"Ruth."

The King of Dennis let out a sigh of relief, which reverberated with the faint hollow distortion caused by the transmission of the Echo Conch.

"When I heard about what happened to Baron Durgen, I—" he trailed off, letting silence hang between the line. Ruth sat, frog in her throat, unsure of how to fill the silence.

"Well... what's important is that you're safe now," the King said instead, changing tack. After a brief pause, he continued. "Is everything well? Are you eating right?"

The question caught Ruth off guard, and a sudden spike of fear shot through her. Her initial thought was that he was obliquely referring to the charge she'd made to the Ocean's Motion. She thought back to the gold-stuffed duck breast (which had been awful. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting from a mouthful of metal) and the fine wine with the collectible diamond chalice. Was he subtly chastising her for her spending?

She opened her mouth to respond, then caught herself. No, that wasn't what he was saying at all. She'd been so worried about his reaction that she'd almost missed one of their private code-phrases.: "Are you eating right?"

He wasn't asking about her actual eating habits at all, but her current status. If she were to say something that wasn't one of the specific responses, he would know that she was either some kind of hideous doppelganger, that she was a vile spy or impostor, or that she'd simply forgotten. If she were to reply back with "Yes, I'm having my three square meals," or something equivalent, it would surreptitiously let him know that she was either speaking under duress, or that somebody was listening in or guiding her through what to say. Ruth furrowed her brow. Did he think she was being extorted? Was that the only reason he'd called?

"Well enough, but I do miss the cooking of the palace staff," she replied, giving him the code response to indicate that she was safe and acting of her own volition. "About the charges..."

"It's fine," King Greer replied, "I trust in your discretion."

"I... you don't care?" Ruth asked, feeling her stomach twist. It wasn't that she'd wanted to scolded, of course. But, he didn't even have any questions? She'd already prepared her arguments. She even had a written outline that she'd printed. She glanced down at it, and heard her Father talking to somebody, muffled as the phone was pulled away from his face.

Rathus, who had been watching her and trying to discern the conversation based on the one half he could hear, began to scrutinize his backpack instead, staring intently at one of the zippers as he shifted some of the pouches.

"I do care," the King replied, as he came back to the phone. "I just trust your judgement. I'm sure that any investment you make is a sound one."

"I... it's a fine opportunity. You see, it's—"

"One moment," the King replied, then once again spoke to somebody away from the phone. Ruth toyed with her pen, tapping it nervously against her outline as she waited.

"My apologies," he said, once he returned. "I'm glad to hear that you're doing well. I just wanted to make sure. We had heard that you were in the care of a Gun Knight, but the Western Command wouldn't give me any details beyond that."

"I'm... yes, I'm doing fine." she said, sighing to herself. She looked over at the Gun Knight, who had set his backpack aside, and leaned forward in his chair to grab a cup from the table.

"I'm afraid I'll need to cut this short," her father replied, letting out a tired sigh. "There's a number of pressing matters of state that are demanding my attention. I wish that I could talk more, but..."

"Of course," Ruth replied, affecting her imperious tone of voice once more, half-heartedly. "The duties of a ruler are top priority. We will speak again soon."

"Of course," the King replied. There was a pause, and then, "I love you, Ruth. Stay safe."

"Love you too," Ruth murmured. She heard a click on the other end, as the call was ended. She handed the Echo Conch back to Rathus, who took it and placed it back into its holding box.

"Well..." Ruth said wearily. "I suppose that's handled, for now."

She looked over to the Gun Knight, who was leaning forward in his chair, a mug of mulled wine cupped in both hands. He wasn't actually much of a fan of wine, but he'd heard that it was good for your health, and his battered body could use all of the health it could get. He sat up straight and winced as his back lodged a formal complaint in the back of his head, screaming and thrashing like any responsible, civic-minded citizen.

"Feel less nervous now?" Rathus asked. "Didn't sound like you were getting chewed out t'me."

Ruth laughed halfheartedly, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Ha! Nervous? I wasn't nervous, Rathus!" She puffed up, putting on an unconvincing facade of nonchalance. "I had no doubt that Father would understand the necessity of the contract I signed."

She toyed with the tall glass of water on the table before her, running her finger along the condensation. Rathus had insisted upon it, on account of her... libations earlier in the night. It would have been courteous, if she hadn't found it a touch condescending. "I was... simply preparing myself. Gathering my argument on how to convince him if he didn't immediately see the utility of the arrangement."

