NOVEL NEXT Epilogue
Trillia sat next to the sapling. It had already begun to grow rapidly.
Its seed had been a journal that she held dear to her heart.
"Well, Blossom. I hope you like the view. I'm going to be constructing a small shrine here to leave offerings for good tidings. The guild hall is going to be a few hundred feet away, so you'll have lots of visitors. I hope they tell you interesting stories."
After a long pause, Trillia stood and dusted herself off. "I hope I get to see you again sometime."
She had returned to the northern continent. On the day of her eighteenth birthday, the debuff she had since the day she was born, finally went away.
She was no longer considered a runt. Not that it much mattered at this point, she scoffed.
Layla walked past her, carrying a large beam of wood. Trillia fell in to start helping carry materials as well.
Queen Alliyah hadn't been joking. The woman could have flooded any market on Alirast and crashed their economy with how much wealth she had accrued over the centuries. It was no wonder to Trillia why Kadessa was such a bastion of power.
-= Year 18 =-
Trillia lounged on a large stone, listening to the sound of waves crashing against the cliff faces around her. The sun felt warm.
"Aren't we here to inspect a dungeon? Guild Master." The title dripped with sarcasm as Layla stood in the way of her nice, warm sun.
"Fine...fine. But I'm taking a nap once we're done!"
-=====-
They had constructed four guild halls in the past year. One near the lake where she had planted Blossom's journal, one near the Eternal Fortress, one near Anvil Shelter, and the last near D'Jamu.
It had only been a year, but they were already four hundred strong. Every member was given a very minor artifact, even though it was little more than a glorified notebook, but it recorded everything that happened inside dungeons. Each notebook had a sister copy that sat on the shelves of a guild hall. Once a month, the new information was transcribed into mundane copies, and the new information was spread far and wide.
The Eternals, working with Stas and Arlyss, had come closer and closer to perfecting the portal technology. It still had limitations and a high power cost, but transit was getting easier every day. What used to take months would only take days or weeks.
This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
Trillia yawned and rubbed her eyes, she had initially hoped that this job would be a lot more dungeon delving and exploring and a lot less administrative work.
Truth be told...she didn't mind taking it slow.
She didn't mind not being in battle.
-= Year 19 =-
"Dating a Paladin? I didn't think that was allowed." Trillia teased as she watched Layla blush even harder.
"Did he fall for your big, strong arms?"
"Shut up, wench! Sir Markus is a good man, and we are both devoted."
"Oh yes, I'm sure he's very devoted."
Layla gave her an exasperated sigh and stormed out of the room.
As another knock came, she smiled. "Come in!"
In stepped a young orc that seemed nervous. "Guild Master Fairtrade. I was told to ask you about joining."
Trillia's grin widened as she stared at her niece. "Yes, that's because you're so young. You will mostly be helping me with bookkeeping and busy work. You can join some teams that will allow it when entering lower-ranked dungeons. Is that acceptable?"
The little girl slammed her chest in the same way that the warriors from her tribe used to. "Yes! Guild Master!"
"Good. We'll accept your application, now go ask your Aunt Layla what you can do to help."
The girl turned and ran off to do just that.
-= Year 26 =-
Two of the [Primordials] had been sealed.
Trillia stood next to Amelia amidst a sea of death and corpses. God's Watch, or at least the wreckage that had been the great city, stood liberated.
Amelia leaned heavily on Malor, who stood at her side, tears streaking her face. "We did it. It's ours again."
Trillia smiled and looked up at the sky, hoping that Cordaos and Maeve were proud.
-= Year 29 =-
"Guild Master!"
The familiar voice of her niece woke Trillia from her slumber. She had dozed off yet again under the mighty boughs of Yggdrasil. Ialu and Dire lounged near her, Ialu heavy with a litter of puppies.
"What is it sprout?"
"Queen Amelia has requested your presence at God's Watch."
"What about?"
"A dungeon has appeared in the mountains near one of the far-flung boundary cities. People are going missing, and your scouts there have reported that it's the dungeon's fault."
Trillia yawned and stood, dusting herself off. "And?"
"Well. It's an intelligent dungeon like Red River is. Some of the dungeon inhabitants are claiming your people are lying. The last time we tried to force the issue, they killed two of our scouts..." The girl paused.
Trillia waited a moment before giving her a look. "What else."
"The dungeon creatures hammered wood into the ground in the shapes of the human letter T. They took our scouts, stripped them naked, and nailed them to the wood. Before making a small cut in their bellies."
A look of horror crossed her face. "What the fuck?! Why wasn't this already reported?!"
Turning, she looked to Ialu and Dire, who had already started to get up." No! You both stay. You'll have puppies soon, and I want them to grow big and strong. I'll bring Layla, we'll be fine."
She walked towards the guild hall, her niece half-running to keep up. "There's more!"
"How much more?!"
"The dungeon is peaceful to everyone else! It won't let anyone take the bodies down, but anyone else who enters is treated fairly and kindly."
What the fuck? Trillia thought to herself.
"Why? What on Alirast did our people do to it to warrant that sort of cruelty?"
Shaking her head, she gathered her things and prepared to head out.
So much for a nice, peaceful life.