Private Eastern Brisshal Heroes Do More Than Kill Goblins and Drink Ale

[Brutus Dahlgren]

"They messed up on getting Laura, and they wanted Liam's ganddaughter." Brutus clarified to the Lepus before turning back to Stankins. The man nodded, patted Laura on the shoulder and then calmly stated.

"Laura, Brucie here is gonna bring back your Pa lickity split. If anyone can do it, its him and his pal alright? So take a deep breath and go sit on my porch and we'll get you some brekfast in a jiffy."

He would turn back to the giant and the rabbit and nod. "Sounds like a plan you two, I'm gonna send some of my boys with you just in case things take a turn for the spicy."

Brutus nodded and gave the man a thumbs up, and then turned to find three huntsman waiting sheepishly at the rear to guide them.

"Alright Toko, this is where things get real. We're gonna need to follow those tracks the best we can, and as fast as humanly possible in order to ensure those men are safe. You ready to roll?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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Ah, right... that should've been obvious, and as Toko realized it her cheeks flushed lightly in embarrassment.

Fortunately Stankins was quick in starting to prepare everyone, allowing the Lepus to get over her little blunder before Brutus addressed her. "Hai!" Toko gave a loud affirmation along with a salute of sorts, resolute in doing the best she could.

Her palm was opened and closed then in a familiar fashion, triggering the handheld UI version, before Toko enabled the Investigation Mode from the menu. Soon those red eyes were glowing pink as the ability kicked in, allowing the Lepus to see more information of the surroundings in her UI. Another moment was taken to gather some of the nearby natural energy around them, allowing her to focus on even the softest of whispers from the grass blades and tree leaves within the forest.

"I'm ready..." A look backwards confirmed to her everyone else was set too, Toko nodding before the Lepus was off in a heartbeat. "Let's go!"

The rain had certainly done a lot to cover most of the trail, and perhaps it was that thought that had made this particular goblin group overconfident enough to not bother concealing their path like the other one. However even the torrential downpour hadn't fully erased the hints of their travel, especially when carrying heavy cargo like a grown ass man, and Toko's pace continued to quicken the closer they began to edge to their target.

The last key was when an invasive scent tickled her nostrils, easily recognized now that she had been in close quarters while fist fighting the goblins, and an almost predatory grin tugged at the corner of Toko's lips as realization dawned upon her.

"They're close...!"

It took every drop of willpower for the beastfolk to slow down her steps instead of speeding up, remembering the earlier warning of Brutus—it would be unwise to rush in without a plan, and any foolishness could cost a hefty and irreversible price from the Landers that now accompanied them.

"... up and over that hill, that's where their stench is the strongest here in the forest."

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus kept up with the Lepus as she hauled ass through the woods, surprised with how quickly she had picked up the tracks and how fast she was following it accurately. They'd been much sloppier than the other group, probably much to the chagrin of their boss. When they found the end, the giant drew out his canon and hefted it over his shoulder.

"Alright, here's the plan. Let's creep up to the top of the hill and keep hidden. Peer down on them and see what's going on. Make a call on how we go in from there."

With that, he motioned for the group to follow him up the hills, slowly and quietly as they peered over the top. The goblin raiding party was just a couple hundred yards away, near a treeline. The two older men were lashed to twin oaks, with strange sorts of carvings in the sodden dirt around them. Brutus blinked as the bigger picture clicked.

The goblins had carved out some sort of circle, looking something akin to a ritual or something an alien would leave in crops. There were four lines, each leading away from a tall oak. In the center a rather mysterious looking figure stood hunched over, draped in a motley cloak. About 15 goblins were scampering about quickly, going about working towards some enigmatic goal.

"Fuckin christ." Brutus hissed. "Looks like some kind of sacrificial ritual..."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"What are they doing...?" A pair of eyes peered down below from beside the massive Brutus, the glow still active as Toko squinted in hopes of getting a better view. Sure, she might have an impressive natural sight... that didn't mean it came with enhanced zoom abilities. "Is that... writing?"

