The Challenger Page 6

  "I don't. The Codex Vault under the school or the Royal Archive in the Diurnal District might though. Those are the only two other places that hold important records we can't have presented to the public and since I've never heard about an Irelight if it's not a made up word it's probably in either of those places." The boy tapped his chin looking off to the side in thought while Jonath blinked absolutely dumbfounded the kid actually told him something useful. Assuming that was a secret he wasn't supposed to be told, Jonath actually sneered at the boy. Children really didn't know when to stop talking... this assumption even more clear when the kid suddenly covered his mouth as if just now realizing he wasn't supposed to tell a stranger that.

  "Uh oh!" He muttered to himself on the brink of panic! "I wasn't supposed to tell you that... Dal made me promise to keep the secrets a secret oh no I'm in trouble please don't tell anyone I told you that!" His words were a frantic whisper, even going as far as getting teary eyed when he saw Jonath's sneer. The silver-haired amnesic eye rolling with an exasperated sigh before waving his hand dismissively at any concern or thought of him telling anyone about the boy's screw up.

  "Relax kid relax." Jonath insisted in a lackadaisical voice. "I won't tell anybody about your blubbering... really should work on your secret keeping though. Like legit..." He deadpanned.

  "I know I know I was doing good till now. I was excited when you said you'd apply and grateful you caught that eraser before it hit me and I guess I slipped up. Sorry..." the kid muttered rubbing his frail arms. Jonath briefly stunned by what he just heard, the boy got excited when he said he'd join? Why?

  "What's so exciting about a stranger wanting a part-time contract?" Jonath furrowed a brow hands withdrawing from his pockets top pop his fingers. However before the kid could answer a light pitched feminine voice called out to him from the library entrance causing both of them to turn their heads to look at the source.

  "Kelarin are you talking people to death again?" A pretty young and on the tall side of the spectrum woman with messy bright cyan hair that reached her waist and icy cyan eyes complimented by a petite figure and sun-kissed skin spoke walking over to the two. Wearing a black cardigan over what looked to be a plain white shirt and leggings with a skirt over them coupled with lace brown boots. Jonath casually looking at her approach as the two briefly made eye contact before they both looked back to Kelarin who had his bright smile back across his face.

  "Oh hey Dal! I was just telling my new friend here about our contracting terms. He was interested in the flyers you went to deliver to the Group board!" Kelarin gestured to Jonath. Dal and Jonath once again making eye contact, Jonath possessing a blank facial expression while Dal had a small smile of greeting to him.

  "Oh hey I remember you from earlier asking about some books on an Irelight or something right?" Dal tilted her head as she gestured with a hand to him. Jonath nodding nonchalantly without glancing at Kelarin or showing any indication the kid had told him something she kept a secret, even if she did it unintentionally. "Sorry I couldn't help you out with that but did you find everything you needed for the other questions you had?" The cyan eyed woman said with a warm smile that didn't fall too far from the enthusiasm Kelarin had in his smile. Though Dal's gave off more just being polite over actually happy at the level of the kid.

  "Yeah everything else is fine, thanks." Jonath replied swiping the paper off the table and jostling it in his left hand while pale eyes looked over it once more. "Been thinking of getting something to bring in a little money. This sounds like it won't be too boring an endeavor I take?" He asked glancing back over at Dal who nodded her head in response to him while pointing at the paper idly.

  "Mhmm! We have all kinds of jobs that would really help out the Group if you apply, the pays pretty nice too for a part-time contract. Just need you to fill out the form at the bottom for me and I can get you a contract say... this weekend at the latest? Just in time for the skill tests." Dal informed while watching Kelarin stare at Jonath as if unwilling to wait for Jonath to talk to him again. The amnesic quirked a brow, eyes portraying an air of curiosity not first shown as he tunneled on one thing in particular.

  "Skill test?" He repeated. Dal nodding again with a hum.

  "Mhmm! Some jobs are ... dangerous so to speak so we pay higher for them but the law requires we test the applicants for them to be capable of completing said job." She scratched the back of her head a bit sheepishly upon mentioning that. Kelarin unable to hold in his excitement anymore and quickly pointed at Jonath while looking to Dal with wide eyes and an energetic whisper.

  "He'll pass any skill tests you have! He caught an eraser being thrown at me without even looking!" The boy was trying his hardest to keep his voice at a whisper. Jonath peering down at him with a briefly taken aback look in his eyes while Dal then glanced over her shoulder at the group of students trying to act like they didn't notice the glare she were giving them. Turning back to look at Jonath a few seconds later her glare turned back into a smile as she spoke.

  "Ah well if Kelarin thinks you can do it then you've got nothing to worry about yeah? Speaking of which..." Dal turned her attention back to Kelarin with eyes of concern. "Kelarin start-up a list of people that'll be at the skill test this weekend so I can go on and get that stuff notarized for display yeah?" Dal asked glancing back over to Jonath as Kelarin nodded and quickly hopped out his chair to run off somewhere. "Can I go on and put you down to be attending too? Deadline is today but I can sneak you on if you bring the form back by tomorrow?" She looked at Jonath attentively. The silver-haired man staring back at her for a moment, and then folding the paper to slide it into his back pocket with a corresponding nod.

