I won't be publishing the next chapter because it's not finished yet. I totally didn't spend all my time watching a 200 video series instead of writing.................................pls dont judge :P
#RIPMianiteS3
For the past week or so all I could smell was salt, all I could taste was salt. Our food was quickly diminishing and we recently resorted to hunting for fish. Yes, you heard that right. Hunting for fish. Since we did not have a fishing rod we were forced to take turns diving down into the ocean (with the Wind Shard's help) to look for fish. Speka would offer to cook the fish with the help of her fireballs. Luckily our water supply was still doing quite well.
If I had known we'd be trapped on a tiny, floating piece of wood for days on end would I have been so adamant to escape? The dirty survivor's camp in Velder didn't sound so awful anymore.
"I spy with my little eye something that's...pink!" Amos has desperately been trying to keep himself entertained throughout the boring day. Though his childish games annoyed me at first I soon found myself engaged in his activities. The others had the same thing in mind.
"Pink?" Elsword perked up at the new colour. Usually, Amos would list out as many shades of blue as he could.
"The sky," Eve pointed to the twilight stretching over our heads.
"Yup!" Amos clapped enthusiastically.
"Wow, it's been that long already?" Elsword tilted his head back to gaze up at the heavens. "Another day wasted at sea."
"Chung, are you positive you know where you are going?" Eve asked.
Chung, who was standing at the front of the boat, bobbed his head," we'll be there soon."
"You said that three days ago," I groaned.
"We're even closer now," he added as if it should make me feel better. "It won't be too long now."
"We should start hunting soon," Raven said, digging the El Shard out of his pocket. "I went this morning; who wants to go next?"
"Elsword should go," Speka suggested with a bored expression.
"What?! Why me?" He glared at the mage. "Why don't you go?"
"I already went yesterday night." She said matter-of-factly. "Besides, every time we need to hunt you always seem to be asleep. It's rare for you to be awake at this hour." Elsword's face dropped in horror as Speka smirked. "Since it's so rare for you to be awake to hunt why don't you do it?"
"W-well Chung never goes hunting either!"
"That's because he's in charge of navigation." Raven reminded him flatly. "Stop complaining and go get us some dinner." He practically shoved the Shard into Elsword's hand.
Elsword grumbled angrily under his breath before diving down into the salty water, intentionally splashing us with salty droplets before diving under. Speka chuckled at his behaviour and rolled her eyes," he wouldn't last a day without our help."
Raven grinned," tell me about it."
Speka is seemingly doing better now. When we first started our journey across the sea she kept to herself and barely talked to any of us; I could only imagine she was beating herself up for severely injuring Velder knights with the El Shard while trying to save me. It wasn't until Amos forced her to play games with him that she started to open up again; in fact, none of us talked like we used to until we were all dragged into Amos' games. Though Speka was still reserved and possibly guilt-ridden it was warming to see her laughing and talking with us again.
"Eve, it's your turn now." Amos reminded the Nasod Queen.
Eve smiled and patted his head," thank you for reminding me. Now I spy with my little eye..."
Elsword returned with dinner shortly after the sky turned dark. Even though the day has officially ended and dinner was served throughout the group, Chung continued to navigate through the inky sea. How he isn't getting lost is beyond me. While Chung maintained his position at the head of the boat the rest of us huddled around Speka's burning staff. It was nice of her to keep the team warm each and every night during dinner.
"We're completely out of apples," Eve announced with a frown.
"At least we still have a couple oranges left," I said, relieved that we still had something other than fish.
"Man, it makes me wonder what's happening at Velder." Elsword thought out loud as he took a bite out of his share of meat. "Hope Elesis isn't too mad with what we've done."
The water beneath our boat sloshed continuously, our small wooden boat bobbed along to its never-ending rhythm.
"Let's face it, Elsword." Speka replied in a defeated tone. "We're criminals now. They probably have a bounty on us already."
"I wouldn't be surprised if one of the Velder mages teleported to Hamel and informed them about us," Raven added.
Elsword burst out laughing. Speka raised her brow at his unusual reaction," what's so funny?" She asked.
"S-sorry," he wiped a single tear out of his eye. "I just find it funny how one minute we're a bunch of heroes and the next we're fugitives."
"Fugitives?" Amos looked absolutely horrified at Elsword's claim. "I-I thought we were the good guys." The young Ponggo shot his two guardians a confused look.
"We still are the good guys, kiddo," Raven reassured, ruffling the top of his head. "It's just we had to take some extreme measures to get here."
