They found the guild in what appeared to be the center of the commerce district on one end of an open plaza edged with stores. In the center of the plaza stood a large fountain. It reminded Rob of the Berkeley central plaza, but made out of stone, polished dark woods, and less modern materials. The banking guild's entrance was on a raised stone platform with three steps leading to the top. It looked a lot like ancient roman architecture. Two very imposing guards stood to either side of the doors and said nothing as they entered. Rob assumed it would be a terrible idea to cause any trouble there.

Inside the building were high ceilings, marble counters, and a few more guards. It was still early, but there was already a short line forming to see the bankers. Rob assumed they were all players, but Glen had warned him that it would be very difficult to tell the difference between NPCs and players.

They waited for a few minutes, and their chatter was interrupted by someone's loud voice at one of the banking windows. "What do you mean you don't have my funds? I moved them to the account last night when I first came to this crapping city."

"Sir, please stay calm. Did you link your accounts before making the transfer?"

The banker looked annoyed but did his best to help his customer. After a few minutes, Rob was far enough up the line to see the complaining player's face. It was Jackson Smith. Rob did his best to stay out of view and not catch Jackson's eye. All he needed now was to have to deal with him on top of everything else they needed to get done.

When Rob finally got to a banking window, it was occupied by a human man in a crisp suit that looked like it came out of victorian era England. Frilly and a little too ornate for Rob's tastes.

"Good morning, sir. How can I help you today?" The young banker said with a straight face.

"Good morning. I wanted to activate an account with the guild so I can access my funds."

"Very good, place your hand palm down on the identity stone, please."

Rob did as he was asked, and a display popped into his view. There were two columns. One with his real-world account and the other was an account for the game. He looked closer and noticed there were already some funds in the in-game account and a few items that he had not identified yet.

The banker smiled and said, "Oh, it looks like you have already completed some tasks. You have funds available and a package. Would you like to access the package and withdraw some funds?"

"Yes, please. How do I transfer funds?"

Over the next few minutes, the banker walked Rob through accessing his funds and transferring materials to and from his account. He also explained that the bank's items and funds could be accessed from any banking guild or banking terminal in Elysium. He also recommended only keeping a small amount on himself as anything lost during combat would not be replaced.

Rob had all of the money he needed and then some and had his package in his pack waiting to be opened when he said, "Thank you very much for your help and instruction."

"It was my pleasure. Have a pleasant day, and we look forward to helping you again in the future."

The trio left the banking guild together and heard a loud voice greet them as they stepped onto the street, "Is that, you Bob? I see the whole crew is together."

Rob found the source of the voice. Jackson and five other people were standing next to the fountain in the middle of the plaza. This was the last thing he wanted to deal with, but he knew from experience that the more he ignored Jackson, the more persistent he would be.

Juno leaned in and said in a low voice, "Just ignore him. He can't do anything inside the walls of the city anyway."

Rob decided to take her advice, and they just walked away towards the first merchant Lewee had recommended. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Jackson's group had followed them. As they walked, Rob pulled up his pack inventory and found the package. According to the display, it weighed twenty pounds, which was nearly half his pack capacity. Upon focusing on the package, a dialog box appeared asking him if he wanted to open it, and he chose yes.

The single-slot opened into six different slots. The first was a letter. He assumed it explained the package and its contents, but he didn't want to stand on the street reading it. Especially when Jackson was around. The rest of the slots were blurred out, hiding the items they contained. He minimized his pack display and continued walking towards their first destination.

It only took a few minutes, and they were standing in front of a sign with a breastplate and gauntlet. This was the shop of Pruna the halfling. She came highly recommended by Lewee as a quality armorer. As they entered the shop, everything was neatly arranged by types of armor. On one side were three full suits of plate armor that gleamed from the overhead candlelight. On the other side were displays holding light and medium weight armor of leather and chainmail. Rob and Juno were instantly attracted to the leather armor sets. Sam almost rushed across the shop to the plate armor displays.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"Good morning, what brings you to my door today?"

Rob turned toward the voice and saw the woman standing behind the counter. A halfling woman with hair pulled back into a topknot wearing a long leather apron carrying a small bundle. She smiled at them and placed the bundle on the counter. The halfling stepped from behind the counter. As she did so, she dropped in height by nearly a foot as she stepped off some type of step on the counter's other side.

"Good morning, I assume you are Pruna. We were told to come here by Lewee at the Raven's Nest. We're looking to purchase some supplies before heading out of the city." Juno said.

