Chapter 143: The Heart of Ahle-ho

Nikolas sat within his spacious and well decorated office. His boots were kicked up onto the desk before him, his chair tilted back as he read through the last of the day's reports. Acquisition forms, personal records, monster activity and dungeon access permits were organised into neat piles. It amused him how his younger self would have hated this part, but now, with his age, experience and attributes the bureaucratic mundanity of his job as the guild-master was more relaxing than tedious. 

He yawned, stretched, and expanded his perception outwards, spreading it over the Twin Heart compound, its wards and defensive enchantments impeding him not at all. He sensed the functionaries shuffling around in the guild offices, the alchemists and enchanters working in their labs, the many adventurers training or relaxing. With a flex of his will and an unnecessary hand gesture the paperwork on his desk was picked up by his aura and placed in a drawer, then he stood and exited the room. 

The two guards saluted, though they didn’t have to. He was a guild-master, not a general, and the Twin Heart guild was a guild, not an army. Something peaked his senses towards the compound's main gate, Nikolas stopped and focused and his perception. 

“Uh, boss?” One of the guards said.

“Hmm? Yes? What is it?”

“Is that part of the wall really that interesting?”

“What? Oh, no. I was distracted. If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I’m at the main entrance.”

“Yes sir.”

Nikolas continued on, his steps more purposeful than before. Functionaries stepped out of his way as he rounded a corner as a sign of respect, and partially out of prudent caution. With his physical attributes he could move at a speed that would seem little more than a blur of motion to the eyes of these men and women. In the case of an emergency he would need to utilise every drop of speed, and having to weave around those weaker than him would not only slow him down, but endanger them as well. 

But there was no emergency, not today, and hopefully not ever. Though that seems increasingly unlikely with every day that passes. Nikolas thought darkly. 

He stepped onto the enclosed bridge that connected the two main buildings of the compound and encountered a presence that was trying its hardest to subtly convince everyone and everything that it wasn’t present. Nikolas snorted in amusement, not breaking stride as Lars’s indistinct form rippled into existence at his side.

“Uncle, I was just coming to find you.” The guild enforcer said, walking a step behind. “It appears we have guests.” 

“Indeed we do nephew, indeed we do.” In contrast to Lars’s tone of mild annoyance, Nikolas’s own was largely amused. He had expected this meeting for quite some time, though perhaps it wasn’t a great sign that it had finally happened. 

“I’m surprised they came in person, usually these kinds stick to sternly worded letters and vague threats.”

“They’re posturing in the leadup to the conference, they likely secured the support of another guild before doing anything.”

“Any guesses as to who?”

“If I were to bet on it, Rising Tide. Maybe one or more of their subordinate guilds.” Nikolas said after a moment of consideration, the two stepping out of a side door to the main reception hall and quickly exited the building. 

He prodded the gatekeepers with his aura, prompting them to open the way. They obeyed immediately, the large doors swinging open with ponderous speed. He kicked off a step, modulating his strength to not crush the stone as he shot forward. An instant later Lars copied him, the two arriving before the main entrance of the guild compound as if out of thin air. 

Three men and a woman in vibrant and ornate robes turned their attention from the gatekeeper they had been harassing to stare with pompous indignation. Their leader, an elderly woman with greying hair stepped forward, plastering a faux smile onto her face and conjoining her ring-covered fingers, the bands of gold and silver clinked together as she did so.  

“Healer Nada.” Nikolas said, bowing in a display of courtesy that was not reciprocated. “To what do I owe this pleasure.”

“You know full well why we’re here guild-master. One of your members is in violation of the pact of generosity, and is guilty of interfering with the duty of our healing order.” Nala said, stretching her neck as if to look down on him. She was still over a head shorter, so the effect wasn’t overly impressive. 

“Is that so?”

“Know that I am in possession of a truth telling skill, guild-master.” Another healer said, mimicking the posture of his leader. “You would do well to not lie to our faces.”

Nikolas fixed the man with his most benign smile. It strained somewhat when healer Nala continued.

“And we have brought an official of the palace with us, and we come with an official writ of investigation specifically allowing us to ask any question related to this topic we desire.” She said, gesturing to another healer who produced a scroll.  

A fourth man, this one dressed far more modestly, dipped into a bow. The healers scowled at the display, but didn’t comment. 

“I see.” Nikolas said, skimming over the writ, then handing it back. “This must be serious indeed, please ask any question you wish of me and I will answer honestly and without deception before all here.”

A crowd was gathering, both adventurers and civilians both creeping closer to get a better look at the spectacle. Nala’s eyes gleamed as she leaned forward. 

“One of your guild members, your adventurers, has been interfering where they were neither needed, nor wanted. Over these past months they have been spotted using their skills to provide healing to many of the newcomers to our lovely city. Do you deny this?”

“Yes.” 

“What?” She said, shooting the healer with the truth telling skill a sharp look. He in turn shot a look at the palace official. “Is… that so?”

“It is, yes. No member of the Twin Heart guild has done what you accuse them of.” 

