EXTRA * A Master Always Has His Apprentices on His Mind
Master’s POV
“Gotos, where’s Druid?”
I let myself in through Gotos’s front door to see him unheroically jump up from his seat—he’d probably been asleep.
“Whoa! Don’t scare me, Master!”
The guy always did let his guard down too much in his own home. Well, guess I can’t blame him. I’m just a little miffed, since I’ve been so busy with work. I wish I could’ve taken Gotos along with me—I sure could’ve tied things up a lot easier that way.
“Easy, pal, I ain’t threatenin’ ya. Now, where’s Druid?”
“At home.”
I just now noticed this, but dang, Gotos’s house is filthy. Learn how to clean, pal. I mean, you’ve got way too much stuff. Meanwhile, Druid’s house…well, it’s a failure in its own way. He’s only got the bare necessities on display. Actually, scratch that, he doesn’t even have the necessities.
“If he were home, I wouldn’t be here, would I?”
I did check his house and I’ve spent the day askin’ around, but nobody’s seen him. And if not even Gotos knows where he is…
“Hey, has he taken on any sketchy gigs lately?”
“Sketchy gigs?! Oh! Yeah, somebody did ask for an adventurer to explore a cave that just got discovered near here…”
Explore a cave? That’s a job for four adventurers, bare minimum. “That jackass…he took the gig all by himself, didn’t he?”
“Did something happen to Druid, Master?”
“The middle brother picked a fight with someone Druid was with. They both got hurt.”
“Again?”
Those dumbass brothers of his…I wish they’d just grow up already. They keep whining and demanding things of Druid like snotty little kids. I’d love to give ’em a piece of my mind and shut them up, but I know they’d just sulk and take it out on Druid. I wish their parents would just cut those stupid kids off…but they treat them with kindness, of all things. Guess they pity the boys, for all I know.
“Argh…”
“You sound tired, Master.”
“Guess I am.”
“Was there anything else you needed?”
“I got a warning from the guild master. He says he’s worried that Druid is unfit to work.”
I wish I could do something to help, but I know Druid wouldn’t want me to. I wonder if there’s anything I can do…
“He and I did some work together a little while ago, and I was a little worried about his safety.”
“What happened?”
He’d taken on plenty of crazy-dangerous gigs in the past, but he never once seemed concerned about dying. It really hurt to watch him pour all his frustrations into his work like that.
“What happened…I’m not really sure how to put it. I’d just catch these brief flashes of something in him. I got this sense that he’s going to disappear somewhere… That he’ll never stop fighting a monster when he’s confronted with one. And he used to vent his frustrations to me…but he’s stopped doing that lately…”
So at least he’d still express his feelings around Gotos…
“His skills are causing him a lot of pain. I wish I could understand how he’s feeling…but he keeps shutting me out. It’s a blessing he let me be his friend all these years…”
“Don’t worry, Gotos. You’re very important to Druid, and that’ll never change.”
Druid had a mysterious skill: stealing other people’s stars. If you were cursed with that, it’s only natural you’d want to keep others at a distance. And it was a particularly bad twist of fate that his two victims were his own brothers, since they’d convinced themselves a person’s worth was entirely determined by their stars. I’d hoped that losing their stars would help them grow up a little, but instead they raged and blamed it all on Druid.
But the reason why people stopped hanging around them…and why people mocked them for losing their stars…none of that was Druid’s fault. They brought it all on themselves, yet they shoved all the blame onto poor Druid, who was still only a child at the time. And their abuse still hasn’t ended. It doesn’t matter to them that it’s been years now since their stars were stolen.
“I don’t blame Druid’s parents one bit,” Gotos said. “They were shocked and had no idea what to do when their eldest sons’ stars disappeared. I just wish they’d opened their hearts a little more to Druid. The poor guy was crushed with guilt.”
Gotos was absolutely right. I wish they’d done more for him. I wish they’d turned some of their attention away from their whinin’, starless sons and given it to Druid, who was quietly suffering alone. Well, it’s too late for that now, though. Over the years, Druid lost all faith in his family.
