Now that the job was finally done, Holden and Sable sauntered back to Holden’s office, where Alwin, who was still in disguise, was waiting for Holden so he could take his cut. Holden counted out thirty percent of the coins he had received for winning the tournament, then headed inside his office, locking the door behind him without even wishing Alwin goodnight.
There was an apartment built right above the office, which Holden lived in. Both he and Sable climbed up the stairs and collapsed on the bed once they got back.
Sable yawned the moment he hit the bed. “That day, or I guess technically night, was a real pain. Let’s never take on a job that keeps us up this late again.”
“I don’t know what you’re complaining about,” Holden said. “I’m the one who did all the fighting.”
“Hmm, I guess so. I’m still exhausted, nonetheless.” Sable than paused for a moment as he recalled the look of anger on Holden’s face right before entering the tournament. “Say, Chopped Liver. Why were you so angry during that tournament anyway? Did the kid’s story have something to do with it?”
Holden recalled Mathias mentioning how his family deemed him an embarrassment and sighed. “I just can’t imagine ever calling someone from my own family an embarrassment. Hearing that just didn’t sit right with me.”
“Why’s that?” Sable asked, his ears perking up with anticipation.
“I was an orphan. Didn’t have any family. I was taken away from the orphanage when I was six and trained to be a spy. Never had the chance to develop many close friendship, nor do I even know who my family was.”
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“What do you mean ‘was’?”
“They’re dead. That’s all I know. Even that could just be a lie, though.”
“So, that’s why you were angry.” Sable lowered his ears and looked at Holden. He wasn’t able to see Holden’s face, but Sable imagined he would’ve seen nothing but anguish on it if he could. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry,” Sable mumbled too quietly for Holden to hear.
“What was that?” Holden asked.
“Oh, it was nothing. Just calling you a stupid human, Chopped Liver.”
Holden just sighed. “Oh, shut up, you stupid cat.”
***
The following morning, Mathias went to the Mages Union where he hired a mage to remove the identity spirit that had possessed his sword. The mage extracted the spirit without any problems, and trapped it inside of a magical stone used for sealing spirits.
“Here you go,” the mage said. “The spirit is gone. Be careful not to let it happen again, kid.”
Mathias bowed to show his gratitude, then led the Mages Union office.
Meanwhile, the mage pocketed the stone with the trapped spirit, and left for an undisclosed location in the Undercity. This location was a massive underground storehouse filled with various crates containing magic materials of all kinds. Fairy dust, unicorn horns, and more were stored here.
An elf in blue robes that signified him as an official in the Mages Union was waiting there for the mage while overlooking the operations within the storehouse.
“What is it you want?” The elf asked. “This better be something good.”
The mage smirked while showing the stone he had trapped the identity spirit in. “I’m here to see if this might interest you. It’s an identity spirit that possessed a sword. Its essence might be useful to you, right?”
The elf smirked. “We certainly have a lot of different materials. Fairy dust has been in shorter supply ever since one of our operations was discovered by that troublesome PI. Spiritual essence will certainly help make up for the loss in profits.”
The mage nodded his head. “Well, I can’t promise more spirit essence. But I’ll bring you anything else I come across that might be worth something.”
“Very well. We appreciate your patronage.” The elf paid the mage for his service, then turned to overlook the storehouse once again. “There are a few pests trying to put an end to our operations. But they’ll never uncover how deep this all goes.”