Knock… Knock…
'Mm…'
…
Knock, knock, knock
"Mm…"
Repetitive knocking shook throughout their home. On the third cycle, a sleepy Fei's ears twitched. A fourth came around, and her eyes sluggishly opened.
We… Never, have people knocking… She thought to herself. Her ears flicked once. Alas, a fifth round flew by this time it became intense. As if it was the catalyst to a chain reaction, Fei covered her ears and she felt wide awake. D-Did we get into trouble…?
Subconsciously, her eyes leered to Lucian. His chest slowly rose and fell. Fei shook her head and lowered her hands. Memories of last night flashed in her mind, Lucian rolled around as if he struggled to sleep.
I-I-I'll check…
She sat at the edge of the bed for a moment. Her heart swam up to her throat. With hands clenched, she stood up.
A second before she grasped the doorknob, a reminder sprinted in her mind. I-I I have- I have to wake up Lucian… I-I can- Her hands vibrated at an immense pace. She felt something grab her heart and squeezed tightly.
"L-Lu- Lucian…" Fei shakily mumbled his name. "P-P-Please… wake, wake up…"
"L-Lucian…"
His name was spoken a few more times. At the end, his eyelids snapped open. His eyebrows instantly furrowed, and a hint of confusion lingered beneath his eyes; he asked, "...What's wrong, Fei?"
"S-Someone… Someone's k-k-knocking at- at the d-door…"
Despite his tiredness, he could easily tell her fear and hesitance. Lucian drilled a hole into the ceiling with his vision. Seconds later, he sat up.
"I don't think it'll be something bad." Lucian said, an obvious attempt at reassurance. It was only what his sleepy brain could muster. He turned his torso towards Fei and continued. "Just give me a moment… Then, let's go check it out, okay?" A smile formed on his lips.
"O-Okay…" Fei muttered, she lowered her head. Without realization, her fingers started to rub together. Is it something bad…? Will it be okay? These questions repeated themselves. Many times, she begged for answers. Yet, nothing answered them. They only stopped when Lucian stood up from his sitting position, and raised his arms to the sky to stretch.
"Let's go."
He walked towards the bedroom door with calm strides. He looked at her with the same old smile. It turned slanted when his eyes lowered a moment then snapped up.
"Ahem…Before… You should fix your gown." He coughed out whilst bringing his fist to his mouth.
Fei looked down at her body. As per usual, her gown slipped off her shoulder. Thanks to its size, it happened nearly every time she woke up. Slight cleavage shown through, at the middle a nasty dark scar poked up.
Instantly pulling it up, her heart raced faster as a warm feeling entered her cheeks.
Without an utterance of a word, they entered their living room.
"How many times is that? Like, 6 times? Shouldn't we just come at a later time in the day?"
"As per orders, we must give these out in the morning. Just go 'head and bang on the door."
"Fine, fine. This is a waste of time."
Two voices made their way into Fei's ears. The first one sounded high pitched- Like a woman's voice, its partner sounded deep and raspy; evidently, a man's voice. What they spoke of calmed her heart by a miniscule amount.
Unfortunately, that lasted but a moment.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Loud and horrendous bangs deafened their home. A blaring voice came afterwards.
"MISS FEI, MR LUCIAN WAKE U-"
Lucian flung the front door open whilst scratching his ear. And he grumbled out, "what do you want? Do you see how early it is?"
"I'm sorry for waking you up. I am Alexis, this is Brandon. We are employees of the adventurer's guild." A short elven woman introduced herself and the old man next to her. Both wore formal suits and black slacks. Alexis fiddled with her tie. Next, she straightened her back. "We have Miss Fei and Mr Lucian in our files associated with Bronya's party; is that correct?"
"Yes…" Lucian curtled responded. He gave her a deadpan look and followed it up with, "and what is this about?"
"Perfect…" Alexis elbowed the old man's rib cage. "Brandon, please bring out the papers. This will answer your question."
Brandon swiftly pulled out a neat envelope. A vibrant red wax sealed the flap. He bowed slightly whilst pushing his arms out.
"Here you go! If you have any questions, we'll linger around here until you're finished."
"Uhhh… Okay." Lucian awkwardly let out. With steady hands, he grasped the envelope. After Fei could see it, he carefully unsealed the envelope and pulled a folded paper out.