“So, which cave are we talkin’ about?”
“It’s about two days’ walk away from town. Are you going to go there?”
“Yeah.” The guy did have a tendency to neglect his injuries. He needed someone to watch over him.
“Will Marual and Tombas be joining you?”
“Yeah, I’m sure they will. They worry a lot about Druid, ya know.”
“Then I’m coming…”
“No, Gotos.”
“Huh?! Why can’t I come, too?”
Ha ha ha! He looks crazy upset. “Something on your mind?”
Gotos avoided my gaze when I said that. Heh, did he really think he could hide it from me?
“Is it as bad as it looks?”
“It’s just a scratch, Master! It’s just that the monster turned out to be poisonous, so I’m keeping an eye on it.”
Well, he’s still got color in his face, so he’ll probably be fine. A “scratch,” eh? I thought he’d stopped makin’ careless blunders like that. I wonder if something’s on his mind… Oh!
“Did the guild master say anything to ya?” The guild master did say he was planning to have a talk with Gotos just before I left on my last gig.
“Yes…and if you’re thinking it was about naming me as the next guild master, he did say that. But that’s not what’s been on my mind.”
“Dang, ya look really calm. The guild master just said he wants you to take over for him. Shouldn’t ya be a bit more panicky about it?”
“Well, I’d heard rumors that I was next in line to be guild master, so I’d already braced myself for that talk. But what I wasn’t prepared to hear was that you were the one who nominated me… Is that true, Master?”
“Nominate isn’t quite the right word. The guild master asked me who I thought would be a good choice, and I said you would—that’s all. As far as I’m concerned, you’re second to none for the job.”
Gotos stared hard at me in reply. Then he sighed quietly. “I will become the guild master. I just have reservations…”
I guess it was one of those I’m ready to be the guild master but I just need an extra push things. Well, it wasn’t a job you could take lightly. Gotos needed just a little push… And the one who always motivated Gotos the most was Druid. All right, then…I’ll light a fire under him. There’s somethin’ I’d like to hear from his own lips anyway.
“Druid’s skill…do ya think stealin’ stars is all he’s capable of?”
“Huh?! What do you mean, Master?”
“Exactly what I said. His star-stealin’ skill. Do ya think that’s all there is to it?”
Those number-like things I had Druid write out for me…the slanted line between the two numbers… I just couldn’t shake the feeling that they had more than one meaning. Maybe it’s just all in my head. But what if there were two meanings behind it?
The one we knew about already was his power to steal stars. But what if he could do more than steal stars…what if he could give them as well? If it was just my imagination, then so be it. But if his power did have two sides, then he must have the ability to give as well as take away. And if my hunch was right, he would have to keep this secret at any cost.
“Are you trying to say there is more to it?” Gotos asked. “I really don’t want to see him suffer any more than he already has.”
“I ain’t smart enough to figure out those numbers…but I’m thinkin’ that if he has the power to take stars, he might also have the power to give stars.”
“But that would be…” Gotos trailed off, staring hard at me. He really does have a keen eye for people. That’s probably why the guild master wants him to be next in line. He’s nothin’ to write home about, but he’s a good guy. And I’m confident he could actually last as the guild master, though not on his own. It’s a merciless job, and I guess I’m the crappiest man alive for steering him toward it.
But I know Gotos is up to the task. I have faith that he can be a great guild master. He can be a bit of a softie at times, but he’ll be fine as long as he’s got good assistants to help him out.
“If he does have powers like that, Master…then isn’t he in danger?”
“Yep. He’ll definitely have a target on his back.”
“So, you’re saying I should become the guild master so I can protect him?”
“Nah. Druid would resent me forever if I made ya do that. I dropped your name for guild master, Gotos, because I think you can make this town a better place.”
“Yikes! Did you just…praise me?”
Why’re ya so shocked? For cryin’ out loud. “Ya do know what kind of position you’d be in as the guild master…right?”
“Of course I do. I’ve seen with my own two eyes everything the guild master has done.”