"I know you guys had to...steal food and fight your friends. I-I just didn't think they'd label us as bad guys since we didn't kill anyone." Amos' fluffy ears drooped.
"It does not matter how the knights perceive our actions, Amos." Eve wrapped her gentle, motherly arm around Amos. "As long as we stay true to ourselves and the purpose of our mission we do not need to worry about our image in the eyes of others."
"It still stinks that they see us as bad guys," Amos mumbled, curling into Eve's side.
"That's just life, kiddo." Raven piped in. "Not everyone will approve of what you're doing. In other words, you'll always be the bad guy to someone else."
Amos didn't respond but I could see Raven's message eased some tension in him. Amos fluttered his eyes shut and snuggled closer to Eve. We ate the remainder of our meal in peace, nothing but the crackling fire and moving water to keep our ears occupied.
"So, Ara, I've been meaning to ask," Elsword spoke once everyone was well-fed and ready to retire for the night.
"Yes?" I had a gut feeling of what he wanted to say.
Elsword turned his head toward the horizon and in a whisper, he asked," why did you make friends with an enemy demon?"
Speka's shoulders tensed, her eyes seemingly fixed permanently on the flame dancing at the end of her staff. Eve and Raven shifted closer to one another while Chung said not a peep, though I knew he was listening to every word.
I let out a slow breath and tilted my head up. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, the ancient diamonds in the sky shined their brightest. I pictured all the friends and allies we've lost dancing among the thousands of twinkling lights. At least in death, they could find eternal peace.
Are you okay? Eun asked gently.
'Yeah.' I answered, still transfixed by the night's beauty. 'I knew someone was going to ask at one point. I just wasn't ready to remember all the friends we lost.'
You do not have to tell them if you are not ready.
'Eun, when will I ever be ready? Besides, if I want to earn their complete trust I'll need to be transparent with them.' I shuddered at the thought of revealing everything to my team. While I wish I could keep my secrets to myself until the end of my days, I couldn't do that to the people I cared about.
I closed my eyes. I could picture Aisha softly encouraging for me to tell them, to not be afraid of the people I care deeply about. She might even threaten to smack Elsword in the head if he made fun of me, this would be her way of making me feel less tense. Rena, though I barely knew the real her, would no doubt urge for me to tell the team; if not the team then Chung. Yang would rest its warm, soft head on my lap as I told my story. My fingers instinctively twitched as I pictured myself scratching the back of Yang's ear, a method to keep calm while I opened up to the team.
My three friends may be light years away from me but I still found comfort in my memories of them. I fluttered my eyes open, allowing several droplets of tears to run down my eyes and drip into the salty waters below.
"I'll tell you," I said, returning my gaze to the group. Amos was now fast asleep in Eve's arms, everyone else was awake. "It's going to be a long story so you better get comfortable." I paused, allowing myself to adjust to my quickened heart rate. "Let me tell you something about my past..."
I started my tale with the past I tried so desperately to hide, everyone who hadn't heard of my story before offered me their condolences. Afterwards, I got into details about Scarlet's past, the group tensed at the similar backstory she shares with me. Then I allowed myself to recall my days spent with Scarlet, how my mindset about her changed as we seemingly grew closer. Nostalgia welcomed me as I told the tales of happier days. It was hard to admit how she made me feel less lonely, especially since I was surrounded by loving people each and every day; though it hurt even more to admit my brother may be the demon who killed Aisha.
After I finished telling everything I had to tell the boat was silent. Everyone seemed to be avoiding eye contact with me like they don't recognise me anymore.
"So...your brother caused Aisha's death...not you." The flame on Speka's staff intensified.
"I share the blame with him," I answered in a heartbeat. "I-it was my fault for being so shell-shocked over what...Aren has become."
"Still..."Speka (thankfully) lowered the strength of her flame. "It makes a bit more sense now that I know about...y'know."
"Ara, I am deeply sorry about your brother." Eve's voice was soft and light as a feather. "While I do not understand what it means to have a sibling I do understand how much it hurts to lose someone important to you."
"Thanks for opening up to us about everything." Raven offered a gentle, kind smile. "I know that isn't easy."
"You guys deserve to know," I tucked my knees into my chest and hugged them. "Especially after all the trouble, I caused."
"I'm glad you told us." Elsword was looking at me for the first time since he started the conversation. "While I can't bring myself to fully forgive for what you did just yet, I know it'll be easier to do so now that I know."
I responded to him with a smile. I didn't feel any more words needed to be exchanged.
