Gareth felt his palms start sweating, his nerves wracking. His distrust of authority figures swelling. He'd rarely done jobs for high profile fixers; instead, sticking to low level gangs and their bosses. Yet, he nevertheless internally snickered when the deep voice of Lord Margrave called “cum” through the door.

  Ivor pushed open the door without hesitation and waved for Gareth to precede him, his tail tucked nervously against his leg, a subconscious tell that Gareth had noticed him employ when Ivor felt he was in danger.

  The office looked very comfortable, yet was very obviously the working place of someone powerful. The fluffy red hallway carpet cut off at the threshold, instead taken over by a slightly lighter shade of wood than the door, which is to say dark chocolate. A fireplace crackled merily to the right, a large bookshelf to the left. Right in front of them was an ostentatious mahogany desk filled with papers and scrolls, a desk lamp, quills and vials of ink. All either made from polished gold, clear crystal, or varnished wood. Decadence.

  Behind it sat a very large, bulky man sitting in a high backed chair. He was dressed in a tight-fitting black robe, edged in a silver that accentuated his bulging muscles and perfect physique.

  A thick, long, bushy, yet manicured dark beard only made his appearance seem more rugged and manly. Startlingly bright white eyes pierced Gareth into place as soon as he entered. His obsidian brows seemed to have deep frown lines, hinting at a stern man, but were relaxed as he welcomed them.

  He vaguely heard Ivor enter behind him and close the door, but both Gareth and the city lord kept their eyes locked onto one another.

  The stalemate was finally broken when the lord looked at Ivor, "Good to see you again Ivor Hansen, although I wasn't expecting you back for another month." His voice was deep and smooth, commanding authority.

  The unspoken question hung in the air, What are you doing here and not investigating the fall of Lazfeld?

  "Two reasons, my lord. The first is somewhat concerning, and the other is concerning this young man."

  The Lord's assessing gaze passed back to Gareth for a moment, before returning to Ivor, "Continue, tell me of the first issue."

  "Upon reaching the top of the cliffs-"

  "Congratulations."

  "Thank you, my lord." Ivor bowed slightly to acknowledge the praise. "This one found the land to be dry and arid. Crags and canyons indicated much rainfall in the past, but it is now windswept and dry. This one found a large oasis, with a particularly irritating beast that I will include in my debrief…"

  Ivor went on to explain how he had found Gareth in the oasis - which the lord frowned at but didn't interrupt - how they had been separated by raptors, and how they had found the Oni nest. At which point the lord started asking questions about the Oni. He took out a leatherbound notebook and started making notes.

  "How large was the nest?"

  "Small, only around thirty cursed. The Oni itself was of unknown strength because when this one found it, its core was missing, destroyed by Gareth Eslon." Ivor indicated Gareth with a tail flick, but the lord just nodded at Gareth and looked back to his large notebook and ledger.

  "Was there evidence of other demonic activity?"

  "Not that this one could detect, but I was also focussed on finding Gareth after we became separated. This one would need to return to make a more thorough assessment."

  "It is concerning indeed. Return as soon as possible and see if you cannot bring other rangers with you."

  "Yes, my lord." Ivor bowed low.

  "On to the second matter?"

  "Yes, my lord. This one found Gareth Elson in the previously mentioned oasis, being pursued by a band of weak thugs. The thing that so…that is to say, the reason why…this one found that Gareth is…" Ivor paused once again to look for words.

  Gareth expected the lord to become impatient and to hurry him up, but he just patiently gazed between Ivor and Gareth, waiting for a well worded answer.

  At length, Ivor started up again, "My lord…This one has always valued and admired your strength of character. You are a man who looks after his people and city above all else. You have led this city wisely, and this one asks that wisdom prevails once again. Gareth Elson has been blessed with immortality." The city lord's eyes widened slightly and darted to Gareth.

  "The brigands that were chasing Gareth knew of his blessing. This one subdued the thugs and while I did not kill them, I did leave them tied up in a dangerous oasis. My lord…Gareth presents both a potential danger, and a potential ally to Volun city. Those who pursue him might come looking for him here, putting the city at risk. But this one has personally witnessed his drive to succeed, his cultivator spirit. Should we train him, and give him a reason to be loyal to Volun, he will make a fine addition to the city military."

