Heroes of Veritas: Bardic Inspiration (Book 2)

Chapter Seven: Duty Calls

“Duty calls,” Astredian sighed, giving Elise a quick kiss on her forehead before pushing himself off of the bed. 

The troubadour whined a little as Astredian scooted off the bed and pulled his breeches back up, taking his comforting warmth with him as he went. Elise did feel slightly mollified when she caught the mildly guilty expression cross his face, but gave him a little smile. She didn’t really want him to feel bad, especially when he’d carved out some time for her on what was a difficult, stressful day.

“Don’t feel bad, my lion, I’m just teasing…” the former ranger said, winking at him. Then, she  stretched languorously across the bed for emphasis as she continued, “We’ll have time for more later.”

“We will.” he said firmly. His tone turned serious as he continued, “And, fun as this was...we should probably talk, too.”

Elise nodded, her expression shifting to match his more serious tone. She sat up a bit, and stretched her neck to the side, wincing slightly as it cracked. “Agreed. But for now, as you say, duty calls.”

When Ellie returned to the kitchen, she was pleased to find that the new cook, Brida, was doing just fine on their own; at least, nothing was on fire. That was better than could be said for some of the guildies, who never quite mastered the art of lighting the stove - let alone preparing edible food. 

Sometimes, Elise felt like she was the resident advisor for a bunch of unruly freshman uni students who, having moved out on their own for the first time, were still figuring out how to adult. She supposed it was better than thinking of herself as a guild mom, though she knew that’s certainly what everyone else thought of her as. She supposed some people were just born to wear fanny packs and high waisted pants. At least she made guild moms look good.

As the resident officer c*m guild mom was resigning herself to the reality of her role, which she had someone fallen back into without ever quite agreeing to it, she set the table. She laid it out with the careful precision of someone who had now grown used to feeding an unruly horde. 

Platters were spaced evenly so that everyone would be able to get a bit of everything without having to reach too far or fight too much. Plates and bowls were wooden or ceramic, mismatched, and in some cases chipped, but easy to wash. Knives, forks, and spoons were simple, utilitarian devices - and a little on the dull side, just in case things did get a little out of hand. She’d seen a grown man get their hand forked to the table for trying to steal someone else’s last herb roasted potato, and it wasn’t pretty. The guild leadership preferred that the guildies, as much as possible, refrained from bleeding at the dinner table - a stance which Elise fully supported.

The guild hall slowly but surely started filling up, with guildies filtering into the dining hall at a steady rate. They were drawn in by the delectable smells and their own grumbling stomachs, even though she hadn’t yet rung the dinner bell - which would sound throughout the various guild buildings to let everyone know that the soup was on. She hadn’t rung the bell yet, but it was about that time. 

Elise smiled at Brida, and motioned them over to the bell - which was a large, heavy wrought iron piece that hung from the wall via a hook that was forged into the shape of a dire beaver. “Wanna give her a ring?”

“Can I?” Brida asked, wide eyed with excitement.

“Of course. Go ahead.” Elise encouraged them, patting their shoulder as they came closer and took hold of the dangling ringer.

Brida grinned, and gave the bell a good clanging ring. They could hear the smaller, echoing rings and chimes from the nearby buildings, and even the more distant ringing of the big bell in the tower by the town’s main gate.

“Nice one.” Elise grinned in return.

“I could get used to that.” Brida said with a bark of a laugh as guildies began pouring in.

Elise sat on the far end of the long table, close to the kitchens, and was soon surrounded by her friends. Ichigo, Mercenades and Echo sat side by side with the former ranger, who filled their flagons and plates as a way of thanking them for their patience. They talked of small things, made plans for continuing their training, and avoided altogether the subject of Pita’s replacement.

In a way, it was a bittersweet reunion. Though the mood of the party was jovial overall, it was a forced cheer, filled with the kind of laughter that takes a minute to become natural. There was also a conspicuous gap in the long bench they shared; a Pita sized hole. It yawned with an emptiness that desperately needed filling, but which no one was willing to acknowledge much less attempt to patch. Even the return of Elise did little to mend that gap, not that she expected it would. As Sarge said, some things just took more time; though Elise thought that for some things there wasn’t enough time in the world.

