Guildmaster

1

Every single day I spend walking around the cobbled streets of Yorutei, I was reminded of that game I played as a kid. I never beat it nor remember its title, but the Asian-inspired setting stuck with me. As a half-Japanese born in Japan but moved to the other side of the world at an early age, the setting of that game made me think it was the country I left behind.

Yorutei was more alien than Japan, but the longer I stayed in this town the more it felt like that game. Like home.

It was a dangerous thought. I haven’t been in this world for long, and most of the days went by so fast, but it started to feel like I belonged here. Every time I went to hunt monsters, my Dark Knight training became second nature. Every time I work or spend time with other guild members, be it Sachi’s group, or Hakan, or Tori, or someone I’ve yet to know, it felt like the past decade of my life have been the same but in other branches of the guild. Hakan even offered to join me whenever I decided to go back to the previous guild I worked at. Assuming his pining for Meifan doesn’t pan out. And I agreed. I told the man the guild down at Kelashir could use a strong mercenary like him. It was as if my fake backstory was becoming my real one.

I wondered if our fake stories extended past Yorutei or the Everdark. My fake master probably didn’t even exist, and not a single soul in Trendel or Keslahir knew who I was.

“I’m Ryota Rutherford,” I mumbled.

At the very least the arbiter didn’t change our name or our appearance. And I still remembered everything in my past life.

No, no.

My real life.

I had exams coming up. I had my confession to Ilyana to take care of. The end-of-the-year holidays were right around the corner.

“Christmas… Christmas…” I mumbled.

If Ilyana and I started dating, it’d be my first Christmas with a girlfriend. As a recent member of the multi-million club, money wouldn’t be an issue, so I better plan big.

A slender arm made its way at the side of my chest and locked against mine. It felt natural. I didn’t even flinch.

“What are you doing?” I said.

Jennifer and I walked arm and arm as we crossed a wooden overpass in the southern district. The Protectorate Guild came into view at the end of the road we walked, while several people went about their daily life.

“I get that it’s a busy street, but—”

“I’m doing the opposite,” Jennifer said matter-of-factly. She leaned closer and I smelled the flower-perfume she bought the other day. “Every time our fake relationship is brought up, we get awkward and avoid the issue. Now I’m trying to face it head on.”

“Why would—”

“I couldn’t get you out of my head, so I’m trying to see if I actually feel anything for you. I hate that the arbiter did this to us, so I want to make sure if it makes any real difference.”

“And?”

“My heart is beating so fast.”

Mine was too. I was worried she could hear it hammering out of my chest. But at the same time…

“But at the same time, I’m still me. It’s not like I don’t like you, Ryota, but we’ve only known each other for a relatively short time. So I don’t think I’m in love with you.”

I laughed. “Good. It’d be bad if we fell for each other like this.”

“Damn right. That said, we should probably use this chemistry we currently have to our advantage. Not that we should be lovey-dovey or anything, that’s a line I wouldn’t want to cross. But I feel like I could accomplish this mission if I’m doing it for you… you know?”

“I understand what you mean.”

Something bothered me.

While my fake memory clearly made me have feelings of affection for Jennifer’s ‘character’, it was almost as if I hesitated in loving her back. Our relationship put her in great danger because of my past connection to the underworld. It wasn’t Ryota Rutherford who felt that way, of course, but my fake Dark Knight ‘character’.

What was this level of detail the arbiter came up for our backstories? It was part of the reason my persona felt so genuine. It had complex layers to it, and I wasn’t sure how that was helpful for our mission. In theory, it would’ve probably been better for our partnership if I was madly in love with her, unburdened by so many complications.

Not that I was complaining, of course. It was better this way for the real me.

“So, what was that about Christmas?” Jennifer asked. “You’ve been mumbling when I caught up to you.”

“Oh… I was wondering how I’d spend the holidays when we get back. We did get a ton of money from our last mission.”

“You mean you did.”

Right. Jennifer didn’t pass the last one.

“Anyway, why did Meifan ask you to come to the guild today?” Jennifer asked. “Is it more work? We’re getting awfully close to the festival, so resting might be a good option, you know.”

“That’s what I thought,” I contemplated. “Allen said the guild and the town guard are working together to patrol the outskirts to make sure nothing gets in the way of the festival, so there’s that.”

“He met up with Hakan just now, right?”

“And Dak, yeah. I don’t think you two have fought together recently, but Allen’s gotten really comfortable at fighting. He said his military background is finally paying off.”

“Huh. Do you think our skills here would translate back to earth?”

Jennifer was still clinging to me, but I managed a shrug. “Who knows,” I said. “I know Allen wants to ask it as his reward after the mission. You still dead set on winning the Japanese lottery?”