"And uh," Elsword scratched his cheek. "While I don't really know what it's like to lose a sibling I can understand your pain." Sincerity painted his eyes as he looked into mine. "I'm really sorry about what happened to your brother. I wouldn't wish that on anyone."
"Thanks," I dropped my gaze to my feet, silently praying no one noticed my glassy eyes.
"At least you don't anything to constantly remind you of your dead sibling," Speka said under her breath. "I share the same damn face and voice as mine."
"Speka--" the mage tensed, visibly taken aback that someone overheard her comment.
"Alright, story time is over." Speka waved her staff in a circle, breaking the magical fire into glowing particles. Chung grunted at the abrupt absence of light. "Who wants to take the first watch?" Speka asked.
"I-I will," I offered, knowing sleep will only evade me tonight.
*****
Even though we were practically in the middle of nowhere it was mandatory to have someone stay up and keep a lookout for threats. We had every right to be paranoid that we'd run into a Red Knight ship somewhere in the ocean, especially after the mess we caused during the escape, and sharks. None of us wanted to get eaten by sharks.
Every night Speka, with the help of the El Shard, would cast a spell to keep us levitated several inches above the water. This was to keep us from drifting off course as we slept. It was comforting, to say the least, to know we wouldn't get lost at sea.
Like any other night while I was on watch I spent my time studying the mysterious book from Velder while listening to the soft, rolling waves. It frustrated me that I couldn't decipher the ancient language printed in the book's pages, not even the occasional pictures could help me understand its contents. I, however, had an idea that the Shards were somehow connected to the relationship between humans and demons as much of the illustrations showed humans and demons existing together.
The creaking of wood snapped my head up from the book. I looked back to see it was only Chung joining me at the head of the ship.
"You've been reading that for a while now." He said, taking a seat beside me. "Find anything useful yet?"
I shook my head," nothing but confusing pictures." I gently shut the book and rested it on my lap. "What are you doing up so late?"
"Couldn't sleep," he answered, eyes continuing to linger on me. I mentally thanked the darkness for hiding the very obvious blush on my face. "Aren't you cold just wearing that?"
"Oh, this thing?" I almost forgot I was only in an old black t-shirt. "Nah, I don't really get bothered by the cold anymore." I reached down my shirt and pulled out the blue pendant he gifted me long ago.
"You still have that thing?" His sapphire eyes softened on the pendant.
"Of course," I said, dropping the pendant back to its original position. "It works better than any sweater and it looks fabulous."
"It looks even better on you," he winked. I could feel the burning blush on my cheeks spread.
"W-what's with you tonight?" I snapped my eyes away from him, suddenly finding interest in the horizon.
He laughed," what? I just wanna tease you a little bit."
"Glad you still have your sense of humour, Rapunzel." A cheeky grin spread on my face at his old nickname.
"Anything for you, demon freak." For once his absurd nickname for me didn't irk me.
For a moment we didn't say anything, basking in the silence embracing us this cloudless night. I absentmindedly found myself decreasing the distance between us (he had the similar idea) until we were practically leaning against each other. Neither of us was bothered by the invasion of personal space.
"It was brave of you to tell us about Scarlet tonight." He said after a while. "Thanks for helping us understand the situation better." He laid his hand gently over mine, his touch soft like feathers.
"It was the hardest thing I've ever done," I admitted, interlocking fingers with him. Though he was dressed in a warm sweater his hands were freezing. "I know you guys will never fully understand the complex friendship between me and Scarlet."
"You got that right." Chung snorted.
I knew he was only joking but I stomped his foot regardless," thank you for listening till the end."
"You have a funny way of showing your gratitude." He glared daggers at me but I was left unfazed by his bluff.
"Yeah, yeah," I rested my head on his shoulder laughing. "You aren't that scary anymore."
"Damn, I've been growing too soft." He jokingly replied.
Elsword muttered something about cake in his sleep before resuming to fill our ears with his pig-like snores.
"Chung, do you ever wonder what life would be like if magic and demons never existed?" I whispered.
"The world would be a lot safer," he answered without hesitation. "Without magic there would be fewer deaths, the lack of demons would mean you could go explore the wilderness without having to know how to fight."
"And we wouldn't be stuck in this mess," I added. "I wonder where we would be in a perfectly normal world."
"Elsword would probably be passed out from partying too much." He chuckled at his own answer. "You'd still be with your family, Aisha would still be alive and Elesis would still be able to walk. The list goes on."
"A perfect fantasy," I sighed.
