Kelsa stepped in the office of the Guild Master behind me, and gave a small bow.
"Guild Master Dewitt, Elias Crosse is here as expected." She said in a professional tone, but all I could do was stare at the man behind the desk at the back of the office.
Martin had said this man was a coward before, and it was immediately apparent why, even if he was B+ rank. I used Abyssal Eye.
[Name: Phillander Dewitt]
[Age: 34]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Spearman (B+)]
[Designation: Guild Master of the Adventurer's Guild of Arbigold]
That was definitely interesting. I didn't actually expect him to have any kind of class related to battle given his skinny and weak appearance. It did explain the spear I saw mounted on the wall behind his desk, but from what I gathered, it had barely seen any use, if any at all. It was prestine, a beautiful silver weapon that looked more like an art piece than a weapon. And as I said before, his appearance didn't do him any favors.
He looked to be just below 6 foot, but I couldn't tell for sure since he was currently sitting down. He had thin brown hair cut short, but he had a few bangs parted to the side on the left side of his face, combed over to the right side just above his eyes. Also, the man was just skinny as hell, almost reminding me of myself before I came to this world, granted not quite as drastic. So far, my impressions of this man hadn't been very high, and my thoughts on him only went downhill from here. He let a man like Delvin fester within the Guild. Not just that, but the asshole prospered, and this guy was too scared to do a damn thing.
"Thank you Kelsa." He said, before hesitantly turning his eyes to me, and the look of poorly disguised fear on his face was plain to see, "It's nice to meet you, Mr Crosse. Please, accept my deepest apologies for what transpired here yesterday, and the events that followed."
I actually snorted, causing him to flinch, and for Kelsa to stiffen.
"Well, since no one else was doing anything about that degenerate scumbag and his party, someone had to." I said, and now I saw small beads of sweat forming on his forehead, "Tell me, Guild Master, how is that? I mean, I was in the city for like... 20 fucking minutes, and I noticed he was a huge problem pretty fast."
The Guild Master didn't say anything for a moment, and I was hoping he was truly considering what his inaction let happen. After another moment, Phillander spoke.
"Delvin had been a distinguished member of the Guild for a while. He comes from a powerful family very far North, and they are a respected Noble house... one that may not be very pleased once they figure out he is dead." He said, and I snorted again.
"Of course he's nobility. Makes sense as to why he was such an asshole." I said, not caring all too much, although I will admit to be a little annoyed that Martin hadn't mentioned that to me. I doubted he didn't know that Delvin came from a noble family. I'll have to ask him about that later.
Phillander looked taken aback, and then he seemed to press on, not even trying to argue against my words. Meanwhile, Kelsa looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here, fidgeting in place nervously.
"Delvin was not a pleasant man... that is true, but he was one of the most powerful individuals in the city, and he and his party completed many high ranked guild jobs that no one else could." He said, grimacing as I continued to give him a flat stare, "I knew he did some bad things, yes, but I had no idea his crimes were so severe..."
I actually laughed outloud, but there was no hint of amusement in my tone. The man actually looked petrified, and Kelsa just stared at the ground, although I did catch the way she nodded or seemed to agree with some of what I was saying through her subtle gestures and body language.
"Come the fuck on. Really?" I said, incredulity lacing my voice, "This dude was an asshole that treated women like objects that he could just take, dueled men for their women, dueled women to force them in to servitude, and then, most of these women just fucking disappeared, yet you didn't think something was wrong there? Are you okay with members of your Guild raping and murdering people because they can? Because they are strong?"
He shrank back in his chair, his eyes wide with panic. Kelsa was now looked between the Guild Master and myself with wide eyes. I had accidentally let a bit of my aura release in my angered state, but honestly, I didn't really care. Well... Kelsa was a nice girl, so I did care a bit, but this guy was either stupid, or incompetent. Or both.
"And that slave of his? You know, that one he treated like garbage? Yeah, she's one of the nicest people I've ever met, despite what she's went through. That poor girl has suffered a lot in her life, the people those pieces of shit kidnapped, tortured, raped, killed, sold into slavery... those people have suffered a lot. And what are you doing? Sitting here with your damn tail between your legs, not doing a goddamn thing." I said, staring him down with eyes that I could feel where physically on fire.
Okay, so admittedly, this meeting was not going the way it was supposed to, but this really pissed me the fuck off. I could understand Martin not truly knowing what was happening with Delvin, as he was busy with... well, whatever the hell nobles were busy with. And even if Seraphina could tell he was not a good person, it's not like her soul sight, or even mine for that matter, told you exactly what their misdeeds were. Martin did say it complicated things when someone of his status got involved with matters such as this, and there was only so much he could do given his position regarding the matter. The only reason he was even able to act was the verbal confession I forced out of the man.
That being said, this fucking guy? The guy that sat behind his desk who has all the time in the world to observe people? Yeah, I'm not buying it. There's no way he didn't know some shit like this could be happening. He was just a coward. Hell, no one else did a damn thing either. I get that people in this world truly feared those more powerful than them, but I just can't believe that not a single person did a goddamn thing. They didn't say anything to anyone, they didn't try to investigate... hell, no one even tried to find the people that were never seen again after these assholes took them.
