Odyssey of the Guardian Emperor

The streets of Emerlin, also known as the Emerald City, continued to bustle with activity even in the cover of darkness. Lanterns lit up the stalls and shops while people moved up and down in search of their next find. Whether it was restocking, finding their next meal, partying late into the night, shopping for rare items, running an errand, drowning their sorrows in a tavern or even shadier business, the city roared with life.

It was a sound Finn had long since grown used to.

Pulling the scarf around his neck closer to fend off the cold, he kept to the sidewalk, ignoring the rumbling carriages that ambled by. He skilfully dodged a beautiful woman dressed scantily and danced way around a man out to grab his customers by their collars.

"Get back here, runt. This food will knock the sense right back into ya…" the man yelled at him.

Finn ignored him though, pushing even further down the lane while avoiding similar encounters. This deep into the night, businesses got even more desperate. A bright, glowing bird flew through the sky, hovering and twisting in acrobatic turns above a great establishment full of lights and shimmering magic crystals for all to see.

This deep into the night, fancy signs meant nothing if customers couldn't see them. But with a budget large enough to pull off a fully magical display like the one Finn spared a glance at, the competition started to look ridiculously unfair.

The boy noticed faint pink smoke coming from another shop. Every now and then, someone entered the shop with their eyes rolled back in their sockets, their bodies lulled into a stupefied state by the pale pink gas.

Finn checked the ring on his hand to ensure it was still humming with aether. 'This city remains as frightening as ever.'

He sighed, rounding a corner onto a less populated street that led him to his destination. A withered old shack with next to no lights, shattered windows and a broken door stood isolated at the side of a poorly-maintained road. Its location was at the edge of the city and its reputation was even worse, for those that didn't know its purpose.

From the rats that confidently scurried along the ground to the rotten smell radiating out of the shack, this place was the ultimate attention repellent. No one dared to come here unless they knew what Finn did.

Approaching the entrance, he stepped over the broken swinging door that had long since lost one hinge and was now barely hanging on. Inside, a set of coffee tables were neatly arranged in the middle of a messy room. A couple dressed in black could be seen talking on one of them, enjoying the privacy this establishment provided.

A hum resonated within Finn's mind, bringing a smile to his face.

'Yes, cheating bureaucrats indeed,' he responded to his sleeping guardian's joke.

The ceiling shot up with candles floating high, hovering below an eerie view of the shattered roof. Beyond the roof, Finn gazed at a sky filled with stars and beautiful clouds floating about a bright full moon. All of it was an illusion, though… and one that was too weak to deter the boy from his true mission today.

Inside, the stench also cleared, so he could breathe fine. He hadn't come here to sightsee. At the entrance, a man shorter than him approached, puffing smoke out of a wooden pipe with a gold tooth peeking out of his upper lip, "You that kid?! Finn, was it?"

Finn looked around as though to make sure they were talking to him before he answered quietly, "And what if I am?"

The short man rolled his eyes with boredom, "Consider yourself roasted beef jerky. I couldn't care less anyway. The lady general is waiting for you in the Fifth Cube. No fighting and no battle magic… or I won't be letting any more of you Seekers in, you hear?"

"Loud and Clear," Finn responded. As he watched the short man walk off, he wondered, 'How many times do these people change their staff?'

This wasn't his first time here… and yet, this was the first time he was seeing that short man with the smoking pipe. He stopped asking for their names at some point, knowing well enough that he would find a different employee the next day.

With a sigh, he walked off to the right and started counting the cubic compartments lined along the wall. Each of them was humming with magic of the Constellation of Revelation, hiding the people inside as well as their clandestine conversations. It was a handy place to come and have secret conversations.

Finding the room he was looking for, he walked straight through the wall of the cube. On the other side, a table large enough to host six people had been set. Three people were inside, and all turned to Finn with varied expressions.

"How have you been doing, Finn?" the first one said. He was a boy of large build for his age, and yet, just a few months ago, he'd been the same size as Finn. He was also a familiar face after having gained Alaric's acknowledgement back at the Coming of Age Ceremony in Jack's Fall.

Aiden looked sharp in his bulky silver armour. His blonde hair complemented it well while his increasingly handsome face just made Finn want to grind his teeth.

"Fine!" Finn acknowledged the boy with a nod.

