It took some time for Dwindle to collect all the pieces of valuable material the goblin clan had on them. Not knowing if the goblin wizard’s staff was worth anything, he still put it into a pile he was building. Cores were then cut out and goblin fingers were chopped off.
Red sat on the rock where the goblin wizard had been conducting the ceremony and meditated, absorbing the rich mana that flowed through the forest.
“I think that about does it, champ,” Dwindle announced, walking up to Red after finishing up.
Red opened his eyes and smiled, “Thanks for your hard work, Dwindle. I don’t know how I could’ve done all this without you.”
Dwindle wiped at his nose sheepishly and replied, “Ah, tis nothing, champ. Let’s get a move on before it gets dark.”
Red and Dwindle carried the pile of items with them on a makeshift gurney back to where they made camp and where Poly was cooking gnoll meat.
They completed two more quests before they finally headed back to the city of Soalde.
It had been well over half a month since they left and it felt good to be back. They decided to celebrate after they turned in everything they’d gathered from the quests. Poly decided to go check on her plants. One of Dwindle’s neighbors had been watering them, but Poly knew an elf would be required to truly bring out a plant’s potential.
Euness stared at the piles of items crowding his desk then looked at Dwindle and Red with forlorn.
Why did such a strange duo appear at the branch guild he worked at? His work load and stress had doubled since the pair started working together.
Without a word, he started to process each monster finger, claw and life core.
“You should go train,” Dwindle commented seeing Red standing by idly.
Red nodded and made a move to leave but was stopped by Euness.
“A moment, Mister Rombell,” Euness said with respect.
The tone he used caused Red to almost stumble. He did not know the receptionist to speak to him so formally.
“You can just call me Red,” Red offered, bashfully.
“Mister Rombell,” Euness continued, making Red blush, “Please approach the desk, if you will.”
Red walked meekly up to Euness with his head down. He was too shy a person to conduct business with professional men like Euness. Dwindle noticed this and made sure he was right next to Red, letting the young man feel his presence and support.
“Your pin please, if you will, Mister Rombell,” Euness asked with his hand out.
“Wait just a moment, Euness,” Dwindle spoke out, “What’s this all about?”
“Peace, sir dwarf,” Euness pled tiredly, not wanting to get into yet another argument with the dwarf.
It took a few days of vacation to quell the receptionist’s stress from their last interaction. Dwindle had come to the guild a month ago and taken all their major Rank 1 and 2 Hunter quests. Euness had told the dwarf that it was not protocol, but Dwindle argued the receptionist into the ground. The Vice Guild Master, who happened to be at the guild at the time, was forced to come down and intervene, but even he was argued with.
For the sake of peace, the Hunter’s Guild branch of the Classy Slums had to give in to the Dwindle’s demands. They could only hope Dwindle became lost on a quest so that they wouldn’t have to go through something like that again for a while.
Red presented his pin with respect and even bowed, which Euness could only roll his eyes at. There was no point in bowing in the slums unless someone was holding you at knifepoint and robbing you.
Euness took the pin and brought out another that was more vibrant and decorative. In the middle of the pin was the number ten. There was also small script engraved at the bottom that read, “Subjugator”.
Red did not notice the fanciful nature of the pin nor the number, and especially not the words he could not read. He simply pocketed the pin and bowed again.
“Y-you’ve been up ranked!” Dwindle stammered.
“Huh?” Red replied dumbly.
“You’re at a much higher level than before!”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Of course, that means…” Dwindle paused in his explanation then looked at Red in awe as he said, “That means you are headed to the branch guild in the upper district.”
Red gulped and argued, “But I didn’t do anything wrong!”
The only way to the upper districts from the slums would be to either become rich or commit a crime worth being thrown in prison. There was no law enforcement in this decrepit part of town. Only the Classy Slums had guards, but they were voluntary and not part of the government. If someone was worth being hunted into the slums and thrown behind bars after being caught, they’d be taken into the prison cells within the upper districts.
“No, champ. It doesn’t mean you’re in trouble. You’re going to live there from now on!” Dwindle explained and couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed.
When the dwarf was in the upper districts, he still lived in the Classy Slums but worked in the rich districts as an inventor, then a merchant, then finally as a blacksmith. He had never experienced life there that wasn’t behind a counter or at a forge. Not being able to afford the food, he had his meals premade in the slums.
It would be the first for him to live there as a resident.
“You are also deemed as a ‘Skilled Subjugator’ from now on,” Euness explained on the points being left out he felt more important, “In any party, you will have to take the role as subjugator which tasks you with eliminating any threats to your team.”
Beside him, Dwindle noticed confusion on Red’s face and went further into detail, taking up the explanation, “Every party has a group of Hunters that take on specific roles: Frontline Defender, Skilled Subjugator, Support and Healing. Frontline Defenders keep the enemy at bay. Skilled Subjugators are expected to kill at a constant rate to lighten up the Frontline Defender’s workload. Support helps both the frontline and backline with whatever they need to supplement their roles. Healers are tasked with healing any and all injuries that the party may accrue.”
