They stayed with Master Quinnick for a few minutes, who, with the help of an extremely enthusiastic Toris, took measurements and quizzed Edwin on his preferences for the armor. The discussion drifted off into the possibility of using direbeast parts for weaponry as well, until Bordan reminded them that they were meeting Leodin at the guild house, and they said their goodbyes. When they returned to the front of the shop, they quickly took care of the rest of their business. The apprentice promised that they would have Bordan’s spear fixed in no time, and Edwin bought a new shield to replace the one eaten by the beaver. Edwin had intended to visit Mistress Tullia’s shop for new clothes, as he was wearing his last shirt without obvious holes, as well as introduce Salissa to Master Foss. The mage’s shoes had all but given up on her towards the end of the trip, at which point Edwin had mentioned the stellar performance of his brand-new pair of boots. That would have to wait, though, as the sun was high in the sky, and the three hurried towards the central square.

On the way to Armin’s, Edwin had checked several of Olin’s favorite spots but had found no sign of the boy. He kept his eyes open on the way out of the western quarter as well, but again, without luck. When they arrived at the guild house, Leodin was waiting for them at the front desk, chatting with the clerk. It wasn’t Fiona on duty, but an elderly man named Meren.

If there had been a contest for the most relaxed person in the world, Meren would have won it without effort. Edwin had never seen him without a friendly smile on his face, and he did everything slowly and deliberately. Whether he walked through the halls of the guild house, spoke to adventurers at the reception desk or listened to their problems, he was utterly unhurried. Apparently, he’d been receptionist for decades, but since Fiona’s hiring, he mostly took care of planning and administration, leaving the personal interaction to the attractive, young woman.

“Good morning, Meren!” Bordan called as they approached the desk. “Is Fiona not working?”

“Good morning to you too.” Meren returned the greeting in his customary measured way. “She is, but I asked her to work in the office today. We had some interesting paperwork to take care of, something she hasn’t done before, so it is a good learning opportunity.” He shook his head with a self-deprecating smile. “She doesn’t care much for the administrative part of our profession, I’m afraid. If my teacher saw how much I let her get her way, he would berate me to no end. When he realized that I didn’t like being at the desk at first, he made me do nothing else for an entire season.”

“Well, there is more than one way to train.” Bordan reassured him. “And as far as I can tell, Fiona is anything but ill-prepared for her tasks.”

“Kind of you to say.” Meren nodded. “Though feel free not to tell her that. She is much too young to become complacent. Anyway, you aren’t here to hear me ramble, you have a meeting to get to. Just head on through and let the deputy know you’re here, will you?”

The deputy Chaptermaster’s office was close to the actual Chaptermaster’s, so they knew the way. A walk up some flights of stairs and half a minute of searching, and Bordan knocked on the correct door.

“Come in.” Called a feminine voice from inside, and they opened the door.

Deputy Ildre was a tall, hawkish woman in her early or mid-forties. Where Meren always wore a smile, Ildre seemed perpetually severe. Edwin had never properly met the woman, only seen her from afar, but he knew of her from conversations with other Guild members. She had started out as a receptionist, but after a few years she changed careers to become a regular adventurer. At first, she had been a marksman, but by the time she quit active duty to take the post of deputy, she had been one of the more well-known allrounders, adventurers who were proficient at all ranges. Her experience in all areas of the Guild, as well as her no-nonsense attitude and track record as an adventurer meant that she was incredibly well respected within the Guild, almost more so than even Chaptermaster Hector.

“Ah, you’re here. Good.” Ildre said, looking up from a desk filled with papers. Her office was much less lavish and more utilitarian than Hector’s, although it was still one of the nicer rooms in the building, with plenty of space for cupboards and bookshelves and windows facing the central square.

“I still need a minute to finish this, so wait for me in the meeting room, please. It’s down the hall and to the right.”

The party left, looking for the room in question. It was a simple affair, probably used for private meetings of the leadership and administration, with windows facing the courtyard. Edwin approached and looked down, his eyebrows rising at the small army of young men running and swinging practice weapons. Not so long ago, it had just been them down there. The others joined him at the window, and Leodin whistled in surprise.

“Guess people really don’t want to go to the front.” The marksman said.

“Cowards.” Grumbled Bordan. “The duchy is in more danger than ever, and they want to hide instead of fighting for our freedom. They should be tried as deserters.”

“I see where you’re coming from, but I can’t imagine that happening.” Edwin said. “The law is pretty clear: Adventurers can’t be drafted, and the Guild is open to anyone. I don’t even know if the Guild has a way to expel trainees, except for crimes or other gross misconduct.”

“We do.” Ildre’s voice sounded from behind them, and they turned around. The deputy entered the room, placed down a small folder at the head of the table, then joined them at the window.

“There are some articles written into the Charter that have never been used, and some that can be interpreted in different ways. We have been in constant contact with the Guild leadership in Pel Harvand the past week, and we are already producing options. The Adventurer’s Guild was never intended as a safe haven for those who are afraid of fighting. We need to tread carefully, though, as some of the trainees down there genuinely wish to become adventurers, and simply used the draft as the impetus to finalize their decision. Separating the wheat from the chaff is never an easy task, even less so with the army and the duke breathing down our neck.”

The deputy gave the trainees one last look, then turned around and walked to her seat. The others took this as a signal to also return to the table.

“Should you be telling us this?” Edwin asked as he sat down.

“It’s not a secret. On the contrary, if the draft evaders down there hear that we won’t take their behavior lying down, they might reconsider their choices and go quietly before we increase the pressure.” She opened her folder and spread out its contents, shaking her head while scanning them.

“And here we thought that the monster wave was going to be our biggest problem this decade. Anyway, that’s not why you’re here.” She looked up, holding each of their eyes in turn, then gave them a rare smile.

