Chapter 6 - The Director

Capital city of Lancaster, Alterion, Therian Continent

Staring at the corpse of Eredin, half of his body missing after Ellis' final fireball, the man fell to the ground. He sat in the middle of the crater they'd created while fighting. He knew he'd gotten lucky. Why was it that an enemy capable of contending against a final grade mage appeared out of thin air? He clenched his jaw and finally let his emotions out, pounding his fists into the stone until his knuckles bled. A visceral scream escaped him, so loud and violent that it tore at his vocal cords. When that was done, he just clenched each side of his head and stared at the body, blank-eyed.

They will never stop. Not until they revive their god.

In the end, Ellis had gotten lost in the thrill of fighting someone who actually stood a chance against him. Karl's body had been entirely destroyed in the crossfire, as had the entire district of Lancaster. He'd gotten careless; the collateral was as much Eredin's fault as it was his.

"Why…" He whispered. "I'll kill you. I'll kill you all… Just bring it on!" Tears streamed down his face as he spoke empty words. He wondered why, with all of his strength, he couldn't protect his best friend. If being one of the strongest meant that he would have to live in solitude at the top, then it wasn't a fate he wished for. The only way forward was to destroy the enemy and whatever else they may bring, this was what he realized as he stared at his blood stained hands.

Karl Lightswift had always been the bloodthirsty one, and yet it was this very fact that always forced Ellis to be reasonable in any situation. He was forced into the role of the parent keeping a child in check. Without this simple fact, the roles instantly became reversed. He was consumed by thoughts of vengeance and utter bloodthirst like he never had been. Karl's ghost stood over his shoulder, a concerned face looking down upon his friend. Perhaps he wished that his fate of a quest for revenge would be different, or perhaps he was satisfied in knowing that his will was carried on. With confidence he faded away, leaving the destruction of the enemy in the hands of the most capable man he knew.

From the edge of the crater, Mika Hajimori looked down in utter horror, a crowd of terrified civilians surrounding her. She felt like a coward, though she only ran away on an order, clearly outmatched. Even so, it wasn't like her to stray away from a fight or even certain death, so long as her comrades were on the line. Her previous experiences were nothing like this one, but she still doubted she'd ever forgive herself. Tears built up at the edge of her vision.

Ellis turned as she sprinted towards him from the other side of the crater, emotions in control. The two remaining comrades just stared at each other at a complete loss for words. Mika was hyperventilating from her half-mile sprint. Eventually, realizing that she had nothing to say, he began to pay her no mind, simply walking forward as if she wasn't even there. She grabbed his arm and jerked him back.

"My lord!" She said.

Ellis shook his head. "Later. There's more of them out there." He shook free of her grasp and kept walking.

"My lord!" She cried out again. This time Ellis stopped in his tracks of his own accord.

"What."

"I see that look in your eyes. You're dangerous. You don't have to do this."

Ellis stepped towards Mika, and she stepped back on reflex as if running from a monster. His mana ate up all of the air as if he was deliberately trying to threaten her. He reached a hand out slowly, knowing she didn't have the power to dodge, setting a palm on her chest, right about her heart. She breathed slowly, her pulse pounding at an impossible speed. Ellis' eyes showed no emotion to speak of, only pure malice.

"When I was younger, I was denied entrance to Lancaster academy. My mother was obviously upset, seeing how I had so much talent. I told her that, instead, I would become an adventurer, and she gave me hell for even suggesting the idea; so much hell that I'd dismissed it completely." He pressed harder. "I spoke to Karl about it, and he did exactly what I'm doing to you right now. He set his hand upon my chest, right above the heart. He said, I think you should follow your heart, no matter what the cost. That's what I'm going to do."

"Ellis–"

"Haji. You're either with me, or you're not."

She hesitated. "Alright. Yeah, I'm with you."

"Great. Let's go pay the Director a visit."

* * *

From the teleportation gate in Lancaster, Ellis stepped out onto the platform at the ocean facility. While he usually was dressed in a slick trench coat with a dressy uniform beneath, now he wore practically nothing. He'd replaced his destroyed dress shirt with a new one, but hadn't bothered to get a new tie, with pants still tattered from the battle and stained with blood. His face was riddled with more cuts than just the usual scar that ran across his nose.

