Just after the Hafeld Adventurer Guild Master first learned of dungeon attack, Keegan left the city and headed to the outlaying farmlands to speak to the remaining members of the Sunkiss team and try to correct a terrible mistake.
The Margrave family once enjoyed the benefits of a noble family. That was until Grant Margrave, the second son of the family married a commoner without the permission of the family. Despite his love for Margaret, Grant quickly discovered that nobles considered blood far more importantly than love.
To offset the shame, he brought on the family, and to protect Margaret who would no doubt be on the receiving end of his family’s ire. They were forced to move to a new realm in a city called Port New Hope. Even there, Grant realised Margaret and he would not be safe. His family might seek revenge, at least he wouldn't put it past them to do something like that.
With two newly born children he decided to move their family out of reach to a new city called Hafeld deep in the interior. The translocation to the new realm came at a cost. He couldn't rely on his family's wealth to support them, nor did he have any transferable skills as a noble. All he could do was come in as a farmer labouring on his land, and even that would prove to be difficult.
“Josh, remember to scrub the horses down. The last time you forgot to do that, and I had to do all your work. It's your responsibility to look after the horses. I'm not going to tell you again.”
His eldest son, Josh, proved to be a difficult one. He didn't adjust easily to farm life, preferring the call of adventuring. Granted mind giving him what he wanted but every spare copper bit they owned helped get him into the adventuring guild. Luckily, he got on well with the guild master, and managed to secure a good training regime for Josh.
At first Josh performed well, perhaps too well. It worried Grant that his son seemed overconfident in his own abilities, and it didn't help that is fighting ability amplified that situation in him.
As it turned out, Josh's team Sunkiss failed catastrophically during their final exam leading to the death of one of the teammates, someone Grant came to know and like over time. Aryan was a worrier, she always approached things from the more conservative perspective. Grant hope that her presence in Sunkiss would attenuate his son’s enthusiasm and make him more level-headed.
Unfortunately, her death led to the extreme opposite and instead of insinuating it totally quenched Josh's spirit.
“Josh, I'm planning to plough the fields tomorrow make sure you're here first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Don't worry dad you don't need to tell me like a kid. I'm already an adult.”
Grant quickly forgot that his son already proved himself beyond that of a child he didn't need to be mollycoddled. He decided to start treating him like an adult, perhaps a change his flippant attitude.
In many ways Josh came to the farm to mentally recover. He wouldn't be a good farmer, he never was. Unlike his younger brother who liked the earth and the nature around him. There was no brotherly connection between the two of them, they lived in totally different worlds.
Grant hoped that something would intersect Josh's life and help pull him out of his deep depression. He knew his son well enough to know that he took Aryan's death personally and blamed himself for it. No doubt Josh replayed those moments in his life over and over trying to figure out how he could have done it differently.
It would have continued like that had it not been for a surprise visit from the their ex-team leader, Keegan. Keegan arrived in the afternoon with news from the guild. He found them working the fields and both Grant and Josh listen to Keegan's unusual request.
“I want to apologise to you Josh. I made many mistakes, and I didn't understand that I was making them. I know you blame yourself for Aryan's death, but I see myself as ultimately responsible.”
“What you mean?”
Asked a surprised Josh.
“I should have pulled the plug a long time before we got into trouble. It was my call and I stuffed up.”
“It's great saying that now, but that doesn't bring Aryan back to life.”
“No, it doesn't. And I must live with that with the rest of my life. I have to apologise to her family one day and accept responsibility for her death.”
Josh quietly cried as Keegan explained his feelings on the situation.
“Don't think this makes it right. I'm still mad at you. You didn't even speak to me at Aryan's funeral. You didn’t bother to speak to Macie and William. Have you even spoken to them yet?”
“No, but I will soon when I'm done here. There's another reason I wanted to speak to you about.”
“What's that?”
“A few days ago, bandits attacked a wagon convoy just south of Hafeld. A small girl with the name of Annie survived and managed to escape. She asked the guild master to issue a quest to save her family. He's done that and the going to send out people to catch up with some of the bandits that captured her family. I want us to join that quest as Sunkiss once again. I know that Aryan would have wanted that.”
“I dunno. It sounds like one of your stupid ideas again?”
“So, you saying you’re not interested?”
