“Was it really that hard of a task to not cause a commotion for more than a day!?” Rubicon slams his fists on the metal desk, but surprisingly nothing clatters from the impact.
A testament to the sturdiness of the table, or maybe the [Guild Master] is controlling himself more than he’s showing. Probably both.
After that short moment of tenderness between me and Sheeno, we were cornered by the armored woman that had ‘come to our rescue’ with terrible timing, who had been waiting in our lounge because she was supposed to wait until I had recovered enough to hold a proper discussion, and she ended up waiting even more in order to not intrude into our moment.
After a short chat, where she did not introduce herself, and I didn’t want to test my [Evolved Inspect] on her, we were told that Rubicon Riverfist already knew what had happened and had requested our presence in his office.
Turns out that his isolation chamber was not his office, he just couldn’t be bothered to move his stuff into his actual office once he was done cultivating.
“I mean, we did capture both the [Hunter] and the [Priests] alive, and ripe for questioning, something that you failed to do for almost a month now; also, they came after us, the commotion is not our fault!” I reply, unwilling to back down from his steely gaze.
“While I do appreciate finally having one of those bastards in custody, the fact that you were attacked is your fault, because it was you two lovebirds that attracted their attention by bickering in the middle of a busy street!” The [Guild Master] had started amiably enough, but ended up raising his voice at the end, accentuating his point by menacingly pointing his right index right at my face.
“Ok, maybe we weren’t as inconspicuous as we could have been, but seeing as your [Guards] were ready to arrive just in time for the fight to have died down, I believe that this was completely within your expectations, and all of this is just to keep appearances and avoid talk of favoritism”, I calmly replied, sending Rubicon a pointed look.
We spent too much time with one another to allow such bullshit to fly past us.
“Just don’t, Dulcet. Just… don’t. I think I preferred it when I didn’t even know when you existed-”, the [Guild Master] quietly put, massaging the bridge of his square nose with two of his massive digits.
“Wow, harsh”, I couldn’t help pointing out my dissatisfaction with his words.
“But since nobody can turn back time I guess I’ll have to keep you occupied with something else, where nobody except you would be put at risk: Like [Dungeon delving], for instance.”
[Dungeon delving], something that my inner nerds called out for, but of which I only had unpleasant memories. Rubicon words filled me with both hope and dread in the same amount.
“Got lots of new [Dungeons] to clear? I and Sheeno did find a lot of new ones while inspecting our assigned area of the [Wilds].”
Riverfist nodded at me, before responding in a professional tone, “your hunch would just so happen to be correct: The piece of land that came with you [Humans] seems to be en route to attach itself to the [Wilds] even without it being ‘lost’, meaning that it’s just chock-full of [Aether] and energetically-speaking that will be the place where it will stabilize naturally”.
“I didn’t know that could happen. What does that mean for us, and the other [Humans] that are forming an [Army] to claim the land?” I asked, slightly wary of the possible answers.
“For the [Army]? Nothing much will change… except maybe that they will have a harder time: More [Aether] means that the presence of [Demons] will be more likely.
For us, and by that, I mean you two? The increase in the number of [Dungeons] is a problem that we can’t ignore, so we’ll have to assign multiple capable [Teams] to clear them to completion and close those that don’t provide irreplaceable resources, or present [Monsters] with [Aberrant Affinities]. To summarize what I just told you: You’re going on another trip across the [Wilds] closing and inspecting [Dungeons], but Merglobth will be able to tell you more about it.”
I was not happy to hear that the other [Humans] might be further in peril for no fault of their own, but, as egotistical as that may sound, the sentiment was dwarfed by the apprehension that I felt when thinking about exploring new [Dungeons].
After all, I was on a 2 out of 2 score on the times [Dungeons] sent something [Aberrant] and way too powerful to be normal against me whenever I got into one.
And like last time, I now had someone with me that I really didn’t want to see hurt.
“So, let me see if I understood this correctly: You’re intending to send two [Adventurers], both in the [first Tier], and alone, to clear unexplored [Dungeons], specifically those within the area that is expected to have an increase in [Demon] activity?” Sheeno carefully asked the [Guild Master], unable to keep her voice from rising higher and higher in pitch as she went on.
I believe this counted as the second time that Sheeno doubted Rubicon’s decision.
“Well, you won’t be alone for a start, and Dulcet’s new [Affinity] should help with dealing with [Dungeons]; but don’t believe my words, just ask the [Depth Witch]”, Rubicon seemed unwilling to elaborate, but this wasn’t something that I could just let go.
“Kind of a dick-move in withholding the information just because there is someone else that could do it better, but still somewhat understandable. Not telling us who’s going to come with us, or who we’ll be working with? That makes absolutely zero sense!” I made my opinion clear to all.
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“And you’ve been unreasonably disrespectful since the moment this meeting started, but you don’t see me beating you into submission, now do you!?” This time the [Guild Master] made his opinion clear to me, most of all.
“I was wondering why you were both acting so familiar to one another, sir”, interjected the armored woman, who had removed her helmet once indoors, revealing herself to be a [Canine Kebunu], basically a slightly furry buff dog-girl.
I was wondering why she was just standing there, acting all nonplussed at how differently Rubicon was acting than when in public, but I guess I should have expected her to be one of the few people like Doris that knew his true character.
Honestly, I kind of expected that a red-haired dog girl would be more of a hothead, but she had kept her face completely emotionless for the entire time that I’d seen her without the helmet on.
“It’s stronger than me, this guy just effortlessly brings me out of my mask in the most infuriating way possible, and I don’t know how it keeps working!” The [Guild Master] said exasperated, throwing in hands in the air for emphasis.
“I do have that effected on people, don’t I?” I pondered out loud, scranching my chin in a mock gesture of thought.
