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(N) TRT Chapter 23: Confrontations
🕑 Added 2025-05-15 15:39:56 +0000 UTCMy companions and I returned to Icefall City a few days after our encounter with the imps. It was mid afternoon when we arrived. The three of us headed to the Icefall Adventurers Guild right away and asked to meet with Guildmaster Charity. After waiting for a few minutes, we ended up in her office.
It was as I remembered it. Small and cramped, with a monstrous wooden desk occupying a good third of the room. Windows overlooked the central area of Icefall City. Mementos from the guildmaster’s adventuring days decorated the room. The smell of tobacco lingered in the air.
Guildmaster Charity waited for us behind her desk. After we sat down, my companions and I explained what happened. We even showed the guildmaster the imps’ ears, to prove our claims.
When we finished, Guildmaster Charity studied us with her right eye. I returned her gaze with a calm expression. Leroy hid his face with his wooden mask. However, from his body language, it was obvious that he felt nervous. Cally took her veil off and had her hood down, since the guildmaster already knew who she was. Like Leroy, Cally appeared nervous. She squirmed in her seat.
“This is the second time that the three of you encountered demons.” Guildmaster Charity said in a neutral tone. “I’m beginning to see a pattern here. Are you going out of your way to put yourselves in life threatening danger, or are you just that unlucky?”
I shrugged.
“Well, we are adventurers.” I said. “Life threatening danger is normal for us.”
Guildmaster Charity gave me an unamused look.
“There is a difference between fighting monsters and fighting demons.” She said. “The latter are much more dangerous.” She looked at Cally. “If I recall, your father explicitly forbade you from going after the demons and their summoners.”
“But Auntie Charity, it’s not our fault!” Cally said. “It’s not like we fought the demons on purpose.”
“Exactly.” I said. “We were hunting a fire beak when the imps ambushed us. What were we supposed to do?”
Guildmaster Charity narrowed her eye at me.
“Flee.” She said.
I snorted.
“If we tried, the imps would’ve run us down. Fighting them was our best chance at survival.”
Guildmaster Charity pointed at all three of us.
“I know you three are up to something.” She said. “My gut tells me that you were after the demons in the first place.”
“You can’t prove that.” I said.
Guildmaster Charity smirked at me.
“No, but I can tell Theo. Once he hears of this, he’ll confine Calla to Icefall Manor.”
“You can’t do that, Auntie!” Cally said.
Guildmaster Charity snorted.
“I can and I will.” She said. “You’re fourteen years old. Practically a child. You have no business being an adventurer, let alone hunting demons.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why I helped you in the first place. I must have been out of my mind.”
Cally gave Guildmaster Charity a frustrated look. I understood her feelings. While Cally looked fourteen, her mental age was much older than that. Being treated like a child while having the mind of an adult must have grated on her. If this continued, Leroy and I would lose our resident healer.
“How about this?” I said in an appeasing tone. “What if we promise to avoid the demons from here on out? Thanks to the imps ambushing us, We know their rough location. We just need to avoid taking jobs in that area. Problem solved.”
Guildmaster Charity scoffed.
“Why would I agree to that?” She asked. “You can fight demons to your heart’s content for all I care.” She gestured to Cally. “However, Calla is another matter. She’s my kin. Her safety means a whole lot more to me than yours does.”
“Consider it our reward for finding the imps. Regardless of how it happened, our actions contributed to the safety of Icefall City and the Icefall region in general. Now that you know where the demons and their summoners are roughly located, your people have a better chance at finding them. From what I heard, they haven’t had much luck in that regard.”
Guildmaster Charity gave me a suspicious look.
“He’s right, Auntie.” Cally said. “Please, don’t tell Father about this. I don’t want to spend my life confined at home without ever experiencing the outside world.”
“You’ve experienced plenty of the outside world already.” Guildmaster Charity said. “Besides, aren’t you going to the Solarian Imperial Academy in the autumn? If the House brats there find out that you worked as an adventurer, they won’t let you live it down.”
Cally nodded.
“Yes,” she said. “And I know that Father is worried about my reputation. However…” She paused. “… As the heir of House Icefall, it’s my responsibility to ensure the safety of our people. Right now, that means working as an adventurer. My reputation means nothing in the face of that.”
“Besides,” I interjected, “Lord Andre made a good point when he joined the Adventurers Guild. As more House scions become adventurers, the less of a stigma it becomes.”
Guildmaster Charity glared at me.
