Book 3 Clans and Snakes: Prologue: Invitation and Letter
"And you're sure you don't mind acting as an arbiter when needed, Guildmaster Elksworth?" Lossa Redtail, Matriarch of the Crimson Foxkin Clan, asked respectfully.
Gilbert nodded his head. "It's the least I can do after how considerate you've been to me, my apprentice, and her uncle."
"I should be the one thanking you," Lossa chuckled. "You've been severely injured and even awakened to one of the gods just as I did, yet here you are, insisting on continuing on as a guildmaster instead of retiring. Why were you so adamant about working here, if you don't mind me asking? Of all the guilds, ours is rather small and rural."
Gilbert took a seat in his new residence at the Crimson Foxkin Clan and exhaled a tired sigh. "Despite being rather young myself for a dragonkin, I foolishly let myself see a young pup of a fox as a son of sorts. That young man will be coming here sooner or later and he's encouraged me to try my best to outrun my ageing. 'Just rank up' is what he told me, more or less. So, I won't be an idle guildmaster here, Matriarch, not in the slightest."
"A young foxkin man?" Lossa held her chin in thought. "It couldn't be the Golden Foxkin, could it?"
"The one and only," Gilbert laughed. "I swear, that young man... making a dying man like myself wait for him like this..."
"I visited him once in Milindo when the rumours of a Golden Foxkin baby were plenty abound," Lessa claimed. "I gave him a magnetic communication orb but I've been unable to contact it ever since nor does it roll in any direction. I assumed him dead or worse, the sister orb destroyed."
"Oh, no, he's fine. I assume word of the foxkin that stole the secrets of steamforging has reached the ears of the clans by now, no?" Gilbert asked.
Lossa furrowed her brow. "That was almost half a year ago. Wait... You're telling me that was him?"
"The boy can't stop himself from learning any and all skills he comes across," Gilbert laughed. "He's busy serving his time for the crime via militaristic enlistment and he's been very busy. With the lockdown and such, it's no surprise you didn't know it was him. And don't worry about your orb. He has a special... adventurer's pouch. Yeah, let's call it that. He's got it tucked in there and will use it when he's on his way here I'm sure."
"That's great news!" Lossa exclaimed. "I've been far too busy with clan politics to really investigate his whereabouts, but to think he and the skill thief in the Farwinds were one and the same..."
"Indeed. Well, thank you again for showing me around the clan. I'd like to train my apprentice for a bit and then I'll settle into my duties as the new guildmaster here," Gilbert said. "Get to know my new staff and such."
"Of course," Lossa said as she bowed her head respectfully. "If you need anything, and I mean anything at all, my clan is happy to help you no matter the cost, so don't hesitate to ask."
Gilbert walked her to the door and bid her farewell. When she was gone and he was alone, he shook his head and sighed, "These people revere my foolishly arrogant family. Great Uncle, just what have you done here to make even the matriarch so respectful of a half-blind ageing outcast of the Shimmerscales Clan?"
He suspected the ancient old fool of a man had been flaunting his status as a Soul Oracle on top of his membership of the Shimmerscales Clan. That, however, begged the question: what did the Crimson Foxkin Clan need a Soul Oracle for?
Gilbert shook his head. "It's not my place to be so nosy. Train Shana, train myself, be a well-behaved guildmaster, and wait for that chaotic ball of energy and his girlfriend to eventually show up."
"You're certain he is the very same foxkin father imprisoned?" Queen Heidron asked of her new royal advisor.
He'd only been appointed to the position shortly after her coronation since the former royal advisor was vaporised along with most of the nobles of Milindo when Sloth enacted her purge.
She deeply appreciated the man's efforts even if he was a puppet of The Adventurer's Guild. She understood that as a young woman not even at 20 years of age, her assuming the throne of Milindo was a spell for disaster if not closely managed.
Then again, her now-deceased father was close to 200 years of age but still led his kingdom to near-damnation, so how badly could she mess it up, really?
She was the only one of the royal line to survive Sloth's purge and it had been a very difficult year getting adjusted to her new role as queen. However, even if there were lingering resentments towards the guild from those who remained, they genuinely did want what was best for the kingdom, so listen to her royal advisor she did.
"Indeed. The dwarves can be hard to communicate with at the best of times, but I have finally been able to confirm that the man who forced a lockdown of Krieg Moor's surface entrance is the very same man who was an unwilling guest of our dungeons," the handsome man perhaps 30 years her senior said. "The local guildmaster there, Guildmaster Hilda, was very tight-lipped on the man until yesterday morning."
"And the rumours of my father?" she questioned.
The man's smile didn't change but the tone in which he spoke did. "It has been confirmed that Lone Immortus very publicly confessed to killing him on the very same night he escaped during his court proceedings in the Farwinds. And, given his recent spree of subjugations ranging from an SSS-ranked blood mage to even a low-ranked eldritch horror, there is no doubt in my mind that he would have been capable of the act."
"I... see." Aileen Heidron, first of her name, frowned. "Is there any word on if former knight captain Duren Ardus has been found yet?"
The advisor shook his head. "No. As ever, we only know he survived Sloth's purge and nothing more. We don't even know if he remains in the kingdom. May I make a suggestion, Your Majesty?"
"Of course. Speak freely, Advisor Rhom," she responded.
