"Hey! How do you even know I'm a dragon? I should burn you to ashes."
Wolfgang patted his shoulder. "C'mon, bro. You literally blew smoke through your nostrils. I keep telling you to stop doing that. Doesn't make you look cool at all. Just gives you away."
"Plus, you smell like smoke. Anyone would guess you're a dragon before anything else," Dimitri added.
Before they could start bickering, I cleared my throat and began to read the quest.
"Quest 999. The Magic Artifact of Opportunity," I began.
"Hold on. Isn't it bad luck to have 999 as a quest?" Ryuunosuke questioned.
"It's the upside-down version, dummy," Yuriel replied.
"Shh!" I hushed both of them. "Let me read."
After looking at all four of them to confirm they would stay quiet and give me their full attention, I continued.
"To gain opportunity, one must venture into the depths of a mountain and obtain a ring like no other. One with power and magic, to bring together those who seek the same goals in this selfish world. Obtaining the ring is no easy task, guarded by one feared for their scorching fire and brutal strength. The ring carries many skills, but most importantly has special supernatural abilities. The leader of the team should carry the ring and the four other teammates should provide a hint of their shifter magic to secure the ring in their possession. However, upon obtaining the ring, ensure one also reads the instructions before activating. Once the quest is complete, the leader and team should return back to Clarissa's office for evaluation."
I glanced at the others while my own thoughts ran free in my mind.
If this gives supernatural capabilities, does that mean it can help me blend into the school?
"Are there coordinates?" Dimitri asked.
"The location will show up as we make our way there. However, it won't activate until all five members are in agreement," Yuriel revealed.
"Oh," I replied, looking at Dimitri and Yuriel before looking at the two new acquaintances. "Are you guys joining or what?"
"Why do we have to join your crew?" Ryuunosuke demanded, pointing his finger at me. "And who made you the leader?"
"They did." I pointed to Dimitri and Yuriel.
Wolfgang moved past Ryuunosuke and outstretched his hand. "Wolfgang Vasiliev. Ignore my bro. He sucks at making friends."
"Is that why you're around, to make sure he's not an ass?" Dimitri asked while I shook Wolfgang's hand.
"Pretty much," Wolfgang replied with a kind smile.
"Traitor!" Ryuunosuke exclaimed.
"My name is Silver," I replied back to Wolfgang's introduction, ignoring Ryuunosuke’s raging aura. I wondered if steam would come out from his ears.
"Silver. You smell nice. Like—"
"Cherry blossom with vanilla and mint," Yuriel and Dimitri said together.
"See, Silver. Your nickname is Blossom," Dimitri said with pride.
"Why can everyone smell me?" I pondered, lifting my armpit to try and smell myself.
I don't even smell like blossoms.
"You’re a werewolf, aren't you?" Dimitri questioned.
"I feel it's pretty obvious with my name," Wolfgang shrugged. "But I figured someone like you would know right away."
"Why is that?" I asked.
"Our kinds don't get along," Dimitri replied with a shrug. I stared at him questioningly and he chuckled. "I'll tell you when we make our way to this quest."
"Why do we have to tag along with them, brother?!" Ryuunosuke whined.
"Oh, c'mon Ryuu. They're pretty powerful on their own. Let’s join! Why not?" Wolfgang defended.
"What's the catch? Shifters don't just help people out of the goodness of their soul," Ryuunosuke countered.
"I have no soul," Yuriel said plainly.
The four of us slowly looked to him, noticing how utterly calm he was.
Dimitri leaned in to whisper to me, "Why do I feel like that's true?"
"It's the way he said it. Complete confidence," I replied.
"True." Wolfgang nodded.
"You guys are missing the point!" Ryuunosuke exclaimed. Dimitri stretched and walked over to Ryuunosuke, patting him on the shoulder.
"Stop acting all stubborn and shit. With that short temper, you're totally a dragon."
