The four had departed quite early the following morning. All except Lysette woke just after the dawn, and none had felt any fatigue despite the limited sleep they had had that night. Indeed, Danitha remarked over breakfast that she felt more alive and awake than she ever had, despite the short rest and all the injuries and fatigue they’d suffered the previous day during and after their battle with the orephage.
None but Lysette noticed it, but neither did any of the four eat particularly heartily either. All four did partake in a rather tasteless breakfast of griddle cakes and a syrup that seemed watered down past the point of all purpose, along with fruit that was similarly underripe and devoid of sweetness. No matter where they went, bland and tasteless food and drink alike seemed to be the hallmark of what passed for Gnarian cuisine, a term which Lysette used with the greatest looseness.
After a short and forgettable breakfast, the party headed over to the town hall to report on their mission and receive their reward. The secretary— the same, older, gray-haired lady from the day before— greeted them, though seemed to do a quick double-take before doing so. After informing them of their success, something which made her nearly jump out of her seat, the hurriedly scurried back to summon the magistrate.
“You think he’ll believe us?” Danitha asked.
“I really don’t know,” Mirae said. “It was made of stone and ore and jewel, so there was no head or corpse we could take as proof.”
“Yes, he will believe us, and we will be paid.” Serrena said. “No hunter who values their position within the guild is going to lie about completing an assignment. That’s part of what the guild does for the crown and the people. Policing its own members, that is.
“It’s a measure of protection on both sides to hire guild-sanctioned hunters. If a client refuses to pay, they get blacklisted, and sanctioned members of the guild are forbidden to accept assignments on their behalf. On the other hand, if a hunter goes rogue, or lies about completing their assignment, the guild can both compensate the client accordingly and collect appropriate recompense from the hunter. Which might include just paying the guild back, with fees and interest. And might even involve killing them if they start causing big enough problems.
“There’s a lot of other things like that you should be aware of, Lyse.”
“Why me?” Lysette asked.
“Because we both share a similar ambition. And I know where your ambition will one day lead us.”
Before Lysette could retort or ask further, the magistrate arrived, looking rather disheveled. His face was incredulous, his eyes nearly popping out of his sockets before he rubbed them, seemingly not believing what they were showing him. After a minute of regaining his bearings, he approached Serrena.
“So, if you’re back so soon, either you were not able to find the monster, or you felt you were unable to dispatch it, I presume?”
“Not at all,” Serrena said. “The orephage has been slain. On my privilege as a hunter, I swear it to be true.”
The four took turns explaining what had happened regarding the orephage and the partial tunnel collapse that had resulted during their fight. About how it had been a vicious fight but, thanks to Lysette’s strength and Serrena’s tactical acumen, the four had prevailed with none sustaining debilitating injuries. They had mentioned that there was a natural cavern deeper within the mines and that other, more powerful monsters and magical beasts were likely lurking therein. All were careful throughout their recollection to mention nothing regarding Lysette’s being a Godslayer or about the pact that they had made.
“…And that about covers everything,” Serrena said to the Gnarian magistrate.
The magistrate sighed. “I must admit that I find it hard to believe such youths with so little experience or renown were able to carry out a mission that a previous squad was eradicated trying to undertake. However, if you are swearing it on your privilege as a member of the guild, then I have no choice but to believe you.
“As for the matter of the rewards. The agreed-upon fee for this was set at 8,000 gold. However, considering the damages to the mines sustained during your fight, I must insist on behalf of the town that the fee be negotiated down to five thousand to cover our losses.”
“That will be–” Lysette started to say before being cut off.
“Seven thousand,” Serrena said. “Considering the information we’ve brought you about the caverns and the dangers lurking within, and the fact such damages were reasonably foreseeable, I think it’s fair that the town shares in some of the losses. Besides, with how deep you all have dug within that particular site as well as the dangers you’ve inadvertently exposed yourself to, it may serve everyone better that such a collapse did happen, for the safety of the townsfolk.”
“Bu– But–.” The magistrate stammered.
“We’ll split the difference equally at sixty-five hundred.,” Lysette said. “I must likewise insist, to cover the hazards we faced escaping.”
“Fine. Six thousand five hundred it is. I will prepare the funds. Please wait a moment.”
The magistrate and his secretary left back down the hallway and Serrena scowled toward Lysette. Mirae and Danitha looked back and forth as the other two before shaking their heads and sighing in unison.
“What is that look for?” Lysette asked.
“You just cost us five hundred gold. He was about to cave, if you had given him another five seconds to quake in his boots. Just, let me do the negotiations from here on. Alright?”
“But we were partially responsible for the damages. If we had been a bit more careful then maybe–”
“Yes, yes, I know, the literal physical incarnation of reciprocity wants to share the burdens equally.” Serrena said in an angry whisper.
“And you have a pact in effect with said incarnation. Speaking of, we need to discuss that later once we’re on the road. Turns out there’s some stuff you all need to know which I myself just learned last night.”
Before Serrena could say anything more, the portly magistrate returned with a wheelbarrow, in which rested a small potato sack filled with gold coins. He struggled as he pushed the cart along, though Lysette wasn’t sure whether it was because the sack of gold coins was that heavy or the rotund gentleman was that out of shape. In either case, once it was presented, Lysette picked the bag up. It weighed around a hundred and eighty pounds, enough that she noticed the weight, but not enough to noticeably encumber her.
