A Soldier's Life-Chapter 262: Guildmaster Prejudice

Chapter 262: Guildmaster Prejudice

Our armored escort walked briskly through the city, not giving us much time to take in the sights. Just like Sanco, the Esenhem capital of Artiria was meticulously clean. There was a greater grandeur to the buildings as well, but the architecture still mirrored the other elven city with its graceful curvature and lack of sharp angles on all the structures. Dark, glossy wood panels adorned the roofs of most buildings.

A number of the buildings also extended high into the sky, competing with four hearth trees that I guessed marked the corners of the city. These hearth trees, however, could not compete with the grandeur of the one in Caelora. Perhaps these trees were younger, or their growth had been controlled.

Maveith still received his fair share of stares, but they were more in passing than intense study. I guessed this was since he was not as unique here. Elves dominated the streets, but humans, halflings, dwarves, and even the occasional orc and catkin walked among them. I tried not to gawk, but still, my head could not help turning to watch the unfamiliar races pass. Two local city guards escorted a large reptilian man matching Maveith in height. These city guards had off-yellow uniforms, differing from the pea-green uniforms in Sanco. Each of the elven cities was ruled by a Regent and maintained its own martial force.

From what I had learned about Esenhem customs, the long-lived soldiers and guards were trained individually, not as a unit. This meant they did poorly when forming large armies, which put them at a disadvantage against organized armies like the Telhians.

“Are there any goliaths in the city?” Maveith’s deep voice asked our escort.

“There is a delegation in the Court of Regents. Maybe four goliaths if I recall. I have only been to court once, and there are delegations from most nations in Desia,” the knight said helpfully.

“From Stone Mountain Island?” Maveith asked hopefully.

The knight slowed for a few steps, thinking. “No. The Blackwood, I think.” Maveith’s excitement quickly diminished.

Maveith turned to me to explain, “There is a small city of goliaths on the other continent. The Stone Mountain Island clans have little contact with them even though they are just a day’s sail away. They have different values from those of the clans.” The knight turned slightly, clearly interested in learning more, but held his tongue when Maveith didn’t elaborate further.

We soon found ourselves at the Adventurers Hall, but I would have been content to explore the city. It was a modest structure, two stories and mostly of dark granite. It stood in the shade of one of the hearth trees. The entrance was a massive tace wood door that was engraved with the Guild’s branching tree symbol.

Cordin led us around back to the stables, and I handed off Ginger’s care. Cordin’s impatience led us immediately through a back door. The smell of food and ale mingled with the sound of stringed instruments and a melodic voice. It was one of the few doors I had seen that Maveith was not required to duck under since I had met him.

A standard-looking inn’s common room greeted us. Tables were filled with elves, humans, and one pair of dwarves. Two elves strummed instruments while a third crooned a soft melody in Elvish. Maveith got some curious glances, but no one openly stared. I could tell from experience that these men and women were combat-seasoned. Cordin didn’t hesitate as he walked across the room, passing a long bar lined with shelves of colorful bottles and staffed by a young-looking, female elven barkeep, who smiled in welcome as we passed. The knight was headed toward the back room, and we followed.

It felt like we were being dragged along. I wanted to relax and take in the sights of this unfamiliar city. Also, my Hound training was screaming at me to be better prepared for these impromptu encounters. There was no choice now but to find out what the Guildmaster wanted. We followed Cordin to a large, spacious office where an elf with long, gray-streaked black hair sat behind a desk that was far too big for him. Dozens of orderly stacks of paper covered the desk as he worked on a folder in front of him, not looking up.

Cordin, having completed his task, announced us: “The two from Sanco are here.” When the Guildmaster waved his hand in acknowledgment, Cordin left, closing the door behind him. The Guildmaster didn’t look up as he read and then put a quill to paper. He wrote for almost ten minutes before putting down the implement. I sensed that he was testing our patience on purpose, so I waited.

When he looked up, I could read his eyes. He was not happy to see us. He studied Maveith first before studying me. “You are the Telhian?” It was an accusation, and it was easy to tell he did not like the Empire.

“I am not Telhian. I came from the Empire, but I am not a citizen.” A flash of surprise crossed his face and quickly disappeared. I assumed it was due to my proficiency in Elvish rather than my statement. Maveith stirred uncomfortably next to me as tension hung in the air.

