(Vol.II) Chapter 1 : The Guild

A group of adventurers sat in their guildhall in the city known as Medelia. It was a small city located in the Kingdom of Lukoil at the edge of The Great Tundra, a wide expanse of frost that few dared venture across. Here in the guildhall, many adventurers and commoners mingled and gossiped about the latest news.

Standing in front of a wooden chair, a man animatedly moved his arms and legs, making various gestures and poses.

"Okay," said Coren, happily. "Guess who I am now?"

"Um," said Gwyne, "Are you carrying a sword!?"

"No, an axe," said Coren. He tried to make a more threatening pose.

"Huh...Aloth the Axebreaker?"

"Aloth breaks axes; he doesn't carry axes."

"Oh, then how about Leyra the Battle Maiden?"

"Lerya tosses those bladed tiaras-"

"Okay, enough of this," said Weyd. He banged his his mug on the table, interrupting the game. "We have to go back to the Summer Veil. We should be investigating the disappearance of those adventurers in Gahol."

Coren looked at Weyd blankly.

"The Summer Veil is off limits. The gates have been closed for a year. There is no path from Lukoil to Gahol from here. Not to mention we’re on that guild assignment,. Remember? The one that lets us keep our guild badges."

Coren took out a medallion from his pocket and waved it in front of the bearded man. It had the image of a great dragon breathing fire and a claymore in the background. He flipped it once before placing it back in his coat.

"We finish the escort mission, and then we will be free for another six months."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it,” said Weyd. “And why are we escorting a pair of princesses anyway? What happened to their guards?"

Coren shrugged. "It's just extra security. There's that killer that's been running around, The Heart Seeker Killer."

The Heart Seeker Killer had been on the lips of many adventurers lately. He left his victims with a gaping hole in their chest, having ripped their magic cores straight out of their bodies. A prefectural investigator, Yan Dee, had been sent from the imperial capital to track down this murderer, but so far the criminal had eluded him.

"I thought he went after people with magic cores? Are the princesses magic users?"

"Not yet, but I've heard they'll undergo their Ritual of Awakening soon, sometime in the next year or so."

"So, they are adepts then. They don’t even have their cores."

"Tell that to the royal family. Either way, it should be an easy assignment. Now sit and drink something."

