“I hope this is important, for I am quite busy.” Intoned a tall, lithe, blonde woman seated on a throne of brass a dozen feet away from me. “My city was just under attack you know.”

I have to say, that’s one thing Verdant has had over Sunhome until now, no elven superiority complexes. In contrast to how Mom and Grandpa are, gold elves are the worst to deal with.

Wearing a corset not unlike one Mom would wear, she fanned herself with a folding fan I was nearly certain was made of actual gold. The look of contempt on her face set my teeth on edge.

It was the same when my family first visited Sunhome to visit Mom’s relatives when I was fifteen. She and Dad went off to find Grandpa, leaving me to my own devices on the family estate. Less than ten minutes into wandering the grounds a group of young members of the family stopped and asked what a peasant was doing on the Sunbeam estate and, before I could even respond, used a wind spell to throw me into the lake that surrounded the island.

When I showed back up at the front gate drenched and asking for Mom, she went off on a tear through the family to find those involved and basically tore them all apart. By that, I literally mean she tore them to shreds using [Glaive Cyclone], a Skill she’d evolved late in her career, and if it weren’t for their parents begging her for mercy on their behalf, she’d have ended their lives right there. After that, all the young family members treated me like royalty, but the damage was done, I knew how they really were.

The governess was giving the same vibe as those entitled assholes and I figured it was time to throw my weight around a bit.

“Huh,” I stroked my chin. “I guess you’re not as well informed as I was led to believe you would be.”

The glare she shot my way would have put people with lower [Charm] and [Wits] stats to the ground, but I was unfazed. All that did was piss her off more.

“Speak or leave.” She flipped her golden tresses with more arrogance than I’d ever seen outside of a gold elf. “I’m going to be meeting with some important people soon and would like to prepare in peace.”

[Name: Gabrielle Honeydew

Race: Gold Elf

Class: Grovetender - Uncommon - Rank C

Level: 23

Emotional Status: Cocky/Scared]

One look at her [Status] told me all I needed to know about her. I knew exactly how to get under her skin.

This is going to be fun.

“How are the family orchards doing Gabby? I hear Sunhome’s been having issues with a bit of a drought the past and they’re out on the outskirts, right? Have they finally found some [Hydromancers] willing to work for the scraps they’ve been offering?”

From my spatial ring I produced a finely crafted elven stool perfectly sized for me and took a seat. Volta and Voltaire took up positions behind me to my right and left respectively like the bodyguards they obviously wanted to become.

“How could you… What nerve, you stunted mongrel!” The governess snapped her golden fan closed and my instincts were proven correct when it clinked. “Guards! Remove this rabble immediately!” She tried her best to bore a hole through my forehead with her eyes, but all I did was lean back and wait.

Nearly thirty seconds went by before she started to get nervous. “Guards! Where are you?” She screeched before turning back to look at me with a mildly horrified look on her face. “What did you do to my guards?”

“Thomas and Elena are fine. I showed them my guild plate when I came in and told them you might start yelling before sending them to the mess.” I shrugged. “They’re probably still there, since I haven’t even been here five minutes yet.”

Fury raged in her eyes, she obviously wasn’t used to someone outmaneuvering her off the jump. “In that case, present your guild plate so I can lodge a formal complaint as soon as this Tower business is finished.” She held out a hand imperiously.

“Gladly.” I turned to look at Voltaire who nodded. He took the steel tag from my hand before flowing over to drop it in her waiting palm where it gave her a mild shock. He waited off to the side, patiently waiting for her to return my property.

The tiny eep she let out didn’t stop her from ogling the steel plate, more specifically the last name and Class on it. Her gaze jumped between the plate and me no fewer than a dozen times before her face fell.

“My apologies most revered [Starlord], if only you would have–”

“Told you who I was?” I couldn’t help it, I snorted before covering my face in mock embarrassment. “How unbecoming of me as the only [Starlord] born in the last two thousand years. Do you know where you messed up for the first time in this interaction?”

Her eyes flicked from side to side for help in a panic, but none was coming. She cleared her throat. “Failing to ascertain your identity before treating you like a commoner. I am very–”

“You’re half right, but that’s to be expected.” I rolled back off the stool before turning it into a back handspring. “When’s the last time you went back to Sunhome? A year? Five?”

“Nearly twenty years,” she blushed. “I just haven’t found the time.”

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

Due to a pact made with the System millenia ago, each golden elf inducted to the System was required to commune with the [Great Suntree] at least once every twenty years or they would begin to rapidly age, faster even than a human. If Gabrielle was cutting it that fine, something had to be wrong. She probably couldn’t return to Sunhome.

“Stars help you,” I almost felt bad for her. “Before I get into what’s going on with that, I’ll tell you how you were still wrong.” I walked closer, until we were only separated by five feet of plush green carpet. “You shouldn’t speak to anyone who makes it past your guards as anything less than someone to respect. Honestly, you should show everyone respect, but I know that’s more than I can ask for a golden elf. Anyone who can get past your guards, who are both only a few levels lower than you, they can likely deal with a [Grovetender] like you quite easily. You and I both know it’s not a combat oriented Class.”

For half a second, it looked like she was going to pull a weapon on me before she sighed. “I concede that you may have a point.”

Typical elven response, but I can work with it.

“So, what’s stopping you from going back to Sunhome?” I leaned in and whispered in Elvish. “We both know it isn’t just a timing issue, despite what you might tell anyone else. I know just how important it is for you to go back and the clock is ticking.”

