Location: Corinthia

“Redrick! How the in the nine hells are ya?” The giant metal-clad paladin’s voice tore through my mind, and I felt a grimace cross my face. Damien was arguably one of the terrifying people I have had the pleasure of meeting. He was a zealot of the goddess Vestreya, the patron of war and bloodshed, which wasn’t too bad in its own right. But it was his attitude. He was very boisterous and joyful at all times, and it never faltered. Something was off-putting about a man who laughed full of mirth as he tore through a group of bandits who had the idiotic idea of trying to jump him. I tore my eyes from my half-empty mug of hillcrest ale and looked him over.

His armor was polished to a brilliant silver sheen and had a dull red trimming that adorned his breastplate and collar that wrapped around to a flowing blood-red cape. His helm was off and attached to his hip. A pair of radiant blue eyes sat on a perfectly sculpted face and had twinges of golden red highlights in them that pulsed with hidden power. He looked to be freshly shaven. He was known for his long flowing brown hair, but that too was shaven. Maybe he was going for something new. “Hello Damien, what can I do for you this fine day?” My words were rife with my usual overbearing sarcasm.

The large paladin pulled out the chair across from me and sat down. The wood groaned out from under the immense weight as it struggled to contain him. Those enchantments were really putting in the work to stop it from breaking. I mean, Damien wasn’t fat, but he was fucking jacked. His level was even greyed out, which told me that he was leagues stronger than I. But I could only guess that he had much of his stat points into constitution and vitality. “Well, ya see. Master Agrimire wishes to speak with you at your earliest convenience, and they sent me to retrieve you.”

Fuck, I really didn’t want to see the guild master. Not that I disliked him, but usually, if he requested to see you, that means one of two things—either a severe reprimand or a high priority quest. I have done nothing too egregious for a reprimand, which would mean that he would want to give me a quest. “I see. Well, damn, I guess my hands are tied then. Mind if I finish this ale? I don’t want my hard-earned silver to go to waste.”

“Take your time, Redrick. As long as you get there, all is well.” He stared at me and gave me a large toothy smile, revealing a mouth full of inhumanly perfect teeth. Man, I envy him. I shrugged and threw the entire mug back. I enjoyed the savory taste for a moment before I let it drain down my throat.

“Alright then, lead the way. I’ll be right behind you.” I did a quick item check and ran my hand across my rapier’s hilt. Out of every item I’ve ever owned, this was the most valuable to me. It was my father’s sword and a symbol of a now-defunct family. It was his dying gift and one that I will forever cherish. I rested my hand across the handle and stood up—the ambient buzz of the tavern filled my ears, and the world shifted slightly. Damn ale, I guess I drank too much. Hopefully, my body can filter out most of it before I get to the guild master.

Damien stood up, the sound of his plate armor clattering as it shifted momentarily drowned out the drone of the tavern’s inhabitants. We pushed our way out through the packed dining hall. Damien’s massive frame easily parted the sea of people like grass. I kept close to him, careful not to get left behind.

We eventually pushed our way outside and onto the main road of Corinthia. Massive buildings stretched into the sky, and people moved down the street in tightly packed waves across the cobbled streets. This was the capital of the Corinthian Empire. One of the most prominent nations in the world, and they took every chance they could to flaunt that fact. We stepped down from the tavern and onto the street, keeping away from the carriages that filled the streets. “Do you wish to gather the rest of your team?”

I shook my head as we pushed through another grouping of people. “No, I’ll catch them later. Gunther is probably at the troop barracks training, and Alenore is probably tied up at the moment in the literal sense by Carter, and I am not too keen to interrupt. I’ll bother them later.”

Damien let out a small chuckle at that. “That sounds like something they would do. But you can fill them in at a later date.” He began whistling a cheerful tune as he walked through the throng of people, and it left me to my thoughts. I wasn’t sure what the guild master needed from me, and not knowing was slightly bothersome; I’ve known the guild master for many years at this point. He was my father’s closest friend, and he looked after me. However, he was a bit of a hardass. I am beyond thankful that he took me in. The Adventurer’s guild provided me with a level of protection that few would be willing to challenge.

We arrived at the guildhall after thirty minutes of walking. The guild headquarters in Corinthia wasn’t as grandiose as some of the other buildings that were here. The guild never blew its wealth in such ways. Humility was a core tenet that the guild master expresses to us, almost relentlessly.

