Ever The Contrarian

Reach 100 readers and I'll make some art :D 

CHAPTER FIVE WOOT WOOT 

Fainting was usually Iodine's job, but this time it was Mercury who had to fight not to drop on the spot. "30.. million? That's enough to buy our town seven times over!" she said, and Nox grinned. "Exactly. The wolves were also enough to screw out town seven times over, so it makes sense." Mercury tried to understand. Who in the world randomly gave away 30 million coins? traders? billionaires? how filthy rich did someone have to be? "Apparently, the wolves' hides were in demand, and we appeared like, and I quote, "Knights in shining armor", so they paid us a lot more than extra," Nox said, patting his hair. Mercury noticed a gaggle of fangirls already stopping to ogle at him - oh, the disadvantages of being handsome. Mercury frowned. "Uh, Nox, maybe we should go inside now," Mercury whispered, and the fangirls twittered. 

"Nox? What a dashing name!"

Mercury rolled her eyes and dragged a confused Nox inside the first building she saw - luckily, an inn. run! run for your life, main character! "I'd like three rooms, please, right next to each other," she said, as a barge of people burst in. "Hurry!" Mercury screeched at the startled cashier. "Can we have a room next to him?" they asked, all pointing at Nox, who started sweating (XD). "Nope, it's taken!" Mercury saved, slamming the coins on the counter and grabbing the keys from the flushed cashier. As all the fangirls retreated to go back home, leaving behind a flurry of love letters, Mercury let out a sigh of relief. Until the cashier tapped Nox on the shoulder and said, "Uhm, hey… are you busy this Friday? You're totally my type." 

Nox gaped at her and then grabbed the keys to his room and stormed off. Mercury and Iodine watched him leave and then burst into a fit of giggles. "HAHA, the look on his face!" Mercury said, wiping her eyes as Iodine snickered. "We seriously chose a good friend." Iodine siad, suddenly turning solemn, and Mercury nodded. "We're lucky to have him."

'Do you wanna laugh over these love letters together before burning them?" Iodine suggested, and Mercury pumped her fist. "I have taught you well, Iodine! Do that we shall!" she cheered, clapping her friend on the back. 

After an hour of face masks, cucumber smoothies, bathrobes, and laughing over sappy love letters, Iodine burned the last one into a pile of ash as Mercury giggled. They were both lying down on a 4-poster bed together, reading (and burning) the hilariously sappy love letters, they had a pile of heart-shaped chocolates left over. "Nox doesn't want to touch them for some reason, so we'll just have to eat them all. I think he's scared they have love potions in them or something." Mercury said, grinning, and Iodine popped a caramel heart into her mouth. "Mmm! Mer, try these! They're so good!" she said, handing Mercury the tray. As she took a bite, a swirl of caramel and cinnamon greeted her, as well as fluffy white icing and sprinkles. "Mmmm! We should get Nox to go out more, we need a restock of these." Mercury joked, taking another bite. it was too good to pass up - no matter the calories. Iodine chuckled, and suddenly Nox barged in, weapons at hand. "Guys! I got the weapons – WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!" he said, glancing at Mercury and Iodine's bathrobes, head towels, and facemasks. "Oh. It's a thing. You won't get it." Mercury said dismissively, chewing on another caramel heart and adjusting her facemask. Nox shrugged. "Well, I got you a longsword, Mer."

(A quick note here - "Mer" is Mercury's nickname, just as "Io" is Iodines, but it is rarely used as Mercury generally isn't that long of a name.)

