Finding Nelen

The night ended smoothly. The house had four bedrooms, and she gave the both of us a key to each one. The room also had a bathroom and I was still feeling funny so I struggled to get there and vomited before I went to sleep. I woke up to the sound of bells at the distance, and the sun shone bright as I swiped the curtain to see what it stored. A gray wall of a large building. Well, that's just boring. My stomach growled, but the sound was blocked by a knock at the door.

"Sol! Are you up? Breakfast is ready!" Esmeralda's sweet voice shouted. Perfect. I was getting hungry, anyways.

"I'll be right there!"

"Hey! Where's the salt?" I can hear Jean faintly scream.

"It's at a drawer next to the stove! Hang on! I'm going to get something downstairs!"

The sound of footsteps shuffling can be heard, so I decided to wash my face before going. I still needed to wake myself up. Damn. I look even worse in the morning. The clock on the wall pointed at nine, and I go outside just in time to see Esmeralda's figure enter a room to my left. I'm guessing that's the kitchen, then?

"Be sure to eat a lot. We have a long day ahead of us."

Jean's frying something as I sat on a table, exactly on the opposite side of Esmeralda. She's back to her usual timid self, much unlike the girl from last night, and it bothered me. I need to break the ice.

"Have you ever tried Jean's cooking?" I asked.

"N-No, but I'd love to. Is he good?"

"Yeah. He kind of persuaded me into joining because he told me so. I don't know how he does it, but everything he gave me tasted amazing."

"Why, thank you!" Jean sneaked from behind. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. My cooking, that is."

"I didn't know you cooked." Esmeralda pouted.

"Only when I'm in the mood." Jean grinned. What an innocent smile, that was. He was holding a plate full of shredded beef. So that's what he was frying earlier. It smells heavenly.

...

"Brainstorming session! So... How do we find her?" Jean cleared his throat after drinking a glass of water.

"The three of us could split up. We'll cover more ground that way." Esmeralda huffed, readying a spoonful for a bite. "Wow. This is really good. You should try it, Sol."

"That's actually a good idea... Wait. You're helping too?"

"Yeah. You helped me when I needed it. It's only natural for me to do the same."

"Come to think of it. What does she look like? Have you ever even seen her in person?" I confusingly asked.

"Nope. I do have some information, though. She has a large scar on her right eye, and people usually describe her carrying a blue bangle that seemed to glow at night. It's always strapped to her waist."

"You know it's not enough, Jean."

"Just look for her pictures in any guild here in Stassi. A girl with a million bounty is surely easy to find."

"Oh. Uh... Okay. What's the plan, then?"

"Here."

Esmeralda hands each of us a scroll. It's a map for Stassi. Jean looks at it for a few minutes and asks Esmeralda about something, but I didn't hear it. I was busy on eating the beef Jean made. The meat is juicy, but it didn't overpower the senses. It gave off a delicate flavor, and the vegetables, whatever they're called, added a refreshing aftertaste.

"You're right. It's good."

"This shop is on the upper left side of Stassi, so we should widen our search area. It'll help you get a feel of the place. Just choose between the three areas and just wander around until night falls. We switch places on day two and so on. Like a mini tour."

Jean gave a slight nod and a smug grin. The way he said it made me feel like I was getting poked into buying something shady from him, but he's winning. I looked at Esmeralda, her eyes already fixing on mine, and we both smiled at each other. She really is a cute woman.

...

After an hour of walking around the city, I arrived on a large guild near the town square. The day was only starting, so it wasn't surprising to find groups of mages and swordsmen filling quest applications on the rows of tables that scattered the area. The room was packed, and everyone didn't pay attention to one another. Some groups passed their papers by the bundle, while others continued writing on their forms.

"Welcome! How can I help you?" a small lady from the reception asked as I approached.

"I'm looking for someone. Her name's Nelen."

"I'm sorry, who?"

"Nelen. The one with the million on her head."

"Oh! The Maiden? There's a bounty board on the second floor. There, you can click the pictures to see more about them. That should help you."

"Thanks for the tip."

"You're welcome." She smiled as I made my way to the second floor, almost tripping on the last step. There were fewer people, but all of them donned bright and unique outfits. Three bounty boards stood proudly next to each other, and a small sign can be seen on the left.

"Information gathered on One-Star individuals can be sold for Cings, so feel free to help us if you find something."

I approach the boards and noticed a number of stars perched on each one. The board with the three stars were filled with pictures of individuals and groups, and a large number of them looked as mean and big as Rusar. The two-starred black board had six pictures, a trio of them donning a white jumpsuit. The last board, however, only had one. A wooden eyepatch concealed a scar running very deep, failing to contain all of it because it ran from her eyebrows to her right cheek. With flaxen yellow hair arranged into a ponytail, she glared into the screen, and into me, with her crimson eyes. I've never felt more intimidated.

"What's yer lookin at, son?" a voice from behind startles me. His voice suggested an old man, but he didn't look the part, wearing a heavy set of armor. He's holding a quest application in his hand.

"Do you know who this person is?" I asked, pointing to the girl.

"Ah. The Maiden. Yeah, sure. I know her..."

"...And?"

"That's it. Everyone here knows about the maiden, and everyone makes sure to stay away from her, too; You should very well listen to them."

"I'm actually looking for her."

"Are you? I suggest you off it, then. The lady's dangerous."

"You can't discourage me that easy."

"You don't understand. I saw how scary she was first-hand."

That's interesting.

"How?"

"Surely, you must've heard of ' The Red Stride ' ? About the Maiden killing a king? "

Come to think of it. I've never heard enough on the case.

