[Salvos] Side Story 4: Hadrian I (Patreon)

HADRIAN breathed deeply, taking in the alluring stench of blood and death. His eyes snapped open as he drew himself to his feet, no longer kneeling over the man he once called his friend. A Platinum Rank died today. Another one lost to this senseless company war.

“Jeremy, I promise you, your death will not be in vain.”

It was a whisper. One to himself. But someone else heard it.

“It’s a tragedy.”

Gabriel stood behind Hadrian. One of the few Diamond Ranks in the Valiant Dreamers Company. He was an [Alchemist]. Well-known for his concoctions of destruction.

Hadrian was a Diamond Rank, just like Gabriel. However, there was a gulf between their combat prowesses. It wasn’t just that Gabriel was higher leveled— yes, that was a major contribution that factored into their fighting potential. Hadrian was Level 112. A fearsome [Warrior] who reached such great heights at a young age.

On the other hand, Gabriel was a Level 125. Beyond that, Gabriel had a second Class of a similar level. Hadrian’s ‘second Class’ was merely in its 40s. And it hadn’t even evolved yet. The reason was simple: he was trying to get a better evolution. The requirements to receive a truly unique evolution was steep. And Hadrian was far too busy managing the Valiant Dreamers Company to actually go out and accomplish any great feats.

Although, the company war was rapidly changing that fact. But he didn’t see it as a victory.

“We’ve won yet another battle, Gabriel. But for what? To avenge those who have fallen?”

“No.”

Gabriel replied simply, glancing away from the leader of the Valiant Dreamers Company. The battlefield was littered with bodies. This was a victory— but only in a technical sense. Because this battle was not supposed to happen. It was an ambush.

The Iron Champions assaulted the camp of the Valiant Dreamers. They were far from Viechester, all the way at the border of Nixa. A war between companies was not so different from a war between countries. The Valiant Dreamers had hoped to avoid getting citizens involved, so they were targeting the Iron Champions’ supply of armor and weaponry.

It was standard for a company to provide the basic equipment to their adventurers. So, the Valiant Dreamers targeted a smith owned by the Iron Champions. They didn’t harm any of the workers there, simply destroying all the equipment within the forge. But they were followed back to their encampment. And that was where the Iron Champions struck.

Assassins were employed, fighting alongside adventurers. Another bloodshed that could’ve been avoided. Another that happened regardless.

Gabriel shook his head, stalking away from Hadrian.

“We fight to protect those who still live. Not for any other reason. That is why we’re dreamers.”

Hadrian drew his lips into a thin line. He wished he could agree with the [Alchemist]. Perhaps it was because his father wasn’t here to rein him in. But Hadrian found himself doubting.

After all, this was not the cause of an adventurer. This was not why he should fight. Adventurers sought loot and challenges: monsters to slay, towns to save, and gold to make. This was none of that.

—--

“They’re here.”

Hadrian looked up at Celine. The Platinum Rank adventurer nodded at him. The Valiant Dreamers Company had returned to the Sunmere Republic, retreating to an inn in Stanmore. It was here they were arranged to meet with some reinforcements.

“Finally.”

A feeling of relief ran through the man. He got to his feet, leaving his desk full of scattered documents behind, a smile spreading across his face. He headed down the stairs and exclaimed as he caught sight of a bulky figure waiting for him in the common room.

“Noah, it’s good to see you.”

“Hadrian!”

The other man bellowed, rushing over to the leader of the Valiant Dreamers Company. He pulled Hadrian into a hug and smacked him on the back as he laughed.

“It’s been so long, my boy! You look like a man!”

“I am a man. Have been for a while.”

Hadrian shook his head, a soft chuckle escaping from his lips. Noah paused. He took a moment to examine Hadrian. Then he grinned.

“So you are. And you’ve taken over for your old man too! The absolute balls you must have, hah!”

“I was only made leader because my father stepped down.”

“Well, he sure must be glad he did that before the company got into this whole mess. Offload all the stress onto you— I would know. My company got into a war with those Bluefield bastards. It was a much smaller scale than this, of course. But I’ll be damned if it wasn’t the most stressful thing I’ve had to go through in the past decade. Even worse than my kid!”

