34 Draw!

In a remote village somewhere in between Warija and Elaria, Yulia and Althea rented out a dingy tavern for the entire duration of their negotiation. Preventing an all out war guild war now rests on their hands.

The shabby establishment devoid of patrons would be enough to give ordinary adventurers the nerves, but neither of the two was high-strung about it.

Althea who sat alone at the table, however, was mildly annoyed. Not because the Nagas were late, but because of her companion.

"We are trying to look intimidating. Why the hell did you bring these two with you!?"

Stefano and Gloria both frowned, Stefano who was sitting at the next table didn't talk back since they literally had no business being in such an important meeting.

Gloria, who now has a somewhat okayish grasp when it comes to common language, immediately gave Althea a piece of her mind.

"Yulia is friend, we come, do not bitching." Gloria then proceeded to continue jovially doing a wheelie with her wheelchair.

The tiefling stood close to Gloria, her shield at the ready while not bothering to sit down in the eventuality that things might take a turn for the worse. She knows how capable Althea is, she would rather be vigilant and prevent any possible hostiles from attacking her friends.

Yulia smiled, "Listen to the mermaid, Althea. Besides, I know you have the whole 'intimidation' stuff covered. I brought my squire here so he knows firsthand what to do when things go south."

Stefano had to double take before asking his question. "I'm sorry, did I hear that right, are you expecting things to go south?"

"Why are you so surprised? We're adventurers, things always go south for us. I mean I'm not saying that we shouldn't make an effort during the negotiation, we should just be prepared, is all." Yulia had a point. They weren't really sure how cooperative the Warijans were going to be, especially since the casualty was on their side.

The tavern door suddenly opened, the green skinned gorgon woman slithered towards them, followed closely by two muscular four-armed male nagas with scimitars on their waist

"You are late." Althea eyed the gorgon, from her white mask down to her diamond ouroboros necklace.

The snake woman's brown vest, along with her belt and skirt were adorned with throwing knives, the grace evident from the movement of her upper body down to her snake tail as she sits along with her chosen armaments indicating that she is an assassin by trade - a rogue.

Althea had to admit, The Gorgon might already have the upper hand since she can't read her expression behind that white mask of hers. Althea puts on her best poker face as they are about to parley.

"My apologies. I am Yazmin. It's an honor to finally meet the famous lightning blade."

"Let us skip the flattery and get down to business. We've already returned the assassin's corpse, is there anything else that you would wish from us?"

The Gorgon let out an amused chuckle.

"While it is true that we agreed to not sanction any hits on Elarian adventurers, her target escaped unscathed while Zisha's corpse was barely recognizable. I think we're warranted more justice than that. Give us the amazon and we are even."

"An assassin talking about justice, ludicrous. You want us to give Antani to you at the drop of a hat? You and I both know that it's not going to happen."

"If that option is not on the table then how about you give me someone else's life? An eye for an eye, lightning blade."

Althea and Yulia both tensed up, the latter grips the handle of the sword while the former need only to enchant the inside her katana's sheath with electricity. The spellblade's katana along with its sheath were a conduit for her magic similar to that of a wizard's staff.

The mood in the air shifted from tension to outright hostility.

"Enough with your silly notions, we will provide gold as compensation, end of discussion. What say you? Choose your next words carefully, they might be your last." Althea's words were downright pressurizing, her solid threat made her killing intent apparent. She is ready to strike the gorgon in front of her if need be.

"Gold? Hahaha! Do you think we're an impoverished guild out in the sticks? You can take your gold and shove it up your ass."

"Then we are at an impasse, gorgon."

Their negotiation was fated to be at a deadlock, for Yazmin had no intention of arriving at an amicable outcome. What better way to start a war between guilds than dispatching one of elaria's most renowned adventurers?

"That we are. Let me think, since you don't want to give up any of your comrade's life, how about you surrender yours instead? You would make a fine addition to my stone garden."

Zisha eyed the sheathed katana slanted beside Althea, the strange looking sword's handle was pointed towards her. In order for Althea to make use of it, she would need about a split second to grab it and then draw, that split second is all that Yazmin would need to unmask.

Yazmin's lips form an ominous arc, Althea was declared deceased the moment she separated that sword of hers from her waist.

Althea witnessed as the Gorgon momentarily eyed her katana, "Typical rogue. You're probably thinking how I'm no match for you in terms of speed. Why don't we test it out?"