“No that’s not what I’m saying dumbass.”
“How are you planning to get there.”
Asked Grant work to that point could believe the change in his son. Just a few words and all is depression disappeared in moments. He didn't like the idea of Josh charging off on a dangerous quest fighting bandits, but he knew that if his son didn't do that, he would live the depressing life of a farmer he never wanted to be. He needed to give his son a small push it seemed.
“We will probably ride with whomever can give us a lift, or we will walk.”
“Don't bother, I have a better idea. Josh, take four of our best horses and set them up for riding. You going to need them, and I don't want my son, or any of his team suffering in this quest.”
Macie's house lay inside the city walls, on the way to William’s house which lay on the opposite side of the city outskirts. They found Macie at home. She proved to be harder to convince. “You’re both a bunch of real…”
She used a word that caused both Josh and Keegan to wince. Keegan never spoke to her after Aryan’s death so he could understand her sentiment. His silence told her and the rest that he blamed them.
He unconsciously clenched his hands, rubbing his fingers against his sweaty palms.
“That’s my fault. I didn’t know what to do and I blamed everyone else for what happened.”
“That’s rubbish and you know it!”
The fury evident in her voice.
“You’re right. I realise that now. I hope you’ll forgive me for being so stupid.”
His words deflated her anger somewhat, but she still felt angry at him. At least she started thinking about his proposal.
“You want to fight the bandits?”
“Yes, that’s the idea.”
“Why does that sound like a bad idea?”
“Probably because it is.”
“Argh. I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”
“If it’s any consolation, the moment Grud or anyone else sees us, we’ll be sent back home. Chances are we won’t even get close to the fighting.”
“Regardless. I’m not going to allow you two idiots to go and kill yourselves. Mom!”
From the sitting room, Macie called her mother who appeared from the kitchen carrying tea and biscuits.
“Hello dearie, I’m coming. Sorry for taking so long, I wanted to give you a bit of time to talk. Macie usually doesn’t bring friends home… it’s so good to see you both.”
Keegan recalled that neither he nor Josh visited Macie’s house before and wondered how they managed to train together for an entire year and never meet Macie’s parents or visit their home. It reminded him how little he knew about Macie, or the others for that matter. Josh was the only team member and friend he ever visited before, even William remained something of an enigma.
“Mom, you didn’t need to do that.”
Indicating the tea and biscuits.
“Nonsense dearie, just sit there and let your friends have some tea.”
While she served the hot beverage, Macie described the reason for their visit.
“Oh dear. That sounds frightfully dangerous. Will you be alright?”
Macie’s mother exclaimed as if hearing the news during a weekly visit to the local crochet club. The other two didn’t know how to react; was Macie’s mother being facetious or did she genuinely feel happy to send Macie on her way.
“We are probably not going to be involved in the main fighting, if they see us there, I suspect we will be sent home.”
“Oh, I see. How long will you be gone for?”
Macie looked to Keegan for an answer.
“A month apparently, my lady.”
“Oh, oh. He is so dashing calling me a lady. You never mentioned he was such a gallant young man.”
“Please mom, don’t do that.”
“What? I’m only being kind to these two friends of yours.”
Keegan knew Macie wanted to desperately cut the conversation short and leave. He started to understand why Macie never invited them home. No doubt her mother keenly wanted to become a mother-in-law and grandmother.
“Where’s your dad?”
Asked Josh innocently, looking around the small interior as if expecting Macie’s father to walk out of the bedroom or something. Macie’s mother smiled in a peculiar way, as if recalling a sad event.
“I’m sorry. Macie’s father died a while ago. I’ll save you the whole tragic story other than to say they found him dead, apparently killed by the ornamental fishpond outside. They say he drank too much that evening, tripped and fell, drowning in water only a foot deep. No one even heard him cry for help.”
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Josh regretted asking the question, and quickly apologised for his indiscriminate faux pas.
“Oh no deary. Please don’t worry yourself; I doubt the man will be missed.”
She said, lightly patting Josh on the back of the hand.
“Oh my goodness, look at the time! We really need to get going, with preparations for the bandit subjugation and all. Come on Josh, time to go. Thank you so much for the tea and biscuits, we really need to come some other time again.”
“Please do. Macie’s friends are always welcome to visit.”
