67: Confrontation

“It is you! Why are you here?” Micca called out, jumping down from her wagon and running forward.

 

“Uh, long story. What… why are you here?” I stammered, dismounting from Sable.

 

She wrapped me in a hug—at least until she noticed Crisplet and leapt back in shock.

 

“Oh yeah, this is Crisplet, my companion,” I said, gesturing to the brazier strapped at my side. “And this is the adventurer team I’m with. You’ve got Liane, Jen, Milo, and Hari,” I added, pointing to each as they gave polite waves.

 

“And this is Micca,” I said, excitement building in my voice, “the one from the inn I’ve mentioned.”

 

“Are you staying here tonight?” I asked, glancing at the others—holding up the group already.

 

“Yes, we just got in. We can’t go any further. Apparently, the mountain path is blocked? Is that why you’re still here?” She asked, still eyeing Crisplet warily as he let off the occasional spark.

 

“Not exactly. We’ve got a meeting to attend, but we can catch up tonight?” I said, turning to see Jen give me a nod.

 

“Okay, sounds good!” Micca called, waving as she headed back to her wagon.

 

“I’ll find you!” I practically yelled heading back to the group.

 

I quickly mounted Sable again as Hari led us forward past the guards and through the city gate.

 

Why was Micca here? Had something happened in Dunhearth?

 

I didn’t have a lot of time to think about it before we arrived at the guild. We stabled our horses as usual and stepped into the now-familiar building. I never expected to be back here so soon.

 

After approaching the counter and handing over another sealed letter, Hari exchanged a few quiet words. Not long after, we were escorted down a short hallway—past the same room where we’d spoken with the officer last time—and into a new office.

 

It wasn’t as lavish as Jackson’s back in Boltron, but it was still impressive. A dark, almost black wooden desk stood at its centre, with bookshelves lining the walls and a training dummy in one corner. Unlike Kara’s, though, this dummy looked barely used.

 

Behind the desk sat an older man dressed in long robes, not too unlike Milo’s usual style.

“Come, sit—sit,” the man beckoned, and we followed him to the waiting chairs.

 

“Right, let’s get this out of the way. My name is Nathan. I lead the guild here in Forest’s Edge. You’re here to help defend the city, but your situation is particularly… unique. And dangerous.”

 

He let out a slow sigh.

 

“Because your support member is allegedly being followed—according to Kara’s letter—by one of the combatants currently fighting in the heart of the forest.” His eyes scanned us carefully.

 

“Is that about the gist of it?” he asked.

 

Hari seemed a little taken aback by it all, but quickly pulled himself together.

 

“Yes, that’s pretty much it,” he replied.

 

“Right, then it’s fairly simple. We’ll follow the approach Kara set out — if you are attacked by the cat, we will not intervene. However, we will provide you with a private location to cook, and offer any protections we can against outside forces trying to interfere with your support.”

 

“Sounds good,” Hari said with a nod.

 

“I don’t suppose you’d be able to share further details on why your support may require additional protection from outside sources? The notes from his previous visit only mentioned that he could provide minor buffs through food. That alone doesn’t usually warrant full guild protections,” Nathan asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Uh, no, sorry. We can’t elaborate on that,” Hari said solemnly.

 

“Very well.” Nathan moved on without pressing further. “Now then, regarding the protection of the city. We’ve seen a sharp increase in dangerous creatures in the surrounding forest. A lot of the more powerful beasts from deeper in have been driven out, causing a knock-on effect. Right now, there hasn’t been anything too extreme, but we’re running constant patrols.”

 

He glanced between us.

 

“We’re also sending parties along the forest roads to assist any unprepared travellers. Join those patrols. That will be your main contribution for now. If you have a map, I’ll mark where you’ll find the residence—beds, kitchen, the works.”

 

Hari pulled out a different map from his storage—one I hadn’t seen before—and handed it over.

 

Nathan marked a spot, then grabbed a piece of parchment. He scribbled a short note, signed it, and pressed a wax seal onto the corner.

 

“Give this to Matthew at the house. He’ll get everything prepared for your use. That’s all for today. Thank you for your time.”

 

As we stood to leave, Hari paused.

 

“Sorry, just one thing before we go. We knew some people in the mountain pass village. Do you know what happened to them?”

 

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Nathan winced slightly.

 

“Yes, they’re here in town. Most of them made it out alive—they left during the early tremors. But… not everyone.”

 

My stomach sank. I couldn’t help but worry that Londor had stayed behind again. Judging by Hari’s face, he was thinking the same.

 

“Is Chief Londor here by chance?” Hari asked.

 

“Yes, he’s here. The villagers have set up a camp on the far side of town, near the wall. You’ll be able to get more details from them, but from what we understand, they lost several people when the stone quarry collapsed.”

 

“Thank you, sir,” Hari said quietly, his tone sombre.

 

We quickly said our farewells and left the office.

 

After a brief bow, we made our way back to the main hall.

 

Once outside, there was a collective sigh of relief. We had finished our assignment—and, for now, the pressure was off. I really wanted to meet up with Micca and find out why she was here. I had so many questions.

 

First though, we needed to find a stable for the horses—which turned out to be easier said than done. With all the refugees and stranded travellers heading for Boltron, the two stables we’d visited before were already over capacity.

 

Eventually, we found one on the outskirts of town. It looked like it had been thrown together recently, and they were charging a premium. Hari paid without complaint.

 

Our next task was to find the house Nathan had told us about.

 

Luckily, Forest’s Edge wasn’t nearly as large as Boltron, so it didn’t take long. We met a man named Matthew, apparently the caretaker for several guild-owned properties. After reading Nathan’s letter, he nodded quickly and vacated the residence.

 

“Err… does he have somewhere else to go?” I asked, watching him leave.

 

“Yes,” Jen said. “The guild owns several places here, and, worst case, there are rooms back at the guild itself.”

 

As we entered, Crisplet wasted no time leaving his brazier to explore. The place wasn’t overly large, and it reminded me a little of Micca’s place back in Dunhearth—three rooms, a kitchen, dining area, and a basic bath and toilet setup.