21 - Searing

I couldn't believe what I'd just heard. I stared at this hulking man before me, and all I could manage was an awkward and confused smile.

"If we're done here, I have some paperwork I need to finish before I can go home."

Of course we're not done here!

"I-I can't... I don't...?"

The guildmaster shifted his weight on the couch and leaned forward, heaving a loud sigh.

"I thought you looked like a smart kid, but it looks like you're going to waste more of my time on this, eh?"

He narrowed his eyes, and it felt like his presence darkened and loomed over me. I wasn't sure if he was using a skill or if it was just his natural aura giving off this overwhelming pressure, but I felt myself shrinking before him.

"Don't get me wrong here kid. I don't think your little shop is a threat to me or my partners, but I'm a strategist. I plan ahead, and I don't need your business becoming a thorn in my side later down the road."

This isn't about Maja or Toast?

"Silver whatever you call yourselves has a little too much overlap with guild requests for my liking. If you keep offering to do tasks that people would otherwise pay us, or my partners throughout the city for, that cuts into my bottom line, their bottom line, you get it."

I most certainly do not get it.

"B-but sir, with all due respect Silver Bounty doesn't really do anything that the guild offers..."

"So you haven't been getting requests from the farmfolk for hunting?"

"Well, I mean I guess a coupl-"

"Don't you know, boy? Those requests are crucial for new adventurers just starting out. Don't think I haven't seen you taking all the F-E-D postings too. You and your shop are monopolizing low level quests, and I'm not getting any new adventurers registering as it is because of the Boss Monsters that keep popping up near the city."

It can't just be because of this, this doesn't make sense.

"Look, I'm a busy man. I run the largest guild in the country, and there's a lot of people I have to keep happy in this city on top of that. I need to put my thumb down on pests like you before you become bigger problems."

Toast snorted and we snapped our attention to him. The guildmaster narrowed his eyes again and Toast growled back in response. A faint smirk appeared on his chiseled bearded face.

"I like this one. No fear in that eye of his, and a battle scar of his own."

He clasped his hands together.

"Boy. I'm an unreasonable man, but I'm not a villain. I'll give you and your friends 3 days to pack up before I burn your shop."

That's total villain-like behavior!

"W-why do you need to burn it?"

"Come now boy, don't be foolish. Do you think I have time to keep checking in on you to make sure you've stopped your business? It's a waste of my resources. Much easier to just burn it down."

He chuckled to himself briefly before locking eyes with me again and turning his expression to one of spine-chilling anger.

"Or if you would prefer I can kill you here and now, and kill your friends later."

Toast reacted to the threat before I could hold him back. He snarled and lunged across the table, breaking through the shield that the guildmaster had cast in a split-second response. Toast's little teeth bared down on the guildmaster's scarred arm, and he clenched tighter as the massive brawny man tried to shake him off.

I scrambled over the table myself, knocking it over, and jumped on the guildmaster's other arm, that he had raised up with a balled first, about to strike my dog. He was so strong that I was kept in the air as he swung his arms around, toppling the couch, before roaring at us with a force that made us both let go. 

Toast jumped a few feet away, and poised himself like he did when we were fighting 'goblins'; his front half lowered to the ground, his tail waving back and forth slowly, and his teeth bared. The guildmaster flexed and strained his muscles, popping seams on his short sleeves, and causing the buttons to shoot off his vest. He spread his legs into a slight squat, and clenched his fists again. If I wasn't about to wet myself in terror I'd have thought he was about to transform and get spiky golden hair.

I had to de-escalate the situation quickly before Toast got hurt. Low level monsters were one thing, but this was clearly a seasoned fighter, and we'd enraged him. His face had turned red, and I could visibly see steam rising from his head, and shooting from his nose. If Berserker is a Job in this world, this man is it, and we could really die.

I sprinted over to Toast and scooped him up. He protested and started barking at the guildmaster, still flashing his little fangs. A golden glint appeared on our opponent's face, and his focus turned to the Goddess' emblem. He slowly returned to a normal colour, breathing heavily and relaxing his muscles. I stood frozen in fear, darting my eyes to the doorway in case we needed to run.

The guildmaster straightened himself, and his tie, and gestured to the door. I didn't need to be told twice and bolted for it. I remembered the paper on his desk and made a grab for it as I passed while he collected his buttons from the floor. I hoped Toast's incessant barking would conceal the noise of the paper fluttering. He called out to me when I reached the door and I thought I'd been caught, but instead he made a remark that made my blood turn cold.

"See you tomorrow, boy."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I raced home with Toast in my arms to warn my family. I had no idea what 'see you tomorrow' meant, and if we had to fear for our lives or if he was just going to make good on his threat to burn the shop 3 days earlier.

I burst into the door of the shop, and only saw Maja. I asked her to gather everyone and close up. Shortly after when we were all present, I explained the best I could while my body shook. Toast licked my face.

~Mi?~

"It's okay buddy, I'm okay. We're gonna-"

I paused. I didn't know what we were going to do. Everyone looked worried, and Kana had begun to cry. We were going to lose our home at the very least. Toast pawed at my hand that I had forgotten had been clutching the paper I'd stolen. I set him down and uncrumpled the paper on the counter, trying to iron out the creases as best I could with my hands. I still couldn't read this world's writing because I hadn't really had the need for it until now, so I asked Maja if she could tell me what it said.

She took the paper and gave it a once over, and her eyes widened. She read the paper out to all of us and I felt a mix of fear and hope.

It was a letter from the guildmaster to another person, outlining his plan to destroy our shop, kill me if he had to, and as I'd originally suspected; kidnap Maja. But there was one unforeseen detail. The guildmaster had indeed been watching me with Toast, and mentioned in the letter that my 'Spirit Partner' was able to detect the Moroza. The guildmaster was going to capture Toast after killing me and sell him off. We didn't know to whom, or who the letter was addressed to either as it was unfinished.

I knew it wasn't just about the shop. But why does the guildmaster care about Toast and the Moroza?

We had a difficult rest of the evening as we packed our things, reminisced about our happy memories here, and struggled to come to grips with what was happening. Tamon took it a little harder because he couldn't manage to pack all of his 'cute collection'.

I brought the news to Pinnea out of fear she'd also get hurt being so involved with us, and she was furious, partly since it was her building they were threatening to burn down, but mostly for the injustice of it all. She sent all her girls home early and warned them not to come in the next day just in case.

We said our goodbyes to our home, and made our way to an inn. No one was in the mood to be in each other's company, so we all turned in. 

As I lay in bed feeling defeated, I thought back on the manga I used to read, and what the main characters would do in situations like this. As I recalled stories where it seemed like the bad guy was winning, a frivolous thought crossed my mind;

I always wondered why no one ever just told the police. Or whatever law enforcement existed. Stuff like this is illegal right?

I shot up in bed, and startled Toast who had just started to nod off.

This is -super- illegal. I don't care what world we're in, there has to be laws in place about arson, and kidnapping, and murder!

The guildmaster was powerful to say the least, and he'd mentioned his partners in the city, but surely there was a chance whoever was in charge of the city itself wasn't involved. If there was a chance I had to try, right?

I hyped myself up that this was a good idea, and not a horrible idea that could expose Toast and get me killed.

I frantically pounded on the doors of my friends, and made them all come to my room half-asleep to validate my crazy plan and begin our war council.