It was morning. He had finally made it to morning. Eating his breakfast in the inn's lobby with the most monotonous motion, he had a hard time staying awake. Michael did not get an ounce of sleep. There was this constant problem with Evelyn where she couldn't keep her hands to herself so he had to withstand another incident similar to the alley.
The difference was that this one had lasted through the night.
They had to take refuge in Mave's bathroom because she couldn't stand the two of them together. As the door closed and locked behind them, he vividly remembered the grin across her face as he tightly hugged the bedding in fear.
Maybe this was his doing. Maybe this was his fault to think he could contain a creature that knew no limits.
He sat at the far end of the lobby, eating quietly at one of the tables, wearing the same wrinkled and stretched clothing when he slept. His short interaction with Veronica had surprisingly worked, watching her party of adventurers come through the entrance. A little while later, it was a full house filled with the most obnoxious people imaginable.
Eleven adventurers meant eleven migraines waiting to come.
Stefan was thrilled, having his party meet some of the new adventurers and trading introductions. Though none of them really reciprocated his enthusiasm when he mentioned his party was from the Adventuring guild. They drew back their faces and responded with a dull tone as if he had some spreadable disease in his hands.
Ellis couldn't bear the embarrassment, sitting alongside Mave at the same table with Michael.
Luca, obviously, did not show up. He was starting to become more of a dead-weight to the quest as much as how Felix described him with such high esteem.
But Michael chewed his cut of meat slowly, staring off into his jumbled thoughts. It wasn't even about the quest anymore. It was about how he would sleep again tonight. Was he going to face another trial from her? It was like stopping her from advancing on him ever since his challenge sort of doubled her desire. Did he really have to keep her in a sword whenever they slept?
He would never do that, he thought to himself, because what type of person would he be for locking away another human being?
Maybe she could do whatever she wants. Maybe he should actually forget about this challenge that was becoming admittedly stupid.
He dropped his fork on the plate, falling back into a loud and frustrating groan.
Ellis ignored his sudden change in attitude, and probably wondered why his party was filled with crazies. Mave kept to her food, paying no attention to the emotional turmoil of a teenage boy.
There was no winning against Evelyn. She was having everything in her way. The worst part was that Michael wanted the same thing as her. Because, after all, she could read his mind.
Stefan came to them, bringing along some of the other adventurers. "Care to join the party, my fellow party members?"
Ellis grimaced. "Did you forget that we're on a quest? A quest that involves the sake of other lives?"
"We all are familiar," Reed approached them. "Your party leader and kid promised you people would help. Forgive me if I'm not flattered, but you guys look nothing out of the ordinary."
Stefan snickered beside him.
He slowly turned, his face growing in annoyance. "Something funny, again?"
Veronica pulled a chair around and sat near the table. "Whatever you guys want to propose, we already tried, and we've been stuck at square one. It's not about finding Luca anymore, it's more about risking termination of our license. The longer we spend on this quest, the more danger we draw to our party and to our guild."
Veronica and Reed's party were actually from the same guild, Espion, which was only a rank higher than Michael's. As for Omen, he was the one below the Adventuring, called the Darkwing.
What a villainous name, Michael thought, but it wasn't any more ridiculous than a guild named Adventuring.
But that had also meant, since their quest from Almore, the adventuring guild had taken their seventh place in rankings. Sort of explained why Omen's party didn't want to talk to Stefan when he tried to spark a conversation.
As for Luca, his guild was named Starbreaker, something more heroic-sounding than the rest of them.
The Starbreaker guild was ranked fourth place, two spots above Espion. Michael didn't know how drastic their gap could have been but since Felix always kept Luca's name in his mouth for some reason, but the Starbreaker guild must have been impressive. What sort of strength, speed, or magic, Luca could be hiding under his sleeves to become an inevitable threat?
"Then what have you done already?" Ellis asked. "With all the time you spent here before, I wouldn't mind if you could educate us."
Veronica talked first. Michael, unfortunately, was stuck in between their conversation.
She started to explain the details of their experience from the beginning. The quest was first originally assigned to Starbreaker, then after the Guild Administration noticed no signs of completion, it turned collective. That was why Espion, Adventuring, and Darkwing had come to Alaris.
