Cedar's Story

A look of guilt crossed Ben's face at the mention of the altered stew. He hadn't meant to make her annoyed, in fact, he hadn't even expected her to notice at all. His hands fiddled nervously with the knives around him, twirling one in each hand. Probably not the safest habit but it always seemed to calm him down. His little head nodded at Yulia's statement. "Sorry, it won't happen again. You can bet I'm going to help you in here though, with your permission of course." He gave a little smile and placed the knives back onto the counter. "I would appreciate it if you helped me bring these to the dining tables" Before the cute girl had finished he sentence, Ben had already loaded up with dishes including eggs, sausages and a steak. Ben's mouth watered at the sight of it. His family had never been rich enough to have steak for breakfast. He'd have to ask one of these days for one.

His mother had always told him he had two hollow legs. Ben didn't really know what it meant but he knew it had something to do with his ability to consume his own weight in food. He had no doubts that, if he wanted too, he could eat every dish he was carrying in one sitting and still be a little peckish. Nevertheless, these were other peoples dishes, not his. Though this didn't stop him from taking a little scrambled egg off someones plate after Yuliana had left. The taste was marvelous! He definitely needed to take some classes under Yulia.

He walked out of the kitchen with his burden of food, slightly stumbling under it's weight. It was a good thing the guild members, except for a select few who were too drunk to remember they ordered, knew what they had wanted otherwise Benjamin would never had known where everything went. After several tables and shouts of "Over here boy!", Ben was left with only one plate left containing two eggs, sunny-side up, and a huge pile of bacon. None of the drunks had seemed to order it and no one else called out for the platter when his eyes landed upon the old man from before or, as bewildering as it seemed, the guild master. 'Maybe he's hungry-' Ben's thought was cut short however, when his eyes fell upon the woman who accompanied the old man.

Another beautiful redhead stood before him. She seemed to carry an air of power with her, an unusual contrast to Yuliana's kind one. Not that it mattered to Ben, all that did were those luscious crimson locks. He wasn't one to be intimidated, Yuliana had been a special case. He couldn't quite explain it at the moment and, frankly, didn't want to. That would just throw off his plan. 'Alright Ben, you've got this one. Your a suave, cool, interesting guy. If this works, she'll be crawling all over you.' Being a teenager, it's only normal that his mind wandered to places not suitable for this RP. A small grin popped onto his face at the thoughts as he pushed them away. It was time to put this coaster in motion.

Holding the plate of food in his hands, Benjamin strode over to the group, a sly smile on his face. The woman's beauty only intensified as he got closer. A small blush spread across his cheeks. 'Step one, look like a kind bad-ass. Which I already am so this shouldn't be too hard.' "My prayers have been answered! Never again shall my faith waver!" Ben laughed and wrapped his arm happily around Gawain's waist. "Geez master, I didn't think I was that big of an influence!" His gaze drifted to the beautiful woman in front of him. "And who would this be? A new member perhaps?" He smiled sweetly at her and began to put the other half of phase one of his plan into action.

He raised his finger between the tow of them. "I'm terribly sorry, I'll be right back." His shoes clacked on the floorboards as he made Ben made his way over to the blonde guy who had been there when he came in. The man looked positively horrified. Ben wondered what had happened when he was in the kitchens. He offered the plate of food to the blonde and smiled happily. "I'm sorry if I scared you earlier, I really didn't mean too. Here, this should help calm your nerves. I'm Benjamin by the way, Benjamin Reeves." He gave himself a mental high-five and looked back at the crimson beauty he was currently smitten with, watching her reaction for a second before turning back to the boy. "Are you going to join the guild too? That would be awesome! We could go on missions together, defeat monsters, save princesses, all that cool stuff!"

Gawain was so focused on the redheaded hopefully-newcomer, that he barely even noticed the boy that had just joined, though he felt a bit of annoyance run through him as the boy came to interrupt his time with the gorgeous woman. "Geez master, I didn't think I was that big of an influence! And who would this be? A new member perhaps?" Well, at least the boy knew how to pick the right subject. The Guild Master kept looking at the woman, eager to hear her response, while still slowly moving into the right position.
“Yes, actually, that is what I’d like. Is your guild open for any positions, mister… Harlem, was it?” Gawain made a 'YES!' inside his mind, but outside, only let a pleasant smile come onto his face. The now-confirmed female newcomer had a smile on her face as well, a charming one, though it seemed like she wasn't used to it. A shame, someone like her should smile often, considering how good she looked when she did so.
"Harlen, actually. But please, call me Gawain, my dear." He preferred the more intimate first-name basis -at least with women. "And we will always have some room for a charming young lady such as yourself. All we need to do is take care of some formalities, and you are in." He had now positioned himself within striking range, standing next to the woman. "First, I need you to show me some of your magic, to make sure that you actually are a mage." He readied his Analysis magic to study her magic -and, more importantly, her other assets. Of course, though he did find out the information via Analysis, there was just something about direct touch.

