Chapter 215 - Interlude: Drawing Near

Kefira nodded her head as she fought to keep the polite smile on her face. She had been listening to these tails nonstop for almost the entire time she had been back. She resisted the urge to check her System clock to see how much more time remained before she could be free. She was counting down the days to when she could go back to Reivyn, but every second seemed like an eternity.

"And bam! I used my Mana to smash the kobold into the ground, tripping his companions up," Oryin said, once again. "Remember, it's imperative to always use your surroundings in your favor, even if those surroundings are the foes themselves."

Oryin had told the tales of his excursion multiple times. Each time he added a bit more embellishment or told it in a different way so as to emphasise a different aspect about himself. Kefira could retell each of his stories from memory all on her own, by now, but she kept the smile on her face as she nodded along in the appropriate places.

Oryin had caught the eye of his parents as one "in need of social training," as they said. He wasn't the first person with lower standing to be thrown into the mix of the upper nobility children to sink or swim, but her parents paid more attention to him than any of the others. Kefira assumed it was because of who his master was. He was the only direct disciple of Court Magus Farril, and that made him Kefira's older "apprentice brother."

Kefira wasn't a direct disciple herself. She wasn't even an in-name disciple. Court Magus Farril was just her mentor, and that was only because of his official position in the imperial court. There were no Mages who could extend their teachings to Kefira's specialty. She had already exhausted what the other Mages could teach her, especially after the leaps and bounds in Space/Time Affinity she had made ever since she had teamed up with Reivyn. A couple of adventures with him had given her more insight into her Affinities than a couple of years of training with the Mages.

Oryin wasn't a bad sort. He was earnest and took his responsibilities as Kefira's senior seriously, at least in his mind. Court Magus Farril had pointed out that it made logical sense for him to accompany Kefira for his social training as they already had an understanding of each other, Silfa had been quick to accept the suggestion.

That had led to Kefira having to spend more time on social interactions than she had originally planned on, and Oryin was with her every time. She had wanted to devote more time to her own training with the space magical device they had stolen from the invaders and Meditate more on the advances she had made with Space on the trip. She was still able to investigate the magical device and her inspirations to a satisfactory level, but she wanted more.

Her mother had other plans, though.

Silfa didn't want her friendships with the other noble children to suffer because she locked herself away the entire time. She didn't have any opportunities to interact with her contemporaries while she was away with Reivyn fighting as a mercenary, so her mother had crammed as much as she could into what little time she had available.

The only saving grace was that Serilla was also her constant companion, as always. She met Serilla's eyes and noticed a twinge in the other girl's eye. She was fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the "life lessons" one could learn through their excursions that Oryin was trying to impart.

Oryin was basically bragging about single handedly taking on a cabal of four high-Tier 3 Kobolds by himself, and he was using the tale as an opportunity to try and teach Kefira. If he had seen the things she and Serilla had done with Reivyn, he would probably go into a coma out of embarrassment. She didn't want to burst his bubble, though, as that would be rude, so she let him finish his story.

"That's valuable insight," Kefira said with a smile once Oryin was done. "I'll be sure to keep it in mind."

"You never know what will save your life one day," Oryin shrugged, but he had a slight grin on his face.

"I had no idea you were so accomplished with your Mana Skills," another girl sitting at the table reached out and touched Oryin's arm as she exclaimed. "Maybe you can give me-" another girl elbowed her in the side and she continued as if nothing had happened - "us a demonstration of your... prowess."

Kefira leaned back slightly and finally did roll her eyes.

These girls are way too forward, she thought.

They were attending a luncheon hosted by one of the Marquis in the capital. Kefira hadn't had the time or desire to attend these events when she was with Reivyn, but now it was one of her main "duties" each day. Breakfast was still held in the privacy of her own courtyard, and dinner was with her family, but lunch was conducted at a different noble's estate each day.

Oryin positively glowed from the praise. Kefira eyed him a bit suspiciously, but the youth didn't seem to pick up on the nuance of the statement.

