War God for Hire- Adventurer: A Reincarnation, Cultivation Adventure

by David Burke

  The two magi behind her caught her and one of them said, “Captain, these people helped save the gate please make sure that they are escorted to proper housing and to the adventurer’s guild. They are, however, not to leave the city until the governor decides if more investigation is needed.”

  Then the three of them lifted off the ground on a stream of Sky Essence flying them in the direction they had come from. The captain dispatched a sergeant and three guards to “escort” the heroes.

  Kyle was annoyed by the babysitters but figured he had dealt with worse since coming to Verden. At least they were allowed to make their way to the adventurer’s hall. When they arrived, it was a little underwhelming, to say the least.

  The building was the most dilapidated that he had seen in town. The roof was clearly in need of repairs, the wooden shutters on one of the second story rooms were broken and hanging open. All in all, it was a three-story square building with no distinctive architecture that sat in-between a tavern and a tailor's shop. Kyle wondered what that said about the proclivities of the adventurers. The sign hanging over the front door read, “Adventurer’s Guild- Nargossa Branch”.

  Kyle wasn’t sure what he was expecting but this wasn’t it. They all followed Saber inside and immediately lost any hope that it was better maintained on the inside. The initial room must have taken up most of the main floor with some offices in back.

  He didn’t see another soul inside but there was a job board upon the wall like he had expected. The problem being that it was cluttered with postings and many of them appeared to be old enough that the parchment they were posted on was discolored. There was dust on all the tables that sat in what he took to be some type of meeting area. In front of the offices there was a counter where he imagined that clerks could have attended to guild business.

  Saber shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the counter. When no one appeared he called out, “Is anyone here?”

  The sound of falling boxes came from the back and a cry of shock as if someone had just fallen over when they were startled awake from a nap. Some rustling sounds followed and then after about a minute an older man came walking out of the back office. “What’s with all the noise? It isn’t even noon yet.” His voice reminded Kyle of Jed Clampett from the old reruns.

  Saber asked back, “Since when does the guild only open at noon?”

  “Hmm, it doesn’t but there hasn’t been much activity here lately. I’m the only clerk left, and I can’t be expected to maintain this entire place.”

  “Well we are here to register a new guild group,” Saber said.

  “Oh, are you now?” The clerk said as he looked down his nose at Saber. Just cause you got some fancy weapons and gear don’t mean you got what it takes to be an adventurer. You’ll have to head down to Calrissa. We don’t have anyone here to test you.”

  “Don’t you have a chapter leader here?”

  “Oh Maevis? Yeah, she’s probably over at the tavern sleeping off last night,” the clerk replied.

  “What was last night? A big party or something?”

  “Nah, nothing like that. She just likes her cups. But I still wouldn’t go waking her up if you know what’s good for you. She’s been known to take down bigger, meaner types than that one,” the clerk answered while he pointed at Skrug.

  “As it happens, it won’t be necessary. I am already a guild member. I have been away for a few years but always kept my dues up, so I believe I am entitled to register my own group now,” Saber said.

  “I’ll have to confirm that first. Gimme a second.” Then the clerk walked back into the office. From there the sounds of glass breaking, boxes being rummaged through, and papers being shuffled were punctuated by mumbled curses. After what felt like a ridiculously long time the clerk returned with a rod that looked similar to the testing rod.

  He held it out to Saber who put his hand on it. Then he looked at information which only he could see apparently from the way he was staring off into the corner. “So, everything seems to be in order here Timon Kalen, D-Rank Adventurer. If you wish to register a team then there are some forms, you will have to fill out. Hmm… where did I put those?”

  Then squatted down and looked under the desk. “Ah yes. Here it is. Then he pulled up a stack of paperwork. Complete it and then turn it back in. I will stamp it right away and then maybe you can get to clearing up some of that backlog of jobs.” He said as he thumbed over at the job board. “Normally, we would only let you take jobs up to your rank, but it looks like you have a big team. And we have some jobs that really need to get done.”

  Kyle and the others went and sat down to wait while Saber or perhaps he should say, Timon, had the unenviable job of filling out the paperwork. Kyle was never going to be able to look at the swordsman quite the same knowing what his actual name was now.

  About it an hour later it was all set up. Saber negotiated virtually free housing for them upstairs. Kyle still had plenty of money in his bag but didn’t want to let on how much he had. Less explanations that way. Besides, staying at the guild hall was ideal. It would be low profile as no one else lived there besides the chapter head and the clerk. But it sounded like the chapter head spent most of her nights at the tavern, days too.

  It wasn’t exactly the auspicious start that Kyle might have imagined from video games. But then again not much of Verden had been. At least he was now officially an adventurer. There was a great deal that needed to be accomplished. First, they needed to find the other shards of Dod’s scythe. Then he needed to keep his promise to clear the tundra and free Kierra’s people. For now, though, he would content himself with a job that paid and wouldn’t be too boring.

