664 10/12 4:01 (Autumn, Day, Midrar's Capital)
"Was that normal?" After having left earshot from the Guards, Mafel couldn't help but ask the worried Sabel. "Even when I entered Nealet without a previous identity, it wasn't this difficult. Is it just because it's a capital?"
Mafel's fading hope for a simple resolution was immediately shattered by Sabel's shaking head, her tense expression cutting off any other possibility. "Sure, in general the security in a capital is a little bit more stringent than in a Dungeon city, but this is way too intense to be anywhere close to normal."
At Sabel's words, the Spectral Elf sighed aloud, already exhausted. "Well, let's meet our parents-in-law before we are dragged in this matter. Any of you have any experience with a serious investigation?"
At Mafel's question towards Amber and Luna, the former could only shake her head negatively while the latter stopped, briefly going over the memories of her previous self. "I was treated as a suspect for multiple murders in the past, but nothing more than that. I have no idea why though."
Luna's answer caused a foreboding feeling to raise in all three of her Mates, the obvious clear to them. "Isn't it because you do not have any regard or considerations for the lives around you and everyone can feel it?" Amber's blunt words caused a brief silence in the Lunarian, red eyes blinking a couple of times.
"Is it just for that?" Ignoring Luna's words for the sake of peace of mind, Mafel turned towards both Sabel and Amber.
"We need to do our best or she will without a doubt end up in the middle of it all!" Mafel's words elicited a pair of resolute nods from the two shorter ones, all three of them having already surrendered to the fact that trouble will without a doubt seek them, and more specifically a certain Vampiric one, out.
The Lunarian watched her Mates a couple of seconds more, an amused light ever present in her scarlet eyes before she poked Sabel's side once. "Why don't we go meet your parents before we become inevitably involved with this case?"
At her voice, Sabel jumped slightly before she nodded, starting to lead them towards this city's Adventurer Guild. "Before that, I need to report our arrival. It's the procedure upon stopping at a new city."
"Regarding that guard. Is it normal for them to have that kind of armour? I doubt that it would be allowed otherwise." Mafel asked, remembering her time in Nealet and the absence of that anonymity.
"Well, that one is not actually strange. It's a capital, after all, and doing otherwise risks a powerful Person, either politically or militarily, creating a grudge against a less influent individual. And the number of unreasonable individuals among the powerful is far from little. Those armours are very effective, aren't they?" Sabel's answer met only a couple of nods from her more reasonable Mates.
"I could recognize that guard. It isn't particularly hard." Luna affirmed casually, reviewing all the Records and seeking inspiration for a new Spell, Art or Artifact.
After a sigh, Sabel bit the bolt. "And how exactly would you do that?"
"Don't look down on me, I am that good." Luna's confident explanation was followed by the more practical one, sent directly through their Marks alone to evade any risk of it being exposed.
'That armour distorts the owner's voice, their physical stature and plenty more. Their Vital Energy and Mana alike are suppressed, the eyes seen through the openings are actually illusions and it even isolates all the sounds and twitching that a Human would be unable to feel consciously.
'That guard did not have a smell and, similarly, I was unable to even hear their beating heart from a meter away. Unfortunately for them, the Senses granted me by my Authority over Astral Ichor would not be stopped by so little a protection. I will be able to use it to fully recognize their blood once they enter my Range.'
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664 10/12 4:08 (Autumn, Day, Midrar's Capital, Near the Guild)
The four, having passed through various streets and moved around the large influx of tense People traveling through the roads, were now before the Guild itself, the section belonging to the capital of Midrar, centre of the administrative duties belonging to the entire nation and a more direct line of communication towards the other Guild.
Breathing in deeply once, Sabel stepped forward, pushing open the wooden doors and leading her Mates in, her black eyes expertly finding a free assistant. "I'm Sabel, I need to register my temporary presence in this city to this Guild."
At her words, the assistant merely sighed, moving with what Mafel could recognize as feigned disinterest to inspect the offered Guild Card, her eyes rapidly going over the Card and its owner, retrieving briefly a portable Card Scanner and with expert precision activating the Artifact.
After a couple of seconds to confirm that the Card was authentic, the assistant gazed at Sabel's companions, confronting them with the reports the Guild automatically received upon the activation of the Cube of Wisdom.
