Archivuald hesitantly knocked on the ornate door, his hand falling to his side. After only a moment, a distant feminine voice echoed from the other side.
"Come in,"
Archivuald took a deep breath slowly letting it out, before opening the door. Pelases new offices was just what one would expect from the guild master of dark guild.
All dark banners with their crest, macabre paintings, and a few statues of terrifying monsters along one wall. He had no idea how she acquired all of that in such a short amount of time, much less why she wanted to decorate in such a fashion. Dark guild or not, it seemed a bit excessive.
Sitting behind a large black desk, on a high-back chair, Pelas smiled.
"Ahh, Alex, I take it you slept well?" Pelas asked.
"I did, a much needed rest after last night," Archivald replied.
"That's good to hear. I'm impressed with how quickly you cleared it. Tanur returned with a whole pile of frozen monster corpses, that was thoughtful of you. I was unaware you had such an emblem," she said.
"Glad to see my work is appreciated. Will we be able to sell the essence at a good rate?" Archivauld asked, deftly deflecting the topic away from his secrets.
She nodded, "The gathered monster corpses should be able to cover some of our expenses. It will be sometime before we can break even, but this is a step in the right direction," Pelas replied.
"Were we able to secure the contract for a knight tier rift?" Archivauld asked.
She grimaced, leaning back in her chair..
"That is proving more difficult than expected. I acquired the contract, but the inquisition stepped in and are blocking us. They masks are demanding we clear at least four more copper tier rifts to prove the first wasn't just luck," Pelas replied sourly.
"Perhaps that isn't a bad thing. I could use some more essence, even if it is copper tier. It will help raise my new emblem, and I might even get another one," Archivuald replied.
Her expression slowly relaxed as she contemplated his worse.
"You are right, of course, perhaps it is for the best" she replied.
Archivauld took a dead steading breath. "I have a proposal,"
She cocked her head."What do you have in mind?" Pelas asked.
"The rewards the guild can reap from these copper tier rifts will be negligible. However, if we were to dump all of the essence, and emblems from the next five rifts into me, my power would rise accordingly. In exchange, i am willing to forgo everything we acquire from our first knight tier rift," Archivuald said.
Pelas tapped the top of her desk thoughtfully.
"What you propose is a risk, but if you can pull it off, the potential benefits will be greater than our current path. Very well Alex. I will acquire the contracts for five copper tier rifts. We can clear them over the course of a few weeks if this is acceptable," Pelas asked.
"That works for me. As quickly as you can secure the contracts, I will clear them," Archivuald said.
"Perfect. Tanur will inform you as soon as we have secured the requisite information and location of the first rift," Pelas said.
Sensing he was dismissed, Archviuald left, deciding to find a meal. It was quite annoying that the inquisition was all up in their business but what could they do?
If he was being honest, this was probably for the best. Archivuald would be a lot more confident tackling a knight tier rift with a few more coppers under his belt.
Stomach rumbling, he picked up his pace, scanning the streets, looking for prospects. The guild hall was in a decent part of the city, with plenty of options to choose from
His eyes brightened as he spotted a quiet out of the way cafe, with a balcony that was facing away from the mountain. There was noone on the small balcony when he arrived, which was exactly what he was hoping for.
It was bright and early, with the sun having just crested the mountain behind him. It was that perfect temperature, when the sun was just pushing away the night's chill, and not yet unbearably hot. He took a deep breath, reclining back in the soft chair as he took in the sprawling city below.
Now this was a view. A nice ale, the morning paper, and no one to bother him.
Just as he had that, though, the serene atmosphere was disturbed as a melodic voice drifted over.
"It's a bit early to be drinking, don't you think?"
Archivuald turned, his mouth going suddenly dry as a familiar woman on one of the chair. For a moment he panicked, his mind going back to the night he scaled down that cliff, and was nearly flash fried.
Then he remembered he had a different face, and completely different garb. There was no way she could possibly recognize him.
Clearing his throat, and pushing down his momentary alarm he smiled.
"It's never too early for a cold ale. I wouldn't normally drink in the morning, but I had a long night, and this a good way to blow off some steam," Archivuald replied.
"You are a rift walker?" she asked, her eyes flicking to the unadorned ax leaning against his chair.
"Something like that. How about yourself?" Archivuald asked, extremely happy he had gotten rid of Yurlan's much more memorable weapon. It would have been quite unfortunate to be ousted because of a random encounter.
