[Salvos] Side Story 3: Jaakko I (Patreon)

Side Story 3 - Jaakko I

***

THE Adventurers Guild, as always, was bustling with life. Men and women rushed in and out of the building to start their next adventure, or turn in after an adventure is over. The sea of Human faces was not an odd sight to an ordinary person living in the Eastern Kingdoms.

Jaakko, however, was not an ordinary person. He was a Cyclops. Big, burly, his kind was a common sight near coastal cities. However, in cities further inland, the presence of a green man alone was enough to draw stares. And the single eye on his face was what they all fixated on. They didn’t even notice his four, bulky arms.

He’d learned to ignore it, at this point. When he was a young and brash adventurer, he would have often picked fights with those who looked at him the wrong way. That was not really the way Cyclopes lived— they tended to be more pacifistic. However, the fact that Jaakko was an adventurer attested to the fact that he wasn’t averse to combat.

“Jaakko, Gold Rank adventurer.”

He approached the receptionist. A young woman, maybe in her twenties. Possibly even thirties.

“Oh, welcome—”

She glanced up and blinked.

“I, uh, you’re…”

“He’s a Gold Rank adventurer.”

A snappy voice came from behind the Cyclops. He glanced back, looking disapprovingly at the brown-haired [Mage].

“Zack, please be respectful to the receptionist. Yes, we are Gold Rank adventurers.”

Glancing back at the young woman, Jaakko offered her a kind smile.

“Please, we’re looking for some jobs around the area.”

“Uh, right.”

The receptionist hurriedly sifted through some documents as Zack scowled, crossing his arms. The man rubbed a finger over his nose and sniffed.

“Respect should be reciprocated.”

“Then no one would ever be respectful, Zack.”

Jaakko shook his head and turned away from his teammate. The receptionist glanced up a moment later, an apprehensive look on her face.

“This is for… independent adventurers, right? Or are you a part of the Remembered Order Company?”

“We are independents, yes.”

“Alright, these are the, uh, jobs available for you and your team. Thank you for coming to Trepus’ Adventurers Guild. Do you need help with anything else?”

She smiled nervously at Jaakko. He simply nodded, accepting the stack of sheets.

“Thank you, that is all.”

The pair of adventurers left the guild hall. A blonde woman waited for them just outside, her brows raised as she glanced between the both of them.

“Did Zack cause some trouble again?”

“Helen, you…”

Jaakko chuckled as both his teammates began to bicker. Helen, the brash but kind woman. Zack, the also brash but more practical man. Both were Human, and both had no qualms with Jaakko, a Cyclops, as their leader.

“Come on, both of you, let us return to our inn.”

It was not a long distance away. The place they were staying was only down the street from the Adventurers Guild. In the first place, Trepus was not a large city. It was one of the smaller cities in the Traith Kingdom. It was the westernmost country in the Eastern Kingdom Alliance. They mostly dealt with trade, with merchants bringing exotic spices and textile goods from the west to the east, while those in the east brought rare minerals and wood back to the west.

Sometimes, the few merchants who made it to the Dwarf lands and back alive would return with great inventions. Things that would sell for hundreds of platinum in the Human lands. They were an interesting Species, Dwarfs. Jaakko thought that they bore many similarities to his own kind. Not only did they tend to stay out of conflicts, they were also known for their abnormal strength, and unusually large size.

Although he heard that Dwarfs were even taller than the average Cyclops.

The party of adventurers returned to their room where they began to sort through all the jobs availabilities they had been given. They could’ve done it in the Adventurers Guild— it wasn’t a small branch, and the hall even served food and drinks, something atypical of the ones in smaller cities. However, they chose not to.

Frankly, Jaakko did find the stares to be slightly intrusive. And so did his teammates. As such, they were far more comfortable waiting in their room, where no one was likely to start a fight with them. It wasn’t something that happened often, however when it did, it never ended well for anyone involved.

Zack scoffed as he set down a piece of paper.

“These are all terrible jobs. Look— exterminate the Lair of Warp Wasps just five miles north for 5 gold coins? They’re Level 60! That’s far too little pay for that kind of a job.”

Helen nodded, pursing her lips.

“I hate to agree with Zack, but these are just… bad. Slay the Arctic Boar terrorizing the nearby villages? Escort a noble family through the Elutra Kingdom? These kinds of jobs are almost Platinum Rank, but the rewards are below average for a Gold.”

