The Pinnacle Warrior

Astrid smiled widely in as nonthreatening a way as she could manage as she put her hand out to shake with the two men who’d entered. One wore a set of light leather armor with no helm or shield, a small flute in his hands. Looking him up and down, the Bard was a rather plain man, his hair curly and covering the nape of his neck and most of his forehead. His pale skin was pink from the sun, but he idly whistled a tune to himself and Astrid noted the sunburn fading as the man did so. Her grin stretched wider, getting that verification that he could heal.

His companion was the first to accept the handshake, and his grip was firm as his hand clasped hers. His hair was a lighter blonde, so far she could tell. He pulled his helmet off as they walked into the inn, but his hair was shorn close to his skull, and a part of Astrid wanted to run her fingers over it and see what it felt like. His hand was firm and Astrid could feel the calluses testifying of his hard work meeting her own. Both of his forearms were covered with thick metal bands, more like wrappings than bracers, and though they flexed with the movement of his forearms’ muscles, Astrid saw that the bands were rigid, going off of the deep scores cut in the iron.

“I’m Felix Bodyguard. Nice to meet you. This, my companion, is Benedict Bard, and we’re here to delve in the nearby Dungeon entrance.”

“Great. Again, my name is Astrid Warrior, and these are my party members, Skandr Lightningmage and Muti Rogue.”

Skandr stretched out his hand and smiled as he introduced himself. Muti merely nodded, though Benedict tried to insist on shaking hands. She eventually caved and gave him a brief shake. Astrid continued speaking as soon as the introductions were complete. 

“Let me introduce you to Tomas, Anders, and Klara, if she’s available. Tomas is the primary barkeep here, and though he isn’t a representative from the Guild, he works with the Guild and you’ll wanna get to know him better. Anders is the assistant Guild rep, and he’ll take care of processing all of your payments and anything you get from delving, while Klara is the primary Guild representative.“

“Oh, what a treat! Our very own Warrior guide! Tell me, Astrid Warrior, will I have the pleasure of seeing you every day?“

“If I have it my way, yes.“ Astrid fought down the shudder of discomfort that came from Benedict’s first words he said to her. “Full disclosure, our party of three is missing a frontliner and a supporter, and that’s just what a Bodyguard and a Bard are, so we’ll lay our cards on the table.“

“What a pleasure! Of course, we will not settle on anything without having seen all of our options, but you are, undoubtedly, at the top of our list. And, may I ask, how far have you reached in the Dungeon?”

“We’re stuck on the third floor for now, but if we had you two along with us, we could get to the fourth pretty quick.“

“Why didn’t you say you’re a bit out of our league?“ Felix asked, his eyes distrustful. “I mean, you’re at least level 8, but I’d guess 9 or 10 more likely. We’re both only barely level 7 ourselves, so I really don’t think that we would fit in with your party. I refuse to drag anybody down or to be a dependent.”

“Speak for yourself!” Benedict jumped in. “I wouldn’t mind having a strong party to help me through the first level or two stuck in a new part of the Dungeon!”

“We’re not too concerned with either option,” Astrid answered, “but we won’t let you sit around while we feed you experience and money. Honestly, we need a frontliner and a support, and we’ll find ourselves becoming much more effective even if you were only level 6. While it’s true that we out level you by a fair amount, we also want to work with you. Of course, the decision is up to you, but I’ll show you around the inn either way.”

“Well, I would love to deal with you. We’ll just, as I said, check with whatever other options are available.” Benedict smiled again as he said as much, bowing a little to her as he spoke.

“Then I guess I’m just being upfront with you. Like I said, my name is Astrid Warrior, and these are my two companions, Skandr Lightningmage and Muti Rogue. Hope you remember us when you’re done speaking with the representatives.”

As they walked away, Felix again walked forward and shook hands with each of the delvers, his face bearing a polite smile. Despite everything she’d said to the damned Barbarian, Muti bared her teeth at both of the men as they shook her hand. Felix narrowed his eyes at her, while Benedict seemed to consider doing something then thought better of it. Astrid thanked her lucky stars and The Duchess herself that he hadn’t done something to incite the Barbarian to violence.

“I’d love to hear about where you were before, but first, let’s go talk to Tomas.” Astrid pulled the men’s attention as she walked away. She strode forward, gesturing for the two men to follow her. They quickly came up to the bar, and there Astrid raised a hand, though her presence immediately called Tomas over without her asking for service. 

“Right here are Kznietch’s two newest delvers, Benedict Bard and Felix Bodyguard. Just introducing them to people and figured you would be one of the best people to introduce them to at first.”

“Happy to meet you!” Tomas wiped his hands on his apron as he reached out a hand to shake. “Do you want me to get anything started for you while Astrid introduces you to Klara and Anders? Barley stew is our usual, and you can also pay extra for strips of meat.”

