A/N: I'm sorry about the wait!
Disclaimer: I still don't own Grand Chase D; ... Or Lass. Or Arme. ;-;
Chapter 22: A Violet Gathering
Arme was silent for several more minutes as she watched the unmoving body of her teacher. Those around her didn't speak, though she was certain they were staring at her. Her tears had ceased falling after she had wiped the first few from her eyes; Arme was immensely grateful for this. After a while a hand was placed gently against her shoulder, prompting her to turn around. When she didn't a voice accompanied the gesture, bringing the magician slowly back to reality.
"Arme? I know it might be a bit... Difficult, but we need to get moving soon." Lass. His voice was almost hesitant, as though he was worried he might interrupt her thoughts. He did, but it was nothing Arme was unappreciative of. Her memories hadn't been producing anything that was helping to ease the pain that was beginning to rise from her experiences in the last few minutes. If anything, they were making it worse.
Elesis was the next to speak, "Well, this is going to complicate things."
"Elesis! Can't you try to be sensitive?" Ronan reprimanded her, walking to where Arme and Lass stood. A sigh came from the direction of the spear maiden.
"I'm not saying it sarcastically, Ronan. Now we have to contact not only the queen to report that Elena was a traitor, we have to contact the guild and let them know there's no longer a leader. This'll lead to several meetings that they'll expect Arme to attend because they need to decide on a new one. This is going to get complicated... ." It was at this that Arme finally managed to dredge her eyes from the sight ahead, turning to stare at Elesis.
"Do we have to?" She asked, throat feeling painfully dry. Elesis looked at her in confusion.
"Tell them she's dead? You think the leader of a guild can just go missing like that? People are bound to notice." Arme shook her head, moving her gaze from the redhead to the ground.
"Not that. It's... Do they need to know... Do we have to tell them she betrayed us?" The magician questioned weakly, glancing up at Elesis. Catching onto what the violet haired girl meant, the knight's expression had changed to one of pity.
"They have to know, Arme. It means she might have been dealing with Kaze'Aze in the past, so there might be leads." Arme nodded somewhat numbly, looking at the others, "What do we do now?" There was a moment of silence before Elesis responded.
"The first thing we need to do is write a letter and use the Sidtri to send it as quickly as possible. After that... Ronan, what's the nearest village?" The indigo haired male paused, thinking it over.
"It should be Maurion Village." He informed her, "If I'm correct, it's about three hours north-east of here."
"We'll alter our route and head there... We should put in the letter for Ryan and Jin to rendezvous with us there instead of the previously planned spot, they should be getting back to their guilds today. We'll have to bring Elena's body with us, as well." There was a rattle as Amy set her bag on the ground and searched through it, pulling out a pile of paper a moment later along with a pencil.
"Who do I address it to?" The musician asked, her voice not carrying the cheer it normally did.
"The Knight Master." Elesis decided, "She'll be able to contact everyone who needs to be contacted about this." Amy nodded, and without a word began to write. Arme turned slowly to look at Lass, who was still standing dutifully behind her. Her head was beginning to ache as she tried to take in everything that was going on, and in the confusion she was only hoping the assassin would be able to make things make sense again. Why... Why would Elena do that... ? When so many people counted on her... When so many children looked up to her... Why? Reaching out a hand, the silver haired boy ruffled her periwinkle hair softly.
"I'm sorry." He whispered; an unnecessary apology. Arme simply nodded, eyes moving to the ground to avoid Lass' concerned gaze.
"Oh. Another thought... Can you write three separate letters to the leaders of mine, Ronan's and Lass' guilds? We should request the okay to pursue third job while we wait for Arme's guild thing to be sorted out." Amy must have nodded in response to Elesis' request; Arme didn't hear anything vocalized. For what seemed like ages to Arme there was only the sound of a pencil scratching against paper as Amy wrote out the letter that would inform the world of Elena's betrayal, and the magician's heart sunk. By the time Lass tugged on her sleeve to alert her to the fact that they needed to go Arme felt as heavy as lead, like though something had drained the energy out of her. The Sidtri that had landed on her shoulder moments earlier (after flying out of the destroyed castle, as Lass had predicted it would) and began to rub it's head against her cheek affectionately left reluctantly, several letters tied to it's thin leg and a command of 'To the Knight Master' all it was given before it set off. Arme got up onto Lass' back with much assistance from the disquieted assassin, cerulean eyes glancing at her every few moments.
