.
.
.
--------------
"I wouldn't mind joining you two… But what are you two even doing?" Dale asked
"Oh, allow me to elaborate." Edimund said with a smile as he walked close to the table
Dale also approached the map.
"This is something you and Testros brought from that place… It's the Original blueprint of Resko."
"Really?"
'I don't remember seeing it though…'
As if seeing his confusion, Edimund said:
"We found it hidden inside another book… Although it's heavily outdated, it shows us what Resko actually looked like before it decayed."
Dale took a look at the map, surprised to see just how extensive the village actually was…
"How come so much got buried in the sand?"
Misgurd replied:
"It's simple Dale, at first, there was a certain rumor, but we didn't know if it was actually true or not, but these blueprints show that it was…"
"You must know that the Church was deeply tied to the construction of the Village right?"
Dale nodded, he heard this story a few times before.
"They oversaw almost almost all of its construction together with the Southern Corps, and although they did a good job of overseeing it, they still ended up being a bit biased…"
"Take a closer look at the map, you'll notice the problem. All of the buildings are small, there isn't a single one that goes beyond 3 stories tall."
"What?"
And like he said, it was indeed true, the blueprint was a bit faded, but it was clear enough…
"Look, at the center section of the Village, aside from the Church, the tallest building is the City hall, being 4 stories tall… But it's also the only one to go beyond 3 stories."
"Even so, it doesn't even hit the foot of the Church, which is located on top of a hill."
"What they did was make all buildings smaller than it as a way to cement their authority, as a way to say that 'God is above all', or something along those lines…" Edimund said as he shook his head
"However, it's not like there weren't any tall buildings, it's just that they were further from the City… But we can't see them from here."
"An example is the Magic Tower, located somewhere near the Mines... Although it was destroyed somewhere after the Corps fell..."
"Since all buildings are low and close to the ground, they got buried in the sand pretty quickly, it may seem exaggerated, but remember, it's been decades of disregard."
"Not only that, but the seasons also contributed to that... We're in the Middle of Summer, so it's not as apparent, but soon enough, the windy, autumn season will come…"
"I see… But now that I know what this is… What are you two looking for?"
"We aren't looking for anything in particular, to be honest, just trying to see what else could be buried beneath us and to see if there's anything that could aid us." Misgurd replied with a smile
"On its own, the blueprint isn't of any help, hence, that's why your presence was necessary, we need to see what is written in those books you acquired, and search for something of value that could be buried in the sand."
He pointed upwards and said:
"The third floor of the Guild used to be a storage, but we're planning on turning it into a temporary library..."
"It's safe and proper due to its location, so if you don't mind, how about we sort this problem?"
"I wouldn't mind… But don't you think it's going to become quite packed?... There's already a lot of people bellow, and if we have people walking up and down between the floors…"
'Not to say it would be an inconvenience, I wanted to reduce the contact of the players with the Villagers as much as possible... But this will increase their interactions massively...'
"Ah! Don't worry about it, there is a back entrance so no problem on that side..."
"Besides, it's not like everyone needs to read books here, they can simply borrow them."
Dale thought for a moment and ended up agreeing, it's not like he had anywhere better to use as a Library.
Even if it was risky to leave it in the open, he couldn't hold onto everything forever.
"Aside from that, how's everything going with the newcomers?"
"..."
Misgurd looked at Edimund with a frown…
"You see Dale… It's going oddly well."
"How so?"
Edimund said:
"They're… Unusually cooperative, they're even willing to do tedious and heavy jobs for us without a word as long as we give them some coins… They're quite reliable in fact."
"Perhaps what you said previously may work… To use them to clear up the fields, they seem capable enough for that."
"Still, it doesn't remove the fact they're quite strange… But as long as they keep themselves on the line I don't care."
"For now, we have separated a small group to work in the buried part of Resko, they're now digging up the sand and I think they should be able to dig up this building over here within a week…" Edimund said as he pointed at the map
"This was once a large tavern used by the Mercenaries that came to Resko, the reason why we're choosing it as our first target is as a form of test."
"We wanted to see if it was even possible to dig these buildings safely."
"..."
'I see, so this is the backstory for the Quest, to think the Guild Center had such backstory…'
After talking for a little while longer, Misgurd led Dale to the third floor where they quickly stored all of the books.
