It was shortly after Doctor Shantotto had opened the ferry from Mhaura to Aht Urhgan Whitegate when Tamtu and Sooraya decided to explore the new continent together…facing more trials together, more dangers…

A loud battle cry sounded from the Baflau Thickets. It almost sounded desperate, frightening..but at the same time, angry. “TAMTU. I. HATE. YOU.”

Sooraya swung her axe wildly, but with uncanny precision at the Aht Urhgan Attercops that were swarming around her. Tamtu did his best to keep her healed and enfeebled the spiders as much as he could. “Well, excuuuuuuse me, princess. It’s hard to see spidernests around here. You’re doing fine, by the way.”

Moments earlier, Tamtu had accidently stepped on a spidernest that partially stuck out of the ground when his eye had caught sight of a frayed arrow with a ribbon. “You just had to go and piss off spiders, didn’t you?” The white mage whacked his hammer at the needle-like legs of the Attercops, hoping it would slow them down a bit. “Well, princess, we’ll argue about this later, okay? Let’s run for that tower!” Tamtu hastily replied and tossed a Slow spell at the nearest spider.

The gate was locked. And the spiders got closer and closer. The duo gripped their weapons tightly as they readied themselves for the arachnic assault. “Let’s give them a shocker, princess. You ready?” Sooraya nodded and readied Sturmwind and let out a loud cry, as if she would eradicate all spiders in the world with one blow, just so they wouldn’t bother her ever again. “Eat this!!!”

The ground shook as her great axe slammed into the ground, but just as Tamtu was about to finish up their usual routine with a Seraph Strike, the remaining spiders were swiftly dropping dead, one by one.

A gentle female voice spoke up. “Good afternoon, adventurers. Looks like I made it just in time.” She took off her red chapeau and introduced herself. “I’m Najelith. Is everything okay?”

Sooraya leaned on her great axe, more fatigued as her natural fear of spiders usually drained her more than regular battles. “I…think I need to take a nap.” Tamtu helped her up and looked at Najelith. “Would it be possible to stay inside the tower for a bit?” he asked.

The archer searched her pockets for a key and unlocked the gate. “Of course. You can both rest inside as long as you want.”

As Tamtu and Sooraya entered the tower, Najelith couldn’t help but notice something sticking out of the white mage’s pocket.

“Hmm…”

()~()~()

The stove had been on for a while and Tamtu finished up the meal with some herbs before serving it to the dark-haired Hume. “How is she doing?”, Tamtu asked. Najelith stood up from the bed Sooraya was sleeping on and sat down by the table. “She’s sleeping soundly. Is she your companion?”

Tamtu blushed a bit as he set the plate down before her. “Well…yeah. Sorta. I’m saving gil for…you know..uhm…Enjoy your food.” Najelith smiled at him and looked at the dish in front of her. “My name is Tamtu, by the way. And that’s Sooraya. We’ve travelled all over the continents together, exploring as much as our skills allow us.” The Hume sat down across from Najelith and studied her armor. It was crimson red, beautifully decorated with golden swirls. Her weapons were equally magnificent. Considering she was wearing a dagger and a bow, she must’ve been a Ranger. “We travelled with a Ranger for a short while. He was really skilled and often saved myself and Sooraya from tedious situations, kind of like the way you did today.”

She didn’t seem to talk much, so Tamtu tried to keep the stories coming, even asking some question to try and get her to talk as well.

“You must be ranked really high in the Empire. There’s something almost regal about you! The armor is just gorgeous. I’ve never seen anything like it before.” Najelith nodded. “Is this your first time in Aht Urhgan? I’ve never seen you around before.”, the archer asked.

Tamtu nodded happily. “It’s amazing here. The atmosphere is so vastly different from the Quon and Mindartia continents, and the people are so kind, too.” In his excitement in sharing his new experiences, he had been walking all over the room, like a child telling their mother about their day. The only other time he did something similar was when he had been reunited with his sister Emma not too long ago. There was just so much to tell. Tamtu went back to his seat and tried to sit down, when something poked him in his side.

“Aaah… That’s sharp!”

He jolted back up and took out the arrow he had found earlier. “Right, I got this off one of those spiders earlier today. I thought it was kind of weird to find an ribboned arrow with a spider.” Najelith stood up and came next to him.

“There’s a story behind that arrow.” she said and gently took the arrow out of his hands.

“Please sit. In return, I wish to tell you my story now.”