Chapter 99: Adventurers, Assemble!

By the time Damian reached the Adventurer’s Guild, the entire surrounding district looked like somebody had kicked an anthill.

Adventurers packed the plaza outside in numbers he had never seen before, Copper and Silver badges making up the majority while Gold and even several Platinum Adventurers stood among the crowd.

Armed men and women entered the guild in organized groups as porters rushed crates of supplies toward waiting wagons, Mage Association personnel erected temporary communication arrays and Clerics gathered around carts filled with potions, stretchers and emergency medical equipment.

Several roads surrounding the guild had even been partially cleared for military traffic.

Damian slowed as he took everything in.

"...Damn."

This wasn’t a large quest anymore, this was a mobilization!

Stella and Ronan followed him through the doors before separating toward an area reserved for noble retainers and supporting personnel. Damian himself continued deeper into the Guild Hall, where the situation had become even more chaotic.

Most of the ordinary tables were gone.

Hundreds of Adventurers occupied the enormous ground floor while huge maps of southern Moonveil Forest covered the walls and quest boards. Colored markers divided the forest into sectors, known monster territories, suspected Fey zones and planned routes while Guild personnel stood around each one distributing maps and answering questions.

At the center of everything stood Roland Hammond.

The massive lionman had climbed onto a reinforced platform, although considering his sheer size, Damian privately questioned whether the extra elevation was necessary.

"...and that brings us to the reason every active Adventurer currently within Rosewood has been recalled!"

Damian had obviously missed the opening portion of the speech.

No matter.

He quietly moved through the crowd until finding somewhere with a clear view, then folded his arms and listened.

A few people noticed him along the way.

More specifically, they noticed the fitted black-and-gold Battle Armor, the unfamiliar accessories, and the dark blue sword at his waist.

Then they noticed him, and whispers immediately began.

Damian ignored them, as the flexing could come later.

Roland continued in his booming voice.

"Several weeks ago, five Copper Adventurers entered the southern portion of Moonveil Forest while investigating three overlapping requests concerning increased Dark Goblin activity, missing hunters and a missing Guild reconnaissance party. Those five Adventurers were Marcus, Owen, Lena, Clara... and Viscount of Magic, Damian Baines."

This time, considerably more heads turned.

Damian pretended not to notice.

Roland recounted everything from the beginning, starting with the thirteen Dark Goblins who ambushed their group almost immediately after entering Moonveil Forest.

Twelve were killed and the final archer captured, allowing Damian’s magical interrogation to reveal Blackroot Den, its eighty-plus active warriors, the surviving Guild captives and most importantly, the Great Fey secretly influencing them.

Ravelhorn the Reveler.

Afterward came the information concerning the ancient Fey crossing, Damian’s encounter with Moonfang and the revelation that Alfaro the White had apparently been enthralled by the same creature.

Some Adventurers in the hall had clearly heard this story before, but many had not.

Those who hadn’t gradually stopped looking comfortable as the atmosphere became heavy.

Damian’s own smile disappeared as memories of Otter Village returned while several older Adventurers lowered their heads, hiding pain.

Roland allowed the silence to remain for several seconds before continuing.

"The original Moonveil mobilization was reorganized when civilian recovery, survivor relocation and preventing additional raids became our immediate priorities. In the time since, guild scouts, rangers, diviners and Mage Association reconnaissance have continued investigating the southern forest."

His gaze swept slowly through the hall. "What they found has confirmed that this situation is no longer ordinary monster suppression."

Roland unfolded a large parchment carrying several official seals. "The final order arrived from the government of Rastia yesterday evening."

Well, there it was.

Damian’s expression became grim.

From here on, the recount was done and the verdict was about to be released!

"The Adventurer’s Guild and all participating organizations have been authorized to completely purge the southern domain of Moonveil Forest of hostile monster populations connected to the present crisis."

A low murmur immediately spread through the crowd.

Damn, completely purge?

That was considerably different from trimming monster populations or destroying one troublesome Goblin settlement!

Roland made the meaning clear.

"Every hostile nest within the designated operational region is to be destroyed, every Dark Goblin warband is to be eliminated or captured, and every corrupted or hostile Beast population actively supporting them is to be cleared. Chieftain Varkas Blackroot and Ravelhorn the Reveler are both designated Capture-or-Kill targets, while every active Fey passage discovered within the southern domain is to be secured and sealed."

