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Fantasy I Was Supposed To Become a Hero but Got Stuck in a Deadend Job Instead

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Jayce nods, "we have a lot of planning to do too." He walks along with them, "I know you're strong Aenera but I can't help but worry."
 
Hekate blinked as she was just looking at bodyguard commissions from the guild. She supposed she could just try a trial run with Aenera before doing the actual thing. She knows how to take a life, but she didn't exactly know how to protect one. Since Aenera is very powerful and doesn't really need a bodyguard, she could just try it with her. And if things turn to worse, Aenera can defend herself anyway. Hekate crossed her arms before putting on a smug look on her face. "Well, I won't let you pay in advance since it's the first time I ever tried protecting a life. But perhaps you can pay me afterwards for the quality of my service. Bullets and brain power don't come cheap. Y'know that right?" She said half-jokingly. She doesn't really use bullets but her own magic. But still, she does not to fix any repairs to her gun as well as anything else if things do turn sour. Plus, she still wants to get paid for her service. It's a bit taboo for hitmen to provide services for free. They must be benefitted after the deal.
 
"Alright, let's head home gang and get some well deserved sleep." Aenera said. They headed back to the house. When Aenera got the chance with Yfirryn and Kren walking way up ahead of them, Aenera said to Hekate: "Just a heads up. We are going to seal that tear in the sky tomorrow evening and then skip town after that. The reason for leaving the city over that is that I cannot close it discreetly since it is so big. So you guys might as well act as a distraction while I close the tear. As soon as I start releasing mana, it will send magic sensitives on edge in the entire region and make arcane appliances like commus go nuts for a couple minutes. If you need me to most that feat to a later date because you want to see more of the city, tell me tomorrow morning. Also, if you want to practice as a security guard for my appointment tomorrow, dress for it. You will be meeting some of the top tier people of the country. So either a suit, a fine dress that doesn't impede your movement or a traditional garb will be appropriate. I will wear native clothing tomorrow as I will be representing the old city. If you need clothing in the style of my people, I can provide something suitable that will be easy to move in."

Soon they got back to the house and Aenera fell asleep on a bed after taking her shoes off. Kren peeked at her through the cracked door. He had a feeling that something was up and even himself didn't know the purpose of the meeting she was supposed to have the next day. Yfirryn meanwhile whispered: "Thanks for the nice evening, Kren." while unclothing. "Hey! Undress in your own privacy. It's not appropriate in front of other people, especially when they arent family." Kren said, shoving Yfirryn into his assigned room. In his room, Yfirryn changed to shorts and a tunic for bed, forgetting to take off the black choker. He then quickly fell asleep in the bed.


[TIME SKIP TO NEXT MORNING]

The next morning, Aenera was awakened by the knock of Kren on the door. "Aenera, wake up. I made sure you have plenty of time ot get ready to go to your appointment." He said. Kren then went to the others doors to wake them up. Aenera slowly but surely got out of bed with a mild hangover. Her head hurt a little. She went to her pack and grabbed something out of a box and put it in her mouth. "That's better." Aenera said as her headache subsided.

She grabbed a robe and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Aenera took a shower and treated her hair with like three different substances to make her hair silky and smell like fresh flowers. She made sure she cleaned her skin and treat it so that it was in tune with her hair. Normally, she hated this amount of preparation just for how long it normally took. Last time she had to prepare this much was for her coming of age celebration. After she had showered and brushed teeth, she put on a bath robe and went back to her room to change.

Aenera had to put on thigh high stocking that were held up with a garter belt, a dark blue tunic, light shorts, a long royal blue robe with light blue lining, a black ribbon choker, a thinner choker with a blue teardrop pendant that sat lower on her neck, a necklace with a blue crystal amulet, a dark blue cape and after she did her hair with a long elaborate braid, she put a light-blue flower ornament in her hair. The outfit wasn't just fine. It looked royal. It looked like she was a foreign princess attending a ball or another regents court. The outfit was long, but just in case, Aenera knew how to move in it just in case she needed to defend herself and dropping the robe to wearing only the tunic, stockings and shorts was something that could be quickly done.

Now if Hekate wished to fit the appearance, she would have another tunic and pants or shorts to fit. The tunic itself didn't look average, but looked like it was fashioned from a high quality material. The clothes were made from the fire oxen thread, the fireproof material Aenera's people used for clothing. Aenera went down to the lounge to wait for the others. Kren came down and his eyes widened. His face ran red and he said: "You look amazing. It's even finer than your wizard outfit." "Ugh. I hate the preparation though. I'd rather just clean myself normally and wear the gartered stockings with the shorts and tunic underneath. But thanks anyways for the compliment." Aenera said.

Yfirryn came down next. As soon as he saw Aenera, Yfirryn dropped on his knees and bowed with his forehead touching the ground. "I am unworthy of your presence, great matriarch! We shall do by your will to celebrate your return." Yfirryn said. Aenera chuckled nervously and said: "Yfirryn, it is me, Aenera. Not Aenfya or mother." Yfirryn got up and rubbed his head nervously laughing. "Hehe, my bad. You do look like Aenfya and mom though when she is in fine robes." "I just hope it doesn't rub anyone the wrong way due to the similarity. My guess is that many commoners will just think I am a foreign noble or someone reenacting the first tyrant for entertainment purposes. Senior mages and wizards however might think the latter or become alerted if they still remember me." Aenera said.

She pulled out her commu and asked Kren: "Do you have a printer with the ARC-transfer function? I want to print out some pamphlets and maps for the others so that they can tour the palace and go to the tourist accessible parts of the inner city." "I think I do, I will turn it on and you should be able to find it on your commu." Kren said as he opened a cabinet revealing a relatively new printer. He turned it on. "But Aenera, I want to come along on your appointment!" Yfirryn says. Aenera shakes her head and says: "No. I can't allow it. Plus, you don't have permission anyways. Don't worry. You can see the palace and the national museum as well as the frozen army with Jayce and Kren." Aenera finds the printer with her commu and prints out a bunch of stuff. Kren brings over the papers and Aenera thanks him as she starts to sort and fold the papers.

"Yfirryn, why don't you go get ready before the others wake up? You can eat breakfast then." Aenera says. Yfirryn pouts a little and then says: "Alright. But I hope breakfast is big and yummy." As soon as Yfirryn is gone, Aenera said: "It is annoying that he is so childish and he can be a real creep sometimes. How many times I woke up with him in bed next to me or where he got too close for comfort. And now it almost seems that he could get awkwardly closer to poor Jayce. Kren, can you make sure to scold him if he does anything weird?" "I will try." Kren answers. Meanwhile, Yfirryn had the feeling that Aenera was talking about him, but brushed it off.

About 15 minutes later, Yfirryn comes back down the stairs, washed, hair braided, wearing a shortsleeved blue sailor collar top that was long enough to be a tunic or minidress, blue shorts and a fitting blue ribbon choker. "I'm done!" Yfirryn shouted. Aenera then said: "Now just two more to wait on."

JayOokami JayOokami CasualTea CasualTea
 
Hekate listened to Aenera and nodded. "Alright. I'll do my best. Though, I wonder how you were able to tell I was looking at those types of jobs from the guild through my commu. Kind of 'sus' don't you think? Ha, I kid." She joked before sighing a little bit, getting a bit serious. "Guess I'll start preparing for tomorrow. I'll sleep a little late, get me a coffee for tomorrow and if I don't wake up, wake me." She said bluntly.

[Morning]

Hekate woke up pretty early to her surprise. She still wanted some coffee to help her wake up more, though assuming Aenera didn't make any coffee, all she could do to wake herself up with was a pretty cold shower. After brushing her teeth and doing all the bathroom stuff, she dressed up in another suit, light colors this time. She also took some time to put on turquoise eye color contacts and dyed her hair just a tiny bit so it had color instead of the silvery white her hair usually was. She had a faint aqua colored suit with a dark blue tie. She had a white button-up colored dress shirt and some brown dress shoes. To accompany it, she also had a brown belt and a briefcase. The briefcase held more of her arsenal like her face mask to cover and distort her face when things got busy. It also had three bottles of water, a lighter and a flask that kept the ice cubes inside cold. She also packed some snacks like the Pocky from yesterday as well as fitting a small medical kit and neatly folded shoal. She'd use these to help her magic abilities while her two hand cannons were strapped under her jacket. To top off the look, she put on some fake glasses. She figured since this was going to be a very important meeting and all, she wanted to make a fake appearance. She went off the grid after all, and she'd like to stay like that. So to make it work, she had a name tag which went by the name of Adriesta Signora.

When she came downstairs, the first thing she ever saw was Aenera's bizarre attire. She nearly didn't recognize Aenera. Well, she'd have to say something since she looks unrecognizable to the others herself. She looked over at Kren and waved to him as she spoke. "Hey Kren, could you get me a coffee, please? I'm still waking up." She then looked to Aenera and began her little joke. "Hello, so you must be my client? My name is Adriesta." She then chuckled a bit before shaking her head a little, giving a soft smiling expression on her face. "Or that's just what I'm rolling with. I don't want to be recognized or anything, y'know? I did have a very violent debut as a hitwoman after all." She said as she sat down nearby as she waited for her coffee or until it was time to go. Though, seeing as she only saw Kren and Aenera, and Yfirryn on the way down that she had waved to as a good morning, she didn't yet see Jayce. Perhaps he either wasn't coming or was still sleeping. Maybe it's near time for him to wake up.

