The Revelation Of Mark!

Surprisingly enough to me at least, Bonner was the first to speak on the matter. Although that was his role in the group at the moment, he and Q were uncharacteristically quiet. They were also absorbed in the scenario unfolding before our very eyes.

"You say that Ana and Claire are missing, huh? We will need more information about it if you want us to care about it," he says.

His words were quite hostile and assholish, but his presentation wasn't that far off from my own. I assume that he decided to implement that into his approach. The effect that he was looking for seemed to only work on Percival, though, as Mordred once more overlooked the tone of one of our party. He instead looked at Bonner and then Percival, with the latter squirming underneath his gaze.

"Do forgive his tone. Bonner has a particular type of social interaction. His tone could rub you the wrong way, so don't pay it too much attention," Q interjects, speaking up on my behalf.

His hand pressed against the shoulder of the shorter Bonner. I could tell that it was his way of subtly telling Bonner to better read the room in his responses. It would be a big problem if Bonner's harshness led us into any unnecessary trouble with Mordred or Percival.

"He means that we are not really from this region. We are ignorant of the Angea, so Claire and Lady Ana are not people that we could recognize on a name basis," Q continues.

"You men are not from Astana or the Angea domain? I suppose it could not be helped. I find it odd that you are members of the Conscripted Forces and yet are not familiar with the lord of Astana and her daughter, your names. I would like to know them," Mordred says.

"Well, Mordred Blois, we collectively share the namesake Drago to honor our fallen comrade. I am Qayshaun, but my allies refer to me as simply Q. That there is our elven compatriot, Bonner, and the Fox beastkin is our friend Mark. "

"Bonner Drago, Q Drago, and finally… Mark Drago. Is that all correct?"

"Yeah. That's about right. Now to address the whole CF thing. We left the forces due to their unfair treatment and discrimination against our brother Mark here. Where we are from, people were more closeted and shunned for such prejudices. Although he was dragged into it, we joined for the pay, but we all have left since then."

"So you are deserters? And you believe that it is alright to say that? Cowards if you ask me," Percival spats.

"Standing by our friend is not cowardice in our eyes. Nowhere near it. We merely wear this clothing since these are the only clothes in our possession. We'll make do with the clothes on our backs if necessary, and that is exactly what we're doing. I wouldn't expect you to understand Percival," Bonner responds.

His words were undoubtedly seen as a provocation to the blonde male as he rose from his seat to catch his eye. I fully anticipated that Bonner would not stand down, so I was not surprised when he did. That is the unbridled confidence of a pro gamer there. Regardless, it was foolish nonetheless.

"Now, what do you mean by that, Commoner?" Percival responds.

"That is enough, Percival. Have a seat," Mordred ordered immediately.

I guess he could also see that the pointless nature of this dispute would lead to.

"Chill out, Bonner. No need to bump heads over nonsense," Q reminded him. "Now, Mordred, explain to us the relevance of the two missing women. You mentioned that your father is looking for them, right?"

"Correct. Well, I suppose I will start by telling you that Lady Ana is the baroness who leads the city of Astana as its Mayor. The building that you are currently in serves as the base of operations for both the city's guards and the city's officials. The Golden Manor of Angea is what it is called. Her power extends to overseeing everything that goes on in the city. From Commerce to Trade, and even the Management of the several events that we hold here. She is an incredibly intelligent and benevolent woman, and the people love her. She has led the city of Astana into a prosperous time for the last century. The Angea has governed and expanded this domain for the last three."

'What… The last three centuries have had the Angea in power?'

My face must've betrayed my thoughts as I noticed Claire looking in my direction briefly. I was beyond puzzled. Puzzled or confused wouldn't even cut it here. I was absolutely floored. Three hundred goddamn years had passed since the events of Infinity Unleashed. No-No…There is the possibility that even more time has passed as well. Elves typically live extremely long life cycles that span well across centuries, so something like that is insignificant to them. To me, that was extremely concerning.

That would mean that the world we knew is likely no longer the same. Nations typically rise and fall throughout the centuries, but according to Mordred, Ana Von Angea has governed Astana for the last hundred years. The Angea as a house has led the domain for the last three hundred years. Astana, Theoscryan, The House of Blois, and possibly other key power players that exist within this world. These people who exist here could possibly be significantly more powerful than the NPCs of Infinity Unleashed.

So, thinking back on Percival's claims of exploits in Theoscyran and Claire's mention of the strength of the Beastmen, specifically the power of the Ursa clan, I can reasonably assume that I should be more cautious. They say pride comes before the fall, but Percival has been able to get away with it up to this point in his life. In my analysis, not only may that be due to his status in a possibly high-profile family, but he must be personally strong as well. If a pretty boy like him could be a possible threat, then no matter their appearance, I must remain vigilant.

