Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay but here is the next chapter Enjoy!
As always, let me know what you think in the reviews!
Episode 4- The Plan Is...
January 19, X791
Feathered Serpent Airship
"Hey! Will you let me go already?!" Keziah demanded just as they came into view of a large dark blue, silver, and gold airship with a serpent as the figurehead, and on each side of the aircraft, it looked like wings about to take flight. She planted her heels into the ground and gaped at the ship in awe. "... that ship's yours?"
Gai glanced back at her, the end of his lips twitching up at the hint of a smile. "Impressed?" He asked, sounding slightly amused.
"More like shocked," Keziah scoffed, pulling her hand free and trailing behind him. "Where the hell did you steal this from?"
"I didn't steal it." He sounded offended. "It was my payment for a job."
"They paid you with that?" Keziah couldn't keep the skepticism from her voice. Yes, the Feathered Serpents were a well-known mercenary guild even though they had only formed four years ago... but still! A whole ship?!
"It was a hard mission. More troublesome than it was supposed to be, just like this one." Gai explained, leading the way into the ship.
Keziah looked around at the interior; the outside had been glossy and beautiful, and clearly, the ship was well-kept and cared for. The inside was about what she expected: polished steel hallways with countless rooms and nothing to furnish the halls. "It's pretty clean in here."
"What did you expect?" Gai asked. "Organization is key to any group; it helps us function."
"Fair enough," It wasn't a bad thing. In truth, she wished that the guild hall back home was a bit tidier, too. She could never find her belongings there if she had forgotten them.
The two fell into an uncomfortable silence for the rest of the walk to the bridge of the ship, both picking up the arguing voices as they neared the door.
"-I'm just saying, shouldn't Kez be here by now?!" That was Cassia's frustrated voice.
It was followed by a scoff from Calla, "Who cares about that second-rate mage? I hope that guy threw her off a cliff."
Keziah's brow twitched as she made her way to the door. So, she wasn't there, and Calla decided to badmouth her? She'd kill her.
"What a horrible thing to say!" Cassia snapped back. "Do I have to remind you that she's holding the heirloom?"
"She lost it in the fight. I can guarantee you that." Calla shot back. "I never understood why she was made S-Class."
Keziah slammed the door open, halting the fight, green eyes burning with anger as she stormed up to Calla, smacking her in the face before she could react. "Maybe it's because I can kick your ass." She growled, glaring at the dark, viridian-haired woman.
Without missing a beat, Calla threw herself at Keziah, trying to pin her down as the rest of the mages in the room watched in stunned or horrified silence. "I'd like to see you try." She hissed back, elbowing the other mage in the stomach.
Finally, Gai had enough, getting between the two guild mages and shoving them away from each other, "Enough. We'll never get out if you two keep fighting." He hadn't raised his voice, but the dark tone he had spoken in had caused both girls to stop long enough for Cassia and Vere to grab onto them.
"Also, I still have the heirloom," Keziah huffed, showing Calla the blue bag.
"Sure, there's not a hole in it?" Calla asked, trying to, once again, rile her up.
Before Keziah could argue, one of Feathered Serpent's members stepped forward; he had shaggy, dirty blonde hair that fell to his neck and hazel eyes. He wore a dark tan colored cargo jacket, a sleeveless black shirt, and faded blue jeans tucked into brown military boots. He also had a beer can in his hands.
"Getting out is going to be harder than we thought, Gai." The man said, taking a deep drink from his can. "The ship can't get through the barrier they made."
Gai's face twitched as he flicked his hand, and two light blue flat screen panels projected into the air in front of him along with a keyboard. Without a word, he pulled up a visual of the barrier that surrounded them on one screen; it was larger than the guild mages had thought. "Jared, you're saying that even with the Ryujin's shields, we can't break through the barrier?"
On the other screen, he pulled up a general map of the area, occasionally moving the map around, the screen blinked a few times, a circle expanding out every few seconds as if it were scanning for something.
Jared shook his head, taking another long drink from his can, "I scanned the entire area the barrier is covering, whatever they're using to form this barrier, it's not the mages themselves. Since it's Juarez we're dealing with, I'm sure he had a powerful magical tool to create this. If we tried to force the ship through, it would get destroyed."