She glanced quickly up at Rathus to gauge his expression, darting her eyes back to the glass as she lifted it up and slid a coaster beneath it. "The fact that he didn't seem to need convincing, and indeed did not seem to care about the purchase itself is fine. It's great, actually. I'm happy that he doesn't care about it."

The princess gripped the glass of water and started downing it in one go, chugging it with one pinky extended like a genteel frat boy. Rathus watched her for a moment before shrugging (which he immediately regretted) and taking a sip of his own wine.

"Well. As long as you're happy."

Ruth slammed the empty glass down on the table, carefully adjusting her aim at the last minute to land it on the coaster. "But that's enough about me, Rathus. I'll be fine here. I expect you're aching to go run after that monster in the woods."

The Gun Knight arched an eyebrow at her. "I'm aching in general. Whatever's in the woods, I'm sure it can wait till morning."

She looked up at him, surprised. "I... I was joking. You're actually planning on going back into the woods?"

Rathus started to nod, then thought better of risking the motion. He grunted an affirmative instead. "Part of th'job of a Gun Knight is taking care of monsters that stray too close to towns. Something that big is a top priority." He took another sip of his wine, grimacing at the strong taste of the spices. It felt like they'd maybe used too much. Oh well. The worse it tasted, most likely, the better it was for his health. He took another drink.

"Killing monsters is part of your job, sure, but it's also a job for Adventurers. There's a guildhouse here in town. I'm sure they'll handle it. You hardly look up for fighting right now."

Rathus shook his head. "I'll be better in the morning. And Regis might still be alive. Can't risk him getting away."

The princess stared incredulously at the Gun Knight. "Get away? Why would you even expect him to be alive at this point, let alone in any condition to flee?" She shook her head. "Do you really think that he's capable of surviving a gunshot to the chest, fighting off a giant monster, losing a leg, and then simply fleeing through the woods at night?"

"Yes."

Ruth nodded, sighing. "Yes, I suppose you have a point. He was rather durable. I suppose it's not unthinkable that he's still alive."

Rathus pushed himself to a standing position, ignoring the sparks of pain that surged through his back and ribs. "I didn't see any trail left by a Dwarf, especially a one-legged one. Which means that he left with the monster, one way or another."

The Gun Knight grabbed the ice pack and placed it back into the mini-coldbox beneath his desk. He took care not to bump any of the bottles on display, lest he activate the Script beneath them that would automatically inform the front desk of his 'purchase'.

"If I track down the monster, I can gut it and see if it's eaten Dwarf recently. Then I'll know whether I need t'keep looking."

Rathus limped over to his bed. He placed a hand on the cornerpost and turned to look at the princess. She was staring at the hardwood box containing his Echo Conch.

The Gun Knight sighed. "Y'should get to bed too. It's been a hell of a long night."

************

The next morning, Rathus rolled out of bed, his hand coming out from under his pillow, a small pistol already at the ready. He did a quick scan of his room. The barricades in front of his door and window didn't appear to have been shifted at all. He lowered his gun, setting it on his bedside table.

The Gun Knight stretched experimentally, checking himself for injuries. He'd taken another sip of potion before bed, just enough to mend his broken ribs. The rest he could handle on his own. His barricades had probably been a bit of overkill, to be honest, but being both wounded and unconscious made him more vulnerable than he was particularly comfortable with.

As a Gun Knight, he rarely needed to sleep. Some Gun Knights still chose to sleep whenever time permitted, but Rathus was more than happy to take advantage of the perk. Sleeping was rarely very restful for him, probably owing to all the screaming and fire. But, Gun Knights had accelerated healing when they were asleep, and he'd needed it. Just as well that he hadn't had any dreams last night.

The sleeping seemed to have been worth it. As he stretched, he found a few sore points, and a muscle that was a bit on the tight side, but hardly a trace of the injuries from the night before. Good as new.

Rathus shifted the barricades out of the way, moving the dresser back to its original position. He had another busy day ahead of him. Musashi had managed to buy another Life Potion from a rich patron who had thoroughly enjoyed the impromptu stage show fight. Fully healed, the younger Gun Knight had informed Rathus and the princess that he had a task in a village a few miles to the north, and would probably be busy the rest of the day.

