“Did you collect your royalties from the bank?” Alex inquired, bored out of his mind, trying to keep it occupied by snapping his fingers as fast as he could.
“Not since… last month I guess,” Red replied, tinkering with an elemental bomb in order to adapt it for him. “Why? You need your cut?”
“I was thinking of swinging by the orphanage after the guild. The bank's close to it, so I thought I'd check,” he replied. As he waited in the workshop, the atmosphere was as greasy, dark, and cluttered as he remembered from six months ago. After enjoying the best breakfast ever prepared by him, Alex was banished downstairs by the two lovebirds, so they could make Elyza some new clothes. According to them, Kurve could work faster without disturbance from ‘the most distracting man on the planet.’ Taking it as a compliment, he could only imagine how much Elyza was hating every second she was stuck up there.
“Hey!” Red commanded, finally looking up from her work to stretch her back. “Did you tell her about the incident?” whispering the last word for some reason.
“Nah,” he waved her question aside, explaining, “I haven’t asked her about her own past, so she hasn’t asked me about mine.”
“Aren’t you scared she could find out about it from someone else?”
Alex scoffed, “I know you guys won’t tell Elyza, and, except goody-two-shoes, everyone who could know else is either dead, or indebted to me.”
“Maybe I should tell her,” Red mused, and an audible groan escaped his lips, “Unless you can incentivize me to keep quiet.”
“You know I’ll just get whatever you ask, so why must you try and blackmail me?”
Clearly disregarding what he had said, she slammed her hand on the desk, proclaiming, “I want a pet.”
It took Alex a moment to process her statement, and he didn't bother hiding his confusion. “Alright? The fuck does that have to do with me? You want me to find you like … a dragon or a hellhound to adopt?”
Surprisingly, she seemed taken aback, muttering, "Oh, good, you're okay with it," before returning to her tinkering with the sphere.
Frustration bubbled up in Alex. “WHY’D YOU ASK ME-” He nearly screamed before catching himself, taking a deep breath and continuing, “Red, you know I hate it when you do this, so tell me why you asked me that.”
“I don't think I will,” she replied stubbornly. “I mean, you didn’t tell me why you disappeared for five fucking months, and then when you did show up, you stuck around for a day, told me you needed me to craft a spell, and then disappeared again.”
“Red,” Alex said with a smile, “And I say this with love—you absolute buffoon, you moron, you haven't checked any letters in half a year, have you?”
For a second, Red's hands stopped working, her eyes widened, and her face shifted to a slightly darker shade of purple. “Pfft… of course I have,” she lied, laughing awkwardly.
“We’ve been friends for fifteen years, and I can spot a rock lying across a field.” Alex teased.
Unfortunately, a knock on the door spared her from any further ridicule his mind could come up with. Four bangs in succession, the last one slightly delayed – it couldn't be anyone other than Elyza.
“Took ya long enough,” Alex called out, swiftly stepping through the void to reach the door and opening it for her.
She looked different. Her blazing red hair was braided and then tied up in a messy bun on the back of her head, ensuring it couldn't be easily grabbed, with a few locks gracefully framing her ears. Beneath her bronze chest plate, she wore a faded purple high-collared shirt with leather pads peeking out from beneath her shoulder guards. The green cloak elegantly hugged the sides of her arms. Leather shin guards adorned her brand-new shiny black boots, which seamlessly complemented her chestnut pants. But as Alex glanced past the frosted shine of her armour, past how the colours engraved into the branches of the design eased into her clothes, he noticed something strange.
“Are you wearing foundation?” he asked with a curious smile.
Elyza tilted her head downward, touching her lightly powdered cheek, and looked at it. “It appears so,” She said, her tone indicating her obliviousness.
Alex grinned, “I’ve been there, Adam has a way of doing things without the other realising it.” He stepped aside to let her through, commenting, “You look comfortable. Everything up to your high standard?”
“These garments fit much better than my old gear,” Elyza agreed. “The armour is surprisingly light and feels much more flexible than the chain mail.”
“Then let’s get going,” he said, pushing her towards the back of the workshop. She didn’t resist, walking along with him, till they reached the solid steel door.
There were no visible locks on the door, no apparent way to open it, except there was. A rock, its outline slightly darker than the surrounding ones. Of course, Red hadn’t made it easy to open. He pressed the button in rhythm with the melody he had learned growing up in the orphanage, silently mouthing the tune. When he finished, there was no visible sign that the door had unlocked.
