Giorno woke up around 7 AM, ate, and got dressed. A few minutes later, Fugo knocked at his door.
“Good morning,” the golden blond said, entering his room.
Giorno closed the door. “Good morning. Fugo, about yesterday.”
“Yeah?” He took off his green nightwear and put on his pants and gambeson. “Sorry about Trish and I questioning you over that one thing with the count.”
“That wasn’t what I was referring to. But if you’re curious about that, a friend of mine was trying to figure out the identity of someone. Don’t worry about it. I’ll figure it all out once I finish helping Trish.”
“Oh, but what were you referring to?”
“You said I was beautiful. We also came close to kissing twice.”
Fugo blushed, looking away from him. “Yeah, what about that?”
“You seemed like you wanted to kiss me.”
Fugo was about to put on his cuirass when he noticed Giorno slowly getting closer to him. The Breton was two inches shorter than him. He looked into his turquoise eyes. It reminded him of that rainy day, and Fugo remembered how close their lips were. He placed the cuirass on the floor and quickly embraced the Breton, kissing his lips. Surprisingly, they were as soft as Trish’s. Oh no, Trish. He slightly pushed him away.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” Fugo said.
“No, it’s fine,” Giorno said. “Well, maybe not, but I didn’t mind it. Sorry.”
It was awkwardly quiet. Fugo donned his armor and left.
-
It was a long trip, but they almost arrived in Bravil in two days. Almost because Fugo decided they should rest at Inn of Ill Omen. The available rooms were in the basement of the inn.
“What?” Trish said, arguing with Fugo. “We’re this close.”
“I just remembered there’s a guy I don’t like living there.”
“Can you avoid this guy?”
“No, there’s no avoiding this guy. He’ll chase you down, maybe.”
“Well, if he’s going to chase you down, then maybe we should continue to Bravil and confront him.”
“What if he doesn’t know I’m here? I think it’s better if I just stay here and you guys do whatever you must do in Bravil.”
Trish sighed and went to sleep. Fugo tried to sleep, but his body refused. He was anxious.
He doesn’t know I’m here, does he? he thought. It lingered in his mind for a while until he slept.
-
Trish awoke the following day. Fugo, who was still asleep, cuddled her. He held her tightly, too tightly. She tried to pry herself out of his arms, but he was too strong.
“Fugo, I love you too, but let me go!”
Eventually, he did. He tossed and turned in the sheets, mumbling someone’s name.
Although worried, there was nothing Trish could do. Right now, she wanted to change into her clothes. Usually, she was too shy to change in front of him, but she couldn’t wake him up.
Maybe he couldn’t sleep well last night. I probably shouldn’t wake him up, she thought.
She quickly changed, wearing a blue velvet dress. Next, she applied her makeup and left. When she left the room, Giorno was standing outside.
“Good morning, Trish,” he said. “Wait, Fugo is still inside? Is something wrong?”
“He probably didn’t sleep well. Anyways, did you eat?”
“No, I wasn’t feeling hungry.”
“The smell of the inn made me lose my appetite. It smells like vomit and old beer. Also, why does it smell like a dead body was in my room?”
“I was going to agree with you about the vomit, but I think you’re exaggerating the smell of your room. My room was fine.”
“Whatever. Let’s just leave. This place stinks.”
They left the inn and started walking towards Bravil, reaching it within a few minutes. A black horse with red eyes greeted them, scaring Trish. She hid behind Giorno.
“Creepy,” she commented.
As soon as they were about to enter, Trish plugged her nose, causing Giorno to giggle.
“You’ll get used to the stench,” he said before they entered.
They entered the city. All the buildings were wooden, save for the castle and chapel, and the houses stacked on each other. It wasn’t aesthetically pleasing for Trish. As for Bravil’s people, there were a lot of shady-looking folks walking around.
“I know some good people,” Giorno whispered to her, “but there are some questionable folks. Just avoid talking to anyone. Though, I’d trust S’Krivva and Luciana Galena. They’re friends.”
They walked near the Lucky Old Lady statue. A hooded man wearing a black shirt and red pants prayed in front of it.
“Is he praying?” she whispered to Giorno. “Who’s that guy.”
“I don’t know,” he whispered back. “But there used to be a Wood Elf in green praying in that spot. There was a huge fight here some weeks ago, and the elf who prayed there got murdered. Now that guy took his place.”
“That guy scares me. Let’s go.”
