The following weeks were a chaotic mix of mourning, celebration, and reconstruction. A grand funeral was held for Krimsun, as well as all the other people who lost their lives to The Forgotten. We had been asked to give speeches, but fortunately, Glenda offered to give one instead. There was much we could’ve said about our captain, but we were not in a state to do so.
Following the funeral, the king organized a banquet and a parade in our honour. As well as giving us a rather generous amount of gold. I’d never had so much positive attention before as the crowd cheered at our arrival. It was funny, I had just faced an incomprehensible evil, but I felt terror at the sight of these ordinary folk expressing their gratitude.
As for the guild, there was much debate as to who would lead it from that point on. Not due to an abundance of qualified applicants, but due to the obvious choices refusing to accept. Wisebeak insisted that it would take too much time from his gadgets, Glenda was busy tending to the injured, and Jerome needed to his work in the shadows.
Eventually, they drew lots and Wisebeak ended up in charge. “Absolutely ludicrous!” he would say, “This position requires far too much attention for me to even think about working on my projects!” And yet he often managed to find time to tinker in spite of his protests.
The kingdom itself would prove a much greater challenge. The once-proud people had learned of their nation’s dark secret, and that the royal family had hidden it for generations. To his credit, the king made an earnest effort to implement change. The contents of The Inferno’s journal were made public knowledge, and funding was given to researching more about the Perditan culture. There was even some hope that there may be some remnants of these people somewhere, if not in Regemendax, then perhaps elsewhere in the world. At the time of writing, we don’t even know what manner of people they were? Human? Elf? Dwarf? It was a mystery in need of solving.
We stayed in the city to help out with the guild and repair damage for a couple of weeks before taking a long-overdue break. Reggie went back to Sordestese and used his reward to help get his mother the treatment she needed and clear the family debts. Katherine and I headed back to Aldan and Clementina’s, where there was a joyful and tearful reunion.
Our stay lasted a whole month, but it felt like mere moments. Aldan kept going on and on about how proud of us he was, only stopping after Clementina insisted that he’d faint if he didn’t take a moment to breathe. We also took this time to really consider our paths forward. What did we really want? We could remain as adventurers, likely facing more loss and tragedy, but also protect those in need. We could take more support-based roles, I was already familiar with the workshop; however, Katherine’s skills were much more suited for combat. Of course, there were many other pursuits, unrelated to the guild that we discussed. It took weeks of back and forth before we came to our conclusion. There was still more adventure to be had.
Near the end of our stay, Aldan received a letter that he excitedly opened just as we were sitting down to dinner.
“Dear,” Clementina said, “Can’t this wait until after we eat? Or is this…?”
“It is,” he replied as he began to read aloud.
“Dear Aldan,
In light of recent events, your request to change the policy on Nequese nest eradication has been approved. The status of the species has been changed from “Verminous Monster” to “Reclusive Smallfolk”. Also contained is an official certification of citizenship for Graakmamak. Thank you for raising such heroic adventurers.
215Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzIoGbAFylN
- - Exordium Adventurer’s Guild Monster Classification Board
“It sure took them long enough!” Katherine scoffed as Aldan handed me the letter.
“Indeed, I’d been requesting this for some time,” Aldan said, “Unsurprisingly, saving the kingdom helped change their minds,”
My hand shook as I read the letter for myself. At the end of the day, it was merely a piece of paper, Nequese would still be subjugated by bandits and villains and put into conflict with adventurers. There would certainly be no trust towards the Pestak from most Nequese, and rightfully so. But perhaps one day, maybe long after I’m gone, the things I’ve unintentionally set in motion would lead to a safe future for my people. We had suffered much, and yet, we survived. The Mendaxi cannot bring back the Perditans, but this is something they can do now.
And with that, dear reader, I have fulfilled my duty to Gus. I have told you our story as best I could. Perhaps one day I’ll record some other adventures, but for now, I wish you good health and a pleasant day.
215Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgrp0boO4CZ
- - Graakmamak Corfortis215Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdiVPgUvG1
215Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnJNOxx2rh
