A Strong Foundation {Support: Cassia | Daiko}

Strength :

126

Speed :

175

Constitution :

275

Endurance :

189

Intelligence :

250

Mana :

3,150

Weapon Mastery :

Hand - Novice

Weapon :

Head :

Cape :

Modification :

Companion :

Freaking Dragons.

Daiko had never really liked lizards. They wore no feathers nor fur, so their scaly skin was cold to the touch at most times. But that was just a childish distaste in the species – hearing about their recent actions throughout Bosco fueled his dislike for the top of the food chain, the thought to be extinct Dragons-

Wait, before we continue on that, how about we’d explain Daiko’s doing in another country? You see, an election is about to be held choosing the next monarch of the country, and most – if not all – of the members in Blue Pegasus had decided to support the runner-up participant in the election who went by the name Cassia – the Dauntless. She stated to have the intention of rebuilding Bosco thoroughly after the Dragons’ attack, so the members went by the exclusion method and found her to be the most suited successor to the throne of Bosco.

But holy shit, it was far more brutal to support someone in Bosco than Daiko expected. It wasn’t about the lumber – he could lift them with ease at this point, like, thank goodness for the Lamia spirit in him – but when he heard of the recent incidents labeled as sabotages caused by opposing teams, he couldn’t help but keep an eye behind his back in the form of his raptor companion Coda.

*Whistle*

“Is that you, Alis-“ he almost called out to his Guild Mistress’ assumed presence, but taking a look, he just spotted a dark-haired dude around his age whistling about. Meeting him with a dry look on the Fire Mage’s face, Daiko continued pulling the lumber across the stony field.

“… W-Wait, why aren’t you lifting anything?! Hey! C’mon, this is a team effort!”

WC: 291

**Destin E** · Sat May 15, 2021 9:20 am

Guild :

Guildless

Jewels :

500,000

Rank :

C-rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

31,250

Reputation :

200

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Lécuyer's Blessing

Strength :

6

Speed :

12

Constitution :

11

Endurance :

7

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

500

Boosts :

Returning members 25%

Destin grinned behind the mask, tilting his head playfully as he responded to the Blue Pegasus mage working in the same town he was.

"I am lifting things. I'm lifting spirits."

Destin wasn't much help with heavy lifting and he knew it, he wasn't here to help with that specifically. He had been helping the stone masons earlier but for what were probably obvious reasons, they shooed him away to do the work themselves. Bosco's civilians took great pride in their work and that ego was well deserved. Nonetheless, Destin joined the mage helping to carry the heavy wooden beam.

"Besides," Destin lowered his voice so that only Daiko could truly hear him properly. "We're also here as deterrents, are we not? Why else would you follow all these small movements like a man on edge. You think the rebels will strike and steal resources meant for the misfortuned."

The hunter lost his footing; a colourful string of Minstreli curses flooded from his mouth. It was a fortunate thing the beam had not been dependent on his strength or it would have crashed to the ground. Destin made Daiko pause while the hunter gathered up a long sheet of canvas that had crumpled and draped across the street. It must have gotten lose when the wind blew, it certainly looked identical to the ones pinned down beneath the stone bricks, but Destin appreciated how his mistake had preserved the integrity of the wooden beam.

**Daiko Flayme** · Sun May 16, 2021 6:37 am

Epithet :

Firebird

Guild :

Blue Pegasus

Jewels :

4,070,000

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

704,250

Reputation :

12,350

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Strength :

126

Speed :

175

Constitution :

275

Endurance :

189

Intelligence :

250

Mana :

3,150

Weapon Mastery :

Hand - Novice

Weapon :

Head :

Cape :

Modification :

Companion :

Oh… lifting spirits…

Well, that made his remark bloody awkward. However, the light-toed dude still decided to help Daiko out with the wooden beam being lifted at the very moment. When working with such labor, Daiko often just shut off his brain and focused on the heavy lifting like a total brute, knowing exactly where to go and place the beam and focusing mainly on that… it wouldn’t explain how he noticed the whistling, but he wasn’t always abiding by the rules of nature.

He should keep an eye out a bit more around these parts, though… the rebels were mentioned by his new company, those Stellan or Boscon fighters or wherever they came from who opposed the peaceful election. Cassia intended to capture them and put them on trial, but as of right now, they were very much on free feet.

