B3 C38: A Peaceful Place

Things had started off well for Guardsman Delmin, all things considered. The forest shadow Amak had led him to the Protagonist, and the meeting place was in the center of the city with countless bystanders surrounding them. Delmin couldn’t begin to guess what type of person the settlement owner was, but he at least liked to think she wouldn’t kill him in front of this many people.

He hoped.

He even entertained the idea that perhaps this was all some giant misunderstanding. The figure before him certainly didn’t look like some vicious plotter or even a hero of legend. Save for a noticeably high Charisma score and some well-defined muscles, she seemed… normal. Non-threatening even.

Just to confirm, as soon as Amak bade them farewell and left them together, Delmin channeled a dash of mana into a gem in his pocket. It was the second artifact the king had lent him, no less expensive than the first.

A Gem of Identification. Incredibly powerful and capable of stripping away any obfuscations. If nothing else, they needed to know just how powerful this woman was. Thankfully, he’d practiced activating it without using his hands, so hopefully its usage would go unnoticed. Before it could get a reading on her, though, she started to speak.

“So Amak said the king of Ftheran sent you?” As if to no one in particular, she gently cursed off to the side. “Damn. Knew I should have dealt with him by now.”

She should have… what? Maybe she really was dangerous. Heart pounding, Delmin opened up the notebook he was holding and began to write.

“If- If you don’t mind, miss. I’m, uh, going to write down what you say. Bad memory and all.” He nervously chuckled and likely would have continued to do so save for the fact that the gem finally activated, identifying the woman before him.

Tess’Astorius: Level 15 Jack of All Professions

The information bypassed the system windows, delivered directly to his brain, and in an instant, his nerves settled down.

That was what I was getting myself all worked up for? Hells, I could probably take her mysel-

Obfuscation detected. Continuing…

All right, Delmin. Easy. Maybe it’s still not that bad?

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’m guessing this is about Cal, then?”

It took Delmin a moment to remember what he’d previously said and then a moment after that to remember to write what she’d said down.

“Uh. This is about her royal highness, princess Calilah.” He eked the words out just as the gem activated once more.

Tess: Level 13 Arcane Arsenal

It was- It was obfuscating her level upwards? That can’t possibly be true.

While he would have loved to have been proven wrong, the gem quickly concurred with him.

Obfuscation detected. Continuing…

“Ugh. How do I even say this? Cal is… um, indisposed right now? I mean, she’s entirely safe, to be clear! But she’s kind of…”

Final result available.

Name: ????

Level: ????

Error: Failed to identify target.

The blood drained from his face, and it was all he could do not to turn tail and run.

That gem was rated for targets up to level FIFTY. And with the gem’s power to break through obfuscations, he couldn’t imagine it getting stopped by anything less than a masterwork. He was pretty sure no one in Ftheran could even make something that high-leveled, and certainly someone with a low enough level could never get their hands on one. Plus, why would they? They’d have no need to hide their strength in the first place.

With a start, he realized that the woman before him was likely the strongest person he’d ever seen.

And he’d just targeted her with magic.

“Honestly, I should probably tell him in person, shouldn’t I? Also, are you okay dude? Not to, uh, judge or anything, but you’re looking kind of ill.”

Doing his best to control his shaking, he scribbled her words down haphazardly, suppressing the honest-to-gods gulp noise he’d almost made. To his credit, the guardsman found his tongue eventually.

“Must just not be used to the forest food! Ha. That’s all. You said you wanted to talk to the king?” He had a strong feeling that the king would not want to talk to her.

“Yeah, honestly, that’s my bad. I definitely should set him straight in person before he gets the wrong idea. Here, how about this -- why don’t I show you around a bit, let you rest for a tad, and then I can use Diplomatic Visit to send you home when you’re ready.”

This time, Delmin failed to stifle his sigh of relief. Not dying. And not walking all the way back home.

“And then after that, we’ll wait a month for the ability to recharge. Err. Maybe a bit more than a month, actually. Pretty sure I’ll be busy around then. But in a month-ish, I’ll come visit Ftheran and talk to the king in person?”

Dutifully, he penned down her promise to visit, only barely refraining from telling her to send him back right now. But of course, he didn’t. He was here to scout, and if she was going to help him do that, how could he refuse?

