“Hello?” Marco said, answering a video call from his badge.
“What’s up with my status!” Rai yelled from the other end of the comm.
Marco, scratching his head, answered, “Sorry, I meant to inform you earlier. They’ve gone ahead and changed your status from an Abminus, to that of a special class Link, like myself.”
“Links can’t blink!” Rai said.
“True, but Abminus utilize roots to access the full extent of their powers, even the Nephilim do so, in their own way, meanwhile, you don’t in either way… We went over this, remember?
“I had once, supposedly… I thought we had more testing to do?!” Rai stated, recalling their time in the lab, post-placement exam.
“Let's see…” As Dr. Kael, the one in charge of overseeing the Empire’s more complex issues, continued his analysis, Rai shifted uncomfortably in his seat with Plu in his lap; Fu was sitting on another table across from them. Dr. Kael furrowed his brow, reviewing the test results in disbelief. “This doesn’t make sense,” he muttered to himself while tapping on the display. “Rai’s designation as a root root Abminus is perplexing enough, but the fact that he exhibits qualities of a Link bonded with a creature of flux... it’s unprecedented.” Turning to his colleagues, Dr. Kael continued, “And Fu’s just as strange, classified as ‘String Root’, though he shows no human characteristics… It’s as if they defy the established categories of flux users. We’ll need to delve deeper I’m afraid, in Rai’s case, but it’s possible,” Dr. Kael speculated, grabbing his chin, “that he possesses a unique genetic composition that intertwines the characteristics of both Abminus and Link. But how? And what does it mean for the understanding of flux and its users? As for Fu… it’s got to be the source of some unknown four-star root.” The room fell into silence, interrupted only by the buzz of machinery and the occasional tap of Dr. Kael’s fingers on the console.
“An anomaly?” Marco suggested.
“Anoma-what?” Fu said.
“For Fu, we can label it as so.”
“Someone going to answer me?!” Fu said.
“In the world, there are many strange plants, some of which defy logic. Take Seppe’s Dye root for example. Not only can this root bring things to a life-like state, but it is capable of even producing a realm and one that is ever-changing to the imagination of the creator at that. Since these things can’t be explained, we list them as an anomaly. Many anomalies end up listed under the four-star root category. Perhaps, Fu, being made of wood, came from a special sort of plant out there we have yet to discover,” Dr. Kael said.
“So... does this mean I’m finally free to go?” Fu said. Since the placement exam, he’s been undergoing constant tests.
“It does,” Dr. Kael nodded, “though your status as an apprentice no longer remains.”
“About damn time,” Fu shouted, hopping off the table. “Be seeing ya,” Fu said, exiting.
“Plu.”
Plu jumped down to follow Fu, but Rai snatched it mid-air, saying, “Not you,” causing Plu to flail around. “Hold still you little twerp, or I’ll tie you into a ball again.”
Marco studied the data before him. As the only Link among the Illuminus Elites, he figured he’d be able to find some sort of clue to what’s going on. “Shiki, what do you make of Plu?” From the shoulder of Marco, a small white snake appeared out of thin air, before disappearing; moments later, it reappeared, but it was larger than Rai, peering down at Plu.
Plu, seeing the shadow cast over it, glanced up at the large white snake in front of it; jumping in shock and quickly hiding within Rai’s coat.
“Hey Shiki,” Rai said, stroking the nose of the snake. “Don’t worry buddy, she’s a friend.”
Plu’s head poked out of the inside of Rai’s coat, before slowly exiting to his lap once again.
Shiki, the Spirit Basilisk, tongue flickered, facing Marco before giving a slight shake of its head, vanishing right after.
“I see, so you have no idea as well…” Marco said.
Meanwhile, the doors slid open and Lily came in. “Hey, how’s the testing going?”
“Dead end,” Rai said.
“Bummer,” Lily said, hopping on the table Fu was earlier.
“What’re you doing here?”
