An Unbound Soul

Back at Lord Reid's mansion, I knocked on the side door. Presumably there existed some occasion that would demand the use of the front door, but unless I managed to unlock an etiquette skill, I doubted I'd ever discover it.

As usual, Cliff answered the door mere moments after I had knocked. "How may I help you today, Peter?" he asked, in his usual perfectly enunciated voice.

"Umm... Jamie, owner of the slave traders, asked to see my parents. When I pointed out that they'd just had a baby and couldn't easily travel, he informed me that he wasn't able to tell me what it was about, and suggested I visit here to enquire. Can you possibly tell me anything?"

"I see. That is indeed a problem. If you would care to follow me, I shall see what I can do."

Cliff led me indoors, to a region of the building I'd never seen before, and then to a small room that contained a low table with a couple of sofas facing each other on two sides, asking me to wait for a moment. I sat down on the sofa, realising that this was the first properly soft seating I'd ever seen in this world, let alone sat on. Even the beds at the delvers' guild were straw. I wondered what they were made from; I had no idea whatsoever about how foam was made, and I couldn't imagine blocks of it popping out of dungeon chests. Maybe springs? I was pretty sure they had them here before I came along. More likely some sort of springy monster material, though. Was I sitting on a wrapped up dead slime?

Less than a minute after Cliff left the room, a different, narrow doorway opened up, and a maid pushed through a wheeled trolley, covered in a cloth through which I could see the outlines of bottles. It was the first maid I'd ever seen in this world, at least while they were working, and she was dressed in a plain and practical black and white dress. "Would you like any refreshments while you wait?" she asked.

Yeah, really wish I had that etiquette skill now... As much as I was sure most people from Earth would fantasise about this situation, sitting in a noble's waiting room being served by a maid was not within my comfort zone. "No thanks?" I replied, my rising pitch accidentally making it sound like a question.

She nodded primly and left again, leaving the trolley parked against a wall, and me feeling rather embarrassed and awkward. Fortunately, I was only waiting ten more minutes before Cliff returned. "If you would follow me, the lord will see you now."

Relieved to be one step closer to getting my visit over with, I followed Cliff to Lord Reid's office, where he waved me in but didn't enter himself, closing the door behind me.

Silvanus Reid, Human, targeted you with [Eye of Judgement]

I saw the notification, but had no time to think about it on account of the way my attention was immediately grabbed by the catkin standing to the side of Lord Reid's desk, dressed in a plain grey outfit with a large white apron, her hair tied up into a neat bun and held in a net.

"Clana?" I gasped in confusion. Why was she here? What about Camus and Cluma?

"It's been a while, Peter," said Clana, speaking up first and sounding somewhat embarrassed. "I think I owe you an apology, as well as everyone else in the village."

Lord Reid frowned at that statement, apparently not agreeing, but remaining silent.

"I think Camus owes us an apology," I responded. "Unless you were in on the whole escape plan. But I don't think that's a conversation we need to have in front of Lord Reid."

"I... didn't know he'd asked the guilds not to forward messages or reveal our address, no," Clana said, apparently not caring about airing their family's dirty laundry in front of our town lord. Or maybe he already knew. "But you're right, that's not what the message was about. The reason the slave merchants wanted to see your parents was to ask if they would take care of Cluma. I'd like to request that they act as guardians for her while I'm... well, here."

My mouth dropped open. Honestly, the fact that the message had come from the slave merchants coupled with unexpectedly meeting Clana here was enough for me to start jumping to conclusions, but that didn't mean I was comfortable listening to her talking about guardians for Cluma so easily.

"She's staying here with me until we make alternative arrangements, but I think the village would be a far more suitable environment for releasing her energy than a stuffy noble's house," Clana added.

I glanced at Lord Reid, who gave an uncharacteristic smirk at the description of his enormous mansion as 'stuffy', but still didn't seem interested in interfering.

"What happened?" I asked in alarm. "How did things end up like this?"

"The restaurant didn't do as well as I'd hoped," she said, with flattened ears, staring down at the ground.

I didn't believe her. I wouldn't claim she was lying, but there was certainly more to it than that.