If Keegan previously felt any regrets for not visiting Macie’s home before, it quickly disappeared as they exited the door.
“Wait!”
Called Macie.
“I’ll come with you to see William. Mom, I’ll be back soon to pick up a few things.”
“Okay dearie, see you soon.”
Unlike Josh, William lived further away on a farm far out on the city outskirts. Hafeld’s city walls couldn’t encompass all the miles of surrounding farms even if they wanted to. That meant farmers and their families lived lives somewhat exposed to beasts coming out of the northern forest, although the adventurers sorted out anything the farmers couldn’t handle. William’s farm lay furthest out from all the rest, closest to the forest. As they approached, they appreciated the proximity of his family’s farmhouse against the well-defined line of trees highlighting the disparity between forest and farm.
Unfortunately, William’s parents turned out to be anything but accommodating. They didn’t like the idea of their eldest son going to battle and made it clear.
“Sonny, I’m not going let William go and get himself killed on some fool’s errand against bandits.”
Said William’s father speaking rather sternly to them. William on the other hand didn’t look happy about his parents’ decision, but instead of speaking his mind, he kept quiet. William must be raging internally, Keegan thought as he suddenly received an epiphany. William’s bulky frame dwarfed everyone in that discussion, and yet he behaved as if he were the smallest person there. Keegan always assumed William’s quiet and resolved nature came due to some sort of inner peace but thinking about all the occasions in the past where William acted so secure, he realised what a big misjudgement he made. What William truly desired was self-confidence.
“It’s a pity William won’t be joining us.”
Pouted Josh.
“Yeah, it’s not going to be the same without him.”
Macie seconded the motion. Keegan shared the other’s sentiment.
“Don’t worry. We will still do the best we can.”
Keegan's next hurdle to overcome lay in the adventurer guild. The guild proved to be far busier than usual, with people pressing from all sides for assorted reasons. Suri and Renata found their hands busy ever since the guild issued the bandit subjugation request. Adventurers requesting information, organising of the three groups especially the support team to follow the main attack force. Food, water transport everything people took for granted had to be arranged and confirmed and paid for. And all of that done by yesterday.
So, when Renata found herself facing the Sunkiss team, well at least three of them, she didn't really have much time for talking.
“Keegan, how can help you guys? Sorry we can't talk too much as you can see is pretty hectic and here.”
“Hi Renata. Sorry to bother you, but we would really like to take part in this quest.”
“You realise that your team disbanded, right?”
“We know that. What we are asking isn't strictly legit but under the circumstances you need everyone you can get, and we really need this.”
Renata thanked the heavens that the ambient noise levels hit their discussion. If the guild master got to hear about it there would be hell to pay.
“Don't give me those puppy dog eyes. You guys know what you're asking.”
“I'll do whatever you want, just name it.”
Renata felt a something poking to her ribs. Sue's finger pointed at her.
“Come on Renata. Now's your chance you have been waiting for.”
Suri edged her on.
“You heard that?”
“Of course, how could I miss it. I'm katkin I've got good hearing.”
“What you say ladies, can you help us?”
Keegan considered whether he should start to beg on his knees but that might attract a lot more attention than he wanted.
“Why don't you guys count me in as well?”
William’s voice behind them caused everyone to swing around in surprise.
“What are you doing here?}
Cried Josh.
“Am I not a member of the Sunkiss team?”
“What about your father?”
“He'll get over it.”
Keegan realised what a sacrifice William made by coming to the guild. No doubt his father would be very upset.
Perhaps this was beginning of William discovering his voice. But there would no doubt be a price to pay. Keegan hoped it wasn't too big a price.
“I take it you're not going home?”
“You take it right. I had to sneak away which means most of my stuff stays at home so guess what, you are going to have to find me some stuff. Consider it punishment for stunt you pulled on us.”
At that moment Keegan felt so glad he couldn't argue against William. They were well and truly all neck deep into it.
“I can help you out. But none of you heard it from me. I'll give you all a temporary guild membership. Just tag along and pretend you part of the team. Whatever you do stay clear of the guild master, or anyone that might recognise you for that matter. Do you understand?”
Judging by the nods and smiles they clearly understood her.
“And don't get yourself killed.”
Added Suri.
“I want to go too.”
Demanded the young voice of Tommy standing next to them.
“Where did you come from? Have you been standing there all this time.”
