“Demons?” Lord Typhon repeated the word, and a single wrinkle appeared between his brows. That was more of an expression change than commander Kane had ever seen on the man’s face.
They were seated across from one another in a deep underground chamber beneath the catacombs of the inner ring of Crown City.
“Undoubtedly, my lord. I barely managed to escape them with the teleportation crystal. Unfortunately I was the only survivor.” Kane kept his head bowed in both reverence and shame.
“Elaborate.” Typhon prompted, and a dangerous sense of impatience suddenly made Kane begin to sweat.
“Two Dark Alfar women approached our line from the rear. When lieutenant Aron attempted to detain them, they must have turned hostile because moments later all hell broke loose.” Kane steadied himself and continued. “Three huge white haired beast demons then hit us hard, massacring hundreds of men in a mere moment. I attempted to gain altitude from where I could launch a counterattack but was met by five honest to the gods demons. They held me aloft with no incantation and I could feel their power. I am a proud man and it pains me to admit that I stood no chance. So I used the teleportation crystal to flee.”
“A pity. Did these demons tell you their goal or whom they serve?” Typhon pressed.
“No, but my theory is that the dwarves have sold themselves to the hells for aid against us.”
“That would be... out of character.” Typhon drummed his long fingers on the polished wood of the table. “Could they not be allies of the usurper?”
“According to the Green Knight’s report, he has no such connections but perhaps it is worth considering. It was the mountain giant and trickery that brought down the fifth unit.” Kane replied pensively.
“We’ll get nowhere on speculation.” Typhon said coldly with a wave of his hand. “You’re dismissed Commander. Take two days to yourself, then report to General Orkas at Fort Sun.”
The name made Kane pause as he stood. General Orkas? That unstoppable brute made the sadistic Gespar seem as soft as a pair of pink velvet mittens. He was the second in command to...
“Has the Red Knight returned from the north, my lord?” Kane fought hard to keep a quiver from his voice.
“He has indeed, with fifteen thousand conquered heathens at his back.” Typhon’s wicked grin made Kane gulp. “When the new moon rises, our conquest will finally begin in earnest.”
Kane said no more, and left with a stiff bow.
When he was alone, Typhon spoke again. “As for you two, I expect better results than mere words the next time I see you.”
“Yes, lord Typhon.” Rolen and Arowyn materialized from the shadows as they spoke in unison. “As long as we are provided the resources we requested, the usurper will fall.”
“They have already been approved.” Typhon answered. “You really believe you can earn their trust?”
“Indeed.” Arowyn replied. “While the usurper and his minions are weak, they are protected by sophisticated illusion magic so it is necessary to gain their confidence before destroying them.” She finished her lie with the confidence of a true sociopath.
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As the secret meeting adjourned, in a bustling tavern popular with adventurers on the outer ring of Crown City an argument was gaining volume and momentum.
“You’ve got orc shite between them ears, boy!” A great bear of a man with shaggy brown dreadlocks, and body hair that could have passed for fur covering most of his exposed torso yelled at a younger man across from him. The target of his tirade was a clean cut soldier type wearing a thick leather jacket designed to be worn beneath heavier armor.
“And you could gag a skunk troll with your stench.” Came the cool reply. “My cousin Niles may be a coward, but he’s no liar. I’d tell you to read his letter yourself if I thought for a moment that you might be literate.”
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“Establishing a new guild is basically a declaration of war, and a guild war is far more destructive than some paltry war between countries.” A tall and muscular woman with scars from hundreds of battles covering her bare shoulders and face interjected. “What they’re promising sounds impossible, but if true then how could we refuse?”
“We’re the second biggest A Ranked team in CC, if we defect there will be a rift.” The group’s obvious magic user spoke softly from the depths of her deep black hooded robe. “There are facts we cannot dismiss.” She continued. “The instant healing potion is real. The Merchant’s Guild hired me to appraise it myself. The fifth unit really has disappeared along with the blue knight, all of our sources back that much up.”
“Instant healing, free lodging, the highest quality food, and the opportunity to be on the same side as a supposed level three hundred?” The big dirty brute regained his seat which creaked under his bulk as he contemplated his own words. They echoed the letter sent from his comrade’s cousin, a rookie knight supposedly spared the fate of the Fifth Unit in Filam.
“We could always just go check it out.” The scarred warrior woman said with a shrug.
“Let’s put it to a vote then.” The clean cut soldier stood up as he spoke. “Who wants to take a little vacation that might put us on the kingdom’s most wanted list and cost us our heads?” Four hands raised, and a smile spread across his youthful face.
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“I can’t believe this is really a guild quest.” Laguna, the burly catfolk fighter said as she hoisted a huge striped fish with a long snout packed with sharp teeth over her head and tossed it onto a long wooden slide that ended in a huge bin packed with snow.
