The moment Jack sensed the strongest presence enter and then immediately bolt away, he could immediately notice a change in the remaining monsters still assaulting the city. They quickly lost their previous frenzy and started to scatter in all directions away from it, save for those already inside. In case of the latter, they were far too deep in their frenzy and bloodlust, doubly so for those who had already managed to spill some human blood, their savage and bestial nature taking absolute hold over whatever self preservation they might have had to begin with and thanks to this dispersion of unity and absolute focus, Jack could go after the monsters inside and not fleeing like the rest of them. It was only another hour later that the mercenary found teh commander he had worked with during the siege, his team already back home and taking a well deserved baths and rest.
"Payment." he spoke a single word once in front of the commander, a few other assistants around the man in charge.
"Mhm." the commander nodded, turning his head towards the very same person ordered to keep track of the mercenary and his kills. They made the same deal that most mercs received during such dangerous situations if they chose to stay and fight since most of them could have slipped away before the attack reached the walls and none could blame them. For all the curses flung their way, once a merc took on a job they were extremely faithful to said contract, stopping shy of death to cancel them and on the rare occasion they did, they would always offer significant reimbursements- their contract was their god, so to speak, but that also meant that not paying a merc his deserved payment after the job was done would bring down fate worse than anyone was willing to risk, since said person, or group would then be made an example out of.
"What's the count?" he asked the assistant, awaiting the answer, only to raise a brow at the number, before nodding his head in apparently impressed manner.
"Three hundred gold. Holy shit!" he exhaled, as he nodded, ordering another of the attendants to produce the quickly drafted contract and payment for the services rendered. Only once the transaction was complete and contract finalized did he spoke once again noticing the merc turning around and preparing to leave.
"Interested in a more permanent employment?" he asked, but noticing a lack of response, he quickly added "Could you at least tell us about the ring you gave us during the fight? I have never seen something quite like it."
"Prototype. Ask merchant Ramia." the merc replied, as if discarding unneeded info he had no connection to.
"Could we perhaps borrow it for a while longer?" the commander quickly adeed "As you no doubt can understand there will be plenty of useless corpses to dispose off as we clear the battlefields."
The merc stood for a moment, then tossed the ring towards the commander "Return ti to Ramia once done. He will be waiting."
"Thank you." the commander spoke, a slight nod of his head in the merc's direction, only to be seemingly ignored as the cloaked man disappeared behind another corner soon enough.
"So, what did you see?" he then turned his head towards another of the guards standing nearby, their outfit without a single speck of dust or blood on them, as if the person had just left the merchant quarter of the city, or perhaps the noble one.
"Nothing and more than I would like." came a response from the guard, their own cloak receding as a beautiful visage of a young ladies face came into the surrounding men's view. "I saw nothing at all, only question marks, meaning he has access to either a heroic ranked disguise skill or artifact of sorts of similar rarity. And that, as you might have already guessed, cancels out most of the smaller merc groups as possible backers. He is either a member of the largest mercenary guilds, any of the underground syndicates or a member of some special forces, but I could not tell you more."
"And the connection to the merchant Ramia?" the commander asked, he would need all the info available one he reported to the lord, though this part would no doubt reach the man in charge well before he could report. The beautiful woman before him was a member of the special forces reporting directly to the man after all.
"He is shrewd and and well connected, having his fingers in more pies than most nobles living within this city. It's no wonder such a curious item has reached his hands, just as the fact he has dealings with the less known elements of the city. Regardless, there is nothing we can do about that hooded merc. Neither do we know anything of substance about him, nor has he done anything that could give us a reason to try and apprehend him. That sword was a nasty piece as well and could create quite the problems if used to its full potential."
"What do you mean?" the commander asked, a brow furrowed. The sword was sharp no doubt, but he had not seen anything else that would elevate it above just sharpness, only to furrow his brow further still when he was forwarded the description of the item. That was indeed one hell of a pain in the ass to deal with, even for the elite group of the town, each and every member in their mid level forties and equipped with level 25 rare or epic gear.
Claymore of Annihilation(unique-heroic)- level requirement- lvl 10. A weapon crafted for one purpose and one purpose only- to cut through anything in its path, no matter if it's flesh, bone, steel or magic. Strength +7. Cuts through anything below heroic quality of tier 3 items as a hot knife through butter.
"Holy shit!" the commander paled. Tier 3 was level 25 items, meaning that anything the elite squad had would be sliced through without issue, emphasizing the insane backing and no doubt potential or value the man had- yet another problem he would have to inform the town's mayor off.
