∼ The Guild ∼

Chapter - 069

In the busy streets of Boreas, gasps and murmurs erupted as people hastily made way for two horses that clopped against the cobblestone. Atop the lead was a small hooded figure. But that wasn't what truly was startling the citizens of Boreas. No, it was the horse that followed along just behind, reins tying it to the small figure.

In a crude show of expertise with knots and ropes, something huge had been strapped onto the second horse. A severed head. But not just any head. A ghastly sight of burnt flesh and feathers. A head that rivaled the size of a bull with the beak that of a raven. It was the head of a raith.

Those who worked the salt mines of Boreas knew very well of this creature, even as mangled and disfigured as the head was. For it was native to the Spine and often found itself terrorizing the high peaks and occasionally down the foot of the mountain range. However, recognizable or not, the monstrous head alone was more than enough to terrify the common folk.

Nyx found the trip home actually rather refreshing. Especially the last stretch as the horrified faces on all the humans he passed fed a darker, unexplored desire within the demon. Even the guards at Small Gate hadn't given him any trouble, the simple flash of his mercenary tag and a glance at the raith head more than enough to make them shy away and let him pass.

Luckily, Aria's excessive preparations had actually come in rather handy as she had packed not only a spare robe but three whole sets. This was especially nice since Nyx had his initial robes burnt to ashes during the finishing blow on the Raith, surrounding himself in the flames of his [Impfire].

At the Guild Hall, stabling the horses back into the rental stables, Nyx was now dragging the severed raith head along the cobbled street. In what would've been a rather comical sight, some gnome with a rope slung over his shoulder as he strained against the weight had turned rather gruesome. The fact that it commanded more fear in some and respect in others than amusement.

Nyx could've of course have called forth his summon to haul the heavy, as much as he loathed to have her out, her... clingy tendencies too much for the imp, but he had to admit it would've been rather nice to be relinquished of this strenuous task. He had initially summoned her back at the homestead to initially retrieve the head, her brutish strength and long clash were much more suited for rip and tear. So at least she had been good for something.

The demon finally made it into the Guild, the extra points in strength doing wonders to shore up the disadvantages of his small frame. Only to be stopped by a trio of figures, however. Two men, armored in the heavy armor of mercenary guild officials of the Borean Branch, bearing the symbol of a round shield with a gust of wind emblazoned on it. Headed by a much smaller woman in fine but decent clothing a clipboard clutched to her chest.

"Sir," She said politely, though with a note of annoyance.

"-What human?" Nyx said curtly, grunting against the strain, not particularly wanting to be delayed in getting his rewards by some nosy humans.

She coughed awkwardly. "May I ask, just what are you doing?"

Nyx scowled, looking up at her. "Here to collect my reward. What does it look like?!" He snapped at her.

"Sir, the confirmation and collections office is on the outer branch of the Guild Hall. Just by the entrance. You're ruining the floorboards."

Startled, he looked back, seeing the trail blackened bits and blood left in the severed head's wake. He laughed sheepishly. "-uh... my bad?"

Guided back to the supposed confirmation and collections office with the help of the two armored guild officers, Nyx got his kill credit of both the raith and druggle verified and registered with the guild. He also reported the most unfortunate loss of his partner under the beast ambush and was finally rewarded for all the work. A reward handsomely supplemented with the redressing of being assigned a commission with a difficulty above his rank.

"Here's your new tag. May you have a pleasant day, sir." The thickset lady behind the desk said, handing Nyx a Silver Rookie tag.

The demon didn't even bother to respond as his eyes glittered at the reflective tag and the glimmering coins in his hand. Nyx hadn't got the faintest idea how much two-hundred-fifty geals were, but he had gotten fifty for the commission completion and an additional two-hundred for not only slaying a raith but also with the redressing on top of it. Still, the coins' immaculate gleam, like that of his prized pendant watch, brewed a new yearning other than merely food and violence within the demon.

Nyx didn't even hesitate as he wandered back into the Guild Hall to look for yet another commission or request to complete. He had just returned after a two-day long job, but he wasn't so particularly dependent on the creature comforts that humans so longed after, though he could use an Aria or two to sleep on right about now. He actually kinda missed her- "Wait, noes I don't!" Flustered, Nyx stomped his way to the Board, looking over the plethora of requests.