Then came another voice, "Took you long enough."

This one was a newer face. One groomed so roughly that it stood out more because of all the perfection around it. His skin was as dark as night with hair braided in thick locks into a rough ponytail. He had perhaps the biggest nose Finn had ever seen and yet it matched his big, sinister smile. It was easier to remember him as the boy who got called a thief during their Appraisal Ceremony.

"You're one to talk, Brett," Finn bit back, "How did you even get here? You should be in detention."

Brett chuckled deeply, leaning back in his seat, "What's life without a little risk? You know what I'm saying?"

"Only you can truly understand the meaning of risk," Finn responded with a chuckle. "Are you cleared for duty?"

Brett shrugged, "Meh! More or less."

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Finn wasn't about to ask what that meant. Considering how troublesome Brett was, it was possible he'd broken some more rules… again. To the last person in the room, Finn bowed, "Darla."

Darla stared back with glassy eyes. Her beauty had grown immensely as well as her abilities, easily overtaking Aiden, Finn and Brett. She was a gem that shone both from the inside and the outside.

"It's nice to see you too, Finn," the girl responded, her honey-like voice nearly smacking any sense Finn had right out of his mind. "How have you been?"

Finn nodded with a neutral expression, "Fine."

"Anything new to report?"

"No. I've found no new evidence of the existence of an Enthrall at the battle of Earl's Hollow. At this point, enthralls are starting to sound like myths," Finn replied with a sigh.

"No surprise there," Brett nodded, "I've also done some digging in my squad. Past investigations stated multiple eye-witness accounts but no real confrontations."

"Keep looking," Darla responded, "Perhaps we could try a change of perspective. Perhaps we're not looking for demonic residue. Perhaps we should be looking for traces of hypnosis or blood magic. It is possible that Enthralls get their power from being able to cast spells that can control other demons."

"Wouldn't enslaving so many demons at once require a significant amount of power? We can't forget that behemoth you took down. Controlling that along with the rest of that swarm would be unthinkable," Brett replied.

Darla furrowed her brows in thought. There was no doubt on her face, though. Just endless thoughts running through it. She brought her hands together and leaned forward in thought, "There are ways around that. I seem to remember someone invoking the Constellation of Aether and Magic to bend the aether in the air to their will to cast a spell beyond their abilities. The spell failed back then, but its implications stuck with me to this day."

Brett rolled his eyes. "Am I to guess who this person was, or was it the same hero in all your stories, General Darla?"

"Alaric's one of a kind," Finn stepped in for the girl.

Brett looked from one to the other before raising his hands raised in defeat, "Whatever you say, sycophants! Why did you call us here, though? I pulled a lot of strings to make it here undetected."

"You mean you broke out of detention?" Finn jabbed with a smirk.

"Hey! Don't sweat the details," Brett laughed, "The Academy thinks it can hold me down for breaking protocol, yet they know how much they need me. Sometimes, it's entertaining to see them try."

"That remains true for as long as you maintain your current progression speed. You must make Wood Rank by the end of your first year," Darla warned.

"I hear you, General. Perhaps some tips on how you made Wood Rank so fast," the boy asked.

Darla picked up the cup of coffee in front of her and took a sip.

"Maybe another time. Let's get on to why I invited you all here." The atmosphere changed in an instant, inviting a more serious demeanour. "I've received troubling news."

"From the Tower?" Finn asked. The Tower of Seekers had rarely communicated and even when it did, it was very discreet, which made him anxious to hear what they had to say, especially on matters concerning Alaric, "Is he okay?"

"I don't know," the girl shook her head.

"Is it about Alaric?"

"They didn't say. His location is still being kept a secret even among the Seekers in the event someone tries to force it out of one of us," the girl responded, "So, until the Tower has decided on how to protect Alaric, we won't know his location."

"Then what did they tell you?" Finn settled back into his seat.

"There has been another demon stampede," the girl's voice echoed, silencing everyone at the table.

There was confusion around the table. Finn, who was about to take the first sip of his coffee, stopped to acknowledge this information, stomach twisting, "That doesn't make sense. The Academy would know about it and send a fleet of Elite Guards like they did with Earl's Hollow."

"I don't need to remind you of the reason we meet in secret like this," the girl responded.