“There is a difference between Calla and Lord Andre.” She said. “One belongs to high society, the other belongs to Murim. The two are worlds apart.”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
“Are they?” I asked. “From what I’ve observed, mainstream Luminian society and Murim aren’t that separated. There are plenty of people who are part of both.” I gestured to her. “Take you, for example. You’re the guildmaster of the Icefall Adventurers Guild and the head of Clan Frostheart.”
“That’s different.” Guildmaster Charity said. “The Adventurers Guild has always been a front for Murim.” She leaned forward. “And you’ve forgotten about the Accords. As long as they exist, martial artists and Murim will always remain in the shadows.”
She made a fair point. As long as the Accords remained, Murim would never fully integrate into mainstream Luminian society, no matter how intertwined the two became.
“We’re getting off topic.” Guildmaster Charity said, turning towards Cally. “My biggest concern here is your safety. If you can guarantee that, then I’ll keep this matter from Theo.”
Cally hesitated, before nodding.
“I mean it, Calla.” Guildmaster Charity said. “No more demons. Stay away from that part of the Icefall region.” She held up a finger. “One more incident like this, and I’ll confine you myself.”
“Yes, Auntie Charity.” Cally said, slumping.
Guildmaster Charity nodded, before she leaned back in her chair and sighed.
“So,” she said, “These imps. You said they wanted to capture the fire beak?”
My companions and I nodded, before we took the imps’ weapons out of our packs and placed them on Guildmaster Charity’s desk.
“If they wanted to just kill the fire beak,” I said, “They wouldn’t use whips and a net.”
Guildmaster Charity grimaced.
“There’s only one reason why demons would want to capture monsters.” She said.
“They’re making fiends.” I said.
The guildmaster nodded.
“This is worse than I thought.” She said. “We’ll need to adjust our plans. Worse comes to worst, the demonic incursion may grow large enough to threaten Icefall City.”
In general, while weaker than actual demons, creating fiends required little effort. All it took was a bit of demon blood. A single demon could create an army of fiends in a short amount of time. Turning monsters into fiends took a bit longer, but not by much.
“Thank you.” Guildmaster Charity said. “As much as I hate to admit it, your actions helped save a lot of lives. If we hadn’t realized that the demons were turning monsters into fiends, they might have caught us unawares.” She snorted. “I’m almost tempted to give you another promotion. However, you’re still too weak to become Silver-ranked adventurers. Besides, it hasn’t been that long since your last promotion.”
“As long as you let Cally keep adventuring with us, we don’t need any other reward.” I said.
Guildmaster Charity made a dismissive gesture.
“No, you don’t waste your reward on that.” She said. “I’ll think of something appropriate later on. Don’t worry, I’ll keep my word.” She waved at us. “Just get out of here for now. I need to meet with Theo and explain to him how I managed to find out about the imps without revealing your involvement.”
***
After Guildmaster Charity dismissed the three of us, we made our way out of the Icefall Adventurers Guild. Along the way, Cally put her veil back on and pulled her hood up. As soon as we were outside, she turned towards me.
“Thank you.” She said. “If you hadn’t convinced her, Auntie Charity would’ve told my father about what happened.”
“He’s going to find out sooner or later.” I pointed out. “You can’t keep this a secret from him forever.”
Cally nodded.
“I know.” She said. “However, I’m hoping that won’t happen until after we save my home. At that point, I’ll accept any punishment my father gives me.”
I studied her for a moment, before shrugging. It wasn’t my place to interfere with her relationship with her father.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me,” Cally said, “I need to return home. My parents are likely frantic with worry. If I want to continue adventuring, I need to reassure them.” She paused. “Besides, after camping out in the woods for the past several days, I need a bath.”
I sniffed myself and made a face. She had a point. The three of us smelled ripe. I could use a bath myself. Leroy and I said our farewells to Cally, before we headed towards our rented house. It was almost evening by this point, so the streets weren’t as busy as usual.
“What do you think?” I asked as we walked.
Leroy glanced at me.
“About what?”
“Are you still skeptical?”
Leroy took a moment before responding.
“About Cally’s… Story?”
I nodded.
“Yes,” Leroy said, “Though not as much as before. I’ll admit, she was right about the demons and the fiends. Her skill with magic is breathtaking. However, you have to admit that it all sounds so fantastical.”
I raised an eyebrow at him.
“More so than my story?” I asked.
Leroy paused, before chuckling.
“You make a fair point.” He said. “Fine. I promise to keep an open mind. No more. Satisfied?”
I grinned at him and nodded.
