Andrea
Andrea felt the vibrations running through her armour slowly fade as the carriage came to a stop just inside the southern gates to the city. It was a genuine relief to know that their journey had ended, she didn't know precisely what Adrian had promised the man driving the carriage but he had done his best to get back into town as swiftly as possible. Of course, this speed was only possible due to the sacrifice of comfort.
Adrian got up first, picking up the small bag he was carrying and feeding it to the Holy Sword even as he walked out of the carriage and went to speak to the driver. Andrea was quick to follow after shaking Bellamy awake and picking up her weapons.
The day was almost over, red streaks filled the sky, she couldn't see the sun directly from her current position but it was almost sunset, so it had to be around five or six in the evening. They had made very good time.
Andrea stretched slightly feeling a sense of relief at finally reaching home. She carefully flared her empathic senses and tried to contain her wince as the now familiar feeling of anger/hatred/determination/grief from Adrian flooded her senses, his emotions had been getting more and more negative from the moment they had started to approach the Capital. The other two were almost emotionally dead in comparison and the driver and the surrounding people were having only mild emotions in comparison to the depth that Adrain had.
It was a reminder that despite what appearances might suggest the Sword Hero was not happy with the current situation.
Andrea turned to look at him as he spoke to the driver, as he handed over a small pouch of coins to the man, she felt the drivers joy and awe as well as Adrian's low key disdain for the awe. It had surprised her a little when she had first sensed Adrian's disdain for Bellamy's awe and respect but she suspected she understood his reaction, Adrian was okay with respect but only for something worth respecting, if someone respected him for merely being the Sword Hero then he found it disgusting.
She noted that Adrian and the driver were both looking at the Filolials and taking, Adrian's emotions shifted slightly and she could recognize an interesting cocktail of curiosity/nostalgia/concern taking over his mind. But before she could listen in to the conversation her attention was drawn away by the increasing irritation/anger sensation she was getting from the princess, Andrea turned to look at the princess looking annoyed at the Hero but when she caught Andrea looking at her, the irritation/anger changed to anger/disdain/disgust. The princess said nothing, however, and went back to looking at the hero. It would seem that she was wise enough not to anger the Hero. Perhaps she could learn.
Adrian finished the conversation soon and started to walk towards them, his attention, however, was on the feather that he was feeding to the Holy Sword. Andrea thought nothing of it, she had seen him feed the Holy Sword hundreds of times in the past few days, it was surprising how quickly it had become a mundane part of her life. Then for just a moment, she felt a massive flare of satisfaction/determination/joy from the Sword Hero, Andrea instantly paid her full attention to him and found that his eyes were unfocused, probably looking at his status screen.
Interesting, something very good must have happened for his emotions to shift so drastically. But what was so good about a Filolial feather sword?
"Alright, I suppose we are done for now," he stated, his emotions now muted as he focused on the conversation, all his hatred, sorrow and anger buried deep within, "I plan to get something to eat and then go to a magic shop," he continued and then nodded at Andrea and Bellamy, "after our discussions I have a number of questions I need answers for as soon as possible. You are free to join me or relax elsewhere, it's totally up to you."
Andrea didn't need long to consider it. She was a little tired but one of the subtle benefits of the rapid levelling up was that their stamina was honestly growing just a little bit faster than they were using it, this would be a good chance to speak to Adrian alone, right now despite how much he had helped her in the forest, despite the fact that he had genuinely meant his promise about letting her stay in his party, he had a great many doubts. It was logical for him to have them it spoke well of his intelligence that he had them, but it was undeniable that his emotions were getting to be rather intense as a side effect.
The princess and Bellamy were not helping matters in any way.
Princess Malty was simply out to use him and she was being rather obvious with her seduction tactics. Perhaps it might have worked on one of the other heroes, they had all been excited rather than worried or furious, but Adrian had been worried and cautious from the start, and her blatant attempts at seduction had simply made him even more suspicious.
Bellamy, in contrast, was genuinely loyal to the Sword Hero and she suspected that Adrian knew that, the problem was that Adrian still didn't think of himself as the Sword Hero. He probably didn't want to think of himself as such, which would make him reluctant to accept Bellamy's loyalty. This coupled with the fact that both Bellamy and Malty had obvious backers made Adrian rather concerned with their presence.
