Elan sleepily had her face down on the table outside the small and surprisingly quaint little cafe Kyrie found some weeks ago. With the obvious touch of the rising trend of the industrial revolution, the little store's soft pastel motif and antique-like furnishings was a breath of fresh air.
"How did you find this place?" Arthur asked as he sat on his chair, eyes roaming at the store's design.
"It's quite a gem, eh?" Kyrie said as she plopped on her seat, looking as bright as the cafe. "I found it from one of my "explorations" around town. They just opened recently and they serve the best coffee in town. You guys should really try it!"
"I could use a cup," Elan almost slurred, refusing to pull her face from the table. Kyrie nodded and quickly got her order, along with three plates of their breakfast set.
"So come on, spill, spill! How were you guys' assignment so far?" Kyrie asked immediately. The other member of the three rolled his eyes at the obvious excitement.
"The team I'm assigned to were on the southwest border of the city, just around the docks," Arthur shared as he nodded to the waiter that brought his coffee. Kyrie scrunched up her nose as she watched him pile way too much sugar in the drink.
"Anything excited happened?"
"A new shipping from Alphen arrived before midnight. We helped with the unloading."
"That's all?" Kyrie looked slightly dissapointed at that. Arthur glared.
"We don't necessarily have to go and look for any demons lurking around the shadows, Kyrie. Our main job is to make sure that the normal citizens are safe and protected from any threats from the demons."
"How was your night, Kyrie?" Elan asked, almost finishing her cup. She's more awake and alert now with the caffeine in her system. She asked the waiter for another cup.
"Oh, I was at the large medical bay by the north gate. The people there were so nice! They showed me around the place and taught me some of the machines they used there. They even let me test the circular saw they use during operations."
"Now that's scary. We don't need you learning anything about slicing skulls." Arthur mumbled on his cup. Kyrie just ignored him.
"Are you reporting back there today?"
"In the afternoon. They're willing to teach me some cool medical techniques that they usually use for first aid before my official duty hours so I'm going there early. I'm really excited for it later!"
Elan chuckled at her friend's enthusiasm. Despite Kyrie's overabundance of energy, she was surprisingly organized, astute with her surroundings, and a quick-learner, more so on on-field works. Being in the medical field would suit her well.
"How was your night, Elan? Come on, spill us the details! How was working with the High Priest and their team? Were they really good as they say?" Kyrie asked one at a time, looking as she was about to jump out of her chair. Arthur also perked up and put his cup down, waiting.
Elan heaved a sigh as she put her own cup back before laying her face in the table again. Both Kyrie and Arthur looked at her, perplexed, until she told them everything that happened.
"I think I can understand it," Elan later said, empty cup on her hand and a fork with some eggs on the other, "Why many of the novice fall dead when facing with a demon from the higher ranks." She could still remember the chill that racked her body when the demon made an eye contact with her through her scope. It was as if that gaze could pierce directly to her soul.
The other two saw the involuntary shiver and looked at each other worriedly. "Hey, at least now you're safe and here," Kyrie tried to console as she pat Elan by the shoulder. "And that big bad demon didn't get to you, so that's hurrah!"
Arthur rolled his eyes again. "What you can do is that, you should use your experience as an inspiration for you to grow. We're new to this, and our room to grow is boundless. Learn through your actions and aim to be better."
"Ugh, you sound like a boring lecturer," Kyrie scrunched her nose.
"Tsk, better than a walking disaster like a specific someone."
"Okay!" Elan stood up before a fight broke out again. "I'm heading to the practice range. I didn't have enough time to get a feel on my new gun much before the mission last night and I'm itching to try it more. You guys wanna come?"
"Aww can't, sorry," Kyrie apologized. "I still need to do some things before my duty later."
"I'll come, if you don't mind." Arthur stood up and patted his lips with the napkin.
"Thanks Arthur. We'll see you later, Kyrie!"
The two quickly went to the training mound with their weapons. As Arthur's preferred style was dual handguns, he went down the ground and arranged some dummies around the maze. He also set up some stationary dummies for Elan to use.
From the top of the sniping post, Elan checked the state of her gun. The rifle was polished in a light grey color, its length a little shorter than the standard size to fit her better. The scope was green-tinted, hooked with the newest tracking system that can detect a demon around fifteen miles through their divine aura. It was a weapon specifically designed to slay demons.
It always her how they could push every possible new systems with the weapons given to them by the heavenly angels.
As soon as she leveled her eye to her scope, Elan's breathing quickly became steady and quite. As if the world around her ceased to exist, her line of sight narrowed down to the dummy across the field.
It was as if she was cut off from the solid world, the only sensation she could feel was the cool touch of the scope on her face, the seeming distant gleam of the rifle's barrel, the secure grip on her hands. Elan smiled. This was why she wanted to be a priest. The feeling of control she had when she placed her rifle always makes her heady and charged.
