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PW Chapter 37: Introductions… Made?
🕑 Added 2025-06-12 21:00:06 +0000 UTCAstrid’s days, weeks, and months of grappling training kicked in the same second that she locked eyes with her ambusher. She grabbed the woman’s wrist firmly and twisted it with both of her hands. She pummeled Astrid’s face, but the knife was the only thing that mattered right now, and Astrid was able to take control of the knife quickly enough that she didn’t feel any notable pain or cuts.
With a grunt, Astrid caught her would-be assassin’s wrist in a grip and twisted until she heard it crack. Golden hair got in her eyes, but Astrid screamed in effort as she shoved the attacker away.
“Markus! Help me!” Astrid commanded as she held her staff with two hands. Then, she pressed in. She lunged with the steel-reinforced wood, keeping a distance from her assailant as she swung her knife back. Even so, the other woman’s face remained curled in a rictus of a grin, sharp white teeth a stark contrast to her deep brown skin. Only then did Astrid realize who, or rather, what, her attacker was.
“There’s a Barbarian here!” Astrid said, her voice much more even than she’d expected.
“Stand down, both of you!” Markus said as he stepped between them. Then, he locked eyes with the Barbarian. “I mean it, Muti.”
“This is between our people.” Muti replied in a thick accent, staying in her battle-ready position. A small crowd had gathered around the scuffle, and Astrid bared her teeth at the insane Barbaria that Markus seemed to know.
“I’m not a Barbarian you fool. Are those eyes of yours mere decorations? I’m human.”
Muti inspected Astrid’s face, and after a mere several seconds, she hissed, stood straight out of her battle-ready stance, and spat to the side.
“You are a deceiver.” She said, accusation thick in her voice.
“I am Astrid, and I won’t just take this. You think you can attack me in the street and have nothing come of it? I’ll have my recompense from you.”
Muti sneered. “Victory before death, runt.”
Without another word, she turned and stalked away. Once Muti was within a nearby alley, actually the same one that Bogdan had disappeared into, Astrid lost sight of her. Astrid thought to pursue, to attack, but Grom’s warnings and her own promises to herself rang in her head. She gritted her teeth and repeated to herself again and again, don’t be violent, I need to find a party.
“I’m sorry about that.” Markus said, his face just as confused as Astrid’s was furious. “I’ve never seen her act anything like that. Largely, Muti’s been quiet and broody, never violent. I’m so sorry, we’ll have to talk with the Guild about this and figure out what’s going on.”
Astrid couldn’t manage to respond in a way that wouldn’t make things worse, so instead of speaking, she ground her teeth and nodded, once. Then, she gestured for Markus to lead the way. They strode through the streets, and Astrid couldn’t help but overhear people saying things about how even “the Barbarian thinks she’s one of them” and "fighting like animals in the streets”.
Astrid’s steps grew quicker as her lips pursed tighter and tighter. And she considered it a victory that she was able to arrive at the Guild’s inn without lashing out at anyone. There, she gestured for Markus to lead the way, and once he was through the doors, she rolled her shoulders back and followed him. With her stance as confident as she could make it, Astrid took in the sight of this, what would be her next base of operations.
It was a large room, filled with tables and benches and two fireplaces, one at each side of the room. Shutters were thrown open to let the light of morning shine in, and maybe 60 people were sitting around tables, happily eating their breakfasts. As Astrid walked in, a couple people turned towards her, but most remained concerned with their meals and companions instead. She strode forward, following Markus towards the bar at the front of the room, and Astrid realized that the room was almost exactly the same as the Guild’s inn in Schteld. That faint sense of familiarity gave her more confidence, and she strode forward easily into the room.
Once she was halfway through the room, someone called out, “Markus, this the new not-Barbarian we were told about?”
“Yeah.” He called back. “And she already met Muti. Any of you seen Klara, by the way?”
“She’s in.” A different voice replied. “I saw her when I got my food. Been a while, though, so dunno where she’s at at this point. Might be in her office.”
“No, we haven’t seen her pass by.” Another voice said, near the hallway where, if things were holding the same in two different locations, the representative’s offices would be. Klara was the representative, then.
“Fine.” Markus waved off a couple other voices that professed knowledge of where she was. “We’ll find her, won’t be hard. Thanks.”
A couple voices were obviously curious, but with the invocation of “Klara”, they stopped asking. Instead, Astrid was left to continue following Markus as he went down another hallway before arriving at a door and knocking three times loudly.
“Klara! You in there?”
“Yeah!” A shouted response came back. “You hurryin’ or can I finish my bath?”
“Just have a new delver here! You got her letter of recommendation and me and Bogdan came across her this morning. Figured we’d bring her here, make sure that nothing went wrong.”
“Oh. Oh! Yeah, yeah, ok. Um… gimme five minutes! Take her to my office, keep an eye out as well, make sure nobody tries anything. Thanks Markus!”
