People always seemed to fare better the second time around, at least according to Alex’s theory. Not many of his friends were willing to do it again. So when they emerged out of the shadows, Alex wanted to see Elyza’s reaction. And his theory was right. Instead of retching up her breakfast, she only seemed a bit disoriented, her forest green eyes momentarily unfocused.
She continued on with her sentence, “-you dare do that again.” before sitting down on the ground to regain herself. Alex gently set down the girl on the bed behind Elyza before helping her up.
Elyza questioned him, “Where are we?”
Alex responded instantly, “A safehouse.”
“Okay,” Elyza, still sounding a bit sceptical, “And what are you supposed to do after you ‘rescued’ the prisoner.”
“First, you’re going to help me catch some fish.” Alex replied, dragging her outside the shack. The sun hung high in the sky, the river Fabru lazily flowing through the glade, its pristine water almost clear as air. Stopping at the river bank, Alex reached into his shadow, as Elyza wondered what he was doing. His fingers rummaged around in the dimension, trying to remember where he had stored them. After a while, he felt two wooden sticks wrapped together.
Alex asked Elyza,“You’ve fished before, yes?” who nodded in affirmation. Alex grinned as he pulled out the two fishing rods, handing one of them to her, “Good, because it's been a long time since I have,” plopping himself onto the soft grass.
He motioned her to follow his lead, as he cast his wire into the river, the ripples disturbing the many beings roaming around the bed. Elyza remained standing as she cast her line as well.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, her tone a blend of curiosity and intrigue.
“Fishin?” Alex replied in a tone equalling hers, manufacturing a fishing hat out of shadows and placed it on his head.
“Waiting.” Elyza replied exasperated, as she tried to reel in some sort of eel, “Who even hired you? Who wants to kill the earl and rescue his niece.”
“I could tell you, if, let's just say, you were my partner. But since you are unequivocally not, and since my client is someone of a ‘higher’ social status, I can only divulge that they’ve chosen to delay their arrival to ensure they aren’t tailed and to eliminate any suspicion,” Alex rattled off, as he waited for a bite.
Conversation seemingly ended afterwards, both of them enjoying the tranquillity of the river. The critters in the water seemed to steer clear of Alex’s hook, avoiding it as if it were the plague, though his companion’s bait had been far more enticing to them. But with each passing minute of stillness, Alex’s mind yearned for something more, his body mirroring its protests. Though he had gotten used to the feeling, it didn’t stop him from loathing it.
Thankfully, his companion seemed to be of the curious sort. After her fifth failed attempt to land some dinner, she bluntly asked, “Are you an elf?”
Alex was astonished at her accurate deduction. If one were to place him next to his mother’s relatives, they would have never arrived at such a conclusion. The only visual hint of his elven heritage was his slightly pointed ears. But heritage not being a touchy topic, he replied with a smile, “Yes. Half of one in fact. I do believe that is something we both share common ground on.”
Elyza didn’t respond immediately, possibly contemplating if she should tell the truth, “What gave it away?”
Alex proceeded cautiously, “Other than your hair being an unusual red for a forest elf, mostly just a gut feeling. That and the fact that you aren’t wearing any sort of clan insignia,” he explained as he reeled in his line. Alex stored his rod and stood up in the same motion, deciding that it wasn’t his day,“Some of them can be a bit… too traditional.”
Elyza nodded in agreement. “Is this all you do?” she inquired, her tone reflecting her previous question. “I thought you were supposed to be some sort of…” trying to find the right word,
“Altruistic?”
“‘Altruistic assassin.’ It seems to me that most of your time is spent loafing around."
Alex simply smiled as he reached towards the ground, “For jobs such as this, patience is a necessary vice. Not every single one of my days are spent overthrowing kingdoms, fighting monsters, or cleaning up idiots.” Tendrils appeared from his shadows, carrying with them his bow, and a singular arrow. Grabbing both, he continued, “It is not as if I wait around for someone to ask for help. Most of my time is spent investigating strange phenomena and ensuring they aren’t connected to something sinister. And if they are, I do what is necessary to stop them from coming to fruition. Along the way, I try to help as many people as I can, because why not, I’m already here, aren’t I?”
