It had been quite some time since Esperia had taken on any quests. While it was quite a common thing for wandering adventurers to take on a quest, in recent years Esperia found little interest in material values, but curiously enough there was one particular assignment that had drawn her attention, albeit for reasons most likely would have not understood right away.

While on the surface it appeared to be a simple escort quest, the nature of the escort made her stomach churn slightly. A noble wanted to wander in the poorer districts of the city, on first thought that on its own made the noble either an idiot wanting to flaunt their wealth, or someone with a purpose. Esperia's sources had revealed there was supposed to be something of value to her within the city, a relic of some sorts that to most would seem lacking in value, but for Esperia it could become quite a worthwhile endeavor if the relic was what she expected it to be. The little droid hovered beside her, beeping excitedly as Esperia nodded her head briefly, the slightest hints of a smile emerging on her lips. "Indeed little one, if it is indeed here, then I think this will be a worthwhile trip~ Now let us finish this endeavor before my darling wakes up, shall we?"

The droid beeped excitedly in return as it chased after its master.

WC: 236/2500

Arriving at the meeting place they had decided upon for the request Esperia found the plaza to be looking no different from usual. It was quite close to the poorer districts of the city, but still close enough to the more civilized parts of the city and with the knights patrolling the city it was obvious most troublemakers would stay hidden.

"Ah~ You must be miss Eisenberg?"

The calling of her family name made Esperia's body tense slightly as she turned toward the source of the voice, an elderly man clad in fine garbs and flanked by several well-armed guards approached her with a smile.

"Ah, no need to be on guard, I mean you no harm~ I am merely a historian with a vested interest in Fiore's past."

Esperia paused for a bit, her smile returning briefly as she watched the man dismiss his guards. "I'm afraid you will find little of interest in the history of my family."

To which the man shook his head firmly. "Nonsense, while the events surrounding the Holy Knights and the zealous actions of some led to a tragic stain on the honor of the Church of Illumin, it does not tarnish the saint-like actions of your ancestors."

Walking at the man's side Esperia turned her gaze toward him, inquiring with a hint of curiosity. "What do you mean with that?" To which he was all too eager to clarify. "The Eisenberg used to be the jailers and jail of one of the dreaded Demon Lords, weren't they?"

To which Esperia only replied with a hint of bitterness in her voice. "Unfortunately that jail exist no more, and its jailers are already in the great beyond. Besides, if you were trying to get a reaction out of me, I am no longer Asmodeus her vessel."

To which the old man replied with a chuckle. "I know, I also know that you been poking your nose in old tomes surrounding the legacy of a certain bygone civilization its ruler."

Yet for a man that told her he meant her no harm, his words did little to keep her from being wary of him. Who was this man, and why did he know so much?

"Who... are you?" To which the man laughed softly. "I told you already~ Just an old historian with a interest in history~ We are at our destination." The man gestured at the small bookstore in front of him, to which Esperia couldn't help but blink in bewilderment. What was this stranger's intention? "A book? Surely you could have send a servant to fetch you a book."

But the old man chuckled as he opened the door. "Not just any book." To which Esperia found her curiosity stirred, following the man inside the store.

As expected the bookstore was old, almost even abandoned if not for the lone man behind the counter who seemed all too pleased at having a customer at last.

WC: 501
Total WC: 737/2500

Her gaze drifting around the store Esperia couldn't help but find herself wondering what in the world the old man could be wanting from this store, yet keeping an eye on the man as he exchanged in a conversation with the store owner, the man soon returned toward her a moment later holding a book. "Here, you'll find this an interesting read for sure."

Esperia blinked in bewilderment as she took the book, opening its pages. To her surprise it seemed to be a diary of an archeologist who discovered an ancient temple in Stella. On its own a discovery that might had made for a casual interest from Esperia, if not for the description of a set of unusual looking chains within the temple." Hearing the door close behind her as the man spoke with a hint of amusement. "Tell my daughter I said hi, will you?" Yet as those words registered in her mind Esperia's eyes widened in disbelief. This man... could it be---

Rushing outside Esperia found the street empty, not a sight of the man as she yelled in frustration. "TRICKING A TRICKSTER IS A POOR SPORT OLD MAN!"

