Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 100

Chapter 100 – Meet the Mayor

I wasn’t concerned about the wait. No doubt, whoever had used magic or some skill to call out to us from the wall as we approached had decided that they needed to pass the news up the chain of command. This kind of greeting was actually better than most responses that we thought we would get. After all, despite trying to be as nonthreatening as possible, we did have a Lesser Dragon in the mix, which was far from normal, at the best of times. That they weren’t reacting with outright hostility was a good sign, in my opinion.

Only took about fifteen minutes for the gate to open. Someone was definitely hurrying, or the important people were already near the gate. Probably the second one. We hadn’t been trying to hide, after all, so someone would have noticed a dragon approaching along the trade road. Any guard worth their salt would make sure to send something like that up the line.

Coming through the gate were three figures on horseback. Only three, to meet a group like ours. Either they were supremely confident in their combat skills, or they were hoping that, if this turned into a fight, that it would start and end outside the barrier that protected Crystalshield. Either way, it was a ballsy move, especially since [Long-Range Appraise] told me that these three were definitely VIPs.

Dannet Darkhand

Human Male

Level 43 Paladin / Mayor

Titles: Unflinching, Lord Mayor of Crystalshield

The one in the middle was apparently the Lord Mayor of the city. Which meant he was the guy in charge. Chainmail over a gambeson, helmet on his head, and a bastard sword at his side. At level 43, he was very strong for a human in a leadership position. Those types did not typically get to go out and level up that often. If I hadn’t had such a run of ‘interesting’ experiences, I would never have gotten this strong. Well, his Mayor title probably gave him some XP when people went out hunting, like my Baroness title did. But still, it was an impressive feat.

I also noticed that the Lord Mayor’s name matched one of the person I was supposed to deliver a sealed chest to, according to the Desperate Shipment quest we’d taken back in Hyletalos. Still had no idea what was in either of the sealed chests. That would be something to talk about, later.

Jaketta

Human Female

Level 41 Fighter / Commander

Titles: Tough, Captain

To the Lord Mayor’s right was a woman in full plate armor, arming sword at her side, and a shield slung against her back. Level 41, meaning she was a powerhouse in her own right, compared to most people I’d seen. The title probably meant that she was the one in charge of the city guard. Bodyguard for the Lord Mayor, then.

Alein Whitguard

Human Male

Level 40 Fighter / Soldier

Titles: Strong, Bladeproof, Guildmaster

And the last would be Libbe’s father, the Guildmaster for the Crystalshield Adventurers Guild. He looked grim, and tired. But then, he was a father worried about his daughter, so that wasn’t unheard of. The leather and chainmail meant he could move fast, if he wanted, but the two-handed hammer on a sling over his shoulder clearly meant he favored power over finesse. He was also the one whose name was on the Bandit Destruction quest.

The three on horseback rode up to us, and stopped about five meters away. Close enough for conversation, but not so close as to be entirely vulnerable. The Lord Mayor is the first to speak.

“I am Dannet Darkhand, Lord Mayor of Crystalshield and Protector of the People. With me are Captain Jaketta, Commander of the City Guard, and Alein Whitguard, Guildmaster of the Adventurer’s Guild. Ayen Uriharice, your name is known to us, if only for how rare it is to see one with Merchant as both class and profession. But we would know these adventurers with you, who come in such a… varied company.”

Ayen’s gaze meets mine, and I smile, urging Godsmite a step forward. “I am known by several names and titles,” I began, “but in this current role, I am Alis Pureheart, registered adventurer with the Dascoran Adventurers Guild, traveling and gaining experience in the wilder world. I am also Baroness Alis Pureheart, of Windwater Barony in Dascora. With me are my party members and bonded companions. When I set out from Windwater, I had wanted to avoid attracting attention, especially as I traversed Bikar. Fate had other ideas, as you can see.”

Dannet nodded slowly. “Yes, I imagine that traveling unnoticed with a Dire Hellhound and a Demontouched Angel, much less a Lesser Frost Dragon, would make you somewhat conspicuous. You say you came through Bikar, and Eshiari. That was where you obtained your dragon ‘companion’?

“Yes, I was quite persuasive in encouraging him to join, though Frostmaw was a Frost Drake at the time.”

He nods slowly, and said, “Ayen mentioned you had news of the bandits? And survivors?”

I nodded. “The bandits had run the goblins out of their stronghold at Bonerot, killing much of their strength, thanks to the bandits being well equipped, and all level 40 at the lowest, with ten in Tier 2, including some of the healers. We found this thanks to running across some of the surviving goblins along the road, and interrogating them for answers. We went to Bonerot, and killed the lot of them. They weren’t expecting an attack like what we could bring, obviously.”

“Yes,” Dannet said wryly, looking at Frostmaw. “I imagine they did not expect a dragon to ruin their fun.”

“At any rate, as specified in the quest from the Adventurers Guild, we set about taking heads and looting the stronghold. Which is when we found the survivors from some of the caravans that were raided. All branded with a [Tier 2 Slave Brand], which none of us had the ability to remove, making it impossible to free them as Bikar law would normally. Under Bikar law, that meant I could choose to sell them to the state, or keep them. One chose to remain in his homeland, another wanted to see Crystalshield again, before making a choice, and I’ll be taking the rest back to Windwater, when my business ends.”

Alein, the Guildmaster, breathes in once. “The survivors. H-how many? And can we see them?”

I had been expecting this. Looking back to my wagon, I nodded to Sylia, who was in the driver’s seat. She turned to look back in the covered wagon, and spoke. Not loud, but my Tier 2 hearing heard it anyways as she told them who was out there, and they wanted to see the survivors.