“I was passing by when I ran into Hanabi earlier. Hey Dr. Kael,” Lily said. She had come here to do a test on the limits of her legacies. It helped her sort of get a better grasp on her abilities.
“Lily, come to do more tests?”
“No, Hanabi said Marco would be here with Rai.” Facing Marco, she said, “I’ve made a promise to the people of Kalumi to take down Redeem and Weep, and one of them has an ability similar to your own, from what Hanabi’s told me. I was wondering if you could tell me more about bonds?”
“Sure, I don’t mind at all. A friend of Rai, is a friend of mine. Let’s start with bonding. It’s incredibly rare, but should a Link bond with a creature who happens to be blessed with flux, much like some humans are, they retain the ability to summon them to their side. The summon will always emerge from roots that the Link has fused its flux within. When bonding, your cores become one, in a sense. However, bonding with creatures is incredibly difficult, since one, you’d have to find a creature that can utilize flux; two, you both would have to be able to survive the bonding, something only a master Link who specialized in core repair could do, and three, your bonding partner would have to be aware enough to do so, which is an anomaly in itself,” Marco said, raising three fingers as he spoke.
“Is bonding with a creature anything like how Alderai’s ability works?” Lily asked.
“No, abilities like Alderai’s and the criminal Redeem are unique, though they can be explained,” Dr. Kael said. “Alderai’s ability comes from his legacies, he does not need to bond, rather he takes and seals for his usage, forcing the will of the Minus under his own. We’re unsure of the form of the Minus in which Alderai’s root would become, since Alderai himself stated there was no Minus present during the second stage of the ritual, however, his ability is speculated to come from the Spirit Root, derived from an Elder Tree. Not far off from the General’s.”
“Elder Trees are often rumored as the bridgeway between our realm and spirit realm,” Marco said. “Spirit’s, or, creatures tittering between our realm and theirs, often travel around these trees. It is in fact where I met Shiki.”
“Spirit realm?” Rai said.
“General Kur bonded at birth, as Nephilim are known to do, with the ancient root, Spirit Paradox. So, it’s only natural to assume that there’s a spirit realm, as all Nephilim’s ancient roots lie within a realm of their own, deep within the planet we live on. My hypothesis is, when something dies, be it good or evil, even a bit of both, its energy flows into the spirit realm, eventually returning to the surface world, returning as either negative or positive flux force,” Dr. Kael said.
“From the report, Redeem is stated to be a mix, like your friend Eiji,” Marco said.
“Half-Nefarian, right?” Lily said.
“Mhm, though, she doesn’t carry a mix between Abminus and Nefarian, rather of a Nefarian and that of a Link. When it comes to Abminus and Nefarian mix, to our knowledge, they can only take one of their inherent abilities, if any at all, but somehow, she’s accessed both her legacies and the Link ability to bond with a creature, most likely her Minus...”
Lily, contemplating it, said, “But Redeem had so many Minus under her control…”
Marco, continues, “Flux force lives throughout everything, but not everything has a flux core. Only those with a flux core can utilize flux force, and vice versa; and don’t be mistaken, just because a creature has a core, doesn’t mean they can’t conceal it. Take Shiki for example, can you locate its core at the moment.”
Rai concentrated, though the presence of a flux core never appeared, apart from his own and the other’s present. Soon, the snake appeared behind Rai, startling Plu. Shiki happily rubbed her nose against Rai’s arm. “Got me there…” After it vanished, yet again.
“Plu doesn’t seem to have a flux core, or, it's unknowingly concealing it…” Marco said.
“Explains why I couldn’t locate the flux core of the night stalker in underrena…”
“If you’d gone to the Flux Class, I’m sure you’d have known this,” Marco said.
“I’m going to the next…” Rai said, furrowing his brows.