"Well, coming here was a waste of time then." Calla sighed, rolling her eyes.
Keziah shot her a light glare but silently agreed. She'd rather die than ever agree with this version of Calla.
"Don't say that," Cassia protested, holding Ashe in her arms, "At least we're all together."
"Yeah," Vere nodded his head. He was the most relaxed out of the guild mages, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms behind his head. "If we can't sail out, we'll just have to force our way out."
"If this tin can can't force its way out, how do you expect you, Dumbass?" Calla asked.
"Don't call him a Dumbass!" Ashe protested, trying to lung at Calla, but Cassia held him back, pulling him closer to her chest. "He's just brainless!"
"And don't call the Ryujin a tin can!" A young girl, no older than six, spoke up, looking offended. "This is our home!"
"Sumireka is right," Gai said, glaring at Calla before quickly returning to his work, "You are guests of my guild. Do not disrespect them or this ship. And do not start a fight again."
"Tsk." Instead of saying anything, Calla glared back and leaned against the wall.
"Forced guests," Keziah muttered softly, making her way over to Cassia and Vere to check on them; thankfully, they didn't look worse for wear. She could care less if Calla was wounded.
They all stood there in uncomfortable silence as Gai worked, fingers flying over his keyboard, and screen after screen randomly popped up in front of him before disappearing again. What the hell was he looking for?
"Hey, Kezi?" Vere asked, standing up from the chair and stretching his back out. "Shall we go?"
"Go?" Sumireka asked in confusion. "We haven't figured out a plan yet."
"If it's a magical tool creating this barrier, all we have to do is find it and destroy it, yeah?" Vere asked, an excited smile forming on his face. "Let's go! I'm bored just waiting around! I'll show these guys that they can't just tie me down!"
"Juarez has his men swarming the area, the tool will be heavily guarded, and worse, they'll be looking for you," Miquel said, stunned that the blonde was so eager to rush out.
"So what? It's nothing we can't handle." Vere grinned. "We've seen worse."
"Only a fool would rush out without information," Gai murmured, still examining his screens with Jared and Isolde.
"Then I guess we're fools," Keziah shrugged, leaving the room with Cassia and Vere. "We're leaving, but if you want to stay, Calla, I won't stop you." Right before she reached the door she turned, "Actually please stay, you're nothing but dead weight."
"What was that?!" Calla demanded, marching out after her.
"I don't need you dragging us down." The other woman repeated simply, ignoring the green-haired mage as she yelled after her.
Gai sighed when the Nymph Trove mages left the room, dismissing the holographic screens with a wave of his hand.
"No luck?" Rayleigh asked, leaning against the controls.
"I can't pinpoint where the tool is." Gai admitted, sounding annoyed, "I hate to admit it, but those guild mages are right. We'll have to go out and look."
"Juarez's men still outnumber us." Jared said, "They may be weak, but their numbers alone will be a nuisance."
Gai smiled slightly, flicking his hand and a new holographic screen appeared, showing Keziah's group exiting their ship. The mercenaries watched as Keziah and Calla got into another spat, getting in each other's faces as they yelled at each other; the two women looked like they were about to fight again when Cassia forced her way in between them, trying to get them to work together.
"Those two don't like each other…" Miquel said, nervously, watching Calla stomp away from her group and into the forest on the screen.
"We can use that to our advantage," Gai strategized, "If the Nymph Trove mages are insisting on causing havoc, we'll let them distract Juarez's men while we search for the magical tool that's forming the barrier."
"Ah, isn't that a bit cruel?" Sumireka asked uneasily. "Weren't you just trying to help them?"
"You can't help someone who doesn't want it." Isolde shrugged helplessly. "So Gai, how should we move forward?"
Gai kept his gaze focused on the screen, watching as Keziah ordered Vere and Cassia to split off from her, all three going in different directions. "Here's what we'll do…"
"Ice Dragon's Frosted Wings!" Vere twisted his body and arms around, creating two twisting columns of icy hurricane-like blasts that smashed unrelentingly into a dozen masked soldiers.
