Starry Resonance Ch. 03

The woman in question didn't pay attention to Nelmir, Yvain or anyone else as she walked to her room, but before she went inside, she looked to Nora. "Whenever you're free, I'd like for us to talk more in-depth," the sorceress said and gave a rare smile before leaving her companions to the rest of their meeting.

"I guess your wish is coming true after all," Yvain said to Nora, halfway into controlling his laughter.

"She's a lovely girl, and her greed for knowledge rivals that of a dragon," she said, appearing genuinely happy to have the opportunity to be able to talk to Roesia.

"Miss Nora," Nelimir started.

"Please, Nora will suffice," Nora said in a light tone.

The Draconian's Tavern's leader nodded. "Then Nora, I have a few questions of my own. The first one being what your role in all of this is."

Nora was about to answer but Yvain beat her to it.

"That goes hand in hand with what Selt and I found inside the forest," he said.

"Is that where you both met?" Nelimir asked.

"It is. After investigating the forest, we found a dazed and wounded Nora."

"We shouldn't have helped her," Selt cut in with some hostility.

Yvain was about to reprimand him, but Nora stopped him with a silent shake of her head.

Nelimir didn't miss this of course.

"Did something happen?" he asked.

Nora smiled apologetically, "I was in the middle of a battle when they found me. Unfortunately, the only one I met when I regained consciousness was Yvain. Selt met with my opponent."

"He was going to kill her, so I chose to kill him instead," Yvain said with no attempt to give more details on the matter.

"Do you even know who you killed!" Selt slammed the table and glared at Yvain.

"I'm getting tired of your tantrums," Yvain said, and for the first time since the founding of the guild showed hostility toward one of its members. In combination of knowledge that Selt couldn't be killed and Yvain's protectiveness over Nora, he let himself fully feel the want to kill the kid.

"Yvain!" Elly shouted loud enough that the tableware slightly rattled, and Yvain snapped out of his current state. He immediately realized his mistake, but it was too late. The kid was glaring back at him the same as before, but Yvain could now see the hurt he was trying to hide.

"Fine," Selt said. Everyone remained quiet as the kid stood, stomped up the exit and slammed closed the door that led to the carriage.

Several angry pounds came from Roesia's room in muffled protest. "Keep it down!"

Shamefaced and still angry, Yvain did his best to stare a fire into the crumbs on his plate.

Nora didn't say anything, opting to just do her best to comfort him with a hidden hand on his lower back.

Elly looked like she wanted to ask him something but couldn't quite put it to words. It was Nelimir who broke the silence.

"So, who did you kill?" he asked.

The question should have been a respite from the current awkwardness. But now that the time had come to reveal what they had done, Yvain found it hard to speak. Facing his friends, he knew what they would say, that he shouldn't have been so rash. And they would be right to say it.

"The man we killed was the emperor of the dragon race," Nora had decided to take matters into her own hands, allowing Yvain to compose himself. "He also happens to be my ex-husband. Due to some personal reasons, we entered a battle to the death from which I came out victorious thanks to Yvain and Selt."

"And may I ask how such a battle took place inside a dungeon on top of Great Divider?" Nelimir asked.

Yvain noticed that Elly had crossed her arms and was now looking at Nora in consternation. He didn't know the answer to his friend's question. He knew her ex-husband wanted to kill her, and why she was trying to enter Empryon, but what were the circumstances that brought them specifically inside a dungeon? He could only wait for his lover to answer herself, but no reply came. She was hesitating. Her eyes darted from Nelimir to Yvain with worry.

"Before I tell you, I'd like to know something," she said. Nelimir gave her the go-ahead and Nora asked, "How do you feel about the monster races?"

Nelimir, as if expecting the question, answered smoothly, "What you want to ask me is if I'll harm you since you're from the dragon race, am I correct?"

Yvain's breath caught in his throat and began to cough. His friend's conclusion was an easy one to reach, but he wasn't expecting him to be so direct.

Nora calmly nodded, becoming tense while waiting for the answer.

Why does she think we'll harm her? Yvain thought. But then he realized that she didn't know what their guild stood for, or Nelimir's goals. In that same vein, what were her ideals? The humans loathed the beast races, but what did those of the beast race think of humans? Nora at least didn't show any hostility.

"I won't, none of us will," Nelimir said, "I don't know how much Yvain has told you, but I intend to break the isolation Empryon has set upon itself. And the first crucial step to achieve that is to slowly integrate the beast races into our society."

"That...is unexpected," Nora managed to say. "Excuse my rudeness. I trust you all for the most part, but Empryon's hatred for anyone other than themselves is renowned."

"Understandable. Now, about the location of the battle," Nelimir said.

