O1, A Guildmaster’s Worries
“Ugh.”
It was days like these that made me consider retirement. Although our guild was small and relatively easy to manage there was always a never-ending pile of issues that needed to be resolved, and today it was time to address a problematic matter that I had been postponing for a long time.
“Is everything ready for the meeting?” I asked Stanley without lifting my sight from the document I was reading.
“Yes, guildmaster, I’m going to make the final preparations now,” the guild employee told me diligently.
After Stanley left the office I took another look at the papers on my desk. They were reports from the guild instructors on the status of the dungeon, as well as a letter from the Grey Hounds’ Guildmaster.
I let out a long sigh. Lately troublesome tasks had been coming one after another. The lack of funds had always been a problem, but this year things had been especially bad.
“And now I have to deal with this…” I frowned at one of the sheets on my desk.
Mulling about the troublesome matter I got up and headed to the reception. After reaching the stairs I noticed a group of trainees selling monster parts at the counter. Among them was a boy with vivid green eyes and short, curly, black hair. His face still showed some childish features and didn’t have a hint of the thick beard that all men in the family eventually grew.
“Simon! How are you doing?” I greeted my nephew. Things had been awkward between us since the incident in the tavern, but I wished he would visit me more often.
“Hello, uncle Ather. I’m doing well, today we caught a few reptids in the dungeon,” he said in a slightly nervous tone while trying to avoid my gaze. “We will be able to clear the fine soon.”
I chuckled in an attempt to ease him. “Don’t worry about that, you still have plenty of time to pay it.” I patted him on the back. “When I was your age I got scolded a lot for getting in trouble,” I reassured the boy. Now wasn’t the time to put more pressure on him, I was plenty happy if he had reflected on his actions. “It’s natural for lads your age to be a little hot-blooded.”
“Hmm,” Simon shyly nodded. He was a good boy, but I swear Averill had been a tad too strict with his upbringing. My younger brother had an earnest personality growing up, but he had gotten way too stern later on. He was very critical of himself and expected the same attitude from everyone around him.
I was worried Simon had inherited some of my brother’s character, so every time I visited the family in the mountains I would ask Averill to give the boy some free reign.
The day I received a letter from my brother saying he would send Simon to train as an adventurer I could barely suppress my excitement. I wasn’t sure how my stern younger sibling had been convinced to let the boy out of his sight, but I suspected Enna had played no small part in it. Now Simon finally had the opportunity to mingle with people his age and see more of the world.
“So, how is your mana training going?” I inquired, changing the topic.
“I think I’m getting the gist of it! I can already circulate my mana, but using it while moving is a bit troublesome.” He was certainly a lot more enthusiastic about this matter. I was aware that he had already felt his internal mana since he had stopped asking me for palemoss potions a while ago, but to know that he had already reached that point was really surprising. Especially considering that he had no master to guide him.
“Oh, you are already at that point? That’s impressive! As expected from my nephew,” I laughed and effusively patted his back. “You will be able to master it in no time, just make sure not to overwork yourself.”
We had a brief talk while the group settled their transaction at the counter. Once they were gone the only guild employee present addressed me.
“Greetings, Guildmaster. What can I do for you?” The young female receptionist asked me with a very polite attitude. She was a very diligent person. This girl had only been with us for a few months, but she could already handle most tasks better than many of the more veteran employees.
“Greetings Anne, I have to trouble you to call the instructors from the training grounds. The meeting is almost ready.”
“Yes, I will go inform everyone,” without further ado Anne rushed out of the guild’s building, leaving me alone in the reception. At this time in the morning, not many people came by, so it wasn’t a big problem if no one was tending the counter for a bit.
‘Also, it isn’t like we have the funds to hire more personnel.’ I thought somberly. Money had been one of my biggest headaches ever since I took my position as a guildmaster.
As I was about to leave the reception, Stanley came back to report. “Everything is ready, Guildmaster.”
