Chapter 08: An Old Nemesis

[Quest Created: <I am a Guide & a Scribe>
Quest type: Event
Quest Details: You have been assigned to <Unknown> to guide. As someone responsible for <Unknown>'s participation, you are hereby assigned to guide the user. You shall also maintain records of the chronicles of <Unknown>'s actions throughout the Harvest Festival.
Privileges: Able to see all system messages of <Unknown>, Guide related Skills Unlocked, Scribe Related Skills Unlocked
Penalty upon failure of duties: Death
Do you accept?
Yes/No]

The system notification continued repeating the quest prompt till I finally gave in and grudgingly accepted the quest.

The man not only looked younger after his levels were reset but for some reason it felt as if his behaviour was matching his looks. Why did I think so? That's Because he was smugly smirking at me all the while knowing the position that was being forced on to me.

As soon as I accepted the quest, he commented with mocking cynicism, "I look forward to working with you."

Letting out a deep sigh, I responded, "Yeah, let's get along." I no longer had a reason to be respectful but I still had to keep a professional demeanour.

Having noticed my informality, the man adapted his speech to match mine and responded, "So where to?"

"How should I know? What does the system say?"

"Nothing?"

"Sigh… You've got to step through the portal for a system update and sync." I stepped forward.

Without any delay, the man stepped through the portal in sync with me.

"I forgot to ask, but what do I call y-" I was cut off by an ominous feeling while stepping through the portal. It was a heavy crushing pressure, pulling us in one direction.

The portal was sucking us in. I looked over to the man to warn him to be careful and wary of the unexpected. But he commented before I could tell him anything.

"Space distortion, huh?" He was smiling with a gentle grin. Looking at me he said, "Looks like someone's popular."

He was correct. Someone had messed with the portal connecting me to home. We were being forced to another location instead of the targeted destination. But I could not be sure about who was being targeted. Well, I was being delusional there. The target was obviously me.

Guides have a long history of being targeted by Celestials before the Harvest Festivals start. It is the practice that celestials have used, backing it by the saying, 'If I can't have it, no one else can.'

Following the events that have transpired and my shitty luck of being dragged into a huge mess ever since I delivered the letter to the man, it was clear that I have to support him and keep him alive if I wanted to survive.

Alternatively, I had the glimmer of hope that since the harvest festival was yet to begin, I still had the chance to break the guide contract and task another guide to the man and I could choose some candidates with the backings of stronger celestials.

Let's bet on luck! Yes, lets bet it all on luck! For a moment I had forgotten that my garbage luck is the reason I was stuck in the mess to begin with.

We ended up in an empty black space. It was a temporary pocket dimension artificially created. As its name implies, it is a temporary fold in dimension. Creating it causes the least amount of ripple effect and causality costs. So many prefer this method for secret meetings or assassinations.

In the pocket dimension was waiting someone I recognized. Six feet tall with blonde hair, pale complexion and long ears with pointed tips. Every other feature resembled that of humans and overflowing with mana.

Narbflaith Fland! A high-elf who hails from the same village as mine. And my lifelong nemesis.

Yes, I have a nemesis! Respect my coolness.

That smug piece of shit greeted us in his usual condescending tone, "Welcome, Elian! I see that you're alive. And look at that, you picked up a stray."

"I could have gone longer without seeing you, Narb." I was doing my best to be as polite as I possibly could. After all I had to keep up a professional image in from of the man behind me.

Surprisingly, the man was calm and collected. His expression was also listless and he completely appeared as an amateur with no experience.

"So why have we been dragged here?" I was trying to hurry things along.

"Tch. Yeah i don't wanna breathe the same air as you for any longer than necessary either. Let's get this over with. Here. A lowlife like you has been graced by the great lord with an invitation." He waved a piece of parchment arrogantly. "I would much rather see you fed to the hounds but the great lord has offered you with something that's much greater than you deserve. It would serve you best to accept and lay low. Remember to know your place." Saying that he tossed the parchment at my feet.

Yean, I wanted to punch the hell out of him. However I knew that Narbflaith never did anything on his own. He always relied on a stronger power to back him. Only then would he dare to reveal his true arrogance and the annoying traits of his.

The only thing I could think of, after his arrogant speech, was that he must have found a Celestial to work under.

And I was right, the parchment was a contract to join a celestial family.

Since a God was involved in this matter, I had no choice but to keep my words and actions in check.

Before I could pick up the parchment, the guy who I thought was behaving stepped forward and picked up the paper.

With an obvious fake innocent smile he extended the paper towards Narbflaith and said with unsmiling eyes, "Sorry, this slave is spoken for."