Renata demanded.
“Of course. But I'm coming with.”
“You can't Tommy. It's dangerous and the guild master would never let you go.”
Despite his youthful age, the indomitable Tommy learned to never let an opportunity go, especially when he held an important card in his hands. A card he decided to play.
“But you are not telling the guild master either.”
Keegan and the rest realised Tommy was subtly blackmailing them. Keegan couldn't believe Tommy would pull one like that on them. But come to think of it, Keegan felt they would miss the opportunity to prove themselves. If Sunkiss didn't go on this quest, he didn't know if they would ever overcome the doubts and fears that plague their minds ever since Aryan's death. Tommy’s demand threatened to destabilise their plans.
Tommy realised that he may have pushed the limits of his request and to recover what he could, he offered a compromise.
“I’ll go with the last supply team. I’m sure there won’t be any fighting there.”
“You know you can’t go alone Tommy.”
Suri employed a last if desperate ploy to keep Tommy from going.
“If I can find someone to go with me, will you let me go?”
“Sure.”
Suri hoped her answer seemed noncommittal enough to put the eager boy off trying to go, but somehow knowing Tommy, she thought it a lost cause.
The rest, as they say, is history. As we know, Sunkiss came to play their part in the bandit subjugation, Tommy obviously found someone to chaperone him, and everyone got into trouble with the guild master for their troubles.
With reluctance, William returned home to face an irate family, incensed on his sudden disappearance, especially over an important harvesting period. “The lack of concern about his sudden disappearance really surprised William. Or rather the level of concern. It seemed while he was away the farm had experienced an onslaught of beasts exiting the forest. When William knocked on the front door, imagine his surprise when his mother answered the door but not before unbolting every lock on the door, some of which he didn't know they even had. He wondered if someone placed more security on the door since he left. A sense of foreboding eclipsed his private concern about his return home.
Something seemed off about the farm and it all came back to him. The lack of people harvesting the fields, missing farm animals animals and as he discovered everyone locked up at home.
“William! Thank goodness you've returned home safe.”
The look of his mother's relief at seeing him made him feel guilty about leaving them without warning.
“Hi mom, is everything okay?”
“Come in son, quickly.”
She physically pulled him in and bolted the door behind him.
“What's wrong?”
His mother hugged him and kissed his cheeks, and for the first time he noticed tears forming in her eyes.
“There's been a few things happening since you been gone. Put your stuff down by the door and come quickly we need to bring you up to speed quickly.”
He followed her to the living room where he found the woman and children from the surrounding farms all sitting there looking particularly gloomy.
“Where is everybody?”
His father and brothers were missing from the room, and he didn't notice them in the fields when he approached the house.
“They're out fighting beasts with the other farmers.”
“Why would they be doing that in the middle of the harvest?”
“Since you been gone there's been an incursion of beasts the likes of which we've never seen before. Our family and the surrounding farmers have banded together to try and sort out the problem.”
William could already jump to conclusions based on that information. That the beast incursion needed the entire region's farmers to band together meant the problem was particularly bad.
“How bad is it?”
“It's awfully bad. Randy's son nearly died a few days ago when a beast suddenly burst out of the forest and attacked him while he was harvesting in the fields. Only Randy’s quick action saved the boy and he managed to deter the creature.”
William only needed to see Randy's distraught wife sitting there to realise the severity of the attack. His mum continued explaining.
“At first, we thought the beast was random attack, but soon more came from the forest and it became impossible to harvest. Even our animals are locked up and dare not be released in case it draws the beasts to them.”
“What manner of beasts are taking us?”
Never had any beasts attacked like that before. None that William could think of, and he had hunted in those forests nearly all his life.
“We don't know what they are. None of us have seen them before, and they attack with such unusual speed.”
“Have you approached the guild for help?”
“At first, we thought we could deal with the beasts since it’s what we always do. But the problem became worse since yesterday. We sent a messenger this morning but haven’t heard anything back from him since. We fear he may have been caught by the beasts.”
“I’ve come from the guild, nobody there said anything about beasts and the farmlands, and I didn’t see anything on the quest board about it. I think the messenger never made it there.”
William considered himself lucky to have made it home without being attacked.
“We can’t do anything now until the men arrive from the hunt. Rest, and make yourself comfortable hopefully they shouldn’t be too long.”
