Updated relation(s)

Terion (Friendly) → Terion (Loyal)

The sound of hands clapping can be heard as the footsteps come closer until it stops a short distance from us. Terion pulled me away and I could finally see whom the culprit is.

In front of me can I see two people dressed in mismatching sets of armor and on their backs they wear enormous two-handed swords. The one closest to us is a man with golden eyes just like Terion and behind him is a red headed woman with braids and a rather large chest.

"So this is where the rat went. You made quite the show out there." Says the man while grinning. His eyes feel like they are piercing me as he scans me thoroughly. The woman then steps beside him and points at Terion.

"Terion, this has nothing to do with you. Step aside." The woman says with a huge amount of disgust in her voice. This only makes Terion step in front of me more. The man then looks at the woman and scoffs. How did she know his name?

"Tsk, last chance brat. Hand over Be'ial'ale. A certain guild pays well for her head." His expression then turns into one pure evil. Maybe I was wrong about humans again... Terion then leans back and whispers into my ear.

"Once I cast my spell, let's run like hell behind them." I just nod and then the man in front of us gets more agitated and unsheathes his sword.

"Oi, move the hell out of the way! Stop protecting that devil!" He readies his sword as if getting ready to slash. Terion then grins.

"Close your eyes! [Flicker]" Cries Terion out and immediately chants his spell. As I close my eyes, he suddenly grabs me and starts running.

"What the hell!? I can't see shit!" Yells the man as he is trying to find us. The woman then bumps into the man and both of them fall into a neat pile together. Just stay there, you trash!

As we enter the street, the two attackers are still screaming bloody murder. We weave seamlessly back into the aptitude test fair crowd in the plaza, and after a few minutes rejoin with Nana and Khan.

We saw an unknown person talking with them as we arrived. It was a woman completely clothed in black from head to toe. Aside from her otherwise plain and flat appearance, her most defining feature was her red eyes in her beautiful pale face and long pointy ears. When we came close she immediately snapped her eyes onto me.

"How long has this Biali been in your care Nana Weatherhorn?" Ask the mysterious woman.

"For about a month. Why?" Says Nana.

"Ah, just curious about her... History." Says the woman while giving off a playful smile.

"Miss Sangiris, I do not understand why you are interested in Biali."

"I noticed... Her talents here at this fair." Nana looks confused.

"Talents?"

"Biali caused quite the commotion with those idiot sisters at the light aptitude station." Nana then just blinks and Sangiris continues talking: "She got talents I wish to... Nurture." Sangiris then grins and waves at me to come over.

Terion and me looks at each other first, but then I obediently come over. Sangiris inspects me thoroughly while caressing her chin with her left hand. Her left leg covered with fine black fish net stocking is clearly visible during the entire time as if she is intentionally exposing it.

"Mmm, Biali will make a fine apprentice." Says Sangiris as both of her eyebrows and rise up and a broad smile appears. She then looks at the street from which we escaped and see those idiots who tried to kill us earlier come out.

"Nana, if you do not mind. I want to borrow Biali for a while."

"...I do not mind as long as its okay for Biali. Just make sure she gets back home in time for dinner." Sangiris then looks at me again.

"Actually, I am thinking of borrowing her for a longer time. What do you think about living with me during your apprenticeship, Biali?" The two idiots in the distance are now wading through the crowd looking for us.

Why the rush? Is it because of those idiots chasing us? I wanted to learn more about magic anyway, so deal! I quickly nod as I look at Sangiris. She then grins and chants something undecipherable, and I can see how everything around me and Terion becomes blurry.

At this point our attackers came to us with their weapons drawn, but they could not see me at all. Must be whatever spell Sangiris cast at us. They look visibly angered.

"The rat went this way! Where is that devil!?" Shouts the man near us. Sangiris and Khan does not look impressed at all.

Who is this man anyway?

Query: Who is this man?

Answer: A Player. Use an Appraisal skill, ability or spell to get more information.

Player? I think I has heard that word before. But from where? The man then in his anger looks accusingly at Sangiris. Why does he suspect her of anything?