"Let's get going, then." Elesis gave this order once Elena's body had been wrapped securely in the first blanket they had pulled out of Amy's bag and picked up cautiously by Ronan. The group began running silently, Arme unable to sleep despite her falling energy levels.
The village showed up after several hours of running, conversation scant. The violet haired magician had felt no need to participate in the discussions when they did begin; they always tapered out moments later. Lass had implored her several times to get some sleep, Arme shaking her head in refusal each time. She hadn't spoken more than a few words during the trip, those spoken only in abnegation to Lass' insistance. As they approached the village the silver haired boy set Arme down, watching her for a moment after as though he expected her to fall over. It was when he grabbed her arm lightly to begin leading her into the village that Arme realized how shaken she must have appeared, everyone glancing at her now and again. When they reached the gates Elesis paused, turning to look over her group.
"I'll go in and tell the village leader what's going on, all right?" She said, turning to enter the village before anyone could respond. Ronan sighed, and Arme looked over at him slowly. The blood from Elena had began to seep though the blanket and saturate his clothes as a result of Elesis' slightly overdone kill. The magician looked hurriedly away, feeling somewhat queasy. Her legs still held out and her arms were only shaking in the slightest, a great accomplishment at that point. Seeing the bundle that held the high magician had somewhat unnerved Arme; she had managed to somewhat settle her discomfort by the time Elesis returned.
"The elder understands the situation." She explained briefly, "There's rooming for all of us at the inn. Ronan, they said we can put her body in the crypt for now while we figure out what's going on." The dragon knight nodded in response, taking the lead next to Elesis as they entered the village. Lass followed behind, Arme trailing ever so slightly further back. She was shocked to see a small crowd gathering just inside the village; most likely a result of a villager seeing the fiery haired leader or the chase. Most of the people's eyes had navigated to the bloodied blanked Ronan's arms, and Arme's gaze fell to the ground. They'll all know that Elena was a traitor soon anyway... She knew they had made their way out of the horde once the whispers quieted and the volume of shuffling feet had lowered to only the sounds of the chase. Arme looked up at that point, noticing immediately that they were approaching a large building that appeared to be a church. The group stopped and Elesis and Ronan turned around, glancing at Lass. Elesis' sights moved to Arme a minute later, then she turned back to the building.
"We're probably going to be here for a while..." She said.
"Arme and I will head to the inn, then." Lass stated, receiving a nod from the crimson eyed girl.
"I'll come too~!" Amy exclaimed from behind them, running up to fall into line next to Arme as they parted from Elesis and Ronan. Despite her heavy stare the magician didn't look up, and Amy sighed. Opening her mouth to speak, she was silenced immediately by a glance from Lass. The rest of the way to the inn was made in silence, Arme still staring at the ground as though it held something of interest. She almost tripped over the stairs to the inn when they had made it there and finally focused her gaze at the door. Lass had pushed it open quickly, walking the magician with him and up to the front counter.
"Has the village leader informed you on the situation yet?" He asked the elderly man at the desk, who nodded.
"One moment..." he replied, turning to the back room and issuing out a command.
"Garnet, come here!" As he said this a small girl who Arme would have guessed to be about the age of seven entered the area behind the desk, looking up at the old man.
"The Grand Chase has arrived. The red hall is empty at the moment, correct?" The girl nodded.
"All right, then. Would you escort them up?" He asked, receiving yet another nod from the child.
" 'Kay, Grandfather." For her age she seemed to be a bit less than chipper, though it could have simply been the atmosphere in the room. I need to get myself together... She realized with a sigh as she was gently pulled along with Lass and Amy. I don't want to at the moment, but there's no other choice. Even after she thought these words it took her until they were in a hall way with a small red panel at the front before she managed to paste a vague smile on her face.
"Feel to take any room in this hall. They're all nice." Garnet said, bowing to them, "I hope you enjoy your stay." Arme nodded, turning to Lass as soon as the little girl had made her way back down the staircase.
"I think I'm going to lie down..." She said quietly, turning to push open the first door on the right. Turning back she noted the relieved expression on the assassin's face as he nodded.
