Chapter 01.2
His nostrils flared as the strong pine scent filled them, reminding him of the years he lived in Japan and in America. He felt the killing intent the moment he stepped out of the doorway; it was only due to his honed instincts that he went into a roll as a giant battleaxe missed beheading him by a hair's breath. He didn't give the beast, which was a minotaur, any time to recover as he went on the attack. The flames that lined the blade of his sword as it sliced through the monster's wrists before he used his conjured weapons carved up the rest of the beast. The black horn of the minotaur found itself in his pouch to prove he had killed the beast. His eyes moved around without appearing to do so as he accessed the normal life of the people of the town; he was going to make a fresh start.
Jake thanked the man when he gave him directions to the Guild Hall that was within the town. He heard their laughter as he neared the edge of town where most of the guild halls were, or were located at, at one point in time before the town grew around them. The reason was due to how lively most adventurers were also how freely the alcohol flowed in the Guild Halls. Then, there was the smell of the monster parts they gathered for potion-making. All chatter stopped the moment he entered. He wasn't surprised they did. All outsiders were viewed with skepticism; he was no different as he strolled through the hall towards the receptionist's desk or what he took as the receptionist's desk.
"Hello," Jake greeted politely.
"Hello!" a very chipper man said with a salt and pepper goatee. "What can the Three Suns Guild do for you?" he asked, giving Jake a once over, noting the high quality of his gear. "Are you an adventurer?"
"Was, left my old guild, looking for a new one, also wondering if I can unload all this here with your potion maker," Jake said, opening the bag and showing off the items he had gathered during the two weeks he stayed in the forest and his travels, he threw the minotaur's horn into the bag as well.
"My word..." Taking the minotaur's horn from the bag, "Where did you get this?"
"Killed the minotaur that was roaming this grove of trees I was traveling through, the woods to the west of here," Jake informed him; he wondered if the man's eyes were going to pop out of his skull as the man stared at him bug-eyed.
"You killed the minotaur?!" the man stammered in shock.
"Yeah, go check if you doubt me; the pieces of it shouldn't be hard to find," Jake said, feeling the eyes of the adventurers on him.
"Marlow, go see if he's lying or not," the man said, sending out the Guild's fastest runner. "If you want to wait while we conform your kill, I'll fetch our potion maker to see about your wares," he stated, getting a nod out of Jake, who closed up the bag and moved off to an empty table.
"So, killed the minotaur, huh?" asked a cocky man from the other table.
"It was nothing compared to a dragon or the Giant Earth Boar," Jake said matter-of-factly with a shrug of his shoulders as one of the waitresses ambled over to his table. Giving out his order for a flagon of ale and a smoked turkey leg laying down two silver coins for the meal and ale. Who bounded off once the money was exchanged.
"You're shitting me! A dragon, yeah, right," the man uttered, waving off Jake's words.
"I don't care if you believe me or not; what some unknown man thinks of my feats matters little to me," Jake said plainly.
"But from reports said a battlemage took down the Giant Earth Boar," said a woman from across the hall to the left of him.
"Yes, that was me, I thought I stated that," Jake repeated. "Your mages should be able to tell that much," he said, referring to the appraisal spell. He smirked when the mages that had that spell at the ready surged from their seats and backed away, knowing how dangerous he was given the dragon's curse. Something the beast gave him as a parting gift. What it did, he hadn't a clue, nor was he eager to find out what a dragon's curse was.
"He's killed a dragon alright; he's definitely a battlemage with that amount of mana surrounding him," the closet mage stammered.
"Good, glad to hear that, you, come up here to my office," the middle aged man said that Jake took as either Vice-Guild Master or the Guild Master.
Jake heard their murmuring as he moved across the floor. He kept his thoughts from his face as he heard the whispered praises directed at his sword. The wooden floorboards groaned as he neared the man.
"I hear you have regents to sell, is that right?" It didn't take a genius to tell the man before him had seen a thing or two. "Mind showing me what you're offering?"
"Sure, but no touching," Jake said, opening up the bag and letting the man see the contents of it. He couldn't help but smirk at how slack-jawed the man became at the numerous high-grade ingredients. "One hundred gold, not a coin less, and it's all yours," he said, closing the bag back up. "You got until I'm done eating if you want to deal with me," Jake spoke, turning to go back to his table only to have the man take hold of his arm.
"Oh, I want to deal! Alright, just give me a moment to gather the money."
"Very good; when I have my coin, you'll get your wares," Jake nodded in agreement. Jake was halfway done with his turkey leg when the thump of coins filled his ears. His eyes watched as the man lowered himself across from him.
"That's yours, I believe you have something of mine?" the man uttered with a friendly smile. The moment the bag touched the table, and he took the gold, he stuffed his face into the opening, just looking at all that was in it. "Are those quills of the Giant Boar?"
"Yeah, a few earthen dragon horns, moss of the main Elven mother tree, and the bone powder of a lich, among other things," Jake said, listing off the items he had gathered in his year-long travels. He noted the greediness in the mages eyes at the names of the ingredients he had just sold.
"You with the Guild?"
"Waiting on the confirmation of my minotaur kill," Jake stated, tossing the now meatless bone onto the wooden plate and draining the last of his ale.
"When it is, something that won't take long, I want you to bring me every regent you come across monthly, and I swear I will pay above market value..."
"Normal market price is fine with me no need to hurt the Guild's coffers," Jake interrupted, seeing how a few people were taken back by that.
"Good, good, I'm sure Marlow will return in a matter of minutes; he's been touched by Rimuru (Dwarfen messenger god.) See," the man nodded to the front door as it swung open. "The name's Maston, I look forward to doing business together."
"Jake Diaz," he supplied, shaking the man's offered hand.
"Hey, Maston, how much does a minotaur's horn go for?" Marlow called out as he strolled in.
"Two gold," Maston replied, waving the Gnome to fall him.
"Definitely the minotaur that the town lord put a quest out for," Marlow relied on what he had found out in the forest.
The moment Maston left his table and the receptionist ran through the large wooden door that led to the heart of the Guild, he was swarmed by the mages of the Guild. He had two drinks brought for him as they talked about magical theory and if he had any rare regents for spellcraft for the more powerful of the spells. It nearly came to lots of stabbing between the earthen and water-based magi since he used neither type and had a large abundance of the regents. By the time he was sent for by the Guild Master, he had made another two hundred gold. He knew even if they didn't let him in, he could make some coin-selling regents.
"So you're the one that killed that minotaur," said a gruff female voice as her cape swayed against her back. Her yellow eye peered at him, studying the man that brought down a Silver-ranked monster.
"I did," Jake answered.
"I'm told you once belonged to a Guild; I find it hard that anyone would let a battlemage go unless there was some bad blood," she said, turning to face him. "Especially a battlemage that can best a Silver-ranked minotaur singlehandedly. Plus, you just walk in with regents that most of these people have only heard about in rumors or are too poor to ever be near it. I just have to wonder what kind of man you are."
"Me?" Jake slyly ran his eyes down her body, noting how her long ears ran horizontally rather than vertically, making the woman a part of the Wood Elves. "I'm just a man out to make a living, nothing more, nothing less," he stated truthfully.
"I thought battlemages wanted to be rich and famous?" she questioned.
"Who says I'm not already rich?" Jake retorted, arching his eyebrow as he did. "As for fame? Bah," waving it off, "don't want it, don't need it, all that would do is draw more attention than I want upon myself. As long as I'm treated fairly, you'll get no trouble from me."
"Hmm... while I have no trouble giving you Silver-rank if you were to join us here, yet I need to see for myself if you're worth Goldrank since I got a feeling you have that in you. But something like that would take time to gather enough resources to test out this theory. So you'll have to work as a Silver-rank for us for the time being. Is that suitable to you?"
"It is," stepping forward with his right arm extended, "I'm Jake Diaz."
"Marlin Silverback," she said, shaking Jake's hand and handing him his new silver plate. "Now, are you free to travel now?"
"Depends. Is this urgent?" Jake inquired. He wasn't about to be anyone's errand boy.
"Yes, the minotaur you fought isn't natural to this area, as you can tell. So I, along with the other Guilds around the area are sending out teams of Silver-rank and higher out to find the source of this problem. So far, we haven't had much luck, given the giant spider that's made a nest in the area we think might be the epicenter of the whole thing. However, so far, it's kept us at bay."
"Sounds like a dungeon collapse," Jake uttered to himself.
"Follow me; I'll introduce you to the team you'll be joining," Marlin said, leading Jake out of the room. "Marda!" she called out as they entered the common area of the Guild Hall. Jake's head craned upwards as the very large, very muscular woman stood up from the table she was at, peering back at them as she did.
"Yeah, Boss?" Marda, the half-giantess, quired as her party members got to their feet.
"Let me introduce you to your new temporary member to help with our spider problem," Marlin said, pushing Jake forward. "This here is Jake, as you might have heard, is a battlemage. Maybe with his help, this mystery will finally come to an end."
"Can you fight, or is that just for show?" Marda taunted, her massive hand waving dismissively at his armor.
