Chương 7: Count Gryphonsmaw

After an hour or so long soak, Gemma and Bella finally managed to peel themselves out of the exceptionally comfortable bath and head back to the towel rack to dry and dress. And they even managed it without too much staring. Bella faced another dilemma, one that couldn't be solved by aggressively pretending she wasn't staring at her friend. What do you wear to a meeting with a lord? Her favorite blue dress was wrinkled and dirty from the morning's game mechanics testing.

Gemma headed off the question before she could ask it.

"Something more decent, Bel. At least mid-calf please." The catkin frowned, brows knitting together.

"I hate having my legs covered," she protested, tail lashing with frustration.

"I know. But you were the only woman we saw today wearing anything above the ankle. You can change as soon as we're out of his manor." Eyes narrowed, Bella considered the elf for several long moments before sighing.

"Fine," she conceded.

"But I'm gonna complain about it every chance I get." She received a smirk in response.

"I wouldn't expect anything else." Bella returned to her storage, browsing her mental catalog of all the clothing and armor options available to her. The selection was, rather expectedly, tailored to her revealing tastes. But there were several items in her collection that were suitable, mostly kept because of their monstrous mechanical benefits. The one she chose was one of such outfits. Her Archmage robes. Summoned with a flick of her wrist, the heavy-looking robes settled into her grasp.

She was pleased to note how light and cool the soft fabric was, despite its appearance of heavy black folds embossed with starkly glowing ice-blue runes. It was one of the few items she'd bothered to read the history of; it seemed her 'game self' had her own memories of her trials she went through to earn them. Each set of runes around the edges represented one of the masteries she'd obtained, a peak of magical knowledge and practice. And she'd mastered every. single. one. that the game had offered.

As such, her robes could practically serve as a torch there was so much magic emanating from them. She lifted them to put them on, then paused. In her rush to cover herself up this morning she'd neglected to put anything underneath her dress. There must be some kind of underwear, right? A quick search through her storage provided the answer: silken chemise. She set her robe aside momentarily to don the chemise, then the robes over top.

The robes contained, amongst countless others, a temperature regulation enchantment that prickled her skin with cool air in comparison to the sweltering sauna around her. As she shrugged the outfit into place, she glanced over at the mirror. She was swimming in the robes, obscuring her otherwise noticeably curvy figure. A rueful grin snuck on her face. Reminds me of wearing baggy hoodies before I figured out how to dress. She shook her head and stepped away from the mirror to turn towards Gemma.

The elf was unhurriedly pulling her tunic over her own chemise; Bella immediately recognized the outfit. It was the same one she'd seen the character Gemma wearing in countless roleplaying sessions – a simple but impeccably well-tailored uniform of black breeches and a white tunic for the Order of the Uplifting Spirit, the group to which she was the last remaining paladin of.

Gemma had created the order as a part of her self-described 'cringey and tragic' backstory since she refused to represent any of the orders that the game had devoted to its many gods and goddesses. In the game, it had been just pants and a shirt. Here and now, Bella felt the austere power it carried, and the hint of magical enchantments that the game lacked as a mere cosmetic option.

She also noticed the gold stars embroidered on Gemma's shoulder – ranking markings that declared her status as the High Paladin, highest ranking member of the Order's military chapter. Another thing that wasn't really in the game. And she didn't miss when the paladin brushed her thumb over the stitched stars.

"We look a lot more like our characters like this," she noted with a little grin.

"I'm excited to see you strut your stuff in the Order's clothes."

"Hmph. I will say, for all I insisted you dress differently, I liked you better in your other outfit." The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Bella managed only a quiet squawk in protest this time, taking a half step towards the door.

"Shall we go?" she asked, attempting to brush off the compliment.

"One sec." Before the catkin could turn around she felt soft slender fingers brush around her neck, sending a shiver down her spine. The digits pulled away but a cold weight settled there, and Bella reached up to find a gold necklace with an embossed shield pendant hanging from its lowest point.

"A shield pendant? Do you think he'll attack us?" She turned her head to glimpse at Gemma, noting she wore a similar necklace.

