"It is seem as though... This damage... is permanent..."
In the middle of a big forest, two well-suited gentleman stood while looking around; a logo on their back said AAA; which stands for Alcray's Above Authority, similarly to State Security of Sulkos (SSS). One of them panned his head around; looking back and forth to come to the conclusion that the whole part of the jungle was wiped in a circle; because there is a convergence point you can stand and see that all the trees around are destroyed clean off in similar distances, very well be from the one very same attack.
"This... behaviour... is magic, the further from the middle... The less damage. I believe... We could not let this... slide."
A thin, tall man; agitated by the fact that he could only see so barely through two holes in his white mask, attempted to remove it when the other man immediately grabbed his hand from out of no where; the two give each others blank stares.
"You are on duty."
"..."
Understanding the point, he mumbled, kept it on before stepping towards the direction of Sulkos and Alcray's border.
"I believe... the culprit is very... near here... Just need some.... witnesses."
Meanwhile...
"Sing along with me ♪ Brand new shoes oh brand new shoes ♪ I'm gonna get aye leather boots♪"
"Eee eee eik, eik eik eee eik ♪! Kek kreik kik kee eee eee eik!"
"Step on stones or roll on bones! ♪ I'm gonna get aye leather boots♪"
"Don't step on my cloak."
Pearl Magmal is trying very hard to keep his eyes on the pages when Mei is dancing around on the cart, clapping and singing with Esmeralda, to the point it's more like meditating than anything. After years of this; Pearl doesn't even have the ability to show the facial expression known as "being annoyed" anymore. He's more or less surprised at how Marc can peacefully snore through all this.
"Settle down, ladies. We're here." Rina Wenswood slowly exhaled as the young Elf loosen the rein. Turning towards the group, she switched on her more motherly/sistery side and solemnly remind, looking more at Mei than the other three.
"We are stopping for shoes, lunches, bandages and rations, we are not, however, spending more in a place we're unfamiliar with, understood?"
"We're gonna get new aye new boots ♪ oh oh ha ♫!"
"Kik krik eik eik la keeeee!♪"
Still in on their shenanigans, Mei and Esmeralda did not catch any of that; well, Marc too.
Shriekk
A blink later, Mei felt a push of momentum, it was when the wheels of the carriage suddenly stopped rolling — causing the young mage to be carried forwards; losing her balance and fell towards Pearl. Expecting the cool younger brother to catch her, Mei braced herself and opened her arms, she was then stopped midair by Pearl's right hand reaching out and... grabbed Mei's face, effectively stopping her from destroying his book or glasses, in exchange her nose might not be very well.
"Ouh- at appened?" Mei mumbled with her mouth being covered by Pearl, though still being able to move her sight towards Esmeralda landing on Marc's face which woke him up from suffication and the front where the horses were ordered to stop.
"Oh it was nothing." Rina smiled, her eyelids closing in a little; not for a better view, more like to do a snarky expression while continued to move the carriage. "I just thought you should know that we are here."
The town was quite a sight, sturdy walls surrounding its four, lively chatters covers the bustling streets. The group found themselves walking pass at least ten seafood stores/stalls before finding a blacksmith, without another word; Pearl got off the carriage and approached, leaving Mei confused to follow him:
"What do you need here?"
"Fire resistence boots, preferably light steel material, you need more mobile." Pearl answered, already entering to see a man polishing his hammer.
"Wait, no way? You know I only run in leather boots! Those are not clanky!" Mei frowned, reluctantly following Pearl to get her point across, she knows that if she doesn't say anything, he will just order one without asking.
"You have little choice in this matter."
"That's the worst thing a human being could have said to his sister in this exact situation!"
The two left Marc, Esmeralda and Rina outside, continued to wandered around, struggling to find anywhere they can tie the horse's rein and its carriage.
"Too many seafood, and nothing land-animal friendly in sight." Rina slightly squinted, keeping track of the blacksmith from where they are going.
"You don't like fishes?" Marc asked while smiling at his little dragon daughter, who was chomping on her promised chicken leg skewer.
"No..." Rina softened her voice, turning towards a spot where she can see some others carriages are parked "They look hideous."
