The day started off as normal. After Leroy and I ate breakfast, we t up with Cally and the three of us headed down to the Icefall Adventurers Guild to look for a new job commission. The lobby was noisy as usual, with the sll of cheap beer lingering in the air. The weather had ward a little, but not enough to forgo our warm clothing.
As my companions and I searched the notice board for a suitable job commission, I heard a commotion at the front entrance. At first I ignored it, since I figured it had nothing to do with . However, I froze when I heard a familiar voice.
"So, this is the Adventurers Guild. I like it!"
I turned to find Andre Leone, of all people, standing at the lobby's front entrance. Richard, who stood next to him, wore a resigned expression on his face. Everyone in the lobby stared at them in disbelief, myself included. They dressed like adventurers, wearing tough and practical clothing, but they still stood out. It was clear that they didn't belong here. From Andre's deanor, he might as well have worn a sign across his chest that said "House scion" in neon colors.
"Isn't that Lord Andre Leone?" Cally muttered under her breath. "Anna told about him."
I nodded, unable to take my eyes off of my cousin.
"What are they doing here?" Leroy hissed.
I shook my head.
"I have no idea," I said. "Unless… No. He wouldn't."
However, Andre confird my greatest fears when he marched right up to the receptionists' desk, skipping the line. This earned him a lot of angry looks, but no one said a thing. After all, no one wanted to offend a House scion. Richard's presence also acted as a deterrent. By so twist of fate, Andre ended up speaking with Marilyn.
"I am here to beco an adventurer!" my cousin declared.
Marilyn stared at him for several seconds, her mouth hanging open, before she managed to regain her composure.
"I see," she said, a little dazed. "Um, in that case, may I see so docuntation proving your identity?"
Andre nodded and pulled two sheets of paper from his inventory ring, before handing them over to Marilyn. She took them and gave them a quick skim.
"Uh, Lord Andre?" she said in an uncertain tone. "Are you sure that you want to beco an adventurer?"
Andre frowned at her.
"Yes. Why? Is there a problem?"
"Well, it's unusual for a House scion to join the Adventurers Guild."
The other adventurers in the lobby broke out into a flurry of whispers. I facepald. My idiot of a cousin hadn't even bothered with a disguise or a false identity. He was signing up with his real na. While people suspected him of being a House scion earlier, now they knew for certain.
Back on Earth, this would be the equivalent of so spoiled trust fund baby deciding to beco a bounty hunter. This was going to end in disaster. From the expression on Richard's face, he knew this as well. Andre, on the other hand, seed oblivious. Instead, he scowled at Marilyn.
"So?" Andre said. "Is there a rule against House scions joining the Adventurers Guild?"
Marilyn paused before answering.
"No." She said.
"Then I don't see the problem. Just sign up and hand one of those little cards."
Marilyn made a pained expression.
"Excuse ," she said, "I don't have the authority to help you. I need to discuss this with a superior."
Marilyn left before Andre had a chance to protest. No doubt she went off to call for backup. Hell, it wouldn't surprise if she went straight to Guildmaster Charity. I would. When dealing with hot potato, you passed it off to soone else. And Andre Leone was one hell of a hot potato.
"I hope she returns soon." My cousin said, an impatient expression on his face. "I don't have all day."
I felt soone touch my shoulder. I glanced over to find Leroy staring at with a frantic look in his eyes.
"We need to leave before they see us." He said in a low, hurried voice.
I grimaced and nodded. Leroy wore his wooden mask, but there was a chance that Richard would recognize him regardless. The sooner we left, the better. Besides, I feared that if Andre saw , I might get pulled into his nonsense. I wanted to avoid that, if at all possible.
"Why?" Cally asked, looking between Leroy and I.
I shook my head.
"We'll explain later," I said. "Right now, we need to leave before-"
"Brandon?" Andre called out. "Is that you?"
I closed my eyes. Fuck. Too late.
"It is you!"