Jaakko narrowed his single eye as he picked up a job of his own.

Request: Investigate the Brilsum Ruins and slay the Archdemon that is said to be hiding there.

Reward: 100 gold coins.

That was the highest paying job they had been given. But it also was not a job for a Gold Rank.

“I heard a few teams of Platinum Ranks have already gone up to the Brilsum Ruins. None of them have returned.”

Helen spoke as she peered over the Cyclops’ shoulder. Zack sighed.

“Of course not. What level are Archdemons— 70, 100? A single team of Platinums won’t be able to take one down. We need Diamonds to do it.”

“Diamonds can’t just take a risky mission like this at a moment’s notice, Zack.”

She rolled her eyes.

“You spoke with Hadrian back in Viechester, didn’t you? The Valiant Dreamers only have a dozen Diamonds within their company. The Iron Champions may have more, but not much. These are some of the most powerful companies in the world.”

“Not as powerful as the Three Honorable Companies.”

“You’re right about that.”

Helen nodded as Jaakko neatly piled up the sheets of jobs into a stack. These kinds of back and forth between the Cyclops’ only two teammates were not uncommon. Especially when they mostly agreed, with some minor nuance separating their final conclusion.

“None of the Honorable Companies are that transparent about their numbers. However, do you really think each of them has more than a hundred Diamonds? The Vaun Qieur Empire is the largest country in the world, right now.”

“Human country.”

Jaakko coughed, his only input. He didn’t want to get involved, of course. Helen paused.

“Right— the largest Human country. But their Elite Swordsguard Forces barely number in the hundred, Zack. And I’m pretty sure that most of them are only in the low 100s. If this is what the Vaun Qieur Empire can muster up, then I highly doubt that the Honorable Companies could have that much more than them.”

Zack folded his arms.

“Well, the Vaun Qieur Empire has dozens of other Level 100s. They’re just non-combatants. I hear they have the highest leveled [Librarian] and [Gardener] in the world.”

Once again, Jaakko coughed. Zack didn’t correct himself, although he harrumphed, as if he got Jaakko’s point.

“That’s true, Zack.”

Helen leaned back on her chair.

“But that doesn’t make a difference. Finding a Level 100 anywhere in the world is rare. We’ve only seen three Diamonds before, even after a decade of adventuring.”

“We might see four Diamonds soon, if that girl keeps leveling as fast as she does.”

Zack didn’t say a name, but they all knew who he was talking about. Salvos. The silver-haired woman they met in the Silkfall’s Crevice Dungeon. She was barely Level 40 then, but she was over Level 70 the last time they spoke.

Jaakko found her rate of leveling to be admirable. Others would feel insecure— threatened that a random girl could possibly achieve in half a year what others take decades to accomplish. But there was no reason for Jaakko to feel this way. It simply motivated him to work harder.

Helen continued.

“And even if we count all the combat and non-combat Classes combined in the Vaun Qieur Empire, they most definitely don’t have more than a thousand Level 100s. The highest leveled known individual— Human, Jaakko— right now is the Watcher, and he’s in his 180s, the last I heard. Risking the life of a single Diamond Rank is not something a company, even if it’s the Forsaken Company or the Rising Veterans Company, is willing to do.”

Zack grumbled, sinking into his seat.

“That doesn’t mean they should just sit around and do nothing. If they’re so scared of dying, they should’ve just chosen another job. Pick a non-combat Class or something.”

Shaking her head, Helen spoke softly.

“Honestly, I do envy them. Fighting is… honestly tiresome. Yes, non-combat Class are harder to level, but that’s because it’s just safer, and doing new and different things for your Class is a lot simpler if you just have to fight a stronger monster.”

She tilted her head back slightly, crossing her arms.

“However, that’s the danger that comes with being an adventurer. That’s why we’re independents, right? If we’re in a company, the leaders will never risk a high level member in a risky mission, even if it means others could get hurt. No Diamond will go up to the Brilsum Ruins, just like no Gold will kill that Arctic Boar that’s terrorizing the nearby towns.”

Zack frowned.

“What are you saying?”

Jaakko smiled, getting to his feet.

“She’s saying that we have found our job.”

The Cyclops placed down a sheet of paper on the table, taken from the stack he had piled up.

“Kill the Arctic Boar.”

“For only 50 gold. Really?”

Zack stared at Jaakko. The Cyclops nodded.

