Grant waited anxiously in the bar at the adventurer's guild for hours, drinking and waiting for the arrival of the young dragon.

Even the bartender/ chef was worried about him.

Speaking of which, the bartender here seemed related to the one he had met at the other guild, yet did not share the accent. How curious.

He also set an array up preemptively, to ensure that nobody would be peeking in on their conversation, guild master included.

Perhaps especially the guildmaster, given his closeness to the Thorsten family. He may be overthinking it, but if the guildmaster notices the uncanny resemblance between Richard, and well Richard it may cause more trouble than its worth. The guild master may be a demigod, but demigods aren't always privy to their parent's affair.

Pause

They were arriving right outside the gate.

WIth a snap of his fingers, Grant snapped his fingers and all caution in the mind of the guards away.

He didn't want them holding the group up, and causing bad feelings.

The lamia, no the wyrm was suspicious of him. CLearly the cautious type. As expected of the wyrm who could fight gods on equal stance. She didn't trust the unknown. A good guardian, though he'd need to speak to her, perhaps privately.

A demigod squirrel, related to Ratatoskr, named Pandemonium appropriately, short termed Panda even more appropriately. A miraculous result of the gacha feature of the system. One of his less favorite aspects of the system, but he understood its appeal.

An octopulse with kraken bloodline, and an Atlas blessed beetle type symbiote. Both results of the gacha.

The boy was clearly loved by fate, were it not for his tragic incident.

As for the boy?

Cautious as always, for better or for worse.

This was something he'd always had problem with, and even as his own descendant, this complaint had not rescinded.

A boy with such great luck, such blessing, that even in the worst of situations, he would never be in true danger.

The fact that the boy had come under the protection of a god-level wyrm spoke volumes.

Yet the boy was overly cautious. He was, amongst the first 100 players who had survived, he was perhaps one of the slowest. Not in levels, mind you, no he'd probably be somewhere at the top, but in terms of achievements he's done nothing.

Cautiousness is an admirable quality, but like all things, when carried to the extreme, it becomes a poison instead.

'Should I be harsh to him. '

Sometimes people who won't come out of their shell needs a hard knock to force them out of it.

It's also clear that he's very excited about seeing the rest of the world, after having been locked away in a temple his whole life.

All because of his father who had gotten him cursed by Nemesis...

Should he kill that bastard?

A dangerous flame filled Grant's eyes, and thousands of miles away the marquis fell over and choked, as he felt death itself looming over him.

He did not know why, but the marquis felt as if his death was upon him.

All it would take is a click, a snap, any small action and the man's head would roll from his shoulders.

And as quickly as death had appeared overed hm, it had disappeared.

No.

Not yet.

He still needed this foolish man.

Richard needed initiative, something to drive him.

He might hate the man for being a cruel monster, but Richard would hate him for ruining his life.

The fucker might even inspire the boy to be a bit reckless.

Good. Grant wasn't worried. The boy had such great karmic luck that frankly speaking ensured that he basically wouldn't die.

Tempering, that would be the marquis' destiny from here on out. And given he was chasing the girl player 15 was so infatuated with, this was a perfect opportunity.

Almost as if it were destiny...

Grant frowned. There it was again. Destiny interfering to ensure the boy's opportunities.

He watched the child wander around town before eventually heading towards the bar.

Grant began preparing as he quietly prepared the formation, and made it hard to detect.

There was a demigod upstairs, and he was likely to be more observant to the flow of energy, so the formation had to be very well made.

Grant positioned himself at the bar, as he puffed up his cloak, and dusted off everything

A drink was ordered as he turned towards the barkeep.

creak

The door opened and the formation went into effect.

It was interesting, watching the squirrel charge in first.

It was not told to, but did so in order to investigate.

Richard clearly had a penchant for attracting good friends around him.

The group cautiously prodded around the bar, attempting to communicate with people, only to find out that the people around them were indifferent to the group, subconsciously ignoring their existence.

Even if the group decided to murder someone in front of all of them, the people affected would only register it as a normal death. The only one who'd probably notice would be the guild master upstairs.

Grant wasn't worried about that of course. It was mostly a show of power, to establish his ability.

If he wanted the boy to take him seriously, the boy had to believe he had the power to back up his statements.

Otherwise he likely wouldn't even belief half of what was said to him today.

As for the boy...

Despite being generations down the line, he could still see some of his own features in that face, and some of... hers.

Hiisss

It made him uncomfortable, so he snapped.

"Alright, that's enough. I don't have all day you know."

The group who had entered the bar finally turned their focus to him.

As Richard analyzed himself, Grant noticed a trace of confusion on his face.

Likely his costume which looked like a raven sage or a plague doctor's get up was clashing with the actual combative gear, and confusing his sensibilities.

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The boy was even more confused, and disturbed as he drank. Made sense, for first time views, watching objects pass through the mask and disappear must be unsettling.

"My apologies, we've kept you waiting." Richard took the initiation to apologize, avoiding being confrontational in any sort of way.

