The Abyss Legion…
Prontera, Capital of Midgard, one day after Chapter 5
Auril strolled down the famous strip of road where merchants swarm together to sell their goods, forming one of the biggest markets in Midgard. He peered into each and every one of their carts, searching for his item of desire. Where's the damned pet food? He had a recent brawl with the local taming merchant, so he wasn't about to buy any of his goods straight from him.
Auril felt a small force struggling inside his back pack. He sighed, and opened up the bag, letting out a fuzzy ball of fur. Auril gently picked up the furry little feline, giving it some fresh air. The little kittens' tail swished back and forth wildly, taking in the sights and sounds of the market.
Auril laughed as the little kitty turned in little circles on his hand. It was curious about what all the fuss was about in the market. It sniffed the air, catching a sweet aroma. Auril followed the kittens' nose, finally finding a merchant who sold pet food.
"Good day, sir! May I interest you in some of my potions? Or would your little cat like some pet food for an appetizer?" The merchant said in a heavy English accent.
"Make that more then an appetizer, this guy can eat faster then he can chew. I'll take 10 pet foods and two awakening potions, thanks."
Auril paid for the goods, and then gave his kitten a small chunk from one of the pet foods. It nibbled it down happily, purring contently after finishing its meal. Auril put the kitten back into his back pack and continued scouring for any good deals.
Just as he found a very cheap fire augmented claymore, a voice called from behind him, "Auril! Over here!"
He turned around, spotting his 'girlfriend' Grace and beside her was that crazed huntress Lulaba in the town square. While Grace looked thrilled to see Auril, Lulaba just crossed her arms and stared at the wall beside her. Grace was only one hundred and thirty centimetres tall while Lulaba was one hundred and ninety centimetres tall. They looked like female versions of David and Goliath (even Auril was only one hundred and eighty centimetres). Lulaba would dismiss her height as 'a better vantage point', if she was ever talking at all.
"Hey ya', sweetie. And hello to you, my second favourite psychopath." Grace wrapped herself around Auril's arm while Lulaba continued to stare at the wall. Grace was only sixteen while Auril and Lulaba were both twenty-two. Auril himself was a lord knight, one of the few people who had gone through the reincarnation process. He was actually sixty-eight years old, adding his forty-six years while he was still a regular knight.
They sat together on one of the town squares' benches, talking about gossip and recent events.
Auril spoke first, "You heard about the old man Rephere's daughter, Tiana? She was murdered by an unknown person, leaving no traces what so ever. Even the wound that killed her was patched up."
"Yeah," came Lulaba's emotionless reply.
"Oh…that poor girl, I wonder why anyone would do that to such a thing to someone so young…" Grace loosened her grip on Auril's arm a little, letting blood flow through it normally again. She looked sad and worried, covering her happy little face with a sorrowful mask.
Only those in a warrior guild (the different job guilds in Ro) were imbued with the resurrection imprint. All civilians did not have the luxury of cheating death like the warriors…the little girl wouldn't get a second chance…
Damn, change the subject…don't make lil' Grace cry…Auril thought to himself. "Ah…they'll find the culprit soon enough! The knights of Prontera have a reputation of always getting the bad guys!"
"Really?" Grace looked up at Auril her eyes sparkled with life again, regaining her beauty. Auril swore that Grace was only half her age, maybe it was because she spent too much time in the church when she was still an acolyte. Oh well.
"Humph. Those king-kissing losers always had to hire a group of hunters to help them out every time. Some reputation." The blonde haired huntress replied, still refusing to look at Auril.
"Oh come on, we deserve at least some credit, don't we?"
"The hunters do most of the job."
"But we're the ones who ultimately capture the villain!"
"After the hunters shoot sleep arrows at them."
"But…we're the ones who plan how to capture them!"
"Based on what information the hunters gathered."
"…"
Auril stared at Lulaba for a long moment. Rage filled him whenever he lost. But when had he ever won a quarrel with anyone at all really? And why should he care about the knights? He was a lord knight, no longer a member of the Knight Guild, only serving to protect Rune Midgard.
A small tug on his arm diverted his attention away from the argument. Grace looked up at Auril with pleading eyes. "Please stop fighting, Auril-kun…I don't like people fighting each other…" Eight years old indeed.
Auril had no choice but to drop the subject. He couldn't hurt his "girlfriends'" feelings. He didn't feel like continuing the conversation anyway, so he got up to stretch himself…
: Chief, I think we have a major problem: It was Meth on the Guild Link: That guy who killed that girl yesterday was me. I had to 'cause she was making too much of a ruckus. The girl the Owl Baron wanted got away. I'll be in hiding for a while, so don't try to find me unless it's really important. I'll give you details about the girl later. Meth out:
Meth, or Methanax, or whatever his real name for that matter, was the guilds' best assassin; an agent of darkness who can track and pursue anyone without being seen…and strike at them when the time was right…until now it seems.