Luckily, there was enough time in the day left for the guild leadership meeting that Astredian had been meaning to have. After Elise and Brida got the table cleared and the kitchen back in order, Elise, Moltar, Astredian, Ichigo and Larkin gathered around the small table in the breakfast nook. It was easier to see each other when sitting at a small table, and it was closer to the coffee machine being inside the kitchen itself. Astredian preferred to be as close to the coffee machine as possible. Elise knew he’d even considered having one installed in his study, though she’d thus far managed to keep him from doing so. The guild’s coffee bill was already fairly exorbitant for their size, and half of that was probably just Moltar and Astredian.

“I know that we only got these special quests this morning, so this isn’t going to be a long meeting. I just wanted to check in and see where everyone was at.” Astredian started, his gravelly voice coming out a touch high as he’d just choked slightly on a fresh gulp of piping hot coffee. 

Elise made a mental note to nag him later about his coffee intake, and the commander averted his eyes, having noted the sharp look she was giving him.

“Larkin,” Astredian continued, “Since you’re heading up the research and development team, why don’t you take us through it?” the guild commander continued after clearing his throat.

Larkin nodded, happy to expound on their situation. The wizard took a deep breath, then began.

“Thanks to Echo, we know that much of the advance Empire force will likely be made up of strike forces. Unlike the assassins that we encountered previously, the strike forces will be full parties set on taking out vulnerable targets - like outlying cities or towns, or outlying groups during open field combat - rather than individuals. However, even though they will most likely be full parties, they won’t be the traditional setups like we’re used to working in. This will make them more difficult to counter with our current compositions and existing technology.”

Everyone nodded at this; this was all information they already knew. The Dire Beavers were a raid centered guild, much more accustomed to fighting monsters and within the close confines of dungeons. Though they’d managed a reasonable defense of their own territory, and helped with the defense of Veritasia City, they were in no way prepared for defending unfamiliar terrain, or for open field combat.

“We’ve been tasked with developing effective counter measures against these strike forces, which I think will come in the form of wide area of effect enchantments - like ranger traps but on an exponentially larger scale.” Larkin said, making an exploding motion with his hands. “That said, we will also need to design and build the apparatus for launching these enchantments, ways to protect the apparati, and the subsequent gear and tactics that we will all individually require in order to become effective field soldiers - though those last few items fall under the purview of our illustrious commander and vice commander.” Larkin said, laughing softly at the end.

“I’ve arranged some recruitment interviews with a number of mages to try and bolster our backline, focusing on those with an interest, or who have already begun to specialize, in the craft of enchanting. ” Elise said, shuffling some papers out to each of them. “I know we’re all going to have hands full the next few days, so I’ve split the interviews up so that each of us can join Larkin for a few interviews a piece. I’ve also started pricing out some of the list of materials that Larkin gave me earlier this afternoon, but I think we need to develop a guild budget and start keeping contingency savings aside.”

“Consult with Moltar about training expenses and put together something you think we’ll work, Ellie. We’ll fine tune it from there.” Astredian said, jotting down a few notes for himself. “Moltar and I will start asking around about trainers who can help us develop our large scale field tactics, and maybe a few specialist trainers in the weapons that are most popular with the guild. Since the guild is still growing, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to handle training everyone forever. I’m sure other guilds are thinking the same thing, so there could be a lot of competition for skilled trainers.”

Moltar cracked his knuckles, and added, “We’ve seen a pretty serious influx of rangers to the guild in the last few weeks...even thieves are swapping to bow. I want to start with sword and bow trainers, and I’ve got a few people in mind for sword training, but don’t know any bow users.”

The oathbreaker looked up at Elise and quirked a brow. 

Ellie smiled wanly, an idea occurring to her. She wasn’t sure how good of an idea it was, and wanted to chew on it a bit, so she said, “I might know someone, but it’ll take a bit of convincing. Leave it with me.”

“I can probably start doing some healer training,” Ichigo said, speaking up for the first time during this meeting. He’d always been a quiet man, but Elise always paid attention when he did speak - and not just because of how magnetic the sound of his warm bassy voice was. “I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, but...well...I am far more advanced than the other healers that we have, and we don’t have all that many. We can probably hold off on hiring a formal trainer until we recruit more healers, or they..ah...as you say, get good.”

