Chapter 35 Take Me.

Lenna sat Lisa on a bench next to her. She was being extra gentle now that there were a lot of witnesses. She also made sure that Lisa was sitting upright so everyone would be able to get a good look at her. “Don’t move.” Lenna whispered to Lisa as she rose back to her full height.

“Get your- untie my daughter!” A lithe, middle aged looking, half elf, man with sharp elven features and olive green eyes and hair ordered the duo. He crossed the distance between them quickly as his long stride ate up the distance. He was around Isaac’s height, maybe a little taller, but his stride seemed to cross an unnatural amount of ground. His eyes were a mix of emotions, none of them pleasant ones, that quickly found every face in the Guild Hall like he was making a mental list of all of those present. He quickly realized that Lisa wasn’t in a very good state mentally but she did look mostly alright physically speaking. He marched up to Lenna who was closer to Lisa and stared daggers at her.

Lenna casually turned to face him head on. Their eyes met and just a bit of her aura leaked out. She didn’t blink as her silver eyes fixed their unnatural intensity on his olive ones. His momentum died as his bravado and anger was met by a wall that seemed more insurmountable than the largest mountain in Primatia. He knew that the feeling he got from her was unnatural but it was still enough for him to slow down enough to properly grasp the situation. He took a deep breath as his mind started piecing the situation. The two platinum level adventurers with his daughter tied up meant that she had been caught doing something that she shouldn’t have. The sergeant being present meant that they were prepared for the confrontation ahead of time. He could hear all the people gathering outside and he could see the two guards keeping everyone out. The door was held open by their bodies however so everything that happened inside the Guild Hall would be known to the world. He took another calming breath.

“Why don’t you have a seat?” Isaac purred and sat down on his shadow that rose into the shape of a throne-like chair. The spectacle seemed to have an effect on those present and a bit of the tension bled away and a mix of fear, awe, and caution filled its place.

“I’ll pass.” The sergeant said from behind Isaac.

Isaac shrugged. “Suit yourself.” He replied and eyed the Guild Master. “I don’t think I ever got your name.” He interlaced his fingers as he crossed his legs.

“Just Guild Master is fine.” The half elven man replied.

Isaac shook his head and sighed. “Listen, I was hired for two separate jobs. Both of them began and ended with your daughter. She is going to stand trial in Safeharbor.” He explained.

“What evidence do you have?” The Guild Master questioned.

“Her contacts in Ben’s End have already been captured. I caught her trying to steal from me the last time I was here. We followed her to a meet up with a drow male deep into the tunnels. We have a witness for multiple accounts of bribery as well.” Isaac went on. “At present her charges are as follows: Theft, collusion with the enemy, bribing a public official, breaking and entering. I’ll forget about the attempted murder as it happened while apprehending her. She should get off relatively lightly. Especially if she volunteers any and all information pertaining to her associates.”

The Guild Master didn’t have a proper counter to the list of charges. He knew that Isaac was right. She hadn’t done anything that would get her killed but the fines would be astronomically huge. She would also most likely be exiled from the duchy. “Who are the witnesses?” The Guild Master questioned.

Isaac shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. The magistrate in Safeharbor will question her personally. She will tell him all of her crimes herself. This is just an arrest.” He explained. “The reason we didn’t just leave with her is because we wanted to catch everyone involved with her at the same time.” Isaac turned to look at Lisa. “I’ll put in a good word for you with Sir Michael and Duke Arbencroft if you make this part easier for me.” He told the defeated rogue.

She slowly turned to look at him and then her father. He frowned deeply and then nodded resolutely to her. “Even if I were to free you, you would be an outlaw. You’d have to spend the rest of your life in solitude or constantly looking over your shoulder.” He explained to her. “I’ll petition the duke to lighten your sentence.”

Lisa nodded. “Lary and Gibby accepted bribes. Jim covered for me with the guild records…” Lisa continued to go on in a monotone voice like she was reading off an invisible paper. She was staring off into the distance as she spoke. All in all she had seven accomplices. Only four were currently in Outpost Charles as the rest were in Ben’s End. That was, of course, not counting her drow boyfriend who was almost certainly dead in a tunnel somewhere.

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The sergeant had his men apprehend the four accomplices that were in the outpost and round them up. They had exactly one cell to lock someone in and all four of them were tossed inside it together. None of them were dumb enough to pick a fight with the guards that came to get them. “Lisa, I’ll do as I promised. We’ll get you a light sentence.” Isaac told her. He turned to face her father. “You will stand trial as well.” He told the Guild Master.

“What? Why?” He questioned aggressively.

“You were aware of what was going on and did nothing about it. You are an accomplice.” Isaac explained simply. “Double platinum or not, I am arresting you.”

“No one is going to prosecute a Guild Master for petty crimes.” He scoffed. “I am the only person who’ll take this job out here.”