“I’ll take a serving and a half of the stew, just a single serving of the meat with it.” Felix said with a grateful smile. “Field rations have nothing on something made in house, and I can smell that you know what you’re doing.”

“A flatterer, I see! Always happy to have one of you around, because you can get everywhere with a spot of flattery.” Tomas grinned as he flicked a sign at the cook back in the kitchen. “And you, Benedict?”

“I don’t mind if you surprise me! So long as it’s less than 20 copper for the meal.” The Bard expertly moved two tenners between the knuckles of his hands as he said it.

“So… do you just want me to give you a bunch of extra meat or…?” Tomas cocked his head to the side, unimpressed.

“I’ll have a single serving with one serving of meat.” Benedict quickly changed his tune. “I’ll admit, I try to be funny much more frequently than I actually am. If I ever say something stupid, know that it is because I am, in fact, stupid, not because I’m trying to offend you. I agree with Felix, I’m looking forward to some real food. We’ve eaten on our feet for the past two lunches, and at night, we just have more rations.”

“All right, one one and a half serving and one regular serving, both with a full serving of meat?”

“You’ve got it.” Felix nodded. “We’ll pay you once we get back, if that’s all right with you.”

“That’s low enough that I’m happy to treat you both.” Astrid said with a nod as she flicked two tenners over to the bartender. “Thanks, Tomas. And before you ask, yes, I’m trying to butter you up, but also treat a newcomer well.”

The Barkeeper nodded as he turned to prepare the two bowls and as he went back in the kitchen, Astrid continued to look out for any flashes that would indicate for her to go to Klara’s office. There was no such luck, and Astrid simply walked towards Anders’ office. Knocking three times, she didn’t get any response, which was a bit of a surprise. The man was always in his office, so far she had seen, and being unable to find him immediately was not something she’d ever expected to have happen.

“Well, this is Anders’s office. If he’s in, he’ll usually tell you to come in, or send his guard, Maria, to the door. This is where you always turn in your trophies and materials, he’s always been pretty open about what prices are to us, so that’s nice. Surprised he isn’t around right now, but I guess that’s life.”

“He has a guard? That’s a surprise. Is he not a combat Class?” Benedict’s face was earnest as he asked, though it was so open and honest that Astrid couldn’t help but feel that he was being disingenuous.

“He’s a Scribe. Having her around makes sure that he’s safe with the money that he deals with, so it makes sense to have a combatant nearby.”

“Interesting! What tier is she?” When Astrid shrugged, the chatty Bard moved on. Benedict’s question came with a winning smile on his face,  and he cocked his head to the side while he asked it. “So, what’s been your favorite hunt?” 

“I’d be happy to tell you about it if we sit down to dinner together. I’ll leave it be for now, though.” Astrid nodded. “Righ here across the hall is Klara, who as I said, is the primary Guild representative here in Kznietch. She’s a Steel tiered Lightmage, so she’ll be able to hear you if she’s paying attention, no matter where you are in the inn.” As Astrid said as much, she knocked three times hard on the door. Without a word, the door opened, a blinding light inside quickly fading as the door stopped moving.

“Astrid! I can see that you brought our new arrivals! Thank you for that. Now, you can go back to your dinner. I’m sure these two will be along soon.”

Though she wanted to protest, to do something to continue to try to ingratiate herself to these two delvers who she hoped to delve with, Astrid merely nodded and backed out of the room. She closed the door and walked back to the table where Muti and Skandr waited for her. The Barbarian squinted as Astrid returned without the other two men in tow, and as she opened her mouth to say something, Astrid raised her hand to silence the Rogue. 

“They’re talking to Klara. No, eat your dinner.“ Astrid didn’t say anything else as she sat and tucked into her own meal. She had to admit that she was getting pretty sick of eating the same thing every day for months, since there was a lot less variety than even in Schteldt. Stark was, after all, a better cook, than whoever was behind the same stew every day.

The three ate their meal in relative silence, though Skandr did ask for some quick calculations of how long they would take to pay off their debts if they were up to five. After a sobering conversation detailing how their goals would be slowed, the three sat in quiet until Benedict basically threw himself into the non-conversation.

“Hello my friends! I have heard tales of your success, and I wish to congratulate you!“ He threw his arms familiarly around Skandr’s shoulders, his grin wide, and his other hand carrying the bowl of soup. He put it down on the table, making sure not to spill it anywhere. Then, with it set down, he stood up, made eye contact with Muti and Astrid, and demanded, “You killed irregular while you were still level 6? Just the three of you? Tell me all about it! I’ll have to embellish the story to tell everyone about how wonderful my party is! It’s a glorious tale to tell!”

“So you wanna join us? Something helped you to make up your mind?” Astrid grinned as she spoke. 

“Oh, as soon as I heard the tales of your heroics, I certainly couldn’t bear to party with anyone else! After all, this is a perfect opportunity for us to delve deeper than we would be capable of doing otherwise, especially so quickly!“

“Right. And what does Felix say about this?“ Astrid asked, fighting to keep her excitement down.