The halfling woman approached, rubbing her hands on a rag and evaluating them with a practiced eye. "I see. I will have to thank her for the referral. It looks like you might be needing some light armor and, "looking at Sam, "Something a little heavier. The only problem is you may not have the levels to wear what I have available."

Rob stepped forward and asked, "Do you have anything low level? We just got to Elysium."

She looked around the shop and said, "I think I may have a few things in the back. Wait here for a moment, and I'll be right back." She turned around and disappeared behind a curtain.

They continued to look around the shop, and Rob took the opportunity to read the letter he received with the package. He reached into the pack and pulled it out just by thinking about it. It was sealed with a wax crest and was made of very thick vellum or something he had not seen before. Written in an ornate style below the seal was the name Gaylia. He broke the wax seal and began to read the letter.

Rob,

I was sorry to hear you left Sylanlin before I had the opportunity to thank you for saving me. I know my father allowed you to train with Master Vulmon as a reward for your service, but I thank you for what you have done. I sometimes act rashly, or so my father has told me. I shouldn't have been in the Fern Woods by myself. Recently we have seen an unusual number of strangers in our forests, and we must be more careful.

It appears many changes are in store for Elysium, but not all of them are bad. I was able to meet you and help you on your way. Hopefully, the gods will look kindly upon you.

While my father rewarded you with training, I would like to offer you the means to apply that training. I hope they serve you well in your adventures. If you are ever near Sylanlin again, please visit and tell us about your experiences. Until then, be safe.

In Your Debt,

Gaylia

Robert read the short note twice and then put it back in his pack. He then inspected the five remaining items. The first was a heavy wool cloak in a mottled green color. He looked at it closely and felt that it was something more than a plain cloak, but he didn't have proficiency in item inspection. The second item was an elven longbow like the ones he practiced and hunted with before. The third item was a quiver full of arrows.

His breath almost caught in his throat when he looked at the fourth and fifth items. They were matching falchion style one-handed swords made from a gleaming silver metal. The handles were a simple wood carved with elven symbols that matched the included sheaths. He pulled them from his pack, wondering how they had fit inside.

As soon as he did so, Juno asked, "Where did you get those?"

"They were in my bank account. They are a gift from the princess I saved in the character creation and tutorial. She also sent me a cloak and a bow."

Juno frowned and asked, "How well did you know this princess?"

"Not well. I actually didn't see her again after arriving in Sylanlin." Rob answered, confused by her tone.

"Oh, well, that was nice of her." She replied, walking closer to take a look at the swords.

Robert handed her one of the swords and said, "I wish I knew the Identify skill."

She swung the sword a little, not really having proficiency in it, and handed it back. "It is very nice. Maybe Pruna can take a look."

As if she knew someone was speaking of her, Pruna returned from behind the curtain carrying several bundles. She placed them all down, one-by-one on the counter, and waved them over to take a look.

"So, I was able to find two sets of leather armor and a low-level chainmail shirt." Pointing at Rob and Juno, she said, "You two can probably wear the leather if you want. The dwarf will likely want the chainmail."

Sam crossed the room and asked, "Is there any reason I can't wear the plate mail?"

She smiled and said, "First, you would need a minimum strength of forty. Second, you would need the Heavy Plate Armor skill. Do you meet those requirements?"

Sam just shook his head. "No, I have a ways to go before then."

Sam joined them at the counter and took a look at the chainmail. The gear Pruna placed on the counter seemed to all be in excellent shape.

Rob asked, "How much for the lot? And do you have the details for the items? None of us have the Identify skill."

Pruna leaned in and said, "Let me see. Two sets of light leather armor and one base level chainmail shirt to fit a dwarf. That would normally come to around eight gold. How about this? I will teach you all the basic skill of Identify, take a look at the gear you already have, and call it ten gold."

Rob looked at his friends who looked indifferent to the idea and answered, "Ok, that sounds like a deal. Can you teach us right now?"

"Yes, of course."

Rob passed over the gold, which brought him down to fifty gold total, and Pruna gave him the gear. After putting on the armor and adjusting the rest of their equipment, Pruna taught them the skill Identify. To Robert's annoyance, it required him to just stare at something for a while, wondering what it was and what it did. The process was slightly more complicated, but it required someone of intermediate skill or higher to learn the first level. An hour after entering Juno, Rob, and Sam left Pruna's shop with slightly better gear and the means to identify items they found while adventuring.