Author’s Note: I would like to make excuses for why this chapter was late and admittedly I do have an excuse that Saturday I was going through like a few hundred documents for my step-dad’s business. Truthfully though, it can all be attributed to certain Den members who have been talking about a certain game in chat constantly for the last few weeks. Since my birthday was coming up this week and because of my interest in it, I ended up buying the game too and spending a lot of time playing it.
So, sorry this chapter was so late. I really am trying to keep to the 3 day thing I promise, but I don’t know if I’ll actually be able to. I can only promise to try harder in the future so please enjoy the chapter. It is much longer than the previous one at least.
----------------------------------------
Chapter 21
It took me a while to find my way to the Adventurer’s Guild. Mainly because the way I had left the place last night had involved following those random directions that had been given while looking for Seran’s presence. Also, Lynn was still not responding to me, so I couldn’t whisper a command for her to display me a map. This meant my way back had involved basically just wandering until I found one of the main street areas that I recognized from the day before as heading to the plaza the guild was located at.
When I finally arrived and entered the guild, I was surprised by how deserted the place was compared to the previous evening. Sure, there were some adventurers checking the request board, but I saw only about twenty total people inside, when last night there was probably close to a hundred. It is still pretty early in the morning, so maybe most of the adventurers are still asleep or something? Or maybe they already all went out and these people here are the stragglers, rather than the early birds.
None of this had anything to do with my business though, so I went to the not busy counter to talk to the girl who was there. Surprisingly enough it was another cat girl. She even looked very familiar, possibly sisters with the one from last night, though her hair was a bit lighter.
She greeted me as I approached with a smile. “Hello, you’re a new face. And, since you’re not checking the request board like the others, you must have some other kind of business here.”
“That’s right. I need to pick up my card. I registered last night. By the way, since I’m curious, is the guild normally like this in the morning? It was a lot busier last night.” I replied.
“Oh, yep. This is how mornings usually are, because all of the adventurers around here are either useless or sots.” She said the last bit louder than probably necessary, and some of the adventurers nearby overheard.
“Come on Miss Fara, you know that’s not true for all of us!” One of the younger looking male adventurers complained.
“Well, if it’s not true, Lester, then hurry up and complete enough requests to rank up already. Didn’t you promise me that you’d rank up to being a Tier 1 adventurer and propose to me? If you were serious, then hurry and show me. I get lots of proposals as it is. You won’t impress me for making a promise if you can’t keep it.” For talking about a proposal, she’s really calm about it. The young man that had spoken up was blushing and had totally shut up. One of his companions was patting him on the back. She turned her attention back to me. “Sorry about that, I really do seem to attract courting though. I seem to get some newbie adventurer proposing to me at least once a week. Anyway, that’s just my personal troubles. You were after your guild card correct? Let’s see where it got put.”
She started searching in some of the cabinets behind the counter. I have to admit that she is definitely attractive enough to deserve the attention. I think I prefer the other cat girl from the night before a bit over her, though. Her figure seemed a bit better and she had a slightly more mature look. That might have been a result of her lazy attitude I suppose. Why am I constantly evaluating the beauty of the girls around me!? Damn it Seri, you and your romantic escapades!
The cat girl, Fara I guess her name is, stopped rifling through the drawers. “Sorry, it seems like it’s not down here. You registered last night though, correct?”
“Yes I registered with another girl that looks very similar to you. Maybe your sister or cousin or something?” I answered.
Fara started giggling. “No, that was my mother.” I think my brain ceased functioning for a moment. “If you registered with her, I’m pretty sure your guild card is still upstairs in the guild master’s room.”
I had to ask. “Wait, if that was your mom, but how? The two of you look the same age!”
Fara just giggled a bit more. “You’re not the first one to wonder that. My great grandmother was an elf, so some of the elven longevity passed down the line.”
So the girl in front of me and the, I suppose, woman from last night are elven cat girls? I can’t say I ever expected that kind of possibility. Are their ears longer than normal? That was a stupid thought. Anyway, It definitely explains why the mom last night felt more mature despite the similar in age appearance. This isn’t important right now, though. “So, my card is upstairs? Did your mom turn it into the guild master and then forget to bring it back down or something?”
She sighed. “Actually, my mother is the guild master.” My brain tried desperately to keep up with these sharp turns. “She likes to work down here at the counter so she can be out of her office and thus ignore the mountain of paperwork in there. She’s currently sleeping up there.”
