Next morning.
Adventuring guild.
Odale together with Jarvis were busy loading some crates into a carriage, with Avy sitting on the front of the carriage, slightly falling asleep. I was at one of the reception desks inside of the guild, filling out some papers. I had told Jarvis about my idea to head off to see other places in the world, which the Guildmaster happened to also overhear.
Almost immediately afterwards, he offered us a destination to go to, while also sneakily adding a bit of his own terms – requesting that if we were departing from Ordial anyway, we may as well carry out a small delivery of some supplies to the Adventuring guild branch located in the city of Yiinao.
At first - I wanted to refuse his request.
However, after he said that he would provide a carriage for us to use to get to the city, that we were allowed to actually keep, even after carrying out the delivery… Well, I kind of cracked and accepted. It's not a bad deal and all we have to do is deliver some supplies. Nothing difficult… Or at least, I hope it won't be anything difficult.
After agreeing to it, he immediately got to work to arranging the carriage as well as the supplies we were to deliver, while at the same time requesting that I sign a few documents — apparently they were simply official papers that I would need to show to the Yiinao Adventuring guild staff, so that they know the supplies we brought were 'legit'.... Or something like that.
Quite a lot of paperwork.
"Yeah… Tell me about it." I replied to Ancient One, before exhaling lightly. I wasn't a fan of signing loads of documents in my last life, always finding it rather exhausting. Hell, half the time I would just skimp over what the documents I was signing said before quickly signing them and tossing them to the side.
Paperwork is just boring…
I don't understand the people who love to do this kind of stuff. But then again, I was more of the technical computer guy in my last life, focusing on development and coding.
Eventually, I managed to sign the last of the papers, before pushing them towards the receptionist who watched over the entire process. "All done?" I nodded towards the kind lady with the brown hair. She smiled, before picking up the papers and neatly organising them. "You can head on outside. After we've verified all the documents have been signed, we'll bring out the stamped versions of them."
"Alright, thanks." She then bowed towards me, before turning away and disappearing into the room behind the desk.
I turned around, before moving to leave the guild, passing by the other adventurers in the guild. Once outside again, I looked at the carriage, which seemingly had been fully loaded with all the supplies that we needed to deliver. Jarvis and Odale were just standing by the carriage, chatting while Gidou was at the front of the carriage, seemingly talking with Avy about something.
"All done? Are we ready to depart?" I asked as I walked down the stairs and towards the two men chatting. Jarvis and Odale turned their attention towards me, before Odale nodded gently. "All the supplies have been loaded into the carriage. All we need is the guild's approval and we can move out."
Jarvis chuckled lightly.
"Quite exciting, isn't it? Preparing for a big journey to another town was always the most fun part of being an adventurer when I was younger." He said, crossing his arms. His statement surprised me a little. "You were an adventurer when you were younger, Jarvis?"
"Indeed. Though, it didn't last all that long. Well… At least, it didn't last all that long by lizardmen standards. By human standards, I imagine it seems like a long time."
"...How long..?"
Jarvis thought about it for a moment. "I believe around twelve, maybe fourteen years? It's been a long time since I quit, so it's a little hard to remember." He laughed lightly. I shed a slight sweat while also laughing lightly. "Twelve to potentially fourteen years?... Yeah, by 'human' standards, that is quite a long time to spend doing one thing…"
"What made you quit anyway?" I asked after shaking my head.
Jarvis smiled, before looking away. "...I found something I wanted to treasure." He replied. I thought about what he could mean by that for a moment – once I realised what he was referring to, I couldn't help but chuckle a little, resting my hands onto my hips. "Well, you certainly strike me as a family man."
Jarvis laughed again. "I try very hard."
Our little chat was interrupted by Gidou approaching us, his arms behind his back - like some sort of military commander. "Everything is ready. After we bring out the stamped documents for you all, you can depart." He stated, stopping just next to me. I nodded lightly.
"Good to know."
Gidou then turned towards Jarvis. "Jarvis, head on back inside and continue your usual work. Thank you for helping load the supplies." The lizardman bowed towards the Guildmaster politely, before walking past me. "Stay safe out there sir Riyo! And you as well, Mage." He added at the end, looking at Odale over his shoulder. Odale bowed slightly towards Jarvis, before waving him a farewell.
