Elsewhere — A Letter From Luciel
Elsewhere — A Letter From Luciel
Luciel and his troupe had left, and the humdrum days of the Merratoni Adventurer’s Guild were back with a vengeance.
It was on one such afternoon that Brod lingered alone in the basement training ground, frowning.
I screwed up. Now that Luciel’s gone, I’ve scared ’em all off. Guess I shoulda reeled it in a little.
The healer’s presence eased the adventurers’ minds. As long as he was around, no one had to worry about a broken limb or two on account of the mad guildmaster’s thrashings. Luciel’s knights had also made perfect sparring partners, and many had come downstairs just to test themselves against the strangers. With the whole lot of them gone, Brod was free to focus on bettering the adventurers himself, but the unfortunate truth was that he had come to rely on his protege as well, and without him, no one stood a chance against his hellish training.
No Luciel meant no healing, and no knights to square up against meant the adventurers had lost their nerve. So it was back to the usual grind for them. Consequently, the training ground had become a ghost town.
Brod thought about his apprentice, about how utterly talentless yet unflinching he was. How he never stopped getting back up. And he resolved to do the same.
Maybe I’ll take Church up on that offer. Couldn’t hurt havin’ healers here, even if they’re newbies. Not that I’m holding my breath for any of ’em to be half as fun as Luciel.
Suddenly, Galba and Gulgar appeared, descending the stairs.
The hell’re they doing down here? They look excited. Could be interesting.
“Don’t see you two down here often. Need to book the training ground? Schedule’s wide open.”
“Tempting, but no,” Galba replied. “We got letters from Yenice. This one’s yours.”
“We’ve got our own. Figure we’d read ’em together,” Gulgar said.
“Cute.”
Brod took the parchment and began to read, breaking into a joyful smirk as he learned of his disciple’s trials and tribulations throughout his journey. But by the end, the letter was a crumpled mess in his fists.
Galba looked up and noticed. “Now, Brod, I know you must be upset that he was attacked, but you don’t need to take it out on the paper.”
“Never knew our hometown was that messed up, though.”
Gulgar was similarly perturbed by his letter’s contents, but for an entirely different reason.
“He went to Yenice with a mission,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting it to be sunshine and rainbows. Hell, nothin’ beats boredom like an ambush.”
“For you and nobody else.”
“Then why’re you mad? You don’t ever get this charged up,” Gulgar asked.
The guildmaster’s expression darkened. “He bought slaves to be his bodyguards, and there’s a guy with them he wants to know more about. He asked me to look into it.”
Galba raised an eyebrow. “Luciel? Interested in someone? That is strange. By the sound of it, I’d say you already know this man.”
“He famous or somethin’?”
“You could say that. Guy’s name is Lionel. And from the way he describes the bastard, it’s gotta be him. The damn Lion of War.”
The wolf brothers exchanged glances. Something about this wasn’t sitting quite right with Galba. “But he’s supposed to be leading Illumasian forces on the frontlines all the way in Luburk.”
“Well Luburk’s winning, from what I hear. I figured the Lion was out of commission, because what else could be the reason? So someone must’ve taken his place. That can’t be the real Lion out there.”
“Okay,” Gulgar retorted, “so, assumin’ the guy Luciel bought is this Lion fella, what’s the big deal?”
Neither Galba nor his brother knew much about Lionel other than his prowess on the battlefield. Unlike Brod.
“I’ve bragged about Luciel to him before,” he confessed. “Told him all about how dedicated he is, how he’ll train his ass off and never give an inch, and all you gotta do is say it’s for survival.”
“Is that all? That doesn’t explain why you’re so upset.” Galba knew there was more to it.
“See...thing is, I said all that shit knowing Lionel was after his own apprentice. I sorta ruffled his feathers over it.”
“Oh, I get it. And now you’re worried the Lion’s gonna steal your pride, eh?” Gulgar joked.
“You sound extraordinarily petty right now, Brod.”
“Real damn petty. But y’know, he might be right on the money.”
“What?! The hell’s that mean?”
The brothers nodded at each other. There was actually more information to Luciel’s situation that hadn’t been included in the letters. They’d only learned of it from the adventurer who had delivered the post.
“The Yenice Adventurer’s Guild asked for his help with clearing a labyrinth,” Galba recounted. “And, well, your apprentice is a dragonslayer now.”
“You’re... You’re screwin’ with me.”
When the hell’d he get strong enough to take down a drake?
“Like master, like apprentice, eh?”
The Lion must’ve weakened it and Luciel got the last hit. No, dammit, he’d never go along with a plan like that. What the hell’s going on here?
The weight of the increasingly believable possibility that Luciel had jumped ship and found a new tutor felt like a rock in Brod’s stomach. And his current track record of failing to attract others to his lessons didn’t help matters. The negativity spiraled out until it took the form of panic.
“Galba, Gulgar, I’m gonna be out for a while. Take care of the guild for me.”
“Yeah, that’s not happening and you know it.”
“Galba’s right. You’re already on thin ice with HQ, pal.”
“Let’s think rationally here. Write Luciel back if you’re so worried.”
Plus, if things really are that bad in Yenice, Brod would make things difficult for us to step in, Galba thought.
“What he said. And don’t think we don’t notice you pullin’ your hair out over the adventurers. You’ve always dragged ’em down here kickin’ and screaming before, haven’t ya? Just do what you do best.”
“You’re right.” Brod finally surrendered. “Look at me losin’ sleep over jealousy. You know what it is? It’s ’cause these adventurers have no spine. Guess it’s up to me to help ’em find one.”
With the coming whirlwind safely avoided, the beast brothers were free to focus on their homeland and the strange things happening within it.