Chapter 65

Getting over their surprise, the party hurried over to Aberoft, who was gingerly getting to a sitting position.

"Are you alright?" asked Nene worriedly.

"Ah, I was totally overpowered by him," the paladin replied morosely, yet, his voice picked up a little, "It shows how much more experience I need before I can go toe to toe with such a person. Something I can work on."

"Nice. At least you haven't lost any hope," commented Botan.

"What kind of warrior would I be if I simply lost hope after one loss," he stated though he grimaced when he got to his feet, "Urgh, I'm sure to be sore all over in the morning."

The lion girl and the fennec fox girl moved and tossed the bodies into the forest, though there were only two as the larger corpses somehow disappeared when they looked away. The lore bard set up the Tiny hut as fast as she could while the half-snow elf helped the paladin over to his bedroll. Once their tasks were done, they settled in for the rest of the night.

That morning, they hurried to Greenwish to stock up a little. Then, they hired a wagon to take them straight to Rivirapolis, completely driving through Solena. They were that worried. Something was amiss and they wanted to get to the bottom of it. The unprovoked attack. Ulras' warning. Lord Aruran suddenly asking them to come back as soon as possible.

It was late evening when they arrived. After Lamy paid the wagon driver, they headed straight for the guild house. Miyabi met them at the door.

"Thank goodness you are here safely," he exclaimed, "Please, Lord Aruran is waiting for you. He is in the side room… and who are you?"

"I am Aberoft Westfall and I wish to join the guild," the paladin introduced himself.

The guild clerk scratched his head as he said, "Well, welcome if unexpected… follow me please."

While he settled his membership, the party went into the side room. It was empty save the nobleman, who was already seated at the table. He perked up when he spotted them and he gestured to them to sit at the table. Instead of his usual, approachable demeanor, he had a serious and somber look about him.

"Thank you for helping to pass Ulras' message. Now, I already informed everyone else about this and so I shall give you the same," he started to say before going on a long briefing.

"We have a situation on our hands. An old enemy of mine has reappeared. He hasn't made any obvious moves yet, so I can only assume he is gathering power and support to bring me down. I would understand if you wish to leave the guild after this but if not, I would appreciate it even more if you could help with this matter. Now, the friend you made in that dragonborn has offered to help search for information on what he has been doing. As for your succubus friend, she is at her temporary home right now. You can collect her tomorrow morning. Hopefully, we will also get new information at the same time as well."

He sighed and stated, "That will be all. Go get some rest. It might be a long day tomorrow."

As they filed out of the side room while they digested the information they learned so far, they bumped into Aberoft again. He was all a-grin as he said proudly, "I am now a guild member."

"Congrats," replied Polka with a grin as well, "Are you staying here too?"

He nodded and added, "Well, thank you for helping me get here. I'm sure everything will be fine from now on."

"That's good. Maybe, we can introduce you to a few people that you may do requests with in the morning," stated Nene.

"My thanks," he replied, "I am in your debt."

"You're back!" exclaimed Aloe as she rushed in to hug them.

Nene chuckled as she received the hug, "Hi, again, Aloe. Hey, did you get the explanation from Lord Aruran?"

The succubus nodded and replied, "Yeah. It's… disturbing. I also… got some extra info from him as well."

Curious, Polka said, "What info?"

"Er... " she sounded, suddenly looking quite hesitant to say more. This made the other party members curious as well.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Lamy.

"If it's important, you should let us know," advised Botan.

"...Can we go to Towa's place later? This place isn't exactly… private," relented the succubus.

It was then Coco stepped into the guild house. She headed straight for the counter and asked, "Where is he?"

Miyabi just pointed to the side room and the dragon hurried on through. The party looked on curiously and wondered what she found out. The guild clerk glanced at them and motioned for them to go in. They looked at him in surprise.

"Everyone else has to meet up here too," he stated, "All guild members have been recalled, remember? So, no one will be allowed to take requests until Lord Aruran tells us what is going on. He is the guild master, remember? Just don't go in immediately. Whatever information Miss Coco has to be important enough."

Decided to listen to his advice, the party waited a little before going in. By that time, a few others had arrived there as well.

"Botan!" exclaimed Risu excitedly as she jumped the archer who glared at her.

"Oi! Don't do that," chastised Moona as she pulled the squirrel girl off the lion girl by the ears.

"It's good to see you again," said Civia as she gave Lamy a hug.

"Oh, how's the griffon?" asked Polka eagerly.

"Beaky is doing fine," replied Temma with a smile, "I cannot stay long here as I have to get back to him, so I hope the meeting Lord Aruran is calling ends quickly."

"Eh? Beaky? Kinda lame name, isn't it?" quipped Aloe.

"Ah, but it's an easy-to-remember name, yes?" rebutted Leda.

"True..."

It was then the doors opened and Lord Aruran poked his head out, saying, "Is everyone here? All can come in for the meeting now."

After a bit more waiting for everyone to arrive, Lord Aruran began his briefing. By that time, every member present was there. Some were leaning against the walls. Most were seated at the tables.

