Heart of Aspira

Chapter 1 Pt. 2

"I've never seen writing like that before and we get people from all over the world through here. Heck, even Sirress doesn't have books like that, so what is it?" The woman asked with a tilt of her head.

"Well, this is an ancient language called Drazorian. It is the tongue of my ancestors. A dear friend found it and gave it to me. This is the third volume out of seven. Each one has different spells and themes. For example, this book is all about sealing spells. Tell me, is this Sirress a scholar of sorts?" The raven-haired woman asked in between bites of food. Maisy's eyes lit up and she took a seat at the table.

"I wouldn't call him a scholar per say, Sirress just really loves to read and learn. He's a Dark Elf and has the mind of a steal trap. He is always learning a language or spell, especially runes, but he is first and foremost a hunter." The pixie-like girl stated with a big smile.

"A Dark Elf, I haven't seen any on my travels, I had feared they no longer existed." She stated in genuine shock.

"Oh no they still exist; they just moved to the underground and built their cities there. It's very uncommon to see them above ground but Sirress claims that he wanted to see the world through more than just books. However, it's not really in his nature to openly approach people, so he mostly does jobs close to the city. He is never gone for more than a few days." Maisy explained with a somber expression.

"Has he considered traveling with a group, even a small one? He wouldn't have to talk a lot and it would get him out into more of the world." The rider asked, taking a sip of her drink.

"No one wants to travel with a Dark Elf. Too many believe them to be traitorous, evil users of the black arts. No one would trust him enough to travel with him, convinced he would leave them for dead in the middle of a fight. It is horrible, they call him all sorts of cruel names, but Sirress just ignores them and continues to work alone. He would never betray his comrades, he is loyal and kind, not to mention an amazing singer." The red-head declared, her emotions on full display.

"That's stupid, I find that most humans will betray you far faster than any Elf. Humans are greedy, selfish, and entitled, at least a large portion of the ones I have crossed paths with. A Dark Elf should be treated no differently than anyone else. I would have no problem traveling with him so long as he could keep up. It would be nice to have someone to share ideas with and I could show him more runes as well." The hunter offered her opinion while finishing her ale.

"Really?! Oh, I'm sure he would love that! Wait right here and I'll go and ask him right now!" With that, the small woman took off out the door and down the street. The door swayed in the light breeze, and the chatter from the street filtered in.

"Guess I'll just wait here then." The raven-haired woman tittered to herself, a grin painting her lips. It was only a moment later when her attention was pulled from her book once more.

"Sorry about that, I can get you something if you'd like. My sister is just very passionate and protective, has been ever since she met Sirress as a child. I'm Niles by the way, Maisy's older brother, and you are?" A young man with dirty blond hair asked with a crooked smile. He had high cheek bones and a sharp nose with warm, kind eyes.

"I'm Heartfilia, I must say your sister reminds me of mine. They are just as energetic and caring." She confessed softly as he set a fresh mug down before her. Before the conversation could continue, Maisy burst back through the door dragging a very disgruntled-looking Dark Elf. He looked young, maybe twenty in human years, though as an Elf he could easily be in his hundreds. He had deep gray skin, frost white hair. It fell long on one side and was shaved on the other and he had violet eyes that reminded her of amethyst. He wore black leather clothes with a simple black cloak, and an unimpressed scowl sat on his face with a book clutched in his hand.

"You must be Sirress, I'm Heartfilia, or Heart if you prefer." The woman stated, rising and moving towards him to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you Heart, I'm Sirress Kharthos. Maisy mentioned you wouldn't mind if I

traveled with you, is that true?" He held her gaze, a guarded hope in his eyes, almost like he was waiting for her to start laughing at him and call him a fool.

"It is; however, I need to know if you can truly handle yourself in a fight. I hunt the Veiled Ones and I can't focused on guarding someone and killing my targets. It would put us both in danger." Came her calm reply, making the dark elf look somewhere between amazed and offended.

"I'm a hunter, I've taken my fair share of veiled heads myself. Still, if you wanted to spar, I'd be more than happy to humor you." The offer made her smirk, which he returned.

"I think that is an excellent idea. Let's step outside and see what you've got pretty boy." Heart stated while cracking her knuckles. The elf simply bowed while holding the door open for her with a grin.

It was three hours later that the pair entered the tavern leaning on each other covered in dirt and grass, laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes. The sight made the siblings smile and the other patron's stare. Some even went so far as to glare at the Dark Elf who now was truly carefree. Heart simply signaled for two drinks while they took a seat at the bar, both choosing to ignore the obvious racism towards the taller of the pair. Niles was quick to fill the mugs and place them on the counter.

"I really must thank you Maisy, Sirress is going to be a wonderful traveling companion. We will be leaving at dawn so you to make sure you see him off properly." The woman teased him gently, enjoying how the Dark Elf dropped his head with a silly little grin on his face."

That's great. Oh, I'm so happy for you Sirress! To celebrate this wonderful beginning to your adventure, your drinks are on me tonight!" Maisy chimed, earning the elf even dirtier looks from the tavern drunks.

"Thanks Maisy, I'm going to miss you, but I'll try to bring you back a souvenir or two." Sirress said with a small smile. However, the nice moment was ruined by too overly drunk men who smelled like a latrine.

"Hey sweetheart, if you are tired of that Dark Elf you could always come home with me tonight, I'll show you what a real man can do." The drunk called, clearly eyeing up her form. He was short and round, with a balding head and yellow teeth that made her want to cringe.

"If you value your tongue you'll shut up before I cut it out." The raven-haired woman all but hissed.

"Don't tell me you actually like his d**k? What are you a monster fucker?" The second man called out, his wire-like frame making him look like a skeleton wearing leather for skin.

"Sorry boys, but I'm more of the go big or go home type, now this is the last warning. Leave us be or I will drag you both outside, cut out your tongues and shove them down your throats." Heartfilia declared, hand on her dagger.

"I'd listen to her because as the owner of this tavern I have absolutely no problem with letting her do exactly as she said she would, hell I'd even go outside to watch." Niles, stated in a chilled voice, years of dealing with drunks and hunters having taught him how to handle himself.

The tavern went silent for a moment before both men stood leaving their money on the table and walked out the door mumbling about never giving them their business again. Niles made a point to look at the other patrons in the tavern, daring them to say something, but they all just ducked their heads and returned to their own conversation. The rest of the evening was filled with playful banter and planning which route they would take in the morning before they retired for the night.