"You take care of your family, Jarvis." I replied to the lizardman, who simply smiled at me, before moving up the stairs and disappearing back inside the guild. Once he was gone, Gidou stretched out before exhaling. "This takes me back. Traveling to other places was one of the greatest things about being an adventurer."
"Any experiences you want to share, Guildmaster?" I asked, feeling a little more confident with speaking to him like any other person. Gidou turned to me, before thinking about it and exhaling, smiling lightly. "Maybe another time."
I exhaled lightly, before shrugging.
Then, the same brown haired woman who had watched over me while I was signing the documents came out of the guild, carrying a sealed folder, with a wax seal on it. "Guildmaster, we have verified that all the documents have been signed and stamped them accordingly."
"Thank you, you may return to your usual work." He stated, taking the folder. The woman bowed gently, before turning around and walking back inside the guild. Then, Gidou turned his attention to me again, handing me the folder. "Keep this safe. Without it, the Yiinao Adventuring guild won't accept the supplies you bring. It'll also act as your delivery documentation, in case you get stopped and questioned about the contents of the carriage at Yiinao's gates."
"Thanks." I replied, taking the folder, before looking at Odale, who, without me needing to say anything, quickly walked over, taking the folder. "I'll keep it safe." He stated, before turning around and moving to climb into the carriage.
"Well, with all that done, you're free to depart now." Gidou stated, before moving to enter the Adventuring guild once more. "Good luck on your journey, wherever it shall take you next." He stated.
I watched the man walk up the stairs for a bit, before taking in a deep breath and bowing towards him. "Thank you for everything, Guildmaster Gidou!" I stated. Gidou stopped, looking back at me for a moment, before smiling and turning to face me again. "...May we meet again one day, sir 'Riyo'." He winked a little at the end there, seemingly teasing me a bit about the 'fake' name I had registered at the guild under. I laughed lightly, before turning away and quickly moving over to the front of the carriage, hopping next to Avy.
"Ready to go?" She asked.
I looked at her before smiling and nodding. "Yeah." I replied. Avy smiled back, before stretching out and picking up the reins. "Wait…" I stopped her. She looked at me confused. "What's up?"
"...I want to make a small stop at the Ordial Medical point." Avy looked a little surprised about my request at first, but quickly shook her head and smiled again. "Alright, we'll stop by. But don't take too long inside, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah – got it." Then, she whipped the reins, the horses reacting before starting to move.
Gidou watched the carriage leave for a moment, keeping his arms crossed. After a little bit, he turned back around and moved back inside the guild, quickly moving upstairs and to his office. Opening the door to it, he entered it, before closing the door gently – his hand staying on the handle for a moment longer than needed.
"Now then, mind explaining to me what you're doing so far away from your home, Miss Rhysta?"
He asked, as he moved into the office more, placing his arms behind his back. Rhysta was sitting on one of the couches, her expression a mix of annoyance, slight intimidation and even nervousness. Gidou walked over to the massive window behind his desk, looking out of it for a moment, before looking at Rhysta. "Well? I'm waiting."
The mage remained silent for a moment longer. Then, she took a deep breath. "I simply got bored—"
"I know that's not the real reason. Esthan wouldn't let you slip out of the Union HQ so easily." Gidou cut her off, making Rhysta shed a cold sweat, her body slightly trembling. This was one of the many reasons she didn't particularly enjoy being in the presence of the Guildmaster of Ordial. The man wasn't someone she could easily fool with lies… Though, being as nervous as she was always around him, didn't exactly help.
"No need to keep any secrets from me, miss Rhysta. I am not your enemy or the enemy of the Union." Gidou stated, before moving to sit down at his desk, resting his arms onto it. "Tell me, what's the real reason for you to be this far away from Union HQ? What did Esthan order you to do, that he allowed you to leave?"
The girl remained silent, fidgeting a little with her fingers – her ears twitching ever so slightly. Gidou waited for a bit, the silence in the room growing more and more deafening the longer Rhysta remained quiet. Eventually however, she exhaled, breaking her silence.
"...I was told to investigate supposed cult activity near Ordial. Something about 'dark energy' being felt near it."
Gidou narrowed his eyes. "Cult activity…?"
He thought about it. "Any more specifics?"
She shook her head. "All that Esthan told me is that he felt an attempt to connect to the underworld to call forth a spirit from it near Ordial." Gidou remained silent for a bit, thinking over it. Cult activity? An attempt to connect to the 'underworld' and call forth one of its spirits?