“Nice, did someone call Luelle?” Given the scale of the issue, we were to discuss, she needed to attend. I also had to assign her some extra work and, given the alchemist’s temperament, she would complain less if I did it in front of everyone.
“Uh… no.” For some reason, Stanley winced at Luelle’s mention.
“Then go call her, and tell Gardner too.” He would also need to do some preparations.
After dispatching Stanley I headed toward the meeting room on the first floor. I took my place at the head of the long table and absentmindedly browsed the documents about today’s reunion, waiting for everyone to arrive.
Time passed without anyone arriving and I lost interest in the documents. To distract myself I reminisced about the last time I had used this room. I had admonished Simon and his friends for the tavern incident just before receiving the adventurers of the Regal Azure Dragon’s Guild. They had been sent here by my old friend Ransford and needed a guide. I had offered them Marcus' help, as he knew this area of the dungeon best.
‘Hopefully, he will come back soon.’
It wasn’t like I had a surplus of instructors, and Marcus’ absence had put a big dent in the trainees' schedule. But it was worth it, Ransford always knew how to return a favor, and I already had one in mind.
I recalled the conversation I had just had with Simon. That boy had truly surprised me. He was definitely talented, being able to grasp mana circulation to such a degree in a mere few weeks wasn't an easy feat. Especially when he had no one to teach him personally.
I regretted not being able to teach him myself, after this matter was over I would surely find some spare time to help him with the basics.
‘And we should also have a few chats. I wonder if he is fitting well with the other trainees.’ I couldn’t help but worry, he reminded me too much of Averill.
Little by little everyone arrived. For the official guild of the kingdom we had very few members, counting staff and adventurers together we had barely two dozen people.
‘I guess lots of paperwork and pointless meetings with nobility is all there is to my position.’
As a silver plate adventurer, I would normally pick some of the most promising trainees and teach them a couple of things, but some troublesome circumstances had kept me extremely busy for the last few months.
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First, the kingdom had cut a substantial part of our funds and allocated them somewhere else. Then, the Regal Azure Dragon’s guild adventurers had come to such a faraway place with the mission to take care of potentially dangerous monsters. Something was cooking behind the scenes.
‘Tough times are ahead for adventurers.’
I wanted no part in the matters that were unfolding behind the scenes. Headaches, big headaches. And money changing hands, going into the pockets of some wealthy nobles and merchants. That was all that would happen. Everyone else would just get the short end of the stick, the same as our guild budget getting cut down this year.
Once the last person arrived I promptly started the meeting. We weren’t nobles, so there was no need for pleasantries.
“Alright, now that everyone is here let’s begin the reunion. I think most of you should have already heard the gist of today’s meeting. So, Barrick, tell everyone about the current situation.”
“Yes, Guildmaster!” Replied one of the instructors, standing up. “Then, as everyone may know I’m in charge of watching over the kobold settlements to make sure nothing unexpected happens to our trainees…”
Barrick was a scar-covered man in his forties. For a copper plate adventurer, his combat ability was average at best, but he excelled in scouting monsters inside the dungeon. It was this skill of his that had made me recruit him as a guild instructor. I had invited him as soon as I heard he was thinking about retiring as an adventurer.
“The problem is the big settlement to the north. The one we have been overlooking during these past few years,” Barrick continued.
Other than teaching new trainees, our main task as the kingdom’s official guild was to manage the monsters’ population within the dungeon. If any troublesome ones appeared close to the entrance or on the main routes, we needed to dispatch someone to get rid of the problem. Or delegate the task to someone else if we were unable to do it. Of course, there were exceptions, like the lesser drake roaming in the north. That one wasn’t worth the risk, we could only hope that the creature would leave the place without causing any trouble.
