The Ascension of the Celestial Priest

21; The Carriage of Nobles & Half-Elves.

The tension inside the Carriage was palpable.

After the whole debacle inside the debriefing room, everyone still rattled and unsettled they stood in silence the whole way until they arrived in front of the carriage. And It was a large opulent carriage, with the insignia of the Adventurer's Guild decorated on the outside, shining with a silver luster under the morning sun, helmed by a powerful demonic horse at the front.

Inside the carriage, it was spacious enough to hold them with even a few spaces to spare. Everyone was able to sit comfortably with a minimum distance to each other as representative Malten and the Coachman were sat on the outside leading the carriage towards their destination.

More than a few minutes silence passed and it almost seemed as if no one was about to cut through the deathly silence that had settled upon them since the moment they entered. Lukas emanated regal vibes, as he subconsciously crossed his legs, leaning beside the window enjoying the passing view, his aura almost shining. His white robes even seemed to glow in a sharp contrast to Rexsi, the shadow rogue who seemed to be in a dark cloud of his own, giving off such strong vibes that everyone knew he wasn't to be bothered. Geoff stood right in the middle of it as his eyes kept flickering to both of them feeling as if he was situated in the legendary war of light vs. dark.

But no one could have guessed that the one who was surprised the most was the rogue himself. Sitting on the opposite side of the Carriage, he couldn't help but take a couple of more glances at the priest.

According to the information he had learnt, the priest was one of a timid character, who rarely chooses to be aggressive in the first place. But today he was shut down the moment he raised his concerns and the new feeling he gave off; the feeling that no matter how much he tries to confront him it won't work bruised his prideful ego. He felt like a bard playing a lute to a goat who won't even bother to listen in the first place.

He flicked his knife with his hands a few times lost in his own thoughts.

Seeing he couldn't take the insufferable silence any longer Geoff decided to break the tension. "Seeing as we are about to work together; let's introduce ourselves to each other and familiarize with our strength. The more we have an idea towards what we are capable of, the easier and the earlier we can accomplish this mission in the first place."

He then leaned forward taking his right hand and placing in his chest in some sort of gesture. "I'm Geoffrey, a Late Mortal Ranked Warrior, Class; A Knight from Martial Sect" he paused before the red girl beside him quipped.

"I'm Mira, from House of Fyre, a late Mortal Ranked Elemental Fire Mage from the Tabernacle of Flames." She smoothly said. The rest weren't surprised that she was a fire mage but the fact that she was a noble and she came from one of the strongest institutions in the continent took them by a surprise.

Everyone in unison turned to Lukas as he waved his hand slightly introducing himself. "Lukas, from House of Raydore: a Mid Mortal Priest from the Cathedral of Light." He said. And now nearly every one visibly reacted while Mira's face strangely glinted.

Having two nobles in one mission was already a surprise but having two mages from the top institutions made every one realize that their current mission might not seem as easy as it looks. Rexsi had a calm face though he was more than unsettled inside. Confronting a weak minded priest and a noble might be well and good but from the looks of, the moment he had decided to utter his tongue, he was in grating himself in a whole loads of trouble…but in turn he didn't have to fear that much what with the rumors that are going around.

"House of Raydore! That Noble family…" Mira mused before a silent glare settled on her. The air seemingly vibrated before the heavy feeling disappeared in a flash. All that was left was a dazzling smile that lit up Lukas face like a star.

"Yes, that Raydore family." with that he finished, not bothering to add another word. The vicious gossip was meant to spread amongst the people and the fall of noble families was nothing but a hot topic. Especially when the House of Raydore was rumored to have lost their Scion: the same one who had fathered two talented children in turn. It and of itself seemed like a trick of fate.

Not wanted to dwell further on it, Rexsi calmly introduced himself. "Rexsi: late mortal ranked Rogue from the Silent Assassins Sect." Every one seemingly nodded before their eye settled on the hooded figure.

Even she herself knew it was about time. After a moment of hesitation a dainty hand appeared under her long green cape and then removed the hood revealing a startling surprise. With a beautiful face, delicate hands, eyes that glittered in ocean green the most eye catching feature that took them by surprise were the pointed end of her long slender ears.

"A Half-Elf…" Rexsi whispered. Amongst the many races in the continent of Lush, some of the main ones were Humans, Beast Men, the Half Elves and the Dwarves. Humans were in part so many and filled almost every corner of the continent followed by beast men. They are known for their formidable strength and strong bodies and their habit to copulate with almost anything especially when they are considered a variant of humans and lineage of mythological holy beasts that stretched thousands of years into the past. They weren't in any way compared to some of the present demonic beasts though similarities do exist.

The Half-elves were the rare breed. Said to be a hybrid between humans and the once pure elves that crossbred from the olden times, they are the most treasured amongst all races. Their elegance and beauty, coupled with their grace and their superior prowess in mana and magic made them susceptible to the greediness of human's nature. They were hunted down, enslaved and even forced to breed due to many of the racial boons they possess. In addition to their long years, it made them a hit commodity for vile people. As such ever since the New Era was established and a ban was placed that fiercely protected them, years and years of such malevolence had forced them to be careful and secretive as they mostly kept to their selves.

After she felt they had stared long enough she raised her hood back while finishing her sentence. "Renesme, Late Mortal Magick Archer from the Vastsky Academy." She was yet another candidate from one from the top ten institutions.

Now it was Lukas's turn to sigh; he had immediately noticed that everyone around had a higher cultivation than him, meaning that it wasn't enough that the previous incident had cast him as incompetent, but he was the weakest of them all with his cultivation being on Mid-Mortal stage.

But then he just brushed it off and decided not to dwell on it unless it becomes a nuisance. He had worked hard for the past month; his foundation was solid and stable. He had learned enough spells to ensure he stays alive no matter what and to fulfill the expected kit a Priest of Light should have.

But then he got to thinking, more than one candidate of the top ten intuitions in just single mission would have meant that the mission is more than secured to be successful. But why did he have a faint feeling that things might not be that simple?