Reborn as the First Boss, Chapter 63

Chapter 63 – Authority

We were quickly taken to the Guildmaster’s office. A party of level 40s, with word on the recent messages? Yes, that was going to get people’s attention in a hurry. But a guild hall still had to deal with normal business, so it wasn’t five minutes before we were sitting in front of the Guildmaster.

Milot

Human Male

Level 35 Flame Sorcerer / Soldier

Titles: Flameblessed, Guildmaster

Guildmaster Milot was not your typical sorcerer. Built like a slab of beef, he was broad-shouldered and strong. While he was not wearing any armor, he did have a curved sword at his side as he stood in front of one of the windows, looking down on the square outside.

His office was not terribly large. The six of us fit easily enough, since the sisters and I were the only ones sitting, with Astruth and Linette standing behind us. There was another couch, besides the one we were sitting on, so a few more people could be added to the gathering without overly straining things, but more than ten would be stretching things more than a little.

Milot took a breath, and then turned to look at me. “Well, Baroness Pureheart, I’ve heard you have information about the recent messages from the Voice of the World. Seeing your Boss Slayer title, I don’t doubt it. I’ll ask you to wait a moment before explaining, though. Baron Longchaser will be along shortly, along with the Captain of the Guard and the Guildmaster of the Merchants Guild. They’ll all need to know, anyways, so it is probably best if they all hear it at once.”

Nab Longchaser

Human Male

Level 20 Rogue / Merchant

Titles: Greedy, Baron

Baron Longchaser was a thin, intellectual-looking man. More at home in a library or classroom than the battlefield or a throne room. Everything I’d heard about him suggested that he was as greedy as they came, and his title agreed. He would try and profit on this, most likely, and at my expense.

Auice

Human Female

Level 25 Healer / Merchant

Titles: Keen Eyed, Guildmaster

The Guildmaster of the Merchants Guild was a sharp-eyed, hawk-nosed woman who looked as though she were about to swoop down and pounce on a silver piece if left unattended too long. Her dress was practical, but made of fine material and well-tailored. Probably cost more than most of the magic items and gear that the adventurers downstairs had equipped. Flaunting her wealth without making a show of it. Those who knew what it meant, knew, and those who didn’t know wouldn’t be important enough to matter.

Vasey

Human Male

Level 35 Blademaster / Commander

Titles: Strongman, Captain, Goblin Slayer

And then, there was the Captain of the Guard. Blademaster was a ‘side-grade’ class for Fighters, which focused primarily on bladework, but gave up abilities in other areas. Oh, it didn’t mean he could no longer wield a club, or carry a shield, no more than my Spellshooter class kept me from picking up a sword. However, all his class abilities and class skills were focused on blades, just like my class was focused on spellshooting. Most people only got two skill points per level. There weren’t enough to go around, so you had to think carefully about how much you wanted to invest in things outside your specialty. Unless, of course, you cheated, like me.

When Baron Longchaser was settled in the sofa across from us, with the three others standing behind him, he smiled obsequiously at me. But the smile didn’t reach his eyes. Those were already planning how much he could try and wring out of me. “Well, Baroness Pureheart, this is a surprise. I hadn’t been informed that you were traveling abroad. And certainly not traveling through Shadescar. What brings you by?”

I simply shrugged, and said, “I am traveling as the adventurer Alis Pureheart, not as Baroness. No processions, or the like. As for my goals, that’s no secret. I’m heading to Crystalshield on business. The recent goblin attack has convinced me that I need to do more for my lands, to ensure that they are better protected. Of course, raising more men-at-arms is not possible, without prompting some stern questions from His Majesty, the King, so I thought I would follow the model of Crystalshield’s militia.”

Longchaser’s eyes didn’t leave my own. “Yes, I heard about that. A Goblin Hero? Seriously, what possessed the Voice of the World to do such a thing?”

“You should know as well as I, Baron, that the Voice of the World plays no sides but its own, if it can even be said to have a side. The prerequisites for a Hero being born are not entirely unknown, after all. The first one is that the Great Demon Emperor must be focusing his attention beyond the Shadowed Continent once more. As for the rest, it is generally agreed that something the Hero to be values must be under lethal threat, and their becoming a Hero would give them the power to change it. Beyond that, the Voice of the World cares not about what the Hero would do with that power.”

Milot nodded once. “Sadly, I must agree with the Baroness, my Lord. While some believe that the Boss title can be gained more easily, and with some intention, even then, the exact conditions for one to become a Boss are not known. Not to the human scholars, at least. The Voice of the World does as it wishes, at times.”

“That as it may be,” Longchaser nodded, “I would hear from ‘adventurer’ Pureheart about what prompted the recent messages from the Voice of the World? You mentioned that you had some news to that effect, yes?”

“Indeed,” I said, unconcerned with his attitude. He wasn’t going to get anything out of me. If he tried anything directly, I would be able to overwhelm anything and anyone he brought to bear. Maybe he could complain to the king, or start some kind of campaign against Windwater, but I doubted he’d go that far. That was too short-sighted for him. Well, unless I insulted him too badly.

“Whilst traveling, we heard that something was amiss at the Necropolis of Akkras, so, being adventurers and with the Necropolis so close to our own home, we decided to take a look. Luckily, I managed to ‘find’ a pass, so getting through the cordon was no issue.”