She and the rest of her team had rushed over to sign up with the new Ariel’s Gate Adventurer’s Guild as soon as the receptionist at the now dissolved branch had told them the news.
The new guild was like something out of a dream. The building was immense, and packed with amenities that simply didn’t exist in this world. To qualify and maintain membership, one simply needed to be involved in at least one completed quest per month or have approval for leave in instances of personal emergencies.
Usually Adventurer’s Guild quests were dangerous and almost always had to deal with exterminating monsters or bandits. The new guild’s quest board was loaded with simple jobs like today’s quest of ‘Assist the Angler’s Guild in thinning the wyvern pike population.’
Handling the huge fish was difficult and dangerous for the average person, especially since their bite could remove fingers and the spur near their caudal fin could deliver a paralyzing sting. They were also extremely predatory, and if left unchecked would decimate the entire lake biome.
It had been a long day of fishing the vicious fish out of the water, and now they were removing them from the hold to be delivered to the fishmongers. Even though Laguna and the two ranger twins Therin and Bron were doing most of the actual labor, it was Tili’s magic that was the star of the show. She could stun them with a simple spell, eliminating the need for clubbing while also keeping them far fresher for the market. She also was able to produce the snow that they were being packed in, raising the value of the meat even further.
“That’s the last of ‘em!” The boat’s captain hollered down happily as Laguna caught the fish tossed by Bron and sent it down the slide to join the eighty other wyvern pike in the huge snowy bin.
“Alright!” Therin called back. “Thanks for the job.”
“Anytime, I’ll report the completion to the guild right away!” The captain called back with a wave.
“To the restaurant!” Laguna shouted, already tasting the impossibly delicious food from EDEN in her mind.
“Tavern first.” Tili’s small voice was firm. “We promised Sonya.”
“Right, right...” The boisterous fighter replied, seeming a little deflated. “Wait for me, bacon cheeseburger and root beer.” She finished emotionally, like a woman about to be drafted into war might say to her lover.
Sonya’s tavern was bustling when the group of four arrived to share their usual afternoon drink with the bartender who treated them like close friends if not family.
The atmosphere was celebratory as it had been since the miraculous appearance of Ariel’s champion in the town square. Even without regular trade from the kingdom, the ability to finally harvest the bounty of Gnollwood without fear of monster attacks had boosted the local economy to a level never before seen. To top it all off, dwarven trading caravans from the south had begun to appear and were offering incredible premium prices for fish and produce. Not only that, they came bearing finely crafted tools for reasonable prices. The feared retaliation from Crown City was beginning to fade to the back of people’s minds as all the new and wonderful opportunities appeared.
There were a few worried, low conversations sprinkled into the lighthearted chatter. The two sharp eared rangers were the first to notice.
“The red knight has apparently returned to the fort on the southern viper.” Therin said to the group as they received their drinks.
“He’s marching an army of barbarians to the Sea of Stone to conquer the dwarves.” Bron added.
“That’s where Leifa and Leza are patrolling right?” Laguna said, setting her drink down.
As one they looked at one another and nodded before standing up.
“Sorry Sonya, emergency.” Tili said as she stood on her toes to put a silver coin on the bar.
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Niiya and I strolled along the winding path of soft moss and fragrant flowers of one of the several tiny villages built high in the boughs of the celestial oak. Many of the angelic looking residents stopped to stare at us with intensely curious expressions, and I realized later that Niiya and I were likely the only non celestial beings they had ever seen. They must have been under strict instructions to leave us be, because no one approached us. They were polite and courteous, answering questions quickly and concisely before excusing themselves.
Niiya ran from edge to edge of the giant branch, peering over the sides in wonder that she couldn’t even see the ground. The various boughs and depressions were filled with soil and planted with fruit trees and colorful flowers. The buildings were made to compliment the flow and structure of the tree itself, and were easy to miss at first glance. Floating wisps glowed gently, illuminating the shadowy landscape in soft golden light. Niiya touched one. It vibrated and jerked away, almost looking indignant. She giggled and touched it again before it left fully in an obvious huff. Her joy and wonder were infectious, and I found myself smiling ear to ear.
I watched her be a kid, understanding just how fleeting and precious a thing it is to see in any universe, in any multiverse for that matter. This was a springtime moment that we somehow captured so late in autumn. We were a mile above the cold ground -Me a beat down, jaded old loner and her- a kid torn from innocence too soon and tossed into the rusted food processor we call existence. Somehow some wires got crossed and just for a second we were allowed some happiness, untainted and pure.
What was this to us? I could never really know it fully at that time but thinking back now it was the last time for a very long time that Niiya and I were able to smile and not because we just got splashed with some warm, wet, sweet vengeance. Cue up “The Devil’s Right Hand” by Johnny Cash.