“...no sign of Torian or his crew,” finished Deverell.
Nate found he liked the guy. He was a bit cold, but he gave off an air of competency, which Nate found hard not to appreciate.
“So let's assume he’s involved,” Aisling started. “That means we’re up against a three-man Silver team and a four-man Silver team, plus whoever Jorge sensed. So we should take three Silver Teams with us. That’s all we have available anyway. That should give us a numbers advantage, if you’re still okay to come and back Deverell up Jorge? Standard Guild rates for a Gold, that’s a promise,” Aisling asked, looking at the Ex-Ranger.
“I’m retired, Aisling. But I am not that retired. Slavery is a disgusting practice, not to mention illegal. I’ll assist. Doesn’t mean I won’t take you up on those Guild rates though. Maybe buy something nice for the wife,” replied Jorge, a smirk on his face.
Kiri chose that moment to step forward, “What about us?”
All three sets of eyes swivelled to look at Kiri though Nate couldn’t help but notice the glances included him. He hadn’t really considered them joining the fight, but, well, if Kiri wanted to go, he would go. But this felt a little above their paygrade. The silence dragged on for a moment before Aisling spoke.
“I’m going to be blunt with you. Both of you. Kiri, while you might have the levels to be included, you don’t have the experience and I can guarantee your Father doesn’t want you involved in the shitshow that this skirmish is probably going to devolve into,” Aisling paused to let Jorge add anything he wanted, but Jorge just nodded his head firmly in agreement.
“As for Nate,” Aisling continued, her brown eyes sliding over to him. “We’re not risking an Epic, unevolved Classer in this mess.”
Nate glanced up at Aisling, unsure what to do or say. Kiri had frozen up as well, while Jorge just gave the Guildmaster a curious glance.
“We’ve managed to piece together a little about you, Nate and you’re simply too valuable to the Guild to risk on such a job before we’ve had a chance to train you and get you levelled. You have no idea how rare an unevolved Epic Classer is outside of the Nobility. Add in that you are apparently capable of soloing a low tier Dungeon and you’re an asset the Adventurers Guild sorely needs. We’re willing to invest a lot into you, which is why you’re not to go anywhere near this operation. Class rarity means nothing before the tyranny of levels. You need training and development,” Aisling stated with a pointed look at him before she continued.
“In case you couldn’t tell, that is why the two of you have been included. To show you an element of trust and so we can keep an eye on you. We believe you, about Torian. More than that, we think they were intentionally targeting Nate. A slave mage would’ve been a good catch for them. Now, if we’re done discussing this, let's get back to planning.”
Nate glanced at Kiri and gave her a small shrug as Aisling and the others went back to discussing their plan of attack, focusing on what the Guild was going to supply the teams for the raid. Kiri flicked her fingers at him, motioning him to follow and together they walked over to the window.
“I hate this. We should be going too! We’re basically a Silver team,” she griped.
Nate glanced over his shoulder, noting they could likely hear them at this distance without any problems.
“I mean, we’re close. You’re all the way there. You fought two of those goons at once. But I lost to Torian, Kiri. Maybe we’re not ready yet?” Nate suggested quietly, running a hand through his blonde hair.
“Don’t be dumb Nate. They caught us unprepared and you’re the kind of guy who needs to prepare to really give yourself an edge. Well, you prepared! So we should be going too!” Kiri growled out.
“Not a chance young lady, your Mother would kill me,” Jorge called from across the room.
Nate looked at Kiri and shrugged helplessly again, which just made her sigh. He could see where she was coming from. Kiri idolised heroes. Storybook heroes. This was an opportunity for her to be involved in a heroic undertaking and instead, she was relegated to the sidelines while others fought the villains and saved people. He would’ve been frustrated in her position too. But secretly, he was glad. Even if he’d prepared for another battle with Torian, that was so he wouldn’t feel helpless, not because he wanted to go pick another fight. He realised he was looking for the easy way out. At some point, he was going to have to dig deep and really find his courage if he wanted to continue working with Kiri, and he very much did. Because it was clear she was going to put herself in danger and that meant he would need to as well.
With a sigh he turned back to stare out the window. The storm rolling in was looking like a bad one, the grey clouds dark and promising rain. Occasionally a deep booming thunder would roll over the building. Fitting weather for Aisling he supposed. She must be right at home in this kind of storm. That made him smile. At least he was confident they would succeed and save the people captured by Torian and whoever he was working with.
He got lost in watching the way the clouds shifted and rolled and didn’t notice that everyone except Aisling had left. At some point she had moved over to stand next to him, watching the storm with him. Noticing his attention, the tall woman smiled, “Quite a sight isn’t it? They’re not as fierce here as they are up in the mountains, but still more than enough to warm my heart.”
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“Is that where you’re from? The mountains?” he asked.
Aisling snorted at his question, “Maybe I am not as famous as I thought. I hail from the Kirshell Mountains.”
She continued to look at him, as if expecting a response, but he had no idea what to say to that. He had no idea where those mountains were or if they were important. After watching his confusion for a moment the large warrior laughed at him.
“You’re really not from around here, are you? Well, the Kirshell Mountains are on the Northwestern border of Etrua. They tower over the region and are the barrier between Etrua and the free states of Costeona. Many Clans make their home in the Kirshell Mountains, mine included. When the storms roll in, it’s like a white curtain being pulled over the world.”
Nate glanced up at Aisling, “It sounds like you miss it.”
“I do,” Aisling replied with a deep laugh. “But for now I have obligations down here in the lowlands.”