  "Great I'll mark you down. Just bring that form back tomorrow around the same time and come meet in the courtyard this weekend for the orientation and we'll be all set." Dal upon saying that walked around to take a seat at the desk while Jonath stared at her for a few more seconds, and then started to walk away. As he took those first few steps Dal suddenly remembered something and called out to him in a loud whisper.

  "Oh! Never got your name so I could put it down on the paperwork!" She asked waving her hand at him as she slightly stood up from her seat as if reaching out to grab his arm. Jonath pausing, slightly looking over his shoulder at her again and simply replied,

  "Jonath. Anyway yeah, I'll be back tomorrow with this all filled out."

  With that said he continued on his way after seeing Dal give him the thumbs up and return to her usual duties at the desk. The two having basically bid farewell to each other now as Jonath exited the library and stood outside the doors looking up at the night sky. Staring for what felt like ages whichwas only about thirty seconds, Jonath had a lot more placed on his mind now. The The Challenger and Irelight, Kelarin telling him about two other libraries in restricted places he felt the urge to check out anyway and finally... this entire part-time contracting job he was going to get. Guess Jeremy will be happy to hear Jonath got a job so quickly, but still...

  "Going to be an interesting week... lucky me." Jonath eye rolled as he adjusted the strap of his bag and headed back to the apartment.

  The Last Yelkath

  The Challenger Chapter Seven - The Last Yelkath

  A larger than normal black owl the size of a small dog, hoots in a soft rhythmic pattern atop the cold metal of a lamppost shining its dim light over the emptying streets below. The crowds of people scattering into the wind heading home as shops closed and streets cleared rather quickly as the clock struck midnight. All was silent, the city appearing at the surface to have drifted off into a serene slumber itself. The air was still and oddly warmer than usual while the sky was a scattered cloudy dark coloration as always. The eternal night truly being forevermore...

  A woman of slightly above average height, physically sublime with modest proportions, walks down an open pathway carving through the buildings of the slumbering city. Her hair darker than a starless night, reaching lengths that caressed the tops of
her shoulders and looking slightly disheveled and spiky in appearance. Her visage pale and slender, facial features being drawn out by the thick, long bangs that framed both sides of her face reaching to the base of her neck, some also hanging off her forehead, sweeping over it in cascading motions. Her eyes were a primordial rich red, so deeply vivid and infused with mystic power, that it gave off an ominously dim glow. Her lips and nose small and refined. Entire aesthetic showing the beauty this mysterious woman possessed despite that look in her eyes that portrayed a vibe of apathy and emptiness to everything and everyone. Whom was this lonely stranger?

  She walked by her lonesome, wearing a one sleeved black shirt that had seen better days, left arm hidden away by the fabric. Her roughed up, dark-colored pants slim fitted and contouring to the curves of her athletic legs, with crude rips along the front of the thighs as well as back of calves, and a silver chain dangling off the left hip that swept at her knees; a soft rattle with every step. Her military styled black boots were dirty, reaching up to her calf muscles, feet not making a sound with every step and an arm warmer protecting the lower part of her exposed right arm from the elements, fingers slipped through the holes at the end snugly. Her stunning beauty, her odd attire, and the way she walked gave a very strong impression this woman was not from these lands. A foreigner in both beauty and origin, tired and weary...

  Why was she here?

  The traveller stopped when she stood outside of the Archive Group, her calm, monotone eyes slowly looking upwards at the sign as she read the introduction message to the Group. Staring in silence, a breeze blew through the once still air and disturbed her shoulder length bangs as they fluttered in the wind for the next few seconds. Her head slightly turning, hearing a shuffle from behind the wall on the inner side of the Group. Gaze narrowing ever so slightly as she pivoted to face the hidden entity.

  "You made it on time like you promised; I'm impressed by your punctuality." A man's voice chuckled from the shadow of the wall beyond the threshold the woman stood. Her eyes gazing at a man about her height, yet chubby in appearance. With bronze colored skin, green eyes and neatly trimmed brown hair, he certainly was an oddity as well. Donning a black suit that looked rather expensive, the slightly overweight man gestured his arms out in greetings to the woman as he addressed her.

  "Never thought I would see a living, breathing, Yelkath standing before me! The legends were true, your family tree is beyond stunning to gaze upon. Perfection at its finest!" The man spoke flattering in a deep baritone laced with periodically crackling in his tone as if he'd at one point in his life, received trauma to his vocal box. That or he was a smoker. "You're a rare breed in this day and age. I'm still rather amazed you're standing before me to be honest uhh..." He trailed off trying to remember her name. The young woman's solemn yet direct gaze of soft glowing red hues stared at him as if she ignored almost everything he'd said. A snap of his fingers, and he gestured to her again with realization prominent in his eyes.

  "Liariana Yelkath, a pleasure. My name is Draven. Your bloodline hails from war-torn Yakagura to the east, right? I do hope the voyage here courtesy of me was a pleasant one?" Draven immediately inquired upon introduction. Robust fingers slipping into the collar of his suit to withdraw a small pack of cigars pulling one from the package and placing said pack back into his shirt. Liariana not responding to him, merely watching him light said cigar and pull it to his lips for a long puff as Draven began to pace back and forth across the threshold of the Group. A cloud of thick, ashen smoke leaving his lips and billowing up into the night sky, pointing the cigar at the beautiful foreigner next with a gleam in his green eyes.

