For a while, the room was completely silent. Even Losel, unusually quiet, was simply nibbling on the last bit of her bun.
"The Jewel Makers aren't just any ordinary people crafting those strange jewels," he began. "They are a powerful group, and they hold real jewels... the Jewel of Gale and the Jewel of Daze."
"That's it?" Cian scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "Did you forget we're Jewel hunters? We already have jewels of our own."
The man's expression didn't change. "What about competing with death?"
Cian's patience wore thin. "Just get to the point."
The man leaned in slightly, his voice steady. "The mage who once fought with Queen Elveria,had a mask to control his ability.It's currently in the hands of a young man,who is unfortunately linked with the jewel makers.That single mask is equivalent to all the 8 unknown powers combined,whoever he wishes to kill, dies. He can even bring the dead back to life." He finished.
The words settled in the room, and for a moment, no one said anything. The silence felt heavier now, as everyone absorbed the weight of what had just been said.Afterall,that Is something almost..impossible to compete with.
"We'll deal with him later. First, we'll take out those two Jewel holders," I said.
"Are you insane? What happens after we deal with them? How are we supposed to face him?" Cian replied, his voice strict, though I could hear the concern under it.
"We're not alone. We can talk to Madam Sylmora. She can help us," I said, trying to offer him some reassurance.
"Uh, everyone... is being a Jewel holder rare?" Losel asked, hesitating.
"Of course, only seven of them exist in this city," Arlie's father replied.
"I have one," Losel said, pulling a small fragment out of her pocket. "I don't know if it's real or not... My mommy gave it to me before she passed away. But I've only ever used it to make ice cream!.. It tastes really good, actually." She smiled, trying to keep the mood light.
"ARE YOU KIDDING?" we both exclaimed, and Cian grabbed the fragment from her hand. Holding it up to the sunlight streaming through the broken windows, the light caught the piece and made it shine brightly. "This looks like a cube of ice... I've never seen a piece like this before," Cian said, His voice softening as he stared at it, mesmerized. "It's beautiful." I add.
"SO…?CAN I JOIN THE TEAM?" Losel says. I glance at cian,he slightly nodded in agreement. "Welcome to the..team..I guess?". I reply. "THIS IS GONNA BE SO MUCH FUN" Losel squeaks in excitement.
With that,we all discussed where to track them and said goodbye to Arlie and his father. "Take care everyone! Stay safe!" Arlie shouted from the door.We waved at him in return.
Now,starts the real trouble."Cian,send word to Madam sylmora on my behalf,tell her that we want to know about The Jewel of Daze and Jewel of Gale." I requested. "Understood" Cian said as he vanished in his portal. I signalled my head in nod to make losel Underatand that we should go ahead.
We were walking in a road which was quiet and dark but the light of the moon seemed to ray it's light only on us,kind of like those spotlight in theatres.Suddenly Losel taps my back "HEY LOOK!SOMETHING'S HAPPENING THERE." While pointing Towards the left.I look to see a young boy,Probably about fifteen or sixteen getting yelled at.
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO DO YOUR WORK CORRECTLY?!"
"I..I..I"
"LISTEN,I DONT WANT TO SEE YOU COMING INTO THIS SHOP AGAIN,DO WE HAVE THIS CLEAR?"
"Sir no Please!I need this job"
"I SAID DO WE HAVE THIS CLEAR?"
"yes.."
Suddenly losel jumps into the commotion. "You Can't talk to someone like that" She says to the shop owner. "Oh?So Now I have to know how to talk to someone from a kid Like you?" He replies. "Yeah,Learn." Losel says as she gives him a hard slap on his face.
The crowd went dead,but then everyone started screaming.As if they wanted to see a fight.
"Losel,let's get out of here" I whisper.Losel Nods in disagreement.
The shop owner, still stunned from the slap, suddenly charged at Losel, fire burning in his eyes. But before he could lay a hand on her, a rush of icy air shot from her palm, freezing his legs mid-step. The cold crept up, stiffening his knees and turning the leather of his boots brittle.
"You were saying?" Losel grinned.
The shopkeeper's men jumped in to defend him, but Losel slid backward on a trail of ice, dodging their punches like it was the easiest thing in the world. She moved as if she was skating, light on her feet, her balance effortless. With a flick of her fingers, the ground beneath them glazed over with ice, sending them slipping and crashing into each other.
One of the men rushed toward her at full speed, a pocket knife clenched in his hand. Losel raised her hand to the sky, and suddenly, an icy weapon materialized in her grasp, its crystal-clear edges catching the light.
"Mine's cooler. Literally," she said with a smirk.
Realizing he had no chance, the shop owner turned to run. But before he could take another step, Losel froze his legs in place, the ice creeping up to his chest, locking him in. He stumbled, hitting the frozen ground with a grunt.
Losel stepped forward, twirling her ice blade before stabbing it into the ground just an inch from his head. The man flinched, squeezing his eyes shut.
"Hah!I guess you've learned now," Losel said, flashing a bright, innocent smile.
The crowd was cheering loudly, as if Losel had just taken down some dangerous beast instead of a random shop owner. She ran over to the boy, lifting him onto her back. He looked pretty bruised up, too.
"Let's patch him up, shall we?" Losel said, extending her hand to me.
I gave her a nod and a smile, grateful for her help.