Claire Von Angea: Present

> Four weeks Later <

(Claire Von Angea)

My mind went blank at that moment, my eyes watching the male known as Mark Drago carefully. The man was a fox demi-human, but yet he seemed stranger than any other that I have encountered in my life. Most fox demi-humans were conditioned to see themselves as lesser than humans and elves, yet Mark did not appear to see himself as such. He was actually rather tall for a foxel as well, perhaps the tallest that I have encountered as well.

I had encountered him and his three allies outside the gate, and upon laying my eyes on them I knew something was different about them. A foxel talking back to an elf is practically unheard of, Mark seemed to talk to the elf known as Bonner in a snarky manner. They seemed close-knit, but more importantly, they didn't seem to be from Astana, well from their words, they can not be from the Angea Domain either.

It had been weeks since I found myself abandoning Sylvia as she desperately clung to my unknown attacker, and most details of the events are actually quite hazy to me. All that I remember was that Sylvia fought and clawed for me to escape. I highly doubt that she managed to survive that encounter, but I will not allow my attendant's sacrifice to go in vain.

The truth of that night will be revealed to me soon enough. All that I must do is search for it.

"The death of the Angea is here."

Those words etched themselves deep within the annals of my mind. That man wanted my head, my life, and Sylvia prevented it. My house, no, all of Astana, is likely in trouble. As I mentioned that phrase to the men before me, I found myself seemingly shifting slightly at their gaze.

"What does that even mean?", Bonner asks. His tone was as hostile as many times before.

I tensed up at the words of the male as they paralyzed my limbs. The gaze of Bonner was restrictive, hitting my body much like a poison into my nerves. Steady yourself Claire. You have to do this. Acquire their strength and find the truth.

"Those were the words of the man that nearly took my life, many weeks ago.", I responded.

"So you found yourself in a life threatening situation. I suppose that makes sense in a way. The death of the Angea is here. Your mother is missing, but here you are. Right here, back in Astana... Why?", Mark questions.

"I…", my words dragged slightly as I weighed the options on how to address his question.

His eyes latched to my own, staring deep within my frame. His fingers twisting his facial hair before he turned to face both of his allies momentarily.

"Vengeance, perhaps?", Mark asks them.

"Likely. She requires strength, so that means that she needs people to keep her alive while she seeks her vengeance on the person behind it. Common side quest, Mark.", Bonner says.

"There must be more than that...Horace. How are you sure that he isn't in league with those that desire the destruction of the Angea House, Claire?"

My eyes widen slightly upon the mention of Horace's name.

'Should I tell them the truth about Horace as well? Surely, I must. They will find me deceitful and possibly abandon me if I do not tell them.'

"Horace... saved my life. He would not have done so if he was with them, correct? In fact, Horace is the one that taught me this magic. Horace is a good, honest man.", I say in his defense.

My words seemed to have prompted the shifting of their eyes, but I stood my ground on that. I actually do not know much about these men. While they may be different from the others within Astana, It would be foolish to trust them fully after a few hours since meeting them. Yes. Trust must be earned, and based off of their reaction to my words, it appears that we share that common sentiment.

"Alright, Claire. This seems dangerous. I am no fool willing to sacrifice my life for someone that I just met. I see no real benefit, but now thanks to you, our identities are known to certain people.", Mark says.

His words confused me slightly. Hiding his identity seemed to be rather important to him, and clearly the certain people referred to Masters Mordred and Percival.

"Certain People?"

"You believe that there is a conspiracy going on, right?", Q asks me.

He steps forward, passing Mark by his shoulder. The taller male turned sideways in order to allow the male to pass him cleanly.

"If the people at the very top of the society are targeted, then those associated with them are also in harm's way. Normally they wouldn't have even bothered looking into our existence, but thanks to you, Mordred and Percivilus.-"

"-Percival.", Mark corrects.

"That's what I said. Percival.", Q responds immediately.

"You said Percivifualus."

"Actually, he said Percivilus.", Bonner jumps in. "Both of you were wrong in this situation. Nice try though Mark. Do better."

"Bonner. What was the name of Percival's assistant?" , Mark asks plainly.

The three men spiraled into their own form of arguing on the spot. I stood there, eyeing the three men as they went back and forth with one another. Mark would boastfully laugh at the ensuing silence of his elven compatriot. There it was again.

"Giran-"

"It was Geraint, Imbecile. You forget who you are talking to. My mind is far superior that of your own. My memory is superior, my intellect is superior. I play 4D chess whilst you remain with the lower beings."

"Elves are more intelligent creatures compared to scatterbrained Kitsunes like yourself, Mark.-"

"Fox demi-human!", Mark yells, pointing towards the male.

His actions were quite erratic in the moment, so much so that it actually caught me off guard. The substance of Bonner's words hit me hard after a moment of reflection. They have said some outlandish lies, but that one is in a different league. My laugh would bring about the silence of the males as they once more looked at me.

