HBWnovel Chapter 66 – Bad News.
Chapter 66 – Bad News.
Chapter 66 – Bad News.
The receptionist's abrupt change in demeanor sent a chill through Rusty's metallic frame. Her eyes darted nervously to the side, where a small door led to the back rooms of the guild. She seemed to be struggling to maintain her composure, her fingers trembling as they fiddled with some papers on the counter. It looked like a list of something but he couldn’t really tell what it was.
“I’m afraid there might have been a misunderstanding, ”
She said while glancing down at the paperwork, her eyes squinting as if she was trying to confirm something.
“Please, if you’ll wait here for just a moment, I need to consult with my superior...”
Rusty stiffened, the gears in his mind turning rapidly. The atmosphere around the receptionist changed the moment he mentioned Gleam and her monster name. He was eventually left standing there pondering his options with Alexander talking to present him with the possible reason.
“Is everything alright? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, you did everything right, you shouldn’t be in danger but...”
“But? Is there a problem?”
“There might be. You probably noticed that Gleam’s status is still grayed out, right?”
“Yeah... Aburdon and you said that it should turn back to normal once I’m close enough, could Gleam not be in the guild?”
“That’s a real possibility but there could be another one. They usually don’t send found monsters out of the guild it gets placed in but if the time runs out...”
“If the time runs out? What happens if I’m too late?”
Before Alexander could answer his question the door the guild receptionist vanished through opened and she returned with another person. It was a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard. The man looked different than the adventurers; his body was not meant for combat but perhaps for something else. He wore a dark, well-worn robe, and the smell of old books and old wood clung to him. A guild emblem was stitched on his chest, marking him as someone of significant rank, perhaps a scholar or an archivist.
"Is this the one asking about the Gleaming Mana Ant?"
He asked, his voice carrying a slight edge of impatience. The receptionist nodded quickly, her nervousness evident.
Rusty felt a knot tighten in his metal chest as the man’s gaze bore into him. His mind raced, trying to analyze the situation that he wasn’t familiar with. Luckily, Alexander's voice echoed in his mind, trying to calm him down.
"Stay calm, Rusty. He might just be confirming something. We need to keep up the act."
The man sighed deeply, rubbing his temples as if dealing with a troublesome issue.
"Look, even a lesser or minuscule Gleaming Mana Ant is rare and highly sought after. When one is found without a master, it's usually a big deal. But if it’s left unclaimed for too long, the guild can’t just hold onto it indefinitely. I’m afraid you’ve come too late, and confirming your status as its master won’t change anything now."
Rusty felt something rise up in his metal chest, it was a similar feeling when he had when Gleam had been kidnapped and taken out from the dungeon.
"What do you mean? Where is Gleam?"
The man frowned, hesitating for a moment before continuing.
"Your ant... if it truly was yours, was identified as unclaimed, and the guild held onto it for as long as they could. But it’s been a month already. You have to understand that resources are limited, and if a monster remains unclaimed for too long... it’s put up for auction. That’s what happened here."
Rusty’s body started shaking and soon enough his metallic fist landed on the counter. Surprisingly the wood held through the impact but it generated quite the loud peng.
“You lie, it has not been a month yet!”
The room fell silent as Rusty’s voice, laced with anger, echoed through the guild hall. The sudden outburst drew the attention of several nearby adventurers, their conversations halted as they turned to see the commotion. Rusty’s metallic frame trembled with barely suppressed rage, his fists clenching as the reality of the situation sank in.
“Rusty calm down, don’t even think about using any of your skills, there is no way you can win against all of these adventurers, please calm yourself or all of this will be for nothing. There still might be a way to save Gleam, just ask the clerk when and where the auction is being held.”
His metallic body continued to tremble, his thoughts spiraling out of control. The room's silence pressed in on him, but Alexander's voice cut through the haze of anger, grounding him.
“Yes, is this not a key to the inn where you were staying?”
