Captain of the Guard, Lindel

A dream played out before me, the same one that haunted me for so long. The same memories playing before me, as I walked through it like a ghost. Only able to observe, unable to change a single thing. Forced to watch the source of my deepest regret. The pain I felt, turning into an iron clad conviction. To see that no one might suffer as my dearest sister did.

It started the same every time. My younger self, laying on the bed with a fever. We were orphans, taken in by the church. Our home destroyed by a fiendling. The journey to this budding kingdom, had been long and arduous. Many of the elders did not make it. Though most of the children did, through the protection of our guides and adults. My dear sister doing all she could to help those that were sick from the journey during these times.

Days blurred by, in my younger self's fever induced dreams. Many starting to get better, while those that were not had already passed. Then came the part that always enraged me. Cultists had set fire to the church at night. There were those that tried to help, the elemental wielders using water to put out the fires. The fire itself was a distraction however, as those that managed to make it outside were abducted one after the other. The fire spreading to the roofs of other buildings. Any elf could make an excellent offering to any dark gods.

Too weak to fight off my abductors, my younger self was dragged off into the woods in the dead of night. My sister had somehow found us, throwing a rock at my assailants. Two of the three gave chase after her, and I never saw them again. My younger self, just barely struggled enough to break free and run. The former captain of the guard, rest her soul, found us right as I was captured again. The damned dream always ended right before the catharsis of the cultist being cut down, and the others rescued. I knew there was nothing I could have done, that it wasn't my fault.

Still I used this dream as motivation to purge Eclipse of cultists wherever they were found. I used it as my driving force, to ascend the ranks of the guards. Now I had been captain for two decades, and it never felt it got any easier. Between the current king's plays to steal power from the churches. The underground becoming a literal cesspit for the filth of Eclipse, and the monster attacks that grew more frequent every year. I had to steel myself. Showing weakness was admitting defeat, and Eclipse needed someone to be it's pillar of justice.

Crawling out of bed, and doing my morning routines, I went into my office to eat a small breakfast. Reading the reports, I saw that someone named Richard Adams was filing for permission to bring a tamed monster into the city. Pulling up the files on the boy through crystal ball. I could see the long list of reports and infractions he had gathered over his short life. A half dwarf, half human didn't make him popular with the bigots in the inner walls. It really didn't help his case, that he was outspoken. Though this was overlooked due to his youth. He had been exiled a few times in an attempt to humble him. Since he was too young to have it properly put on his report it was only cited as infractions.

The interesting parts, were that Oswald Manfred was apparently backing him. The old dwarf seemed to finally have found himself an apprentice as stubborn as himself. Cracking a smile, while finishing the rest of my meal. I recieved a new message, telling me to update his profile. That meant he had his tamed monster processed properly without incident. Which was good since I only needed to stamp that I had allowed a monster into the city. The exile was nulled a week ago, after it was revealed some quack alchemist had made a lure instead of repellent. The Cold night incident taken off Richard's records while the appropriate party was punished. He was no doubt told about this development, given that he used his token of apology on being allowed back in faster.

If I had to guess, the boy probably found a wounded whispering wolf, and bounded with it. It wouldn't cause too many issues that couldn't be dealt with promptly. The message beeped again, as if demanding my attention. Ah yes, it was a training day for rookies wasn't it? Sipping the last of my coffee, and savoring the flavor. I finally turned my attention to the creature that was allowed into my city. I was left coughing, and gasping as I managed to swallow my coffee instead of spitting it out. My eyes wide on the picture of the beast before me. Was this some kind of a sick joke?

Hammering the button to the guards to detain the two. I quickly donned my armor and weapons. By the time I was dressed, I saw their response. They had let the two pass while I was reading the documents. After all the apology token was used, and this particular monster passed the tests it needed to. "Damn rookies." I muttered under my breath, as I walked out of my office. I saw my personal guards standing on either side of my door. To guard it while I slept. Dismissing them, I walked towards my secretary.

The forty something human looked at me, wearing her soft robes. She never wore her actual uniform to work, but considering that her arm was a magical construct, I let it slide. It certainly didn't help that she could make my life a living hell whenever she felt like it. Putting on my best smile, I lightly tapped the edge of her desk. Sometimes I wondered who the boss was around here. "Vivian, I need to take a personal day."

She slowly put on her glasses to look at me. Leaning forward in her chair to really draw out how she'd be doing me a favor here. I tapped the crystal ball on her desk to bring up the picture. She looked at it, before looking at me, raising a brow. "Do you know how much work you'll be putting off on me?" Her words drawn out, as she put her fingers together. "Who was she?"

I looked back at the picture displayed by the crystal ball. "You have the glasses on, is it an illusion?" My voice came out lower than I meant to. An anger starting to well up.