"Ice Dragon's Piercing Fang!" He followed up by creating a spear of ice, shooting it out towards another group of enemies, knocking them off their feet.
He ducked as two men tried to stab him at the same time, kicking their legs out from under them before delivering a series of punches down on their heads, his fist encased by a thin layer of frost.
He then jumped up as another wave of armed men charged him, "Ice Dragon's Pillar!" He gathered magic energy into the palm of his hands before shooting it out, creating a thick pillar of ice that encapsulated dozens of men.
When he landed back on the ground, he looked around in anticipation, he was still surrounded by enemies, but the ones that remained were hesitant, their grips on their weapons faltering when they saw his feral smile.
"Who's next?" He asked, lunging at the closest soldiers, the smile never leaving his face as he smashed an ice-encased foot into a soldier's stomach, he was having fun. Too much fun. He hadn't even realized that Ashe was no longer on his head. "Ice Dragon's Roar!"
"Plant Magic: Briar Barrage," Cassia summoned thick dark brown vines with blade-sharp thorns and whipped them out at the soldiers who surrounded her, using her arms to manipulate the vines. Multiple vines wrapped around the soldiers' limbs and threw them around the forest, smashing them into the ground of trees, the thorns digging into their clothing or exposed skin.
"Buloke' Sword," Cassia parried the strike of one of the soldiers who was able to avoid the vines with her trusty wooden sword. She pushed the soldier's sword to the side before slashing out at him, sending the masked soldier stumbling away. "Plant Magic: Root Smasher!" She raised her hand into the air, summoning a thick tree root from the ground and slashing downward with her arm, the tree root followed the movement of her arm and smashed back into the ground and six soldiers with a devastating sound, sending chunks of earth and a cloud of dust flying into the air.
Cassia coughed at the dust, guilt forming in her when she heard the pained groans of the soldiers. Yes, they were her enemies, but she hated using excessive force when she didn't need to, they were just doing their job at the end of the day… but then again so was she; she needed to make sure their job succeeded.
Through the dust, she could see more soldiers run in her direction, attracted by the sound of battle. "Man! Just give it a rest, will you?! Plant magic: Evergreen Prison," Bright green vines burst out from the ground and trees, wrapped around the limbs of the soldiers and restraining them. They even restrained the already unconscious soldiers so that they wouldn't be able to get back up even if they regained consciousness. These vines, while they didn't have thorns, were ten times stronger and able to hold her enemies for longer; days even.
Cassia looked at her handy work and smiled, "Just relax here, okay? I'll let you go when I'm done here." She waved at them and ran off, ignoring their cries to be released.
"Diamond Stomper!" Calla harshly kicked a masked soldier in the face, her legs covered in a thin layer of diamond. With her foot still planted in the first soldier's face, she jumped up and kicked out, her foot smashing into the gut of another soldier and sending him flying back.
"Diamond-make: Battle axe-duo." She created two medium-sized battle axes in her hands and cut through her enemies mercilessly. It had been clear to her from the very beginning that these soldiers, while trained, were nowhere on the same level as her, they were a piece of cake.
She effortlessly wove between them, striking out with her axes, tripping them up before slashing out. It would have looked elegant if her strikes weren't so brutal, fueled by the ever-present anger that she felt for the past few years.
The last soldier, she hit especially hard, the axe catching him right under the ribcage. The force of her strike not only threw him off his feet, but he also flipped through the air as he was sent flying, landing harshly on the ground a few feet away.
"That's pretty brutal." Calla glanced behind her, a bored look on her face as she looked at Gai. He came out of the tree line, observing all the soldiers who were groaning on the ground.
"They shouldn't have attacked me," She shrugged, flipping an axe in her hand before smashing it down on the head of a soldier who was struggling to get up. "What are you doing here? Thought you were trying to escape."
"Escaping is looking more complicated than I thought." He sighed back, he gave her the hint of a smile.
"That's a shame." Calla scoffed, slowly looking him over. He wasn't that bad to look at, truthfully.
"We'd both have an easier time getting out if we joined forces," Gai said.