Ruth hadn't been happy about that, but she thankfully wasn't so spoiled as to demand the Gun Knight drop his plans to follow the pair around. And so Musashi had left, leaving Rathus to track down the possibly-rogue, possibly-dead fugitive Harem Master. Rathus was fine with that. More hands tended to make tracking easier, unless one of those hands was Musashi. He'd never had the patience for that sort of job, and preferred to go in guns blazing, even if that just meant destroying a bunch of trees, startling the wildlife, and ruining what little trail they'd had to go off of.

The Gun Knight suited up, throwing on his jacket and boots, strapping on his belt, double-checking his supplies, and finally strapping on his hat. Time to get to work. Which is to say, time to get some breakfast, and then get to work. Rathus strolled industriously to the End of the LIne's common room. Ruth had beat him to it, and was eating a bowl of oatmeal spiced with cinnamon, apple, and tiny candies in the shape of dragons.

Rathus slid into the table, nodding at her. He gave the princess an ocular pat-down, and was able to determine at a glance that she was only minorly hung-over.

"Glad to see you ain't suffering from last night," Rathus noted. He quickly ordered a plate of steak and eggs from the bar, using a canny set of hand signals known only to those who are privy to forbidden Inn knowledge.

"Please, Rathus," she replied, scoffing. "I'm a Noble. If there's one thing we can do well, it's avoid suffering for our excesses. It would simply not do for a princess to have a hangover."

"Well, good." Rathus replied, unconvinced and pretty sure it was the water. "I'd hate for you to be out of sorts for the errands today."

Ruth looked up at him. "I know that I'm often eager for 'adventure', Rathus, but do you really think I'd follow along while you're tracking a giant, killer monster through the woods?"

"Well... yes," Rathus admitted. "But even if you didn't, I feel like you'd definitely want to come to the first stop. I'm going to swing by that guildhouse you mentioned. They might have more information on the monster. It's always a good idea to know what you're up against."

Ruth's eyes lit up. "Really?!" she asked, dropping her spoon back into her bowl of oatmeal, crushing an unfortunate pair of sugary dragons beneath its wooden surface.

"Yeah. I thought you might get a kick outta that," Rathus replied. "Maybe you'll see somebody famous."

"In this neck of the woods?" Ruth scoffed, forgetting that she'd already met the Legendary Gun Knight, Musashi, as well as a famous world-class Adventurer on the same night. "Not very likely. But, it may be interesting nonetheless."

Rathus's meal arrived, a pair of runny eggs, a few biscuits, and a nice slab of steak, steaming as a dollop of butter melted over the top of it. The Gun Knight began to tuck in, industriously setting to work. He'd need his strength today. He expected there was a good chance he'd wind up in a fight. Two, if he was able to track down the monster later. The guildhouse probably wouldn't take very kindly to his nosing about, but the City Guard hadn't had any information on his quarry, and he wasn't about to go into a fight blind.

Rathus thought about the last time he'd been in one of the guildhouses. That'd ended poorly, if the fires were anything to go by. To be fair, Musashi had been with him that time. He glanced over at the princess, who was happily eating her oatmeal, vibrating slightly as she anticipated seeing an Adventurer's Guild in the flesh. Well... at least somebody was excited.

***********

The guildhouse was one of the larger buildings in town, although it paled in comparison to the behemoth that was the Ocean's Motion. Ruth was slightly disappointed. Perhaps it was simply the juxtaposition, but she'd expected something a bit grandiose. Exotically armored people going in and out. Perhaps a giant dragon's skull over the door. Maybe recent damages, from when a vile Lawyer had attacked the guildhouse in retaliation for some plucky teens foiling his plans.

There was none of that, of course, and so Ruth was a bit dismayed. I mean, it wasn't unimpressive, for a peasant building. The guildhouse itself was a solid construction of wood and stone, three stories high and emanating a comfortable, casual vibe. It didn't feel like a bustling and exciting center of activity, but it did feel like the sort of place where everyone knows your name.

There were a few tables outside, and pair of gruff-looking men in leather armor were laughing, deep in conversation and each double-fisting two pairs of foaming tankards, presumable of ale. Considering that it was only 10:30 in the morning, this was impressive in its own way. Rathus reached out to the heavy wooden doors, waiting for Ruth to catch up. The princess noticed as the men outside caught sight of Rathus, quickly losing their merriment as they stared down the Gun Knight.