Sprawling under Pharus, expanded from the tunnels that birthed the revolution, a chaotic contrast to the meticulously crafted city above them, holding it up through sheer will, yellowing pillars connected to the statues above, along with the buildings, and quite a lot of magic. Stepping into the streets of the Lower District, Alex couldn’t help but take in the smell of the city, as he slammed the door shut. It had the aroma of damp stone and wood, with hints of burning coals, and the accents of sewage, giving it some funk. The streets were peppered with lamp posts that cast a warm flow on the people whizzing underneath them, commanding carts that noiselessly glided over the three rails set up in the middle, ferrying materials, or people, to their destination. The ring of metal against anvils, the roar of forges as they were fed, the screech of carts stopping, all echoed through the enclosed caverns.
Compared to the suffocating rush above, the underground felt like a breath of fresh air that invigorated him—metaphorically speaking, of course.
Alex spun on his heels to ascertain the expression on Elyza’s face, always finding enjoyment in them. There was amazement in her eyes, but through them, he could see some disbelief in her mind.
“Its-” She began.
“Incredible?” Alex suggested.
“…brighter than I imagined, and not as pungent as I was warned.”
He couldn’t help but chuckle, remarking as he started walking, “You’d be surprised how effective a slime based sanitation system can be.”
“Could you repeat that?” she requested, matching his pace.
“The city employs slimes to clean the sewage that accumulates within the water system and the sewage system.”
“Explain.”
Walking around a sign warning of danger ahead, he couldn't resist teasing his partner's curiosity, “I don’t recall the way a city deals with its sewage being one of your interests.”
“You expect me…” She stopped as they ducked under some scaffolding, as workers renovated the buildings flanking the road. The repairs managed to blend perfectly with the medley of different architecture designs that made you think that the city had its own unique style that he adored.
“You can not just offhandedly mention that there are slimes living within the city, and they are not treated as vermin, but instead seen as helping the city.” Elyza argued.
“I’m not sure of the details myself, but if you would like, we can go exploring the sewers afterwards,” he attempted to divert the topic of conversation, hoping she'd catch his hint.
“I would prefer if I never come face to face with a slime as long as I live.”
“That’d be an achievement if you can,” Alex teased, turning on his heels and walking backward, eager to face her as he asked, “Any thoughts you wish to share after your first hours in Pharus?”
Her ears perked up like the antennas of a bee, her brow slightly furrowed, and her lips tightened, her eyes momentarily looking past him. “It is noisy, congested, chaotic, and it felt suffocating as we navigated through it,” she began, her gaze returning to him. “However, I believe I will get used to it with time, and I am excited to explore more of it. As for your friends, they seem like good people, but they still have a long way to go in my eyes before I feel comfortable around them.”
He felt pride as he heard that she liked his friends,“Good to know your first impressions of them were positive. I’m curious, how long did I have to wait till you felt comfortable around me?”
“Let me remember… to your right.” With her direction, Alex moved to the right side of the path, avoiding a baker carrying a massive cloth bag holding baguettes wrapped with wax paper. As he enjoyed the slightly sweet, yeasty smell that lingered, Elyza answered, “When we were moving through the forest, when I was flooded with the voice of doubts and fear, your words helped to guide me through them. That was the moment where I knew I would be able to trust you.”
The words affected Alex, and he knew they did, but how was something he couldn’t figure out. Nonetheless, he didn't resist the urge to grin as wide as he could, just saying the first thing that came to him, “Well, I do hold my ability to get people to trust me in high regard. Now, let me ask you something else.”
“What do you want to know?”
“There’s a bakery en route to the Guild, offering the most amazing cheese puffs I’ve ever eaten. If you're interested, we could stop by for a quick snack?”
----------------------------------------
Standing before the Guild, Alex held a piece of grease-stained paper in his hand, crushing it into a ball and letting flakes of pastry fall to the ground. It always surprised him how pristine the building appeared, bathed in rays that streamed in from the flanking stairways, casting a subdued warm glow on its marble walls. People moved in and out through pointed archways, passing under the watchful gaze of gargoyles that he knew, from experience, were more than just decorations.
Unlike the rest of the district, the Guild had been formed not by chance, but by necessity. Constructed beneath the west wall as a way to bypass it, the building had had a makeover, both in what it did and how it looked since it was founded. The building had been carved in, but its facade was made of a combination of black and white marble. Initially conceived as the epicentre of rebellion organisation, the Guild had transformed into a pivotal hub, serving as intermediaries for the city and its people. People could issue requests that ranged from hiring workers for construction work, hiring adventurers to gather materials and kill some monsters along the way, or, more importantly, hire people like Alex. Unlike the decentralised Adventurers section of the organisation, which was divided into smaller units across the country, the Guild served as the central nexus where every ‘reputable’ assassin or thief could secure work.
“Would it not have been better if the location was more discreet?” Elyza questioned, wiping off the crumbs stuck to the edges of her mouth after she had demolished two hand pies in less than five minutes.
