The crowds gathered at a circle, watching one of my fellow members fight from my brother. Carin was a stubborn one as he proposed a duel with no hesitation.
"Shithead, don't cry okay?"
Elias mocks Carin before the duel started, using "shithead" as his formal nickname. I knew my brother had come up with delirious names from my guild. As he was angry about my brother's attitude.
Carin shock slowly transformed into anger. He recklessly drew his mace and glared at Elias… before thrusting it into the ground. He pointed at Elias and declared his intent for all to hear
"Elias Rynd! Duel me! No weapons! If I win, you have to promise never to get near your sister again! And to release those girls you're holding captive!"
The girls Carin muttering about was Patricia and Catherine, one of Elias's original members, he wanted to show his true skill when residing this duel
"Oh god! This is so easy. I can't watch it anymore."
"Stop mumbling! Are you a man or not!?"
The reason he'd challenged Elias to a bare-handed duel was because he knew his mace could never match up to Elias's guns. Patricia, Catherine and I stepped away from Carin. His action had done nothing to impress them.
Still, Elias had the righteousness of this cause. He fully believed he was saving his vice-leader of the guild, as well as his honor from the guild, from Elias's clutches. His jealousy, combined with a straightforward attitude, had mixed together to form a disastrous combination.
There was no going back for him now. And so, without even waiting for Elias's reply, he charged
Sighing, Elias took a few steps back. Thinking he was scared to fight bare-handed, Carin doubled down and charged faster. He was just a few steps away now. Elias's arms were still at his side, and he hadn't taken any kind of stance.
Certain of his victory. Carin threw a punch with all the momentum of his run-up behind it. Just then, an unexpected happen.
"Ah!?"
Carin vanished. Or rather, he fell. But he fell so fast it looked as if he'd disappeared. He'd fallen into a pitfall. When Elias had taken his first steps back, he used his dark magic to create an open space where Carin fell. It was not too deep, but he fell like he was in a cartoon mania.
Once Carin fell off, Elias closes the pit to the ground, as the duel suggest, Elias won.
It was quick, in less than ten seconds, the fight ended quickly. The crowed was stunned and booed on the way there. The seemingly ordinary fist-fight suddenly made into a sitcom scene. I approached my brother.
"Brother, Where is Carin?"
Elias shrugged a little, then began explaining his powers beforehand. I was left shocked by his reply
"I stored one of your members into the shadow vault. This is where I stored one of my weapons inside of that area. Of course, it is one of my dark magic"
"So wait, Is Carin dead?"
"No, I locked him inside of my domain, of course he would be alive. Maybe, I will treat him as my pet from now on."
Elias stored Carin in his storage room, he was trapped there and couldn't get out. While I can barely hear Carin's screams at Elias's body.
"Hey Elias, it's not fair. We still not finished. Once I get out of here. I will crush you into pieces."
As Carin's screams were heard inside of Elias' body. One of my members, Ned, approached Elias with an enraged expression. He was definitely angry when he saw one of his partners was locked up.
"Elias, you wretch. Release my partner at once."
"No I won't. Maybe you want to join in with your partner in the shadow vault. Maybe you will shut up!"
"Damn you Elias, you heretic. You aren't even a luminous knight. Your more of a anti-hero, you son of a bitch."
With no hesitation, Elias unsheathed his revolver and pointed towards Ned's forehead. Ned didn't even flinch a second, he just stood there, staring at Elias with its eyes wide. He mentioned himself as he had a murderous intent on my brother. Utmost from his personality.
"Even if you are a fellow member of my sister's guild, I won't show you any mercy."
"Y-You son of a bi-"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't come here to rejoin your group. You guys aren't my comrades. I only came back because I owed Eirene a debt. Once we get out of here, we'll be parting ways. I have my own goals in mind"
Elias dug the revolver deeper from Ned's forehead, the guild responded and unsheathed their weapons. Natalie and Barry were seen in the distance. Holding their crossbows that were directly aiming at Elias.
"I really don't feel like arguing with you. Let's just end it here. It's my policy to kill anyone who becomes my enemy. Unless I have a good reason not to, I'll make sure to kill them. It doesn't matter whether they're good or evil, or whether they resist or not." Elias said calmly with a cold expression.
They all gulped uneasily. Ned could at least follow his sister, who was the vice-leader of their guild, with his eyes still, but he hadn't even sensed Elias moving. He continued.
"The moment you show mercy is the moment you die. Those are just my values though, and I have no intention of pushing them on anyone else. I learned that the hard way while I was in service of a luminous knight. Still, if you plan on standing against me just because you don't like that, then…"
As Elias was about to pull the trigger, I stepped back…
"Stop this instant, Brother!"
Elias noticed me and said one singular sentence.
"Eirene, are you defending your members over me?"
As he saw one of his little sister's eyes, he hesitated.
Elias stared at Ned for a few seconds longer before holstering his revolver and turning away. He finished threatening Ned away and everyone breathed a massive sigh of relief. Natalie and Barry lowered their crossbows
However, Ned still wasn't willing to accept this. He opened his mouth to I argue further, but this time I shut him down, I was tired of his pratting.
"My brother is the one who fought the chimera! He saved Cassius in the mountains. All you did was cower in fear and ran away. The loser has no right to say anything."
"What?"
After I said that, Elias lowered his weapon and placed it in his belt. It is true that the guild didn't fight the chimera, I insisted they stay in the village because of my brother's conditions. But they were stone-ranked members, a single hit from the chimera will crush them into pieces. So they hesitated a little.
Elias glances at Ned once again, but with a kindness on his face.
"Okay, I will unseal your friend from the shadow vault after we leave this village. I'm sure that I will take care of him."
"You better be alive! You damn heretic."
I stood up on one of my members, with an angry expression.
"Ned Haro! Could you please be quiet?" I said angrily
"Gah… Yes, ma'am…"
One word from me instantly shut him up. He was like a trained dog. Though he was no demi-human, it was easy to imagine him having dog ears and a tail. He obediently hung his head in remorse after being remonstrated by her master.
Then, Elias made something unexpected...
"Wait, what the fuck?"
Elias summoned one of his pitfalls once again, sealing Ned into Elias's shadow vault. Because of its gaudy attitude, it annoys Elias even in the slightest
After I shushed my members once again. Elias patted my head once again and proceeded to leave. As he leaves, I screamed over a distance
"Brother, where are you going?"
Elias turned back, and heavily replied through me
"Eirene, let's meet in the inn, leave your fellow members in the village. I have a word for you."