At guild head office, the situation was explained, and I was interred. The guild had a shower and kindly provided me with new clothes. I took it, despite already cleaning the uniform I was wearing with runes, and having two spares in my INVENTORY. I got cleaned up and was escorted to a private room by a guild member. I was told to wait here.
Thankfully there was a window, I opened it and lit up a cigarillo. Cigars are for joyous occasions and cigarettes are too smelly. Pipes make me feel like an old man, although, wizards smoke pipes, hmm...I need to get a pipe. I used to smoke in Vietnam, I mean it was the safest thing in the middle of a warzone. I stopped after my then fling and late wife said it made me look like a child. I switched to cigars after that. You can't smoke them as often and have to have a bit of free time in order to actually enjoy them. I was simply on coffee after that. Enough reminiscing, have a situation to get out of. I don't know, how long it will take but I hope they only talk to me after verifying what I told the Loki familia on the 9th floor.
*****16:23*****
Three hours later Hermes, Asfi, the pallum and a redhead walk in with a fat elf. The debriefing begins the moment we've all sat down.
Over the last three hours, I've asked the guild member standing guard in front of the door to requisition food and coffee. A glare was all it took and 20 minutes later I had a large kettle of coffee and a few sandwiches. I shared with the guard, I learned his name Gregory Whitehall, a level 2 adventurer assigned to the guild by the Ganesha familia. He's looking to make money for his family without risking his life in the dungeon. He's recently had a baby girl. I congratulated him and took out 2 cigars. We ate smoke and chatted for a while before he had to return to his duty.
Now, in front of me were all the parties involved. Hermes and I sat on the same couch beside each other. The pallum and Loki did the same opposite us and the fat elf sat on a high backed chair off to the side.
The pallum spoke first, "apologies for the wait, I am Finn captain of the Loki familia. We have confirmed everything you said. There were traces of an illegal substance found on the 12th, 11th and 10th floors. So I must thank you for taking care of the monsters before they broke through to the surface and created a monster wave. That being said we still need to confirm that you were the one to take out the wave, do you have the drops or monster cores to prove that it was indeed you and not someone else."
I had prepared for this situation as soon as I was put into the room. What did you think I just smoked, ate and drank coffee all this time? I simply opened my backpack and took out a large leather pouch. I opened it up to reveal roughly $2,500,000 in cores and drops. They were surprized by the amount.
Then the fat elf spoke up, "how did you have the time to pick up all these while fighting and running up through the floors?' Fair question, I expected as much. I simply opened my left hand and called the pen in his left breast-pocket over to it.
"That answer your question?"
This left the others wide eyed, Hermes was surprised and sneered at Loki and the fat elf. "It that all? Royman send the rewards to my famila residence, alright let's go Cassius." He got up and walked to the door. I got my things in order, and followed after him and Asfi.
Then Loki shouted, "wait!"
"What is it Loki?" Hermes sighed.
"We still need to know his account of the battle and where are the weapons the other adventures said he was using? The loud ones that took out a few monsters with every shot. Sit back down Hermes." She said in a smug and authoritative tone.
At this point Hermes would like to know as well, but it would be best if only Hermes knew. Others will eventually find out, but I would like to delay that for as long as possible. Hermes was also a manipulator and a far more ruthless one than Loki, he will most likely use this for his own benefit leaving me high and dry. This was where I decided to step in, future relationships be damned.
"The purpose for this debriefing was to validate my claims. That has been accomplished. Anything else is between me and Hermes. Good day." With that I walked out before the others could say anything. Gods could tell when someone was lying, half-truths and misdirection were the best ways to deal with them. Well most of them.
*****
Back at the residence, I was in the same office as a few months ago. "So care to explain what actually happened?" Asfi said sternly.
"I was on my way back up from my time in the dungeon, encountered the monster horde, proceeded to eliminate them. On my way up I encountered a group of adventurers facing off against the Horde and failing. Helped them out and proceeded onward and upwards to find and eliminate some of the escaped minotaurs. Found a boy getting his ass handed to him, he finished his fight before I had to do anything." I recounted for her.
She was not amused. Hermes was however so that's a plus. "I mean how you fight, and what were the weapons those adventurers and Loki mentioned? Also where did you learn magic?" Asfi asked firmly.
"Well for the magic I read the letters and documents Hermes has lying around. I experimented with the runes and figured out what they do. Then I used magic circles I learned from magical theory books in the library, and some I 'found.' It was pretty easy to decipher and convert the runes into a magic circle and make my own runic circles and use what I learned to create spell to do whatever I want." I replied, shocking them both Hermes more so, he looked like he was about to drop dead.