AN-94_expression6.png
 
Jayce got ready, a quick shower and getting . He decided to go wit a simple dark blue polo and jeans. Jayce was nervous, despite how strong she is he felt uneasy. He does feel better knowing Hekate will be there. Him touring with Kren and yffiryn could be fun and a good distraction. He might also be able to ask questions about learning magic.

He comes down to the rest of the group, "good morning." Jayce glances between the others when his eye land on Aenera, "wow." He says before coughing and collecting himself, "A-Aenera... we should talk about our plan for later before we part ways for the day, right?" He's still taken off guard by her appearance but he is more focused on making sure the plan is solid.
 
Hekate soon came down wearing an aqua colored suit, wearing eye color changing contacts and had dyed her hair. She then asked Kren to make her a coffee. Kren nodded and went to make one. She then introduced herself to Aenera as Adriesta before chuckling and telling Aenera that her disguise is to avoid being recognized due to her past as a hitwoman.

"Pleased to meet you Adriesta, I am Aenera Manavyndir os Aenfyandes, crown princess of Vyyzantfyr. I guess you are the bodyguard who accepted the job." Aenera said before giggling. "How was that? However my situation today is the other way around. Using my name in basic/common language, Aenera Manabrook, and living a rather simple life in Quarrytown was rather the disguise, although I enjoyed life more as just the Quarrytowner Aenera Manabrook than as some royalty from a lost empire. However this is necessary for the appointment, not only to be taken seriously, but also for other reasons."

Kren then brought Hekate her coffee. Jayce then came down, astonished when seen Aenera. Jayce then asked to talk about the plan for later. "Ah, yes. Kren could you maybe take a walk outside. This conversation will be kind of personal." Aenera said. Kren then replied: "If you plan to close the tear, I can feign ignorance. Honestly, I wouldn't want any part in it anyways as it could make me complicit." He then waved and headed out the back door into the city park area behind the house.

"So the plan so far is, this morning Jayce, Kren and Yfirryn will go sightseeing. I printed out pamphlets and maps for seeing the tourist viewable area of the royal palace, the national museum with the frozen army underneath and possibly the city curry museum, a tour of the city brewery, Empire coffee coffee roastery, the city art museum or the museum of technology. Meanwhile me and Hekate will be meeting our first contact in the royal palace before meeting with the council in the council chambers. If everything goes well, me and Hekate will be done in the early afternoon to which instead of completely changing I will probably only take the robe off since I have a tunic and shorts underneath. If things don't go well, which I doubt, just stay with Kren. But if the council still knows me, they will probably be too scared to do anything, especially with our ally, his entourage and Hekate around. In the evening, we will pack and drive to the building complex where the academy is. There we will park in the street parking area near the academy. There, I would need everyone to create a diversion or stall any security forces long enough for me to close the tear. It should take no more than five minutes. Be warned though, the release of so much magic at once will not just be painful and exhausting for me since I haven't used such amounts often in the past ten years, but it will cause anyone nearby who is sensitive to magic to feel as if the air has thickened. I would compare it to breathing in a sauna. It should be manageable but you might be overwhelmed at first. After the tear is sealed, I might need someone to help me to the auto, depends on how exhausted I am. From there, we should be able to get a clean getaway since most arcane appliances will not function properly for a few minutes, making radioing in a plate number or making pictures impossible. The auto should still be functional though, just probably not it's radio. Any questions?" Aenera said.
 
Hekate gladly accepted the coffee and thanked Kren. Somehow, she took her new character seriously as she was also sitting and sipping the coffee like an office worker who has a very high position. Elegantly and or dignified. Listening to Aenera's plan, she caught onto the fact that they needed some sort of diversion. Last night, while she was checking her commu, she noticed there was a hit on someone at a nearby location. Actually, it was a hit on a list of people. Apparently, someone took on a job that was to eliminate a group. She also knows who the person was that took the job. She raised her hand before speaking firmly. "If we need a diversion, we should postpone the closing of the tear for tomorrow evening. If we do that, conveniently we won't have to work hard to divert attention elsewhere." She said, sipping her coffee before continuing. "There's a hit on a group that has a routine of meeting near the academy in an underground hideout. Tomorrow's the day they're going to meet and the one who took on the job... Well, she is nowhere near discreet. She's going to blow up the place which will definitely get the attention of anyone as far as an anti-terrorist unit. Coincidentally, the place will detonate in the evening. Perhaps if we time it right, we could make it seem like her explosives left an unusual shockwave and fallout that it will grab everyone's attention. Almost as far as making them think that it was some sort of terrorist attack. If that happens, surely everyone wouldn't even notice you closing the tear as her explosions tend to be... massive. It will definitely leave a massive bonfire and let out a ton of smoke. Her specialty is pyro and explosion magic. But mostly explosion magic. Sound good?" She asked before taking another sip of coffee. If Aenera went along with this plan, they wouldn't have to work as hard as expected and everything run smooth and clean. Of course, it would create more attention to one of her coworkers, but she knows that the person who took on this hit isn't stupid enough to get caught or be at the scene of the crime at the time of the event occurring. It also make today less busy and they could spend another day in the city since they've only been here for probably twelve hours. It's the capital and there shouldn't be such a rush to move to the next part of the vacation.
 
Jayce hears both plans, "well I suppose doing it tomorrow would be more convenient. Though it could add its own complications. I could easily carry you out of there Aenera... I mean if that's ok?" He says looking away. he thinks for a moment, "actually complications or no, that would mean less of us would be required in the operation. If we aren't the ones doing the distraction, the Hekate can play lookout, I can get you out and cover for you and Yffiryn would be safer waiting in the auto."

Jayce then thought about Hekate's plan, "how do you know about an assassination attempt? or the assassin that took the job? Or that it was a job to begin with?"
 
"Sounds like a plan. However I wonder if there is anyone who will notice any irregularities." Aenera said. "Also it depends on how near to the academy the attack is. It would be a pain to end up getting the police on our tail just because someone saw us instead. Like I don't know if I would have the power to make a pocket dimension for us to hide in or to in the worst case incapacitate the police. I could ask a friend in a high place later in my appointment if he could cover us, only issue would then be that he might expect me to be more indebted to him."

Aenera took a sip of tea and then continued: "I am fine with taking care of the tear tomorrow, as long as the diversion is effective enough. But yes Jayce, if I need to be carried out, then carry me out."

Yfirryn chimed in after Jayce said that he could wait in the auto: "Wait in the auto? But I wanted in on the fun too. I guess I will just have to nap while you do whatever you have to do."

"Well, if that is all decided, then me and Hekate can head out and you two can go sightseeing once Kren gets back from his walk." Aenera said.
 
Hekate choked on her coffee a little as she just casually talked about an assassination job and giving such details to someone who doesn't know. Someone like Jayce. She told Aenera, sure, but everyone else? She never told anyone that. After clearing her throat, she smiled at Jayce a bit nervously as she got up. "How about... We discuss this in more detail at a way later time. We do have a schedule to run by and I don't think I'll have enough time to explain how I know all these things. Perhaps it's best not to know." She said as she before finishing the rest of her coffee and setting the empty mug on the table. "So, shall we get going then?" She asked, nudging Aenera's arm a little. She didn't seem ready to break it to everyone she works as a hitwoman. It's sort of awkward to know someone who killed a lot of people for money. Even though they were pretty bad people, she still lived off of blood money and a trail of corpses.
 
Jayce sighs he of course had the assumption she was involved in that line of work but wanted her to confirm it, though her reply told him enough for now. He turns to Yffiryn, "I don't doubt your abilities but given your unfamiliarity with cities like this, you'll be in more danger." He looks at the others, "Ok you guys can go ahead, when Kren gets back, the three of us can leave." Jayce does want to see the sights of the area but also still has a lot on his mind so it can be a good distraction.
 
"Alright, see you guys later." Aenera said to Jayce and Yfirryn. Yfirryn waved to Aenera and said: "Hope everything goes well for you."

As soon as Aenera and Hekate were out the door, Aenera said to Hekate: "I recommend you conceal your weapons or find a way to get them around security. They normally have a no weapons policy for strangers in the palace and in the council building, but I'd rather have someone have my back in case anyone causes trouble. Who knows if someone aware of my meeting at the council building has hired an assassin or has planned an ambush for me. I mean, I dont doubt someone would be that foolish. In my first two years in Quarrytown, I got a couple of visits from assassins and then after a while it seemed they had just given up. I however intend to resolve issues peacefully today. It would be in everyones, including my, best interest to not get violent."

They walked for several minutes with some people along the way wanting to take pictures, believing Aenera to be a capital city entertainer cosplaying as the first tyrant or a celebrity from a foreign land far away. "That is a really nice costume. Are you cosplaying or reenacting the first tyrant?" One tourist asked. Then another tourist said: "I think rather she's a VIP from another country. Look she has a bodyguard." Aenera decided to play along and go with the first option: "I am cosplaying as Queen Aenfya. And this here is my agent. Sure, you can take a picture! Maybe it will become valuable in a couple years when I am more famous!" The tourists then made pictures. "Now if you excuse us. We need to be getting somewhere." Aenera said to the tourists. One tourist then asked: "Can I get your name?" "Manabrook, Aenera Manabrook. Maybe you will see me in the news or on a show some day." Aenera said before winking to the tourists with a smile.