A boy standing behind Noah frowned.

“Hey—”

“Shush, Nohl. The adults are talking.”

Rolling his eyes, Noah wrapped his arm around Hadrian’s shoulder. Hadrian allowed it. He knew Noah, ever since he was ten years old. This was the kind of character the large man was. Broad chested, and equally as loud of a personality.

Despite how rambunctious he could be, Noah was also one of the most loyal friends one could have. Which was why he brought his entire company, the Northbury Troops, all the way from the Helbir Plains up north.

“Heya, Celine. Lookin’ fine as usual, girlie.”

He shot a wink at the woman standing by the stairway. She clicked her tongue, crossing her arms.

“I’m not interested in men, Noah.”

“Still? You could always give it a shot, y’know?”

“You could always shove this fist up your ass too, but you don’t see me making suggestions.”

The retort only made him guffaw. Wiping tears from his eyes, Noah sat down and ordered a beer.

“It’s been six years, and she still hasn’t changed, has she?”

“Neither have you.”

Hadrian smiled, ordering a drink of his own. He had too much of a headache to have some ale of his own. Instead, he ordered a cup of caethorpes tea.

“Going for that Cyclops drink, eh? Trynna beef up that brain of yours for some strategizing?”

“If there was a drink that could truly help me think better, I’m sure Gabriel would’ve already brewed it up for me.”

“That’s true. But maybe he’s keepin’ it hidden from ya. Can’t have you overtakin’ him like you’ve overtaken me.”

Noah grinned as he downed a mug of beer. He slammed it back down on the table, leaving a beard of foam on his mouth as he let out a delighted sigh.

“They don’t make drinks this good over in Northbury, that’s for sure!”

“How are things going for you? You’ve leveled since I last saw you.”

Hadrian last remembered Noah being at around Level 103. Now, he was Level 107. Not the fastest growth. But once you were past the 100s, leveling was far slower, especially with a ‘second Class’ to siphon away the experience. Also, the scaling of threats was a massive problem.

Generally speaking, while there were thousands of people hitting Level 100 every decade, only a dozen would ever make it past 150. That was not because of a lack of trying. Those that tried simply died.

Every year, dozens of Diamond Ranks ventured into highly dangerous areas to try and reach their next advancement. They traveled to the Plaguelands, the Rainforest of Monsters, or the Bloodied Gulf to push themselves to their limits. Very few ever returned. Those who did were generally smart, sticking to the peripheries, rather than risking it all by delving into its deepest depths.

It sounded foolish. But these were individuals who had already survived all odds to get to where they were. They thought that if they tested their fate one more time, they would get through it stronger than ever as they did before.

They were wrong.

Baris ingrained that thought into his head ever since he was a little boy. That was why Hadrian, despite being incredibly talented, never became a brash, hard-headed man who’d charge straight at the mythical Lich of the Plaguelands or the horror known as the Matriarch Centinel of the Bloodied Gulf.

In fact, Hadrian was certain that if not for Baris, he’d be one of the poor fools who tried to sail to the end of the world, only to never return.

Being a Diamond Rank was a privilege and a risk. It made you believe that you were invincible. But Baris created a rule, one which Hadrian never forgot. It was the “Ten Times Rule”. It was simple: your chances of surviving to your next advancement, under the condition that you always took risks, was always ten times less likely than it was for the previous advancement.

It wasn’t predicated on any qualitative data, but it got the idea through Hadrian’s head as a boy. If the chances of surviving to your first advancement at Level 40 was 60%, then your chances of surviving to Level 70 was 6%, to Level 100 was 0.6%, and to Level 150 was 0.006%.

Now, 60% was already a high number considering the condition that had to be met. Also, it wasn’t to say Baris didn’t want Hadrian to aim for the next advancement. He simply wanted Hadrian to do it intelligently— eliminate the risk factor by as much as possible.

That was what Hadrian was doing. And the same went for Noah. Despite being slightly less… civilized, as clear from his accent, due to growing up in the Helbir Plains, Noah was not any dumber than Hadrian when it came to leveling and fighting.

“I ain’t got much to do these days. But boy, you’ve gotten yourself in a lot of trouble. May actually make me work up a sweat.”

