A Line of Work Ch. 04

-

"It's so beautiful..."

"Well, if you're amazed this far, then you haven't seen anything yet. I may have to say that a couple more times."

Raisel took her first few steps inside Illeria, the High Elven capital city. While Arvad had been here before on account of work, it was still clearly an amazing sight of pure incandescent beauty. Raisel's single adjective did the city no justice.

Raisel nodded gleefully. "This is exactly what I left my estate for. I don't care how dangerous the path forward is, this is just amazing."

Arvad smiled and nodded through the cover of his hood. "While I may be protecting you along the way, we're going to have to get you used to protecting yourself when I can't or have been overpowered."

"You, overpowered? Not that I relish complimenting your skills in battle, but I fail to see you ever losing."

"It's happened before."

Nesterius walked up to Arvad. The entire grouped have relieved themselves of their steeds as the uneven and urban environment of Illeria did not allow mounts. Large stables at each of the city entrances kept horses secure and cared for.

"Other than sightseeing, what have brought the two of you to Illeria? I assume you have some sort of motive, it is you, after all."

"Yes, my charge simply wants to learn about her heritage as a High Elf and visit the various sights. I myself have come for an item I believe you own."

"Oh? Ah, Reimiel, would you please accompany our guest here for a tour of the city? When you return, I will have something to show you." The second sentence, only Reimiel could hear.

"Of course father."

Raisel walked off and followed Reimiel who was already showing off her hometown to her new friend. Faehri followed close behind.

"Now, Arvad... I will put aside my meager contempt aside for once and ask what do you want? Knowing you, you most likely wish for some sort of valuable item or weapon. I assume the latter." Nesterius had quite a history with the man before him, and not for the better.

Malavorn paid close attention to the conversation that followed. It wasn't often that he learned about the history of the master of the Goldenpine family.

"Spot on, you're as astute as always. I'd call you 'Old friend', but we would both probably die from the world ending." Arvad replied as sarcastically as always.

Nesterius frowned as he led both Arvad and Malavorn back to his home. He never really considered himself friendly towards Arvad... Especially after THAT incident. A hooked smile on the edge of his lips escaped the vigilance of his nemesis' sights.

...

"What kind of sword are you looking for? I may have an interesting collection, but it is quite varied after all." Curiosity overtook Nesterius' words.

"I'll be honest. Please give me either a holy or demonic sword. And knowing the nature of the High Elves, I seriously doubt you own any demonic swords."

"Ah, I see. You are correct, I do not have any demonic swords. Such filth is unsuited for the pristine snows of this mountain." Nesterius was unusually hostile.

Three of the five Elven races were generally distrustful towards anything related to demons and demonology, necromancy, and other damned practices. These races included the High Elves, the Wood Elves, and the Sea Elves.

The other two races, the Dark Elves and the Desert Elves were more receptive towards such practices. While it wasn't integral to their culture like a religion, many practitioners of unholy magic or damned cult or god followers found a safe haven within their lands.

"Ohoh! May I take that as confirmation you do have a holy sword for sale?" Arvad smiled widely and clicked his heels together in mock joy.

"For sale, aren't you forward... What makes you think I am willing to part with such a valuable sword?"

"For these, the Eyes of Derhal." Arvad pulled out a pair of radiant jewels.

Of all the sets of jewels in the world, none were considered as beautiful or expensive as any set of Eyes. There were the Eyes of Gallian, the Eyes of Calixter, the Eyes of Norg, and even the Eyes of Raguel, all were pristine and elegant. There was an estimate of around fifty sets of Eyes, no one knew how many that famous jeweler made, and some sets were lost to the lands. An instant amount of prestige was given to any person who managed to acquire even a single set. A single eye wouldn't do and without its twin, the price dropped to a minuscule fraction of what the set of Eyes could be together.

High Elves, while they loved their collections, were quite resistant to bribery. However, even the promise of a set of Eyes would sway the most stalwart of High Elves. Nesterius Goldenpine was no different.

"Yes, I do have a holy sword with me. Its name is Caliburn as a matter of fact."

"Great! Now I'll just give you the Eyes of Derhal and you can give me the sword and we'll all be happy!" Arvad was feeling far too confident, Nesterius didn't like that.