“If what I’ve heard is true, I’m happy to delve with you, at least while we all are in Kznietch. Once you three are ready to move on, I’m not so sure about if our relationship will continue. After all, klara didn’t hide the fact that you three seem to be the targets of some sort of malevolent plot.”

“Mal ever what?” Muti squinted as she asked. “I do not know this word.”

“It means evil.” Skandr explained. “But, even knowing that, you’re still willing to deal with us for now?”

“We’ve heard tales of your bravery! Because of that—“

“We hear that you’re not the only ones being targeted. If we have to make the choice between a party that has been targeted and was able to keep from being overwhelmed or a party that might become targeted without people who have gotten through it before, we know what choice we’re gonna make. So long as you’ll have us” Felix leveled the gaze at Benedict as he said as much, his every mannerism unimpressed. The Bard threw his hands up dramatically and agreed.

“Since he doesn’t wanna have any fun, then I guess I can tell you exactly. Seems like you were the best bet available to us. Now, isn’t that just boring? No intrigue? No excitement?”

“I’m afraid you’re not gonna find a whole lot of intrigue with these two women here.” Skandr said as he gestured towards Astrid and Muti with one of his thumbs. “Both of these two shoot about as straight as any Archer I’ve ever seen, so…“

“This one is weak, and afraid. He can fight on the front line and feel the blood of his enemies between his fingers, and he refuses to do so. Disappointing, but it is to be expected of a mage. Bard, I do not know of your people. I will guess you are like the mages, happy to sit behind the strong and watch them do what you cannot.” Muti sniped back, making Skandr chuckle.

“Guilty as charged! I am able to assist somewhat, but I am nowhere near capable of standing on the front lines. I’m more than happy to watch you two rip our enemy monsters apart with your bare hands. In exchange for that and healing and buffing, I’ll tell your stories to anyone who would like to listen, if you’d like?“

Muti narrowed her eyes, then after thinking for a moment, she stopped paying Benedict any attention and instead looked at Felix. Her eyes flickered up and down before she took a deep breath through her nose. Then, she smiled faintly as his scent, apparently, gave her information she wanted and enjoyed.

“I am told I should not attack people without warning. I believe you would be able to protect yourself, despite our level difference, even if I ambushed you. I would like to fight you.“

“I’m not much of a fighter. I’m about keeping my allies from being attacked, not doing a whole lot of attacking myself.“ Felix didn’t back down at her words.

“You lie.“ Muti said, every bit with a matter of fact tone, dismissing his insistence. “You are not a killer, but you are a fighter. Your knuckles are scarred, and not merely from monsters. If you do not wish to duel with me, I will not call you a coward, but I will wonder what your desires are.“

Felix squinted for a moment as he looked at Muti, but before too long, he shrugged slightly. “I’m not a killer, you got that right. I’m happy to spar with you, but I suspect that your idea of sparring and mine are quite different. Even so, I am willing to delve with you, at least for now. What time tomorrow do you think you will leave?“

Astrid stepped between the various people, hoping beyond hope to not ruin whatever divine being had helped people to decide to not fight right now and instead she nodded. “Typically, we leave right after we have breakfast. We eat in our armor and get to the Dungeon as soon as we can. Tomorrow, we’ll do a test run on the second floor, just to see how well we work together. See how each other fights, and maybe share what Skills we have that we’re comfortable sharing. Then, if we decide that we are doing pretty well, the day after that, we can get back down to the third floor. If we decide that the third floor is out of our reach for now, we’ll just stick to the second floor. Any questions?“

“Nope, not for now. Looking forward to seeing what you can do out there. Have a good night.”

Astrid nodded to Felix as soon as he said that, though Benedict stood up with his arms outstretched, “What happened to my story? You promised you’d tell!”

“If Skandr wants to tell the story of our first irregular, he can.” Astrid nodded. “If he doesn’t, you can get it from us tomorrow night. For now, could we ask that you give Muti just a bit of your healing? She’s mostly recovered, but she could use a spot of healing to make sure that her knee is doing all right.“

“Oh, where are my manners! I am thrilled to serve a beautiful woman such as yourself.“ As he took his flute back in hand and began a trilling melody, Muti growled low in her chest. The Bard bowed his head in acceptance of the chastisement, and said sent out a quick little ditty and Astrid felt a wave of soothing cool flow through her body with the song. The notes themselves, though, were painfully obnoxious.

“Don’t let him keep this up.” Felix raised a hand and went to flick Benedict, who dodged back with a disappointed caricature of a face. “He pulled this same crap on me for days, and only let up when I finally called him on it.“

Benedict began to wave a white handkerchief over his head in surrender as he frowned as he said, “Oh, you’re no fun. Anyways, I’d love to hear your story!”

“Tomorrow. Rest well, for tomorrow we’ll all prove ourselves.”