Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 53: Storm of Hearts, Part Nine

{Lianna}

Later, Lianna and Enverna were standing at the Player Gate.

Other players were slowly filling the street, the shuffling of boots and the murmur of voices creating a lively atmosphere. Most of them were members of the Shields of Saren, though Lianna knew that other guilds would be participating as well. A cacophony of scents wafted through the air, some sweat, some generously applied perfume and body sprays, and the smell of meat coming from a nearby merchant’s stand.

A few curious glances were thrown Lianna and Enverna’s way. Most people didn’t seem to mind their presence but a few were a little bit intrigued.

[Meh, I’ll take that over wanting to kill us for... well, being killers.]

Sensing that the spotlight over them wasn’t quite as strong as she expected it to be, Lianna largely disregarded them.

No, all she could think about right now was Mel’s face as she told her what she felt the girl needed to hear. Maybe that was a bit presumptuous on her part, but the last thing Lianna wanted to do was set up false expectations, so she’d done it.

[I wonder how she’s feeling right now.]

"So," Enverna spoke up, standing beside Lianna with her spear on her back and her arms crossed. "Will Mel be joining us?"

"Maybe."

Enverna arched one elegant brow, looking back at her with some curiosity.

"Did anything happen? You’ve been rather quiet."

"And here I thought you’d enjoy a bit of peace for once."

Enverna gave her a cocky smirk. The type Lianna loved to see on her face.

"As unsettling as the thought might be, I’ve grown rather accustomed to you launching your usual flurry of annoying innuendos and unnecessarily embarrassing compliments."

"Oh? So, you mean it’s working?"

"By the grace of Saren..."

Lianna giggled as Enverna sighed, defeated.

A man walked up to them, then.

"Good afternoon! I take it you’re the, uh, dynamic duo we’ll be taking with us today?"

His outfit almost made him seem like a guard or a policeman. A bulky, black vest, small, black gloves, combat boots, and sleek sunglasses. With his oily black hair tied into a ponytail and a charming, easy smile, he approached the pair casually.

Lianna immediately checked his Status.

Melvin Proudline

MP: 100/100

---

STR: C+

END: C+

DEX: C

MYS: D+

L: F

The main reason Lianna went against her usual stance on checking people’s statuses like this was due to the concerns she and Enverna had shared earlier.

Any of these people could be a potential enemy. Lianna didn’t want to take any chances.

That said, as she saw his name, Lianna instantly calmed down.

"Yes, that’s us. Did Ms. Taylor tell you about us?"

"Indeed, she did," he nodded. "Just wanna say, right off the bat, don’t worry. I know most of these folks and I’d be very shocked if anyone tries something stupid. So, just sit back, take it easy, and make sure you take advantage of the opportunity, alright?"

"Noted." Enverna crossed her arms. "Without giving too much away, of course, may I ask what class you are? Given that Ms. Taylor reached out to you in particular, we should probably hang around you, no?"

"Sure. I’m a Paladin. I’m mainly going to be focusing on healing and occasionally tanking aggro for the rest of the team. I hope you get something from that."

"Thank you for letting us know."

"Alright. I’ll be around if you have any other questions, okay? Have fun, ladies!"

The man walked off then, heading back to his own group of friends. Enverna leaned in, surprising Lianna a little.

"Was that information accurate?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

[Oh, so that’s why she asked. She wanted to gauge how trustworthy he was through my ability!]

Lianna likely should have thought of that herself but Enverna was just a little bit quicker.

"His stats are a bit too... well-rounded for a Paladin, from what little I know anyway. And, he didn’t have any healing spells."

"Ah, so he’s either untrustworthy or he does not trust us despite your benefactor’s approval. Hm."

"Or he’s just... not that well-equipped," Lianna shrugged. "I mean, Ms. Taylor did single him out as being a good guy."

"Sure, but given that we are pretty much going to be at this group’s mercy on this trip, I can’t help but still be a little concerned."

"Hm. Well... We might not be off to the best start but let’s hope that lady Ms. Taylor mentioned is a little more honest."