They quickly walked to the guildhall. On the outside, the walls were wooden. But once they entered, there were some stone walls. The aroma of the room was more pleasant than the one outside. Trish could smell the herbs from the alchemy room.
“Who do I need to speak to?” Trish asked Giorno.
“We’ll need to talk to Kud-Ei, an Argonian,” he answered. “And she’s right over there. Look to your left.”
An Argonian in a green velvet dress sat on a bench, reading a book. They walked toward her, and she put her book in her bag.
“Greeting, Giorno,” Kud-Ei said. “It is nice to see you. It has been a while. Who’s this you brought?”
“This woman is Trish Una,” he answered. “She wants to join the guild.”
Kud-Ei crossed her arms, thinking for a second. “There is something that she can do. Some days ago, a thief managed to break into one of the cases, taking a spell book on novice illusion spells. The guards managed to arrest the thieves but never found the book. Please finish what the guards could not do and bring it to me. It would be helpful to know the clairvoyance spell, but the way to learn it is in the book.”
“Don’t worry. I know it,” Trish assured her.
“Excellent! Although you don’t need directions since you have the spell, I will tell you where the guards found the thieves. You’re to go to Mingo Cave, near the Inn of Ill Omen, to the east.”
“Really?” said Trish. “Just like that? You’re just going to tell us to fetch something? Nobody is going to try and stop us?”
“Unless one of the thieves managed to break out, then maybe. I don’t know. You’ll probably have to deal with the rats and navigate the dark.”
“Don’t worry,” Giorno said. “I’ll light the way for you.”
They left the guildhall, but instead of heading to the cave immediately, Trish went to the statue. The man who was praying there was gone.
“Hey, Giorno, what does the Lucky Old Lady do?” she asked.
“Not sure,” he answered. “I think the people pray here to receive luck.”
Trish began praying at the statue.
“What are you praying for?” he asked.
She was still praying. When she finished, she said, “I was praying that I’ll eventually find my father and that your father gets cured of vampirism as quickly as possible.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that. I barely know my father. Besides, it’s his choice to become a vampire.”
“I suppose so. We should hurry. Last night, Fugo seemed like he wanted to leave as soon as possible.”
“Did he say why?” Giorno asked as they walked towards the city gates.
“He’s trying to avoid somebody here. I wonder if he’s awake.”
-
It was 12:42 PM. The chill in the room had awoken Fugo. He stretched and sat up, looking around the room for Trish. Seeing she must’ve left, he got off the bed and dressed, wearing only his gambeson. His stomach rumbled, and he decided to head upstairs to eat. As soon as he opened the door, a familiar face stood in front of him. It was neither Trish nor Giorno.
“Lucien,” Fugo said. He gulped. “What are you doing here?”
Lucien stepped one foot into his room, causing Fugo to step back. “I could say the same thing for you. Sorbet told me you’ve been all across Cyrodiil.”
“Yes, I’ve been busy. So what?”
“There’s a contract for you. You’re to kill a man named Will Zeppeli. I believe you already know him and where to find him. Good luck.”
Lucien giggled, turned invisible, and left.
Fugo fell to the floor. He sighed, got up, and began searching through his bags for the bottle of wine Seridur had given him. Once he found it, he began drinking out of it. He saved it for Trish when she finished her recommendations, but he felt miserable having to kill again. He drank it, and when he emptied the bottle, Fugo violently threw it across the room.
Having nothing to do, Fugo put on his cuirass and greaves, took his sword, and left, heading somewhere in the forest.
-
It was 12:38 PM. Trish and Giorno arrived near the Inn of Ill Omen, spotting the red-eyed black horse from earlier.
“What a strange horse,” Trish commented.
“Agreed,” Giorno said. “Do you think we should take Fugo with us?”
“No, he didn’t sleep well. We should give him some rest.” She cast the clairvoyance spell, leading her to the book. “Come on. This way!”
They walked across the forest and found the cave the thieves were hiding in. Trish looked around the entrance. It didn’t seem huge. Looking at the entry, it led downwards. Before entering, she sniffed the air.
“Smells like a wet dog down there.” Trish covered her nose.
“Wolves. I’ll light up the way. Keep your guard up. The wolves might attack you due to your foreign scent. That, and your heels might echo.”
Giorno illuminated the area around him, and Trish stood close, casting the clairvoyance spell. They entered the cave.
In the first room, it was pitched black except for the area around Giorno. As Trish walked, her heels clicked and echoed. Her pace became irregular as she tried to make them less noticeable.
