Chương 149: An Andle On Things

'Why does Aramir want this guy? Is this guy the one you're looking for? It would be easier if you just told me!' Andle sat on the bleachers of a miniature arena and watched Marcel slowly approach Warden.

'…'

'Why do you get quiet when I ask you the big questions?'

'…' Andle gruffed; he produced a rolled-up contract from a satchel and fumbled with it, trying to unfurl it and keep it flat enough to read. However, no matter how he unfurled the rolled paper, a side of it would just curl back into itself. He fumbled with it a little bit more, then paused.

'Do you have a spell to flatten rolled paper?'

'Yes, it's called putting a book on it' Andle sighed and shook his head while the Thousand Voices used their specialty… sarcasm!

'Just use Mage Hand; I gave you cantrips for petty reasons like this!' Andle let go of the contract with one hand, allowing the stubborn paper to rebound back into its furled shape. He uttered the phrase"Manus" while making a grabbing motion with his freed hand; a human-looking, translucent, inky-black floating hand apparated out of thin air and firmly held a corner of the page open. Both of Andle's scaled hands returned to pry the corners of the sheet flat.

'I really should get around to trimming my talons!' His eyes scanned the contract, though the contract he held in his hands wasn't just any job. It was a job from Aramir, a fellow beneficiary of the Thousand Voices, a fellow oddity as well.

'This would be easier if you just told me what you told Aramir?' The sound of a straw sucking on air, with broken intervals of liquid entering, emanated in Andle's mind. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

'Don't any of your beneficiaries have misophonia?' The Thousand Voices paused momentarily.

'You don't.' Then the sound continued. Andle tuned out the annoying noise resounding within his head and read the contract once more.

'The pay is pretty good; my question is why isn't Aramir paying me half as much as that guy?' The empty slurping stopped.

'Bait,' then the slurping continued.

'Why do we need to bait him… wait, no, I don't care.' The sound of a cardboard cup tapping against a table resounded within Andle's mind; the Thousand Voices let out a harmonious snort before elevating into a jovial guffaw.

'I raised you well, kid!' Andle could almost imagine the ambiguous shape of the Thousand Voices sweeping a tear from their eye as their laughter died down.

'Something is more valuable than money, Andle, you know that!' Andle rubbed the scales on his chin and looked up from the parchment, letting out a groan.

"I missed the fight!?"

Warden… June looked at Marcel creep towards him. Scenarios like the one he currently stood in were uniquely novel to June; the knowledge that he could end a life with a simple mistake was more ever-present to him now than any other time in his life. The thing that perplexed June the most was how cautious Marcel was. Most of June's fighting experience came from while he was within the simulation, but there, people usually charged at him with death in their eyes.

Marcel, on the other hand, slowly inched towards him; his feet made grooves in the worn sandstone floor. June could smell his fear, quite literally; however, he didn't understand what exactly prompted such a strong reaction. Sure, his physical appearance was loomingly tall and intimidating; to his understanding, Marcel was an experienced fighter, a man with achievements and experience that put him to shame.

Even if he looked monstrous, he had a feeling that What June didn't account for was his own voice; while he knowingly infused his speech with Will when playing the part of Warden, he didn't know what it felt like to the listener. Aspirants felt their bones shake when he breathed; they felt their organs shrivel and recoil in fearful anticipation of his next words, their acuity to sources becoming the reason they give in to fear.