I heard footsteps heading in my direction. Right. Nothing for it now. I sighed, before I opened my eyes and turned to face Andre. He marched up to and pulled into a hug. This caught off guard. I stood there, frozen and unsure of how to react. Everyone in the lobby stared at with varying expressions on their faces. By the ti I regained my composure, Andre let go of and stepped back.
"I hadn't seen you for a while, so I assud you already left Icefall City." He said. "I'm glad to see that you're still here."
I gave him a weak smile.
"I was busy with work, Lord Andre." I said.
Andre chuckled and clapped my shoulders.
"Diligent and industrious." He said. "I knew it was the right decision to befriend you." He looked at Leroy and Cally. "Oh, I see you aren't alone. Co now. Introduce to your companions."
I glanced at Richard. He stared at Leroy through narrowed eyes. My heart sank. Fuck. This was bad. However, if Leroy and I ran away now, we would only make ourselves look even more suspicious. We needed to find the right mont. Until then, I would play along.
"This is Roy." I said, gesturing to Leroy. "Forgive him for remaining silent. He's a bit shy around strangers."
Leroy glared at . I don't think he liked the fake na I ca up with for him. In my defense, it was the best I could co up with on the fly.
"Is that why he's wearing a mask?" Andre asked, eyeing him up and down.
"Yes." I gestured to my other companion. "This is Cally, our team healer."
Cally gave Andre a perfect curtsy.
"Greetings, Lord Andre." She said. "It is a pleasure to et you."
I resisted the urge to sigh in exasperation. She might as well have announced to everyone in the city that she was also a House scion. Oh well. I didn't bla her too much. It was a part of her upbringing as a House scion. Etiquette was etched into our bones from childhood. The only reason why I was any different was because of the ti I spent as Brandon Norwood.
"Is she like you?" Andre asked, giving a sideways glance.
Like ? What did he an by that? My confusion must have shown on my face, because Andre gestured to my disguise ring. Oh!
"A little, but from the other side, so to speak."
Andre's eyes lit up with understanding.
"Ah, I see." He looked thoughtful. "Maybe I should have done the sa. However, it was too much of a hassle, so I decided against it."
I resisted the urge to throttle him right then and there. If he had made the effort, I wouldn't be in this situation. Thankfully, Marilyn returned with Guildmaster Charity in tow. Now I could escape. Otherwise, I would've committed fratricide, or whatever the word was for killing one's cousin.
However, my relief was short-lived. When Andre walked back over to the receptionist desk, he dragged along with him. He was stronger than , so I couldn't pry myself free from his grip. My companions and Richard followed after us. All the other adventurers looked at us, as if watching an entertaining play. The urge to kill my cousin grew stronger.
"Ah, Clan-" Andre started to say when we reached the receptionist desk, but the guildmaster interrupted him.
"I am Charity Sinclair," she said, giving him a aningful look, "The guildmaster of the Icefall Adventurers Guild. How may I help you, Lord Andre?"
Andre pursed his lips.
"Is it really necessary to keep up the pretense?" He asked. "Almost everyone in here is… One of us."
Guildmaster Charity crossed her arms and fixed my cousin with a hard look.
"Yes." She stated. "You know the rules."
"Those rules are stupid."
I assu they were talking about the Accords. In that case, I agreed with Andre. The Accords were stupid. The only reason they existed was so the Houses could maintain their position at the top of Luminian society.
"Regardless," Guildmaster Charity said, "I am duty bound to enforce them, Lord Andre. If you keep acting this way, I will report it to your father."
Andre scoffed.
"Fine," he said, "You win, Guildmaster Charity."
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The guildmaster smiled at Andre. At least, I think it was a smile. It looked more like a grimace.
"So, I hear you want to join the Adventurers Guild." She said.
Andre puffed up his chest.
"Correct." He said. "I want to beco an adventurer."
She nodded, before looking at .
"And what's your relationship with Brandon here?" She asked.
"We're acquainted-" I started to say, before Andre cut off.
He grabbed by the shoulder and pulled close to him.