“That’s not going to work,” Giorno said.
She removed her heels, but the stone floor was cold.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m afraid your pleasant aroma might grab their attention.”
“My aroma is pleasant?” She blushed.
“Yeah, your scent is alluring.”
They heard the patter of feet.
“Get ready,” Giorno warned.
He cast a detect life spell. There were two purple auras. One of them began charging.
“Trish, aim in front of you.”
She cast a fire spell. The spell hit the wolf mid-jump. Its fur burned for a while, but the impact probably killed it first, saving it from suffering. As for the other wolf, Giorno saw that one ran away.
For now, the two continued, running to a dried puddle of blood on the ground. There were bloody footprints all around, lots of feet. If they had to guess, one of the thieves fought the guards and got seriously injured.
They continued walking, stumbling across an activated trap. The spikey iron balls were hanging in front of them. There was a little bit of blood on them, but not much.
“I wonder if the guards activated all the traps,” commented Giorno. “Keep your guard up.”
Something growled, alerting them. Giorno cast his detect life spell, and a bunch of wolves surrounded them.
“Check your left,” he said, shooting a lightning bolt at one of them.
Trish turned left, but it was hard to see anything since the wolves refused to get closer to the light. She shot a shock spell into the void. The shock spell lit up the room for a few seconds, letting her see the wolves. She shot at one of them and then another. She was about to cast another, but one of them jumped at her, clinging on. The wolf’s weight made her fall back, making her bump into Giorno, disrupting the spell he was casting. She lay on the floor while Giorno managed to get back up. Trish looked at the wolf’s face, and it didn’t look happy. Panicking, she conjured some gauntlets and blocked her face with her arms. The teeth sank his teeth into the bound armor, shaking its head rapidly to get it off her. Trish screamed.
“Trish!” Giorno zapped the surrounding wolves, killing them. Now focused on the wolf attacking Trish, he shot an ice spike at it. She screamed once more, watching the wolf get sent flying.
“It’s fine, Trish. You’re going to be okay,” Giorno said, helping her get up.
The illumination spell wore off, causing the cave to be dark again. Giorno felt something squeeze him tightly. He cast the illumination spell and saw Trish hugging him.
“Next time, warn me when the spell wears off,” whined Trish.
He looked at her face. She pouted.
He giggled. “You’re cute,” he said, patting Trish’s head.
She blushed. “Ah, stop!” She stopped hugging and backed away from him. “Fugo would get jealous if he heard that.”
“Would he?” he said aloud.
“Would he what?”
“Nothing, sorry. We should move on. Where are we heading?”
Trish cast the clairvoyance spell. “Straight ahead.”
As they approached their destination, the walls narrowed. It was a tunnel, and traps were lying around. A dead giant rat activated one of the traps, a bear trap. Its corpse was rotting, and flies surrounded it.
Trish looked like she was about to vomit. “Why?”
“Don’t look at that. Let’s just continue.”
There was a wired trap ahead. It was one of those mace traps, but they stepped over the wire.
“These traps are pretty simple,” Trish commented. “Do you think they might surprise us?”
“Probably.”
Avoiding the traps, they entered a room with a chest. The clairvoyance spell led to it. Trish tried to open it, but it wouldn’t budge.
“It’s locked,” she said.
“Let me see.” Giorno knelt, examining the lock. “I can open this. It’s simple.”
He opened the chest. The book was in there. He took it out but realized the pressure plate inside the treasure chest.
“We need to get out of here!”
A yellow gas filled the room, making them cough.
“Do we head back where we came?” Trish asked. “There are too many traps to avoid.”
“Find an alternative route.”
“Head to the left. It’s where the spell is directing me.”
They quickly followed the spell’s direction, still looking out for traps. Gas was still filling in the caves.
“Why would they go through so much trouble over a book?” Trish complained.
“It’s Bravil. Things get stolen. It doesn’t matter the reason.”
They followed the magical trail, but a door managed to stop them. Trish tried to open the door, yet it wouldn’t budge. She even tried opening it with force. Nothing happened.
“Giorno, I need your help again.”
He knelt at the door, picking the lock. Unfortunately, that lockpick broke.
“This may take a while,” he explained. “This one is difficult to open.”
“Can’t we just burn the door?”
“We don’t know what this gas is. Casting a fire spell might be dangerous.”
“Quick! We don’t have all day!” she panicked.