The perpetrators were clear… However, how come he had not caught any wind of something like that happening in Ordials territory? If they were acting up around Ordial, especially by using a ritual to connect to the underworld, he should have been able to pick up on it by feeling the magical energy of the ritual…
"Did Esthan tell you approximately where the dark energy was?"
"No… He just said it was 'near Ordial' — that's it."
Gidou sighed. "Well, that's informative…" He leaned back into his chair. More trouble had shown itself. First it was Arabor disappearing, then it was the Southern Beast being killed, then the Fire Princes domain began acting strangely and now cult activity was detected near Ordial?
"Can I catch a break…?" Gidou laughed to himself gently, before clearing his throat. "Alright, then I'll allow you to continue your investigation. If I had to make a guess, the likely place where the ritual was attempted was the Abyssal woods."
"How can you–?"
"If it was done close to Ordial, I would have felt the magical energy of the ritual. Did you already forget who I am?"
Rhysta remained silent. "No…. No I have not."
Gidou nodded.
"Anyways… Considering that I didn't feel the ritual, it must mean it was conducted somewhere inside the Abyssal woods, specifically in the deeper zones of it, where magical energy abundance is enormous. They must have used that fact to 'hide' the ritual." Upon Gidou explaining it, Rhysta looked at him, before looking away, thinking about what he suggested a bit more carefully. "...Makes sense….."
After shaking her head, she looked back at him. "So, should I investigate the deeper zones?"
"I say investigate the entire Abyssal woods, even zones with a lesser amount of magical energy. It's better to do an entire sweep of the forest." He said, before lifting his right hand up. "Of course, avoid going near Arabor's tomb. It's not safe there and not even the cult would dare do anything too close to it."
"Right…" Rhysta replied before getting up.
"Then, I shall–"
"One more thing, miss Rhysta."
She froze up, before turning to look at him. "Y-Yes…?"
"...Good to see that you're doing alright." He stated, smiling. Rhysta remained silent before turning around, letting out a sigh of relief. Then, she quickly moved to leave the office, closing the door after herself without even bidding a farewell.
Once she left, Gidou exhaled, leaning back into his seat and looking up at the ceiling. Lifting his hands up, he placed them onto his face, keeping them for a moment there while processing everything. After a bit, he lowered his hands back down onto his chair's armrests, before turning it around a bit to look out the window once more.
"Did he also have something to do with that cult thing, or was it unrelated?" He thought, narrowing his eyes slightly. "...The world is changing. At a drastic rate as well."
Gidou stood up, walking up to the window, staring out of it for a moment longer, before throwing his gaze over to the sword which was displayed in his office. "...I wonder, what will happen next? How will they react to these changes? How will… the Holy King react?"
Gidou finished his line of thoughts, staring at his sword for a bit longer. Then, he moved away from the window and towards a small stand in the corner, where a teapot and some cups stood, pouring himself some tea. After sipping it, he took in a deep breath, chuckling lightly before shaking his head.
"Let's see how this plays out."
Later…
I moved through the Ordial Medical point, searching for the room I was headed to. "Two thirty four, two thirty five… Two thirty six – there it is." I thought, before stopping before the room. Standing in front of it, I hesitated a little. On the other side of the door, there should be the person I should have paid a visit to a little sooner.
The person who had risked his life to buy me time to escape when the Southern Beast attacked us out of nowhere. In a way… You could say he was the only reason I had made it this far. If it wasn't for him risking his life, I never would have tried fighting the Southern Beast, I never would have killed it and I never would have met Avy. Somehow, he was somewhat responsible for what I had managed to experience after the Southern Beast.
Gently knocking on the door, I finally entered it.
"I was told that breakfast will take a little longer than usual—" The man in the room stated, before turning around and seeing me. I closed the door after myself, smiling lightly. There he was – Avid.
The man remained silent for a bit, before laughing. "So… You did survive." He scanned me with his gaze, before shaking his head and getting up from his bed, leaning against a crutch. His body, while seemingly recovered for the most part, clearly still needed time to fully recover. I used 'Shadowlord' to quickly help him stand more properly before shaking my head. "I'm more surprised you lived."
