Stories and power

" You realise what we just did, right?" Glia said as she sat down.

" I am aware." Isadora nodded lesving the woman next to her nod in silence, as if digesting the information or in contemplation. Isadora noticed the hints of unease on her face, small signs of trepidation and anxiety. 

" Do you regret having a hand in what we just did?" Isadora posed the question neutrally, in a flat, unjudging tone. It was phrased to invite a response. Glia looked taken aback. Her mouth opened as if to respond then fell into silent into deep thought.

At moments, she would look behind her to the figure of her companions who sat laughing rowdily around the brat and let out small signs, pursing her lips and gritting her teeth. Her eyes were the most telltale sign of her answer.

" A little." Glia confessed.

" The bandits won't let us off easy with what we've done. The fact that an illegal organization of such size exists outside the domain of the Bureau is…" She shook her head while letting out a sign of disbelief. " It is unimaginable. They must have connections people in Agravoss's government. " 

" Oh…I'm sorry for dumping my worries on you I-"

Isadora waved her arms. " It is fine by me. Feel free to continue."

Isadora let slip a pained smile.

" Im thankful to hear that but… oh god who would want to hire a mercenary that increases their chances of being killed?" Glia lamented.

After a moment of silence, Isadora suggested" Why not just keep silent about it then?" But Glia shook her head vigorously.

" Maybe it is because you are human so you wouldn't understand. But as a demon, I can't defile the contracts I sign like that. Such a thing is file and dishonourable to the extreme." 

Isadora kept her stony silence as she listened to the girl talk. It was indeed problematic. So much so that Isadora almost felt sorry for her. However, the fact remained that she herself had gotten involved in that fight of her own volition. Every gain had its price as did every action, have its consequences. 

This was but one of them. 

' Perhaps I should comfort her somewhat.' Isadora thought as she observed the girl carefully.' It would never hurt me to have another connection.'

' A demon burdened with companionship. That's quite strang-…rare. Or is she simply looking out for herself? Nevertheless, I might need her help if our stay in Agravoss drags out.'

" Rats." Isadora said, startling her companion a little. 

" Rats?" Glia repeated.

" Yes, Rats. We humans don't particularly like these critters. They are quite annoying, especially when one of them gets into your pantry. They are thieves and are extremely skilled ones. They will come in the night and and feast. By the morning they'd be gone." 

" But here's the thing about rats. They are selfish. That is not to say they can't come in packs, but in most houses, you tend to find them acting alone. And they are smart too." Isadora emphasised. " Most importantly, they won't show themselves unless the slice of cheese that you've put up is big enough. Corrupt officials are not unlike rats."

Glia's eyes widened as she caught on. 

" You can just live your life as usual and nothing might just happen." Isadora mused. " The rats won't show their faces that easily for just two henchmen and the pride of a bandit."

Isadora paused as she turned to Glia to look into her eyes. " I hear demons are…viciously competitive." She smiled. " If there is indeed someone funding these bandits, then they must skilled and discrete to avoid detection from their rivals."

"… I sure hope so." Glia murmured. Although still glum, she looked somewhat enlivened.

Glia took in a deep breath and exhaled quickly, perking up. " Thank you Mrs…er.." Her lively demeanour gave way to an awkward smile as she paused. " I'm…really sorry I.."

" There's no need to be sorry. I don't remember giving you my name. That was rude of me." Isadora extended a hand. " Isadora. A mage." She introduced herself.

The kind girl smiled back and grasped her hand. 

" I am Glia. A vanguard, swordsman." She said in return. After letting go of her hand, the girl asked another question. 

" You said that you were a mage right? Did you come from Limia?" 

Pushing out the creases in her robe, she adjusted her sitting position to a more comfortable one whilst taking the time to contemplate is she should answer or dodge the question.

" I did. Limia is my home country."

" Why don't you work in Limia? I heard that mages are valued there greatly."

Isadora laughed at the girl's innocent question. " That is exactly why I left." 