"Try to get some rest, all right?" After another brief nod Arme let the door swing shut behind her; she didn't hear it shut as she had expected it to. A glance behind her told her that Lass had swiftly stuck out his foot to catch the door before it shut, and he had opened it to follow her into the room. Amy followed as well, clearly uncertain of what to do. The magician knew easily what was going on; Lass' stare was accompanied by the 'I'm not leaving you alone' look she had come to be familiar with over the weeks. The room they had entered was rather small, a simple wooden floor and cream coloured walls providing the main colour scheme. There was a sliding door that led to the room next to it, and more solid door next to that left open to reveal a joined bathroom. Arme ignored these features, flopping down on the bed with a sigh after she had placed her bag down and rolling to pull the covers over her. She didn't bother trying to dissuade Lass from taking a seat in the room; if he truly wanted to stay, he wouldn't be persuaded otherwise. There was a hushed whisper from Amy; the muse confused. Lass whispered something back, and a minute later the door opened for her to make her leave. Arme didn't bother to turn and see her go; the blankets around her felt soft, as well as the pillows. The fatigue from the earlier fight with Elena hit her in a wave, and she no longer had the will to fight sleep.
The memory of the next time she awoke was hazy; the light streaming in through the window. The magician turned lazily over before pulling the blankets over her head to block out the sun, and she had fallen back to sleep within the minute.
Arme woke up again several hours later to find the sun had sank in the sky, a thick black darkness taking it's place. For a while she simply stared out the window, rolling over to sit up when she felt she couldn't lie down any longer. There were no sounds aside from light snores coming from the other rooms, and the violet haired girl quickly concluded it was some time early in the morning. All concerns about Elena seemed to be less urgent than they had before she had rested, and Arme breathed a sigh of relief. That's right, let it go. I'm going to have to eventually, and it might as well be sooner than later. As she shuffled through her bag and attempted to find some clothes to change into the amethyst eyed girl tried to move her thoughts somewhere else before the memory of Elena began to get painful. Lass isn't here. She noted with surprise, glancing at the sliding door, but I wouldn't doubt he took the next room. She felt tempted to push open the door to find out but restrained herself, instead walking into the bathroom. It's nice, though... The girl mused I'd think someone keeping an eye on me would creep me out, but it doesn't. I feel... Pressing a finger to her lips, Arme paused as she turned on the shower after taking off her battle outfit and waited for the water to warm up, safe. When Lass' near I feel safe.
A minute passed before she stepped into the shower, allowing the warm water to cascade over her. It felt nice, and allowed Arme to think clearly. I wonder what's going to happen to the guild now that Elena's... Not there to run it. For a brief moment she wondered if they would shut it down without the leader, but she quickly shook her head. Elesis said they'd just get a new leader, right? After all, without a guild how would young magicians learn how to use spells? Arme rested her head against the shower wall for a moment, letting out another sigh. How are they going to tell the younger magicians what happened? While most had been older than her at the guild there had been a few younger, and Arme knew it would be difficult for them. Then again the older students had been with her longer... Everyone at the guild had loved Elena. And this just had to happen... Why? Why did you have to do this to us, Elena? It wasn't the first time she had asked herself this; it wouldn't be the last, the time the lavender haired magician had stepped out of the shower she felt uneasy again, and her thoughts were shooting about randomly.
"Life isn't fair." She mumbled, sliding on a clean battle outfit. It probably would have been a good idea to bring some of my casual clothes... It was no use regretting that she hadn't, assuming naturally that there wouldn't be much 'casual time' during the adventure. Throwing her worn clothes into a provided hamper and going to the door, she opened it and stepped into her room.
"What are you doing up so early?" Or... What she had thought was her room. Arme remembered her earlier observation of it being a joined bathroom as she looked around the room she had stepped into; mirroring her room almost exactly. The walls were slightly tinted a light blue, but there otherwise wasn't much to discern between the two rooms aside from the inhabitants. As she had expected Lass was the one sitting on the bed, sapphire eyes locked onto the magician. He was dressed in light blue pajamas, which Arme might have found odd had she been focusing.
"I couldn't sleep any more." Arme replied after a minute, eyes cast toward the ground. Lass nodded, looking her over as though he was comparing her condition to the previous day.
"And... do you feel all right?"
"Better." Arme admitted, "but why are you awake?"
"The shower." The assassin's short response seemed to somehow voice his relief at her feeling better.
"Sorry about that... And we haven't gotten a response from anyone yet?" Lass shook his head.
"The stupid bird can't fly that fast. It should take at least two more days for the letters to make it there, and we're not certain about response times. It might take a little while." Arme nodded, a sigh being issued as she looked down at the ground.
"Do... Do you know what's going to happen to the guild?" Lass blinked in confusion for a second, taking a breath when he realized what she was asking.
"Arme, don't worry about the guild. They'll probably have a meeting some time over the next month to elect a new leader, or they'll be without one for a while. The violet mages have been around for hundreds of years, they won't disappear because of what happened to Elena." Arme stared down at the ground while she listened to the silver haired assassin's voice, the words somewhat comforting. A comfortable silence filled the room for a moment, interrupted by Lass standing up.
