Request

Hilda Verglas had departed to her tent after having discussed at length about magic with the Renegade. She felt ecstatic about her discovery of a specialized Magus. She stripped herself of her equipment and tossed it on her cot. Her cloak and clothing remained as Hilda sat down at her folding desk with a pencil and paper.

She started scratching Grimm, the footing book with the gorgeous blue eye that seemed to show some form of intelligence. She wanted to know more about the book and more about the man behind it. She started to sketch away at the paper, drawing the image in her head of the things she had seen of him. The white knights, the floating book, and the man himself with his shadowed cowl covering his face.

It wasn't that she was in love with the man, but excited to have someone to discuss magic with. For the Faction she was a part of did have other magicians, but the fact she not a holy caster made it harder for her to remain in the Radiant Dawn Faction. Other mages would usually be picked for their ability to cast holy magic, but Hilda had to work hard to earn her spot. Although it was mainly cause her brother had been part of the Table of Eight.

The Table of Eight were the main group that founded the Radiant Dawn 20 years ago. Each member had powers of that of a high Alpha Tier. Although some had risen from the bottom of the barrel and obtained power to match that of their higher-ups. But Hilda only wanted learn more about magic and document her studies for future generations. However, there was a job she had to do.

Setting the pencil down, she scooted back out from her desk as she brushed her gown. Hilda stood up and walked towards the entrance of her tent and was about to walk out when she stopped to see a shadow having appeared on the other side of the tent. She stood still and silent not knowing how long this shadow was there, but as her heart started to race she heard someone clear their throat.

"Erhm, may I come in?" It sounded like Urik, when she peeled the entrance back she saw the tall man standing there. She unknowingly held her breath and released it with a sigh of relief.

"Oh why yes... please come in Captain." Urik stepped inside and bowed his head apologizing for the scare. "Nonsense, it's just late at night and I was in deep thought. I just so happened to mean to step out when I saw you standing at my front door." Urik rubbed the back of his head as she turned around and poured a cup of hot tea.

Having accepted the tea Urik closed his eyes, "I've come to ask for a favor," he paused which made Hilda look at him confused. "I don't ask this unless I know you can do it, but would you be able to help sway the Renegade's decision to join us?" Hilda nearly dropped her cup as it suddenly grew cold and heavy. Looking down she had frozen the hot tea in her cup and cracks were formed which then were filled with ice.

Hilda began to stumble over her words, "y-you want-t me me to try and-d convince t-them to st-st-stay with us?" She couldn't have asked for a better opportunity to learn more from the Renegade, but Urik wasn't finished.

"I want you to also figure out his identity, however you can. We have about a week before we have enough supplies and to secure a way home. If we manage to defeat the boss of the Rift." Hilda looked down at her cup and set it down in a bowl for when it would eventually thaw out. She sat down and thought about the request.

"If I do this, there is a chance that I may follow him. For he has offered to shard his magical prowess with me while walked back to base." Urik was surprised, he didn't expect that as a response or even a possibility. "I don't intend to just jump at the offer, but it was convincing and it would further my goals."

Urik now had to try to convince her to stay, "But what about climbing the ladder? What about getting stronger?" That's when he saw her shake her head.

"Captain, I don't care for getting stronger. I care for my research and my magic to be read about down the line." She held onto a journal she kept with her. "It has been my dream to teach fellow mages that share my ability. It doesn't grow like your holy priests and your warriors."

Urik laid back in the chair thinking about how he could potentially lose someone from his unit to the Renegade. But Hilda smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. A little reassurance that she still cared for her squad, her friends, a family she got to have and struggle with. She didn't think her decision to go with the Renegade would happen, but she wanted to be prepared if it did come to it.

"May God go with you and my prayers for your safety follow you." Urik said, as a little golden light went from his hands to hers. A small blessing he could offer as a protective spell was cast on her. She didn't know what it was, but he had cast a spell to protect from influencing powers or charming effects.

With that she allowed Urik to leave, as his smile was covered by the tent flap. She slumped on her bed and laid in it covering her face with her forearm. Hilda peeked at the top of the tent and sighed. She got up and walked out the tent and traveled to the last spot she saw the Renegade. Hoping to find the man she was meant to convince to stay.

As she approached the tree that was just outside the base, she saw what looked like a giant root curled around the base of the tree. When she got closer she could see that it was actually the wyvern she had seen earlier as it was resting next to the cowled man. The creature's head in the Renegade's lap as he brushed it gently on its head. The sound of the creature breathing as if it was purring like a house cat.

She pulled out her journal and started to sketch a rough look of the scene she saw before she heard the man speak. "Step forward, what do you require from me?" His voice overlapped like a machine talking over itself a couple times. Hilda closed her book and slowly approached from the front as she saw the beast sleeping on his lap. While the Renegade looked at her carefully.

"Um, well," struggling to get her words out she felt like she was going to burst. "Could we, um, discuss more about..." He raised a hand causing her to go silent. Then he waved his hand as roots from the ground burst forth and wove together to form a chain.

"Please sit," he said as she watched the chair form. She was quiet amazed by his prowess over magic but more so as this wasn't a common power amongst humans. Manipulation of living organisms like plants was rare and not seen often. Mostly used for growing plants and herbal medicines from seeds recovered from other Rifts.

