The Arcane Guardians Chapter 41: Chapter 37: Personal Missions

Read chapter 41 of The Arcane Guardians by Mercynarie on NovelPedia.

Fun Fact: The staff is a magi’s essential tool for casting magic or a weapon to those more inclined to harm others. Since a staff can be materialised and dematerialised at will, the average Magi is often seen without it. Materialising it is more often than not seen as an act of provocation. The invention of staves was inevitable, considering man’s natural fondness for weapons. A tool borne of necessity, the staff was mainly used to control and channel the turbulent Arcani of the early Magis. Many materials were used until the ancient artificers found the simple yet perfect combination that could channel Arcani without losing its efficacy. ~ ~ ~ “Hey, you! Oi homie, over here!” It took a while for Felix to realise that the voice was directed at him. He looked around wildly before spotting the thin man waving in his direction. The man appeared to have settled into the refugee tents, since he was carrying nothing but a government-issued ration pack. Small pockets of people trudged around, familiarising themselves with the place. Others huddled outside flaps of fabric that functioned as entrances to their tents, whispering prayers of encouragement among themselves. Felix approached the stranger, flashing an uncertain smile at him. The man looked in his early forties, and he sported a fashionable turquoise undercut. He also looked slightly familiar, although Felix could not yet recall where he had seen that man before. “Hi, do I know you?” Felix asked. “It’d be a great honour if ya did. But don’t sweat it, bruv.” The man had a strong accent distinctly reminiscent of the Pollux Isles, although a pinch of Siriuan accent was also mixed within it. “I’ve always wanted to thank you for pulling that metal beam out of the concrete for me back then.” “Oh!” Felix let loose a small chuckle as the memory returned to him. Gods, it had been more than a year ago. “You’re that shapeshifter Meta, right? My pleasure to meet you.” “The pleasure’s all mine. Still can’t believe it myself; a fellow Meta in the Guardian Council.” The man flashed a toothy grin. “Meta-kind Represent!” “That’s very kind of you. Well, nice to meet you too. Great to see that you’re safe too, Mister…” “Doukas. Nero Doukas,” the man replied cheerfully, but a grim look quickly crossed his face. “I’m very grateful to the Guardian Council for travelling so far into the outskirts to save my village. But my wife and child, they’re still out there. The Guardians couldn’t get to them on time…” “I’m so sorry about that, Doukas. I promise, we’ll do our best to save every citizen still stranded out there. Just give us some time to regroup and go out again.” “You really are a hero,” Nero said. “Please. Call me Nero, homie. I know I’m not the only one who’s missing my family, and I don’t mean to impose, but—” Felix held his hand out, gesturing for Nero to touch it. “What’s this?” the man asked as his palm touched the telepath’s hand hesitantly. “Just committing to my memory what your family looks like.” The glow in Felix’s eyes flickered as he gave the grateful-looking man a warm smile. “You have my word. I’ll get them back safely. You stay safe, Nero.” Nero broke into a grateful smile. A wall of murmuring crashed into the boy soon after as he walked into the refugee common area. His heart sank at the sight before him. There were way too many people packed into this modestly sized room, and their numbers were only going to increase over the days. But handling such logistics wasn’t his job, and it certainly wasn’t his forte as well. He could only hope that Cybele cared enough about the refugees to come up with something. Felix pulled open a fabric flap and entered one of the tents. “Hey, Aglaia. Need some help? The little girl looked up at her mentor. Blue light faded from her palm as she moved it away from her parents’ knees. Relief was etched on their faces, though it was obvious they were in some sort of pain just before. “Thanks, Felix. But I need no help at the moment,” Aglaia replied.