Volume 2 Chapter 2

“......Another nightmare.” They’d been happening almost nightly since my encounter with that red-haired fellow.

“Great way to start the day.” I yawned and stretched as I sat up in bed. I guess seeing a montage of your greatest failures and shortcomings every night isn’t very pleasant, but it sure does help you not want to lay back down.

“Wait a minute, where am I?” I opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar room. The room was dark, damp, and dingy, like a dungeon in some fantasy novel. The walls were made of cobblestone, and the doors and windows were barred shut, like some sort of ancient jail.... or a dungeon. To top it all off, I was shackled to the bed.

“Yep, I’m in a dungeon” I answered aloud.

“What did I do to be put in some medieval jail!?” I shouted as I plopped back into bed.

Wow, what a way to start the day. Shackled up in a nasty dungeon. Why am I here? Did I get kidnapped? I’m not wearing prison clothes, I’m in my normal outfit. Oh no, I hope this isn’t THAT kind of dungeon kidnapping. How did I end up in this situation?

“Let’s see, we fought those guys, Diran saved me like normal, I had some internal introspective, then..........Oh yeah! Roku and I left the team and then went and..........Oh”

“That’s right, you and your compatriot were caught entering our settlement without proper immigration forms, no work papers, no letter of visitation or transfer, and no forms of identification.” A female guard had opened the door.

“Oh....shit.” That’s right. We left the plateau, came to this medieval fantasy town, and were arrested for sneaking in. How was I supposed to know the innerworkings of their border policies?

“So, what’s going to happen to me? And where’s Roku?” The mention of my ‘compatriot’ caused the guard to freeze.

“That...That thing, that beast. It was-it was impossible to contain! None of the guards stood a chance! It was no man; it was a monster!” The guard's voice shook as she seemed to relive the previous night's events.

“Oh no, what has he done!? How many people did he kill, how much destruction did he cause!?” The only person that could stop Roku is Diran, but he isn’t anywhere close. In this medieval fantasy town, I doubt there is a way to contact him either!

This is a worst-case scenario. If Roku is on a rampage, this whole town will be reduced to nothing but rubble. Before he joined us, he was a force of sheer destruction. He ventured through life leaving a trail of blood, pain, and misery in his wake. He was unstoppable.....until he was stopped.

If that same Roku is now on the loose, then nothing can save us now.

“Oh, he didn’t hurt anyone. We got him to calm down and now he’s waiting in the lobby.” The guard dispelled my panic.

“...What? If he didn’t do anything, then why were you freaking out!?”

“Because we knew it’d make you panic.” The guard began laughing at me.

“We saw how strong he was, and just convinced him to calm down and have you explain yourselves. But look at you, look how red you’re getting!” The guard began to laugh even harder.

“Really? This is how this day is going to go? I wake up in prison, and am now made to be the fool? What happened to law enforcement protecting and serving!” This sucks. I’d rather go back to my nightmares than sit here getting mocked in jail.

“Did it work?” Roku peered around the door into my cell.

“Roku! What? You were in on this!?” My face grew even redder. Roku joined in as the cacophony of laughter grew even louder. Tears now streaked down the guard’s face as she stood pointing and laughing. This counts as cruel and unusual punishment, right?

“Enough! The chief will see you now!” a different guard had come to the cell. He was big, brutish, and had a large axe. Not the best weapon to use in narrow hallways, but it was intimidating. I don’t know how we didn’t hear the sound of his big clunky armor walking towards us.

“Cassidy, you escort the prisoners. I’ll stay at the back and make sure they don’t act on any...ideas.” The large man glared right at me as he said that last sentence.

“Yes sir! Move it criminal scum!” The female guard, Cassidy, poked me with a spear she’d somehow hid until now to try and get me moving.

“I can’t.” I said in response.

“What? Such prideful rebellion! Do you know what kind of position you are in?” Cassidy was taken aback by my response.

“No, I literally can’t. You guys have my shackled to the bed still.” I shook the chains binding my hands to the bed to accentuate my point.

