The Axe Falls -CH7- (Patreon)

Standing outside the adventurers guild Nick was feeling rather pleased.

He’d turned in his first quests the day previous, been rewarded, has a nice meal, and slept soundly.

Safely.

In a place that didn’t regard him as the end all, be all, worst existence in the village. A family member to the executioner and ostracized by all.

In fact, he’d even possibly made some friends, which was an entirely new experience to him. Scorn, being ignored, and malaigned against were all commonplace to him.

Having people thank him, were very odd.

Especially the fact that Randal apologized. I thought for sure he was going to make it worse as soon as it was over.

I mean… right? I wasn’t wrong in that expectation, was I?

“No, not really, Sire,” Lucian replied. Nick was quite used to the fact that Lucian could read his mind at this point. If anything he was grateful for it. They could converse quite easily without having to risk others hearing them. “To be sure, even I believed that he would become a cross and disagreeable fellow. One that we’d have to eventually put into the ground.

“I was also quite surprised that he backed down. So either he really does know he’s an asshole, and quite capable of emotional awareness, or Erica hold’s that much sway over him and Tom.

“As we’re unsure of which way the wind blows as of yet, you must be on guard. There’s no telling what his willingness to stop really means.”

Nick hadn’t considered they why that deeply, if he was honest. He’d simply assumed that Randal had more emotional maturity than expected.

“See? There he is.”

Turning toward the voice, Nick found Erica leading Tom and Randal. They were heading straight for him and were outfitted for a day in the dungeons.

“So he is. Fantastic, that’ll make this easier,” Tom replied, nodding at Nick. “Morning. Waiting for us?”

“Ayup. I figured we could get some quests together and do them as a party,” said Nick. “I mean… there is party quests, right? They pay more, need more?”

“Yeah,” said Randal in a low voice. “They don’t really like giving them to us though.”

“That’s because there was only three of us,” Erica said, patting Randal on the upper arm. “Now there’s four. We meet all the requirements of a party. They can’t say no.”

Nodding her head at her own words, Erica then turned to look back at Nick. She gave him a wide smile and then motioned to the door.

“Would you mind if you went and got us some quests?” she asked and then held out a slip of paper to him.

“No problem,” Nick said and took the paper, looking to it. He was more than happy to try it. It’d give him an opportunity to try something new and different. Right now he needed as much experience as he could get.

Leveling experience as well as life experience as he was sorely lacking in both.

“Thats our party paperwork. Our names are already registered to it, just make sure they add your own name to it when you get the jobs,” Erica warned. “Thanks, we’ll head over to the dungeon and wait there for you. It’ll give me a chance to practice my support spells. I’m going to need to up my game if I’ve got three men I have to watch over.”

Erica gave him a little wave of her hand and started marching off toward the city-dungeon. Tom and Randal were in tow and didn’t seem to have a problem.

Maybe you were right. It might be that Erica is actually the leader, even if Randal was acting somewhat like he was.

With a small shake of his head, Nick turned and headed into the guild.

Looking over the queues he found Sara working at the desk. She had just as many people in her line as anyone else today, though she didn’t look like she had more than anyone else either.

Wondering if something had happened, changed, or had been said yesterday, he went and got in her line. She’d been able to help him out yesterday and he’d much rather work with her again.

Her being attractive was secondary to that.

At least this time.

In no time at all, which was rather surprising given on average how long each person took the other day, Nick was at the front of the line. Sara having gone through her line very quickly. As if all their tasks were simple.

“Oh! Nick! Hello!” Sara said with some excitement to her voice. “Welcome back! I saw you turned in all your quests yesterday. Congratulations!

“I admit I wasn’t expecting you to come back until this evening with those. It normally takes solo adventurers a whole day or so to clear up that many kills.”

Oh, uh, well.

Right.

I need to hide my strength a bit, don’t I? My stats are high, but my weapon is incredibly powerful. Not to mention my hit points.

“That doesn’t even take into account you can use Skin of Wood on yourself,” remarked Lucian in a dull tone. “Or heal yourself. Both of which you failed to do yesterday.”

Ah, yeah. Forgot about those.

Damn.

“I got a group,” Nick said simply as way of explaining how quickly he’d managed it. Holding out the party documentation to her, he smiled and shrugged his shoulder. “That made it a lot easier. They were hunting goblins and needed a hand and we just… went from there.

“They asked me to come in today and get some party quests for the four of us. Seemed like a chance for me to get some more experience with the guild and quests.”

“Really? That’s great!” Sara said, taking the paper from him. “By the way, I’m your personal guild contact going forward. If you have any guild business, you have to come to me and only me. No one else will be able to take care of you.

“After yesterday and me having the only line several times, the manager finally changed the policy. Everyone gets their own contacts and they’re the only ones that can assist.

“It… it’s going to take some time for everyone to get the news, and it’s going to make it weird for a bit until everyone figures out their contacts hours, but I like it personally. It’ll make my life easier.”

Sara had been reading over the document the entire time she’d been talking.

