Act II: Ameshin Loyalty

Chapter 11 – The Thirty-One

11:15 // Day 25, Mittwoch. Luna 97c.

While it was true that we did have a stage in the guild, it rarely saw any use: except for now, of course.

Kai had gathered thirty-one of the recruits on stage, while myself the rest of the guildmembers seated ourselves in the auditorium—usually referred to as the mess hall, but this was a special occasion.

I recognised few of my fellow spectators, and even less of the crowd formed onstage—save for one man, Arcrel E’ir, who appeared to be the only one of his race present; which was to be expected, however.

"Was there not another...? Never mind, we can start without." resounded Kai's voice throughout the hall. People normally found it difficult to hear their thoughts in this building but on this rare occasion, one voice carried the weight of the world.

Kai stood afront the crowd, back turned to the sparse audience; whom he now turned to address, but in such a way as to include those behind him as well.

“I’m sure everyone is wondering; what is happening? That, I will explain shortly. But first, I’d like to introduce those present to our newest, potential, members.” Kai spoke, carefully articulating his words as to not lose faith in his audience or participants.

Though, one word caught my attention. That being "potential". Much like Arc, had these members not already completed their tasks, menial as they were? Currently, I was oblivious towards the true intentions of this charade. Perhaps this is what I was worried about.

Counting the missing person, there were thirty-two new members, which is a perfect number to hold a... no... he's not, is he?

“...mie Valen, another Flame Caster, this time from Hinter. Welcome to Vaalbara Eclipse... and Kylia Amin, yet another Flame Caster from Hinter. Welcome to Vaalbara Eclipse.”

Kai continued to list the new members off, introducing them and—for some reason—their elemental attribute. Introducing their branch of magic but not their Elemental State was the final nail in the coffin for my theory.

Inquisitively, I returned Kai's gaze once his eyes landed upon mine, signalling that I knew what he was up to; to which he responded with a face that said: "Don't say a word until I've finished".

“...”

Kai realised that he had stopped his speech for a split moment after glaring daggers my way, prompting him to restart his current line.

“ahem... Alyssa Rend, a Water Caster from Ceae. Welcome to Vaalbara Eclipse. Lachlan Riviera, a Poison Cas..." Kai continued his list, feigning ignorance towards his previous blunder from the rest of the crowd; those of which seemed much more interested in eyeing up the recruits than they were listening to Kai's speech. Though I suppose you could include me in that statistic; it was rare to have so many new members gathered together.

“Here you go, White. Your... White ladrar.”

"Thanks," I replied, greeting the middle-aged woman with a thankful nod. I'd been getting somewhat thirsty after moving all those crates myself (unfortunately, the enchantment had worn off not long after leaving Enryn’s).

“You know, you’re going to have to start ordering a different drink. It’s getting confusing.” Rebecca replied, taking a seat beside myself.

“I should just change my name at this point...”

“I was only kidding, pup.”

I wish I was. Seriously, leave it to my parents to name me after a colour; could they not have thought of something a bit cooler? Like Zack or Arron—what about Darren...?

No, and if they did, they certainly didn’t have the foresight to choose any one of them.

“What’s going on up there? I’ve seen the new members coming in and out over the past few days, but that’s a mighty fine gathering. Also, where have you been? Oh, and what happened between you and Kyomi!? The girls haven’t stopped talking about it, Kyomi taking a man back to her room for the first time... so, did she? I just thought you went to the Fighting Hall, but the rumours state otherwise." finding it hard to hide her usual giddiness, she asked all the questions she could muster.

It was far too many questions to answer at once. Not to mention, one of the answers was going to the grave with me... she couldn’t know about what happened between Kyomi and me.

“...which question do you want me to answer first?” I tentatively responded.

Rebecca took a brief moment to conjure a reply, likely expecting me to answer but one of her questions, as if she failed to see the challenge in answering all of her questions at once.

“I... erm... suppose what is happening on the stage is more important right now...” she asked, seemingly dejected because of her previous assumption.

sigh

“Kyomi gave me a wooden bokken—a training sword from Mirai—and taught me, somewhat, how to use it. Unfortunately, that's where it ended. If you recall my condition upon leaving that day... I even collapsed while we were training." I was steadfast in my reply, after all, it was the truth. At least, the truth I wanted her to hear.

