Chapter Two
Orario was quite big, and even bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside and Wulfgar had very little idea on where to go. Though if the experiences he had in Luskan, Ten Towns, and the few other cities he had been in could help, he had a vague idea. Still, the exhaustion was making every step he took slower and slower, his eyelids weighing more than anything he had ever lifted. Each step that he took was heavier and heavier. All the exhaustion from the five years of torture had piled up upon him, and it was exponentially requiring more willpower to keep moving.
He passed by stalls, and passed by people who gave him odd and queer looks, yet he paid them no heed. Finally, when he could walk no more, he stopped front of a large building which just so happened to be across from the Adventurer's guild. Falling asleep while standing like a statue with his arms crossed on the edge of the road with his back against the building's wall, the large man in nothing but wolfskin shorts began to loudly snore.
Given his position on the wall of a building, nobody paid too much mind, and a few hours passed. At least that was until a small lady with pink hair wearing the guild uniform that consisted of a white dress shirt, gray bowtie, a black vest, and black slacks exited the guild and crossed the road over to to large sleeping man.
She stopped in front of him, sneaking a look at his muscular and sturdily built physique. However, seeing his many wounds that were still quite fresh and his countless scars changed her disposition from slightly aroused to concerned. She had never seen this man at the guild before, but that wasn't that surprising, there were multiple guild buildings in the city, and he could have usually gone to a different branch.
"Sir, are you alright?" she asked, gently shaking him on his shoulder, which she had to reach up quite high to do, yet he did not awaken.
"Sir" She spoke louder, and attempted to shake him harder, however, all she got in return was a loud snore.
She was not amused in the slightest.
"SIR" She raised her voice to a shout and forcefully shook him, which was quite hard for her and that seemed to illicit a reaction. A few inconsequential low level adventurers stopped and looked at the odd interaction, and one of them, a tall man with armor and a sword chuckled seeing the tiny lady attempting to manhandle the sleeping giant to varying degrees of success.
Wulfgar was in the lair of Icingdeath, the massive white dragon that he had taken the quest to kill in his father's name, and in his hand was Aegis Fang. He brought his arm back ready to unleash his warhammer upon the giant icicle that hung above the giant dragon. Yet as Icingdeath was about to release his terrible breath weapon, it stopped and then spoke in the most un-dragonlike way.
In the voice of a young girl, it addressed Wulfgar.
"Sir are you alright?" it asked concernedly.
Wulfgar paused, doubting his very eyes and ears.
"What trickery is this?" He asked.
"Sir" The dragon repeated, and Wulfgar felt himself slightly shake.
"SIR" The young woman's voice broke through his dream, and he opened his eyes, and his vision was blurry. His rest had been interrupted by a diminutive girl in a suit with pink hair. Her hand was on his shoulder as she shook him, or well, as she attempted to.
He almost doubted his eyes if not for the very real feeling of her tiny slender hand on his shoulder.
"What do you want, strange woman?" Wulfgar asked, bringing his large hand up to his shoulder and removing the woman's hand from it which she quickly withdrew and stepped back, seeing the spark of irritation in his eyes.
Gathering her composure back, the woman spoke. She was a guild employee, and there were countless adventurers here. She had no reason to fear this strange man.
"My name is Misha Flott and I work for the adventurer's guild. Come inside with me give your information for a report of what happened in the dungeon" She said, standing as tall and imposing as she could, as it seemed that this was the type of man that would only listen to forceful authority. She had seen many adventurers like him, strong willed and arrogant. However, he had no weapon on him, so if it came to blows, the nearby adventurers should be able to subdue him, at least that's what she was thinking.
"Don't want to" The large man spoke, his voice rough and abrasive, but tired.
Looking around for help, the woman was relieved when multiple adventurers, some she knew as level twos came over to spectate, and help if needed.
"It won't take long, we just need your account of what happened with the three adventurers you helped" She continued, deciding to give him a little wiggle room.
"What do I get from it?" The man asked, standing straight up, and towering over the young woman. It wasn't for the intent of intimidating her, but it did have that effect.
She took another step back, realizing just how big this man truly was. Seeing her trepidation and fear, he frowned. This isn't what he wanted. He wouldn't just bully some girl for doing her job.
Then the man deflated with a sigh, realizing that he was in a foreign country surrounded by combatants of unknown strength, and he still was fatigued.
"Fine, just make it quick" He said, acquiescing to the little lady's demands. From what he remembered, guilds were very powerful. Powerful enough to hire assassins and fighters on the level of Artemis Enteri, someone even he was unsure of if he could beat on a good day. Also, something was bothering him about this strange city. He felt an energy in the air that was similar to his God's power, albeit it was quite subdued.
If there was a God in this city, he doubted that he could face up to it, as Gods were beings that could turn all of existence upside down and mash it all up with naught but a thought.
