Chapter 9 - Chance Encounters

Hero-Hero is currently enjoying his time simply walking around the City of Arwintar. The place is beautiful with a very refreshing aesthetic in their buildings and infrastructures.

The atmosphere is further lightened by the smiling faces that he passed on by. Their eyes where bright and hopeful. Shining with the prospect of a better future and this belief is solidified by their belief in their Emperor. Hero-Hero is no fool, he is aware that Capitals are mostly the most prosperous locations within any nation. He knew there would always be poor people no matter where one goes.

"Someone has to be poor for there to be rich. Because if everyone is rich, then everyone is poor."

"Umu." Grunted his week long companion, Nazami Enec.

The main reason why people were looking curiously at him wherever he went, Nazami Enec. The Unassailable.

'That or his huge frame and Adamantite armor.'

It was a simple meeting. Three of the Imperial Knights went to visit them as they were preparing one of their manors. Each one was actually looking for the possibility of a tutelage. While Baziwood and Artix found common ground between their devil may care attitudes that hides their savage loyalty. Momonga and Nimble, found comraderie through responsibility. While him and Nazami barely spoke a word and simply enjoyed both the silence, the peace and the chaos.

The two of them found friendship at being observers to the world. He would never run away from his duties, nor deny his wants or needs. But he won't go out of his way to pursue things when what he has is enough.

And for Hero-Hero, Nazarick was more than enough. The beauty, the wealth, the food, drinks and his ideal woman by his side every night to morning. Nazarick dwarfs the world as far as he knew.

But there were things to discover it seems. Like the presence of actual normal people. As much as he loves Nazarick and its denizens, being treated as some God every second of everyday can be tiring.

There is a different kind of peace in the New World and he is loving the Empire for it.

Hearing a yelp Hero-Hero looked down to find a young woman. She has delicate doll like features with her short bob cut hair with straight bangs. A pair of blue eyes and a silky white shade of skin.

"Adventurer?"

"HEY!!" shouted another blonde blue eyed man with two swords at his waiste followed by a what looks like a crusader and the other is a purple haired elf styled into a twin tail.

"Watch where you're!-" he stopped seeing his extremely extravagant clothes and gulped seeing the Adamantite full plate standing right next to him.

Seeing the man stop mid sentence Hero-Hero refocused on the girl at the ground now holding a broken staff.

Kneeling at the girl Hero-Hero spoke. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to break it."

"Ah! No! It's not your fault...*sigh* it was mine... I was in such a hurry that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

Seeing the sad little girl Hero-Hero scratch his head looking to help the girl. 'I can't just give things away for no reason. That is never a good thing.'

"Tell me, do you know your way around the Capital?"

"Eh?"

"I am new to this place. And I could certainly use a guide." Hero-Hero reasoned he then patted Nazami's shoulder and added. "as great as a companion Enec-san is. He isn't much of a guide." He jested.

Unfortunately his actions was met with stunned personnel and a bit of fear along with indecision crept up to them.

Workers are in the gray area of both being legal and illegal. An Imperial Knight of The Emperor himself is someone to definitely avoid but what do you do when faced with such a situation.

Slowly realizing his mistake, Hero-Hero added. "I want to replace your staff, but a grown woman like you should know. One should never give anything away for free as it attracts the wrong attention."

Arched nodded at his words. He was right, that and she really needed a staff.

"Great. My name is Hero-Hero but you will address me as Tomix. I do not like people casually using the real name."

'Then why tell us in the first place!!' Team Foresight screamed in their minds.

"Arche Eeb Rile Furt, Tomix-san. This are my teammates."

"Hekkeran Termite." introduced the blonde blue eyed man.

"Imina." said the Elf

"Roberdyck Goltron." A bearded blonde man with a beard just as neatly trimmed.

"A pleasure." acknowledged Hero-Hero while Nazami simply nodded. "Now tell me, where would you recommend I go for some entertainment?"

"...umm...this way please..."

Hero-Hero didn't like the way they all seemed to lose color neither did the grim glare of the elf girl escaped his notice.