  Interlude 4 - Skylar

  A rip burst in the sky above Verden over the far southern city of Calrissa. Called the Winged City by many for its famed fleets of ships, Calrissa was the most powerful city-state on the southern half of the continent. While Verden controlled the north and made all other cities bow to their will, forming an empire of land and cold, Calrissa controlled the seas and the warmth of the south. All the cities for five hundred miles in any direction swore allegiance.

  Even the folks of the isles to the south bowed to them. While Verden was a human centric community ruled by a senate and primarily dominated by seventeen noble families, Calrissians all bowed to one woman, the empress of shade.

  Khepri, that same woman, watched her city from the highest balcony in the highest tower of her castle. She loved her city but more than that she loved that she could look down upon it. A powerful magus in her own right as were all the rulers of Calrissa, she saw with more than just her eyes.

  The moment that rip appeared in the sky overhead, she felt it. Looking up she saw a spot of darkness in the middle of a sunny sky. It was hard to say from this distance but at first it didn’t look any longer than the length of her arm. But as she watched it ripped open far enough for a large black bird to fly out.

  Her first thought was that this was some new plague of the cataclysm. Giant birds and rips in the sky. A closer look showed her, and her magical senses confirmed though that this was no mere bird. It was a rare black dragon or as they were more properly known flying death. Not that any dragon was common even here in the south, but blacks were almost unknown.

  The last one she had heard about was serving as a mount for Krig before he disappeared causing all the hell, they had been through for the past three years. May the other gods curse him. She could only dread what new peril this meant for her city and people.

  Even as she watched a gray colorless mist followed the dragon out of the tear that was getting wider by the moment. It didn’t move like any kind of natural mist but rather like a swarm of angry bees, following after the dragon just as quickly as the great beast dove towards the ground.

  The dragon pulled up just as it flew over a portion of the city that was outside the wall. Outer town was what the residents called it, but it was more collection of shanties built
up over the last thirty years. Khepri’s father had been king then and since he had allowed it, she had maintained that tradition.

  Now those people who called it home were probably all wishing that she had driven them away. The dragon’s wings buffeted them but that would have been tolerable. It was what the gray mist did to them. As it covered the town everything began to change. All color faded from the buildings, animals, and people. Even from the top of her castle, Khepri could hear the cries of terror followed by the groans of pain.

  She turned without waiting to watch any further and with a flick of her hand sent Water Essence flying into the scrying pool in her chambers. She projected her image into it and the generals, guard captains, and senior magi who were in direct contact with her all saw her image pop up. “Sound the alarm and seal the gates. Nothing from outer town must be allowed inside.”

  One general asked, “What is the matter, your majesty? Is this about the dragon?”

  “Dhubirk, do as I say, and we will discuss later. Now is a time for urgency.” Then she cut off the stream of essence and turned back to look on in horror at the changes that were undergoing the residents of outer town. From there she looked up at the rift and trembled. It has stopped growing but she could sense something on the other side trying to force its way through.

  Her guards leapt from their hidden posts with spears and spells at the ready as suddenly the black dragon perched upon her balcony. Its massive claws crumbled the marble and its weight threatened to rip the entire structure from the side of the castle. “Whoever rules in Calrissa, heed my words, Verden is at war. I go to gather help.”

  Then before the queen could so much as protest the dragon’s wings were beating and whatever combination of physics and magic served to keep it in the air worked to send it flying out. She heard the beast cry out, “I’m coming my lord.”

  Perhaps more terrifying than the miasma that had settled over outer town, or a hole in the sky, even more than having a dragon bark orders at her, something no one had done for nearly a dozen years, was what she noticed as the beast flew away. It was missing scales all over its body, one of its front legs was clearly broken and its wings looked tattered. Wherever it had come from, this dragon had been through hell. The question was what it brought with it.

  Chapter 28- Skrug’s Cousins

  When the clerk found out that Kyle’s team was willing to take on almost any mission, he looked like a child in a candy shop. Kyle had yet to meet Maevis the guild’s chapter head. Well, he had seen her when Saber carried her to her bed from the tavern. Apparently, her solution to the failures of the adventurer’s guild had been to drink her sorrows away.

  The war god wanted to strike her down as a failure. She had taken on a sacred duty to protect the people of Nargossa from monsters. The fact that since the cataclysm those monsters had become far more prolific in number and variety didn’t change anything. He commended her for not fleeing as apparently most of the surviving guild members had, but she still was neglecting her duty.