Best to be cautious in his own way. After all, his hubris is what got him enslaved to the demon in the first place, and he learned from his mistakes. Albeit with constant violent reinforcement.
The young lady now known as Misha Flott gave a relieved glance at him before walking with him across the street and into the guild.
Stepping into the guild, he got quite a few looks from the adventurers inside, both for his near naked appearance, and his imposing stature.
"Come with me" Misha said, walking over to a side door in the guild, to a long hallway full of rooms that had tables, couches and chairs. Opening a door in the right side of the hallway, Misha entered and bade Wulfgar to do so too.
He entered the room and took a seat on a sofa at the back of the room, despite Misha sitting down at the table in the middle of the room.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, frustrated by this adventurer.
"Focus on your job" She whispered to herself to remain patient with this barbarian of a man, and little did she know that was exactly what he was. A barbarian from a tribe deep to the north of the world, of his world.
So, what's your name, Level, and Familia?" She asked, moving her seat closer to him.
The man looked back at her with a strange look, then asked her a question of his own, completely ignoring her question.
"Are you stupid, woman?" He asked completely seriously. Looking at her if she was mentally defunct.
It took her a second to process the question as it came out of nowhere and hit her completely off guard. This was protocol, and every adventurer in the city would have to answer the Guild honestly when asked this question, yet this brute of a man completely ignored her. Her face began to grow red with irritation, and she ground her teeth before releasing a breath to calm herself.
"Answer the question, or else I will have to suspend your adventurer's license" She replied, her left eye quivering as she held back her irritation and mounting anger. She needed to find out the identity of this brash adventurer before she could do anything about him.
Wulfgar debated just walking out of this room and putting up with this guild's questions no more, as this tiny woman was no threat to him, and he could snap her like a twig, but he needed answers himself, so he decided to go along for the moment.
"I am Wulfgar, son of Beornegar, and I don't know what you're talking about by levels. As for Familia, do you mean tribe? I hail from the Tribe of the Elk" He responded proudly with a wide smile, proud of his heritage.
Misha had to really take time to calm herself down and her right eye went from slightly quivering to outright twitching as her smile began to look very forced, seeing this man make a complete mockery of the guild, and he looked incredibly proud doing so.
"Please don't joke around and answer the question seriously" She responded, her voice beginning to break because of her irritation. Just looking at this man angered her, and trauma from various other cocky and abrasive adventurers she had dealt with in the past began rearing it's ugly head.
"I am not joking, you asked me a question and I answered. Make up your mind strange woman" Wulfgar replied, awestruck at how flip floppy this woman was.
Then she had enough. Her last thread of civility snapped.
"Look here you thug! I don't know what game you're playing, but knock it off, Just tell me your level and what God or Goddess's Familia you are in" She growled giving up on all pretense of professionalism, glaring openly at the man.
"I like that look on your face woman, it would make for a nice view in my bed" Wulfgar laughed, a savage grin appearing on his face as he stared down the hostile woman unblinkingly.
Bang
The sound of a fist being brought down upon the wooden table sounded through the room as Misha grit her teeth and glared at the large man, going so far to let out a growl of her own.
"Just. Answer. The. Question" She grit out between her immaculate white teeth.
"I follow Tempus, The God of War. And I still don't know what you mean by level. Is this some strength rating in your guild?" The barbarian responded, all sense of hostility gone, more amused than anything. He had been messing with her this whole time, not even taking her seriously for a moment, and it infuriated Misha even further.
"AAAAAAAAARG" Misha's scream of righteous fury resounded throughout the guild, causing multiple adventurers to look up and Eina to come running over.
"Misha, are you alright?" Eina's worried voice sounded from the doorway as Eina stood there slightly panting from her sprint over. Seeing the relaxed giant of a man sitting casually with his arms crossed, and the infuriated Misha with her fist smashed into the wooden table with cracks in the wood where she seemed to have punched it in anger.
"This dirty, rotten, stinking man needs to go, GET OUT OF HERE" She growled at the Barbarian, who shrugged, getting up and walking out of the room. Upon seeing the big man leave the guild, Eina returned to Misha who was fuming and taking deep breaths.
"Wulfgar of the Tempus Familia. Find his Adventurer's license and revoke it for a week for sexual harassment" Misha grit out as she tried to calm herself down.
Eina though for a moment, trying to remember if she knew who this Tempus God was, as there were many Gods and Goddesses that she was not quite familiar with, and even more she had never heard of. Still, a man like that would have been known about, and he looked quite strong, at the very least level two or higher.
"Take a break and try to calm down. I'll go look for his records" Eina responded, walking away from the room and going downstairs to the record room. This Tempus God and his adventurer Wulfgar was one she had not heard of. Still, she would investigate.