A guild master has to do whatever it takes to preserve a town, and sometimes that means making unethical decisions. Decisions that would lead to his friends dying. Our current guild master has had to make decisions like that time and time again. That proves just how unstable the area around the village has been. And a group of young adventurers who don’t realize this would often criticize him for being cruel and unethical. While there were those who did understand what a guild master went through, there were usually more voices of condemnation than support. Still, in spite of those critics, the guild master’s dedication to his job was steadfast.
“I deeply respect our current guild master,” Gotos said.
“Yeah, so do I. But he’s gettin’ on in years.”
“Yes, I suppose so… I got a bit of a shock the other day when I saw him from behind.”
From behind?
“He was smaller than me. And this is someone I’d always looked up to.”
“I see.”
“To be honest…I’m a little worried that I won’t be able to live up to his legacy.”
Well, no, ya can’t. Not right away, at least. Nobody could. But from the look in Gotos’s eyes, I don’t think he needs me to tell him. I guess my role to play here isn’t to give him a push but to watch over him while he gathers the courage to take that next step. The direction the church is moving in does concern me. Word on the street says a lot of unfamiliar faces have been spotted in their ranks recently.
“I don’t know this for sure, but…word is the church is after Druid.”
“Agh?! Really?”
Dang…where did that voice even come from? It had way too much gusto. “Yeah…I think they wanna use his weakness against him. But all they can do for now is watch from a distance for now—they don’t want their stars gettin’ stolen, after all. It’s just…there’s a possibility they might make a move soon.”
If the church’s purpose was to pray for peace, then I’d have no problem with them. But whenever I see anyone associated with them…I get this strong sense that something is amiss. I don’t have any solid proof, and I haven’t witnessed anything damning, but it’s just something that a seasoned, well-traveled adventurer can’t overlook. The church folks are…suspicious.
“I seem to remember ya don’t like the church, either, Gotos. You got a personal beef with them?”
“They rejected him.”
Rejected who?
“Druid came to them begging for help when he learned he had the skill to steal stars…and they threw him out the door.”
That’s right…Gotos was around when Druid found out about his star-stealin’ skill. “That’s horrible.”
“I know… If I become the guild master…do you think I’ll be able to stand up to the church?”
“Hell, no. They’re almost impossible to touch.”
Fightin’ the church is a fool’s errand. That’s why he has to help Druid some other way, and he has to give Druid a role of his own to play, too.
“Then how…how can I protect Druid?”
Protect him, eh? Heh! The plan I’m thinking of won’t exactly result in protecting him. But for both Gotos and Druid…it’s probably the best plan we’ve got.
“We’ll make him an indispensable person to the guild and the guild master.”
“Huh?!” Gotos gave me a very suspicious look.
“Tell me, Gotos, who has your back more than anyone else?”
“Druid, of course. I trust him more than anyone.”
“Right?”
“Huh?! Yeah…but why does that matter? Ohh…you want me to make him my assistant?”
Being his assistant would be a good idea…but the guild had its rules to obey.
“Nah. We’ll have Druid just keep being a normal adventurer. And because of his skill, he’ll have to be a mid-level one. But you’ll show everyone that even at that rank, he’s your most trusted adventurer.”
“Uhh…is that all?”
“This’ll be hard on Druid, but you’ll assign some tough tasks to him for a while.”
Gotos stared at me with his jaw dropped. I don’t blame the guy; here I said we should protect Druid, and then I go off suggesting we give him all the dangerous jobs.
“Um…I don’t quite follow, Master…”
“What I’m saying is…we shouldn’t try to steer Druid off the path he’s on right now.”
From the way Gotos talked about him, it was clear Druid was in a cycle of self-loathing. We needed to give him a safe space to channel that hate.
“You’re right…if we tried to stop him, he’d probably run off somewhere.”
“So, if we can’t stop him…then we should give him a place to blow off some steam.”
Gotos looked a bit stunned. “And if I become the guild master…I’ll be able to assign tasks like that to him. I can also pick who’s on his teams.”
“Yeah.”
“Now I understand.”
