Tale of Eldramir

Ezekiel stood in front of Carrian yet again. Technically he no longer needed to acquire permission for any non-Church related business, as he was no longer a ward of the Church. As an emancipated minor, he was legally within his rights to take control of his own affairs. However, considering his intentions, he felt that addressing them with Carrian was the polite thing to do.

“Are you sure that this is what you want to do? You’ve been making quite a name for yourself here. You’ll be starting from scratch if you leave now.” Carrian asked.

“I’m aware. But it’s never been my goal to stay locked up in a single building for my entire life. Besides, doing this will allow me to see more of the world, as well as make allies that could be helpful in the future.” Ezekiel said.

It had been three months since his one year at Sanafalls anniversary party. He would soon be twelve years old, and his work in the Church of Ten had begun to stall. Shine had managed to reach Step three, and unlike with Step two, there were no issues whatsoever. But neither of them wanted to run into the same issue as before, so they had decided that it might be time to begin working outside of the Church’s direct influence.

Ezekiel had also been exchanging letters with Riker. He had started doing so after Scarlet’s suggestion, as well as picking up his carving tools once again. With this, he had been learning more and more about the Island Hopper’s operations, as well as what would be necessary to join them officially.

As Ezekiel was an officially recognized Church Apprentice, despite his lower Tier, this meant that he was capable of joining the Guild as a porter. As well as taking the position of liaison between the Church and the Guild. Riker had informed him that the previous Liaison to the Island Hoppers was soon going to retire from his post and was intending on going on his pilgrimage to a Cathedral on the continent. As such, the position would soon be open.

“Well, so long as you’re certain. Just know that, as long as you are there as a liaison, you are under their command structure. Meaning that you will have to perform whatever Guild duties they give you, so long as they do not come into conflict with your position as a Church representative.” Carrian explained. “Given your age and Tier, that might include demeaning things like janitorial work.”

“So, not much different from the chores I did when I first got here a year ago.” Ezekiel stated.

Carrian chuckled in amusement. “Indeed. Though, you’ll be starting from the bottom. The position also has a one-year minimum posting period. If you break this contract, we may very well have to remove certain privileges that have been granted to you upon your return.”

That was the one sore point that Ezekiel had regarding this posting. As well as the point that Ezekiel wanted to make sure Carrian was supportive of. While he didn’t need permission to apply for the liaison position, he knew that the consequences of failing would be costly to him. Having Carrian give him a second opinion, as well as some warnings, would be appreciated.

“One thing I’ll tell you now, is that most of the Guild Leaders there will be wary of you. Not because of your element, or origins, but because of your age and Tier. Such things will go away, in time, but not soon. Don’t be surprised if they try to force you to do more than is expected of you, or to test you in some way or another to ensure that you are capable of your duties.” Carrian said.

This was exactly what Ezekiel was worried about.

“Will they at least be fair in their judgements?” Ezekiel asked.

Carrian took a moment to think. A frown appeared on his face as he recalled something.

“There is one person you will need to be wary of. Ginny Mender. She’s one of the Island Hopper’s Guild Leaders. A senior one at that. She is a petty and envious woman who despises ‘geniuses’ such as yourself. Mainly because it took her until her mid-twenties to reach Tier two and join the Guild herself.” Carrian said. “She will undoubtedly be your biggest obstacle. Don’t be surprised if she sabotages your work in some way.”

“How is such a woman amongst the leaders of a Guild?” Ezekiel asked. His jaw had dropped at Carrian’s words. It didn’t make sense to him how such a woman could hold a position of authority, in what was, from his experience, an upright and honorable Guild.

“Black mail and experience.” Was Carrian’s blunt reply. “She managed to blackmail a number of Guild members with less than legal dealings in order to gain support, and her personal experience means she’s actually powerful enough to face any combative challenges to her position. As such, most consider getting rid of her to be more troublesome than just letting her stay. Given this information, however, should anything happen to you, we’ll investigate properly. Especially if we can confirm she was connected, in some way, to whatever issue pops up. She also won’t try to kill you, since your death would bring down our wrath, and an official investigation, that would reveal her own dirty dealings to the world.”