“It wasn’t our fault, Noah. The Iron Champions Company pushed for this. They wanted revenge for all those times we sabotaged their unethical activities.”

There was a flicker in Noah’s eyes. Then a smirk. A flash of sharp teeth. He leaned closer, whispering.

“You think it was merely greed that made them do this?”

Hadrian narrowed his eyes. Did Noah know something he didn’t? Also— Folding his arms, Hadrian spoke in a hushed voice.

“What are you doing? If someone sees your fangs—”

“Then they’ll worship me, boy. But that ain’t what matters. What matters is that the Iron Champions Company isn’t actin’ like this just out of spite.”

Hadrian pursed his lips. He made it a point to cover his teeth, even though his fangs weren’t showing. Noah receded back into his seat, no longer revealing a hint of his [Vampiric Essence]. That was right. They were Vampires.

It wasn’t something that Hadrian wanted to be made known. There was a lot of history which made his status complicated, but this lineage of his was how he even knew Noah in the first place.

“Then why are they doing this?”

“It’s simple, boy. I actually pay attention to these things. But it’s got to do with Demons.”

Hadrian froze. The world sent a shudder down his spine. Demons? Like the ones who killed the Immortal King Alexander? The ones his kind were sworn enemies of?

Licking his lips, Hadrian met Noah’s gaze and spoke softly.

“How are the Iron Champions Company related to Demons?”

“It all started four years ago, when one of the main founders of the Iron Champions Company, Bulan Dishar, began investigating a Cult that popped up in Nixa. It wasn’t a big Cult or anything like that. I thought he was just doing some cleaning, y’know? Taking out the trash. These kinds of Cults pop up all the time. We would know. We deal with them very often.

“We thought that with all the resources the Iron Champions Company had, the Cult would be crushed rather easily. Instead, the Cult continued to grow in size. It became too big for us to ignore— and then it vanished. We’d have thought it was dealt with. That the Iron Champions Company finally took care of ‘em.

“But at the very same time, the Iron Champions Company changed. They stopped taking jobs to clear out the Cults around their territory, which eventually caused a spike in [Cultist] activities around Nixa. Rar is currently working overtime sending his thralls around Nixa.”

Hadrian frowned.

“Firstly, keep it low. Secondly, didn’t the Iron Champions Company lose many of their own members trying to take down that Demon rampaging through Falisfield a year ago?”

“They did. But they also conveniently sent all their Gold and Platinum Ranks to the Inoria Empire before it happened. The same Inoria Empire which the princess of the Elutra Kingdom is accusing of being run by a massive Cult. Get what I’m sayin’ now?”

Noah waggled an eyebrow. Hadrian rubbed at his temples.

“That’s just hearsay. Has anyone found any proof of princess Faith’s claims?”

“I’ve sent some guys to look into it. But what I’m sayin’ is that it’s not just the Inoria Empire or the Iron Champions. Something big is happenin’. There’s the talk of that Archdemon up in the Brilsum Ruins, and there’s trouble stirrin’ in the border with those Cult-obsessed Kobolds. There’s whisperin’ that the Elves are readyin’ an attack, and the Beastmen are moving weirdly.”

“They can’t all possibly be connected.”

Hadrian stared dubiously at Noah. The other company leader nodded.

“Maybe not. But some of it is. And I’ll bet that the Iron Champions Company is plannin’ something. Not just some revenge plot.”

Abruptly getting to his feet, Noah chuckled.

“But that’s all I have for now. C’mon, let’s just smash some of their Iron Scum skulls in for now.”

Hadrian sagged in his chair, overwhelmed by Noah and what he said. It was a lot to take in. The leader of the Valiant Dreamers Company didn’t want to believe it. The Iron Champions Company was working for a Cult? They were allying with Demons?

He needed to speak with Baris about this. It didn’t make any sense to him. He almost wished he wasn’t a leader for a moment. But— another thought crossed his mind. One that was much smaller, one that seemed to speak to him nonetheless.

If there was ever a worthy cause, then slaying those vile Demons would be one, no?

Author's Notes:

Pls gib thoughts. I hope it was good.