There were monster hunts, caravan protection details, rooting out bandits, and much more. All in differing levels of difficulties, from Bronze to Silver. That made Nyx glance up at the higher balconies, wondering how the requests up there were. For the Veterans. And even the Masters. Well, then he'd better just achieve those ranks. Wouldn't he? Nyx snickered conspiratorially to himself, imagining himself rising through the ranks and showing these puny humans who the great red was.

"Can I help you?" A light voice suddenly said, shattering Nyx's reverie of grandeur.

Like the guild official with the clipboard from before, this woman was clothed in a similar uniform with the emblem of the round shield with a gust of wind on it, stitched to her clothes. Though, she was much younger and looked a tad nervous. It was first then Nyx realized the other mercenaries giving him a wide berth and looking at him askance. Apparently, his slightly deranged mutterings hadn't been as inaudible as he had thought.

Nyx brushed it off, looking at the young woman as he actually had a question that had been bugging him. "Why do monster requests pay less than the others?"

The girl blinked. "Oh well, that's because they generally don't award experience, you see. Oftentimes, dealing with bandits and serving as a security detail is a waste of time if you wish to improve, other than in skills of course. But you won't be gaining any experience for apprehending or killing bandits. So they pay more in compensation. To entice people."

Blinking in surprise, Nyx remembered Aria having talked about this. "Enlightened don't get experience from killing other enlightened." A wide smile spread across the demon's face. He wasn't an enlightened though, he would get experience regardless of the creature he kills.

"Bandits, evil stinkin' humans, anything! Most difficult ones you have! I'll takes it!" Nyx said with such fervor and excitement that it startled the poor girl.

"-Ah, yes. I'll find some for you, s-sir. R-right away!" She then scuttled off to one of the nearby booths by the Board, returning only moments later with a stack of papers - each one a request.

Nyx blinked with surprise. "There're so many?" His eyes were glittering.

"As I said, mercenaries often find them a waste of time. Another negative for many is that dealing with other humans, gnomes, or dwarves on the wrong side of the law is often a messy and bloody affair. Too much for most. Even with the increased pay, people still much prefer monster hunting or caravan protection."

It suddenly clicked for Nyx, why the lands surrounding Boreas were so barren of monsters. Though he did faintly remember Aria mentioning something of the like in passing.

"Here, you can peruse them at your leisure," She grunted, shifting the stack of parchment and placing them on a nearby small table.

"Which one pays the most?" Nyx asked immediately.

She blinked. "Are you sure? There are some quite difficult ones. You'll face great danger with most already."

"Yes!" Nyx said impatiently.

She returned to the stack, flipping through them until she came out with one, her face pensive. "Brigands and bandit raids at Meadesborough. Silver-rank. Recommended party size, eigh-"

"Perfect!" Nyx said, moving to take the parchment. However, the woman took a step back with worry on her face.

"But this is recommended for only-"

Nyx cut her off once again. "It's Silver rank, no?"

"W-well, yes. But-"

"Then fine! Gimme!" Nyx said before she could disparage him any further.

She just looked at Nyx, realizing nothing she could say would get through to him. She sighed and handed it over, then left the stubborn gnome to his devices, despite worrying over if had done the right thing by complying as her job entailed or if she had just helped one person to an early grave. "Mercenaries". She shook her head.

"1750. 1750 coinsies," Nyx muttered in a world of his own, caressing the piece of parchment as if a lover.

Turning around absentmindedly, Nyx went off to get the request registered to him. But as he did, he almost ended up stumbling into the hulking figure standing right behind him.

"Hey there, friend." The woman said, her broad and tall frame uncanny paired her feminine features. Behind her, was another dozen and a half people, of which most notably was the three robed figures who all bore the presence of a mage. Ene, however, that caught Nyx's eye the most. Much more powerful than the other two. The same one who had drawn his eyes back when he had signed with his first commission as a mercenary. This was the group that had been eyeing him unabashedly. Most of them were Silver-Rookies, though some were Iron but bore the confidence and arrogance of Silvers.