Indeed her presence also made him very nervous, she had noted how his emotions had shifted after her answer as to why she had joined him. At that point she had not had a very good grasp on him, truthfully she had not expected much of him, he had simply seemed to be the best among a series of poor options. Andrea had mistaken his lack of knowledge for a lack of intelligence, a foolish assumption on her part that she had been forced to rapidly correct over the past few days.
"Thank you for the offer Sir Adrian but I have missed my father greatly," stated Malty, her eyes almost shining, but her mind was as twisted as ever," I shall be joining him for dinner today."
Adrian didn't bother saying a word, he simply nodded at her and then looked to Andrea and Bellamy.
"I'll join you," said Andrea.
Bellamy bowed and said," I shall be honoured to dine with you, sir."
"Good. Malty," he said turning towards the princess," please remember that we have tomorrow set aside as a day to relax. We shall meet up on the day after tomorrow, to continue our training, in front of these gates at 6 in the morning. If you wish to meet me for whatever reason tomorrow I shall be found at the Firebrand Inn."
"Of course Adrian." she stated as she walked away, giving him a wave and utterly ignoring Andrea and Bellamy," I shall be well prepared."
Andrea wanted to laugh at the fury/embarrassment/hate that the princess was feeling and at the synchronized feeling of disdain towards her from Bellamy and Adrian.
Adrian turned to look at both of them and smiled. For once the smile was backed with some genuine feeling," Let's get something good to eat, we have worked quite hard these past few days. Any suggestions?"
Bellamy was quick to answer but Andrea ignored the conversation that followed as they began to walk deeper into the city, her attention was instead on the feeling of relief she was sensing from Adrian. Perhaps she was wrong about his attitude and thoughts towards herself and Bellamy, it seemed that most of his concern was reserved for the princess.
Slowly a plan began to crystallize as she considered all the information she had. One that would secure her position in his party while ensuring that the Sword Hero would be free from his concerns.
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It had merely been an hour since she had formed her plan and she was already starting to realize that she had been very, very arrogant to assume that she understood Adrian well enough to make a plan around him.
Andrea was reminded of something her father had said one day when she had been particularly stupid with the use of her power, 'emotions are not motivations, nor are they thoughts.'
It was a sentence that had stuck with her since, a reminder that while her power granted her remarkable insight into people it was far from perfect. Right now Adrian and his horrifying emotional state were reminding her of that fact.
He had been fairly relaxed while they walked towards the inn, Adrian had been asking Bellamy some questions about the cooking of all things, and Andrea had been content to just stay quiet and bask in their calm emotions. Then Adrian had fallen silent for just a second too long after Bellamy asked him a question and she had wondered what had happened. Adrian had quickly started the conversation again but the flare of disgust/hatred/horror had been unmistakable.
That had ruined dinner for her.
The food had been amazing and Adrian had kept his emotions at bay for the most part, playing the role of party leader and encouraging both of them, planning the next training trip and keeping the conversation going, trying to include both of them and even mediating between them when the Church was brought up but his emotions just kept on getting more and more distorted, and her powers did not let her ignore such a thing.
Adrian had not shown many signs of his increasing discomfort and indeed had insisted that they go on to the magic shop when Bellamy had stated that the only experts he knew were from the church, Andrea had taken the chance to tell him about Agatha's atelier. She just hoped that the old witch wasn't there right now, one of her apprentices would be best, but if what Andrea was suspecting was correct then Agatha was probably the only person in the capital who could answer the questions that Adrian had about status magic correctly.
Andrea hoped that it would place him in a better mood than he currently was in.
"Miss Andrea," said Bellamy," would this atelier be the same one that is run by the Witch of Ruin?"
Andrea was a little surprised that he had figured out where they were going since she had only mentioned that she knew an expert, though she supposed that there weren't many magic-related ateliers in the nearby area so it was easier than most cases.
"Yes," she answered," I hope to be able to speak to one of Agatha's apprentices."
Adrian interrupted here, the burst of curiosity/concern/caution driving his actions," That's quite a title."
Andrea understood the implicit question," She is a war hero, it is said that her powers could match or exceed even the Seven Star Heroes. Her title is due to her signature spell that could consume all life in a massive area."
Adrian had another spike of emotion here, "Seven Star Heroes?" he echoed.
Andrea blinked and then wanted to hit herself. Adrian had adapted to the world quickly enough that she often forgot that this was completely new territory for him, even the most common legends would be stories he had never heard of. Thankfully Bellamy started to speak while she was considering how to summarize everything she knew about the Heroes.
