The Last Swordmaster

The Master of Riddles

As soon as Jack and I walked back in, we saw that Eren, Eve, and Damon were sitting by the door, impatiently awaiting our return. "About damn time," Damon grumbled, launching out of his chair. "You two do everything, and we're stuck here-"

"Damon, would you shut your big mouth for ten seconds?" Eve growled, turning back to me. "So? Did you two learn anything?"

I pulled my small stack of letters out of my clutch and uncrinkled the one in my pocket. "I haven't read through them all, but he found all of these concerning the summoning on the leader of the mortal swordmasters' desk. Some of them are disturbing, to say the least, but you can read through them while I take off this get-up."

"Same goes for me," Jack added, glancing down at his purple suit. "This color looks horrible on me."

I could only roll my eyes at his usual vanity as we walked away together. My earrings weighed my ears down after only a few hours, so I made sure to take those out as soon as I could. I was so caught up in doing so that I almost tripped over the first step of the staircase leading to our rooms, causing Jack to chuckle. "There's our almighty, fierce leader in all of her glory."

"Can it," I hissed, regaining my balance quickly. "Can't a woman just be left alone? It's hard to walk in heels." With that, I stepped out of my heels and leaned over to pick them up.

Jack looked back when he realized I'd stopped walking, and he raised an eyebrow and grinned at the sight of me holding my shoes instead of wearing them. "Classy, love."

"Oh, I'm the classiest," I declared sarcastically. "I could pass for a queen."

"Well, as soon as you stop stepping on your dress. Really. I put a lot of work into that. Don't dirty it."

To please him, I grudgingly lifted up the dress until we reached the top of the carpeted stairs. "I can't to get out of this and wash this mask of makeup off," I sighed. 

"You can't deny it, though, it is a little fun."

I gave a short, sarcastic laugh. "Not even a little. Now, if you'll excuse me, our rooms are very far apart, so we'll have to separate."

"Well, we don't have to," he suggested, winking.

I put a finger on each temple, rubbing my forehead in exasperation before I walked away. "I'm sure you can handle being on your own for a little bit, little guy."

"Little guy? Who're you calling little? I'm way taller than you!"

He was a little insecure about his height. He wasn't always the tallest guy growing up, and now that he was tall, he took those comments very personally. 

Finally, after a short walk to my room, I was alone again. It felt nice to be greeted with the sound of silence, no one to bother me when I needed to think-

"So, you've returned," Axel purred, rubbing up against my bed's post.

I lifted him up, causing him to hiss. "Yes, and I need to change, so you need to leave."

He leaped out of my arms, landing on my dark, wooden dresser. "I am just a simple cat, ma'am. There's no need to worry."

There was no point in arguing with him. Thankfully, I was still wearing my black romper and gear underneath the dress. Since Axel was there, I didn't change out of it, I just slipped on some socks and combat boots. Watching me, Axel sat down on my dresser, making himself comfortable. "How's Jack?"

I paused in my tracks. I was going to get a makeup wipe, but the question made me turn around and frown. "Why?"

Axel's tail whipped back and forth, his eyes gleaming. "Oh, reasons. You may want to ask him about it soon, though."