“I believe hiding in plain sight to be the superior strategy, and it hasn’t failed them in a hundred and fifty years.” he retorted, fully knowing that it wasn’t the only reason why they hadn’t been discovered.
Walking into the building, and onto the expansive floor illuminated by giant chandeliers dangling above, he spun around just as Elyza stepped in, and announced, “Welcome to Domus Damnatorum Opifices, ‘The House of Condemned Workers’! Or the Guild as it's now known.”
His voice cut through the hubbub of the building, causing a few people around him to stare at the sight of him posing, the majority continuing on with their business. “Why is it called the Guild?” Elyza asked, twirling him back forward, continuing, “Calling it the House would make more sense.”
“The original name has some attachment to contemptible actions the Guild had planned and undertook when they acted on behalf of the rebels, so they decided to abandon it for a more neutral name,” Alex explained as she pushed him toward the counters that faced the entrance.
Soon, he was guiding her to the counter he usually went to, which worryingly had no queue in front of it, except for one hulking brute standing in front of it. Fortunately, before they reached it, the half-naked barbarian stormed off, grumbling something under his breath, leaving them with a blessedly empty counter.
As they both stood in front of the glass divider, waiting for the counter’s attendant to return, he started to tap a tune on the wood of the counter. Turning to Elyza, wanting to talk, he noticed that she appeared more rigid than usual. She seemed to be forcibly straightening her back, and the tips of her ears were trembling.
Grinning, wanting her to relax, he reassured her, “No need to be nervous, Ears, registration should be simple, after all you have the greatest living assassin vouching for you.”
Before she could answer, a familiar buttery voice interrupted them.“Well, well, well, look who’s back. The only person I’m happy to see still has all his arms and legs.” He didn’t turn, instead enjoying the look of astonishment that appeared on Elyza’s face when she saw who spoke.
Dragonkin were, by definition, not a common sight in the world, but the one attending to the two had a beauty that could rival a lunar eclipse. Glowing pearlescent scales adorning their light blue skin, a mix of dragon and luin, starting from the edges of their face, blending into their fin-like ears, and moving downwards. A set of gills ran along their neck, shut close since they weren’t in use, their silver hair falling freely on their folded wings, and the pool of purple that they called eyes mesmerising anyone who met them. They were more modestly dressed than usual, donning a cream shirt, a tight-fitting purple vest that matched their eyes, and normal black pants.
“A joy as always, Lati.” Alex greeted his friend with a smile.
“This the one you were babbling about?” They asked, pointing towards Elyza, which snapped her out of her amazement.
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” she quickly recovered, extending her hand, “I am Elyza.”
“She has manners…,” Lati stated, trying to sound shocked, taking her hand, “So you’re the one he wants to replace me with,” but before Ears could rebuke that, they turned to him, “When you said you had found a partner, I was half-expecting just a clone of you.”
He couldn’t find any fault in their reasoning, remarking, “That’s valid.”
“Well, let me explain how this works,” Lati started, shifting their attention back to Elyza, “When you get registered as one of our ‘helpers’, you gain a rank that depicts your usefulness and importance to the organisation, which in turn depicts what kind of jobs you can take on, and what kind of jobs you will be given by us. Fortunately, unlike the Adventurers’ Guild, you can quite definitely skip the lower ranks. Since Mr. Dramatic himself has endorsed you, the House will allow you to advance to, more or less, the same rank for the duration of the partnership…”
“If?” Alex prompted, knowing that there were always strings attached.
“… if you are able to successfully complete some jobs, that will be chosen to test your expertise. Considering what Alex has told me, it won’t take that much time. Afterwards, you’ll be given joint assignments that Alex usually gets on his own, and you will only be receiving messages from the House, and reporting your findings only to me.” Lati finished.
Alex sighed, dropping his head, mumbling to himself, “Of course…”
Elyza must have nodded, as Lati continued, “Then, just fill out this form to the best of your ability, and hopefully I’ll be done with this shit by today,” handing over a piece of paper to her along with a pen, their perky attitude not dropping for a second, causing him to chuckle in the process.
Glancing over the form, she remarked, “I feel uncomfortable giving so much information to an organisation which primarily organises assassinations.”
“Just put down your name, age, and ‘Hired Hand’ as your class, that’s what I did. They just need to know who they’re hiring and who they’re going to pay, and both of them will be handled by Lati. We’ll both be working under pseudonyms anyway, which leads me to the next point of discussion,” Alex explained.
The joy in Alex's heart expanded as he lifted his head, knowing fully that she would hate the words he uttered next, “Time to come up with one.”
