She Runs Into A Familiar Face

Jasmine glanced at Liam, whose eyes stared off into the distance. He seemed deep in thought, as if pondering something.

"Liam?" Chelsea asked.

He blinked as he was brought back to the present. "Yes? What is it?" He asked.

"What's got your mind so occupied?" Chelsea chuckled. It wasn't every day that you could catch Liam being distracted.

"It's nothing much." Liam glanced in a certain direction, then lowered his eyes to look at Chelsea. "It's just I sensed something familiar is down here."

"Familiar?" Chelsea asked. "What is it?"

"Mmmn." Liam replied. "If I'm not mistaken... There's a dragon pearl nearby."

------

Robin used her sword to block a magic beast from killing a wounded soldier.

After her performance with the Rhyllos, the magic beasts had run away, preferring to tackle the weaker, easier prey in the surroundings. This meant that Robin had to run here and there. If there was a hole in the defense line, she would plug it. If there was an opportunity to cut down a monster, she took it. Under Robin's leadership, the magicians supported the line from behind, and the magic beasts were finally beginning to thin out.

"Robin!" She heard a voice from off to the side. Robin slew the beast in front of her before turning to look. It was Christian and Keith.

"What happened?" Robin called out to the two, whilst keeping an eye on the magic beasts around her.

"The magic beasts are in the sewers. They can break out anywhere in the city!" Christian informed.

Robin clicked her tongue. If the magic beasts did indeed spread out through the sewer network, then there would be no way to limit the amount of damage taking place throughout the city.

"Hey, you!" She called to a magican bearing a magic tower insignia.

"Busy right now-oh, Hero! How can I help?" The magician asked, shooting off a salvo of fireballs into a condensed crowd of magic beasts.

"I have a question..." Robin began.

-----------

"A dragon pearl!? Are you sure?" Chelsea asked, surprised. "No way, why did I not see-"

"Um, excuse me, What is a dragon pearl?" Jasmine asked, unable to resist her curiosity.

Chelsea paused, remembering that Jasmine was a human magi, and not a demon like them. "It's not like it's forbidden knowledge..." She said, glancing at Liam. Liam shrugged. He was okay either way.

Chelsea began, as they walked towards the door. "A dragon pearl is a gem that is born with a dragon when they are born. It carries within it the inheritance of the dragon until such time as the dragon is old enough to extract said inheritance. It is only after a dragon has its inheritance that you could say it has become an adult. But a dragon can only sense the inheritance of its own kind. The fact that Liam can sense this dragon pearl means that either that pearl belongs to one of his kin...or it is his own pearl."

"His own?" Jasmine asked. "But, wouldn't anyone who knows about this be able to extract the inheritance for themselves?"

"They can certainly try. That is, if they know that it's a dragon pearl. Since only a dragon of their own kind can sense it, often enough, dragon pearls are mistaken for ordinary gems of great worth. While they are still a target of theft, they are easily retrievable." Chelsea smiled.

"What do you mean?" Jasmine asked.

"Not many wish to cross blows with a dragon. They would much rather buy peace and good impression with a gift. It doesn't take much nudging for them to offer up the pearl of their own volition." Chelsea replied.

"Ah. Is that so?" Jasmine asked. "What if they aren't willing?"

Chelsea smiled. "Well, you see...there's this invincible thief that is known to go around. No one has ever seen him, but he goes by the name of Nemo. He happens to have an inordinate attachment to pearls, as well."

"Ah. A pseudonym, I presume?" Jasmine nodded in understanding.

"No, there actually is a thief. He takes requests from anyone, and dragons are known to be rich, so he's friends with all the dragons in this way." Chelsea shook her head.

------

"AA-Chhoooo!" A figure sneezed explosively mid-sentence.

"Are you all right? That was quite the noise for your small stature." His drinking mate asked in concern.

"No issues." The figure replied as he rubbed his nose. "Perhaps my fame is spreading once more?"

"Fame? Hahahah! That's a good one! More like infamy!" The drinking mate laughed.

"Fame or infamy is all the same," the figure grumbled. "Both gives free publicity."

"Yeah, you keep thinking that." His drinking mate said in dismissal. "Bartender! Another ale over here!"

-------------

Chelsea's grin widened a tad. "He even published his own book, I hear." She added.

"Wait...you mean...the Fantastical Tales of the Adventurous Thief Nemo were all true" Jasmine gasped. That book had been a classic of her childhood.

Liam had already dispatched the magic beasts in their path.

"Mmmnn...More or less." Chelsea admitted.

"Unbelievable!" Jasmine was flabbergasted.

"It's this way." Liam let the two deeper into the compound.

-----------

After they had subjugated all the magic beasts at ground zero, Robin's group made their way quickly to the nearest magic tower. As expected, things were hectic: magic messages flying in every direction, magicians heading out on missions to subjugate beasts within the city, wounded magicians being brought to the healing sector.

Robin looked around. There were a lot of wounded that were yet waiting to be treated. Finally, she could stand the sight no longer. She strode over to where the wounded were thickest, and unsheathed her sword, sticking it upright in the ground.

"[Area High Heal]!" She called out, as a shockwave of light expanded from where she stood.

"Well, that'd be Robin fer ye." Keith chuckled, as he oversaw the scene.

"Nothing wrong with that." Christian nodded. The more magicians that were healed, the more that could be sent out on the field. Some Mana Potions would bring them back up to snuff.

"What's going on- My arm! My arm is healed!"

"My wounds are gone!"

"My nose is re-attached!"

The crowd of magicians exclaimed in wonder. No healing had ever been done so quickly for such a large group before. Robin pulled Hikaru up out of the ground, and once more sheathed her blade.

"Now that this is settled, take me to see the person in charge of magic surveillance." Robin urged the magician who had brought them there.

Without further questions, Robin was given access to the magic tower unimpeded. After all, who would dare to stand in the way of a genuine hero? Within minutes, Robin was brought up to the observation room.

Christian and Keith could only sigh in their hearts on the way there. Robin had never been inside a magic tower, so she wouldn't understand. This magic tower was far more lavish than the tower in Ekkinshire capital.

Since the tower oversaw this great merchant city, they had countless opportunities and first access to many resources that were scarce elsewhere. Not to mention the fact that the merchant companies saw it within their best interests to keep a good relationship with the magic tower powerhouses. There were many rare and precious metals and arts decorating the walls and hallways.

If Jasmine had been with them, she would have been bitten by the extremes of jealousy, as many rare magic and alchemical ingredients were sitting out on display. The magic circles inscribed upon the walls and floors were also worth many fortunes. If magicians were considered a religion, instead of an occupation, then this place was worthy of being the prime cathedral of said religion.

To Robin, though, It was merely another impressively decorated building. She entered to see a man consulting a very familiar figure. Rather, it appeared more like he was asking Fest about something.

"Fest? What are you doing here?" She asked.

This surprised the man speaking to Fest. He looked at Robin with curiosity, and asked.

"And who might this young man be?"