"If that is all, I will return to my squad commander." the woman spoke, her voice still calm and almost detached, though the commander could sense the unease that the girl held, no doubt due to the item in question- much like him. It was the wording in the items description that sent chills down his spine 'crafted for..'. Just what kind of monster blacksmith/enchanter could ever come up with, and then bring to life such monstrous creation. That, that sent a shiver down his spine like nothing else.
"Guess I am not sleeping well the next few days." he murmured as he headed towards the city center to coordinate the cleanup efforts- the ring in his hands would come in quite handy for that. 'Right, suggest sending someone to Ramia to see if we could get our hands on a couple more of these rings.' he added another note of importance to mention during his report- the grim realization of the mountain of tasks still before him dawning on him, earning a single word of exasperation at the revelation. "SHIT!"
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"Well? Do tell me about your day. The reports that came in were quite precise but I believe the rest of the group would love to hear it as well." Jack smiled as he eyed the kids, the entirety of their still not formed guild joined at the supper table, their eyes full of expectation as their meal was slowly coming to an end- the only restriction Jack had placed on the group, They could only get down to recount and all the rest once done with food, lest it grows cold and the cooks are left unappreciated.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
The recount was quite the story, each of the members of the attack squad joining in as one of them was recounting a part of their day, seemingly always forgetting quite the important detail, requiring said interventions, though it seemed to only make the whole story that much more immersive if the looks on Mika's and Kate's faces was anything to go by. The two girls absorbed it with pure excitement and held breaths, almost needed a reminder from Carla from time to time to actually breathe.
"And then the wyvern swept down, as we barely managed to dodge its surprise attack- thank lord to Chiyo's sharp senses." exaggeratedly hestured Fumiko, winking at their scout with a clear gesture of thanks.
"Kenji was quick to react after that as well though. He taunted and forced it to keep it's eyes and claws aiming at his stout frame and that seemingly indestructible shield." Chiyo continued, seemingly quite eager to share the story- a stark contrast to her usual silent demeanor and few words spoken, causing Jack to smile even more. More and more the kids were opening up to each other, sharing in all things they had. It indeed seemed more and more that they considered each other a family with each passing day- a result that pleased him immensely.
Once the story was over, Kate and Mika stared at the kids with new intensity as they asked if they could join them on their next expedition- a decision that was deferred to Jack and Carla. After a short, and not at all discreet discussion, the two had agreed, but on the condition that Carla would be accompanying them and should she deem that it was time to return, there would be no complaints and they would follow her decision immediately. Thankfully, due to Jack being as important as he was for the group, the decision made by the addults was agreed to without a single complaint, resulting in extremely satisfied group of kids leaving the dining room with pleased and excited expressions.
"You sure the duo is ready for it?" Jack asked once again once only he and Carla were left alone at the table, his expression one of caution aond worry more so than anything else "They have made great progress in their recovery, though I doubt it will be all that easy."
"Do give me some credit mister." Carla smiled at him "I may not look like much, but helping people overcome their trauma is something I am good at. And while I am a bit worried about tommorows expedition, what with the monster slaying and what not, I also believe that the girls need this- a way to exert all that pain and suffering they had experienced in a hands on manner. There is only so much talking and soothing can do after all."
"Once again, I will rely on your expertise doc. Do what you believe is necessary." Jack replied, finally satisfied with the answer without making it seem like they were not on the same wave with each other. "If you don't mind, I too will retire for the night. It might not look like it, but coordinating the kids while monitoring a large part of the city did a number on my mind. A rest is exactly what I need as well."
"Don't forget. if you ever need someone to talk to, your friendly doctor is always here."
"Wasn't it supposed to be friendly neighborhood doctor?" Jack asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow.
"No? Why would you say that?"
"Heh. Never mind then. Something the youngsters might know."
"HEY!" she glared "Are you calling me old? I will have you know I am living my best years right now." she scoffed as she theatrically brushed a hand through her long locks of hair.
"If you say so." Jack chuckled as he retreated to his own room, leaving Carla alone for a moment before she too decided to retire. A long day was ahead of her after all.
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"So? Care to show me that prototype ring I so graciously lent to the merc? I was already contacted by some of the commanders people, trying to set up time for a meeting to discuss a possible purchase of the item. Thank gods you told me about it all when you contacted me yesterday so I was not caught unawares." Ramia spoke when Jack visited him early the next morning, though of course after he had seen the combat party set off on their adventure. The two, PTSD girls seemed particularly excited about the whole thing, more so than Jack would have expected. He had assumed that at least a part of the excitement would have died out after a night of good sleep.
"Sure thing, though remember that it's supposed to be a prototype with no word from the creator when and how many of the finalized version would be delivered even if the demand was high."
