Jake took a seat without even asking, and he even stole one of the fruit slices with a smile on his face. Artus suspected that he would have even stolen his drink if he hadn’t held on to it. His annoying demeanor aside, he didn’t really hate this kind of person as their trait had their uses. In this world, men like Jake would be the perfect cannon fodder.

“So, how about our duel, Sir Mage?” the man snickered.

“I don’t agree with anything at all, but the people in the carriage are not here?”

“They are stuck inside the carriage, that’s why it is that big. I’m told that it is some kind of pilgrimage,” Jake shrugged.

He was relieved to hear that but he still could be in a difficult spot. Artus took a sip while savoring the taste.

“So, you didn’t know who’s inside the carriage?”

“It is kind of obvious from the destination and where we pick them up, they-”

“Stop, don’t tell me anything more.”

Jake smiled knowingly. “They refused to take the teleport as this journey’s success matters, rich people believe in a lot of silly things.”

“Such as?”

The man grinned, “such as how fate could foretell if she was meant to be.” Jake stopped and stole another slice of fruit.

“You are good at this,” Artus commented.

“At what?”

“At baiting people to ask the obvious question.”

Jake laughed, “I’ve picked up a few things along the years.”

The passenger in the carriage should be someone tempting fate for something, and that meant.

“If anything happens during the journey, no, if anything happens to her during the journey, then she is not meant to be?”

“Close but not quite.”

“Then it only means the carriage, it depends on the vessel to prove her worth.”

“And they say we mercs have stupid superstitions,” the man chuckled and shook his head.

“Now you make me curious about you.”

“I’m good, ain’t I?” Jake chuckled.

Artus took the last slice before Jake could snatch it away. He smiled while he ate it even if the fruit wasn’t really that tasty. It was too sweet for his taste.

“Why are you here, Jake, why have you got out of your way to find me?”

“We talk business then?” He chuckled. “The lady requested your attendance, she would even meet you personally,” he said as if it was some sort of achievement.

Artus grumbled.

“And here I thought you would be overjoyed to meet a girl that is worth more than all our little heads combined.”

“You’ve said it yourself,” he jabbed. “And I can’t refuse, can’t I?”

“Well, I lost a few hours of drinking looking for you, so you better not refuse,” the man grinned. “Just relax and enjoy the view, men have killed each other just to look at her, you know.”

Artus scoffed, “beauty is just poison in disguise, you know.”

The man chuckled. “Should we arrange a meeting?”

“Let’s get this over with, I don’t have to kneel on the floor or anything right?”

“What if you do have to kneel?”

“Then I’ll take my chances,” Artus shrugged and finished his drink. “And you are paying,” he added.

He was going to meet the most beautiful girl yet, but he could already tell that she would be a pain in the ass. No beauty worth that kind of pain.

-

She wondered if something was wrong. There was very little emotion on his face but the young mage was definitely frowning inside.

No one had ever acted this way when anyone met her face to face. Not even her enemies in disguise. It should have taken no effort at all to coax him to follow along.

Eliane had unconsciously checked her own appearance just because of his rather bizarre peculiar demeanor. She always hated it when men ogled her, and now, it was odd how she felt assaulted when he had only spared her nothing but a glance.

Even men who prefer other men would have a better reaction to her presence. Anyone would appreciate her great beauty, at least that was the word other men had used in order to praise her. They would say they were sorry for staring and began the boring long speech of how beautiful she was.

And yet this man hadn’t said a word. It’s puzzling.

“This is Lady Eliane Proudwater, fifth born, and candidate concubine to the sixth prince of the Larithus kingdom, Prince Jaggar.” Julee filled the silence after it became awkward.

“As you might already know, I’m Artus,” he said with a smirk in his voice. “I wondered why someone as your... stature would want to have me as an audience.”

“Jake had thought highly of you,” Julee spoke on her behalf. “And he had seen all kinds of warriors and mages before.”

“If the man was speaking about the spell I displayed, then I must correct his perception of me. The spell was merely a gift from a mysterious man to this untalented one. An experiment designed to see if he was capable of bestowing a spell.”

“You are a very bad liar, Artus,” Eliane pointed out and the man flinched.

A long tired sigh escaped his mouth after a mild surprise. “I know I should have never come here,” he muttered as the [Arcane Shell] appeared around him. He must have it slotted by the looks of it.

Her maid-guards responded by raising their crossbows but such reactions had not disturbed the young man at all. These women might not be as good as Jake but no mage would be so cocky against such weapons.

Mages would have ruled the world if they didn’t have this weakness.

“Just tell me what you want little missy, and would consider it at least,” he spat.

“You would show respect-”

“Respect,” Artus interrupted Julee, “is earned, and not a birthright or given. And I advise the fine ladies with their shiny crossbows not to shot or-”

“Or what!?” threatened Julee.

“Or the bolt might bounce off me and ruin the pretty lady there,” the man pointed at her. “Well, I’m not stopping anyone from doing their jobs, but don’t blame me if something unwanted happens. I already gave a fair warning.”

A fair warning? She hadn’t heard that before. Artus only chuckled when the guard stepped closer to him. Eliane raised her hand to stop them. She still needed him to answer her.

“You found me pretty?” she asked, almost scoffing at the puny word to describe her. Anyone who heard should know she was offended.

“Yes,” he said as a matter of fact. “I imagined that other men would write poems just to see you smile.”

“And yet why are you acting so… hostile?”

The young man groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. She looked at Julee as his reaction reminded her of the head maid when she was frustrated.