"You! Yes, you! Dark magic trainer, where did this Be'ial'ale monster go!?" Sangiris just looks at him blankly. Barely even blinking. This infuriates the man further.

"Man, these NPCs are stupid! So much for realism!?" Yells the man and in his fury over losing his prey makes a wide arcing kick with his right leg which with sheer luck for him hits me in the shoulder with a crunch through the camouflage. I yelp in pain and roll on the stone paving until I smack into Khan's legs.

Took 8 damage from xXDemonSlayer03Xx's attack.

Remaining health is 28.

Your right arm is dislocated from its shoulder!

The pain is nearly unbearable and I feel how I start tearing up. Khan which see me in this state of pain below his knees immediately becomes agitated and roars at the attacking man. The man on the other hands looks happy and puts his sword above his head with blood lust in his eyes.

"There is the little devil!" Cries the man out as he leaps above me and strikes down with his sword.

The sound of metal clanging is heard across the plaza and the festive mood drops instantly. All around us can I see how people stare in silence as Khan keeps his axe just mere centimeters above my chest. Metal against metal are locked against each other as the would be murderer looks in disbelief at what happened.

Khan growls before headbutting my attacker which then staggers backwards.

"Goddamn lion!" Swears the man as he looks at Khan. Khan just walks in front of me while holding his axe defensively.

"You hurt the little one!" Growls Khan at the attacker.

"You will pay for this!" Says the man and shakes his head before readying his sword for another attack. The woman with him readies hers for a stab.

"Tsk, I thought we could avoid this. But looks like we have to go." Says Sangiris as she picks me up by the neck of my robe. I look up in panic at her.

"Once we has turned this lion into a rug, let's teach this boy not to mess with us." Says the woman in a sadistic and cruel tone. A look of sadistic delight is in her face. I then look at Terion in panic as he looks back at me in disbelief.

As I reach out toward Terion I can see how the man and woman attacks Khan, but then everything fades into darkness. I am in the darkness for a few seconds before it starts unraveling which shows a cellar room filled with lots of magical looking machines.

I feel how my feet are dragged along the floor and the ache from my shoulder keeps reminding me that I am still alive after this incident. I hear how Sangiris is humming as she drags me along. Then she sighs as she stops by a door. She opens the door with a light kick from her right foot.

Inside the room she drops me off at the only bed there and rummages through a nearby metal drawer. She hums on a song and sighs with a disappointed tone the further she get her pale hands inside it. All this time can I feel how my right shoulder aches from my injury.

Suddenly do I hear the sound of glass bumping into other glass and she looks face me with a bottle containing a grainy liquid inside. Sangiris looks pretty happy about her find.

"Count yourself lucky Biali, this was the only potion I had left since my adventuring days.

Now drink it so I can fix that shoulder of yours." She says as she uncorks the bottle and hands it to me. I obediently drink that sweet and bitter smelling liquid. As the liquid makes it down my throat I feel the urge to gag, but I resist it as good as I can.

Without telling me she grabs my right arm and shoulder, then with a snapping motion is my arm properly inside its socket again in my shoulder. Strangely, I did not feel any pain at all, and within seconds I felt how my vitality returned to how it was this morning.

"Whatever you gave me, it works." I say with a somewhat more happier tone to Sangiris. Then I look into her eyes. "I hope Terion is okay..."

Sangiris puts her arms together and looks thoughtful for a second, and then summons a translucent ball with dark smoke 'falling down' around it into her right hand. She has a confident smile as her eyes glow red as she starts talking with me again.

"Oh, do not worry.

Terion is doing relatively fine. Just covered in the blood of someone else.

Too bad about Khan though. It looks like that oversized cat took quite a deep cut across his torso.

By some miracle is Khan still alive now. Must be that Nana person which looks devastated as she is draining her magical powers from casting healing spells. Tsk."

Through the translucent ball can I watch the aftermath of the incident. I cover my mouth as I see the sorry state Khan is in. If it wasn't for him I would be dead now...

"Whatever. You are my apprentice now Biali. Regardless of whether those two idiotic heroes went on a rampage trying to murder upstanding citizens." She then close her right hand and the ball goes up into smoke. Her eyes then focuses on me.