Social Training indeed, Kefira snorted to herself.

A twinge in the back of her head and the flashing of a Notification window momentarily distracted her. Oryin and the other girls at the table continued their conversation as Kefira focused her attention on her Notification.

[Change in Status]
[Your Imperial Liaison has changed his Class:]
[Reivyn Sa'Vynn]
[Hero]

Kefira was frozen for a moment as she read the Notification. There were two major differences that she had never seen before: One, she had never seen a surname attached to Reivyn's Status as her subordinate. Two he had advanced to Tier 3, and it was a Class she didn't think was possible.

Isn't Hero just a prefix for a Class? She thought. I've never heard of it being a Class unto itself. What has he been doing?

Serilla noticed her attention had shifted, and she leaned forward from her place standing behind her.

"What's up?" She asked.

Kefira looked up at her friend, breaking her concentration on her thoughts about the Class.

"Have you heard of the Hero Class?" Kefira asked in a whisper.

"Sure. Everyone has," Serilla shrugged. "It's basically a myth, though, no pun intended."

Kefira shook her head.

"No, I'm not talking about 'Hero of something.' I'm talking about just Hero."

Serilla frowned as she thought about it.

"No. I've never heard of that. I can ask my elders if they have, though, later. I'm guessing it has something to do with Reivyn?"

Kefira nodded.

"He's apparently advanced to Tier 3. I got a Notification that his status had changed, though he's still apparently recognized by the System as my Imperial Liaison despite losing that designation in his Class."

"Is something the matter?" Oryin's voice cut into their conversation. Kefira looked up and found the young man smiling at them.

"No. Nothing's the matter," Kefira denied. "Sorry about that. Please, continue."

"It's totally fine," Oryin waved it off. "If you need to go or something, just let us know. Don't let us stop you."

"No, no, everything's fine, like I said."

"All right," Oryin quirked an eyebrow before turning back to address the rest of the table.

Kefira internally sighed as their conversation started up once more. The other girls at the table weren't at all the luncheons she attended, and if they were, they weren't always seated with her. That meant that almost all of them were fresh ears for Oryin to regale with his tales of his excursion. Kefira controlled her facial expression as she nodded along to the story.

Just a few more days...

---

Teilon eyed the surroundings as he, Kimberly, and the rest of the crew that had stayed behind in Quron stepped through the portal. The view inside the teleportation path and the various Tier 4 capital cities had long since lost their appeal. It was just another grand city on their long journey to Wispan. Teilon threw his hands to the back of his head as he confidently walked out of the teleportation circle. He was the epitome of nonchalance.

Kimberly rolled her eyes next to him.

"You don't have to prove to all these people that you're not impressed with the surroundings," Kimberly snickered.

"I don't know what you mean," Teilon retorted. "This is a relaxing way to walk." He still lowered his hands back to his sides.

"Sure, sure," Kimberly chuckled.

Teilon reached over and grabbed her hand, a twinkle in his eye.

"Ok, but this is definitely a comfortable way to walk."

Kimberly blushed a little, but she didn't pull her hand back. The two walked in front of the rest of Refix's subordinates into the city proper. They stopped just outside of the teleportation circle and inspected a board that had the schedule for the portals listed on it. It didn't take long for them to find Wispan, their next destination.

"Three more days," Teilon muttered. "Just three more days, and we'll be there. I wonder what mischief Reivyn's been up to, eh?"

"You're the one that's always up to no good," Kimberly snorted.

"And I have you there to keep me in line," Teilon grinned. "Well, let's see about finding some accommodation for the next couple of days."

He strode off once more, Kimberly's hand still held in his, with the others following behind. Being the central location where the teleportation circle was housed, most of the surrounding buildings were high-class inns. There were other shops available, as well, selling the local specialties to those that passed through on their journeys. Teilon ignored those for now, though Kimberly eyed them as they walked toward a fancy looking inn.

