[A/N] So, last time we had left off with Caleb strategizing, N bringing Hay-Lin, Escanor sending out his three rogues and Phobos inquiring information about Hay-Lin. Now, N will gather two of the three remaining Guardians. Let's see where this will lead us. Relax, sit back, and most importantly of all, enjoy! [A/N]
N had teletransported to the city state of Elzas. It was the only city state that had firm ties and an official alliance with Aetherfall. He had made sure it would be so. As with a lot of things that had happened over the past years, he had manipulated the situation to go into his favour. He had gotten rather good at that over the years. Not that he liked that. But there was no denying it came in handy. For you see, this place was inhabited by not one, but two of the Guardians. The Guardians of Earth and Water, to be precise. Although he did not expect to get one along easily, as he had mentioned earlier to Yan-Lin.
When N had found out that the next Guardian of Earth would be the heir to the throne of Elzas, he had quickly made sure an official alliance was made and that Elzas came under the firm control of Aetherfall. Only this way, a diplomatic crisis would be avoided. Then, he made sure the other Guardian would have some kind of connection to the Guardian of Earth. He had, however, not thought the parents of the Guardian of Earth, Cornelia Hale, would place the Guardian of Water in the position she currently held. Now he had the task to make the two of them come with him willingly.
…
Cornelia was in her room. She was doing her nails. Which was actually one of the only things she did herself. She often let her maid do the rest. But she enjoyed doing her nails and it was the only way to make sure her nails were precisely as she wanted them to be. Speaking of her maid, she was thirsty.
Cornelia rang a bell and waited. After a while, she heard the door open.
"What do you want?" a voice asked.
Cornelia turned around. "That's not how you talk to a princess, Irma. Remember, we've talked about this before. You really need to learn some manners."
"Listen, Corny. I haven't learned all those manners you're talking about over the past fourteen years, so I won't start learning them now." Irma responded, clearly annoyed. "What is it you want this time?"
Cornelia pouted. "You should be thankful to work in the castle and be my maid. Haven't I made sure you have always had a decent pay and a nice room? And yet, this is how you talk to me. Are you not grateful?"
"Oh, yes, I am very grateful. But I would be more grateful if I didn't have to be your personal slave. Oh, I'm sorry, I meant your maid." Irma retorted.
"Fine. Be that way. Get me something to drink and an apple." Cornelia said, as she pouted.
Irma sighed and left the room. Cornelia waited and thought of what she would ask Irma to get next. It was some sort of game they played. Cornelia was trying to assert her dominance over Irma, while Irma stubbornly refused to give in. Cornelia hadn't thought it would take her so long. It was surely a skill she acknowledged Irma of having. But she wasn't going to quit anytime soon either. Cornelia got up to move to a chair, when her foot accidentally hit the table. Cornelia smiled.
Irma came back and tossed her the apple, which Cornelia caught by creating a vine. Cornelia smiled as she bit the apple. Irma gave her the drink, which was just plain water.
"Anything else?" Irma asked.
"Yes. You see, I just hurt my foot. I accidentally hit the table." Cornelia responed.
"So? Why should I care? Do you want me to disassemble the table? Because you'll need a carpenter for that." Irma retorted, with one eyebrow risen.
"No, I want a foot massage." Cornelia said with a small smile.
Irma's mouth fell open. "Again? You had, like, three already this week."
"So?" Cornelia asked. "I like how good of a foot massage you give. I mean, you bend that water to massage my feet. That's quite the sensation."
Cornelia went to sit on her bed and took off her shoes. She crossed her legs and looked at Irma. Irma frowned and seemed angry. Then she seemed to think and a sigh escaped her. Irma took a bowl and opened the water tap. She filled the bowl with warm water and placed it in front of Cornelia, who placed her feet in it. Irma then started to massage Cornelia's feet while she was bending water.
"See? It's not that bad." Cornelia said.
As a response, Irma threw some water into Cornelia's face.
…
N walked to the Duke's chamber. He knocked the door. A few seconds later, a guard looked through a small eyehole and opened the door.
"Archmage Nicholas of Aetherfall."
The duke looked up from his studies and saw N enter. He was wearing a long dark blue robe, white socks and black shoes with a golden plate on it. He got up and walked over to him, his arms spread wide.
