[IC] Ancients of Elan ~ Rise of The Chosen

[Card Captor]

'Why does she even bother fighting it? She has to know that someone will find her and force her back into class' Mithos wondered to himself. With a sigh, he returned to his quarters to pick his book back up and resume his reading. 'Hard to believe that this is my life now' he thought to himself. 'How strange is it that I don't mind that I've been reduced to a glorified babysitter nearly as much as I should? Still, I can't help but wonder just how long this will take'

[Xeiyenreisha]

Ranathia had passed by as she saw Mithos was making sure Meira was attending her classes. She couldn't help but remember what happened a month ago, but she wasn't entirely sure herself if Mithos was handling himself well even after they cleared his name. She wanted to speak to him again, but she wasn't sure if now was a good time. "Must be difficult for you having to clean up your own mess alone. You know..." She paused for a moment as she moved into a more comfortable position so that they could face eye to eye. "It was the same way for me. Causing havoc then you have to try to seclude yourself from the public, because everyone looks at you like you're a villain. It's one thing that can eat your alive from the inside out..." Ranathia said as she took another pause from as she walked over toward a chair beside Mithos and took a seat.

"Ranathia, is that you?" Meira called out of her room as she was getting frustrated with her hand maidens forcefully dressing her in clothes she didn't really want to wear. She hated school clothes and the fact that they were color coded annoyed her even more.

[Card Captor]

Mithos had to suppress a groan. "The masses can say what they want of me. I find it hard to care what complete strangers think of me." Mithos replied, with his eyes on his book, he hadn't forgotten what happened a month ago. "Although I do have to wonder what you're doing here. I had heard you were quite busy these days, and I haven't any idea what business you could have with me. Although I might be mistaken in assuming that, you could simply be here to check up on your niece."

[Xeiyenreisha]

"Yes." Ranathia answered as she set the text she was looking at down on a table beside her. It was very true that she had become very busy with investigating the connection between the True Runes and their plane known as the Material Plane. After what happened, she couldn't help but want to learn how dangerous the Chaos Runes were and how to better deal with them so they didn't run into another situation like last time.

When he mentioned that she came to check up on her niece part of that was, but the real reason she was there is she wanted to investigate a mysterious ruin she read about in the text she set down on the table. "It's true I came here to check up on my niece however..." She paused for a moment as she shifted to a more comfortable position in her chair so that her posture looked better. "That's not why I'm here. It's true I've been very busy since I became the head researcher for the archeologist division so a lot of my time is put forth studying ancient texts and old artifacts. Currently I am about to set out to look at some old mysterious ruins that people have been staying away from. I'd like to know what exactly is in these ruins which is repelling visitors. If you wouldn't mind and I'm sure you'd find it more a convenient way to use your time I'd like you to accompany me as my bodyguard."

"Oh ruins! Can I go too?" Meira questioned as she finally left her room after getting dressed. This was a chance for her to have a good reason for ditching her class and going on an adventure where they might discover some hidden secrets and perhaps fight some monsters.

"Oh no you don't!" Ranathia said as she stood up from her chair knowing exactly what Meira was scheming. "It's off to your studies for you. You are not using my expedition as an excuse to ditch class. Now off to school with you!"

[Card Captor]

"Me?" Mithos was genuinely confused, and it showed as his eyes left his book to look Ranathia in the eyes as his emotionless mask fell to reveal his bewildered face "you actually want me to join you as a bodyguard? I would have thought that you would have fought tooth and nail to keep away any males trying to protect you...yet here you are inviting one to do just that." After he said that, his face returned to it's normal state. "I suppose I'm in no position to refuse, but who will tend to my duties while I am away" the fact that he was able to say 'duties' with a straight face was a testament to his stoic skills

[Xeiyenreisha]

"Thanks a lot!" Meira said as she stormed out of the room in anger. It was obvious she didn't want to go to school, but if she were to become a better person she better start accepting her responsibilities.

"So you don't want to come?" She said in disappointment since she wanted to try at least to get to know Mithos better. She knew he wasn't like the other boys since he had a phobia for females. Ranathia had always been teased about the same phobia except hers were to males. "I'm not forcing you to come with me. If you think I'm forcing you to come with me then don't come with me. I thought I'd at least..." Ranathia said a bit irritated that Mithos was taking it like she was forcing him to go with her. "Forget it! I'll find someone. Sorry for wasting your time." She answered as she walked out of the room in a pretty foul mood.