All of a sudden, the guy lifting the beam along with the Fire Mage tripped on some cloth and almost caused the beam to crash down. Daiko sweated in confusion before noticing the cloth, chuckling a little in relief. “Yo, watch your feet! You could’ve broken your ankle or something…!” At this point, they were posing quite convincingly as mere manual labor, but Daiko used the situation to whisper back:

“I’m sure I can handle the rebels if they show their faces here. I’d like to think I’m kind of a big deal…”

WC: 235

**Destin E** · Sun May 16, 2021 9:54 am

Guild :

Guildless

Jewels :

500,000

Rank :

C-rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

31,250

Reputation :

200

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Lécuyer's Blessing

Strength :

6

Speed :

12

Constitution :

11

Endurance :

7

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

500

Boosts :

Returning members 25%

"It wouldn't be the first time, honestly, and at this point I think I'm past the whole breaking-bones-over-dumb-stunts schtick. It's not as much fun when you shatter your collar bone and crack half your ribs trying to... nevermind. That's not a story for present company."

Destin nodded his head to the side, where a handful of kids and who was probably their teacher painted lively scenes on a fresh wall. That was probably the school house recently finished. As far as he knew, high priority buildings like clinics, churches and now the school house had been finished first, and it was now time to rebuild houses and storefronts.

"It's an honour to work with such prestigous company, mister... what was your name agian?"

Destin gave the pegasus a cheeky smile, not that it was visible behind the mask. The joking tone was enough to convey his attempt at poking fun at the man, but the question had been genuine. The hunter had spent too much time chasing tail to follow politics; Destin had no idea who this man was. The hunter wasn't too concerned about it though. After all, the only point of wearing a mask was to stay out of the spotlight.

Even if Daiko was willing to offer up his name, Destin would not be so open.

**Daiko Flayme** · Mon May 17, 2021 12:16 pm

Epithet :

Firebird

Guild :

Blue Pegasus

Jewels :

4,070,000

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

704,250

Reputation :

12,350

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Strength :

126

Speed :

175

Constitution :

275

Endurance :

189

Intelligence :

250

Mana :

3,150

Weapon Mastery :

Hand - Novice

Weapon :

Head :

Cape :

Modification :

Companion :

Daiko reacted in shock to the next bit of info from the masked helping hand, not having been prepared to hear just how used the male had gotten to breaking his own bones. Even Daiko rarely broke a shin, despite his physical lifestyle upping the chances of bone fracture by a margin. “O-Oh, damn…” he breathed out to express his surprise at the short exchange of words, before he too spotted the group of children accompanied by an adult paint a clear wall up in all kinds of colorful scenery. They didn’t have to paint on the new wall like that, what about the floor? The wall was pretty new…

His name, huh? Daiko wasn’t the biggest dictionary in the world, but he could at least try and repay the words of admiration from the masked dude… wait… should he have brought a mask with himself? Was he screwing up something?

Alisa never informed him of so, so perhaps he was in the clear.

“My name? It’s Daiko!” he joyously replied with a lively grin and vigor in his voice, “Y’know, uh…” Before continuing, the Fire Mage glared sharply to the right, then to the left of himself before holding a hand next to his mouth for cover. “Daiko Flayme, from Blue Pegasus. But don’t tell anyone – I… I read that keeping things at a low is for the best here in Bosco.”

WC: 233

**Destin E** · Mon May 17, 2021 1:18 pm

Guild :

Guildless

Jewels :

500,000

Rank :

C-rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

31,250

Reputation :

200

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Lécuyer's Blessing

Strength :

6

Speed :

12

Constitution :

11

Endurance :

7

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

500

Boosts :

Returning members 25%

Destin laughed at the man's reaction to his query, and the suspicious glance towards his mask. The concern was appreciated, but hardly necessary. They couldn't be judged poorly for helping humanitarian efforts after all.

"Your secret is safe with me, friend, but please excuse me if I withhold such information."

Destin drew Daiko's attention to the mask on his face.

"There are others in support of Cassia's siblings I would much prefer to stay incognito from. You'll hardly be frowned upon for aiding construction here, so you needn't worry so much."

The two men safely deposited the lumber at the foot of a house frame, receiving a curt nod from the builders. They were summoned by another crew, working on a second frame next door, to help them leverage up the frames to be nailed together. Destin took up position readily, flirting with the man already there who reacted with a strange facial expression of exasperation and amusement.

With no less than a dozen strong men (as well as the twinkish hunter and a few burly women) the frames were lifted with ease and swiftly nailed in place. More workers began building up the walls with planks and bricks, stuffing insulation between the slats as Destin and Daiko returned to where all the supplies were being stored for a second trip.