His eyes narrowed. “But you were of the Legion?” I began to see where his anger was rooted. I shouldn’t be surprised that he had learned I was a legionnaire. Desdemona probably included it in a report to the Guild.

I responded carefully. “I was conscripted, yes. I took the opportunity to flee in the confusion of the war.”

He shook his head negatively, still discontented with my presence. “And Guildmaster Theodas raised you to silver for a single battle.” It was more a statement than a question. His voice remained hard. “I have dealt with your ilk before—ex-legionnaires who say they are abandoning the Empire and seeking sanctuary in the Guild.” His hard eyes looked through me. I sensed some aether in the air, but my bone inscriptions didn’t react.

He continued, “Most of you are spies. If I find your loyalty to your First Citizen masters has not been broken, I will see you excised from the Guild and have a bounty placed on your head.” His threat was stated in a cold, flat tone that sent a chill through me. Not so much from the words, but from the power I sensed from this elf. It reminded me of Traeliorn, the summoner.

Maveith didn’t like his tone and defended me. “Eryk is no spy.”

“Friend goliath, you should keep better company. Life is too short to be caught in the Empire’s web,” the Guildmaster replied coolly. “You are not to leave the Guild Hall while you are in Artiria. You are not to speak to anyone until you leave in the morning. That is an order, as you are on an official Guild assignment. You are dismissed.” He pulled another stack of paper toward him to continue his work, ignoring us.

I was worried about the Guildmaster because we would have to pass through Artiria again on our way to the Boutan Caliphate, but I didn’t think it was the right time to use my minuscule powers of persuasion to change his opinion of me.

Stolen novel; please report.

When we exited the office, a young elf awaited us to escort us to our room. The plain room had two beds, and the only positive aspect of our confinement was that they were big enough for Maveith. There was no window or hearth. After talking with the Guildmaster, this felt more like a cell.

Since we had not been given a meal, I handed Maveith a burrito as I prepared to get some sleep. He was clearly still reacclimating to his ring as he munched away loudly. The beds were not uncomfortable, but an acidic scent hung in the air. Maybe the lingering scent of a cleaning solution. Maveith was asleep before me, and I utilized the dreamscape amulet to review the little information I had about the Duchy of Manch.

In the morning, we were escorted by Knight Cordin back to the courtyard for the teleportation to Gramney. The elven displacement mage smirked knowingly when we arrived. She definitely knew more about me than she had let on and was probably aware of the frosty reception I had received.

She didn’t seem to share the Guildmaster’s antipathy toward me. It made me concerned that perhaps her interest in me was based on the number of artifacts Maveith and I declared at customs, or maybe the existence of my dimensional space.

I couldn’t resist not knowing and walked up to her, her guards becoming alert and their hands resting on their sheathed weapons. I produced and handed her an apple, which she took after a moment. “A dungeon apple,” I explained. Ginger neighed in dismay while Maveith held her reins. I was giving away her apples, so her distress was understandable.

I assumed the mage had been informed about the crate of apples I had shown at customs, but judging from her surprise, maybe not. She inspected it for a while before taking a bite. Her eyes quickly widened, and she lost some decorum as she devoured the offering. I could tell that just like Zyna, the elven mage had received some euphoric effect from the dungeon aether saturating the apple. She regained some composure. “Where?” was all she asked as she licked the juice from her lips.

“A dungeon in the Empire,” I hedged, not telling her more. “How difficult will it be to port back from Gramney to Artiria?” I figured I had gained enough goodwill from the apple to exchange it for some information.

“The Duchy does not have displacement mages capable. Myself and one other share the duties among the Esenhem cities. Between us, we usually port to Gramney once a month, but … we have been off schedule. I will return to Esenhem with my guards immediately after arriving. Another return trip may be some time away,” the elf woman explained.

Maveith became uneasy. I had told him we would only spend a few days in Gramney to drop off my passengers and search for Castile. He announced his concerns. “The halfling trader said the Esenhem war effort was interfering with the schedule.”

“The war is of Telhian machinations. We warned the Emperor to leave what was buried, buried. He did not listen,” the golden-haired mage said tersely. “We reclaimed the Isle of Amatalhos peaceably. No one was killed, and we allowed those who wished to leave to do so. We only stepped foot on Telhian soil when he did not heed our warnings.”

