Here we are at Chapter 10. Time for Fuyumi and Anelia to see another shade of the art capital, even if they didn't plan on it. I do not own Code Vein or Skeleton Knight. They belong to their respective owners. I only own my OCs. Here's chapter 10. Enjoy.
Chapter 10: Painting with Red
In the capital of Anatolia, Duke Joseph meets with His Majesty, King Gaius. After making some idle conversation, they get to the matter at hand.
"So, what are your findings, Joseph?" King Gaius asks.
Joseph sighs, "There are signs of unusual activity within the Gravlon Empire. It has those at the border feeling nervous. There are also possible signs of illegal slave trading in the smaller towns and territories in the northeast. There are territories beyond the countries that belong to the other races. If their people are being forced into slavery, it'll cause problems with generating good relations with them,"
The king rubs his chin, "This is most troublesome. Both the west and the east are starting to get restless. Do you think there is a possibility of a war looming?"
"I certainly hope not. The Matriox Republic and the Liniark Kingdom are our allies, so we have strong support. The Conclave has always been neutral in conflicts; it being a holy kingdom. Aside from the Dragon Alliance, any who would think of attacking that land would invoke the ire of the whole continent, who all give their faith to the goddess. The last war on this continent was around a century ago. It took years for the countries, and their people, to heal and rebuild from the wounds that conflict left. If another war were to occur... who knows what the damage might be," Joseph voices his worries.
King Gaius looks out the window, "Peace is indeed a fragile thing, but that is precisely why it must be protected. Without order, without peace, we are no different than savages who live solely for chaos. Do we have any suspects in regards to the slave trade?"
"Nothing concrete as of yet. Whoever's behind thus is good at covering their tracks. I can only imagine that the elves and the dwarves won't just sit idle, not when their people are at risk. We were beginning to make good strides in building peaceful relations with them. This will set things back," Joseph shakes his head.
"We cannot allow the progress we've made go to waste. Continue your efforts and work with those you know you can trust. We must not remain idle," Gaius orders.
Joseph bows his head, "At once, Your Majesty,"
"Before you go, if I may ask, how is that new fiancé of your daughter's?" the king asks.
Joseph smiles, "She and her friend should be in Daelom now. I think it would do them good to see more of the good things our kingdom has to offer, rather than what they witnessed during my daughter's kidnapping,"
King Gaius grunts in amusement, "Let's just hope they don't get into any trouble again. Lady Fuyumi, even if unwillingly, has an innate talent for gaining attention. It's still a shame that she rejected both my offer and my son's. He's still a little embarrassed by it. Though, it was good in that it kept him from getting arrogant. I also hope your daughter won't get any kind of trouble for this, after everything she's been through,"
"A father can only hope," Joseph sighs.
...
Fuyumi wakes up in the morning first. Stretching her limbs to wake her body up, she looks to see Anelia still sleeping soundly. After getting changed, Fuyumi opens up the window to let the morning light in. The sun's rays make Anelia stir in her sleep
Anelia groans, "Ugh, five more minutes. No light, please," she pulls the covers over her head.
Fuyumi chuckles, "Come on now, Anelia. We've slept enough for now," she walks over and leans over Anelia. "If you don't get up now, I'll have to get a little mischievous, she whispers.
Anelia squeaks from this and pops her head out, "What are you trying to do to me? I'm not ready for that yet! We need to take this slowly!" she yells while blushing.
"Why, Anelia, whatever are you insinuating? I was merely suggesting that I would tickle you until you woke up," Fuyumi says with an 'innocent' smirk. She leans in closer. "What were you expecting me to do to you, hmm? I didn't imagine you'd have such a mind for things like that,"
Anelia only blushes harder, "P-P-P-Please, just stop it! I'm up! I'm up!"
Fuyumi laughs, "Hahaha, I'm sorry! I just couldn't help it. Let's put it to you still being half-asleep. But, jokes aside, let's get going. There's still much to see around the city, and we may take a job or two while we're at it. Get ready," Fuyumi walks to put her blood veil on.
Anelia gets ready and after having some breakfast, the two head out into town. They were able to see some of the sights when they arrived, but that was only after handling their mercenary work. Now, they can spend the whole day at their leisure.
"So, what would you like to see first, Anelia?" Fuyumi asks.
