"Oh, hey Alex. Since when did you come back? I thought you might have kicked the bucket," Tanner greeted, as Archviauld walked inside the guild hall. Archivauld grunted at the comment.
"I wouldn't be much of a rift walker if I let a bunch of copper tier rifts take me down," Archivauld replied, with his best friendly smile.
Tanner laughed, slapping him on the back jovially, as if they were old friends..
"Did you clear all five rifts?" Tanner asked.
"Sure did. I have all the Nexus hearts in my pack as proof, though one is damaged," Archivuald replied.
Tanner nodded as if that were a matter of course.
"Pelas will be pleased. Come, she has been anxious for your return," Tanner replied.
Archviuald followed Tanner into the heart of their new guild hall, up several flights of stairs, to the guild masters office.
Tanner knocked loudly on the ornate, dark iron wood door.
"It's Tanner, Alex is back!" Tanner said loudly.
"Come in," Pelas called, her voice muffled from behind the door..
The two entered, and Pelas looked up. She was middle-aged, with all of the soft features of a woman who had never been in the field. Despite her soft appearance, her gaze was hard, calculating, a shrewd woman hiding behind layers of makeup and a frilly black dress.
Her soft voice could almost make one relax, though relaxing could get you killed around this woman.
"Ahh, Alex, It's about time. What took you so long?" Pelas asked, forgoing pleasantries, and going straight to business as usual. He didn't mind. It's not like they were friends or anything. Their whole cooperation was a business arrangement, and nothing more.
Archivauld gestured to his ragged, torn and bloody clothing.
"Things got a little rougher than I expected. I ran into a tough night tier monster in the wild and it almost got me," he replied smoothly. Not exactly a lie, but not the whole truth either.
"I see… Good to see you made it back in one piece, even if you do smell like you rolled around in a slaughterhouse," Pelas replied, her face scrunching up at the smell.
He scratched the back of his head sheepishly with his palm, a habit he had picked up from having claws in his other form..
"Sorry about my current state. I tried to clean up in a stream, but I think these clothes need to be burned. There is no getting the stains out," Archivuald said.
To be more frank, these were his best pair clothes he had taken with him.
"Next time, perhaps you should have a bath and a change of clothes before coming to see me," Pelas chided.
"Will do," Archivauld tossed a pouch on her desk with a loud clunk. "Five copper tier nexus crystals as promised," Archivauld said.
Pelas tugged at the drawstring and peeked inside, nodding appreciatively.
"That should cover some of our expenses, though we are still massively in the red. Nothing time and some effort can't solve. On that note, we just brought on a full crew of rift walkers while you were away to help share the burden. They left for their first rift yesterday morning," Pelas said.
"That was quick? A full crew of rift walkers, how did you pull that off?" Archivauld asked.
Pelas rocked back in her tall backed chair, her expression thoughtful. "Well, if I'm being honest, they are the dregs, people the other guilds turned away for one reason or another. Mostly Coppers, but two have at least one knight tier emblem," Pelas replied with a slight grimace.
Archivuald kept his expression impassive. "I see…. So, how long do you think it will take to get the contract for our first knight tier rift. With me clearing five copper tier rifts, our guild should qualify now, right?" Archviauld asked back to business.
She raised one dainty eyebrow. "You already want to go back out? You just got back," Pelas replied.
Archivuald shrugged.
"What can i say, the city is too overcrowded and noisy for my liking," Archivauld replied. Well, and the fact Foxy was out there by herself probably up to some mischief.
He had told her not to kill humans before entering the city, but she might get bored. Who knew, knowing how mischievous she was, she might catch a human to play with. Not killing them, but just as bad. The thought was troubling. Just as concerning, she might try to sneak into the city to find him, which would be very bad.
Foxy was incredibly sneaky when she wanted to be, but the city's monster detection network would likely catch even her.
He grimaced.
"What is it?" Pelas asked, noting his expression.
He smoothed out his expression. "It's nothing, I just have some things on my mind.. Anyway, if you two will excuse me, I will have a bath, a cold ale, and a hot meal calling my name. Let me know when you secure the first knight tier contract," Archviauld said.
With that he turned and left. The door clicked shut behind him, leaving Pelas, and Tanner alone. Tanner walked over to the guild masters desk and opened the sack, revealing four intact Nexus hearts, and one broken into about a dozen pieces.
He gave Pelas a troubled look.
"Five rifts in twelve days. That's quite impressive. Even more interesting, did you know he walked into the city without his horse," Tanner said conversationally.
