LANDALE AND SUSPICIONS PART 3 - YUMI POV

"Trust me, Yumi," Landale insists, his hand outstretched in her direction. "Accept this boon and go on ahead."

As Landale's words weave their magic, a shimmering and ethereal aura envelops Yumi. In an instant, she feels a surge of energy coursing through her, making her feel lighter and more agile than ever before. Her movements become a blur as her speed almost doubles, propelling her forward along the path, leaving Landale behind.

"I need to replenish my energy!" Landale's voice fades into the distance, "but don't forget your promise to the Migh-"

His voice gets left behind as Yumi dashes ahead, focused on her newfound momentum.

"I'm certain to reach Aki in time now. Perhaps Landale does deserve a reward," Yumi ponders, a hint of gratitude lingering in her thoughts.

---

Before Yumi even sees Aki, her senses are assaulted by the cacophony of cackling goblins. When her gaze finally fixes on him, a surge of anger courses through her. Amidst a menacing backdrop of goblin archers and two ferocious manticores poised to strike, Aki stands alone, clutching his ribs, seemingly injured.

Aki notices her and immediately generates a dazzling display of magical energy; fire dances from his hands, alternating between red and blue.

For a moment, the manticores hesitate, cautious of what spell Aki might use next. However, they quickly decide that offense is the best defense, with one taking flight while the other charges towards Aki.

Yumi swiftly calculates the angle and speed of the airborne manticore. Teeth clenched, she hurls her mace at it and harnesses the divine boon bestowed upon her, casting Compelled Duel on the second manticore. Simultaneously, Aki uses Magic Missile on the flying manticore.

The second manticore abruptly ceases its attack on Aki, redirecting its focus towards Yumi with a thunderous roar. She hears the sickening crunch as her mace finds its mark, but her unwavering gaze remains fixed on the provoked creature.

Unyielding, Yumi meets the manticore head-on. Just as they are about to clash, she raises her shield, forcefully colliding with the creature in a resounding crash, sending it hurtling through the surrounding forest.

Both manticores crash to the ground almost simultaneously. However, Yumi does not stop her charge, her determination propelling her onward to Aki's side.

Aki watches her approach, a mixture of awe and relief adorning his face, a small smile creeping onto his lips. As Yumi reaches him, Aki swiftly turns around, snaps his fingers, and reinforces the protective barrier, deflecting a hail of arrows.

The goblins' cackles abruptly transform into screams of terror.

Standing beside Aki, Yumi instinctively turns to face the two recovering manticores. Back to back, the two comrades survey their adversaries.

"That was swift, Yumi," Aki remarks.

"Naturally. You needed my aid," Yumi replies, her gaze still fixed upon the resurgent manticores. "Which symbol did you deploy?"

"Web," Aki responds simply. "Hold off the manticores while I deal with the goblins. I'll spare one for interrogation."

"Very well," Yumi concedes.

Aki grunts in agreement, and both adventurers spring into action. Aki dashes towards the ensnared goblins while Yumi raises her shield, prepared to fend off the manticores.

Yumi's heart pounds in her chest as she anticipates the impending clash. The manticores, wounded but not defeated, rise to their feet with renewed fury. With a thunderous roar, they charge at Yumi, their talons slashing through the air.

Her movements become a blur of agility and precision as she deflects the manticores' onslaught with her shield. She spins, ducks, and parries their attacks with practiced finesse, her years of training shining through. Amidst the chaos, her attention is drawn to a glimmer on the ground.

Her mace lies abandoned, just a few steps away. Yumi's heart skips a beat, realizing the dire consequences of leaving her weapon behind. She knows she must retrieve it, for without it, her chances of victory diminish significantly.

However, as Yumi takes a step towards her mace, a manticore seizes the opportunity and lunges at her, jaws wide open. Time seems to slow as the creature's fangs come dangerously close to her. Yumi braces herself for impact, ready to suffer the consequences of her decision.

But in the nick of time, a burst of magical energy cascades around her, deflecting the manticore's attack. Yumi's eyes widen as she sees a figure materialize beside her.

Landale!

With a quick nod of gratitude, Yumi retrieves her mace, her grip tightening around its familiar hilt. Renewed determination surges within her as she reenters the fray, her eyes darting between the manticores and Aki, who is now engaged in combat with the goblin archers.

Amidst the chaos, Yumi's ears catch the distant wails of the dying goblins, a chilling symphony of ****.

With a battle cry, Yumi charges at the nearest manticore, her mace swinging with relentless ****. She strikes true, delivering a powerful blow to the creature's side, momentarily staggering it. Sensing an opening, she unleashes a flurry of strikes, battering the manticore with a combination of precision and strength. Landale beside her casts Scorching Ray at the other manticore, keeping it at bay. At last, the manticore falls, unmoving and dead.

The battlefield suddenly becomes eerily silent, save for the occasional snarl of the remaining manticore.

"Aki has taken care of the goblins, and now we finish off the last manticore," she thinks.

The remaining manticore senses its impending **** and flaps its wings, trying to escape. But Landale's Scorching Ray did enough damage that it struggles to take flight.