He laid his hand on the woman's behind -not too obviously, though. While it could certainly be felt, it was still in a way that could be interpreted as perhaps wrapping one's hand around someone's waist -like the boy had done earlier- but gone a bit too low, maybe by accident. It was the Secret Art of the Inconspicuous Touch, mastered through years of arduous -but not unpleasant- training. Only those pure of heart -with pure desires- could use this technique to its full potential. The path to learning it was hard, full of setbacks and disappointments, but if one persevered, not straying from the Path, one could reach supreme bliss.
"Any time you're ready, my dear. Do anything that requires the use of magic." He activated Analysis, ready to examine the newcomer's magic potential -and already examining her body. It took a moment before Gawain realized that there was something odd -mostly because he was engrossed in some very interesting information he was getting. But eventually the strangeness made his logic overcome his emotions.
The woman certainly was a woman, no question about that. But her body was... strange. He couldn't quite say what it was, but there was something different about her, something unlike any women he had ever Analyzed before. There were subtle and not-so-subtle differences in her. The more he Analyzed her, the more obvious the strangeness became. Gawain's expression had changed from its former kind smile to one of curiousity, like that of a biologist that discovers a new species.

It was obvious now. This woman, yet unnamed, was not human. She was something else.

Then Gawain shrugged and the earlier smile returned to his face as he resumed Analyzing her proportions.
She may not have been human, but she definitely was a charming young woman, willing to join his har- Guild, that is. Nothing else mattered, really.




As expected, the respectable Guild Master headed over to the woman. Yuliana kept an eye over the situation while going back and forth, bringing food to the tables from the kitchen. She thought about interfering herself for a moment, but then decided that the woman Gawain was making a move on was someone who could handle herself. She wouldn't be taken advantage of easily. At least that was the image Yuliana got of her fellow redhead.
Then she blinked in surprise. It seemed like their Guild Master was not the only one making a move on the other redhead. Benjamin had headed over to her as well. The light blush that appeared on his face, his assumed attitude, the smile he gave her... Everything about him said that he was trying to make an impression on her. It seemed like he had found a love interest already. That was fast. But then again, he was a young boy. He'd probably get a crush on other girls as well. Well, she wished him luck. Love was a beautiful thing, and it always made her happy to see it blossom between people.

After she finally finished carrying the food back and forth, Yuliana noticed that Benjamin had now joined the company of Cedar, also known as 'Potato'. Since she had nothing else to do, and had promised to show him around after breakfast, Yuliana headed over to them. She sat down, bringing a plate of slices of fruit for herself, and a plate full of potatoes with butter and dill as a spice, along with a few other things to bring out the full flavor. She wasn't going to eat it herself, but had intended it for the Guild Master, who still hadn't eaten anything. Or maybe 'Potato' would like them? Though it seemed like he already had some food. "Good morning, Cedar", she greeted him. She hadn't spoken to him much, but had interacted with him a bit last night, bringing him something to eat and preparing his rooms. "Is the food to your liking?"
After exchanging a few words with Cedar, she turned to Benjamin, and then glanced at the other redhead's direction. "She is a rather pretty person, wouldn't you say?" She wanted to make sure of how he felt about the other newcomer before doing anything, even if it had been fairly obvious.
She gingerly took a slice of fruit between two of her fingers and brought it to her lips, slipping it in while waiting for the boy's answer.

Benjamin smiled as Cedar began to eat the food. He was glad that the blonde didn't think of him as a monster and more of a friend, who knows? Maybe they could even be on the same team, or whatever the mages did. He caught himself. He couldn't refer to them as mages anymore. He had to refer to them as his guild, as his family. His eyes wandered back to the red headed girl. The pervy guild master was standing quite close to her and from this angle, Ben could see his hand just floating over her rear-end. A small twinge of jealousy flew through him but he pushed it away. Women were not objects to be handled carelessly, they required constant affection and a passive nature. If you run up to a strange dog, chances are it will bite you. Women run on the same principles. If you don't love them, your not ready to own one.

Still, she did have a really nice butt.

“Who’s that, Benjamin?” Ben picked up a slight hint of recognition in Cedar's voice but discarded it as coincidence. "Hopefully a new member of the guild. She looks strong and not to mention beautiful. Stupid guild master, schmoozing her up for himself." He sighed and snatched a sausage link form Cedar's plate. It was really delicious though it would be better with stew. Ben returned to watching the new girl. Her red hair seemed to shine in the light, turning into a bright copper. The change reminded him of the girl from before. While this one was certainly pretty, there was just something about Yuliana's personality that drew him towards her. Not the Yuliana wasn't pretty, it's just this new girl was a little more-so. Though by the looks of it, she had the personality of a rock.

"She is a rather pretty person, wouldn't you say?" Ben smiled again. "Yeah, she's certainly something. Though, personally, I prefer Yuliana. You know, the one in the kitchens? She's really nice, really pretty and an amazing cook! I actually feel kind of bad for messing with her stew. I was just trying to bring out the flavor more. The ingredients that I put in wouldn't have changed the flavor, just heightened it. Letting it show it's true colors or in this case, flavors." He turned around, expecting to see Cedar or another of the guild members. Ben's heart skipped a beat when he found Yuliana standing beside him, listening to his every word. His cheeks turned the same shade of scarlet as Yuliana's hair."I mean, I, uh, shit. You didn't hear any of that."