Continuing to the palace, Aenera and Hekate stopped in front of the security checkpoint in front of the main gate of the palace. A royal guard soldier stood there and asked: "This entrance is for invited guests only. Please use the tourist gate if you want to see the palace." "You are awfully rude for a royal guard. I have an appointment here at 11." Aenera said. The judgemental guard then snapped back: "This is not a place to be playing pranks. Just dressing up fancy doesn't mean I will believe that you have any business here."

Aenera was becoming annoyed. "So let me get this straight. So because I only have one bodyguard and arrive on foot, I am not convincing enough? Not every noble is a damsel in distress you know." Aenera said. The guard smirked and said: "You still don't convince me. Go away before I arrest you both." "Check your guestlist for Aenera Manavyndir os Aenfyandes, crown princess of Vyyzantfyr and hope you don't get fired for being unprofessional and rude." Aenera said. The guard froze. He heard that name before. Her face looked familiar. She was on the news before. The guard grabbed a tablet while trying to not take his eyes off the two. He looked at the tablet list. There was only one name on there and it was the one Aenera had just introduced herself as.

"W...wait. Were you on the news before?" The guard said. Aenera said: "Ten years ago. If you can recall why, then you may be able to understand why I only need one bodyguard." The guard began to look visibly distressed. His hand going down towards his sidearm. Suddenly a voice called out to him from behind: "Soldier! What are you doing? She is my guest!" The soldier turned around to see a man who was slightly older than Aenera who was wearing a suit with a sash and a couple medals on the sash. The man then said: "You are to do your job! If you had escalated the situation, she could have killed you in an instant! That bodyguard could probably be pretty capable too, since I think she would only take capable people with her."

The man came up to Aenera and Hekate and made a slight bow and apologized: "I apologize for this soldier. Had he followed protocol and hadn't gotten full of himself, then he wouldn't be facing penal duties and a demotion now." "Don't be too harsh on the guy. I think a couple days of cleaning around the palace and knowing that he would have had no chance against us should be enough to set him straight." Aenera said to the man. The man nodded and said: "Fine then. I shall be a bit more lenient. Soldier! Prostrate yourself and apologize for your behavior!" The soldier then went on his knees and kowtowed. "I am terribly sorry. Please forgive my horrible behavior. I have put shame upon the royal guard." The guard said. Aenera then replied: "I humbly accept your apology."

The man in the suit, to not be impolite decided to introduce himself to Hekate. "My pardon. I shall properly introduce myself to your associate. I am Elafared Xivanar of Avastenir, 68th king of the Kingdom of Avastenir and direct descendant of the Great Emperor. And you are?"


----Meanwhile back at the house----

Kren got back from his walk. "So I am guessing the other two left for the palace?" He asked. Yfirryn nodded. "So I guess it is only us three this morning. If everyone is ready, we can go sightseeing." Kren said. Then seeing Yfirryn being barefoot. "Yfirryn, I don't think it is wise walking the city streets barefoot. How about you go put shoes and socks on." "Oh, okay." Yfirryn said, then dashing upstair and then coming back down with blue thigh highs and shoes.

Kren whispered to Jayce: "It feels more like he wants to be like his sister instead of just looking up to her or as if his parents exploited the hell out of his androgyny." Kren then spoke normally again: "So! Where should we go first? We have the palace with the frozen army. The council building. A couple museums such as the curry museum and the museum of technology. It is up to you." Yfirryn then raised his hand and said: "I am for the palace or the museum of technology! What about you Jayce?"

[on a side note, Yfirryn is cis. He's just very androgynous and doesn't know better, so ends up dressing up feminine and sounds female.]
 
Aniihya said:
"Alright, see you guys later." Aenera said to Jayce and Yfirryn. Yfirryn waved to Aenera and said: "Hope everything goes well for you."

As soon as Aenera and Hekate were out the door, Aenera said to Hekate: "I recommend you conceal your weapons or find a way to get them around security. They normally have a no weapons policy for strangers in the palace and in the council building, but I'd rather have someone have my back in case anyone causes trouble. Who knows if someone aware of my meeting at the council building has hired an assassin or has planned an ambush for me. I mean, I dont doubt someone would be that foolish. In my first two years in Quarrytown, I got a couple of visits from assassins and then after a while it seemed they had just given up. I however intend to resolve issues peacefully today. It would be in everyones, including my, best interest to not get violent."

They walked for several minutes with some people along the way wanting to take pictures, believing Aenera to be a capital city entertainer cosplaying as the first tyrant or a celebrity from a foreign land far away. "That is a really nice costume. Are you cosplaying or reenacting the first tyrant?" One tourist asked. Then another tourist said: "I think rather she's a VIP from another country. Look she has a bodyguard." Aenera decided to play along and go with the first option: "I am cosplaying as Queen Aenfya. And this here is my agent. Sure, you can take a picture! Maybe it will become valuable in a couple years when I am more famous!" The tourists then made pictures. "Now if you excuse us. We need to be getting somewhere." Aenera said to the tourists. One tourist then asked: "Can I get your name?" "Manabrook, Aenera Manabrook. Maybe you will see me in the news or on a show some day." Aenera said before winking to the tourists with a smile.

Continuing to the palace, Aenera and Hekate stopped in front of the security checkpoint in front of the main gate of the palace. A royal guard soldier stood there and asked: "This entrance is for invited guests only. Please use the tourist gate if you want to see the palace." "You are awfully rude for a royal guard. I have an appointment here at 11." Aenera said. The judgemental guard then snapped back: "This is not a place to be playing pranks. Just dressing up fancy doesn't mean I will believe that you have any business here."

Aenera was becoming annoyed. "So let me get this straight. So because I only have one bodyguard and arrive on foot, I am not convincing enough? Not every noble is a damsel in distress you know." Aenera said. The guard smirked and said: "You still don't convince me. Go away before I arrest you both." "Check your guestlist for Aenera Manavyndir os Aenfyandes, crown princess of Vyyzantfyr and hope you don't get fired for being unprofessional and rude." Aenera said. The guard froze. He heard that name before. Her face looked familiar. She was on the news before. The guard grabbed a tablet while trying to not take his eyes off the two. He looked at the tablet list. There was only one name on there and it was the one Aenera had just introduced herself as.

"W...wait. Were you on the news before?" The guard said. Aenera said: "Ten years ago. If you can recall why, then you may be able to understand why I only need one bodyguard." The guard began to look visibly distressed. His hand going down towards his sidearm. Suddenly a voice called out to him from behind: "Soldier! What are you doing? She is my guest!" The soldier turned around to see a man who was slightly older than Aenera who was wearing a suit with a sash and a couple medals on the sash. The man then said: "You are to do your job! If you had escalated the situation, she could have killed you in an instant! That bodyguard could probably be pretty capable too, since I think she would only take capable people with her."

The man came up to Aenera and Hekate and made a slight bow and apologized: "I apologize for this soldier. Had he followed protocol and hadn't gotten full of himself, then he wouldn't be facing penal duties and a demotion now." "Don't be too harsh on the guy. I think a couple days of cleaning around the palace and knowing that he would have had no chance against us should be enough to set him straight." Aenera said to the man. The man nodded and said: "Fine then. I shall be a bit more lenient. Soldier! Prostrate yourself and apologize for your behavior!" The soldier then went on his knees and kowtowed. "I am terribly sorry. Please forgive my horrible behavior. I have put shame upon the royal guard." The guard said. Aenera then replied: "I humbly accept your apology."

The man in the suit, to not be impolite decided to introduce himself to Hekate. "My pardon. I shall properly introduce myself to your associate. I am Elafared Xivanar of Avastenir, 68th king of the Kingdom of Avastenir and direct descendant of the Great Emperor. And you are?"


----Meanwhile back at the house----

Kren got back from his walk. "So I am guessing the other two left for the palace?" He asked. Yfirryn nodded. "So I guess it is only us three this morning. If everyone is ready, we can go sightseeing." Kren said. Then seeing Yfirryn being barefoot. "Yfirryn, I don't think it is wise walking the city streets barefoot. How about you go put shoes and socks on." "Oh, okay." Yfirryn said, then dashing upstair and then coming back down with blue thigh highs and shoes.

Kren whispered to Jayce: "It feels more like he wants to be like his sister instead of just looking up to her or as if his parents exploited the hell out of his androgyny." Kren then spoke normally again: "So! Where should we go first? We have the palace with the frozen army. The council building. A couple museums such as the curry museum and the museum of technology. It is up to you." Yfirryn then raised his hand and said: "I am for the palace or the museum of technology! What about you Jayce?"