Vivian hid her expression behind her hands with her elbows propped on the desk. "It is not an illusion Captain. It also doesn't have the telling signs of a doppelganger. After all, why would it need to look like that if it was trying to hide? Maybe a corpse walker? Though the report stated she was very much alive and not undead. I also don't see any demonic posession in play here..."

"Vivian, please. You are an oracle, I want to be certain before I march off." I looked into her crystal blue eyes, almost pleading.

Vivian let out a deep sigh, before looking at the picture. Her eyes glowing faintly from magic. She seemed confused, before taking off her glasses. Putting them back on, she leaned back in her chair. "I'll give you the day off, on one condition."

Scowling, I slowly nodded my head. "Name it."

A few hours before Sunrise (Richard's Point of View)

We were traveling through the night. This close to the walls of the kingdom, there should not be anything that might attack us. Mimi herself had been quiet for the most part, focusing on what I was telling her. I wasn't sure why, but she seemed slower on picking up things. It might be because of the cold, or something else. Still, her being like this hurt me. If I could get her somewhere warm, she might perk up a bit. Her ears continued to flick a little despite the cold. Then she stopped, to look in a direction.

Realizing there was something that way, I held out the smoldering torch I had been holding. Letting the fire flare up a few times, I sent a signal. Soon, I could hear the armored boots of guards on patrol. A voice called out, "Who goes there!?"

"Richard Adams! Exiled about twenty days ago! I discovered a friendly monster, that I then tamed!" I wasn't a beast tamer, and anyone could realize that Mimi wasn't under my control. Though the fact that I yelled that I had her tamed, was meant to put all blame on me, if something happened with her. I would be held responsible for her actions, and it was the quickest way to get her somewhere warm. Mimi knew the word tame as controlling her bugs in a sense. She reacted a little to it, but moved behind me, as I gestured for her to.

The guards started marching towards us, "Richard Adams!? We thought you were dead lad!" The leader of the group laughed, prompting the others to laugh. They came into view past a few shrubs, holding their own lanterns. The man that was to do the talking was a fat, but stout human. A thick scruffy mustache under his nose without any beard.

Laughing back, I moved my torch to the side. "Came close a few times. How's the family William!?" Keeping the talk casual, as the entire group paused to look at Mimi. A couple recruits already reaching for their swords. I stepped forward, as did William. A man I encountered a few times. He has always been a decent man, if a little greedy for coin.

Scratching his exposed chin, he'd saunter over to me while Mimi stayed still. "They're doing just fine lad. Though you aren't so young anymore. Lucky for you, the cold night incident was traced back to a quack."

Walking to meet him, I quickly shook William's hand, "Oh? That's great news! Guess I'm not exiled anymore."

He gripped mine, giving it a firm shake, "Aye!" He'd let out a cheerful laugh, which seemed to calm the recruits. Though they were still watching Mimi. William pulled me into a playful headlock to ruffle my hair. "Believe it or not lads, this boy has more experience out in the woods, than all of ya put together!"

Half patting, half slapping his back to get him to let go of me, I was promptly released. Smiling I flexed for the recruits, "Keep in mind, that not everyone that is exiled is a criminal. Some people just prefer risking their lives, over working in the stone mines." This managed to get a few laughs from the recruits.

William smiled a bit, before looking back towards Mimi. "Hey lad, where did you find this one?" Giving her a once over he'd whisper to me, "Didn't know you liked monsters that much."

This caused my face to almost glow red, as I quickly shook my head. "It's not like that! She's kind of like a bug hermit that turned into a monster. She actually has her hive under her wings William. Geez, don't embarrass me like that because you're trying to impress some new recruits."

William bellowed out another round of laughter, finally getting rid of all tension in the air. Giving me a firm slap on the back, that caused me to lurch forward a little bit. "Aye lad, don't worry about it. All in good fun and all that. So, you said you tamed her eh? Are you fine with me doing the tests here and now? It'll save you a bit of trouble later."

"I'd actually prefer to do the inspection somewhere warm. It's cold as the deathly woods out here." I turned back towards Mimi, to watch her.

William walked out in front of his recruits, "Alright boys, if you ever see something you aren't sure about. You can conduct a test on the spot. Monsters aren't allowed past the walls, no matter how much a rich merchant tries to bribe you. Captain Lindell likes to personally oversee trials involving such cases. If you want to be guards posted inside the inner walls one day. You'd better remember this." Marching in front of them, they lined up, standing at attention.

I quietly moved back to Mimi, holding her hand. Feeling how frigid it was, only made me frown. I decided to let go when she made no effort to hold mine back. She almost seemed half asleep, as it were. William finished up his speech after a couple minutes, before approaching us. "So, how are we doing this William?" I reluctantly moved away from Mimi, as she stood passively.