[Card Captor]

Mithos simply sat there in further confusion. "Did she...did she want me to want to come with her?" The very idea was pushing Mithos' mind to it's limits as he tried to comprehend a concept was impossible to imagine as a three sided square "why would she want me to want to go with her?" Not making any headway on that line of thought, Mithos abandoned it in favor of freeing up the vast amount of mental resources it was taking up 'woman...truly there has never been, nor will ever be a greater mystery. Truthfully, I even believe it might be one best left unsolved.' Unsure of what else to do, he returned to his book. After all, she had just said that she would find someone else, so he didn't need to do anything else.

[Xeiyenreisha]

"Oh my!" One of the hand maidens who was cleaning the room said as they stumbled across a very strange looking book that was sitting on a table next to where Mithos was reading. "Mithos, who does this strange book belong to?" She questioned as she picked up the book and showed it to Mithos while she got back to cleaning the room.

"The nerve of that..." Ranathia whispered to herself as she made her way toward the outside of the manor which Meira was staying at while the castle was being repaired. A lot of very tall buildings that stretched high up in the sky obscured anyone's view of the capital. You could also see from a distance the battered damaged castle from a distance which main entrance was completely collapsed in and the throne area you could see a giant hole in the roof.

[Card Captor]

Putting down his own book and picking up the new one, only one person came to mind 'Ranathia.' That book wasn't there when he got back from retrieving the missing Queen, and she was the only one who had sat down here in the time after that. Letting out a sigh, Mithos got up to go find her, with the book in hand. 'If I don't take care of this now, it'll only cause trouble later on. I don't need to give her any excuse to start yelling at me, she's good enough at coming up with those on her own.' Of course, Mithos soon ran into a problem; he didn't know where she was. 'Simply wonderful. My entire day is going to be nothing but this, isn't it?' Deciding to start out side to get some fresh air, he was surprised when he found her 'well this is...strangely convenient' he thought to himself. "Pardon me; but I believe you left this behind" he said holding out the book as he approached Ranathia

[Xeiyenreisha]

The streets were crowded and Ranathia who was waiting to cross the street saw Mithos had tracked her down. She wasn't quite sure why so she turned around to face him. She saw that he held a book in her hands that she forgot about earlier. She knew it was due to her anger that she felt toward him earlier that she accidentally left the book behind without thinking about it. "Oh, yes thank you." Ranathia said kindly as her mood had suddenly shifted when she realized the book was hers. "But why did you go out of your way just to bring this back to me?"

[Card Captor]

'Now, how do I say this tactfully?' Mithos briefly wondered. He knew that his normal method of blunt and brutal honesty would only cause problems here. "I felt that if I simply ignored it, it would cause me trouble later" he began "one of the help pointed it out, I didn't notice it myself. Because I am essentially on probation and serving community service, I believed that someone would find out if I simply ignored it, and use that to justify making my life more difficult." He finished. 'There, that should be good enough' he mentally patted himself on the back. "If there isn't anything else, then I will take my leave" Mithos said before he turned around and started walking back to his quarters.

[Xeiyenreisha]

Ranathia took the book then headed for her vehicle which was parked on the other side of the street. When the traffic grew thin she decided to cross the street and walk toward the side her car was parked on. Before getting in she thought about what Mithos had said and remembered her contact had information about his aunt. "Mithos." Ranathia said as she turned around before she tried to unlock the door. "I'm going to meet with one of my contacts and they said they have information regarding your aunt. You're more than welcome to accompany me, but if you're too busy I'll just drop a report by later." Ranathia said as she unlocked the door and got in before closing it. Cars were very expensive in Windgrace and only the most wealthy of citizens could ever afford one.

Ranathia couldn't help but feel sympathy for Mithos despite in the past she felt a lot of resentment toward him, because she blamed him for Reala's disappearance. She was pretty sure Reala was still alive since something inside her told her that she was.
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Meanwhile Reala who was still recovering from her wounds had returned to the bakery that the boy worked at. She found his rolls very tasty which she usually ordered. The ones with cream were her favorite. "I'm back again today, Danny. I'll have the same I usually have." She said since Danny probably by now had her order memorized in his mind.