Wh-What's in it?
Fei's fear mellowed, but a major sense of curiosity took over. Lucian moved his body so she could get a clearer view on it.
{ Greetings, Miss Lirong, and Mister Lucian. I hope you are well. Upon a suggestion from Lady Kazusa and Mister Thran, we have set an official guild request upon you. As you both have witnessed there have been countless innocent civilians in the kingdom of Vertealle have gone missing. Both of you, Mister Roth and Miss Bronya will conduct an investigation upon this matter.
Payment will be up front at the guild; if it is not there, it will be with Miss Bronya. You have a week to conduct this investigation, preferably it will be finished before the limit. Lastly, to inform both of you; since you two must participate in this, there will be a raid on the hideout of these hooligans. You will participate in it no matter the circumstances.
Sincerely, your Guildmaster: Noelle.}
"Uh… What is this?" Lucian spoke his and Fei's thoughts. "Uhm, I don't think we can do this." He continued, bringing the paper down to look at the two messengers. "Do they think we can handle this? I mean, come on. Me and Fei barely started…" He cocked his head and the number popped in his mind. "Two, two weeks ago."
"If the guildmaster didn't think you two were capable she would not have accepted the suggestions. And to add onto that, you cannot get out of this. Lady Bronya already picked up the payment and is waiting at the guild for you two."
'... She really is a pain in the ass! She really had to pick up the payment- Even without telling us, or getting back to us!' Lucian yelled out in frustration, in his mind that is.
"..."
"Don't you think this is a bit… Much? An investigation of, how many parties?"
"There will be four separate parties, including you. They were recommended from the receptionists of the guild." Alexis explained, holding up four individual fingers. She put her other hand up with her pointer finger pointing at the sky. "And one large investigation coming from our very own intelligence department."
A short period of time later, they parted ways. With an "oh well," and a shrug of his shoulders Lucian closed the envelope.
Thus, they reentered their home. With a short change of clothes, they started their journey to the guild.
Along their way, there was a noticeable change in the amount of glares they usually got. No whispers, hisses or snarls entered Fei's ears.
There was but, solely a sound. A low sob, just short of a wail. Hushed murmurs littered the sides, all heads, including theirs turned.
"Poor girl…"
"That must… Be terrible, losing her son and husband not even six months apart…"
Fei's lips pursed, and her gaze dropped. Just a single thought entered her mind, what can we do? Her heart felt hollow, as if a void gobbled it up. Why… Do we have to? She balled her hands. Do we really have to? They… Never thought twice about verbally abusing Lucian or me…
With the air feeling frigid, the journey became more perilous. All the hair over Lucian's body stayed stiffened.
Is she alright? Lucian glanced at Fei at the corner of his eye. "What's wrong?" He inquired upon seeing her downcast body language. Due to her hood, it was difficult to see her face. Even with the cloak covering her body, even at a mere glance, it was obvious; just her shoulders, hunched and her head being at an eighty degree angle told him everything.
"D-D-Do… You, you…"
I should've known… Lucian quietly sighed.
"Think- It would b-be best to- to do this…" Fei managed to fumble out. After she asked, the air turned freezing, her furrowed eyebrows softened and her hands released.
"Well, I don't see any issue with it… Besides, if we do this… We might be able to find Aiko."
"Mm…"
"And, it may pay well."
"Y-Yes…"
"Don't worry, everything will be alright." Lucian flashed her a grin despite her lowering her head. He pushed a feeling of worry down his stomach, he felt it was no use to fret over it. "And, we're here."
Once they stepped inside, Bronya immediately noticed them. Her arm waved wildly amongst the crowd. Her jaw moved up and down ceaselessly, as if calling their names. Thankfully, Fei heard her calls and she tugged on Lucian's sleeve.
"Took ya a bit to notice me. Good morning you two, I have some water over here to wake you up if necessary!" Bronya said to them, turning her body and gesturing to a few mugs on the table. "It's a pretty exciting day so go ahead and sit down!"
"Thank you… Exciting?"
"Yep! Sit down and we can discuss everything!"
Both Fei and Lucian couldn't decide to call it "exciting" even without knowledge about it. Upon conclusion, the wood elf in front of them was an oddball. Was this bubbly attitude an act? What was Bronya's thought process even? She had no issue throwing Lucian to the wolves; both metaphorically and literally.