"They are powerful people who wield one of seven weapons of legend," stated Bellamy,"it is said that they are weaker versions of the Legendary Weapons and that they can be used to summon people from other worlds to act as their wielders or if that fails they can find people from our world to wield them. The Seven Star Heroes are incredibly powerful in comparison to most warriors Sir Adrian, though they are nothing compared to your power."
"That is very...interesting." he stated, his emotions moving towards an interesting combination of intrigue/concern/anger," Anything else about them? What are they doing about the waves?"
Andrea and Bellamy looked towards each other, and for once she felt that they were on the same wavelength. This was a complex topic that they had stumbled on, and Adrian was very concerned about the answer. Andrea took a moment to consider it and then decided to explain in full, it would likely be for the best, she was certain that Adrian would not react well to a lie, even a lie of omission.
"They are politically constrained." she stated," All the Seven Star Heroes are very important figures in their country's politics and lack the ability of the Legendary Heroes to teleport directly to the waves. Which makes deploying them a problem."
"If they are truly unusually strong, and given that you used them as a benchmark for incredible strength I can only imagine that they are a critical part of a nation's military power. Does Melromarc have a Seven Star Hero?" he asked.
"Yes sir we do," said Bellamy," you have already met him. King Aultcray is the wielder of the Legendary Cane."
At this point, they had neared the atelier so Andrea said," We are here Adrian, perhaps we should continue this later?"
For a moment his impatience was clear to her senses, he definitely wanted to continue the conversation, then it was rapidly eradicated as he took a deep breath and slipped into his battle mindset. He was about to say something when he took a look at the atelier and then blinked rapidly in succession while shaking his head.
A second later he closed his eyes for a second or two and opened them slowly, before saying," What exactly is this odd feeling around the atelier? It feels like its...distorted somehow."
Andrea frowned slightly before extending her mana towards the atelier, she had her suspicions about what he was feeling and her mana thread confirmed it, somehow he had sensed the protections around the atelier, perhaps it was a passive skill that he had obtained from the Holy Sword?
Bellamy didn't have to verify the situation as she did, he answered immediately while she was still contemplating Adrian's new ability," Those are magical protections, sir. I do not know much about the Witch of Ruin but even I have heard of her skill and the amazing enchantments she is capable of. It is likely that these protections are needed for her safety and to ensure that theft is prevented."
Andrea wanted to interrupt here, Agatha was many things but she was not one to bother with such paltry protections. If it were up to her she would have layered the place with any number of lethal spells rather than the alarm and barrier spells she could sense, this was probably the work of one of her apprentices, Ethan most likely, but just as she was about to say so, the door was opened and it slammed into the wall hard, the sound echoed throughout the street and some nearby birds were started enough to take flight.
Andrea took one look at the unnerving smile on Agatha's face, the feeling of hunger/awe/desire and immediately realized that this had been a mistake.
"Show me that Sword of yours boy!" said the old mage. Andrea felt like slamming her head against the wall as Adrian began to shift into his battle mindset fully, the Sword that he had hidden away by transforming into a small knife was immediately transformed into a hazy looking blade that she knew was called the smoke sword, it allowed him to generate and control some very dark grey smoke, it was a weapon he had told them was meant for retreating from a powerful enemy. She had to stop this before it escalated.
"Agatha," she said, her tone flat and annoyed, "please meet Adrian Black, Hero of the Sword and Bellamy, a member of my party. Adrian, Bellamy meet Agatha, magic obsessed maniac."
Her words disrupted the behaviour of both sides, Andrea felt a surge of embarrassment/annoyance from Agatha but ignored it, the old woman should know better than to act in such a ridiculous manner, no matter how much she enjoyed learning about magic.
Adrian didn't change his mindset and still had his sword at the ready but he had given her a nod and indicated towards the witch, clearly expecting her to handle the old magic-user. Bellamy was far warier, no doubt he knew of Agatha's reputation for massive overkill but despite his fear of her, Andrea could tell that he was willing to take a hit or two, even if they would be fatal, so that he could give Adrian enough time to escape, his loyalty was quite admirable but unnecessary in this case.
She continued once she was certain that neither party was about to say anything," Agatha, we came here because Adrian had some interesting questions about magic and the Holy Sword. I am sure you can come to an agreement with him if you give him a chance."
