Chapter 51: Chapter 51 – Lost Parents

The door swung open as Lisa displayed a bright smile.

“Aunty.” Lisa stepped forward in a flash and wrapped her arms around the woman's dainty shoulders.

Paulina was a strict but caring woman. She wore her emotions on a sleeve and made sure that everyone knew exactly how she felt. The mother of Rachelle, but to Lisa and the others, she was also their mother and guardian. If it wasn’t for the grumpy woman in front of them, they would have had nowhere to sleep. Lisa’s brows dipped as she was reminded about the daily struggles Paulina had to face to provide for them. Despite not being tied with blood, she cared for them as if they were her own.

“How are you, girl?” Paulina continued. “Have you eaten? I can feel your damned ribs poking into me.”

“Of course I’ve eaten." Lisa said and waltzed into the home. "I have a fast metabolism, you know.”

It was… run down, was the best word. But despite that, it didn’t feel out of place or disorderly. Toys were strewn around the floor, kicked to the corner as they had long gathered dust. Most of them were homemade out of any pieces of scrap that someone had clawed together and assemble into an amalgamation of bendable metal.

Lisa looked around and reminisced. Although they always came back after every mission, she still had the same feeling after making it back. Maybe it was the feeling of having survived. The sights she had seen, the blood, and death. Coming back to something that always remained the same was comforting. Her heart bubbled with warmth as her fingers trailed across the dusty walls.

The only thing that looked to be clean were the picture frames that hung up on the wall. Lisa’s fingers lovingly trailed across the glass. It was an old picture with a crystal clear image. Taken from a magically empowered camera. Despite what the state of the house may have led people to believe, the man and woman in the picture were wearing high quality clothes that required a steep sum of money to get.

The man was wearing a formal suit and the badge of a Wayfarer was proudly embroidered onto his well-defined chest. His hair was side parted and despite his young age of around late thirties, his hair had already greyed. However, instead of a dull grey, it was more like a bright silver. He was a handsome man, and he complimented the woman next to him with a vibrancy that made her shine.

She was a woman that radiated beauty. Her eyes were striking and sharp. If one gazed deeply within, one could see a storm’s vortex that spiralled within. Her hair was wild and looked as if gusts of wind had buffeted it. She corralled it over one shoulder as it cascaded down her torso. Within her arms lay a little girl, sleeping and drooling down her cheek.

“Mother, father. Where are you?” Lisa mumbled as her lips quivered. She shook her head, ridding her from the agonising thoughts.

She stripped her vision away as she looked at the other picture frames. Families, all that were lost. Daniel, Rob, Losef, Brett, and Rachelle. All of their parents had vanished while on a mission within a City. But they all concluded that they were dead. They had to be. No one had resurfaced from that City, ever.

She continued down the hall and approached a set of old, beaten up doors. The floor beneath it where the doors opened up was worn out. Marks marred into the floor as the hinges on the door had long slanted. Opening the doors, they scraped against the floor and widened into a set of stairs that descended into darkness.

Stepping inside, she flicked a switch to the side as a light down the stairs and around the corner struggled to awaken from its hesitant slumber. With a continuous flicker, it finally settled down and kept a steady, dim light. Lisa’s boots struck against the wooden stairs that had small, scraggly flecks of wood pointing upward.

Lisa chuckled as she remembered the cat they used to have and played with. She was called Trash because, well, they found the young kitten meowing with enough power to assault one's eardrums within a trashcan. It was at Rob’s insistence they took it in, despite barely having enough food for themselves.

Rob had said that just like Paulina and the other elders that had taken care of them and shared everything they had, that they had a responsibility to pay it forward. Although at points they were concerned Paulina was going to kick her out on the streets, in the end, that didn’t happen. Trash would always lay on Paulina’s lap, snoozing away without a care in the world as the chair rocked back and forth.

Lisa meandered past the old boxes and whatever furniture that had just been thrown down to rot and made her way to the back of the room. The walls were all cracked, and it was a surprise that the foundations of the house were still intact. She stopped at the only place that was remotely cleared of junk. She crouched down and placed her palm against the dusty floor.

“It is only within the heart that a path towards salvation is created.” Lisa muttered, and it separated the broken wall in two.

