Chapter 5

She smiled and wrote my new name onto the card with a golden quill dipped into an equally golden ink. When the quill was lifted, the ink sparkled with a nimbus of golden hues before setting as a black ink. No doubt magic was in play to bind my name, as well as my bracer, to the card. There were so many cool things on this world that my anticipation continued to grow with each new encounter.

“Your registration with the Guild has been completed,” Mityra stated, with a friendly smile. “This card will track your progress and allow us to give you quests based on your current level and skill set. It is kept in the Guild, though there will be one specific to each floor, all tied to you and your bracer. This ensures you can interact with the Guild at any level, without the risk of delay.”

She smiled then crouched down, pulling out an emerald green crystal. It was jagged in some places and twisted much like the spire of the Dungeon was twisted. It kind of reminded me of what Kryptonite looked like in all of the Superman movies. She placed the gem over my bracer crystal, recited a different collection of words and, as before, the crystal began to glow. The brightness and intensity grew along with the jewel in my bracer, until the two were shining with equal luminescence.

When the glowing ceased, she handed it to me and said, “This is your extraction crystal, it is to be used in emergency situations and, once activated, you will be immediately transported to the lobby. If you are rendered unable to use the item and your health drops to critical levels, it will activate automatically to prevent your death.”

I looked at the green crystal in my hands, amazed at the properties it had, until it was plucked out of them by my companion. She placed it within one of the pouches on her belt and just smiled at me. I simply shrugged as it wasn’t like she was stealing it or something and I knew that she would make sure I had it before we did any Dungeon crawling tomorrow.

“That concludes the registration,” Mityra said with a small sigh. “Make sure to report to your assigned attendant tomorrow before entering the Dungeon. I do hope that I will see you from time to time, and good luck in there, I am sure you will do great.”

She handed me a slip of paper that had the name Esmerelda on it and waved goodbye.

We walked away from the counter and I thought about what had happened so far today and what I would have in store tomorrow. I guess I would meet Esmerelda tomorrow. Then the slip of paper was plucked from my grasp and that, too, disappeared into my companion’s belt. She glanced at it, before storing it in her pouch, which was the same pouch as my escape crystal. Amenthia then looped her arm in mine, flashed a smile at me and gently pulled me towards the exit. I had a feeling that Amenthia would be doing that a lot during our time together and yet I know I had a goofy look on my face.

We made our way back into the stairwell and descended two flights to the bottom level. When we arrived, we came into a single corridor lit by small torches. Once we crossed the corridor, we came to plain double doors with no designs on the wood. A single golden ring knocker was on each door, paired with a simple golden knob on each. We approached the doors and Amenthia reached up and rapped the knocker against the door three times. After a few seconds, the door slowly began to open with an audible creak. It reminded me of the cliché sounds that doors made in horror movies. When the door finished opening, a gentle tug from Amenthia led me inside.

There were bookshelves as far as the eye could see lining the walls in aisles opposite the entrance. I could not see where they ended. There had to be millions of books kept inside here, though most of them looked to be sectioned off. I could only imagine how this much information would be accessed. The question on my mind was, ‘Why were we here?’ We had already registered me with the Guild; were we supposed to do some studying or something?

Amenthia continued to slowly pull me towards the front desk and, despite my confusion as to why we were here, I didn’t try to stop her. There were three women behind the desk, each of them was clothed in Nordic garb that reminded me somewhat of what Freyja and Tyr had been wearing. They had on a two-strap white dress, with flowing layers, their hair had been done up in long flowing ponytails adorned with golden accents etched with futhark. That allowed me to surmise that they were probably tied with the Norse gods. Unfortunately, I had no idea who they would be, or which god they might serve. While I had some knowledge, it wasn’t very extensive, so it was just a best guess. I knew most of the major players, but not the others that also figured in the various polytheistic mythologies. As we came to the counter, Amenthia stopped us and bowed before them, so I figured I should do the same.

“My ladies,” she said with reverence, “I have brought before you a new member of the Pact house of Tyr, Pathios Daxion.”

The three women set their eyes on me, their gaze piercing as they looked me over from head to toe. Though they looked identical in nearly every way, their eyes were what set them apart. One had Ice blue eyes, one had emerald green eyes and the last had golden hazel eyes.

“I see,” said the one with hazel eyes. “He is a rebirth, is he? It would explain why you are with him, my dear Amenthia.”

Well that was a bit surprising, but seeing as they were no doubt goddesses themselves, it would explain how they were aware of rebirths.

The one with the blue eyes spoke next, “Well, he looks like he may make things interesting, for it has been some time since the last rebirth and things have been a little dull lately.”