While it was disappointing that the beautiful redhead pulled away from his hand, it wasn't overwhelmingly so. He had already gotten a good feel. He also had finished analyzing her body, so he changed Analysis to concentrate on her magic for when she actually started using it. For some reason, she seemed to hesitate a bit. “I’m very sorry, to ask sir, but I need a place where nothing will be…” the girl started, and then continued: "The magical capacity of the magic I use is too high to be used on its own in a populated area without a singular target. To put it bluntly, I would prefer to have an opponent and a place in which I won’t harm or destroy anything… important."
Gawain nodded. "I see. Your magic is highly combat-oriented, then. The training ground behind this building should do. The walls surrounding it have been Reinforced to endure any attacks that aren't specifically directed at them." Of course, they couldn't take some of the more powerful area spells out there either, but it was unlikely that anyone would use such a high level spell for just training. The kinds of attacks that could harm those walls on accident were attacks that you would only use in a life-and-death situation.
"Just follow me there, it's not a long distance..." Gawain was about to head to the door that led to the back yard of the Guild, when he heard knocks from the main entrance, and then the door opening. Soon afterwards, he saw a man wearing a postman's uniform striding towards him.

"Sir, you have an urgent letter from Mailman Trade", the postman said and handed the Guild Master a letter. Gawain broke the seal and began to read the message quickly, wanting to get back to welcoming the woman to the Guild as soon as possible. The message was simple enough, and so was the reaction it caused in the Guild Master of the no-money-at-all-at-the-moment Amaranth. Having to pay for something unnecessary was not something he wanted to do right now. At all. He had to stop Freya's rampage -it was probably Freya who was doing the destroying.
"Agreed", Gawain muttered as he read the last line on the letter.
The postman gave him another letter, a 'Poof Letter'. He had heard of the things, but he didn't really trust them. In the first place, he was very suspicious towards teleportation. The idea of his body being torn apart by some spell and then reconstructed somewhere else? Well, he changed his own bodily structure all the time, but only in parts, and it was Gawain himself who was doing it. He didn't trust someone else to do it, much less some random object. Besides, a one-use-only teleportation spell? If Mailman Trade could waste money for something like that, why did they need his money for repairs?
But as much as he disliked the idea of doing so, he would probably have to use it. While he could travel extremely fast when he wanted, every second counted in this situation.
Next was a load of gifts to Freya. Gawain watched as the pile kept growing. After the postman had left, he raised his voice. "Someone put them next to the others later!" There was a similar pile near the stage. Freya was popular. While that was a good thing sometimes -every box of sweets given to her was one third less that she ate from the Guild's stores- there were bad sides as well. What if some lecher took interest in the famous, beautiful girl, and went and took advantage of her? The respectable Guild Master could not allow something like that to happen.
But for now, there were other things he had to take care of.

Gawain took a deep breath. He then glanced at the red-haired newcomer. Then at the 'Poof Letter' in his hand. Then he took another deep breath, and turned to the woman.
"It seems like I have some business elsewhere, so I'm afraid we will have to hurry a bit, my dear. Follow me." He then took off, striding towards the side door and the training ground with long steps taken at short intervals. It did not take long before he had arrived at the large area where he had done his morning practice earlier. Once he was on the other side of one of the sparring circles, he turned around to face the woman wanting to join the Guild.
"I'll act as your opponent for this demonstration. Feel free to throw whatever you have at me: I'll be able to take it." After having said so, Gawain pulled out the quarterstaff Azure from the pocket dimension where he kept it. He took a stance with it, and proceeded to Reinforce his skin and the rest of his body. He had no idea what the woman had in mind -other than it was something intended for battle- so he had to prepare for several things. He closed his eyes.
He began to rearrange the carbon of his skin. It took a fraction of a second for him to change the 'perspective' of his Analysis so that he could 'see' the individual building blocks. After that, it took another second for him to create the shape once. Then he began to multiply it, the layer of the unique form of carbon spreading underneath his skin. Soon, it had spread everywhere in his skin. But that was not enough. He repeated the process, creating a second layer, then a third one, then another, and another... Until he had tens of thousands of them underneath his skin. Yet it didn't show outside in any way, since an individual layer was so incredibly thin. He had had a hard time even conceiving that something could be so small when he'd first tried it. But despite the thinness, they were extremely strong. Next, he pulled the protective layer tighter, so that it wouldn't simply stretch when an attack came. As the last step, he inserted a large amount of magical energy into the substance forming the new layer of skin, making it even stronger than it naturally was.
Next was the body. He started with the bones. Unlike with the skin, there wasn't really any reason to turn them back to normal after he was done, so they were always much stronger than that of an average human's bones, but he still had to check for any flaws. After he had done something very straining, he usually wasn't sharp enough to notice minor cracks and such. This time, there was nothing. The structure could stay as it was. He proceeded to fill his bones with magical energy. And the last part was his internal organs. They were so complex that he didn't dare mess with their structure -any failure would have severe consequences, especially in the case of something like the heart- so he simply Reinforced them by inserting magical energy into them, making them much more resistant to shock.
"I'm ready for whatever you have", the Guild Master said, opening his eyes. A moment of silence. "By the way, may I ask your name? You never did introduce yourself, my dear."