To which Esperia smiled weakly afterwards. Yet holding the book in her hands the sound of a commotion nearby was drawing her attention soon afterwards.

WC: 221
Total WC: 958/2500

Approaching the crowd Esperia couldn't help but blink at the sight in front of her. "A Bombo?" Indeed, a large Bombo was in the midst of the crowd stretching its legs when suddenly its voice boomed through the air. "IS THERE NOBODY BRAVE ENOUGH TO ACCEPT MY CHALLENGE?!"

Wait, what was a Bombo doing here in Fiore? Or even Earthland for that matter! Yet a sudden beep at her side made Esperia's gaze shift sideways. "You want to challenge him to a duel? Why? I didn't think you were the type to like dueling..."

To which the droid beeped excitedly. "Wait you just want his gloves?" The droid hovered into the crowd and once it reached the Bombo Esperia sighed in amusement. "Aha, a brave challenger has appeared! At long last! What is your name iron warrior?" To which Asimov beeped excitedly.

"Aha! Asimov? A splendid name!"

Wait, he could understand the beeping? The droid beeped several more times as it hovered around the Bombo.

"I share your enthusiasm young one! I am Alexander the Bombo Warrior! And I challenge you to a fight!"

All of a sudden the declaration made the crowd pace itself several meters away as some people started to cheer in excitement. "FIGHT! Fight! Fight!" To which Esperia chuckled weakly. "To think I would have to entertain this notion... Fine... I play along for now."

Esperia raised a hand toward her cap, spinning it backwards and making a pointing gesture toward the Bombo while Asimov hovered around her during the motion: "ASIMOV I CHOOSE YOU!"

To which the droid beeped excitedly and flew into the air in front of her.

"That's it! COME AT ME MY RIVAL!" The Bombo stomped his feet in excitement as Esperia could hear several bards in the area playing an oddly invigorating tune:

Obligatory tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Jmty_NiaXc

WC: 300
Total WC: 1258/2500

As the two duelists faced each other the tension felt like as sharp as a knife! Yet it seemed Esperia was the one to slice the tension!

"Asimov, use Repeat Destruction Blaster!"

The droid beeped confidently, parts of its metal hovercraft opening to reveal a pair of turrets aiming toward the Bombo when suddenly two blasts of energy were launched toward the Bombo!

"HAH!" The Bombo let out a ferocious warcry when it suddenly lunged forwards, diving underneath the projectiles as they exploded behind him and finishing his dash he made a powerful uppercut toward the hovering droid. "You got to do better than that!"

Yet before the fist could collide to the bottom of the droid's body, Asimov dove sideways and spun around, making the Bombo smirk. "You're fast! BUT ARE YOU FAST ENOUGH?!"

The Bombo lunged itself forward once more, fist swinging through the air while Asimov spun around to fire another blast toward the incoming fist, the two forces colliding and causing a small dust cloud to surround the battlefield.

"Wait did it hit him?!" "Whose attack landed?!"

The crowd waited with baited breath as the shroud of smoke cleared, revealing the two warriors were in the heat of battle, weaving and dodging among their attacks. Even Esperia had to admit she felt a bit excited watching their duel. The droid suddenly swooped high into the air and beeped excitedly.

"You want to use 'that'? Fine~ ASIMOV, HELLFIRE DESTRUCTION BARRAGE!" The droid beeped in affirmation when its body started to glow faintly, and soon several spaces in its iron chassis opened while a rain of missiles rained down toward the Bombo, making it smirk.

"COME AT ME BRO!" The Bombo started to slap at the missiles, redirection the resulting explosions around its body and with dust whipped up around them, even the wind seemed to stir around the Bombo as the crowd gasped in disbelief.

Would the Bombo survive this assault?

WC: 326
Total WC: 1584/2500

Esperia and the crowd watched with excitement as the dust settled, the Bombo collapsed on one knee as it eyed his opponent.

"An excellent attack... Worthy of the title of Rival." The droid beeped excitedly in response. "I agree Asimov, therefore I shall answer with an attack as glorious as your own..."

