"Alright, Liora, let's go," Mark said as he rose from his seat.
"No, Mark, I want her to do this alone," Gabriel said. "There's a special quest I want you to take."
"You can't be serious. She won't be able to do this quest alone; it's too dangerous for a newbie like her," Mark said. "Plus, can't the special quest wait?"
Gabriel shook his head. "I'm afraid it can't," Gabriel said. "I understand that you're worried, but she's going to have to do this without you." He then turned to Liora. "Are you up for the task?" Gabriel asked.
Liora pondered for a moment. The quest was a stealth mission; she wasn't required to fight the monsters, only to find out where their base was.
'This is actually perfect! I couldn't use my summoning skills before because Mark would've seen it, but since I'm alone now, I'm sure I could even raid the place and free the hostages by myself,' Liora thought with an excited grin.
She then nodded. "Yes, I'd like to accept this quest," Liora said.
Gabriel smiled. "Good," he said.
Mark stared at Liora with a frustrated expression. "Alright, if you're going on this mission alone, then I'll let Talon accompany you, just in case," Mark said, before turning to look at Talon.
"I order you to follow her every command and keep her safe no matter what," Mark said, and Talon roared before flying over to Liora and landing on her shoulder.
"Mark? Are you seriously trusting me with him?" Liora asked, looking at the golden hawk on her shoulder. Her expression was a mix of shock and awe, but even that couldn't stop the excitement coursing through her veins.
'It feels so exciting just having him on my shoulder like this. If this beast were mine, he'd be way stronger. But it's only for this mission, so I can't get too attached to the bird,' Liora thought with a smile.
"If it gets too dangerous, don't hesitate to run away. Prioritize your life first," Mark advised Liora.
"The town closest to where the goblins were last seen is Firefly Town. It will take a while to reach—maybe about two days—and we recommend moving out as early as possible. Firefly has a few forests, so you're going to have to thoroughly check each one and see if you can locate their base. With Talon's help, it should be much easier," Gabriel said before looking back at Mark and handing him a document for his special quest. "Mark won't be back for a while, so you're going to have to take care of Talon in his place, okay?" Gabriel asked.
Liora nodded with a determined but also excited expression. "I promise to take care of him to the best of my abilities," Liora said.
Mark smiled. "That's good to hear," he said before sitting back down and starting to read through the mission details. "You can go home now. Make sure to get enough rest for tomorrow," Mark said as he gestured for her to leave.
Liora understood and quickly left the room. She walked down the hallways before exiting the guild and taking a carriage home.
After she arrived back home, she entered the mansion and started to walk towards her father's office. While she hated him, she needed to inform him about Mark's quest because he wouldn't be back for a while.
Liora stood in front of her father's door and gently knocked on it before announcing herself. "Father, it's me. I've come to bear news," Liora said.
"Come in," William replied on the other side.
She opened the door and walked up to his desk before beginning to speak. "Father, I've come to inform you that Mark won't be here for a while.
The guild master needs him to take part in a special quest, and that means he won't be able to mentor me. I've also received a quest from the guild and will need to head over to Firefly Town for about two to three days," Liora explained.
William studied her expression for a bit, noticing the golden hawk on her shoulder. "So he gave you that bird to complete your quest?" William asked.
Liora nodded. "Yes, it's to keep me safe in case something goes wrong," she said.
"Alright, I understand. You may leave now," William dismissed her.
'Thank goodness it's over...' Liora thought as she turned around and rolled her eyes in annoyance.
She walked over to her room and decided to prepare herself for the journey. She grabbed a bag from the corner of her room and walked over to her closet. She quickly grabbed the Fox Mask and stuffed it inside her bag, along with her other necessities.
After she was done with everything, she took a bath and got dressed before going to sleep in her room. She made sure to feed Talon and take care of him well before resting.
---
The night passed quickly, and it was morning again. Liora swiftly jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed. She mounted Talon on her shoulder and grabbed her bag before leaving the room.
As she continued to walk through the hallway, she caught sight of her two brothers, Carl and Lance, blocking her way. They had angry expressions on their faces and emitted a strong killing intent, so much so that Talon raised its wings in caution.
"Morning, sister," Carl said as he slowly started to approach her. "Where are you off to so early in the morning?" he asked, his tone not a kind one.
"It's none of your business," Liora replied, refusing to back down. "So, what are you two doing up?"
Lance scoffed and also stepped forward, his body beginning to crackle with the intensity of his wind magic. "We're here to teach you a lesson for playing that dirty move on me," he said in anger.
Talon started to get agitated, becoming more and more prepared to attack, but Liora kept him in check.
"Are you two seriously going to team up on me? Don't you have any pride?" Liora asked. "Plus, I wouldn't advise you to try anything. My little friend here can… easily break this mansion if we're not careful," Liora advised.
Lance grit his teeth in frustration. "Alright, then, let's play a game," Lance suggested.
Liora raised her brow in confusion. "A game? What game?" she asked, but still kept her guard up for anything they might attempt.
"I overheard your conversation with Dad yesterday. You said you were going to be gone for two to three days, right?" Lance asked.
Liora remained silent for a few seconds before responding, "Yes, that's right. Now, what is this game about?" Liora asked, just wanting them to spit out the details.
"When you return from your quest, we're going to have a duel, one-on-one. We're not going to team up against you. If we win, you have to buy us beasts from the black market and tame them before handing them to us, making them our pets," Lance said with an evil grin.
'They want powerful pets… huh,' Liora thought.
"Alright, I accept. But what if I win? What do I get?" Liora asked, crossing her arms.
Lance thought about it for a while but couldn't come up with any fitting reward for her. "You can ask for your own reward," Lance said.
Liora grinned as she took a step forward. "Alright, if I win, then you two have to become my slaves," Liora said devilishly.
Lance looked at Carl for a second before bursting out laughing. "Slaves? To serve you? What a request. But that will only happen if you win," Lance said with a smirk, confident of his victory.
Liora walked past them and toward the door. When she arrived, she turned back to look at them. "Be sure to train very hard for when I return, because I'm not going to go easy on you both," Liora said before leaving.
She was planning on saving those women that were captured by the goblins, but not without killing every single one of them first. It was time for her to level up like crazy.
Liora boarded the carriage that would be taking her to Firefly Town. The carriage took off and began to ride through the streets of the capital. Liora looked at Talon on her shoulder. Initially, she wanted to use Talon for the upcoming battle between her brothers, but that would be too easy and boring.
Instead, she was going to become much stronger and beat them with her swordsmanship and martial arts. After she won, she would then begin to torture them, give them so much pain that they would never think of standing in her way again, and she would makd sure to enjoy every second of it.
A soft laugh escaped Liora's lips as she became excited at the idea of finally getting back at her brothers, especially Lance. She would never forget the years of bullying and abuse she received from him.