Chapter 213: Enigma

“The first Platinum quest,” those words went from the ground floor up the upper levels. Those who stood baffled, those who sat – stood. The atmosphere changed almost instantly, from trying to get a quest to now being in the middle of a history-changing event. They who were there could not hide the happiness that came from the counter. The guild assistants, mainly, Melisa, was ecstatic. The way she spoke sent many guy’s hearts aflutter. Diane’s not so inviting personality calmed – her mind was filled with what this all could entail.

Amidst this growing chaos, from applause to cheers, flattery, and more, the crowd only got bigger. Tightly, the grip on the girls’ hands increased. It didn’t bother; however, the twins were scared beyond belief. All those people that suddenly became interested could make even the strongest, cower. Strength in numbers, a quick scan later, before the situation grew out of control. A twitch from the eyes of Staxius signaled the assistants to calm the situation.

“Everybody, please stand down,” Diane’s sharp voice felt sharper as if a newly crafted blade. Time stopped, the growing excitement halted for a mere second. That shout placed the minds at ease, they came to reason.

“Congratulations,” one of the many party leaders applauded. The crowd that would have enveloped Xenos, dispersed. Rather than swarming towards those three, the adventurers now stood in a line and watched with amazement. A new goal, a new objective, someone to look up to – the guild leader of Kniq.

“Thanks for everything,” he turned and smiled, “-can we discuss this later on?” a wise decision.

“No worries,” Melisa took over, her confidence remained strong, “-come by later, you must be tired,” with a smile of her own, Staxius walked. Those who blocked the entranceway due to the commotion subconsciously got out of the way. As if a blowing hard into a bowl of water, he craved a path without so much thinking about it. The aura that oozed sufficed, the news about the Platinum quest did also add a subtle fear onto that man. More and more, paired with the somber persona, he felt out of reach, a being that lived on a higher plain.

Kniq chose to remain at the guild. After the leader stepped off the premises, the crowd swarmed the remainder. “Are you girls ok?” the gaze warm, the girl’s frightened face shook a little.

.....

“Y-yes,” Emma replied still unable to stare into his eyes.

historical

“S-sorry,” Emmy apologized for they were the reason he left.

“It’s fine,” now stood in the middle, he patted both in a comforting manner.

‘Now that I’m back, there’s a lot of stuff to catch up and do. Time to return this baby,’ he sighed and caressed the strongly built body. “You’ve served me well, RFS,” a smile later, they entered for the last drive.

“A-are we f-finally back?” slowly gaining back their conscience, the past few days of which was just a blur, grew clearer.

“Yes,” he replied with the focus on the jammed roads. The rush to get to work early this morning was overlooked. A mistake caused by lack of sleep and rest. Nightmares about the family being slaughtered always loomed – good moments of rest had been a fantasy for a while now.

“Listen up,” a few minutes later, the RFS reached its destination. A yard filled with cars and such, hidden behind a few houses. A place that marked the start of the not so honest district in which the first altercation happened. The fight that began a gang war.

Scared to reply, the girl exchanged glances with one another then returned to the one who called. *Click,* the door opened. A man dressed in a torn and dirtied black-suit waited patiently. A big belly paired with a bald head with a big pair of sunglasses, tis was the leader of said yard. The sight of the RFS forced him out of a quiet little room that served as the office. *Rental for Cars,* was written on a board that inclined mostly to the right. This stood above what appeared to be a door, one with a few window panes broken.

“What is it that you are to do now?” he asked firmly, the voice deep and intimidating. The rather short but large figure of a man approached from the office. He waddled due to his heavy build.

“W-what d-do you mean?” Emma asked, the fear of not speaking replaced by another sensation – the pain of being abandoned.

“This is the fork in the road.” Emmy fired back; her animosity grew bit by bit. Whilst her sister’s emotions grew sadder, she got angrier. No response apart from a blank stare.

“Are you going to l-leave us?” Emma added tears welled from within.

“...” Anger restricted the ability to communicate properly for the younger sister gritted. It boiled and seemed ready to explode at any time, both the cries and outburst was a ticking bomb.

“Will you calm down,” he sighed and hugged the girls, “-idiots,” he whispered, his hands were at the back of their heads. In said fashion, it was possible to angle their head, thus, the girls’ cheeks rested against his ribs. They could hear his heartbeat – a feeling that sent shivers as well as a feeling of ease.

“Here he comes,” Adete voiced and pointed forward.

“Ahh,” in speaking distance, “-lovely to see the RFS back,” the bald man smiled, it looked as if a smirk, conniving and shady.

“A lovely piece of machinery,”

“I’m glad you liked it,” the tone now demanding and urgent, “-it does please me to see the beast back again, however, haven’t you been notified?” the voice changed yet again, into one confused.

“Notified, I’m afraid but could you elaborate?” he asked, the stare now blank, the face unreadable.

“Yes,” a few coughs later, “-Jason should have told you by now. The RFS belongs to the dark-guild, more importantly,” he came closer and stood on his toe, “-it belongs to the man known as Shadow. If I were you, I’d return the beast to the bar.” Instantly, after the message was delivered, the figured waddled back into the office.

‘Owned by Shadow, I presume that most don’t know who that man is.’ A glance at the girls revealed pale faces. “What’s the matter?” the line of thought broke.