"No, we will not all be happy. You cannot honestly expect your 'Old friend' here to forget what you did last time you were here?"

"Can't a man dream of sunshine, roses, and forgetful friends?"

"No. My daughter, ever since you involved yourself with her, has had a certain infatuation with you." Nesterius stared at a simple painting on the wall of a green grove hiding a family of small cuddly animals, his daughter painted that with impeccable skill.

"Ha ha... This is exactly what I was trying to avoid when coming here."

"I'll give you the sword on one condition."

"I just LOVE negotiations!"

"Please duel me."

"Eh?"

"If you win, I'll give you the sword and I will happily accept the Eyes of Derhal as payment."

"Wow, so what happens if I lose?"

"Please marry my daughter and take responsibility for what you did to her."

"Goodness gracious! So either way you win."

"Do not even think about putting it like that. I will make sure you take responsibility for doing such acts to my daughter."

"Seriously! All I did was screw her! She just happened to be a virgin at the time. It's your fault for fathering such a vivacious girl!" Arvad flung his arms in the air as he yelled. "Fine, I'll fight you. We might as well settle who's better in the art of the sword, eh? The Demon of the Blade versus the Angel of the Blade, this ought to be great fun!"

-

"I know he said I haven't seen anything yet... But this is ridiculous."

Raisel viewed the sight in wonderment. Nothing she had seen in her life compared to this city's beauty.

The High Elf capital rested on the side of their land's tallest mountain named after the divine spirit who supposedly resided at the mountaintop, Altain. Illeria itself was a city of simple proportions compared to the height of the mountain, with exceptional architecture to boot.

Numerous bridges connected the portions of the city together with meticulously cut limestone formed into arches. Those bridges connected the city's quadrants together with a fifth portion of the city residing in the center. Quadrants diagonal to one another had bridges going around the center portion of the city and going under the bridges of the other two quadrants that connected them to the center. In all, there were twelve bridges in total, eight connecting the quadrants to each portion of the city physically next to one another and four connecting diagonal quadrants to each other with two bridges each.

Yet such an intricate systems of roads and bridges was not all. Elves in general were known for beauty in terms of nature and architecture, the race that lived in the mountains were prominent members of the Elves in general, they would never dream of letting down the expectations of visitors.

Bountiful waterfalls pouring from the side of the massive mountain thanks to the runoff roared through the sides of the city. The rivers coursed through the city in small canals that went over and under the roads and homes. In fact, a few strands of the diverted river even entered people's homes for a water display inside their abode.

Numerous plants of all shapes, colors, and sizes dotted the city. Animals from the herbivorous to the omnivorous feasted on the plants and smaller insects enabling a stable ecosystem of its very own to thrive within Illeria.

The buildings themselves had curved rooftops that allowed the ones who dwelled inside to climb on top and survey the stars any night they wished. Stained windows of any shape rested on the walls. Instead of obstructive doors, there were empty entranceways. Only a city with citizens that were truly at peace with one another could claim this harmony. And if any dared to perform a crime, the regal guards that patrolled the city would swoop down and calmly enact the justice dictated by their laws. It was an impressive piece of engineering.

And above it all, Raisel rested her gaze on one sight in particular: The Arcane Spire.

Common knowledge to the races in the world, the High Elves was the race among all others that contained the highest ratio of magic wielders to non-magicians. At the heart of their nation (which they loathed to call it such), was the Arcane Spire.

The Arcane Spire, as the name alluded to, was a home to mages and their ilk. It had a vast store of knowledge located within the millions of texts of all sizes located within. It originally began as a simple library, evolving into a haven for magicians of any type except the unholy practitioners.

A simple circular base that towered into the sky eventually forming an impressive and regal spire that ended in an odd weathervane. Countless stained windows all depicting various spells in numerous schools of magic dotted the tower. The Arcane Spire could easily stand within the top five tallest structures made sentient races, Raisel learned that when studying at her home.