"Hm... It's a bit early, but if you want you can start breakfast. It's an inn so we'd normally just wait to order food, but I'm sure they'd have no objections to you using the kitchen."
"Sounds good to me." The two walked over to the door into the hall, but Lass simply opened the door to let the magician out. At this action she turned to look at him in confusion.
"Aren't you coming?" She asked once out in the hall. Lass gestured to his body.
"If you wouldn't mind, I think I'd like to change first." He said plainly. Arme blinked, her cheeks turning ever so slightly pink. The door was closed and Arme made her way down the staircase, searching the main floor for the kitchen. After opening the doors to the bathroom, living room and a storage room she finally found the kitchen. It was a quaint room, smaller than the one at the castle. Tugging the door of the fridge open, she quickly scanned over the contents before pulling out a carton of blueberries and a pitcher of milk.
By the time Lass entered the kitchen two dozen blueberry muffins were baking slowly in the oven, Arme putting away the ingredients. She was struggling to get a bag of sugar up onto one of the higher shelves, standing on her toes as she attempted to push it onto the shelf. A small gasp was issued from the small magician as Lass took the bag from her, easily putting it in it's allotted spot in the cupboard. A few drops of water fell from the tips of his hair and onto her own as he hovered over her, and the violet haired girl surmised he had taken a quick shower before coming downstairs.
"Morning..." She murmured. The assassin nodded in response, walking over to the oven and peering inside.
"Muffins for breakfast?" He asked incredulously.
"Yup," Arme concurred as she put away the last of the items and turned to look back at him, "they should be done in a bit less than half an hour." Arme leaned against the counter, looking out the small, dusty window. The sun had began to seep into the sky, fiery reds chasing away the dark blues of the night. The clock on the wall read 5:30. A bit early for breakfast, but at least it's not still pitch black out. From her experience the others would be awake in about an hour anyway; Elesis tended to wake up the moment food was prepared, bringing the others with her.
Arme's guess was right. Ten minutes after the muffins had been taken out of the oven the redheaded spear maiden had ran down the stairs, wandering into the dining room as she followed her nose.
"Muffins!" She exclaimed with a grin, snatching the still-warm blueberry filled food from the plate the had been arranged on. To Arme's surprise she didn't immediately scarf it down, taking a small bite before she turned to look at the magician.
"You feeling all right, Arme?" She asked curiously as she sat down next to the violet coloured girl.
"Yeah, thanks." The rest of the chase's reaction to Arme was similar; most staring for a minute or two before they felt as though it was okay to sit down. The magician smiled and told them all she was fine, taking small bites of her second muffin. By the end of the meal, with several people patting her on the back lightly and comfortingly, Arme was beginning to believe her own words.
"Arme? There's a letter for you!" Three days later this was what Jin called through Arme's door, causing the magician to sit up lazily on the bed. She stretched before rolling off the bed, looking out the window. She had slept in; from the light outside it appeared to be nearly noon. Rubbing her eyes, she made her way to the door, where Jin had started knocking rapidly. When the entrance was pushed open she accepted a letter pushed into her hands, looking at it in confusion.
"But... Didn't Lass say it would take three days for the letters to arrive over there? It should still be a while before the response is issued..." Jin shrugged.
"It appeared on the table a couple minutes ago, no one knows how it got there. It looks like it's from the mage guild though, and we all know they have their ways of doing things." Arme nodded automatically as she looked at the envelope; large violet letters reading out 'VMG' made it apparent who the senders were. She rubbed her eyes again as she attempted to wake herself up before reading the contents of the letter. When she figured she was attentive as she could be she broke the violet wax seal closing the envelope, pulling out a single sheet of paper. The words on it were concise to the point, and Arme read them over several times before she was certain of what was going on.
Adressed to the Violet Magician Arme.
At precisely 1500 the majority of the violet mages shall preform a group teleport to your current location. From there, we, the VLC (Violet Leadership Council) and active members of the guild shall meet to decide upon a new leader. Please be prepared to come to the meeting with your current weapon as proof of rank.
-VLC
"What's it say?" Jin asked, looking at Arme curiously. The magician sighed, turning back to her room.
