Chapter 10: Choosing Your Own Adventure - Gaian Edition

A distinct feeling of deja vu washed over me as I sat in the mayor’s office. Every favor from him had been hard won. He sat behind a lavish desk and looked directly at Pippa, ignoring me completely.

“Why do you want to live in Albion?” he began. “Did you not like your life here? What about that boy you liked? What was his name…Lucas? Can’t you settle with him here? I’m sure he won’t mind raising his kid…it is his child, right?”

Pippa let out a long sigh. “One of them is.”

“One of them?” Francis balked. “How many children do you have?”

“I have two!” Pippa stood abruptly, balling her fists at her side and stamping her foot. “And one of them is a dungeon, just like Bori!”

Francis’s mouth hung open. Still a dog, Bori walked over to the mayor and transformed into a human.

“It’s okay that Rox is a dungeon,” she explained. “He’s a very nice boy.”

“Rox?” Francis asked in a small voice. “Is that the name of my grand…err…dungeon?”

“Yes,” Pippa said, deflating slightly and sitting back down. “The other is named Tomas. He is Lucas’s son. Lucas died by the way.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Francis said, wincing at the expression on Pippa’s face. “Who is the father of your other son, Alex?”

“No!” Both Pippa and I said in unison.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she added, tears welling up in her eyes.

I took her hand in mine and squeezed it, silently showing her she had support.

“I’d like to meet them,” Francis said. “Can you at least bring them here?”

“Why won’t you just come to Albion?” Pippa whined.

“That’s…complicated,” Francis sighed. “Look, I know you both probably just think I’m another pompous bureaucrat, but I built this town up from nothing. Back then, it was just a collection of farms with no awakened whatsoever. I pulled countless strings to establish an adventurer’s guild and bring good quests to Yew. I can’t just abandon it when it’s thriving.”

“Can you help me?” I asked, impressed despite myself. “I’d like to do the same with Albion.”

“Will you make sure I get to see my grandkids?” Francis pleaded. “You do that, and I’ll help you in any way that I can.”

I looked at Pippa, who was shaking her head furiously. She was dead set against it.

“He won’t let me leave if I bring them here,” she growled, digging her claws into my hand so hard she drew blood.

“I would never…” Francis said, rubbing his chin. “How about this? I give you my word you’ll be free to come and go anytime you wish. My home will always be open to you and your children. I don’t care if they’re human or not, and I’ll never force you to do anything you don’t want. I just want to be part of your life.”

“You won’t have to come alone,” I promised. “I’ll either come myself or make sure you have an escort so you feel safe. Does that work for you?”

She trembled as she replied in a small voice. “I guess so.”

To both our surprise, Francis began to cry. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. The last thing I ever wanted to do was make you feel unsafe. If you’re that worried, I’ll visit you in Albion. I’m sure we can even get your mother to go.”

“Mother?” Pippa squeaked. “Is she here? Can I see her?”

“Alas, she’s in Dabia,” Francis sighed. “I’m sure she’s going to be ecstatic when she learns you’ve returned.”

“Oh,” Pippa said, looking away.

“It’s decided,” Francis stood, puffing his chest out. “We will both come visit you in Albion and meet our grandchildren.”

“Excellent!” I exclaimed. “I promise you’ll be well taken care of.”

Even though I didn’t get him to commit to recruiting citizens of Yew for me, he was at least going to help me learn to be a better leader.

I stood. “Well, I have a date at the guild hall. Pippa, would you like to stay here and catch up with your old man?”

Francis mouthed the words ‘old man’ while Pippa appraised him.

“I’ll stay,” she finally decided. “But you have to promise to come get me when you’re done.”

“I’ll come back right after lunch,” I promised.

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“You’re late,” Cordelia’s stomach growled to emphasize the complaint.

She was seated at the diner in the guild but had not ordered. Even though she waited for me, the last thing I wanted to do was eat again.

“Go ahead and order,” I said as I took the seat across from her. “I had a big breakfast.”

Cordelia sighed and motioned for a waitress to come over. “I’ll take a Pouldarian Omelette.”

“What’s that?” I asked, my curiosity piqued.

“Do you remember your sponsors?” she folded the menu and set it aside. “Member of their planet donate unused eggs. They are quite large and have a very rich flavor. You should try it.”

The thought of eating a sentient creature’s eggs didn’t sit right with me, so I shook my head. “That’s fine. I’m really not hungry. Besides, we need to talk about getting an adventurer’s guild branch in Albion.”

“Actually,” Cordelia said, changing the subject. “There’s something you should know about. Have you ever heard of a country named Celestea?”

“Isn’t that what the country to the south used to be called?” I asked. “The one behind the barrier.”

Cordelia nodded, watching hungrily as a waiter passed with a plate of food. “Something big is going on down there. Rumor has it the barrier came down, and Celestea Castle reappeared. Dabia is on edge, and Mardella is in the capital to help the king do damage control.”

“Wait!” I balked at the mention of Mardella. “Mardella is the one that was with Pi in Dabia, right?”

“The same,” Cordelia replied. “This might be a good opportunity to slip into Xanadu while she’s distracted.”

“That changes things,” I said, rubbing my chin. “I planned on leveling up, but if she left Xanadu undefended, I might have to move my plans up. Do you have any info on the island?”