"Nicholas, how are you doing?" the duke asked, as he hugged N.
"I'm doing fine, thank you." N said, as he awkwardly hugged back. He wasn't such a huggy person.
The duke let him go and they started a little chat.
"So, how are your daily affaires going, N?"
"Oh, everything's going as it should. The pieces are in place and the wheels are turning, I would say." N said.
The duke seemed confused.
"Everything's fine. Sorry if I confused you a little. How are your affaires?" N responded with a small smile. The duke wasn't the brightest; which worked out in his favour.
"Oh, it's going well here. There are only minor problems, which will be addressed soon. The only major question we have at the moment is the Cryssandor affair. But after the assembly is finished that won't be a problem anymore. I assure you that Aetherfall will have our unlimited support." The duke said, as he took a pencil and signed some paperwork.
"Ah. Of course." N said. "Although, that is not why I am here."
The duke stopped what he was doing. "Then why exactly are you here? Business maters? Diplomacy? To teach me a lesson? Or just teach me?"
"You have not said one thing, and I know what you are thinking. But that is what I have come for. I told you at the very beginning I would one day come for them. For the Guardians." N said.
"Yes…yes…you did say that." The duke said, as he walked to the fireplace, which was housing a relatively large fire. "But what if, since, I have…changed my mind?"
N rose an eyebrow.
"You see, she is my daughter. My only daughter. And that maid is her only friend. I cannot risk them to get away. And…have them taken away from me and from each other. I cannot allow this!" the duke said, nearly screaming.
From the entrance, six guards with halberds and short swords and four sorcerers appeared. N's face hardened.
"So, what exactly are you planning?"
The duke's hair, which was so neatly tied, was starting to come loose as he was starting to sweat. He went with his hand through his hair, but that only made it messier.
"You won't take my only daughter and her friend away from me! I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" He screamed. "Take him down!"
The six guards pointed their halberds towards N and the sorcerers readied their magic.
"Call off this madness and first listen to what I have to say, Harold." N scowled.
But fear had overtaken Harold. The fear for the loss of his daughter. "TAKE HIM DOWN!"
The guards rushed at N, while the sorcerers protected them with shields. N rose his hands and created a shield. The guards bounced back from the shield and N pointed a hand to the fire place. The fire immediately started to burn more heavily. He pulled the fire to him, leaving the fireplace extinguished. N became engulfed in flames and in the fire he seemed to be arising from the controlled flames around him. The guards didn't know how to react and neither did the sorcerers.
"What is this magic? I've never seen this before!"
N pointed his hands to the halberds and the fire made them too hot to handle, and the guards let them fall. The sorcerers tried attacking with different light based spells, which N simply blocked with the fire. N then let the fire reign free as it went to the sorcerers. They quickly created shields and ran out of the room, the guards on their tail.
The room was ablaze and N approached the duke, who was surrounded. He tried backing off as much as he could.
"Stay away from me!"
"You let fear control your actions over rationalism, Harold. You tried to kill me. Never again will you make this mistake!" N said, the fire licking his clothes.
"No! You'd take her away from me! YOU CAN'T! She's mine! MINE!" The duke screamed. "She'll be mine! Or she will die!"
"You are going down a dangerous path, Harold. Learn to control your anger and fear! Or else it will one day devour you! You tried to kill me, just because you are afraid of things that might happen! You know what happens to these kind of people, do you not?" N asked as Harold tripped and fell on the ground.
Harold crawled backwards.
"You're already there, Harold. But you can still be saved." N said, the fire wanting to devour the duke, but it couldn't yet reach him.
At that moment, the duke realized what he meant. He would be devoured by fire: Hell…
N seemingly became more and more fiery as well, more and more he started to look like a demon wanting to devour him. The fire came terribly close and N reached out to him and a terrible screech came from him. Then, a bright green light appeared from N's location, which caused the duke to close his eyes. When he opened them again, N and the fire was gone. There was only a small smoke stream coming from the fireplace. The duke got up and looked around. He looked at himself in a mirror and saw how messy he looked. He looked over to his paperwork. He had not yet finished his signature. He picked up a pen and wanted to sign it, when he read the line right above it.
