After his talk with his dad, Marlin felt a lot better that day. He fell into his old routine, let Betty give him hugs and felt good again, by the time he woke up that second morning. Physical healing in this world happened rather quickly, as long as you had that resource stamina, you could heal yourself up.
Having a dad who could do it with a touch, was very handy. So by the end of the second day he had blasted through about half his Stamina, something he would normally do on a day of long work.
As he was laying in bed early he started idly wondering how Milly was doing, he missed her already. He fell asleep and woke up about an hour before morning light feeling like he was going to die from anxiety, something had been nagging his brain.
That’s when it hit him. The things he had said about Bron’s dead mother, how he had mocked Bron’s overprotective brother syndrome and linked the trauma of losing a loved on to that behavior. Ridiculed it.
how he told Milly to get a thicker skin.
“Ow My Fucking GOD”!!!
Marlin screamed, yes he had been exhausted from stamina drain at the time, yes he had been pushed over half his health and was still reeling from the effects of using rage, but he never really had thought about it all with a clear head. His fuckup hit him hard, his own words hammered into his head, it felt like his head was pounding and about to explode.
He Crashed into the Barn where his minions were. He had hastily scribbled a note for his parents, saying he had some serious shit to take care of.
“Minions this is it! this is the dawn at which we ride”!!!
All of them had felt his panic and were ready to go. He mounted Billy and all his gnolls jumped on as Billy ran of and began his run back to town.
“O im sure~~ im gonna laugh about this in the future, WHEN IVE GONE To FUCKING HELL”!!! Marlin thought scolding himself, his minions winced at the loudness of it.
He was halfway and just about left the forest, when other thoughts came to the forefront. Both Bron and Milly had pushed for a spar recently, then Bron had gone further then usual, drawing blood, which had caused the spiral in the first place, Bron had wanted to continue, test himself. Told him repeatedly to let his mockery rip and when Marlin did Bron had nearly been killed for it.
As a friend, Marlin had gone straight to hell, he had no doubt about it.
But they had fought as warriors first and foremost. As allies to test themselves. Bron had forgotten that and nearly killed him in blind fury. They knew how he fought they pushed for it, was he really in the wrong? Black and white? No this was about as grey as it got for him.
Marlin pondered, he wanted to run back and tell Milly he was sorry, but he had apologized repeatedly already. He was reminded of how something similar had happened decades ago with Ivonne back in the good days.
They had a really bad fight, what it was about, he didn’t remember but he distinctly remembers feeling a sense of humiliation afterwards. Ivonne had insisted he was wrong and she was right and at some point Marlin or Mark at that time had been pressured into apologizing first.
Ivonne had gone behind his back and gotten his family on her side. If he had to attribute anything as the beginning of the downfall between him and Ivonne, it probably was that particular moment.
For the first time coming to this new life, he was struck by real indecision. Whar was he supposed to do here? Just simp? Or stand on principle and risk losing Milly?
He didn’t know, people here took relationships dead serious, went way further to save it then anyone on earth ever did.
Would Milly swallow her pride? Or understand, would he? Humility or humiliation? that line had disappeared in his previous life. It’s what had killed his spirit.
He wanted to make things right but he had no clue how to go about it. Just thinking of how his relationship with Milly could turn the same direction as his relationship with Ivonne was bringing back some very traumatic emotions and feelings he hadn’t felt in a long time. He didn’t want to show up like this in front of Milly, this pathetic.
So instead of rushing to Milly. He got of Billy and walked towards town and figured he would get some stuff in order first.
He greeted the guard who was still a bit hesitant to let him and his minions in but after the gnolls attempted to do puppy eyes, which failed so spectacularly the guard ended up laughing how ridiculous it looked, they were allowed to pass.
The ‘failed puppy eyes’ never failed. The gnolls had practiced that as a way to distract people whenever people were being difficult.
It was quiet, not a lot of people were up yet. Marlin walked into the guild and greeted the receptionist.
“hello Marlin” she greeted him icily. For a moment Marlin was confused until he remembered, the woman who he insulted was good friends or the sister of the receptionist, he couldn’t remember which.
”Hello Daini, just getting some paperwork out of the way from the last two requests”.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Marlin filled out a few forms for the boar pelts and was handed a rather light pouch with coins in it. “I know some of the pelts where stabbed a few too many times for your liking but this is even less then expected”.
“This is the agreed upon amount”, which Marlin knew was technically true but also something that was never enforced, especially not with people that were as reliable as him.
He pondered and looked at her. “I’ve heard some disturbing things said about me, odd things. Like how i promised Tarrani, that i would drag her to the honorless? I would like to clarify that this was not what i said, nor implied”.
Daini sighed and gave Marlin a frustrated look. “And here you go again, pretending you don’t say dishonorable things to people, that’s your problem Marlin you expect us to believe your words when your words carry nothing but insults”.
That was a direct insult to Marlin’s reputation and some people quieted their conversations to observe.
Marlin didn’t react, as far as this culture was concerned this was a challenge, a challenge he knew Daini wanted him to take, expected him to take.
He grabbed a piece of paper and jotted down something, signed it and pricked his own finger and pushed it into the paper.
”w-what are you doing”? Daini was looking at him uncomfortable. “Get the guild master im going to give her my official statement”.
