Chapter One
Dawn of Adventure
Rushed footsteps slapped against marble floor as Cassius Nimbus sprinted through the halls of the Imperial Adventurer’s Guild.
Massive statues of old heroes that lined the gilded walls peered down at him imperiously as he shot past. Ancient weapons mounted in golden displays glinted dangerously, practically begging Cassius to slip and wet their blades once more with his blood. Rattling precariously atop their pedestals from his thundering footsteps, artifacts from the depths of history threatened to slip free and join their forgotten brothers and sisters in the afterlife.
Yet Cassius cared not for any of it.
This is it! He thought wildly as he spun past an elderly clerk carrying a colossal stack of papers. Shouted curses followed in his wake as his passing sent dozens of papers scattering to the wind. This is what I’ve been waiting for all my life! Finally, a chance to prove myself to be the greatest adventurer in all of history!
Rounding one final bend in the halls, Cassius skidded to a stop before a massive oaken door. A single golden plaque lay embedded into the wood with the words ‘The Esteemed Guildmaster, Lord Richard Cocksworth’ inscribed upon it.
Slamming open the door with his shoulder, Cassius stumbled inside the ornate office of the guildmaster with a bang. A large room lined with bookshelves filled to the brim with various odds and ends, strange trinkets from all over the world, greeted him.
Above the bookshelves, colossal skulls of fearsome beasts glared down at him from their mounts and dozens of maps lay scattered across the massive desk that sat at the center of the room.
“Dick!” Cassius boomed, sending the gray-haired and grizzled Lord Cocksworth scrambling awake from his brief nap in his plush office chair. “I have fantastic news!”
“By the gods, man!” Lord Cocksworth shouted in surprise, barely catching himself from falling out of his chair. “You can’t just burst into my office like that! Have you no decency?!”
“Oh, do settle down, old boy,” Cassius chuckled, slumping into the downy chair that sat opposite the guildmaster and his desk. “You mustn’t test that heart of yours!”
Cassius quickly checked himself in the reflection of the brass globe that rested atop the guildmaster’s desk, straightening back his long blonde hair and flashing a dazzling smile at the charming man that grinned back at him. As he looked up from his reflection, he noticed a vein throbbing atop the Lord Cocksworth’s forehead.
Oh, good heavens, that doesn’t look good, Cassius thought.
Before Lord Cocksworth could explode, Cassius interrupted the guildmaster in a rush of words.
“I apologize for my entry but I promise this won’t disappoint. The news I bring stands to make us all very, very rich men indeed. Have you read the papers this morning?”
A spark of greed flashed in Lord Cocksworth's eyes at the mention of money and he slowly settled back into his chair, anger forgotten. “No, I haven’t. I had . . . other matters to attend to.”
“Brilliant,” Cassius said with a sly grin. “Then I suppose you haven’t heard of the Golden Fountain of Youth of Avia?”
Lord Cocksworth blinked in surprise before bursting into sudden laughter. “That’s preposterous, Nimbus! A fountain of youth? In the New World? Is this another one of your ridiculous fairytales?”
“I’ll have you know that my leads are not ‘ridiculous fairytales’!” Cassius protested defensively. “What about my recent discovery of the fabled Saber-toothed Mice of Ladorra? That wasn’t a ridiculous fairytale!”
“Yes, and what about the Wooly Apes of the Ice Wastes, which turned out to be nothing more than a tribe of humans wearing lots of caribou pelts?” Lord Cocksworth retorted, leaning back in his seat as he glared imperiously down his nose at Cassius. “Or what about the legendary Calmic Ritual of the elusive eastern shamans that was said to allow those that participated to commune with other planes of existence. But when you tracked down the shamans and followed them through the steps of the ritual, you woke up the next day stripped naked in the middle of the woods!”
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“Still haven’t gotten over that one,” Cassius muttered. “Bastard shamans and their bastard hallucinogens.”
“Face it, Nimbus,” Lord Cocksworth said with a long-suffering sigh, “For every success you have, there are five other fantastic failures that the Guild has wasted money on.”
“But this is different, Dick!” Cassius exclaimed. “You haven’t let me finish. The adventurer to report the fountain of youth is none other than Sir Edmond Drake!”