'Gives his soul to the demon lord in Hell, signed:
Haro'
He quickly dropped the pen and backed off. He came past the fireplace and as he looked at it, he thought: 'What is becoming of me? What will become of me?'
At that moment, the fire reignited in a fiery passion and came straight for him. He screamed as the fire came close and passed by him and he fell to the ground. The fire then went back to the fireplace, which kept burning at the same height and rate as before N had used it to defend himself. The duke crawled backwards until he hit the wall. Then he turned and faced the wall, curled up into a ball and cried.
N fell into a chair in the kitchen and conjured a glass of water. He took a drink and placed his left hand on his head. Great, just what he needed. If he persuaded Cornelia, she would obviously go and ask for her dad's permission. This was just great. He slowly finished his drink.
'I must look like a drunk right now, who hadn't managed to get quite enough money to get a beer and got water instead.'
With that thought, N pushed his drink away and started to search for the two Guardians. If he had been smarter, he would have asked for the princess' attendance earlier. Then the duke also would've probably not tried murdering him, he wouldn't want to be seen as a murderer in his daughter's eyes. Then again, maybe he would have been blocked from the meeting. N sighed. He was getting older. If he had just thought about this in advance he would've been gone by now. Instead he was just running around the castle, opening doors and going 'Oh, sorry." Eventually, he arrived at the top floor.
"Could've realized that the princess would be on the top floor. After all, she's the most important person in here, after the duke and his wife."
N again tried opening doors, and he finally found the two girls he was searching for. The water Guardian was massaging the Earth Guardian's feet.
"Hello. You are Irma Lair and Cornelia Hale I presume." He said, "I am…"
"PERVERT! You dare come in my room without knocking?" Cornelia yelled.
N got blasted from the room and N hit the wall opposing the door. Cornelia got up from her massage and shut the door. N got up and took up his staff before he knocked on the door.
"Oh, no. You're not getting in now! First being so rude as to not knock and then…" Cornelia started, but she was interrupted by Irma.
"Shut it, Cornelia. What do you want, sir?"
"Oh! How dare you tell me to shut up? You are my maid! I'm giving the orders around here!" Cornelia retorted.
"Please dear sir, tell us what you want." Irma said, completely ignoring Cornelia, who was silently cursing under her breath.
"I am archmage Nicholas of Aetherfall, but you may call me N. I am here because I wish an audience with the princess of Elzas and the girl named Irma, who is apparently the maid of the princess." N said.
"You may talk." Cornelia said.
N seemed confused. "With the door shut?"
"After you came crashing into my room like you did moments ago, do you seriously think I am letting you in?" Cornelia asked.
N made an annoyed face. "Fine. But you do realize I can just teleport next of you right?"
"Wha…?"
N teletransported into the room and appeared right next to Cornelia, who fell on the bed after being startled.
"Boo." N said with a wink.
"So, N, you said?" Irma asked. "Why do you want to talk with us? Like I can get why you would want to talk to the princess, but why the maid as well?"
N smiled. "Ah, you see, it all has to do with the massage you were just giving…"
"Not relieving the pervert-vibe!" Cornelia said, as she went to sit upright.
N ignored her. "You bent the water to massage her. And that is what I wanted to talk about."
"My waterbending?" Irma asked. "Sure, it's a rare skill, but many more people can do that, right?"
"Ah, that is where you are mistaken. The five elements, Quintessence, Water, Fire, Earth and Air, can only be bent by one person at the same time, although people can create so called 'fake fire' with magic, or use already existing fire in their magic. But real fire can only be used by one person in the world at a time. The same applies to the other elements." N explained.
"Hey, I can bend Earth! Does that mean I am special too?" Cornelia asked, getting a nod from N, to her delight.
"What is fake fire and real fire?" Irma asked, now intrigued.
"Well, real fire is what you know. You make fire by matches, rubbing stones against each other, the usual methods of creating fire. Magical fire is known as 'fake fire', it possesses none of the actual quantities of fire. I can't make my fire light a candle, for example. Magical fire is just sucking the heat from other places to make fire at a specific place. If I make fire, you'll feel the temperature drop, instead of rise. That is why it's called fake fire, it has the other effect than intended." N explained.