[Card Captor]

Mithos found her timing to be very suspicious, but a gut feeling was never good enough to base your next move. Since he both really wanted to hear the information, and he didn't have a good enough excuse to not go, so he only really had one viable option to take. "Very well" he said as he turned around to get to the car. "Please lead the way" he added as he climbed into the vehicle. 'Ugh, this is really awful. These things are so cramped, how could anyone feel comfortable inside of them?' He thought to himself, feeling claustrophobic inside of the metal contraption.

---

"Hi Reala!" Danny greeted the girl from his place in the back of the kitchen. Mr Pucci, who was at the counter, just smiled and waved. Danny's experience with Reala had proven to be extremely confusing; he was so sure that she hated him for some reason after the night they met...yet she kept on coming back. Whenever he voiced these uncertainties to Mr Pucci, he just chuckled and ruffled up his hair a bit, which only further confused the poor boy. 'Why can't girls make sense?' He asked himself as he let out a sigh. Coming out to the storefront with a bag filled with the requested rolls, he handed them over to Reala "here you go"

[Xeiyenreisha]

"Well I was going to tell you that before you said I was imposing on you like other people." Ranathia hinted as she started the car driving off down the road to where she was going to meet with her contact. While driving toward the destination she passed many sights and also talked to Mithos about what she had learned so far.

"Here's what I've learned so far. It seems that the Kingdom of Eden is divided between two sides. The Angels of Light and the Angels of Darkness who do not get along at all. From what I learned is that the Angels of Darkness were behind the terrorist attack and were the ones who helped your uncle plan it. It seems the Angels of Darkness have been working with very shady people who I wouldn't trust no matter how far I threw them." Ranathia said as she continued to keep her eyes focused on the road.
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"Thanks." Reala said as she took her bag and walked over taking a seat. She found it strange why she kept coming back to the place where she had first met this boy Danny. Though she convinced herself in the mind it's because the sweets are so delicious.

"Why don't you come over and have some and come talk to me, Danny-kun? Don't be so shy because I won't bite." Reala asked him as she took one of the rolls out and took a bite out of it as she enjoyed the moistness of the delicious breading in her mouth.

[Card Captor]

Mithos nodded "yes, I'm aware of that much." Considering his position back in Eden, it would have been stupid for him not to be aware of that much. 'Although I wonder if her informant gave her this information, or she got it from Eden directly?' He thought to himself. Mithos also refused to bite the bait that she had set 'I'm not the stupid. I recognize an attempt to get a confession of guilt, or an apology out of me. I've dealt with women far more subtle then you.' He thought to himself 'and I did not say you were imposing, merely that I was not looking forward to going with you on an expedition.'

---

Danny cocked his head to the side in confusion "um...why would I be worried about you biting? You haven't given me any reason to think that you would. Now slapping on the other hand; that's something you've done to me before." Turning to look at Mr Pucci, the older man simply nodded his head. "Alright then." He replied as he went over to Reala's seat and sat down. "So...what did you want to talk about?"

[Xeiyenreisha]

"Seriously Mithos, if you mope around like that forever your face is going to freeze. I don't know what you're thinking in that mind of yours and I don't think I want to know, but you need to try to move on. I'm doing what I can to help you on the side, but I also have my research and investigation to attend to." Ranathia said as she parked the car on the side of the road at an abandoned warehouse. The warehouse was rundown and didn't really have anything inside it other than a bunch of broken crates and pallets. "All right, we're here." Ranathia said toward Mithos as she reached over toward her door handle to get out. She then closed the door behind her as she approached the exact location she was to meet up with her contact.
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"I was curious if you heard anything suspicious lately, seen suspicious activity or anyone suspicious at all?" Reala questioned as she took another bite of her roll while passing one to Danny. Though she wasn't really in any position to be fighting she still was gathering information so she could learn more about what had happened during the terrorist attack on Windgrace.

