The Summonce

Silence engulfs the throne room. Moist, slimey moss enravels along the cold stone walls of the large near empty room. A set of large mahogny wood double doors remain shut, a fine gold trim with circular door handles of large radius, hanging from the mouth of a snake like figure. A velvet red carpet extends along the otherwise bare stone floor. The carpet, with a gold diamond design scaling the trim, leads to a darkened end of the room, a stone platform raised a few meteres above the floor, with a large series of steps leading up to them. The carpet breaks at the beginning of the steps, signalling the end of your path. The darkened room is lit only by the few candles, levitated unorganizingly about the room.

Atop the raised platform, barely visible from the shadows is a large gold throne, pointed thrice at the top. A long but mysterious figure sits in silence, only the end of his untarnished grey-brown cloak revealing itself to the light. As you stand in silence at the other end of the door, it seems to mysteriously and slowly swing open on its own demand. A creak of light, gradually increasing in size, enters the room. Slowly the light of the outside world reveals more of the interior, a now visible but fully cloaked man sitting a top the tall throne at the other end of the room. A deep voice seems to boom throughout the room, coming from almost no where.

“Enter and Approach.”

Aleia scratched the bottom of her chin in contemplation before she actually entered the room. This was her first time properly summoned to the guild master even with the amount of time here. She did not do much around the guild, more often just finding a quiet place to sleep. It did not seem to cross her mind that she will get into trouble like this. Sure she was lazy but she did do a mission or two as she recalled. Maybe her memory was as buggy as her mind.

"One does not know until they try," she muttered to herself before finally entering the room. Her arm was folded, not out of disobedience or rebellious nature but out of habit. She had managed to erase her usual irritated face of being bothered. Whatever it was, she hoped that it will end quickly and swiftly for the most part.

Even she felt a little unease by the figure in the shadow. Aleia can act as brave as she can be but it did not amount to anything if she did not mean it. A powerful figure was before her and even she reprimanded herself to behave better. Now how should she properly address this person or being?

"Yes guildmaster?" She finally asked sounding for more sure and even than she actually was. Even now she did not consider the possibility of death in this godforsaken land.

Darion walked quickly through the dark forest towards the Guild HQ of Obscura Fabula.

He had a few days earlier recieved a letter saying that the Guild Master wanted to see him personally so he packed his things and quickly left with greatest haste and as soon as he was standing outside the grand door he took of his right hand glove and quickly showed his guild mark, the door opened smoothly but slow and as soon as he could he walked quickly in taking off his hat and his coat.

A few of the other members were sitting quietly observing him as he walked through the buildning but at the far end he stopped infront of a door where two mages were standing on guard, they immidieatly recognised him and let him through as one of them said " The Master is waiting..., Darion got the hint and as soon as he had walked in the door shut behind him.

The small hall was very dark but Darion only followed the the carpet to the next door, opened it and quickly closed it again, he gave his hat and the coat to a servant standing by the door and qucikly followed the carpet until he saw someone else standing there, but also a large platform and a gold throne with a man fully cloaked sitting on it.

Darion walked with proudness but even so swiftly until he was right beside another guest, a female and so when he stopped he kneeled with his head looking down and with both respect, fear and total loyalty said What is thy bidding Master?" and waited for a reply (hopefully to stand up).

The double doors creak intimidatingly as they open, and as you make your way up the candlelight room, to the end of the red velvet carpet, you feel a gaze. An ominous feeling envelops you, someone is watching you, most obviously the guild master . You know he was here, just ahead, in the shadows, and still his watchful gaze alone was frightening. His eyes glared the Aleia before swapping over to Darion who loyally knelt before him. It was obvious to present yourself properly to the guild master, something Darion had successfully done. However it seemed not to phase the mysterious figure as he peered to the empty spot beside Darion.

“One is missing. I do NOT appreciate tardiness…”

There was silence for a moment as the guild master tightly squeezed the arms of his throne. An increase of magical energy filled the room slightly, somewhat angrily. It was best not to say anything. Within another moment the guild masters deep horse voice spoke once again.

“We’ll move without her. You two. I have a mission for the both of you. Ask no questions, go to Mount Three Head. Somewhere on the mountain you will find a feather, a golden feather. The feather of Ra. Bring it to me, immediately.

The guildmaster allowed silence to fill the room once again as his intense magic presence seemed to lighten.

“That is all. Leave.”

Aleia flinched when she saw what the new member entered did. Maybe you should follow his lead, disrespect is not wise. She gritted her teeth and nodded a begrudging agreement. It was rare for her to follow her brother’s advice but she was willing to do it if the reality hit as hard as this. She gave a bow but straightened herself soon after. Maybe she was just not built to give respect, feeling far more eager to leave than anything.

“One is missing. I do NOT appreciate tardiness…” His voice made her even more uncomfortable. A form of foreboding seems to rise from the bottom of her stomach. People would call it a woman’s intuition but she called it survival instincts. For once however, she ignored it; whatever was ahead for them, facing an angry guild master would be even worse and more immediate. This is why I said not to join this guild! That guy is seriously dangerous, this whole guild is wrong! She grinded her teeth as her brother began to chatter away in her head.