Anelia glances around, "I'm not really sure. I've never been here before, so I'm not familiar with the local sights. I think I'd like to see what they have in regards to literature,"
"Okay, then we'll start there. Let's look around and see if we can find a bookstore or something similar," Fuyumi takes the lead and they head down the main street.
The girls pass by some sights and shows, with a few that catch their attention for more than a short moment. At one point, Fuyumi asks a local where they might find a spot that focuses on books and literature and they point the way, east past the town square. As they walk, the crowd starts to grow on the street. As Anelia starts to feel like she's in a tight spot (literally), Fuyumi comes in and pulls her out by her hand.
"Best to stay close. Looks like this is when they're at their peak. Don't let go of my hand," Fuyumi keeps her grip tight on Anelia as they move through the crowd.
Anelia remains silent from the hand-holding, but allows a small smile on her face anyway. Once they get close to their destination, they find a building larger than those immediately around it, and a sign that shows a few books stacked together.
"That must be the place!" Anelia's smile is almost infectious.
Anelia can barely contain herself as she rushes inside, with Fuyumi trailing behind. They see a plethora of books in the shop. Anelia immediately starts looking around.
"Hello there, how may I help you?" and elderly man in simple attire walks up to Fuyumi, most likely the shop owner.
"We're here to look at some books. Though, it's mostly my good friend here," Fuyumi gestures to Anelia, who's still looking around. "She seems to really like them."
The old man laughs, "There's nothing wrong with liking literature. I suppose you're not too interested in such things, my lady,"
"Oh no, I occasionally read. Mostly history books and the like. I'm sure most girls would like romance novels, but those have never caught my interest," Fuyumi says.
"Hmm, interesting. Don't usually see too many noble female readers who prefer history. If they ever did read history, it was required of them," the old man scratches his beard.
"I'm not a noble, but I see you're meaning. Speaking of which, would you happen to have history books on the countries of this continent? I'm not from around here, really," Fuyumi looks around.
"Why, certainly. A foreigner, eh. Well, our countries are rich in history and culture. Please, let me show you what we have to offer," the old man leads the way.
With the old man's help, Fuyumi finds a few books on the history of the continent's countries. She still has much to learn about these places, so these books will help her catch up. While she's doing that, Anelia finds a few books related to magic theory and application. She said that the magic academy already has such books, but that students could only borrow them, not keep them, and these books are from other countries. She wants to see how they may help with her training. Once their book shopping is done and they pay for the merchandise, Fuyumi and Anelia leave the store to see what else they can find. Fuyumi happily places their books in her inventory for safekeeping.
"Excuse me, young ladies," a female voice catches their attention and they turn to see a young woman with a veil over the lower half of her face and a hood on her head. "Might I interest you in telling your fortune?" she gestures to her tent, which has a sign of stars and symbols on it.
"A fortune teller? Are those common around here, Anelia?" Fuyumi looks to her friend.
"I'm not really sure. There are certain types of magic that are said to help predict someone's future, but those are incredibly rare," Anelia replies.
"It is true that a few magic affinities can do such things, but there is more than one way to predict the future. If you'd like, I can show you," the woman beckons them inside her tent.
"Maybe we should give it a try, Fuyumi. Who knows, it might be fun," Anelia eagerly pulls her along.
"Alright, alright," Fuyumi acquiesces.
They are led inside the tent, finding a table with a few chairs set around it. There are several candles burning around them. The woman sits across from them and pulls out a deck of cards.
"Now then, what fortune would you like to hear today?" the lady asks as she shuffles her cards.
"You can go first, Anelia," Fuyumi offers.
"Okay, um..." Anelia thinks for a moment. "I'd like to know... can you tell the royal magi academy's headmistresses' future?"
"I'm afraid we'd need her here for that, my dear. I can't tell the fortune of one to another without that person present," the woman shakes her head with a smile.
"Okay, then... How about... is there love in my future?" Anelia asks, a tinge of pink on her cheek.
The woman chuckles, "A classic request. Let's see..." she manipulates the cards and then draws three. "You will meet your destined one..." she lays one card down. "...For a special moment..." lays down the second. "...Your... final moment," but the third card is the death card.
"Huh? What does... that... mean..." Anelia starts feeling faint and weird.
"Anelia... are you..." Fuyumi feels something in the air.
She feels a little off, but not as bad as Anelia. She sees the woman smirk, and feels the presence of more people coming in from behind.
"Blame yourselves for not knowing your place," the woman says.