But when they arrived, Luca was not the same person everyone saw now.
Luca was more stable, more reliable, and was how they gathered all the adventurers together in the nest. He was the core of their plans, the glue of their trust, and the steel of their weapons.
But once his partner left, due to his declining mental stability, Luca completely lost it. He started to attack the cathedral and its locals, throwing off the guards and becoming a criminal on the run. Even the other parties tried to stop him but how could they possibly compete against a member of the Starkbreaker guild?
When Luca had come back to their meeting, and after hearing they were planning a forfeit from the quest, everyone was lucky to escape with their lives.
"And here we are," Veronica finished. "Welcome to our failure."
"Did you at least find any leads?" Ellis asked. "Investigate any suspicious activity, apprehend any criminals—"
"I already told you, little boy, we've done everything you hope to try."
Ellis narrowed his eyes. "Little boy?"
"You've done everything?" Mave scoffed. "You've captured thieves and desperate beggars, great, what is that supposed to solve?"
Reed scrunched his brow. "What do you think is happening here then, because it seems like you know a lot from just your first day."
"It's my first day and I'm making double the effort from any of you."
"Are you being intentionally dense? Do all of you Adventuring fools share the same brain?"
"It's nothing about that," Felix stopped Reed from escalating. "The thing about this town is that…there's truly nothing wrong. Everything seems to be functioning like normal as if the quest is at fault."
Stefan scratched his head with doubt. "I don't know about that. The Guild Administration never lies."
"They never do," Ellis agreed. "Every one of your guilds were chosen for a reason, just as Luca's. If Alaris seems to be under the effect of a quest, then there's something waiting to be solved. Are you guys absolutely sure that there isn't any—"
"They're a lost cause," Reed said to Veronica. "I told you it would be worthless talking to them."
She pursed her lip. "I thought they could help."
Ellis stared at them with disbelief. "You guys know we can hear you, right?"
"We won't be collaborating with your party," Reed concluded. "If you want to spend your days idly on this quest, then go ahead. But, as for us, we have better uses of our time."
"It's much more merciful if we all forfeit," Felix added. "Prolonging a quest is dangerous for any guild, especially ours. I'm sorry, but we cannot accept the spare from you people."
"Then would you really go back to your guilds empty handed?" Ellis asked them as they started to leave. "What would your captain say to you, knowing you gave up?"
"What more could we do?" Reed said back. "We come into this town and cause havoc, I imagine any of these townspeople already want us gone."
"So, what are you planning to do now?"
"We're giving back to the cathedral."
Ellis exchanged a look with Stefan. "What do you owe to the cathedral, again?"
"Were you even listening? Is your brain just as small as your body?"
"Excuse me?"
"The word cathedral always finds itself in the conversation," Mave said, cutting the tension. "You're adventurers, not zealots, there must be some type of connection towards it."
Reed turned his attention, seemingly offended. "What are you trying to say?"
"What if the quest is about the cathedral? Have you ever thought about that—"
"The cathedral has nothing to do with the quest," Veronica quickly remarked. "They're victims of Luca's violence because he couldn't deal with the pain of a heartache."
"Luca had hurt some people," Felix wearily revealed. "During his attack, innocent people were injured. That is why I'm afraid of his impulses, that is why I fear what he plans to do next."
"The least we can do is pay back the damages," Reed said. "We can't just leave this town after what Luca had done. Being an adventurer means we protect the people. Being an adventurer means striving for a better future. Being an adventurer means—"
Stefan loudly yawned, smacking his lips together.
"Let's—let's just go," Felix stopped Luca. "They're not worth it."
Ellis watched the parties walk away, leaving the inn's lobby with the quiet it finally deserved.
Stefan shrugged. "I guess we're alone on this."
"Nothing out of the ordinary," Ellis sighed. "Who's idea was it to gather them to the inn?"
Michael tried to find out how many times he's been drifting to sleep. He couldn't even be bothered to voice his own opinions during their conversations.
Stefan picked at Michael's neck. "What's this, kid, did you get into a fight?"
Michael tiredly waved his hands away.
"Oh, I see. Good to know you two are in a healthy relationship."