“You are asking why I don’t throw myself at your feet?” The man laughed before he sighed. “But if I did have offended you then I’m sorry, I’m just a simple man, my Lady. Tell me what you require of me or leave me in peace.”

Elaine was shocked inside to hear that but she didn’t let it show. She had long mastered reading others and controlling her own emotions.

“You seem to be confident in your shell, why don’t you show me what it could do?”

Artus clicked his tongue. “Okay, I’ll play along, just shoot me already.”

His confidence had ground the guard patience thin and with her nod, bolts fired from every direction. Her curiosity was satisfied anyway. She didn’t need uncooperative pawns.

A series of metallic clangs surprised her.

Time slowed down as she saw them. Two bolts bounced off his shell and headed towards her. She couldn’t even scream as she raised her hands in response.

Two clangs echoed right before her and the expected intense pain didn’t flood her being. Eliane looked at her hands in disbelief.

Around her was a sheen of the solid-looking shell. Not the wobbly shell she had been demonstrated to her long before she left her home. She reached it with her hand but it disappeared with his tired sigh.

“I believe that should be sufficient, my Lady?”

Jake, who was watching in silence, laughed out loud. “I know you are something else!”

“Yes, yes he is,” she sat a little taller. “He’ll be very useful in our journey, well, other than his attitude. Collar him if you have to,” she ordered.

Artus chuckled. “You want to collar me, bitch? I should have let the bolts hit you.”

Eliane was stumped. It was the first time anyone had called her that. She stared at him in disbelief before she saw it.

Something even more unbelievable.

His shield suddenly changed. It turned jagged first before sharp pointy ends grew around the young mage. The new thorny shell then spun threateningly as he stood there in defiance.

Her guards who approached him on her command froze on their feet.

No one had seen this before in their life.

“Fair warning, these are indeed very sharp. I would consider my next action very carefully if I were anyone of you. Just throw something and see what happens.”

Jake being himself threw a metal shield at the young mage and the result shocked everybody.

Screeching sounds filled the carriage while the metal shield turned into metal scraps in a blink of an eye. One could imagine what would happen to the flesh and bones.

The guards took a few steps back from the sight. A new level of respect unfolded in all of their hearts.

Her ears heard nothing but her own heartbeat. Eliane had opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. What she could even say to him? Should she beg him to come with her?

Every one of them had their jaws dropped to the floor. Their eyes darted between the small pieces of metal and the young brilliant mage. What kind of talent could turn a useless spell into something this deadly?

How can a shell become so sharp it cuts through metal like it was butter? What more he could do?

“I believe our lady had been hasty in her decision,” Jake finally spoke after a long ominous silence. “She was naive to judge someone from his looks.”

“I won’t call ordering to enslave an innocent free man, hasty,” Artus snorted.

“You give me very little choice, mage,” she spat at him.

“There will always be other choices, my lady,” the young mage stated. “You either don’t see it or don’t have the resolve to take it.”

“Regardless, it didn’t happen, nothing happened,” Jake backed her up. “She had made a mistake because of her upbringing. Her only concern with her livelihood, I’m sure someone of your stature could understand.”

“Sure, she is a spoiled princess that could get anything she has ever wanted, but that doesn’t mean her decision is not her fault.”

“I’m sorry my lady, but he’s right. Your father had put his trust in me to keep you safe. I would lay my life for you. Let me do my job, let me handle this.”

“But, uncle-”

“Don’t turn into the very people you have always hated, Eliane. I’m sure you know the reasons why I’m the last person your father had asked to escort you.”

“Is this a suicide mission in any case?” Artus cut in.

Her uncle laughed out loud. “You see, this is why I like this young man, I would have stopped them myself if they really had tried to collar him. Unlike those mercs outside, the young mage easily connected the dots.”

“You are not asking what I think you are asking, right?” Artus said to Jake.

“I’m afraid so, but I wouldn’t if I could, Artus. I know no amount of money or anything could convince you that’s why I lied. But this is a suicide mission and she’s a thrown away pawn. And from a man to another, I ask you to protect her and just her, please, I beg of you.”

Her uncle kneeled to the young man. The proud man had never done that before even when his own life was at stake.

“Get up you miserable doting uncle,” the mage scoffed cruelly without a hint of sympathy. “Tell me who she really is to you and I might consider it.”

Her uncle took a long pause as he considered something. He sighed before he gave her that sorry look he had always given to her. She could tell that this something serious.

“Very well, my good man,” her uncle stood up. “I don't want to say this here, but she’s MY precious little girl. You see, her mother chose to become the third wife of my brother rather than to be mine. I can’t blame her or even refuse her whenever she feels lonely. I’m nothing but a miserable man.”

Gasps echoed in the carriage. No one expected to hear that the master’s beautiful third wife had been unfaithful. She was juggling between two brothers nonetheless.

“Goddamned, Jake,” Artus cursed. “You’re an idiot.”

The reveal stumped Eliane, but somehow, it all makes sense now.

Everything that her mother had said about her uncle and the complicated look they always give at each other. They were in love but her mother had chosen another man, her lover’s own brother while not letting Jake go.

Such a cruel thing to do but could she blame her? Eliane was angry at her mother but at the same time, she pitied the woman. Her mother made a cruel choice, a choice that allowed Eliane to grow up in safety and wealth. The same wealth that had choked her.

The world tumbled around as her emotions in turmoil. It was too much to handle.

Darkness claimed her right after.