The two of us walked the rest of the way in silence. However, when we neared our rented house, we spotted a familiar figure waiting for us: Richard, Leroy’s older brother. The two of us stopped when we saw him. He spotted us at the same time, meaning it was too late to run.
“What is he doing here?” I muttered under my breath.
“I think he’s here for me.” Leroy said. “He must have recognized me when we last saw him.” He gave me a sideways glance. “I can’t imagine why. Roy? Really?”
I rolled my eyes.
“I told you already,” I said, “It was the best I could think of at the time.”
“Next time, I'll come up with the fake names.”
I sighed. “Come on. There’s no point in delaying things. Let’s get this over with.”
Leroy and I resumed walking. Richard watched us approach with a neutral expression on his face. We stopped a few feet away from him.
“Greetings,” I called out in a cheerful voice, “You’re Young Master Andre’s bodyguard, correct? How may we help you?”
Richard glanced at me, but didn’t respond. Instead, he focused his attention on Leroy.
“Hello, Little Brother.” He said.
I sighed. Damn it. He figured it out after all.
“Richard,” Leroy said, “It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has.”
The two of them fell silent and stared at each other. Either they had nothing to say to one another, which I doubted, or they had so much to say that they didn’t know how to begin. Regardless, this wasn’t the place for a heartfelt reunion between two brothers.
“Right,” I said before silence grew too awkward, “Let’s head inside. I doubt the two of you want to talk with one another out here.”
The two brothers shared a look before nodding. The three of us headed inside the rented house. Leroy and Richard sat at the dining table, while I prepared refreshments in the kitchen. Leroy offered to help, but I told him to leave it to me. Besides, this gave me the opportunity to listen in on their conversation.
“How did you recognize me?” Leroy asked as I fussed about in the kitchen.
Richard snorted.
“Do you think I wouldn’t recognize my own brother?” he asked. “Even with that ridiculous mask you’re wearing?”
“I rather like it. I think it gives me an air of mystique and mystery.”
I frowned. Wait a moment. That sounded like something I would say. Was I a bad influence on Leroy? Richard must have thought so.
“Who are you?” He asked, sounding horrified. “And what have you done to my little brother?”
Leroy sighed.
“Why are you here, Richard?” he asked.
“Why do you think? I’m here for you. What are you doing in this barren wasteland? I thought you joined House Sturm with Mom. How did you end up here?”
I finished preparing the refreshments and brought them out, before setting them down on the dining table. However, I remained standing.
“You can blame me.” I said. “I’m the one who dragged Leroy to this place.”
Richard gave me a suspicious look.
“I always knew there was something off about you,” he said. “I kept my mouth shut because my lord commanded me to. However, things are different now that I know you’re involved with Leroy. Who are you? Your real name, I mean. And what is your relationship with my little brother?”
I gave him a polite smile.
“As I mentioned before,” I said, “My name is Brandon Norwood. It’s best if we leave it at that.”
Richard released killing intent so strong, it almost took my breath away. Almost.
“Answer me,” he said, “While I’m still being polite.”
My smile turned sharp.
“Put your claws away,” I said, “Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
Richard braced himself to stand up. However, before he could, Leroy slammed a fist down on the table. It creaked, but held.
“Enough.” Leroy said. “You may be my brother, but Brandon is my lord. Threaten him again, and I will make you regret it.”
Richard’s eyes widened in surprise. The two brothers stared at each other for a while, before Richard settled back down and retracted his killing intent.
“I see,” he said, “I hadn’t realized that… Brandon is your lord.”
Richard glanced at me with an appraising gleam in his eyes. This was dangerous territory. If he put two and two together, a distinct possibility, then he might figure out that I was Gabriel Sturm. If that happened, and he told Andre, then things would get ugly.
“I apologize for my rude behavior.” Richard said to me. “I haven’t seen my little brother in a long time, I lost control of my emotions.”
I studied him for a moment, before I shrugged.
“Apology accepted.” I said. “It isn’t everyday that you reunite with your long-lost brother.” I paused. “Though lost isn’t the right word. You two knew where the other was. You just couldn’t visit each other.”
Richard narrowed his eyes at me.
“You know about our family’s history?” he asked.
“I told him.” Leroy said. “After all, I have nothing to be ashamed of.”
Richard turned towards him, his brow furrowed.
“Are you saying I do?” He asked.
This took Leroy aback.
“What? No. That wasn’t what I meant at all. I just meant that I had nothing to hide from Brandon.”
“Oh. I thought… Nevermind what I thought. It doesn’t matter.”
As entertaining as I found this awkward and endearing reunion, it was time for me to leave.
