Chapter 826 - Visiting Duncan

"You already know this guy," I say, gesturing to Savant. "For some reason, he’s been cured and smoked to perfection."

“Hello, Savant!” Lily calls out cheerily.

I ignore her interruption and continue on with the introductions. “I think you met Weslin once, but just in case you didn’t, that’s him. This asshole next to him is Brich, he is a thieving rat, as confirmed by the great womanizer Lyraen himself. Then the huge demon without an arm is Morwag.”

“He is missing his left arm, Nat. But that is your thing,” Lily points out.

“Traditions, Lily, traditions. Then there is also Zant, but he only appears once in a while. He is an adorable tiny fella. When you meet him, be nice to him, it is not his fault he is Diligence’s vessel.”

“I will! And hello, I’m Lily, Nathaniel’s future...” She looks at me and smiles jokingly. “Ehm, I’m another member of Group 4!”

“Lily, what the hell was that?”

“Ignore it.”

“I have a feeling I maybe shouldn’t.”

“Then don’t ignore it,” she challenges.

“Okay, let’s ignore it.”

“Coward.”

“Sure,” I answer, gesturing toward Tacita nearby. “What is she doing here?”

“I think Taci was bored, so she joined me, and I’m glad for that.” Lily smiles at Tacita, who looks away in reaction, before Lily turns back to me. “Being with her reminds me that it is so simple to just do whatever I want.”

“But it is-”

“Don’t,” she cuts me off. “It is not as simple as you might make it seem sometimes. Not for me. But I won’t bore your friends with it.”

“I wouldn’t call them my friends. Maybe except for Weslin, when he finds time for poor old me and manages to get away from his weirdo demon girlfriend.” I blame the man who just waves at me.

“You aren’t friends with Morwag?” Lily asks.

That makes me look at the most demon demon to ever demon, and he stares back at me in the exact same way.

“What are we, Morwag?” I ask him.

The demon seems to need a moment to give it some actual thought, but in the end, he looks just as confused as I am and simply shrugs.

“Men.” Lily looks at Tacita as if expecting a reaction. The woman stands there, looking around to confirm Lily is actually looking at her, and then gives a quick, sharp nod.

Then Tacita’s eyes narrow as she looks at Morwag, who has been staring at her openly this entire time. His eyes are wide in a way I know all too well, and even without his left arm, the muscular demon looks impressive and dangerous. Maybe he’s remembering what happened during the Humility event.

Still, Tacita doesn’t seem bothered at all. She must sense his battle maniac intent and the inherent danger, yet she remains comfortable and confident.

“Lady Lily-” Brich starts.

“Just Lily.”

“Okay! Just Lily it is!” Brich uses the cheapest joke in existence, and I hate myself for snorting at it in my head. “I’m Brich of Crimson Forge, one of the very impressive S ranks and currently the best item user in all of Beyond. It is nice to meet you.”

“Is being the best item user really that impressive?” Lily asks curiously.

Brich is not insulted in the slightest. He steps closer, his heavy armor clanking with every movement. “Of course! Did you know that most people don’t even use arcane weapons properly? Sometimes they don’t even discover all the properties or tricks, and they are incapable of using them to their full potential!”

He continues to brag, talking with the manic, high energy excitement of a total fanboy or someone for whom using and abusing items is the greatest joy and hobby. Meanwhile, our group begins to walk through the city toward where we were told we can find Duncan.

It is a bit weird having the others join me, but I don’t complain, even if I find the whole situation a bit amusing. Me, Morwag, Weslin, and Brich as S ranks. Then Tacita, Savant, and possibly Lily as future S ranks. Somewhere nearby is Zant, the vessel of one of the Rulers.

This is the most overkill of overkills ever, and the king of this city seems to notice it as well, though it is possible Zant spoke to him about him being our caretaker. Regardless, the city’s defensive array is already shifting, putting more attention and pressure on our group. There are also multiple powerful guards around. Some of these locals are likely stronger than us, or at least they are at a higher level. It is hard to guess their true strength.

On our way through the street, I notice Tacita picking up small stones from the ground and accurately throwing them at Savant. He patiently ignores her and just continues to absorb their kinetic momentum. Morwag watches her so intently the entire time that I am worried he will bump into and likely kill some local, yet even then, he seems well aware of his surroundings. Plus, people are avoiding us by a wide margin, as if we are some hooligans or gang members.

Lily continues her conversation with a curious Brich, and Weslin joins in sometimes to keep the momentum going. Meanwhile, I keep my focus on searching for Duncan’s signature.

I find it soon enough near our destination, which is a calm street lined with trees bordering a large park. It is a nice place. It is quiet, clean, and well kept. Without hesitation, I stop in front of a smaller house and knock a few times firmly. I almost expect some cliché, like Duncan shouting through the door that he will have the money ready tomorrow, but he just opens the door quietly.