Looking back up at the hulking woman's smirking face, having to crane his neck, Nyx frowned as if confused. "-I'm not your friend..."

Taken slightly off-kilter, the woman gave him an odd once over before she cleared her throat. "-So, we couldn't help but see you were about to take on a rather difficult-" As she spoke, it was first mid sentence she realized the gnome was already walking off, not caring to hear her words. "H-hey, wait!"

"I'm not your friend! Leave me alone, human!" He called out, not even turning around to face her as he read over the request in his hands. He had really gotten enough of being stopped by humans appearing out of nowhere. He just wanted to kill some bandits and get his gold. Was that too much to ask for? Stinkin' humans.

"Hold up now, we just want to talk. And to propose an offer, warlock." She insisted.

Nyx finally paused, glancing back at them, a hint of danger shared with some curiosity in his hooded gaze.

"You see, we've been looking to add to our numbers. So when a new Iron Ro-"

"Silver," Nyx corrected proudly.

"-Eh," She paused, face twisting. "-So when a Silver Rookie warlock appeared, we thought you'd be a good fit."

"No thanks," Nyx said offhandedly, beginning to waltz off once again.

"You didn't even hear our proposition. That's quite the arrogance you've got there." The woman said, a little more heatedly as she couldn't keep the mask of professionalism up any longer.

"Erain, calm∼ don't push him away," One of the people said in a whisper, though Nyx's enhanced senses easily picked up on it.

She sighed, putting on a forced smile. "We're the Silver Hand, the strongest Silver-ranked mercenary band in the whole of the Borean Branch." There was quite a lot of pride in her voice, looking at Nyx with a slightly upturned nose as if expecting him to be impressed.

Despite his concealed figure, the way he looked at her was distinctly like he couldn't have given less of a shit. The woman became incensed, all pretenses out the window. "Listen here, runt. You're lucky we've even reached out to you. Abyss, we're willing to give you a 20% split of loot and rewards for commissions and requests!"

"No. Thanks," Nyx repeated dully. "I no work with smelly, weak humans."

"They always run and think they can get away with it." He added with a touch of a grumble.

Now, the woman was truly incensed, her pride in being amongst the strongest of Silver rookies overshadowing any professionalism she once had. "You little shit, I'll show you weak." She stalked towards him, a hand on the large broadaxe at her back.

Nyx was also ready to blow this huge human to kingdom come, the magic within his core roiling and ready to be formed into a spell at his fingertips. However, before any fighting could break out, a sudden, suffocating pressure and sense of intense danger came bearing down on each of them. It was like an invisible presence that awakened some sixth sense within them, warning them of the impending doom they could not see coming. But instead of running like scared mice, they all just froze, their bodies locking up in hopes it would simply pass if they did not move.

Nyx recognized this feeling. A memory leading back to his first day in this world, coming upon a roadside slaughter. That mysterious swordsman had radiated a similar pressure, though Nyx had only been on the outer reaches of it, watching from afar.

"I trust, there will be neither infighting nor bloodshed in my halls." A voice commanding authority spoke, terrifying even the mercenaries close to the altercation, making them scuttle away. Tall, broad, and impressive of build, the man's rugged but handsome face was framed by raven-black hair contrasted by his vibrant green eyes. Outfitted in the large plate armor with the seals, engravings, and outlines signifying him as a mercenary official, he looked as imposing and powerful as could be.

Looking at the man, Nyx couldn't help but think that man looked incredibly familiar for some reason. Giving him a sudden and inexplicable urge to punch him in the face. Mysterious...

"A-arbiter..." The hulking woman, Erain, muttered, clearly fear-stricken.

So this was one of the so-called arbiters, Nyx noted with a cold sweat. Powerful and intimidating they were, indeed. The man gave them a once over with his green eyes, pausing on Nyx with a brief scowl before relenting the ethereal pressure he had been emitting, allowing them to breathe freely once more. Then, he simply left, the clang of his armor echoing in the now silent Guild Hall as he walked over to one of the lifts leading up to the Veterans' floor. However, they still did not dare move until he finally disappeared, the Silver Hand moving to leave as they glared back at Nyx.

The look that the mercenary band gave him promised that this was all but over.