Elyza attempted to interject, but Alex carried on, “The reason I was visiting that city over there,” pointing towards the direction of Bakelv, “Was because of a rumour that a growing slave trade, led by its earl, had connections to a disconcertingly big religious organization. I got sent here to confirm the rumour, and while I was planning his death, my client contacted me.” He drew his bow, aiming at the river, and waited, “I hope that answers your question?”
Elyza went quiet for a moment, before abruptly commenting, “You love to hear your own voice, don’t you?”
“Who doesn’t?” Alex said, letting the arrow fly. It pierced the water without a splash, striking an over curious fish investigating Elyza’s hook. He quickly waded into the river, wanting to reach the fish lest another reach it before him. Pinned to the river bed, the arrow had gone straight through the forelle’s eye. Alex removed the arrow, a grin etched across his face as he presented the catch to Elyza.
“Nice shot.” She commented as Alex made his way back to the riverbank. In his hand, he assessed the weight of the fish, deeming it more than enough to feed the three of them. With a nonchalant toss, he returned his bow and arrow to the depths of his shadow. In return, tentacles carrying logs emerged, placing them in a shape similar to a log cabin till it reached two feet in height. And now came the part that Alex dreaded. He closed his eyes for a moment, preparing himself for the ordeal to come.
“I’m guessing you know how to gut a fish?” he asked Elyza, to which she replied with a single nod. “Good.” He said, tossing the trout to her, “This may take some time.” His focus had shifted on to his greatest challenge – Creating a flame.
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Alex sat down next to the unlit campfire, uncertainty gnawing at his mind. Today could be another day where he failed, but he still wanted to try. Cupping his hands together, he focused his mana into them, like countless times before. Sparks erupted from his palms, congregating into a ball of electricity in the centre of the two. Gradually slowing the flow of mana caused it to dissipate safely. This outcome was expected, but it wasn’t what he was working towards.
Alex calmed himself for another attempt, this time trying to call upon something else. Manipulating lightning was natural to him for as long as he could remember. However, recent events had led him to question the limits of his elemental affinity. Calling upon fire strained his body and mind, but he dismissed the feeling as soon as he felt a familiar tug. This was the moment where his attempts before had fallen flat. But he kept a hold onto that latent power, trying to drag it out. Alex’s heart skipped a beat as he started to smell smoke, struggling to remain calm as he opened his eyes. And what he saw was…
That his fingers were slightly smoking. No fire, no flames, not even a burn mark. Frustration took over Alex, having gotten so close this time. His emotions boiled over to anger, slamming into the ground as hard as he could.
“You need some help?” Elyza’s voice weaselled into his mind, but Alex paid it no heed. Instead, he channelled the growing anger into his hand, the latter outstretched towards the pile of wood facing him. He tried to feel for that tug again, but with his mind unfocused and driven by the diminishing anger, he lost restraint. Lightning erupted from his hand, striking the kindling. It took Alex a third of a second to wrestle control back to him. But it was enough. The campfire started to blaze to life. His anger was quickly stamped out by annoyance.
As he rose to his feet, his gaze fixed upon Elyza, Alex couldn’t help but notice that she had managed to set up another campfire already. He sighed, his annoyance being replaced by embarrassment. “How long did it take me?” he inquired, his tone tinged with chagrin.
“20 minutes,” she replied, casually tossing another log to feed her fire, continuing flatly, “Creating fire is quite a difficult task.”
“First time I’ve heard a hint of sarcasm from you.” Alex noted, kicking dirt onto his campfire. “But to preserve my ego,” He said with a grin, “it’s time to partake in my favourite hobby,” pulling out a small table from his shadows, “How do you like your fish cooked?”
----------------------------------------
Alex pushed open the door to the cabin, carefully balancing a plate of poached fish in his arms. He approached the sleeping silhouette in the room, about to wake up his rescuee, but a slight movement caught his attention, making him stop.
He spoke as purely as he could, “Before you get any funny ideas. I am carrying a plate of delicious and piping HOT food, that I will have no qualms spilling on you.”
There seemed to be a moment of hesitation, but the girl relented. Sitting up straight, she allowed Alex to set down her plate of food next to her. He settled down on the other side, making sure to keep his distance.
“Just to clear things up,” Alex said, keeping his tone civil, “It has been pointed out by an acquaintance of mine, that this may seem like a kidnapping to you. Especially since the last thing you remember would be smoke filling that carriage. It is unlikely that you may believe me, but I was hired to rescue you.”