[on a side note, Yfirryn is cis. He's just very androgynous and doesn't know better, so ends up dressing up feminine and sounds female.]
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As Aenera was talking to Hekate about her weapons, she began thinking of what other ways to protect Aenera. She knows of a method, but she hates the one who taught it to her. "Don't worry, if my weapons get confiscated, I still have magic. An unsavory... 'child' taught me a technique back then." She said. "And don't worry about ambushes. I may not be able to see through their intentions, I can use my True Sight to see if there are any other weapons on their person. But if they bust a move, that's all I need. For me, things can happen slower than you perceive. If things get crazy, just get behind me first." She stated boldly.

When some tourists wanted to come and take pictures, Hekate just stood casually and going with the flow of how Aenera took things. So she was posing as an agent for the time being, but she doesn't exactly know how agents act. All she know is to check her watch since that's what agents do, right? They need to be on time to events so the schedules are consistent and that there'd be enough time to run through the to-do list. Of course, she also relaxed her expression so she didn't seem threatening. One of the tourists pretty much hit the nail on the head, but they were easily quick to believe Aenera's cosplay act. After they were done with the tourists, she nudged her arm a bit and jokingly spoke with a grin. "Maybe you should actually be a cosplayer. I was definitely sold."

Then coming to the royal guard, all she could do was keep a gaze and seem unmoved by this royal guard's shitty attitude. Dude acts like he runs the place, but he's merely a guard for a checkpoint. Literally a person working at the front desk. The longer this interaction went on, she was getting really annoyed with the guard. Until Aenera stated the name that was on the tablet, their appointment. When she saw that the guard was reaching for his sidearm, she was getting ready to move to protect Aenera. She shifted her feet a little bit so she could spring into action when the guard pulled out his weapon. Luckily, it didn't go to that, and she went back to standing at a neutral stance. Her cold gaze that she was holding the entire time soon relaxed as the man in the suit was making his presence. He seemed to be a general or perhaps a higher rank in the guard. Though, she nearly lost her composure when he broke it to her that he was the king. She blinked before bowing slightly as a respectful gesture to the king. She didn't make the bow too overly dramatic by going down on a knee or something, she just did a simple bow. After lifting herself up, she fixed her glasses and spoke in an appropriate manner.

"My name is Adriesta La Signora, hailing from Snezhnaya. I am Aenera Manavyndir os Aenfyandes' personal bodyguard. It is an honor to meet you, your majesty." She stated with another slight bow. With an introduction like that, she's sure to have made a good impression that she has her mannerisms to a king as well as showing Aenera her more serious and business side of her. She also mentioned that she hailed from Snezhnaya, whose military is formidable and powerful. Its military is highly reputable that even most civilians can be considered combatants at a basic level. Hiring a combatant from Snezhnaya is nothing to tread lightly over. Especially if they are a part of an organization that branched off from Snezhnaya's military. There are only two widely known groups, Umbra Catervae and the Fatui and their Harbingers. While one is a fanatical group loyal to Snezhnaya and her majesty, the Tsaritsa and carries out her orders directly, the other works as a direct weapon for messes that are impossible to clean or against people that suits cannot touch. Their service is open to all and with the right amount of money, they get the job done. With this sort of background, she can assure the seriousness of her combat capabilities to the others.
 
Jayce whispers back, "their family was... Interesting to meet, to say the least."

Once Yffiryn returned Jayce shrugged, "I don't really have any preference. I guess the frozen army seeems the most interesting. it still seems impossible to do something of that magnitude single handed, Tyrant or not. Magic is crazy." Jayce sounded partially impressed and also bothered by it. Even with his limited understanding of Magic, he knew no normal person was able to do it and wondered what Aenera's true power could actually do.
 
"It is an honor to meet you Lady La Signora. I have experienced Snezhnayan warrior to be quite formidable. That explains the crown princess' choice to hire you as a personal bodyguard. Sadly, most nobles don't bother with learning combat skills nowadays and prefer to let money and influence speak instead. Crown princess Aenera Manavyndir tends to be more traditional in that aspect and probably could not only kill most nobles quickly, but also their personal guards too. That is why she interests me so much." The king said. He then turned towards the entrance of the palace and said: "If you may, follow me. I will lead us to my diplomatic quarters to discuss terms before we go deal with the council."

The king led the two through the grand palace to an isolated room with a large and elaborate wooden table and ancient wall carvings that however were still in pristine condition. The king waited for Aenera to sit down before sitting down himself to be polite. "So I heard after finishing your probation, you intend to negotiate the status of your homeland, whereas I would like to speak with you about something too." The king said.

"Yes, I seek greater autonomy for Vyyzantfyr. Instead of just a territory within the Fiordanfell province, I would like it to become it's own province, elect it's own governor and receive similar developmental aids to a normal province so that it doesn't remain an infrastructural backwater. In turn, I offer my support and power and the kingdom will receive aid from Vyyzantfyri mages." Aenera said. The king then grinned and offered an alternative that came sort of as a surprise to Aenera: "I turn down your offer of just support and sending mages. As you may have heard, the queen was assassinated eight years ago. They say she conspired with the council to undermine my reign and eventually planned for me to disappear. Therefore a royalist killed her."

Aenera wasn't buying that the assassination just happened because of some pissed off royalist and felt that the king himself probably ordered the assassination. She assumed that the king would possibly ask for Aenera to deal with the council. "I heard about the assassination. I am sorry for your loss." Aenera said. The king then continued: "To get to the point, I request your hand. With you by my side, the council wont ever dare to cross me. Additionally, I have had my sights on you for a while now."

Aenera was taken aback. She had only joked about the king having the hots for her before but didn't seriously consider it. "Excuse me? I must use your first name to speak more directly. Elafared, do you understand what you are proposing? Not only am I of a royal family that had dominated this land 1600 years ago, but am a direct descendant of the first tyrant. The political elite would be in turmoil. Additionally, in asking my hand, you are setting the standards so much higher for yourself. I cannot stand those in the council and would rather eliminate any who are corrupt or seek to abuse power, even if they were my own children!" Aenera said, raising her voice.

"I am quite aware of the consequences. But, together we could reform the country, purify the political ranks and make the country prosperous after getting rid of the leeches that drain it of it's wealth. I know from intelligence that everywhere you go, you leave a trail of corpses. That grand wizard who bribed his way into his position was the first. The assassins who attacked you in the two years after you moved to Quarrytown. You even killed a number of outlaws in Fiordanfell. You seek to better the world and so do I. And the common folk loved that friendly and sincere smile of yours on the news ten years ago." The king said.

Aenera was unsure about it. And most of the cases where she killed were out of necessity and not bloodlust. Under the table, Aenera wrote to Hekate: "I am very unsure about this. He DID probably have his first wife killed. He probably wants to use me as a pawn to massacre the council."

"I have to give it some thought. I would rather prefer a more adventurous life with my friends and travel the world and not be some kind of pampered royalty. Life was better in Quarrytown. I think you are sweet guy in personality, but life as a queen might be too much of a hassle and too many obligations. If I wanted to conquer the world and rule and people think that I am as strong as they say, why havent I have done it yet? I will come with you to meet the council, but I wont kill anybody." Aenera said to the king. The king looked disappointed but then said: "I guess you just need time. Anyways, before we head over to the council chambers, I need to take care of something. I will leave you two alone for about twenty minutes."

Once the king left the room, Aenera seemed to relax after being kind of tensed up during the negotiations. She turned to Hekate. "Honestly, I don't want to marry him. I already told him most of the reasons. However the entire thing doesn't feel right. What do you think?" She asked her.


----Yfirryn----

"Alright! Let's go to the frozen army then!" Yfirryn exclaimed. Kren then said: "Let's go then!" Kren led Yfirryn and Jayce out of the house and down the road. They eventually made it to the palace tourist entrance. There was a line. On the left side, a sign read: "Palace Tours." On the right side, a sign read: "Frozen Army Entrance." There were about 20 people in front of them.

"Wow! The palace is huge! How old is it?" Yfirryn asked. Kren then answered: "Well, it was built by the Great Emperor just a couple years after the defeat of the First Tyrant. So it is nearly 1600 years old. Originally, it was only half the size, but around 700 years ago, it was made larger." The line was moving rather quickly. Once they got to the ticket counter, the lady at the counter looked at the trio and said: "I am guessing you want a family ticket. Either a father with his adult son and daughter or a couple with the father in-law." "Well, actually I'm..." Yfirryn said before being interrupted by Kren: "Shhhh. We save some money if we get a family ticket!"

The lady at the ticket counter handed Kren the tickets while Kren paid for them. Then Kren led Yfirryn and Jayce down the stairs to an elevator. Once the elevator came up, Yfirryn noticed that it had a large window on each side. They then rode the elevator down into a cavern like area. It was absolutely massive. The cavern was lit by blue magic crystals. The illumination felt like that of the central crystal in Vyyzantfyr. At the floor of the cavern stood an army, froze in place. Possibly a couple ten thousand. "According to the pamphlet, the army counts exactly 61,100 soldiers of which 60,000 are foot soldiers, 1000 are cavalry and 100 are officers." Kren said while reading the pamphlet. "They say Queen Aenfya stopped the battle by freezing the army in time. Efforts have been made to unfreeze the soldiers, but there have been no successes so far. Near the soldiers, little ripples in timespace can temporarily form and voices can be heard from them, possibly from long ago."

