“I-”
“Who the h… do you know that kid?”
One of the MIS operatives, a burly man with a massive, two handed shield - which I'd be forced to acknowledge as a weapon at this size, albeit more of a battering ram - quickly rephrased his question, his eyes momentarily darting in the direction of a nearby paladin.
“He’s the one from the water facility. The one Al talked about.”
“Oh? Wait, this is him?”
The two MIS members seemed to have completely ignored Ulric’s question, diverting the conversation before I could even answer. However, he did not stay silent, either, speaking in a contemplative tone.
“This child stayed in the temple for a few days. Actually… on his first day, he got attacked in Eastern. The gang with the same dead beasts we saw a minute earlier.”
The cavern turned quiet again, with hushed conversations starting on both sides, before the Solar Paladin (who felt like the leader of the combined forces, being the only High Path-bearer I could identify) spoke once more.
“Regardless of that incident – we’re here on a different mission. Tell me, boy – why does the trail of abyssal energy lead us to you? And why can I still smell it in the air, so thick I could mistake this cavern for a recently-closed abyssal rift? Coming from you lot?”
The eyes of many of the men and women before us narrowed, as the eyes of most people inside the fragile barrier likely turned to me.
“Ah.. I didn’t know which part is relevant for the bounty, so I just cut off its lower jaws. Here, one moment…”
When I reached for my back, two of the paladins narrowed their eyes, and a woman - who was likely with the ministry - reached for something on her waist. However, as I brought out a sack, some of them relaxed, albeit not fully.
plup
The two jawlines, filled with teeth, covered with mud-like liquids that actually emitted a rancid stench - which my mind simply filtered until now - dropped to the floor.
“Those… are the demon’s jaws. The ones that were missing.”
One of the paladins, another woman who carried a long spear, and appeared to be peak-Silver ranked, recognized the trophy.
“Are you saying you killed it?”
Even the leader of the inquisition squad was surprised.
“Me and the woman here. It was a team effort.”
I pointed towards Hilda.
“What is this? Do you think we’re fools?”
One of the paladins was clearly displeased.
“Are you claiming an Iron-ranked and a low Silver-ranked Path-bearer managed to slay a Demolisher, and those four cultists?! You expect us to believe that?”
“He has the jaws. The wounds match his weapon, too. I see two crossbows on that woman’s waist…”
The female paladin sounded less skeptical, albeit no less surprised.
“Damn, kid! You gotta slow down. Leave some for the rest of us. Al’s gonna outrank me by next year’s end at this pace!”
For the Ministry men, this was far easier to accept, having heard of my exploits on the Day of Fallen Leaves.
“But, that aside… Who are you?”
His tone instantly shifted from light to stern, his expression turning solemn.
“We are the Silver Claymore. We are officially registered with the Adventurer’s Guild.”
“Silver Claymore? Never heard-a’ you.”
Kelron’s voice was now less of a light-tongued, fun-loving guy, and more of a wild-west sheriff you’d hear in old American movies.
“You ‘hear’ of every adventurer party?”
Bern raised an eyebrow, yet, the reply to his sarcastic question was delivered with a flat tone.
“Yes. Every party above Silver rank, for certain. And, given you’re at the very peak of that rank, there’s no way you recently attained it.”
I threw a ‘glance’ at Bern using my Arcane Sense, to realize his threat level went from [Very Hard] up to nearly[Deadly].
‘Just what did he-’
“You know it’s a violation of both the city law, and the Guild’s guidelines?”
Meanwhile, the short man narrowed his eyes.
“We arrived less than two weeks ago. We are within our rights.”
“Ha! How convenient…”
Kalron had no intention to relent.
“That means you couldn’t possibly register for a mission down here, now could you?”
The silence descended again, growing heavier and heavier by the second.
“Hold on, operative.”
The voice of the paladin’s leader pierced through the stillness of the stale cavern air.
“You may resolve this dispute in a moment, if you so desire. However, this was not our mission. You there, child.”
He turned his eyes to me once more.