The words were something that Daniel’s mother had the habit of saying. Lisa still didn’t know what it meant. Most thought that it meant that everyone needed to stay together. Don’t keep one’s thoughts and feelings festering within and reach out to the people closest to you for help and support. But with them gone, they could only come up with vague guesses.

Lisa walked into the opened-hidden room. It was in a much better condition than the rest of the house. Polished wardrobes and chests lined the wall. They had pinned name tags above large chests. Lisa walked past Brett’s chest. Cobwebs and spiders had made use of it as a home. Within lay stray pieces of equipment that would probably fetch a price not a penny over the junk back in the house's cellar. The same went for everyone else. Whenever they had money, they simply just used it all without abandon. Whether it be for entertainment, or more commonly, equipment and potions for their travel.

Rachelle’s was better. As the hungriest out of all of them for loot, she also had a bad habit of enjoying what life offered. That often meant expensive food and good clothes.

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Lisa stopped in front of her named chest, it was stacked with shining gold. It was her fair share, and she had collected it since the very first day they started. Now and then it would go down if they needed a piece of equipment, but usually if they were the only ones to clear out an area, they kept the items if they were of use.

Lisa got to work, she poured out the contents into her rucksack. It held a minor space enchantment, but it was nothing worthy of mention. At the most, it would help her carry an extra two cubic metres of loot. With everything cleared within her chest, she tightened the straps to her back and left the hidden room. Just as she was about to leave, she gazed back at the room. She glanced at some of the older artefacts that weren’t worth anything. They had kept them as a memento. Memories flashed through her mind as her lips pulled up into a smile.

With a nod, she headed back upstairs. It was time for the auction.

---

Astrid nudged past a pudgy old man. He looked back with a scowl on his face as Astrid flashed one back. He quickly noted her attitude and her clean, golden hair and diverted his attention back to the front.

“Lady Astrid, Lady of Commerce, is that you?” A man asked.

He was wearing clean black trousers, a red coat, and white gloves. His look was finished with a red and black peaked cap. It was the uniform of the action members. It was their job to usher those with tickets into their seats, and someone especially trained them to recognise the faces of all the nobility.

Astrid glanced at the name tag that was pinned to his chest. Milton.

“I’m afraid I’m not there just yet, Miton, but I'll let it slide for now,” Freya laughed. “Care to take us to our seats?”

“Of course, my lady.” Milton said. “Please, right this way.”

Astrid frowned at the high density of people that lined the halls. It was just as she had remembered it to be. The stench of intense perfume from the noble ladies and men assaulted her nostrils.

I’d rather smell fish guts. Astrid snorted to dislodge the haze of perfume out of her senses. It didn’t work.

Astrid breathed a sigh of relief as he brought them into a side corridor where only high nobles could enter. The decorations were gaudy, a royal red carpet lay over the white marbled floor. Crystal chandeliers that looked to be made from high-quality diamonds hung from the steep ceiling above. They pinned pictures of the Emperors and their family to the golden bricks that were proudly on display. It was no question that they were the richest organisation in the entirety of Rebirth. Not even all the high noble families could compare. Not to Astrid’s knowledge, anyway.

Milton brought them up a wide staircase, and he brought them to a boxed room that overlooked the entire auction stage and all the people below. Just as Astrid was about to enter, she glanced to the side as Florrie, Edward, and the others sauntered into the box next to theirs. Shaking her head, Milton brought them into their personal VIP room.

A waiter bowed as they entered and immediately walked over and filled their cups with what appeared to be wine. The last time she had taken part in the auction, she wasn’t old enough to have any. Although that didn’t stop her from having one or two sips now and then to try it. But she didn’t really understand what the appeal was. It tasted of rancid grapes. She much preferred the beer that was used back within the Lower District. She remembered the cooling sensation of the drink cascading down her throat. With a look around, it appeared there was only wine to disappoint her.

“Just water, please.” Astrid said, and the waiter nodded.

“The auction will begin shortly. I hope you enjoy your stay with us.” Milton bowed.

“You’re so kind.” Freya smiled. “We always appreciate the warm welcome you show us at this fine establishment.”

"Thanks." Astrid nodded.

Milton retreated out of the room and gently closed the door behind him. Astrid looked down at the stage below. It looked like it would still be a while for the main auction to begin as a group walked up onto the stage holding a wide assortment of musical instruments. Despite there being no items displayed yet, the auction began.