Ruth hurried along, following Rathus into the guildhouse. There was a small vestibule with a second set of doors, along with a small couch and a table. There were a number of brochures on the table, in a brochure stand, with a variety of helpful topics such as how to properly care for gear, how to report plundered loot on your taxes, and other such useful things. Ruth reached over and grabbed a brochure, a colorful trifold of paper with the title "Beyond Ale and Whores: Investing your Loot for the Future." She regarded the simplistic cartoon drawings of adventurers on the front with a nod of approval.

Rathus opened the second set of doors to reveal the foyer of the Adventurer's Guild. Ruth readied herself to duck a thrown axe, or a flagon of ale, or perhaps an entire person. However, she wasn't prepared at all for what actually hit her. She reeled back as a stone-cold realization hit her smack in the face.

"Oh, it's boring," she said aloud. The receptionist looked up at her from behind a tall counter. The small foyer was well-furnished. There was fine hardwood flooring, with some tasteful wallpaper. If she continued straight, the room opened into a long hallway, while a small alcove to the left housed a receptionist counter which ran from wall to wall. The only apparent entry point to it was a door on the wall behind the receptionist, who was a Quarrion woman with gray and white feathers and a bright yellow crest.

To the right, the foyer opened into a larger area that looked like the waiting room for a doctor's office. There were a few comfortable-looking chairs, a coffee table, and a hearth set in the far wall. Ruth eyed the pile of magazines. A two-year-old issue of "Daylights: For Children" sat on top of the pile, dog-eared. Ruth stared at it with unveiled contempt. She looked about the room, and realized that there was another person here. She blushed in embarrassment.

"Ah, my apologies. I was expecting... something a bit more rowdy."

The receptionist laughed. "No worries, we get that a lot. We like to keep it nice and neat up front, so we don't scare off any clients."

She lifted one feathered limb and gestured down the hall. "The Rest Hall is probably what you're thinking of. That place tends to get rowdy, but we keep 'em far in the back, and away from the money."

"Smart thinking," Rathus replied, nodding. "It makes my job here easier, too."

The Gun Knight leaned forward onto the counter and lowered his voice, apparently so that the fireplace wouldn't hear him, considering there was nobody else in the room.

"I'm looking for any info y'got about the monster in the woods."

The receptionist sighed, rolling her eyes as her crest flattened against the top of her head.

"Well, sir, they're called Goblins, and they're not monsters. We—"

"No, no," Rathus replied. "I mean the big monster."

"Oh," the receptionist blinked, taken aback. "You mean the three-headed wolf?"

Ruth let out a quiet gasp. She had expected some sort of giant monster, of course, but a three-headed wolf was, as the Nobility would put it, 'metal as fuck'. Her hand itched, and she could hear the clarion call of the pen and notebook in her bag. She restrained herself for now, waiting with quiet anticipation to hear more about the beast.

"That's the one, yeah," Rathus bluffed, having no idea if this was the correct monster. If there were two-plus giant monsters, this town was in worse shape than he'd thought.

"You'll need to inquire at the assignment counter. " She pointed down the hallway, looking over to Ruth with a smile. "That'll be in the Rest Hall, so you're in luck. You'll get the definitive Adventurer's Guild experience."

"We don't need a pass or anything like that?" Rathus asked. "Feels like that'd be an 'Adventurers Only' kind of deal."

The receptionist laughed. "Needing paperwork to get into the room for Adventurers? You'd have a better time trying to get a cat to sign their name."

She had a point. Rathus nodded to her, and turned to the hallway, walking with a resigned slouch. Ruth followed close behind. They walked down the hallway, passing doors on either side. A set of consultation rooms, labeled A through D. A pair of restrooms. A Complaint Department, from which could be heard the sounds of many people speaking over each other at once. Finally, they arrived at a wide set of doors, with golden knobs. A placard to the side read "Rest Area / Tavern", while a smaller sign below it read "The knobs are just painted iron. Please do not steal them."

Rathus opened the door, and immediately a hand-axe slammed into wood, embedding a few inches into the surface, cutting a deep groove that matched the dozens of other criss-crossing cuts peppering the door's interior surface. Rathus reached up and yanked the axe out of the door. Rathus looked around quietly to see if anybody was claiming ownership over the axe, but when nobody was readily apparent, he dropped it into a nearby umbrella stand, which was teeming with spears, axes, and even a Star Mage' staff.