Before Rusty could answer, Alexander chimed in and he just repeated his words verbatim.
“Ah, yes. I suppose it is... Could you remind me where the inn was situated? I haven’t been in the city for a while...”
The receptionist, noticing the genuine confusion in Rusty’s voice, offered a reassuring nod before continuing the conversation.
"Of course. The inn is called the Copper Lantern. It’s located near the western gate of the city. It's not too far from here, and it should be easy to find."
She pointed towards the map of the city that was hanging close by. Rusty relied on Alexander to take in this information and later guide him there. Soon he grabbed all the items from the tray and stored them in his satchel.
"Great, we’ve got a place to stay. For now, let us go to this Copper Lantern and lay low and use it as a temporary base. We will probably be stuck here until that auction, unless...”
“Unless you want to leave, I’m not sure if we will be able to...”
Before Alexander could finish the sentence he felt something holding him back from continuing.
“Shut up, we will save Gleam! Just guide me to this Copper Lantern Inn.”
The Copper Lantern Inn, as indicated on the map, was situated near the western gate of the city, and he needed to get there quickly. Alexander's guidance, combined with the map provided by the receptionist, helped him navigate through the darkened streets of Argossa. At this point, the sun had gone down and the only people roaming the streets were guards and drunk adventurers.
As he made his way through the city, he couldn’t help but notice the change to the landscape. The buildings that were previously sturdy and well-kept, were now gradually giving way to less maintained structures. The Copper Lantern Inn loomed ahead, its sign creaking gently in the cool evening breeze. It wasn’t as grand as the adventurer guild building he glimpsed earlier and some of the people inside were quite rowdy.
This inn was quite a large two-story building that was much longer than it was wide. The sign swinging above the door read "Copper Lantern Inn" in faded copper letters. The exterior was unremarkable but sturdy, with wooden beams and stone walls that had seen better days. The windows glowed warmly from the inside, casting a welcoming light into the dark street.
As Rusty approached, he noticed a few patrons stumbling out of the inn, their faces flushed and voices raised with laughter. The inn’s main room was bustling with activity, but Rusty paid little attention to the scene; his focus was on getting inside and finding a place to regroup.
The innkeeper, a burly man with a thick beard, light green skin and a permanent scowl, stood behind the counter, polishing a tankard with a rag. He looked up as Rusty entered, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of the armored figure.
“Evenin adventurer”
The innkeeper grunted.
“What can I do for ya?”
Instead of answering, Rusty took the key from his satchel and held it out in the palm of his hand. The large man glanced at it briefly, then tilted his head to indicate where Rusty should go.
“Just head up on the stairs there, the room will have the same number.”
Rusty nodded and trudged up the stairs, his metallic frame creaking with each step. Some of the patrons who were drinking noticed his loud steps but were more interested in the large key he was holding. Unbeknownst to him, they started looking at each other with intent in their eyes as if this key was something they recognized. Soon Rusty moved up the stairs and arrived at a long hallway, his room number was quite a ways off so he continued walking until he reached the end of the hall.
There, he found the door marked with the number that matched the key. He inserted the key into the lock, turned it, and heard a click. Pushing the door open, he saw that the room contained little more than a small bed and a tiny window. The room was probably no wider than two meters and about three meters long - clearly just a place to sleep and nothing more.
“Looks about right...”
Alexander’s voice echoed in his mind as he entered the dusty room. It was clear that no one had been here for quite some time. Luckily, Albert had made a down payment for this place, and no one had intruded during his absence. However, just as Rusty was about to step inside and close the door behind him, he heard a voice calling out from the corridor he had come through.
“Well, well, well... if it isn’t our little Albert, finally decided to come back?”
The voice was unmistakably taunting, and filled with condescension. He turned slowly, his metal frame creaking slightly, and saw a tall, wiry man leaning against the wall. Behind him were two other men, both grinning widely while showcasing yellow teeth...