Marlin let his anger go freely, he knew his eyes were red and that it scared the woman but he wasn’t outright threatening her so he was just being scary.
He really didn’t feel very diplomatic today, especially not how she tried to ‘out’ him, trigger his reaction and then say “see? I was right”.
Marlin had seen to many shows and tv shows to realize how silly such theatrics were and how obvious Daini was. Marlin continued:
“Or do i need to make an ‘official’ statement about this conversation as well”?
When Marlin had first heard about the practice of ‘official statements’ he had thought nothing of it. It sounded a lot like what they did in court back on earth.
Something he was used to and never really thought about.
In this world promises where rarely given unless you knew you could do it. Part of the reason he was begrudgingly accepted was because he was a man of his word. It hadn’t gone unnoticed how effective he was at fulfilling requests. Requests from the guild fulfilled, meant you constantly staked your life on your word.
As far as level 1 members, he was far ahead, had some level 2 beat as far as what he had done. What was nothing more then a job and put his skills to good use to marlin,
was also a constant way to show the people of this town that his word meant something.
Meaning that when he made an official statement about what he said, people, if they stuck to what they were saying, would have to explain what had happened.
Which meant the constabulary would get involved with truth magic shenanigans.
As ‘honorable’ as these people were, they had secrets. Marlin practically had none and he was going to leverage that.
Well besides the stealing but he had already set apart the money he would potentially need to pay for it.
The guild master, a gruffy woman who looked like she would eat Bron for breakfast with her skill with her daggers, came down. It was obvious she had been sleeping of a wild night, the way she was Nursing her head.
”Hello Marlin i heard you have an official statement”?
“yes”.
”And you are sure about the words in this statement”.
”I am boss”.
The guild master was always called boss. She looked at the confession and frowned, Marlin could tell her hangover was getting worse.
”You know this isn’t much better then what is said about you” She looked Marlin over wondering if he wasn’t completely right in the head. Marlin smirked and spoke.
”But it is the truth, although i can see how my words could have lead people to make”,
he paused for a moment and grinned,
“hasty conclusions about the meaning of my words. You can make that part of the official statement as well if you wish”, he grabbed the paper and wrote it down word for word”.
There, he had given all the asholes and douchebags a subtle way out, in many ways it was a mercy unbeknownst to this world. Had the situation been reversed and Marlin had started rumors about tarrani, he would have been hung from the gallows the moment he started.
Marlin could still make it that way but for this culture what he just did, was very magnanimous and fexing at the same time.
it could be taken as ‘rare mercy’ but it could also be him saying: ‘your betrayal doesn’t hurt me’.
Which had so many cultural complexities to it, that Marlin still struggled with it.
“That’s right you punks, you are far too fucking young to pull the wool over my eyes”, Marlin thought, while maintaining a grin.
Daini was very angry at what the statement said, that much was obvious. She hadn’t been there, when Marlin had his outburst with Tarrani.
”why”? She stared daggers at him. Wanting an explanation.
“Because she insulted my commitment to Milly”, Marlin said calmly. His eyes were still red.
Daini scoffed “and you call Tarrani a whore”? The insinuation towards Milly, was crystal clear to Marlin.
Marlin almost slammed the woman’s head into the counter, almost, he was so close. His eyes must have flared badly because the Guild master had her dagger to his throat within an instant.
“So jumpy today boss~, didn’t have as good a wild night as initially assumed”? Marlin looked at her with a dangerous smile on his face, he knew he stood no chance against the guild master, she was somewhere around level 9.
However, even with a completely superior opponent and her dagger drawing blood, he had noticed recently, that fear of death as a whole had become a foreign concept to him.
“Stand down boys, the big boss is merely showing me her favorite dagger”, Marlin said while maintaining eyecontact with the Guild master.
The gnolls had jumped to action, Jerry and Bary had their knife and spear inches away from the boss while Gary had drawn his bow. Billy outside had rushed in and was pawing the floorboards ready to strike.
There Marlin sat, less then a 1/10th of an inch away from bleeding out, blinking away a tear at the loyalty and brotherhood of his minions.
“Y-You think you can win against the boss”?
Daini stammered and had her back firmly against the wall behind the counter.
Marlin looked at her, still smiling, not moving an inch while sitting on the barstool.
“Of course not but killing me won’t be worth it, my boys will make sure of that and so will i for that matter” He looked at the Boss again, smiling like the joker, “but il behave, i promise”.
After a nod from his head, Marlin’s minions pulled back and so did the Guild master.
”you gotta watch that desire to kill Marlin, it makes people very jumpy”. The guild master said, nursing her hangover again.
”I was merely going to show Daini the joys of kissing this beautiful countertop as hard as she can, for her insult”.
The guild master laughed and flinched as it made the hangover worse.
“some goat milk will help with that headache“. Marlin offered. The Guild master scrunched her nose. She picked up the statement and stumbled back to her bed upstairs. “That was all, right Marlin”? It wasn’t a question. “It was” Marlin said, he knew the guild master well enough to know she wasn’t a slacker, no one was compared to earth.
”come on boys it’s time to face the music of the witch mistress”, Marlin turned around and there stood three T’jut. “Hey Milly” Marlin felt his anger fade rather quickly.
”fucking hell, it’s unfair how sexy she is”. Marlin thought.