The newest QuestWright in Liora didn’t respond immediately to his question. Cass had to sit up just to look at her, pulling on whatever remaining energy he had left in the tank with the effort.
Eyes wide as saucers, trembling hands, and a certain feeling of terror were all plainly shown in her stance. He got the sense she wasn’t taking things well.
Though he thought he knew the answer, Cass still had to ask, “If you’re this scared, why did you accept the Calling?”
“Is this really happening?” The girl asked in a squeaky voice.
Cass gave her a tired, partial smile, “If I’m dreaming this, it’s the most elaborate I’ve ever had. Yes, it’s real. I’m Cassio, Cass to my friends.”
“You’re the Guild Master?” She said, more as a statement than a question.
“The temporary one. Now, back to my second Question. If you’re this scared about everything, why did you accept the Calling?”
“Because I failed my last, and…” She ran a hand through her auburn hair, twisting its ends into curls with what Profile labeled a nervous habit. “I didn’t want to be a Dreg.”
Cass snorted, causing Adya to look at him sharply as her emotions blared that he was doing this wrong. He chose not to look at her as he said, “Same reason I took it. How many tries did you go through?”
“Just the once.”
“Ah, you were a bit lucky then. For me, it was each and every time except the last. It does start to make me wonder. I’ve never met a Dreg. Have you?”
When she shook her head, Cass looked to Adya, who did the same, then settled against the door. Cass sighed, “I’m starting to think Dregs don’t really exist. It’s just used to scare us into picking our Callings when they’re offered. At least, unless you’re offered a Calling right at the beginning.”
“Should you really be saying that as the Guild Master? How am I here right now?” The girl rhetorically asked herself, though Adya didn’t pick up on that clue as she answered..
“He’s the temporary Guild Master and has a mind of his own. As for how you’re here, you made a choice,” Adya gave off a nurturing vibe, something he didn’t know the normally quiet Scout had within herself. “You chose to accept the offer from the Book of Callings, and I believe it to be a wise one. There’s a lot of power in being a QuestWright.”
“And a lot of paperwork,” Cass commented with a wry smile. Adya tilted her head at him, then intuited what he needed and brought him a glass of water. He accepted it with a smile, drinking deeply, then wincing as the motion caused his headache to return with a vengeance.
Just then, Cass got several notifications at once.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
A Quest you assigned has failed
-1 System Reputation
A Quest you assigned has failed
-1 System Reputation
…
A coldness formed in his chest, and just like that, his smile disappeared. “Fuck.”
“What is it?” Adya asked, as Amelia gave him an even more concerned look.
“Several Quests just failed. Hold on.” Spinning around in the chair, he pulled up the ledger and looked at their origins. Each had failed, but not because the Questor was dead, which was a relief. They’d failed because the imposed time limit had exceeded…on five of them, all located in the south and west.
There were several reasons why they could’ve exceeded the time limit. They may have run into issues with their carts or animals. They could’ve been dodging around Monsters or dealing with an uppity satellite manager who wouldn’t sign the forms. Hell, they could just be taking their sweet ass time. But for all of those to fail, and in those specific areas, he could logically infer one thing.
If the Red Tower is in the north…and these are all in the south, then…we’re being surrounded.
Liora’s design wasn’t perfect. Built on the old ruins of San Antonio and erected in part and parcel at need, nothing was put together in a manner that many would call Logical. The districts had naturally formed by need and evolved to meet the requirements of what could be found within a day’s cart ride.
In a streaking line through the western center of the city was the river, held tightly by the Stream’s district. North was the Red Tower and several mines and farms, their trails always leading back to the Depot. To the West of the Foundry were a few oddball locations meant for expanded population growth, where interspersed farms and unified homesteads fought their best to create a better life for the independently minded. And for the south, the Grounds, it was mostly rolling hills and defensive buttresses built and maintained by Companies granted the land through leased charters.
If they’re attacking south and west, where most of those in the area are either Combatants or trained well enough to fight off any possible incursions…then they’re doing so in force and with a plan. His mind trailed the map, connecting disparate thoughts as his enemies' plan slowly revealed itself. If I were them, I’d probably do the same thing. They’re intending on hitting our strengths first, so they can wipe out our weakest areas the moment we have no defenses left. Attack the strong, so all that’s left is the weak.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
If our position beyond the southern gates is taken and the west has capitulated, then they’ll focus on Liora itself. It’ll take time for them to defeat each Company’s territory. Like my parents’ house, they’re all built to be fortresses, but numbers can override any defense with enough time.
Plus…they have monsters. I hope my Questors are okay.
That formed and broke his thoughts all at once. Cass’s breathing quickened as the idea that he might’ve sent his Questors to their doom blossomed in startling clarity and immediate dread.
This wasn’t like it was with Jonnny; it was worse. He’d sent the man thinking he’d be safe on a simple messenger run. With this group, even though he’d tried planning the safest route possible, he’d still sent them out into hostile territory. Maybe to their deaths. That didn’t sit right with him, nor did the ominous thought that followed.
If he was going to see them through this, he may have to do so again. And again. And again after that. Vex’s premonitory warning of his age and maturity was now brought into the light, and for once, Cass began to doubt himself.
While Amelia was quietly uninformed of the turn his emotions had taken, Adya was all too aware as he felt a strong hand lightly grip his shoulder.
It was amazing how powerful that simple act felt to him in that moment. Her touch soothed his mind like a balm on a burn. Regaining a semblance of mental control, his mind went through a shift, connecting thoughts over and over as the two others in his office stared at the map. Then, he made a decision.