It was hard for me to imagine a world where none of this existed, where everyone we lost could be alive and living a much happier life. Something like that sounded too good to be true.
"I'll avenge them," I said after a moment. "Aisha, Rena; Yang, I'll avenge them all."
Chung didn't respond right away. I was afraid I'd upset him by mentioning Rena, I've forgotten how much her death hit him. I opened my mouth to apologise just as he spoke up," I appreciate that you're fighting for their sake." He squeezed my hand. "But don't please make promises you can't keep."
"We'll see about that," I mumbled under my breath.
"We can't afford to lose anyone else. Just play it safe, alright?" He continued sternly. There was clearly no negotiating with him tonight.
I mutely bobbed my head and snuggled closer to him. Though we both knew, consciously or unconsciously, that I was lying.
*****
All the food we had gathered in Velder depleted over the next few days, our water supply was quickly meeting the same end. Our group was, understandingly, growing more and more anxious with each passing day. So when Chung finally announced that land could be seen from the distance our entire ship erupted in cheers.
"The biggest problem now is how we can get food when we arrive at the city," Elsword said after we were done celebrating. "I have no doubts that a Velder mage teleported to Hamel and informed them of our escape."
"Chung, where do you think we should go first?" Raven asked.
"Hmm," Chung hummed, eyes still glued to the growing land ahead. "There's a forest that encircles the city, I have no doubt we'll be able to find some animals and fruits there."
"As long as we get something into our stomachs I don't care," Raven replied, eyes landing on Amos. I could see his statement was mainly directed to his adopted son. "We'll also need a place to sleep."
"I am not sleeping on grass and dirt." Speka folded her arms with a huff.
"Do we even have a choice at this point?" Raven shot back. Speka scowled at him and turned her cheek the other way. "We can't afford to live in luxury, Speka."
"Can't we find an abandoned place in the city?"
"I don't want us staying inside the city either, though," Chung piped in, sounding just as irritated as Raven was. "We might risk being caught by one of the patrolling knights."
"Where do you think we should stay?" I asked.
"I'll think of something when we get there," Chung answered curtly. "We should focus on getting food and learning about Hamel's condition before deciding anything else."
"I agree," Elsword bobbed his head in approval. "Guys, we should get prepared to dock."
By the one hour mark, we all had our weapons ready and bags strapped to our back. Everyone also changed in a different set of civilian clothing, hoping the different attire would help us evade suspicions.
"Chung, you said you were from Hamel, right?" I inquired once the empty beach was fully in sight. He nodded, keeping his attention on the Wind Shard to guide our boat. "Do you have any family here that would be willing to hide us?"
"Y'know, that sounds like a good idea." Elsword chimed in. "I bet you have a crazy aunt or uncle that's cool with fugitives living in their basement."
Chung visibly tensed, yet he made no effort to respond. A voice at the back of my head scolded me for bringing up his family. I knew the circumstance of his father, he told me in Feita, but I didn't know about the rest of his relatives. For all, I knew this could be a sensitive topic.
"Erm...I understand if you don't want to put them in danger." I added meekly. A part of me still wished I had apologised to him instead.
"My family is...complicated." He glanced back with a tight smile. My chest ached knowing I might've unintentionally brought up unhappy memories. "I don't think it'd be smart to go knocking on their door."
"O-okay," I bowed my head. I couldn't bring myself to look at him.
No one spoke another word until our tiny boat hit shore. We practically dove out of the boat and onto the white sand. I've never felt so happy to be able to stretch my aching limbs. Chung promptly dragged the boat out of the salty water and, with the aid of the El Shard, buried it underneath the endless supply of sand.
Once everyone was finished stretching and reawakening their legs, Chung carefully guided us through the woods. We each kept our eyes and ears peeled for any signs of another human being. Along the way, we quietly discussed our next plan of action. Everyone seemed adamant to find food and shelter, but we also wanted to stay focused on the task at hand. In the end, it was decided that Speka and I would sneak into the city to gather information while the others remained in the forest to find food.
Chung walked Speka and me to a hidden entrance to the city. We insisted we go along with us since he knew the city better than any of us, but he refused to step one foot into the city's border. Knowing there was little time to waste we let Chung go and proceeded inside.
Hamel was nothing like I've ever seen. Each of its buildings was made from what appeared to be white marble.The sidewalks showed no signs of dirt or debris, it seemed like you could eat off the floor without having to worry about feeling sick. Most of Hamel's residents were adorned in casual wear with the exception of a few wealthier folks. Speka and I were easily able to blend in with our dark hoodies.