Ruth took in the guildhouse's main hall. She'd never properly been in an Adventurer's Guild, but this... this was the experience she'd been hoping for. The authentic article. The hall was separated into a few parts. To one side, a small counter within a steel cage, covered in what was likely reinforced glass. An attractive Stentorian woman with an early Winter complexion and bright blonde hair was sorting a few folios behind the protective aegis. A sign above the counter read "Assignments".

Next to the protected cage of the Assignment counter, there was a more open bar, with a massive, pot-bellied Orc with a Summer complexion, bright red skin masking, but not fully hiding, the dozens of scars that marked his beefy physique as an ex-adventurer, as if the eyepatch wasn't enough. He was pouring some kind of convoluted cocktail, pouring a bright green liquid from a shaker directly into a hollowed-out pineapple. A Dwarf with an axe as large as he was swayed on the spot, eagerly awaiting his order.

In the open floor of the Rest Area, dozens of tables sat, while a handful of Adventurers went about their typical Adventurer business. One group was eating quietly to the side, while it appeared that two other groups had gotten into a tussle. Two larger men were taking turns hitting each other with chairs, each looking in frustration at their improvised weapon whenever it didn't break after their attack. Ruth assumed this was some form of folk contest. A Walpurgis woman in a chainmail bikini hung from one of the chandeliers, while a man in a guild uniform tried to swat her down with a broom.

A set of stairs on the far end of the room opposite the counters led up to a mezzanine, where there were a few more tables, and some doors to other rooms of unknown purpose. Down below, on the same wall as the door they'd just entered through, a stage was set up, with a bard entertaining the gathering. Well, Ruth would normally not call the raucous noise he was making 'entertainment', but the people leaning over the mezzanine's banister and throwing fruit, cups, and weapons at the bard certainly seemed like they were having a good time.

There was a delayed reaction as people began to notice Rathus, and slowly, the commotion started to quiet. Rathus ignored the wary, appraising gazes of the gathered Adventurers, and went to the Assignment counter.

"Howdy," he said, tipping his hat to her. "Looking for some information." He quickly pulled his Badge of Office from his jacket and flashed it at her, using his body to hide the action from the rest of the adventurers. The receptionist glanced down at it, then back up at Rathus, smiling the practiced, forced smile endemic to all customer service representatives.

"The Sunset Ridge Adventuring Guild is endorsed by the Imperial Adventurer's Registry as a licensed liaison and service provider for Registered Adventurers," she recited, her voice monotone. "We do not endorse, sponsor, or enable any illegal activities by Adventurers who have signed up for our Guild, or for independent Adventurers using our Guild services."

Rathus shook his head. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not here about anything like that. Today, at least. I just needed some information on the three-headed wolf."

The receptionist cocked her head to the side and gave him an innocent look, batting her eyelashes in a way that would have disarmed most people instantly. Unfortunately for her, Gun Knights were perpetually armed, and Rathus simply smiled back at her.

"Oh?" she asked, her voice honeyed, masking an undercurrent of suspicion. "And are you intending on slaying the monster?"

"If I need to," Rathus replied. "It's a potential lead in a murder case. I reckon it may have eaten my suspect, or else he's tamed and weaponized it."

"I see, I see," the receptionist chimed, completely unphased by his lunatic response. Just business as usual in the Adventurer's Guild. She looked up at the Gun Knight and shook her head. "Sadly, unless you have a warrant, I'm afraid I'll have to deny your request. There are currently three pending requests regarding the Three-Headed Wolf: One from the Civic Safety Division of the Imperial Guard to slay or capture it, a private bounty from the Pheasantgrove Travel Authority to slay or capture it, and a privately posted bounty to catch it alive and deliver it to a patron."

She patted three of the folios on her desk, before pushing them aside. "Current job dossiers are only available to registered Adventurers who express an interest in the listing. Please come back with a warrant, officer, and I'd be happy to let you see them."

Rathus half-turned his head. Two of the nearby Adventurers had stood up, and were walking towards them.

"So..." Ruth began, leaning forward onto the small counter attached to the outside of the protective cage. She steepled her fingers with the practiced ease of an expert businessman, as if she were about to close an excellent deal, or force an estranged son to get in a giant robot. "So you're saying that if we were Adventurers, we could get those records?"

