It had been three weeks since Iris had joined the Black Bulls. She had gone on a total of two missions. They weren't anything grand or difficult. They were both based on helping around small villages and towns.
Currently, Iris was getting ready to go on another mission. This time, she would be capturing some bandits that have been robbing and assaulting people; she would be accompanied by her Captain. They would be going to a village close to the Forsaken Realm.
Iris made her way to the outside of the base where her captain stood alongside Finral. "Hey, Captain~!" she cheerily said. She hadn't noticed the deadly glare she was receiving until it was too late.
"Hey, brat, ya think it's okay to make me wait, huh? I should kill you for that." Yami grabbed the top of Iris' head, crushing it slightly.
"Waah! No! I'm sorry, Captain!" Iris waved her arms around frantically with fake tears running down her face.
"Tch. Finral, let's get going." He dropped Iris from his grip. She landed on her bottom, letting a small 'ouch' escape her, as she massaged her head to relieve the pain.
Finral did as he was told and opened up a portal to their destination. As soon as Iris saw Finral's magic, she quickly stood up, her eyes sparkling. "Senpai! Your magic is still so cool!" she gushed.
Iris was practically shining as she admired the spatial-magic user. Finral couldn't help but grow slightly red at his juniors' compliments. "T-thanks," he muttered.
They all made their way through the portal and found themselves at the center of a village. It was slightly more well kept in comparison to villages who were out in the boonies.
Iris took her time in absorbing her surroundings. 'Wow! Everything is so different from the capital. Would the Captain let me leave to go explore?' she questioned.
"Kid, just like your previous missions, we're only here to spectate. You gotta do this on your own." Yami turned to face Iris. "Well? How are you gonna catch the thieves?"
Iris snapped out of her daze and shifted her awareness to Yami's words. She thought for a moment before speaking, "I think we should ask around. If we get the general area of where the crime has been taking place, then it'll make the job easier, right?"
Yami grinned, "What are ya waiting for?" he taunted.
Iris saluted before running off to go and find some villagers to harass. Yami and Finral didn't move from their spot. Just when Finral was about to go and flirt with whoever he could find, Yami gripped the back of his cloak. "Just where do ya think you're going, huh?" He glared.
"B-but Yami, sir, you don't need me! Besides, you're the one who is supposed to watch her," Finral had tears running down his face. 'Why do I have to be tortured too? Isn't one of us enough?'
"If I gotta take time outta my day to come and babysit you brats, the least you can do is make my job easier by staying put."
Before Finral could be killed by Yami, Iris returned waving her teammates over. "Captain, Finral! I got some intel!" She ran up to meet them. "The villagers said that the majority of the time the people are robbed is on a path called 'Heavens Road'. Apparently, people tend to use this path because it's convenient and because of the name. They think it's gonna provide safe passage."
"Let's get going then. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I get to take a dump," Yami stated.
The three mages made their way onto the dirt road. As they grew nearer, the sight in front of them caused all of their eyes to widen. An elderly couple appeared to have been traveling through the track when they were jumped by a group of three men.
Without a second thought, Iris ran towards the group, taking her grimoire out in the process. She cast a spell, releasing green vines that were two inches thick. She wrapped them around the perpetrators, pulling them away from the elderly couple.
She glared down at the thieves, keeping them trapped. "What do you think you're doing? You must be the bandits that have been assaulting people recently."
The three men tried escaping from her grasp, struggling to free themselves by the magic created restraints. "Don't try and escape. Your magic is being nullified." Iris tightened the vines around them. "The more you move, the harder it'll be for you to breathe."
As Yami and Finral walked up to the scene, Iris took her time to look over the elders that stood before her. "Sir, Ma'am, are you both alright?" She stuck out a hand to help them both up to their feet. "Do you both have any injuries?" Iris desperately looked over the two elders, trying to find anything wrong.
"Thank you for worrying, miss. But we're quite alright. Those men didn't hurt us," the older man spoke, as he tried his best to balance himself on his two feet.
Iris saw this and furrowed her brows. "Sir, you say you're uninjured, but you can barely manage to stay upright." Iris helped the older man stand, using herself as a clutch for him. She then slightly bowed, "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do about your injury. I do not possess healing magic."
