Unexpected Ascension Chapter 20

Two days ago…

War King Rhavin Dorn the Third marched his way to the city gates as a retinue of guards followed him. The group of dwarves moved in a rush, a susurration of voices washing over them. 

“This can’t be right.”

“They wouldn’t bother us.”

“So why is he here—”

Rhavin ignored the questions and whispering voices of his bodyguards and advisors, before he reached the gate. He looked up, nodding at a city guard.

“Opening the gates!” the guard bellowed, before yanking at a chain and opening the portcullis.

The War King of Dorn himself stepped out, only to be greeted by an armored man. Pale skin. Pointed ears. A tall stature. The man— an elf— standing before Rhavin bowed down low, speaking in an almost condescending tone with a smile that matched.

“So you must be War King Rhavin Dorn the Third. I have heard much about you and your exploits. Thank you for giving me an audience in such short notice—” the elf started. 

“State your name and your intentions, elf,” Rhavin spat, hefting his giant warhammer off his shoulder. The weapon slammed onto the ground and sent out a plume of dust. “I will not waste my time on idle chatter with you.”

The elf’s eyes flickered, and he raised his head. He nodded as he placed a hand on his chest. There, an emblem was emblazoned on his chestplate.

“My name is Vidar, and I am a Flower Hunter of the Dryadilis Empire. I have come to your city in search for a… fugitive.” Vidar spoke as he eyed the War King, before sweeping his gaze over the other dwarves standing behind the city gates.

There was an eclectic mix there of guards, advisors, and high-ranking warriors. In particular, Godhi was present. He was a Captain Senator of the Hovik District, and a former challenger for the throne. An elderly man, he had served the City of Dorn for eighty years now, having fought with Rhavin’s father— and lost.

That was why Godhi only had a single eye. Because he lost his other eye during the duel. He was a vehement opponent of Rhavin, mostly because of his spite for the deceased War King Rhavin Dorn the Second. But at his current age, he posed no threat to the throne any longer.

However, his single eye glinted when he heard what Vidar had to say.

Rhavin knew that was going to be a problem to deal with for later.

“This fugitive,” Vidar continued, “is a young human male. Perhaps in his mid-twenties. Or early thirties. And he has sought out refuge here in your city.”

Hearing that, the gathered dwarves behind the gates and standing at the battlements exchanged confused glances. They spoke in hushed voices— many of them realizing what was going on, having been there when the human arrived.

Rhavin snapped his brows together. “And what does that have to do with me?”

“I understand you may not have been aware that this human was a fugitive of the Dryadilis Empire, which is why you let him into your city. But now that I have informed you of this fact, I am sure you will do what is right and hand him over to—” the elf started.

And Rhavin interrupted Vidar, “I refuse.”

That brought the hushed voices to an immediate silence. The gathered dwarves stared at the War King in shock. Godhi snorted. Vidar’s eyes twitched. 

“...may I ask what has compelled you to come to that decision?” Vidar asked, after a moment’s pause. “If he has offered you money, I assure you, Empress Shiavarathna would be more than willing to compensate you for this trouble. And our coffers run deep.”

“This matter does not pertain to money, elf,” Rhavin snarled, picking up his giant hammer. He shook his head as he looked down at himself. “It is a matter of honor. I offered that human my protection, and I will not withdraw it so easily. But I’m sure a sleazy elf like you wouldn’t understand.”

The nearby guards nodded almost approvingly at that. But Rhavin’s advisors exchanged nervous glances. They knew this news was going to spread to the public quickly. And the reception to it would be quite mixed. The War King was aware of this fact too.

He knew he would have to deal with the repercussions for his actions. However, he refused to back down. Even as Vidar narrowed his eyes and spoke threateningly.

“I encourage you to rethink your decision. I am sure you are aware that this will be an affront to the Dryadillis Empire. Empress Shiavarathna will not take this news lightly.”

“And what will you do, elf? “ Rhavin scoffed as he crossed his arms. “If you dare breach our non-aggression treaty, you will be at war with all of the dwarven states. Do you really believe your empress to be foolish enough to risk waging war at another front?” 

Vidar pursed his lips. “I assure you, we have no intention of breaking our treaty, War King. But… we will be very much displeased by your decision.”

“And I am displeased by your presence. So begone.” Rhavin spun around, swinging his hammer over his shoulders as he walked away. “I do not wish to see your face again.”

“Very well,” Vidar said, bowing. And then he vanished.

But as War King Rhavin Dorn the Third returned through the city gates, he was met by a barrage of questions from the gathered dwarves there. And he knew that he was going to have to deal with the fallout of his decision for the next month or so.

***

Present day…

“...and now, half the city wants you out,” Luxe finished.

Adrian drew his lips into a thin line as he heard everything that had happened. He had no idea who this Vidar was, but he could infer that Vidar must have worked under Ragna. What was going to happen next?

Would Vidar return with Ragna? Or would the Flower Hunters give up their pursuit?

I doubt it, Adrian thought as he shook his head. The elves want me for a reason. And they won’t give up that easily.

And while they were surely a concern, Adrian couldn’t worry about them right now. He placed a hand on his chin as he looked up at the fairy— a more pressing concern weighing on him.

“Half the city wants me out?” he repeated after her.

She flitted back away from him. “Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But a lot of people are unhappy that you’re here. They think that your presence is going to spark a war with the Dryadillis Empire.”