"I was one of the guards that day. T'was afternoon, and the king was sitting on the throne. Same as usual. I was tasked to guard the throne room, so me, and the other fifteen of my pals, just stood there and waited for orders. Not to stroke my ego here, but the king's had multiple hits in the past, and he needed the best of the best. These people have decades of experience guarding people, mind you." I was about to ask him something, but quickly forgot about it as he continued.

"Then the gate bursts open. Two of the knights guarding it lay dead on the floor."

"How did you know they were dead?"

"Trust me. I've been on the force for as long as I can remember. I know death when I see one. So where were we? Ah, yes. A young woman, ragged clothes and all, appeared up front, and I swear I could see her red eyes glowing in the middle of the day. You know the first thing she said?"

"What?"

"Nothing. She just glared at the king."

"Damn it. You got me on the first half, I'm not going to lie."

"Haha. Always gets them kids every time."

"What happened next?"

"Everything happened so fast. Twin horns appeared on her forehead. Then she's gone in a second. The next thing we know, the king was in the air, suspended. She pierced both of his lungs with her bare hands, glaring under him the entire time. She just walked away like nothing happened. He was gone. Just like that. The news spread like wildfire, so everyone knew about er'."

"Did anyone try to stop her?"

"No one dared to. She offed a king. It's a no-brainer, really."

"Interesting. Why did she do it? There's gotta be a reason."

"She's tight-lipped."

"You asked her?"

"Nope. Got her to work on the fields for a short while, however. Taking normal jobs and roaming around gets her by."

"So she's a vagrant? That means there's a chance, then."

"Hah. You got spunk, kid. I'll give you that. The name's Jarvis. What's yers?"

"Sol. Thanks for the information."

"No problem, kid. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to." he laughs as he heads towards a nearby guild counter.

...

Apparently, she's a half-demon. Or at least, that's what the description says. Demons, in spite of their rationale being subjectively close to humans, are known for their brutality, so they've been mostly hunted during the past. The number of demons living today is still unknown, but so far, she's the only one known to carry human blood in her veins. What's so intriguing about this is that no one knew where she came from, and she's often described by those she worked with as a very docile lady, very much unlike her demon counterpart. She has no known routine and spends most of her time accepting random job requests from everyone except the nobles. Great. A wild-goose chase... And it's already noon. I should probably start looking for her.

"Isn't that the guy from last night?" a voice beckons. I turn around and see two braggarts in gold staring intently.

"Where's Aldwynn?" the younger looking one asks.

"He's downstairs. Told me that he'll come up in a sec. Let's go."

Ah, shit. I smell trouble.

"About the murder last night, is it---"

"Didn't the examiners told you? That's all I have."

"You're pretty proud for someone who's alone. Watch your tone." The larger one scoffed. I think I'll call him knucklehead.

"I don't understand. You wanna fight? Is that what you're implying?"

"Oh, no. We just want answers. Real ones. That's all."

"I didn't lie."

"Anyone can say that. If I told you I was once king of the world, would you believe me?"

"I... What exactly is happening?"

"You know exactly what's happening."

"No, I don't."

"You don't get to talk back, runt! We're the ones asking questions!" Knucklehead tries to grab me by the shirt, but a small hand swats it away.

"What's going on here?" one of the guild ladies interrupted. "Is there a problem?"

"Ask them. These guys just barged in and yelled at me for no reason."

"You little--"

"Let me handle this, brother." the smaller one stops him. "Miss. I can guarantee you there's no problem."

"Hmmm." the guild lady looks at me. "Are you sure?"

"...Yeah. Not at the moment."

"See? No problem."

After giving me one last look of worry, she turns and tends to one client waiting at the counter. The three of us waited until she was out of ear's reach before speaking.

"I really have nothing to tell you guys."

"I don't believe you."

"Hey."

A voice in the back adds attention. It's Platinum. He looked rugged, but better this time, his hair swept to a clean undercut. Realizing that nothing good will come out of talking, I made my way downstairs, thanked the guild lady at the counter, and got out. I still have to look for her, after all...

Well, that was supposed to be the plan. Platinum over here has been following me for the past hour and he's not even trying to hide it. I turn to him, just a few meters to my left, and voiced out because it's starting to creep me out.

"What's your problem?" I yelled.

"I've something to offer. You were looking at the bounty boards back at the guild, yes? "

"Yeah."

"Why exactly are you doing that?"

"I'm... Looking for someone."

"Who?"

"Please stop following me."

"Come on. I just wanna know."

"Please stop."

"Why did you--"

"Mind your own business, please."

I'm starting to get impatient with this.

"But this is MY business." he flashes a badge patterned with something. A lion, a goat and a snake. It looks familiar. "I don't know if you're a criminal, so I'm conducting my own investigation. You're going to give me an answer, even if it means I take you to the ground."

"Was that a threat? You wanna fight?"

I was about to give him a glare, but he had other plans. I catch him just in time as he was about to land a punch, backing away as he collided into a nearby building. The mark of his fist remained when he took it off the wall, and he stared at me, rather condescendingly. He takes a step forward.

"No intros?"

"Aldwynn Farhas of the Chimera Legion. You're under arrest for murder."

That's it. I've had it with the accusations.

"You have no proof."

"Tell that to the jury." He blankly says, taking a step forward.

"Wow. You're seriously approaching me."

He didn't carry any weapons, but he sure had speed. Not to mention, his attacks look powerful. I don't like his eyes, though. Something about it annoys me. Maybe I should pluck it out.

" I can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer." he flatly declares. Deja vu sets in, and I can't help but smile at how funny things are going.

"Hoho. Then, feel free to come as close as you like." I taunt him with my hand, as if telling him not to hold back. "Aldwynn, was it? Good timing. My hands are starting to itch, anyways."