Chapter 107
M'redith checked on her group as they returned through the portal. Aiden and Jay were still unconscious and were being transported to the Guild's Infirmary for treatment. Glenda had been split off from the rest of the group as a number of people from the Guild Library had arrived as well as a few members of the Librarian's Guild.
M'redith hadn't been aware that there even was a librarian's guild up until that moment. They were very serious looking women and men and had repeatedly shushed the portal house employees that had attempted to prevent them from using the spare room. The employees finally gave up, there was just no use in arguing with a librarian – and especially not with a group of them. They could be a bit terrifying, each of them seven feet tall.
The Red Guard were already filing out of the room and M'redith hadn't even managed to thank them for saving her group. She also should probably apologize for cussing out the Red Guard who had dragged her away from the battle. She had said a few rather unflattering things that she would like to take back if the Red Guard allowed it.
After a commotion she was alone in the room with Norri, the Red Guards having left, probably to do an after action review – something that M'redith would have liked to do with her group as well if only her group were all still conscious.
M'redith finally noticed Norri sitting at a round table in the room with her eyes closed and a pleased smile on her face. “Hmm. We made it back!” She didn't open her eyes as she spoke. She was too tired. It was late and the commotion of returning had been the last straw for Norri. She had sat down and hadn't gotten up since.
Things probably would have been easier if it weren't for their titles still showing. “Pan-dimensional Librarian” was quite a title. The librarians that had met Glenda had been especially interested in it. How did she get it? When specifically did she get it? Most importantly, how did someone else get one of those titles? The librarians' interest was one part curiosity and one part jealousy.
M'redith took a seat near Norri and let out a deep breath. They had made it. To Ashagi and back. And they had gotten their Rods of Siphoning. They now had two out of three of the items they would need, the Spirit Casters and the Rods of Siphoning. They just needed to find the final book. Something about capers she thought but M'redith couldn't remember the exact title.
A man walked in to the room, impeccably dressed, just as M'redith had finished her musings. “M'redith? Norri? If you would like to come with me please Walter would like to meet with you if you have the time. He suggested that you two were already familiar with him and wouldn't find the suggestion off-putting.”
Norri opened one eye and peered at the man all done up in a tuxedo like outfit, cummerbund and all. “What if we find Walter off-putting?”
The man ogled at Norri before he calmed himself, “Ma'am I assure you Walter is not.. off-putting.”
Norri chuckled as she opened both eyes and shared a smile with M'redith. “Sure. We'll go. Where to?”
The man bowed to the two of them as they rose from their seats and walked over to the door where he stood waiting for them. “Redgrass Ma'am. Walter intimated that you would find that location suitable.”
M'redith nodded. It was a nice touch setting up their meeting at a location that Walter knew would make them comfortable. The meeting would have been even more comfortable if they had all of the members of their group with them instead of just Norri and herself. She wasn't worried about Jay and Aiden per se, she would just feel much better when they had returned to their group healthy and conscious.
The tuxedo clad man walked them out of the portal house and outside to the courtyard where a black and gold gilded carriage waited just for them. The driver was already in his seat and prepared to go at a moments notice. The tuxedo wearing man opened the doors for the two women and held their hands for balance as they entered.
The man closed the doors. The women could hear the outside noises of the city right up until that point. After the doors closed it was silence, a warm soft silence that they both sunk in to as the carriage pulled in to traffic. The carriage's suspension was superb and they were barely even jostled as the carriage rolled along the stone city streets and over ruts and potholes.
M'redith fell asleep halfway there and Norri had to gently poke her awake. She leaned away as she did so just in case M'redith struck out when she woke. One never knew how someone would react to being awoken after returning from a dungeon run. Or from whatever one called what they had been doing. Adventuring? Norri wasn't sure that was the right word for it but it would do.
M'redith startled as she came to and Norri quietly shushed her and told her everything was ok. A moment later and M'redith had come back to her senses and rubbed her eyes until she once again felt awake. “Thanks. I think I need a nap.”
Norri laughed just as the carriage came to a halt. “I think we all do.” she said as the doors were opened from the outside.
The crowd in front of Redgrass were well known for being well off. These were not teenagers and down on their luck workers just looking for a good time. No, the crowd in front of Redgrass was packed with the rich and well-off. The crowd was made up of people rich enough to be upset at having to wait in line. Still, they waited, because Redgrass was one of the higher end establishments in the city and everyone who was anyone wanted to party there.
So it was a bit of a surprise for the mass of rich and powerful people who waited there when they saw a very expensive carriage arrive and disgorge not one but TWO dirty leather armor wearing women. Both of which looked a bit worse for wear.