“Yes”, were the dry remarks that both Sheeno and Rubicon uttered at the same time.
“Anyway,” Rubicon forcefully recomposed himself and moved on, “I can’t force you to go on this mission, but I really think that if you were to accept it, it would be for the best”.
“I, for one, appreciate the offer, but I’m not sure that we’re ready for something like this. Darwin?” My companion asked my opinion after delivering her own.
“Yeah, no. There are a bunch of things that I want to do now, and I won’t put them indefinitely on hold to do this other thing, just because some assholes don’t like me being free to walk around. Also, I have yet to experience some normal [Quests] for [Adventurers], so I was leaning more towards trying some of those for a while: Kind of like trying to experience the supposed normality of [Nexus], at least for a while.”
This is it, I significant step forward in confronting someone not simply for the sake to annoy them and fight for-
“That’s fine. As I said, I wasn’t going to force either of you into it anyway”, Rubicon interrupted my thoughts, and replied with a half-hearted shrug of his shoulder.
“…that’s it? No threats, arguments, or tries at working around what I said!?”
“Uhm, no? I know that you’ve gone through a difficult few months, and this I agree wasn’t really your fault; so it doesn’t bother me letting you be and do your own thing at your pace. I obviously still think that you’ll eventually see things my way, but there’s still time before things get serious”, the [Guild Master] replied, giving me a searching look, as if he was actually trying to read something on my face.
“Oh… that went easier than I thought…” I stated, slightly stunned by how things turned out.
“I told you, didn’t I?” Sheeno said, giving me an exemplary ‘I told you so’ face.
“Yeah, yeah. So, can we go now?” I asked, now starting to feel slightly restless with all the ideas that were flying around my head once more.
“Sure, just let [Knight] Prise accompany you to the teleporter, and then report to Merglobth whenever you’re both ready for some more ‘normal’ action, or otherwise”, replied the overgrown monkey.
“Wait, [Knight] Prise?” I asked, pulling myself to the edge of my seat.
“It.. is her name, yes”, Rubicon replied perplexed by my change in tone.
“Can I call you ‘sir Prise’?” I turned to her, uncharacteristic joy evident on my face.
“No. Now come along. If you’ll excuse me, sir, I will just get on with fulfilling my new mission”, sir Prise diligently responded, snuffing any hope I had in calling her that outside of my head.
“Fine, off you go then. Get them all off my sight”, The [Guild Master] said tiredly with a shooing motion of his hand.
“Hey, don’t you think that’s-“ I tried to reprimand him for his suddenly rude manners, but before I could finish speaking he disappeared from in front of me and something grabbed me by the back of my shirt.
No, that’s wrong: I actually saw him move this time, but my brain simply didn’t register the fact fast enough.
He was unexpectedly fluid in his motion as if he was swimming through the folds in reality.
“That’s a bit weird that such a specific metaphor just naturally came to me, but I’ll take it.”
Rubicon made to fling me out of his office in an underhanded throw, but instead, as soon as I was released by his grip, I started gently floating out of the room, while a slight purple halo suffused my body.
“Bye, grumpy prick!” I waved at him on my comfortable way out, while failing to hold back a smirk.
Sheeno just sighed while getting off her chair, and after exchanging respectful nods with the [Guild Master] she also made to exit the room.
The last one out was the ever-inexpressive sir Prise, who would have seemed perfectly unbothered by the exchange, if it wasn’t for the small rise that I noticed in one of her eyebrows.
“Oop”, I exclaimed in surprise when Sheeno just grabbed me and put me under her arm as if I was some sort of under-armed baggage, while she was about to pass by my floating self.
“Why do you always feel the need to be petty to those above you in rank?” She asked, ignoring the weird position she had put me in.
“Testing the waters? It kind of feels reassuring that those with the power to eliminate me with a back-handed slap don’t do so even when provoked. And since it marries pretty well the pestering personality I normally have I just find myself repeatedly doing it as if it was as natural as breathing”, I replied with a shrug, taking the occasion to also happily wave at Doris while we passed in front of her desk.
“Isn’t that dangerous though? All it would take is one person that takes it personally, maybe even when you aren’t directing your mannerism at them, to bring your life to an abrupt end”, Sheeno asked back, but she didn’t sound particularly worried.
“Maybe, but you’re forgetting why I feel so confident while doing this”, I responded, wiggling my fingers at her in what would have been interpreted as a ‘mystical’ gesture back on Earth.
“And that is?” She asked, now looking at me in genuine curiosity.
“Emotional-reading powers that touch upon precognition”, I said with a smug look.
“Excuse me!?” She faltered in her step, justling me a bit.
“I never talked to you about it?”
“I would have remembered if you had, so no.”
She was now looking at me with a fully wide-eyed look, which quickly became uncomfortable to withstand.
“Uhm, well… I can feel the emotions of those around me, while also being able to perceive what they are most likely to feel in the immediate future, especially if any changes are dictated by my actions”, I lamely explained.
“So… you’re always confident in what someone is going to feel at any given moment?” She even more lamely explained, going from a wide-eyed look to a squinting one.
“Pretty much, but it sounds limitative if you say it like that”, I lamented
“Even with me?” Sheeno asked uncharacteristically quietly.
“Well, I don’t use it actively on you anymore, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m confident enough in our relationship that I don’t feel the need to analyze you that heavily, and it kind of feels rude when I use it on someone that I’m intimated with”, I came clean.
“So… you didn’t use it while we were being ‘intimate’?” Now she asked, more sultrily.
“Well, I’m not going to answer that now, am I!?”
As a response, Sheeno just squeezed me more tightly to her side, and from my new angle I could just barely see sir Prise slightly shake her head in disappointment, while still remaining completely emotionless outwards.