"The four of you can follow me." After sending a sign towards a colleague of hers, the assistant turned away, moving briskly and expecting the four to follow her.
The five travelled through various corridors and stairs both upwards and downwards, Luna's eyes unerringly focusing on the hidden Artifacts buried within the walls that examined them for any physical, magical or psychological instability, her curiosity serving as a functional distraction until they reached their destination, a set of heavy wood-like doors in an otherwise empty corridor.
The assistant knocked once at the door, waited one second before knocking thrice and then twice more, alternating between a wave of Mana and Vital Energy with each impact of her knuckles upon the wood.
After an additional pause of almost ten seconds, the door opened, revealing an ornate office.
Bowing slightly and only briefly once, the assistant turned away and continued on the corridor. "I ask you forgive her. She is not trying to be rude, but. Well, let's just say that she isn't exactly fond of People." A calm voice came from the office.
As the four looked deeper in, they met the owner of the voice, a Human around fifty years old, that even if short, possessed quite the considerable musculature and presence for someone in his fifty that retired from active adventuring, the Guild Master of the Capital and Sabel's father.
Thing quite evident thanks to their identical eyes, hair colour, skin tone and physical size.
And he wasn't alone.
At his side, stood a tall blonde woman, green eyes coldly examining them, a woman that even if vastly different in height compared to Sabel, possessed a similar facial structure and bodily proportions, an image of a less muscular but more mature version of their Human.
"Hi, dad, mom." Sabel greeted, not knowing how to correctly salute them after so long apart.
A gentle laugh emanated from the man, rising on his feet and quickly moving to embrace his daughter. "As cute as always, my dear child. We missed you." The relief of the Guildmaster was evident for all to see.
"Oh, calm down, you two." The voice of Sabel's mother sounded out, an amused tilt evident in her voice, before she neared her husband and daughter, circling the latter a couple of times before she softly held both of her shorter family. "Why don't you and your companions enter, it wouldn't do for them to remain in a corridor."
At her voice, both Sabel and her dad blushed, remembering their location and hurriedly pushing everyone inside, showing off their similarity without even realizing it.
"Please, sit down." After coughing a couple of times to regain his balance, the Guildmaster turned his gaze from his daughter to her companions, now sitting on a soft sofa. "Little gleam, why don't you present us your companions?"
Blushing slightly at the pet name, especially so because of the interest she could feel from each of her Mates, Sabel nevertheless prepared, after a deep breath, to make formal introductions.
"Mom, dad. They are... Well, t-their names are Luna, Mafel and Amber and th-they, they are my... gir- ahem, p-partner. R-romantically." The last part was barely an embarrassed whisper, but even so everyone inside the office was able to hear her.
At her words, however, a confounding series of reactions happened.
The first to react, Sabel's mother, now presented an undoubtedly negative expression on her face even if not a sneer as it possessed none of the disgust typically associated with said expression.
On the other side, Sabel's father now sported a satisfied and quite smug turn of his lips, his glee evident from the way his black eyes shone.
Confused by the mix of reactions and seeking how exactly they should react, Mafel and Amber turned towards Sabel, Luna doing the same because of sheer curiosity, the four being able to see how her face passed from confusion, alarm, realization and finally to a bone-weary disappointment.
Disappointment that found its reason as all four of them saw her mother reach into her bag and retrieving a couple of coins to give to her father.
"Seriously. Did you really bet on my sexuality?!" Sabel exploded, earning only a couple of raised eyebrows from her parents.
"Oh, let an old couple find their fun, sweety." The shorter one answered dismissively, soon followed by the taller one's precisation.
"And we didn't bet on your sexuality. There is no fun in betting on what we both already know. This time, we bet on whenever you'd be a top or bottom. And I unfortunately bet on the former."
"Next time, you should have trusted my instincts. I am never wrong when it comes to my daughter." The black-haired one's words were accompanied by the blonde imitating his words before she fired back.
"Well, excuse me if I thought she would take after me in this manner instead of her father." The taller one's words soon started a spat between the two, one free of any actual malice and more caused by the combative nature common among experienced Adventurers, especially those that reached retirement age.
"Should we... stop them?" Mafel hesitantly asked Sabel, only to find her covering her face with her hands because of embarrassment, groaning out her displeasure.
"No. They are just flirting." Her voice escaped, trying and failing to reassure any of her Mates. "They are going to be occupied for a while."
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