"Here's your payment Guinevere." A man handed her a blue badge. She didn't bother weighing them, merely letting out a grunt and left. 'I should be nearing the capital. Maybe a walk will suffice making it there.' Guinevere pondered as she made her way to the nearest adventurer guild.
Her shady presence instantly drew on the eyes of many however she didn't bother too much with them. Handing over the badge, the clerk behind the counter looked at her badge before clearing her of her mission
[{Ding: You've completed the escort mission}]
Her badge gleamed showing a notification of her completion. "Here." The clerk handed her a bag, five thousand blue shards. It's weight substantial however she merely put it in her spatial pocket. Unlike Solon who liked to play as Jarren, she played as Orsen, not Guinevere.
"...Wait madam. If you're not so busy there's a mission sent in from the capital." The clerk mused, still adjusting to the fact that a Hollow Saint had just walked in his guild. "What is it?" Her voice cold, her gaze even colder. "The details of the mission will have to be clarified upon reaching the destination. Do you accept? After all it's a mission posed by the royal family."
Guinevere laughed inwardly, her gaze still locked with the clerk making him wonder whether he had misspoke. "It should help me pass time somehow. Maybe I could take over this pathetic kingdom while I'm at it." Her words making the entire guild fall silent. "Does she speak of treason?!" One shouted, shocked with her bravery.
"Any form of conflict within the guild will resort in serious punishment." Snarls erupted from the crowd around her, still some baffled with her words. "Fine I'll accept it."
[{Ding: Arrive at the capital for an audience with the royal family. You have a time limit of three days}]
Some were baffled with the mission, aware that it was a special mission given by the R
royal court, something that was hard to come by. She didn't bother wasting any more time as she made her way to a nearby inn to unwind for the day. The way over had been exhausting and she saw fit to take a break.
Getting a room wasn't hard at the slightest however before she could take a shower, she heard frantic knocks at her door. "Hey! Get out right now!" A voice barked before bashing the door. 'Seriously what is up with these nosy dogs? I admire your love for your dying kingdom but there's no need for you all to be so blind.'
Making her way over, she was greeted with a group of individuals, the badges on their chest gleaming gold. "You really do have to be careful with what you say around here lady because it would definitely be a shame if something bad were to happen to you." One of the men spoke, their gaze landing in her room marveling at it's wealth.
She didn't bother with them, a thought was enough to deal with them. Space contorted where they stood, their screams muted to the rest of the world and in a blink they all vanished in thin air. 'I was about to take my shower as well.' She clicked closing the door behind her.
***
"Those should be enough!" A man grunted as he picked up a twinned blood-root, his face spent. Next to him a lady walked, the two making their way back to the city. Two adventurers,both with gold on their chest proud with the haul they had managed to rake in.
"With this, we should be able to eat well for the rest of the month." With a full scale war on the horizon, prices increased greatly and others decreased. Any advancement based ingredients shot through the roof, in second being weaponry based artifacts and the rest followed.
The twinned blood-root, a vital component when breaking into Wrymkindled from Vein weaver and the two had managed to find a big stash of it in the woods. "I just hope that it's enough." The lady added as the city walls came into view. "Of course it will, after all breakthrough ingredients are the most sought after item right now thanks to the war."
The man reassured as they showed their badges, gaining entry. The pair were a couple who had chosen being adventurers as an occupation and from it a plethora or experiences became privy to them. Losses and profits alike however the two didn't venture too far out from their own city.
The two handed the twinned blood-root to the clerk who had them scanned.
[{Ding: Congratulations on completing your mission}]
The man was handed a bag of malcore shards. "Wait, I thought that it would be 700 blue malcore shards?!" The man roared at the clerk who remained aloof. "That was two weeks ago, there's no demand for it so the price for it dropped, though 500 shouldn't be that of a loss to you."
His voice professionally calm handling the pair. As much as the man wanted to lash out, making a scene wouldn't fix anything so he chose to let it go. "Hey! Have you heard?" There's a Hollow Saint adventurer in this city. Though she'll be going to the capital three days from now."
The man still in his state didn't bother, the lady however wasn't as thick skinned. "A Hollow Saint?! But how could a high level individual be at a place like this?!" The lady cried hoping for a juicy story. "Apparently she's not just some nobody but princess Guinevere from Othare, it's a shame that she has to deal with the loss like this."
The girl however didn't seem all that invested, what really drew her in was the presence of a Hollow Saint present. Usually such people preferred to live in obscurity or in fame and Guinevere had chosen the latter. But still her presence would no doubt all kinds of attention, some with good intentions and others plotting her downfall.
It wasn't rare to hear that a high leveled individual fall with no feasible explanation. "Some are saying that she's here to take over Redfall." The man chuckled as they all sat down. It wasn't just them but the rest indulged in idle banter about Guinevere's arrival.
