Even when you get along well with your boss, there's always something nerve-racking about being asked unexpectedly to step into their office. The energy that filled me and hearty breakfast that supplied it shifted to butterflies in my stomach as I stepped through the door. Only the guildmaster's presence ahead of me stopped me from hesitating at the threshold, but her bearing gave nothing away as to what this meeting could be about. I didn't think I'd done anything wrong, but perhaps I'd overstepped with that adventurer from the clans yesterday. I was beginning to overthink things; I'd find out soon enough.
For someone with such a striking appearance, supplemented by fine robes and rings that made my appraisal skill practically salivate, the guildmaster's office was quite spartan. Each of the individual elements were clearly crafted with love and attention to detail from the matching set of heavy, lacquered wooden desk, cabinet and chairs, to the plush settees that we settled into now. I could only hope that indicated a casual chat. Yet, nothing adorned the walls. The neutral tone of a tatami mat helped delineate the area with the settees as separate from the desk and consequently less formal, but most eyes would miss its intricate weave. The room felt open and airy, and were the large window not currently being pelted with rain from dark, cloudy skies, it would likely seem much more so. However, it also felt somewhat empty. Impersonal. Like it had been furnished, but the occupant had yet to arrive.
The guildmaster adjusted one of her rings and it pulsed, the walls, ceiling and floor subtly resonating with it in a way my skills could barely catch. I hadn't even noticed they had some kind of enchantment, or whatever that was.
Catching my gaze she explained, "Now we can speak freely. Would you mind if we eschewed formalities for this discussion?"
"I mean, you're the boss... But that works for me."
"Thank you." She smiled and I could see her visibly relax like a weight had been removed from her broad shoulders. I hadn't noticed her tension before, but its absence was palpable. "One of the things I miss most from my adventuring days, it's not often with my positions in the guild and clan that I can relax with the formalities. It's so stuffy."
"I'm sure most of the other staff wouldn't mind either."
"With most its less a matter of whether they would mind, though it does make Sarala uncomfortable so I try to avoid it with her, and more a question of the security of the setting. While I have tools to help prevent eavesdropping, nothing is absolute, and it would be rather poor recompense to those who have supported me to cause loss of face to guild or clan. Also, much as I hate to admit it, the guild members being intimidated by me cuts down on their more stupid antics, and I'd rather not have to achieve that by regularly flexing my cultivation or crushing some uppity idiots."
"I get that. Wouldn't be a great look and could put off new members, not that that seems to be an issue at present. This, 'flexing your cultivation', seems like a useful tool to prevent violence."
She bobbed her head, "It has its uses, but it affects everyone nearby and most will feel it more strongly than you did given your class quality."
"Sarala had mentioned something about killer intent, I take it that has the same problem?"
She brought a fist to her mouth and I got the feeling it was only because of a lifetime of etiquette training that she didn't snort, "That would have been overkill. Given how green the guy was, he would have soiled himself and fainted. If he had a weak heart, it might have even killed him outright. Besides, the mob needed the reminder that just because they can hunt some scorpions in the dungeon, doesn't mean they can act with impunity. There's always someone more powerful, more experienced or more connected."
"Or all three."
She conceded that with a shrug and a slight upturn at the corners of her mouth. "But I didn't call you here to talk about myself." Her expression turned serious, "Firstly, I wanted to apologise for the level of danger you were put in yesterday. While I doubt there was true risk of death, you could have suffered painful injury, and for that I am sorry."
"It's fine! It wasn't your fault! Please don't bow your head!"
"As guildmaster it was my responsibility, but I can see this is making you uncomfortable which was not my intent."
"These things happen. I had Taffy with me anyway, and apparently he's even more talented than he appears."
"Yes indeed. Bond can provide a variety of benefits, and for all the rumours of Kete's exploits, many still greatly underestimate what he and his companions can achieve when truly pushed. Taffy may be getting on in years, but he adventured with Kete the longest of his surviving companions."
“He’s certainly a good boy,” I offered as I tried not to consider what may have befallen some of Kete’s former companions. It was hard to imagine a fresh-faced, naive version of my grizzled friend. I knew his blunt gruff came from the best of intentions, but it was sobering to consider what it meant for him to learnt 'the hard way' the lessons he imparted freely to new adventurers. “I hadn’t thought of Taffy as much of a fighter by nature though.”
