CH 16 - Rising Sun

Cass

I walked into the Vatica City Adventurer's Guildhall at the predetermined time, bright and early at eight in the morning, only to find two of her party members not even there. Worst still, they were the ones that set the meetup time!

Luckily, the adult in the party is already here. She is an elf woman with bright, emerald hair and yellow citrine eyes. She wears a cute outfit , perfectly suited for running and outdoor activities. Besides that, she has minimal leather armoring on top, because she never planned to be up in the chaos of battle. She is an archer, after all.

"Eifa! Don't tell me the two lovebirds still aren't here!"

Eifa looks up and smiles, while also wagging her finger. "Now, now, miss Cassandra. You know they are 'just friends'. That Dainn is too dense to ever make a move."

I smile, thinking of dark haired Dainn and his 'don't-give-a-damn' attitude. "If Emilia doesn't speak up soon, someone is going to come along and sweep that boy off his feet." Like maybe me.

"Oh? And who would dare try and steal Emmy's knight? Is it maybe the knight's own sword master?"

I smile cheekily. "Who knows?" Still, did she read my mind?

I am Cassandra the Butcher. I was named such after I slaughtered an entire bandit raiding party by myself whilst defending a travelling bard group as they headed from Vatica to the capital of Nubia, Delos. I am a Sword Paladin by rank and currently a C-rank adventurer. I am also thirteen years old.

Dainn and Emilia had approached me two years earlier, saying they wanted a fourth member to their party. Dainn also wanted to learn the way of the Sword, though I was so confused why he would even bother. He was a master of magic, without a doubt. He had apparently already bested his current instructors and surpassed them all, all with no affinity to speak of. He was officially a Royal Rainbow mage, so it's not like any martial fighters could withstand him for long .

He disagreed, though, and after some convincing, she had taken the job offer. That has been the best decision of her life so far, because she has fallen head over heels for the dark and dashing Dainn.

He was perfect for her. He is quiet, speaking only when he felt it necessary, and momma told her to find a man that knew when to listen. He is strong, and Daddy said to find someone who can keep me safe. He is smart, and I had told myself not to mess around with idiots.

The only problem is Emilia. She has all but claimed him for herself. They are always together and he always leaves final decisions to her. He clearly has some feelings for her, but when I asked the Lord's daughter directly what the deal was, she simply smiled shyly and said 'he was her knight'.

Real gag worthy stuff.

I don't stop myself from flirting with him, but he is the densest man of all time, either not noticing or just ignoring it.

But I am determined, I will make that boy mine. And today's mission should be the perfect opportunity, but of course, they were late.

"So where are they, anyways?"

Eifa gives me a look. I sigh as I accept it. Every now and then Emilia and Dainn had to take care of something, and they refused to tell me what it was.

"They better hurry up, then. I want to get this mission completed so we can finally level up."

"I'm sure they'll show soon enough. Why don't you order some breakfast. It's on me."

I resign myself to that being the best I am gonna get, and plop down next to her. Even this early, the Guildhall is packed and bustling. Adventures never stopped, or so the motto goes. In truth, we are more of pest control specialists. The growth ladder is simple, though time consuming. Besides that, a person has their limits, and most die before learning theirs.

I call out for a plate of beef and veggie skewers, and then turn to look at Eifa. "So, be honest with me. A little birdie told me your time as a teacher is coming to an end?"

Eifa nods, though she does look surprised. "It is. I will be testing her with this quest. Aside from being the one to get the Rising Sun party to B-rank, this should be the perfect opportunity for her to go all out. I made sure to pick a target that a Bow Paladin should have no trouble with. Should she succeed, Emilia will have no more need for me. She'll need to find an Executioner, maybe a Demon, even. As for me, she's already greater than I'll ever be."

"Wow," I say, even as I take the plate handed to me by one of the waitresses. It is strange to hear her so calm about this. "What's it been since you started working for the Hera family? Five, six years?"

"Six. Six great years with an adorable little girl and a charming little boy. I had hoped for another year or two, but I won't be the one to hold them back."

"Yeah, well I'm sure she'll put a good word in with her dad. Maybe you can stay on as an assistant or something."