The disappointment on her face and the slow droop of her ears only served to widen Alex’s smile. “Is that really necessary?” she questioned, suggesting, “Can I choose to not have to use one, maybe we can both use Nemo, turn it into a group name?” There was not a sense of hope in her voice, she knew he wasn’t going to compromise.
“It’s fun… for me, because, hopefully, nobody will actually know if either of us were involved,” He could’ve stopped there, but he was in a groove, and he added, “It’s for show, to make sure we keep our killing from fully corrupting who we actually are. But mostly, because I’m curious who you want to be. So rattle them out.”
With a soft sigh, Elyza suggested, “Omen?”
He was offended, and made sure to sound that way, “That’s Nemo, backwards.”
“Ivy?”
“Taken and basic.”
After a moment of consideration, Elyza finally proposed, “Penelope.”
“You got that, Lati?”
“Yup,” Lati affirmed, pen hovering over the form, a threatening drop of ink poised to stain it. “Now I just need your last name, age, and, Alex, no arguments, race.”
Alex grumbled under his breath some loosely connected words, as Elyza answered. “I am a part Forest Elf, My family name is Kethualuth,” Pausing to look back at him, her gaze threatening to hurt him if Alex dared to made fun of it, which worked, continuing, “… and I’m 27 years old.”
That piece of information hit him like an avalanche, his shock overriding his self-control, looking to her for confirmation. “What? You’re older than me?” he blurted out, looking to Elyza for confirmation.
She didn’t seem as surprised as he was, “Considering how you act, it should not have been a shock that the more mature person was mature.”
“Spoken like someone who hasn’t realised that I’m only two years younger,” Alex retorted, and her expression of shock finally matched his, which was now hidden behind a grin. Impulsively, he asked, “When’s your birthday?”
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Elyza's ears perked up as she replied, “The nineteenth of December in the common calendar, I believe.”
Musing to himself, he mumbled out, “Interesting. Six months till your next one, I need to remember that.”
“Are you going to tell me yours?”
Before he could not answer her, the barbarian from before, barging in between them, shoving them to the side, and banging his fist against the divider, clearly having some anger issues. With a grunt, he threw some papers through the slit under the divider, his tone gruff, meant to broadcast his toughness, as he growled, “Better not send me away again, sweetheart.”
Alex spotted Elyza’s hand curl up, and if the setting was different, he would’ve let her deck the bare chested man, but a crowd may not be on their side. He tapped the barbarian's shoulder, and informed him, “Excuse me, but we were in the middle of something.”
The response from the barbarian was predictably aggressive. Glaring back at Alex, he bellowed, “Fuck off, twat.”
Wanting to escalate the situation now that he had confirmed his suspicions, unfortunately he made the mistake of looking towards Lati for confirmation, whose expression conveyed that they were used to the barbarian. Reluctantly, Alex took a step back, and after a conversation done entirely through stares, Elyza followed suit.
The duo waited as Lati worked, meticulously studying the forms and retrieving other papers from the drawer below their desk. Finally, they chirped, “Everything seems to be now in order…” As they continued, a twitch at the corner of their mouth betrayed their true feelings, “However, since you will be advancing from silver rank to gold, you will need to have a recommendation from a current gold rank adventurer who can vouch for your skill and character as a prerequisite. Please ensure you acquire the recommendation within a month, or else I will have to cater to you once again.”
The muscles on the barbarian's back tensed, his posture stiffening as knots began to appear, making the black ink lines tattooed on the skin turn wiggly in the process. He seemed on the verge of exploding, but a quick poke at a couple of the knots redirected his anger toward Alex. Instinctively, Meathead swung at him, but the movement was slow enough for Alex to step back and address him calmly, “Pardon my intrusion, but now that your reason for interrupting us has been completed, I would appreciate it if you could leave and allow us to continue.”
The barbarian didn’t appear to be in a conversing mood, puffing out his hairy chest as he stepped towards Alex, glaring down at him, “Have you any idea who you just pissed off?” he growled.
“You haven’t introduced yourself yet, so no,” he admitted, casting a glance toward Elyza, who had moved towards Lati, prepared to knock Meathead out as soon as he did something stupid.
“I am Ragnar Bloodmoon, the strongest adventurer in all of Luminae…” Ragnar declared, his voice laced with pride.
Alex was barely able to stifle his laugh, “That cannot be your real name.”
Ragnar's face turned redder with each passing second. “Explain quickly why I shouldn’t crush your neck right here and now,” he snarled out the words.
The barbarian’s anger seemed to be more a product of frustration than rage, so it was still possible to talk his way out of a fight. “Firstly, killing someone in the confines of the Guild would be detrimental to your application to rank up,” Alex started, making sure to lower his gaze and hunch his shoulders, keeping his tone civil.
