Among Flowers and Swords

[Xander Dust]

Ren was sitting on a huge branch from a nearby tree, a few meters away from the watchtower he was sent to guard. His tail was coiled around the branch, with one of his legs hung lazily beside it, swinging slowly. His head was resting over both of his hands, holding it from behind, with his eyes closed, feeling the slow breeze of spring in the flower field beneath him.

“I think we’re supposed to be guarding the field, Ren,” Diana said from the ground, below Ren’s branch. She was covered in white, baggy clothes, her face hidden under an oversized hood and a long, blue scarf.

“Are we? Or did they just send us here to get rid of us?”

“I’m sure it’s just because there’s nothing better to do right now.”

Ren looked at her from above. “Well, they could’ve sent us to go on an exploration mission, but no, boring watchtower it is.”

“I know you’re disappointed that you’re not going to the missions yet, but I’m sure if you prove yourself, they will be eager to give you a less… Boring job.”

Ren didn’t answer for a bit. He knew the elders were being unreasonable here, he was more than capable of going on exploration missions, but Diana always thought the best of others, so he didn’t want to disagree with her. But how could Ren prove himself if they weren’t willing to give him a real job?

“Well,” he finally said. “If they don’t want us to do anything, then I won’t do anything. Simple as that.”

“You can at least pretend.”

“To whom? Your crow?”

“You know what? I don’t think you’ll get anywhere with that attitude. Enjoy your branch.”

Ren went back to enjoying the breeze with his eyes closed. Nothing ever happened in the watchtowers around the town.

Caw noises started bothering Ren. Cowl, Diana’s white raven, has come back from its patrol. It sounded alarmed, its caws loud and uneven.

“I think there’s something out there,” Diana said, letting Cowl rest on her gloved hand.

Ren leaned forward. “I’m sure it’s just merchants. We can–”

An arrow flew straight towards Ren’s head. He moved aside in time, and jumped to the ground below.

Then, another arrow. Then, another. Soon, they were sieged with many arrows coming from the nearby forest. Ren and Diana hid behind the watchtower.

Diana looked at Ren. ”So, you were saying?” She showed him her tongue in a mocking manner.

“Alright, alright.”

“Should I send Cowl to ask for help?”

“I think it’s too dangerous with the arrows flying. Let’s do this ourselves.”

“Ok.”

Ren took a deep breath, and called upon the magic he had within himself. The entire field became covered in thin raindrops coming from no particular cloud. As the water touched him, Ren could feel his body easing, ready to start the fight.

The arrows ceased. The rain droplets became disrupted, as five figures came from the trees.

Neither Ren nor Diana needed the other to know what was going on. Ren could feel the water from his rain, and Diana had Cowl’s eyes, which she could see through when needed. Likewise, they could both hide in plain sight, the water making Ren’s figure disappear, and Diana’s white, iridescent attire could bend the light around it, making her invisible. With a quick gesture from Diana, they both went ahead.

The bandits were inspecting the watchtower, swords in hand.

“Didn’t you see someone?” One of the bandits said.

“Yes, I’m sure we’re not alone. Keep your eyes open.”

From one side, Ren attacked. From the other, Diana. They both circled the field while invisible. Ren had his sword in hand, and sliced one of the bandit’s armed hand. The banding dropped their sword in pain, everyone turning to check on their cries. As soon as his attack connected, Ren took a step backwards into the rain, losing his silhouette once more. Then, he repeated the stunt, each time targeting another bandit’s weapon – their sword, their bows and arrows. Checking on Diana, she was doing the same on the other side.

“I think we’re being attacked by ghosts!” A bandit yelled.

“Nonsense!”

One of the bandits was dressed in red robes, and as soon as they lost their sword by one of Diana’s attacks, they pulled a bright red gemstone from their pocket.

“Let’s put an end to this stupid game!”

From the gemstone, a black mist oozed, soon covering the entire bandit squad in it. Ren could see through the rain that the bandits were running away from the mist, in the opposite direction he was attacking from. Diana was keeping her ground away from the group, now that she couldn’t see through the mist.

One of the bandits pulled a giant fan, and swung it, the wind pulling the mist towards Ren. It didn’t matter to him if he couldn't see with his eyes, as–

And then, the mist exploded. Ren screamed.

“Yes, we got one!” A bandit said.

“There’s two of them!”

The red mage summoned the black mist again, and the other bandit moved it with their fan somewhere around the ground they were originally fighting on.

Ren moved aside, and went back to hiding behind the watchtower. The rain kept falling uninterrupted, but it was a lot softer than when he first conjured it. His entire skin was in pain, and he was sure his clothes were ruined. Another explosion, although Diana should know what was up with that trick by now – she was staying hidden somewhere in the outskirts of Ren’s rain, behind a tree.

“I don’t think we can beat them now,” a bandit said.

“Yes, let’s retreat. We got what we needed.”

“Did we? We barely saw what they could do. They could have dozens of sneaky bastards.”

