Chapter 35: Chapter 35 – Introductions

It took a while for them to get from The Coins district to the Old Quarter. They had had to return to the Sunset Walk and drive along the trafficked highway further south to The Docks—Elystead's harbor district—and almost reached Rellaria Lake itself before turning off the large road. The Old Quarter was situated close to the water, and built on a higher ground than most of Elystead, so as her carriage traveled up along its timeworn streets Scarlett was afforded a great view of the sprawling metropolis, along with the Dawnlight Palace itself.

Like a massive fortress, the palace was built upon a set of high cliffs, protected from all sides by tall walls that were of a polished, bronze-red stone, with the Sunset Walk itself branching off as a large bridge to connect the island to the rest of the city. The palace was built mostly of the same bronze-red stone, giving it a bright sheen in the afternoon light, and had two extensive wings with high towers to the east and the west, the area in the middle of the two sections being only half as high but with a walkway of pure gold connecting the two wings. Similar to when she first arrived in the Ascendant Court, Scarlett felt a sense of admiration surge up from deep inside her at the majesty of the sight. The feelings might not truly be hers, but she felt them as strongly nonetheless.

As they continued further into the Old Quarter she eventually lost sight of the Dawnlight Palace and instead turned her attention to her surroundings. Most of the buildings in this district were made of stone and—as the name implied—had a much older appearance than the rest of the city. Despite that, the architectural style of these buildings wasn't that different from most of Elystead — reminiscent perhaps of structures from the early Middle Ages.

She wasn't actually quite sure if this part of the city was older than the Ascendant Court, or if it was the other way around. It wasn't a matter she gave much thought to in the game, but the difference in styles between the two districts did raise some questions.

The carriage kept traveling through the Old Quarter for a while until it finally drew near a large building that looked much like an old church, with tall vines crawling up its walls. The stairs leading up to its entrance, however, were guarded by two tall stone statues with arms raised to the skies, although the features of those statues had long since been worn down by the long years. The mouth of the building's entrance also had a large stone protrusion above it that, like the statues, had not fared well under the passage of time, but might have once been in the shape of a head.

Soon enough the carriage stopped at a space not far from the building and the coachman opened the carriage's door for Scarlett.

"My Lady, we have arrived at the House of Fire."

She took the antique church in as she stepped out, giving the man a slight nod. "I will not be long. Wait here until I return."

He bowed. "Of course, my Lady."

Scarlett walked towards the building, past the worn-down statues, and up the stairs to the church's entrance. The old wooden doors let out loud creaks as she pushed them open and entered. The inside wasn't too different from a traditional Catholic church, with high vaulted ceilings and pillars with archways to the sides. There were signs of murals on parts of the walls and roof—what might have once been depictions of flames and ancient people—but most of it was indecipherable with how much the paint had faded.

Turning her head downwards, rows of wooden seats lined the long hall of the church, some of them filled with people who seemed to be occupied in prayer, and at the front of the gallery on a small platform stood a marble altar with several objects on it that was in far better condition than the surfaces around the altar. As Scarlett crossed the hall, she got a closer look at the gold reliquary that rested on it. It had a gilded sun at its center and was surrounded by many other minor relics and objects with what she recognized as the Follower of Ittar's symbol on them.

Behind the altar was a wall made of wooden planks that reached all the way up to the roof, but with the way it intersected with the arched ceiling, it was clear that the wall hadn't been part of the original design. There was also a door in it, leading to the space Scarlett knew was behind it, but with the way the door fit into the wall it blended in quite well and wasn't apparent at first glance.

When she approached the altar a figure to the side seemed to notice her and stood up from where they had been kneeling in front of a low podium. They wore a thick set of red robes with gold emblazoning and a long hood, their face covered by a simple white mask with some golden lines across it.

"Is there something I can help you with?" the figure asked quietly, a woman's voice sounding out from behind the mask.

Scarlett observed the person. A lower priest from the Followers of Ittar. As this wasn't one of their main churches they probably didn't prioritize manning it with full priests. In the game she'd never actually interacted with any of the NPCs in this church, so she hadn't actually noticed this detail.

