Chapter 94: Consequences

The Temple of the Healer in Greenstone was one of the central temples on the Divine Square. Inside, a man named Neil Davone was making a stand.

“I won't be a part of this,” he declared to the Chief Priest. “This isn't about serving the Healer. I spend my days following around the most petty noble in Greenstone, so I know what power and ambition look like.”

The Chief Priest had all the temple clergy arrayed behind him, ready to move out. He looked at Neil with a dismissive sneer.

“Be thankful that your powers come not from our god, for he would take them from you. If you would stand against us, then you are no longer welcome in this church. Begone from this place, and never return.”

Neil steeled himself, his expression hard. He turned around and strode out of the temple.

***

On the Clementson property, Jason was confronting the man the tracking stone had led him to.

“Asano!” the man uttered, causing Jason to frown. He recognised the face from somewhere, but couldn’t place it, at first. Then revelation struck.

“You’re one of the people that attacked me in Old City.”

“I didn't attack you,” the man said quickly, his voice rising in pitch. “That was Dink! We all left, just like you said.”

“And now you’re here summoning monsters,” Jason said. “Stay where you are, Mr Clementson.”

Clementson had been slinking away while Jason’s focus was on the other adventurer, but stopped short at Jason’s command. He looked back, seeing that Jason hadn’t turned back to look.

“Yes, Mr Clementson,” Jason said, without taking his eyes off the man in the other direction. “I am watching you.”

Jason had Clementson under the strict watch of his aura sense, the normal-rank mill owner having no way to hide it. He kept his eyes locked on the iron-ranker.

“I don’t know anything about summoning any monsters,” the man said.

“If you don’t want to tell me things, then don’t tell me,” Jason said. “Lying is just going to make things worse.”

The man looked up at the crystal floating over Jason’s head.

“Is that a recording crystal?” he asked.

“It is,” Jason said. “Why don’t you tell me your name?”

“Why?”

Jason’s hard expression broke into a chuckle.

“Well, if nothing else,” Jason said, “it can’t be worse than what I’m calling you in my head. What’s your name?”

“Tuckell,” the adventurer said warily. “Dean Tuckell.”

Jason gave him a sympathetic smile, his body language shifting from harsh confrontation to loose and relaxed. Jason casually strolled up to the porch, where the man had been napping on a long, swinging chair. The man tensed at Jason’s approach, giving a startled jerk as Jason casually plonked himself down next to the man on the long chair.

“Nice to meet you, Dean. I’m Jason, but you knew that.”

Jason looked out from the porch. This back building didn’t look out over the lumber mill, but instead at the crops grown to feed the workers.

“This isn’t bad,” Jason said, taking it all in. “If I recall correctly, Dean, you were the one that tried to talk Dink out of attacking me. Is Dink his real name?”

“That’s his nickname,” Dean said hesitantly, wary of the man sitting next to him. “His real name is Jared.”

“I’d definitely take that over Dink,” Jason said. “Was he the one who picked Dink?”

“Yeah,” Dean said.

“Clearly, some people are beyond help. Alright, Dean; this is quite a pickle you’ve got yourself in. The way I see it, things are going to go one of four ways from here. I’m just going to come out and tell you that I know what you’re doing, who you’re doing it for and why.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Clementson said, from where he was still standing, in front of the porch. “He’s just trying to get information out of you.”

Jason turned his gaze unhappily to Clementson.

“That’s quite enough out of you, Mr Clementson,” Jason said. “If you’re going to be a nuisance, then you may as well run along, after all.”

The mill owner required no further encouragement, scuttling away as quick as he could.

“Now,” Jason said, “where were we? Right, I was just explaining that I already know everything.”

“Do you, though? Its sounds like Mr Clementson is right and you just want me to talk.”

