Legend's Echo Chapter 07

The meeting wrapped up shortly after the deal was struck, with the details being left up to The Legend to finalize. Robin left the Guildmaster’s office in a bit of a daze as she followed the armored man down the street. She wasn’t quite sure how far they had traveled when she finally found the courage to confront the imposing man.

Robin darted forward, getting in front of The Legend where she stopped in place, forcing him to do the same. She glared up at him, fighting down the rising panic at confronting a man who killed a dragon with nothing more than his own power and the weapons in his hands. She might be crazy, or even self destructive for doing this, but Robin was past caring.

“What the hell was all that?”

“A negotiation that went better than I expected,” the Legend said. “They didn’t even question my timelines or the rules I offered.”

Robin stared incredulously at the man. “Because they were insane!”

“Not at all. That was the timeline I myself followed when I became an adventurer.”

The timeline he— “You honestly expect me to follow your insanity!?”

An echoing laugh spilled from his helmet. “It is hardly madness as you claim. You simply underestimate yourself.”

Was he really so stubborn that he couldn’t see that she wasn’t a fighter like him? Sure, she killed a couple wyverns, but that didn’t make her any different from the dozens of other adventurers that participated in the battle. It was so obvious that she told him as much, which prompted his posture to shift from relaxed to on guard.

Shit, she’d fucked up.

“You don’t get it, Robin,” the Legend said, seriously. “Yes, other adventurers killed wyverns, but they did it as a team, using tactics. You took down two in single combat, patching yourself up in the process. The only others on the field that day to solo a wyvern were all Gold rank or better.”

That couldn’t be right, could it? Robin had fought them with some difficulty, and they were strong! She hadn’t picked up a spear in over a decade and managed it! They shouldn’t be that much trouble for a proper adventurer to handle…

“But if it wasn’t for my healing,” she started, only for the Legend to hold up their hand.

“Your healing is why you have this opportunity,” the Legend said. “Tell me, what happens to a solo adventurer who takes a cut from a Goblin’s blade deep in one of their dens?”

“Infection,” Robin said immediately. “Goblins coat their blades in a mixture of their piss and shit, along with a few other substances if available. It makes the wounds difficult to treat without purification spells, and those potions are expensive.”

“Precisely,” the Legend said, resuming his march which necessitated Robin moving aside. “Solo adventurers are rare because only the richest of them can afford the concoctions to ensure they live to see their next mission.”

“And nobles don’t become adventurers,” Robin mused, getting a hum of agreement from the Legend. “How is it that you succeeded then?”

“Already prying for my secrets?” the Legend asked, chuckling.

Robin decided to roll with it, adopting a haughty tone as she did. “Well, it would appear I am to be your Echo, so I should think I count among those who should know!”

A barking laugh thundered from the Legend’s helmet, startling more than a few of those nearby. Robin was quick to wave at them in reassurance as she picked up her pace, hoping to get away from the scene they just might cause.

“Cheeky,” the Legend said after taking a few moments to collect himself. “Very well, I’ll tell you my secrets the day you reach Silver rank as a combatant, assuming that you haven’t figured them out by then. Is that fair?”

Robin resisted the urge to pout, and given the implications, some level of commitment from her could be reassuring that the secret wouldn’t be shouted from the rooftops. If it got out how the Legend rose to the top, no doubt everyone would try to replicate it. The weight of that crashed down on Robin’s shoulders, the level of trust being offered by someone of such power to a relative stranger.

“It is,” Robin said. “I look forward to earning your trust.”

Wait. When did she go from being pissed with her life being upturned to looking forward to starting over from nothing? It hadn’t even been an hour since the meeting concluded and she was already accepting the outcome as forgone? Robin was getting swept up in The Legend’s wake, letting him dictate how things would go.

“I’m sure that will be an interesting day for us both,” the Legend said, then removed a small pouch. “Take this and head to Hearth’s Home—it’s not far from the Smith I took you to—and rent a room. I have a few errands to handle in the city before the sun sets.”

“Okay,” Robin said, accepting the pouch only to marvel at the weight of it. Just how much money was he letting her have just for a room at an inn? “Will I see you again before tomorrow?”

“Perhaps,” the Legend said, and began to walk off.

This time Robin didn’t follow, and instead inspected the contents of the coin purse before her eyes widened. The small note with directions to the inn was put aside in favor of goggling at the three gold pieces and two dozen silver that filled the bag. That was more than she made in the last three months of adventuring! Was solo work really that lucrative, or was The Legend one of those rich types that Robin had theorized earlier?

She would learn which it was in time, assuming that her next mission went well. Robin didn’t have many friends she could call upon in the city, more loose acquaintances from various missions over the years, so the inn seemed as good of a place to go as any. Maybe a stop at the market to grab some fresh fruit before settling into her room.