There were three other horses with their rein being tied to some poles. Marc carefully did a knot around one which was on the opposite far end side; not letting his horse be near any other. When he finished and turned around, Rina had already went ahead somewhere out of view, bringing Esmeralda with her. The young man walked his hand from his forehead upwards to his blonde hair to remove little of his sweats while looking around; noticing the it had grown over his ear now.
'I should get something to eat while waiting for them.' Marc Omal thought, but the idea was very soon interrupted by another carriage, who for some reason; parked right next to theirs, only mere inches away.
"Excuse me, sir. I don't want to be trouble but our horse is battle trained and could be quite aggressive, would you mind moving yours a bit?" Marc said, a bit insisting since if he'd move anywhere else, he'd be closer to the other horses.
A man wearing fancy long sleeved turned towards Marc, eyeing him up and down several times without a single word before ignoring him and walking away. In which Marc didn't know how to react but get on with their days.
Meanwhile, outside the blacksmith; Rina was enjoying her time poking Esmeralda's bubbly cheek, a small dragon looks very much like a small green lizard with wings, chewing on chicken.
"Eii eik aie aik! eik!" Esmeralda squeaked at the Elf, which translated to "Thigh meat is the best!"
Coming out of the blacksmith; a sound of light metal could be hear under Mei's feet as she smiles so lively.
"This is better than I thought, I like these!"
Pearl glanced over with no comment; knowing his sister can only be dealt with if he forced new equipments on her, she got a bonding or confident issue with old ones he supposed. All the while Rina stood smiling at the two, whom she always enjoyed the chemistry of.
"Where's Marc?" Pearl asked, recounting the change he got after the purchase.
"Huh..." Hands on her hips, Rina moved her eyes around the streets in response to Pearl's question, she shrugged. "Must have been lost." Completely oblivious to the fact that she and his daughter left him.
The four looked at each other, but soon shrugged showing little concern.
Going on for a nice walk around for opportunities; Pearl was far most the busy one, managing the team's economy, negotiating with the most genuine business smile he could squeeze out, planning and making sure there's money for consumables, rations, night stays and pocket money. While on the other side of town, Mei and Rina was chewing down on a sandwich when all of a sudden; they turned their head and locked eyes, nodding slightly.
"The 3rd store served better sandwiches." Mei put the whole thing; almost the size of her palm inside her mouth in one motion. Finishing her sandwich.
"So fishes from the 6th stall, candy from the first and sandwiches from the 3rd." Rina answered with one hand holding the very full and bored dragon who was laying on her back, belly ready to burst. "Now we know if ten or more years later we'd comeback for a tour."
It's not bold to assume that this is how the girls spent their pocket change, just wanting to try and have reasons to try as much food as they want. One thing to keep their minds off all the strange things happening lately, like being fugitives, raising a dragon, having arguements, not enough sleep and all of that... And the bonding too, they suppose.
"Something on your mind?" Mei covered her mouth to hide a little sound arising from the chest. Before noticing the elf's pair of lips slightly opened up as if ready to say something.
"Indeed." Rina answered, still keeping her sight straight forward in her path. "I don't get eyed as much here compared to Sulkos. Marc did say something about Alcray being more open towards racial differences."
"Oh, that sounds nice, maybe we could meet some more elves and demih-"
"Keep walking."
As Mei was finishing her sentence, she felt a cold sharp tip point at her lower back.
"Keep talking."
"-umans, don't you think?"
Not turning her back around to look nor try to make any movements, Mei kept on walking as insisted. Rina, who was walking right next by does not seems to notice anything either as they both turned a corner into an alleyway during the chat; making whoever behind to turn with them.
"They won't like me." Rina finished up her sandwich and dust her hand on Esmeralda's skin, which does not seem to bother the kid.
"Do you think the giraffe fathoming's the bearings?" Mei asked.
"Yes, tales said the giraffe believes penguin need not aid." Rina answered.
Without another explaination to the random words they just said, immediately right after; the knife pressed against Mei back made contact with some light metal and flew upwards to the air. Before Mei spun around and charged up another kick straight at the stranger's abdomen, sending them backwards to the ground.