Damian’s expression sharpened.

Therein lay the real problem.

Yeah sure, the Dark Goblins were dangerous and Varkas himself had proven powerful enough to kill Garrick.

Ravelhorn was obviously much worse.

But an active passage into the Deep Moon?

That could transform a regional monster problem into something nobody around Rosewood Town wanted to experience.

Roland raised one enormous hand before the crowd could become too excited.

"Do not misunderstand the word purge and imagine this is permission to race blindly toward Blackroot Den. This is an organized operation, not a competition to see which idiot reaches the biggest monster first!"

Several people laughed.

"Southern Moonveil has been divided into operational sectors. Red zones indicate confirmed hostile concentrations, yellow zones contain suspected monster activity or unstable Fey influence, while green routes represent secured corridors for supply and evacuation. Forward camps will be established as territory is cleared, with communication relays connecting them to Rosewood Town wherever Moonveil Forest’s interference permits."

One of the maps behind him illuminated according to the colors he mentioned.

"If Guild Card communication becomes unreliable, signal flares will serve as the secondary method. Green indicates a secured area, blue orders regrouping, white requests medical extraction and red signals a threat exceeding the expected ability of the assigned team."

Damian nodded slightly.

Seems simple enough for the generally uneducated adventurers to understand.

Roland continued explaining operating rules, and unlike the sort of quest briefing Damian might have expected when he first arrived in Valoria, the guild had clearly thought this through.

Nobody was permitted to pursue fleeing targets beyond their assigned sector without authorization. Unknown Fey structures were not to be entered alone, unidentified forest products were absolutely not to be eaten and any apparently friendly Fey attempting to propose a ’harmless agreement’ was to be politely ignored until someone qualified arrived.

That last rule generated laughter.

Roland glared.

"I am serious! If anything in that forest asks for your name, promises you something, asks you to promise something in return, or says the words ’it costs nothing,’ you find a Mage and let them deal with it!"

The laughter became considerably weaker.

Fair enough.

Anyone experiencing unexplained memory loss, compulsive behavior, persistent hallucinations, emotional changes or dreams after exposure to Fey magic was to report themselves immediately.

Captured intelligent monsters would be handed over to the Guild and recovering captives took priority over loot.

Any passage, altar, ritual formation or unidentified Fey construct was to be marked rather than poked by the first curious Copper Adventurer who discovered it.

Then Roland reached the section that immediately restored everyone’s full concentration.

"Now, compensation."

The hall somehow became quieter than before.

Roland’s mouth twitched. "Yes, I thought that might wake some of you up."

Laughter spread across the room.

"Every Adventurer officially mobilized will receive base field pay beginning when they pass Rosewood Town’s western checkpoint and continuing until formally released from the operation. Copper Adventurers receive fifty Copper Coins per hour, Silver Adventurers receive fifty Silver Coins per hour, and Gold Adventurers receive fifty Gold Coins per hour."

The reaction was immediate.

"Fifty gold?!"

"Per hour?!"

"Why the fuck am I still Silver?!"

"Because an Adept monster would turn you into paste!"

"That’s not the point!"

Damian couldn’t help laughing.

Ah yes.

While patriotism, duty, and protecting civilization were all wonderful motivations, nothing galvanized armed professionals quite like hearing that someone much stronger than them was receiving more than ten times their pay per hour.

Roland allowed the noise for a short while before raising his voice.

"Those payments are only mobilization compensation. Ordinary monster bounties remain active, and all verified monster kills during this operation will receive the normal Guild base rate plus fifty percent."

Now even Damian raised his eyebrows.

Oh?

"All kills must be recorded through Guild Cards whenever possible. If magical interference prevents verification, physical proof may be accepted afterward, but do not get yourself killed trying to collect a Goblin’s ear while three of his friends are stabbing you!"

Several Coppers immediately looked slightly embarrassed.

Roland unfolded another parchment.

"The special targets possess separate bounties. Confirmed elimination of Varkas Blackroot pays fifty Gold Coins while capturing him alive pays one hundred."

That sounded attractive.

At least until one remembered that capturing a dangerous Goblin chief alive was considerably harder than simply killing the bastard.

