Nend Ardhon Chronicles - Complete

Chapter 21 – New Party Members

Byia quickly piled up her books on top of her bed and covered them with a blanket. She slowly opened her room window and closed it very carefully after getting out. She joined her Rodhocetus in the back garden and silently opened the back gate, going to the dark back alley.

From the shadows, a whistle drew her attention, and Guyi smiled with a big bag in his paws, right next to Lodon, who was looking awkwardly at her. Byia frowned and approached them, “You really came. Did you tell him anything about what we are about to do, Guyi?”

“No, I left that to you because I wanted to see his scared face.”

Byia slowly nodded and approached Lodon, looking at him so close and so seriously that it made him back away and only stop when he felt the hard wall against his back. “We are going to the Guild of Explorers to meet a Party for us to join. We also have a Quest that we want to do tonight, and it seems you will tag along with us. I guess you are now a member, considering that Guyi wants you to always be near us, and he seems to think that you can be useful.”

Lodon stared at Guyi and then at Byia again and stuttered, “No way… Why do you want to join a Party of Explorers? And… do Quests?”

Byia backed away a little and asked, “Why did you ask me to visit your mother today? Because you love her, right? My father disappeared during a rescue mission, searching for an Explorer who was his friend. Why do you think I want to become an Explorer?”

“Because… you want to follow his footsteps… and become one as well?”

Byia tilted her head while looking at Guyi. “He was always this dumb? I thought he could figure this out without me having to spell it!”

She then stared at Lodon again and spoke with her eyes bright red. “I want to find out what happened to my father or him, if possible. You will help me with that, and you won’t talk about this to anyone or your mother will lose another daughter, understood?”

Lodon gulped. He always hated to see Byia’s red eyes because it always meant trouble. He once saw those eyes just before she punched a wall right next to him, creating a hole and making him understand that if she hit his head, he would be dead. With a quick nod, he asked, “Yes… What… I need to do?”

Byia made a slight smile, and her eyes slowly returned to their normal light blue colour. “Good answer. We will see about that as we go along, but for the time being, you won’t speak, and you will do as I say. I don’t want you to embarrass us in front of our new Party. Don’t worry, we will divide the p*****t from a Quest completed with you, as long as you keep that money hidden because it will make your parents ask a lot of questions that could lead to your sudden death.”

Lodon nodded again and followed them as fast as he could towards the Guild. As soon as he entered, Byia pointed to the Receptionist, “Go talk to her and say that you want to be an Apprentice. The Guild Master will ask you a few questions and give you a form to fill out. Say to him that you are my friend, and I am outside waiting for you to go do a Quest for some yellow-doted snails. Close your mouth; you look dumb, and I don’t want all these Explorers thinking that I have a stupid male for a friend. Go!”

Lodon swam towards the Receptionist, bumping against two Explorers and quickly apologizing. Byia heard a familiar thundering voice from her left and smiled at the enormous Party Leader, “Byia and Guyi, come here, you two! Look, guys, our newest members!”

“Miss Toraan Roolyi, nice to see you again! But I didn’t say we accepted to join your Party and you are already calling us your new members?”

Toraan spread her arms and looked around while speaking, making the other Explorers at the Guild give an awkward smile. “What other Party could you possibly choose around here? None of these fools would be dumb enough to try to take you guys away from me! Well, unless you don’t want to join me, and that would make me think about something to make you accept my proposal. Perhaps a bigger share of the rewards? Oh, I know. What about having you do One-Star Quests with the members you deem fit to order around? It will be good training for when you become a Party Leader!”

Byia blinked a few times, and she then noticed the other members looking at her and smiled. “Hello again, Mister Indeth Ignyter. Sveta and Cruvir, I may need your help to do a Quest tonight. We are going to search for yellow-doted snails.”

Cruvir Ignyter made a slight bow and spoke in his low and harsh voice, “I am at your command. Those snails are difficult to find, but if we can find at least one, we just need to follow it to the nest. A bag of those snails is very profitable.”

Sveta Roolyi made a slight bow with a serious face and spoke, “Yes, ten silver pearls for a bag full of snails is indeed a good profit, but it all depends on how many of us are going, because if we only fill a bag, we must divide the reward between everyone, and that will mean fewer pearls for each of us.”

Byia nodded and poked Sveta’s snout. “Yes, but it will also serve as practice. The Guild Master said to me that no Quest is too small if we can learn something from it. Counting with you both, we are five. Six, with my Rodhocetus, but he doesn’t need money.”

Sveta looked around and could only see Guyi waving at her and the smiling Rodhocetus. “Where is the other one? And who is he?”