Yumi attacks, dodging a **** claw attack from the manticore. With a final, well-timed strike, Yumi brings the wounded manticore to its knees. She senses Aki coming from behind her, with deadly intent.

Without hesitation, Aki swiftly beheads the manticore, its lifeless body collapsing to the ground. Bloodied but triumphant, he turns to face Yumi, a grateful smile etched upon his face.

"Thank you, Yumi," Aki says, his voice filled with genuine appreciation. "Your aid was invaluable."

Yumi nods, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "It was my duty to protect you," she replies, her eyes scanning the battlefield for any remaining threats.

"Ah! It is no problem at all. I am always ready to provide for those in need," Landale says, beaming.

Yumi notices Aki's brow momentarily furrow, but he quickly fixes his expression and nods at Landale. She herself shoots Landale a glare.

"I hope Aki thinks you managed to regain your confidence from the fight," she thinks, annoyed.

Aki's attention shifts to a nearby tree where a goblin prisoner is tied up, its terrified eyes fixed on their fallen comrades. "We have captured a goblin," he informs Yumi. "It might have valuable information."

Yumi's expression hardens, and she tightens her grip on her mace. "Let us make it talk, then," she says resolutely, her determination unwavering.

---

The trio cautiously approaches the goblin, who is surrounded by the fallen bodies of its comrades. Despite its predicament, the goblin brims with snark and snarls at them as they draw near.

"What do you want, scum? Just kill me and get it over with!" the goblin spits on the ground.

Aki mutters, "I'll focus on using Detect Thoughts. You handle the questioning, Yumi."

"Oh, I'm a master at Detect Thoughts, Aki. Let the Mighty L-" Landale begins.

"No need," Yumi interrupts, her gaze fixated on the restrained snarky goblin. Her frustrations with Landale and concern for Aki boil over, and she sincerely hopes that the goblin will remain conscious until she can release all her vexation. "I'm in a really bad mood. I'll make him talk."

Landale and Aki stop in their tracks, seemingly agreeing to let Yumi cool off.

Yumi slowly approaches the snarling goblin, putting her shield on her back. As she gently puts down her mace, the goblin interrupts her with another snarl.

"You don't scare me, you dumb dimbo!" the goblin retorts. "I've seen creatures wield weapons twice the size of that puny, pathetic mace!"

Yumi pauses, turns her head to the side, and then flashes a mischievous smile. The smile is genuine, quite happy to find the goblin still has fight in it. She drops her mace to the ground with a loud thud, startling the goblin, causing it to flinch.

Closing the distance, Yumi leans down, their faces mere inches apart. "Oh, don't worry. We won't be needing that," Yumi says sweetly, her voice dripping with mischief.

"Doesn't matter if you do, you idiotic imbecile!"

"- Because I know you'll talk to me," Yumi continues, unfazed by the goblin's interruption.

"You can try, you blond bitch!" the goblin snarls.

"Alliteration again? You're quite the wordsmith," Yumi remarks appreciatively. "Now, tell me what the Goblin Boss is planning."

"Ha! Like I'd tell you, you freaking failure!"

Still grinning, Yumi leans in closer and whispers, "Last chance."

The goblin turns its nose up, looking away from Yumi, appearing defiant.

Yumi stands up, with her gaze never leaving the goblin, she stretches her whole body, and cracks her knuckles.

"Finally, someone I can interrogate my way," Yumi thinks, her mischievous smile widening.

The goblin gulps audibly, realizing it might have underestimated the danger it is in.

---

"Blaargh!"

Breathing heavily, Yumi hears Landale gagging and puking as she takes out a water flask from her satchel. She washes her hands, a satisfied smile in her face.

The goblin has stopped wailing now, it sits up and gives her a strained smile. She gazes at it for a moment before returning the smile. Gone is the snarky attitude of the goblin, replaced by civility and good manners that does not really fit with their kind.

"My Majestic Moon, before I answer, I must say you're the most stunning person I've ever met," the goblin says, smiling.

"Why, thank you! Now spill the beans about the goblin boss," Yumi replies.

"He's currently healing his broken legs, but his shamans have struck a deal with more manticores, Queen of Qualities. You need to escape; they'll attack tomorrow!"

"I don't think that's alliteration, but never mind... More manticores definitely pose a problem. How many are we talking about?"

"A whole lot more than two! Unfortunately for you, Highest and Holiest -" the goblin shifts its gaze to Aki and Landale, " - and your bloody boys, he already knows those two manticores are toast, but they've caused significant damage."

"Are the manticores already in your camp?"

"They will arrive tonight!" the goblin cackles gleefully.

"What was that?" Yumi asks, her voice suddenly losing its sweetness.

"Tonight, One Of One!" the goblin quickly corrects, trembling. With fearful eyes, he gazes at Yumi and explains, "I'm sorry, you asked too quickly for my feeble mind to come up with more alliterations."

"One of one? My, my, you are struggling," Yumi admits, her tone playful once again. Aki can't help but feel sorry for the goblin - Yumi can be quite terrifying.

