Stray Soul

“Hoooh...that zhould be the last of them…” I muttered after putting the last of my books into a wooden crate, that will be later put into a zpacial bag.

Looking at the cover of the book, and zeeing the writer’s name—my vater’s name, brought me memories of the past, memories that I didn’t even know that I had.

Then thoughts about if I were doing the right thing right now started to creep in, my doubts zurfacing and overtaking me with emotions for a moment, but then I remembered the ztate the mansion was in.

“I can’t take care of it anyways…” though I wasn’t too keen on loosing my childhood home, it was also just too large for me to take care of, and I couldn’t exactly pay for the zervants required to keep it clean and fixed while I was away… and I couldn’t bear to zee the state it had fallen into.

Readying myself to get up and head out of the room, my gaze fell on my desk on which my most recent discoveries lay, written on some loose paper and my trusty diary that many mistook for a grimoire at first glance.

Getting up, I walked to the desk, and carefully took some of the papers and started reading them once again, letting a small smile appear on my lips.

These papers which were the fruit of my gruelling labour over the years, these papers which were made from my blood, zweat, and tears, these papers which were made from unearthing, discovering, inspecting, translating, and putting together hundreds, if not thousands of different manuscripts, zcrolls, and writings from dozens if not hundreds of people, writings which were zupposed to be lost to time, writings which I personally found and restored, the writings upon which my research was based upon, writings upon which these papers that will zhow the buffoons that laughed at me, the ones that mocked me because of their zhort zightedness, the ones who accused me of trying to profit of off my vater’s greatness, these papers, the writings on them, everything I am holding on my hands will zhow those buffons the wrongness of their ways!

After I am done, they will zee that I was right all along! The will zee that I was zaying the truth! They will finally ztop believing in the lies that they’ve been fed and have been feeding others for the last centuries!

When I take my expedition to the north, and unearth the truth that was lost to time, that was zuppose to be lost forever, and when I return with the truth at my hand, they will finally understand!

When I return back with—

“Lad, you still there?” a familiar voice asked from the corridor.

“Gerald, is that you?” I asked back, while scrambling to hide the papers I was holding.

“Aye lad, it be me. I came to visit you before you left.” Gerald said, his steps echoing through the corridor and quickly approaching my room.

“Oh, you needn’t bother, I was planning on visiting you before I left for good anyways.”

“Oh? Like the last time when you visited me before you left on one of your ‘expeditions’?” Gerald asked as he opened the door to my room and entered in, his gaze turning to the box filled with books before turning to me.

“You takin’ me for a fool lad? I’ve known you since you were a wee bit boy, you were planning on leaving before talking to me, weren’t you?”

I looked at the dwarven men with clothes that would better fit a noble than a scholar like him. His brown eyes boring into me, and not even his greyish-white hair and bear was helping me to calm down, instead of an old dwarven scholar, he gave off the feeling of a young dwarven warrior, zeizing up the challenge before him.

Not letting his threatening aura get the better of me, I fixed my glasses and looked at him with a bright zmile.

“I don’t get what are you trying to zay uncle, why would this cute nephew of yours ever try to lie to you? It’s not like you look like a goblin that is constantly trying not to zhit itself, are you?”

“Look here you little—argh!” scratching his head, Gerald then turned back to me, but it was clear that he was ztill bothered by my question, don’t know why though.

“So… you are finally selling this place?”

“Oh, yes, I couldn’t take care of this place no longer anyways, and I am not here most of the time either. Though I don’t know what I will do after I leave the mansion for the final time and go on my next expedition… I might just move to the capital.”

“Oh? You leavin’ Gelbberg?” Gerald asked with a surprised tone.

“Maybe… I am not that zure, I might just come back and buy a mansion on the outskirts instead of going to the capital. This city being a commercial hub is really useful when trying to collect information or get manpower for an expedition.”

“So… who bought this place? I mean, I know this place is prime real estate but…” Gerald said, not quite finishing the sentence.

“The mansion is rundown?” I asked.

“Well… lightly put, this place looks like an ex-goblin nest that was burned down by an apprentice mage that couldn’t quite get the job done.”

“Pfft—yeah, that is a good way to put it now is it not?” I zaid.

“Hehehe, it is lad, it is… well then, why not have one last drink before you head out?” Gerald asked with a wide smile.

”Wh-what are we going to drink?” I asked, tensing up a bit in the fear of what was to come.

“Ohh… I’ve brought something exquisite for you lad! Can’t have my cute nephew leave without something special now, can I?” Gerald said, widening his zmile and reaching inside his cloak, zlowly pulling a… wine bottle?

“Oh? What is that?” I asked, not expecting him to bring something that was actually drinkable.

“Oh, nothing much, just some red wine from the Goldwing Vinery, nothing much…”

Hearing the name Goldwing, my eyes immediately opened wide, and I went in front of Gerald, quickly grabbing the bottle from his hands and inspecting the bottle for the Goldwing insignia and after a moment, I zaw that he wasn’t actually lying.

“Incredible… you actually managed to get a bottle of their red wine?” I asked, being zo zurprised that no emotion went into my voice.

