32 Picking sides (1/2)

Part 1

”We need your help to kill an evil goddess!!”

”Huh...”

Evlin did not expect to hear that kind of request today. She assumed that if she would be asking for the assistance of Marceus's friends they would probably ask something in return as well. She guessed they would ask her to act as a bodyguard on their group on maybe require her to build something with her earth magic. But killing a goddess? An evil goddess? What on earth even was an evil goddess? In all her adventures the biggest threat she ever faced was probably a demon that had the power to eat people's dreams while they were asleep. How would she kill a goddess?

”I think... I need a little context...”

Gustav was getting impatient.

”Could we discuss this on the road? I think we need to start moving soon! Ria, could you do us the favor?”

”All right!”

Evlin watched as Ria removed her gloves to reveal her hand and started to place it still in mid-air. Suddenly, Ria started to lower her hand and some kind of energy was released by its trajectory. Evlin was reminded of the times she would stick her finger on her sister's birthday cake when she was young and leave a hole from where she stole a piece of chocolate. Except the case was the air itself and the hole was some sort of portal to a different location.

”This is the spot we left off before Daren asked us to rush back to the city. Should save us a little bit of travel distance.”

Evlin stared at that portal that Ria had opened and realized she was the girl Marceus had mentioned before.

”It's you!!!!”

Ria turned around at Evlin's scream a little concerned.

”... What... Did I do something wrong...?”

”You can open portals!!!!”

”... Yes...? Would you like to go somewhere?”

”My home!!! Open a portal to my world please!!!!”

”Eh... That's impossible... I can only open portals to places I've been to before... And I have never been to your world.”

”Ah!! That's right!! He did say that!! You need to teach me!! Teach me your ability so i can open a portal to my world!!”

”Teach... You...? Mmmm...”

”Please!!”

Ria and the rest of the group finally realized the reason why Marceus had sent Evlin to find them and she started to wonder if she could use that to their advantage. She placed her finger on her lips pretending to be thinking about something.

”Mmm... I'm don't know... Should I..?”

”I'll do whatever you want!! I'll help you guys with your goddess or whatever!! Just please teach me how to do that!!”

Ria made a face that said ”Gotcha!” and accepted her terms.

”Deal!!”

”Thank you!!!”

”Oh, Evlin...”

Evlin was full of joy at that moment but for some reason, Ashley was looking at her with a disappointed face.

”Ash...? What's wrong...?”

Ashley came closer to her face and whispered inside her ear.

”She was going to help you either way you dummy... There is no way she would reject you in front of her friends after hearing you came as a request from Marceus... But now we have to help them too...”

”Ah...! Well... It's fine, isn't it...? It would be rude to ask for help without giving something in return.”

”That's why you are so bad at doing business... Stop rushing into things... Sight...”

Ashley seemed unhappy with the situation but Evlin didn't care. Be it a goddess, two goddesses or ten, If it would help her come back home she was ready to fight anyone. Besides, she wasn't all that worried. Marceus's friends surely would be strong individuals as well and she herself still had the power of her mage skills, the silver knives, and Sphinx.

”Oh shoot! I forgot about Sphinx!!”

Daren and the rest stared at her with curiosity.

”Do you have another friend with you?”

”Yeah! I told him to wait outside while we entered the city so he must be sleeping somewhere around here...”

Auren was confused by her remark.

”Why did you ask him to wait outside?”

”I didn't want to draw too much attention. One second. SPHINX!!! YOU CAN COME OUT NOW!!!!!”

Evlin shouted towards no particular direction and almost blew up Ashley's ears who were right below her. The rest of the group looked around as they started to hear the sound of a heavy object rushing towards their location at an absurd speed. A pile of smoke arrived together with the large object and once it dissipated it revealed a golden feline creature with massive wings and the head of an eagle.

”Everyone, this is Sphinx! My pet griffin! Isn't he the cutest thing??”

Sphinx started to cuddle Evlin and Ashley while the group started at the three with wide eyes. Ria looked at her portal for a second and stared at Sphinx's massive size.

”We might need a bigger scar...”

