10
The Lost
SERAPHIS ELTATH VERLICE
Stepping into the adventurer's guild, I was greeted by a variety of familiar scents, sounds, and sights, all blending together into one, visceral tapestry.
My boots thumped rhythmically against the smooth, marble flooring, as my legs carried me across the different lines and lanes, to the section titled 'Quest Boards' in the back.
Along the way, I caught wind of the glances and whispers aimed in our direction, keeping them mostly at the back of my mind, though some chatter unavoidably caught my interest.
"White hair, black wolf, fiery eyes, and a girl who embodies the very idea of silver itself…"
"It's really them… The Lost. In the flesh."
"White, Black Flash, Ifrit, and Moonlight, of The Forgotten…"
"—Heard they got rid of the fox…"
"Psh. That's who these buggers have been yissin' around about lately? Don't look like much. It'd take a bugger a mansport and ta' kick a barrel of A's before I ever turn tail, tell you what. Buncha children, ain't they?"
"Bah. If there's one thing I've learned in these years, it's to never piss at a man's foot because his bag looks smaller. It could always hold more weight than your own."
"The Lost? So what's up with this Forgotten moniker? They official, or…?"
"Well, yes and no. From what I know, there are rumors that these guys are too experienced and talented to be mere newbies—people even heard that Crownless guy talking to himself about having to 'do it all over again.' And you know what that means…"
"Ahh, I see. So, rumors are that they're repeats, eh? People whose progress has somehow been wiped clean from the Merit System, thus becoming one of The Forgotten. Well, I'll be damned. Let's see… there are three of them, meaning they'd make the six, seventh, and eighth people ever to have that happen to them in history. Poor lads."
"Yeah, no kidding. Still, they're making it work. Times are changing, and fast. If we don't get back into the fields soon, the new generation'll end up leaving us behind. Hell, even the wolf has a title."
We came to a halt, stopping to drink in the sight.
"Well… we're here at last," I breathed. "Four weeks spent practicing and honing our skills as a team. We've been building up to this. All that's left now is to pick."
Ignis huffed from my right. "Personally, I don't care what it is, so long as it's something worthy of our time. My blade grows tired of being soaked in wolf blood, and so does yours. I can tell."
"Tell?" I repeated, tilting my head curiously. "Tell what? No, maybe the better question is how exactly?"
"It's merely a feeling, not exactly something I can accurately describe. I can speak to the soul of the blade. I've been able to do it for as long as I know. Perhaps, I should test out your own weapon at a later date—see if it's the real deal."
"Ah, no thanks," I cut him off cleanly. "I don't want whatever it is you're having."
"—Need I remind you both of the reason we're here?" Caelora began, tone urgent but gentle.
"We should decide on a quest quickly. The stares are starting to mount, and we can all recall just what happened the last time we stood here too long."
Her eyes landed coldly on Ignis' back, though he didn't seem to notice. Either that, or he was pretending not to. These past few weeks he'd acquired some questionable habits.
This feels oddly familiar… In any case, she's right.
"Let's see…"
Together, we all scanned the board for anything that might've interested us.
The quests all varied, ranging from more localized jobs like helping to protect some supplies and transport, or pest extermination, all the way up to heading further in-kingdom for specific jobs—sometimes involving noble families. In total, we'd probably spent somewhere around fifteen minutes just searching.
Even for us, those ones would be too standout.
Not to mention that they don't exactly help me with my ultimate goal here: acquiring strength while remaining anonymous.
Eventually, something stood out to me. I reached for the paper, lightly unclipping it from the wall, right as Ignis began to shake his head in defeat.
"An Unmarked Lode…" I exhaled slowly, eyes still scanning for the rest of the details.
"A dungeon extermination-type quest for B-rank adventures, bare minimum. It says they're looking for more members, and it's scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The difficulty rating is but a precaution, as it has yet to be explored, but it is expected to yield great value in the materials there due to its location. It's near some other important dungeon-turned-mine spots."
I met my companions' gazes in turn.
"What do you think?"
Ignis leaned forward, arms folded, and golden eyes narrowing with interest.
"It's about time something sounded worth the effort. If it's unexplored, then that means first claim to the drops… That works fine for me."
His tone was light, but I could feel the eagerness behind it. Caelora, though, looked unconvinced.
"It's an unmarked lode?" she murmured, "That alone makes me wary."
"What of it?" Ignis shrugged.
"We've spent the past month training and practicing our skills together exactly for this moment. It would be foolish to pass up an opportunity such as this because of some name."
She shot a glance at him as I held back a hesitant smirk, finding myself in agreement with this.
We'd polished ourselves into something else, especially compared to when we first began.
Things weren't the same, and neither were we.
My eyes briefly drifted towards Seraphina, who sat in between the three of us, leaving Ignis and I on the same side; a direct mirror to my thoughts.
Her coat gleamed as dark as oil under the lighting, only with a faint sheen to it, and her soft, magenta eyes peered up at me curiously.
'Papa? What is it?'
I brushed my fingers against her coat softly, remembering the events of just a week ago, when one day, we had awakened to a black beast closely resembling that of a storm wolf having found its way into my tent, somehow, during the edge of night.
Ah, that morning I woke everyone up with a scream…
Good times.
'It's nothing,' I sent back. 'Just thinking.'
Still, as accustomed to it as we may have become, it wasn't easy trying to explain to my companions just why my bond had suddenly transformed into the very wolves we'd been hunting and eating frequently.