Yuliana waited for Benjamin's answer to her question, eating the slice of fruit. It did not take very long. "Yeah, she's certainly something. Though, personally, I prefer Yuliana. You know, the one in the kitchens? She's really nice, really pretty and an amazing cook!" She blinked, glancing at the other redhead. Yuliana did think she had chosen her colors well this morning, but she didn't really think she was as pretty as the other woman. It was a bit strange how Benjamin could call Yuliana prettier, considering how obviously infatuated he was in the other newcomer.
The boy continued before Yuliana had a chance to say anything: "I actually feel kind of bad for messing with her stew. I was just trying to bring out the flavor more. The ingredients that I put in wouldn't have changed the flavor, just heightened it. Letting it show it's true colors or in this case, flavors." True colors. She liked that metaphor. Indeed, the flavors of food was for taste what colors were for vision. When she thought about it like that, she realized that she'd probably start to enjoy cooking even more than she already did. A small smile appeared on her face.
It seemed like Benjamin hadn't realized who he had been talking to, considering how he suddenly seemed surprised when he turned around to look at her. "I mean, I, uh, shit. You didn't hear any of that." Was he the type who was easily embarassed, or why was he blushing?
"I'm afraid I did?" Yuliana said with a hint of question in her voice. "In any case, thank you for the compliment. It is always nice to have one's appearance complimented on." Her clean hand brushed her blue dress. It really seemed like he had chosen well this morning. "And I do realize that you didn't have any bad intentions when you put spices into the stew. And your choices weren't exactly bad either: While I would have added a pinch less of rosemary, the seasonings you chose were good for the stew. It is more of a matter of principle: I do not want others altering the food I've made without asking me first." She took another slice of fruit between her fingers and ate it.

At the entrance, the Guild Master had gotten some kind of letter, and seemed a bit agitated. A large pile of presents had also appeared next to the door. They were probably for Freya. Some guild members had already stood up to move them next to the others. For a moment, Yuliana wondered how Benjamin would react to Freya. Or Issabella, or Amaya, or any other girls in the Guild. He didn't seem as dead set on the newcomer as it had seemed earlier, after all.

Ben smiled and placed his hands behind his head, resting his back on the wall. "I'll keep that in mind. I'd like to cook with you in the future, I mean, if I'm allowed." he said cheerfully to the cute redhead. His eyes wandered back to catch another glimpse of the new girl but she wasn't there. Ben looked around, confused, until he spotted the guild master's grey hair bobbing across the hall towards the back. He scratched his head, didn't she have to show him her magic like he did? He began to ponder this when he came to a conclusion. The way she held her hand over her sword, her intimidating air, she must be really strong already! Ben smirked and grabbed Cedar and Yuliana's hands. "Guys, let's follow them!" He pointed to the walking pair, "I think something big is going down!"

Without waiting for an answer, Benjamin dragged them across the hall, trying to stay out of Gawain's line of sight. The other guild members seemed captivated as the new redhead walked by, their hands seemed to fidget with anything they came in contact with. Ben found it amusing though, a few minutes ago, he was doing the same and would probably do it again in the near future. Nevertheless, his attraction could wait. Being a sneaky little bugger came first. He released his new friends hands. "Alright guys, let's be really sneaky. If what is going to happen does happen, we definitely don't want to miss it." Dropping to his hands and knees, Ben silently made his way after the pair of mages, making sure to keep a fair bit of distance between them.

Meer stood silently for a moment, before placing her hand on the hilt of the sword. "Meer. Just Meer... Sir," she finished. She didn't quite know what to call him, but she assumed that "sir" would do fine.

"But If you have somewhere to be, then I will make this quick. You need not worry, sir." She said. About half of her power might be nice... No, that might be too much. She didn't know how hard the walls were... That thought didn't last long, as dark red tendrils snaked up from the hilt and burrowed themselves in her arm. Her eyes went wide. That was bad... The sword hadn't been used in a long while, but... She grimaced and forced herself to draw the blade slowly.

It, however, had different ideas. With a loud growl, it shot out of the sheathe, the tendrils pulling her arm in a sweeping motion that sent her flying forward... And, in her vision, straight through Gawain and into the wall behind him. The sword glanced off of it. Meer took a moment to be impressed that the wall was able to take that kind of shot with only a scratch, actually.

She turned around to face Gawain again. "My apologies. The sword... Is not quite normal. I will attack you this time, though," She said. It wasn't much of an apology, but for Meer's purposes, it worked.