"- and it apparently changes its shape however the user wants. And I got Iodine a bow, that had unlimited arrows. Guess what? After they hit their mark, the arrows will appear back in the hand of whoever is wearing these gloves. They came with the bow and daggers. I assume they also help with gripping the bow itself." Nox said, holding up a longsword, as well as a heavily embellished bow, arrows, and a pair of gloves. The arrows were made of silver, and even the arrow tips were finely polished. The glove was lined with pearl trim and silk threads. Iodine slipped it on and picked up the bow, stretching the arrow and firing at the wall. As soon as they hit the wall, they swiftly flew back out and perfectly into Iodine's outstretched hand. Mercury accepted the longsword from Nox and she turned it around in her hand, admiring the fine work. the hilt was carved, with intricate designs of flowers and leaves, but there were no ridges - it felt firm and smooth in her hand. The blade itself was also of good quality steel since it didnt break or chip even when Mercury poked the ground with it - something she would never ordinarily do with a sword in fear of damaging the tip. "huh. This is amazing, Nox. Thank you!" Mercury said. The sword felt light in her hand. Nox grinned and bumped fists with her. Iodine joined, and Mercury swiveled to nox. "What did you get, nox?" She asked, and Nox grinned like a cat. he slid up his cloak's sleeve, which revealed a pair of daggers - they were made of silver, and even the blade was finely embellished, with a dark ruby set in the middle. "They do something similar to Iodine's arrows - so I can fight normally with them, or throw them If I want. Oh, and their convenient to hide up my sleeve." Nox boasted happily. Mercury grinned. "Oh! yes, and I got us some better clothes - like, materials made for fighting and stuff." Nox said, taking out a package from his pocket. Each of them got a shirt, belt, pants, cloak, gloves, and boots. After putting them on, Mercury paced around the hotel room to test it out, she felt like the clothes were helping her actually move better than she usually would - it was like was dancing for the first time. She noticed Nox staring at her, so she turned to him and said, "Hm? What is it?" 

"What did that face mask do? you look really pretty." Nox said quietly, and Mercury flushed. Not sure how to reply, she stuttered and said, "uh, y-you too." Nox laughed, and Mercury swatted at him. "what was that?! "You look pretty"?! You never said that to me before!" she said, punching him, and Nox laughed harder. "Nox, you sound like a villain when you laugh." Mercury pouted. Now he was wheezing, and Mercury kicked him. 

Mercury then grabbed her sword and swung it at the wall. In a flash, its edge turned serrated, and it sliced cleanly through the wall. Ouch, the poor wall. What did it ever do to you, Mercury? "Oh! it changed! look at this, Nox! I cut through wood in one swing! Thank you thank you thank you for the sword!" Mercury blabbered, jumping around like an excited toddler, while waving around a potentially life-thresting sword with a serrated edge. yep, thats the main character that I know. Nox chuckled and patted her head. "Sure, anytime. Besides, I got stuff too. But, maybe don't run around while waving tat sword?" he said, adjusting the buttons on his new cloak. The three looked like a trio of assassins now, as all of the gear was black - but Mercury and Iodine brightened it up significantly with some basic jewelry. "Much better!" Iodine said. She had changed her shirt into an old white one, which was much better - and she had added a choker. Mercury, meanwhile, has also taken a white shirt from Iodine and replaced her shirt, and she had slipped a pair of thin brown fishnet stockings over her black pants, and, of course, a chocker that matched with Iodine's. "We look good." Mercury mused, posing in the mirror. yeah! we love a decent glow-up! "Yep. We owe you one, Nox!" Iodine chorused, joining Mercury near the mirror. Nox watched them strike poses together, amused. "Nox! What about you!" Iodine suddenly said, and Mercury made a face. "Please! Nox, let us give you a makeover! you look like you're going to a funeral!" Mercury added, and Iodine clapped her hands together in a begging gesture. Nox looked down at his pure black gear and sighed. "Please, good sir. you really need one!" she said, and Nox stepped back, flustered. "uhm-" "Yes! you mean yes!" Mercury suggested, grabbing him by the arm and plopping him down in a chair. "O-okay.." Nox agreed hesitantly. Together, Iodine and Merucry helped him into a white shirt like theirs, a tie, and glasses. They also gave him a belt with straps to store his daggers, which were then hidden by the folds of the cloak. As Nox stood in the mirror, Mercury hated to admit it, but he looked very handsome. Nox stared at the mirror nervously, and then said, "Won't this attract too much attention?"

"nope! Not more than you already do with that face!" Mercury piped, and Nox frowned at her. LMAO. "Come on, Nox, don't be such a scaredy-cat. You've got us, haven't you?" Iodine prodded, and Nox sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll admit it, I do look much better," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. Iodine and Mercury swiveled to each other. "Woohooo! mission success, Iodine!" Mercury said, bumping fists with Iodine. Nox smiled, watching them. "So, a tour of town? hmm?" Mercury said, smirking, and Nox crossed his arms. "No, you know I don't like going out." 