"Yes," she said, consciously mustering some of that domineering imperiousness that came so easily to her now. "I wish to enter the backroom." She gestured towards the door in the wood wall.

The priest's head turned to look at the door, then back to her. "I'm afraid that space is restricted to those amongst Ittar's clergy."

Scarlett frowned. In the game the player could just walk in there as they wished, but there was actually something like this? "Then what will I have to do to be allowed entry?"

The priest seemed to hesitate for a moment. "I...This is the statute that is observed here in the House of Fire as a temple for the worship of the resplendent Ittar. We cannot simply change it and let non-clergy members enter. Something like that would need direct approval from a deacon of the Quorum."

So Scarlett would have to get permission from one of the head honchos of the Followers of Ittar just to get access to this place? As far as the Followers were concerned that place shouldn't be anything special, at least from what she knew. So did it just come down to them having inconvenient rules? Maybe—as this had been used as a temple to Ittar for the last century or so—they didn't want people paying too much attention to what it was before. Not that it was much of a secret, considering the whole theme of this place.

Scarlett let out a huff. "Very well," she said and turned around. "I will return at a later time then." She started walking pasts the rows of seats towards the exit.

"May Ittar's light always be upon you," the priest said to her as she left.

It wasn't as if she'd gain anything from getting entry now anyway. She would need to get a lot stronger for that. She'd just been curious to check the place out, but seems like that would have to wait. And she might have to get one of the higher-ups in the Followers of Ittar to give her permission. She knew a few members that she could probably get to owe her a few favors somehow. The Augur was one possibility. Although she was pretty sure the woman wasn't actually part of the Quorum, despite holding a high position among the Followers, so that might not work. The same went for the Exarch. And calling in a favor for something this minor from him would probably be overkill.

As Scarlett had exited the church and was walking down the stairs she continued considering the matter. Had Raimond Abram been a deacon? She was pretty certain he was, so that might be a possible entryway. It would be wise to make some plans for future interactions with him. Though there was still quite some time before that would be necessary.

She stopped and looked back at the church. Of course, there always was the option of breaking into the place if none of her other plans panned out. She would just have to wait and see.

She glanced up at the sky as she started walking towards the carriage again. The sun was still up. It'd probably be a few hours still before it completely disappeared. She wasn't the best at judging time from the position of the sun, but it was definitely moving towards evening. It took her a while to get here from The Coins district so going on any detours now probably wasn't a good idea. She got into the carriage and ordered the coachman to drive her back to the Guild.

 

 

Alyssa played with the napkin on the table in front of her, trying to fold it into the shape of a bird like her dad used to do. It didn't turn out too bad, if she said so herself. Although she quickly grew tired of it and laid down on the long seat under her. "Do you think she'll be here soon?" she asked as she took off her goggles—pushing away the stray pieces of blonde locks that fell down over her eyes—and held them above her, looking over the brown leather and lightly green-tinted glass. Oh. There was still some dirt left on them from earlier. She'd need to clean them later.

"Probably," Shin coolly answered. "But it won't go any faster just because you ask about it."

"I wasn't saying it would." She put the goggles onto the table and sat up, turning towards where he sat on the opposite side of the table. The tanned youth was immersed in the book he'd bought a few days earlier.

"Then why ask? It won't make a difference," he said as he turned a page.

"That's not the point." Alyssa shook her head. Sometimes talking to Shin was like talking to a wall. "Aren't you curious?"

"About what?"

"About the woman we'll be working for. Didn't Kat say she's a noble?"

He glanced up at her. "Kat also said the client does whatever she wants, and to try and not make her angry. We won't learn anything until she arrives, and we never set a specific time, so we'll just have to keep waiting," he said, then shifted his attention back to the book.

"You kids doing alright?" a voice rang out from behind Alyssa. She turned around to see a slightly older, tall woman with short brown hair carrying a wooden tray with cups on it. Maggie was the one responsible for the small cafeteria here in the Guild's branch. Many of the capital's Shielders used this as a gathering place, even though it was mostly empty at this time.

"We're good," Alyssa answered with a smile. "Just waiting for our next client to arrive. Shin's being boring as usual, though."