The sword changed from the smaller weapon that she used when putting it in its sheathe to the larger, wider form that boosted her power. Depending on how large this one got, she could create more power. The metal itself never changed its weight, for that weight was equivalent to the number of lives it had taken, but it could change length and size within a certain degree. She still kept it just enough that she could swing comfortably, though a normal human, even when the power form was this small, would probably use two hands to do this.

"Ready," She murmured out of habit, and dashed forward, bringing the sword near the ground to swing upwards at him. Her speed, though, she kept in check. If she went too fast now, she might reach the limit of the rules later. That would be bad for any fairy. Very, very bad.

Cedar

Cedar was being dragged along to... Follow the odd lady and the creepy old man? It wasn't quite the best situation, but... He still needed to ask the man where Liricia was. He had yet to do that, though now he was in considerably better spirits than he was earlier in the day.

"Hey... What are they doing...?" He whispered, since it seemed like everyone was being somewhat quiet.

While he was waiting, he Reinforced Azure, the quarterstaff he was holding, as well. Since he had taken care of any structural flaws earlier, making it as sturdy as it was possible for an object of its shape and material, he only had to insert magical energy into the small gaps within the parts that formed it, strengthening its internal ties. He kept putting in more and more energy into it, making sure there were no empty spots. As a result, it became an object that few things could match in durability. It was a family heirloom, the only thing he had left of his now nonexistant family. Even his brother had died some years ago. So he wanted to keep it in perfect condition. Of course, he could Repair it, if anything ever actually happened to it. He had used it for years and years, knowing its structure, both magical and physical, inside-out. He could even replicate it perfectly, if needed. He would rather not do that, though.
The woman introduced herself as Meer, and added a 'sir' to refer to Gawain. She was the formal type, then. Well, that was good, too. Charming in its own way. Not everyone had to be like Freya, no matter how charming she was. Variety was a good thing, in women as well. If there were only one route, it would get boring soon enough, no matter how delightful the treasure that awaits at the end. It was good that there were many different types, each with their own ways of being charming. For example, there had been another extremely charming girl, once. He hadn't seen her in years, but she had been one of the most delightful girls he had ever met. Covering her shyness with displays of anger.
The Guild Master didn't have more time to think about it, as Meet was beginning to pull out her sword. Gawain readied his quarterstaff- and blinked. Meer had suddenly disappeared -no, she had not. She had merely moved at an extremely high speed. He activated Analysis for a moment, and could sense the traces of the strange magic used. It lead behind him. Gawain turned around, and saw Meer standing there. "My apologies. The sword... Is not quite normal. I will attack you this time, though", the woman said.
Gawain stared at her for a moment, and then, slowly, a grin appeared on his face. She was interesting. She wasn't simply beautiful, but possessed a fair bit of power as well, from the looks of it. He might even be able to fight seriously against her. From the way she moved, he could see that she was a warrior -her movements were fluid, instinctual. She required no thought to perform as she did. It came to her naturally, either through great amounts of practice, or sheer talent. Or both. And that sword of hers was interesting as well. It changed its size, becoming larger. It was easily large enough to require most people a two-handed grip, yet Meer was holding it with ease, not seeming strained by its weight. Of course, there was the possibility that the size merely brought it reach, not actually changing its mass.
"Ready", Meer murmured, and came at Gawain, moving at a high speed -yet nowhere near the speed she had moved at earlier. Her sword flashed upwards towards his chest.

Azure swung sideways, redirecting the blade away from Gawain's body, the white, Reinforced wood striking against the metal of the sword. The Guild Master took three long steps backwards, away from the wielder of the shorter weapon, before Meer could gain complete control over her weapon after his block. Now at a safe distance, able to take full advantage of the quarterstaff's superior length. He took the offensive, making a lightning-fast thrust at Meer's chest. She avoided it, stepping sideways and swinging her sword at him again. She was fast. But a quarterstaff always had the advantage against a sword. The distance between their bodies was simply too long for a blade. Gawain stepped backwards again and swung the staff sideways with an amount of power easily capable of crushing bones behind it. Of course, she managed to block it -she was no amateur. Either her skill or her instincts, or both, were amazing. She moved without hesitation. But he wasn't exactly a rookie either.
They kept exchanging blows. Strikes from the staff flew at the swordswoman's direction repeatedly, not giving her a moment's rest. Each strike aimed at a different place: One tried to break her arm, another to crush her windpipe, another to crack her skull. Of course, there was no real killing intent behind them. He was good enough to stop any strike before it actually reached its goal. His opponent was certainly the same -not that it mattered, considering that his skin was almost impenetrable right now. Even if she did deliver a hit, it wouldn't even scratch his skin unless she put all her power behind it.
She really was good. Despite his endless barrage of attacks, she was slowly adjusting to them, learning how to read their pattern. It would not take soon before she would take the offensive, and force him on the defensive. That would be no problem per se -defense was his forte, after all- but unless he was the one attacking, he couldn't end this. Her sword swung at his neck. He blinked, pulling his head backwards quickly, and proceeded to sweep at her legs with Azure. That one had been close. How had she closed the distance between them so quickly? Gawain quickly decided that he could probably make only three more attacks before the tide of the battle would change to his opponent's favor.

