Chapter 56 - Kidnapped
Elliot stared at the weapon before the nun lowered her sleeve again.
"An icicle stick?" Elliot asked the nun.
She placed a finger on her lips. "Shh. Follow me."
Elliot looked around before following the young nun inside the large building. The inside was filled with bright halls with bright colored walls.
In the foyer was a large circular stone that looked like it held something before, and the ceiling goes all the way to the third floor. The roof was made of glass and everything looked sophisticated and fancy.
It was a wonder how this place owed money. Not to mention to a dark guild too.
"Where are we going?" Elliot asked. He was looking at the nun's arm where the ice arrow was. "Do you perhaps know Frost?"
She turned to him and placed a finger on her lips again. "Don't talk yet."
They turned to a corner and went inside the kitchen. Elliot looked around to see where they were going but the nun didn't show any signs of stopping anytime soon.
Elliot was about to talk again when she stopped in front of a large cabinet. The nun turned around and pushed the wall beside the cabinet. The wall was sucked in slowly, making a groaning sound at it did.
"Go inside," she said. "I will inform your friends that you're here so they can follow."
"How do I know that I can trust you?" Elliot asked, trailing his hand on the sword.
The nun sighed, "The first beast you saw they kill was a Sand Whale."
Elliot dropped his hand. "You really know them."
"She's inside," the nun said before pushing Elliot in. "I will come back."
"Wait, she?" Elliot tried to ask but the secret entrance had already closed. He sighed and had no other choice but to go down.
Inside the secret passage was dark. There were a couple of stairs until Elliot saw the light at the end. He brandished his sword in case someone would jump at him. That way, he can prepare.
"Hasty Aspire!" He casted and blasted himself at the end of the stairs of the passageway. When he landed on the ground, he flipped and sensed the number of people inside.
'Half human detected.'
"Elliot?" A female voice called.
<< Frost >>
Level 59
Race: Half Elf
Elliot stood and widened his eyes after seeing Frost. "What happened to you?"
Frost looked sick. She was skinny and pale. She also had bruises and dried up wounds all over her body.
"We were discovered," she said. "This would be a far-fetched thing for me to request, but they took Ripple. I couldn't save her on my own."
"You want me to help?" Elliot asked. He didn't want to sound offensive and he wanted to take his words back but he knew he couldn't.
"Could you please help me, Elliot?" Frost sobbed. "I don't know what the guild master has already done to Ripple and that thought alone makes me weaken in worry. I don't want to think negaticely but I know how strong the master is. He could hurt Ripple ifnhe really wants to."
"Then let's not hope for that to happen," Elliot smiled. "Let's wish your sister is safe."
Frost looked surprise but she nodded. "Thank you."
She told him about everything that happened. They were trying to escape the country when their friend betrayed them. He was their guild mate from their previous guild and he lied to them, telling them that they can trust him. The truth was that he was ordered by their master to call them and ask where they were hiding.
The time of their planned escape came and Ripple and Frost waited for their friend to show up at the harbor. Instead, a mob of angry men greeted them. Ripple had to distract the men, letting her sister escape. When she was about to escape, their master's skill got to her, pulling her away.
"That's terrible," Elliot said. "And it's partly my fault. If I hadn't questioned your intentions before, you wouldn't have ran away."
"Nothing is your fault," Frost said. "We made a choice. We could've stayed and explained ourselves but instead, we ran away and acted guilty."
"But how did you foud this place?" Elliot asked.
"The nun that led you here saw me in an alley," Frost said. "She took me in and hid me here. I felt your aura just outside so I begged her to let you in."
"You could feel my aura?" Elliot asked to which Frost nodded.
"Your aura has a distinct feeling," Frost said.
"Oh," Elliot said. "How so?"
Frost was going to answer when the secret doorway groaned again. There was a faint light on the passageway and a series of hushed voice followed, making a fuss.
Frost trembled at the sound of men that Elliot had to hold her hand. "It's okay. They're not enemies."
"Are you sure they're here?"
"I could feel him inside."
Three figures came from the passageway followed by the nun.
"Elliot," Connor greeted. His smile fell when he saw a familiar face. "And Frost? What happened to you?"
She was unsure for a moment. That was until she realized it was Connor. His form looked so much different from how she remembered. Her eyes widened for a moment before looking down, not able to answer him.
"She needs our help," Elliot said. "Her sister was taken by their previous guild and she needs our help."
"What did they do that made their guild act like this?" Ed asked, worriedly looking at Frost who was wounded and weak.
"They did the right thing," Connor muttered. "They helped me and then I questioned their intentions. That was really stupid of me."
"There's no use reminiscing the past now," another voice sounded from the passageway.
The nun smirked as Lance walked over to them. "Let's save Ripple, the orphanage, and Alorde."
"What are you doing here?" Elliot asked.
"I was on a secret quest looking for the connection between the dark guild, the twins' guild, and another person. I finally have an answer."
"What are you talking about?" Connor asked. "Why do we need to save Alorde?"
"There will be a negotiation and a taking over of power that'll happen in 2 days," Lance said. "The dark guild this orphanage owed to has no desire of keeping the children. Instead, they wanted something inside this building and I'm afraid they already have it."
"And it was?" Elliot ushered.
"A colossal stone statue of St. Gail by the entrance," Lance said. "Inside was filled with black gold, a rare type of gold that is thrice the price of a normal gold."
"But why do they need that?" Elliot asked.
"The money will be sent to Ripple and Frost's guild."
"That doesn't make any sense at all," Frost cried. "What does Ripple have to do with everything?"
"That's because Ripple took the attention of Alorde's Lord," Lance replied. "According to my sources, he said that he was captivated by her beauty and wants to marry her."
"But he's an old man!" Ed gasped. "With a wife. That's disgusting."
"Nobles can just throw away wives," Lance said darkly. "I've seen it happen before."
"And?" Elliot asked. "What does this has to do with everything?"
Lance sighed, "The dark guild wants power from the Lord, the Lord wants Ripple, and Ripple's guild wants money."
"They're planning to trade," Frost muttered under her breath. "They will use my sister as a trading item."
"Now that you know everything, I'll let you plan," the nun said. "I will go back upstairs and I will call you when there's an emergency."
"Thank you, Tiffany," Lance said. "I owed you everything."
"You don't have to thank me, Lance. You're doing us a huge favor," she said. Elliot swore she glanced at him for a split second before returning her eyes to Lance. "Especially me. I wanted to see him again, and you made me see him. Thank you."
Lance smiled and slightly bowed his head. The nun nodded her head and left them.
"What was that all about?" Connor quirked his brow, giving Lance a knowing look.
Ed swung his arm around Lance's neck. "Lance, brother. She's a nun."
"What?"
"Nuns are holy," Ed flattened his lips. "They serve the Almighty, man. Don't try to swerve her to other paths."
Lance scrunched his face. He shook his head trying to deny it but the others had already sighed in disappointed.
"I clearly don't know what you're talking about," Lance said.
"Excuses, excuses. So, are we gonna do this?" Elliot asked, looking at everyone.
Connor shrugged, "It's not like we have any other thing to do anyway."
"True," Hope nodded. "There's no Comet quest, so it's boring."
Ed grinned, "This feels so exciting. Saving a city from an underground trade? Definitely on my bucket list."
"I don't even want to know what's the rest on that bucket list," Elliot retorted. "So weird and specific."
"Okay," Lance said. "Let's do this!"