The kobold settlements near the entrances were the potential dangers that required our utmost attention. If they were given enough time to develop they could take control of a big portion of the caves. This one in particular was one of the exceptions we had been avoiding dealing with. A few years back a small group of kobolds had come from the inner dungeon and after some skirmishes with the local groups they had taken possession of one of the biggest caverns in this area. At the time we had our hands full with other matters and it was decided that we would only keep watch over them. We had thought it best, as their territory was far away and adventurers rarely came into contact with them. Moreover, they were led by a very powerful individual. Things had been going well until now, but it looked like we were running out of time.
“You may know that the kobold hunters in this settlement have been focused on training feral rats and promoting them into tamed dogs. A few days ago during one of my patrols, I found out they have gotten hold of a dungeon wolf.”
“What?”
“Are you sure?”
“Did you see it yourself?”
Some surprised voices arose from the other instructors.
Tamed monsters weren’t a rare sight. Both humans and intelligent monsters inside the dungeon made use of them. The problem was that this one was a tamed monster who had evolved twice. When monsters acquired more powerful forms they would have all kinds of temperament issues. Disobeying orders, increased ferocity, blind fits of rage, and attacking their masters were common occurrences. Due to all this promotion was a natural obstacle for tamers. Humans knew which ones were troublesome and would either get rid of the monster beforehand or take the appropriate measures to ensure no accidents happened.
“I didn’t see it myself, but I saw its footprints. The wolf was hunting alongside a group of kobolds. I double-checked the tracks, just to be sure.”
Everyone had serious expressions. A lone wolf wasn’t a big threat, but along with a group of kobolds, it was a different story. The monster would serve as the leader of a tamed pack and it wouldn’t be long until more of them appeared. At this rhythm they would manage to create a unit of wolf riders, that was able to move over a large area. They would greatly expand their territory and trade resources with established settlements from the inner dungeon. If that happened they would become a serious threat to Algus whole adventurer’s community.
Worst case scenario we would have to close down the dungeon and hire adventurers from Suidberg to launch a big offensive. Either that or have the army involved. None of those developments was pleasant, both would require a big amount of money. Foreign adventurers would ask for a big sum to move all the way here and soldiers would require provisions and temporary plates to enter the dungeon. And that would even take into account the casualties. Especially in the last case, as common soldiers didn’t fare well inside the dungeon.
“So, what kind of dungeon wolf are we talking about?” Remme asked.
“From its tracks, I’m almost sure it’s a common one,” Barrick replied.
Remme nodded. “Good, I don’t want to deal with a black wolf in the middle of a settlement raid.”
Black wolves were uncommon monsters capable of creating a dark mist around themselves, impending their enemies’ vision. No sane adventurer would want to lose their sight in the middle of a battle against kobolds/multiple monsters.
“Then, Barrick, have you been able to make a better estimation of their forces?” I asked. I had given him that task just after seeing his first report.
“I have been looking at the current size and number of their hunting parties, as well as the amount of prey they catch. Based on that there must be around two hundred of them. Also, normally four out of five are simple ratmen scouts, but I think we should assume they have more hunters than normal.”
Once again the people in the room showed somber expressions. Counting both guilds, Algus had less than forty adventurers, trainees excluded. Most were just iron plates, and while all the instructors in our guild were copper plates many of them were already past their prime.
“I expect one-fourth or even one-third of them to be hunters,” Barrick continued. “So we will be dealing with fifty to sixty hunters and a similar number of dungeon dogs. Apart from that, we know there are at least two kobold soldiers and a kobold warrior that acts as their leader.”
“I will take on the kobold warrior, and if possible the wolf and the kobold soldiers too. Being on the offensive without the number advantage is going to be dire,” I told everyone.
Kobold warriors normally acted as the leaders of medium-sized tribes in the inner dungeon. They were hard opponents even for copper plate adventurers, and this one was especially cunning. After his group settled I had tried to bait him into several traps, but the monster had ignored all of my taunts and stubbornly stayed on the defensive. I was the only silver plate adventurer in the guild, and the single person with the skill and the money to keep a blue iron weapon.
