109 An omnious reques (1/2)
A little further to the East, An extremely muscular and tall man was happily chatting with his friends. They were discussing their daily lives, how one of them would retire in a few years and finally get a wife for himself. His white hair proved that he had truly stayed an adventurer for far too many years. But because the region was relatively safe, it didn't mean he had faced death too many times.
”Bah, a bunch of foolish youngsters. Wait and see when your back will hurt like mine. You will be glad to have kept some of your gold and not spent everything on drinks, food or women.” Even as he was nagging a bit, it was on the tone of jokes, and his big smile betrayed that. None of those that heard it truly took note of what he said, if they did not enjoy their lives to its fullest, what was the point of being an adventurer?
”Fine, fine, we will behave gramps Dickon. Just don't kill us by starting one of your sermons. I swear you could kill a man with those things.” The youngest of the group, a brat of nearly 25 years, was hit on the head after saying this. Looking around, he couldn't guess who was the culprit, everyone suddenly looking at the ceiling while whistling.
”Respect your elder for once. You can call yourself whatever title you want, Sword of Ronta or best swordsman, no one would care. But sometimes, you won't be able to unsheathe your weapon before a monster fall on you. Geez, how did you even survived that long?” The fourth member of the group, a mage, was calmly drinking his cup while roasting his younger friend. If someone looked at the group, he would see the four leaders of the best adventurers in the region.
The reason why they were reunited was because of something unusual that happened the very morning. The Guild Master of the city summoned them, to discuss a request made by a noble. Apparently, someone had discovered an ancient grave near the mountains, something created by the Dark Gods. Because they had no idea what was inside, they wanted to use the adventurers as explorers.
Even if Kozak was not particularly enjoyed by such request, he still wanted to know a bit more about the specifics. The main point was the extremely huge reward, something that could be considered as their annual earnings. Just to explore one tomb or whatever it was. Facing this, no one could say that they were not interested.
”Because you will have to cast a spell? Anyway, let's forget the bad jokes and unfounded critics. What are your views on this thing?” The berserker finally started the real discussion. However, no one was willing to go first, since it was truly a weird request. Maybe the biggest the adventurers of Ronta had in many years. Sensing that no one wanted to talk, Kozak started.
”I don't feel good about this. This is so unexpected, I mean, an ancient cave from the Age of Darkness? I don't know if it is real, or the noble is misleading us to do something else. But there is a possibility to only accompany the convoy and defend it while others explore the cave, so I will probably choose this option. After knowing what we will face, my team will choose if we enter or not.”
His worries were shared with the 3 other men. If not for the name of the noble that was real and the enormous reward, they would have dismissed it as a joke. Violently slamming his fist on the table, the youngest agreed.
”I am with you on that point. I, Hugo, will also wait and see.” He immediately drank the entire bottle that was in front of him. The other two were shocked, wondering if he was drunk or what? Since when this reckless brat did not act first and think after?
”I did not survive this long to die this old, if that noble try to pull a trick on us, he will see why we are called adventurers.”
”Only someone stupid would barge into a place without at least knowing what to expect. He can only ask us to take a look, but if he wants to pressure us to enter that tomb, he will have a hard time. Let's see how he will react when he will find out that we are not suicide squads ready to die as he wants.”
The rest of the discussion mainly focused on what to expect if it was true. The most certain thing was the presence of at least a few undead. Everyone had in mind the current state of Pankow, but which undead was the question. After so many years, could they have survived? They were experts at killing them, not knowing their life expectancy. With this in mind, the old man called Dickon proposed to contact one of his friends, a knight of Kirof. They could never be too careful.
The request had a deadline, three days from this point. With this, they had all the time to truly be fully equipped, from head to toe. Using all their contacts, the four teams of adventurers managed to gather an impressive collection of weapons. The magician managed to borrow a few things from his peers and buy with a reduction numerous potions. The cost of everything was shared by everyone since they could never know if it couldn't be used later.
The morning of the departure, the adventurers couldn't but frown at the spectacle. Surrounding multiple carts pulled by well-fed horses, a dozen men and women in armor were waiting. Apparently, it wasn't just the adventurers that were requested to explore it. Both groups always had a slight animosity between them, both thinking that the other was stealing their job. An elegantly dressed servant appeared from the crowd of mercenaries, visibly the one in charge.
”Messires, Mesdames adventurers, I am glad that you have accepted this request. My lord, Reggie Blackwood will be pleased. May I ask if you have everything you need and we can begin our travel?” The four leaders looked at each other and simply nodded. If the carts were mostly empty, there was still provisions and tents for the few days where they will be traveling.
Neither the adventurers nor the mercenaries talked with each other, clearly staying on their side. This didn't matter for the servant, however, since he made no move to fix the situation. Even if the first day was calm, by the second day, Hugo organized a small reunion about something bothering him.
”Did anyone noticed something weird about the drivers? Even if they seemed to be simple servants, I can't see if they possess a weapon or not. The way they are dressed, it is not normal.” The more he talked, the more the others remembered the details that were out of place. However, Dickon was a bit familiar with those situations, thanks to his age. Adopting a condescending posture, he talked like a teacher lecturing his student.
”Little boy, do you really think a noble will left a group of mercenaries and adventurers near a potential treasure without doing anything? This servant is maybe a decoy, but those drivers are probably the personal guards of Lord Blackwood. He wouldn't use someone without any fighting experience to guard those carts. My advice, don't seek a fight with them.”