I paid my tab at the bar, just before closing, and headed up Dar's apartment with the group, remembering its location from last time. Yet, now that I was no no rush, I had to admit it was roomy. Dar must be doing okay with himself to afford this place. It was a 3 bedroom apartment, with 1 master room, 1 room turned into his forge, and the last being a guest room for visitors or when one of his daughters are back in town. He had a couch, and even an island in his kitchen. It was old fashioned, with wood finishes, but still overall a place in good shape.
Ari, squeezed through the door, but didn't have much mobility once he entered, so stayed on the floor near the entrance.
Dar welcome us in with a jovial smile, and a glass poured quickly. It seems like he wanted me in a good mood before we got down to business
I accepted the glass, while Prya asked for one herself. I told Dar to make sure it was a small glass, as we didn't need her getting too hammered.
We made small talk about what we purchased after meeting with him, and then I went into long detail about how I found and rescued the caravan. Prya chimed in when we got to how I proposed to her, making it out to be a huge romantic affair, filled with passion. I was fine with her liberties to the story, it was mostly likely only going to get worse from here.
Eventually, the conversation died out, and we were left with silence.
After refilling our glasses Dar looked at us before beginning
'Firstly, how has Ravenrush been feeling?! It's of my finest quality, but lacks most magical application.'
I replied honestly,
'It has been a life saver. I am still a novice when it comes to mana, so it's been a perfect fit and very reliable, the staff even allowed me a victory over a tier 3 Gorhino, with no visible damage.'
'That's good, that's good. I crafted Ravenrush in my past time, more of a hobby rather than the pinnacle of my work'
I took his words for the truth, so I eased into his conversation, giving him confidence to continue
'It's been mighty helpful, if this is just something made in your free time, I'd love to see some of your best work'
Dar smiled, it seems like I gave him the reply he was wanting, giving him the opportunity to land the hook.
'As I mentioned during our last meeting, I have two daughters, Aiko and Dima. Dima is a hardened warrior… she fell in love with adventuring at a young age and never looked back. Always bugging me to craft her some new weapon or armor. I have spent thousands of hours doing all in my power to supply her with the best gear I could get my hands on. When the recent war first started, she was eager to join in on the battle and gain recognition. I told her to stay neutral, as Ravenaire has always had in the past. Choosing not to side with one of the 5 nations. Yet, I knew there was no way that I could have changed her mind. So begrudgingly, Dima left home, to only be heard of on rare occasions when she wrote home to talk about her tales. I learned that there was no point worrying each night about her safety. I had always foreseen this path for her. Yet, Dima is not the one who I am worried about. It is my youngest, Aiko. She recently moved to the capital to help Witt magical research after graduating from the academy. She was never a fighter, she is much more like me, a crafter, innovator, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Aiko has big dreams, and after a passionate speech by Tyrn's princess, she was eager to join the war effort.
Aiko quickly became a true asset to Tyrn due to her runecrafting. She has intimate knowledge of over 100 runes, many of which, unknown prior to her arrival. We exchanged letters weekly, always discussing new ideas, or her asking for advice on wood working, or forging steel. Aiko truly is one of the greatest magical craftsman but her focus was always the magic side, while I built her staves to enchant, armor to crave, etc.
It has been 1 month since I have heard from her. This has me very worried. She isn't one to forget to message back, especially given the contents of her last letter. She thought she had stumbled upon a true masterpiece of rune building. She was asking about our ancestors, and wondering when they first ventured onto this continent. She was excited, but also worried. I haven't heard anything from her since, as she wanted to see an old book that my mother wrote, as the two of them were close when she was a kid. It has been a month. Aiko is a homebody, and the capital is only a few days ride north. I had been expecting her to arrive here, but no word has reached me. I'm worried something terrible has happened to her. So please, can you investigate what has happened?!'