"We're friends!"
Guildmaster Charity's lips twitched, while Marilyn gave an odd look.
"I… See." The guildmaster said.
I gave her a pleading look, hoping she could save from this situation. However, she ignored and focused on Andre.
"Very well." Guildmaster Charity said. "You do understand what it ans to join the Adventurers Guild as a House scion?"
Andre nodded. To my surprise, he wore a solemn expression on his face.
"Yes," he said, "However, one must lead by example. If enough House scions follow in my footsteps, perhaps things will change."
I blinked at my cousin in surprise. When he first showed up, announcing that he wanted to beco an adventurer, I assud he was just being an idiot. It appeared that he had a greater purpose in mind. High society viewed adventurers as vulgar and thuggish. However, as Andre said, if enough House scions beca adventurers, that would change things. Maybe not at first, but in the long run.
Guildmaster Charity gave Andre a thoughtful look. "Hmm, perhaps you are right. We will see." She gestured to Marilyn. "Go ahead and sign him up."
"Yes, Guildmaster." Marilyn said.
It took her little ti to register Andre and Richard as adventurers.
"Here you go, Lord Andre." Marilyn said. "Welco to the Adventurers Guild!"
Andre and Richard took their ID cards. My cousin let out a delighted laugh.
"Excellent!" He looked at . "Co, Brandon. Let us celebrate!"
I pulled away from Andre and stepped back. While I admired my cousin's goal of improving society's perception of adventurers, that didn't an I wanted to spend more ti with him than necessary. He was… A lot.
"As much as I would like to, Lord Andre," I said, acting regretful, "My team and I need to work on a commission."
Andre's eyes lit up.
"Even better! Richard and I can join you!"
My face fell.
"Unfortunately, you can't, Lord Andre." Guildmaster Charity said. "Brandon is a Bronze-ranked adventurer, while you're an Iron-ranked adventurer. If you want to join him on jobs, you'll need to work your way up to the sa rank first."
I gave the guildmaster a grateful look.
"How long will that take?" Andre asked, frowning.
The guildmaster shrugged.
"That depends on you." She said. "In terms of strength, you're more than qualified. However, you need to complete a few commissions to get promoted."
Andre nodded, his eyes filled with determination.
"Very well." He looked at . "Don't worry, Brandon. I'll work hard, so we can be adventurers together!"
With that, he walked off towards the notice board. Richard gave Leroy one last lingering look, before he followed Andre.
"Thank you." I said to Guildmaster Charity.
"Think nothing of it," she said, shaking her head, "I was just enforcing the rules." She sighed. "Things are going to get noisy around here."
I opened my mouth to respond, but Andre's voice rang out.
"Ah, it will take too long to do them one at a ti. I'm doing them all at once!"
I looked over just as Andre tore multiple slips off the notice board, before marching out of the lobby.
"Very noisy." Guildmaster Charity said.
After dealing with Andre and his nonsense, my companions and I picked up a commission to hunt down a fire beak, a Tier Two monster, before we left the Icefall Adventurers Guild. According to the commission, the fire beak had been sighted within our newly designated search area. It was a few days' travel away, so my companions and I made the necessary preparations before we set off.
Along the way, I explained to Cally my family's relationship with Clan Leone and why I wanted to avoid anything to do with Andre Leone. She seed surprised by this.
"Your mother is a part of Clan Leone?" She asked.
"She was a part of Clan Leone. However, they disowned her after she ran away to marry my father." I gave her a questioning look. "Didn't Kaylee tell you this in the First Tiline?"
Cally shook her head.
"No." She said. "I don't think she knew. Many of the Houses and the Clans remained hostile towards one another, even towards the end." Her expression darkened. "Several of us tried to change this, but failed. That's one of the reasons why we lost."
I wanted to say that this surprised , but it didn't. People could be obstinate and stubborn, even when facing the literal end of the world.
"Let's hope we succeed this ti around." I said.