“Well then,” I said. “It’s time for me to go. I’m sure you two have a lot to discuss with one another.”
Leroy gave me a thankful look, before I made my way out of the rented house.
***
After I left Leroy and Richard, I wandered about with no particular destination in mind. Evening settled over Icefall City by this point, blanketing everything in darkness. Glowstone street lamps provided a modicum of light, but shadows still covered most of the city.
It was quiet out. Few people walked the streets at this hour, though the taverns were making good business. For a moment, I considered heading to one for a drink. However, I decided against it in the end. Drinking alone sounded depressing.
About half an hour into my wandering, I sensed someone following me. I couldn’t see or hear them, but I sensed them regardless. At first I thought they were good at keeping themselves hidden, but after a while I realized they were invisible. They didn’t seem malicious, whoever they were, but I kept my guard up regardless. It didn’t hurt to be cautious. Besides, I suspected I knew who it was.
For the next several minutes, I continued wandering about, acting as if I hadn’t noticed them. When I neared an alleyway, I dashed in and broke into a sprint. The presence picked up speed and chased me. A thrill ran through me. There was nothing quite like being chased by someone invisible.
The two of us ran through the streets of Icefall City. I avoided crowded areas, to keep innocent people from getting dragged into this. However, despite my attempts to lose my pursuer, it soon became obvious that they were gaining on me. I decided to mix things up and climbed up a nearby building. When I made it to the roof, I continued running. My pursuer chased after me.
Hmm, how persistent.
The two of us leapt from rooftop to rooftop as we continued our game of cat and mouse. Rather than continue with this, I decided to confront my pursuer. Either they were a friend, or they were an enemy. If the former, no harm done. If the latter, then it was better to deal with them here and now. Besides, if things went wrong, I could just run away again.
I pretended to jump down from a single-story building into an alleyway. However, when I was out of sight, I clung to the side of the building and hid myself, waiting for my pursuer to catch up. They didn’t disappoint. As soon as I sensed them jump down from the rooftop, I acted.
[Concealing Mist]
I breathed out a thick white mist that filled the entire alleyway, revealing my pursuer’s outline. Their figure looked familiar. Rather, her figure looked familiar. I grinned as a burst of joy filled me.
Another part of me pointed out that I shouldn’t be so happy, since I resolved myself to keep my distance from this woman. However, the rest of me didn’t care. Not right now. I was too busy enjoying the chase.
After revealing my pursuer’s outline, I leapt towards her. I didn’t want to hurt her, even by accident, so I didn’t draw my sword. Instead, I fought her hand-to-hand. Or maybe that was an excuse. After all, I knew she was much better than me in hand-to-hand combat. Or maybe I should call it hand-to-leg, since she favored kicking.
The two of us tussled for a bit. Despite the initial advantage from my ambush, my pursuer soon overpowered me and pinned me to the wall. She had me trapped and helpless, which I enjoyed far more than I should. As I stared at the outline of her head, my heart drummed against my chest and my skin tingled. Half of me anticipated what would happen next, while the other half wanted to get away. The scent of vanilla teased my nose.
The air in front of me rippled, revealing Anna. She stared at me, her face flushed and her chest heaving. The two of us stared into each other’s eyes.
The shadows hid most of her face, but she still looked as beautiful as ever. In fact, the darkness gave her an air of mystery that made me even more attracted to her.
“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” I asked. “You let me sense you.”
Anna grinned at me.
“Oh?” She said. “What makes you think that?”
“Last time, I didn’t notice your presence at all. And yes I sensed you this time, and from a distance no less. I doubt you’re sloppy enough to make a mistake like that, so I can only assume you did it on purpose.”
Anna purred.
“You’re right.” She said. “I wanted to see how you would react, and you didn’t disappoint.” She leaned in closer. “Your words don’t match your actions. Last time we met, you said that you didn’t want me to play with you. And yet you led me on quite the chase.”
Her words hit me like a bucket of cold water, dousing my enthusiasm. What was I doing? The reason why I wanted to keep my distance from Anna was because I couldn’t trust her with my heart. She was too sly and cunning. Once she got tired of me, she would toss me aside. I would never recover from that. I knew myself enough to know that much at least.
“Yeah, well, the game's over.” I said in a curt voice. “Let me go.”
Anna blinked at me in surprise, before her grin faded away.
“Excuse me?” she asked, irritated. “You think you can tease me like this and leave it at that?”
I snorted.
“I was just minding my own business. You’re the one who decided to chase after me.”
Anna gave me a hard look, before she let me go.