"Indeed."

"H-Hey!" Someone called out from the left. Lianna and Enverna both snapped their heads toward the sound and found Mel running over to them.

Breathing heavily, as though she’d just run all the way from the Watchful’s headquarters to this part of the city, was Mel wearing her usual raggy armor. The girl arrived at their position and hunched over, panting.

"Am I too late?"

"Nope," Lianna smiled. "Glad you decided to join us."

"As am I," Enverna said, taking her eyes off Mel and placing them back on the group they’d be traveling with. "Hopefully, the chances of us getting betrayed have just lowered somewhat."

"When are we..." Mel couldn’t finish that question, as she was still breathing heavily. Eventually, she finally pulled herself together and asked, "when are we leaving?"

"Let’s check. Actually, this would be a good time to see if that lady Ms. Taylor mentioned is already here or not."

"Oh, you’re right."

"Ms. Taylor?" Mel asked.

"A friend," Lianna answered. "She said she let a few people know we were coming so that they might protect us."

"P-Protect us?" Mel blinked.

"I mean, we’re not exactly supposed to be taking part in any fights but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared, right?"

"I guess."

Enverna walked forward then, leading the other girls to the gathered players. Lianna noticed something.

[No sears, like Vara had. I guess those really are rare. Or, maybe they just want to enjoy the ride to the place together.]

Picturing herself atop one of those majestic creatures made Lianna giggle.

[Yeah, that’s not happening.]

Taking the lead, Enverna approached a man with a bow on his back and his friend, a lady with two sleek daggers at her hips.

"Greetings. We are supposed to meet a lady named Sylver, is she around yet?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah," the boy answered rather dispassionately. "That’s her over there."

"Ah, thank you." Enverna bowed.

He pointed at a lady standing by her lonesome at the front of the group, by the gate itself. Lianna’s heart quickened. Looking like she was cloaked in shadows, the woman wore elegant black robes that parted at the sides, showing off her long legs, and had a blindfold over her eyes just like Vara had. Another woman capable of using Mana Sense to see. A cascade of grey hair spilled out over her robes, glinting like moonlight in the daytime.

Lianna wondered then if Ms. Taylor made a point of befriending strong sorceresses.

That was a habit she could certainly get behind.

As they approached the tightly packed cluster of adventurers, the ambient chatter around them almost felt like it was getting quieter. Enverna took the lead once again, striding toward the enigmatic mage with her companions behind her. Lianna’s senses were honestly tingling with anticipation.

[I mean... She’s hot.] Lianna admitted. [Can anyone blame me?]

Sylver turned to face them. Given that she had 360-degree vision through Mana Sense, she’d no doubt seen them approaching far earlier but she turned her head toward them nonetheless to let them know who her attention was on.

Up until now, Lianna hadn’t used her ability {Through Enverna’s Eyes} frivolously, but she was curious about how Enverna was feeling, so she did so just this once.

Strangely enough, Enverna’s eyes were lingering on the woman’s legs. Her face felt hot, and Lianna could feel the way Enverna’s heart thudded against her chest harshly. At the same time, though, there was a certain excitement within her.

[I guess Enverna does like meeting strong people. That makes sense.] Sylver acknowledged them with a nod. Her voice, a melodic whisper, cut through the ruckus around them.

"Lianna, Enverna... Ms. Taylor did not mention you, though," she said. Though she did not look at her, it was clear who she was talking about. "Um, I invited her to come with us," Lianna clarified, gesturing at Mel for her to introduce herself.

"M-My name’s Mel... I’m a mage."

Sylver nodded, though the movement of her head was so short she may as well have not moved at all. "It is a pleasure to meet you all." Sylver stood up from the crate she’d been sitting on. "Come. I have my own car so, no need to ride the bus with everyone else."

"Oh," Enverna blinked, surprised. "Uh... Sure."

Lianna looked back at the others. Most of the people there weren’t paying any kind of special attention to them, but a few did watch them go with some curiosity.

[... I hope everything goes well. And, uh, who knows? Maybe I can finally get this damn quest over with.]