"What are you two gawking at?" Bronya's smile lessened, whilst her hands shot to her hips. "It's not everyday you get a personal request from the guildmaster herself. Go, sit down." She lifted her right arm to direct them.
At last, they listened and sat side by side with each other. Bronya followed shortly after, only to sit next to Roth.
"Rise and Shine, Mr Giant. Say good morning~!"
"Hmph."
"Aw, little grumpy pants not used to waking up this early?"
"Shut it Long Ears."
"Fine~ As per usual, just plain old boring Rothie."
"Can you act yourself for once? This teasing act is getting old."
"Isn't this my own self? I always do this with you~"
Roth rolled his eyes, alongside his finger aggressively tapping the table.
Act herself…? I-Is this all an act-? Is she like the others…?
Bronya coughed then brought out a small pouch. The guild's emblem was woven into the fabric.
"First of all, here are your two parts of the pay. Two, silver coins!" She brought out two, glittery and glistening coins. With a flick of her fingers, they slid against the table.
T-Two silvers?! That- Do- D-Do we even deserve this much…? Fei stared at the two coins that moved up and down at an intense speed. She felt a hole enter her abdomen. Her ears flopped down and her mouth started to quiver.
"T-Two silver coins?!" Lucian exclaimed once it finally hit him. His jaw unhinged. Normal rate jobs paid that much in half a year! He excitedly yanked the coins and stared at it in amazement. 'Now I can pay off her staff!' He grinned with joy.
"Awww, look at that… Well, anyways-" Bronya's tone shifted instantly, and her smile turned twisted. "Don't get your hopes up. They can easily revoke it if we slack off on this request." She interlocked her fingers and used that bridge as a headrest.
"R-Right…."
"Rothie~ Do you have anything to say before we actually get started… Hm?"
"We rehearsed this, or are you going senile?"
"Hey- I am not that much older than you!"
"Whatever, get to it already."
"Meanie…"
Are these two a married couple? The raging bull and The Smiling Killer? Who would've thought of that? No one, even their mother, would've assumed that these two infamous adventurers would bump heads like one.
"Whatever… You two understand what we're going to do, correct? Huh, if you two don't feel ready to do this, just say so."
"We really don't understand why we're a part of this… We're still new to this all." Lucian spoke for both him and Fei.
"Personally, I do not understand their ultimate decision." Bronya sighed. She closed her eyes and shrugged. "Well, it's whatever. My next question for you two, do you want to play a role?"
Lucian turned his head to look at Fei. He then asked her in a quiet voice, "do you want to?" She quietly scratched at her hands. 'She's doing it again.' He thought. Like a statue, he froze for just a few seconds and set his hands on hers.
"Take a deep breath, and close your eyes…"
'I'll ask that question after.' Both Bronya and Roth witnessed this scene unfold. Roth quietly averted his attention. Meanwhile the former watched with a smile.
"Feel better?"
"Y-Y-Yes…"
Bronya's soft smile disappeared once she saw Fei calm down, and again asked them the same question. Lucian followed in her example.
I-I I really… I don't want to… I Don't… I don't I don't- I don't want to, do I have to?
"Looks like your answer is written all over, Little Fei."
"You can't back out of this, Long ear. That's the harsh lesson you must learn as an adventurer." Roth said, he leaned forward. His deep voice rattled her bones to their core. "You have to break that fear and unwillingness. Don't say anything either kid, you obviously read the request we were given."
"Ex-Act-tly. Good job, Rothie, that was unexpected coming from you~ What? Anyyways, yes, what Little Old Rothie said, neither of us can back out."
"Then why bother asking that question if you knew what to do."
"Mhm, I only bothered to test you two."
"Seems like everything you test us with…. What's the point? Just for your entertainment?" Lucian snarkily commented. He removed his hand that covered Fei's and crossed his arms. "What is the meaning of everything you do, first you threw me into a fight with a wolf. Then, you had me run around like a chicken just so Fei- Not that I mind, she needed it; can train."
"I already told you, Little Lucian, to train you."
Sh-She's lying… Is she using us… For entertainment- Is she?
"Sigh… Let's go somewhere private…" Bronya mumbled, she covered her face. "Rothie, can you believe- You know what- Don't answer me."