Brutus was the first to put the pieces of the puzzle together, his words of it all being a sacrificial ritual reminding Toko of the various runes Solaria had showed her from her divine grimoire. Sure these were probably not the same, but the design was similar enough the Lepus just hadn't caught on as quickly since her magical casting was more instinctual than academical.

"I'll distract them!"

That was as far as her train of thought went, Toko's current main concern currently being that whatever the cloaked individual and his henchmen were planning didn't come to fruition before they had a chance to save Liam and Laura's Pa. With that the beastfolk had scampered off faster than anyone could reach out for her, taking a curved path before making a beeline towards the gathering from their left side.

"Oh nooo, it's goblins...! Kyaaah~"

Okay her acting voice was terrible, sue her—it's not like Nao had ever gone to acting school or attempted this before in her life. However what Toko did have available was her primal aura, the Lepus making sure to concentrate a large does of fear before allowing it to leak all around her like a honey covered ham being dangled in front of a bear. 'Yes, that's it, look at me you little shits...!' It worked like a charm as a sudden pause triggered in the group and all the heads turned to look at the rabbit standing out in the open, just ready to be grabbed...

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus blinked as the Lepus hammed it up for the Goblins. The Huntsman had hooked around to the opposite side of her. As the Goblins began to creep towards her, drawing the attention of the cloaked figure, they were coming on the other end. Right as the Goblins began to rush forward, Brutus pulled the trigger on his canon.

CRACK. WHOOSH. BOOM.

He shot a bolt right at the figure in the center. The Blast tore their runes to shreds in a matter of moments with shrapnel and flying dirt. The Goblins all practically leaped out of their skins, unsure of what was happening. The Huntsman grabbed the captives and dashed into the woods, using the distraction as perfect cover.

The cloaked figure emerged from the smoke, ripping its tattered cape off to reveal that it wasn't a goblin, but an ancient looking orcish woman with runes tatooed all along her ancient frame. She let out a howl, pointing to the top of the hill at Brutus. Half the goblins peeled off bunny duty to go to the giant, who was already halfway through reloading his canon.

"COME FUCKING GET SOME!" He howled, cracking off another shot at the woman. It was on like Donkey Kong it would seem.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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CRA-KA-BOOM!!!

She hadn't stuck around long enough to know what the plan was, Toko having just acted out of plain instinct and nothing more when she had rushed forth... so the Lepus was quite surprised by the sudden blast in the vicinity, barely managing to erect a shield of dirt at the front of where she cowered to avoid the incoming blow of dirt, stones and twigs the blast had created.

"Sugoooi..."

Damn, maybe she had underestimated the Landers after all, that was one hell of a shot! Still Toko didn't have time to ponder over the matter or watch the fight—after all she had a fight of her own to worry about!

The shrieks of the angered goblins was annoying, causing the Lepus to flinch slightly as she dropped her protective half dome. "Urusai na...!" Slamming her hands onto the earth beneath Toko willed various tendrils and vines to erupt, managing to tie the feet of four out of the seven goblins in her range before the remaining three leapt for the beastfolk.

"Come have a fist and kick sandwich, fresh outta the oven!"

The party had officially begun.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus was able to fire off another shot with his canon at the crone before the Goblins were on him. Click boom! The hag staggered back, he couldn't see her HP bar but he imagined it was getting south of half. Then he had to deal with the goblins. Hefting his canon wide, he swung to try and get all seven in one swing. He managed about four, three of them ducking and rolling under his swing. Those four went flying and he found himself face to face with three, suddenly, time began to slow. He could watch as they came at him, but he didn't have much time to react. His body felt like it was moving through molasses.

His Hyper Sense was activating.

Alright Brutus, think. He thought to himself. Unless we want three stab wounds we need an answer for these green cocksuckers. But what? He blinked. Pyromancy!

Brutus took a deep breath, and then howled out a gout of flame washing over the goblins and sending them diving backwards and downwards to escape. His pyromancy wasn't nearly strong enough to incinerate them, but it was enough to drive them back and buy him time for another pass with his canon. With a spin and a grunt, he followed his swing with another, faster swing, clobbering all three scorched goblins with a homerun swing, sending them flying through the air like scorched tennis balls.

