– Day 7 –

Adventurers

The adventurers guild is a fair distance from here, back towards the slave market and then south, so we’re waiting on a carriage coming to get us. In the meantime, I’m chatting with Katharine about nonsense and various gossip. We both seem to have gotten tired of trying to maintain etiquette with each other as our conversations have become more natural and comfortable–

“I decided to follow my Fathers advice and join the knighthood. It made the most sense, and I’m looking to become a First Knight or General of an Order like him.”

“A First Knight?”

“Oh, it’s a Knight who stands at the same position as a General but has the freedom to do as they want. They basically travel the Kingdom and seek to promote the Kings interest while helping the people, stop injustice, hunt criminals and so forth.”

“Ah, sort of like an adventurer then but without the self-interest. I think that would suit you.”

“Thanks, I think so too. A General is too tied down, and I like the idea of being able to travel and helping those in need so I’m aiming for it…Though it’s the King that decides your path in the Knighthood so I may not have a choice–”

The carriage pulls up beside us, and the driver comes around to open the door.

“Well, I hope the King sees where your efforts would be best served.”

She laughs as I offer my hand to help her into the carriage. She doesn’t need it but takes it anyway.

“I hope so too, thank you.”

The conversation changes to me as we ride through the town.

“So tell me, what are your plans, now that you have a building in the city.”

“Truth be told, I don’t know, I’m sort of making this up as I go along…”

I really am.

“You must have some idea of what you want to do though?”

“I do, I’m going to make and sell my creations while also training with the mercs for now.”

“With Risk and…Bella was it?”

“Yeah. A lot has happened to me recently, so I want to get stronger. Strong enough that I can handle whatever comes my way… I’m sure you’re curious by my words with Risk earlier.”

“…A little”

She nods in clear expectation. I think Katharine more than a 'little' wants to know.

“I don’t mind telling you as it’s not really a secret. On the way to the Capital, and before I met you, I was travelling through the forest to reach the highway. It was a tough trek, and just before I found the road, an Ogre found me. We fought and fought, but somehow I got lucky and managed to kill it before it killed me–”

“You killed an Ogre bare handed!?”

“Not exactly, I have some basic magic as mentioned before, and I used the terrain and my agility to confuse it. I can’t stress enough though that I nearly didn’t make it; something was watching over me during that fight for sure.”

“Still, to kill an Ogre by yourself while unarmed.. I guess Risk is correct; you have skill beyond my own”

No, I have cheat mode. I should be dead…

“I got lucky, nothing more. Thinking back to that fight makes me shudder.”

“I can imagine…”

“Anyway, after nursing my wounds, I came to realise that I’m not made of glass, so I want to get stronger. Stronger so I’m not a helpless pup and capable of protecting those around me.”

Katharine smiles and gives me a gaze while softly nodding her head once. I’m not sure why but maybe I said something that struck a chord with her.

“…That’s–”

The carriage comes to a sudden and unexpected stop. I say unexpected but if I hadn't been lost in our converstation, I would have realised we were outside the Adventurers Guild. ‘Time flies’ it seems.

“Ah, we’re here.”

We get off the carriage and head inside. The guild is more or less what I had expected.

The interior is wood and white plaster walls whereas the outside looks similar to the garrison building. There’s a front desk as soon as you enter with a male Dog-kin answering questions and directing people. Slightly further in on the left-hand side of the room are several counters with signs above them. They read ‘Turn in’, ‘Acquisition’ and ‘Applications’. In the big open space in the centre of the room is a sunken stone floor where lot’s of tables reside. A large sign hangs from the ceiling that reads ‘Trading’. I assume heavy monster parts and goods are traded to the guild here.

At the back of the room is a staircase that leads to the second floor. It has a red rope barring access to it.

Despite the size of the guild hall, there are relatively few people here. It’s just before noon, so it’s possible most people have long since left on outings I guess. We head to the male Dog-kin that’s finished talking to the group just ahead of us.

Just like Mira, he could pass as human if not for the ears and tail… I’m not into men, but I’m starting to see a pattern with regards to Dog-kin.

“Howdy, can I help ya’ll with anything?”

Howdy? You belong in that bar from yesterday.

“Yes, I was looking to talk to someone about the Adventurers guild and possibly joining it.”

“Then ya’ll wanna speak to Suzy~! Just head over to Applications, just over there see, and she’ll get ya’ll sorted m’kay?”

“T-thanks”

I can’t help but feel my eye twitching. Stop giggling Katharine; oh you're laughing at me...

We head over to the counter to meet 'Suzy'. This is new.

Suzy looks to be a Rabbit-kin. I say this because she has tall floppy ears. Just like the Dog-kin, she could pass for human if not for the ears and tail– oh, she doesn’t have a tail…

“A Desert Elf…in the Kingdom of Sinki? Now I’ve seen everything.”

I guess there must be more to the reason this kingdom hasn’t had contact with my kind for more than thirty years than I initially thought. I should really go see that historian.

“Uhm I’m not sure how to respond”

“Oh please, ignore me. I have no filter sweetie.. Can I help you with something, babe?”