Refix had said they could use whatever funds they wanted to purchase their rooms for the journey, and they could use some of it for their food, as well. They had their own money to pay for anything they wanted to pick up at one of the local shops, though. They had saved up a decent amount of coin running Tier 4 Dungeons and the specialty Dungeon Refix had access to. Luckily, currency was universal as far as they were aware.

"Do you notice something strange?" Teilon asked Kimberly, looking around the square. It was in actuality a circle around the teleportation circle building, but that didn't stop people from naming it a square for whatever reason.

"Too many people," Kimberly answered, taking her eyes away from the shops to scan the surroundings.

There was considerably more people in this particular city square than they had seen at any of the others along their long journey to Wispan. There was always a decent crowd wherever they went in each of the Tier 4 Capital Cities, but this was something else.

There were thousands of people milling about.

That wasn't the only thing, either. They were all clearly Adventurers. City citizens would wear normal clothing when they were walking about their home city, but these people were all decked out in armor and weapons like they were about to head on some sort of expedition, and there clearly multiple groups forming Parties everywhere they looked.

"I hope there's enough room at one of these establishments," Teilon said with a note of worry.

It wouldn't be a big deal if they couldn't find anything nearby, but if the entire city was like this, they might have to get creative. Teilon wasn't someone who would mind having to shack up in a stable for an evening, but there were more people in his group than just him and Kimberly. He didn't think Refix's subordinates would complain too much, but he didn't want to put them through something like that.

As they walked forward, the crowd shifted about, blocking off an easy path to the closest inn. Teilon frowned as he looked for a way through the throng, but every path that opened up through the people steered them further and further away from his intended target. He mentally shrugged, though, and simply aimed their steps at the next inn.

The mass of people almost seemed to direct them to a particular destination, but Teilon shook that thought off. There was no way so many people who obviously didn't know each other could coordinate something like that.

I guess the Luck Stat works in mysterious ways, he chuckled to himself.

They quickly arrived at an inn and Teilon noticed a signboard by the door.

"Accommodations for Parties! If you're Solo, or don't have a minimum of 4 Party Members, please seek out another establishment."

"Huh, that's convenient," Teilon said, sharing a look with Kimberly.

They weren't technically in an official Party, but there they had enough people in their entourage to fill one out. They stepped through the doors, followed by another smaller group of people. The others walked off and took seats in the lobby, though they kept an eye on Teilon's group.

"Wonder what that's all about?" Teilon whispered to Kimberly. "I don't get the feeling that they're going to rob us in broad daylight, but they're obviously here for us."

"We'll find out after we secure some rooms," Kimberly answered, though she also kept glancing at the three individuals who had followed them in.

"Are you all together as a Party?" The receptionist, a young woman, asked Teilon as they approached the counter.

"Yup, all ten of us," Teilon replied.

"Ten?" The receptionist raised an eyebrow. "Aren't Parties capped at eight?"

"Yeah, but we have a couple reserves," Teilon said. "You know how it is."

"Sure, but our rooms are designed to hold four people, and we can't give out a room for less than four people," the girl explained. "You'll have to squeeze five people into a room..." she glanced at the gender make-up of the party, "or six in one room, in your case."

"That's fine," Teilon nodded his head. "Doesn't seem like there are too many other options open out there right now, anyway."

"That's true, what with the wars and all," the receptionist said as she started the booking process.

"The wars?" Teilon asked.

"Yeah, the invasions occurring in the various empires across the local group. You haven't heard of the wars?!"

"No, no. We have. I just don't understand what that has to do with this?" Teilon gestured to the front doors to indicate the throng of people outside.

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat behind Teilon. He turned to see one of the people who had followed them inside. "I can answer your questions about that, if you don't mind?"

Teilon looked the young man up and down. He was wearing armor just like all the other adventurers, and it reminded him of the armor he and the others had worn when they first started their Dungeon delves before entering the Academies. It was plate over leather, but upon closer scrutiny, Teilon could tell it was high-quality and had a hum of Mana about it.