“Then maybe King Charles was too arrogant to set up a human outpost this far away from civilization.” Isaac countered. “This outpost should be shut down.”

“It’s a staging area for the exploration of the Innerworld.” Chris explained. “It’s kind of important.”

Isaac shook his head. “No Chris, it isn’t. Humanity is not ready to explore the Innerworld. Outpost Charles and Ben’s End are monuments to the arrogance of man. This land belongs to real monsters. Not men in tin suits or arrogant kings. Safeharbor exists to keep the drow in check. That is logical and is worth the massive resource drain of having a city underground.” He shook his head again. “The other two are just arrogance. If I were in charge of any of the drow cities around I would have gutted both locations on the principle of it. The reason they haven’t is because they know that it is a massive resource drain and the caravans make good targets.”

“But… but what have we been spending our lives down here for?” Chris questioned again. “What did my father lose his life for? Why did I lose my legs?”

Isaac sighed. “The mistakes of the powerful, the wish to be a part of something bigger.” He explained.

“I… I can’t accept that.” Chris replied.

“Then don’t.” Isaac said and rose to his feet. “It’s your life. I won’t tell you how to spend it.” He looked around at the few people still present. Most of the crowd had dispersed so there were only a dozen of them now in the Guild Hall; The Guild Master, Isaac, Lenna, Chris, Lisa, Gregory, the Sergeant, another guard, a cartographer who had just happened to be there, and three others who were hanging around for curiosity and gossip’s sake. “Sergeant, I’ll leave everything in your care. If any of them try to escape, let Safeharbor know. I’ll find them.” Isaac glanced at Lisa before deciding that she wasn’t even really a flight risk anymore so he focused his attention on the Guild Master. “If I have to hunt you, I’ll be bringing back a corpse.” He told the older man who was at least half a dozen levels higher than himself.

“You couldn’t take me.” The Guild Master replied with narrowed eyes. He had lived through countless battles to reach his current strength and he took exception to a lower leveled adventurer threatening him. He blinked. Isaac was gone. In the mage’s place was a quickly fading black mist. He felt a warm hand wrap around the back of his neck.

“I could take your head off in less time than it would take you to turn around.” Isaac explained. “I almost killed your daughter accidentally because I’m not used to being less than lethal.” He cycled death flames through his own chest to give the Guild Master the feeling that those witnessing his death flames felt. He felt the older man shiver before he let go. He appeared next to Lenna. “I could use something warm to eat.” He told her and strode out the door.

Lenna nodded to the sergeant before turning to the brothers. “Chris, do you want me to wheel you back?” She offered.

Chris shook his head. “No thanks. I think I’ll hang around for a bit longer.” He replied.

“I’d best get back to my post.” Gregory added.

Lenna nodded to Chris. “Alright. I’m sure Isaac will tell you the whole story. If you catch him before he decides it’s time to leave, that is.” She headed out after Isaac with Gregory close behind.

“Can you wait to tell the story until my shift is done?” Gregory asked the duo while walking back towards the gate. Jennie’s inn wasn’t very far from the gate so they would be walking together for almost the entire way.

Isaac shrugged. “Probably.” He replied. “I kind of want some food and a nap.”

“We’ve been cheating a lot recently.” Lenna commented.

“Yeah.” Isaac agreed. Isaac’s death flames had been killing their fatigue a lot recently. They weren’t entirely sure if it was healthy or not yet. “I wonder if Jennie made up her mind yet.”

“About what?” Gregory questioned.

“Ask your mother.” Isaac replied. He didn’t want the boy to pressure his mother into a decision either way. If she felt like telling him then she would.

Gregory wracked his brain for most of the rest of their walk together. His face finally showed a look of realization and then he frowned and it looked like he had tasted something mildly sour. “I don’t need another mom.” He eventually said. “Polygamy is weird.”

“What?” Isaac questioned. He was absolutely perplexed on where the topic was even coming from.

“I’m just saying, I know mom likes you and all but she also told me about how you two are together.” Gregory said and gestured between Isaac and Lenna. “I’m just saying that it’d be weird.”

Isaac and Lenna both stopped walking. Gregory saw them stop and stopped himself. “I have a question and a statement.” Isaac began. “The statement is; that was not the offer I gave your mother. I agree that polygamy is weird. The question is; how in the name of all that is holy did you come to that conclusion?”

“Uh…” Gregory looked uncomfortable at both his own mistake and the fact that he was now put on the spot. “I’m just, gonna, go now.”

Isaac sighed as the boy took off in a jog towards his post. “I regret thinking out loud again.” He told Lenna.

“I regret that you were thinking out loud too.” She added.

Isaac frowned as he looked at her. “Thanks.”

She smiled back from under her helmet. “You are welcome.”