[CROWD: Deafening cheers and swooning from the onlookers]
[GUEST COMMENTATOR: "It is unprecedented. The way he chains his support skills keeps his vanguards at peak performance. Every single guild in the sector is currently trying to outbid his contract."]
[REPORTER: "Any words for the vanguards out there hoping to get a chance to party up with you?"]
[DRAVEN: "To all the other guilds watching... sorry, but my party is currently full. I only give my energy to the absolute best. Unless an Empress is asking, of course."]
The woman beside me started squeaking at Draven on TV.
[NEWS ALERT: Next Support Class Academy Draft scheduled for the upcoming cycle. Will we see another prodigy rise to challenge the Highland Guild?]
"They are popular?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at the absolute frenzy happening in the hotel.
"They are way more than just popular," she corrected me, taking a digital menu from the robot that hovered by our table.
"They take on high-risk missions that most guilds wouldn’t even dare to touch. Because of his buffs, his team clears dungeon gates faster than anyone else in the district. There are many supporters out there, like Draven, who are desired by almost everyone."
She paused, looking up from her menu to give me a very pointed, highly critical look.
"You aren’t even close to his level yet, Revien."
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table.
She really just compared me to that clown on the screen.
"In what way?"
"In every way."
"You want him?" I asked, keeping my tone playful but letting a firm hint of challenge bleed into my voice.
"Is that what this is? You are wishing you got stuck with the red-haired guy instead of me?"
Gianna scoffed, crossing her arms defensively.
"I didn’t say that! I am just telling you the facts. Draven has years of experience, and his mana capacity is refined. Every vanguard in the city would kill to have a supporter like him backing them up."
"Well, no can do," I said, reaching across the table and lightly tapping her nose just to annoy her.
"I’m not going to let him steal you, Gia."
Her eyes went wide, but there was no blushing this time.
"I don’t belong to you!"
"I never said you were," I countered, ignoring her protest.
"Your mom bought me, which makes us a team, and I don’t like the idea of my partner looking at some other guy on a screen."
"You are so fucking arrogant!" she scolded, glancing around the restaurant to make sure nobody was listening to us.
"You don’t even know how to navigate a basic dungeon, and you are already acting like you own the place."
"I learn fast," I replied.
"We are going to train, we will form a proper party, and then we will take him out."
Gianna choked on the water she had just started drinking.
She coughed loudly, pounding on her chest while staring at me like I had grown a second head.
"Take him out?" she gasped, quickly wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Are you insane? The Highland Guild is untouchable. You cannot just challenge a top-tier supporter to a fight because you feel a little competitive!
"Why not?" I asked casually, leaning back and lacing my fingers together.
"He clears high-risk gates, right? So we will just clear them faster. We will take his records, steal his spotlight, and prove that you have the best supporter in the city. By the time we are done, Draven is going to look like an amateur."
’Plus, wiping that smug look off his face would be satisfying.’
Gianna just stared at me. Her mouth was slightly open, and the irritation in her red eyes was slowly being replaced by something else.
It looked a lot like genuine intrigue.
"You are delusional," she finally said, though the corner of her lips twitched upward just a fraction.
"He has four veteran hunters protecting him at all times, and you only have me."
"I only need you for now," I said, dropping the teasing edge and locking my gaze with hers.
"We just need to get our compatibility up, right? Once my buffs fully sync with your combat skills, nobody is going to stand a chance against us."
Gianna swallowed hard, clearly affected by the sudden shift in my tone.
She tried to maintain her tough exterior, but the way her fingers fidgeted with the edge of the table gave her away.
"You talk a really big game," she murmured, purposefully avoiding my eyes.
"But talking won’t keep us alive in a medium gate."
"Then I guess I will just have to show you," I promised, letting a smile spread across my face.
"Eat up, babysitter. We have a lot of training to do if we are going to crush the Highland Guild."
A few moments passed in peace until the place started to crowd.
"We should head back," Gianna said, sliding out of the restaurant booth and checking a digital watch on her wrist.
"That’s enough outing for today."
"Already?" I asked, catching up to her side as we stepped back out onto the street.
"I feel like I barely got to see the commercial sector. You didn’t even show me where the weapons are sold, and I wanted to see what kind of gear the top guilds use."
"We don’t need weapons right now, and too much time outside will make you a target."
"A target?" I repeated.
"Like, monsters?"
"No, like other women," she replied, keeping her eyes scanning the crowds as we walked.
"You saw the news broadcast. A competent support is extremely rare. If the other guilds figure out Mom scooped up a new guy with high stats, they will definitely try to bribe you. Or, perhaps, they might just kidnap you."
"Kidnap me?" I laughed loudly.
"I guess I really am a prize."
"Don’t flatter yourself," she deadpanned, never slowing her pace.
"They just want your mana pool. Some of the lower-tier guilds play extremely dirty. They would drug you, sign a binding contract while you are passed out, and force you to buff their teams until you completely collapse."
"Sounds like a lovely place to live..."
"They’ll breed you dry."
"Maybe not."
"It’s survival," Gianna shot back.
"We need people like you to keep the gates from overflowing into the city. So yeah, staying out of sight until you are officially registered and trained is the smartest play we can make."
*************
(A/N: Liked it? Donate powerstones, leave a comment, and add it to your library:)