“Use Druid’s accomplishments to cement his place here and let everyone know just how invaluable he is. Y’know, he’s the guy who accomplishes all the dangerous quests. If he gets enough of those under his belt, people’ll start to talk. That way you can prove to this village that he’s a very important member of the community.”
The church won’t touch veteran adventurers, since that would make enemies out of way too many of their comrades. It would be nice if Druid could just be promoted to veteran adventurer, but given his special skill, that’s never happening. Druid himself would be opposed to it anyway. So, what else can we do to help him? It’s easy. Make everyone think he’s just as important as all the veteran adventurers, even though he’s only a mid-level one. It would take a little time to carry out this plan, but if I keep an eye on the church, they’ll probably lay off him for a while.
And Druid’s destructive tendencies will give Gotos the boost he needs. If Druid successfully carries out dangerous quests, Gotos’s reputation will improve because he chose the right person for the assignment. Also, everyone knows Druid and Gotos are my apprentices. Rumors will naturally spread that Druid is taking the initiative for Gotos’s sake. A lot of problems will rise to the surface when Gotos takes over as guild master, but everyone’s biggest worry is whether the one who is chosen will be worthy of it. Once they see someone risking his life to carry out Gotos’s orders, those worries will be washed away. They’ll see he’s a good enough guild master that someone would risk his life for him. Adventurers are drawn to strength, after all.
“Master?”
“What’s up?”
“Does Druid…know about any of this?”
Damn. That guy’s shrewd. “I’m not planning on tellin’ him. But he’ll probably figure it out, and faster than ya think.”
“I figured.”
“I ain’t givin’ up on the idea, though. Gotos…you really wanna be the guild master, don’t ya?”
“Yes.”
“If ya really do, then promise me you won’t get in Druid’s way.”
If Gotos is truly serious about this, then there’s no mistaking it—he’ll work hard to cement Druid’s place here. Well, he’ll probably work too hard at times. Guess I’ll have Marual and Tombas keep an eye on him for a while. Those guys’ll know how Druid can help Gotos…and they’ll casually steer him in the right direction.
“Master…please stay in this village until I’ve cemented my place here, okay?”
Ah, the look in his eyes changed. “Don’t be such a softie. Well…as your master, givin’ ya a proper send-off is the least I can do.”
I don’t know just how far the church’s watchful eye has followed Druid, but if I stay near him, they might try to separate us. The best way would be to lure me away from this village on a quest of some sort. And the only way I can stop them from doing that…is to retire.
Since I’m a veteran adventurer, even if I retired, I could always be dispatched to help with some big problem in the village…but aside from that, they’d have no power over me. And since I’ve done my fair share of dangerous jobs, I’ve got plenty of money saved, too. Quitting adventuring…won’t be a problem at all. Okay! I’m gonna retire.
“Well, I think it’s time to go bring Druid back home.”
He went to explore a cave, right? Knowing Druid, he’ll be wounded but alive. When I see him, I’ll give him a stern talking to, then we’ll go out to eat something nice.
“Hey! I told ya not to come, didn’t I?” Why was Gotos getting up to leave, too?
“How could I not come with you, Master?”
“You’re gonna get hurt.”
“I’ll drink a potion. I’ll be fine.”
I should’ve known. Damn fool. Sometimes he won’t heal his wounds on purpose…so he’ll understand Druid’s pain better. I know I told him there’s no way that would help him understand.
“Drink it all up, ya hear?” I asked, carefully watching him take the potion. “Let’s go.”
Well, then…I can’t wait to see the look on Druid’s face after all these years. If he gives me that emotionless look again, I might lose my cool.
“Oh!”
“What is it, Master?”
“I was gonna give Druid a flashy pseudonym.”
If we want the guild to think he’s important, he should have a memorable alias. A pseudonym tends to catch on faster.
“Please, don’t…”
“Got any good ideas?”
“Master, could you please drop it?”
“Guild Master’s Shadow?”
“Are you even listening to me, Master?”
“No, wait, maybe it should be something friendlier?”
“Sorry, Druid…I couldn’t stop him…”
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