Chapter 372 - Gradule, A City Falling Apart

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~~~(POV: Cera Adamo)~~~

~~~(Location: Front gate to The City of Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~

~~~(Time: 6:17 AM)~~~

The ride here was far more annoying than it should've ever been, and that's all thanks to Hailey. I lost my temper with her, but she deserved it. She's been ignoring me ever since I yelled, but she'll get over it. "Welcome to the City of Gradule... Enjoy your stay..." The hollow and tired voice of the guardsmen brings reality into the situation. 

That reality is Gradule is a piece of crap town that shouldn't even be here. The carriage moves forward, and we're all looking out at the scenery. The carriage is slightly more cramped than I'd like now that Ashburn and Melimora are back in, but you can't have everything. "I can't believe this once beautiful city has become like this..." Leila grabs my attention with her soft words.

I don't know anything about Gradule and its history. Helda, Melimora, Ashburn, Leila, and Freskra would know more. "Yeah... It's sad... This used to be one of the richest cities in The Elven Kingdom... Now it's reduced to this..." Leila's husband, Freskra, also has an experience with this place by the sounds of it. Focusing back on the looks and it's almost disgusting.

Homeless everywhere I look, and buildings are in serious disrepair. The noble of this city must be one greedy motherfucker to cause this to happen. "The Baron that rules over this city has been exploiting the people for years... Using them to line his pockets with money that should go to the city... The royal family overlooks it..." The elven people have it hard...

Helda knows a lot about the nobility, but that's to be expected. She's a pureblooded elf. While she grew up as a smuggler, elves treat purebloods with respect. Even if they aren't nobles. "We're heading to a place where criminals gather. It's a pretty rough crowd, so never go off on your own." Melimora is quick to warn us about the destination we're heading to.

It's not the first time I've been to a rough area where nothing but trouble flocks to. Sally and I have been to plenty of places like that, but it's different here... This is The Elven Kingdom. I don't know what type of criminals we'll run into. "Should we prepare for a fight just in case?" I raise my eyebrows at Sally. Having not expected a question like that from her.

Her eyes are locked on Helda and Melimora since they're sitting together. "Yeah, just in case, be ready to fight. Things could get real rough at the drop of a hat." Helda's calm and even explanation warns me that the threat is serious. "Don't let them see your face, Sally. Hide your body as best as you can too. They like beautiful women, and you're their type." Now I'm on edge.

If anyone even tries to touch Sally, I'll go full-bladed hurricane full of fury on their asses. "Okay, thanks for the warning. Now I can go into this place knowing what I'm walking into." It pisses me off how women are treated in this world... "Cera... Please keep your cool in there... No matter what type of looks I get..." That's way harder than she realizes...

~~~(POV: Helda Vora)~~~

~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~

~~~(Time: 7:24 AM)~~~

The group follows me in, and as my eyes cross the room, I notice there are lots of new faces. The smell is the same as I remember, a bunch of men who haven't bathed in weeks. "Oh god... It reeks in here..." Hailey makes sure her voice is low enough so only we hear her. The person I'm looking for goes by the name of Terox. She's someone that can get us what we need.

Manni, the bartender, recognizes me and waves us over. It's nice to see him, but I'm surprised he's still in this place... He told me he was planning to leave a long time ago... Over 100 years ago... "How's my favorite smuggler?" He starts a casual greeting as we all stand near the bar, and if there were anyone I'd consider an uncle, it's Manni...

He showed me a lot about the criminal world, taught me how to survive outside of smuggling... Something my father overlooked. "It's been good, Manni... As much as I'd like to chat, I need to talk to Terox. Is she still here?" He smiles and points to the stairway leading upstairs. I turn around and look at the group that's waiting for instructions.

Leaving them here is my only option. Terox only likes talking to people one on one and no one else in the room. "Behave, everyone. I'll be back once I'm done talking to Ferox. Hailey, I swear if you start anything, you're off the team." While I don't think I could force her to do that, the idea of how serious I am is behind that threat. She rolls her eyes and turns to the side.

