The Inn is brightly lit. The sudden shift from darkness momentarily blinds the group. The interior is minimalistic with only a few chairs and tables about, with a single reception desk sitting across from the door. The innkeeper lazily leans on the countertop, tired from a long day of work.

As the group enters, the inn keeper’s expression becomes bright, and he asks, “Welcome to the Towering Tree Inn, what can I do for you?”. Emily steps forward and says, “We’d like two rooms for the night, your cheapest are fine.”. They had to be careful with their cash expenditure.

“Two per room I’m assuming. That’ll be ten copper a night per room,” the innkeeper says. One silver coin is one hundred copper coins, and one gold coin is a hundred silver coins. One platinum is a thousand gold, but it’s rarely used and seldom seen by the average villager.

“Alright,” Cale agrees and hands over twenty copper coins. From the king, the group received in total coinage worth one gold coin split into lower denominations. The innkeeper hands over the keys for two rooms and says, “Breakfast is served in the mornings, it’s only five copper per person. Quite a bargain, I must say.”.

The group heads upstairs and they split into their respective rooms, one room for the guys and one room for the girls. After unequipping their armour and cleaning themselves as best as they could at least, without much fanfare, the group falls into a deep sleep.

Early in the morning, just after the break of dawn, the group gathers at the Inn’s first floor. They pay for breakfast. Taking a bite from some fresh bread, Eric sighs, “I miss showers.”. The rest agree, silently nodding. “Are we going to the adventurers’ guild after this?” Mia asks. “Yes, I want to know what we’re signing ourselves up for,” Cale confirms.

After breakfast, Cale walks up to the innkeeper and asks, “Where can we find the adventurers’ guildhall?”. “Signing up are ya? A rare sight these days, all the young ones are either joining the army or are already part of the Guild. Just follow the main road up towards the city centre, Avalon was built around the guild hall as adventurers migrated closer,” the innkeeper says, directing the group. “Thank you,” Mia says from the back of the group.

Following the main road, the group quickly locates the Guild Hall. It’s a multi-level structure that can easily be mistaken for a castle or fortress. It reaches five stories into the sky, towering twenty meters in height. They approach the hall, walking past numerous teams heading out on quests—the other teams’ size range between three to four members each.

As they enter the hall, the whole first floor opens up into a single, giant lobby. Half of it is a tavern where numerous teams of adventurers, all fully equipped, gather to drink and discuss their quests. On the other side of the hall, a long reception desk stretches out. Behind it, ten receptionists are helping different groups.

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They stand in line, waiting their turn. Behind the receptionists, hundreds of flyers and requests cover the back wall. After waiting for ten minutes, their group reaches the front of the queue. “Turning in a quest?” the receptionist asks, barely looking up at the group, continuing to fill in documents.

“We are registering, actually,” Eric says, a proud grin on his face. The receptionist pauses, she looks up. “My apologies, few are registering these days, and the wide majority are already registered. I assumed incorrectly. It’s simple to sign up. Just fill in this form and place your hand on the crystal,” the receptionist says, taking out four papers and a blue crystal gem from underneath the table.

“What happens when we sign up?” Cale asks cautiously. Without missing a beat, the receptionist explains, “Your body signature gets added to our magic network; thus, you’ll easily be identified at any guild branch. We have a hall in each kingdom and numerous branches in cities throughout the kingdoms. On signup, you’ll receive a bronze card.”.

“What do the cards do?” Emily asks curiously. “The cards help us identify your rank and helps keep track of your current quests. Once you’ve completed a certain amount of quests, depending on their difficulty, you then qualify for a promotion. Your current rank limits your quest difficulty and availability. Completing lower-ranked quests don’t count towards your current rank progress. Currently, you are bronze rank, and once you’re promoted, you’ll be silver rank,” she explains.

Each group member steps forward, one by one, and fills in the form. The crystal is a magical device that glows when they place their hands on it, recording their data. “Great, now you’re registered. You can form a team if you want. To accept any quests, find a suitable one from the board behind me, and I’ll add it to your card,” the receptionist says, handing each member a bronze card.

“We’d like to form a team,” Eric says. The receptionist takes out a separate crystal and says, “Each member has to place their guild card on this crystal to join the team. What’s your team name?”. The group quickly discusses, before deciding, “Our team name is Summoned.”. “Well, I’ve heard worse names before,” the receptionist remarks, registering the team. On each of their cards, their team name magically appears underneath their names.

“We have some wolf parts; can we sell it here?” Cale asks. “No, unless it’s meant for a quest, we don’t handle any transactions. Luckily, there is a new bronze quest for ten wolf pelts. It’s practically a silver quest but barely misses the mark. If you complete it then it’ll significantly boost your rank progress,” she says.

“We’ll accept the quest,” Eric says, everyone agreeing with his decision. “Alright, I’ve added the details to your cards. Some advice, you might want to ask at the bar for some information on known wolf dens. Depending on your rank and cash, they have information on everything,” the receptionist says.

“Thanks for the advice,” Cale says. The group turns towards the bar and find themselves a table. They know that information is the greatest thing they currently lack. “I’ll go and talk to the barkeep, hopefully, he isn’t stingy,” Emily offers, enthusiastic as always. The group agrees, watching her walk towards the bar table.