“Isn’t it a problem when the guild master is that lazy?” I questioned.
“My mother does, remarkably, finish her work. Even if it is sometimes barely on time. Just give me a moment to go upstairs to find your card. I’ll be right back.” And with that she left.
I glanced around. There’s no other guild staff at the counter. Is that not a problem for the adventurers? Now that I think about it, I didn’t really get an explanation about how accepting requests works last night.
Some of the adventurers came up to chat with me while I waited. “Yo newbie! Joining the guild huh? It’s tough work, you know? You sure you’re cut out for it?”
What’s this? Giving the new person advice? How kind of him. “I’m fine. I’m already used to traveling around and fighting. I just never registered before since I hadn’t needed to.” I answered.
“Oh, is that so, newbie? Well, just take your time ranking up. There’s no real rush and rushing will get you killed in this line of work. I’d suggest looking to join a party and going to the Forgotten Woods. It’s a good place to get experience and pretty safe since it’s under guild control.” The man continued with his advice. I was kind of surprised by how friendly he was being. Isn’t the usual cliche with the veteran adventurers making a fuss about someone joining? I guess I’m being a bit stupid to think that kind of thing will always happen.
After the older man finished talking, the young man from earlier Lester spoke up too. “Yeah, if you want, you can join our party! We’ve been going to the Woods for the last week now. If you don’t mind me asking, what is your Class?”
I have no real reason to hide it. Plus I think if the knowledge of what Class I am spreads a bit, most people will underestimate me which is always a good thing. Being underestimated makes people not take you as a serious threat. After all, I’m only a Beastmaster with no beasts. I had a brief mental chuckle at that thought. “I’m a level thirty Beastmaster along with some training to be a Hunter.”
“A level thirty Beastmaster!” Lester exclaimed. “That’s really good! You don’t seem to have any beasts with you at the moment. Did you leave them in a stable or something?”
“Regrettably, I don’t have any beasts at the moment. They all got killed recently.” Coa heard what I said and reared up and chirped at me, like she was saying, ‘What about me?’. The adventurers eyes flicked to Coa too so it’s obvious that she was finally noticed. I had so hoped she would stay asleep and quiet. “Well, I do have this child, but she’s still too young to do anything.”
“Is that a Serpent Dragon!? How did you manage to tame one of those? Those are extremely rare and valuable you know!?” Lester was getting to be annoying.
“Lester, calm down.” The older man said. “I am impressed you managed to tame one of them. How did you manage it?”
“Taming this little one is what got all my other beasts killed so not really a great trade off.” I supplied.
“You could always sell it. You’d make at least ten gold. Probably much more since it’s still a child that can be easily raised. Serpent Dragons aren’t exactly strong fighting creatures but they are prized for being pets for the wealthy.” The man explained.
“No. I have no intention of selling this little one. I’m very fond of her.” I rubbed Coa’s head with my hand and she started to purr.
“I’m still willing to let you join our party if you want. We could always use another ranged attacker.” Lester chimed up again.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass. I don’t think I’d be much use to any party and I still need to actually buy a bow.” I wasn’t bothering to carry around the crude bow Gormon had made for me today so other than my dagger at my waist, I wasn’t carrying any obvious weapons.
“If you change your mind, just let me know. I’m here bright and early every day!” He said.
“You’re only here ‘bright and early’ every morning because Miss Fara works in the mornings.” Another young adventurer laughed.
Lester blushed, “Hey, you’re not one to talk! I know you proposed to her too!”
“So what if I did. That’s my business, or do you want to pick a fight? You’re still just a rookie.” The other guy continued laughing, but stood up from where he had been sitting.
Ahh, these two idiots really look like they are about to get it on. Oh, the older man is rolling his eyes at this scene. Thankfully, Fara finally returned and they immediately calmed down. I guess they don’t want to cause trouble in the guild when the girl they have a crush on can see it.
She spoke up in a loud voice. “Hey everyone, I have a notice here.” The adventurers all stopped whatever they were doing to listen. “There’s reports of heightened monster activity coming out of the Nothar mountains. So be careful if any of your work takes you near or into there. Make sure to pass the word onto other adventurers if they haven’t seen the notice.” With that she went up to the request board and stuck the notice straight in the center. She came back to the counter and the rest of the adventurers dispersed back to what they were doing. “It was a good thing I went up there to check for your card. I wouldn’t even have known about the notice otherwise.” She laid a card down in front of me. “Here you go. You are now officially a Tier 5 Adventurer. Do you have any questions you need to ask?”