“That’s not our job.”

“True…”

Under the rain, the bandits went back to the forest. Under the trees, Ren’s ability to feel them through the droplets was limited, but soon enough, he could tell they were gone.

Diana showed up beside Ren, her illusory invisibility giving way to her usual silhouette.

“Are you ok?” she said.

“I’m fine. DIdn’t expect that mist to explode.”

“Me neither! Those tricky jerks.”

“Next time I’ll make the rain fall harder. Let’s see if they can fill the air with explosions under a downpour.”

Now that he mentioned it, Ren stopped the rain.

Diana’s face turned serious. “But we should go back and tell the elders what happened. I’m sure they’ll come back with more.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

 

[Xander Dust]

The sun was setting, its fiery rays illuminating the Hall of the Elders from the stained glass windows. Heroes of old generations, pictured as battling monsters, decorated said windows, their figures simple yet captivating, their deeds represented for any young hunter to see. Ren had looked at the windows many times, wondering if he’ll ever get to join them, and yet, everything the damn elders did was to stop him from achieving such a goal.

“Why can't I go back to the watchtower? We just defended it flawlessly!” Ren had his arms high in the air, his frustration clear.

“That was just a distraction.” Elder Shaun said. “Who knows what else they might have under their sneaky sleeves. And you didn’t defend it ‘flawlessly,’ you came back burned with your clothes ruined.” His tone was calm yet dismissive, his gaze looking at windows as they walked through the hall.

“That trick won’t work again on me. But that’s not the point. You know I can fight them, and with the whole guard, there shouldn’t be a problem defending the town.”

“I’m not sending the whole guard just to keep you from starting trouble.”

“I don’t start trouble!”

“Diana told me you were goofing off before the raiders attacked.”

Damn, that Diana had to snitch him up. Ok, he might’ve made a mistake lazing out, but Ren was right that nothing ever happened in the watchtowers. It just had to be that some raiders attacked when it was Ren’s turn to be on the lookout.

Ren looked away, his fans bared.

“That won’t happen again,” Ren said in between his teeth. He looked back at Shaun. “But that’s not the point. Why are you so bent on not letting me fight?!”

“I already told you. I don’t trust you to take your job seriously, and this incident proved I’m right.”

Ren crossed his arms, but didn’t say anything.

“If you want to be let on these important missions,” Elder Shaun followed, “you need to take your jobs seriously. No one starts slaying monsters and exploring ancient tombs.”

“... Fine.”

Ren had the feeling that was not all of it. He’s always been dismissed by the other hunters, having to work twice as hard just to keep their mouths shut, and yet, now that he was officially ready to start working on real missions, he was still being treated like an annoyance. It wouldn’t surprise him if Shaun didn’t want him to join the missions so that he could keep a close eye on him.

But, there was another thing he had to do before trying to make up for his mistake at the watchtower.

.
.
.

At the rooms where they kept their stuff and slept in, Ren was in front of the door for Diana’s room, with his arms crossed. The whole complex was part of the same building as the Hall of the Elders, but further back, so most people wouldn’t be able to access it.

As soon as Diana opened her door and saw Ren, she looked away, as her shoulders deflated.

“What do you want here?” she asked.

“I think you know that already.”

“Look, if it’s about Shaun, I’m sorry, but he had to know how you approached the job.” Diana looked back at Ren. “I told him to not tell the others, but you can’t count on me to be your partner in crime. It wasn’t OK what you did!”

“‘Partner in crime’? Seriously? Is it a crime to sit on a branch as nothing happens?”

“Not a crime per sé, you know what I mean. Also, something did happen!”

Ren gently pushed Diana as he entered her room and sat on her bed. The bed sheets and other clothes were all over the place, but that’s how Diana had always been.

“I know, I know.” Ren said. “But I talked with Shaun, and he said he doesn’t trust me! Seriously?! I’m one of his best fighters!”

“I’m not sure if that’s true though.” Diana closed the door, and stood in front of it, facing Ren.

“Oh? You don’t believe I didn't pass every test breaking most records?”

“Oh no, that part is true, but I think I agree with Elder Shaun. You’re reckless and don’t take jobs seriously. Remember what happened with the lost cow?”

“You don’t have to remind me. I’m not dealing with cows again.”

“No one will let you near a cow again, that’s for sure.”

“But I don’t appreciate that you’re taking his side!” Ren crossed his legs, leaning back on the wall.

“As your friend, it’s my job to tell you when you should work on yourself.”

“And I don’t like it.”

“But you accept it, right?”

Ren looked away. Diana was right, Shaun was right. But still! It couldn’t be everything! Ren was a trained fighter. His bad performance at those stupid jobs was because they were stupid jobs. He needed a real one, and he would show everyone what he was truly capable of.

“Hey, Diana?” Ren said.

“Yes?”

“Want to do something stupid?”

“... I don’t like the sound of that. But sure!”

Ren smirked.