Iris stood resplendent in her full adventurer's attire, the red fabric flowing and spot-free thanks to Seamstress Marlena’s help while the steel armor glinted in the sunlight. She had to admit, she looked damn good and every part the adventurer.

This was a big moment, and she had to look the part of Grandmaster.

Beside her, their fingers intertwined, Kaira looked every bit as formidable in her own gear. While she had removed all insignia and accoutrement that had previously denoted her as part of the City Guard, she still looked like an elf knight in what was undoubtedly armor only fit for a noble.

Sera stood on her other side, exuding confidence, while Deldri, their new telv esquire with her distinguished brown hair shot through with streaks of grey, waited with an air of anticipation. She was a long-time esquire affiliated with the guilds and was very excited to join in with such a historical new opportunity.

Opposite them was a city bureaucrat and another esquire who represented the inn's previous owners.

The bureaucrat leafed through the documents one last time, allowing a satisfied smile to cross his face. After fishing around in his leather document holder, he produced some sheets of paper. “Here we have the approved bill of sale and the deed,” he remarked, handing them over to Deldri.

Deldri perused the documents intently, her eyes scanning every word before giving Sera a subtle nod of approval. Meanwhile, the owner's representative handed Iris a heavy ring, adorned with a collection of keys.

The keys to our future.

With everything in order, the city official beamed at Iris. “Grandmaster Stuart, allow me to officially welcome the Adventurer's Guild to its new home.”

Iris's lips curved into a gracious smile. “Thank you so much for all of your assistance in ensuring this proceeded as timely as possible. We certainly appreciate it.”

He chuckled. “When Lady Arden personally asked me to ensure you were well taken care of, I knew I couldn’t hesitate. Not to mention, it’s not every day that I get to help in some small way for a new guild to be formed! And in my queendom at that… Ah… Thank you for allowing me to take part in this.”

Iris smiled. “Please, think nothing of it. You’ve been great. I’ll definitely let Thalia–sorry, Lady Arden know about how efficiently you work.

His eyes widened at her ‘slip’ of the familiarity she shared with Lady Arden and thus showed just how influential she was already.

I probably fucked that up, but it felt right. Fucking politics.

He nodded quickly and congratulated them again before gathering his things and moving to speak with Sera.

He nodded quickly and congratulated them again before gathering his things and moving to speak with Sera. As the Head Administrator wrapped up with formalities, Iris took a moment to survey their new headquarters.

The inn was majestic with its stone facade facing the city's main thoroughfare. In front of them stood an ornate archway that led pedestrians through a gate into a spacious courtyard and manicured grounds that wrapped around the right side of the structure. To either side of the gate was a wrought iron fence atop a short stone wall that stretched outward, enclosing the majority of the property. To further ensure privacy, large, meticulously groomed hedges stood behind this barrier. Just beyond the courtyard was the actual main entrance of the hall.

To her left, the inn’s fencing parted to expose a fancy cafe that boasted an entrance directly from the main street. Further down was the large gate that led to the stables and storage with space for carriages and animals of all types.

Which was perfect for Owlie because Laken was having some trouble finding a place for his companion to stay.

The courtyard and surrounding grounds, which were even more expansive in the rear, would become the spot for training, spars, and evaluations after they did some landscaping. Like she'd learned before, and saw when she was given a tour inside a few days ago, there was an upscale bar that still included all of the tables and chairs. Not to mention, the former cafe that would be transformed into the guild shop. Which would suit them perfectly.

To be honest, the place was way grander than what they should have, but its status for the queendom as a whole required it. Iris could live with a bit of luxury, but with the type of people that would soon be coming through here, she wouldn't be surprised if it got roughed up a bit.

I wonder how long it'll be before we have to repair something.

Still, Sera had truly outdone herself and with Lady Thalia Arden’s nudge of a recommendation, they were going to have a prime location to start with. They’d definitely need to hire more people, as the location was simply too large for the small staff that the guild currently had.

What was once a center of luxurious temporary lodging and eating for visiting nobles was being transformed into a nexus of adventure and discovery.

And probably a bit of mayhem.

When the two officials had departed, a tangible excitement permeated the group. Sera’s grin mirrored her enthusiasm. “It’s a new chapter for us. We have a lot to set up. I've asked Tanith to grab some food for everyone and the other staff will help him bring it here around the midday bell.”

“Neri's got some errands to run for us, with some help from Akane and Mocha,” Iris interjected. “They'll be here soon.”

“What else did we need?” Kaira asked. “I thought the inn came fully furnished.”

“It does,” Iris said. “But we learned that simple things like plate ware and such aren’t here. Just furniture. We also need office supplies, but I think—”

“Yes, yes. I will handle all of that with Deldri this week, Iris. Ugh, let me enjoy this moment. We’re not even inside.”

Iris chuckled. “Sorry, stole your moment.”

Sera scowled a bit before she stood straighter and extended her arm, gesturing towards the inn's grand entrance. “Are you ready to embark on this, Grandmaster?”

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Iris smirked, “Always, my friend.”

“Well then, lead on,” Sera declared with a dramatic flourish.

Chuckling, Iris reluctantly released Kaira's hand and approached the entrance. She sifted through the set of keys, selecting the largest and most ornate. As she slid it into the lock, she paused for a deep breath.

Here we go.

With a turn of the key, the door yielded, and Iris stepped into the heart of their new adventure.

The vast emptiness of the former inn, now the Guild Hall of the Adventurer's Guild, swallowed the four occupants. The muted sound of their footsteps on the wood flooring was the only hint of life in the grand space.

Iris stood at the threshold, her gaze capturing every nook and cranny of what was now her domain. Behind her, Sera, Kaira, and Deldri followed suit, their silhouettes cast long shadows in the dimly lit hall.

