The gates of the City of Rivers finally fell behind them as Annie, Chae, Tiyun, and Zamin set off down the winding dirt road leading toward the distant mountain where Joshua Ambrose was located.
The two hunters rode atop the massive, crocodilian beasts Annie had seen earlier. She had recently learned the heavily scaled creatures were called 'Dragoons', a title that tickled her immensely given the funny coincidence it shared with the lore she knew from Ercale's world.
Chae, ever practical, sat gracefully atop a striking albino Razorhoove. Its pale, coarse coat was noticeably thinner than a standard breed's—a deliberate, calculated choice that would serve her well when the inevitable heavy rains hit, keeping the beast from getting sluggish and waterlogged.
Meanwhile, Annie was perched happily in the saddle of the feathered biped she had bonded with at the stables. She had quickly learned they were called 'Terror Raptors', a brutally simple name that perfectly described their vicious talons and razor-sharp beaks.
Annie glanced over at the two men, watching them subtly adjust their posture on the rigid, armored backs of their beasts. "Did you two deliberately pick out the toughest and most agonizingly uncomfortable mounts possible just to prove some sort of point?" she asked, raising an amused eyebrow. "Because sitting on those jagged scales does not look like a fun ride. Especially for a man."
Zamin let out a heavy, suffering sigh, discreetly shifting his weight to ease the pressure. "You're not wrong on that second part. These things are incredibly painful to ride," he admitted with a grimace.
Tiyun, however, sat up a bit straighter, stubbornly defending their purchase. "But they are phenomenal climbers, which is exactly why we picked them. We chose them for their utility despite the discomfort they bring, rather than trying to prove some point about our pride."
Chae cast a critical, side-long glance over the two hulking reptiles. "Anything with sharp claws is better suited for the rocky terrain where we are going, certainly better than a basic beast with flat hooves," she pointed out smoothly. "But if grip was your only criteria, you both easily could have picked Terror Raptors like Annie did, or Razorhooves like me."
The two hunters opened their mouths to argue, then promptly shut them, completely lacking a valid counter to her flawless logic.
Satisfied with their silence, Chae shifted her focus away from the men and looked over at the younger girl riding beside her. "Is there any particular reason that specific raptor caught your eye?" she asked.
Annie looked down at her mount, admiring the striking array of vibrant blue shades layering its thick plumage. Leaning forward in her saddle, she affectionately scratched the soft feathers along the creature's neck.
"I just find him... cute," she confessed with a bright, unapologetic smile. "I might not look or act like it most of the time, but I can actually be pretty girly about things. Sometimes I just like something simply because it is cute." She gave the raptor another fond pat. "And the fact that we share the exact same hair—or, I suppose, feather—color definitely helps connect the two of us, you know?"
Chae hummed in mild amusement, giving a subtle nod as she kept her gaze fixed on the winding road ahead. "Look at you, actually acting like the age I suspect you to be," she remarked dryly.
Annie tilted her head, shooting the older woman a curious, challenging look from atop her raptor. "Oh? And exactly what age do you think I am? I got to guess yours earlier, so it only feels fair that you get a turn to guess mine."
Without even turning her head to look at the girl, Chae answered with absolute, unwavering certainty, "You are seventeen years young."
Annie let out a sharp, genuinely impressed whistle, leaning back slightly in her leather saddle. "I will be in a few more days, so you got so close you might as well be completely right," she conceded.
A faint, satisfied smile touched Chae's lips.
"How did you know, though?" Annie asked, her brow furrowing slightly as she studied Chae's profile. "Like I said, I definitely do not act my age most of the time."
Chae gracefully dropped one hand from her reins, lightly tapping the leather pouch at her hip that held her vast array of magical trinkets. "Do you remember that enchanted necklace I used to check if you had any trace of mana or chi? It basically provides me with... what is the best way to explain it? Think of it like a comprehensive summary of your entire biology."
Annie let out a slow, dramatic hum, a wicked gleam suddenly sparking in her bright blue eyes. "Wow. That was... a lot more perverted than I thought it was going to be~" she teased in a playful, sing-song voice.
Refusing to take the bait, Chae simply rolled her eyes, her expression completely deadpan as she refused to play into the teenager's hands. Skillfully pivoting the conversation away from the inappropriate joke, she asked, "What are you going to name your new mount over there?"
Annie's lips instantly curled into a wide, deeply amused smirk. She leaned forward again, her fingers gently threading through the raptor's vivid blue feathers. "Oh, I already have a name picked out for him," she purred smoothly. "Xain."
She let out a low, breathy chuckle, the true, deeply ironic reason for her laughter known entirely only to her—and to the boy residing inside her, who was currently watching all of this happening.