"But your fans! how will they live without you?" Mercury said. "you mean, how will I live with them? they're going to follow me around for the rest of my life!" Nox sulked. he was right about that part, after all. His fans were not going to leave him alone. "Come on, Nox, don't be a buzzkill!" Mercury reprimanded, changing her approach. "Fine!" Nox said, giving in. "Let's go, then! no time to waste!" Mercury said, grabbing a sack of coins and emptying it into her cloak pockets. After they were full, she passed on the sack to Iodine, who did the same, and finally, Nox, who also filled his own pockets. "Ready, gang? let's go on a shopping spree!" Mercury said, slinging an arm over Iodine and One over Nox. Since they were both taller than her, she could dangle in between them, completely in the air, like a swing. "you always do that." Nox grumbled, and Mercury laughed delightedly, which caught him off guard. They chatted as they walked the cobblestone streets, surrounded by idle conversation. Suddenly, Mercury looked up. "look, guys! it's the Tower of Valentina!" She said, pointing to a large silver tower. It was a single silver cube, and there were many rose vines curled around it, towering high above the skyline of Airre. The buildings she had seen were tall, but this tower was easily the tallest in the entire city. "huh." Nox said, looking at their warped reflection on the cube. "Do you guys know the story of Vatrona?! It's really good!" Said Mercury, her legs still dangling. Even though it was really fun, it was uncomfortable for her to do more than a few seconds because the weight of her entire body fell on her elbows. ouch, her poor elbows. Even though she was pretty light, it still wasnt good. Nox saw, and he grabbed Mercury, picking her up in a piggyback ride. "better?" he asked, and Mercury playfully ruffled his hair. "Yup!" Mercury noticed a gaggle of fangirls glaring daggers at her, so she stuck her tongue out at them and made a face. "Anyway, so Valentina was a princess in the kingdom of Corel, which was around in the olden days." Mercury began. "It was Valentine's Day, so her love needed to get her a rose - a perfect one at that. A perfect rose to match her perfect face, to be specific." Mercury said. Nox twitched under her like he was getting an idea, and she continued. "So he looked for a seed all over the kingdom until eventually he got a silver and gold rose seed from a poor farmer. I have no idea how he got his hands on the seed, though. Anyway, he planted it and it grew into a beautiful rose overnight. Now, we enter the knight of Corel. he tried to steal the rose, but as soon as he laid a finger on the petal, a large silver cube rose up around him, trapping him there forever. No idea why. Maybe the rose was allergic to evil or something? He's still in there today." Mercury finished. Nox and Iodine were both silent until Iodine burst into applause. Flustered, Mercury hastily bowed. "Do you think… that her love was an elf? If he was, he'd still be alive." Nox mused. Oh yeah, the author completely forgot to mention that elves live really long. Well, you know now. "And this was before the fall of the elves, so it's very plausible. if he had been in the cube, no one would be able to hunt him down." Nox added. Mercury thought about it for a minute, and then said, "If we can find a drawing or picture, we might be able to confirm it. I can't say I'm not curious." Of course, Mercury! the readers are curious too!!! go find that picture! we need to see! "Me too. What would you do if you found another elf, Nox?" Iodine asked, and Nox thought for a minute, and then said, "I think… The first thing I would do is give them a hug." 

"A wise choice, my friend," Mercury said, patting his shoulder. "Should we check the library? we might be able to find something on that myth!" Iodine seconded. "Huh. we should." Nox said, and Mercury grabbed the top of his head and yanked it in the opposite direction, making him turn around. what a stupid elf, LOL. they were supposed to have a basic sense of direction…? "that way! The library is in the opposite direction!" Mercury said, and Nox swatted her hands off his hair. "Not the hair!" He yelled. "shush! were here!" Iodine said, putting a finger on both their mouths. Mercury fell quiet as they entered. The librarian eyed them warily as if they had committed murder. (CHOUGH. Mercury. CHOUGH.) The library was surprisingly ornate - a large glass chandelier hung from the vaulted ceilings, and silk carpets cushioned her feet. looks like Airre realy was a wealthy city. of course, the library was absolutely huge. Bookshelves that seemed to stretch upwards for miles, and ladders to reach all the books. There were a few people scattered around, some reading while perched on the top of bookshelves, some simply snoring in the armchairs. Either way, Mercury sincerely doubted that any of them would bother her. Because she was a nobody. The librarian was glaring daggers at her, but Nox glared at her right back, and Iodine pushed his head down. Which only made Nox glare harder, causing the librarian to flinch. "Iodine, who are these people?" The librarian asked, and Iodine made a quick, neat curtsy, bending her knees slightly. "Hello, aunt. These are my friends, and we're here to look for books on the legend of Vetrona. Oh, and if you could refrain from telling my parents that I'm here, I would be much delighted." Mercury gaped at her - Iodine sounded so formal. whatever happened to the person who used to call her pipsqieak? She playfully knocked on Iodine's head. "Are you the Ioidne that I know?" she questioned, and Iodine rolled her eyes. Quickly shuffling into formation, Mercury grabbed Nox by the ear and pushed him right next to her. Mercury ran over to Iodine's other side and entered a low, elaborate bow next to her. "It's an honor to meet you." She said, slipping her tongue ever so slightly for a sophisticated accent. Now Nox and Iodine gaped at her, and she stuck her tongue out at them. She was a socialite after all - manners, manners, manners! manners were her way of life! "Alright, alright. You seem to trust these people, Iodine, so I will do as you wish. The section about history is over here, you should be able to find information on the history of the tower." The librarian said, gracefully gliding to the bookshelf. Huh. that was easy. 