"It's time to replace Elena. The others are coming in about three hours." She stated, shutting the door to her room again without another word to the fighter. When inside she lay back down on her bed, the letter clutched to her chest. It was bound to happen sooner or later. And it's better than it not happening at all... It's just... She rolled over to look at the plain wall, It'll be difficult to get used to someone else making the orders. That was for sure. Everyone in the guild had had full trust in Elena and would do whatever she asked without complaint. And the next leader will be that good as well. She assured herself silently, taking a deep breath. She held it for a minute before exhaling, allowing herself to calm down. The sound of a knock on the door entered her ears a moment later.
"Arme, can I come in?" The magician paused.
"... Yeah, Elesis." The redhead entered her room, looking around as though her surroundings were unusual (even though Arme had found out all of the rooms looked the same).
"Jin said the other violet mages are coming." She said, looking at Arme. The magician nodded.
"They're selecting a new leader?" Arme nodded again.
"So... You only have three hours to prepare." Arme sat up, tilting her head.
"I don't think there's much to prepare..." Elesis looked at the small clock sitting on the bedstand.
"There's always something to prepare at noon!" She insisted. Arme looked at her silently for a moment before she understood what the swords woman was implying, and her face blanched.
"Elesis, you came to get me to make lunch, didn't you?" Elesis flushed.
"Not only because of lunch!" She protested, helping the magician up off the bed. Arme rolled her eyes, laughing quietly.
"Who all's here right now?" Elesis paused for a second, pressing a finger to her lips.
"Well... Jin and Amy are in the recreation room, I'm here and I think Lass is but I'm not sure about that." The violet haired girl nodded at the speculation; Lass hadn't left the inn since they had entered. He spent most of his time watching over Arme, sitting in the room next to her when he left her to her own devices. She vaguely remembered hearing the shower about an hour previous; Lass was probably in his room.
"Well, I'll prepare lunch enough for all of us just in case, anything you had in mind?" Elesis shook her head, then nodded.
"Food!" Arme sighed.
"More specific?"
"... Edible food!" Arme couldn't help laughing as she left the room, the knight following.
"Thanks for the clarification." When the two made their way into the kitchen Arme wasn't surprised to see the elderly man who owned the inn already cooking.
"Good evening." He waved in the magician, staring at Elesis until she gave a small wave and meekly left. It had come to be a rule that the redhead wasn't allowed to be in the kitchen since she had accidentally eaten two guest's ordered lunches two days prior. Arme herself had been welcomed in when the innkeeper acknowledged she could cook, and she had opted to help him with filling orders the previous day. It seemed a good way to pass the time, more so to take her mind off the meeting that was occurring in less than three hours.
"Any orders for lunch yet?" She asked a gentle smile making it's way onto her face. The man nodded, motioning towards a small bulletin board with orders pinned to it. She scanned them over quickly, finally settling on a simply ordered plate of fettucini alfredo. I'll make some extras for the others, as well... Pulling out the pasta from the cupboard, she placed the package on the counter before grabbing a large pot from the cupboard under the sink. She looked at it somewhat warily before placing it under the tap to fill it with water, not quite comfortable with the cooking tool since her incident with second job. When she felt that the pot wasn't about to explode she looked over to the inn keeper, who was looking out the small door to the dining room somewhat curiously.
"Waiting for someone?" She asked after a moment. The elder man shrugged, looking back at her.
"That lad with the white hair, what was his name... ?"
"Lass?" Arme supplied, pulling the pot out of the sink and onto the stove.
"Yes, that one. Isn't he usually sitting at the table while you cook?" The magician nodded; It wasn't uncommon for Lass to sit down and watch the cooking process from the other room.
"I think he's upstairs right now." She replied, watching the water as it began to heat up.
"And the letter? What was it about, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Not at all... It was a letter from the violet mage guild, saying they'll be here in a matter of hours for a meeting."
"Ah..." It was here that the room lapsed into silence, both chefs making their designated meals without interrupting the other.
After the meal had been prepared and everyone had eaten Arme had followed Amy and Jin down to the recreation, featuring a small table for cards, a pool table and several other such pieces for entertainment. After an hour or so of being completely beaten at pool by Jin (which was hardly fair, seeing as she didn't know the rules) the voice of the hotelier came down the stairs; "Arme? A violet mage messenger's here for you."
"Coming!" Setting down her cue stick against the table, Arme waved at the two chasers in the room before making her way up the staircase. She walked past the elder man without a word, heading to the front door. A rather young boy was standing in the doorway, clothed in a purple cloak that let only a few of his azure strands of hair show. Grey eyes looked up at her and widened, the boy quickly dipping into a bow.
"Arme-san! All of the mages are assembled and awaiting your arrival!" He exclaimed hastily, looking nervous. Arme nodded, holding up a finger.
