Alfred smiled at Arthur and gripped on both his shoulders before shaking him around excitedly "Dude you were soooo awesome! You were all like 'PEW PEW PEW PEW!' and they were all like 'AHHH!' And we were like 'WHOOOAAAAAAA'-" Arthur gibbered uselessly as the swordsman continued shaking him, the mage thought he could almost feel his insides being mixed together, the frantic motion was enough to turn him green. Matthew, sensing what could happen, immediately stopped his brother to let the poor mage go and find his steady feet again "Al I don't think you should shake Arthur like that, poor guy's gonna lose his breakfast" Alfred blushed in embarrassment and gently pushed Arthur away, he smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head "Sorry Artie, got a little excited there" Yao reluctantly kept Arthur standing upright, though the mage had helped them out of that situation he still didn't find it in himself to fully trust him. The doctor sighed and made Arthur lean on a tree "You know, if you didn't have our possessions stripped away from us I might have offered you something for dizziness" Arthur held his head and winced "Clearly something I regret doing now"
Gilbert huffed and crossed his arms, giving Arthur his best scowl "Yeah yeah, so the prissy mage saved us, whoopty fucking doo, still doesn't make up for how much of a dick he is" The mage, hearing this, scowled back at the albino and marched up to him, determined to retaliate. The two men stood their ground, ready to bite back at anything thrown at them "Usually people are grateful to someone who so generously saved their arse, especially when it meant becoming a traitor!" Gilbert growled at him and shoved him backward harshly, he didn't want to hear any excuse coming from the mage, all he felt right now was that he was pissed "So what?! Are you gonna start complaining cause your golden spoon was taken away? Are you gonna whine about your shit kingdom? Cause that doesn't mean jackshit out here! And I want to know what the fuck you've done to my little brother YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Matthew quickly stepped in and held Gilbert back along with Yao while Alfred held back an equally enraged Arthur who was about to hit the albino with a curse. The swordsman held both of the mage's hands and tried to calm him down as best as he could "Come on Artie don't get so riled up just cause Gil's throwin' a tantrum!"
Arthur squirmed in the swordsman's hold and tried to get his hands freed so that he could show Gilbert that he could do a lot more than start complaining "That man has been a thorn in my side since the first time I ever encountered your group! Oh and by the way I think I remember having beat your arse to the ground and sent you crying home to your mommy!" Gilbert shouted in rage and started to fight harder to get out of his teammates' grip, that punk ass mage was going down. Matthew and Yao used all their strength to keep the warrior away to avoid any unwanted conflict to arise, especially since Yao knew he had nothing to use later to help them heal if needed "Gilbert please be reasonable aru! I know you're upset about your brother but you won't get any answers if the only one who can give them to you will be beaten to a pulp!" Matthew grunted and pushed back at the warrior as much as he could "Listen to Yao Gil! Arthur's our only lead inside the kingdom! I want answers too and I don't want to have to get them from a vegetable!"
"Who said he could ever beat me into a vegetable?! I think I can do worse to him than he could me!" Arthur shouted and was surprisingly giving Alfred a hard time considering the swordsman's strength, Gilbert retaliated once again until the two of them were both shouting and throwing less than gentlemanly words at each other. Alfred grimaced and breathed in, trying to calm himself down this time, but hearing the two bicker and shout was starting to get on his nerves, even Yao and Matthew were shouting but at least they were telling him to stop, the swordsman closed his eyes and tried to think of happier thoughts though the negativity around him wasn't letting him do so. Finally the swordsman snapped, he opened his eyes and rose his voice above all the others "ENOUGH!" He all but screamed.
The group jumped at the loud voice which joined their own and they all looked at Alfred as if he had just grown a second head "All of you are acting like kids and for fuck sake I am up to HERE with you!" He let Arthur go and towered over him, suddenly the mage felt so small in comparison. Alfred rubbed his temples and looked down at Arthur seriously "Arthur I've always said that I never ever felt anything negative about you unlike my teammates but if you start degrading them too much I don't think I can tolerate that, do you understand me?" Arthur couldn't find his voice out of the small twinge of fear curling up inside him, to save himself an embarrassing squeak which he was so sure would come out if he opened his mouth he only nodded and watched as the obviously annoyed swordsman walk up to Gilbert, who also had the same shocked expression as him.
"Gil I know you act high and mighty all the time and I go with it cause I'm your friend but dude this is not the appropriate time to lose it. Artie saved us and yeah like he said we should be grateful and if you wanted to talk about your brother then why the fuck not? You didn't have to start screaming about it like a kid who lost his favorite stuffed toy, I'm sure Artie would have talked if you weren't so immature about it" Gilbert, unlike Arthur, relaxed a bit and nodded solemnly "Yeah…sorry, that was unawesome of me, I just….its my little brother Al, I was sure that he was still at home when we left and when I saw him.." Alfred nodded understandingly and patted the warrior's shoulder, Gilbert sighed and gently shrugged off Yao and Matthew who were also relieved that the whole fiasco was over.
Arthur stood awkwardly away from the group, he shuffled a bit in his spot and watched as they all sorted everything out together. Right now he felt like an outsider, of course they would be upset with him after all he had done to them, he accepted that fact already but it was still a bit uncomfortable for him to be in that situation. After all he had just known the group for a few days, he wasn't about to get all comfortable with them, heck even Alfred acted up when he went too far, what did he expect? Did he really think the swordsman would stand by him and only berate Gilbert? Of course he wouldn't, whereas Gilbert is probably a long time friend they were only acquaintances. Alfred looked back and saw Arthur staring at the ground, he sighed and called out for him "Hey Art? Come here for a sec will ya?"
