CHAPTER 11, MAKING NEW FRIENDS

After we got back from shopping the members of the Shining Star guild and our guild members were planning to have a practice match and train for a bit. Shining Star was the champion in last year's Magic Games after all. I on the other hand wanted to rest a bit seeing as how my body is really exhausted. I wonder what I should do? I decide to go and watch them train, there is a battlefield at the back of the guild that serves as the perfect spot to train. It's about a hundred meters by two hundred meters wide. The ones fighting are Rogue and a member from the other guild, the opponent has black hair, red eyes and white skin. They seem to be having a no holds bar fight, I see Aria, Pallet-san, Queen-san and Rose watching the fight so I go and join them. Aria hands me popcorn when I sit down beside her. "What this for?" I ask her.

"It's a habit of hers, she enjoys watching fights." Queen-san says. "Anyways, Haru-kun do you fight hand-to-hand as well?"

"I can but I hardly do fight hand-to-hand." I say as I pop some popcorn in my mouth.

"Haru, I've been wondering abou this for some time, why didn't you become an adventurer before?" Aria asked me. "You seemed skilled and your agile, it would be good for if you became an adventurer right?"

"Not to mention he has a nice build, sharp senses, nimble and quick reflexes with quite high stamina." Rose adds. "I bet your good at charming women."

"N-not really." I say a little flattered. "I didn't become and adventure because I can barely control my magic."

"What kind of amgic can you use?" Rose asked.

"I don't now, I never took the aptitude test." I say. "I wonder if I should try and taking it?"

Just then Rogue and his opponent punch each other so hard that his opponent is sent flying towards us and he lies flat on the ground. "Oh dear, does your guild have anyone that can use healing magic?"

"None, unfortunately." Pallet-san says, guess I have no choice. I get up and take out the medicine from my backpack. "Where are you going?"

"I'm an herbalist so I have a job to take care of the wounded." I say.

I rush over to help the two wounded members, I see they didn't take as much damage as I had originally thought. I take some ointments from my bag and rub it on the swelling areas of both fighters. These two have no limits when it comes to fighting do they? After treating their swellings I wrap their wounds in bandages and let them rest on the grandstand for a while. Since no one seems to be using the battlefield for now I decide to practice my swordfighting.

I took a stance and held the wooden sword in my hand, the stance is easy to holld but difficult to master.

"That's a strange fighting stance." Viridian-san says popping out behind me. "I haven't seen anything like this before."

"It is a fighting style my father taught me, Viridian-san." I told him.

"No need to call Viridian-san, please call me Clover." He says.

"Well aren't you skilled, how about a quick match?" A man asks from the distance, he has red hair and black eyes and brown skin. He's wearing a black shirt with a silver vest and grey stripes styled onto it, he's wearing black jeans with boots. "I don't mind magic fighting first."

"I don't see why not." I answer. "Let's go."

He steps into the ring and Clover moves away as we start the match with a hand shake. I haven't really fought against anyone since the Shadow's Order's attack. I wonder how strong he is. "Come, my Lion Familiar, Leo." I say and Leo appears beside me. The man rushes towards Leo splits into two. Duplication Magic. Leo has his hands full with the other so the other comes at.

"As far as I know, summoners can't summon more than one Familiar at a time." He grins. "Especially when it's a Zodiac Familiar."

"Come, my Paired Fish Familiars; Pisces." I say and Alrescha and Alpherg appears beside me. "I can summon two at time, I'll have you know."

"You can summon two Zodiac Familiars at once?" He says with a smile. "You're quite skilled but I'm better." He splits into more, now its four against four. "What are you going to do now?"

"Haru!" Leo looks my way while fighting with the clone.

"Tsuki Style; Sword Stance." I say and focus myself, this is my family's style sword fighting technique. "Crescent Moon."

"Otto~, that was quick." He said as he backed away, Crescent Moon makes a person back away just from your own bloodlust.

"I am rather agile and vigilant since I grew up exploring the forest." I answered him.

"Here I come again." He says and charges at me. "Your strong but your defense is weak."

"Scutum." I say and a shield materializes in my left hand blocking his powerful punch. After the attack I suddenly feel weak, and just then I lose my grip strength. "Leo... Alpherg. .. Alrescha... Scutum... I... can't... anymore..."

"Haru!" The last thing I hear is Aria shouting my name before I fall to the ground and lose my consciousness.

ARIA'S POV

Haru fainted during his practice match and is now resting in one of the Shining Stars' free rooms, the Shining Stars Guild runs an inn. Our guild the Azure Gems runs a bar, well right now a fraction of the guild is running it since we were out on a mission. Me, Neph and Alexi are currently talking to our friends from the Shining Stars. "Hey Aria, that friend of yours was really good looking, does he have a girlfriend?" Queen asks me, she's the type that goes after good looking guys after all.