Once the elevator came to a stop and everyone got off, Kren shuddered. "To be honest, this place gives me the creeps every time I visit it, especially the voices from the ripples." Kren said. Nearby, above the edge of the army, a distortion in the air formed and a faint scream could be heard from it. It sounded like that of a woman. In another place, another ripple formed and a more clear male voice said something in a foreign sounding language. It sounded like "Tyridan aksu aenfya."

"Sounds like it could be a dialect of Vyyzantfyri." Yfirryn said. "However I can hardly understand it. I have never heard it before. "Aksu sounds like assu, which is the verb [be] but I can make anything of tyridan."
 
Aniihya said:
"It is an honor to meet you Lady La Signora. I have experienced Snezhnayan warrior to be quite formidable. That explains the crown princess' choice to hire you as a personal bodyguard. Sadly, most nobles don't bother with learning combat skills nowadays and prefer to let money and influence speak instead. Crown princess Aenera Manavyndir tends to be more traditional in that aspect and probably could not only kill most nobles quickly, but also their personal guards too. That is why she interests me so much." The king said. He then turned towards the entrance of the palace and said: "If you may, follow me. I will lead us to my diplomatic quarters to discuss terms before we go deal with the council."

The king led the two through the grand palace to an isolated room with a large and elaborate wooden table and ancient wall carvings that however were still in pristine condition. The king waited for Aenera to sit down before sitting down himself to be polite. "So I heard after finishing your probation, you intend to negotiate the status of your homeland, whereas I would like to speak with you about something too." The king said.

"Yes, I seek greater autonomy for Vyyzantfyr. Instead of just a territory within the Fiordanfell province, I would like it to become it's own province, elect it's own governor and receive similar developmental aids to a normal province so that it doesn't remain an infrastructural backwater. In turn, I offer my support and power and the kingdom will receive aid from Vyyzantfyri mages." Aenera said. The king then grinned and offered an alternative that came sort of as a surprise to Aenera: "I turn down your offer of just support and sending mages. As you may have heard, the queen was assassinated eight years ago. They say she conspired with the council to undermine my reign and eventually planned for me to disappear. Therefore a royalist killed her."

Aenera wasn't buying that the assassination just happened because of some pissed off royalist and felt that the king himself probably ordered the assassination. She assumed that the king would possibly ask for Aenera to deal with the council. "I heard about the assassination. I am sorry for your loss." Aenera said. The king then continued: "To get to the point, I request your hand. With you by my side, the council wont ever dare to cross me. Additionally, I have had my sights on you for a while now."

Aenera was taken aback. She had only joked about the king having the hots for her before but didn't seriously consider it. "Excuse me? I must use your first name to speak more directly. Elafared, do you understand what you are proposing? Not only am I of a royal family that had dominated this land 1600 years ago, but am a direct descendant of the first tyrant. The political elite would be in turmoil. Additionally, in asking my hand, you are setting the standards so much higher for yourself. I cannot stand those in the council and would rather eliminate any who are corrupt or seek to abuse power, even if they were my own children!" Aenera said, raising her voice.

"I am quite aware of the consequences. But, together we could reform the country, purify the political ranks and make the country prosperous after getting rid of the leeches that drain it of it's wealth. I know from intelligence that everywhere you go, you leave a trail of corpses. That grand wizard who bribed his way into his position was the first. The assassins who attacked you in the two years after you moved to Quarrytown. You even killed a number of outlaws in Fiordanfell. You seek to better the world and so do I. And the common folk loved that friendly and sincere smile of yours on the news ten years ago." The king said.

Aenera was unsure about it. And most of the cases where she killed were out of necessity and not bloodlust. Under the table, Aenera wrote to Hekate: "I am very unsure about this. He DID probably have his first wife killed. He probably wants to use me as a pawn to massacre the council."

"I have to give it some thought. I would rather prefer a more adventurous life with my friends and travel the world and not be some kind of pampered royalty. Life was better in Quarrytown. I think you are sweet guy in personality, but life as a queen might be too much of a hassle and too many obligations. If I wanted to conquer the world and rule and people think that I am as strong as they say, why havent I have done it yet? I will come with you to meet the council, but I wont kill anybody." Aenera said to the king. The king looked disappointed but then said: "I guess you just need time. Anyways, before we head over to the council chambers, I need to take care of something. I will leave you two alone for about twenty minutes."

Once the king left the room, Aenera seemed to relax after being kind of tensed up during the negotiations. She turned to Hekate. "Honestly, I don't want to marry him. I already told him most of the reasons. However the entire thing doesn't feel right. What do you think?" She asked her.


----Yfirryn----

"Alright! Let's go to the frozen army then!" Yfirryn exclaimed. Kren then said: "Let's go then!" Kren led Yfirryn and Jayce out of the house and down the road. They eventually made it to the palace tourist entrance. There was a line. On the left side, a sign read: "Palace Tours." On the right side, a sign read: "Frozen Army Entrance." There were about 20 people in front of them.

"Wow! The palace is huge! How old is it?" Yfirryn asked. Kren then answered: "Well, it was built by the Great Emperor just a couple years after the defeat of the First Tyrant. So it is nearly 1600 years old. Originally, it was only half the size, but around 700 years ago, it was made larger." The line was moving rather quickly. Once they got to the ticket counter, the lady at the counter looked at the trio and said: "I am guessing you want a family ticket. Either a father with his adult son and daughter or a couple with the father in-law." "Well, actually I'm..." Yfirryn said before being interrupted by Kren: "Shhhh. We save some money if we get a family ticket!"

The lady at the ticket counter handed Kren the tickets while Kren paid for them. Then Kren led Yfirryn and Jayce down the stairs to an elevator. Once the elevator came up, Yfirryn noticed that it had a large window on each side. They then rode the elevator down into a cavern like area. It was absolutely massive. The cavern was lit by blue magic crystals. The illumination felt like that of the central crystal in Vyyzantfyr. At the floor of the cavern stood an army, froze in place. Possibly a couple ten thousand. "According to the pamphlet, the army counts exactly 61,100 soldiers of which 60,000 are foot soldiers, 1000 are cavalry and 100 are officers." Kren said while reading the pamphlet. "They say Queen Aenfya stopped the battle by freezing the army in time. Efforts have been made to unfreeze the soldiers, but there have been no successes so far. Near the soldiers, little ripples in timespace can temporarily form and voices can be heard from them, possibly from long ago."

Once the elevator came to a stop and everyone got off, Kren shuddered. "To be honest, this place gives me the creeps every time I visit it, especially the voices from the ripples." Kren said. Nearby, above the edge of the army, a distortion in the air formed and a faint scream could be heard from it. It sounded like that of a woman. In another place, another ripple formed and a more clear male voice said something in a foreign sounding language. It sounded like "Tyridan aksu aenfya."

"Sounds like it could be a dialect of Vyyzantfyri." Yfirryn said. "However I can hardly understand it. I have never heard it before. "Aksu sounds like assu, which is the verb [be] but I can make anything of tyridan."
Click to expand...
After the whole negotiations, Hekate was actually surprised. She thought that Aenera was wearing this grandiose attire just to look formal and was all for looks. Apparently, she was actually royalty. She wasn't fucking around and this didn't seem like a situation to be taken lightly. She cleared her throat before voicing her thoughts. "I actually thought you were fucking around with all this royalty bullshit and was just asking favors. I almost shut off my brain when the king just asked for your hand, in which you are also pretty much royalty. A crown princess. What the fuck...?" She said as she was pulling at her collar to let in some cool air. She then let out a sigh before sitting down next to Aenera. She had been standing off to the side behind Aenera this entire time as to always be ready if something went off. "If anything, this entire thing seems fucking sus. As simple as asking for your hand to keep the council in their lanes, the assassination of a Queen... Surely, a king doesn't need anyone else but himself to keep the council in check. Right?" She asked blankly not expecting an answer since this entire negotiation's outcome is entirely produced between Aenera and the king. Hekate doesn't deserve a say in it because she wouldn't dare meddle in affairs like this. A corrupt corporation was just one thing and it costed many their jobs and lives. But this was a country they're talking about. The ruling and political systems of a country let alone the involvement of another country and heritage of a tyrant. If anything, it seems like the king wanted to spark trouble... Is that what he wants?

She turned to Aenera after thinking about it clearly for a bit and voiced her opinion. "The king's definitely up to something. I don't really like it. I've felled a corporation before but this is wild. This is close to putting chains on the council. Either which way this negotiation goes, I think we'll have to miss that opportunity to close the tear. If the king has his sights on you, no doubt there'll be surveillance tailing us to see what you're up to. Whether you accept this proposal or not." She let out a huge sigh as she relaxed into the chair a bit lazily and taking off her glasses. She soon turned her head to look at Aenera, not able to come up with something else from this conversation. "So, what's the plan now? 'Cause this is just fucking crazy."
 
Jayce was astounded by the size of the army. Sure he'd been told of her power but he never thought it could be so... Monstrous. These poor people, they're more or less doomed, whether they stay like this or are freed and overstimulated by modern life. He looked at where the rift was that said the words, "I think I heard the voice mention Aenfya, right? Yffiryn, what the word for Tyrant?" Jayce asked curiously, she was called the first tyrant after all. he looked back out at the soldiers, "I knew magic was not something to take lightly but this is.... insane."
 