Red used all his brain power and focused in on the description of his role then nodded in understanding.
“Yea,” he said happily, getting the gist of it, “I’m good at the subjugazing.”
Euness simply stared at him. Soon, the crack of a smile hit his lips, but he quickly brushed it off.
“Were you smiling, human?” Dwindle asked, noticing Euness’ momentary pleasure.
“What are you on about, sir dwarf?” Euness said with reproach, retracting his lips, “I don’t smile. I never do. You know that already.” He then turned back to Red and spoke of what was to come.
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Red was expected to pack his things and report to the upper district branch guild any time within the month. His Hunter pin would be license enough to get him into the district. With his new rank, he no longer needed to meet a quota of quests per year.
Red had no idea he had a quota, but he nonetheless felt relieved at having one less responsibility. The presence of Dwindle reminded him to be grateful that someone did all the thinking for him and all he needed to do was fight.
“Why am I ranked 10 now?” Red asked, curious.
“You were a Base Rank 1 before,” Euness explained, “From your performance so far, the guild has recognized you as a Rank 10.”
Dwindle picked it up from there, “The Base Rank of Hunter goes from 1 to 12. Beyond that, I think it is Advanced, Expert, Master and then finally, Grandmaster.”
“There are no Grandmaster Hunters here in the city,” Euness remarked, “The closest thing is the Guild Master of the branch in the upper districts who is at the Master Hunter level and the only one of that rank in the city.”
Red’s eyes widened. There is only one Master, but no Grandmaster. How strong were grandmasters?
Euness could tell where Red’s thoughts were roaming and answered them, “The only Grandmaster Hunter is the Guild Master of the main branch of the Hunter’s Guild, located in the capital city of Olfas. There are six other individuals that equal his strength scattered across the globe. They hold different titles being that "Grandmaster" is a term only used for members of the Hunter’s Guild. No one knows what these powerful beings are up to. Of course besides the Guild Master who obviously conducts guild affairs. These beings are not entities with which normal people are familiar. Perhaps the emperor to the east and other nobles know them, but my knowledge is lacking.”
“One of them is a dwarf,” Dwindle said with pride and puffed out his chest, “His title is, ‘Spirit Guardian’.”
“Yes,” Euness said, irritated at the dwarf’s personality, “The other races are known to have at least one.”
“The elves should have more than one powerful being,” Dwindle mused, “They live for so long that they are bound to garner power steadily and should be able to grow stronger because of it.”
“But they are adverse to conflict,” Euness interjected, “They stay within their woods and ocean homes, never stepping a foot outside of their own territories. It's hard to say if a civilization can stay powerful without fighting.”
Dwindle cupped his square chin, thinking. Red nodded along even though he could not follow the flow of the conversation.
“Be that as it may,” Euness said, breaking up their musings, “Mister Rombell. There is much expected of you. The guild is looking forward to your progress. Don’t let the guild down.”
Red nodded fervently and responded, “Don’t worry, Mister Euness. I’ll do my best.” He then flexed and seemed to turn into a whole other person, “The best is always above the rest, oh yea. You’ll see it for yourself, brother. And when you see me at the top, try not wet yourself. Red Rumble is going bring the thunder and lightning, yes I will. No doubt about that, brother. Oh, yea.”
Euness became flustered from Red’s words and almost knocked off the items on his desk. Dwindle began to laugh raucously while holding his belly, almost tipping over onto the floor. Red then strutted out of the guild building like the world was watching.
“That little…” Euness began to mumble angrily. The dwarf simply kept laughing.
After getting all their loot from their quest processed, Dwindle then moved discreetly through the Classy Slums. He had a large amount of gold on him that he did not want to be caught with. He moved from shadow to shadow in hopes of not being singled out by any shady sorts.
“Dwindle,” a voice came from behind him.
Dwindle jumped and almost fell over.
He looked to who had spoken and found his old friend, Mas. The grizzled man was scratching at the stubble on his chin with an eyebrow raised toward Dwindle.
“What’re you doing sneaking around here?” Mas asked.
Dwindle got irritated at first then relieved. “It’s a good thing you’re here,” Dwindle spoke in a whisper, “Help me get to the guild bank.”
They journeyed together without issue to the guild bank.
It was a building much like the Hunter’s Guild building in that it differed from the others in the Classy Slums. It was not made up of a patchwork of scraps and parts. It was a building of its own and stood magnificently in the patchwork of unsightly structures surrounding it, like a rose growing out of a cobblestone street.
On their walk there, Dwindle explained all that had transpired for him and Red.
Mas could only whistle impressed. He then teased the dwarf as he said, “What took you guys so long?”
Dwindle was put off balance and asked, “What do you mean?”
“You had the champ with you and it took you guys this long to get into the upper districts?”
“I-I don’t know. I think, maybe I faltered at times, or maybe I should’ve asked about his training equipment earlier, I suppose…”
Mas began to laugh then placed a well-meaning hand on the dwarf’s shoulder and said, “I was only teasing, Dwindle. You have done well by the champ. You two deserve each other.”
