Chương 22: Mighty Enough

"Hold on, I believe I see where the confusion lies," Iris said, stepping forward before either guard could answer Gloria. Joren watched her approach with a frown, though the moment his eyes caught the golden insignia fastened to her belt, much of the tension left his face, and he planted the butt of his spear against the road so that the weapon stood upright beside him.

"Well, that explains part of it. You are an adventurer, then? You must have just returned from a quest?" Iris nodded, plainly relieved to have found an explanation that required only a modest amount of invention.

"The two of us completed it with barely any time to spare, and we were fortunate enough to receive assistance on the journey back from this woman, Lady… Era."

"Era?" Joren repeated, turning toward Malren, who regarded him for a moment before both men looked at Echidna.

"Yes… Era," Iris continued, her pause just long enough to make Gloria glance away before her amusement became visible.

"She is a great admirer of Queen Ara, you see." Echidna's head slowly turned toward Iris, her expression perfectly composed. Iris immediately looked beyond the gate, then up at the sky, then down at the road, carefully inspecting every part of the world in which Echidna was not standing. Malren, however, seemed satisfied with the explanation and, after giving Echidna a nod, looked toward the fresh mound of dirt beside the road.

"Strange name or not, that was a remarkable mount, Lady Adventurer."

"Aye, and letting a novice ride along was generous of you," Joren added, glancing at Gloria.

"Most Gold-ranks I have met would sooner make a newbie walk beside them." At the word newbie, Echidna slowly turned toward the guards and went so completely still that Joren's smile faltered. But before Echidna could respond, Gloria hooked an arm around each of her companions and hurried them toward the gate.

"That will be quite enough. Thank you, gentlemen, but the Katamaran will not wait. Have a pleasant day." Iris stumbled after her, still struggling to compose herself. Echidna allowed herself to be led away, though her gaze remained fixed on the guards over her shoulder. Iris noticed the stare and drew entirely the wrong conclusion. She cleared her throat as she hurried to keep pace.

"I'm sorry, Lady Echidna. I panicked, and 'Era' was the first name that came to me. I hope it was not bad enough to cause such a reaction." Echidna's attention snapped away from Joren and settled upon the Archer, though the rebuke forming on her tongue vanished when she realized Gloria still had an arm around her. A pleased smile spread across her face, and she leaned the slightest bit closer before answering.

"Echidna is neither so frail nor so sensitive that a poorly chosen name could wound her, child. You need not concern yourself." The claim might have sounded more convincing had the warmth not vanished from Echidna's expression the instant Gloria released her. A few steps later, the three women stopped before the immense curtain of blue mana.

Gloria stepped ahead of the others and drew a breath while studying the barrier, hoping that her memory of its color had not failed her, because although gates like these had existed in nearly every major settlement in DDO, their strength had varied considerably depending on the city and the amount of money its rulers were willing to pour into security.

'All right… if I remember the color correctly, there should be a—' A narrow triangle appeared near the top of the barrier and began descending through the blue curtain, rotating as it swept from side to side, and Gloria recognized the pattern at once. It belonged to one of the weakest versions, capable of detecting equipment only up to the third tier, while anything beyond that threshold failed to register at all.

Everything she carried stood so far above its limits that the gate would likely regard her as completely unarmed. When Gloria glanced toward Echidna, the goddess followed her gaze to the symbol and answered with a slight nod, silently confirming the same conclusion before stepping forward beside her. The mana folded around them as they entered, flowing across their bodies before releasing them into the city without so much as a flicker of resistance.

Iris remained outside for a moment longer, watching the pair disappear together after all that looking around. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"That was far more dramatic than it should have been," she muttered as the barrier closed around her.

"And once again, I feel as though I have missed something important!"

"Pay it no mind, Iris; it is nothing that should concern you," Gloria called back, and by the time the Archer emerged from the barrier, she and Echidna had already stepped onto the broad avenue beyond it. The road was considerably wider than any Gloria had crossed during her earlier walk through Ural, with thick paving stones laid beneath several lanes of steady traffic.