"Oh, sure," the receptionist said, nodding as she busied herself with some paperwork. "But Gun Knights are ineligible to become Adventurers. That'd be in violation of the Adventurer's Compromise Act. Section..."

"Section III, Regulation 2.D," Rathus recited. He was distracted, resting the flat of his hand casually on the grip of his revolver as he watched a tall Orc man and a Merrow woman approaching them. Rathus dropped into his Battle Trance to quickly look them over.

The man wore pretty standard adventurer's gear, to the point that it might be considered stereotypical. A shining silver breastplate, complete with large pauldrons. Each hand was covered with thick leather gloves, with a metal band around the wrist. A vambrace covered his right arm, alone. He wore completely mundane, unarmored pants, with plate-metal kneepads and heavy boots. Of course, there was no helmet to cover his spiky black hair, which waved in the indoor breeze, along with a long blue scarf, which was decorated with a repeating pattern of red hearts. Rathus looked him up and down, flicking his eyes to the war-axe and round shield strapped to his back. Standard axeman. Based on his bearing, and the casual swagger as he walked, Rathus pegged him at about 750 ELO. Nothing to worry about.

The woman of the pair gave him more pause. For one thing, her white hair was an indication of Dessite heritage, which gave subtle clues as to her abilities. These clues were confirmed by the giant wizard hat, the dark cloak, and the crystal-headed coral staff she wielded as she walked towards Rathus. Star Mages were a bit harder to gauge at a glance. She looked slightly uncomfortable, but despite her expression, she moved with the practiced grace inherent to Merrow. Rathus saw her eyes flicker over to him and understood at once that she was also using her Gift of Serenity to Battle Trance and size him up as well. She took another step, her cloak billowing in slow motion to Rathus's enhanced perception. He caught a glimpse at the clothing she wore underneath, which appeared to be the long skirt and blazer of a school. The Gun Knight Recalled the design, eyes flickering quickly. Imperial Star Mage Academy - Northside. One of the most elite schools. The pins on her lapel also marked her as a student with the Dean's Honors.

In other words, somebody extremely talented. Rathus eyed them, but sensing no ill-intent, dropped out of his Battle Trance. It was really awkward to have conversations in slo-mo.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that," the Orc adventurer said, by means of introduction. He walked up and moved as if to clasp a hand on Ruth's shoulder. Rathus snatched his wrist out of the air, holding it in place in a steel-like grip. The Orc seemed unsurprised, and beamed a friendly, fang-filled smile down at Ruth, who jerked back in surprise. Rathus glanced over at the Orc's companion, who was staring daggers at Ruth for some reason.

"After all, she is a Princess!" the man explained, winking at the receptionist, who rolled her eyes. Rathus tightened his grip. The adventurer's smile twitched, sweat beading on his forehead.

"H-hey, friend. You're uh, squeezing a little tight there."

"Oh, sorry 'bout that," Rathus replied, not relaxing his grip any. "You want to qualify that statement, friend?"

The Orc shot a nervous glance over at the receptionist, before winking once at Rathus. "You know," he said, winking again, in plain view of the receptionist. "Because she's a princess." Wink "She's secretly Nobility" Wink "Right?"

Rathus stared at him, gears spinning in his head as he tried to figure out what kind of fucked up angle this guy was playing. The adventurer shifted nervously, giving Rathus a plaintive look. "C'mon man, work with me here," he whispered.

Possibly against his better judgement, Rathus released his arm. "Ah, yup," he replied, monotone. "She's really a real princess."

Ruth looked at the Gun Knight, feeling somehow betrayed by his completely unconvincing claim. I mean, he was saying she was a princess, but the way he said it left her feeling somehow more insulted than if he'd denied it outright.

"What's your point?" Rathus asked. He glanced over at the Merrow Star Mage, who was scrutinizing the princess, but still not taking any hostile action. The male Adventurer chuckled to himself, tapping the side of his brow.

"Isn't it obvious? Even if you are a Gun Knight, you are clearly acting as a "Bodyguard"," he said, making air quotes with his fingers, "for a "Princess"." He winked again, then flourished towards the center of the room for no discernible reason. "That means that if she signs up as an Adventurer, she can register you as equipment."