The Crone screeched and sent a bolt of blood flying from a pointed finger, impacting Brutus' chest and sending a jolt of sickening nausea through him. Whatever she'd hit him with some some sort of foul blight, because he could feel his strength slowly sapping.

He would have to wrap this up fast.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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Toko didn't have time to worry about the second explosion's origin or results, she was just thankful that it was far enough from where she was to not worry about any debris careening in her direction. The earth was summoned to her limbs out of habit now, giving her skin an extra coat of protection and power, before the first fist was connecting right in the nose of the goblin that had thought it wise to leap at the rabbit head on.

"Serving one...!"

The momentum of the punch was used to her favor, using the sole of her right foot to deliver a kick straight into the gut of a second goblin to her side. "Serving two—hack!" The third had found an opening, leaping onto the Lepus' shoulders as it attempted a choke hold on the beastfolk... before Toko's hands reached for the head of the goblin above her own and yanked hard.

"You get the serving special for being a little shit!"

The pull was enough to caught the goblin off-guard as his grip loosened, holding his head in front of her before Toko's right foot wound back. "Serving three!" The kick was delivered with no mercy, the sharp claws of her feet digging into the face of her opponent before the goblin was sent flying from the impact into the trunk of a nearby tree—this one being completely out of the count now.

"Alright, who's next?!"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Three down, four on their way back, and a nasty fucking crone with curses. What could possibly go wrong. Brutus aimed his canon, using it as a focus, and popped off several smaller fireballs at the woman's direction, forcing her to dodge in quick succession. If he could keep her dancing, he could keep her from trying to hex him again.

His limbs began to feel slightly chilly and numb, and he was begining to lose sensation in his toes as he stomped down the hill towards the four remaining goblins, who had regrouped and drawn their blades. Using his canon once again as a focus, he led with a gout of flame, his canon transforming into a flamethrower. The goblins kept back, having learned from last time, but they didn't expect him to lunge forward comboing the move into a downward smack. One luck goblin became the nail to his proverbial hammer as he smashed it into a pulp.

Diving back, the other three surrounded him in a triangle formation, diving at once. Brutus, now struggling to hold his canon due to its sheer size, managed to spin in an arc, catching all three and ending them once and for all in one clean swoop.

He turned back to the Crone, who was now looking at Toko. She raised a wicked boney finger at the Lepus and began to channel a spell. Brutus, unable to raise his canon, simply yelled out.

"TOKO! LOOK OUT!"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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A part of her was surprised at the power her attacks seemed to carry now, a far cry from the first days that Toko had begun to play the game struggling against wolves in the outskirts of the town. Before she could contemplate that further the four goblins she had managed to ensnare in vines had finally broken free of their natural chains, rushing at the Lepus in unison in what was probably an attempt to overwhelm her with sheer numbers.

Had Toko been just another Lander the tactic would've no doubt worked, and in hindsight this would probably be the method they had used to overpower both Old Man Liam as well as Laura's Pa. However Toko was a traveler, something probably unseen and maybe even forgotten by many of the monsters, and the Lepus was more than happy to remind these goblins they would do well to fear her... not that they'd live to put that lesson into play.

"HaaaAAAH!"

Crouching down the rabbit pressed both palms flat against the soil, unleashing a quick burst of energy and will that caused the earth around Toko to spring into life around the Lepus. Sharp points were created, the earthen lances quickly impaling their way through goblin flesh as her four assailants were stopped in their tracks before the goblins were able to reach the Lepus for a strike.

"Phew, that takes care of them—Whoa!"

A chill ran down Toko's spine just as the Lepus felt the change of something in the energy around her, a foreboding feeling grasping at her heart and causing Toko to look back just as Brutus realized his quarry had now set their sights on the fighter. Toko jumped back just in time as the man's shouts now reached her ears, watching as a sudden bolt of lightning struck and blackened the grass and dirt where the Lepus had been standing on a mere second or two before.