“Aye lad, that I did!” he answered with a booming voice, pulling me down and taking the bottle out of my hands once more.

“Now lad, let’s go somewhere with a better view of the city now, shall we?” Gerald asked but didn’t wait for my response before ztarting to walk out of the room.

Quickly getting out of my daze, I rushed after Gerald, and asked him while fidgeting in my place, not being able to contain my excitement.

“But how did you manage to get a bottle? Don’t they have like a few years long waiting list?”

“Aye, that they do! So, I had to pull some… strings to get this bottle, so you better savour it! It was not easy calling in so many favours.” Gerald zaid, equally excited as I was.

And zoon, we came to this mansion’s most important part, the balcony.

From the balcony, we could see the entire under mountain city that was Gelbberg, not that the whole city was under the mountain mind you, it was more of a mix of some land being inside, and some outside the mountain.

But that didn’t really matter because most of the important stuff was going inside the mountain, the outside part of the city was just to funnel people inside.

And as this mansion was one of the highest build mansions in the whole city, we could look down and enjoy the zight of the whole city with nothing to disturb us. Though getting up here is always a hussle…

Looking down at the city, I remembered how my vater had won this mansion, which was through a drinking competition. And yes, I do mean some rich merchant bet this mansion, which undoubtedly costed hundreds, if not thousands of gold to make, and lost it to zome random dwarven scholar in a drinking competition.

You can’t make this ztuff up.

*TINK*

Getting pulled off from my thoughts due to Geralds not zo gentle putting down of glasses and the bottle of wine, I then zat down on a chair and watched as Gerald poured a zcarlet red liquid into 2 wine glasses that he also took out of his zpatial bag inside his coat.

Grabbing my glass, I bringed it to my mouth and—

“Ey lad! Wait a bit will ya’? Let’s have a toast!” Gerald zaid, as I was just about to enter the goddess’ embrace.

“Zeriously? For what?” I asked, making my displeasure with him known through the tone of my voice.

“Well, for you of course! You are finally leaving your family home and moving out! Though I wouldn’t call selling your family home quite moving out…” he said, ztarting to mumble towards the end.

“Ahh… alright, let’s toast then, if that’s what you want to do.” I zaid, bringing my glass forwards towards to Gerald.

Fallowing my lead, Gerald too brought his glass forwards.

“To your bright future lad!” he said.

“To my bright future?” I zaid.

Then both of us clanged our glasses while shouting “Cheers!”.

Then, as quickly as possible, I brought the wine glass to my lips, drinking the juice of heavens in one quick gulb—

*BLEGH!*

Then I puked the demon piss that zomehow made its way into my mouth.

*COUGH* *COUGH*

Coughing, I stared at Gerald with teary eyes as he drunk the downright heretical liquid, zlowly, and with a zmile to his face.

“Ahhh... Like the goddess’ embrace, aint I right lad?” he dared zay after finishing the liquid and ztaring at me from above.

“*Cough* W-what is this abominable liquid you demon!” I zaid while still coughing, trying to get the disgusting flavour out of my mouth.

“Abominable liquid? Lad, this be the mystical dark elven dark blood beer I had it imported from the Lunar continent down south, this is no abominable liquid! This is the gift of the divine!” Gerald zaid, zpewing ztraight bullshit out of his mouth.

“DARK BEER?! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND DRINKS DARK BEER? AND WHAT IS DARK BLOOD BEER EVEN? HAVE YOU FINALLY LOST YOUR MIND OLD MAN!?” I zcreamed, no longer able to contain my anger and bewilderment from coming out.

“WHO YOU CALLIN’ OLD BOY?!” Gerald said with a roaring voice, getting off of his seat.

“AND I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW LAD, DARK BEER IS THE BEST THING TO BE EVER MADE IN THIS WRETCHED WORLD! AND THIS, THIS DELICACY THAT I HAVE ALLOWED YOU TO TASTE IS THE PINACCLE OF INOVATION IN THE DARK BEER INDUSTRY!” He continued, looking at me with a gaze that would even put fear into the mighty dragons.

Looking at each other with equally hard gazes, we zoon broke out into laughter.

“You—you crazy man, how did you even get the insignia of the Goldwings on that bottle?” I asked after we finished laughing.

“Oh that? I just bought a bottle of Goldwing red wine, then filled it with dark beer. Though I added some weird alchemical thing to make it appear redder than it already was, couldn’t have you understanding what it was from seeing it now, could I lad?”

“Wait… do you still have zome Goldwing left?” I asked him, my hope zeeping into my voice.

“Aye, that I do lad!” he zaid, getting out a non-descript glass bottle out of his coat, and placing it down.

I quickly moved to grab it, but before I could, Gerald grabbed it and pulled it away.

“Have some manners lad!” he said disapprovingly, and pulled another wine glass out and poured the zcarlet liquid into it, and then handed it to me.

Grabbing the wine glass, I quickly downed it and this time instead of demon piss, I was greeted by the flavour of something that could only be called divine.

