there's not much in chapter 4, but it's still necessary. it's the final chapter of the 'opening' and the preparation for the next chapter, which will enter the main story.
I hope you can enjoy it..
~Alceus
Chapter 4
Honor and Freedom
Honor and Freedom
"Wow! So this is Acropolis City! I never thought it's this big!" Alceus dashed through the north gate when the giant tower of Guild Palace came to his sight. There are people everywhere! It's even hard for him to move! Grinning childishly, Alceus pushed his way through the crowd of people and to the merchants who are selling their goods on the side of the streets. He felt giddy with excitement as he spotted items he had never seen before.
While the blonde was running around from one stall to another, the three people who followed him gave Alceus a strange look. It's like he'd never heard of Acropolis before, a place that everyone knows about. It's Acronia's capital city for heaven's sake! Although many questions appeared on everyone's mind about where or who Alceus was, they couldn't help but to smile when the said man jumped in excitement as he watched a person wearing a flying parasol passed him by.
"Hey, look at that pendant. Don't you think it's beautiful?" The turquoise-haired girl spoke up suddenly causing the boys to look at her. Alceus approached her almost immediately to look at the item she was pointing at. It was a tiny blue gem that is encased in a beautiful golden metal. The pendant was shaped like a cylinder making it more attractive….. to Latte's eyes at least. "I don't see anything interesting. Does the pendant have some sort of special qualities!?" asked Al excitedly to the vendor.
The old lady watched the two kindly," A good eye you have there miss. And to answer your question young man, this pendant is called the Tear of the Azure. It has been known to possess a mysterious quality that enhances the mind's eye. Legend said that whoever wore this necklace would be inevitably drawn to the bearer of its pair, the Vermillion Skies."
Latte's eyes were bright with admiration while Alceus was the exact opposite of her. He was choking in disgust at the necklace while muttering," Gotta be the sappiest story ever…" Ignoring the blonde man beside her, Latte clasped her hands in some sort of silent prayer. "How much for this pendant miss?" "Hmm I'll give you 15k Gold since you're such a dear."
Three simultaneous chokes came from the boys as they looked at the pendant warily. At that moment the same thought were running in their minds. 'What the heck!? That puny thing's cost is the same as my lunch!' Latte, however, let out a terrified gasp as she noticed that her budget isn't enough.
"Can't I get a discount, ma'am?" she pleaded quietly. Her eyes tearing at the corners.
The old lady shook her head sadly," I'm afraid not, dear. But if you take two of the pendant, perhaps I could give you a special fee of 25k." Looking over at the horrified trio behind the girl, she continued," I'm sure one of those boys wants to treat you. The effects of the pendants are quite intriguing, aren't they? " Latte blushed and glanced discreetly at the spiky-haired boy at the near back who caught her eye, before quickly averting her attention back to the amused lady.
Yust noticed Kai's face now resembled a ripe tomato, yet he had a confused and troubled look. But as a scout who'd been trained to predict every enemy's movement, he predicted what Kai thought from his look.
"You should buy one for her. You can use this." He whispered as he put some money on Kai's hand without Latte noticing.
"It's a shame for you to borrow money to buy your girl a present," chuckled Alceus with a voice only Yust and Kai could hear him, then forcibly put another money he got by selling the bones of the bawoos they fought on Kai's hand, "but the most important thing is to make the princess happy, right? Here, take this too and you'll save 5k gold by buying two. Go on, Mr. Prince!"
It didn't matter from Yust, but getting a lend from Alceus made him felt a bit insulted. But what Al said was right. After gathering all the courage he could, he moved beside Latte. "We'll take both, ma'am." He said with a shy smile at the lady. Of course this resulted in a mocking sound from Al and a encouraging smack in Kai's back from the scout. He couldn't careless of what they do as long as Latte is smiling gently at him with her cerulean eyes sparkling at him.
One transaction and a couple of jests later, the group is now free to wander again in the busy streets of the uptown. With an energetic blonde and happy scout leading, the rest of the party walked slowly, wearing a similar happy expression and both were sporting matching pendants on their neck.
--
"Is this your first time here, Al?" Latte asked him suddenly. For some reason, she's in high spirit after watching her new friend (and after being treated to matching pendants).
"Yeah," Alceus nodded without looking at Latte. His eyes were too occupied with the items in front of him, "I tried to imagine it from your story, but it's completely different from what I thought. This is great!"
"You should go the Uptown district of this city then," The dominion scout remarked as he pointed the white marble tower who gleamed proudly underneath the shining sun. "That Guild Palace is the pride of Acropolis. It's a must for every tourist."
Alceus looked at the tower Yust mentioned. The heart of the city, but it's still a palace, a place where the king or at least the ruler of Acropolis. And if Acropolis was the biggest city in Acronia Continent, then the ruler might as well be the ruler of the entire continent. "A place like that... can normal people enter the palace?"
"I see.. You must be thinking it's where the king lives. But Acropolis is led by a governor, and she lives in the downtown side of the city unlike a king who lives separately from his subjects and surrounded with luxury," said Kaistern who finally joined the group. He'd been living in that town since he's born, so there's nothing he didn't know about the city. "Why don't we go there right now? I also have something to show the Swordsman Master," he smirked as he looked at his bag with two bawoo meats inside.
--
Upon arriving at the Guild Palace, Kaistern went immediately to the warp portal that led him to the second floor where the headquarters of fighter guilds located. On the north was the base of the archers who are specialized for long ranged battle, while the west side was the place where the warriors who swore to protect others were assembled.