"Good decision."
After a brief moment of respite, Bronya ordered them to follow her; she requested a private room from the receptionist handling the counter for the day.
Thran came from the back once the receptionist called for a guide. His hair was a complete mess, his tie crooked, a sweet aroma wafted from his body. Fei covered her nose, as a prickling sensation assaulted her nose. Bemused by his appearance, Bronya's lips curled into a smug grin.
Heeding to his mind, Thran ignored all the comments and teases from her. He waved his arm forward, and proceeded to guide them to a room.
"Joining us today aren't you Thranie?"
"Yes Miss Bronya, it is part of that official quest from the Guildmaster, correct?"
"As sharp as ever, yes it's partly because of that."
"Then it concerns me, I'll be taking part in this."
Once everyone settled in their places, Bronya leaned back and crossed her legs. A quizzical look washed over her face before she spoke.
"Little Fei, can I inquire a few things about you?"
"H-Huh?" Fei exclaimed subconsciously as her body jolted up. I-Is she going to lecture or bash on me? Her hands quickly gripped her skirt.
"Are you sure you only have two spells? I mean I shouldn't doubt you." Bronya said, lowering her voice throughout. Everyone- including Thran eyed her. She tapped her cheek, even when Fei nodded. "I Shouldn't doubt you, afterall I can't use mana at all. But, I do know some things about it. Heck, Rothie had to explain to me and he agrees that it's odd for a mage- even a demi-human to only have two spells.
"She never really practiced her magic… That's why she can only use two."
"That wouldn't work. By nature, she should have three, or four."
"Mhm, you can use ice chains. That's one." Bronya said whilst lifting her thumb. "Two, that weird aura around you. Or it could be a passive skill. But, factoring in that, I believe that's a spell." She followed with her pointer finger. "Lastly, after Little Lucian got hurt from that wolf, you ran to him and used a weird mist spell that came from your hands."
"T-That's…"
"That's her second spell."
"Interesting…" Bronya stayed silent for, she glanced at Roth who had his arms crossed and eyes closed. "But, there was an odd thing I noticed."
"What's going on? What are you talking about Miss Bronya?" Thran asked, he furrowed his eyebrows and squinted at her.
She paused, leaned forward and pointed at Lucian. "She did not chant. You knew that she didn't need to. She dropped her staff and used whatever that was on you."
Suddenly, Fei's heart felt like it was exploding. Her breathing started to race, her eyes stared at Bronya. I-I-I-I MESSED UP- L-Lucian… Please please don't- Please don't be mad at me-!
"Miss Bronya, you surely were seeing things. That's impossible."
"Nope~ Look at Little Fei, that expression tells me everything."
Lucian shot up, stood in front of Fei.
"Woah, calm down!" Bronya exclaimed. "I was curious- That's all."
"Hold on, if that is true.. Then why do you have a staff, Miss Fei?"
"We're leaving. Fei, let's go."
"No you aren't. You don't need to act so defensively over this." Bronya said, her playful tone switched instantly. Lucian and Fei subconsciously listened. "Lucian, since she doesn't seem to be in the right frame of mind you will be answering me."
"..."
"Answer this truthfully, it will end better for you and her."
"Okay…"
"IS it true that Fei can use chantless magic?"
"...Yes."
"Wonderful."
"..."
Lucian's fists tightened, his jaw clenched.
"W-What'll happen now…?"
Bronya tilted her head. Does it look like I will do anything? She thought to herself. "I have no use in reporting this. Thranie, you won't report this either. You got that?"
Thran shook his head, raised his right hand and swore not to.
"If we keep this a secret, nothing bad will happen to Little Fei."
I messed up… Luc- Fei begged internally, she felt wet and freezing tears run down her face. No light, nothing surrounded her. Muffled voices entered her ears. Her body vibrated immensely. What's going to happen?! Why did I have to do thi?! Why did I have to fail more and more?! It was supposed to be a secret…!
A slow, steady static noise began. Her thoughts embraced this, sluggishly… It grew in noise, as Fei gripped her head. She mumbled quietly, a constant no.
Just as quick as her panic came forth, it drew back. A warm feeling covered her body, all the noise that bombarded her became muted. Five words replaced them.
"Calm down, it'll be okay."