Arthur jumped slightly but relaxed when he noticed that Alfred's voice wasn't annoyed or scolding anymore, it was the same soft and understanding one he used. The mage shifted and slowly walked up to the group, having all their eyes on him made him feel slightly unwelcome, once he was in front of them all Alfred spoke up again "Okay, now both of you apologize" Arthur looked at him disbelievingly but dared not say anything because he was still in shock from the swordsman's attitude before, Gilbert on the other hand wasn't "The fuck?! No way in hell!" Alfred glared at him which was enough to make the warrior a bit hesitant to say anything else "Gil you started it, Arthur was only defending himself, apologize" Gilbert grumbled to himself before sticking out his hand in front of Arthur who also looked at him begrudgingly "..Sorry for you know..yeah" Alfred elbowed him and coughed. The warrior glared at him and rolled his eyes "I'm sorry for- You know what screw this! Sorry okay?! I just reacted how any good older brother would! I just want to know why my little bruder is serving the kingdom! I don't want to lose Otto that way.." Gilbert actually sounded genuinely afraid at the end, it made Arthur feel bad for getting into that fight with him, of course Gilbert would be mad at him since he was the only one closest to the kingdom, the warrior had nothing else to vent his frustrations out on.
Arthur sighed and shook the warrior's hand much to the other's surprise "I accept your apology, and I'm sorry as well chap, I promise I'll tell you all I know about Lud- er, your little brother" Gilbert smiled appreciatively at him and gave his hand a firm squeeze before letting go "You damn well better keep that promise" Matthew relaxed and called in the whole group's attention "Right so now that we've all calmed down I suggest we start moving to Avia as soon as possi-"
"Whoa whoa whoa hold on" Arthur cut in much to Matthew's displeasure "You know it's rude to suddenly cut someone out while they're talking" The mage shook his head at him and waved him off "Yes but who said you'll be going to Avia? As far as I'm concerned you're not prepared to go there just yet, seeing as though one you have no weapons, two you don't have any supplies, and three Avia is a bloody long way from here, it'll take you at least four days to reach it" The group looked at each other and frowned, Arthur had a point, they couldn't go back to the kingdom to get their things back either, that would be a suicide mission that just wasn't worth it "We have to try Arthur, we received word that your precious kingdom is working on a flying contraption which can attack and defend itself from magic, that's already a cause for concern. If we don't get there in time who knows what will happen"
Arthurs eyes lit up in recognition, something Matthew didn't miss seeing. The summoner walked towards the mage and looked him over as if seeing him for the first time "You know what it is don't you?" Arthur stared into Matthew's eyes for a while before backing away, shaking his head "No I don't" The summoner saw through his lie, Matthew slowly stepped forward "Arthur, you're here with us now, you've got to come clean. Those soldiers might have recognized your royal mage cloak, it won't be long until they've found out which mage is missing in the picture, Arthur..you have to tell us" The mage still held his determined glare, indicating that he still refused "I don't know" He replied simply.
"Artie! You can't still be defending the kingdom like that! Okay you told me you were still loyal but heck this is important!" Alfred looked at him pleadingly, putting on his best kicked puppy look. Arthur frowned at him and sighed, holding his left arm "I don't know" Gilbert huffed and marched towards him, the warrior grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted the mage up to his level "That's not the answer we're looking for mage! Come on! You can't still be stubborn! We set our differences aside and shit!" Matthew eased Gilbert off Arthur and stood in between them "Gil, don't start, we're just talking remember?" Arthur pursed his lips when Matthew turned to look at him again, the summoner touched his shoulder and said seriously "Arthur, what is the kingdom building in Avia?" The mage once again shook his head "I don't know" Yao watched all this happen, his eyebrows furrowed together in thought until he figured something out "Matthew, let me try something aru" The blond haired summoner looked at him questioningly but let him try whatever it was he was going to do.
Yao stepped in front of Arthur and hummed a bit before he asked his question "Is the kingdom building something in Avia Arthur?" The mage looked around him, he sighed "They're always up to something" The doctor clicked his tongue and turned to the others "There's a restricting spell on him" The group turned their eyes on Arthur, the mage bit his lower lip in response "I know this spell" Matthew said and all the attention was on him "Kiku told me something about this before. When a mage joins the palace ranks they retake their vows and place a restricting spell on themselves, so that they wouldn't ever say anything too secretive to outsiders. If they ever try to break through the spell it will convert itself to a curse and kill them immediately" Alfred paled at the thought, he glanced at Arthur and the mage looked back at him, he didn't do anything but look down sadly, confirming Matthew's statement "So what you're saying is that…If we want Arthur to help us, he has to die?"
A morbid silence overtook the group, they all looked at each other uneasily but Alfred had none of it "No! guys we aren't going to resort to that! The main reason we formed this group is to save as many lives as possible! If throwing away our chance at knowing the kingdom's plans will let Arthur keep his life then damn it we'll do it! This isn't the first time we ever ran blind anyway! You aren't seriously considering we'll sacrifice Artie for a bit of information do you?"
"No! No Al we aren't, we were just stuck in that morbid thought longer than you, all I ever thought about was the extent the kingdom goes through to keep it's secrets that's all" Matthew quickly reassured his brother, easing all of Alfred's worries. The swordsman smiled and looked around them, the kingdom was far behind them now and up ahead was…actually he wasn't sure about what was ahead other than Retus "Guys? What now?"
"We go to Retus naturally, after all that's where you were all headed to anyway" Arthur finally spoke up after spending a long time in silence "Are you crazy?! Your friend Vlad happens to know what we look like! And once he's sent word we'll be hunted down day and night! The last thing we need to do is head up to Retus aru!" Yao protested, he found Arthur's suggestion absolutely crazy, what was the mage thinking? Matthew on the other hand took this as somewhat suspicious, he narrowed his eyes at the mage, a gesture Arthur didn't miss "Calm down, I'm not luring you into a trap"
"We weren't with you when you disappeared and we got captured, how do we know that rescue of yours wasn't staged?" Alfred frowned at his brother's accusation but he did have a point 'What? No don't think like that Alfred! You gotta put a bit more trust in Arthur than that! Remember your talk? He doesn't want us captured' The swordsman smiled his signature smile and leaned on Arthur, something the mage didn't appreciate and promptly shoved him off "I say let's listen, Artie's got a lot of good plans" Arthur looked at Alfred in shock, expecting that he'd also disregard his plan, the swordsman winked at him and ushered him to go on, the action made heat crawl up Arthur's face "Erm, thank you Alfred…so if you're all willing to listen?"