His voice came out as a croak from the sudden dryness in his mouth, “Adya, go and find Pellin. We need to know what stage he’s at in those communication devices.”
Her hand regretfully left his shoulder as she leaned in to whisper, “You going to be okay?”
He didn’t want to show any panic to Amelia and further disrupt the image he was trying to show as the Guild Master, so he gave a short nod he knew only the Scout would see.
Adya stood up straight right after, “I’ll leave right away.” She gave him a final squeeze and a bit of warmth, then she opened the door and stepped out. Jimmy looked in from his post with a discerning gaze.
Cass glanced the guard's way as he rubbed his temple, “Jimmy, grab a passerby in Guild robes and bring me Maestro Moore and Office Vex. I don’t have time to make a Quest right now.”
The man nodded but didn’t need to leave his post as his voice could be heard clearly across the Atrium, “The Guild Master requests Moore and Vex!”
Cass hoped all of the families had dispersed by that time; otherwise, Jimmy’s yell would likely scare the pants off of them. He mentally added Amelia to that list as he heard her sharply taken breath behind him.
Spinning around, he looked at the newest QuestWright in Liora and tried to feel a sense of empathy for her. He would’ve called her pretty if she didn’t look out of sorts and stressed to high heaven. The city was being surrounded, and Liora would soon come under attack, but she didn’t deserve to be ignored. It wasn’t long ago that he’d been in the same position as her. So he’d settle her down. Even if his emotions were tugging him in multiple directions, he could do that much for her.
“How’re you doing?”
She twisted a lock of reddish hair held in a too-tight fist, “That map is terrifying.”
“Oh, this old thing,” Cass tried to nod at the screen, but it took a small bit of effort to lift his head up afterward. Not doing that again. “You’ll find that everything you’ve just unlocked is similar; this is just larger in scope and power. How about this?” He weakly gestured at the bed across the way. “Why don’t you grab a seat, try to relax, and just study your System map? I’m sure I can get someone to show you to your room here soon, as I have a feeling this space will be over-occupied in not too long.”
She gave him a slightly disbelieving look, “You just want me to sit down and do nothing?”
“No, not at all. I want you to sit down and learn what it means to be a QuestWright. That begins with the map. Go on, try it out.”
With a shrug as if to say, got nothing better to do, Amelia sat on the edge of the bed. When she blinked and grew a little frustrated, Cass knew what was wrong. “Try looking at the wall when you activate your map ability.”
She turned her head, then leaned back in shock, “Oh, wow!”
He smiled, “That’s just the start of what we can do. Now, while you’re studying that, I have a few things I need to take care of. But I promise you, we’ll get you all sorted out as soon as we can.”
Turning back in the chair, Cass hid a grimace as he was struck by vertigo. It only lasted for a few moments before his head cleared, and he knew what he had to do.
Diving into his screens, Cass moved over to the System Reputation side of things, then glanced at the bricks with a knowing expression. I’ve held off on this for long enough.
His weekly quota appeared, confirmed he’d done his duty, then went away in a blink. There was nothing holding him back anymore. They were coming, and he needed any and every option he could find to protect his city.
He had enough System Reputation to unlock them all, so that’s just what he did.
Quest type: (H) Hunt, (C) Combat, (SC) Secure, (OB) Observe, (Y) Internal Development, (TT) Mentoring, (EE)Extended Escort, (MT) Maintain, (TR) Trade, (SL) Sale selected…
QuestWright Ledger updated…
…
All Tier 2 Quest types are now unlocked.
The Screen shifted as the silver tower built itself up brick by brick with the Quests his people had completed. Several of them had glowing lines of silver attaching to each other, and when he clicked on them, he recognized what they were.
The Quest Web’s he’d activated during Pathfinder.
Each of the attached bricks looked sturdier, with a healthier glow. As if they could bear the weight of something heavy floating above. What that might be, he didn’t know.
The tower faded as writing appeared in its place.
Status updated:
Total System reputation accrued: 1482
Current System reputation remaining: 146
[SYSTEM NOTE]
Due to the low level of the QuestWright, new Quest types cannot be unlocked until later.
— —
Bonus granted for unlocking all Uncommon Quest types:
1 free minor node unlock
Initiate QuestWright Achievement progress:
11/12
The text faded, and with it, Cass’s mind went blank as all the Uncommon types updated into his map. As the filters hadn’t yet been set, he got a front-row seat to how many Uncommon Quests were active within Liora at once.
“Even with his mass-drafting skill, I don’t know how Hollis does this,” Cass mumbled to himself, and with good reason. There were thousands at once, each dancing amongst the others as routine and active Quests drifted among the shining figures of people on the map.
Then he opened the ledger and began studying every registered Quest held by the citizens of Liora…
Profile went to work.
[Tier 1 Training Quest]
Assignment: Hold the Line
Emotion is not weakness. But unchecked reaction is bad logistics.
Your Task:
The next time you feel a strong emotional surge such as frustration, embarrassment, anger, defensiveness, or sadness, pause for ten full seconds before doing anything.
That is it. Just ten seconds.
No response. No fix. No exit. No explosion.
Just sit with the pressure. Name it silently if you can. Let it crest.
Rules: You do not have to be calm. You just have to wait.
Do not suppress. Do not escalate.
Hold the space between feeling and action.
Completion Condition: One real moment. One real pause. One response redirected.
Timeframe: This week
Reward: 7 XP
Mastery does not mean silence. It means keeping your hands on the controls when the signal spikes.
—
J D Mullenary Sr The Original QuestWright
Damn formatting.