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
“Yes I do, actually. First, how does accepting requests work. Also, if I wanted to go to the Forgotten Woods, is there anything I need to do first? Then, are there any requests for the Forgotten Woods that you recommend?” I asked.
“Well for requests, you just need to bring the request here to the counter and one of the guild staff will register you for accepting it. You can bring in given requests too, you don’t have to accept ones from the board here. If you do that though, we usually need to do a follow up to make sure it’s a legitimate request. For the Forgotten Woods, it’s a dungeon suitable for beginners so there’s no permission or anything needed. Just remember to be careful. It is a dungeon, even if it is low level. And don’t try to fight the boss until you’re stronger. The dungeon boss is about twice as high in level as the other monsters. Many new adventurers get overconfident and lose their lives to it.” Fara warned.
“And what about requests for the Forgotten Woods?” I asked again.
“Have you ever been in a dungeon before?” I shake my head. “We have a standing request for any fiend stones you might collect from the monsters. Dungeon monsters are different from the monsters that live outside of dungeons. They disappear when killed, leaving behind just their fiend stone. Fiend stones can be purified and then they become a magic stone which can be used in a number of ways. The monsters in the dungeon near here are pretty low level though, so we only get basic stones, but they still have uses even so.” Fara explained.
“I got it. So basically if I go to the dungeon, just collect as many stones as possible from the monsters? That sounds pretty easy. Out of curiosity what are some of the things magic stones are used for?” I said.
“It does sound easy. As for magic stones, certain potions or enchantments can require them. Just be careful, really. Your information says you’re a Beastmaster, but you should absolutely not try to tame a dungeon monster. Dungeon monsters can’t be tamed.” She gave me another warning.
Not like I planned to tame anything new. Unless I came across something really interesting. “Thanks for all your help. Oh, I had one more question. Can you give me directions to shop owned by someone named Huvreck? I was told the guild should know where it’s located.”
“Huvreck’s shop? I can give you directions, but are you sure? He’s a bit eccentric, though he does make good weapons. I’d really recommend a different shop.” Fara replied. I nodded. “Well if you’re sure.” She pulled out a paper and quill pen and started drawing out a simple map. “Just follow the map directions and you’ll get there.”
I picked up the map. Thankfully there was no written directions on it. It was a simple drawn map starting at the guild and then making note of the streets to get to my destination. “Thanks again. I really appreciate it.”
“No problems at all. The guild staff is here to help.” She smiled.
Before I could stop, I found myself saying. “Since that’s out of the way and I’m a new adventurer now, shall I propose to you too? I promise to make you happy.” I think both her and I went blank at that statement of mine. Why in the hell did I just say that!? I quickly spoke up again. “Sorry, that was just a poor joke. Anyway, I’ll be going now.” I immediately made my way out of the guild without stopping or looking back.
I felt so damn embarrassed. I hope she’s not there when I go back to turn in any extra stones I get from the dungeon. I want to hold on to some to play with. I diverted my brain to focusing on the map in my hand and then started walking. As I walked, I paid attention to where I was going so I wouldn’t have to rely on the map again. I was kind of surprised that I found myself walking through some alleys and then after a few minutes I found myself at a shop. It looked pretty run down. Not a surprise I guess considering how out of the way it is. There’s just a simple wooden sign with a blacksmith hammer hanging over the door.
I pushed open the door and went inside. The inside was just as run down as the outside. There were some weapons hanging in various places, but not that many. Also I don’t see any examples of armor, though there is a single shield. The other flaw was that there was no shopkeeper in site. I heard sounds coming from the back that sounded like hammer work so I trudged through the store toward the sounds. In the back, at a small bench was a short man that despite his height had incredible physique. I assumed that he was a dwarf.
He was so focused on whatever he was working on that he hadn’t even noticed me. I didn’t really want to interrupt, but I didn’t feel like standing around waiting for a long time either. “Excuse me, are you Huvreck? I was told to come here by a recommendation.”
The man didn’t even turn around. He replied in a gruff voice. “Get out! I don’t have any money for the likes of you, so there be no reason to heckle me!”
I sighed. “I’m not here about money. I’m here about buying a weapon. Are you Huvreck? Seran told me you could help me with getting a good bow.”
