Not much to say about this chapter. Confrontations galore, however. Enjoy.
Book I, Part II: Mortal Conflict - The Zodiac Brave Story
Chapter VI: Transactions
[March 18, 2152 | Esthar, Pandora Café | 7:00 PM]
The evening rain fell slowly over the shining, technological streets of Esthar as a lone figure pushed open the door, Zeo Conrad stepping into the building and nodding to the attendant standing just inside. No words were said as the Estharian business leader stepped past the attendant, the younger female stepping aside and out of his way. Conrad's pinstriped blue suit jacket and pants, along with his white shirt and blue tie were apparently unaffected by the rain, their pristine appearance unmarred. Taking a look around the relatively empty establishment, he smirked as he noticed a lone figure seated at a table on the left side of the room, beginning to walk up to the table calmly.
"Ah, Senior. I didn't expect you to actually be here," Conrad said, taking a seat across from the Trabian headmaster. Darius Sr. just smiled, his tan robes and the thin, yet extremely durable breastplate worn over the robes serving as a stark contrast to Zeo's appearance.
"Conrad. I've been here for some time now. I see that you're fashionably late. As usual."
"Fashion is the name of the game, you know. Not that it's any business you would associate with," Conrad replied, unwilling to let Senior get the advantage in an exchange of verbal barbs.
"Amusing, Conrad," Darius Sr. said, shaking his head. "By the way, Loire called."
"Oh?"
"Yes. He said that he wants you to give his business sense back. Or lack thereof, in your case."
Conrad's eyes narrowed as Darius Sr. leaned back in his chair, chuckling slightly at the expression on the businessman's face. A waiter stepped up to the table, setting down two glasses of a reddish-colored wine before each of the men, and Darius Sr. nodded, wordlessly thanking the waiter. Picking up the glass, Conrad took a sip of the beverage, enjoying the taste of the wine before sighing.
"Enough with the pleasantries, then. I have a business proposition for you," he told the Garden leader, who merely shook his head.
"I do believe that is what you called me here for. Unless you've already forgotten."
"Ha," Conrad replied, reaching into the front pocket of his coat and withdrawing a small topaz, the simple and innocuous form of the Sagittarius Holy Stone.
Darius Sr., to his credit, merely quirked an eyebrow at the sight. "Oh, so you've found yourself a shiny stone? You should have that appraised at a jeweler." A look of mock thought crossed his face for a moment before he smiled. "That must be why you're here. You want me to appraise it, to save yourself the shame of being caught in one of my stores. Clever, really," he finished with a smirk, taking a sip of his wine.
Conrad's eyes flashed with anger for a moment before he sighed deeply, already clearly fed up with his fellow businessman.
"It's a Holy Stone, DeValle. Surely you've heard of them? Magic is supposed to be your specialty."
"Absolutely," the headmaster replied, his uncaring visage unwavering. "Unfortunately for you, it is not yours. As such, it won't do a thing for you."
"Thus the reason for this meeting."
"Explain."
"This is a powerful artifact of the gods," Conrad sneered, looking over at Darius Sr. "Surely you know what it can do."
"Even the gods can't help you," Darius Sr. retorted. "You're a lost cause, Conrad."
"You-"
"I, however, know exactly what to do with it," he continued, cutting Zeo Conrad off from speaking. "I assume you were hoping to make a transaction? So was I. You shouldn't have left your runes at home, boy."
Any further conversation was simply silenced as Darius Sr. raised a hand, blasting Conrad out of his chair with a pair of point blank Fira spells. The other patrons in the cafè immediately headed for the door in panic, some screaming in fear at the sudden attack in the building. The waiters dropped the food they were carrying, heading for the back of the building in the hopes of finding safety. As Zeo Conrad picked himself up from the floor, spilled wine and burnt tablecloth falling from the table, Darius Sr. stood up from his seat.