"Oh, I can handle myself, giantess," Jake said, mentally conjuring his shield as Marda launched a punch at him, knowing that would get her riled up to do so since most people with giant blood weren't looked kindly on. He saw her surprise by the strength of his conjured shield. It seemed to her she thought he could only summon one at a time as he used another to knock the wind out of her just to show he wasn't bluffing. "I did not mean to insult you, Ms. Marda, yet you wanted proof," he stated, gently patting her back. Jake was a little on edge as her hand that could wrap around his chest rested on his left shoulder as she started to belt out in laughter. The old episode of Futurama flashed in his mind, of the words 'snu-snu' filled him with dread.
"That I did, Jake, was it," to which Jake nodded, "let's get familiar with one another. If we're going to be fighting with one another, we need to know what you can do," Marda said in a warm, friendly tone, steering him towards their table. "Oh, so you'll be on the front lines with Bard and me," she uttered in shock, which Bard was too, given all the mages they knew were the rear guard.
"Oh, I move where I'm needed on the battlefield, but since I normally work alone, I'm pretty much always in the thick of it," Jake said truthfully.
"Wait... are you saying you do Silver-rank quests all on your own?" Shion, their dark elf thief, said her skepticism was plain as day.
"Gold, actually," Jake corrected, noting their stunned faces.
"And you left your old Guild why? If you were already Gold?" Shion asked, having a very hard time believing anyone would willingly give up such status.
"It was either that or it would turn into a blood bath," Jake joked darkly.
"I see; well, you did kill that minotaur, so that at least tells me you're competent enough for the job," Shion uttered, knowing there was more to his story than he was telling, and she planned to find out what it was.
"Thanks... I guess, so tell me about this spider," Jake said, getting down to business. His eyes moved around the table as they all told him of their encounters with the beast. His focus never left whoever was speaking to him at that moment. When they were done, it was already late afternoon, so Jake decided to have dinner at the Guild Hall and get to know his teammates, even if it would be for a short time.
"So Jake, where are you from?"
"Toyone-mura," Jake answered, seeing their confused looks. "It's not from this world; it's in Japan on a planet called Earth, where I originally came from."
"You sure you're sane?" Shion asked, eyeing Jake suspiciously.
"Depends on how you define sane?" Jake retorted, seeing how she wasn't used to someone countering her snark. "But yes, I'm sane, so I do what I have to to survive in this world. Why I was sent here doesn't matter anymore I'm already here, don't have the foggiest clue on how to get back to my world. So believe me or don't, it doesn't take away what I can do."
"True, so how about we meet back here in the morning and prepare for the battle to come," Marda said, knowing they were going to need all their wits when going against the spider, given their past encounters.
Once he parted ways with Marda and the others, he wandered the streets of the town. First he secured a room at an inn, then he bought a sausage roll as he got the lay of the land. If he was going to work out of the Three Suns Guild, he wanted to make sure he knew every corner of the town. Then, he came upon the light of the herbalist. Where he stocked up on his mana and healing potions, he also got some stamina potions for Marda, Shion, and Bard. He did find himself in an arcane shop. He felt their eyes on him, given how he was still in his full armor in a magic shop. He was sure they could tell his armor was magical.
"Sir... I mean no disrespect..."
"I'm a battlemage," Jake uttered on instinct when he was eyeing the rows of wands that sat secured behind a cage of glass. He was sensing out which one was the more powerful of them. Not that he needed a wand to cast magic, however, the wand would increase the accuracy and power of the spell. "I would like to see those two wands," he directed, pointing down at the two of them. He whispered a simple frost spell as he tested out both wands, chilling the shop in the humid evening. "How much?" Jake asked, placing the ebony wand as the fire enchantment pulsated in his eyes as it synthesized with his own mana. The twenty gold for the wand was expensive, yet a sound purchase. He figured he might be teamed up with other parties while he waited for Marlin to determine if she thought he was ready for advancement.
It was two hours later as Jake was sitting in the common room of the Inn he was staying at for the evening. He would admit the food wasn't bad. His eyebrows rose as he brought the wooden spoon to his lips, as he saw Shion walking past him without realizing it. Then again, he wasn't wearing his armor, so he tried to blend into the background. He did find it amusing as Shion just looked around and still didn't see him for a good three minutes before she locked eyes with him.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Chair's free," Jake gestured to it. "What can I do for you?"
"You sure you're human? You're too good at camouflage," Shion praised, trying to butter Jake up.
"And you're a spy and thief; information is your bread and butter, and flattery won't get you what you want, but I do thank you for the praise," Jake said, getting a smirk out of her.
"What's the real reason a man like you doing in a town like this?"
"What? It's close to my home," Jake shrugged.
"And where would that be?" Shion asked, intrigued.
"Haunted Forest of Jura," Jake answered, watching the fear growing in her eyes.
"For all that's holy... why?!" Shion stammered. Everyone in the town knew not to venture near the forest, not unless they had a heavily armed party.
"Why not? Do you think some thief will venture there to steal from a house they wouldn't be able to find? Also good hunting grounds for regents that sell at a decent price," Jake said, finishing off his stew.
"Uh-huh, listen, don't tell me if you don't want to, but don't lie to me when it's so obvious. So what's the real reason you left your Guild?"
"Why is it of any of your concern why I left my former Guild?"
"I need to know if you can be trusted to watch my back, I don't let just anyone near my friends, I don't care if that upsets you," Shion stated, not caring how she came across.
"No, the only thing you need to know is if I can do my job, which I can; whether you trust me or not isn't any of my concern," Jake said, sipping on his ale. "The reason for my departure is personal. It has nothing to do with my performance. All you need to worry about is if you'll be alive after the quest, which you will. Afterwards, we never need to speak, ever," he uttered darkly.
"Why? Anyone would die to have a battlemage in their party?!" Shion said, not realizing that's how Jake liked it.
"Like I said, I work alone, and so far, you all haven't shown me you can be trusted. You expect me to team up with people like you that question where one calls home when they speak the truth? Right, that's a great start of building trust," Jake said, waving his flagon around.
"Oh, come off it," his eyes followed how her hands slammed onto the table; Jake looked away bashfully when Shion leaned forward, showing off her bosom, "you want me to believe you actually live in a place that only Gold-rank adventurers go only in parties?! Do you not see how insane that sounds!" Her face took on a confused look at how red his cheeks were and why he couldn't look her in the eye not realizing, while not on full display, the way he could peer down her top was enough. Plus, Jake was trying to be respectful and not leer at the woman's chest. It wasn't until she looked down did she take stock of the sight on display. Instantly, her own face grew red in embarrassment as she hastily slammed her back against the back of the chair. "S-s-sorry..."
"Don't worry about it," Jake uttered, scratching his temple, laughing off the tension in the air.
"I appreciate that you were kind enough to look away," Shion said, looking away. "Listen, I'm sorry if the way I came off rubbed you the wrong way. That wasn't my intention, so I apologize. It's just my party is my family, and I don't want anything to happen to them."
"Ah, I can understand that, wanting to protect the people closest to you. I give you my word; if it's within my power, we all will come back from the spider hunt," Jake stated, holding out his hand to her.
"I'll hold you to it," Shion said, shaking his hand in good faith. "Can I ask, what have you done to prepare for this quest?"
"Stocked up on mana and health potions. Got a few stamina ones for you and the warriors of the party, if it comes to that. Even bought a wand, something I haven't used in years, just in case I need to work from the rear," Jake informed her, seeing no harm in telling her.
"But you can use one, right..." Shion yelped in surprise as her chair began to rise up into the air, only to have her hand shoot down and press her leather skirt close as her womanhood neared his eye level. "You damn pervert?!" she snapped.
"What? Just like your leader you asked for proof, I gave it to you," Jake said, pulling out the wand beneath the table. Its bright tip, the indicator of his magic in use, pointed down, lowering Shion back to the floor. "See, I can use a wand."
"Don't... don't do that again," Shion spoke in a forced tone. Like all Dark Elves, they only allowed their mates to view the most private of areas of their bodies.
"I promise, I apologize if I overstepped," Jake said, watching how her cheeks turned purple in her bashfulness.
"No, I deserve that, I did ask for it," Shion said sighing, pushing the chair back under the table. "I'll leave you be; good night."
It was the fourth hour into their trek through the woods. Jake took the center of the group since he could switch quickly between the two. Especially when they witnessed how he conjured a bow to single-handedly took down a moon elk. When the creature's enormous body thundered to the ground, Shion was staring weirdly at him. He wondered if she just realized what he told her might just be true after all.
"Jake, you wouldn't mind splitting up your kill?" Marda asked, knowing such a beast held great value in its parts.
"As long as I get the credit for the kill and five feet of its antlers," Jake countered. He knew the guild would be sending in a scavenging party that was trailing after them about thirty minutes behind to keep out of fighting.
"I'll make sure you do and that Maston sets your portion aside," Marda said, smiling at him, knowing the money they would make selling it to the Guild would mint them a few months of leisure if they so desired.
"I definitely want a piece of the antler," Mark, their mage, said, greed dancing in his eyes, knowing that would make an excellent base for a new wand for himself.
"Shion, leave the marking. We should press deeper," Marda said, taking charge.
"Hey," Shion whispered as they neared the nest of the giant spider. "Do you know supporting magic?"
"Like?" Jake uttered low, rolling his hand.
"Healing, physical buffs, and the like," Shion said, yet she felt everyone else's ears listening in on his answer.
"Yes, I know those spells, I told you I work alone."
"Can you cast those spells onto others?" Holly, their cleric, asked, Jake took her to be around eighteen, yet he felt her mana like he suspected she felt his as well.