“Secondly, what would that truly accomplish? Obviously, an accomplished adventurer such as yourself would be easily able to overpower a mere explorer like myself, who primarily just collects materials for a quaint little shop called ‘Cloaks and Halberds’.” He said, nary a change in his voice indicated his lying.
Pausing for a moment, he continued, turning his tone sorrowful, “I am deeply regretful for my previous impulsive action, so let’s just mark this incident as a learning moment for me that I am thankful that you have taught me, and we can go our separate ways,” he managed to end his apology with a nervous smile.
The barbarian just glowered down at him, and as much as Alex had confidence in his puppy eyes, they didn’t seem to be working. Meathead stepped forward, his voice dropping to sound threatening, “It doesn’t seem like you’ve learned not to disturb your betters, let me make sure that never happens again…”
Just slice his throat, and save some time
“I challenge you to a duel!” Ragnar’s voice echoed through the high chamber.
It had been a while since one of those thoughts had broken through the cell in Alex’s mind, so he hadn’t actually heard exactly what Meathead said. His mind took a while to process what had just happened, noticing the gaze of more and more people on him, and when it finally clicked, he addressed Lati first, “How long is it going to take you to get Elyza registered?”
Lati appeared checked out, reading a book with their legs up on the desk, replying casually, “About an hour. Oh, and also, the Council is holding a meeting tomorrow, and they want you to be there.”
Alex was internally cursing his decision to inform the House of his return from holiday, but he couldn’t let it show. “It seems I have some time to kill,” he said, dropping his snivelling act, staring directly into the barbarian's eyes, “What are the stakes?”
“A hundred gold.” Ragnar replied, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
“A bit expensive for me, so I have a compromise in mind: if you win, I give a hundred gold, however if I win, you have to go back down to bronze rank, but surely a man of your skills won’t be deterred by a foolish and improbable chance of losing, right?” Alex proposed, his tone laced with confidence, holding his hand out for confirmation.
The barbarian had to accept the condition, lest his ego take a beating. With a handshake, the match was set. “Then it's settled, we’ll meet in the coliseum in five minutes,” Alex declared, a grin spreading across his face.
----------------------------------------
Looking down at him, Elyza's voice dripped with boredom as she asked, “Why are you doing this?”
Alex sat cross-legged on the hard red clay that formed the ground of the perfectly ellipsoid cave, whose walls were carved in a way that the limestone appeared knapped. The boundary of the battle arena was marked by marble brick embedded into the clay, with grey cement walls further beyond, guarding the spectators. The seats above were mostly empty, save for a few that had come to see a famously ruthless barbarian absolutely massacre him—the former of whom was notably late.
He leaned backwards, falling onto his back, looking in her eyes as he said, “What? You think he can beat me?”
“Be realistic, Mr. Dramatic,” she retorted, flipping him back with a kick to his shoulder, continuing, “Why humour him with a fight, when you know you will win? So, just pay him the gold and be done with it.”
There didn’t seem a need to add his usual flair, so he just shrugged, and plainly admitted, “I’m bored, and fighting is a good way to blow off some steam. I mean, theoretically, since Meathead hasn’t shown u…” His sentence trailed off as the barbarian walked in from the arch that faced him.
Alex could only sigh, and Elyza perfectly encapsulated his thoughts as she saw Ragnar and commented, “It is uncanny how often this happens.”
“I concur,” he grumbled out, standing up, “Let’s set a wager, how long is this going to take me?”
“For what are we betting?”
“Lunch.”
“One to two minutes,” she answered without hesitation, or even a moment to think.
“You insult me.”
“Under a minute is going to be hard to achieve, so we have a deal.” she said, walking toward the seats and with a practised ease, she climbed up the wall. Upon reaching the top, instead of taking a seat, she leaned against the railing,
Meanwhile, Ragnar stepped into the circle, accompanied by a guild hand, presumably sent by Lati in order to supervise the duel, along with making sure no one died in the process. As the referee made their way to the centre of the arena to commence the match, Alex used the moment to study his opponent.
His mind was free to run, and his eyes absorbed every detail that caught his interest. Unlike many of his barbarian counterparts, Ragnar wasn't weighed down by heavy armour. But, the reason for its absence wasn’t hard to decipher. The black ink on his chest painted a circular glyph that mirrored what Alex had seen on his hide, and it looked to be a mage armour spell. Ragnar's weapon of choice was as stereotypical as it came for a barbarian—A double-headed steel blade axe. Some glyphs smeared onto the metal using blue paint which looked a bit luminescent, blue residue surrounding his grip on the axe’s wooden haft.
Strategies started to pile up in his mind, every consequent one coming up with ways to end the duel faster than the last. Then, in a moment of inspiration, an idea popped into Alex’s head—so outrageous, so audacious, something that just required a bit of set-up to work.