Minutes later he was standing at what he can definitely describe as a brothel. Hero-Hero pinched his nose at the coming headache.

"When I said entertainment, I meant places like theaters or even arenas. I had half a mind that you were actually leading me to the coliseum not far away from here and yet here I am..." Not liking the location he immediately turned and walked away from the alley.

"I'm sorry. I thought this was what you-"

"Enough of that."

"Hey! She said she is sorry, besides she didn't mean anything by it!" yelled Imina while ignoring Hekkeran's attempt to pull her back. "Besides all you Nobles are the same, it was only natural for her to come to that conclusion."

"I see a whore, does that mean that all women are like that?" Hero-Hero asked.

"What!? No!?"

"You painted all nobleman as degenerates why can I not do the same to women?"

"Because we aren't like you?"

"Like what?"

"Woman are loyal to their men! Can't say the same the other way around!" She screamed not seeing the hurt she had bought on Hekkeran.

"Truly? And yet I have seen men love their women, to the point that these women took it for granted. The disloyalty there disproves your words."

"All men are savages, they take what they want wherever they want. With little to no care of other races."

"Like the Elf King then." Hero-Hero's remark stunned the girl.

"A king in name and title not because of his rule, authority, neither by his own people nor by blood. Simply because he is powerful. So much so that he is known to take his liberties at every woman in the Elven Kingdom. Married or otherwise. Human or not"

"If the enslavement of Elves is so terrible why does your king not fight for you?" receiving no answer, he continued. "Racism, or racial superiority. A foolish concept in on itself. There are lands back in my home that practice this. I never truly understood it as ones race never really mattered in my country. Just the absurdity in the shape of ones ears...

How shallow could people be to judge another based on it.

How shallow could one person be, to surround his personality based on the their ears?

People had labelled others for such stupid reasons that they forget the most basic of understanding in the world.

That people are shaped by society, by their surroundings, by the people around them. Not their birth. People have forgotten that no one is born equal whether they have the same, skin, scale, horns and tail, ears or not.

The rich exist because the poor does. The strong exist because there are those who are weak. You cannot determine the one without the other. You would not know what is black without knowing white nor will you be able to judge whether one is good without determining bad.

A thief may steal, either for himself, for the people or for the the starving child at the side of the road. Tell me Imina, does that mean that stealing is right?"

She lowered her head with quivering lips holding back her answer because she knew... She would have said yes.

An answer Hero-Hero knew full well.

"They stole a bag of coins from a farmer because he was less protected. The coin he used to buy food and feed the hungry. But the farmer had just lost all of his earnings. Months of blood and sweat, gone. His family will starve, as he still has to pay his Lord, repair the soil of the land, buy seeds to plant... Food for the table or wood to keep them warm.... Even the tools to obtain them. So what does he do to get through? Should he steal? Should his wife whore herself off to provide? People could just say he has to work harder but how could he when his hard work is simply stolen?

Tell me Imina, who is right between the two. The thief who stole from others to provide for another? Or the farmer that deserves what he worked hard for?"

"The farmer." Immediately answered Roberdyck.

"Then the farmer is good but for that to be true, doesn't that mean that the thief is evil. Can you really lable such noble intention 'evil' how and why priest?"

"They don't have to be. There is good in everyone. They don't have to be evil."

"There is indeed good in everyone, but that doesn't mean everyone is good. You can't label them both good because if you do then you label ones undeserved suffering good. So someone has to be evil, someone has to be wrong. Because if they are both right then no one is"

Roberdyck didn't answer.

"Let's flip the script then... Let's say that it was the rich he stole from."

"That depends."

"On what."

"From which their fortune was built upon." said Hekkeran.

"Slavery, elves are a good source of labor force for any kingdom. But then again, they are enslaved because of their King. A King who took and raped one of the women of The Theocracy.

So tell me, who is at fault here? The Theocracy for seeking revenge in a blood filled path. Or the elves for allowing the existence of their King."