“Are you all ready?” Lysette asked.
“Of course,” Mirae said. They turned around and bowed toward the magistrate. “Thank you for everything, sir.”
The magistrate returned the thanks, and without further delay, the four headed outside and quickly began their journey back on the trail leading back to Domark and the Academy. They traveled onward at a swift pace on the far flatter and more well-maintained trail, covering the better part of twenty-five miles in an hour before they slowed down to a light jog— Mirae was getting a bit winded and needed a breather.
“Alright,” Serrena said. “Let’s hear what you have to say, Lyse. About this pact.”
“I didn’t realize at the time what exactly making a pact with a divine being entailed. Or, more specifically what forming a pact with a human as a demigoddess entails. The short answer, which I discovered last night, is that, by forming that pact with you three, you all now possess some sliver of the divinity I have been granted.”
“That’s quite the claim,” Danitha said. “Do you have any proof of this?”
“Proof, no? However, I have a lot of circumstantial evidence to support my claim. First, did none of you realize that, despite our injuries and the fact that we were awake until late last night, you all awoke before dawn, and more refreshed than usual at that?”
“Not sufficient proof of such a lofty claim, I’m afraid,” Serrena said.
“And you all barely ate this morning–”
“Again, I need proof, not flimsy statements based on conjecture.”
“Alright, fine. I told Mirae this the other night, but my Cultivation realm is akin to a garden. And high above that garden lies a Star, a metaphysical representation of my divinity. It was faint at first, but it has gradually brightened, both in terms of hue and intensity, over the past month as I have come to better understand the nature of that divinity.
“However, last night, when I was Cultivating as per our agreement, I noticed that my own Star was joined by three others. All much smaller and barely noticeable, but there and shining nonetheless. Notably, they were not present when I was Cultivating after our battle with the orephage earlier. And while that too is not proof of anything, the combination of all three does start to suggest the result I mentioned before.”
“Okay,” Serrena said. “Now I at least understand where you conjured such a farcical assertion from. That doesn’t mean that I necessarily believe that what you’re saying is true. But I can’t dismiss it out of hand either. So, how would we know for certain?”
“We’d have to do some research. What I was told about Godslayers is that we don’t need to eat, drink, or sleep. Our minds are greatly expanded, capable of concentrating on multiple independent tasks, and we are functionally immortal. In the sense of agelessness, not in the sense of invulnerability. But since my divinity is still nascent, I would imagine you three only possess weaker versions of the same— elongated lifespan and the ability to do with less food, water, and sleep, similar to other powerful mortal Cultivators.”
“Further, because my divinity was derived from Zarielle, I possess the ability to Cultivate techniques related to darkness and shadow. At one time I could physically manipulate and control shadows around me, but I ultimately had to give up that technique to refine my Cultivation path. I would suspect that such paths may be open to you three as well now. Or at least, might open up to you in the future as you gain a better grasp on that divinity.”
“Speaking of Cultivation, Lyse. Did you do something to me last night? I feel– I’m not sure how to explain. Much more in control of myself and my abilities, as though they are that much closer to the forefront of my mind and easier to grasp.”
“Your foundation was weak and unstable, and your Cultivation path was about to topple over, so I spent most of last night pruning and refining it. Quite frankly, I’m surprised that your Spark was still holding together with how far you’ve pushed it in the pursuit of maximizing your strength.”
“Lyse, when you said you were going to assist us with our Cultivation, I was under the impression that you were going to do missions like this with us and help us procure resources to fund our operations. I didn’t realize you literally had the ability to shore up our Cultivation paths altogether. Honestly, I feel a little violated.”
“Should I not have?”
Serrena took a deep breath. “No. I appreciate it. Mostly, I’m embarrassed you saw that. And part of the confusion is my fault for making assumptions.”
Another half hour passed and as the four crested another large hill along the path, the floating city of Domark came into full view against the southern horizon. They stopped for a few minutes at Lysette’s insistence, both to give Mirae another chance to catch their breath and herself a moment to tell them about the upcoming trial that awaited her— and, by extension, all four of them.
“There’s something you three need to know now. My sworn enemy is Asterion, God of the Moon. And his power is strongest during the blood moon, at midnight on the night of the full moon. We all need to make final preparations over the next three and a half days and ready ourselves as much as possible.”
“Do you think Asterion will attack on campus?” Danitha asked. “Won’t the professors protect us?”
“We should prepare for the worst. Or did you forget our assembly with the Chancellor? He specifically invoked Asterion by name. And he was wearing relics of that contemptible god around his neck. At the very least, we have to consider him a potential enemy. Or at least, someone who won’t interfere while our enemies attack us.”
Serrena cracked her knuckles and smirked. “Good riddance. If anyone tries to stop us from achieving our goals, I won’t show mercy.”
“This is what we promised,” Danitha said. “And I won’t let my friends face these trials alone.”
Mirae nodded silently.
“Thank you, Serrena,” Lysette said. “Thank you all.”
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