Gilbert rolled his eyes "Yeah go on, we aren't doing anything anyway, think of this as an early thanks for updating me on my little bruder" Matthew stared at him disbelievingly, he was about to say something until Yao spoke up soon after "Fine aru, but if this turns out to be a trap I've already sent word to our fellow rebels" The doctor and the warrior looked expectantly at the summoner, Matthew gaped at both of them and let his once crossed arms fall to his sides "You both can't be serious" He looked at Alfred and saw his brother nod at him, with everyone on one side it was hard to keep his side of the seesaw on the ground "…Alright, just this once"
Arthur smiled at him and cleared his throat before he began "Vlad would most likely send word to Avia once the guards go back and warn him, I've told him of your plans already so he would expect for us to be making our way there now. I know you're all low on supplies so this quick stop to Retus is actually essential, to add to that despite Retus being the closest area from the kingdom they're always the last to receive word making your entry there easier than in another place like Avia who would most likely have been told of your appearance"
Matthew sighed "But Retus isn't just called the land of the dead for nothing, they may have a small village but the only time some outsiders ever come into Retus is for execution, no one's ever stopped to make a supply run there, people always avoided it as best as they can, everyone knows that Retus isn't your go to place even if you're desperate" Arthur smirked at him and waved his finger from side to side, secretly proud that he knew something most people don't, he's not going to gloat though, it wouldn't be polite of him "Ah but what everyone doesn't know is that Retus is also the place where the best black market is stationed at, sure no one from the outside ever goes there but if they know the right words to say it wouldn't be questioned. I happen to be very well educated on those words" The group looked at each other and they formed a silent agreement "And you're sure we'll get the supplies we need from there?" The mage nodded "Yes and the best magic infused weapons phoenix ash can provide"
"You have phoenix ash?" Yao questioned
"You don't think I would come unprepared do you? But that's not what we should be focusing on, right now I think we should start moving, it won't do us any good if we stay here going on and on about our plans if we won't even do it! We've got some rebelling to do!" Arthur announced and walked ahead- or jogged ahead- of the group. Gilbert shook his head disapprovingly "Did he seriously just say that?" Alfred chuckled awkwardly "I think I should give him a crash course in rebelling"
Yao walked to follow the mage ahead and shook his head "I think you should start with not making a fool of himself aru" Soon the group was off to another destination once again, and this time with a semi-cooperative mage at the front.
Retus, the land of the dead, they say that the number of corpses overthrew that of actual living people around here, the air was always pungent with the smell of decay and the streets almost always had drops of blood- even splashes of it- littering everywhere. It was a miracle how the remaining villagers could stomach the sight and keep living in such a horrid place, rumor has it that those who stayed were either mad or possessed by the spirits of those who had met their end here and has not moved on, the village never really felt quite normal, unlike those outside there was only minimal noise wafting through it, a village in this state might as well be dead.
Alfred shuddered when they finally stepped into the village, he grimaced in disgust when he caught a whiff of the smell of rotting corpses in the air, the others noticed it too. Matthew immediately started to fan himself to be rid of the smell while Yao covered his nose with the sleeve of his shirt, Gilbert openly showed his disgust by complaining about it. Arthur reprimanded them "No, don't look like the smell is affecting you, we'll have less of a chance of convincing people that you've been here before. The market doesn't always take kindly to strangers" Alfred took in a deep breath but immediately gagged "Easy for you to say Artie…" He coughed. Arthur rolled his eyes "Breath discreetly through your mouth then" The swordsman felt as though he'll regret doing that so he settled with just breathing small breaths to at least escape a bit of the pungent smell.
Matthew walked next to Yao just a few paces behind the swordsman and the mage, he eyed the village warily, looking out for any signs of the kingdom's guards or mages. Yao noticed his tenseness and patted him on the back "Relax Matthew, no guard has ever been stationed in Retus for three centuries now, we'll be fine" The summoner sighed and looked up at the still smiling doctor "Yao we have to be careful, you know how much of our lives we've spent fighting, we can't afford to let our guard down, especially in a place like Retus" They passed by an alley way where a group of teens were all slumped against the wall or simply on the floor, one of them looked up to stare wide eyed at the group until they passed away from his line of sight, the experience made Yao's skin crawl but he didn't make it obvious.
To be honest, Retus wasn't doing well for itself, it never really did. Even the houses were in bad shape, the paint was peeling off the walls and there wasn't a house without multiple cracks or gaping holes on it, there's not much to say about the paths either, they weren't smoothed out like all the other paths in their country, rather it was rocky and uneven making it difficult to walk on, it was one of the main reasons Retus was made into a land of death, if criminals were ever brought here they would be forced to walk barefoot all the way up to the execution site, and by then their feet would be too sore and wounded to even attempt an escape, you would be a mad man to run through the rocky roads twice. And the executions weren't the only thing that led people to call Retus the land of the dead, for some reason it was always the first area to ever be targeted by sickness and plague alike, because of this people used Retus for a warning signal when a new plague has entered, giving enough time for medical practitioners and healers to work, although a cure would eventually be found Retus' people would never be treated for the plague would be heavy and infectious, in the end the people would have to fend for themselves.