Coren ordered another drink from their server. The girl smiled and winked at him, carrying a mug that smelled of strong ale, okra, and gin. She brought back a large jug to place in front of Weyd. He picked it up and inhaled the refreshing undertones of cinnamon.

~~~

On the other end of the world, a woman and three children walked upon a well-trodden road. The woman smiled at the children, speaking in hushed tones as they came upon a large city that rose up from a hill.

"I have some people I want you to meet," said Iris. "I don't think I’ve told you about the guild I belong to."

"Guild?" said Grey cheerfully. Adventurers usually claimed membership with a guild. Guilds offered protection and training for dungeons, as well as a place to acquire high quality equipment.

"What kind of guild is it? Can we join?"

Grey grew excited. Having gone through the Ritual of Awakening, he was now an elementary level mage. He qualified as an adventurer!

Iris laughed. "Yes, it is precisely why we are here. I want you to meet some people and register you at the guildhall. We are going to need some help if we want to free Mylene."

Grey's face reddened a little. His normally stoic disposition was replaced with worry. Mylene. His thoughts became muddled and sad.

"Come now, don't make that face," smiled Iris, "Nothing bad will happen to her anytime soon."

Iris held Grey closer as she led the children into the city.

The city was laid out like a well-furnished room. Each detail was carefully thought out, from the arched rooftops to the colorful signs that made it simple to find what you were looking for. Need food? Then look out for the blue signs. Those were the taverns and restaurants. Need a place to sleep? Look for the light brown signs. Those were the inns and boarding houses. Even bakeries were easily identified; their shops were shaped like muffins, each with a bright orange sign outside their door. A young girl wearing an apron was waving down people outside a large muffin with colorful stones on its roof.

“Get your hot melon bread! Freshly made with tender love and care! One bite and you’ll go to heaven. You sir! Don’t you want this lovely bread? Look at it; don’t you feel like it’s calling you to eat it?”

The little girl carried a pair of baskets filled with bite sized portions of bread. She reached out to people passing by, waving at them to come taste it.

Oswin looked curiously at the melon bread. Iris had ushered the children towards the bakery to avoid walking through the uncomfortably crowded street.

“I want to try some melon bread,” smiled Oswin. He reached up and took a piece out of her hand.

“Thank you, sir.” said the girl, bowing politely. “Please go inside if you like the taste! It’s absolutely the best in the city.”

Oswin took a bite of the bread. His eyes turned to glitters. “Wha!? What is this? Heavenly feeling. Ciara come take a bite of this.”

Ciara looked at the piece of half-eaten bread in Oswin’s hand.

“You ate it already!” Ciara exclaimed. Her mother had often told her not to eat half eaten food. It was unbecoming of a lady!

“Just take a bite! Eat it! The way it goes down to your belly.”

Oswin shoved the rest of the bread in Ciara’s face. She flailed wildly at her assaulter, accidentally poking him in the eyes.

“Ow!”

“Stop your weirdness! I can eat it with my own hands.”

Oswin, one hand covering his eyes, stuck out the bread for Ciara to take.

“That’s what you get, hmph, making me eat this thing.”

Ciara ripped off the edges of where Oswin had bitten into and took her own bite.

Ciara’s face flushed red. Her eyes dilated. “Amazing! What kind of bread is this? Wha! Give me more!”

She looked at the girl carrying the basket of bread. The baker girl could feel Ciara’s eyes honing in on her.

Ciara’s eyes overtaken with desire, mouth watering, hands poised, she stalked her prey.

Grey could sense Ciara’s impending terror, having wrestled with the girl for food before. This poor shopkeeper didn’t stand a chance, he decided to step in. He slowly treaded towards the concentration of doom and spread his arms to try and shield the girl from Ciara.

“Stop!” said Grey, “What are you doing?”

“Wha?! Grey, this bread is too good! You must try it. Just let me get closer so I can-”

Whack!

Grey chopped Ciara on the head.

“Ow!”

“A person told me that silly things should be punished, so stop being silly. Be more mature.”

“Wha? Mature…” mumbled Ciara. She continued staring at the girl holding the basket, licking her lips. The bakery girl flinched.

“If you want more, then where is your money?” said Grey. He held out his hand. “You can’t buy bread without money.”

“B-But she is letting us have it for free…”

“It’s a sample! If you want more, then definitely, you must pay. Right?”

Grey turned to face the delicious smelling cakes. He nodded in her direction, trying to make his intentions understood.

“That’s right,” said the bakery girl. “Please pay if you want more.”

“Tch,” said Ciara. She flipped her hair flamboyantly. “Fine. When I get some money, I’ll be back. You better be ready!”

She pointed directly at the girl, then stomped off to look at the scenery.

“Thank you,” said the bakery girl. She politely bowed to Grey.

Grey nodded. “It is okay, she is not a bad person. She just gets carried away.”

“I see. Are you from around here? I haven’t seen you before?”

“No, I just got here today.”

“A traveler?”

Seeing a child her age travelling was curious.

“What is it like outside the walls? I am not allowed to go out of the town.”

Before Grey could speak he heard Iris calling for him.

“Ciara! Oswin! Grey! Let’s go.”

Iris had been hovering in sight of the children the whole time, watching over the three like a mother hawk. Her eyes pierced any wandering glances that fell towards the children. The potential thieves in the crowd were most definitely unnerved by her eyes. No one had dared approach any of the children.

“Sorry, I have to go. Maybe, we can talk some other time.”