I turn and walk towards the stairs. I make my way up the stairs and to the door. After a couple of knocks, a guard opens the door and Scans me. Getting all my information. It's not something I like, but it's necessary to speak to Terox. He sees I'm good and lets me in. "Well, if it isn't the renegade herself!!" The smile on my face is evident from my old nickname.

Terox is sitting on a couch and looks at me. The last time we saw one another was before either of us hit puberty. She stands up as I approach, and we hug. "It's been too long, Little Bolt... Seems you followed your mother's footsteps and became one of the best forgers in The Elven Kingdom." We pull away from one another, and she offers me a seat.

Terox knows why I'm here... I wouldn't come this far back into The Elven Kingdom if it weren't serious. "What do you need? Your terrorist status has stopped you from coming this deep since you left." To The Elven Kingdom, I'm a terrorist. Ever since I was a little girl... I barely made it out alive, but I did it. That was centuries ago...

~~~(POV: Saliandra Orvello)~~~

~~~(Location: Criminal Hideout in Gradule, Elven Kingdom)~~~

~~~(Time: 7:38 AM)~~~

Cera is close by my side, and his arm is wrapped around my lower back as he holds me tight. I'll admit it makes me feel safer, and it feels good to be held so close by Cera... But it's embarrassing too. "How much longer do you think they'll take?" My question is only directed at Cera. The rest of the group has split off to check out this place.

The smell is truly terrible, but the place is huge. There are games going on in every corner. "Depending on the demands that Helda has to fulfill, it could be fast or quick. Best guess, another 10 or 15 minutes..." That'd be my guess too. He pulls me closer, and I lean into him. I look at him, and I see he's staring at something. 

I track what he's looking at, and it's a group of guys making eyes at us. We're all covered in cloaks and hoods, hiding most of our features, but my feminine feature is still coming out. "I don't like them looking at you... It makes me want to brutalize them... They're looking at you like you're meat..." They really are, but I place my hand under his chin and turn his eyes towards me.

He just needs to see that I'm okay and nothing terrible will happen. "Hey, we're getting out of this place in no time. I can handle a few looks. If they do try something, we'll handle it like always..." His eyes soften up, and he loosens his hug slightly. A bit to my disappointment. However, they decide to be idiots and say something from where they're standing.

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A/N: Below this line, I'll be keeping Cera's player information. That way, I won't have to place it into the story above anymore. It takes about 180 words up.

[Slayer (Zern) Lvl.196]

[Exp: 40/100%]

[Title: The Son of Arch-Angel Michael (Hidden)]

[Stats] [Strength - 7095][Endurance - 7045][Dexterity - 7215][Speed - 8240][Focus - 19,660]

[Mana aura control: 6/100%]

[Health: 76,560,000,000/76,560,000,000] [Mana: 216,600,000,000/216,600,000,000]

[Stat Points: 50] [Armor rating: 500]

[Inventory] [Dice of Wayland (Divine)] [Hardened Tree sap Armor (Very Rare)] [The Witness (Legendary Sword)] [Fenrir's Whistle (Divine)] [Sally's Dresses 5x] [Camping gear] [Food Rations 3x] [Dried meat 4x] [Fishing poles 2x] [Fish 8x] [Festival Garbs 2x]

[Passive Perks]

[Inheritor of the Sword] [Son of Heaven] [Slayer of Evil] [Holy Willow Trees Savior] [Finder of Legends] [The Divine who has Legend] [Destined for Greatness] [Dungeon Diver] [An Overachiever]

[Active Skills]

[Heavens light Lvl.59 325/5900] [Protected by Heaven Lvl.59 225/5900] [Slash Lvl..77 4600/130000] [Parry Lvl.53 80/5300] [Double Strike N/A] [Kingslayer N/A] [Raging Machine N/A] [Winged Glory] [Angelic Flight] [Divine Pressure Exertion] [Divinity Pulse] [Controled Fun]