The guildmaster froze, his face suddenly going ghost white. “Drake reported this?”
“Aye,” Cassius said, leaning forward in his seat excitably. “Apparently, your old friend ran into a tribe of Native Avians who told Drake an impossible story of ruins, lost deep within the southern jungle, that hold a golden fountain capable of making man immortal. And Drake claims to have reason to believe it’s all true, although he refuses to tell the press exactly what it is. This very moment, he’s putting together a team to go find those ancient ruins and bring back the fountain of youth as a gift to the Empress.”
As Cassius finished, an overbearing silence fell over the office as the guildmaster’s gaze settled upon an old photograph near the edge of his desk. Two men, both fit with the edge of youth, beamed into the camera, the head of a colossal chimera at their feet.
“A Golden Fountain of Youth, eh?” Lord Cocksworth whispered, his wrinkled and scarred hands balling into white-knuckled fists. “Beyond World’s Edge. . . ”
I’ve got him now, Cassius thought, not bothering to hide his smirk as the guildmaster at last broke his silence.
“Nimbus?”
Here it is, Cassius thought eagerly, practically bouncing in his seat with anticipation. This is my moment! One history shall remember forever!
“Aye, Guildmaster?”
“Tell Vivian to prepare a team. She’s going after this ‘Golden Fountain of Youth’ of Drake’s. The Guild shall foot the bill of whatever she requires.”
“What?” Cassius shouted, leaping from his chair in outrage. “But I’m the one who brought you the news! I deserve to lead the expedition!”
Lord Cocksworth paused, at last peeling his gaze away from the photograph to glare hard at Cassius. “Did you not hear what I said earlier, Nimbus? You’re just as likely to fuck up as to actually find the ruins, let alone beat Drake to it! We need an experienced hand like Vivian Griffin to lead the team.”
No, no, this can’t be happening, Cassius thought frantically. This is my one chance!
As desperation set in, something clicked in his mind and Cassius latched onto the idea, hardly thinking before he spoke.
“But Guildmaster, I already have a team!” Cassius shouted, cringing at the blatant lie. “It’ll take Vivian at least two weeks to leave harbor while I can be gone by tomorrow!”
Lord Cocksworth cocked his head, an eyebrow arched incredulously. “Really? You already have a team?”
“Of course!” Cassius claimed boldly, digging himself further into the hole. “And I’d trust them all with my life.”
“Hmm.” The guildmaster rubbed his cleanshaven chin thoughtfully, brow furrowed in thought. “You know what, fine. If you already have a team prepared, it’ll give you an advantage over Vivian, especially if we want to beat Drake to the Fountain. Alright, you win, Nimbus. You can lead the expedition.”
Yes! Thank the Fates!
“Thank you, Guildmaster!” Cassius shouted, practically shaking in excitement. “I won’t forget this!”
“Just promise me, Nimbus,” Lord Cocksworth growled, leaning forward in his seat, a dangerous glint in his eyes, “If you get the chance, don’t hesitate to gut Drake like the worthless piece of filth he is. Promise me that, and I’ll pay whatever price you set.”
Cassius nodded emphatically, feeling his blood run cold under that grim look. “Aye, Guildmaster. Consider it done.”
“Good lad. Dismissed.”
As Cassius began to rise from his chair to take his leave, he paused as a sudden thought struck him. Oh, bloody hell. How could I forget?
“Uh, actually, Guildmaster, while I do have a team, I believe I might run into trouble finding a captain for such a voyage. Any recommendations?’
Lord Cocksworth paused in thought before a toothy grin slowly crept across his visage, a rare sight that was deeply unsettling for Cassius to witness. “As a matter of fact, I do. He’s a crazy old bastard, but he’s a damn good captain. Assemble your team Nimbus and I’ll arrange your travels. You set sail on the morrow.”
Huh. He’s holding something back, Cassius thought, eyeing the guildmaster distrustfully. No matter, we’ll burn that bridge when we get there.
“Many thanks,” Cassius said, standing from his chair and offering Lord Cocksworth a sweeping bow. “I
won’t disappoint you!”
“You damn well better not!” As Cassius left the office in a rush, the guildmaster’s last words squeezed through the heavy oaken door slamming shut behind him. “Or it’s your fucking head, Nimbus!”