Chapter 70: Request

After securing and checking over their three rooms, Will and Allyson met in the corridor connecting them, the latter carrying a pull-string linen bag.

"Before we head out, I'm gonna drop off my laundry and make use of this place's bathing facilities," stated Allyson. "Five days on the road isn't that much, but...yeah..."

Seeing Will stare through her with his usual smile, Allyson started feeling a little awkward. What she didn't know was that it had just hit him that he would either need to do his laundry or pay someone to do it for him during the course of their journey.

'I should have brought Therese, Ryza, and Amira with me...' thought Will, a wry smile adorning his face.

"What about you...?" asked Allyson, lowering her face, scratching her right cheek, and staring at WIll with upturned eyes as she revealed, "I usually get my laundry done separately, but if you're short on money, we can get it done in bulk..."

Though he understood that refusing would probably make things even more awkward for Allyson, Will didn't hesitate to respond, "Thanks, but I should be fine for the time being. If nothing else, I'll have my stuff thrown in with Aelius and Kris."

"Right...that makes sense..." conceded Allyson, her smile briefly becoming awkward before she recovered and said, "Then let's meet at the bar once I'm finished. I shouldn't be too long."

"Sounds good," affirmed Will, nodding. Then, as there was only one set of steps leading to the first floor, he made a casual 'after you' gesture before following in Allyson's wake...

...

"The Lord's son has gone missing...?" repeated Aelius, seated across from the Guild representative in a private, sound-proofed meeting room.

"That is correct..." confirmed the bronze-skinned representative, who had introduced herself as Leitvah Myrnn, Tempahsta's acting Guild Master. As for the whereabouts of the actual Guild Master...

"Guild Master Hanabi led a rescue team in pursuit of the Lord's son three days ago but has yet to return. Your mission is to investigate the Dungeon they disappeared into and report your findings..." explained Leitvah.

"Oh? Then this isn't a search and rescue operation...?" questioned Aelius, crossing his arms and raising his right brow.

"Guild Master Hanabi is a Grade Four Champion on the verge of attaining the Grade of Master," revealed Leitvah. "If something transpired that left even her unable to return, your party would be hard-pressed to deal with it. Instead, your priorities are to investigate and return. Once we better understand what we're dealing with, we can request assistance from one of the larger branches."

"But what if we do encounter the Guild Master?" asked Aelius. "I assume we're to provide aid and assistance."

"If you're able," affirmed Leitvah, nodding. "But the important thing is that you return and report your findings. The Dungeon you'll be venturing into was previously classified as safe for C-Rank Adventurers. That is clearly no longer the case, but we can't keep denying people entry without being able to point to something concrete as the reason."

"The disappearance of your Guild Master and a presumably competent rescue team isn't reason enough...?" asked Aelius.

"It's...complicated..." responded Leitvah, averting her eyes.

"Ah..."

Realizing what must have happened, Aelius nodded sagely and remarked, "So, that's how it is...the Lord must have requested the Guild Master's aid in secret and asked her to carry out the rescue operation discreetly. Now that she, too, has disappeared, you're trying to avoid a full-blown panic..."

Shaking her head, Leitvah explained, "Our Lord is Guild Master Hanabi's younger sister. The boy who went missing is her nephew, so she led the rescue efforts of her own accord..."

"Then I'm confused," contended Aelius. "Wouldn't the disappearance of the City Lord's son and elder sister be more than enough justification to cut off access to the Dungeon...?"

"It's an issue of optics..." sighed Leitvah. "When the Guild Master entered the Dungeon, she took with her many of Tempahsta's most powerful and respected Adventurers. The public wouldn't accept it if we said they died without providing evidence or a rational explanation..."

"Let's just leave it at that," said Aelius, failing to grasp Leitvah's reasoning but ultimately not caring. Instead, he got to the point, making a circle with his right index and middle fingers as he noted, "What you're asking implies a significant risk to myself and my party. I expect the compensation to be commensurate with that risk, especially given the unknown but presumed status of your Guild Master...

Closing her eyes, Leitvah responded, "Since we are only asking you to investigate and confirm the situation, the reward is the same as any other survey request. However, as these are extenuating circumstances, we will exempt you from any taxes associated with materials and items procured during the course of your investigation..."

"You're short-changing us even in this situation...?" asked Aelius, unable to prevent his expression from becoming incredulous.

Opening her eyes partway, Leitvah seemed genuinely apologetic as she expressed, "I'm sorry...but with things as they are, we're going to need to cut back on operational costs just to cover the insurance policies of those who lost their lives in this incident. Requesting aid from a large branch will also cost us a substantial sum, so we lack the funds to offer you a greater bounty..."

"And what of your City Lord?" asked Aelius. "Two of the people who went missing are members of her family. Given what we've discussed, shouldn't she be the one financing things? Especially given that the Guild and local administration are supposed to operate independently but in coordination with one another..."

"It's...complicated..." repeated Leitvah, forcing a cramped smile. The truth of the matter was that the City Lord's son was a spendthrift who enjoyed exhibiting his superiority by going on highly publicized shopping sprees or passing out money in large sums. Eventually, the City Lord got fed up with him single-handedly tanking their family's finances. It was in response to her cutting him off that he chose to become an Adventurer despite having a congenital heart condition that inhibited his ability to circulate Mana and Aura...