Ezekiel felt himself relax as he slumped into his chair. The promise of support after hearing such information was incredibly relieving. He knew that any major screw ups that got him fired were things he’d still have to pay for, but at the very least he was happy to know he wouldn’t just be thrown away.

“Well, then in that case, I think I would like to officially submit my application to take on the role of Church Liaison to the Island Hoppers Guild.” Ezekiel said. He held out a stack of papers detailing his application. Carrian took it from him before looking through it briefly.

“Request approved. You head out tomorrow to Ironmast, where you’ll meet Jenkins at the Island Hoppers’ headquarters. He’ll give you a couple weeks of tutoring before he retires.” Carrian states. He takes out a stamp shaped artifact that he uses to approve Ezekiel’s application.

Taking the approved documents, Ezekiel stands up to bow in thanks to Carrian. Turning to leave the office, his stomach twists nervously. It was too late to back out now.

Given the short amount of time before he left for Ironmast, Ezekiel was only able to say goodbye to his friends and coworkers. Not that it was a surprise to them all, as he had broached the topic of his reassignment with them several times over the past month. Thus, other than a small dinner and a quick farewell, he was off, with the promise that he would write as often as he could.

Now, the journey to Ironmast wasn’t a very long one, so long as you went by boat. As such, Ezekiel, with travel fees in his pocket, made his way to a familiar transportation company.

“Hello, Chester, I know this is sudden, but I don’t suppose you have any ships free?” Ezekiel asked as he entered the somewhat quiet building of Treasure Chest Transports.

“Kid! Is that you?” Chester’s voice called out from his side office as he got up to enter the waiting area. Seeing Ezekiel, a large grin spread across Chester’s face. “HA! It’s good to see you kid! Thought you might’ve forgotten about us. What’s this you said about needing a ship?”

Though it had been difficult for him, Ezekiel had tried to keep in contact with Chester and Eugene on a somewhat regular basis. While he didn’t visit them in person, especially due to their new roles, Ezekiel had tried to visit Chester’s business at least once or twice a month. Especially since the party several months ago. No point in losing the few connections he still had after all.

“Yeah, I’ve got a new position with the Island Hoppers over in Ironmast. Need a lift, one way only. Do you have any ships that can be spared for today?” Ezekiel asked.

“Well, most of my ships have been going back and forth between the satellite islands. Got several carts out for the next mine delivery as well. Give me a minute to check some things. I’m sure we can figure something out.” Chester said before turning back to his office.

Chester had lightened up around Ezekiel after their adventure nearly a year ago. He’d managed to expand his business by quite a bit due to the finder’s fee when they’d passed on the information regarding the gemstone mines. Chester had managed to get a head start on acquiring a contract to get the rights to transport the mined gemstones and transport them back to Sanafalls for refinement and trade. The three Adept Hunters had also found work with Chester, seeing an opportunity with him. As such, they had left their prior jobs and joined Chester’s business full time.

“AHA! I’ve got one ship headed for Ironmast in an hour. It’ll be stopping there briefly before continuing on to the eastern satellite. It’ll be five silver coins for the trip, since it’s one way only, and you have no baggage besides yourself. Deal?” Chester asked.

“Deal. Now, since I’m here. How’re things with you know who?” Ezekiel asked. He handed over the money quietly. Chester made a face at Ezekiel’s question but pocketed the money and sat down to talk. They had some time to kill after all.

“The girl’s doing just fine. Still has a year left on her sentence, but she’s working it off in the mine she discovered. The money she makes is also being saved up with her mother. Don’t know why you care though. You’re in a much better position than she is.” Chester said.

Another thing that Ezekiel had tried to keep informed of was Sasha Melen’s situation. A while ago she had nearly been killed during her punishment by pirates that had made it inland. They were all caught and killed. With information being extracted from them before they were executed. But it had resulted in Sasha being moved to a new position for her punishment. Something that Ezekiel had found out about during one of Chester’s rants.