Pelas frowned, concern crossing her face
"Wasn't the furthest rift over a hundred miles away?" Pelas asked.
Tanner nodded.
"Yes….I'm not sure what's going on, but I suspect he has multiple divine curses. Did you see his tattered clothing? His skin was completely unblemished underneath. He either has a recovery, or a healing emblem, maybe both," Tanner said.
Pelas nodded.
"This doesn't change much. We already knew he was a Holder, that's why we took on so much risk and expense to bring him on," Pelas said.
"About that…." Tanner said hesitantly.
"What is it Tanner? What did you sense?" Pelas asked putting her elbows on her desk and leaning forwards.
Tanner took a deep calming breath, with a glance towards the door he said..
"Last time I touched him, I could detect two marks of the divine on him. This time, there were four," Tanner said quietly.
Pelase's eyes widened at his proclamation.
"Four! Are you sure?" Pelas asked, her chair wheeling back as she shot to her feet..
Tanner nodded. "I'm sure... Not only that, but I suspect three of them have reached knight tier," Tanner said.
Pelas let out a shaky breath, collapsing back into her chair as if stunned by the idea.
"I see. Four….. That is almost unheard of. Do you think he has more?" Pelas asked, her hands practically shaking from excitement.
Tanner shrugged.
"I am not sure. He could have more, but I won't be able to tell until he awakens them," Tanner said.
This was the power of Tanner's own divine curse. It was a closely held secret, with only himself, and Pelas in the know. Even then, she was unaware of just how well his curse worked. A safety policy.
His divine cure had next to no combat ability on its own, but it had the shocking ability to detect Holders. More importantly, if he touched them, he could detect not only many emblems they had, but also roughly what tier each emblem was.
The longer he was able to keep contact with someone, the more information he could glean. It was an incredibly useful emblem, and should get even more useful if he ever pushed it to Lord tier. A long shot, but who knew, if the guild rose in standing, so would he. If he lived that long anyway.
Emblems were a person's biggest secret, and his had the ability to reveal what others wanted to hide. If anyone found out that he could not only detect how many Emblems they had, and roughly how powerful each was. Lord tier might even allow him to glean what the emblems did.
If anyone discovered he had this ability, his life would be short lived indeed. After all, he could always sell their closest secrets, or blackmail them, and how could they allow that?
"How should we proceed?" Tanner asked.
Pelas took a deep, calming breath. "With caution. We don't want to spook him, but we also do not want the top guilds like the Sinners set their sights on him. They will eventually take notice, but, if we play our cards right, we can climb the ranks to a point where Alex would just rather stay with us," Pelas said.
"There is always blackmail, we have plenty of that on him," Tanner pointed out.
"True, but let's keep that to a last resort. Better to keep his cooperation voluntary. I'm not above resorting to blackmail, but let's try to engender some loyalty. We won't bend over backwards for him, but let's not disrespect his efforts, either. Set a reservation for tonight at the dancing Lily, all inclusive on us," Pelas replied.
"I like it. If we show that we reward excellence, not only by good pay, but also special benefits, like access to exclusive places like the dancing Lily, our members will try harder to go above and beyond," Tanner replied approvingly.
Pelas nodded. "That's what I was thinking. It will be small at first, but if we play our cards right, our guild is going to rise to the top," Pelas said, her eyes burning with conviction.
…
Archivuald strode from the guild master's office with a pep in his step. Excitement burned in his chest he descended several flights of stairs, walking down the hall to his room. His small room wasn't much to look at, but it had a soft bed and a copper tub that even had plumbing. After tossing his old clothes in the trash, he soaked in the tub for about an hour, his skin raw from scrubbing his body clean.
After a hot bath with actual soap, he felt like a new man. Leaving his bathroom, he was greeted by a neatly folded pair of pants and a collared shirt, made fine silk. There were even some polished leather boots on his bed as well.
A note lay atop the shirt, which he picked up. He cracked the seal and read, a smile tugging at his lips.
It was from Tanner, saying he had a reservation at the dancing Lily, an all-inclusive night in one of the city's fanciest restaurants. Well now, this was an unexpected surprise.
He had contemplated where to eat, but that decision had been made for him. It was a welcome surprise.
Dressing it the surprisingly snug outfit, he took a deep breath. After a few moments to steady himself, he headed towards the door, his stomach rumbling as he thought of a hot meal.
Tucking his heavy purse under his belt, he headed into the city, looking for the dancing Lily.
