The square was lined with expensive shops and restaurants. Behind Edwin, the wall of the Guard Fortress claimed most of the north side. On the south side, the lord’s manor caught the eye with its tall stone pillars and ostentatious architecture. As a city, Pel Darni wasn’t much to look at – its most distinguishing feature was the abundance of stone as a building material. Being so close to the mountains but too far from the silver mines, stone and iron were what the region was known for.

Edwin decided to savor the moment and took a stroll around the square. The shops mostly sold overpriced trinkets and clothing, catering to those who felt a need to show their wealth. A few of them managed to catch his attention however, among them a book vendor and the office of a contract mage. Walter had never been able to walk past a bookstore and relocating his collection into the laboratory’s library had been one of the most time-consuming parts of the moving process.

The lord’s manor was one of the most grandiose buildings Edwin or Walter had ever seen, excluding the ducal palace and the mage’s college. Baron Lidion was one of the less prestigious regional lords, but easy and cheap access to stone apparently had its perks. It looked like someone had begun building a palace and then started taking inspiration from the fortress across the plaza. It sounded like it shouldn’t work, but somehow it did. Edwin really wondered however if all of those arrow slits, crenellations and other fortification elements were truly functional or purely aesthetic.

In the middle of the square stood a large marble statue. A hawk-nosed man in plate armor looked down at the people passing by, one hand holding a scroll, the other a sheathed sword. Edwin stepped up to the base, running his fingers over the inscription.

Lionel Lidion, the Adventurer

Protector of the People

He rests knowing we took up the mantle

He wore a friendly smile, as if he was offering Edwin to take the items he held. Edwin chuckled.

That sounds like a great idea, lord Lidion. Don’t mind if I do.

He turned to leave, looking back at the lord’s manor when he missed a step. Who was the current lord Lidion anyway? For that matter, who was the duke? All his information was years out of date. People might have forgiven Edwin being a year or two behind on court gossip, but not knowing who any of the nobility were and what the political situation was would be even more suspicious than any of his blunders so far. He leaned against the statue’s pedestal, thinking. He could probably get a good idea by going to a few taverns, nursing an ale and spying on the other patrons’ conversations. Did he need to do this before he went to the Guild? Edwin rubbed his chin. Now that he realized the problem, he should be fine. He really didn’t want to put it off any more now that he was so close. Also, he still had the headman's request… Determined, Edwin started across the square again.

The Adventurer’s Guild was easy to find, fitting snugly between the tall walls of the Guard Fortress and the north-east corner of the square. Above the double doors of the main building was a large stone dragon’s head holding a scroll between its fangs. Its red eyes were beads of colored glass, and Edwin swore he could see a hunger in them. The dragon with the scroll was the guild’s emblem, but usually it was painted or embossed on a shield.

They probably like to remind everyone that they were the original guild house, even though the headquarters moved to the capital long ago.

In case the dragon hadn’t managed to tell a visitor where they were, below it a large sign spelled it out for them:

First guild house of the ducal Adventurer’s Guild of Harvand

Royal Adventure Society

Edwin smirked. Of course, they had to reference the Royal Adventure Society, as if that made them more important somehow. The mages had been the same, if not worse. Everything had to track back to a royal something or other, or nobody cared about it. Shaking his head, Edwin walked through the doors.

--- ----- ---

He entered a large round room with a high ceiling. On each side, stairs led to a balcony halfway up. On the ground floor, every wall was covered in slate boards, several of them with writing on them. At a glance they seemed like job notices. Opposite to the entrance were several hallways that led deeper into the compound, as well as a wooden counter. Behind it sat a young woman, barely more than a child in Edwin’s eyes, who looked up at his entrance. She was probably in her early twenties, tall, with a blond ponytail, and she wore a uniform in dark Adventurer’s Guild green. Edwin approached the counter and she greeted him with a smile, her eyes growing a little wider when he came to a stop before the counter and she had to crane her neck to look up at him.

“Welcome to the Adventurer’s Guild, how can I help you?”

Edwin made another attempt at a friendly smile feeling like he slowly got the hang of it.

“Good morning, my name is Edwin. I have two issues that I was hoping you could assist me with.”

She stood and approached the counter while tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

“I will certainly try my best. What might these issues be?”

While she was speaking, Edwin had already unshouldered his pack and started rummaging around in it. After a moment he presented the scroll.

“While I was travelling here I was asked to deliver this request. Apparently Three Faces has a goblin problem.”

The attendant’s smile became somewhat less cheerful as she took the scroll and started undoing the knot.

“Three Faces? Are you sure? A party only just came back from there a short while ago. Maybe this request is older…?”

“I’m afraid not, milady.” Edwin answered, tilting his head apologetically. “I took possession of it only very recently.”

The girl shot him a startled look, quickly hiding a blush behind the scroll.

Wait, what was that? Edwin wondered. Did I say something wrong?

After a few moments, the attendant’s head came back up, and she looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“This request was signed yesterday! That can’t be right. Did you travel through the night?”

Edwin’s smile became a little forced. He hadn’t been aware that the request would have a date on it, although it made sense now that he thought about it. His initial idea had been to pretend that he had gotten it from another traveler, to prevent people from wondering how he had gotten to Three Faces in the first place – after all, his cover story said that he was from a village in the south. Well, it couldn’t be helped now.

“No, I received it first thing in the morning and travelled through the day without stopping. I arrived late yesterday evening and decided to rest up before I delivered it. I wasn’t sure if you would be open this late.”

While he spoke, the girl’s eyebrows kept rising until they almost reached her hairline. Edwin had to stifle a laugh, instead widening his smile again.

“You came here from Three Faces in a day? Did you travel by horse then?”

Edwin understood her confusion. He certainly didn’t look like he owned something as expensive as a horse.

“No, but my legs are almost as long and I don’t tire easily.” He answered, allowing himself a small chuckle that he hoped sounded well-meaning, not arrogant. “It was quite a trip, but I wanted to deliver this as quickly as possible.”

As he spoke, the attendant’s eyes roamed up and down his body before she caught herself, looking back up at his face.

“I see.” She answered in a subdued voice, blushing furiously.

Dammit, I keep doing it. Walter, why didn’t you get out more? I really need better people skills than what you left me with!

“Well, the request is in order and I can put this up right away.” The attendant continued after a moment. Even thrown off by Edwin’s stupid mouth, he had to commend her for how quickly she recovered her professional bearing. “Thank you for delivering this, although it comes at an inopportune time. With the number of requests rising as they are, our parties are stretched increasingly thin.”

“Then maybe the second matter I need your help with is more welcome than the first. You see, I would like to join the Adventurer’s Guild.”