“I believe his personality mellowed over the years, and his role was often tracking and foraging. There’s plenty of ways to be an effective part of an adventuring team, and not all of them are focused on combat - though it certainly helps to be able to pack a punch in a pinch. Kete and his companions brought plenty of muscle to any party, but the utility of Taffy’s sense of smell, Bonji’s aerial reconnaissance and low light vision, and Kete’s affinity with creatures are a potent combination. You should ask him about their adventuring days sometime. He usually understates his own contributions, but you'll get the gist.”
“I’ll have to do that. Out of curiosity, what was Xia’s specialism?”
It might have been my imagination, but I thought she paused for an instant. Choosing her next words with her usual care, rather than how freely she was speaking previously.
“Xia and Kete bonded at the end of Kete’s years actively adventuring. The guild was happy to gain a staff member with his talents, and we interacted quite bit when I was first starting out. So, when I got tapped to be guildmaster, I was determined to bring him with me.”
“Did you know Sarala, Eimer and Bartan from your adventuring days too?”
“We’d met, or in Bartan’s case I remembered his food, but I must admit, for the rest of the full-time staff I mostly have my brother to thank for locating them. It’s not always straightforward to identify where the problems are if an organisation is running badly, but if things are running well, it's much harder still to identify who is contributing most to the smooth operation. Thankfully, my brother has a knack for finding competent people. Eimer and Bartan I might have recruited on my own eventually, but Sarala's talents are more subtle, though no less potent. I've lost count of how many times she's solved problems before they start or had unexpected experience with something.”
“I’m guessing the branch she was in previously is feeling the difference since she left.”
She chuckled, “Yes, last I heard they’ve had to hire two people to replace her, but Sarala also helped train the staff she worked with, so they're managing.”
“Yeah, she’s pretty great at giving me some guidance when I come to her with problems. I hate to imagine where I’d be with alchemy without her input.”
“She'd make a good tutor, though I hope she's not seeking to change profession anytime soon. Of course, you were the biggest surprise of all Vaul.”
“Wait, me?!”
“The others I’d at least met previously. With you on the other hand, my brother returns from discussing trade agreements in the dwarven holds less than a year ago, somehow with a dwarven craftsman added to his retinue. Leaving aside how rare it is for dwarves to practice their crafts away from their holds and greybeards, most guild branches don't start with an in-house craftsman."
"How do they manage then? Surely there's still a need for potions and weapon repairs?"
"They build up relationships with local crafters and import items in bulk where needed. It's not unusual for a promising blacksmith's apprentice to work a few days a week in the guild in hopes the job grows as the branch does."
"That sounds like a lot of travelling back and forth between town and the outpost. Wouldn't it also cause problems if something was needed urgently?"
"Normally dungeon towns spring up around the entrance to a dungeon alongside the guild branch. This outpost is a little different, since the dungeon was found less than half a day's walk from a small town and there's the fort to the North. While I suspect we'll still have plenty of traders in time, most guild branches have a smaller military presence but a much larger commercial one from the outset. Remember, the goal is not to outcompete local business. The boom to the local economy and growth of the town is meritorious; we simply wish to ensure essentials are provided, highlight the applications of dungeon loot, and keep merchants honest."
"Because adventurers who feel cheated or desperate are a recipe for trouble." I nodded along recalling our previous discussion of the topic. "I must admit I think I lose sight of that in my excitement to improve my craft and work with new techniques and materials. It's also just nice to be able to solve problems for people, to fix things that are broken, or know that if things go wrong in the dungeon, they've got a health potion I made to help them out."
"That's all admirable, and you're doing a fine job. You may have missed it, but at least one person who stumbled out of the dungeon last night only did so because of health potions you brewed. Your passion for your craft is causing you to excel in your role. And it's that, as well as some of yesterday's events, that I wish to talk to you about."
She opened her hand palm up to reveal a round pill sitting atop it. I wasn't sure where she'd been holding it, but I had a fairly good idea what it was.