Elise’s lip quivered with the effort of not laughing. She hadn’t been expecting the joke at the end. It was only when Ichigo gave her an exaggerated wink, his half-moon glasses flashing as he tilted his head, that she broke. Elise giggled, then broke into a snorting laugh.

Astredian shook his head a little, chuckling lightly himself, though Moltar maintained his flat expression.

“All right. I think that’s everything for tonight, unless anyone else has something they need to add?” Astredian said, pausing for a moment in case anyone did have something to say. When no one did, he said, “Great. Then, I don’t know about you guys, but I am beat.”

The meeting broke up, the guild leadership making their way into the main hall, which was mostly empty. Elise was a little surprised when Larkin headed toward the front doors, instead of the officer’s quarters across the main hall from the dining room.

“Where are you off to at this hour, Larkin?” Elise asked, wondering if maybe the wizard had a partner that she’d yet to hear about. She wasn’t the gossip that Pita and Mercenades were, but she usually had a good idea of the guild’s interpersonal workings.

“Oh, I’m just going to my tower. There are several along the wall, mostly unoccupied. It seemed apropo...wizard, tower...you know? It’s the look of the thing.” Larkin said, smiling warmly as he ran a hand back through his ruddy hair, his tail swaying back and forth.

“Seriously? That is fanatic. Wizards have to have towers.” Elise said, smiling widely. “You have to give me a tour. I’ve always wanted to see a real magician’s tower.”

Larkin laughed, “Give me a few weeks to clean the place up and make it presentable. It’s mostly empty right now. I’ll set up a workshop, and then you can have the grand tour.”

“Awesome, I’m looking forward to it.” Elise gave an excited little clap. 

Once Larkin left, the troubadour shuffled the last few guildies out of the main hall so that she could lock up for the night. Elise then spent a few minutes poking around, rearranging things, and doing a little light cleaning. She wasn’t avoiding the talk she knew was going to happen when she went upstairs exactly, but she was trying to give her brain a little break.

By the time she got upstairs, Astredian was already soaking in the tub of the ensuite bathroom. She poked her head into the bathroom, and smiled when she saw the big man’s head nod, then snap up at the sound of her light chuckle.

“Mmf…” Astredian grunted, lifting his hand from the water to rub at his drooping eyes. “Hey, er...the water’s still warm, did you want to join me?”

“I’d love to.”

Elise stripped down and climbed into the tub, which had just enough room for her if she sat snug between the paladin’s legs. Astredian wrapped an arm around her and she sighed deeply, leaning back so that her shoulders were resting against his chest.

“I really did miss you.” Astredian said softly, rubbing her neck gently to take some of the sting out of what he said next. “I thought we’d gotten past the running away thing, but I can understand that you need space… but not even speaking to me? Not even telling me where you were? That hurt a lot.”

Elise shifting uncomfortably, and he could feel her tense up. Then, she said, “I...I’m sorry. You’re right. You didn’t deserve that, especially not from me.”

“We all have things we need to work on.” Astredian said, his tone full of concern, fingers slipping away from her neck. “I just want you to know that I can’t...well...this isn’t an ultimatum, but… I’m not sure our relationship will work if you run away and ignore me every time something bad happens. You can lean on me. I promise, I won’t let you down.”

Elise shivered a little, despite the warmth she was surrounded by - both literally and figuratively. 

After a long moment, Elise took a deep breath and said, “But, what if you can’t lean on me? I ...I always crumble under pressure.  I was so...so ashamed. I was afraid you would be ashamed of me too.”

“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you.” Astredian, his voice rumbling a little. “I don’t think I could be more proud to have you by my side. To other people you’re just the hero of Veritasia City, but to me...you’re so much more that. And it amazes me that you’re mine.”

He felt Elise shiver again, then her shoulders started shaking, and the water rippled around them. Adding to the ripples caused by their small movements, such as the way he pulled her close, were the tear drops that splashed into the water. 

“It just...it hurts so much.” Elise gasped. She clung to the strong arms that wrapped around her, whimpering a little as quiet sobs wracked her body. “I feel like I failed when it really, really counted…”

“I know…” Astredian said, feeling the pain and sadness well up in his chest as his own eyes filled with tears. “I wish I had protected you all better. Done more. It still doesn’t feel real. How can he be gone…?”

They stayed like that, holding tight to each other until the water grew cool.