Elira Phasol - The Bloodied Borough
“You refused?!”
Elira's shout was accompanied by a loud bang as her chair crashed on the marble floor, food on their table almost jumping out of it as she slammed the table with her palms. Everyone in the restaurant was surprised at the sudden outburst and several patrons turned their heads in the direction of their table.
Everyone except the man in front of her.
Azrael was busy chewing his food and just nodded at her, his plates undisturbed despite the punishment their table received.
Reassuring the waitress that everything was fine, she picked up her chair and regained her calm, waiting for the other man to finish the food in his mouth and answer.
He replied after a loud gulp, “Not exactly, I told her I would think about it.”
“Think about it? I can’t believe someone would do that after being invited to one of the strongest guilds in this continent.” Elira replied with an even voice while trying to rearrange the disturbed meal in front of her.
“Are they really that powerful? I thought they only have ten people?” Azrael looked like he knew what he was doing so Elira decided not to berate him on the missed opportunity.
Elira picked at her plate while answering, “Yes. Each of the te-- eleven, are very famous in their own fields and despite their low number, they are on par with the Thirteens guild.”
“Thirteens? There’s only two difference…” Azrael frowned at her comparison.
Elira pointed her fork at him and interrupted, “You dummy, it’s just the name of their guild not their actual number. They have Thirteen Elites in which each one has their own manpower. I actually aim at joining their ranks.”
“Why did you refuse anyway? Don’t you want to join a guild?” Elira fired off another question when Azrael remained silent; he seemed to be thinking about something.
He was shaking his head when he answered, “It’s… suspicious? I only arrived here and they already invited me after a day. Plus -- Theresa is as scary as a startled terror bird.”
Elira didn’t know what’s the deal with Azrael and birds so she decided to ask, “What’s up with you and birds? You seemed to be avoiding the avians more, compared to when I gave you a tour.”
He frowned at the reminder of the bird people, “one of my assailant’s yesterday who almost killed me was an avian; I knew those people would be the end of me. Besides, you haven’t seen a terror bird… They were aptly named.”
“You shouldn’t really follow strangers, even an elven beauty. Did you find out who they were or what they wanted? The city guard found their corpses but they just cleaned it up and kept quiet about it.” Elira heard the news before she arrived at the restaurant for their late lunch.
“No, Theresa disposed of them. Easily I might add,” Azrael started eating again after that, only to ask her a question after a few moments. “How powerful exactly is The Mother of the World?”
“She could end this city in a day if she as much willed it.” Elira answered without missing a beat.
Azrael raised his eyebrows, suspicious in the truth of her answer, “... And what’s stopping her?”
“Reason? Morals? Other Divine Class beings? Just because she is powerful doesn’t mean that she can do whatever she wants, and just because she can doesn’t mean that she would do it.” Elira counted with her finger as she listed the reasons on top of her mind and continued, “Only a fool would wield power haphazardly like that, what would be the point? To prove she is above others? Shallow people like that would never become strong.”
Elira was on a roll and decided to add a piece of history in her lesson:
“Once upon a time, a Divine decided he should rule the world and do whatever he wanted. He wrecked havoc in Elierd and decided to enslave the people there. He was strong; stronger than the other divines in that era. He even managed to recruit another Divine in his agenda. Do you know what happened to them?”
Azrael frowned, “I don’t know the story so…”
“They died. Other continental powers decided to intervene as they were a threat to their own land. Four divines were sent to kill the two, even a True Dragon decided to join the conflict. They fought above the Elierd, the clashing of powerful energies attracting the Elemental Current of the Land of Storms destroying the land completely.” Elira paused to drink water and freshen her throat.
“Now Elierd is destroyed; uninhabitable and it’s resources lost. Once a Divine unleashes their full power, they will leave nothing but destruction in their path.” She paused again, this time to emphasize her point.
“Who gained anything? The man who thirsted for power? He’s dead. Other continents? They lost the resources and trade with Elierd. The people? Annihilated and sent as refugees to other continents, home broken and families lost.”
The black haired man remained silent after her story, furrowed brows and a frown on his face. “You keep going on about Divine... I don’t know what or who they are. Are they gods?”
Elira chided herself for forgetting that the man just arrived in their world, “Divine are not gods, rather, they are someone favoured by gods. It’s the main requirement of being a Divine in the Lochley Ranking.”
“Favours of Gods can be anything really. It can be a weapon, a body part, a blessing, a summoned being.” Elira added, predicting the man’s next question and continued when she saw he was about to ask something again, “No, I don’t know what The Mother of the Worlds’ favour is, or the The Indomitable Sword’s for that matter. I imagine it would be a sword.”
Azrael narrowed his eyes at her, “Are you Theresa?”
Elira had to laugh at that, “I don’t need to be a powerful telepath to know your line of thought, it’s one of the most asked questions when you are starting as a Merc.”
Azrael sighed a breath of relief, “You’re right, I think I’m developing a phobia on Theresa.”