"I'm going to have the recruits ask you a few questions about 'er." He gestured to Mimi, who looked at him then away. "Once they are done, I'll have them record everything in a crystal. I haven't seen your monster before." Nodding at this, he continued. "After they are done recording, I'll have another crystal record me drawing her blood." I started to say something, but he held up a hand to stop me. "You can do it, if you want. Though don't say anything unless you feel like repeating it."

Nodding, I could only really accept it. William waved the recruits over, some of them no doubt thinking this was all set up for how easy it was going. The five of them started to surround me, before William stopped them. "Remember lads, some beasties can get right ornery if they see you ganging on their tamer." They quickly looked at Mimi to see her glowing eyes on them. The recruits all took a step back, and formed into a line. Mimi looked down at her hive while they fumbled with the recording crystal.

The first recruit stepped forward, "U-uh... What kind of creature is this? The er... one you want to bring into the kingdom of Eclipse?"

Looking him in the eyes, before turning to her, "No idea really. I think she might be a monsterized dark elf. She certainly isn't a shifter, or a corpse walker though."

"T-Thank you sir." He walked to the back of the line to take the crystal and continued recording as the second stepped up. A female voice came out from the helmet, "You said earlier that she is friendly towards non-monsters. Is this true? Any thing worth mentioning?"

She at least sounded professional, making me wonder if she was held back a year. Thinking about the question, I could only shrug. "She has healed my wounds and risked her body to keep me safe. I know that this will go to a judge more than likely, so they can tell if I am stating the truth or not. She will defend herself however, and has slain a fiend in single combat."

William laughed at this, "Yeah right lad, must have wanted to give the judge a good laugh."

Smiling softly, I just shrugged as the third recruit came up. A good ten minutes went by as we played twenty questions. In reply to how potent her healing was, I had to show them the scar on my stomach that had almost faded. It had actually looked a lot better since she helped me over come my cold a few days ago. This seemed to strike the recruits with awe, as it had clearly been a mortal wound. Mimi could put even our best healers to shame.

The next part came when William had to do a stress test. Which was a bit unnerving since I had to hold her hand through it. She was hardly reacting to anything, unless it was pointed at her belly. Which made me feel she was more reacting out of safety for the hive. I managed to squeeze her hand a bit to make her move away now and then. Though the recruits themselves probably felt she wasn't afraid of them in the slightest.

With all that done, I was given two copies of the crystals. William would have to turn his copies in after he was done marching the rookies around. Still this should save us some time. After a bit of walking, we managed to break through the tree line to marvel at the fifty foot (15.24 meters) high walls. While they were just stone walls, they were built to break outwards away from people behind them. Behind these outer walls were the fields on which the farmers, indentured servants, and slaves worked. A few monsters were permitted for field work, including a rock troll. There were a few shacks on the fields for where those that farmed usually slept. These shacks would also be used as make shift out posts if any hostile monsters managed to break through the outer wall.

As we walked, I realized how this might be the real last test for monsters entering the first inner walls that led to the city. There were people working and toiling away. Even as it got colder, magic could be used to grow crops easily. Anything a monster might want to eat was here. It was better to have their true colors show themselves here. At least for the morbid reason, that the prisoners were at the front. These were the worst, with life long sentences for commiting extremely terrible acts. A few even had magic sapping shackles with mind dampening collars. Why put to death, what you could put to work right?

As we walked, the magical warmth that helped the seeds grow, finally hit us. There were a few green houses scattered about, for rare and exotic plants with specific needs. Anything useful was grown, including the rot berries grown in small groves all along the wall. Unsurprisingly, Mimi didn't seem to react to so many people. She merely observed them, and if anything the numbers intimidated her. She held my hand as I guided her, the sun just starting to rise.

We arrived at the entrance to the inner walls. There was a special side entrance off to the side, hidden by some large bushes. It was a good distance away, to keep monsters from scaring people and merchants. Walking up to the door, I knocked. A tough and scarred looking man opened the door. The obvious signs of an actual beast master, or monster tamer. He looked at me, with one eye. The other covered in a white fog to made it clear it was his blind eye. A scar going over that. He didn't wear an eye patch for some reason, but I didn't want to question this dark bald gentleman.

He grinned at me, before looking at Mimi. Eyeing her up and down, I held out the crystals. "William will be coming back with his copies after he's done with his rookie training."

The man continued to grin, showing his pearly white teeth. "Don't worry kid, my bite is worse than my bark. I don't plan on doing either to you, if you show respect."

Relaxing a little, I managed to nod, "Thank you sir. Um... my name is Richard." Holding out a hand, while rubbing the back of my head.

The man took my hand in his large scarred one. Giving me a rough hand shake. I noticed he had a well trimmed beard, which made me feel I could trust him. It wasn't long by any means, only coming to his neck, but he just laughed it off. "I'm Grim. One of the master tamers. Let's get your girl inside with something to warm to drink. She looks like she's about to curl up and hibernate."

