Inside the room of that mercenary guild, Ebony was thinking about what she should do to continue on her path, while her companions, Lucian the half-elf and Daniel the half–undead, waited for her answer.
"I think the best option is to take the job. Either way, we have to head north if we want to find the first Eye of God," the blonde said as she rested her hand on her chin.
Daniel glanced at the blonde for a moment; she seemed worried about her choice, which made him want to complain, since he still had far too many questions about his new condition.
"(Damn it… These two take too many risks. We'll end up dead if we cross too many hexes like idiots… If we reach some temple, could I expose her?… No, I can't…)" thought the fifteen-year-old boy.
Despite his age, Daniel understood the concept of honor perfectly—not because his father had taught him, but because he wanted to be better than him, someone who never respected even his own mother, the woman who had saved his life.
"Okay, then we'll head to Sapphire Port tomorrow morning. Before leaving, we need to talk to Russel about the guild contract. It'd be best if you finish your food and we get some sleep," Lucian said while continuing to eat.
"What? Just like that? We're really deciding to cross to the other side of the continent just because we're following the fairy tale of this Visitor?" Daniel said in an annoyed tone while watching the elf enjoy his meal.
"Are you still on that? Look, I get that you don't agree, but we voted, so you have to stick with the decision. That's how society works. If the next vote goes against something I want, I'll do the same, I promise," Lucian replied as he finished eating his fried chicken.
"Well, screw you both. You go ahead. I'm leaving this place tomorrow and I'll find somewhere safe," Daniel said. He picked up his plate and, after standing up from the floor where he had been sitting, headed for the door.
"And what? You'll go back to that forest to die alone like that long-eared idiot? Seriously? Are you going to do the same thing your father did?" Ebony said while chewing on a piece of chicken; her gaze was cold and her tone blunt.
Immediately, the boy turned his head and was about to lunge at the girl who had compared him to the man who abused him.
But when he looked at her, he found a cold stare—one he recognized well. It was the same look he saw in the mirror whenever he had to leave his room to deal with his father, a look of bitter resignation.
For a moment, Daniel hesitated. He didn't know whether to hit her or leave the room, but after looking away, he chose to leave.
"That was harsh… What the hell is going on between you two?" the elf asked with a saddened look. For a moment, he thought the boy had understood their situation, but it seemed to be quite the opposite.
"It doesn't matter. What matters is whether he comes with us. If he leaves, I guess we'll have trouble with the cult within a year. Either way, we were going to have that problem, so nothing really changes…" Ebony said, finishing her meal and leaving only chicken bones behind.
In the end, in silence, both went to sleep: one on the only bed in the room and the other on the floor. Neither fell asleep quickly, thinking Daniel would return soon, but that didn't happen, and sleep eventually claimed them.
.
.
.
The next morning, after a night with only a few hours of rest, the pair of accomplices woke up. Each scanned the room with their eyes, but there was no trace of Daniel anywhere.
For a moment, Ebony felt a small wound from her past reopen—the time when her closest friends had turned their backs on her after her mother filed a police report that ended up ruining her reputation.
But Lucian, noticing Ebony's distant gaze, was the first to get up and start packing his belongings.
As Ebony rose, groggy and with messy hair, she began looking for her backpack and, after a brief search, failed to find Daniel's things.
The backpack that belonged to him was no longer there, a fact she took as a sign that the boy had abandoned the group they were forming.
"I guess now we'll need three more members to reach our goal…" Ebony said out loud.
"What are you talking about?" Lucian said as he came out of the bathroom with his face wet, carefully running a brush through his hair.
"Daniel's backpack is gone… I guess he decided to go his own way…" The blonde then sat on the edge of the bed, sighing sadly.
Lucian walked over to her; he wasn't good at comforting others. No one had ever done it for him before, so he had no experience, but when he saw the blonde's hair, he sat down beside her.
"Let me comb your hair… You haven't fixed it in days," Lucian said as he waited for her approval, which she gave with a nod.
"Don't worry, we'll find more people to head north… Besides, I'm sure the boy will be fine without us," the elf said as he combed her hair.
"And why should I care? He left owing me money… That backpack was bought with my money… Actually, you owe me too, just so you know," Ebony said, looking at Lucian shamelessly.
Both laughed for a brief moment. Maybe neither of them was good at saying goodbye or talking about their emotions, but they understood each other more than they realized.
"(I guess he'll be fine. He's half-undead, so he shouldn't have any problems… Honestly, I don't even know what a being like him does or how his body works… Maybe I lost a great ally…)" Ebony thought as she stood up and began preparing her things for the trip.
After several hurried minutes, the elf took care of tidying up the room before their departure—something the blonde didn't understand, because why clean a room when housekeeping would surely do it anyway?
In the end, both went downstairs to the bar on the ground floor of the building. There, they found the place empty, as it was barely six in the morning.
In the middle of the room sat Russel, waiting at a table for the pair. His pipe was lit, smoke drifting from his mouth.
"As always, punctual. I'm glad to see you here. Where's the almost-dead kid?" the redhead asked as he scratched his thick beard.
"He… chose to walk his own path. I guess he couldn't handle the excitement of adventure, ha…" Ebony said with a sad look and a forced smile.
"I see. That's a shame. You seemed to get along well, even with Veronica in your group, and that's saying something… Anyway, let's get down to business." At that moment, Russel pulled out a wooden box, and when he opened it, there was a gold ring inside.
He placed it on his ring finger; the ring was shaped like a seal with the image of a unicorn.
Russel opened his mouth and, with a light sigh, breathed onto the ring, which began to heat up and glow red-hot.
{{Armament Magic: Seal of the Oath}}
"Relax, miss, this won't hurt… Well, only a little," the redhead said with a mocking smile.