“Lily, in regards to Redeem,” Marco said. “Links can only bond once throughout their entire life. Not twice, not three times, just once. Whom they’ve bonded with can either stay in the real world or return to the core of the Link, where they rest. Shiki prefers to stay outside of my core, but others like Lady Yui’s Sky Tempest, Dodo, and Auk, often reside in her core. If Shiki were to return to my core, normally my core and my ability as a Link that repairs cores would be stronger, but I run the risk of having both our cores destroyed at the same time; whereas since we are separate, in how Shiki is outside of my core, then only one core can be destroyed, depending on the circumstances of course. Redeem had all these Minus destroyed at once, did she not?
“Yes, at least from what I was told,” she said, looking at Rai, who nodded in affirmation. That part wasn’t in the report.
“With her legacies I’m sure she’s able to summon more, even enhancing their strength, but there can only really be one bond to any one Link, and those abilities can only ever be activated when their partner is summoned, otherwise, they’re just your average Link who works in core repair. Even as a mixed breed, I believe this to be true. Do either of you understand what this means?” Marco asked.
She thought for a moment, as did Rai; simultaneously; they looked at each other saying, “The real one’s not there!”
“Correct. It is likely the real Minus is far off, safe from having its core destroyed. Hopefully, this helps you, should you encounter Redeem again in the future,” Marco said.
“This year’s been quite the year for discoveries,” Dr. Kael said, sighing while slumping into a chair. He fixed his glasses dropping from his nose. “Four-star roots’, Nephilim merged with the World Tree, Nefarian Links, and now you… Emperor Adonis is going to have me working overtime…”
“For now, we’ll keep looking into it, but if you find anything more concerning your abilities or Plu here, please report back to me,” Marco said.
In the carriage, on the way to the Atlas, Rai yelled, “But I want to be known as an Abminus!”
“Rai, I hope you know this is for your good as well,” Marco said over the comm.
“Why’s that?” Rai said.
“As you know, when an Abminus dies, they leave behind a seed. These seeds seemingly can’t be regrown, and their source of power seems to vanish along with the Abminus, but they still hold a great deal of value in the world. There are plenty who believe with those seeds they can obtain powers just like Abminus, and then there are others who wish to keep them as collectibles, selling them on the black market. If we went public with the fact that you may have merged with root root, who knows what type of dangers you may encounter, even more, think about those around you that could be in danger; your sister for example…” Rai tensed up, he never thought about this. “The worlds full of people who are looking to take advantage of us, even within the walls of the empire. For now, we should keep it on the low.”
“I guess you’re right…” Rai said.
“Hey, we’re arriving!” Fu shouted from the driver’s seat.
Behind Marco, Shiki appeared, happily flickering its tongue as if to say farewell. “Do give my regards to Eloise, and good luck on your mission. We’re right behind first in hallway points, and in about a month they’ll be hiding the progress from everyone in preparation for the Lumi Festival. Keep it up!” he said happily, before disconnecting.
“Can you blame them,” Lily said, knowing Rai was still upset about his title changing from Abminus to Link.
Rai’s badge started to buzz again, showing a message. “Hanabi?” It read, ‘You’re a Link?!’ A video call arose, but Rai hung up, still frustrated by the title change.
Elsewhere, Hanabi, glaring at her badge in disbelief, shouted, “Jerk!” tossing her badge.
Eiji, retracting his view from the carriage window, said, “Hey, the Nefarian mixed in me gives me above-average capabilities, but my power comes from the human side, and sadly, nothing; though you don’t see me complaining.”
“You’re just saying that because you can’t use flux…” Rai said, as their carriage came to a halt.
“Yes, I can!” Eiji argued.
“We’re here!” Fu shouted from the driver’s seat.
“We finally made it,” Lily said, bursting out the door and stretching her arms to the sky. “Ah, finally.” Beside her, Plu stretched it arms the same way. “Come here silly,” Lily stated, picking Plu up.
“Huh, a lot smaller than the Aurahelms,” Rai said, gazing at the high castle walls. After a few miles traversing through the Kingdom of Atlas, passing many guards stops, and almost getting arrested twice; at last, they have arrived.
