I continued down the street, turning down a side alley that led toward the Guild hall.

It was a common shortcut I took to avoid the hustle and bustle of the main street, but even that path was relatively crowded. In fact, it seemed to get even more packed the nearer I got to the Guild.

'Man, what is going on?'

Eventually, the side street was so impacted that I had a hard time squeezing my way through the crowd at all.

This was completely and totally unprecedented. Alonzia in its entirety never had this many people in it. There had to be visitors from other towns here too.

Also, whatever event was going on, its main attraction had to be at the Guild, there was no question about that.

But what event though? People were practically falling over one another, and for what?

'Wait, is that today?' I thought to myself incredulously.

'No, surely not. That was supposed to be a few days away. It couldn't be today... right?'

A sense of urgency filled my gut as I began to suspect what was happening.

If it was that, I was absolutely not willing to do any sort of waiting. I pushed past everyone with force that could only be described as inconsiderate, clearing a way for myself and earning more than my fair share of curses and shouts. I pushed open the door to the Guild and entered the building, stepping into the main foyer, heart full of expectations.

The place was packed full of people, standing shoulder to shoulder, pointing, and talking animatedly. Some even held mugs of beer, sipping at their drink and then holding it close to their chest like someone might steal it. The vast majority of people were gathered at the very back of the hall, so I figured that’s where the source of the excitement might be. But as I neared the epicenter of the crowd, I spotted a familiar figure instead.

Claire was hurriedly shooing people away from the area. In their dispersing, I couldn’t get a clear picture of what was going on.

‘Maybe I just need to get a little closer to see,’ I thought, inching forward slowly.

But the second I took another step, Claire, who had been thoroughly preoccupied, immediately saw me. Her eyes locked onto her target, like a griffin hunting its prey. Her reaction time was so uncanny, I wondered if she had been expecting me. Waiting for me, even.

She nodded at me as if to say, ‘Yep, you’re right. I was waiting for you. Now get your ass over here.’

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

‘I’m about to be caught up in something ridiculous. I can already feel it.’

Despite the red flags being raised, I weaved through the throngs of people to meet her. I wasn’t mean or stupid enough to refuse a request from my only friend and confidant.

Claire could normally handle herself, and asking for help was something she didn’t like to do. If she was asking me for assistance, it was likely something of great importance, and if it was anything of importance to her, I could spare the time.

As I made it to Claire's side, I got a clearer picture of what her current situation was like. There were three people standing around her in a hemi-circle, two of whom looked to be armed with various higher tier weapons and equipment.

It was definitely gear that you couldn't find in this backwater town, so they almost certainly made a long trek to get here. That might explain the urgency they spoke with, because the larger two of the group were running their mouths swiftly and animatedly, almost as if fighting to get a word in over Claire. If they were trying to talk over a Guild receptionist, they must've really meant business.

The three people were distinct from each other in terms of not only appearance, but also demeanor. In fact, they were so unique, they didn't look like they belonged together at all.

One was a girl in a white sundress, sitting absently in a wooden chair behind Claire. The fabric flowed around her as she shifted her weight, her feet bare against the ground. She looked to be around my age, with soft features and gentle curves. Her hair was a bright blonde, cascading in loose waves down her back. The girl herself seemed lost in thought, her sapphire gaze drifting off into the distance.

She didn’t seem to be an adventurer, so I pushed her to the back of my mind for now.

The other girl, a tanned young woman of medium stature, wore a chainmail top with cloth beneath, a short leather skirt, and knee-high leather boots. She had two massive hammers strapped to her belt with a long chain wrapped around her waist. Her hair was short and red, the same color as the fluffy, pointed ears jutting from her head, and the wolf-like tail that poked out from underneath her mail. A beastwoman of some sort.

A ridiculously tall swordsman of similar skin complexion stood beside her, his massive frame towering over the rest of the crowd. He wore a suit of battered armor, and his broad shoulders were draped with a heavy fur cloak. On his back hung a sword that was longer than most men were tall. Its blade gleamed underneath the narrow slits of sunlight passing through the Guild windows, reflecting light onto the man's aging silver and black hair. The hilt was made of blackened steel, adorned with intricate runes that glowed with an ethereal light. I couldn’t be sure, but judging from his size and general look, I would guess he was a highlander.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I was taken aback. I’d never seen either of the two races in person. Beastmen were reclusive and tribalistic, never engaging in affairs outside their own. Highlanders were known to fight amongst themselves, only traveling alone, and never partying up.

Yet here they were, arms practically linked, like it was par the course of both their cultures. Even better yet, it wasn't in an effort of battle, something the two races were renowned for.

It was for yapping, and it seemed they were skilled at that too. Claire was barely able to get a word in.

But as soon as she was able to, the receptionist interrupted them and turned her attention to me. Frantically cutting off anyone from speaking more, Claire exclaimed:

"This is her escort, and that’s final! I will not be taking any further requests!"

Then, she pointed at me, the one person who I believed to NOT be part of whatever was happening right now. I guess I was wrong.

