Mel stood in front of her party in front of the adventurer's guild. Everyone looked distressed, especially Aima and Zes.
"So this is really final. We can't change your mind." Aima spoke, dark circles surrounding her eyes.
Mel placed her hand on Aima's shoulder. "We've already discussed this whole night. For personal reasons, I need to go back to Wildecross City. I'll use this time to do reflect as well."
It was Zes' turn this time to speak out, breaking her usual shy demeanour. "I'll really miss you, Mel. You've always supported me. I'm still new to this master-slave relationship. I hope we can meet again." With a bow, she hid her eyes which became moist. Her eyes were already red and irritated from crying overnight. The three women obviously had an emotional discussion throughout the night.
"Don't worry Zes. After they fulfil their mission we will definitely meet again. I'm sure of it." With her usual smile, Mel reassured Zes.
Everyone looked at Sebastian, waiting for him to say something in this awkward moment. However, his mind wandered back to their parting words the previous night.
*
"You know this relationship was never born out of love." Mel spoke with a straight face, no hint of apology or regret. After pausing, she continued. "I merely wanted to provide you with support when you were at your lowest. The physical intimacy was something we both enjoyed. Beyond that, there was no emotional investment whatsoever. I'm sure you knew that."
Sebastian breathed in the cold winter air. The sharp, cold wind grounded his thoughts. "I understand. It was too good to be true. I was damaged at that point and couldn't think about anything. You did provide me with that comfort, I thank you. I understand your point as well. I hope I can support you if you ever need me in the future again."
Both adventurers didn't say anything else and continued to walk aimlessly around the city. Even though there were still some shops that were open and people bustling about in the business district, it felt lonely for some reason.
When they arrived back at their lodging, the other three members didn't come back yet. Thinking that they were still in the pub, they both retired in separate rooms for the first time since they travelled together as lovers. Mel reasoned that she wanted to talk to Aima. After bidding each other goodnight out of the usual pleasantries, they retired for the night. Though sleep wouldn't come at all.
*
Seeing as how Sebastian stayed silent and lost in his thoughts, Jin spoke first.
"Thank you for everything that you've done so far Mel. We've gone through a lot. When you get back to Wildecross what will you do?"
"I'll take a rest first before taking a few random quests - nothing too intense. I don't have parents or family to take care of so I'll continue with training. Also, the house will need a bit of cleaning."
"Speaking of parents - " Jin wanted to interject when Mel cut him off.
"I understand. I'll pass on the message to your parents that you're doing well. I'm sure that they're worried about their only son stepping outside of Wildecross for the first time." With a grin, she emphasised the last part.
Jin sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Thank you for that. I'll see them when I get back to Wildecross City."
"Sure you will." Mel laughed and patted Jin's shoulder. She then turned to Sebastian and stared at his face in silence, waiting for him to say something.
"Mel. Thank you for everything. I'll respect your decision. You can keep the magick sword. You'll be escorting a merchant back to Wildecross right? You'll need it. Also, take it as a sign of thanks and my - apology." Sebastian had trouble speaking the last part but was able to say it finally with a bit of difficulty.
Mel simply nodded and gripped the sword around her waist tight. She opened her mouth to say something but she couldn't find the words. In the end, she shook her head and looked at Sebastian once more. "Thank you also for everything so far. It was very interesting, to say the least. If you need a vagabond adventurer in Wildecross City let me know. Though I won't do quests involving wolves." With a tone of finality, she turned around and went inside the guild. The escort quest designated the adventurer's guild as their meeting place.
With the recent attacks on a famous merchant's shipments, the escort quests increased by threefold. There was never a shortage of escort jobs in Klance City that winter.
A heavy silence accompanied the other 4 members as they walked towards the workshop they rented out. Their usual schedule involved them smithing magick weapons and experimenting with mana tendrils. However, they couldn't focus on anything else for that morning.
***
After wasting their morning with menial tasks, the party had their lunch. Aima attempted to cheer them up. "So what should we do now? Yokkun is gone and we know where Nate is hiding."
Sebastian got up from his chair and stood in front of the group. "Jin, Zes, and I will stalk his mansion first. We'll see what his security measures are. Then we prepare before we strike. We have to strike fast while there is confusion."
Everyone discussed their plans for the upcoming weeks. With spring rapidly approaching, they wanted to use the change in seasons to their advantage. Without the cover of the snow, it would be difficult to mask their movements. They were also sure that Nate would be cautious when he found out that Yokkun was gone.
"Speaking of which, Yokkun's death isn't recorded in my adventurer tag. He's not yet dead?" He held his adventurer's tag in his hand and looked at Zes who was tasked on Yokkun's status. She reported that he was dead in the morning before they headed out.
Aima spoke up to answer him. "Regarding that. We were discussing in the pub last night and we came up with an ingenious idea to get rid of the evidence and avoid placing it on your tag." She puffed her chest to show how proud she was, although it looked like she was trying to seduce someone using her meagre cleavage. Sebastian noticed and he faked a cough to bring her back to the topic.
