Faye moved to leave the office, reacting to the Administrator’s shouted command of “Get after him! Find out where he goes!”

A hand on her shoulder held her back. It was Taveon, who shook his head.

“Bad idea, that man is much more dangerous than he looks.”

“Obviously,” Faye said, her words thick with her nose in the shape it was, “but we can’t just let him leave.”

“Unfortunately, you must.” Taveon’s words were quiet, but intense.

The Administrator sat down heavily on her chair. She passed a hand in front of her eyes. “The Schoolmaster is correct. Adventurers, you must not engage that man. The Guild Leader will have to deal with him.”

Faye looked at the others. Arran was frowning at the door. Ailith returned her look with a grim smile and Gavan just shook his head. Faye sighed and shrugged.

“Fine.”

“Adventurer Rían,” the Administrator said, her voice weary. “Please tell me that you had no idea that your servant was going to do that.”

“Administrator, I swear on my life that I had no idea.”

The room was silent for a moment before she replied. “I believe you are staking your life on it, young master. Your former manservant was unwilling to let you divulge information about your family.”

The teen was scowling, he had pushed himself to his feet when Muir had vanished from the room. He turned the scowl on the door.

“Unfortunately, he’s a good reminder of what will happen if I do tell you anything. I will not. Cannot.”

As the Administrator asked the teen for a hint or suggestion, and was rebuffed at every turn, Gavan came closer and touched Faye on the shoulder.

A warmth spread from the point of his touch throughout her shoulder, up her neck, and across her face. The warmth turned to heat, which flared in a painful crack.

“Ow, shit!” she exclaimed. But, with the correction to her nose, the magic made the pain fade immediately. She could breathe perfectly again. “Thanks, Gavan.”

“Next time, try not to put your face in the way of a fast-moving elbow, eh?”

She glared at the mage, who was not smiling, despite the mirth in his voice.

“I shall try to emulate your strategy, master mage, by cowering behind my friends.”

The man’s smile did emerge, then, as Faye’s jab landed and both Arran and Ailith grinned and ribbed their mage friend.

“Fine, fine!” the Administrator’s raised voice interrupted the adventurer’s quiet conversation. “Rían, you are a member of this Guild and loyalty to our cause is something that you swore to when you joined. One day, you will have to decide whether you are going to continue splitting your loyalty between the Guild and your family.”

“Administrator, I am equally loyal—”

“Impossible!” she interrupted him. “You cannot claim equal loyalty to two organisations. You place more importance on your family, as that has served you well thus far. I warn you to continue down that path when you are alone is to invite more danger into your life than you may be ready for.”

The teen did not answer this time, folding his arms instead. The Administrator stared him down for a few moments more. Then, she turned to the others.

“I have work to do. Thank you all for coming. I am sure that there is something you can all do for the recovery effort. Taveon, please stay. Faye, you too.”

When it was only four of them, Faye saw that Maggie had stayed behind, too. The woman had quietly sat at a small desk and had written the entire time they were in the room.

Now, however, she laid down the quill and stretched her hand out, capping the ink pot and carefully folding her hands into her lap. She smiled at Faye.

Returning the smile, Faye transferred her attention to the Administrator. Each encounter with the woman saw her increasingly dishevelled and worn.

“You wished to ask something of us, Administrator?” Taveon asked, his voice warm and kindly like that of a grandfather.

“Taveon, I wish to hear your opinion on the task I have in mind for Faye, if she accepts it. I value your opinion.” She moved a hand and looked at the old man, who smiled and nodded. Satisfied, she continued. “Faye. We have pushed you far, so quickly. I am sorry. When you returned with the others from the mission, it was too easy to ignore your lack of cresting and I sent you out into an unknown situation. We know that it worked out, but that does not forgive the error in judgement.”

“I learn fast, Administrator.”

The older woman grimaced. “That is not the point, young adventurer. Maggie, did you find the information I requested?”

