Confrontation

Aisha stretched her arms, running down the streets to her next contract. She was free of that fool and his ridiculous, unfounded dreams, of magically becoming some sort of hero, without any training.

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She had no doubt that he would be taking a long, long break from contracts. He might quit altogether. She could tell that he blamed himself entirely for the big guy's death.

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It was a shame though, she had liked the quiet guy the best. What a shame that he was friends with that loser.

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Mmmmmm… she would also have to find another woman to cuddle with. She doubted Elza would be in the mood.

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Aisha looked down at the little contract in her hand. Her first (real) gold contract… she had no doubt that she could kill a weak hume, or even a decently strong hume. She clutched her head in pain. Thinking about that time, with that man… she didn't like to think about it.

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At any rate, killing a strong monster would be much different. She had yet to fight anything bigger than her. Well, a non-hume that was bigger than her. Most humes were... taller than her. She would have wished she was taller… but mistress thought that her short stature was cute, so she wouldn't trade it for the world.

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Aisha arrived at the location of the contract. She recognized it as the leatherworking shop she had scouted out the first day in the town. She stepped into the shop, where a middle-aged man swept the floors with a plastic broom.

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"Are you the client?"

"Most likely."

"I'm here for the job."

"You're going to have to be a lot more specific than that! I've put up a lot of contracts!"

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Aisha showed him the contract she had picked out.

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"Ah! That one! It's been a long time since I've put that one up!"

"Why do you need me to kill…" Aisha squinted at the piece of paper. "a were?"

"I want to work with its leather. I want to make armor out of all the things in the desert! The garudas, the rexes! But nobody wants to take the contracts!" He cried in despair.

"I put up contracts for all of them! But apparently, killing a rex is too high of a contract for a town with only 50 residents!"

"Why don't you move to somewhere with more people?"

"Bah. Moving's too dangerous with all the bandits wandering around."

"Why don't you contract an escort?"

"Everyone's contracting an escort. Nobody wants to take the contracts, though, knowing that there are bandits everywhere. Soldiers don't do anything. Too busy off in the Sakura empire, fighting dogs or whatever.

…

…

Hey, you're a dog!"

"Sure."

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He scrunched up his face, as if he was making the hardest decision of his life. He probably was, Aisha presumed.

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"mmmmmmmmmmmmmMMMMMMMMMMMM AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

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Fine! I will… accept help from a dog. Just don't… eat the pelt or something."

"Ok."

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Aisha left the racist leatherworker's shop, making her way to the desert. What a weird guy. He was funny though, in a kind of sad way.

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Aisha squinted at the small little orange and black splotch in the distance. From what she had gathered, weres looked just like wolves… but were huge and stood on two legs. But she couldn't exactly tell from so far away...

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She sighed. It was time to test a theory. She retrieved the four other emerald amulets she had bought from the guild store. After she had put the first one on, her eyesight had not gotten any noticeably clearer, but she noticed that she could focus on things farther away much better. If the eyesight bonus stacked, then she could… see a good use for the stupid purchase she had made. If not, she would probably just bury them in the sand or something.

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She slid on all five amulets, and then squinted at the blotch in the distance. It was still a blotch.

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Aisha sighed. It was worth a shot. She threw the amulets into the sand.

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Actually… She might as well keep them. She didn't want to waste the coins.

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Aisha crouched along the edge of the cliff, absentmindedly dusting off the sand from the glimmering green jewel.

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Aisha looked at the hulking, 10 foot tall monstrosity that napped in the distance. She supposed that the definition that she got was technically correct, but the contractor failed to mention how… muscular the creature was. It looked like… if an incredibly buff man had a wolf head and fur, covering his entire body, and was ten feet tall. She had no doubt, that even though she was incredibly strong from Xelos's training, the thing would easily snap her neck with a single hit. Next to the monster was a large, jagged looking black rock, easily the size of a full hume. Aisha assumed that it was the monster's weapon. Looking closer… it had a loincloth on. It was… intelligent?

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She backed up a little bit, looking around. She should… take advantage of its napping state, and clear the area. She looked around for a long stretch of somewhat flat land that she could run in. It also wouldn't hurt to get rid of some of these wolves running around...

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Aisha threw another wolf onto the massive pile of corpses, that were quickly beginning to turn rancid. She scrunched her nose at the smell. Ugh. She was all bloody too, since she couldn't risk waking up the were with her incredibly loud crossbow.

