Ephalon - Triumvirate
Chapter 1 - Desperation
Ephalon
Chapter 1 - A chance encounter
Screams of agony tore through the streets as the entire village was engulfed in a fiery inferno. A sole person slowly walked away from the hellscape seemingly unfazed by the blaze behind. Each house one after the other collapsed into themselves sealing the fate of its occupants. This nightmare image was what washed over 'him' as he explored the ruined village of Kuronai. To him beyond the obvious lack of people and slew of destroyed buildings, Kuronai could easily have been described as not only a ghost town but a dead one. There wasn't much left to see of the village because in most instances only the remnants of the lowest few rows of bricks that each house was built upon were still left. The rumours and hearsay that lead him to this place hadn't quite matched up despite how convinced his fellow travellers along the open roads may have been.
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Numerous odd scorch marks dotted the village with most of them concentrated near the front of the houses. One might deduce that since the settlement had burned to the ground, this would have been an expected occurrence; however, the fact that any attempt at removing the marks led to failure made him think otherwise. A more thorough investigation was required, but first, he needed witnesses or more specifically in this instance to find the last survivor. From what little information he had gathered thus far, it was evident his next destination was to be the town of Maghuul.
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Thankfully Mahguul was but a stone's throw distance from Kuronai. After a short day's travel on foot, he reached the town, and with his arrival, an accomplished smile covered his face as he'd made excellent time. Everyone on Ephalon knew the best place for information was the local tavern, which automatically made it the next place on his list to visit. Within the Erafar continent, most would consider Maghuul a town of a smaller size, but it was unmistakably still a growing one with new houses popping up every month. The architecture was comprised mostly of buildings mixing stone walls with wooden roofs. One could even see the support beams sticking out of the sides of the houses since no one had bothered to flatten them down.
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A quick glance up made it clear that the sun had begun to set along the horizon. Some of the townsfolk commenced walking around lighting various torches along the roads in an effort to help the citizenry travel around more safely at night. It didn't take him long to arrive at an establishment aptly named: Meg's Mug. Quite the charming tavern name he thought as he stepped inside.
The inn seemed somewhat empty as there were only a handful of patrons as well as the innkeeper and barmaid.
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"Good evening sir, would you like something to drink? Perhaps a place to stay," the maid inquired keenly eyeing the traveller as he pulled back his black cowl, in turn, revealing his face to her. She tilted her head slightly as she felt a strange aura emanating from him and it wasn't because of his appearance. The short, rough cut, black hair, and beautiful blue eyes were nothing if not alluring to her. His skin appeared relatively pale in tone, however, not unhealthily so. Ultimately, she couldn't quite put her finger on it and so decided that for now, she'd ignore her gut feeling.
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"Just some water please," he replied. The barmaid nodded and called to the innkeeper.
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"Sir would like a glass of water." the innkeeper, a woman of quite some stature, immediately knelt down and quickly returned with a hearty sized glass filled with beautiful clear water. The traveller took the opportunity to inspect the barmaid as she went to fetch his drink.
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It initially didn't strike him as odd when he first entered, but on closer inspection, he noticed that the girl had a pair of horns on her forehead which arched backwards as well as a possessing long tail that was draped with a dark-grey cloth. It swayed gently from side to side behind her giving her stride extra allure. Her skin was covered with scales and comprised of a mixture of pure white and dull pink colours. She also lacked any visible hair on her body or perhaps more accurately in her case, fur. His curiosity towards her wasn't because he hadn't seen anyone like her before. Rather, it was just that he'd been around humans for so long that coming across a half-breed had become an unusual event in itself.
The traveller took a seat at the nearest possible table next to the bar. The barmaid returned to him with the drink in hand and leaned herself forward in such a way to purposefully show off a little bit of cleavage. A handy trick she'd learned from Meg as it greatly helped to keep the customers relaxed and happy during their brief visits. He thanked her before attentively surveying his surroundings, first looking around the seating area to inspect who else was present.
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During his little investigation, he spotted four other people. The first two were a young couple having a quiet night out, and it was very evident they were smitten by love as they stared longingly into each other's eyes. The next person was some half-drunken layabout who sat close to the front door, undoubtedly a regular local patron. Finally, sitting in the far corner was a person wearing a large black cloak not unlike himself. However, bizarrely it also entirely obscured the individual's face, in fact, the cover was so big that even their hands weren't visible, which was clearly witnessed whenever the person partook of a drink.