Plu was nuzzled in Lily’s arms, while Fu, perched on Eiji’s shoulder; they scanned the moat, its murky water brought a sense of unease.
Tofi, skipped ahead, “Come on, let’s go see what’s inside!” she said, her voice filled with excitement.
“Let’s not forget the warning Eloise gave us,” Rai said.
“Wait till she finds out about Tofi,” Eiji chuckled.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
“You guys didn’t tell her?!” Lily said.
“Nah… we’re already late. Didn’t want to add more news off the comms,” Rai said.
“And you thought waiting in person would be better…” Fu said.
“Oh well,” Lily said as they made their way toward the bridge; currently it was up so there was no way for them to traverse across it. Further along the sides of the moat, its edges curved down toward the water.
A Zeboose (Zebra + Moose) was casually posted, enjoying itself a drink.
“Look at that,” Lily said, pointing at the creature.
“I’ve never seen one of those before,” Eiji said, then, the water exploded outward. A large fearaligator snapped its jaws, snatching the Zeboose, and swiftly pulling it into the murky abyss. Everyone’s jaws dropped. “Never seen one of those either…” Eiji uttered.
Tofi having missed the scene, asked, “What’s everyone looking at?” Lily, whose hand was still extended toward where water, shouted, “We’re swimming?! Yay!” leaping off the cliff. Soon, she found herself swaying off the edge of the cliff, confused as to why she hadn’t touched the water. Looking up she noticed Rai, hanging off the edge, hanging onto her for dear life.
“Pull us up!” he shouted. He could see the eyes of the beast circling below, occasionally resurfacing before plunging back down into the water. Eiji, was their lifeline, gripping a root protruding right out the side of the cliff.
“Hold on,” Lily said, quickly extending her hand.
Gazing off the walls, a guard noticed their dilemma. “I’ve got to get help!” he stated, running off.
“Don’t worry, I have a pretty good grip-” The side of the cliff in which the root was logged into, crumbled and slipped out, and the creature lunged out of the water, aiming to eat them.
“Ikken!” Rai shouted, but only a small burst of energy emitted, bouncing right off its long snout. Rai gritted his teeth. I can’t use ikken to its fullest right now!
Tofi was laughing, but upon seeing the creature below, using her two little feet, she launched off the bodies of Rai and Eiji, propelling them back up with Lily. Swiftly flipping right over the snout of the Fearaligator, Tofi shouted, “SIT!” Slamming her fist into the snout of the creature, sending it sprawling straight into the water, where its unconscious body would slowly sink. Using its body, she launched right back up to the rest of everyone. Rai and Eiji looked as if they had just seen a ghost, sweating profusely on the floor. “What’s wrong?”
Plu came over to Rai, stating, “Plu.”
“Hey buddy.. while we’re here.. let's try and stick together,” Rai said. “My ikken doesn’t work without you.”
“Plu,” it said, walking away.
“I just said stick together!” Rai shouted. To understand ikken more, after the placement exam, Rai had gone to Marco, his Hall Master, and Elite he apprenticed for, seeking advice.
Marco, gazed out a long window panel, before turning to a plant and watering it. In Marco’s past time he was often tending to these plants, it was his favorite place to be. “Interesting…”
“I just don’t get it. Sometimes it works and other times it’s a total dud,” Rai said, throwing his hands to the sky. He was leaning against a table of plants, one of which was slithering up his coat. Scooching away, he awaited Marco’s response.
“Hm… Based on the experiences you’ve described, the answer could be much simpler than you’re making it out to be,” Marco said.
“Simple how?” Rai questioned.
“In each incident, you did utilize ikken correctly, who was beside you?”
“Plu…” Rai said, and Plu’s head popped out from under his hood. Rai recalled each moment in which ikken was strongest. During the placement exam, when I encountered the oversized vampires woo, Plu and I were focused on the same goal; not getting eaten... The other times, Plu willingly lent its power.
