Side Story Jezabel POV: Paradigm Shift (3)

Marcus silently glances back and forth between me and Jean, but I just ignore him. With the medicine bag in hand, I walk to the fire pit to check for embers. I place some kindling over the coals still burning from last night to stoke a fire. I could use my own magic to speed up the process, but I've made a habit of not using magic unless I absolutely have to.

After a few minutes, the fire roars back to life. The flames lick at the edges of the fire pit and chew at the sticks laid upon it. I watch the hypnotic dance of the fire as I heat a cup of water to mix with my pain medication. I take some herbs from the medicine bag and make some willow bark tea. The hot cup warms my hands as I wait for the medicine to kick in.

"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier." Marcus doesn't get the hint and tries to reopen the conversation. I don't respond and keep my eyes closed. "It's something we've been thinking about for a while now, and it just seemed like the right time. Our last mission in the Capital's dungeon almost got us killed. We were at death's door three or four times, and it's been like that for years now. How much longer can we keep getting lucky like that?"

"…"

I don't respond, so Marcus continues.

"I talked to Pierce when we returned to the guild, and he said the same thing." My eyes narrow at the mention of my long-time rival. Ever since I started making a name for myself, he's been there to kick dirt in my face. He's quite skilled, as he's managed to keep one step ahead of me for years now. He even achieved the coveted platinum rank mere months before me. "He said he wanted to retire soon because the missions get exponentially more dangerous as you go up in rank. That got me thinking, 'why don't I retire? I'm just going to end up dying if I keep doing this, so I should find something else to do.' I know we only got this far because of you, and I don't want you to think we don't all appreciate that. Still, I don't want to die a pointless death in some dungeon somewhere just because I want to be the best adventurer who's ever lived. There's more to life than that."

Pierce has always been very vocal about his desire to become an Orichalcum-ranked adventurer, so everything he told Marcus was clearly a lie. The question is, why would he go out of his way to manipulate one of my teammates?

"I've always wanted to buy some land in my hometown and settle down," Jean says as she walks back towards us. "I could rent out land to farmers or buy a mine; I never have to work another day in my life!"

"I've never heard you talk about this before," I say with a hint of incredulity.

"I met someone at the bar the night before last who asked me what I wanted to do when I retired. Honestly, I never really put much thought into it until then," she says with a finger on her chin.

"Steven, did someone approach you as well?"

"Someone tried to talk to me the other night, but I walked away before they could finish speaking," Steven replies from his position behind me. I could sense him getting out of his tent, so I knew he was there.

"Then what made you decide to retire?"

"It was actually Jean talking about moving back home. I haven't seen my family in at least five years."

"You could just visit your parents and then come back."

"I guess, but if everyone else is quitting, then I might as well just stay there."

"I see," I say as I close my eyes again. Clearly, there's been a concerted effort made to undermine me. The pain in my head is beginning to subside, which allows me to think more clearly. My next concern is whether or not the Guild Master is involved because he was also pushing for retirement. A boiling rage fills my limbs, but I don't show it.

"Jezabel?" Marcus asks from my side, with concern clearly painted across his face.

"Let's get breakfast started. It's gonna be a long day." I stand up and pull the cooking utensils from a nearby bag. Now that I have all the puzzle pieces, I can see the plot for what it is. To think that Pierce would conspire against me to this degree. He even got Lucius involved. I walk back to the fire and lay some meat across a pan. The fat sizzles from the heat rising through the metal. A cool rage dances inside me. I can't help but smile a little as I stoke the fire in front of me; it's fitting. The heat is comforting. I've always felt safe around fire, and watching the flames lick at the bottom of the pan soothes me. I close my eyes and imagine the sanitizing inferno I have in store for Pierce when we get home. There won't even be any ashes left.

A cool breeze licks my face. Now that I've calmed down, I notice the silence hanging in the air. It feels awkward. Marcus is normally quick to think of something to say, so it feels lonely when he doesn't. I open my eyes and turn to the man standing beside me.

"Are you feeling alright?" I ask. Marcus has a stunned expression on his face. "If you aren't feeling up for it, we can always delay the mission until tomorrow. We shouldn't fight the Gigalepus unless we're in peak condition."

"Oh, no, um, I'm fine. What are you cooking?" he asks after seeing me place some ingredients onto the pan. It's nice to have him acting normal again.

"Just some pork and eggs, but you already knew that." I smile at his stupid question.

"Sorry, I had to say something!" he replies with mock agitation.

"Jean, Steven, how are you two feeling? Still up for the mission today?"

"What? Yeah, sure." Steven coughs. I don't know why everyone is acting so strange, but it doesn't really matter.

"Then let's start getting ready. You too, Jean."

"Right!" Jean snaps out of her daze and runs back to her tent.

"That smells delicious." Marcus grins as he approaches the fire.

"You should get ready too. I'll have breakfast ready by the time you get back.

"Are you sure you won't get lonely while I'm gone?" I glare at him, and he runs off laughing. It pisses me off that he's right; the fire isn't as comforting without my friends around. I smile to myself as I grill our food. The late summer air is warm and thick with humidity.

'Bang!'

Marcus flies backward as he bounces off the Gigalepus's shoulder. The massive rabbit flies by so fast that even a glancing blow can be lethal.

"Careful, you idiot!" I shout some encouraging words his way as I move to intercept our prey.

"Gah, the bastard's quick," he groans as he grabs his side.

"Move out of the way. I'll take care of this. Ignition!" I collect mana on the soles of my feet and ignite it to propel myself forward. The landscape around me blurs as I accelerate through the air, using the flames bursting from my hands to stabilize myself. The wind whipping through my hair is exhilarating; I can feel the heat rising through my stomach. "Die, bitch! Inferno!"

As I approach the Gigalepus, I gather an enormous mass of mana in my hand and bathe the area in a sea of flames. The dry grass of the plains lights up to greet me. Noticing my attack, the Gigalepus jumps forward to escape.

"Get back here!" I take off after it again before it can escape.

"Jezabel!" I hear Marcus calling for me, but I ignore his cries and continue the chase.

"Explosion!" by concentrating a large mass of mana in my hand and then launching it forward with a small blast, I can cause a massive detonation to occur almost instantly within a short range. It dodges the first spell, so I launch another. "Explosion!"

The ground rumbles from the powerful blasts being laid upon it. Rock and soil rain down from the sky with each sound of my voice. The endless field of grass is quickly filling up with craters.

"Die, you son of a bitch! Explosion!" the Gigalepus barely manages to dodge each blast as it bolts across the plains. I try to intercept it by predicting its path, but the beast keeps changing direction.

'Boom!'

I whip my head around at the sound of an explosion coming from behind me.

Shit! That's Marcus. What could he be fighting against while the target is here?

A sinking feeling falls through me. Gigalepus aren't known to hunt in packs, but there's always the possibility another had shown up.

I burst back towards my teammates at breakneck speed. The wind cuts at my skin. It feels like I'm flying through water due to the immense pressure.

'Boom!'