"That... isn't what I asked," Rebecca replied, in a somewhat happy tone.

“But it’s what you wanted to ask, no?”

"So... nothing happened...? That's a bummer. I was hoping that Kyomi had finally come out of her shell, though I suppose you are a bit young for her, after all.”

I caught a glance at Rebecca’s expression, making sure I’d fooled her; which luckily, very luckily, I had. Everyone knew that Rebecca Myers was the person to come to regarding any and all of the gossip in and around of Vaalbara Eclipse.

If a false rumour got out about Kyomi and I, well... it wouldn’t be anything less than inconvenient, but why deal with that in the first place?

Worse still, I was somewhat hurt that she deemed me ‘a bit young for her’. While it wasn’t necessarily false, she could have left that part out.

“I should probably be heading back, see you, White.” replied the cheery character, marching back to her humble bar—wherein lay a couple of rough-and-tough adventurers, eagerly awaited their beverages.

“Later, Becca” I waved, not wanting to be the cause of any further grief.

"See you soon, pup," she responded.

Becca was a playful name some of the guildmembers supposedly nicknamed her. Though, in reality, she branded herself with the name, saying it made her feel younger. I wasn’t one to argue with that logic—considering my name, I had no right to—but I only used the nickname sparingly.

I examined my white ladrar as Rebecca started to leave. It’s appearance indeed contained some traces of white, though the drink’s manufacturing process caused each person’s perception of it to differ.

You see, the drink “Ladrar” is made from World Mana, extracted from varying selections of tree bark—white ladrar originating from the bark of a birch tree. This caused people to view the beverage more-so via their perception of Mana—which, for me, was blue, causing the drink to appear a mixture of both colours, merging as if guided by nature itself.

The drink was popular among younger people, such as myself, as it had a ‘softer’ taste to it and was more customary for younger people to drink (while no laws existed on the type of drink you could have in most places, there were laws in Rubia stating that; "people under the age of 18 cannot be served at a bar", which seems somewhat pointless, especially with the resourcefulness of people my age when they want something.

So, unfortunately, apart from this information, my knowledge on the subject is rather limited. This was just what Rebecca had shared with me at the time I had asked her.

It’s certainly a topic that I would be interested to delve deeper into, especially since I’ve grown a fondness for the refreshment: perhaps I should add this to my shopping list. It has been a good week since I last visited the library and there’s still a good number of things I have yet to learn about Rubia.

...sorry, I got somewhat side-tracked there.

“Oh, White. I forgot to ask, what is happening up there?" said the returning voice, affording me nought but a sip of my ladrar.

“Well, I have a sneaking suspicion but I think Kai will reveal the answer soon.” not to mention that I can feel him staring daggers at me even now, though I daren’t look. “It would be better to hear it from Kai rather than myself.”

“Alright... then where have you been?” she sceptically asked.

“I was on standby at home, where else?”

Rebecca took a cautionary glance towards me, checking if I was telling the truth which I was—this time, at least—before replying with a sceptical “Huh...”

“What? Is it weird?”

“No, you are—sorry, were, the newest member... Yeah, that would explain it.”

What did she mean? Was I the only one that was placed on standby? I just assumed that everyone other than the top members had been sent home; honestly, I’m somewhat annoyed that it was only myself, even if I understand the why, and even after hearing the same reasoning from Kai.

“I’ve probably said too much... see you later pup.”

“Yeah, see you later, Rebecca.”

sigh

I don't know why I was annoyed: I was aware that it was likely just myself who was sent home, thinking any deeper in the matter would just be an excuse to complain.

Taking a swig from my tankard of ladrar—which tasted worse now than it would have done five minutes ago—I removed my attention from the now-leaving Rebecca, narrowing my eyes back unto Kai.

“...finally, last but not least, Arcrel E’ir, a Terra Caster from Enviar. Welcome to Vaalbara Eclipse.”

Arc was on the far right of the crowd—most likely not by choice— and proudly stepped forward in response to his introduction.

His announcement was met with a... negative response, to say the least. Though, strangely enough, he wasn’t the only Kin out of the thirty-one bodies as I spotted three others behind Kai, though I couldn’t identify their race amongst the mass of people.

I had heard some of the insults hurled towards the other Kin as they were introduced; the jeers from amongst my crowd, and the vile cheering that accompanied them.