“And do you think that’ll happen?” Adrian asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Probably not,” Luxe said with a shrug. “But it doesn’t matter what I think when thousands of people think otherwise. There aren’t riots in the streets about this, but I don’t think most people will treat you nicely now that they know about this.”

“I see.” Adrian rubbed his chin.

He pondered over what could be his next course of action. Fleeing the City of Dorn was probably not an option, because Vidar or the other Flower Knights could be camped outside the gates, waiting for just that to happen.

But there were also other issues which Adrian had to address…

And right as the thought crossed his mind, a figure groused from the back of the room. Sath, the injured dwarf lying there, raised his head with a groan. 

“W-where… where am I?” he wondered aloud.

Luxe and Adrian blinked, exchanging a glance. And then they approached Sath.

“You’re already awake, huh? I’m surprised. I must be a better [Healer] than I thought.” The fairy chuckled at herself.

“Who are you?” Sath rubbed his eyes, before looking between the human and the fairy in confusion. “Where’s my team?”

“Kabir and Malin are probably still down in the Silk Mines,” Adrian explained as he folded his arms across his chest. “But they should be making their way out soon. I carried you out on my own, because you were dying. I brought you to Luxe to save your life.”

“You… you saved me?” Sath’s eyes went round, hearing that.

“Yes I did.” Adrian nodded simply.

Sath looked down at himself, like he was recalling something, before shaking his head. “I… I was dying. And you saved me. I owe you my life.”

Adrian’s eyes flickered. He remembered the threat that was coming from below too. “When you were down in the bottom of the Silk Mines, you saw a broodmother, did you not?”

“A broodmother?” Luxe piped up curiously. “You mean a diamond spider?”

Nobody answered her. Instead, Sath nodded slowly, rubbing his temples.

“I-I believe I did. And it was laying… eggs— a lot of eggs. And there were thousands of other jewel spiders with it.” Sath raised a trembling hand. “I thought it was preparing for something. So I ran as fast as I could to return to my team. But when we were on our way out…”

Sath hesitated. Adrian nodded, before turning around.

“I was there. You don’t need to remember what happened there. I understand it must be a bad memory for you.”

“I really thought I was going to die,” Sath whispered, clutching himself. “Seriously, how can I ever repay you for saving me?”

“You can repay me by writing a report about what you saw down in the bottom of the Silk Mines as a report, and send it to the Delvers HQ,” Adrian said as he came to a halt by the doorway, before his eyes darted towards Luxe. He nodded at the fairy, a small smile spread across his face. “And also, how much coin do you have on you right now?”

“About a hundred silver. But I have more stored at the bank—” Sath started.

“Save it. You’ll need half of it to pay Luxe for your own medical bills,” Adrian said, smirking at the fairy. “And the other half to help me pay back my debt to her too.”

“That’s…” the injured dwarf trailed off.

Luxe harrumphed, flitting forward. “You can’t be serious, right Adrian? You’re going to make this poor man pay you 50 silver coins for saving his life?

Adrian gave her a flat stare. “Look who’s talking.”

And she blinked. “Fair.”

“I’ll do it,” Sath said, nodding. “That’s the least I can do for you.”

“You can probably ask your friends to pay you back two-thirds of the money when they get here.” Adrian waved a hand off dismissively. “They owe me too. So the 50 silver can be split three-ways.”

“Right, thank you.” Sath bowed his head gratefully.

Luxe peered at Adrian as he stepped out of the room. “And what are you going to do, Adrian?”

“I have a lot on my plate right now. But for the moment, I’ll focus on what I can do.” Adrian closed his eyes, focusing on his [Spatial Inventory].

“And what is that?” Luxe asked with a curious look.

“Make some money, of course,” Adrian said simply.

And he exited the room.

***

First and foremost, Adrian needed to get paid for the work he had done as a Delver. When he had some money, he could figure out his next plan of action. So he headed to Bhodan’s home, to get the dwarf to help him sell the hundreds of silver mite corpses he carried in his [Spatial Inventory].

But on the way there, Adrian realized the noticeable difference in the atmosphere of the crowds of passersby. He saw the way the merchants that normally lined the streets stayed away from him. He saw the way children pointed at him. He saw the way some gruff-looking dwarves gave him a dirty look.

And he heard the whispered voices.

“That’s the human—”

“Is that really him?”

“He doesn’t look like a fugitive to me.”

“What is he even doing in our city?”

“Why would War King Rhavin even protect him? He is as foolish as his father—”

Adrian ignored their dirty looks, before he finally arrived at Bhodan’s home. He reached to knock on the door, but it creaked open on its own. That made him pause.

He peeked in, and the living room was empty. Stepping in, he called out, “Bhodan?”

No voice came in response. Adrian made his way through the room with a frown, surveying the room. It looked like there had been… a small scuffle here. A table had been turned over, and a chair was broken. 

Something must have happened to Bhodan, Adrian thought. And then he heard a set of thumping footfalls coming from further in. Immediately, Adrian moved, leaping onto the ceiling with a [Double Jump] as he vanished into the shadows with a [Stealth Step]. 

As he clung onto the ceiling, a pair of dwarves exploded into the room. One of them held up a crossbow, while the other raised an axe. The pair scanned the room suspiciously as Adrian eyed them with narrowed eyes.

Just who are these people? Adrian asked himself, still hiding on the ceiling as the dwarves surveyed their surroundings.

And as Adrian eyed them suspiciously, one of the dwarves… looked up.