Maggie's lips curled upwards as she walked up to their table and set down two cups on the table, one filled with coffee and one with a tea that gave off a pleasant smell. "Good to hear things are as always then. With the uproar around here the last week I was worried you would have a hard time."

"Thank you." Alyssa grabbed the cup with tea in it, pushing the other cup with its offending contents towards Shin. "It has been a bit crazy lately. We've had to complete four different C-ranked requests just during the last three days because all the higher-ranked Shielders left, and I heard Wilfrid and the others have been doing nothing but that for days. They even had to take on an emergency B-ranked request."

"We will just have to hope that whatever it is that's happening is resolved soon," Maggie said.

Alyssa took a sip of the warm tea and nodded. "Hopefully it'll be fine."

"Well, I'm sure you two will be alright. You've always been clever kids." Maggie put her hand on Shin's head as she ruffled his short black hair, earning an annoyed look from him as he put aside his book and palmed the cup of coffee next to him. "And if you ever need anything you can always come and ask me. I promised your dad I'd take care of you, after all."

"We'll be fine. Besides, we'll be busy with something else. And we're not kids anymore."

Maggie laughed. "You'll always be kids in my eyes, no matter how big you get. I still remember when you were this tall, running around here crying after you had a little accident when you saw the dead grask one of the others had brought in."

Allyssa palmed her face. "Can we not bring that up, please?"

"I never heard this," Shin said as he drank from his cup.

Alyssa stared at him. "Don't you dare."

He looked at her with his poker face, but she saw that he was starting to smile a little. "Maggie, why don't you share more of this story?" He turned to the older woman.

Maggie beamed. "Oh, well this was back when Allyssa's mother was working at the tower. Allyssa was just so cu—"

"Astrey! Thornthon!" a voice cried out from the cafeteria's entrance. Allyssa turned around as Leandro, the Guild receptionist, leaned in through the door. The long-haired man's spectacled eyes shifted to point towards them. "Baroness Scarlett Hartford is here to meet you," he stated in a serious voice.

"Baroness?" Maggie looked at them with surprise.

"Kat set us up for some escort job with a noble friend of hers," Allyssa said as she stood up and picked up her large pack that was under the table, making sure her bandolier with its flasks and pockets was tightly secured before grabbing her goggles and putting them on so that the lenses rested on top of her head.

"We don't know for how long yet, but it might be possible that we won't be back before the Light Fest ends." Shin also pulled out a thick pack from beneath the table, as well as a polished round metal shield and his pran that rested against the edge of his seat. The long and unusual sword was bent along its tip and had a wave-like shape at the base of its upper side.

"Oh, dear." Maggie held up a hand to her mouth. "I did see that Kat was back for a while earlier today, but I didn't know she had spoken with you about something like that. Here I was, talking about taking care of you just when you're about to leave too."

Allyssa smiled at her. "We'll be fine. Bye for now, Maggie." She downed the rest of the tea and lugged her pack over her shoulder and Shin did the same. The two of them crossed the room towards Leandro as Maggie put their cups back on the tray and moved towards the kitchen.

"The Baroness is waiting in the lobby," Leandro told them when they reached him. "She doesn't look like the friendliest of nobles so if I were you I would be careful with what you say during this job." He paused. "Although considering Kat had it before, it might not actually matter."

They followed him into the branch's lobby where they saw a lady in a black dress sitting in one of the couches to the side of the reception desk. She had dark, red hair that flowed over her shoulders and a thin black necklace with a round purple crystal hanging from it that nicely accented her thin neck. She was definitely one of the more beautiful women Allyssa had seen, but that was offset somewhat by the cold look the woman had on her face as she looked off towards the building's entrance.

Allyssa turned to look at Shin to see if he was staring, but he'd shifted into his normal expressionless face now and was steadily walking beside her. Leandro had soon walked up to the lady with his business smile on.

"Baroness, these are the two Shielders we spoke of. They'll be working with you from now on, but if there are any problems that emerge you can always visit us again and we'll do our best to help."

