Divine Beast Ascension

582 The Mottz Patriarch

The guard seemed a bit nervous as Leader Tranton kept close to him. “Leader Tranton, sir, I’ll take you directly to the patriarch’s quarters. It’s just down this path.”

“Very well. We’ll follow you,” Tranton replied with a nod, keeping his gaze steady despite worrisome thoughts.

“Yes, sir!”

After hearing that, the guard relaxed a bit. He kept his body stiff while guiding them through the residence but he wasn’t stealing glances at Tranton anymore. Smiling, the guard eventually brought them to a small house in the center of the residence. There, the guard knocked on the door, saying, “Patriarch, Leader Tranton and his heir are here to visit you!”

The door was quickly opened by a middle-aged man in a casual robe and slippers. The man replied with a quick bow and stepped aside to let the guests in, “Please, Leader Tranton, come on in. I wasn’t expecting you, so it must be important.”

Nodding, Tranton walked in first. He didn’t sense anyone else in the humble house.

“My wife is out at the market at the moment,” the Mottz Patriarch said. “She’ll be gone till late. She prides herself on bargaining for cheaper groceries for the food that hadn’t been sold all day… It saves us quite a bit of money in the long run. You know how costly it is to feed a noble family and its servants.”

Tranton nodded, asking, “Do you mind if we take a seat on the sofa? There are a couple of things I need to ask you.”

“Of course! Would you like some tea, or perhaps something small to snack on while we chat?” the Mottz Patriarch insisted, closing the door as Trantor and Freele joined the territory leader on the sofa. “Give me just a moment to get it ready!”

.....

Trantor was still nervous about the whole situation. Freele was a bit more trusting in the plan, but she still felt the pressure all the same.

However, Tranton felt something was off. But Tranton also understood that under the current circumstances, he had to play things close to the chest. “Sure. I would love some tea.”

“Great! The water will be ready shortly,” Reuben Mottz replied.

Tranton took that moment to look around the patriarch’s home. Things were shabby at best. Nothing seemed too out of place, but some decorations were either crooked or missing altogether. There was also a small mound of dirty dishes on the living room table, all with half-eaten meals from breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

What truly caught Tranton off guard was the empty hook on the wall, exposing an untouched part of the wall where a large painting used to be.

Yet Tranton still kept his mouth shut while taking everything in.

Not much later, Reuben rushed into the room with a tray of haphazardly assorted cookies and a pot of tea. Before Reuben sat down, he held out an already-poured cup of tea. “Please, Leader Tranton, accept this from me to you.”

Hesitant, Tranton replied, “Thank you. You can set it down for now.”

“Please, Leader Tranton, I insist you take the saucer and try it immediately,” stated Reuben, completely ignoring the mess of plates in front of him and his guests. “That’s all I ask of you, Leader Tranton. To take this saucer and cup.”

“... Very well.” Tranton didn’t make a scene despite the terrible house manners the patriarch was showing them.

“Thank you, Leader Tranton!” A wave of relief washed over Reuben’s face as the saucer was taken from his hands.

It was then that Tranton was certain something was wrong in the Mottz Family. He felt a slip of paper stuck to the bottom of the saucer and carefully removed it before setting the cup down on the table. The slit of paper was small enough to be hidden by just a few fingers when unfolded, so Tranton read it in a flash with a glance at his hand.

“Assassins have my wife and want your head.”

Tranton kept up his poker face. He didn’t say a word to his son or daughter-in-law about the message. All he did was smile and nod to Reuben. “It smells delicious. Thank you so much for your hospitality, Reuben.”

“Of course, Leader Tranton,” Reuben replied, much less stiff and acting more natural. “We don’t get guests often so it’s nice to have you here. So, what is it that you need from a small patriarch like me?”

Being careful with his wording, Tranton replied, “You see, my family and I have always been under threat since we took over the territory. Even if we have stretches of peace, they’re always shaken by a sudden attempt at our lives, such as what happened to my brother while he was managing Forell Institute.”

“Yes. That was a sad day for us all and a blow to the entire territory. I understand how you must be feeling about it all, Leader Tranton,” Reuben said.

“That’s why I’m here to discuss a job with the Mottz Family,” Tranton stated. “You run the mercenary guild. In a way, you control the soldiers-for-hire. And I want to hire everyone available for a special hunting job.”

Startled to hear that, Reuben replied, “Are you sure, Leader Tranton? That sounds like a tremendous undertaking.”

“I’m sure. But I would prefer that we discuss that just you and I. May I use a silent formation?”

Reuben held himself back from frantically nodding by pouring himself some tea. “Of course. Go right ahead.”

The moment the silent formation went up, Reuben put the cup to his lips and pretended to drink tea. “They’re in this residence. Two elders and two mid-perennials. I can’t put up a silent seal or be in one for more than five seconds or they’ll kill her.”

“Good. But I have a feeling they’ll try to kill me before killing her…” Tranton sighed, also “sipping” from his cup.

The silent formation was quickly dropped before it looked overly suspicious.

Reuben put down his cup and acted shocked, “Serious! You’re going after that beast? I thought the creature was just a myth from a few years ago?”

Tranton read the room perfectly, glad that the patriarch was playing along without even realizing it. “Sorry, but it’s true. One scout finally returned after finding that beast’s den. If we strike fast enough with everything we have, then we can get rid of that bloodthirsty cat before he vanishes and kills even more people camping and traversing the mountains.

“That’s why I need everyone you have. Your wife was once quite the hunter, wasn’t she?”

“Yes! She was…” Reuben awkwardly answered. “But I don’t know if she’ll be up to it. She’s been quite busy as of late.”

Tranton didn’t push the subject. His goal was to simply act like he had no idea what was going on with Reuben’s wife and that was the best he could casually manage. “Well, we would hope to get the expedition party ready by tonight, so I can understand if she already has plans. But We want your full force at the ready. I’ll be leading the hunt with my son at my side. And to make up for the forces I need to leave behind to guard the city, I want you to join me. Of course, with payment upfront.”

A pile of gold appeared on the table beside the mound of dishes, stunning Reuben completely.

“I’m serious,” Tranton stated. “I leave tonight. And if you’re joining, I’ll need you and your available men to meet me at the city gate by the third sunset. So hurry up.”

Having said everything he needed to say, Tranton stood up. “I take it you’re accepting the job?”

“Yes! My men and I will meet you there ASAP!” Reuben replied with a bow.

“Trantor, Freele, let’s go finish our preparations. We don’t have much time,” Tranton said while exiting the patriarch’s home.

The guard from before was still waiting there, ready to escort them back to the residence gate. Then, minutes later, the three of them were back in the streets of Forell City, untouched by any would-be assassin.

But before they could relax, Tranton reminded the other two, “We have to hurry or we’ll be late to the gate.”

The three of them then paced through the streets and wound up back in the Forell Residence. There, they could finally breathe easier.

“Reporting for duty, sir!”

The playful call grabbed their attention. Tranton looked to see most of the humans from Hurman’s task force waiting for them right beside the gate. “Good. You’re already here… Then we have time to relax.”

“Nice job!” Marsel complimented the territory leader. Marsel marched up to Tranton’s side and teasingly slapped his back. “I don’t know what you did or how you did it, but you did great if you made it back here without Lam and that drake needing to step in.”

Heaving a sigh of relief, Tranton asked, “Then… was that the worst of it?”

Marsel laughed. “Probably not.”