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Chapter 20: I Wanna Go Home
🕑 Added 2025-01-22 02:20:28 +0000 UTCChapter 20: I Wanna Go Home
"So, what was that all about?"
Cassius waited until they were safely away from the camp's entrance before breaking the question. In all honesty, Marcus had hoped he would let the matter drop. But curiosity about such a thing was only to be expected.
"Well," Marcus began to spin the relevant details into a tale, "That woman back there was the mayor's daughter."
Cassius let out a low whistle. "Truly? How did such a public shit heap like that end up spawning such a fine specimen? I figured his stench would ward off most any woman, even if he were competent enough to procreate with one. Someone must have taken pity on him or had far too many drinks."
Marcus blinked. He hadn't honestly expected the man to hold such strident opinions about the mayor. He didn't even know whether Cassius had seen the man. Were such ideas unique to him, or prevalent among the whole Legion?
Not that he disagreed with the Legionnaire's words. They were perhaps a bit more extreme than Marcus might voice himself, but well… the mayor wasn't exactly an endearing figure.
Cassius nudged Marcus with his elbow. "So. What business did that young lady have with someone like you, hmm?"
"Someone like me? I'll have you know that I am considered quite charming, especially by women." The bard narrowed his eyes as Cassius chuckled. "Which is actually the crux of the problem. You see, that application of that charm may have given her a… misconception of our relationship. Specifically, how permanent it was meant to be."
Cassius raised his eyebrows, a wolfish grin spreading across his face. He barked a laugh before clapping Marcus on the back. "You scoundrel! You absolute scoundrel!"
Marcus couldn't help but smile. "I would never claim such a title. My actions are those of a perfect gentleman! I simply could never deny a lady a night on the town, much less her… other requests."
Cassius shook his head in disbelief. "Still, that is quite the sticky situation. A mistress who wants to be more than a mistress… It seems I've spared you from a lion's den."
"Indeed. Hence why I'm so grateful for the assist. Thank you friend, truly."
"Of course. Though it seems as though that favor may be worth a bit more than I initially realized."
Marcus sighed at the greedy glint in the man's eye, clapping him on the shoulder as they walked. "Unfortunately, you may be right. Especially since I'll need to hide in camp for a while until something else demands her attention. Or perhaps she'll just give up and leave."
"Mmm. I wouldn't count on it. She had quite the stubborn look in her eye… but then again, your business around here has never exactly been quick. Where are you headed? Did they summon you to help with those three newcomers?"
Marcus searched his memory for a moment before recalling what Cassius meant. "Ah. The adventurers?"
A nod confirmed his guess. "Right, them. The ones the Primus Pilus brought in."
Marcus paused, frowning. In truth, he actually didn't have much immediate business to tend to at the moment. He'd mostly been coming over to make his usual rounds and listen for any gossip before his later meetings. That was, until Myra struck. But if there was an opportunity here…
"Right you are, my friend," Marcus straightened and adjusted his cloak. "You wouldn't happen to know where they are at the moment, would you?"
"Of course. Follow me."
***
As they approached the far edge of the camp, a group of figures came into view amidst the bustle of activity. Three were sitting on short stools that were spaced an awkward distance apart—close enough to hear each other, but not close enough that their occupants could reach out and touch hands. It wasn't hard to identify them as the adventurers. Two staff officers—Gaius and Maximus, Marcus knew—stood before the seated adventurers, clearly asking questions.
Marcus scanned the adventurers. Their arms and legs were no longer bound as they had been before, which was an improvement. However, given the several Legionaries in full kit standing guard around the trio, it was clear that the Legion still didn't trust them in the slightest. Which was admittedly reasonable. Though the image of level ones holding a level five to six adventuring party like this did threaten to make him chuckle.
Drawing closer to the group, Marcus began to hear what manner of questions the officers were asking.
"You say that you were sent to this area by the 'Adventurers Guild.'"
"Yes," the brawny youth answered testily.
"What claim does this guild have over this land?"
"Why are you asking me something that even a toddler knows?" The adventurer all but growled. "I told you! We just got a quest to help clear the road through the forest. That's it. We're just doing our jobs! And we'd be doing them a hell of a lot better if you'd just let us go already!"
"Watch your tongue, boy," one of the officers growled—Maximus, if he recalled correctly. "And your attitude. Given what you've already done, it would not be difficult to have you tried as criminals. The assault of a Legionare carries heavy punishment. Your lack of cooperation will only expedite that."
Marcus frowned. It seemed that things weren't exactly going well. Not for anyone.