"Is that one of the qi restoration pills I made yesterday?"
"Indeed it is. I may not have your talents for appraisal, but I've used enough of these over the years to tell the batch you made yesterday is better than the norm. Did you use any unusual ingredients?"
"There were a few substitutions to fit what I had in stock, but they were noted on the recipe..."
"So you've at least used each substitution individually in the past, if not that particular combination."
"That would make sense. I chose ingredients that had either been harvested from the dungeon or the area nearby, such as miracle shoot seeds."
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That put a grin on her face, "Excellent. Then it's likely either a strong local combination or the growth in your class and skills leading to the increased efficacy. Either way is a boon for local adventurers. Incidentally, I'll be keeping this pill to try myself."
She withdrew her hand, the pill upon it vanishing as she did so. It all appeared so effortless, I couldn't tell if this was some extreme sleight of hand or some sort of enchanted feature or her room or clothing. My bet was one of her many rings, but I had no idea how they'd handle the weight. After all, even the enchanted crate I'd seen yesterday only provided a minor weight reduction (in retrospect I'd realised that the enchantment on the crate must surely have been to shrink it and its contents to fit on the sled, Kete had even mentioned previously that there were groups here that used such equipment). Still, that didn't really matter right now. There were a few things I wanted to discuss while I was here.
"There's probably some room for improvement in my methodology as well that I can iron out over time. I was generally happy when I made them, but there was something about the rolling out that didn't seem quite right in retrospect, though I got a little distracted at the end. Still, I feel like there's much more room for improvement in the health potions."
"Well, I can't help you with the health potions, and we'll circle back to your unwelcome visitors in a moment, but I was a little surprised you hand rolled the pills. I assumed you must have had your reasons at the time, but there should be a pill roller in your workshop."
Let out an undignified combination of a snort and a chuckle, "That would do it. My skills or subconscious, or whatever, tend to be real good at telling me something's wrong or could be better, but when it comes to how, they're light on specifics. It's nice to get a straightforward answer without a bunch of blind guesswork."
She raised an eyebrow, "Sounds frustrating."
"It can be. But it's also satisfying to find an answer and to have room to improve. As much as I'm glad I'm still apparently good at what I do, I think it would all feel too easy if I was just perfect. It already feels like a cheat when I'm benefiting from experience I can't remember, but at least with all the tryin' and failing, and tryin' and improvin', and iterating, I feel like I'm earnin' some of my success. I also feel like I understand each craft a lot better once I've gotten hands on with it. Sorry, I've started to ramble. Was everything fine with how I handled those adventurers? I want people to be able to come to me if they need something, but I can't have them underfoot. It'd be dangerous when I'm forging, or with some of the alchemy or the like. Also, I figured Taffy needed some space yesterday."
"You handled the whole matter quite well. It would have been ideal if it were possible to avoid shaming the Tian family in front of the soldiers, but Tian Huang was responsible for his own shame."
"That's a relief. I was frustrated in the heat of the moment, and while I didn't think I acted unreasonably in retrospect, I wasn't sure if I had overstepped."
"You showed admirable decorum. While it is best to try to avoid escalating things, it's also important not to be mistaken for someone who can be pushed around. You are a staff member of this guild, a vassal of the Lei clan, and a master of your craft. That gives you significant standing and places you under both my, and my brother's protection."
Her normally soft voice was filed with such conviction that I couldn't help but contrast her with the young master of the Tian family. Where his conviction was brash arrogance and unsubstantiated threats, hers was a quiet implacability. A confidence that it would be so because she willed it and could weather any challenge.
I swallowed, my throat oddly dry, "Um, thanks. I really appreciate the support."
She offered a reassuring smile, toning her intensity down a few levels as she continued, "That's kind of you to say. Now, I believe I owe you an explanation for why no one intervened. Simply put, while my presence would have ended the matter swiftly, it also would have brought much greater shame on Tian Huang, and the Tian family by association, for him to be rebuked by one of my station. His uncle's presence was a major consideration upon his being sent here, the hope being his uncle would be sufficient to keep him out of trouble. I was inclined to let him attempt to do so unless the matter was about to turn violent. Kete probably would have intervened sooner, his lack of clan connection making such intervention less politically troublesome," She looked like she'd bitten into something sour as she talked about the politics of the situation. "However, he and Sarala were aiding one of the mares who was giving birth at the time."
