I can’t say much, I’ve had a good life, even if it didn’t last for long. I have seen quite a few places. One more beautiful than others. I have fought with fearsome foes, traveled through this world and astral planes, yet the feeling of failure still lies in my heart! I could have achieved so much more! I could have seen more, touch more, know more, conquer more! Yet this is the day when my journey ends. It was nice to talk with you, folks, I will try treasuring this feeling in next life, if my mind wouldn’t be completely wiped out, that is...

“I know that I told you that you can start talking whenever you would feel like doing so, but what I meant was that you are supposed to start talking. NOW!”

Jericho hissed just near my ear.

No. It can’t end today! Not like that! I will do what I can do best to postpone the day of my death! I! SHALL! Lie!

“Ok. What am I accused for, and how much is a bail?” I said after moment, resting my chin on my palm. “HO? That’s how you want to play this one? Very well. Zariel called Whiteraven, here I accuse you of defloration of my dearest daughter, my purest little flower, my little princess and…” I allowed myself to cough twice just to remind him he is slowly losing subject of conversation “...I shall be also the judge so…” “OBJECTION!” “What?!” “No one can be a judge in his own case, on every session at least three sides should be present. The accuser, accused and a 3rd party. A neutral one, that would try honestly and fairly lead the session which would end with the sentence.” “My my, you even know the basics of law? But that’s how things work in Neira. I would like to point out, that we are on territory of adventure guild, which despite being within Neria, does not belong to it. Here I am a law.” “But that’s a tyranny!..” “You know what? That’s right.” He smiled wildly, like a monster that is about to jump at its prey “So, as we have finally got to the point where we know that I can kill you right now… let’s proceed, shall we?”

You really think that I didn’t predict that? Sorry, Jericho, you are great adventurer, you surely are clever, but you allowed me to pick the way we are having our conversation. If you really think that I picked that one just for giggle, then you are mistaken. You allowed me to pick the game, game which rules you do not know… so…

“Of course you are aware that I am a politician of an outside faction?” He raised his brow. “Yes, I was decided to be an ambassador of the council to contact hybrid races. I can’t say much more, for it is a national-rank secret.” “You are kidding, right? You told me that you are not interested in politics.” “I am not. Thankfully, I am ambassador only on paper, for past three months I had to visit council because of that once. BUT, as an ambassador, I have the privilege of immunity and…” “Ok. Stop that.”

Awww. Here my whole line of defense collapsed.

“What I wanted to say, is that I hope that you are serious with Gisele. I may not like the fact that you are so… passionate, so quickly but.” “Wait! Who the hell did tell you about…” “No one have to. Zari. You were loud. Very loud. The whole guild heard you and I am pretty damn sure that you could even be heard in the merchant district. So either you two were renovating the whole room or…” He just gave me that look. “No one cleans their equipment so passionately. You are a good kid, or at least this is what I thought, but I would appreciate if you wouldn’t take advantage of Gisele’s…” He was lacking a word. “Naivety?” “Good word. Sounds better than stupidity. She is a little, lovely creature. But, I always was afraid, that some sly rat, like yourself, could easily bend her to his will.”

Little creature... right.

“Would it change anything if I would say that she was the one to initiate it?” “Gisele?! She is far to insecure about her own body to start anything!” “I could have asked what she desired.” “… and then she jumped on you?! That’s exactly what I would call taking advantage of someone! Kid, your skills of making someone do as you please terrifies me! If I would have only thinked what you could have...” He stopped for a moment to think thoroughly of what have just happened. “…oh my gods!” “That’s what she screamed.” I whispered to myself.

WHY DID I SAY THAT? WHY, FOR FUCK SAKE, DID I SAY THAT?!

