VI - Welcome to Xyrcadia

As the brilliant glow that enveloped James slowly dissipated, he prayed that Sera had the foresight to teleport him to a hospital or even a soothing massage parlor. Nothing beats a relaxing full-body massage after getting beat up and breaking (nearly) all the bones in your body.

Alas, his disappointment was immeasurable as the light faded away and he came face-to-face with the accursed goddess in a dingy alleyway. There was no roof or cover of any sort above him, so naturally, James was instantly soaked to the bone as the rain poured down relentlessly.

Sera didn't have to worry about getting wet as her divine aura made any droplets that managed to get close sizzle and evaporate into nothingness. Her frilly pink dress seemed dirt proof, the mud the ends of her skirt should've been touching disappearing like they were afraid of even getting close. A useful little trick that she didn't bother sharing with the now drenched James.

"You couldn't even teleport me somewhere-" James just stopped mid-sentence and sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose as he did so, knowing that the goddess wouldn't understand his frustrations. "Never mind, forget it."

James reached into his coat pocket and pulled the necklace out, the glowing piece of jewelry acting like a very expensive torch as it lit up his dark surroundings.

"Here's your necklace. You can just uh, wash the blood off." James tried to wipe the bloodstains still visible on the chain and gems, before remembering that his right hand was severely messed up and was in no condition to wipe anything.

Thanks to a very harrowing experience he had in his 9th life, he was less susceptible to pain and was able to tune it out with a little effort. Having a broken hand was still painful as Opho though.

James glanced at the goddess in front of him, noticing the frown on her face as she gave him a once-over. Her hands started glowing with divine power, and James gulped as he imagined the goddess smiting him into a pile of ash for dirtying her precious necklace.

"Woah, woah, woah. Hold up, Sera. No need to do anything drastic-"

The goddess ignored his pleas, thrusting her palms forward as the magus energy streaked towards him.

James flinched and clamped his eyes shut, expecting the burning sensation of being blasted with divine energy that he had experienced on more than one occasion. Instead, a warm feeling spread across his entire body, like he had spent hours soaking in a steamy bath and receiving a world-class massage.

Upon opening his eyes, James gawked in surprise.

His hand was good as new, much too new. The skin was perfect and unblemished, free of the callouses and scars he had on them from years of training and fighting. James put his hands side-by-side, confirming the vast difference between his left and right hand.

James patted down the rest of his body as well, making sure that Sera hadn't accidentally healed away the muscles he had worked so hard to attain or the size of a certain body part that was very dear to him.

Satisfied that the rest of his body was intact, James shifted his focus back to Sera who just stared at him with a creepy smile.

James coughed and held out the necklace once more. "Here, take your necklace. And I'd appreciate my part of the bargain now too."

The pink-haired goddess just gave him a slight nod before snapping her fingers. A rolled-up scroll materialized in her grasp out of thin air, the scroll emitting a soft hum that made goosebumps pop up all over James' body.

"I do hope you know what you're doing with this," Sera warned as the two of them swapped items. The goddess looking like a child with a brand new toy as she put on the necklace eagerly.

"You know me. I'll be fine," James replied as he tucked the scroll inside his coat.

James looked back up at the sky, frowning as he gazed at the moon that was nearly at the peak of its orbit. Rain kept getting into his eyes though, so he had to hold back a curse as he blinked it out and cleared his vision.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way." James gave Sera another curtsy, the goddess paying no heed to him as she disappeared in a flash of light.

James brushed the wet strands of his hair that clung to his face out of his eyes as he stared at the spot where the goddess recently stood, the mud that had receded now crawling back to its rightful place.

"Great."

His annoying side quest fulfilled, James made haste through the stormy weather as he ran towards his last stop for the night.

-[Present Day and Time...]-

"Get out of the way you damn country bumpkin!"

A snobby plump man shouldered his way past James, the latter frowning as he walked in the middle of the busy streets of Xyrcadia City, the milling throngs of people making what should've been a five-minute stroll into an hour-long crawl.

James was very much tempted to teach the hunk of blubber a lesson or two, but he didn't want to make a scene and get kicked out of yet another city.

He sighed as he looked down at his clothes, pondering whether or not he should wring his pockets dry to try and blend in with his surroundings.