Isadora decided to explain a little further, seeing the girl's perplexed expression.

" Have you ever been to Limia before, Glia?" She asked. 

She replied slowly, as if trying to remember. "Once…I think. It was a short mission. We didn't stay around for very long." 

" Ah. Then it wouldn't be strange that you would miss out on a lot of our ' culture'." Isadora smirked. 

" What do you mean?"

Isadora paused, finding an apt reply. " There is a legend in Limia, and every child knows it well. It is a little long, but would you like to hear it?" She asked.

" Yes!" The girl nodded vigorously, eyes shining. 

" Alright. Let's go from the beginning then. A long time ago, there were a pair of children, a boy and a girl. They were siblings, and they were born in a small town on the seaside of a small county. Everyday, the children would go out and play and by night, they would return to cuddle at the warm hearth with their parents and listen to stories. The children did everything together. They ate together, slept together, bathed in their parent's love together. They loved each other greatly."

" One night, the girl couldn't sleep and so she went out of the house to feel the sea breeze by herself. She called to the sea, and the sea responded to her call by calling forth waves and gale to play with her. And that night before the sun rose, the girl was given a small present by the sea. It whispered in her ears a single word that allowed her to call forth the ocean to be her power. She was given a primordial gift that no one knew the limits of and she became something, beyond human." 

Isadora looked over her shoulder to see the Glia's bright eyes become diminished, evident in the still luminous light of the desert sun that was falling gradually from its peak. 

" You seem to know how this story goes." Isadora noted.

" A old lady told it to me once. On one of our missions." Her voice was melancholic and sad. " I didn't know it came from Limia though." 

" Maybe you can tell me how the story goes then?" Isadora offered. 

" As the siblings grew up, the brother feared his sister and eventually moved away. Driven mad by her power, she was haughty and arrogant and vain." Glia recounted. " Things only worsened when she grew up. No man stood a match for her. Not with her god-given strength. Yet because of her strength, she felt like she deserved more. She wanted more. And so it was then that she lay siege, single-handedly to the kingdom of Limia. She wanted to prove that she was beyond the control of mortals. That she was a deity, a chosen apostle of the ancient seas whose wrath could not be stopped by human hands."

" At this time, her brother was working in kingdom of Limia as a mage. He was the country's strongest and most skilled. Driven by his sense of duty to stop his sister, he was sent to face her in a duel. The country's finest smiths crafted him the finest armour, woven from mana. The finest blades, hammered and created from mana threads to be stronger than any iron.. and then… umm."

Seeing that she was having trouble, Isadora added.

" And they crafted for him a staff to wield that was meant to give him powers to rival a god. Brother and sister clashed under the gaze of the humans and heavens. The affects of the blows traded were allegedly so big that the earth began to float. With each of their attacks eventually crushing the earth to bits, life in a hundred kilometres vanished. Human magic and godlike power collided. And with his magic, the brother managed to inflict a fatal wound on his sister at the cost of one of his arms and an eye."

" He would later walk the desert that had formed, back to the city of Limia and be eventually crowned a saint, then a king." Glia finished. 

" You know the story well." Isadora remarked. " I suppose you can see now why magic is so revered?" 

" It is the power to rival gods, or so the Limians would have us believe." Isadora snorted. She found it utterly and hilariously ridiculous. " It's because od these stories that mages in Limia are so vain and narrow minded. Magic this, magic that. It's intoxicating." 

" You don't believe that?" Glia asked. " Your magic was more than impressive. I've honestly never seen such powerful magic in my life. 

" That's because I plainly like magic, is all. I am nothing special." Isadora waved her hand dismissively before suddenly standing up. 

" Ah… " she said, putting a hand to her eyes as she looked to the distance. " It looks like we're almost back. Another two hours and it's a bowl of hot soup and my darn paycheck." She joked humourously, getting giggle from the kind girl who had listen to her rant.

Isadora then remembered something important and turned around " RUMIUS! Get over here!" She yelled.