Andrea wasn't particularly worried, Agatha had clearly shown her interest in the Legendary Weapon and Adrian would probably be able to get a good deal out of her.
"Hmph! Arrogant child!" the old woman stated," Don't you dare decide if I think this brat is worth speaking to." but her words didn't match her actions as she signalled them to come in. Andrea nodded at Adrian and Bellamy when they looked to her, she wanted to sigh at their clear scepticism but was grateful that they followed her lead.
Agatha wasn't as much of a horror as she seemed. Some of the time she was quite normal.
Once they were inside the atelier, Andrea realized that her assumption about the spell barriers outside was probably false, the whole place was a mess with fragments of some gemstones lying all around the place and clear signs of a mystical explosion marking the whole room. Agatha caught Andrea's look around the room and said," That is something you owe me for brats, that Sword of yours distracted me and ruined my experiment."
Adrian raised an eyebrow and said," That sounds like it was your mistake, Miss Agatha. I had imagined that someone who is supposed to be as skilled as you are would be willing to admit to such a thing, perhaps I was mistaken."
Andrea was a little surprised to see that Agatha was actually amused by Adrian's statement and the fact that Adrian had recognized that Agatha had just been attempting to get him on the back foot for negotiations.
"Rude brat," she said, her tone still showing her false irritation," clean this mess up, and ask your questions while you're at it. You'll be showing me that sword of yours once you're finished."
Adrian was now as amused as Agatha, it seemed that he had recognized that she was willing to entertain his request first before getting what she wanted.
"Thank you," he said politely, already moving to pick up some of the fragments and directing Bellamy towards a broon near the corner, "I appreciate the help. I suppose I should start from the basics, what exactly is status magic and how does it work?"
"Hah!" she stated," you go straight for the ridiculous questions don't you brat?" but despite her words Andrea could feel a sense of approval from the old woman, "I'll talk for as long as you keep working, and you can be damn sure that I'll be running some experiments on that Sword you're cursed with."
"Cursed with?" he asked a slight bit of concern/horror/worry slipping into his mind.
"Not magically brat," she waved off his concerns," but you're going to be thrown at the waves until you die, that's a curse in its own right."
Bellamy jerked upwards from where he had knelt to pick up some of the smaller gem fragments, he opened his mouth about to say something but Adrian laughed loudly, stopping him in his tracks, Bellamy looked just as stunned as Andrea felt as she could feel Adrian's amusement/vindication towards this whole situation.
"You have a very different reaction to this whole Hero thing than most people Miss Agatha."
The old woman raised her eyebrows as she sat down in her armchair," Don't believe me brat?" she asked.
He shrugged," What you say may very well be true, in fact, part of the reason why I am so desperate to get stronger is because I have no real idea how strong the waves are going to get, but what I was referring to was that you just said it straight to my face. It's rather refreshing to have someone tell me what they think so bluntly."
Adrian and the witch ignored him, instead, the witch cackled and said," Not as stupid as I thought you were," Andrea felt the flare of approval/amusement pass through the Witch, "maybe you'll live past the year."
"Sir Hero... " muttered Bellamy, his clear horror/anger was clear to see.
Adrian just chuckled ignoring Bellamy save for waving a hand to silence him, "I certainly plan to do so," he said, "and if you are capable of more than just sly statements then my chances will improve. So, Status Magic?"
Agatha cackled again but capitulated and began to explain, it was fascinating and she could sense Adrian's emotions shift into curiosity more than anything as the conversation went on. After they had cleaned up the fragments of the gems, the three of them took a seat on the small chairs lying around the room, Andrea and Bellamy said nothing as the other two began to speak of increasingly esoteric ideas occasionally interspaced with insults and mockery.
Andrea could feel Adrian's control over his emotions slip as it was no longer needed, the deep-seated anger/hate/determination did not vanish, but as he spoke to Agatha his emotions slowly shifted to amusement/curiosity/interest. The old woman was also interested in the conversation, her awe regarding the Holy Sword had not vanished, if anything it had flared up to an even greater level and every time Adrian demonstrated a feature of the Sword be it a transformation or pulling an item her emotions peaked again.
As the conversation continued Andrea found it very interesting how Bellamy was finding himself more and more confused while the Sword Hero was genuinely amused and rather relaxed. The contrast was fascinating.