"Her daughter Claire was slated to follow in her footsteps in that excellence as well," Mordred states.

His gaze shifted to Claire, and in that moment, I noticed a sudden shift in his scent. Whilst his previous one invoked an ominous feeling, his current one matched that of Percival's. A heavy, cologne-filled scent filled my nostrils to the point that I found myself sneezing. Q would bless me, and I would nod as a thanks for his courtesy.

"Claire was just that exceptional?" Bonner says, following that.

"Yes. Lady Claire was incredibly keen and observant. Her mother made sure that she underwent her studies over the course of these past few decades. I believe that Lady Ana was grooming her to become her successor in the long run. A wise decision, so it is imperative that we locate them both before the public gets wind of it," Mordred explains.

"She was rather weak, though. She was quite studious, but her qualifications as a mage were quite… debatable. Even most first-tier magic was above her capabilities," Percival adds.

His tone was quite harsh in comparison to his brothers. I could sense a hint of animosity that Percival appeared to be holding against Claire.

"Well, if she and her mother were that impressive, then how could they possibly be missing? Have you not considered the idea that they are dea-"

"I have," Mordred says, cutting off Bonner before he could finish.

The act had surprised many of the collective, but frankly, I was likely one of the only ones who wasn't. That being myself, Q, and, unsurprisingly, Claire herself. Though the reveal of such information seemed to unnerve our female patron. After all, she should be missing, and I would like to know why.

"W-What happened to them?" I squeak out as I attempt to gain their attention.

I made sure not to initiate eye contact and shyly brushed my right hand against its opposite arm. Considering the vibe of the type of culture that was apparent throughout our encounters, it was not my place to speak my piece. So to better portray my role as a meek and lowly foxkin, I figured to fall upon the cliches. To appear subservient and weaker than I was. Appearing weak when I am strong, just as Sun Tzu entailed. The atmosphere slightly shifted, and it was as if Mordred was waiting for me to speak up. His eyes were the first ones on me, and his brothers were next.

"Oh? He speaks now," Percival says.

"I-I apologize for speaking out of turn, Masters Percival and Mordred. You may disregard my question as it was foolish," I said.

"No. There is no need for that here. You are an ally of Miss Clarice, so no need to worry about that," Mordred responds.

His next move caught me off guard as he pushed away from the table and stood up. In slow, methodical strides, Mordred would promptly stop before me. I had no choice but to adjust my portrayal in that moment, and I engaged in eye contact with the male. After all, he had boldly placed his left hand upon my right shoulder, essentially forcing my hand.

Our eyes would lock for a moment, and I could feel it. A lingering, ominous feeling washed over my body. A similar feeling to when the odd scent graced my nose. The blue eyes of Mordred flickered like a pond disturbed by a rock skittering across its surface. Although I knew that I should back down to better fulfill my role, I couldn't.

"I hope that you men keep this matter under wraps. It is incredibly sensitive information after all, since we do not fully know who is behind it," Mordred continues.

"Very well, Mordred. You can count on us to keep this secret," Q says.

Q's statement had earned him the right to view Mordred's eyes. The elven male would turn away from me and promptly place his hands behind his back. His stance stiffened up, and the awkward atmosphere created when Mordred suddenly approached me had been replaced. The melancholy look of the male had reemerged as he just peered into the distance. I could trace his eyes to that fish statue, but I wondered about the relevance of the situation.

"Baron Galahad Duprangle of Histanople was set to meet with Lady Ana on matters concerning the future of both Histanople and Astana," Mordred said.

There was a delay when he spoke, prompting the inevitable comment from Bonner.

"What type of matters are we talking about? Don't leave us hanging here."

"Mostly trade. That includes preparing an effective counter-strategy to combat the sharp rise in bandit activity in our domains. For the last few years, there has been a steady increase in raids and pillages of merchant convoys as well as our cities and villages. Astana has begun to feel a decline, so we were planning on coordinating with other lords in the domain to combat this. Unfortunately, Lady Ana's convoy was attacked mid-transit, and she has not been seen since. The leading theory is that the convoy fell victim to a bandit attack."

That would be quite ironic if what he says is true. Lady Ana traveled the road to attend a meeting to address their bandit problem, and she was then attacked and presumably taken by bandits. It is highly possible that Ana was killed in the scuffle, but that would not explain how Claire would have been able to escape alive. Almost as if she could sense my eyes on her, Claire would briefly initiate eye contact with me.

"That is quite the unfortunate turn of events. Do you have any leads concerning their possible whereabouts?" Bonner questions.

"We had one, but our father and brother are already pursuing it. There is a specific gang that we believe to be involved in it.-"

"Then why mention any of this to us? If they have everything settled, then three strangers that you just met shouldn't be privy to such matters. It would be none of our business. We were initially just travelers after all."

