Gem asks as I enter the still-busy reception hall. If it were anything like Forestend’s, the flow of adventurers wouldn't die down until after the sun sets. Mostly because none of the adventures back there liked to travel the forest at night. Here in Southport, I wasn’t so sure, for the simple fact that the docks never slept, so I wouldn’t be surprised that a steady stream of adventurers would find their way to the Guild even after the sunset.

I respond, snaking my way through the crowd to the redemption desk, which was more of a mini version of the reception desk in its own room. Larger than Forestend’s by a considerable margin with four stations to Forestend’s one. The other difference from Forestend was the fact that all four stations already had a considerable line; normally, you only see a large line like this one at the Forestend Guild’s Redemption Desk around mid-afternoon and early evening when all the adventurers are returning from the forest or the dungeon. Getting into the shortest line, I mentally sighed

I was right. It had taken a little over half an hour before I stood before a young man, probably a little younger than I was. Like becoming an adventurer, you could apply to work at the guild when you were ten years old, especially if your class was something the guild could use. Of course, the jobs you got at that age weren't anything to write about, but they did have the benefit of giving experience in a little of everything the guild did.

“Welcome; what can I do for you today.” The young man said.

“I’d like to turn in this loot,” I say, placing the leather bag I had pulled from storage on my way from the Guildmaster’s Office. “Also, I have some Bounty Tokens that I’d like to redeem.”

“Okay, I can take care of the loot, but I’ll need to get the Redemption Desk’s Manager to redeem the Bounty Tokens. Is that okay with you?”

“That's fine,” I say, and the man disappears into the back, presumably to get his manager. As I waited, a thought occurred to me.

Gem asked, picking up on my curiosity.

< You're right. There isn't a theoretical reason the system couldn’t just pay out the Bounty.> Gem agreed, which got a raised mental eyebrow from me.

I wasn’t all that surprised that something added so late in the game didn’t have all the bells and whistles most of the other components had. One policy that I wholeheartedly agreed with the creators of the System was that nothing got added until it was tested within an inch of its life, which, unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it, created a lengthy proving process. That was one of the reasons the rewrite of the Request Subsystem had taken over a year. I had the core of the rewrites down in a few months, but QA and integration testing took the rest of the time.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

I ask, not familiar with the terms which was rare.

Gem says after a moment,

I asked.

Gem answered The explanation was given in such a matter-of-fact way that it was a stark reminder that as much as Gem acted human, she was, in fact, a machine. A highly advanced and complex one but still a machine.

was all I could say. Thankfully, I was saved from further response when the young man returned with a middle-aged woman. The woman exuded quiet strength as she walked, wearing a tailored tunic and trousers that combined practicality and grace. Her long auburn hair was tied in a severe bun to keep it out of her eyes. Her observant emerald green eyes displayed her high intelligence.

“Welcome, adventurer, to the Southport Guildhall. Young Mister Andrew says you have some Bounty Tokens to turn in.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” I say, figuring that, given her demeanor, a little formality wouldn’t go amiss.

“Very well,” the woman said, turning and heading back the way she’d come, clearly expecting me to follow. After a few steps, the woman had me proceed into a small office just off the main hall. It was a smaller version of the Guildmaster's office minus the windows and a much smaller desk overflowing with papers. “Sorry for the mess, but the Guild Hall is in the middle of our annual audit.”

“I understand, Ma’am.” I say with a smile, “During Forestend’s Audits, my dad would get really stressed and pull out his hair trying to manage everything as the Guildmaster. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for the managers working under him.”

The woman gave me a thoughtful look, “Your father’s the Guildmaster of Forestend’s Guild? In that case, I guess you know the procedure for Bounty Token redemption.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I say.

“In that case,” the woman said, moving over to a file cabinet along the left side of the room and fishing out a packet of papers. “why don’t you give me those tokens so I can get you your coin while you fill out this report? And we can return to more important things sooner than I expected.”

“Of course, ma’am,” I say, exchanging the tokens for the proffered forms. Finding a relatively uncovered part of the desk, I begin filling them out as the woman leaves. The forms were simple after-action reports detailing what happened, which was more for the city’s guard’s benefit than for the guild, so I had them done well before the woman returned.

“Here you are, Ten Gold and Three Silver,” the woman said, handing me a coin pouch. Andrew also added the Three Gold and Four Copper from the loot you wanted to sell for Thirteen Gold, Three Silver, and Four Copper.

“Thank you, Ma’am,” I say, slipping the coin pouch into my pocket, which had disappeared into my storage. I hand the woman the now-filled forms before saying my goodbyes and heading out of the Guildhall, intent to finally find an inn.