“Trish, you need to stay calm in a situation like this. Panicking will get you nowhere.”
They heard a roar. It sounded like a bear. As it stepped into Giorno’s conjured light, it turned out to be a small black bear. It looked at Trish and began charging. In response, she summoned her dagger and dodged the charge. The bear bonked the stone wall. While it tried to recover, she began hacking and slashing its rear. It let out a painful roar. Once it recovered, it ran towards her again. This time, she conjured a cuirass and some gauntlets. Once the bear got closer, it began swiping its claws. She jumped back a bit, avoiding the attacks. Afterward, Trish rapidly stabbed the bear multiple times. When she was about to stab it again, the bear bite into her arms, teeth sinking into her armor. The pain made her shed a tear.
“Giorno!”
“Damn it!”
Giorno ran to her, conjured a sword, and slew the bear.
“The door! Did you unlock the door?” she said, coughing a storm.
“Yes, let’s get out!”
They rushed out of the cave, sweating and panting, and lay on the grass, admiring the cloudless sky. Trish looked at Giorno and moved closer to him.
“Wow,” Trish said. “You know how to open locked doors.”
“There were two ways for me to open that door: a spell or use a lockpick. That door was complex to open.”
“Why didn’t you use a spell?”
“Couldn’t. I can only open average locks.”
“Oh,” Trish commented. She got closer to him, wrapping one of her arms around his chest.
“Um, Trish? There’s something I have to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Fugo and I kissed, but I only told him once.”
“I don’t mind. You should let him kiss you.”
“What? Why?”
She rolled on top of him. “Because I love you too.” She kissed his lips.
Giorno wasn’t sure what to do but let it happen. He closed his eyes and made out with her, letting his hands roam her back. It was getting hotter. Giorno rolled his body, making himself on top. He pulled back to see her blushing red face, watching her catch her breath, chest moving up and down. They resumed kissing. Giorno stopped kissing her lips and started kissing her neck.
“Giorno,” Trish said, making him stop. He looked at her. “When you kissed Fugo, was it like this?”
“No, it was just a peck on the lips. Why have you?”
Her face got even redder. “Maybe.”
He kissed her cheeks. “You’re adorable.”
“Ah, stop!” She giggled. “But back to what I was talking about, you should kiss him passionately. You two are alike.”
“How so?” He got off of her and sat on the ground. She did the same.
“You’re both smart, serious, kind of do shady things—”
“Shady things?” Giorno looked offended.
“Fugo can open locked things. That’s shady. Most people don’t do that.”
“You stole a horse. Most people don’t steal horses.”
“Ah, this again?”
“I’m curious. Have you ever stolen anything else?”
“No, why?”
“Just curious.”
“We should head back to Kud-Ei.”
“We should check on Fugo too. He’s probably wondering where we are.”
-
It was getting dark, and Fugo finally entered Bravil. Animal blood covered his steel armor. The guards approached him, but he told them he went hunting. He had the pelts to prove it. Next, he walked to a nearby store and sold the animal pelts. After that, he headed to the guild hall. Before he could enter, Giorno and Trish just got out.
“Hey! We were wondering where you were,” the Breton said.
“We checked the Inn of Ill Omen, but you weren’t there,” she said. “But before we head back, I need to speak to you. Both of us do, in private. Let’s go behind the guildhall.”
Fugo was puzzled, but he went behind the building with them. The three were alone. Nobody could see them.
“Fugo, I know you and Giorno kissed.”
His heart beat faster. “It was just one moment.”
“I don’t mind,” she explained. “Giorno and I were making out. Now I want to see you make out.”
“Why?” Fugo asked.
“Giorno told me he only kissed you briefly.”
“Well, I did hold him tightly—”
Giorno pinned him to the wall, staring piercingly into his purple eyes. He leaned into him and kissed him deeply. Fugo’s fingers combed through his soft blond locks while his other arm wrapped around his waist. Then both of Fugo’s arms traveled to his shoulders, gripping him, suddenly switching their positions. Giorno’s eyes quickly opened, and he gasped. Fugo kissed him, shutting his lips. As for Trish, she blushed and watched them go at it. Wanting some action, she got closer to them. They stopped and looked at her. She had her arms around the two of them, kissing Giorno first and then Fugo.
After a few minutes, they stopped and caught their breaths.
“So”—Trish was still catching her breath—“we should head back to the inn.”
“Agreed,” Fugo said.
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