"I am guessing you wished to discuss more about magic even at this hour?" She says down and nodded pulling out her journal again. The page that had the rough sketch was flipped to the other side as something she would return to. She began hitting down information on the man's magic. He let out a gentle sigh and then asked, "What is it you wish to know now?"

She tapped her pencil to her chin, "What beast did you defeat to learn your magic?" He didn't respond at first, but eventually said it was a high tier beast. She probed more for information regarding the information, but nothing came of it. Continuing to ask questions as to what his hobbies were, if he had family, or what else the man could do with his ability to summon creatures.

He stared at her a bit, which caused her whole body to shudder as if she had a ghost walk through her. The questions were met with resistance as she continued to ask, but she did manage to get some stuff from him. She found out that he liked to train, seemed pretty obvious, as well as draw. He recalled his last sketch was of a bird back on earth, but that was back when he was school. He didn't say anything about family and said that the Renegade had more summons to call from but didn't need to for right now.

Hilda was interested in his art skills as she too was an artist as she had been sketching him and the wyvern while taking notes about his life and magic knowledge. She offered him a blank page and asked for him to draw something. His head turned to book and pencil as he stared at it for a moment.

"Please, I want to see something only you have seen." He hesitantly took the book with his right hand. As he did so, the sound of metal clanging together rattled around his arm. She managed to catch a glimpse of something but was soon covered up by his cloak. She swore she didn't imagine it but it sounded like he had something on his arm that he was hiding.

"You know, it's kind of hard to keep writing Renegade on my notes when you tell me about magic. So how I just call you Ren for short?" Ren, the man she decided to call looked at her and scoffed.

"I wouldn't do that though, someday soon I think everyone will know who I am. But," he paused as he started to draw. Hilda inched closer, trying to see what he was drawing and to question what he was going to say.

"But what?" She asked, leaning over the wyvern's head and his shoulder.

He looked at her as she sat away looking up at the night sky. As if not doing anything and had adjusted herself to sit on the side of her legs. Then it began to rain, which the wyvern opened a orange colored eye and lifted its wing to cover Ren from the rain. Hilda looked the sight then huffed as he leaned out and gestured for her to come in. She walked around the wyvern's head and sat down next to Ren.

She found that he was actually slightly taller than she was. By like only a couple centimeters in height as she sat next to him. But as she looked down, she saw the thing Ren was drawing. What it looked like was almost like a horrifying image of a man on the ground with a dark smudge with an evil face leaving the body.

"What is this supposed to mean?" Hilda asked, but Ren just leaned his head against the tree. As she continued to look at it, it almost looked as if the man on the ground had a smile on his face. Ever so faint was the smile and a tear on the corner of his eye.

"It's something I've seen, first hand, and I don't want it repeated again. This is why I chose to get stronger and fight the darkness that dwells in the deepest pits of Chaos." Ren started to pet the wyvern, "Something I will have to face in the future, what we all will have to face." To Hilda his words were heavy and sad, like someone had just lost a good friend or loved one.

"Was he important to you?" Ren shook his head before letting out a collected sigh.

"No, but, he was important to a lot of people. And the one who allowed me to be who I am now." With that he stood up and the wyvern also started to lift itself from the ground. He offered her his hand and helped Hilda to her feet. "We should get back before the rain draws more negative emotions from me."

Hilda couldn't help but feel awful and sad for him. But she nodded and collected her things and noticed something folded in her book. But didn't want to draw attention to it she put the book in her satchel and watched as Ren had shown a new summon. A darkened mass rose from his shoulder and started to form a sort of umbrella to allow the two to walk.

What she noticed was that his cowl seemed to be less clouded and she could see just barely inside the cowl. What she saw was the glimpse of what looked like grey hair. When he walked Hilda back to her tent she noticed that he knew exactly where to go. She found it strange that he knew where to go, but didn't question it.

The sound of thunder and the rain getting heavier she turned and looked at Ren. "Um, you sure you won't get sick being out here by yourself? You can stay in my tent if you-" but Ren raised his hand and shook his head.

"I am sorry, I'd have to decline your offer. Do not worry, I will make do with what I have." With that he turned and walked away, the cowl returning to full strength as the shadow fell back into his armor. As she watched Ren walk away, she knew what she had to do.

"I will have to do some searching but, only after we deal with this boss. I don't think it'd be right for me to steal your dream of getting stronger to protect people away from you." The desire to protect Ren's identity was something born from curiosity and realization. She felt a common bond between them as they both have had it rough growing in the new world. Hilda wanted to help him with what he needed but not out of pity. But out of curiosity and her own interests of possible stories and research he could lead her to in the end.

"Ren, you seem to have a good heart, something not many of your kind have. Stay strong, you will have my support if we make it through this fight in the next week." She looked down at the journal and stashed it in her nightstand. Crawling into bed after throwing her sleepwear on Hilda closed her eyes and slowly drifted to sleep. As the rain and thunder rumbled throughout the Rift.

However, as she slept, someone came into her tent and dug through her nightstand and proceeded to pilfer her journal. The person escaped quietly and left the scene as everyone slept through the night. Hilda was sound asleep as she dreamed pleasantly. When she would wake in the morning, Hilda would find that her journal went missing and had reported it to Urik. To which he did a search of the whole camp and found nothing, leading him to question the Renegade.