Rathus gave a single nod, then immediately closed his eyes to Recall the Adventurer's words. Yes, he had heard him correctly.

"Excuse me?" he asked, just to make sure.

The Adventurer nodded slowly. "Right, let me start from the beginning. I couldn't help but have my companion cast a spell to eavesdrop on you while you were talking to the receptionist."

"Hearing of the Hawk," the Star Mage explained, naming her spell in a quiet, emotionless voice.

"You're trying to get some information on that Three-Headed Wolf, right? You need to track it down?"

Rathus crossed his arms. "Can't rightly say I need the information. Just thought it'd be helpful."

"Come on, Rathus," Ruth replied. "There's no need to be tsundere about it." She turned to the Adventurer and nodded. "You are correct, of course. I take it that you intend to suggest I register to be an Adventurer?"

The Orc opened and closed his mouth a few times, the wind taken from his sails, his thunder snatched, so to speak. "Err. Yeah. Well..."

"Teamwork," the Star Mage said simply, looking from the Orc to Rathus.

"Right!" the young man said, snapping his fingers. "You want to track the Wolf down. We're interested in the bounties. But, well, a giant wolf monster might be..." He scratched at his nose, looking frustrated. Rathus politely waited for him to finish his thought. He glanced across the room, where a few of the other Adventurers were looking over, with much less friendly looks than the man in front of them.

"I mean, I could probably handle the Wolf no problem, but I'm not about to bring Mitras in the way of danger like that." He jerked his thumb towards the Star Mage. Rathus doubted the young man's appraisal abilities, but Mitras didn't seem to mind, remaining silent and even blushing slightly, ducking her head so that the neckline of her cloak covered her mouth.

"So, I thought, we should team up, right? You get the information you need, and we get some extra hands with the job. It's a win for all parties."

Rathus sighed, glancing back at the receptionist, who was clearly still within earshot, but was paying them no mind, intently focused on doing her paperwork and pointedly not looking at them.

"Do ya usually invite yourself into other peoples' business like this?"

"Huh?" the Orc asked, blinking in surprise. "Yeah, all the time. How'd you know? Boy, you Gun Knights are really something else."

"Right," Rathus replied, taking a step towards the door. "Let's go with that." He waved towards Ruth, who was staring intently at the Orc man, and to Rathus's horror, appeared to be thinking. "Ruth..." he began.

"Tell me more about this plan," Ruth implored him, ignoring the Gun Knight entirely.

The Orc grinned again, a big toothy smile. "Great! I'm Artur, by the way! And this is Mitras."

Ruth cocked her head to the side and glanced at Rathus, before giving a curtsy. "And I am Ruth Greer, Fifth Princess of Dennis, Imperial Sovereign."

Artur winked, tapping the side of his nose. "Now you're getting it." Concern flashed on his face for a minute, and he looked around furtively. "But, uh, drop the 'Imperial Sovereign' part. It's actually illegal to pretend to be one of those. Anybody can pretend to be Nobility though."

"I—"

"But, yeah, that's the spirit. See, because when a Noble signs up for an Adventurer, they can list a bodyguard as equipment, under the Personal Lieutenant clause. Which means we could bring along, uh..." He looked over to Rathus, realizing he hadn't been introduced.

"Rathus McGaff," the Gun Knight sighed. "I feel like I should get a say in this uh, arrangement."

"Equipment doesn't talk," Mitras said in her quiet, monotone voice. Rathus shot her a look, but couldn't discern whether she was joking or not. She stared at him with piercing blue eyes.

"Rathus, weren't you literally designed to be a living weapon? Aren't you a tool of the Emperor? You'd only be equipment on paper, it's not as if it would affect anything else."

"That's not th'part I—"

"We'll do it!" Ruth declared. "I've always wondered what it would be like to be an Adventurer."

"Look, if that's yer life goal, I'm not about to stop you," Rathus replied, "But if yer only doin' this to get some info on the wolf, you don't need to bother. Besides, I don't get why you signing up as an adventurer means we've got to team up with some folks we've never met." He looked over towards Artur, shrugging. "No offense."

Ruth paused to consider it. "Hm. Yes, I suppose you do have a point. The two aren't inherently linked."