"It is not that simple! Slavery should never have been committed in the first place. Any fortune built from the backs of others is undeserving. If the thief stole from those kinds of people then it is alright in my eyes." defended Hekkeran.

"So a family should just accept your judgement even though slavery was made legal by others."

"Tsk it doesn't matter. It was wrong still they accepted it. They are part of the problem now."

"So who is wrong? The thief or the rich?"

He paused. Theft is theft, no going about that. And riches built on slavery is just as bad. Hero-Hero's smile was proof of that, he knew, there was no difference. One life condemns another for another. Flipping it will change nothing.

"It isn't better than death. Best they just kill them." whispered Imina.

"A possibility, but to say that death is better than slavery, one must first know death. And no one knows death do they. Are all of us judged for our crimes and sins, do we burn for a thousand years for every second of evil we have committed. Who determines good and evil? Did we? Do we even know truly? After all a thief could steal to provide for those who can't but still be a thief? Will he be rewarded for his effort, or punished of his laziness, for his disregard of another person's life for the sake of many? How could one say that a life of a hundred homeless people is worth more than one hard working farmer? How does one even determine if one life is worth more than the other...."

No one answered. "Men does not speak for God. No matter how much they claim to. We can only have faith... that God speaks through them. Death is to be feared but not because it is the end, not because it could be painful but for one simple fact. That we don't know death. The fear of the unknown."

Hero-Hero turned to them and said. "The world is not black and white. It is all shades of grey. If there is one lesson I want you to take from this, it's this...

You are not them. Their sins are not yours. The life you live will be of your own and for every life you save and destroy will be entirely up to your choices. That much is certain. You can blame no one but yourself in the end and the most painful part is... that is what you would most likely do in the end."

"Is that not also a naive way of looking at things?" asked Arche with a tired smile.

"It is indeed. We can easily tell that our choices can affect others after all. But here is the sitch, once you've made your choice, can they really stop you from trying?"

The confused looks made Hero-Hero smile a bit and grew wider as Arche's eyes widened. "Hahaha!" A genuine laugh escapes Arche. Far from her child like form but the laugh of a woman. "My life is my own...I see. Such deep words... I had never thought about it."

"People tend to mistake words. There is a difference between talking and speaking."

"How deeply have you pondered about things?"

"Don't know. 'Life' is already a headache to determine. Trust me. You don't want to be thinking too much about this..."

"Are you a Philosopher, Tomix-san?" asked Roberdyck.

"No, just a guy with too much free time in his hands."

Those were the words that ended their conversation. From there everyone simply accompanied Tomix with Arche and Roberdyck taking the lead on the tour.

*******BREAK*******

The tour ended in infancy as a heavy rain poured over the capital. Deciding to end the night, Hero-Hero bought them to a fancy dinner in the Singing Apple Pavilion. As expensive as the cuisine is, Hekkeran and the others were more than happy to partake in the meal as their client was happy to pay.

"This had been a fruitful day. I admit to have expected a bad experience based on where you first took me."

"Sorry..."

"All is well Arche. I have to ask though as a mage, what element are you most proficient at?"

"Oh!? I haven't really practiced it much but I can cast Ice element faster than most. It's just that I needed to pursue versatility in order to be more effective member so I haven't had the chance to properly pursue that path."

"Haha! Much like me then. Then this would be easy." He then pulled out one of his staff from his inventory. "Here, take it."

Arche and the others looked at the staff in amazement. It had purple steel grip laid at the center at the bottom trip is a small ice protrusion held by a small purple steel. But the top half really showed off it's magical quality. The same purple steel encircles an ice like crystal, surrounded by several floating spiked ice forming around it like a crown of ice.

Holding the staff, Arche noticed the shattered parts at both sides of the handle and yet the staff moved as if in one piece.

(AN: Frozen Arabesque Staff)

"... it's beautiful..." she whispered.

"Indeed it is. Maybe if you can prove yourself worth it I can give you the armor piece."

"Eh?"

"That's right. That staff there is part of a set."