Amenthia chuckled at that and said, “Oh, I am sure he will, and I am expecting big things from him as well, so hopefully I will see some of them very soon.”

I thought I had heard Amenthia put a slight emphasis on the word big. That caused me to blush a bit. I was sure I was misreading her statement, so I chose not to say anything, especially not when surrounded by four beautiful women. The woman with the green eyes waved us towards her and as we approached, the one with the hazel eyes pulled a book out from under the counter. It was plain with a green cover, about two inches thick, with no writing on the cover. There wasn’t any on the first page when she opened it, either, or I had a feeling that the rest of the book would be blank as well.

“We three were entrusted to run this center,” said the one with hazel eyes. “My name is Vor. The gorgeous girl with the blue eyes is my sister, Saga.”

“I am Snotra,” stated the woman with the green eyes. “We are the Norse goddesses of knowledge, who have been tasked by the Council to document the exploits of the heroes of this world.”

“There is only one Knowledge Center,” Vor said, continuing where Snotra left off. “Each Dungeon is tied to this place, but the exit leads only to the city-state that you have been assigned to, thanks to the jewel in your bracer.”

“The knowledge center is tasked with maintaining the chronicles of the many adventurers of our world,” Saga finished. “You can learn of the past to gain insight into problems of the future, and you can read of your present. Your book is the only one you will have access to at this time, but when you gain enough prestige within your Pact house you will gain access to special members’ books. These would be of past heroes that had performed great feats in the name of your house, whose exploits and knowledge would prove invaluable. Once you gain enough prestige within the Guild, you will gain access to the books of other states, specifically the ones of past rebirths.”

Snotra then smiled and said, “There are, of course, books of learning to help new adventurers and grimoires that can be purchased- if you have the coin - to teach you skills and spells.”

“This book is yours,” said Vor softly, gesturing to the green book in her sister’s hands. “It will be tied to your bracer and record everything that happens within the Dungeon in regard to you.”

Snotra closed the book and took my wrist, placing my hand on the cover of the book and then began to chant in a language I did not know. The crystal on my bracer began to glow, and the one on the book began to get warm in my palm, much as the other items that had been paired to my bracer. The crystals’ glow continued to increase, until it was almost blinding and then, like each instance before, the glowing suddenly ceased and the heat in my palm disappeared.

“The binding is complete,” sang out Saga, “you are now ready to enter the Dungeons, good luck and may the gods be with you.”

Amenthia squeezed my arm, pressing it into her ample chest as she lead me out of the room. She said thanks for both of us as she pulled me towards the door, and we made our way down the corridor and back up the stairs.

As I stumbled, trying to keep up with her, I asked, “Where is it we are going now? You haven’t exactly been forthcoming with information so far today.”

“Sorry, Pathios, I will try to do better, “she replied with that beautiful smile. “We are going for a meal and I know of a place that has some of the best food around. You will love it, and the meal will be my treat for putting up with today and with me.”

I just nodded as she dragged me along. The sun was setting, and I could not believe how much time had passed while we registering me within the Dungeon. After about fifteen minutes of casually going through different roads in the town, we arrived at our destination. It was a two-story building, made of stone and wood. Like most stone structures I had seen, it had been built without the use of mortar. It had a simple wooden door, with a sign above it that read, “Titania’s Tavern and Inn”. Amenthia opened the door and pulled me inside. The place was filled; adventurers of all kinds and races sat at a number of tables, as well as regular folk from the town. I recognized some of the people we had passed heading to the Dungeon earlier today and gave them a polite nod if our eyes met. Amenthia had finally let go of my arm and gone off to talk with the woman behind the counter. She was a tall woman of strong stature, with a few visible scars, no doubt a retired adventurer. Something told me that she was the owner of the establishment and it looked like they knew each other well.

After a few moments, Amenthia made her way to an empty table and she waved for me to follow. I kind of felt stupid just standing in front of the door like that and weaved my way to the table. As I took my seat, Amenthia slid in beside me, once again taking my arm in hers and if I had been sitting at another table, I would assume that Amenthia and the person she was with, were a couple. A few minutes later, the woman I had seen Amenthia talking to came and placed two ceramic plates before us, with a knife and two-pronged fork. She smiled, giving me a slight nod of approval and walked away. The plates were loaded with food and I heard an audible growl from my stomach demanding that I eat the bounty that had been put in front of me. The meat looked to be half of an animal that looked like a chicken, with a side of potatoes, carrots and all of it was covered in a rich, white gravy. The smell was exquisite and was making my mouth water, I would need to thank Amenthia, it was as though she knew my favorite foods and had them prepared perfectly. A few moments later, the woman returned with two steins filled with some sort of liquid, it smelled sweet and tangy, but I recognized the hint of alcohol.