"The ones I use on myself... no, those are personalized for a battlemage. However, I do have an area buff, but it only lasts a few minutes; or if you're willing to trust me, I can make you my puppets, and you can share my buffs, but all that depends on your consent," Jake said, giving them the basics of the spell his master had taught him.
"The spell isn't permanent, is it?" Marda asked, worried about giving up her self-control to Jake.
"No, only last thirty minutes. After that, I'll be tapped out, given the cost of the spell is to maintain, might be shorter depending on how many spells I'm slinging," Jake informed her. They walked on in silence until Holly joined his side.
"Tell me, what all do the buffs of a battlemage do?" Holly asked, intrigued; she had always been curious about how other people used magic given how she's never left her cluster until four years ago when she was sent out into the world.
"Triples my strength, vitality, and intelligence," Jake answered.
"Truly?!" Mark uttered, knowing how much of a boost that would be to his own mana pool.
"The transferable ones," Jake nodded.
"And your conjured weapons, can they be used by other people?" Shion asked, wondering if they could be used as a backup in a fight.
"You tell me," Jake said; with a wave of his hand, a conjured dagger appeared before Shion.
"How do these things work?" Shion muttered, testing out the dagger, seeing how that was the first time she ever actually touched magic in her life.
"They work on how much mana the caster has depends on how durable they are. My conjured weapons have the sharpness of rune steel; I tested it out on some foolish bandit decked in far too much magical gear for a bandit," Jake said, with Mark nodding along.
"I take it you got around a lot?" Marda spoke, pushing aside tree branches as she walked through the woods. Her eyes looked around, making sure she and her team weren't about to be ambushed by monsters that lurked around the forest.
"Yeah, you can say that," Jake said, smirking at Shion when he ended the spell for his conjured daggers. He kept his chuckle contained when Shion looked at her hand in befuddlement; if he had to equate the look she was giving him, it is something he would liken to what he would find in manga back in Japan when a person is annoyed. "I'll take point," he said, noting the increasing spiderwebs that were dotting the trees.
Fire shot out meters in front of Jake as he led his party through the forest, burning spiderwebs that were in their path. He knew the quarry they were after and knew they were within its nest. How could it not as he was destroying its webs like they didn't matter. Jake moved on instinct. Flames raced across the blade of his sword, impaling it deeply into the thorax of the leaping spider as its venom dripped off its fangs, ready to devour its meal. He looked to the right of him as Marda's giant stone hammer crushed another spider, causing its green ichor to spatter along the ground.
"Everyone form up!" Marda's voice thundered throughout the forest. "Jake do that thing you said you could do; we'll give you cover until it's complete," she ordered, getting a nod out of Jake as they encircle him. She looked down at the ground as she saw a magic circle growing to encompass them all.
"Oh blood calls to blood, strings are taut, thy control is compressed in the soul," Jake canted. A red light shone within the depth of his right eye as he peered over the guard of his sword as his spell solidified linking them all to him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mark stammered, looking at his hands, never feeling this kind of strength before, nor how much his mana had skyrocketed because of Jake's buffs.
"Okay, this might not be as difficult as we thought it might be, Boss," Bard said, feeling the increased strength surging through him.
"Alright, everyone, don't get cocky, stick together, and let's earn our reward," Marda ordered, grinning greedily at the pay that was awaiting them.
"Where did you learn this spell?" Holly asked in awe.
"My master taught it to me before she released me from her teachings," Jake said, keeping close to Holly and Mark in case the spiders got froggy. After they killed their fiftieth spider, their party was panting in exhaustion in dealing with such a horde. All heads turned at the crashing of trees as something large was nearing them.
"Everyone get ready, Mark, Holly. I want you two in the rear, Shion, cover them, Jake you're with me and Bard," Marda instructed, like she's been leading adventurers for years.
Jake thanked Holly for the spell of protection she had cast on all of them, seeing her smile at his thanks. He flanked Marda's right side as their prey finally showed itself. As the three of them rushed forward to face the beast, Mark's flame arrows led their charge, only for him to stop in his tracks and stare in confusion as the man's spell was just absorbed by the monster. Which shouldn't happen. Shaking it off, noting what wounds the beast received, it quickly healed as if their blows were nothing more than mosquito bites to the beast.
"Hey," his breath was rapid as he raced to Holly's side, "do you have a stunning spell?"
"Yes, but for that thing, it wouldn't last long," Holly informed him as sweat beaded along her brow in her exhaustion.
"That's all I need," Jake informed her. He had a feeling what they were dealing with was nothing more than a projection of a spell. What the purpose of it was, he hadn't a clue. He just knew he had to end it before they could properly deal with the monster. Once the monster was paralyzed, he cast out his essence, looking for anything out of the ordinary. That was when he felt the dark magic deep in the ground. Why would anyone bury a magic item four feet beneath the soil? He hadn't a clue. "Mark, do you have an earth spell at the ready?"
"It's not my forte, but I do have a few. Why?" Mark asked, knowing he was almost tapped out of mana. Wishing he had the coin to buy a few potions.
"Here, you two look like you could use one of these," Jake said, handing over a mana potion to Holly and Mark, who didn't waste downing the potion. "On my mark, you see that dead spot?" he asked, pointing out to it.
"I do," Mark nodded, feeling the fortification of the potion restoring his mana reserves.
"I need you to either push whatever it is up that's four feet in the ground or destroy it with your spell because it has something to do with why we can't damage that thing," Jake informed them of what he had learned.
"Right, I'll be ready," Mark said, with Holly nodding along. They watched as Jake pulled Bard back and handed the man a health and stamina potion; he did the same with Marda once Bard took over for her. He could see her gratitude in her eyes at the gesture. Seeing their leader nodding along when Jake informed her of what he had found.
"Okay, let's see if your plan works; if not, we are retreating," Marda informed him; she knew even with his potions, they couldn't restore fatigue only rest could do that. She knew sooner or later the spider would get lucky, and one of them would surely die.
"Now, Mark!" Jake shouted, only to jump back as a pillar of stone erupted from the ground. The silver components of the object shattered in the air and crumbled to dust once Mark had destroyed the item. His smile grew at the sounds of the spider's howls as Bard's battleaxe cleaved through one of the beast's legs. It lost a few eyes from Mark's flame arrows. A few more legs to Marda's massive swing of her stone hammer. Shion's knives caused its green ichor to drip to the ground from the wounds she gave to the beast's belly. He himself took out a few more of the creature's eyes before Holly's smite spell finished the beast off for good. Their howls of victory filled the air, knowing the payday they just landed in.
The runner for their Guild ran forward, seeing Mark and Holly rolling up the silk webs of the spiders knowing it was a very good material to make magical garments out of. Bard was filling gords with the spider's venom to sell to the alchemist to make its antivenom. Jake was directing his conjured daggers to cut down the webs from high above, with Shion bundling up what had already been cut.
"Well... you do live up to the reputation of battlemages, and I can see why you held Gold-rank. Excellent work out there," Marlin said, holding out her hand to him as she was the first to greet the party upon their return. "Seems there were more Silver-ranked monsters out here than we were told about," she stated, referring to the moon elk. "Maston has your portion you can pick it up when we all return to the Guild Hall in the morning. For now, let us celebrate the subjugation of the Giant Forest Spider!" Flagons were hoisted into the air. Its golden liquid sloshed around in the leather-bound cups coated in wax, spilling out as they clunk together.
"Hey," Shion whispered as Jake was taking off the bulk of his armor except his chest plate.
"Hello, Shion, something I can help you with?" Jake asked, standing in front of the tent the Guild had given him when they had set up camp for the evening.
"You weren't lying to me yesterday, were you?" Shion uttered, feeling her embarrassment burning the tips of her ears.
"About where I live? No, no, I didn't," Jake said as he wiped down his armor.
"So you know about the Dark Emperor... I take it you've encountered the monster," Shion said, noting the dark shadows playing across Jake's face.
"A few times," Jake said, recounting the first time he encountered the monster, he nearly lost his leg. If it wasn't for his healing spell, he would have died. He kept the scar to remind himself of his stupidity.
"And you survived?!" Shion uttered in disbelief.
"Barely; why are you asking?" Jake asked; while he wouldn't go looking for a fight, he did want some vengeance for the humiliation the monster handed him.
"Listen, you want your Gold-rank, right?"
"Right," Jake said, drawing out the word.
"We want it too, and that beast would do it. Marda and the others think since we've already fought together. We could tackle that thing with ease. Also, the bounty on its head is one hundred thousand gold. Help us, and you'll get an equal share of everything. However," taking a step closer to him, "I need to see your home just to ensure the others the place is real. You understand, they'll be like me, not believing you actually live there," Shion said low.
"When I fulfill Marlin's request of me, we can talk more in-depth about the matter," Jake spoke, his mind began to raise with battle plans against the fiend.
"Right, mission first, but since you've traded blows, what do we really need to face off against it?" Shion asked in all seriousness.
"A cleric, lots of cure rot potions, and a very sturdy warrior; he likes to raise his little horde if you corner him," Jake said, offering her his wisdom.
"Listen..." She stopped with her back to him as she was about to return to her friends, "about everything before, I am truly sorry if I upset you. You've upheld your word to me; you got my friend's home in one piece. It's almost like you knew what that phrase would mean to me," Shion said, peering over her right shoulder.