  The man in him had seen more than one player fall to an injury and then drink away their depression at not being able to play in the big leagues anymore. It was a hard thing to go from the top of the world to nothing or worse to feel like you were in a hole that you couldn’t ever dig yourself out of. Kyle might have been sympathetic but he also had never succumbed to such a feeling and so he had little patience with those who did.

  Still Maevis wasn’t necessary for him to do what he needed to do. Meeka had gathered a surprising amount of intel about Nargossa in just a day here. She played it off as being a skill of a merchant, which was her cover story, but he wondered. Either way, it was evident that the city was under almost constant attack from monsters both new and old.

  The glytharen that they had defeated at the gate were one of the more organized but by no means the largest threat. There were barghests, undead, griffins, and naga’s just to name a few. None of those were as organized as the glytharen and other than the undead they weren’t very numerous.

  What kept coming through in story after story that Meeka related was the troll army. The townsfolk, the merchants, the city guards, they all were worried about one thing more than anything else. From the reports she had pieced together it wasn’t truly an army but rather an exceptionally large collection of trolls, apparently all male and terribly angry. Of what happens to any group of men when there are no women around, they end up doing stupid shit.

  So now this group had been terrorizing the entire eastern side of Nargossa. None had come within sight of the city yet, but the people were convinced it was only a matter of time. The numbers for this army varied from fifty to hundred trolls although the reliable estimates placed the number on the lower end.

  Kyle asked Hilde and the other to educate him about trolls. While they were certainly one of the most common fantasy monsters and had been featured in cartoons and games he had played on Earth, that didn’t mean he knew what they were like here. Heck even on Earth they varied from monstrous brutes to cute children’s toys.

  What he learned was that they were more in the brainless eating machine category. Their high metabolism provided extreme regeneration for them. Worse every cell within their bodies was capable of regeneration provided that there were enough of them and they had enough food to use. Lash said that anything larger than a hand could be turned into an entirely new troll.

  He learned that there actually weren’t any female trolls, but that trolls only populated by but cut or torn up so that the individual pieces could grow into new trolls. That explained a lot about why they would be angry. Instead of sex they had mutilation as a method of procreation. Combine that with an unending hunger and he could see why they had destroyed several farms worth of livestock and attacked a number of merchant caravans.

  The lack of adventurers is what had allowed this to become a problem in the first place. Trolls were virtually impossible to stamp out of existence completely, but they could be culled. Now the governor of Nargossa had sent a couple of sets of soldiers and magi to try to deal with the problem. One had been wiped out and the other had been forced to flee. Now he couldn’t spare any more forces given the ever-present threat of glytharen. Worse, no aid had come from the capital of Calrissa, which was odd in and of itself from what Meeka had learned.

  The clerk was shocked when Saber asked him what the reward would be for eliminating the troll problem. The bounty had been rising steadily and now sat at a private manor, citizenship in Nargossa and by extent Calrissa for all the members of the group that ended the threat and a sum of gold that would serve to make them well to do if not rich.

  When Kyle said, “This sounds like a suitable challenge and it would be nice to have our own manor with room to grow and train,” the clerk nearly fell over in an apoplectic fit.

  Nevertheless, he arranged the paperwork, and they were officially assigned the task. All that remained now was for them to prepare. Kyle was satisfied that he, Hilde, Lash, Gilthan, Kierra, and even Skrug were up for the challenge. When Saber and his trainers wanted to come along though that presented an issue.

  “Not sure that is a good idea. I appreciate the willingness to be part of the team but from what you all have told me, this might be out of your league,” Kyle said.

  “Yes, mortals, leave this for us to handle,” Hilde added. She was in rare form this morning after talking about the types of monsters.

  “I don’t think we shall. Not all of your troops will be of the same caliber. A good commander will know the strengths of and weaknesses of them all and use them accordingly,” Saber replied.

  “Ah, still trying to be my mentor? Okay, so what if I use my weakest troops as cannon fodder?” Kyle asked.

  “That is a risk. It is a wasteful tactic and not befitting one of your station. But you are right, ultimately, we will have to take that risk. Think of this as a risk vs reward situation for us. I’m willing to bet that you place more value on our faithfulness than on our mig
ht,” Saber said back. He had the expression of a man playing poker while trying to figure out if his opponent was bluffing.

  Kyle remembered all over why he had liked Saber so much. The man was gutsy and willing to take chances but never wasteful. “So, what is it that you think you know about my station?”

  “Far less than enough to be sure, but just enough to make some guesses. I bet on you back in the arena when I first met you. I think I’m gonna let that bet ride, lad.”

  Kyle stared at him thoughtfully for a moment. He pushed his senses out but didn’t get anything specific back from the man. He wondered if someday when he had mastered this, he would be able read the minds of mortals. “Fair enough. You and your men need to get your gear and bring it here. Don’t put it on. I will see what can be done about upgrading your weapons and such but know that this is still a risk.”