“My theory is that to use ikken, both you and Plu need to be honed and focus on the same target or goal in mind, otherwise you’ll end up with a lackluster ikken; much like with the bubble nymph Minus.”
Rai contemplated it… “Yeah… that makes sense. No like seriously, why I couldn’t see it before!?” he said.
“A warning. Try not to think of this journey as something you’re on by yourself, rather, know it as something you’re on together, with Plu. Its life and your ambitions have now become one, and you must treat it as so. In the same way, Shiki and my life are intertwined. Be honest in your evaluations of yourself, and I’m sure you’ll grow to become a capable elite.”
“Right,” Rai nodded. “Hey Plu,” Plu slipped out the back of his hood, plopping on the lengthy table of plants behind him. “Let’s go practice an ikken, I’m feeling really good about this! What do you say?!”
Plu gazed at Rai, motionless.
“I’ll throw in a strawberry ice cream?”
“Plu!” Plu shouted, throwing its arms to the sky, fierce determination on its face.
“Alright!” Grabbing Plu, Rai rushed out of the room. “Thanks again, Marco!”
Outside of Atlas, a guard ran by with his superior. “Huh, but they were just…”
Gazing at them, Rai hollered, “Hey! You gonna lower this thing or what!?”
Noticing Rai and the others, the guard peered in with a telescope perched nearby. Rai was flashing his badge, as was Lily, meanwhile, Eiji was flashing his new branded shirt logo, Plu’s Legion.
Fu was flashing his wooden butt…
“We come on official business from the Empire,” Rai announced. “A request from the Kingdom of Atlas to assist with the retrieval of King Venitas. Two of us should already be here.”
The guard faltered for a moment as he processed Rai’s words, then he remembered Eloise’s last words. ‘Those knuckleheads are late. When they get here, let them in so I can lecture them myself. If they're delayed, expect a penalty.’ She had no authority over him, being from Atlas, but something tells him that isn’t going to stop her from laying down punishment… After a moment’s hesitation, he pulled the lever, and the bridge dropped. “He’s referring to that intimidating-looking woman, right?”
“Think so…”
“Let’s hurry on, the mission can’t start without us and I’m afraid we’re already a day behind schedule,” Rai said.
Inside, as they approached the main gates, in which the King and his family would stay, two guards stood in the group’s way, though their gaze was on Lily. “Nefarians aren’t welcome, turn around.”
“This again!” Lily said, steam rushing from her ears. On the way here, they had almost gotten arrested multiple times because Lily had to knock a few of them across the head; after some pretty insulting comments that is…
Suddenly, the sky started to glow in a shade of dark blue, and the sound of thunder striking the earth resonated throughout the Kingdom. “Do you intend to keep the mission up any more than it already has been?” Eloise stated, her eyes glowing with an intense rage behind the guards.
The two guard seeing this ran for their lives.
“Thanks, Eloise,” Lily said.
“I was referring to the lot of you,” she said, and the clouds grew darker.
“Run!” Rai said, and everyone raced through the castle entrance.
“Hey guys,” Neptus said, appearing around the corner. The room was lush with red drapes all over, including soft red velvet seating. Many hookahs were set up along the tables, occasionally replaced by half-naked maids. “Guessing you ran into Eloise…” Everyone was on the floor breathing heavily.
Meanwhile, outside, Eloise asked, “Tofi, what’re you doing here?”
“I snuck, Ninja…” and she crossed her hands. “Though I was afraid you’d sense gumball…”
“I guess I can’t scold them when the blunder’s partly my own…” Eloise sighed. “Come Tofi, we’ve got a mission to complete. Remember, we’re representing the empire, we must take pride in these matters.”
“Okay!” Tofi said, saluting.
“We’re both elites, you don’t have to salute me...”
“Right,” Tofi said, placing her arms to her side, standing firm.