"Yes, well, to understand the reason why we were in a dungeon you need to know who I am first and what that entails."

Yvain knew she would soon reveal her godhood and was hoping Nelmir could control himself.

"That would be the empress, correct?" Nelimir asked.

"That, and the goddess of dragons," Nora said.

The leader of Draconian's Tavern took a moment to fully comprehend what he just heard.

"Excuse me?" Nelimir's mask of austere leadership quickly began to crumble. "Yvain did you know of this?"

Yvain shook his head. "She only told me right before we joined you guys for breakfast."

"Nora, would you like to join our guild?" Nelimir asked with no warning.

"What!?" Elly said in disbelief.

"Please don't make a repeat of last time," Yvain said. He found it ironic that he was trying to stop his friend from making rash decisions now of all times, when this is exactly what he wanted from the start. None of the sloppiness his friend had shown in front of the goddess of villages was present at least.

"She's not only a goddess, but a high-ranking member of the beast races we desperately need to make contact with," Nelimir said seriously. "She must join us."

Before answering the leader's request, Nora looked to Yvain. "Are you referring to the goddess of villages?"

Yvain nodded and Nora smiled at Nelimir, "I've been told that you have an interest in our kind."

"I've been stuck in a xenophobic society that believes itself to be the center of all creation," Nelimir said. "Knowing that there are beings around us that undoubtedly break those beliefs is refreshing."

"We are just like any other mortal race. Though we have some peculiarities," Nora said and set clasped hands on the table. "One of them is why our battle took place in a dungeon sitting in the middle of such a powerful barrier." Taking on a bitter smile she continued, "You see, my late ex-husband intended to kill me and steal my powers. It's common knowledge that if you want to gain something from a god or goddess, you must offer an official challenge to the stars called 'Godless trials' which the god is then forced to accept no matter the circumstances. Once the ritual is completed a dungeon will be created with the participants inside."

Yvain's mind was sent on a short tumble as Nora's words didn't coincide with what she told him the reason for her husband's hostility was, but he then remembered that the real reason was something she didn't want revealed. Still, were her words now a fabrication? Or where they still the truth?

Nora's love-filled gaze landed on Yvain, quickly making his concerns move to the back of his mind, "What he didn't know was that the form of challenge and its requirements to pass aren't chosen by us. We only chose what the challenger will earn if they come out victorious."

"So, I gained your powers?" Yvain asked with doubtfully. She said it was common knowledge but none of the members of Draconian's Tavern knew, though they didn't even know about gods and goddesses until a little while ago, so it wasn't surprising.

Nora shook her head. "The goal of the dungeon was to find my mate. I didn't know how you would be tested, but the child you protected was most likely a recreation of my daughter."

Yvain's eyes widened as Nora grinned. She closed the short distance between them slowly and licked his lips before Yvain pulled her closer and they kissed. Her slimy tongue immediately entered his mouth, and the couple tried their best to eat each other.

He was already set on helping Nora find her daughter but knowing that the child in the dungeon and her kid were the same now created an undeniable need to do so.

Losing their sense of time, the couple only broke off when Nelimir cleared his throat. Both were panting while a string of saliva hung between them.

"What's her name?" Yvain asked between breaths.

"Charlotte," Nora said. She licked her lips, and it took all of Yvain's willpower to hold back from kissing her again.

"I won't fail her this time," Yvain said. His own voice sounded weird to him. It carried a conviction that didn't match the emotional connection he felt toward Charlotte. He had never met her, neither was she his child. Yet without a doubt he would die for her. The thought felt normal, but it still creeped him out a bit.

None of his minor hesitations could be found on Nora though. One look was enough to tell him that she had no doubts in his words.

Is this normal of finding a mate? Yvain thought.

"Is this normal of finding a 'mate'?" The couple looked to Nelimir at the same time. For a second Yvain thought his friend could read his mind, but he simply meant their display of affection.

"That's something I've been trying to figure out," Nora said. "The dungeon only served as a filter meant to hold back my late ex-husband from reaching me. I didn't put much thought into it as the idea of finding a mate is something that holds more value culturally, and maybe physiologically, in other races. I'll admit, some groups can be a bit more passionate than others when it comes to inter-personal relationships but..." Nora paused for a moment and took Yvain's hand. He didn't make a move as she rubbed her face all over his palm and took deep breathes. "This feels different; the dungeon couldn't have done it."

Yvain's eyes darted around the room nervously, not knowing where to look. He was unabashed about most things, but Nora's act felt too intimate to have an audience. His eyes suddenly stopped on Elly who was whiter than usual.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She had been uncharacteristically quiet after her short outburst.