"Yeah, you're not the first Dark Elf I've met. I've sailed to the ash land and its isles before," Jake said, seeing the surprise filling her yellow eye. "Although, I think they were happy to see me go by the end of it. Must have been my charm," he joked.
"Since I know I can trust you with my friends' safety, I will show you my word can be trusted as well. You're home what you show me. I swear I shan't reveal its location or what it all contains..."
"Yeah, you can tell them what you want; they probably wouldn't believe you like you didn't. But as long as you don't reveal how we get there, we might be able to work together," Jake said with a friendly smile.
"Well then, Jake, I hope you enjoy the rest of your night," Shion said before moving off to rejoin her friends.
Jake was warming himself beside the fire, letting the warmth of the flames ease his aches of the long battle. The cup in his hand steamed as the tea leaves floated on the surface. The hints of nutmeg danced on his tongue as he watched the light playing along his tea.
"Elven tea?!" Marlin uttered as her nose wiggled of the scents of home.
"It's still hot," Jake offered. He kept his smile to himself at how fast the Guild Master found herself on one of the stools that ringed the fire. "I don't have sugar, but I do have honey if you want some," he said, waving to it. He nodded when she whispered her thank you as she made herself a cup of tea. He wondered if she knew her ears switched like they were doing as she inhaled the scent of the tea.
"I don't plan on understanding what brought you all the way to our little Guild. A man of your stature should be working out of the capital or such, and maybe you were. I'm not going to look too deep into your background. Your arrival will be a boon for us. Do you think we can look for the reason a Silver-ranked minotaur would be on the surface and not in the heart of some dungeon?" Marlin asked, glancing over to him. She didn't let that rich goodness go to waste as she made herself another cup.
"I was going to suggest to you the same thing since we're already here and have the people that can seal off the entrance or make it into a permanent one. At least that way, the monsters aren't harassing innocent people."
"I take it you've been to elven lands frequently?" Marlin inquired; her tone carried the seriousness of her desire.
"I pass through a few places from time to time since the villages I go to don't have Guilds or anything worth to an adventurer if they didn't know about the blue lily that grows there," Jake said, watching her process that information.
"It would bequeath the new hire-on to butter up to their new Guild Master and bring her a pound of Octivine Red, I'll pay for it, of course, but it wouldn't hurt, you know," Marlin said with all the seriousness of a tea addict, knowing the few places that elven flower bloomed.
"I see, extorting your people, ahhh, just like home," Jake responded with a joke.
"Seems like this is the place," Jake said, eyeing the gaping hole.
"Given the egg sacks that can be seen from up here, this was just a breeding nest for whatever is down there. However, I'm not all that eager to find out what that is, so let's get our earth magi up here and close this up, then head back to town. I'll send a report of what happened here to the town Lord. I'm sure he and all the others will be glad this matter has been settled," Marlin said giving out her orders in the early morning after their camp had been packed up and those not of importance or guarding the wagons loaded down with regents.
"Hey Jake," Holly waved as she and Bard approached his side. "Marda and the others were wondering if you given any thought about what Shion suggested to you?"
"I'm thinking about it, but the Dark Emperor, he isn't someone you can just go against half-cocked. Plus he only appears on certain nights and helps if you have the right bait for him. Also, he is incredibly strong so lots to think about," Jake informed them, knowing they would pass it along.
"I see, and you know this how?" Bard asked, not out of skepticism but for clarification.
"Because he hates that he can't kill me," Jake said darkly, showing off the scar he had gotten when he faced off against the monster for the second time.
"And you know when we can take it on?" Holly inquired, earning her a nod from Jake.
"So, what will you be doing in the meantime?" Bard asked, wondering how much time they had to prepare for the fight.
"Gathering what I need to ensure that this will be the last I ever see of that thing for good," Jake spoke firmly and, filled with determination to see that monster crushed to dust. "Also doing some quests around here just to get the lay of the land."
"Well, if you ever want to team up with us other than fighting that thing, we would love to have you. I know Mark enjoys having an extra shield around and another mage to boot. I would also love to hear how you chose to become a battlemage," Holly said as the two of them returned back to their group. Jake wondered if Holly knew Mark liked her.
It was nearing twilight when Jake left the Guild Hall after retrieving his prize for his kill. Jake looked back into the Guild Hall through the window nearest to him, waving to Shion, who was staring out him from deep within the building, before he set off for home to relax for a few days maybe a week. When he knew no one was around him or could spy on his spellwork, he opened the doorway and stepped through. Not realizing he had indeed been spied upon by Shion from the shadows that were her people's specialty.
"Okay, that's how you do it," Shion whistled as she stepped out from her hiding place. "No wonder you can live there. You're not even venturing through the forest. We'll see just what your home is like," she said aloud to herself as she ambled back to the Guild Hall.
"Hey Pussy!" His cheek twitched as his former Guild Master's voice pierced his mind as he was in the middle of his mental practice. "It's been a month and a half. The Guild has a quest that I need all my Gold-ranked members on board for, so I need you to get over your little hissy fit and get here now! If you think of ignoring me, just remember if you ignore this, than you can kiss adventuring ever again with a Guild. I expect to see you in an hour with that fancy spell of yours; if you aren't, I'll just take it you just don't want to be an adventurer any longer."
Jake didn't bother to voice his displeasure. They weren't worth it any longer, he just had to finish whatever it was quickly and hope it didn't take a year to do like the last one. Once the last buckle was in place, his sword slid into his sheath, gently removing the silver plate from his neck; he wasn't going to tarnish that one with what he was about to do. He knew he would be back soon to put it back on. When he was sure he was ready, he chanted the spell and opened the door.
"Well, aren't you an obedient dog," Shasa said cruelly as she stood there with crossed arms waiting for him. Holding up her hands when she sensed his killing intent as his sword inched out of its sheath. "Seems the baby can't take a joke," she said with a condescending smirk. "This way, we can talk about what's the quest about," Shasa ordered, walking off toward the room where they were having the meeting. She peered over her shoulder when Jake hadn't spoken a word since arriving. "So, been living off that gold since you haven't been here taking quests like you should. That's fine if you want to let all this treasure go," shrugging her shoulders and holding up her hands, "it must be nice wherever you live to just sit back and relax," she stated, slyly peering out the corner of her eye noting not even a speck of recognition or irritation marred his face.
When Shasa pushed open the door, all commotion stopped as their eyes turned towards her. "Well, since we're all here, we can start," she said, taking command of the room. "You don't have a problem collaborating with us, do you?" Shasa taunted, looking at Jake, waiting for him to say something, anything more than the mutism they were experiencing.
"Hello, Jake," Jayla greeted with a nod, keeping her tone neutral since that's all he wanted from her.
"Hello," Jake said, returning her nod.
"You'll keep your temper in check, won't you, Jake?" Morgan, the top adventurer in the Guild, asked, glaring at him in her holy armor she had received in her completion in becoming a Paladin from a holy knight.
"The sooner you tell me why I'm here, having to endure looking at that troll's face," pointing at Shasa, "the sooner I can deal with this thing, get my reward, and not have to see any of you for months," Jake said truthfully, smiling evilly at Shasa as steam billowed out from her ears.
"The Mountain Dragon," Shasa said, hoping to strike fear into Jake. How he was simply rolling his hand at her rightly pissed her off. "The King has always had a standing bounty on the beast, and one of the nobles thought it wise to go irk the dragon from its slumber, thinking he would walk away with a prize. All he did was wake it from its decade slumber now it's making its way here," she said, her finger drawing the dragon's path of destruction. It was a beast she knew would boost Morgan into the Platinum ranks. Then she knew her Guild would be the talk of the country and the only Guild people could trust with the big quests. "So we've been called to action by the other Guilds in the area to lend aid to their fight. There will be a hundred..."
"You want me to fight a dragon, fight that dragon for only a hundred gold? Seriously?" Jake cut in. "Yeah, no, I'm out," he said, waving off the foolishness of facing that beast for such a sum.
"Running away? That's so unlike you, Jacob," Morgan's cold tone filled the air as her eyes shimmered in her holy power as she glared at him.
"Think what you want, Morgan; I don't give a fuck. I don't have to prove a damn thing to anyone. I am not fighting that beast for that amount of money; I'm not a fucking idiot," Jake countered.
"I will have you stand in judgment for this," Morgan said, taking the failure of one's duty to the extreme as she reached for her one-handed warhammer.
"Jake, that's all there is, there's already a hundred people on this hunt. Now, are you with us, or is this the end of your career?" Shasa asked, tired of Jake's attitude. Jake tilted his head back, pondering if all this trouble was worth it. His head bobbed around as he weighed the pros and cons of the decision before him. "Really? This is something you need to think about?!"
"When dealing with a troll, yes, yes, it is so hideous," Jake shivered. "Fine, let's get this over with."
"For that, half of your gold will be fined to cover the penalties you've acquired against your leader," Shasa said, thinking she had him where she wanted him. However, she was once again met with that blank look on his face.
"Oh, we have demerits now?! Do I get a prize for how much I can get in one go? Is the grand prize expulsion?!" Jake asked happily, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
"No, you know you're never leaving me; no, no, if that were to happen, you would have to spend the night under my care," Shasa replied, batting her eyes at him. Her anger flared at the look of death on Jake's face at the thought of what she was suggesting.