Humming to himself, he set a B Line for the inner city. It was only an hour's walk through the bustling morning traffic. Despite being the early morning rush, It was pleasantly quiet. It didn't take much asking around to find his destination.
The dancing Lily wasn't hard to find given its overly flamboyant facade.
Without hesitation, he walked up the marble stairs to the front door where he was met by a well dressed butler who stepped from behind one of the carved marble pillars.
"Sorry to disturb you young master, but may I see your pass?" the butler asked with a courtly bow.
Archivuald pulled the letter which had a seal, provided by Pelas from his shirt pocket, offering it to the butler. The man took the proffered document with a gloved hand, opening it and scanning the contents with a shrewd gaze. It only took a few seconds before he nodded.
"Ahh, a guest of Lady Pelas. Right this way," the man said, the door opening as if by silent command.
Archivauld followed the sharply dressed butler inside, the delectable smell of fine wine and exquisitely cooked food filling his nose. The soft sounds of a woman's melodic voice filling the air.
Strumming a lute, the woman had the voice of a goddess, her gentle voice filling the air with passionate grace.
It was by far the prettiest voice he had ever heard.
"Can I get a seat near the singer?" Archivauld asked hopefully.
The butler chuckled.
"We may have a booth available, though it is the most expensive booth in the restaurant. It comes with a ten course meal, a bottle of Burlo's finest and a personal song from Lady Tallia," the butler said.
"A personal song you say? Do i have to share the booth?" Archivuald asked, shocked at the price.
The butler smiled brightly. "Not at all, though it's a two gold fee for the entire day as well as the song. In my opinion, its entirely worth it. Lady Tallia usually only volunteers perhaps twice a year. You are lucky to be graced by her performance," the butler said.
Archivuald thought about it for only a moment before agreeing. It wasn't his gold, and Tanner had given the offer, so why not? The woman's voice was something else, and he was curious to see just who had such an incredible talent for singing.
The grinning butler led him down a carpeted hallway with thick rugs, pedestals with fancy statues and art lining both walls. There were multiple private booths, each with closed doors to offer privacy to the patrons.
Archivuald could see why this place was known for its high class. Not only was the decor top notch, but the food was also supposed to be extraordinary.
The butler escorting him to the second floor, to an outer balcony overlooking the city.
There was a singular table, draped with linen, and set with fine cutlery. That wasn't even the best part, The comfy looking chairs had plush padding, and were in the shade, much to his delight.
Unable to stop smiling, he took a seat in the plush chair, the woman's enchanting voice seeming to echo around him.
"Are there any drinks you would like to start with?" the well-dressed butler asked.
"An ale, whatever the chef recommends for breakfast, and the weekly newspaper," Archivuald said.
He could swear the man's left eye twitched when he said Ale, but the butler didn't miss a beat.
"An Ale and the paper… Right away sir,"
It only took what felt like seconds, before the waiter returned, placing a tall fancy mug full of Ale and a folded paper on the table.
"Your breakfast will be out shortly but in the meantime, please take a look at the menu. We have an extensive selection from all over the expanse. I dare say there is nothing you could ask for that we cannot offer. Take your time, in the meantime, enjoy this appetiser of roasted quail," the butler said.
Archivualds mouth watered as a covered platter was placed in front of him, seemingly summoned from thin air by the butler. The man took away the lid, revealing some delectable white meat, covered in what smelled like a sweet sauce.
The array of forks and spoons made him hesitate for a moment, but like the barbarian he was, he chose one at random and grabbed on.
The butler's eye twitched yet again, but he said nothing as Archviauld took a large bite of incredibly juicy and tender quail.
It was sublime, perhaps the best thing he had ever tasted. The butler standing nearby looked like he died a bit inside as Archivuald ignored the bottle of wine on the table and took a long gulp of frosty cold ale to wash it down.
It was delicious. Ignoring the butler's glances, Archivuald devoured the appetiser, wanting to lick the plate afterwards.. Despite his desire, he held himself back. His poor butler might have an aneurysm if he did so.
"How was the quail?" The butler asked, in a carefully neutral voice. .
"It was Incredible. As long as you keep bringing me out more things like this, I don't really care what they are. Just meat, and a lot of it," Archivauld said.
"Of course, young master," The butler replied. His eye twitched, but he bowed slightly, taking the empty platter.
The man disappeared with a flourish, leaving Archivauld alone to enjoy that woman's singing, and the stunning view of the city. It was a pleasant combination.
