Chapter 29: The Spark Between Bonner and Blois!
"There we were, the walls of Theoscyran were flailing in the wind. A typhoon of the enemy threatening to swallow the defenseless citizens in one gulp. Commander Percival stood before us all and laughed proudly. 'Defeating the infidels that dare raise up against the power and prestige of the nobility is the duty of a knight. We will defeat them and rescue the cowards of the Conscripted Forces!' With his mighty battle cry, the commander charged and we pushed back a hundred and forty-seven men with a mere twenty!"
It had been a night of drinking, eating and boastful laughter. The honored heroes of Theoscyran were the guests at the banquet hosted by my younger brother. He had decided that this was the time to celebrate and as such invited any that would attend. That would include Arch Captains Fallworth, Dawn and Silvers, as well as other members of our house within our city.
Although he did not want to admit it, such an extravagant festival was more of a show of power and influence to him than it was to celebrate his victory in battle. Over time, the inner circle moved higher and higher in floors of the building in order to separate our celebration from the other masses that came to honor them.
While many members arrived later than others, there were some that arrived even later. I even had doubts that they were even going to appear. We were in the private catering section of the Monument of White. Little over a seventy people chattered boisterously around the flooring of the large and well furnished hall. The right aroma of food, and the constant slamming of glasses could be heard from my position.
"They didn't stand a chance against Commander Percival!", a man shouts to the cheers of others.
"The Young Commander is nothing short of a genius! Without him we wouldn't be half as successful!", another shouts.
Feeding to the cheers of the men around the room, my younger brother Percival danced around the room with an entourage of drunken women in tow. His handsome features no doubt ensnared their hearts at first glance. A glass of wine in one hand, and a plate full of meat and cheese occupied the other.
Percival was always a more outgoing individual in comparison to myself. His younger aura brought a sense of comfort to those around him and everywhere he went in the room, cheers became louder and louder. Eventually, he would return to our personal table atop a small wooden stage against the far wall. There I was only kept company by two individuals at the time.
"What's with the sour look, Lord Mordred? This is a banquet. One should drink and be merry. Is that not correct, Lady Acelina?"
The boisterous voice of the captain of the guards, Rommel made itself known to me. He had been standing next to me, a large pint of fine elixir in hand for a while now. His rough beard dripped the strong liquid after each sip that he decided to muster. His usual stern eyes scattered almost instantly after he gulped down his elixir in one gulp.
Although most people present wore some semblance of their most casual clothing, Rommel managed to implement his armor into his clothing. He was more beast than human with his large frame casting a large shadow over our table. His face stretched ear to ear with a playful grin as he interacted with the other individual.
"Come now, Captain Rommel. You shouldn't worry Lord Mordred with your constant drinking. Even if this is a celebration. Hey- Aren't you supposed to be on duty anyway?!"
The sharp tongue of the significantly smaller woman lashed out. Although she was twice our age, Lady Acelina Cofers was at least half our height. One would not be wrong to mistake her as a child at first glance, but it would be foolish to say it to her face. Her petite frame matched the temper of the woman that serves as the High Mage within Astana.
Her cup remained far fuller in comparison to that of Rommel's, but I had watched her drink far more than he has currently. Her long, pointy ears pointed out from behind her jaded dark hair. There was not even a single imperfection in her posture as she portrayed her confidence towards the man in question.
"Gwahaha- You worry too much! I am here to oversee that things go well, true enough, but It is not too bad that I share a drink or two with old friends! You have been too busy to visit me since you ascended to the position of High Mage. Same with you, Lord Mordred. I believe that there is no one more qualified to lead us as Commander than you are. You remind me of your father from a time long ago..", Rommel says.
"Jeez- You old drunk. What nonsense are you speaking about now?! H-Hey! Don't you go falling all over the table!"
Despite our recent raise in status it is great that these two never seem to change. As the monstrous Rommel collapsed nearly on the table, Lady Acelina would quickly catch him with what seemed like wind magic. The light circulation of wind, ensnared the drunken man and held him upright. The display would bring my mood up from the abyss of boredom that I had resided in.
"So Lord Modred. Is there any leads on what type of monster had managed to get that close to the city?", Lady Acelina inquiries from me.
