"Lord Lionel, the Garlynx Sect approaches." My right-hand man, Charles Harken, warned softly, the faintest hint of a tremor in his gruff voice.
Julius Lionel Barshiek is my name. I was named after my great grandfather, the great warlord, Julian Lionel Barshiek who was a respected and feared individual by righteous and demonic magisters alike for his awe-inspiring power. He was a rank 7 magister, one of the elites of the righteous faction. Despite his power, his heart felt compassion and empathy.
Building Juniper City, he declared it an open city where both righteous and demonic magisters could walk the streets without fear of being killed. Any violators of this peace would be expelled and banished from the city. This allowed Juniper city to flourish in trade, becoming known by both factions as the Gem of the East.
Naturally, being this affluent brought about envious stares of greed, like predators in the shadows waiting to pounce at the opportune time. The Garlynx Sect was simply the biggest of the predators. A dragon in the midst of hyenas.
Unfortunately, we were fighting a war on one front already, against two allied demonic factions.
"The Colvihar Clan?"
"They have chosen to remain neutral."
Bam! I slammed my fist on the table in anger,"Bastards! How are they any better than the demonic factions? Sitting around like vultures circling a corpse, ready to devour the remnants of my clan? Were the rewards too little? Or is the risk too great? Perhaps the Garlynx is allied with them secretly?" Numerous possible scenarios flashed in my head, each one more worrying than the last.
I paced around anxiously, muttering to myself,"What to do? What to do? What to—"
"Lord, if I may?"
I paused, turning to him,"Speak, Charles."
"The Abyss Arena was disrupted yesterday with the appearance of a mortal."
"Hm?"
"The mortal in question went under the alias Artemis. Reports all state she went toe to toe with the rank three magister Electric Monarch and came out on top with two moves despite having fought fifty consecutive rounds prior. The current abilities shown are her inhuman strength, endurance and rapid regeneration of wounds. The only known weakness is her defence. She was easily injured."
"Strength, endurance and regeneration?" I pondered to myself as I asked,"Where is she now?"
"In the Barshiek Clan's inn, Songbird's Retreat."
"Good. Follow me, we shall call upon her." To beat a rank three so easily, it was something one who rivalled a rank 5 magister could accomplish.
Even in the Barshiek Clan, there were only two rank 5 magisters and they were the in the highest echelons of our clan. They were the Grand Elder, Tiberius Barshiek and my father, the Barshiek Clan's leader, Solomon Marvin Barshiek.
They wouldn't take action until a calamity befell the clan so asking them to take action this early would be overkill. Furthermore, they were in closed door training to break through to rank 6 so disturbing them would not be beneficial to us in the long run.
———
A knock sounded at my door, my mood instantly lifting.
Opening the door with a smile,"Is this room ser—Eh?"
Two (charming) men stood at my door. The first had short blonde hair and striking emerald green eyes which captivated me to no end. He wasn't exactly bulky and exploding with muscles but resembled one of those agile gymnasts I had seen participating in the Olympics. Dressed in a shirt that hung loosely off him with a logo of a wyvern on the right shoulder, hiding the assets that lay beneath, he'd easily pass as a model back on earth.
The other man that stood subserviently behind him was a lot more muscular. Sorta like a bodybuilder, his chocolate skin was marred with scars of all sizes, a steely, determined glint hidden within his eyes. He was bald and probably stood at around two metres. A rather intimidating man if I were to be completely honest. He wore a formal maroon robe, the same logo of a wyvern prominently embroidered right shoulder of the robe.
Clearly, not the room service with my food in hand.
"Can I help you gentlemen?" I asked, remaining cautious of them.
"Miss Artemis, if I may, I am Julius Lionel Barshiek, third eldest son of the Barshiek clan leader. This is my subordinate, Charles Harken. We have come to ask for your aid."
I raised a brow at his respectful tone. That was rather unexpected, seeing as he was probably a strong magister and I was just a rank 1,"What aid?"
"May we discuss this in privacy?"
My gut didn't feel anything off so I shrugged,"Sure. Come in." Turning my head, I saw someone holding a tray. My eyes lit up,"Room service for room 9 right?"
The girl nodded,"Yes Miss."
