<~> Chapter 72It was well into the afternoon when we reached the adventurer's guild. Oep into the building and I could immediately sehe tension in the room. Despite the tables being mostly filled and it being only shortly before the 'dinner rush' of adveurning is for the day, it was nearly dead silent. All eyes were on the six people wearing fancy looking blue and white robes. They were standing at ter talking to the giant tigerkin guild master herself. And she looked pissed.

  With the amount of tension in the air I almost turned around a immediately. Before I could, the tiger's eyes locked onto me. She pointed right at me and beed me over. I gnced over my group and all three were pale, at first I had thought it was because of the scary guild master but quickly realized their eyes were all fixed instead on the people in the robes.

  "Tamin priests." Man muttered quietly.

  I uood now but despite my reluce it was already too te. Raksha'va looked right at me and beed me over. Her eyes hadn't left me since I first walked through that door. I walked over just hoping that her extreme amount of malice wasn't directed at me.

  "Lilith," Raksha'va growled out. "Please go follow Mirrianna upstairs into one of the meeting rooms. My guests and I will follow you shortly." Guests oken like an insult and the sharp look that gazed in their direade me gd I wasn't on the receiving end. The robed priests looked impassively back at the tigerkin. They were pletely unfazed by the bloodlust that dripped off of our fierce guild master.

  I just did as I was told and followed Mirrianna up the stairs with my party in tow. I had only gone up these stairs twiow but I was starting to associate them with the headache that always came from ing up here and would surely e from this upiing too.

  The four of us shuffled into the same room I had been taken to the st time. Mirianna sat at one end and the four of us sat across from the empty seats oher side of the table. I sat between Torien and Bel in case they o whisper something to me, Man sat on my far right closest to the empty spot where the guild master usually sat. It was clear who the other side of the table was for. I'm not sure if the guild master was going to mediate between us or if something else was going on but I really didn't like being pulled into this situation.

  "Mirianna, what's this about? I'd really like to avoid getting roped into a flict with the Tamin church." I scratched the base of my hain, it was quickly being a nervous tick but I couldn't help myself.

  Mirianna sighed. "The group the Tamin church sent to verify your dungeon kill is demanding to see the dungeon directly themselves and have already insulted the guild master's petency repeatedly sihey've e to towe the scoutis we've shared and the broken crystal we've showhey're demanding to delve it themselves and they seem i on you esc them to the site."

  "Why us?" I asked.

  "I believe they want you close if they decide that your kill was unsaned." Her words hung in the air, the implication clear.

  Torien's tail flicked with annoyance. "Why would they eveo verify it themselves? We brought the crystal back, it sounds like the guild cleared us, is this whole thing a charade to lure us into an alley to stab us in the back?" Her voice was sharp with held bager but Mirianna didn't hold it against her.

  "You see why the guild master is so angry downstairs. Something here smells, the church's padins and priests are up to something and the eime they haven't stopped insulting and antagonizing the guild master. Since all of you are beastkin and demi-humans you likely won't be spared the stant harassmeher."

  Just then the door practically smmed open and a very angry Raksha'va walked in. She sat down heavily at the end of the table and three of the robed humans followed behind her and sat down across from us. Two of them were armored padins and one looked like a priestess. The two padins took their helms off revealing one man and one woman. But when the priestess pulled her hood bad showed her face it felt like ice water entered my lungs and I heard a sharp intake of breath from my left.

  I looked over to Bel, her face was in shod her emotions were raging s they bled through our barely open e like a hurrie. I quickly grabbed her hand and turo face her. "Bel, are you okay?"

  She gripped my hand tight and tears beaded in her eyes. She shook her head. "N- no. I'll tell you ter." She pulled away from me and she tightly ched her hands and stared down at her legs. I felt her swirl of emotions close off to me now that she was making a scious effort to hide them. I grit my teeth. Whatever was b her was serious and I didn't even know what was happening.

  I took a breath and activated [Karmic Sedu], buoying my charisma up to 127. When I looked back it was as if the people at the table saw someone pletely different sitting there now. I read the subtle twitches of surprise in their features, the drastid sudden jump in charisma caught everyone off guard. All except for the priestess, who clearly had a retively high charisma as well. She sat there too perfectly and now that I was in the same realm I could see it a mile away. I didn't know who this was or why Bel reacted this way but it was clear that this woman was important somehow.

  "If you animals are done, let's get this unimportaing over with. Our time is valuable and you are wasting it." In my periphery I could see Bel's hands tightly ch again, her knuckles turning white.

  The charisma was helpiay calm but I was furious underh it. "Then speak. What is this about?" I asked.

