ToTT: A New Adventure (Ch. 1)

Chapter 1
'''July 15th X791. 11:34am (4 hours ago)'''

A solemn grown man sat on a stool at the bar of the Sabertooth Guild Hall reading from the mysterious job request asking for him and his sister specifically. An Asian-featured woman in a long blue gown approached the male and sat beside him, while the other members of the guild were quite rowdy in the background. "You have been staring at that sheet for half an hour now, Ezra. Is there something bothering you about it?", the woman spoke calmly towards him. "Hm? Oh, Minerva. It's just weird..it asks for me and my sister specifically, and for us to travel to these co-ordinates, somewhere on the Western continent of Alakitacia. It doesn't feel right.", Ezra replied to her. "Even Rogue is wary about it, isn't he? He saw the person delivering it in the middle of the night and then flee as if Rogue were a monster.", Minerva spoke out of curiosity. Ezra stood from his chair, and tucked the paper into his satchel. "I'm gonna find my sister, and then do the job. I have to know who, or what, is behind this and why.", he spoke confidently right before he was interrupted again, but this time by an arguement. Guild Master Sting Eucliffe and Saberooth S-Class Potential Hayden Chance were going at it again. Both Ezra and Minerva were suddenly beside him, looming over them with frightening glares, sending both males to cower in the nearby corner, absolutely terrified.

"Master, I'm accepting the job delivered last night. Hayden will accompany me.", Ezra said to his currently-shivering Guildmaster. With an awkward cough, Sting rose. "Okay, just don't get yourselves killed. You are two of Sabertooth's best.", he followed with before stomping over towards Rogue and yapping about something else. Afterwards, after Ezra and Hayden gathered their stuff from home and met up, they set off out of the town.

'''July 15th X791. 15:34pm (Now)'''

Ezra and Hayden trudged through a gentle rain, sheltered by hooded cloaks over their bodies, towards Sif's previously known location. The pair glanced around them at damaged trees, before stumbling upon a destroyed building and unconscious Dark Mages. Hayden looked on in some disbelief, but got to work trying to track Sif again. He craned to face Ezra when his nose picked up a scent. "She was definitely here. Quite recently, but the rain's screwed up her scent. I can follow it but it'll be difficult.", the wolf-eared Mage said to his partner. Ezra nodded, "Let's hurry before we lose her.", he said, as Hayden darted in the direction of the scent's source, tailed by the red-headed man.

Within an hour, they reached a small secluded inn. Entering, they found it was rather empty and dull, with even the receptionist half asleep, only to be woken by a boom of thunder outside as the rain got increasingly heavier. "Snr-HURGHHF?!", he snorted hysterically when he had been abruptly awoken, and promptly startled by two strangers in cloaks standing at the desk. "Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but has a girl checked in here recently, with long brown hair and bangs? Fair skin?", Ezra spoke politely as he described his sister in near-perfect detail. "Ahh, why yes! A pretty little thing. Poor soul was exhausted so I took care of everything for her and got her a room right down that there hallway.", the older man pointed shakily, not from fear, but from age. "Thank you, sir, most helpful.", Ezra thanked the man, as Hayden moved like a dog chasing a cat straight towards Sif's door, thanks to her scent. Hayden knocked on the door. "Sif, you in there? It's me--", he said quietly as he opened the door and was tackled immediately by an angry woman. Sif. "Who are you and how do you--?!", she yelled before she spotted the man's canine ears as they poked out of the hood as it fell back, and then looked up to see the other male removing his hood. Her brother. She grinned in delight as she hugged them both. "What are you doing here? I'd ask how you found me but that's obvious with this mutt around." she laughed happily as she got off of Hayden and helped him up.

"A job came in last night, asking for us specifically.", Ezra answered as the three of them walked into Sif's room. It had a television, a dresser, a bathroom, a kitchen, two single beds and a corner sofa along with a coffee table. One of the beds was messed, obviously where Sif had been laying. The men sat on the sofa as Sif, almost OCD-like, went and made the three of them, cups of tea. "So tell me about this weird job thing.", she said as she sat down beside Hayden and set the cups on the coffee table. Ezra explained the nature of the job and how it got to the guild. Sif gleefully agreed, delighted by the thought of reuniting with her old team. Ezra took the spare bed and went to bed early, enjoying his rest, while Sif and Hayden talked quietly for what felt like hours, before Sif returned to her bed, and Hayden drifted into dreamland on the sofa. All of them had mixed thoughts about what awaited them in Alakitacia.

Chapter End.