Sigh Grant realized to get the boy to speak his thoughts more he'd have to drag them out of him.

Or irritate him enough that he can't help but ask.

Hmm. Polite as usual." Grant responded disdainfully.

The squirrel stepped forward, seemingly seeking to grab his attention.

"Howdy." He said stiffly.

Grant saw no reason to refuse greetings. There was a god chance that Panda, the squirrel would be important one day in the relations between Grant and Ratatoskr, the progenitor squirrel "Howdy."

The dragon boy, who was a being brought back from the prehistoric times, was ridiculously cute as he nodded politely to the old man called Grant, who really wanted to pinch the boy's cheeks, even shaking a little at the cuteness of the child.

Jealous. He was truly jealous.

The wyrm, despite saying hello, was being quite rude right now, trying to peer into Grant's soul.

Grant decided to let her have a little look, but restrained himself a little

To make sure she didn't go crazy or anything.

As her face turned in horror, Grant merely observed silently.

HIs soul wasn't quite something he was proud of after all, but a necessary shortcut that allowed him to speed through his cultivation.

"Well? You see anything yet?" Grant asked with a smile, impressed by the luck Richard had once again.

"Your age... It's... confusing. She said, as her horror slowly increased.

She is not a weak thing by any measure and in terms of pure output, could likely rival a mid tier God of faith. This ignores all other considerations of course, but this statement alone was worth a great deal of praise.

The man chuckled. "My soul is young, a merely millenium, and yet my mind, my mind is perhaps the oldest you've ever seen. Is that what confuses you dear?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Your mind is a horrid abomination, a cacophony of agony and despair twisting and turning, all of them seeking to consume one another in something that can only be called akin to hell." She stared at the man with confusion and mild fear. "What have you done to yourself?"

Grant merely looked at her, with no response.

Everything, he had done everything.

"you said that Lyssandra was in danger. What danger is she in?" He asked as he stepped forth, even as sister Alexandria's gaze warned him to stand behind her.

Grant's eyes flickered as he thought of something.

How much the boy reminded himself of when he was younger, minus the luck. Overly cautious, yet the recklessness when it came to friends.

Grant sighed quietly. His master really knew how to pick them. Then this was the right route then, Grant thought as determination filled him. This boy was indeed like him, and if he was like him so, then history could repeat itself.

He would not let this be.

"Bold, surprisingly bold given your nature child. Is friendship the bait needed?" He said, in a spine-tingling voice, ensuring he had their full attention. "I'll tell you, in all good time.

But first, don't you want to know a little more about your father? About why you were cursed?"

"I'd rather hear about Lyssandra more." Richard said firmly. There truly is no love for his father in his heart. Good. There will be no conflict of interest then.

"Ah, but the two are not separate things child. One leads to the other."

Richard's ears pricked up at that. "You mean my father is-" The boy realizes something as anxiety begins to show on his face.

"-Hunting your dear friend. " Grant interrupted. "As I said, these things are not separate subjects."

"Where is she!?" He looks even more frantic now.

Grant got up and looked at the boy, his body towering over the other. Panda quickly ran over, hissing, while RIchard's other two familiars quietly shook, ready for confrontation.

Grant did not take them seriously at all. But he was clad to see the reaction, to see the squirrel would not so easily abandon their master, or the other two. He knew of the contract spell that Richard was using, but truthfully such a spell could not truly control a demigod, and as long as it was willing to pay the price it could break it.

"Better, but you'll still have to wait. I think what you'll hear next will be enlightening. "

Grant created a chair out of earth before pushing the boy down.

"Tell me, what do you know of destiny?" The man asked out of the blue, and the young man responded unsure. "Our final destination, the culmination of our efforts. The road that which has been laid out for us." Richard responded unsure. A generic response, but an expected one. Grant didn't really think the boy would comprehensively know, but Grant enjoyed opening a class with a question.

"Are you talking about my destiny?" He asked cautiously, and Grant nodded. The boy at least had the social iq to analyze the situation more often than not, a necessary skill for traveling the world.

"Rudimentary answer, but that's to be expected. Yes, we're talking about your destiny."

Grant paused. This was going to be a loaded lecture, considering what he saw of Richard's soul, and the causality it had with his current fate.

"How many past lives do you think you've had?" he asked, and Richard, though he knew this was likely relevant, could not figure it out for the life of him.

"I don't know, maybe 20?" he asked, only to receive a look of disbelief from Grant, who muttered "Lucky again.." before Grant decided to continue.

"Yes, 20. A rather young soul, in the grand scheme of things, but not that young. Old enough to have committed a few wrongs.

In your first life, you were a monster. Not literally, figuratively. A minister in the eastern courts, you committed many wrongs and did countless atrocities. Things so vile that any man would shudder at."

The squirrel did not take it lying down. "OH HEY NOW! LOOK, HE AIN"T THE NICEST GUY, BUT RICHARD WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT!" He objected loudly as Richard sent him a grateful look, only for the squirrel to snap at him. "Don't overthink it. Just don't think you're that stupid, that's all."