"Then, as much as I want to help, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I have a chance to discuss things with my remaining party members," expressed Aelius, shrugging. "If they're okay with it, we'll take the job. But expecting us to risk our lives for what amounts to a pittance is unreasonable. I know your situation is dire and necessitates expedience, but Adventurers aren't charity workers..."

"I understand..." responded Leitvah, but despite how calm she sounded, her clenched fists made it clear she wasn't happy with Aelius's apparent refusal. The fact he and Kris had far lighter complexions than the average Deisceartian didn't help. Had they been locals, she could have pressured them using the pretense of honor and serving their community...

"Then I'll get back to you as soon as possible," said Aelius, rising from the sofa he was sitting on and promptly departing with Kris. Leitvah remained behind, hanging her head and slumping her shoulders at a loss, but if she knew what the duo was thinking, she would have been at least marginally more optimistic.

"We're going to help, right...?" asked Kris, waiting until he and Aelius were outside, heading down the corridor to Guild Hall's tavern area.

"We would regret it if we didn't..." replied Aelius, sporting his usual smile, but his eyes lacked focus, gazing into the distance at something beyond what was physically before him.

"Nn..." responded Kris, nodding affirmingly before punching his right fist into his left hand, his vermillion eyes blazing with determination...

...

"Sorry for the wait, Aiden. You ready to go?" asked Allyson, approaching Will at the bar with a faint, fruity aroma accompanying her.

Noticing that Allyson's hair was less messy than usual, fixed into a long, wavy ponytail, Will raised his brows and asked, "Trying out a new style?"

"It doesn't hurt to change things up occasionally," contended Allyson, a faint smile adorning her face. Will got the impression she was fishing for compliments, but as he had received an earful from Ohta when he was inspecting his room, he feigned obliviousness, got up from his stool, and responded, "Right?" before adding, "I'm good to go."

"Then let's go...?" responded Allyson, appearing slightly confused before turning to lead the way. The aroma of her shampoo tickled Will's nose as he followed in her wake, but as it was nothing he hadn't experienced, he didn't say anything until Allyson started regaling him about how pleasant the Inn's bath was, suggesting he try it once they return...

...

"Oh? I wasn't expecting you for another hour or two," remarked Aelius, perking up as Will and Allyson approached the booth he and Kris were occupying.

Directing his gaze to Allyson, Aelius's cat-like eyes glistened playfully as he teased, "After all the times I've tried convincing you to take better care of your hair, what made you change your mind?"

"Does it matter...?" asked Allyson, sitting beside Kris as Will had taken the initiative to sit next to Aelius.

"It most definitely does," responded Aelius, nodding. "But we can discuss that later. Right now, there's something a little less important but infinitely more time-critical we need to discuss."

"Did something happen...?" asked Allyson, immediately becoming serious. Will also perked his ear, but as he had yet to eat lunch, Will raised his right hand to get the attention of one of the staff members patrolling the tavern area.

"If you're ordering food, be sure to get it to go," said Aelius, preempting Will's query by shifting his focus to Allyson and explaining, "We received an emergency request from the acting Guild Master. The condition of the city's Dungeon has changed in the past couple of days, resulting in even veteran Adventurers going missing. They want us to investigate the cause so they can reopen the Dungeon to the public."

"What about our current job...?" asked Allyson.

"I've received assurance that the Guild will cover the cost for a breach of contract," answered Aelius. "That should tell you how desperate they are."

"Wow. They really must be if they agreed to a condition like that," affirmed Allyson, eyes wide in surprise. Then, directing her gaze to Will, she asked, "What do you think, Aiden? This isn't what you agreed to, so if you want to sit things out, we won't blame you."

Ding!

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[Sins of the Father]

Rank: B-S [Limited Quest]

Objective(s): The son of Tempahsta's Lord has gone missing. Seek him out and ascertain the cause of his disappearance. Time is of the essence.

Optional Objective(s): Locate and rescue the surviving members of the Rescue Party(0/7), Reach the bottom floor of Tempahsta's Dungeon, The Tomb of the Jackal King(0/1), ????, ????

Reward(s): 10,000 Karma, [Jeweled Crown of the Pharoah]x1, ????, ????

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"I could use the exercise," responded Will, smiling.

"Then it's settled!" exclaimed Aelius, beaming from ear to ear as he rose to his feet and added, "I'll let the acting Guild Master know our decision and then run over to the convoy staging area to apprise Angil and Rasa of the situation. We'll meet at the Dungeon's entrance in two hours."

"Two hours...?" questioned Will.

"Rushing things is never good, especially when venturing into a situation like this," explained Aelius. "Use this time to fill your belly and check the condition of your equipment. If we have to turn back or complete repairs mid-exploration, it will set us back significantly more than two hours."

Finished with what he had to say, Aelius waved his hand before promptly departing with Kris. This, once again, left Will and Allyson alone together, but before things could get too awkward, Ohta appeared, seemingly from beneath the table.

As it was her first time seeing Ohta in person, Allyson's eyes widened as she asked, "Are you Aiden's senior disciple...?"

"Something you want to say, girlie...?" asked Ohta, narrowing his eyes in a threatening manner. He didn't release his Aura to intimidate her, but since he wasn't actively concealing his reserves, Allyson's complexion paled as she felt like she was teetering on the edge of a deep chasm overlooking a river of magma. One mistake, and she felt like she would plummet into its depths, her life snuffed in an instant...

...