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"Well'ey there, newcomer. I'not seen you around before. What brings'ya to our little town of Maghuul?" Meg had a bit of a local accent, which manifested itself by way of her stringing certain words together to hasten her speech. His attention was deftly caught by her persuading him to turn and look up at the voluptuous female. He watched in earnest as she hung over the top of the bar employing a familiar, enticing tactic of showing off her cleavage.
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The innkeeper and barmaid weren't shy in the least as they both wore tight form fitting corsets. The restrictive articles of clothing consisted of a gorgeous mixture of black and red velvet, laced together with dark grey string. In Meg's case, it suited her perfectly as it blended nicely together with her fiery red hair as well as her slightly tanned skin colour. For the barmaid, however, it didn't quite suit, mostly due to her pink scales.
"I could tell you I am a traveller and just keep my business to myself... but I'd be lying if I said that." the way this man spoke intrigued Meg as he unquestionably chose his words with purpose, strongly arousing interest in what he had to say. The barmaid meanwhile secretly kept her ear holes focused in his direction whilst she walked around taking in more orders. Meg did not reply right away as she waited for the man to continue, all the while he, in turn, gauged her initial reaction.
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"I've just arrived here from Kuronai. I'm seeking one of the original inhabitants." Meg instinctively looked over at the barmaid, hesitant whether to call her over or not as his intentions weren't evident enough yet.
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"What do you plan to do?" Meg asked defensively. The reptilian barmaid stood immobilised as a mixture of excitement and fear coursed through her body.
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"I merely have some questions about the event that transpired there. I have reason to believe things aren't as they seem." Meg nodded as a slight smile crossed her face since he'd convinced her enough of his 'good' intentions.
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"Rhea! Take the night off dear. I'll'andle the customers. You take this man up to a room. E's staying the night," Meg announced. In all honesty, the traveller hadn't quite prepared for a reaction like this.
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"N-now hold a moment, w-what are you suggesting here?" he said stuttering in his reply as he felt embarrassed, quickly overcome by an intense blush. Rhea after relaying the remaining orders to Meg promptly shuffled herself over to him.
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"May I know your name kind sir?" she asked politely. The hybrid then offered her right hand to him as she'd already picked up his drink with the other.
The man looked up at Rhea then at Meg, then back to Rhea again, specifically at her hand. He noticed that rather than having nails at the end of her fingers, she had small claws at the tips of them.
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"I'm Riptor Stormwolf," the man answered. Rhea smiled at him as she felt his hand reach up to take her's.
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"What an unusual name. I don't think I've ever heard anything quite like it. So... Mr Stormwolf, please follow me upstairs." the moment he stood up she moved in close to wrap her arm around his. The two then walked up the nearby staircase, and every step they took made the wooden stair boards creak loudly. When they reached the top, they were greeted by a hallway to the far left and a small corridor off to the right. Various room doors were dotted along the walls most of which were reserved for visitors. They moved down the hallway and stopped just shy of the third door on the left.
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Rhea released him to reach into her pocket swiftly retrieving a metal ring with a slew of thick iron keys attached to it. After picking one, she slid it into the key slot subsequently turning the doorknob once counterclockwise. With a slight push, the door creaked open revealing only black contours within. Next to the door on the hallway side was an oil lamp, which Rhea promptly lit up and held inside the room brightly lighting up most of the darkness that enclosed it. Riptor stared at her awkwardly whilst she patiently waited for him to enter first as he hadn't picked up on her hint right away. Only after she fully extended her arm into the room with the addition of some extra gestures did he finally understand her desires.
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He slowly took in his surroundings observing the various details within the room. It was a small quaint space with a few cupboards, some cabinets, a few chairs and a large double bed freshly made up. There was also some local reading material stuffed away in the corner of the room.
Suddenly, the door loudly creaked behind him causing him to look back over his shoulder. There the half-breed stood as she slowly closed the entryway leaving the keyring to hang on its knob. Rhea turned to face him imparting her smile once more before walking over to the small bedside table, upon which, she gently set the oil lamp and his drink. She noticed he'd already taken up residence on the bed and so chose to pull up a chair carefully sliding her tail through the hole in its back prior to sitting down on it.