“You bet I am!”

We both laughed and finally found ourselves in front of the Protectorate Guild.

“Oh, but the reason Meifan asked me to come was because the guildmaster finally got back, just in time for the festival. Apparently, he wanted to meet with me specifically.”

2

Yin Makal was an old man with grey hair, beard and wolf-like ears, one of which was chipped off at the tip. He rested on a stoic expression that was more unimpressed than relaxed, while his gait was heavy and precise. His armor was sleek and burned a dark red, fitted to hug his black kimono underneath. More noticeable however, were the magic gemstones embedded in his round pauldrons, glowing faintly with the symbol for lightning and fire.

The guildmaster was shaking hands with a couple of guardsmen from Yorutei when Meifan ushered us to the fourth floor of the guild.

There were a few new faces in the protectorate when Jennifer and I arrived; guild members who worked directly for the guildmaster or members dispatched in other parts of the country who now came back for the festival. They ranged from seasoned warriors with scars and hardened faces, to scholarly mage types who knew too much of the world. The mood of the guild had always been relaxed or even rowdy at times but today marked a downshift to a more serious tone. If not for the returnees, then for the guardsmen of the town currently present.

“I will see you on the day of the festival, then,” the guildmaster said to his guests, his voice deep, sounding like he’d been gargling marbles all his life.

“You can leave the security of the Everdark to us,” one of the guardsmen replied, a woman with long black hair and thin spectacles. She wore the fancier blue-and-white plate armor of the guard, with its helmet tucked under one arm. “The mayor has your full support, Guildmaster Yin. To a shadowless future.”

When the guardsmen made their exit, the woman raised an eyebrow when she passed us but said nothing as they descended the stairs.

I never really had much chance to interact with Yorutei’s government or guardsmen, but in the short time I’ve been here, they’ve always been present and largely intimidating, even to the locals.

“The Dark Knight,” Yin said when he noticed us. “And I’m assuming one of his companions.”

“Yessir,” Meifan said. “Ryota and Jennifer.”

Yin nodded, then gestured with his head towards his office at the other side of the building. “Both of you can come in. I don’t really have much time to talk.”

Without another word, Jennifer and I were led into the guildmaster’s office, which looked a lot fancier than I expected. It had a wooden table with stacks of paperwork, shelves of books that looked like they’ve actually been read, scrolls and paintings of various landscapes outside Shusui, a massive skull of what I assumed was an Everdark fiend, and a panoramic view of the city behind the man’s chair.

The guildmaster told us to grab our own chairs to sit, which the previous visitors kindly left for us.

“I’ll be down at reception if you need me,” Meifan said as she closed the door.

Aside from a few mean-looking guild members who glared a bunch and didn’t work well with others, the protectorate had primarily been stress free and one of my favorite places to visit in all of Yorutei. The guildmaster on the other hand felt intimidating. His was a large presence that radiated so much power. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was magic that did it.

“I’ve heard so much about you, Ryota,” the man said as he turned from behind his table and sat down. “I hear you defeated an Everdark fiend on your first week with us.”

Nope, it wasn’t magic. This guy just had that kind of aura about him.

“Yessir,” I said. “Though it was with the assistance of two veteran members of the Yorutei branch.”

Yin nodded. Of course, he knew the details. “After that you hunted many more fiends from the cursed forest. Minor ones that posed little threat, and large ones that could decimate our farms or even threaten Yorutei itself.”

“All marks from the guild,” I said. “My companions and I are lucky to have many seasoned mercenaries in this branch we can rely on to do these jobs.”

“They’re Shusui’s finest, though the rest of the country is wont to admit it,” Yin said, almost bitterly. “But I’m glad you didn’t turn tail the moment you realized how different life is here in the northern edge of Yves. Took the initiative, in fact. I hear the first fiend you felled was a flier.”

“It was,” I said. “And never encountered another since.”

“They’re rare in these parts. But its more proof that the Everdark grows more malicious. I wished its corpse was displayed outside of the forest, but I was told it was too big and ventured too far. You two know why the process had to be done, correct?”

“We do, sir.”

“Good. That practice was my idea.”

Oh, damn.

“Everdark fiends are like humans in a way,” Yin continued to say, “People will tell you the beasts are intelligent, but intelligence requires more than one emotion or thought. The fiends on the other hand only know malice. They do it for sport. Did you know that ever since we started displaying the beasts’ corpses along their border ten years ago, their skirmishes diminished to less than half? At least they also know fear, which I suppose makes that two emotions.”

“That’s… impressive, sir,” I said.

“But lately, the fiends have gotten restless again,” Yin continued. “Despite our many attempts to cull their ranks, or scare them from crossing their border, they continue to leave their shadowy nests. They’ve grown numb.”