Archviauld sighed, the lingering flavor of quail still on his lips as he picked up the neatly folded paper.
He was hoping to uncover more details about who Estacia and Jervony, but there was nothing in the papers about it.
Archivauld was guessing that was because the Order wanted to keep the fact Estacia and Jervony were kidnapped by bandits hush hush.
More importantly, were the faces of the Yurlan bandits, and supposed colluders, all crossed out. This section was obviously written to make the Order look good.
As the papers told it, all the bandits were taken out by members of the Order, all except Parcival, though they omitted the fact that the bastard was still alive.
The more Archivuald read, the more he suspected this was going to be a coverup. Frustrating, but what could he do?
The most important part, was that his own likeness, Archivauld, had been confirmed dead. He was officially, or in this case, unofficially, killed and burned by the Order.
It smarted a bit that the Order was taking credit for killing the bandits, but, what could he do?
Still no word if Parcival was captured, but knowing that bastard, the man somehow survived.
Archivuald let out a tired sigh.
With both Parcival, and the hidden hand supporting him from the shadows, Archviuald had his work cut out for him. The main issue was, he had no real way to find them.
It was not ideal. His only saving grace was that, both Parcival, and the unknown person behind him didn't know what Archivauld's new human face looked like. That alone was a tremendous relief. As long as he could keep his monster form, and his human self separate, he should be fine.
With no more readily available information on Parcival, or his master, Archivauld could only turn the page.
After a while of reading, another thing drew his attention. There was a brief mention of mysterious disappearances, towns abandoned on the borders of the expanse. Archivauld had no idea what that was about, as it simply mentioned the Order was looking into it.
A troubling phenomenon, but the Order seemed to have it in hand. It wasn't something he could deal with even if he wanted to, given the scale of disappearances.
Archivauld had grown immensely over the past few months, but he was still near the bottom of the barrel, and couldn't forget that just because he cleared some copper tier rifts and killed a group of bandits.
He had gotten lucky thus far, and couldn't let down his guard. Lost in his own thoughts, he didn't notice that the music had stopped, at least until someone sat across the table from him.
Distracted, Archivauld's stomach fluttered as he looked up into her piercing eyes. Stunningly beautiful, with shimmering green eyes like a summer storm and pitch black hair. Lady
Despite her otherworldly beauty, his face scrunched up in displeasure as he saw her.
It was that overly inquisitive woman, the one who had almost zapped him with lightning when he snuck into the city.
What was this Nether blasted woman doing here?
"Do you mind if I join you?" She asked.
Before he could respond, she took a seat, giving him a deadpan stare. Swearing inwardly, Archivauld pretended to ignore the look, almost regretting his decision to come to this fancy restaurant. What were the freaking odds, was she stalking him or something?
There were several long moments of blissful silence before she broke it again.
"You know, there are other ways to meet me rather than booking up the entire VIP booth," she said.
That made him raise an eyebrow. "What are you even talking about? I have no idea who you even are. I just came here to enjoy a meal, and some lovely music," Archivauld replied, only then noting the music had stopped.
She raised one delicate eyebrow.
"Really? Then why did you book this entire booth, to see me in private after my performance?" she replied dubiously.
"That was you singing?" Archivauld asked, taken aback.
She scoffed. "Don't play dumb, there is no way you would book this room with its high price tag without knowing," She replied, tucking a lock of silky black hair behind one ear.
Archivuald grunted. "Well, maybe you are not as important as you think you are. I just asked to be near the singer. I had no idea It was you," Archivauld replied, focusing back on his paper as a sign of dismissal.
She clearly didn't appreciate his cold shoulder as he could feel her glare from across the table. Even so, he pretended not to notice.
Sounding annoyed, she spoke. "Just what is your problem, anyway? I looked into the Black Heart guild, and something just doesn't add up. You appeared out of nowhere, after Lady Pelas somehow acquired a guild masters license through dubious means. Just who are you and where did you come from?" Lady Tallia asked, her tone accusing.
Archivauld grunted noncommittally.
"We are perfectly legitimate, with a proper guild license and everything. If you have an issue with how we conduct business you are free to go to the proper authorities," Archivauld replied casually.
"That's a waste of time and you know it. At least give me a name," she asked.
Archivauld rolled his eyes. "If you looked into our guild, there is no way you don't already know my name. It's not exactly a secret. But sure, I will humour you. My name is Alexander Sharp, or Alex for short," Archivuald replied.
She pursed her lips, his casual tone and attention on the paper seeming to annoy her further.