Thanking Cassius for the escort, he stepped up to greet Gaius and Maximus. "Officers," he said, "Perhaps I can be of assistance."
Gaius looked over, his eyes lighting up with recognition. "Ah, bard Marcus! What brings you here?"
Marcus swept into a flourishing bow. "Well, I couldn't help but overhear the rather… spirited discussion you seem to be having here. I wondered if perhaps you could use a mediator to bridge these cultural gaps that you've encountered."
"Cultural gaps?" The brawny [Fighter] scoffed. "More like foolishness. Everyone knows what skills a [Healer] or a [Fighter] gets! They're some of the most basic classes around! Go find a child to interrogate instead."
As the man continued to glare daggers at the Legionnaires—who appeared to share much the same opinion of him—Marcus took note of the dynamic between him and his party members. Based on him being the designated speaker for the group, it was fairly clear that he was this party's leader. However, the female [Healer] was shooting him acidic looks whenever he said something particularly ill-advised. In contrast, the meek-looking [Ranger] kept his gaze all but glued to the ground in some mixture of embarrassment and fear.
Marcus fixed a smile on his face. "As I was saying… it appears that much of the information you seek from these fellows is rather basic in nature. I'm more than happy to confirm or even provide such information in their stead, if you so require."
Gaius, though, shook his head tiredly when Marcus glanced at him. "That was by intent. The Legatus ordered us to interrogate these three before anything else, but as you can see…" He gestured helplessly to the trio. "They are not making it easy to trust them. Nor are they particularly cooperative. And so, the matter of what to do with them remains."
"Let us go," the party leader insisted. "It's that simple! We'll leave this backwater and be out of your way in an afternoon!"
Gaius and Marcus exchanged a meaningful glance. Both of them knew it wasn't nearly that easy. The Legion had done an incredible job thus far of controlling the flow of people—and information—out of Habersbille. Letting these adventurers return to Novara would all but ensure they'd leak information about the army massing here. Perhaps the trio could be sworn to secrecy, but given how uncooperative they were being…
At their silence, the [Fighter] turned red in the face and began to haul himself to his feet. A few of the Legionnaires stepped forward, hands darting to the pommels of their gladiuses. At their stony looks, the party leader froze and slowly began lowering himself down once more. That didn't stop him from opening his mouth, though.
"This is insane. Why are you keeping us as prisoners? We were just doing our jobs!"
Gaius shot the youth an annoyed glare—a scene made slightly comical by the fact that the two looked of similar age. "That should be obvious. It's because you have proven yourselves to be untrustworthy by attacking our men."
"I was defending my party. You people were kidnapping them!"
Someone cleared their throat. Looking over, Marcus saw Maximus standing with his arms folded, his ornate officer's helm gleaming in the sunlight. He stared down at the [Fighter] with a cold look that could have frozen the fiery pits of Vernal. "Adventurer, your party was being rescued. Without the help of the Primus Pilus, you all would have either been food for the beasts or fuel for the flames. And considering how you repaid that help, you should be grateful that our Legatus's generosity has given you a path forward aside from imprisonment. Now, if you ungrateful sops would just finish answering our questions, we could move on to better things."
"I told you, my name is Jack."
"I know. I shall use your name when you earn the a modicum of respect."
Marcus took note of the name as he took in the situation before him. Jack's two other party members continued to remain silent in judgement or fear throughout the argument. But given Jack's winning personality, it was quite clear that they would be getting nowhere anytime soon. Not without a bit of help.
Marcus turned to the officers with an apologetic smile. "Do you mind if I speak to them for a moment, in private? Perhaps a bit of diplomacy is called for in this situation."
Gaius opened his mouth, then hesitated. "I would prefer to be present for any discussions. Especially given their… history."
He waved a hand dismissively. "It won't be long, I promise. And besides, even if they did try something, I doubt they'd get far." Marcus swept an arm around the camp. "There is no shortage of capable fighters surrounding them, after all."
The young officer mulled over the suggestion for a moment. Between Marcus's charisma, skills, and the amount of rapport he'd built with the man, he was fairly confident in his chances here. However, Gaius wasn't the only one he had to worry about.
The Legionnaire looked as though he was about to agree before Maximus stepped in, his face impassive. "We have orders to keep these three under heavy guard. As such, I will not let them out of my sight. If you wish to speak with them, speak plainly where all can hear."
Marcus internally cursed. He'd been sure that he'd get his way, especially given the low levels of the Legionnaires. [Harbinger of Rome] even gave him bonuses to his charisma-based effects when targeting them. So why had they been able to resist?
It was something to consider later. For now, he just nodded agreeably. "Of course, of course. Orders are orders."