Maggie pulled a sheaf of paper out from her collection, nodding. “Yes, ma’am. We have lost approximately three-fifths of our food supplies, a three-quarters of families have lost a key member, and the Guild is down to a quarter of its effectiveness. The Guard fared better and lost only four in ten. We estimate nine in every ten people have been displaced due to the Primalist’s actions.”

The list seemed to get longer, worse each time. Faye grimaced. “What happens if the rivalry between the Guild and Guard comes to a head?”

Maggie looked up at the Administrator for that.

“It will not. We have no time for stupid, childish games. As unfortunate as our situation is, the Guard are as hampered as the Guild. They want to rebuild and establish safety for the townsfolk as much as we do. I have assurances from the captain.”

Faye nodded, surprised that she had not heard of this Captain spoken of before now.

“That does mean that we are in a situation that will be incredibly difficult for us to escape from,” the Administrator continued, “and I have not the resources to deal with the problems directly. I need assistance from the Guild at large.”

Taveon frowned. “But with the other adventuring teams… incapacitated, the town is cut off.”

The Administrator nodded. “Exactly. Lóthaven’s biggest asset were our mobile teams that could respond to issues in the surrounding area quickly. Right now, that ability has been stripped from us. That curtails our income, information, and access to goods. We cannot imagine the damage this will do to our long-term survival and credibility.”

“But,” Faye said, “once people know what happened, surely they will not blame us for being attacked?”

The other woman shook her head. “It is hard to tell, but tell me truthfully: if your family are attacked by enraged monsters and the Guild were not there to help, are you likely to forgive the Guild just because they did not have the people there to save your family?”

Faye frowned. “I would like to say I would understand…”

“We all would, and yet we would all blame the Guild regardless,” Taveon said. “It is human nature. I agree, Administrator this is a dire situation. What did you have in mind for Faye?”

“As we have said, our effectiveness has been reduced to a quarter of what it once was, perhaps less. I cannot allow an entire team to leave the town. It would leave us too flat-footed to react if something else happened.”

They all considered what would happen if the Primalists attacked again, quietly shuddering at the thought.

“As such, I need Faye, and one other person, to go to the city and bring word of what has happened here to the Guild there.”

Faye felt conflicting emotions. It was exhilarating to think that she might be given an excuse to go and explore more of the world. It was also terrifying to think that it would be down to her to gain aid for the stricken community here in Lóthaven.

“It is a lot to ask,” the Administrator said, “I know this.”

Taveon hummed but did not say anything. He just watched Faye’s complicated reaction.

“Why do you want me to go?” Faye asked. “Surely something this important is worth giving to someone like Arran?”

The Administrator inclined her head. “I can see why you would consider him. He is fast, well-capable of defending himself, and is not likely to fail in a mission once given it. However, there is a problem. Arran is one of the key defenders of the town.”

“And I am not able to defend the town,” Faye added.

“No, that is blatantly false, Faye,” the Administrator said. “You were instrumental in the defence of the Guild and town as a whole. I meant that Arran is a cornerstone of our strategy. He has valuable experience leading a team, and his class allows him to be in the thick of combat which is good for a combat commander. His class is more known than yours, so we can plan our strategies and tactics around him much easier.”

Faye nodded. “Still doesn’t explain why you would send the weakest adventurer to the city, though,” then, she added, “not that I’m saying I won’t go…”

Taveon smiled. “Weakest adventurer is still much stronger than average townsfolk.”

“Point taken,” Faye said, and she shook her head. “I’m not trying to complain or say no, or anything like that… I just want to understand the reasons behind the choice.”

“Let me be plain,” the Administrator said. “Your class appears to be a good middle ground between combat and magic, making you more versatile than your melee team mates or Gavan’s pure magical approach. You are the newest member of the Guild, which makes you the least vital to our established plans. Additionally, I think you will approach the task with a vigour that will see it done.”