The ocean facility was the Dragon Guard's main headquarters, outside the jurisdiction of any country; a massive platform posted in the middle of the Western sea and constructed crudely from dark and gloomy metals. The entry platform was vast and filled with portals between different important locations. Countless officers moved to and fro, all so absorbed in their work that only a few spared a glance at Ellis. 

His eyes glazed over as he forged ahead. The world became dark, his mind clouded with thoughts of his enemy. A true warrior had no time to weep for his fallen comrades. Even so, most warriors did not know their comrades for as long as Ellis had known Karl. To think that he had to take the rest of the fight alone brought an impossible sickness to his stomach. Still, he kept moving against all odds, his remaining comrade at his back.

"My lord, you can't just bust into the Director's office! Please slow down!" Mika said.

"I don't give a shit what she thinks. Half of Lancaster was just leveled. This is an attack on our society as we know it."

Mika seemed to have nothing to say to his retort, awkwardly following him down the hallway as they began drawing eyes. Of course, as the chairman of the Therian branch, no one dared speak a word to him. If something managed to even put a scratch on the mighty Ellis Englund, it must've been serious. Those who stood in the way parted, not wanting to incur his wrath. They could tell, perhaps even better than Ellis himself, that his emotions were ready to burst.

After all of the archives and offices, at the very end of the grand hallway on the first floor of the metal giant lay the Director's office. There were chairs to either side for people waiting for a meeting, and to enter the room were grand wooden doors that looked entirely out of place within the aesthetic of the building. Ellis, seeing the empty chairs, immediately stomped forward to shove open the doors. Unbeknownst to him, though the hallway was empty, he was intruding on a conversation in progress.

"Carla and Lewis are both dead, Director. It seems Carla's body was the only one we managed to recover."

"I see…"

The five people in the room all immediately turned their heads to stare at Ellis like he was an animal at a zoo. They were all dressed in their Guard outfits, suits and ties perfectly groomed. Ellis on the other hand looked as if he'd just climbed out of hell to stand where he was. The Director, with her long blond hair and tall body, had her eyes widened in shock as she sat in her chair. The other four people in the room were some of the few final grade mages who worked for the Dragon Guard. A room full of immense power.

The room started to feel more and more cramped as they stared at him. There wasn't much for decoration other than the Director's desk and a lamp in each corner. Behind her was a massive wall-sized window that gave way to the bright sea beyond. A red carpet beneath his feet seemed to lead into his desk, and the rest of the room was decorated with subtly exotic things like tiger pelts and small gold statues. The Director, despite being immensely powerful, was not one for massive shows of this power.

"What the hell was that!" Ellis exploded immediately.

The Director lightly gestured with her hands, telling him to calm down. "You're alive," she said, sounding perplexed as if she might still be staring at a ghost. 

Ellis realized he was out of line and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Why do you sound so shocked? Always such confidence in me, Jillian."

Jillian smirked. "I heard that your little scuffle left Lancaster looking more like a crater than a city." She gestured him and Mika inside. "Close the door behind you. The people outside don't need to know about this."

Ellis and Mika each closed one of the grand doors. Mika took a moment to bow to the Director before taking her place behind Ellis, arms crossed behind her back respectfully. The four other people in the room were all final grade mages, all of which Ellis knew personally. It seemed that they acknowledged the likely importance of whatever he was about to say, and so they all remained silent and watched on.

"Karl Lightswift is dead, as is the elf that attacked me," he said, teeth gritted.

"So you managed to defeat the elf after all. And… I'm very sorry for your loss."

"I don't want any of your false sympathies. Tell me why the hell there's an elf out there, and why he wanted me dead."

"Despite your lineage, you weren't the only one attacked," she said. "Any guesses you may have on the motives are as good as mine."

"Indeed. To hear you were even able to defeat the one that attacked you is quite a shock. Just this evening we've had two final grade casualties, and three arrived in critical condition under similar circumstances." Another final grade, Angela DeRouge spoke. Known as the flame mage, she was easily distinguishable by her long auburn hair despite wearing the same uniform as everyone else.