“Oh, I certainly do, but want isn't the same as need. This is more about tying things up neatly than me requiring anything from you. Dean, let's go through the four ways I see this situation potentially playing out. In scenario one – which is my personal favourite and I hope will be yours as well – you tell me everything. That gives me what I need to make sure this all gets handled quietly and without too much of a fuss. Are you a member of the Adventure Society, Dean?”

Dean nodded.

“Alright, then you definitely want to talk to me. With your cooperation, and me putting in a good word, then you shouldn’t expect more than a slap on the wrist. It lets me settle everything nice and quiet, and the Mercers don’t have to dump all the blame on you when everything goes public.”

Dean started when Jason said the name Mercer and Jason felt the hook set in.

“Dean, this is an opportunity for you. A chance to get out of doing shady jobs for other people and stand on your own as an adventurer. My guess, and what will be my recommendation, is that you get put on a road contract. A bit of travel, helping some people who need it. Most importantly, it gets you out from under everything while the situation gets settled. Then you can come back having proven that you can do your job.”

Dean looked uncertain.

“You don't do a lot of monster fighting, do you, Dean?”

Dean shook his head.

“That's alright,” Jason said. “On a road contract, you'll have people to back you up. Wouldn't you rather have someone better than Dink watching your back? You have all the tools you need to make it in life, Dean. You don't have to be the greatest adventurer in the world. You can live a good life just being an okay one.”

Jason kept his own expression under control as Dean looked thoughtful.

“That’s scenario one,” Jason said. “They gradually get worse from here. In scenario two, you keep your mouth shut, but don’t make a fuss. I don’t know all the details, so things get messy as what I do know starts loudly clashing with what I don’t. The Mercer name gets loudly bandied about, and not in a good way. They’ll be fine, of course, but I don’t think you’re the one they’ll be looking to protect in this situation, do you? Especially given that they’ll need someone to push all the blame onto. Best guess, they’ll come down on claiming the whole plot was you and Clementson.”

Jason knew that Dean didn’t even realise he was nodding as he thought it over.

“That’s how things go if I just walk away now. Scenario three is where you kill me to keep everything covered up, but that’s a rough one. I have friends and connections that will be out here going over everything. It won’t just be me you have to get rid of. Clementson, everyone on the property who saw me head in this direction. Lindover, a few people in Leust, even. Or you could run, but where are you going to go? Greenstone’s out. Probably the delta, too. Are you going to go out to one of the desert towns? The veldt? You have a full set of essences, so you could make a life for yourself, out there. If my friends don’t find you.”

Jason slapped Dean on the back.

“All of that assumes you could even kill me, which I think we both know is a sketchy proposition at best. I’m fully armed and equipped for combat, here; you’re armed and equipped for a relaxing nap. Scenario four is that you try to kill me and fail. I don’t need to explain the consequences of that one, do I?”

Jason sat back in the chair.

“It’s all up to you, Dean. Except for the one where you kill me, my contract gets completed whichever way we go. That first scenario works out best for both of us, but I can live with any of the ones where I, you know, live.”

Dean looked at Jason, reclining comfortably as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He spent a long time thinking in silence as Jason quietly waited.

“Alright,” Dean said. “It was Thadwick Mercer. He set all this up.”

“Just Thadwick?” Jason asked.

“Yeah. He’s been pulling in some of the less successful adventurers over the last year. He even pulled some strings to get some of us an easy ride through the assessment.”

“You?”

“No,” Dean said. “I didn’t do all that well, but I got through on my own. But it shook me, you know? Putting your life on the line. It’s not easy for adventurers who don’t want to fight monsters. People look down on you, you know? We come from decent enough families, so working under someone like Mercer is better than working for some crime lord or gang boss. At least, that’s what I thought.”

“Oh?” Jason prompted.

“That thing where Mercer sent us after you? Kicking the crap out of you and recording it? How is that any different from working for a criminal?”

“Thadwick sent you after me?”

Dean nodded.

“He knew about the contract you’d been assigned and that you were meeting a contract in the Townhouse. We just had to hang around, waiting for you to pass through.”