“I don’t think you know him. He is a First-Tide student and my longest bully. He always enjoyed mocking me, threatening me, or beating me up, but I put an end to all that recently. Now, he is more like my slave or pet. I am still figuring out his role next to me. Guyi thought that he could be used as bait if we were in danger or to carry our stuff.”

Cruvir was staring at the bag that Guyi was holding and at the four empty holsters and sheaths that Guyi was wearing, and finally, he asked, “You have a strange bag. I don’t smell food inside of that; care to tell me what you are carrying?”

Guyi shrugged and opened the bag, taking out the weapons he had stashed inside and putting them on top of an empty table nearby. “Just this. The last time Byia and I went on a Quest, I didn’t bring any weaponry. It went rather well, but I began to think that we got lucky because we could have met a wild animal or a robber, and we could have needed some weapons.”

Cruvir took one long sword from the pile. It was almost his height and tilted his head while comparing the length of the blade with Guyi’s size. “You know how to use this? Because it’s rather big for someone of your size.”

Guyi pointed at two short swords with a slight smile. “You think that would be better for me? Those are for Byia. She normally doesn’t use any, but I always have weapons for her. That long sword you have there is a family relic, and I am very, very good with that. I can also use these maces, the daggers, or the other set of small swords. I even brought Byia’s twin swords’ sheath because I knew she would forget. She tends to go after danger without preparing herself. I am the cautious one, and I am always responsible for the weapons.”

Cruvir tested the sharpness of the long sword and the twin short swords and made an approving smile. “I see that you take care of your weapons. They are all very sharp, clean, and well-maintained.”

Guyi made a big smile; he always liked to be praised. Byia smiled at Sveta and pointed to the table. “Maybe we can sit for a while; my carrier will arrive as soon as he talks with the Guild Master. Guyi, be a dear and put the weapons in your bag again. I just need… my sheaths and my twin swords.”

Byia quickly placed the sheaths on her back, with the twin swords inside, and seated on a chair, signaling the servant to bring them something to drink.

While Guyi was quickly putting his sword on his back and the daggers and short swords in their holsters, Lodon Lunn arrived with a worried look. Byia thanked the servant for the closed cups with colorful juice inside and asked Lodon, “You look weird. What’s the matter?”

“Nothing, it’s just… The Guild Master asked if I was sure that I wanted to join, considering my inability with Magic and my lack of Skills. He only allowed me to do so because I am rather strong and big for my age and because I said I was going to join your Party. He… smiled and said it was a good idea because you and Guyi could protect a weakling like me… No one ever called me a weakling… I always thought I was strong, but he then told me the average number of Skills and proficiency with weapons that other Apprentices have. It… it’s true that you have more Skills than anyone who has ever joined this Guild? And that Guyi knows how to fight with so many weapons that would shame an experienced Explorer?”

Byia placed the small opening of the closed cup on her lips and sucked the juice before answering without even looking at him. “Yeah, you are feeling rather dumb right now, aren’t you? The realization that we could kill you easily anytime we felt like it must be terrifying. I noticed one thing when I arrived at your house. It is smaller than most houses in your neighborhood, and I guess your mother doesn’t work. What does your father do?”

“He… works in an office as an engineer. He earns enough money for us, but not for any luxury. My mother used to be a nurse, but… she stopped working when… I was born.”

Byia took another sip and continued after pausing to think for a while, “I guess this side job will be good for your family as well, because if you do a good job, you can take some money home and say to your parents that you are working part-time to help them, if you don’t say where. Understood?”

Lodon slowly nodded while glancing at the other members seated next to Byia, who were looking at him with a serious look. Byia pointed at each of them and took care of the introductions. “This is the Party Leader, Toraan Roolyi, and her daughter, Sveta Roolyi. This big pile of muscles is Mister Indeth Ignyter and his son, Cruvir Ignyter. Everyone, meet Lodon Lunn, our carrier, servant, cook, bait, and any other thing we may think about to make him useful. I was hoping that everyone could teach him a thing or two so that he wouldn’t die so quickly and leave behind his mother crying her eyes out. I like his mother, and I don’t want to see her sad.”

Toraan raised one eyebrow and made an enormous effort not to laugh. “So, you used to be Byia’s bully. I guess we will have a lot of work to teach you because if you were so mistaken in thinking that Byia was an easy target considering that even the Guild Master was afraid of letting you join, you are almost useless in a difficult Quest or a fight. Well, we can take care of your training if you are willing to learn.”

