Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 101

Chapter 101 – Revelation

Once inside the city, the Lord Mayor and Captain of the Guard split off from us, no doubt to get the High Magus, and let everyone know that were not an immediate threat to the city. Frostmaw using [Shrink] to become the size of a housecat and riding on my shoulder helped, at least a little, and Rastran using his new skill [Houndshaping] to take the size and appearance of a common Wolf helped to ease tensions. Zazriel’s [Visage] skill allowed her to blend in, as well. And with Guildmaster Alein accompanying us as we moved further into the city, there were no problems. Of course, a group of Tier 2s with the Guildmaster did draw attention, regardless, but no problems.

At the Merchant’s Guild building in the city center, we dropped off Ayen, getting our payout of one hundred gold. A pittance, really, but there were more payouts in the future. And it cleared one of the quests we had, allowing us to pick up more, if we wanted.

Just across the street from the Merchant’s Guild was the Adventurer’s Guild, and both were within easy sight of City Hall. No accident, that. The Guilds and the Hall all did frequent business with each other, and needed each other in order to remain effective. Everyone knew it, even if most people politely didn’t point out how interdependent the government, merchants, and adventurers were. No point pricking people’s pride for no profitable reason, after all.

The slaves disembarked the [Collapsible Wagon] and I had it turn into its portable form, tossing it in into my Inventory. The Skeletal Oxen disappeared into their talisman, and everyone used [Mount Storage Orbs] to safely store their steeds. A good reminder that Syllia would need a mount, and the other associated accessories, before we headed back home to Dascora. Prepare for contingencies, after all.

At the Adventurer’s Guild, Alein and the captured slaves spoke in hushed tones nearby while we went to the desk to turn in quests. The clerk, Arter, paid out quickly when we deposited the fifty heads of the dead bandits. Only 500 gp, but the salvage rights on their gear and lair was more than worth it. There was also the matter of the goblins.

Quest Record

Quest

Goblin Culling

Origin

Crystalshield

Destination

Crystalshield

Posted By

Crystalshield Merchant’s Guild

Reward

10 gp per pair of goblin ears

Details

The goblins of Bonerot are a consistent menace to travelers from Bikar. Standing bounty for goblins killed

I had fifty-five pairs of goblin ears, which made for another 550 gp in my pocket. Not terribly impressive, given my level, and the wealth I already had, but this was a standing bounty on targets that those far lower-leveled than my group could take on as a bonus to other activities, not an emergency that required Tier 2 adventurers to drop everything and take it on.

Before finishing things, Arter mentioned to me, in an off-handed way that did not reach his eyes, that if we were looking for further work in the city, there was a merchant who kept an estate in the Port District whose family hailed from Dascora. Shadescar was the family name. I thanked him for the information, as I considered what that meant. Shadescar had been the name of the former house ruling Shadescar Barony in Dascora, before House Longchaser took the reins. I didn’t know the story, but the grandchild of an exiled noble would at least give me more insight on my new homeland. I’d need to visit him before long.

Our business with the quest desk settled, Alein led all of us, including the slaves rescued from the bandits, up to the second floor. Not his office, since there were too many people for that, and we were expecting more once the Lord Mayor and his people showed up. Fortunately, there was a room used for official gatherings like this, because sometimes you needed to organize multiple teams of adventurers, for one reason or another.

There was a long table, with seats for twenty. Two on each of the short ends, and eight down either side of the table. We used fourteen of the seats, since Frostmaw remained perched on my shoulder, and Rastran preferred to curl up on the floor next to me. I sat at the far end, with Zazriel to my left. To my right, Linette, Astruth, and Syllia sat on one side of the table. To Zazriel’s left, Angelina and Jewell sat. Libbe sat next to Jewell, and the other rescued slaves filled in on either side of the table.

At the other end of the table, the Guildmaster sat at the end, and soon we were joined by the Lord Mayor, the Captain of the Guard, and three others. The Lord Mayor sat next to the Guildmaster, and the Captain of the Guard was at his other side. One of the newcomers sat next to the Captain, and the other two sat across from them. I quickly [Appraise]d them.

Ralf

Human Male

Level 30 Fighter / Soldier

Titles: Tough, Strong, Captain of the Militia

Next to the Captain of the Guard was, apparently, another Captain. In this case, the Captain of the Crystalshield Militia. Ralf looked to be a hard-nosed, reliable sort. The kind of man who made people follow him because they knew they could always rely on him to stand strong in a fight. No back-rank general, this one, and decently strong for someone on this continent, from what I’d seen.

Elice Darkshield

High Human Female

Level 4 High Magus / Wondermaker

Titles: Genius, Keeper of the Crystal Tower

Sitting next to the Guildmaster was a woman who had white streaks in her black hair, but it was impossible to say how old she was, because everything about her seemed more human than human. What was obvious, however, was that she was in Tier 2, since I knew that High Human was the basic human Tier 2 evolution, and High Magus was a tier 2 version of the Magus class. I hadn’t heard of Wondermaker, but it was probably an advancement of the Enchanter profession.

