Arcanum

"Let"s make it quick...." I replied noticing there was quite the crow around her.

"Daisy! We"ve been ordered to meet up with the rest of the cla.s.s." Jay quickly instructed Daisy convoying the urgency turning her around as we arrived.

"We are?..... What happened?.." She asked looking shocked.

"No idea.... but Sven caught us slacking off so we need to head back to the refugee camp." Jay informed her.

"Really?.. How the h.e.l.l..." she said seemingly to power down her radiating aura slowly fading it to nothing. "Sorry everyone.... but I need to go now..... Please everyone try your hardest and rest well." she smiled thanking and shaking hands of what seemed to be other followers of Serra.

"We need to hurry... or we"re gonna be stuck in detention for a week." I said trying to get her to hurry up.

"OHHH c.r.a.p... I"ve never been in trouble before!!" She moaned quickly picking up the pace. Without looking back or a second thought we quickly followed her out towards the entrance.

"Ohh you guys made it." Sven smiled greeting us. "Everyone okay?.." He questioned looking at all of us.

"We"re good...." We answered.

"I"m so sorry!!!!!!! I was helping people who were in need..... I didn"t mean to break the rules!!" Daisy instantly confessed as if she"s never been caught breaking the rules before.

"Ummm yes... you"re in big trouble..... I"m afraid you"re gonna be in detention for a week." he firmly said leading the way for our group.

Daisy fell silent like a guilty criminal, looking down in shame following us out the front door. "Don"t be so hard on yourself." Jay replied trying to cheer her up.

"I knew I should have left with you guys....." she mumbled to herself.

"Stop!!" The lead guard stopped us as we began exiting the building.

"Anything we can help you with sir?" Sven asked courteously.

"Just wanted to ask a few questions." He smiled in return with that same slither of wickedness in his smile.

"Sure.... ask away." Sven smiled.

"Umm if you don"t mind could we ask some questions in private?...." He asked Sven politely.

"I"m sorry I can"t let that happen?.." He smiled totally unfazed by the guard.

"You know I was hoping you"d say that...." The guard instantly smiled his true colours came flooding out.

"I thought you would have." Sven smiled... and without warning all the guards were forced together and almost instantly after two fell lifeless slumping on the floor bleeding from the head.

"What the f.u.c.k!!!" The remaining two shouted out before being silenced their necks making a hideous twisting noise as his neck and head turned in an unnatural way silencing them both with a resounding series of cracks.

Instantaneously four more guards showed up walking to the silenced bodies looking near identical to the ones lying on the floor.

"Don"t worry Sven we"ll take care of the bodies." The new lead guard smiled giving us a wink.

"Ohhh don"t forget their ceremonial daggers." Sven smiled and nodded.

"What the h.e.l.l just happened?..." I asked in shock barely being able to come to terms with what happened.

"Don"t worry they are Atlantis students, thanks to your intel we"re now able to take steps in preventing in whatever they have planned." He smiled.

"What"s gonna happen now?" Helen asked as we quickly rushed our way to the refugee camps.

"The Deputy Head Mistress wants a head count then you"ll be take back safely to Atlantis. So let"s make haste." Sven explained hastening the pace back through the city.

"What"s going on?.." Daisy asked still in the dark.

"Those guards were Dark Elves.... we have reason to believe they have already infiltrated the city ..... Everyone is considered hostile.... even high ranked officials." Sven answered.

"So we"re evacuating?.." I asked concerned for the refugees.

"We"ve received a message for all non-first years.... to locate and gather all freshman." Sven added.

"How did she know?..." Grace asked.

"I sent a message through my strings." He answered with a proud smile.

"When?... How?... Grace questioned deeper.

"Via a language we designed through the tapping of my strings." He smiled.

"Wow your strings are way more useful than I expected." Jay confessed causing Sven to chuckle.

"Why thank you.... I aim to please." He smiled bowing his heads.

"Is that how you manged to locate us so easily?..... and Daisy and Helen inside the building?.." I asked.

"Yes... I hope you all didn"t mind but when we first met.... I did attach strings to you all... just for safe keeping sake..." He apologized.

"All of us?.. When..." I asked checking myself for the string.

"Can"t feel it?.." He smiled.

"No I feel nothing....." I replied causing everyone else to check themselves.

"The one"s I"ve attached to you all are currently only one strand thick...... it"s almost impossible to feel them unless I want you to." He smiled twitching a finger causing his mechanisms to move.

"Ohh my G.o.d I felt a slight tug." Helen and Grace said after waiting a few seconds.

"I don"t feel anything...." I replied waiting a little longer.

"Wow impressive being able to feel the slightest of tugs on your clothing." He replied to Daisy and Helen.

"So who and what killed the guards?.." Grace asked curiously for some reason the heightened Elven senses didn"t even see much.

"It was a joint effort between me and another student of Atlantis... I pulled them together with strings I already placed around them the first time we pa.s.sed them..... But this time it was around hundreds of threads thick.... and the other was a shot from S-Ranked student Travis.... No doubt he"s camped up somewhere as over watch." Sven answered.

"No way....." Grace gasped in shock looking around the city for high locations.

"But I didn"t hear him shoot." I objected in disbelief.

"It"s part of his specialty.... training in hiding his presence and taking out or subduing targets from extreme range." Sven answered.

"How about the safety of the refugees?..." I asked.

"What about them?.." Sven asked.

"We need to keep them safe...." I insisted.

"Well... I"m not sure what Atlantis is getting paid for...." Sven answered.

"So I a.s.sume it"s not good." Jay answered.

"Sadly to the rich elite..... Refugees are considered like roaches and rats to the city." Sven answered accepting the grim truth.

"We can let that happen!" I argued.

"It"s out of our hands Emilia." Sven replied.

"Whys that?..... We can do something if we wanted to!" I argued.

"Because life isn"t that easy.... we can"t be seen giving free handouts.... otherwise we"ll lose sponsors and funding. Then who will pay for all the Atlantis"s expenses….." Sven informed me.

"Why are we given these gifts if we can"t use them to save people the in need?..." I argued.

"It"s the way the world works.... good will and nature can only get you so far..." Sven explained.

"I"m sorry but I can"t just sit by and let the innocent and defenceless get left out for the slaughter for some stupid politics or money, lives are more important." I argued making a stand.

"You remind me a lot of the House Head.... besides I did say "Seen"....." He smiled. "He gets in a lot of trouble doing the good things going against teachers..... Stupid idealist..... But at least someone is doing the tough job making the hard choices." He sighed but I can tell by the way he spoke about him..... He deeply admired him.

As we made our way through the town..... Suddenly my nervous feeling disappeared... replaced with a feeling that everything will turn out just fine........ Is that you Paul?.... Have you come to help?.....