Inside, everyone was sitting on the couch, when Eiji asked, “Not bad,” staring at the decorations. “Could use a plant or two, but cozy. Hey Neptus, have you got to explore the place yet? Anything to do, maybe to eat?”
“No, the security here is pretty tight, I haven’t even seen any of the people in charge yet. Neither has Eloise. The Chancellor wishes to have the entire party here before we begin the mission.”
“What did you end up having to do? We were really worried you were going to get yourself in trouble…” Lily said.
“Speak for yourself,” Rai said, folding his arms behind his head.
“Nothing really. In case you guys were held up longer than expected, I wanted to get a head start on the mission layout,” Neptus said, taking out a map. “When I went to look for you, verdant barriers were everywhere, I wasn’t even sure where you had gone.” Laying the map out, he continued, “There seems to be an intricate system of tunnels, if we’re not careful, we could easily get lost.”
“Didn’t this Venita’s guy get lost going down a tunnel that wasn’t mapped, what good’s this one going to do us?” Rai said.
“The future is often much more profitable to those who prepare more than others, and King Ventis could be anywhere,” Eloise said, arriving with Tofi. “Neptus was the only one to have made it on time, something that will reflect the hall points once the mission is complete.”
“Who’s the hall point stacker now!” Rai shouted, rising and pointing at Neptus.
“You wanna go!?” Neptus said, rising as well.
Soon, a domineering presence loomed over them, and an electrifying fist came crashing down, sending each apprentice hurdling straight into a wall. A small crater outlining their bodies with their legs sticking out of it, twitching with static electricity, was the result. “I expect the lot of you to bring triple the amount of effort once the mission has officially begun,” Eloise stated. “Come, they await.” Tofi happily skipped along, meanwhile, everyone else remaining, quickly nodded, rushing to the throne room.
“Fu,” Eloise said. “You’re not an apprentice.”
“Oh, that’s right…”
“However, you can come, I’ve got a job for you,” she said, gazing at the legs of Rai and Neptus.
As they stepped into the throne room, the first thing that caught Rai’s attention were the walls, made from sturdy stone blocks. They had roots twisting between them, and their stems were still wet, dripping droplets of water onto the floor every minute or so.
A pair of mop boys hurriedly worked to keep the floor clean; it was their job to keep the place dry at all times.
Red drapes were positioned along the windows, allowing only fractions of light to enter. The throne itself, a solitary seat of power perched atop a platform, was made of stone, and the arm holders, had a design resembling many arms lying upon the other; almost as to show the many kings who had sat in the chair before the man sitting on it right now.
“Princess Eloise,” Chancelor Plut said. He looked like a dying man, with cheeks that sunk inward and dark shadowy bags under his eyes. “Or is it Queen now?” he said, caressing his long black goatee.
“Eloise is fine,” Eloise stated. “Apologies for our late arrival.”
“It’s fine,” Chancellor Plut said.
“Gearbearer, do you have the letter from the emperor?” Eloise stated.
“I do, it’s right...” Eiji, rummaging around, “…it’s…right...”
“You lost it didn’t you…” Rai said.
“I lost it…” Eiji hunched over.
“There goes another job…” Lily sighed.
Sighing, Eloise said, “Please wait outside…”
“Okay,” and Eiji slumped over, making his way outside the room.
“I’ll go with you!” Tofi shouted. “This place smells…”
“Hm, who do have we here? Neptus? They said they were sending apprentices and an elite, but they never said anything about a gift! Sater…” Chancellor Plut said.
Sater, a hulking figure clad in gold armor, stepped forth. Their hair hung from the armor, and on their waist, a pair of golden rings.
Stepping forth, Eloise, intervened, saying “Your steps lead you astray, Miss.”
“…you,” Sater uttered, slightly startled.