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"Please. Tell me all you know sir," she implored as her kind and welcoming expression had shifted to that of a woman desperate for information. None of how this went down so far was like anything Riptor had expected. In his mind, he would have had to fight the person for information, yet here he was now in a casual conversation with them. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he scratched his head in thought. However, his reaction confused Rhea.
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"I'm sorry... I'm not laughing at you. I was honestly expecting things to turn out differently. It seems I've misjudged the situation." he paused a moment before continuing, purposefully leaning his palms onto his knees whilst he examined her. There was a strong sense of innocence that exuded off the female.
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"Before I tell you what I know. Would you mind telling me the last things you remember about Kuronai? Before well... before what happened to turn it into the state it is now," he asked instantly receiving a nod from Rhea, who then leaned herself back into the chair cupping her hands together on her lap. Her gaze was fixated on them as she needed a moment to find the right words to convey her story.
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"Mr Stormwolf, I've never... fully told anyone about the horror that still lingers in my mind from that day. Mostly because... I-I can't actually remember what happened. Meg took me in about three months ago to help me get back on my feet. She's been... like a mother to me. Helping me get through this ordeal." while Rhea explained her story, she saw a single hand reach toward and lay on top of hers.
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"I understand Rhea, and I'm here to find out what truly happened on that day. The rumours of there being a massive bandit attack frankly aren't true. The ruins of the town tell me a very different story, so please, anything you can remember," Riptor requested.
Her head turned to peer over at the oil lamp, eyes now gazing into its flame like an entranced moth.
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"I'll try my best sir. Here's what I know for sure," she said. Riptor took his hand back and sat himself up straight listening intently to her story.
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"About four months ago something happened that destroyed my home village... killing everyone I knew." his focus shifted up to her face as he saw tears flowing down along it.
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"I-I was..." she paused as she took in her feelings of grief for a moment before proceeding.
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"I was spotted by a traveller. He said he found me wandering along a forest path, completely dazed and confused. I don't quite remember the time I spent with 'him', but he brought me into town to see Meg. He said she could help me recover. After a week here, I finally came out of my trance and opened up to her. For some reason, I have a particularly vivid image of my town being attacked, and my parents instructing me to run away deeply burned into my memories. All of which happened late at night. I guess I somehow managed to escape the fiery horror." Riptor studied Rhea throughout her story examining her shifts in tone and visible changes in expression. He discerned that she wasn't entirely there whilst recalling it. Almost as though some kind of mental block was keeping the 'truth' at bay.
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"If you need to stop or rest at any point please, let me know," he stated reassuringly. Rhea's gaze focussed back on him as she shook her head.
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"No... I need to tell this. There's just something about us meeting in this manner. I don't believe this is a coincidence. Something guided you to find me." he couldn't help but smile feeling this was one naturally intuitive woman.
"I needed to see Kuronai for myself, so I visited it not long after Meg took me in. I could hardly believe that by the time I returned to the ruins, almost six weeks had already passed. Apparently, for three of those weeks, I'd been in a daze. Somehow, I was able to live off the land, while I wasn't even aware I was alive?" Rhea paused a moment sighing whilst taking in a deep breath inadvertently almost losing her train of thought. Then as if out of nowhere Riptor's hand was up near her face with a glass of water.
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"Take a sip, you look like you could use it," he said tenderly. The hybrid's eyes moved up along his arm and stopped near his face, gladly accepting the offer.
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"Kuronai... there was little left of it. All I saw were burned out houses and a ruined statue. Even the ground itself was scorched badly in places. Come to think of it. I couldn't find anyone. No bodies, corpses, parts... nothing. I suppose it might have been possible that some people were stuck beneath the collapsed houses, but I dared not look." Rhea's gaze shifted upward at the ceiling as images of her hometown both before and after the incident flashed through her mind.
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"I didn't stay long as I felt there was little point to me hanging around at the time. So, I returned to Meg, and she offered me a job at the tavern. I've been here since." Riptor stood up and paced around the small room a few times contemplating her story. Her eyes followed along with his movements as she remained silent.