"Good," I placed a silver in her hand and grabbed the tray before shutting the door behind me with my leg.
Removing the cloche, two medium rare steak patties between two slices of white bread, alongside lettuce, sliced cheese and sliced onions dressed in brown sauce and a side of baked potato generously topped with a dollop of mayonnaise alongside shredded jerky and spring onion graced my eyes with their radiance. The fragrance was heavenly.
Burgers didn't exactly exist in this word so slices of bread were my best bet. The chef cooking did not disappoint.
I gulped in anticipation before realising the two were standing awkwardly at the side, unsure of what to do.
Placing the tray of food on the bed, I sat down and called out,"Grab a chair or something. Don't mind me. I'll be listening as I eat."
They nodded after giving each other weird glances.
Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I grabbed the burger and munched on it as they began speaking.
"We have come to request your help, Lady Artemis."
"On?" I asked with my mouth full.
"The Garlynx clan is a demonic faction clan that plans to attack us. We hope that we could receive the aid of Lady Artemis in repelling the clan. In return, we are willing to give you this," He pulled out a violet coloured anklet. It was almost as if it were crafted from a large gem,"This is the anklet of amplification. Wearing it, one's personal strength will be tripled. Of course, it only works on anything rank 3 and below."
My eyes shone for a moment. If I could use that to triple my strength...
"What is expected of me?" I asked, maintaining my indifferent face. Accismus—I had to pretend to not care if I wanted more benefits.
"We hope you will aid us in the upcoming battle in a week. It is rumoured than the rank 5 magister, Raphael Garlynx will join in the attack."
"You know that I am not of the righteous faction, correct?" I replied as I swallowed another bite of my burger.
"This..." A troubled look appeared on his face.
I chuckled,"Relax, why so glum? I'm also not part of the demonic faction. I like remaining neutral. Keeps my options open."
The apprehension faded away, giving way to relief,"I see."
"So to ask me to take a side, I'm afraid just this won't do. After all, I could always swoop in at the last moment and gain the greatest benefits." I immediately used this fact to my advantage. Rather than an alliance, I preferred if it were a transaction with no questions asked.
No need for formalities, no need for needless caution against the other—Quid pro quo. You scratch my back, I scratch yours.
"But you'd be hunted down by both sides then." He shot back after a moment's hesitation as he stared intently at me for a reaction.
I flashed him a dangerous look, a bemused glint hidden behind,"That'd be for the best then. More prey for me."
He shivered as he looked away, alarmed,"L-Lady A-Artemis—"
I went back to polishing off the burger as I casually interrupted him,"My point is, Julius, it's going to take a lot more to convince me to join your side. Besides, you know what happens if both sides are weakened. Plenty of hyenas waiting in the shadows will pounce. What will become of the clan then.?Similarly, the Garlynx clan will follow suit. By then, who knows? Perhaps a third party might sweep the remnants and claim the rewards, coming out on top." It was a general statement but he got the message: Entice me or there'll be hell to pay.
It was a rather trivial error, to give out too much information. Firstly, he had put me on the same level as a rank 5. Secondly, he had told me of this fight that was obviously kept secret. Now, if he were to fight the Garlynx clan, he would have to watch his sixth constantly in case I swooped in.
He grit his teeth and took out another item: A jet black gem cradled by a web of intricately interlinked golden lines, a emitting faint lustre of intrigue and mystery.
"This is a gem which contains a powerful secret. I am unable to unlock it. Perhaps Lady Artemis would be interested."
Looking intently at his face, I couldn't see a trace of a lie. Choosing to take the risk, I grinned,"Very well." Grabbing a teaspoon off the table, I injected my mana into it. This was the third spell I'd casted, the first two having been cast to gain a bit of proficiency in casting. It would simply send me an alert if the object was destroyed,"Just break this spoon in half and I'll be notified. Send your scouts to spy on me or whatever. I'm a woman of my words and I don't plan on breaking promises."
Hearing my words, he held the spoon and spotted the simple spell and nodded,"I look forward to our alliance then, Lady..."
I realised he thought my alias was Artemis,"My name really is Artemis. Artemis Blythe. Shall we do away with the formalities?"
He passed me the items and with a renewed smile, nodded,"I look forward to our alliance then, Artemis."
"Same to you, Julius."