**Daiko Flayme** · Tue May 18, 2021 11:28 am

Epithet :

Firebird

Guild :

Blue Pegasus

Jewels :

4,070,000

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

704,250

Reputation :

12,350

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Strength :

126

Speed :

175

Constitution :

275

Endurance :

189

Intelligence :

250

Mana :

3,150

Weapon Mastery :

Hand - Novice

Weapon :

Head :

Cape :

Modification :

Companion :

Oh what, he didn’t even introduce himself in return. Oh well, Daiko never asked to begin with, but it still put him on edge… nah… no, this guy sounded alright. The Fire Mage proved confident in his ability to read others. Besides, the masked fella who kept him company today began to bring more intel to the Blue Pegasus in form of a reason behind his masking. A reason involving the siblings of Cassia the Dauntless, as well as the supporters of theirs, which had put him in more danger than what Daiko meddled with.

It was a little intriguing to hear about. Before Daiko could ask for more, though, they were summoned by another group to lift up frames for nailing. Daiko performed his work with ease, benefiting from years of physical training with Coda, Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus up in the mountains, in the forests, against demons and golems, mages and barbarians, drunkards and barons and everything in between.

“…” Daiko needed to know more about Cassia’s siblings. Maybe… just maybe, he could find a way to hit them in their soft spots and grant Cassia points! Therefore, as the two watched the supplies being leveraged on a trailer once again, Daiko turned towards the masked fella and asked: “You said you were having issues with supporters of the other siblings, right? Are they that dangerous?”

WC: 229

**Destin E** · Tue May 18, 2021 11:55 am

Guild :

Guildless

Jewels :

500,000

Rank :

C-rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

31,250

Reputation :

200

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Lécuyer's Blessing

Strength :

6

Speed :

12

Constitution :

11

Endurance :

7

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

500

Boosts :

Returning members 25%

Destin chuckled at Daiko's question. He hadn't meant to give him the wrong impression, but he could see why the man was concerned. There certainly were some dangerous people supporting the other siblings, but they had just as many dangerous people backing them alongside Cassia. At the very least, dangerous enough that his boldest siblings were little more than cannon fodder to them.

"Not particularly. No more dangerous than anything the rebels could throw at you."

Destin paused to let a donkey pass by hauling a cart of stone. He gave the man leading it a curt nod, which was returned, and resumed his pace when the street was cleared. It was a decent walk through the streets to reach the warehouse, the fastest method using some narrow alleys that the carts couldn't go through.

"It is, as you might say, a sibling rivalry of my own. They are skilled in combat, but patriarchal hierarchy tells me they'll be supporting Wilhelm. So I am here supporting Cassia. Besides," Destin gave the man a look, indecipherable behind the mask. "Wilhelm's a soldier, not a leader. He'll run this country to the ground going to war. These people can't afford that."

**Daiko Flayme** · Mon May 24, 2021 2:12 am

Epithet :

Firebird

Guild :

Blue Pegasus

Jewels :

4,070,000

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

704,250

Reputation :

12,350

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Strength :

126

Speed :

175

Constitution :

275

Endurance :

189

Intelligence :

250

Mana :

3,150

Weapon Mastery :

Hand - Novice

Weapon :

Head :

Cape :

Modification :

Companion :

”Oh, right, phew… sounds easy enough to deal with,” Daiko reassured himself with a scratch across his skull. If the rebels were the most difficult people opposing their presence in Bosco, then Blue Pegasus would be in and out in no time and no cost! It was nice hearing it from a new guy too, so Daiko was convinced that it wasn’t just the masked dude’s attempt at telling the Fire Mage just what he wanted to hear. Thumbs up for you, pal!

While moving through a small alleyway towards the warehouse – probably a shortcut found by the pal alongside him – it was explained that he, too, had a rivalry among his siblings… were siblings always on each other’s throats? What was up with that? Daiko didn’t have any siblings himself, so he couldn’t put himself in the guy’s shoes, but it sounded a little annoying.

“… S-Sorry, you lost me at ‘pantrackal hierarchy’. But damn, siblings sound annoying… both for you and Cassia. Is that normal?” The Phoenix Mage had no choice but to scratch his back a little, while Coda still soared above the two in safety. They were getting closer to the warehouse, but this whole notion of sibling rivalry grinded on Daiko’s brain gears.

“Having siblings sure sounds like a hassle…”

WC: 215

**Destin E** · Wed May 26, 2021 8:18 pm

Guild :

Guildless

Jewels :

500,000

Rank :

C-rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

31,250

Reputation :

200

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Lécuyer's Blessing

Strength :

6

Speed :

12

Constitution :

11

Endurance :

7

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

500

Boosts :

Returning members 25%

Destin couldn't help but laugh.

"Not all of them, but yes, you are correct. I tend to be the obnoxious one, but I'm sure you've already got me pegged in that roll."