Calla snorted, rolling her eyes, "Didn't you already try that by dragging us to your ship? Didn't work out so well, did it?" She strolled up to him, a playful smirk on her face, "Besides, why would I team up with someone who left me alone without a word? It was rude to leave without saying anything."
Gai raised a brow, curious about the sudden change in direction, "I didn't mean to offend, I never stay the night with anyone. It's bad business."
Calla scoffed, bad business? What was she? One of his jobs? "Do you at least sleep with the same person twice?" She could get over him leaving before she woke up if he was open to a repeat of their night together.
If he agreed, at least she'd get something worthwhile from this stupid job. She still couldn't believe her mother had forced her to come.
"I don't think your guild mate would approve." He shot back, but the smallest spark of interest in his eyes.
"The more reason to," Calla smiled up at him, taking a step closer, thrilled when he didn't move. It also thrilled her to know that Keziah would have a fit if she knew she slept with this man again.
A smile flickered across Gai's lips and he leaned closer, only a breath separating their faces. "Once this is over, I may take you up on your offer."
"Oh, what the hell are you doing?!" Gai moved back when they heard Keziah's voice, both of them turning in sync to see the red-haired mage glaring at both of them. "This is no time for you to be horny Calla!"
Calla burst out laughing and she swore she saw steam coming out of Keziah's head. "What? Are you jealous?"
"Absolutely not." Keziah glared, her gaze going between the two of them. But based on how much she was glaring at Gai, Calla knew that the other girl had to be a bit jealous.
"Then why are you mad?" Calla taunted, smirking.
"Maybe it's because we're being hunted by dozens of armed guards, and you would rather tear each other's clothes off!"
"What? Are you saying you can't take care of them yourself?" The diamond mage taunted.
Keziah's brow started to twitch. "I don't have time for this. Do whatever you want," she stormed past them, shoulders stiff.
Calla watched her storm off, a satisfied smirk on her face, she then turned back to Gai, "So, where were-" She cut off, eyes widening when she realized that Gai was no longer standing behind her. When did he leave?! "What the hell?!"
"She's going to be the death of me," Keziah muttered darkly, "Why did Master insist she come with us?!"
Calla had been nothing but trouble from the very beginning, causing fights and insulting them all for no reason. If Cassia hadn't been with them, Keziah may have been able to reign her temper in, but most of Calla's taunts and harsh words had been towards the younger woman, whenever she had simply tried to include her in conversation.
Cassia didn't deserve her harsh words and worse, she never fought back against Calla, simply looking at the ground and allowing her sister to walk all over her.
It hadn't been like that before; Calla and Cassia had been inseparable, and seeing their relationship now was jarring. Did the Master think that going on missions would fix their relationship? Based on how this job was going, it was a lost cause.
She paused in her step when the trees and bushes around her rustled and she suddenly found herself surrounded by dozens of soldiers.
"Tch, where are you all coming from?" She asked as a silvery-blue magic circle formed at her feet, "Oh well, I needed someone to beat up." The magic energy enveloped her, releasing an icy blast of air towards the soldiers, pushing them back.
Once the light faded, Keziah was once again completely changed; she now wore an off-shoulder white-and-red kimono with a gold obi, her skin was a pale white, her hair had changed into a pale silver, held up by snowflake hairclips, and her eyes now a glowing pale icy blue. "Take-Over: Yuki-Onna," She held out her hand and a spear made out of clear ice appeared in it.
Without a word, she lunged at the nearest group of soldiers, slashing out with her spear, sending a burst of icy energy at them, the energy froze into the shape of a crescent as it engulfed them in a wave of ice. "Frozen Crescent,"
She jumped back, avoiding three of the soldiers as they tried to attack her at once, spear twirling in her hand.
"Ice Crystal Burster," large ice crystals formed in the air around the three attacking soldiers before exploding, sending shards of ice flying at them. Once the ice touched their skin, they started to freeze over until most of their body was enveloped in a thick layer of ice.
Keziah then quickly parried the attacks of two others, bending back to avoid a sword that just missed her face. Once she straightened, she caught the sword against the spear, yanking it out of the soldier's hand and smacking him on the back of the head with the butt of her weapon.
