by Ivan Kal
“Oh, stew…” Clara said, disappointed. “Why do you humans like eating stews so much?”
“Probably because it is easy and cheap to make,” Morgan commented. He was sure that he’d read something somewhere about stew being a poor man’s choice of food…or maybe that was something else. He couldn’t remember.
“Ugh.” Clara wrinkled her nose as she brought the bowl up to her face to sniff at it.
Morgan frowned and leaned down, taking a sniff. Smells fine to me.
“Orc noses are more sensitive than those of humans,” Clara said.
“Huh, did not know that,” Morgan said. “You know, I really should sit down with a couple of you and have you tell me everything that you think is important enough and that I should know.”
Ves leaned her head to the side and looked at him. “Morgan, are you volunteering for lessons?”
“I think that I actually am. It is time for me to really accept this world and the fact that I am now living in it,” Morgan said. He had played lightly with his life, and those of others, for far too long. They might be accepting of him, but he needed to step up his game. They had a goal, and they needed to accomplish it quickly.
“We will set something up once we get back to Skyreach. I think Lucius would be the best person for the job,” Ves said. “Now that I think about it, I think the rest of us should attend as well. Lucius is the only one who had grown up in a proper Guild, and has the best foundation of knowledge.”
“My people,” Clara started, “know much, but we do not pay attention to the Guilds and their wars. We usually stay away from them, only passing through their territories on occasion.”
“I guess it’s settled, then,” Morgan said. They finished their breakfast without hurry, and then set off to meet with the Mayor and his people.
Morgan explained to them what was now required of them, and told them that they should expect a patrol of Sky Guard to arrive within days. Morgan had given Lucius access to the hearthstone, so the Roman would know when Gebel joined the Guild. They had agreed that once Lucius saw that he would immediately send a patrol down here—both to clear the surrounding forest and secure their new territory, but also to recruit. They needed people who wanted to ascend, but they also needed non-ascended to work in all manner of roles. Morgan was aware that, beyond the valley, only ascended could join a Guild, in the manner of binding their “souls” to the Guild. That meant that they couldn’t reveal secrets or act against the interests of the Guild, although Morgan wasn’t sure what the limits on that were. He was sure that the soul implants every ascended had were the route by which the Guiding Force, and whatever system she used, controlled the World and made sure that certain things happened. He remembered from his first meeting with the Guiding Force that the room they had entered had most certainly been filled with technology similar to what he was familiar with from Earth; from science fiction, sure, but still it was recognizable.
This told him that while Oxylus and the Guiding Force most certainly had magical powers, they also possessed incredible technology. Most of the rules that they had put in place bound only the ascended. The non-ascended had basically no restrictions, which was why most Guilds did not have them close to their Guild Holds. But Morgan had no such luxury—there were far too few ascended in this valley, and they needed all the help they could get.
He told the Mayor that he should let his people know that the patrol would be coming, so that they had a bit more time to think on it. The conversation didn’t take more than an hour, and directly afterward Morgan and his group were returned their cart, and they left the town.
This had just been their first destination, and they still had a few more towns to visit.
As the cart rolled down the road on its way to the fishing town of Orsa, Morgan sat in the back of the cart looking at his hand. The Energy Blade I ability stone lay in the palm of his hand, and he debated on whether he should use it.
“What are you waiting for?” Clara asked as she leaned over his right shoulder.
Morgan sighed. “I am the Guild Master, Clara. I should not abuse that power. This loot is valuable, and it seems…wrong of me to take it for myself.”
He had taken the gauntlet already, but that was gear that he would out-level eventually and then pass along to someone else. An ability stone, however, was something else entirely. He needed to be more responsible, to act like a Guild Master should, and he was fairly certain that he could get this ability himself if he just experimented with his Energy Manipulation skill. The problem was that he had already tried with little success. He just didn’t know what to do, even with the level of his skill.
A hand grasped his left shoulder, and Ves leaned over, mirroring Clara. “I don’t see any problems.”
“There could be someone who could use this more effectively than I—Lucius, maybe—or there might even be someone promising in the Sky Guard,” Morgan said.
“Don’t be silly, Morgan, there is no one else. As Guild Master, you are allowed to choose from the loot,” Ves said. “Look, do you plan on taking the other three?”
“Well, no,” Morgan said,
“Then it is all good. The other three will go to the Guild and you can take that one,” Ves said with a clap to his shoulder.
Morgan relented. “I guess you’re right.”
Before he could change his mind, he plopped the stone into his mouth and swallowed. The new ability appeared in his list and he read the description.
Energy Blade I: allows user to fashion a blade of energy. Requires a constant drain of energy while active. (damage increased with strength and durability increased with will)
Morgan blinked as the knowledge of how to make it flowed into his head, and he nearly cursed himself for being so stupid. It was relatively simple once he knew how to do it. But he knew that this was a false feeling, as he had just had the ability basically downloaded into his brain. Now that it felt as if he had always known how to do it, of course he felt like an idiot.