Rumors had spread that there were some worrisome ravings coming from one or two of the pirates. Something about a new and foreign religion. Ezekiel didn’t know anything for certain, but that was because the Church had blocked most of his inquiries. Something that had raised red flags in his mind. As such, he’d decided to keep an eye out for any information he could get from other resources.

“I told you. The rumors from that incident gave me a bad feeling. I don’t want anyone coming after me like they did her.” Ezekiel said. He didn’t think Chester needed to know about his suspicions. It’s not like he had any proof after all. Just a feeling. One he hoped he was wrong about.

“Well, regardless, I think you need to focus on yourself right now. I’ll keep you informed as you asked. Maybe send the girl your way when she eventually tries to join the Island Hoppers.” Chester said.

“Join the Island Hoppers? How do you know that she’ll try to do that?” Ezekiel asked.

“Because that girl is obsessed with joining a Guild. She was born and raised in a Guild, and I have no doubt that she wants to be a part of one again. Especially since she’s a Hunter.” Chester explained.

Ezekiel made a note of that. It might be good to know, come next year, when Sasha has finished with her punishment. Like Riker said, it was always good to have connections with the Guild. Maybe he could be her connection to the Island Hoppers. The daughter of a previous Guild Leader would know a few things that were certain to be useful, after all.

Ezekiel’s arrival at Ironmast was a quiet and uneventful affair. Though he did find the city to be much more pleasing to the eye than he had thought it was the first time he’d visited. The buildings were built from stone that seemed to be a mix of gray and rusty orange in color.

He learned that the town was called Ironmast because of the nearby iron mines. The buildings weren’t made of iron, or iron ore, of course, but it seemed like the strange stones were formed from a natural accumulation of Cavern Mana, which made this island a bit of a sanctuary for Cavern Spirits. Something he thought he might look into when he had some time later on.

The following two weeks of what was essentially a training internship. At the time, Ginny wasn’t actually present at the Island Hoppers’ headquarters. She had been sent on a mission a week ago and wasn’t set to return until sometime after Jenkins left. So, his placement was uncontested, for now.

Riker ended up being a great help for Ezekiel, as well as the various Hunters that had accompanied them on their mission to the now fallen Hull Breaker’s hideout. The stories left the other Guild leaders fairly impressed, as did the work Ezekiel did during his training under Jenkins.

He quickly proved himself as a capable liaison and porter under the command of the Guild leaders. Although, there were still a number of Hunters that were a bit resentful that someone so young and low Tiered was a part of their Guild. It wasn’t until he was challenged in his second week by one of the middle Step Apprentice Tempest Hunters that Ezekiel started getting any respect.

It was decided that the duel would be until first blood, with the stern instruction that the match would stop when the Adept Hunter overseeing it called for them to stop.

Ezekiel faced his opponent, Shine inhabiting his sword like usual. Those watching had expected Ezekiel to either fold quickly, or to take a few blows before finally succumbing to wounds of some form or another. Needless to say, it was to their great surprise that Ezekiel lasted several times longer than expected and hadn’t taken nearly as many blows as predicted.

Finally, Ezekiel and Shine had enough, especially since they were running low on Mana. So, with a sudden feint with Shine, Ezekiel twisted to the side, overcharging his mana, he quickly swung Shine backwards, faster than his opponent could react.

The result was a deep gash across the Apprentice Hunters back. But Ezekiel didn’t escape unscathed either. He ended up getting blown across the room by a powerful gust of wind made by the Apprentice’s Spirit. Ezekiel rolled to his feet almost as soon as he hit the ground. Luckily, he didn’t have to worry about his enemy, as the match had been called in his favor. His opponent gave him a begrudging look of respect as he was tended to by the Life Mage that was watching from the side.

