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Further up the second floor gallery, Avan could see the typical mage's pointed hat, which probably belonged to the guild master. Elisa had already told Yue and him that the order had been reported as completed some time ago, which in turn had sent the magic impulse out to the client.
The orders placed with the adventurers' guild were always signed with the magical mana signature of the client, who could feel a magical impulse when the quest was completed. Elisa further explained to them that the misuse of the commissioning process was punishable by the highest penalties in the guild, and the upper echelons within the adventurers always hunted down the offenders with the greatest zeal. It was apparently an honor and an unspoken code that the guild and its members vehemently upheld.
Meanwhile, Elisa, Avan and Yue talked about the events that had led to the present moment. At the mention of the bodies of Yue's friends, Elisa gave her a pitying look, took her hand and squeezed it sympathetically.
When Yue noticed that she was becoming uncomfortable with the topic, she looked up at the ceiling and changed the subject slightly awkwardly. "So... Yes. Elisa. I have a question for you, since you are well read and surely know a lot about Cyntha from the books." She addressed the granddaughter of the guild master. "I have a friend who knows something about an order of healers from... Akka-something.... And in one of the taverns he frequents, one night a drunken guest told him about a ruin he had stumbled upon not an hour away from Cyntha's. Something magical and with a ruined temple inside. Have you read or heard anything about it since you've been living here in Cyntha? It just stuck with me ever since, you know?" She asked Elisa, trying very hard to keep her tone casual and not look at Avan.
She looked at Yue with interest and pondered feverishly, holding a palm to her cheek. After making a few thoughtful noises, she snapped her finger and seemed to have remembered something. "Yes. There was something. Not to the Healing Order itself, as it is very well known here in the history of cyntha. The Order of Akkalon was their name, and according to the documents, they were the founding fathers of Cyntha. At that time, our city was still an outpost and the order had its main base near here. And a temple! After some time, it had gradually attracted more and more people from different races, who were looking for a new life. And even if it was at the front of the elves and unknown areas, all were convinced that it was a wise idea to settle near a well-known healing order. You know, in case you needed healing. Healing was very rare at that time, and still is today, and costs a lot of money in most cities. Which is why usually only the rich and noble can afford the services of local healers. Also, healers are desperately needed in every adventurer group and city, but they are still looked down upon by other fighters, because they are not... fighters who fight." She explained to the two. Elisa's eyes had taken on a joyful expression, Avan noticed, as they always did when she talked about her books and knowledge.
"And now for the exciting part, which may reveal whether or not it was really just a drunkard's fantasy." She continued and smiled conspiratorially. "In one of the older manuscripts and scrolls, I actually read something about a local temple of the order, as I mentioned in passing. Although researchers and experts disagree about whether it could still exist today, it is very certain that it did. And said temple was then only a short walk away from the old Cyntha!... I would love to talk to the person who told this story! Do you think you could help me track down this man through your acquaintance?!" She asked Yue excitedly and took Yue's hands in her own again to pull them towards her.
"Um, no, I don't think so! Sorry Elisa! My acquaintance said that this man must have been a wandering merchant, which is why he stumbled upon these ruins in the first place. Sorry!" Yue apologized to her through gritted teeth, casting a sidelong glance at Avan that reflected how narrowly she had escaped the brunt of it. He held his right hand in front of his mouth in a mock yawn to cover his wide grin and leaned back in his seat.
Glancing at Elisa and making sure she wasn't looking in his direction, he spoke a silent "Thank you!" in Yue's direction and smiled gratefully at her.
The trio talked for some time after that about various historical events and things around Cyntha, when after almost an hour it was finally time. A nervous looking man had stepped through the guild gates. Avan had spotted the strangely nervous man in his mid-thirties out of the corner of his eyes and secretly gestured to his two companions at the table to look at him.
Both women took a long look at the man, who now tried to cover his nervousness with a normal walk as he moved towards the guild counter.
Unaware of the attention his entrance had caused, he was now talking to the lady at the counter with his chin up and gesturing with his hand in the air. After a bit of acting on his part and a seeming check of his mana signature with the help of a device, the woman at the counter indicated to the man that he should follow her.
The clerk walked around the counter and, with the man now calmed, walked around the small building with all its desks in the entrance hall until they disappeared from sight further down the hall. Immediately, four different undercover guards, who had been sitting in the entrance area, stood up and followed the man in quick steps.
It was agreed, Elisa had told them before, that they should wait until one of the guards picked them up. They had to make sure that they were dealing with the right person. Besides, the three of them would not be needed for the questioning, which would be carried out with the help of magic and certainly also threats of various kinds.
After another half hour of waiting and very short small talk in between, one of the four guards came running from the same direction and looked around the entrance area for someone. When the lion woman's gaze fell on the trio, she marched straightaway towards them.
The guard saluted Elisa briefly. "We have the right person! The presence of the three of you is now requested. Orders from Guildmaster Helio Stormcloud and Commander Larin!" She spoke in quick sentences to the three. "Please follow me." And in a perfect soldier's manner, she turned around one hundred and eighty degrees and marched in the direction from which she had come, making sure they were following her with only a quick glance over her shoulder.
