章 334: CHPT 334: A Return Born from a Gift....
The City that never sleeps. Even in the dead of night, it glowed with a light more intense than that of what's seen in mid-day. The same could be said for the activity as Heroes and Workers swelled around them following their own path-- their own nightly ritual.
A nightly ritual Claude and Ursula had just entered. One that suddenly felt all the more dangerous as they continued to stare at the massive fiery red lettering on impossibly tall and imposing Guildhall.
The Grand-Knights Public Guildhall. Even as an inanimate object, with it's spotless ocean blue windows and black stone bordering, it loomed over them with an intensely hot and physical presence.
Maybe it was the heat of danger being taken up a notch so suddenly, maybe it was some metaphysical presence of Rory Legrand that laced the building like the oak tree twisting through it's entire structure to the left of them. Either way, they all felt it, because even as people moved in and out around them, they remained still.
"I'm so stupid....fuck-- I really am a meathead. Of course his reach would span this far." Ursula growled.
"What?" Claude mumbled under the sound of various Ranked NightRunners shuffling past them both.
"The whole reason my Father is in New Gloria-- an untapped growing market. Even in terms of real estate, you can buy land and have a naturally low risk of losing it to the Monsters due to the low median level around here. The Nine is buying up properties all around New Gloria. It's the easiest growth tool and money grab in the world....of course he'd have property here...even if we went to a place I hadn't been to before."
"Wait.....so there's a low chance of him actually being inside...? Since he just has his name on property everywhere..? Kind of like Guildhalls around the world?" Claude asked naively.
"Exactly. But even so...this building is much more connected to Ronin than any other...naturally. I don't know if this is all that good of an idea.." Ursula said.
"None of this is a quote on quote..good, idea. But it's necessary and there isn't anywhere else for us to go....unless you want to go try out for and join a private Guild?" Claude replied, asking the question sarcastically.
"Yea...pretty sure we need ID's for that....and shoes, are you sure they'll even let you in?" Ursula asked half jokingly as she pulled her eyes from the building to look at his bare scarred and calloused feet.
Claude huffed a laugh that fell short in response to the cold shiver that skittered up his spine and had him shaking slightly in revulsion. Similar to a feeling one got when they were being intensely watched. Never been a sense that's necessarily proven..but everyone had it. That sense of discomfort, it was screaming it's presence in Claude's mind when he suddenly felt Frosty go alert to the left of him.
Ursula froze beside him, catching the feeling just in time to follow everyone else's eyes to the left of the building.
A few hundred feet away from them, the building made a series of ninety degree turns, giving it an odd shape that wasn't as simple as a plain wall, but instead something similar to an open space before being swallowed up by the tree growing through it. In the opening, a sort of psuedo alleyway resided, backed by the glass walls of the oddly shaped building and cast in deeper shadows by the looming building and tree that hovered above on both sides. The space wasn't large enough for too many people to occupy. But it wasn't people they found.
It was the slitted bright green eyes of the cat once again. Only now, dozens of pairs blinked at them from within the darkness. Like the one he'd seen before had grabbed it's friends to come watch the newcomers some more.
But that was unlikely....even so. The eyes continued to watch them, moving and scanning over every inch of them speculatively.
"Suddenly...I'd like to go inside..." Ursula murmured.
The dozens of cats continued to watch, allowing the abundant magical glow of the city around them to bounce off their midnight fur and reflective eyes. Unflinchingly cold and lifeless even as Blackbeak squawked obscenities at them from the top of the towering building.
"Yea....let's get in and get the hell out of here." Claude replied before taking Frosty and Ursula into the Public Guildhall owned by The Red Knight of Rage. Also known as Ursula's father and Ronin's business associate.
What beautiful luck they were having...
With nothing left to do, and an incredible urge to escape the gaze of the stray black cats, the pack stepped into the thick shadows cast by the awning and entered the building. As soon as he pulled the doors open, a wave of intense heat that contrasted with the cold outside washed over them, bringing with it an array of familiar smells and sounds.
Immediately he began sifting through each scent in search of anything pointing to Detectives. Nothing thus far. They continued onward.
NightRunners occupied the grounds everywhere behind a two-way opening the split the endlessly long stretch of land into two sections. The NightRunners sat idly, stationed at benches and tables similar to the one's found at the SkyLight Guildhall. But that's about the only similarity they shared.
In the first room, glossy red marble floors stretched for what seemed like miles compared to what he was used to, lit by jarred lanterns that burned a fiery orange-red, making the sight of the entire massive room seem like it was dipped in flaming blood. Even the walls were a shade of dark red with a shimmering gold trim. The same trim that matched the engraved wooden desks occupied by clerks at the right and left walls.
The desks were occupied by two women-- neither reminded him of Ilka. The women behind the desks now were older-- less full of life and vibrant energy. They looked tired, a tired that failed to be hidden behind their thick curves and almost egregious levels of beauty. Thick black eyeliner made their brown and blue eyes pop like fireworks, their dresses hugged each and every curve it could and left the rest to be witnessed along with their exposed flesh. Even their hair glistened in all it's combed and purposefully structured glory.