“Shouldn’t you introduce us when everyone’s here, Kai?” came a female’s voice from the crowd.

A voice that spoke the truth anywhere else.

"Well, you see, if everyone's here then they won't remember you the next day... Not to mention that they wouldn't even listen in the first place," responded Kai.

With that, many of the present members burst into laughter—I found myself grinning at the response as well, even though I’d never so much had a drop of alcohol in my life... Still, the laughter promptly shut down further questioning on the subject, letting Kai move on with his speech.

“Now that we are all introduced, I’m sure everyone present is wondering one thing; what is the meaning of all of this? Well, let me begin with something that we have all been thinking about these past few days.

We all know what happened last Sonntag, as I’m sure many behind me do as well. And I’m sure that many of you have been here for years, decades even, and are wondering why I have accepted so many people in such a short amount of time, especially without a suitable challenge to give to them.”

Kai addressed the entire audience, of less than fifteen people, who nodded in agreement at his speech.

Meanwhile, a number of those behind Kai began to nervously shuffle. They must have presumed that their initiation was over, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

“I’m very strict about those who join this guild; after all, your lives are in my hands.” he continued, directing the last part of the speech towards the newcomers, "Though, don't take this as doubt in your abilities. I am not questioning those present’s skill in their chosen field. All I need to know is; are you fit for this guild?"

In response to his rhetorical question, the majority of the stage responded with firm resolve lest they are overwhelmed by their peer's response.

Unfortunately, there is always one of them: someone who thinks they are above everyone else. That, someone, had just made themselves known.

“What was the point of this then!? You’ve had us run stupid errands, line up alongside beasts and now you’re saying we ain’t fit for the guild!?” the man’s voice caused a few others on the stage to exclaim their pieces too. Mainly just a variety of phrases from “Yeah, that’s right.” to “This is ridiculous” and a mixture of rough chants; one person even spat in the direction of an opposing Kin.

This response was originally a select few but, unfortunately, others soon joined in once the die had been cast. A true showcase of herd mentality.

'Alright, now's the time to leave' I thought. A thought not exclusive to me, as the rest of the audience began to move, sharing the same expression; a mix of shock and interest. We wanted to stay if only to see Kai angry, but we're worried about our well-being.

Everyone in Eclipse knows how friendly Kai is, though, not many know how terrifying he can become.

“Stay seated,” Kai bellowed, freezing the crowd in position once they had returned to their seats.

We had barely crossed our legs over the benches before being forced back onto our seats. Even those who had just moments ago been denouncing Kai soon settled down, anxiously awaiting some form of punishment; offering little resistance to it.

“...sorry, though I ask for you to listen. I will only say this once.”

A deathly silence fell over the room, even Rebecca had stopped chatting with her customers in response... Kai had only said those few words yet that was enough: a testament to the power and respect he commanded.

"Are you all done...? As I said, I will not repeat these words," questioned Kai, looking back towards the insurgents who could only nod in response. "Thank you."

Kai turned his attention back towards his spectators in the crowd, which had grown ever larger since the beginning of his speech. Now was the time that most adventurers had finished their gear preparation, come back from an overnight skirmish, or rolled out of bed—this was an unfortunate ‘good morning’ for some.

Those who were not awake already, however, certainly were now.

“Everyone in this room is here because they are strong. You could not have walked through those doors if you were not strong; that I am not questioning. But strength is not the only quality I require of you, hence the duties I provided you before this speech.

You see, this guild doesn’t represent strength, it represents unity. Many tasks will require you to work with others, something I am positive many here can attest to.” Kai motioned towards the now-entering Isa and Rex—accompanied by two fellow adventurers—who returned from their mission at the worst possible time.

"Once you walk through those doors, you are as equal to the person standing next to, above, or below yourself. This guild is a family not just to myself but to everyone inside of it, even those present who are yet to join. Surely, this explains my anger, does it not?"

Kai aimed this question towards the previous insurgents, though we all knew that it wouldn’t help. Something as deep-rooted as the hatred towards the Kin that had been seeded amongst the majority of Rubia’s youth couldn’t be undone by words alone. It was no fault of their own. The fault lay with ignorant parents and ingrained prejudices.