"Can the person who can bend water create water then?" Irma asked.
N smiled. "Not in your current form. When you transform, you will become more powerful and you can create water from seemingly nothing. You actually use the water in the air. Earth needs to use preexisting earth as well."
"Transform?" Cornelia asked. "What do you mean?"
"Well, the people I spoke of are known as the Guardians. They help protect balance in the world and the person that binds them together holds the Heart of Kandrakar. In their unpowered version, which is now, they are a lot weaker. But when transformed into Guardian Form they become immensely more powerful." N said.
"What does this Guardian Form look like?" Irma asked.
"Hard to explain. You'll see it. If you come with me." N said, getting the elephant out of the room.
"Come with you?" Irma asked. "You mean, as in, away from this castle and to somewhere else?"
"Yes. To Cryssandor to be precise." N said.
Cornelia's mouth dropped and Irma smiled.
"Take me along! Anything to get away from here! I'm done being the maid here. Like, fine, I'll be her maid still, but at least somewhere else, exploring the world. Oh please, take me with you! Show me the world, let me meet new people!" Irma said, delighted as she jumped to N and caused him to fall on the floor.
"Oh hell no! That's not happening! I'm not going to leave the comfortable position I'm in now! I only have to clap and things are done for me. To think that I have to do things myself is below me." Cornelia said. "And besides, even if I wanted to go, daddy won't let his girl be taken along for an adventure by some random person that just happens to drop by!"
"I am not a random person, thank you. I have known your father since before you were born and I personally brought Irma to this castle." N said. 'Told you, Yannie. Irma wants to come along immediately, while Cornelia doesn't.'
"You brought me here?" Irma asked, confused.
"Yes, but that will be something for another time." N said. "This explanation can come later. I will promise you to tell you everything, but not now. Now please, get off of me."
Irma pouted, but reluctantly agreed. The promise of leaving this place was more important than the information of how she got here. Irma got off of N and stood up. N got up as well.
"Very well, it seems you want to come along, Irma. It's a shame Cornelia does not. But I guess she can live without her maid helping her all the time."
Cornelia looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"Well, if Irma leaves, you will no longer have a maid. That seemed obvious to me." N said.
"So? I'll just get a new one." Cornelia said.
"No, you won't."
N, Cornelia and Irma saw the duke standing in the doorway.
"What do you mean, daddy?" Cornelia said, as she rose to make herself appear larger than she was.
The duke was looking at the ground. "I meant what I said. If Irma leaves, you won't get a new maid."
"Daddy?" Cornelia said, as she approached him. "Is something wrong?"
The duke looked up. He was looking quite normal. "No, nothing is wrong. I…just…"
"Why can't I get a new maid? I can just stay here at the castle and in Elzas, help you along like usual and…"
"NO! You need to get out of here!" the duke commanded. "Get out of this castle. See the world. I command you!"
Cornelia stepped backwards and felt N's chest. Irma took Cornelia's hand. Cornelia hadn't noticed it yet, but she looked distressed.
"That is quite enough, Harold. You must not force your child to leave." N said.
"She will leave this place at once! Get out of here!" The duke took Cornelia's arm and took her outside her room and pushed her towards the staircase. Cornelia went downstairs while crying and Irma followed her to try and comfort her.
The duke looked after her. N took him by the collar and pushed him against the wall.
"What was that, Harold?" N asked, furious. "You cannot force her to take her destiny upon herself. She will have to accept it!"
"And she will eventually. Isn't this what you wanted?" the duke said. "She's coming with you and will eventually accept her destiny. That's what you wanted when you brought them here, didn't you? Am I not redeeming myself?"
The duke spit on the ground. N dropped him and the duke collapsed and looked at him. N towered above him.
"What happened to the noble, righteous man I once knew? The man I entrusted not one, but two of the Guardians with? The man who could not get a child with his wife, and whom I brought not one, but two children to care for? Where did that man go? And when did he get replaced by this monster who has been overtaken by an endless fear for anything, and who preferred one over the other? He would have wanted to hear her wishes and accepted what she wanted to do!"
With those words and the duke still lying on the ground, N left and went to catch up with Cornelia and Irma.
He found them in the main hall. Cornelia was crying in Irma's arms. Irma seemed to not be very comfortable. She was awkwardly patting Cornelia on the back.