The baroness looked to him for a moment, then waved her hand. "Very well." Her voice sounded completely indifferent. "If there are any other matters that I require your assistance with I will keep that in mind. You may leave."

Alyssa saw how that made part of Leandro's smile crack. He did not like rude clients. But he stayed quiet and simply turned around, giving the two of them a look. "You're on your own from here," he whispered as he walked past them and towards the room behind the reception desk. After he was gone, the baroness turned her attention to Allyssa and Shin, wordlessly examining them. Her eyes seemed to stop at the wide scar above Shin's left eye and the small hand crossbow hanging off Allyssa's side for a moment, before moving on. Allyssa felt uncomfortable silently standing under the woman's gaze, but for some reason she didn't want to be the first one to speak either.

"How old are you?" the baroness suddenly asked.

Allyssa blinked. That was not what she thought the woman would ask first.

"I'm seventeen, and he's eighteen," she said, gesturing towards herself and Shin beside her.

For some reason the baroness frowned at that, but eventually she relaxed her gaze. "I suppose that is acceptable."

Did she perhaps think they couldn't handle themselves because they were young? They'd both been official Shielders for almost two years now, and there weren't many that had become senior Shielders as fast as they had.

The baroness crossed her right leg over her left. "I presume you have already been made aware, but I am Scarlett Hartford, head of the Hartford barony and baroness of Stagmond. I am originally from Freybrook but am currently visiting here in Elystead for the Light Fest."

She then went quiet and looked at them. "Well?" she asked.

Allyssa realized she'd been waiting for them to speak.

"I'm Shin Thornthon, a C-ranked senior Shielder here at the Elystead Guild branch," Shin spoke before she could.

"And I'm Allyssa Astrey. Also a C-ranked senior Shielder here."

The baroness raised an eyebrow at her. "Astrey?"

Allyssa nodded. "Yepp."

The baroness gave her a strange look. "...I see. Anyhow." She rose from the couch. "As the introductions are finished I believe we should take our leave."

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"Excuse me."

The red-haired woman was just about to start walking when Shin spoke and she turned her attention to him. "Yes?"

"How are we supposed to refer to you? We don't often work with nobles."

Oh, right. Allyssa hadn't thought of that. How did you normally talk to nobles? Most of those she'd met had been friends of her dad and didn't care much about that.

The baroness seemed to consider the question for a moment. "In formal and public settings you will refer to me either as 'my Lady' or simply as 'Baroness'. However, as I did so for Miss Breeden, I will allow you to address me as 'Scarlett' when in private — as long as you show the proper respect. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Baroness." Shin was quick to respond.

"Ehm, yes. Baroness."

The baroness—or rather, Scarlett—gave a short nod and turned around. "Then follow me. I assume you have finished any necessary preparations so that there will be no issue with leaving now."

"We're ready," Shin said.

"Good."

The both of them followed her out of the Guild building and onto the street which had less traffic at this time of day. Soon they reached a parked black carriage at the end of the street with an emblem of a silver deer on it. Scarlett gestured towards a man that stood at its front who moved to open the door for them. "We will now be leaving for the mansion," she told him.

"Understood, my Lady. I will have us there posthaste." The man bowed as he pulled out a stair from under the carriage that the baroness elegantly used to ascend into the carriage. She then looked back at the two of them, who were hesitating outside.

"There is no need to remain here and waste time. Climb inside."

Allyssa threw an uncertain look at Shin before she also started climbing the steps. It had been years since she last was in a real carriage, and it had never been a fancy one like this. She sat down at the far end in the small cabin, opposite Scarlett and beside one of the windows, with Shin climbing inside right after and sitting down beside her.

"Are you aware of what your responsibilities will be during this tenure of you acting as my escorts?" Scarlett asked after the carriage started moving.

"We'll just be protecting you, right?" Allyssa stated.

"We were also told we might have to go out and fight some monsters," Shin added.

Scarlett inclined her head as if that was only partly right. "I do indeed require protection, as there are some rather bothersome individuals who currently wish me harm. They are however unlikely to take action in the near future, and as such protection is not the main focus at the moment." She started tapping her finger against the windowsill. Allyssa's eyes were drawn to the movement. "Aside from escorting me while here in the city, it is also probable that I will require your aid in the exploration of possible ruins and other places of note in the future, many of which harbor threats that would pose a danger to me by my lonesome."