Alex focused on his shadow, attaching a remnant of it to where he was standing, and as the guild hand reached the centre, he created a small illusion to mask it, ensuring it went unnoticed.
The murmurs of the sparse audience faded into silence as the guild hand raised his hands, signalling the start of the duel. The referee’s voice cut through the quiet, formal and authoritative.
“The Guild has agreed to recognise the duel between Alex and Ragnar Bloodmoon, and the conditions that the two parties have decided upon. To commence with the battle, we just require the parties to accept not to retaliate against the Guild if the outcome of the duel is undesirable to them.”
He gestured towards Ragnar, prompting the barbarian to respond. But before Ragnar could answer, Alex raised his hand and cleared his throat, drawing the umpire’s attention.
“I hate to do this,” he acted a bit coy. “But I’m not that experienced with real duels, only participated in a couple of magic duels in academia…” stepping towards his left, and repressing his gigantic grin when Meathead mirrored his action.
“So, if you could be so kind and explain the rules we have to follow, I would greatly appreciate it,” he added, spinning on his heels and beginning to pace anti-clockwise in the arena, keeping his movements fluid and nonchalant.
“What would you like clarification on?” the umpire asked, an expression of slight unsureness creeping up his face on why the duellers were circling each other before the fight had begun.
“What’s the winning condition? Do we just batter each other till the other falls unconscious?”
“The duel shall end when the other party is either in no condition to fight, which will be decided by me, or when either leaves the confines of the arena.”
“And am I allowed to… commence my magic before the match officially starts?”
“All spells and magic are allowed after the duel begins, if I detect any mana use before it does, the match is forfeited and the perpetrator is declared the losing party.” The umpire answered, and Alex stopped walking, prompting him to continue, “Are all your doubts resolved?”
“Yes, they are,” Alex confirmed with a grin, while Ragnar came to a halt exactly where he had been standing moments before.
Nodding in acknowledgment, the umpire gestured towards Ragnar, who spoke up confidently, “I accept.”
The guild hand then pointed to Alex next, who matched Ragnar’s confidence, “Guess I don't have much of a choice, do I? I accept.”
The guild hand jogged out of the arena, and as soon as he stepped over the marble border, he turned around and announced in a clear and booming voice, “The stage is set, the fighters ready, the duel… BEGINS!”
Before the word could even reach Alex, his body turned into umbra, melding into his shadow. Yet, as it did, he poured mana through the domain, funnelling it to the remnant underneath the barbarian, springing forth from his little illusion. A copy of himself emerged from beneath Ragnar's feet as Alex sank into the domain of darkness. The sea of shadows should’ve pushed him towards the surface, through the cloudy film that contained it, but as he floated up from the plane of light, there was no need to surface.
The darkness squeezed against his skin, heavier than even cooling lava, which was strangely a familiar feeling. It was impossible to see through it without anything to shine from behind, but sight was not required. Alex floated weightlessly through the shadows, his body guided by instinct, arching back into the plane of light just ahead of where the remnant of his own should be. Lightning coursed through his muscles, charging them as he rose back into the real world, right where the barbarian was.
Ragnar had thought that Alex would stoop so low as to stab him in the back, so when he felt something emerge behind him, he swung his axe at the clone. But when he caught sight of something coming up from the corner of his eye, it was too late.
Standing, his hand raised, lightning crackling through his right hand, palm facing directly at the barbarian’s contorting back. Unfortunately, the mage armour had already been erected, so this wouldn’t hurt as much as Alex would’ve liked.
As Ragnar’s pupils widened, realising what was about to happen, Alex had the biggest shit-eating grin he could muster, and he just had to add some flair. “It was fun while it lasted,” he taunted.
Static arced onto the surface of the ethereal translucent armour first, followed by a flood of electricity. The barbarian’s feet were wrenched off the clay so fast that they still held onto some clay as he was thrown out of the arena, forming a sizable crater upon impact with the concrete border.
“FIFTEEN FUCKING SECONDS!” Alex shouted triumphantly toward Elyza, who remained leaning against the railing, her face expressing a mix of annoyance and impressiveness unique to only her. The rest of the crowd was still dead silent, still processing what had just happened in front of their eyes, including the guild hand.
But the umpire appeared to be more used to unusual ends to fights, and he declared, “The winner is Alex! By the way of throwing his opponent out of the ring,” before dashing towards the still conscious, but undoubtedly rattled, barbarian.
Elyza jumped from the wall, air swirling around her to soften her landing. As she touched down, the circling wind picked up some clay and concrete dust that had flown up due to the impact, and when she let go of her control over it, she definitely made some fly into his face.
