Garden Of The Abyss

[Forest of Herun, Gallvania, the next morning]

Birds chirped, echoing their morning calls though the well-traveled forest, signaling the beginning of a new day.

"Did we really have to ditch the carriage this far out?"

He complained, rubbing the back of his neck as low branches kept tickling his neck with bristly leaves. Through the ceiling of leaves up above, the blaring, morning sun bled through the verdant abundance, casting a sparse sunlight through the dense forest.

The amber-haired woman marched in front of him with a stern huff, "Are you going to complain the entire time, Sirius? You're an adventurer, right? Act like one."

"Hey, now, I'm only walking because, unlike me, you can't fly," he shrugged his shoulders with a sly smile, "anyway, there's a road not far from here, why don't we at least take that? I've already got a few bugs in my boot…"

As he said this, Sirius lightly stomped his boot against the soil below with a scrunched expression. Another breath left Emilia's disheveled lips as she crossed her arms across her black-dressed chest.

"I told you already," she looked at him with those cat-like eyes of hers, "you're practically the most wanted man by Mastorn, and with a prominent merchant like that coming through here, they probably have their eyes out for trouble."

"You mean trouble like us?" He asked.

"Trouble like you," Emilia smirked, "they don't have the slightest clue who I am."

He smirked in response, "I can't help that I'm so famous, you know?"

"That's not anything to gloat about," Emilia raised an eyebrow.

Continuing onward, they pushed through the avoided parts of the forest, pushing past the natural barriers of foliage before a set of walls in the distance became apparent.

"Ah, looks like we've made it," Emilia said.

Standing at the edge of the forest, he looked from behind the veil of trees at the far set of walls; they were built of a peculiar, emerald stone, chiseled into diamond-like tiles that stood at a colossal height.

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"..."The Great Barrier of Yulimium", it's my first time seeing it for myself," he remarked.

"That's exactly why we can't have you being seen before entering," Emilia told him as her amber ponytail laid on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I've heard about it. "The Great Barrier of Yulimium; all that are recognized as a threat to Gallavania perish when passing those gates", right?" He said with a wry smirk, "scary."

"Exactly. But, you won't be recognized as a threat unless you've been mentioned to Yulimium before, so, you're probably safe," Emilia gave him a pat on the back.

He chuckled, "Probably, huh?"

As they began to approach the capital, the natural winds picked up in a greater breeze, brushing against the green, luscious grass of the capital's outskirts. Roads paved with well-maintained stone, without blemish, came from each direction, all leading to the mystical, emerald gates of the capital, Yulimium.

"Are we really just going to walk right through the gates? I'm pretty sure the guards will have something to say about that," he asked her quietly.

Along the roads, he watched as merchants and carriages carrying others passed through, stopping as the guard checkpoint to be checked.

"Of course not," she told him, "I already have a gateway setup."

"Really? You're pretty prepared, aren't you?" He teased with a smirk.

Emilia shot him a glare, "I had to come here myself to set it up–because of you. I wouldn't have any trouble walking through the gates."

"Fair," he muttered with a smile.

Passing by sneakily to avoid prying eyes, such was easy with the magecraft of Emilia's allowing them to remain unseen, albeit only from faraway gazes. It was the only reason they could freely pursue such a discreet operation in the daytime, though it was necessary to get there as soon as possible.

It was a daunting wall–one of the most famous landmarks on the continent, he remembered. Even beneath the orange, warm light of the sun, the emerald walls glistened, sparkling with a dormant mysticism that he preferred not to meet directly.

"Here," Emilia whispered, approaching a seemingly random spot on the south side of the great, emerald walls that encapsulated the city.

"Right here?" He asked.

Looking around, he realized why she had chosen the spot; there were no guards patrolling the south gates, since there was no place to enter. In addition, the long, angled trees that grew from the forests sprouted far, almost acting as a veil to onlooking eyes from afar.

Gallvania, the "Country of Spring". It lives up to that name. Apparently the ancestors of gallvanians were druids, and they cultivated this land into the prosperous state it is in now. Though…I hear some druids still live in the surrounding forests. Back on Earth, I think those were called "hippies", he thought.

"All this work just to take out some tubby, old man?" He sighed, watching the woman etch mystical symbols into the iridescent wall.

It was a magecraft he was mostly unfamiliar with, mainly utilized for low-profile operations such as the very one he found himself in, though he was still somewhat intrigued by the way in which it was used.

I've seen Beatrice use it a few times. I know a thing or two, so does Sora and Donatien, but it doesn't have much use in battle – "O'Gaia", not to be mistaken with "Gaia" magic; it's the very basic, almost archaic form of magecraft that doesn't utilize the elements, but instead rudimentary, but sometimes powerful spells, he thought.

"Even you can't pretend like this is just some "old man" we're after, Sirius," Emilia spoke with a low, concentrated tone as she kept her focus on the symbols of light she drew on the emerald stone, "if he's closely aligned with the Argonauts, and an irreplaceable asset to them, I'm sure you have a lot to gain from making sure he's taken out."

"And what about you? Don't you have any reason for doing this?" He asked, leaning against the wall.

Emilia laughed quietly, "All I care about is getting paid. I could care less if it's the Argonauts I'm contracted against, or contracted by; the highest bidder gets this gal."

"...And that's exactly why I don't like you," he said with an exuded, playful breath.

"The feeling's mutual, don't worry," Emilia muttered before stopping for a moment, continuing in a more quiet voice, "...Briswall is also somebody I think this world is better off without."

"Is that so? Why's that?" He asked curiously, though his question came with the same smirk.

Emilia pushed her hair behind her ear, "I did a bit of research on him. Just calling him a "merchant" is a bit of an oversimplification. He has more resources and power than most of the high-born nobles of Mastorn. He didn't inherit a single coin…he carved his way up the ladder by ruthlessly assassinating all of his competition," she told him.

"Sounds like par for the course with merchants," he replied.

She shook her head, "It's not just that. He…" her words trailed as a hesitant look held itself in her eyes, "he…apparently has a history of buying young women and having his way with them. It's not just forcing himself on them…he tortures them."

"So, in essence, he's the worst of the worst?" He asked, "It's a good thing he happened to line himself in our sights."

…So, it's personal then for you too? Never very honest, are you, Emilia? I guess that's just how you are–"born of the shadows", yeah? I get it. It's rare we get the opportunity to take out a true scumbag like this.

It'll also weaken the Argonauts. It's a win-win, he thought.