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Fantasy A Guild of Heroes: Requiem

Reader mode
[x] Go straight to the Guild Master; no distractions.

We don't have time for distractions. The old man probably doesn't like to be kept waiting. Need any more reasons? Good. Let's start walking. We have a message to deliver.
 
Chapter 10
  • Index
    • [AN: Sorry for the late update; wanted to give people some more time. 1.8k words or 6.8 minutes of reading time.]

    Vote Tally

    Results:
    [X] Go straight to the Guild Master; no distractions.

    ***​

    Stonesnout had a gut feeling if he'd went exploring, he might lose track of time and get caught up in something he really didn't want to get caught up in. True, Elmanthir didn't give the message a time limit, but surely he wouldn't be happy if Stonesnout remained motionless with its delivery.

    With that, Stonesnout walked forward on the white-brick path leading towards the main citadel of the fortress, standing in the very middle like a juggernaut of a building, the proud emblems of the Guild displayed on azure-blue and gold banners. Just those banners must be worth kilograms of gold!

    Somewhat astonished by the sights, like the roadside flora and the sight of an occasional guild member taking care of various activities, Stonesnout fought the urge to explore.

    It was difficult, especially when he saw a woman on a pegasus land in one of the courtyards and hand the creature's reins off to what looked like a golem. He knew what golems were; stacks of roughly human-shaped material animated through magic. Government-owned golem fighting units weren't too uncommon back in Kag-Leihwaz, especially when things got heated. Generally, they were too stupid to be allowed to perform guard duties on their own, and were only useful for apprehending suspects when the risk of broken bones was acceptable. Here, though, it looked like the golem was more sophisticated, tying the reins to a nearby pole while the woman walked in the direction of a castle entrance.

    Astonishing, all of it.

    It took fifteen to twenty minutes to get to the main citadel. Near the entrance, Stonesnout was blocked by a pair of golems with halberds. The golems had rough, dark navy blue, blocky skin, with clear seams, and they had only one, large, blue eye, like a cyclops. Stone golems? They looked almost... aquatic. Or was that just to fit in with the blue and cyan aesthetic most of the decorative tints had here? He imagined these golems wouldn't actually be capable of fighting a lich, and most guild members could protect themselves, so they definitely had a decorative value to them.

    He shook off these thoughts, realizing that two, large blue uni-eyes were boring into him like drills.

    "Uhm, I was sent by Elmanthir. I'm supposed to deliver a message to the Guild Master?" he said, a bit sheepishly.

    The golems shared a look, then one of them looked forward blankly and its eye turned yellow for several seconds. After that, it clicked blue again, and the golem stepped back again.

    There was a tiny pop, and a distortion of light; far lesser in scale than Elmanthir's. Now, there was an old, robed man in front of Stonesnout, who offered his hand without a word.

    Stonesnout, unsure of whether to shake it or kiss it, or what else to do, simply clasped his own around it, and realized why this was necessary only a moment after, when he was forced through a tight, photonic tube, and re-appeared in an office, struck by nausea.

    The robed man helped him sit down in a chair, then stepped back and left.

    Stonesnout looked around. He found himself in a small office of a circular shape, a set of stairs to the far left and a door behind his back. The carpet was a dark blue, and so were the tapestries on the three windows the chamber offered. In front of him was a desk, with some nondescript books, a quill and inkwell, and a golden stamp.

    After a moment, a man emerged from the stairs. He had spiky ears and silver hair, alongside a short beard that covered most of his face. His blue eyes had a deepness and evaluating feel to them as if they were rating everything they saw on a scale of... something, but not in a hostile way. He wore spectacles, shaped like half-circles, with a golden frame. He looked somber and melancholic, maybe a little sad. In terms of apparel, the man didn't skimp, wearing floor-reaching vestments of cerulean and golden color, adorned with what looked like actual golden lining, small ornaments, rings with jewels, and a Guild Seal proudly displayed on his chest, which itself was covered in glittering, silver armor.

    He walked up the stairs until he was on the office floor. The way he strode forward gave a feeling of majesty, of gravitas and culture.

    "Elmanthir told me about you," the man said in a monostatic drawl, calmly stepping behind the desk and offering a handshake. Stonesnout, still evaluating the air of authority the man had, accepted without delay. The man, satisfied with that, sat down and continued.

    "It has been twelve years since we last had a tiefling here. Your kind is rather rare, here, you see. Most will join a holy order, or become a lonely paladin or cleric, if they decide to retribute their existence at all. Many tieflings decide their very existence is sin and has to be absolved, so they do that; rarely will one live unburdened by their heritage. Naturally, the Guild will accept anyone, no matter what their allegiance, so long as it isn't stupidly dangerous or illegal."

    Stonesnout felt confused by this politicking and racial discussion. He'd never had to deal with something like this, beyond reading something in the newspaper about trade deals and duergar bandits. "Ah, urm, yes."

    The man's eyes or tone didn't change, being as static as his first sentence. "Ah, where are my manners? How foolish of me. My name is Julian Auriference Theomach, but call me Julian. I am the Guild Master."

    Auriference? That's a weird second name, and Julian doesn't sound elven.

    "You had a message for me... Stonesnout, was it?"

    "Yes, yes." Stonesnout nodded, furrowing his brow and making a mental effort to retrieve the message from the back of his mind. "He wants you to meet him at the usual meeting spot at the hour of the first dirty knuckle of the seventh dirty finger. And, uh, on the day of ruby brimstone? Worth one-hundred and four pieces, not ninety-one."

    The Guild Master didn't look away from Stonesnout's face. He didn't say anything for a while, just sat there, comfortable in his chair. The wizen elf looked almost meek, but after a second, he blinked, then nodded. "I see." He looked up, above Stonesnout's head, his lips parted in a thoughtful way. In a few seconds, he nodded again. "How good of you to bring me this message yourself."