“Those talismans on your belt – I assume you collected them from the cultists?”
“...Yes.”
At first, I just nodded, but then I realized they might’ve missed that in the darkness. Of course, a moment later, I also realized they wouldn’t miss it, given that they noticed minute details such as the necklaces strapped to my belt, but it didn’t really matter.
“Did any of them escape?”
“You saw that pit. It was just those four, and the demo– No, actually, there was a greater imp. We killed it, but didn’t collect anything.”
“We saw that imp, too. Since it was pierced by the same bolt as some of those cultists, we can attribute the bounty to the woman. Regardless, I’d be thankful if you could give them to me. I’d rather we returned to our duties.”
I threw a quick glance at Bern, who returned it at the same time.
“Go.”
His whisper held a measure of resignation, but he understood as well as I did – this wasn’t something we could fight our way out of, even if we wanted to.
The barrier around us rescinded.
Before walking forward, I inverted the sack, using it as a makeshift glove to pick back the disgusting jaws, which I now regretted carelessly dropping onto the ground. Then, I slowly approached the Paladin.
Meanwhile, the earlier conversation had restarted.
“I realize you must have killed those gang members. While that certainly deserves recognition, you’re going to have to explain your presence in the undercity, to begin with.”
Bern took a deep breath, before replying.
“Our party member was scouting the sewers on a private commission. He followed a different group, but apparently, one of those hounds spotted him. We came down here as soon as he contacted us.”
Another tense silence followed.
“Thank you, child.”
Uldric came a few steps forward, stretching his arm. By now, I have already sheathed my sword. With my somewhat-healthy hand, I gave him the sack, and reached for the amulets.
“And thank you… for avenging Joshua.”
The last part was uttered with such a quiet tone I wouldn’t be able to hear it without my superhuman hearing, even as I stood right beside the man.
Meanwhile, the other conversation continued.
“You’re surely good at navigating the undercity, sewers aside.”
“We have a directional communication sphere. And our guide is very good at her job.”
“Hmm…”
As I gave my trophies to the paladin, he suddenly leaned forward, mouthing another extremely low whisper.
“You should come with us.”
I froze, for a moment, unable to reply.
“Whatever goes on here, you don’t want to get involved.”
“I…”
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“Is that woman part of your party, too?”
The MIS - presumed - squad leader’s gaze glanced at the half-elf named Eve, who was still supporting the exhausted Xin.
“She…”
This time, Bern couldn’t give an immediate reply.
Turning my head back, I saw Xin giving him a certain look. He didn't say a word, yet, his party leader must have understood its meaning.
“We’re leaving.”
Meanwhile, the inquisition squad leader announced their departure, throwing a glance at the 3 paladins beside him.
There were no objections, neither from his men (and woman), nor from the MIS squad.
“Are you coming?”
He turned his head towards me once more. It was clear this was a final offer.
“Can you tell me one thing?”
“Make it quick.”
The ministry squad turned their heads to me, as well. There was little patience in their eyes, even in Kelron’s.
“When’s the funeral?”
“The?..”
For a moment, his expression became confused, before a glimmer of sadness descended upon his eyes.
“The 12th, at sunset. It’ll be held in the Temple.”
Today was the 9th, which was Rise (Tuesday). The 12th would be Perseverance (Friday).
“Thanks.”
The silent pause after my reply spoke for itself. With a sigh, the Paladin turned around.
“Let’s go.”
The 4-man inquisition squad departed the way they came, with Uldric giving me one last glance before disappearing into the tunnel.
“The 12th? That’s also when the awards are, kid. You sure gonna have a busy schedule. How about you go catch up to that pious lot? Use the extra time to prepare. You could drop by the office to give a report tomorrow.”
Although his tone switched back to the earlier friendliness, the message was clear.
“Thank you.”
I appreciated his leeway. Truly, I did.
“But, I joined the Silver Claymore on this mission. It’s only right I return with them.”
The short man narrowed his eyes.