"Why does daddy suddenly want me gone? Does he no longer love me?" Cornelia said, while constantly interrupting her sentence with sniffing.
"Sure he still does. He just wants you to learn about the world." Irma whispered.
N walked towards them. He placed his left hand on Cornelia's shoulder. He saw his glove and robe weren't totally connecting and you could see a little bone, so he quickly covered it by moving his left hand. This sudden movement got Cornelia and Irma's attention, however. They looked at him and he awkwardly looked back, then sighed.
"I'm sorry. I don't know why he reacted like that. He's different than the man I came to fourteen years ago." N said, sounding a little melancholically. "I guess it is the best for you to go on now. The other Guardians are waiting."
…
Caleb was sitting on his horse. He had ten warriors with him to guard the camp, and then Taranee and Hay-Lin, who had been talking to each other for the entire trip. Taranee was teaching her about air, how it worked, how it could be bent by one person and what uses it had. Hay-Lin had been testing them out when they rested and Taranee encouraged her.
Caleb had given them a message that they would leave the past evening. They assembled this morning and they had set out an hour after. They had been moving for the entire day now and they had rested for fifteen minutes every three hours. At this rate, they would arrive in Cryssandor in about a week. Then, there were also the remaining three magicians he would receive from N. N had promised they would be skilled magicians, even though the remaining three were also girls from around the age of fifteen/ sixteen. He didn't think they would be of Taranee's level, but they also wouldn't be of Hay-Lin's level. They were above average.
It was getting darker. Caleb commanded the company to halt and make up camp. They found a small cave and installed shifts. Caleb and Taranee went out to search for some food and found some berries. Surely they wouldn't be enough. They also found a deer, however, and Taranee killed it with a skilled fireball impact. They took it back to camp and started cooking it. A bright green light appeared and blinded them for a second. Then, N and two unknown girls where standing in front of the cave.
"Good evening, Caleb." N said. "Here are two of the remaining three magicians I promised you. These are Cornelia Hale and Irma Lair."
Cornelia sadly looked at the group and bowed, while Irma smiled and waved at them.
"Cornelia, Irma, these are the son of a friend of mine and a general of Aetherfall, Caleb, my apprentice Taranee Cook, Guardian of Fire, and Hay-Lin, Guardian of Air. Cornelia and Irma are the Guardians of Earth and Water, respectively." N said, as he pointed to the person he was talking about as he introduced them.
Caleb, Taranee and Hay-Lin rose and Caleb took Cornelia's hand and kissed it, causing Cornelia to blush. She did not know why she did it. She always got her hand kissed by men, but this man was different. Caleb took Irma's hand and kissed it as well. He then went to talk to N as Taranee and Hay-Lin introduced themselves. Caleb was quickly joined by Taranee.
"So these are two of the three magicians you promised?" Caleb asked, getting a nod from N.
"Yes. The other one will also join you, but it will take a while longer. She will probably arrive when you are already in Cryssandor.
"Why then?" Caleb asked.
"It's a long journey to where she lives. I cannot teletransport to there. I will need to go by other methods." N said. "Now, whatever you do and how long it might take before she arrives: do not doubt me and her. She will come. You know me. I am a sorcerer. If I want something to happen, I make sure it happens precisely when I mean too."
Caleb nodded. He hugged N who awkwardly hugged back and Caleb then left to talk to the new girls. Taranee had stayed however.
"So it is true?" Taranee asked. "You were gathering the rest of the Guardians. You said that when you left me last time, in the castle, after you had been released from prison. What are the Guardians? And, you called me a Guardian too. So my guess that I was one too, because you said gather the rest, was correct."
"Yes, it was correct." N said. "The Guardians are a group of five who control the five elements, Quintessence, Water, Fire, Earth and Air, and protect the balance of the world and the dimensions. You are the Guardian of Fire, which is why you are so gifted with fire magic. The fifth person…"
"The one who lives so far off?"
"Yes," N responded. "She's the one that binds you all together and unleashes your full powers and transforms you into your Guardian Form. She is the Guardian of Quintessence. I will go and get her next. I will leave tomorrow morning."
"Guardian Form?" Taranee asked.