"Never fear, I shall be on my best behavior," Jake said, giving off the aura of an innocent choir boy.
"See that you remain so," narrowing her eyes at him, "I'll give everyone an hour to get what you need before we have the spatial magi connect to the temporary anchor the Guilds have set up." Jake was out the door before the last syllable left her lips.
Jake thanked the man when he gave him directions to the Guild Hall that was within the town. He heard their laughter as he neared the edge of town where most of the guild halls were, or were located at, at one point in time before the town grew around them. The reason was due to how lively most adventurers were also how freely the alcohol flowed in the Guild Halls. Then, there was the smell of the monster parts they gathered for potion-making. All chatter stopped the moment he entered. He wasn't surprised they did. All outsiders were viewed with skepticism; he was no different as he strolled through the hall towards the receptionist's desk or what he took as the receptionist's desk.
"Hello," Jake greeted politely.
"Hello!" a very chipper man said with a salt and pepper goatee. "What can the Three Suns Guild do for you?" he asked, giving Jake a once over, noting the high quality of his gear. "Are you an adventurer?"
"Was, left my old guild, looking for a new one, also wondering if I can unload all this here with your potion maker," Jake said, opening the bag and showing off the items he had gathered during the two weeks he stayed in the forest and his travels, he threw the minotaur's horn into the bag as well.
"My word..." Taking the minotaur's horn from the bag, "Where did you get this?"
"Killed the minotaur that was roaming this grove of trees I was traveling through, the woods to the west of here," Jake informed him; he wondered if the man's eyes were going to pop out of his skull as the man stared at him bug-eyed.
"You killed the minotaur?!" the man stammered in shock.
"Yeah, go check if you doubt me; the pieces of it shouldn't be hard to find," Jake said, feeling the eyes of the adventurers on him.
"Marlow, go see if he's lying or not," the man said, sending out the Guild's fastest runner. "If you want to wait while we conform your kill, I'll fetch our potion maker to see about your wares," he stated, getting a nod out of Jake, who closed up the bag and moved off to an empty table.
"So, killed the minotaur, huh?" asked a cocky man from the other table.
"It was nothing compared to a dragon or the Giant Earth Boar," Jake said matter-of-factly with a shrug of his shoulders as one of the waitresses ambled over to his table. Giving out his order for a flagon of ale and a smoked turkey leg laying down two silver coins for the meal and ale. Who bounded off once the money was exchanged.
"You're shitting me! A dragon, yeah, right," the man uttered, waving off Jake's words.
"I don't care if you believe me or not; what some unknown man thinks of my feats matters little to me," Jake said plainly.
"But from reports said a battlemage took down the Giant Earth Boar," said a woman from across the hall to the left of him.
"Yes, that was me, I thought I stated that," Jake repeated. "Your mages should be able to tell that much," he said, referring to the appraisal spell. He smirked when the mages that had that spell at the ready surged from their seats and backed away, knowing how dangerous he was given the dragon's curse. Something the beast gave him as a parting gift. What it did, he hadn't a clue, nor was he eager to find out what a dragon's curse was.
"He's killed a dragon alright; he's definitely a battlemage with that amount of mana surrounding him," the closet mage stammered.
"Good, glad to hear that, you, come up here to my office," the middle aged man said that Jake took as either Vice-Guild Master or the Guild Master.
Jake heard their murmuring as he moved across the floor. He kept his thoughts from his face as he heard the whispered praises directed at his sword. The wooden floorboards groaned as he neared the man.
"I hear you have regents to sell, is that right?" It didn't take a genius to tell the man before him had seen a thing or two. "Mind showing me what you're offering?"
"Sure, but no touching," Jake said, opening up the bag and letting the man see the contents of it. He couldn't help but smirk at how slack-jawed the man became at the numerous high-grade ingredients. "One hundred gold, not a coin less, and it's all yours," he said, closing the bag back up. "You got until I'm done eating if you want to deal with me," Jake spoke, turning to go back to his table only to have the man take hold of his arm.
"Oh, I want to deal! Alright, just give me a moment to gather the money."
"Very good; when I have my coin, you'll get your wares," Jake nodded in agreement. Jake was halfway done with his turkey leg when the thump of coins filled his ears. His eyes watched as the man lowered himself across from him.
"That's yours, I believe you have something of mine?" the man uttered with a friendly smile. The moment the bag touched the table, and he took the gold, he stuffed his face into the opening, just looking at all that was in it. "Are those quills of the Giant Boar?"
"Yeah, a few earthen dragon horns, moss of the main Elven mother tree, and the bone powder of a lich, among other things," Jake said, listing off the items he had gathered in his year-long travels. He noted the greediness in the mages eyes at the names of the ingredients he had just sold.
"You with the Guild?"
"Waiting on the confirmation of my minotaur kill," Jake stated, tossing the now meatless bone onto the wooden plate and draining the last of his ale.
"When it is, something that won't take long, I want you to bring me every regent you come across monthly, and I swear I will pay above market value..."
"Normal market price is fine with me no need to hurt the Guild's coffers," Jake interrupted, seeing how a few people were taken back by that.
"Good, good, I'm sure Marlow will return in a matter of minutes; he's been touched by Rimuru (Dwarfen messenger god.) See," the man nodded to the front door as it swung open. "The name's Maston, I look forward to doing business together."
"Jake Diaz," he supplied, shaking the man's offered hand.
"Hey, Maston, how much does a minotaur's horn go for?" Marlow called out as he strolled in.
"Two gold," Maston replied, waving the Gnome to fall him.
"Definitely the minotaur that the town lord put a quest out for," Marlow relied on what he had found out in the forest.
The moment Maston left his table and the receptionist ran through the large wooden door that led to the heart of the Guild, he was swarmed by the mages of the Guild. He had two drinks brought for him as they talked about magical theory and if he had any rare regents for spellcraft for the more powerful of the spells. It nearly came to lots of stabbing between the earthen and water-based magi since he used neither type and had a large abundance of the regents. By the time he was sent for by the Guild Master, he had made another two hundred gold. He knew even if they didn't let him in, he could make some coin-selling regents.
"So you're the one that killed that minotaur," said a gruff female voice as her cape swayed against her back. Her yellow eye peered at him, studying the man that brought down a Silver-ranked monster.
"I did," Jake answered.
"I'm told you once belonged to a Guild; I find it hard that anyone would let a battlemage go unless there was some bad blood," she said, turning to face him. "Especially a battlemage that can best a Silver-ranked minotaur singlehandedly. Plus, you just walk in with regents that most of these people have only heard about in rumors or are too poor to ever be near it. I just have to wonder what kind of man you are."
"Me?" Jake slyly ran his eyes down her body, noting how her long ears ran horizontally rather than vertically, making the woman a part of the Wood Elves. "I'm just a man out to make a living, nothing more, nothing less," he stated truthfully.
"I thought battlemages wanted to be rich and famous?" she questioned.
"Who says I'm not already rich?" Jake retorted, arching his eyebrow as he did. "As for fame? Bah," waving it off, "don't want it, don't need it, all that would do is draw more attention than I want upon myself. As long as I'm treated fairly, you'll get no trouble from me."
"Hmm... while I have no trouble giving you Silver-rank if you were to join us here, yet I need to see for myself if you're worth Goldrank since I got a feeling you have that in you. But something like that would take time to gather enough resources to test out this theory. So you'll have to work as a Silver-rank for us for the time being. Is that suitable to you?"
"It is," stepping forward with his right arm extended, "I'm Jake Diaz."
"Marlin Silverback," she said, shaking Jake's hand and handing him his new silver plate. "Now, are you free to travel now?"
"Depends. Is this urgent?" Jake inquired. He wasn't about to be anyone's errand boy.
"Yes, the minotaur you fought isn't natural to this area, as you can tell. So I, along with the other Guilds around the area are sending out teams of Silver-rank and higher out to find the source of this problem. So far, we haven't had much luck, given the giant spider that's made a nest in the area we think might be the epicenter of the whole thing. However, so far, it's kept us at bay."
"Sounds like a dungeon collapse," Jake uttered to himself.
"Follow me; I'll introduce you to the team you'll be joining," Marlin said, leading Jake out of the room. "Marda!" she called out as they entered the common area of the Guild Hall. Jake's head craned upwards as the very large, very muscular woman stood up from the table she was at, peering back at them as she did.
"Yeah, Boss?" Marda, the half-giantess, quired as her party members got to their feet.
"Let me introduce you to your new temporary member to help with our spider problem," Marlin said, pushing Jake forward. "This here is Jake, as you might have heard, is a battlemage. Maybe with his help, this mystery will finally come to an end."
"Can you fight, or is that just for show?" Marda taunted, her massive hand waving dismissively at his armor.
"Oh, I can handle myself, giantess," Jake said, mentally conjuring his shield as Marda launched a punch at him, knowing that would get her riled up to do so since most people with giant blood weren't looked kindly on. He saw her surprise by the strength of his conjured shield. It seemed to her she thought he could only summon one at a time as he used another to knock the wind out of her just to show he wasn't bluffing. "I did not mean to insult you, Ms. Marda, yet you wanted proof," he stated, gently patting her back. Jake was a little on edge as her hand that could wrap around his chest rested on his left shoulder as she started to belt out in laughter. The old episode of Futurama flashed in his mind, of the words 'snu-snu' filled him with dread.
