Chapter 13 : The GuildMaster

Bjorn and Graum examined the blonde elven Guildmaster as she approached. Her long golden hair, sparkled with a captivating sheen as it swung back and forth behind her with each step she took. Graum noticed her rich green eyes, they reminded him of polished emeralds. While Bjorn noticed her authentic Elven attire. She wore a garment known to him as a Yukata. It was a black yukata, with a green floral pattern with a green sash wrapped around her waist.

"Brother... are you alright?" Graum whispered softly, just loud enough for Bjorn to hear it.

Graum knew Bjorn had some bad blood with elves…

"Uh..ya.." bjorn managed to reply. He was utterly breathless at the guild masters beauty.

The guild master stood next to the Imalidae, Rheila.

"Hello gentlemen. As my guild-ling said, I am Mystilynn Grainwood. It is a pleasure to meet you both." Mystilynn introduced herself. Her tone was soft and inviting. The way she carried herself both in conversation and in movement had elegance and grace to it. "I'm sure the both of you have some question, if you would follow me into my office I would be happy to answer them." She smiled.

Graum looked out of the corner of his eye at Bjorn, waiting for him to speak up. Coincidentally, Bjorn also looked out the corner of his eye at Graum waiting for him to take charge of their current situation.

"Sure." "Lead the way." Bjorn replied, followed by Graum.

"Right this way." Mystilynn shifted her emerald eyes from one to the other.

As she walked back towards the direction from which she had came from, Bjorn and Graum promptly followed. Upon approaching the door the brothers assumed was her office Mystilynn turned the handle, pushing the door open, she gestured for them to go in before her. They both complied.

As they entered they noticed a luxurious chair behind a desk that looked just as luxurious. Infront of the desk sat two chairs... almost like the chairs were meant for them.

-chi~click-

The sound of the door shutting echoed through the room and the brothers looked at each other, before looking back at Mystilynn.

"There, now we have some privacy." She smiled as she began to enter the room.

"Oh wait, I'll be right back..." she chuckled opening the door she had just closed leaving Bjorn and Graum alone in the office.

"Huh, I wonder if this is some sort of scare tactic." Bjorn chuckled examining the plainly decorated room.

He saw papers neatly piled on the desk, with a few Medium sized planters on each side of the desk. On the walls hung portraits, each portrait was of a beautiful women with different backgrounds.

Graum noticed that the drawings grabbed Bjorn's attention.

"Those look really well done, who ever drew them is quite skilled." Graum commented.

"Do you think Mystilynn created these masterpieces?"

"I'm sure she is quite talented... however..." graum pointed to the drawing directly behind the desk. The picture on the wall behind the desk was of Mystilynn.

"That would be hard to draw yourself huh? Haha" bjorn laughed admiring how Mystilynn looked so dignified and elegant in the picture.

"Brother.." graum softly spoke, interrupting Bjorn's admiration.

"Ya?"

"How do you want to handle this? You know she didn't simply bring us here to answer OUR questions. Right?" Graum asked.

Bjorn took a short moment to think.

"If we are honest, then we would have to tell her the reason why we were out there... that we were there to kill those twins." Bjorn paused, creating a serious atmosphere. "And if we do, we would be forfeiting the kill quest from The Grey Coin. And failure means death... doesn't it." Bjorn finished letting out a sigh.

"We were dead to them, the moment we took the quest." Graum replied, his tone was just as serious, but cold.

"What do you mean?"

"Back in the forest, remember that attack that leveled the forest?" Graum asked.

"Ya. After we killed the goblins, and we were tending to the wounds of the twins. You told me to dig..." Bjorn began, but graum interrupted.

"Where do you think an attack like that came from.. goblins?

"Of course not... but brother... it sounds like you are suggesting..." bjorn paused, piecing Graum's subtle clues together.

"Bjorn... I'm not suggesting... I saw Maltreesh. She was searching the debris. Either for the twins... or us." Graum explained as he folded his arms across his chest.

At first Bjorn didn't want to believe graum, like it was just another one of his sadistic jokes... Bjorn looked at Graum with a serious expression.

"Graum, look me in the eye and tell me that this isn't one of your jokes." Remarked bjorn in a stern tone.

*Guise: off*

Graum dropped his guise, exposing his scarlet Devil-eyes, and looked Bjorn in the eye. This was a gesture to express how serious he was.

"Brother, I am not joking." Graum replied also In a stern tone.

A shallow silence befell the room.

"Alright.." bjorn sighed with a gentle expression. "It's not that I didn't believe you, I just know that your jokes... tend to be a little...well you know… haha" Bjorn's voice trailed with a chuckle.

Graum had a tendency of taking jokes to far. He often joked, making light of serious things, but he also made serious of light things. This is why Bjorn had to be sure, this is why he had graum clarify.

"Haha, yeah. I don't blame you." Graum chuckled.

"I guess this means, we can't go back no matter what." Bjorn sighed folding his hands behind his head.

"I don't think it would be a wise idea... however what ever you want to do next, I'll have your back." Graum smirked extending out his fist to bjorn.

"Wouldn't have it any other way, Brother." Bjorn grinned as he bumped Graum's fist with his own.

The door to Mystilynn's office all of a sudden opened.

*guise: on*

The two shifted their eyes at the sudden movement. Standing in the doorway was the Guildmaster herself, and in her hands she held a tray with tea cups and a kettle.

"Sorry, I forgot the Tea." She giggled nervously as she walked over to the desk, placing the tray on top of a pile of papers.

