Upon laying eyes on the building, which seemed to be styled after a Greek Parthenon, my heart began racing. My goatee was being carefully tended to by my hand as my tail brushed the roadway behind me. I had my doubts at first about attending this event, but a sense of excitement soon washed them away. It fueled me much like a dose of adrenaline, pumping through every ounce of my blood.
My allies likely could sense my improved morale, as when I looked towards them, Claire had her eye on me. Despite the grave situation that we were about to enter, she displayed her usual grin on her face. It was then that the familiar green ripples faintly appeared, clouding the woman's desired appearance.
"Impressed by the beauty of the building?" Claire muses playfully.
"I won't lie. This building is actually pretty bad-ass. I wouldn't have expected such a design to be here in Astana," I answered her.
It was quite the development, but I suppose it wouldn't have been too surprising if I had really thought about it. If this world is similar to that of Infinity Unleashed, then many of the settlements in this world should have striking similarities to places in my previous world. While not designed by the same people on Earth, this world likely has had its form of cultural development during its existence. With magic at their fingertips, then buildings of this magnitude would likely be somewhat easier to build.
"This place must've cost a lot of money. There weren't any others that looked like this one in this area," Q says.
The man was the first of us to begin our approach towards the site of Percival's banquet. Naturally, we followed close behind his lead.
"There is only one place like this within this city, and as you may assume, the House of Blois lords over it," Claire says.
"Lords?"
The deep voice of Bonner boomed into life when he decided to chime in.
"Yes. The House of Blois is the most affluent family within Astana. Mordred and, more specifically, Percival use their influence to do whatever they please. Many people tend to overlook his actions, as he does accomplish impressive feats at times. Saving Theoscyran is just one notch on his record. Second to the Angea, the Blois are the most accomplished family within our domain."
I hummed softly as I digested the information Claire had laid out for us.
'So that asshole Percival is actually someone of true merit. His arrogance does not stem completely from privilege. He has the accomplishments to back up his claims. Perhaps I should not be so hasty to condemn him.'
"Make sure that you remain wary of him, then. From where I stand, the Blois might be our enemies. They directly gain power if something were to happen to your mother and you," I say to her.
"I had those concerns at one point, but.. Captain and Commander Blois have been tirelessly searching to bring my mother back. Master Mordred, too, has stepped up in helping Astana stabilize."
There was a slight hesitancy to believe my words and Claire's words. It appeared that she had some connection to the Blois members, but I think she might be blind to their motives. She no longer looked towards me following my remark, and the group soon grew silent as we grew closer to the site. Naturally, there seemed to be even more elven people who came to the site than there were of any of the other races in the population. Much like everywhere else we have been throughout the city, our distinctive skin color had the three of us stand out from the crowd. However, we didn't have any trouble actually getting past the guards stationed at the building's entry point.
In fact, as expected, a large number of guards were stationed around the perimeter of the building. Most of them wore armor befitting the status of an Astanaian guard, but others were present as well. These guards seemed to have far more polished steel armor plates compared to the rest. It was eye-catching to say the least.
"These men are wearing different armor from the others. They operate on a different level than the regular guard. They are the House of Blois' personal guards. Stronger than the Lieutenant Guardsmen of Astana. On top of that, we can't really blend into the crowd here, so just act as normally as you can. Try not to draw too many eyes on either of you."
Claire's warning got through to us, and we all nodded in agreement. The sounds of people conversing and music playing echoed throughout the area. Inside the massive white columns of the Parthenon lies a courtyard. This place was similar to a mansion, but perhaps four times the size I would have expected. The area was filled with people in finely woven clothing of various colors, and most of them were dining on catered food. Workers dressed in dark blue suits paraded around, offering food to the many guests.
I had imagined that this would be a more personalized Banquet, but it seemed more like a ball or a celebration party. The armor we wore earlier would not have been suitable for such a high-class event. We trailed Claire as she weaved through the crowd of people, and in several minutes, we arrived at the other side of the courtyard. The back wall seemed to have several entry points, each guarded by the personal guards of the Blois.
"That's far enough," one of the guards growled as we approached.
His hand raised, halting our approach. The sense of his sharp eyes penetrated us, analyzing every feature present in our appearance. I could see his attention linger on my features longer than the others, but he didn't comment on it.
"We are Master Percival's esteemed guests. I am Clarice Von Angea, and these three are my men."
