Ten days had passed. The first few were slow – settling down, assigning work, furnishing, and the like. What came afterward, however, was quite eventful. We were back in the city. I needed to visit the bank, trade-in some points, and then head to the guild. Isanani was going to, officially, join our party. Valeriana had been spending a lot of time with the children. She wanted to take them along on a quest, and I suggested taking the Arachne along. It would provide a good cover-up for her while also having another set of hands on board, but most importantly, we’d have a failsafe battery just in case. Getting the coins was easy. I had acquired some sort of reputation at the bank and was trusted to be given the money and then provide them with the points later that day – as the shop was usually accessed at night.
Now, on our way to the guild, we were approached by three Catkin. Honestly, I wasn’t sure of their… ethnicity? They were all feline, though. Their gear and attire painted them as clear yet unassuming adventurers. Some onlookers shot us pitying looks; some shook their heads, but none interfered. The largest of the bunch took a step forward and spoke arrogantly, “You’re coming with us.”
I regarded him for a moment before calmly replying, “I’m afraid I’m busy right now.”
He smirked, throwing his left arm around my shoulder. “I wasn’t asking, human.” He nudged his chin towards the girls; one of the men had already circled behind them. “We’re taking them too. Boss wants so see ‘em.” Valeriana’s hand was almost instantly on her weapon. The man clicked his tongue in disapproval, and a dagger appeared in his right hand. “Now, now, none of that.”
I knew his threats were empty. Valeriana was undoubtedly faster than he was. Yet, I could not remain calm. It was a wake-up call, really. His words had moved something deep within me. Suppressed rage managed to burrow its way out, which consequently made the situation far more difficult. It was also confirmation that Valeriana and I were affected by each other’s emotions. And struck with a wave of similarly irrational anger, she wore a nasty snarl, crouched, and hissed.
“You’re going to… take them?” I remember how unnerving my voice was.
Faced with the bizarre display, the man froze along with his lackeys. He lost his smile. With the dagger an inch away from my neck, he spoke – his voice wavering, “Hey now. Boss only wants a chat. Nothin’ more. No one needs getting’ hurt.”
Valeriana was a second away from slicing him in half. Watching her in such a… feral state sobered me up a bit. I caught the Beastkin’s forearm, and a different type of chaos ensued. He let out a loud cry and dropping onto his knees – his weapon hitting the ground as he cradled his dented arm. My fingers had left clear indentations to where I grabbed him. I had dug through his muscles as if they were nothing but clay. The men behind him took an instinctive step back, and with terror-struck faces, they turned heel and ran.
The now sobbing took no persuasion to spill everything he knew. Jack the Red – leader of the infamous Crimson Wolves – was to be provided with a certain Rabbitkin. But, after she came in contact with a low-ranked adventurer, she had abruptly disappeared. The man responsible for her recruitment was very adamant about finding her, and they were tasked with locating her. Following this incident, we didn’t bother continuing with the plan. Isanani hadn’t mentioned the subject since.
The next day, we were greeted with a messenger staring wide-eyed at the village. The Guildmaster had sent a runner to summon us. I was surprised by how quickly he had found us, and I later realized my answer was staring me in the face – or more accurately, danging from my neck. The question was: what else were the pendants capable of relaying. The invitation was for tomorrow, and soon, we were seated on very expensive-looking chairs. Before us was a great brown desk; behind it, a similarly grand chair with a frowning Elk – looking worse for wear.
“I apologize for what you went through,” He said, his tone placid. “I want you to rest assured. I know of what transpired, and those responsible have already received appropriate punishment.”
“Really…” Valeriana dragged, incredulous.
“Yes, My Lady,” He assented monotonously. “We do not tolerate such behavior from our members. Those men had their memberships revoked. They are also banned from ever registering again.”
“That’s it?” Valeriana questioned, irritated.
“It is the council’s doctrine, my Lady,” Argus stated. “Not to mention, they were the only ones injured. Which brings me to my next point, how did that happen?” He asked, eyes fixated on me.