"You rotten..." Conrad began, but was abruptly cut off once again by the sudden appearance of two figures behind him - namely, Albel Nox and Revolver DeValle, the latter with his hand on the hilt of his broadsword. Conrad spun to face the arrivals, furious at the deceit.
"This is-"
"The family," Darius Sr. finished, looking directly at Conrad with an expression now hardened and cold, the complete opposite of the business-like appearance he displayed mere minutes prior.
"Certainly you're not thinking of challenging me, are you?" Albel taunted, smiling darkly at Conrad. "I have better things to do with my time than toss around some maggot like you."
"I think I will accept your deal, Conrad," the Trabian headmaster said, folding his arms. "Your life for the Stone. Of course, we can arrange other methods of payment. Methods that don't require you to be...present at the business table."
Conrad just scowled, turning back to face Darius Sr. "This won't be the last you've heard from me, DeValle."
"Worm," Albel grunted, spinning around Conrad with ease and twisting his arm, grabbing the Stone from his hand as it opened, then grabbing the front of his coat and shirt with his right hand. Calmly, he dragged Conrad away from the table before actually throwing him towards the doors of the cafè, the doors opening with an earsplitting crash as Zeo Conrad hit them, flew through the doorway and landed on the ground outside of the establishment.
"Come again," Darius Sr. remarked with a mocking smile, right before the three of them warped away, leaving only broken glass, fallen chairs, and burned decor behind them.
[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Third Floor, Katanas DeValle's Office | 8:27 PM]
"So, you wish to enroll here at Trabia?"
"Yes, I do."
I do my best to keep my face calm, despite the nervousness running through my mind right now. I'm not sure what enrolling even entails, but I'm not going to back down very easily. The thought of Alchemy training is just too intriguing for me.
"I see." Katanas turns, opening a large file drawer and rifling through papers with ease, locating the file he desires after a few seconds of searching. Opening the file, he pulls out a series of stapled sheets, handing them over to me. "This is the first part of the application process. Consider it a general information exam. The other two parts are physical and mental exams, to test your physical stamina and skills, as well as mental acuity and magical ability. Simple standard procedure, to weed out any undesirables. You understand."
Looking over the papers, I nod. "Just take the test, and then come back here?"
"Actually, once you are finished with the test, give it to the receptionist. She should direct you to the second part of the examination, as well as the third later on."
"Got it. So, where can I go to begin taking this test?"
Katanas thinks for a moment, apparently going over a list of classes in progress or the like in his mind, before speaking.
"Go down to the second floor, turn right, and take the fourth door on the right. There should be an empty classroom there that you can use."
Nodding my assent, I stand up, bowing to Katanas as I move to leave.
"Thank you, Katanas. I appreciate it."
"Best of luck to you," he replies, as I turn and walk out of the room, headed down to the second floor to begin the exam.
[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, Parking Garage | 8:29 PM]
"Well, this is it. Trabia Garden," Silvia spoke, stepping out of the driver's seat of her vehicle. The drive from Esthar to Trabia had taken a few hours, but she had made the trip smoothly, the vehicle gliding over the roads leading from the technological city to the Garden.
Naoki stepped out of the passenger seat, impressed by what he had seen on the way in. Looking around the parking garage, he waited as Sumiko and Uriko also exited the vehicle, in equally as much wonder at the large military facility.
"We thank you again for the ride, miss Conrad," Naoki said, bowing. "It would've been a very long trip here without your help."
"You're welcome," Silvia replied, turning to walk away from the car...and then stopping dead at the sight of the figure now standing a few feet away.
"Well, well. I wasn't aware you had finally settled down, miss Conrad," Darius said, his lips moving into the familiar smirk he usually wore. Silvia looked a little startled at the words, though, instead of amused at the light joke.
"Settle...down...?"
Darius stopped, eyes widening as he watched the look on Silvia's face, before he realized what he said.
"Oh...I'm sorry. I don't mean to bring up painful memories..." he said, looking sincerely sorry for once.