Ryuunosuke muttered under his breath. Dimitri grinned. "I'm down to doing the quest with Blossom since she's totally hot, smells good, and is pretty strong magically. If we make it through, I'm sure she'd help us learn more about magic. She helped me find S.S.S. when I was lost in the woods. She didn't care whether it benefitted her or not."
"I don't mind. She's a rule breaker. Breaking rules is fun," Yuriel noted.
"She is really hot. I'm sure when we pass, everyone is going to want her on their side," Wolfgang noted.
"There still has to be a catch," Ryuunosuke argued.
"Fine. You guys can think of one request together. All four of you have to agree upon it and if it seems doable, I'll agree to it. I really need this quest, so having your help would be appreciated," I declared.
The four of them stared at me before they moved and huddled together. I arched an eyebrow at them, wondering if I could pick up what they were whispering about, but I couldn't catch any of it.
It took them a full two minutes before they finally came to a conclusion. I was a tad nervous as to what they were going to request.
"Oh, look! A cat with a horn." Dimitri pointed to my shoulder.
I looked to my shoulder to see the uni-kitten as it snuggled against my neck, its small purrs bringing a sense of calm through me, while its tail moved side to side, sprinkling glitter with each wave.
"Does your magic take form depending on your emotions?" Yuriel inquired.
"Sort of. It depends," I admitted.
"Are you nervous, Blossom?" Dimitri inquired, moving over to stand in front of me.
He reached out to pet the uni-kitten before he leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. I felt the rush of heat reach my cheeks, but I met his alluring gaze.
"Don't fear, Silver. It's nothing crazy. I promise." He winked and moved back to the others, who were watching.
"All right. So...what's the request?" I was ready to hear it, even though my heart was racing hard against my chest in anticipation.
Yuriel decided to take the lead and share their decision. "We decided that if you want to obtain the ring and have our assistance, we want to date you."
I blinked a few times while my uni-kitten jumped off my shoulder to sit at my feet.
"Mewr?" She looked just as confused as I.
"You guys aren't serious, right? You just met me. Well, Dimitri met me yesterday, but still,” I elaborated, pointing to Ryuunosuke. "And Rainbow Eyes didn't even introduce himself."
"Rainbow Eyes?" He blinked, looking confused for a few seconds.
"It's because one eye is all the nice warm colors, while the other is all the cool tones. The combination makes a rainbow," Wolfgang explained.
Ryuunosuke groaned. "Sure, whatever, and my name is Ryuunosuke Kensuki. Just call me Ryuu for short," he introduced.
"Why do you guys want to date me? And you can't possibly all date me. Isn't that illegal? Are you guys going to end up doing the hunger games and whoever's the last one standing gets to keep me or something?" I never heard of anyone dating four shifters before.
Sure, it made sence for succubi, since they usually enjoyed multiple partners for more of the sexual experience, but for four completely different shifters to date a human witch? That clearly wasn’t written in any history books.
"We could fight to the death for you, but that's a tad messy and I don't really want to lose any body parts from Mr. Soulless over there," Dimitri noted.
"Is he referring to Yuriel?" Wolfgang wondered.
"Probably." Ryuunosuke shrugged. "Look. It's not like we're going to date you right away. Think of it as a partnership, but you're off limits to other guys who wanna try and hit on you during our school years."
> "So for all four years I have to date all four of you?" I questioned.
"Sure?" Wolfgang replied. "Obviously you have a choice now, and I guess if things go downhill with this idea, you can opt out later, but for now, I think it's a decent agreement and if we think of you as more than just a teammate, we won't mind going the extra mile for you when it comes to this quest and others."
"And I know due to your circumstances, it may appear weird, but with shifters, you're allowed to date more than one person. I think four is rare since the standard is usually two, but I don't care what people think," Yuriel explained.
"Me, neither," Wolfgang and Ryuunosuke said together.
"Doesn't bother me. As long as I get to be around Blossom," Dimitri reminded.
"Mewr?" Uni-kitten looked at them. She ran up to their legs, sniffing each of them before running around them as a whole.