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Speaking of which… it was starting to stir. Aisha went onto a knee, steadied the crossbow, and lined up her eye with the sight, closing her right eye. She lined up the crossbow, and pulled the release trigger.

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"CRACK!"

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"GROAAGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

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Aisha didn't guess it was that easy. She had been on target, taking out one of the were's eyes, but the bolt had not killed the monster, not piercing deep enough. It let out a deep, terrifying scream, that shook the valley around it, rocks cascading down the sides of the cliffs around her.

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Aisha stopped in the middle of reloading her crossbow, diving to the side, avoiding a massive, green crescent of magic that came at her like a bullet. She looked behind her, at the incredibly deep gash it had left in the cliff face behind her. Tanking one of those was not an option, it would cut her in half easily. She cursed, stashing away the bolt she held in her hand, and retreated backwards, cursing as another wave of magic narrowly missed her side. She looked back at the behemoth, that was now brandishing the jagged black blade in its hand. It grabbed the bolt that Aisha had lodged in its eye and pulled it out, roaring in pain and clutching its head with its free hand.

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Aisha swiftly beat a retreat, looking back over her shoulder at the beast chasing her. It was slow, thank gods, it's massive frame encumbering its movements. She easily sidestepped a wave of magic that came her way, having put a bit of distance between them.

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Aisha crouched down again, loading another bolt into her crossbow, and then moving again, dodging another slash. She took aim quickly, and fired again.

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She was a little off target, even with the accuracy amulet, and hit the were in the side of the head instead of its other eye. The bolt bounced off the were's skin, skidding into the sand.

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(That's some hard skin, damn. No wonder that guy wanted to make armor out of it.)

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The were roared again, its voice echoing through the canyon and shaking the ground, raising its sword. After a few seconds, the were looked around with its good eye, looking side to side, confused. It then roared again.

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(It's trying to call allies… tough luck friend, they aren't coming.)

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Aisha took advantage of the were's confusion and loaded another bolt in, steadying herself this time on the sand, burying herself slightly into the dunes.

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The bolt hit its mark this time, lodging itself into the were's other eye. The monster screamed in pain, thrashing around and throwing green waves of magic everywhere, that were easily dodged. Its mouth gnashed open and closed, mana spewing out of the opening, cutting deep lines into the sand that were quickly filled with more sand. It charged forward in a rage, but caught on the root of a desert bush, stumbling. It caught itself, continuing to run forward.

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Aisha laid low behind a rock, waiting for the monster's outburst to stop. Eventually, it tired itself out, laying facedown on the sand.

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Whimpers and howls of pain could be heard throughout the canyon, accompanied by the crack of crossbow limbs, as Aisha fired bolt after bolt into the creature's head, slowly but surely killing the blinded monster from a distance.

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(Ugh. This is taking forever! My arms are starting to get tired.)

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Aisha noticed that the creature's ears were twitching, moving up and down in a pattern… she recognized the motion.

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Back in the feywood, Aisha had learned that the others around her could speak to each other… through a connection that they had with the forest, with the magics that circulated within. They would use it to talk behind her back, and they tried hard to hide it from her. But she quickly learned that the twitch of their ears usually meant that they were using that connection.

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It was trying to communicate with her. It really was intelligent.

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What a shame, that Aisha couldn't hear it.

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She fired another bolt into the creature's head, contacting another bolt and driving it further into the creature's skull, piercing it's brain and finally ending its suffering. It laid there, limp, unmoving. Aisha put one more bolt into the were, just to make sure that it was dead. It's head moved from the force of the impact, but… it was dead.

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Aisha grunted, trying to saw through the creature's neck vigorously with her shortsword.

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(What the hell? This shit is harder than actually killing it was!)

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Aisha tried dragging the body. She couldn't. It was far too heavy, even with her enhanced strength. She scratched her head, frustrated. She had already killed the thing, but she was stuck here?! Trying to skin it?? She held her sword up to the sun. Masterpiece, her ass. Couldn't even cut through the hide.

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She caught a glint of black a couple feet away from her. It was the thing's sword… maybe...

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Aisha grunted, lifting up the massive obsidian sword with both hands. She lifted it up, and jumped, landing and driving the sword as deep as she could into the monster's neck, putting all of her weight into the motion.