  Silence hung in the air as Ivor finished and the lord thought over his words. For many long minutes the only sound was the crackling of the fire.

  The silence was broken by the lord's brass voice, "You are correct, Ivor Hansen. I have considered your thoughts, but before I make a decision I would like a moment alone with Mr. Elson."

  Anxiety clenched up Gareth's stomach as Ivor concernedly looked between him and his lord. Finally, his lips set in a resigned line, Ivor bowed and left the room.

  Margrave gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk, the first time Gareth noticed them as his eyes had been glued to the man.

  "Please, sit."

  Moving slowly, Gareth chose the left chair and sat down. He was at this point quite…travelled… and was scared to make the lord’s very expensive leather chair dirty, but was more scared of seeming hesitant in front of a potential enemy.

  "The First Ranger was correct when he summarised your potential as both a threat and opportunity. Yet, I find that neither can be fully understood when relayed through a third party. I want to ask you, Gareth Elson, what dangers do the people looking for you pose?"

  Gareth took a deep breath and ordered his thoughts, what he said next might mean the difference between another cell...and freedom.

  "Your majesty-"

  "Lord is fine. I am neither emperor nor king."

  Nodding at the correction Gareth continued, "There is honestly very little I can say about my captors. I don't know how they took me from my home world but once here, I was held captive for years. I was tortured and experimented on, on a daily basis, in a cold steel cell smaller than this office. They rarely spoke about anything other than to taunt or torment me, but I did pick up two names, though it wasn't much. Two men tortured me: Ian, and a man called The Doctor. There was one other person that would come in to feed me, but he never spoke. I was never allowed to leave my cell, so I cannot tell you where I was kept, only that there were many agonised cries from outside. It sounded like hell."

  Gareth paused here.

  “You say they know of your immortality?”

  “Yes, lord.”

  “Did they harvest organs or limbs?”

  The casual question shocked Gareth because of the grim tone in Margrave’s voice.

  But if he might know why Ian and the Doctor had tortured me…

  “Yeah, they- uh, they had me on a drip of some sort and would come every few days or weeks to cut out an organ, or amputate a limb.”

  “I see.” Margrave made a note in his ledger, his lips pulled into a thin line and Gareth just knew that if he pushed him for info right now, he definitely wouldn't like the answer.

  So he didn't ask what that meant, he didn't want to know. Call that cowardice if you will, but his psyche was already so loaded with fear that he was happy with blissful ignorance.

  "You say you are not from this world? What can you remember about leaving your world? There are few survivable means of teleportation, never mind dimension hopping. Those that exist are quite noticeable."

  Gareth scratched the back of his head with trimmed nails – Ivor had given him a nail clipper.

  "I can't remember much, but I do remember going into a store to buy information. The guy behind the counter had weird facial features and implants. He was stark white, had pitch black eyes and two horns on his forehead. I just assumed he had weird cosmetic kinks and signed for the information. All of a sudden he's smiling at me, and I'm falling through a hidden trap door. I woke up in the cell, chained to a metal table and freezing my balls off."

  Gareth looked to the lord and noticed him looking at a small clock on his desk, whatever he saw satisfied him because he looked back and spoke.

  "Hmmm…it is interesting how you described this man. Tell me, what do you know of Devils?"

  "Not much, they are religious myths and legends in my world. Though, judging by the Oni, they're very real here."

  "Indeed. Devils and Oni, however, are separate species. Devils form pacts and make deals to grow in power. Demons just destroy everything and enjoy sowing chaos. The one was a Demon. The man you described was likely a Devil, and the thing you signed was likely a devil's contract. Did you read what you signed?”

  “No.” Gareth’s already pallid faces paled even further, and a light sheen of sweat broke out across the sharp planes of his square, emaciated forehead.

  The lord left that topic there and asked, “How did you escape your captivity?"

  "I don't know. One moment I was lying there, bleeding on the table, and the next I was under a leaf in the oasis."

  "Hmmm, interesting. One last question then…now that you are free, what do you intend to do?"

  Gareth looked down at his lap, twiddling his thumbs as he thought. Instead of staying silent he decided to use the lord as a sounding board.