The seven figures climbed down from the wagon, still wearing the cast-off, mismatched clothes that they’d managed to salvage from the bandits. I heard the guildmaster’s breath hitch, and he dismounted. Looking him in the eyes, I said, “We found them chained up, naked. The bandits were… unkind. We managed to find some clothes that mostly fit them, but it was difficult finding ones intact enough that fit.”

The Guildmaster swallowed. He knew what that meant. That we’d taken clothes off the dead bandits to give their slaves something to wear. And he knew what often happened to those who were captured by bandits.

“Father!” Libbe’s voice cut through the heavy atmosphere, as she rushed up. Her father embraced her, and it was like a dam broke on their emotions. I was gracious enough to look away, instead of watching father and daughter crying together. Dannet, a sad smile on his face, looked my way, to give the guildmaster what privacy he could.

“So, Baroness Pureheart,” he said, more to change the subject than anything. “You said that the bandits had some Tier 2s? We knew that they were former Militia, but none of them were anywhere near Tier 2. Did they go through the dragon dungeon in Eshiari?”

“No,” I shook my head. “They did not survive long enough for us to question them properly, but no one in Eshiari knew about a large group breaking through to Tier 2. Certainly no one from Crystalshield. Given that we looted a lot of equipment from what had to be Eclanan arsenals, it is obvious where they got their support. Which means that, since I don’t think anyone has wiped a city off the map recently, that the Theocracy likely has its own private dungeon to get people to Tier 2.”

“Fuck.” The captain’s words were succinct, to the point, and very much captured the energy of the moment. The Theocracy was a big enough pain when people thought they couldn’t break through to Tier 2 without going to another continent or sneaking people into other countries. Now, however, this had implications for the wider political situation on the continent.

“Quite,” Dannet nodded, looking like he’d bitten into a lemon. “Still, it was foolish to think they’d remain constrained by all the enemies they’d made forever. This is going to cause problems, especially if the Demon Emperor is moving again, as seems likely with Bosses and Heroes roaming around.”

“Since I’ve killed both Heroes and Bosses, I’m forced to agree,” I nodded. “Unfortunately, I doubt that the shakeup in the divine clubhouse is going to throw them off track, or at least not too much. The best thing for a regime under threat is to find some common enemy to fight. If it were the Demon Emperor, that would be grand. But since the newest Hero is in Bikar, they aren’t likely to risk the Shadowed Continent, and Meskaele is too far away for them to attack effectively. Which means a holy war, to ‘purge the heretics’ or ‘unite the faithful’ or some bullshit like that. Anything that will allow them to distract people. If they can ‘volunteer’ troublemakers to the front lines, all the better.”

“I wish I could argue with you, but I’ve seen too much of those Theocracy bastards to doubt it. If this is the start of some play by them, we’ll need to work fast to secure the city.”

“There’s another threat that you might not have heard of, yet. The Eclanans have something called the [Soulslave Ritual]. Like the [Slave Brand] in effect, but because it affects the soul directly, you can only see the title if the person using [Appraise] can see souls. I don’t need to tell you what a threat that is.”

“That is dire news. Usually, the [Slave Brand] or a [Slave Collar] are hard to use on someone if you’re hoping to make them sabotage things, since there are ways to pierce even a [False Appraisal] spell. But something where you have to be able to see souls to detect it? What can one do against such a threat?”

“Well, see if you can contract some angels, either as familiars or otherwise. Other beings from beyond the planes might be able to do it, too. Maybe some kinds of undead. But, that’s for a Scholar to figure out. If they ask, tell them that the normal slave magic appears ‘blue’, at least to my eyes, demonic effects are ‘red’, celestial effects are golden, and the [Soulslave Ritual]’s effects are green. Not sure if that is an effect from my personal brand of the [Perceive Soul] skill, or if it is like that for everyone. But either way, there will be some kind of link or chain connecting the Soulslave to the Soulbinder. You can use that to find the source, if you find the slave.”

Jakketa frowned. As the Captain of the Guard, defending against threats was her job, after all, and this was a big threat I just revealed, possibly more dangerous than a dragon attack, given how insidious it was. “How do you free someone under this [Soulslave Ritual]? I doubt it is so simple as removing a [Slave Collar].”

“Three ways that I know of. The first is for the Soulbinder to die of old age or natural causes, before they can pass the Soulslaves on to another. In that instance, the Soulslaves are freed. The second is for someone to slay the Soulbinder, and then decline to keep the Soulslaves afterwards, freeing them. Which, if my experience is anything to go by, unlocks the third method, the Freer of Souls title.” As I spoke, I adjusted my interface in the Voice of the World to show them the title, word for word.

Freer of Souls

You had the opportunity to bind the souls of your enemies to you, and strengthen your group, but you let it go. You and (CHA/100) people you choose are immune to hostile spells, effects, or abilities that damage, bind, or influence the soul. If your CHA is greater than a creature’s highest attribute, you can shatter effects binding or influencing their soul by spending MP equal to their (INT+WIS+CHA)x10.

Jaketta frowned. “Not terribly useful for anyone but Charisma-based classes and professions. Pretty privilege?”

Dannet chuckled. “No, it is because Charisma affects how much you can influence the world and impose your will upon others. Just like Wisdom is how much you can resist influence, and Intelligence is how well you can reason.”

“So, pretty privilege,” Jaketta repeated, teasing this time.

A cough drew our attention to the side, where Alein and Libbe were standing, the other rescues behind them. “With permission, Lord Mayor, perhaps we can go in the city now. Let the merchant go about his business, and continue this discussion at the Adventurers Guild? Might bring in the High Magus on this, too, since she’ll know more about such things.”

I cleared my throat. “If that is High Magus Elice Darkshield, then I have a pair of delivery quests through the Guild, one for her, and one for you, Lord Mayor.”