Aenera couldn't help but feel as if they were being watched. Maybe the king had bugged the place. Aenera stood up and touched Hekate on the shoulder. She silently quickcasted a spell of slow time to slow time around them enough to be able to talk without the king or anybody else noticing anything. Outside of a bubble Aenera and Hekate stood in, time nearly came to a halt. Everything took on a red hue as it nearly froze in time. The crystal on Aenera's forehead was glowing.

"I think the room might be bugged. I can't believe the king would stoop so low to spy on his guests. I have slowed time so far that after the end of our conversation, it will seem as if I merely touched your shoulder as a sign of trust. But yes, I agree with you, I think the entire situation is suspicious. However there is a reason why he is only known as a representative king. He was basically couped nine years ago. The council and the military basically stripped him of most of his powers. I suspect the former queen was in on it too. Why, I do not know. The council used the excuse that the king used his powers to commute my sentence. But honestly, I believe it was only an excuse and not the true reason. I believe it is all about money and corruption. I also assume the king expects me to be a mass murdering maniac who would probably kill all the council members and return powers to him. But I personally would rather just have Vyyzantfir be its own province and stay out of a conflict where I view both sides as wrong. Additionally, I dont want to marry someone who plans to create a pile of bodies over this." Aenera explained.

After a brief pause, Aenera continued. "My entire life everyone expected me to be another Aenfya, but Aenfya was power hungry and conquered an entire continent, because she wanted to end war and work towards a greater good and in the end, she sacrificed herself to protect her people. I, however, just want to be left alone and enjoy my life. If I had the chance to be born with normal amounts of mana leading to a normal life, I would have preferred it. Instead, I have to amplify my magical strength with seals and manipulated crystals just so that people stay away from me when I tell them to leave me alone, because they fear the consequences of not following that." Aenera's eyes were wallowing up with tears and eventually tears ran down her cheeks. "I just dont know what to do in this situation. I could just refuse to cooperate with either side or I could threaten them to bend to my will, but both have undesirable outcomes. I could just destroy every persuer or make this place crumble, but again, bad outcomes. I have only killed out of necessity, because threats on my life or well-being. I am fairly sure the council will probably have armed guards or assassins laying in wait too, knowing that I will come. The entire situation probably is fucked."

Aenera tried to pull herself together to answer the questions about being royalty: "Anyways to your first question. I am basically a crown princess or queen to be without an actual queendom. Vyyzantfyr hasn't been its own country in over 1000 years. My mother basically is the queen, however outsiders refer to her as the tribe matriarch. She intends to give me the title soon. It is mostly only a title and the queen doesn't have much power nowadays. Vyyzantfyris go to her for advice or to solve disputes. If Vyyzantfyr was a province at least, we could do more and modernize the roads and old city."


----Yfirryn----

"Tyrant in Vyyzantfyri is edyrann. So I don't know what the word could mean. But I guess the voice mentioned Aenfya." Yfirryn said. Kren then said to Jayce: "Another amazing part about this place is the image crystal with a recording of the first tyrant. But that recording is probably even creepier than the army itself." Kren then led Yfirryn and Jayce over to the image crystal and pushed a button to activate it. A 3d translucent image of Aenfya appeared before them. Yfirryn then understood why Kren thought it was creepy. The woman in the image looked nearly identical to Aenera, however lacking a forehead crystal. The lady wore grand robes and her eyes glowed almost a rainbow color instead of a green like Aenera and Yfirryn had. She spoke first in Vyyzantfyri, then in common language with an accent similar to that of Yfirryn. "Denizens of the present and the future. I had nearly reached my goal but I must sacrifice myself for the future of my people. However I will one day return and unite the land once again. I will purify the corrupt and destroy the wicked!" The image of Aenfya said. Both Yfirryn and Kren got goosebumps from it.

Yfirryn now understood why Aenera had to go through all that horrible stuff in her life. Basically because people feared that the Aenfya from the crystal would be right and on day return or reincarnate. Kren turned to Jayce and said: "This woman was probably the upper limit when it came to magic. Most people just combust from overstressing their bodies with mana. But if you want to use magic, I can maybe give you an arcane tattoo to ease your use of it if you have difficulties wielding it. I can then teach you some basics and Aenera can teach the rest. She may suck at wielding elemental magics and can only use chronos and healing magic as well as some dark magic, but she is very knowledgeable on many types of magic."
 
Aniihya said:
Aenera couldn't help but feel as if they were being watched. Maybe the king had bugged the place. Aenera stood up and touched Hekate on the shoulder. She silently quickcasted a spell of slow time to slow time around them enough to be able to talk without the king or anybody else noticing anything. Outside of a bubble Aenera and Hekate stood in, time nearly came to a halt. Everything took on a red hue as it nearly froze in time. The crystal on Aenera's forehead was glowing.

"I think the room might be bugged. I can't believe the king would stoop so low to spy on his guests. I have slowed time so far that after the end of our conversation, it will seem as if I merely touched your shoulder as a sign of trust. But yes, I agree with you, I think the entire situation is suspicious. However there is a reason why he is only known as a representative king. He was basically couped nine years ago. The council and the military basically stripped him of most of his powers. I suspect the former queen was in on it too. Why, I do not know. The council used the excuse that the king used his powers to commute my sentence. But honestly, I believe it was only an excuse and not the true reason. I believe it is all about money and corruption. I also assume the king expects me to be a mass murdering maniac who would probably kill all the council members and return powers to him. But I personally would rather just have Vyyzantfir be its own province and stay out of a conflict where I view both sides as wrong. Additionally, I dont want to marry someone who plans to create a pile of bodies over this." Aenera explained.

After a brief pause, Aenera continued. "My entire life everyone expected me to be another Aenfya, but Aenfya was power hungry and conquered an entire continent, because she wanted to end war and work towards a greater good and in the end, she sacrificed herself to protect her people. I, however, just want to be left alone and enjoy my life. If I had the chance to be born with normal amounts of mana leading to a normal life, I would have preferred it. Instead, I have to amplify my magical strength with seals and manipulated crystals just so that people stay away from me when I tell them to leave me alone, because they fear the consequences of not following that." Aenera's eyes were wallowing up with tears and eventually tears ran down her cheeks. "I just dont know what to do in this situation. I could just refuse to cooperate with either side or I could threaten them to bend to my will, but both have undesirable outcomes. I could just destroy every persuer or make this place crumble, but again, bad outcomes. I have only killed out of necessity, because threats on my life or well-being. I am fairly sure the council will probably have armed guards or assassins laying in wait too, knowing that I will come. The entire situation probably is fucked."

Aenera tried to pull herself together to answer the questions about being royalty: "Anyways to your first question. I am basically a crown princess or queen to be without an actual queendom. Vyyzantfyr hasn't been its own country in over 1000 years. My mother basically is the queen, however outsiders refer to her as the tribe matriarch. She intends to give me the title soon. It is mostly only a title and the queen doesn't have much power nowadays. Vyyzantfyris go to her for advice or to solve disputes. If Vyyzantfyr was a province at least, we could do more and modernize the roads and old city."


----Yfirryn----

"Tyrant in Vyyzantfyri is edyrann. So I don't know what the word could mean. But I guess the voice mentioned Aenfya." Yfirryn said. Kren then said to Jayce: "Another amazing part about this place is the image crystal with a recording of the first tyrant. But that recording is probably even creepier than the army itself." Kren then led Yfirryn and Jayce over to the image crystal and pushed a button to activate it. A 3d translucent image of Aenfya appeared before them. Yfirryn then understood why Kren thought it was creepy. The woman in the image looked nearly identical to Aenera, however lacking a forehead crystal. The lady wore grand robes and her eyes glowed almost a rainbow color instead of a green like Aenera and Yfirryn had. She spoke first in Vyyzantfyri, then in common language with an accent similar to that of Yfirryn. "Denizens of the present and the future. I had nearly reached my goal but I must sacrifice myself for the future of my people. However I will one day return and unite the land once again. I will purify the corrupt and destroy the wicked!" The image of Aenfya said. Both Yfirryn and Kren got goosebumps from it.

Yfirryn now understood why Aenera had to go through all that horrible stuff in her life. Basically because people feared that the Aenfya from the crystal would be right and on day return or reincarnate. Kren turned to Jayce and said: "This woman was probably the upper limit when it came to magic. Most people just combust from overstressing their bodies with mana. But if you want to use magic, I can maybe give you an arcane tattoo to ease your use of it if you have difficulties wielding it. I can then teach you some basics and Aenera can teach the rest. She may suck at wielding elemental magics and can only use chronos and healing magic as well as some dark magic, but she is very knowledgeable on many types of magic."
Click to expand...
Hekate was taken aback a bit as time froze around them. She knows how it feels like to slow down her perception of time so she can react better, but having time actually completely frozen around them was another story. Nevertheless, she listened to Aenera's analysis on the situation as well as information of some history. She also ended up emotionally venting which, Hekate hasn't seen anyone cry in front of her in awhile. It was a sort of refreshing feeling oddly to see someone so vulnerable in front of her. Not only that, it was the crown princess who has tremendous power that Hekate would never dream to obtain in her life. But even then, they were similar in the ways they wanted to live their lives. Simple lives. Well for her, simple only applied to her personal life.