“Found it, my Lady?” Milot asked, pointedly.

“Yes, found it,” I said, evenly. “You would be surprised what you might find in dark corners, especially when your luck is high, and you know a couple divination spells.”

“I did not know you were studied in Divination, Baroness,” Longchaser said, obviously reevaluating me, and what kind of threat, or opportunity, I was.

“I have many interests, Baron. Fortunately, my Barony is normally quiet enough that I can indulge them without issue. Sadly, the last couple months have forced me to be more active, dealing with things that simply can’t be left to my talented subordinates.

“At any rate, I ventured into the dungeon, and saw that it was, indeed, changed. By the final floor, the monsters were Level 38, far too strong for any normal party of adventurers to contend with.”

“Level 38?” Longchaser said, eyes raised. “And you confirmed this? The Adventurers Guild suspected it would go up like that, based on the progression of the early floors, but still…”

“Yes, confirmed it, as we slew several Death Knights and made our way to Akkras’s chamber. He was there, a Level 38 Lich, with a Boss title, and with him was a Daemon who was Level 22 in the second Tier, and a Boss as well.”

“Not that I am questioning you, Baroness,” Vasey started, “but given the to messages from the Voice of the World, I assume that they both perished. How did you manage such a thing?”

“While exploring a hidden area, that was locked behind a door that could only be seen, much less opened, by one with Demon blood in their veins, I found a spell scroll, containing a single use of a spell called [Annihilation]. As the name might suggest, it produced a rather unholy amount of damage split between the two targets in the radius, which scaled with the amount of MP spent on it. The scroll was lost, but such a thing was too dangerous to leave in anyone’s hands, I think, so I would say it is for the best.”

“It scaled?” The Guard Captain asked. “How quickly? Any limit?”

“A radius measuring one-tenth the MP cost in meters. And no upper limit that I could see. If one had enough MP, then you would be able to wipe a town like Magehallow off the map in an instant. Increasing the MP spent also increased the damage. I used forty MP to take down the two bosses.”

Vasey frowned, but nodded. “If the spell was powerful enough to take down a Tier 2 Boss for only forty MP, and could expand to such a degree, before they could do anything to combat it, I believe I would agree that it is best the scroll was used up. Even if it were kept safe and secure in a vault, there would be those who would spare no expense to steal it, and there would always be the temptation to use it.”

“That’s not all,” Molit said. “Even if the scroll could have been studied, for someone to either learn or reproduce, the knowledge is too dangerous. Anyone who learned of the spell would be dodging assassins and slavers the rest of their life. And so would anyone they were close to, since it would give others leverage over them, if they couldn’t get to the wielder directly. They’d be too dangerous to keep, and too dangerous to let anyone else hold.”

Longchaser scowled, no doubt because he both wanted a spell like that, and knew that it would be trouble in all kinds of very unprofitable ways. “Well, then, that explains the first two messages, but what of the ones about the gods?”

“With Akkras dead, a barrier opened in the rear of the boss chamber. A crystal that I took to be the Lich’s phylactery was hanging there, in the air. You know, of course, that a Lich can recover from death, so long as their phylactery is not destroyed. I’ve never read any record of what happens to a Lich Boss that revives. Do they gain a new Chaos Orb? Do they return at the same level they were, or what they had before the power boosted their abilities? Leaving it would have put Dascora at risk, so I destroyed the crystal, which was not just the phylactery, but also the dungeon core, and an ancient seal put in place by Tarez, God of Death and Undeath, long ago.”

“YOU STUPID WHORE!” Longchaser snapped, coming to his feet in an instant. His face was red as he shouted, “DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’VE DONE? WITHOUT THE DUNGEON, PROFITS IN THE BARONY WILL PLUMET!”

“Be silent.” “BE SILENT!”

I spoke in a calm voice, unperturbed, but in the Baron’s mind I shouted with enough force that he was thrown back against the back of the sofa. The others knew I did something, but not what. That did not matter, since I had not struck him or even done anything to attack. I just shouted back, in my own way.

I expanded my mental voice to include everyone in the room. “You are laboring under a delusion, Baron Longchaser. I am recounting to you the result of cleaning up a mess that had been left to fester on your lands, because you sought profits over the safety and wellbeing of your people. I am not bargaining with you, and am under no obligation to you whatsoever. If you have an issue with my actions, you may take it up with the King, and explain to him why you were not defending your lands. In fact, I may just send the full account to him anyways, so he knows what kind of steward is overseeing the borders of his kingdom.”

I looked at the group, and mentally spoke, in a more conciliatory tone, “The God of Undeath has been released, and the God of Death has run from the divine realm. If one were to seek profit from this, then perhaps one might look to the Church of Eztar, and see if they can find any sign of where the god descended? I’m sure they’ll be grateful for any help they receive whilst in the mortal realm.”

With that, I rose, and said, “It was a pleasure to meet you in person, Baron Longchaser. Do not worry, I will be leaving town tomorrow, or the next day, on my way to Crystalshield. So long as no foolish bandits attempt to waylay me, or other foolishness, I should be well away from Shadescar before long. It would be annoying if I had to linger here, because someone thought that my being a woman somehow meant that they could yell me down, or do anything against me when they do not have the levels or combat experience to back it up. Just a thought.”