Eifa giggles, and shakes her head. "No, that's alright. I already have my future planned. Now that I'll soon be free to do as I please, I plan on heading to Tartarus and taking on the Great Labyrinth."

I look at her with surprise. Such a dungeon was so vast and dangerous, that the Empire and the Guild came together to enforce strict regulations on it. Only B-ranks and above were permitted in, and the deepest floors were barred for anyone not S-rank. No one's ever reached the end, so the allure is strong.

"Well, then. Here I was thinking the four of us would go together one day. Guess it isn't reasonable to ask you to wait for the kids. Still," I flash her a thumbs up and a smile, "make sure to leave some adventure for the rest of us."

Emilia

I hold Dainn's arm as we watch the roaring flames. We stand before a trash can we kept out in the woods just outside of Vatica. Occasionally we filled it with random trash and debris, and just set it aflame.

It was for Dainn, a way to appease the inner monster he carried. It soothed him. Ever since that night, Dainn had never fully gone back to that same kid as before. He had unleashed something he had struggled to keep inside. More than that, he awakened a form of magic that kept him on the edge of the very darkness he tried to keep controlled.

So sometimes, he needed a release. He had explained to me how he was having dark urges. He wanted to hurt people, even though he knew it was wrong. He craved to kill again. Burning trash wasn't anything like that, but according to Dainn, the heat and destruction did the trick. Like giving sweet fruit to a child asking for candy. Not the same thing, but it did satisfy the craving.

We also made rules. Rules that we recited aloud often, such as when he was releasing his pent up frustrations. "Any day now, Dainn," I say, nudging him slightly with my shoulders.

He nods. "I will not hurt the undeserving. If I must kill someone deserving, it will be quick and merciful. I will let the dead rest."

I smile. Three simple rules. The only problem with them was the whole 'undeserving' thing. The release tactics didn't always work, and we knew he needed a proper outlet. So with Eifa's support, we had convinced Daddy to let us start an adventuring party as a sort of extracurricular activity. We mainly took on beasts and monsters, but every now and then Dainn brought a bounty for a bandit group or the like. Someone he found deserving. I would vet the request, and if I thought the person needed to be truly stopped, I ok'd it.

Then the last rule, it was for me and my sanity. I never told him to stop using his Black magic, but I did forbid him from raising the fallen to fight for him. It wasn't right, abhorrent even. Besides that, when he took command of corpses, he got that look on his face.

It ruined it, and gave her nightmares. So, I forbade him that one spell. And to his credit, he hasn't used it in the six years since. In fact, he mostly avoided using Black magic altogether.

I know he tests ideas out, most of which go nowhere, but as far as actually incorporating it into his combat repertoire, he mostly sticks to using Heart Crush in the most dire of circumstances. I am not even sure our fourth party member, Cassie, even knows he can use Black magic.

"Ok, let's put it out before someone catches us."

He moves away from me, and I catch a whiff of his perfume. Oak and cinnamon. I blush. He is taller than me now by at least a head. He's eleven now, and he sports a lean and slightly muscular build. He certainly has an adventurer mage body, even being a preteen. He keeps his hair longer now, keeping the top in a ponytail and the sides in tight braids. It is rugged, and gives him a slightly dangerous edge. He's handsome.

But he doesn't notice me, not like that. It is hard to read him, and it never seems any easier. He smiles occasionally, but only when it is just the two of us. He cries, but only with me, and not as much as he once did. He hardly ever laughs, or makes jokes. He is quiet more often than not, and when he does speak it is either to just give his input or to make a biting remark. He is sweet, though, trying his hardest never to make such a remark to me or his friends.

But I don't think he loves me. If he does, it is as a friend, or worse, a brother. To this day, he still has never gone for that real kiss I put on the table. He lets her hold him, he holds her hands when she asks, but he never takes the initiative.

"Emilia, what's wrong? You've been spacing out."

I snap back to the present. I can't dwell on this. It doesn't matter if he loves me or not, because I love him. I'll stay by his side forever, and if that day comes when my feelings are returned, then I'll be waiting.

"Oh, sorry! I was just wondering what Miss Eifa has planned for us today."