In a span of seconds, three consecutive shots were fired rapidly, all dead hit on the red target on the dummy. Elan stood more comfortably and pulled her rifle across her chest, looking at her shots.
The memory of the high-ranking demon last night flashed through her memory again. She gripped her gun tighter, but with the fear came the feeling of determination, slowly blooming. Arthur's right, she still had time to improve her skills. She can't have herself be compromised by any inconsequential feelings. She knew what she signed up for.
She went back to her stance and shot another four dummies. Then she loaded five more times until she's satisfied with her job. It's a good thing the church had quite the supplies of bullets with all the number of shooters practicing in the pit.
Arthur was also done with his exercise by the time Elan met with him. As they were preparing to go out, they saw a group huddling close to them, many of the people gaping and shouting with great excitement.
"Is there an event we missed, by any chance?"
"I don't think it's anything like that, Elan. Look, that guy over there was priest Peter."
And sure enough, Elan recognized Peter in the center of the group. As they walked closer to look, they realized that the priest was in the middle of his class.
"Remember to always observe your opponent's actions, even the smallest movements," Peter called to his students as he easily dodged an incoming fist to his jaw. "Try to predict their next moves at the slightest twist of their wrists, arms, heels. Break their momentum and quickly use their own strength against them." He then demonstrated this with a low blow to his opponent's shoulder blades and twisted around to grab the arms and pushed them into a kneeling position, with him standing behind. "Also, make sure you don't get to be so predictable with your hits. Add variety to keep them on their toes."
The class clapped enthusiastically at that. Peter pulled his practice partner up and thanked them for the help. "Now, demons are naturally stronger than us in terms of strength and senses, but knowing even a basic amount of fighting techniques could very well tip the scale on your favor during an emergency. Don't forget that aside of honing your skills with your weapons, you shouldn't be slacking with your physical training, alright? Now, if there's nothing else then you're all dismissed!"
The crowd the dispersed into smaller groups, each talking to their friends about what they've just learned and sharing their own takes. Peter then noticed the pair staying behind and grinned as he walked towards them.
"Hey! Didn't know you're with this batch!"
"We were just passing by, sir," Arthur said.
"Bah, you can just drop the 'sir' thing, it makes me feel like an old man. Just Peter's fine."
"Uh, Peter then," Arthur replied. Elan caught her friend's look and felt amused. Peter's act of being overly familiar had also threw her a bit last night.
"We were just practicing in the field. I thought I'd try to be more familiar with my new rifle in case another assignment comes in."
Peter beamed as he patted her by the shoulder, "A talented and hard-working recruit. You're quite the model."
Elan smiled shyly. Arthur just nodded his head in all seriousness, agreeing to the other's comment and looking as if he approved.
"If you guys are done, would you want to spar with me? I'd need sparing partner now that my class' done."
The two of them looked at each other. Arthur then smiled and took a step forward, "Then I'll be taking your offer on that."
Peter smirked and gestured forward for more room. Elan went to stand at the side to watch. Arthur swiped the blond fringe off his eyes as he kept his gaze to his opponent. Said opponent only looked at him in a relaxed manner, looking as he was just idly observing him. Then, after a few moments Peter swiftly sprinted towards his opponent.
Arthur was caught off-guard, but he still managed to block the incoming kick with his arms, which he then followed by a series of his own kicks and punches.
Elan had always thought that the way Arthur fought was graceful, his movements looking as if he was dancing, and his lithe physique hiding an extraordinary strength from the glances. Peter was also delighted at the obvious skills of this young priest and soon, their movements became faster and more aggressive.
"Your friend has a talent in combat."
"High Priest Isabel!" Elan greeted, surprised at the sudden appearance.
Isabel chuckled and waved her greetings. "We've been in the field together, and so are already connected by life and death's trials. You don't have to be so formal." The two of them continued to watch the pair fighting on the grounds, both unwilling to yield.
Elan remembered Isabel's comment earlier. "Hm. Arthur likes to train his martial arts in his spare time. The other teachers greatly approved of it and gave him permission to use the school's training room to practice at any time he wishes."
"I could see it. There aren't many people that can fight with Peter in level ground with such level of skills."
As if on cue, Arthur made a high jump and aim a head kick mid-air. Peter saw through it and quickly grabbed him by the ankle. Arthur smirked and suddenly dropped down. With his arm acting as a fulcrum, he twisted his lower body for a swift counterattack, aiming to the left. Peter had to drop his grip on the other's ankle to block the attack. Arthur then used this chance to take three steps back to regain his center and launch another hit.
Elan couldn't help but sigh in amazement as she continued to watch. "It's amazing how they can move and attack so fast."
"It is, isn't it? But for Peter, being able to move and attack like that speaks to the countless hours of continuous training." Isabel smiled. "I can't even remember how many times I've caught him practicing his martial arts instead of just sleeping, back when we were still students. I assume your friend's pretty much the same."