He nodded and gestured with his head to leave the hallway. Astrid followed.
“We don’t need to hurry her out of the bath.” Astrid protested. “I don’t blame her for taking a little time to herself!”
“She’ll be the first to tell you that baths are her vice.” Markus shrugged. “One of the first things that people learn around here is that if you need Klara and she’s nowhere to be found, she’s in the baths. It’s not a problem, it’s just life. So, we’ll just settle down in her office, and I’d guess that she’ll be in here faster than she said.”
Would she be the newer rep that Grom had spoken about, or the “tough old bird”? Astrid wasn’t sure which of the two she would prefer, but she suspected it was the woman that he knew.
Then, interrupting her thoughts, Markus pushed open the door to an office that Astrid did not expect. Delving trophies adorned every wall that wasn’t covered by shelves of books. A troll head over 150 centimeters long was the premier ornament on the back wall behind the desk, its canines long enough to eviscerate a cow. Around it were weapons, skulls, claws, and leathers, each one a testament to a creature defeated and a monster slain. Along the opposite wall, a taxidermied warg the size of a large draft horse stood, on its back an orc with its fist held high. That it fit into the room was amazing, and Astrid wondered how they’d managed to get it into the room considering it was so much larger than the door.
“She had it done in the office.” Markus shrugged. “At least, that’s what she’s said, and there’s no real reason for her to lie about that.”
“Huh.” Astrid looked again, her eyes wandering around. “So that’s the size of a greater warg?”
“No, actually.” Klara’s voice interrupted them. The petite woman’s dark reddish hair hung in loose curls around her face as she strode into the room with an almost frightening level of confidence. That it was belied by her maybe 1.5 meter height didn’t matter, because Klara had presence. Her eyes practically glowed as she looked at the warg.
“That’s an ascended warg. Greater wargs range in level from about 16 to maybe 32 at the outside. After that, they ascend, and then it’s a whole different beast, if you’ll pardon the wordplay. That ascended warg and orc were mutated forms of the Bosses guarding the entrance to the Dungeon proper in a Steel tiered Dungeon offshoot. Level 90, the both of them, right on the edge of Mithril. Hard fight, but well worth it. Still have some equipment with this warg’s fangs. Had to get fake replacements, which has always pissed me off, but it’s reality. Too valuable to make a trophy out of, but hey, I got the rest of it.
“Anyways. I’m Klara Lightmage, nice to meet you. Astrid, right?”
The woman strode forward, hand outstretched in a jovial happiness. Astrid took it, and though Klara’s hand seemed like it would be swallowed up in her own, Astrid felt as if she were shaking hands with a rock instead of a person. When Klara moved her hand, Astrid didn’t have any ability to resist, but the Guild’s representative just smiled. The revelation that this Guild representative was a Steel tier, and probably much higher leveled than her mother, made a shiver go down Astrid’s spine.
“Yes, I’m Astrid Warrior. Glad to be here.”
“I read the letter from Grom. I’ll be honest, I don’t think I could believe what he said if it weren’t for how well I know him. He’s not one to exaggerate, and he’s not one to tell outright lies either. So, in the end, I’m stuck here wondering how in the hell you ended up getting on his good side so easily.”
“I don’t know if I’d call it easily, ma’am.” Astrid replied, falling into parade rest out of habit.
“Anything you can do in just a couple months is easy, sweetheart.” Klara smiled with a little shrug. “Working your heart out for a couple months is easy. Anyways. We’re not here to listen to an old lady’s opinions nobody shares. Instead, I’m just wanting to ask if you really need a party or what you’re looking for while you’re here. Talk to me.”
“I need a party.” Astrid answered, on the back foot as Markus watched and seemed more and more curious by the moment. “Looking to get at least to level 11 while I’m here, though I don’t know if that’ll be the best idea, since it’ll depend on the needs of the party I end up with. If they’re moving on earlier, I’m happy to push hard and see if I can’t get another level while I’m here to keep up. But those are my two goals, even if the party I find right now is just for the shorter term, I’d mostly like to find one or two who will be able to stick with me for the longer term.”
Klara nodded, staying standing in front of Astrid as she did so. Then, she said, “I have a party in mind for you. There’s a Rogue and a Lightningmage. You want in?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Astrid nodded while Markus opened his mouth.
“Klara, there’s something you should probably know before you make this decision.” Astrid’s stomach dropped as he interrupted. Klara cocked her eyebrow and met Markus’s gaze.
“And what is that, Markus?”
“Muti ran into Astrid today and tried to kill her.”
“Tried to kill her? I doubt it. Bet she thought you were a Barbarian, right, Astrid?” Klara turned her attention back to Astrid, and she nodded.