"I know, I know..." Silvia replied, shaking her head before turning to Naoki and the others. "Go ahead and look around the Garden. I need to talk to Darius."
Naoki simply nodded, respecting Silvia's wishes and motioning to the rest of the group, causing them to begin to head out of the parking garage. Darius walked closer to Silvia, no words exchanged between the two for a moment as Darius smiled somewhat, the look out of place on the youngest DeValle's face.
"Listen. How about I take you out to eat, to ease your mind? Just like old times," Darius offered. Silvia's face brightened immediately at the proposition.
"I wouldn't mind at all..." she said, smiling. "Of course, you're paying. It's the gentlemanly thing to do, mister DeValle." Now it was Silvia's turn to smirk, Darius' expression moving to one of complete shock for a moment, mouth slightly agape, before he burst out into laughter.
"I think you've been hanging around businesses too long," he said, still chuckling. Shaking his head and calming himself down once again, he nodded to Silvia. "Shall we?"
"Lead the way," Silvia said, the friendly pair also beginning to make their way out of the parking garage.
[March 18, 2152 | Trabia Garden, First Floor, Cafè du Nord | 8:46 PM]
"So, what's the occasion?" Silvia questioned, taking a sip of a mug of hot chocolate as she sat at the table across from Darius, who was holding a similar mug of the beverage.
"You don't want to have a leisurely outing with good old me?" Darius asked, feigning hurt. Silvia just took another sip of the warm drink, smiling behind the cup.
"Of course not. It's funny how when that happens, a store goes out of business," she joked, managing to stifle a giggle with the mug of hot cocoa.
"Your words have punched a hole in me!" Darius responded, clutching his hand to his chest in an exaggerating manner before falling out of the chair completely. No one even batted an eye towards the antics of the youngest DeValle, except for Silvia, who collapsed into an uncontrollable fit of giggling.
"Darius, get up," she managed, still laughing. "Of course I don't mind."
"But..." Darius trailed off, quirking an eyebrow at Silvia as he climbed back into his chair once again.
"You always have a motive," Silvia replied. "I'm fairly certain that you're renting out your lungs, which you're already extorting so that they'll keep working...it explains why you're still breathing, after all that you've been through." Darius choked back a laugh at the joking answer and the insinuations behind it.
"Touchè, touchè. Maybe I did have a reason."
"You want to know why my dad met with yours?" she questioned, taking another swallow of her beverage. Darius merely shook his head, reaching into a pocket and holding up a small disc.
"I already know. We had surveillance on the building before my dad even set foot inside," he explained, placing the disc in front of Silvia. "I wanted you to see this, too."
"Oh?"
"It was quite amusing, actually," Darius said, leaning back in his chair, setting the piece of furniture on the two back legs for a moment before letting it touch the ground once again. "Unfortunately, as I'm sure you're aware, our fathers are dabbling in an area that's a bit above their reach. I'll admit, my father has some serious magical knowledge...but that stone is an artifact of the gods. If your father was quick to make a deal with it, then he knew he was in over his head."
Silvia stared at her mug of chocolate, now nearly empty, for a moment, pondering Darius' words. "You think Senior is going to..."
"I'm...worried," Darius replied with a slow nod, the admission uncharacteristic for the normally confident young man.
"I haven't seen you worried since-"
"Yeah, my little incident," Darius said, cutting Silvia off from continuing. "We can talk about that later. There's one more thing I want to bring to your attention."
"The fact that I just left my traveling companions stranded here in Trabia with no Garden identification, no directions, and no clue?" Silvia asked, feigning innocence.
"I'll concede the first two," Darius said, chuckling. "The third was there before you could help them." Silvia let out a mock gasp of shock, gaping at Darius as the marksman smirked and folded his arms.
"Darius! Be nice!"
"I'm sorry! I'm forgetful!" he protested, trying and failing to keep a straight face as the two friends shared another round of giggles.