Dar hadn't taken his eyes off of my the whole time he spoke. I could tell this had been weighing on him for some time, yet I still felt at a loss. Why was Dar asking this of me? Surely I was not the strongest adventurer he had met, nor did I think I was the closest one to him. We got along fine our first meeting, but yet, Dar had always been overly nice and helpful. Setting me up for this ask… but why? I needed to know this before accepting, I was reluctant to take a quest, before truly understanding this new world, but yet, I also knew there was no way i would turn him down.
'Before, I accept, I need to know. Why me? What's your angle? If this is just a misunderstanding, anyone could have done it? But if you are correct and something is indeed horribly wrong, would you have wanted someone stronger? Surely a ton of adventures come into the shop each and every day.'
Dar barked in laughter.
'Kid, YOU surely are weak' emphasizing the word you. Which stung a little.
'Yet, your companions are not. This may come as a shock to you, but Ari is one of, if not The strongest magical beast in Highbrook. That much is obvious to any skilled mage. Ronin, a Mayan mouse - an unique evolution for his kind, is a healing magical beast. In all my time, I have never heard of a creature that focused specifically on healing. He may be the most special of your group. Your raven, is the staple of Ravenaire and steeped in deep lore. Know as our overseer, it was looked at with reverence by adventure's and you tamed him casually. And then your final teammate is a powerful spirit, a Fire Sylph. Something only heard about in legend. Son, you are as special as special comes, you best realize that now or someone WILL take advantage of you. Humans don't have multiple tamed magical beasts, most have one and very rarely does someone have a 2nd, you have 4 extremely rare beasts. The things you are doing, people are taking notice. You don't need to be a fighter to make a difference, my daughter Aiko is a shining example of this. So not only do I need your help, but with your potential, I also, as I mentioned in our first meeting want to be ally.'
I was stunned at the revelation. Not knowing how magic works, I was surprised that I had already started to make waves in this world. I figured due to being such a low tier, I would pass by unnoticed, yet here I was being told by a retired adventurer turned blacksmith, the opposite.
Coming from a different world, I was surely different than everyone. Yet, I was hoping to keep that aspect of my life secret, but even without that knowledge, I was sticking out. Prya was suppose to help me understand the world, but asking a Fairy how humans think is probably not the greatest idea…
I really hadn't talked to anyone… but as I thought of it, I also didn't tell the caravan to keep quiet about what happened. The story of me defeating the Gorhino must be circulating, plus my taming of the Mythical BloodRaven.
As these thoughts circled around my head, Dar spoke again, sensing my hestistancy.
'For payment, I was thinking Aiko, and I would build your Fairy, a personalized Elemental Runestaff. With Aiko's help, and the right materials, the staff would fetch a few mithril coins. I like you, Jason. This is a personal favor, which is why I'd put a price tag like that on this quest. And if you happen to bring em both back, Dima and Aiko, I'd give you on of their hands in marriage! Yet, getting both of them to visit me will be tougher than melting orichalcum.'
Dar striked me as a man who put family above all else; if he was willing to go this far, to even hand over his daughters in marriage must mean he is desperate. He may not have said anything, but I'm guessing he has heard a few things to cause him distress.
'I will accept Dar, you don't have to go as far as giving me your daughters hand. I haven't even met them yet! Just think of this as a favor from a friend, but I'd still take the staff.'
'This means a lot, thank you. And about the girls, I was mostly joking. Sure I'd give you their hand, but Dima is a focused warrior and wouldn't marry anyone weaker than her, so she would surely request a battle and Aiko has never shown much interest in men. I'm pretty sure she'd shrug it off as meaningless and then miss the wedding because of a new idea. I'm afraid I'll never have grandchildren, and it would have made my wife so proud to have seen them.'
I really didn't know what to say to him, at this point; I think the alcohol was speaking. So changing the subject was best.
'So about Aiko, where does she work in the capital?'
'The 13th platoon, an all researchers team that works on weapons, armors, and battle armaments.'
This seemed to be be a good question, as Dar went on a rant about the set up of Tyrn's, and even some of Bayonetta, the rivaling oligarchy. Even though he was a little drunk, the rant was easy to follow, as I gained vital insights on what stood in my way.