"Difficult to explain. It has many treats which are known only to the Guardian, and he or she can have abilities that no other Guardian in the history of ever can have. The Guardian Form is specific to the Guardians, but also Guardian-specific. But something it does to all the Guardians is amplify your power. You will know when it happens. But when it happens, remember this: You can only use fire magic during that time, but it will be that much stronger."
"That is why you trained me so much in the school of fire." Taranee said, as part of her history with N became clear.
"Yes. But an archmage cannot rely on fire alone and also needs other spells. But those are for when you are out of the Guardian Form. After all, all five fully-realized Guardians together in Guardian Form is more powerful than an archmage. But when I've assembled you five, you will only be novices. Over time, you will become fully realized, and keep the balance." N said with a smile.
Taranee bowed to her master. "Thank you for your explanation, master. But how do you know about these Guardians?"
N smiled. "You know, I really must go."
Taranee thought he was dodging the question.
"There's a certain someone I have to speak with, and then I have to leave for the North." N said to everybody, as he readied his magic.
Caleb, Taranee and Hay-Lin smiled at him and said goodbye, while Cornelia and Irma were startled.
"You're not staying?" Irma asked.
"Unfortunately, no. But these people are more pleasant company than I could ever be." N said with a wink. "You're in good hands."
N readied his magic and looked at Taranee. "Oh, and to answer your question, Taranee. It's simple really. I know about the Guardians, because…"
Then, N teletransported away. Taranee made an annoyed face. "Fine, keep the information to yourself."
Caleb smiled and pointed to the ground where N had disappeared. On the ground, it stated.
'I know about the Guardians, because I was the Guardian of Quintessence.'
…
In the castle, Cedric returned to Phobos' chamber. He knocked on the door, and an 'enter' was heard. Cedric opened the door and saw Phobos looking at world maps and tracing things with his fingers. He looked up and saw Cedric.
"Ah, tell me, what news do you have?"
"I have two important thingsss to tell you, my liege." Cedric said. "First of all, your great-grandfather has sent out his rogues to Cryssandor, they are planning to sssabotage the meeting."
"Tell me something I don't know, Cedric. I have gathered that information by myself today." Phobos said, as he snapped his fingers.
"Somebody was so kind to tell me the same things." Phobos said, as a rogue stepped from the shadows. "Yet, I appreciate the idea that you also search for information to help our cause, even when I have not asked you too."
"Thank you, my liege." Cedric said.
"And the second thing? The thing I wanted you to find out, I assume?" Phobos asked.
"Yess, my liege. I have found out who this Hay-Lin girl is and where she came from. She is a peasant girl and the granddaughter of a woman named Yan-Lin, whom I…'inquired'. Her father is deceased, he died by a disease. Her mother died soon after, dying during her birth. Her grandmother, the previously mentioned Yan-Lin, raised her. I have this information from Yan-Lin herself. She gave it to me after a thorough…questioning." Cedric said, with a devilish smile.
"Did you cover up your trail? If somebody followed you…?"
"All traces are gone and Yan-Lin has been disposed of. She was old anyways, I made it seem like she died of old age." Cedric said.
"So you are actually saying this Hay-Lin is of no considerable threat?" Phobos asked.
"Derived from the information we have, I would say she is no threat at all." Cedric responded.
"Excellent. Your work has been most excellent. Thank you, Cedric. You are dismissed." Phobos commanded.
Cedric bowed and left.
"And for you." Phobos said, as he turned to the rogue. "I want you to dispose of the three rogues my great-grandfather sent after they have sabotaged the site."
The rogue bowed and left the room as well. Phobos was left all alone in his gloomy room.
"I want your throne, Grand General. And it won't be long before I have it."
[A/N] No sighting of Escanor or his rogues this time. We do, however, learn a revealing part of N, Cornelia and Irma. Cornelia and Irma are both adopted and N brought them to duke Harold Hale. We also learn what Phobos is up to. And it's true, in chapter three N predicted how Irma and Cornelia would react. This chapter was out a lot sooner than I thought it would. Thank TTigerz and my boredom for that. I've noticed I've been doing the same stuff on the internet while being bored. I decided to do something productive and actually write. I hope I can keep this up. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More to come. [A/N]