Elan chuckled. "Yes. Kyrie always tries to pick fun of his obsession with his martial arts while Arthur often berates her on her habit of wandering around the town alone and lack of sense of danger. It often ends up in small arguments, but it does make the days more fun."
Isabel laughed, too. "Everyone has their own perks."
The fight had already ended, with Peter taking the win. Both guys were out of breath, but despite his defeat, Arthur looked satisfied with the result. Peter laughed loudly as he threw his arm around the other's shoulder. "You should come here more often! That was the most fun spar I had in weeks!"
"Then I'll be taking your offer. It's also fun for me to find someone I could train with."
"Happy, boys?" Isabel called to them. Peter only laughed louder as an answer.
"If you're good then we'll have to go now, Peter. An order was sent down from the Archdiocese. The archbishop wants our personal account from the last mission."
"So soon? Weren't we supposed to wait for the Pope's word?"
Isabel shook her head. "Apparently it wasn't the only place that was destroyed. An hour after we left, three different gambling houses and entertainment buildings were caught on fire, all located at the outer border of the city. It was suspected that the same group had done it and so would like our words as captain and vice captain to use for investigation."
"Four arsons?" Elan was shocked.
"How come there wasn't any news about it?"
"Since the buildings were all located outside the border of the city, the city police wouldn't put them much importance, especially since they're all well-known gambling dens. I suspect they're more relived to be rid off of such problems," Peter answered, his arms crossed.
"Anyhow, we must go. And Elan," Isabel looked at the girl. "I've already sent a letter to the higher ups. I'd like to officially ask you to be on my team from now on."
Elan's eyes widened in surprise. "M-me? Really?!"
"You've done really well with last night's mission, especially since we faced with a demon from the first hierarchy. Your talent and skills as a sniper will also be a great addition for our team. What do you say?"
Elan looked at Arthur, who gave her an encouraging nod. With an enthusiastic nod of her own, she answered, "I'll be honored to work with you all! Thank you for your confidence in me!"
"Welcome to the team! Missions are going to be much fun from now on!" Peter then threw his arm around Elan, making the poor girl flustered at the sudden contact.
Isabel rolled her eyes. "In case you still haven't notice, Peter here is very much affectionate. Peter, please let her breath."
Peter raised his arms and just went to pat Arthur in an audible slap on the shoulder. Arthur made an "oomph" sound at the strength.
After bidding the two older priests goodbye, Arthur and Elan went on their ways by the town center, with Arthur planning to go to his assigned team early. With nothing else to do, Elan turned to walk back to the Holy Archdiocese. As she walked through the familiar marbled hallways from her student days, she had finally arrived at her destination: a small garden filled with a variety of roses, ranging in colors from red, white and pink. A small circular fountain was erected at the center, where a person was quietly reading a book. Elan went and sit beside the man with a greeting.
"Good afternoon, Father Caesar."
Caesar smiled at his ward and patted her on the head; a habit he had ever since he took the girl in. "You seem to be in a good mood today."
"Hm! High Priest Isabel has told me that she wants me on their team. Me! A member of the most famous and skilled group of priests! It's such a honor for my skills to be acknowledged by the head priest herself!"
Caesar's smile widened. He'd read the letter Isabel submitted. He had always known that his ward was very talented, but his heart still pangs at the thought of the numerous danger Elan will face as a member of one the vanguard team of the church.
A pair of familiar silver eyes flashed from the depths of his memories. Such eye color was said to be a mark of great talents given by God Himself, a mark of true greatness. And Selena did lived to prove the claims, rising as one of the top students of their class. Her marrying Seth, who was only second to no one but Selena in terms of skills, made them known widely as the most powerful pair of the order of priests.
But greatness never really equates to invincibility. After a great miscalculation from a given intel, the two tragically lost their lives in the battlefield, leaving a lone orphan in Caesar's care.
Seeing Elan growing up was like seeing the shadows of his two former best friends again, and pride and joy were mixed with grief, sadness and worry in his chest.
He patted her head one last time before his hands travelled down to look at the wristbands by her arms. "Another one of your inventions?"
"Grappling wires. It's only about five meters, but it's enough for any emergency to use, like a quick escape." Elan showed the black leather wristband about as wide as her thumb. The wires were purchased during one of the sales at night market, its durability makes it perfect for her idea.
Caesar nodded approvingly. Skills aside, Elan's hobby of tinkering various small weapons and such eased the worried knot in his heart a little. At least this way he can be assured that Elan has ways to get herself out of trouble.
"It's late. Would you like to stay here for dinner?" He laughed at the eager nod from the girl and led her to the kitchens.
Meanwhile, back at Elan's apartment building, a shadow was trying to slip pass through the narrow alleys. If one looks close, it would be obvious that the shadow had most of their weight being supported by the wall, their steps slow.
The sound of dogs barking made the shadow dart a look around in an anxious manner, before slowly walking and climbing up the emergency stairs. A slip on their feet had them falling inside the window, right at Elan's small living area. They only noted that the room was thankfully empty before falling into unconsciousness.