"Lightning?! Bitch, really!?!"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

The crone cackled in ancient tongues lost to man long ago, carving ancient runes in the air with a trembling finger, readying another attack. His canon trembled in his arm, and he was forced to drop it as his strength began to fail. Whatever magic she'd nailed him with, was dragging him under. He took a deep breath and charged forward. He let some fire coat around his fist and he forced a punch upwards at her. The woman danced past his attack and cackled.

In response, Brutus let loose another gout of flames from his mouth.

The witch continued to dance around his attacks as he let flame after flame at her. Some would find purchase against her, but it seemed like her ancient flesh was warded against his magic, as each rune slowly began to glow. An alert popped up in the corner of his vision. His energy was quickly failing, if they didn't wrap this up soon he'd start eating some serious shit.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"Brutus—"

The Lepus hadn't been afforded time to look at her combat partner until then, having been quite busy dealing with the goblins on her tail to risk looking away from any of them for even a second. It wasn't until Toko had a question about the cackling crone facing them that the rabbitfolk had turned to look at the Felis, her words dying in her throat when she realized the terrible condition he currently looked to be in. She had to help, and quickly too...!

'Ohhh... fuck it! Here goes nothing!'

While the bigger beastfolk kept the orc-ish hag's attention on himself Toko crouched low to the ground, her hands spreading across the soil in front of her before closing her eyes and focusing hard. She had felt it before, even if it had been only briefly, that odd sensation that had alerted her just before the lightning would have struck her... the hard part was actually gathering that energy and bending it to her will.

Whooom... Whoooommm... WHOOOOOOMMM!

The creature dodged another blow from the man, cackling as her attention remained focused on Brutus, before it suddenly found itself in a wide gravity field that the tinier Lepus had just manifested. The focus on her ear glowed brightly, the amethyst gem helping channel the cosmic energy, as Toko struggled to keep the sudden spell up and running... though her control certainly lacked considering the massive crater that had formed underneath their enemy as she was forcefully drawn to the ground like a massive weight had just been placed above her.

"Get her, Brutus!!!"

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus heaved and struggled to keep air in his lungs. This woman could float like a butterfly and sting like a motherfucker, and he was struggling to keep his body moving. This was bad, truly a worst case scenario, but he had nothing left to do. He had to hope that Toko could work something.

And then she did.

He watched as the crone began to sink into the earth, gravity binding and holding her into place. It was perfect, except...

If he got too close it would tear him down with her. The idea of being smashed into the ancient hag didn't appeal to him, he would need to figure something else out. But what? It seemed like she was absorbing his magic, fueling it into whatever runes she had eteched on her skin. But he wasn't strong enough to bring a physical blow to her either, he was running out of options. He was trapped in a seemingly no win situation, just like with the Hemomacer...

Just like with the Hemomancer.

He would slice her in half if it was the last thing her did. But how? He didn't have his canon as a focus, he needed to have something to base it all off of. Focus.

Taking a deep breath, he cupped both hands together and conjured a flame between them. He would breathe in and out, letting the flame grow and grow with each breath. It would grow hotter and hotter, bigger and bigger, but his hands kept it constrained. He could feel the fire trying to push its way out of his hands, and he would tighten it tighter and tighter putting every last ounce of his remaining stregnth into it. Finally, when he felt the pressure couldn't be held back anymore, he opened but a single crack in his fingers, aimed at the crone.

"DAHLGREN SECRET TECHNIQUE." He would roar.

"STAR!
CUTTER!
BEAM.!"

The ray of almost plasma would jet forward, piecing the crones flesh like a laser. Struggling, he would give it a quick 45 degree shift and the dead was done. The beam sliced through the crone like a hot knife through butter, leaving the crone to gasp once before going limp, unable to drop as the gravity held her still.

The Giant released his magic, staring at his scorched palms in disbelief before sinking to his knees. His vision was blurry, his skin covered in sweat, and his head was cloudy as he barely managed breaths in and out.

They'd done it.

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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"W-We did it…?"

