Legend's Echo Chapter 05

Robin had continued cursing the entire way south, nearly the full two weeks of travel it took to reach the capital of the Kingdom of Alvon. It was funny, her village had no name, and the capital was also called Alvon, which was just confusing. The Alliance to the south had no such issue, not that many ever set foot in those cursed lands.

Even the Guild didn’t send anyone there as only Platinum ranked individuals were a match for the hell beasts that guarded the borders. Centuries ago a Dark Lord had risen and wars were fought until the current stalemate was reached some eighty years ago. Robin wouldn’t put it past them to have delivered that Dragon themselves and just let it rampage once the brood hatched.

That wasn’t her concern given she was still in Gold rankings, but for how much longer remained to be seen. Despite the initial novelty of eating the predator that thought to make dinner of her, their rations were now almost entirely wyvern based. No amount of pepper sauce could prevent that from getting old.

Arriving at Alvon was almost anticlimactic as Donovan stormed off with the expedition leader to make their reports. No doubt a summons would arrive before the end of the day to discuss their complaints and until that was resolved she wouldn’t receive her pay either.

With a heavy sigh, Robin resigned herself to spending more time than she was comfortable with in the overly chaotic Capital. At least the city was well maintained, with a proper sewer system preventing many common diseases from running rampant.

The roads were brick, and still damp from a shower that arrived the night before. Buildings were largely made of carved stone brought in from the surrounding quarries; it made for a cheaper resource than harvesting lumber from the woods to the north or west.

Carts hauled vegetables and grain from the surrounding farms down the streets and towards a packed market. Already Robin was having to tune out the calls of vendors trying to insist that their turnips were just slightly better than their neighbor’s stall despite getting them from the same delivery cart.

All of the mass spectacle of the open market was dwarfed by how the city rose into the distance, with the higher regions boasting richer living. Basic stone gave way to marble, and even that was eclipsed by the structure that sat at the pinnacle of the cliff overlooking the Astral Sea. The Palace, such a basic name for a grand building, but it reflected the lack of creativity that the ruling family continued to show in all aspects of their reign.

It was a minor miracle that their daughter hadn’t been named princess or something equally asinine. Regardless of all that, it still represented the core of humanity’s power on their little corner of the continent. A firm reminder to any that beheld it of the power of the Kingdom of Alvon.

All in all, the city was exactly as she remembered it from her last visit a few winters past and she wanted nothing more than to get paid and get back on the road. At least she actually had a reason to be in the city beyond just the bullshit with the Guild. Pulling the shattered remnants of her staff from her pack, Robin grimaced as she considered the cost of repairing everything. The Foci gem was intact, which was a minor blessing as it would have meant a repair was impossible and she would need to seek out a completely new staff that was compatible with her personal magic.

“Come.”

Robin jumped at the stern order, spinning in place only to have to crane her neck a bit to fully take in the sight of The Legend as he stood behind her. His armor was freshly cleaned, yet it didn’t reflect the light of the sun offensively like some knights tended towards. No, he always presented himself in the most practical of ways, right down to the spear currently tied to his back. The very weapon that had managed to slay a dragon.

“Pardon?” Robin asked.

“Your staff, it needs to be repaired,” The Legend said. “I have an acquaintance who will be up to the task.”

Blanching, Robin realized what he was implying, which was already far too much for the hospitality that he had shown her by advocating against Donovan and Ser Bran. “I can’t impose like that! You’ve already done far too much for me as it is!”

“It is no trouble for me,” The Legend said, “and the bastard owes me a favor.”

Swallowing further protests, Robin followed after the towering figure. As much as she wanted to question the man about her pending disciplinary hearing, she knew that he wouldn’t know much more than she did. It was beyond frustrating that her fate would be left up to others to decide, but she wouldn’t take any of it back.

The most powerful adventurer in the land walked steadily along the roads, and Robin watched on as the brick road transitioned to higher quality stone, and the lamps transitioned from gas to enchanted gems. Higher still they climbed, and soon they reached a much smaller market where the vendors used magic of all things to advertise their wares.

It was unlike anything Robin had ever seen, and her eyes kept getting drawn to each and every flash of brilliant light. One vendor was sending fountains of fruit juice looping through the air at all times, only letting it dip down to fill a cup or jug as it was purchased. It was so mesmerizing that she walked right into The Legend, who had apparently stopped.

“We’re here.”