He needed to do something differently. He changed his grip, abandoning the traditional grip -one hand at the end, one at a quarter of the staff's length away from the end- which gave the quarterstaff its name, grabbing it close to the middle instead. He then began to spin it, moving at a much greater speed, in more -seemingly- erratic patterns. His style had suddenly changed completely, from the mostly defensive form of the traditional grip to a lightning-fast, unpredictable one that was almost like fighting against two weapons at once.
He managed to gain the momentum again. His opponent had to learn to read his movement's again due to the sudden and complete change in them. And the attacks, even faster than before, were at an advantage against a large, somewhat unwieldy weapon like the sword's current form, in a different way from the long reach of the traditional grip. But that did not last for long either. She learned at an astounding pace, soon knowing where his attacks would come from before the movement's for them even truly started. Of course, that was no wonder. When a weapon was in a certain position, it could only move in certain ways -at least if the wielder wanted to stay alive.
The momentum shifted to her again. Knowing that his stranger technique would no longer work, he shifted back to the traditional form, taking steps away from her to bring the staff back in front of him. It did not give him the momentum again, since she had learned the staff's movements before, but it was the form he was more comfortable with. He began using the attacks he had used before, thrusting for her windpipe, trying to crack her bones, but she knew them by now, and how to block, redirect or dodge them in a way that would give her an opportunity to attack.

She began to overpower him. With each blow they exchanged, the fight shifted more in her favor. She came closer and closer, and Gawain was unable to make good footwork to get distance between them, as she learned what timing he used for it, closing any distance as soon as he to made it. The Guild Master realized that he was no match for Meer in a simple contest of arms. He would lose if this were a simple duel between two ordinary people.
However, this was not a simple duel between two ordinary people. His opponent was not an ordinary person. She was not even human, if he had understood what he had Analyzed of her earlier correctly. But neither was he an ordinary person. While he was definitely human, he was also the Master of Amaranth. A former member of the Magic Council. And he was much better these days. His strength did not lie in using weapons, even if he was good at it. First and foremost, he was a Mage.
Meer's blade swung at his throat again. This time, there was no way he could dodge it -no way he could move his feet quickly enough to get out of the way. But his feet were not the only way of movement he had available.
Direction Change: Backwards. Burden: Two.
Suddenly, he felt a force twice as strong as normal gravity pull him away from Meer, giving him a speed that no person could match on foot. He easily got away from the blade in time. In one second, there was a distance of ten meters between them. More than enough.
Direction Change: Forwards.
He slowed himself down by giving himself a pull to the opposite direction, with the same strength. In another second, he had traveled another ten meters, and came to a halt.
Direction Change: Down. Burden: One.
He was now standing some twenty meters away from his opponents, within a time of only two seconds.
Before his opponent had the chance to close the distance between them again, he lifted his hand, with the palm pointing at Meer. "Restriction." A silver portal, roughly one meter in diameter, opened in front of him, and a dozen silvery chains shot towards the woman. She reacted quickly, swinging her blade, managing to cut one when it came too close, and then another, and a third one. However, then the chains overwhelmed her, one wrapping around the arm holding the sword, another grabbing her leg. Soon, they had completely sealed her movements. A second passed, then another. The chains stayed in place, not letting her move.
"I believe this match is decided, then?" Gawain said after a moment, relaxing his form, ready to release Meer as soon as she admitted her loss -or ready to move again if she did something unexpected. "That was a good fight. It's been a while since I've fought against an opponent of your caliber."

Yuliana gave Benjamin a small smile upon hearing his offer to cook with her. Some extra help in the kitchen was always welcome -as long as they didn't do anything without informing her of it first. It wasn't easy, cooking for a large part of a guild by herself. There were many others who could cook, but they did so only occasionally, unlike Yuliana, who did it almost every day. She ate another slice of fruit, and right when she was about to answer to Benjamin, the boy got excited about something, smirking and suddenly grabbing her hand. Her confusion did not last long, as he brought her and Cedar's -who had also been grabbed- attention to the Guild Master and the other newcomer, who were heading outside. "Guys, let's follow them! I think something big is going down!" Benjamin said excitedly, and proceeded to pull them across the hall, almost making Yuliana stumble. It was not exactly easy to move at such a high speed in the dress she was wearing. It took her a moment to adjust her steps so that she wasn't in the danger of falling down.
After a while, he finally released them, letting Yuliana take his own pace again. "Alright guys, let's be really sneaky. If what is going to happen does happen, we definitely don't want to miss it", Benjamin said, and dropped onto his hands and knees for some reason. Yuliana watched him, a bit amused. There wasn't really any reason to be sneaky. The Guild Master wouldn't mind.
"There is no need for that, Benjamin", Yuliana said, and walked after the Master and the other redhead openly. Right after he had passed the crawling Benjamin, however, he looked over his shoulder at him, and said: "Oh, and by the way, one of these days, I intend to make you wear a dress. You'll see what it's like, being pulled around like that." She gave him an uncharacteristic grin, and then hurried after the Guild Master.