"That I did, Jake, was it," to which Jake nodded, "let's get familiar with one another. If we're going to be fighting with one another, we need to know what you can do," Marda said in a warm, friendly tone, steering him towards their table. "Oh, so you'll be on the front lines with Bard and me," she uttered in shock, which Bard was too, given all the mages they knew were the rear guard.
"Oh, I move where I'm needed on the battlefield, but since I normally work alone, I'm pretty much always in the thick of it," Jake said truthfully.
"Wait... are you saying you do Silver-rank quests all on your own?" Shion, their dark elf thief, said her skepticism was plain as day.
"Gold, actually," Jake corrected, noting their stunned faces.
"And you left your old Guild why? If you were already Gold?" Shion asked, having a very hard time believing anyone would willingly give up such status.
"It was either that or it would turn into a blood bath," Jake joked darkly.
"I see; well, you did kill that minotaur, so that at least tells me you're competent enough for the job," Shion uttered, knowing there was more to his story than he was telling, and she planned to find out what it was.
"Thanks... I guess, so tell me about this spider," Jake said, getting down to business. His eyes moved around the table as they all told him of their encounters with the beast. His focus never left whoever was speaking to him at that moment. When they were done, it was already late afternoon, so Jake decided to have dinner at the Guild Hall and get to know his teammates, even if it would be for a short time.
"So Jake, where are you from?"
"Toyone-mura," Jake answered, seeing their confused looks. "It's not from this world; it's in Japan on a planet called Earth, where I originally came from."
"You sure you're sane?" Shion asked, eyeing Jake suspiciously.
"Depends on how you define sane?" Jake retorted, seeing how she wasn't used to someone countering her snark. "But yes, I'm sane, so I do what I have to to survive in this world. Why I was sent here doesn't matter anymore I'm already here, don't have the foggiest clue on how to get back to my world. So believe me or don't, it doesn't take away what I can do."
"True, so how about we meet back here in the morning and prepare for the battle to come," Marda said, knowing they were going to need all their wits when going against the spider, given their past encounters.
Once he parted ways with Marda and the others, he wandered the streets of the town. First he secured a room at an inn, then he bought a sausage roll as he got the lay of the land. If he was going to work out of the Three Suns Guild, he wanted to make sure he knew every corner of the town. Then, he came upon the light of the herbalist. Where he stocked up on his mana and healing potions, he also got some stamina potions for Marda, Shion, and Bard. He did find himself in an arcane shop. He felt their eyes on him, given how he was still in his full armor in a magic shop. He was sure they could tell his armor was magical.
"Sir... I mean no disrespect..."
"I'm a battlemage," Jake uttered on instinct when he was eyeing the rows of wands that sat secured behind a cage of glass. He was sensing out which one was the more powerful of them. Not that he needed a wand to cast magic, however, the wand would increase the accuracy and power of the spell. "I would like to see those two wands," he directed, pointing down at the two of them. He whispered a simple frost spell as he tested out both wands, chilling the shop in the humid evening. "How much?" Jake asked, placing the ebony wand as the fire enchantment pulsated in his eyes as it synthesized with his own mana. The twenty gold for the wand was expensive, yet a sound purchase. He figured he might be teamed up with other parties while he waited for Marlin to determine if she thought he was ready for advancement.
It was two hours later as Jake was sitting in the common room of the Inn he was staying at for the evening. He would admit the food wasn't bad. His eyebrows rose as he brought the wooden spoon to his lips, as he saw Shion walking past him without realizing it. Then again, he wasn't wearing his armor, so he tried to blend into the background. He did find it amusing as Shion just looked around and still didn't see him for a good three minutes before she locked eyes with him.
"Mind if I join you?"
"Chair's free," Jake gestured to it. "What can I do for you?"
"You sure you're human? You're too good at camouflage," Shion praised, trying to butter Jake up.
"And you're a spy and thief; information is your bread and butter, and flattery won't get you what you want, but I do thank you for the praise," Jake said, getting a smirk out of her.
"What's the real reason a man like you doing in a town like this?"
"What? It's close to my home," Jake shrugged.
"And where would that be?" Shion asked, intrigued.
"Haunted Forest of Jura," Jake answered, watching the fear growing in her eyes.
"For all that's holy... why?!" Shion stammered. Everyone in the town knew not to venture near the forest, not unless they had a heavily armed party.
"Why not? Do you think some thief will venture there to steal from a house they wouldn't be able to find? Also good hunting grounds for regents that sell at a decent price," Jake said, finishing off his stew.
"Uh-huh, listen, don't tell me if you don't want to, but don't lie to me when it's so obvious. So what's the real reason you left your Guild?"
"Why is it of any of your concern why I left my former Guild?"
"I need to know if you can be trusted to watch my back, I don't let just anyone near my friends, I don't care if that upsets you," Shion stated, not caring how she came across.
"No, the only thing you need to know is if I can do my job, which I can; whether you trust me or not isn't any of my concern," Jake said, sipping on his ale. "The reason for my departure is personal. It has nothing to do with my performance. All you need to worry about is if you'll be alive after the quest, which you will. Afterwards, we never need to speak, ever," he uttered darkly.
"Why? Anyone would die to have a battlemage in their party?!" Shion said, not realizing that's how Jake liked it.
"Like I said, I work alone, and so far, you all haven't shown me you can be trusted. You expect me to team up with people like you that question where one calls home when they speak the truth? Right, that's a great start of building trust," Jake said, waving his flagon around.
"Oh, come off it," his eyes followed how her hands slammed onto the table; Jake looked away bashfully when Shion leaned forward, showing off her bosom, "you want me to believe you actually live in a place that only Gold-rank adventurers go only in parties?! Do you not see how insane that sounds!" Her face took on a confused look at how red his cheeks were and why he couldn't look her in the eye not realizing, while not on full display, the way he could peer down her top was enough. Plus, Jake was trying to be respectful and not leer at the woman's chest. It wasn't until she looked down did she take stock of the sight on display. Instantly, her own face grew red in embarrassment as she hastily slammed her back against the back of the chair. "S-s-sorry..."
"Don't worry about it," Jake uttered, scratching his temple, laughing off the tension in the air.
"I appreciate that you were kind enough to look away," Shion said, looking away. "Listen, I'm sorry if the way I came off rubbed you the wrong way. That wasn't my intention, so I apologize. It's just my party is my family, and I don't want anything to happen to them."
"Ah, I can understand that, wanting to protect the people closest to you. I give you my word; if it's within my power, we all will come back from the spider hunt," Jake stated, holding out his hand to her.
"I'll hold you to it," Shion said, shaking his hand in good faith. "Can I ask, what have you done to prepare for this quest?"
"Stocked up on mana and health potions. Got a few stamina ones for you and the warriors of the party, if it comes to that. Even bought a wand, something I haven't used in years, just in case I need to work from the rear," Jake informed her, seeing no harm in telling her.
"But you can use one, right..." Shion yelped in surprise as her chair began to rise up into the air, only to have her hand shoot down and press her leather skirt close as her womanhood neared his eye level. "You damn pervert?!" she snapped.
"What? Just like your leader you asked for proof, I gave it to you," Jake said, pulling out the wand beneath the table. Its bright tip, the indicator of his magic in use, pointed down, lowering Shion back to the floor. "See, I can use a wand."
"Don't... don't do that again," Shion spoke in a forced tone. Like all Dark Elves, they only allowed their mates to view the most private of areas of their bodies.
"I promise, I apologize if I overstepped," Jake said, watching how her cheeks turned purple in her bashfulness.
"No, I deserve that, I did ask for it," Shion said sighing, pushing the chair back under the table. "I'll leave you be; good night."
It was the fourth hour into their trek through the woods. Jake took the center of the group since he could switch quickly between the two. Especially when they witnessed how he conjured a bow to single-handedly took down a moon elk. When the creature's enormous body thundered to the ground, Shion was staring weirdly at him. He wondered if she just realized what he told her might just be true after all.
"Jake, you wouldn't mind splitting up your kill?" Marda asked, knowing such a beast held great value in its parts.
"As long as I get the credit for the kill and five feet of its antlers," Jake countered. He knew the guild would be sending in a scavenging party that was trailing after them about thirty minutes behind to keep out of fighting.
"I'll make sure you do and that Maston sets your portion aside," Marda said, smiling at him, knowing the money they would make selling it to the Guild would mint them a few months of leisure if they so desired.
"I definitely want a piece of the antler," Mark, their mage, said, greed dancing in his eyes, knowing that would make an excellent base for a new wand for himself.
"Shion, leave the marking. We should press deeper," Marda said, taking charge.
"Hey," Shion whispered as they neared the nest of the giant spider. "Do you know supporting magic?"
"Like?" Jake uttered low, rolling his hand.
"Healing, physical buffs, and the like," Shion said, yet she felt everyone else's ears listening in on his answer.
"Yes, I know those spells, I told you I work alone."
"Can you cast those spells onto others?" Holly, their cleric, asked, Jake took her to be around eighteen, yet he felt her mana like he suspected she felt his as well.
"The ones I use on myself... no, those are personalized for a battlemage. However, I do have an area buff, but it only lasts a few minutes; or if you're willing to trust me, I can make you my puppets, and you can share my buffs, but all that depends on your consent," Jake said, giving them the basics of the spell his master had taught him.