Just think, if you had one bad experience with a human; would you hate people forever? You would, perhaps, hate them for a while. You might, possibly, on rare occasion, lock yourself away forever. Maybe I’m naïve to not distrust the Kin, but I would rather be naïve than a fool.

Maybe I’m both, I thought, as I downed the rest of my ladrar.

I wanted to get another drink but I daren’t move until Kai had finished...

“...If I deem even one aspect of your character volatile, never mind joining the guild’ you will not step another foot in this building. Not while I’m here.”

Gods, he’s still going, “Just tell us about the tournament already.” I want to go home or get another drink; whichever came first.

“Tournament? There’s going to be a tournament?” came a familiar voice from behind.

It was Isa, accompanied by an absent-minded Rex. Their entourage had seemingly dissipated upon arrival, leaving only the two love-birds—as everyone so rightly called them—together... along with an additional, furrier member.

grrruff ruff

“Honey, be quiet a moment... good girl.”

I—It's a dog. Why does she have a dog!?

“Hey, Isa... Rex.” I greeted them, moving to a point on the bench furthest from the creature. If it wasn’t obvious, I’m not a fan of dogs—nor they a fan of me... at least, that's the impression I used to get—Honey seems like an alright sort, I guess. Still, I've had nothing but bad experiences with the animals back home.

"Hey, White, it's been a while," responded Rex; indeed, it had been a while. His caring, yet slow-witted expression, hid little of his warm feelings—the opposite of those feelings being equally recognisable.

Isa replied similarly, though she bore a wise face to accompany her every word; her intent always somewhat obscured, the complete opposite of Rex.

"Hello, White; did I not hear mention of a tournament, or have I misheard?"

"...could you remove the dog first. You know how she's like around me." Honey was craving my attention in a forceful and obtuse manner. It was this straightforwardness that causes me to question the animals.

“Honey just wants attention. I don’t understand what you have against her...”

“You know that I hold no ill feelings for Honey herself, I just don’t agree with dogs—never have done.”

“And what of cats?” she innocently questioned.

“I suppose they’re fine,” it wasn’t moments after uttering the words had I realised the error in them; a certain individual once again coming to mind, “most are, at least.”

Well, it was like I said before, I could never trust an animal that shows all of the cards in its paws, no matter how innocent or cute they seem on the exterior... I just know they’re hiding something.

At least cats don’t hide this fact.

"So, never mind that; a tournament, what of it? It would certainly explain the gathering on stage.” Isa replied, eyeing the crowd currently formed behind the still-talking Kai.

"I would also like to know, White; you know I cannot miss a show of strength." chimed in Rex. I was all too aware of his desire to show strength: it was comparable to ideals held by this dog, though I meant this most nicely... at least, as nice as comparing someone to a dog could be.

Responding to my somewhat abhorred feelings towards her furry companion, Isa led her entourage to the table’s opposing bench. Before beginning our conversation, Isa took a brief interlude so Rex could buy some drinks from the bar.

“...”

“...”

“So, is the speech behind me about this tournament?”

“...no, at least not currently, though I suspect that is the end goal of Kai’s harangue.”

"Oh, I suppose I'd be better waiting," Isa replied, turning again to check on the progress of the aforementioned speech. "How long has this been going on for?"

"Ten-fifteen minutes, give or take. I've been here since the beginning. You arrived at an unfortunate time: some of the people on stage kicked up a storm just before." it really was an unfortunate time to return. Fortunately, some sanctuary could be found on this small wooden table.

“That’s... unfortunate, but not unexpected after the incident.” stated the impatient Isa, still waiting on her loyal manservant for her drink.

Wait... the incident? Arc had called the event The Fluctuation, was that just a term used by The Kin? I suppose there is no better way of finding out than directly asking.

“What happened out there? If I recall correctly, Kai sent you to the outer villages, did he not?”

"No, not quite, he asked us to check the outer walls in case there was a breach, along with several people—and some other groups—who have since returned home. We headed out with around eight other members, though split up partway there. I think the others have already returned, we just got caught up along the way.

We ran into one of House Allastaires groups fighting off a horde of Iirae. Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't have involved myself—myself and Rex agree on this—but this wasn't about who was helping who, that line of thought has no place when people's lives are on the line."

House Allastaire...? Even I was aware of their influence; said to be the most powerful of the noble families.