Elira just smiled at his depressed face, “Theresa this, Theresa that, she might pop up here if you keep calling her you know.”
“...”
“...”
Elira smirked at the man who was warily looking around the restaurant. “You were totally expecting her to pop up, didn’t you?”
His face flushed red and stuttered at her teasing tone, “O-of course not! My instinct would have given me a warning.”
Elira was quite curious about the happening yesterday night, “Is she following you? By the way, what was her reaction when you declined her invitation.”
Azrael tried to flag the waitress before answering her question, “I don’t know if she is following me… She just shrugged and acted as if it was no big deal and continued convincing me to seduce Serath.”
“Ahahahaha! She asked you what?!” Elira was shaking from laughter; she had never laughed like that in a long time and it was a good feeling.
The waitress that arrived was looking weirdly at her. Azrael ordered a dessert before replying, “It was ridiculous. She was so adamant about it, I had to blink away... only to arrive a step from my previous location.”
Elira just smiled at him, tail swishing behind her chair. “I doubt you could accomplish that. I learned about June on our way to your rescue, and I added the bits of information that William told me about. Serath abdicated his crown prince title for someone, which turned out to be June, but she ended up dying in some mission.”
Elira paused when the waitress arrived with a slice of cake for Azrael, but continued with a wistful voice after she left, “Such a clichéd tragic story, isn’t it? The best protector in the continent, failing to protect his loved one. Lots of stories popped up like that and hordes of women wanted to be the one to heal his broken heart.”
Azrael just frowned in her direction, “You didn’t invite me to lunch just to gossip didn’t you?”
Elira blushed at his accusation. She never had many friends so having a conversation partner that isn’t William was like a breath of fresh air to her, “No, I actually wanted you to join the four-man team I’m making for some Journeyman missions.”
“Journeyman missions?” He asked, before putting a piece of dark chocolate cake in his mouth, bliss surfacing on his face.
She nodded at his question and explained, “The Merc Hall also fixed your ranking together with your residency. They jumped you up to Journeyman on The Barrier Master’s recommendation so you can now do missions of the same rank.”
She followed up her pitch when Azrael just continued eating his cake, “I’m planning on getting some credentials for Thirteens application and doing difficult missions is a good way on getting accepted and I need a team for that,” she paused before adding with a narrowed eyes, “Unless you don’t want to work with a demon?”
Surprisingly, Azrael just shook his head with a serious face, “It’s not that. My hate for demons was born out of necessity instead of something personal. It was war back home and I had no choice but to fight demons whenever I leave the p... Home. Now that I’m in a new world, I could just forget everything back then…”
Elira was satisfied with his answer and continued convincing the man, “Good. Doing missions is a good way to learn more of the world, and to gauge your power in this world’s standard.”
Azrael was thoughtful now, “It might actually be a good idea… why do you want to join Thirteens? I thought you mentioned your Great Grandmother was an elder thing in some other guild?”
“Blackdawn, they’re pretty famous as well but not as much as Fallen and Thirteens since they don’t have a Divine.” She paused and thought about her interaction with the elder this morning.
Elira’s Gigi surprised her with a sudden visit in The Bloodied Borough; the elder demon knocked in her house early in the morning and invited her for a breakfast. She inquired about the mission she got for her and was quite curious about Azrael, she was surprised about the presence of Theresa in the mission and asked if she was still in the city.
Elira didn’t actually know and she said so; her Gigi just nodded and left her a warning before leaving the city again, “Theresa once drowned a man by convincing him he is a fish. Try to avoid the blasted woman or at least try not to antagonize her.”
Azrael snapping his fingers brought her mind back to the current conversation.
Elira remembered his previous question and answered, “I never had plans to join my Gigi’s guild. There’s a reason why I trudged through Neophyte rank and didn’t just jump through Journeyman with her influence.”
Straightening her back and raising her chin, she gave him a serious look and continued, “I know that I have good family and constitution but I didn’t want it to define who I am. I don’t want to end up successful because of riding the coattails of my family name. I am thankful for their blood but I know I do not owe them anything either.”
She knew talent was good, but she knew hard work and talent were even better.
“Curse everyone that thinks I am not capable of doing it, and I laugh in defiance at everyone who thinks that I am an idiot for my resolve. I do not want to be remembered in the history of this world as one of The Phasol Child. No , I want to be known as -- Elira.”
She huffed right after her speech, daring the other man to say something about her long winded speech.
Azrael eyes widened throughout her speech but it crinkled in approval at the end, followed by a good natured laugh without any malice in it.
“I knew I liked you for a reason. So, when do we start?”
End of Chapter 10
Gigi - Great Grandmother
Elierd - The Ruined Continent
Land of Eternal Storms - Considered as they Eye and Heart of the World Lochley. Massive gathering of elemental energy which is also the source of the dangerous Elemental Current that runs throughout the world. Nobody knows what's inside it as no one is able to survive the place.