  "I am honestly unsure. Back in my world I was struggling for survival, going from one low-paying job to the next. I never had time to find what I enjoyed. Now I'm in a new world with magic and monsters and infinite possibility." A feeling of burning hate surged in his heart and his vision tinged red, "I would love to make those who tortured me suffer, but to do that I need to first become stronger." He sighed. "Yet...I do not want to give them more power over me than they already had. If I ever encounter them again, then I want to be powerful enough to wipe them out. But I want to spend my present time constructively. I want to see this new world, get to know its cultures and sciences. Ivor mentioned that I should join the military; that they give good benefits, and that they can train me."

  Lord Margrave nodded understandingly. He sat back against his chair and folded his hands, "To join the Volun military is an honour. A recommendation from Ivor Hansen should be enough to get you a spot."

  "I think it might be good for me; to keep me busy and to keep my mind off the past. But I don't want to spend the rest of my life fighting one battle after the next. I don't want to kill people for a living."

  The lord scoffed at this, "My boy, you will rarely be fighting people. Volun is marquis: the closest person that might want to invade us is ten thousand miles that way." His thickly calloused hand gestured to their right. "No. Our largest threats, and the thing you will be fighting most often, are beasts and darklings. And they are ravenous mindless things that you should not feel guilty about killing."

  Gareth was surprised, the Terran military had exclusively been used for invasions, and defending against other planets. It might not be so bad to fight against beasts and whatever darklings were.

  "Alright. But I'll want to sign a contract and see how long I'll be serving."

  The lord scoffed, "I never said you'd be accepted."

  Ellisandra brusquely walked down the hallway leading towards her mother's tea room.

  Her elaborate and colourful silk dress swished along the clean red carpeted floor. Her silk slippers, along with the thickness of the carpet, muffled her hurried steps... to near silence.

  She was late for tea and her mother had told her that she had to discuss something important. Such a formal invitation from her mother did not happen often, so her being late was bad form, and she would likely hear so from her mother.

  Arriving in front of the familiar door she took a deep breath to calm her nerves and to compose her aura. One does not face Ellismera on uneven footing.

  She knocked lightly, politely.

  "Enter." Came her mother's falsely calm voice. She immediately did so and closed the door behind her.

  The tea room had large windows, one of the few rooms in the manor that had such a vulnerability. A comfortably small round table stood wedged between two ornate, yet comfortable, chairs. One of which was occupied by the fairy-like beauty of her mother. A book was open in her lap, a warm tea kettle with two cups sat on the table, and a small cake lay resting on the dessert table.

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  "Forgive my tardiness, mother." She said and curtsied low.

  A long moment of stillness reigned while Ellisandra held her curtsy. Her mother held it deliberately long so as to emphasise her shortcomings, before she spoke, "Join me at the table."

  She rose from her curtsy but instead of sitting, because she had not been invited to sit, stood next to the table and poured them both a cup of steaming tea.

  She knew the etiquette so poured her mother a 70% full cup, while pouring herself a 100% full cup, as her mother would do.

  After handing her mother the cup, she stood straight and waited to be addressed.

  "Tardiness is inexcusable. By being late you have tacitly undermined the other party, giving away political capital that could have swayed someone in your favour. Least of all, your word was broken by not arriving at the time you promised, indicating your word has little value, even to yourself."

  For the first time since arriving, her mother looked her in the eyes, though did so with compassion and love, not with disappointment, "Your word is everything, your reputation - your life. As punishment, you will arrive thirty minutes ahead of time to any event for the foreseeable future. You will patiently wait for the exact time of arrival, and only then will you start the event. This will teach you to plan your time more effectively. You may be seated."

  Ellisandra sat down and fought with every fibre of her being to not sigh at the inconvenience. It would force her to plan her entire day differently. But to show her annoyance would only earn her a worse punishment, so she would sit there and take it, like a good heiress.

  “I will present a scenario and you must find the solution to the problem." It was a game her mother frequently played, one that Ellisandra both loved and hated because of its complexity.

  “The stability of the subject’s bloodline line is precarious. They need more heirs and a larger support base-.” Ellismera barely finished speaking when Ellisandra had come to the conclusion of her little scenario.

  Shock, uncertainty, indignation and rage surged through the young woman. She tried to suppress it, to not show any expression of her emotions. But she knew where her mother was going and was not ready to marry. She wasn't ready to settle down and push out children till she dropped!

