“Indeed. As for the restaurant, I just kept tabs on you after I heard about a Ranger zapping the guards. I followed you here to surprise you and I accomplished that. Your face was priceless. By the way, do you need help with that?” Friya pointed at his meal.
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m a firm believer that it takes two to truly appreciate a chicken. The chicken and me.” He replied while pulling the plate away from her fork.
“Always the gentleman, eh?” Friya pouted while ordering a smaller portion of what he had taken.
“Speaking of gentlemen, Count Cestor called saying your guild harassed Zantia’s citizens and that you’ve got some kind of divine retribution for it.”
“That’s rich! We harassed no one. Viscount Krame owns many magical workshops, mostly small stuff like enchanted home appliances and ornaments. Those jerks from the Church of the Six pestered his customers and his employees with their fanatical propaganda.
“We simply kept them away from private property, that’s it. As for the ‘divine retribution’, the children of the Viscount got the Griever, but my guild members are fine.” Friya’s gurgling stomach forced Lith to share his plate while she waited for her own.
“What can you tell me about the Griever?” Lith’s professional curiosity was piqued.
“It’s no illness, that’s for sure. I suspect it’s caused by something in the water, because all three of the Viscount’s children presented weakened organs and random damage to the skin, but I never managed to identify what caused the phenomenon.
“Not even after it returned for the third time. Since those noble idiots seems to be unable to follow even the simplest orders, I had to give them a detail 24/7. Playing babysitter means my men can’t protect all of the shops anymore, but since we still get paid in full, I’m fine with that.”
“I’m sorry to bother you, Captain, but are you not going to introduce us to your new friend?” Said a young woman in her early twenties. She had a pixie cut and a round face.
She could’ve been considered cute, if not for her thick muscular build and square jaw. Coupled with her fierce eyes, they gave her a cold demeanour, like a disgruntled drill sergeant ready to dish out a punishment.
“He’s no friend, Wyra.” Friya said with a suave voice, while taking Lith’s hand and threading her fingers through his.
“We’ve decided to marry.”
At those words, several mugs of beer shattered on the floor as many members of Friya’s guild either dropped them or made them fall by standing up abruptly in disbelief.
Seeing their bewildered expressions, Friya burst out in laughter, shocking them even more. She rarely showed her emotions to them. A mercenary guild was no charity, nor was it like the army. They followed her to make a profit, not because of honor and blind loyalty.
They were all mages from minor academies or had graduated from the great ones yet failed to master any specialization. They were jacks of all trades, but without the means to make a living with magic.
Friya knew they could leave her the moment they received a better offer or if they thought the mission was too risky. She trusted only the core members of her unit and kept the others at arm’s length.
“She’s joking.” Lith said since Friya was still too busy crying from laughter.
“I’m Lith Verhen. Nice to meet you miss Wyra.” Lith offered her his hand and she promptly shook it.
“It’s an honour to meet you, Sir. You’re a beacon of hope for us mages of commoner origin.” Wyra blushed while squeezing his hand with enough strength that she would have crushed it if not for Lith’s enhanced body.
“Did they send you here for the Griever? Zantia could use a great Healer’s expertise.” Said the red headed man, making Friya angry.
“Hey, I resent that! I ranked second after him, both overall and in the light department. I’m a great Healer too!” She said while stabbing her chicken with anger.
“No, they didn’t. I’m leaving the city after lunch.”
After meeting Friya’s ten men unit, Lith understood why Quylla didn’t trust them to accompany her during her travels. Most of them were either trying to suck up to him or staring at him with envy or contempt.
Only a few, like Wyra, were just trying to befriend him.
‘Judging from Friya’s expression, some of them are going to get kicked out of the guild as soon as their current mission is over.’ Lith thought after paying his bill and offering them a round of drinks.
He tried to push open the door of the restaurant, yet it didn’t budge. Only when the hardwood started to creak did it open, but a chilly wind slapped his face and big snowflakes entered the hallway.
“What the heck? Where did this storm come from?” Lith asked the head waiter.
“From the sky, I guess. The weather changes often in the north.” The man replied with a condescending tone, like he was talking to an ignorant kid.
Lith ignored the waiter playing captain obvious and closed himself in the bathroom. After checking with Life Vision that no one was inside, he opened a Warp Gate leading as far as he could, using Invigoration to boost the spell’s strength.
‘This is all too odd. First, they call me here for nothing and send me away despite there being an odd disease spreading. Then I meet Friya and I casually get stuck here because of a sudden snowstorm. Someone is playing with me.’ Lith thought.
Yet despite Lith’s full blown paranoia, no matter how far the dimensional corridor went, wind and snow would always strike his face with so much strength that it was impossible to see further than three meters.
‘You’re right. Clearly the sky spirits conspired against you.’ Solus chuckled. Yet she checked as far as she could see with mana sense, making sure the storm really was natural. Just to be safe.
‘Dammit! This is even worse than I thought. This isn’t my first snowstorm, but I always managed to spend them in the tower with you. What am I supposed to do until it blows over?’ Lith thought.
‘Maybe spend some time with your old friend? Help the people of Zantia with the Griever? You two have a lot of catching up to do.’
Friya was really happy about the snowstorm and offered Lith an accommodation as an honorary member of the Crystal Shield, her adventurers guild. Lith didn’t miss that such position would put him under her command, but he accepted anyway.
‘The Count is a nutjob. He didn’t want me setting foot inside the city, I doubt he would offer me a place to stay. This way I get a room, the opportunity to make up with Friya for not inviting her for my birthday, and I can take a look at the Griever.
‘When shit hits the fan, it would be up to me to fix that mess anyway.’ He inwardly sighed.
Unfortunately, Viscount Krame didn’t share Friya’s enthusiasm.
“Another mouth to feed during winter is a burden, Lady Ernas.” The Viscount said. He was a man in his late forties, around 1.68 meters (5’6″) tall with thick black hair and a finely trimmed goatee.
