Chapter 120: Chance Encounter

Ned sat by facing the three. Lord Sven to his left; tapping the arm of his chair with his fingers running low and high. The kid, the bored kid, as Ned labeled him due to his tendency to slump his back against the chair while blowing an air, sat across him. While Sasani Tarragon, Ned assumed not her real name—Or she didn't give her real name—sat far right of Ned. 

Between them was a hardwood, maybe smoked wood table, varnished with brown as it almost acted as a mirror due to its crystal feel like surface. At the top was the steaming hot tea where Twali, the Lord's servant, kept on refilling.

Ned eyed the black tea served in a white china cup, with blue floral designs. The cloud of aromatic whiff was kept on entering his nose. Which triggered a form of appetite. I might get a lot of food this time. Ned thought, smelling the last steam of the tea and broke his thoughts by listening to Lord Sven's, unbreaking, and somewhat, monotonous justification of why he invited Ned.  It seemed that he has been doing this over and over, every time a game has ended. 

"I'm looking for talents," he had said to Ned. The purpose of the game wasn't just for fun. It was to recruit a promising and talented individual who might willing to join their House. As for the main reason why he wanted to recruit 'talented individuals', he didn't swear.

"If you're a student of an academy," he added. "We'll give you  resources." According to Lord Sven, the only students that don't need paying academy were the ones who passed the Selection Exam, which happened only once a year in random yet promising locations over Cassan.

His son, Ulfkell Finn, passed not the Selection Exam but entered an academy due to his father's influence. Lord Sven of House Tarragon paid a sizable amount of resources so that Finn could be enlisted in an academy. This might be the reason why Finn seemed to be upset as Ned looked at the lad, around seventeen years old. 

"And if you're a hunter," he then added making Finn felt relaxed, as his father was not talking about him anymore. "We will provide you resources. We can find good missions for you since I know someone from the inside of Hunter's Guild.  But of course, every mission you completed we will take a cut. In return, we will protect you against warring Houses, hunters, and bandits—lately, bandits have been seen around the capital." He finished by putting his right leg atop his left and smiled at Ned. "With your talent, kid—with the bow, you will have a good future as a hunter."

"I refuse," Ned said without having a second thought. 

Finn almost jumped off his seat. This was the first time Ned saw his movement with energy. "Kid!" He said, almost shouting, and blood almost shoots out his head as his pale skin turned red. "Do you hear your self? You? Refuse our House's offer?" He then turned to Lord Sven with a rapid breath. "Father!" And as if he remembered something he shouldn't, he lowered his head. "I'm sorry father, I shouldn't shout. But, father, this is a waste of time. I will not take care of this child."

"No, Ulfkell," Lord Sven said, dropping an eye at Ned. "Look at him, he doesn't need a sitter. Right, Ned Sskat? By the by, how was O'rriadt? The last time I've been there was when I was young. It wasn't booming during my days. Yes, kid." He paused, savoring the moment of silence. Then said: "Yes, I know about you. Ned Sskat of O'rriadt. Where in O'rriadt? Dragonshore or Moormont? How was the town lord? Mc... Mc... "

"McGreedy," Ned finished. 

"Yes!" Lord Sven said and flicked his hand on the armchair with a tap-tap sound. "McGreedy. I know about you, kid. To whom the House of Wood do you think works? The treacherous Soaks? The sneaky Pendragoons? No, kid. House of Woods pays their taxes to me." 

Ned Sskat doesn't seem so bad. Ned thought, looking deep at the golden button Lord Sven clipped at the end of his sleeves. "I must refuse," Ned said shaking his head and pulled open the pouch on his waist. And as if he was pulling something out of his pouch, he smiled and showed the Selection Token to Lord Sven. The metal felt cold coming out his dimensional inventory. 

Finn jumped off his seat. He then grabbed the Selection Token out of Ned's palm before his father could. He flicked it mid-air, trying to distinguish the metal against the brightly lit room. "Is this real kid?!" He said commanding.

Instead, Ned glanced Sasani. The latter had been eyeing Ned the moment she entered and introduced herself. She sat with her back straight against the chair, a habit she surely nurtured when she was young. Her head was angled outside the stained glass. But she can't hide her rounded eyes trying to throw a glimpse at Ned, sometimes to the mechanical bow on Ned's left wrist, and back to Ned. When her eyes met Ned's, she swiftly turned her gaze back to the arena. 

"Yes," Ned said. "Selection Token of Griffith Kingdom."

Lord Sven coughed, which made his son returned the token to Ned. And with dismay on his face, he went back sitting. This time, he curled and retracted his gaze away from Ned. Or away from the token. Ned pushed the token back to his pouch; in truth, it went back to his inventory.

"I still refuse," Ned said.

"Tell me, kid," Lord Sven said. Lifted his hands and put it under his chin. "Why? Aren't you here for the academy?"

"No, Lord... Sven," Ned said, took note how Sasani smiled comfortably after he said refusing to join an academy. 