  Her entire life she had been told what to do, when to do it, and with whom to do it. If she did not rebel against this, if she did not speak against this, then she would spend the rest of her life as some subservient bitch. No! Fuck no!

  Needless to say, she failed to suppress her emotional expression.

  "Mother…excuse me for a moment."

  Her voice was brittle as cold-iron, the type that slayed the Fae.

  She did not wait to be excused. She stood up, turned on her heel, and strode out of the room. Her mother was not one to raise her voice and did not try to stop her, but she would hear about it later.

  Gareth Elson

  "You represent a rare opportunity, Gareth Elson."

  Gareth's stomach twisted even more and there was very little the fresh smell of rain in the office could do to help.

  "Ivor would love for you to join the rangers - perfectly understandable - but we must not ignore that he is biassed in this direction. If you are to join Volun, which is one of the best training grounds in all of the empire, then I must ask: what are you willing to offer?"

  Gareth didn't want to be taken advantage of, so he needed to offer his services without offering servitude. The unfortunate fact of the matter was that he had nothing yet to offer. He was a newbie, weak, and uneducated in the ways of this world. The only thing going for him was his immortality and his wit, whatever that was worth.

  "As you know I am new to this whole-"

  The door behind Gareth SLAMMED open and a beautifully furious lady stormed in. Her somewhat pale face was done up in elegant, but subtle makeup. Her somewhat full rosy red lips scrunched up with fury, and her stunning white eyes trained on Lord Margrave like she wanted to rip him apart. Her expressive cheeks were flushed with anger, her untied long silver hair swinging with the wind of her movement.

  "I am to be married off?!" She all but screamed.

  "Ellisandra," the lord leaned back in his chair, surprised but not shocked. He had been expecting this. "As you can see I am in the middle of a very important discussion-"

  "More important than your own daughter?!"

  Her eyes, previously only focused on the lord, stabbed into Gareth and he hurriedly raised his hands, "I'll wait."

  That seemed to mollify her somewhat, but when she looked back at her father, the frown reappearing full-force.

  He had taken the brief distraction to recenter himself. He was the Margrave of Volun, one of the strongest people in the empire, and did not take shit from anybody!

  "Now, daughter-"

  "Don't 'now daughter' me! How long has this been in the works? How many banquets have you spent whoring out my name like some prized cow?! Am I worth so little to you? Am I nothing but a bargaining chip to secure political capital?! I cannot believe you! I trusted you-"

  The lord and Gareth both sat there patiently, Gareth trying not to enjoy the tea, and the lord enduring the abuse. It was quite a colourful and well-worded tirade that had only one or two objects thrown, caught by the lord and placed down gently.

  It was, admittedly, something to admire. While she did it loudly and angrily, every point made was spot on and well reasoned.

  At the end of it all, she seemed tired and plopped down in the chair next to Gareth, her voluminous navy blue dress flooding all over the place.

  She heaved a great sigh, her modest cleavage rising and falling, "I just don't understand, father. You have always been open and honest with me, why stop now? Why have mother tell me?"

  He heaved his own sigh, and stroked his thick black beard braided with a few silver beads.

  "It was never my intention to keep this from you, my daughter. I thought it would be better received from your mother, as she herself has experience with an arranged marriage. I am not selling you off, but rather opening the possibility of a proposal. As you know, courting is an intricate and delicate affair. I did not promise you to him, but proposed an introduction at the least. Meet with him, see what he's like, maybe you end up liking him. This proposal is not set in stone, and if you do not approve of him, then we simply move on. But you must be married. You and your mother's bloodline needs to be preserved."

  The wind seemed to leave her sails as she leaned forward and rested her head in her hands. "I was not expecting this to happen for at least another hundred years. I told you; I want to be level forty or above before marrying someone. I'm barely mid-tier 2."

  "I understand, my dearest. But think of how much easier it would be to ascend if you had the resources of two families to back you." Margrave briefly looked at Gareth but he didn't want to reveal his family’s vulnerability to a stranger. The Tzar family would bolster their defences with experienced veterans.

  She perked up slightly, "I see what you mean, but I am not ready for children, nevermind running a household."

  "And no one is asking you to do that. We are asking you to meet with an eligible young man."

  "Fine. I will meet with him, but I reserve the right to kill him…if he is disrespectful." She raised a delicate index finger to accentuate the point.