Her eyes then settled on another squad of attackers as they charged at her, magical energy swirling around their hands. She scoffed, jumping into the air and rushing to meet them, spinning as she flew, gathering more and more cold air around her body as she spun through the air, "Yuki Twister!"
She blew through their formation in an icy tornado, the wind catching the soldiers and sending them flying through the air, frost forming on their bodies as they were caught in the icy currents and shattering as they fell to the ground.
Once Keziah's feet touched the ground again, she stumbled a bit, embarrassingly feeling a bit dizzy herself.
The sound of feet slamming on frozen ground forced her to recover faster and she saw the last dozen charge at her, undeterred despite their many fallen allies. She sighed, slamming the tip of her spear into the ground. "Sub-zero." Immediately everything around her, the ground, the trees, and the soldiers froze over with a solid layer of ice covering them, stopping their movements altogether.
After a quick look around, Keziah released her take-over, transforming back into herself, and ran, as weak as they were, she didn't want to stay around in case reinforcements showed up. Fighting them was starting to turn into a nuisance at this point.
"Man, those guys are endless... maybe a better plan would have been a good idea." She muttered, leaning against a tree to catch her breath once she was certain she was far enough away from the fight.
"That's what I was trying to say before you all ran off," Gai sighed from behind her, causing her to jump in shock.
"You! Where did you come from?!" She demanded, whirling around to glare at him. "Are you following me?!"
"Of course I am, you're carrying precious cargo." He tugged at the blue backpack that held the heirloom, and she quickly stepped away, not trusting him to not run off with it.
"Relax, I still haven't figured out a way to rip it off your back." Gai sighed.
"Yeah, that helps." Keziah scoffed back, glaring up at him. "So... what's the plan?"
He raised a brow at her amused, "Now you want to listen to the plan?" He leaned against the tree, towering over her. "Thought you weren't interested."
Keziah's glare sharpened, "As long as it gets Calla out of my hair faster, I'm game. And I'm getting tired of these guys, they aren't strong at all."
Before he could say anything, there was an explosion some distance away, and his communication lacrima beeped.
He looked in the direction and then back at her. "Juarez has always appreciated quantity over quality. He pays hundreds of men for cheap instead of spending thousands for a few qualified mages."
"You're not qualified?" Keziah asked.
"I am. But he never planned to pay me," Gai said, his eyes growing dark. "A shame, since if he hadn't double-crossed me I'd have that heirloom for him by now."
"Doubtful," She huffed, looking at him challengingly. "You're not that good."
"I wasn't being serious, if I was, we wouldn't be having this conversation," He shot back, eyes still dark with anger at Juarez's betrayal. "Anyways, he hired hundreds of men so that he wouldn't have to pay me for the job. He chose numbers over strength, which was his mistake. None of the soldiers can stand up to you or your guildmates."
"But he outsmarted you with the barrier," Keziah said, feeling insulted that Gai thought he would have won their fight. "You can't escape."
"Neither can you. He's hoping the endless number of soldiers will wear us down till we can't fight anymore." Gai nodded. "That's why I wanted to form a plan with you to escape."
"So what's the plan?" She asked again, getting annoyed that he wouldn't answer her. Before he could reply, his communication lacrima beeped and she stifled a scream of frustration when he answered it, once again ignoring her question.
"Gai, you were right. Juarez's soldiers are starting to thin, and they've been ordered to regroup at the southern part of the barrier. That should be where the magical tool is." Miquel's voice sounded from the device and Keziah blinked, surprised that Gai would allow her to hear his conversation.
"Good job Miquel, I'll meet you there," Gai said, cutting off the line of communication and glancing back at Keziah. "The plans are already in motion."
"And the plan is...?" She pressed, brow twitching in frustration. If he made her ask a fourth time, she'd throw him off a cliff.
"The plan is... let the idiots fight," Gai answered, an amused smile forming on his face.
"... what?" She asked, eyes wide.
"Your team refused to cooperate with us and ran off to fight. You're stronger than Juarez thought, and even split up, you four have been decimating Juarez's soldiers. He wasn't expecting that." Gai explained calmly.