Teilon glanced at the other two, another young man and a young lady, and noticed that they were likewise in high-quality gear.

Either these guys aren't novices, or they come from decent backgrounds to be kitted out like that, Teilon thought.

"Sure," Teilon said, nodding to the young man. "Just let us finish up with getting our rooms sorted. Don't you guys need to find a room, too?"

"We already have rooms, here," the young man said.

"What a coincidence," Teilon's eyebrow went up.

"Yeah. Lucky coincidence," the young man smiled.

Well if that isn't a hint... Teilon mentally chuckled.

He turned back to the receptionist who handed him two keys.

"Rooms 303 and 305," she said. "They'll be on the right side of the hall as you step out of the stairway."

"Thank you," Teilon said, pocketing the keys. "What's the damage?"

"Four gold coins per day," she answered with a smile.

Teilon gave out a low whistle, but he fished into his storage pouch and retrieved the gold for three days. He had thought the other tier 4 Capital cities had been expensive, but he guessed supply and demand forced the prices up eight times here.

Teilon handed the keys to two of the others, a boy and a girl.

"I'll find out what these friends have to say, and then we'll join you guys before making a plan for the next couple days."

The others nodded their heads and headed to the stairs. Because everyone had storage pouches, nobody was openly carrying any luggage. Teilon and Kimberly turned back to the young man who had approached them and followed him over to his friends. They took a seat before the young man introduced himself.

"My name is Gully, these two are Rorin and Ruby," Gully gestured to his two friends. "Ruby's the girl," he smirked.

"Oh, is that right?" Teilon feigned astonishment as everyone exchanged hand-shakes. "I'm Teilon and this is Kimberly. So, what's this about the wars?"

"All right, first off, to assuage any doubts you might have, we overheard you mention someone by the name of Reivyn," Gully started. "Are you perhaps referring to the same Reivyn who started a mercenary company in Wispan?"

"Ye~ah," Teilon said, narrowing his eyes. "But how do you know that name?"

The three people shared a look with each other and nodded.

"Well, I wouldn't say he's necessarily famous or anything, but he did put out a call for recruits to his mercenary company through the Adventurer's Guild," Gully explained. "I'm sure he meant it to be local, but word spreads. There are several Tier 4 branches sending Adventurers to Wispan at the chance to join his company."

"Really?" Teilon was taken aback a bit. "Why doesn't someone just form another one closer to home?"

"Experience," Gully shrugged. "Most Adventurers haven't served in a military, and they certainly haven't fought in an organized war. Every now and then there will be people who were once Conscripts, but they're few and far between, and it's not exactly the same. In order to convince people to join his company, Reivyn made his military exploits public information for any Adventurer who was willing to pay a small fee.

"He's not the only one acting as a mercenary, if that was your question. The only thing is, the other 'mercenaries' are the local imperial armies, and they don't accept Adventurer recruits."

"I think I see where this is going," Teilon nodded. "You were lucky enough to overhear me mention Reivyn's name, and you took the chance that we were talking about the same person because you want to join the mercenary company. There are way too many people here with the same idea as you, and you figured getting in with someone who personally knows him would give you a better chance at getting in."

"Exactly," Gully smiled and nodded. "I'm just shameless enough to attach my Party to another for a way in. Don't get me wrong, we're no slouches. We'll pass any test they throw at us, but we just want to guarantee the opportunity to even take any tests."

"And you figured answering some questions about the war would be enough to convince us to let you hitch a ride?" Teilon raised an eyebrow once again.

Gully reached into his own storage pouch with a twinkle in his eye.

"I noticed you paid for three days' accommodation for two rooms. Here's six days' worth for the trouble."

Teilon had only been teasing the other young man, but being the rogue that he was, he wasn't going to turn down a bribe.

Ahem, assistance, Teilon mentally corrected himself. I won't turn down a little free assistance.

Teilon pocketed the coins and smiled at Gully and his friends.

"All right. I do believe you were about to fill us in on the situation with the wars in the local group."