A Shady Offer

Ask? Kies really didn't think so. The elf didn't really ask him to come here for a talk. It was more along the lines of drawing him here by using the leaf as a way to bring out his curiosity and draw him here... But regardless, this wasn't important.

"What do you want to talk about?" Kies asked the elf, sending her leaf back to her with his wind. The elf caught the leaf and squeezed it. When she opened her hand again, it was gone.

"What I want to talk about? I thought it was fairly obvious. But if you really don't know, I'll give you a hint..." The elf put her index finger on her mouth and her thumb on her chin, seemingly in thought. After a second or two, the elf snapped her fingers and said, "You're not human. Even a blind person could tell that." It was true. If anyone saw that fight, the first thing that would've popped in their minds is how abnormal his physical strength is (though it wasn't really his physical strength, but rather the winds aiding him).

"Yes, and?" Kies didn't understand the hint. Was she trying to say that, since neither of them was human, they could use that as a reason to work together or something? "Are you suggesting that we team up?" he skeptically asked the elf.

"Yes. That is exactly what I am trying to ask you."

"And why would I want to accept this?" It had to be a very good offer if she wanted Kies to get on board with her idea, and by a very good offer, he meant that unless it was a fragment of the Stormcaller, he wasn't going to accept.

"That's easy. I know that I don't have what you want, but I do have something that might interest you."

Something that might interest him? That's pretty tempting. "And that is?"

The elf reached into her coat and pulled out something. "This."

Kies raised an eyebrow. "What exactly is that supposed to be?" He didn't recognize the item in the elf's hands.

"Sorry. Give me a second." The elf channeled her magic into the item and it began to glow. An outline of something appeared on it.

"You... How do you have that!?"

***

Iris, Wompa, and Sirks finished eating lunch/dinner and were on their way back to the inn. Iris wanted to take a couple of requests from the mercenary's guild as there was still time left in the day, but Sirks was against the idea and told the two girls that it was better if they just went home instead. Nell wanted to chat with them some more but remembered that she had some urgent matters to take care of and left.

"Ahh... I'm full," Iris happily patted her stomach.

"Glad you're happy... Eating food that you didn't earn."

"Hey!" Iris tried to kick Sirks but he moved back and dodged it.

"It's true. You did nothing but watch hoodie as he took out the entire competition."

"Hmph, I'm not the only one that did nothing," Iris pouted while looking at her sister. Wompa didn't do anything either and just stood still while Sirks did all the work.

"She didn't eat nearly as much as you." Wompa only ate a modest amount while Iris ate like she won the entire tournament. "Also, I really don't understand how you don't get fat when you eat like that..." he mumbled.

"It's called a maiden's magic. The food goes to my beauty, not my body," Iris overheard Sirks' mumbling and said.

"Maiden's magic my a*s. It's definitely your d*mn genes. If only I was born..." Sirks was about to go on a ramble but stopped himself before he could and just sighed instead. "Anyway, where is hoodie? Shouldn't he be back by now?" Sirks asked out loud. Kies had been missing for a while now and they have no clue where he could possibly be. He somehow knew where to find them wherever they were, but they had no way of finding where he was.

"Yeah, where is he?" Iris was also worried about him. Well, not that 'worried,' worried. She wasn't worried in the sense that he might get kidnapped or killed. He was far too powerful for that to happen to him. But what she was worried about is that he might leave them. They had no idea what his intentions were. Other than the Windstone, they didn't know what he wanted, and for all they know, Kies could just ditch them at any moment without so much as a heads-up.

"Ah, no matter. He'll come back soon enough," Sirks said in a confident tone like he was sure that Kies would come back when in reality there was the chance that he may not. Iris didn't know where he got that confidence from.

"I guess." Iris pulled out the Windstone and looked at it. This was the item that was keeping him from leaving... Or so, that was what she believed. She didn't know how much this thing was worth to him, but it was valuable enough that he was willing to help them and risk fighting the entire Otanian army just to obtain it. If he was willing to do that for them, or rather, for the stone, then it had to be important to him. As for why he wanted the stone, Iris had no clue about it.

All she knew is the stone was capable of converting fire magic into wind magic. Perhaps there was more to this stone... "Sirks, do you remember when we got this?" She held the stone out for the ex-soldier.

"That? How should I know? Didn't you always have that thing on you?"

"No, of course not." Iris forgot when she found this necklace. It had been so long since she had it. "Wompa?" she turned to her sister for clues, but she also shook her head, telling her that she didn't know the answer either. "Ugh..."

"But for your information, I believe that the stone might've come from that old shrine we uncovered a few years back," Sirks told her, recounting where the stone came from. "Maybe that can help you remember when and how you got that thing."

"No... I still don't remember. I think someone might have given it to me, actually..."

"Someone would give you something that valuable?" Sirks questioned the validity of that statement. Iris was very irresponsible and the thought of there being someone who trusted her enough to safe keep a treasure like that was unbelievable.

"Anyway," Iris ignored Sirks' rude remark and asked if they knew anything about the stone. "Does this do anything else other than letting the wearer use wind magic?"

"If you don't know, then how do you expect us to know?" Sirks asked back. "It's not like we're the ones using that thing. You should know more than us regarding what that thing can do."

"Oh..." Sirks had a point.

"Anyway, enough questions. Put that thing away. You're drawing attention." Sirks took the Windstone and threw it back underneath her shirt. "If you really want to know what that thing does, you probably have to ask hoodie. He seems to know something about it that we don't know. Though, I highly doubt that he will tell you."

"What do you mean by doubt? He definitely won't," Iris corrected her. He wouldn't even tell them something as basic as his name, and he was expecting him to tell them something about the Windstone which he wanted from them? If anything, he'll keep what he knows about the Windstone a secret so that Iris wouldn't change her mind about giving it to him in exchange for helping her.

"Yeah, that's not my problem. You were the one that made the deal with him. If that thing turns out to be a legendary treasure capable of destroying the world, don't come crying to me when you give it to him."

"Hmph... You're really unhelpful, you know that."

"Yes, I know. Also, we're back. Go upstairs and take a rest. I'll need to run some errands." Sirks guided the two sisters to their room and closed the door behind them and then left.

Iris went over to the window and watched Sirks walk away. "Where do you think he's going?" she asked her sister. Wompa shrugged her shoulders.

---

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