EMPIRE | j. fernandes

Chapter Nine: Brandish

Both of the mages had been quite surprised. The woman reeked of magic energy, and it had been quite choking. Jellal had done his best to remain calm, but the sweat on his skin said otherwise. He swallowed. Should he feel threatened? Even if it wasn't her intention, she was most definitely threatening to the two mages. That was when Jellal noticed the marking at her upper thigh. It looked familiar.

"Lady Brandish, my dear; where exactly are we going?" There was another voice. Jellal and Meredy had been quick to respond, though with absolute silence. A man with tanned skin and dark locks of hair came up from behind the woman, head tilted to its side.

"We're looking for her." Brandish retorted. Her eyes, examining the two mages before them.

"But, my lady, I highly doubt she'd be here out of all places."

Brandish ignored him.

"Don't act so cruel Lady Br— "

"Shut up, Marin." The girls' eyebrows furrowed, clearly irritated with her so-called 'partner.' "You talk too much. I know what I'm doing." Brandish turned her head, shooting Marin the side-eyed glare. Even though the glare hadn't been directed towards Jellal and Meredy, it still sent shivers through every inch of their body. But, who were the two unfamiliar mages looking for?

Marin panicked. His hands waved in front of his chest in defense. "My apologies! I was just trying to help." Without thinking, he peeked over Brandish's shoulder to take a look at the two other mages. Brandish followed his gaze and had soon been reminded of why the two of them had been there.

Jellal grew weary. Should he even ask? He felt a tug at his wrist.

"Let's go." Meredy attempted to recede the man from the situation. Jellal didn't budge. If anything, Jellal only took a step forward. He wanted to ask so many questions. The marking at her thigh, now, he knew exactly where she came from. Alvarez. What was someone from Alvarez doing in a small town like this?

"What are you doing here?" Brandish questioned, hand now set at her hips. "You shouldn't be here."

Jellal was stunned. They were asking why they had been there? Shouldn't he be the one to ask? Why was there someone from Alvarez was visiting this part of town. Jellal swallowed.

"Commission." He simply stated, biting his inner cheek. "We're here taking on a commission." Jellal couldn't lie. It would just dig a deeper hole for Meredy and him. If Brandish asked what kind of commission, then he wouldn't know how to respond. What if they were looking for the same person?

Brandish lowered her eyelids. She didn't exactly believe the two wizards, but she didn't have any choice but to trust them. She wanted to keep any combat to a minimum. The woman was feeling quite lazy today. There was a sigh. Thank god Marin wasn't talking. With a simple wave of the hand, she turned to her side. Walking off to the nearest vendor, she began to search for a fruit.

"What you do doesn't concern me." She spoke. "Sorry, I mean, whatever your commission is doesn't concern me. Don't get in my way, and I won't get in yours." Brandish let out a sigh, feeling at the mango's on sale to find the best one. "But, I am curious. What exactly is the commission?" Her optics shifted from one mango to the next. She slipped a golden coin into the wooden box, Marin watching from a distance.

" ... " Jellal went silent. " ...We're looking for someone." He explained. "We actually have a few clues and— " His eyes widened. Didn't the request mention that the bounty had been from Alvarez as well? And just a few minutes ago, Meredy had mentioned it too. How could he be so oblivious? Rummaging through his pockets, he pulled out the wrinkled sheet of paper. Jellal gawked down at it, an overwhelming sense of fear swallowed him whole. There was no way they were searching for the same person, right?

Brandish took notice of the sudden silence, and turned her head to peek at the mage at the corner of her eye.

"What is it?"

Jellal swallowed.

"Did someone go missing at the empire?" He asked. Golden optics glued to the sheet over paper. Jellal was too frightened to look up. If he said something wrong, he was going to be murdered right there and then. Slowly, he lifted his head to see the cloaked girl.

If looks could kill, Jellal would be dead by now. Brandish turned, her front now facing the blue haired mage. A hand was brought up, and that sent Jellal into a panic. Should he fight? Every possible question raced through his mind, and then, he watched as Marin shrunk to the size of a doll. What was ... was that Brandish's magic? He continued to eye the scene. Was Brandish not going to fight him? Did he not touch a nerve? Instead, he could hear the woman let out a dreading sigh.

"Why would it matter to you if someone did?" She asked, lowering herself to pick up Marin, shoving the man into her pocket as if he had been nothing but a toy. She bit the mango. Once she swallowed, she began to speak again.

"Let's be clear, if you happen to find someone who is part of the Alvarez Empire, you will return them to me." She seemed supercilious; her pretty brown eyes were gelid. "Do you understand?"

Jellal couldn't find the words to say anything. Was his hunch right? Brandish's gaze shifted from Jellal over to Meredy, and then back to Jellal. There was yet another sigh, this time in defeat.

"Fine, I'll tell you something. I can't tell you much, but I'll tell you what you need to know." Brandish rested a hand at her hip, allowing her weight her shift onto one leg.

"She has blonde hair."

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INDEX
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