“Hello, there,” the woman said with a gentle warmth, “my name is Titania and this is my establishment. Tonight’s meal is on the house, in celebration of Amenthia’s new assignment.”

I gave my thanks as Titania sat down across from us and I dug into my plate. Titania and Amenthia traded small talk for a little while, as I enjoyed my food and drink. Both were complete heaven, as was the company that I had with me and I looked forward to the surprises that no doubt lay in store for tomorrow. The meal had been amazing, and the drink was beginning to have an affect me, I think.

Whatever was in the drink was strong, because I don’t remember much after I finished eating, it was all a haze. I woke up in my room and, after activating my map, I saw it was still early morning. It was a little unnerving to find I was in just shorts, because that meant someone had undressed me last night and I had a feeling it had been Amenthia. I got out of bed and gingerly made my way to the dresser, as my head was still pounding from the effects of the alcohol. I made a mental note to make sure I wouldn’t drink anything that strong again, as I collected some clothes for the day and got dressed.

I went as quickly as my throbbing head would allow, as my stomach started growling to confirm that I was famished. I headed out of my room and, using my map display to help me, made my way to the dining hall. I entered the hall, using the method I remembered Amenthia using, and found it was relatively empty. Looking around, I saw a sign saying what I would assume was kitchen and made my way over to find a tall man cleaning some pots.

“Umm excuse me,” I said, after lightly knocking on the door. “I was hoping to get something to eat, if it is not too much trouble.”

The man turned to me and smiled. He was about six feet tall, with a burly build. He had a thick white hair and white beard and he kind of reminded me of Santa. He was wearing the same sort of everyday clothes that others seemed to have. He was also wearing a leather smock that had smears of blood, flour and other food residue.

“Of course, young Pathios,” he uttered with a deep baritone voice, he replied, “I have some food that you could have if you are not willing to wait. Bread, some beef, potato hash and corn.”

“The leftover food would be more than enough,” I said with a slight nod. “Thank you for doing this.”

He puttered around the kitchen for a few minutes before returning with a plate full of food and a stein of liquid. I grabbed the food and drink and, after giving him my thanks, made my way to an empty table. The food was so delicious, and I honestly believed this man was an artist. I had never tasted food this good; I mean the tavern was good, but I didn’t remember all of it.

I took my time, enjoying each bite. The day had not begun when I had walked in, and now the sun was starting to rise. Rays of light were coming through the windows as I swallowed my last bite of food, savoring the flavor.

As I got up to take my plate back to the kitchen, I felt a hand push me back down onto the bench. Looking over my shoulder I saw a large man, he looked to be a half breed of some kind. Though humanoid he had red skin and horns, kinda reminding me of Hellboy, but without the tail and massive right forearm. Another large individual took a seat across from me and he looked totally human, just large and bulky.

“So, you are the new guy,” said the man across from me, with a smirk on his face. “Well, new guy, you are going to leave here, or I will make you leave. Trust me, you won’t like it if I make you, so just do what is best for yourself and be gone by the end of the day.”

“And why, exactly, would I want to do anything of the sort, especially on the word of someone like you? Who knows nothing about me, or what I might be capable of?”

He narrowed his eyes and answered, “Because if you don’t, I will make sure you have an accident - a slow and very painful one - and it wouldn’t be the first time.”

He smiled a sinister looking smile, and I returned with a smile of my own, though mine was of humoring him. His face darkened into one of anger as he realized that he had failed to intimidate me, but as he moved to get up, a knife appeared across his throat. Neither he nor his friend had noticed Amenthia come up behind him, but I had, hence I had returned his smile with one of my own.

“You will do nothing of the sort, Jonta,” she said with a venom I had not heard in her voice before. “You know the rules decreed by the Council, just as you know that you cannot go against any decree from our Pact leader. No member of this Pact house can directly or indirectly cause harm or death to another within their house, or against another.”

She turned her glare to the man holding me down by my shoulder, “I suggest you release him, Fratis, before Tyr learns of this and punishes you both for your arrogant actions!”

His hand moved from my shoulder as if he had touched a hot surface and he took a few steps back. Only then, did Amenthia remove her knife from Jonta’s throat. He got up and turned to look down at her, a look of hate on his face.

“Mind your business, bitch,” he snarled at her. “You will not get in my way of ridding myself of this fool and then you will be mine and I will take great pleasure in breaking you. When I finally tire of you, I will let the rest of the men in this place have their share, and I am sure I would make a lot of gold in the process.”