"Ravelhorn the Reveler pays two hundred Gold Coins for a confirmed kill and five hundred if captured alive."

The hall became considerably quieter as nobody needed reminding that Ravelhorn was a CR 8 Great Fey.

Then Janet’s voice somehow emerged from somewhere inside the crowd.

"Does he need all his limbs for the capture reward?!"

Laughter exploded.

Roland’s left eye twitched. "If the target remains alive and suitable for interrogation, the Guild will exercise reasonable judgment!"

"Good enough!" Janet cheered.

Damian grinned.

Pffft, he had missed that shorty!

The financial scale of the operation became more understandable as Roland continued, because the Adventurer’s Guild was far from paying for everything itself.

This was a regional joint effort.

The Mages Association was supplying magical reconnaissance, communication arrays, anti-Fey resources and specialist personnel.

The Nobles Council provided wagons, guards, camp infrastructure and privately retained fighters.

The Trade and Commerce Guild had organized food, equipment replacement, supply contracts, medical goods and emergency purchasing.

Various temples had dispatched Clerics and healers, Alchemy businesses supplied potions at reduced rates and several major merchants had personally contributed funds.

Which made sense.

Even the greediest merchant could understand that a Fey invasion opening beside major trade routes was somewhat detrimental to future profits.

Roland spent another thirty minutes going over everything from supply stations and sector assignments to night rotations, medical triage, loot claims, prisoner handling and body recovery.

Every forward team received two independent navigation methods because Moonveil Forest could interfere with magical direction.

Teams were required to periodically report their condition.

The wounded would be rotated out rather than encouraged to ’push through’ until somebody died.

Cleared sectors had to be formally handed over before a team moved deeper.

Even abandoned monster settlements had procedures deciding what could be claimed as loot and what needed investigation first.

By the time Roland finally reached the deployment section, Damian was genuinely impressed.

This wasn’t a bunch of fantasy mercenaries sprinting into a forest while yelling about glory but was an actual well thought out operation.

"Most assembled Adventurers will move with the main force once the initial pathways are confirmed secure." Roland announced.

"However, several Gold and experienced Silver parties have been selected for the opening sweep."

The room immediately became attentive again.

"The Gold-ranked Iron Banner and Silver Wyverns will take the northern approach into the operational zone. The Silver-ranked Dawn Hounds and Red Briars will clear the western routes."

Small cheers followed each familiar name.

"The Ash Jackals will accompany the central scouting group."

Damian glanced sideways.

Silas Vane raised one hand lazily while several people around him shouted encouragement.

The Rogue’s gaze eventually found Damian, and for several seconds, the two men simply looked at each other before Silas gave a faint shrug.

Well then.

It seemed watching three innocent villages burn had settled the ’Trust me bro’ debate.

Roland continued. "Finally, under special assignment and operating with the forward force..."

He paused. "The Four Valkyries of Grayfen."

This time the response was considerably louder.

Damian’s eyebrows rose.

The ladies were quite popular huh!

Roland still wasn’t finished.

"...and Viscount of Magic, Damian Baines."

The cheers stumbled into confusion.

Damian himself blinked. "Hoh?"

Around him, heads turned again.

"He’s just a Copper adventurer, no?"

"That’s the Baines fellow?"

"The Otherworlder?"

"Didn’t he find Blackroot Den?"

"What’s with his equipment?"

"Was he always carrying that weird sword?"

Damian ignored the questions and looked toward Roland.

The Guildmaster met his gaze briefly, and that was enough.

Damian had discovered the original threat, knew parts of the southern forest, could communicate with animals and possessed abilities useful against Fey interference.

More importantly...

Roland had absolutely no goddamn idea what Damian had become since their last operation.

The thought made Damian smile.

This was going to be interesting.

......

Once Roland dismissed the formal briefing, the Guild Hall immediately exploded back into activity.

Teams gathered around maps, Guild workers distributed sector packets and provisions, weapons were inspected and people argued loudly about assignments.

Many of the Adventurers who had not been chosen for the first wave were visibly disappointed.

"They’re going to steal all the good kills!"

"There is an entire fucking forest!"

"Exactly! And they’ll reach it first!"

"Then stop whining and become Silver!"

Damian chuckled as he moved toward one of the operational maps.

Despite all the jokes, however, he could feel the atmosphere beneath them.

