Inexorable Chaos: God Games

Gunnar crosses his arms while leaning on the wall. He gazes as all but the Tower Ecclesiasticus prepare to depart back to Traipus. They'd come to pray for two weeks and recent circumstances aren't going to cut their trip short. This also means that the trip back isn't going to be accompanied by the two [Paladins] and Leif. Instead, he'll need to rely on the Boulderglades mercenaries to assist.

"You look a bit sad. What's on your mind?"

Gunnar shifts his focus down to Quasi. The cat sits and waits, staring up at him. A day ago, he thought Quasi was more of a leader and not really a fighter. After the recent skirmish, he's got a decent bit more respect for the [Captain].

"I'm just planning our return." He answers.

Quasi snorts. "Sure, sure. Generally, people plan such things with others and not moodily lean against the wall with arms folded accompanied by an ever present grimace."

Gunnar frowns. "I'm thinking-"

"-of ways to distract yourself from your emotions. I can read you like a book, and that book is telling me you're trying to distract yourself with excuses." The cat shakes his head and then leans towards him. "Out with it. What's bothering you?"

The [Frost Lord] stares at the kitten and its pleading eyes. Its eyes are wide and oddly sad. If he didn't know that the animal staring at him was a baby Sovereign, he'd be petting it right now.

He sighs and allows his hands to fall to his lips. He then lowers himself until he's sitting. "Have you ever thought yourself strong, only to figure out that you have a long way to go?"

"All the time. It's part of life." The cat says. "Now let me guess, you're upset because you couldn't defeat Malthazar alone."

He shakes his head. "It's not that I couldn't defeat him, it's that I had no hope of doing so. I've got nearly as many levels as him on top of legendary axes, but I couldn't even get close without losing my head."

Quasi nods slowly. "Agreed. But tell me this, if Malthazar fought a Blizzard Bear, would he win?"

Gunnar frowns at the question. He thinks about it, even imagines a fight between the two.

"No. His weapon isn't long, nor is it sharp enough. He needs to dodge and whittle the beast down."

"Something you can do, but he can't." Quasi exclaims. "[Bounty Hunters] specialize in hunting bounties, which generally involve fighting other sentients. You specialize in fighting monsters. Of course you'd be at a disadvantage against him."

The [Frost Lord] smiles at the explanation. He's still upset, but much less so now. With a grunt, he stands back up. "Thanks for the talk." He says. "Now, mind telling me what exactly the [Bounty Hunter] was after?"

Quasi chuckles. "It's a long story. Are you sure we have enough time?

Gunnar nods. "We need to make it. My father is going to want a full report when I get back."

The cat shrugs. "If you say so. Now, my story starts on my arrival to the city of Gladius…"

_______________________________________________________________

As safe as Traipus is, its safety isn't assured only by its strong walls, but by the [Guards] stationed at the entrance. It's not uncommon for beasts to see sentients entering and leaving through the corridor and believe a feast is on the other side. Many a wolf and bear have tried to force entry, only to be met with spear, axe, and warhammer by the experts stationed on the entrance.

With a recent major storm passed, this has spurred beasts to engage the defenders far more often than usual, leading to a snow dyed red at the entrance. Now, those same [Elite Guards] stand protectively as [Butchers] and [Tanners] work quickly on the numerous corpses lining the entrance.

"So, Gard," One of the [Elite Guards] begins, "Have you heard of the mercenary attack on the ship?"

"What attack?" Gard asks. "I heard something happened at the port and that the [Duke] had to get involved."

"You're not wrong about him getting involved." The man leans on his warhammer. "Apparently, and this is just rumors, but one of the vessels at port is owned by a Raven guild [Bounty hunter] who has an unauthorized bounty."

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"Unauthorized? Who or what were they hunting?" Gard interrupts.

The man shrugs. "Some stolen item." He then grins. "But hear this. Apparently, the ship that was being hunted got wind of this. The [Sub-captain] of the ship posted a counter bounty on the [Bounty Hunter], hired a bunch of [Mercenaries], and then stormed the ship and took it over."

"Fuck me. How many dead?"

"None, actually. The [Bounty Hunter] [Captain] alongside most of the combatants were missing, so the ship's crew surrendered immediately."

"I see. So why'd the [Duke] need to get involved? If there's a bounty, then it shouldn't be a problem." Gard says.

He leans more into his warhammer, using it as leverage. He takes a moment to glance at in the distance, seemingly seeing movement, but nothing enough to warrant an action. "It wouldn't be if the [Duke] was notified."

"They didn't inform the city of the bounty?" Gard asks. "I imagine the [Duke] is pissed."

The [Elite Guard] chuckles. "That's the thing, the paperwork for the bounty was completed and sent. The problem is that the attack happened while the paperwork was on its way to the castle. [Duke] Hallber learned of the attack before he even laid eyes on the paperwork."