Travelers who have aligned themselves with Clarice Von Angea. Since I am now involved in the matter, it would naturally mean that you all are now entrenched within it as well," Claire speaks up.

She would be correct in her statement. Up until this point, Claire must've been pretending to be unaware that she and her mother were missing. I had wondered why she would help us at the gate and go out of her way to recruit us in such an underhanded manner. Much like Bonner said, we were strangers here. Ignorant of how this city, and much of how this world, operated. All of this was extremely different from what we were used to in the conventional sense. I would then think of how Claire has presented herself to us thus far, and then it clicked.

'This was her opportunity. We couldn't even use magic. She may have correctly deduced that we were the ones responsible for the quote-unquote Disturbance, but even still, she shouldn't have much faith in our capabilities. Unless it didn't matter…'

My eyes once more trailed to Claire to see how she was reacting to the new information. It was quite strange, to say the least. As Mordred and Bonner went back and forth in the background, Claire was pretty reserved. Her eyes were sharp and attentive as she gathered the same information that we did, but I could tell that our reasons were different.

She would also plaster a smile onto her face and offer her piece whenever Mordred addressed her. Though as soon as Percival and Mordred were not looking, Claire's features would sharpen once more.

Claire was using us to access this meeting with Mordred, and it appeared that things were going just as she had calculated. Clarice was not in the loop with her mother's disappearance. Her true intentions were unknown to me. It was then that I felt an uncontrollable shiver run down my spine. It was sudden and completely caught me off guard to the point that I must have reacted strangely before the others.

"Is something the matter, Commoner? Are we going too fast for your meager brain to comprehend?" Percival said to me.

His words grated my nerves as the bastard dared to question my intelligence. I know it was common for them to speak to those who look similar to me in this world, but that did not mean that I would tolerate such disrespect. There were a few things in this world that irked me more than someone condescendingly questioning my intellect. My brow furrowed as I instinctively opened my mouth to come to my defense. I had barely known the male, but I was going to tell him about himself.

"Bast-"

My words were cut off abruptly when an individual suddenly manifested from a dark cloud of smoke next to Mordred's position. It frankly startled the hell out of him. Much like Mordred and Percival, the individual was an elf wearing a color scheme similar to the guards at the entrance of the garden. Although their kneeling masked their full height, I could still tell that they were on the smaller side.

"Reporting," the figure says, the voice was rather feminine.

Mordred would immediately shift his feet to face the kneeling woman. Fortunately for Percival's blonde, pompous ass, he was spared from my tongue's lashing.

"Go ahead and deliver the report," Mordred says coldly.

His tone had shifted once more. It was like a bitter case of frostbite for the ears. Although the woman was given a direct order to respond, she hesitated. This seemed to only serve to test her superior's patience as he once more repeated his statement in a more domineering manner.

She would nearly jump out of her skin once he raised his voice at her. Still hesitant for some reason, the woman would raise her eyes from the ground to look at the collective. That was a decision that she soon would learn to regret, as when she did so, a boot would meet her on the side of her head. A sickly thud could be heard when his body hit the pavement.

"You were given a direct order, Beastkin. Speak when your betters address you. Did they not train you adequately?" Percival says harshly.

"Hey-Hey," Q and Bonner said in unison.

Their words seemed to surprise the male, but he took offense at them speaking up.

"What? You two should remember your place as well. Insubordination should be punished accordingly," Percival declares.

The soft whimpering of the woman could be heard while Percival's boot pressed deeper into the side of the beastkin's head. It was unsettling to see it. Even I couldn't prevent my brow from wrinkling. My face seemed to burn, and had I been pale, I likely would've been red as a tomato. I don't know why I felt that way despite not knowing the individual.

Perhaps- No... I was raised in this manner, I suppose. This woman was merely another person mistreated on her job. Her identity is irrelevant to her treatment. While I didn't know anything about her, I did know this. The longer that I was around him, the greater my dislike for the male grew.

"Master Percival! That should do," Clarice says sharply.

Percival would rest his foot at the top of the back of the grounded messenger. He appeared pleased with himself as if he had conquered a great foe in battle. It was sickening behavior. The swift sound of footsteps could be heard as Claire rushed to the side of the messenger.

"Please. Speak and spare yourself of further pain," Claire urges.

A scoff could be heard from Percival as he pulled his feet away from the two women. I bet he believes himself to be a tough guy after that. Just what point did he think that he would prove in doing so? His intentions were laid bare as when he moved away, he and I would lock eyes.

That unnecessary beating on that messenger was a message to me. Reminding me to watch myself, or I would be next. I would dare the fool to try it if he dares. He has power over her, not me. A meager threat like that would not be enough to intimidate me, but the next words of the messenger were enough to shake me.

"Ar-Arch Captain Si-Silvers ha-has arrived," the messenger managed to eek out.