While taking in the grand view, Raisel recalled something Arvad had said while disguised. "Go in and ask for them to perform a magical analysis on yourself. Mana, the essence of magic, always takes on the form of the natural phenomena of the world: fire, water, light, metal, flesh, and many more. It can take on the form of objects the eye can see or the invisible forces that perpetuate the world. A magical analysis can easily identify what form mana takes in a common object, spell, or even a body like yours." At the time, Arvad had a serious face, completely unlike his normal sarcastic expressions. "I, hmm, I suspect you have an latent magical ability. Well, despite my skills, I'm not trained in magical analysis, so I may be wrong. Go in and see, trust me on this one."

"REIMIEL!" An abrupt voice pierced the area.

"Hm? Ah, Lyei!" Reimiel called back to the shrill voice.

Lyei was another High Elf who served the Goldenpine family as Reimiel's nurse and maidservant (though they both loathe to call it that). She had recently aged forty-three years and still owned a youthful face thanks to the High Elves' long lives.

"You won't believe it! It's amazing!"

"Ah, calm down, Lyei. It is hard to not believe anything nowadays."

"Your father is going to fight in a duel against HIM! Against that man!"

A faint premonition came to Raisel, whether it was good or bad, she was unable to tell.

Reimiel stared at Lyei with curious eyes. "I'm afraid you will need to be more specific. True, father rarely ever lifts his hand and takes up his sword in a duel, but it is not that it hasn't happened ever."

"He is going to duel Arvad! Arvad Eversoul!"

"Eh?" With a single grunt, Reimiel stood motionless and silent for a long time. Nearly a full minute passed until she recovered. "Take me over there, quickly! Raisel, I'm sorry, but this is something I truly need to see with my own eyes. Faehri, please accompany Raisel wherever she wishes."

Faehri smiled gently and nodded in acknowledgement.

"Wait, Arvad?" Raisel could only just stand there, dumbstruck. Apparently that man's shoddy disguise had been seen through.

Raisel reached out with her hand, but Reimiel and Lyei had already swiftly fled the scene towards the Goldenpine residence. The two literally dashed through the sparse crowds of people and vaulted over walls and hedges.

"Is that allowed?" Raisel asked as she watched the two pretty Elven girls race in a seemingly random pattern.

"More often than not, you find the residents of our fair town precocious in their traveling to different parts of the city. After all, why take the long road around when you can shave minutes off your time by traveling like a crow." Faehri spoke for the first time to Raisel.

Undaunted by the sudden flood of words, Raisel laughed. "That's not a very Elfish answer. I expected your people to relish longer walks."

"Please do not say 'your', it is 'our', our people. While you may consider yourself a Half Elf, anyone who contains the blood of a High Elf is a member of our race." Faehri's voice oozed empathy.

While oozed was a slightly uncouth way to describe it, Raisel clearly saw nothing but kindness from the female guard.

"Ah... Thank you."

-

"There are so many books, how is there enough room to fit them all? It seems larger on the inside than the outside..."

"That is because it is. A powerful enchantment has been interwoven throughout the entire spire, called Void Storage. Void Storage affects the physical space of an object, basically, you can make spaces seem larger or smaller."

Raisel found herself speaking to a rather handsome High Elf named Antion who had offered to administer the magical analysis when inquired about the procedure. In fact, Raisel found him handsome enough for her to persuade Faehri to leave her alone for a while until she returned despite Reimiel's order. Who knew how old the mature Antion actually was, that didn't stop Raisel from admiring the male representative of her fairer heritage.

"Magic certainly has a grand versatility. Is their any limitations to it?" Raisel's vague question, which she thought would require a lengthy debate attached to it, was given a relatively simple answer.

"Not yet."

"Oh."

"Magic has defied many natural laws when it was discovered a long time ago. Forgive me for my pride, but the High Elves and the Desert Elves have both made incredible advances revolving around the arcane mystery. Gravity, momentum, chemical reactions, light, heat, time, space, and life are all bent at a competent magician's fingertips." Antion gave a short dignified explanation that expanded on his short answer.

"My guardian tells me that mana comes in different forms, even for living beings. How does that work?"

"I'll make this short, as we are now in the analysis room." Antion took a deep breath and continued. "Mana can burn like fire. It can swirl like water. It can flow like air. It can stagnate like the dark. It, more literally than you think, takes on the form of the natural substances in this world inside a person's body. And while we are not restricted to using magic in the form mana takes in our bodies, we have a much easier time casting magic according to our individual forms. Some mana forms are more rare than others and some are quite common. I myself have a mana flow that burns and cools like the natural temperature." Antion walked up to a wooden door with a complicated design of interwoven vines. "We're here. Magical analysis can be done with magic itself, but we have simple equipment that speeds up the process."