No doubt they were awaiting my response on their bickering, but I did not know how to respond. Mark is clearly a fox demi-human, anyone with eyes can tell that. His ears, tail, and generally human-like appearance cries that, but… his actions, his words, they say otherwise.

"A kitsune? That is impossible. That is-"

"Irrelevant.", Q says in response. "More importantly, you got us on Mordred's radar. He knows of us now because of you. How do you intend to address that?"

"Well… I do not see much of an issue with that. He was going to learn of your arrival anyway. You three did cause that disturbance outside the city. You three are pretenders of the Conscripted Forces. Your attire may match, but to an observant eye like Master Mordred, your tendencies contradict your very words. To put it simply to you... the three of you are incredibly suspicious. It would have been a matter of time."

The taller male appeared to press his black frames atop of his snout, and look down at me. His posture shifted as he placed his hand on the shoulder of the shorter Q. His friend seemed to not take offense to the action of the fox demi-human. Normally that would not be the case.

A foxel daring to place his hands upon a human or berate an elf would find themselves reprimanded accordingly. The way that he carries himself as their equal is actually a rarity in this realm.

"I suppose that response has some merit. Though invoking your mother's name is what granted us that audience. You knew that would happen, right?"

I could not prevent my eyes from widening when he uttered those words. I was genuinely surprised that he would be able to piece that together, and I could not stop my expression from showcasing that. My reaction must have been what he was hopping for as the foxel male smirked deviously.

"Tell me, Claire Von Angea or Clarice Von Angea as they know you. I am curious. What were you doing at the gate when we arrived?"

I hesitated in my response, opting to simply stare at the male. Impossible. It would be quite convenient for a person of this foresight to fall onto my lap. There is no way that any normal foxel within the Angea Domain would possess such mental capability.

"You are truly not from here are you?", I responded instead, opting to avoid his question.

"That is a dodge.", Bonner says promptly.

"Exactly. Mark, I don't think she's gonna be honest with us there. Meeting with Mordred, Missing Mothers. I am leaning towards thinking that we shouldn't accept this quest.", Q adds next.

"Quest?", I asked them, tilting my head.

His usage of "quest" to describe our deal was rather strange. My face grew hot at it as he seemed to not be taking my situation seriously. This was not a job from the Adventurer's Guild.

"I assure you, Q. This is no mere quest… This is a sacred mission to save Astana.", I reminded him.

"Sacred mission? That sounds like a quest to me. You will be paying us during the course of this "sacred mission" as pseudo rewards making it a quest by default. You were conveniently at the gate, helped inside the gate, and we met several potential key characters. Now, Mark…Bonner, tell me that this doesn't remind you of your standard quest.", Q says.

I simply couldn't grasp what this man was implying. Sure, the method of meeting them was quite unconventional, but standard quests aren't typically done via a salary. Plus, this was much more than that. This is more important.

"Quest-like.", Bonner states matter-of-factly.

While Bonner was often combative in his tone, on this occasion he spoke in a more reserved tone. His deep voice sent shivers down my spine as he agreed with his friend.

"Well the shoe fits.", the foxel male states.

His phrase threw me a back a bit. What did shoes even have to do in this matter in the first place?

My brow naturally began to frown at the very mention of my desire as a mere quest. I would assume that the foxel male would notice my growing animosity, because he would soon step back in front of the two men. He had this rather strange stance with his left hand resting on his waist and his right index finger pointing to the ceiling in front of him.

"There is more to it than that though.", he says, sternly.

His words seemed to draw me in alongside his strange stance, but I found myself eager to hear what he had to say next. It appeared that his allies shared the same sentiments as myself.

"And what do you mean by that?", I ask him promptly.

"This is just a theory of mine, but I believe that it has some merit. Humor me for a bit. While I do not know where you were coming from, I would assume that you were aiming to meet with some adventures that are not originally from Astana. It was a slim chance, but I bet you were hoping to meet people from this Great Kingdom of Tenumi. People outside of the influence of the Angea Domain."

As the male spoke, I listened to his words as he laid out his theory to us. His raised finger tracing through the air, fencing nothing before ultimately landing in my direction. I jumped slightly when he did so. He paced, covering the same few steps over and over again as he spoke. I found myself mesmerized by his display. Standing there and reviewing the substance of his explanation, my eyes looked over the swaying tail of the tall man.

It was surprisingly correct, but how would he know that? And if he did know, then why would he even ask in the first place? While it was true that I required strength, I do not know who is in league with the ones responsible for attacking me that day, and killing Sylvia. The ones responsible for the disappearance of my mother. I can not just willingly and blindly trust anyone within our domain. From my knowledge anyone can be responsible, so I had hoped with the slim chance that I may encounter someone that was not from here. Someone with strength similar to that of a high class adventurer.

"Well, Mark. You seem to possess some foresight, much more than an average foxel.", I responded in a plain tone.

My eyes latched on to his own following my statement. The foxel male would push up his glasses up the bridge of his nose as if he was celebrating his perceived victory.