Allyssa's focus shifted towards Scarlett's face. "Wait, ruins?"

"Yes, ruins. I am unaware of exactly how much Miss Breeden shared with you, but I have over the last few months found and acquired a considerable amount of research on a large number of relevant locations that I lack the capability to explore completely by my own force, which is why I have need of you."

"What sort of ruins are we talking about?" Shin asked.

Scarlett turned to him. "It will depend. One can expect a large degree of variance between them, although I would expect at least one instance of a Zuverian ruin."

Allyssa's eyes widened.

"Zuverian?!" Shin exclaimed beside her.

"That is what I said, yes. Do not be so surprised. There was another set of those found just earlier this month. Now, any further questions?"

The both of them looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Good," Scarlett said with a nod. "If there are any issues that arise, or questions you have of me in the future, feel free to bring it up with me if I am available. As we will be working closely together it would be best if we maintained a comfortable relationship."

She said that, but from the way she talked, it seemed to Allyssa like the baroness didn't actually mean it.

"We'll...keep that in mind," Allyssa said, and Shin agreed next to her.

"Ensure that you do." With that, Scarlett turned her head to look out the carriage window and the cabin descended into silence. Neither Allyssa nor Shin dared to say anything more right now.

The silence stayed for the rest of the ride, making Allyssa shift in her seat from time to time just from the awkwardness she felt. She almost let out a sigh of relief when they finally appeared to have arrived at their destination.

The baroness was the first to exit the carriage, followed by Allyssa and then Shin. Alyssa had barely noticed it during the ride but they had entered the Eastgate district. That wasn't really a surprise to her though, considering that's where most of the nobles lived.

The streets here were both wide and clean, with the street they were on right now being lined by rows of large mansions as well as a broad garden that spread out at the end of the road. The older man who had driven the carriage walked up to the iron gates of one of the mansions—a large building of white and grey stone with three floors—and opened it to let them inside the low stone wall that surrounded the front of the estate. Scarlett immediately started walking down the small stone path surrounded by flowers that led to the entrance. Allyssa felt a pull on her sleeve and looked to see Shin signaling for her to follow. She shook her head free from any stray thoughts she'd had about the cost of all of this and also started walking down the path.

As Scarlett reached the mansion its broad doors were opened by a slightly older woman wearing a loose dark gown with a wide skirt, with greying hair at the temples.

"Welcome, my Lady. Your room has been prepared and the chef is ready to arrange dinner if you are hungry," the woman said and stepped to the side as Scarlett walked inside. Allyssa and Shin followed behind a moment after, entering into a decently sized foyer with tapestries and several paintings inside it. Several doors led to other rooms and there was also a set of stairs that led to the next floor.

"Thank you. Dinner would be appreciated. I am quite weary and have not yet eaten," Scarlett said as she moved to the center of the foyer.

The older servant had a look of surprise for a moment, but gave a curtsy as her expression relaxed. "I will inform the chef."

"Prepare something for my guests too," Scarlett added.

The woman glanced at Allyssa and Shin. "As you wish, my Lady." She then walked off and through a set of doors at the end of a short hallway.

Allyssa looked around, unsure what to do now. Then another door opened and a middle-aged man with slicked-back black hair in a black suit entered the foyer before bowing towards Scarlett. "My Lady, welcome to Elystead. It's always a pleasure to have you here."

Scarlett appeared to examine him for a moment. "Yes, I imagine it might," she said slowly, then looked around. "Is my sister here?"

"Madame Evelyne is upstairs in the office. She has been busy the whole day with matters related to the fief and the business here in the capital."

"I see." Scarlett turned her attention back to the man, then signaled towards Allyssa and Shin. "Prepare rooms for these two for the night. They are under my employ and will be staying here for some time."

"Of course, my Lady. I will see it done," he responded without hesitation, giving the two of them a curious look.

