Just outside the manor, two large men in dark grey clothing, almost identical to the stone walls of the building, watched them with interested expressions, but didn’t move to stop the group. The white oak doors opened soundlessly for them, giving three of them their first glimpse of the interior.
Ivory white and dark greys met their eyes. The stone was split up by various rugs, and the chairs and sofa scattered around the main entry room were mostly empty. Karen led them all to the single unobtrusive desk set in a far corner, where a grey furred Lunari sat reading.
“Biteall, we need to speak with Master Kato,” Karen told the Lunari, her voice very respectful.
Putting a marker in his book, Biteall looked up and examined them carefully before grunting. “Alpha Company, and with God’s Grace. A complaint is needing to be leveled?”
“Some members of the Guild used outsiders to attack us earlier,” Karen tried to keep her anger in check, but it bled through.
“That would indeed be an issue,” Biteall nodded. Rubbing the side of his nose, the Lunari picked up a Mindstone from the desk. After a moment, he set it back down. “Have a seat. Master Kato will be with you as soon as she can. Sir, your minions will have to wait in the lobby during your meeting.”
Alburet glanced at his minions and gave an understanding nod. Giving the Lunari a shallow bow, Karen ushered the others over to one of the sofas. Taking their seats, Alburet asked Karen, “Master Kato is a she?”
“Master is the title given to all of the older Assassins, and is genderless,” Karen said. “Master Kato is a stickler for the rules; she enforces the laws of the Guild.”
“So, we’re going straight for the top?” Fluff asked.
“No, the top would be Master Yamto,” Karen said softly. “He’s the one in charge of the Guild. Only the Master Assassins get to speak with him.”
“It seems very structured,” Alburet opined. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this wasn’t it.”
“You expected smoky rooms and dim lighting, I suspect,” a light, almost musical voice came from behind them. “The Guild hasn’t had those since the days of the First Empire.”
Karen popped to her feet and turned to bow respectfully to the speaker. The others stood and turned to find a nondescript Elf standing there. Alburet bowed formally, while Stacia and Fluff curtsied to her.
“I have been told you have a complaint,” Kato said. “Follow me, please. We will speak in one of the visitor’s rooms.” Without waiting to see if they accepted, the Elf spun fluidly and led them toward a door on the other side of the room.
Kato ushered them into a comfortable sitting room with a couple of love seats and padded chairs surrounding an elegant coffee table. When everyone was seated, Kato took her seat across from them. Fixing her eyes on Karen, Kato waited for the explanation.
“Master Kato, a little while ago we were attacked by two guild members for the bounty, Nightlygale and Shadowblade. The attack by them was according to the rules, at least to start with. They had grouped up with a trio of non-assassins to attack us; a Berserker, Defender, and Elementalist, specifically. If that wasn’t enough of an issue, we were set upon by a second group of Assassins in the middle of that fight. The two groups quickly overpowered us, but they left my husband Alburet alive at the end to taunt him. The Berserker explained what they had done, then broke the promise she’d made with the others by not letting them claim Al and killing him herself.”
Lips pursed, Kato sat back in her chair. “Alburet Two-souled, do you know how much consternation you have caused us in the last two months?”
“No ma’am,” Alburet said. “From your tone, though, I’m going to guess a bit.”
Snorting at his reply, Kato sat forward and pinned him with her eyes. “You have been the catalyst for many things that are now moving in a direction that could lead to many problems. Problems I will be forced to take care of personally. You bested my prized pupil and forced him into a ridiculous agreement to exempt the Guild leader and the officers of Alpha Company.”
Alburet frowned as he recalled the wording he had used during that meeting with the Assassin. “I thought I had asked for me and the officers, not the Guild leader position.”
“Yes, you did, but it was amended to the leadership of the Guild when it was brought to us.” Crossing her legs, the grey-green leathers making no sound as she did so, Kato leaned forward and smiled wolfishly. “What our members did today, bringing in non-members, is against the rules and they will be reprimanded for their poor decision. I’m going to have to explain to all Two-souled what is and is not allowed… again. Is there anything else?”
“I was curious,” Alburet said as he felt the smoldering anger in Kato, “how often do multiple Houses collaborate on a contract?”
Leaning back in the chair, Kato grimaced. “Almost never, and when they do, it is never good. You seem to have a knack for upsetting people in power.”
“He also makes friends in power,” Stacia said firmly. “House Dracon, House Jones, and House Theron all consider him a friend.”
“We know, and the King himself has also had you up to the castle for a private dinner,” Kato replied, her lips thin. “I could only wish you had made a few less enemies, so this would end more quickly.”
“We’ll be dealing with things in our own way,” Alburet said, getting to his feet. “Master Kato, thank you for hearing our complaint. I know that it was an anomaly, as most of the Assassins I’ve met have been very honorable in their actions.”
Rising smoothly to her feet, Kato gave a curt nod. “As it should be. Without order and law, there is only chaos.”