Sera's voice cut through the quiet reverence. Turning to Deldri, she said, “We have some crates in the wagon outside. Mind giving me a hand?”

Deldri, her gaze fixed on the intricacies of the ceiling, snapped back to the present and nodded.

The Head Administrator continued, “After that, we can ask Gefrey to check on the stables and see what he needs to settle the horses in there, and probably…” She looked at Iris for confirmation.

“Owlie.”

“Yes, the owl bear aptly named ‘Owlie’. Of course, this is what we have to look forward to.”

Iris shrugged. “Probably not the craziest thing. I mean, you haven’t even seen Akane in her true form yet.”

Sera took a deep breath. “That can wait until my heart can handle it.”

Iris smirked. “Easy there Sera or Tanith will get jealous.”

The woman scowled. “That is not what I meant and you know it. I meant she caused a fright.”

Cause a fright? Really?

The Grandmaster rolled her eyes.

With that, the two members of the support team moved out, their retreating steps echoing through the space for a moment before they exited the wide double doors, leaving Iris and Kaira enveloped in the vast silence.

Kaira, her voice soft, remarked, “Quite the journey you've had, huh? Like you said, across the stars and—”

“Into your heart. Yup.”

Kaira snorted. “That was corny as fuck. How do you come up with these lines?”

Iris moved closer and pulled the smaller elf to her. “Because you love my cheesy lines.”

She leaned close, ready to kiss… only to get a palm instead.

Her eyes shot open. “Woah! What the?”

“We have work to do. Now, can you be serious?”

Iris merely nodded, her eyes still surveying the expansive room. Overwhelming... she mused internally. “Yes. Sorry, all of this?” she said gesturing to the space around them. “It's... monumental.”

The main entrance area was defined by a sprawling space dominated by a grand hearth, dormant and waiting for a flame to breathe life into it once again. Adjacent to the hearth was a counter that had once welcomed countless guests. Now, it would serve as the central hub for adventurers and quest givers to conduct business with the Guild.

The swinging double doors across the open space on the other side of the central hearth led to a taproom, where tales of exploits would be shared over drinks. There was even a large kitchen attached in another room, along with stairs down to a cellar that was nearly as expansive as the first floor.

They weren’t sure what all they’d put down there yet.

Sera had spoken of a vault.

To one side, large windows revealed the spacious cafe overlooking the street, which would be converted into the Guild Shop where they would stock essential supplies for adventurers along with filling the room with unique trinkets and resources they'd find on quests.

She couldn’t wait.

On the wall in front of the counter near the entrance was where they planned to place the quest board so that it would be easily visible from all angles of the main area.

It was to be divided into ranks and tiers. Deldri had even already created template forms that would be used to detail everything about a quest and hired a team of scribes to create hundreds of copies

Iris's gaze trailed to the wall behind the counter, where a small staircase led to a segregated area of the hall. Up the stairs was a hallway with five offices that were originally used by the innkeeper and their staff. The largest at the end of the hall would now be hers, followed by individual offices for Sera and Deldri, then an administrative space for the receptionists, and lastly, a room for records and files.

Sera already had a plan to have a more secure door installed in that final room.

Next to the taproom’s entrance was the staircase that led to the second floor. Previously rooms for the inn's guests, would now be transformed into storage spaces, a clinic for an eventual healer, hopefully a place for a lite version of the Ceremony of the Paths, and meeting rooms. The floor above that one would house hostel-style rooms of various sizes for adventurers who needed last-minute accommodations.

It was perfect.

“Shall we?” Kaira's voice brought Iris back. “We need to set things up before everyone arrives. Get these shutters open and let some light in.”

“You're right,” Iris responded, the weight of responsibility starting to settle on her. “Let's get to it.”

Kaira grinned and playfully elbowed her companion, heading to the taproom. Left alone for a moment, Iris's mind wandered. Soon, the nineteen members of the guild would fill the space and while their numbers were modest now, growth was inevitable.

Especially with Thalia Arden advocating for volunteers from both her own House Guard and the city’s guards to bolster their numbers. The woman was passionate and dedicated to giving the guild a proper start.

Once they cleared the unnecessary furniture, Iris knew Thalia would spare no expense in ensuring the Guild Hall stood as a proud emblem of both its purpose and the city it called home.

Some people would suggest Iris not give the City Lady so much leverage or power over her, but Iris had to be honest. All the refurnishing, decorating, supplying, and structural changes that were still needed were going to be expensive as fuck.

She did say the signage would be ready by the end of the week too.

Yeah, Iris would take the help in a second.

Plus, Thalia genuinely seems like a good woman. I can work with her.

Iris followed after Kaira and entered the tap room. As Kaira grabbed a worn broom from the back that was left behind, Iris went around to all the windows and started opening shutters to let light into the space.

By the time she was finished with the entire front area of the hall and returned to the taproom, Kaira was removing the chairs that had been set upside down on the tables and sliding them under.

“Need a hand?” she asked.

Kaira gave her a flat look. “Yes, but don't come to my table, find your own!”

Iris chuckled and quickly moved on to another to start removing chairs as well.

With the last table set up, Iris heard excited voices from the main area. “We have company,” she told Kaira.

“You know who that is.”

Yeah, I do.

Sure enough, Akane, Mocha, and Neri came into the taproom carrying crates.

Neri’s eyes darted around the area. “Let's put these on the bar,” she said with a bit of strain to her voice.

The poor girl was clearly struggling so Iris rushed over and grabbed the crate from her and carried it over to the bar where Akane and Mocha were already opening crates.

“Be right back,” Neri said. “The man who helped us was dropping off the other crates outside.”

Kaira shook her head. “I'll go, you start getting everything unpacked.”

Neri sighed with relief. “Thanks…”

Iris hustled after Kaira to help.