"I figured he must be busy, but I can't say I was expecting that. Also, Sarala too?"
The guildmaster had an enigmatic gleam in her eye, "They are both people of many talents. The foaling was premature, likely due to all the noise, but there was some hope and concern that due to the unusual birth, the foal may have absorbed some of the storm's elemental essence." Seeing my confusion she asked, "I take it your discussions into dual resources haven't touched on elementalists yet?"
"No, Argat has only mentioned precision, and I picked up a bit about bond from Kete."
She nodded, "A good choice. Argat might be able to give you a broader view on the topic, but Kete has a deep understanding of his chosen application, and plenty of tricks besides." She took a deep breath at my expectant look, "Elemental essences are both tricky and remarkably simple in concept, though I'm no expert. In retrospect, it makes sense Argat hasn't touched on it yet, since it they are almost impossible to neatly fit in a box as so many of the sages would like. They are thought to be the combination of physical and magical aspects. The pure physicality of an elemental concept charged with mana, or something similar – the exact description varies from sage to sage. Actually, rather than try to give a garbled mixture of the assumptions of what it is, why don't I just explain what it can do? Do you know what a mage needs to able to cast a spell?
Caught a bit off guard at the abrupt change of pace I muttered, "Uh... Mana! And a strong emotional image of what they want the spell to do to guide it, and something physical related to the effect to fuel it. Like a pyromancer might use lamp oil or something, and if they run out, the spell burns their fat as fuel instead," I regurgitated, remembering the emaciated, sooty figure draped over his companions as they exited the dungeon.
"Well done, though remember, it consumes whatever will burn best through the caster's body indiscriminately. That's mostly fat, but I've seen more than one pyromancer pass out because the air in their lungs got burnt up, which amidst a fight or a fire, is a problem. Most healing skills don't fix asphyxiation. Then again, the same could be said for dehydration with cryomancers and hydromancers I suppose..." The tangent tinged with personal frustration felt like a rare insight into combat medic, adventurer Lei Su, past the office of guildmaster and her clan connections.
"Why do they specialise on a particular element anyway?"
She tickled off on her fingers as she recited, "Cuts down on the amount of materials to carry and organise, specialising one's class gives more power within that specialisation, training has more overlapping application, and attempting to switch their resources - usually to elemental essences - are all the common reasons given. The more sensible ones at least."
"I'm guessing the less sensible ones are along the lines of, 'because fire's awesome!'" I suggested in my best 'I'm the cool kid voice'.
She chuckled, "Yup, I've heard that one more times than I can count. Or to lose weight. Aeromancers always mysteriously end up with capes that billow behind them, though it was a hydromancer who told me it was because 'it matches my eyes'." She said in a deep gravelly voice that caught me totally off guard. Her cheer dimmed for a moment as she added, "I've encountered a few electromancers who claimed it was because it matches my eyes, which was significantly less endearing, but yes, silly reasons abound. However, many seek adventuring for the freedom to plot their own path in life and be who they want to be, so I'll not begrudge anyone a little vanity."
"Aesthetics matter to people. If people are investing their hard-earned savings in armour, they don't just expect it to be impressive, they want it to look impressive too. Or to be reflective of who they are. It makes sense those who are investing time in their class and skills want a similar return."
"Exactly, but much though I'd like to ask how your armour project is going, we're getting rather off topic. The draw of elemental essences is that they comprise both the mana and the physical component, so those who use them only require the elemental essence and the strong emotional image to shape and guide them. In the case of a pyromancer, if they use elemental essences, their pyro doesn't restore over time like mana, instead it is restored by absorbing flames. Similarly, cryo is restored by absorbing ice, hydro by absorbing water, and so on."
"Wait, wait, so pyro, hydro and so on are all elemental essences? There's a bunch of different physical-magical dual resources?"
"Hence why they are so frustrating to the sages trying to categorise everything. But in practical terms, it's pretty simple. Elementalists absorb their element, up to a maximum amount, and can release it with their spells or other skills. If they are out of that element, they're done until they can absorb some more, there's no overcasting, but they also don't have to lug around physical components to sacrifice."