Although the three of us were close for years now, there was another reason that I ultimately decided to sit with the two of them at the banquet. It was not to catch up, but it was for a more professional reason.
"It was an orc that did it. It was caught attacking travelers down the road heading to Struburg. Arch Captain Vanya Silvers and her men quickly disposed of it. Fortunately, they reacted quickly and together managed to defeat it. The damage surrounding the forest was a result of their battle."
That was the cover story that I managed to come up with for the time being. Although Orcs are incredibly dangerous creatures for most people, a group of guards can manage to defeat them given the circumstances. It was far better an explanation than informing them of the presences of Miss Clarice's men within our city.
"An Orc? Huh- Those things have the arrogance to march upon our city? Hmph- If those so-called adventurers did more than sit around and look shiny, then we wouldn't have incidents like that.", Lady Acelina states.
Although he was drunk, such a statement brought about a change in demeanor for the larger Captain Rommel. Not only was Rommel ranked a Captain in our military forces, but he also served as the Guildemaster of Astana's Adventurer's Guild.
"I suggest you keep your tiny nose in those magic books of yours, old hag. Adventurers do more than just-"
His words came at a price. At that moment, the large figure of Captain Rommel was sent airborne. In his drunken state, I doubt that the male had realized it until he flew across the spacious room. A large crash ensued and the room echoed with boisterous cheers and laughter following the event. I would recognize the spell utilized almost instantly. Wind Call.
Yet, when I looked at the smaller elf standing atop of the table, I could see no trace of limp movement on her face. Instead, her straight hair stood floating as if the breeze carried them. There were no verbal incantations delivered, but a fierce gaze and frown lay fixated on her face.
"Please refrain from using magic inside of the room, Lady Acelina.", I say to her firmly. "And please get off the table."
When my words hit her, then her features softened a bit. I can only assume that she felt a bit of satisfaction from launching the male such a distance. Although the table wobbled slightly when she shifted her body off of the top, it ultimately remained sturdy as before.
"Hmph- That bastard. Tiny?! Just because he'll die before us, it doesn't give him the right to call me an 'old hag'! I am in the youth of my life and I'm still growing! Hmph- Hmph-"
Her complaints of the content of Rommel's words were nearly endless, but my curiosity soon got the better of me.
"Yes, and when you reach your apex, then you will be as tall as you desire.", I commented to her.
Her eyes glistened following my words and the small woman grabbed another cup of elixir from a server that she managed to flag down. Since she had grabbed two of them, Lady Acelina would quickly offer me one. It was an offer that I could not refuse.
As the sweet, yet strong liquid brushed through my throat, I pushed aside the complex flavor to get directly to what I wanted to talk about now.
"Acelina That magic spell. It was Wind Call, was it not?"
My question caught her off guard a bit, but she merely shrugged it off. Her mouth downed at least half of the elixir in one motion before she exhaled in pleasure.
"Impressed, Lord Mordred? It was a spell easy to master for the High Mage. Thanks to you, I was able to finally learn it. It is truly a versatile spell. Having access to a stone of empowerment helped a lot as well. ", she responds.
"I am quite impressed. I knew that I had recognized it, but I did not hear you call for the incantation."
The woman would chuckle to herself as she reached into her shirt, and pulled out an embroidered pendant with a faintly glowing aquamarine gem on it. After a moment, the light disappeared and with that she placed it back where she got it from.
"Byproduct of this S.O.E -stone of empowerment-, and its magical properties. Unlike my predecessors, I was gifted with the ability to cast magic nonverbally as well if I choose it."
Although she was giddy to explain it to me, I can imagine that used said newfound ability to warp the sound around us to prevent such information from being heard.
"That is nothing short of amazing. Astana will become even more powerful. If possible, we will talk more about this later. There may be a future for it if we proceed carefully."
Much like my meeting with Arch Captain Silvers, I decided that I will not further alert anyone of the actions of those men as well as the acquisition of her ability. With capabilities like that it would be wise to stay in High Mage Acelina's good graces as I always have. Unlike Miss Clarice it is better and more beneficial to keep her closer to me.
