along by any chance?" Terra asks sheepishly.

"Of course you can, you practically saved our lives" John says with no hesitation before Kyuala adds, "You have helped us a great deal, letting you come along is the least we could do".

Terra smiles before saying, "Thank you".

Lani is then the one who speaks as she says, "No need to thank us, we're always willing to help good people, plus, it'll give us the chance to get to know you better, right guys?".

Kyuala and John openly agree however Amilia is little more conservative in her answer as she practically whispers, "Yeah, sure, whatever".

Terra's smile beams even brighter than before upon hearing the acceptance from the group.

"Alright, well, we should get moving before it gets any darker, don't want to be out in the woods when the moon is in the sky" Kyuala remarks with the others agreeing once more.

"Okay, but how do we get out of here exactly?" John asks.

Amilia then steps up, "Good thing about being a cat, I always have a good memory of the trails I walk, as long as we get back to that bridge, I can retrace our steps from there".

"Alright, the throne room is this way, the bridge is close to that, follow me" Kyuala says, leading the group out of the grotto they're currently in.