He'd let go of my hand as I nodded, "Thank you very much Grim."

We walked inside, to find out that Grim was also overseeing his own batch of rookies. I remembered that Fall was the rookie seasonal training time. All the monsters that didn't like the cold would hunker down away from the walls, while scavengers were milling about here and there. Perfect for whipping them into shape, as well as snagging a few for the tamers. We were taken to a rather large room, with a bunch of tamers practically fawning over Mimi. Grim went on to explain that they could sense she wasn't bonded to me, and that unique monsters were something of a badge of pride. He shooed them out of the room when a couple started reaching for her hive, still thinking she was pregnant. What was with people and trying to touch stomach without permission? The two that tried had their wrists grabbed by Mimi, but thankfully she just moved them back.

Grim whistled in appreciation at her restraint, while ordering the two to bring in a table so we could have an 'official' sit down. The room was pleasantly warm, and to my relief Mimi seemed to be 'waking' up. When I asked if she slept for long periods of time before, she had told me no. Though it was possible she was embarrassed about being vulnerable during the winter. Grim ordered the two to bring in some warm drinks.

While they did that, he had the crystals play back what they recorded. While I was watching, Grim pulled out a crystal to take a proper picture of Mimi. After it was over, he leaned a forearm on the table, helping to establish a casual tone. While sipping at his coffee. I was given heated water in a large teapot to share with Mimi. After showing her how it worked, she seemed to understand it and kept us both topped off while we drank. It really was nice to have her moving again.

"So, you were falsely exiled?" He started with something light.

Nodding I let out a sigh, "I knew it was a setup from the start."

Grim laughed, slapping the table. "I see, well because of that, and the fact you almost died. I think it sounds like you get an apology token."

Smiling back, I nodded again. "Yep, I get a free pass from getting exiled again, or I can use it for something else. Sadly I can't sell it for coin." I shrugged at the last bit.

Grim casually scratched his beard, "Yeah, it would sell for a hell of a lot, but those are the rules. I noticed you said you tamed her. You know what that implies right?"

"Yeah, I do. If she does anything that deserves punishment, I am held accountable." I looked him in the eye to show I was serious. After all, Mimi had shown no signs of wanting to actually hurt anyone. She saved my life more than once now. If there was anyone I could trust, it would be her.

Grim seemed to rub his beard this time, as if thinking. "I'm glad you get the basics of it. Though it also means you have to accompany her in person until she gets an armband and some tags. Do you know if she is weak to silver or anything in particular?"

Shaking my head, I hadn't heard of that before. Though it made sense when I thought about it. "As far as I know, she's pretty tough. Though I would rather not do those kinds of tests until she's settled in."

Grim slowly nodded, "I can tell that she's a bit stressed for some reason. Likely because she hasn't been around people before. Normally tags and the other documents you fill out would cost a bit of coin. Though you don't strike me as someone swimming in coin kid."

Pursing my lips, I looked down. I couldn't deny him on that front. Though Mimi wanted to see the city and learn what she could. I took a second to look at her, to see she was looking down at her warmed water.

"My suggestion would be to use the apology token for all of that. Make the king apologize for exiling you, by paying to have the documents, tags, and everything else done. This also includes providing 'suitable' housing for her to stay in." He gave finger quotes on the word suitable.

I looked at him, my jaw dropping before I shook my head. "I can do that?" My eyes wide with appreciation for this knowledge.

The dark tamer took a swig from his coffee, before smiling at me again. "Yep, and I'm only telling you this, because you seem like a decent kid. Watching your monster, has convinced me that she would do her best to avoid hurting people. You might not have noticed, but every time she flexes her fingers as if about to strike, she winces. Something is keeping her from being hostile. I'd rather we check her out to learn what that is, versus sending you back to the woods. You would follow her out wouldn't you?"

I could only blink at what he just said, "W-why are you telling me all this?"

He'd lean forward with a smile, "Believe it or not, I used to live in the slums myself. People will look for just about anything to bring others down. They'll do it just to make themselves feel better. I'm not about that life, and you have the balls to try and help a monster. The way you look at her, tells me all I need. You might not have the magic for being a tamer, but you have the heart for it kid. Plus your little lady would be extremely helpful for us, if half of what was said on these crystals is true."

I didn't know if it was some kind of tamer instinct, or if he was just crazy. Though I couldn't really say he was wrong about anything he said either. Swallowing hard, I looked at the table. Realizing I was about to give up something many people would kill for. I also understood I wouldn't be here to receive the apology token in the first place without Mimi. I looked him in the eye again with a smile. "Grim, believe me when I say that I downplayed what she can do. If I can help her, I will. Where do I sign to get the ball rolling."

He slammed his hand on the table with a large smile, "That's the spirit kid. Stay right here, and I'll get you set up."