"I know. We've questioned the Academy's objectives for a while now, but this. You think the Academy is hiding news of this attack from us?" Finn asked, "That would mean condemning hundreds of people to their deaths."

"Let's not jump to conclusions just yet," the girl warned, then continued with her briefing, "The attack happened closer to the Barren Mountains. The Merchant City they attacked, Melbourne, managed to repel the attack with a powerful Purification Spell."

"All of the demons were wiped out?" Aiden asked.

"That was the initial assumption, but more have been spotted around the area. Merchants report finding demons on their way there. Travel has become impossible except through the Barren Mountains where the Tower lies. However, knowing what happened at the Tower just a few days ago, you can imagine why no one wants to go there," the girl responded.

Brett leaned back and let out a long whistle, "Sounds like an open and shut case. What are you holding out?"

"The Academy should know of this, but they haven't said anything yet. From what I was told, Red Cloaks were recently dispatched to every town and city surrounding the Tower of Seekers. Melbourne was no exception," Darla explained, "Aiden, you work with Red Cloaks a lot. Any word from them?"

"No, but the Emperor's Army is large. Half of them don't know where the other half is stationed, and that's just what you see in Eastern Valeria," the man responded.

"When was the army dispatched?" Brett asked.

"The day after the attack on the Tower of Seekers. Why?"

"The Army should have notified the Academy already, yet they remain silent. Squad Captain Pixel has had this theory about the Emperor's Men for a while, but it sounds so barbaric that no one takes him seriously. He says he's found… irregularities in their actions that suggest they sometimes work with Dark Mages," Brett explained.

Aiden chuckled, "That's a funny theory. Dark Magic is illegal. You can't trust anyone who'd succumb to the magic of demons."

"That's what everyone tells him," Brett sighed.

"And you, Brett? What do you think?" Darla's voice echoed.

The dark-skinned boy leaned back with a relaxed expression, "I think the old man's head is screwed on right. I've never once beaten him in a game of Knights and Kings, and he's never once made the wrong call during Squad 4's investigations and missions."

"Part of why I called you all here is because every time I think of Melbourne, I get goosebumps. The kind that you get before a subdued demon comes back to life, reeling for revenge," Darla said, "I think it's worth checking out."

"Who can spare the time?" Aiden intervened, "My squadron's getting ready for an expedition. The Gauntlet of the Sun has appeared, and everyone's after it. The Academy asked us to retrieve it."

Brett shot up in his seat, "TAKE ME WITH YOU!"

"No way! Find your own artefact to hunt, you thief," Aiden inched back.

"Please, take me with you. I love crime investigations and uncovering traitors, but I could use some action," Brett tried.

"We need your skills in Melbourne, Brett," Darla spoke up.

Brett turned to the girl, "You're not coming?"

"My party's going after the Jade Pendant on our way to the Desert of the Sun for the gauntlet. I heard it's going to be quite the bloody hunt this year, and Julius…" the girl facepalmed with a loud groan, "Ugh! Julius feels we are strong enough to snag two artefacts at once. Even the Squad One's captain thinks that idiot is high on lotus pills. It's been known for people to wander the Sun dungeon for weeks before finding the chamber where the gauntlet lies."

"Lucky bastards are complaining!" Brett grumbled, sinking back into his seat, "That just leaves me and Finn."

Finn sighed, then shrugged his shoulders, "Okay. I'm still a cadet, so no one will notice me missing for a few days."

Darla reached for a bracelet on her hand and retrieved five gold coins. "Use the Emerlin Gateway. It should be able to get you to the Tower of Seekers, at least."

Finn took the coins and nodded, "We'll set off as soon as we can. Brett, I'll be waiting by the Gateway. Don't be late."

"Ha! Brett, on time... Never happened," Aiden burst out.

"Not everyone's like you, Mr. Perfect." Brett grabbed Aiden by the neck and started ruffling his hair.

"Hey! Easy with the hair!" Aiden chuckled.

"How goes your progress to the Wood Rank, Aiden?" Darla asked.

"I'm almost close to a breakthrough. To be honest, though, I wouldn't be in a rush if abnormalities like you and Alaric didn't exist," Aiden answered amidst Brett's antics.

"And yet I get the feeling Alaric's already far ahead of us," Darla replied, "It's a gut feeling, but when have I been wrong?"

With that, the meeting was adjourned.