"...your price?"

"How skilled is your team?"

"We are confident to be somewhere in the higher spectrum." Hekkeran answered vaguely. It is potential job and if he could make it so that they were adventurers then they might just be given the chance to prove themselves and earn their clients confidence despite being Workers.

"My friends and I will be heading to the Katze Plains. I will be honest with you, I will be tagging you along mainly to guard the cargo. You can leave the monster clearing to us. But as skilled as the Knights of the Empire are. They aren't as experienced as you are to dealing with unexpected situations. They train to fight armies, not monsters."

"Can I ask what the Cargo is?"

"You can if you accept the job but when you do, you don't get to turn back."

"...and if we accept then Arche is rewarded with the rest of the set."

"Seeing as the mission could last a month or two then yes. Think it over. This-" Hero-Hero handed them an address. "-is our place. You have three days to decide." And with that, he left and paid for the food.

"Wait!" yelled Imina. "How do I save my people?"

"Buyers buy what tools are being sold. Cut off the supplier as the there is no way you can cut down the supply."

"People are not tools." Imina gritted out.

"No, people aren't, Slaves are. Why else do you think is it such a despicable word."

"....he seems... passionate?" said Hekkeran as he watched Hero-Hero leave.

"None of that... I'm not ready yet..." whispered Imina.

"Okay." He then turned to Arche. "How is it? I mean it looks incredible and all but is it any good it is more for decorations?"

"This staff....can cast a sixth tier spell once every hour...."

Hekkeran choked on his food. While both Imina and Roberdyck looked on in surprise.

"Shit! I feel like we got involved into something too big for our own sake."

"We did, and we will. If the staff is already a weapon of legend, then what more if Arche has access to the full arsenal?" reasoned Roberdyck.

"He is right. We can't walk away from this."

"I get the feeling that was the intent all along." said Hekkeran with a half crooked smile.

"I doubt it, but it is possible."

"So he played us."

"You are free to look at it that way Imina-san." Roberdyck's voice was cold making it easy to determine the depth of his words.

"Okay enough of this." Hekkeran interjected. "We have several things to discuss, like preparations. But just to be sure, we've decided to take the job then?" Seeing a round of nod from his companions. They set off for their new job, with one blonde little mage jumping in joy for a prospective future.

*******BREAK*******

The darkened sky and the downpouring rain did little to her mood. She gazed down at the rippling lake and saw once more her deformed face. Gulping down her sadness she started dabbing it in cloth, wiping out the puss leaking out of it.

Seeing the same yellowish liquid seep out of the flesh she wiped it... Then again.. and again .and again. With every wipe she teared, with every wipe she sobbed until she was full on crying and wailing.

Her suffering drowned out by the sound of the rain and thunder.

Moments passed in a cycle of suffering. And she could feel it, her heart breaking to a thousand pieces once more as she is reminded of her curse and all that it entailed.

Sitting herself against the nearest wall she simple sat there just gazing up in the rain. Hoping that it would wash her curse away but instead, every second felt like it was washing her hopes away. Heartbroken she simply curls down burying her face in between her arms.

"What would you give?" asked someone.

"What?" Leinas turned to look at a pair of steeles boots.

"To lift your curse, to be beautiful once more. What would you give?"

Humoring said person. "My life, my soul and my body."

"Then... I will take it all."

"Wha-" was all she could utter until she felt a great pain in her face making her lose consciousness.

*******BREAK*******

"Khajiit~ I'm home!" A crazed person sang.

"How did your mission go?"

"Not good. Now not only Gazef has returned but Blue Rose is also in the city." the woman replied in a grim tone.

"How long will they be staying?"

"Until the Royal Tournament which is a month and a half away from now."

"....I have waited years for this....I can wait a little bit more. Go spread death Clementine. Have as much fun as you want. But do not chase away nor harm any of our objectives."

"Hai! Hai~!" the woman sang as she left.

"By the time they leave, the Orb of Death will be more than ready and you shall rise to power once more Lord Vordred."