"Darius..."
"Alright, alright," he said, shaking his head and calming himself down before drinking the last of his hot chocolate. "But...there's someone you should keep your eye on, especially while you're in Trabia. In fact, stay a few days. You might even get a chance to meet him."
"Who?" Silvia asked, now curious as to what her old friend could mean. Darius merely gave a smile in response, this smile looking much more natural on the marksman.
"Don't worry. All will be revealed in time."
[Ethereal Plane, Palace of Creation]
"You called for me, Mistress Freya?" Will said, kneeling before Freya as she stood from her throne.
"I did, Will," Freya replied, her soft voice clear and commanding. "I am curious to know what you have seen while in the mortal plane."
"I believe you'll be pleased to know that your champion is continuing his training, Mistress. He has also met with the newest Emissary, as per your request."
"So, the child has arrived in Gaia. Good. I thought for a time that he would not heed my call."
"At any rate, he is here. Your champion is in Spira now, training with the warrior monk. He looks to be progressing nicely," Will replied.
"That is good news. We may need his strength soon, if Odin cannot end this war quickly."
"Unfortunately, I think that this war is about to take a turn for the worse."
"Do you believe that something terrible is soon to happen, Will?" Freya questioned. Will merely nodded, his face turning to a downcast expression.
"Destine came to me while I was in the human realm...she's planning something. I don't know exactly what she may be planning, but I do know this. Whatever she is up to, it's big, and it could be very bad for both the mortal plane and the Ethereal Plane," Will replies.
"I see...however, even with this knowledge, I do not believe Destine will pose a threat to the realms. Even with her power against us, the Ethereal Plane has the means to defend itself, should she openly make an attempt to seize control."
"Mistress, if I may...?" Will began, looking up at Freya.
"Go ahead."
"Destine may pose a bigger threat than you realize, Mistress. She may lack the power to openly seize control of the Ethereal Plane, but that does not mean that she couldn't find a way to make others follow her. Destine is very bold, after all...she wouldn't hesitate to simply force others to do as she said. Eventually, she would have enough of the gods backing her to consider attempting to take control. In short, I believe this needs to be dealt with, and soon."
"I appreciate your concern, Will," Freya replied. "Yes, Destine is bold enough to orchestrate actions such as what you just described. However, at the present time, I do not believe that she can manage to gather the power necessary for her to set any plans she may have into motion."
"If that is your decision, then I will stand by it."
"Good," Freya said, returning to her seat on the throne. "I have one more matter to discuss with you, Will. Lady Kisara has gone to the mortal realm, has she not?"
Will remained silent for a moment, knowing that Freya would not be asking the question without good reason...as well as the fact that as a Pillar of Reality, he was bound to be loyal to Freya.
"She has, Mistress."
"Am I correct in assuming that her reasons have to do with the Holy Stones?" Freya asked, causing Will to look down slightly before nodding.
"You're correct. She...talked to me while we were in the mortal plane. She knows that several of the Stones have already been found. She wants to find the rest and safeguard them from the humans," Will explained. "She fears their misuse...after all, these artifacts hold centuries of power and knowledge. It would be all too easy to use them for evil."
Freya folded her arms, closing her eyes and remaining silent as she considered Will's words carefully.
"You have told me all I need to know, Will, and for that I thank you. Now, I have a task for you."
"Yes, Mistress?"
"I want you to find all twelve of the Holy Stones, and retrieve them. I also want you to find Lady Kisara. When you have done so, send her to me. I have matters to discuss with her." Will nodded in response, kneeling once again before Freya.
"I will do as you wish, Mistress," he said, looking up from his position on the ground.
"You are dismissed, Will. I wish you luck on your search."
Will stood quickly at that, turning and walking out of the chamber and leaving Freya alone to consider her next actions.
Choices have been made. Actions will be undertaken. That is all. As always, please read and review.