Cally nodded. Leroy shook his head at our conversation, but didn't say anything.
After a few days of travel and camping out in the wilderness, we arrived at our destination. From there, it took us less than a day to find the fire beak. To our disappointnt, it wasn't a fiend. Still, now that we were here, we decided to take care of it.
The monster looked similar to an ostrich from Earth, but with red, orange, and yellow plumage. It was also aner and more vicious. Despite its na, the fire beak didn't breathe fire or even use its beak to attack. Instead, it cloaked itself in flas and attacked by kicking.
My companions and I fought the fire beak in a plain covered in short, stubby grass. Even though it was a Tier Two monster, we took it down with ease. Leroy and I kept the fire beak at bay, while Cally used her magic to douse its flas and hinder its movents. It grew more and more desperate as ti passed, to no avail. In the end, I cut off its head after Leroy broke its legs.
After we killed the fire beak, Leroy butchered it while I surveyed the area. It was noon now, with the sun shining high in the sky. Scorch marks covered the plain around us. A bitter stench filled the air.
When we fought the fire beak, it set the stubby grass afla several tis. Cally put the flas out with her magic before they grew out of control, but they still caused a fair bit of damage.
As I looked around, I saw nothing but the landscape around us. However, for so reason, I felt uneasy. In my second life, my intuition had saved on several occasions, so I didn't brush off my feelings.
"What's wrong?" Cally asked, walking up to .
I looked around so more before answering her.
"I'm not sure." I said, frowning. "Sothing doesn't feel right, but I don't know what."
With each passing second, my unease grew stronger and stronger even though there was no visible danger. No matter where I looked, I saw nothing but the scorch-marked plain around us. Nor did I see anything in the air above. In that case, one option remained.
"Leroy!" I shouted. "Smash the ground!"
He obeyed my command without hesitation. I grabbed Cally and jumped away, just as Leroy took his greatsword and slamd it into the ground. The earth cracked and shattered beneath his blow, accompanied by the sound of sothing crying out in pain.
Five creatures burst out of the ground near the fire beak's corpse. Humanoid shaped, they stood at about three feet tall with fiery red skin, elongated ears, and scrunched up faces. Black claws tipped their fingers. The creatures stared at us with malice in their blood red eyes.
Imps.
If hellhounds were the most common type of demon, then imps were the second most common type. They often served as minions for more powerful demons, performing nial labor and such. Like hellhounds, they were Tier Two demons. However, despite being smaller and weaker, they were more dangerous since they were smarter and more cunning. Cruel and capricious, they favored ambushes and traps instead of facing enemies head on.
For so reason, demon summoners liked to summon imps. Maybe they thought that the little demons were easier to control. A lethal mistake. Demon summoners who underestimated imps often ended up with a knife in their back.
Four of the imps wielded whips made from black tal. The last imp wielded a black trident in one hand and a black net in the other. The leader, I guessed. I assud the net was ant for the fire beak that my companions and I killed. All of the imps wore loincloths made from dirty rags.
A part of noticed that none of them appeared injured. I kept that in mind for later.
The imps chattered to one another in a strange tongue that sounded like horrid screeching to my ears, before the leader barked out an order. Two of the imps ran towards Cally and I, while the remaining three went for Leroy. It appeared that they considered him the bigger threat, since he was a Second Star martial artist.
Fools.
I let go of Cally before I charged forward to et the two imps. One of them cackled, before swinging its whip towards . I avoided the attack using [Elusive Mist], though it was a near thing. The whip snapped the air next , creating a wicked sounding crack. The sound sent a visceral thrill through my body. If I let those whips hit , they would rip through my flesh.
After avoiding the first attack, I tried to charge toward the imps again. However, the other one snapped its whip towards , forcing back. Unlike the hellhounds, the imps didn't mindlessly attack . Instead, they worked together and used their whips to keep at bay. Even with [Elusive Mist], I found myself hard pressed. However, the two imps were so focused on that they forgot one important fact: I wasn't alone either.
