Mash felt the urge to run away or at least pace around, but he managed to hold himself back, appearing as normal as he could manage. He was meeting with his family, nothing more. It shouldn’t be this stressful. Maybe, he was just unprepared, having planned to meet them in a day or two. He was glad for his mask, his obvious worry hidden behind it. The others seemed like they wanted to ask him some questions but must have noticed his own anxiety.
He wasn’t left to wallow in it for too long, instead he asked Priscilla to send him some more images of the fights she’s been in. Obliging, he was distracted by a series of images describing her battle with some other monster. It was a spiderlike creature, and it seemed to be in the same room that he found Priscilla in. She told him that it was the previous owner, a creature that lived within the tooth. She had gone in and purged the tooth of similar creatures; their presence was unwelcomed on her territory. It had more legs than a spider, each made of a white stone. The sound it made as it moved was oddly ominous, clattering against the stone in a strange rhythm. He was watching the fight unfold, until the knight returned to meet them.
His brother wasn’t there with the knight, instead the knight told them to follow him. He led them into the city, and Mash got a good look at the inside. The roads were paved cobblestone, wide enough to fit three carriages at once. There was a lot of people, but it didn’t feel crowded. The groups spaced out across the street made the town feel oddly empty. The buildings were tall multistoried structures, each of a common type of wood. It was obviously built with the wood from the surrounding forest. They were mostly identical, only slight variations differentiated the buildings. That only seemed true for the outer city however, looking into the distance, he noticed more complex structures of grey stone and marble. Like his own town, the more luxurious buildings resided deeper within the city.
The knight didn’t take them further into the city, instead leading them to a stone structure that was connected to the wall. Presumably, it was a guard building, either a barracks or a prison. They entered the stone building, passing under an archway that lacked any door. The arch was cut into the stone, and he guessed that the building was always open. The inside was mostly hidden, the only thing he could see was a front counter, where two people were sitting. They were probably scribes or attendants of some kind, their attire obviously unlike the other knights. Both were young ladies, and they were wearing simple dresses like he saw from the occasional guild receptionist. They did not stop at the front of the building, instead he was taken up a set of stairs. There were two sets of stairs, one that headed into the depths below, and another that led up to a second floor.
This floor was an empty hallway, with doors along both walls. There were no indicators on any of the doors, and magic lamps hung from walls to illuminate the hall. The knight told them to enter the room at the end of the hallway. There was only one room there, whose door faced down the hallway, instead of being to the side. It was made of wood, but had the blue tiger symbol emblazoned at its center. It seemed oddly dramatic. Had his brother ever been the dramatic type? Maybe, his brother wouldn’t be behind it, but that didn’t seem all that likely to him.
Mash pushed open the door and saw his brother sitting at a desk, doing some work. The room was large, even bigger than the living room in their family home. It was a study of some kind, a large wooden desk laid out in front of Arthur. Two bookshelves along one wall, and a more casual couch against the other. Behind his brother was a window, it looked out over the plains outside the wall. He hadn’t noticed it from the outside, which meant that it was made using either enchantment or seer magic.
His brother wasn’t wearing any armor or dressed like any knight, instead wearing what looked like an overly fancy suit. It had intricate embroidery along the ends of the sleeves, and right in front of his heart, there was the blue tiger of the kingdom. The suit itself, was a lighter shade of black, and fit him perfectly. He was eight years older than Mash and was at least a hand taller than him. His silver hair was cut differently, pulled back with a level of care that his brother usually wouldn’t put towards something like that. In fact, he looked different from when they met on his birthday.
How long ago was that again? Thinking about it, he realized that it had only been about two months. It was the 2nd day of the 15th month now; it was almost the end of the year. In roughly two months he managed to hit level forty, that realization was surprising. The rate at which they leveled was incredible, almost inconceivable. It wouldn’t have been strange for him to have taken over two years to achieve the same results.
“He is dangerous. Be prepared.”
Priscilla’s voice sounded like it was preparing to attack. Obvious weariness and hostility growing within her mind. He told her not to worry about it, he was certain that his brother wouldn’t attack him. It did shake him from his thoughts, and he saw his brother’s eyes scouring the group. Jill coughed lightly, speaking to fill the silence.
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“Hello sir. We’re in a team with your brother. I’m Jill, and this is Red and Luke.”
She sounded a little frightened, her voice trembling slightly. His brother’s stone face usually caused that reaction. For as long as Mash knew him, his brother has always had muted reactions and expressions, often making people around him grow wary. His brother got up and made his way around the table to greet them.
“Hello, you all may call me Arthur, though most refer to me as the Frost Sentinel. And Mash, take off the mask.”