“That’s okay. My name is Ran! If you have time please come back. We will definitely have more bread for you to eat.”

“Okay,” smiled Grey. He waved her goodbye and followed Iris down the street.

They had passed through the Eastern Block and the Foreign Quarter to get to the Marketplace and the bakery. The guildhall was located in the Military Quarter which was still one district away, on the other side of the Residential District.

It was easy to tell the Military Quarter from the rest of the city. The walls here were much thicker, the buildings less fanciful, and shapes more practical as if hewn straight from a mountain. They were round in design, like large boulders, built to withstand blows from siege engines. The only thing that looked out of place were the five guildhalls. Each was made out of wood instead of stone. Their curved roofs and twin sword placards indicated their function.

Iris led the children to the guildhall shaped like a temple, incense sticks burned in front of small altars near a red door. Iris tapped on the door twice, then three times. It opened automatically, powered by some strange mechanism.

A small pool of water bubbled next to the counter where vines dangled from the ceiling. Iris brushed the hanging vines aside and moved towards the receptionist. A young woman in her twenties greeted them at the receptionist counter.

"Ah, Iris. It's been a long time. Do you have an appointment? The leaders would be interested in hearing your latest report."

"Tell Kolfecg and Lupites that I have returned. I would like to speak to the council as well."

"Right away, and these children?"

The woman looked at the three children at Iris's side. Grey was clinging to Iris's dress, partly hiding behind her. He was not allowed to use his aura out of combat so he held onto Iris to help him walk and avoid tripping over small rocks on the ground. The receptionist found it cute.

"They are the new generation. The council may ask their questions when we meet."

"Of course," said the woman bowing. “Let me get the necessaries."

The woman wrote a few things on a piece of paper and handed Iris three medallions. Iris gave them to Grey, Ciara, and Oswin. It had the shape of a large serpent eating its tail.

"They call it the Ouroboros, a mythical creature of old," said Iris. "It is the symbol of my guild."

Grey felt the medallion curiously. His heart fluttered with excitement. "Iris? Does that mean I’m now an adventurer?"

"Yes, though you are technically still a trainee. You need to get to the intermediate stage of magic before you can be considered a full fledged adventurer"

"Y-Yes!" said Grey. He had become an adventurer! His hands gripped the medallion firmly. He remembered those dazzling attacks, when adventurers had fought over that precious King Emerald Gem. Back then, the world of adventures seemed so far away, like a dream off the pages of a book. Now, he had become a part of them!

Ciara nodded in agreement.

"Does this let me go places?" she asked, breathlessly.

"It will let you enter towns without a letter of intent. As adventurers, we receive special permission to travel. Most people aren't allowed out of their towns and villages unless it's on official business. It stops foolish people from getting attacked by bandits, you see."

"Ah," said Ciara. "So that's why mother and father didn't let me go out."

"When will we start learning spells?" asked Oswin. "I want to get stronger! I want to be powerful!"

"Soon enough," smiled Iris. She ruffled Oswin's hair and looked back at the receptionist. "Has the meeting been scheduled?"

"In three days," replied the receptionist. "The message is being transmitted through the usual routes. The place is-"

"I know where it is," said Iris, waving her hand. "Do you have any low level quests?"

"For the children?" asked the receptionist.

"Yes, for the children."

The receptionist pulled out a large leather tome and flipped through the pages. She scrolled down the most recent page until she came across a note she had made earlier today.

"There is a Monster Subjugation quest offered by the governor. Appears to be a pest problem in the Slum Quarters. Alternatively, there are a few deliveries that need to be made, and the usual requests regarding auction house purchases."

"Give us the Monster Subjugation quest. Are there partial completion rewards?"

"Yes, of course. There are already a few adventurers on the task so just bring your daily count back here and we will log it in," nodded the receptionist. She brought out three pieces of parchment from underneath the counter and signed her name on it. She then stamped each parchment with a wax seal.

"This is proof that the quest has been formally recognized by the guild. We will provide all the necessaries if anything should happen. I do require blood from each child to finish the contract."

"Blood?" whispered Grey. "Why blood?"

"It's an old tradition," said Iris, "It doesn't have any power, but it's scares away people who might be pretending to be adventurers."

Iris took out a small knife, the same one she used to peel fruits, and handed it to Grey.

"Just prick your finger and press it on the parchment at the counter."

Grey felt the knife in his hand, and turned to Iris a bit worried. He did not want to hurt himself.

"We can't go on the quest until you poke your finger, Grey."

Grey hesitated and winced as he cut himself on the finger. A little drop of blood came out. He walked up to the counter and felt around the table till he touched the parchment. He pressed down next to the wax seal, leaving a little red fingerprint. Grey then handed the knife to Oswin who then handed it to Ciara. In the end, there were three little red fingerprints on each of the quest parchments.

"Congratulations on your first quest," giggled the receptionist. "I'll see you all later today to count your progress."

"Thank you, ma'am." said the children in unison. They bowed respectfully and followed Iris out the door.