"Oh? The good old eccentric master does as he pleases play? I can play off of it, yes."
"Yes, and here a ring of it's like." Jack nodded in confirmation, handing Ramia another one of his freshly made Rings of dispersion.
Ring of deconstruction(epic)- A ring made to assist a high mages staff to clean up his inventory and experimental rooms. Disperses all manner of organic and crafting material and its leftover into mana dust. Requires the organic matter to not have a consciousness or no active owner besides user of the ring.
"A curious thing indeed." Ramia hummed as he read the rings description. "How do the conditions apply in real life?"
"As it states, the creature whose organic matter you want to disperse must be dead, in the most direct way possible, and no, vampires would not be considered dead, nor would animated skelets, since the latter would fall under the category of owned item by someone else. The consciousness of a being prevents the scattering, be it inherent to the object or transferred through a spell or ritual does not matter."
"No loopholes then?"
"None."
"Good. The item would be too dangerous without those limitations. I can already see way too many ways to exploit such an item." Ramia wisely nodded. "What's the asking price?"
"I will let you figure that out. That is your speciality, though I would like for you to price it on the more expensive side. Even with the limitations as is, there are plenty of ways to use the item in concealing numerous illicit operations and whatnot."
"So you want it sold, but in notably limited quantities so it would be possible to track someone who would acquire it through underhanded methods and use it to cover their crimes, extending their career in the underworld circles."
"A good observation. Yes, that would be the plan."
"Got..." Ramia scratched his chin in thought as his gaze wandered, calculations already running through his mind "Ten more of these I would say? Should be more than enough for now."
"Just five right now." Jack replied handing them over- his matter earnings from last days monster raid and cities cleanup efforts serving as quite the buffer for his almost permanently empty reserves.
"Yes, I think I can spin this as needed. Let's say the rings need some rare and difficult to work with materials to make them. That and a lengthy creation process, or so I have been told by my supplier- a rather reclusive and paranoid individual. Sounds about right?"
"Yes, that sounds about right. Can't be bothered to spend most of my time making these in large quantities, or any other item I make personally in the future, so better to keep my creations as some sort of a luxury." Jack nodded in agreement, adding a moment later. "Right, I have placed a small personal mark of sorts on the items." he took a ring from his own finger and showed the mark- two, intertwined snakes that were swallowing their own tales, much like ouroboros in the myths of old. Both also seemed identical, yet reversed in their shading.
"I assume there is some sort of a meaning behind the mark? It seems far too complex to be a simple mark of the maker." Ramia hummed as he examined the mark on the inside of the ring.
"Yes and no. It has a deeper meaning, at least some of the iconography, but it is nothing more than a mark at the end of the day. As for what those certain parts of the mark symbolize? That's for me and me alone to know and for others to guess."
"Fair enough." Ramia shrugged his shoulders "Anything else I should know about? I don't know, like for example about the great performance of the merc, our 'mutual acquaintance'?"
"I know nothing about it. I was too busy waiting for the battle to end, hiding deep in my own mansion, though I would assume there is nothing much you can do about the man. You did mention you met him once recently and felt in your gut he would be a good choice for the job of protecting my mansion for a few days."
"Did I?" Ramia smirked, continuing "Right, there was such a thing, yes. Damn that old memory of mine. Should probably do something about it some time soon."
"You should do that, yes." Jack smirked as well, slowly raising from his seat. "That's about all I needed to talk about, so I suppose I will see you next time. You need something else, you know how to contact me, or 'him' if needed, so you see you around."
With the desired talk out of the way, Jack returned home, carefully observing the mood in the city while contemplating his own next few steps. The small purge of the local scum and other lowlifes had been delayed more than just once and he was thinking it was about time to get to it. The monster horde's attack did little to nothing to cull the local population, resulting in barely anything changing for those at the very bottom of society.
Jack Raja(?)
Age- 27
Species- human(?)
Level- 20
Class- Twin aspect of Creation and Destruction(EX)
Stats unassigned: +11
Attributes:
Strength- 24 (14+7+3)
Vitality- 23 (12+8+3)
Dexterity- 21 (15+6)
Intelligence-7
Spirit- Spirit- 25 (20+5)
Skills- Wisdom of Creation and destruction(EX), Choice of the creator(EX), Eyes of procurer(EX), Matter storage(EX), Arukain language(C), Spark of inspiration(EX).
Spells- none.
Titles(unlocked): The real Monster, Big Game Hunter, The brilliant rookie, The insane Solo. Monster debugger.The actor. Executioner. Survivor. Pioneer, Record breaker.The new champion supreme.
Gear: amulet +2 vit: weapon- Gundao+3 str. Rings- spatial storage, vit +