"He'll find out anyway, so there's no point hiding it," said Lord Reid, speaking for the first time this encounter. "You see, Peter, over the past few seasons, the information you provided, and the subsequent work done by the research institute, has revealed the existence of alternatives to retrieving resources from dungeons."

"Yes?" I asked, wondering what relevance that had to operating a restaurant.

"As a result, a group has arisen, based at the Emerald Nest, that is campaigning to curtail access to dungeons. They want more resources dedicated to research, with the eventual goal of rendering delving as an occupation redundant, completely closing down all dungeons, and sealing off access to anyone."

That... wasn't completely unreasonable. I'd had a bit of a complaint at Erryn about dungeons myself. But I still didn't see what relevance this had. Ah, wait... Yes I did. "And Camus joined this organisation?"

"Between the higher property prices there and the travel fees, we had to borrow a lot of money to open our restaurant," Clana revealed, sadly. "When Camus... stopped putting as much effort into the place as I would have liked him to... Me and Cluma did our best, but we just couldn't run the place on our own."

I balled my hands up into fists, struggling to keep my buff magic from activating. "And where is Camus now?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"He took a placement at the Emerald Nest. I requested a placement back in Dawnhold and brought Cluma with me. I... thought it best. Anyway, Lord Reid ended up hiring me, and the kitchens here are at least as good as what I had back in our restaurant, even if the ingredient selection is a little more limited, so I'll survive. I've never had the chance to cook for a noble before, either. I've already learnt a couple of new recipes."

You know, I was wrong about this world. It truly does have a last boss, the ultimate terror and source of all evil, and its name is Camus. Not content with tearing his family away from their friends, and presumably their own extended family, he'd then gone and got them thrown into slavery. And himself, too, by the sound of it, which made me feel only slightly better.

Although, I had to admit, just a bit, that my anger was a form of deflection. If I'd not been here, they would have stayed in the village, or at least only moved as far as Dawnhold. If I hadn't started sharing my Earth knowledge, he never would have got caught up with that group of activists. I'd caused this. I had no intention of blaming myself; the fault lay squarely with Camus, but I couldn't deny I was the root cause. It was one thing to know in an abstract way that I was mucking with the world's economy, but it was another thing entirely to bump into a close friend who had been reduced to a debt slave as a result of my actions.

My choices had consequences, and now one of them was standing in front of me. That was something I was going to have to live with. I relaxed my fists with a sigh. "I'm sure my parents would be happy to look after Cluma for a while, especially if she doesn't mind doing some babysitting," I said, getting back on topic. "How long do you need to repay your debts?"

"A few years," answered Clana, with a glance at Lord Reid, who didn't react.

"You're sure you can speak for your parents here?" asked Lord Reid, peering at me intensely.

I thought about it, but I really couldn't see them saying no. Dad would never turn down the opportunity to do a favour for Clana, and Mum would certainly be sympathetic to their plight. "I'm certain that they wouldn't turn her down," I answered. "I can check with them, and return tomorrow if you like?"

"That won't be necessary," Lord Reid stated with a nod. He rang a little bell, at which Cliff pushed open the door, walking in with some paper held under an arm. And behind him was...

"Peter?!"

She may have been taller than the last time we met, but so was I, so it evened out. She was certainly a little thinner, but otherwise looked much like I remembered, except that she hadn't dived at me. Despite her enthusiastic exclamation, her ears and head were drooping and her tail was hanging limply. She was obviously depressed.

"You didn't keep your promise..." she said quietly, and I felt like I'd been punched in the gut.

I'd tried! Of course I'd tried, but... could I have tried harder? Why did I need the portal? I could have run through the forest. I could have taken advantage of the brainwashing to smash down the travel room door and jump in, safe in the knowledge that the Law wouldn't permit anyone to perceive what I'd done. I could have broken into the merchants' guild and searched for written records of the shop sale. I could have asked Erryn for their address. But I hadn't; I'd tried, and failed, to do things the 'proper' way. I'd used the excuse that I'd thought they were only moving to Dawnhold to justify my failure, and pushed my best friend to the bottom of my priority list, thinking I'd handle it in the future.

"You know it isn't his fault," said Clana gently, which twisted my gut even more.

