[Lunia, Steel Family Smithery]
The streets of Lunia were dead this day. The usual chaos of merchants was replaced with the heavy thud of the heavy rain against the wooden ceillings of houses. The streets were clean, and guards from the Town's watch could be seen patrolling.
The Blood Bat Party did not meet with their clients in the sewers or in Ronnie's house. It was not an association request after all, but a personal one from one of the strongest individuals in the association, if not the strongest if you did not count the elders and Elizabeth Blackhope, the founder, herself.
They met in the Steel Family Smithery. As a dwarf, the leader of the Black Crow Party Angus Steel knew how to wield a hammer and build tools and weapons at the appropriate price. His byproducts were so popular that they were the preferred supplier of the Town's Watch.
Inside, the air was thick with the scent of incense. Dozens of dwarves could be seen. The Steel family was very welcoming, though all members were blacksmiths. Their ripped bodies showed their racial strength and affinities for the hammer.
[Lin Steel - Lv. 1 Acolyte]
[Angus Steel - Lv. 7 Acolyte]
One of the blacksmiths immediately led the way to a private chamber where Angus Steel, the leader of the Black Crow Party, awaited them. His nephew, Hwan, and his wife, Lin Steel, stood beside him. Angus looked like a fiery man. His fire elemental affinity could not be hidden, as if he had a fever yet showed none of the symptoms.
Lin Steel, in comparison, was much calmer and weaker. His wife looked to have water affinity, but she was not outstanding at all.
The person who requested the fawn, however, was quite interesting. Hawn Steel.
[Hawn Steel - Lv. 2 Acolyte]
Nature elemental affinity was rare among acolytes.
It was rarer in the Association, where people usually had shadow or blood elemental affinities.
Nature spells were very versatile, they excelled in poison, crowd control, as well as healing. In a light magus faction, he would have been branded as a genius just for having that affinity. In an elven tribe, he would have been nurtured as a druid regardless of his talent.
But his future was uncertain. Information about nature magical knowledge was scarce, even in light magus factions, not to mention a growing dark path one like the Black Widow Association. That's probably what triggered the green star mission.
In the face of lack of knowledge, Angus probably deemed that contracting a nature magical beast was the most efficient path to grow stronger for his nephew. 40 magical crystals was no small investment. Most yellow stars missions did not even rewarded half that amount.
But the association's ranking system was never correlated with rewards. It only ranked danger. And just because this mission was technically not dangerous, it was not easy by any means. A regular party would have needed to search for information for nature elemental beast, potentially pay for it.
Then, they would need to wait for the appropriate breeding season to find an infant one.
If not for Willem's knowledge, Greem would have never picked it up. Even then, he had meant to take this request as training. If they had not been lucky and found it under two weeks, he would have given up.
This was, after all, not a short-term mission, but a long-term one. Additionally, it was an official mission, so there would have been no major reputation loss if he gave up. The contract was not binding at all.
Angus was a mountain of a man, his beard braided with silver rings, his eyes sharp as flint. He looked up as the Blood Bat Party entered, his expression unreadable.
"Greem. I heard you took the mission and headed west. You've returned sooner than expected"
Greem returned the greeting with proper etiquette. Besides the reward, forming a connection with one of the strongest party did not seem all too bad.
"We got lucky. I initially wanted to train our new blood, but it turns out we stumbled upon a luminous fawn. Don't look at us suspiciously, it is unharmed."
Hwan's eyes lit up, and he stepped forward eagerly: "Truly? Let me see it."
Luminous deers were quite famous. Many hunters had sighted some in the Jaegal forest. However, they were generally a bad omen, as they were known to be quite territorial.
Vanessa untied the sack, and the luminous fawn tumbled out, its glow now muted but still casting a soft, ethereal light across the floor. Hwan knelt beside it, his hands trembling slightly as he reached out to touch its silver coat.
"It's perfect. Uncle, this is exactly what I needed", he shouted in excitement
Angus nodded, satisfied. He turned to Greem, pulling a small pouch from his belt.
"Your reward", he spoke clearly. He tossed the pouch to Greem, who caught it effortlessly, "40 magical crystals, and the Black Crow Party's gratitude. You've done us a great service"
Greem pocketed the pouch, his expression neutral, but he still counted them one by one. This act of distrust made Angus twitch slightly, but he said nothing. The Black Widow Association was an unkind place. There was no place to resent what was considered 'common sense' in the association, but it still hurt him that his reputation of integrity did not reach Greem's ears.
In fact, it had reached him, but Greem did not believe rumours, much less trust someone he had only encountered from a distance.
"It was our pleasure. The Blood Bats are always happy to assist… for the right price. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have another request"
Angus studied him for a long moment, then sighed.
"A practical man. I respect that"
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice.
"But let me offer you a word of warning, out of gratitude for your help. Tensions with the Magical Court are growing. Aranthra warned me of it, and I extend that warning to you. Elizabeth won't say to relocate or hide, but it's consistent with the fact that there have been no mandatory missions in the past few weeks"
Greem's mind raced. The Magical Court was no small threat. If they were turning their attention to Lunia, it meant trouble for the entire Association.
"A war is coming to Lunia?"
Angus nodded grimly.
"Perhaps. But even if it is the Magical Court, there's no chance they'll send a magus. Those monsters are dispatched for wars between empires, not small skirmishes. But the question remains…"
He paused, his gaze heavy.
"Can Elizabeth handle it?", Willem spoke, as if he were deep in thoughts.
Greem didn't answer immediately. He knew Elizabeth's reputation: ruthless, cunning, and utterly without mercy. But even she had limits. If the Magical Court was truly mobilizing, it would be one of the greatest crises the Association had ever faced.
"It does not matter. Our roots are in Lunia. If this spells the end of the Association, we can always run. This might actually be a great opportunity for us", Greem answered carefully, a plan forming in his mind.
It was time to return to the Black Skull Sect. It had been a month already since he accepted to smuggle goods to the Catacombs. To avoid suspicions, he had not sold his entire stock of magical beast cores at once. He slowly sold them or exchanged them for the items needed by the Black Skull Sect.
He wondered: How would Malakoff react to the news?
Would he ally with Elizabeth against the Magical Court?
Would he hide to avoid any risk of their "Master" being found out?
Even the magical court would not send a Magus. They could be counted on one's hands. However, judging by Elizabeth's aggressiveness in the past conflicts, going so far as to curse and kill an advanced rank acolyte of theirs and stealing a resource points, they might send a large force. Probably an army.