"Two casualties? Who?"

"Carla and Lewis. I understand they were ambushed on a date somewhere in Yitra. The fight that followed destroyed the entire surrounding ecosystem. Not even grass remained," Jillian said.

"Damned lovebirds. But the two of them at once. Was it a single enemy?"

"We don't know yet. At a high enough level, it's equally probable that the destruction was caused by only one of them." Jillian seemed to prepare magic, swiping her hand across the room. Chairs appeared in the blink of an eye as if they'd already been there. "Seems we have a long conversation ahead of us. Take a seat."

The mages all obliged, setting their weapons and harsh words aside to hopefully arrive at some resolution to the situation. One by one, they recounted their experiences fighting the elves. Ellis started, telling of the king's assassination and eventually of the control magic and his enemy's obvious excess of experience.

"I had a similar experience, actually," Angela said. "I was sent on behalf of lord Shigenaki when an assassination of a government official occurred in Hinomori's capital. Sure enough, an elf was waiting for me. Only difference is that mine seemed to have much less discretion than yours. My entire party was instantly slaughtered except for myself of course. I managed to fight him to a standstill, but he retreated when Ikura arrived from nearby, having sensed the mana."

Ikura Shigenaki, another final grade mage and the Chairman of the Eulerian Peninsula's force, nodded his head. "I was out in the wilderness around Arataka on some petty commission when I sensed the mana. Angela was already beaten to hell and back, having spent most of her mana. The enemy, on the other hand, was scratchless and appeared to have an impossibly boundless mana pool. I'm certain she would have died if I didn't arrive precisely at that moment. I'm only disappointed I was unable to aid in the prior battle."

"So confident I was gonna lose, Shigenaki. I ought to knock you over the head."

"As explosive as ever, lady DeRouge."

"May I speak?" Edward Whiscourt raised a hand sarcastically. He wore a slick tophat with the Dragon Guard uniform and had a cane at his side though he was only twenty-five. "I, too, defeated the elf that attacked me. Similar scenario, a political assassination as bait. Are these assassinations the main objective, or are they merely a tool to lure us out?"

Merrick Winchester, sitting in the corner of the room and attempting to light a cigarette, was discouraged and immediately turned his attention back to the conversation when Jillian gave him a death stare. "I wasn't responding to any sort of emergency, just holed up in some dive bar as per usual. Bastard blew a hole through my gut before I could react. I opened a portal beneath me as I fell. Couldn't even tell you if it was an elf."

"Meanwhile, Lena and Jack are unconscious in the medical bay. I would say it's a fifty-fifty chance that the assassinations are bait. Regardless, it will be necessary to keep a close eye on the ones that take their place. What's clear is that they want our final grade mages dead, and that they have more manpower where that came from," Jillian finished.

"So what can we do about it, Director. What can you do about it?" Angela asked.

Jillian sighed. "As you know, the high council and myself are restricted from participating in human affairs."

"You and your restrictions, as if leading us isn't participating in human affairs."

"I don't write the rules around here, Angela. The gods do. You know this." She looked around to make sure no one else wanted a say, and then nodded in satisfaction. "I would advise that you remain in pairs from here on. Track down your remaining comrades before it's too late for them. The order and teams are your choice."

"Yes ma'am," they all said.

"Very well. You're all dismissed except Englund. We need to chat."

Ellis turned to Mika, who looked uncertain, and nodded for her to leave along with the rest of the mages. Together they all loudly shuffled out of the room, the sound of chatter disappearing into the distance. He and Jillian waited until the doors shut and the room fell into silence; only then did he stride forward to stand at the foot of her desk, hands in his pockets.

"You wanted me?"

"Yes," she said. "I would advise you in particular to exercise extreme caution in this matter."

"Of course. Naturally, as the descendant of that man, I'll be an even larger target."

"Not just that. The fact that these elves even know of your lineage insists that there may be an insider feeding them information."

"A rat?"

"Most definitely. One close to the heart."

"How can we root them out?"

Jillian smirked. "I leave that matter in your capable hands, Chairman. No one else is to know."

"I understand, ma'am. It will be done."

"I know. Dismissed."

