An aged man with a graying beard was the first thing Elaine saw when she entered the room. He sat at the centerpiece of the room, a sturdy wooden table with a worn surface from years of use. On it, a variety of tools haphazardly arranged: a cloth measuring tape, magnifying glasses of varying sizes, a weighing scale that had two bowls suspended at equal distances from the center with a metal rod connecting them, and other obscure tools. A stack of papers was neatly stacked to the left of his arm. Shelves lined the room, but the uniformity was broken by another door on the side. The shelves behind him held an array of books, providing the appraiser with a wealth of knowledge about the supernatural flora and fauna that inhabited the world. The shelves to the left and right of the room contained neatly categorized samples: scales from fire-breathing drakes, blood samples from frost wolves, shards, and whole chunks of precious and rare minerals alike.

He gestured towards Elaine, instructing her to take a seat.

"So what do you have today?" his voice slightly hoarse.

"Slime cores," she said, dumping out the contents of her bag on the table.

The appraiser clicked his tongue, "Bloody rough adventurers," he muttered under his breath.

His brows furrowed as he opened a drawer and grabbed a pair of gloves. He picked up a core, scrutinizing it with the magnifying glass, and inspecting the core's exterior surface. The rock-like nucleus is smooth and hard, lacking any blemishes. Its color is a deep gray, save for the spots of varying sizes that dot its surface. Each spot was a darker hue of gray, yet still as smooth as the rest of the surface. He started measuring the core: length, breadth, height, and circumference. With that done, the core was placed on one side of the scale, it tipped downwards from the weight while the other side tipped upwards. A small chunk of crystal was placed on the opposite side of the scale. As his hand hovered inches away from it the dark purple crystal began to faintly glow, mana slowly being poured into it, the scale slowly tipped until both sides were equal. He finished his inspection by jotting down notes on a piece of paper before gently placing the core in an empty box. He repeated the process for each core, each one given the same meticulous care and attention. Elaine watched the man work quietly. He worked fast but with precision, occasionally stopping to push up his glasses with the back of his hand lest his gloved fingers were dirty. The inspection was intriguing at first, but repetitive. Her attention shifted as she scanned the rest of the room, breaking the silence in the room with her foot mindlessly tapping away. The man's eyebrow twitched slightly.

I thought this room would be more cluttered, especially with such a line outside. Heck, I can't even see where all the things they dropped off are, Elaine observed.

"Ahem."

Elaine's own inspection was interrupted as her head snapped back to face the appraiser.

"You've got 50 slime cores here, with an estimated value of 75 coins each. The guild will take a commission of 10%. Final prices may vary and most cases take two to three business days. If you choose to sell with the guild please sign here and include your guild identification number," he handed Elaine the paper that he was writing on earlier. It detailed the measurements of each slime core and his evaluations, concluding with the total estimated price in the bottom right corner. Elaine skimmed through it and signed where indicated before handing it back to the appraiser, having to reference her guild card to find her guild identification number.

The appraiser retrieved the paper and examined it one last time, looking down and up at Elaine a few times. Elaine curiously watched his every move, keeping track of the way his eyes danced around as he read through the paper he held. When satisfied, the box containing the cores was covered, before placing the paper on top. He traced the edges of the paper with his finger, it glowed slightly as he effectively glued the paper to the box.

Ding!

He rang the bell on the desk. The door that was awkwardly situated between the shelves swung open, revealing a heavily armored man.

He was of average height, clad in heavy armor from head to toe. The steel plates shined, untouched and new. The helmet completely concealed his face. He picked up the box, his movement smooth despite the bulky and weight armor adorning his body, he gave a quick nod and quickly vacated the room. Elaine sat there blinking, bemused.

"Ahem."

Once again, Elaine's head snapped back.

"Please come back to the guild to check up on your items in the coming days. That is all," his voice monotonous, not even bothering to look at Elaine as he adjusted the equipment on his desk before discarding the gloves.

"Um, thanks..." Elaine replied standing up to leave.

She exited the room, scratching her head as she thought to herself, well that was weird.

With a pep in her step, she waltzed her way back, retracing her path as she hummed. All the while thinking, It's only the start yet I've already done so much. Now all that's left today is to find a place to sleep away. Then when tomorrow comes my adventure would have truly begun.

When she entered the guild hall she spotted Leilani attending to another adventurer. The female adventurer was of average height and wore a maroon cloak that extended down to her ankles. The hood was cast over her head, concealing her hair and face from view. She leaned heavily onto the counter, gesturing wildly as she talked to Leilani, who paid close attention, giving a polite smile and nod to everyone once in a while. Eventually, she lets out a long heavy sigh before handing her guild card to Leilani, bandages showing slightly underneath her sleeve. Leilani took it behind the counter and performed her administrative duties before returning the card. Leilani gave her a farewell bow as the adventurer left before finally noticing Elaine. She waved her hand, beckoning her closer, which Elaine followed.

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"Hello again Elaine. How did the appraisal session go?" Leilani asked.

"It went well. Although the appraiser was a bit..."

"Cold?" Leilani finished Elaine's sentence.

"Yea, how did you know?" Elaine asked, surprised.

