Chapter 32

Eva Lemuria

I feel something on my face tickling my nose and I try to ignore it as I try to sleep, but it doesn't stop until I end up sneezing before sitting up. I look at what fell on my lap only to see a black fuzzball. I pick it up and look over Munin. She still looks like the same clueless fuzzball. She starts happily squeaking and trying to move around a bit in my hands. She's very slow, but she can already wobble around a bit. I get out of bed and put her on the table before I get dressed in my usual outfit. It feels a little weird with two eyes following my every move. I guess she will be pretty smart when she grows. After I am fully dressed I feed Munin the same way as last night before I pick her up. She's still a little too small to stand on my shoulder so I tuck her into my clothes so she can peek out a little, but not fall out. I can feel her making herself getting comfortable before her head pops out.

I grab my bag filled with mana hearts and tails and make my way out the door. I leave the inn and go straight towards the adventurers guild branch. I enter and as usual, all eyes turn to me and then immediately away. I walk up to the usual receptionist and she has a face that seems to say, “Why me?” all over it. I smile a little under my mask before I pull out the ice reaper vipers mana heart and tail as I set it on the counter. She looks a little shocked before she just begins to process them without a word. I walk over to the mission board and I grab the black bone wolf and abyss terra lizards mission requests. I return to the counter as the receptionist sets a bag of money on the counter. While I set another two mana hearts and two tails on the counter. She looks at the mission requests and then the mana hearts before looking at me.

“How?! It was only one day! This just seems like too much.” Receptionist

“Squeak!” Munin

“It was all coincidence and luck. Anyway please process these two.”

It seems she didn't hear me as she's looking at my breast. More specifically she's looking at the squeaking bird looking at her. She looks back at me with dead eyes before taking the two mana hearts to process. I look down at the clueless Munin before using a finger to rub her head. I watch the receptionist fill out paperwork and think about if I should ask her for her name later. She comes back with another two pouches of some money and I take them both.

“Will you be accepting any other missions today?” Receptionist

“No, I will probably take a couple of days to rest and then I will be back at it. Don't worry I'll be back.”

I leave the frustrated looking receptionist and walk out of the adventurers guild. I made my way to my usual cafe and am greeted by the familiar waiters. They guide me to my usual seat and I order some snacks for myself and ask if they have anything for Munin. They come with my coffee and some pastry crumbs. I set Munin on the table and relax as I smash the crumbs to even tinier crumbs for her. She begins nibbling on the crumbs while I look over the park and feel myself relax. 

It seems like all good things come to an end as one of the usual annoyances I have to deal with sits across from me. Lucas Sylvari has once again shown up uninvited and he has his usual two guards behind him. He still gives off that uneasy feeling and I really wish I could just throw him far away, but I don't think the elven kingdom would appreciate that very much.

“Princess Eva I heard that you had returned from your little hunting expedition injured. I think this would be the perfect opportunity for you to come and stay with me at my mansion so you can have the servants take care of you. It's probably for the best that you just come until you are fully recovered.” Lucas Sylvari says with his usual smile.

“Thank you for your concern, but I will be fine. I heal very quickly and I wasn't that injured. I learned a long time ago how to take care of myself so help is not needed at this point. If that is all you came for I would like to ask you to leave so we may relax.”

“We? Oh, I see that is a very interesting pet. I didn't take you for someone that would like to keep cute things around you.” Lucas Sylvari

“I must have picked it up from my mother. Now if that's all I really would like to continue with my rest. You interrupted my meditation. Plus I don't believe a city Lord should be so free as to be able to come talk to a foreign woman so much.”

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“Yes, I guess you are right. Well, my doors will be open to you. I will be waiting.” Lucas Sylvari

He gets up and leaves after that. I don't know why, but today he seemed different and the uneasy feeling I get from him seems to have increased. I feel like whatever he's been plotting is going to happen soon. I feel uneasy, but the only thing I can do is wait and see. I don't even know why he wants me to visit his mansion so badly. If he is plotting something against me he must realize that I am one of the strongest people in this city currently. Maybe I should ask shadow guard 17 when he comes for those letters tonight. I left them on the table in my room for him when he comes, but hopefully ill be there when he comes. For the mean time, I'll just keep relaxing and playing with Munin.

