The Great Crestmaster

"Ah, I mean to say how close were you with her back in Wakefield?"

"Why do you have to know that..."

"As I said, the situation is dire. Your answer will help me decide on how to deal with her."

"How to deal with her? What are you even talking about?"

"Calm down, hear me out.."

"I'm calm. You just started saying some random things."

"Listen to me, you may not like to hear this but I will still say it. There's a possibility that Adera is an agent that works for whoever was behind the attack on Wakefield."

"You don't know what you're talking about! I told you, her father, his two wives who were like mothers to Adera and all her step-siblings died that day. How could she have anything to do with that?"

"Listen to me, I know that very well however, I must doubt. To find the truth we must not leave even ourselves unquestioned. Of course, this is just an unlikely suspicion on my part, to be clear I have quite a few apprehensions towards this Adera."

"Adera would never help those evil bastards who attacked Wakefield. That's just impossible. That's all I'm going to say about this ridiculous question. I know Adera well, I grew up with her, she's my friend she would never have anything to do with something like this."

"Fine, I believe you. I'm just trying to explore a possibility. As I said I didn't mean to upset you, it's just the nature of our enemy is very insidious even to hide among normal people. If our enemies are that cunning and ruthless we need to be even more so."

Aldrich mulled over these words. Nonetheless Ayemon was just too paranoid.

"Why do I have to spend more than a month attending the academy, why wait that long?" Aldrich decided to change the subject, this was a topic that he didn't want to talk about anymore.

"Because the examination will only start then. Did you think that they held the examination every week? Besides you need this time to get used to your new environment and to learn many basic things about Crestmasters and adventurers."

"That makes sense."

"There's also a chance I could get you a great instructor."

"An instructor? What's that?"

"A trainer. You need to learn the basics of combat. You were a farm boy just a week ago, even if you knew about the exam if you can't take care of yourself in combat then you better wait till next year."

"I think I'm decent enough in real combat."

"I like that confidence. Keep that positive outlook. But if the instructor tells me that you're not ready I won't sign you up. I'm letting you know now so don't complain to me later."

"Good, I'm looking forward to it. What's he going to teach me? Swordsmanship? Hand to hand?"

"I don't know, that's up to the instructor he'll see what fits you best and teach you accordingly. I don't want to discourage you, but you should lower your expectations of your talents and prepare yourself to get hurt during the training."

"Alright, here, read these papers and choose which one you want to see first." Ayemon handed him a stack of papers from the nearby tea table.

"What's this?" Aldrich asked.

"Its a newspaper, in the back it has advertisements for apartments, the address, the prices, the location and many more things. Look them over and go there tomorrow to check on which place you like."

"That's handy."

"It is. Just be careful not get scammed by anyone, check on everything in the apartment before you decide."

"Shouldn't I do this after I get my fake identity?"

"As I said before the law is unbending but humans are flexible. If they actually ask you for it just slip a copper or two in his hand. And that goes for anything you want to do in your life from now on."

Aldrich was beginning to get the picture, it seems like with enough coin you can do anything. There was one time when Ayemon insinuated that if one was rich enough they could even have an audience with an Archbishop.

"Also you will be going to a shoe shop before going anywhere else. We can't have you going around everywhere with your boots."

"Do I have to? Can't I just do that later?"

"You must. You can't go into any respectable establishment with boots. Not in Voryhrm. Shoes are a must, boots are for rougher places than the beautiful streets of our great city."

"I will never understand you city people. What's wrong with boots, they're sturdy and warm."

"Tone down the farmboy within you. This is the big city, what you wear and where you live tells people many things about you, and that reflects in their attitudes."

"Alright I'm leaving. I don't think I will be hungry for dinner."

"Yeah, you take care."

"Ah, by the way. I don't mean to intrude. I'm just wondering if the rest of the family didn't want to eat here because of me..."

This was something that he had thought about when he first came into the mansion. His presence probably had a negative effect on Ayemon's family. As no one but servants came out to greet Ayemon yet.

"The rest of the family?" Ayemon repeated the question as if he was confused, "ah, don't worry about it, it's just me."

"Just you?" Aldrich asked back, even more confused.

"Yeah, I am the entire Seerstorm family." Ayemon laughed.

"Well, yeah. A-anyway I guess I will be seeing you later."

Aldrich returned back to his room with the help of one of the maids. There was a time when he thought that Ayemon will have to deal with a nasty atmosphere if he were to adopt him into the family.

However turns out his worries were in vain. But that in itself was strange. Ayemon was at least in his early thirties, he should have married long ago and sired at least a few children.

Aldrich did hear that city people married later some of them even in their late twenties.

Ayemon should have had at least a few wives. Even if he didn't, what about his brothers and sisters? What about his parents and grandparents? what about cosines and other relatives?

A family was big, a noble family should be even bigger by all rights.

This was strange issue but it didn't really concern him all that much, in fact this was good news for him. In this case there were fewer problems for him later on.

He just remembered that Caldera always slept in the same room as Ayemon when they lodged in an inn. He thought that she was his wife but no one said anything about it, not even in reference so he didn't ask.

Aldrich used the toilet and washed his hands afterwards. Then he went through the newspapers that Ayemon gave him. This went on till late at night.

The amount of information was just so much but in the end he decided on which streets he was going to start with. Hopefully he might be able to haggle the price down a fair bit.

Aldrich stretched his body and drank some water before he jumped on the soft bed. The pillows and bedsheets fit the quality of the mansion. Aldrich gave the bed a ten out of ten.

****

Aldrich woke up back in the nightmare realm with his back resting on the seal of Tindalor. Last time he returned by using the seal which mean that he spent two of the remaining six essence orbs that he had left.

Aldrich checked on his body which was battered and half a step to death the last time he was here. In contrast to that time, right now, his body was in a perfect condition. His wounds healed perfectly without leaving a single scar.

Aldrich wasn't sure if this was the effect of his vitality attribute. In fact he had a hunch that upon returning to the real world all his wounds healed magically and instantaneously. But of course this was only a speculation.

Aldrich knew that the effects of level three attributes were powerful but they still didn't reach the level of Crestmasters.

To heal such deep wounds with only level three attributes seemed far fetched, in fact he wasn't sure that Crestmasters could heal wounds like that without help from a cleric.

After all he experienced that level in other attributes that could be tangibly tested. Aldrich decided to test the vitality attribute closely after today's hunt.

Aldrich picked up his weapons, his long sword and shield. But he wasn't going out yet, there was something that he had to see for himself here. He walked out of the common room and headed right.

There was still an unopened door at the end of the hallway that he only noticed at a later time. Aldrich decided that today was as good as any to see where this door led.

Going past the kitchen he found the mysterious door. This door was notably wider than all the doors he had encountered in this house, it was not sealed by anything and when he tried the handle it opened easily. A cloud of dust and rot assaulted his senses.

Aldrich coughed and backed away from the door. After a minute of coughing he stabilized himself and cautiously entered the room. Surprisingly faint light shined in the room.

For a moment Aldrich thought that the old madman hadn't left at all instead he hid here in this room and observed him through unknown means.

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