Eliona's War 1: Hesitant Healer

Chapter 26

"Where are we supposed to start?" Severance whispered to Awesome Dude.

The two of them stood in the middle of the road, but the crowds were so dense that they'd been forced to stop and wait for people to move out of the way. It was like everyone had all come rushing into Ascendance at once.

If it weren't for Awesome Dude's dubiously reassuring presence, Severance wouldn't even have come into town. As it was, he stuck close to the rogue and tried not to think too much about how many people currently surrounded him.

"I don't know," Awesome Dude whispered back. He looked around, before spotting a narrow space between clusters of people. "Ah, this way!"

Severance followed close behind his friend and they managed to squeeze through. The route took them off the road, but that was for the best. They were able to go around a building and back onto the main street of Ascendance. It was slightly less busy here and they could actually see more of their surroundings.

A tall man in glistening silver armor strode past, his expression stern and foreboding. Severance wondered if this was one of the clan people. The guy didn't look friendly at all.

"How are we supposed to know who is who?" he asked.

Awesome Dude shrugged. "No idea. I'm watching the Chat though. Someone will know something."

"Great." So they were going to wing it and hope some random person figured things out in the meantime. It wasn't like Severance had a better plan though, so he couldn't complain.

He noticed a pair of elegant people walking casually towards them. He thought they were going to pass by like the armored man, but one of them abruptly met his gaze and smiled.

It was a handsome man in a cream-colored trouser and tunic set that was perfectly tailored. He had eyes the color of stormy seas, and coiffed blond hair that would not have looked out of place in a hair commercial.

Severance broke eye contact, a little flustered. Why was this guy looking at him? What did he want?

The man wasn't alone. Beside him was a woman who could have been his twin, except she wore her hair long and loose. Her expression was entirely cold and closed off.

Were these people players? Or were they from a clan? Severance couldn't tell, so he quickly looked to Awesome Dude. Maybe the rogue knew.

But Awesome Dude wasn't paying attention. He stared blankly into midair, mouth slightly open. Anyone who didn't know better would assume the poor guy's brain had vacated the premises and went searching for greener pastures.

Severance assumed the player was just reading the Chat, but did he have to do it right this instant? The strange twins were headed right towards them. Any hope that they might just pass by crashed and burned when they stopped a few feet away.

"Ho there, friend," the smiling man said.

"Hi," Severance cautiously responded. He watched the space above the man's head and saw gray letters form the name of Karlua Sender. This was no player, then.

He shuffled over and nudged Awesome Dude as inconspicuously as he could.

"I'm Karlua Sender." The man gestured at the stately woman by his side. "And this is Agathai, my sister."

She glanced at him, then at the zoned-out Awesome Dude. There wasn't even the slightest flicker of interest in her gaze.

"Okay, hi. I'm Severance." He applied extra strength to his elbow and jammed it into Awesome Dude's side.

The rogue came back to life, blinking a couple of times before he noticed the two people standing before them. He beamed, stepped forward, and greeted them enthusiastically. "Hello! I'm Awesome Dude! It's awesome to meet you! Who are you people?"