God of War: The Descendant

12th Chapter: Synantíseis

The whole guild was filled with many murmurs and anticipating expressions of anxiety. They would turn their heads and look hurriedly over at the door, checking to see if a new person had entered the room. It was awfully quiet and that was unusual because usually they would fight over something incredibly stupid—whether one was 'manlier' than the other—and would be loud and intense.

The mages were huddled around tables, conversing in hushed voices. Even though they were separated into groups, all were discussing the same topic. One group could be heard whispering, making comments like "She took down the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth all by herself!" And another would finish, "Yeah! And she must be strong if she was able to cause Mystogan some damage!"

One group in particular had dwelt on the very same topic, but instead of focusing on what other people had said, they listened to the one person of the three who had experienced firsthand the pursuit.

"What was she like, Erza?" the blonde girl asked as she propped her elbow on the table and leaned forward. "Alzack won't let us talk to Bisca about it, and I doubt Mystogan would share anything,"

"Yeah, spill the beans." Agreed the brunette sitting next to the blonde. "We'd understand if you don't want to tell the complete story, but at least give us some insights into something that might pose a threat to the near future."

The blonde glanced at the young man in surprise. "Wow Gray, I never thought you'd actually say that," Gray gave her a look that seemed to question her words. The female smiled sheepishly while waving her hands in defense. "Uh, forget what I just said. What we meant to say was—" She cleared her throat. "Erza, you could give us a bit of information regarding the encounter. We have to find out sooner or later anyway, so there's no point in keeping it a secret anymore."

The red-head sighed and eyed them all intently. They did have a point. "As much as I'd like to tell you, I can't. I have orders, and I have to follow them." She sank deeper into her chair, feeling dismayed at seeing the looks of disappointment on their faces.

The blonde exhaled. "Please, Erza? I know Master Makarov said not to tell anyone, but can't you spill just a little?" She looked dejected, but then she looked up, as if an idea popped up in her head. "Oh I know! You could tell us how she looked like in person! Surely there's nothing wrong with telling us her appearance." Gray looked at her, interested. He could tell she was planning something.

Silence greeted her words. The blonde took a deep breath, hoping for the best. Erza looked at her, inspecting her face as though she was looking for something. She felt her gaze intimidating, and swallowed a lump in her throat.

"What are you planning?"

"N-Nothing! What makes you ask that?" The blonde faked a smile but the red-head was able to see through the act.

"Lucy, if you so badly want to see her appearance, just look at the photo in the flyer." She smiled, "I know where that question leads, I'm not oblivious."

Lucy ducked her head down and her cheeks reddened with embarrassment. "I just want to know how the mission went, that's all..."

Erza looked at her almost sympathetically; she really did seem eager to know even the smallest detail, and being her friend she expected her to impart what had happened, but she never did. In fact, the two of her groupmates looked terribly disheartened, and it made her feel worse.

The group kept silent. After a while, Gray broke the silence. "What's so important that we can't know about it?" He crossed his arms and the bored look came back.

"Well," Red eyebrows knitted in question. "I don't know. Master only told us that we shouldn't talk about the encounter."

"Did he tell you the reason why?"