They were beautiful-- not like the Harpies, who were naturally yet inhumanly alluring in every sense. The two front desk workers were beautiful-- but, purposefully. Dressed and dolled up to be as they were. And Claude wasn't the only one who noticed as lonely NightRunners desperately attempted to chat them up with stories of adventurous tales and victories in hopes to woo the tired and bored women.
"That stupid asshole never changes.." Ursula growled under her breath.
"What....?" Claude asked and received no response.
"[I believe her Father is what you'd call a raging bigot, mate. Albeit, a bigot with damn good taste.]"
"Arne."
"[Yep, sorry. Carry on.]"
"I wouldn't be surprised to find maids walking the grounds in their underwear in the next room."
Claude bumped her shoulder, "Try to relax. We won't be here long. Come on."
The trio began walking once again, silently traversing the marble floors senses on high alert until they passed the two deskworkers targeted at helping Heroes needing to enter rooms deeper into the massive Guildhall and finally passed through the two openings to enter the lobby.
The blood-red marble floors suddenly gained an added sense of warmth with the heavier concentration of human bodies. The sporadic buzz of chatter ebbed and flowed by the second as they scanned the area. An area that was also occupied by young vibrant women wearing black open backed blouses and skirts. They were waiting tables. Something he hadn't witnessed at the SkyLight Guildhall.
Ursula simply shook her head in disappointment.
"Guess that wasn't a joke then..." Claude thought flatly.
He only lasted a few seconds looking at the mingling NightRunners and sightly waiters that clouded the massive hall in groups before his eyes scanned to the left of him where the wall became a massive window.
On the other side of the window, Heroes fought like their lives depended on it. With the types of blows they were throwing, maybe it did.
Swordsmen zipped and dashed around their opponents like deadly lines of glowing light and silver glints, Mages unleashed spells and abilities he couldn't even describe, Archer's moved so fast they were practically invisible between each barrage of arrow fire. It was chaos, but it was controlled-- like chaos made into a step by step process being played at full speed.
It all came to a close when a massive blast of orange light flew through the madness, knocking up Heroes in all directions like they weighed nothing.
BOOM!
The bodies landed, some hitting the floor or the far wall, while others came flying towards the window he gazed at them through. He flinched as the Heroes collided, partially expecting them to come crashing through.
WOOMP!
An odd bouncing sound fell on his ears followed by the clash of metal hitting solid earth. When he opened his eyes to look back at the window, a giant rune glowed against the glass with the lively pulse of magic. A number of Heroes squirmed in pain on the ground all centered around a single Knight standing idly as the chaos collapsed into calm.
"That Shoulder Charge is no joke.." He said aloud. An image of Isaac came to mind as he looked away from the Knight and led the group to the next series of desks at the opposite end of the room.
They found themselves coming to a stop in a rather short line at the desk to the right. The only thing to split the space between them was the spacious Quest Board full of flyers and markings. On the wall above it, a twenty foot tall insignia of a silver sword glistened against the red glow of the room almost magically. In the center of the hilt, a glowing ball of orange glowed against the metal, casting it's orangish red waves all over the silver surface of the blade. He hadn't seen the symbol in what felt like forever.
"The Sword that can hold the Sun." Claude whispered.
"You know this?" Ursula asked, almost surprised before remembering he was a bookworm.
"Yea....The Red Knight's goal...it's always been to condense his Solar Magic and imbue it into his blade....to cut down his enemies with the power of the Sun. I remember reading theories that he'd be able to kill Mythic Level Bosses in a single blow with that kind of precision and focused power."
Ursula nodded, "I remember...when I was younger, I used to hear him talking to the others about how he could sometimes feel the Sun following him in battle, like it was waiting for him to grab ahold of it. Good thing he hasn't been able to pull that off."
Claude could've laughed as he looked around the room hearing the tail ends of barbaric NightRunner chatter, "Yea, seems like he doesn't need any more boosts to his ego."
Ursula pointed at the sword insignia, "Speaking of ego, you see that?"
He followed the direction of her finger back to the blade, clueless to what she wanted him to see until his eyes honed in on the tube of shadowy blackness running down the center of the sword. Unlike everything else in the room, he could tell the blackness had flake-like shapes due to the shifting red and purple glows that bordered each dusty black flake. It was eerily mesmerizing in a way.
"[Oh my...what a trophy.]"
"What is that?"
Ursula adjusted her hood, "Vampire Ashes. Every place he owns is marked with this same insignia, and in every one, he fills the blade with the scorched remains of an Elder.....a pretty ballsy move considering the fact that even low level Vampiric Ashes can be used in turning death into Undeath along with various other rituals around necromantic and black magics. It's like he wants criminal organizations to come try him...dumbass."
A team of Gold-Ranked NightRunners loudly came to a stop behind them, gladly accepting drinks from the waiters as they conversed amongst themselves. The action slightly disrupted the flow of conversation between him and Ursula as the three moved forward towards the desk.
Claude pulled his mask further up his face as he looked around the room, "You sure do know a lot about Vampires...it's...surprising to be honest."