Calm thoughts. Soon. You’ll be back in Ftheran soon, Delmin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“She said what?” King Antaiu, ruler of Ftheran and the greater Antaean kingdom, raged from his throne. The target of his displeasure knelt on the floor below him.

Or that wasn’t entirely right -- it wasn’t the man himself that had sparked both fear and fury within him. It was the notebook he read off of. Delmin could hardly be blamed for what he’d recorded, but still, how it rankled!

“She said she should have dealt with me by now? And that she’s going to set me straight? And Calilah! Never mind that she’s mocking us, butchering my sweet daughter’s name to something as base as Cal of all things. She truly said that she was ‘safe’ but ‘indisposed of’? She is keeping her as a hostage then.”

That was to say nothing of all the other information Delmin had collected. The practical explosion in population had the makings of amassing an army -- one with access to a dungeon to train in, no less.

More than that, the Protagonist had apparently gleefully shown Delmin the entrance to an entire lair of the foul kexids that were supposed to be no more than crazed wild animals. It was as if she were gloating that they would stand no chance.

And the trading post with the vassalage bond that he showed her. It’s worse than I imagined. Is this all a plot for some foreign power to take over? It would make sense. He’d never heard of the Protagonist before, so she would need to be from fairly far away.

More and more, it was looking like she was planning an invasion and keeping his daughter as a hostage to deter him from acting. And far from hiding it, she was flaunting it. Taunting them, even.

“Should we- Should we prepare for her arrival, Your Majesty?”

And there was the sticking point. She’d be here in a month -- or as if relishing the idea of making him wait on her, a “month-ish.” From there, it would all come crashing down. He had no illusions that someone of her level wouldn’t instantly note all the preparations he’d been making. It wasn’t a trivial matter to prepare troops, especially for a trek across the deadlands.

With the surrounding area being both stable and peaceful, he’d never used the military for anything more than internal conflicts. Just working out the supply chain had been a nightmare.

And it might not matter at all. Level 50... He did not shiver, for a king did not do as such, but a lesser man would surely have done so.

The fact, however, remained. The Protagonist could not be allowed to come into the city. He would rather declare war this instant to seal off her access than risk her presence. Someone at that level could wreak an inconceivable amount of havoc, and he had no desire to be “set straight,” as it were.

King Antaiu removed a well-worn trinket from one of his pockets, eyeing the inert indicator.

My daughter. She has my daughter.

No. His only hope was that the Protagonist had been telling the truth when she claimed to be busy in a month. Given that she hadn’t been in the city either of the two times Delmin had first entered, perhaps there was truly a chance she’d be occupied elsewhere.

Then so be it. Before the month is out, we move. Perhaps trying to defeat the Protagonist herself was folly, but her city was another matter. He would not sit idly by as she staged an army in his backyard, and if he captured her settlement and her troops, there was only so much even she could do.

And my daughter. My sweet, sweet daughter.

He didn’t care what it took. He’d fight the Protagonist himself if he needed to, level 50 or not.

Soon, he would set forth with his troops.

And Emer’Thalis would fall.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Verin’Sylus sank her body deeper into the steaming water, letting the bathhouse soak out all of her worries

I will admit, I believe I was correct in placing a vacation home here. If perhaps a touch sleepy, it is… cozy, I believe the word would be. A peaceful place, far removed from politics or strife.

It was a shocking turn for her to see just how quaint and free from drama the settlement was.

And this can hardly be disregarded either.

A bit faster than she would have preferred, she opted to get out. Already, she’d spent less time with Tess than she would have ideally, and for whatever reason, the secretive Protagonist was not a fan of the communal bath. A pity, that.

On her way out, Verin couldn’t help but notice a number of forms still in the water, and were it not for Etiquette gently prodding her in the proper direction, her eyes would have lingered on a few of the forest shadows. Now there was something she would have to draw at some point. She would plan accordingly for her next visit.

Soon thereafter, she was dried, clothed, and back on her way to the settlement’s central area, Tess walking along beside her.

For half of the journey, Verin took the opportunity to politely question her friend as to how she’d managed to forget that her settlement hosted a bona fide queen in it. With all the things Tess had told her of Emer’Thalis, one would have imagined the presence of royalty would have come up by now.

