His name was Terius Materfeld Arenius. The first and only son of Paul Alusius Arenius and Martha Eleanor von Asen, the Lord and Lady of Arenhein and its lands. Simply put, he was a Lord. Not just a lord of some city, but a Lord. A special class bestowed upon him during a grand appraisal ceremony two weeks after his parents' death. As a Lord, it was his duty to look after the region of Aren and its city, Arenhein. So he did just that. For three months, he handled the region's troubles brought about by his father's ambitions. He laid out plans to reorganize the villages, to boost the agricultural output of the region to fuel Arenhein's army, and to establish new connections with the various kingdoms to his east.
"Arenhein... What happened to you?"
He muttered out under his breath as he and 50 of his finest troops crested a small hill on top of their horses.
He left Arenhein two years ago to answer Lady Madiea and Lord Ildwin's call to arms. Two years ago, Arenhein was a city that housed 400,000 souls. Now, from his vantage point, he could see the entirety of the shopping district, a portion of the residential district, and even the castle itself in ruins. The slums around the old walls of the city were intact, but his stomach twisted at the sight of the ruined castle. He didn't even bother to give his men orders. Instead, he rode forth with a troubled expression on his face.
Why? Why did this happen? He could see Arwin's men along the major roads and on the gates of the city. Did they make it in time to help? Were they too late? What happened to the castle? All these questions raced through his head. The walls, the library, the great tower of the university, and most of the castle were spared, yet he didn't care for those things. He shouted at a squad of Toryehelm soldiers to move as he rode past the gates of the city. He rode through the streets and through the rubble towards a certain building near one of the gates.
There, he found what remains of the barracks. Guardsmen looked and bowed to him, but he did not pay any heed to them. He leapt off his horse and dashed towards a blackened building. The stone was caked with soot and ash and its wooden doors and window frame were charred, but it stood tall and proud like the person that worked there. But the person wasn't there. Why isn't she here? Where is the girl that worked here from dawn to night with short breaks to eat whatever lunch she packed for herself? Where is the captain of the City Watch?
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A strong scent assailed his nose. Stefan smiled at the faces he made as he took a whiff of the strange, golden liquid in front of him. He could feel Miu as she squirmed in his shoe. The drink must've awoken her from her sleep. He took a look at how Stefan and Semilia easily drank it and he figured that maybe it wasn't as bad as it smells. After a moment's hesitation, he took a large swig of the mead.
Sweet! No, it wasn't sweet. It burned the back of his throat and the strange flavor of the brew clung onto his mouth as he pushed the drink down forcefully. Eric chuckled at him and downed the ale he had in his mug like it was nothing. He stuck out his tongue and pushed away his mug. Maybe he should've just asked for milk like Riel instead of ale but he also wanted to try and taste mead since he heard a lot about it from Stefan. Well, at least he knew now that the drink wasn't for him.
"So, you go by the name "Sirius" now? When did that happen?"
The Goblin looked at Stefan and he shrugged at his question.
"I don't like name. Will change."
"Why not? Sirius is a pretty cool name, ya' know?"
He wasn't sure if Semilia was being sarcastic or not. He let out a sigh as she took a swig of her drink.
"Not cool for me. Name should describe me."
"Hmm... Grian? Is that a good name?"
The Goblin's ears perked at Eric's suggestion. The man was onto some-
"You know, because he has green skin. So, Grian!"
"No."
The Goblin shot him a disapproving look.
"Hmm... Perhaps we should give him a name befitting that of a Mage. Sethelfon will be the name I bes-"
"Sethelfon? Fuck off with such a confusing name. Something simple would do. Speaking of which, how about "Wulfhang"? It's a cool name in my opinion."
"Guys... Let's have the Goblin decide. Ah, shit. I forgot, we shouldn't make decisions like this while drinking."
Stefan chuckled as he finished his cup of mead. He let out a loud "Puah" and slammed the cup down onto the table that startled the Goblin.
"But since everyone already gave their suggestions... I suggest that your new name should be "Akereon" to distance yourself from your true identity."
Stefan smiled proudly to himself, but the Goblin simply shuddered.
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He heard that name before. It was from the stories that were passed down from generation to generation. Akereon the Dreaded Bulwark, a vile villain that slaughtered many Goblin Lords with his mace, Skyfall, and stopped the armies of Goblin King Bikur with his shield in the shape of a giant cross. His father once told him that Akereon loved to crush the skulls of Goblins beneath his feet. Sure, he wanted to distance himself from the common Goblin these people know and hate, but he also didn't want to start parading around with the name of such a monster.
"No. Akereon not good. I will choose something better."
"Sure, no-"
The tavern's door swung open and two soldiers entered. One of them scanned the room and pointed at them while the other looked at where his companion pointed.
"Sir Stefan and Sir Eric, the Guildmaster is looking for you."
Stefan's smile soured as he stood up from his stool. He nodded at Eric, then turned towards the two soldiers with a sigh.
"We'll be there in a few minutes. Do not worry."
The two men said nothing as they left the building. Stefan let out a heavy sigh as he gestured for everyone to get leave.
