Chapter 24: Mission from the Count

Chapter 24: Mission from the Count "Am I dreaming or is this real?" Noah asked while looking at the mission board. There was golden mission leaflet stuck on the board without any requirements of class, and the reward was a whopping ten thousand gold coins. "Its real man!" Luke said unable to avert his eyes from the mission reward. Both of them looked towards each other, and then again on the board and then at each other again. After repeating the process a few times, they rushed away from there towards the lobby and took a seat at the corner away from the crowd. "How come there’s a count in the city? Weren’t all the nobles chased away?" Luke asked. "Well, that is true, but count Clive was the only noble who was on the side of the rebels. He helped the military with finance and also supported them from the start. So, he’s respected by both the military and the people and holds quite the power in the city." Noah said. "What is this noon bloom that he needs then? And ten thousand golds!? He’s quite loaded!" "I heard his daughter is ill or something. Maybe he needs it for her, she’s his only child after all." "That may be true." Luke nodded in approval. "What do you think? Should we take the mission?" "Didn’t you see? The mission was in a golden leaflet. It means that this is an open mission. Anyone can take it. You just have to bring the flower and the reward is yours." Noah explained. "Great then. Do you know where we can find it?" "Do you think I’d be sitting here right now if I knew where it is?" "Hmm! Let’s not hurry then! we have to do some research first. Let’s go the city library, there might be some old records in the books there." "We’ll need a detailed map of the forest if we need to save time and be faster than the others. I know a place where we can get the map." Noah said. "You go to the library try to find any information and I’ll go get the map." "Alright! let’s do that!" Luke agreed and both of them moved out of the guild, with determination to complete this once in a million kind of reward mission. ***** "It’s done." Ruby said as she stopped channeling her mana in the mana stone on Shane’s mechanical arm. "Thank you, sister!" with a wide smile on his face he picked the mechanical arm and pulled the lever at the elbow. It started glowing as the mana from the stone started moving through the channels drawn on it. He then wore it and strapped the belts tight around his arm. He moved his arm and aimed his palm at the sandbag at the distance. The palm then started making whirring noises as it transformed into a circular canon. He let out a deep sigh in nervousness. He had failed too many times and reviewed his designs again and again, and this was his last attempt. He either succeeds or gives up forever. A golden ball of light started forming in front of the canon tube. It collected more and more energy as the mana channels glowed before it zoomed away flying towards the bag, pushing him back a few steps because of the recoil. The energy ball hit the bag and blasted through it, passing out of the other end and hit the wall before being dissipated into motes of light, leaving a black mark on the wall. The sand started pouring out like a waterfall as a huge hole appeared on it. But this time, he didn’t celebrate. He waited for the arm to stabilize. Ruby held her breath as she kept her eyes locked on the mechanical arm. Slowly the channels in the arm dimmed and the canon transformed back into the palm. It was stable and didn’t react abnormally. Shane turned around as he looked at Ruby with a shocked and doubtful gaze. "Did...did I succeed sister!?" "Yes...yes Shane! You finally did it!" Ruby sighed and her voice quivered as tears rolled down her eyes. "Haha...hahaha! I did it! I did it, finally!!" he jumped in joy and hugged his sister in excitement. Ruby laughed and wiped her tears away, excited, happy and proud of her brother. After a few seconds of celebration, Shane finally calmed down as he untied the belts and removed the mechanical arm and placed it back on the table. "You can now present it to the university! They won’t be able to deny your admission now!" Ruby said with a wide smile on her face. "But I’m not presenting it to the university!" Shane said without a change in his expression, as if it was already a known fact. The smile instantly vanished from Ruby’s face. She thought she had heard him wrong, but then couldn’t believe what her brother had said. "Why did you build it then?" "I’m going to be an adventurer! I’ll need a weapon, so I made this for myself since I can’t use other weapons." "Are you out of mind!?" Ruby yelled. "Have you completely lost it? Did I support you all this time so that you can go to the forest and risk your life?" "What would I get if I show it to the university? Do you think there are noble professors there who will praise me and let me develop my machine further? No! they are thieves who will take my project and make it their own and no one will believe me that I made it since I am a magicless bastard without a circle!...Just like they did with my scanning device." Shane lashed out, pushing all his anger and frustration out. Ruby kept her silence. She didn’t know what to say. She knew how talented her brother was, but in this world, being magicless was a sin, and even she knew that fact. "But I can’t let you risk your life too! You can open your own workshop, I’ll fund you, you should focus on its..." "Until when sister? How long will you support me? don’t you have a life? You’ve been wearing the same robe everyday for more than two years! You haven’t eaten a proper meal from God knows when. You haven’t even been able to buy a staff for yourself because all you do is spend your money on this useless me!" "That’s not it, Shane! I just want..." "It’s my time now sister! I’ll buy you everything, we will have a feast each day. I won’t let you wear the same robe everyday. I will make sure we won’t be poor anymore. And I won’t change my mind!" Shane threw those words out and started moving out of the room. Ruby didn’t know how to respond. She knew how adamant her brother was. No matter what she said, he won’t change his mind. Steeling her mind, though unwilling, she made her decision. "Alright! But I’ll go with you too. I can’t let you go in that dangerous forest alone!" "Really?...Hahaha! I’ll protect you sister, don’t worry!" Shane laughed out loud in excitement as a smile spread on Ruby’s face. For her, her brother’s happiness mattered the most, more than herself.