"Come on, Nexus, you know I wouldn't send you two to fight a true dragon by yourselves." Rosefield pulled out a map of the landscapes surrounding Lunaria, laying it on the table and pointing to an area that looked to be filled with dense foliage.
"That's the Dragonia Jungle. It's your best bet on finding a drake fast, but..." Rosefield looked to the side as she spoke, making sure not to look Nexus in the eyes.
"But what?" Nexus asked, concerned that they would have to sneak past some ancient guardian or avoid an evil curse.
"The land is owned by the Balrock family." Sweat rolled down Rosefield's face. Her heartbeat got faster as she got ready to be scolded for getting them involved with that family again.
"How much is the pay?"
Rosefield's eyes shot forward, locking with Nexus as her left eyebrow rose in utter confusion. She looked puzzled to hear such an answer from Nexus.
Quinn also looked confused. He even thought of pinching himself to see if it was a dream. "Nexus, you good, bro, or did the stress finally crack you?"
"Honestly, it might've," Nexus replied as he placed his hand on his forehead.
Trying to finish the mission briefing, Rosefield continued, feeling quite lucky that Nexus decided to go along with this plan. "Ok... the pay is five hundred gold. Anyways, when you get into the jungle you're going to—"
Before Rosefield got the chance to finish her sentence, Quinn's head whipped forward so fast he almost lost his balance, stumbling a bit on one foot before grounding the other.
"Five... five... five hundred gold! We're rich, bro! I could buy seven mansions in the hills with that money and still have more left! Bro, we eating good tonight!" Quinn burst out dancing in celebration like they already got the money, while Nexus just watched, more concerned with how he was going to deal with the Balrocks.
Rosefield, in comparison, was quite annoyed at everyone interrupting her, causing her unnecessary nervousness every five seconds.
"Ok, can we finish the mission briefing before we celebrate?" Rosefield's eye twitching and clenched jaw made her annoyance quite obvious to the others.
Quinn quickly sat back down, not wanting to cause her any more frustration, especially since she had the displeasure of taking over for the guild master for the week.
"Ok, after you enter the forest, you'll need to head west until you reach close to the edge of the forest border near Malkor Plains. Here, I'll mark it on the map." Grabbing a feather from the bottom of the ink laid on the left corner of the table, Rosefield began tracing a line over the path to the drake's habitat, circling the area at the end.
"Ok, other than that, all you'll need is to get the Balrocks' permission before entering their land," Rosefield replied with a smile as she rolled up the map, tying it with a piece of cord before handing it to Quinn.
Quinn took the map and tucked it in Nexus's bag before leaping back onto his shoulder. "Alright, it's time we go pay the Balrocks a visit. I'm sure they'll be excited to see you."
Quinn repeatedly raised and lowered his eyebrows mockingly at Nexus, driving home how annoying this meeting was going to be for him specifically, since they weren't as interested in Quinn.
Nexus stood, grabbing his bag and kissing Rosefield on the cheek as he walked out of the room, causing her to jolt a bit out of shock, but she managed to keep her composure until he left the room.
Rosefield started giggling and kicking her feet like a high-school girl who just started dating her crush. She grabbed one of the sofa cushions, burying her face into it, trying to calm down.
"Man, you have no self-control," Snow's ice-cold voice emitted from behind Rosefield, scaring her to the point she leapt off the sofa, turning around to see her.
"Snow! How long have you been standing there?" Rosefield asked, her voice trembling in fear.
"Long enough to see you gushing like a teen over a simple kiss. I knew you as a shy girl, not a love-obsessed puppy." Snow's straightforward, zero sugar-coated approach felt like a stab to the heart.
"Did you just metaphorically call me pathetic?" Rosefield replied with a shaky voice while clutching her chest.
"Yes," Snow replied, with a look of disgust on her face.
A waterfall of tears flowed down the side of Rosefield's face, feeling hurt at the fact that Snow's look of disgust was the most emotion she had ever seen from her.
Now exiting the guild gate, Nexus and Quinn made their way to the far west side of the city, where a stone mansion sat atop a hill, looming over the city, dwarfing even the duke's castle.
The duo stopped at the gate, taking a moment to confirm with the guards their reason for visiting, when one of them recognized Nexus. "Ha ha ha, how did they get you back here willingly? I always thought the next time I'd see you, they'd be dragging you here by your ankles."
"They might as well have," Nexus answered while glaring at the mansion, creeping out the guard and causing some to step back in fear.
"Ok… well, you don't need to confirm with us. The head of the family ordered us to let you enter and leave the estate at will," the guard answered, shaking and looking toward the ground.
"Of course he did." Nexus entered the estate, grumbling more with each step he took, when he felt something pulling.
It was Quinn, looking down at him with an unamused frown. "Look, I know you hate talking to these people, but we need their permission to get that fat stack of cash, so try and look a little more presentable."
Nexus shot a glare at Quinn that would cause most people to run in fear, but Quinn couldn't care less — after all, there were 500 gold on the line.
"Come on, smile a little." Quinn grabbed Nexus's cheeks, stretching them into a smile, then letting go and allowing it to drop back into a frown.
He better not ruin this for me. For crying out loud, do you know what I could buy with that much money? Quinn thought as he leaned on the side of Nexus's head.
As they made their way to the mansion door, guards standing by two giant oak doors, each with a phoenix carved into their exterior, pushed them open while announcing, "Young Master Nexus has arrived!"
Quinn's cheeks puffed, getting redder the longer he tried not to laugh. He managed to keep it in, inhaling to calm down as he began observing the vast expanse the Balrocks called a living room.
His eyes ran along the walls, first spotting gems lining the edges, before turning his gaze to the crystal candelaria hanging over a circular marble-top table in between the double staircase that formed a double helix.
"Man, these people are loaded." He had never seen the inside before — all he knew was from Nexus's accounts — but compared to his description, the real thing was far larger.
"It's wonderful to see you again, dear!" A red-haired woman dressed in a simple white blouse, black leather pants, and long thigh-high armored heels looked down at them from the top of the staircase.
"Hello, you must be Lady Artemis. Nexus has told me so much about you." Artemis's eyes were locked onto Nexus's, not even sparing Quinn a glance or returning his greeting.
"So, I see you're finally back. And to what pleasure do I owe the visit of my dear beloved?" Artemis asked as she leapt down the stairs, landing in front of Nexus.
Ok, I'll just sit here, I guess, Quinn thought, a bit annoyed at being ignored but not brave enough to say anything to the lioness of a woman now in front of him.
"Please stop calling me your beloved." Nexus's jaw clenched as he spoke, watching Artemis walk around him, looking at him like a lion stalking prey, observing every inch of his body.
This woman is as creepy as ever, Nexus thought as he looked to the floor, trying not to meet her gaze.
An action that failed, as she moved directly in front of him, looking up into his eyes, smiling — her sharp, lion-like teeth and black lipstick sending off warning flags in Nexus's brain.
"Zul kaw ki," Nexus recited — you're trouble — in Tal-Kan, his native language.
"Kun shu laku qin," she replied in Tal-Kan — and you love that, don't you? — catching Nexus off guard, since this was the first time he had ever heard anyone other than his people speak it.
While Nexus was left speechless, Quinn slapped him on the side of his face with his tail before whispering, "Remember why we're here."
Nexus shook his head as his mind returned to reality. "Oh, right — we need permission from your father to enter the Dragonia Jungle."