55 Lily-Livered

Hogswell had Kyrie grab his hoodie before they left for the rail transport system. When the city wasn't shut down due to an emergency the Rail was how most people traveled. Owning a car took space most people didn't have and the rail was the second fastest mode of transportation. The fastest was teleportation circles but eh energy cost was higher than most could afford to cover.

As they headed deeper into the city Kyrie tugged his hood down. He was near the door, leaning against the wall of the train. It was fairly empty because classes ended at 2:00.

Syra had claimed the seat across the aisle from Kyrie. And Hogswell was seated next to him.

Syra leaned forward as she said, "We're really going to help a guild of cowards?"

Kyrie smiled under his hood.

Hogswell nodded with a grin as he said, "Some guilds name themselves to show the work they'll do, and others name themselves for fun. Lily-Livered is far from a guild of cowards."

Syra watched Hogswell with skepticism. After all the guild was called Lily-Livered and she'd never heard of them. But then again, the guild most people knew about was the LegendSlayer guild. There were a few large guilds in each city. But Laserath, they only had small time guilds.

♢ ♢ ♢

They got off at the stop closest to the interior wall and near the river.

The building Hogswell led them to was old, sturdy, and well cared for. It was only three stories tall. A sign on it said *" Lily-Livered"* with a violet colored lily painted on the side.

Hogswell opened the door using the bottom handle. It had three handles. One for smaller people like Hogswell and children. Another for people of average size and the last was for those tall enough to be the decedents of giants.

They entered a small reception area. There was no one at the counter, but Hogswell didn't care. He seemed used to it as he headed straight for the door on the back wall, he opened it and stepped through.

"Hogswell!" a giant man shouted over the noisy chattering of the guild hall. He was tending a tavern bar that had a clear view of the door.

Hogswell grinned and waved as he led Kyrie and Syra through the hall.

Syra's eyes were wide as she glanced around the room. There were so many people there. They ranged from babes, to children and teens, to adults and the elderly. It was a chaotic and noisy and colorful place. Lily-Livered was a guild that breathed and exuded friendship and life, when inside their guild hall.

Syra was in awe but Kyrie took it all in with calm and wary glances. The friendlier the place the worse it felt when they realized who he was. No place like this could stay as it was with a hero like him in their midst.

When Hogswell reached the bar he climbed onto one of the stools and stood on it. Hogswell shook hands with the barkeeper as he said, "How've you been Tiny?"

The giant man smiled at his old professor as he said, "Good. Misty's getting so big. I've got to show you some photos of her."

Hogswell nodded with a grin. "She'll be starting at Kondaira next year, right?"

Tiny nodded as he grabbed a mug and filled it with a frothy maple ale. "Yep." He grinned as he said, "I trust you'll take good care of my girl if she's got the misfortune of being in your class."

Hogswell laughed. He was a harsh Professor, but he needed to be when children's lives depended on whether they truly learned what he was teaching them. "She'll be able to take care of herself that's for sure."

"Good," Tiny said as he sat the mug in front of another man who'd just arrived at the bar. The man was familiar to Kyrie. He'd been the one to tell Kyrie about the guild, Lily-Livered. He was the babysitter from the emergency drill. "Not now Tiny. I'm helping Hogswell out. I'll take a water."

Tiny nodded and took the mug back. As Tiny turned and grabbed a glass to fill with water he said, "Are those two new recruits?" He'd nodded at Kyrie and Syra. The girl looked capable but the other one looked a bit …. Well, they looked like something was wrong with them. People don't wear hoodies in the summer unless their hiding something or they're cold.

Hogswell turned towards Kyrie and Syra as he said, "They've got detention for the next two weeks."

The man, the babysitter – Candor smiled as he said, "So we've got two weeks to hook the new recruits."

Hogswell didn't bother with a response. Most of Lily-Livered's members had been recruited by him. And the majority of them had been brought there because of an unreasonable detention.

Instead, Hogswell said, "This is Syra. She's a healer and is unlicensed."

Candor nodded and shook hands with Syra. "It's always good to know a healer. Are you any good at it?"

Syra nodded with a blush as she said, "I'm alright at it."

Hogswell gestured to Kyrie as he said, "This is Kyrie, he's licensed and extremely capable."

Candor shook his head and patted Kyrie's shoulder. "There's no need for discretion. We've been expecting Kyrie."

Kyrie's eyes widened. What? They were expecting for him?

Candor relaxed his grip on Kyrie's shoulder as he said, "It took longer for him to follow up on the invitation then I expected."