“Chancellor Plut is it. I take it you’re in charge now that King Venitas has gone missing. We are here on official business of the empire, by your request, and Neptus here is an apprentice. Under the empire's law, all past deeds, as long as they were not directly targeting the lives of the innocent, or those that reside within the Empire and its allies, are pardoned the moment they become an apprentice.”
“That so,” Chancellor Plut sneered.
“And might I say, your hospitality has been rather, lackluster. For one, having someone watching us every minute of the day, except for the time to bathe or relieve ourselves, is not quite what I expect from a kingdom that is so eager for the Empire’s aid. Now, if we can move on to more important matters, where is this ghoul-infested mine, so we may smite every last one of them on our way to the hopeful retrieval of your king?”
Chancellor Plut nodded at Sater, who in turn returned to their post.
Opposite that warrior, was another. These two made up the royal guard of King Venitas, though now they served Chancellor Plut. This man had a thick beard in which his long hair flowed seamlessly over, giving him a look of sophistication. His eyes, an earthy brown, watched intently, even offering a smile to ease the tension for the apprentices.
“Very well.” A sly grin spread across Plut’s face, “Servant! Bring me the details.”
“Right away,” a young lady spoke, appearing from behind a hallway of pillars.
Seeing her, Neptus shouted, “Urena!” He ran toward her, but two other guards stepped in front of him, placing their spears across one another, blocking his path.
Urena, eyes widening dropped the tray in which the scroll was on. Neptus?! What’s my little brother doing here?! I thought he escaped…
“Move!”
“Neptus!” Eloise shouted. “Was I mistaken to trust your resolve towards fulfilling this mission when I brought you along?”
“That’s my older sister!” Neptus said, gritting his teeth.
“Do you intend to help her dead?” Eloise said, shifting her eyes towards the royal guards. Neptus realized they were both ready to attack whoever stepped foot onto the platform on which Chancellor Plut was. “You’re still much too weak to be making these childish outbursts. Back down.”
“Neptus, I’m okay, please, don’t do anything rash,” Urena shouted. “I tried to escape, like you… But I was caught. Chancellor Plut was kind enough to give me a second chance…”
“It was that or the dogs,” Chancellor Plut stated. “Come here girl.” Urena picked up the scroll, bringing it over. She had her chin pressed against her chest, as if ashamed almost. Grabbing her chin, he forced her to look his way.
“Get your hands off of her!” Neptus shouted.
“I’ve had enough of this!” Rai said. “How bout I shove that scroll right up your-!” a load of strings wrapped both him and Neptus. “Hey? Fu! What the hell man?!”
“I’m doing you both a favor, you’re going to get yourself killed,” Fu said. “Don’t you know who that is?” Fu was referring to Sater.
Sater was the strongest warrior of Atlas, and as such, is said to be so strong, that they might have even broken into the elite's top five, had they been under the Empire. This was a statement that came directly from Gael himself after their kingdoms had a minor scuffle along their borders.
“Look at me,” Chancellor Plut stated, and Urena opened her eyes. “Quite the helper she is… maybe I’ll have her give me a bath later,” he said, bursting out in laughter.
“B-Bastard!” Neptus said, gritting his teeth.
“Neptus, I’m fine, I chose to be here,” Urena said. “We don’t need another situation like with mom and dad…”
Lily's fist was trembling, but she remained still. This is wrong… the world shouldn’t be this way.
“Apprentices, another lesson. We are not liberators, we do our duty as apprentices and elites, and in doing so, we are granted the power to change the world in so many other ways than direct conflict. There is always a time for action, but you should never waste that moment in a fit of rage, otherwise, you may never see your dreams materialized.” Lily noticed that Eloise’s eyes revealed signs of anger. “Chancellor Plut, enough of your games, proceed or we will be on our way,” Eloise said, firmly.
Opening the scroll, he read, “In here is a map of the new tunnel, up and to the point the ghouls began to flood in. After, it will be practically useless. On top of the other map we laid out for you in your quarters, you should have a good idea of how to get in and out of those twisting tunnels.