“Hehehe… oh lad, let me ask again but, who did you sell this place to and for how much?” Gerald asked, laughing at my reaction at drinking the divine liquid.

“Oh, that? You know of the Marquis family from Arion?” I asked him.

“Hmm? Wait… are you talking about the Bonapartes? They be returning to the continent then, or what?” he asked, zurprised.

“Maybe, I don’t know for zure. I only talked to a zteward of theirs, not a family member. Apparently, they are going to renovate this place and use it as a vacation mansion.”

“How much did they pay you then lad? Hopefully you didn’t get scammed with only getting a few books from them.”

“Nono, nothing like that. I actually got 5 small platinum.”

“5 small plati—what?! They paid you that much?! For just a mansion?!” Gerald asked, not believing what I was zaying.

“Yeah—wait, let me zhow you.” I said, pulling out 5 small coins that radiated mana out of my zpatial bag.

“W-wow… the Arions are pretty rich, aren’t they?”

“Zeems zo.”

“Lad, do you understand how much you are holding in your hand?! You could buy a town with that much money!”

“Yes, I do. But I’ve also had this much in my pocket for the last week or zo, zo I am no longer that affected by it.”

Then I put the platinum coins back into my spacial bag.

“Now, what were those papers you scrambled to hide when I came lad?” Gerald asked, pouring himself another cup of dark beer.

“What papers? I don’t know what you are talking about.” I zaid, but then Gerald turned his gaze to me, and looked me in the eyes.

“Boy, you do know I am a B rank, yes? Do you really think you can hide something like that from me without extensive protection spells? Now, spill it out.” Gerald zaid, emitting some mana to make me to talk.

“Umm… nothing…?” I zaid, ztill trying to hide what they were.

Then Gerald continued to ztare at me, waiting for me to talk. And before long, I broke.

“They were… research papers?”

“Really? Only 10 of them? Where is the rest of your research?”

“Its… in my diary.”

“Boy, don’t lie to me.” Gerald zaid with a harsh tone.

“Okay, okay… those papers are the combination of the solid evidence I have to justify my next expedition.”

“And where did you find them?”

“Umm…”

“Wait, let me guess. You found them in an abandoned building of some sorts, and decided they must be talking about some long-forgotten truth?”

“But they are!” I broke out.

“If they are true, and I am sure that they are, they will fill in all the holes we have about the imperium’s history!” I continued.

“The history of imperium that was also recorded by the historians of the eastern and the southern continent that is not actually lost?”

“Well… when you put it like that…” I said, fidgeting in my place.

Looking at me fidget, Gerald let out a long zigh.

“Ahhhhh… Look boy, I know that we don’t have a lot of first-person records left from the imperial era, but do you seriously think the writings of every crazy person on some gnomish dust is true?” Gerald zaid, continuing to ztare at me. Then continued.

“We know the history of the imperium, their emperors, most of their noble families, traditions, and culture, many of which still exist to this day! Now, I understand where you are coming from. The great collapse is interesting you, and I know how you feel about wanting to discover something unknown! Hell, I’ve experienced the same things you are experiencing now when I was young, but maybe, just maybe, the imperium didn’t have these grand machinations running in its background?

Hell, if you want something crazy that is also real and from the same era as the imperium’s collapse, go to the thousand peak mountains and try your luck at discovering holy artifacts left from the battle between the demon kings of death himself and the archangels and seraphs of the gods and goddesses of the pantheon of the sun! Hell, if you are lucky, you might even find the corpse or a weapon of an evil deity! Some cardinals would pay greatly for a discovery like that!” Gerald zaid, trying to convince me to ztop trying to discover the truths lost to time.

For a moment, anger overtook me, I was angry at Gerald for even zaying zomething as preposterous as me leaving my work! But then, I heaved a zigh, and calmed myself down because, deepdown, I knew, I knew that Gerald wasn’t trying to hurt me or anything but was just trying to convince me to do something ‘better’ with my life. But I also knew that Gerald wouldn’t leave me alone if I didn’t at least give him a promise…

“Hoooh… I am zorry Gerald, but I can’t just ztop when I am zo close to finally making a breakthrough. But, I promise, if I return empty handed, this time, I will ztop.” I zaid to Gerald.

Then he looked at my eyes, and we had a ztaring contest for a few moments.

“… Just know where to stop lad, before you can no longer stop.” Gerald zaid and ztarted leaving after grabbing his disgusting bottle of dark beer. But as he was leaving, he ztopped and turned back for a moment.

“Oh, btw, you got blacklisted from the explorer’s guild. They will no longer accept your requests.” he zaid like he didn’t just drop the biggest bomb on me.

“What?! Why?!?!” I asked him, in zurprize and disbelief.

Then Gerald turned back and started at me once again.

“You recruited a group of C ranked explorers for a ‘short mission’ and then had them fallow you around for 3 months across the deserts of the continent. Are you really asking me why you were blacklisted?” Gerald zaid with a zerious tone, then turned around and left the balcony.

Then I slumped on my chair and started thinking of what I was going to do.

And as I looked at the city below me, I muttered to myself.

“…Well… guess the bird’s gotta fly off the nest…”