They took the body with them.
Cass’s Profile noted that the young man’s name had been Haruto Ottotu. He was a melee specialist with the Shattermarks and had a running list of Quests he’d completed for Liora. But that was over. Now, his time had ended, and with as much ceremony as they could manage, Haruto’s body was brought to his family in a casket.
The young Guild Master used Haruto’s death as a raging fuel to keep going. To be clear, this wasn’t another Johnny moment for him. Johnny was his rude awakening to a world latched to an unseen fire. He’d noted Haruto’s name, his contributions, and ultimately his death. He’d died a hero, fighting against creatures who wanted him and his family and friends dead. But as old wounds did, his emotions had calloused over.
Like he’d done when inventing his QuestWright personality, he was doing the same with his new role. Guild Masters mourned the dead and remembered them, but you couldn’t let those thoughts weigh on the soul. They’d drown you in defeat just as quickly as any other lost battle.
Guild Masters held an image to the world, one that showed strength.
Guild Masters thought things through, always staying one step ahead of where the enemy was going to be.
But you couldn’t always be one step ahead. The Stream wasn’t the only place to see some action.
>Vex: Three of our own dead at the Forge, maybe twice that many for the traitors.
>Cassio: What of the Grounds?
>Vex: Four dead, maybe. I think Corrin will pull through. We aren’t sure how many of the enemy died with them.
>Cassio: How can you not be sure?
>Vex: They used some kind of concealing ability to get close. Then one of ‘em threw a good old-fashioned smoke bomb. It was chaos. Luckily, those adventurers I told you about were around. Got a bunch of them while I was busy on the westside. But the crazy thing about it is, when the smoke finally cleared, we only found two bodies. By the bloodstains on the ground alone, I know there were more.
>Cassio: Pellin sent me a message. We should have a few more people on the Whisprnet soon.
>Vex: The Whisprnet?
>Cassio: That’s what he’s calling it. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious. We’re dealing with more than Changelings now.
>Vex: Yes, sir.
The text window closed on its own. Cass had to hand it to Pellin; even as a prototype, it was far exceeding what he’d expected. He’d given the third prototype to himself, and small, tiny updates continued to stream through as he worked on it.
Cass and Jimmy slowed down as they moved out of the Stream and into downtown, gently entering a path to the Depot. It was far busier than it had been in the past. With so many colored zones beyond the Guildhall, downtown was the safest place you could be. It almost looked like old pictures his parents had shown him of refugee towns. Dirt and smells every which way you turned your head.
The small train of Shattermarks slowed behind them. Each was more than battle-tested, and they’d made the decision to follow along to the next fight as Cass was taking his leave. At the end was Shamus. The big, armored man looked a little silly riding his small mule-driven cart. But Haruto’s casket within didn’t allow for any sort of name-calling from the passerbys.
Bella was restless. She didn’t like him fighting, and especially didn’t seem to like the idea of him fighting without her. Though what she could do versus those monsters, he didn’t know, and to be honest, he didn’t want to find out. If she got hurt, he was pretty sure he would lose it a little.
If she died…well, best not to think on it.
Adya was beyond the walls at the moment. Cass’s linked partner or not, she wasn’t in charge of the scouting troupe they’d sent out. The information they’d been filtering back hadn’t been the most reliable, but they had been the ones to spot a group of monsters disappearing into a cave just outside of Liora. That’s how Vex knew to message him. Without that, things in the Stream would’ve gone much differently.
Cass shook his head, then finally had a moment to review the notifications he’d received from the battle.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
You have slain 7 monsters
You have gained partial credit for slaying 73 monsters:
15 Skreels, 58 Scroungers
Total XP gained: +343.0
—
You have slain an Alpha Scrounger
You have gained partial credit for slaying an Alpha Scrounger
XP gained: +50.0
—
Your System Reputation has increased by: 107
You’ve gained 82 Survivor Tokens…
Quest type unlocks are currently restricted.
Your reputation with the Shattermarks has increased by 85
Your Liora (City) reputation has increased by 120
System note: As you have temporarily reached the maximum reputation with Liora (City), Prestige reputation will develop. This is how legends are made.