Kyrie cautiously lowered his hood as he said, "Invitation?"

Hogswell smiled and nodded. "Remembering Lily-Livered's guild name is an invitation to work with them or join them."

"Wait?! That's why I didn't remember hearing about them!" Syra said as she knocked one fist into her palm. That was part of what was bugging her, Lily-Livered seemed like a medium sized guild but that was based solely on the people present. Lily-Livered was Laserath's big guild! But how did they stay so hidden? And how did a hidden guild get jobs?

Candor nodded. "That's the reaction we want." Candor turned to Tiny and said, "We'll take the waterway clean up mission."

Tiny hesitated as he handed a plate to another person. Those jobs were always present but they usually left them to the LegendSlayer Guild, when they couldn't gather enough people. "How many are going?" As far as Tiny could tell it was three with experience and one rookie. Waterway jobs weren't for rookies. A good haunting was more the level for teaching a rookie.

"It'll be the four of us."

Tiny glanced between Kyrie and Hogswell. If there was a group of three who could take a rookie into the waterways safely, it was probably them. "Alright, I'll get it for you."

Tiny tore a bulletin from the board above his head and handed it to Candor. "I better see all of you back here by dinner."

Candor nodded while Hogswell jumped from his stool. He led them to a table in the corner.

As they settled down at the table, Hogswell watched Kyrie's wary glances. Kyrie must've had bad experiences with a guild or two in the past.

"How do you keep people from knowing about your guild?" Kyrie asked as he leaned forward and folded his hands on the tale. It would be nice if he wasn't in the news so much.

Candor took a drink before he said, "It's a guild secret but it has to do with the building and our emblem. That's all we tell potential recruits."

Kyrie nodded. "That's fair." Every guild had its secrets. Especially the larger ones.

Syra watched Candor with skepticism. How did they get jobs? How could a guild that everyone forgets about have members? "But how do you remember? And jobs, where do you get them from?"

Hogswell smiled as he said, "There's temporary measures we can take and more permanent ones like getting a guild tattoo. As for missions, Guild master Null passes some on to us, the others come from the Mayor. But the Mayor only has a temporary remembrance."

Syra nodded that made sense or more sense. She still really wanted to know how they pulled it off. But two not answers meant she really wasn't going to get a good one.

Candor glance between Kyrie and Syra. "If that's good enough we should move on to the mission."

Kyrie nodded as Syra said, "All right."

Candor placed the mission request in the middle of the table. "I'll be in charge of our little group over the next two weeks. I'll pick the next mission based on how this one goes." Candor looked at Syra. "I don't want this to be a waste of the opportunity to get Kyrie's assistance." He turned to Kyrie. "But I don't want to go so far that Syra gets hurt more than she can handle healing." Candor looked at both of them. "Got it?"

"Yes."

Candor tapped the mission request as he said, "Right. We'll start here. This isn't usually a mission for a rookie. But I thought it would be a good pick for now. A waterway mission is down in the sewers and clean water tunnels."

Fuck. Kyrie groaned. Why couldn't it be work in an irrigation canal or an aqueduct? Those were way more open than an f-n tunnel.

Candor glanced from Syra to Kyrie. A groan from one of the most experienced LegendSlayers was not a good sign. Did he think such things were below him? Candor's gaze stiffened as he said, "Do you have a problem with that?"

Kyrie's eyes widened. "No. I just – well – I don't do well in … underground places or small spaces."

"Oh." Candor's eyes were wide. He'd never heard that Kyrie had issues with those places. Though it made sense to keep such a thing a secret. A weakness like that could get him killed, if the wrong people learned about it. "Do we need to pick a different job?"

Kyrie shook his head no, but his hand trembled a bit. "I can handle it. Just, don't get to close to me."

Hogswell glanced at Taru's case. "We weren't planning on it. But it's good to know."

Candor nodded; Kyrie'd know best if he could handle it. "How much experience do you have fighting in cities – in small places?"

Kyrie shifted and his left hand brushed his wrist. He jerked his hand back as Candor watched. "Some. Usually, when the damage I deal to my surroundings doesn't matter. But I can strip Taru's blades off to increase my mobility in smaller places."

"Taru." Candor said with a smile, "That's a risky name. What if she turns?"

Kyrie smiled. "It's not like a guild named Lily-Livered is that different."

Hogswell laughed. "true."

Syra glanced between the three of them. There was some kind of insider info she was missing. "What's Taru mean?"

Hogswell smiled as he said, "Legend."