“I don’t mind going,” Faye said, “but I’ll need a guide, at least. Who is coming with me?”

“That is both a difficult and simple choice,” came the reply. The Administrator’s usually stern gaze turned to Taveon, slowly. She paused, waiting.

“Ah, by the celestials’ backsides, I should have known…” the old man muttered. Maggie shook her head with mock seriousness at Taveon’s curse.

“Blasphemy,” she muttered back.

“Ah, quiet, girl…,” he said, then, “no, I don’t think I can go.”

Faye turned to the old man. “Oh, Taveon, don’t be like that. It would be fun. You can finally teach me the magic you promised ages ago, I’ll protect you, it will be a real adventure!”

The Schoolmaster turned a gaze of authority onto Faye.

“Young lady, if you think that I need adventure at this stage of life, you are sorely mistaken!” A smile broke out on his grumpy visage. “I think it would be amusing no matter the dangers. Alas, that is not the reason I said no. I am too slow. My inability to stop the Primalists taking the children under my care…”

“Schoolmaster, we have already spoken on this, at length. To be unable to fend off almost a dozen attackers and prevent them from accessing the children is not a failing, it’s the natural order of things.”

Taveon harrumphed.

Faye understood how the old man felt. Flashes of strong emotion were likely to take hold of her and try to smother her from time to time. Memories that were as clear as the moment they happened.

“No, it is not your actions when the Primalists attacked that should be considered,” the Administrator said, “but you are right that speed is of the essence.”

Faye looked up. “How far is it?”

“Moving steadily, roughly two weeks’ travel. Presuming nothing delays you. Let me think on this for a while. We need the help of the other Guilds as soon as we can, but we must ensure your success by taking every precaution. I will not rush you out of the gates only for you to fail because I did so.”

Faye acknowledged the woman’s words with a nod. She did appreciate the sentiment, but the idea of sitting around and waiting for days for meagre supplies and gear to be arranged was… not ideal.

Something itched at the back of her mind.

“I have something I need to do before I leave,” Faye said. “It’s a matter of some importance.”

They others looked to her.

“Oh?”

She nodded. “I believe I have a chance of removing a bane. It will involve travelling west, into the mountains, I’m afraid. But, once there, I should be able to remove something that has been affecting me… quite strongly.”

Even speaking the words was hard. Faye’s heart rate had increased dramatically, and the thrumming in her neck was strong enough for her to feel the vibrations. Her vision seemed to sharpen, and her limbs wanted to move as adrenaline flooded her system.

“In this, Administrator, I believe Faye is correct,” Taveon said, “there is a good chance that the bane will be removed. If it does, her mission to the city is more likely to succeed. There is also the question of her origin. This is something that Gavan and I could assist with. We have discussed the possibility of examining the area Faye first appeared, to determine how it was done.”

The Administrator nodded, firmly. “That sounds like a sensible plan, Faye. I also concur with the Schoolmaster’s prediction. Do you have any idea of how far you may need to go?”

Faye grimaced. “Absolutely no idea, Administrator, sorry. I ended up teleporting into town.”

With a hum, the Administrator nodded. “I have an idea of where you may have been. The stone of recall you used would have been with one of our teams, at some point. I shall have one of the logisticians speak to you about possible destinations. I think we should be able to speed up the effort by providing you with another stone.”

“Administrator,” Maggie spoke up, “our stores of stones are lower than ordinary levels but with the reduced demand, there would be a negligible impact on operations if we were to give them one.”

Nodding, the Administrator smiled. “Excellent. Then, it is settled. Faye, Taveon, get yourselves ready for a mission into the mountains. I will send a message to Gavan to do the same. Once you are ready, the logisticians will be ready to speak with you.”

Faye was surprised about the fervour the Guild showed for a simple mission to remove a bane from her status sheet. Taveon, however, told her that it was good for people to be able to do something concrete, something with a tangible goal, and succeed with it.

She could not argue with that.