Guardians & Demon King Part III (Ending)

[RosesOfDeathYetFullOfLife]

Ryuu nods, waking up Tatsuko. "We'e yetu.." She whispers as she did, talking in dragon tongue. Tatsuko yawns loudly, then hides so she's not bothered. Ryuu rolls her eyes then stands with a strench, glancing over to the map.

Aku cleans up the fire, not minding if she did or didn't really, as she listened to Tarik. Afterwords she went over looking towards the map, then planted the picture in her mind so she may remember it later. Should I thank them for the meal? Manner wise I should, yet "mistress" wise might look bad. Ah, so confusing.. She grabs her bow, hiding it like before.  

[Mario Dragon]

Tarik picks up the bag of potions and ingredients. "Okay let's go." He leads the way to the next of the last couple of towns before the border. Along the path, were some troops on the way to guard the border towns. Tarik was quiet as they passed.

The captain of the guard stops to talk to Aku. "You are a women of wealth as you have four slaves to serve you but you are nearing Booforia, our warring neighbor to the north. You should be careful not to stray into enemy territory. What business brings you to the edge of Antera? You should turn back." The captain is concerned that Aku is lost.  

[RosesOfDeathYetFullOfLife]

Aku pauses breifly as they're stopped. She kindly looks up to the captain,"Ahh...But atlas, I can not. One of my relatives has lost her way." She said, taking out her scroll from before. Heyi.. She brushed her hand along the paper, then unrolls the scroll to revel an urgent letter. The handwriting was clearly rushed, and was unfinished only mentioning Booforia. "She was to live on her own, wanted adventure. Now she calls to me, and here I am. " She explains fully, the story was made in an instant.

Ryuu does not glance up, nor show emotion as she stands near Aku. No fear of Tatsuko being caught, as she was safe away from sight.  

[Mario Dragon]

The Captain looks at the papers and the strange writing and decides it looks legitimate. He stamps the scroll with a seal to allow them to pass.

After the soldiers pass, Tarik says "Great work there with the scroll." and starts walking again to lead them to the next town.

They walk and reach it about a mile down the road.  

[RosesOfDeathYetFullOfLife]

Aku chuckles," An old trick I learned from mum." She replies, following quietly. Ryuu kept silent, her mind deep in thought as she used this time to try to see what she could remember on her own. Aku sighs, stretching a bit to pass time and relax her muscles.  

[misty_seabrz]

Sasori follows the path and is lost in thought as they walk. She remembers the last time they went to Booforia and how as they crossed the bridge, they were attacked and Tarik took them on a switchback path to avoid the army. Then the Queen in anger sent her army and the bloody war. She was captured but rescued the Wrath finished off the army and Amiric got his stone. Now they were headed back. A chill went up her spine as she thought if how the Queen touched her mind and tried to lure her to the Booforian side.  

[Mario Dragon]

Tarik leads the group, as typical the town layout is similar to the others. Travelling through the town square past the houses and through the market.

While going through the market, someone whispers about Aku traveling alone with her slaves. Someone makes an offer for Ryuu and Tarik for breeding stock.  

[RosesOfDeathYetFullOfLife]

Aku refuses all offers, going through the towns with a constant blush of embarrassment. She wasn't one that liked attention, and now she was getting more by each slave. It didn't help how she now despised most of the people in this "great" Antera. Enslaving demons and treating them like animals. However, she kept her calm as always.

Ryuu hated how men gazed at her in lust, more so when she was a slave before all of this mess. Her eyes kept low, even though it didn't help her senses. Once she heard the offer for Tarik going into a "breeding stock" she was offended, yet was also amused at the idea. When they were out of one of the towns she let out her laugh before it was too late, then sighed deeply as she dared not grab Tarik's attention why she was laughing.  

[Mario Dragon]

Tarik sighs as they pass through the town. There was slavey in his Antera but it was more like indentured servants. Fey could freely walk the towns but the towns were ruled by the demons. He hears as offers are made, breeder indeed, though Ryuu was attractive. He keeps going with his head down.

The brothers just followed their new mistress. How different she was from the other owners.

Tarik wonders what Ryuu was smiling about. As they exit the town.

"One last town is coming up then we will be at the border. We should pick up some supplies in the next town."  

[RosesOfDeathYetFullOfLife]

Aku nods, taking out what money she had. She frowned slightly, though it was enough to buy a few bags she had hoped to buy some else to wear besides her burnt dress. She puts the money away along with her disappointment. Hey, should I get collars for those two as well? She sent to Tarik, a bit worried someone would try to claim them. Not wanting the two to be abused or be "marked".

Ryuu smiles as Tatsuko pokes, out cooing gently. Tatsuko whispers in her ear, Ryuu snagging the bag of food they had so far. Giving her some meat, the young dragon feasted as she sat on Ryuu's shoulder. Ryuu snagged a piece of fruit before giving the bag back to whomever was carrying. Eating it silently since she hadn't much to say.  

[Mario Dragon]

"No need for collars after the border. If we are caught, we will all be slaves and the Queen will provide collars for us all. We will need to buy clothes, food and weapons to fight the queen."

Seeing that their bag of gold latinum was running low, he retrieves a bracelet out of the bag he was carrying. "Here, sell this. I grabbed it from the temple."  

[misty_seabrz]

Sasori shivers as she remembers the Booforian Queen's icy grip. As she thought of the queen, she could hear the queen in her head. She whispers to Sasori "Bring me Tarik... I will make him my slave...bring him to me and I will help you go home...bring me Tarik...."

Sasori walked as if in a trance, following Tarik's aura.  

[RosesOfDeathYetFullOfLife]

Aku puts the bracelet away with a nod, then blinks once she heard of fighting the queen. It made sense to oppose her, though. So, she didn't question it much.

After Tarik mentions weapons, she recalls the twin blades that she hid back at the forest. Doing a face palm as now it was highly unlikely she could simply go back and retrieve them.  

[Mario Dragon]

"We have a few things to fight with from the temple." He took out the potions from the bag. "But we will need some swords."

He sees that Ryuu was missing something. "Did you forget something?"  

[RosesOfDeathYetFullOfLife]

Ryuu looks up at Tarik, then rubs the back of her head. "Yeah, but I'll adjust." She replies to reassure him. Maybe it's best I leave them be, I have a new challenge ahead. She looks to the potions, recognizing a few of them. "So, this queen. What's her story?" Ryuu asks, wanting to know the enemy.