There was a wide but forced smile on Elliot's face. He still wasn't confident enough to talk to a woman like Alice. His voice would often break and would sotis end up sounding like he was croaking.
"What's up?" Elliot asked, grinning with his teeth as much as he could.
"Not much," Alice replied, twisting her hair with her fingers, a subtle pink blush tinted her cheeks lightly. "How about you?"
Elliot nodded multiple tis, earning a jaw drop from Connor.
"He's gonna embarrass himself is he?" Connor asked Kian, facepalming as he saw his friend's impending doom.
"Yep," Kian whispered, sighing in despair. "It could get worse though."
"Oh, I'm actually here to b-borrow sothing from Isabelle, but I'll go ho now," Elliot said as he scratched the back of his head.
When the silence replaced the voices of their conversations, Connor had to step in. He needed to get his friend out from this embarrassnt.
It was like Elliot was digging up his own grave.
Connor cleared his throat and slung his arm around Elliot's neck. Although not long ago they were of the sa height, his growth spurt made their height difference significant.
His curly blonde hair was contrasting Elliot's dark brown ones. His tanner skin was also contrasting with Elliot's fare one.
In short, they were significantly different.
"I got what I wanted," Connor said. "Although I'll pay it in installnts for the next two years, I'm gonna wrap its blessings, like forever."
"That's good," Elliot said. "Uhm, Alice, we have to go now. See you later."
"See you," Alice said, waving her hand gracefully. She was smiling at both boys as they walked outside the store. The bell of the stoor dinged and Alice fell to the side, luckily being caught by Kian.
"How could you contain yourselves?" Alice asked, panting as she felt her skin sweat. She was breathing heavily and her body felt like on fire. "I felt like I was on fire and at the sa ti suffocating."
"You'll get used to it," Isabelle said. "Elliot's party, and I an everyone in his five man party, has those level of auras. Perhaps if you were in the sa room as them, you'd know how it feels."
"Casters are very sensistive to reserved magic," Kian said as he guided Alice to a chair, letting the girl sit as she tried catching her breath.
"Any Adventurer is sensitive to reserved magic," Isabelle corrected. "But those with the Faint could feel how deep a person's well of hidden magic goes. It's one of the biggest mysteries surrounding our system. Why are the ones with the Faint have these kind of abilities."
Alice checked her nose to see if it was bleeding. When she saw no sign of blood in it, she sighed and proceeded to stand.
"Not even Galaxia's reserve can make act like that," the caster said. "And our levels are not that far apart."
"Speaking of, congratulations," Kian cheered, clapping with a big grin on his face. "You just got promoted, right? How does it feel?"
"I felt like I was in pure bliss just a week ago," Alice said. "But after today, I really have a long way to go. There are more Adventurers like them out there. And compared to them, I'm just an ant."
"Alice is now the Top 3 Adventurer?!" Elliot scread after news broke to him. "Since when?!"
"A week ago, she was promoted," Lance replied. "For participating in the Alpha Strike in Alorde against Biankka and her army of black horse knights, participating in a several Beta Strikes in the East of the kingom, and her sudden rise in power."
"Sudden rise in power, aning?" Elliot narrowed his eyes. "She beca stronger?"
"She just did her Class Upgrade from Grand Sorceress to Divine Archmage," Lance replied. "That should've boost her magic power, as well as her new staff that she had been saving for for the past four years."
"Oh, how co we didn't notice a staff?" Connor asked, looking at Elliot who was also looking at him.
"It's the new Gaian Archmage Staff," Midnight replied as he walked over to them to give them their refreshnts. "A staff made from a horn of a said to be rare Gaian Dragon of the East. The staff contains pure magic and has jewels from the Golden City of Apokrita.
"Each jewel would enhance her magic by 12%, and she has like twelve of them embedded in her staff. And it's also a new model called Retractable," Midnight finished placing their glasses from the tray with a smile. "A new model of weapons that you could store in a tattoo in your body. Perhaps that's why you didn't see her staff."
"She's been saving for years," Ed gulped. "And since she's already a demand in her field, she must earn at least a thousand gold every month. And if she earns that much, let's say she saves a minimum of 300 gold per month, multiply to twelve, and then four that's a lot of gold."
"He just couldn't do math," Elliot whispered to Dustin as the boy ca up to him and sat on his lap. "And so do I. Do you know math"
"Elliot!" Florencia barged inside the guild, sweaty and panting as she can through the crowd of n and walked in front of Elliot. "Elliot, sothing happened. You need to co with quick."
"What is it?" Elliot asked. "You can tell the details here."
Florencia shook her head. Her eyes secretly pointed at Dustin and Elliot then knew that it was about the boy's parents.
There were a hundred of scenarios that instantly played inside Elliot's head. And the one who was the most prominent, and perhaps what he feared the most, was that the Villagers from Cilca got hurt on their way to the capital.
"Dustin?" Elliot called out, hiding the worry in his voice as much as he could. "Could you go to Midnight for now? I have to discuss sothing with Florencia."
"Okay," Dustin smiled. He hopped off Elliot's lap and hopped to the bar counter where Midnight, Sun, and Glitch were waiting for him.
"Co on outside," Elliot said to Florencia, calmly standing up and walking outside like nothing was happening.
But everyone could tell that there was. The eeire and distorted aura in the air was like poison to them, watching Elliot silently as the boy walked past the aisles and into outside.
Though he knew everyone was looking at him, Elliot could only care less. His biggest problem right now is the villagers' safety.
If sothing bad ever happens to them, he couldn't forgive himself.
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