The elder chuckled at her behavior, amused at the young royal's concern. "It's alright, really. I've had these back problems for years now." He motioned to a cane that had been thrown to the side. "Would you hand me my walking stick? I'll be able to properly stand once I have it."
Iris saw Finral approaching her. She told him to help the man stand while she went to go and get something. She went over and picked up the cane, handing it over to the elder. Finral had moved over to look over the elder woman.
"Captain Yami, I think these are the ones who've been bothering the villagers. They match the basic description that I was given," Iris said, walking over to Yami.
Yami looked over the three males who were tied up. 'This kid is showing promise. But what exactly is her magic?' Yami had started to grow impatient, not being able to answer his questions for himself.
"You youngsters are too generous. Not many would have stopped to help us," the elder woman spoke. Finral and Iris only smiled at the woman's remark, while Yami was busy in his thoughts.
After the three mages departed with the elderly couple, they made their way to the capitol. Iris still had the three bandits restrained as they walked through the bustling crowds.
"Captain, do I have to keep dragging them along? They've been trying to escape this whole time and it's getting annoying," Iris huffed, growing tired of having to watch over them.
Yami glared at Iris. She flinched at his response, putting her hands up in defense. "N-nevermind! I'm happy to pull along the extra luggage~!"
They had now reached the office of the Wizard King. Yami knocked three times, waiting for a response. The three of them walked in after hearing a 'come in'.
The three mages stood before the Wizard King. "Yami, I see you've been doing well on the agreement," Julius said, glancing over at Iris.
"Yeah, the kid caught the crooks by herself. In the missions she's gone on, the little runt has done good," Yami replied.
Julius was pleased to hear this, smiling at his niece. Iris composed herself to sound more professional. "Sir, these three muggers were found beating on an elderly couple. I took it upon myself to quickly capture them to prevent further damage." Iris tugged on the vines that were holding the three men, moving them in front of her.
"I'm pleased to hear that the problem has been solved. I'll take it from here. You all are free to go," Julius said.
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Yami, Finral, and Iris all made it back to their base. Iris walked over to where Magna and Luck were. She couldn't wait to tell her seniors about how the mission went.
"Magna, Luck, did ya miss me?" She walked up to the two, putting her hands on her hips.
"How'd the mission go? Did ya get your ass handed to you?" Magna teased.
"Aw, c'mon now. You should have a little more faith in me!" Iris pouted. "Captain Yami and Finral left all the work to me. I captured the three criminals easily!"
Magna laughed hearing what Iris did. "Looks like you're a natural at this, huh?" He began to smack Iris' back repeatedly.
Luck jumped out of his seat, "Hey, hey, does that mean that you'll fight me?" he asked, closing the gap between Iris and him.
Iris was slightly embarrassed at the sudden proximity, but she didn't let it show. Instead, she offered a close-eyed smile, declining the offer.
Yami barged into the conversation, "Hey, Kid, what sort of magic do you use? It's not consistent at all."
At that instant, everyone stopped what they were doing to hear Iris' response. The hideout was silent, the suspense dragging it out.
Iris reached to take out her grimoire. The outside of her book faced everyone else. Her squad members' eyes widened in shock. They hadn't expected to see the book she was showing. Their eyes traced over the grey, blue, red, and brown that mixed on the cover of the grimoire. Certainly, they were all entertained by the vibrant colors, but what blew them all away was the four-leaf clover.
"Well, I guess you can say that I use elemental magic. That's as basic as I can put it. Of course, there's more to it than that but I'm not really sure how to explain it. There are four elements that I can use; water, lightning, fire, and nature." Iris paused for a second to take a beath. "The element that is easiest to use is nature. Then comes fire, water, and lightning."
Finral then asked, "Is that why when we went to go and help the village with the drought you struggled to create the storm?"
Iris nodded in agreement, "Yeah, that's right. More accurately, I tend to use destructive and offensive magic more than defensive. To put it simply, I prefer to use storm magic. I utilize components that are found in aggressive storms and use it as a way of attacking. When I use the water and lightning element, I have put all of my focus in my control." She sighed, thinking about how she accidentally stuck a house with a lightning bolt a few years ago.
Yami placed a hand on Iris' head, ruffling her hair. "Bahaha! You're pretty impressive, huh, Kid?"