Whatever caused these people now to stay in Retus was always a mystery, a very unnerving one at that. Gilbert frowned at the state of the village, it was hard to believe no one lifted a finger to help them, he always thought himself a fair man and something like this wasn't awesome "It's coming I-ITS COMING!" The warrior was suddenly spun around by a nameless face with such force he didn't know was possible, Gilbert's hand immediately went to his side in response, thinking it was an enemy, but fell short when he grabbed air, he prepared for the worst. What he didn't expect though was a ragged looking old man in a potato sack, foam and saliva dripping down his mouth "ITS COMING BOY! ITS COMING FOR US AAAAAAALL!" He screamed in a rough voice, Gilbert grimaced and dodged his head to the side when spit came flying at him. The man gibbered and mumbled, sometimes shaking his head at Gilbert, the old man then laughed a strangled laugh and ran away again, screaming the same thing he had said to Gilbert.
"Holy shit, this place is super fucked up" He shuddered. Arthur had seen the whole thing and motioned for Gilbert to keep walking "Forget about it, don't start listening to the ramblings of a mad man, you're lucky he didn't cough on you though, I think he had the sickness of mind" Gilbert tensed and started to pat his head as if checking whether or not he had the sickness, Yao rolled his eyes and pulled Gilbert forward "If it will make you feel better aru, I will check on you later"
Arthur led the group into the entrance of a dark alley, the ex-royal mage looked around then immediately threw his hood on his head, he turned to the group, though Alfred was amazed at how the shadows of the mage's hood could hide his eyes like that, it didn't suit him, he always did like seeing Arthur's eyes "Alright, this is the entrance of the black market, let me do all the talking here, don't say a word, don't buy anything without telling me, that last part is very important, do you understand?" He asked seriously. Alfred had a mini panic attack, he hated it when there were warnings on things, it made him think of how absolutely terrifying the outcome could be when in real life it wasn't all that bad "Yeah sure Artie just lead the way, haha…"
"I'm not kidding Alfred, some items could be cursed"
"Can we not talk about that please?"
"But we have to, I remember seeing this poor bloke buy a cursed pen then later I found him with the pen stuck in his-"
"ARTHUR!" The mage smirked and turned around without another word, his cloak billowing behind him as he walked further into the alley. Alfred turned to meet the unsure eyes of his friends that matched his own, together they stepped into the dark path and tried their best to keep track of Arthur who seemed farther in than they were. Eventually the alley became too dark all of a sudden, which was strange since it was only three in the afternoon, it shouldn't be this dark already "Arthur! Hey pal we can't see you anymore! Could you like slow down or something?" Alfred shouted out in the dark. The only answer he got in reply was Arthur's footsteps which became increasingly fast with every step he took, this worried Alfred even more "Arthur?! Hey Arthur!" He listened for the mage's footsteps again and he was sure Arthur was running, if the mage was running there must be a reason for him to-
"Alfred" A hand touched the swordsman's own, Alfred immediately paled and screamed, running as fast as his legs could carry him. The swordsman couldn't see in front of his own face but he didn't care, something was in there with him and he wasn't gonna stop to find out what "ARTHUR OH MY GOD WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE ME?! HELP!" Alfred cried, still running through the dark. He could feel his legs getting tired and his breathing became more labored but all he knew was that he was terrified and he couldn't see the green eyed mage "ARTH-" He couldn't finish his sentence when his foot didn't hit ground anymore and instead he found himself falling into a hole of some sort. The swordsman shouted in surprise before he slid down into the slick and rocky hole. The hole was illuminated by an eerie red which the swordsman wasn't even sure where it came from, there was definitely a liquid of some sort here but he rather not find out what, honestly it felt like a slide but the initial shock from falling and fear of what's on the other side didn't make it any fun.
Alfred screamed for his life and held on to his glasses s so that they wouldn't fall off from the sheer speed he was going on, the whole situation would have been terrifying had not a black cloaked mage shouting in joy slide to his side with his hands in the air "Alfred! There you are! I thought you wouldn't catch up with me!" He shouted while he slid a bit closer. Alfred stared at him disbelievingly with wide eyes "What is this?!" He screamed in surprise when they were suddenly launched into the air before being caught in another rocky slide "The entrance to the market of course!" Arthur laughed as he swerved to the side and nearly hit Alfred, the mage was facing Alfred now as they slid with a huge grin on his face. It just came into the swordsman's mind that this was the first time he saw Arthur smile this much, it was enough to make him smile too.
"Come on Alfred! Put your hands in the air! It's a lot more fun that way!" Arthur turned so his back was facing Alfred again and put his hands up. Alfred chuckled and did the same. It wasn't long until they both saw light at the end, Alfred's joy was cut short when he realized they weren't anywhere near the ground and that they would fall from a great height again, he was about to panic but then he saw the look on Arthur's face, the mage didn't seem afraid which Alfred put his fears aside, if Arthur wasn't worried then he wasn't as well. As expected they fell from the ceiling, Alfred could make out what looked like a tent at the bottom, they landed on it and easily slid down on it's side. The swordsman laughed and clapped Arthur on the back once they both were steady on the ground "Wow Artie, you could have given us a warning there"
The mage grinned at him "It would've ruined the fun"
"Why did you run though? Was something chasing us cause I think I felt it touch my hand" Arthur arched an eyebrow at him, something Alfred still thought was amazing due to how huge those things are "No, I was just building up speed for the slide down, there shouldn't be anything in that alley, but weren't the others with you?" Screams from above could be heard and the two looked up to see Yao, Matthew and Gilbert falling from the same hole they fell from, the trio landed on the tent with less grace- Arthur and Alfred stepped back at this- and ended up piling on top of each other once they hit the ground
"Oof! Gilbert get off me!"
"Yao! Your foot is on my awesome face!"
"GUYS I CAN'T BREATH! GET OFF!" Both Alfred and Arthur laughed at this then helped the three to their feet again. Once everyone was good and ready they set off into the market which they had just entered.
The Retus black market was naturally unknown to the public, but most mages, witches, wizards and all the like who were powerful enough and well known was aware that it existed. The market was deep underground and it's entrance was sealed with magic, only magic users and their companions were able to pass through, had it been outsiders they would be lost in the black abyss for all eternity. The market itself was huge and vendors from uphill and down dale all gathered here to sell what they had from their travels across the world, if you're lucky enough you'll find an item that's actually not cursed. Different colored tents were stationed at every corner, and buyers would rush about in search of bargains and certain items they were in need of, in the market things such as gold or silver is useless, it's all about trade and the item's value in sentiment, hatred, power and so on.