“That’s why the headquarters at Keslahir sent us,” Jennifer said. “To help with the growing problem in this region. And we were only the most recent ones to come.”

Yin’s eyes narrowed.

“We’ve been working hard to make Yorutei as strong as it can be,” the guildmaster said, “and the north as safe as it could possibly be for the coming festival. This is why I called you here.”

I straightened up from my chair.

“Your Dark Knight abilities are beyond the pale from what I hear, Ryota Rutherford. It’s a rare type of magic in this continent so not many can match what you do or predict your moves. Your companion here is a gifted Sun Singer, and the one out right now is a trained Warrior, despite his shy demeanor.”

Wow, the guildmaster really did his research. Or maybe Meifan was simply thorough in her report. But so far, I really liked where this was going.

“And Meifan tells me you three are interested in joining me for my negotiation with the village inside the Everdark.”

“This is true,” Jennifer said. “We’d really like to help if we can. We all think it’s a great idea to expand the reach of the guild to the Everdark.”

“Do you now…”

“We do,” I followed. “The guild is all about protecting people. If anything, the residents of Yunha are at the most risk being literally surrounded by the Everdark. Our presence there would be big.”

Yin leaned back on his chair, a derisive smile creasing his lips ever so slightly. “It’s interesting you say that considering the official stance of the guild headquarters in Keslahir is to move all residents of Yunha out of the Everdark.”

Just then, a memory came to me. A fake one embedded by the arbiter.

“Protecting Yunha is a massive waste of our resources,” a man from my memory said. He looked very old and wore a pair of thick, round glasses and a yellow robe. “I did what I could to prevent that branch from gaining support, but the leader in charge is desperate in gathering more allies.”

“Answer their summons if you must. Join them.”

“But you must prevent them from succeeding.”

“The guild must not expand further north.”

I blinked. That old man was a higher up at the Keslahir branch of the Protectorate Guild. Jennifer and I were sent to Yorutei to join their branch… and sabotage their plans.

What. The. Hell.

What were these memories? They were fake, right? What were all these details from our made-up past for? Were they actually directives from the arbiter? Why not explain that before sending us to this world?

It did not feel right. I felt sick to my stomach.

“Ryota and I are more in agreement with your plans, sir.” I didn’t even notice Jennifer started to talk. “To be honest, we weren’t even aware of the stance of any other guild. We just came here for work and learned of what this branch plans to do.”

The guildmaster didn’t look convinced, but trying to read his expression was like reading a book from a different language than your own.

“And to be honest…” Jennifer said. She turned to me and held my hand tightly. “Ryota and I came here… to live a life away from our homes. It didn’t have to be Yorutei, but we intend to marry and settle down. Whatever politics the guild is playing is honestly none of our concern.”

My eyes widened at the words. Was that from her memories too?

“I can think of other reasons why you’re interested in the village,” Yin said, tapping his index finger. He looked between the two of us. “But fine. I’m not interested in letting you join our retinue, but I know you’re strong enough to be of use if necessary. I’ll permit you going to the village. Go and enjoy the festivities.”

I didn’t even know we needed his permission.

After that we talked a bit about our pasts and my Dark Knight abilities. Yin seemed interested in the latter more as a warrior himself than anything else. After we finished talking, Jennifer and I excused ourselves and headed in the direction of our usual tavern where we agreed to meet Allen later in the day. Neither of us said anything to each other until we were far enough away from the guild.

“This complicates things,” Jennifer said, quietly. She clung to my arm like we did earlier in the day, but this time she did it to whisper to me. “The guildmaster is suspicious of us, so we’d likely have more eyes paying attention to whatever we do once we reach the village.”

“Jennifer, I had a flash of memory back there…” I said.

“The one from the Keslahir guild, right? I got them too, as soon as the guildmaster mentioned their stance about Yunha. It was hazy, but it was the real reason we were sent here.”

“I’m surprised you were able to act like nothing happened there.”

“Yeah, well, let’s just say I’m good at it.”

“You think these memories are orders from the arbiter?”

“I don’t know, but if it is then its ineffective. I say we ignore it. Our mission remains the same either way.”

“True… The arbiter even added that detail about us not caring about politics and wanting to marry and settle down. The details can be too specific sometimes.”

“I made that one up,” Jennifer said. “I had to say something to make him sympathetic to us.”

I… wait, what?

“We’re going with the mask plan.”

“Hold up, did you mean—”

Jennifer turned to look around the part of town we were in. “I’m pretty sure there’s a shop here that sells trinkets and useless junk. Let’s get what we need before we meet up with Allen.”