Chapter 891: Haishe's Request, Arriving At Xanaharpe
Izroth, "I will admit, it is unlike a mercenary group to turn away gold coins."
Haishe, "Would you have been willing to speak with me directly otherwise?"
Haishe was correct. After their last encounter, Izroth had no reason nor obligation to hear him out beyond fulfilling his end of the agreement.
Since that was the case, it was clear that Haishe had more than one purpose in contacting Izroth.
Izroth, "No, I suppose not. Then, what is it you wanted to discuss?"
Haishe, "Before that, I'd like to extend my thanks to you."
Izroth, "Oh? I don't recall doing anything that warrants your thanks."
Haishe, "That's true if we're talking about intentionally. But, indirectly, it is thanks to you that I was able to become the new leader of Fatal Touch. Silent Steps was a fool who only knew how to do things that benefited his own selfish desires. However, after his last set of blunders, his support within Fatal Touch reached a new low, allowing me to rise up. You should also know that Silent Steps is no longer a part of Fatal Touch."
'An internal power struggle. I guess that explains the atmosphere back then.'
During their previous encounter, Izroth could tell that the relationship between Silent Steps and Haishe was like that of water and oil—they simply did not mix. If there was a power struggle going on back then, it explained why Haishe walked away without aiding Silent Steps.
Nevertheless, Izroth wanted to know what all of this have to do with him. Just as Haishe said, his "help" was not intentional; therefore, it was not as if he had to go out of his way to bring up this topic.
Izroth, "The internal matters of your Fatal Touch hold no interest to me. If there is something you wish to say, then speak freely. I have no intention of wasting my time listening to flowery words."
Haishe, "Straightforward—I like it. Then, I'll be blunt. There's a special dungeon we need your help to clear. No, to be more precise, we need the help of one of the Pill Emperors from your Mystical Realm Palace."
Izroth, "A special dungeon that requires the help of an Apothecary. I see... Does that mean you've discovered a Trial Dungeon?"
Haishe, "So you already know of them. That saves me a lot of time explaining."
In RML, the vast majority of dungeons had a classic style. There were monsters that players had to fight through in order to reach the final boss monster.
However, while that particular type of dungeon accounted for more than 95% of the dungeons in RML, there was a small portion of special dungeons that did not follow the style that players were used to. Among those dungeons was a type known as a Trial Dungeon.
Unlike most dungeons that tested players combat prowess, Trial Dungeons placed a heavy emphasis on one's profession.
If Haishe was asking for the aid of a Pill Emperor, then the Trial Dungeon he found must be one meant for Apothecaries. Or, at the very least, required an Apothecary to make it past a certain point.
'A Trial Dungeon is certainly interesting; however, it will have to wait until after the raid on the Night Lord's Crypt. I would ask Worldly Skies to go along, but I can't entrust her safety to them. I'll have to take care of it myself.'
With her talent and dedication, Izroth believed that Worldly Skies should have the skills of at least a grade four Apothecary by now. However, he did not trust Haishe nor Fatal Touch.
Though despite not trusting them, Izroth was a man of his word. If this was the favor Haishe wanted to request from him and his Mystical Realm Palace, he would fulfill it to the best of his abilities.
Izroth, "I've heard of them before, though I have yet to enter one personally. If this is the request you wish to make of my Mystical Realm Palace, then I will grant it. After all, I, Izroth, am a man of my word. However, your request will have to wait a few days."
Haishe, "Delaying it a few days won't be a problem. We still have a few things we need to prepare on our end so that actually works out perfectly. I'll message you the day before with the basic details and the day of with the coordinates to the Trial Dungeon."
Izroth, "That's fine. And, just to be clear, this counts as the favor you are asking of my Mystical Realm Palace. I want to be sure there are no... Unfortunate misunderstandings."
Haishe, "Rest assured, I am well aware of my request."
Izroth, "So long as you understand."
Haishe, "I understand loud and clear. Then, I won't waste any more of your time. See you soon, Palace Master Izroth."