“Would you please join me in my private chambers?” She made to stand up and I stepped back to keep the same distance between us as she did. “I wouldn’t care to have my dirty laundry aired where just anyone could listen in.” She glared at the doors to the right and left of the room where functionaries were doubtless listening in to every word between us.

“Lead the way.” Voltaire floated back behind my left shoulder as we made our way through a doorway, down a hall, and up a flight of stairs.

The room the governess finally stopped in was downright homey compared to what I was expecting. Every other elf I’d ever met had some sort of formal sitting room set up for visitors, but instead she led me into a plush living room full of comfortable chairs and couches with loaded bookshelves covering every bit of wall not occupied by a doorway. She even went so far as to kick off the bright green high heels she’d been wearing to curl up on a loveseat before waving toward a nearby chair.

“Please, make yourself at home.” Gone was the stuck up gold elf from before and in her place was a woman who was obviously at wits end. “My apologies for the accommodations, but I had my formal sitting room converted years ago. This suits me far better.”

“Don’t mind me.” I sighed as I settled into the well worn club chair. “This is much more my speed, if I’m totally honest. So, why the act? It’s not like anyone else here is high enough level to give you any shit if you show how you really are.”

“You’d be wrong there,” she picked up a thick red leather bound tome from her side table and stroked its spine absentmindedly. “During the last census ritual, we found four non-adventurers in the area surrounding Chalcedony with levels higher than mine.”

That’s a bit concerning. If the governess of the region isn’t powerful enough, she’d be… ah, things are starting to make sense now.

“Any idea who they are?”

She let out a humorless laugh. “A pair of them are rebels who’ve been trying to kill me for the past fifteen years. Every time I even think of leaving this tower they somehow manage to track me down before I can even finish dinner, let alone make it to Sunhome. I’d be dead before I left Chalcedony if I tried, but I’m not going to have a choice but to try in the next month if I don’t want to just wither away in the next five years.”

“Let’s put a pin in that for later, I might be able to assist with getting you to Sunhome if everything goes to plan.” It was on my list of places to go since being inducted into the System and one more passenger on the [Cloud Carpet] wouldn’t slow us down much with Raiju pulling it along. “Besides the whole level thing, why do you put on that show? It obviously isn’t the real you.”

No golden elf who had a sitting room like hers was as stuck up as she pretended to be, it just wasn’t possible. All of golden elven culture was centered around showing off beautiful things like paintings and artwork, not gorgeously worn furniture like we were sitting on.

“When I got appointed to this position after doing some work for King Evergreen’s grandfather a hundred years ago.” She smiled at the memory. “That big tree in the center of Grenwall had an infestation of [Creeping Black Fungus] around the roots and he wasn’t able to deal with it. I just happened to be in town when he put out a call for anyone who could help. My [Grovetender] was just what the king ordered.”

Her real laugh was much closer to Mom’s, melodious and strong. It was a far cry from the shrill offerings she’d presented to that point and I knew at that point that she had let her guard down completely with me.

“I figured I should present myself as formally as everyone would expect from a golden elf and over the years it just became a habit.” She waved a hand out to indicate the books all around us. “Anyone I like I take up here so they can see who I really am. It’s just easier that way.”

“Might want to tone the bitchy elven noble act down. It’s probably not helping the whole ‘rebels trying to kill you’ situation.”

She stared at me in shock for a minute before pressing the book in her hands to her face. “How didn’t I see that?!” She groaned. “They always scream about how stuck up I am, but I figured it was just because I was in charge and they weren’t. Light damnit!”

Yup, she’s a dork. At least she’s not an asshole though. That’s a surprising bonus.

“Before we go too much farther, can you please check whatever you usually use to converse with King Evergreen?” I curled up in the club chair to match her stance. “There should be a message in there about me visiting.”

“Let me check.” A thin black ledger popped into her hands. “I haven’t had a moment to check in a bit with everything going on.” She flipped it open and read through it with impressive speed, nodding along until she suddenly stopped dead. Placing a finger on the page, she read it again before looking up to me. “You really had him over a barrel, didn’t you?”

Instead of answering, I grinned devilishly and she got the gist.

“Luckily, I’ve been stockpiling [Skill Scrolls] for the last twenty years, so I should be able to help.” She rolled her shoulders. “I was going to use them as a peace offering to my family for being gone so long, but you can have your pick of the lot if you can help me get back to Sunhome before the end of next month.”

My eyes narrowed. “I already did the task I was asked to, why should I wait for payment?”

“That’s easy.” She giggled. “Quality and rarity.”

Behind me, Volta shifted slightly. It appeared that she really didn’t like it when people played with me.

“Explain.”

She pulled out a piece of parchment with hundreds of Skills listed on it. “Like I said, I’ve been stockpiling [Skill Scrolls] for twenty years. Every time an adventurer capable of making one comes into town, I offer them a tax break if they make me one I don’t already have.” She steepled her fingers. “Taxes make the world go round, but tax breaks are how the people in power get what they want.”

Note to self, poach Gabrielle from Verdant if I ever find myself in charge of anything bigger than a single town. Strike that, I should try and hire her before leaving town. [Grovetenders] are decent healers, even if they only have poison to attack with, but she’s worth having around just for her mercantile acumen. Our party has enough gold to do some serious business and she’d be great at managing all that.