"With the rapid loss of numbers, I counted on Juarez to panic that the situation wasn't going his way and recall his troops to his location. Both to protect himself and the magical tool he's using to create the barrier." He continued, watching how Keziah's body trembled with suppressed anger.
"While you guild mages were fighting the enemy, I had my team listen in on any communication they could get a hold of between Juarez and his soldiers so we could find him. Looks like it paid off, but we wouldn't have been able to do it if you idiots hadn't been able to hold Juarez's attention."
"Hold on!" Keziah finally snapped, stomping up to him, her green eyes bright with anger. "Who are you calling idiots?!"
"Only idiots rush into battle without knowing who their enemy is," Gai stated, meeting her heated gaze head-on. "You didn't know their numbers or their strength. If these soldiers had been anything above average, your team of idiots would have lost."
That was it. That was it. Keziah's temper ignited at his words.
She couldn't stand another minute with him, without thinking, she wound her arm back and punched Gai square across the jaw, a smile flashing across her lips. It reminded her of their first meeting when she had also punched him.
Gai's head snapped to the side; she had hit him hard enough for his glasses to go flying off his face, and it gave her a surprising feeling of satisfaction, she hoped they broke.
He rubbed his jaw, glaring at her and that's when she noticed that his eyes were blue. A deep, dark shade of blue. Damn, why did everything about him have to be so nice?
"Stop punching me." He ordered.
"Maybe you-" She never got to finish her sentence. He suddenly grabbed onto her and pushed her into the large hollow of a tree, the wood jabbing into her back.
"What the hell are you doing?" She hissed, and now she was glaring at him.
He shushed her, clamping his hand over her mouth as he looked back, and that's when she heard it, the sound of something rustling in the ferns and bushes near them.
She begrudgingly stopped her squirming, staying as still as possible, but it was unbearable. He was far too close to her; she wasn't some harlot like Calla, so she didn't enjoy some unknown man pressing up against her, chest to chest. She could feel every breath he took, and she was sure he could feel hers.
She would not enjoy his closeness or the feel of his body against hers. Especially not after he kept calling her an idiot.
Her eyes settled on a rustling fern, and she shoved Gai off her when she saw Ashe explode from the foliage, looking panicked.
"Ashe!" She rushed out of the hollow, leaving Gai behind as she hugged the small silver cat in relief. "You're okay!"
"Kezi!" Ashe had tears in his eyes, "I was so worried, I got separated from Vere!"
Keziah petted his head in comfort, "It's okay, I'm sure we'll find them."
"If you don't quiet down, Juarez's soldiers will find us," Gai grumbled.
"Shut up." Keziah threw him a nasty look as he bent to pick up his fallen glasses, "I thought they were gathering, and things were going according to plan."
"Plans can always fall apart," he said, adjusting his glasses on his face. "Now you can either keep arguing with me, or we can take down the barrier and you can finish your job. Your choice."
There was a long stretch of silence between them as Keziah glared at him stubbornly.
Finally, Gai sighed, starting to turn away from her, "Stop being an idio-" he cut off with a grunt when she punched him. He glared at her and she smiled sweetly back.
"Lead the way Jackass."
Fiore, Poppy Valley
Nymph Trove Guildhall, Willow's Office
Willow stared down at the two communication lacrima orbs that sat on her desk, a deep frown on her face. "What do you mean you won't come home?!"
"I'm busy!" A gruff male voice sounded from one. "Why do I have to be involved anyway? She's your kid, Wil! You deal with her!"
"My patient's health still hasn't recovered as much as I'd like." A gentler, male voice sounded from the second communication lacrima. "It wouldn't sit well with me to just leave."
"These are your daughters," Willow said, staring intently at the second lacrima orb and causing the man in it to flinch at her glare. "There has to be another healer in the town to watch over your patient."
"W-well there is," The man started, and Willow cut him off.
"Good. Tell him what he needs to watch out for. I expect you to be home before Calla and Cassia." Willow said, cutting off communication with him before turning her focus on the remaining communication lacrima.
"Fine. I'll return home." The gruff voice sighed. "I should make sure the shop is still running properly and Cullen is going to need moral support if he has to face you and his daughters."