"Damn heroes..." I say with all my scorn in the voice. Sangiris just bites her lower lip before talking.

"Damn heroes indeed. You know how hard it has been to find an apprentice? Ever since those heroes emerged, the number of apprentice applicants plummeted to the bottom! Must be that damn goddess's doing."

"Goddess?" I curiously ask her. I knew a bit about gods from the church school, but is it a different goddess?

"Helen the goddess of Life. She hates anything to do with darkness. Not even dark magic goes unmolested by her, and her followers.

The heroes is her doing. And those two idiots at the plaza of heroes are her doing as well. Those idiot sisters at the light magic aptitude test station must had ratted you out." Sangiris looked to the side and spit out in disgust.

"I only got to learn about dark magic... My dad said to me that it was what we was best at." I see how Sangiris slowly looks at me and then tilts her head to the left. It feels like her eyes almost look completely through me now.

"Who is your daddy?"

"Ralto." Sangiris then grimaces a bit.

"Do not tell me his nickname, but his full name."

How did she know!?

"Ehm, uhm... Raal'tara'goto." Sangiris jaw then falls down onto floor.

"Well, I thought your aura was abnormal, but this confirms it!"

What conclusions are you getting at? She coughs and then points at me.

"You are the Supreme Evils daughter!" My eyes flares up in surprise that she found me out. Sangiris then laughs and looks incredibly pleased before bowing respectfully to me.

"H- How do you think I am that?"

"Everything adds up! The theories I has made ever since that doomed raid was started by those damnable heroes a month back!

The utter failure of the raid for starters. Despite their whole raiding group being blessed they all died from an instant death spell which only the Supreme Evil himself is able to channel and cast! There was reports of a certain low level monster being present, and well. You certainly fits the bill for that.

Second is you. Small curved black horns, a tail which you are bad at hiding, abnormal magical aura which just oozes of dark magic, blonde hair and tanned skin. On top of that is your beauty truly something to be envious of. Must be that succubi blood you got in your veins... Perfectly fits the report!

Third is that I saw how your aura utterly rejected the light magic you attempted cast at the aptitude test fair. No mere dark mage is able to have a reaction that bad. Even I can cast light magic without any reaction. Shame that it caused such a ruckus. It really ruined the festive mood. Tsk."

I just tilted my head and blinked the whole time under Sangiris explanation. Either she is very smart or she got a fantastic fantasy. What should I do now that I got found out? Sangiris quickly answered that question for me as she sat next to me in bed.

"Now that you are my apprentice, the daughter of the Supreme Evil himself none the less, I will do my best to teach you what I can. At least until the heroes catch a whiff of that you are here..."

"Why do you want to help me despite knowing who I am?" Sangiris expression sours.

"You know. I did not always look like this." She then grabs both of her floppy ears.

"See these? Now look at my eyes. Then look at my skin." Sangiris lets off her ears which wobble and raises both of her eyebrows while sarcastically smiling.

I can certainly see that she looks like an elf, but I has never seen an elf like this before.

"You are a pale elf?"

"Wrong! Well, not completely wrong. Take a look at these!" Says Sangiris before letting me have a real good look up close at her teeth. Where her canine teeth are can I see fangs which overlap each other! I scratch my head and guess again.

"Are you a demon?" Sangiris gives me a look of disappointment as she cross her arms.

"Did you ever get to learn about curses back home? Oh never mind, enough games!

I got cursed by that damned goddess Helen, may she burn in the deepest layer of The Eleven Hells forever! Tsk.

The vampirism curse I got afflicted by after recovering an artifact somewhere used to be a lot worse. But I managed to counteract the worst parts of it. Like getting turned into ash by being exposed to sun and requiring to feast on blood every day.

In short; I got plenty of reasons to help you!" She raises up both her hands into the air and then jumps off the bed.

"Okay... I will take any help to fight back the heroes then."

"Great! Let's start your education tomorrow!" Sangiris cheers as she walks out of the room.

"Could be worse..." I mutter to myself. I hope Terion is safe.