Under the Light of the World at War: Early Chapter 52

I felt my eye twitch, but I kept myself calm. Elin’Kor was acting the gracious host despite the fact she was showing off her back alley criminal enterprise. 

“The collectors can find anything in the city you need.” She explained to me, sending me a sly little smile as I replied with an utterly flat look in turn. Kimi of course completely missed the byplay waving at people she apparently knew, and getting greeted in turn. 

She was well liked, because she was pretty and sweet, but I had no idea what she was really doing here. 

Pretty and sweet were good qualities but Kimi wasn’t the smartest, or world wise, she wouldn’t be any good committing crimes.

“So an Enchanter huh? That’s a mighty fine profession you got there, I’ve been looking for some enchanting work for some work I’d prefer kept on the down low.”

“Then you should talk to someone that sells that service.” I denied her, and she turned to face me fully, her bangs hung down on one side, just sort of half covering her left eye, and I noticed she’d turned so Kimi was only looking at her hair covering her face.

But she was showing her face to me.

“That would be a shame! You’d find good gold in it, and of course other benefits… Benefits you wouldn’t have if you refused. Benefits that could keep you safe-”

My glowing fist lashed out into the brickwork of the building she’d leaned herself up against, despite being older, Elin’Kor, was only just up to my eyes. The girl was a shortie.

The crack of brick reacting to Holy Light smashing into it, made her flinch, and she jerked back at first stumbling but turning it into an almost dance as she swirled away. 

She regained herself half a dozen feet away and stared at me, as I pulled my fist back.

The brickwork crumbled a little, not overly much, but enough to show that I had done some serious damage.

The indent of my fist laid bare. 

“Ah sorry… I thought I saw a bug. You know, I ‘protect’ my friends as well. Any insect I might find crawling around… Would get squished.”

My threat thankfully went over Kimi’s head as she had gasped at my sudden attack before sighing at my explanation. 

“Dorah! Using magic to squish a bug? Are you being silly? What would Magistrix El’Tela say!?”

“Ah probably ‘You silly granddaughter of mine. You don’t squish bugs by lashing out… You crush them at the source so they can’t bother you!’”

My faux cheerful voice was loud enough, and Elin’Kor, watched slowly relaxing, and I noticed returning a dagger to a hidden sheath.

“Oh my! Kimi’Thas You didn’t tell me you had a friend who was related to a Magistrix!” Elin’Kor, said instead of being warned off, she grinned even brighter, and leaned in, throwing an arm over Kimi’s shoulder although it looked a little awkward as she was kinda short.

“Oh, Dorah has a weird relationship with her. So we don’t talk about it much.” Kimi explained and I suppose it was my fault for admitting she was my Grandmother, but still this… Rogue! Had better get away from Kimi!

“Well I’ll be. I understand, I have a weird relationship with my own Magister in the family.” She said, and I took note of what she said. 

I felt my eyes narrow, but I was more than capable of picking up the subtext from a teenager. 

She had a Magister in her family too, so I shouldn’t think that was enough to overcome her?

Something like that?

“Come on Kimi, this is… Fun, but we should get back.” I offered, deciding to cut this short, I was quite annoyed already, but Kimi pouted.

“Doooorah!”

“Yeah Doooorah!” Elin’Kor, chirped and I really wished I had just smashed her in the face before when I had the chance.

“See! Even Elin’Kor, wants you here! Besides, I haven't shown you the nursery yet!”

“Nursery?” I whispered, feeling sudden dread. 

“Yeah! It’s how I met Elin’Kor! See I was taking care of some Hawkstriders. Mama picked up work at one of the stables near here, and Elin’Kor’s parents run it!”

I felt my eyes narrow, and Elin'Kor just smirked. Kimi hurried forward, dragging Elin’Kor around a bit much to the Rogues annoyance, as I followed at Kimi’s happy urging. 

In the back of the alleyway, behind what looked like a restaurant, but I suppose would be a tavern or a bar in this case was some old stables, and in there were a few baby Hawkstriders. 

“Aren’t they cute?” Kimi asked me as she hurried over, and the moment the chicks saw Kimi they came waddling over chirping at her over and over.

Elin’Kor, stopped next to me, the both of us watching as Kimi started taking care of the baby hawkstriders. 

“Nursery was it?”

“Yep. Found a few hawkstrider eggs, and figured hey, I could hatch them. Course then I had a few baby hawkstriders and had no idea how to take care of them. Got pointed to Kimi’Thas here, and she proved to me she knew what she was doing. She’s been working for me ever since.”