"He doesn't or at least I don't think he does." I answer her but in reality he doesn't, I've watched him for a long time so know he doesn't have one.

"Oh but I think he will be open about romance." Rose says popping out from behind me and I'm surprised. "He feels rather open about that kind of thing."

"I think so too." I answered her.

"Aria do you like him?" Queen asked me.

"I don't you call still call it like... I love him." I told her looking at the ground. "When I first moved to Goshenite Town, Haru was the only person who atlked to me. He was open, kind and caring... he also saved me."

"Saved you?" Rose asked.

"When I was walking home, I was nearly assualted but he knocked them out and walked me home." I told them, he is someone who helps others. "He is the kind of person who helps others without reserve. That's why I fell in love with him."

HARU'S POV

I slowly open my eyes, the room is empty of people, there's a banner with the Shining Stars' Crest on it. Their emblem is a diamond star with a golden color. There's a small table on beside the bed and my backpack is placed on it. I try to get up but I feel rather weak, I guess summoning two Zodiac Familiars and one low ranked spirit is too exhausting for my body. I get up of the bed and I take an herbal brew of energizing herbs. I feel energized but the taste is really bitter so I chew on some candy made from lemon with sugar. It should taste a little better now, I check myself to see if I have any wounds and see that I've got a bruise on my left leg. I take out the ointment used for treating the bruise and wrap a bandage around it just then I see my right hand is a little swollen. I amply some medicine and wrap it in bandages for now, if the swelling persist I'll use some higher quality ointments, unlike potions my herbal concoctions don't cost much but after reaching a certain quality they can be sold for quite the some.

I walk down stairs and see that it's already two in the afternoon. I look around and it seems that the others are talking to their friends, I'm about to talk to Aria when I feel the ground tremble. An earthquake maybe and just then someone enters the guild, those clouds are flamboyant, no doubt a noble. "Where is the guild master? I have an immediate request." He says, he seems to be rather worried.

"That would be me, what may I help you with Earl Morganite-sama?" Clover asks.

"My daughter went to the mountains and a landslide has caused both her and her escorts to be trapped on the other side of an arch." He says with a frantic expression. "I want to place an immediate request to you, retrieve my daughter and her escorts immediately. I'm willing to pay any price."

"Um, pardon me for asking but why would your daughter go up to the mountains?" Pallet-san asks.

"She said something about obtaining Aries Wool, she said she wanted a bit of it to be used as a pillow." He answers. "Please save my daughter, rumors of a large wolf living there has increased recently."

"A large wolf?" Aria asks Queen.

"Yeah, recently people say they saw wolf there, it apparently attacks anyone that gets near the mountains' peak." Queen answers just then I get an uneasy feeling just then that presence of I spirit I felt earlier it's at the mountain, two spirits at the mountains. "We better kill the wolf before it attacks people."

"I wouldn't advice it." I say as I felt a spirit pulse in the air. "The wolf is a sprit, the Wolf Familiar; Lupus."

"I don't care what it is, just bring back my daughter." He says.

"Don't worry, we will." Clover-san says.

I ask Master if I could accompany the Shining Stars to the mountain and she asks me to ask permission from Silver-san. When I do Clover-san tells me to bring a few of my fellow guild members and the ones who want to go are Aria and Neph. We go with the Shining Stars to the mountains, as we arrive at the mountains I feel the presence of the two spirits, the two are near the peak. As we head up we soon see the rich that has been broken. Just then one members, wearing a black cloak and pink skirt with a white button up shirt chants a sell and created a bridge with earth magic. As we reach the other side we all see horse tracks and we are ordered to look around. As we do I feel a presence watching me, the tails from before. I notice something near the area where the landslide occurred, a small golden glimmer, that's a barrier. I alert te others about what I found and we all work to move the boulders out of the way. There a girl a blue dress with ruffles seems to be guarded by about five knights and two mages.the girl has blonde hair that is tied up in a neat bundle with a pink rose shaped gem decorating it. She must be the daughter of the Viscount. As Clover-san talks to her I join the others keeping watch for the wolf spirit. Just then I hear the Viscounts' daughter complain, her name is apparently Yue. The name mean moon in my homelands language if I'm not mistaken. She apparently really wants that wool no matter what, seeing as how Clover-san can't force her to come with us we're stuck with no option but to do as she says. She has a rather strange eye color, one is white the other is pink.

I might as well go along, I want to see if I can meet the spirits at this mountain.