She’s just being polite, but she’s cute, so I accidentally smile… Hm? I feel animosity on the back of my head?

“Um yes. I’m looking for information about the guild and to possibly sign up.”

“Is there anything in particular you wanna know, or do you want the introduction?”

“Can we start with the introduction and go from there?”

“Sure. Well, this 'ere is the Sinki's Adventurers Guild hub. Each town in the region will have a smaller branch office, so you can check-in at any of them if ya decide to join us. Now there is a registration fee of 1 silver king and a monthly fee to remain a member that depends on your rank. Once a member, you’ll get one of these--”

She brings up something akin to a touchscreen phone…

“It’s a magical device that keeps track of ya kills, rank and guild related info. Every monster killed in the wilds will net you guild points, and those can be traded for currency or use them to rank up. That choice is yours to make”

She puts the device on the counter and proceeds to point to a board at the far wall.

“You can also earn points by completing guild requests. Now you can only take on quests in your rank, and you can take on no more than five at a time. There’s a deposit required for undertaking a quest and a penalty fee in both points and currency should you fail to complete it. If you fail and can’t pay the penalty, you’ll be expelled from the guild for life. So consider that before undertaking something difficult ‘kay.”

She looks at me as if waiting for a question but then suddenly realises she’s forgotten something–

“Oh, I almost forgot. An added perk of being a member of the guild is travel! You can travel to any Kingdom or Dungeon without a permit from said Kingdom as long as it's one of the countries in the treaty. Each Kingdom and Dungeon will likely have unique rules and laws set in place, and the guild cannot protect you should you fail to adhere to ’em.. That ’bout covers it. Any questions?”

Emily comes to mind.

“Can slaves register as members?”

“…There isn’t a rule that says they can’t, but it’s unusual.”

“Good to hear, one more thing. I assume not all quests over there can be completed by just one person. How does a party work?”

“Ah, sorry haha my bad. You’re right hon; some quests will require you to party up with others of the same rank. You can party with just about anyone, but only those with the same rank as the quest you're undertaking will get points. Using this device, you simply press party, then add, then have the member touch here. This means they’ll register with you as the leader.”

She smiles at me…she’s forgetting stuff again, I’m cert–

“Oh, and once they’re in your party, experience and points are split amongst yourselves equally. There’s also a drop cycler which can be used to round-robin loot, but it’s up to the party if they want to use the system or not”

“You mentioned experience?”

“Yes, battle experience.”

She pauses for a moment before realising I was asking for information.

“Ah, ya may know that when you kill a monster, it’s essence is released into the ether and the one who killed it naturally absorbs some of that. In a party, these devices channel that essence into all party members instead of just the one that killed it. It’s really useful.”

Well, that settles that, I can’t see a reason not to join. That device alone is worth its weight in gold for training as a team.

“Okay, I want to sign myself and another up. Do we both need to be here to do that?”

“I assume a slave is the second person you want to sign up?”

“That’s correct.”

“It’s none of my business but… well. No, It’s nothing. As you’re linked to your slave, they don’t need to be here for the registration. Just fill out these”

She hands me two forms, and I glance them over, fill them in and hand them back.

Inventory: 40 / 99

– Silver King Coin x9 –

“Thanks, wait here while I process them.”

Katharine’s been awfully quiet… huh? She’s not here. When did she?

I scan the room to find her talking to some giant in red armour. She notices me and waves me over.

“Cable, may I introduce sir Aburi Draconis; the man who saved my life.”

“Draconis huh, thanks for saving Katherine, wait, I should introduce myself. I’m Cable, Cable Vance. A simple adventurer.”

Simple my left foot. Your six-foot-four, clad in some red coloured armour with a horned closed red helmet. I bet those massive swords by the door are yours too! He holds his hand out looking for mine. I guess handshakes are a greeting in this world also.

*Shakes hand*

“A pleasure.”

“Are you all done registering Aburi?”

Ah, so she left around that part.

“Not yet, Suzy has gone to process the forms.”

“Well I should get going Katharine, my party’s waiting.”

He turns to leave but leans into me first.

“Draconis, she’s one of the good ones you know. Just saying”

I assume you’re winking…You know I can’t see your face right?

“Take care Cable and good luck with that request.”

Cable waves back as he collects his weapons and leaves the guild.

Oops, Suzy is standing at the desk looking at me with a ‘when your ready stare’.

“Sorry about that”

“It’s fine, here.”

She hands me two devices… she still hasn’t told me what these are called.

“Thanks…Can I ask what this device is called?”

“Oops, ha I can be a little air-headed sometimes. It’s an Adventurers Database Agent or [ADA] for short. Keep it safe; there’s a fee if it gets broken, lost or stolen that would make ya eyes bleed just seeing it!”

“I’ll do just that, thanks for your help.”

“Not at all, stay safe hon.”

I turn back to Katharine–

*Gurble rumble*

Hunger: 31% Thirst: 34%

Blood State: Normal

Not mine–

“Lunch time?”

“I-I could eat..”