~~~

In stories, the Slum Quarters were where criminals made their dens and monsters lurked in the darkness, but as far as Grey could tell, it was like any other part of the city. The buildings here were modest and the people were friendly. It had it’s own collection of inns, blacksmiths, and tailor shops.

"So what are we doing?" asked Ciara. She raced around, up and down the street. "I don't see anything."

"Well," said Oswin, looking at the parchment that the receptionist gave them. "It says: rat problem in loom shop; nest in sewers; proceed with caution; collect rat tails as proof of work; ten rat tails will be rewarded with ten copper pieces."

"It doesn’t pay much, but I imagine it will keep you from being lazy. Especially, this lazy girl right here."

Iris picked up Ciara and tickled her. Ciara giggled and laughed before Iris let her down. "I'll let you three decide how you want to do it. If you need me, I'll be at the inn over there. I need to fill out some things for the guild."

Iris pointed to a sign with a large fish.

"It's called the Fisherman's Cove. Our rooms are there so come back when you’ve finished collecting your rat tails."

"Wait," said Grey. His hands began to get clammy holding her dress. "Won't you stay with us."

Grey remembered what had happened the last time he wandered around a city alone. Now that he was blind, he was certain something would happen if there was no one to protect him.

Iris kneeled down to be closer to the boy and gave him a light hug. "There will be a time when you'll be completely on your own, Grey. Besides, you are now a part of my guild. No one will kidnap you."

She took the medallion resting in his pocket and placed it on his palm, to remind him that the guild would protect him.”

“Trust me. You will be fine. Now what was the name of the inn we’ll be staying at?"

"The Fisherman's Cove," said Grey, rubbing his eyes. Iris stroked his head before standing up.

"Good. If you need me I'll be inside. Just remember one thing: do not use your aura. Remember, people who notice that your aura has music will become very suspicious. Alright? Oswin? Ciara?"

"Yes, Iris." said the children in unison.

She pat each child on the head and then left for the inn, leaving them alone on the side of the street.

Oswin walked over to Grey and slapped him on the back. "I think Iris just wants us to be more independent. We are kids, but we’re also adventurers now. It would be embarrassing for her if she had to come help us with every little thing."

Grey could only stand there. "I guess so."

Ciara jumped on Grey's back. "Don't be like that, Grey. If you mope around too much, you'll become a potato; that's what my dad always said to me. Don't be a potato like your mother. If you don't stop moping, then I'll take a bite out of you to wake you up."

Grey could feel something warm and wet wiggle around his neck.

"Hey!" giggled Grey. "Ewww, stop. That tickles."

"Ha, you cheered up, see! Stop feeling so down."

"Okay," said Grey. "I'll stop moping. So what are we doing for the quest?"

"Well," said Oswin, holding the parchment.

"There’s a little map here on the parchment. It shows us where the entrance of the sewers is. We could go there or visit the loom shop to see if there are any rats left."

"Maybe I should get changed," mumbled Ciara, "I don't think I want to walk down the sewers in my dress. I'll be back in a bit. Just wait here okay?"

Ciara raced towards the inn Iris had pointed to. Iris had mentioned that their luggage had been delivered to their inn as soon as they arrived at the city.

"Alright!" said Oswin and Grey at the same time.

Oswin leaned over Grey's shoulder. Grey was feeling the parchment in his hands. The ink had left an impression on the paper. He could make out a few words, but could not understand the rest.

"So, what do you think?" said Oswin. "The sewers or the shop? Where should we go to first?”

“I think we should go to the shop first. The sewers might be too dangerous. If there is a big monster we might not be able to take care of it.”

“But the sewers might have treasure. And we’ve already seen a lot of scary things in the forest. Unless, it’s some ancient legendary creature we should be alright.”

“Maybe, but I don’t think Iris would be happy if one of us got hurt.”

“Iris said we could do as we saw fit. Besides, if you are so scared about a sewer, what will you do when you go back to a dungeon? You can’t just run away all the time.”

Oswin was right. Even the most cautious person could not avoid all the bad things in the world. Wouldn’t it be better for a person to face disaster after disaster? That way, if one survived they would be very strong.

"Alright, we can go through the sewers. We will need some paper and quill, though, so we can draw a map so we don’t get lost."

"I’ll go get some from Iris. She should have some to spare."