"We should drink more like old times.It is a pleasure to be able to be in the presence of a talented and tenacious mage like yourself.", I say, raising my cup to her.
A soft tap followed as she met her own with mine to complete the gesture. Her face painted in approval of my request and praise. High Mage Acelina is a woman that I could trust. The men from before are not so easy to read like my old friend is.That is why I think that it would be better to observe them from afar in the same way that I have done with Miss Clarice.
It goes without saying that I do not trust that woman. Since her suspicious emergence following the disappearance of Lady Ana and her daughter. Not only has she been constantly requesting an audience with the two of them, but now that she has learned the truth of their whereabouts, her first request is to be formally granted access to the family's wealth.
Although I do not formally have the authority to deny her access, I have been keeping the young son of Lady Ana in my care. With his words, I have been granted the leverage I need to postpone her access to it. It will not last long, but I will continue to do so as long as I can.
It has been quite suspicious that she has been able to constantly evade proper detection throughout the weeks, but now she has now acquired individuals capable of leveling a substantial size of the eastern forest. Up until now she has not had any acquaintances, but she boldly presented them to me earlier.
Yet, till this very moment, said people had not arrived at the banquet. Normally I would have my doubts that they would even risk coming to this place after all, but I have gained a sense of character for Miss Clarice.
A smaller, double door near our table would soon find itself open. As it was quite boisterous, not many of the people here took notice. As expected Hildebrand followed through with my instructions.
"Aight now. I know how to open the door. Don't look at me like I am some type of idiot.", the first man said.
"Sure, bud. You pushed a pull door. You're either foolish or an idiot. Pick your poison.", the second retorted in a deeper voice.
"How was I supposed to know that was a pull door? A fool argued with our escort, so he forgot to tell us. I won't say any names-", the first one responded, but he was soon interrupted by a third.
"It was ye ole' fool, Bonner. The chocolate, pointy-eared S.O.B"
"Alright now, Mark. Shouldn't you be hanging your head about now. We are about to enter the banquet.", the second one growled.
"You know damn well that I'll do or say whatever I want. Half those fuckers probably blind drunk anyway, so they won't notice a lowly-"
Almost on cue, the individuals responsible for the conversation entered the room, and came face to face with our table. Although she hadn't noticed at first, their words soon gathered the unbridled attention of Lady Acelina as well. I could not help, but feel that the main event had just arrived. My source of amusement, and the objects of my interest all together in one place.
Upon seeing me, the demi-human man known as Mark soon grew quiet. He even stopped before he finished his sentence. We once again caught eyes as he knew that his prior charade of the meek foxel would no longer work after seeing a glimpse of the real him.
I knew it when we first met that his gestures seemed a bit inorganic. While it fooled my dear younger brother, who thrives in his perceived superiority over the foxels, I could point out a suspicious actor when I see one. That was a play for us.
With practiced steps, the smaller elven woman in a black dress moved in front of her group. While they talk, she likely stood behind observing their behavior. Likely she saw it as her time to save their situation.
"Greetings, Lord Mordred. It is a pleasure to see you twice in a day.", Miss Clarice states.
Her bow was fluid as she lowered her head in a way befitting the nobility. I responded in the same courtesy, but standing immediately and gesturing for her to have my seat at the table.
"Miss Clarice, you look lovely once more. Your beauty is unmatched tonight. It is a pleasant surprise that the four of you could make it.", I say to them.
Standing next to the three men, I nearly matched the height of the tall demi-human man, but it appeared that he appeared to return to his character. I would not allow that transition to be an easy one. I would gesture to Lady Acelina and began making proper introductions between the arriving party and the High Mage. She was confused why they were there at first, but she must have come to terms with their arrival soon after.
"Come, I recall that you were hungry earlier, Mark. Would that still be the case?"
I initiated the conversation with him since I assumed that he would attempt to shield himself from further interaction.
"Drago, you can-", he says in an ever lowering voice.
"I think I will respect the name that your parents gave you."
I could see it. A slight wrinkle formed on his nose underneath his glasses, but it was soon ironed out instantly. Conceding that I did not intend to become informal with him, Mark would simply nod his head in response.