We walked up the flight of stairs, and Damien pushed open the door open to the guildhall. Light stones were embedded in the ceiling, filling the lobby up with warm lighting. The air was thick with conversations as groups of adventures talked amongst themselves about their current quests and whatnot. I stuck close to Damien since even some of the higher leveled adventures in the area gave him a wide berth. He gave a quick nod to the receptionist, who visibly blanched and made a quick motion to a side door. Did I ever mention how terrifying this man was? I’ve met very people who can stand toe to toe with this being. I followed him through the side passage and the sprawling length of the guildhall.

We eventually stood outside of a slate grey door with a brown hawk painted across the front of it. Oh, how that symbol brings up so many memories. I stared at it for a moment longer as memories played through my head, only to be torn from them as a harsh knock quickly pushed them to the side. “Enter.” A deep velvety voice pushed past the door, and Damien pushed the door open.

The door swung silently inwards, revealing a room composed of mahogany wood. A single light stone hung from the ceiling, casting a radiant light into the room that lit up the red velvet chairs in front of a solid oak desk. Behind that desk stood one of the largest Elfs I have ever seen.

Paris Agrimire stood in front of a window staring out across the streets of Corinthia. His hands were clasped behind his back and on his hip was a single beautifully crafted sword that had a slight curve to it. He wore a simple black cotton shirt and a pair of black leggings that hugged his lower half. The paladin glanced at me and gave me a curt nod, “anyway, Redrick, good luck, I will see ya around later!”

“See ya, Damien,” I muttered out as I walked into the office. Damien gave us one more cursory glance before he shut the door behind me, leaving me to my fate. I quickly crossed the distance to the guild master’s desk and stood there silently, waiting for him to speak. I learned a long time ago that this was the only way.

After a few tense heartbeats, he finally broke the silence. “Redrick, how are you doing?” His deep voice cut through the air like a knife, and I took the cue to take a seat in one chair that sat in front of his desk.

“I am well; how about you, Paris?” I asked as I shifted my sword so that it would fit through the arm of the chair before crossing my legs and staring at the back of his head. His long white hair was tied up in a low ponytail and had thin strips of gold laced through it. He was slender, much like the rest of his kind, yet radiated an untold strength.

He didn’t reply for a few seconds, so the tension built back up. I really hate when he does this. This silent game he plays is annoying, yet it was so effective. It made me doubt myself as I waited for him to speak to me. He slowly turned and walked over to his seat. His face was as imposing as ever with that silver blindfold that covered his eyes. Once he sat down and got settled in, he spoke. “I can’t complain. Anyway, you must be curious why I called you in today.”

I nodded my head once while keeping my face neutral. He always seemed to know what was plastered across my face, even with that blindfold. He leaned forward in his seat and interlocked his fingers. Thankfully, disregarding the tension he likes to create, he gets straight to the point. “Tell me, Redrick, what do you know of Domains?”

Ah, so I wasn’t in trouble, which was only partially good news. That would mean that they would give me a quest. “Domains are national treasures. Even more so than dungeons. They are dangerous, and very few exist at any given time.” I rattled off from memory from that stupid guild book he made me read repeatedly.

He thought over my answers for a moment before nodding his head. “You would be correct mostly. Now, have you ever had the honor of fighting in one?”

I mulled it over for a moment. “I can’t say that I have ever had the honor of doing something like that. My team and I have never been high enough level to visit one. Besides, the closest one is in the Valcrest Theocracy. Why do you ask?”

He sat back in his chair and grabbed a quill, and fiddled with it as he spoke. “Well, you see. One has appeared in the neutral lands; a few days trek from the corinthian border. I have filled all the paperwork and dealt with all the bureaucracy required to claim one for the entire Adventurer’s guild of Corinth and the country. I, however, need a mid-ranked team to visit it, map out what exists of it, and report back to me.”

“Wait, wait, I have so many questions. There wasn’t a dungeon close to becoming a domain in the neutral lands, as far as I know. Besides, why even my team?” I sat forward in my chair. I would not drop this opportunity, even if Valien, king of the gods, came down here and told me to.

“There wasn’t. Every single dungeon in that area was at most mid-ranked. As for why your team, it’s simple, I don’t want to scare the domain by sending in our highest-ranked adventures. You and your team are our best-ranked Mid-tier squad. Naturally, you keep all accolades you may get from the domain, along with whatever the crown may give you.”

I thought it over for not even a split second before I confirmed my choice. This would be the first step I would have to take to restart my family’s house, and I will not fail.