Raisel walked through the door as Antion politely held it open for her. Like he said, there was equipment with faint traces of magic lingering around it. Another High Elf was standing in the room with a book in hand, devouring its text. Actually, the one inside the room very closely resembled Antion with an equally handsome face and body.

"Allow me to introduce my twin brother, Antien. And Antien, this is Raisel, a magical analysis for her, please."

Raisel curtly dipped her head at Antien. Not only was the High Elf Antion attractive, but he also had a twin brother with equally handsome looks. Even half of one of the brothers was far better than Arvad, that's what Raisel thought.

"Well, introductions aside, let's waste no time in getting started. Please lie down here." Antien spoke with a similar voice to his brother as he pat his hand on a stool with several glowing crystals attached in the rungs and head of the stool. Antien held several flexible metallic wires each with a dozen smaller tendrils that wiggled around as if they had a mind of its own.

Raisel did just that and stayed motionless. She felt disconcerted at the ominous array of wires as Antien attached each one to a different part of her body.

"Don't worry. Each of the tendrils latch on to the individual mana channels on the outside of your skin. Normally, magical analysis takes hours. With this piece of technology mixed with mundane and arcane arts, that time is reduced to a fraction of the normal time."

Raisel simply waited and pondered the situation. Obviously, if either of the two High Elves wished to take advantage of her or harm her, they could with ease. Arvad was somewhere away doing what god only knows. Though that obviously wouldn't happen. High Elves have been known to be one of the most amiable races in the world, and would only become violent when seriously agitated.

Yet Raisel, after seeing the near impeccable looks of the fair race, almost wanted to be taken advantage of by the two handsome twins. It certainly wasn't something a noble daughter like her should think.

(Well... I am far from home. And it's not like I'm seeing anyone or engaged.)

Whether they could see Raisel's eyes boring into them, hear her thoughts, or not any of those, it seemed that the both Antion and Antien also liked what they saw.

Clearly the two were polite enough to not pierce Raisel's clothes with their eyes, yet they could not hide that faint sense of attraction everyone had. After all, Raisel was clearly beautiful, even for being half Human and High Elf. Those years of being pampered as a daughter of a rich family paid off with a sublime allure to her face and body.

...

"All, done." Antien, who was waiting patiently, finally had the results of the analysis.

"Yes... And the results are quite interesting too." Antion added with a curious tone.

"How so?" While she wasn't too worried, Raisel wanted to know just what was so interesting. Arvad had also mentioned the interesting magic potency of her body.

"Well, you obviously know there is a large variety of magic and mana forms. And that some is more rare than others. Also, not everyone has a magical flow in their body, and the majority that do have a minor flow." Antien spoke plainly.

"Yes."

"Well, your guardian, however skilled he his, must have noticed the rare flow coursing through your body. Those who can sense a person's magical flows are extremely rare."

While she didn't care for Arvad in general, Raisel could not deny his skills.

"To get to the point, you have a crystalline magic flow. The mana in your body flows like one solid crystal, separating and joining at will. It's beyond rare."

"Awesome..." Raisel breathed softly.

"As expected from a beautiful lady like yourself." "Agreed."

Both Antion and Antien spoke consecutively, nodding without care for their words. Raisel unveiled a cute blush at the praise from the handsome Elves.

"What brings you to Illeria in the first place? I'm curious."

"Well, other than learning about the Elven half of my heritage. I'm more interested now in you two handsome men." Raisel flashed a mischievous smile

"Oh-" "My." The handsome Elves glanced at each other, apparently surprised at the reciprocated compliment. And why wouldn't they? They were not nearly as arrogant to believe that they had looks impressive enough to attract such beauty.

"Well, I don't plan on staying in this marvelous capital for very long, so I would at least like to get to know you two much more." Raisel added a flirtatious undertone to her voice near the end of her sentence. It had been a good while since she last indulged in an act that did not befit a daughter of the Tessiol family. And it wasn't like she had time to herself with her bodyguard around her all the time... This was the perfect chance and she was not going to let it go.