But he was in too good a mood to care. Strangely, as she walked towards him, she seemed to glance at something behind him, and as he turned to see who it was, Lati popped into his view, their scales reflecting the sunlight straight into his eyes.
“Sweet mother of pearls!” Alex exclaimed as dramatically as he could.
Lati chuckled at his reaction, catching themselves quickly, turning to Elyza, “I have some great news. I was able to get the jobs you’ve been tasked with completing faster than usual, so I would suggest looking over them and creating a plan of action. You’ll have a month to complete them all, but it doesn’t hurt to have one,” they said, offering Elyza a leather-bound file. Then, turning to Alex, they added “After you’ve attended the meeting tomorrow, you both should be set to start working on them.”
“I know, I know,” He let out a sigh, dreading having to deal with the ancients at the council, “Don't have to tell me twice.”
Elyza peeked inside the file, asking, “Am I required to attend the meeting as well?”
Grumbling, Alex replied, “I'm not feeling that heartless today, so no, you don’t need to come with,” turning to face her as she flipped the file to check the documents inside. “No need to be so excited, we can plan the journey out after we get lunch,” he advised, grinning as he interrupted her, continuing with his usual panache, “And, as you can tell from my tone, I know just the place where we can do both.”
Knowing where he was hinting, Lati made a request, “Ohhh, I haven't been there since the party you held for me, you think you could snag me some quiches for dinner?”
“I’ll swing by and drop them off,” he promised, his torso swinging around as he answered, before addressing Elyza once again, “You remember the way back from here to the shop, don't you Ears?”
She was clearly curious about the place he was talking about, but her expression turned worrisome as soon Alex asked her, “I do… Why are you asking me that?” She questioned.
“Just needed to know if we should walk there or not.” Grinning as he pulled up on their shadows to envelop them both.
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Alex held the cup of liquid gold just in front of his mouth, savouring the earthy vanilla aroma, before sipping some of the chocolate-infused coffee to explore the depths of its flavour. A splash of milk was his usual go-to, softening the bitter edge of the rich flavour, but at Regina Romance, he always knew that whatever he tried would be delicious.
The smooth caramel-y beverage washed away the tang of tomatoes at the back of his throat, a trace of the lasagna he had devoured but only a minute ago. Its taste was amplified by the majestic, albeit a bit cluttered, view of the castle walls that formed an edge of the public grounds, flowers bursting with all colours of a rainbow, and their dark green leaves melding beautifully with the grass.
His current company was presently occupied in the polishing off some fried kraken tentacles, a delicacy he was deeply familiar with, the last in a long line of fallen beasts Elyza had devoured that day. The plates that carried them to their deaths were placed neatly in a stack beneath the table. Her face was devoid of any messiness that usually came with inhaling food, except her fingers, which were stained orange due to all the greasy food.
Finally slowing down, Alex was presented with an opportunity to speak, smiling at the carnage in front of him, “This was meant to make you regret betting against me, but I don't think it had the desired effect,” he remarked.
The words seemed to snap her out of her gluttonous rampage, meeting his gaze after swallowing her last mouthful, “I believe it had the exact effect you expected it to,” she said, seeing straight through his words. Continuing, she added, “And I thank you for it.”
“I have no clue what you are referring to,” Alex replied with a playful grin. “Now, if you can hand me those last remaining arms and pull out the file, we can see what the House wants you to do.”
Wiping her hands with a towelette, Elyza reached down to take it out of her burlap sack, and as she did, he pulled the plate of fried kraken towards himself, picking up one of the two curled tentacles and taking a bite. The crunch of its coating gave way to a nice, firm, but not chewy meat. Unlike the ones from his childhood, it didn't taste as fresh or flavourful as he was used to, but it was still quite good.
Revealing three envelopes made of yellowish canvas paper, she remarked, “These are the entirety of the file’s contents.”
“Open one,” he suggested, and she did.
Pulling out a rectangular piece of linen paper, she unfolded it and by habit, Alex immediately looked towards its top right corner. It was dipped in bright blue wax — an official request from the nation.
He could see Elyza’s eyes scanning the contract, and when they stopped, she spoke, “Apparently, there is suspicion that some organisation is taking advantage of Beastmen wanting to enter Luminae in less than legal ways from the mountains to the north-east. It is a call to the people from the military requesting any information on the slave trade which is thought to be operating within the territorial bounds. The House has instructed us to locate its base, and if possible, eradicate it.”
“Good, I needed some live test subjects,” he blurted out between bites of the remaining arm. She didn't disagree, picking up another envelope.
This one had a dull yellow corner, a citizen’s request, “Someone is reporting that growing cult in their town, and are worried that they may turn violent. So, the guild wants me to go there, infiltrate the cult, and dismantle it from the inside.”