  It was Raksha'va who answered, not allowing the cold priestess to respond to me. "Lilith, you and your party are to escort these Tamin adherents to the dungeon you discovered. You will not engage in bat unless you are directly threatehat's for the adherents to hahis quest is mandatory but I'm sending two of my people with yo—

  "That won't be neces—

  "AND I'LL TELL YOU AGAIN THAT IT IS." The room went silent after Raksha'va raised her voice. Even Mirianna looked shocked by the outburst. From what I've heard about her after our meeting, she was always calm and collected, if a bit frightening. And boy did frightening describe her right now.

  "Two of my people are going with. That is not up to iation. They will go with and make sure Lilith and her party return to me safely. By any means necessary. Are we clear priestess?"

  There was a quiet in the room. After a moment the priestess nodded her head. "Very well guild master. But your additional guards better not get in our way."

  Raksha'va tinued, "This job is mandatory but will t towards yuild mission record. You will take the Tamin adherents to the dungeon and you will wait outside for them to return. We have firmed there is a fading time distortion in the dungeon so if they have not returned by tomorrow noon you will return to the guild with the two people I'm sending with you. You will leave immediately. Am I uood?"

  I grimaced. I didn't like the idea of this mission and I desperately o see what was going on with Bel. Unfortunately, it sounded like I didn't really have a choice if I wao tinue dealing with the adventurer's guild and I kind of heir prote now that we have that dangerous title.

  I sighed. "Very well guild master."

  The tigerkin looked over to Mirianna. "Go take care of the paperwht away. I'll go get Tarklin and Nora for this quest. Please down.

  "Yes guild master." Mirianhe room without another word and everyone else began to stand up.

  I took Bel's hand aly helped her to her feet. My charisma screamed at me that I shouldn't show this kind of affe towards her in front of the church but I ig. They're already clearly hostile to us, I'll just have to deal with that when it es.

  She shot an the priestess as she was refitting her hood over her head, once again being anonymous in the group of white and blue robed Tamin adherents. Bel took a shaky breath but she was far from okay. I quickly approached the guild master.

  "Guild master. I o quickly return to our inn and gather our things."

  She nodded. "Do it. But don't you dare 'fet' to e back. I'm pissed right now and you don't waurning any of it your dire. Clear?"

  I hesitated, she was very intimidating. "Of cuild master."

  Before I could walk away she grabbed my arm and leaned over to whisper in my ear. "I like you better without the charisma boosting skill but it's a much better idea to keep it up around these bigots if you . It could save your ass."

  I just dumbly nodded before walking bay group. "Lets go get our things sorted out at the inn. We talk there." I grabbed Bel's hand and led her out of the guild building. We silently walked to our inn at a fast pace. As much as I needed to know what was going on, I wao do it privately.

  The momeered the room it was like a dam broke. Bel sat on the bed and started sobbing. Man and Torien could tell something was wrong with Bel but clearly didn't expect this sudden outburst of emotions. Mimi transformed into her beastfolk form as soon as the door closed and had immediately ed Bel in a hug. Mimi had clearly felt the wave of emotion as well because tears were streaming down her normally ral looking face.

  I sat down on the bed oher side of her and joihe hug. As soon as I did Bel buried her fa my bosom a g. I looked up for a moment and saw Man unsure what to do. She looked like she wao help fort Bel too but wasn't used to her role as a girlfrie so she just kind of fretted for a few moments before sitting down on the bed near us. Ready to help when she could.

  Ohe worst of the emotional outburst settled she pulled back. She was still g but I could tell she was aware everyone wao uand what was wrong.

  "Th- that p-priestess... sh- she was my mother..." Bel barely got the words out before she started loudly g once again.

  The twins' brows furrowed in unison, fused and unsure what to make of the statement. Mimi ig and just squeezed Bel tighter, having no text at all.

  But I knew what that meant... When we first met, the thing Bel literally gave me her soul for, was to never be abandoned again.

  Like her mother had.

  I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head like I often did when f her. There was nothing any of us could possibly say so we didn't say anything. Even knowing some of the text didn't really help, her emotions were s right now that the best I could do was tio hold her a her calm down on her own.

  We only spent ten minutes like that when Bel gently pulled away from us. "We... we don't have time for this." She dried her eyes with her sleeves and sniffled, it only partially helped because she hadn't pletely stopped g yet. "Mimi... will y out our boxes please. I... I want to pack my things up."

  Mimi's brows furrowed but she brought out our trunks for us without a word. The four of us started pag and s our jumbled items while Mimi sat on the bed quietly watg Bel.

  What might have been a fun activity of s through our clothes before a trip was instead done quickly and in silence.

  Saine

  Hello! I uh, wasn't able to post any earlier than I did tonight. Just like st time I'm going to post ara chapter tomorrow to make up for it. Sorry! See you tomorrow!

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