‘You and your bullshit again…’
It seemed that Sebastian picked some of my vocabulary in the meantime.
“Fine.”
Kelnor shook his head, adding one last remark before turning it towards the remaining group.
“Just don’t do anything stupid.”
I was now a few steps away from the passage that led to the intersection, with the 5 MIS members holding a thinly-stretch line, with the - seemingly level 5 - Pole Master here, and his farthest team member - around level 3 or 4, like the rest of them - stood near the other exit.
“So then – is she, or is she not, with your party?”
The man’s voice turned cold once more.
“She saved the life of my party member. The least I can do to repay her is safely see her through to the surface.”
Bern’s voice grew confident once more. It was clear he’d thought things through while we were talking over at the tunnel entrance.
“Is that your angle?”
Kelron scoffed, before turning to one of his men.
“James, tell me… do you recognize that woman?”
For some reason, I had a very ominous feeling dwell up in my chest.
“Evelyn. No family name. Grew up in an orphanage, down in Southern. Approximately 24 years of age. Alleged history of petty crimes in her childhood. Joined the criminal syndicate known as the Tainted Angels somewhere between 2 to 3 years ago. Wanted on account of 2 murders, 5 suspected murders, breaking 7.. sorry, it’s now 8 major city laws. Not sure about the rest – gonna have to look it up after we bring her in.”
“Thank you, James.”
The silence regained its reign, weighing down upon us like water at the bottom of a deep lake.
“Silver Claymore.”
The voice of the MIS squad leader turned dark. Much darker than before.
“Your contributions to the city, by eliminating those criminals, has been noted. If you are who you say you are, you may even collect those bounties. But.”
His cold gaze turned towards the woman beside Xin.
“She will be coming with us. In cuffs. And so will you, if you refuse to lower your weapons.”
The atmosphere in the dimply-lit cavern felt like a powder keg, ready to explode.
I saw Xin tugging the woman beside him lightly, pushing her towards the back of the cavern. There, 5 meters above the ground, was a ledge, likely leading to another tunnel.
I could also see the 4-ended hook sticking from her waist, attached to some sort of device.
However…
“Sorry, Xin…”
Even I could barely make out the faint whisper.
The woman refused to move.
“She saved my life! You can’t-”
“We can, and we will. Be thankful we’re still letting you walk out of here on your own two legs.”
“Oi!”
Kelron’s thinly veiled threat did not sit right with the dwarf, who stepped forward, raising his shield.
“Are you refusing to comply?”
The polearm slowly rose into a combat stance, as did the weapons of the other MIS members.
Meanwhile, I could only stand to the side, clenching my healthy fist, as the rest of my body pulsated with pain.
No, actually, if it came to that, I still had something left to-
‘No.’
‘But-’
‘You’ve repaid your debt. I will not let you touch that sphere.’
‘But they!-’
‘You’ve done enough in those caverns. More than enough. It ends here.’
I could feel the tension reaching its zenith. And then…
“Stop.”
There was no shout – no desperate cry, in hopes of resolving the escalating situation. However, Bern’s voice suddenly changed. Well, it was still the same, only that now, it was much deeper. Carrying a previously unseen aura of authority.
“This ends here. There will be no more bloodshed in this cave.”
“Oh yeah? Are you surrendering, then?”
“You will remove yourself from this incident.”
“Bahahaha!”
The veteran MIS member couldn’t help but laugh.
“On whose authority?”
“On mine.”
Slowly, Bern reached down into one of the cases at his waist. One man and one woman on the other side repeated the motion, yet, before they activated anything…
“In the name of the Silverton family, I, Brandon Silverton, hereby declare this to be an internal family affair.”
His hand rose up again, now holding his identification token.
Even under the dim light, its silver surface shone brightly, highlighting the crests on its side. They were somewhat similar to those on Anne’s token, which were a ring with two leaves near its bottom end. However, instead of leaves, there were tiny white gems, and between them, there was an engraving of what appeared to be a greatsword.
