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I ran.
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Feet pounding against the stones of the path that led me toward the inner city which was only a twenty-minute walk away from the gates of the castle.
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The pain that screamed at me from my left forearm was the only warning to the four deep gouges that were caused by the angry wolves behind me.
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Even though Volke is the only reason why they aren't trying to kill me, the attempts at mauling me are a pain in the ass. It was running into the city filled with people walking around in celebration that caused the wolves to stop chasing after me.
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Not that it would keep them at bay.
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They'll only need a second to shift into their human form, find clothes and hunt me down by scent. As long as the bastards don't change into a wolf, they aren't breaking anything between their king and the empress of elves. Meaning that they're free to do whatever they want to me as long as I'm not killed.
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But I won't be going down without a fight.
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Tonight, I have an informant meeting me.
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"Excuse me..." I mumbled to a woman who was wearing a dark red dress that showed a lot of her cleavage while fitting every inch of her body like a glove. One look around told you that the people of the Keocaea empire were celebrating my visit to the city as the women wore dresses that looked familiar to some that I'd worn to public events. The men wore a white button-up long-sleeved shirt with a black vest on top and dark pants.
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Ha! Inigo would be proud that people were dressing up as him for a celebration that reminded me of Halloween. The costumes also helped remind me that all I wore underneath this cloak were silk pajamas so as I walked between people, I used magic to turn it into a simple dark red dress.
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My eyes caught sight of a bar that only had a few people standing outside of it smoking cigarettes.
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Ettin bar.
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It didn't feel like there were many people inside so it would be the best place to hide, hopefully, the smell of the smoke would help hide my scent for a moment. Without hesitation, I ignored the looks of wonder as I entered the bar.
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Almost everyone inside was a man beside the few women working as waitresses.
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For a moment all eyes were on me as I took in the scene and they tried to access the woman who dared to enter a bar that had no female customers. It isn't a surprise and I could've probably just gone out of my way to go to a bar more gender-friendly but this is the place Kremva recommended.
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"Do you guys have a public bathroom?" I asked the gruff-looking man on the other side of the bar as he used a white cloth to clean the glass cup in his hands.
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The disgruntled look he gave me at the sound of my voice had me narrowing my eyes at the way the man was showing he didn't want to deal with me.
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"Wanna use our toilets, you gotta buy somethin'," He grunted angrily, looking me up and down despite not being able to see much with the cloak I wore.
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I slammed a gold coin down on the bar, satisfied when the bartender jumped at the sudden aggression. Once again, the whispering in the bar stopped.
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"Get me your finest drink... and yes, I want it as cute and prissy as you can make it," I smirked at him, knowing he could at least see my lips when those greedy eyes looked up from the money.
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"Sure..." No longer did he have an attitude so I ignored the rest of the looks I was getting.
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"I'll find a table upstairs," It wasn't a question and it seemed the man wanted to say something before he just closed his mouth and continued going about making my drink.
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Taking my time up the steps so as not to step on the fabric of the dress, wishing the men could see me glaring at them for their blatant staring. The second floor was clearly for VIP members as it had not only wooden tables but velvety booths and there were only five people up here. Two of them chattered quietly at their seats while another two seemed to be talking business at a much more professional-looking bar. Even the bartender seemed proficient in how to handle customers. The last man was hidden in the shadows of the farthest corner, booth was near a window that seemed to give him a great view as he was the only one who didn't bother looking up.
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"Continue with your business, boys," I waved them off while taking a seat at a booth that seemed to be cut off from the view of the others.
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Elves, always so damn curious. At least they aren't like fairies, the nosy bastards can't seem to help but involve themselves in the drama of others.
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Sitting down was the easy part, it was lifting the bloodied arm onto the table and realizing how much blood must've been dripping off me. A swing of magic and the droplets disappeared, taking away any chance for the wolves to use it to find me.
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"C-Can I get you anything, ma'am?" A young female elf walked up to me, her green eyes large in disbelief at the horrible wounds she couldn't help but look at.