"You want to become a hunter? Without having to finish the academy? Because you needed someone to back you up if that's your case."

"No, I am not here to join the academy."

"Then, what?" Lord Sven asked, now his voice felt irritated. "Tell me."

"Father,"  it was Finn. Still not looking at Ned. "Leave this kid, he is hopeless, he doesn't even know the value of the mana stone he broke."

Lord Sven cocked an eyebrow that sent Finn back to his curling state. 

"I came here—" Ned answered, and paused. "Looking for someone."

"Who?"

He's a city lord, he might know something about Roy. 

Lord Sven retracted his hands away from his chin back to the arms of the chair and started tapping his fingers.

A habit even Sasani adopted. She tapped her fingers starting from her pinky down to her thumb. Instead of overly beaded dresses, she wore a fitting and smooth, as if made of cotton, long sleeves. Her curves, although thin, would still be called and befitting of a noble. She hangs her ginger hair left of her shoulder which covered half of her chest. The way she wore her fitting clothes reminded him of Toni—although shy, Toni wore her fitted clothing to the best of her body. Ned looked back at Lord Sven when Sasani noticed him. 

"I don't have all day, kid," Lord Sven eventually said. "If you don't want it, fine. But whatever it is you have, my House can help, of course, in return for something."

"Roy," Ned said, leaning forward. Now the aroma of the black tea was closer to him. "I'm looking for a man named Roy. Roy of Moorkeg."

As Ned said the name, he remembered Ser Edwin. The one who caused, and turned Ned to something he long has forgotten—his old self. If I needed to be the old me—I will. If it is to save the man who stood as my father. I will become the old me.

Ned faintly jerked his head, looking at the ring to his right. Inside was his master, inside a cube from the man he despised. The man who was after the Mark—

The Mark. Ned lifted his shoulders. I have asked wrong—

"I know—no. I knew Moorkeg," Lord Sven said, interrupting Ned's chain of thoughts. "People of Bogblot knew the once old Moorkeg before it got destroyed. But, Roy... Never heard of him."

"Don't mind it then."

"But, if you want to find someone, we can help you f—

"Father!"

"Finn!" Said Lord Sven. "Do not tarnish our House by your egocentric; childish behavior. That's the last."

"But," Lord Sven said back to Ned. "Of course, we can help you, in return for something. That's the privilege as a winner of this month's Chance Arrow game."

Sasani gazed at her father. Even her skin was soft, still, a small line appeared on her forehead as he knitted her brow. Yet, she remained silent. She gazed back at the glass as if she wanted to leave and jump out going to the arena. She shook her head. 

"Thank you, Lord Sven," Ned said. "But still, I refuse. Plus, I already employed the House of Woods."

"House of Woods," Lord Sven threw a breath. "For what? Ten silver? And you believed they could do it? Find him? Their House worked for me. But what they are doing is out of my control. They just pay the tax." 

Ned smiled. Pressed his back against the chair. And stared. Outside, Ned may look deciding. But, Ned gave the word.

ICE. He commanded. 

[Ned.]

ICE prompted in response.

Do you have the exact image of the Mark of the Knight? The day Master Will bestowed it upon me?

[Analyzing memory.]

As ICE went looking at the back of Ned's memory. Ned said to Lord Sven: "How good is your history, Lord Sven?"

Lord Sven narrowed his eyes with the odd question. "What do you mean?"

With a chime. ICE showed Ned the day when Master Will bestowed him the Mark of the Knight. Green lights scattered in the forest. Trees, leaves, and grasses stood alive under the dimming night. These lights then hovered toward Ned and Master Will.  Ned knelt on one, while Master Will; face still oddly and old-fresh, brown hair, and a bead of sweat formed on his forehead, crossed the Butterfly first on Ned's shoulders; left then right. Followed by leaning the Butterfly top of Ned's long silver hair. After the bestowal, Ned's left hand was showered with white light, then a strange line appeared below his wrist. 

Ned leaned forward toward Lord Sven. His eyes circled the room, looking for something. Ned gave up with a sigh as he found nothing of something to write. Instead, Ned dipped his index finger into the black tea, now almost cold, and drew something on the table. 

As Ned drew, Sasani knitted her brows once again out of curiosity. While Finn was surprised when Ned dipped his fingers inside the black tea—their expensively black tea. 

Ned finished drawing the strange line out of the liquid of the back tea. Lord Sven's eyes expanded. 

The drawing was simple, an inverted and bold triangle; with extended edges. It came along with a strange marking inside the inverted triangle. A letter resembling the alphabet letter S, but more like an alphanumeric 8. Outside the S or 8 drawings were strange lines like that of an icon of a beating heart. 

Lord Sven closed his gaping mouth and said without looking at Sasani or Finn, but only to Ned. A look that made Ned cringed, as if his eyes were boring into the depths of Ned's very existence: "Finn. Sasani. Out. Now."