He waited for a reaction, but she kept silent, so he continued, “Not by the group I know you’ve been supporting, may I add. They do pose a pivotal part in why I revealed myself to you, though. I could’ve infiltrated your cell and left you with your family,”
She finally spoke, her voice laced with scorn, “What family?”
“Not him, dumb-dumb,” Alex replied, pulling out a fork from his shadow, handing her it. “To put it simply, I need to contact that group to exchange information, and it would be appreciated if you can help schedule a meeting between us,”
Liliana accepted the utensil, responding with a single word, “No.”
“Alright,” he said, understanding her reluctance. “Also,” he added, pulling out the necklace he had discovered in the earl’s vault, “Does this look familiar? To be honest, I didn’t know why I took it in the first place, but then it clicked. I remembered seeing your mother wearing this the last time we met,” he said, dangling it in front of her.
That was a mistake. Without any hesitation, she plunged the fork into Alex’s hand, surprising both of them. Alex didn’t think she had it in her, so the daring move caught him off guard. But Liliana was undoubtedly much more confused. Crying out in pain or striking back would have been the expected responses, yet Alex just looked at the fork impaling his hand with an almost casual indifference. His composed response momentarily froze Liliana.
Alex sighed and, with a slight smile, raised his hand with the fork still embedded in it. “You know how tricky it is to sterilise something covered in blood,” he remarked. “Be thankful my heart stopped pumping years ago.” Another fork emerged from the shadows, handing itself to Alex, who then placed it next to the plate, “I understand why you did… this,” pointing to his hand, “But if you do it again, I’m not giving you another one.” He placed the necklace in her lap before strolling out the cabin as if getting stabbed was a daily occurrence.
It was a trick he had picked up from his early years, the ability to temporarily desensitise part of his body so that, if attacked first, he had a brief moment to focus on either escaping or fighting back. Alex let out a shaky breath, cringing at the pain that was to come. Slowly, feeling started to return to his hand, and it felt like it had caught on fire. He focused past the increasing discomfort, trying to figure out if any prongs had gone through his hand, or more importantly, if they had struck bone. Slowly starting to move his fingers, he winced in pain with each movement, but that proved to Alex that all was fine, except the fork was still stuck in his hand. Taking in quick breaths, he pulled it out as fast as he could, and almost instantly blood started to seep out of the wound.
He sat down near the dying, smouldering campfire, facing Elyza as she hungrily picked her plate clean. Pulling out a small bottle, he poured the clear alcohol onto his hand, washing the blood away. A pained grunt involuntarily escaped his lips, drawing Elyza’s attention away from her food.
Staring at his bloody hand, she connected the dots, “I am guessing she did not want to talk to you,”
“No, she did not.” Alex replied, pulling out a leather tool bag which haphazardly stored a variety of vials, the liquids they contained mimicking the colours of the rainbow. Trying to change the topic, he asked,“How’s the fish?” as he pulled out a strip of stark white cloth to dress his wound.
“It was good,” Elyza answered, and a sense of pride welled up inside him. Silence followed the exchange, as Alex tried and failed horribly in wrapping the bandage using only his right hand. After five minutes of watching a grown man struggle with a strip of cloth, Elyza finally broke the silence.
“I’ll help you,” she told him.
“That’s not necessary,” Alex tried to protest, but Elyza didn’t hesitate. She crouched in front of him, extending her hand, and Alex had no choice but to relent.
“Strange wound,” Elyza observed as she began to skilfully swathe the wound. “What did she do, fork you?”
Alex sighed and responded,“Yeah,” waiting for some witty remark.
Instead, Elyza seemed impressed, remarking “She’s resourceful,” as she finished bandaging his hand. Alex moved his hand as much as he could bear, testing the constraints of the cloth.
“Thank you, you’ve possibly saved me from having to cut off my hand.”
Elyza settled back in her spot, asking, “Just tell me how much longer this is going to take, unless this is your plan.”
Alex stood up to stretch and checked his watch. “You’re right, this is getting ridiculous. They should’ve been here by now. Let me see if I can-” Before he could finish his sentence, Alex felt the illusion surrounding the area shatter. “You know how many times this has happened? Just as I complain about someone being late, they show up,” he said, looking towards the direction of his guests.