"If you do not mind, Q, would you take Mark to the buffet area?", Miss Clarice says.
Sensing that I had begun targeting her subordinate, Miss Clarice no doubt saw this was a proper time to run interference on their behalf. She had presented them with a way out, but it would not be that easy to escape my reach.
"You can leave that to me. I was just thinking that I can use something to munch on as well. You coming, bud?"
Without responding the two men had begun making their way towards the steps leading off the platform we were on. They clearly had a plan to not have me converse with their friend, but they underestimate me. I would flag down one of the servants offering drinks on their plate, and they flocked towards us on command.
"So you are the talk of the town recently? Lady Clarice Von Angea.", Acelina says, addressing the much more mature elven woman.
Although Acelina appeared around the same age as Miss Clarice, the differences in their bodies were as obvious as night and day. The jealousy in Acelina's eyes was evident without much analysis. Alcelina was renowned for having a certain charm to her, but even her charms fell short when compared to the maturity that Miss Clarice had to offer. A sense of inferiority in that regard seemingly flared up for the elder woman.
"And you are the new High Mage, Acelina Cofers. It is an honor to meet you. I would like to formally congratulate you on your promotion."
Miss Clarice would gesture towards the remaining elven male that stood next to the table.
"This here is Bonner Drago. One third of the Drago Brothers. The other two were Q and Mark, respectively."
In response to being formally introduced to Acelina, Bonner would simply nod his head in return. His stone face clearly showcased a form of indifference towards the situation that they were in. He would move to take a seat at the table after Miss Clarice would offer him a spot at it.
I would offer them both a drink to which Bonner would refuse plainly. I would not pry too deeply for his reasoning, but its not like I had to. He voiced that he merely did not have the desire to partake in any alcohol consumption. He spoke in a harsh tone, and it was evident that the male before us was not that impressed.
He seemed to be quite the strange individual. Acelina and Miss Clarice engaged in conversation about a variety of topics varying from Bandit Siege of Theoscryan to the rise of magical threats from monsters to the region.
Occasionally, I too would offer my thoughts on the matter, but the other man didn't offer anything at all. He was akin to the chair sitting there. Nothing added, but his mere presence. That was until an audible sigh pierced the conversation.
"This is boring. Clarice, I'm gonna' go find the other two. I'll leave the interrogation to you."
His words seemed to have caught Miss Clarice off guard as he revealed why they were here. It would take even a second before the woman would return to her previous expression. She laughed off Bonner's words, essentially dismissing it.
'An interrogation? Did they stay behind to interrogate someone?'
No matter how you looked at, Miss Clarice wanted to strip some information from the two of us. It was clever, but she seemed to be leading the conversation with Acelina in a way that the woman would reveal more about the recent developments. That in itself is not that really notable, but now that I knew that there was some form of underlying reason behind it.
"You are here to perform some form of interrogation? At a place like this? On who's authority?"
Acelina's words sudden became more frigid by the second. Her eyes locked on the two individuals as she became more skeptical of their motives. Miss Clarice would gesture her hands in a dismissive manner before Bonner spoke up to further elaborate on their situation.
"Intergoration isn't what I meant. I actually meant the introduction. I haver no desire to interogate anyone here. I am only here, because Mark was pretending like he was starving. This here is free food. I will not deny the opportunity of free food."
While he began backtracking his words a bit, it was doused with that same venomous tone that was associated with the shadow elf. There was little discernible difference in how the man was portraying himself.
Still, he possessed this edge in his mannerisms. From what I could tell there was no ulterior motives in his actions.
"You claim that you were bored, Bonner. Is that correct?", I asked him.
While the man had opted to make his departure for our table, my question caused him to halt in his tracks. His green garmanets appeared to cover his slender frame, but there was not even a single wasted motion when he turned to face our direction.
"I am not a man that enjoys repeating himself.", he says harshly.
"I see you are a man without proper etiquette and manners as well. You speak to the Commander of Astana's Guards, and member of the House of Blois."
Acelina would quickly speak up on my behalf. He smaller frame pushing from her chair and standing up. Considering that she was several inches shorter than the man, Acelina still showcased a fierce aura around her. Her hair shook violently like shadow-like tendrils as she moved to confront the man closely.