"I'm guessing that the ability to absorb an element can be useful defensively as well."
She nodded, "There are limits to how much or how quickly depending on the individual, but yes. For example, absorbing all the wind from yesterday's storm would be too much, but an aeromancer did help reduce the amount beating on the framing of the partially completed structures as the builders shored them up. I've also got a few hydromancers and geomancers out today to deal with any mudslides, or areas that are primed for such. Of course, the mana-based versions of those classes are still useful, but each has slightly different strengths."
"I knew there was a lot to being guildmaster, but I don't think I appreciated just how much there was to learn. You need to know everyone's strengths to be able to approve the right people for the right quests and pick people out in an emergency."
"You're giving me too much credit. It is important to have a broad idea of what the adventurers in your area are capable of, but I just set the general difficulty level of each quest and let each group determine their strengths. Knowing who to call in an emergency is usually more about knowing your most capable groups. For example, sending out all the novices to look for potential mudslides is more likely to cause one than to prevent it. Better to get those not pushing themselves out from underfoot, with Kete hammering some skills into them for next time. Most of the knowledge of others' resources comes from adventuring in the guild, working with different people and finding their strengths and limitations. It's also important as a veteran adventurer to start anticipating the capabilities of whatever you might be facing."
"Like with the foal that was born during the storm," I spoke slowly with dawning realisation. "Could it have absorbed some of the storm as it was being born? That would be aero and hydro right?"
"Electro was the biggest concern, however unlikely it might have been. Too much chance of it shocking the mother or whoever was helping with delivery. Thankfully, it ended up absorbing aero instead, and while the birth wasn't straightforward by any means, they were successful in the end and both foal and mother are healthy."
"That's good to hear. I've got to imagine the garrison will be pleased to add a wind horse to its ranks."
"Very."
"With all that going on I can understand why thing played out the way they did with the guys in my workshop. I felt a bit bad for the quartermaster, he didn't do anything wrong but his nephew just kept making things worse. I shouldn't have lost my temper, but after all the little interruptions of the day, I just couldn't handle him anymore." I could feel a little of the exhaustion seep back into me even as I said it.
"You were justified in doing so and brought no shame with your words. In fact, you wisely gave face to Tian Kiên by acknowledging his fair and impartial handling of the situation. However, it also sounds like you could do with a break and less distractions."
"No, no, things are busy with the storm and such, and I'm happy to help out. I also enjoy my work."
"I understand, and should there be some emergency such as a fallen bridge I may still call upon you. Once again, I'm not going to try to lock you out of your workshop. I'm simply going to suggest for today, forget about what is most needed or urgent, take a break and work on something else that sounds interesting. If you wish to work on Ha-Na's armour you may do so, though I noticed you had sent leather off to be tanned for it so now might be an opportune moment for a short break."
"There's still some bits and bobs I could work on for it, but it probably makes more sense to see how the leather turns out first."
"Excellent, now I have another favour to ask that would cut down on your distractions for the day, but is something of an imposition. The storm has rather disarranged the work schedules, particularly those of the part-time staff commuting from the nearby town. Would you mind covering the night shift tonight? You should of course, get some sleep before and after. And there's no issue with working on your projects during the shift, provided they aren't too loud. You would simply need to be available should someone ring the bell on the front desk."
"Huh, sure I could do that. I'd need to get a bit more of a run through what to do on the front desk should someone need something, but I'm happy to help."
"That can certainly be arranged. Thank you Vaul, your help is very much appreciated. Xia likes to curl up on the counter, so if you encounter any issues either come get me," gesturing to the connecting door to her quarters, "or gently wake her up if it's urgent."
"Thanks, hopefully it won't come to that, but it's nice to know the option is there. I'll have a think about what I'm going to work on and try to get a bit of a kip between now and then."
I began to rise from the impressively comfortable settee, but she cut in, "Apologies Vaul, there is one final matter before you get on with your day. Now that Tian Kiên has publicly acknowledged you as a master of your craft, we need to discuss upgrading your guild token."
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