"For a black market it doesn't look so bad" Matthew commented, when the word black market came into his mind he always thought of dark, dirty and negative, this market on the other hand had colors flying everywhere, almost not a single trash in sight and he didn't even see a fight break out once "That's the trick, black markets are supposed to look warm and inviting" Arthur said, pulling his hood down even more when they passed some serious looking tents "It's something they use to lure people in, next thing you know you're a stool and- ALFRED DON'T TOUCH THAT!" The swordsman jumped slightly and looked away from the girl who was trying to sell him some sort of pendant, he was shocked to find his hand so close to it and immediately pulled it away and stepped back as far as possible from the girl "Off with you now you little minx! We don't want anything!" The chocolate haired girl hissed at them and seemingly slithered away. Gilbert gaped at the spot from where she stood and wolf whistled "Is it weird that I still find that hot?"
Arthur ignored the albino's comment and pulled Alfred closer to him "If you had touched that you would have been crushed into that tiny pendant until you were nothing but a sack of broken bones and meat" Alfred took a sharp inhale and linked his arm with Arthur's "Okay nope nope nope on a side of nope salad, don't let go of me please" The mage's face turned three shades of red when Alfred linked their arms together "Don't just do that you bloodly git! Get off me!" He tried to shake the swordsman away but Alfred held on tight "Noooooo! I don't wanna be a meat sack Artie!"
"Now I don't care! Get off!"
"NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!" Matthew watched them tiredly, it was almost like watching Gilbert have an 'argument' with his pet chick, utterly ridiculous. No wonder they were only half brothers "If you guys are done releasing sexual tension can we go now?" Gilbert yawned. The two blonds stopped quarreling and looked at the albino then at each other, both turned a shade of red and immediately separated "Uh..Hey Artie, w-weren't we gonna go get some supplies or something?"
"What? Oh! Y-yes supplies! Er, I suppose we could start with weapons I know just the place, so erm..yeah let's go…" Arthur walked ahead followed by Alfred close behind him. Yao and Matthew shared a glance, this was definitely going somewhere they didn't approve of.
"They WHAT?!" Vlad paced the room and sent periodical scowls at the gathered soldiers in front of him. The captain stepped forward and kneeled down to show respect to the enraged mage "They have escaped my lord, we were attacked on the way to Retus" They had just gotten back a few hours earlier and once they had delivered the bad news Vlad was immediately infuriated. The royal mage stopped pacing and stood in front of the still kneeling guard, he chuckled darkly much to the guard's already uncomfortable feeling "Tell me, how many of them attacked you?" The guard hesitated which he immediately regretted "How many of them ATTACKED YOU?!" Vlad demanded with a threatening tone. The guard kept in any noise that would give away his terrified feeling and cleared his throat before he spoke "..One my lord"
Vlad stared at him. The mage's laugh grew louder in volume until it echoed through the whole megaron, the soldiers gathered there shifted uneasily "One? Hahahaha! One?! One against fifteen of the kingdom's finest? ONE?!" Vlad laughed. The soldier swallowed thickly and spoke again, this time his voice cracked and shook on several occasions "We have reason to believe it was a mage my lord, a-a royal mage…" This time Vlad had stopped laughing. He glowered at the soldier and lifted him up to eye level with ease, the captain choked- he was brought up by his neck- and held the mage's hands which were choking him, Vlad's eyes flashed with anger and pierced through the man's soul, shaking it to the core "You best not be lying soldier, you know the consequences of accusing a royal mage like that" The soldier gasped once he was let go, he wheezed and shakily lifted his eyes to look at the royal mage again "I-I am speaking true my lord, we have seen the attacker's cloak, it bares the kingdom's coat of arms. And his voice..we hope we are mistaken"
Vlad narrowed his eyes and looked behind the captain, he saw all the other soldiers looking down or looking elsewhere, as if avoiding his gaze. He looked back at the captain "Well? Spit it out man! Who is this traitor?!" The captain met his eyes and sighed "…We believe the attacker was mage Arthur Kirkland…" Vlad's eyes became wider than dinner plates, he pushed the captain aside and ran through the confused group of soldiers and out the megaron's doors, leaving his audience silent and shocked. Vlad sped through the palace halls, his heart hammered in his chest and his mind swirled about frantically 'No…No no no this cannot be!' He thought. Vlad was terrified, part of him wanted to strangle that soldier for even saying that Arthur was a traitor..then again the whole thing about Lehr this morning….
The royal mage burst into Arthur's antechamber, walking as fast as he could to the doors at the end "Arthur! Arthur are you in there?!" He called but with every moment of silence his already frantic thoughts spiraled out of control. He opened his fellow mage's room and found it empty, he looked around for any signs of the other mage but found nothing, what struck him the most was that the glass case which used to hold Arthur's first palace mage cloak was completely empty, along with other items it was gone. Arthur was gone.
Vlad all but screamed
"Here we are" Arthur smiled up at the huge purple tent standing high before them, Gilbert nodded in approval "Hey this place might have something worth it but…how do we pay?" Arthur waved him off and patted the satchel he brought with him with a smile "Don't worry about paying, I've got everything we need right here, besides…" Arthur took out Alfred's sword, the swordsman gasped and tried to take it back but Arthur held it out of his reach "If we ever need anything extra I could just trade in Alfred's sword, I sense a lot of sentimental value practically rolling off this thing, it's basically a token"
"Dude! Don't you dare that's my dad's sword come on don't be that guy!" Arthur chuckled and gently pushed Alfred off him "Of course I wouldn't do that Alfred, I was only joking" Alfred's eyes lit up "So does that mean I get my sword back?" To his dismay Arthur shook his head "No can do, this is staying with me" With that Arthur opened his satchel and put in Alfred's sword. The group gaped at the action but Matthew was the first to speak up "How did…do you have a pocket dimension in there?"