Dwindle blushed and nodded his head accepting the compliment.
“You’ll come visit us in the upper district, won’t you?” Dwindle asked his longtime friend.
“Visit? Don’t be surprised if I ask to move in!” Mas laughed.
They passed into a pristine doorway and went into the guild bank in an upbeat mood. After their business had been concluded there, they parted ways after exchanging farewells, Mas choosing to retrace his steps back from where they had met.
He found himself in the Hunter’s Guild, in front of the receptionist desk.
“Pay up,” Mas said, giving the man behind the desk a meaningful look.
Euness exasperated, “Fine, fine. You win.”
He took out from his purse a few silver coins along with some copper and pushed it across his desk.
Mas collected his earnings and smiled, “I told you they’d make it into the upper district before the year was up. You shouldn’t have bet against the champ.”
“How was I supposed to know he’d be so talented?” Euness lamented.
With a grin and a nod, Mas walked out of the building with his pockets heavier than when he came in.
Euness reeled inwardly at having lost so much betting against Mas, a degenerate gambler who was known to be unlucky when it came to gambling. The only solace he took was the amount he was being paid by Vilda for keeping an eye on the young man, Redyl Rombell. He had already informed the priestess of Mister Rombell's elevated status. The priestess in turn notified the receptionist that he’d receive his payment soon.
As he sat there, he couldn’t help but feel a certain inspiration thinking of Mister Rombell.
If he could make it out of this gods forsaken place, Euness thought, feeling something come alive within him, maybe I can too.
Dwindle the dwarf was not yet finished with his work that day.
He took the other items not needed by the Hunter’s Guild, such as the gnolls' weapons and armor, and took them to shops that would be interested in buying them. He took some time out afterwards to pay his old dwarf friend with the wagon for services rendered.
It was past noon when he met back up with Red. The dwarf went passed the Eastern Gate out to the eastern wood, the Fruitless Forest. He became alert finding Red on the ground there tossing and turning.
He rushed up to the young man , “Red, what happened? Why’re on the ground like this? Are you injured?”
Poly was under a shade of tree and said, “Someone else came out of Red. He’s been rolling around the dirt for quite a while.”
“I’m just practicing my Brazilian jiu jitsu,” Red answered simply and continued scooting on his back across the dirt in a weird fashion.
“Oh, is that it?” Dwindle breathed out in relief but became still. “Red,” he said after a thought, “What is Brazlleon jieu jitzu?”
Red rolled his eyes before answering, “Dwindle, it’s Brazilian jiu jitsu. Have you not heard of the Gracie family? Have you not heard of the art of fighting that twists and breaks limbs? C’mon Dwindle, it’s common in MMA.”
Dwindle scoured his mind for such information but could not find anything that Red said as common or what Red was referring to as “MMA”. He looked to Poly who gestured a knuckle against her head and pointed at Red.
“Red,” Dwindle turned back to the young man in the dirt and asked slowly, “Did you hit your head again?”
Red seemed to become frantic and panic washed over him as he got up off the floor.
“Dwindle, Poly” Red said with heavy breath, “My mind was getting really messed up from the memories. I tried hitting my head but what came out was even more memories. I don’t know what’s happening to me!”
Poly became serious and stepped lively over to them. Dwindle put a reassuring hand on the young man and nodded. He and Poly both gave one another a knowing look. It seemed Red's mind had been invaded by too many people of unknown origins.
“We’ll can go see a healer right away,” Poly offered to which Dwindle agreed.
"No thanks," Red denied, then went back onto the ground to start wiggling around, "I still have training."
“But what about your head?” Poly asked, a bit off kilter.
“What about it?” Red asked.
Dwindle asked, “Didn’t you just say your head was messed up?”
Red nodded, “Sure did. But with the tournament coming up, how can I leave now?”
Poly could only shrug, but Dwindle was not having it. He knew what he had to do. He went low and grabbed Red’s foot to drag him back into the city. Red huffed out a breath and rolled his eyes. He used a hand to grab onto one of Dwindle’s feet and used another foot to tip Dwindle onto the ground.
“Whoa!” Dwindle yelped as he fell.
“Red!” Poly shouted.
Red then moved expertly around Dwindle’s body and caught the dwarf’s neck into what his new memories called a "rear naked choke". He squeezed down and closed Dwindle’s blood flow to his brain.
Dwindle tried to say something, but he couldn’t get the breath to say it. Poly began slapping Red, her hands tingling, feeling as if she was hitting iron.
“Let go of him, Red!” Poly screamed, battering away at Red’s tough body.
“You better tap,” Red advised Dwindle, his arms squeezing further.
Dwindle had no idea what his young friend was talking about.
Tap what? Dwindle thought in panic.
“Stop it!” Poly screeched at the top of her lungs, even going so far as to use her Siren’s Call.
Before Dwindle knew it, he had fallen asleep.