“T-the m-moment the man approached,” Emma began,

“When t-the you s-spoke,” Emmy added.

“The heart stopped beating,” with his hands still around their shoulder, it was hard to getaway.

“Is that so,” he smiled, “-don’t worry about that,” the arms relaxed, giving enough space for the sisters to step back. “Have you forgotten who I am?” a rhetorical question to which the RFS opened yet again.

“Now then,” he sat at the driver’s seat with the doors opened. “-What is it that you want?” a question that had both the girls confused. Their answers would decide what would happen next. Hesitation, doubt, and fear were sensed. “We don’t have all day,” Adete yelled.

“Our guild was a scam, our friends were killed, our family died – there’s no place we can call home.” Emmy took charge, Emma remained silent. “-What is there for us to do,” a tear flowed, “-without help, overcoming the grief we felt on the first day would have been next to impossible. Slowly, we saw you, Xenos, as a father figure. A person we can rely on, one who was willing to be tough to make us come to reason.”

“Yes,” Emma interjected, “-whatever we say now, you’re going to leave either way. This has been the plan from the start, we were never part of Kniq.”

“We’re the Lymsey sisters,” they teared up, “-in no way will someone like you ever accept us. Making us decide on an absolute outcome takes cruelty on another level.”

“Even so,” Emma fought through the regret.

“We wish to become a part of KNIQ,” they shouted in unison.

A blank stare, the door closed, the RFS turned on. “You were right,” the eyes emotionless, “-I did plan to leave you, twins, behind,” the presumption was true, to which they stared at the dusty ground. Tears fell slowly, neither could gather the strength to stare up.

“However,” a rise in pitch, “-you assumed wrong,” they looked up. “Plans can change,” to which the head shook to the left, it pointed at the door. “I’m not against the idea of recruiting members for Kniq. I’m a guild leader, the stronger the members, the stronger the guild.”

“...” neither could believe it, “-are we to continue with Kniq?” Emma asked.

“Do you mean to say that you’ll recruit us?” Emmy sought confirmation.

“Get in already, we’re late as is,” he sighed. ‘I can only hope that it helped. Being affectionate and very caring for someone in need is essential. Afterward, when that said person has become somewhat dependent, that’s where it’s best to become cold. That sudden change in persona will make the victim quiver. It’s a method that is tedious but ultimately worth the hassle. Obviously, in the case of those twins – I used it to take their mind off the sadness they felt. Who says controlling people can’t be a good thing, either way, that should settle their mind. It’s going to take a few days, but...’ a glance behind showed the twins leaning on one another and sleeping. ‘It’s worth the effort,’ a smile was seen on their visage.

The arrival glamorous and overwhelming, it took a few hours for Undrar and the others to return to the hotel. Apparently, the quest reward would be handed on the next day. From completing that Platinum quest to the number of monsters Staxius slain. The Qaisar sent back from the border, had to be processed with utmost care. They were looking at five digits... of which the majority was gold.

Asleep in the RFS, Staxius left the twins alone. “Home sweet home,” he spoke, Pandora stood insight. The machine was parked next to Void, two vehicles of high value. “It’s about time,” Adete replied coyly.

“Well, for others, it might have seemed ages,” the door opened, “-but for me,” he entered, “-I had to visit this place quite a bit during our fight. Delivering God’s ale is also one of my responsibilities,” he entered the lab, not dusty but cleaned. Cartons of empty flasks laid about.

“You’ve been working hard,” she commented then flew around the room.

“Says the one who stayed by my side throughout this ordeal,” given that he visited the lab each week to make God’s ale. Never could the body nor mind relax and take it easy. Today, after everything was over, it became a possibility. The dirtied uniform was thrown onto the table, “-I’m calling it a day,” time was only ten yet, he slept. “If the twins wake up, tell them to enter the shop and head upstairs. There should be some futons in the storage room. Be a darling and keep an eye out, thank you in advance,” the eyes shut and laid peacefully in the attic.

“Really...” Adete hovered with hands on her hips, “-should have expected as much,” to which she descended and sat on the bed. Her feet dangled off the edge, ‘-this is the man who’s inherited the curse of Nox,’ she thought, ‘-a human turned vampire, the heir to the god of death. It’s good to see him sleep for once. Not many know how much he has to go through daily. I wish people could see what an amazing person Staxius really is. I feel the pain he endures, though the mind might have been numbed to physical pain, the damage being sustain is by the heart and soul. The burden of so many curses to the regrets of being a failure as both husband and father. It slowly chips away. But I doubt he’ll ever say anything. Hidden behind that blank expression and facades after facades, lives a man. One not strong nor weak, one not good nor evil, a man that has no concept of reality nor fantasy. A state of mind that remains in the grey, that is what a newborn babe is – impartial to the world. Staxius in a way has managed to keep that feeling of being impartial throughout the years. The actions he performs may seem crude, evil, and leaning on the dark side – but I have a feeling that it’s not all that simple. Despite being a part of him, there’s no way I can know what he truly feels. An enigma,’ she smiled, ‘-one unpredictable but that has a common denominator – the absolute hate of losing. Not guided by greed for power, but by the sole goal of always improving, innovating, and never standing on the losing end, that is what I managed to find out. The ideal mindset for one who will someday attain divinity.’