After getting rid of the wooden skewer with a few fish bones still stuck to it with one of the trash collectors, I set off to enter the inner city. Initially I aim for the gate. Maybe there will be some half decent guards on duty for a change and I can get in the same way as most other people.

Wouldn't that be nice? Well, of course I'm not that lucky.

That one guard that irritated me initially isn't on gate duty today, thus I get my hopes up at first. As I settle in a little distance away to watch the proceedings a little more closely a frown soon begins to make its way on my face. That one asshole isn't there, but there are two others that are just about as bad. There is no doubt about that.

There is one guard probably using the same kind of identification skill on people as the one that irked me, judging by the way people look at him time and again. His uniform, might just be the only reason why no one has given him a good pummeling yet. Either that or possibly the fact that he is armed and armored to begin with. One way or another, that guy isn't making any friends.

That on its own would already be bad enough, but his female colleague irritates me just as much. The way she collects tolls and fees leaves little doubt about the nature of these. She runs the most clumsy protection racket possible. I mean, it can't get any more inept than just threatening to make people disappear into the city's stockade if they don't pay up. And again she is getting away with it because she wears an uniform as far as I can tell.

I'm tempted to throw an [Identify] her way. Oh yes, I'm so very tempted. I refrain though. Instead I make sure to study her in depth. I do my best to memorize every aspect about her, face, voice, build and even the manner she talks and carries herself. This, and the observation of the guards conduct at the gate in general at least earn me a partial increase for [Gather Information]. That is the only good thing though.

One way or another, that one has a thing coming her way. I'm not quite sure what I'll do, but I'll do something for sure. She might just not be able to regret her life choices anymore by the time I'm done.

I mean, the guild certainly isn't above running a protection racket, but I'm just as certain that it wouldn't be carried out this hamfisted. Hell, if you think about it even the adventurers' guild is running a protection racket of sorts. That's a nice town you have there. Would be a shame if something were to happen to it. Plenty of monsters around here. We could help, for a little fee of course. Now that is a proper protection racket! What I have to witness here though is just beyond embarrassing.

I take a deep breath to calm back down, before I move away into one of the side streets again. I' risking getting sidetracked. I'll need to do something about this particular issue another day. Now I need to get to the adventurers' guild. One thing after the other.

Crossing the wall is a little different during daytime than what I'm used to from my nightly trips. Especially as I don't intend to run across the rooftops for any length of time afterwards. No, I want to blend in with all the other people out and about on the streets instead. And, of course, I don't want to be seen crossing the wall or coming down from the rooftops.

Thus I make the best possibly use of all my previous observations and pick a spot that is a little out of the way and mostly unobserved. I don't just rely on this knowledge though. No, I spend some more time observing the wall and the surroundings too, just in case. The effort nudges [Perception] ever closer to the next level up.

I wait for one of the patrols on the wall, which aren't any more numerous during daytime than during the night, to pass. Then I scale the wall and jump to the next rooftop on the inside without delay.

The action helps improve my [Climbing] and [Jumping] skills. My [Stealth] improving ever so much as I slip in through a dormer window is much more rewarding though.

The inside is similar to the building where we gambled at night. I find myself in a cluttered storage room. On any other day I might have gone through some of the chests, crates and cabinets to check out the things stored here. Not today though. I have something else on my mind and don't want to get sidetracked again.

I might come back another day though. Even if it's just some old clothes, they might still come in handy after all. And who knows, maybe there even is a real treasure hidden in this clutter somewhere.

Instead of giving in to my curiosity I head for the stairs leading down, taking only a moment to listen so I won't accidentally run into anyone on my way down. It's good that I take that moment too, as I can avoid running into a gaggle of children that way. Explaining why I'm coming down from their attic might have been a little tricky otherwise. Providing children with a story they'll buy and that will stand up to muster by adults later on too is beyond just a little tricky. Never mind that children will always want to know a little more, never shy to ask one more question, or a dozen. I'm just glad I don't have to make the effort.

As it is, I barely draw a glance, as I step out onto the street in the end. Good. That my [Stealth] gets a little closer to leveling up once again is an added bonus. I'm really starting to like this little excursion already. Even if I don't end up joining up with the adventurers' guild it is already paying off as far as I'm concerned and the day is far from over. Maybe I can even get an actual level up out of this!

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Happily humming to myself I'm on my way to the town square where the building of the adventurers' guild is situated. Thankfully it isn't too far, thus the trip doesn't take me too long. It helps that the streets aren't quite as busy inside the wall here either.