I stay at the cafe for a couple more hours until I decide to leave. I say my goodbyes to the employees before I start to walk around the city. I was planning to go straight to the gambling den to play around some more, but I decided that some fresh air will be good for me. I enjoy the cold air that's flowing around me as I walk the quiet streets. I am basically walking on the outskirts of the city where it's more peaceful at night. I could take a direct path to the gambling den, but I felt like walking this way and taking my time to walk around. This way I will probably be less likely to run into the usual thugs. They have been trying to keep me from gambling, but the funny thing is they have never once just asked me not to come. I probably would still show up, but I would definitely take less of their money. I already have more than enough just from my mission rewards. The only thing that could make this night more peaceful is if Munin wasn't constantly squeaking at me. It seems like she's trying to have a conversation with me. I don't think a two-day old crow is supposed to be smart enough to ramble on like this, but it's somewhat cute so I let her squeak as much as she wants. I start to think about what I will do tomorrow and I decided that I will spend the whole day meditating and as soon as all my injuries heal I will finally move on. I feel like there is no longer any specific reason for me to stay here any longer. I have ranked up and even communicated with my family for the first time in a couple of years. Besides the legal gambling den and the cafe I like, there's nothing else here for me to do so I will move on.

After a while, I finally make it to the gambling den and enter. I seem to attract a lot of attention from others as they all turn their heads my way and start whispering to each other. I ignore them as I head to a random table and start playing. I keep playing and enjoying myself for hours. Others would always play close to me hoping my luck would rub off on them, but most of my winnings I calculated. Obviously, I am wrong a lot of the time so I can lose as much money as I win, but it isn't even about the money. I simply enjoy the risk of gambling and the joy of winning. Today might end up being my last day in this city and I don't know when I will be able to enjoy a legal gambling den again.

As the night starts to get late and it's almost time for the sunrise I decide that I have played enough for tonight. I pack up my average winnings and make my way out. I detect the usual thugs following behind me so I put Munin in my hidden hand and carefully hold her as she sleeps. I then make my way outside the city as per usual. I am really surprised they have always waited for me to leave the city. All this does is reaffirm my assumption that the city lord must be involved with the gambling den.

I reach the gates and the second that I pass the city boundary I speed forward until I reach the tree line. I could have run fast enough that the thugs couldn't even follow me, but then they would just try again so I keep a speed they can follow me with. As I reach the trees I take Munin and set her on top of a low tree branch with an empty birds nest so she won't wake up. I turn around and see the thugs have all finally caught up to me. It’s embarrassing that they come after me even though they're out of breath just from this short jog. The one who looks the least tired steps forward as the leader.

“Woman today is the day that we get all the money you have taken back. You have taken too much from us so we will get it back while avenging our fallen brothers. Even if you want to surrender you will not get away tonight.” Thug Leader

The only response they get from me is a tired sign before I rush the thug leader. I throw a punch right in his gut and he bends over to puke up some food and blood. While he's down I move to the next one with a punch to his face and a kick in the chest of the thug that tried to sneak behind me. Both go down unconscious after flying away. I rush the next one and trip him before grabbing his leg and swinging him around and releasing him at another thug. I kick another thug in the head and then smash my foot into his ribs before kicking him away. Two thugs try a pincer attack, but I just rush at one and punch his jaw hard enough that several teeth fly out of his mouth. I lean back as I dodge the other thug's fist and then smash it between my elbow and knee. After a nice snapping sound and a loud scream, I grab the thugs face and smash his head into the ground. I notice leader has gotten up along with some other thugs that can still move. They all draw swords before rushing to surround me.

I draw my dagger and wait for them to make the first move. Instead of attacking me they all jump a couple of steps back and walls rise from the ground to surround me leaving the only opening towards the forest where several fireballs appear from. I realize they must have finally learned from their past mistakes and planned ahead, but it's useless. I intercept the fireballs with my own flame edge and then I cut down the walls with a lighting edge. My attack goes all the way through the walls and even cuts some of the thugs down. I threw my dagger at the leader while it's enhanced by my lighting and it flies right through his head and about three trees before it stops embedded in a fourth tree. I shift and follow after my dagger and appear next to the tree. I grab my dagger and shift again deeper into the forest. I find the mages who were shooting at me earlier and they're still looking at where the thug leader fell down dead. I sneak behind one and stab my throat through his throat before I move to the next one. She is a woman, but it means nothing if she's just going to follow thugs like these so I stab my dagger directly in her head for an instant death before I move on. I silently kill four mages before they notice me in the middle of them and they all launch spells randomly in fear. I shift straight up and watch as their spell hit each other and then I move towards the ones still living and simply pass through all their chests. They never even realized that it wasn't a spell that killed them, but my own body. I leave the mages and go to finish off the rest of the thugs. I swing a powerful distraction edge at the survivors and watch as the last of the thugs are blown to bits as simple as that.