After Aenera was answering her questions about royalty, which she didn't really ask directly about and didn't pay attention to, she instinctively stood up to give Aenera a hug. "So even someone like you can cry, huh?" She mumbled before pulling away to pull out a handkerchief and wiped Aenera's tears. "It's understandable, really. I know time had stopped but let's not waste your power so we can make use of it to come up with a plan to get out of this mess, eh?" She said as she finished up wiping any tear from Aenera's face that could signify weakness later on. She sat back down as she was trying to come up with a plan. She had one possible plan, but that's only if nothing works. Threatening the king, act as a double agent, taking Aenera as hostage to get them out of the palace... The plan just sounds so simple that there's bound to be flaws and hiccups in practice. The best case scenario is to just figure it out diplomatically. Worst case is brute forcing their way out. Soon, she took out her commu and sent out a text to the organization she was in. Specifically, she typed somewhere along the lines of 'anyone know how to get out of a royal palace without killing anyone or getting caught by guard? Asking for a friend.' She soon put her commu back in her pocket and didn't expect a reply. She then turned to Aenera. "I just sent out a text to the organization. I doubt we'll get help out of here or anything. Let's just focus on what we can do now." She stood up and began pacing around the bubble where she was allowed to walk in. She seemed unusually calm at the moment, almost too calm.

"I have dozens of plans, but all with their own flaws. If we can't solve things diplomatically, we could just brute force our way out. But then that'd just mark a target on your back. Instead, I could play a double agent and take you hostage in getting out, threaten the king some and then leave. I am going off a different identity. Hmmm... But then I did just say I felled a corporation right before your spell was cast. Even though my name never came up on the news before, I could bet they would eventually pinpoint my real identity. Still, could work, but last resort." She sighed a little. "If only we could teleport out of here and lay low somewhere, that'd be ideal in my opinion, but then negotiations would be cut short. The king would definitely be looking for us to finish our talks." She then considered the fact if the room was even bugged to begin with. She knows of a magical combination to create explosives or even electro pulses that can disrupt magic and electronic devices. She soon took out her pistol and began loading it with geo projectiles that had electro magical particles fused into them. She placed it on the table and pulled out the other and began loading it with the same geo projectiles she was creating but instead of electro magical particles, she used pyro. "Say, you say that you think this room is bugged, right? I'm going to use my little True Sight ability to verify that. I can even check where this room is exactly located and where all personnel is located." She soon placed her second pistol on the table and sat back down to close her eyes. "Give me a moment." She said before she began to meditate to use her true sight to see the surrounding area. If she can see the bugged devices in the room, she'll know. If there were combatants behind these walls and behind the door, she'll know. If she even catches someone doing the deed in an alleyway near the palace, she'll know too. Nothing ever escaped her true sight ability, which is why it made her such a ruthless hitwoman all these years. A sudden death that comes inevitably. Either it be a clean death or a brutally forced one. She didn't need a clear shot, she just needed point B to meet point A. How else would she have killed her targets behind fortified walls and layers of security? Just shoot through them all. Now that she was in meditation, she can see all around her and Aenera. She needed to see the bigger picture to plan their next moves.
 
Jayce looks at his hand, "I want to learn magic. My mom was good at it, mostly healing magic but made use of simple elemental spells for utility. she tried to teach me but I was a disappointment." Jayce frowns and sighs, "I learned how to perform a spell but whenever I tried it would fail. at first I just kept trying, practice makes perfect, I thought. the harder I tried the worse the failures got.The last time I tried I even hurt myself so I gave up." he then looks up with a slight bit of hope, "but Yffirryn said that because I have good mana control now I should be able to learn magic." Jayce wants to believe it's possible. He wants to believe he is capable of helping the others more. As it stands the only real thing he's good for is physical stuff, but magic makes that almost obsolete. why waste physical energy when most people can complete such tasks with magic, right?
 
"Waste my power? This is barely using it. You see I didn't freeze time. I changed our time instead. It conserves far more mana that way. Stuff like closing large tears, reversing time or making wormholes tends to tire me. Especially reversing time. My biggest challenge so far was unfreezing the frozen army. I cannot fathom how otherworldly Aenfya's power must have been." Aenera replied. "But do you really think they would buy the kidnapping scheme. It is still in their minds that I brutally killed a great wizard and made his corpse disappear. I could try the villany route and just threaten the council and king to not follow me or else. But again, I will not have achieved anything and this meeting would have been for naught. How could I get out of this and get better aid for the old city? Very difficult."

In mind that Hekate sent out a text message, Aenera said: "Any messages from commus will first reach someone after we leave the bubble." Then she had an idea. "How about a little magic just to intimidate them? We could try to keep an eye out for assassins. Then I can put us in a freeze, we can then take out any assassins and then appear at different locations, just to make their hearts jump. You just have to keep in mind that any force you use in a time freeze will stack. If you want to break a neck, only use enough force to break a neck, otherwise you'd be not only breaking a neck but breaking other bones, twisting their head off and make it spin really fast. Or if you punch and continue using force, you will be sending a skull through the ceiling. Anyways, if there are no assassins. We could just move a little so that it appears as if we are super fast. And honestly, what is a king without power going to do if I dont agree to him? He needs me if he wants his power back. The council however could send assassins or soldiers."

"Anyways, if you want to leave the bubble. Let me touch your shoulder again like before so it appears as if I only touched your shoulder." She said.

----Yfirryn----

"Even if you have good mana control, there could be something still blocking your ability to use it externally, hence why an arcane tattoo could make it easier. It wouldn't hurt and wouldn't be big. I could put it anywhere. If you don't want it visible, I could put it on your back, upper arm or shoulder. It however could be more effective near a major mana vein like on the back of your hand, on your face, your neck or your feet. Would you want to try without first? If so, hold out your hand and try to visualize an orb of white light, then say, "Velinkar". It should summon a little light you can use in the dark. When you have enough practice, you could potentially learn how to silentcast it." Kren said to Jayce.

Meanwhile Yfirryn tried it. He held out his hand, visualized the orb of light and said: "Velinkar". A little orb of light appeared. At first it flickered, but eventually Yfirryn managed to stabilize it. "Wow, it's really easy." He said.
 
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Aniihya said:
"Waste my power? This is barely using it. You see I didn't freeze time. I changed our time instead. It conserves far more mana that way. Stuff like closing large tears, reversing time or making wormholes tends to tire me. Especially reversing time. My biggest challenge so far was unfreezing the frozen army. I cannot fathom how otherworldly Aenfya's power must have been." Aenera replied. "But do you really think they would buy the kidnapping scheme. It is still in their minds that I brutally killed a great wizard and made his corpse disappear. I could try the villany route and just threaten the council and king to not follow me or else. But again, I will not have achieved anything and this meeting would have been for naught. How could I get out of this and get better aid for the old city? Very difficult."

In mind that Hekate sent out a text message, Aenera said: "Any messages from commus will first reach someone after we leave the bubble." Then she had an idea. "How about a little magic just to intimidate them? We could try to keep an eye out for assassins. Then I can put us in a freeze, we can then take out any assassins and then appear at different locations, just to make their hearts jump. You just have to keep in mind that any force you use in a time freeze will stack. If you want to break a neck, only use enough force to break a neck, otherwise you'd be not only breaking a neck but breaking other bones, twisting their head off and make it spin really fast. Or if you punch and continue using force, you will be sending a skull through the ceiling. Anyways, if there are no assassins. We could just move a little so that it appears as if we are super fast. And honestly, what is a king without power going to do if I dont agree to him? He needs me if he wants his power back. The council however could send assassins or soldiers."

"Anyways, if you want to leave the bubble. Let me touch your shoulder again like before so it appears as if I only touched your shoulder." She said.

----Yfirryn----

"Even if you have good mana control, there could be something still blocking your ability to use it externally, hence why an arcane tattoo could make it easier. It wouldn't hurt and wouldn't be big. I could put it anywhere. If you don't want it visible, I could put it on your back, upper arm or shoulder. It however could be more effective near a major mana vein like on the back of your hand, on your face, your neck or your feet. Would you want to try without first? If so, hold out your hand and try to visualize an orb of white light, then say, "Velinkar". It should summon a little light you can use in the dark. When you have enough practice, you could potentially learn how to silentcast it." Kren said to Jayce.

Meanwhile Yfirryn tried it. He held out his hand, visualized the orb of light and said: "Velinkar". A little orb of light appeared. At first it flickered, but eventually Yfirryn managed to stabilize it. "Wow, it's really easy." He said.
Click to expand...
With Hekate's True Sight, she could see multiple cameras in the room as well as audio devices. She also saw another room behind the wall that had the king inside as well as three others. All in all, she didn't see any assassins or potential threats. She only saw one carrying a weapon, but that just seemed like a bodyguard. Anything else, she'll just assume these guys are wiretapping personnel. After she made a complete assessment of the situation, she opened her eyes and got up and picked up the pistol loaded with geo-electro ammunition. "Interesting, but I doubt we'd need to do anything drastic." She said before she aimed her pistol at the center of the table. "This should make them jump."

