亚洲综合中美

The left side with the biggest rooms was given three purposes. Room one, the first after stepping inside would become the reception area. A place where recruitment and formal meetings could be hosted. The second room would turn into a rest area with the possibility of hosting a discussion with up to twenty people. The third-room, the Leader’s office already had a purpose. It might not have seemed apparent but each of those rooms were large and very spacious; worthy of its repute.

The right side, one that held four slightly smaller rooms also had a purpose in mind. Room four, also the first one when stepping off the elevator on the right side, would be used as a storage place for loot and other miscellaneous stuff. Room five, the second one, would be used for enchantments and upgrades for armor. A room where changes and any type of tinkering could be performed, weapons, armor, daily commodities, nothing mattered. The following room would be the fabled, portal-room. A concept the guys weren’t familiar yet, basically a place that would link to all their property for fast access. It would be locked so only the members could walkthrough, with a bit of wit, that could be done quite easily. It was based on the same concept in Arda. Last but not least, Room seven; the Armory. Self-explanatory, used weapons, armor, arrows, bullets, and everything a warrior might need would be kept inside. Rather than buying from the merchants in the capital – Staxius had other plans in mind. To buy from Dorchester, since their craftsmen and smiths were talented who didn’t take much price.

“Alright,” with those plans in mind, he spoke.

Startled, the rest faced away from the scenery, “-today marks the debut of Kniq. I shan’t give a speech or anything remotely close. You all know what awaits us – for now, I’d advise for a minimum of two days of rest. I’ll get the headquarters ready for the journey ahead,” the hand pointed backward, “-for now, it’s best that we use the elevator.” A clear message saying that work needed to be done and that they would only hold him back. Not harsh nor mean, just the reality of things.

“Thanks for your hard work, guild leader,” Viola chuckled. One by one, all left after giving him a quick hug.

“Your wrong,” he turned, all stood in the elevator, “-all of this is possible because everyone worked hard. To that I say, thank you,” for the first time, Staxius bowed before his comrades. The sight pulled the strings in their heart, it pounded – an overwhelming feeling of happiness surged. The door closed, with teared up faces, the party headed back to the hotel.

.....

“You sure are lucky,” Adete flew out the back pocket.

“Can’t you just stay on my shoulder or head,” the tone unimpressed.

“Awe, did you miss me?” she teased.

“Would me answering that change anything?” he fired back.

“Maybe?” she hovered with her hands on her hips.

“Fine,” he gave, “-I got used to having you on my shoulder or head at all times. It’s a bit weird for my limiter to not be there,” a slight smile portraited.

“AWE,” she flew and hugged his forehead, her arms stretched from one temple to the other, “-here I thought you were a cold-hearted killer.”

“It all depends on the mood,” he chuckled and entered Room number six; the portal room.

Erecting temporary portals was simple; similar to the one used to transfer Xula from Arda to Oxshield, it didn’t take much concentration nor energy. It worked the same way as teleportation. Now that the intent was to create permanent ones of which a few people could walkthrough, it took a few minutes and a large amount of mana. Nothing too difficult – only one portal was set-up for the time being. One that connected to the shop. After that, once inside the shop – upstairs in the attic, he opened another portal. One personal and cloaked by a concealment spell – one that led to the garage in Arda. For now, these were the only ones needed. The portal to the guild’s headquarters was placed on the ground floor, in the now smaller back room used for storage.

‘Two days till Kniq can begin its journey. Manufacture of potions, scrolls, and equipment became a priority. It would also mark the opening of the Magical shop of which the name had yet to be decided. It had been only a few days, but people were drawn to the architecture. It stood out – most were curious.

“Hey vampire,” Adete called.

“What is it?” he finished finalizing the portals – only the people he allowed could see those pathways.

“Lord Balthazar gave you a quest, didn’t he?” she pointed out something that happened on the day he received the vampiric blood.

“Yeah, I remember,” he stood, “-to find other vampires that set off to the capital.”

“Glad you remembered,” she sat on the shoulder with her feet swinging back and forth.

“There’s no lead to go off,” a fair statement to which she dropped the subject.

“What’s the plan now?” she asked.

“Well, with all the loose ends being tied as well as tasks,” they walked back upstairs, “-there’s only one thing to do,” the portal to Arda came to life, “-we’re headed back home. I need to ask the dwarves for another favor. The only thing remaining is to open the central guild in Arda. With Oxshield as our ally, it should not be hard. We may need to get more repute and accomplish some more difficult quests first.”

Every time he entered the province, a faint heavy feeling of nausea could be felt. To many, it went unnoticed, but those blessed with heightened senses could feel it, the power of someone strong entering. Mainly, Xula, the Sage and the Overseer could sense it.

“Father,” a voice came from the doorway to the garage

“Yes?” he turned to see Eira with a not so inviting face.

“Can you kindly explain what has happened in the few days?” news spread fast – the history about Protectors, their duties and their kingdom was explained by a scholar. One who came per request from her majesty – he gave an extra lesson on controlling the Ice-element. One that came after the girl requested her mother for a long time – the determination to grow strong.