"What I am about to tell you must never leave this room," he started as he looked around the room, "I… am a nosferatu… an ancient vampire."

He waited for the hubbub to die down before he continued, "I have been alive for a very, long time. I sought to, shall we say, escape my limitations and my urges. I have… made some manner of success. What used to be Baron Amos von Christner became Lord Aruran Daiso."

Pausing for a moment, he continued, "Now, on to the main reason I have decided to recall everyone. There have been many missing person cases happening in the capital. More recently, I have received troubling news. It seems the one I shared my lineage with has come back to haunt me. His name is Baron Kruze von Christner. Possibly as strong as me but who knows how strong he is now with the passage of time. As for his goal? I would assume that it will be me."

"What did you do, boss?" asked Kira politely, much to the party's surprise.

"Hmm, I suppose… abandoning them would sum it up well," he said carefully, "Our… 'sire' isn't the forgiving type and Kruze took after him quite well after he expired. Anyway, Coco here has found out something interesting. If you will."

The dragon got off the wall and said, "Alright, everyone. Listen up. After doing some digging, I found out that there have been strange sightings in the sewers. Seems like some motherfuckers have gone digging into the walls. None of the cleaning crew dared to venture down into any of the tunnels as several of those entrances had collapsed by the time they got round to inspecting it the second time. After taking some time at the library to figure out why, it seems that there are pockets of underground structures that the city was built on top of, all part of the foundation of the city."

With her piece said, she stepped back for the nobleman to continue.

"I suspect that the tunnels, collapsed or otherwise, lead to where he has taken residence. Thus, I have decided this," he declared, "The more stealthier members will scout out and map the open tunnels and hopefully their base of operations as well. I shall pay to have invisibility spells cast on them. Meanwhile, I want those with magic detection and/or sharp eyes to scour the city to make sure there aren't any surprises already in place. Everyone else will be protecting those detectors."

"Sir, may I be excused for this? I have to tend to my griffon," spoke up Temma.

"Ah, yes. Beaky. That is fine, I suppose. I believe we have enough people for protection duty for now," Aruran replied with a nod. Turning back to the rest, he said, "Very well. Let us begin the search. I hope we can unearth his plans before it is too late."

"Aah, that was tiring," groaned Polka as she slumped on the table, "Didn't even find anything useful."

"I admit I agree," added Lamy, "I lost count on how many times I used Detect Magic the whole day. Performing the ritual for it every time it ends is quite time-consuming."

"Tense," worded Botan as she glanced at the heads she collected during her time here. The lion. The owlbear. More recently, the wolf.

"Cheer up, everyone," said Nene encouragingly, "Even if we didn't find anything, at least that part of the city is safe, right?"

"But Lamy did find something right? But, yeah, I guess," replied Aloe with a shrug, "Hmm, wonder if the others found the same thing..."

"Let's finish our dinner and see what happens later," decided the lore bard, "I mean, if something else was discovered, Lord Aruran would share it with us, right?"

As they ate, the others slowly filed in. They waved at a few of them but they gathered at separate tables and tucked in as well. Robel's signature chicken dishes seem to have taken off as most of the tables had one on them. By the time the party finished and two of them were reaching for second drinks, Miyabi stepped inside.

"Members of the guild, meeting after dinner," he announced loudly before leaving.

"It seems you are right," commented the half-snow elf as she accepted her second drink.

"Ah, we better finish quickly," quipped the fennec fox girl before taking a few gulps of her own drink.

About half an hour later, the party joined the others in the side room of the guild house. The room was lit up by candle holders placed on the tables. The room was full but the guild members were quiet and awaiting for what their guild master was going to announce. Said person was already seated at the table, his hands steepled in front of him.

"Thank you for coming," he started, "Thanks to your help, we have discovered the following things. First, while most of the dug-up tunnels led to dead ends or abandoned rooms, several were found to have led to active places and structures. There was even a larger ruin with two tunnels leading to it. The most troubling thing was that they were filled with various corpses and a few magic circles. The same magic circles that were discovered in several places in the city."

Pausing a moment, he continued, "Tomorrow, I want everyone involved with finding the circles in the city to assist in leading the recognized abjurers from the school to them. If you can help with dispelling and disrupting the circles, you may do so. If not, you are welcome to observe to perhaps pick up a few things. Then, after all that has been done, we shall go down into the sewers to clear out all the ruins discovered. After this, I hope we can disrupt whatever plan Kruze has in place."

"Do we have enough people here?" asked Oga with concern.

"Hmm, in case there isn't, I have called on a few people to come in and help," Lord Aruran stated, "Some may be out of the city but they will be here by tomorrow. Among the help we are getting is Captain Noel and a squad of her knights from Fort Valia, Archdruid Kyshyr from Risu's circle, and various other parties in the city. With their help, we can keep the city safe as well as clear out the underground."

"Oh? That sounds good," the mazoku stated with an eager grin.

"If there is nothing else, this meeting is adjourned for tomorrow," ended the nobleman as he stood up, with everyone standing up in response as well, "Good night, everyone. I hope you have a good rest."

