Chapter 5 - Recruitment.

"I want to hire some of your best mercenaries." I looked at the short man with a huge mustache. "Please."

"Would you at least like to come in first?" The guild master opened the door for me. Musty wet stones for walls. The smell of alcohol and incense sticks. There was a counter selling sausages and a counter dealing with inquiries. But I wasn't going to either of them.

As an Apostle, I was the highest authority in this town. I chose the quick route to deal with the Guild Master himself, as he was a subordinate of mine. We had no time to lose.

"It isn't as lively as I would've imagined it to be."

"Most of our boys are out fighting a small battalion that got reported yesterday. They should be back by tomorrow."

"Oh, should I leave if they're not here right now? You can call for me later."

"No, please stay. You need to be acquainted with the process of hiring mercenaries before you get to hire them, Miss Apostle."

"Is that so." I kept following him then.

The army belonged to the king. The mercenaries belonged to the people.

"Ah can you get us a sausage and a glass of- Do you drink?" He sat us down on one of the many empty tables.

"Not this early into the day."

"Just sausages then!"

With the meal on its way, the small talk stopped.

"How long of a period do you wish to hire them for?"

"Around 6-7 years." The master pulled out a book and started noting it down.

"That would be an extended quest. These are usually cheaper per hour than a shorter duration but also call for better rewards post-clearing. The contract would state a monthly wage you would have to assign to your employee and since they can't seek any other opportunities during this period, you have to also provide for their future in case of retirement due to injury or disability."

"I see. Well, the estate will cover all the costs. We had decades of tithes saved for this reason. Mind you I have clairvoyance and can tell when you lie. You will be punished if you try to lie or rip me off."

"I wouldn't dare to do so. Can you tell me how many people you would need?"

During spars and battles with my newfound abilities, I realised that I didn't cover all of my bases. If I attack, I attack single-mindedly. Which is great when I'm fighting only one person, but the way to the Lord's castle was not guarded by a single person. I needed people who could complement me.

"I need a meatshield and a Prana Director." People who could use spells naturally came a dime a dozen nowadays, which made the good ones stand out even more.

The master looked at me weirdly.

"We can provide a proper shielder and a Director sure, but not as sacrificial lambs."

"What is a shielder if he can't stand in the way of attacks." I respected the job, but that was quite frankly what their job was. For me to draw out my full potential I couldn't be worried about getting my bones shattered.

"It isn't his job that I'm concerned about but the way you phrased it. You make it sound like you intentionally want him to get hit."

"If the situation calls for it."

"No one wants to get injured just because a tactic calls for it. The tactic should be made to keep the people in the party unhurt. Tell me why you think someone would willingly take a hit?"

"The same reason as to why I'm going on this journey." It was the strange conviction that I displayed that led the master to put on a concerned face.

"Alright, we can continue this discussion once we have the entire party present."

"Finally I want to ask what your mission is. This would then decide their wages and qualifications required."

"Under the decree of Leia, I am to deal with the Lord. For that I require ai-"

"I am extremely sorry, I should've started with this one question instead. Unfortunately, we cannot provide you with people capable of achieving such a feat." He put the beer down.

"I don't understand. They don't have to be powerful enough to kill the Lord, just powerful enough to help me get to him. I am not expecting much from them."

"If we had people strong enough to get to the other side of the world to fight the strongest being in this world, we would've done so already. We don't. While we can provide assistance for small battles, anything large-scale war related is out of our jurisdiction. Frankly, we do not have the resources to deal with the outbreak."

"Who? Who do you mean?"

"Like I said- We have no one."

"I don't think you understand, I'm asking who do you mean is the strongest being in this world?" My eyes were strict this time. The glimpse he was getting through my helmet illuminated his eyes with a shade of gold. This was not baseless confidence. The Prana granted to me had no weakness. There was no fringe scenario in which it wouldn't work. It was perfect for evasion and defense. It was perfect for attacking. In theory and in practice there was nothing walking the face of this Earth that could hurt me.

A sweat dripped down the side of his head.

"Miss Apostle is serious about this mission. But as a guild leader, it is my duty to protect my people. The world treats us as fodder with no ambitions or goals. It doesn't stop to consider the fact that in this economy those ambitions and goals are too expensive to pursue. Sadly, your ambitious goal will cost my people their lives. I simply can not allow that."

"There is no 'your people my people'. We are all people. And without the completion of this quest, there won't be any more of us. At this stage, do you think we're winning this war? Do you think we'll suddenly reach a satisfying conclusion or a victory? Do we have more resources than the nation with a near-infinite amount of crystals and Artificiers? At this rate, our people will die within the next decade. If I can prevent that within seven or eight years of two of our people's lives, that is well worth the risk. In Leia's name, I promise that I will have the Lord's head in my hand in five years."

The master looked distraught. This was undoubtedly the most stressed he had ever been in quite a while.

"You see..." He opened his mouth a couple of times before closing it. "hu."

"We can at least try this, but it will require a lot of other terms. You see, there is a system of quests that mercenaries can go on given their consent. But these have been limited in their use as they completely deplete the guild's resources and might do so with yours too. We will have to act like mediators as you go from one territory to another, we'll collect all relevant information, we'll set up proper insurance, and provide relevant assistance, and gear, amongst many other things. You will be on the front lines but we will manage the field every step along the way." He opened a book and started taking notes. "In essence, this is a Guild Quest, where the entirety of the staff and our collaborators will be employed by you."

"That… Sounds perfect."

"But, before any of this starts, you will be required to prove that you're even worth investing this much into. I respect you, but with so many lives depending on me, I cannot play favourites. Even if I could, this is a matter that the ones in the main branch will have to deal with. I am incredibly sorry, but bureaucracy. Currently you don't have a lot of credentials and- "

"I understand." Just because I was an Apostle didn't mean that I was immune to the laws of the world. "I believe I can prove my strength now." I picked up my sword. "Which battlefield is the director and shielder a part of?"

"Mount Topaz."

I got up and headed towards the door and to the right.

"Wrong way!" I heard the guy call from inside. Go left and straight for about seven miles.

Alright, I had to kill the leader and do it quick. I started my ritual.

"Pause."

My limit for the time stop was give or take two or three minutes at a time. Using the ability took stamina. My soft limit was four bursts but when push came to shove I could go up to six. And like with using normal stamina the more I used the skill the more comfortable I became with it.

I was confident in my speed. And with that confidence, I reached the destination within two minutes of my perceived time. But in reality? It took no time at all.

Mount Topaz, the field of ice and ember. On one side stood acres of this volcanic mountain stood farms providing satiety to humans and on the other laid an icy path to Letchkia. 

My first impression was that it was a brutal battlefield. I could see corpses and injured people sprawled across the floor. Many had given up. They had gotten themselves stuck in this mess with no hope of getting out. It was definitely not a sight you would expect from a small battalion. Something felt off.

But for these people to still fight- "Money is a hell of a motivator, huh?"

Nevertheless, amongst the swarm of people waiting for their death, there were two holding on tightly to dear life.

I knew immediately who my to helpers would be from this moment onwards would be.