It was a shorter hooded figure, whom immediately stood up and tried to get away. But as they wanted to do that, the environment around seemingly worked against their favor, as the wind blew in the opposite direction, causing every step they ran to be nullified, sending them backwards to where they first stood, strangely enough they noticed; the trees in their view does not bend with the wind, as if only the space around them was affected. Before another stronger gust of wind sent them flying backwards, into Mei's who immediately got them held up from behind by the arms in a T-pose.
The wind also knocked the hood over, revealing a young woman; almost a girl, younger than the both of them, she was already beaten up-looking with a displeased expression. Strangely enough she does not speak a word; not a plead, a question, a sorry or even a curse, just plain silence and a small aura of hatred.
"You don't seem to do your own hair." Rina crossed her arms when Esmeralda crawled up to her shoulder as she rhetorically questioned the girl, a strange question, leaving the small dragon confused as "why the last three sentences these people speak have no meanings, giraffe? penguin?"
Indeed, the girl's black hair was weirdly cut to the nape, almost like by a rough blade, not by a barber nor self cut.
"Why did you target us? Do you know us? I think we don't look that rich." Mei lowered her voice and started questioning herself, not wanting to make a scene out on the streets; the real reason why they took a strange turn back then.
"No, you do. You do look kind of rich, that hat alone can sell well if you pick the right store." Rina chimed in snarkily, before getting in a more serious tone. "Answer or we will turn you in."
"Tsk." The girl finally speak up, glaring over to some random direction, avoiding eye contact as well as trying to hide most of her face. "Do it, I will just get out eventually, I'm not new there."
Rina, Esmeralda and Mei exchanged a look, not knowing what else to do other than just turn her in. It was when someone appeared; Pearl entered the alleyway and walked towards them with no luggages or groceries visible, only a cheap sandwich on hand. As he assessed a strange situation; two of his fellow teammates ganging up on a young girl, who already looked beaten, skinny, exhausted and with a knife near the ground, Pearl pushed his glasses up and speak up.
"Thief?"
"Surprise?" Rina questioned back instead of an answer.
"No."
"See I told you we looked rich."
Not knowing how to respond to Rina's comment, Mei took a second to think before letting the young girl go, giving her one push on her back; enough to get her tumbling a few feet, not enough to make her fall. Knowing she's being release by either dumb or kind people, the young girl covered herself up with the hood again and make a run for it, not before accidentally bumping into Pearl on the way.
"She'll harm more people." As if to question Mei's decision, he simply asked while walking forward and fixing her hat, which was off-centre a little bit.
"I feel like... I needed to do that, as if that was the right thing to do... New gloves?" Mei answered, looking upward to her cute, quiet younger brother, who is getting taller by each day it seems.
"I trust your instincts." Hearing Mei's questions, he put up both of his empty hands, covered in a pair of dark gloves. "Yes, medium elemental resistence."
Being mages, Pearl and Mei don't treat themselves with much defense or heavy armor, those usually goes to Marc. The siblings got leather and other light fabrics, energy conducting and magic resistence. Pearl himself wore long sleeves with normal gloves, while Mei's shirt arms only extented to the elbows, in which she used longer gloves that covered the rest. Marc got gauntlets and in Rina's case... She exposed most of her arms, to get more a feel of her surroundings and weapon intimacy, she does dress quite discreetly on every other part, except for her neck which showed a burnt mark.
"Kiek..." Esmeralda said, which translated to "I want cool equipments too." Yet she's too lazy to say that in her human form, knowing she'd have to walk when she'd rather be transported in her smol dragon form.
While chatting about what's the deal with the girl was, they got a walk back to their carriage, in which a crowd was slowly gathering.
"Oh boy..." Rina looked from a distance, through the people gathering to convey what's happening back to everyone else.
"Marc's in trouble, I see."
When they got past the crowd, whispers and chatters could be heard as the sight shows a horse laying on the ground, hurt. A bit of observation tells that a wealthy looking man's horse was kick by the team's horse, which Marc was now trying to calm down both their horse and the owner.
Hello....author!
I hope you in a good health and full of inspiration. And thanks for the chapter im new here. Good luck author-sama 
Who are you, random great person?
I wanna give you a hug
Thank you.
@LuoirM