They circled the structure of counters and desks in the center of the hall and followed the lioness to an inconspicuous wooden door at the far left corner. The woman opened the door and they entered a short corridor that ended in a stone staircase leading down.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
They came out in a vaulted cellar and a long corridor with iron reinforced and magically glowing doors to the left and right. The lioness marched straight towards a similar looking door at the end of the hallway and knocked on the door with what must have been a pre-arranged sign.
After a few seconds, it opened and a human city guard waved them in while he inspected the hallway behind them and then closed the door again.
Once inside, Avan could see a kind of anteroom, in the middle of which the commander and guildmaster were engaged in a heated debate about Cyntha's underworld and dark organizations.
The female guard who had picked up the trio saluted the two men and said in short sentences that she had carried out the mission. Commander Larin nodded at her and told her to wait with the other guards. The Lioness saluted once again and then went to one of her colleagues at the left wall to talk quietly with him.
Behind Commander Larin and Guildmaster Helio, a magical glass wall could be made out, with inconspicuous waves and ripples moving across it. Through this magical wall, one could recognize the chained and exhausted man from before, who had probably been thoroughly interrogated.
The grandfatherly guild master spoke first and directed his gaze mainly at Yue. "Very good! So, we have good... and not so good news from our... prisoner." He pointed his palm toward the glass wall and tugged at his long beard. "It came to us through... a rather successful interrogation, that this man is the client, but he too was only acting on behalf of his boss, a certain Adrian." He explained further and then pointed to the head of the city guard.
Commander Larin continued to tell the story as if they had agreed. "This henchman is just a lackey of one of the underground bosses in Cyntha. There is only one Adrian that I know of, and he is famous for being nefarious and making people disappear who get in his way. There are also rumors that he is a beast tamer and... done unthinkably cruel experiments."
After a short pause and the silence that the news brought, he continued. "However, and this is the really good news, we finally have a clue as to where at least one lair of this gang is. I'm not going to wait long and I'm going to organize my men and make a preemptive strike against this hideout before anyone notices the disappearance of this idiot." He finished the explanation and pointed with his thumb over his shoulder behind him to the man in the neighboring room.
The guildmaster nodded in response. "Commander Larin will lead the strike, and we will meanwhile ensure your safety here at the guildhouse, Yue." He added, turning to Yue with a reassuring smile. "Nothing will happen to you. I promise. We'll take care of our youngest and weed out anyone who dares to abuse our guild!" He finished his explanation with a steely gaze.
Commander Larin, after an amicable and silent nod with the guildmaster, set off and two of his guards followed him, while the other two positioned themselves at the door to the interrogation room where the interviewee sat slumped.
Helio, in a typical grandfatherly gesture, put his left hand on Yue's right shoulder and looked at her encouragingly. "Don't worry, little one. Whatever possessed that poor devil to make you the target of his petty world, we'll find out and wipe it out. And as soon as we have a more precise location of this Adrian, I will personally participate in the attack. We don't need that kind of scum in our city, and especially we need to set a sign that we are not to be trifled with!" He grumbled in the end to no one in particular.
Avan, inwardly slapping his forehead again, identified the older man for the first time. You idiot! Stop forgetting such important skills! Arghhhh...
[Storm mage - ???]
Ouch, that's a first. Do three question marks indicate a triple digit level?! Holy crap. Unless this Adrian is in the same level range, he's got himself a nasty surprise here. He silently giggled to himself.
And directly, before I forget it AGAIN, also directly identify Elisa!
[Archivist - 55]
Well, more normal, thanks god.
Satisfied with himself and making a mental note, he looked at the people standing in the room with him.
Yue was visibly worried, but had calmed down a bit after Helio had assured his participation. Meanwhile, Elisa had approached the glass window and, like a rare object, took a closer look at the unfortunate prisoner.
After a few short sentences and explanations on the part of Helios, the four made their way back to the entrance hall of the guild, while the two guards stayed behind to keep watch over the prisoner until further orders from the city guard were issued.
Walking through the corridors and following the guildmaster, he pointed to the left and right and explained that down here, deeper in the vault, they operated all sorts of magical objects and laboratories. He seemed completely unconcerned about sharing such things with Yue and Avan.
With a thought to his possible level, Avan also knew all too well that he was probably right not to worry. At least not from him and his fox companion.
Soon they stepped out of the cellar vault into the short hallway and through the simple wooden door into the guild hall.
The guild master wanted to show Yue a few books about the fox-kin and its subraces before he had to start his day's work. She agreed and was about to ask Avan what he was going to do in the meantime when she noticed the deep conversation between him and Elisa, which was once again about runes and enchantments. With a quick tug on his arm and a quick wave to him, she ran after Helio.
Avan smiled after her and gave a thumbs-up when she briefly glanced behind, and turned back to his conversation partner, who was already heading for a quiet corner to sit.
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