Beside him, Lars relaxed into a casual posture, his expression perfectly blank. The enforcer's aura however, twisted into a subtle display of amusement. If Nikolas didn’t know what to look for, he wouldn’t have noticed. 

Nala scoffed. “Suppress your aura and repeat that claim.”

Nikolas raised an eyebrow. 

“That is not necessary healer Nala. I am in possession of a rank five aura, my skill functions unimpeded.” The palace official said, speaking up for the first time. 

“Fine then, but the Twin Heart guild is sheltering the individual who is in violation of the pact of generosity! That is undeniable.”

“The Twin Heart guild is not sheltering, housing, protecting or holding any such person.” 

Everyone present turned to the palace official. The man remained silent, his face stoic.

“Are you sure your information is correct, healer Nala?” Nikolas asked, his question getting a chuckle from several onlookers. “Do you know this person’s name? What about their appearance?” 

“Bah! I am not the one being interrogated, guild-master. He is bypassing your skill, I insist on suppression!” Nala spat, whirling on the palace official with a glare.

“Guild-master Nikolas, for the record could you state a falsehood?”

“The sky is purple and the clouds are made of sugar.”

“My skill is functional, healer Nala.” 

“There was a masked man! He has been seen not only entering and exiting the Twin Heart compound, but accompanying several of their members. Do you deny this guild-master?”

“I know of no such person within Ahle-ho.” 

Everyone turned to the palace official. The man grimaced and sent an apologetic look Nala’s way. “It appears guild-master Nikolas and the Twin Heart guild are not in violation of the pact of generosity. This public investigation is over. Good day to you all.”

“Wait! I will ask questions of others within the guild!” Nala said, quickly moving to intercept the official. 

“The writ you obtained allows for no such thing. And even if it did, this is not an official audit of the Twin Heart guild. Guild-master Nikolas has every right to legally represent any from his guild when it comes to questioning.”

“That is hardly-”

“Good-day healer Nala. This matter has officially ended.” The palace official said, writing something in a pad before bowing once again, then walking off. The crowd dispersed, and the healers went on their way.

“Well, that was fortunate timing.” Nikolas sent telepathically to Lars, having felt and allowed the mental connection to form. 

“To think that if they arrived only a day earlier you may have had to actually lie.” Lars silently replied.

“True enough, true enough.” Nikolas sent. “But the justice system stops working if they realise we can bypass the truth telling skills with a healthy amount of self deception and advanced aura manipulation.” 

===

The sky skimmer dipped suddenly as wind currents blown in from the south buffeted the craft. Far below, a squadron of rays, their bodies flashing with bioluminescent light chased the skimmers shadow as they darted in and out of the waves. 

Leif leaned over the edge of the deck, putting everything he could into the weight reduction aspect of [Gold Iron Physique]. He had left Ahle-ho the day before under the effects of an illusion skill. Lars had suggested the idea and Leif had no real reason to decline. The illusion had long faded, though the scion was still in disguise, his painted mask still firmly attached to his face.

It was a disappointing blow to learn that the transformation available to awakened monsters wouldn’t be within his grasp until he had reached level fifty. It was a setback, but it wouldn’t stop him. The Academy awaited, and ally’s that would be able to assist him were located therein. Despite his eventual destination, the skimmer wasn’t heading south. Instead it flew in a straight line to the east, following the steady curve of the coast. 

Sky skimmers, unlike their sea dwelling cousins, could only travel along predetermined paths. He had once had the basics explained to him by Darius when the two of them were still a part of the expedition. Magical pylons served as anchors, somehow both guiding and partially powering the vessels as they sailed through the air. The route the skimmer would travel would visit Sablaris, then travel south east into the empire to the city of Kartinth. 

From there it would be a boat ride down to the archipelago that housed the Academy. The open sea was an extremely dangerous place to traverse, only in the relative shallow of coastal waters could ships sail in any amount of safety. According to several people he had discussed the topic with, the Rien sea in which much of the human territories surrounded was nowhere near as deep as the open ocean. If something as powerful as the merfey dwelled in the coastal parts of the sea, Leif shuddered to imagine what might lurk down in the depths. 

He gripped the railing of the Skimmer, the breeze making his layered coat flutter around him. His forearms felt bare, the suppression bracers he had slowly but surely grown addicted to using during his stay with the Twin Heart guild having been returned to the guild’s vault. It was a regrettable loss, and he definitely wasn’t suffering from withdrawals. Leif had spent his last days in Ahle-ho subjecting himself to the next stages of the bracer’s training. Unfortunately his large increase in aura strength didn’t provide the leap in progress he had hoped for. Instead, the ‘adaptive’ part of the item's name had put him firmly and mercilessly in his place. 

Leif let out a sigh and stepped away from the edge of the skimmer. He had spent the past days leeching as much knowledge and wisdom from the more experienced adventurers around him. He hadn’t learnt much that he didn’t already know, or wouldn’t have been able to intuit in time. As he retreated below deck Leif’s mind turned to a choice that would determine much of his path going forward. What should he select as his core skill?