Despite the fact that the streets were absolutely packed, James still stood out like a sore thumb in his Southern clothing. Here in Xyrcadia, the 'Beacon of the North', everyone wore clothes that looked like they were crafted from precious gems and gold.

All the designer clothing kept reminding James of his recently departed shoes, which only served to piss him off even more than he already was thanks to the never-ending heat of the sun.

"Most advanced city on the continent and they can't even find a way to block the godsdamned sun during summer," James huffed under his breath as he glared at the big ball of fire sitting pretty in the sky.

The sun shone down from above relentlessly, the heat melting his bones and penetrating James to his very core. The citizens around him had prepared for the heatwave, some carrying umbrellas of different shapes and sizes, while other rich nobles had hired a mage well-versed in ice and freezing spells to serve as a personal cooling system.

James had done no such thing and was forced to endure the blistering heat all by his lonesome, cursing Deus silently for powering the sun with too much light.

Deciding that the heat would end up frying his brain, James stepped out of the bustling streets and walked over to the nearest area where he wouldn't feel like he was skinny dipping in a volcano.

He ended up taking shade under a series of archways that made up a very nostalgic building. A gigantic colosseum that only ever gets used once or twice a year, but is still a gigantic tourist attraction.

The X Arena.

Xyrcadia City was and is still famous for hosting various tournaments between the best and brightest fighters all across the continent. The reward was never divulged to the public, but the extremely happy demeanors of the winners after receiving their prize erased any doubts from the masses.

The themes and rules of the tournament change each year, but one thing never does. The fact that everyone on the continent clamors to partake and watch in the festivities.

James himself had taken part in a tournament during his 9th life, although he had been eliminated in the preliminaries quite easily. A humiliating defeat that still nagged him to this very day.

Brushing the embarrassing memories out of his head, James stepped out of his comforting shade and back out into the beating heat, absentmindedly noting that a couple of people were placing up posters advertising the next tournament that was only a few more days away.

His goal was only a couple of blocks away. A quaint cafe that an old friend of his ran, although James doubted he would be recognized. It had been nearly a century since his last visit after all.

After a few more minutes of enduring the boiling weather, James finally managed to get inside the cafe, the bell hung above the doorway making a delightful ringing sound as he sunk down to the soft carpeted floor.

The cafe wasn't all that different from the last time he saw it. It still had beautiful mahogany floorboards and well-crafted furniture laid out nicely. The tantalizing smell of coffee and sweet desserts wafted around the air, creating a delicious aroma that begged anyone that entered to stay.

The only new addition James could spot was one of the new inventions that were hot on the market these days, a cooling box. It was embedded into the wall and had colorful flowers painted on to match the cafe's aesthetic, dozens of holes littering its face as it pumped out cool and refreshing air.

According to what he had heard, the cooling box was powered with an ice crystal that had to be recharged often by a mage. Upkeep costs aside, it was a very useful machine, especially during hot days like the one James was currently experiencing.

He picked himself up off the floor and slid into a nearby seat, drumming his fingers on the table as a waiter approached to take his order.

"Hello, and welcome to Orthalia Cafe! Are you ready to order?" A cheery girl stood next to him with a notepad in one hand and a pencil in the other, a wide smile adorning her face as she waited for a response. Her outfit resembled a maid's uniform more than something a waitress would wear, but James didn't focus on that and just flashed his own smile at the girl.

"Is the owner here right now?"

The girl's smile faltered for a bit before reverting back to its original state, her eyes shifting between him and a door at the back that he knew led to the kitchen.

A few beats of silence passed before the girl spoke again, "The head chef isn't in right now, but if you'd like I could-"

His impatience getting the best of him, James stood up and marched towards the door. The gaping waitress stood still for a few seconds before stumbling after him, stuttering incoherent words as she tugged at his cloak in an attempt to stop him. This gained a couple of interested looks from the other patrons in the cafe, but none seemed too invested in what was going on.

Seeing that the girl's grip on his cloak wasn't loosening, James continued his march, dragging the poor girl along with him.

In just a few steps, he reached the door and placed his palm against it, shuddering at how hot it was in contrast to the chilly atmosphere in the room he was in.

With one swift push, the door swung open, and James instantly knew his day had taken a turn for the worse. A turn for the much, much worse.

"I'm so fucked."