"I wish we thought of bringing money," Speka rubbed her growling belly as we passed by a busy grocery store.
"Just be grateful we have the means of catching and cooking fish." I reminded her sternly.
"I'm sick of fish."
"So am I," I admitted truthfully. "I'd rather live off of fish than nothing, though. We should stop worrying about food and focus. There's so much we need to learn about Hamel's condition."
"What's there to learn?" Speka groaned. "I don't see a problem with this place. In fact, the only thing worth learning is how they managed to make the streets look so nice. Didn't something bad happen here recently?"
"Hamel was attacked by demons a while back, more specifically the slums were attacked," I told her in a soft whisper. "Apparently the slums lost many residents."
Speka's eyes wandered down the busy streets," the people don't look too concerned."
"They probably don't care about the less fortunate residents. Plus, it's not like they're the ones who got attacked. They have nothing to worry about." I answered with bitterness seeping through my voice.
"Damn, I was hoping we could try begging for some money." Speka clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I would kill for a cup noodle right now."
"We don't have time to earn money and buy food." I chided her sharply. "We're here to gather information, remember? C'mon, daylight's burning away."
Nothing particularly interesting caught our attention for the next hour. I took note of the abundant homeless citizens taking refuge in the unusually clean alleyways, their presence left unnoticed by the fortunate citizens passing by.
At one point we walked by a group of elderly ladies. I found myself staring at the group of women, drawn to the bandages wrapped on their frail arms, legs and face. I wordlessly gestured Speka to slow down as we walked pass them.
"He passed away last night." One of the women muttered to the group, her soft voice was difficult for even my ears to pick up. "The poor boy was only ten."
"That's awful!" Another woman gasped. "As if his family's living conditions weren't bad enough."
"If the Red Knights had guarded our sector better the attack wouldn't have happened. They just don't care about folks like us."
"Instead of wasting their time repairing the buildings they should help those who need medical attention."
"I knew we couldn't rely on their help when the Priestess went missing!"
"The Red Knights are a pathetic bunch."
Once the women were out of earshot we proceeded with our usual walking pace. I promptly relayed what I heard to Speka.
"Why am I hating our allies more and more?" Speka groaned.
"I can understand how you feel," I spoke through gritted teeth. "But it's not like we're doing any better either." It's hard to consider ourselves heroes when we've stolen from the people who's lost almost everything.
"So what should we do now?" Speka asked. "We aren't exactly learning anything new. Should we go back?"
"I...I want to go further into the city."
"You mean you want to see the damage done to the slums?" Speka hypothesised.
"Er...yeah," I stuffed my hands into my pockets. "I think we might learn more about Hamel's situation if we explored the slums."
Speka was silent. I knew she was just as hesitant to walk into the destroyed sector of the city as I was.
"Fine," she breathed. "Let's get this over with."
Our search for the slums lasted for several hours. The vast streets of Hamel made it difficult for us to find our way, at one point I was sure we were wandering in circles. Luck, fortunately, shined upon us when we spotted the same group of homeless women venturing into an alleyway. Speka and I decided we'd try to follow them, we speculated they would lead us to the slums. Our speculations were well rewarded.
The slums, unlike the more wealthy sector of the city, looked like an abandoned battlefield. Homes, consisting enough space for a three-member family, were either left with gaping holes in their dirty white walls or replaced with a mountain of debris. Red Knights patrolled up and down the streets while mages repaired the fallen walls separating the slums from the forest. Speka and I retreated into alleyways in fear of being caught by the knights. A vast majority of the remaining residents were either scavenging the streets for food or tending to their injured loved ones. I wanted to vomit at the piles of bodies gathered at the middle of the street.
"This is awful," I breathed.
"Why aren't the Knights doing anything to help the injured?" Speka hissed.
They may be saving their supplies for another attack. Eun sneered at the pair of knights walking idly by a sobbing family; I could only assume they were crying over their destroyed house. Hamel seems like a big city. They may not want to use their supplies for the poor and weak.
"It's like Velder," a low growl sounded in my throat. "I have no doubt the knights are lending their assistance, but they're only giving an insignificant portion of their supplies to the people."
I do not like how the knights are treating their people, but I can understand their actions.
'What's there to understand, Eun?!'