“That solves it. The Hordes are the Bulwark’s enemy, and because of that, so many of our people think that the Barbarians are inhuman and monstrous. People who’ve spent time around a lone Barbarian just think that they’re big humans with sharp teeth and pointed ears. Neither opinion’s correct. I’ve delved with the Bloodshot and I’ve been in their lands. The Barbarians are not human, said simply. Their society isn’t, and they are, at their cores, something different from us. But they’re from humanity, just made bigger and stronger in a land less habitable than our own. As such, they’ve built a society that, by necessity, commands that they fight for everything they need from birth.”
“Ma’am, I’m not sure I understand.” Astrid said as Klara stopped talking as if she’d explained everything quite clearly.
“Ok. Markus, you think Muti tried to kill Astrid. She didn’t. Barbarians live a life of fighting. Their rallying cry is ‘victory before death and blood before affection’, and they live by it. Their Hordemasters take what they want, and they’re taught as children that personal strength is the only way to survive. Muti tried to assert dominance. There’s parts of her past that I know about that I won’t share, but I’d imagine this was a search for companionship in the only way she truly knows how. If she gains victory over another Barbarian, they’ll follow her pretty willingly, and that’s a way for her to find community. So, Markus, yes, Astrid and Muti and Skandr will be a party. They’ll do well, because I can see each one’s strengths, and if Astrid doesn’t want a party, she doesn’t need one.”
Markus just nodded once, and Astrid, reeling from a dozen things all at once, ended up just saying, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. You are now the leader for the party comprised of yourself, Muti Rogue, and Skandr Lightningmage.” Klara nodded. Then, she took a step forward, up to step onto nothing. Three disks of light appeared there, though, and she ascended until she could look Astrid in the eye. “I’m taking a strong stance on this. I think you can do it, if what I’ve been told is true. Be patient, be strong. However, Muti will not fear your anger, and she may respect it. She will test you every step of the way, and you’ll have to be strong. If you’re weak, she’ll take leadership from you. That isn’t a problem, but I’ll say that it will serve as a mark on your record. Not a negative one, just mentioning your ability to be a leader.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Astrid replied more firmly.
“Good. You’re dismissed.”
Klara waved her hand and the door opened. Astrid walked out, fighting her confusion at this whirlwind of events. She’d walked in here mere minutes ago, and now she was the leader of a party comprised of three people, one she’d never met, and the other she’d only met on the other side of a knife.
Great.
“That’s just not ok.” Markus whispered as soon as the door closed while they walked away. “It’s not—”
“She can still hear you.” Astrid spoke in a natural tone as she interrupted. “If she wanted to, I’d guess that she can hear just about everything happening inside the inn at the same time. I don’t mind if you continue speaking, but just know she’s aware of your words.”
Markus clammed up and looked at Astrid in confusion. “What do you mean she can hear us? How would you know?”
“Unless that door is entirely soundproof, I’m sure.” Astrid shrugged. “And I’ve spent a lot of time around a Steel tier with good growths in the mental attributes. If you’re in the same building as them, you can assume pretty safely that they can hear you.”
Markus frowned. Then, he asked, “One of your parents?”
“My mom. A Steel Spellblade.”
Markus nodded appreciatively. “Ok. And what are you planning to do about this new party of yours?”
“I have a couple ideas.” Astrid nodded. “Can you introduce me to Skandr?”
***
Klara
“Can you introduce me to Skandr?”
That girl… she was precocious. Grom, that upstart, seemed to be right. He’d sent her that letter, and frankly, she couldn’t believe it. There weren’t kids so idealistic any more, were there? Well, listening to her warning to Markus and her plan for Skandr, Klara had to believe the words that Grom’d sent:
“She’s good, and if she makes it much further, she’s going to go damn far.”
With an attitude like this, he was right. And Klara was looking forward to moulding her to become even better. Astrid’s core was steel, but everything she surrounded herself with wasn’t enough. Grom said she wanted to become Arcanite, even though she’d only said that she wanted Adamantite. It was pretty obvious now that Klara’d spoken with her that the higher she ascended, the harder Astrid would push herself. Now there was just the effort of making sure she could support herself when she rose to those heights.
Muti and Skandr would serve as a forging fire for Astrid to become what she needed to be. And Skandr… he’d be a hidden difficulty that Astrid never saw coming. Klara smiled widely as she settled in at her desk as she thought of everything she’d be able to do to help Astrid’s path forward. There were some monsters she could probably pull from the Dungeon proper to give her a mixup. The girl’d already dealt with a surge, so she could deal with the difficulties that that brought. Instead of being surprised by monsters that were unexpectedly strong, though, she should deal with monsters that were wholly foreign to the space. That’d prep her for the true Dungeon. Maybe she’d actually make it far enough to see where the Adamantium couldn’t go…
Klara threw herself into her paperwork, her magic twisting the light from a dozen papers strewn across her table to allow her to read each one at the same time. There were interesting things to do, to prepare! Most importantly, if she finished her work for the day quick enough, she’d probably have enough time for a bath before most of the delvers got home tonight. And that would make it all worth it. But first, a letter to Grom. After all, how could he just send a letter that was so businesslike to an old mentor?