Given it was early Spring, southern strawberries should be in season. Normally she couldn’t afford them, but with all the money she had just been given… No. Blowing all of it before investigating how expensive the inn was would be foolish. All the stress of the day was adding up and Robin needed something to take the edge off, but she would remain patient.

As Robin ascended the stairs back into the upper district where the inn was supposed to be located, she couldn’t help but feel the eyes of the guards on her. She was still wearing her best clothes, all to give a better impression in the meeting. Yet, as she took in the others walking the streets it soon became clear that even the lowest of servants were dressed nicer than she was. Still, she belonged, so to hell with whatever they might be thinking.

The Smith’s shop was easily located, then she followed The Legend’s directions from there. Eyes continued to track her, and Robin knew better than to do anything that might seem as though she were a criminal, or worse, an easy mark for someone to disappear so they could be sold to some rich asshole.

Hearth’s Home came into view and Robin sighed in relief as she hurried to the door, leaving the guards still trailing her well behind. That didn’t mean her troubles with them were over, but it did decrease the likelihood of any problems arising during her stay.

Bad for business when clients disappear.

Light from aether lamps filled the expansive common room as a waitress darted past her, twin mugs in hand. They were deposited at a booth built along the wall, the patrons cheering even as one attempted to grab at her ass. The waitress swatted the grasping hand aside with practiced ease and scooped up the coins left out for her even as the others at the table jeered the man for being too slow.

Gentle music barely managed to be heard over the din of a dozen conversations, all drifting from a lone musician seated upon a raised stage. They played a stringed instrument by drawing a bow across it and sang in a lyrical language that Robin recognized as Harvali. The language was much more common down south, but not unknown in the capital.

Over the counter, a man worked on filling the drinks for the women running between tables, likely from small barrels of ale tucked under the polished surface. There were other bottles stacked along the shelves behind him, and a small window where a steaming dish was passed through.

Damn, the place even had a proper kitchen and didn’t just spoon up some random stew that contained Goddess knows what. Her stomach took the opportunity to rumble and she reluctantly took a seat at the bar where she got a raised eyebrow from the man behind it.

“Need a room and something to eat,” she said easily.

The man placed a sheet of paper which had a short list of items that were being offered. The cheapest item on the menu—this was her first time seeing one in person—cost a dozen silver, and went up to a full gold coin for the most expensive item on offer. Robin had never once spent that much on food outside of preparing for a months-long expedition into the southern marshlands during the last Antlion surge.

Worse, she didn’t recognize half the words for the dishes.

“The room is fifty silver per night,” the barkeep said before adding, “paid upfront.”

Robin winced, then fished a single gold coin out of her pouch and placed it on the table. “One night for now, and that beef and mushroom dish sounds good.”

The coin disappeared almost immediately as the barkeep shouted something through the window which she thought might be the name of the dish. A glass of something was set in front of her and a single sip was enough to tell her that it was small beer, but significantly higher quality than she was used to drinking.

And as a healer, alcohol had lost its luster when the latent magic running through her channels would clear it up before she felt the buzz of even the strongest of swill cooked up by a backwoods farmer. She would know, given how often she had treated maladies caused by drinking it over the years.

“Don’t get many adventurers here,” the barkeep said, handily sliding two mugs down the table where a waitress snatched them up with ease.

“Just waiting for someone,” Robin said, not wanting to elaborate. They probably wouldn’t believe her if she claimed to be waiting for The Legend himself, which would lead to the guards being called and then…

Oh wait, she was a paying customer! Even if they didn’t believe her, there was no reason to throw her out over it! With that reassurance, some of the tension bled out of Robin’s shoulders as a bowl of creamy beef and mushrooms was set in front of her.

“Oh, that looks good.” Robin turned towards the voice, finding a tall and muscular woman with sunkissed hair and striking emerald eyes taking the seat next to her. “I’ll take an order of the same and some Harvali red if you’ve got a good vintage.”

“Sure thing, Lia,” the barkeep said before barking the same strange word into the window.

Robin watched all this play out, wondering who the woman was. Her clothes weren’t anything remarkable, but the stitching was a step above anything Robin owned. Small designs were worked into the tunic, an understated way to show wealth without flaunting it. The woman thanked the barkeep as a glass of red wine was placed in front of her and Robin didn’t miss that Lia wasn’t being asked to pay up front like she had been.

Half the glass disappeared in a few gulps before she set it down and turned to face Robin with a smirk on her lips. Robin wasn’t sure what had prompted this woman to single her out, or why the intensity of Lia’s gaze was causing her heart to thunder in her chest worse than it had when fighting the wyvern.

“As you heard, the name’s Lia,” the woman said, offering a hand. Robin accepted it, surprised at how firm the grip was as Lia continued, “it’s nice to be formally introduced, Echo.”