Chapter 50: Warning

"Haha, not even a warm good morning?" Elara said with a weak laugh.

Without response, Keane watched as she fell into step beside him without asking.

He for one wasn’t the type not to repay kindness, but the situation with Elara never allowed for that.

He already knew better than to assume this was a casual visit, so he didn’t beat about the bush. "What do you want?" He asked a second time, this time with a milder tone.

"To warn you." She said, causing him to stop walking, and she doing the same.

That answer was unexpected, but what then could be expected of such an encounter?

"About what?" Keane asked, his expression already growing somehwat serious.

Elara glanced around, then drew closer, before lowering her voice.

"Your name has started traveling."

"I’m sure it has."

"People are starting to ask questions about you, Keane."

"People always ask questions."

"Not these people." She said, her tone had changed.

That made Keane pay attention.

"Will you just get to the point? Or do you plan to kill me with suspense first?"

"The Veil of Shadow.". Elara looked directly at him as she spoke.

Keane’s expression barely changed as he heard her, but inside however, he immediately connected it to several things, even to the adventurer who had approached him.

Too many separate pieces were beginning to point in the same direction.

"You said they would stay out of this." He said, not panicked, however.

"I said they had no reason to interfere with your life if you stayed out of ours." Elara asnwered.

"And now?"

"Well now you’re becoming interesting."

Keane frowned slightly as he listened to that, ’what’s it with this town?’ He thought to himself.

Elara folded her hands.

"They’re going to come for you." She said.

"They already have."

Elara’s eyes narrowed at that. "You’ve been approached... Dom Waizer." She said. That was the name of the adventurer who approached him.

Keane’s gaze sharpened as she called the name.

"I suppose you already know who he is?"

Scrunching his face as the thought frustrated him, Keane sighed, walking more to the side of the road past the clear side walking area. "I don’t, past the fact that he is well respected in the Guild. Who is he?"

"An adventurer turned noble. To put it simply, someone powerful, and I don’t mean in strength." Elara explained.

"That’s all?"

"Because I don’t know exactly what he wants from you." She looked away briefly. "You could help by telling me what he discoursed with you." She said, looking him in the eyes.

Keane leaned forward slightly, bringing their faces much closer. "What I don’t get, is why you are so interested in me, right from the start too."

Elara was silent for a moment, giving nothing off through her expression or body language.

For Keane, that was a problem. He couldn’t read her, and even worse, he couldn’t trust her.

She had lied to him before, manipulated him, and even included him in plans yet to happen, if only he didn’t find out.

Now, despite all of that, she had now gone out of her way, and for what, to warn him? He wasn’t having it.

Maybe she was genuinely concerned?

Maybe she was protecting herself?

Maybe she wanted him to become more valuable before using him again... All three were possibilities.

"You don’t believe me," Elara said.

"I don’t trust you." Keane said, almost immediately, his tone as calm and natural as Elara’s.

She smiled faintly. "Fair."

"So tell me the part you’re actually here to say."

Elara’s expression became serious.

"The Veil of Shadow will come for you."

Keane didn’t react, mirroring her composure.

"I see... Because of the operation?"

"Partly." She responded.

"Because they think I know something?"

"Maybe, but I’m not sure. I’d love to give my word on Sylvi, but we are only partnered for this operation, I have no idea what she can or cannot do." She said.

That answer was more honest than he expected... or was she still acting?

The uncertainty annoyed Keane.

Elara continued. "But whatever the reason, and beyond these reasons, you have become visible. I’m sure you understand that with what is on ground, the last thing they’d like is an unpredictable variable."

’So that’s what this is.’ Keane thought to himself.

The adventurer had warned him that the Guild wasn’t the only institution watching. He had been thinking about nobles, but now Elara was warning him about the Veil.

Different people.

Different reasons.

Same message... He was attracting attention.

Keane looked back at her.

"Stay alert. Don’t trust offers just because they come from powerful people, don’t assume the Guild is the only place you can find protection, and don’t underestimate the Veil." She paused, he caught that. "Especially don’t assume they’ll leave you alone because you refuse to help me."

Keane’s eyes narrowed "that much is clear." He said, more to himself than her.

Keane studied her for a moment as both stayed in silence. He still couldn’t read her, but that didn’t matter.

"Thanks for the warning." He said.

Elara looked at him, "that’s all?"

"What else should there be?" He said.

"I expected you to ask what you can do about it."

"I’ll figure that out myself." He said.

"You really don’t care about politics, do you?" Elara said as she watched him back off, about to leave.

Turning to leave, "I care about surviving." He said, then walked away.

He didn’t notice the small smile that appeared on Elara’s face after that, nor the concern that replaced it a second later.

As for Keane, processing everything, only one thought came to mind. ’Then I need more strength.’

That part, at least, was simple for him. He could kill two birds with one stone.

He also needed information, though, he could guess how foolish it would be to go around asking of a group such as the Veil. If people were going to come looking for him, he wanted to know exactly how dangerous they were before they arrived, but since that wasn’t a viable option, he could as well just become so much stronger that it wouldn’t matter much. To Keane, that was the way to go.

...

As for adventuring, Keane had learned something useful about adventurers over the past few days.

Most people were willing to work with strength, they simply needed to know what they were getting out of it. That was why, after the stream of offers following his first solo gate clear, Keane had selected a few names and called them to a meeting, and it was a day after the meeting with Elara.

Five people had showed up for the meeting. They sat around a rented room above a quiet tavern while Keane looked over the notes he had prepared.

He had expected this to be more complicated, but thankfully, it wasn’t.

The first person he eliminated was a fighter who wanted a guaranteed share of every contract Keane took. Keane was sure he had made a mistake selecting him, since he never planned to have help while inside the gate.

The second was a scout who was useful but didn’t offer anything Keane couldn’t already handle himself. The third was a healer who admitted she had no interest in working outside Valewind, not that it mattered to Keane, he wasn’t looking for a healer. It really seemed like people yelled anything just to get a chance to say what they actually wanted.

By the end of it, only two were left.

The first was a young man around Keane’s age with brown hair, a clean face, and the relaxed attitude of someone who had spent more time dealing with people than monsters. His name was Daniel Mercer.

Daniel wasn’t the typical adventurer, as Keane would learn.

He worked more in handling logistics for several small teams around Valewind. Contracts, Guild paperwork, reward collection, supplies, transportation, information, and occasionally finding people who could handle jobs that adventurers didn’t want to bother with.

Keane had initially assumed Daniel would simply help with some paperwork, instead, Daniel had brought a long list.

"Contracts, reward collection, supply purchases, transportation, lodging arrangements, Guild communication, and keeping track of expenses, any such things" Daniel said, tapping the paper. "I can handle all of it."

Keane looked at him, reevaluating the guy in his mind.

"All of it?" He said.

"Yes."

"You’d work for me exclusively?" He asked, without putting much thought to it.

Daniel shrugged. "If you’re going to keep clearing gates at this pace, someone has to keep up with all of it, right? It would certainly be more profitable and consistent long term than what I have going on now, so if you don’t mind, yes, by all means."

Keane was rather satisfied with the answer. He had first seen him as a bit of a coward, at least he had a certain look that matched, but from conversing with him, Keane could say otherwise.

Keane glanced at the second person.