Chapter 471: Among Icepickers

Chapter 471: Among Icepickers

The lobby hadnt changed one bit since the last time Dallion was here. Even after spending close to two years in the awakened world, Dallion still felt as if he were entering a bank. Four wooden desks were placed at strategic spots, with doors behind, each occupied by an administrator whose job it was to go through the jobs the guild got and assign them to members. Back when Dallion was part of it, he constantly wore a guild ring with an echo of an admin inside. Several times per day hed enter the ring realm, to check if he had to drop by the guild.

There was one major difference, though: the reaction of the people. From the moment Dallion walked in, several of the guild members stopped what they were doing and looked in his direction. Some knew him from his time at the guild, the larger part had only heard the rumors.

Newbies, Dallion thought. He recognized the looks of eagerness on their faces.

Dal! a loud yell boomed through the room. Youre back!

Heya, Estezol.

Estezol was the person who had helped Dallion fill in the application forms all that time ago. He was a small, funny man, with an increasingly large beard, who took care of a large part of the practical administration of the place. Officially, he had next to no power. At the time, Dallion had considered him an over-glorified secretary. However, it had soon become obvious that he had far more access than people gave him credit for. In all his time there, Dallion had only seen the guild master, probably twice from a distance; Estezol had weekly talks with him and everyone else of importance within the guild.

Its so good to see you! The bearded man rushed from behind his desk. So, youre a hunter now? Ive been hearing all sorts of rumors. Is it true that you actually fought a dragon on your own?

Thats slightly exaggerated. Dallion smiled. While it was technically true, the creature was a shadow of its former self and weakened to the point that Dallion managed to defeat it. Whats been going on here? Any new promising newbies?

Compared to you? Estezol laughed. Not a chance! Hey, how are the Lurs? Any chance theyll be joining us anytime soon?

No idea. Im not as close to them as I used to be.

Oh The mans smile faded.

Its nothing serious. We just have different interests now. Theyre working on putting Dherma on the map, and I Well, youve heard the rumors.

Estezol nodded.

I heard what happened to Jiroh. Sorry about that. I miss her a lot.

I know. Shes fine, though. Its what she wanted. Anyway, I heard that there might be a job for me.

Looking for work here? Estezol arched a brow. Dont you have enough on your plate? Hunters are very in demand lately.

Estezol Dallion whispered. I know theres a job for me. Do you prefer I went home and wait for someone to call me?

Thats not necessary, a female voice said a short distance away. Looking up, Dallion saw a woman wearing full plate armor.

March, Dallion thought.

When he had learned that she had asked for him, there had been a moment during which he hoped that his current level would put him on an equal footing. He couldnt have been further from the truth. All the experience hed received, all the achievements, the level increases, even the familiars, and weapons, didnt seem to have narrowed the gap by an inch. March was considered the golden girl of the guild: a current captain and former imperial soldier, she was the main drive that brought recruits to the guild, and unofficially the third most important Icepicker. She was also probably the only person who walked about in full armor more often than not, even when there was no reason for her to do so.

Your former mentor is unparalleled when it comes to combat splitting, but hes not adequate for this request. Besides, hell never be allowed a hundred miles from where well be headed. And Im not entirely welcome there either.

Dallion remained silent. There were consistent rumors that March had messed up big time, resulting in her being kicked out of the imperial guard and outcast to Nerosal. That was the role of the city, after all: a place where all awakened that messed up could live and, potentially, get a new start.

My name was erased, she said calmly. Also, Im forbidden from using my awakened powers to their full extent in the real world without the archdukes permission.

You never told me that, Nil, Dallion grumbled.

It was not for me to say, the echo replied. Besides, I thought youd have figured it out at some point. All the awakened who have names based on months, flowers, or objects have had their names removed.

Im not talking about the name.

You dont need to decide right away, March continued. Theres a lot that needs to be prepared, on many fronts. Not to mention that the festival this year will be rather unusual. The countess doesnt want a repeat of last years chaos.

I bet. I take it there wont be any imperial visitors this time?

The woman glared at him for three full seconds, then shook her head.

The imperial family had respectfully declined the invitation, as they have consistently done for years. Archduke Lanitol did the same, though for different reasons. Bottom line, you have until the end of the festival to decide.

That was almost three months.

I was thinking of giving the festival a pass this year, Dallion said.

Wise choice. Thats why the expedition wont start immediately after. Ill remain here for a few more weeks. If youre not in Nerosal, Ill assume that youve either decided to decline the offer, or the Moons have done it for you.

That was a good way of putting it. Being the deities of the world, the Moons had the power to do pretty much anything, even if they followed a long set of complicated rules. In this case, though, what March was saying was that there would be no hard feelings should Dallion choose to have nothing to do with the expedition.

Do I get any details or only once I accept the request? Dallion moved closer to the swords on the far wall.

Some believe theres another world sword out there. Supposedly, it was found in the ruins beneath Nerosal and smuggled out centuries ago. Thereve been hundreds of rumors of such nature throughout the decades, but in this case, our patron believes theres enough to it for us to go on a search. Once we reach the capital, well be told what to do.

Red flags popped up in Dallions mind. There was no way something this important would be entrusted to mercenaries. The only reason that the Icepicker guild was involved had to be that the Archduke couldnt trust anyone else in his immediate vicinity. That opened all sorts of cans of worms.

One more thing, March added. There are signs that the sword might be involved in the poisoned crops.

Just when Dallion thought he had pieced everything together, this caught him completely by surprise.

How? he asked before he could stop himself. The poisonings didnt start in the empire. They began all the way west.

That might be so, but there havent been any in more cases since then. Most of the new cases are in the middle of the continent, and according to some of the information from our patron, the sword has also been on the move for a very long time.