With no time to reply, she jumped, her long dress floated. “Never mind that,” she stood close to him, “-did you fight Raulf Serlo?” her eyes narrowed. Not wanting to reply just yet, he waited. “And what happened to your body, and that talk with mother earlier. I felt as if I missed out on things I was supposed to know. Look at you, she pointed out the changes,” Staxius could not but smile during the whole ordeal.

“Basically,” she led him outside, “-you look nothing like the one I know from memory. White and red hair, a buffed body, crimson-colored eyes and not to mention the paler skin,” with better lighting, she let go and stood before him. “-I was worried,” her gaze lowered.

“Come on,” without wasting time, a fatherly embrace later, “-I’m sorry I made you worry,” he apologized softly. “Many things are happening in the background, things that aren’t worth your attention. What you need now is to study and focus on getting stronger. After all, the inter-magical tournament will be hosted at the start of the school year,” he smiled. “How about I train you in the ways of the sword,” an unexpected offer, the embrace ended.

“Please do,” her eyes lit, “-the castle is amazing and all, but I feel like I’m slacking off. I want to become strong to one day stand as your equal,” the voice serious, “-even if you’re my dad, I consider you as a rival too,” the eyes filled with determination.

“Show me with actions and not with words,” the voice monotonous, “-how about a little sparring match?” hearing her say that he was her rival lit a fire. A fire to shatter her confidence.

“Anytime you want, father,” she smirked.

“Not so fast you two,” a sharp voice came from behind; green hair. “-no sparring till later in the day, I’ve business with your father.”

“Go get prepared,” he ordered, “-I doubt you’ll be doing any fighting in that dress,” he walked away.

“I’ll wait at the training room,” the reply filled with excitement, she left.

A portal conjured that led into the throne room. Sat around the table, nobles, and representatives – the Queen had summoned all.

“Your majesty,” they stood and bowed.

With a nod, she sat, the rest followed. “I shall skip the courtesy and go straight for the thing at hand,” her voice serious, Staxius could but stand back and wait. Silence whelmed the room, all who sat were serious and glared. The tension palpable, Shanna took her time before speaking.

“The Protector of Arda has come out on top against the Protector of Oxshield,” the moment those words were uttered, cheers and applause busted out the room. The entire place came to life, “-we did it,” they screamed.

“VICTORY,” neither cared about manners nor courtesy, the raw emotions of that win could be felt throughout their body and soul. It meant that Arda lived to see another day.

Taken by surprise, Staxius watched, all celebrated with cheers and smiles. “Settle down everyone,” the queen cut the festivities short. “Thanks to the effort and groundwork put in by the King, Arda, and Oxshield have officially allied,” that sentence made all on edge.

“Before lashing out about the oppression, consider this. Would you rather us being alienated with none to rely upon if ever this continent comes under attack? Monsters are getting stronger by the day – we need to think about future generations. Prejudice and change must be a quest that both parties should solely stand behind. The newly crowned Queen has but one thing in mind, the Unity of the provinces.”

“We were indeed oppressed,” Niroz spoke, “-though it doesn’t matter now. Our nation is free and at peace. As beastmen, most of the hate was directed towards us, many of my comrades were killed at the hands of nobles whomst saw us as slaves. Despite this, that is but a sliver of the human race’s heart. The people who we met were animals, far worst than demons,” the general garnered the attention of everyone around. “There are also people who think of us as living beings and not tools. That is the reality of things, it’s a basic survival instinct to fear what is unnatural. We mustn’t be hard on them – a good relationship is what we must strive for,” the tone changed suddenly, “-in any case, if there’s even a slight chance of dishonesty. We’ll crush them with our might,” the tone serious and cold.

“That’s a fair judgment,” Lord Baltazar rallied behind the beastman.

“No arguments from us,” the Great mother agreed to which the decision was final. One by one, the rest of the nobles accepted what Staxius had begun.

“Thank you all for understanding,” Staxius spoke, “-I know that many of you have underlying issues with my selfish decisions of being friendly towards Oxshield. Since I changed into a vampire, I’m no longer human – even so, I had a thought once. Imagine the endless possibilities if Arda’s knowledge about the Arcane arts and Oxshield’s growing expertise in technology were to work together. It’s unthinkable, the amount of advancement in daily care as well as weaponry and more – inventions to make our citizens live a comfortable life,” none had considered that possibility. “And not to worry, if ever our kingdom came under threat,” the eyes filled with killing intent, “-I’ll take their heads without blinking,” the voice cold and menacing. The intensity sent shivers down everyone’s spine.

“As he said,” Shanna stood, “-we’ll be cautious in case of foul play,” she smiled. “We’ve got Staxius Haggard in our corner.” Those few words helped to quell any misunderstanding. The few frowns changed into smiles; all were convinced.

“Thank you all for answering the summons – may the return back home go without trouble,” Ruslan took charge and ended the meeting.

“Lord Balthazar,” Staxius called, “-may I have a few words?” he asked to which the man accepted. Various portals summoned; the room emptied till those two were left.

“About the task to finding the lost vampires,” they stood near a balustrade and stared down to the throne, “-are there any specifics I need to know?”

Slowly, the old man turned, “-no, I’m afraid there’s no proof,” he replied in disappointment. “You needn’t worry so much,” a quick pat on Staxius’s back later, “-if they’re somewhere – I’m sure it will become obvious,” a smile later, he turned into a blackish-mist.