“Ah! Very well then, I shall free your hands from that which shackles you down.” Cassidy grabbed a keychain from her belt and kneeled to unlock my shackles.

“Enough with the overplayed dialogue. This isn’t Shakespear, talk normal.” I rolled my eyes at Cassidy's overplayed tone.

“N-No! There is nothing fancy about this, this is just how I talk.” Cassidy seemed embarrassed to be called out on her dramatics.

“Oh? So, you weren’t trying to impress your superior.” I smirked as I said it. This is payback for embarrassing me.

“Enough! We shan’t keep the chief waiting any longer!” The guard with the axe stomped his foot on the ground as he yelled.

“Y-You heard him. Get moving!” Cassidy was startled by the guard's shout too.

We walked along a dark underground corridor. It was just like the cell I was in. Cobblestone walls, dimly lit halls. Classic dungeon architecture. I wonder if they have a hookshot hidden anywhere. As we continued, we came upon a stairwell.

“Great, just great.” the stairs extended far beyond where I could see. We must be pretty deep. It’s gonna take even longer than normal thanks to Gimli's older brother needing to cover up every square inch of himself with armor.

“Enough! I don’t want to hear anymore complaining out of you! It’s only five stories up!” He sternly said.

“Are you gonna start every sentence with ‘Enough!’?”

“I said enough!” The guard loudly stomped his foot to make his point. What once seemed intimidating, now seemed like a child throwing a fit.

“Alright, we’ll go.” We began the five-story climb, which was going to take us far longer than it should.

As we climbed the stairs, the walls slowly changed from cobblestone to a nice wood. The atmosphere began to change too. The stairs became well lit, the air was less heavy and damp. I guess it’s to be expected that the dungeon would be worse than the rest of the building.

“We’re here.” Cassidy announced as we exited the stairwell. In front of us was a big, wooden door. It had all the classic ornaments. Black metal hinges, a big metal handle, and had a nice varnish on it.

“......Do we just go in?” Cassidy asked her superior.... who was gasping for air.

Roku was struggling to hold his laughter in at the sight of the guard struggling to stay standing.

“I think we should just go in before we make things worse.” I said to Roku, holding in laughter myself.

“Just, give him a second.” Cassidy quietly said, embarrassed at her superior.

She pushed open the tall door, revealing an office. It looked the same as any office you’d see today, but with a few old timey liberties. Filing cabinets adorned the right side of the room, Stacks of paperwork sat next to a typewriter, a secretary’s desk was in the corner, and a nice potted plant was by the window on the left side of the room. Cute.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

In the center of the room, sitting behind a table, was the head honcho, the village chief.

“So, you are the two ruffians I’ve heard so much about.” She leaned forward in curiosity.

“Ha, ruffians.” Roku quietly said with a giggle, amused by the fancy words these people used.

“Roku!” I nudged him with my elbow to try and get him to stop. If we are going to live in this village, then this is my chance to smooth talk us out of trouble. I can’t have him messing it up.

“Yes, your chiefness, that is us. I apologize for any trouble we may have caused; we didn’t mean to trouble you.” I ended with an awkward bow.

Cassidy stifled a chuckle, amused at my attempted polite introduction.

“Yes, you have caused me trouble, more than you know, and more than you should have.” She didn’t seem to like my apology.

“Oh, well-”

“Stop, I don’t want to hear it. You’ll hear what I have to say first.” The chief interrupted me before I even began.

“A couple border hoppers, trying to sneak into my town. From where did they come, and for what purpose are they here. Those are the two questions on my mind.” She glared at Roku and I as she said it.

“Well ma’am, they aren’t exactly ordinary sneaks. For one, they didn’t even try to sneak in. They just strolled into the town as if they didn’t even know the concept of documentation.” Cassidy said.

“Yes, Cassidy. I am aware of that. They wouldn’t be up here if they were any ordinary people, now, would they?” She stared into Roku’s eyes as she spoke.