Excitement, nervousness, fear, and anticipation.

It was the sort of energy that filled people immediately before something serious began.

They knew Ravelhorn was dangerous and that people had already died, but the threat was no longer some vague horror hiding in Moonveil.

It had a map now, with objectives, support routes, bounties, and command structures.

People could work with that.

Damian was studying his assigned sector when a light weight suddenly landed across his shoulders.

Two short legs dropped on either side of his chest as someone settled comfortably behind his neck.

He smiled immediately.

There was only one person he knew who would use a six-foot Mage as furniture without permission.

Damian tilted his head slightly.

Janet’s lovely brown eyes appeared above him, overflowing with mischief.

"Yo, Otherworlder! How’s it goin’?"

Damian chuckled. "Hello to you too, Janet."

The halfling leaned farther forward, practically hanging upside down over his head as she examined him.

"Whoa, you look different!"

"My face hasn’t changed."

"I mean everything! Did you get taller?"

"No."

"More handsome?"

"Obviously."

"I knew it!"

Damian laughed, only for a hand to suddenly seize Janet by the ear.

"Ow ow ow!"

Eunice pulled backward and removed the halfling from Damian like someone confiscating an unruly backpack.

"Janet! You cannot simply climb onto people whenever you feel like it!"

"Why not?! Damian doesn’t care!"

"That is hardly the point!"

"It sounds exactly like the point!"

Damian watched Eunice drag her away with an increasingly broad smile.

Yeah, he had definitely missed these girls.

Eventually, Eunice released Janet and turned back to Damian with a helpless expression.

"I apologize. She appears to have become worse."

"Hey!"

Damian chuckled. "I honestly didn’t think that was possible."

"HEY!"

Even Eunice failed to suppress her laughter this time.

Once it faded, the Priestess looked him over properly and her expression softened.

"I’m glad you’re safe, Damian. We’ve heard quite a few things since you disappeared."

Damian’s smile became slightly awkward.

"That depends entirely upon what you heard."

"Enough."

"...That’s ominous."

"It should be."

Before he could investigate that threat, Julia approached with both arms folded and stopped directly in front of him.

The Elf looked upward, then downward.

Her eyes moved across the black-and-gold Battle Armor, the fitted sleeves, heavy belt, dark boots, wristbands and finally the Longtian Sword at his waist.

Damian raised an eyebrow.

"Enjoying the view?"

Julia immediately glared.

"Do not misunderstand. I’m examining your equipment."

"Naturally."

"It appears..." She paused, and somehow the next word looked physically painful to produce. "...good."

Damian’s eyebrows rose.

Behind her, Janet gasped theatrically.

Eunice immediately covered her mouth while Paulina, who had just arrived, stopped mid-step.

Damian dramatically pointed at himself with a dumbfounded look.

"Holy shit, Julia complimented me!"

The Elven beauty’s ears immediately became red. "I complimented your equipment!"

"Same difference."

"It is not!"

Janet pointed at her. "She’s blushing!"

"I AM NOT!" Julia roared.

Damian laughed loudly.

Paulina, however, wasn’t laughing anymore.

Her wolf ears tilted forward while her yellow eyes moved over Damian carefully, not focusing upon his clothing or weapon but rather the man beneath them.

"Hm."

Damian noticed the change.

"What?"

Paulina stepped closer and circled him once.

Damian slowly followed her with his eyes.

"...Should I be concerned?"

"You feel different."

That quieted the others somewhat.

Paulina’s nose twitched before her ears lowered slightly.

"Much different."

Damian smiled faintly. "Good different?"

"I don’t know."

How ominous...

The beastwoman examined him for several more seconds before finally admitting what bothered her.

"You’re giving off a dangerous feeling."

"A dangerous feeling?"

Paulina nodded. "Like a sleeping Dragon."

Damian became very still.

At his waist...

Grrrrrrrr...

The Longtian Sword released a quiet rumble.

Everyone looked down.

Janet slowly turned toward Damian.

"...Did your sword just growl?"

Damian didn’t blink. "No."

Grrrrrrrr...

Janet’s eyes widened. "IT DID IT AGAIN!"

Julia stared at the sword.

Eunice looked increasingly concerned about what Damian had apparently been doing while they were separated, whereas Paulina’s ears rose completely upright.