Cluma remained silent as Cliff put down the documents on Lord Reid's desk. "If you could please sign the paperwork," he asked me, handing me a quill. Thank goodness for Kari teaching me how to use these...

I carefully read the documents, which confirmed that Cluma was to be released to guardians for the duration of Clana's 'placement'. I signed on behalf of my parents, the guardians. Clana signed it next, followed by Lord Reid. I noted without comment that the paperwork lacked any mention of Camus anywhere.

"If you don't mind me asking," I said to Clana, "Cinus, the one who died. Was he a relative?"

She gasped, wide-eyed, at the mention of the name. "Where did you... No, it doesn't matter... He was Camus's brother."

"I see," I said. "Just a little, but I think I can understand him."

Clana looked at me in disbelief before shaking her head. "You two go and have fun, like kids are supposed to. You have lots of catching up to do."

"And congratulations on your class change," Lord Reid added. Ah, right, he'd appraised me with some ridiculous sounding skill, hadn't he? Presumably that was the rank four upgrade of [Analysis]. A check of my messages revealed that he'd given me a level of [Secrecy] too; apparently my distraction at seeing Clana had caused me to miss the ding. "Clana, you may accompany Cluma to help her pack."

"Thank you, my lord," she responded politely, before Cliff walked the three of us out of the office, leaving Lord Reid alone.

Cliff led us up some stairs to an attic bedroom containing a bed, chest, and desk. A mat was rolled up on the floor, presumably on which Cluma had been sleeping. While not big, the room was certainly larger than my delvers' guild dorm, although it lacked its own bathroom. Clana started taking out child sized clothing and miscellaneous belongings from the chest.

"Do you want me to pack them?" I asked.

"Thanks, but we can do it," Clana answered, pulling out a sack.

"That wasn't quite what I meant. I have the [Item Box] skill," I clarified. "Saves anyone having to carry things."

"I've not heard of that," Clana responded inquisitively. "You can... summon a box?"

"Not quite. It does this," I said, before waving my hand over the items that had been laid out on the bed and making a pile of clothing disappear, as way of demonstration.

"That's useful. Then please do."

I gathered up Cluma's belongings, while noting how uncharacteristically quiet the girl was being. I had no idea what to do to cheer her up, but I was going to have to find something.

Cluma and Clana said their goodbyes, before Clana embraced Cluma in a tight hug. Not the usual way around, but given how sad Cluma seemed to be, I suppose it wasn't completely unexpected. I did catch Clana whispering to Cluma that she knew her way to the kitchens from the back door, and to come visit. And if I heard it... I glanced at Cliff, who gave me a small, knowing smile, but didn't comment.

I was surprised that Clana would send Cluma away when they could stay together here, but I suppose if she was working long hours, Cluma wouldn't want to stay cooped up in this room on her own. She could do her own work, perhaps, but what sort of thing could she do here? Unless she'd taken the [Cook] class herself, I doubt they'd want her in the kitchens. I tried to picture the hyperactive Cluma as a graceful and elegant maid, and completely failed. It would probably have to be something outside of the mansion. What class did she have, anyway? She'd almost finished [Commoner] last time I saw her, so she must have switched by now.

Name: Cluma

Species: Beastkin (Catkin)

Class: Apprentice Fighter (Level 8/18)

Class History: [Commoner]

Soul Points: 3

Health: 29/29

Stamina: 29/29

Mana: 13/13

Strength: 19

Dexterity: 27

Endurance: 24

Intelligence: 10

Wisdom: 11

Charisma: 11

Rank 1 Artes: [Backstab 4] [Armour Break 3] [Rapid Shot 2] [Piercing Shot 3]

Rank 1 Skills: [Basic Cooking 10] [Weapon Proficiency: Dagger 10] [Inspection 8] [Concealment 10] [Meditation 4] [Enlarged Mana Pool 8] [Hunting 6] [Dismantling 5] [Weapon Proficiency: Bow 3] [Weapon Style: Dual Wielding 2]

Traits: [XXXX] [XXXX]

Titles: [XXXX]

She took a fighter class?! How in the hells had Camus not died of an aneurysm?!