"Okay,” smiled Grey.

~~~

For a place that rarely saw sunlight, the sewers were hot. The air was heavy, giving Grey the sensation that he was suffocating slowly. The entrance to the sewer was actually a manhole in the middle of a street. Oswin and Grey had to move the large slotted brick that covered the hole to get to the ladder. As they climbed down into the murky darkness, the sound of squelching boots announced their arrival.

"It stinks!" said Ciara, pinching her nose. "Why do rats like these smelly places?"

"Don't know. Don't care. I just want to kill ‘em," said Oswin. "There are torches lighting up the corridors. Three ways to go: right, left, and straight."

"We should make the map," said Grey. He took out the parchment, quill, and ink bottle.

"I can't see so...can someone draw?"

"I got it," said Ciara, snatching the quill from Grey's hand. "So this is where we are. And these are the three paths."

She doodled the map on the back of the parchment, placing an 'X' for their current location and three lines that represented the passageways. She announced what she was drawing, so Grey could imagine the map in his head.

"Is there anything special about the passages?"

"Not that I can see," said Oswin. His boots squelched forward. "Let's go right? It'll be easier to find our way back if we go the same direction. We can also mark our trail using whatever we find here."

"Okay, sounds good." replied Grey.

The three made their way down the right passage. The bricks that made up the tunnel walls were overgrown with moss.

"You guys see anything?" whispered Grey.

"Not yet," said Ciara. The sewage seemed to flow in the same direction that they were walking. They had not come across any other open passages. "I think I see some wood planks. They’re covered in black goo though."

"Wait," said Oswin. "I think I see something. Come look, Ciara. Over there, by that pile of garbage."

More specifically, it was a large mound of rotten wood. Sludge had caked the random bits into a disgusting lump, but there were enough holes and cracks for a small creature to cozy into. Oswin had spied a mouse peeking up behind the pile. It raised its nose and wiggled it before burrowing into a small crevice.

"There is a mouse!" whispered Oswin. "I am going to try to move around the right. Ciara can you try to get it from the front?"

"Okay," said Ciara, moving into position.

"Grey, just listen and tell us which way you hear it going in case it escapes."

"Okay."

"Ciara. Attack as soon as I wave my hand."

Oswin got into position. His eyes focused in on the small patch of fur still visible through the sludge. He then raised his hand and waved it. Ciara pounced into the pile scattering dirt everywhere. She got up and spat out dirt as the mouse leapt off her head. Music filled the tunnel. The mouse, even as a low-level monster, had its own battle music!

Oswin raced to cut it off but the rat didn’t run away! It was looking straight at Oswin. It leaped up and scratched at his eyes. He batted it off his face and fell over backwards. The rat then raced towards Ciara, slipping into her shirt.

“Wah!?!?”

She shrieked. It was crawling all over her, little feet tickling her as it crawled down her pants. Her legs jerked as she fell into the water. A high level mouse! Even as small as it was, it knew exactly how to beat these kids!

In all the commotion, Grey could tell something was amiss. It didn’t take long for him to realize the mouse was intelligent. He slowly bent down and began to form balls of mud.

Oswin had finally recovered from his fall to stand up. The mouse raced towards him. It zigzagged across the water before leaping off the wall. Oswin swung at the mouse but missed. It was too small! It landed on his hand and scurried under his clothes. Oswin began spinning around in circles, before finally falling over.

The mouse appeared under his collar, squeaking triumphantly as it sat on Oswin’s head. It had beaten the human! That’s when a ball of mud struck it and knocked it into the wall. Stuck, it’s eyes peered out through the mud. Another ball smacked against it, and another, and another. The mouse tried to dig its way out, but the mud bogged it down. Although, the mouse was very fast it wasn’t very strong! Exhausted from trying to dig through so much mud, it gave out a weak squeak and lay still.

Grey cautiously crawled towards the mud pile, his hands feeling his way through the sewage.

“Did? Did we catch it?” she asked as she wiped the mud off her hands. She looked at Oswin who was still seeing stars. As Grey’s hands came across the pile of mud, his hands began searching for the mouse. Before long, he pulled a wriggling mass out of the goop.

“Stop!” squeaked the tiny little mouse. “Please don’t hurt me!”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Editor's Notes:

we are rewinding the clock to right after Chapter 25 of the first volume. We are still working hard on reworking the first volume so please mind the dust :D :D