The Bombo slowly climbed back onto its feet, and soon he raised his hands into the air. "What is it about to do? A Spirit Bomb?"

One of the onlookers asked while Esperia pondered what the Bombo might had been planning. Bombo... A glorious attack? "O SHI-" The Bombo's body suddenly started to glow brightly. "A warrior never surrenders, never gives up and... ALWAYS GOES OUT WITH A BANG! BIG BOOM ATTACK!!!!"

Esperia rapidly raised her hands in front of her, channeling her mana as a large swarm of bats started to surround the battlefield and then....


KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

A tremor shook through the air as the bats blinded everyone from seeing what happened inside the battlefield, but after the explosion settled the bats could be seen collapsing onto the ground one by one.

"Why us again?"
"I'm not a meat shield..."
"Tell Konyo-dono I want a life insurance next time..."
"Hide my lewd magazines should I not be ressumoned please..."

the bats were clearly fried, toast, roasted, each and every one of them was twitching on the ground as at the center of the battle the Bombo was seen, slowly staggering backwards. "Glory.... to...."

As the Bombo collapsed backwards on the ground Asimov, whose chassis seemed scorched but still functional hovered down toward Esperia.

BEEP BEEP BOOP

To which Esperia muttered softly: "That was not an Explosive Fart, that was ... eeh nevermind."

Shaking her head and heaving a sigh she suddenly heard a voice in the crowd shout: "Challenger Alexander the Bombo is unable to continue... The Winner is ASIMOV!"

To which the droid beeped happily.

"I swear, you two are going to give me a greater headache than a certain dark guild their shenanigans would..." Esperia muttered as she approached the unconscious Bombo. "Let's find a place to patch it up, shall we?"

What made Asimov beep in agreement.

WC: 366
Total WC: 1950/2500

Fortunately there was a quiet little park near the street, and a cursory inspection of the Bombo confirmed her initial assumptions. First and foremost, the attack had not been a 'fart'. In fact it seemed the attack itself was some sort of fire-based spell that had quite a backlash, namely the fact the body of the caster heated up to such high temperatures that they would be rendered unconscious after the blast. Taking this into consideration Esperia had moved the Bombo under the shade of a tree and downed some bottles of water onto him to cool down the temperature of his body, and as expected after the third bottle the Bombo suddenly bounced upright, shaking his head like a wet dog. "Where am I?"

A cursory glance around the area showed the Bombo all he seemingly needed to know. "You saved me Asimov?" Wait, it wasn't the droid that purchased the bottles of water! The droid beeped in amusement to which the Bombo finally was corrected. "Ah, your master was the one to save me? I thank you for your kindness, but why would you help a total stranger?"

That... was a very good question for once~ Most would likely think that helping someone and expecting nothing in return might had been an odd thing to do, but for Esperia... "Well~ If I'm able to do a good deed, and it's within my capacities to do so, then why would I not do it?"

The Bombo seemingly liked the honorable sound of that reasoning, for his eyes lit up in excitement. "I see! I sense a warrior's spirit in thee!"

To which Esperia chimed softly. "You sensed wrong~ So don't blow yourself up again please."

And with a light wave of her hand Esperia dismissed herself, wandering over to the exit of the park, yet curiously enough she could still hear the approaching footsteps of the Bombo behind her.

"Umm, why are you following me Alexander?"

The Bombo looked up at Esperia with a glint of excitement in his eyes. "To grow stronger! If Asimov grew to be so powerful in your care, and he is worthy of being my rival then imagine what sort of evolution my capacities might experience under your tutorship!"

Wait, since when did she become a teacher? "Looking forward to learning from you Master!" To which Esperia shook her head firmly. "No." But the Bombo was not one to take a no. "Sensei? Shifu?"

Just the thought of it all made Esperia sigh audibly, what sort of mess had she gotten herself involved into this time? Then again, it did seem that Asimov liked the Bombo, and since the Bombo didn't comprehend the meaning of a denial... She just shrugged her shoulders and moved on.

WC: 468
Total WC: 2500+/2500