Agatha The Legendary Guild Master

My minute changes were caught by her keen eyes, as she hurriedly said:

"He isn't alright, he is in harm, right? What happened, tell me!"

She was anxious, nervous, and afraid. All the emotions that I hated, but I felt sympathy for her, instead of anger.

"Listen, something happened."

I just couldn't continue saying what happened, as tears welled up in her eyes, with her pretty face turned ashen white. "Is he dead?" she hesitantly asked, with a horror I never saw before.

"No," I replied, "Not dead, but he gave up his privilege for me," I added.

"You mean that stupid, crown prince stupid race?" the hatred I felt in her words were literally could be seen by naked eyes, vey massive.

"Yes, I guess," I replied, without knowing if she would be angry or glad. I felt like dealing with a crazy person.

"I don't care about that," she finally smiled, "but where is he?" she added as she tried to look inside the balloon as if she might have missed him.

"He," I paused, as I really didn't know where he was.

"You don't know where he is?" she muttered with disbelief, "he literally left everything for you, and you don't know where he is?"

When she phrased it this way, I felt embarrassed, like I never felt before. She was right, Shin was really there for me, believed in and helped me when I was lone and weak, much weaker than now. I had to look for him, more serious than I did, that if I really did something.

"Sigh," I sighed, "there is a story, I will tell you now if you like," I said, as I didn't know what else to say or do.

"Then tell," she said, as she crossed her arms in front of her. At this time, another balloon had already arrived, to stand beside Nina's balloon, but they didn't say a word.

Nina seemed to be a respected person, or famous one, or both. I took a deep breath, as the thoughts of this incident were enough to make her mood turbid like foul mana.

"The story starts when…" I started to tell what happened back at that auction house. The more I spoke, the more anxious she became. When I mentioned the name of Terry, her face shifted from pale white to bright red. She knew him, and it seemed it wasn't just a casual relation.

"and after that Shin vanished, and I was told his life is related to what I will do in that new crown race," I finished my words by saying this. I was honest, didn't lie or change any info even slightly. I knew this might hurt her, as I was already feeling pain just from telling it.

"Is that all?" she slowly muttered, lowering her head to look at the distant ground.

"Yes," I said, "that's what exactly happened," I paused hesitantly before asking, "Do you know this player? Terry?"

"Know him?!" she raised her head to the sky before she sighed, then smiled, then laughed, a strange hysterical laugh, "I know him very well, he was once one of our closest friends, me and Shin I mean."

She seemed very far opposite to the happiness on her face, as I even felt more pain and remorse coming from her direction. I just sighed, I knew I couldn't do anything, and even worse I might attract all this hatred for no reason.

"Did you say player Terry?" someone from a balloon said, as he spoke after he felt we were done.

"Yes," I said as I felt some familiarity between him and that Terry. If they were friends, or related in a good way, then it would be enough generosity to let him retreat safely, with his head attached on his shoulders. Do you know him?" I calmly asked a question which would determine his fate.

"Yes," he said, a middle aged man, nearly the oldest one here, with broadsword, broader than anything I ever saw before. "He was my sworn enemy, the one I had to kill," his looks then started to get ferocious, as he glanced at me while asking, "Have you killed him? it has been a while since I found a trail of his."

"He was punished," I replied, for fear of misunderstanding. That man looked really inpatient, the type who would act first then think later.

"Is he dead?" he stressed on this point.

"Who are you?" Nina asked, "I know all of Terry's enemies, but I never saw you before," she said, with some doubt and slight aggressiveness in her tone.

"I'm the one you can never meet," he simply replied, "but first I need an answer to my question," he demanded, with a straight glance to me.

I didn't know what to say, as this man seemed quite rude, but I felt deep hatred towards Terry, like it was personal, like a vendetta for one of his family members. He was like me.

"Don't worry," I said, "he is alive," I added, "but he will need a year at least to be free," I clarified this point.

"No problem," the man said, with a tone of relief and much gratitude in his voice, "I take by that you are also an enemy of that traitor."

"Traitor?" I asked. "Traitor? Wait a minute, are you the black sword berserker, the silent berserker killer?" Nina suddenly shouted, like she found something, "yes, the description match you, it's you, my god it took me ages to find you."

The man didn't seem impressed by her words, and even I didn't understand a thing out of it.

"If I didn't want anyone to find me, then no one can," the man said, "but here, I want to be called by my true name, and my identity can be kept secret between us, please."

His request was fair, as I didn't request everyone to announce his secrets to the crowd. I nodded as I said:

"This is fine by me, you can keep your identity hidden and well protected, in return I will call you by your name, which is?"

"Sin," he said.

"Sin," I muttered, one letter and it could be Shin, what a strange coincidence. I smiled finally to him, while Nina said:

"I want to speak with you."

He side glanced over to her, before saying:

"I know what you want to say." "And?" Nina asked. "No," he replied.

"Humph," Nina harrumphed, before adding, "if it was before, then I would take your refusal and leave here, but right now you're not the strongest person here, or our leader."

Sin looked at her, then he looked at me as if he was testing my intentions, "what she said is true," I started, "I'm here the strongest, one of the strongest in this entire land actually, and I'm planning to gather you up."

Sin narrowed his eyes, as he softly asked:

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I will act from this day on as your boss," I directly announced my intentions.

"Who says that?" he asked, in a way that seemed rude but I felt he was faking it.

"I," I instantly and calmly replied, "if you have a problem then you can leave here and go back to wherever you are from."

Sin glanced for long at me, and the others didn't open their mouths. I didn't know why, I felt everyone's eyes falling one me, like they were seeing how this situation would end.

This sin seemed to be the strongest here, and the most authoritative one. If I managed to tame him, then at least all those in front of me would end up following my lead, if not then I might face trouble achieving my goals.

"You say you are the strongest here, right?" he simply asked, like he was questioning a silly joke not an obvious fact.

"Yes," I simply nodded.

"That means you are stronger than me?" he persisted.

"Yes," I nodded.

"Even if I'm already a mystic art master," he provoked.

I was really shocked when he said that, internally, but on my face I never showed any speck of shock. All I did was to take out my spear, and shield, as I held them both proudly in my hands while challenging:

"I have these two artifacts, right here no one is above me," then I glanced down over him, "not even a master like yourself."

He silently gazed at my two artifacts, while the others felt the panic they already forgot, the one they got from my earlier battle with the castle and its towers and creatures. Their bodies' trembled, and even one or two retreated a step or two inside their own balloons.

I didn't intend to attack any, or scare even one, but that proclaimed master seemed quite proud and arrogant, that he even forgot about my earlier battle with the castle.

"Good," he simply nodded, clapping his hands like he witnessed a marvelous show, "I was sent here by the board to get rid of this annoyance, the castle, but when I got here I was surprised to know of your deeds. Surprise might not be the right word, shock can be better suited," he added in a tone that was away from any arrogance or aggressiveness. 

"but, I have to refuse joining your party, I can't simply agree on that, not because you here might be stronger than me, but because I can't, due to my current esteemed rank, join any force lower than a guild. I hope you can understand and excuse me from your invitation."