  "Completely understandable, and I will help you hide the body." He grinned roguishly and winked a silver eye, an eye colour clearly shared between the two of them. It was a very cute and touching father-daughter moment, but it seemed they had completely forgotten about Gareth. So his presence came as a large shock when his stomach grumbled loudly.

  "Excuse me." He mumbled quietly.

  They both chuckled lightly, "This has actually helped to make a decision regarding your purpose, Gareth." He turned to his daughter.

  "Ellisandra, be known to Gareth Elson. Gareth Elson, my daughter Ellisandra."

  "This is my betrothed?" She asked with very thinly veiled worry. It was so thinly veiled, in fact, that it appeared translucently obvious.

  "Hmgh!" The lord choked down a poorly hidden cough of laughter, "No, my daughter. Gareth Eslon here, is going to be trained as your Protector."

  "I do not need a protector-"

  "I never agreed to that-"

  The two said at the same time.

  The lord smiled in that patronising way only a father could, "It is done. Gareth, this will be an excellent method for you to grow in strength and pay me back for my services as well. Not to mention that if you are trained properly, you will be skilled and powerful enough to look into who held you captive.”

  “Daughter,” he gave her a very ‘dad’ look with raised eyebrows, “Gareth is completely new to this world, nevermind the political game. He is unbiased towards one political party or another and highly unlikely to work towards your enemies' goals. He seems a good sort, and it will be in your best interest to guide him in the right direction. You aim to lead one day?" He raised an eyebrow but continued before she could respond, "A part of leading is developing reliable contacts. Gareth is a somewhat blank slate, develop him."

  He could see neither were happy with the development, but that was the benefit of being in charge and making good arguments, they didn't have to like it. They just had to do it.

  "Ellisandra," he looked at Ellisandra sternly, "you have a tea to get back to. Apologise to your mother for your outburst."

  She barely stifled a sigh but dutifully nodded and left.

  Once the door was closed behind her again, the lord continued before Gareth could raise his protest, "I understand this is not what you had planned, but I seriously think that this arrangement benefits us all. After what you have been through, you need an assignment that is not as stressful as frontline fighting. Protecting my daughter, while difficult, will grant you time to recoup. It will teach you valuable skills, and through helping my daughter, you will be able to investigate your abductors. My daughter gains an immortal bodyguard, if what Ivor reports is true, and an unbiased person to rely upon. This is a rarer trait than one might think. Lastly, I will rest easy knowing that, once you are trained up, my daughter will be protected by someone, who I know will not go down easily.”

  They spent another few minutes discussing the minutiae of what his services and salary would entail. One master trainer, one mentor, free housing, and enough cultivation materials to reach Tier 1. He would also receive a small allowance of gold silver, none of the fancy crystal leaf money though. He just had no use for it now.

  When they were done, Margrave leaned back and crisply slapped his notebook closed.

  Gareth felt very much overwhelmed. It had been a long day, with tons of overstimulation. Now he was being told this was the direction his life was going to take?

  Like the lord said, the job came with a lot of perks, but it grated that he had no say in the matter. At the same time he was relying on other people's generosity, and had to make some sacrifices. He would let them train him up, and then he would decide what direction his life took. Most of all he just wanted to be free. He wanted to take off in one direction and not stop moving, he wanted to fly through the sky - as he'd seen the people do in this city - and remain untethered. He just wanted some time alone. Time where he was safe.

  But at the same time he realised that only power would get him left alone. Only by being the strongest could he dictate his own fate. The one benefit of his immortality was that he could be patient, he had all the time in the world.

  "Thank you for this opportunity, I will not squander it."

  "See that you do not." He gave Gareth the same raised brow look he'd given Ellisandra, "Please call Ivor in, and wait in the hall outside. We will not be long."

  Gareth left the office, saw Ivor waiting outside in a row of plush chairs. "The boss wants to see you."

  Ivor nodded his head, smiled a relieved smile at him, and entered, closing the door behind him.

  The hallway was quiet.

  Swinging his arms back and forth, Gareth strode over to the window and tried to look outside. The deck prism was great at directing light, but horrible for seeing through. All he saw was the cloudy light from outside and vague green shapes.