* * *

"Lance, Brusso, Tanaka, Morgan, Meriam, Korrin. All unaccounted for," Edward said. "Six of them, and only five of us, six if you include Ellis' little enforcer there. Needless to say, I don't believe it's enough to go in pairs and remain efficient."

"Regardless, we'll be in pairs when we successfully reach our target, so it works out," Ikura said.

"Right. Volunteers?" Edward asked.

Mika immediately raised her hand. "Tanaka is my sister. I'll find her!"

"You…" Edward started.

"Let her do it," Ellis said. "She's strong. Besides, the elves won't be targeting her on her own." 

Mika smiled at Ellis for finally acknowledging her, but he was long gone in his own thoughts. Lance Lightswift, Karl's father. He felt that, in some way, he owed it to Karl to at least save his father from the coming war; he also owed it to Lance to be the first to deliver the awful news. For this, he felt his hand was forced to volunteer.

"I will find Lance," Ellis said. "He deserves the news of his son's passing."

Lance Lightswift. That bastard probably wouldn't even care to hear it. A man as ridiculously powerful as that did exactly what he wanted when he wanted to do it. He had a child with any woman he wanted, slayed any monster he wanted. In fact, he'd probably kill Ellis when he found him, blaming him for the death of Karl. None of them said it, but the other final grades were undoubtedly thankful that Ellis had taken on this job instead.

"I'm sorry about your loss, by the way. I understand you two were very close," Angela said.

"Indeed, since childhood. Thank you. Let's make sure it wasn't in vain."

"Of course."

The final grades stood in a small staff room discussing a strategy before their departure. Jack and Lena likely wouldn't be available for a day or two, and that may have been too much time to waste. As such, they had to sort themselves out and depart immediately. Though it took Edward, probably the strongest in the room, a long time to come around to the urgency of the situation; when he was convinced, he was the first to put his mind to work on formulating the strategy in question. People like Merrick and Angela who'd experienced the power first hand were immediately on board, while Ikura was utterly impartial, with the interests of everyone at heart.

"I will find Meriam," Angela said.

"Brusso," Merrick said.

"Take your pick, Ikura," Edward urged.

"It doesn't matter. I suppose I shall find Korrin."

"That leaves me to Morgan, then," Edward said. "I guess that concludes our strategy meeting."

"We didn't really talk about any strategy though," Angela said.

"The strategy is that you should fight your hardest and stay alive at all costs, you nut," Merrick said, finally lighting his cigarette.

"Yeah? How'd that go for ya?"

"Low blow. I didn't even get to fight yet. Guy was hiding in a bush, Mira's sake! Besides, you wish I was dead? Me too!"

At that point, as Merrick and Angela had begun bickering, Ellis stepped out of the room with Edward and Ikura, Mika at his back. He shook both of their hands, and they exchanged a few friendly words before splitting off.

"Good to see you two again, I'm glad you made it," Ikura said.

"You as well, brother," Ellis said. "Both of you give it your all, alright?"

"Wouldn't dream of anything less, my friend," Edward said.

"For once, I agree with Mr. Whiscourt."

"Tsch. You ought to keep that trap shut sometimes." Edward cracked a smile.

"Best of luck to both of you," Ellis added before stepping away.

He and Mika walked back down the hallway in silence. He didn't blame her for perhaps being in a state of minor shock. After all, standing in a room with so much mana was bound to make a weakling's head spin. Other than her own sister, she'd probably never met another final grade. Ellis waited until they had reached the teleportation platform once again to speak to her.

"Are you confident?" He asked.

The girl hesitated, then looked up as if surprised he was speaking to her. "I'm not sure, my lord," she said. "Did conferring with your comrades help quell your rage?"

"Yes. It did," he said confidently, turning to the girl and setting a hand on each of her shoulders. "Remember what I told you earlier?"

"Maybe?"

"Follow your heart, no matter the cost."

"Right."

"Are you following your heart in seeking out your sister?"

Her eyes drifted off and then snapped back into place. "Yes, I am," she said confidently.

Ellis smiled, pounding his fist on Mika's chest before turning to the portals. "Then you can't possibly be wrong," he said. "Come on, let's get out of here."