The heir to the house, Silas Allastaire, is said to be the strongest man in all of Ceae so it must have been a dire situation for them to require aid.

"What happened for them to require aid? I can't imagine any old horde besting them..."

“Certainly not. They could handle the enemies by themselves; the problem was the quantity. There was no way to deal with them all at once without harming the townsfolk, not to mention moving them to safety in the first place. We just tagged along to offer more able bodies.

Either way, it's unlikely the attacks were caused by a breach in the walls. Kai was aware of this so he was probably sending us out to help the townsfolk. Not to mention that the other members were more than able to carry out the task on their own, Rex and myself were just supporting them—other than the two who stuck with us, that is.”

Well, that did sound like something Kai would do. I wouldn't be surprised if he was already aware of their plight beforehand; their pride was likely clouding their judgement, making them not request reinforcements from the surrounding guilds. Kai likely foresaw this happening amongst a number of the nobility so he sent groups out under the pretext of 'checking the outer walls'.

Or perhaps we're giving him too much credit.

“Don't you need to brief Kai? Is there nothing else to be done?” I asked.

“No, I already informed him via carrier bird beforehand. After all, the attacks stopped fairly early so we spent more time travelling than anything else—since I was the groups support, I was just tending to the wounded and there are people more qualified than myself who can offer permanent solutions.

What I’m trying to say is, it’s time to kick back and relax. Further attacks are unlikely and everyone is on standby upon returning from missions for two weeks. I can’t speak for Rex but I’m going to take this rare chance to relax.”

Rex returned a questioning glance before turning my way, wondering what she meant. Though to me, it was obvious—she was poking fun at his ridiculous schedule; the schedule that comprised of eating, training, sleeping and training some more.

It was admirable, though extremely tiring.

"Something is bugging me, Isa, about these recent events, that is."

“Yes?” Isa perked up in response; her usual, cunningly optimistic self returned.

She was running her fingers through the currently seated Honey's coat. The duo shared an identical shade of blonde hair, just in varying amounts and in different locations.

"All of the beasts that Kai documented were ones I hadn't even heard of myself, never mind having the displeasure to see so how come they all gathered in one place? I could understand hordes of creatures from Misdla, but... well, usually the monsters we find are pathetically weak—even the villagers back home could handle them—but these beasts were..."

“Yes, it’s a common misconception—due to false assurance by the government—that all beasts are weak like those found by the borders, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Those found around our borders are certainly weak but that is only because people such as ourselves deal with them before they become a threat. You, yourself, haven’t left the walls yet, apart from your initial arrival.

Either way, it’s not something that anyone your age should worry themselves over. It’s the reason us adventures are in business, after all,” Isa jokingly stated, jesting about my age even though we were both members of the same guild.

Ignoring the second time that someone had brought up my age—or lack thereof—in conversation over the last twenty minutes, I realised that I was blissfully unaware of far too many things.

I still have a lot to learn about this world and its inhabitants.

Isa continued to educate me on matters outside of the walls; pertaining that knowledge, I learned that the northern regions of Enviar were among the safest places to live in all of Pentas—concerning the regularity, and strength, of the native monsters/beasts. Ceae, unfortunately, will always carry a limitless wealth of them.

“I think there’s a lot they failed to mention...” I grumbled.

“You can always ask me, White. But if it looks like I’m having fun, maybe save the dreary questions for later?” Isa jovially responded, attempting to hide a coy smile.

“Sure. Don’t let me rain on your parade.”

12:00

Kai had finished his speech a short while ago—at least fifteen minutes ago—and had been briefing the recruits while the rest of the guild was engaged in conversation—mainly about The Fluctuation, which seemed to be the globally used term for the attack now. Meanwhile, Rex had re-joined the conversation sometime earlier, adding his own spin on the previously told story—meeting one of Silas’ students among them, and of the beasts they encountered on their pleasureless jaunt.

"I'm not sure if we're meant to be telling you this, but Silas' student, who's name I didn't catch..."

“Her name was Faith, Rex.”

"That's it... Thanks, Isa. So, anyway, Faith told us that Silas has received orders from the government to keep these attacks pretty hush-hush. If you know what I mean?"

"...huh?” what is Rex on about...?