Ultimately, Ezekiel gained quite a bit of respect from the Island Hoppers. Especially since the man he’d defeated was a subordinate to the wariest of the Guild Leaders present. After the duel, he found that it was much easier to fulfill his role without issue. He actually found himself enjoying his work with the Island Hoppers, even after Jenkins had left for his pilgrimage.

He’d even gotten to meet Riker’s family and had begun tutoring Riker’s daughter in how to properly perform the meditation technique the Church had provided. The girl was only a year younger than Ezekiel, but the difference in maturity was obvious.

It was only after he’d shown her what a Void Mage could do, the enhanced strength, and the special spells that he’d shown off, that she bothered to pay attention. The family was even kind enough to give him a birthday card when he’d turned twelve. Something he’d nearly forgotten about if not for the reminder.

Things were going well for Ezekiel. He’d been informed that he would accompany the Guild on an expedition soon. His work was fairly simple, and he expected that he’d have a good and fulfilling time as a part of the Island Hoppers. At least until Ginny Mender arrived from her mission.

It had been a regular day for Ezekiel since arriving at Ironmast. He was dressed in an official Island Hoppers Guild uniform, with an official sash and a Church cloak to cover himself and show his origins and position. Unfortunately, as he was heading to his office, he was approached by several rough looking Hunters. They all had bags under their eyes, and their clothes were fairly badly torn.

The brightly colored hair showed that at least a few of them were likely Adepts.

“You Ezekiel?” The apparent leader of the group asked. He had red hair and eyes. A rarity in the Archipelago, but dangerous because of it. Especially if they managed to get to Tier three.

“Yes. Do you need something?” Ezekiel replied. He subtly began focusing his mana for use. Looking at the Hunters in front of him, he noticed that only half of them had their Spirits visible.

“Behind us!” Shine exclaimed.

Ezekiel didn’t even think. He just threw himself to the side, and out the window that was there.

He felt the wind pass him by as the figure of a canine shaped Spirit passed through the space, he was just in. The light embers from the Spirit’s mouth showed that it was the group leader’s Spirit. As Ezekiel fell out the now broken window, he caught himself by stabbing Shine into the wall of the building. Then he flipped himself out of the way of another Spirit that was waiting outside.

As he went through another window, Ezekiel could barely hear yelling and scrambling as the group that attacked him began to chase after him. He knew he had no chance at getting away on his own from several Tier threes, but luckily, he didn’t have to.

“Kid?” Riker exclaimed as he saw Ezekiel coming through his office window. “What the hell-!”

A loud crash interrupted them, as Ezekiel was slammed against the wall by an Adept Hunter before Riker could finish speaking.

“Come here you little brat!” The Adept Tempest Hunter yells as he pinned Ezekiel against the wall. “The Guild Leader wants to see you!”

“ENOUGH!” Riker shouts as he dashes forward and rips the other Hunter off of Ezekiel. “What the hell is going on here?”

The other Hunter, knowing he was in trouble, tried to blubber his way into giving an explanation. But Riker immediately dismissed everything he said as worthless the moment Ginny was mentioned as wanting to see Ezekiel. Riker knocked the man out, and his Spirit did the same to theirs.

“Come on, kid. We need to speak with the other Guild Leaders.” Riker said.

What followed was a quiet walk toward the central meeting room. Riker and Ezekiel were nearly stopped several times along the way, but no one wanted to mess with a peak Adept Tempest Hunter.

Arriving at the meeting room, Ezekiel and Riker heard a commotion coming from behind the closed doors. Opening the doors to the meeting room, Ezekiel saw a black-haired, black-eyed woman with a pasty pale complexion and a stout build. A stark contrast to the slim and lithe body shapes that he had seen most Obscure Mages have. The jiggles that spread through her body as she turned also indicated that her form was from overeating, and a lack of physical training, rather than merely being her natural build. Ezekiel wondered how she could have gotten to her position, even with blackmail, if she didn’t train to fight, like all Hunters tended to do.

As someone who was well acquainted with a couple of Obscure Mages, Ezekiel couldn’t help but make comparisons, and found this woman lacking, even when he compared her to the much younger Yennifrey. The woman also had a bat dangling from a small frill stitched into the shoulder of her clothes.