Iris smiled sheepishly at the praise that Yami gave her. "That's one more reason to work ya to death," Yami joked, while Iris paled at the thought.
Vanessa shoved drinks in front of Yami and Iris, "Come drink with me, Captain~ We need to celebrate!"
This time, Iris was sure to join in on the commotion. She was surely getting used to the barbaric squad.
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Five months had gone by in a flash. Iris was returning from a solo mission and was making her way back to the place she now called home. Initially, she had thought that she was lost until she spotted the grey building.
As she entered, she was welcomed back with the rowdiness of the group. "I'm back~," she proclaimed.
Immediately, she was ambushed and squished to the ground. They had all engulfed her in a hug. "I'm glad that I was missed, but I'd appreciate it if I wasn't killed by a hug." She had barely managed to speak through the crushing force.
Once they all had gotten up, Luck was the first one to approach her about fighting him. Iris, as usual, declined.
"Say, where's Captain Yami? I need to go ahead and submit my report," she asked, looking around for any sign of the Raven-haired male.
Finral signaled to a portal that presumably led to where the Captain was. Iris thanked Finral as she stepped through the portal.
On the other side, Yami was reading over a letter that had been sent to him. "Heya, Captain! I made it back in one piece, see?" Iris proudly said, resting her hands on her hips.
Yami looked up, annoyed of what he had heard. He quickly gripped the top of Iris' head, slightly lifting her off the ground. "You brat. You find it funny giving me more paperwork? I should crush your head for that."
Iris put her hands up in defense, "I didn't do anything I swear, sir!" On the outside, Iris appeared to genuinely not know what she was getting chewed out for. But internally, she knew that she couldn't escape her fate. 'Damn, I didn't think the Captain would find out so soon!'
"Don't act innocent. You almost burned down a whole forest!" Yami's eyes glinted evilly. "Now, how should I kill you?"
Iris started to panic. She knew that her captain would go through with it unless she came up with a good explanation. "It wasn't my fault! The person I was chasing was the one that used fire! I was the one who was trying to stop it," she pleaded.
Yami set her down, wanting to get on to more important business. "Tch. Be careful next time, brat." Yami reached for a black robe with a silver lining around the edge of it. He threw it at Iris, who clumsily caught it.
"What's this for? I already have a robe," Iris was confused at her Captain's actions.
"I'm promoting you, brat. You're the new Vice-Captain of the Black Bulls."
Iris had a blank face. She didn't know how to take in the information. 'Isn't it too soon for me to be getting promoted? Sure, I've gone on risky missions, but aren't the other's more qualified than me?' she questioned.
Yami quickly added, "you can't refuse either. Or I'll kill you."
Sweatdropping at Yami's words, Iris took the robe, gleaming in happiness at her achievement. She saluted to her Captain, "Thank you, sir! I won't tarnish the Black Bulls' name any longer. I'll be sure to work even harder," she declared.
Yami responded with, "Yeah, yeah. Just don't make more paperwork for me. I need to go take a dump."
Iris watched her captain leave from his previous spot with tears of happiness in her eyes. 'I guess my hard work paid off,' she thought. Without pondering on it too much, she ran to go and tell the rest of the members, wiping the tears off her face as she navigated through the maze of a base.
"Hey, everyone!" she cried. "I've got some big news~" Magna, Luck, Charmy, and Vanessa all perked up to hear what she had to say. "Look at what I've got~," Iris showed off the new robe that had been presented to her by Yami.
"Ya got a new robe, so what?" Magna stated, unimpressed with the new piece of cloth.
Iris shook her head, "it's not just a robe, you see." She placed her hands to her hips, posing proudly. "I've just been promoted to Vice-Captain." She gave a big toothy grin.
Everyone who was listening started to her announcement jumped up in excitement, eager to share the moment with her. Almost instantaneously, Charmy summoned her sheep cooks and got to work on making a feast suitable for the occasion; Vanessa chugged multiple bottles of alcohol; Magna started fighting with Luck; Gauche stared at pictures of his little sister; Gordon continued mumbling too low to hear; Grey stood to the side, puffing out smoke.
"Geez, you guys are just capitalizing on my success at this point," she sighed, knowing that none of them heard her. Iris felt a warm feeling once again, settling within her. 'Yeah, I think I'll stay here.'