“I’m not sure,” I answered truthfully. “It was an accident.” I gave a short account of our side of the story, leaving out most of the unnecessary details. Valeriana’s frustrations grew with every word I spoke. Her tail whipped as she remained silent, voicing her thoughts with a hardened glare.
Argus cleared his throat, leaning back into his chair and actively ignoring her gaze. I wondered how much different would he had been if she wasn’t the daughter of an influential figure. “It’s unfortunate this had occurred on the day of your return to adventuring.” He turned to the Arachne. I had been hesitant about having her join us, mainly for the possibility of being discovered, but my fears were unfounded. “Miss…”
“Sanne,” She spoke with a smile.
“Miss Sanne, would you like to join Lady Valeriana and Edward’s part, knowing it only consists of two members?”
Isanani shot me a glance and confidently nodded.
“Very well then.” Argus took a deep breath. He leaned forward, folding his hands, and addressed the two of us. “The life of an adventurer is not an easy one, and often the first shock is the worst. Sometimes, we feel like we have no other choice, but we always do.” His jaw clenched. Noticing our confusion, his voice grew firm. “The girl might have been broken in mind and body, but we have healers, mages, mind-menders. It is not for her to decide whether she lives or dies, not until she’s of a safe mind, and it is definitely not your choice to make.”
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The words took a moment to sink in. Valeriana remained oblivious for only a moment after. Her face was pale as she hurriedly spoke, “But, she didn’t. I- I didn’t-”
“We understand,” I cut her off.
His eyes fell on me again, and whatever he saw made him loosen his shoulders. “I’ll let Alice schedule with Andria.” He glanced at Valeriana. “She’s an excellent mind-mender. I had even requested her council in the past.”
“Thank you, Guildmaster.”
He nodded. “One last thing, Edward, how did you… obtain such strength?”
“I’m not so sure myself, but I’ve been eating a lot of Bulikh roots lately.” It was a lie. Valeriana had assured me that no matter how much of these plants I ate, I would not be as strong as I was. The reason for the sudden power was still unknown.
“I see,” He replied, unconvinced. “Miss Sanne is now a member of your party. I wish you the best of luck out there. And remember, if you ever need anything, my door is always open.”
The walk back to the village was silent. We were halfway through when Valeriana spoke for the first time since we left. “He thinks we killed her, Edward,” She whispered.
“I know.”
“He thinks I killed her.”
“And did you?” I asked.
“No!” She cried.
“There you have it. It doesn’t matter what he thinks. It’s better than the alternative,” I stated.
“Yeah,” She growled. “It’s better than knowing we’re hiding a demon, a murderer.”
The person in question rolled her eyes. A sigh escaped my lips. I was just thankful no one was within earshot to hear us. “I’m not asking you to forgive her, just… tolerate her. Everyone makes mistakes, Val, even if they don’t realize it. And right now, we can make more good with her than what her death would bring us.”
I walked up to her and held her as we walked. The Arachne condescending smirk would often flare her anger. Even though the demon was ordered to stop, her mere presence served to ignite the Beastkin’s ire. The rest of that day had been difficult, to say the least. There was also the recent revelation of how Valeriana’s second seal had indeed been used. Isanani wasn’t exhibiting the same ‘symptoms’ as I had, but it wasn't a surprise; the seal was anything but reliable. Coincidently, the situation had gotten even more sensitive as the extra seal was not hers but her sister, a whole different can of worms. Which was why when Valeriana allocated one of the rooms in the house for the Arachne, I was reasonably suspicious. The odd behavior did not end there, though. Valeriana was far more… open with showing her affection, especially when Isanani was present. Our nights had been more active and loud – she abandoned any reservations about holding her voice.
I was unsure of what to do with the war brewing. There had been no direct conflict yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time. Besides that, however, everything else was progressing nicely. Two more buildings were erected: a warehouse, a massive kitchen. My unpaid workers were not so unpaid anymore. Each was promised a hefty – undecided – sum of gold for every batch sold. I would keep most of the profit but that was to be expected – I was paying for all their living expenses after all.