Elly shook herself and looked at him. "Just something in the food," she said unconvincingly.

"And how about you Yvain? Do you feel any different?" Nelimir cut in.

"Besides the feeling of unconditional trust I have in her and... uh, physical needs, not really," he said with a shrug. Nora settled her hand in his own once more and was giggling at his attempt to brush over their bodily encounters.

"I guess whatever is making you both act like this will have to be set aside for now." Nelimir inclined forward a bit, setting his elbows on the table. "I understand the why of husband and wife fighting inside a dungeon on Great Divider, but now I'd like to know why you two were here in the first place."

"It has to do with the daughter I mentioned," Nora said. "My ex-husband sold her off to someone in Empryon, so I'm here to get her back."

Yvain carefully watched his friend's reaction to this new piece of information, but Nelimir didn't look surprised at all.

"Do you know something about this?" Yvain asked.

Nelimir shook his head. "Not at all, but we've been forced to live blind throughout our lives. It isn't unusual for something like this to be going on."

"That's a bit of a bleak perspective," Yvain said, though he agreed with his friend. "Well, besides our current strength, I can't leave until I help Nora find Charlotte," Yvain said, wanting for his friend to understand the weight of his commitment to Nora.

"I already said she would become a member of our guild. As a member she will have our full support, same as the rest," Nelimir said, ignoring that Nora hadn't yet agreed to join. "But there is a glaring problem we have been ignoring all this time. You both killed the ruler of an empire," he looked at Nora, "Do you know how your people will retaliate? Should we be worried about war breaking out?"

This was the biggest issue they were all now facing. To make matters worse, Nora knew more about them than they knew of her thanks to the mere fact that she came from the outside. So did her ex-husband. In other words, it was possible that the dragon race already had an advantage over information.

"It will certainly cause problems, but they will be shouldered for the most part by those who speak for your race," Nora said calmly. "But we can't stay here waiting to be found. It's best if we leave as soon as possible."

"Be found?" Nelimir asked.

"Before the Dragon Emperor died, he used a skill called 'Imperial Hunger'. It lets his subjects know he was murdered and the location of his death," Yvain said.

"So that's the roar we heard from the village," Nelimir said absentmindedly.

"Now that you mention it, I'm surprised that you did." Yvain said. He didn't know how the ability worked specifically, but they were inside a dungeon and far away from their companions. It was both impressive and alarming that such a roar could reach so far. Then again, how else would his subjects hear it if they weren't nearby?

"It made all of us lose our footing for a bit," Nelimir said.

"You're saying that roar can reach all the way to your land?" Elly suddenly asked Nora.

"Yes," Nora said.

"This isn't good," Elly looked at Nelimir, alarm suffusing her voice.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"If that roar has such a wide range, it's possible that others in Empryon heard it too, and if they did..."

"This place will be crawling with a lot of interested parties," Nelimir said, the gravity of the situation dawning on him. "If we're caught here it could create an infinite number of unforeseen troubles."

Elly nodded. "And considering that an emperor from the beast races is dealing with humans from Empryon, I fear there might be powers involved which we can't deal with."

"I... didn't actually think that far," Nora said apologetically.

"You don't need to, that's what these meetings are for," Nelimir said. "We'll be leaving as soon as we finish here then," he said, then looked at Yvain. "What did you have in mind for helping us become stronger?"

"Nora could train us," Yvain said immediately.

"Me?"

"Her?!"

Nora and Elly's voices overlapped, both seemingly against the idea.

"You are impossibly stronger than us," he told Nora. Then he looked at Elly, "And you know that we've both been stuck in place for months now. Roesia seems to have made a small amount of progress, but Nelimir hasn't been able to even make starlight appear."

"As much as it shames me to admit, I don't have the genius-like ability you all seem to ooze out by simply breathing," Nelimir said ruefully.

"And we killed an emperor. Regardless of what we hope for, the consequences of that action will catch up to us and we need to be ready," Yvain finished.

Nora mulled over his words seriously while Elly looked endlessly frustrated, but his master understood he was right.

"My strength isn't even one third of what it used to be," Nora said, "I don't think it'll easily come back." She studied her hands with a sad expression.

"Why not?" Yvain asked.

"They decayed while fighting my ex-husband. Today when I woke up an extremely small amount had returned but it has stopped since. That has never happened before," Nora said. "But if you're fine with me, I'll do my best to guide you all."

Yvain wondered what could have caused such a thing, but if even Nora didn't know then he had no chance of figuring it out.

"Then it's settled," Nelimir said. "We'll leave this area immediately and we can be trained by Nora as we go to our next destination." The Draconian's Tavern leader then looked to Yvain, "Go get Selt."