Arriving at the training grounds behind the Guild, she took up a position at the edge, a safe distance from the two who were about to start their duel. She sat down on the bench positioned there, and looked them over. It had been a while since she had last observed a fight like this. Not many people would guess it from looking at her, but she enjoyed watching contests of skill, measuring the strength of people. As long as they were simply contests. If they became just violence, she wouldn't stand silent and watch.
She finally got a name for the other redhead, as she introduced herself as Meer. Soon after that, the battle seemed to start. Meer had suddenly moved from in front of the Guild Master to behind him. But then she apologized. Apparently, it had not been intentional.
But then the duel started for real. Meer charged at Gawain, swinging her sword at him with great speed.

It was far too fast-paced for Yuliana. She liked to watch, but she didn't usually actually get to see much of what really happened during physical contests like these. The way their bodies moved like the wind, in one place at a time, then in another, was not something she could follow with her eyes. She had no battle experience of her own, and thus couldn't follow their movements. She wasn't fit for battle. Even if she decided to use an offensive form of Fire Magic -easy enough for her, considering that the Iridescent Flame was infinitely harder to control than conventional Fire Magic- she would most likely lose any battle with any other member of the Guild, save perhaps Sidney, despite the great magic potential she held. She wouldn't be able to react in time for any attacks, and would definitely get hit. In battle, she was nothing short of useless, except in supporting roles.
Despite her inability to follow the individual moves the combatants made, she could still see that Meer was nothing to scoff at. She was easily matching Gawain in speed and power, holding her own against the man's endless attacks. Not only that, but it seemed like she was slowly pushing the old man back. Yuliana had seen the Master duel against many other members, many of them very skilled with weapons, but few of them had managed to do what Meer was doing right now. At some point, the Guild Master changed his style, but even that didn't seem to work for long, as he changed back later.
It was impressive. Even someone who wasn't even an amateur, like Yuliana, could easily see that it was a match between two experts. Their weapons kept whirling at incredible speeds, far greater than your average warrior could handle. The skill of both combatants was glaringly obvious. It could also be seen that Meer was the one who was better, although it was not a large difference.

And then it shifted away from weapons, and into magic. The Guild Master suddenly moved at a great speed, pulled away by something invisible. Yuliana hadn't seen him use that magic many times, but had deduced that it was probably some form of Gravity Magic. At least he had once crawled into the kitchen, coming to snatch some food. Crawled on the ceiling. She hadn't noticed him until it he had already been on his way out.
After getting to a safe distance, Gawain proceeded to use his Chain Magic, which, unlike Gravity Magic, was a common sight. The silver chains -which were of a particularly fine shade, by the way- shot at the other redhead, wrapping around her despite her managing to cut a few of them. The match was decided.
Yuliana nodded approvingly. It had been a good match, rather entertaining. He turned towards Benjamin and Cedar. "What do you think? The Master is not quite as slowed down by age as you'd think, wouldn't you say?" While he had his bad habits, he was, at the end of the day, a very impressive man.

Ben picked himself off the floor and sighed, looks like his stealth training would have to wait. Besides, it's not like the old guy would notice him. He was completely enthralled by the beautiful redhead beside him. Of course, Ben was too but he had another object of affection on his mind. "Oh, and by the way, one of these days, I intend to make you wear a dress. You'll see what it's like, being pulled around like that." Ben laughed, he had never worn a dress before but he imagined them to be very poofy. He didn't really have another word to describe it, just poofy. "It will be my honor." the boy said as he quickly followed Yuliana outside.

As soon as he stepped outside, a loud clang rang through his ears. His enhanced reflexes kicked in, throwing his eyes into a whirling mess as he tried to follow their movements. The redhead looked even more beautiful in the heat of battle. He crimson hair flowed about her like a raging fire and she moved with an unnatural grace that no human could achieve. Her huge sword switched between visibility and a speeding blur but the one thing that caught his eye was the tendrils that burrowed themselves into her arm. Benjamin winced and rubbed his own. 'Ouch, that looks like it hurts.'

The energy of battle seemed to change the guild master as well. No longer did he look like a grumpy, perverted old man. He was a great warrior, able to hold his own with a normal staff against that huge blade. While the redhead's attacks had grace, the old man's had finesse. Every movement he made seemed to have a purpose, each a part in a bigger plan. Even though he could see better then the others, the battle was too fast-paced for even him to keep tabs on. The only times he got clear sight was a fraction of a second after the opponent received a blow. Even so, Ben could tell the red head was beginning to overpower the guild master. Her sword reached for his throat. 'Well, that was exi-'

Suddenly, the guild master flew backwards as if an invisible force had slammed into him. The blonde boy couldn't finish his thought. He was too enthralled by the amazing development playing out in front him. His eyes couldn't even hope to follow the speed of the master's movements. In an instant, the man was standing 20 meters away from his opponent. Silver chains sprouted from his palm and flew towards the redhead. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't get them all and was soon unable to move. The guild master released her and she kneeled to him. A small flare of jealousy lit inside Benjamin.