“I would like to congratulate you on your first successful monster hunt. The first kill is a big step for any new adventurer, and usually you would find yourself the target of some of our more…colorful traditions. With so few of us here, you will have to live without the hazing, I’m afraid. There is still going to be a small party at the pig and scroll tonight, so I expect all of you to be there.”

She looked down at the paperwork again.

“Then again, your situation is anything but regular anyway. The first assignment is commonly a simple one, undertaken under the watchful eyes of an experienced instructor. After one trip you already have more kills under your belt than some adventurers who began in more peaceful times did after a year. And you did so as a four-man group, without a seasoned adventurer as a leader. I’m glad that the trust Master Hector and Instructor Mennick put in you was not misplaced, but I’m even more relieved that you finished your task without serious injuries. The decision to send you was not taken lightly and was only considered because we were out of other options. I’m sure that the dangers you faced along the way showed you why.”

The adventurers shared looks, nodding. If possible, adventurers always tried to minimize the risk to themselves by using not just superior tactics and preparation, but also training and numbers. There had been way too many close calls on their trip.

“Now, I would like you to go through your entire trip, especially all your monster encounters, but feel free to also mention any other kind of experience or information that you have gained. Bordan, you acted as the leader?”

Bordan nodded, gathered his thoughts and began. “Our departure was somewhat rushed, which is why we forgot to pack enough medical supplies. It was my mistake, really, and I didn’t think of it due to my army experience. We headed out with a caravan along the northern trade road…”

And so began another retelling of their trip, this time in detail and without holding anything back. Ildre was nodding along, taking notes, and sometimes asking clarifying questions. When Bordan ended with their return to the city, she finished writing and studied her papers.

“Well, you have certainly presented me with a conundrum. Some of the things you did, especially taking out a pack of three direwolves with only four fighters, is more than impressive. Usually, I would be wondering whether you are just that good or really lucky. The addition of you, Salissa, throws our usual reasoning out of the window, however, as I have no way of telling how much of an influence your presence was. The last mage adventurer retired before I was born, so we only have imperfect accounts of his effectiveness in combat. I would like to use this opportunity to assess the impact you have, and how best to use your skills, if you will permit.”

“Certainly.” Salissa said. She kept her face impassive, but after a month in close proximity to her, Edwin could tell that she was nervous.

“If I may.” Edwin said, and when Ildre nodded at him, he continued. “We are actually still in the process of figuring this out for ourselves. The journey has provided us with some experience as to what works well and what doesn’t, but a mage’s real strength in the type of combat we engage in is their flexibility. There are many aspects of Salissa’s capabilities we have yet to touch on, and it will take at least several months of training, testing and practice to get a better picture of what is possible.”

The deputy raised an eyebrow, looking to Salissa for confirmation. Edwin’s companions didn’t react, however, calmly letting him speak.

“What we have figured out will be no surprise to you: That a mage in combat is a force to be reckoned with. Against several of our foes, Salissa delivered the killing blow or allowed one of us to do so easily. One of our greatest challenges was the limited range. Magic becomes more expensive the farther away the mage tries to use it, so she always had to close to within a few meters to be effective. In any case, we are already working on several new combat options for her. If you wish, we can keep you updated on our progress and results.”

“That would be highly appreciated.” The deputy said. She had listened to Edwin with obvious interest and surprise, scribbling notes all the way. “We have not yet lost hope that more mages might find their way to our doors and having a guide of sorts would be very helpful.”

“Then let me add two things.” Edwin said. “The first is that Salissa had a somewhat rough start. I don’t mean to demean her skills; she is a valued and capable member of our team. The fact of the matter is that fighting isn’t taught at the College. At all. Like anyone else, mages need to learn how to behave in a combat situation, and with that in mind she actually learned at an admirable rate. Still, she would have greatly benefitted from prior training by the Guild.”

Again, Ildre looked between Edwin and Salissa curiously. The mage’s cheeks gained some color, and she stoically looked over Edwin’s shoulder and out of the window.

“The second is that you should be very careful with your records. There is a good reason why mages aren’t taught to fight, and if the Inquisitors hear that you are compiling a guide, they would be less than thrilled. Salissa’s actions are perfectly legal, but there are nevertheless strict rules on the accessibility of books that cover offensive applications of magic.”

Ildre’s eyes widened, and Edwin defused his words with a slight smile.

“I’m not saying that you shouldn’t do it, on the contrary, but maybe just keep it between us, you and the Chaptermaster.”

The deputy leaned back and studied Edwin for a few seconds. Then she nodded.

“I will do just that then. And thank you for the information, I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops.”

She looked down, studying her notes to regain her train of thought. Tight, neat handwriting filled more than a page by now.

“In any case, you completed your assignments on time, and you did so despite a heightened amount of danger that, had we known about it beforehand, would have led to your party not being dispatched at all, at the very least not alone.”

She took out a small strip of paper from her folder, consulted her notes one more time, then filled it out and signed it.

“This is your official pay from the Guild. I have included a small bonus for your willingness to finish your training and depart on short notice, as well as the disproportionate level of threat you faced. You can hand this in at the front desk to receive the funds. Do you have any questions?”

Bordan accepted the slip from the deputy, and the party shared looks. When nobody spoke up, Ildre nodded, satisfied.

“Take a few days off. Long trips like this one are quite stressful, and while the peak of the monster wave is behind us, there is still plenty of work to be done before we can all relax again. Now that you have proven your skills, we would be foolish not to make use of them. And thank you again for your willingness to step up when needed. That, if nothing else, is the essence of an adventurer.”

With that, Ildre stood, nodded to each of them in turn, and left.