Nameless King

“Are you kidding me? Damn, for a second, I thought you had something worthwhile to do with me, but it was a waste of time.” Wain said, getting up from the table and heading for the exit.

“Hey, don’t be so rude. I have very good instincts, so I’m sure you’ll go to Dermin, you sure need something there.” Fosko uttered in a confident voice while pointing at Wain.

Wain stopped as he hesitated, that was evident in his face and frown. After a while, Wain sighed and returned to the table.

“You have one last shot. The only thing that saved you is that I forgot to pay for the food.” Wain uttered in a serious manner as he crossed his arms.

“Well, I assure you I won’t disappoint you! Let me explain to you who I am again. There are several districts in Dermin, three in all, each governed by several Guilds, and I belong to one of them in a rather high position.” Fosko said while holding his head in a proud manner.

“And? Why do I need to know that? Do you think I care who you are?” Wain asked with an angry look as his patience was coming to an end.

“Huh, isn’t it obvious? If you need something in Dermin, I can get it. Need a weapon? I’ll tell you where the best store available only to Guild Heads is. Need rare potions? I can easily get you some unique potions that even the wealthiest folk in town don’t have. Anything! Even slaves of any race!” Fosko uttered with a mad look as he smashed his palm on the table.

Wain did not immediately respond as he pondered for a moment.

‘Money is good, but no matter how much it is, it’s often not enough.’ Wain muttered inwardly since he looked at Fosko, ‘To get the rarest things, to meet the most talented people takes either luck or power, reputation, and information. If Fosko isn’t lying, he’s definitely the one in the biggest city who can find me the best blacksmith.’

“Your bill!” The waiter came over as she put it on the table.

Wain reached for it, but suddenly Fosko grabbed it and said, ‘Don’t trouble yourself, I’ll pay it. Consider this the first manifestation of my friendly intentions.” 𝚍ｎ𝚘ｖ𝚕．𝚘𝚛𝚐

This city was part of the Colosseum, so everything here was paid for in Void Souls, not golden coins.

“Here.” Fosko uttered as he tossed the girl a Void Coin.

“What?! But that’s too much!” The girl exclaimed while in disbelief.

“Don’t worry, it’s okay. I’m in a good mood today.” Fosko smiled as his feline ears twitched.

“Of course!” The girl said in an embarrassed manner as her cheeks flushed, and she walked away.

“Let’s say I’m interested in you, but what kind of work do you want me to do? What do you want me for? If you are one of the leaders of the Guild, you must have quite a few capable people.” Wain asked while shaking his hand in a careless manner.

“How about I show you this? What’s more, you’ll see Dermin right away and be able to assess the situation.” Fosko smiled as he pointed to the exit of the bar.

Wain sighed, nodded, and headed for the door.

“Good.” Fosko smirked as he clenched his palm into a fist.

They walked out of the bar, and Fosko opened the spatial rift.

“How long does it take to get to Dermin?” Wain asked.

“Not much. My Void is connected to Dermin, so please follow me.” Fosko shrugged as he went inside with Wain.

They immediately found themselves in Fosko’s Void, that was a massive dense forest with some massive ancient buildings. They were only there for a minute as Fosko opened another portal.

Whoooooosh.

Above the slope, a portal spread from which two tall men fell.

Fosko took a deep breath and said, “It’s good to be home, or rather, practically home.”

“Where the hell are we?” Wain asked while looking around.

“Look.” Fosko pointed north.

There was a huge city with thousands of houses, towers, and streets that was surrounded by a high stone wall.

“Is this Dermin…?” Wain muttered as his eyes widened.

“Yeah… It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It’s even better up close! By the way, that’s the area my Guild is fighting over there.” Fosko pointed to the east side of the city there were two massive buildings that marked who was in charge of the area.

“One of the buildings is yours?” Wain asked.

“Exactly.” Fosko nodded, “Our goal is to be in charge, and you’re going to help me with that, but about that later. Are you ready to go?”

“Wait. Why didn’t we show up right in town? Isn’t that the point your Void is connected to?” Wain asked with a confused look.

“It is, but you’re an outsider, so we’d have a problem since the barrier wouldn’t let you in. I don’t want anyone to know about you, so let’s just move on. I’ll lead us into town through a secret passageway.” Fosko said before jumping off the ledge.

“Well, it looks like I can’t take my mask off yet.” Wain muttered and followed Fosko.

A huge iron gate that carefully guarded guards of the strongest guilds led to Dermin. There were three entrances, as well as areas, but Fosko decided to take a different route.

Not far from Dermin was a small village with an abandoned coal mine. There were still carts of coal and tools scattered on the ground.

“This way.” Fosko said as he approached the end of the cave.

“Hmm? What the hell are we doing here? I thought there was a hidden passageway.” Wain uttered with his arms spread apart.

“You’re absolutely right.” Fosko smirked before touching the wall with his fingertip.

Whoooooosh.

A green magic circle appeared on the wall, and the stone slab trembled, then completely disappeared.

“Was it an illusion…?” Wain muttered.

“Yes. This secret path is just for you and me.” Fosko smirked as he snapped his finger.

Green torches lit up in the long passage that stretched hundreds of meters ahead.