Lodon gulped and looked at Byia from the corner of his eyes. “I… am not sure if I want to, but… Byia didn’t give me a choice.”

Toraan made a big smile. “Good for you, then! I didn’t know if I wanted to be an Explorer when my father brought me here the first time but look at me now! We may have some work with you, but it will be very rewarding if we manage to turn a useless young male such as you into a strong Explorer!”

Byia took the last sip of her juice and put the cup on the table again. She took out the Quest form and pointed at the picture of the yellow-dotted snails. “Well, we must go, or we won’t have time to do anything tonight. Where should we start looking for these elusive snails, Miss Toraan? Outside the City?”

“Probably, but you might need to go far away from the City because, on the last Quest, two parties of Explorers caught three entire colonies in a cave just outside the Dome Shield and ruined a very good spawning place.”

Byia frowned while looking at the Quest form. “As usual, greed wins again. Those fools didn’t know that it’s best to always leave something behind so that they can catch it again in the future? Now what do we do? I can’t be out the entire night, or else my mother will find out!”

Toraan frowned and stood in silence, thinking. Then Lodon spoke, and everyone looked at him. “I know a place where those guys are dirtying everything. I often go there to catch a few for my mother, because she loves to eat them, and she knows a bunch of different dishes where they can be used. Why is there a Quest for those snails? I know they are tasty, but 10 silver-coloured pearls seem like a bunch of money for a bag of them!”

Toraan pointed at the top right corner of the Quest form, where the name of the customer who created that Quest was written: “See this? It’s the name of a very famous restaurant in the City center — a very expensive one. They charge a ton of money for a plate made with these snails. That’s why every time this Quest is put on the Quest Board, a lot of Parties try to fulfil it. If you already know a place where these snails are spawning, it will be easier. So, it’s your call, Byia; whom do you want in your Party for this Quest?”

“Me? But… you are the Party Leader! I just…”

Toraan interrupted by raising her right hand. “This is a One-Star Quest, perfect for Apprentices to gain experience. Just don’t let your Rodhocetus eat one of them, because I bet he will not stop with just one; he would eat them all.”

Byia nodded and smiled around. “Sveta, Cruvir, me, Guyi, and Lodon. Gear up, guys; we need an empty bag for each of us. I hope there are enough snails to fill five bags!”

Lodon vigorously nodded. “For sure! Maybe it’s better if we take two bags each, because last week I was there, and I had a lot of trouble getting out because they almost closed the exit when they tried to flee.”

Toraan quickly closed Lodon’s mouth with her big paw. “Quiet, don’t say things like that too loud! You may attract some greedy Explorers! Go then, but watch your back, and if someone is following you, get back, and I will rip his head off! Sveta, be a dear and go ask the receptionist for ten bags, but disguisedly, okay? Byia, your Rodhocetus can help carry the loot if you explain to him very well not to eat the snails. Or you can use your carrier for that; it’s your call. Now go, before it gets too late! Tomorrow is a School day, remember? Sveta and Cruvir can’t miss any more days, or their grades will go down the drain.”

Byia asked while Sveta rushed to the reception desk. “If they need help with their studies, Guyi and I can help if they want. I think it’s what Party members do; they help each other, right?”

“I guess, but I know you are rather young, despite skipping a few School Tides. I am not sure if you can help them.”

Byia tilted her head and frowned. “You know, for this to work, you need to stop underestimating us. I don’t have time tonight, but on another occasion, we can have a friendly fight, just the two of us. Mister Indeth can be Guyi’s opponent, because I think he can tire Guyi a little. Guyi normally defeats his opponents without even sweating, so it will be a good change for him.”

Toraan looked at Indeth with a puzzled look and spoke while Byia was leaving, “The nerve of these youngsters nowadays! Imagine, challenging us for a fight, just like that! I may accept her challenge just to teach her a lesson or two!”

Indeth Ignyter spoke while looking at the group of Apprentices leaving, followed by a tail waving Rodhocetus, “You shouldn’t underestimate her so easily, or you might lower your guard and find yourself on the floor, looking up at that little female, just before she knocks you out. That friend of hers looks harmless, but judging by the weapons he brought, the care he takes with them, the handmade sheath and holsters, and the sharpness and cleanliness of the weapons, he might have a High-Level Skill related to weaponry. It would be surprising, but not the first time it happened. Remember Sergge the first time we met him? He was younger than us, but his Crafting Skill was off the roof.”

Toraan nodded, remembering the first time Sergge fought her in unarmed combat. She was putting up a good fight until she got knocked out and woke up hearing Indeth’s laughter.