Avina Richwhisper

Sharkfolk Female

Level 25 Priestess of Shaaos / Merchant

Titles: Waveborn, Wise One, Guildmaster

The last one… well, I had never seen one of the Beastfolk before. I knew they were native to the Southern Continent, but most of the ones I’d heard about were some type of mammal, like dogs, bears, or lions. A few birds, too. But Avina Richwhisper looked like what happened when someone decided to combine a person with a great white shark, and made the resulting creature able to walk on dry land. She even had a shark tail sticking out from her back.

More impressive was that she was apparently the local leader for the Merchant’s Guild. [Religious Doctrine] told me that Shaaos was the God of the Sea. Combining that with the Merchant profession was a solid way to ensure that a port city that absolutely relied on ocean travel for trade got good winds and calm seas for the ships coming and going from the port.

Lord Mayor Dannet Darkhand took a breath, and said, “Right, there is much and more that I would ask about your travels so far, Baroness Pureheart, but first some introductions. You’ve already met Guildmaster Alein of the Adventurers Guild and Captain Jaketta. The others are Captain Ralf, Commander of the Militia, High Magus Elice Darkshield, Keeper of the Crystal Tower which gives our city its name, and Guildmistress Avina of the Merchant’s Guild.”

I nodded my head, and said, “And I am both Adventurer Alis Pureheart of Dascora, and Baroness Pureheart, as mentioned. With me are my bound companions, varied as they are, and those I rescued from the bandits, when I claimed their heads for the bounty offered by the Guild.”

The High Magus glanced at the Lord Mayor, who nodded once. Her eyes turned back to me, and I felt as though someone was attempting to peer into my soul. Then, with a word, I felt a barrier surround the entire room, cutting off all noise from beyond the walls. When she spoke, her voice was solid. “Before we begin with tales of your travels, perhaps we could dispense with the facades, for I have a feeling that the truth hidden in plain sight will affect the course of this discussion far more than anything else we might speak of. Or, at least, will recontextualize things so that everyone may truly know what is happening.”

Ah, she must have something like the [True Appraise] skill that Ayen had. Annoying, but not entirely unexpected. I took a breath, and said, “Then I would ask for oaths from those not bound to my will that what is revealed shall not be shared outside this room.”

All eyes turned to Dannet, who looked to the High Magus. She nodded once, and his gaze turned back to me. “As Lord Mayor of Crystalshield, I give my oath none of the secrets mentioned here shall be mentioned beyond this room by any under the command of the City, or the Crystal Tower.”

I nodded, and took on my true form. Gasps and other sounds of astonishment were the order of the day for everyone but my pets. Oh, except for the elven sorceress and scholar, Finnea, who was practically squealing in delight. No, she really was squealing.

“Oh, by Pelleas’s unending scrolls! This is incredible! A completely unheard-of race, that looks to be the perfect fusion of the Angel and Succubus lines? The Roaming Boss title, which has only been seen three times in the last thousand years! The first person in four hundred years to have both the Hero Slayer and Boss Slayer titles! Divine Blessing and Divine Curse, The Impossible, and Krenrena’s First Angel! And I believe this is the first time on record that anyone has had the Dragon Tamer, Dragonslayer, and Dragonlayer titles all together! Incredible! Simply incredible!”

Libbe, the other scholar, gaped like a fish out of water for a moment, before saying, “Well, this changes much of what we know about the world. The fact that the reigning Succubus Queen can now have angels alone shatters everything we knew about demons and angels!”

I chuckled, and said, “There is also the fact that my soul is not native to this world. I was reborn here after dying in another world. Whether my soul was here, the whole time, and I only ‘woke up’ in my new body recently, or whether my reincarnation displaced the soul that was here before, I cannot say for certain. But what I can say is that, despite my titles, I am able work against Bosses and fight alongside Heroes, and do things that people of this world would not dream of.”

The Lord Mayor just nodded, slowly, and said, “Well, that definitely puts much of what little you already told us into greater perspective, and makes the threat you mentioned about the [Soulslave Ritual] all the more troublesome. The means to perceive souls are not common, after all.”

“Forgive me, my Lord,” Guildmaster Alein started, “but before we go into that, I would ask about my daughter. She told me that you would offer to sell her to me, if she wished it?”

I nodded once. “Indeed. Though I could certainly use a second scholar coming to Windwater with me, when I return, she has not done me any wrong, and her enslavement was not of her own doing. Though I do not have the power to free her, I can, at least, give her options that would otherwise be closed to her. But what does your daughter think?” I looked to her, and said, “Speak honestly, Libbe.”

The Earth Sorceress took a breath, and said, “Father, before, I wanted to come back, see if you could sell me to the Tower, where at least a mage slave would be useful. But now? I am a Scholar, Father. I might not be as… verbose as the elf, but there are few places I could learn more than at the center of impossible events and an impossible being.”

Alein nodded slowly. “I figured as much, poppet. But you’ll write, when your Mistress gives you leave, yes?”

“Of course, Father.”