Avid laughed. "This? This is just a usual heavy mission for us mercenaries…" He said before sitting back onto the bed with the help of the shadows I manipulated. I walked closer to him, grabbing a chair from the side before sitting down. After a bit of silence, I exhaled. "Listen, I'm sorry for not visiting sooner, I—"
"No need to apologise." Avid stopped me, gesturing to me with his hand. "I was in really bad condition for a few weeks anyway, so it's not as if the medical experts in the clinic were going to let you visit me anyway."
I remained silent for a moment, before chuckling.
"I guess you're right."
Then, after a moment of silence, Avid stretched out. "Alright, so, what have you been up to while I've been recovering? Your mastery and speed at using that shadow manipulation ability of yours has improved quite a bit since we last met."
"Not much honestly…" I started before rubbing the back of my neck. "Okay, well, that's not exactly correct… I've been through quite a bit."
"I can imagine. I managed to overhear from the doctors here about some troubles with the Fire Princes domain. I will take a guess on you having some involvement with that?"
I shed a slight sweat. "How did you…?"
"I'm quite good at making guesses like this." He replied before laughing lightly. "In all seriousness, I overheard from the doctors that some adventurers had gotten themselves in a pickle during the raid. So, I sort of guessed you'd be part of that group."
I shook my head. "Well, you're one hell of a psychic."
"Haha… No psychic powers here I'm afraid." He laughed.
Our conversation continued for some time – with me basically retelling him a short version of what I've been busy with after the Southern Beast. Eventually, I had caught him up with everything there was to catch him up with.
"So," Avid started, scratching his chin a bit. "What do you plan to do now?"
"Me and my friends will be heading out to see other towns. And because of that decision, Guildmaster Gidou requested that we make a delivery for some supplies to the Adventuring guild in Yiinao."
Avid looked a little surprised.
"Yiinao? Haha, guess I shouldn't be surprised. If you're heading out to see other towns, there is no reason not to stop by it."
"Really? Why so?"
Avid crossed his arms. "Well, Yiinao is known as the second largest market in the world – second only to Tvarta of course. Its reputation as a place where you can buy nearly anything your heart desires as well as the enormous amount of export they do has earned the city the title 'Merchant Central' or 'City of Merchants'." Avid explained briefly, brushing his chin gently. "I've been to Yiinao a few times myself as part of Mercenary guild business and I have to say, it's a nice city. There's a lot to do there, a lot to see. Not a bad spot to stop by and explore."
With how he described the city, I couldn't help but somewhat agree.
It did sound like the city was something worthwhile seeing. I mean, sure, we are technically only heading to it in order to deliver the supplies Gidou requested that we deliver, but hearing this brief explanation and description of it… It kind of made me want to see it for personal reasons as well.
After a momentary silence, I chuckled and exhaled.
"Any recommendations on spots to visit?"
Avid thought about it for a second. "There is one I can think of." He stated, before looking at me. "A blacksmith by the name of Orwelph. He's the one who forged the weapons I personally use. Great guy, skilled at his craft." He stated, before crossing his arms again. "It'd be a good idea to stop by him and see whether he can set you up with a good quality weapon."
I thought about his suggestion for a moment.
A skilled blacksmith that could potentially give me a good weapon…
Yeah, I think I can work with that. I mean, I've been relying on the weapons I create using my venom and shadows up until now, but those require me to use my magical energy to create. Having a dedicated, physical weapon would be nice…
I heard the Ancient One snicker under his breath.
"Hm..? Something the Ancient One?"
…Nothing. I'll tell you later.
I rolled my eyes, before exhaling and getting up from my seat. "Well, I better get going. I don't want to keep my friends waiting too long." Avid nodded. "Right. Stay safe on your travels."
I nodded gently, before moving the chair back to where I took it from. Then, I turned to leave the room, stopping right before the door. After a moment, I looked at Avid again. "...Good to see that you're alright." Avid laughed lightly. "Likewise. Farewell for now, Riyo."
"..See you around, Avid."
After that, I left the room, closing the door after myself gently.
Did that clear your consciousness a little bit?
Ancient One asked. I exhaled before smiling and placing my arms behind my head, looking up at the ceiling for a moment. "...Yeah… It's good to know that he really is alright and recovering. Now I can depart without feeling guilty about not having visited him even once during his recovery."
Good for you, Master.
Now, don't keep Avy and Odale waiting any longer.
I shook my head, lowering my arms back down before picking up the pace. "I know. Time to head back and finally depart on a journey across the world."