"The spell isn't permanent, is it?" Marda asked, worried about giving up her self-control to Jake.
"No, only last thirty minutes. After that, I'll be tapped out, given the cost of the spell is to maintain, might be shorter depending on how many spells I'm slinging," Jake informed her. They walked on in silence until Holly joined his side.
"Tell me, what all do the buffs of a battlemage do?" Holly asked, intrigued; she had always been curious about how other people used magic given how she's never left her cluster until four years ago when she was sent out into the world.
"Triples my strength, vitality, and intelligence," Jake answered.
"Truly?!" Mark uttered, knowing how much of a boost that would be to his own mana pool.
"The transferable ones," Jake nodded.
"And your conjured weapons, can they be used by other people?" Shion asked, wondering if they could be used as a backup in a fight.
"You tell me," Jake said; with a wave of his hand, a conjured dagger appeared before Shion.
"How do these things work?" Shion muttered, testing out the dagger, seeing how that was the first time she ever actually touched magic in her life.
"They work on how much mana the caster has depends on how durable they are. My conjured weapons have the sharpness of rune steel; I tested it out on some foolish bandit decked in far too much magical gear for a bandit," Jake said, with Mark nodding along.
"I take it you got around a lot?" Marda spoke, pushing aside tree branches as she walked through the woods. Her eyes looked around, making sure she and her team weren't about to be ambushed by monsters that lurked around the forest.
"Yeah, you can say that," Jake said, smirking at Shion when he ended the spell for his conjured daggers. He kept his chuckle contained when Shion looked at her hand in befuddlement; if he had to equate the look she was giving him, it is something he would liken to what he would find in manga back in Japan when a person is annoyed. "I'll take point," he said, noting the increasing spiderwebs that were dotting the trees.
Fire shot out meters in front of Jake as he led his party through the forest, burning spiderwebs that were in their path. He knew the quarry they were after and knew they were within its nest. How could it not as he was destroying its webs like they didn't matter. Jake moved on instinct. Flames raced across the blade of his sword, impaling it deeply into the thorax of the leaping spider as its venom dripped off its fangs, ready to devour its meal. He looked to the right of him as Marda's giant stone hammer crushed another spider, causing its green ichor to spatter along the ground.
"Everyone form up!" Marda's voice thundered throughout the forest. "Jake do that thing you said you could do; we'll give you cover until it's complete," she ordered, getting a nod out of Jake as they encircle him. She looked down at the ground as she saw a magic circle growing to encompass them all.
"Oh blood calls to blood, strings are taut, thy control is compressed in the soul," Jake canted. A red light shone within the depth of his right eye as he peered over the guard of his sword as his spell solidified linking them all to him.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Mark stammered, looking at his hands, never feeling this kind of strength before, nor how much his mana had skyrocketed because of Jake's buffs.
"Okay, this might not be as difficult as we thought it might be, Boss," Bard said, feeling the increased strength surging through him.
"Alright, everyone, don't get cocky, stick together, and let's earn our reward," Marda ordered, grinning greedily at the pay that was awaiting them.
"Where did you learn this spell?" Holly asked in awe.
"My master taught it to me before she released me from her teachings," Jake said, keeping close to Holly and Mark in case the spiders got froggy. After they killed their fiftieth spider, their party was panting in exhaustion in dealing with such a horde. All heads turned at the crashing of trees as something large was nearing them.
"Everyone get ready, Mark, Holly. I want you two in the rear, Shion, cover them, Jake you're with me and Bard," Marda instructed, like she's been leading adventurers for years.
Jake thanked Holly for the spell of protection she had cast on all of them, seeing her smile at his thanks. He flanked Marda's right side as their prey finally showed itself. As the three of them rushed forward to face the beast, Mark's flame arrows led their charge, only for him to stop in his tracks and stare in confusion as the man's spell was just absorbed by the monster. Which shouldn't happen. Shaking it off, noting what wounds the beast received, it quickly healed as if their blows were nothing more than mosquito bites to the beast.
"Hey," his breath was rapid as he raced to Holly's side, "do you have a stunning spell?"
"Yes, but for that thing, it wouldn't last long," Holly informed him as sweat beaded along her brow in her exhaustion.
"That's all I need," Jake informed her. He had a feeling what they were dealing with was nothing more than a projection of a spell. What the purpose of it was, he hadn't a clue. He just knew he had to end it before they could properly deal with the monster. Once the monster was paralyzed, he cast out his essence, looking for anything out of the ordinary. That was when he felt the dark magic deep in the ground. Why would anyone bury a magic item four feet beneath the soil? He hadn't a clue. "Mark, do you have an earth spell at the ready?"
"It's not my forte, but I do have a few. Why?" Mark asked, knowing he was almost tapped out of mana. Wishing he had the coin to buy a few potions.
"Here, you two look like you could use one of these," Jake said, handing over a mana potion to Holly and Mark, who didn't waste downing the potion. "On my mark, you see that dead spot?" he asked, pointing out to it.
"I do," Mark nodded, feeling the fortification of the potion restoring his mana reserves.
"I need you to either push whatever it is up that's four feet in the ground or destroy it with your spell because it has something to do with why we can't damage that thing," Jake informed them of what he had learned.
"Right, I'll be ready," Mark said, with Holly nodding along. They watched as Jake pulled Bard back and handed the man a health and stamina potion; he did the same with Marda once Bard took over for her. He could see her gratitude in her eyes at the gesture. Seeing their leader nodding along when Jake informed her of what he had found.
"Okay, let's see if your plan works; if not, we are retreating," Marda informed him; she knew even with his potions, they couldn't restore fatigue only rest could do that. She knew sooner or later the spider would get lucky, and one of them would surely die.
"Now, Mark!" Jake shouted, only to jump back as a pillar of stone erupted from the ground. The silver components of the object shattered in the air and crumbled to dust once Mark had destroyed the item. His smile grew at the sounds of the spider's howls as Bard's battleaxe cleaved through one of the beast's legs. It lost a few eyes from Mark's flame arrows. A few more legs to Marda's massive swing of her stone hammer. Shion's knives caused its green ichor to drip to the ground from the wounds she gave to the beast's belly. He himself took out a few more of the creature's eyes before Holly's smite spell finished the beast off for good. Their howls of victory filled the air, knowing the payday they just landed in.
The runner for their Guild ran forward, seeing Mark and Holly rolling up the silk webs of the spiders knowing it was a very good material to make magical garments out of. Bard was filling gords with the spider's venom to sell to the alchemist to make its antivenom. Jake was directing his conjured daggers to cut down the webs from high above, with Shion bundling up what had already been cut.
"Well... you do live up to the reputation of battlemages, and I can see why you held Gold-rank. Excellent work out there," Marlin said, holding out her hand to him as she was the first to greet the party upon their return. "Seems there were more Silver-ranked monsters out here than we were told about," she stated, referring to the moon elk. "Maston has your portion you can pick it up when we all return to the Guild Hall in the morning. For now, let us celebrate the subjugation of the Giant Forest Spider!" Flagons were hoisted into the air. Its golden liquid sloshed around in the leather-bound cups coated in wax, spilling out as they clunk together.
"Hey," Shion whispered as Jake was taking off the bulk of his armor except his chest plate.
"Hello, Shion, something I can help you with?" Jake asked, standing in front of the tent the Guild had given him when they had set up camp for the evening.
"You weren't lying to me yesterday, were you?" Shion uttered, feeling her embarrassment burning the tips of her ears.
"About where I live? No, no, I didn't," Jake said as he wiped down his armor.
"So you know about the Dark Emperor... I take it you've encountered the monster," Shion said, noting the dark shadows playing across Jake's face.
"A few times," Jake said, recounting the first time he encountered the monster, he nearly lost his leg. If it wasn't for his healing spell, he would have died. He kept the scar to remind himself of his stupidity.
"And you survived?!" Shion uttered in disbelief.
"Barely; why are you asking?" Jake asked; while he wouldn't go looking for a fight, he did want some vengeance for the humiliation the monster handed him.
"Listen, you want your Gold-rank, right?"
"Right," Jake said, drawing out the word.
"We want it too, and that beast would do it. Marda and the others think since we've already fought together. We could tackle that thing with ease. Also, the bounty on its head is one hundred thousand gold. Help us, and you'll get an equal share of everything. However," taking a step closer to him, "I need to see your home just to ensure the others the place is real. You understand, they'll be like me, not believing you actually live there," Shion said low.
"When I fulfill Marlin's request of me, we can talk more in-depth about the matter," Jake spoke, his mind began to raise with battle plans against the fiend.
"Right, mission first, but since you've traded blows, what do we really need to face off against it?" Shion asked in all seriousness.
"A cleric, lots of cure rot potions, and a very sturdy warrior; he likes to raise his little horde if you corner him," Jake said, offering her his wisdom.
"Listen..." She stopped with her back to him as she was about to return to her friends, "about everything before, I am truly sorry if I upset you. You've upheld your word to me; you got my friend's home in one piece. It's almost like you knew what that phrase would mean to me," Shion said, peering over her right shoulder.
"Yeah, you're not the first Dark Elf I've met. I've sailed to the ash land and its isles before," Jake said, seeing the surprise filling her yellow eye. "Although, I think they were happy to see me go by the end of it. Must have been my charm," he joked.