"So what's happening now?" Gard asks.

The man grips the warhammer tightly as the distant spec becomes more visible. "Both the Raven guild crew and the [Sub-captain] are being detained until the [Captains] of both ships return." He raises the hammer and places it on his shoulder. With his other hand, he points. "And I think I see them now."

Gard gazes in the direction. What he finds is quite a large number of people, some of which have their hands tied behind their backs. At the head of the procession is [Frost Lord] Gunnar, who walks next to a wolf with a cat resting on its head.

_____________________________________________________________

When Gunnar returns to Traipus with his prisoners, what he finds is a complicated set of information and an order to arrest both the [Bounty Hunter] crew and Quasi's crew. Which, he'd apparently completed part of. As for the other part, he orders the [Guards] to delay such orders. After that, he rushes to the castle and barges into his fathers study.

"Gunnar! Do you know how to knock?" [Duke] Hallber growls for a moment, then raises an eyebrow at the axes on his son's hip.

The [Frost Lord] looks at his father, a man over a hundred years old with a large build similar to his own. The only major difference is that his fathers beard is slightly grey and reaches down to his chest. Otherwise, he'd be the spitting image.

"Seems like Alvar can still work miracles."

Gunnar brushes the axes with his hand, feeling the cold around the handle. "Indeed. He didn't even lose any fingers this time either."

Hallber nods slowly. "Good, good. Getting anyone of his level to work in Traipus would be next to impossible otherwise." The [Duke] leans back in his chair, glancing at the mountain of paperwork on his desk. "Now, what do you want? You're usually keen on avoiding anything to do with me."

Gunnar sighs. "Because my dealing right now currently involves you."

Hallber raises an eyebrow. He leans forward, now interested. Generally, his son prefers to avoid anything in regards to him. Whatever has him show up must be rather important or another major headache.

"I heard that there was an attack on a ship."

The [Duke] grimaces. "You heard right. I've taken both the attacked and the attackers into custody until the [Captain] of both groups return."

Gunnar grimaces. "Then you'll be waiting forever, because the [Bounty Hunter] you're waiting for is dead by my hand."

Hallber groans. He rubs his temples at the oncoming headache. "What happened? Where were you? Why?"

"I was guiding [Captain] Quasi to the tower, and on my way there, we ran into the Sovereign of Ice and Snow."

"I hope you were respectful to Elsa."

"That's the thing, I tried to be and almost died."

Hallber frowns. "Explain."

Gunnar folds his arms. "Apparently, [Captain] Quasi is a young Sovereign with a class. Elsa ordered me to protect Quasi with my life. If I fail, then Traipus will face her wrath."

The [Duke] grabs his beard and pulls down. Gunnar knows this to be an action his father takes when he is very very annoyed. In gunnars childhood, he remembers seeing missing patches of hair on his fathers beard.

"The [Bounty Hunter] in question asked something from Quasi, but Quasi refused. Once it became clear that the [Bounty Hunter] would use force, I was forced to fight by his side."

"Damn." Halliber squeezes his beard hard, well-toned muscles flexing at the exertion. "The Raven guild is going to be very upset, even if they are at fault."

Gunnar raises an eyebrow. "At fault?"

The [Duke] removes his hand from his beard as he forces himself to relax. This whole situation is quite a mess- especially with the involvement of Elsa. "Yes, the [Bounty Hunter] was hunting a bounty they didn't have authorization to. So, you protecting Quasi is the correct choice."

"Then what's the problem?"

Halliber sighs. He really wishes his son would take more interest in politics instead of running around and killing beasts. "The problem is that the Raven are a powerful guild. Once I notify them that one of their elite [Captains] perished, they are going to pull strings to punish us. Not an attack, mind you, but along the lines of trade negotiations and possible tariffs."

Gunnar uncrosses his arms and lays them on the desk. "There is no honor in that."

The [Duke] shakes his head. "In politics, honor tends to run as long as one's purse. It's why I want to grow this country. More trade, more coin, more power."

"What should I do now?" Gunnar asks.

Halliber clears his throat with a grimace. "Go down to the dungeon and release Quasi's [Sub-captain]. Tell her she can keep the ship so long as Quasi leaves the city immediately."

"Ship?" Gunnar frowns. "Wait, why is Quasi's [Sub-captain] locked up? Didn't you say the [Bounty Hunter] was at fault?"

The [Duke] leans back in his chair, beard bristling at the anger wafting off him.

"For her disrespect. She called me incompetent and said the speed of my documentation transfer is pathetically slow… alongside many other choice words."

Gunnar scratches the side of his beard in curiosity. "Was she right?"

"Just go to the dungeon!" Haliber growls.