Ursula shrugged, "Not so much, considering there was a time when I looked up to my father-- not as a person but as a Hero. It was a long time ago though, back when he was a relatively unknown aspiring Coven-Raider still discovering his Solar Magic. He wasn't exactly the Red Knight yet."
The new info on a member of The Nine he'd never heard of had Claude's full attention, "What are you talking about?"
Even though he couldn't see her face, he noticed she smiled faintly by the change in her eyes it only lasted a second, but it lasted nonetheless, "Back then, my brothers used to steal the newspapers and I'd hide by their door to hear them read about him in the backlogs. Before he got that gaudy ass title. He used to be a simple Vampire-Slayer named AsheWalker--"
"Hello, how may I help you?" The deskworker snapped them out of conversation with her chippy forced enthusiasm, leaving Claude to distantly think on the history of Ursula's family and her Father as he checked in.
***
The check-in lasted no more than a few tense minutes, even so it was more eventful than he could've expected.
He decided to enter as a freelance Hero using the same alias and title he'd been given in SkyHaven. Much to his surprise, the deskworker told him the Hero, Allblack, was under registry as a High-Bronze Ranked Hero and prospect of the SkyLight Guild under special interest.
As a result, he was given an ID under terms of emergency replacement. And in a distant-- inadvertent way, Ilka had saved him by complete mistake. He was no longer Claude Grey, student in hiding. Now he was Carter Greyson, Allblack of SkyHaven. Now made official with his ID.
Not much had changed, but it made matters that much easier.
With nothing left to do, he approached the Quest Board as Ursula checked in beside him. Her much less lacking social skills allowed her to breeze through and set a light hearted tone that he couldn't accomplish in a million years.
Their chatter faded as he looked over the Quests, deep in thought on what to go for.
"Ok. We need gear and EXP. As confused as I am over the subject, we have to enter the Tangents...as a duo. We'll tackle a few Infested Areas after since time won't pass all that much on the outside."
"[Good idea. Now to choose which one.]"
"Yep." Claude said as he flipped through the papers. Just like the Quest Board at the SkyLight Guildhall, papers were stacked on top of others in book-like pages, all separate missions left undone for months at a time. At the bottom the Infested Areas and low Ranked Tangents resided, untouched by human hands and collecting dust.
"[Looks like our options are relatively abundant.]"
"Easy EXP compared to the rest would be something lacking intelligence and speed."
"[So the Undead. Good idea.]"
"I agree." Claude said before ripping off a Bronze Ranked unfinished Tangent that had recently been spotted. He looked around the room once before sneakily snatching up five Infested Area Quests and handing the crushed up papers to Frosty to hold in his unseen jaws.
When he stood up from the bottom of the board he sighed and flipped through the other papers aimlessly. The gesture wasn't really purposeful but even so it illicited a reaction that sent waves of ice running through his veins.
Two wanted postures with artistic depictions of him and Ursula....only they made her boringly beautiful and he looked like a serial killer. Scars lined his face, blending with the shadows cast by his long black hair that cupped around his hard eyes and long snarling nose.....
Nevermind, he didn't actually look very different.
"[Relax. Nobody has taken the request and Ursula looks very different-- even if it's a request of high ranking, Tangents are always the focus.]"
"Arne.....the price..."
"Ok, let's get the hell out of here." Ursula said flatly from behind him, interrupting his conversation with Arne as he quickly let the pages fall over their wanted posters once again.
"Yea, let's go."
***
The trio rushed out of the building like their behinds were lit ablaze and only stopped once they felt cold outside air.
The three of them took a deep breath in unison before continuing their walk out of the city to pursue their first Tangent as a pack.
"So, I was able to come up with a freelance alias and even got a Hero name." Ursula said with a smile.
"Oh shit, let's hear it." Claude replied in a matching tone of humorous excitement.
"Men first." Ursula said.
Claude shook his head in confusion, "I'm like....absolutely positive that's not how the saying goes.."
Ursula shrugged, "Fuck it."
Claude matched the movement, "Fair enough. It's an alias I've used before entering under the Class of Assassin as Allblack."
Ursula shook her head and smiled in disbeleif, "Oddly...it fits...sort of. You got an ID too right?"
The three of them-- followed by Blackbeak, passed a group of NightRunners as he replied, "Oh yea, check it out."
He fished the ID out of his pocket, flashing the front to her that held his name, Hero name, Rank and an image of his previous Armor attire as Allblack in SkyHaven.
He'd realized his misstep about four seconds after she went without speaking and continued to stare at the image until her jaw eventually fell.
"Oh....fuck."
"WAIT!....It's you...."
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_Avatar0FFury_ BIG CHAP! A lot of miscellaneous and descriptive stuff, plan for it to be the last dull chapter for a while so hang in there for me! Anyway let me know what you think and thanks for the powerstones frenandoi, alex99, warriorwolf, krissch_, Bop_, Sonius, TheLucidParagon, XX_Osiris_XX, Bonb_Crusher, shadowwolf1928, AnnabelleXD, Black_Rabbit4378, Lucas_Gommes1300, Seurge_Junior, kynigos1, Arameus, drachenkInd, darkslavyer and Zombireno!
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