"What do you think? The Master is not quite as slowed down by age as you'd think, wouldn't you say?" Ben jumped, he had forgotten her and Cedar were there. "He was so cool! They both moved so fast, I could barely keep up!" He thrust his thumb towards his chest, "Just watch, I'm going to be just as strong as guild master and the redhead!" He turned back to see the ending of the match and caught the girl's smile. Ben blushed and twiddled his thumbs through their silken confines.

Gawain released Meer from the chains as soon as he felt her will to fight disappear. The silver chains vanished as if they had never been there. Now relaxing completely, the Guild Master put Azure back into the pocket dimension he'd taken it from. He also began to Analyze his hardened skin, and slowly began to turn it back to normal.
While he was in the midst of the process, Meer came over to him, and suddenly kneeled in front of him. “The pleasure was mine, Master Harlen”, the woman said to him. “I believe that you said there was something urgent you had to attend to, so I will take my leave. Where shall I go to officially become part of this guild?” Ah, that was right. The battle had been so intense, that he had almost forgotten that he was in a hurry.
"Call me Gawain, please. You can keep the 'master', if that makes you comfortable, but call me by my first name." Then he nodded towards the direction of the spectators he had noticed just now. "As for the formalities of joining the Guild... You can see Yuliana over there, right? The girl with hair like yours? She handles things like that when I am too busy for one reason or another. As long as I've approved of someone, she can handle the paperwork of someone joining."
The Guild Master finished turning his skin back to normal. Turning it back to normal was harder than Reinforcing it. "As much as I'd like to do it personally for you, I have to leave now. I'll see you again when I come back." He took the 'Poof Letter' from his pocket, and, though he was as suspicious towards Teleportation Magic as always, he opened it, disappearing instantly in a poof of white smoke.


(Mailman Trade)

Silence.
"I'm not paying for this", the Guild Master said adamantly to himself as he stared at the sight in front of him.
One would think that a person in his position would get used to things like this. But he didn't. Nor did he want to get used to things like this.
"I'm not paying for this", he said again. This time, it attracted the attention of a busy-looking man, who came over to him. "You must be Amaranth's guild master, then. I must say I disagree -you are paying for this."
"For this?" Gawain asked, waving his hand at the Mailman Trade building.
Or, what used to be a building. Now, it was a pile of wood, stone, and money. Though the last one seemed to be disappearing rather quickly. The 'building' had about half of its roof torn off, had no difference between its ground floor and its basement, and had a bar on the top of what remained of its roof -upside down.
"Yes, for this. Your people were not exactly as careful as they could have been when they so kindly liberated the building." Obviously. Couldn't they have done the fighting outside? Or at least refrained from using the more destructive spells. The man continued: "In any case, you will be paying for the damages, obviously. We will have an estimate of the costs soon enough."
Gawain watched as people went back and forth, doing some flimsy repairs. A couple people seemed to be setting up a sign that said 'Freya Hirane was here'. "I suppose you're going to tell me that you had a sign like that to begin with? Well, that doesn't matter, since I'm not paying." The Guild Master started towards the ruins of the building. He was not paying, but he couldn't simply leave, either. They did, technically, have the right to demand payment.
The Guild Master went over to the doorframe. The door that was supposed to be in it had been blown off one way or another. It was lying a short distance away. Gawain grabbed the door, and brought it over to the frame it belonged to. Then, he activated Analysis, and began the long process of Repairing the entire building -which was hard, since he didn't have any real information on what it had looked like to begin with. Nevertheless, he was not paying, and that was that.




The Guild Master disappeared soon in a puff of smoke. Apparently, the job of doing the paperwork was left to her again. Not that she really minded, but it would have been a good thing if the Master did it himself every now and then.
"He was so cool! They both moved so fast, I could barely keep up! Just watch, I'm going to be just as strong as guild master and the redhead!" Benjamin said after the battle had finished. Upon hearing that, Yuliana felt something. Suddenly, she made a decision.
"Yes, you will be", she said with strong conviction, looking at the boy with a firm gaze. "I will make sure of that." He had potential. And he had the will to become strong. All that he lacked was proper nurturing. If he was taken care of, so that he wouldn't collapse under the pressure, after the failures, he would surely become something great. She would take this boy and turn him into a true Mage. Her mind began planning the process -different kinds of training, different kinds of mental support...
As she stared at him, she probably looked quite different from her usual self. She did not have her usual gentleness to her, but rather, a firmness. An absolute dedication to a task. It did not last long before she adopted her usual expression, however. She turned to look at the other redhead, Meer. She would likely provide much help in growing Benjamin to his potential. He had stated that he would become as strong as Meer. Therefore, she was a goal to him -in more than just one way, if Yuliana interpreted his blush correctly- and would help motivate him.
"But for now, I will have to take care of our other new member." She took her eyes off Benjamin and headed over to the other redhead. "Let me welcome you into the Guild. I am Yuliana Lumina. As the Master told you, I take care of things when he's busy. You will need to fill in some official forms before you are an actual member of the Guild. After that, you may receive the Guild Tattoo, and you will become a member. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."