  He walked slightly down the hallway and looked at the various paintings. One was a large, 2x6 foot portrait of an older gentleman, dressed in sparkling silver plate. His face was stern and adorned with a glorious lamb chop brown beard. A house banner/emblem was carved into his breastplate, an intricate thing of swirling circles, roses, and holly birds - a type of feathered reptilian endemic to Volun, that Ivor Hansen had shown him on their way to the city.

  Not feeling particularly moved by the painting and wanting to get off his sore feet, he sat in one of the plush waiting chairs and twiddled his thumbs. His bum was sore, but the soft cushion of the chair helped. Then he started to recall the long spans of time he had been left alone over the past years.

  Ian and the Doctor might have enjoyed torture, but even they had other things to do. In the times when he was left alone he had learned to quiet his mind. and wait patiently. To do otherwise would have driven him insane. So, with casual practice, he folded his arms behind his head, leaned back in the very comfortable chairs, and closed his eyes in meditation.

  Congratulations!

  Skill specific mastery displayed!

  Skill: [Meditation] is now Apprentice 5

  [Meditation] first principle: Awareness.

  [Meditation] second principle: Stillness

  Before he had time to process what the fuck that all was, the door opened and Ivor walked out, indicating with a head flick that they were moving out. Gareth hopped up and fell into step with him. He dismissed the notification and focused on Ivor.

  "So the lord-"

  "Lord Margrave."

  "Yes, thank you-"

  Ivor chuckled lightly, "He told me of his plans for you…This went better than this one could have hoped. You have been appointed as lady Ellisandra's Protector. This is an honour and Lord Margrave has given you much face. Once you are fit for duty, that is. Congratulations, it is a prestigious position.”

  There was a brief silence as they thought through Ivor's words, each reflecting on the turn of events.

  "Thank you Ivor Hansen, for getting me this far. You have saved my life, and I will forever be in your debt." Gareth came to a stop in the middle of the quiet hallway, and even though it hurt his back, gave Ivor Hansen a deep bow. Ivor had taught him that it was a sign of respect.

  Fear raged through Gareth because he didn't know what Ivor would ask for saving his life. He didn't know-

  "Arise, junior brother Gareth Elson. There is no need for thanks. I saw a traveller who had lost his path, and guided him back to it. I am the First Ranger of Volun, such is my duty...Such is my honour."

  Gareth looked into his emerald eyes, perhaps for the last time, and saw only compassion. Ivor Hansen was not mistress Connolly, who had taken advantage of him in his darkest moment. Ivor taken him in, given him a chance, protected him in an alien world, and guided him to safety.

  "Thank you, Senior Brother Ivor Hansen." He once more bowed deeply and addressed Ivor in the way he hoped their culture accepted.

  Ivor Hansen returned the bow, and soon they were once more walking down the nearly silent corridors of the black keep.

  "So, what does a protector do…exactly?" Gareth asked, breaking their companionable silence.

  "A Protector is usually only reserved for noble families or scions of influential individuals. Their role is different from that of a mere bodyguard because they actively seek out threats to the person they are charged with. Not only will you be with them during dangerous adventures, but you will scout and discover what dangers they may face, and inform them of said danger. In this specific way, the role may resemble that of a scout. In other circumstances, such as in a city, you will be tasked with spying and gathering information on her enemies so as to blackmail or eliminate them."

  Gareth's widened eyes clued Ivor Hansen into the fact that he might object to this.

  "Let this one reiterate, you will not be an assassin. You will find threats to your charge, tell them of it, and then they will hire an assassin." Gareth didn't seem relieved in the least.

  "This one has said too much. When your mentor arrives to instruct you, you are more than welcome to direct any questions towards them. But do not think that you are now forced to work as a Protector. That is but one path that you can take. You are not a prisoner here and can leave at any time, they will not stop you. This profession is simply the best offer of help that lord Margrave could make. It provides you with a tremendous amount of training, and when you are tired of this profession you may resign, retire, move on and do something different. The benefit of the System is that oaths are enforceable. Meaning that, aside from the Protector oath, the most they can ask you to swear would be a Secrecy oath. With this they can ensure your lips stay sealed... should you stop working as a Protector."

  "That's a lot of information, choom, and I don't understand everything." Gareth sighed and glanced once more at the armoured/slippered guard that followed behind them.

  "It is much to handle, this one acknowledges, but with time comes understanding...You will see."