"Well, we get a lot of complaints about Mr. Thorne. He's extremely passionate about his craft, so much so that if anyone doesn't treat their materials with the right care or respect he treats them the same. Unfortunately, adventurers aren't exactly known for being the most delicate bunch."

"All I did was pour out the slime cores onto his desk!" Elaine cried out.

"To me, that seems like a reasonable action, but to Mr. Thorne..." she shrugged her shoulders while shaking her head, lips pouting slightly.

"Oh well," Elaine mimicked Leilani's actions.

The two girls giggled for a bit before Leilani recollected herself, clearing her throat before asking Elaine a question, "So do you have a place to stay?"

"Actually that's why I came back here. I understand that the guild has lodging for adventurers, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct," she grabbed a piece of paper from behind the counter, "As you can see the guild will provide rooms to adventurers, charged per night. Of course, the type of room will influence the price. The cheapest room is a shared room, shared with eight others, followed by a two-person room then ending with private rooms."

Elaine listened intently to Leilani's explanations following her finger as she gestured to the prices and rooms written on the paper.

"I'll take the private room."

"Of course," Leilani jotted down some details on a separate paper as she spoke, "The private rooms include a desk, cupboard, and attached bathroom. Please make sure to not waste any water."

Elaine nodded along as Leilani wrote away.

"How long are you going to stay?"

"I don't have an exact time frame of how long I'm going to stay here in Wintrell."

"That's all right. You can just book for one night and extend it at the end of each day, or you can book for up to a maximum of one month. It's paid upfront and no refunds are allowed."

"I'll just take the daily option then."

"It's a bit of a hassle, but you run less of a risk of losing gold from any last-minute adventuring decisions," Leilani added as she continued writing.

"Here please fill up your details and sign at the bottom," Leilani handed Elaine the paper and a feathered pen.

Elaine filled out her basic information again, the same process she went through with the appraiser, Mr. Thorne, although this time she didn’t have to refer to her guild card for the identification number.

Leilani made sure that all the details were filled out accordingly, tracing her finger across the paper she held.

"Just a moment, Elaine," as she turned around and went into the room behind the counter, before returning with a set of keys.

"Here's the key to your room, it's located on the fifth floor. Losing the key means a replacement fee, so I'd advise you to not lose it," Leilani winked.

“Wait, I thought this place only had three stories?”

“Oh, there’s a separate building behind the main guild hall for accommodations and what not.”

Elaine chuckled, "Thanks for your help, Leilani. You've been a great help so far."

"It is my job after all," she smiled, her pearly whites showing.

"I'll head up now. I'll come see you tomorrow to register for my first quest."

"I look forward to it. Enjoy the rest of your day," she bowed again as she sent off Elaine, pointing her in the right direction.

Elaine followed Leilani's finger which pointed at some directional signs that were blasted against the stone walls of the guild hall. She followed them until she met her most dreaded enemy: stairs.

"I hate stairs. Even climbing trees would be better" she muttered to herself, starting her trek up the long flight of stairs.

Eventually, she made it to the fifth floor, after navigating through the maze-like corridors she finally found her room. She inserted the key into the lock, slowly twisting the small piece of metal until she heard a soft click. The wooden door opened with a faint creaking sound. As she pushed it open, her new lodgings were revealed to her. The door led right into the room, and immediately to the left was another door that led to the bathroom. She switched on the lamp in the main room, a simple act of channeling mana into a dim yellow crystal causing it to light up with a soft glow. Feeling the bumps and grooves as Elaine stroked the walls absentmindedly, the wooden walls gave the room a rustic feel. Elaine walked over to the bed, the neatly made pillows and covers were inviting, but she was far too filthy from traveling to lay on the clean sheets, as much as she wanted to. Instead, opting to sit on the edge of the bed, placing her bag at the foot of the bed, as she observed her new surroundings. The room was of decent size, having enough room for a bed to fit comfortably, with space to walk around. A cupboard, a sturdy wooden desk, and a hard wooden chair, it was slightly worn but it did its job. Last but not least, a single window let her gaze upon the setting sun as it cast its warm orange hue throughout her room.

I’m not hungry yet, might as well meditate for a while before dinner, she thought.

Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind. Her breath slowed as she became increasingly aware of her body. Feeling the mana flowing inside her, circulating throughout her body. Letting the mana guide her, her breath becomes shallow, her mind emptying itself of all thought. The mana within her was pulsing and moving. She traced the flow of mana as it entered her body. Tiny invisible particles were sucked up with each breath into her lungs. They diffused into her blood and started to travel along the highway that was her arteries and veins. She followed the mana as it deposited into her arms, her legs, her brain, through every muscle, bone, and fiber, all the way to the tips of her fingertips, down to the bottom of her toes. The leftover particles of mana returned to her heart only to be pushed out again with one mighty pump, and the process repeated, over and over.

Time flew by, Elaine opened her eyes as her meditation session drew to an end, the sun was now completely set and nightfall had snuck up on her. The previous orange hue was replaced with the soft pale glow of the moon that peered into her room.

Elaine’s stomach rumbled, interrupting her peacefulness. She stood up and felt energized, after a fulfilling meditation session. Yet there was an emptiness within her stomach, it demanded to be filled. She stretched her back, hearing the faint crack, before heading out the door in pursuit of food.