Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

Chapter 162 - 162 - Student, Teacher, Teaching aide

I gladly accept Rysia's suggestion without so much as a second thought. No, actually I have second thoughts, mostly ones revolving around why she would teach a lesson like that in the evening after closing the shop, but none of these thoughts dissuade me from accepting. Thus I put my tea cup away and nod.

"I'll drop by again in the evening then. Just after sunset if I can manage. Would that be alright with you?"

Both mother and daughter seem glad to hear me say that, for different but potentially related reasons if I had to guess. Brygida seems excited to learn something new and Rysia seems to be looking forward to extending her teaching experience a little. Yes, she is probably hoping for a level up or two.

"Yes, that sounds good."

She accepts back my empty cup and as I bow before leaving she sees me off with some more kind words and a mischievous little smile.

"See you later, apprentice."

I'm not quite sure what I'm supposed to make of that statement, but I decide to take it as a compliment of sorts anyway. As far as witchcraft goes I still have plenty to learn fore sure after all and I'm more than willing to do that learning too. Will the mother be as good a teacher as the daughter? Better even? I guess I'll see how it works out later.

First things first though. My next target is the adventurers' guild. I want to check the jobs on offer. I consider taking the rooftop highway, but in the end I decide against it. I can't avoid the gate all the time. If I were to do that someone would figure out that they only ever see me leaving but never entering. Thus, even if I don't want to bother with the guards I'll bear with it, for now. It can't always be as bad as last time, right? And besides, I'm still plenty early enough, despite my stop with the witches. Meaning, I have time to waste, especially as I already had breakfast along the way too.

The gate is pretty clogged up, at least for anyone heading inside. It's not surprise this early in the morning. Thankfully the youngster, who is on duty again, isn't left to his own devices this time around though. The guards are still up to their usual scummy antics, but at least a more seasoned guard is showing the youngster how to go about these ways in a more efficient and less disruptive way. Efficient corruption, who would have thought?

I have to choke back a laugh. My amusement only grows as the young lad recognizes me. I keep it all tightly bottled up though, to not make a scene. This is the correct course of action too. For one it earns me a little progress for my [Bluff] skill. And, more importantly, the more seasoned guard quickly waves me through when I show my adventurers' guild tag.

It's a simple enough maxim. If you want no trouble, cause no trouble. More people should take it to heart. Of course that doesn't mean that the lad is off the hook. And the same is true for the rest of the guard. At least the lad might still be young enough to change his ways, even if my hopes in that regard are rather limited. It might still be worth the effort to offer him a choice though instead of just confronting him with the pointy end of an instrument of stabbing. Just killing everyone that irks me is not really an option either after all.

Not unless I plan to become a rather mindless tyrant like the King Boletus, which I don't. Not just because I know first hand how that worked out for the fungal monarch either.

Never mind though. For now I head to the guildhall in a good mood. The only reason why I don't whistle to myself is that this seems not to be something people up and about in the inner city at this time of day do. It would make me stand out, even if just in a rather minor way, which I'd rather avoid. Sadly that's not good enough to help improve my stealth skill all on its own. Can't have everything it seems.

Before long I reach the guildhall. It's still in the process of waking up, at least as far as the active adventurers are concerned. The guild clerks on the other hand are already in the process of finishing up their morning chores. One of which is pinning the newest requests to the big board.

I nod in greeting to the clerk just finishing with the last quests. Then I focus on the papers he pinned to the board. It doesn't take me long to find a familiar one. One posted in the name of lady Iszolda who once again is looking for a sparring partner for the city's young lord as far as the general public is concerned. I quickly snatch it before anyone else can beat me to it. Only once I hold it in my hands do I check out all the details. There are no big surprises there though. Just as well. I nod to myself and take it to the counter to check it out with the clerk there right away.

The old veteran behind the counter barely raises an eyebrow this time around. There aren't any questions or reminders this time around either. Maybe it's not just because I have done this particular quest before. It could be that the clerks getting used to me. Yes, maybe I'm just not a new face anymore. It doesn't really matter one way or the other. What matters is that I'm leaving the guild hall again not much later quest papers in hand to head directly to the keep.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

People, mostly merchants providing the keep's residents with fresh produce are queuing up there too. But the keep's guards are actual knights, squires and some men or women at arms, not the corrupted scum of the watch, thus the queue is moving actually pretty fast.