With the other parties discussing in hushed tones, Nene and friends went up to Lamy's room and huddled on the bed.

"Okay, so I'm guessing the extra info you wanted to share was about Lord Aruran?" she asked.

"Yeah. I didn't expect him to tell everyone up front," confessed Aloe, "But… I guess honesty is good for him? He didn't seem too bothered by it."

"When did you find out?" ask the lore bard, her eyes brimming with curiosity.

"Remember the day Leda took us to meet Priestess Ina'nis? It was the night before."

"Eh? So that's why you looked so tired," exclaimed Polka.

"So, what do we do now? I mean, the revelation is not much of a revelation," stated the cleric.

"Sleep. And get ready for tomorrow," suggested Botan.

"Yeah, better do that," agreed the succubus.

"Alright. In that case, get out of my room," declared the half-snow elf as she shooed them out.

It was a long day for some. The party went around the northwest quarter of the city and dispelled three teleportation circles. Aloe and Lamy for the magic while the others were the protection. However, on the way back, they were intercepted by someone unexpected.

"Oh, I see," stated Reyo Credo with a smug look.

"What do you want?" asked the cleric with a tired scowl.

"I wish to request your help," he stated simply, "However, if you don't wish to help..."

"Look, it has been a tiring day and we want to get back to the guild to rest. But, if it isn't too difficult, we can help," Nene explained as clearly as possible.

"Ho, ho. This shouldn't take too long at all," he explained arrogantly, "I merely wish your help to persuade some visitors to leave my manor. They absolutely refuse to leave until someone from the guild meets them. So unreasonable." He then shook his head, as if lamenting his fate.

"Hng, I suppose if it was just for just a little bit we could," muttered Aloe.

"Very well. Please, if you would follow me," he declared as homespun around and walked off.

They followed after him and he led them to a modest manor. A large building of hewn stone with a small garden on the outside. He unlocked the door and gestured inside. The party filed in and found themselves in a small waiting room. Once inside, Reyo guided them to the dining room, where three people wrapped in cloaks sat at the dining table.

"Ladies," he just said, "I shall send a servant with refreshments soon." Then, he gave them a bow before closing the door behind him.

"So… why do you need to see members of the adventurers guild?" Nene asked the seated three.

The one in the green cloak stood up and stated, "My, have you forgotten those you've slighted?"

"To think he kept his part of the deal. I approve," added the one in the black cloak.

"Hah, let's get this over with, my dears," declared the one in blue.

"With the powers of three, we shall!" they shouted as they threw off their cloaks amidst their cackling.

"Wha- you!?" exclaimed Lamy, aghast at the revelation that the three cloaked figures were former enemies.

"Yes, we," snarled Agatha as the three hags morphed into the original forms, "Time to die, my pretties!"

AN: Greetings, readers. Welcome back.

Recovering from the ambush, Holo5 and Aberoft hurried back to Rivirapolis to report back to Aruran. After some rest, things go into full gear the next day as Lord Aruran reveals his lineage to the guild. And after that, his plan to stop his fellow from doing something dastardly with the city. Over the next two days, we have the guild running around the city and making sure everything is safe. At the same time, they discover strange things in the underground areas. Things are never good if you have to set up base deep underground. So, after making sure topside is safe, they can turn their attention to the ruins. However, things aren't looking so peachy for holo5 when former enemies start showing up.

Next chapter, Holo5 get ready for a beatdown. Thank you for reading and have a good day, dear readers.

Omake: Counterplans

After the failed ambush

"I have failed, my sire," stated the blackguard as he knelt down on one knee. In front of him stood Baron Kruze von Christner and his follower Reyo Credo.

"No, such things are to be expected," stated the baron as he turned away from the circle being drawn on the floor to face him, "If they are as experienced as expected, you could only do so much with the sort of help you garnered. Regardless, you did your best. My only order for you is that you perform perfectly during your part in my plan."

"Yes, my sire," he replied as he got to his feet and took his leave.

The nosferatu looked on impassively before he called out, "Morrik Harazal. Are you finished?"

"Y-y-y-yes, my lord," the drawer of the circle stammered out fearfully.

"My lord, why must we keep this one alive?" asked the half-elf noble, "Surely we can make do with another body in the attack."

"None of the others know how to weave magic save for myself and dear Francine," he stated as he waved the summoner away, who went and stood in the corner nervously, "And I know she would rather play with her food than focus on tasks like these. This is why I delegate some of them to you and Micheal, for at least the two of you have the focus and intelligence to perform them."

"Thank you, my lord... though, I must ask, why do you have me draw out multiple circles of teleportation?" he asked and motioned to the one the summoner had just drawn out, "And they look different from this one."

Kruze chuckled and stated, "To lure Amos into a false sense of security. While those that you drew are real teleportation circles, they link to each other and are of no real value. These ones that Morrik has drawn? The other ends are linked to various guard outposts in the city. It is there that we shall have our great entrance. And Amos will be none the wiser until it is too late."