She then pulled the trigger, firing a geo-electro bullet at the center of the table. As she did so, the bullet only left a few inches after exiting out the barrel and froze in time. Hekate noticed it and was somewhat surprised by it. She then decided to aim at other parts of the room where cameras and audio devices were located in and shoot a single round in each of those areas. "This is a geo-electro bullet, a bullet consisting out of geo magic loaded with electro. Once they make impact, it'll create a small area of effect of electro energy that will destroy and fry the cameras and audio devices. It'll make the boys in the next room over watching and listening in jump in their seats. Maybe even the king too." She said before emptying out both her pistols and dispelling their pyro and electro properties to leave only the geo bullets inside. She still needed some bullets just incase she needed to act. She then strapped them back into her jacket and concealed them.

"Maybe the king will take us a bit more seriously. He'll probably see the damage dealt anyway, these geo bullets do tend to leave marks and indents like real ones." She then sat back down in her seat and let out a sigh and a soft smile. "Anyway, no assassins, just their one bodyguard in the next room. No one's on the offensive yet nor kitted out. We don't have to worry too much. Seems we could figure things out diplomatically after all." After fixing her jacket and returned to her posture from before and then turning her head to Aenera and nodded. "Alright. We're ready." She with her lazily relaxed posture and her glasses on the table. She had to at least stay like this until the bullets hit their marks which would only take one frame for the cameras, maybe even half of a frame. Perhaps a quart of it. But she wouldn't want to take any chances that those cameras could record footage and they looked back on it and notice anything odd. Aenera probably wouldn't want to either.
 
Jayce takes a deep breath and holds out his hand. He has to try. He takes a deep breath and says, "Velinkar." The mana builds an orb shape but quickly fizzles out. Jayce tries again, "Velinkar." To the same effect. Both times there was a slight glow on his upper back. The glow is not so bright that it's overly obvious but not so dim that it would go unnoticed. Jayce sighs, "I was hoping it would be different now. Maybe it'll be different with the tattoo on my hand?" Maybe he's just doing something wrong and Kren could help him? He did feel immediately disheartened but wanted to try to hold out some hope.
 
"Good idea." Aenera said. She watched Hekate shoot towards the cameras and the bullets freeze as soon as the left the bubble. "I hope the king takes us more seriously after this." Aenera said. "One bodyguard wont be any issue though. The king has some combat ability but he can't match a Snezhnayan mercenary." As soon as Hekate sat back down, Aenera touched Hekate's shoulder and the world around them slowly came back in motion. Then there was a bang as a bunch of equipment broke arounded them. Back in the surveillance room, the personnel jumped. Even the king jumped a bit. "What the hell happened?" The king asked. One of the staffers then answered: "We lost connections to all the devices in the room."

The king ran to the room where Aenera and Hekate were. "What happened in here?" The king asked. Aenera crossed her arms and said: "Why do you need to spy on guests? At this point you are in no position to negotiate with us. Your attempts at deception and dishonesty were pathetic at best. At this point, I refuse to marry you. I wanted autonomy for my people, but you had other plans and needed a pawn." The king visually angry shouted: "I am the king and I can have you imprisoned or killed." Aenera sighed as she had enough of these games. "With what powers? You are only a representative king and wanted me to help you get your powers back." Aenera said. The king then lunged at Aenera with his hands reaching out as if he wanted to choke her. Aenera held her right arm out to stop Hekate from intervening. With her left hand, Aenera paralyzed the king. "Adriesta, can you make sure no one intervenes?" She said.

Aenera then pushed the king to the ground. She then crouched in front of the king who was forced to lay on the ground. "Do you think I give a shit about if you are a king or not? If I wanted to, I could probably just replace you. I wanted to try it the diplomatic way and be nice about it to negiotiate a win-win but people like you get so full of yourselves and can't be satisfied with mutually beneficial deals. I will warn you only one more time, do not cross me, because there is probably no one in the world who can protect you from me, not even trained assassins. You know what I can do and I could maybe do even more than just that. If you were smart you wouldn't push me. I could just kill you right now." Aenera said as she gradually increased the kings gravity. The kings expression turned from one of anger to one of shock and then distress. Right when the king was about to pass out, Aenera let loose.

"I hope we are in agreement now." Aenera said as she smiled. The king's heart was racing, he felt defeated and he basically thought he was a goner. Once he had enough energy, he crawled into a corner with his head in his hands. Aenera went over to Hekate and whispered: "Maybe I went a little overboard. He was just pissing me off so much."


----Yfirryn----

When Jayce tried to use the magic, Kren noticed a glowing on Jayce's back. "Strange. Jayce, can you take off your shirt and try using the magic again? I think I noticed something that maybe be contributing to your inability to use magic. Maybe I can do something about it." Kren said. Yfirryn grinned: "Yeah, Kren seems to be pretty experienced. He can possibly do something about it."
 
Aniihya said:
"Good idea." Aenera said. She watched Hekate shoot towards the cameras and the bullets freeze as soon as the left the bubble. "I hope the king takes us more seriously after this." Aenera said. "One bodyguard wont be any issue though. The king has some combat ability but he can't match a Snezhnayan mercenary." As soon as Hekate sat back down, Aenera touched Hekate's shoulder and the world around them slowly came back in motion. Then there was a bang as a bunch of equipment broke arounded them. Back in the surveillance room, the personnel jumped. Even the king jumped a bit. "What the hell happened?" The king asked. One of the staffers then answered: "We lost connections to all the devices in the room."

The king ran to the room where Aenera and Hekate were. "What happened in here?" The king asked. Aenera crossed her arms and said: "Why do you need to spy on guests? At this point you are in no position to negotiate with us. Your attempts at deception and dishonesty were pathetic at best. At this point, I refuse to marry you. I wanted autonomy for my people, but you had other plans and needed a pawn." The king visually angry shouted: "I am the king and I can have you imprisoned or killed." Aenera sighed as she had enough of these games. "With what powers? You are only a representative king and wanted me to help you get your powers back." Aenera said. The king then lunged at Aenera with his hands reaching out as if he wanted to choke her. Aenera held her right arm out to stop Hekate from intervening. With her left hand, Aenera paralyzed the king. "Adriesta, can you make sure no one intervenes?" She said.

Aenera then pushed the king to the ground. She then crouched in front of the king who was forced to lay on the ground. "Do you think I give a shit about if you are a king or not? If I wanted to, I could probably just replace you. I wanted to try it the diplomatic way and be nice about it to negiotiate a win-win but people like you get so full of yourselves and can't be satisfied with mutually beneficial deals. I will warn you only one more time, do not cross me, because there is probably no one in the world who can protect you from me, not even trained assassins. You know what I can do and I could maybe do even more than just that. If you were smart you wouldn't push me. I could just kill you right now." Aenera said as she gradually increased the kings gravity. The kings expression turned from one of anger to one of shock and then distress. Right when the king was about to pass out, Aenera let loose.

"I hope we are in agreement now." Aenera said as she smiled. The king's heart was racing, he felt defeated and he basically thought he was a goner. Once he had enough energy, he crawled into a corner with his head in his hands. Aenera went over to Hekate and whispered: "Maybe I went a little overboard. He was just pissing me off so much."


----Yfirryn----

When Jayce tried to use the magic, Kren noticed a glowing on Jayce's back. "Strange. Jayce, can you take off your shirt and try using the magic again? I think I noticed something that maybe be contributing to your inability to use magic. Maybe I can do something about it." Kren said. Yfirryn grinned: "Yeah, Kren seems to be pretty experienced. He can possibly do something about it."
Click to expand...
As Aenera instructed, Hekate had a pistol drawn but at her side. Of course, she was out of her seat when the king was pinned to the ground. Any guard or personnel walking by would be alarmed, so she closed the door while the king was down. She then heard Aenera whisper to her before shrugging. "You wanted to scare him, he's scared shitless. What's next?" She asked firmly as she was keeping the door closed and stood near it. At first, she was definitely in awe that she was in a king's presence. Especially the king of a country that she had lived in pretty much all her life. Now, it just feels like the king is in her presence and in Aenera's. She lost her respect for the king already with such a pitiful display of weakness from himself. Losing control was also another thing, him cowering into a corner was something she did not think would happen. At this point, Aenera's now driving the train and whatever she says is what they're both going with. She also wasn't going to say anything more that would offend the king. Sure, he is in no state to do anything but she didn't want to eat her words when an entire royal guard comes ready to fight. Though, it wouldn't be a problem with Aenera and herself combining forces. Just didn't feel like a fighting day.

Hekate did indeed smirk a bit as if keeping from letting out a chuckle. "Plus, it wouldn't be the first time you went a little overboard." She joked. She then cleared her throat and used her true sight again. She wanted to see if anyone outside was making any moves, specifically the staffers and the bodyguard from the next room over and any of the immediate guards outside the room. Surely, seeing a king run into a room and shouting his top off with steam blowing from his ears would give anyone the impression that something was off. Specifically, someone offending the king. Any of the palace personnel would probably respond hastily to something like that, so she wanted to see if anyone even noticed and started to prepare a breaching team or an ambush. Can't be caught off guard now that it definitely seems that they made enemies with the king on his grounds.
 
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