World Awakening: The Legendary Player
Chapter 56: Elf

Chapter 56: Elf

They left the cafe and started walking down the street, the argument picking right back up where it left off.

"I still don’t get it, Nox," Kendra said, jogging a little to keep up with his long strides. "A mission? What kind of mission? You can’t just say that and not tell us what’s going on."

"It’s my mission, not yours," he said, not looking at her. "You guys have your families to worry about, so just find a place here stay put."

Yeda walked on his other side, looking worried. "But what if you need help? We’re a party, we’re supposed to help each other."

"I don’t need help," he said, though he knew that was probably a lie. That mercenary Lola had almost killed him, and the only reason he was still walking was because of some weird power he barely understood.

Vasa, who was walking just behind them, spoke up, her voice calm and even as always. "Your logic is flawed. A solo mission into unknown territory against an organization that employs high-level mercenaries is statistically a low-percentage endeavor. Our presence would increase your operational effectiveness."

He almost snorted at that. ’Operational effectiveness? She sounds like a robot.’ He didn’t answer her, he just kept walking towards the hotel where he’d left Serian. He knew they were following him, he could hear their footsteps on the pavement.

Kendra wasn’t about to let it go. "So who is this ’someone’ you have to take home, anyway?" she pressed, her voice getting a little louder. "Is it that girl from the cafeteria? Did you run into her again?"

"It’s not her," he said, his jaw tightening. He didn’t want to think about Ava.

"Oh, so it’s a different girl then?" Kendra’s voice took on that teasing tone he was starting to hate. "You ditch us for a day and you’ve already got another secret girlfriend? You work fast, man."

"She’s not my girlfriend," he growled, stopping and turning to face them.

"Then what is she?" Yeda asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

He just stared at them, the three of them looking at him, waiting for an answer. ’Sigh, this is so annoying. Why do they care so much?’

"Just shut up about it, okay?" he said, his voice sharp. "It’s complicated, and it’s my problem." He turned and started walking again, faster this time.

"Ooh, touchy," Kendra muttered behind him, but she didn’t sound offended. She sounded amused. "Definitely a girlfriend."

Yeda just giggled quietly, her eyes flicking between Nox’s back and Kendra’s grinning face. Vasa remained silent, her expression unreadable as she processed the new information. They followed him for another block until he stopped in front of a hotel.

Then they all saw her. A young woman was standing near the entrance, leaning against the brick wall as if she was waiting for him. The girls’ conversation stopped instantly.

Kendra’s mouth fell open a little. "Nox," she said, her voice dropping to a weird whisper. She pointed a shaky finger. "What... what’s with her ears?"

Yeda peeked around Kendra’s shoulder, her eyes as wide as they could get. ’Are those... real? They’re so... pointy.’

The woman, Serian, looked up as they approached. Her ears were long and tapered to a delicate point, unlike anything they had ever seen on a person before.

Nox just sighed, completely unfazed by their reactions. "She’s an elf. Get over it."

His casual statement hit them like a physical blow.

"An elf?" Kendra repeated, taking a step closer to Serian, her earlier anger forgotten and replaced by pure disbelief. "You’re telling me elves are real? Like, from books and games and stuff?" She was staring so hard at Serian’s ears that Serian actually took a small step back.

"Yes," Serian said, her voice calm and formal, though she looked a little annoyed at being gawked at. "I am an elf."

"Wow," Yeda breathed, stepping out from behind Kendra. She looked completely mesmerized.

Vasa just stared. "The morphological structure of her ears is consistent with depictions of ’elves’ in pre-cataclysm fantasy literature."

Kendra just waved a hand at her. "Yeah, yeah, science stuff later. Holy crap." She walked right up to Serian and squinted at her ears. "Are those real? Can I, like, touch one?"

Serian took another step back, looking very uncomfortable with Kendra being so close. "They are a part of my body, yes."

Nox let out an annoyed sigh. "Kendra, back off. Stop being weird." He looked at Serian, a frown on his face. "I thought you were going to keep those hidden."

She looked from Kendra’s prying eyes to Nox. ’Why did that goddess ask me to look after him? He already has these three with him.’ The thought was confusing. ’And they are so... loud.’

"That ability requires a certain amount of mana to sustain," she explained, her voice quiet. "I have... expended all of my reserves."

The girls all looked at her then, their curiosity shifting to concern. Nox’s expression changed too, his earlier annoyance replaced by a sharp focus. "You’re out of mana? Why? What happened after I left?"

She hesitated for a moment, not wanting to admit the full extent of the fight. "I was... followed," she said, choosing her words carefully. "Two individuals confronted me in the park. They were associates of the one called Lola."

Kendra’s head whipped around to look at him, then back at Serian. "Lola? Who the hell is Lola?"

’Damn it,’ he thought, a muscle twitching in his jaw. He didn’t want to get into this now.

Serian glanced at him, seeing his frustration, before answering Kendra. "She is a mercenary. It would seem there is a bounty on my head."

Kendra’s eyes widened, and she looked back and forth between Nox and Serian. "A mercenary? A bounty? Is this the ’mission’ you were talking about, Nox? You’re bodyguarding someone with a price on their head?" Her voice got louder with each question.

"I am not a child to be ’babysat’," Serian said, her formal tone returning.

"That’s not what I meant," she shot back, rolling her eyes. "My point is, you two are a huge target now."

"Are you hurt?" Yeda asked, stepping forward and ignoring Kendra. "Did they do anything to you?"

Serian shook her head. "I am unharmed," she said, which was mostly true. She didn’t mention her ankle still throbbed, or the fact that she had barely survived. "But they were... formidable. I was forced to use all of my strength to repel them."

Vasa, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Your account suggests you were successful in the engagement," she stated. "However, the complete depletion of your mana indicates the encounter was highly taxing. It was a tactical victory at a significant strategic cost."

"Yeah, whatever that means," Kendra muttered, her hand now resting on the hilt of a short sword she had strapped to her own belt. She looked directly at Nox. "This is what I was talking about. This just proves you need us."

’Ok, this has gone on for far too long.’ He looked at all of them with a serious expression. "You will all stay here."