Robin pulsed a bit of healing to fix her nose, not that it was broken, but the soreness was annoying and finally took a look at where they had stopped only to suck in a breath. Carved marble and enchanted gems lined the storefront, and they had even taken the time to utilize light projecting stones to create a bright sign that stood out despite the daylight sun and at the same time demonstrated the man’s skill. Because none of these looked to be maintained by an active caster like most of the Market displays. Whoever this person was, they served a clientele that could likely cover her entire life savings dozens of times over for a single expense.

And The Legend had brought her here.

“Repairs take time,” the Legend continued. “Even as good as the man can be, the sooner he gets started, the better.”

Robin could only nod, not that the Legend could see her as he pushed the door open and stepped inside the extravagant shop. Robin was hesitant to follow, the shop was far too expensive for a peasant girl who detested cities. Yet, what choice did the healer have except to follow The Legend inside?

Any expectations of a more reserved interior were immediately dashed as everything within oozed as much wealth as the storefront had. Polished wood and marble lined every surface and the goods were all kept behind glass displays that thrummed with power. Subtle enchantments controlled the lighting, to cast each piece in the best luminance. Much of what was on offer were knives that looked more decorative than practical, and didn’t seem to match the Legend’s style in the slightest.

“Be with you in a moment,” a gruff voice said from one of the back rooms.

“Take your time,” the Legend answered. “You always do.”

Robin blinked at the snark, which was unusual for the stoic hero, but how much did Robin actually know about the man under the helmet? His private persona could be exactly that and most wouldn’t have a clue. Aside from Robin’s misguided teenage crush on the man, how much did she actually know about him?

“Oi, none of the sass!” the man said as he stepped out, wiping his hands on a rag. It was obvious that this weaponsmith wasn’t a casual acquaintance of the man if he was willing to banter like that with the Kingdom’s most powerful man. “I see you’re back in the city…” He paused as he looked Robin over with a critical eye. “Where are my manners? Carlson Hammers at your service.”

Robin couldn’t help herself. “Hammers?”

“Funny story behind that,” Carlson said.

The Legend snorted at some unspoken joke. “He dropped a hammer on his foot, everyone called him Hammers from then on, though most don’t remember the reason for it.”

The weaponsmith grumbled under his breath as he threw the rag aside. “Enough larking at my expense, what brings you here?”

Without further preamble, the Legend gestured her forward. With a touch of hesitation, Robin retrieved the broken remains of her staff and gently placed it on the counter. The smith eyed it, then turned his focus back on the hero who was leading her around, clearly waiting for the reason he was even involved.

“I need this brought up to my standards.”

The levity and casual air all evaporated as the smith turned a much more critical eye upon the broken pieces of Robin’s staff. His hand traced along the splintered haft and up to the polished river crystal that sat within the head of the staff. The gem was one that Robin had spent decades attuning to her mana, which made replacing it all but impossible if she didn’t want to suffer a major efficiency penalty for the next five to ten years as she worked on something new.

“Healing attuned,” Carlson muttered. “Shaft is a lost cause, but won’t matter given the standards requirement… Yeah, I can get it done. How soon do you need it?”

“That depends on how long the Adventure Guild attempts to drag my Echo over the coals for having a proper spine.”

Carlson barked out a heavy laugh even as Robin grew indignant at how casual her very career was being treated. “Damn you for dropping this on me now! I’d pay to see that!”

“Hey!” Robin yelled. “This is serious! They want to demote me because I saved lives!”

“Like hell they’ll be able to,” Carlson said easily, gathering up the remains of her weapon. “Not with this bruiser in your corner.”

“Speaking of which, we should get to the guild for that dressing down,” the Legend said. “Robin, come along.”

With no other option, she followed the man at a brisk pace as Carlson disappeared into the back of his shop. Robin remained sceptical of the shown confidence given how ironclad the rules surrounding healers could be. It didn’t matter how many lives she saved, or if she prevented a rout, all they would care about was that a precious healer had disobeyed their preservation orders and instead elected to fight. The testimonies of those she saved wouldn’t matter, which meant her fate was entirely in the hands of the highest ranked adventurer in the lands.

Robin never did like handing her fate over to another person, but as a healer she had grown used to it over the years. Now she once again found herself putting her future in the hands of a man in heavy armor spouting bold claims of keeping her safe.

Not like the Legend was under any pressure, it wasn’t his reputation on the line.