And she let me meet her with grass stains on my pants, of all things. Her etiquette trainers would have fainted from such an oversight. Thankfully the queen was hardly one to stand on ceremony, but still.

Having chided her companion enough to ensure such a thing would not happen again -- and then a small bit extra for the sole reasoning that Tess was endearingly amusing as she floundered -- Verin turned the conversation in a different direction.

“I had cause to meet with that bartender friend of yours…” She let the words hang there.

If anything, Tess was more affected by this topic than the last, whipping her head about at the mere mention of Nadja. “Please tell me you didn’t say anything about me, did you? You know I’m not her favorite person.”

Verin shrugged innocently in response. “Perhaps a singular time, in passing. I would not worry yourself over it. I must say, though, I had wondered if all humans outside of Sylum shared your… reticence for modeling. It was quite a surprise when she agreed to my request immediately.”

Had Tess been drinking something, Verin was certain she would have spat it out. Even so, she managed to choke a bit on nothing but air.

“She, uh, modeled for you? Like, modeled modeled?”

At this, Verin allowed herself a light chuckle. “Indeed. A shame you two are at odds. I do loathe when disharmony is predicated on misunderstanding. If not right this instant, I should hope you two adults can manage to resolve your differences before I have to hear you whine about this matter again.” She gave her companion a meaningful look, letting her squirm under its intensity for a while. Their biweekly sessions were supposed to be for Verin to hear about the mythical world of “Earth,” not to hear her friend act like a woman ten years her junior. As the only person -- outside of Warram -- who seemed to genuinely dislike Tess, Nadja and the story surrounding her had come up no small number of times since Verin had discovered Tess’s Protagonist status.

Hopefully that will be enough of a push for both of them. If not… Well, she was hardly against taking a more hands-on approach if forced to.

“Enough of that, though. Such matters are best not discussed while on vacation. Come, let us make the most of this time before classes force us back home, yes?”

Much to the agreement of both of them, they did just that.

Throughout the day, the largely idled, but in the peaceful, relaxing sense rather than the listless one. The two worked their way through the central vendors, and while most of them were selling foodstuffs or consumables geared towards the adventurer population, there was a singular vendor selling various trinkets and oddities. As a token to remember her first trip, Verin purchased a small wolf figurine to place in her room -- or rather, she had Tess do so, as currency was some strange “contribution point” nonsense. No doubt that would change once the trading post was fully up and running.

Night fell, and Verin took the opportunity to give Tess a tour of her vacation house, additionally giving her permission to use the building as she saw fit. She was aware that Tess was no noble, but having seen that horrifically tiny tent she’d been staying in, Verin would hardly be leaving her in such a state.

As was perhaps to be expected, the two spent the final night of their vacation imbibing a potent mixture of Tess’s conjured moonshine and Verin’s more refined wine -- not quite as nice as what she’d given to the bartender, but a good vintage nonetheless. The two even sat on the floor and gambled for a time, though with how infuriatingly lucky Tess tended to get, Verin was forced to call an end to such games.

When the night at last drew to a close, Verin spread herself out on the carpeted floor, staring up at the ceiling. Following suit, Tess did the same beside her.

It was possibly a strange thing to say considering how much more there was to do back in Sylum, but in that moment she was… content. Happy, even.

“Lady Tess,” she whispered out. “It is difficult for me to find time to escape the everpresent expectations of my station. When I was younger, I believe I found it easier to switch between a public-facing persona and a private one; however, these days I largely find myself unable to ‘switch off’ my nobility, so to speak. All that to say: Thank you. As brief as it was, I have enjoyed this trip a great deal. And more than that, I am lucky to have you as a friend.”

Expressing such emotions was distasteful, but she was attempting to get over such a thing. Although, hopefully Tess would not find the sentiment overly sappy. It would be quite and embarrassment if-

Scooching across the carpet, Tess wrapped her up into a tight side hug.

“I knew you were secretly a softie. But me too. I’m glad you’re my friend, Verin.”

With some effort, Verin did her best to turn off that rigid part of her which demanded constant, full control over herself. Having done so, she tilted her head towards her friend.

And she smiled.

Not a quirk of the lips or the faintest of upwards curve. A real smile with teeth for once. The kind that reached her eyes, causing them to crinkle up with warmth.

Indeed. An enjoyable vacation.

She could only hope the next one would be just as good.