A spellblade like Althea whose strong point lies in combining their destructive spells with their sword prowess would surely be no match to a veteran rogue like Yazmin when it comes to the speed in drawing their respective weapon. Nevertheless, Althea is a Diamond ranked adventurer, considered to be paragons of cunning and might.

"Is that a challenge, lightning blade? Very well, I accept. The reward for my triumph shall be your life."

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC5lxL6dcTk)

And thus, Althea and Yazmin entered into a standoff, a quickdraw fight with their very lives on the line, they are willing to execute the other just to prove who is faster.

Stefano gulped, things have definitely gone south now. He looks at Yulia who seems to be watching the disastrous scenario unfolding before them with amusement.

"Hey, Yulia, go and stop them, why don't you!? Aren't we supposed to be here so we could resolve this whole fiasco?"

"Nah, Althea's got this." Yulia's fiery gaze was locked onto Althea and Yazmin, but at the same time she kept in her field of vision the two nagas behind Yazmin.

Yulia's eyes meet with the nagas'. The tiefling grins at them with exhilaration, daring them to make a move.

Althea was unflinching, her focus absolute. Yazmin on the other hand was waiting for Althea to grab her sword, wanting to forever set in stone the lightning blade's hubris of thinking that she could outdraw a rogue.

"Go ahead, draw." Yazmin taunted.

"I don't think I will. Go and make the first move, I'm giving you a handicap you see."

"A handicap!? Hahahahahaha!"

Yazmin laughed, she didn't know that the lightning blade moonlighted as a jester.

The moment Yazmin's maniacal laugh subsided, her right hand immediately twitched, beelining towards her mask with unmatched dexterity.

Althea had already enchanted the inside of her sword with electricity since their parley began, the electric current traveling inside the sheathe slowly brewing a magnetic field so formidable it would be enough to beat the rogue in her own playing field.

Althea reversed the current, setting the magnetic field inside the sheath from attraction to repel.

With blinding speed, the katana launched itself into the air, the streaks of electricity that propelled it flowed through the blade.

A self-drawing spell that would put other katana masters to shame.

The hilt of the blade met with Althea's grip mid-flight, the katana and its master now one, carving their path to victory with an arcing swing - taking Yazmin's hand along with it.

Although Yazmin wanted to scream in anguish as her right hand was detached from her wrist mere inches from her mask, the battle wasn't over yet, she still had her left hand and the mock negotiation of theirs would not stop until either she or Althea was dead.

Yazmin's left hand reached for a throwing knife on the right side of her vest, but before she could draw Althea had already tackled her into the ground.

The two Naga bodyguards were about to swing their scimitars downwards at Althea who was on the floor straddling Yazmin.

Before they could swing their swords however, a wave of hell fire crashed into them, immolating them as they slithered away from Althea all while twisting in agony due to their flesh being charred.

Althea's katana was now on Yazmin's throat, now it was time to begin their negotiation for real.

"Listen well, you will accept the gold that we will give you and this will be the end of this little disagreement of ours, continue to antagonize us and we will wipe your guild off the entire continent. Do we have an understanding?"

The cold steel on Yazmin's throat made for a very convincing argument.

Yazmin nods her head. Althea removes herself on top of the Gorgon.

"Then it's settled. Yulia, the gold."

A miniscule chest was laid on the table, overflowing with gold.

Althea waved off the Gorgon's blood on her blade before elegantly sheathing her katana. She gave the gorgon one final glance before they left, tossing a healing scroll onto her lap. "It was dreadful dealing with you, may we never meet again. Farewell."

Two of her guards dead and one hand missing, Yazmin's decision on picking a fight with Elaria's guild did a total 180.

As Gloria was the last to pass by Yazmin, the mermaid paused for a moment and gave the snake a condescending stare accompanied by a smug grin. "Heh."

Gloria rolled away, trailing her friends.

The Gorgon was stupefied, did a mermaid in a wheelchair just sass her?

+++

Author's notes :

Probably a bit late but this was my inspiration for Althea. Just trim the katana to regular size and give it a sheathe :

https://ibb.co/ZhgVPkP

(Art is not mine and I don't know the artist, I just found it online.)

Althea's quick-draw spell was inspired by Jetstream Sam's gun-sheathe from metal gear revengeance :

https://tenor.com/view/jetstream-sam-metal-gear-rising-revengeance-raiden-raiden-metal-gear-gif-25511059