"Can you wait a second? I need to grab my pot from my room." The boy nodded, and Arme quickly made her way up the stairs to her room. The door between her and Lass' room had been open, and he was slightly visible, lying on his back with his head hanging off the end of the bed.
"They're here?"
"Yeah, I have to get my pot!" She replied, swiping her pot off the floor from next to her bag, "I'll be back... Some time, I'm not sure when the meeting'll be over." Lass nodded lazily as Arme shot out of the room and down the stairs to where the boy was waiting, seeming uncomfortable.
"Are you ready to go?" Arme nodded. With this gesture the boy led the way out the door, the violet haired girl following close behind.
"How many mages could come?" Arme questioned as they made their way down the street, the boy looking at each house as they passed.
"Somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-five," he commented, "Many were on missions and couldn't be reached." Arme sighed, still following along. They continued down the street until they reached a rather large, plain looking building. The violet haired magician stopped when the boy turned into the doorway, knocking on the door lightly. Arme would have thought no one could hear the quiet noise had the door not creaked open to reveal a girl slightly older than Arme, also wearing a cloak. Her hood, unlike the younger boy's, was down and revealed a length of jet black hair. Glancing between the two, she gave a small bow and pushed the door the rest of the way open.
"Please follow me, the others are waiting to begin." It didn't take long to reach the meeting room, and the door to it was pushed open quietly. Arme peeked in, and for a second just blinked in confusion. Aside from the small table in the corner of the room all there was was a large circle of cushions, most already sat on by people clothed in purple. That was probably the most outstanding thing about the room; everyone in it was purple. In the center of this circle lay four more cushions, each holding a different weapon. A rather inelegant staff sat on the first, a pot with a large skull on it sitting on the next. Beside that was a lamp, nearly covered by an old, dusty hat that lay on top of it. Lastly was a long violet staff, shining as though it had recently been cleaned. Despite it's confusing contents Arme still followed the two into the room, setting her pot down next to her before taking a seat. Once the three new arrivals to the room were settled the girl at the head of the circle cleaned her throat with a cough, gathering the attention of the group of magicians.
"Good evening, thank you to all of you who could make it. I, Ellyrine Endren, will be conducting this meeting in place of the former high magician Elena for obvious reasons." Once this statement had been let out it took a moment for Arme to make the connection between the girl sitting in front of her and the magician that had healed her in Serdin's castle.
"Though I'm certain those present realize our circumstances, I'll go over them once more. The high magician and leader of our guild, Elena, betrayed both the kingdom of Serdin and of Kanavan. Presenting a great danger to those around her through connections to the Dark Queen Kaze'Aze, she was immediately dealt with by the Grand Chase." Many eyes turned to Arme at that point, and the magician almost shivered. Though nothing was voiced she could feel the near accusation in some of their faces, mainly the younger mages. Somehow this is your fault. Maybe if you hadn't killed her she could have changed.
"This was the appropriate action to take. Now, however, we must decide upon a new leader. For these reasons a group teleport was necessary, bringing us to where we are thus far." Arme's eyebrows furrowed, and she raised her hand.
"Yes?"
"Why... Why did you all need to preform a group teleport? You were already assembled at the guild, weren't you? Why move the meeting here?" Ellyrine blinked.
"You aren't experienced in the art of over-seas teleportation as of yet, though it is a skill you will need to acquire soon. Not only were you here, but the body of Elena, which we needed to inspect to be certain no spells were still lingering around. Seeing as over-seas teleportation is easier in a group, in the end it made more sense to come here than have you bring Elena's body back to the guild. Things needed to be done as soon as possible, so we got organized as soon as the letter arrived." Another magician raised his hand, much older than Arme.
"How shall the next leader be decided?" Ellyrine bit her lip gently.
"Traditionally we would have the leader choose an heir. As this is quite clearly an unavailable method, we've decided upon another means. Assessing through abilities both current and potential along with general acceptance in the guild, we've comprised a list of several candidates to be the next leader." An male magician next to Ellyrine began speaking at this point, gesturing to the weapons on the ground as he spoke.
"I'm assuming you all remember me, but I'll re-introduce myself. I'm Lore Shire, and I'm generally out on missions... Some of you may not remember me because of this. At the current moment there are only five fully trained battle mages, only two of whom are here at the moment. These battle mages being myself and Ellyrine, we have decided to run the affairs of the guild until further arrangements have been made. Of warlocks we have only two, one of whom is planning on undergoing the battle mage's quest within the next month." Arme didn't question the number of warlocks; there were never more than a handful at most. Elena had explained to her that it was a rather restless job to stay at (being one from the top), so many mages who made it to that stage recklessly made to persue battle magician before their actual qualifications reached that of the job. Hardly any made it back unharmed, and most were lost to the ruins of Kastuille. I won't let that happen to me when I become a warlock. She made this mental note silently, looking over the lamp and hat.
