>>6180885>“Fine, take the damn thing.” You relent, holding out your newly acquired Silver Axe for the Scorcher to take. The man accepts the axe from you while his comrades move to disarm the rest of your party. Cuthbert hands over his weapons without any problems, whereas it takes May several moments to part with every single knife that she had hidden on her person. By the time she is done removing the final dagger from the inside of her boot, it is Adeline’s turn. The Scorchers seem to have a bit of difficulty carrying her tower shield. A testament to the woman’s strength in being able to haul her gear. Finally, there is Elric.
“Hand over the sword, kid.” A Scorcher says, holding his arms out.
Elric looks reluctant to part with his blade. The boy seems to be seriously considering whether to hand it over or not. Before you can chastise him, he hands the sword over with no argument, though he looks more uncomfortable than you’d ever seen him before.
“Woah, this looks like a nice sword…” The Scorcher says in genuine astonishment as he studies the hilt of Elric’s blade.
“Don’t you dare unsheathe it!” Elric hisses, scorn evident in his voice. “Scum like you is unworthy to polish the blade of Mystletain.”
>“Woah! Easy kid.” You intervene, pushing Elric along towards the gates. If you weren't able to start any hell with these guards, then you damn sure weren’t going to let this kid do it. And since when did that sword have a name?With the matter of your weapons settled, the gates to Hima finally open for you. You and the others walk inside the city to find a sprawling mass of buildings, each of which have been carved into the very mountain itself. The streets are narrow and crowded, and many of the buildings are built atop each other, with staircases and bridges linking them. As a warrior, your thoughts naturally turned to how defensible this place was. If someone wished to invade, they’d have a hard time getting through the gate, just to be stuck within the narrow corridors of the town, with archers plinking from above.
“Everyone’s staring at us…” Nadia whispers. She was right. It seemed as though everyone in the town was looking right at you, from the people observing on the upper tiers, to the folks that were in your way in the crowded streets, who were now nervously pushing themselves to the side to allow you passage.
“The same thing happened in Solis.” Cassius remarks. “I guess these folks are just as unused to foreigners as they were. Or perhaps word has already spread of our little scene outside.”
>“Just once I’d like to go somewhere where people weren’t looking at me like I was some kind of freak.”“Might I suggest going back to Fodlan?” Cuthbert adds.
“This may be something else entirely.” Alvin remarks. “They seem far too nervous for just you. Besides, that Scorcher said we weren’t the only foreigners.”