Bjorn and graum watched as Mystilynn placed three tea cups in a row, and began pouring.

"Oh.. sorry. I didn't even ask you if you wanted any..." she said looking up from the tea cups and at her two guests.

"I would like some actually." Bjorn smiled.

"I'm good, than..." Graum started to reply, and as he began to decline the offer, bjorn nudged Graum's ribs with his elbow. A not so subtle way of telling him to reconsider his answer.

"Er..um.. I mean, I'm good with tea. Thank you." Graum mended his responce as he rubbed his ribs.

"Wonderful!" Mystilynn cheerfully squeaked with a smile. "Sugar, cream?" She offered.

"Sugar, please." Bjorn answered quickly. Tea wasn't really his choice beverage, but he knew he atleast liked it sweet.

"Um. Just plain, please." Graum replied as he watched Mystilynn place a cube of sugar into Bjorn's cup, gently stirring it with a silver tea spoon.

After graum replied, Mystilynn looked up giving Bjorn his cup.

"Are you sure? It's kinda bitter without anything." She explained.

However Graum was very familiar with teas, and knew what to expect. But if he added cream or sugar he wouldn't be able to tell if the tea was poisoned.

"I'm quite sure thanks."

"Brother, enjoys things that are bitter and sour." Bjorn politely jabbed at Graum's preferences.

"Oh, so you two are brothers?!" Mystilynn asked in a surprised tone, as she handed Graum his cup.

It was at that moment bjorn and Graum realized they didn't introduce themselves to the guildmaster.

"My name is Bjorn, Bjorn Odinson and this is my brother.." bjorn introduced himself then gestured over to Graum.

"I'm called Graum. Sorry we didn't introduce ourselves earlier." He replied feeling slightly guilty.

"I was wondering if you two were going to introduce yourselves to me, or if I was going to have to ask for your names." She smiled. "Bjorn, and Graum... two brothers who saved two sisters... sounds poetic, don't ya' think?" Her eyes had a glint of romance to them.

Graum glanced at Bjorn out of the corner of his eye, wondering how Bjorn wanted to proceed.

"Well you see, we aren't related by blood. But brothers of the battle field." Bjorn explained taking a sip of his tea.

Mystilynn smiled.

"Brothers of the battlefield... I don't recall the human Empire being at odds with the surrounding nations." She remarked casually, sipping her tea.

"Well, I'm not a native to the human kingdom... I'm a Dwarf.." Bjorn nervously answered, waiting for Mystilynn's reaction.

She moved the cup away from her lips, as she looked to bjorn.

"I thought it was peculiar that a 'human' would have dwarven tattoos... but I'm not one to judge." she smirked smugly.

"So you already knew I was a dwarf?" Bjorn anxiously asked, almost spilling his tea over himself.

Graum began to get the sinking suspicion that this Mystilynn Grainwood, was more perceptive than she let on.

"I was fairly certain. Probably 97% certain." She remarked with her smug smirk.

Graum sat silent and observed.

"But if you knew... then why? Why wait to talk to us?" Bjorn's tone shook slightly as he couldn't help but imagine insidious scenarios.

Mystilynn covered her mouth as she laughed.

"You make it sound so nefarious."

Graum looked for any subtle change in Mystilynn's body language. He looked for anything that would suggest deceit, or malicious intentions.

"It's just... every elf I've ever met has tried to kill me, so forgive my uneasiness" Bjorn explained with a sincere tone.

"There is no need to apologize. If our places were reversed I'm sure I would feel the same way." Mystilynn replied with a weak empathetic smile.

As bjorn and Mystilynn talked. Graum closed his eyes

*guise:off*

Graum then concentrated on the mana within his devilish eyes. graum wanted to see, with his own eyes, if Mystilynn harbored any malicious energy

*enchanced focus*

Behind his eye lids, graum could see the silhouette of Mystilynn and was able to make out Bjorn, who was engulfed in a Blue haze. The blue haze represented Bjorn's anxious emotional state. He saw a vague incandescent sheen surrounding Mystilynn. The vague sheen suggested that mystilynn didn't have any ill will towards Bjorn.

*focus: off*

*guise: on*

Graum opened his eyes, to find Mystilynn staring at him.

"Hmhhh?" Graum let out a surprised gasp.

"That was kinda rude... he who is known as Graum." Mystilynn playfully teased, insinuating she knew what graum did.

"Beg your pardon?" Graum defensively asked.

"I pride myself on honesty, I've been honest to the both of you. All I ask, is that you extend to me the same curiosity." She replied narrowing her eyes at graum.

"I've seen more people fall to silver tongues, than steel blades. Sorry if I've offended you. But I find kindness suspicious." Graum replied honestly

Mystilynn could hear pain in Graum's tone.

"You would be the first human I've met that could conceal a skill of that magnitude with such ease. I applaud your talent." She smiled staring into Graum's eyes.

Graum felt a shallow pit form in his stomach. 'Mystilynn had to be a powerful person to sense my focus skill' he thought to himself as the pit in his stomach felt like it was growing.

He got the impression that she was trying to get him to confess about his human facade.

Graum decided to, for the sake of 'honesty' come clean about his facade.

"Truth is, you haven't met a human that could, because.." he paused

*guise:off*

"I'm not human." He finished revealing his burning scarlet Devil-eyes.

Graum expected Mystilynn to be surprised by this revelation, but she seemed un-phased and indifferent.

"It makes me happy that you are being honest.. that the both of you are being honest." Mystilynn smiled genuinely.