The armed and armored lad, one of the squires, who accepts my paperwork actually is not one I'm familiar with, but I'm quite pleased to find out that he too processes my papers with practiced ease. He takes a moment to inspect my guild tag too. There is only one minor hiccup, which occurs when he informs me that he will use an identification skill on me to confirm my identity. As he does I can feel his skill fail to take hold and penetrate my [Shrouded Soul] as that skill improves a little too. He actually looks a little perplexed.

Before he can try again I raise a hand to stop him.

"You might have to ask someone with a few more levels in their identification skill or someone with a more potent skill in general. Lady Iszolda usually has no trouble seeing right through me. That is, unless you hope to earn a level up or two in short order. If that's the case, be my guest. I don't mind."

He blinks in surprise at first, blanches a little as I mention lady Iszolda, but then he actually chuckles. One of the older guards, a woman with slightly graying hair, standing further back and keeping an eye one everything is already walking up to us too. Before she can intervene though the squire speaks up again.

"If you actually really don't mind, I'd like to try again. We tend to get plenty of practice here at the gate, but still, every little bit helps in the long run. So … I'd like to try two more times, if it's alright with you."

I'm a little surprised that he actually takes me up on the offer at first, but it certainly makes sense. And his request to allow me to use his skill on me twice actually suggests that he must be close to level up. One attempt to make the skill level up and another to check and see if it's good enough yet to pierce my shroud. And just like that I go from apprentice witch to teacher myself? Or am I more of a teaching aide in this case? Never mind. I encourage him to go ahead with a nod.

The woman who has to be his superior must have caught at least the tail end of his statement. She looks a little torn on the issue. On one hand the hold up seems to irritate her. On the other hand she seems pleased with the way the squire goes about the unexpected development.

A moment later I can feel the lad use his identification skill again. Once more it fails to penetrate the shroud around my soul. And one again my [Shrouded Soul] skill improves a little. Before he can try a second time though I feel a more powerful gaze pierce my shroud. This time it's the other gate guard, the old woman. She has a piercing gaze that easily matches her skill too. There is no fooling her. At least my skill improves another little bit right away. She doesn't say anything though, letting the lad proceed instead and proceed he does. When he uses his skill this time around it's a little more forceful, backed by more power and after a brief moment of uncertainty it actually manages to penetrate my shroud too, which improves some more in the process.

The squire lets out the breath he has been holding at first, then after composing himself he nods, which is enough to put the old woman at ease. He returns my quest papers too after looking at them one last time.

"Thank you for your patience. I'll take you to see lady Izolda. Please follow me."

I do as he asks, mostly because it's how things are done here at the keep. I have been here often enough by now that I could find my own way by now. I doubt he would appreciate me running off though. As we walk it turns out this lad is a tad more chatty than I'm used to with the guards around here, thus I'm caught a little off guard as he suddenly speaks up while we traverse the keep's hallways.

"That's a skill keeping your status hidden isn't it?"

I blink in surprise. I don't see any harm in providing at least a cursory answer though, thus I do.

"Yes. Yes it is. And just like you got some training for your identification skill in, my skill improved a little too. Thanks by the way."

He lets out a laugh, but quickly catches himself again. Seems he doesn't want to draw any undue attention to himself, but he is not yet ready to quit the conversation in general either.

"That skill, if you don't mind me asking, it's part of your second class, isn't it? What kind of class is that even? I can't say I have ever encountered a class with a name like that."

Well, well. Now he is touching on slightly more sensitive matters. How troublesome. I need to be careful, but I should answer anyway since not answering would just be more suspicious. I match his casual tone, which might not be entirely appropriate, too.

"Oh, you mean the masked mediator class? Yes, that skill came with the class. And to answer your other question, it's an uncommon variation of a cleric class. Got it after my participation with the recent emergency quest to exterminate that fungal plague out in the woods."

One of his eyebrows goes up.

"You got it as a quest reward?"

Now I have to snort in amusement in turn.

"No, not like that. I had to learn how to pray and how to make sacrifices first of course. The dangerous quest might have helped after wards though when I retreated to call the attention of my divine sponsor down upon me."

That is even mostly the truth. Just a little exaggeration here and an omission there. I'm quite proud of how I spun this.

The lad looks like he wants to ask more questions. He is quite an inquisitive one. If his curiosity doesn't get him killed he might go places. As it is, we are almost at the room lady Iszolda has used to teach her classes on swordplay before and she is just coming down the hallway with the young lord and Justyna in tow too. She doesn't give the young man a chance to say anything else.

"Thank you squire. I'll take it from here. And Justyna will show our guest out again once we are done."

There is nothing left to do for the knight in training but to bow and leave.