The hunter gave Daiko a little wink; a little suggestive glance was used to give the mage a once-over before the two were back to work again, this time leading two wagons full of bricks. Looks like it was the long way around this time.

Not even caring if Daiko, or anyone else for that matter, was watching him, Destin flirted with one of the ladies managing supplies. He managed to snag a kiss before she sent him along his way with a gentle swat on his bottom, but the parting exchange they gave each other suggested to anyone watching that the kiss was not the least of gifts Destin had been receiving. The hunter adjusted his mask as he rejoined Daiko (having had the decency to remove it before attempting to smooch the woman) and the cocky grin he wore was clearly visible for just a moment before it fit over his face snuggly.

"Stay lighthearted, my friend, lest you convince the townsfolk they have something to fear."

**Daiko Flayme** · Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:53 am

Epithet :

Firebird

Guild :

Blue Pegasus

Jewels :

4,070,000

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

704,250

Reputation :

12,350

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Strength :

126

Speed :

175

Constitution :

275

Endurance :

189

Intelligence :

250

Mana :

3,150

Weapon Mastery :

Hand - Novice

Weapon :

Head :

Cape :

Modification :

Companion :

Meh. Daiko didn’t see him as obnoxious – just a little mysterious, y’know, given the mask. Henceforth, he rose an oblivious eyebrow in response to Mr. Masquerade as they went back to work. Some wagons with bricks were going to be pulled across the field, and Daiko was ready to exert some force!

Not even minding to pull where there was a wheel, Daiko grabbed one of the ropes and began pulling one wagon along. With the amount of bricks it carried, it must’ve weighed about 3 to 5 tons – they were doing some macro-level construction, that was clear. In reality, Daiko wouldn’t have been able to pull that much – sure, he was a powerful mage in his own right, but physical strength wasn’t his strong suit…

His gauntlet, though, helped quite a lot with easing the force needed via its strange enchantment. The Mero Gauntlet encapsuled around his left hand and wrist – according to some sources from his guildmates, there was a fitting right-handed version somewhere in Fiore too. Maybe someone else already found it?

Ow, c’mon… Daiko almost squealed in annoyance at the sight. Despite his age, he was far from accustomed with the act of flirting and kissing, even though he had shown an interest in women for a long time (blame Alisa and Sofia). When the cocky mister returned, the Fire Mage simply pouted: “I’ll stay lightheaded once you help pull this wagon! I can’t keep my gauntlet up running forever…!”

He subconsciously pulled attention to his strange-looking gauntlet as the eyes on its top faintly glowed…

WC: 260

**Destin E** · Sat Jun 26, 2021 11:27 am

Guild :

Guildless

Jewels :

500,000

Rank :

C-rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

31,250

Reputation :

200

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Lécuyer's Blessing

Strength :

6

Speed :

12

Constitution :

11

Endurance :

7

Intelligence :

11

Mana :

500

Boosts :

Returning members 25%

Destin looped the ropes hauling the cart around his shoulder, leaning into it and hauling with all the leverage he could muster. He was no stronger than Daiko was, but between the two of them they got the cart rolling. It was more taxing labour than hauling around the beam - at least that one was easier to carry - but it was a good method of developing muscle at least. Resistance training, is what his brother had always called it. The hunter was beginning to regret not joining him more often.

"It's a beautiful day, my friend, in a town filled with beautiful ladies. Worry a tad less about the wagon and a little more about who you'll be dining with at day's end."

Destin seemed nonchalant, forward-facing and dedicated to the effort it took to drag the cart of bricks along the street to the construction zone, but he was paying close attention instead to his companion's glove. He hadn't thought much of it at first - perhaps a brace for a damaged hand, perhaps a show of wealth or a symbol of loyalty to someone - but now he knew it was a magical artifact, and he hadn't been this close to one in many years. It was fascinating to the young hunter. Destin didn't put much faith in a man that relied on his equipment to get him through the fight, but magical artifacts were few and far between, and symbols of an inherent strength - or a very deep pocket.

"A mighty fancy glove, friend. What exactly does it do?"

**Daiko Flayme** · Sun Jun 27, 2021 11:54 am

Epithet :

Firebird

Guild :

Blue Pegasus

Jewels :

4,070,000

Rank :

S-Rank

Race :

Human

Experience :

704,250

Reputation :

12,350

Class :

Hunter

Magic :

Strength :

126

Speed :

175

Constitution :

275

Endurance :

189

Intelligence :

250

Mana :

3,150

Weapon Mastery :

Hand - Novice

Weapon :

Head :

Cape :

Modification :

Companion :