Taking a lantern from off a table, she walked through the basement and looked through the records until she arrived at the exploration Gods that began with the letter T.
"Tempus, Tempus, Tempus" She muttered, looking through the exploration Gods multiple times, yet there were none.
That was strange, perhaps Tempus was not an exploration Familia? That could be it.
Searching through the production and scribe Familias, there was still no Tempus Familia.
Eina narrowed her eyes. That was odd.
Still, there was no need to jump to conclusions, from what she was told by Bell, this man had saved them and was generally amicable, if not odd, so she gave him the benefit of the doubt. Still, she was irritated at him for getting her colleague all worked up like that.
There was a chance that Tempus was a God that had recently come down from the heavens and not registered yet, as there was a two year grace period before their Familia would be labeled as poachers and fined. Thankfully, due to her work at the guild, she had some connections that could give her an audience with a few Gods and Goddesses that she hoped could give her answers.
With a thoughtfully interested look on her face, she began thinking of questions she would start by asking.
Upon leaving the Guild, Wulfgar's smile fell to a sour frown. While the temporary amusement helped distract him from his situation, he had messed up and now going back into the guild wouldn't be too helpful today, not that that guild was particularly important to him. There were countless guilds from what he remembered. Archery guilds, Thieves guilds, Conjurer's guilds, Clockmakers guilds, and the list went on and on. So mildly annoying one of the many guild's staff made very little difference.
Still, now he needed to get his hands on a map of the city, or find someone else that knew the areas well. also since he had gotten some rest, he was a little more energized and cognizant. Walking down the street, he made his way towards the giant tower in the middle of the city that he had left the dungeon around. He was certain that he could find information there.
After a few moments, he realized that he was being tailed. Not one for subtlety, he turned around and walked over to his tail.
It was the small girl that he had rescued with the white haired boy and the red haired young fellow.
"What you you want?" He asked the young girl as he seemingly just appeared in front of her at the corner of a building the moment she was distracted for a few seconds. The girl to her credit kept a brave face and responded to the man that she was looking for him to help her with something.
"You want my help?" Wulfgar asked incredulously, curious as to what this small girl could possibly want from him.
"Yes, I want you to train me in fighting" She slightly timidly replied, questioning herself in her mind if this was really the right thing to do.
"Then why didn't you just walk up and ask? You didn't need to slink around following me like a sewer rat" Wulfgar responded, slightly disgusted by the small girl's cowardice. It reminded him of that damn halfling. Both he and Tempus held no pity for cowards and snakes that slithered around in the dark.
Flinching, the small girl lowered her head and apologized to him.
"Don't apologize to me, kid. Raise your head and stand tall. If you can't even do that, don't even bother asking me for anything" Wulfgar said, looking down at the small girl in disapproval. Then, his mind flashed back to the time on that snowy battlefield, as the blood of his comrades in arms, his tribe washed the white fields with red, he saw the hand of the Dwarf Bruenor Battlehammer, reaching out to him and giving him a second chance.
"Damn it. I'm becoming soft" Wulfgar thought to himself.
Sighing and then deciding to hear out the girl, He spoke up again to the silent girl.
"Listen, I need someone to show me around the city and help me make whatever money is in this city, if you can do that, I'll hear you out. Now stand tall, and have some pride in yourself" He said, giving the girl a grin.
Seeing the girl straighten up immediately and enthusiastically walk next to him, he chuckled.
"Breunor, I hope you're watching" He muttered, getting a questioning look from the girl, to which he shook his head, and she nodded before speaking.
"Alright, I think I can help you. I know this city very well" She said and looked up at the large man.
"Good, now tell me where I can find some money and somewhere to lie down safely. I've had enough with snakes in the dark" Wulfgar responded, looking down at her.
"Well, uhmm, I can, but I'd need something from you first" She said, a hopeful light filling her eyes as she looked up at him.
"What is it" he asked, already beginning to regret taking this girl along with him.
"Can I ride on your shoulders?" She asked, giving him her cutest look she could.
Wulfgar closed his eyes, suppressing the annoyance that was building up in his heart.
"Will it help you look around better if I do?" He asked, deciding that he would at least entertain this strange girl if it meant him getting money and somewhere safe to sleep.
"Yes, it definitely will" she said excitedly with a wide smile.
"Fine. Get on, but don't play with my hair" Wulfgar said, almost taken aback by the change in bravery that took place in minutes with the girl.
Kneeling down and reaching out his hand Wulfgar let the small girl do something he had only let two other people do before.
Quickly sitting on his hand, Wulfgar picked up the girl and brought her up to his shoulders, and she sat on them, her tiny legs draped down on his massive chest.
"Don't get used to this" He said, making sure to get across the point that this would not become a regular situation.
And with that, the two began their journey across the city of Orario.