“If you aren’t paying her, she isn’t working for you. She’s helping you, and that help will end.”

“Oh? Will it?”

“It will.”I said firmly, not even looking at the shorter girl. “Because Kimi is my best friend, and she’s a little naive, but if you drag her into something nefarious, you’ll regret it.”

“Me? Nefarious? I think that big enchanter brain of yours is full of silly stories. I’m a legitimate business woman!”

“I’m sure the eggs were bought and paid for right?”

“Of course not! I don’t pay for things that people abandon.” She said smirking and oh so smug. 

Abandoning Hawkstrider Eggs? Doubtful.

“If a Hawkstrider lays some eggs in a stable, and then their owner leaves without checking the stables for eggs, that’s their fault, after all.” She said smugly, and I sent her a look. I wouldn’t give her grief for the eggs, even if that was definitely wrong. 

I didn’t like being a hypocrite, and I had basically commandeered Chocobo after all. 

“So about Enchanting some things for me-”

“No.” I denied her instantly without hesitation, and she scoffed at me.

“You’re a difficult one aren’t you. But you know things would just go easier if you agree.”

“Things will be perfectly easy for me. Easier, since I’m not interested in helping you.”

“You might find the opposite happening. Things might start getting hard on you.”

“Should I show you how hard my fists are?” I wondered, and she scoffed. 

“Try that shit again and you’ll learn what happens when a knife slips into your kidney.”

“I’ll heal. You might not.”

We looked at each other, there was a definite moment where she was considering going for it when suddenly Kimi was there.

“Look!” She demanded holding a baby Hawkstrider in her hands, its legs folded up against its chest as she held it like hamburger. “Look how cute he is!”

“Very cute.” I agreed, and Elin'Kor smirked. “He’ll be a big useful boy when he grows up.” 

“He’s definitely got a well maintained lineage. See his pin feathers here? He’s going to be some really lovely colors when his coat comes in.” Kimi chattered, telling us both all about the baby Hawkstrider. 

Thankfully Kimi disrupted the moment and we both relaxed. It took a while but I managed to drag Kimi away after everything was done, but I knew that Elin’Kor was watching me as we left. 

This was trouble.

—--

“Ignore it.” El’Tela said simply, after explaining the situation. “It’s trouble you don’t need, and I won’t have you distracted with such nonsense. You don’t have time to play with scoundrels.”

“Obviously. But Kimi is getting involved. Tricked.”

“Then keep an eye out, but leave it alone. Even the most annoying type knows their limits when it comes to such things. Your friend will be fine. It doesn’t sound like she’s the type to get involved in crime.”

“She’s not a criminal." I agreed, and El’Tela waved her hand. 

“Then she’s fine. And you are getting worked up.”

“I’m not getting worked up.” I grumbled, even if I had considered grabbing my gear and going back there to bust some heads to protect Kimi.

“Leave it. I thought you were going out to relax and play, not get embroiled in this nonsense.”

“Tell that to Kimi!” I grumbled slumping on the couch. 

“Promise me you won’t let this nonsense distract you. The last thing I need is you deciding to get involved in some thief guild nonsense.”

“There’s a Thieves Guild?”

“There is something, whatever they call themselves isn’t my concern. You are.”

“Right.” I took El’Tela’s words seriously and nodded. “I don’t want to get involved either. I just want Kimi to be okay.”

“Hmph.” She waved me off, and I did feel a little better after talking to her about it.

Stupid Elin’Kor, stupid Kimi for spending time around obvious criminals.

Ugh.

—--

My eye was definitely twitching.

The smug little smirk was something I was definitely going to punch right off her face. 

“Well isn’t this a surprise!”

Elin’Kor was in the shop, and I’d been alerted by Tira’nore that there was a customer here to talk about Enchanting services. 

Papa was busy, so I had volunteered. 

“What are you doing here?” I asked, a definite warning in my voice, as I clenched my fist.

“What are you talking about? I came to get some enchanting services, and the famous Arkhana’Shola Atelier was my first stop!” She chirped trying to be cute.

“Elin’Kor, be more polite. We are guests.” The man beside her said simply, it took only one look for me to notice how richly he was dressed, the well maintained robes. No ostentatious jewelry, but he had a certain look about him like he knew he was powerful and everyone around him should know it as well.

“As I mentioned, Miss. The Atelier has multiple Master Enchanters on retainer. The Arkhana’Shola family are famous for their magical crafts.”

“Which is why we’re here!” Elin’Kor chirped, and I frowned. I noticed the man look between the two of us, as I just scowled. 