I see the toll on him immediately. His face is thinner, and even his clothes seem a bit baggy, yet he still smiles the second he recognizes me.

“The melee fighter, Noname,” he says jokingly. He glances at the people behind me, seemingly recognizing a few of them, and then looks back at me with a question. “Are you by any chance looking for a guide, and that’s why you came to find me, Nathaniel?”

“Something like that,” I answer, and then I ask him shamelessly, “Will you invite us in?”

“Ehm, my place is a bit humble for a visit as-”

“Sure, sure, thanks!” I wave it off and gently push the door to barge in.

The others follow my lead to quickly get inside the small but cozy house, and quickly occupy every available seat. Lily and I end up on the same couch. Savant remains standing near the window while Brich sits in an armchair that almost breaks under him. Weslin pulls a chair closer from the kitchen, and Tacita jumps up to sit on the kitchen counter.

During all of that, I notice two kids peeking from upstairs. They are unaware that likely everyone in this room already knows about them, even without seeing them, and whisper something between themselves that I’m nice enough to not strengthen my hearing to spy on.

We’re almost settled when Morwag pulls out a kitchen chair and sits. It gives way immediately and breaks. The wood splinters loudly in the silence, leaving Duncan standing there, frozen and unsure of what to do.

“I apologize,” Morwag mutters as he carefully kicks the pieces of the wood to the corner.

“You could have bound it together with your energy before sitting instead of staring at Tacita,” I note.

“I could have.” The demon nods.

When I turn to Duncan, I ask, “We will pay for the chair, of course. How much did it cost?”

“Not much? I mean, if we convert it to shards, then maybe five shards or something?”

“Fifty thousand shards!? Well, it sounds about right. Must have been some fancy chair or family heirloom. Anyway, it is my responsibility as guild master to clean up the mess my cute underlings made, so I will pay, of course.”

“What-”

I don't let him finish. I initiate the trade myself, covering the transfer fee. “Accept it,” I say, “or the Holy-Fuck-It’s-Morwag-Run is going to get angry.”

Still confused, Duncan accepts the trade.

“Good,” I continue in a better mood. “This is a nice start.”

I take a sweet candy wrapped in paper from the bowl on the table and hand it to Lily. She quickly picks it up and opens it to eat it just as fast.

I shake my head at her, looking appalled. “Wow, so shameless, Lily. How could you? Our host didn't even offer you that candy. For all you know, it’s a family heirloom or something. I guess you will have to pay him back somehow, but you are poor because you refuse to make money for some reason. I guess, you will have to use your healing skills instead.”

“I guess I will have to do that! And yes, I am bad with money!” Lily calls out and smiles gently at Duncan. “Can I heal you?”

I observe the man. He keeps gulping, but it is not from fear, and his eyes appear a bit watery for some reason. He is a man, so it is likely just dust. I have also noticed him limping on one leg and seen the painful twists in his face as he let us in, though he tried to hide it.

When the silence goes on too long, I give him a poke. “Duncan, I’m the last person to give lessons on social etiquette, but you’re leaving Lily hanging here. How can you be so rude to a healer? Just tell her, can she heal you or not?”

“Y-yes. But it won’t be that simp-” he mutters.

“Done!” Lily smiles happily.

“What?”

“I healed you already!”

Duncan looks at me, then at Lily, and then touches his side as if he cannot believe it. He puts more weight on the leg he was limping on, and his surprised expression deepens. For a while, he just stands there, opening and closing his mouth.

Then Brich reaches out and pokes a vase near him, making it fall and break. “Wow, how clumsy of me!” he calls out. “That artistic piece must have been expensive, and I know that because I am an expert on items! I will be transferring you fifty thousand shards, Mr. Duncan. Please accept them as an apology in the hope they will plug the hole left behind after the loss of such a great example of craftmanship.”

“Brich,” I call to him. He looks at me, and I gesture at the water on the floor and the wilted flower that was in it. “The water from the vase surely damaged the flooring. You should pay for that as well.”

“How silly of me! Of course! I am very rich! I will pay one hundred thousand shards, Mr. Duncan, and my everlasting apology!”

“Nathaniel, is this some sort of-” Duncan does not finish again. He just closes his eyes for a while and takes a few deep, long breaths. When he opens them, he is calmer. It is that expression I liked about him, and it did not seem to weaken even when we came here. It is that calm resourcefulness combined with his straight and fair personality.

Looking around, there is only one person I can rely on for this, so I move to Weslin and whisper, “Look, I am bad at this kind of stuff. I will take Lily and deal with some people quickly. I would not be able to sleep otherwise, knowing those assholes are out there eating well. Please talk to Duncan and hire him as our guide for fishing and stuff. You can throw around some decent shards for him, too.”

Weslin does not even complain. He just smiles at me with a knowing look. “Sure, rookie." He whispers before saying louder, "Just fuck off already, you are just a bother here.”

“Fuck you, Weslin.”

“No, fuck you.”