Bonus Short Story

An Unlikely Pair

The lives of the Yenitians began to improve drastically under Galba’s leadership, and his standing reputation only heightened their expectations. Day after day, the people seemed to demand more and more of their returned prodigy.

He sighed. “Anyone with half a brain knows they owe their improved lives to Luciel and his company.”

“I don’t think he cares for recognition. If I know him like I think I do, all he cares about is making Yenice a place where everyone can live happily.”

Jord had become the guildmaster of the Yenice Healer’s Guild in Luciel’s absence, though he and Galba had met before that. Granted, they hadn’t shared more than a few words until Galba came to him specifically seeking other opinions. After that, Jord became a valuable source of both subjective and objective information.

Galba had been sincerely impressed by his thoughtful and intelligent answers, and ever since, Jord had been something of his right-hand man, scratching those itches that Galba couldn’t reach himself. The healer, too, came to rely on Galba in much the same way when he realized that Luciel’s praise for the beastman’s abilities had been accurate.

And so a friendship was born.

“You have a point,” Galba said. “Though for someone who hates standing out, he sure has a tendency to garner attention.”

“And anyone who knows Luciel knows about his company, of course, so I think anyone who cares enough already gives him due credit.”

“That’s the problem. There are still people who’ve never heard of him or the folks he travels with.”

Jord had an idea of what Galba was getting at, but his world in the medical district was, admittedly, fairly limited, so he decided to confirm his suspicions. “Has there been trouble with the influx of new arrivals in the city?”

“Nothing too serious yet. We’ve had foreign merchants moving in, hoping to work with Luciel and Co. and cooperate with the locals, but not everyone has been so...cordial.”

“I see,” Jord replied. “In that case, why not ask Luciel and Co. for help directly?”

“Why them?”

“They have the resources to send relief where it’s needed—personnel, magic items, you know.”

Galba was a little confused at first, but now he understood. He had heard about the various uses of Luciel and Co.’s magic items, and he had already been toying with the idea of forming a local patrol. The dragonewts and bird-folk had their own already, but those were nothing more than power flexes. With the help of Luciel’s company and maybe the newly arrived Lineage of the White Wolf as well as the Adventurer’s Guild, something could happen.

Again, Galba found himself wishing he could make Jord his personal assistant, but he refrained from offering. He knew Jord wouldn’t accept. Then again, one didn’t need to be an assistant in order to assist.

“How comfortable would you be with me officially ceding some of my authority to you in the event that something happens to me?” Galba asked.

Jord laughed. “I doubt that’ll ever happen, but if it does, you can count on my help.”

“I appreciate that.”

As fate would have it, future events would indeed see Galba forced to leave Yenice behind, with Jord relying on the combined assets of Luciel and Co. and the Order of Healing. But that’s a story for another time.