After running slender fingers through the bookshelves, she finally settled on pulling out 3 books and set them down on a large oak table. "This should be more than sufficient, especially this one." She said, tapping the thickest book with a manicured nail. "Of course. Thank you, Aunt." Iodine said. "Anytime, dear." The librarian said, walking back to her desk. "well, one book each?" Mercury asked, and Nox handed Mercury the biggest one, earning a glare from her. "Come on, you're the best at reading." he protested, and Mercury accepted the book. Somehow, Nox's compliment were always double-edged. "Just skim through it anyway, we're looking for pictures." Iodine said, picking up the second-largest one and flipping through the pages. They seemed to be written in runes, which Merucry could barely make out. When she reached about the middle of the book, she stumbled upon a picture. "Found it, nox! look at this!" She said, bookmarking the page (in case she lost the page number - a trick she had learned through years of reading in her cluttered cottage, where books often randomly closed, and she lost the page she was reading). Nox peered over her shoulder, and then he flinched. Mercury could see why - The prince of Corel looked just like Nox, down to their pale skin, white hair, red eyes, and long, pointed ears. Except, the ears of the elf in the picture were clearly visible while Nox's were carefully and skillfully hidden behind tufts of hair. "Look, it even says Knight of Corel, so you can't deny that's an elf," Mercury said, running a finger across the bottom of the page, where the name and title of the elf was listed. "Mercury, these are Elvin runes. Why can you read them?" Nox said, furrowing his brow. "I read a wide genre of books, Nox. I've read Elvin books before - but mostly only poems. Their love poems are crazy, by the way." Mercury said, making up an excuse off the top of her head, and adding in a random clause about love poems. Her knack for storytelling and lying was suddenly coming in clutch. She herself actually didnt know why she could read them, but she didnt want to make Nox suspicious of her. "Hmm. Alright." Nox said, and Mercury turned her attention to the elf. "Why does he look like you?" She asked, and then added, "Do all elves look the same? How do you tell if they're relatives of strangers, then? That's messed up. what if you marry your relative by accident! What if you marry someone by accident at all! do elves have divorce?" Iodine was laughing at Merucry's questions in the corner, and Nox was blushing out of embarrassment. The librarian had also looked up at her question, and was chuckling. "We do all have pale skin, but we have different hair colors." Nox said, peering at the book and trying to make a reasonable answer to a unreasonable question. 

"Let me seeee!" Iodine wailed, joining the pair to peer at the picture. she leaned over the oak table, tuning the heavy book to face her. "wow, are you sure its not you?" Iodine asked, looking back and fourth between Nox and the picture. "Uhm, no? Ive never had a portrait of me before, for fear of being found out." he said, brushing a strand of hair on his head, which let the tip of his ear show. "your ear is showing, nox." Mercury informed, brushing the strand back. "Oh, thanks." Nox said dissmissevely, still staring at the picture. "So… should we try to… go into the cube and see if he's alive?" Merucry asked, and Nox nodded. "The tower can only be opened by another elf, since Corel was an elf city, according to the book. Luckily for us, we have an elf right here." 

"Oh, Iodine, are you an elf? I didnt know." Mercury said playfully, and Nox nudged her. "No! I'm the elf!" He yelled, and Mercury burst out laughing.