Mega Dragon: Harbinger of Death

THE BLACKSMITH

Aroha on the other hand woke up with a headache. She didn’t feel as peaceful as Zhiyi implied. In fact, she felt the urge to smash something even more than usual. “Hey, where did everyone go?” she asked. Everything was still a blur. She couldn’t recall the incident that led to Vela having to knock her out. It was the same as last time. she remembered eventually, but only after some time. This time, however, she recalled the incident a lot faster than the last.

“The Lykan!!!” she exclaimed as her memories came rushing in.

“Relax, it’s alright,” Zhiyi assured her.

Aroha could rest, but the thought of causing so much trouble for the others haunted her. If she was going to prevent something like that from happening again, she would have to improve her mana control. Deep in her heart, she vowed to better at it than anyone else.

***

Aroha and Zhiyi left the Croft Laboratorium disappointed. So was Vela; disappointed. She had felt that healing those mythical creatures would have been a good display for the girls. Healing creatures and animals was a lot different from healing humans. Every creature had a structure. But it was for the best that they left. Of course, Ara ordered for them to be served breakfast before they left. They hadn’t eaten all day and the day had gotten off to a rough start. While Ara and Vela advised that the girls be accompanied by guards as they moved through the capital, the girls wanted nothing but alone time. Back at Juza, they didn’t need guards to move around. It was suffocating just thinking about being escorted everywhere they went. To Zhiyi, alone time meant time for herself and her sister together, but to Aroha, it meant time away from her sister and everyone else. She was feeling a bit heavy. Asides from losing control, being around people for that long actually gave her a migraine. But Zhiyi was not letting her out of her sight. Especially after what had happened.

The girls decided that a little tour of the capital would be nice. Actually, Zhiyi suggested it. Aroha only obliged because the only other option would be for her to return to the Renoff Manor on her own! You can understand why she gladly walked the capital with Zhiyi. Her frown was as glad as it got with her. But Zhiyi was grateful for the company. It was nice that they could relax after all that fuss. But staring at Aroha, she realized that she couldn’t recall the last time she saw Aroha smile. There had been instances when she had a mischievous grin about her, but a genuine smile… it had been years. Much less laughter. So she decided that seeing as Aroha was obedient, it would be a good time to expose her to things that would lighten her mood.

“How about we try something fun?” Zhiyi suggested.

Aroha irked as she came close. Her positivity was contagious and Aroha wanted anything than to be marred by the brimming smiles of a cheerful soul. That would be terrible. But she knew the one thing that Zhiyi would suggest if she wanted them to have fun; a contest. “What do you have in mind?” Aroha asked. Hopefully, it would be worth her time. In her mind, she swore that she would find a true safe haven. One where she could be secluded from the rest of humanity whenever she wanted and live out the rest of her days in darkness. That was true joy. And a habit that seemed to be becoming a plague, Aroha wore a creepy grin. Zhiyi knew that she was absolutely up to no good.

“A horse race. Five miles,” Zhiyi said. It was the one thing that Aroha put in all her effort. She won most of the time after all. She was exceptionally good at it and it was the one thing that Zhiyi found difficult to best Aroha. She was a natural. If she were you have been born a man, she might have been drafted into the special forces. But the time when women were allowed to go to war was over. Those were desperate times. The current times would not allow such. Will, Aroha only enjoyed horse riding, not fighting. Even though she was tough as nails too.

Aroha could sense that Zhiyi was trying to cheer her up by suggesting the one thing she was better than her at. It didn't mean she would let up or anything. She took challenges very seriously. But to race in the capital, was it allowed? And women were supposed to be poised and gentle. Hell no! The mere thought of that made her want to do it even more, especially if it was against the rules. It didn't occur to her that she wouldn't be in trouble regardless. She was a pure-blood Renoff after all. The daughter of Hero and Miya Renoff. They could waltz out of any trouble. But they never gave their names such credit to think that far. To them, they'd damn the consequences and ride with the wind. Zhiyi wasn’t planning on letting up either.

“Don't think because you win most of the time that this will be easy. Today's the day that I'll get an overwhelming victory against your. I can just feel it,” Zhiyi teased. The one gesture that Aroha hated more than anything was pity. If she thought that Zhiyi brought up this game and let her win so that she’d feel better, it would only have a negative effect. She wanted to be the best by her own hard work. She didn't want hand-downs. But being born a pure-blood Renoff meant that she was stuck with privileges. But she wasn't going to indulge herself in that. She had a clear target. To be the best at whatever she did and healing was at the top of that list.