Arthur smiled proudly and looked fondly at his satchel "The first one I ever made" He sighed happily and went ahead into the tent, Alfred grinned "Cool" and followed, then Gilbert then Yao. Matthew lingered outside for a bit, lost in his thoughts 'Arthur's a lot more powerful than I thought he was…if he could make a fully functional pocket dimension…' It was then that the summoner vowed that he would keep a closer eye on the mage, he never really did trust Arthur and knowing that the mage had that much power in his hands made him feel as though the mage was closer to a threat than he originally was "Mattie hey! Are you comin' in or what? Did some minx girl get you?! If yes just gurgle or something! Make some noise in that pendant!" Alfred called from inside. Matthew shook his head "I'm fine Al I just dropped something!" Then he entered the tent.
"Welcome! Welcome!" An old woman hobbled out from behind the mahogany counter up front once she felt the magic draped over her tent's front shift. The group watched the brown cloaked lady walk up to them with the biggest grin they've ever seen, it reminded Matthew of a cheshire cat, her dark grey hair cascaded down one side of her face so only one black eye was visible, even with her wide and friendly grin it was mostly destroyed by her chipped and missing teeth, some were even yellowing "Good afternoon Agnes" The old woman arched an eyebrow at the black cloaked mage standing at the side, once the hood went down she cackled in delight and reached up to ruffle the mage's hair "Arthur my boy! It's been so long since you've visited poor old me, I remember when you were but a wee little sprite that you found the market! Look at you now!" She walked around him and seemingly admired his features "What a dashing young man you've become! Hmm~ and your magic core has improved greatly, my my Arthur, I daresay one day you'll even surpass Vlad! Speaking of the old stuck up did he come with you?"
She looked at everyone present but found no trace of the other royal mage, she hummed in confusion "Well if Vlad didn't come with you, then who are these young lads? Have you finally accepted apprentices?"
She walked up to Alfred and narrowed her eyes at him, Alfred looked at Arthur who shrugged in response, the swordsman smiled at the old lady "Hi there, um, Agnes right? nice to meet ya" The old woman's eyes twinkled, she stared at him for a moment then at Arthur then back at him. She laughed "Ohoho! What a find what a find! Mmm yes yes yes!" She patted Alfred's chest and shook her head with a smile "He's a keeper Arthur, don't let him out of your sight" Arthur was happy the shop was dark enough to hide his face. The old woman waved her hand at them, urging them to follow her, the group did so and walked through the surprisingly large shop, the tent didn't seem so big from the outside.
Numerous weapons of every kind were lined up on shelves or just hung from the roof of the tent, some were even scattered on the ground, it was a bit difficult for the group to pass through- although Agnes and Arthur had no trouble at all- Gilbert was nearly cut by a hanging sword at least twice "Hey old lady! How come you got so many weapons?" The albino asked as he dodged another hanging dagger. Agnes smiled but didn't turn to look at him "That's a vendor's secret my boy, if we revealed everything then competition would wipe us out don't cha know?" Once they were at the very back, the old woman turned to face the group with the same permanent grin on her face "So Arthur, what brings you and your apprentices here?"
"Oh we're no-" Arthur elbowed Yao to stop him from talking, Yao glared at him and Arthur shook his head "You're not what?" Agnes asked, still grinning. Arthur sighed "Everyone else here are my apprentices" He made sure to emphasize the last part as he looked everyone but Yao in the eye "Yao here is a scholar that I took in, right now he's studying healing magic" Yao furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but when he saw the look the mage was giving him he finally caught on "…yes, that's right, I'm quite far in studying healing magic but not far enough I suppose" Agnes took the answer and nodded understandingly "Aye, I know what that's like. Healing magic is so complicated, one slip and the next thing you know your patient has a cactus where their spleen should be" She shook her head with a chuckle "But enough of the small chat, did you come to visit little old me? Or have you come for my merchandise, either will make me happy you know"
"Ah yes, we did come in search of weapons Agnes, reasons are our own of course" Arthur answered for them. The old woman clapped her hands and cackled that same amused cackle of hers "Splendid splendid! Look around! See something you like? It will be yours! Go on now and don't worry, for whatever reason you're buying it will be between us only, part of my policy" She crossed her heart "You have my word. Now scoot" Gilbert was the first to leap into what he might consider a candy store, Yao followed after him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself "Y'know I don't really need a weapon cause…" Alfred commented, his eyes sliding towards Arthur's satchel, the mage shook his head at him and pushed him into another direction "Alfred be reasonable, your sword is barely holding itself together, find another weapon because we both know your father's sword won't last a lifetime"
"…Fiiiiine, you comin'?"
"No you go on ahead Alfred, I'll be discussing the price of the weapons with Agnes, I won't be long" The swordsman shrugged and turned to his brother instead "Well? Come on Mattie let's go look at magical swords and stuff" The summoner pursed his lips and looked at Arthur and Agnes behind them "I don't know Al…magic's pretty serious, there's a reason why magic infused items were banned from the public" The swordsman chuckled and pulled his brother to a corner that had a lot of swords "Don't be so tense Mattie, Arthur's giving us a chance to stock up on supplies and kick ass weapons! You seriously still don't trust him?" Alfred placed his hands on his hips and looked down at the barrel full of swords while Matthew stood behind him, the swordsman stumbled back when a snake like thing nearly bit his face off before reverting back into a silver scaled blade, he shook his head and moved to another barrel "Al..are you forgetting who we are? We're the people the kingdom want to take down, Arthur is part of the kingdom-!"