〈System Alert: Player Haishe has terminated the voice chat!〉
'He said he'd be straightforward, but still goes and ends things like that. How amusing.'
At the end of their conversation, Haishe did not say that he would see the Pill Emperor soon, but rather that he would see Izroth soon.
This meant that he was likely already aware of Izroth's identity as one of the Pill Emperors.
However, Izroth was not too surprised. It was just as Menerva said, it was only a matter of time before others started to uncover his identity as a Pill Emperor. Not to mention, it was not as if he intentionally went out of his way to keep it a secret.
'Hopefully, he really does just need my assistance to clear a Trial Dungeon. This will also give me a good chance to see if there truly are secret tries between Fatal Touch and the Shadahi, or if Silent Steps was just an anomaly.'
Izroth knew that Silent Steps had some ties to the Shadahi after witnessing his transformation. However, what Izroth was uncertain of was whether or not the entirety of Fatal Touch was also in on it.
Since Silent Steps was the leader, the chances were high. But, seeing as how there was a recent power struggle, perhaps Silent Steps was acting for his own self-benefit. Either way, Izroth planned on getting some answers.
'I will follow through with my word. But, if they are conspiring with the Shadahi, then... The moment I complete my task, I will have to deal with them accordingly.'
Izroth had not forgotten the deal he made with the God of Craft, Mazi. The Shadahi was a threat to the Mortal Realm; therefore, anyone or anything related to them was not something that he could afford to ignore.
If it turned out that Haishe and Fatal Touch were connected to the Shadahi in any way, Izroth planned to uproot them from the source.
...
The next day...
〈System Alert: You have entered the outpost city, «Xanaharpe»!〉
〈System Alert: Your War Objectives have been updated!〉
'It's even more crowded this time around. But, I guess this much is to be expected.'
After traveling for just over a day on foot, Izroth finally arrived at Xanaharpe. However, it was nothing like the last time he visited this city.
The streets were crowded with players who gathered for the raid on the Night Lord's Crypt. It was to the point that the guards were forced to limit entry into the city to those who were Soldiers 1st Class or higher.
As for the rest of the players, they were forced to wait outside of the city.
"Welcome, Captain." The guard at the gate greeted Izroth, who showed his GSU insignia to gain access to the city.
Izroth gave a small nod as he walked through the gate and began to make his way toward the General Support Unit's main base of operations.
'I sent Avia off with Nomii to assist in finding the materials I need to restore her arm. Astratis said he wanted to take a look around for a while, but... Well, if it's him, he should be fine. The others should have already arrived at the base. I should meet up with them soon.'
...
After walking for a bit through the crowded city, Izroth reached the GSU's main base of operations and entered inside.
"Captain, what should we do? We're already stretched too thin. We can't afford to send anyone." A familiar voice sounded.
This voice belonged to the General Support Unit Lieutenant of the 4th Division, Swivel.
Izroth only briefly exchanged words with Swivel the last time he was here; however, he could tell that they were troubled by the tone of their voice.
"I know that. But, we don't have a choice. If the GSU doesn't send anyone, wouldn't it bring shame to the Commander?" The man sitting at the table across from Swivel responded with a heavy sigh.
He was the head of this GSU base, the General Support Unit 4th Division Captain of the 1st Unit, Hyasin. And, just like Swivel, he seemed troubled.
"You're here. I was starting to think you wouldn't show up." Another familiar voice sounded from the side of the room as the owner of that voice approached Izroth.
"How could I miss such a big event?" Izroth replied in a carefree manner.
The person who walked up to Izroth was one of the individuals he was meeting at the GSU's base, Niflheim.
Izroth then looked around the room and asked, "Where is she?"
"She left not too long ago to gather information. You sure chose an interesting one this time around." Niflheim responded.
"I see. And, them?" Izroth inquired as he glanced over at Hyasin and Swivel.
"They're trying to decide who to send as a representative for the General Support Unit to the raid for the Night Lord's Crypt. But, well, I have a feeling they won't have to worry about that problem much longer." Niflheim said with a meaningful look in his eyes.