Chapter 104 : Contract (1)

“Hey. Fargo. I heard about something interesting last night.” Glint said as he and his party mates walked to their usual training spot just a few kilometers west of Grenvale.

“Oh? You heard something interesting last night? I did too. It sounded like , ‘Oh! Oh Glint! Touch me here.’ “ Fargo did his best, most cheesy impression of Glint’s late night antics — right down to groping his chest in a highly suggestive way.

Glint rolled his eyes while Ashe chuckled to himself.

“Obviously, besides that…” Glint said, trying to change the subject, “ I heard about this chapel, Memento Mori. Supposedly you can join and leave freely, with no restriction. And while you’re a part of the chapel you can double or even triple the amount of xp you gain.”

“Oh? That’s weird. I was actually going to run the same thing by you two after today’s grind session. I talked to a healer who mentioned the same place a couple of days ago.” Fargo seemed surprised that Glint was the one to bring up a chapel.

*He even sounds interested. I’ve been trying to get these two to join a chapel for months now. Ashe just goes along with whatever Glint says and ..well Glint always dismisses it.

I was certain he’d do the same today, or at the least I’d have to do a s*** ton of talking to even get him to listen. Maybe the honey trap is really the way to go..* Fargo thought in response to Glint’s surprise suggestion. In fact, Glint’s dismissal was the only reason Fargo hadn’t mentioned the chapel invite sooner.

“Ashe? What do you think?” Fargo asked. He wanted to be doubly sure so he posed the question to Ashe despite already knowing the answer. Ashe, ever the quiet one, simply shrugged and replied, “I’m fine with it if he is.”

“And…are you fine with checking this place out? We don’t really have to commit to anything. We just pop in, check it out and — if things are on the level we can see what it’s all about.” Fargo asked, even sprinkling his proposal with an “out” just in case. To his surprise Glint showed much more enthusiasm than Fargo ever expected.

*That was way too easy. Maybe I should hire a special girl or two when I need to ‘convince’ him in the future.*

That day went like any other. The trio visited their usual haunts, battling any Grimlocks they came up across and even sparring with one another when time allotted. Rather than returning to Grenvale and participating in general debauchery, they went to Sprim Row in search of Memento Mori.

“This the place? It… it doesn’t look like it would fit in this part of town….” Fargo said as the trio came to stand before a large, square-shaped three story building. From the outside it resembled a nightclub more than a chapel complete with door bouncers.

“Who referred you?” The burly adventurer asked the moment the party moved towards the entrance.

“Referral? S***. I..I don’t remember. I didn’t catch the guy’s name.” Fargo said as he placed his hand on his chin in thought. He seemed genuinely distressed, partly because he’d finally gotten Glint to agree to something like this. It would be a bust if he couldn’t get in the door!

“Cyn sent me.” Glint said casually.

“Very good. Welcome to Memento Mori. We hope you enjoy your stay.” The burly adventurer who stepped up to speak bowed his head while the person behind him stepped to the side, allowing the trio to enter.

Much like the outside of the building, the interior looked almost exactly like a nightclub. The atmosphere was dark and neon lights provided a pinkish-purple light to the environs. The scent of smoke and alcohol permeated the air the moment they stepped inside. The door quickly closed behind them as the chapel, which looked more and more like a lounge, turned to glance at them. There were assorted adventurers of all types sitting at tables or one of the two bars (one on the east and west walls of the lobby area). Every adventurer inspected the small party for only a moment before giving them a nod of approval.

*Hmm. They seem pretty….relaxed here. This atmosphere –I could get used to it.* Fargo thought to himself as he scouted out the room. To his knowledge there were adventurers from at least five categories of six, a good sign that the chapel was popular. All in all, about fifteen people sat in various groups dispersed throughout the room.

“There he is!” A woman’s voice rang out over the sound of chatter. Glint stiffened up slightly, relaxing only as the peach haired woman known as Cyn walked up to him and wrapped her arm around his.

Fargo released a long whistle, to which Cyn simply smiled and placed her head on Glint’s shoulder.