Now that the books are here, the Villagers will be able to start their studies and hopefully grow.
How much? He didn't know.
…
"Dale, before you go. Here, take it." Misgurd said as he gave Dale another badge
"Also, give me your old badge back."
"This is?..." Dale asked as he inspected the badge
"It's your new Mercenary Badge."
"What?! So soon? I got mine yesterday…"
Misgurd shrugged.
"I'm also surprised, I didn't expect to hand it over to you so soon, but your actions have proven to me that you're deserving of it."
"If it weren't for some restrictions, I would've given you a Rank 4 badge instead of a Rank 3 one, but let's take this slow."
Although it is true Resko is mostly isolated, Misgurd was still very proud of being a Mercenary, and he takes it very seriously, even if the inspection team only comes to visit every few years…
"So what's my Rank now?"
"You're now a Polished Mercenary, the last Rank of the 'introductory levels', this name has quite the story behind it, but I'll save you from it, if you have any interest in hearing it, I'll be more than happy in sharing it."
"Beyond this Rank lies the true face of the Mercenary Guild, and also what it's famous for, the Gemstone Ranks, Agate, Spinel, Emerald, and Diamond."
"I'm actually Emerald Rank, but personally, I don't think I'm strong enough for it anymore.. Nor have I ever..."
"I was given this Rank at my Prime by the previous Guild head because he saw potential in me but…"
Misgurd seemed very emotional.
"I got hurt pretty badly due to a mistake… A mistake that cost the previous head life."
"And… In the end, I got married… All of that led to me getting rusty and even though I refined some of my knowledge, I don't actually think I'm anywhere near what I once was."
"..."
"Despite me training every day, it's not the same…"
The mood was starting to get pretty heavy, so Dale asked:
"I didn't know you were married."
Misgurd smiled slightly.
"Heh, sometimes neither I can believe it..."
"Can you believe it? Me? Having a wife? BUWAHAHAHA!..."
He then stopped laughing, looking at the window of the room with a distant gaze.
"Life is sometimes… Unpredictable."
"..."
I fucked up, it seems his wife…
"Oh! No no no, no need to look at me like that, my wife lived a very long life and died peacefully, leaving both me and our daugther to carry on with her will."
"I'm happy she lived a happy life, that was everything I could've asked for…"
He then looked at Dale with a thinn smile.
"You have a child?"
"You didn't know? You met her several times!"
"I… I did?"
"Of course, she takes care of the Inn!"
"?!"
Dale was a shocked.
"Are you talking about Illia? Are you sure she is your daughter?" Dale asked suspiciously
"Hehe… She didn't take anything from me, she resembles her mother down to a T…"
"A shame she's such a blockhead, she's over 30 and still single..."
Misgurd seemed very disappointed.
"She always speaks in a way that seems to indicate…" Dale said
But he was interrupted by Misgurd.
"Yup, she finds me annoying since I always ask her about her future plans, so every time she meets someone new, she introduces her uncle as her father instead of me!" He said annoyed
"But I'm surprised she even introduced him since he has also started to pull her feet in regards to marriage…"
"After all, she's pretty, some of the boys of Village have shown interest in her for years…"
"Enough about me for now, take your badge and leave this place! I need to finish some things and I know you have a lot to do elsewhere." He said as he pushed Dale out of the room
"Sheesh, calm down, there's no need to push me aside." Dale said as he rolled his eyes
He crossed the door and said:
"See you around, I'll visit Barme now if you need me, there are some things I need to give him…"
"Sure thing."
With a silent nod, they parted ways…
…
"Two done… Several more to go…"
'I have to talk with Barme and give him the pieces of equipment I got from the Wall, to see if he can fix it…'
'Even if he can't fix them all, even a few sets would already make the world of a difference.'
Dale almost drooled at the prospect of having one of these sets for himself...
'There's also the pieces of equipment I got from the Catacombs, they're almost the same as the ones I got from the Wall, it's just that they're from different times…'
'Yet, the ones I got from the Catacombs were pretty beaten and corroded, so most likely, they can't be fixed…'
'Speaking of this, I also need to see Rodi for the quests I gave him…'
Dale left the Guild and made his way to an old house nearby…
…
.
.
.
Notes