"Guess the kitten likes us? Hey, does she actually have a horn? That's pretty cool," Wolfgang noted, crouching down to reach and pet her.
"We should give her a name," Dimitri suggested.
"Can we do that on the way?" Yuriel questioned.
"I'll drive us there," Ryuunosuke announced.
"You have a car?" I asked. He nodded. "I figured the quest would need some type of transportation. We don't want to be stuck using the pods. They're going to be jam-packed, and during quest time, they slow the service on purpose."
"Intriguing," I mumbled, deciding to think about their proposal.
I need that ring if I want a shot into this school. It's not like I'm using them or anything. They all seem nice, and if I don't like them later on, we can just be friends during the four years. I won't be forced to do anything...right?
"I won't be forced to do anything against my will, right?" I questioned, not meeting their gazes. I didn't want them to see the vulnerability in my eyes.
"No," all four of them replied in unison, and I lifted my gaze to see the seriousness in each of their eyes.
"Never, Silver," Dimitri said with a serious voice.
"We don't take advantage of women," Wolfgang declared.
"It's against our ways of life. If you're not comfortable with anything, you simply say so," Ryuunosuke emphasized.
"Or I'll kill them," Yuriel said with a small smile. The three of them looked at him.
"This dude is scary," Ryuunosuke mumbled.
"Yeah." Wolfgang nodded in agreement.
"If he doesn't have a soul and he does something wrong, how does he kill himself?" Dimitri pondered.
"Uh..." the other two replied.
Yuriel looked at them. "I wouldn't go against Silver's wishes. If I ever do, you three can kill me."
"Cool." The three of them nodded in approval.
I stared at them with a baffled expression, unsure how we were even having this conversation.
Should I give them a shot? They've been nice. Most of them anyway. I need a team for this quest and I get to be the leader of our team. It shouldn't be bad. I've wanted to get into this school since I was a kid. This could be my one shot.
"If I agree to your request, you guys will help me to retrieve this ring as your leader? You'll also be my teammates even after this is all over?" I confirmed.
The four of them nodded. My uni-kitty ran back to me, and with a poof, vanished into a stream of flowing glitter that wrapped around me before raining down.
"Does that mean she's not nervous anymore?" Wolfgang questioned.
"Think so," Dimitri replied with a smile.
I looked down at the paper, seeing the small black and white image of the ring. I can do this.
"All right. I, Silver Spell Solange, accept your request. In order to complete Quest 999, we'll be a team with me as the leader. Upon retrieval of the ring, I'll date you guys for the next four years at S.S.S. school. If I end up not liking our group relationship, I'll be allowed to bail out in terms of lovers, but we can still be friends. Once we graduate, we'll determine if we go our separate ways or continue whatever this turns out to be. Sound good?"
The others’ expressions seemed to beam with joy. Even Ryuu looked pleased with the final agreement.
"Sounds good to me," Dimitri replied.
"Yup," Yuriel answered.
"Exciting," Wolfgang added.
"Cool. Let's get moving," Ryuunosuke encouraged.
The others looked at me, Dimitri offering his hand. I smiled and walked up to them, placing my hand in his. This was a weird tiebreaker, but it led me to a cunning deal that seemed to benefit all of us.
Now to concentrate on making this quest a success.
7
Road Trip Introductions
"Is the map beginning to show?" Ryuu questioned, driving us off of S.S.S. property and onto the main road.
"I think it needs a bit of magic," Dimitri noted, leaning in to look at the back of the quest sheet that was in my hands.
I was sitting in the back seat of Ryuu's five-seater car. I was never good with brands, but I overheard Dimitri stating it was a Mercedes.
The orange color was what made it really stand out, while the interior was black leather.
Dimitri and Yuriel were sitting with me in the back while Wolfgang sat in the passenger seat.
There was only one road that led us off the property of the school, but within five minutes we'd have to figure out which roads we needed to take to find the location of the ring.
Closing my eyes, I took a few deep breaths, allowing my magic to flutter through me and down to my fingertips. My hands grew hot with energy, but I focused on calibrating it into the paper in my hands.