"I don't think so," Fuyumi mutters before activating Antibody Generation, which increases her and her allies' resistance to all status debuffs. Next, she activates Stun Trap, which creates a trap at her feet. The trap is automatically set off since her enemies are right next to her. They all get stunned from the trap. Fuyumi pulls Anelia down while taking out her blade. She spins around with a quick slash, striking two opponents. That leaves three left, including the woman.
"Damn it, they didn't tell us about this!" the woman curses.
The effects of the Stun Trap wear off and the three remaining enemies jump back and draw their weapons. While the two men in cloaks behind Fuyumi draw dual swords and a spear, the woman draws a pair of katar blades.
"Fuyumi, what's going on?!" Anelia comes back to her senses thanks to Fuyumi.
"It seems these guys have some beef with us," Fuyumi nays, noticing that they all have cloth covering their noses and mouths. "I see, it's the candles. They emit an incense that did something to us. Luckily, I have an ability that nullifies such tricks. But first, I think it's time we get some fresh air,"
Fuyumi grabs Anelia before performing Circular Cleaver, spinning high up while slicing through the tent. The pair end up outside as their enemies free themselves from the downed tent.
"Now then, care to tell me who you are and why you want us dead?" Fuyumi aims her sword at them.
The woman clicks her tongue, "Tch, retreat," the goons make a break for it.
Fuyumi and Anelia give chase, following them down an alleyway. The chase continues through the city like a maze until they end up in a large, abandoned square. As they do, several more goons in cloaks and hood appear. The only thing Fuyumi can see is that they're all wearing light armor and most are wielding swords as their weapons.
"All this for us? I'm flattered," Fuyumi taunts them.
"Kill them. Focus on the mage," the woman commands.
The goon attack at once, Fuyumi casts Dancing Fireblade, causing several flame blades to appear and spin around her and Anelia. One of the attackers fails to dodge it in time and gets sliced and burned together. The others step back.
"Anelia," Fuyumi glances at her.
Anelia nods, "Right," and pulls out her staff. "Spirits of wind, become a blade that slices through my enemies. Air Cutter!" she fires off several wind blades.
The goons dodge her blades, but Fuyumi uses this chance to get near one and burn him with her fireblades. Just after he dies do her blades dissipate. The woman comes in and attacks her with her katar blades. The two female warriors engage in a series of slashes, parries, stabs, and deflections. While she's doing that, the rest of the goons go after Anelia. She fires out more wind blades at them, but they just dodge the attacks as they get closer. But, Fuyumi, even in the midst of fighting the woman, cats Indra's Coil, sending out three bolts of lightning at the target's feet, shocking three of their opponents. The other guys hesitate from this surprise attack, giving Anelia the chance she needs to counterattack.
"Spirits of fire, burn through my enemies. Flame spears!" Anelia fires off several flame spears at the three enemies that were stunned by Fuyumi's attack.
The three fall to the ground, their bodies turned black. The remaining four renew their attack, but Fuyumi disappears from her opponent in red mist and reappears by Anelia's side. She fires off a flame barrage, forcing them back.
"Anelia, you alright?" Fuyumi asks without looking back.
"I'm okay, but who are these guys?" Anelia replies.
"Guess we'll just have to ask them after we kick the crap out of them. But first, I think they need to... chill out," Fuyumi raises a hand and casts Cloak of Winter.
A blizzard forms in their area, freezing everything around Fuyumi and Anelia. Their enemies try to get away, but they freeze too quickly to do so. Once the blizzard dies down, Fuyumi sees all of those around them frozen solid. Only their leader, who was the furthest away, still had a few parts of her body that weren't frozen. That didn't change that she was still stuck in place.
Fuyumi makes her way over to the woman, "Now then, care to tell me why you're after us now?" she gets in the woman's face and pulls the hood off, revealing a young woman with short brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin. "Tell me the truth and you get to live."
The woman just laughs through her chattering teeth, "Heh-heh-heh-heh, you... really have no idea... do you? You should be... more careful of the... company you keep." Fuyumi stabs her blade through the woman's frozen leg, making her scream. "AAAHH!"
"I was enjoying a perfectly nice day with Anelia until you punks ruined it. Now, why. Are you. Trying. To kill us," she accentuates each word by twisting the blade in the woman's leg.
The woman grits through the pain, but that doesn't make it any less painful.
"Your little friend there made an enemy of someone she shouldn't have. But that doesn't matter much. We were hired to take her out. And you along with her if we had to. It's only a matter of time," the woman says.