Your achievements have been condensed:
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
Bonus experience granted for successfully implementing a non-standard strategy in defense of a major population center, slaying a numerically superior enemy without direct engagement, and implementing key tactical grouping during combat:
140xp
Bonus experience granted for slaying twenty or more monsters of the same type, slaying fifty or more monsters in a short timeframe, and slaying three or more Alphas:
280 xp
Tactician Achievement progress:
5/10
Combat-adjacent Achievement progress:
6/10
Your passive ability, Monster sense, has increased to (Tier 2):
You will now sense the type and strength of monsters around you.
Forcibly unlocked tactician ability:
Battlefield Memory (Tier 1): Passive
You will more easily recall terrain, timing, and engagement information.
Cass was forced to pause on Bella’s back as he read it over a second time. Liora was under siege, but he couldn’t help but read everything over again.
A new passive ability, three hundred…plus fifty…over eight hundred experience, and a new ability? Plus Survivor tokens?
It was a lot. Just like the last two times he’d put himself into combat, the rewards couldn’t be denied. It almost seemed like too much, even with his experience modifiers being tied into Quests rather than combat itself. A quick glance proved the system right. He now had 148 Survivor tokens. More than enough to unlock a new Way and the passive that came with it.
Then a stunning realization hit him. The more we hold out here, the more monster kills that everyday citizens accrue, the stronger we’ll be. If they keep throwing these things at us, we’ll be too big to slow down.
The Dark Guilds had made a strategic error in sending those monsters down the tunnel. How many of his Earthmolders had earned a title without saying a word? How much experience did the new kid just receive? Enough to hit the third level? More?
This can’t be new information. They have to know that. Which means they won’t keep potshotting us. That was a test to check our overall preparation. They must understand that the slower they attack, and the more we heal and succeed, the more difficult this will be. So what would I do if I were them?
His group continued to pause as he thought it over. They’ll know by now that we have traps everywhere. That Liora has been prepared for anything they might throw at us, including from under the ground. So I need to think about this…what is their ultimate goal?
He continued to process what Vex had told him, along with what the scouting reports from beyond had said and what he’d learned when first becoming the Guild Master. He didn’t like what seemed so obvious the more he thought about it.
Cass closed the screen and glanced at his companion. The guard sat on his borrowed horse, looking at him expectantly.
“Jimmy, let’s go to the Guild instead. I have a weird feeling we might be needed.”
The big man inched his horse closer and leaned over with a whisper, “How weird?”
“Weird enough that I think we should leave…right now.”
“You got it, boss,”
He moved his horse in front and led the way. Cass turned and followed, apologizing to anyone who was forced to shift as the group of close to twenty completely blocked the thoroughfare for a moment. Closing his eyes as Bella moved to align herself with the lead horse automatically, he looked at his passive abilities and activated Battlefield Memory.
A splitting headache erupted the moment he turned it on. It was like someone had taken a spike of ice and driven it right where the neck met the base of the skull. When he finally opened his eyes, his already enhanced vision picked up small details about the area he hadn’t noticed before. A leaning cart there. A sloped roof that could be used to leap to the one next to it. Anywhere his vision traveled, he knew, without looking back at it, that he could re-envision whatever he’d just seen at will.
He continued testing his newest ability as Profile streamed updates into the corner of his vision. It was almost like having a visual System Map, but one that relied on the person’s eyes, rather than the ability he’d come to rely upon as a QuestWright.
Just before arriving at the gate, where a waving Jim greeted him, the Commander of the West activated on the Whisprnet. Surprisingly, Vex had chosen a Tier 2 Valiant instead of a Silver to guard the Forge.
Maybe he finally learned that the Silvers aren’t the only Company in Liora.
Further thoughts were put on hold as they passed through the Entrance Hall. A familiar face began flagging him down and approaching at speed. Orla wasn’t wearing any of the refinery he’d grown used to. Instead, there was a hardened kind of leather spread out across her figure, and a thin sword buckled against her hip.
“Cass, finally! I’ve been waiting here for hours. Time is money, yada yada.” She stopped when Jimmy got between them, a silver orb held out to her, and what Cass assumed was a stern expression. “But I’m already-you know what, fine. Here,” She reached out a hand, grimaced, then was allowed to pass. “Sheesh, who knew you were so important now?”