“What?” “What?” “What did you say?” “Me? I didn’t say anything!” “I could have swore... I must be bit tired. Anyways, what I was trying to say, was: Please, don’t disappoint her. She really has it rough, no matter how confident she would try to look.” “She is still a little girl that tries to prove her strength, she may look for recognition and respect around her, but she can’t see that all she wants is to prove that strength to herself.” I looked at the old adventurer. “Worry not, dad, I am serious about that. From all the people that know what I am, she as the only one never looked at me as a beast, [Zari is Zari] she said [No matter if you look like a monster or a human you are still Zari, right?] she said. She didn’t even consider that I could have pretended to be somebody else. Tell me, how could I not love someone so pure and honest?”

The old man smiled.

“You almost sound like a man!” “You too?! What do you mean by [almost]!? I AM A MAN!” “Oh, I almost forgot!” chuckling he quickly switched subject “There is a quest for you. Precisely, for you.”

…

“So I will die no matter what, hm?” “If I wanted to get you killed, I would snap your neck and push you from the stair, that would look pretty much like accident. No one would even investigate.”

I shivered.

“No, what I mean, is that I owe a favor to old friend of mine. And he has a friend which has a friend… you know how it works. So, one of those friends, apparently daughter of merchant, is about to head on her first solo business trip. He has hired few mercenaries to protect her but…” “That’s his only daughter and he would love to have some extra, skilled, trustworthy bodyguard.” “Precisely. But, as it is supposed to be HER journey, she is also the one that pays for everything. So she can’t hire a A nor a B rank.” “So, you decided to send a C rank with skills of B-A rank - me. Is that right?” “It’s nice to have conversation with an intelligent man, you have no idea how annoying it is to describe quest to someone just to hear WHY, WHY, WHY, in response. You can start packing yourself. You are heading out in an hour.” “Wait, what?!” “Something wrong?” “How long will it take? I have things to be done!” “One day to get to the meeting point, two-three days of journey to the final location, and then you can get start heading back. About two days. So not even a week. Why?” “Great. Then I will leave taking care of Gisele to you.” “Sure thing kiddo!” “You may as well explain to her why I didn’t take her on tomorrow’s date. Oh! And there is also job for Rogue… How good are you with alchemy? Oh, and I should meet with Fional, he is making something for me. But, I have to take it personally, oh! And the King wish to see me on Friday, and… Fuck. I was supposed to live care-free life as adventurer! I want my refund!” “Hm? No one mentioned that care-free life is only at the evening in inn after you would finish the quest? No? Shame.” “… I could still refuse taking quest, could I?” “Normally? Yes. But we are pretty much a family, and family helps one another, am I right? So you couldn’t possibly refuse, that would really, really lower my opinion about you.” He said sweetly while moving around “Mike will give you the details. See ya!”

He yelled [see ya]. Gods! The old man yelling [see ya]. You have no idea how weird it sounded.

So. Another job. I better start preparing.

Fuck

As I got everything packed I decided to say my farewells

“Marika, have you seen Gisele?” “Aww, aren’t you satisfied yet? Zari, you beast! Anyway, good job advancing your relationship, I can say, but what I heard, that it must have been quiet…” “Marika. Focus. Gisele. Where?” “Killjoy. Training room, of course. Weird, she asked me about some exercises to lose fat. You hear that? Gisele! Lose fat! She is walking temple of muscles, I have no clue where she got that idea fr… HEY!? Do you listen me!?” “I stopped after [training room]. You were great help! See you in couple of days!”

I quickly moved past few corridors to get into section with training accessory. Gisele was standing in the middle of one of the training rooms dressed in bodysuits with attached weights, in half squatting position performing vertical slashes from over her head with heavy metal rod.

“Gisele! Got a moment?” “Just a… minute! I am almost done!” She yelled panting heavily. “nine-thousand ninety-seven, nine-thousand ninety-eight…. Nine… ten thousand!” she yelled dropping rod and collapsing on the floor “What do you need?”

She asked smiling

“What are you doing? I think I told you that I was just mocking you about the fat.” “Well, yeah. But then I thought that I need keep my body sharp, in the end someone needs to protect you!” “I am pretty sure, that as a man I can deal with that myself.”