“Thank you for your time, Master Kato,” Karen said, bowing her head to the elder Assassin.
“It’s a very nice Guild,” Fluff said.
Taking Stacia’s arm, Alburet led her and the others from the room. Master Kato opted to stay inside rather than escort them out. As they exited the building, Tiny, Bob, and Kitten fell in behind them and they headed for the Portal Guild.
A dozen yards outside the gates, Tiny’s rumbling voice filled the air, “Did it go okay, master?”
“They will rebuke those involved in the attack,” Karen replied. “I don’t think Bloodmoon is going to find any takers if she tries it again. She also seems a bit too cowardly to find us outside the city and try it there.”
“Because she would get demolished,” Alburet said. “We’d have Marysue and Gerald with us. She might be a complete bitch, but I’m not sure she’s a complete idiot.”
“She attacked us,” Bob said from the rooftops, “not exactly the smartest thing in the world. If she hadn’t gone for the sucker punch, we would have won.”
“Aye, we would have,” Stacia agreed. “Without the second group, we would have withstood the attack.”
“Doesn’t matter now,” Alburet said. “We’re going to meet up, have some food, meet another Assassin, then head out for the Lunari continent.”
“Wildwood,” Fluff smiled. “It will be nice to see it again.”
“Anything we should know about it?” Karen asked.
“The city isn’t a regular city,” Fluff told her. “It’s more of a giant park, with huts scattered around. It sits on a peninsula of the island, where a giant wall was erected, making it very defensible.”
“Couldn’t attackers just swim?” Alburet asked.
“The waters there are full of dangerous monsters, to start with,” Fluff said, happy to explain. “The water is also freezing cold and gives a debuff if you get in it, sapping your strength. Add in the sharp rocks that lie just under the surface, and even boats have a hard time of it.”
“Okay then,” Alburet said. Vicky must have wanted to give them the same protections afforded the other cities, he thought.
“Are there special monsters we haven’t fought yet?” Karen asked.
“The Lunine are wolf people that resemble the Lunari,” Fluff said. “They’re like the Trolls in the Elven lands, or the Dragonkin in the Dw
arven lands.”
“Sounds like we’ll have some fun,” Alburet chuckled.
“I’m not sure the zone for our level will be one of the zones they’re in,” Fluff said, her hand rubbing an ear absently.
“No matter what mobs we find in the zone, it’ll still be fun to see new places,” Karen said.
“Aye, we be travelin’ the world as one big, happy family,” Stacia agreed.
“It’s like a dream,” Fluff said softly.
“For all of us,” Karen added, kissing Fluff’s cheek. “But first, quest turn-ins, food, and a meeting.”
They made their way to the Portal Guild, where Alburet dropped off the ring, then went on to Bunker and the Lava Pits. Deciding to turn in their quests first, they headed for the main room of the bunker. The sergeants on duty didn’t comment about them getting all the quests done, but Alburet figured that was because Gerald and Marysue had already turned theirs in. They thanked the guards and retreated towards the inn. Walking down the deserted hallways, they chatted happily about leveling from turning in the quests.
The inn was moderately full of guards, most of whom were gathered around the table Gerald and Marysue sat at. “There they are now,” Gerald said, waving the group over. “I hope you all enjoyed the story, but we’re going to be having lunch now.”
“Aye, tha’ we did, lad,” a grey-bearded Dwarf said, his uniform proclaiming him a Captain. “We be leavin’ ye in peace, an’ thank ye again for takin’ down tha’ Matriarch. Iffin ye get bored, feel free to go find another.”
Gerald chuckled, “We have a few more zones to visit first, but we might be back one day. Or other members of our Guild will be, at the very least.”
“Good huntin’,” the Captain said, echoed by the other guards, who began to disperse.
Alburet seated the women before dragging another chair over for himself, now that the Dwarves were gone. “Did we miss much?”
“We were just telling them about our fight,” Marysue said. “They all winced when we said we broke one of the eggs, though it did net the Guild as a whole some extra reputation. Now, what happened to you?”
Alburet began telling the story of the attack in Stormguard, pausing when food was brought over. During the meal, Stacia, Karen, Alburet, and Fluff explained the ambush and the aftermath, including the meeting with Master Kato.
Nodding, Gerald looked grim. “Yeah, it’s about time to play hardball. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this kind of thing here.”
“What’s the plan?” Alburet asked as he pushed his empty bowl away. The Dragon stew had been filling, if a bit spicy.
“I’m going to find Assassins who want to split the reward with the Guild,” Gerald’s smile twisted. “I have a handful of Guild members who have volunteered to be killed repeatedly in the Guild hall’s back room.”
Fluff gasped, “You’re going to try draining the money that was set down as a deposit.”
“Yes,” Gerald said. “It would also be good if you all opted to do the same; it would stop more ambushes from happening.”
Alburet shook his head. “I did this to help draw the Assassins away from our members. If we all have the buff, then they won’t focus on us.”