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"You mentioned Meg helped you through your hard times. How exactly did she do this?" he asked, suddenly pausing his movements as he faced her direction from the corner of the room.
"Meg trained me. Both mentally and physically. She taught me the intricacies of being a good barmaid and hostess. Mostly about how to keep the customers happy during their stays and also how to defend myself if the need ever arose. She also taught me how to use my natural gifts as well as teaching me some proficiency in using a few weapons in basic combat." Rhea's tail suddenly rose up from behind her pulling the cloth draped overtop off it to reveal the tip.
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It quickly became apparent why she'd hidden it away with the decorative fabric as it had concealed its deadly nature. A pair of curved bone-blades adorned the very end of her tail. It was both an impressive and menacing sight as it consisted of two thick, curved bones jutting out of her tail in a form reminiscent of two elongated crescents. However, they did not quite touch each other at the end and with the way she swung it about, it was obvious the blades were very dangerous. Riptor extended a hand desiring to examine it closer. The gesture made Rhea blush a little as she gently offered her tail to him. He carefully held it with one hand whilst exploring every inch of the blades, even getting a good feel for their sharpness as he lightly cut his finger on one.
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"Given how agile you appear and how sharp these are, I'd wager you could chop a man's head clean off. So please, do be careful," he said grinning teasingly at her before letting her tail go releasing it back into her care. It then swiftly dropped down behind her, once again hiding its presence.
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"I'm pretty sure I can yes, though I'd rather not have to find out." Riptor agreed as he took a seat back on the bed opposite her. Once again, he returned deep into his thoughts. However, they were short-lived as Rhea had more to say.
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"Excuse me, Mr Stormwolf. May I ask you a question?" she immediately drew his attention prompting a deft response.
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"Of course, Rhea. Ask away, what would you like to know?" she curiously looked him over, particularly examining his facial features. To the best of her abilities, she deemed that he appeared to be in his mid-forties.
"Where do you hail from?" she asked politely; however her question forced his expression to shift as his gaze trailed off to the side rather suddenly. He understood that Rhea was merely curious yet revealing too much at this time might be dangerous. After contemplating it for a short while and considering his present and possible future relationship with her, he came to a decision.
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"What I tell you next, you must not talk about to strangers. It might bring you in danger. Do you understand?" she nodded accepting the consequences even though her expression betrayed that she was worried. Rhea started to wonder if she might have asked the wrong question, reasoning that perhaps she had overstepped her bounds.
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"I'm from Sturmvere. You might have heard of it? It lies far to the west of here, deep within the Great Forest that rests there." Rhea had in fact not heard of this place before and replied in kind.
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"Well, you see Mr Stormwolf. I grew up in Kuronai, and as you may be aware, most of the inhabitants were descendants of outcasts or more specifically hybrids like myself. We've kept to ourselves a lot and honestly ignored most of the goings-on in the world around us. For the most part due to the massive persecution we suffered in the past. Granted in my lifetime, I thankfully haven't seen much of it." while Rhea talked, Riptor stood up to slowly undress. However, he kept his ears poised and continued to listen to her words carefully.
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The male first removed his cloak and neatly piled it up on the remaining free chair revealing that he hadn't been wearing any kind of armour beneath it. All Riptor had left on his person were some functional dark blue pants and a simple grey shirt. Not the height of fashion by any means but they served their purpose. The shirt soon also came off revealing a rather well-toned body beneath, which seemed a bit too perfect for his age, Rhea thought.
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"S-sir... um... w-what are you doing?" the young woman asked as she wasn't expecting him to undress mid-conversation. He glanced over at her passing her a quick wink.
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"Don't worry Rhea. I'm not out for you, even though I have to admit you are a beautiful young woman." Rhea couldn't help but blush feeling somewhat embarrassed by the situation.
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"T-thank you, sir, how very kind," she replied nervously.
"I want to ask something of you Rhea, and I am aware this is asking a lot from you, especially considering all you've told me." she remained silent still somewhat distracted by his last compliment.
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"I'll just come out with it. Would you accompany me back to Kuronai? I intend to find out exactly what happened on that day four months ago and your help would be greatly appreciated." a mixed feeling of dread and excitement flooded her mind. Someone willing to actually help her solve her mystery was a blessing in itself. However, it also caused considerable alarm. She needed a moment to think it through before answering him. Nevertheless, the moment was compulsively short-lived as her curiosity overruled all caution.