"Prepare an extra room too," Scarlett said after a second, as the older woman seemed to have thought of something. "It will likely be required soon."

"Understood. Do you wish for me to do it at once?"

"Yes, that would be preferable."

"Then I will take my leave." The man climbed the stairs at the end of the foyer and disappeared around a corner.

Scarlett turned back to look at them and it looked like she was about to say something when Allyssa suddenly spotted another person appear at the top of the stairs. A woman not much older than Allyssa herself, with short brown hair—a hint of red to it—that split at the front and hung over part of her right eye. She had light freckles and a beauty mark under her right lip, and the clothes she wore were a relaxed set of white woolen pants and a shirt.

"You're finally here," the woman said and Allyssa saw how the previously apathetic expression on Scarlett's face immediately grew more frigid. "Wasn't the Kilnstone transit scheduled for three? I thought you would've arrived sooner."

Scarlett seemed to try and control her expression for a second before she turned to the woman. "I had business that needed attending."

"...Of course." The younger woman walked down and stopped at the foot of the stairs. She looked at Allyssa and Shin. "And they are?"

"A pair of Shielders that will be under my employ for now."

Allyssa noticed a small frown appear on the woman's face at Scarlett's words.

"What about the other one?"

"Other matters arose within the Guild that Miss Breeden had to attend to. These two are the replacements she arranged before leaving."

"I see." The younger woman drew her mouth together. Now that Allyssa looked closer, she thought she could see the resemblance between Scarlett and this woman.

"I am Evelyne Hartford," the woman said. "Scarlett's younger sister. It's a pleasure to meet you." She sounded a lot more friendly than Scarlett had when she introduced herself.

Allyssa smiled. "Hello. I'm Allyssa Astrey, and he's Shin Thornthon. We're both C-ranked senior Shielders here at the Guild Branch in Elystead. Nice meeting you."

Evelyne raised an eyebrow at her. Allyssa was really starting to see the resemblance between the two sisters now, despite the difference in their characters.

"Astrey?" Evelyne asked. "Could you be related to...?"

Allyssa nodded. "Yes. He's my father." She was used to that reaction. Anyone that knew even a little about the Shields Guild's affairs would recognize the name.

Evelyne wore a surprised expression on her face. "I remember hearing some impressive stories about your father when I was younger. From what I know he and my father were acquaintances. It's a surprise to meet his daughter like this."

Allyssa let out an awkward laugh. "Yeah, my dad knows a lot of people..."

"Did you have need of me for something?" Scarlett suddenly asked Evelyne. "Or did you merely come down to greet me upon my arrival?"

"...No, there was nothing special right now." Evelyne looked away from Allyssa and at Scarlett.

"Then we can leave further discussions for another time," Scarlett said as she began moving towards the stairs to leave the foyer. Before she reached them, though, she turned back to Allyssa and Shin. "You can speak to the servants regarding the lodgings and the meals. I believe anything else can wait for now. Take care not to sleep in tomorrow, as we will be leaving early."

With that, the red-haired woman spun around and disappeared up the stairs, leaving Allyssa and Shin alone with the younger of the two noble sisters.

Evelyne let out a sigh as she looked at the two of them. "I'm sorry for my sister. She mostly only deals with other nobles and is a bit hard to deal with."

Allyssa put up her hands. "Ah, it's fine. Really. She doesn't seem too bad." The baroness was a bit intimidating, but she hadn't been that bad. Besides, if she was a friend of Kat then there had to be something good to her.

"We're only hired to act as her escort. I think the Baroness is generous enough in her treatment, considering she's decided to let us stay here for the duration of the contract," Shin said. "We won't complain as long as we can do our job without issue."

Evelyne examined them for a second. "All right, if you say so. I hope you enjoy your stay. Maybe we will get more chances to talk in the future, but for now, I have to get back to work." She gave them a short goodbye before also walking up the stairs and disappearing.

Allyssa looked at Shin, who looked back at her. They looked at the fancy foyer around them before meeting eyes again. Allyssa shrugged her shoulders. "This might be kind of fun. I've always wanted to try and live in one of these places."

Shin just shook his head with a small smile.

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