"Maybe if he was home more, Calla wouldn't have left," Willow said. "She's become a... delinquent. "
The man burst laughing and Willow felt her brow start to twitch. "Wow! That's a surprise coming from you Willow! It must run in the family!"
Her frown deepened and before she could think about it she gathered magic into her fist and smashed the communication lacrima to bits, sending shards of the glass scattering across her desk.
"Damn it..." She sighed, looking at the mess. She was about to stand up to clean up the shards when there was a knock at her door.
"Master, is everything alright?" A male voice asked. The door was opened a second later to reveal a young man with pale skin, short, slightly curly auburn hair, and extremely bright blue eyes.
He wore a long-sleeved teal shirt underneath a black waistcoat and black jeans and well-polished laced shoes. He also wore a silver-grey tie and a brooch in his waistcoat of a golden sword.
His eyes widened when he saw the shattered communication lacrima, "I'll clean that up right away," he said, bending down to pick up the shards closest to him when Willow stopped him.
"I'll clean it up," She sighed, rubbing at the bridge of her nose, "What did you need, Jules?"
"I was coming to see if you needed anything. I just got back from visiting my family and they wanted me to give you this," He offered her a thick cream envelope and she took it.
Willow silently opened the envelope and looked at the check that was inside. Jules' family was one of the guild's benefactors, sending large checks for jewels now and then to help the guild with the upkeep of the building and supplies.
"I'll make sure to send your parents my thanks," Willow sighed, settling back into the chair. "Right now I have other things I need to take care of."
"Is it Calla?" Jules asked, "I heard about the commotion she caused in Sabretooth and that she's... changed."
"Changed is one way of putting it," Willow sighed, turning to look out her window and spotting a crow that was hovering near the ledge, its beady eyes looking intensely back at her. She sighed again, head dropping into her hands, "If you're going to spy, get your master to come here. I need to talk to him."
The crow tilted its head at Willow before flying off to do as she requested.
"I've heard she made Cassia cry," Jules said, causing Willow to look back over at him. "What do you want me to do about it? Her causing random fights will disrupt the peace the guild has built these past few years."
"You can't do anything. I've ordered the people who can help me handle the situation back home. We'll just have to hope that's enough." Willow said.
Jules didn't look like he liked the answer but nodded. "Well, if you don't need anything, I can deposit the check and do an inventory of our supplies." He bowed politely to her before leaving.
She watched him leave before cleaning up the remnants of the communication lacrima. She appreciated that he was so helpful, he was like her assistant, and she was grateful; who knew if the guild hall would still be standing if he wasn't so organized and did the tasks that she often put off. There were one too many instances when bills wouldn't have been paid, and interpersonal conflicts would have exploded if not for him.
As Guild Master, she should have been more attentive to those things, instead, she just chose to hole up in her office, not wanting to face the responsibility of being Master, she should never have been made the Master after all, not when she ran away from being a mother, leaving her daughter to be raised by-
"You called for me, Master?" Willow was pulled out of her thoughts by a humble male voice at the door.
She looked up to see a man with fair skin and long, silky blonde hair. He wore a billowy white shirt with frilly cuffs that exposed the top part of his chest, black pants and brown, knee-high leather boots, a charcoal gray tailcoat, and a silver feather-shaped pendant. Most noticeably, he had a black cloth that covered both his eyes and was holding a cane topped with a silver bird talon clutching a black metal sphere in his hand, helping guide where he stepped.
"I called you in here to learn about my daughter and how she's doing, Alaric," Willow said, crossing her arms. She waited for him to take a seat. Once she was sure he was settled, she leaned against her desk. "What have your crows reported?"
The man before her used crow magic, it was helpful when she needed a specific guild member to watch or spy on potential enemies. In this case, she had Alaric help her keep an eye on Calla these past few years while she was on her own. However, she didn't like when he used his crows to spy on her.
"The mission has been rough from the start," Alaric said after a moment. "Calla and Keziah have come to physical blows multiple times. Calla has also caused Cassia to cry a few times. Calla's current attitude is quite distasteful if you ask me."