He gave the others a nod of his head but waited for Mash to remove his mask. Mash did so, revealing that which proclaimed his true nature. He still had some patches of scales and scars on his body, but most were hidden or seemed like elaborate tattoos. His eyes revealed the truth, those were unmistakably a part of him. Surprising Mash, his brother didn’t flinch in the slightest, his gaze meeting Mash’s.
“Good to finally see you.”
At his brother’s words, Mash could feel the tension breaking, his shoulders sagging slightly. Priscilla immediately sent him a warning, informing him that he was taking the situation too lightly. His brother was far stronger than him, and he should be better prepared. Mash found himself grinning, laughing a little at Priscilla’s words. His brother’s face remained the same, but Mash could tell that he was confused by his reaction.
“Hi, it’s good to see you too. We have a lot to talk about.”
He knew he sounded a little giddy but didn’t bother trying to hide it. His brother’s eyes flashed darkly, before he responded, his voice now strangely cold.
“A lot indeed. You three are welcome to explore the city, I need to have a discussion with Mash. It was nice to meet you, and I’m sure we will get the chance to meet again.”
A lecture, from his tone to positioning, Mash knew what was coming. His friends nodded, turning to leave. Before they left, Jill spoke up, stopping for a second.
“It was nice to meet you, and Mash, we saw a café outside, we will wait for you there.”
She spoke quickly but politely, obviously eager to leave the room. Accepting his fate, Mash moved to take a seat by the desk. His brother making his own way to the other side. He started speaking before even taking a seat.
“Level forty in two months! What in the world were you doing? I am level ninety, but I did that in eight years and have gone through my fair share of near-death experiences. For the rate you’re going, you must have experienced several times as many.”
His brother yelled the first couple of words, before regaining his composure and continuing. At first Mash was confused, how had his brother known his level? Then he grew excited when he heard that his brother was level ninety, meaning he was approaching one of the bigger advancements at one hundred. Those would usually cause bigger changes, and grant someone a unique ability of some kind. However, as his brother finished speaking, Mash heard the hint of worry in his voice. He froze when he heard it, unable to remember a single time when he heard his brother sound like that.
“What would I tell Luna if I found out you died somewhere? Even as an adventurer, I know there are safer paths for you to take.”
His brother’s words made Mash realize that he didn’t consider what his lifestyle would do to them. He figured that they knew he was going to be in dangerous situations and didn’t consider how worried they might be. He found himself, unsure of what to say, instead trying to change the subject slightly.
“What level is Luna anyways?”
He tried to sound unaffected, to be unbothered by his brother’s outburst, but knew that he failed.
“Level thirty, and that was in two years. Do you see what I mean now?”
Answering his question, his brother met Mash’s eyes. Having realized this a little already, Mash only nodded along. His brother wasn’t finished talking either, continuing as he saw the nod.
“I have been keeping track of your progress, the guild was giving me updates when you visited them. What happened in Krall for you to gain ten levels in a few days?
Mash started responding, pouring out the story of the dungeon. he mentioned the betrayal, but not who caused it. He avoided talking about anything that might break the contract. His brother interrupted him before he could talk about meeting the world carrier and getting Priscilla.
“You’re not telling me everything. I know a little bit about the situation in Krall, who exactly betrayed you? And explain your fights more clearly, they must have been much more dangerous for you to gain so many levels.”
Mash had been downplaying his fights but couldn’t talk about the other thing. How was he supposed to answer him? The contract was too condemning, for him to risk breaking it in anyway. Not to mention that his brother didn’t look like he would take no for an answer.
“I can’t tell you who.”
His brother’s expression changed slightly, his eyebrows furrowing. Suddenly it shifted, realization seeming to dawn on him, and he started speaking.
“You signed a contract, didn’t you? Are you crazy! How long are the terms?”
Mash wasn’t sure if he could reply, even if only to talk about the duration of the contract. Remaining silent, his brother started reading Mash’s facial expressions. He wasn’t as good at maintaining his composure.
“Fine, is it less than a year? Half a year?”
Seeming to just be asking random dates, Mash didn’t really know how to react. Although after his question, Arthur nodded his head, seeming to be able to read that he was right. Mash wished that he was wearing his mask, that way it would be harder to read his expression. The conversation wasn’t over yet, Arthur prompting him to continue explaining about the rest of his dungeon experience. Mash knew that there was no way out, and gave him an honest retelling of his experience, watching as his expressionless brother grow angry. There was no change in his facial expression, but he saw the fire behind his eyes, and the slight change in the glare he was sporting. This was going to take a while.