Bladed Soul: Ascend To Necrosberg

IX - The Archer Girl

"Wars are won by the rich but fought for by the poor."
- Anonymous

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"What's your name?" Xandria asks.

"Arthus."

She says nothing but answers with a nod instead.

The room is a bit crowded, with dusty brick walls from all sides and no sign of exit anywhere around. A lamp that barely burns with a small flame illuminates the room. I want to ask Xandria where are we but I reckon that can come later after more crucial matters.

"What mess have we put ourselves in? I mean, the guards, Crystadel, the queen."

"Crystadel was once a famed city of prestige and luxury. I know, it still is now. But when Queen Isabel, daughter of the late King Ferdinand took the throne, she decided to sink the city underground and hide it from the world, keeping all the emerald treasure for herself."

"So, Crystadel was originally situated on high ground?"

"Yes, we were the center of trade in Calum for decades."

I poke a finger in my ear over what she said. Did I hear it correctly? "Did you just say Calum?"

"Yes, why?"

Scite, Calum. The name rings a bell. I've heard it somewhere. It's a region far south of Sothens, inhabited by Elves and Aquieux. Elves are common and easy to recognize. The Aquieux, however, I know nothing about. Just that they're a powerful race of Elvish half-breds. Still, both of them aren't very fond of humans. My muscles begin to tense as I realize I'm in dangerous territory.

"Nothing." I lie but even I can feel my voice shaking. I immediately drive the topic into something else before she could notice. "Uhmm, tell me about yourself."

"I'm an orphan."

Xandria's answer stuns me for a sec. She didn't even have second thoughts speaking those words. The way she says it so casually is admirable. Admitting that you're alone in life isn't something you can say with a straight face and without any hint of hurt in your voice. But she just did. I even notice a slight curve linger in her lips after.

Either she's naturally numb or expert in hiding emotions. I'm guessing the second one fits her description better. You can't be stone-hearted if you're human. Even skies cry when the weight becomes too heavy.

"Don't give me that look," she says as pulls out the arrows in her quiver and counts them silently. "I don't want anyone sympathizing me over something that doesn't really matter."

"That's cold."

"Are you done? Because I got tons of questions for you," she replies calmly but I can sense that she's brushing off the orphan topic.

"Not yet. What kind of arcane do you use? Magical arrows aren't common in my place."

"Augmentation arcane."

The Wisdom of Augmentation. Serrah told me it's the arcane of applying spells on objects to make it more powerful. I can even remember blacksmiths back in Mergrande using it when I was a kid. It's commonly used for weapon enhancement and armor reinforcement. This is the first time I've learned it can be useful in combat.

"Since you can use arcane, you're Elvish, then?"

"No, I'm half-elven, half-human. Put it simply, an Aquieux." She moves some strands of her fiery curls to reveal pointed ears.

So, here I am, talking to an Aquieux for real.

"Why did you try to abduct me when we first met?"