Auril, Grace and Lulaba all heard Meth. They were all from the same guild, one of the most powerful ones ever known in Rune Midgard. They have faced legions of monsters, hordes of opponents and enemies of all kinds. They had control of all of Prontera's and Geffen's guild castles. The guild was a legend throughout all of Midgard…ever since it was created in Glast Heim, one thousand years ago.
Auril took off his back pack, revealing the unmistakable guild emblem, along with the insignia of the guild master.
It was the emblem of the Abyss Legion.
All members of the Abyss Legion in or around Prontera were alerted immediately. They were stationed in various places to track the girl the Owl Baron wanted so badly. Those inside Prontera were issued shifts to look for her within the city.
The sub guild, Abyss Well, was also informed. That guild consisted of all magic combatant jobs, namely magicians, wizards, sages and priests. They were on look out for the girl through premonition and magic sense. If someone was powerful enough to defeat Meth, he or she had to have some degree of magic to aid them in battle. Meth was not the kind to be beaten physically. And Abyss Well will be ready if the girl was ever to be found.
Auril listened through the guild link. No signs of the girl yet; maybe she left already. But the search wasn't complete, so no assumptions can be made until then.
Maybe the girl was a lot smarter then they thought; maybe she was hiding in the places the guild had already searched. Auril decided to check it out himself.
"Where're you going Auril?" Grace stuck her head into the guild castle masters room, her long black her dangling close to the floor.
Auril looked up, seeing Grace pop into his room like a mole tunnelling back up to the surface. "Come in Grace." Auril offered, and Grace slipped through the door. "I think I might have found a small flaw in our search plans, so I'm going to check it out myself, just to be sure."
"Bring me with you! I wanna go adventure hunting like we used to! Ever since the last few days, you never let me go anywhere with you when you where out hunting!"
Auril dug his face into his hands. He didn't want Grace to die like how everyone else did in the encounter with the Owl Baron. He knew the girl he was looking for was dangerous, so he didn't let Grace into any of the search parties.
He loved Grace too much, even if she was just a little girl at heart.
"Grace…" Auril started, but how to tell her? She was too naïve to understand love, thinking being a girlfriend was just being the best buddies in life. "Look, I can't have you follow me again. It's too dangerous; I can't risk losing you out there."
"But even if I die, I can be resurrected! I could heal you if you get hurt, I could-"
"GRACE!" Auril shouted at her. "I don't want you to die, that's why I don't want you to come with me. Stay here, or go pray at the church. It's night time anyway, and you should get some sleep."
With that, he left the room, leaving Grace alone in the master room. Grace fell onto the bed and sobbed into the cotton sheets. "But you never think about me…I don't want you to die too…even if you come back…"
A kitten crept close to Grace, purring softly as it leaned on her waist.
Auril walked through the cramped alleys of north-east Prontera. The night was young and he had plenty of time retrace the steps Lulaba took in her shift. It was dark and Auril could hardly see a thing. Luckily, he had his trusty candle with him, and it lit a way for him (No, he's not wearing it on his head). No signs of anyone besides a few tarous…nothing more.
Maybe he was wrong, maybe the girl left Prontera already. Maybe she left long after the guild was set into action. But he had to keep finding her. She was the key to stopping the coming war as Meth mentioned.
Auril didn't want another Thousand-Year-Old War.
A thief bug whizzed past him, disappearing from sight as it turned around a corner. Funny, Auril didn't even notice that narrow alley at first…maybe something's there.
He walked through the alley, squeezing through the narrow space, forcing him to walk sideways. The things he did for the country…
Finally, the alley ended and it opened up to a small space, ringed with houses. A small tower statue stood in the middle of the area, dwarfing the buildings around it. It reminded Auril of the pillars attached outside the Prontera Sanctuary, how it had the same shape, only smaller and had the sculpture of Odin on top of it, with a girl holding onto him…
…A girl?
No doubt about it, the description matched the one Meth gave.
Auril took out his lance. He crept quietly closer to the statue, aiming his lance at the girl, preparing to unleash his spear boomerang…
But he was no assassin, and the girl spotted him after he took two steps toward her. She looked slightly alarmed, but she remained were she was.
Auril held up his lance, locking his eyes onto the girl. He had to be careful not to kill the girl; they needed her alive. Then, he suddenly froze. He couldn't make his arm throw the lance at her. His whole body felt numb, he couldn't jerk forward nor step backward. He felt a wave of guilt as he looked at the girl.
She was the one who gave him the kitten…and she was the one who Auril killed when he went berserk…out of greed.
In the moonlight, tiny sparkles streaked her face.
She was crying.