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"I'd love to. I to want to find out what happened. I want to know the truth, however, Mr Stormwolf, if I am to join you, I will need you to answer me one question," she replied thoughtfully. Riptor returned to the bed sitting back down in front of her whilst lending her a reassuring smile.
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"What is it?" he asked.
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"Why are you doing this? What is in it for you?" a very valid question he deemed as well as one he knew that would likely come up at some point. He sighed before replying earnestly.
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"In all honesty. I've been searching far and wide to find information on a problem I have. Throughout my travels, I've ascertained that helping others in need often leads me to fundamental wisdom and knowledge. This charity, in turn, helps me towards my own goal. What I'm trying to say is, that yes, I'm not doing this out of pure selflessness. I don't honestly believe in that myself. However, kindness is something I am very familiar with, and in that respect, I want to help you uncover your past so you can go on with your life knowing the truth." the young hybrid stood up out of her chair, skillfully snaking her tail out from its back. Her tail subsequently almost like it appeared to be its own entity pushed the chair off to the side. Rhea's mind raced with a variety of differing thoughts. However, only one remained at the forefront. Could she honestly trust this man?
"I'm not entirely sure I can trust your intentions on this matter, Mr Stormwolf, however, as I mentioned when we started talking. I do not believe that our meeting was a mere coincidence. I feel that something has guided you to me and that together we will uncover this mystery and reveal the truth." Riptor immediately stood up taking both her hands in his holding them tight.
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"Rhea... thank you. I hope that together we find out what truly happened in Kuronai. That way you can go on in life without worrying about this dark event clouding your past." their gazes met for a moment, both filled with hope. Riptor also couldn't help smiling whilst in Rhea's presence. She had an infectious smile that he had no choice but to reciprocate. Even though Rhea still had her doubts, somehow, she knew, things would turn out alright.
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"We leave at dawn, be ready," he said. She nodded bidding her guest a good night before swiftly making her way back downstairs to Meg. They had some important things to discuss before the night was out.
The following morning Riptor waited outside on the street, once again draped in his cloak. He'd left the cowl down so Rhea could easily recognise him. The front door of the inn soon flung open as both Rhea and Meg stepped outside. The two hugged each other lovingly as they exchanged some last goodbyes. The young woman then walked towards Riptor waving back one final time at Meg as well as thanking her for all she had done. It was almost as though the hybrid knew she wasn't coming back.
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"You're looking rather fetching," Riptor complimented as he saw Rhea approaching dressed in a gorgeous grey robe, not too unlike his own in design.
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"I made it myself during my stay with Meg. It's mainly meant to hide my weapons and obscure my face, much like your's, sir." Rhea's robe had sizeable thick arm ends, which concealed the weapons she had mounted on her wrists. There was also a convenient cut along the back of the garment, which allowed her tail to flow behind freely. Much like the previous night, her tail was once again draped with cloth hiding her dangerous natural weapon.
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"It suits you," he said appreciatively.
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"I'm not sure if you're still familiar with the route back to Kuronai. Regardless, it'll take us most of the day to reach there. If you ever need to rest just say so. I'm quite the long-distance walker myself, so I don't need many breaks." she nodded understanding what he meant.
"I'll speak up if the need arises sir." as they started walking down the path out of town, it suddenly struck him that he didn't even know her last name.
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"Say, Rhea. You know you don't have to call me mister or sir, right? You're no longer a barmaid being polite. Out here you're my travel companion, and that means first names. Having said that... I don't even know your last name." his gaze once again fell upon her with that playful grin of his. It seemed to be a thing he enjoyed doing. In all honesty, she was quite fond of it herself as she felt it imparted a relaxing atmosphere.
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"Very well... Riptor it is then. You'll have to tell me the story about how you were given that name sometime. As for me. It's Loveheart. It's from my mother's side. I kept it because I liked it more than Williams." he chuckled ever so slightly in response. Riptor had a good feeling about this woman. His focus then returned to the road ahead preparing in his mind the route they were about to travel.
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"When the time comes I'll tell you all about my name, Ms Loveheart."