Instantly, the explosive atmosphere was replaced with a different type of tension. Needless to say, I, too, was bewildered.
‘Silverton... Is… Is he?...’
“The Ministry has no place in our family matters. You’ve overstepped your bounds. Lay down your weapons, and begone.”
Bern’s - or, rather, Bernard’s - voice reverberated across the underground cavern once more.
I could see the traces of shock on the faces of the operatives, as well as Evelyn – on the other hand, Xin’s face showed a mix of resignation and apology, while those of the other companions were solemn.
“You?.. Are you telling the truth?”
Even Kelron’s voice held a measure of disbelief.
In response, the token was flickered towards him, caught with ease by the peak-Silver Path-bearer.
“By law, as well as protocol, you are required to carry at least one identification sphere. Do your job.”
Quietly grinding his teeth, the bold man handed the token to the one he called James, who had already recovered enough from the initial shock to pull out a familiar sphere.
“He… is telling the truth.”
Upon handing the token back to his squad leader, he took a deep breath, but decided to stay silent.
Kelron looked down at the small metal cylinder in his hand, as one would at a poisonous snake. A second later, who tossed it back at the member of the main Silverton family, who caught it with similar ease.
“You’re free to go, sir Silverton.”
His voice held no respect – rather, he sounded more like a college student who got reprimanded by his professor for alleged cheating, despite being the one whose work got passed around and copied in secret.
“You can take that.. woman with you.”
I heard Xin release a subtle sigh of relief.
“Don’t forget to pick up the bodies in that side tunnel.”
The faint mockery in Evelyn’s smile earned her a scornful look from Hilda.
“We won’t. Not that there’ll be any bounties, unless the Silvertons are going to pay them out.”
It was clear the short man was not pleased.
“Very well. However, you should note that boy was an independent contractor, not a member of our party. Everything that went on beyond the earlier intersection was out of the contract’s scope, and, as such, his own initiative.”
It seemed even now, Bern was trying to pay me back for the help, which, to him, must have outweighed the previous debt.
“Fine… James – take Telma, and go find those bodies. Bring drag them into this cave – we can’t have everything gurgled up by some Rot Crawlers before cleanup arrives.”
“Yes, sir!”
The pair quickly disappeared into the side tunnel.
“The rest of you, secure the other site. And bring in the bodies from that nearby cavern. Sweep the tunnel leading up to the main route, too.”
“Yes, sir.”
He turned around, intending to follow his men – however, before that, he stopped beside me, who was still standing near the passage.
“Let me give you some advice, kid.”
There was no hostility in his voice, yet the friendliness had greatly diminished, too.
“The games they play in Central – you might think the pay’s worth the risk. But mark my words – there are always hidden costs. And this one – the stakes are particularly high. Better grab your money and take it home – while you still have the chance”
Without waiting for my reply, he strode forward, disappearing into the darkness.
“Bern…”
Hilda’s voice was marred with regret…
“I’m sorry.”
…but not as much as Xin’s.
Evelyn just silently looked at the blood-stained ground.
“It’s fine.”
Bernard sighed, returning to his usual, measured tone.
“There was no point hiding it now, anyway. Not after what happened.”
“By the way, what did happen? Who was that monster that blocked the intersection? And.. did you just gain another level?”
I felt like I’ve missed some important details. However…
“It’s not a conversation for this time. Certainly not for this place.”
As Bernard said it, I couldn’t help but glance at the other half-elf.
“Anyway, thanks, boss. You didn’t have to do this.”
After a few moments of awkward silence, the dwarf returned to his usual self.
“Aye, now that the imp’s out of the bag – what next?”
The leader of the Silver Claymore glanced at the Tainted Angel.
“We’ll escort you to the sewers. I take it you’ll be able to find your way from there?”
“...yes.”
Her voice was quiet, not a hint of the previous vicious mockery in sight.
“Good. Then, let’s head out. Afterwards…”
He paused, as a subtle glimmer of apprehension flickered through his eyes, for the first and last time this day.
“...it’s time I returned home.”