"Was Mattie, now I know you don't think Arthur's not affected by leaving the kingdom but he is.." Alfred pulled out a sword with a red blade, it quickly burst into flames at his touch and he had to let go to avoid getting burned "Whoa that was hot- But seriously, Matt I see it in his eyes, Artie just left his home, turned his back on his friends, and is now probably considered a traitor. We've heard him ramble on and on about his 'beloved kingdom' he loves that place man" Matthew slowly inhaled and looked back at Arthur who was still talking to Agnes, the mage laughed and smiled, he didn't seem affected but that must be what he's trying to put up "How much do you think it's hurting him to know that he can't go home?" Matthew turned his attention back at Alfred who was testing out the weight of the white sword he had just pulled out, the swordsman twirled it around and stabbed at the air before nodding in approval and keeping the sword in his hand "Think about it Mattie, we sorta had a fault in this" Alfred sounded guilty.
Matthew smiled sadly at his brother and looked around for a weapon himself "I know Al, but it's a habit I can't break, remember Kiku? I didn't trust him until a year later, Arthur has to earn my trust, it's essential especially for people with lives like us" A bow in the distance caught Matthew's eye, it was jammed behind two shelves of staves, he made quick strides towards it until he found himself holding it up to see it closer. Alfred caught up to him and eyed the old bow, it didn't look all that special, in fact the wood looked as if it were rotting and the bow seemed as though it would snap at any moment "Um..Mattie I know you like bows and stuff but isn't that thing a bit..I dunno broken?" Matthew stared at him as if he had grown a second head "What? Are you kidding me Al? it's beautiful! Don't you see these carvings?" He pointed at the middle part of the bow "I don't know what language it is but it looks amazing!" Alfred squinted at the empty spot on the bow, he didn't see anything "Are you sure it's not just the whole pressure of having Artie around you cause I don't see anything…"
"Haha Al, either way I'm getting this bow" Alfred knew that tone in Matthew's voice, the decision was final, whatever his brother saw in that rotting bow the swordsman doesn't know but for now he'll humor him.
"All that happened in just one day hmm?" Back at the counter, Agnes and Arthur were nearing the end of their conversation, the mage had told her everything once they both ensured that no one was listening, unlike before when they were introducing themselves there were a few prying ears about, seeking to hear of the strangers who had come into the market, luckily they bought the whole apprentice story. Arthur smiled sadly as his hand unconsciously went up to touch the coat of arms on his cloak "I'm sure the news of my little intervention already reached the kingdom by now…a traitor, I suppose that title's appropriate" The old woman frowned and lifted Arthur's chin up to meet her eyes "Dear, I know you love the kingdom with all your soul but I think it's about time you found something else to love" The mage blinked "What?" Agnes smiled knowingly and turned his head until his gaze caught sight of Alfred who was still talking to Matthew in the corner of the shop "Or better yet someone"
Arthur stuttered and turned his gaze away from Alfred "Agnes, we barely know each other! I've only met Alfred a week ago! You can't be serious about that!" The old woman sighed and watched the two brothers at the corner of her shop argue about something "I see something in that boy, something you need, never doubt old Agnes on this one, I'm never wrong you know" She cleared her throat and smirked when she caught Arthur staring as well. She winked "But on to more pressing matters Arthur…I have something I need to tell you…" She said in a close whisper, whatever it was Arthur knew it was important, he leaned closer to listen. Agnes looked around them before she started "Arthur, what I'm about to tell you may be upsetting but I have no doubt that it's the truth. You see, ever since you came to the market when you were just a boy I sensed something, every time I look at you I sense something"
"Sense something?" Arthur looked himself over and felt around his magic core, he didn't feel anything was wrong with him. Agnes continued "Yes, even now I still do but it's weaker than it was a few years ago. I suspect that you have some sort of block on you…" She touched his forehead and closed her eyes, feeling around for anything unusual "As to who put it there I'm not sure, but the block is very powerful, so powerful that I was confused at first, that much magic should have killed you a long time ago" Arthur stared at her in slight worry, if what Agnes was saying is true then there's something inside him other than his pledged curse that could have killed him long before "C..can it be removed?" Agnes pulled back her hand and opened her eyes again, she shook her head "I can't but yes it can be removed though only by someone with enough magic to do it" Arthur stood straight again, he stared down at the floor in shock, it's a wonder how he didn't go mad today considering everything suddenly popping up on his face. Agnes patted his hand in an effort to comfort him "I wanted to tell you before but you were never alone when you came here, Vlad or those other mages in that kingdom would always be hanging around you like a leech. Have you ever wondered about those things Arthur? Why you're never alone? Why you're stationed in places like a dragon's keep where people will surely stay away? Why your room in the palace is in a secluded place where no one could find it without memorizing a certain pattern? Have you ever wondered that?"
Arthur slowly looked at her and shook his head with just as much speed, Agnes bit her lower lip "They're not telling you something Arthur, you may think becoming a traitor is horrible but if you ask for my opinion I think you're better off this way" Gilbert came rushing in with a jagged axe in his hand, he laughed like a mad man when sparks of electricity flew off the blade "This thing is AWESOME! HEY HEY LOOK WHAT IT CAN DO!" He swung the axe around and sent a bolt of electricity flying outside, someone screamed "HAHAHA!" Yao came up behind him and whacked him on the head with what seemed like an empty hilt "Stop it Gilbert! It's bad enough that the people look like they want to eat us aru! Remember we're strangers in a black market!" Gilbert rubbed the part of his head where Yao had hit him, he tsked and rolled his eyes "Killjoy" Alfred and Matthew soon joined them with weapons of their own, one being Alfred's white sword and Matthew's rotting bow.
"Pfft! What's that birdy? Firewood?" Gilbert stifled his laugh when he saw Matthew's weapon. The summoner huffed and turned away from them "I don't know what's wrong with you guys, clearly you don't know what fine craftsmanship this bow is" That only made Gilbert laugh out loud. Agnes smiled at Matthew and motioned for him to come closer, she touched the bow fondly and nodded in approval at Matthew "In all my days I've never thought anyone would see this bow as it truly is, you're a very lucky young man, there's no other bow like this"
"Yeah, it's very beautiful miss..but er, where are it's arrows?" Agnes chuckled and said in reply "I would think a summoner like you would know, all you have to do is summon an arrow and the bow will provide" Matthew's eyes lit up, he stared at the bow in awe, finally something to use his magic on other than familiar summoning "Now, I assume you've all found what you've been looking for?" Arthur asked them, they all nodded "Alright Agnes, I've got a bottle of phoenix ash and a basilisk fang for trade, will you take it?"