"The rest of the avaliable magicians we have are divided between magicians and alchemists, though we have a great deal more of the former. These ranks were also taken into account when deciding upon our list of choices for a new leader." Suspense was beginning to fill the room as it began to sound like the candidates would be revealed soon, and Arme looked down at the ground.
"I'm sure many of you are wondering who these people are. Seeing as we have no reasons to further delay this information, I must add on to a note made previously at this meeting. Arme, we informed you that the group teleport was in order to be located close to Elena's body. This, while not a lie, was a half-truth. The reason this meeting was brought to Maurion was because we needed you to be present. Arme, at the current time, you are the most promising candidate for the new leader of the guild." A silence filled the room, and Arme's eyes shot up from the ground as they widened. No one moved for a minute until the short magician began shaking her head slowly, staring at Ellyrine as though she was crazy.
"I can't... I..." Arme's protest was cut off by that of both younger and older magicians, most in yells.
"Why her? Some of us have been training for dozens of years, and this girl of hardly three months is the 'most promising candidate'?"
"You're not giving the rest of us the chance to prove our worth?"
"It's only because she was accepted into the Grand Chase, isn't it?"
"She's just a girl that was lucky, nothing more! Her magic doesn't equal up to even half of most of ours!"
"She'll never measure up to be the magician Elena was-"
"SILENCE, EVERYONE!" The male magician snapped loudly, a concerned gaze on Arme.
"Arme, please don't refuse so quickly. I know everyone's shocked and confused, but please give us a moment to explain our reasoning. Yes, she may be new at magic, and only an alchemist. However, in the second month of being a magician were any of youable to achieve a job change? I highly doubt so. Furthermore, is there anyone else in this room aside from Lore and myself who can cast sufficiently without a medium?" Hushed whispers were beginning to fill the room at Ellyrine's words, and all eyes were still on the frozen girl.
"Perhaps it is because she was accepted into the Grand Chase. Do you know why? The Grand Chase only accepts those with potential, and they hadn't yet found a sufficient mage. Doesn't that alone tell you she has something different about her? To this day she's the third and last pupil Elena took on, and even Elena herself messaged me the first day of meeting her to tell me she had found a prodigy. I heard someone say she would never measure up to be the magician Elena was. I believe this is true. She will some day grow to be an even greater magician than Elena. It is for these reasons that we shall now present Arme with the lantern and warlock's cap worn by Elena. These pieces of equipment will grow to suit you, I believe." By the time Ellyrine had finished several of the magicians of the room had began to nod resignedly, and Arme herself seemed to be the only one who was completely in disagreement.
"I... I refuse." She whispered, lips dry and voice hoarse. Ellyrine tilted her head in confusion.
"But surely... Arme, please consider." Arme's head began to shake more quickly, and she stood up as the lamp and hat were pushed towards her.
"No! I'm a part of the Grand Chase, I have other duties to consider! I can't just run off to be the leader, especially considering how ill-suited I am to the job! I can hardly control the pot and you're trying to give me Elena's lamp? I can't do it!" She exclaimed, looking back at the cyan haired magician miserably. The small boy that had led her to the meeting and was sitting next to her tugged on her sleeve in an attempt to get her to sit down; she brushed his insistence off.
"You needn't use the lamp immediately, Arme. We've thought through this several times, you are qualified. As a young magician perhaps you don't have much experience with all of the weapons available, but that shall come in time. And as for your duties in the Grand Chase, perhaps a compromise can be made? Elena put her belief in your magicial abilities, we would like to do the same." Arme's head-shaking continued, the violet haired girl glaring at the floor.
"You said you had a list. Choose the next person on it, because I can't be what you're looking for. I can't replace Elena!" She emphasized. Ellyrine sighed.
"Arme, please be reasonable... Your guild needs you. At the very least take the hat and the lamp for the night and think about it." Arme was shaking as she reached down to pick up the mentioned objects, and she kept her focus away from the older magicians.