Cass strained not to roll his eyes. “I am the Guild Master.” He popped off of Bella's back before Jimmy could help, receiving an unhappy rush of feelings from his Bonded. He looked back at her, “Come on, I can’t go anywhere without my trusty steed.”
That seemed to do the trick, as a different sense of warmth than Adya’s flowed his way. Bella snorted, then plodded behind him as Orla threw a weird look his way.
“I’ve heard from others that you talk to your horse, but to see it live is disconcerting to say the least.” Shaking it off, she continued, “Aren’t you going to ask what I’m doing here?”
He’d seen her setting up a stall before leaving and had a few easy deductions he could make from it. “You’re using the city’s time of crisis to rake in as many Crests as possible, aren’t you.”
“Aha! I’m…” She blinked twice, then frowned, “It’s not fun for me when you frame Common Solutions as some kind of vampiric entity. We’re performing a very valuable service for the city.”
Cass mirrored Bella’s earlier snort, then glanced quickly at the table and the small line of people standing in front of it. “Are we selling weapons now?”
“That we are!” Orla crowed, “Common Solutions, prepared for any disaster that might come our way. We signed up a Tradesman who recently specialized in weapon-crafting. It took a bit of work to get him to sign on with us, but Rina said you’d okay it, so we skipped the interview process. He’s done wonders for our bottom line.”
Cass finally got a look behind the table, where a cross-armed Holt gave him a surly nod. He nodded back, then continued walking, his group following behind him. “I’m surprised he signed on for our Enterprise. Holt’s said numerous times that he had no interest in joining one.”
“That’s where our esteemed recruiter comes in,” Orla said with a grin. “You should’ve seen the dress she was wearing. I have an overactive imagination compared to most people, but even I didn’t know she was hiding those cannons.”
Cass couldn’t stop the inappropriate laugh from bubbling up his throat, “You’re so crude.”
“I’m sure you meant to say honest.” Orla corrected with a smile. “Now, I have to leave you here. We’re not just selling weapons over there; we're also selling rations. Now is the time to capitalize on what the people of Liora need!”
“You’re not overcharging my citizens during one of our darkest times, I hope,” Cass asked her with a raised eyebrow. “If you are, my own enterprise or not, I’m afraid I’ll have to take a close look at our permits and-”
“Of course we’re not!” Orla interrupted him, a sickly sweet smile on her face. “Anyways, gotta go, citizens to…uh, help and all that. Okaynicetoseeyoubye!”
She ran away at speed, an amused Bella and Cass watching her go. He moved back a few steps and patted her neck, “She may be silly, but I don’t know about trusting that one, girl. I think she’d try to sell the sun if she could find the right price and someone dumb enough to believe her.”
Bella snorted and pounded the dirt with a hoof, causing Cass to laugh again. It didn’t last long, though, as they started walking again and approached the Foundry. One of the first things he’d done after Gerald and Dev were moved out of the Atrium was to condense a few groups of fighters around the Foundry.
The majority of the Tier 2s had been placed at the gates, including a concerningly small number of Tier 3s. That meant that of the thirty-odd people sitting and talking in entrenched positions around the Foundry, almost all of them were Tier 1s. It wasn’t an ideal situation.
Cass stopped the group and walked over to Shamus, “We’re going to set up here for the time being. Please move your group out and reinforce any weak points you discover. I’ll send a messenger to find Haruto’s family so they can pick up his body.”
“Thank you, Guild Master,” Shamus replied with a dip of his head, “We appreciate you letting us join you here.”
“It’s the least I could do, Shamus. Let’s get moving.”
As he went about his business, Cass called Jimmy over, “Find me a messenger, please, someone reliable. Also, try to grab as many remaining vellums from the Guild Master’s office as possible. I’m probably not going back to the office for a while.”
Jimmy’s voice burst out with alacrity as Cass pulled up his experience screen.
Calling: QuestWright Apprentice: Cassio Vale
Level: 8
Experience Accrued: 2269.31
Experience Required for Next Level: 430.69
Unspent Experience: 258.81
Total Stalwart Tokens: 53
Total Survivor Tokens: 148
Hopefully, I have enough experience to push Adya over to Level 8. But with those Tokens up, I have to wonder. Which Way am I going to unlock next?