The commotion in the room fell silent. Ezekiel then realized that only one other Guild Leader was there. With Riker there were now more than half, but it seemed like no one else had been informed of what was going on. Seeing Riker with Ezekiel, the woman’s face turned red, and she opened her mouth to start screaming again. Riker cut her off.

“SHUT IT!” Riker yelled. His voice reverberated through the headquarters. “I am calling an official meeting of the Island Hoppers’ Guild Leaders. Report, now, to the primary meeting room. Ginny did something stupid again.”

Ezekiel couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter at Riker’s statement. It seemed like Ginny really wasn’t wanted by the majority of the Guild. Perhaps he needed to make getting rid of her his next big mission. He was sure that, besides her little sycophants, the Island Hoppers would appreciate it.

After the near disastrous meeting with Ginny, it was discovered that Ginny had intended to call Ezekiel to task and had ordered her direct subordinates to get him. She had intended to meet him alone in the primary meeting hall, where she would discuss Ezekiel’s capabilities to ensure that they were up to standard. She utterly ignored and deflected whenever it was brought up that he had already been tested.

Everyone knew that she was lying, of course, but no one was able to do anything, since she hadn’t technically done anything illegal. The only ones punished were the Hunters that were sent to fetch him. They were given several lashes for assaulting a fellow Guild member, a Tier one Mage, and the Church liaison.

Ginny, of course, continued to insist that Ezekiel wasn’t capable of doing his job. She even went so far as to state that they couldn’t afford to bring a child on any of their missions, as it would mean they needed to dedicate time to taking care of him. Ezekiel easily refuted this and had support from the other Guild Leaders. Even so, Ginny didn’t give up until it was explained that dismissing Ezekiel for no reason would result in the Church officially investigating their Guild. She quickly shut up after that.

Things then quieted down for a time. At least until Ginny started making unnecessary demands. Giving Ezekiel so much work that he was barely able to sleep. It got so bad, that he actually had to stop Shine from trying to do something to her in his little statue golem body. Shine was just that worried for Ezekiel. Eventually, he’d finally had enough, and ignored the work Ginny was trying to assign to him.

Instead, he started gathering evidence of misuse of power. Something that he was able to find quite quickly and brought to the Guild leaders. Ones who weren’t Riker, as he knew there was a risk of favoritism being called out. With the evidence gathered, Ezekiel was granted permission to ignore any nonessential tasks given by Ginny. Similarly, Ginny was required to have essential tasks confirmed by another Guild leader before it was submitted to Ezekiel.

Ginny reluctantly agreed. Especially after Ezekiel raised the point that she never once asked Jenkins for assistance with any tasks, so there should be no reason for her to assign him so many. With that said, the problem was resolved for a little while. Ezekiel still decided to ensure that any and all tasks were confirmed by the Guild leaders for the foreseeable future.

Other than these few incidents, Ezekiel had few interactions with Ginny, who seemed to mellow out fairly quickly. He did hear rumors about her being an utter terror to anyone who caught her attention. The mix ups with paperwork that he had to fix also increased, and it seemed like a few Hunters were starting to blame him for their troubles.

Not because they thought he was doing anything wrong. Just because they knew that his presence was pissing Ginny off. Obviously, this was something that no one wanted. So, after much debate, the Guild leaders, not including Ginny, decided that Ezekiel had to leave headquarters for a little while. Just long enough for Ginny to cool down and see the benefits of having a Church liaison.

Thus, just a couple months after he arrived, Ezekiel was shipped off with a team of Island Hoppers to investigate the Ruins discovered on an uninhabited Island to the southwest of Sanafalls. The trip would take several weeks to get there. They would then investigate for several more, until they eventually returned in a couple of months.

During the time he was away, Riker, who offered to stay behind to handle Ginny, would do his best to cover for Ezekiel’s duties. So, after confirming with Riker that everything was in order, Ezekiel set out once again.