The cooking I required of them was rather simple. Once I showed them the ropes, they caught on quickly. The two lesser cooks were unbelieving at first but eventually relented once some money was in their hands. That said, the dwarven couple was not thrilled with the menial work, and I did not pressure them to do it. The sales were still slow, so I didn’t mind them taking a more experimenting role. I needed a variety of different easy-to-consume products, and they provided, given, large sums were used as an incentive. Mana vials were no more than a mouthful of a beverage – currently water – infused with mana, with the same amount the candy offered. Some questions were asked about the strange powder but seeing as none were answered clearly, they did not again.
Currently, there were two main issues: one was the conversion, all my money was in points, and so, I had to find a way to reliably change that without drawing attention, the bank would eventually ask questions; the second being stagnation, items weren’t selling nearly as fast as they were being made. But I believe I had found a solution for the latter. It hit me as I was watching the dwarves working. There was a very faint shimmer accompanying every movement they made while cooking. The more I had observed, the clearer it was. And using the engraved glass piece, it was confirmed – they were using mana. The Elf and Beastkin were also ‘casting’ mana, though at a much lower rate. I didn’t rush to any conclusions. My theory was still in its infancy, and if proven true – I could have an entirely new market to target besides the mages.
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Every continent on Lumari had numerous guilds; each ran by its respected Guildmaster. However, that did not mean all were independent. There was always a single prominent figure, the Guildmaster. And for the mages’ guild, it was no different. Merlin sighed, slumping down into his chair, tall golden hair tickling his face. If met without his teal-streaked white robes and ornate staff – he would surely be mistaken for an adolescent elf, not as the strongest Tri-affinity mage in existence.
The door to his office creaked. Cyra stepped in, gowned in an unblemished snow-white dress. She gracefully approached her master and bowed. “Guildmaster,” She politely addressed.
“Sit down, Cyra,” Merlin spoke, his voice weary and tired contrary to his youthful appearance. The younger elf dutifully obeyed.
He sighed again, massaging his scalp. “Did Askr send word yet?”
“No, Guildmaster.”
“He will,” Merlin stated. “I’m certain he has already dedicated a fortune to finding this Mr. Green.” The chances that the alchemists would eventually give up were null. He hummed in thought. “Any news on our end?”
“Unfortunately not, Guildmaster.”
Merlin sunk further down into his chair, and Cyra bit her lower lip. Her master was simply too cute when he pouts. She had to resist the overwhelming urge to pinch his cheeks. The blonde elf closed his eyes, unbeknownst to his assistant’s inner turmoil. Complications were unwelcomed, especially this close to the summoning. The items sold by the mysterious vendor were unheard of. They trifled the potions made by the alchemists. A regular mana potion wasn’t capable of recovering mana; only hasten your own mana recovery. Your body overworked itself, and as such, you could not drink more than a single potion a day. Such limitations did not affect the newer merchandise. Calling them a Goddess sent gift would not be an exaggeration, and the blank slate of the seller’s name confirmed they were. But the name did not remain empty for long. It was soon replaced by an acronym, an unprecedented phenomenon.
Merlin opened his eyes to see his assistant smiling absentmindedly. He frowned, ignoring her mindless happiness. “There is no point in keeping this a secret any longer. Offer handsome rewards for anyone who brings news of the seller.” He continued before she could speak. “How many meetings do I have left?”
“Just one, Guildmaster,” Cyra said grimly, “a Di-affinity Master, Sundri – referred by Guildmaster Gravious.” She paused. “He believes he had found the first human Grandmaster.”
The elf’s tiredness vanished, replaced by curiosity. “Really now...” He sat up. “A mere human, no more than two centuries old, became a Grandmaster?”
Cyra smiled weakly as she stood up and bowed. “I’ll let him in,” She offered. Pleased that her master was in a better mood yet dreading what was to come. She was sure the information to be false, and it was only the mage who would bear her master’s rage, but she took no pleasure in seeing her master disappointed.