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The were's head came clean off. It worked!

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She looked at the sword with curiosity. Looking at it… It was actually a really dull sword. It was just a sharpened rock, after all. But looking closer at it… she could see a faint green light. Looking even closer, there were faint wisps of green mana, emitting from the sword. It was infused… with some sort of cutting essence. The monster's own mana… infused into the sword.

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She watched as the last of the green magic faded away into the dry winds, running her fingers over the blade and feeling the wispy energy wrap around her fingers. It felt like… a cool breeze, despite being in the middle of a desert canyon.

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Aisha shook her head and continued skinning the monster, before the last of the magic in the sword faded.

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"You're back! I didn't think you'd be coming back! Well, I hoped you wouldn't be coming back."

"What?"

"The last guy who took this contract never… uh… came back. Probably chickened out. I think I saw him at the guild when I went to put the contract back up."

"...Ok."

"So, I guess you're here to cancel the contract. Just give me the paper, it'll save me some time."

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Aisha threw the pelt onto his desk, splintering the wood from the weight of the massive thing. His eyes widened in awe.

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"You… actually got it! That's amazing! I can't believe it!"

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He ran his hand over the leather. Incredibly tough, yet still flexible… and dense with the powerful wind mana of the beast…

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"Hey, can I get paid?"

"Huh? Oh, of course, of course... "

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He absentmindedly fished for a couple coins, throwing them at Aisha. She grimaced as the little coins landed on her face, falling into her shirt and onto the ground. She grumbled, picking up all the coins, while the leatherworker struggled to hold up the pelt and admire it.

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Aisha finished picking up the coins and left, jogging swiftly over to the guild hall. If she was fast, she might be able to complete another contract.

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She slowed down, as she recognized a figure waiting outside the hall. It was the annoying guy... What was his name?..

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Aisha decided she didn't care.

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Calen stopped her as she passed by, placing his hand on her shoulder. She looked down at the hand, and then at Calen, who had a dark expression on his face.

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"Hey." He spoke, quietly.

"...?"

"I bumped into Yharon earlier."

"Ok."

"He told me something. About you."

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Aisha swore internally. She knew that stupid trader would crack.

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"Before I say anything… do you want to confess?"

"Sounds like you already know what you need to know."

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"... Why'd you do it? Why'd you let him die? I thought... we were friends." Calen asked, his voice cracking.

"You clearly thought wrong."

"I thought… you wanted to get to platinum… and I wanted to too."

"That's correct."

"Then why??" He demanded. "Why didn't you tell us??"

"I have no obligation to you. You forced me to join your stupid 'party.'"

"I thought… you liked us." Calen said in despair. "You..."

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"No. You're all losers. I could tell immediately. You have big dreams, but... only that."

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Calen looked at Aisha's face with desperation, but he only saw… contempt. He sighed. She really… believed all of that. She really… let Jorral die, just out of… an inconvenience. That's all they were to her. An inconvenience. He saw no empathy, no compassion. Only a cold stare.

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She was a monster. A monster disguised in the skin of a cute girl. He balled his fists tightly.

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"I know… even if I was to try and get revenge here, I probably couldn't… beat you."

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"Well, you have one thing correct."

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Calen grit his teeth.

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"I can't beat you… but I'm going to make sure you're not going to adventure again. I'm going to make sure that nobody else goes the way of Jorral."

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That put Aisha on alert. What a petty bastard. If he got her license revoked… she would have nothing to do. Adventuring was the only job she was cut out for. Her mind went into overdrive, as Calen turned to go into the guild hall.

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"Wait." Aisha said.

"I've got nothing more to say to yo-"

"...You'll never hear his last words."

"What?"

"His last words. He-"

"Tell me! What did he say?!" Calen demanded.

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"I don't know. I wasn't there. I did see him when he took the fatal hit though! He was scared, and he begged for his life. He said something about his family. I left before he could finish, though."

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"...Fuck you. Fuck you. Do you even… remember his name?"

"Bill?"

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Calen screamed in torment, rushing forward and swinging his fist wildly as Aisha's head. She easily dodged the hit, casually tilting her head to the side.

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Aisha drove her hand through Calen's neck, blood splashing over her face and chest. She watched as Calen collapsed, grasping at his neck and gasping for air. He collapsed, going into shock.