Jason sighed. Using and abusing Thadwick had been a mistake from the beginning, and now he was paying for it.

“What about this whole thing?” Jason asked, gesturing around them. “The land-grab deal.”

“I don't know what it's about,” Dean said. “Every couple of weeks I was told to come out here and spook Lindover with my summon. Then I lay low here in Clementson's guest house and quietly go back a few days later. A couple of days ago I was told to get out here and do it again, and he said it was probably the last time.”

“And by ‘he’ you mean…”

“Thadwick Mercer; it was all him. He's always going on about how this is all his deal. How he'll show his father what he's really capable of.”

Jason sat up straight and took a deep breath.

“Alright, Dean. You did well. We're going to Greenstone to get all this settled. I said I'd look out for you, and I will.”

Jason stood up, then held a hand out for Dean to shake.

“Are you ready to stand on your own feet, Dean?”

Dean stood up and shook Jason’s hand, looking like a weight had been lifted off him.

“You know what? I think I am. There’s something you should know, though.”

“Oh?” Jason asked.

“I didn’t come out here by myself. One of Thadwick’s other people came with me. I don’t think he’ll let us leave quietly.”

“You’ve got that right!”

Both men turned in the direction of the intruding voice. A burly human was storming in their direction, Clementson following behind.

“Looks like I have to put both of you down,” the burly man said.

“Not going to happen,” Jason said as darkness manifested around him, speckled with stars. “Dean, you’ll want to stay out of this.”

***

Neil Davone rushed down Broadstreet Boulevard. There was a crowd gathering outside the newly-refurbished Broadstreet Clinic, which was about to have a grand re-opening. Neil pushed his way through the crowd and rushed up to the doors, made of reinforced, magic-wrought glass. They were designed to open and close themselves, but the clinic was not yet open and they remained shut. Neil and started hammering on one of them with his fist.

“Friend, they’ll be open soon,” an older man assured him. “Just be a little patient.”

The man chortled to himself.

“Patient,” he said. “That’s funny.”

Neil ignored him and kept hammering away until a young woman appeared on the other side of the glass.

“Sir,” she said loudly through the glass, “if you can’t wait quietly for the clinic to open, then you will be turned away when it does.”

“I need to see Jory Tillman,” Neil yelled. “I need to see him right now.”

The woman looked Neil over. Compared to the bulk of the crowd, his clothes spoke to more than enough money to find medical help elsewhere.

“Go around to the back gate,” she said. “I’ll see if Mr Tillman is willing to speak to you.”

Neil groaned his frustration but nodded, fighting back through the crowd to go around to the rear of the building. There was a yard enclosed by a wall that he couldn’t see into, but found the gate wasn’t locked when he pushed on it. Inside was a yard tiled with colourful tiles and lush greenery in wall planters.

The yard was occupied by three adventurers with bronze rank auras. A huge leonid man and a small human woman were both hoisting heavily-laden barbells in each hand. The third adventurer Neil recognised. Rufus Remore was meditating on a woven mat, eyes snapping opening as Neil came into the yard.

“Neil Davone,” Rufus said. “What brings you here?”

Rufus had administered Neil’s field assessment for the Adventure Society. Given Thadwick’s reaction, he almost would have preferred a fail to a pass. Neil had no idea what Rufus was doing there, meditating in the courtyard of an Old City clinic.

A man came out of the building, dressed in clean and simple white linens.

“Who are you and why do you want to see me so urgently?” the man asked. “I’m more than a little busy right now.”

“You’re Jory Tillman?” Neil asked.

“Yes,” Jory said irritably. “What do you want?”

“The Chief Priest of the Healer is coming,” Neil said. “He’s bringing almost everyone.”

“What for? Jory asked.

“He thinks your new clinic is a usurpation of the Healer’s authority,” Neil said. “They’re coming here to tear it to the ground.”