Part 2

The group finally crossed Ria's wind scar after the poor girl spending twelve minutes trying to make it large enough so Sphinx could go through it as well. The poor girl was so tired that she ended up asking to be carried as well. Evlin asked if she would be ok with Sphinx carrying her and she gladly accepted. It looked like she was really enjoying being friends with a griffin.

Evlin herself wanted to be carried by Sphinx as well, but she was trying to make a good first impression with these people. They were her only hope to fulfilling her goal after all. But she started to wonder how long that would take by that point. She did promise to help them kill some evil goddess in exchange for learning from Ria how to open portals, but she had no idea where this goddess was or how they would kill her. She assumed now would be the best time to try and gather some information on the subject. For starters, wouldn't kill a goddess raise some problems?

”Excuse me, mister Gustav?”

”Yes miss Evlin?”

”Didn't Marceus received his powers from a goddess as well...? Won't she be angry if she finds out we killed one of her friends?”

”... Actually, the one we want to kill... Is the goddess that gave Marceus his power.”

”Eh...??”

”It's a long story... But what you need to know is, that woman is not a good person... She betrayed Marceus and turned us into stone for the last two centuries...”

”W- What??? Why would she do that???”

”Because she didn't like Marceus being partners with Daren...”

”Why...? What's wrong with Daren?? Is it because of his dead eyes? Was he rude to her?”

”I can hear you talking you know...”

”Sorry...”

”It had nothing to do with my appearance or personality... It's just that she didn't want someone cursed gaining fame...”

”Someone cursed?”

”That big lion thing I turn into... That's my curse... She doesn't want people like me wandering around so she separated Marceus from us...”

”I see... So now you all want revenge from Marceus...”

”You bet we do... I will not rest until that crazy woman pays for what she did!”

”How strong is she by the way...?”

”She dealt with all of us with barely lifting a finger...”

”What!!?? She dealt with five powerful warriors like yourselves that easily??”

Gustav, Ria, and Auren tried to cover their faces with embarrassment after hearing that comment. Gustav started to talk again.

”The thing is, miss Evlin... Daren is the only warrior in our team right now...”

”What...? Arent you guys candidates to be users of the living weapon?”

”No... Daren and Lilith used to be but Lilith became a pacifist... And we three don't have powers suited for combat. I have the ability to connect people's thoughts, Auren can rejuvenate a person for about two hours and acts as our healer, and Ria can teleport us anywhere but only three times a day. We were the supporters for the candidates.”

”I... See...”

Evlin was now extremely worried. She assumed the whole group was filled with powerful individuals and that they would all work together to take down the goddess. But she just heard that only one of them is actually a fighter and only during the night. Doesn't this mean that Evlin is basically the strongest member of the team? If she is their ace and not too long ago she was having trouble with one mage and a group of hunters, would she be able to deal with a goddess?

”Mister Gustav? Do we have some kind of plan?”

Please for the love of all that is sacred tell me you guys have a plan, was what Evlin wanted to say.

”Daren has one actually. It seems that a curse is the only thing that can harm a divine deity, so right now we are all going to the southern kingdom to find clues on how to get curses for the rest of the group.”

”You guys will all get yourselves cursed?? Is that safe...?”

”We don't know... But we don't have many options...”

”Should I get curses as well...?”

”Absolutely not!!”

The one who screamed was Ashley. Evlin was embarrassed that she almost forgot Ashley was still carrying her on her back. How do you even forget that you're being carried on someone's back?

”Evlin you have been doing a lot of crazy stuff lately, but as your big sister I will definitely not let you do something as risky as getting cursed!!”

”B- But... Ashley... I made a deal with them... I need to help with-”

”You don't need to get cursed for that!! You are already one of the most powerful mages on the planet! You really want to risk going through something so dangerous like this?”

”Huh... Ash...”

”What?”

Daren was glaring intensely at Evlin after hearing that remark.

”You... Are a mage...?”

”Ugh... Yes...? But I'm a good mage... I swear!!”

”... Then when you said you caused all that destruction on the city's gates...”

”I... I am really good with earth magic... I got a little carried away and used it more than usual to fight that guy I mentioned before...”

”I see...”