Chapter 10

Silas sits cross legged in a black void. A peace washed over him as suddenly Monika appeared before him in a theatrical show of purple flames. Her form now is more solid than anytime before.

“So did I die?”

Monika laughs at him. “Gods no! Somehow a man came crashing in and sealed my powers. Though when you do wake back up I imagine you will be in quite a bit of pain. Getting stabbed through the chest will do that to a person.”

He shakes his head and lays back. Monika comes to his side and sits down next to him. Slowly she places a hand on his chest. He can feel a warmth radiating from her. In his mind he fears that if he continues to soak the feeling in, he will slowly begin to lose himself to her and her whims.

“Monika? Do you have any idea how I can help you with your goal?”

Monika looks at her knees and pulls them closer to her chest. “Yeah I think so. Go out in the world and explore. As we travel across the world and into the cavern we should find feathers made of Mana. These are my memories given form.”

He stares up at her from where he lays. “Your memories?”

“Yeah, I also have one other piece of information for you before you wake.”

She moves swifty ontop of him straddling her thighs around his hips. “I have reason to believe that some of my memories may help your dying brother recover from his illness.”

His eyes grow wide and he shifts his upper half up to reach her face with his.

“What? You know how to cure him? Tell me what you know Monika!?”

She reaches up and cradles his face with her hands. “I’m sorry Silas, I don't have any details to share with you at the moment. It’s just a feeling I have.” She looks around the void sensing something. “You will wake soon. Listen to the people that have you captured and I guarantee you will gain the ability to find my memories.”

She reaches out, still holding his face, and kisses his forehead. “Fairwell for now, my dearest.”

*****

Silas slowly opens his eyes in a groggy way. He finds himself chained to a bed in a sterile gray room. He looks around and notices a figure. A man, possibly middle aged with scraggly facial hair. The man notices his movement and looks over at him.

“Well now, wakey wakey sleeping beauty. Before you freak out just so you know you're at Guild HQ.”

Silas slowly sits up only to notice two details. One he has chains attached to him. This appears to be in order to keep him attached to the bed in the center of this rather small empty room. Two he appears to have a new bracelet on his right wrist.

He looks over at the massive window and see’s a sight he never imagined he would see. A massively sprawling city. Buildings taller than anything he has seen and copious amounts of smoke bellowing from possibly tens of thousands of homes. Even more amazingly is the sight of the ocean at the end of it all.

“Why am I here and who are you?”

Silas winces from the immense pain coursing all throughout his body.

“Let me handle all of the details ok kid. For starters my name is Clint Ekhart and I am a member of the Guild Counsel, Rank 6.”

Clint pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lights it up.

“There are a lot of details I need to tell you and I have questions of my own.”

He takes a drag of the cigarette and blows the smoke out away from Silas.

“For starters my junior and myself swooped in to stop you from rampaging and taking out what was left of your party.”

Silas remembers the last thing before he lost himself was that Rugger and Biggs were badly injured and Kaylin was defending them.

“What happened to them!?”

Clint looks at him with a blank stare. “Your parties ranger and warrior lived too, but were pretty messed up. They should be fine by this point. The female sword fighter is doing… well I guess.” He turns his gaze to the ceiling.

“That woman damn near took one of my arms when I stopped you. In fairness I did happen to stab you through your chest. Don’t worry I avoided anything vital.”

“That explains why I feel like death right now I guess.”

Clint lets out a short laugh. “Yeah more than likely. Well we pulled your ass out of the Creation Event and back here because you just so happened to resonate with a Cataclysm class spectral weapon. Quite a rare feat you know.”

Clint points at the new bracelet on Silas wrist. “That bracelet is the punishment for your sin kid.”

Silas looks at him with confusion.

“You’re probably thinking what sin right?” Clint stands up and towers over Silas with a look of pure anger and disdain. “The sin of stealing the spectral weapon from me damn it!”

Clint throws himself back into the chair with a huff. Silas responds to the outburst, “It’s not like I had a choice in the matter. I can’t die, I have to take care of my… Oh crap Nikolai and Astrid!?”

“Calm down kid. I took care of that matter.” Clint holds up two fingers. One, we are making sure that your brother and girlfriend have enough money to not worry about food or medicine. Two, I sent my junior and someone really special to go pick them up for us. They are moving here to Grace Harbor. The guild has already procured housing for them.”

Clint puts out his cigarette. “Besides, what good would it do for us to let them rot out there in the sticks? Your morale would probably be quite low.”

Silas looks even more confused now. Clint notices and chuckles. “Did you really think the guild was going to let you walk away with such a dangerous spectral weapon? You are going to become one of my juniors. In return for working for us your family stays safe and well fed. Plus who knows we might even be able to find a cure for your brother's ailment.”

Silas thinks back to what Monika told him. To listen to the people that captured him and find her memories all around the world. Realizing that work with the guild and becoming a junior to one of the counsel is more than likely the best way to achieve his goal, he turns to Clint with resolve in his eyes.

“Lord Ekhart! I agree to the guild's terms so long as I have the ability to travel the world adventuring in the process.”