It required an active exertion of will, as it seemed most things in this world did. He pictured what he wanted, and then just ordered the energy inside of him to obey.
A blade made out of violet energy extended from his fist. He could feel the Nature alignment inside of it, tuned for decay, as it was the damaging portion of his alignment. With every attack, it would weaken his target just a little bit.
“Wow, looks great,” Clara said.
Ves turned around and started rummaging through one of their bags until she produced a rusty sword. They had sold most of the things they had recovered from the skeletons in Gebel, but Ves had kept a few weapons just in case.
“Try to hit it,” Ves said as she moved next to him, holding the sword in front of her. It was a bit awkward to swing on a moving cart, but he managed it. He didn’t go particularly hard, but his blade hit the steel sword and stopped.
Morgan blinked at that and looked closely at the point where they were connecting. There was a distortion there that repelled the energy blade and the steel sword. “I guess it’s more useful like this. I can block with it,” Morgan said, but he was a bit disappointed that he wouldn’t be able to swipe through his opponents’ bodies. He wondered if the blade would cut flesh or if it would just do some kind of magical damage, but he wasn’t about to test it on himself.
“Great, now at least you won’t be useless if you lose your bow,” Clara teased.
“Excuse me?” Morgan turned around with a grin. “Who saved who back there?”
“Uh…” Clara pretended to think about it. “I’m pretty sure that I saved you—from, you know, the sword stuck in your chest.”
Morgan opened his mouth to respond, but instead didn’t.
“Right, did I thank you for that already?” Morgan asked instead.
Clara looked at him with disgust. “Ugh, you are no fun anymore.”
Morgan chuckled as she settled on the other side of the cart. Ves stayed next to him, and they watched the forest pas
sing them by as they rolled toward their next destination.
CHAPTER TEN
They rolled into the town of Orsa to almost no fanfare about a week later. The town could barely even be considered even that—Orsa had no walls to protect it and its houses were something more like short hovels. It was at best a large village. The smell of fish permeated the area and racks filled with fish being processed were in front of almost every house. The people wore simple clothing, and they looked disinterested as their cart passed by. They saw a few people with weapons that could be considered guards, but they didn’t really pay any attention to them.
They followed the main road until they came up to a larger square. There, they asked for directions to the Mayor’s house or a town hall and learned that they were the same place. They followed the instructions, getting to the building that was larger than the rest. It was near the ocean, and they could hear the sounds of waves hitting the shore as they drew closer. Morgan looked over and saw docks that were busy with people. They had arrived near dusk and it looked like the fishermen were just getting back from a day on the water.
None of them paid the newcomers any attention, and Morgan and his party headed toward the Mayor’s home. They knocked on the doors and were met by a plump older woman who turned out to be the Mayor’s wife. She led them to her husband excitedly once she learned who they were.
They met the Mayor of Orsa in his small office and were offered water to drink. Morgan could already tell that this was a poor town, but he didn’t mind. He accepted the man’s offer and they settled comfortably in the chairs he offered. The Mayor introduced himself as Kelser Toppo, and he seemed to be a kind older man. As they talked, Morgan quickly realized that the Mayor of Orsa was greatly honored that his village had been approached in order to be under the Guild’s rule, even though they didn’t really have problems here. They were far south of Terbon or even Gebel, and there weren’t as many monsters here.
The goblins for them were a threat so far beyond their minds that they might not even exist. None of their raiding parties ever made it this far. Most of the other monsters stayed close to the mountains to the east, and there the ascended in the town of Heddos took care of the more dangerous ones.
So they didn’t want to join because of protection, or any other such thing—to them, it was simply a way to gain more resources, to grow their village and build better boats, as they knew that ascended had skills and abilities that could help them with that.
They didn’t spend long with the Mayor before he swore the oath, and Morgan got another notification informing him that the influence of his Guild had increased. He checked his map immediately, and let Mayor Kelser know about a few resources that they could make use of nearby. Then he explained about the patrol that would be coming down, and the recruitment.
They finished their task in Orsa before dusk passed, and so they decided to leave without spending the night. They didn’t have much time, and the next town was supposed to be close, just about a day down the coast. Their cart rolled out of Orsa and continued south onto the next town.
With the information the Mayor of Orsa had told them about their surroundings, and the lack of monsters, they decided to travel through the night. They took turns sleeping in the cart, and by the time morning arrived a few days later they had reached their next destination. The town of Jarul was similar to Orsa in that it looked a bit on the poorer side, but it was slightly larger. Jarul at least had guards sitting in a small watchtower next to the road at the town entrance.
“Hail there, travelers!” the guard yelled and waved from the watchtower as they came near it. “What business do you have in Jarul?”
Morgan waved back at the man. “Hail! We are from the Skyreach Guild. Your Mayor is expecting us!”
The man’s eyes widened. “Wait a moment, I’ll be right there!” He disappeared behind the wooden wall and then they saw him climbing down the stairs on the side of the watchtower. Once he got down, he ran over to the party.
“Greetings, ascended!” the man said, seemingly filled with enthusiasm.
