Rise of the Nightmare Crestmaster

Aldrich threw away these thoughts, it brought up an unpleasant mood. He called a private carriage and rode away to the Lunsken district.

Lunsken district was far away from the academy district and he only knew that the Grinning Aatax was nearby the pure fountain. That was fine he was going to take a look and ask some locals.

Aldrich got off the carriage and took a look at Lunsken, it was alright. It just had the same atmosphere as the 18th Gana street where he was jumped by a thief when he first met Gazeff.

Not only was he jumped, the thief was actually poor so it was just whole lot of time wasted for nothing.

Anyhow, Aldrich walked by the so called pure fountain and it was actually not bad, the waterworks were beautiful and the birds flocked around the area giving the place a very attractive look.

In the mostly bleak residential buildings of Lunsken this place was a rare relief and relaxation spot. There were many shops and stalls around it with many people coming and going.

"Boss do you know where the grinning aatax is?"

Aldrich brought a hotdog sandwich and asked the dwarf behind the stall.

"Hm, ah! The Tenberry brothers right?"

"Yeah, it's them." Aldrich was expecting the answer.

"Just take a left turn here and you'll see their board."

"Thank you for the help."

Aldrich made his way over while eating his hotdog and evading the children who were playing all around the area.

Finally he saw it, a moderately sized board that had the same image of the Aatax that he saw previously when he and Tarzin escaped from the goblin caravan.

The inn looked to be in a sorry condition old and moldy woodwork the brown color of the walls was turning green in places. After a few more years it could fit in the nightmare town.

Aldrich pushed the door open and entered, a small jingling rang when he stepped in. There were no patrons in at this time in the reception.

An elven woman was the receptionist, she was trimming her nails when she looked up at him but she didn't smile or greets him in anyway. She just resumed her trimming.

Aldrich coughed loudly to get her attention, "hi, I'm looking for Tarzin Tenberry, I'm his friend."

"He's in the tavern. See that door? Just go in."

She answered without lifting her head.

But Aldrich didn't care he just walked past her and stepped into the doorway. The tavern smelled of a hundred different alcohols all at once and the lighting from the ambient moss lamps gave the place a certain atmosphere.

Tarzin was standing behind the bar and using a small white towel to clean a glass cup in his hands.

Aldrich walked up to the bar and saw that Tarzin was standing on a long legged flat chair. That explains why he looked like a human for a second.

"Ehem! One Erdestani tea please."

"Tea?" Tarzin repeated dumbly and then looked at the newly arrived patron and zoned out for a moment.

"Holy Altunan! It's you, Aldrich!"

Tarzin exclaimed in shock and Aldrich laughed, "why, didn't you tell me that you owe me a treat? Well here I am."

"Well, well, you look so different. Back then you looked like an escaped convict. And you're taller too."

Well now that he recalled when he met Tarzin he still looked like shit, what with all the blood and all that.

"Welcome to civilization boy! It's been like what? A month? No, a little more than that. Glad to see you made it to Voryhrm."

"Well," Aldrich looked a little apologetic, "I've been here for some time already… I was a little busy so I didn't get the chance to pay you a visit."

"Hey! Hey! Now that hurts a little! Whatever, turns out you were a man that forgets his friends!"

Aldrich smiled warily, "here I am now, so let's just forget about it."

"Forget about it? Just like that? Hell no! I won't forget about it until we have a feast tonight!"

"A feast? No come on, I have things to do. Maybe another day." Aldrich tried to explain but he was cut off.

"No way. I won't let you leave this tavern before sunrise or my name is not Tenberry!" He loudly declared as he jumped on the bar and pointed at Aldrich.

"Fine! But don't forget it's your treat." Aldrich wouldn't turn down something free. Besides he slept for three days straight he was kind of tired of sleeping.

"Wilton! Cole! Come down here you lazy bums!"Tarzin called to upper floor, hearing no response he was grinding his teeth and then he ran up.

Aldrich took a seat by the window and waited patiently, he remembered Tarzin telling him that he had a talented nephew that was about to become a Crestmaster and join the knights of the last Sustar.

The same guild that he was trying to get into, hmm perhaps they could help each other.

Footsteps sounded from upstairs and three halflings descended, one of them was Tarzin but the rest were strangers.

One was fat and had a long beard, some might think him a dwarf rather than a halfling but he didn't have the same bulky frame as dwarves. The other looked like Tarzin and was following behind as if he was dragged down here.

"This is my brother Wilton." Pointed Tarzin at the fat halfling. "And this is my nephew, Cole." He pointed at the boy on the side.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Aldrich." He greeted then and stretched his hand to Wilton for a handshake which Wilton immediately recuperated.

"Oh, I know who you are! Aldrich the little hero who saved my idiotic brother's life from whole tribe of goblin slavers."

"Eh…" Aldrich leaked out a confused sound.

Cole took his hand for a shake after his father let go and he beamed at him, "yeah, we heard how you guys teamed up to kill 50 goblin wolf riders and finally even took down a frost direwolf."

Aldrich looked at Tarzin, 'was the story that exciting? When did all that happen? And a frost direwolf? That's a grade one monster!'

"Ah, well the story may not have gone exactly like that…"

Wilton gave Tarzin a sharp look and Tarzin's neck shrank down, "hey, I did warn you that I exaggerated some stuff for entertainment purposes!"

Aldrich laughed out loud. The whole group shared a laugh and soon Tarzin got them all some beer and they started chugging.

All the while the kitchen in the back rocked with activity and tantalizing smells wafted out from time to time.

A few hours later some lamb chops were laid on the table they were glazed with honey and garlic sauce. Next there was Parish bread and Toursan eggs.

Deep into the night Aldrich told them about what he's been up-to in Voryhrm so far. Of course he omitted some parts here and there.

When they heard about the Necrotic-Claw Hawk they were all enthralled by the story and shocked by every turn of events.

"Back then…*hek* Aldrich you didn't just save me… you did more than that*hek!*" Tarzin was drunkenly mumbling.

"I told you… I told you just wait for no more than half a year you're going to make it big! We're all going to make it big! That thing once we get it then our lives will turn around for sure—"

His rambling was stopped by Wilton as he covered his mouth and looked at Aldrich apologetically, "he's too drunk let me take him up."

"No I'm not drunk! Let me go asshole!"

Aldrich smiled in bemusement and looked at Cole who was sitting opposite to his own chair.

"So… are you suppressing your crest until after the exam?"

Cole looked shocked, "how did you know?"

"It was just a lucky guess. When Tarzin talked about you he sounded very sure that you would become a Crestmaster."

"He just doesn't know how not to brag. Are you doing the same? I thought people like us were rare…"

"Like us?" Aldrich asked keenly.

"Yeah well I know two more people who are the same as me and you."

"Well I know someone too, you know what I think? Maybe we should team up."

Cole took a swing from his drink and grinned, "an elite team, I like that. One of my friends is an alchemist, he's got his hands on some very useful stuff. I'm good at sneaking and I my dagger play is not bad."

"I have super-strength and I can take on any grade zero creature. My friend has a wide social network."

"That'll work, but if we want to form a party we have to wait until after the first part of the examination. You do know that we can't choose teammates before then right?"

"Sounds good to me. How long for the exam now?"

"You're that confident? Good. It should be in ten days."