"You're not the only one saying that." Willow felt like screaming at the report, but if she was honest, she shouldn't have expected any different; while Keziah was usually calm, something about Calla just made the other mage more confrontational and brash. What had she thought, sending those two on a job together?
"Anything else?" She asked, looking tiredly at Alaric.
"The mission has hit a snag," He reported, leaning back in his chair. "Mercenaries and a third party are involved. The job is turning out harder than we thought."
"Injuries?" Willow asked.
"All four are uninjured from my last report. A barrier has been created, so I have no further news." The blonde said.
Willow sighed, feeling ten years older. "They'll be fine. Thank you, Alaric for watching them."
"Of course," He smiled at her, "Let me know if-"
He cut off when an unexpected guest came into the room.
"Master, are you busy?" A young teen asked as she walked through the door, an envelope in her hands. "Your door was open."
She had apricot-toned skin, extremely long white hair that went to the back of her thighs, and eyes that were a swirl of midnight blue and silver. She wore a white button-up shirt with a silver tie. She also wore a white tiered skirt that her shirt neatly tucked into and that goes down to the bottom of her thighs, right above her knee. Underneath that, she wears silver stockings that cover her legs. And she had on white lace-up boots that go right under her knee. Lastly, she had on an unbuttoned short silver coat that reached down to her belly button, a large crescent moon symbol on the back, and white leather gloves.
"I just finished," Willow said, nodding at the teen to come in. She was one of the guild's newest members, having only joined last month, "What is it, Primrose?"
"There's a message from the Magic Council, reminding you that a Guild Master's meeting will be taking place in a week," Prim said, walking forward and handing Willow the letter.
"I see..." Willow could feel a headache coming, she had completely forgotten about the meeting with everything going on. She quickly read over the letter, it allowed her to bring five of her mages with her, but who should she bring?
"I've already composed a list of guild members you can consider," Primrose said, pulling out another list. "It would be proper to only bring the most well-behaved guild members to escort you. Of course, I've included myself on the list. I think it would be a good learning opportunity for me to be around mages from other guilds."
Willow sighed, "You're not coming, Primrose. I'll be taking my more senior members of the guild along."
For a moment, the girl looked like she was going to complain but nodded. "Alright... thinking about it I shouldn't leave my mother alone for now."
"Why don't you go on a job?" Willow asked kindly. "I'm sure you can find one that suits your skill set. You can also ask another senior member to tag along, I'm sure there's something you can learn from one of them."
Prim looked thoughtful for a moment before nodding. "I'll see what I can do." After a moment more, she left, heading back down the stairs.
Once she was gone, Willow turned to Alaric, "You're dismissed too. Make sure no one bothers me for the rest of the day." She ordered.
"Yes, Master." Alaric rose and left without much fuss, closing the door behind him.
Once he was gone, Willow went over to a cabinet, pulled out a large bottle of whiskey, and popped the top off before taking deep drinks, the bitter liquid burning her throat as it went down.
What was it with everyone just bursting into her office lately? They weren't even bothering to wait for her to say come in before opening the door. She needed to set better boundaries. Or maybe she should just glue the door shut and never go out again.
With every passing year, the guild was getting harder and harder to manage, and Calla's return wasn't helping. In her opinion, they were lucky they were still standing with her as the head.
With a sigh, Willow fell back into her chair, her eyes settling on the picture frame she had of her old team. It had been so simple and fun back then. She never would have imagined becoming Guild Master... her of all people.
Willow took another deep drink of the bottle, looking lazily up at the ceiling. "... Hollis, you owe me for taking over as Guild Master for you. You need to come back and take over again..."
Even as she said those words, she knew it was impossible. "If you don't, I'm going to run this guild to the ground." It was only a matter of time now.
And that's the end of this chapter! One more chapter before the Intro Arc is done!
Sorry if the ending was a bit rushed. And sorry for the quick intro of OCs, I wanted to introduce a few more in this chapter.
As always, let me know what you guys think in the reviews!
Next Chapter: The battle against Juarez comes to an end, we get to meet the rest of the Guild members and lot, LOTS of family drama.
OCs Created By:
Jules Velnassis by JJun
Alaric Hawthorne by The Restless Drifter
Primrose Moonglow by GothamKidd