"Kai!" Yust stopped Kaistern from entering the Swordsman Guild on the east side of Guild Palace second floor. "I really want to see you become an official swordsman, but I think I have to pass."
Kaistern frowned. Even if it was just a short time, he still felt that the dominion scout had become part of the comrades Latte talked about earlier. It would be disappointing to the spiky haired man if he's not there to witness him acquiring the swordsman status along with the others, "This is a once in lifetime event, you know?"
Yust smiled weakly, as if he could read the soon-to-be swordsman clearly, and he appreciated that. "Well, I got something to talk about with my own master, and I don't think I can make her wait any longer so..." he said as he pointed the Scout Master's room at the south.
"I see," Kai nodded. He understood that everyone had their own business. And considering the dominion in front of him, the topic of their talk must be a pretty serious one. "I'll meet you later then."
"Yeah. See you later."
After watching Yust vanished into the Scout Guild, Kaistern turned to his two friends, Alceus, who's still excited with everything he saw, and Latte, who seemed to be having fun just by watching Alceus. "Hey, you two! Do you want to come along with me or not?" without waiting for reply, he entered the Swordsman Guild. And he knew that both Alceus and Latte were following him.
The room, decorated with swords hanging on the wall and armors on tables, really fit the description of Swordsman Guild. Inside, two men were conversing with each other lively. When they saw that someone had entered the room, they turned to see the newcomers other shifted their attention to the three when they entered the room.
"Well, well, look who do we have here.. Kaistern, isn't! So did you get what I told you to bring, lad?"
Kaistern took the bawoo meats from his bag and showed them to the Swordsman Master. "Yes sir."
Satisfied with Kaistern's achievement, the Swordsman Master smiled. "Very well. You have done well and therefore you are now officially acknowledged as a swordsman. From now on you will be expected to display bravery, courtesy, honor, and gallantry towards women. Remember our code of conduct always," he congratulated as he handed over the swordsman emblem.
"Congratulations, Kai," Latte clapped her hands happily as she watched Kai put on the swordsman token.
"Yeah, congrats, Kai," Alceus added, "I hate to admit it but that emblem looks cool on you!"
"Thanks, guys. I won't succeed without your help. So, this emblem is ours, not mine alone." Kaistern replied while holding his emblem proudly. "Why don't you try to become a swordsman too, Al?"
"Nah, I'm not the knight-in-shining-armor like you. I don't have any princess I need to protect." He said as he glanced to Latte who shyly ducked her head to hide her pink cheeks. "Besides, I prefer enjoying everything and exploring for new places."
"What an adventurous spirit you got there, kid." A man in green clothes who's talking to the Swordsman Master earlier finally spoke. You helped your friend defeating the Bawoos, right? Tell me your name."
Alceus glared to the green-clothed man with goggles on his head. "Don't call me 'kid', old man. And why don't you introduce yourself first before asking other's name? I wonder who's the one without manner here?"
Kaistern and Latte were trying to stop Alceus from talking any further, but they were cut by the man's hearty laugh, "Ahahaha!! I apologize for calling you 'kid', kid. You didn't give me a name either so I'll stick to calling you kid."
"Al! You shouldn't be rude! This person is—"
"Okay, okay! I get it!" Alceus stopped his friend from scolding him even further. "Well, I don't know who you are, but I guess I was too much. Sorry." The blonde man glared and folded his arms stubbornly." My name is Alceus."
Still smiling, the man stood up from seating on the table, patting the Swordsman Master shoulder. "Apology accepted. You do not fit the swordsman's code of conduct indeed," he said as he took out an emblem from his pocket and threw it to Alceus. "That is the Ranger emblem, the symbol of freedom. But even freedom has its limit. You're free to speak, but take care not to insult others. You're free to find and take treasures, but do not rob what do not belongs to you. There are many things to follow that two rules, but I trust that is the quest that all rangers must complete."
Alceus stared at the emblem on his hand, not quite grasping what the man had said. "I.. think I get what you're trying to say. But what did you give me this for?"
"Then you didn't get what I was saying completely," declared the man with goggle who had begun walking towards the door. "I'm the Ranger Master. And with that emblem, I acknowledge you as a Ranger from now on. But of course, what you'll do with that emblem is up to you. It's your freedom to choose, whether to accept it or look for another job." With that said, he left the Swordsman Master who happily watched the group of newbies in front of him as they yelled in joy.
--
Contrast to the inside of Guild Palace which was filled with happiness, a storm hit the plains around Acronia. A heavy rain that hadn't happened in the past ten years. A weather that destroyed the habitats of the creatures around Acropolis, a situation whch hated by everyone and everything.
But that didn't apply to one person. Under a big tree at Acronia North Plains, a girl hid herself perfectly within it's shadow. Her heavy breath was completely covered by the sound of the rain. The red blood from behind her torn clothes made of silk was swept away also thank to the rain. No matter how hard it was for her, she's still grateful that she was able to run from her pursuer.
"..almost.." said the girl weakly, "..if only I can.. reach it.." Her hand tried to reach out for the North Gate of Acropolis although it's still far. She crawled slowly but sure to reach her gate of hope, the goal of all her struggle.
"So here you are. You gave me quite a headache, Princess."
Surprised, the girl turned to the source of the voice. A pair of red eyes met her eyes, and that very moment, her strength left her body as her mind became blank. '..is this the end?'
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