“Wha? Seran?” The man finally turned around giving me a glimpse of his long, bushy beard. “Lass, didja just mention an elf named Seran as in Serandelle from the Ashleaf Clan? She toldja to come to me?”
I nodded. “Yes, she recommended me to visit you.”
The dwarf started laughing. “It’s been a long time since I heard that name. Last I knew she was still stuck at the fortress. How’d ya meet her? She must really like ya to tell ya to come to me for a weapon.”
“She escorted me to this town.” I replied.
“Wha? That damn elf was in town and didn’t visit me!? She owes me a bloody drink!” Huvreck roared.
“Sorry, I can’t do anything about that. I really would prefer we could switch the talk to my business though.” I said.
“Fine, lass. What were ya after? I wasn’t payin’ attention.” He answered.
“I need a good bow. Also some arrows and a quiver if possible. If not I understand, but definitely at least a bow.” I explained.
“A bow eh? I have a few bows that might work for a lass your size.” He strode over to a pile of crates in a corner and started sorting through the contents. After some time, time that I spent patting Coa, he returned with two short bows. “Here we are. Both good bows. Took me a moment since I had to arm them with their strings.”
“Which is the best bow of these two?” I asked.
“Well, that’d be this one here.” He displayed a white bow. “One of my finest works this one. A bow made of pearlwood. The string for this one is even fairy thread too. I carved some enchantments into it ta make it stronger and more durable. It has pretty hefty stat requirements, so I don’t know if a lass like yourself could use it. If ya be looking for a good beginner bow then it’d be this one.” This time he pointed out a dark grey bow. “This bow is made from ironwood. Not an amazing bow, but a very good one for beginners. Low stat requirements.”
“Do you mind if I try them? I want to see if I can use the pearlwood bow.” I said.
“Go ahead lass, though unless ya have a high strength stat ya won’t probably be able to bend it.” He supplied.
He handed the white bow to me and I took it. Now that I was holding the bow in my hand, I was pretty surprised. It seemed to be the perfect size for my use. I tried to pull the string back and of course it easily bent for me. Huvreck was gaping at me in shock. “It seems like this bow works just fine for me. How much does it cost? Also, what is the damage enhancement on it?”
“I’ll be. I don’t think I ever expected to find someone able to use the darn thing. As for the price, I’ll let ya have it for ten gold. That’s how much the material cost was at any rate. As for the damage, prepare to be amazed!” He made a wide grin before continuing. “It has a damage value of 460!”
That is pretty amazing. That means this bow has similar damage to my Whisperwind gun. Well it’s a bit lower and of course, I highly doubt this bow would reach the rate of fire of Whisperwind that can fire five hundred shots in a couple minutes, but it’s still impressive for a bow. I definitely want it. Having a strong weapon that is recognizable by this world would mean less reason for me to have to use my psi or guns. “That is astounding! I’ll buy it for ten gold then. Do you have a quiver and some arrows?”
At my question he rooted around in his crates again and came back with a simple quiver and a bundle of arrows. “There be forty arrows. That’d be enough as long as you recover them properly. The arrows are ironwood too so they shouldn’t break easily.”
“What would the arrows and quiver cost?” I asked.
“Nah, I’ll let ya have them along with the bow. No additional charge. I’m right pleased as a craftsman to finally see one of my works used.” Huvreck said.
“Are you sure? I don’t mind paying.” I replied.
“Don’t go spoiling my generosity, lass!” He barked.
“Fine, fine. Here’s your gold.” I handed him the coins. In return I slung the bow and quiver full of arrows behind my back under my cloak. I’ll probably need to adjust my cloak or take it off to use the quiver properly. Maybe I can strap it around my waist or something instead. There was something else I wanted to ask. I think a craftsman like Huvreck might know it best. “Huvreck, I have a question for you. It’s about some certain materials. Can you identify them for me?”
He seemed surprised by the request but nodded. “Sure, lass. If it’s something that can be worked, I know of it. I’m a master craftsman and weaponsmith after all.”
I pulled out the three lumps of materials and sat them down on the bench. Almost as soon as I had sat down the etherenite, Huvreck had reached for it and was examining it in his hands. His eyes were wide as he flipped the item around in his hands to examine every bit of it.
Finally, he finished and then he returned his focus to me. “Lass, where in the underworld did ya get this!? This is a pure, PURE ya hear me, lump of adamantite! I’ve never even heard of such a thing before!” He bellowed.
Adamantite?