Damian calmly rested one hand upon Longtian’s hilt.

"Ignore him."

Janet’s head snapped around. "HIM?!"

"It’s... a long story."

"Your sword has a gender?!"

"I said it’s a long story!"

Janet’s expression became thoughtful. "...Is he single?"

Silence.

Damian slowly looked toward her.

Eunice seized her ear again.

"AAAAAAAAAH! EUNICE!"

Damian nearly doubled over laughing.

......

They spent the next half hour preparing together, and the reunion somehow became more chaotic the longer it continued.

Janet wanted explanations for everything Damian possessed while Julia pretended not to care while very obviously listening to every answer.

Paulina kept glancing suspiciously toward Longtian whenever the sword vibrated whereas Eunice tried valiantly to prevent the group from degenerating completely.

Damian learned that the Valkyries had spent much of the intervening period assisting displaced villagers around Rosewood Town, taking smaller Guild assignments and keeping themselves available because everyone knew the Moonveil Forest operation would eventually resume.

Naturally, they wanted to know what Damian had been doing.

"So where have you been?" Janet asked.

"Busy."

"Doing what?"

"Things."

"What things?"

"Important things."

Julia rolled her eyes.

"He’s doing this deliberately."

"Of course I am."

Janet clutched her chest. "Monster!"

Damian merely smiled.

Some information belonged to Valoria, some belonged to Shengyuan, and some belonged to Damian alone.

The Valkyries were his friends, perhaps among the first genuine friends he’d made after arriving in this world, but friendship did not mean he suddenly threw every secret onto the table because Janet asked nicely.

Fortunately, Janet possessed the attention span of a caffeinated squirrel.

"Fine! Then tell me why you’re Level..."

She suddenly stopped.

Damian noticed her staring at her Guild Card.

Julia looked over.

Then Paulina checked hers.

Eunice followed.

All four slowly raised their heads.

Damian smiled innocently.

"...What?"

Julia pointed toward him.

"You were Level 6."

"Was I?"

"You know perfectly well you were!"

"Time flies."

Paulina stared at him speechlessly.

Eunice blinked several times as though expecting the number to change back.

Janet, meanwhile, slowly developed an enormous grin.

"Ohhhhhh..."

Damian already disliked that expression.

"This is going to be fun."

Actually...

Damian smiled.

Yeah.

It probably was.

A long horn suddenly sounded from outside.

BWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Every conversation around them stopped.

Guild staff began shouting instructions as the selected vanguard parties moved toward the exits.

Roland’s voice thundered across the hall.

"First wave! Head to the Western Gate in ten minutes!"

Just like that, the playful atmosphere vanished.

Eunice checked her holy symbol and medical pouch while Julia adjusted her bow and quiver.

Paulina tightened her gauntlets, rolling her shoulders afterward, whereas Janet somehow produced two daggers from places Damian genuinely hadn’t seen her storing anything.

Damian flexed his fingers as the Flowing Hand Bands subtly tightened around his wrists and the Longtian Sword vibrated against his belt.

Farther back, Stella and Ronan remained with the support personnel.

Damian looked toward them.

"Head home once we depart. Keep the House running and stay reachable through the Guild."

Stella immediately frowned. "My Lord—"

"That’s an order."

She hesitated, obviously unhappy, before finally bowing.

"...Understood."

Ronan nodded beside her.

Damian turned away.

The Four Valkyries were already waiting.

Janet grinned.

"Ready, Lord Otherworlder?"

Damian looked through the Guild’s open doors.

Outside, Adventurer parties assembled beneath their banners as supply wagons rolled steadily toward Rosewood’s western gate.

Mages moved beside Fighters, Clerics checked healing equipment, Rangers compared maps and Guild officers shouted deployment orders over the noise.

Beyond those walls waited Moonveil Forest, Blackroot Den, Varkas Blackroot, Ravelhorn the Reveler, and the old Fey crossing.

Essentially, the entire chain of bullshit Damian had accidentally uncovered after accepting what should have been three relatively normal Copper quests.

Damian smiled.

"Yeah."

At his waist, Longtian answered with a low growl.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr...

Damian stepped forward beside the Four Valkyries.

"Let’s go clean up a forest."

Together, the five joined the vanguard and headed for the depths of Moonveil Forest.