"I have no way of knowing how intelligent the foxels are in this region, so I can not confirm or deny it. Though it is logical to assume so."

"I will concede that your theory is correct.. I-I... left Astana in hopes to acquiring help from an old friend of mine... Upon speaking to him, I realized that there was something larger at play."

The men gave me a gaze of intrigue indicating that my words had interested them. Mark would step towards me once again. He had moved his arms behind his back as he traversed the room slowly. The orange tail with its white tip swayed with each step of the man.

"If you really needed strength for this task, then trusting three suspicious strangers would likely be last option on your list. Then again, you really do not have many plays at your disposal."

My eyes narrowed as the furry eared male spoke once more, gathering the attention of both myself and his allies.

"Now what do you mean by that?", I ask him as soon as he finished speaking.

"Needing strength... there is a certain vagueness to that statement. I mean to that goal.", he responds.

"If that is the case, then why not just buy some mercenaries or bodyguards?", Q asks the male.

"That is too risky. Your standard mercenaries have no true loyalty to their patron. Depending on the group, they can simply be bought off by others people. Claire believes that this conspiracy runs from the top. As you know, the top has big money backing them. Therefore aligning herself with standard mercenaries puts her in a dangerous position. Now that we know that you went to a friend outside the city, then that means-"

"Their influence runs deep into other cities as well...", I say, finishing the thought of the demi-human male.

I could feel the confidence of the male bloom out of him once I affirmed his assumptions. He had came to stop from his pacing, and ended up standing in front of his two allies. They watched his closely, seemingly accepting what he had to say. Considering how quickly he was picking up on my situation without much explanation, I could see why he speaks up for them. This foxel man is trusted by the other two for his intelligence.

I had noticed his reaction upon seeing the Arch Captain Vanya Silvers, and realized that they undoubtedly encountered each other. She did not see to recognize Q and Bonner, but her hostility was blatant upon seeing Mark. Their stories were flimsy at best, so I was assuming that they were lying deviants at best. Seeing how they quickly shifted in particular roles upon meeting Master Percival as well was quite impressive as well.

"Since we are figuring each other out, then shall I bring up that you three did not come from some obscure village in the backwoods? You speak on behalf of your collective, a human and an elf with incredible intelligence and confidence. Bonner mentioned to not praise you as something special as you will become arrogant, but we all know that it is too late for that. Your words are that of a noble or a scholar, and I can see the raw deviousness in your eyes. While you hide it well, a mere exchange of words will reveal the truth. You are already pumped dense with pride."

"She got you there, Mark.", Bonner comments, speaking up to seemingly back up my words.

"How about you kiss my black ass, Bonner.", Mark says, clenching his fist at the male.

"Now, Mark, we are in the presence of a woman. No need for such vulgarity."

"What are you, a misogynist?", Mark questioned, pointing towards the elven male.

It appeared that the word that the male used threw the normally collected elf into a frenzy.

"Haha-WH-Hat?! C'mon now, Bud! I got two sisters at home. I wasn't raised to be no misogynist. I respect women. You're the misogynist. Talking down and looking down at her just because she's a woman. People like you make me sick. Not only that, but you're racist too. Uh-huh. I-"

"How am I a racist? If anything I am the victim here.We come here looking for a good time, but lowly fools with pointy ears dare turn their pointy noses up at me? Calling me "Foxkin'' and talking to me as if I am a peasant.-"

"There it is! Why the fools gotta have pointy ears, Mark?"

"Dafuq kind of question is that, Bonner? They're elves. Damn near everyone we have met up to this point has been an elf or a human. Mostly elves, hence the pointy ears."

I could practically sense the animosity building between the two men, but their bickering only served to prove my point even more. An elf and a demi-human bickering as equals. Even though the two men raised their respective tones, Q didn't seem to interfere to break things up. He seemed more amused by the infighting between the other two. He was laughing while he stood behind them.

"Hect Yi Ja Op H fuyty ki-"

"Hect YI?- Hhga Ri KiH-"

Their words then became strange as they seemingly devolved into a language that I had never heard before. It was a jarring experience, but yet I thought it seemed somewhat familiar. These men could speak two different languages, and based on Q's reaction, he too understood what they were saying.

"That language.", I called them.

I could not prevent the look of surprise that crept on my face from revealing itself as I desired to learn more. This settles it, I knew they were strange, but this language was not common within this area. Well, I do not think it is one present within the entirety of Tenumi. I could not wrap my mind around it for the moment, but I stood before them and pointed towards the taller foxel as I gathered their attention.

"Huh? What language? What do you mean?"

The first one to speak was Q, surprisingly enough. Yet, I was again stunned when the male began speaking in the common tongue like before. His own face was just as confused as my own, but my words seemed to have brought their attention back on me for the moment. It was as if they were begging me to answer their friend's question.

I began looking inside myself for the words necessary to ask them about it. The language they spoke, I likely heard something similar to before. Not exactly the same, but their bickering triggered something in my memory.

"That language that those two conversed in… what was it?"