Norri and M'redith had just been hiding in the forest, burrowing in to the dirt itself in an attempt to not be found. When that had failed they had fought instead of hid. Neither of those two activities helped their appearances. They both looked like they had spent a night fighting in a forest – because they had.
Their hair was dirty and matted to their heads. Norri's still had a stick in it that she hadn't yet noticed. It gave her a wild appearance that was not entirely unattractive. M'redith looked as if she had just awoken from a morning slumber, her eyes puffy and half lidded. The pair of them looked exhausted.
The two women were instantly self conscious as they looked around them at a sea of glittering gowns, dresses, and jewelry all sparkling darkly under the soft moonlight. Still, as the two were assisted by the tuxedo wearing man in stepping out of the carriage a hush went over the crowd as they saw something far fancier than a gown or glittery necklace.
They had titles. Pan-dimensional Librarian read above both of their heads in bold blue letters whenever someone inspected them, and an uncountable number of people were doing just that.
“What does that mean?” asked more than one person in the crowd whereas others stood quietly and made educated guesses as to what the titles might mean. Whatever the title meant the fact that the two women even had them told the crowd that they were not normal women and to tread carefully when dealing with them.
Titles were a thing of legend – and here walked two legends!
Some of the crowd had heard that the owners wore masks and had titles but had written it off as superstition or sheer foolishness. The two women may not be the owners but they did have titles, something not seen elsewhere in all of Eden as far as the crowd was aware.
A murmur spread throughout the crowd as the footman in front of the building's door yelled out, “Glimmerhide Group! Arriving!” A second footman further inside the building repeated the announcement for those already enjoying themselves in Redgrass' front room.
A person of royal lineage would be announced as so and so of wherever they rule. Caitlyn, Duchess of Fancyville, or Gregor, Baron of Busyland. Those in command were announced as the command itself. A captain of a ship named the Flying Dutchman would be announced as the Flying Dutchman, and a person in command of an adventuring group would be announced as the adventuring group itself.
It seemed that word had gotten around that M'redith was in charge of the Glimmerhides, so when she arrived it was not her name that was announced, but that of her registered adventuring group.
As the footman finished his call a number of people in the crowd muttered and pointed at the devices the women both wore on their collars, styled after the head of a Glimmerhide beast. They now all had a name to put to the titles. Glimmerhide Group. Word would spread throughout the city by morning thanks to the incredible number of gossips in the crowd. Nothing spread faster than interesting news.
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As M'redith and Norri walked to the front door the footman stationed in front of it opened it for them. Norri on a whim waved to the crowd and gave them a dazzling bright smile. For a moment it was quiet and then the crowd all started cheering and shouting, each of them trying to get Norri to tell them how she had gotten her title.
The crowd started to push in towards Norri and M'redith a bit and the footman looked at the two women pleadingly. Noticing the look M'redith placed a hand on Norri's shoulder and helped guide her in to the building. The footman shut the door behind them with a relieved expression.
“Why'd you rush us inside?” Norri asked with a slight pout.
“What? Were you trying to start a riot out there? The poor footman looked like he was going to cry!” M'redith replied with a grin as she poked Norri in the side.
Norri's armor, which she wore under her robes, took the brunt of the poke, and Norri grinned. “Didn't feel that at all.”
A young man who could only be described as beautiful approached the two of them. “Right this way Glimmerhides,” he said kindly as he led them on a path through multiple rooms. When they passed through the Dungeon Room area she paused for a moment.
Two groups were running a copy of the same dungeon and were neck and neck. It would be a close fight. The crowd seemed excited and bets were made constantly throughout the performance. Who won and who lost was the least of the bets placed. The crowd bet on anything it seemed and appeared to enjoy the betting just as much as the performance by the contestants.
The beautiful young man didn't even say anything but instead waited patiently as if this had been part of the plan all along.
Finally Norri nudged M'redith and M'redith smiled in thanks. She had almost nodded off a bit there and lost herself in the performance before Norri brought her back. “Sorry. I'm tired I think.”
The young man misunderstood her and thought she was apologizing to him. He blanched and shook his head. “No apologies necessary. I am here to assist you in any way you may require. I merely wish to point out that your host awaits your arrival.”
M'redith smiled sweetly if a bit tiredly and thanked him. “We can go now. I've seen all I need to.”
The man's smile never wavered and he happily led them on through a few more rooms until they reached a more private looking table in the back half of a room with what looked like a private dance floor. One half of the room was a dance floor, while the other half was a wide open seating area with couches set up in a u shaped design with a table in the middle.
Walter rose as the two women arrived and invited them to be seated on any of the three couches. Walter sat on the couch facing the front of the room and the two women picked a couch along the side wall and sunk in to it.
It was soft and fluffy and felt as if it enveloped them in warmth as they sat. It was quite comfortable. A wandering tune played in the background, not dance music but close. Instrumentals without vocals but with a steady beat.