As he wiped his greasy fingers, a smile spread across his face as he thought of ways to do so, remarking, “That should be fun.”
Opening the last envelope, she summarised the writing, holding the paper by the purple wax corner. “The guild in Rexham wants someone to investigate a cave that has suddenly shown up near the town. Many of the adventurers sent there haven’t returned, and they are worried that it may be a monster den.”
She looked at him as if she was expecting Alex to take the lead, so he reminded her, his tone more serious than he was used to, “They want to test your skill, and while I will accompany you, you’re in charge, Ears.” He switched his tone back almost immediately, grinning, “But it doesn’t mean I won't be of help.”
Alex's hand dove into his cloak’s shade, focusing on not breaching into his own personal pocket within the domain of shadows, feeling around for a map. His hand struck some sort of paper, but it felt too soft, and continuing on, he finally held in his hands a heavy scroll whose edges felt just rough enough to be his map.
Pulling it out with gusto and holding it in his hand like it contained an ancient prophecy, he used his other hand to clear the table a bit so he could roll it out. As soon as Elyza picked up the contracts, he unfurled it, a few pins tumbling with it. He turned his voice to sound like a goon’s, “What’s the plan, boss?”
Unfortunately, travelling with him for so long had given her some immunity to his impressions, but it wasn't enough to stop a slight smile from appearing on her face as she studied the map. The mainland of the nation looked like a boot lifting up from the sea, with a cluster of islets towards the south leading to a larger island. A mountain range started from the northwest, tapering a bit as it stretched to the northeast, creating a natural barrier that separated the peninsular nation from the rest of the continent.
The surface of the map was dotted with holes, and the paint was starting to fade. It was a purely locational map, used to plan out routes, with essential geographical features like rivers, lakes, plains, and forests dyed onto it. Most of the cities, towns, and ports were present, printed onto the canvas, and if there was anything significant that Alex had encountered, it had been marked with ink.
“I believe our primary focus should be finding the slave traders,” Elyza started, glancing at the associated contract, placing her index finger on the start of the northern mountains, “The easiest and most common way to travel between the two nations is by sea, however, there is quite a substantial valley in between the range, so there may be an alternate route within the valley that bypasses the checkpoints on the border.” Tracing her finger through the route, she circled an area nearby, “These towns here have a low population, so it is likely that they may have created a base there. I say we hit all of them.”
“The journey will take us four days at the most,” Alex mumbled absent-mindedly as he listened to her plan.
Placing a pin in all three of the towns, she picked up another. “Since we have to go to Rexham, it may be more efficient to route our journey through the town, as I imagine, even if the cave turns out to be a monster den, it will only take us a day to complete the contract.” Tacking it down next to the city’s name, she continued, “A day to reach the town, another to complete the contract, and then two to reach the mountains. Does that seem sensible?”
Her tone indicated that the question was rhetorical, so Alex responded appropriately, “Of course, Ma’am. Small question, why do you want to leave the cultists for last?”
She picked up the yellow cornered contract, scanning it, explaining her reasoning, “The request seems to have been made quite recently, and we have to go southwest towards the coast for it. I would be highly surprised, even if there is a cult, if they would be able to gain so much influence in a week that they become a worrying threat.”
“You may be better than me at making plans, we’ll have to wait to find out if you’re better at keeping to it,” Alex remarked, letting his pride show with a grin. Then he remembered, pulling out his pocket watch to check if they were running late—it read 13:30—adding as he raised his hand to call a server, “And just in time, so let’s finish up here and go explore the city a bit.”
Elyza retrieved her coin pouch, and asked, “What now?”
“Well,” he began, a plan forming in his head for the day, “We’re first going to visit the orphanage so I can donate some gold, then I need to visit the bank to get some money from Red’s account. After that I was thinking maybe hit the Thalia, there’s a play being held that people are raving about, get some seeds from the greenhouses, and then visit the market to score some fresh ingredients for-”
“I meant…” she stopped him from rambling any further, clarifying, “When shall we leave the city?”
“I would like to skip the meeting and leave tomorrow, but if I tried to, Red would strangle me to death, so I’ll see how fast I can be done with it, we’ll explore the parts of the city we couldn’t today, maybe kill some killers in the process, and we can depart the day after.” Alex answered, his mood brightening as the waiter reached the table.
“I hope you enjoyed the food! Your total has come out to five gold coins,” the waiter declared, and the look of realisation on Elyza’s face was hysterical as she pleaded with her brows to split the bill.
Alex just swigged the rest of his coffee, which was now lukewarm, relishing it for the energy it gave him, and not for its taste, and stated, “There’s the regret I was looking for.”