It took nearly an hour before Agatha kicked them out, the old woman had extracted a promise from Adrian to return to her after empowering the Holy Sword further but didn't even bother saying goodbye before slamming the door shut behind them. But despite her rude and cranky behaviour and Adrian's often equally rude retaliations, Andrea had sensed a genuine connection being formed between Adrian and Agatha.
How odd that the first person that Adrian seemed to truly be fond of in her country was the rude old witch that had once slaughtered entire cities.
The surge of satisfaction/joy/contentment from inside the shop and from the man beside her was surprisingly invigorating even if she knew that it would not last long.
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Adrian was still looking at his status screen even as he walked past the sparse crowds of the late evening. His conversation with Agatha had led him to change his sword form a dozen times and his emotions were altering between disappointment/annoyance/determination andawe/joy/determination/victory.
He was testing something out and she was beginning to wonder what it could have been to drive away his negative emotions. It seemed however that Bellamy was also considering something but his emotional palette was purely negative. The man had not liked the way that Agatha had spoken about heroes.
"Sir Adrian...," he said, she could feel and hear his hesitation," I don't understand…when Lady Agatha spoke of the Heroes you were amused by it. She insulted you, the other Heroes and all the Heroes of the past…"
Adrian stopped walking and shut off his status screen, turning his full attention to Bellamy, she felt his emotions reach equilibrium again as he entered a near meditative state, "Miss Agatha was quite rude, that is undeniable, but I don't believe that she held any malice towards us Bellamy," the older man tried to interrupt here,Adrain silenced him with a raised hand," think about what she has done, rather than what she said."
Bellamy blinked for a second, unsure of what to say, his anger/frustration giving away toconfusion/contemplation.
"She spoke to you about mundane magic and received payment by gaining an opportunity to study a Divine Weapon," he said finally, with none of his confusion diminished, his tone making it clear that he thought of it as a ridiculously unbalanced exchange.
"Close, but not quite." said Adrian with a smile," she helped me understand some of the particulars of the sword and how it relates to magic and granted me a great deal of insight into the nature of status magic. The only 'payment' she received was to study the weapon, something that she would have had to do just to fulfil my request."
He laughed here and nostalgia/grief/joy mingled together to create a blinding combination of emotion for a moment.
"She was rude, crude and more than a little difficult, but in the end, all she did was a help."
Andrea had to wonder about whom Agatha reminded him off that he was able to pin down her personality so easily.
"Adrian is correct," said Andrea, remembering how the cranky old woman had taught Ethan despite the consistent complaints," I have known Agatha for as long as I can remember, she is not one to bother with people most of the time but she is not a bad person."
Andrea could tell that Bellamy was thinking about what they had said. Truthfully, it was a little impressive. Most of the church's soldiers were little more than brainwashes fools, for Bellamy to be able to even consider the opinion of another when they insulted the Saint Heroes was more than what she had expected of him.
Then again, it was one of those Saint Heroes who was telling him to think. It was probably a significant contributing factor as to why he was even bothering but this was not what she should be bothering with right now. Andrea needed to find a way to make sure that she reduced some of the Sword Heroes doubts regarding herself, and after his conversation with Agatha, she knew just what she had to do.
"I have to apologize to Lady Agatha," he said after they had walked for a minute or so in silence," I did not consider the depths of her actions and merely focused on the surface. Miss Andrea, Sir Adrian." he said, then he walked slightly ahead of them and bowed," Thank you for enlightening me. I will not forget this lesson."
For a moment she was a little confused as to what he was saying, then the previous conversation came up in her memories, a quick check showed that his emotions resonated with his oath and Andrea knew that he would not break his word. Andrea didn't think she could express just how surprised she was that he had changed his mind so quickly, was that wisdom or a simple desire to obey the Sword Hero?
"How very formal," said Adrian, but despite his words he was solemn, she could tell that he was genuinely impressed, "but your thanks are unnecessary. The credit should go to you, it is not easy to adopt a different perspective and mean it."
Bellamy looked like he disagreed," This is not the first time my judgement has been flawed sir. Father Andrew once said to me that 'deeds and not words should be the scale that one is judged by'. I had agreed with him then but it is clear that I have failed to apply it."
Adrian looked a little amused here," That does not change the fact that here and now you acted wisely. Have a little pride in your judgement Bellamy."
He nodded firmly but then looked a little hesitant before he said," Sir Adrian, Miss Andrea I need to reach my dormitories soon. I apologize for leaving abruptly, rest assured that I shall be prepared for our levelling trip on the day after tomorrow."