After all, I hadn't known myself, though it did offer clues as to my bond's true abilities and potential—which was, for the large part of it, shrouded in obscurity.
Alti said that her and her father, Karyst, had bought her just before my birthday, and I learned from them that she was a Silver-Fur fox of the Lychnus genus, primarily known for their agility.
At least, that's what we thought… And that's not even mentioning her second tail that's recently grown in from that stump.
It was just like that day… Even now, I knew very little about the fox—if that's even her true form—that I called my bond.
Despite the fact that we had learned to hunt more than just them, I was assuming that since they were our most prominent—and recently abundant pest in the lands—it had something to do with them.
Now that I think about it… didn't she actually enjoy the wolf meat? A little too much, even?
It only seemed to grow after Caelora got better at cooking them, learning to soften the bitterness.
Following that train of thought, it'd be natural to assume that her transformation is linked to her consumption of a creature—perhaps, the amount.
Memories of our time spent foraging in the lone wilderness of the forest, just shortly after I departed from Testruam surfaced, of when Seraphina would refuse her fish out of preference.
…She still had no choice, at the end of it all, though, and eventually would give in, eating small amounts.
Then, I wonder.
Would she have gained the ability to turn into a fi–
"—wnless?"
Caelora's voice pulled me back to the present.
"Eh? Sorry, what was it we were speaking about?" I replied, eyes darting back and forth.
Her gaze narrowed as she traced my figure, seeming to peer further into me.
Eventually, she relented, turning back to the quest board.
"...It's nothing. We were in the midst of discussing the potential dangers of accepting this quest. I, for one, suggest that we don't make a hasty decision. Everything we know, thus far, seems to be mere speculation. And…" her voice fell a pitch, "You're shaking."
The words landed, and something in me faltered—as if my mind had tripped over something only my body seemed to remember.
"...Huh?"
Before anything else could happen, a third voice interrupted, laced with a falsified charm.
"Well, well, well. I guess the rumors were true, after all. The red-headed ape, the flashy commoner, the silent sage, and… a new dog pet. Why am I not surprised? Talk is all these woggarts know how to do."
It sounded from behind us. I turned just as a young boy—not much older than myself, seemingly—strode through the nearest archway, flanked by two others wearing polished gear that looked new enough to have just been bought yesterday.
The pompish boy wore a dark red and brown-themed coat that hung off one shoulder, revealing a breastplate trimmed in gold filigree.
"Sorry, but do we know you?" I was the first to respond.
He rolled his eyes, running a gloved hand through his blonde, sideswept hair, and readjusting his grip on his staff, which was long enough to reach the floor.
And if needed, work as a walking stick…
"Tch, typical woggart," he spat, "Surely, your brain hasn't been reduced enough to the point where you can't even remember the one who… Nevermind. My breath is wasted on the likes of you. Fine then. Allow me to enlighten you. I bestow upon you the honor of knowing me as Evrenn, son of House Leoldhaert. If you knew what's best for you, you'd prostrate yourselves."
There was a lull in action as the boy merely looked at us, as if expecting for us to truly do as he said.
When it became clear that nothing of the sort would happen, a scowl creeped into his expression and he regarded us with disdain.
"Truly, embarrassing to the end, you lot."
Ignis shifted in place, amusement fading from his features.
"If that is all you have to say, then I'd suggest you be on your way. We were in the middle of discussing something important that the likes of you wouldn't understand."
The boy—Evrenn—merely smirked, stepping toward the quest board, and parting our group.
His hand reached toward the parchment paper loose in my hand before stopping and twisting, revealing a paper of different material in his hand, materializing in a brief but faint whirlwind of sparks.
Had the situation been different, I would've considered it a sort of magic trick.
On the paper, bold letters were visible.
'Official Letter of Request for Adventurer Evrenn of House Leoldhaert.
Quest: Unmarked Lode, Designation #1839. High Priority Target.'
"Ah… The potential mine. I was told there'd be others after it, as well, but I didn't expect amateurs fighting for table scraps. Truly, what is that filth thinking?"
Before anyone could speak, I stepped forward, letting my hand drop back down to my side.
"You're welcome to try your luck, if that's what this is about. But we aren't here to quarrel with anyone over ranking. Here, we're all equal."
"Hah. Don't try to force your woggart philosophy on me, commoner. Luck's for those who need it," he said, turning away. "So, good luck."
As he retreated towards the clerk at the reception, having made his point known, his two lackeys quietly laughed behind him—the first move they'd ever made throughout the entirety of our confrontation.
Arrogant bastards…
We stood in silence for a while, carefully going over the information learned.
Finally, Ivignes spoke first. "So, what's the call? I'm in favor of still going, despite our company."
"You'd say that about any quest promising danger," Caelora replied quickly.
"Sure, if there is strength and benefit to be gained. Though I'm a warrior, more importantly, you and I have a goal. One that I know you haven't forgotten."
Their eyes naturally fell on me after a moment. I sighed, reaching up to adjust the hood of my cloak.
"I'm in agreement with Ignis. We've worked for this," I said quietly. "If there's something bigger—more dangerous—in there waiting for us, then we'll handle it. And if it turns out to be less than that, then at least the path forward remains clear."
She hesitated, eyes narrowing, but eventually giving a small nod. "If it must be done… then we'll do it. However, I still have a bad feeling about this. Like there's something we're missing."
"That's normal," I replied. "But, the past month hasn't gone to waste. Let's make sure of it—all of us."
"And if needed… we'll make our own luck."