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Aisha watched as the light drained from Calen's shocked and angry expression, blood flowing freely from his neck into the ground. She wiped her bloody hand on his shirt, as Miiha and Fenix rushed outside, along with a few adventurers she had never seen. People on the streets around them started to gather, attracted by Calen's scream. They looked at his dead body with horror.

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"What the hell happened here!?" Fenix demanded.

"He attacked me. He said that it was my fault that his friend died. I have no idea what he was talking about." Aisha replied, coolly.

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"I don't believe that dog. I bet she killed him in cold blood." Someone muttered in the crowd.

"Yeah! Calen's a good guy! There's no way he would have attacked her, even if she is a dog!"

"Calen helped me do my taxes!"

"That dog killed him! She should be hanged!"

"Yeah! Hang the dog!"

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Miiha turned around frantically, the murmurs around her turning into cries for justice. She knew Aisha. She wouldn't have killed Calen for no reason. But the rest of the people in the small town didn't know her.

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"Stop." Fenix said, loudly. Miiha's eyes widened. She didn't expect Fenix to come to Aisha's aid.

"What are you talking about, Fenix!? Didn't you teach Calen all he knows?? That bitch needs to-"

"I know this one. She wouldn't do this, unless he gave her good reason."

"...Fine! Leave her to the courts." Came a voice in the crowd.

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Miiha felt dread creep into her heart. The "court" in this place was nothing more than a glorified execution ground, notorious for sending demi-humes directly to hang. She had to stop them! She looked around frantically, searching for anything to help her friend.

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"Oh dear. What's happening here?" Sounded a mature, female voice, muffled slightly by the sound of a full helmet.

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The voice was accompanied by the sound of the clanking and jingling of metal armor. Instantly, the crowd began to scatter, some people kneeling, others bowing.

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Aisha looked up, to see a woman in incredibly ornate, blue-tinted armor, holding a metal fan and a long, curved sword on her hip. She walked with grace, slowly making her way to Aisha, who was squatting over Calen's body, her arms slacked lazily. Her ears twitched at the whispers around her.

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"It's Vayne! What's she doing here?"

"Here to save the dog, probably. Damn judges."

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The woman took off her helmet, revealing a weathered, scarred face with shoulder-length, white hair. She looked down at Aisha with stormy grey eyes, absentmindedly fanning herself, trying to read Aisha's face.

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"Aren't you adorable. What happened here?"

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Aisha opened her mouth, but someone in the crowd interrupted.

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"The bitch killed Calen! She should-"

"This girl?" The woman, Vayne, Aisha assumed, replied, frowning.

"Yeah!"

"You think she… put this hole into the young man's neck?"

"...Yeah?"

"Look at her. I can barely feel any mana from her. How could she have killed this man?"

"She's got his blood all over her!"

"For all I know… you all could have painted her with it. This is a waste of time. There's no need for a… farce of a trial. There's no evidence. She goes free. You can all leave."

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The crowd roared in disagreement. Vayne put on a stern face, swinging at the crowd with her fan. A massive gust of green-tinted wind blew down the street, kicking up rocks and sending people flying.

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"Silence! As judge magistrate, this is my decision! It is final. I won't have another innocent fall prey to your prejudices!"

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She put her helmet back on, taking a glance at Aisha from behind her shoulder, walking off. Eventually the crowd dispersed, muttering curses and sending hateful glares. Miiha and Fenix rushed over to Aisha.

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"Who was that?" Aisha asked.

"That was judge Vayne!" Miiha said. "She's a judge magistrate!"

"...?"

"A judge governs over a district. The district we're in has Drayen, Nashen, and Entrana. The judge magistrate governs over the judges. That means they're second in power only to the king." Fenix explained.

"You got really lucky Aisha! Vayne is the only one who sympathises with… demi-humes." Miiha whispered.

"Hm."

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Aisha got up, dusting off her pants.

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"Wait! What happened?" Miiha asked.

"I killed him."

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Aisha walked into the guild hall, going up the stairs to the upper floors.

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"Hey! Where are you going?" Miiha asked.

"I forgot something in your room."

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Aisha walked upstairs, wrenching open the door to Miiha's room. She got down on all fours, reaching below her bed and taking Xelos's book. She could hear Miiha step into the room behind her.

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"Oh… that was there all this time?"

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Aisha hurried down the stairs. She should probably skip town.