"Reveal the secrets you keep hidden within. Guide us on the right path to the ring we seek."
I opened my eyes slightly, feeling them glow with energy as I immersed myself in the magic coursing through me.
From the bright teal glow pouring upward from the paper, I knew it was working, but pulled back my energy before it became too charged up.
Looking down, I saw a map that was glowing in silver and a single teal dot that was moving upward on the map.
Up ahead was a blinking gold arrow, pointing to the last road on the far left out of the five different directions you could take.
"The last road to our left," Yuriel directed, peering at the paper in my hands.
"Got it," Ryuu replied.
I relaxed back into the seat, needing a second to recuperate from the drop of magic. It would only take a minute, but I was super glad I had a large amount of magic, unlike other witches and wizards who would need a longer period of time to recharge.
"You all right, Blossom?" Dimitri asked, a hint of concern on his face.
"I'm okay. Witches always need a bit of a break after spells so our magic levels out. It can get a little complicated if we don't," I explained. "It's only different when we're actually in battle."
"You're a witch?" Wolfgang questioned. "No wonder I didn't sense even a bit of a shifter presence. You do have a bit of the same energy as Dimitri, though."
"I didn't want her being caught before getting a chance to participate," Dimitri noted, staring at his side of the window.
"Why? You already had a crush on her before starting?” Ryuu questioned.
"Maybe." Dimitri shrugged. "Why does it matter to you?"
"Just intrigued. What are you anyway? Are you one of those shifter races that fall in love easily?"
"You mean a succubus or incubus?" Yuriel clarified.
"They aren't the type to fall in love right away. It's more about compatibility than anything," Wolfgang pointed out. "I know there's a shifter that's nicknamed cupid, but don't remember what they're actually called."
"Before we get into the details, I'm turning left. Out of curiosity, are there two routes?" Ryuu questioned.
"Um." I looked down at the map, noticing we were turning left into the designated path.
The moment we merged onto it, two pathways popped up, both of them appearing to merge together after some driving time.
/> "Yes. Two paths that both lead to the same merging point. Which one should we choose?" I inquired.
"Go right," Yuriel replied.
"Why?" Wolfgang asked.
Ryuu answered as he showed a signal to merge onto the right path. "Left is a bit crowded. It's almost like a main road. The right path is intended more for those who camp in the forest parts. It's not as known, and people assume there are multiple paths versus the left one which is a straight line to the merge point."
"What he said," Yuriel replied.
"How do you guys know that?" I asked.
"Been around," Yuriel replied.
"I've flown around these parts a few times. I know about the campsites because we're advised to fly a tad higher to avoid being seen. It's not a big deal if we are seen, but it helps to avoid those who hide and try to hunt us," Ryuu elaborated.
"Wait. People hunt you guys? Why? Don't they realize you're all shifters?" I questioned.
"Black market," all four of them replied.
"They take us down and remove our wings, talons, and scales to sell. Not everyone became shifters, remember?" Ryuu reminded.
"Right, but that's illegal," I argued.
"Only illegal when you're caught." Wolfgang shrugged.
"That's so bad," I muttered, feeling annoyed by the situation.
Many were still adapting to all of this, even after many years had passed, but I didn't think shifters were hunted for their body parts and attributes.
The car was silent, the soothing sound of the engine the only noise. I knew this was a good time to get to know what each of them was, especially when we were about to journey into some place to steal a ring or, more accurately, steal someone's property.
I looked to Dimitri, who noticed my gaze, turning his head to look at me curiously.
I opened my mouth to speak but he interrupted me.
"What's huge and can catch on fire?" he questioned.
I bit my lip and furrowed my brows, trying not to think of the obvious answer.
He doesn't appear to be a phoenix to me. Not with his sense of smell.
"That's the worst hint you can possibly give her," Wolfgang noted. "Might as well add that you breathe oxygen."
SSS: Year One (Supernatural Spy School Book 1) Page 8