“Yes. After all, we are independents, not members of a company, aren’t we?”

—--

Zack didn’t protest, although he begrudgingly followed after the two as they left the inn.

“At least let us stock up on some equipment before we do something so breathtakingly stupid.”

“We will—”

Jaakko paused right outside of the building as he spotted a crowd gathering just down the street. Zack blinked, and Jaakko furrowed his brows.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a [Merchant]— not from around here. He looks like he came from further in the east.”

There was a collective groan, and those gathered around the [Merchant] slowly trickled away. Jaakko approached the caravan, followed by Helen and Zack. A passerby glanced up at Jaako, then snorted.

“Don’t be a fool, Cyclops. Your kind can’t possibly afford what’s being sold.”

Jaakko ignored the comment, although Helen and Zack glared at the man as he stalked away.

“Silvers.”

“They seriously have no respect, do they?”

Coming to a stop, they saw a young woman gesturing at a laid out mat full of gray weapons. A material Jaakko had never seen before. He wasn’t even sure if they were made of metal. There were all kinds of weapons— swords, spears, sickles, daggers, even kusarigamas. Bows made of similar materials were set down next to the blades, and staffs and wands too.

The [Merchant] smiled.

“Welcome, Gold Ranks. I am Ivonne, a humble [Merchant] who has returned from the northeast. I come bringing news and wares from the Elf lands.”

“News and wares?”

He exchanged a glance with Zack, and she shrugged.

“I’m not aware of anything that’s happened recently.”

“Oh, but there is. For the first time in a hundred years, Elves have appeared at our borders. They have clashed with the greatest [Warriors] of the Eastern Kingdoms, and they weapons have been salvaged, brought here by me.”

She spread a hand over the lain items.

“These were all crafted from the very fine eldergreen wood. Tall trees that are said to reach hundreds of feet in height, inhabited by the Elves living in their tundra. The material is durable, rivalling even the craft of Dwarfs. As you can see for yourself, everything here is of Medium Grade, even before enchantments.”

A smile appeared on her face as Jaakko peered down at the wares. Certainly, everything was as Ivonne said. He heard about such items before. It would definitely be useful to have such weapons on them.

“How much do these cost?”

“A hundred gold. Everything here is priced the same. Except for the arrows, of course. Those are merely 10 gold each.”

Zack sputtered.

“We barely even have a few hundred gold! That’s ridiculous! We should just leave!”

Helen nodded, turning around as well.

“Yeah, let’s look somewhere else, Jaakko… Jaakko?”

The Cyclops didn’t budge. He placed a finger on the kusarigama, so finely crafted, he thought it was the work of a master smith. There was a story he was told about the Elves. They were just like Humans. They often squabbled amongst themselves, rarely ever banding together to accomplish anything.

When Humankind was brought together under the banner of the Immortal King Alexander, the Elves were thoroughly defeated by the Humans. However, despite this, Jaakko was told by his parents that if Elfkind had a figure similar to Alexander, they’d have defeated even the combined strength of Humans.

And it was for a simple reason: eldergreen wood.

“I will take this.”

He produced a bag of coins, and Ivonne grinned.

“Why thank you, dear customer.”

She accepted the coin as Jaakko lifted the kusarigama up into the air.

“Solid. It’s real.”

“What are you doing, Jaakko?”

Zack stared at him, aghast.

“I simply used my own funds to purchase an item, Zack. One which I believe would be useful for taking down the Arctic Boar.”

“Yes, but…”

The man trailed off, and Helen took over.

“You’re not really one to exactly spend money often, you know? That’s just unusual. That [Merchant] didn’t use a Skill on you, did she?”

Jaakko paused.

“She did not.”

He spoke simply as he started past his teammates. There was a flash in his mind. Something that had stirred within him from earlier. Zack mentioned Salvos. How she had leveled so quickly— it drove the Cyclops. He wasn’t like the rest of his kind. He enjoyed competition. He was never a pacifist.

“I simply wish to reach Platinum Rank before the next time I see that girl, that is all.”

Helen and Zack looked at each other. The man leaned over and whispered.

“Does Jaakko have a crush or something?”

She elbowed him on the side.

“What is wrong with you? It’s none of our business!”

Author's Notes: 

Any thoughts? Trying to contain a whole story to a single chapter isn't... easy lmao

Gib thoughts. Will try to get the next one up soon.