He looks off towards the city. "Yeah. We probably shouldn't keep her waiting too much longer."

I nod, and we start heading back. I take his arm again.

As we walk, I hear him whisper, so only I can hear, despite us being alone. "Thank you, Emilia. For not hating me."

I exhale, caught off guard. "No need, Dainn. I'll never hate you."

Dainn

"Are you serious!" Emilia cries out, waving the quest form around like she can't believe the audacity. "Miss Eifa, are you sure?"

The elf nods. Cass whines aloud, "Stop with the suspense already! Just tell us what the quest is!"

Cass is my sword master. I figured that since I was struggling to figure out how to use my Black magic that I may as well learn a martial weapon. I was terrible with a bow, didn't like my lack of two hands with a spear, and just plain didn't like staves. A sword seemed fitting, especially since Emilia is always calling me her knight.

She was beastkin, and shared the ears and tail of a panther. Her hair was shoulder length and her eyes were as grey as the steel of her sword. She was two years older than me, and a year older than Emilia. I have tried introducing her to Hannah, but Hannah is always busy learning the family trade from dear old Daddy. They don't know I know, but after I finally completed my scrying spell experiment, I had learned the secret of the Hera household four years back.

It didn't bother me, especially when I pieced together that it was in fact Henry's actions that led to the downfall of House Ares, and the rise of House Mars. That asshole was the definition of deserving.

"Okay, fine. I was getting to it, geez." She began to read aloud the quest form. "Wanted: One party of C-rank or higher. Target: A horde of kobolds and their leader, an orange drake. Location: The Ruins of Order."

I grunt. The Ruins are an old religious site that fell during the Imperial war, which apparently was a civil war between the Emperor and the four kingdoms. It only stopped when the Emperor was killed and replaced with a Council consisting of the head of each of the Kingdoms. The king of Nubia, for instance, would be in actuality the prince, since the real king served on the Council.

That being said, apparently the Ruins were destroyed in a battle of mages. An overflow of mana still persists there, even a century later. When something like this happens, a phenomenon known as evolution may occur. A wolf might become a direwolf, a goblin may awaken as a hobgoblin.

In this case, it isn't too hard to guess what the kobolds are planning. As far as intelligence goes, kobolds don't have much. That doesn't matter, though, because their little pea brains do one thing best: worship dragons. But dragons aren't born, they are the result of evolution. From drakes.

"The kobolds are trying to create a new god to worship. Sounds bad."

Emilia looks at me, then the other two, then back at me. "What do you think, Dainn? Should we try a different quest?"

I consider it, running the scenarios in my head. I am pretty sure I know how this will go. "We could, if you want. Though, if you're really asking my opinion, I trust in Eifa's decision making. Not just that, but with me, her, and Cass handling the ground and airborne forces, I think you should have little to no trouble taking on a single drake. Its mana control will be minimal, so even in a place as overflowing as the Ruins, it should be nothing for you to worry about."

She looks unsure, and I don't know what else to say. Luckily for me, my other party members decide to chime in.

"You know he's right, right?" Cass says. "Geez, the way you were freaking out, I thought we might have been talking about hunting a Myth. Emilia, have you forgotten that just last month you and Eifa took down a large group of storm hawks alone? A drake is nothing compared to that."

Eifa giggles. "Em, you need to stop doubting yourself. Besides that, you know we're all here to back you up."

"Wait, now it sounds like you all are going to leave the boss to me!" She flails her arms and looks at Eifa pleadingly.

"We are! You have better aim than me, and besides that, there will be flying kobolds that I'll be dealing with."

I nod, putting a hand on Emilia's shoulder. She looks at me. Her eyes have become darker, more crimson, like her mother's. They still stirred emotion within me, reminded me of my humanity. I smile at her.

"We got this, Em."

Her eyes light up, and she smiles back. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right! All of you! Let's do this! Well slay those kobolds and prevent a new dragon from being born! Let's go Rising Sun!"

Rising Sun. Our party name. We chose the name because of our ages, save for Eifa.

We are all just kids, but we all planned to show the Guild that we are the true stars, the ones that rise to the occasion whenever it arises. It was Emilia's ideas, but one I liked.