Marysue sighed, “I told you he wouldn’t agree. Al, we understand, but Gerald’s plan will undermine them in short order. You still want to level quickly, right?”
“Yes, but—” Alburet began.
“He cares about the innocent,” Stacia said, cutting him off. “He will nay do it—it be one of the reasons we love him as we do.”
“We won’t leave him the sole target in our group either,” Karen said.
“Karen,” Fluff added, “you can. The buff will fall off when you attack whoever attacks us. You’re already staying in stealth when we walk the streets, if we don’t have the buff on.”
“She has a point,” Alburet said.
Eyes narrowing, Karen glared at Alburet. “Oh, do you want me to sit in a gilded cage, safe from harm, too?”
“Ya anger is misplaced,” Stacia said, laying her hand on Karen’s arm. “Iffin ya are already nay a target due to ya stealth, then it does nay matter iffin ya already have the buff to start. Iffin ya do what Gerald asks, then it be some coin back to the Guild and ya be doin’ even more to help.”
Anger ebbing, Karen looked away from them. “Fine… and I’m sorry Al.”
Reaching over, he put his hand on hers. “It’s okay, I understood.”
A brief inhale and swipe at her eyes was all the indication Karen gave of her feelings to the two at the table who couldn’t see her emotional state, “Asshole.”
“But I’m your asshole,” Alburet chuckled.
“What about meeting this other Assassin?” Gerald asked, shifting the topic away from the lovers.
“Hopefully he shows up soon,” Alburet shrugged.
“Now seems good, wouldn’t you say, mate?” the Assassin said from next to the table, his stealth dropping away. “Mind if I join you for that chat now?” Seeing the anger on all of their faces, the Assassin held up an empty hand. “Come on now, here I am in good faith. I promise on my place in the Guild to not attack any of you.”
“You can’t; they have immunity, and we have God’s Grace,” Karen said stiffly.
“Fair point, Karen Two-souled,” the Assassin grinned, his face mostly covered by a black mask that left only white teeth and a blonde goatee visible. “I heard about the issue the other Two-souled caused earlier today. Some of you just don’t want to accept this world’s laws, it seems, but you seem to adapt rather quickly, don’t you?”
“Why did you want to talk?” Alburet cut in.
“Direct and to the point; my kind of person,” the Assassin chuckled. “You can call me Vetenarie. Feel free to leave off the formal title.”
Karen sat up straight, “Master Vetenarie? Why would you be out taking contracts?”
“I was interested in the circumstances of the first contract. It’s not often a Lord wants an unknown killed. It was also our first contract on a Two-souled, so why not go myself? Little did I know at the time what I was starting by agreeing to Lord Gilden’s request.”
“Fucking Skippy,” Alburet hissed, his teeth clenched together.
“Indeed. The man is a prat, but he will still inherit Gilden house from his father, which was only cemented in place when Wilbur Gilden left to take up the mantle of Lord Theron. That event was traced back to you, by the way, Alburet Two-souled.”
“Wilbur is a good guy,” Alburet said levelly. “This still hasn’t told us why you wanted to meet.”
“I’m getting there. Patience, chap,” Vetenarie grinned. “The lady asked a question, and ladies should always be first. Though I might have answered the original question, the reason I took the next contract on Alburet was that he intrigued me. You’re a fighter, that’s plain to see if one gets close enough. When you turned the tables on me last month and got the deal out of me for your Guild, I was pleasantly surprised. You listened to your Succubus, and then your wife here, something many don’t bother doing nowadays, it seems.”
“Was this talk for Alburet alone?” Gerald asked.
“No, I was hoping he would have you all here,” Vetenarie pulled a flask from his belt and sipped at it. “You see I don’t agree with what the Guild is doing right now—”
“You attacked us,” Fluff pointed out.
“Not seriously, though,” Vetenarie chuckled. “I wanted to leave my message without giving myself away.”
“Please continue,” Gerald said.
“As I was saying,” Vetenarie went on, “I don’t agree with what Master Yamto is doing with this contract. You’re all Two-souled, besides Stacia, so you have no idea what it all might come to.”
“You’re going to explain, we hope,” Marysue said with a false smile.
“You’re right. The last time something on this scale happened, a war broke out between two rival Houses. The streets became unsafe for anyone, and the Guild accepted c
ontract after contract, but our teams were always met with force. It was a bloody affair and the old Lord Theron made his name in the guard during that time. This contract, though, wasn’t set by a single house, but by five Houses, so the reserve on hand is substantial. I was hoping you might see your way clear to approaching some of those Houses and seeing if they would withdraw their support of the contract.”
“Who put you up to this?” Gerald asked with a flat look.
Meeting Gerald’s gaze, Vetenarie shook his head, “No one. I just care about the city, and rampant death in the streets isn’t good for it. It also tarnishes the Guild’s name, but all that the other Masters are seeing is easy coin to be made. I want this to end, preferably quickly.”
The Path to Peace Page 14