The clerk furrowed his brows, ticked with how they treated the guild akin to a bar they could shout and holler to their liking.
[{Ding: All adventurers are required to make their way to the nearest adventurer guild}]
Ripples of unease and shock rang through the crowd as they kept on reading through the message.
[{All Redfall adventurers are required by the kingdom to help with the ongoing war with the anomalies at the border. Failure to do so will result in the revocation of one's status as an adventurer and treated as treason}]
Seeing the badge at the end of the notification, most felt odd as it was a royal decree. Usually issued during dire times to the masses so seeing this now meant that the war at the borders wasn't simple. "Wait! Does that mean that we'll have to travel for miles to some place we don't even know?!"
It was then that most realized the weight of the message. "They're basically asking us to die in foreign land." Another chimed in stirring the pot. The clerk held onto his nose bridge, taking off his glasses and letting out a heavy sigh. 'These people?! Do they have to shout and complain here??'
***
"Sir, we've confirmed that she's nestled in a hotel. Prestigious at that." A man adorned in a butler outfit said, his tone low with his eyes landing on the back of the back of a chair that swirled into the light. A face could be seen, smooth with a tight smile plastered on it. "That's good. However don't do anything to startle her. Getting on her bad side this early wouldn't be great."
The man mused, his hands clasped as he slunk forward. "I can't help but wonder, sir, why would you think that she'll help us?! So far she's abstained from any political faction or the royal court." The man hummed knowingly, pleased with the question he got.
"Sometimes when you know the game, then even the most powerful card could be nothing more than a card like the rest." The man let out a deep hearty chuckle. "But remember, that even as knowledgeable as you may be that it's potency is still high. Underestimation could lead to your demise sir." The butler spoke respectfully making the man laugh.
Not out of ridicule but admiration. "But of course, after all she's a Hollow Saint, she could level this entire city with a finger but so far she has no reason to." The man pressed on, rising to his feet and swung the curtains to the side letting light fill the room. His face was bathed, the butler shadowed by his master with a grim face.
"From rumors, it's known that she's extremely cold to whoever she meets with no exception." The butler added eliciting no reaction from the noble. The whiskey on his desk gleamed with the sun's rays, dust particles seen settle in the room. "So we should expect it. After all such people usually have hubris clouding their judgement."
The man let out a sigh before striding back to his chair. "But of course and that is why such people usually don't live long. With the war at the borders, casualties are known for piling up so hearing her death though filling the kingdom with fear won't do much. At the very least it'll make sure those bastards in the underworld that there's something sharper lurking."
He took his whiskey and with one gulp drank it. Dutifully, the butler refilled it. "She has three days before making her appearance at the capital so she should have time for a quest." The butler was about to object however seeing his smile, he immediately pursed his lips. "I understand."
And with that the butler took his leave. The man sunk into his chair, on his desk a map of Redfall was present. Chess pieces could be seen all over before his gaze landed on a specific one. "Callista, I didn't think that Reuthar would send you but you should prove to be of some use before you meet your end in this war."
He knocked the pawn over, a sinister smile flashing on his face as he prepared himself for the act to come.
***
Guinevere had spent the entire day in her suite, with no intention of gracing the world beneath her akin to a banished immortal.
[{Ding: Your presence is requested at the adventurers guild.}]
She didn't bother taking another glance before dismissing the notification. 'Does he really think that he can toy with the unknown with no consequences? She laughed at the absurdity before her gaze landed at the capital. 'Solon, you definitely know how to pick the crazy ones.'
She had seen Roderic's death, pitiful and unfitting for a king but what drew her interest was that Callista didn't leave the palace not did she have any intention to. Nestling with people seeking her blood and yet she lived through it without a care. 'I guess she does have some bravado to her unlike Crimson.'
Callista's bravery wasn't something she saw often, usually fear or submission but she was an entirely different character that she admired. 'Reminds me of myself when I was getting way too comfortable with Solon.' Bitter memories surfaced, some that she had promise to abandon and yet they came once more.
Clutching her brows and letting a deep exhausted sigh, she grabbed a nearby wine bottle and drunk to it's bottom with one gulp. Jarren's offer still ticked in her mind, though considering it, she tried to gauge what game he was trying to play with her. 'Why do you have to be the way that you are?!'
She cursed at his unpredictable nature, merciless one second and the next benevolent to whomever he deemed fit of receiving his mercy. She looked over her balcony, tossing her badge to the side before sinking into slumber on the sofa and a wine bottle sprawled on the floor. It was hard to think that she was the famous Hollow Saint the entire city was raving about.
Passed out like a drunkard at a bar. A maniacal laugh escaping her lips.