With that, Marcus turned to the low-level adventurers and activated every single charisma skill he had, ready to plow over them with the full force of his charms. It wasn't something he did often. He preferred more subtle approaches. But given everyone's apparent impatience and how much salvaging this situation needed… well, he could justify it. Besides, they'd thank him later.
"Noble adventurers," Marcus began, squatting down to appear on their level as opposed to standing with the Legionnaires. "I can see that you're eager to get back to your duties as soon as possible. Who wouldn't be? Given your ages, you certainly strike me as an ambitious party indeed.
"However," he tapped the side of his nose knowingly, "I think you may underestimate the opportunity you have at your fingertips here."
"What opportunity?" Jack asked. His arms remained crossed, but already his shoulders were relaxing ever so slightly.
"Well, you see, there's more than one way to improve than simply questing. As lucrative as those may be, they're rarely the quickest way to increase one's level—something I'm sure you're eager to do. No, far quicker is the tried-and-true tradition of monster hunting. And an area like this seems like the perfect place to do such a thing."
Jack's eyes narrowed. "True. But we could do that while questing. Otherwise, how would we make any money? We need to eat and repair equipment, you know."
"Fair enough, my friend. And perhaps some sort of arrangement on that front could be made. I have some pull with the local leaders." Marcus smiled indulgently. "But consider the other benefits that you'd gain when hunting here—specifically, that you'd have a safety net."
"A safety net?" For the first time, one of the other adventurers spoke up—the young [Healer] woman.
"Of course. Consider this proposal." Marcus straightened. "You remain in Habersville, utilizing the low-level monsters of the Evergreen Seas to level yourselves and increase your power. However, whenever you go out," he extended an arm to include the Legionnaires around him. "You will be accompanied by a contingent of men. This will protect you in case of another shade slinger-type incident, while also serving as a gesture of goodwill."
Jack frowned at the soldiers. "They'll just take our experience."
Marcus waggled a finger. "Not so. If they don't join your party or directly involve themselves in combat, you'll reap all of the rewards."
"What have we to gain from babysitting these whelps?" Maximus asked with a glower.
Jack bristled, but the bard quickly interrupted before he could speak. "Well, for one, you'll be able to ensure that these three are exactly what they say they are—adventurers looking to improve themselves. But more than that," he looked to Gaius, "You'll be able to observe the combat style and skill usage of actual adventurers up close. Something that I'm certain that you'd find value in."
The officers exchanged a look. While Maximus didn't seem entirely sold, even he could understand the benefit of knowing one's enemies.
The female [Healer] muttered where she sat. "I don't want to be stuck in this backwater any longer than I have to."
"Eleanora!" Jack nearly shouted, cutting her off. "Look, I don't want to be here any more than you do, but he makes a good point—we need to level more. We need to get stronger if we don't want to get our asses handed to us again. And this is about as good a place as we can find."
"There are other low level areas we could go to instead. Ones that are actually low level."
"Well, we need to challenge ourselves at least a bit. Otherwise we won't grow. So really, this seems like a good deal. Especially if these people really were trying to help instead of attack you guys."
Eleanora shot him a look that, had it been directed at Marcus, would have made him backpedal immediately and turn his [Silver Tongue] up another level. However, the leader remained blissfully unaware of her malicious intent.
"...We do have a quest to turn in…" The ranger muttered quietly.
Marcus smiled at him. "Quests will keep for a long time. Why not take advantage of what's right in front of you? The rewards will be there when you return."
The trio seemed to reach a hesitant agreement as Marcus turned back to the officers. After a silent conversation, they also nodded. Gaius stepped forward. "Agreed. We will need to work out some specifics and get this plan approved, however."
"Of course!" Marcus bowed. "I'd be more than willing to help with the former, if you'd like…"
It took them a little more negotiation to hash out the specifics. The adventurers would not leave the surrounding area of Habersville, and they'd have a full complement of Legionaries accompanying them when hunting. They'd also do their best to answer whatever questions Gaius and the Legionnaires had, though Marcus didn't put too much stock on that condition. The arrangement would last until the Legion decided otherwise—or until the adventurers hit level 15, which wasn't likely to happen here.
With that all taken care of, Marcus allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. Things had gone better than he'd hoped. He'd managed to once more prove his usefulness to the Legion and even help their "prisoners" in the process. What's more, it would keep the adventurers here for a little while longer—at least, until they figured out what to really do with them.
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Moses Lambert
As they approached the far edge of the camp, [Marcus] a group of figures came into view amidst the bustle of activity. [DELETE]