Just like in Velder they do not have an unlimited amount of supplies, Ara. They most likely cannot trade with another city or town, their partners are either destroyed or the supplies delivered never make it to its destination. Do you believe it is wise to expend large amounts of supplies on citizens who cannot help nor fight? What will happen when they do not have enough to heal the people who can fight; how will the people benefit if their troops fail to protect them?
'You're basically saying we have no way to help the poor citizens. I don't believe you.'
It does not matter if you wish to believe it or not. This is a fact that will remain regardless of your opinion. You cannot please everyone.
"Can we hurry up and explore?" Speka snapped me out of my mental battle with Eun. "This place gives me the creeps."
"Y-yeah," I stammered. "Er...let's go."
Speka and I ventured further into the alleyways, neither of us speaking a word to each other. While we were exploring I couldn't help but think back to my conversation with Eun. It made me think of the people we'd undoubtedly hurt by pursuing our mission. There's no question that the citizens of Velder will lose another meal because of the food shortage, and let's not mention the casualties that will follow as we fight for the remaining Shards. Our old friends, Elesis, Echo and Lowe will be hurt by our act of betrayal. Disaster seemed to follow wherever we went.
"Wow," Speka gasped as we gingerly exited onto the abandoned street.
We were now standing in what appeared to have been an overcrowded neighbourhood. Broken furniture accompanied by colourful ragged, clothing littered the streets. Not a single citizen was in sight.
Speka and I wordlessly thread through the remains, perhaps we were hoping to find a survivor and help them. Or maybe we were seeking for another life form within the remains of the neighbourhood, to reassure us there were in fact survivors.
A breeze swept through the area, bringing clouds of dust and paper into the sky. Two dirty, wrinkled sheets of paper rocked back and forth in the air, like a dirty pendulum, until it landed at our feet. Speka and I both took a separate sheet and examined its contents.
"People of Hamel, surrender to our Lady Karis and we will not harm you. You will be given three days to give up your city. We will not hesitate to kill. Be prepared to defend your weak people if you choose to go against us."
I curled my fingers into a fist, crumpling the demons' letter in the palm of my hand. I glared daggers into the dirty sheet in my fist, wishing I could set the threat on fire.
I suspect the demons will attack again, though next time they may attack the more wealthy sector of the city.
"They might destroy the entire city next time," I answered out loud. "We need to stop them before that happens."
"That's if we're strong enough to take the demons on alone." Speka snapped, tearing her sheet of paper in two. It was oddly satisfying to hear the demons' demands rip in half.
"We have the El Shard on our side now."
"The demons have more Shards than us," Speka's comment punched me in the face, reminding me how powerless we really were. "Plus, it's not like the Red Knights will be willing to help us now."
"C'mon," I grudgingly dropped my crumpled sheet of paper on the ground. "Let's return and have a talk with the others." Speka mutely bobbed her head in agreement.
Needless to say, we got ourselves lost during our trip out. While the slums were easier to navigate our way out, the richer parts of the city left us wandering blindly through seemingly identical streets.
As we entered yet another unknown street something caught my eye. Displayed on a nearby bulletin board was rough sketches of our team's faces, each one had the word "wanted" printed in bold letters. Speka wanted to turn away and pretend they never existed, but I was keen on knowing what was written about us. Speka, not wanting to be left alone, joined me as I inched closer to the posters.
I feverishly checked left and right before scanning over our posters. To the artist's credit, they had our appearances spot on, it made me wonder if Echo or Elesis helped the artist construct the sketches.
"Wanted: Ara
Stole from Red Knight Captains, stole from Velder alchemists, took Velder's scarce resources and attempted murder using a confiscated item
Possesses demonic powers, highly dangerous
Kill on sight
Wanted: Chung Seiker
Helped steal Velder resources and assaulted Velder Knights
Possess a cannon similar to Helputt's, do not confront
Report to Red Knights only if seen
Wanted: Eve
Took Velder's scarce resources and assaulted Velder Knights
Queen of Nasods, may be a threat to Hamel, do not confront
Report to authorities immediately if seen
Wanted: Raven
Stole from Red Knight Captains, took Velder's scarce resources and assaulted Velder Knights
Highly skilled in swordsmanship, do not confront
Report to authority if seen
Wanted: Amos
A kidnapped child
Last seen with Eve, the Nasod Queen, in Velder castle
Call authorities immediately if seen
Wanted: Elsword
Stole Velder's scarce resources, assaulted Velder Knights
Skilled swordsman, do not confront
Call authorities if seen
Wanted: Speka
Stole from Red Knight captains and murdered ten knights using a confiscated item
Dark mage, highly dangerous
Kill on sight"