If eyes could be described as piercing or dagger-like, then hers were like broadswords. Two huge, sharp, intimidating broadswords. I didn’t know much about the chief, but from the way she carried herself, I could tell she was not to be trifled with.

“No, you are not ordinary. In fact, the ten guards we deployed were unable to restrain you. If you wanted to, I’m sure you could have killed all of them, couldn’t you? But...you didn’t. Instead, you did exactly what your little friend here-”

“Little?” I’m the same height as Roku.

“Your little friend here.” she sternly repeated the phrase while glaring at me. I don’t think she liked getting interrupted.

“When your friend told you to wait and go along with them, you did just that. Even though he was cuffed, restrained, and knocked out, you did as he said. You could have easily defeated those guards, freed him, and tried to escape or even tried and take the town for yourselves, but you didn’t. What I want to know, is why.” She turned away from Roku and faced me.

“Judging by the look on that one’s face, I assume you’re the talker.” She addressed me.

I didn’t know much, scratch that, I didn’t know anything about this place; But I could tell that this conversation was going to decide everything. It’s like she said, Roku could have defeated the guards. He could have freed me, who apparently experienced police brutality. We might have even been able to try and take the town, but we didn’t.

I can’t tell her the truth; I don’t know what they’d think. I have no idea what they know of the plateaus or what their views on them are. I made a big mistake coming here without knowing anything. I was too full of myself, too ambitious. Realistically we could probably fight our way-out of this, but then we’d have to go crawling back to Diran. I am not going to do that. Especially after I made such a big deal out of my exit.

“So, you’d like to know why we are here. That’s understandable. It’s normal that you’d be curious and cautious when two high powered individuals appear in your town, with no intent to cause violence. Two people who are ignorant to the ways of your society.” Talking my way out is the only way out.

“I could tell you we came from the town over; I could say we came from some far-off country. I could say we were transported from another world, or even that we fell from the sky. I could tell you whatever lies I want. But it wouldn’t matter, would it?”

“Get to the point.” The chief already seemed annoyed at my theatrics.

“My point is, we are here for a reason. Not here in the town, but here in this office. We wouldn’t be here if you didn’t have a reason to bring us here. Not just curiosity, not just security, you already have a plan for what you are going to do with us. What I say won’t change that. This isn’t a trial...it’s a job interview.”

“Oh?” The chief leaned forward in her chair, finally interested in this conversation.

“Where we are from, who we are. None of those matters. But our reason, our purpose in being here...well, let's just say it benefits both of us." I imitated her and leaned forward in my chair.

“Really? Wouldn’t that be convenient for you? But is that how this is going to go?” She smiled an amused smile. I couldn’t tell if she was actually listening to what I was saying or just found my attempted negotiation to be a nice distraction.

“Yeah, of course! It has to be beneficial to both of us for it to be business! Just talk with me for a second Chief....” I just realized I hadn’t gotten her name.

“It’s Cassidy. Chief Cassidy.” She answered bluntly.

“Huh? But isn’t she?” Roku pointed to the other Cassidy in the room.

“Yes. Have you never heard of two people sharing a name?” She rolled her eyes at Roku’s contribution to the conversation.

“Anyways, Chief Cassidy, what I’m trying to say is that those things don’t matter. The truth is, we wouldn’t be here in the chief's office, if you thought we were a danger to the town, and you sure as hell wouldn’t bring two dangerous individuals in here with those two as your only security.” I pointed at Cassidy and the big guard, still trying to catch his breath from the stairs.

“And what if I don’t need security, and am perfectly capable of handling you on my own?” She gave a slight grin, amused at the conversation that was unfolding.

“That’s beside the point, what I’m trying to prove is that we are not a threat to your town, and that even you know that. We’d rather avoid talking about where we came from, and that’s because it goes against our reason in coming here...” I trailed off mysteriously.

The manner in which a conversation is conveyed is just as important as what's said. It’s like a joke, a perfectly good one can be ruined by a bad delivery. The same principle applies.