Cally let out a yell, before she launched a barrage of ice shards at the two imps. They evaded most of the ice shards, but got hit by a few of them. Unlike hellhounds, imps were flesh and blood beings, so injuries affected them. Foul-slling black blood oozed out of their wounds.
While Cally distracted the two imps with her magic, I closed the gap between us. One of the imps tried to swing its whip towards , but it was too late. I thrust my sword forward, piercing its forehead. The imp twitched, before it fell to the ground, dead.
The other imp let out an angry screech and swung its whip at . However, a tendril made of water wrapped around the imp's arm, throwing it off balance. I used [Threefold Slash] to cut the imp to pieces. More black blood coated the ground.
After Cally and I took care of the two imps, we turned towards Leroy and his opponents. Unlike us, he was in a dire situation. Several wounds covered his body, and one of the imps managed to snag his greatsword with its whip, keeping him from using it. Another imp attacked him with its whip, forcing him to evade. The lead imp, the one with the trident and net, watched the situation with a calm expression on its face.
"Help Leroy," I said. "I'll deal with the leader."
Cally nodded, before she hurried off. The lead imp glanced in our direction, noticing its two dead subordinates, before it barked out a warning. The two imps attacking Leroy turned their attention to Cally. anwhile, the lead imp focused on .
Instead of charging towards one another, the two of us circled each other. We probed each other's defenses a few tis, testing one another. The lead imp wasn't a pushover. It wielded its trident with surprising skill. The net, on the other hand, remained unused.
I needed to be careful. While imps were smaller and weaker than hellhounds, they were still stronger than in my current state. I had an easy ti dealing with the other two imps thanks to Cally's help. However, I was on my own with this one
I grinned. This was going to be fun.
The lead imp must have taken my grin as a provocation, because it screeched at before charging forward. Rather than et it head on, I breathed out using [Concealing Mist]. A thick white mist flooded the area around us.
The lead imp yelped in surprise. I took advantage of its confusion to attack it from the flank. Despite this, it managed to sense my attack before blocking my sword with its trident. A clanging sound rang out as our weapons t. It tried to counterattack, but I pulled back and disappeared into the mist.
The lead imp remained calm and took a defensive stance. It looked around with wary eyes. Smart. No wonder it was the leader of this little group. Not that it mattered.
I used [Mist Sword] to create multiple illusory copies of my weapon, before I attacked the lead imp from behind. It whirled around to et my attack, but froze when it saw multiple weapons attacking it. The lead imp let out an angry screech, before it threw the net in my direction.
To avoid the net, I pulled back. However, at that mont, the lead imp barked out a command. The ground beneath rumbled, and another imp burst out of the ground right behind . It appeared injured.
This must've been the one that Leroy injured earlier, when he smashed the ground. It must have remained hidden this entire ti, waiting for the right mont to strike. Tricky bastards. The imp tried to grab with its bare hands. Or was bare claws the more accurate term?
I didn't panic and used [Lightning Dash] to avoid both the net and the imp ambushing from behind. Afterwards, I used it a second ti to close the distance between and the lead imp. Its red eyes widened when I appeared right in front of it. It tried to swing its trident at , but it was too late.
[Storm Dragon's Claw]
I slashed at the lead imp three tis, my sword imbued with Lightning. The pieces of its body tumbled to the ground, coating the area with black blood. When I turned towards the other imp, it tried to dive back into the ground. However, I used [Lighting Dash] to close the distance between us and lopped off its head.
I looked towards Cally and Leroy. However, they didn't need my help. Working together, the two of them dispatched the remaining two imps with ease. I took a mont to catch my breath. While we won that fight, it could've gone either way. The sooner I reached Second Star, the better.
Cally used her magic to heal Leroy's wounds. Afterwards, the three of us collected the imps' ears and their weapons, before making our way ho. Finally, after weeks of searching, we found a clue. The demons and their summoners were hiding out sowhere in this area. Now it was up to the authorities to find them.
Reviews
All reviews (0)