[Card Captor]

"You must be mistaken; I'm not moping, merely deeply in thought" was his answer as he exited the car, all too happy to be out of that machine. He didn't bother responding to her metioning trying to help him move on, as he didn't think he had enough tact to respond to that without causing trouble. "An abandoned warehouse? This seems rather obvious" he instantly strengthened the barrier around him, worried about a possible trap, as he followed Ranathia

---
"Eh, not really" Danny responded as he took the offered roll. "A baker isn't really a place where gossip and rumors gather. If you're looking for information, the tavern would be a much better bet." He took a bite of the roll and swallowed it, after taking the time to properly savor it "To be honest, I've only been in Windgrace for four years. I came from a small little village, so a lot of things that you might think of as mundane, I could very well see as suspicious. Take you for example; a princess out cold in the streets at night with a really nasty wound on her rib. So yeah...I'm not really a good person to ask."

[Xeiyenreisha]

"So good to see you again, Ranathia." Said a voice out of nowhere only to reveal itself to be a man in their elderly years who came over to greet Ranathia. The man looked over toward the person who accompanied, "You didn't say you'd be accompanied by anyone, Ranathia. Who this strapping young lad?"

"Professor Langton, don't get such weird ideas. I'm not that kind of person and you know it." Ranathia said sincerely as she denounced any kind of talk that gave the impression that Mithos and her were seeing each other.

Professor Langton chuckled at Ranathia's comment knowing it was the same way she had acted when he used to tease her about helping one of the boys in a school she used to attend. He knew it was strange since Ranathia didn't really have a strong attraction to the opposite sex and actually loathed the male gender quite a bit. "C'mon Ranathia, you're not getting any younger. Don't you think a lonely beautiful maiden like you should have handsome man to sweep you off your feet by now?"

Ranathia shook her head as she wanted to get all this teasing nonsense by her. She knew Langton had not changed a bit who continued to tease her about her phobia to no end. "Mithos, this is Professor Langton. He is my source for information." Ranathia introduced to Mithos as Langton reached out to shake Mithos hand.

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"Yeah, that..." She said as she wanted to forget about someone getting the better of her who was very skilled at using a sword. She was probably the most notable swordsman since Vandalin The Flash Strike. She earned herself the nickname Death Flash, because in a flash of her blade she had killed her enemies without flinching.

"I might as well tell you what happened. The castle was attacked by terrorists if you have not read about it yet or heard about it from gossip and I was blown away when a demon used a kamekaze attack on me in hope of killing me." Reala commented even though deep down she wanted to forget that incident ever happened.

[Card Captor]

Relaxing his barrier, Mithos grabbed the offered hand and shook it "a pleasure, Professer" he said. "I hope you'll forgive me for saying this; but I am far more interested in hearing any news you have about about my aunt, then I am further discussing Miss Primavalthera's single status. I might not look it, but I am very much concerned about her condition." Mithos told him. 'I hope that his recent behavior doesn't reflect his work. I'd hate for this to be all for nothing'

---

"Terrorists..really!?" Danny was surprised about what she said. Quickly looking over to Mr. Pucci, the older man just shrugged his shoulders. "Wow...I had no idea..." he trailed off, still in shock at her news "but hey, the castle's still standing, and the fact that it's only been spreading though word of mouth must mean that they didn't get what they wanted. So that's something good, right?"

[Xeiyenreisha]

"Yes that." The professor said as he had heard some rather troubling news about that. He wasn't sure if Mithos would rush in recklessly had he deliver the bad news to him. "According to our sources, your aunt is being moved to the Cimmeria Empire where she will be placed in incarceration as a part of their new experiment. I haven't heard much about this new project they are working on. The only thing I know is that they are trying to create a really powerful bioweapon using a humanoid like being." He paused for a moment as his disappointed expression turned into an expression which brings good news. "I hear that the ship she will be on will dock here to be refueled. This will be a perfect opportunity for you to extract her before they ship her off."

"Ranathia you look a bit pale, is there something wrong with you?" Langton was concerned about Ranathia's condition. She was usually a very healthy girl, but she looked like she was overworking herself or something else was weighing her down that she did not want to talk about.

"I'm perfectly fine, Professor. I appreciate your concern though." Ranathia acknowledged as she tried to hide the fact that she was overworking herself and not getting the proper rest or nutrients for her body.
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"Yeah, well I think I better be going." Reala said as she finished her rolls before paying Danny and leaving a tip as she stood up and walked toward the door. From their faces she knew she wouldn't learn anything if she stuck around there. Before she left she turned around and waved at Danny as she opened the door to exit.