"They won't let you," Artur replied. "You'd need an ELO of at least 1750 to take the job solo." He looked at Rathus, who was twitching slightly from the inadvertent insult, and quickly raised his hands. "Which I'm sure you could probably manage, if you've got him registered as equipment. But an ELO rating above 1500 has to go to the Council to ratify. That'd take a while."

"Two to three weeks," Mitras added, helpfully.

"But, if you were to join a team, you'd be fine to get started right away. Today, even. Getting certified doesn't take that long."

"Certified..." Rathus mused. He hesitated, Recalling something as Ruth rushed over to the Assignment counter. She began talking animatedly with the receptionist, who turned to get the paperwork needed to sign up on Artur and Mitras's team.

"You sure you don't want to think this through?" Rathus asked. The receptionist brought the paperwork over, and Artur looked at it before stepping aside, letting Mitras take the lead. Her pen flew across the page, flawlessly filling each blank without slowing.

Ruth leaned over, watching as the Merrow woman wrote.

"The Red Thread of Fate?" She asked, "That's your team name?"

"Yeah," Artur replied with a grin. "Mitras came up with it. I'm not sure what it means, but it sounds really cool, doesn't it? She said it was from mythology or something."

"Destiny," Mitras replied in her usual monotone. She flushed slightly, but her expression remained fixed and stoic as she completed the rest of the paperwork, sliding it over to Ruth.

"You sure you want to do this?" Rathus asked, as the princess began filling in her information.

"If you're worried about what my father might say, you needn't bother," Ruth replied haughtily. "It's not as if I need his approval to make decisions, apparently."

Rathus wasn't really sure how to touch that subject, so he supposed he'd just let it lie for now. "Well, sure. I mean, that too I s'pose, but I was more sayin' that—"

The receptionist tapped a spot on the forms. "You'll need to endorse here, 'Your Highness'. And if you want to register your bodyguard, I'll need you to fill out this form as well."

She drew a blank slip out of a drawer and slid it across the table to Ruth. "It'll need your Royal Seal, but that won't be a problem, I'm sure."

The receptionist gave her a rigid smile, staring at Artur, who had gone a pale lime green at the appearance of the second slip.

"Of course, if you do decide that you're no longer interested in signing up, or need to change your information, for completely unrelated reasons, please let me know."

Ruth nodded, filling out the slip and taking a glove off. "Thank you for your concern, but I am quite confident in my decision, thank you."

With that, and pressed her thumb to the slip, pulling it away to reveal the royal seal of Dennis. The receptionist stared down at it, eyes widening and jaw going slack, either from surprise or in a poor attempt to catch flies.

"There we are!" Ruth exclaimed, picking up the sheaf of paperwork and evening it out with a tab on the table before handing it to the suddenly extremely nervous receptionist.

"U-um... Very good, your majesty. Let me, uh, just get these processed."

Ruth gave her a satisfied nod and turned to lean against the glass in what she hoped was a cool, Adventurer-like pose. She grinned at Rathus, an uncharacteristic, openly-cheeky grin that only little sisters can ever learn.

"The paperwork is being filed," she informed him. "You are officially luggage."

Mitras turned and regarded Rathus impassively. "Congratulations," she offered him, after a few seconds pause.

Rathus sighed. "I'm honored to be recognized for my service," he replied sarcastically. "I've always known that deep down I had everything I needed to become a giant tool."

Artur peered into the Assignments office to make sure the receptionist was out of earshot, and was pleased to see that she was about 5 feet away and not currently looking at him. The coast was clear.

"That was amazing!" he hissed, his voice in the cadence of a whisper, with none of the reduced volume. "I'm not sure how you managed to fake a seal, but good job! I got a little worried when she pulled out the extra slip, but you handled it no problem!"

"Naturally," Ruth replied, tossing back her hair triumphantly. "Nothing gets the better of a princess."

"Alright," the receptionist began, coming back to the window with another stack of papers. "I have your information down, so now we need to move on to the certification test."

"This was what I was tryin' to warn you about." Rathus explained.

Ruth scoffed. "Rathus, if nothing else, I have confidence in my test-taking abilities. Your concern is wasted."

"Wonderful," the receptionist chimed in, smiling widely. "Do you need to gather any of your gear before we enter the certification dungeon?"

Ruth, ever the picture of grace and charm, slid down the side of the cage as she went to lean her elbow on the counter and found that somebody must have moved it over a few inches, causing her to miss it entirely.

"The what?"