“So from now on we will focus on preparing a feasible plan to assault the kobold village. This one is going to be a big operation, I have already requested the help of the Grey Hounds’ Guild. If we want to succeed with as few casualties as possible we will need as many adventurers as we can find.”
“Will that be enough?” Asked one of the instructors. “Maybe we should hire some adventurers from outside. If we send a message to Mesdale right now they could be here in a couple of weeks.”
“I already asked the kingdom to hire more adventures but my proposition was rejected. The orders are to deal with the kobolds on our own.”
If news about the dungeon wolf had arrived a few days earlier I would have asked those silver plate adventurers of the Regal Azure Dragon Guild to help us in exchange for having Marcus as their guide.
“The royal palace has decreed that the Calpavaros’ Bears Guild and the Gray Hounds Guild are enough to deal with this crisis and that all the adventurers in them will be under my command until the problem is resolved.”
They simply didn’t want to allocate more funds to us, another consequence of the foolish plans they were cooking under the scenes. ‘And now I have to deal with that damn Baron Peldin. I hope that weasel doesn’t try to squeeze some benefit from me.’ I complained to myself.
Baron Landon Peldin was the owner of Gray Hounds Guild. Both in Perendin and Suidberg all guilds had to be under the responsibility of a noble, and other than the royal family the baron was the only person that owned one in our country.
“What about the trainees?” Asked another instructor. “There are a few dozen of them, and at this point, they should have at least the basics down.”
“Absolutely not!” Remme roared, rising from his seat. “They are not prepared.”
“I’m not saying we should send them to the front lines. We can just use them as reserves and to help clear the other monsters around the settlement.”
“Do you think they are up to the task? For fuck’s sake! Half of them are still being bitten by rats on a weekly basis,” Remme replied, slamming his fist on the table.
“I agree with Remme,” Luelle interjected.
“Same here, I just came back from cleaning some of those rat bites,” Gardner concurred.
If possible I didn’t want to resort to the trainees. Those boys were too young and lacked experience, they could very well be a liability in such a big battle.
“I’m also against involving them,” I declared. “We should first trace a plan. If we end up including the trainees we will put them somewhere relatively safe. Also, we should only ask for volunteers and choose the best ones.”
We would also need to think about their reward. It needed to be good but not so enticing that they would volunteer recklessly.
“Then, Helper Anne, Helper Stanley, distribute the maps,” I gestured to the guild employees, and they handed everyone sheets with the layout of the kobold settlement.
“This is the layout of the cavern from a few years back. I’m sure the kobolds would have set defenses around the entrances since then. Apart from that, they will probably mount most of their resistance on this slope,” I told everyone pointing to the left side of the map.
“This is rather vague,” one of the instructors complained. “After so much time they must have built some new buildings.”
Hearing that, Barrick took the initiative once again. “Kobolds aren’t known for their complex architecture, and they lack materials down there. At most, we can expect some tents and dry stone walls here and there.”
“Can’t we send someone to scout the settlement?” The same instructor asked. “Even if they can’t get inside they may be able to get some information from the patrols outside.”
“It’s a risk to send scouts to their door. If they catch wind of our plans they will reinforce their defenses. If possible, I want to catch them off guard,” I stated.
“It looks like this time we are going to have a lot of wounded,” Gardner somberly murmured.
“On that matter, Luelle, you will be in charge of providing most of the blood potions for the raid, including those needed for the Grey Hounds,” I informed her.
“What! You can’t be serious. Do you know how many things I’m in charge of?” The guild alchemist protested raising her arms.
“Make them your priority from now on. I will try to provision more from other sources, but I don’t know how many I will be able to get. You have an assistant now, I’m sure you will manage.”
“That brat starts slacking every time I look away! Also, there are some steps that only I can do. You have no idea how much work it takes,” Luelle grumbled, but didn’t complain any further and just crossed her arms while staring at me.
I gave her a few seconds to calm down and addressed everyone. “Alright, now let’s put this plan into shape.”