It felt good to be home, and yet William couldn’t feel at ease. A bedraggled and bloodied group of men arrived later that afternoon. William’s father didn’t even have the energy to berate his son and collapsed onto a chair.
“We hardly made it back. We underestimated the beasts. The deeper we walked into the forest the more of the beasts we discovered until we couldn’t go any further. The monsters poured out of a cave we never noticed before, not that we normally entered that deep into the forest in the past.”
“A cave you say?”
William interrupted his father. He needed to confirm his suspicion that their problem related to the birth of a new dungeon. If that were the case, it was like a two-edged sword. On the one side the monsters poured out but on the other side, money could be made with materials and minerals the dungeon provided.
“Yes, a large one at that. Clearly, this isn’t something we can deal with. We need the adventurer guild’s help. What did the guild say?”
“Well, about that…”
The news that the messenger never reached the guild sullied their mood further. However, farmers were not the type to sit and watch a problem become worse otherwise they would never get out of bed in the morning.
They carefully planned a way to reach the guild the next morning with a team large enough to get there. Those beasts were fast, so speed became imperative and horses were a must.
At the adventurer guild, Grud enjoyed listening to the hubbub of the adventurer guild once again while he leaned back on his chair with his feet on the table. The bandit subjugation quest finished, the guild returned to some form of normalcy and certain individuals received the due punishment they deserved for disobeying his instructions, Grud felt things were gradually returning to normal. Just the way he liked it.
“You seem happy with yourself.”
Melody commented dry in a way that only an elf could.
“Yes, very content, thank you.”
He hoped Melody hadn’t jinxed his relaxation by mentioning the obvious. He wasn’t superstitious but then he didn’t intend recklessly pushing any life-levers either. Best to change the subject, he thought.
“What’s news on the situation after our little bandit incident?”
Melody already knew that broadly defined questions Grud threw at her every now and then were intended more as a test of her ability and less an information gathering session.
“The bandits have all been sequestered into the labour guild and are being tasked with helping the new colonists settle in. Payback sucks.”
“Melody!”
“I’m sorry. Following the garrison’s unsuccessful attempt to deal with the bandits headed south, the mayor unilaterally declared that he beat all the bandits back to Blackrock. Obviously, he is hiding behind the guild’s success as if we won the entire thing. Think of that issue I recommend that we set up roaming patrols south of the city.”
Grud understood Melody’s thinking. Counting the cost of the entire bandit elimination, sending a few regular forays to the south
“It’s worrying that those bandits escaped, and I like your idea although I suspect the garrison commander doesn’t want us doing their job. Let’s call it a beast tracking and subjugation request with a focus on reporting unusual sightings and send adventurers a week’s travelling southwards.”
“Very well, I’m assuming a subjugation with horses. I suggest you discuss our plans with Commander Rothman at some stage.”
“I’ll pop in tomorrow. Best to send a courier and let him know I’m coming.”
“Very well. Then lastly, don’t you think your punishments on Suri and Renata have gone far enough?”
Grud chuckled at his selection of retribution at the duo’s obvious collusion with Sunkiss and more importantly, Tommy’s participation of the bandit subjugation. It took a lot of persuasion for Tommy’s mother not to pull him out of the guild for good. Personally, he wouldn’t blame her if she did. His final selection of punishment lay in the form of a wooden board each of the ladies wore around their necks. The boards said, ‘I’m a naughty kitty’ and ‘Tell Grud if I lie’. Each time an adventurer spotted the boards for the first time they would inevitably ask the obvious question, forcing the ladies to answer yet again.
“I didn’t want to dock their pay, they need it too much, nor did I want to stop them working for a time because we need them too much. I think it’s a convenient middle ground. Let them wear it for a few days longer.”
“Very well.
At that moment a tired and dusty looking William appeared at his door.
“Your name is William, right?”
Asked Grud, surprised at the sudden appearance of a member of Sunkiss.
“Yes sir.”
“Do you perhaps need some water?”
“Please sir.”
A glance at Melody sent her looking for another cup since a water pitcher already stood on Grud’s desk, although William looked parched enough to drink straight out of the pitcher.
“I have an urgent request for the guild?”
“I see. And what is that?”
“We want you to subjugate a new dungeon.”