Siren’s Cry [A LITRPG Adventure]-Ch. 22

Siren’s Cry [A LITRPG Adventure]-Ch. 22

A/N: And back to Siris PoV! Enjoy :3 (Also forgot to mention in an earlier chapter, but Siris did take the Royal Guard's tower shield and the Bladedancer's swords… And never figured out if there's anything special about them. I updated it a little while ago… I promise it'll be relevant here soon)
—
I wake slowly, dim sunlight filtering through the fluffy haze covering my eyes. Blinking away the fur, I look down at Keira with a warm smile. The sleepy cat is curled against my chest, face buried in my shoulder and purring like a chainsaw, still sound asleep despite my movements. Careful not to wake her up, I gently unfold my wings from our little cuddle cocoon and slip out from under her. Stretching, I quietly dress myself with a fresh set of spider silk underwear and a new chest wrap before slipping on the rest of my gear.
God(s), these gloves are a miracle to find. Though I would like a proper bra…
My thoughts on good chest support are interrupted by a plaintive mewl from the bed. Turning reveals that Keira did wake up at some point, watching me dress with a lidded gaze. I can't help but smile at the sight of her sprawled out on the sheets, looking every bit the satisfied housecat complete with collar.
“Sorry if I woke you up, fluff. I do have some stuff to do today, sadly.” I say, leaning over to give her a quick kiss. She returns it with equal passion, despite it only lasting a fleeting moment.
“No prrroblem at all.” She yawns, burrowing down into the pillows. “I think I'm going to sleep a bit longerrr…”
Before she even finishes the sentence, she's out like a light. Chuckling, I leave her to her nap and step out of the room to actually do what I wanted to do in town yesterday. During the voyage here, I had talked with some of the crew and the Sergeant about getting proper identification in this country. The best solution was the classic everyone knows and loves; the Adventurer’s Guild.
Officially known as the Aggregate Mercenary Union, most just call it the Union or the Guild. It's made up of dozens of individual mercenary companies and even more independent mercs, each guildhall is manned by a guildmaster of at least mythril rank, which brings up the ranking system.
The ranks are fairly straightforward, being iron, bronze, silver, gold, mythril, and adamantine. Iron is a probationary rank, meaning they are untested and not usually the most trustworthy. Bronze rank means you are a true guild member and can take requests more dangerous than finding missing pets or herb collection. Silver is where most members plateau, having proven their strength and able to be trusted with more sensitive missions. Gold are the elites, able to do the work of a team of silvers on their own and are often requested personally or contracted by nobles. Mythril are the untouchables, with great reputations, strength, and guaranteed reliability for just about anything from assassinations to dragon slaying. As for adamantine ranks, they are the LITERALLY untouchable. Able to single-handedly clear kingdom ending threats and often rulers in their own right. There's only four active at the moment, one of which is the ruler of Carata.
Waving to the tavernkeep, who seems to be eternally behind the bar, I make my way to the nearest guildhall. Down the colorful street and right at the docks, ignoring the wary looks some of the people give me.
Seems people are already hearing about yesterday.
The hall itself is hard to miss, being three stories tall and twice the size of any other building. Twin banners depicting the broken sword and coin crest of the Guild flank the massive double doors, a steady stream of people going in and out. Massive granite blocks make up the walls unlike most buildings around, which are made of wood.
The crowd parts around me as I walk inside, the many receptionists obviously overworked despite the speed at which the lines move. Walking over to the shortest line, the elf in front of me desperately avoiding any eye contact. I can't help but snort at his nervousness, and he actually jumps a bit before stepping out of line and going to a different one. Shaking my head at the awkward interaction, I just step forward and wait my turn. A few minutes later, and I'm standing before the receptionist who hasn't looked up once.
“Name and reason for visit?” He says, obviously uninterested in what's probably his hundredth customer today.
“Siris, here to register as a mercenary.”
This makes the man look up from his papers, and he pales and quickly draws a small bronze bell from under the counter. Frantically ringing it, despite it making no sound, he shuffles nervously before responding.
“Th-The guildmaster wants to s-speak with you regarding yesterd-day. Please wait over there.” He motions to a row of benches against the far wall, and I shrug and go sit down.
Probably wants the full story before letting someone possibly ‘unstable’ join the guild.
I'm not kept waiting, as a towering man steps out of a door behind the counters, immediately locking onto me. He motions me over, and I quickly slip through the small gap to the side and walk over. I can't figure out what he is, as several things about him seem off in a way I just can't figure out. An insistent tug at the back of my mind prompts me to use my blessings, and instantly my perception of him warps and breaks like glass. Beneath the illusion of humanity that he projects, pale skin and gleaming red eyes are revealed.