“How long do we have?” Eloise said.
“Three days, minus the one you’ve already wasted,” he snickered. “You’ll receive proper payment upon completion of his return, assuming the Kings not already dead, and you will receive one hundred shards of luminite for each ghoul killed.”
“He was with Juppet,” Mocorri, the other royal guard said. “He is an incredibly capable Abminus, so there may still be a chance he is alive.”
“As you might already know, our mines are some of the most abundant in all of the world when it comes to Luminite’s, largely part to the nutrients going there. It’s what funds our Kingdom, and keeps it prospering so,” Chancellor Plut said.
“Right, prosper…” Lily said, referring to the dead wasteland throughout the kingdom.
“I want those damn ghouls removed from it entirely, within the Ceres Tunnels northeast of here!” Chancellor Plut shouted, slamming his fist down on the armrest. “The Eris Cave directly north of here is the path in which King Venitas took before disappearing. So, you’ll have to split into two teams.”
“Which one did you memorize Neptus?” Lily asked.
Begrudgingly, Neptus replied, “Ceres.”
“Hm, if that is all, we’ll be on our way,” Eloise said, turning to leave with her apprentices. “Come Neptus, Rai, don’t make me repeat myself.”
“Urena-” Fu then used the strings to wrap Neptus mouth.
“Sorry Neptus…” Fu said.
“One last thing,” Chancellor Plut stated. “If you happen to come by the rumored Primordial, do know, it belongs to the property of Atlas. And just to make sure your empire doesn’t try and snag it from under our noses,” he nodded at Mocorri, “I’ll have Mocorri go with you.”
In another room, Eloise was lecturing both Rai and Neptus. “I will ask you one time, and one time only; do you have what it takes to be an apprentice serving under the Illuminus Elite?”
“Yes…” they bother muttered, facing opposite directions.
“Alright then. It’ll take us maybe a day to make it there, so we leave immediately,” Eloise said.
“Rai, Neptus, you will head to the Ceres Tunnels, meanwhile, myself, Lily, and Eiji will head to the Eris caves.”
“Does this mean I’m still employed,” Eiji said excitedly.
“That’s not up to me, but for now, yes, you are,” she said with a smirk.
“Woo!” Eiji said.
“What about me?” Tofi said.
“Yeah, where are we going?” Fu questioned.
“I had you there in case Rai and Neptus acted out, and you did well to hold them back. Now, it is officially in the hands of the empire. And as for you Tofi, you’re an Elite, but you’re still too young to play in the affairs of kingdoms and empires. You’re to wait here until we return.”
“Ahh, pooey!” Tofi said, crossing her arms.
Feeling the tension, Eloise softened her expression, stepping closer to Tofi. Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, she said, “Tofi, your time will come. Patience is a virtue, especially for one as spirited as you. Use this time to hone your skills, to grow stronger. When the moment arrives for you to step onto the big stage, you will be more than ready.”
Tofi’s scowl slowly formed into a smile, her arms unfolding as she considered Eloise’s words. With a small nod, she replied, “Okay, I’ll wait.”
Outside the gates, the two groups said their farewells.
“Good luck,” Rai said, pulling up on his hammerhead raptor to Lily’s
“You too, stay safe, both of you,” Lily said.
“I had no idea these things could be tamed!” Eiji said, petting the one he was one, though it smashed its hammerhead to the ground, in an attempt to kill a rodent running by, causing Eiji to fall forward onto the floor. “Ow…”
Eloise smiled, “Let’s not waste any more time, we have a mission to accomplish,” and she took off, as did the rest.
“Hold up guys!” Eiji stated, scurrying onto his raptor, it happened to notice the rodent once again. “Hey, where you going?” The raptor prowled towards the rodent, lunging at it, but it missed yet again. “I miss Manty!” Eiji cried as the raptor sporadically slammed its head chasing after the rodent, heading in the opposite direction.