"We brought his body to the forest using a wagon - I am a merchant after all so I had a merchant pass. Once we were well outside the city gates, we placed his body near the cave where we stashed the stolen ores and mana stones. The beasts should have been attracted to his bloody scent and finished him off. Should there be any traces left, people would suspect that he himself tried to steal from his partners and hoard the resources himself." She continued to puff her chest out after providing the explanation. Sebastian was at a loss for words. It was a while before he spoke up.
" That… that was actually a bloody good idea. Brilliant! " He couldn't help but smile and pat Aima and Jin's shoulders." So that was why you three were late last night? Good decision anyway. Thank you. Should I make more magick weapons for everyone?"
Jin lightly smiled back and replied." You do know that your ability in making magick items is limited to weapons only. Unless you're thinking about arming us to the teeth and causing a quicker mana burnout then I think we'll pass. "
With a lighter mood, the party of 4 resumed in working out their plan's details. Before they knew it, it was nighttime.
***
Smash!!
"What the fuck do you mean that you found his body near a stash of stolen goods. Does that make sense?!" Nate or Baron Neil at the moment was physically lashing out at his servant. The glass goblet missed his steward's face, but the female dwarf was obviously shaking.
"I apologise my lord. This is merely the report passed to us by the city guards who found the corpse on patrol. They were alerted due to the smell and the beast activity. The cave contained stolen iron ores and mana stones. They believe that it was from Yokkun's stolen shipments." Her head was still hung low as she reasoned.
"That fucker was actually trying to scam me. Son of a bitch. Leave me be for now." The baron remained seated in front of his untouched lunch.
"I understand my lord. Let me clean this." The servant bent down to pick the fragments of the broken goblet when Nate stood up.
"I said just fucking leave!" Without warning, he kicked the servant bending down to clean the mess.
"Ugh!" Her light body was flung without resistance before smashing onto the wall.
BAM!
The guards stationed outside immediately rushed the dining hall when they heard the commotion. The sound of glass shattering was a common occurrence in the baron's mansion. However, the sound of bodies knocked against walls was quite novel even for the violent house.
"Are you alright my lord?" They had their weapons drawn while they looked at the scene. Even though it didn't look good with the broken goblet and the servant lying on the floor, they were still bound by their duties to follow the Baron's words.
"Take her away. I want to be left alone. Should I say it fucking slowly?" Nate didn't hide his anger and even started to manipulate the mana in his body. The guards who saw this didn't say anything else but picked up the now unconscious servant and left the room in silence.
"Why the fuck is it so hard to find loyal servants in this world." Nate opened a bottle of wine before finishing it off in one swig. His mind was chaotic as the scene in the dining room.
*
A female beastkin bowed respectfully in front of the dwarf seated on a luxurious chair. She had just finished giving her report and was waiting for his response, leading to the awkward silence hanging in the air.
After a few minutes, the dwarf shifted in his seat while still looking down on her.
"Akane. So you're saying that mutated beasts are going to attack Faircrest village? How reliable is this information?" The secret to Yodmak's information network was this. He had multiple spies running surveillance errands for him all throughout the city. They each managed specific zones and in some cases, their area of responsibility overlapped as an added layer of security.
The female beastkin still kept her head bowed down as she replied. "Yes my lord. I have seen mutated beasts gathering in the area. Their population has grown throughout winter and with spring coming soon, the beasts will no doubt overrun the area."
"That's good to hear. I'll include that area in the patrol route. Also, inform Garrin, have him create quests for this task." To make it inconspicuous, he pretended to extend the patrol route to provide daily feedback on the area. He even included Klance City's adventurer guildmaster in creating a layer of security. Yodmak was well-versed in matters concerning subterfuge being a previous merchant and spy himself.
"Understood my lord." Keeping her head bowed, the beastkin quietly left the room.
When she was out of range, Yodmak turned to the advisor hiding in the corner. "She didn't detect your presence?" A robed figure emerged from the shadows and remained in the corner.
"Yes my lord. She seemed to be anxious before she even entered the room. She wasn't able to detect anything in this room. She let her guard down and simply focused on the task. Is anything the matter?"
"Akane's reports have been accurate so far. Her reports about mutated beasts amassing to attack villages never fail to come true." Yodmak didn't stand up from his chair, he kept his gaze focused on the cloaked figure.
"Then that should be beneficial for you my lord. Her ability as your eyes and ears in that region is impeccable."
"It seems to be too perfect. No seer will have an accuracy of 100%. Being too accurate is also suspicious. Tail her without her noticing."
The figure in the shadows bowed down and prepared to leave when Yodmak stopped him.
"Ah and Garrin. Make sure to wait for her to approach you before you put the quest up. She didn't know that you were in this room today. Let's keep it that way."
"I understand my lord. You really cover all points." With a faint shimmer, the figure melted back into the shadows.
In the quiet room, Yodmak sipped his wine while staring blankly into space.