"Who hired you?" Fuyumi demands.
The woman laughs, "It doesn't matter... You won't live to find out,"
Her right hand breaks free of the ice and clutches a small sphere within.
"Fuyumi, look out!" Anelia yells.
The woman presses something on the sphere and it glows a bright red. Fuyumi jumps back and grabs Anelia just as a large explosion goes off, engulfing the whole area. Up on one of the nearby rooftops, Fuyumi and Anelia appear, thanks to the former's abilities. They look down at the smoldering wreckage.
"Anelia, are you alright?" Fuyumi checks her friend.
"I'm alright, just a little shaken up," Anelia takes a breath.
Fuyumi looks back at the blast site, "What was that?"
"I'm not sure but... considering the size of the explosion, it had to have been a fire crystal, and maybe more than one," Anelia thinks.
"Are mana crystals common?" Fuyumi asks.
"Not as common as some would think. It's not like you can find them anywhere. There are some places that have mines for certain crystals, depending on the environment. Mana crystals basically physical versions of mana. Mana exists everywhere, but humans can't utilize it without a catalyst. That's where the mana crystals come into play. They are what mages use to focus their mana and cast magic. Other races, such as elves, dwarves, and dragons can use mana without crystals. What's more, dwarves and elves have greater access to such crystals because of their high affinity to them. I think there were a few fire crystals in that sphere. There must've been something in it that caused the fire crystals to ignite and explode like that. To use them in such a wasteful manner is unthinkable," Anelia explains.
"I see. But, I'm more worried about what that woman said. They were hired to kill you, Anelia. Who would want to kill you?" Fuyumi asks, concerned.
"I don't know, honest. I told you, I'm just a student from the magi academy. I'm not even a high-ranking noble, or a low-ranking one. I lived in a small town before I got accepted into the academy. I just... don't know," Anelia looks on at the rising smoke.
This only makes Fuyumi more worried. These guys might have been the Skull blades, but they were better trained. Whoever wants Anelia dead has money and connections, that's for sure. But still, who would want to kill Anelia, and why? Fuyumi looks off to the side when she hears commotion nearby.
"We need to go. The authorities are coming, and we may be pinned as suspects in this whole craziness. Besides, there could be more of them around, waiting for a chance to strike. Forget about heading back to the inn. We'll need somewhere else to go," Fuyumi says.
"But, where do we go?" Anelia asks.
Fuyumi thinks on it and comes up with an idea. A while later in the evening, the girls are holding up at Royce's carriages to sell his wares. A tent is set up in front of their carriages to showcase their merchandise.
"We appreciate you guys letting us stay here the night. And sorry for the trouble," Fuyumi says.
"Hey you ladies helped us out big time for that job. And thanks to you, we had some extra product to sell. It's the least we could do," Royce says.
Fuyumi originally thought of using her abilities to head straight back to Emilia's place back in Crystalglove, but if these guys are that persistent, they may even hit the duke's home as well. It's already happened once before, and Fuyumi doesn't want to make Emilia go through that again. For now, they needed to lay low and figure out their next move.
"Something big must've happened, huh. I heard there was some kind of explosion further in town. I'm guessing you ladies had something to do with hat," Royce figures it out.
"Something like that. Someone wants Anelia dead, but we don't know who. And we can't just go straight back home, or else we may lead them there where the rest of my friends are. I'm not worried about my own life, but I am worried about hers," Fuyumi looks down on a sleeping Anelia in the carriage. The whole day, and the events that came with it, made her exhausted. "We'll be leaving tomorrow. Hopefully, by then, we'll have more information. If no one tries to come after us, then I think we can say we dealt with them for now, and head back home. But, who knows what tomorrow will bring," she strokes Anelia's hair, making the girl smile in her sleep.
"Well, that'll be something for tomorrow to worry about. Right now, focus on getting some sleep," Royce takes his leave.
Fuyumi lies down next to Anelia, staring at her sleeping form, "I don't know who wants Anelia dead, but if they want her life... They'll have to go through me first," and then she drifts off into sleep.
And that's the chapter. Fuyumi and Anelia's fun day in Daelom turns grim when a mysterious group comes after Anelia. Now, Fuyumi must figure out who they are before it's too late. Will Fuyumi be able to keep Anelia safe? Who are these mysterious assassins and why do they want Anelia dead? Until then, please Read and Review.
