"Oh yeah," Steed snatched the handkerchief, "speaking of which, since you love the job so much, why don't you go write my report for the Ryfi Theos that's needed by tomorrow?"
"Of course, Sir. Let me get right on that," Marrow said as he shook his head disapprovingly before turning and bowing to us, then leaving the room.
"And quit signing your name! She doesn't need to know who wrote it!" Steed yelled after him.
He turned to me and shook his head in disbelief.
"Can you believe that guy? Right-hand man, and he's constantly getting me in trouble and giving me more work to do."
"The audacity," Avarice said, unimpressed with a false sense of sympathy.
"Right! Hey, relax. Take a load off," he said to me, motioning toward the seats that rose from the floor behind us. When we sat down, the seats moved closer to the throne until we sat directly across from him with a table between us. "I'm Steed, though, since you're a Crest Head, your bio lenses probably already revealed that much, huh? There's been quite the rumors spreading about you."
He extended his left hand with what appeared to be a mixture of energy-imbued herbs in it.
"Anyone want some? It'll help you be less tense," he offered. "Being a Crest Head is a lot of hard work. Managing and protecting your people, safeguarding the sacred guardians – though I personally enjoy feeding them –, dealing with headache-inducing politics, etcetera...these'll help you take a load off."
Now that we were closer, I focused on the arm he extended. It was the discolored one that was darker-tinted than the rest of his body.
He saw me notice it and grinned.
"Ah, this? It was permanently damaged by Pierce long ago. I'd never experienced bio toxin before then. It won't kill a pneumarian, but if strong enough, it'll leave a lasting impression," chuckled lightheartedly.
Steed must've seen the confusion on my face and understood that we hadn't met this individual yet.
"Haven't met him yet, huh? You'll love'em. Fun guy. So..."
He shook the bowl of glowing herbs again, but we each declined.
"No thanks," I said politely.
"Is that basically..." Za'Fia looked at the bowl, uninterested.
"I believe it is," Avarice answered before muttering. "Of all the similarities to Earth, I'm not fond of this one. I prefer a lucid mind."
Steed shrugged, unbothered, and downed a few for himself before muttering, "...hate this job..."
We saw someone open a door before they were suddenly forced back outside the room by an invisible force. Before the door somehow closed, I saw a pile of papers that were being brought in. They must've dropped them since some slid under the closed door. Whoever was out there knocked frequently while repeating "Sir Steed? I have your documents..."
What was that, I wondered.
The sacred gift for the Pegasus Crest is called Sky Fold, Viraa answered. It allows the Crest Head to solidify air in limited ways. Pegasi have the ability to create footholds to gallop across the sky, taking off and landing without hurting themselves.
"Interesting, you're the least deserving Crest Head we've met so far," Avarice said bluntly, looking at Steed.
"I can't help but agree with that. But you don't seem to simply be insulting me, so what's your point?" Steed sat back on the throne.
"I noticed the Graboid Crest gave extra protection to the children after the abduction of the missing children. Then there seemed to be a higher state of alert among the Phoenix Crest, and I even spotted some safety protocols concerning the missing children in Meira's office. Yet there's no sense of concern from anyone here," Avarice said. "Did none of the children here get abducted?"
I was shocked he picked up on any of that. I hadn't noticed any of that when they visited the other districts. It kind of frustrated me that Avarice was being a better Crest Head than I was.
He has been a leader for quite some time now. Of course, he will notice things your inexperienced eyes will not. Viraa said. I'm pretty sure she was trying to assure me.
Thanks. I grumbled, trying not to take any offense at her blunt phrasing.
"No, we don't have that issue here," Steed said with conviction. "For most, it's impossible to sneak your way up here, so whoever took the children either couldn't get up here or wouldn't be able to get the children through the mist. Even teleporting or portaling through iridescence can prove challenging." He sighed and then said, "This is one of the safest places on the planet."
For the first time, he seemed to take pride in his district.
We noticed the knocking on the door suddenly stopped, and heard someone mention going to find Sir Marrow.
Steed abruptly sat forward and looked around as if just realizing Marrow wasn't hovering over him.
His attention suddenly snapped back to us.
"Hey, you guys are traveling to meet each Crest Head, right? We all sensed the sacred guardian of the Chimera District be revitalized, so I'm guessing you've already been there and not to my other neighbor yet. Why don't I take you? I'm good friends with the Crest Head there. I have some business to deal with there; I can lead you there."
I wanted to object by saying I didn't want to impose or get him in trouble, but he'd swooped us all up on an invisible platform and rushed out the window already, smiling defiantly as everything blurred and we shot toward the Fairy district
--------------------------------------------------------
Fun fact: Blood Charge - the temp cintracy Claeg (remember him?) held that allowed him to grow stronger the more blood he consumed (technically it only worked with his sister's blood though. Which is a bit weird now that I think about it...) For full details about locations, characters, and items, and to check out every up-to-date cintracy, visit the series' Patreon!
Author note: I've been thinking about revealing the soft layout for each upcoming project I have planned. Let me know if you think I should.
Enjoying the story? Have any constructive criticisms? Leave a like or comment to share your thoughts with me. :)
Hello wonderful readers! If you're enjoying the series please leave a rating 😊! It will help me gauge my audience and help others get a general sense of the quality of the story. Thank you all for your support 😊
Super Supporters: Check out the Patreon for extra perks, lore, images, and character info! Along with other benefits, free members can also catch chapters much earlier!
www.patreon.com/primordials
(Your support will help the series' potential to grow exponentially.) (SPOILER WARNING: If you aren't caught up to the story, viewing the character profiles will likely expose you to parts of the story you haven't reached yet.)
All chapters and books, and audio chapters are accessible for FREE! Express your thoughts, dig into my mind, learn about what inspired such a story, or simply say hi! Lookin' forward to seeing you there!
Words of Virtue:
For many will come in my name, saying 'I am the Christ,' and will lead many astray.
- Matthew 24:5
Jesus loves us all! Stay safe out there, new chapter(s) posting Wednesday/Sunday!
Media
Website: www.patreon.com/primordials91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdwZ0yyQVp
YouTube: www.youtube.com/OtherWorldsJT
IG: otherworldsjt
X: jt_fnx
Patreon: www.patreon.com/primordials
91Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsNxXtlu4P
and then Add to home screen.