Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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"I understand how you feel, this is your home, and you wouldn't want people to trample over its legacy." Sarferato said as he turned to Barme

"But if…"

"Stop, don't say it, I already understand. Your point has already been made." Barme interrupted as he got up from his seat

"If you need me for anything else, I'll be at my shop." He said as he opened the door to the Guild, stepping outside

But he stopped at the door, holding it with one hand as he turned his head to look at Dale.

/Clack!/

"... I apologize, it seems my words caused him great pain."

"He'll get over it, besides, I think he's more hurt about that snarky man's words than yours."

"Having his Skill be so thoroughly trashed must've hurt his pride quite a bit, because even if he knew he wasn't that skilled, he only had his books to compare himself with, and he had all the time in the world to improve."

"Now he must feel in danger and pressured." Tina said as she shook her head

"Anyhow… I imagine this meeting is over, unless you have something else to add?"

/Shake…/

Sarferato shook his head, he was done.

"I'll talk with Winthrope, he'll be thrilled to hear of this decision, but this process is one that will likely take a few weeks to be finalized, even if he rushes it."

"Even then, we'll likely meet one more time to discuss some more general things…"

"Another meeting? I thought we were putting that guy up there to prevent them from happening in the first place." Adamante interjected with a scoff

"That is true, but no one would like any surprises in the future, so it would be better to give all of your opinions and ideas during the establishment of what will be the baseline Winthrope and the others will work with from then on." Sarferato replied as he turned to her

"Does anyone have anything else to say?"

""...""

/Silence…/

"Then… If anyone needs me, I'll be with Winthrope, and later you can find me in the Church." He said with a small nod as he turned to Dale

"I hope to see you there if possible."

It was hidden in his tone, but from the looks of it, there was something he wished to discuss with Dale.

But of course, he didn't say what it was, maybe because asking him to do more work might come off as inconsiderate to the other Elders, so he stopped at that.

That said, Sarferato turned around, walking to the doors of the Guild and he pushed them open.

Erile gave everyone a nod as well before leaving, this time she did not act like a damsel and instead showed self-control and maturity.

What she would remember later is that she forgot to tell him to rest well, much to her disappointment.

Not that Dale minded.

/Clack!/

And as the doors of the Guild closed, silence took the halls…

"It's over for now eye?... So? You got what I asked of you?" Adamante asked as she turned to Dale, breaking the silence

"Eh? You mean…"

'The Matherial Gathering Quest...' He thought as he looked at her

"What else? All of the goods you were supposed to bring me."

"I did… They're all with me… Albeit not now."

"On that note, where are my things?" He asked as he turned to the others

'I almost committed a blunder there.'

'Whoever took my items must know that I had nothing on my bare body, so I can't be with it.'

'It's just an excuse from my side, but if I recover my things I can just say my Inventory item was hidden amidst my stuff so they didn't recognize it.'

'That will be my excuse until I think of something better.'

"The one who took them already left." Tina replied with a chuckle

"Barme or Sarferato?"

"Everything is with Barme, Kid. He said he would safeguard it as he repaired whatever damages you caused to it, so pass by him and see if he's done with that already." Jyter replied as he looked at Dale

/Tap…/

"Then, once you're done, notify me so I can start handling the materials, I heard quite a few great things about what you did out there." Adamante said as she touched his shoulder

"And also… Are you feeling alright?" She asked with a rare look of concern

/Pinch!/

As she said that, she pinched his right cheek and pulled, distorting his face a little.

"..."

This wasn't an expression he expected to see from her, but he felt glad and at the same time sad.

"I'm ok-ay... Just a bit sore but my body is already perfectly fine, no pieces missing." Dale replied with a large smile as she let go of his face

"... That's good, take care of yourself out there."

"You must've already realized what the wilds hold, so don't let yourself be consumed by it." She said with a serious expression as she walked past him

"You know where to find me."

/Clack!/

"..."

Her words came as heavier than usual, it wasn't just any warning.

Dale never asked, fearful of hurting her feelings, but Adamante used to have a family too...

"... I'll be taking my leave as well." Jyter added as he tapped Dale's shoulder

As he saw him pass by him, Dale also said:

"... I'll be visiting the mines soon, it's on my list of priorities."

"Haha, I never doubted you… So don't... Cough… Don't overwork yourself for an old man like this."

"They won't be going anywhere, take your time."

"You're only going there to confirm some things anyway… Besides… I've heard some rumors…" He said with a sharp expression as he stopped walking

"There is a large fissure in the desert, from its depts, I imagine many rare Ores are to be found. It may be worth checking it out once we're done with the Mines."

"But that's for another time… See you later… And rest well Kid."

"You deserve it."

/Clack!/

"..."

'The Fissure. This must be a clue.'

'I never progressed Jyter's Quest, so this is either a hint for another Quest, or the continuation of his Questline.'

'Once I have the time, I really need to explore the outside more.'

/Tap…/

While Dale was in deep thought, Ophelia also passed by him, giving him a light tap on his left shoulder, not saying much apart from smiling.

"Rest well, in the fields, you never know when you'll have that opportunity."

"I will."

"Haha… Between us, how much of that is actually true?" She asked with a teasing smile as she turned to Dale

"..."

"Just remember that, if you wish to go on an adventure, make sure to always keep yourself in a top-notch condition, you wouldn't want to miss an arrow due to not sleeping properly the day before."

"As always, you'll find me at my home, otherwise, I'll be in the library."

"Good day."

/Clack!/

"..."

In the end, in the vast Guildhall, only 3 people remained.

"... I can't say that was how I wished to celebrate your recovery, but it's to see you back on your feet, this time, with clothes." Tina said as she approached Dale, chuckling to herself, Testros right behind her

"Cough! There's no need for a celebration… But… What happened?"

"Hum… If you're asking then you must've forgotten."

"What do you remember?" Tina asked as she looked at Dale

"Everything up to when you started… Doing that… I actually can't really remember exactly what you did." Dale said as he shook his head

""!""

This greatly surprised both.

"I expected some sort of adverse reaction, but this is a bit much. Your body might've concealed the memories due to the extreme pain you must've felt, but for everything..."

Tina's expression turned dark as she looked at Dale, a mix of guilt and concern in her eyes as she thought about what might've caused this, only to remember what happened before.

"You really don't remember the procedure?"

"Only a few parts… Like the pain, I remember it hurting a lot, I remember how long it took, that it felt like an eternity."

"Then, it ended, and somehow I found myself underneath a large shadow…"

"From there on there are only hazy ideas that pop up here and there, like when you're trying to think of something but your head just shoves the memory away so you can't remember it."

"I remember eating something… And more pain, a lot of it, but after all that I found myself on my bed."

'The Human mind is quite bad at remembering pain, and that is obviously because there is no point in that...'

'The fact I remember little should be because I was in a constant wave of great pain.'

'And maybe if the Old Spirits hadn't taken me to that place... If I still survived that experience... Then I might've not even realized something had happened.'

'Either way, I can tell about them later, it would only overcomplicate things if I share them now.'

"That's… Quite the gap." Testros said as a bead of sweat fell from his forehead

"What happened? Why do you both look like that?"

"Well… It's a short story, so sit down, I'll tell you everything that happened from the moment I started the operation until our current meeting."

/Nod/

Dale nodded as he sat down on a table next to them, there was much he wanted to know.

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Notes

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