Nolan was a little shocked that he wasn't the only one Cyndy had picked an interest in and wanted to go back with, but he had to avoid her.
The only way he'd escaped her path was refusing the offer and joining other guilds. But his plan took a different turn when,
"Yes, we'll join you. I mean, I. I don't know about them,"
Liana rushed to answer, excitement hidden under a serious facade as her lips quivered, holding in a smile.
"Count me in as well," Cedric grinned with hands on his waist.
Nolan literally felt like jumping off a cliff there and then. The two new variables decided to join a force he badly wanted to avoid.
"What do you say, Mr Handsome?" Cyndy asked in a mocking tone.
Now he wished he spoke up earlier. Her words never changed. Whenever he hesitated the with the offer those were the exact words she used.
If it were Cedric alone, he would have declined. He would just believe things changed, since Cedric didn't have a fixed fate like Liana.
But Liana was completely different. Not only did her fixed fate change, she was also the only one the pathfinder ability responded to.
In other words, he wasn't going to watch his experiment walk away.
"When are we leaving?" Nolan asked with a slight frown.
Cyndy stared at him blankly for a while before returning her gaze to the other two. "First off," she muttered, then she raised her voice. "How many injured are there? Any casualties."
"We got a few injuries over here, but no one died… I think." A man replied her.
That was something for Nolan to note out.
No casualties? At all?
What more changes would he come across? Since almost everything was changing before the day even came to an end, what more was he to expect?
"Thank goodness. We had not predicted such, so this was a surprise attack. Nonetheless, a patrol will be sent over if I return. Please stay put until the patrol confirms the land is free to avoid anymore attacks," Cyndy announced, like she was the most responsible person in the world.
Then she turned to Liana. "Chief's daughter? I remember from earlier. Don't believe I'm mistaking, am I?"
"No, not at all." Liana shook her head.
"I'll need to inform your father that we are taking a few more recruits, including his daughter."
"The chief is here and he does not approve of it." The village chief's voice came in as he walked over.
The other villagers parted as he came to a stop in front of Cyndy who came down from her horse.
Nolan looked at her bow and did what he possibly should.
"Copy"
Nothing happened.
"Copy"
[You must interact with ability user or witness the ability to copy]
But he was looking at the ice bow, so why?
Yeah, because when ice is used, the ability usage stops when the construct is complete. The construct maintains form even when the user doesn't channel mana through it.
However, if it was a flame bow, he would've been able to copy the ability, because a constant flow of mana was required to maintain the construct.
"So, I either have to touch her or see her use it in person, tch." Nolan mumbled, annoyed at even the fact that he was copying from 'her.'
"Why do you refuse, chief?" Cedric asked.
The chief turned to Cedric and blinked. "I was talking about my daughter. She should take you if she wants."
Cedric palmed his face and turns, feeling dejected. "Of course, why would he care about you? He was talking about his daughter, stupid."
"Father, what is all this about?" Liana walked up to her father.
"I will not sit back and watch you risk your life, Liana. I will keep you safe here," he replied.
"No, father, that's not what I want." Liana complained. "This," she pointed at the Cerulean Guardians insignia on Cyndy's shoulder. "This is what I want, not your protection. It's my dream, father,"
Cyndy held her shoulder. "Why would she want my arm?" she muttered to herself.
Liana's father shook his head. "You know very well, your mother would never have approved of this if she was here."
"Please, don't bring mother into this. She wouldn't have approved, because she wouldn't be in the village to start with. The gods know where she would be."
"Liana!" The chief snapped, suddenly wary of the onlookers. "Meet me inside." He walked out.
Liana sighed, rubbing her forehead, then she turned to Cyndy. "Please wait, I'll talk to him."
Cyndy shrugged. "Go ahead."
Liana walked after her father with her shoulders slumped.
"Family issues, hoho, did I miss that?" Cyndy chuckled, raising her hand to lean against the horse but the horse suddenly moved and she stumbled, nearly falling on the ground. "What tha—"
She stood and turned to the culprit: Nolan, who was feeding it an apple with a smug grin.
She glared at him but he acted as if he didn't notice anything that happened. 'Oh, just wait. I'll make your life miserable before you make mine,' he thought.
… …
Meanwhile, Liana and her father had nearly concluded their argument.
"So this really is what you want?" the chief asked.
"Yes, it is. It really is," Liana nodded.
The chief sighed and walked over to trunk and opened it. There he picked up a locket and handed it to her. "Then always put this on as you are there."
Liana frowned as she stared at the locket. "That's mother's, yes?"
"Put it on. Always. This is the only thing I ask of you," he said in a low tone. "If you do this for me, you can go. I will not stop you."
Liana hesitated, trying to fight the urge to refuse it.
Liana's mother was never there for her and her older brothers when they were kids. She only came over a handful of times and never showed them only little of that motherly affection. After Liana became nine, her mother never returned.
She only sent letters to them after about 3 to 4 months of silence.
The letters eventually stopped when she became eighteen. Even when one of her brothers died, her mother never came home or sent a letter.
Liana grew up to see her mother as the type who never cared about her family. So, she avoided anything that had to do with her mother.
Right now, she so much wanted to reject the locket, but it was her only ticket to become a guardian.
She took it from his hand and hesitated before putting it on. "Happy? Can I go?"
He smiled. "You look just like your m—"
"Don't." She cut him off.
Her father laughed. "You can go."
Nolan and Cedric waited with Cyndy as Liana walked up to them. "Let's go." She smiled.
Cyndy nodded and readied her horse.
Nolan stood up from the stool he was sitting on when he noticed the chief walking towards him. At first he thought the man was heading somewhere else until he realized the man's eyes were fixed on him.
The chief stood right in front of Nolan. "Greetings,"
"Greetings chief," Nolan bowed his head.
"You may know me as the chief, but I have now picture of you in my head. You know, plenty people in the village." The chief chuckled and then cleared his throat. "Ahem, I shouldn't waste your time. I have a request to make." He admitted.
Nolan raised a brow.
The chief nodded and continued. "I do not know what you are capable of, but I believe you are strong. So, please," he clasped his hands together and closed his eyes. "protect my daughter while you are there. Please, that is all I ask."
Nolan remained quiet for a bit , making the man think he'd refuse.
The chief suddenly felt Nolan's hand pulling his hands apart. He opened his eyes and looked up at the young man.
"You have not to worry about that," Nolan replied before walking off.
Liana's father smiled and turned to see Nolan walking up to the others. "I wonder why I feel he is the only person I can count on, even without knowing anything about him. This confidence he exudes. Hmm… who is that man?"