"Have a goodnight Bellamy," said Adrian honestly," and thank you for your help for these past few days. I cannot easily convey how valuable it was."
Andrea just nodded to him and Bellamy gave one last bow before bounding away towards the main church building. Adrian watched him leave, a complex set of rapidly changing emotions rising in his mind, Andrea didn't manage to catch all of it but what little she picked up made it clear that he was conflicted regarding Bellamy.
Andrea sighed, once again the lack of trust was rearing its head.
She honestly wishes that the Hero was completely right or absolutely wrong with his mindset, but Andrea knew that his current state of mistrust was probably the wisest way for him to think right now. The problem was that instead of the situation improving with time the Church, through Bellamy, and Princess Malty were likely to make it worse.
"Adrian I need to inform you of a few critical pieces of information." she said before she lost her courage.
Andrea could sense exactly when Adrian processed her sentence, his emotions spiked for a single moment before he entered a state that was quite similar to his combat mindset, but when he spoke it sounded almost normal," I see. And this information is about?"
"The current political situation in Melromarc and the world, the reason why I joined you and who helped me do so as well as some information on Bellamy and the Princess," she spoke as plainly as she could, trying to keep her senses fully trained on him while preventing herself from losing control. It was foolish to bet so much on this one conversation but she could tell that Adrian needed someone to trust or he was likely to abandon the whole party. He may have meant his promise back in the forest, but that had been impulse not thought. It was far from a guarantee.
Her eyes told her nothing but her empathic sense screamed at her loud and clear.
Surprise/wonder/concern. Perfect.
"And what is it that you wished to say about them?" he asked, his body tense but his expression clear.
"Melromarc was not meant to summon all four heroes, instead each major nation, Siltvelt, Faubey, Melromarc and Zeltoble were meant to be able to summon one each." she said, stating the most inconsequential fact first, a fact that affected her the least but would guarantee that he would certainly not trust Malty or Bellamy fully," from what my father said had it not been for the waves, we would have already been at war. Even now we are on the brink of war, and if anything goes wrong from here on out, war shall be inevitable."
She paused to see if he had anything to say and gauge his emotional state, but he simply waved for her to continue, she nodded and said,"I joined you because I need to fight the waves but that was only possible thanks to my father helping me out," she tried not to think about her friends and thedespair/determination/anger that they felt in their last moments," My father is the Head of the Adventurers Guild here in Melromarc, he has more than enough influence to ensure that I had a chance to join you. It's part of my deal with him, I can only fight with a party powerful enough to keep me alive and if I class up before the next wave."
"I see, so you have been spying on me on behalf of your father while gathering the strength you needed to be able to avenge your former party," he said calmly, but what stunned her was that she could feel a sense of approval/interest coming from his mind.
"You don't seem to mind," she asked before she could stop herself.
She felt his surprise before she could even realize that she had reacted to an emotion he had not shown at all, but he didn't react beyond a shrug and said,"It is not that I like being spied on Andrea, but it is something to be expected, after all the Legendary Heroes have the potential for a lot of power, it would be utterly ridiculous for the people of this world to just summon us and then leave us without any monitoring whatsoever. You telling me this is a little odd, but I suppose that there are more subtle spies watching over us as well."
"There probably are," she confirmed, the shadows of the Queen and the Church were a risk, but this late in the evening, the mindset of a shadow was like a beacon, all devotion/determination/focus of a very particular flavour, it was hard to miss. And right now there were no watchers, it was part of the reason why she had jumped into the conversation at this instant.
Adrian nodded, his emotions were odd,impatience/determination/concern rather than he curiosity and caution she had expected, "Let's continue this conversation at another time Andrea." he said," And thank you for telling me a part of the truth I appreciate it."
"Don't you want to know more," she asked, a little puzzled as to why he was willing to wait until he got some information from her.
"I do, and we shall speak of this tomorrow." he stated," meet me out in the fields to the west of the city at about 6 in the evening. Goodbye."
"Wai-" she started but before she could finish the word he vanished, one of his more commonly used skills removing him from her sight in an instant and worse out of the range of her empathic skills as well.
What had just happened?!
Andrea had been certain that he would have drilled her for information not just run away at the moment she had been about to tell him about the Church and the Royal Family.
There was something very odd about this, but there was little she could do right now, she just had to hope that Adrian hadn't decided to just leave. Hope that she hadn't just ruined the best chance she had of fighting the waves.
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