The guards seemed skeptical of her words and once again looked over at us. I took the time to glance him over as well. Although the man's face was obscured by his helmet, he appeared to be rather tall and lanky in comparison to the other individual next to him. One thing to note was the sword sheathed on his waist. The two guards would look at each other following their appraisal. I could tell that they had some hesitancy in believing what she was saying.
It had appeared that we had hit a roadblock already, and we had just arrived.
"Perhaps, we should just stay down here, My Lady," I meekly spoke up.
I could sense the animosity building between the guards the longer that we managed to interact with them. Perhaps this was fate's way of telling us that progressing forward on this path would not be advantageous for us. Considering my place within the perceived view of the people in this world, I began portraying myself as the weakened foxkin once again.
The role of a meek and weak foxkin was one that I merely came up with on the spot upon meeting Vanya and her men. Upon learning more about the culture of this area, I have been working on ways to refine this false persona.
"I do not believe that people of their caliber will be allowed to the second level. Facing Lord Percival's wrath wouldn't be ideal," the guard responds immediately.
While his stance was not full of any hostile intent, it was clear at a glance that he was refusing us entry. Damn, Percival likely forgot to inform us of our arrival. I saw no point in continuing this interaction with these armored fools. There are both methods of acquiring the information that we need.
"Allow them entry," a refined voice utters.
The suddenness of a man's voice appeared behind us. It struck the guards before us like lightning, and startled me so much that my soul nearly left my body at first. Fortunately for me, that spike of anxiety left as quickly as it had arrived. Yet, the sound of the voice triggered a memory of someone. I instinctively lowered my head as I turned around to steal a peek at the person behind us.
"Ah- Master Geraint. We were-"
"You would defy Lord Percival's instructions?" Geraint questions.
The dark-haired figure behind us was pretty familiar, considering that we had met him not too long ago. It was mere hours before we had first encountered the once-silent advisor to Percival. The man stood there expressionless, like a stone, with his hands placed behind his back. He wore a dark blue district robe with a golden sash crossing diagonally across his chest. On this occasion, some light blue gems were glimmering at the base of his pointy ears. Geraint's ears, in comparison to Bonner and Claire's, were noticeably shorter in length.
That fact didn't seem to bother him in the slightest since he stood there with the utmost confidence befitting a man of his perceived importance. I was also slightly surprised when a silent fury was directed towards the two guards hindering our approach. I could hear the brief clanking of their armor as they stepped aside to do as he ordered.
"My apologies, Lady Clarice. Lord Percival has been awaiting the arrival of you and your men."
"No need to apologize, Sir Geraint. These men were simply doing their duties. We took no offense at them," Claire states to the highly regarded male.
She spoke for herself in that matter. I could tell by the look in their eyes that these men were looking down upon me. Hell, they could just be denying us entry for the hell of it. Little did they know, I don't give a damn about meeting the man that they serve under. They're mere peasants compared to me. That is why they are standing at a doorway for the rest of the night, while I will be doing more interesting affairs.
"Please, follow me. I will lead you to where Lord Percival resides."
The woman stepped up before us and nodded in approval of the man's request. Geraint was a man of his word. Without fail, he began leading the four of us past the guards stationed at the doorway and into the following hallway. There were scattered clusters of individuals as we traversed it, each briefly stopping to catch a glimpse of Geraint and Claire. Claire, in her current form, would, I would assume, be considered an attractive older elven woman in this world's standard. She walked with confidence befitting a vital individual, and Geraint did the same.
Despite leading us up a flight of stairs, he made sure not to stay too far ahead of Claire out of courtesy. It would be the second time today that we followed this man to the presence of a Blois brother. However, a particular thought occurred to me.
'Did Percival send this man down here to retrieve us? No, that would mean he has a vested interest in our group. Perhaps, he does have an interest in Claire. No. It could be Mordred's doing if he were here already.'
Attempting to figure out the inner workings of the minds of the Blois brothers would be unnecessary at the moment. We simply need to ask the source itself when we arrive.
"We thank you for your assistance, Sir Geraint. If you do not mind me asking, what were you doing on the lower floor?"
I suppose that would work too. Likely, all of us had similar thoughts at the moment, but fortunately, Claire had the desire to speak up on our behalf. Her curiosity no doubt got the better of us, and she reached out to ask the question.