Nate thought about it for a moment. He’d never really gotten to see snow, as there were very few places in Australia where snow fell. But the way Aisling talked about her home, it made Nate curious.
“Do the Clans of the Kirshell Mountains allow visitors?” He asked.
“I’ll take you there myself,” Aisling replied with a smile. “After we toughen you up a little. I meant what I said earlier. The Guild is invested in you, Nate. We have to be. The Nobility has most of the gold, which means they can afford to buy themselves opportunities that the rest of us can’t. The System doesn’t care if the beast you killed was in a cage…it’ll reward you the Achievement all the same. Better achievements, better Classes, which lets them keep most of the wealth for themselves.”
“If that’s the case…why do they even let the Guild exist?” Nate asked. “I mean, wouldn’t it make sense for them to shut the Guild down? Aren’t you a threat to them?”
Aisling gave him a funny look as he asked that. Maybe a native of this world would already know the answer but he certainly didn’t.
“You’re too well spoken to be a country kid and too uninformed to be a noble or even a merchant's son. Something is weird about you, kid. Figure it out before someone figures you out,” she said, giving him a stern look. “Anyway, the reason they don’t shut down the Guild is twofold. Firstly, they can’t. Or they could, but the backlash would be terrible for them. The Guild is not limited to a single country, and between all the various offices and our high-end Classers, of which one day you might be one, we are stronger than any single nation. The other is, the amount of work. The Nobility of Etrua would spend far more trying to handle all these problems with their own forces than they spend on the Guild. We are in their view, as they say, a necessary evil.”
Aisling laughed a little, though there was no humour in it, “Well, they should be about ready now. Stay here Nate. You’ve got a bright future ahead of you, if you live long enough to seize it.”
With those parting words the Aisling headed out the door. Nate waited a few minutes before following, descending the stairs to find the sixteen people gathered near the doors, preparing to set out. He was a little surprised by how quickly they got organised but he supposed being an Adventurer meant being adaptable to the situation. Time was of the essence and the three Silver Badge teams were ready to go.
Kiri and Nate followed them into the market as the raiding party set out towards the forest. It’d be approaching dawn he figured by the time they got to the slavers hideout. Kiri and Nate followed them as far as the gate which was when the Adventurers began to jog. Apparently time really was of the essence. As the Adventurers left, he and Kiri veered off towards her home. Frick flickered out to join in, floating along in the late night gloom.
“I still say it’s birdshit,” Kiri griped.
Nate just grunted his agreement and they settled back into companionable silence. The walk through the fields felt like it took longer than usual but perhaps they were dragging their feet.
As they approached her home, Kiri suddenly gasped before breaking into a sprint towards the house. Nate instantly followed and a few seconds later could see what had spooked Kiri. Some of Rania’s beautiful garden looked trampled and as they got closer, they could see that the door had been knocked off its hinges, the entire thing lying on the floor. Kiri dashed inside, the sound of her boots slapping on stone in a staccato beat.
“Mother! Mother!” she yelled over and over, as Nate could hear her running through the house.
Nate stood frozen, unsure what to do but he could feel Frick darting through the house. After less than a minute, Kiri burst back out the door as Nate stood still in the garden amongst the decimated plants.
“She’s not here,” Kiri said, staring intently at Nate.
“Then let's get going. We should be able to catch up to them before they get there right?” Nate replied instantly.
Kiri gave a firm nod and started jogging towards the forest with Nate in tow, Frick floating along beside them, keeping pace easily. One way or another they were saving Kiri’s mother. He might struggle to be brave for himself, but when push came to shove, he’d die before he would let his friend feel what it was like to lose a parent. Anything to spare her that pain. As they ran, he checked his spatial storage. The wand was ready and Torian had truly earned his ending this time. Nate ground his teeth. It was time to swallow his misgivings and do what was necessary, even if it meant killing.
*************
Garnet watched as the berserker and his two ‘friends’ approached the clearing, dragging a woman.
“I didn’t know I asked for more slaves,” she said coldly. Let's see how he reacts. Maybe he has more spine than Vallis.
“It’s tha Rangers wife. Figured ya wouldn’t say no to a little blackmail ma’am,” replied Torian.
“It’s extortion, not blackmail. But you’re right. I wouldn’t mind being able to engage in a little extortion if things turn bad. Seems he’s got more brains than you, Vallis. Maybe he can be the new Mayor once you’re the Baron of this region?” she asked before motioning with her gloved hand toward the cave. “Put her with the others.”
Looking around at her forces she considered the battle to come. She had two of the filthy Adventurer Silver teams with her, Vallis who should prove at least somewhat useful, and finally Ember. The girl stood off to the side next to Vallis, short and pudgy, her brown hair limp over pale skin. She was still pretending to be the Mayor's assistant, even now. The little Enchantress had been incredibly useful in helping get everything set up here and she’d likely prove pivotal in the lower ranked battles. Because for all her confidence, Garnet knew she was in for one hell of a fight. You didn’t get to Platinum rank in the Guild by being a pushover. Aisling, a famed warrior and soon, just another accolade for Garnet to hang around her neck. She’d show them all, especially her Father, may he burn in one of the Nine Hells for discarding her.
The anger from those thoughts flashed in her eyes and she watched as the remaining Silver team and Vallis all stepped away. Good. They should know what failing her meant. A long and painful death as they burned to a crisp. But not Aisling. To Aisling, she would deliver a quick and final death and prove once and for all that she was not inferior stock. To face a storm wielder like her Father and defeat them in single combat. She’d show them all that storms came and went, but fire, fire burned eternal.