To me at least, a conversation is a battle of words. A game of chess, a hand of poker, an interview. In these things you only give the other person the information you want them to have, you manipulate them into playing their hand right into yours, you use them to advance your own goal. That is how I am approaching this, because I cannot go back.

“...Which is?” The Chief was intrigued. All the theatrics I’ve done lead up to this, where I finally play my hand.

“We came here...to restart. We came for a better life, a new life. Where we come from doesn’t matter, who we were doesn’t matter, as that is behind us, as we try to begin life anew.” I put on my best display of emotion as I delivered these lines.

Chief Cassidy paused for a second to think. I could see a million scenarios playing through her head. I don’t think my previous assumptions were wrong, but it is clear that she isn’t taking us lightly. Perhaps she is thinking in the same way I am, playing only the cards she wants to play, divulging only the information she wants to give, trying to put us into the position she wants us to be.

“...Okay, let's assume that is true. That this is some new chance at life for you both, that you simply want to live a peaceful new life here. Why should I let you? What can you offer me? What do you both bring to the table?” She leaned back in her chair as she ended her response.

I quickly hid a grin. It had gone just as I wanted it to, and just how I expected it to go. Her last two lines, what would we bring to the table, and how would she benefit reveal exactly what she wants. She wants to make use of Roku and I’s strength. Probably mostly Roku’s, as I had apparently given myself up willfully, but the point stands. She wants our power.

With her being the chief and all, it makes a lot of sense that she’d have to have us pitch to her instead of her trying to recruit us, but thankfully that’s exactly what we want. A new beginning, a fresh start out of Diran’s shadow. We can rise to the top of the ranks, be the best of the best. I can finally be the main character of my story.

“We bring our strength. You may not have seen my power, and you haven’t seen the full extent of the indescribable strength that Roku has, but you have seen some of it. If you allow us to live here, you’ll have the full use of two people unlike anything you’ve ever seen!” My emotions, my resolve was not feigned this time. I will restart my life, I will undo my past mistakes, I will not be a side character anymore.

“...So, you want work Visas to work as Adventurers?” Chief Cassidy seemed almost let down that our reason for coming here was that simple. Either that or she was disappointed that this game of negotiations had ended so soon.

“Well, when you put it that way, I guess it seems simple. For us this is a big deal, but I guess for you guys this is just normal business, right?” I smiled a friendly smile. It is just business, to them the only thing special about us is the way we arrived here. We will be special in their eyes soon enough.

“Well, you haven’t given me a reason to refuse. I'll get the proper forms. Once you fill out your identification, registration, and join a team you’ll be all set.” The remaining tinge of excitement in Chief Cassidy’s eyes had extinguished as she went into full business-mode.

“Wait....What if we want to make our own team, our own adventuring party?” If we are coming here to restart, I’d rather not have to answer to another ‘Diran’.

“...I guess that’s possible.” For a split second, a spark was in her eyes. Maybe I didn’t have her motivations completely figured out yet.

“Are you sure? I should tell you the risks that this decision will have.” Cassidy showed no emotion on her poker face as she said it.

“There are advantages to having your own party of course, you get free housing for your whole team after all. But if you fail just three missions, your party is dissolved, you lose the house, and for you two at least, you will lose your work permits and be forced to leave.” She spoke as if reading off a checklist.

“You wouldn’t have those same risks in a verified party, which is a team that has completed our verification process and is legally recognized as a guild.” This fantasy town keeps surprising me with its advanced legal system.

“We’ll gladly take on those risks.” I smirked. This was going to be even better than I expected. Not only will we get our own house, but if we do whatever their verification process is, we’ll become a guild! I'm not sure exactly what that means here, but it sounds enticing.

“If that’s what you want. Let’s go over all the legal agreements. Your legal standing, rights, pay, liability, how your work will.... work, the proper way to accept missions-”

As the Chief explained what sounded like the instruction manual in an RPG, my mind became preoccupied. This was it; this was my new beginning, my own story, outside of the confines of my previous life. I won’t be watching my story unfold from the sidelines, I am going to be the protagonist.