"Oh I don't know Arthur, four weapons? And that axe over there is a very good find"
"Pish posh, an axe with lighting infused with it? I don't think that's worth a fang"
"Arthur I got that axe from Scandinavian lands, its worth quite a lot over there"
"Over there but not here, phoenix ash"
"My boy I'm trying to run a business, a bottle of phoenix ash won't do"
"Yes but a basilisk fang is worth more than one measly lighting infused axe, especially since the basilisks have been growing scarce in number, I don't think you'll be getting a deal like this in a long time" Agnes smiled at Arthur and rolled her eyes in response "Since when did you get so difficult? Alright here, I'll throw in that air weapon Yao has in exchange for the basilisk fang and the phoenix ash" Arthur tapped his chin and smiled back "Half the phoenix ash but you'll still get the whole basilisk fang" Agnes sighed and put out her hand for Arthur to shake "Deal"
At around seven at night the group finally emerged from the black market's entrance with supplies and weapons in tow. Alfred helped pull up the rest of the group along with Gilbert once both of them were outside, all of them sighed and shook off the stiffness in their bodies before walking out of the eternally dark alley, and this time they kept track of each other. Once they were back in the streets of Retus the group quickly left the village, Retus was notorious to be very dangerous at night "I didn't even know it was this dark already, did we really spend that much time down there?"
"From the rate of how much bargaining we had to do? I believe it" Yao stretched his limbs and let out a big breath of air. They walked a bit more until they were far from Retus and the kingdom, Matthew set down all the things he was carrying as the others did the same "Everyone, we'll set up camp here tonight and tomorrow if we rush we might even be able to make it to Avia in time" Arthur stood up and shook his head "I disagree, I say we go to Lehr first" Matthew glared at him "Who gave you the right to order us around" Arthur shrugged at him "I'm not giving orders, it's a friendly suggestion. Besides if you're all after that thing in Avia you have nothing to worry about, when we came to the kingdom I heard a report from one of the guards that the project had failed and was set back a few days. Besides, Lehr is closer and from what I heard from Alfred something is going on there"
"Wait wait wait, hold up, you mean you don't know that shit?" Gilbert asked disbelievingly, the others excluding Alfred looking at him the same way "Apparently I'm being kept in the dark a lot about things like this these days…" Arthur said quietly, looking to the side. Matthew sighed and sat down on a nearby rock "If what you're saying is true then we have more time. But I still don't think we should attempt Lehr, yes Alfred was correct about something happening there but you don't know how many times we've already tried to enter, Lehr's a fort and that means what's behind it is bigger than what we'll expect" Arthur waved him off "You have me now, if there's anyone who knows how the kingdom thinks, works and acts it's me. I never thought I'd have to do this to them but if Lehr is involved I'll gladly do it"
The conversation ended on an unsure note, Gilbert and Matthew had gone off to hunt for their food while Yao looked for water, Alfred and Arthur were back on firewood duty and at least this time there wasn't much tension between them "Arthur, I know you want to save Lehr and all but why?" Alfred was actually surprised when Arthur had said he would gladly go against the kingdom for the small village, the swordsman always thought that the mage would put the kingdom first. Arthur took a deep breath, he glanced at Alfred and winced at the still purple mark on his face "First of all sorry for..that" He gestured at his face "Secondly…Lehr's my home, my family was still there, I know that the kingdom doesn't always do things that everyone would think is less than pleasant but if what you're saying is true then I'll have to cross the line on this one"
Arthur broke off an already destroyed branch from a tree and added it to his pile then continued walking "No wonder they didn't tell me, even then I would have…" He paused and shook his head "…No, I wouldn't, I would be a good mage and do nothing about it. It's funny how situations would vary depending on my current state" In reality he would have been disgusted with himself, how he would even think of leaving his family made him sick. Alfred sensed his distress and pulled him into a one armed hug "Alfred what are you-?"
"It's…I'm comforting you" Alfred would have slapped himself for being such an awkward idiot 'Come on, you're just comforting him Al, don't freak' To his surprise Arthur leaned in to the hug "Thank you, it's helping" Alfred blushed and looked away, smiling to himself "Yeah, hugs do that" They stayed like that for a while until they had to go back to the camp when they heard Yao start setting up, as they were walking back Arthur said "You've always been kind to me Alfred, I'm sorry for being such an insufferable git before, I shouldn't act like that when all you've shown is kindness"
Alfred laughed "Hey no sweat, if I were you in that situation I'd be miffed too. Haha, I mean you were tied up for most of our time together" Arthur laughed as well "Yes I suppose anyone would be mad" They laughed together and both their eyes met at some point, soon the laughter died down and they stood staring into each other's eyes, memories of the past week flashed to and fro, they weren't even aware that they had leaned closer into each other "Guys!" The moment broke when Matthew came back with a gleaming look on his face, both of them turned to look at him "I love this bow! Wow I've never fired a clean shot like that! And I totally beat Gil!" Gilbert came back looking a bit less enthusiastic as Matthew was, he was carrying what looked like deer "Yeah well I'm the one carrying this thing around, we're even"
"No way, you're just sour that your 'awesome axe' never actually hit anything"
"Shut up"
Alfred and Arthur chuckled at the two, they turned back to look at each other then finally noticed that they were too close. Both looked away in embarrassment and took one step away from each other "So uh, firewood right! come on Alfred, we can't keep them waiting" Arthur was the first to walk back to the camp, leaving Alfred to stare at his retreating back.
'Did I seriously want to kiss Arthur?'
'Did I seriously want to kiss Alfred?'