"I would think-"
"You make it sound as if any of that means anything to me.", Bonner responds promptly, cutting her off.
"Eh! It should. Although you seem to look down your nose at us, Lord Mordred is more interesting than a lowly shadow elf such as yourself. You're a guest here, but you seem to think that you are the master of this house! You should shut your mouth and be grateful that a troupe of misfits like your group was even allowed up here in the first place. I mean, honestly, any noblewoman that surrounds herself with a shadow elf and a fox demi-human can't be taken too seriously."
Miss Clarice would perk up at the slight against her, but to my surprise she instead remained dignified in her chair. Her lips carefully taking in the beverage that I had ordered for them early. Her gaze seemed fixated on the two and myself.
'She's not going to intervene or interject? Is this what they were after?'
It was then that I realized what was going on. There was no ploy or grand scheme, this type of provocation seemed to come natural to this specific male. First, with Percival at the garden, and now Acelina here before my eyes. Miss Clarice… This was a showcase of your power, right?
Our eyes met briefly and it was all the confirmation that I required. I apologize Acelina, but your temperament has proven to be quite amusing once again.
"I see now. You're no different than the others. You're a relic. A fool as well. Hell, a foolish relic. A drunkard too. A drunk, foolish relic…. And you're boring."
After his words, Acelina became more visibly upset. Either as a byproduct of his words or if the elixir has finally worked its magic, Acelina had became agitated. I had feared that her wrath would be upon us once more, but unlike with Rommel, I do not believe that Bonner would survive relatively unscathed. A voice of reason soon appeared piercing through the tense atmosphere that was beginning to pocket.
"Mr. Bonner, I suppose that will be enough, right? Have you forgotten the reason that why we arrived?"
Miss Clarice addressed the male, slightly scolding his antics with her tone. Bonner would look to her with that same stone face as before. He would shrug his shoulders before moving past the smaller Acelina to reclaim his spot at the table.
I too would usher the drunken and displeased Acelina to her spot. She would naturally be against being seated at the same table with the figure of her disapproval, but she remained as courteous as she could at the time.
"I will overlook this incident and write it off as an altercation where the parties are under the influence, but I recommended that we all get along in the future. That would be for the best, right, Miss Clarice?"
I spoke once things had gotten settled down a bit more. Gesturing towards another servant, the woman would bring another round of beverages for us.
"I will agree. It is best that we all remember that we are on the same side. This is a banquet to celebrate a great victory for your younger brother and his men's success.", Miss Clarice mentions.
"I couldn't agree more. I apologize that the banquet is not of your interest, Bonner. Have no fear though. I have a feeling that this long night is merely getting started. Something with come to quash it."
I held my silver chalice filled to the center with the very same strong elixir that Acelina and Miss Clarice had began drinking. My words were more than just lip service. With this interaction between these two as benchmark, I could only imagine what tonight will bring. After that familiar cherry taste burned its way into my mouth, I would savor it.
'What is this feeling? My heart is speeding up. My blood boils when it travels throughout the length of my veins. I am glad that I guided the other two into an inevitable crossing of paths with Arch Captain Silvers. I can stop myself from-'
My own laughter soon escaped my lips and with it brought about the confused expressions on the other's faces. It confused myself as well, but I could not held it. This feeling is becoming too much to bear. It has been a minute since I last enjoyed myself like this.
I can only imagine how the Arch Captain will react when she sees him. I would say that I would regret not being present, but… this is as equally as interesting. I will play along for now, Miss Clarice. Show me more of what your new subordinates can do.
"Forgive my outburst. I do not know what came over me. Let's just say this, Bonner of the Three Drago Brothers. A friend once told me that you should drink and be merry at a banquet. Shall we raise a cup to that?"
I would offer a raise of my chalice towards the direction of the shadow elf man. His eyes locked on the item before ultimately grabbing the nearest one to him. He looked inside of it and then looked to Miss Clarice to him.
She gave no indication of responding before he ultimately made his decision. A slight clang could be heard once our chalices met each other in the center of the table.
"I'll accept, but don't expect me to be a drunkard like the little one over there."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone