The Mercenary Guild was the largest nonaffiliate organisation in Rekke, a place for adventurous spirits who loathed being tied down. Many among its members were people who held great strength, so it came as no surprise that the Guild had a lot of influence on the continent; the only organisations with more sway were the institutions erected in praise to the gods; like the Church of Life.
As the guild owed no allegiance to any state or creed, it was practically welcome everywhere. Thus, there was not a functioning nation in Rekke that did not have at least a single Guild building. Because of this, the Mercenary Guild had the widest spanning information network in the world. Due to this and other reasons, it was the first place Isaac decided to visit after being dismissed by the phantom.
The Rupheun branch was surprisingly larger than its Tiih counterpart. The inside was even more impressive, with nearly two dozen tables in the main hall. As with the Tiih branch, most of the seats were occupied by uniquely dressed individuals who swung back tankards and discussed issues animatedly. The roof above their heads hovered two storeys high, but it was visible from the ground floor; the designers of the building had foregone placing a ceiling in middle of the hall to showcase its magnificence.
From his vantage on the bottom floor, he could see the tables lined on the upper floor, along with its inhabitants who were garbed and equipped better than the ones in his vicinity. That place was likely the sitting place for elites.
After sweeping the hall for a few more seconds, he withdrew his inquisitive gaze and let it settle on the reception. It was situated close to the base of the stairs, a table-counter too large and too long for a single person. That was probably why two people sat at it. As was the custom with hired receptionists, both women behind the counter were pretty with gentle smiles capable putting most who approached them to ease.
“Good morning,” he began, stopping short of touching the counter. “Is it possible to get news of everything that happened in Ysh this passed month?”
The moment the words left his mouth, the noise in the hall sunk by a decibel and he was suddenly aware of eyes drilling into the back of his head. Both receptionists too stared at him, their ever-smiles now missing. Seeing this, Isaac had the urge sigh but kept himself from doing so. An act that was inconsequential for most would not be the same for him; he would definitely cause a stir when his frosty breath leaked through his helmet.
“My sister wishes to visit the country,” he clarified. “Which is why I’m here. I want to know if it is safe to cross the border or not. If it is not, I need something to dissuade her.”
“Oh,” the receptionist he stood closer to replied. At the same time the glares drilling into the back of his skull withdrew. As for the receptionist, her features softened as she continued with a concerned voice. “It would be wise for her to not go. Ysh is a savage land that allows the disgusting practise of magic; a place where witches walk in the open and curse pedestrians on a whim. Some say the witches of the ruling class occasionally pick commoners off the street use them for their vile experiments. The place is a hellhole; not a suitable place civilised people should visit.”
This is what they think of Yshians? Isaac thought as he listened.
The animosity between Ysh and Lethia went back long before he was born; it was ancient history known to every citizen of the two nations. Although he grew up in the Tiih slums where knowledge of anything beyond the city was scarce, the hateful sentiments for Ysh’s neighbour flowed freely. Apparently, all Lethian nobles were barbarians who walked around with cleavers in their hands to chop off the hands of any commoner who dared to look upon them. Some of the old slummers even made a long grab to accuse the Lethians for their dire circumstances; an unfounded notion, but one that was accepted among many of the destitute in Tiih. Even Isaac had not been excluded. After being taken in by the Church, it had taken years to cast off his prejudices.
He was glad he had done so.
As one who could now look at the picture from an almost unbiased point, he could confidently state that the hostility between the two nations made little sense. It made even less sense that it had been ongoing for a couple of centuries, especially when no one actually knew how it started. After so long sneering at each other from across the border, would it not be better if they cast their animosity aside and join hands? Maybe if they did so, then instead of stealthily eliminating every promising prospect on other side and denying it, the countries would grow into much more prosperous nations which housed more than a single Transcendent each.
“She is a strong-headed girl, so I cannot convince her without proof,” he said. “Which is why I am here.”
“Very well then,” the receptionist responded with a helpless shrug. Shortly afterwards her initial smile returned to her face as she placed her open palm on the counter. “Information of that nature is fifty coppers. It is required that you present your badge when you make the payment.”
“About that-”
Even though he was aware of the results beforehand, he made an act of patting down his armour. It had no pockets; even if it did, there would be nothing inside. He had not needed money since becoming an undead, so he was broke. Sage on the other hand seemed to have a multitude of coins, probably acquired after committing a horrendous act.
If Isaac’s stomach was still capable of complaining, he would rather starve than ask her a single copper.
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“- I don’t have money on me at the moment,” he admitted. “I’m also not a mercenary.”
“Then I apologise, but I cannot hand out the information,” the reception withdrew her hand. Her smile still remained, though it had dimmed somewhat. “Only members of the Guild are allowed to browse information, and only after they pay the fee.”
That was news to Isaac. Back when he was the Guard Captain of Tiih, although he had not been a member the guild provided him information free of charge.
Had that been a privilege brought about by his status?
“Is there anything I can offer for the information?” he asked. “What if I leave and come back with money; would your guild be willing to part with the information for a silver, maybe a couple?”
The woman shook her head. “Apologies sir, but Guild policy dictates that only registered members can purchase information. There is nothing I can do about it.”
“Is that so?” he thought out loud.
Unfortunately, it could not be helped, so he moved on to a different topic.
In front of the receptionist he pulled off his gauntlets, exposing pale bony fingers. With them, he lifted both gauntlets and shook them upside down, causing four metallic objects to clatter onto the counter. They were badges; two with two stars and two with three; the previous night he had managed to swipe them without the phantom’s notice.
Someone had to inform the Guild of what had happened. Of course Isaac could not tell them the truth, but he could the lay crumbs that led to it. Fortunately Sage had dismissed him, so he did not have to think of a reason to convince her to allow him to make a stop here.
“I recently returned from a village in the south called Tima,” he began as he shoved the badges to the reception. “A few days out of Rupheus, just near the old woman’s inn, I stumbled upon four mangled corpses, mauled by beasts likely. Although I sent them off in a manner befitting of Vestravans; as per Guild protocols, I’ve collected their badges and brought them here to inform you of their fate.”
When he had approached the reception, this was probably what he should have started with. To go from delivering the badges of the deceased to asking for information, was a more natural progression than what he had done. Unfortunately, he was not adept at deception. As one who had lived most of his life with honesty, there was little he knew in the art; not that he wanted to learn either. An art such as that was better suited for blackhearted individuals like Sage.
“Excuse me for a minute,” the receptionist said before ducking under the counter. A moment later she popped back up with an authentication device. She reached for the first badge, but froze after her fingers came into contact with it. For a moment her gaze left the badges and settled on Isaac, puzzled. She quickly returned to her task though and ran each badge through the device before her attention returned to him. “The owners of these badges were assigned to an issue that had been troubling the locals of late. If they are really dead, the guildmaster needs to be informed immediately so another, more capable, party can be sent out. After the guildmaster is made aware of the news he will likely want to speak to you; so do you have time?”
Isaac shook his head. Being questioned by the guildmaster was likely to result in him letting slip something he should not. As much as he wanted to tell Guild the truth, if he did so he would attract too much attention; to himself and the phantom. Anything with that could potentially be detrimental to Sage was something he could unfortunately not go through with.
The quartet of mercenaries had been far from the friendliest bunch Isaac had met on the road; however, as registered mercenaries, the Guild deserved to learn of their fate so they could pass the news on to their next kin. As one who had been in organisations where facing death was routine, he knew the importance of giving closure to the families of those who died on the job.
Also, it was the least he could do after failing to help them despite one of them begging to be saved.
“I don’t have much time,” he said. “Though I wish I could have gotten the information I wanted. I guess I won’t be able to convince my sister not to cross the border.”
It was a shame that he could not learn what had happened in Ysh, specifically Tiih, after his fight with the phantom. The Mercenary Guild was not the only place with the information though. There were brokers in the dark who would happily bring him up to speed for a higher price and less formalities. If he could lower himself to asking Sage for money, he would receive the information he wanted in no time.
I guess I won’t be learning what happened for a while, he concluded as he turned from the counter.
“Going to Ysh is a horrible idea,” a voice spoke behind him just as he turned away.
It was not the receptionist he had been engaged with; she was hurriedly climbing the stairs when he turned back. The one who had spoken was the receptionist who had not said a thing since he approached the table. In her hand was a sheet of paper, which she offered to him.
“Currently there is a corpse witch going around killing nobles and blowing up churches over there. The witch apparently fled over the mountains to our side; probably a lie concocted by Yshian aristocrats so we can open our borders to their spies. Still, on the off chance that she is really here, a bounty has been issued to the Guild across Lethia.”
Silently, Isaac accepted the paper and brought it close to her visor. Unsurprisingly, it was sketch of Sage’s face. He immediately delved into the words below it.
Name: Sage Maverick
Description: 1.60m tall, black hair, black eyes
Others: Face usually covered to hide scars, has a black cat familiar.
Bounty: 350 gold (Dead or Alive)
Beware, the subject is an undead of the 8th Order with Grade 4 physique; labelled extremely dangerous.
An actual bounty of the phantom had finally been issued. Honestly, Isaac was not surprised. Sadly, their information was outdated. Those who tried to hunt her down based on the perimeters listed on the page, if by some miracle they managed to track her down chances were that it would not end well for them; that was what he theorised knowing what he now knew.
“Since this is a bounty, it’s already pinned to the Guild’s assignment board, right?” he asked. Considering the receptionists’ initial reaction, the only likely reason this information was being volunteered was that it was public knowledge. “Can I take this sheet with me? I’ll have an easier time convincing my sister with it.”
“No problem,” the receptionist replied politely. “Have a nice day.”
“Thank you,” he nodded and turned away.
If the situation was urgent, he would be rushing to show Sage the paper. However, the phantom’s whereabouts were clearly not known or a bounty would not have been issued, so there was no reason to rush. Isaac would be giving her the sheet, but much later. For now, he would make the most of his break from her to tour the sights.