Brutus fiery plasma laser beam has finally put an end to the grotesque orc-ish creature, a sigh of relief leaving the Lepus upon seeing the body go limp just as Toko's control on gravity dissipated. She was panting heavily now, that little cosmic trick having taken more out of the fighter than she had initially gambled on, but the faint smirk tugging at the corners of Toko's lips was undeniable.

"Yattaaa Brutus-niisan we did it—Brutus!?!"

The festivities were cut short however as Toko took a good glance to her companion, the mountain of a man looking like he was at Death's door and ready to expire any second now. "No, no, nooo… Brutus-niisan?!" The Lepus quickly scrambled up to her feet, ignoring the protests of her muscles as she went to Brutus' side. Something seemed out of sorts, and even the UI reflected some of Toko's concerned thoughts, but what exactly was it she wasn't sure.

"Stay focused, don't pass out…!" A few light taps were given to his cheeks, trying to get the man's attention as Toko thought of how to fix this. "R-Right, healing!"

She lacked the nursing background Solaris possessed, or even just a general grasp of what might be afflicting her new friend right now, but Toko knew one thing—Brutus didn't have time to make it back to the village for assistance. With nothing but her own stubborn will to not see a new friend pass out—or perhaps even worse, those lips of his were starting to look kinda blue now that Toko was up close—the rabbitfolk closed her eyes and focused all of her consciousness on the nature around them.

Blossoming… Regrowth… Toko focused on all the aspects in nature that helped to nurture the flora and allowed it to flourish, grasping the familiar magical energy from all around their current location as her hands cupped the sides of Brutus' face. They flowed in response, softly at first, before a warm feeling begun to radiate from her palms—the magic slowly sinking into the Felis' skin before it distributed the warmth all around him.

Toko could only hope that her own instinctual magic could outperform whatever curse or condition had taken hold of Brutus.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus could feel his own warmth fading from his body. Whatever curse this crone had left on him, it was still lingering although not as strong. It was like her long dead fingers were curling around his chest, trying to grip his heart till it wouldn't beat again. He felt so terribly cold, and then Toko put her hands on his cheeks. He could feel heat beginning to pulse back into his body.

Healing magic.

He took a painful, shuddering breath as he tried his best to accept that magic into his body. There wasn't really a way to...do that, but he did his damnedest. Warmth trickled through his body, fighting the curse on all fronts, kicking and screaming to gain ground. He took another deep breath..

Inside him was a small flame, his own life force slowly working against the curse. Feeding on his breath like fuel, like bellow in a forge, he worked his lungs to fuel the light within it. With Toko's magic, the fire worked against the cold again. Slowly the woman's fingers were pried from his heart, his breathing grew more and more steady. His strength began to return slowly, the color returning to his skin. Gods it fucking hurt, but slowly but surely the woman's last lingering curse was sent packing, leaving his lips in the form of exhaled smoke.

"Fffffffffffuck." He hissed. "That hurt like a somebitch." He blinked a bit, realizing the Lepus still had his face cradled in her hands.

"We uh...did it."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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She had closed her eyes to avoid any distractions, after all watching a man's skin slowly turn ashen pale in color wouldn't help anyone concentrate—less so when the healer was as inexperienced as Toko. Instinct was all she had to go on, and with her vision now dark the Lepus could focus instead on the sense of touch as a way to ground her magic and weave it towards Brutus. Toko could sense the vibrant natural magic all around them, the hard part was gathering enough of said magic and transferring into the man to speed his regenerative abilities... and hopefully overwhelm whatever corruption the crone had attempted to lay upon the Felis.

"Hnnnng...!"

Her brows furrowed as the fighter frowned while deep in concentration, finding the act of healing another to this scale to be almost as exhausting—if not more—than actually fighting the goblins earlier. Slowly though she could feel a difference, no longer did Brutus skin felt cold and clamy to her hands, and when the Lepus finally dared to open her eyes she was relieved to see her friend looked more like his usual self now than a few moments ago.

"Yokattaaa...!"

