07 — The Lineage of the White Wolf
07 — The Lineage of the White Wolf
The Lineage of the White Wolf had just returned to Merratoni after seeing Luciel to the Holy City. Brod greeted the three members at the door just as they arrived at the Adventurer’s Guild.
“Back safe. Luciel make it all right?”
The party smiled, amused that Brod cared more for his apprentice rather than the mission itself.
“He did fine. Healed at every village we stopped at without griping,” Bazan reported. “He seemed pretty happy just to have food and a bed.”
“The hell kinda tour did you three take him on?” Brod smiled. It was just the sort of plan he knew Luciel would have come up with himself.
“We were helpin’ him network. Ain’t that right, Sekiros?”
“Something like that. I will say, he didn’t seem used to riding in a carriage, unless he was holding onto his butt the whole time for fun. The breaks in between probably helped.”
“Hell, that’s exactly why I didn’t want him leaving so soon!” Brod grumbled. “Bottaculli, that rat bastard.”
An angry Brod was a dangerous Brod. The more irritated he got, the higher the probability he’d drag someone down to the training grounds to “vent,” and Bazan knew it.
“C’mon now, no need to get all worked up. I think the guildmaster there’s got a pretty good idea of who he is after he asked for Substance X.”
“Sure, things didn’t turn out as planned, but he’s in good hands, at least,” Sekiros added.
“The capital’s as racist and awful for poor people as ever,” Basura announced. “But I doubt Luciel’ll ever leave HQ itself, so there’s nothin’ to worry about.”
“Yeah? Maybe you’re right. He say anything before you left?”
The Lineage’s famed teamwork had saved them. This time.
“Just that he’ll be lonely without everyone. I’m sure he’ll manage, though,” Sekiros replied.
Brod paused ominously. “Wonder if we could set up an exchange system between guilds.”
The air in the guildhall immediately thickened with tension.
“Whoa, whoa, let’s not get hasty!” Bazan panicked. “The beastfolk here need you!”
Merratoni’s Adventurer’s Guild was unique in that about half its staff were non-human.
“He’s right,” Sekiros agreed. “You became a guildmaster to bring up the next generation of adventurers. You can’t prioritize one apprentice over them.”
That was the burden of being a guildmaster.
“Yeah, he’s your apprentice ’n all, but we gotta be ready for whatever storm that kid ends up brewing,” Basura said.
That was true. Luciel wasn’t normal. It was highly unlikely that he would make it back home without raising some form of hell.
Brod thought about it for a moment. “You’re right. It’s out of my hands.”
“You almost gave me a damn heart attack.”
“Seriously. That would’ve made us look really bad.”
“Holy shit, that was close.”
The surrounding adventurers heaved a collective sigh of relief, but it didn’t last long. Because Brod then shouted, “All right, next generation! Everyone not on a rescue mission get downstairs! Newbies, room and board are free if you can stick it out!” And just like that, despair reigned the hall once more. “Oh, and you three, don’t think I didn’t hear you call me ‘guildmaster.’ I’d better see your asses down there too.”
In lieu of his time with Luciel, these mandatory training sessions became a frequent occurrence. All for the sake of the new generation.
＊
A year passed and the Lineage of the White Wolf became the strongest party in Merratoni, both officially and colloquially. But there was one man not even they could lay a finger on, and that was Brod. For all their synergy, the A-rank party had never once come close to besting their guildmaster.
It wasn’t that they were slacking; far from it in fact. They battled fearsome monsters, leveled up, honed their abilities constantly, and thought of nothing but one day tasting sweet victory. But it wasn’t enough. So Bazan, as the leader, had begun to wonder if leaving Merratoni for somewhere new, somewhere more challenging, was what they needed to get out of their slump.
“Whaddaya guys think about going to Grandol? Try and get a little stronger?” he asked the other two.
Sekiros looked confused. “Is there a reason we can’t be in Merratoni?”
Basura shared his apprehension. “Honestly, I’d rather stay here.”
“What’s gotten into you guys?”
“The thing is, I’m actually dating Melina right now. From the guild,” Sekiros confessed.
“I’m seeing Mernell, myself,” Basura admitted.
“We wanted to tell you, but... Well, it’s just, after what happened to you...”
“It was kinda hard not to find out considering we’re, y’know, going steady with the receptionists.”
Bazan’s friends looked at him with guilt in their eyes.
“So, cat’s outta the bag, huh?” A month after they’d returned from the Holy City, Bazan had confessed his feelings to Nanaella. They’d gone out with their friends, gotten to know each other, and finally Bazan had felt it was time to make his move. But it wasn’t to be.
“I’m sorry, but...there’s someone else,” she’d told him. “I don’t know if it’s love or not, but these are feelings I don’t want to ignore. I can’t.”
“Oh... Okay, then. Well, I hope we can still work together. As friends.”
“Of course.”
He couldn’t even bear to remember her expression at the time, the pity and awkwardness, so he’d shoved his feelings as far down in his heart as he could.
Bazan looked at his friends and wondered about the future of the Lineage of the White Wolf. How long did they have left? If reaching the top wasn’t their dream anymore, if the other two retired, would that be the end for them?
“So, are you two done adventuring? Or do you just wanna keep things as they are?”
“Oh, we’re not done. We’ve still got a long way to go,” Sekiros said.
“Got that right. We’re the Lineage! Our bonds are thicker than blood!”
“Pff, where’d you get that energy, Basura?”
Bazan felt a smile coming on.
“Hey, when the mood calls for it. Listen, I’ll have a talk with Mernell, okay?”
“Good idea. I’ll see what Melina thinks.”
“You guys...” Bazan was overjoyed. “You guys are the best.”
Not long after, Sekiros and Basura tied the knot with their respective partners. Melina and Mernell quit their jobs at the guild and joined the Lineage of the White Wolf on their warrior’s journey into Grandol, the Land of Labyrinths.