The man doesn't seem to realize I've seen through his glamour yet, as the guildmaster leads me up a couple flights of stairs to the third floor. An ornate door opens as we approach, despite no one being there to open it.
Probably magic in some way. Fancy shit just for a door though.
The guildmaster sits down behind the massive oak desk within, bookshelves lining the walls and stuffed with trinkets, books, and literal scrolls.
“Please, sit. Would you like a drink before the interrogation? My name is Ergon, by the way.” He says, not even bothering to lie about why I'm up here. Sitting in the plush leather chair opposite him, I just shrug.
“Sure. Name's Siris. Glad you aren't trying to convince me that it's ‘just a talk’, but mind explaining how someone seemingly undead became a guildmaster?”
Indeed, I hear no heartbeat from him and feel little body heat despite my strong senses. He seems taken aback for a moment but chuckles and retrieves a plain glass decanter from a shelf.
“So, you managed to pierce my glamour? Not surprising, if even half the rumors about you are true.”
Huh, I have rumors? Neat.
“As for the undead part, well it's a bit of a story. The short version is that it happened after I earned the position. Bit of an accident in a dungeon, I drank a ‘Greater Potion of Regeneration’ that a… friend was testing a new recipe for but neglected to mention the extremely high dose of vampire blood it contained. That issue has since been solved, but I waited too long to seek a priest and the transformation took. Thankfully, due to it being purified, high-quality blood, I became a true vampire and not a mindless lesser.” He chuckles a bit while pouring each of us a glass of amber liquor, sliding one over to me.
“Now, to business! First, I need to know the exact series of events that took place yesterday, and then we can discuss your registration.”
I spend the next hour explaining the full story about what happened to spur my massacre, and he listens intently while occasionally taking notes or asking for clarification. When I end the retelling at the point the guards show up, he nods and sets down his pen.
“Well, sounds like you had perfectly valid reasons to attack, though the… brutality is a bit concerning. Why did you do that?”
I have to think for a moment. Most of the time I spent killing is a blur of red and rage, but what I do remember is a blinding rage that they would take something of mine-
Wait. Something of mine?
Tracing that feeling, I find the exact thought that spurred the anger.
‘They took my friend from me.’
Which…yeah no, I'm not going to relive that day. If I could forget it altogether, that would be great.
Of course, I know exactly what caused this and why I reacted like that. Trauma doesn't leave, after all.
A heavy door, screams coming from behind it. Blood seeps from underneath as the scream cuts off in a gurgle-
A light touch on my shoulder brings me back to the present as I find Ergon now standing beside me with a worried expression, a number of warped-looking mana constructs surrounding us from just beyond a transparent red barrier. Recognizing my own handiwork, I quickly dispel them and reign in my expression.
“Siris, I know it is probably overstepping, but whatever you just thought of set you off badly enough that you started conjuring weapons. If you had cast literally anything else, this conversation would not be happening, as you would be dead. And not from me. Every single one of those… swords? Were pointed at
you
.”
He gives me a final concerned look before returning to his seat and dispelling the shield.
“Well, it would seem you are at least able to stop yourself when needed and are no danger to anyone but yourself. I will approve your registration, starting you at silver rank as you have proven your strength and limited collateral during your… ‘
rescue
’.”
Reaching into his desk, he retrieves a small silver plate on a leather necklace. Tossing it to me, I snatch it from the air and drop it into my pouch. Ergon tries to continue, but a wall panel sliding to the side interrupts him. I watch the hidden door curiously as a very effeminate man in… Shockingly little clothing including
thigh-highs
of all things peers around the frame. He glances between the two of us before focusing on Ergon.
“Are you almost done?” He asks in a soft voice that makes me want to either hug him or cry, not entirely sure which. Ergon sighs and nods, standing with a motion for me to leave.
“Yes, darling. We were just finishing up Siris' registration. Now, if you would excuse me Siris, it would appear my husband is getting impatient. Have a blessed day, and try not to go on a killing spree again.”
I just chuckle and wave goodbye, leaving the lovebirds to their fun. As the door closes, I faintly hear a conversation that brings a smile to my face.
“Darling, I told you not to interrupt my work when someone else is present!”
“Well, my potion only has another three minutes of duration and I want to get the most use out of it that we can!”
“My love, it's not that expensive to make Overflow potions….”
And then the heavy door seals with a click, faint wards shimmering across its surface. Shaking my head in amusement, I decide to go and visit the city library to read up on more common knowledge things that I don't know of.

Ch. 22