To Nick the change in protocol sounded like a good one. At least for him and Sara.

He imagined some adventurers would end up with people who weren’t as good and would suffer for it. That was how the world worked though.

“This is a newer group but… well… it’s a good group,” Sara said with a little bit of hesitancy to her words. “Just make sure you’re on good behavior. Word spreads quick if you’re not able to work in a group very well. You should do fine with your role in this group though.

“Randal is an asshole but he’s a decent frontliner. They lacked damage potential and you’ll be able to fill that gap easily,” Sara said then lifted her eyes from the paper and gave him a smile. “By the way, sorry for not being here when you got in yesterday. I hadn’t expected you back and was on break.”

“I mean, it’s not like you’re here just for my leisure,” laughed Nick with a shrug of his shoulders. He had a hard time not looking into Sara’s eyes. “It’s not like we’d arranged a date or time or anything.”

“True. We didn’t do that,” Sara said, watching him. “That would have probably been easier for us to have seen each other.”

I… okay. That’s… mm.

Now, I admit I’m inexperienced. I admit I’m not exactly a master at reading signals from women.

But that feels like an invitation to ask her out.

“I… I only ever mated with my mate and dragon courting is very different than humans,” said Lucian warily. “I’ve seen many of your progenitors with your kind and I often didn’t quite understand it, but I think she ‘left the door open’ as your ancestors would have said.”

Okay.

Yeah.

No guts, no glory.

Worst case, she says no. Best case, I have a date with a beautiful woman.

“You’re right. Let’s do that then,” said Nick, deciding to go for it. “I’d love to take you out. My treat. If you like, I could meet you somewhere after you get off work or on your day off.

“Though you’ll have to take us somewhere to eat or somewhere you want to be. I’m still terribly new to the city and I have no idea where I’m going anywhere yet. Sorry.”

Apparently that’d definitely been the right signal, as Sara continued to smile at him.

She said nothing, however, and then nodded her head once. Turning on her heel, she left him standing there, walking off with his paperwork.

“Don’t take it bad, she rejects everyone,” mumbled the person behind Nick.

Oh. Shit.

Guess I misunderstood. Alright.

Eh, whatever. Can’t land a hit without taking a shot.

Nick only shrugged his shoulders and threw a grin over his shoulder at the person behind him.

“Nothing wrong with asking, nothing wrong with her declining. That’s how it goes,” Nick said simply. Leaning up against the counter, he waited without feeling any type of negativity.

It really was just how it went. Not to mention he’d only just met her the other day. It was rather fast.

Sara came back with the same smile she’d left with.

“I found a number of good jobs for you and the party,” she said and laid down several papers on the counter along with the original document he’d given her. “I’ve added you to their party on our roster as well. You should be good to go.”

Grinning, Nick gave his head a shake and picked everything up off the counter.

“Fantastic. Thanks, Sara,” Nick said, sorting out the paperwork and then slipping it all into his cheap adventuring pack. He’d bought this morning because he wasn’t so sure he wanted to go into a party with the possibility of revealing his dimensional backpack to someone else. “You have a nice day, now.”

“You, too,” Sara said, watching him as he put the papers away.

Taking up his pole-axe Nick left the counter and headed out to the dungeon.

A casual roll of his wrist brought the knightly weapon up and onto his shoulder. Holding onto it like this was quite comfortable and didn’t cost him much energy at all. Though he did have to be careful about turns. He’d already clunked the side of his weapon-head into a wall.

Amusingly, people got out of his way and gave him a couple glances as they did so. Something he hadn’t been expecting or had even considered.

“To be fair, Sire. You’re already above average height and haven’t finished growing. That doesn’t take into account that you’re also broad shouldered and rather… dense… looking,” remarked Lucian. Nick had always thought he took after his father to be sure, but he didn’t think he was getting close to where he’d been at yet.“On top of that, you’re wearing some solid armor, and wielding a very intimidating weapon. It isn’t the sort of thing you see waltzing down the street that often when it’s all put together.”

Thinking on that, Nick kept it all to himself and kept moving.

When he reached the dungeon he found his party easily enough. They were just standing off to the side while Erica continued to cast spells on them. Working herself through her magical paces.

Pulling the paperwork out of his pack he flipped through it quickly. Sorting the quests from the party document he then held them out to Erica.

“All set. Apparently we all have unique guild contacts now by the way,” explained Nick. “Might want to go early tomorrow morning or later this evening to figure out who yours is.”

Erica’s mouth became a flat line at that as she accepted the papers. Flipping through them she read each, then nodded her head.

“These are perfect,” she said with some warmth. “Absolutely perfect. These are great party requests for us. Who got you these?”

“Sara,” Nick said.

That got a response from Tom and Randal, who looked from Erica to Nick.

Erica didn’t respond in any visible way until she finally nodded her head again.

“Let’s get going!” she said and then put the papers away and gestured to the dungeon entrance. “We’ll be moving to the third floor for all of these. It’ll be boring, and dull, but good experience for us. Especially the turn in.”