"Since I know I can trust you with my friends' safety, I will show you my word can be trusted as well. You're home what you show me. I swear I shan't reveal its location or what it all contains..."
"Yeah, you can tell them what you want; they probably wouldn't believe you like you didn't. But as long as you don't reveal how we get there, we might be able to work together," Jake said with a friendly smile.
"Well then, Jake, I hope you enjoy the rest of your night," Shion said before moving off to rejoin her friends.
Jake was warming himself beside the fire, letting the warmth of the flames ease his aches of the long battle. The cup in his hand steamed as the tea leaves floated on the surface. The hints of nutmeg danced on his tongue as he watched the light playing along his tea.
"Elven tea?!" Marlin uttered as her nose wiggled of the scents of home.
"It's still hot," Jake offered. He kept his smile to himself at how fast the Guild Master found herself on one of the stools that ringed the fire. "I don't have sugar, but I do have honey if you want some," he said, waving to it. He nodded when she whispered her thank you as she made herself a cup of tea. He wondered if she knew her ears switched like they were doing as she inhaled the scent of the tea.
"I don't plan on understanding what brought you all the way to our little Guild. A man of your stature should be working out of the capital or such, and maybe you were. I'm not going to look too deep into your background. Your arrival will be a boon for us. Do you think we can look for the reason a Silver-ranked minotaur would be on the surface and not in the heart of some dungeon?" Marlin asked, glancing over to him. She didn't let that rich goodness go to waste as she made herself another cup.
"I was going to suggest to you the same thing since we're already here and have the people that can seal off the entrance or make it into a permanent one. At least that way, the monsters aren't harassing innocent people."
"I take it you've been to elven lands frequently?" Marlin inquired; her tone carried the seriousness of her desire.
"I pass through a few places from time to time since the villages I go to don't have Guilds or anything worth to an adventurer if they didn't know about the blue lily that grows there," Jake said, watching her process that information.
"It would bequeath the new hire-on to butter up to their new Guild Master and bring her a pound of Octivine Red, I'll pay for it, of course, but it wouldn't hurt, you know," Marlin said with all the seriousness of a tea addict, knowing the few places that elven flower bloomed.
"I see, extorting your people, ahhh, just like home," Jake responded with a joke.
"Seems like this is the place," Jake said, eyeing the gaping hole.
"Given the egg sacks that can be seen from up here, this was just a breeding nest for whatever is down there. However, I'm not all that eager to find out what that is, so let's get our earth magi up here and close this up, then head back to town. I'll send a report of what happened here to the town Lord. I'm sure he and all the others will be glad this matter has been settled," Marlin said giving out her orders in the early morning after their camp had been packed up and those not of importance or guarding the wagons loaded down with regents.
"Hey Jake," Holly waved as she and Bard approached his side. "Marda and the others were wondering if you given any thought about what Shion suggested to you?"
"I'm thinking about it, but the Dark Emperor, he isn't someone you can just go against half-cocked. Plus he only appears on certain nights and helps if you have the right bait for him. Also, he is incredibly strong so lots to think about," Jake informed them, knowing they would pass it along.
"I see, and you know this how?" Bard asked, not out of skepticism but for clarification.
"Because he hates that he can't kill me," Jake said darkly, showing off the scar he had gotten when he faced off against the monster for the second time.
"And you know when we can take it on?" Holly inquired, earning her a nod from Jake.
"So, what will you be doing in the meantime?" Bard asked, wondering how much time they had to prepare for the fight.
"Gathering what I need to ensure that this will be the last I ever see of that thing for good," Jake spoke firmly and, filled with determination to see that monster crushed to dust. "Also doing some quests around here just to get the lay of the land."
"Well, if you ever want to team up with us other than fighting that thing, we would love to have you. I know Mark enjoys having an extra shield around and another mage to boot. I would also love to hear how you chose to become a battlemage," Holly said as the two of them returned back to their group. Jake wondered if Holly knew Mark liked her.
It was nearing twilight when Jake left the Guild Hall after retrieving his prize for his kill. Jake looked back into the Guild Hall through the window nearest to him, waving to Shion, who was staring out him from deep within the building, before he set off for home to relax for a few days maybe a week. When he knew no one was around him or could spy on his spellwork, he opened the doorway and stepped through. Not realizing he had indeed been spied upon by Shion from the shadows that were her people's specialty.
"Okay, that's how you do it," Shion whistled as she stepped out from her hiding place. "No wonder you can live there. You're not even venturing through the forest. We'll see just what your home is like," she said aloud to herself as she ambled back to the Guild Hall.
"Hey Pussy!" His cheek twitched as his former Guild Master's voice pierced his mind as he was in the middle of his mental practice. "It's been a month and a half. The Guild has a quest that I need all my Gold-ranked members on board for, so I need you to get over your little hissy fit and get here now! If you think of ignoring me, just remember if you ignore this, than you can kiss adventuring ever again with a Guild. I expect to see you in an hour with that fancy spell of yours; if you aren't, I'll just take it you just don't want to be an adventurer any longer."
Jake didn't bother to voice his displeasure. They weren't worth it any longer, he just had to finish whatever it was quickly and hope it didn't take a year to do like the last one. Once the last buckle was in place, his sword slid into his sheath, gently removing the silver plate from his neck; he wasn't going to tarnish that one with what he was about to do. He knew he would be back soon to put it back on. When he was sure he was ready, he chanted the spell and opened the door.
"Well, aren't you an obedient dog," Shasa said cruelly as she stood there with crossed arms waiting for him. Holding up her hands when she sensed his killing intent as his sword inched out of its sheath. "Seems the baby can't take a joke," she said with a condescending smirk. "This way, we can talk about what's the quest about," Shasa ordered, walking off toward the room where they were having the meeting. She peered over her shoulder when Jake hadn't spoken a word since arriving. "So, been living off that gold since you haven't been here taking quests like you should. That's fine if you want to let all this treasure go," shrugging her shoulders and holding up her hands, "it must be nice wherever you live to just sit back and relax," she stated, slyly peering out the corner of her eye noting not even a speck of recognition or irritation marred his face.
When Shasa pushed open the door, all commotion stopped as their eyes turned towards her. "Well, since we're all here, we can start," she said, taking command of the room. "You don't have a problem collaborating with us, do you?" Shasa taunted, looking at Jake, waiting for him to say something, anything more than the mutism they were experiencing.
"Hello, Jake," Jayla greeted with a nod, keeping her tone neutral since that's all he wanted from her.
"Hello," Jake said, returning her nod.
"You'll keep your temper in check, won't you, Jake?" Morgan, the top adventurer in the Guild, asked, glaring at him in her holy armor she had received in her completion in becoming a Paladin from a holy knight.
"The sooner you tell me why I'm here, having to endure looking at that troll's face," pointing at Shasa, "the sooner I can deal with this thing, get my reward, and not have to see any of you for months," Jake said truthfully, smiling evilly at Shasa as steam billowed out from her ears.
"The Mountain Dragon," Shasa said, hoping to strike fear into Jake. How he was simply rolling his hand at her rightly pissed her off. "The King has always had a standing bounty on the beast, and one of the nobles thought it wise to go irk the dragon from its slumber, thinking he would walk away with a prize. All he did was wake it from its decade slumber now it's making its way here," she said, her finger drawing the dragon's path of destruction. It was a beast she knew would boost Morgan into the Platinum ranks. Then she knew her Guild would be the talk of the country and the only Guild people could trust with the big quests. "So we've been called to action by the other Guilds in the area to lend aid to their fight. There will be a hundred..."
"You want me to fight a dragon, fight that dragon for only a hundred gold? Seriously?" Jake cut in. "Yeah, no, I'm out," he said, waving off the foolishness of facing that beast for such a sum.
"Running away? That's so unlike you, Jacob," Morgan's cold tone filled the air as her eyes shimmered in her holy power as she glared at him.
"Think what you want, Morgan; I don't give a fuck. I don't have to prove a damn thing to anyone. I am not fighting that beast for that amount of money; I'm not a fucking idiot," Jake countered.
"I will have you stand in judgment for this," Morgan said, taking the failure of one's duty to the extreme as she reached for her one-handed warhammer.
"Jake, that's all there is, there's already a hundred people on this hunt. Now, are you with us, or is this the end of your career?" Shasa asked, tired of Jake's attitude. Jake tilted his head back, pondering if all this trouble was worth it. His head bobbed around as he weighed the pros and cons of the decision before him. "Really? This is something you need to think about?!"
"When dealing with a troll, yes, yes, it is so hideous," Jake shivered. "Fine, let's get this over with."
"For that, half of your gold will be fined to cover the penalties you've acquired against your leader," Shasa said, thinking she had him where she wanted him. However, she was once again met with that blank look on his face.
"Oh, we have demerits now?! Do I get a prize for how much I can get in one go? Is the grand prize expulsion?!" Jake asked happily, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
"No, you know you're never leaving me; no, no, if that were to happen, you would have to spend the night under my care," Shasa replied, batting her eyes at him. Her anger flared at the look of death on Jake's face at the thought of what she was suggesting.
"Never fear, I shall be on my best behavior," Jake said, giving off the aura of an innocent choir boy.
"See that you remain so," narrowing her eyes at him, "I'll give everyone an hour to get what you need before we have the spatial magi connect to the temporary anchor the Guilds have set up." Jake was out the door before the last syllable left her lips.
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