"I'll take them for the night, but... Don't expect a yes. I don't believe I'm ready for this, and I know several others here agree with me." She muttered, turning to the door. As she exited the room she threw the hat on her head, making it easier to carry both her pot and the lamp. What's Ellyrine thinking? I can't handle a new weapon... I just got the pot less than a month ago! Glaring down at the lantern with as much resentment as she could muster towards an inanimate object, Arme exited the building miserably.
"Stupid girl... Refusing such a position even though your magic is so strong..." Arme blinked at a voice in her ear, turning to look around her. For the volume of the voice she would have assumed someone to be right next to her, but no one was nearby. Frowning, the magician decided she had imagined it and continued on her way back to the inn.
"Such a stupid girl." The voice repeated again. This time Arme stopped, glaring around her. This time absolutely no one was around her, and Arme sighed in frustration.
"I'm not stupid!" She insisted loudly to no one in particular, irritation filling her as a laugh filled her head.
"You're trying to convince me you have a brain in this empty head by yelling out loud and making people think you're insane? Clear out your thoughts and think properly, then perhaps your case will seem a bit more persuasive." Arme growled quietly, crossing her arms as an embarrassed blush crossed her face. I just went through that and now I have to deal with invisible people making fun of me? Just great. A sigh sounded, and Arme looked around again, determined to find the culprit.
"I'm not invisible. Perhaps if you used a small portion of the brain you claim to have you'd be able to find me?" Arme picked up her pace, eyes still looking from side to side. And now it can read my mind? Can this get any worse?
"Of course it can. I have access to your whole mind right now, I could just rifle through it and pick out some rather embarrassing things you'd rather people didn't know... Hm... If only Elena could have picked a soft spoken student for once... Well, I suppose it doesn't matter, and at the very least you seem to have a good potential. Looks like you'll be my new master for a while." Arme stopped again, looking around. The brim of the hat covering her upper view, she had to tilt her head up to see. With this stupid hat in the way I can't see anythin- The hat? Arme gasped as she moved her lamp under her arm and pulled the offending item off her head, gaping at it as she held it in front of her. Two large purple eyes had appeared on it, and the gold band across the base was curved down into a contemplative frown.
"Well, seems like you can think. Though one would expect you to catch on faster..." Arme blinked, wondering at that point just how she was supposed to have foreseen her hat starting to talk to her. She began walking again as she stared at the hat silently, and a second passed before the hat began speaking again.
"I can't read your mind when I'm off your head, girl! Speak up!" It demanded, causing Arme to tilt her head.
"What... What are you?" She questioned as she neared the inn. The hat rolled it's eyes.
"I'm a hat, quite obviously. One enchanted years ago in the grand content of Xenia." Arme nodded idly as she pushed the front door open, entering the front room. To her surprise everyone was already sitting at the table, and they all turned to look at her in confusion.
"They... Gave you a hat?" Elesis asked in confusion. Arme both nodded and shrugged at the questioning statement, placing the hat down in the center of the table and placing the pot and lamp on the floor next to her. She then sat down in a seat, interest in the hat currently overtaking her misery over the conclusion of the meeting. Everyone in the room gasped when the hat made a slight bow, twisting around to look at them all.
"This would be the Grand Chase? A rather unimpressive looking bunch... Seeing as you must know, I will give you my name. It may seem a bit obvious, however it was bestowed upon me by my creator. I am the Mahou Boushi, passed along for generations through the Violet Mage Guild." Everyone in the room was silent aside from Amy, who snapped her fingers the moment the hat had named itself. She pressed a finger to her lips as though concentrating, gathering the attention of the entire room.
"Mahou Boushi... Magic Hat in Xnonian, right?" She finally stated. The hat nodded, it's golden rim turning up in a smile.
"It's good to see not all of you are incompetent." Arme huffed, lying her head down on the table. A hand was placed on her back, and she looked up to see Ronan.
"Why did they give you it? And from what I'm seeing, it looks like they handed over your lantern as well... Something odd is going on." Arme nodded feebly, standing up with a sigh.
"You never told us what the result of the meeting was." Lass added, "Did they decide on a new leader?" Arme bit her lip, directing her gaze to the floor.
"Yes. Me."
A/N: I'M SORRY! ;-; *prepares to be murdered* I haven't updated for more than a month... D; I'm so sorry about that... The worst part is that aside from school, I'll be honest... I really don't have a valid reason. I'm too easily distracted o_o;;
But there is good news! If you ignore this boring chapter, there are only about four to go! And they all have to be done by October 31st, so you will see the end of ITD this month! :D Thanks to all of you who are still reading!
-Utsuro
P.S. Did anyone actually remember Ellyrine from chapter 6? xD