Morgan was surprised at his tone and manner enough that he paused before remembering his manners. “Greetings. I am Morgan, Guild Master of Skyreach. These are my companions, Vestella, Clara, and Ereden.”
“A pleasure to be sure,” the man said as he gave them a half bow. “I am called Kelioranavotios, but you may call me Kel.”
Morgan blinked at the long and nearly unpronounceable name. “Kel it is, then.”
The man laughed at Morgan’s strange look. “We’ve been waiting for you. Come, I’ll lead you to Mayor Karissa.”
With that he started walking next to their cart as they made their way into the town. A few people noticed them, and immediately started whispering among themselves. Morgan noticed the looks, and he could feel a kind of excited energy in the people they saw. What he couldn’t figure out was why.
Kel was chatting animatedly with Ereden, asking him questions about Skyreach. What was it like? How many people were there? How many ascended? For a moment Morgan had thought that the man had some ulterior motive for wanting that knowledge; but while he hadn’t interacted much with other people, he had become quite proficient at watching and figuring them out, and Kel did not seem at all nefarious. He was excited and genuine. As Morgan was sure that neither he nor anyone else he had seen in the town were ascended, he told his paranoid brain to calm down.
Kel led them to a long house and after they secured their oxen, Clara, Ves and Morgan followed Kel inside, while Ereden stayed with the cart.
Inside, they were met by a woman who looked like she wasn’t that much older than Morgan, maybe in her early thirties. She had sturdy trousers and a tunic on, with her black hair pulled back into a tail. She was waiting for them, as she had obviously been informed of their arrival. She bowed to them and spoke.
“Welcome to Jarul, ascended. I am Mayor Karissa Huano. Thank you for taking the time to come and visit our humble town.”
Again, Morgan was taken aback. The manner she had addressed him was respectful, as if he were some kind of royalty. He knew that to the non-ascended the ascended kind of were, but he had never been addressed in this kind of manner. People in other towns were respectful, true, but they were also afraid, suspicious. Here, they seemed eager to meet with them.
“Thank you for your welcome. I am Guild Master Morgan, and these are Vestella and Clara.”
She inclined her head. “I know that you have traveled long and come far. If you wish, we can have rooms set up so as to refresh yourselves?”
Morgan was tempted—being on the road for so long did come with some downsides—but he really wanted to get this part over with so that he could get back to Skyreach. “Apologies, but we are in a hurry. I do not know if the Mayor of Terbon told you in his letter, but a new Goblin King has risen. We do not have the time to waste, as we need to see to the defense of the valley. Mayor Fennes told us that you were willing to swear an oath to our Guild, but that you also wished to discuss the terms?”
The woman looked conflicted, but then she took a deep breath. “Yes, we wish to join your Guild.”
“That’s great, but you did mention that you wish to negotiate?” Morgan asked.
“No, you misunderstand. We do not wish to make an oath to your Guild. We wish to join it,” Karissa said.
Morgan blinked. “You are not ascended.”
Karissa nodded. “We are not, but we wish to be—most of us, at least. Our entire town wishes to move to your Guild Hold and be allowed to ascend and join the Guild. Those who do not wish to ascend are few in number and mostly elderly, but they are willing to work for your guild in whatever capacity you can offer.”
Morgan was yet again surprised by this town. So far they had gained control of towns by having them swear an oath of servitude, and then from those numbers they would recruit for people that want to become ascended. But those numbers were small; there was a reason why there hadn’t been ascended here. Th
e people did not wish to risk their lives constantly as ascended need to do in order to survive. So far, true membership in to the Guild came on case-by-case basis.
An entire town’s worth of ascended? Morgan thought. It was a boon, even though he knew that this town couldn’t have many.
“How many people do you have?” Morgan asked.
“There are sixty-three people in our town. Of them, fifty-one wish to ascend,” Karissa told him in an even tone. After a moment, she continued speaking. “We understand that Guilds mostly need fighters, and some of us are willing to become that. The others are all willing to learn any jobs that you deem fit. Some already have useful skills—I am a good coordinator and general household leader, for example, and I am sure that I could be an asset.”
Morgan believed it. There was an air of competence around the woman.
“I guess we can send people down here to help you move…”
“There is no need. We can be ready to move within days,” Karissa said.
Morgan looked at her thoughtfully. “May I ask why your entire town wishes to move?”
Karissa looked him straight in the eyes as she responded. “The other towns are content to live in the same manner that they always have. But we want more. Living like this is hard, and we want better for our children. It is as simple as that.”
Morgan could understand that. “But why not try and ascend on your own? I am sure that you could’ve traded for some manuals, gotten classes. Then you could’ve went to the Guild recruiters and tried to join.”
Karissa shook her head. “Our town is close. We are all in one way or another related. We did not wish to separate, and there was no way that a Guild would’ve accepted us all.”
“But you think that we will?” Morgan asked.
“You are different. If you are making a Guild here, then you do not have many resources and are most likely a new Guild. You will need people.”