Adorable. A tsundere squirrel.

Sister Alexandria did not object but instead complained coldly. "I hardly see the relevance. According to you, that was his first lifetime, and lifetimes rarely have connections to one another."

Hmm. Yes, she does spend a bit of time around spiritual beasts, so of course she'd know a little about causality.

Grant nodded. "Yes, but also no. It's that first lifetime that's caused the mess we're in now actually. For you see, that first lifetime was so morbid and vile that the 10 judges of the underworld felt the need to sentence old Richard here to 16 lifetimes of punishment."

He took a gulp of his drink before continuing. "16 lifetimes of suffering and duty later, your eighteenth life was destined to be a better life, in the nature of the karmic cycle and all that. Unfortunately , you made some big enemies in the 1st life, who followed you into the 18th life. You died painfully."

Hmmm. The boy clearly doesn't care all that much

Why would he care about this?His friend was in danger, and this man knew where she was. This 20 lives must mean nothing to the boy.

"Seeing that your next few lives in the east were unlikely to be peaceful, you were sent by the judges to their correspondents in the west, to ensure your enemies would not follow you here. And for all your years of servitude, and the unjust severance of destiny, your nineteenth life was to be a great one.

The son of an old declining family, Richard Thorsten was meant to be the new marquis who would bring an era of revitalization to the estate, and was blessed by three different Gods. You would struggle and overcome great obstacles, but also receive great prize in the form of the fruits of your work. "

"But that didn't happen." Richard realized, and Grant nodded solemnly.

Grant agreed. "It didn't, all because of your father and his arrogant nature. He saw a beautiful priest in a middle of the nowhere village, and decided to take her as wife, and burn down the village to ensure that she would have no one to run to, and that no comotion would be raised over her abduction. It was written up as the pillaging of barbarians." He laughed bitterly. "That part wasn't far off I suppose." Fate is often derailed by the dark whims of man, just as often the rails are made of such sin and greed.

"She wasn't just a nobody priest, was she?" He asked and Grant nodded. "Officially, she was, but unofficially? She was the heir to the temple, destined to be the next head of the temple of Nemesis. She'd been hidden in fears of her being attacked, but the plan ultimately backfired. The head of the temple was enraged, as was Nemesis herself. So when the kidnapped priestess prayed for revenge..." He trailed off, looking at Richard thoughtfully, the young dragon swallowed.

"...I suffered for it."

Grant nodded as he sighed. "Yes, Nemesis had long known the plans of these three gods, and the bounty you were meant to bring to your family. Your father knew as well. That's why the perfect revenge was to strike down what would be the rising star."

The squirrel looked perfectly enraged as he cursed the Gods. "SOME GODS THEY ARE! THEIR CHOSEN CHILD IS CURSED TO DEATH AND THEY JUST SIT THERE AND WATCH!? BAH! USELESS, THE LOT OF THEM!"

Grant had to agree, but he knew it to be not that simple.

The temple of Nemesis suffered a severe retaliation that year, as a wave of assassinations killed a tenth of the whole of the organization, and thusly taking a major fraction of Nemesis' faith.

She was punished for her actions, but this meant little to the boy before him. Vengeance cannot bring back what was taken already.

The wyrm looked upset as well, as her hands clenched furiously, but she also looked at Richard worriedly. Yes, she was a good guardian.

And perhaps mother one day. Grant could already see the blossoming relation. Good.

This was just too much for a child to handle this early. To learn not only did you have 18 past lives, but to know that you had been cursed to death because of the machinations of others.

It was one thing to suspect, but to hear it laid out so plainly? To learn what could've been, only to have it snatched from you?

It was a cruel thing to know.

And Richard?

This was the storm the dragon had to face.

The evil in his heart.

It was clear the boy struggled with these emotions, before the wyrm in the form of lamia rushed over to the boy and embraced him.

She was followed by the child's familiars, and the omen dragon behind them.

It was proof, proof of devotion, and proof of potential. Power was easy. It was loyalty that was hard to find, and good friends harder.

Thus Grant saw all of this, but made no comment, waiting for the moment to be over.

Eventually the excitement died down.

He cocked his head before speaking.

"Come on, you must have some questions, surely some things you might've seen but not understand. Fire away." Player 0 said haphazardly as he waived his hand to go ahead.

"Really? Nothing is off-limit?" Richard asked uncertainty. Grant smiled.

"If you want to ask about your friend again, you'll have to wait a little."

Richard shook his head.

"Why do you dislike me?"

Hmm?

Grant was surprised, but kept it hidden from the boy.

Clearly, some of his annoyance with the child and his lack of action had reached him. Good.

He'd explained the 20 lives thing purely to set up the next part of the conversation, and to hopefully inspire come confidence in the child.

Well, less confidence, but emotion, to set the guy off and get him off center.

"I was wondering when you would ask me that." Grant paused dramatically waiting

"I don't dislike you boy.

But I do dislike your lack of confidence."