"I was tasked with seeing the guests of importance to their proper section by Lord Mordred. You are the last to arrive. I was waiting at the entrance, but you managed to slip past me, but your men tend to stick out, so I was able to relocate you," Geraint answered respectfully.
"How kind of him to send you to assist us. I would not have expected resistance in getting in, but things do not go as expected sometimes," Claire remarks.
Upon reaching the apex of the staircase, the man would continue to lead us past the guards stationed at the top of the stairs. In comparison to the previous level, this one had significantly more well-dressed individuals browsing the area. Many were flanked by men with swords at their waists. They all seemed to be flocking in the same direction as well. In our case, we followed them. Geriant bowed and greeted specific individuals before he took us into a branching hallway.
The floor of this hallway was also different. Instead of the red carpet that extended down the length like the previous one, there was a distinctive dark blue one with a reflective golden outline on its edges. The walls were lined with paintings of various plants and creatures in different styles. Many of the items in the paintings were recognizable. Most seemed to be replicas of icons that I saw on my screen while I traversed the world of Infinity Unleashed.
"I agree with your perspective. At times, Lord Mordred showcases incredible foresight. Working underneath him and Lord Percival has been quite the honor," Geriant says.
His statement to Claire was rather late, but considering that he had gotten distracted greeting the other guests, I guess it was understandable. She didn't appear to have found it weird as she nodded to his words.
"I don't think you formally introduced yourself to us yet," Bonner calls to the man in front of us.
Hearing the cold tone of our resident dark skinned elf would throw off the game of most people, but Geriant seemed to match his energy. There wasn't even a sense of hesitancy in his steps when he responded. Not even a glance was spared towards the speaker. He kept his eyes ahead towards the door at the end of the hall.
"My name is Geraint Hildebrand. Servant of the Household of Blois. I am a retainer of Lord Percival Blois."
"Retainer of Percival, but receives orders from Mordred? That seems to be quite the precarious situation," Q remarks.
As expected, Q and I were on the same wavelength when it came to these types of things. There would be no reason to assume that the man was lying, but it would be strange that Geraint served as a retainer underneath Percival, yet took orders from the elder brother, Mordred. He did mention that he was a servant at the house of Blois, so I assume that he still adheres to orders from the elder brother. After all, in that organization,n Mordred must still be his superior in rank.
One might anticipate that working under those conditions might prove to be difficult if left unchecked. Narrowing my eyes on the individual in question, I awaited any response that he had for my ally's response. To my surprise, Geriant didn't offer a response at the moment. Instead, he would stop just before we arrived at the wooden door that served as the entrance to the room behind it.
"This is the place. Lord Percival, as well as Lord Mordred, are waiting on the other side of this door."
"Hm- Very well. You did your job, so you are dismissed," Bonner remarks harshly towards the man.
Once again, Geraint didn't offer an immediate reply to one of our members' remarks. He stood to the side of the hallway. His arms were placed behind his back as he took on a more dignified, stone-faced stance. Bonner seemed to have caught the dark, oil-like pupils of the elven male, and in return, my dark skinned friend glared back at him. The two of them glared back at each other as there was some form of bad history between the two of them, despite the two of them just meeting for the second time.
"Those ears-" Bonner comments.
"That skin-" Geraint spat in response.
His response took me off guard, but it wasn't unwarranted, given how Bonner was acting. The two elves emerged in some form of staring contest with each other. The atmosphere became more tense by the second, and that was before we even started on what we came here for. So I was thankful that Q decided to step up and crush the brewing quarrel between the two. He pressed his hand on the shoulder of our comrade and tightened his grip.
"Let's leave it at that, bud.. There's no need to be hostile towards each other. How about you relax for a bit?"
Bonner flinched slightly; no doubt the immense strength of Q's fingertips was enough to crack his stubbornness. Our dark skinned elven compatriot would cough out of embarrassment before gesturing towards the door before us.
His voice changed from the serious, deep bellows to a more lighthearted one—a lighthearted one in Bonner standards.
"I will agree with that. Time is of the essence, and I do not want to waste it further. Let's meet with the brothers and be done with this farce," he declares.
Content with leaving his growing beef with Percival's retainer Geraint behind him for the time being, Bonner set his sights on the bigger picture once more. Q seemed reserved in comparison, though his face displayed his amusement with little care. Our patron Lady Claire von Angea, or Clarice von Angea as they know her, took the initiative once more after standing by through the confrontation. Her regal form shifted as she reached out to push open the doorway, granting us entry.