They all left their payment on the counter of the empty tavern. The keg of mead they opened they left behind, much to Stefan's disappointment. Stefan and Eric took the lead as their group left the building. Quickly, they made their way through the crowded streets of the adventurer's district of Arenhein. Riel walked closely beside the Goblin, perhaps it was because to hide the large patch of skin on his side after the Demons tore apart patches of his cloak. The two of them meekly followed the three as they moved through the people.
Unlike the commercial district of Arenhein, the adventurer's district remained mostly intact due to the large number of adventurers and protective runes and wards scattered around the district. He could tell since he noticed some of them when he was led here by Stefan and the others. They were well hidden among the walls of the houses and buildings but still noticeable to those who are well versed in Runic Magic. Still, they were strange. Strange in a sense that they had strange properties and that they were ones he swore he saw somewhere once.
Whatever. He'll figure it out eventually. They walked past soldiers as they helped to distribute the goods like food and alcohol among the citizens. Some of them dragged lumber from nearby warehouses. The inns and taverns around them were packed full of people. The smell of food became dominant as they made their way nearer towards the Adventurer's Guild. His stomach grumbled loudly at the thought of food. The rock-like and bland biscuits that Eric offered him earlier made his teeth hurt and he didn't really enjoy the taste of them.
"Excuse me! Three skewers, please."
His head snapped towards Riel as she ordered meat skewers from a nearby stall. The merchant nodded and gave her three pieces of fragrant meat for a handful of copper coins.
"Oh! Nice one, Riel! Thanks for the meal!"
Semilia took one of the skewers and immediately snacked on it. She let out a sigh and turned towards the Goblin.
"Have one. You're probably hungry."
"Ohhh! Thank you! Owooh..."
The Goblin stared at the delicious skewer in his hand.
He could tell that the meat is most certainly beef, skewered with onions and spiced potatoes. He took a bite out of the meat and there was something indescribable about the taste. The fat melted in his mouth and the meat was so tender that he easily broke it apart. The onion and spiced potato complimented the strong taste of the beef. Unlike rat meat, beef tasted clean and it was tender as well. Never in his years did he think he would be able to feast upon human cooking!
"You seem to be enjoying it."
Stefan chuckled as he watched him eat the beef skewer.
"I didn't think cheap street food would be enough to satisfy a Goblin."
Riel said as she took small bites out of her beef skewer.
"Delicious... Very delicious! Not like rabbit or snake or rat!"
"... What?"
Riel stared at him with a dumbfounded expression.
The Goblin ignored her for the moment and wolfed down the rest of the skewer. Stefan and Eric stopped in front of a familiar building with troubled expressions on their faces. Soldiers stood in front of the guild's entrance. On closer inspection, he noticed that the guild was empty of both adventurers and receptionists alike. The two soldiers looked at Stefan. He heard a scoff from one of them but the other simply stared at Stefan. After a moment of tense silence, a female voice from beneath the soldier's helmet rang out and surprised them.
"What is your business here?"
"Ehem. The Guildmaster asked for our presence. I am Stefan, this is Eric-"
"Let them through."
The soldiers opened the door to them and revealed the empty and desolate interior of the guild.
Stefan nodded and walked past the two guards. They followed close. It was a strange and eerie sight to see the Adventurer's Guild so empty. His yellow eyes turned crimson the moment he stepped foot into the unlit interior of the building. A shout. His ears twitched at the sound of raised voices and he looked up at the Guildmaster's office. He wondered what was happening in there. Is the Guildmaster fighting with someone? Is he planning a counterattack against the Demons perhaps? Whatever the case, the voices did not dwindle in volume.
"He called ya' here too, huh?"
From the shadows, an old man appeared with a lit pipe in his mouth. The mysterious figure grinned as he blew a puff of smoke in front of him while he leaned against a wooden beam.
"I've been expectin' y-"
"Oi! Ruric! Do you know a good place to buy some grub? Hmm? Oh! Stefan and Eric, was it? Nice to see you!"
The old man glared at the woman as he breathed out a cloud of smoke.
"Tch. Anyways, how're the others? I heard that the other two high ranks aren't awake yet."
"Katherine and Jared? Jared is conscious but he needs to rest for a month. Katherine's still sleeping in the infirmary."
Eric said with a heavy sigh.
"Ah... Well, shit happens all the time when it comes to Demons."
The old man shook his head and looked at the loud room upstairs.
"Sounds like they're done-"
"He's here?! Where the hell is he?! Terius!"
The door swung open and a man with a furious expression stormed out of the room.
He swept back strands of his long, white hair as he fumed silently. His hazel eyes glared at the people in the room and his fists curled into a tight ball. A female Knight stood by his side as he looked at them with his hazel eyes. There was a silence that rolled on for what felt like hours as his anger began to melt away slowly as he steadied his breathing. He scoffed audibly and regained his regal composure as he turned his sights away from them. But as he turned his back towards them, the door of the guild's entrance swung open.
"Guildmaster Liam. I have-"
"TEERIUUUS!!!"
With a thunderous roar, the man leapt from the balcony and tackled the young man at the doorway.