“Like you ever could,” Aroha retorted. Not even the genius Zhiyi could match up to her in house riding. She'd best their father; Gero every once in a while too. He was an exceptional rider as well. Miya, not so much.

“But where are we going to get a horse? We left them, remember?” Aroha asked. Their horses were still at the manor. They moved to the Healers Nest on foot to avoid waking anyone up. They snuck out of the house to avoid the entourage that would have followed. What a bother it would have been. Why couldn't the Healers Nest be at Juza? Things would have been a lot easier that way.

Zhiyi’s mischievous grin said it all. Why would they be worried about where to get horses when there were so many guards around them? It was all part of the fun after all.

Aroha took the initiative by giving herself a head start. She took off without warning in search of a horse to 'borrow’ for the time being. It wasn’t called stealing if you gave it back. While Aroha started first, Zhiyi was always faster. She hijacked a horse from a standing guard and was on her way before he could stop her. It was a surprise. No one in the capital would be stupid enough to steal.

“Sorry, I just need this for a few minutes!” she exclaimed, but that didn't stop the rest of the guards from chasing her. Zhiyi’s little heist me it a lot difficult for Aroha to her a horse, but she did eventually. It actually helped to divide the attention that was fixed on Zhiyi. A girl stealing a horse was a strange sight, but a thief was a thief. That purple hair had to be a disguise and if it wasn’t, they’d just feign ignorance until after they had let out their frustration on the girls. It was their chance to get back at those cocky Renoffs.

Zhiyi was off to a good start. She got a horse before Aroha did and way already at full throttle. But Aroha was just that better than her. In no time, she had caught up to her she was and was threatening to overtake her at any moment. It was a battle between the girls are they completely ignored their pursuers. Evading them was easy. The only problem was that they didn't know the capital like they did, so they made a few mistakes on the way. But they were still too deft with their horses to be caught. It was a show for the people who ran out of their shops and houses to get a better view.

The girls galloped at full throttle and they were long past their goal. But they couldn't stop just yet. The guards were very close on their tail. They could simply stop and explain to them what happened. They would probably get away with it because they were Renoffs but considering what happened back at the Healers Nest, they might not get the chance to even explain.

Zhiyi wiped off whatever regret was starting to stain her thrilled heart as she wallowed in the joy of the free breeze. Aroha on the other hand was grinning hard that she won, but now they were in trouble. It was different from back at Juza. This felt a lot more fun because the danger was real. It was exhilarating.

The girls later decided to ditch the horses in a crowded area. They should let them go if they did. So, once they found a suitable place, they mounted from their horses and ran into the market. They didn't wait to find out if the guards were still on their tail. And they were lucky they didn’t. The guards had long forgotten the reason they were chasing the girls. They left the horses unattended to and went straight for the girls. But because the market was crowded, they had to mount from their horses or they risked losing the girls. At this time, some of the guards started to pull away from the chase. It was too dangerous. The girls looked like pure-bloods and if they were, they could lose their jobs for roughing them up and in the worst-case scenario, their heads.

One by one, the guards gave up on the chase. The girls were used to mischief. Even in Juza, where the market wasn’t so crowded, they found it easy to lose their pursuers, much less in the capital’s bustling market. It was a piece of cake for them. But the last of the guards on their tail was determined. He sincerely hated the Renoffs. He had been humiliated by them a number of times, but children and men alike. This was his chance to pay them back in hard coin. The other guards were cowards. He would arrest them on the grounds of being thieves and imposters as well. They looked like pure-bloods but he had never seen their faces anywhere before. That was enough ground for him. But the girls were good at hiding. It was a lot more difficult than he envisaged.

The girls knew they couldn't remain on the streets like that. They had to find solace somewhere. But who would help them against the guards. They were pretty sure that most people hated them more than they did the guards. And they had every right to.

Beside them was a small blacksmith shop. The blacksmith there looked around the same age as them. Surely he'd listen to their plea. They ran into his shop without a moment’s hesitation. At first, he ignored their presence. Either he was too engulfed in his work to notice them or he just didn't care about their presence. But when the guard's voice got louder, his attention was drawn to the girls. They were running grin the guards.

“Please could you let us stay here until the guards leave?” Zhiyi asked. She spoke before Aroha had the chance to. It was better that way. She might have said something that would have angered him and forced him to kick them out.

“I hate the guards, but I hate the Renoffs even more. Get out of my shack this instance!” the blacksmith bellowed.