Toko released a long breath of relief, the beastfolk tumbling backwards to lie on the ground now after her latest magical exertions between the gravity stunt and now this healing Toko was absolutely tuckered out—evident by the fact the rabbitfolk hadn't even realized that around them not only the grass had grown lusher, but also an overwhelming abundance of prairie flowers had grown and bloomed.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus adjusted himself to get more comfortable on the grass, sinking from his knees onto his rear and breathing a sigh of relief. He wasn't quite one hundred percent, but he was definitely feeling infinitely better than standing on deaths door. It had seemed that her magic had done more than just heal him however, for now they were sitting in a plush and verdant meadow of flowers and tall grass. Where once had been foul ritual markings carved into the ground, there were roses and daiseys. Grass had filled in the various craters that had been left behind through the fighting, and nature had even reclaimed the scorch marks of his attacks.

It was serene.

He would casually reach down and pat the Lepus on the head, smirking slightly. "Good work Toko, I don't think I could have done this one without you, truly."

Perhaps she was so tuckered out given the inherent inefficiencies in her work, bleeding energy and all of that jazz, but he couldn't tell for sure. He would summon one of the endless supply of apples he'd picked in the forest and set one by the rabbit and begin to munch down on another, working to restore his energy bar bit by bit.

"Shame, if I had packed a little more food we could have had a picnic here..."

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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.

"Nah... I bet you could've wiped them all out if I wasn't around..." She worked on first getting her breath back, exhaustion kicking in so badly that Toko could've sworn she got ran over by one of those isekai trucks. "I'm just glad that you're okay..."

He was clearly the more experienced of the two, that much had been obvious right from the very start when they fought goblins in Old Man Liam's house, Toko was jsut glad that her inexperienced hadn't held Brutus back enough to actually cost him a death counter. "Mmmm... ringo wa oishii..." The crunchy skin, the dense flesh and the sweet juices... honestly The World here had some of the best apples that she had ever taste—they even gave the apples from the Aomori prefecture a run for their money!

Between the gentle pats to her head and the sweet treats the Lepus couldn't help but give a content sigh in return, as terribly exhaustive as the battle might have been Toko couldn't help but still feel accomplished at the end of it all... it was an odd feeling, though not a bad one she realized, but certainly unlike anything she had felt before in the real world.

@Brutus Dahlgren

 

[Brutus Dahlgren]

Brutus kept his breath steadied as he drank some water and pounded apples. His body slowly regained its color, but only so much could be done on apples and water alone. Cracking his neck he would struggle to his feet, groaning as he did so. He would shrug off his coat, banishing it to the UI realm and yawning slightly as he began to stretch.

"I don't think I can throw down with fifteen Goblins and a fucking witch by myself. I might be good, but not that good." He was covered in a cold sweat and gunpowder, and was in desperate need of a bath. His beard was sticky with apple juice, and his stomach was beginning to rumble again. All in all, he was in need of a spa day and a picnic. He squinted at the sun, eyeing the time.

"You know, it's barely past noon. If we hurry, we might be able to snag lunch at town and then head over to the Mudsprings and soak off all this fatigue?"

@Toko

 

[Toko]

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Now that the glade was devoid of the fifteen angry goblins and one pissed orc witch Toko had to admit it was quite a nice place to just hang out and rest. Her body was still sore, but thankfully the pounding headache had begun to subside as the pair took their time to catch their breaths. She assumed it was probably due to the use of so much magic, especially considering the UI helpfully displayed how dangerously low her energy bar currently was... thankfully their downtime had allowed it to recover just past the point where it was no longer beeping annoyingly at her.

"There's mud springs?!"

The thought of a good, long and relaxing soak was invigorating enough to have the Lepus bounce back to her feet faster than she had thought possible. Yes, the food was tempting too... but who could ever resist a long drawn out warm bath?!

"Ikimashoo ikoo—aaah, shimatta... what about Liam-ojiisan and Laura's papa?"

Among all the action, resting, and now the promise of a bath Toko had almost forgotten about the two men they had come over to save in the first place.

@Brutus Dahlgren