THE MOMENT
"Huh," Marcus was mildly surprised when the black stone boulder left the ground along with the sword he was trying to pull free. He held it aloft with one arm, impressed that it was well balanced. He had a reputation for strength and was often encouraged to try to become King. Legends claim that whoever pulls the sword from the stone shall become the new King, and most people assumed he had the raw power to do it.
He wasn't actually interested in the pressures associated with royalty and was never particularly drawn to it. However, he happened to be passing through the Capital and, upon a brief appraisal, he concluded, 'Yeah, I can pull that out.' He hadn't, but the result was still impressive. Not that there was anyone around to see it. The sword had sat buried in the stone for decades and was mostly treated as an out-of-the-way point of interest. He looked around for any witnesses, then shrugged.
"I guess I'll hold on to it and see what happens," he shrugged with a chuckle. The sword's stone was placed on a small green strip of grass between two tall inns, which obscured it in shadows. It was golden hour, and the sun was too low to illuminate much of the narrow lawn. He was sure someone would say something as soon as he emerged from between the two buildings. Except, as soon as he took one step out into the light, he blinked.
"What?" he was surprised yet again. Somehow, he was back by the stone's resting place, though he still held on to it. "Sorcery?" He wondered aloud and made a beeline for the main road again. Again, instead of stepping out, he blinked and found himself back again.
"I suppose I need to be more direct," a woman's voice startled him. He whirled to see a lovely woman with long white hair and orange eyes. "That's not yours, leave it where you found it,' she said.
"Who are you?" Marcus asked. The woman rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh.
"You're stealing from me, and you're demanding to know who I am?" she shook her head. "Fine, whatever. My name is Minuette, I represent Void Holdings, and we own that sword AND that stone. Now, put them back and leave," she said. She met his gaze with a cold stare, then added a curt politeness. "Please."
"This belongs to the future King..., I've never heard of your faction," Marcus shook his head.
"Obviously, you're not going to be the king, because you haven't pulled it free," Minuette replied. "So, until then, it's my job to watch over it."
"Appointed by whom? What proof do you have for these claims of ownership?" Marcus asked.
"Look, I'm sorry," Minuette shook her head. "I'm in a horrible mood; I'm gonna get someone else to deal with this."
"Wha-," Marcus began to ask, but he blinked midway through his question. When he opened his eyes again he was face to face with a man in a blue blazer with a black shirt and white tie.
"Hi, I'm Aries," he nodded at Marcus. "You're not the one that's meant for, so please leave it behind. If you come with me, I'll explain in-depth about Void Holdings, and give you a tour of our organization. I guarantee you'll find something more interesting than a useless ceremonial sword."
"What's going on? What happened to Minuette?"
"I apologize, she's been rather on edge lately. The company has established stricter policies, and it seems she finds them rather chafing." Despite not knowing exactly what he meant, Marcus was able to piece together the point.
"So.. it wasn't anything I did?" he asked. Aries shrugged.
"You did attempt to steal from us," he said. "But, given the vague circumstances...," he gestured at the obscure spot they stood in. "...it's an understandable outcome. She was more upset that she had to deal with you than the accidental attempted theft." Aries had been polite and answered his questions without demanding anything, and Marcus was interested to learn more. He placed the stone down gently, and released the sword. If nothing else, he'd already experienced strange happenings in their presence, and he wanted to learn more.
"I'd like that tour," he nodded at Aries. "I'm curious about the regulations that have annoyed Minuette so completely."
"Well, that's just a her thing," Aries chuckled. "As I said, she wasn't happy with dealing with you. Most of the rest of us are fine with the, 'stop killing clients' rule," he shrugged. "She's is the reason it exists now."