Curse of the Crystals

Chapter 19: The Final Matches - part 4

The slight coldness in Ambrose's voice surprised Itzal. "So what are you here for?"

Having gathered his courage, Ambrose pulled through with the confrontation. "I'm here to ask you what's wrong. I don't mean to pry, but you've been behaving different lately and the way you fought in the tournament wasn't exactly good for building up our reputation."

Itzal gave him a sour smile. "You're a little too late to point that out, but alright. If you want to talk, let's talk. However, I'd like to ask the Alchemist and Luna to be there as well."

Ambrose nodded, as it finally looked like Itzal had sorted himself out. Ambrose felt surprisingly relieved by it.

They met in the back-room of a tavern an hour later, where they could speak privately. Ambrose felt a little out of place among the three Forest Elves, but it was a feeling he'd been getting used to. Itzal poured a few glasses of a strong smelling alcoholic beverage, introducing it to Ambrose. "It's a Forest Elven speciality, made from berries grown in the autonomous zone."

Ambrose gave it a careful sniff, and realized he'd need his healing to take care of this one. The strong liquor burned through his throat, and left a bitter taste in his mouth at first. Oddly enough, it had a surprisingly sweet aftertaste.

Itzal spoke up. "I'll be honest with you guys, I've been thinking way too much lately."

The Alchemist scoffed. "That much was pretty clear to everyone."

Itzal sighed. "Yeah, I guess it was." He took up another drink, and downed it in one go. He needed it to prepare himself for what he was going to talk about. "Before I gained this magic, I always acted on what was presented to me at the moment. I never really made plans for the future, and I kept getting myself into trouble for the thrill of being able to get myself out of it. That's what kept me going all the way here. The things is, I've slowly grown to realize just how powerful this magic of mine is, and of how much more powerful it can become. For example, if I kept training like this, I could probably kill the Emperor by simply running into the royal palace and stabbing him, after which I could simply run out again before anyone could stop me."

Luna was confused. "Wasn't that part of the reason why we did all this? So that we had a good enough reputation to show people that you wouldn't do such a thing?"

Itzal grimaced. "That was the cover we used for the real plans, but I doubt Ezer actually believed it would do us any good on its own. People in places of power are paranoid, and knowing that there is someone strong enough to kill any of them quite easily will scare them a lot. Especially if that someone is also known to be as whimsical as me."

The Alchemist replied. "So what, you're going to change your life-style or something?"

Itzal nodded. "I wouldn't have done so if it wasn't for the fact that Ezer managed to beat me. He's shown everyone that I'm not unbeatable. In fact, he's shown me that I'm not unbeatable. Even if I were to train a lot more, he could probably do the same and keep up with me."

Ambrose didn't get it. "That doesn't take away that people might be paranoid about how strong you are."

Itzal replied. "They know that I'm working for someone who's servant is stronger than me, and they know I'm not unbeatable, which are two things that make a pretty big difference. You're right though, and it's not just about that. I think I've started to realize how much I need this group."

Luna seemed happy to hear it. "It's great to have friends to rely on."

The Alchemist laughed. "I never thought I'd hear you say something like that. Out of the countless people you've refused to work with, a former lady of the night, a Human and a High Elven noblewoman with her Desert Elven servant, are the rag-tag team that finally got you to change your mind."