11 Too Late

With each day that passed, Tyr became angrier. No one wanted to talk with him for fear of unleashing his wrath upon them. The mast breaking and the terrible weather made the trip back to shore take five weeks. They reached land a few days too late for him to close his deal.

Tyr wanted to buy a piece of land next to what his guild now held. He had helped the owner out a few times in the past, and now the man was moving to a different city. He offered to sell it to Tyr under the table and Tyr gladly accepted his offer. Unfortunately, he had missed the deadline, and the plot was now open for all to bid on. This would cause the price to exceed his budget, so by being late, he had missed the opportunity to buy it.

Upon entering Marseille, Krystof and Taylen parted ways to deliver the Kraken's heart and part of a tentacle as proof of their success. They offered to turn it in as an excuse to get away from Tyr. They grew up with him and knew that when he got in this sort of mood; it was best to let him calm down.

Tyr had split off from the rest of the group and stalked back to his room. His mood did not improve from the jovial smiles that people gave him. His mind was filled with nothing else but his failure at buying the plot of land. Being a leader, he demanded his crew to be punctual. He had no right expecting others to be punctual if he himself was not, so his miscalculation and error tarnished his record.

He reached the top floor and was greeted by his sister. Luna was about to descend the stairs and said, "Tyr, I know you are upset about missing the deadline but don't worry. Mother bought it."

He gazed at her with an incredulous look, took a deep breath in, and shook his head. "What do you people not understand about me wanting to build this guild with my own merits? Do you really think I would be happy to have mother bail me out when I failed?"

Luna was taken aback by his ungrateful attitude. She only mentioned it to their mother because she knew how much he wanted to expand the guild. She assumed that Tyr could pay their mother back or receive it as a late birthday gift.

Luna did not understand why he felt he needed to prove anything. She thought he should be proud of their family's status and lineage. Drawing her brows together, she put her hands on her hips, "If you insist, you can just pay mother back. What difference does it make?"

Tyr knew he could pay his mother back for the land, but he was upset because he failed to do this deal on his own. That fact hurt his pride. He also did not like that people could say his family would help him out whenever he failed. While he understood he was being ungrateful, his pride still stung. "I can't talk with you right now. Don't bother me until I come out of my room and have someone send my meals up," he said as he moved past her with long strides.

Luna stared at him stride off towards his room and remembered that Macha lay sick in bed. Her plan of having Macha contract Longum Auris was a success. "Oh! Tyr, Ma..." but her words were cut off by him slamming his door.

Inside his room, Tyr put his hand on a small globe that hung by the door and infused a bit of magic into it. Doing this caused the lights in the room turn on. He strode over to the corner in the living room and began taking off his armor.

His wyvern, Aži, nudged open a small fridge in the opposite corner and took out a dead mouse. It then lept up to a hanging perch and had its snack.

Tyr gave the Aži a quick pet and made his way to the bathroom. He stripped off his tunic and breeches and threw them into a basket. He turned on the faucet and noticed that Luna had bought him a new soap. It was in a purple bottle and had the fragrance of lavender. He gave a snort and shook his head. He felt it was too feminine, so he placed it back down. Tyr reached for a dark green bottle. He preferred his usual soap that smelt like mint. After long days of travel, it made him feel refreshed and clean.

He let the water run and thought about Fenrir. Tyr knew that she left him because he was not good enough in her eyes. If he accepted help from his family and used his social standing, she probably would still be with him, but he did not want to be that sort of person. He questioned if he was wrong in his decision. Fenrir had been with him for many years and continually hounded him to use his family and status. Tyr refused and in the end, she left him for Jarnvid. Jarnvid was also from a good family and used his family and social standing to advance his guild. Tyr realized that his thoughts were making him melancholy, so he turned off the water and dried off.

He made his way to his bed when he heard a soft moan. He lept back to the light orb and infused it with energy. The lights turned on and he saw Macha's small figure laying in his bed. She slept with a troubled look on her face. Her head moved from side to side and Tyr recognized a change in her ears. They were bright red and elongated, so he figured she had gotten Longum Auris. He ducked into his closet to put on some clothes.

It confused Tyr how Macha came to occupy his room but assumed Luna had let the small woman in. He grabbed a shirt and buttoned it up. He contemplated sleeping in the side room but decided that this was his room and he had every right to sleep in his own bed if he wanted to.

Tyr strode over to his bed and tucked himself in with conviction. As reached over to turn off the lights Macha moaned in pain again. Tyr looked over at her pitiful face. "Dammit," he whispered. He could not go to sleep knowing she was sick next to him.

When the group voted to 'keep' her, he knew she would be his responsibility. He sighed and got out of bed to get a bowl of cold water and a hand towel. He rolled up his sleeves and dipped the towel into the water. Inspecting Macha's ears he noticed they had an elegant shape and length to them. He thought she would have beautiful long ears when the sickness passed. As he dabbed the towel on her cheek, she woke up.