“What warning? Why is unearthing Atlantium, the city of the Titans, bad?” I asked politely.

The mage was more shocked than I thought a centuries-old woman should be. Her jaw flapped for a moment. “You are remarkably—well informed.” Still, her words had difficulty coming, and I assumed it was because she did not know the answer to my question. “Humans live brief lives. They forget the ancient histories.”

When she did not go on, I asked, “Will you enlighten me, then?”

She gathered her thoughts. “The Titans destroyed the world once with their magics. Whatever is buried there might do so again. No man, elf, dwarf, or orc should possess such power,” she said vehemently. “Telhians have long abused their power and cannot be trusted with more.”

“And the elves have never abused their power?” I questioned her, but her face immediately darkened. I thought this would lead to a cordial discussion, but she ended the conversation there.

“I need to have message sendings sent to make sure our arrival zone is clear.” Her guards interposed themselves between us, and I felt I had angered her. I was certain elven history had its share of tyrants, but she wouldn’t listen to me. Personally, I guessed the elves just wanted the power buried in Atlantium for themselves—otherwise, the timing of their annexation of the Isle of Amatalhos didn’t make sense.

When we were alone, Maveith asked worriedly, “We are not going to wait a month in Gramney for the elven displacement mage, are we?”

He had been very patient with our progress toward the Boutan Caliphate. This trip to Gramney was the first part of our journey that would take us in the wrong direction. I made him a promise. “No. If we cannot find transport after a week, we will make our way on foot.” He nodded thankfully and relaxed. I would not have shown the same patience if it had been one of my sisters.

The circle was even more crowded than it had been the last time. Most people looked like traders, with oversized packs or densely-packed carts. The elven mage worked as the group pressed together, her eyes darting to me more than once. I felt the aether in the metal runes beneath our feet build to a crescendo as they drew from the ley line, and after a brief period of darkness, we were standing hundreds of miles away.

Gramney was not what I expected. Our arrival was heralded with horns and soldiers surrounding the runic stonework upon which we arrived. They wore dark-blue uniforms and tabards emblazoned with a rearing golden unicorn. Knight Cordin’s impatience and recognition had us quickly past the guards. We fell in step with him, and I asked, “Are we heading to the Adventurers Guild?”

“Where else would we be headed? You have your missive to be delivered, and it will complete my escort,” he replied somewhat impatiently.

“We are a Guild assignment for you?” Maveith asked, interested.

“Yes. Guildmaster Theodas contacted me. I am to ensure you don’t cause trouble and get you safely to the Guild Hall in Gramney.” He paused and pointed at a large wooden building. “The Guild Hall. I have to check in with my baron, but I will be in the Guild Hall later tonight to collect my payment. Perhaps we can share a drink then.” He saluted with his fist and walked away. I secured Ginger in the stables before entering.

The Guild Hall reminded me of the one in Telha, albeit with many more adventurers. My eyes passed over the crowd, looking for an orc, but I was disappointed. Maveith drew some curious stares, but no one moved to engage us. I walked slowly past the posting board and noted many of the postings centered around the dungeon outside the city. Mostly, local restaurants wanted meat, fungi, or flora found within.

As we reached the counter, an older woman with creased smile lines on her face asked our business. “We have a missive from Guildmaster Theodas in Sanco.” I placed the sealed and rolled document on the counter, expecting to be brought before the Guildmaster.

“Very good. If it is tied to a posting, please present your guild medallions,” she said politely while maintaining her smile. Her language was close to Telhian—Latin, but she had a strong accent and I needed to focus to understand her.

“Do I not need to hand it to him in person?” I asked.

“You could wait. He is currently training in the dungeon and will be back late tomorrow,” she replied patiently.

“I see. You can hold it then.” I had already received my reward in the form of transport to Gramney. Even if something extra was attached to completing this delivery, I doubted it was substantial.

I turned away from the counter and looked through the postings with Maveith. Maveith asked me questions as we read. “Are we going to take an assignment?”

“No, just trying to act normal. We are not even going to stay in the Guild Hall.” I checked to make sure we were not being overheard. “It is time to unload my passengers.” Maveith nodded a little too excitedly for my liking.

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