"I dabble," she replied, with a winning smile, a smile that made his heart do flip flops.
"That's good, the world needs as many rift walkers as it can get," Archviuald replied. He flicked back open his newspaper, picking up where he left off.
It wasn't because he didn't want to chat, it was more because he was afraid she would recognize his voice.
Apparently she didn't get the hind.
"Do I know you from somewhere?" she asked, not a few seconds later.
"That's doubtful. I just arrived in stronghold a few weeks ago," Archivauld replied, hoping she would drop it.
"Really? Because you do seem quite familiar," she said adamantly.
"Trust me, I think I would remember meeting someone as beautiful as yourself," Archviauld replied.
Focused on his paper, he couldn't see her expression, but he could tell she hadn't left.
She clicked her tongue thoughtfully.
"You know, you have a different face, and are dressed differently, but I could swear your presence feels just like the man I met several weeks ago," she replied.
His stomach leapt in his chest at the proclamation, but his body tensed. What did she mean by presence? And why was she so perceptive?
"You are probably mistaking me with someone else," Archivuald said, inwardly swearing.
She let out an amused laugh.
"So, what are you reading? Anything interesting happen?" she asked.
Archivuald let out an annoyed sigh. "Something about a town of several hundred getting killed. The Order has even tasked a blade cardinal and a Templar to unravel the truth behind the tragedy," Archivuald said.
"That's horrible. Who would do such a thing," She asked.
"No idea, they didn't offer any specific details. If I had to guess, I would say it was probably monsters," Archivuald replied.
"I hope whoever committed this atrocity is captured and punished for their actions," she replied.
He grunted in agreement. He was hoping she would just let the conversation fall into silence, but no such luck.
"So are you part of a guild?" she asked.
"Yes,"
"Which one?" she asked.
"The Black Heart sect," Archivuald replied.
"Never heard of it," she replied.
"I doubt you would have. We are a new guild," Archivuald replied.
Deciding he should probably cut his losses, Archivuald stood and tossed his paper onto her table.
"Well, it's been a pleasure, but I'll get going. Until next time," Without even asking for her name, he strode out of the cafe, leaving his ale behind.
That woman was much too perceptive for his liking. He had no idea what her motives were and had no desire to find out. Her guesses about his identity had come much too close for comfort. He had everything to lose by sticking around and almost nothing to gain. So what if she was drop dead gorgeous and from a wealthy family? All it would take was her connecting the dots, and he was screwed.
She had seen him before he got his new face, and somehow could recognize him even now. What were the odds? How was he supposed to know she would come to this cafe? He shook off the distracting thoughts.
There was still much to do. He needed to gather supplies and prepare. He couldn't go after five rifts, tackling one every other day unprepared. It was going to be a rough schedule, no matter how he looked at it.
First things first, he needed some nonperishable food. Given the demand for such a thing from the abundant rift walkers in Stronghold, it was quite easy to secure some dried monster meat.
There were quite a few other things he would have liked to purchase, but he only had thirty silver after he bought several spare sets of clothing.
Turns out, his perceived fortune was nearly as grand as he initially thought.
Three sets of clothing well tailored and fitted garb setting him back a whopping eight silver. And they were just the low rack stuff. The price of some of those fabrics made him weak in the knees, his entire fortune not even enough to by the thread.
Archviauld frantically pushed the memory from the back of his mind. That was just another reason to keep hunting rifts. Right now he was at the bottom of the barrel, whether that be wealth or power. But it didn't always have to be that way. Excitement filled him at the prospect.
He came away from his first rift in the expanse with a new emblem. The next five would be even more lucrative.
Giving all the spoils from their first knight tier rift would sting, but since Pelas agreed to let him keep all of the benefits he would obtain from the next five, it might be worth it.
Archivuald practically salivated at the thought of pushing his new wind cutter emblem all the way to knight tier. He was also planning on awakening a third divine curse. The first two were a smashing success, their downsides manageable. It almost seemed like they had little to no downsides at all.
Was he just that lucky? For example, the eye of the dark god seemed to have no downsides at all. One could argue the fact it would kill both friend and foe was a downside.
But then again, wasn't that every weapon if used improperly? He was likely missing something. Perhaps the downside of his strongest attack just hadn't made itself known yet?