“Welcome back.. librarians?” he said with a curious look.
Norri laughed, “That's right, it seems we are all honorary librarians now.”
Walter chuckled, “Er.. I'm not sure a title counts as honorary anything. I think it makes you an actual librarian in the eyes of Librarians anyway. I see that you two left your titles on since you returned to K'tharkle. Bold move. Any planning behind that or did you two just forget it was turned on in the first place?”
M'redith made a raspberry noise with her lips. “We were too busy fighting, running, and hiding to spare a thought for our titles. I suppose we could turn them off now but what would be the point?”
Norri smiled tiredly next to her and shrugged. “We're too tired to multi-task.”
Walter chuckled wryly as he spoke, “Well now that you're here I can tell you that your friends will be ok. They're still unconscious as the healers were concerned about cranial micro-fractures or something like that. They're going to receive a more thorough scan tonight but it seems that they are going to be just fine. They'll be woken tomorrow morning and most likely meet you at breakfast.”
“Mmmmmmm.” cooed Norri. “BREAKFAST.”
Walter laughed, “Not a fan of travel food?”
Norri shook her head and looked a little pale. “No.”
They sat with Walter for an hour during which time they went over what they had been up to. They started with their travel to the library. Walter listened attentively at first before taking out a notebook and writing set. He wrote a title at the top, 'Ashagi,' and then began to record what the two women related to him.
They described their travel through the forest, the building they reached, what Ashagi was like on the inside, the monsters, the people they met, the rooms they searched, they told Walter everything which he studiously wrote down one at a time.
They described the final return of the book along with the mad dash to escape the library itself, followed by a mad dash to escape the building the library was in, and finally finishing with the mad dash to escape in to the forest.
Walter stopped them there, “I've already spoken with the Red Guard, no need to describe the fight.”
M'redith looked guilty and sighed, “Did they mention me at all?”
Walter laughed, one sharp bark of a laugh. “They said you've got quite a mouth on you and can really struggle when you want to.”
Norri burst in to laughter as M'redith blushed furiously.
Walter took pity on M'redith, “Don't worry. It happens more often than you'd think. Still, I'd suggest buying them a beer. No more is needed and a free beer is always appreciated.”
M'redith nodded. She had been furious when one of the Red Guard had picked her up and dragged her off the field of battle. She wanted to stay with her group and fight. The Red Guard just wanted to rescue her and her group as quickly and as safely as possible. They were two competing desires and only one could win.
She had used swears she had only heard of as she was carried through the portal and had said some not very complimentary things to the Red Guard in an attempt to get him to let her go. It hadn't worked, the Red Guard was too professional for that, but she had still said the words. She would really like to apologize for that.
Seeing her expression Walter finally relented, “I'll put you in touch with them after you get your group back together. Maybe invite them here? I think they'd like that.”
M'redith nodded. “Absolutely.” She would get to apologize after all.
Norri's head fell forward and she jerked awake, pulling her head back up. “I need to go to bed. Now.”
M'redith nodded, “Thank you for the help, I'm assuming it was you?”
Walter smiled but gave a single tiny nod.
“Well thank you. But can we please go to sleep now?” M'redith pleaded.
Walter nodded. “Of course. You've given me everything I need for tonight. The carriage is still outside and will take you to the Guild. I'd turn off your titles before you get there though if you want any chance at all of reaching your rooms without interruption.
M'redith sighed and nodded. The two women's eyes appeared to lose focus as they went in to their settings and turned their titles off.
Walter smiled, “Sad to see them go. Seems to rile everyone up, titles are fun.”
“Good night Walter.” M'redith said pointedly as she got up and half dragged Norri to a standing position.
“Good night Glimmerhides.” he replied with a pleased smile.
The two women left the room and were immediately met by the same beautiful man from earlier. He happily escorted them to their carriage where the man in the tuxedo was only too happy to help them up and in.
Moments later the crowd outside Redgrass realized who the two were and went a bit wild with yelled questions and comments.
The women were only too happy to settle in to the silence as the carriage doors shut tight with a solid sounding click.
The ride to the Guild grounds was quiet and M'redith was fairly positive that Norri had passed out cold.
Some time later they arrived and the same tuxedo wearing gentleman helped them down and bid them goodnight. The two women walked along a now only too familiar path to the women's residential area. M'redith dropped Norri off first as she wasn't sure she'd make it to her room otherwise.
“Nite Norri. Hey – you did well out there. Get some sleep.” M'redith said before Norri closed the door behind her.
“Thanks. Nite.” Norri said and shut the door.
M'redith sighed and walked to her room. She let herself inside and quickly dropped in to bed still dressed in her boots and armor.
She was asleep within seconds.