Cordelia shook her head. “Unfortunately, not much is known about Xanadu. The Vestaras keep much of what goes on there completely under wraps.”

“Hey!” I exclaimed, getting an idea. “Do you think Pi will be with Mardella in Dabia? Maybe we don’t have to go to Xanadu after all.”

“Unfortunately, no,” Cordelia sighed. “The bard is not with her. She came alone from Solitair with a regimen of mages and has taken control of the Dabian army.”

“Why?” I asked. “Is Celestea that big of a threat?”

Cordelia shrugged. “Celestea is just as big of a mystery as Xanadu. The only thing I know is that the barrier would need quite a powerful wizard to destroy it.”

“Maybe we should recruit that guy!” I spoke so loud that several other patrons jumped.

“You could head to Celestea,” Cordelia said, ticking off my options on her fingers. “Or you can sneak into Xanadu while they have their guard down. Or confront Mardella directly, though I don’t advise it while she has full control of the army. The other option is to keep leveling up and infiltrate Xanadu once the other adventurers are ready.”

I had much to think about, and Pi wasn’t there to guide me. Whatever or whoever was causing a stir to the south wasn’t any of my business. The last thing I needed was more enemies. Besides, if it distracted Mardella, even better. While I was curious about what Pi was up to, I would gladly settle for the souls of Nax and Zelle.

“I have a plan,” I said after a long pause.

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It was tough watching Cordelia eat when there were about a dozen things I needed to do.

“Can I get you anything, Sir?” a waitress asked as she passed and saw me sitting there with no food.

Her uniform reminded me of the first time I met Isa. She’d been working a part-time job in that very diner, and we were instantly taken with each other. I remembered how she told me the guild could make any meal from a number of planets, including Earth. However, I’d since learned that Helen’s food was much better.

“I’d like to speak with the guild master,” I made my request like I was ordering fish and chips. “Can you get her for me?”

“Um,” the waitress looked over her shoulder as though a supervisor might appear with the answer. “I don’t know if I can…”

“Don’t worry about it,” I thought better of it and offered the waitress a smile. “I was thinking out loud. I know where to find her.”

“Okay,” she smiled back. “If you need anything, just holler.”

“Will do,” I replied, turning my attention back to Cordelia, who was trying to inhale her omelet.

“Take your time,” I said.

Getting the guild to come to Albion was still a top priority. I also needed to send a delegation to Dabia to recruit the puzzle shop and anyone willing to join. That left the dilemma of figuring out how to get everyone to Albion, which reminded me of someone I’d forgotten about.

“Um, Cordelia,” I waited for her to swallow a bite before continuing. “Do you remember the boat captain who helped me find the heart of a tornado?”

“Yes,” she set her fork down to think. “I believe his name was Gideon.”

“Do you know where he is?”

She frowned. “No, but I can find out if you like. The network should have access to all NPCs in your quest.”

“Wait, he’s an NPC?” I asked, shocked at the revelation.

Cordelia chuckled. “Anyone you encountered for more than a couple moments became NPCs in your story. Gideon, for example, left his hermitage and followed you to Dabia, where he likely remained.”

“I need his services to ferry people to Albion,” I explained. “I don’t think I can pass up this opportunity to sneak into Xanadu.”

“I thought you might say that,” she sighed. “Just promise me you’ll be careful. Something strange is happening on Gaia, and I’m worried something awful may happen to you.”

“Like when Isa died?” I asked, old wounds flaring at thoughts of the incompetent company.

Cordelia looked away, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it as a familiar voice called out to me.

“Mr. Krup,” It was Sevache Millicent, the master of the adventurer’s guild of Yew. “I’m told you were looking for me. How may I be of assistance today?”

I gave Cordelia one more concerned look and resigned myself to apologize to her later.

“I’d like to invite the guild to my new kingdom in Albion,” I began.

Her lip ticked up in a smile that vanished just as quickly. “Congratulations on establishing a kingdom on that cursed island. I take it you’ve dealt with the curse before declaring yourself king?”

“I passed the trials if that’s what you mean,” I said, annoyed at the way she said it was cursed. “It’s safe for you to go there.”

This time, she actually smiled. “Excellent. In that case, we just need you to sign a standard contract with the guild. You will need to permit us to assign visas to adventurers who wish to join the guild. I also recommend you establish a bank along with a currency exchange should you wish to use your own money. There are some other caveats in the fine print, but that’s the gist of it.”

“Will you be the guild master?” I asked.

She frowned. “As much as I’d love to oversee the first guild in your kingdom, we have protocols for that sort of thing. I assume someone from headquarters will set things up, and then the next in line for guild master will be assigned permanently. While I could apply for a transfer, there is no guarantee I’d get reassigned to your branch. Those kinds of things are merit-based. “Come to my office when you finish your meal, and I will have the contract waiting.”

Once she was gone, I looked over at Cordelia, who had only picked at her food since the guild master arrived.

“I’m sorry I brought up Isa,” I said in a quiet voice. “That wasn’t your fault, and I’m sorry I keep bringing it up.”

She sighed. “It’s okay. I still blame myself for my part in that. If only I’d been a little quicker.”

“Me too,” I replied. “Me too.”