"Thank you," he smiled at her. "I suggest inviting Lone Immortus to our court and offering him a formal apology by way of words, assurances, and gifts. This is me speaking as your advisor, not as an employee of The Adventurer's Guild. We have lost our hero, all of our SS-rankers, and almost 70% of our military. The guild is keeping us alive from the ever-watchful neighbouring vultures but the last thing we need is perhaps the most powerful C-ranker to have ever existed seeking vengeance on our entire nation for the actions of a few."
"But what of Duke Grindol?" the queen asked. "Was he not rescued alongside the former guildmaster not too long ago?"
"He publicly renounced his noble status and has taken up residency in Mystopolis, stating deep regret over his conduct as a duke of Milindo. He has no affiliation with our tiny nation any longer, Your Majesty," her advisor stated.
Aileen tapped the armrest of her throne as she thought. "That is... saddening to hear. Well then, I see the wisdom in your words. I... will allow this. Send him a formal invitation. I will write a worded apology to go with it in the event he chooses to decline, such is his right as the wronged party."
"Very good," Advisor Rhom bowed his head respectfully. "And Your Majesty?"
"Yes?" Aileen asked.
"Do please try to refer to yourself as a royal should. It only makes you look weaker and more manipulatable to refer to yourself as 'I' instead of 'we' given your status," he advised.
A blush crept over the teenager's face. "Ah, y-yes, of course. I- We shall be careful going forward."
"Very good," Advisor Rhom replied. "Now, onto the more local matters of court..."
"Congratulations!" the guild employee said to Hazel who, as usual, was the one to make her and her group's quest reports. "With this quest's completion, your group, Wayward Kin, is now an iron-plated group through and through!"
'So many months for just a single promotion. We can't be like my reckless brother though. Safe and certain jobs only,' Hazel reminded herself as she smiled at the employee and said, "Thank you. It was a good experience."
"I'll tell you what," the employee started as he began handing over the five new iron plates to Hazel, "we get so many groups and solo adventurers trying their hardest to do monster subjugation quests right out of the gate. It's like they wanna die. You guys have your heads on straight. We really appreciate the groups that take in-city requests, especially when they are low-ranked. They aren't as dangerous but they matter just as much! They also give you some real-world experience and might lead to enlightenment, making you all the more prepared for when you do go out to kill some gobs and the like."
From his mind, Hazel could tell he genuinely meant his words, and with that confirmation out of the way, she focused on turning her unique skill off.
"Ah, by the way, a letter arrived for you," the man said after finishing his unprompted lecture. "From a, let's see here... ah, yeah, from a Lone Immortus. Ah! My notes say his nickname is Immortus the Immortal, huh? Must be a damn-powerful C-ranker to have an adventurer nickname already and such an imposing one. Here you go! No need to pay since it seems he handled the delivery fee himself."
Hazel thanked the employee and then left the guild in a hurry. She gripped the letter tightly and thought, 'Now he contacts me?! It's been five months since he kidnapped us down to that blood-soaked dwarven town! He hasn't visited or even sent his crazy girlfriend to re-kidnap us even once since then!'
She quickly reached the small house she and her friends were renting and gave everyone their new adventurer plates.
Hazel avoided any small talk and rushed to her bedroom which she shared with Emma and Alisa. Renting a house monthly was far cheaper than buying rooms at an inn every night, but their income only allowed them a two-bedroom one-story terraced house just outside of the poor district.
It wasn't fancy or anything, but the road outside got patrolled often enough for it to be safe and if nothing else, it was home.
She shared a room with the girls while Scott and George had the other room. Regardless, Hazel carefully opened up the letter and began reading it.
'Sup, Sis.
Sorry for being a stranger. Had a lot of shit going on. Well, a lot of shit for a short while then peacefulish times as I've been focusing on A, getting stronger, and B, getting my 27-year sentence down to a reasonable amount of time.
Killing that SSS-ranker got it all the way down to 13 years in one go. Anyway, we can talk about my missions another time. Or not? Dunno if you're interested in who and what I've been murdering for almost half a year.
Just wanted to say I've worked off the sentence. If my maths is right, which it should be, when you read this letter I should be free in two days. At which point, I'm gonna beeline to Golden Pass City. The principality is a good checkpoint between Krieg Moor's surface entrance and the Crimson Foxkin Clan, which is my next destination.
If you wanna meet up or something, I dunno, train some more or something like that? Wait for me at the western city gate at about 3PM in two days? Gimme an hour or two of wiggle room, but I'll be there.
Hope to see you soon. If you're done with me since I ghosted you for ages, no hard feelings. If you do decide to avoid me, send me a letter if you ever need money or something. I have a fuckton and an infinite supply now what with my MP being finally unsealed, so I'm happy to be you kids's sponsor or something.
P.S. If you're reading this and you aren't my sister, I'll find out eventually and I'll kill you. Never doubt my growing arsenal of ever-versatile skills.
Later.
Love Lone'
Hazel stared blankly at the letter for a while before some silent tears leaked out of her eyes. She rubbed them away before she smiled wryly.
"So awkwardly honest," she muttered with a shake of her head.
Hazel carefully put the letter away with her other personal belongings. She sighed deeply and said, "Two days... I wonder how much stronger you've gotten, Big Brother?"
She briefly considered that he would be disappointed at her and her friends' lack of growth, but then she realised he was the one who had sent the letter, was he not?
He hadn't mentioned anything about their power or skills, just that he hoped she would be willing to meet him. Well, she had some choice words for Lone as it so happened, so meet him she would.
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