“Make up your mind,” she said. “You accuse me of toying around with you, but from where I stand, I’m the one being toyed with. At least I’m honest about my feelings.”
I had nothing to say to that. She was right. I kept switching back and forth instead of remaining consistent. In her shoes, I would’ve gone mad with frustration.
“I’m sorry,” I said, “That wasn’t my intention.”
Anna scoffed.
“Don’t apologize.” She said. “Choose a path and stick to it. At least that way, I’ll know whether to give up on you or not.”
“Then give up. You know why we can’t be together. I explained it when we last met.”
Anna let out a bitter chuckle.
“I remember you giving me a bunch of excuses.” She sneered. “Admit it. You’re just afraid.”
“Yes,” I said, “I am.”
Anna gave me a surprised look.
“I didn’t expect you to actually admit to it.”
“I see no reason to hide it. Yes, I’m afraid. Afraid to open myself up to you, to make myself vulnerable.”
Anna stared at me for several moments.
“You have a fragile heart, don’t you?”
“Call it what you want. I’m the kind of person who will only fall in love once. Once my heart breaks, that’s it. So I need to be careful about who I give it to.”
“And you think I would break your heart.”
I nodded. Anna scoffed and shook her head, before looking away.
“What are you basing that off of?” She asked. “You don’t know me. We just met a few weeks ago.”
I gave her a baffled look.
“Everything I’ve seen you do so far? I thought that was obvious.”
Anna looked back at me, an angry expression on her face.
“There is a difference in how I treat strangers, and how I treat those I hold dear.”
How did we get to this point? When I left the rented house to give Leroy and Richard some privacy, I never expected to have a heart to heart with Anna of all people.
“Why does it matter?” I asked. “You said it yourself, we just met a few weeks ago. Why me?” I gestured to her. “You’re beautiful and strong. I’m sure someone like you has plenty of options.”
For some reason, the thought of Anna ending up with another man filled me with anger and distress. Ridiculous. I was the one pushing her away. I didn’t have the right to feel this way. And yet my heart didn’t get the memo.
Anna snorted. “In my experience, men only want to be with me because of my status and position within my Clan. They think I’m too aggressive and not feminine enough. Even Lord Andre, the most persistent of the bunch, doesn’t care about me. He just cares about furthering his Clan’s interests.” She gestured to me. “You’re different. Besides, you suit my tastes perfectly. Well, almost. Your face is plain, but I can look past that. I’d be a fool to let someone like you go without trying.”
I wasn’t sure how to feel about her words. Did she compliment me, or insult me?
“Listen,” Anna said, sounding forlorn. “If it bothers you that much, I’ll stop. As much as I want to pursue you, we have more important matters to deal with.”
I nodded.
“The demons.” I said.
“Yes. You and I need to work together for Calla’s sake.” Anna’s expression hardened. “Make sure this is what you want. I don’t do second chances and I don’t beg. Think it over, before you make a decision you’ll regret.”
Anna looked at me for several seconds. When I didn’t respond, she shook her head, her eyes filled with disappointment. However, just as she turned to leave, I reached out and grabbed her arm. I didn’t mean to. My body just acted on its own. Anna looked back at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Time.” I blurted out. “I need time. This is all… New to me. I’ve never…”
I trailed off. A sly grin spread across Anna’s face.
“Oh really now?” She said. “That explains everything. You’re like a pure-hearted maiden.”
My cheeks heated up. Gabriel Sturm, former S-Rank hunter and complete novice when it came to romance. Somehow admitting that last part out loud felt more embarrassing than telling Anna that I was afraid to open my heart up to her.
“Very well,” Anna said, “I’ll give you some time. However, don’t make me wait for too long.”
I felt relieved. Despite knowing this was a bad idea, I didn’t want to let Anna go like that. It was foolish, and a part of me feared that I would regret this. However, when push came to shove, I realized that I didn’t want to give up without even trying. Ugh, my emotions were a mess.
“Let me give you something that will help you make up your mind.” Anna said. “Or confuse you even more. Either one is fine with me.”
Before I could ask what Anna meant by that, she leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. I froze, too stunned to react. Anna’s lips felt soft and warm. To my disappointment, the kiss ended too soon, leaving me hungry for more. Anna pulled away and grinned at me, before running off.
After she left, I stood there for several moments, dazed. I reached up to touch my lips. Anna stole my first kiss from me. My first ever, in this life or any other. To my joy and despair, I realized that it was too late. I was starting to fall in love with Anna. She had me in her grasp, I didn’t know if I would ever be able to escape.