Merchant wagons rolled past beneath towers of canvas-covered cargo, polished coaches slipped between slower freight carriages, and mounts of every shape and size pulled their burdens through the crowd. Gloria followed the flow of civilians moving toward the right, where shop signs and colorful awnings stretched deeper into the city, and her two companions fell into step beside her as they joined the stream of people traveling along the edge of the road.

"The gate has reminded me of something that should concern you," Gloria said once Iris had caught up.

"You do realize that most of your equipment was ruined during our battle, do you not? Unless you intend to wander around dressed in scraps, I would think replacing it should be among your first priorities." The reminder drew Iris's gaze down toward the remains of her clothing, and the last of her amusement faded as she pinched a torn edge of fabric between her fingers.

"You are correct, Lady Gloria, although replacing what I lost will be difficult. I found it during a quest, and replacing enchantments of that quality would cost far more than I possess. I know very few people in Ural, and none who could offer me anything comparable at a price within my reach." Gloria gave a nod, watching a carriage drawn by six antlered beasts rumble past before turning her attention back to the Archer.

"Then, before we decide what sort of replacement you need, tell me whether you still have a reason to conceal your identity."

"No," Iris replied, shaking her head.

"The Guild protects the personal records of Gold-ranked adventurers from anyone without the authority to request them, so my name is already safe enough. The disguise only kept my quarrels with Rali from following me beyond Guild business; he knew the Archer, but he never learned who was beneath the hood, which made it much harder for him to drag me into another scuffle whenever our paths crossed."

She stepped around a porter carrying a broad basket heaped with three-eyed fish heads, several of which still opened and closed their jaws as briny water dripped onto the stones, then returned to Gloria's side.

"I had planned to remain in Ural after the quest, since a great many powerful monsters are known to roam the surrounding region, and hunting them seemed the best opportunity available to grow stronger."

"Oh?" Gloria asked, her interest sharpening as she looked toward her.

"And why are you so determined to pursue strength?" At that, Iris's expression grew more serious than Gloria had ever seen it.

"Because I need to protect someone," she answered, keeping her voice low.

"She is dearer to me than anyone else in this world, and if I stood before the danger threatening her with only the strength I possess now, I know I would fail." Gloria kept her eyes on her for several steps, hearing enough certainty in those words to understand that the answer had not been born from some passing fear.

"Is your own power truly the only thing capable of saving her?"

"Of that, I am as certain as I am of your might, Lady Gloria, and after everything I witnessed today, I hope you understand how absolute that certainty is." The answer drew a slow nod from Gloria, who allowed the matter to rest rather than insulting Iris by questioning a conviction she plainly carried so close to her heart.

"Very well; I shall trust your judgment. If gaining strength is the path you have chosen, however, then I suspect there is a question you have been carrying with you since we left Echidna's domain." Iris stopped so abruptly that the people behind her had to divide around her, their complaints passing unheard while she stared at Gloria with widened eyes.

Echidna halted beside them with a knowing smile, having seen the request gathering behind the Archer's eyes long before Iris herself found the courage to give it a voice, and now waited with interest for the answer her master would provide.

"Yes, Lady Gloria," Iris said at last, the words nearly lost beneath the traffic moving around them.

"I need your knowledge, because whatever strength I might gain by hunting monsters alone will come too slowly, and I cannot afford to learn how little time remains by running out of it." She gathered herself before continuing, the tremor in her breath giving way to resolve as she met Gloria's eyes.

"I need to become as strong as I am capable of becoming, strong enough to reach the person I love and place myself between her and that which threatens her, even if doing so demands everything I possess. We have known each other for barely a day, and I understand that I have done nothing to earn such a gift from you, yet you command power in ways the greatest teachers of this age could scarcely comprehend, which leaves me with no one else I would rather entrust with this plea."

Iris lowered herself into a deep bow, her long crimson hair slipping across her shoulders as pedestrians and carriages continued past them.

"Please, Lady Gloria. Teach me how to become mighty!"