“If you’re here to cause trouble, don’t.”

“Me?”

“Elin’Kor.” The man spoke simply, and the girl stood up her spine straightening at the voicing of her name. “You told me you wanted some enchanting done, and wanted to come here… Was this not the complete truth?”

“I met Alah’Dorah here, through a mutual acquaintance Daddy. When it was mentioned she was an enchanter, I offered her a job but she refused, but she works here at the shop right? Can’t just refuse a customer normally right?” She asked, turning towards me, and I was not having it.

“I totally can. If you’re here to cause problems you can leave.”

“Now what would people say! The Arkhana’Shola Atelier refusing service?”

“They’d say that obviously the customer was causing issues, and was asked to leave.” I snapped.

Did I have any idea if that would happen? No. This could cause a lot of problems for all I knew, but I knew better than to play into it.

A hand suddenly dropped  onto Elin’Kor’s head. “I was not informed this was a less than amiable relationship.” The words had an effect on Elin’Kor who flinched. “If the shop will not fix your locket, then we shall go somewhere else. You insisted on coming here.”

“Wait, Daddy! I wanted to make her do it!” She pouted, and I realized that for all her rogue style and sinister attempts. She wasn’t much older than Kimi, and probably just as childish in her own ways.

He had the sudden look on his face of an adult dealing with dumb kid stuff.

Yeah man I feel you there.

“Elin’Kor, I expect you to portray yourself properly.”

She stopped struggling to get back in control of herself but she managed it, her lips pursed tightly as she nodded. 

“Good. We’ll get the amulet fixed somewhere else. It is no matter.”

“Fine. It’s not like she’d be able to fix it anyways.” Elin’Kor said, pulling out a locket on a fine metal chain from her pocket. “I’ll go somewhere that can actually do it!” She scoffed, and as I was looking at the locket I flinched as she started opening it.

“Stop!” I snapped, rushing her before she could and clamping it closed. “Do you want to destroy it!?” I asked her angrily, and she nearly punched me in retaliation.

“Hey let go!”

“Don’t open it! The Enchantment is damaged!”

“I know it's damaged! It doesn’t work!”

“And trying to get it to work is going to destroy it!” I snapped and she actually listened a bit hesitating and finally relaxing her hands that I had clamped shut around the locket.

“It’s going to destroy it?”

“Yes. Damaged enchantments should not be used.” I grumbled, releasing her, and then hesitating. The locket…

I held out a hand.

“Let me see it already.” I grumbled and she hesitated looking at her father to me, before holding it out and I carefully took it. “Looks like… Magical damage? Too close to a magic fire or something?”

“Something like that.” The man spoke looking on with interest as I looked at the enchantment lining the locket over.

It was well done, whoever had done the original enchantment had some talent, but some of the enchantment had been damaged. 

If it was a weapon it would have been fine. But you enchant something like a locket a bit different from a dagger. That and the enchantment was… Fairly fragile to start. Very complex. 

“I can fix it.” I confirmed after a moment, and considered just throwing it back in the girls face, but… A locket like this wasn’t some Rogue nonsense. This was personal. I could tell just from looking at it, and how distraught Elin’Kor looked.

Tira’nore suddenly spoke up, stepping forward. 

“Young Mistress? Shall we take the job?” She asked, and although she was calm and collected, which was necessary as the Shop manager, I could tell she wasn’t happy with the situation, with my actions before. 

In her eyes I’d just tried to throw out some potential customers.

I sighed. 

“Yeah I’ll fix it.” I grumbled, and Tira’nore looked pleased. 

“Excellent. Shall we?” She asked to Elin’Kor’s Dad who nodded, as the two wandered over to the desk to haggle the cost.

“You really can?”

“Yeah the enchantment is still active, just damaged, if it was broken any more then I’d have to remake it from scratch, and… This Enchantment, it stores something? Oh I see, it’s a sound. That would have been lost.”

“What!? No! That’s the most important part!” Elin’Kor suddenly shouted and everyone looked at her, as she realized what she had done, her ears went red. 

“I can fix it, It’s fine. As long as someone didn’t keep trying to activate the enchantment and cause the damage to spread.”

“Well I didn’t know! And someone refused to consider my request yesterday!”

“That’s cause I-You know what. Nevermind. Let me get this done. Shouldn’t take long.” I mumbled, turning and heading behind the counter and then into the workroom. Just needed some dust, replace the damaged enchantment lines, maybe do a bit of reinforcement on the still working lines, to make sure it would all hold. It was a minute's work at best.