“So you finally showed huh?” Fargo was surprised to see the healer he’d spoken to a few days past present as well.

With two familiar faces greeting them and a hospitable atmosphere things were going well. Only one of the trio would feel a sense of foreboding. At the time Ashe dismissed it as simply being the odd man out, but the more he glanced around the more he noticed the occasional glances in their direction.

The second Ashe’s eyes would meet with anyone they would smile and avert their gaze, or pretend to engage in conversation. Ashe was skilled in reading lips, so he soon realized that several of the tables were repeating the same conversation over and over. Still, despite this Ashe would never abandon his first and best friend Glint. Seeing Glint’s smile as he was welcomed by not one but two of Memento Mori’s members was enough to quell Ashe’s concerns.

“Come, let’s sit down and talk. What brings you to Memento Mori? You’re joining I hope? I could really use some Strikers to help out on some tasks I have!” The healer said as he motioned for Fargo and the others to follow him to a nearby table.

The next hour was spent in conversation and idletry. Fargo got to know the healer and even learned his name (Atru) as well as Cyn — Glint’s new honey. They ordered mixed drinks, a rarity in an adventurer’s world largely in part because acquiring a plethora of alcohols was notoriously difficult. They spoke about their recent adventures, as well as their troubles ranking and anything else that came to mind.

Finally, after quite some time they found themselves with a proposal to join.

“I’ve only been here for two or three weeks now, but in that time I’ve easily gained one or two levels a day.” Atru said as he finally set his beer mug down on the table and wiped his upper lip.

“Really? You only gained one or two levels a day? I thought the experience gains were much higher?” Glint asked, to which Atru just laughed.

“Indeed Glint. I gained those levels by simply hanging around the chapel though. I haven’t actually done anything too demanding yet! I’m itching to get out there!” Atru explained.

“Well, I’m sold..” Fargo said, his cheeks blush from the drinks he’d consumed within the last hour. He glanced towards Glint, the person he assumed to be the deciding voice in the matter. Instead it was Ashe who spoke up.

“Glint. Can I speak to you for a minute.” Ashe said, he got to his feet without giving anyone at the table a chance to respond and soon stepped a few meters away.

“I’ll be right back.” Glint said as he practically peeled Cyn’s arms from around his own.

“What is it?” Glint asked, having met his friend, who was now standing at the end of the nearby bar.

“I’m getting a sketchy feeling. I don’t know what it is.. But somethings off here.” Ashe said as she glanced around. The patrons of the chapel, the adventurers Ashe assumed to be members, had long since began to ignore him.  However something else stuck out in Ashe’s mind as odd — all of them, with the exception of the bartender and the pair at their table seemed….robotic.

When Ashe pointed this out Glint naturally glanced around. He couldn’t sense anything out of order, but then again his sense for danger wasn’t as keen as Ashe’s — it was one of the reasons the two became such fast friends.

“Ashe.. I don’t–” Glint was interrupted by the woman behind the bar, “Can I get you boys something? Maybe another drink for Cyn? She seems to really like you mister.”  The lady said as she nodded towards Cyn who was waving for Glint to join them back at the table. Fargo was also looking on hopefully, a certain desperation painted on his face. Glint could imagine why, he’d given Fargo such a hard time about joining chapels so his eagerness was to be expected.

“No, not drinks. Thanks.” Glint responded before pulling Ashe to the side.

“Is it something…life threatening?” Glint asked.

“I don’t think so. But…it’s more like a nagging feeling that something’s not right.” Ashe replied. Glint thought things over for a moment before giving his final answer, “Well. Let’s just check it out. If you spot anything let me know with a signal and we’ll make an excuse to get out of here.” Glint whispered as he gently punched Ashe on the shoulder. Ashe nodded and the two returned to the table. Moments later Glint nodded, signaling to an ecstatic Fargo that the two agreed to joining the chapel.

“Ah! Great! You guys are a lifesaver! Say– maybe all five of us can form a party once this is all said and done. That would be great, right?” Atru said, accompanied by a warm smile.