I stop humming and snort in amusement instead as I think about it. The guards shaking everyone down at the gate might have something to do with that. People who don't absolutely have to conduct business inside the walls probably won't ever bother to even think about getting in. I can't fault them either.

As I arrive at the town square I take another moment to check out the neighborhood at street level. I have to, to make sure I know all the best ways to get back to the rooftops, aside from climbing stairs in the nearby houses, which are a lot more busy than those closer to the wall.

I check out the board with the wanted posters outside the adventurers' guild's building too. I don't expect to find my likeness on any of those, but I feel that it's still better to be safe rather than sorry. Especially as I'm about to enter a building full of well armed people for whom violence is a quite viable problem solving strategy.

The faces and names on the posters, all made of sturdy parchment, nailed to the board, are not familiar. I guess this is a good thing. I'm a little surprised though anyway, considering I know plenty of people from the thieves guild.

Oh, what am I doing. I'm just stalling, playing for time. This is no use. I better get inside and find someone to talk to. Preferably someone who can provide some information about joining the adventurers' guild.

I barely have the presence of mind to step aside and clear the door once I'm inside. I'm not quite sure what I expected, maybe a stereotypical fantasy tavern or something like it, but it certainly isn't what I get to behold. My left eyebrow starts to twitch a little.

The room looks a little like an office. An office with a counter where you can order drinks to shorten the wait instead of a coffee dispenser. That isn'T the only counter though. No, there are others on the far side of the room where guild officials perform their duties. Thankfully the place isn't busy enough for queues to form in front of these. The sight is a little unnerving. At the same time it's strangely reassuring too.

At the very least it means that I have an easy time finding the right person to approach. In fact, I'll turn to the elderly gentleman behind the counter labeled 'Information'. He isn't busy right now either. In fact he might not be busy a whole lot in general. I'm not quite sure what he is reading exactly, but he is reading a book.

Whatever it is, he is not so engrossed with it as to miss my approach. He puts in a bookmark before putting his reading material away so he can focus on me instead.

“Welcome to the guild of adventurers of the frontier lands! What can I do for you?”

Despite his apparent age his voice is firm and pleasant. It makes it easy for me to reply with a smile on my lips.

“I would like to inquire about joining the guild and the formalities involved.”

My formal reply seems to surprise him, but he doesn't let it hinder him, as he is quick to answer, his tone never even wavering.

“Certainly. Let me give you a quick rundown.”

Even as he says that he produces a handful of things from below the counter. The first is a sturdy piece of parchment with some things already written on it. The second is plain iron tag. The third item is a set of tools. Finely cut metal stamps featuring individual letters and a hammer.

Given the plain metal tag I can already guess what the latter are for. I nod in understanding.

He flashes me a smile and even chuckles a little, as he sees me nod.

“I see. I don't have to explain the finder details of the stamping to you. Anyway the procedure is pretty simple.”

He turns around the parchment so I can read it.

“First I'll have to ask you some basic questions to fill in the blanks on this document.”

My brows furrow a little, as I read the document in question and try to figure out just what kind of questions he will have to ask. I throw him a questioning look, one eyebrow raised.

“You could get most of the information you need using an identification skill. Or couldn't you?”

He simply nods, not in the slightest perturbed.

“I could. As you might know though, that feels uncomfortable at best. We try to avoid using skills like that, especially around Riverrun. The guard around here …”

He doesn't have to finish that sentence. He doesn't have to. I know all too well what he is getting at. Yet, I have a feeling that he has left something else important unmentioned as well. Not even the feeling of my [Gather Information] skill advancing another little bit can distract me from this feeling. My [Danger Sense] triggering at the same time probably doesn't exactly help either. I simply have to put what is on my mind into words and speak out.

“You won't simply rely on the answers provided though.”

He nods without hesitation. Then he elaborates.

“You aren't wrong. We use the detect lies spell instead. Either the interview is conducted by someone who can cast the spell or we use an item, usually a set of scales, enchanted with it.”

That sounds pretty sensible overall. It makes me wonder about that spell though. How sensitive exactly is it? How will it react to half truth or, my favorite, technical truths. How about evasive answers? Or will it accept an alias for a name?

So many questions! And sadly this is not exactly the place and time to ask them. I'd rather ask Jerzy or maybe Wiktor. They ought to know. Thus I decide to pose another question instead. One that might just provide me an easy way out.

“Maybe I should have asked this question first, but is there an admission fee?”

Of course there is a fee, and he doesn't hesitate to let me know. Even before I finish asking he nods. Then he lets me know the details.

“The admission fee is one silver shilling.”

I let out a little groan at that. I don't even have to play pretend. That's well beyond what I can afford right now.