    The Guild Master stood from his chair, and feeling compelled to do the same, Stonesnout pushed nausea back into his mind and stood upright alongside him.

    "Do you mind if we talk as we walk? I will not teleport anywhere, simply travel."

    The dwarf nodded, blinking.

    The two left the office through the door and walked down a long hallway.

    "You have a most exquisite beard," the Guild Master said, absently, as they fell into step. "Black, unlike the brown and auburn your brothers usually carry. Your skin has a slight red tint; fiendish, suggesting your soul has affected your body in some ways. And I heard your eyes change, is that true?"

    "When I am angry, yes."

    "A barbarian's blessing?" the Guild Master asked, in a voice that didn't expect to be answered. "Or something else? I hear you fight with no weapons, but you carry an axe, and a dagger, and some ranged weaponized implement for chucking stones."

    At this point, Stonesnout didn't question how Julian knew of this.

    "But you aren't a martial artist, etiher?" he asked, expecting an answer this time.

    "No."

    "Interesting. Truly, interesting. I wonder which class you will join."

    "Class?"

    The man's face paused as he realized his faux pas, then relaxed as he explained, "Ah, I was assuming you wanted to join the Guild? I'm not pressuring you, but all of our apprentices travel in the so-called parties, as it were. A good balance is required for optimal adventuring, especially on the cusp of youth. A lonely hero is an endangered hero. That is why we classify heroes according to their specialty and abilities. A barbarian is someone with an ability to enter an enraged state during combat. Your ability seems to fit that description, and to think you've developed it naturally is quite unprecedented."

    "I have had it since my first fight. I feel it, like cold ice in my veins." Stonesnout's voice wasn't explanatory, just an additive; a remark.

    "I wonder, however, by Elmanthir's description of your recent engagement in Trost, if you aren't a berserker."

    "Berserker? What's the difference?"

    "It is as the difference between a shortsword and a greatsword, young dwarf," Julian said, a perk developing on his lips, almost like a smug smirk, but not wide enough to be called that. "Greater power and weight, in exchange for less control. I've heard you almost turned into a demon, right there in the bar, when your life was threatened. That's quite berserkerish."

    "Berserkerish isn't a word," Stonesnout said, drawing a weird look from Julian. He realized he just argued such a weird, random point with the Guild Master and his face became perfectly blank and still.

    "It isn't?" Julian asked, not taking any insult in the correctness. "Strange."

    They walked down a flight of stairs, to a large sigil on the ground. They stood on it, Stonesnout following the Guild Master's movements.

    "First floor," Julian said.

    There was a sound, like a wind chime, and a tube of blue light came from the seams around the sigil. The sigil itself moved down. An elevator! Kag-Leihwaz had those in some places, so Stonesnout wasn't surprised; though theirs weren't powered by magic.

    It took twelve seconds to get down to the first floor. The tube of light crackled and dissipated, and they stepped into what looked like a reception hall. There were three red carpets with desks at their ends, operated by men and women of various races wearing suits and elegant clothes. Two of the desks had people in front of them, but there weren't any lines.

    "Now, then," Julian said, lowering his body so that his and Stonesnout's face was on the same level. He pointed at one desk that was free. "Go there if you wish to register with the Guild. Me? Personally? I'd like you to do so. Your talent may not have to be used for this line of work, but it would be useful in this line of work. Do as you will."

    He stood straight, and Stonesnout looked at Julian's face. It was the same, somber melancholy he had back when they'd met in the office. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting. Farewell."

    Julian raised one of his rings; a square ruby on a white gold circle. The ruby glowed brightly, and then Julian showed Stonesnout a tiny smile as he disappeared in a flash of light.

    Did every old man practice magic here? Or did the Guild Master not practice magic and the ring was a magic item? Stonesnout wondered if one day he'd get to be a mysterious, old, badass, bearded dude who used magic on a daily basis...

    Joining The Guild?
    [] Do it. This is a dream job!
    [] Explore first, ask people around for information and what the job looks like.
     
  • Index
    • [x] Explore first, ask people around for information and what the job looks like.

    You may as well talk to the folks around here, you'll earn a few friends and learn a few things that'll be important. You have to know what the job needs you to do and you gotta ask if you can do it and if you want to. Even if you do get a dream job, it may not be the one you'd like. You have to be really careful with the decisions you make here, as each one could heavily impact your future. Remember that time when you got piss-drunk and nearly got people killed? We can't do a repeat of that, not after Elman's stood by us for so long even after being in our most sorry state in life.
     
    [x] Explore first, ask people around for information and what the job looks like.

    Yep. May as well get to know all the fellas in the guild and see what we're going to be getting ourselves into. I have no doubt in my mind about us joining, but let's talk with the guild members who aren't all wizards and see what they're all about.
     
    official clown business said:
    [x] Explore first, ask people around for information and what the job looks like.

    Yep. May as well get to know all the fellas in the guild and see what we're going to be getting ourselves into. I have no doubt in my mind about us joining, but let's talk with the guild members who aren't all wizards and see what they're all about.
    Click to expand...

    Thank God you answered, I was starting to feel lonely in here. I wonder what the others are up to, maybe we have to wait another day,
     
    Heisenberg said:
    Thank God you answered, I was starting to feel lonely in here. I wonder what the others are up to, maybe we have to wait another day,
    Click to expand...
    Yep, I usually make sure to cover the quests I'm replying to. Not everyone does though, and the fact that no one got an @ this time might've caused just these replies so far.
     
    [x] Explore first, ask people around for information and what the job looks like.

    Just passing by, ready for an update whenever it is.
     
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