"No. But it's better to be safe than sorry. The Exiled Moon relied on corrupted nobles to spread her influence, and just because we defeated her doesn't mean they are all gone." Bella let the implications sink in before she nodded slowly in agreement. She lifted a hand and made a few flowing gestures, pulling upon the magical energy she'd picked up on during their stint in the woods that morning. Within seconds a crackling sensation enveloped her, like a second skin residing upon her own.

Gemma watched curiously, only to offer the briefest flinch when Bella recast the spell upon her.

"A shielding spell. How strong is this?" The catkin grinned ferally.

"Strong enough to stop a blow from a dragon." The elf rolled her eyes and strode for the door.

"Let's hope he's not hiding a dragon." Lord Bartholomew's manor didn't seem big enough to hide a dragon. It was still impressive though. Bella found herself shocked by the scale of the 'manor', which was more akin to a fortress. Considering the placement of the city of Elkstone on the frontier of the wilderness and the potential for monster attacks, the structure made sense.

Unlike the coarse cobble and timber structures that predominately made up the rest of the city, the stronghold was constructed of reinforced stone and nestled upon a hill in the heart of the settlement.

"Pretty impressive," she murmured as she and Gemma approached the gate.

"Much bigger than it was in the game." Several guards stood at attention in front of the castle's gate, a stark contrast to the exceptionally hungover one manning the exit of the city they'd taken in the morning. One of the guards stepped forward and thumped a mailed fist against his breastplate in a rattling salute. Bella judged him as the captain by the plumes on his helmet and the Gryphon insignia emblazoned on his uniform, which matched the banners fluttering in the wind above the gate.

"My ladies. Count Bartholomew Gryphonsmaw bids you welcome. If you will wait just a moment, Master Sebastian will receive you." No sooner than he finished did an elderly demonkin man step forth from behind the gate. He was dressed impeccably in black pants and a jacket, with a red vest over a white shirt. His skin was dark as burgundy wine and two ram's horns curled from the sides of his head above sharp pointed ears. A pocketwatch on a gold chain laid in the chest pocket of his jacket.

"My ladies," he intoned with a low bow, "I am the Head Butler, Sebastian. It would be my honor to guide you to the sitting room and introduce you to Count Gryphonsmaw and his family." Gemma returned the bow with an acknowledging incline of her head, which Bella mirrored a second later. She was busy puzzling over the differing use of the lord's titles and names between the guard at the town gate, the guard here, and the butler.

Before she could ask, Sebastian guided them through the massive gate and into the courtyard. As they walked, he spoke quietly but firmly, as if providing instruction to a young ward.

"Count Gryphonsmaw was promoted from a Baron to a Count and appointed head of the County nearly eight years ago when he put down a rebellion from a neighboring County, where he singlehandedly slew an Elder Gryphon enthralled by the rebellion leaders. Elkstone became the capital of the region, and he was granted his family name by Queen Stephye. Many of the guards and soldiers who fought alongside him still treat him as if he were just a Baron, but I entreat you to not make that same folly."

Her head spun slightly, but Bella managed another nod at the sudden exposition. Was she supposed to remember all this? Her eyes darted over to see Gemma listening with rapt attention. She would love all of this, the catkin chuckled to herself. The butler continued, thankfully unaware of the mage's disdain for backstory.

"His wife, Cecilia, is a renowned warrior in her own right. She manages the county's military forces and helps organize the Adventurer's Guild when monster raids are required. I would likewise request that you do not accept her attempts to stage a duel." At this, his gaze fixed pointedly upon Gemma for an insistent moment, only returning forward when she nodded her assent.

"Her inevitable loss would be a great burden to the city's morale." Bella blinked at the casual acceptance of the fact that this renowned warrior was guaranteed to lose, before remembering her friend's position as, well, a goddess slayer.

"The Lord and Lady have one remaining son. Their eldest, Charles, was lost while protecting one of the outlying villages against cultists of the Exiled Moon. Sam, their younger son, is eight years old and quite curious. With the Young Master, I recommend only indulging his curiosities within reason, lest you find yourselves trapped in a loop of endless questions." The faint tired smile and creasing in the corner of his eyes showed that Sebastian had been subjected to that barrage many times.

Despite her supposed hatred of a chatty backstory, Bella was shocked when she found herself standing in front of the door to the aforementioned sitting room as if she'd appeared there. I guess it's different when it's real people, she mused, watching Sebastian knock twice softly on the engraved wood before opening the door inwards.