She started chuckling like a mad

“Something’s wrong?” “No. Everything’s great.” “Nonono, I insist. You apparently have found something funny. Tell me, I want to laugh too.” “It’s really nothing. You were looking for me for some reason, or you just wanted to look at me.” she cooed “Both, I guess. Jericho gave me a quest. I should be back in five days.”

Her expression turned bit sad

“So, we aren’t going on that date, are we?” “I told you that I would take you on date, so I will do so!… just not tomorrow. Sorry.” “It’s ok… Um, can I come with you?” “I am afraid that no. Your rank is bit too high. If someone would start going through the financial reports of the guild he could start wondering why an S rank did a quest classified as C. Then old man would have problems.” “I don’t like it.” She said puffing her cheeks “Just be back in those four days.” “Five days.” “Three days? Great. So be back in those two days and see you tomorrow.” She gave me a tight hug “Be safe.” She whispered. “Woman. Safe? Me? I am a bloody incarnation of the end of the world! An omen of war! With the hunger to swallow the sun! I am the danger!” “Be safe.” She whispered once again. “Ok sunshine. I will.”

Just… just how can you argue with her? It’s pointless.

I grabbed a small bag of equipment and food supplies and headed east. To the inn owned by Jericho’s friend. As I was far enough from the city I chanted quietly bringing my summons from astral plane.

“Hello guyz, ya missed me?” I asked four ravens and the warg that stepped from the shadow.

Remus and Gilbert landed on my shoulder rubbing their heads in my robe, Walter sat on my head giving me three angry pecks as if saying [WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?] Kaito just waited there in elegant manner, yet his tail was weaving in both direction as if having will of its own.

And Sebastian… Sebastian turned his body into Garuda and looked at me with… pity? Anger? Disgust? All combined?

“Finally, master. I could have swore that you were avoiding me on purpose.” “Me? to avoid who?! YOU?! Never, I can’t imagine anything more offending than what you have just accused me for. I was simply around mages, and I would prefer them not knowing about my devil familiar. That’s all.” “If you think that I would believe in that, then I have to disappoint you.” “It was worth trying.” “You neglected your training…” and here we start again “… may I be honest with you?” “Sebastian. You are my friend. You don’t have to worry about hurting my feeling in any way. If you want to say something, just bloody do it!”

He looked at me bit surprised.

“What? Is this that weird that I am willing to hear what being that lived for millennia have to say? You could be the greatest source of knowledge in this entire world. Just spit it already!” “You shouldn’t be with that woman.” I shut my mouth “Go on. I wish to hear your reasoning.” “You are too weak. Far too weak. You can barely protect yourself, and your enemies are powerful. Up until now you survived on mere luck and being favored by goddesses.” “… I am afraid that you could exaggerating here a thing or two.” “How is your weapon? D’iabel, right? Do you know that this weapon originally belonged to one of devil commanders? Once again, how did you managed to get it? What saved your life in the tower from wrath of Seraph? Ah, yes. The pendant. You don’t even know what it is. Let me just tell you, that there are forces that are ready to kill for it. It’s like nuclear codes. You are walking covered in enchanted equipment that you have no idea how it works, after you were given tools, time and measures to find their meanings.” “I was quite busy, you know?” I pouted “Yes. Earning useless gold and making connections with humans. No wealth, no silver, no ruin no gold will save your life when the time would come. And I have seen humans turning their backs to their allies more than once. You can trust only yourself, my master. I still it is not too late for you to realize, how desperately you need power.” “Maybe you are right… But in the end I am here only because I died with regrets, Sebastian, I am not going to live half of life. This is why you could find my actions bit chaotic. I know why you care about my getting stronger, my dear friend, but please, you have to understand that I want to live and not just survive! I want to have those friends, a woman I treasure, a place I could call home. What meaning has the life of the king of the beasts, if at the end of the day he would return to same old cave where we would be so very lonely? I was tired, Sebastian. So very tired, and in the end… I just wanted someone to really love me, you know?”

Old devil just waited in silence for few more minutes. In the end he only nodded, turned back into raven and flew in the sky to scout the road ahead.

So, the journey to the east. I wonder if that inn owner cooks his own pies?