“Nice place.” Elin’Kor said from right behind me, and I really considered punching her.

“This is the workshop, customers aren’t allowed back here.”

“No one tried to stop me.” She said, smirking, looking like a smug little shit.

“I am.”

“Nah, come on, fix it already.” She urged me on, and I really really considered punching her. 

Instead I walked over to the workbench I tended to use for enchanting, and settled in, grabbing a jar. I popped the lid, and used Banish Dust to control the particles, grabbing what I needed in a gentle stream as I put the Locket down.

“Huh. Is this full? You know this jar is worth dozens of gold right?”

“It’s not that much.” I denied, as I grabbed a few of the tools around the bench, the magnifying glass built in was useful as I brought it over, and inspected the enchantment lines besides the main damaged point, and started relayering additional dust over each one. The dust would settle into the lost spots, and I’d double reinforce the completed enchantment to make sure the dust wouldn’t be lost like it had been.

“So what’s this?”

“Expensive. Put it down.” I muttered, not even glancing over as she was fiddling with some of the bins along the workbench that had the enchantment reagents. “If I find something missing you’ll regret it.”

“What? Come on, what kind of girl do you take me for?”

“A criminal.”

“You’re such a funny one, most people at least pretend.”

“Not interested. Put that back.”

“Put what back?”

“The vial you slipped into your pocket. Otherwise I’ll make your father pay for it. Doubt he’d be happy.”

“I wasn’t going to steal it, just messing with you. Was gonna hand it back to you as I left.” She said, taking a dust vial out of her pocket and placing it back. “So is it done?”

“It’ll be done a lot faster if I didn’t have to watch you out of the corner of my eye.”

“So that’s enchanting huh? Neat.” She said, and this time it was honest words, despite her using them to ignore what I’d just said. 

“It is neat.” I agreed, and I rolled the Locket over. The damage to it… Definitely magic in nature, it looked like it had been burned away a bit, left too close to a fire, or maybe in a fire?

Not sure, Either way, the Locket itself was fine, considering my blacksmith knowledge I could tell that much, but the bail was a bit messed up.

“If you want to be helpful, go over there. In that drawer and bring me the small pliers, and the rod that’s with them. No, the other drawers. That’s it.”

“What do these have to do with enchanting?”

“Nothing.” I replied. The chime that enchanting made as the dust adhered to the object rang out and that was that.

Enchantment repaired. Rather elegantly as well! All the dust was kept in line with the original and there was no longer signs of damage.

I took the pliers and rod without a word, and shifted the locket, using the rod to slide into the locket's bail, I used the pliers to reset the loop, so instead of being jerked to the side it was once more clear and ready for the chain to be slipped through.

“Done.” I said, and then offered the locket to her.

“Done?”

“Done.” I confirmed, and she took it gently, opening it up, a song began playing, but it wasn’t a song. A woman humming, and then speaking gently.

Elin’Kor listened quietly for a moment, enthralled in the whispered humming lullaby and then she closed it.

“I was worried I wouldn’t hear Mom’s voice again.” She said bluntly, and I sighed. 

“If you had mentioned that, instead of inferring more criminal stuff I would have considered it then.” I replied flatly, and she shifted from quiet contemplation to once more the imp.

“But then I wouldn’t have come here, and got you to do the work anyways. And I’ve decided, you’re definitely going to be my enchanter. Do you do daggers? I always wanted mine to be sharper.”

“No.” I said instantly, and then rose up, taller than her, with a motion she jolted at, I grabbed her by the back of her clothes and started pushing.

She was smaller, and weaker than me, and she stumbled, unable to stop as I forced her through the workshop.

“Belore above what do they feed you here!?” She cursed, unable to stop me from pushing her right back into the front room. Her father had been looking at some of the things along the walls and I watched him take in the sight.

“Is there a problem.”

“Yes.”

“Nope! It’s all fixed.” Elin’Kor said, chirping happily as she clutched her locket.

“Is it now?”

“I’m impressed Daddy. She did it herself, and she was, like, amazing at it. She’s going to be my new enchanter.”

“Not happening.”

“See! She’s already agreed!”

“I will punch you.”

“Heh! Oh here is this by the way.” She said, and held out her hand I instinctively took it, and felt my eye twitching.

That was from the workshop! She had swiped something! That little!

“Come on Daddy! We have to go, and I have some new plans to figure out!” She said skipping out the shop, and I just knew, this wasn’t the last time I was going to deal with that annoying thief.