Phillander, eyes wide, was taking a few slow breaths in and out, but I did thankfully see some gears turning in the man's head. I still didn't like the guy, but it looked like he was thinking, at the very least. After a moment, he actually worked up the nerve to speak.
"Kelsa... that'll be all for now. You may take your leave." He said, and the way Kelsa nodded, and bolted out of the room did make me feel a tad guilty.
Once the door closed behind us, I just crossed my arms across my chest as I stared down this man. He looked like he was in deep contemplation of what to say next, which was good timing, as a concerned voice entered my thoughts.
"Darling... is everything okay? I feel how angry you are." Cici said into my mind, and I sent her my love and assurance as I reassured her everything was okay.
Mental Communication was nice for a lot of different reasons. For one, I could talk to my kitten whenever I wanted to, which would never be a bad thing. Another nice thing was that I could pretty much relay to her everything at once, as I filled her mind of my conversation... or rather, my one sided argument with the Guild Master, in mere moments. And of course, leave it to my wonderful wife to be the voice of reason, and to calm my emotions.
"I get why you are upset, my love. Honestly, I do feel the same way that you do, at least in some ways. What Delvin and his party did was awful... what many people do in this world is awful, but try looking at it from a different perspective." She said, and my thoughts were fully focused on her, "Eli... when you first came here, and we were attacked, how did you feel?"
I thought about that for a bit, but it didn't take me that long to respond.
"Weak. Powerless. Scared... like I couldn't do anything..." I said, my mind already starting to see what she was getting at.
"Right. I felt the same way too... but both of us still tried, we still fought... because that's who we are. And after you came back, and you got your class, how did you feel then?" She asked me, and that took me no time at all to answer.
"Powerful. Confident. Unstoppable." I said, and I got the mental equivalent of a nod.
"Yes. And you are, my darling. Ever since then, you have been... well... you are ridiculous, Eli. When you see something you don't like, you stop it, because you can. When you rescued me, you fought an entire city, and the Baron who had a strong class, because you had the strength to do so. You are stronger than anyone else I've ever met, and even against stronger foes, you defeat them easily, like Delvin... but to most regular people, someone like Delvin is like how you feel. Powerful, confident, and unstoppable. And they do the terrible things they do because they can. Power is everything in this world, and it terrifies people, many times into inaction, because they are scared about what might happen to them, or the ones they love."
I let her words truly sink in, feeling the truth in them that I had neglected. While I did still think the man in front of me was a coward, I now applied what Cici had told me to this situation, and I did understand that. And she was right. I was... well, overpowered as fuck, and now that I was thinking about it, it did color my way of thinking. Not everyone could just storm in and take down these incredibly powerful douchebags like I could. And, unlike people like Martin or his wife, I wasn't bound by status or anything... I was pretty much free to act on my feelings. That was just who I was, but Cici did help me to see things in a different light.
"I won't change who I am... but you are right. Leave it to you to know exactly what to say. I... have not thought about it in that way." I admittedly, and she giggled good-naturedly in my head.
"I love you just the way you are darling, and I never want you to change. I just wanted you to think about this in a different way." She said, and then her tone in my head filled with so much warmth my chest grew hotter, "And of course I'm always going to be here for you, no matter what it is you need. You're my mate, my darling husband, and we will face everything together."
I smiled physically, and noticed how Phillander seemed to tense from this. He still hadn't said anything, granted, only a few seconds had actually passed during this time. It was truly convenient, and further emphasized her earlier point about how ridiculous I was.
"I love you too, kitten. Thank you for this... and for everything." I said, her love for me liable to make my heart burst, "And yeah, together, we can do anything."
More love and affection was sent my way, before I could just tell that she was smirking from wherever she was.
"Plus... what other wife would be working so tirelessly to help another woman get ready for a date with you later?" She joked, and I think I chuckled outloud, because Phillander flinched once again, but I really didn't care right now.
"The best wife there is." I said, affection in my voice.
"I try." She said in a playful tone, before she continued, "We actually have to leave to go and grab some things. Are you okay now, darling?"
"Yeah. Thanks to you, I am. I think I can be a little more cordial with this guy... I'm still not a fan.... but I'll hear him out. And get my damn amulet. Be careful love, and if you need me, I'll be there." I said, and her affection washed over me and covered me like a soft blanket.
"We'll be fine, Eli. Don't worry. And I'm not telling you to like the guy, but you should hear him out. See you soon, darling. Love you." She said, and I sent her an equal amount of how I felt about her.
"Love you. Be safe." I said, and just like that, her presence receded, but still remained a constant in my mind.
As this ended, I just sat back, and patiently waited for Phillander to begin speaking, as he still hadn't said a thing yet. Actually, the man was looking at me like he thought I lost my marbles. To him, it probably looked that way, but I wasn't going to say anything. It was kind of amusing, at any rate. Still, Cici had been right, so I'd be keeping that in mind for whenever this dude decided he was ready to continue.