Huh. Lucian, why do these guild requests generate quest markers for me, but not for ordinary people. Is that the same reason I got the quest from the land to reach level five?

“Quite right. Because those quests that pop up for you are generated by the land, or spirits and deities of the land itself. The requests from the guilds are just from people who want things,” Lucian explained. “That’s all. If people could give quests to one another it’d become absolute insanity. A king would just give out orders for his soldiers to march from one destination to another. Over and over.

“It’s the same reason monsters don’t drop coins or equipment, really. Balance and supervision from those who keep the world in line.”

I wish they did.

“No. You really don’t wish for that,” muttered Lucian as the group started moving down through the entrance. “If a dungeon were able to drop gold, silver, or bronze coinage, you’d have a long term economic problem. Doubly so if they dropped gear, equipment, or anything else. Think, you’ve had economics lessons.

“It’s already pushing the boundaries of what would be considered unbalanced by producing herbs, stone, and some specks of ore here and there.

“If it became anything more, there would be wars over them, royalty would dominate them, and treat them like gold mines. They’d have soldiers running through them twenty-four seven acting like miners. Harvesting every single kill for a few coins.”

Blinking, Nick followed Erica, Tom, and Randal as they moved through the large cavern and into the second down-ward twisting turn.

You’re right.

Inflation would become rampant.

It’d become a royal gold mine rather than just what it is now, a location treated more like a forest that allows hunting of game and foraging.

“Indeed. If dungeons existed in the way you wished, you’d never see it,” Lucian said with finality.

“Hold,” said a loud voice, breaking Nick out of his thoughts and away from staring at Tom’s back blankly. “Please present your amulets for inspection.”

Frowning, Nick leaned to one side and peered up ahead beyond his group. There were two people in what looked to be full chain-mail. From shin to shoulders, they were wearing expensive and well made mail. On their heads were helmets with visors and actual metal gauntlets on their hands. They each bore a longsword, mace, and a shield.

I don’t recognize the insignia on the shield.

“Nor I,” said Lucian.

“And why is the ducal guard in the dungeon?” Erica asked, stepping up to the guards. She pulled her amulet out at the same time.

She sounded annoyed and frustrated, but she also was acting rather quickly to respond.

Nick wasn’t really sure what to do, other than to pull out his amulet just as everyone else was doing.

“By order of Duke Fash. We’re currently looking for fugitive,” said one of the men who was inspecting Erica’s amulet. After reading the information that probably came up and shared between only them, the soldier cleared his throat. “Please proceed.”

Shit.

They’re looking for me, aren’t they? I’m a fugitive that would cause this type of response.

They must be checking every single amulet to see if they can’t find me.

Wouldn’t that assume I registered with my real name? That’d be rather stupid, wouldn’t it?

Lucian didn’t provide an answer to that and Nick was feeling somewhat wound up.

The two soldiers quickly inspected Tom’s and Randal’s amulets, but they also seemed very uninterested at the same time. As if they really didn’t want to be doing what they were doing.

Stepping up to the closest soldier, Nick called up the information that was held in the amulet. Attempting to share it with the soldier.

It instantly came up and read exactly as he’d hoped and only held three words.

Nick Dal. Fighter.

The soldier was just as uninterested in Nick’s information as he’d been with the other two. Instead he just casually waved Nick on, the party moving through the sixth door and into the room with stairs.

“That was weird,” muttered Tom.

“Hush for now,” replied Erica. Two adventurers were not far away guarding the fifth floor stairwell. While the pair of guards from the previous day had seemed almost uninterested and bored, the two today seemed to be very high strung. Watching Erica and the party with clear anxiety on their faces.

Are they jumpy because of the soldiers?

“Probably,” answered Lucian. “And yes, I do think they were here hoping to find us. Thinking that maybe we really did use our real name or last name. They’re seriously under-estimating us if they think we’re that stupid.

“Though… can’t fault them for trying. It costs them nothing to do checkpoints and it’s worth it if it works. I’m surprised there isn’t more problems in the country, however.”

Problems in the country?

“All the agreements by the king have become null and void. He’s not the king, anymore,” Lucian said. “That means all the dukes will have the ability to do what they want to a degree.

“It’s why coming here was ideal. Being a strong point for the Fash means that they’ll be far less likely to descend into chaos any time soon.”

Erica took them into the third floor stairwell and led them down and into the new location.

As soon as they reached the ground floor she turned around and peered back the way they’d come.

“It would seem the hunt for that… Randalph heir is getting bigger,” Erica murmured. “I’ll talk to my great-uncle and see if I can’t find anything out. I’d rather not deal with this situation if we don’t have to.”

“Great uncle?” Nick asked aloud before he realized it might not be the best thing to ask about.

“Oh! Uh… yeah, I guess we never really said it,” Tom said with a laugh.

“Mm, well, I hope this won’t change how you view me, but my name is Erica Fash. My great uncle is the duke,” Erica explained with a strained yet warm smile. “I’m a very minor part of the family but I have a little pull.”

Quest!

Bury the knife: Kill Erica Fash!