  "Is it true that your bloodline is on the verge of extinction? I do recall the twenty year blood war between the Yelkath and the Yami ended with the Yami being completely killed off and your line only possessing a few survivors that scattered to the wind? You literally are a needle in a haystack!" Draven took another puff as he thought over the research he'd done before arranging this meeting. "Yakagura is inhospitable now right? Nothing but ruins and graveyards for such a pretty place it once used to be. A shame, I'd have wanted to see it on-" Draven was abruptly cut off by the calm and direct tone of Liariana overtaking his words with her own.

  "I didn't travel all the way to this strange land cursed by a veil of eternal night to hear drivel about my ancestors." Liariana's words were heavy with apathy to her history, and yet sprinkled with disgust when she talked about it. Her attitude about the situation only making Draven all the more curious about her ties. A light shrug of compliance, and Draven took another puff before coughing slightly as he spoke.

  "You're right you're right. Let's get down to business. After all it's bad for me to keep such a beautiful and youthful young woman like yourself waiting for important information yes?" The chubby man laughed dryly while leaning against the wall and waving the hand that held the cigar behind him towards the grand architecture of the Archive Group. "A Yelkath is an extremely rare treasure nowadays, you wouldn't believe how much money and resources I invested scouring the world in search of any survivors that fled from Yakagura. Your clan possessing powers and skills unique only to them that I think would be quite useful for what I had in mind." He sneered darkly, Liariana very vaguely narrowing her eyes at him yet kept her completely calm posture. Arms hanging by her sides and legs relaxed as soft glowing red eyes stared blasé at the man.

  "You talk too much." Liariana said coldly. Expression lacking any sliver of respect or formality. They say first impressions are important. Draven already was souring his...

  "You know why I'm here, why I even bothered to take up your offer." The young woman said with a slight hint of losing patience at the end of her sentence. "Don't waste my time."

  "That I do! You're on a Hunt, are you not? Precisely why I think you'll do well working with me. Your road to your goal begins here, Miss Yelkath." Draven coughed again with a smile and took another inhale of the burning cigar. The two staring into each other's eyes not saying a word for the next few moments. A sigh, and Draven couldn't help but feel he needed to sweeten the deal for this woman.

  "My records on you are sketchy and unreliable I'll admit. You are young after all, maybe twenty? Most Yelkath worth mention were older, and they lived in infamy because of their powers and reputation as power-hungry savages... but I digress. Don't think that just because Kynerva is a land isolated from the rest of the world that I haven't been able to get around you know? I know full well all about you, Liariana, and your actions in the East; which make my acquisition of you even more delightful considering you became a very wanted criminal before you even turned eighteen. You're here because you're being hunted, just as you are being the Hunter of someone else are you not?" The sly smile that creeped across the man's face caused Liariana's once monotone and blank stare to very subtly twist into a cold glare. Draven wafting the cigar around again with a chuckle, he had the high ground now...

  "Be a shame if your Hunt came to an end prematurely because word of your whereabouts got out would it not? Sure, evidence linking you to the crimes you committed since you were what, sixteen? Is almost impossible to collect nowadays but... " Draven tapped the side of his head with a smug grin. Liariana's glare growing sharper by the second as she stared at him. The coloration of her red eyes increased to the point they looked primordial as a beasts in the darkness of the night.

  "How sad if word got out you were here before you could meet your goals wouldn't it?" The man snickered. "Your backs against the wall, and you're on the run now aren't you? That last assassination you did running with the Bl-"

  Draven froze up temporarily when Liariana twitched her fingers. The vibe shifting entirely...

  Liariana raised her left arm, palm facing Draven as her black sleeve rustled a bit. The arm warmer covering her palm yet leaving her fingers exposed began to spark, and flicker with a black mass of energy as if a lighter was trying to start. This sparking causing burning silver embers and black smoke to haze
around her appendage.

  Red eyes looking ever so calm, she was about to kill him...

  "Ahhhhhh I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Draven grinned. "You of all people should know that using your clan's bloodline powers will give away who you are! I have several people hidden in the shadows watching to make sure our little negotiation goes smoothly. You kill me, and you'll be hunted down within the week by them..." Draven made sure to put emphasis on the word 'them' when he talked. Liariana's eyes twitching from the quiet rage that befell her mind, extended fingers curling inwards as her arm trembled with rage and disgust that never showed across her facial features. The faint, flickering mass of silver and black aura that sparked in her palm faded away into nothing and she lowered her arm back to her side.

  "Let's calm down those mystic eyes of yours too shall we? Don't think I am not aware of you Yelkath possessing powerful enchanted eyes too with that what was it? The eyes your bloodline possess capable of inducing horrible afflictions on others? It has a name, I just can't remember what it was at the moment?" Draven tapped his foot in idle thought as the glow in Liariana's eyes begrudgingly subsided.