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"I believe I told the man downstairs I wanted his finest, I'd also appreciate it if you could get me an enchanted suture. You are an elf intuned with magic, yes?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow.
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For a second she was just frozen on the blood oozing onto the table and it took everything I had to not allow my spirit to fly back to my body. I'd be bringing back the wound as well as not accomplishing anything tonight.
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"O-of course I am b-but I know only the basics such as little charms because of a witch friend... I'll go get what you need right away," She answered with a nod of her head, the light of determination formed in those pretty eyes.
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Reaching toward the silver napkin holder, I grabbed a few and used magic to soak up as much blood into it as possible. Reaching into the pocket of the cloak, I took out an erasable marker and began drawing a magic circle. The difference between my runes and those that come from witches or elves is that the magic within me is purer than others. Using the wrong lines for certain runes can ruin everything and cause destruction.
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I'd never trust an inexperienced person to ever try drawing out runes, there are only a few easy ones before everything becomes complicated.
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Finished drawing the intricate lines to the rune, I examined it a few times before feeling satisfied with its perfection. Not a single one out of place. As I placed the bloodied napkins into the middle of the rune, the meek waitress came back with a tray.
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She placed a pretty margarita glass on the table that contained a pretty light green liquid inside of it.
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"This is the Lime Tremor, a lot of our high-end female customers enjoy the sweet and sour taste to it. Here's the suture kit you asked for... I'm just not quite sure what you think I can do with my magic. Healing others is extremely difficult for me," She looked away dejectedly at the mentioning of her limits.
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Everyone tends to feel embarrassed when admitting to others they aren't great at something. And it's sad, I hate to see someone as sweet looking as this girl feel so insecure.
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"Sit, let me teach you some things. I want you to enchant everything in the kit, all you need to do is focus on trickling very small amounts out. You'll know instinctually when to stop. Do you know how to stitch flesh?" I spoke to her softly while placing both my palms above napkins and rune.
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Again, that look of uncertainty crossed her face.
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I couldn't help but wonder who it was that beat this girl's confidence down so far as for her to have to feel like this so often.
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"I'm sorry ma'am..." She mumbled but still grabbed the suture kit and closed her eyes in concentration. A pale green light began to shine brightly in her hands. For a second I was worried she'd make the kit explode but the girl was quick to thin out the stream of magic being sent out.
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"It's fine not to know things you'd think others would normally know. All that matters is that you have the drive to do something about it and broaden your skills," As I spoke, the girl bit her lip in thought.
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"Yes, of course," The smile that formed on her lips made me return one of my own.
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I don't have too many positive conversations with people who don't know I'm the kingmaker.
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"Alright, I'm done... is, uh, there anything else?" The excitement of being helpful in what she believes to be a dangerous situation is adorable.
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"What's your name?" I asked her while preparing the suture needle and thread, ignoring the new expression of worry the girl couldn't help but feel.
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"Alavara Yelzeiros, ma'am," The young elf gave me a shy smile while placing a towel on the table, where I then laid my arm on.
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"Alright Alavara, I'm going to need you to pinch the sides of the first scratch, okay? Let me know that you can hear me,"
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One look up into the shocked girl's face told me that she hadn't been listening.
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"A scratch?! That's a scratch?!" She hissed at me in a low voice and I rolled my eyes before grabbing the suture needle.
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Right, of course, she couldn't handle the blood. Well... at least the girl heard everything I said. There was a backbone I saw for just a second.
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Before she gave me a sick expression.
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I'll have to do this myself.
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Just as I got into concentration mode and was about to start closing the first injury, a large tanned hand was placed over the hand with the suture needle.
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"I'm versed in sewing up wounds," That deep and rustic voice caused my unprepared body to shiver in delight.
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Then I looked up into beautiful hazel blue eyes that shined brightly down at me.
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It's him.
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The man I've been looking for.
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The future king of Eshea... no...
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He is the once-abandoned king of Eshea...
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A lost king.
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Silios Vasseril.
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