The guild master’s voice was strong and was far above the nagging of her brother but she could still hear him. Why can’t you have joined a decent guild like Fairy Tail? I heard they are fun! They’re sure to accept you even with your shady history! Her grinding became even more intense as she tried harder to focus on the mission statement. Mt. Three Head…feather…no question… This was all she repeated over and over in her mind to drown out her brother. It did not help though as she eventually snapped.

“Shut up! Shut up! You’re not the boss of me!” she yelled out, her voice as husky as ever her face to the ground. As soon as the words escaped her mouth, she seemed to suck in as much air of the room as possible in a gulp. It was too late to take the words back. Ummm did you want to get yourself killed?

“I apologize guild master, I did not mean you, umm, you are the boss, leader, uhh, I will go get that feather immediately,” she said, far to calm than she actually was. With that apology done, quickly, she bowed and quickly strolled out of the room. Soon outside she couldn’t help but collapse onto wobbly knees and begin to bawl about how she was going to die.

It was dark in the room, the stone floor which Darion was kneeling on was cold and hard but even so he could kneel longer, infront of the Master of Obscura Fabula. It was quiet for a little while since Darion had arrived and even though he had his head down he could sense that the Master was looking at him but suddenly a deep dark voice as the Master said “One is missing. I do NOT appreciate tardiness…”.

Darion looked a bit to his right and saw that there was missing a third person, suddenly the air all around him was filled with a tense feeling, he could feel the angry and malevolent magical power from the Master quickly spreading all around the room.

Darion had never felt such power since he last visited his father and so he started to smile with respect, admiration and also a bit of relief that he had pledged his allegiance to this man, this Master of Obscura Fabula. Darion turned his head and saw that the female looked like she had a big headache, he quickly looked back down as the Master's voice spoke once again "We’ll move without her. You two. I have a mission for the both of you. Ask no questions, go to Mount Three Head. Somewhere on the mountain you will find a feather, a golden feather. The feather of Ra. Bring it to me, immediately.".

Darion quickly rose up, put his right hand (the he also held his cane in) on his heart and said " It shall be done Master." but before he was able to turn aroudn he heard his female companion shouting “Shut up! Shut up! You’re not the boss of me!”.

Darion turned his head towards her with darkness in his eyes and before he or the Master said anything she quickly spoke “I apologize guild master, I did not mean you, umm, you are the boss, leader, uhh, I will go get that feather immediately,”, then she rushed out.

Darion quickly turned his head back to the Master, bowed and quickly marched in the same direction as she did. When Darion had left the throne room he took his coat and hat from one of the guards, put them on and walked swiftly outside and there he saw the female sitting on her knees bawling.

Darion qucikly went to her, picked her up and said in a low voice " If any of the members see you like this you will be an easy prey..." then he swiftly pushed her against the wall with his cain at her throat and said in malevolence " We are partners right now... We have been given an assignment by the Master and we will fulfill it understood? If you even hesitate or try to desert I will punish you harsly. Also if you speak like that one more time towards the Master I will persoanlly behead you! Am I clear as I can possibly be?!"

Aleia had calmed down a bit when the cane pressed against her throat. The threat seemed extremely hollow. Even the man meant it and took it to heart, it did not seem to register in her mind. His voice just seemed out of place, the only thing she heard was the melody. Her brother even fell silent as her mind cracked once again.

"Oh dear, like I said, it was not he who I speak to but only my dear brother," she explained, her head turning a little askew to the right. She had a smile now on her face, it was an innocent kind. She stared into the man's face but what she really looked at seemed to beyond it.

" He does not understand that things must be done, he doesn't know the value of sacrifice, he told me to quit when any options had long been dead with him, like I said, it is not the guild master that I directed my shout to but him, the person I can never be," she said, her eyes drifting farther and farther from the man.

"I who have decided on this path can only do what I have ever done. Do not fret my dear partner but I hope you can understand. This mission will be completed even if I have to die," she stated, her wobbly knees were no more as she stood back up proudly. Her mind was too far gone now it will return in time.

"All this little venture need is some sugar like always," she whispered behind a small smile. Taking her hands into her pockets she took out a piece if napkin. Uncovering the contents, it revealed to be a crushed piece of pie.

"If others think me to be weak then ah pooey to them, I hope their sweet tooth get crushed along with their souls, in the end they might be trapped in a place worse than- oh where are my manners? Here have a piece, I made it myself, the pumpkin was really quite fresh," she offered the man as she took a piece and happily munched away on it.

The woman's outburst did not phase him. In fact, it raised a bit of amusement in him. His guild was full of mad men and women - all of them... Not quite right in the head. All of them... Just a touch of darkness dwelling within them. He did not show any ounce of feelings, however, and simply let the girl rush out. While many may have considered her departure rude, he simply thought of it as her unique way of showing her "respect."

"At least I have one competent member in that group," he whispered to himself just as Darion bowed and left the room. The double doors slowly began to close by use of his magic. But just before they came to a final close, he could hear the soft sounds of a cry and then a body being pushed to the wall.

[End of First Segment]