"Wait so you deciphered and understood the runes, and are using them to create and cast spells?" Hermes asked warily.
"Yes, is that a problem?"
Hermes just looked like his soul left his body. Pale face, sweaty palms, a thousand yard stare. "Yep, we've lost Hermes. I need to start looking for a new familia. It was nice knowing you." I said to relieve some of the tension. Asfi, she just stopped working, I'll give her a minute.
This got them out of their stupor. "What do mean 'it was nice knowing you' I'm still here, although if this gets out not for long. Asfi, Cassius, this doesn't leave this room. Understood?" Hermes was more serious and forceful now. Finally time to get serious.
"That was the plan, I didn't expect you to air your and the familias' dirty laundry around Orario Lord Hermes." I replied in the same serious tone.
The entire mood had shifted. It was no longer simply a meeting to learn more about me, now I was to uncover each others secrets and have a pact of mutually assured destruction.
*****02:00*****
It was very late into the night that we talked and bound each other in pacts of mutual destruction. Hermes was scared shitless by how much I knew about his manipulations. Asfi wasn't any better, I knew her secrets as well, her being royalty from a stolen island, her plans of revenge and her operations against other familias. Whereas I only told them about the runes, firearms. The storage was passed off as an ability created by runes. I mean I did also have a Storage of sorts but it was not infinite and organized like the INVENTORY. Right now it was only 1 metre wide x 2 metres long and 0.5 metres high. I called it the 'Footlocker.' And it could store small items. But I would also feel the added weight of whatever was stored by the spell. It was also unstable, I'd lost a few test subjects that way. They either became conscious and broke out or the Footlocker collapsed taking whatever was inside to God knows where.
The firearms were very well received, the ability to simply shoot and take out monsters from a far superior range than a normal arrow. I said they were still works in progress. Asfi was very curious as to the propellants and explosives. She uses Burst oil, which is hard to make as the ingredients are very difficult to collect. I said I'd give her a box of grenades and launcher if I could come up with a feasible design. Hermes also requested a suppressed pistol. The MP7 was actually his favorite out of the lot but after explaining that the rate of consumption and the techniques required to effectively use it. He changed his mind to a suppressed pistol. He's not the full out battle type. He's more of an assassin. The maniacal look in his eyes made me wary of giving him said weapon.
Agreements signed on a geass. Ensuring that I will not be targeted by the weapons I give them and them receiving proper training for handling and maintaining the weapons given, we called it a night.
*****
In my room, lay down to rest. The amount of caffeine running through my system had other ideas. Thinking back to the meeting I found out why Asfi and Falgar were a bit salty with me. They'd been informed of my visits to the red-light and criminal districts. They thought was another young adventurer who gave into his desires and would washout like so many others. I cleared that up right away.
First, I was a man in the beginning of my youth. I will do what I want to. I wasn't going to waste time talking. The pillow talk comes after. Usually to extract information about the current situation and high-rollers seen in the area.
Secondly, I don't lose any money. I usually rob the mentioned high-rollers. I also rob anyone stupid enough to send an open invite. Usually visiting merchants or nobles. Sometimes another familias' members. Any slavers I came across were killed and the freed slaves directed to kinder familias.
Third, I don't leave a trail. Dead men tell no tales.
There were other objectives but I didn't get into those.
That cleared up the mystery of the increased number of murders for Asfi and Hermes. Which I didn't know they were looking into. Hermes also asked why I didn't bring any to our familia. I stated that we need experienced people. Slaves were not that. We had a large organization of messenger, couriers and informants, but very few capable fighters. Also some of the slaves although trainable were not a good option. Who will train them? It's better they figure something out on their own.
This led to a discussion for me taming a monster or two. The Taming permit arrived at the residence while I was in the dungeon. Hermes didn't mind, as long as I find a place to stay. He is not having a monster in his house. I was alright with that. There were a few derelict buildings around town. There was a warehouse behind the training grounds. It used to be filled with wine and alcohol, before I unknowingly killed and robbed the supplier. "So it's mine now? Great!" Asfi resisted the urge to smack me upside the head.
Thinking about what monsters I should tame, and the rewards still sitting in my INVENTORY, I fell asleep.
*****Admin POV*****
'Well that was quick, that's what she said.'
I wanted to see more but then the boy Bell Cranel came into view. Now to reward him. He killed a few of Dionysius' children but that's fine as well. What's funny is he didn't know he killed them until the mission screen told him so. The surprised look on his face got a chuckle out of me.
'Hmmm...let's see, I reward him
This
This
That
and That'
--------
Comment as to what rewards the MC should get.