"Rex... you’re just going to confuse him, let me explain." Isa turned towards me, aiming to finish Rex's story—though it was obvious that she found amusement in his sporadic story-telling. "So, according to Faith, representatives from the King's Burgh told Silas—and several other members of the nobility—to act as if the incident never happened; hence our chosen name for the attacks.

The reason is still unclear, both to the Allastaires and to ourselves, but he’s deemed it in the nation’s best interests to oblige with the request, but he isn’t happy about the government attempting to, in Rex’s words, keep the incident hush-hush.”

"We think that the King's Burgh knows more than their representatives are letting on... but that would be nothing new. However, moving on from this event as soon as possible is indeed in our best interests, I'm just worried that it may repeat since we have no way to stop this happening again. Not without knowing the root of the problem," Rex added, showing that he wasn't just a mass of muscles after all.

"I see," was all I could respond with, save for a speculative glance.

That would certainly coincide with mine and Kai’s theory that the attacks were targeting a member of a royal household—in this instance, Elise Calsia. If the residents of the King’s Burgh knew anything about it, they would most likely want to avoid that information getting out.

My speculation almost stopped me from noticing the departing members upon the stage—using the rear exit into the courtyard.

It seemed that the climax of his speech was near and that my questions would soon find answers: Kai, remaining the last on stage, spoke his intent.

“Pleasantries aside, I would like to reveal the purpose of this... harangue.”

guh... he heard that?

"As I've stated before, people of questionable integrity will find no home in Eclipse. As much as I would like to judge our recruits on their character, most of all, an adventurer must be strong and work in a team. This led to my decision to host the guild's first-ever Tag Team Tournament to judge those worthy of entering the guild.

I have already briefed those onstage of the rules and location of the tournament, that being Nithard’s Colosseum. Preparations are still underway so the information I can provide is limited, I'll answer what questions I can for now; those interested in the finer details will have to wait until Dalrend. I would like you to inform the rest of the guild before the 30th of this month so I can have their undivided attention when I announced the finalised information."

Concluding his speech to the now forty-or-so people present, he leapt from the stage, making his way towards the reception. However, loose tongues blocked his path. It was the crowd erupting in momentary bursts of excitement and laughter—a spectacle not dissimilar to my acceptance of Kai's duel, not a month passed. Honestly, they get excited over anything as long as someone is fighting.

Everything ranging from; An actual tournament!? And at Nithard’s! Something like this hasn’t happened in... forever! What are the rules? Can we join in!? Could be heard, and, including our very own Rex, disappointed sighs following Kai’s response.

"This is a tournament between the newest members; therefore, you may not participate. It is as simple as that," he exclaimed, crushing the fighting spirit of his unruly guild, though they maintained their excited cries regardless.

It was only a few minutes later that the mess hall would almost be at its usual capacity. Voices interrupted any fleeting thoughts, people merrily drank, sharing dialogue amongst themselves.

From an outsider’s perspective, you might have scoffed if someone had told you the entire city was under siege not three days ago—yet that would be the truth.

The meridian of colours reflected from the stained glass, the candlelit chandeliers above us. They did little to hide the true meaning of the guild, that being unity above all. Even the people in each corner of the room—completely oblivious to the recent happenings, drunk beyond recognition—were all part of this weird family that was held together by Kai. So, even if it looked strange to many others, the guild would carry on;

"Adversity is a selfish man's excuse for loneliness."

...was something that Kai told me. I think it was around the time of my official joining? I couldn’t remember the day I heard this sentence these words but I remembered them as clear as day.

The message was not to say that overcoming personal shortcomings was incorrect, it was to say; lean on someone and support someone else. It was a convoluted way to say it, but that was his message—however flawed or unreasonable it was, nothing would break this family.

“Together, adversity means little.”

...was my interpretation of Kai’s words and, for me, it was true. I wouldn’t be here without the help of others; repaying that debt in kind was more than reasonable.

Whether it was due to his shortcomings, a naïve sense of duty or events passed, that was his message to share. It was something you had to respect even if you disagreed with the prose.

You see, a lot of the time, it’s not the ideals that attract people, but the voice behind them. Therefore, any fault in the person speaking those words could be seen as a fault in the words themselves, no matter how wise or virtuous they are.

“...”

sigh

That’s enough philosophy for today, I’m getting another drink.

12:05

Chapter 11 - End