Yumi glance at Aki, he looks at her pointedly and nods. With Aki's injury, Yumi immediately understands that waiting until tomorrow might not be the best course of action. "Tell me about your camp," she asks.

"Smoothest of all Silks, our camp is farther down. If you take this path, it would take hours to reach. But luckily, goblins happen to know a shortcu-," the goblin starts, then realizes he's said too much.

"Marvelous!" Yumi exclaims, beaming. "Oh, don't be afraid, my sweet. By sharing that, you've actually saved your own miserable life."

"I guess that's all for now," Yumi says. "Hang tight for a bit." She turns to join Aki and Landale but looks back when she hears the goblin let out a sigh of relief. The goblin gulps and guiltily smiles. Yumi maintains an inscrutable expression as she stares at the goblin before saying, "Should I set you free? Those binds must be awfully uncomfortable."

"No, no, no, Shiniest of the Suns! I feel perfectly at ease bound to this tree!"

Yumi shrugs. "Very well then."

---

"Aki, you're in no condition to join us," Yumi insists, her voice brimming with genuine concern for Aki's well-being. "Stay here with our chatty goblin friend and use the scrying spell to guide me and Landale through the shortcut."

Despite his annoyance, Aki tuts and concedes, acknowledging that Yumi is right.

Meanwhile, Landale, still looking a bit green from his recent bout of vomiting, musters the energy to inquire, "What's our strategy? Are we launching a stealthy night attack? I must confess, my magical energies are running low for an all-out ****."

Aki takes the lead, answering for Yumi, "No, you don't have to. The manticores are selfish, self-serving creatures. They're only aiding the Goblin Boss because he promised them treasures."

A mischievous grin spreads across Landale's face as he grasps the plan. "Ah, I see! We'll simply destroy or steal the treasure, leaving them high and dry."

Yumi chimes in, "Exactly. If the treasure has value, we'll gladly take it. But if it's too dangerous or flashy, we'll make sure it disappears."

"If we are lucky, the manticores will attack the goblins in **** for their false promise," Aki adds.

Landale's excitement bubbles over. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

Aki nods in agreement, his stoic expression showing a flicker of anticipation. "Take a moment to catch your breath and gather your strength. I'll have a little chat with our captive goblin to extract more details."

As Yumi finds a nearby tree to sit and lean on, she watches Aki turn towards the shivering goblin.

While Landale sits on a nearby root, he interjects with a touch of urgency, "Hey, Aki."

Aki turns his attention to Landale, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "Yes?"

"Don't forget to close the scrying spell once we near the goblin camp. Those crafty goblin shamans might have a knack for sensing magical intrusions."

Aki looks at Landale for a few seconds before finally nodding. He then turns and continues towards the goblin.

Yumi closes her eyes to rest, and after a few minutes, she feels a tap on her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she sees Landale grinning at her, having taken a seat on an overgrown root in front of her. "You okay, Yumi?"

"Yeah," Yumi replies, taking an uncomfortable deep breath - the strain of the day already catching up to her.

But despite her exhaustion, mentally and physically, she feels excited. This is only their second day of adventuring, and now she is about to go on a nighttime stealth mission.

"Just resting," she continues, managing a strained smile.

"Good, good," Landale says. He hesitates for a moment, then lowers his voice and whispers, "Yumi, do not tell Aki about the Haste spell I cast on you."

"Why?" Yumi asks, intrigued.

Landale looks anxious, biting his lips. He glances back at Aki and the goblin, as if ensuring Aki isn't looking before continuing, "I can guarantee that Aki will cancel the mission," Landale explains. "We cannot afford to do that. We cannot wait for the goblin boss to show up with his manticores. Who knows how many manticores will come? Aki will be in great danger!"

"He won't cancel the mission," Yumi retorts, disbelieving. "For the very same reason you just said."

"It's not just that," Landale urgently says. "You feel extremely exhausted, right? That's the after effect of Haste."

"I do actually," Yumi admits. "To be honest, I thought it was because of stress. Could I not just drink a potion of rejuvenation?"

"It won't work," Landale says. "What you have is Lethargy- no potion can cure it. Otherwise, wizards would just use Haste every chance they get."

Not liking what she just heard, Yumi looks at her hands and opens and closes them, trying to gauge how much strength she has in her current form.

"Do not worry," Landale quickly continues, seeing the anxiety in Yumi's face. "We won't be stealing the treasure, I'll throw some destructive spells and destroy it. We'd be gone before the goblins knew what hit them!"

Landale reaches out and squeezes her leg, trying to comfort her. Despite herself, Yumi feels reassured. Landale's confidence is infectious, making her believe that both of them can finish the plan. She then spots Aki behind Landale, and she quickly swats away his hand. "Hey!" she whispers, wide-eyed.

Fortunately, Aki is still conversing with the goblin. Yumi couldn't be sure, but the goblin seems like it glanced at them.

"Oh! Sorry," Landale says, grinning. He stands up and winks, "Rest up, Yumi. You'll need it more than I will."

With the mischief in his voice, she has no trouble figuring out what Landale is implying, Yumi could only rolls her eyes