Attention was whirled on me so fast I almost got whiplash. In the span of seconds, the eyes of everyone in the room were burrowing in on the average-looking guy in worn leather armor. Some were surprised, some were sizing me up, but most… most were just glaring. Angry. Especially the two that had been arguing with Claire. The only one who didn’t seem to care at all was the girl in the sundress.

It was right about then that I was really missing the outside festivities.

'I could be eating more wings right about now...' I lamented. However, I could only wallow in self-pity for a brief moment, as the dynamic duo had started to approach me.

The beastman stood in front of me, her hair bristling with anger. Her eyes blazed with an intensity so fierce I could almost see smoke. She let out a low growl, her sharp teeth curling up into a snarl.

Her partner, now standing adjacent to her, towered over me with his broad shoulders and muscular frame. His face was stern and his brow furrowed, telling me he was more than pretty pissed. Despite his anger, he displayed a clear control of his emotions, which I could respect.

"This young man?" He bellowed, commanding the attention of everyone in the room.

The sound was like thunder, sending a jolt through the gathered crowd. People turned to look, drawn by the force of his words.

"He does not look capable of such a task. Why put faith in him rather than us? We are proven. We will not fail to guide the Hero to greatness, and yet you would place her care in the strength of a young warrior?" He spat the word warrior as if it were a slur.

I might have set a world record with how fast I took back my respect.

"Hey," I started. "I might be a little young, but I'd definitely kick your-"

The words caught in my mouth like my throat was stuffed with spiderwebs.

‘Wait, hero?’

I might have been a bit slow to process his words, but my tired brain got around to it eventually. The world spun, and the cogs in my sleepy little head started to whirr, connecting the pieces of the puzzle in a flash of insight.

'I knew it. That was why the town center was so busy. The hero summoning was this morning, and I had missed the notice while I was out hunting the pod of devilwyrms.'

But I thought that was in a couple days. I knew I had left at least three days prior to the summoning, just to make sure I wouldn’t miss it. Did I really lose track of time that badly? Was I really passed out in the forest for more than a few days? No, I would have been eaten if it had really been that long. The monsters in the forest wouldn't just wait around for me to wake up, they weren't that merciful.

The timeline didn’t add up, but I figured there was no reason to dwell on it now. Regardless of what happened back then, the hero was already here, and I at LEAST wanted to see what they looked like.

'They must be here right now, right?'

I scanned the area in a flurry of movement, but no one immediately stood out as the person I was looking for. I quickly opened my mouth to ask questions but Claire shot me a look, urging me to stay silent.

Fortunately for her, I didn’t need to stop my mouth, because the highlander man stopped it for me.

His boulder of a fist flew at my face, molding against my skin and then pushing through. I was sent flying through the air, crashing through a wooden table. Playing cards floated in the air, upturned from their resting place. The crowd, previously thick and near immovable, began to clear away in fear of getting caught up in the altercation. Even for the stronger among them, it was none of their business. Claire gasped.

"No, don’t!" she exclaimed at the mountain of a man.

As I lay in a pile of splinters, he taunted me, not listening to the plea of the small woman beside him.

"You’re going to do... what now?" He shifted his weight, bringing his gloved fists up into an iron guard. "Go ahead and finish your sentence, boy."

I spat at him, my saliva fogging up, already tainted by blood. The glob of spit landed at his feet and sank into the old, dry wood.

"You asked for it."

I brought myself to one knee and rose out of the decimated carpentry, brushing off my old leather armor.

"I'd definitely kick your sorry ass."

"Alright then, come at me." the highlander gibed.

"Let's-"

Before the man had the time to finish his sentence, I’d already leapt from the floor, barreling towards him at a breakneck pace.

"[Flash Jump]."

I sped through the air, bursts of azure mana erupting from my feet, propelled by both my own physical strength and lightning–quick magic expulsion.

Shoving my hips forward, I buried my right knee in the man’s face, cutting his cheek and disrupting his balance.

The man stumbled backwards, putting just enough space between us that I could follow up. The man hurriedly tried to cast a reinforcement spell.

"[Iron Skin-"

Still suspended in the air, I twisted my waist and slammed my left shin into his jaw. His mouth clattered shut and his teeth cracked together, nearly biting off his tongue. The clack of leather sounded in the air, smacking against the dense bone of his skull.

Twisting just a bit more, I followed through with the kick, sending him into a spiraling collapse. His thick body and heavy weaponry thudded against the stone flooring, followed by the chime of tempered steel.

A quick inspection told me of his status effect: Knocked the fuck out.

"Nice," I say, not even remotely surprised at the outcome.

As the dust settled and the adrenaline began to wear off, I took a moment to look around. The crowd that had gathered to watch the fight was completely stunned, their faces frozen in disbelief. The man’s companion was completely floored, her fanged jaw agape. Even the girl in the sundress had grown wide-eyed, finally having taken notice of the world around her for just a moment.

The only one who was not surprised is Claire, whose face was firmly buried in her hands.

"I knew this was going to happen," she muttered under her breath.

Knowing that this was at least partially my fault, I shrugged innocently.

"He started it?"