He would have to keep a wary eye out, but for now, everything seemed fine. Once finished with his impromptu shopping spree, he made his way back to the guild hall. Upon arrival, he ran into Tanur, who walked over.
"Ahh, Alex, there you are. I have been looking for you," Tanur said.
"Sorry, I was at the market. What is it Tanur?" Archivauld asked, his pack weighing heavy on one shoulder.
"Pelas has secured the contract for the first three rifts. I wanted to cover the details with you before i head out," Tanur said.
"Are you leaving somewhere?" Archviauld asked.
"Yes, I have some business I need to attend to. Pelas has already informed me of your agreement. We have decided that collecting the corpses once robbed of essence is not worth the effort. They are just copper tier monsters. As long as you bring the Nexus from each rift, Pelas will be satisfied," Tanur said.
"That seems reasonable. No point in allocating personal when there's little to no profit to be made," Archivuald replied, nodding in agreement.
"Exactly, now, our personnel can be diverted to other tasks in the interim," Tanur said.
"What are you and those thugs playing mercenary up to?" Archivauld asked curiously
"That's on a need to know basis," Tanur chuckled.
"Figures. Well, lead the way, I want to get started as soon as possible," Archivuald said.
"Right this way. The first rift is quite a bit further than the one you cleared last night. I have gathered a map, and have secured you a horse for the journey," Tanur said.
"Do you think I will run into any monsters along the way?" Archivuald asked.
"That's very likely. The first of the three rifts is about a hundred miles into the expanse, and is in mostly uninhabited forests. Normally the rift walker association would have just let it collapse, dumping the monsters out, since the monsters couldn't really cause much trouble that far away," Tanur replied.
"Sounds like we got a bargain," Archviuald said.
"That we did. Honestly, nobody else even bid on the contracts. The fully established guilds usually don't even bother with copper rifts except when they are close to towns or cities," Tanur said.
"All the better for us. Are all three in the same area?" Archivuald asked.
"Within a fifty mile radius. I would recommend tackling all three in one go. At that rate, it should only take you a week," Tanur said.
Archivuald nodded in agreement.
"That's quite the trip. If i am on the road for seven days, im going to need to gather more supplies," He muttered.
"What was that?" Tanur asked.
"Nothing.. Now where is that map?" Archivuald asked.
"It's right over here, sheesh, so impatient," Tanur replied.
"Well, it's not my fault you are giving me such a tight deadline," Archivuald grumbled.
"Maybe you should have cleared the first one slower, now the boss has expectations," Tanur replied with a smile.
"Well, isn't that just perfect," Archivauld replied.
Tanur laughed, pulling a key from his coat, and unlocking an unadorned door. The door swung open, revealing a modestly furnished office.
His plain desk had several piles of neatly stacked documents, with a map sprawled across one wall.
It was exactly what Archivuald expected from the unassuming man.
"You can't expect me to carry that thing around can you?" Archviauld asked, eying the map, which took up most of one wall.
Tanur laughed, grasping a leather bound case from atop his desk.
"No, I have already drawn up an optimal route for you to follow. This route should allow you to clear the rifts with as little wasted time as possible," Tanur replied, tossing the case over.
Archivuald caught the cylindrical case with a frown.
"I'm starting to see where this is going. You are not going to give me a break until all five are cleared are you?" Archivuald asked.
Tanur laughed.
"Asking for a vacation already? You haven't even scratched the surface of repaying your debt," Tanur grinned.
"What have I gotten myself into?" Archivuald asked.
Tanur smirked.
"Don't be so glum Alexander, if you continue to perform well, it should take you about a decade to pay off the debt. That is if you don't slack off and let the interest pile up," Turner said.
"Interest! Nobody told me about any interest?" Archivuald exclaimed.
"Perhaps you should have read the contract better," Tanur said with a devious smile.
"You are a bastard you know that," Archivuald swore.
"Guilty as charged. Now, enough bitching. Let's go over the map so you don't get lost," Tanur said.
Archivuald had many choice words for both Pelas, and Tanur, but the man was right. He should have read over the contract better before signing it.
In his defence, he would have been forced to sign it anyway, even if he knew about the interest.
It still didn't make him any less pissed about it, but as paster Landed liked to preach back when he was an acolyte, this was a learning moment.
Never trust shady people as far as you could throw them, as they only had their own best interests in mind.
It was a reminder that these people were not his friends. They sought to benefit from him, and would discard him if the cost outweighed the gain.